The Toy Department – Episode 30

  By toyAdmin | July 13, 2016 - 10:36 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 30, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky threaten to do a “mini” episode of The Toy Department… but it was an empty threat, because after opening with a discussion of the summer doldrums, they spend about an hour talking about:

  • MLB’s Home Run Derby and All-Star game (4:15) and why it doesn’t really work as entertainment anymore… Plus a little bit of general All-Star discussion…
  • Last week’s homework assignment, which was the premiere of the new HBO drama The Night Of (17:10) and why you should be excited about the show’s future…
  • Kolsky’s obsession with the band Phish (26:00) – just HOW obsessed he is, why he is obsessed and why Madden thinks he’s pretty much just a stupid hippie for being so obsessed… Which naturally leads to a discussion of how the guys got into music early in their lives, and about showmanship in music performance…

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.

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The Toy Department – Episode 29

  By toyAdmin | July 6, 2016 - 10:10 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 29, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky are living in a Post-Game-of-Thrones-Season-6 World (and Kolsky is on the phone from his car) but they still manage to soldier on with a podcast discussing:

  • Kevin Durant’s decision to join the Golden State Warriors — from where he might live in the Bay Area (1:45) to how the W’s and the league will look in the coming season (4:00) to the many haters and whiners in the aftermath of Durant’s free agency (17:05)…
  • Madden’s experience at the Adele concert (31:30) and just what it is about the “diva” singer that makes her so overwhelmingly popular…
  • Last week’s homework assignment (39:25) wherein Kolsky watched the first two episodes of the TV show Roadies so that Madden would have somebody with whom to discuss it…
  • And then of course there’s this week’s homework (49:00) which YOU should also do — watch the new HBO miniseries drama The Night Of…

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.

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The Toy Department – Episode 28

  By toyAdmin | June 29, 2016 - 7:52 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 28, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky open the podcast with a brief discussion about podcast listenership, then branch out to cover the very latest in:

  • Game of Thrones (2:20) where they break down the season finale (including small but heroic women doing WORK) and do a bit of looking forward to what’s next for our friends in Westeros…
  • International soccer (29:00) including Lionel Messi’s assertion that he intends to retire and a quick look at Euro 2016…
  • Madden’s Drake quandary – his girlfriend wants Drake tickets for her birthday, but Madden is disgusted with him… What does a man do in this situation??? (49:55)
  • A quick couple of TV-show-watching homework assignments for the future (57:40)…

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.

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The Toy Department – Episode 27

  By toyAdmin | June 22, 2016 - 7:54 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 27, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky open with a quick NBA finals recap/react before some deep dives into the very latest in non-essential topics:

  • Sunday’s penultimate episode of Game of Thrones Season 6 (6:15) which, with its battle scenes and intriguing interpersonal interaction, was much more up Madden’s alley than the previous episode…
  • Team USA Men’s Soccer (24:35) and their ugly loss to top-ranked Argentina in the Copa America semifinal, plus some general discussion of the team’s future prospects…
  • ESPN’s OJ Simpson docu-series (53:55) and just how wonderful a job that it did in placing the remarkable OJ story in context…

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.

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The Toy Department – Episode 26

  By toyAdmin | June 15, 2016 - 7:24 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 26, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky open with a brief digression (is that a thing? Can you open with a digression?) about a new HOT TAKE SPORTS TELEVISION SHOW before diving deep into:

  • Game of Thrones, wherein Kolsky and Madden come to virtual blows over the direction of the series (2:05 – SPOILER ALERT by 2:30 or so)… The guys discuss Derek’s distaste for a lack of realism in certain parts of the story, and project towards the next couple episodes…
  • The NBA Finals (34:00), including the suspension of Draymond Green, the baiting behavior of LeBron James, and where the series goes from here…
  • A short look ahead with some potential homework for next week (48:50)…

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.

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The Toy Department – Episode 25

  By toyAdmin | June 9, 2016 - 11:43 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 25, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky somehow get derailed at the VERY BEGINNING of the pod with a long-lasting discussion about traffic and road rage and LA and New York and… well, car stuff. Then they discuss:

  • Madden’s trip to The Governor’s Ball music festival in New York (4:20)… which leads to various music discussions, and at least a couple of unnecessary shots against New York by Kolsky…
  • Muhammad Ali’s passing and his legacy (24:40)… including a personal remembrance from Kolsky and some thoughts on the minor Derek Jeter-related controversy about whether athletes should speak their mind (35:20)…
  • Various homework assignments for next week (58:20) including the TV show Preacher and the Ali documentary When We Were Kings…
  • Live music, most notably the Cure and their performances in Minneapolis and the Bay Area (59:30)…

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.

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The Toy Department – Episode 24

  By toyAdmin | June 1, 2016 - 9:46 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 24, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky open up a shorty episode with a brief recounting of Kolsky’s dreamless sleep. Then they discuss:

  • The fact that the NBA Finals and Stanley Cup Finals both feature teams from the Bay Area (2:00)…
  • A deeper look at the NBA Finals (5:40) and the storylines therein, including the issue of judging players by rings (13:40)…
  • Copa America and the strange behavior of soccer haters, especially radio’s Mike Francesa (25:00)…

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.

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The Toy Department – Episode 23

  By toyAdmin | May 25, 2016 - 9:11 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 23, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky open up with some follow-up on last week’s homework – Chance the Rapper’s Coloring Book album. Then they discuss:

  • The serious business of this week’s Game of Thrones episode (10:15)
  • Michael Wilbon’s screed against analytics on ESPN’s “The Undefeated” website, and the cranky old man viewpoint he represents (31:25), which naturally leads down a road of discussing other outmoded viewpoints
  • Bryan Curtis’ media issues podcast for the Ringer and the interesting style he uses for his storytelling (55:40) and also the specific content of this week’s episode, about the evolution (or perhaps the death?) of the sports highlight

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.

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The Toy Department – Episode 22

  By toyAdmin | May 18, 2016 - 10:50 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 22, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky begin by talking about music — or at least, about the way we consume music in 2016… It’s a brave new world with Spotify and their ilk, and these dudes have thoughts on it — thoughts that lead to a 25-minute conversation about music consumption and distribution. They move from there to sports with a conversation about the Rougned Odor-Jose Bautista baseball brawl (29:05) and some NBA Playoff talk (36:25). Then the show heads down Kelly Ripa road for the home stretch as Madden and Kolsky break down the ins and outs of ABC’s TV host debacle (43:50).

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.

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The Toy Department – Episode 21

  By toyAdmin | May 11, 2016 - 10:54 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 21, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky dive into the sports world early with a discussion of Steph Curry – his ridiculous playoff comeback, his MVP award, and just his greatness in general – which leads naturally into a broader discussion of the NBA Playoffs (8:30) and some of the officiating issues (12:00), and a quick chat about the outdated notion that players want to go to New York or LA teams (15:05). The podcast shifts to music for the guys to review Radiohead’s new album – A Moon Shaped Pool (21:00), and then to TV for a check-in on Game of Thrones (32:15) and a celebration of the delight of this year’s season of Silicon Valley (41:40).

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.

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