The Occasionalists Podcast

In part two we do a very deep dive into hero archetypes and whether or not they represent something larger than just a force for good.
We also give our key ingredients for a compelling hero, give a few examples of what template we use when creating a hero and reexamine if certain characters are heroic or not, or if they also defy classification.

In part one of The Heroes, Chemma and I do a little cleanup work from The Villains. We discuss the actor we'd most like to cast as a bad guy, whether or not certain characters defy classification and who is society's biggest villain.
We then switch gears and delve into the Hero's Journey and ask a few questions about the story structure and who we would want to carry the torch as our hero in a big time movie.

The first(ish) episode of Recommendation Rewind is here!
In this series of minisodes, I will be looking back at the topic we just covered to add a little more insight, give you some different angles to consider and of course....give you a few recommendations -- be they movies, tv shows, books, music, scholarly articles, off Broadway plays, graduate theses, literally ANYTHING -- to check out.
Enjoy!

Another 3rd Spin minisode with a soundtrack fit for the most evil dictator, ruthless assassin or vengeful demigod.
Come jam out like a villain with Chemma!

We wrap up our look at the villains with the anatomy of a bad guy, or a look at the key ingredients that make an antagonist a compelling character. We discuss how we write an antagonist based on a couple of examples of what we consider to be the prototype bad guy.
Finally, we wrap up the episode with a quick discussion about whether or not all antagonists are even villains.
 

The first part of an exciting conservation in which Chemma and I discuss protagonists and antagonists, good guys and bad guys, or as we are calling it on this podcast....The Villains and The Heroes. 
Why start with The Villains? Because they're more fun, duh! As we discuss in the first part of the series, a good villain (or multiple villains) allows for a deeper exploration of both protagonist and antagonist. While some heroes do offer a similar storytelling opportunity, it is usually through an antagonist that we better understand our own motivations and choices. Deep shit, right?
What types of villains are there? Is every antagonist bad/evil? What is necessary for a compelling bad guy?
Tune in and find out!

Welcome to the first episode of The Third Spin! The Occasionalist's minisode for the music fans. The rules are simple, he listens to an album three times and gives you his thoughts.
On this episode, Adam discusses the latest Nada Surf record Never Not Together and how it compares to the rest of their discography. 
 

We wrap up our extra long winter sports talk with a look at our Cleveland Browns (Dawg Check!), the MLB Sign Stealing scandal and what should happen next.
We also talk some NHL (I'm not kidding!) talk and discuss how the league can make a casual sports fan aware of its existence.
We wrap up with discussion on HBO's Ballers. What the show was in the grand scheme of things, what it got right about pro sports, what it got wrong and what could have been done better.