The Skiffy and Fanty Show

Weird romances, France propaganda, and Gerard Butler’s careless whisper, oh my! Shaun Duke , Paul Weimer , and Trish Matson join forces to tackle a time travel “classic” — Timeline ! Together, they try to make sense of its plot, make fun of its treatment of medieval France, fawn over Gerard Butler, and get lost in thought about strange things that will make you giggle. Than...

Dungeons, Worldcon, and Afterlives, Oh My! Shaun Duke , Brandon O’Brien , Paul Weimer , and Trish Matson join forces again for our 2nd S&F Clacks show (now fashionably late). In this live show, they discussed the D&D Creators Summit and the future of the game, the Chengdu Worldcon and the Hugo Awards, and some somber news from a little while ago. The show was live on our Twitch chann...

Mass surveillance, dystopian industries, and music, oh my! Shaun Duke and Brandon O’Brien are joined by our friend and wicked good author, Iori Kusano, to discuss their new novella, Hybrid Heart! Together, they tackle Japan’s Idol industry, our very real fears (and very current future) of mass surveillance by corporations, and much more! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the epis...

Quirky westerns, earthquake dads, and airplane shenanigans, oh my! Shaun Duke and Brandon O’Brien join forces w/ special guest and world-renowned Quantum Leap expert Marshall Ryan Maresca for an in-depth discussion of the first season of the NEW Quantum Leap (2022-2023). Together, they discuss how the show approaches the story left by its predecessor, how it addresses contemporary politics,...

Terrible teeth, terrible nature, and very large birds, oh my! Shaun Duke and Brandon O’Brien are joined by the incredible Fonda Lee for a discussion about her new book, Untethered Sky ! Together, they discuss Lee’s approach to writing fantasy, what it’s like to try to be friends with a bird that can bite off your hand, the complexities of nature and myth, and so much more! Thanks...

Government experimentation, political death-cults, and 80s fashion, oh my! Brandon O’Brien and Iori Kusano are joined by cult expert Sarah Hightower to discuss Kamen Rider Black Sun, and its touchstones to both the history of Japanese politics and modern-day marginalizations! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send us your comments, questions, and suggestions !...

Border trouble, editing bad stuff out of books, and AI fiction run amok, oh my! Shaun Duke , Brandon O’Brien , Paul Weimer , and Trish Matson join forces for the 1st ever S&F Clacks, our brand new SF/F/H current events and listener questions live show! Together before a live audience on our Twitch channel , they discuss Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki’s recent visa struggles, the recent...

Banger songs, imagining better futures, and Saul Williams, oh my! Shaun Duke and Brandon O’Brien listen to the folks at the Hugo Book Club Blog and discuss Neptune Frost ! Together, they discuss the film’s creation, how it approaches the musical genre, what its story tells us about our world, and, frankly, so much more in much more specific terms. You really just need to listen to this...

Hadrosaur urine, tricksy aliens, and horny monkey men, oh my! Shaun Duke , Becca Evans , and Alex Acks join forces to tackle Land of the Lost (2009)! They talk through what it’s like to watch a 1.5 hour series of vaguely connected skits, try to understand what Will Ferrell was doing, get lost in thought about Becca’s graduate studies, and so much more. And all of that in front of a liv...

Hotel polar plunges, deadly panels, and four nerds in a hotel room, oh my! Shaun Duke , Brandon O’Brien , Paul Weimer , and Trish Matson join forces LIVE at Capricon 43 in Chicago! That’s right: four of our number conspired to meet at a convention to record a podcast about said convention…and talk about very nerdy things like the afterlife, convention politics, what we loved abou...

The past, the future, and geek plans, oh my! Shaun Duke and Brandon O’Brien open up the 2023 season with another annual “Looking Back, Moving Forward” episode! Together, they announce some of the changes coming to the show in the new season, what things they loved in 2022, and what things they’re looking forward to in 2023! Plus, there might be a few jokes! Thanks for liste...

Psychic vampires, military problems, and musical space chairs, oh my! Shaun Duke , Brandon O’Brien , and Iori Kusano join forces again for the continuation of our Macross 7 series for The Eyecatch! In this episode, our intrepid crew of anime misfits the show’s thematic development, Basara’s continued musical problems, what it’s like to be a psychic vampire, and so much more...

Baby magic, trauma onions, and snow problems, oh my! Shaun Duke and Brandon O’Brien join forces with the one and only John Wiswell for a delightful discussion about Tokyo Godfathers ! This is our first ever Holiday Special for The Eyecatch, our anime-focused subcast. Together, our crew talk about the film’s treatment of homelessness, trauma, and gender identity, Satoshi Kon and Keiko N...

Grumpy wizards, Reindeer steroids, and snowman murder, oh my! Shaun Duke , Paul Weimer , and Alex Acks join forces to tackle Rudolph and Frosty’s Christmas in July (1979) for our annual Holiday Special. Together, they try to make sense of its bonkers plot, why retcons are ridiculous, just what makes Christmas in July a thing, circus weirdness, and more! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjo...

Mega Karens, nail guns, and ovipositors, oh my! Shaun Duke , Tonia Ransom , and Jen Zink join forces to tackle Black Friday (2021) for our (now late) Thanksgiving Special. Together, they discuss the film’s hilarious treatment of the infamous Black Friday sale, the biology of Mega Karens, what it means to get run over by the police, and so much more! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy th...

Nonsensical class politics, machine gun bows, and plot contrivances, oh my! Shaun Duke , Becca Evans , and Alex Acks join forces to tackle Robin Hood (2018). This particular film is all Becca’s fault. She chose it. She made us and some of our Patreon supporters watch it (possibly against their will). And now here we are discussing it. Together, we tackle the film’s weird anachronisms,...

Swiss cheese brain, questionable histories, and Al’s escapades, oh my! Shaun Duke , Brandon O’Brien , and Iori Kusano join forces for the first ever episode of the newly named subshow, The Eyecatch! In this episode, our intrepid crew of anime misfits explores the first 12 episodes of Macross 7 . Together, they discuss the show’s cast, its weird treatment of female bodies, why Bas...

Eugenicist werewolves, ridiculous Americans, and wolf nips, oh my! Shaun Duke , Becca Evans , and Julia Rios join forces to tackle An American Werewolf in Paris (1999). Together, they discuss why the film seems to hate Americans and the French so much, whether werewolves should have nipples, how best to get out of a cage, and much more! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Not...

Jazzmatazz, New Orleans, and haints, oh my! Shaun Duke and Brandon O’Brien are joined by the incredible Alex Jennings to discuss his new book, The Ballad of Perilous Graves , out now from Redhook. Together, they discuss the book’s origins, the wondrous power of New Orleans, handling writing when you have lived in many places, and so much more! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy th...

Space vacuums, mega grief, and pheromones, oh my! Shaun Duke and Brandon O’Brien join voices to discuss the 4th season of Star Trek: Discovery . Together, they tackle the show’s Big Plot, what we think of its treatment of an ensemble cast, the meanings of grief and love, and so much more! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send us your comments, questions,...

Razor teeth, strange babies, and arks, oh my! Shaun Duke , Brandon O’Brien , and Trish E. Matson join forces to discuss Zin E. Rocklyn’s Flowers for the Sea . Together, they discuss the book’s approach to the horrific, pregnancy, and prejudice, what we should make of its central themes, and why babies are sometimes a little creepy…and much more! Thanks for listening. We hop...

Armor, uniforms, and superheroes, oh my! Shaun Duke and Brandon O’Brien are joined by cosplay enthusiast and historian Andrew Liptak to discuss his new book, Cosplay: A History (out now). Together, they talk about the task of putting together a history spanning over a century, the value and wonder of cosplay, some strange facts we didn’t know, and so much more. Thanks for listening. We...

Faustian bargains, broken families, and murder mysteries, oh my! Shaun Duke and Brandon O’Brien join forces to discuss The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey , adapted from a book by Walter Mosley. Together, they explore the film’s treatment of family and crime, the racial dynamics of medicine, what money means, the world’s view of the elderly, and much more! Thanks for listening. We hope...

Shag carpet, population control, and shrew lactation, oh my! Shaun Duke , Alex Acks , and Becca Evans join forces to tackle The Killer Shrews (1959). Together, they discuss the anatomy of shrews, explore the film’s understanding of boats, determine who was the biggest dick, and examine the structure of a charming bad movie — plus much more! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the e...

Computer buddies, bad nukes, and scientist espionage, oh my! Shaun Duke , Brandon O’Brien , and Paul Weimer join forces to discuss Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970). Together, they explore the film’s interpretation of AI gone bad, its treatment of the cold war, whether Colossus is in love with Forbin, the bizarre politics of 1970s science fiction, and so much more. Thanks for listeni...