The Toy Department – Episode 15

In Episode 15, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky follow up on the music they talked about at the end of last week’s pod (Thao & the Get Down Stay Down and Kaleo) which leads to a discussion of how we listen to and find new music in the modern age (5:00). Then TV takes over for an in-depth discussion of Better Call Saul (9:20) which features only a couple of small spoilers, before the boys jump back to music (22:20) with a chat about big stadium concerts in light of the upcoming Metallica show at the new Vikings’ stadium. Today’s sports segment (32:00) focuses on the ongoing NCAA Tournament and the fact that neither of our alleged sports fans can really stomach college basketball (so it inevitably turns back to the NBA, around 42:40, with some Wolves/W’s talk and some thoughts on Steph Curry). Things wrap up with some recommendations for your spare time (53:00) as Madden assigns homework.

Oh, and if you want to subscribe via iTunes you can just click on the link below the player… Some other links down there as well… And if you want to contact the Toy Department, it’s easy — find us at ToyDepartmentPod (at) gmail.com.

The Toy Department – Episode 13

In Episode 13, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky show up a day late… But doesn’t that just mean their thoughts are that much more well-considered?? The boys start with some Oscars talk, breaking down Chris Rock’s performance and some of the award-winners, then shift to hating on Duke basketball (18:30). Then, once the topic is basketball, it’s only natural to talk about the greatness of Steph Curry (26:50). The show closes with some music talk – breaking down the Foo Fighters’ “Band Announcement” (40:20) and talking a little about putting Dave Grohl’s career into context (45:00).

Oh, and if you want to subscribe via iTunes you can just click on the link below the player… Some other links down there as well… And if you want to contact the Toy Department, it’s easy — find us at ToyDepartmentPod (at) gmail.com.

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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