Vagabonding: The Lizard Man of Staten Island

FromAlienating the Audience

Start listening View podcast show

Vagabonding: The Lizard Man of Staten Island

FromAlienating the Audience

ratings:

Length:

22 minutes

Released:

Sep 7, 2020

Format:

Podcast episode

Description

Nick and Heaton must journey to the mysterious "Staten Island" as part of their quest, where they encounter a degenerate lizard man. Cast: Paul Mattingly as the Lizard Man, Andrew Heaton, and Nick Sperdute

Released:

Sep 7, 2020

Format:

Podcast episode

Titles in the series (100)

Andrew Heaton and an army of nerds plunge deep, deep into films, books, and TV shows to ask: what's science fiction really about? What is The Twilight Zone really exploring? What are the underlying themes of Star Trek? What is the worldview of Star Wars? Also sometimes Heaton performs comedy on other planets.

Skip carousel

P5 Varys is the best Game of Thrones character: Grant Carlisle joins to discuss the power dynamics and political themes underlying Game of Thrones. by Alienating the Audience
44 min listen
P2 The Economics of "Dune": Spice is a metaphor for oil. Arrakis is the Middle East. Ben Brockshmidt joins Heaton to discuss all things dune--the economic, political, and historical influences which shaped Frank Herbert's scifi universe. by Alienating the Audience
63 min listen
The Ethics of Holodeck Sex Romps and AI in Star Trek: What's Star Trek's take on Artificial Intelligence, and how do Aristotle's virtue ethics govern Data? Also if the holodeck can summon AI's, and they are indeed sentient, is it ethical to sleep with them? John Krikorian of "Trek Profiles" and Alexandra... by Alienating the Audience
87 min listen
P7 Star Trek vs. The Orville: Former Congressman Dan Maffei joins Heaton to discuss: Is the "The Orville" more Star Trek than Star Trek, or just a knockoff? by Alienating the Audience
42 min listen
Why We Love Supervillains: If supervillains are so evil, why are they so captivating? Which crime lord would you serve under if you had to pick one? Former Marvel editor Tom Brennan and comic book aficionados Jeremiah Johnson and Nick Sperdute join Heaton to discuss the... by Alienating the Audience
63 min listen
Is Life Worth Living in a Perfect Utopia?: John Varley's novel "Steel Beach" portrays a future brimming with attractive immortals living in amusement parks on the Moon--yet the main character contemplates suicide. Absent strife, can humans find purpose? Tim Sandefur joins Heaton to discuss... by Alienating the Audience
65 min listen
Star Trek Conspiracy Theories include "The Transporter is a Murder Box": Picard never left the Nexus. We caught the wrong Khan. Star Trek fandom is full of theories casting doubt on characters and plots as we know them. Brilliant or ridiculous, fan theories at least make us look at the franchise in a different light. John... by Alienating the Audience
88 min listen
Robert Heinlein: Individualism and Free Love on the Moon!: Robert Heinlein, author of "Stranger in a Strange Land," "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress," "Starship Troopers," and dozens of other novels, is at the tippy top of science fiction's pantheon of writers. Andrew Mayne joins the show to discuss Heinlein and... by Alienating the Audience
78 min listen
Battlestar Galactica & The War On Terror: Battlestar Galactica kicked off just three years after the 9/11 attacks, and tackles everything from theocratic warfare to stem cell research and waterboarding. Comedian Andrew Young joins Heaton to discuss the series, it's relentless tension and fear... by Alienating the Audience
74 min listen
P3 Cold War Kirk vs. Picard the Moral Relativist: Tim Sandefur joins Heaton to discuss the philosophical differences between Star Trek TOS and Star Trek The Next Generation. Gene Rodenberry and his contemporaries lived through World War II and the Cold War, and believed in clear right and wrongs.... by Alienating the Audience
52 min listen
P1 What Bladerunner Is Actually About: Ben Domenech joins Heaton to discuss "Bladerunner," "Bladerunner: 2049" and the book which inspired both, "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" by Philip K. Dick. by Alienating the Audience
48 min listen
When Darwin Meets Star Trek: Dr. Mohamed Noor is the author of "Live Long and Evolve: What Star Trek Can Teach Us about Evolution, Genetics, and Life on Other Worlds," and is the head of Biology at Duke University. He joins the show to talk about the origins of life, and why... by Alienating the Audience
67 min listen
P4 The Politics of Star Wars: Stephen Kent is the host of "Beltway Banthas" and joins Heaton to discuss the politics of Star Wars. by Alienating the Audience
49 min listen
Isaac Asimov's Robots are Smarter than Whales: What do we learn about humanity when gazing through the optical sensors of a robot? Did Isaac Asimov write a novel where the end of humanity begins on a planet full of Libertarians? Ryan McGary joins for a full-throttle Isaac Asimov discussion, from... by Alienating the Audience
72 min listen
Turns Out, We're All Probably Martians: Robert Zubrin is the head of the Mars Society and author of "The Case for Mars." He joins Heaton along with special guest co-host Andrew Mayne to discuss how to get to the Red Planet using existing technology, and the implications of finding life once... by Alienating the Audience
104 min listen
The Tarkin Doctrine and Imperial Apologists: How would Emperor Palpatine's Press Secretary describe the Galactic Empire? How would Grand Moff Tarkin spin the destruction of Alderaan? Jonathan Last of "The Bulwark" joins Heaton to describe why he believes the Empire was a good thing--an imperfect... by Alienating the Audience
75 min listen
Reptoid Aliens Shouldn't Have Nipples: Dr. Erin Macdonald is an astrophysicist and science fiction consultant who advises major Hollywood productions on what they're screwing up in scripts. She joins Heaton to discuss the physics pitfalls science fiction constantly blunders into, from... by Alienating the Audience
75 min listen
Philosophy in the Delta Quadrant – Star Trek: Voyager: Who had the best character arcs in Star Trek: Voyager, and what were the hardest ethical conundrums the Delta Quadrant lobbed at Captain Janeway? How does her command style compare to Kirk or Picard? Dr. Erin Macdonald and Andrew Young join Heaton to... by Alienating the Audience
61 min listen
Who To Kill or Not Kill if You've Got a Time Machine: Brian Dunning, host of the Skeptoid Podcast, joins Heaton to talk about all things time travel--the best films, TV shows and books, plus how to get around pesky time travel paradoxes, if we should try to go back and kill Hitler, and the most... by Alienating the Audience
79 min listen
The Twilight Zone's Nostalgic Cold War Bunker: Tim Sandefur joins Heaton on the podcast's kickoff episode to dissect The Twilight Zone, and how Rod Serling's fascination with nostalgia, the Cold War, collectivism, and totalitarianism made the most iconic scifi/horror show in American history. by Alienating the Audience
68 min listen
P6 Regarding Batman's Political Affiliation: Is Batman a Libertarian (wealthy, gizmos, works outside the law) or something else? Which superheroes would be Democrats? Any Republicans afoot? Comedian and Marvel aficionado Megan Sass joins Heaton to discuss. by Alienating the Audience
37 min listen
Let's Argue About "The Rise of Skywalker": Alright, it's been a month--let's discuss "The Rise of Skywalker"! Is it the franchise-busting wompa scat critics panned it as, or just a situation of haters gonna hate? Nick Sperdute joins to analyze the film. by Alienating the Audience
86 min listen
If We Met Aliens Could We Even Communicate?: What would first contact with an alien civilization look like? Could we handle it? If we could, would it even be possible to communicate with a vastly different (or superior) intelligence? Peter Boghossian, Professor of Philosophy at Portland State... by Alienating the Audience
78 min listen
Stop What You're Doing and Watch "Picard": The long-awaited "Picard" series is out now, starring Patrick Stewart and following the exploits of Jean-Luc Picard two decades after we last saw him in "Nemesis." Nicholas Sperdute comes on to analyze the pilot, predict where the plot will take us,... by Alienating the Audience
53 min listen
Are We Living in a Computer Simulation?: The central premise to The Matrix is that we're actually living in a computer simulation, as well as think piece episodes from Star Trek, Black Mirror, and even Rick & Morty. Jay Mutzafi, host of "The Last Turtle" philosophy podcast joins Heaton... by Alienating the Audience
118 min listen
We Can Freeze You: How Cryonics Works: From "Futurama" to "Demolition Man," cryonically suspending bodies for future reanimation by tomorrow's scientists is a mainstay of science fiction. Dennis Kowalksi, President of the Cryonics Institute, joins the show to go past the tropes and explain... by Alienating the Audience
84 min listen
The Mythology of Star Wars: The foundational elements of Star Wars are deeply mythological, influenced by Joseph Campbell's book "The Hero with a Thousand Faces." Professor Ryan Slesinger joins the show to explain the Hero's Journey, archetypes, and the deepest elements of the... by Alienating the Audience
95 min listen
Let's Fight About "The Undiscovered Country": If "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country" is about the end of the Cold War, what's it's position on the Soviet Union? Tim Sandefur challenges Heaton on the underlying morality of the movie and whether or not it's a commie apologism, leading to a... by Alienating the Audience
65 min listen
Vagabonding: Murder Accusations (Comedy Sketch): The comedy sketches with Nick and Heaton at the end of the show will be their own segment from now on: "Interstellar Vagabonding: With Nick & Heaton." In this episode, a detective shows up at the apartment to investigate Nick's untimely... by Alienating the Audience
20 min listen
How to Build a Giant Robot: Today we speak with physicist Stephen Granade about robots! How to build giant arm-swingin' robots, how we can automate them, and where we stand on Mind Machine Interface technology in case we want to pilot said robots ourselves. by Alienating the Audience
58 min listen

More Episodes from Alienating the Audience

Skip carousel

The Zen of Robots: Season Finale! In which we talk about how to use sci-fi robots for helpful psychological thought experiments. Support the show! ATA Survey: by Alienating the Audience
32 min listen
Much Ado About Garak: Star Trek Deep Space Nine's Elim Garak is a simple, unassuming character. But also a spymaster. Why is he so beguiling, and what's his character arc? Andrew Young joins to discuss. by Alienating the Audience
61 min listen
Doublethinking George Orwell's 1984: Is 1984 prophetic, or merely a terrifying dystopia? What makes this haunting book so engaging on a literary level? Josh Jennings returns to discuss. by Alienating the Audience
97 min listen
Why Picard's Last Season Is So Much Better Than The Others: Star Trek: Picard recently wrapped up its third and final season--and the first season Heaton or his guests have enjoyed of it. Scottish sci-fi twins Dickie and Stone rejoin to discuss Star Trek: Picard, and what made its ultimate season likeable. by Alienating the Audience
74 min listen
Super-Intelligent Spiders And A Sleeper Ship: Children of Time: Adrian Tchaikovsky's "Children of Time" tackles multi-generational sleeper ships, uplifiting species, AI, the nature of intelligence, teleforming and more. Richard Amiro rejoins to discuss. by Alienating the Audience
49 min listen
The Corporate Dystopia of Jennifer Government: In this satirical novel by Max Barry, the United States is a corporate wasteland with ruthless businesses and toothless rump state unable to restrain them. John Krikorian of Trekprofiles joins to discuss. Book at: www.mightyheaton.com/goodscifi... by Alienating the Audience
77 min listen
There Are Infinite You's in the Multiverse: How does the multiverse shake out in science fiction? What are the tropes, and what are the implications? Scottish scifi twins Dickie and Stone Lynch join to discuss. by Alienating the Audience
46 min listen
Escaping the Truman Show: In “The Truman Show,” Jim Carey’s character is the unwitting star of a global reality television show–until he decides to escape. Director Henrique Cuoto joins to talk about the iconic film, and the evils of false reality. Henrique’s dog: ... by Alienating the Audience
67 min listen
Snowcrash Created the Metaverse: Neil Stephenson's "Snowcrash" looked at the embryonic Internet and projected a future of VR and avatar onto it. And a world in which nation states had been eclipsed by successor states of corporate "franchulates." Is "Snowcrash" a corporate... by Alienating the Audience
50 min listen
Shrinkage!: In this episode we talk about all the times people get tiny in science fiction, from "Honey I Shrunk the Kids" to "The Fantastic Voyage" to Jonathan Swift. by Alienating the Audience
49 min listen
Meeting Celebrities at Sci-Fi Conventions: Comedian John Robertson is a regular performer, panelist, and celebrity at science fiction conventions. He joins to discuss the community element of conventions, how celebrities should comport themselves, and how fans can best interact with them. by Alienating the Audience
60 min listen
Soylent Green is People!: Charlton Heston stars in "Soylent Green," a film about the terror of overpopulation, urban ennui, and ultimately cannibalism. Based on the novel "Make Room! Make Room!" by Harry Harrison. Scottish scifi twins Stone and Dickie Lynch join to... by Alienating the Audience
58 min listen
The Hilarious Fantasy of Terry Pratchett: At its height, Terry Pratchett's Discworld series accounted for fully 2% of all book sales in the United Kingdom. Over the course of his life he wrote 59 books, achieved knighthood, and created a beloved and hilarious franchise. What was... by Alienating the Audience
48 min listen
Strange New Worlds is the Star Trek We Deserve!: Captain Pike commanded the USS Enterprise prior to Kirk, and the prequel series featuring him, Mr. Spock, Nurse Chapel, and their contemporaries goes back to the roots of Star Trek: exploring weird planets with weird things... but with just the right... by Alienating the Audience
50 min listen
Trapped In John Malkovich: In Charlie Kaufman's weirdest film (and that's saying something) John Cusack discovers a portal that delivers you into John Malkovich's head for a few minutes... so he charges admission. Henrique Couto and Matt Sienkiewicz join to discuss by Alienating the Audience
69 min listen
Reproduction in the Final Frontier: Vulcans, humans, Klingons, Romulans--everybody in the Star Trek universe can easily interbreed! Stone and Dickie Lynch rejoin the show to discuss reproduction in the final frontier by Alienating the Audience
66 min listen
Intergalactic Politics in "The Expanse": The Expanse explores the political and military tension between decadent Earth, militant Mars, and the Belters stuck in between. War correspondent Kristaps Andrejsons joins to discuss by Alienating the Audience
69 min listen
Nixon Selling Pizza on the Moon: What if JFK survived the assassination attempt, and instead of Vietnam, America invested in a moon base? Bill Oakley is a former writer and showrunner on The Simpsons, and award-winning comedy writer, and the author of “Space: 1969” an Audible... by Alienating the Audience
61 min listen
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: Characters can selectively wipe memories in Charlie Kaufman's "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," but in doing so they lose part of themselves. Chloe Effron and Nick Sperdute join to discuss this trippy... romcom? SUPPORT THE... by Alienating the Audience
61 min listen
If You Leave the Holodeck On Too Long...: Are holograms on Star Trek NPC's, sentient, or in some hellish state of limerence in between? Star Trek aficionados Dickie and Stone Lynch return to discuss by Alienating the Audience
92 min listen
Peacemaker is the Ultimate Loserhero: James Gunn’s “Peacemaker” chronicles a toxic meathead character as he comes to terms with his past, his racist father, and an alien takeover of the planet. He is neither a hero nor antihero. He’s something new, and hilarious: a... by Alienating the Audience
53 min listen
Send in the Clones: How do clones manifest in science fiction? When are they evil, good, or a portent of science gone too far? Scottish scifi twins Dickie and Stone rejoin to discuss. SUPPORT THE SHOW! www.patreon.com/alienating by Alienating the Audience
77 min listen
The Ineffable Planet of Sentient Goo: "Solaris" by Stanislaw Lem follows a crew of scientists trying to understand an utterly alien intelligence--a planet covered by an ocean of (apparently?) conscious goop. How can we communicate with something truly, truly foreign to our evolution and... by Alienating the Audience
79 min listen
Rick And Morty is Hilarious Nihilism: "Rick and Morty" is the funniest science fiction to grace the world sense "Futurama"--if not the best comedy in general. What is it about, and what distinguishes it from other, lesser comedies? Jeff Maurer joins to discuss. (Note: this episode... by Alienating the Audience
48 min listen
The Fifth Element Is Teenage Scifi: "The Fifth Element" starring Bruce Willis and Mila Jovovich is a cult classic. But... does it hold up? Did it ever? To answer that question, we turn to Scottish scifi twins Dickie and Stone Lynch. by Alienating the Audience
84 min listen
Irritating Vulcans in "Enterprise": "Enterprise" is the prequel of Star Trek, exploring the foundation of the Federation of Planets, and the bump, suspicious period when Vulcans and humans get to know one another. Scottish science fiction twins Dickie & Stone Lynch return to discuss. by Alienating the Audience
63 min listen
Lady Terror in "Don't Worry, Darling": There's a subgenre of science fiction we might call "femme fear," exemplified by writers like Margaret Atwood. Olivia Wilde's "Don't Worry Darling" is the latest example. And while it was mostly panned by critics, Heaton enjoyed it. ... by Alienating the Audience
76 min listen
Jesuits in Space!: In , life is discovered on an alien planet, and the first humans to arrive are... Jesuits. The book explores the terrifying consequences of missionaries on a new world, who are there for good reasons--with good intentions--but don't know what they've... by Alienating the Audience
64 min listen
The Sith are Emo Fascists: The Sith are the dark lords of Star Wars. But what do they want? Are they logically consistent antagonists, with clear rationales for their goals and methods, or just mustache-twirling villains with no depth? Stephen Kent and Mike TV join to... by Alienating the Audience
60 min listen
“They Live” is fear of Reagonomics: John Carpenter’s “They Live” is a cult classic about seeing through societal mirage to glimpse the strings of the puppet masters. It’s also a specific and intentional “primal scream” against Reagonomics. Ron Hayden joins to discuss. by Alienating the Audience
58 min listen

Related podcast episodes

Skip carousel

Vagabonding: Nick and Heaton go to Narnia: When Nick and Heaton discovered an inter-dimensional doorway in the back of their refrigerator, they're able to step through and visit the winter world of Narnia. And meet one of its talking animal inhabitants. Cast: Andrew Heaton, Nick... by Alienating the Audience
17 min listen
The Hall of Odors by Kinetic Paranormal Society
25 min listen
The Cave of Mysteries by Kinetic Paranormal Society
30 min listen
The Comedy Button: Episode 307: We dig into the wild and crazy mind of guest host Jared Petty, learn all about his weird surprise allergies, and and then talk about the legacy of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. In other words: Just another week! Starring Brian Altano, Scott... by The Comedy Button
64 min listen
Pulp Cthulhu // A New Age of Wonders! // Part One by Pretending to be People
65 min listen
Pulp Cthulhu // A New Age of Wonders! // Part Four by Pretending to be People
69 min listen
Pulp Cthulhu // A New Age of Wonders! // Part Two by Pretending to be People
64 min listen
Pulp Cthulhu // A New Age of Wonders! // Part Three by Pretending to be People
20 min listen
Pulp Cthulhu // A New Age of Wonders! // Part Five by Pretending to be People
86 min listen
Last Christmas: The 12th Doctor meets Santa at the North Pole! Jimmy Akin, Dom Bettinelli, and Fr. Cory Sticha discuss this Christmas special that reunites Clara and the Doctor in a dreamy, facehugger alien story that is by turns funny, endearing, and creepy. by Secrets of Doctor Who
46 min listen
Twilight Mirage 45: Downtime on Gift-3: With their missions on Gift-3 behind them, the Notion is made to consider what went right, what went wrong, and what they can do to make sure things go better next time.Tender investigates the experimental NEH technology in her Angler unit. Even meets... by Friends at the Table
150 min listen
Ep. 4 - Cartoon Ankle Noose: Delving Arrowpeak Dungeon by Burnt Cook Book Party
69 min listen
The Mystery of Munchkin Manor by Kinetic Paranormal Society
22 min listen
C2 | Episode 1 | Ice to Meet You: A NEW ADVENTURE BEGINS! Five strangers find themselves magically transported to a strange, frozen landscape with no explanation. Each unique in their own way, they do their best to come together in an attempt to understand what's happened to them and... by The Dungeon Run Podcast
177 min listen
The Mysterious Benedict Society show runners, EPs, and cast discuss global adventure, riddles, and the rest of the season by Silence on Set
26 min listen
S5 E3: Fool's Gold by The Rom Com Rewind Podcast
57 min listen
The Dilemma of Double Doom by Kinetic Paranormal Society
37 min listen
217 - The Unidentified: UFOs, Atlantis, Bigfoot and more with Colin Dickey by MonsterTalk
63 min listen
185. Naughty Ningen: This week, Cryptid Campfire travels to the coldest region of the world, Antarctica. Here they will examine the popular legend of the Ningen, a giant, man like aquatic being witnessed only by Japanese Whalers. Can they separate fact from fiction, or... by Cryptid Campfire
73 min listen
Pirates, Mermaids, and Octopuses: The Tale of Jonah and Jesse by Maked Up Stories: Imaginative Kids Stories
13 min listen
Lonely Among Us (TNG): A trip to a peace conference is delayed by an encounter with energy being. Jimmy Akin, Dom Bettinelli, and Fr. Cory Sticha look at another Trek story that focuses on an encounter with a being of pure energy who disrupts the ship by taking over crewmemb... by Secrets of Star Trek
41 min listen
S'Winter Special: Don't Burn Down the House by Where the Stars Fell
52 min listen
The Curse of Peladon: Our introduction to Peladon. Jimmy Akin, Dom Bettinelli, and Fr. Cory Sticha dig into this 3rd Doctor and Jo Grant story of a primitive planet on the edge of joining the galactic neighborhood; overcoming preconceived prejudices; and the perils of prete... by Secrets of Doctor Who
47 min listen
Ep. 45 - Consequence Debt by Burnt Cook Book Party
71 min listen
Ep 44: Jurassic Park (Part 2): We’re back with more Jurassic Park! Jonathan climbs a fence! Andy stands on a grate! Scott sends a jeep down the five-hole! Joz tries to bite a dinosaur! Pitr goes for a stroll! Jonathan West – Alan Grant Joz Vammer – Ellie Sattler Scott Aiello – Ian M... by The Film Reroll
190 min listen
Ghosts: Things take a spooky turn as we look into the ethereal and shadowy side of the natural world by BBC Earth Podcast
39 min listen
Silent Enemy (ENT): What happens when you meet a truly alien species? Jimmy Akin, Dom Bettinelli, and Fr. Cory Sticha discuss this Enterprise episode focused on Malcom Reed that also explores how humans are truly pioneering into dangerous, unknown territory. by Secrets of Star Trek
33 min listen
1976 ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN by A Century in Cinema
50 min listen
Voyage of the Damned: It's Christmas 2007 and the Doctor is on the Titanic. Jimmy Akin, Dom Bettinelli, and Fr. Cory Sticha discuss Voyage of the Damned, where a newly Companion-less Doctor ends up on the ominously named spaceliner Titanic along with singer Kylie Minogue wh... by Secrets of Doctor Who
61 min listen
14: BACKBITE: A visit to Austin Bird’s house gives some insight. Judith steals a magazine. Owen ruins all his laundry. Lydia reveals that she’s got a better understanding of the situation than one would expect. And in the distance, something begins to burn… Featuring the voices of Emily Kellogg, Alex Nursall, Ian Boddy, Carson Pinch, Taylor Davis, Jocelyn Dotta, Caroly Larson, and Phil Wright CONTENT WARNINGS: the paranormal/hauntings, cults, the occult, fire Parkdale Haunt is an original podcast Created and written by Emily Kellogg and Alex Nursall Directed and produced by Alex Nursall Engineering and sound design by Ian Boddy Theme music by Phil Wright Recorded at Pirate Toronto Distributed by the Rogers Frequency Podcast Network You can find us on Twitter and Instagram @parkdalehaunt Support us on Patreon at patreon.com/parkdalehaunt Get merch at teepublic.com/user/parkdale-haunt Transcripts and more are available at parkdalehaunt.com by Parkdale Haunt
33 min listen

Discover this podcast and so much more

Vagabonding: The Lizard Man of Staten Island

Vagabonding: The Lizard Man of Staten Island

Description

Titles in the series (100)

More Episodes from Alienating the Audience

Related podcast episodes