The Good Art Friends

Little change in the episode order, as we'll be covering TJ Klune's We Burned so Bright for June instead of The Ending Writes Itself by V.E. Schwab and Cat Clarke. With that said, we did want to gush on the works of V.E. Schwab, so there's a quick primer on her genre-bending bibliography. And for our local listeners, you can catch Schwab in October at NC State ! Theme music by Practica...

American Football released their fourth LP, so it’s our sworn duty to cover this ethereal album. The episode starts with some background on the band and Jonathan’s history with them, before diving into the specifics of the LP at 14:40 when we break down our favorite lyrics, musical moments, and songs from this wonderfully weird record.  Other art discussed in this episode: Playoff hockey; Prince D...

Is 2025’s Eephus the quintessential baseball movie? That’s the question that Spencer and Jonathan discuss alongside returning guest Stephen (who is a host of the wonderful Batting Around podcast ). The trio discuss the poignant and humorous moments from this delightful film and unpack how it captures the essence of baseball. This isn’t really a movie that can be spoiled, but, for what it’s worth,...

Amaze! Amaze! It’s time to talk about Project Hail Mary, both the book by Andy Weir, and the movie by Lord & Miller starring Ryan Gosling. The episode starts with some spoiler-free discussion about space fiction and the works of Andy Weir, before soaring into the plot, production, and performances at 16:40.  Other art discussed in this episode: Origami Angel , Super Nintendo by Keza MacDonald...

After a couple of seasons of talking about enjoying art, it’s time to talk about making art. In the first half, Spencer interviews Jonathan about his band Practical Dinosaur. Then Jonathan turns the tables and asks Spencer about the books he has published (29:25). Along the way, they discuss what drives them to create, where they find inspiration, as well as their favorite and least favorite part...

Spencer and Jonathan are joined by Tyler and Ellie for the 2026 draft! Before turning their sights towards this year, they reflect on their 2025 picks. Then at 8:35 they take turns picking their most anticipated releases in the following categories: Movies, music, shows, and miscellaneous. Just how many Bill Lawrence properties will be selected? Tune in to find out! Send us a message at TheGoodArt...

Your favorite holiday tradition has returned, as it’s time for the second annual GARTS! That’s right, Spencer and Jonathan return to share their favorite art from 2025. Here are the nominees: Music: Forever is a Feeling by Lucy Dacus; Send a Prayer My Way by Julien Baker and Torres; NEVER ENOUGH by Turnstile; I've Felt Better by Dinosaur Pile-Up; Straight Line Was a Lie by The Beths; TOY by De...

Your favorite podcasters were so preoccupied with whether or not they could cover Guillermo Del Toro’s Frankenstein, that they didn’t stop to think if they should. We hope that we did not create in vain as we discuss a film that seems like it was destined to be made the moment that Mary Shelley penned her story of a modern Prometheus 200 years ago. The episode starts off with Spencer and Jonathan...

Join us as we travel to the unknown this month in covering Patrick McHale’s timeless 2014 miniseries Over the Garden Wall. After sharing what’s good (Hades II and Kiki’s Delivery Service), we chat generally about the show’s origins. The spoilers start at 14:17 as we breakdown our favorite themes, episodes, and frog names.   To engage with the fandom, we recommend swinging by r/overthegardenwall ....

We sail the seas hunting for the elusive podcasting shards as we discuss The Wind Waker! We start off with some spoiler-free chatter, sharing our early impressions of the Switch 2, and our history with Zelda (the beloved Nintendo series, that is, not F. Scott Fitzgerald’s mercurial spouse), before diving into the details of this timeless game at 14:40. Along the way, we touch upon the once-bemoane...

Grab a weighted blanket and light some calming candles, because we’re talking about cozy art in this month’s Good Art Friends! (2:41) What’s Good: Dinosaur Pile-Up new album I've Felt Better, IMSA Race, Ryan North’s Fantastic Four run, Long Story Short. (7:01) Cozy Games: We chat about our experience playing cozy games over the years and attempt to define the genre. Along the way, we touch on...

It is time for our much-anticipated, much-requested, much-ballyhooed Miyazaki retrospective episode! Each month we’ve chatted briefly about a different Miyazaki movie and since we’ve covered all twelve, it’s time for us to cover his entire catalog. We counted down our five favorite films of his, preceded by a few honorable mention selections. There are some mild spoilers for each movie, so feel fr...

It’s the Sad Art Friends! In this episode, we share our favorite sad songs. Breakups! Familial strife! Funerals! Sick kids! Burnt boats! Tune in to wallow in all that delightful misery.  You can listen to a playlist of all these sensationally sorrowful songs on Spotify and Apple Music .  Send us a message at TheGoodArtFriends@gmail.com , or connect on Bluesky at @goodartfriends.bsky.social‬ .

This month’s episode starts with a chat about Studio Ghibli’s delightfully idiosyncratic Porco Rosso, before an opening conversation about Spanish Love Song’s 2020 album Brave Faces Everyone . We paused at 13:45 to listen to the album repeatedly for a few weeks, then engaged in a deep dive into the lyrics, music, and context for this beautifully challenging album.  Interviews referenced: The Rodeo...

The episode starts with a quick Miyazaki Minute on Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1:35), before a spoiler-free introduction to Amal El-Mohtar’s 2025 novella The River Has Roots . The spoilers start at 11:37 as Spencer and Jonathan break down the story’s characters, lyrical prose, and conception of magic. Our topic next month is Spanish Love Songs’ 2020 album Brave Faces Everyone .  Send us a...

Spencer and Jonathan have often been referred to as “The Podcasters Without Fear,” which makes them the perfect duo to tackle the Disney+ series Daredevil: Born Again. Before doing so, there’s a quick Miyazaki Minute on The Wind Rises (next month: Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind) . Then they engage in some spoiler-free conversation about their relationships with The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen. The...

Spencer and Jonathan are joined by friends of the show Stephen and Tyler to pick the best baseball uniforms of all time. As is the case with all great podcast episodes, there is a disproportionate amount of vest-talk in this one. To view pictures of each of their picks, check out this Google Doc .  Be sure to check out Stephen’s baseball podcast, Batting Around ( Bluesky , Patreon ) Send us a mess...

The Good Art Friends hasn’t covered The Princess Bride yet?!? INCONCEIVABLE! Well, that wrong has been righted, as Spencer and Jonathan dive into this timeless classic for their Valentine’s Day episode. Before discussing Cary Elwes’ luxurious hair, they announce their role in the Neurodivergent Podcast Collective, and recommend the incomparable Autistic Culture Podcast . There’s then a quick Miyaz...

What’s better than two good art friends? Four good art friends! Jonathan and Spencer are joined by Tyler and Ellie to draft media coming out in 2025. Each participant selected a movie, a show, a musical event, and a wildcard. Tune in for a competitive draft and a surprising amount of dinosaur talk! Send us a message at TheGoodArtFriends@gmail.com , or connect on Bluesky with Jonathan and Spencer .

December means many things: Short days, festive holidays, and--most of all--the Garts! That’s right, it’s time for our end-of-year awards! Spencer and Jonathan share their favorite art from 2024: Movies, music, shows, books, comics, and mustaches! Connect with us on Bluesky: Jonathan: https://bsky.app/profile/jduren9.bsky.social Spencer: https://bsky.app/profile/spencermakesstuff.bsky.social Shame...

You will curse the day that you did not do all that The Good Art Friends asked of you! Not because we’re as domineering as the Phantom, but because we just ask you to engage with wonderful art such as The Phantom of the Opera. The episode starts with some spoiler-free discussion, before launching into our analysis of this haunting and moving musical at 19:22. We guarantee that your time with us wo...

🎶  Good Art Friends Good Art Friends Talk about a comic book: Ultimate Spider-Man! Six issues are in the can, Look out, Here come the Good Art Friends! We recommend Tuning in To this book by Hickman With art by Checchetto; This comic is worth a go! Hey there! Let’s chat about Spider-Man! 🎶 We promise our podcasting will be better than our lyric writing in this episode where we break down the fir...

We start by wishing we could inhabit the world of Kiki’s Delivery Service for our Miyazaki Minute, before setting the table for My Chemical Romance’s 2006 release The Black Parade. At 14:10 we enter into the spoiler section of the show, and proceed to gush about the lyrics and arrangement of this remarkable concept album. Along the way, we reference the influences of the album , when MCR put the a...

The episode kicks off with a Miyazaki Minute on Spirited Away, before chatting about the state of video games. They discuss the benefits of video games developed by a small team and then transition into some spoiler-free talk about Animal Well. Then they analyze this beautiful, enigmatic pixel-art game (19:29). After that--since they’re feeling generous--they break down the long-awaited return of...

The episode kicks off with some hockey-talk and a Miyazaki Minute on Spirited Away, before turning to Chad Harbach’s 2011 novel The Art of Fielding. Spencer and Jonathan have a spoiler-free chat about what makes for a great baseball story and what they should expect from this coming-of-age novel. Then at 15:12 they return after reading the book to dive into this beautiful, poetic novel. They discu...