Ryan McNeil
“…Let me root, root, root for The Blue Jays, if they don’t win it’s a shame”
Tried something a little different after five shows. It was such a lovely day here in Toronto that staying cooped up in a diner wouldn’t do. So we put on our caps and jerseys, and headed on down to the Toronto Blue Jays game to record our show during batting practice. I can’t say that I’m going to make a habit of it or anything, but it was certainly a fun experiment.
I want to put up a bit of an apology in advance, because I realize in hindsight that this discussion was less about me asking questions of my guests and more me just making points and having them agree or disagree. Sorry about that, next time I’ll map things out a bit more carefully.
My guests this week are two dear friends that make my work days that much more endurable. As it happens, they themselves are also accomplished podcasters who host The Mind Reels – a show that brings in some badass guests! So when you’re done here, be sure to go over to their site and give a few of their shows a listen.
To recap the concept of this offshoot – expect to see these episodes turning up once a month. My intention is for them to be a bit more raw (there are almost no cuts in this conversation), a bit shorter, with no rules, and less of a pecking order on who sits down at the table.
Enjoy!
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Fun discussion. I grew up in the ’80s, and I can confirm that liking Star Wars and Star Trek, playing Dungeons and Dragons, and enjoying computer games were definitely not cool pursuits. It’s really interesting to see where the culture has gone. Now it’s hard to even define exactly what is a “geek culture” because there are so many subsets within the whole. I agree that the Internet has changed the game, and Hollywood is trying it’s best to package everything in franchises. It’s an exciting time for geeks, but it also can lead to some of the over-the-top conflicts you described. Nice job. I definitely need to check out the Mind Reels blog and podcast.
It’s crazy isn’t it? Things that even fifteen years ago were seen as something of a secret shame are now worn as a badge of honour.
Hope you like Tim and Susie’s work…it humbles me to see how well they’ve done with their work in such a short span of time.
The world of geek culture has evolved substantially over the last twenty years. I think most would argue now that geeks aren’t really geeks anymore with so many interested in particular genres of pop culture. There aren’t that many all-around geeks anymore.
I think there are still geeks out there, but that it’s only a matter of time before what they like also gets absorbed into the mainstream.
The trick to it, as we mentioned within the show, is making sure that everyone learns to play nice with one-another.
I’ve slowly embraced my geek status over the years, even though some people may be turned off by my child-like excitement when I have “geek outs.”
The biggest leap was when I finally caved and went to Fan Expo in 2009. Despite the high ticket price, I’ve returned every year since (I’ve already bought my pass for this year).
Actually, why don’t you confront the geeks head on and come this this year’s expo? There’s some great guests this year.
I’ve never been to Fan Expo myself (too close to TIFF for me to drop a large amount of coin), but I’m actually hoping to make my way down to Comic-Con one of these years.
As for confronting the geeks, I might just task that to Tim and Susie themselves since they are Fan Expo vets. Perhaps they can return with some answers straight from the source.
I’m personally very happy about “geekdom” being as popular as it is now. It’s exciting to have so many people interested in your or another person’s hobbies; it’s an excellent way to connect with each other! I feel to believe it won’t be long before Lolita and other Japanese fashion subcultures start to become more popular in the US, as they already have decent sized and expanding fan bases internationally.
Another thing I love about geekdom recently is there are SO many fan bases one can get involved in and even create! It’s a great time to be a geek.
I think if I asked Tim and Sue they would agree with you – as do I btw.
The thing is that those who have a passion for something that used to be niche should be happy and proud when the object of their affection gets embraced by the mainstream, instead of harping on how it’s getting bastardized, or how some fans aren’t “real fans”. Just my thought.
Thanks for listening to the episode!