Recreational Thinking

Contestants: Jing Feng, Andy Greeley, Randall Eng, Ewan MunroNOTE: This is a free preview.  Please subscribe to my Patreon to gain access to the rest of the alphabet.Another little taste of my directors sets!  This set, covering I's and some leftover H's, is one of my hardest, but Randall & Ewan and company are more than up to the task.  Perhaps we'll hear these hardcore cinephiles on an all-cinema episode of Recreational Thinking in the not-so-distant future?As always, if you like what you hear, consider donating via PayPal or Patreon and remember to leave a review and/or rating on iTunes!

Contestants: Frederic Bush, Chris Miller, Greg Weinstein, Tucker Warner, Dan Blim (whole time); Cliff Galiher, Charlie Fritz (part of the time)NOTE: This is a free preview.  Please subscribe to my Patreon to gain access to the rest of the alphabet.Welcome to my new series!  Written by a serious cinephile (me) for an audience of cinephiles, these questions also work as a starting point for anyone who wants to learn about film for quizzing purposes AND anyone looking to go, as Pauline Kael put it, deeper into movies.Each game (of which there are four in this episode) consists of four rounds of play, Mimir-style, with 32 questions in all.  The answer to each question will be the name of a movie director, and all answers in the game will have a surname or mononym starting with the same letter.My goal is to cover all types of cinema — mainstream, arthouse, foreign, experimental, documentary, and more — and all eras of cinema as well, with special emphasis on members of underrepresented groups (e.g. women, POC, LGBT) and underrepresented cinemas.  The questions are hard, but the games are fast-paced and filled with banter.  I hope you enjoy — and don't worry, new episodes in the usual Recreational Thinking format are on their way too!As always, if you like what you hear, consider donating via PayPal or Patreon and remember to leave a review and/or rating on iTunes!

Contestants: Meredith MacVittie, Ben Rothenberg, Nikhil SonejaFrom the semi-logical to the semiological, this episode examines the JAMES BOND phenomenon at all angles, turning a spyglass on the world's most famous spy.  As we celebrate the rich legacy of the Bond franchise while also reflecting on its many problematic aspects, we additionally draw connections to geography, politics, probability theory, radical feminism, horse racing, the Olympics, Willy Wonka, Orson Welles, and of course gambling and music.  Come to witness Ben's quest to become Recreational Thinking's first ever 3-time loser; stay for an abrupt downer ending that would be right at home in On Her Majesty's Secret Service or No Time to Die.As always, if you like what you hear, consider donating via PayPal or Patreon and remember to leave a review and/or rating on iTunes!

Contestants: Randall Eng, Doug Behrend, Darren MunkPlay ball!  An episode recorded back in spring is ready just in time for the playoffs, and just like their favorite players, our baseball-loving contestants are all highly skilled contenders vying for a prestigious world championship!  Well, okay, maybe it's not that prestigious, and it's definitely not a world championship (but is the World Series?), but it sure is fun to listen to and — assuming you're a fan of our national pastime — play along with as well.  Oh, but is your favorite team or time period not represented?  Feel free to submit it as one of your own categories when you join me on this podcast!As always: Like what you hear? Consider donating via PayPal or Patreon, and remember to leave a review and/or rating on iTunes!

Contestants: Erin Portman, Vince Bacani, Jimmy DavorenI love all my contestants equally, but the moment in this episode when one reasons out the *meter* of the correct answer using her knowledge of prosody is an all-time highlight.  Really, though, there are standout moments from everyone in an episode that covers the 4 C's — curling, Catholicism, cookies, and chess — plus everything from Neil Gaiman to '70s sitcoms to some reminders of the stirring majesty of Hawaiian culture ... and then I make a series of increasingly vulgar puns and stan Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (not at the same time).  So join four people who met while taping Jeopardy! as we reunite in a much more relaxed environment for some Recreational Thinking!Enjoy what you hear?  Consider donating via PayPal or Patreon, and remember to leave a review and/or rating on iTunes!

Contestants: Michael Rankins, Dave Ross, Nikhil SonejaNa-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-BATMAN!!!  And WONDER WOMAN!!!  And GREEN LANTERN, plus FLASH!!!  All your favorite DC superheroes and supervillains — okay, well, a decent selection of them — turn up in this topic-specific episode that spans the Golden, Silver, Bronze, and modern Ages of DC Comics.  Plus, we cover the ABCs of science fiction.  (I'm aware of their work.)  So tune in!  Come to find out how a magical Rick Springfield ties in to the Brady Bunch universe; stay to hear me pronounce ... "Schneitzhoeffer"?Enjoy what you hear?  Consider donating via PayPal or Patreon, and remember to leave a review and/or rating on iTunes!

Contestants: Ben Bass, Matthew Marcus, Henry Stringer and "gate-crasher" Raghuveer MukkamallaWant to see more of dashing J! champion Matthew Marcus?  Join him and three other fans of Recreational Thinking in the first ever recorded episode of Recreational Thinking Lite!  These were intended as Patreon exclusives, and most of them are, but the public demands More Matthew Marcus!!!, and who am I to deny them?Remember, sign up on Patreon to hear the other six bonus mini-episodes!  https://www.patreon.com/recreationalthinking

For the first time, my Patreon followers have something to show for their support other than just a warm, fuzzy feeling!  This past weekend, I quickly threw together seven episodes of what I'm calling Recreational Thinking lite, a fast-and-furious, unstructured, unedited format where everyone works together against my questions and we wrap things up in 40-50 minutes.  It was a total experiment, and the results are unpolished, but I think there's some diamonds in the rough.  So between now and Christmas, I'll be publishing all seven as Patreon exclusives!  Sign up for as little or as much as you want for full access.Just to give you a taste, I'm releasing the sixth episode for free to everyone.  Join Benjamin Kitchen, Dargan Ware, and Chris White as we learn about the AOC of the '70s, find out what Cecil Chubb's wife turned down, and discover the unexpected pedigree that unites The Doors and Dolemite.NOTE: I got my terminology a bit confused when discussing Rupert Mitford.  What I should have said is that he was the youngest life peer to sit in the House of Lords.Remember, sign up on Patreon to hear the other six bonus mini-episodes!  https://www.patreon.com/recreationalthinking

Contestants: Henry Stringer, Akiva Fox, Nathan CrisseyWhat could be scarier than a "deranged cheese monster"?  Well, for quizzers, it would have to be forgetting the name of someone you've spent time with on multiple occasions, right when you're asked a question about them.  Yes, this episode's clever contestants hit highs and lows, mixing painfully close misses with one of the best "fraud" answers I've ever seen, as we traverse worlds as diverse as mathematics, Mario Kart, Shakespeare, cocktails, tuba, Pokémon, and competitive yo-yo'ing (really!).  Plus, just in time for Halloween, there's a deranged cheese monster.Deranged cheese monster.NOTE: Like E35, this one ends with ~15m of wrap-up chatter, including a fascinating callback to E32, a discussion of how to transport giant novelty checks, and some amazing yo-yo tricks that unfortunately don't translate to an audio format.Enjoy what you hear? Consider donating via PayPal or Patreon, and remember to leave a review and/or rating on iTunes!

Contestants: Dan Blim, Jayanthi Martins, Nick SalyersWe may not have pumpkins, but we do crown a Pun King (or Queen?) in this seasonally appropriate episode featuring vampires, Hitchcock, the Saw franchise, and strained wordplay galore!  From Koopas to Kansas, from Mario to Mitski, from Princess Peach to the Dolphin Princess ... like the humble tomato, this episode traverses the globe, stopping in to quiz our hilarious contestants on folk dancing, UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Stephen Sondheim, RuPaul's Drag Race, and much, much more.  Yes, it has more potential for entertainment than a 22-year-old Sutton Foster and will leave you smiling bigger than a Laura Benanti fan in Times Square.  So give it a listen, learn the difference between a kiki and a ceilidh, and get ready to root for that greatest of all superheroes: Bhangra-man!Like what you hear?  Consider donating via PayPal or Patreon, and remember to leave a review and/or rating on iTunes!

Contestants: Nathan Flynn, Bradly Martin, Danny DoggetFull circle!  We recorded this Gilliganverse-heavy episode the day Better Call Saul premiered its final half-season, and I'm releasing it right as that series airs its finale.  Kismet, huh?Welcome to one of our most atypical episodes, as the contestants are recruited not from quizzing circles but from an informal network of podcasters and pop culture commentators that I stumbled into a few years ago ... but don't worry; what they lack in quizzing experience they make up for in humor and high spirits!!  I learned a lot researching some esoteric (even by this podcast's standards) topics that they suggested and I think you'll learn a lot from this episode.NOTE: This is easily our least family-friendly episode, with a toilet literally being worked on in the background and questions built around profanity and sex acts, plus an extended detour into the female reproductive system.  Listener discretion is advised.  Also, this is always the case but I feel a need to reiterate here that opinions expressed by my guests are their own and do NOT necessarily represent the views of this podcast.Like what you hear?  Consider donating via PayPal or Patreon, and remember to leave a review and/or rating on iTunes!

Contestants: Mike Jeziorski, Tucker Warner, Jack RousseauEnjoy Episode 10?  Then you'll love this SUPER SIZED reunion of all three members of that classic lineup, now with 95% less baseball.  Never fear, though, for I Am the Pretty Thing that Writes the Questions, and so we make up for it with more nods to growing up in Illinois than a Sufjan Stevens album, more video games than a Lana Del Rey album, and more references to illicit drugs than a Willie Nelson album.  Get ready to pull the Walker, Texas Ranger lever and discover the hidden connections between Tucker and 24, Conan O'Brien and Jorge Luis Borges, Neil Patrick Harris and ZZ Top, a huntress from Greek mythology and a terrorist action thriller set during Jesus' crucifixion, a billionaire heiress and her desire to cosplay as a poor person, and, of course, Marjorie Merriweather Post and the entire known universe in this longest-ever episode of Recreational Thinking!  (Yes, it's so long that I elected to extend it by including at the end a discussion of how long it is.)Like what you hear?  Consider donating via PayPal or Patreon, and remember to leave a review and/or rating on iTunes!

Contestants: Mike Samuelson, Colin Smith, Ryan Palmer, Dan SchroederStay hungry, stay foolish, and stay listening to this SPECIAL CROSSOVER REUNION EVENT in which Recreational Thinking yet again meets The Soccer Thread!  For the first time since Episode 5, the host and the majority of the contestants are occupying the same physical space, and for the first time EVER that space is OUTSIDE!!  Yes, you can listen to the birds chirp and the delivery truck engines idle, as I somehow allowed myself to be dragged into nature for this taping. That's not the only innovation ... pay close attention and see if you can hear our youngest ever guest!  (You can't.)  Come for the Blue Star donuts and the assault on Episode 33's steal record, stay for a "tight 45" on bats, a discussion of comparative health care in Boston and Portland, an introduction to the Sixx Orange oeuvre, and a chance to hear the contestants talk about me behind my back.  Oh, and to find out what Arnold Palmer *really* did that day.NOTE: My cut of this episode comes from a rather rough version of the audio.  The one The Soccer Thread is preparing will be of much higher quality.  Listen to that one as well, and you'll pick up a few extra jokes!Like what you hear? Consider donating via PayPal or Patreon, and remember to leave a review and/or rating on iTunes!

Contestants: Matt Jackson, Jenna LaFleur, Ben RothenbergBuon giorno!  A Jeopardy! legend and two of his DC-area pub-quiz-mates join us in this exhilarating episode, albeit with one Zooming remotely from Rome, and as if by magic a surprisingly high number of questions sprout Italian connections.  (These unconscious mini-themes — last time's was Game of Thrones — are starting to become a regular feature of this podcast.)  Whether you prefer tennis or theater, Joss Stone or James Bond, M&Ms or clam chowder, one thing's for certain ... this installment of Recreational Thinking is a LOT shorter than the previous one!  You're welcome.Like what you hear? Consider donating via PayPal or Patreon, and remember to leave a review and/or rating on iTunes!

Contestants: James Lasker, David Plotkin, Manas Sarma"I can't believe that went longer than our technical difficulties episode!" -DavidAs only our second episode to cross the 3-hour mark, this one had better justify its length ... and it does!  Episode 6 was the first truly great episode of this podcast, and though I was only able to reunite 2/3rds of its contestant lineup, I've bottled so much magic here that Dr. House diagnosed me with lupus!  (Deep cut.)  Truly, the limit of this episode's quality does not exist.Did I really construct a question so complicated that I literally consulted four astrophysicists in the process of writing it?  I did!  Do I actually attempt to prove the individual with the (alleged) World's Highest IQ wrong?  I do!  Is this the episode when my hubris finally catches up with me and I fall flat on my face?  Only one way to find out!From Lovecraft to Lagrange, from mathletics to the Mafia, from chess streamers to Chernobyl, this ambitious episode is a banquet for hungry minds.  Enjoy the feast? Consider donating via PayPal or Patreon, and remember to leave a review and/or rating on iTunes!

Contestants: Aaron Lichtig, David Goldfarb, Greg FanoeYou know what you doing?  For great justice (and knowledge), make your time for the next 2.5 hours and enjoy this experimental episode of RECREATIONAL THINKING featuring a categorical collision unlike anything we've ever seen before!  If you're curious about superhero comics, Italo Calvino, Janet Jackson, the Hugo Awards, all sorts of bridges (from Staten Island to contract), and the *real* reason the autopilot was invented ... well, like a seemingly washed-up pitcher who strikes out 13 batters in a World Series game, this episode is full of triumphant surprises.NOTE: We wrapped up the tape session a bit early; the last ~15 minutes are just post-mortem'ing.  There's no more Q&A, and it's not fact-checked, but if you stick around you might learn something!Enjoy what you hear? Consider donating via PayPal or Patreon, and remember to leave a review and/or rating on iTunes!

Contestants: Daryl Sng, Dargan Ware, Anthony GarinoBrain work ahead?  Uh, yeah, I sure hope it does!  Learn about snarky YouTubers, resilient Czechs, murderous Mannerist madrigalists, Freudian chessmasters, poetry-writing Ouija boards, gentleman safecrackers, and technical fouls galore in this installment of RECREATIONAL THINKING so full of meaty twists and turns that one contestant's mother's cousin's husband would feel right at home!  (That will make sense once you've listened to the episode, I promise.)  We run a true gamut here: Poetry, college basketball, classical music, chess, tennis, and the great nation of Singapore are all on the menu.  Oh, and speaking of menus ... is Pepsi okay?  It sure is!Like what you hear? Consider donating via PayPal or Patreon, and remember to leave a review and/or rating on iTunes!

Contestants: Alexander Darby, Peter Broda, Ben ZimmerWho made the man behind "Happy" cry?  What are E-Girls, and why are they ruining my life?  What innocuous nursery rhyme did Paul McCartney turn into a UK Top 10 hit?  Which James Bond theme drew inspiration from the Hebrew Bible?  How does one stuff a wild bikini?Let's Talk About Love, learn How to Truly Listen, and study pataphysical science as we tour the world of popular music in this single-subject episode that covers proto-punk, punk-pop, thrash metal, '80s synthpop, '90s indie rock, drummers and drumming, the careers of Stevie Wonder and Frank Zappa, and our friendly neighbors in the Great White North alongside several topics that no one requested, including children's TV, French literature, Hindi slang, historical gangsters, BBC quiz shows, the Queens neighborhood where I used to live, and lots and lots of Beatles content.  And You Will Know These Contestants by The Trail of Knowledge they display!Like what you hear? Consider donating via PayPal or Patreon, and remember to leave a review and/or rating on iTunes!

Contestants: Anu Kashyap, Dan Feitel, Chris OttolinoWelcome to 2022!  It's our first episode recorded since May 2021.  (If you're curious what's been going on in the interim, feel free to check out the streaming show I attempted to launch: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYyq5QTgHTmLfy4kyrnM7j7fHz87ohqSy .)  A former National Spelling Bee champion joins me alongside two frequent quizzing teammates, one of whom is hoping to make up for his paper-thin loss in E30, so of course the banter flies thick as we cover (among other things) the joy of spelling, the history of Pixar, the fantasy of football, the Silver Age of Comics, and also for some reason ABC's Big Sky, despite no one picking it as a topic.Yes, like an NFL player who gets a PhD in mathematics from MIT, at RECREATIONAL THINKING we don't believe in disciplinary boundaries.  So if you're curious about the non-fun kind of Zoot Suit Riot ... if you want to know which '90s alt-rock icon tells a lie in the very first line of her most famous song ... if you remember Microsoft's short-lived "Ms. Dewey" ... oh, and if you'd like to learn about the NFL player who got a PhD in mathematics from MIT, then this episode is for you.  Enjoy what you hear? Consider donating via PayPal or Patreon, and remember to leave a review and/or rating on iTunes!

Contestants: Caitlin Joyce, Randall Eng, Chris MillerHow did a college student urinating into a potted plant bring down a national government?  In what way is Staten Island a magical realm?  When does Before come after After?  Can Belgian Waffles ever be wrong?  What is a "mezzo with moves"?  What is "vore"?  (Don't look that up.)  Who is a "pantspreneur"?  How is a hand grenade like an avocado?  We've met before, haven't we?  Do I know anyone in Idaho?  Is "Deuteronomy" or "Æ" a weirder name for a child?  And, most importantly, what did I say that made Caitlin vow to throttle me?Discover the answer to most, if not all, of these questions — and learn about board games, celebrity couples, 21st century opera, mustache-less Sam Elliott, and a prolific 102-year-old character actor who's still lucid enough to give fascinating interviews — in this enigmatic, entertaining, and enlightening episode of one of the Top 25 most-listened-to Education podcasts on Podomatic!Like what you hear? Consider donating via PayPal or Patreon, and remember to leave a review and/or rating on iTunes!