by Storytime with GamerDude
In this "very special episode" of Storytime, GamerDude talks about the difficulty people have in discussing death. He talks about how people tend to avoid the topic, even within their own families. He talks about how death has a perfect record because everyone is going to die eventually, so perhaps it is important to talk about it, share stories about it, and make it a less scary prospect. He talks about losing both his parents, and his cool Cousin Steve, and how those losses helped him deal with the concept of death. He tells the story about his mother's death, and the circumstances leading up to it. He then talks about some of the death rituals in the world, from the New Orleans jazz funeral, to the traditional Viking funeral, to the sky burials the Buddhists have in Tibet. He also talks about the open air cremations offered in Colorado, and explains that he is considering the company called Eternal Reef, which takes your earthly remains and makes them a part of an ocean reef. He closes with one of his favorite Terry Pratchett quotes: "No one is actually dead until the ripples they cause in the world die away."
In this spoiler-filled episode, GamerDude talks about 10 of the most overrated movies he's seen in his lifetime of movie watching. In a list sure to annoy a lot of people, GamerDude talks about how the ending of Captain America: The First Avenger ruined the movie for him, and makes it one of the more overrated Marvel movies. He talks about how Titanic is titanically overrated, and he takes to task eight other movies as well, including two by one of Hollywood's more respected directors, Stanley Kubrick. (You'll have to listen for the full list!) GamerDude then adds 10 more movie tropes to his list of overused Hollywood cliches. If you've seen one too many people become incredibly attractive after taking off their glasses, or if you've been jump-scared by a cat on the stairs too often, or if you've seen more than enough high security doors opened with a bobby pin, you'll enjoy this list. ***There are "spoilers" to many movies in this episode, but they've been out for years now, so are they really spoilers?***
It seems that every neighborhood has a basketball rim, and GamerDude's was no exception. He talks about how his neighbors across the street had rims, and how he wanted to get one at his house too. But with his dad's gravel driveway, and the cost of installing a post for the backboard, he never did get one, except for one brief afternoon, when he and his friends hung a backboard from the telephone pole in the street. He talks about how he didn't really get heavily into basketball until college, where his roommate was a high school basketball star. He talks about playing pick-up games at the rec center, and how he learned the rules of getting into games. He explains how he learned what a zone defense was, how he wound up taking a basketball course in college, and why he still considers himself a Sun. He talks about playing basketball during lunch breaks at work, and two or three times a week after work at the local school gyms. He also shares one of his favorite stories from a pick-up game in Akron, Ohio, and how it made him feel like he'd finally arrived as a basketball player.
Regular listeners already know about GamerDude's love for music, and for TV, when he was growing up. In this episode, he talks about - and plays - 15 of the most memorable TV theme songs that he grew up with. This is by no means the most definitive or complete list. The songs featured in this episode run the gamut from Saturday morning cartoons to late night television and everything in between. This is just the first in what GamerDude anticipates will be a continuing series of TV Theme Song episodes. Rather than tell you about the titles of the songs here, you can play a little "name that tune" as you listen to the episode, and reminisce about (or discover for the first time) some of the classic television theme songs from the past. *Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. No copyright infringement intended. ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS*
The classic "old wives tales" that GamerDude heard growing up were, essentially, the urban legends of his childhood. He talks about the tales he heard, from going blind from sitting too close to the television set, to getting arthritis from cracking your knuckles, to the benefits of carrots and the dangers of spilling salt and eating chocolate. He also heard about why he shouldn't eat spicy foods, why he should eat chicken soup, how he was carrying around a mound of undigested gum in his stomach for seven years, and why he shouldn't swim after eating. GamerDude also talks about the home remedies his mom used (or he heard about from friends) for the common ailments of childhood. He describes his mother's "steamer," which was the cure for all coughs and congestion. He remembers how Listerine was the miracle cure for virtually anything. He talks about how his mom treated cold sores with powdered alum, and how disgusting the treatment was. He remembers the miracle of dry white bread and ginger ale, and the substitutes of saltines and flat 7-Up. He also remembers how much honey his family used, and the non-traditional use his mom had for meat tenderizer. He also shares the sure-fire cure for constipation, which is always effective.
GamerDude has always loved the taste of food cooked on the grill, from hot dogs to burgers to brats. This week, he talks about the difference between grilling and barbecue, and the different ways you can cook over charcoal, and over hardwood. He shares the easiest way he's found to get a fire going for the grill, and extolls the virtues of a charcoal chimney. He also shares the very easy recipe for the pasta salad he created that suits Mrs. GamerDude's tastebuds, and which you can use as is, or as a base for your own "world famous pasta salad."
Food is one of GamerDude's favorite topics, and in this episode, he talks about the fast food places and family restaurants he went to when he was growing up. He talks about Friendly's and the greatest ice cream sundae ever invented. He also talks about the many different burger places his family visited, from Burger Chef to Carroll's to Gino's. He remembers his mother's obsession with a place called Lum's, and the family trips to the local Hanover Trail Steak House. He explains why he's not a big fan of steak, having spent time in Bennigan's, Ponderosa and Bonanza "steak" houses growing up. He talks about his love for salad bars and diners, and remembers discovering Mexican restaurants like Chi Chi's, South of the Border, and Chevy's. He also recognizes that a place like Chi Chi's is to Mexican food what Red Lobster is to seafood. He also talks about his favorite things from "the big three": Wendy's, Burger King and McDonalds, and he shares the ear-worm he grew up with, thanks to McDonalds: two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, on a sesame seed bun.
GamerDude has always loved music, thanks to his mother. Because of her early influence, his musical taste was confined to classic folk songs, show tunes and hymns, and he talks about some of those early songs he learned, from "My Darlin' Clemintine" to "Oklahoma.". Then, he discovered rock and roll, and fell in love with the electric guitars, the fuzzy bass, and the hard driving beats. He talks about how his tastes span, basically, the entire history of rock and roll, from the 1950s to the present. He then shares fifteen of his favorite rock and roll intros, and talks about them briefly. No spoilers in this episode description or in the tags; if you want to know what they are, you'll have to give a listen. But here's a hint: they span the years from 1958 to 2002. Enjoy, and feel free to share your own additions to this decidedly non-definitive list.
GamerDude developed his sense of humor at a young age as he listened to comedians and comedy albums on his record player as far back as he can remember. He learned the secret of comedy (timing), and learned how to tell a good story, and tell it in a funny way, by listening to some of the old school masters of the craft. He talks about listening to Bill Cosby, who, long before he was convicted of some pretty horrible abuses, was nevertheless a master story teller. He talks about some of his other favorites, from the rapid-fire one-liners of Henny Youngman and Rodney Dangerfield to the carefully crafted and perfectly timed stories of Bob Newhart and Shelley Berman. He also talks about George Carlin and his evolution from the days of the Hippy Dippy Weatherman to the comic who did the routine about the Seven Words You Can't Say On Television. GamerDude also remembers one of his favorite comedy albums by Albert Brooks - Comedy Minus One. He describes the unique comedy sketch built into the album by Albert Brooks, where the listener would actually perform the sketch with Albert Brooks, and how he spent hours rehearsing the sketch to perform it for his parents. GamerDude didn't care that it was classic corniness; he just liked the opportunity to "perform" the sketch. (The script for the sketch - and the sketch from the album itself - are available here; you can judge the corniness factor for yourself.)
In this "Best of" episode, GamerDude has compiled some of his favorite stories from past episodes. This week, he tells the story about when he was bullied in the seventh grade and how it has stayed with him through the years. He also includes the story about learning Trumpeter's Lullaby in middle school for a band concert. He also tells the story about going swimming during the summertime at the local ponds near where he grew up. He also recalls his smuggled fireworks and how he almost took his dad out with an errant Roman candle. And he tells the story about his first encounter with a Space Invaders video game.