The Toy Department – Episode 4

In Episode 4 of The Toy Department, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky dive back into Star Wars – this time actually having seen the newest installment in the franchise, thereby producing a more substantive conversation 🙂 Then things get a little dark when they move into the not-so-toy department topic of the fact that R. Kelly continues to have a career despite rampant allegations of sexual misconduct (18:05) which leads to some talk about celebrity criminals in general, but levity returns (around 31:45) with a discussion of Steve Harvey’s amazing Miss Universe Pageant gaffe. Then there’s a little bit of general football discussion (41:45) before Madden commits to the project of getting Kolsky committed to watching Premier League soccer (46:05)… Then it’s Happy Holidays and goodbye til next week (or is it next year??)!!

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The Toy Department – Episode 3

In Episode 3 of The Toy Department, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky follow a standard intro with a dive into this week’s biggest pop culture phenomenon — STAR WARS!!!! Then they slip in some sports with a discussion of Steph Curry and the Warriors, and their effect on pop culture and basketball (12:00) before turning to broader cultural concerns by discussing Google’s most trending topics from 2015 (28:30). Then Madden gives Kolsky a 2015 Pop Music Lyrics Quiz (39:30) with a brief discussion of Drake afterwards (49:30) that alludes to additional future processing of the Drake phenomenon. Finally it’s a brief discussion of general issues and future plans (51:00) before saying goodbye (possibly for the last time in 2015… POSSIBLY)!

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The Toy Department – Episode 2

In Episode 2 of The Toy Department, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky begin with some follow-up on last week’s issues (specifically the hot dog/sandwich debate and You’re the Worst) and then transition into a discussion about the Philadelphia 76ers and innovative sports strategies (at the 6:45 mark), which brings in all sorts of issues related to analytics and critical thinking, and it’s a pretty deep dive on forward-thinking sports management… The boys eventually drag themselves out of the sports world (at 29:00) to discuss the practice of year-end list-making and how best to enjoy the assortment of seasonal lists you’ll be seeing soon… Following the best porn joke of Kolsky’s life, the conversation shifts to fast-food (40:50) in response to Rob Lowe’s possession of a McDonald’s Gold Card… Then they finish strong after a quick Happy Hannukah (51:00) with some discussion of being enough of an old-ass man to enjoy concert-going with your parents.

Oh, and if you want to subscribe via iTunes (and you really should), just CLICK HERE!!