Think Outside the Box Set

The Ringmaster by Insane Clown Posse. Nathan and Cameron listen to ICP’s second album, Cameron invents old-time ICP music, George Washington’s teeth fall out, and Theo has a juggalo birthday. It’s all part of the kooky karnival fun of The Ringmaster ! The Ringmaster , Insane Clown Posse’s second album, is a big step up musically from The Carnival of Carnage . It has less misogyny, though there’s s...

Carnival of Carnage by Insane Clown Posse. Well, here we are… the first Insane Clown Posse album! It’s… not great. We have a hard time maintaining enthusiasm (or staying awake) through the sheer misogyny and arrhythmic rapping.   There are a few bright(er) spots, but overall, we’re left wondering: did we make a mistake in picking ICP? Also, will Cameron quit the podcast because Nathan used th...

Beyond the Season by Garth Brooks. Merry Christmas, everyone! It's a very special heartwarming episode dedicated to Garf's very special Christmas album Beyond the Season . Recorded live in Chicago on Thanksgiving, Cameron and Nathan are joined by: Ashely Bowman Becca DeWhitt Rachel Y Merry holidays and happy seasons to all! Sponsored by the OKVixen Corporation. Learnin' Links: Ryan Robison's aweso...

I WANNA PLAY A GAME. Say it with us, in a real real spoooOOOOoooky voice: "I WANNA PLAY A GAME." That's right! It's time to choose the artist we investigate after Garf, and what better way than with a horrifying, flesh-rending, gruesome carnival of carnage? Just call Nathan "Jigsaw," baby, cuz it's about to get all Saw up in here.   Learnin' Links : Wu Tang Clan Name Generator Yacht rock Meat...

Gunslinger by Garth Brooks. Garth's very last album forever: 2016's Gunslinger . We wish we could say it's a triumphant return to form… but it's more of a flaccid, bland return to form. At least it's not horribly offensive?   This is our shortest episode ever! There isn't much to chew on here. Though we do manage to talk about more interesting things than these songs, like a movie that C...

Man Against Machine by Garth Brooks. Garth makes a not-at-all triumphant return after 13 years of hiatus with his album Man Against Machine . And boy does it stink to high heaven.   Not only did Garf not appear to learn anything in his time away, it seems like he regressed in some important ways. For instance, it appears he's spent the better part of a decade in "the friendzone." We expected...

Scarecrow by Garth Brooks. Garth Brooks didn't want to make this album. But he did. Because his record label made him do it. After the Great Gaines Failure of 1999, Garth wanted to hide under a rock and retire until 2014. But his word is bond, and so is his contract with Capitol Records to print money. Even for all that, though, it's not even that bad. There are many Garf albums that are worse or...

Garth Brooks in… …the Life of Chris Gaines by Garth Brooks. Today’s the day! Human soul patch Chris Gaines gets his day in the sun as Garth Brooks dons a wig and a smoldering, sexy, cheeks-sucked-in face for his best rockstar playacting. Pucker up your pair of kissable ellipses, because this bad boy is going to soft-rock your whole world. The Garf/Gaines pair is a real Jekyll/Hyde situation…...

Sevens by Garth Brooks. There are 7s all over this album… it’s a real Dan Brown-type situation. That’s right, it’s Garth Brook’s album “Sevens”! We lost count at some point, but there are probably 7 instances of the number 7, or something. Learnin’ Links: We reference Kevin Spacey in  Se7en … not exactly timely. Forgive us—we recorded this a while ago. Oops. The album cover Flannelgraph and t...

Fresh Horses by Garth Brooks. In what way can horses be “fresh”? Is Garth riding with all his freshest of horses? Do horses have placentas? Nathan and Cameron seek answers for all these questions—and more—on another action-packed episode of Think Outside the Box Set ! This week’s album, “Fresh Horses” by Garth Brooks, is sort of a letdown, with few memorable songs. But that’s OK, because at least...

In Pieces by Garth Brooks. Today’s Garth Brooks album: In Pieces . Nathan and Cameron discuss their cowboy-baby fetishes, and Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney show up to lend some wisdom. Be sure to check out “Beyond the Box Set,” which is a real podcast! And it’s really good. Dammit. Now we feel worse for accidentally stealing their name. Learnin’ Links: The order Coleoptera , which includes beetle...

The Chase by Garth Brooks. We talk about Garth’s very good album The Chase . Garth takes a stand for what’s right, especially in his first song “We Shall Be Free.” That song was more controversial than Garth anticipated, and it won a GLAAD Media Award for its lines about people getting to love whoever they choose. The episode runs a little long… but we just got so excited about a Garth album that...

Ropin' the Wind by Garth Brooks. Cameron and Nathan discuss Garth Brooks’ third album Ropin’ the Wind —spoilers: it’s not very good. But they manage to divert the conversation to Serbia, Nathan’s great aunt, a folk singer named John McCutcheon, and the Essenes, all in the name of avoiding talking about Ropin’ the Wind ! Learnin’ Links: Beograd Fortress Dead Sea Scrolls Dewayne Blackwell John Wayne...

No Fences by Garth Brooks. Cameron and Nathan discuss Garth Brook’s second album,  No Fences . Garth’s biggest-selling album,  No Fences  is a solid improvement on his self-titled. Learnin’ Links: No Fences Country and Western music in a Boston accent at Faneuil Hall Roscoe Holcomb Poe’s Law The Fleetwoods’ version of “Mr. Blue” countrygenius.com Support us by buying  No Fences...

Garth Brooks by Garth Brooks. Cameron and Nathan launch their podcast,  Think Outside the Box Set . They begin by explaining the premise: "learning to appreciate an artist’s back catalog."; Then, they head into a discussion of their first subject: Garth Brooks . Support us by buying  Garth Brooks  on Amazon at http://amzn.to/2wSiB5A .