The Skiffy and Fanty Show

Rage virus rats, anachronistic intertitles, and nudists, oh my! Shaun Duke , David Annandale , and Trish Matson join forces to discuss 1964’s The Monster of Camp Sunshine or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Nature ! Together, they get a film history lesson from David, chat about the bizarre film universe of the film, ponder just who made this movie, side-eye Motley Crue, and much more...

Delicious soup, fizzz tunes, and Greedo’s repeated death, oh my! Shaun Duke and Daniel Haeusser bring back our Star Wars literary podcast, Thrawn and On and On, for an in-depth discussion of Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina edited by Kevin J. Anderson! Together, they talk about Star Wars anthologies, get deep into the murky depths of Greedo’s mind, and explore what works and doesn&#82...

Multiversal politics, plot armored captains, and flying whales, oh my! Shaun Duke and Daniel Haeusser are joined by Cadwell Turnbull and Craig Lincoln, two members of the writing collective, Darkly Lem! And they’re here to talk about their first Darkly Lem novel, Transmentation | Transience! We tackle the ins and outs of collaborative writing, bending and blending genres, spy narratives and...

Haunted engines, scary memories, and cancelled shore leave, oh my! Shaun Duke and Paul Weimer are joined by Eden Royce for a return visit to 1997’s Event Horizon ! Together, they explore the film’s production history, its themes and approaches to horror, the cast and characterization, and much more! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Event Horizon (1997) T...

Pig disposals, dirty feet, and yabba-dabba-doo, oh my! Shaun Duke , Julia Rios , and Daniel Haeusser join forces to discuss 1994’s The Flintstones ! Together, they chat about the history of the original show, tackle the film’s nonsensical plot choices, discuss 1990s practical set design, and get grossed out by feet, plus much more! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! S...

Emperors, wars, and medieval propaganda, oh my! Shaun Duke and Paul Weimer are joined by David M. Perry to discuss Oathbreakers (co-written with Matthew Gabriele). Together, they tackle the complex task of writing history for a general audience, the narratives of medieval peoples, Charlemagne, and so much more! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: David M. Perry’s...

Submarines, space mutants, and bad kitties, oh my! Shaun Duke , Paul Weimer , and special guest Natania Barron join forces to tackle Wing Commander (1999)! Together, they talk about the 90s aesthetic, what it means to be pretty in space, the logic of space submarines, the Backstreet Boys, and more! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send us your comments, questions, a...

Coups, subtle language cues, and kitty killing machines, oh my! Shaun Duke and Daniel Haeusser are joined by R.S.A. Garcia to discuss her latest novel, The Nightward . Together, they explore the complicated politics of matriarchal societies, writing with subtlety, what makes giant cats so fascinating, and much more! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: R.S.A. Garcia&#82...

Bugs, alien messages, and root beer dispensers, oh my! Shaun Duke , Trish Matson , and Paul Weimer meet in a hotel room at Capricon to spin a delightful yarn with the indie narrative story game Foretold: From Earth ! We’ve received a mysterious message from space, and we’ve got no choice but to build a makeshift ship in someone’s barn so we can investigate! Will we succeed? Or wi...

Joyful pasts, hopeful futures, and Dr. Doom, oh my! Shaun Duke , Trish Matson , Paul Weimer , and David Annandale join forces to share the things they loved in 2024 and the things they’re looking forward to in 2025! We discuss books, movies, geeky things, experiences, and much more! Plus, we share some announcements about the show! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show No...

Flappy props, vampiric birds, and radio heads, oh my! Shaun Duke , Paul Weimer , and David Annandale join forces to discuss 1946’s The Flying Serpent . Together, they talk about the history of the film’s studio, try to make sense of TFS’s plot and character choices, talk vampire bird logic, and much more! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send us yo...

Mysterious traders, technophobia, and Mennonites, oh my! Shaun Duke , Trish Matson , and Paul Weimer join forces to discuss Leigh Brackett’s The Long Tomorrow (1955). Together, they tackle Brackett’s legacy, her treatment of religion- and technophobia-infused dystopia, gender roles, AI, and much more. Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send us your comment...

Bear attacks, tough conversations, and skeletons, oh my! Shaun Duke and Daniel Haeusser are joined by Amanda Downum for a riveting and educational conversation about mortuary science! Together, they explore what morticians do and the complex skills they need, the social dimensions of death, necromancy, and much more! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send us your com...

Possessions, legacies of violence, and shared worlds, oh my! Shaun Duke and Paul Weimer are joined by Premee Mohamed to discuss One Message Remains ! Together, they explore the task of writing interconnected short fiction, the complexities of people within empires, violence and the human will to destroy, and much more. Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send us your c...

Lazy Santa, charlatans, and Pirates World, oh my! Shaun Duke and Daniel Haeusser are joined by the wonderful Aurelius Raines II for a rip-roaring discussion of Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny (1972). Together, they tackle the film’s ridiculous history, whether any children got hurt during filming, the origins of the ice cream bunny, and much more! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the ep...

Texas betrayals, robot hulks, and tube babies, oh my! Shaun Duke and Daniel Haeusser are joined by returning champion Michael J. Martinez for a ridiculous discussion of 1989’s Robot Jox ! Together, they tackle the film’s cold war politics, what it’s like being Hot Gary Graham, failed visual FX, and much more. Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send u...

Futuristic sports, interplanetary politics, and consequences, oh my! Shaun Duke and Trish Matson are joined by K.B. Wagers to discuss And the Mighty Will Fall . Together, they explore Wagers’ influences, tackle the messy world of pain and consequences, look at the worldbuilding and politics of the NeoG novels, and much more! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Se...

White House down, cable network hackers, and presidential speeches, oh my! Shaun Duke , David Annandale , and Becca Evans wander into the archives for an in-depth exploration of 1996’s Independence Day . Together, they discuss Roland Emmerich’s career, blockbusters and VFX wonders, the film’s view of character and plot, and much more! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the e...

Assimilations, immigrations, and revolutions, oh my! Shaun Duke and Brandon O’Brien are joined by Suzan Palumbo for a riveting discussion of Countess . Together, they explore Palumbo’s approach to space opera, the political underpinnings of Countess ‘ narrative, The Count of Monte Cristo , and much more! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send us you...

Bad robots, Jeep jerks, and space shuttles, oh my! Shaun Duke , Trish Matson , and Paul Weimer join forces to tackle 1986’s SpaceCamp ! Together, they rip into the film’s gender politics, unpack NASA’s apparently terrible security, get confused about Jeeps, and so much more! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send us your comments, questions, and sug...

Bizarre physics, chef adventurers, and talking ships, oh my! Shaun Duke and Paul Weimer are joined by Cat Rambo for a riveting discussion about Rumor Has It . Together, they explore Cat’s approach to point of view and spectacle, the complexities of infodumps, writing space opera, and much more! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send us your comments, questions,...

Career moments, horrific truths, and non-violence, oh my! Shaun Duke and Brandon O’Brien are joined by the wonderful Karen Lord to discuss the new releases of The Unraveling and Redemption in Indigo ! Together, they discuss Karen’s career, the roots of The Unraveling , how career timing affects what one writes, and so much more. Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show...

Mother ships, bending time, and bioengineered rats, oh my! Daniel Haeusser and Trish Matson join forces to discuss Love After the End: An Anthology of Two-Spirit and Indigiqueer Speculative Fiction edited by Joshua Whitehead. Together, they explore the book’s themes of resistance and survival, the threads of utopianism throughout the stories, and much more! Thanks for listening. We hope you...

Crafty contestants, twisted challenges, and cameras, oh my! Shaun Duke and Daniel Haeusser are joined Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam for a riveting discussion about Grim Root . Together, they talk about the connections between reality TV and horror, what makes for a good scare, the intensity of illusion, and much more! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send us your comments,...

VHS tapes, wells, and terrifying children, oh my! Shaun Duke and Daniel Haeusser join forces to tackle 1998’s Ringu ! Together, they explore the film’s legacy, its approach to the ghostly and ghastly, the role of technology in terror, and so much more. Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send us your comments, questions, and suggestions ! Follow us on Twitc...