Snakes & Otters Podcast

Shatner-paloozza begins with words of wisdom from James T. Kirk. 

Martin takes the conn (Martin is also growing fond of the nautical terms) and steers the guys through a history discussion of the War in the Pacific. Martin wants to talk about John Prados' take that the Solomons Campaign was more important than the Battle of Midway to beating the Japanese. Check the book Islands of Destiny   to see what Martin's talking about. Worth your time. 

Robert takes the conn and steers the USS Snakes & Otters into an appreciation of that pioneering TV sensation, Babylon 5 . And yes, we do eventually let Francis off the leash. 

Francis takes the reins here and works hard to convince Robert and Martin that French king Louis XIV is a hero from the past worth emulating. Robert is willing to be convinced. Martin is busy testing his guillotine. Listen up to see how Francis fares in his endeavor.

Martin captains this month's Code of Honor. He pulls in Reagan after the Challenger Disaster, Francis kicks off with Oscar Wilde, and Robertus Malleus does his thing with Herman Melville. 

Civil rights is a story, and stories have characters. Martin takes the guys through a history episode examining some of those characters, the pioneers, leaders and martyrs of Civil Rights. 

Robert takes the big chair and Martin lets the guys ramble for full on 90 minutes of why Gen X is the best. Sorry Millennials and Boomers. 

Martin takes the helm and talks to the guys about Doctor Who. They are the real Whovians and their fandom makes for a fun pop culture episode talking about one of the longest running, most adaptable and perhaps greatest all around science fiction TV show of all time.

Heroes time and the guys talk Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Tireless fighter for justice and equality. Greatest orator of his (and nearly any other) age. A complex individual who changed the world for the better. A worthy hero indeed. 

Francis takes the lead for this month's Code of Honor and the guys discuss his The Godfather movie line, Martin's return to the "Nietzsche well" and Robert's anonymous sources. It works. Trust us . . . 

History time gang and we start a year long series on World War II with a Martin captained episode on the Battle of the Atlantic. We "dive" (see what I did there) into Wolf Pack tactics, hedgehogs, Enigma machines and the whole deal. 

Merry Christmas from Snakes & Otters. We talk about some of our favorite Christmas movies . . . and of course have to argue about whether Die Hard qualifies.

"Losers always whine about their best, winners go home and " Whoa, hang on there. Anyway, Francis takes the big chair for a heroes episode on the original man's man and greatest Scotsman Sean Connery.

Robert's the captain, and wielding Mighty Mjolnir (yes, he's worthy) he hammers home Martin's Al Pacino movie line and Francis' Margaret Thatcher with a terrific Francis Chan. 

Martin takes the helm on an episode exploring American diplomacy and power on the world stage at the turn of the 20th Century. Martin has the guys talking John Taliaferro's All The Great Prizes and Robert W. Merry's President McKinley: Architect of the American Century as a starting point. And a new bourbon makes its first appearance. 

Francis runs a big pop culture episode for us and we do another round of 'Movies We Always Have to Watch', those movies when you come across them while channel surfing that make you stop and settle in. This time we go with a 'Seventies Fest' with all our our movies being from (or real close to) that time period. We discuss classics from the era by Steven Spielberg , Francis Ford Coppola , John Boo...

"When will you make an end Buonarroti?" "When I am finished!" Robert takes the big chair and we talk about a giant of a talent in Michelangelo. A true genius.

Martin captains a Code of Honor that serves as a bit of a continuation of the last week's Nietzsche episode. Francis and Martin quote the man himself while Robert the Hammer blasts him  . . . 

Martin captains a Snakes & Otters style exploration of Friedrich Nietzsche and his influence on history. Martin finds him interesting, Francis is intrigued, but Robert finds him unfulfilling. 

Robert captains a gourmet hoopajoob where the guys talk that great fall treat, homemade chili. They do this with a belly full of Francis' great tasting, meaty version of the dish too. 

Francis takes the big chair to lead the guys through an examination of Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus" and all the subsequent derivations of this foundational and brilliant story. 

The guys take a trip down memory lane, paying homage to great teachers who got them where they are today. They start with the anchor of the college professor Mt. Rushmore, Bellarmine history professor Dr. Margaret Mahoney. 

Francis sits in the big chair this month for Code of Honor. He starts us with more von Clausewitz, then Martin bookends it with GK Chesterton, and Robert hammers it home like Thor with Mighty Mjolnir using poet Diane Ackerman. This one is Hall of Fame material listeners, download and archive it.  Our quotes this time: Francis – “There are very few men, and they are the exceptions, who are able to...

Francis captains an episode exploring the historical impact of the military philosopher Carl Von Clausewitz. We dig into what he was really trying to tell us in "On War", and how misinterpretations of that work play a huge role in the world we live in today. 

Francis handles the big chair this week and we discuss the superiority of Marvel's Dr. Doom over all other fictional villains. And yes, Darth Vader is a lackey and a loser compared to Doom.