Twin Peaks, Chris Cornell, Alien: Covenant, Black Mirror – IP 76

It is happening again!

That’s right – we are back with another episode covering the most interesting pop culture of the week. Our topics this episode include:

  • Twin Peaks returns and Sean attempts to make sense of David Lynch and Mark Frosts’ deep, dark, inscrutable work. Does it live up to the immense hype and Sean’s great expectations? Listen to find out!
  • Chris Cornell died last week and Amita Patel shares her feelings and memories of the singer and also provides a guide to finding some of his best work online.
  • Alien: Covenant is the latest offering from Ridley Scott and Sean lets you know whether this film lives up to what we’ve come to expect from the director of Gladiator,  Thelma & Louise and of course, the original Alien.
  • The creators of Black Mirror, Charlie Brooker and Annabel Jones, spoke at Vulture Fest in NYC and Amita Patel was there in order to share the inside scoop with you! Listen to hear insight into the creation of one of the great shows on TV today.
  • The Big Sell! Listen to hear what Sean thinks of Amita’s Big Sell from last week, the web series Hot Ones, which features celebrities promoting their latest project . . . while they eat hot wings. Amita’s pick features Key & Peele in the hot seat. And then Sean Big Sells Amita on a British singer (imagine that) he’s recently discovered.

Twitter & Instagram – @Popinsiders

Links:

Amita’s Top 5 songs to remember Chris Cornell:

Audioslave- Like a Stone: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QU1nvuxaMA

Soundgarden- Black Hole Sun (solo vocals): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bY5tDB9mp3c

Temple of the Dog- Hunger Strike: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUb450Alpps

Nothing Compares 2 U- Prince cover @ Sirius XM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuUDRU9-HRk

I Will Always Love You: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOvH5LSH9Sw

Master of None S2, Twin Peaks, Scandal Ends – IP 75

Let’s Rock!

This week we react to the first four masterful episodes of Aziz Ansari and Alan Yang’s, Master of None. Amita shares the particular joy that comes with watching this South Asian auteur do his his thing!

Then we explain why watching the current season of Scandal is the equivalent to having Pity Sex!

Next we introduce a new segment, Way Into, in which we present a guide for you to become as ‘Way Into” a piece of pop culture as we are. In this inaugural segment, Sean presents a Way Into . . .  Twin Peaks – and tells you everything you need to know and do to prepare for the Twin Peaks premiere on Showtime on Sunday May 21st.

Then we celebrate our 75th episode in a very special way!

And as always, we end with The Big Sell. Amita rates and reviews Sean’s Instagram Big Sell from last week and sells him on a YouTube series that involves chicken, celebrities and hot sauce… Spicy!

Thanks to all of our listeners! Whether you’ve listened from the beginning or just recently found us – we are thrilled to have you here for our special milestone episode!

The best is yet come!

Sean’s Way Into Twin Peaks

  1. Watch Season 1
    1. If you only have time for two eps out of the 7 watch The Pilot and episode 3 – Zen, or the Skill to Catch a Killer.
  2. Read: The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer
  3.  Watch Season 2 episodes 1-7.
    1. If you only have time for two episodes watch the season premiere + episode 7 Lonely Souls (Laura Palmer’s Killer is REVEALED!)
  4. Watch Fire Walk with Me.
  5. Watch Wild at Heart
  6. Read: The Secret History of Twin Peaks

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @popinsiders

Big Sell 30 Day 28: The Secret History of Twin Peaks

Sean Johnson here with my final solo Big Sell of #BigSell30.

If you’re reading this post or if you’ve listened to our podcast I assume you know something about the joy that comes with allowing yourself to indulge in pop culture obsession. I’m describing the type of fanaticism that compels you to grab onto something in the world of pop culture and study it, analyze it, discuss it and  become more emotionally involved with it than what might be considered healthy. Today I’m going to Big Sell you something that is connected to the origins of my pop culture devotions.

Before I spent hours attempting to figure out the meaning of the numbers 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42; or fretting over the potency of the alien black oil or debating the ramifications of having more than one slayer exist at a time — there was one question that consumed me:

WHO KILLED LAURA PALMER?

twin-peaksThe first season of Twin Peaks ushered in what is now considered to be the second golden age of television. The weirdly brilliant show from co-creators David Lynch and Mark Frost is an exquisite mixture of horror flick, comedy, Nancy Drew detective story and a very niche food channel show that focuses on damn good coffee and pie.

You may have heard that the show is being re-booted and a third season will air on Showtime next year. Yay? Uh-oh?

I am praying to the pop culture gods that this new season will not disappoint. It’s a safe bet we’ll discuss the new season on Inside Pop as soon as it premieres. But for now I will Big Sell you on what can be considered a prequel to the reboot. To tide fans over until the new Twin Peaks season arrives, Mark Frost has written “The Secret History of Twin Peaks.” It’ a 300 page hard cover novel that details the history of Twin Peaks; from a Lewis and Clark encounter up until Agent Cooper’s run in with a mirror. My guess is the ratio of answers provided versus question raised will be low – but that’s what we expect – and what we love – about the Twin Peaks experience, right?

the-secret-history-of-twin-peaks-cover-mark-frostThe Big Sell of the novel is for the die hard Twin Peaks fan. But if for some reason you have yet to discover this amazing show do yourself a favor and watch it (don’t binge; savor each episode). The Pilot is phenomenal and the rest of the first season just gets better. The second season goes off the rails – but the episode that finally reveals the identity of Laura Palmer’s murderer is one of the scariest things you’ll ever see on television (yes, the scene is just as blood-curdling as last week’s The Walking Dead depcition of Negan’s bloody bad; but instead of a dark forest, it takes place in Laura Palmer’s living room).

If you give the book a try, make sure to tweet me @popinsiders. We can obsess together over every mention of owls, logs and lodges.

Check out the book trailer (chock full of easter eggs) HERE