Tag Archives: music

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 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 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 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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The Toy Department – Episode 20

  By toyAdmin | May 5, 2016 - 8:16 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 20, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky begin by lamenting their physical fitness – as all aging men are wont to do – before things get serious with Madden’s Beyoncé mea culpa (3:45). The conversation heads deeper into the music world with some discussion of Radiohead’s new single (17:10), which leads them into music release strategies for the modern world. Sports talk takes over  (30:10) with some breakdown of the wild final sequence of Game 2 between the Spurs and Thunder in the NBA Playoffs, and some resulting chatter about referees in general, before Madden and Kolsky address Fox’s hiring of sports “journalist” Skip Bayless (41:35). The show wraps with a little homework assignment from Madden (55:40) and a shout-out to our outgoing President.

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 17

  By toyAdmin | April 13, 2016 - 7:44 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 17, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky begin with a discussion of the Golden State Warriors’ record-breaking season, and do some of the 2016 W’s v. ’95-96 Bulls debate, followed by a brief discussion of LeBron’s Instagram SNAFU (24:30) and some chatter about Kobe Bryant’s retirement tour (30:10). Then it’s TV talk, from The People v. OJ Simpson (37:00) to podcast-favorite Better Call Saul (43:40). They wrap with rock and roll (52:15) as they address Bruce Springsteen’s decision to skip his concert in North Carolina and the idea of protest music in general. And of course there’s some homework to be assigned (1:04:10) before the final bell…

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 16

  By toyAdmin | March 30, 2016 - 10:59 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 16, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky open with some follow-up on last week’s homework assignments – namely the Showtime show The Circus and the music of Thao & the Get Down Stay Down (11:15) which leads to a discussion of indie music in the modern zeitgeist. Things take a bit of a morbid turn from there as Madden and Kolsky pay tribute to two titans of culture who passed away in the last week – Phife Dawg of A Tribe Called Quest (24:20) and comedian Garry Shandling (27:50). Neither Madden nor Kolsky has seen Batman v. Superman, but they still get into that (33:55) and then they finish strong with a chat about the crowning achievement of college basketball — One Shining Moment (44:00).

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 15

  By toyAdmin | March 23, 2016 - 10:09 pm | Uncategorized
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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.

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The Toy Department – Episode 14

  By toyAdmin | March 16, 2016 - 9:26 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 14, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky return after a not-so-well-earned week off with HOT TAKES for your cold ears… It begins with an intense discussion of Game of Thrones – which released its first real trailer since the last pod and returns to TV in about a month – and then a short but ardent appeal from Madden in favor of his favorite TV show, The Americans (20:50)… Then sports talk takes over for a bit as the gentlemen discuss Goose Gossage’s response to Bryce Harper and one-man get-off-my-lawn campaign (26:00). Finally, they get into some music (39:50) as both Kolsky and Madden make listening recommendations for pod fans — take their advice, they have excellent taste.

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 10

  By toyAdmin | February 11, 2016 - 1:50 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 10, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky start with a quick post-Super Bowl debrief – did Kolsky survive? How did his dumplings turn out? (that’s a literal question) Then it’s the Great Coldplay Debate (9:00) as the gentlemen stake out their positions and duke it out. After probably too much of that (though not as much as existed on the original recording) the topic shifts to movie talk with a breakdown of the Oscar-nominated Spotlight (33:50), followed by a brief discussion of the Grammy’s and other assorted music stuff (42:00). Finally, a strong close where a purported tease to next week turns into a short conversation about JJ Redick’s new podcast (46:30).

Oh, and if you want to subscribe via iTunes (and you really should), just CLICK HERE!!  We are also part of the Google Play library of podcasts (and hopefully will have a link to that soon)… And if you want to contact the Toy Department, it’s easy — find us at ToyDepartmentPod (at) gmail.com.

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