The Midnight Citizen

Join Mike back in the studio late at night, where he goes for a long memory jog trying to remember what that Disney movie “The Shaggy DA” was about. He could just Google it, but doesn’t want to farm out his memory to the phone. It’s something we should all resist. Later, I ask if there’s a statute of limitations on synchronicity. I wonder this as I drink a toast to George Foreman, who died Friday...

Join Mike outside late at night, where he’s stunned to discover that they finally caught Jack the Ripper…like, a month ago. Isn’t anyone on the same news cycle anymore? Anyway, he’s devastated to learn that the truth of Saucy Jack’s real identity is much dumber than any theory has ever suggested, which reinforces his Rule for Life #2: Never Solve Your Mysteries. Also, other rules for life, like Ne...

Join Mike in the studio late at night, where he asks why he was such an a-hole to a nice young Mormon on his own turf. This snark-by-default has deep roots, perhaps, in growing up in the Southern Baptist MLM groove, where every interaction was a sales pitch, a chance to earn posthumous perks. Hear about what it was like growing up a Jesus Brat; how it was so hard to sell salvation in the South — a...

Join Mike in the studio on a Saturday night, recalling the combo-pigment of “caution” orange and “piss” yellow that made the school bus so special. Also, how do I know where JD Vance got his approach to foreign diplomacy? Because he grew up in my era, attending the same public schools that valued wrestling over civics. Speaking of bad education, we gotta get our kids out of this bad area — especia...

Join Mike in the studio late at night as he mulls over the optics of our new, modern chaos. Not to get too political, but if Satan wants to really torture us for all eternity, he’ll need to do some redecorating in hell. Also, why the movie Eyes Wide Shut (1999) is becoming more of a documentary; the secret currency of the rich explains why we all hate Valentine’s Day; and how AI has made us that o...

Join Mike in the studio late on a Friday night, where he screams all his innermost thoughts, desires, and shame into the void of a social media platform…and no, it’s not Substack. Also, what is it with Substack? Why do they only show people what you do when you say nice things about them? More paranoia linked to the tech industrial complex. Thanks for reading Mike's Bonfire! Subscribe for free to...

Join Mike in the studio, where he recounts a tense haircut he recently had. Everything was fine until he suggested to the salon’s owner he install a barber pole out front to drum up new business. There was a deafening silence, and things went down hill from there. Also, petty tyrants go global, the U.S. hopes to establish a homeland for tourism, and Moe’s rebrands itself an “outlaw” in the Burrito...

Join Mike in the studio on a Friday night, just in from seeing “The Brutalist”, a 4-hour long movie about a guy who builds a community center. Hear his thoughts, and stick around for more thoughts on his favorite movie of the year, “Saturday Night”. Also, “Curb Your Enthusiasm” goes to Washington, and Birmingham’s citizens get invited to join a cult. Be sure to join the Facebook page and find me o...

The Midnight Citizen in the morning! Join Mike for a Cup and lots of topics, including a shallow dive into why the Virtual Boy failed in 1995. Was it’s release on January 6th the worst thing to happen on that day in America? Also, reviews of some recent movies “A Complete Unknown” and “Flight Risk”. Be sure to join the Facebook page and find me on Instagram ! …”That’s not an MP, it’s a YP.” This w...

Join Mike for his first show of 2025. On a cold, dark night in the suburbs of Birmingham, AL, he sits under a broken heater, blowing breath into the lonesome abyss, those thoughts preserved for eternity, or as long as Substack and the Internet Archive exist… Thanks for reading Mike's Bonfire! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. Be sure to join the Facebook page and find me...

Join Mike on a sleepless night in Birmingham, AL, drinking coffee and talking into the early hours. “The Midnight Citizen” drops every Saturday night, so be sure to, ya know… Be sure to join the Facebook page and find me on Instagram ! …”You know why they made the sky so high? So the little birdies wouldn’t hit their heads…” This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial...

Hey folks — I recorded a show in studio this week, and when I was listening back, I had a crazy weird tech difficulty that I’m still trying to figure out. While I do that, enjoy this ENCORE from 10 years ago — a visit to Nashville, Indiana to see Joe Bob Briggs, years before his triumphant comeback on Shudder. No way he would do an event so small in such an obscure place these days!! Thanks for re...

Join Mike for coffee at night in the studio, and later for a cocktail outside on the patio. Topics this week include a lament on the university building where I had my first college class some years ago being demolished this week in a spectacular Las Vegas-style kind of violence; thoughts on why it’s important to temper our nostalgia, because nostalgia has led us down some uncertain and shady path...

Join Mike for a morning cup o’ joe on the back patio, and later for a night drive and after-work drink. Topics this week include Alabama’s dumb education laws and how a recent one could hold back as many as 4,500+ 3rd graders in the state; a kind-of “Deadpool and Wolverine” review; the “Miami Vice” soundtrack makes you feel comfortably depressed; sketchy elevators and “LA Law”; the built-in exploi...

Join Mike for a drink outside on a Friday night, as he recalls the legendary crime fighting ex-wrestler-turned-cop of Corinth, Mississippi Buford Pusser, and the long-standing rumor that he ran out of town one of Alabama’s longest-serving and most-revered mayors. Is it true or bull-scat? Also, who else is opting out of watching the Olympics in favor of spectating its ugly-but-more-entertaining ste...

And hellooooooo, everybody! Time to go back down again to the VIDEO STREET VIDEO STORE — return some old tapes, check out some new ones. For the newbies — or, just as a reminder — this is a weekly anthology of all the random awesomeness that is our analog tradition. Enjoy, and if something moves you to, please leave a comment — or suggest a video for future shows! For these future episodes, as wel...

“The Midnight Citizen” is a free, non-commercial podcast. So be sure to, ya know… A new show drops every Saturday night! Be sure to join the Facebook page and find me on Instagram ! …”…” This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial Share-Alike US License. Attribution by Mike Boody. Released July 2024 on mikesbonfire.substack.com and The Overnightscape Underground . This...

Hey folks — I wasn’t able to record a show this week. I’ll be back next Saturday night with an all-new studio show, but until then, enjoy this encore from April of 2017! Show Notes: Join Mike in the studio late at night, where he ponders the question: if a tree falls in a forest and no one takes a picture of it, does it make a sound? Also, a look at the new “It” trailer. “The Midnight Citizen” is...

Join Mike on his latest mini-vacation, housesitting for his folks and throwing a steak on the grill. Hear about his latest run-afoul with his unfriendly neighborhood crime ring, and Watch some bits n’ pieces of “RoboCop” from ‘87, including the part where Kenny gets eviscerated by ED-209. Also, why is the crime boss Boddicker WAY scarier than that AI killing machine. Is it his glasses? Later, I re...

And hellooooooo, everybody! Time to go back down again to the VIDEO STREET VIDEO STORE . I’m a day late this week, but ya know what, the way my schedule’s working out lately, Wednesday may be a pretty good home for this show. For future episodes, as well as the big show I do, THE MIDNIGHT CITIZEN podcast, be sure to, ya know… A new podcast drops every Saturday night! Here’s what’s up this week… VI...

On America’s birthday, Mike takes a few minutes to remember another historical milestone — the 20th anniversary of “Fred’s Oasis,” the low-budget, low-class exploitation film he made with some friends in college. Listen along as I recount its conception, production and aftermath, which lingers with me to this day, and forces me to ask that eternal question: am I right to be overwhelmed with shame?...

And hellooooooo, everybody! Time to go back down again to the VIDEO STREET VIDEO STORE — return some old tapes and pick up some new ones. This week, we’re doing something a little new. To celebrate the 4th of July, we’re showing a whole television movie, which I think, will really get you in the mood to shoot off some fireworks and scare some shell-shocked vets. So sit back and enjoy! And if you’r...

Join Mike on an epic excursion of summer slacking. After returning from a long delivery trip for Amazon that took him deep into the country and the town where he grew up, he sits out back and reflects on growing up in small town Alabama, and wonders what might have happened if he’d stayed there. Prison maybe? The next day, I venture out into the world to work, but end up at the mall drinking coffe...

And hellooooooo, everybody! Time to go back down again to the VIDEO STREET VIDEO STORE — return some old tapes and pick up some new ones. I didn’t have time to do write-ups this week — you know, go into detail — but that doesn’t mean these three tapes aren’t worth holding up to the light. We’ve got a solid promo video for a summer camp in West Virginia, the kind to make you nostalgic about it even...

Mike’s out of the studio this week, but he’s not lettin’ that stop him. He’s got a guest! Hang out with him and his friend Dave in the backyard, as they discuss all things past and present — how they met as roommates in a mutual friend’s “home of wayward children”, the spaceship in the basement of that house that became a favorite drinking spot, Dark Rides, ghouls, memories of Six Flags Over Georg...