Second Bananas

The Banana Boyz are joined by Journalist & Writer Sam Smart to talk about Saint Guinefort, a folk saint who wasn't even human - she was a GREYHOUND. Animals & Religion are two fun topics that go great together! SOURCES Quick Look  1 Min Video Summary of the Legend of Saint Guinefort from Manic Minutes 5 Min Video Summary of the Legend of Saint Guinefort from Mysterious Leroy thegreyhoundsaint.com “A Faithful Hound” by Colin Dickey for Lapham’s Quarterly   Other Main Sources Oh My Dog! St. Guinefort & Saint Christopher by Minjie Su for medievalists.net Saint Guinefort on Wikipedia Folk Saints on Wikipedia Stephen de Bourbon on St. Guinefort   SOURCES Quick Look  1 Min Video Summary of the Legend of Saint Guinefort from Manic Minutes 5 Min Video Summary of the Legend of Saint Guinefort from Mysterious Leroy thegreyhoundsaint.com “A Faithful Hound” by Colin Dickey for Lapham’s Quarterly Main Sources Oh My Dog! St. Guinefort & Saint Christopher by Minjie Su for medievalists.net Saint Guinefort on Wikipedia Folk Saints on Wikipedia Stephen de Bourbon on St. Guinefort

He railed against Fascism both outside and inside America. He was a New Deal Democrat til the bitter end. He even ran for President under a Third Party! The Banana Boys dig into the life of Henry A. Wallace - the quintessential "American Progressive". Part 1 of 2.   WRITTEN SOURCES "Uncommon Man" (New Yorker Profile, 2013) "Where Are They Now? Henry Agard Wallace" (New Yorker, 1960) “The Fight for the Soul of the Democratic Party” by John Nichols (Verso Books, 2020) The New Deal & the Guru (American Heritage, 1989) Ilo Browne's Obituary (New York Times) Former President Truman Discusses Henry Wallace - Truman Library Harry S. Truman and Civil Rights (Truman Library) Harry S. Truman Supports Civil Rights 1947-1948 (thirteen.org)   VIDEO SOURCES Oliver Stone’s Untold History of the United States 10 Minute C-Span Summary of Wallace’s Life/Career (YouTube) Undoing the New Deal: The 1944 Coup Against VP Henry Wallace (YouTube) 2004 PBS Documentary (YouTube) An Uncommon Man (YouTube)  Speech: The Price of Victory (YouTube)

New Deal Democrat, Farmer, Vice President, and Third Party Candidate. The Banana Boys dig into the life of Henry A. Wallace - the quintessential "American Progressive". Part 1 of 2.   WRITTEN SOURCES "Uncommon Man" (New Yorker Profile, 2013) "Where Are They Now? Henry Agard Wallace" (New Yorker, 1960) “The Fight for the Soul of the Democratic Party” by John Nichols (Verso Books, 2020) The New Deal & the Guru (American Heritage, 1989) Ilo Browne's Obituary (New York Times) Former President Truman Discusses Henry Wallace - Truman Library Harry S. Truman and Civil Rights (Truman Library) Harry S. Truman Supports Civil Rights 1947-1948 (thirteen.org)   VIDEO SOURCES Oliver Stone’s Untold History of the United States 10 Minute C-Span Summary of Wallace’s Life/Career (YouTube) Undoing the New Deal: The 1944 Coup Against VP Henry Wallace (YouTube) 2004 PBS Documentary (YouTube) An Uncommon Man (YouTube)  Speech: The Price of Victory (YouTube)

The Banana Boyz dig into the Lilienthal Brothers, Otto and Gustav, who technically flew before (or maybe at the same time) as the Wright Brothers. - SOURCES:   Otto Lilienthal on Wikipedia   Gustav Lilienthal on Wikipedia   "Forefathers of Flight" from the National Air and Space Museum   Images of Otto Lilienthal's Glider from the National Air and Space Museum   "FIRST IN FLIGHT" - Filmhaus Berlin YouTube Channel   "Otto Lilienthal - The Glider" YouTube Video  (this is the video we mostly reference)   "The Question Of Who Flew First" from Surprisingly Brilliant

The Banana Boyz drop their usual hard evidence and strict citations to talk about their many feelings... about cover songs! Each Banana Boy has a cover and its original for the whole group to contrast & compare. Songs from this episode: - Joe - "Astronomy" by Blue Oyster Cult, covered by Metallica Craig - "Electioneering" by Radiohead, covered by Easy Star All-Stars Wes - "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears for Fears, covered by Lettuce - To listen to all the songs, check out the Spotify Playlist

The Banana Boyz drop their usual hard evidence and strict citations to talk about their many feelings... about cover songs! Each Banana Boy has a cover and its original for the whole group to contrast & compare. Songs from this episode: - Joe - "Queen Victoria" by Leonard Cohen, covered by Geoff Berner Craig - "Pursuit of Happiness" by Kid Cudi, covered by Lissie Wes - "Common People" by Pulp, covered by William Shatner & Ben Folds - To listen to all the songs, check out the Spotify Playlist - Part 3 of Cover Songs will come out at the end of November!

The Banana Boyz drop their usual hard evidence and strict citations to talk about their many feelings... about cover songs! Each Banana Boy has a cover and its original for the whole group to contrast & compare. Songs from this episode: - Joe - "I Am A Rifle" by The Rebel Spell, covered by Propagandhi Craig - "Rich Girl" by Hall & Oates, covered by Nina Simone Wes - "Blinded by the Light" by Bruce Springsteen, covered by Manfred Mann's Earth Band - To listen to all the songs, check out the Spotify Playlist - Part 2 of Cover Songs will come out at the end of September!  

The Banana Boyz dig into Sam Zemurray, the businessman who beat United Fruit at its own game. Hear how Sam earned his nickname "Banana Man" through business savvy, ruthlessness, and a whole lot of government coups. SOURCES The Fish That Ate the Whale: The Life and Times of America's Banana King by Rich Cohen. Picador, 2013. The ousting of the president of Honduras, 1911 (libcom.org) 7 Ways The United Fruit Company Devastated Central America (History Hustle) Sam Zemurray – Banana Man of New Orleans (The Savvy Native) Sam Zeumurray on Wikipedia The United Fruit Company on Wikipedia  

With Wes and Craig both away, Joe takes the opportunity to pitch you wonderful listeners his plan... to SAVE AMERICA.   The Banana Boys will return in July with a full episode.

The Banana Boyz learn about Stanislav Yevgrafovich Petrov, a lieutenant colonel of the Soviet Air Defence Forces. Petrov was in charge of the Soviet nuclear early-warning system. When it reported that a missile had been launched from the United States, Petrov judged the reports to be a false alarm. He was right.   Sources: The Man Who Save The World Wikipedia Obituary  

The Banana Boyz touch on the exodus of workers from major urban centres, how it's touched their own lives, what it means, and the implications of it all. SECOND BANANAS NEWS: Brian Jean vs Jason Kenney MAIN ARTICLE: Here’s the income you need to afford rent in major Canadian cities (Globe and Mail Groups you can get involved with: Vancouver Tenants Union Rent Strike Bargain Vancouver For All Listening Circles - Municipal Elections.    

The Banana Boyz learn about actor, musician, businessman and philosopher-mogul Terrence Howard and his quest to teach the world about Terryology, his unique formal language of logic.   SOURCES Terrence Howard | Wikipedia | IMDB | Instagram | Twitter Domestic Abuse and Assault Allegations Terrence Howard's Dangerous Mind (Rolling Stone - 2015) Terrence Howard | Full Address and Q&A | Oxford Union The Lynchpin  

Wes learns the other Banana Boyz about Dr. Katalin Kariko, who spent decades researching mRNA, facing setbacks both personal and professional. Despite this, she persevered, and her research made COVID Vaccines possible. Because of her, science is already using mRNA to explore a number of exciting new treatments for a universal coranavirus vaccine, sickle cell immunity, a cure for malaria, and even vaccines for peanut allergies! And mRNA is now seriously being considered as a potential treatment for pretty much every known illness.   SOURCES: Dr. Katalin Kariko on Wikipedia   The story of mRNA: How a once-dismissed idea became a leading technology in the Covid vaccine race (STAT Magazine)   Kati Kariko Helped Shield the World From the Coronavirus (NY Times)   The Unlikely Pioneer Behind mRNA Vaccines (The Daily Podcast)   How COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines Work (YouTube)   The Story Behind mRNA COVID Vaccines: Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman (YouTube)

The Banana Boyz dig into the Anti-Woodstock that was the Altamont Free Concert. Considered by some "The Day the Music Died", it was a Free Concert put on by The Rolling Stones in Northern California. Wary of cops, they hired The Hells Angels to do security, and last-minute changes to the venue resulted in unsafe stages, bad acid trips & massive overcrowding. 4 people died, including Meredith Hunter, a young black man, who was stabbed to death by the Hells' Angels. SOURCES: Selvin, J. (2016). Altamont: The Rolling Stones, The Hells Angels, and the Inside Story of Rock’s Darkest Day. HarperCollins. Austerlitz, S. (2018). Just A shot away: Peace, love, and tragedy with The Rolling Stones at Altamont. Thomas Dunne Books.  Barger, S.(2000). Hell’s Angel: The Life and Times of Sonny Barger and The Hell’s Angels Motorcycle Club. Fourth Estate. The Rolling Stones Disaster at Altamont: Let It Bleed (Rolling Stone) Altamont Free Concert (Wikipedia) Rock N Roll Archaeology - Episode 19: 1969 Part II (Pantheon Podcasts)

The Banana Boyz revisit one of Joe's favorites, Dillinger Four - a pop-punk band comprised of four beer-swilling, bartending, butt cracking dudes from Minneapolis, Minnesota, and compare their underground success as a "bands' band" to punk rock super stars Green Day! It's really a jumping-off point for a discussion about DIY Punk scenes in North America, the roots of pop punk, and why Joe just loves D4 so damn much!   Sources/Further Reading: In Dillinger Four We Trust (Vice/Noisey) The Official Dillinger Four Angelfire Page Dillinger Four's 'Midwestern Songs of the Americas' Spawned a Scene of Copycats (Vice/Noisey) 25th Anniversary Interview (Scene Point Blank) Situationist Comedy Release Interview (Lollipop Magazine) Erik Funk Interview (PunkNews) Patrick "Paddy" Costello Interview (PunkNews) Dillinger Four Pandemisode (Us!)

The Banana Boyz have Ricochet Editor, Organizer, Former Vancouver City Council Candidate & Socialist Dad Derrick O'Keefe on the pod to talk about the life & times of Rosemary Brown; the first Black Woman elected to a Canadian provincial legislature; first Black Woman to serve as Speaker of the House in a provincial legislature, and the first Black Woman to run for leadership of a Canadian Federal Party - coming in second to Ed Broadbent for leadership of the Federal NDP in 1975!   Rosemary was also an open socialist who was unafraid to criticize her own party and its white, male leaders. She spoke openly of how poverty disproportionately affected women, particularly Black & Elderly women. In her 1975 bid for the leadership of the NDP, she advocated for socialism, anti-imperialism, and feminism. Despite being recognized as a trailblazer & advocate, her radicalism is often downplayed or softened in official records.    Please also check out this list of Black Organizations & Fundraisers in British Columbia you can support!   SOURCES/FURTHER INFO: Rosemary Brown on Wikipedia Rosemary Brown on Black Past Section 15 Biography on Rosemary Brown Rosemary Brown Obituary Historica Canada Video on Rosemary Brown (YouTube) Rosemary Brown on Royal BC History Museum INTERVIEW: The Task Force on Aging Women - 1980 (YouTube) DOCUMENTARY: No Way, Not Me! (YouTube) CBC Archive: Rosemary Brown Makes Leadership Bid in 1975 (CBC Video)

(EPISODE UPDATED TO FIX AUDIO ISSUE) Assistant director, story artist, and comic artist Tess Eneli Reid brings the truly fascinating world of Bratz Dolls (Second Bananas to reigning Doll Queen Barbie) This episode delves into the sexual & racial politics swirling around the Bratz dolls, their absolute circus clown CEO, and the many times they've left us and come back. This one's a banger, folks! Sources/Further Reading: A Brief Investigation Into the Complicated History of Bratz (W Magazine) When Barbie Went to War With Bratz (The New Yorker) The Toy Mogul Who Became A Billionaire Through His Fight To The Death With Barbie (Forbes) Bratz CEO Apologizes For Racist Rant (Buzzfeed) Bratz Dolls Released A Statement on George Floyd's Death (Teen Vogue) The Strange Phenomenon of L.O.L. Surprise Dolls (The Atlantic) The Bratz Movie (IMDB)

Animator, Director & Comic Creator Alexis Sugden talks Cinderella III and other direct-to-video Disney Sequels with the Banana Boyz!   Cinderella (The Folk Tale) on Wikipedia Cinderella (The Movie) on IMDB Cinderella III: A Twist In Time on IMDB  

Part 2 of The Banana Boyz going HAM on the many Second Bananas of Vladimir Ilyich Ulianov, aka V.I. Lenin.   Joe - Julius Martov Craig - Leon Trotsky Wes - Joseph Stalin

To celebrate their 25th episode, The Banana Boyz each took on one of the many Second Bananas of Vladimir Ilyich Ulianov, aka V.I. Lenin.   Joe - Julius Martov Craig - Leon Trotsky Wes - Joseph Stalin   Part 2 comes out in 2 weeks!