Floppin’ Fresh

Max Fun Drive is approaching (3/17 - 3/28, with a short grace period on either end) and it really is the most important thing that lets us keep making the show year after year. We’re very thankful for your support, and we hope we can make it more than just a pledge drive for our listeners.

This year we can tease THE RETURN OF FLOPTALES bonus content for supporting members — or should we say SlopTales, because this year Stuart put together a fun campaign where Dan, Elliott, and returning FlopTales fave Zhubin Parang are all employees of a seaside restaurant, trying to make it through a busy beginning-of-season service, all while chaos mounts and shenanigans threaten to overwhelm the business.

Honestly, this might be my (Dan’s) favorite one of these we’ve done, so we’re excited to bring three installments of those to you this year, plus a few fun stretch goal thank-yous we’ll announce during the drive!

Climbing Bad Movie Mountain

Inspired by our next Flop House Mini (see below), I got to thinking about how there have been a series of consensus picks for “worst movie of all time” (or, more accurately, “best worst movie,” since the truly bad movies are unwatchable, and not the fun stuff).

Plan 9 From Outer Space was the seminal “classic” pick. Troll 2 had a documentary called Best Worst Movie made about it. And The Room became a cultural sensation, and inspired a movie about its making.

So that’s three films — well on the way to a Mount Rushmore of bad movies — but I had a hard time thinking of a fourth. Movies like Birdemic, Manos: The Hands of Fate, and A Talking Cat?!? have the necessary inept flair, but didn’t feel like they quite hit the same level of fame. I eventually settled on Cats. Even though it doesn’t have the charming technical incompetence of the first three, I do think it has the cultural reach.

But that leaves me with two questions: 1) since the first three all have movies made about them (Ed Wood isn’t just about the making of Plan 9, but it’s the biggest part of that film) does that mean we can look forward to an eventual movie about the making of Cats? (please?!) and 2) if you disagree with my fourth pick, what would YOU, dear Flop House listener, pick as your fourth film to ruin a perfectly lovely mountain with?

Next on the Podcast

3/1 - March comes in like some kind of space lion, as we discuss TV “movie” STAR TREK: SECTION 31 with the aid of Greatest Gen/Greatest Trek hosts Ben Harrison and Adam Pranica. It’s a Max Fun crossover event, and we had a goddamn blast talking with those Trek boys.

3/8 - We talked to host Harry Medved and producer Harry Pallenberg about their show Locationland, and specifically about their episode on the locations from Ed Wood’s legendary Plan 9 From Outer Space. Harry Medved co-wrote The Golden Turkey Awards with his brother way back in 1980, and it was one of the seminal texts for bad movie lovers everywhere, including young Elliott and young Dan. It was a real delight for us to learn that Harry’s a listener and to get to talk to him about the beginnings and progression of “bad movie culture!”

Plugging Away

Speaking of MEMBER BONUS CONTENT, we forgot to mention last time that current Max Fun members should check their secret boco feed for the final installment of our Blecch Check series on Greydon Clark — STARGAMES, from 1997. It stars writer/director Clark himself, as well as his wife and two kids, on what appears to have been a family vacation-turned-moviemaking opportunity. Also featuring cameo appearances by Tony Curtis and Daran Norris (Veronica Mars lawyer and Fairly OddParents voice actor), both of whom shot all of their scenes in front of a green screen, and the latter of whom spends most of his time in clown makeup playing a spaceship. For realisies. Members, don’t miss this one!

A message from Stu: “It’s Minnie's 6th anniversary so we're throwing a prom and you're cordially invited! It's Sunday March 16th! We took out everything that sucks about prom and made it inclusive! Ask who you want! Dress to impress! Vote for non-gendered prom monarchs! Fabric flowers for purchase with the sales donated to The Trevor Project! The theme is Intergalactic Disco! Follow us on socials for updates! @minniesbarbk”

Stu and Dan will be doing a MFD “Slop House” cooking stream on Stu’s Twitch the evening of March 20th. More details later, but mark your calendars now!

Elliott’s new picture book Sadie Mouse Wrecks the House comes out April 22nd and is now available for pre-order!

And a note about FlopTV Season 2 — While we extended the viewing window two weeks to meet demand (it now ends on Sunday, 3/16) the cutoff for buying tickets is midnight PT / 3am ET on March 8th. The gap is to ensure that any stragglers who purchase a pass right at the end actually have time to enjoy the shows! Thanks to all who joined us this season!

Ongoing projects:

Elliott: +Harley Quinn for DC Comics. +Smartless Presents Clueless

Dan: +Dan McCoy’s Special Interests newsletter

Stu: +Model painting hour - most Fridays on Twitch.

You Made it to the End!

Have a pep talk from Stuart!