Baconsale: Hickory-smoked Pop Culture

We didn’t ask for this gift to accurately predict everything that’s going to happen during the upcoming year, but by golly we’re going to share it with others! In what is considered by some to be the tabloid episode of Baconsale, Joel, Kent & Zack are each going to do their best to forecast the pop culture future once again. We’ll uncover chocolate conspiracies, discover demonic celebrity deals, and prognosticate Pete Davidson’s dating life. Plus, we’ll also have expert-level sport genre talk, and we’ll share the films we want to flop, and the movies we’re most excited for in 2022.   Are you vibing with us? Then press play!

It’s the start of a new season here on Baconsale, which means it’s time to talk about which movies made an impression on us. Kent, Joel, and “the Worst” Zack have compiled a list of their favorite and least favorite films from the past year. As usual, Kent sticks to movies made in 2021 and, as usual, Joel allows films that he watched for the first time to make his list. Some of our picks are pretty predictable, but we manage to throw a few curve balls in. Enjoy as we try to pronounce Camila Cabello, throw some shade at horror movies, and explain the joy of suffering.   I’m happy. You’re happy. We’re happy. Press play.

Well, another season of Baconsale is coming to a close, which means it’s time for Kent, Joel, and Zack to wax nostalgic and take a look back at the past year. On this episode, we’re discussing fun episode intros, surprise hits, strange topics, memorable musical moments, and listener interactions. Plus, we’ll be ranking our top three favorite episodes. We even brought some audio clips this time. There are glimpses behind the scenes of how we make the podcast, a lot of laughing, some screaming, plenty of passion, and more than a few matching answers, but we hope you enjoy this self-indulgent end to season seven of Baconsale.   Press play to discover who is on Zack’s official brain trust. And thanks for listening!

Here we come a-podcasting among the leaves so green! Christmas is a special time of year, and there are certain treats & sweets we tend to eat during the holiday season that make it feel extra magical. On this episode of Baconsale, Zack, Kent, and Joel are going to tier 24 of the most popular yuletide snacks & drinks, including candy canes, hot chocolate, peanut brittle, wassail, fudge, eggnog, fruitcake, and gingerbread. Kent & Zack seem to have similar tastes, while Joel has some passionate opinions on the combination of citrus and orange. And be warned, this episode might make you hungry/nostalgic.   Press play to get some punny Christmas gift ideas for your neighbors!

Once again, Baconsale is rolling the dice and participating in a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure-style game and letting someone else take the reins of the episode. Our good friend Mats has spent months preparing an interactive competition for Kent, Joel, and Zack, and he’s now ready to unleash his Hunger Games multiverse on our minds and your ears. Along the way, we’ll race for tridents, get in our first fist fights, try to avoid arrows/killer ducks, sleep on bread, and just try to keep ourselves (and our wives) alive.   Press play to judge if Mats is an impartial Dungeon Master.

If there’s something strange in your rural Oklahoma neighborhood, who you gonna call to review it? Baconsale! On this BaconBit, we’re going to review the first true sequel to the Ghostbusters franchise since 1989. But will Ghostbusters: Afterlife hit all the right nostalgia notes? Or will it stumble trying to pander to the fans? You’ll have to listen to our review to find out. We must warn you, however, that Joel can’t tell the difference between Mckenna Grace and Kiernan Shipka. And even if you haven’t seen Ghostbusters: Afterlife yet, you can still listen to the first part of our review, as it is spoiler-free. We’ll warn you when we’re going to cross the spoiler streams.   Podcast says you should press play.

The World is Not Enough for some, and one show was not enough for Baconsale, so here is our second James Bond episode for Dr. No-vember. Kent, Joel, and Zack are going to tier The Living Daylights out of every modern 007 film from Timothy Dalton to Daniel Craig. We’re leaving our Quantum of Solace this time, and there are more fights, but there’s No Time To Die because we have a lot of information to get through, so some of us will just have to Die Another Day….and become a Spectre.   Okay, enough Bond puns. We don’t want to Jinx this episode. Press play.

The music of James Bond movies is in a category of its own, which is why we decided to do a category show specifically about Bond songs. However, since we’ve decided to contain this discussion to a shorter BaconBit, we’ve limited ourselves to only 007 categories, including Great Song/Bad Movie, Least Relevant, and Most Bond-y. From John Barry to David Arnold, from Shirley Bassey to Billie Eilish, we’re putting all of the opening theme songs in our sights, and we have musical clips to prove our suave, cool points.   Press play to let the SKYFAAAAAAAAAAAALL!

Hello, Mr. Bond. We’ve been expecting you. Actually, Kent, Joel, and Zack have been expecting to do this episode for almost two years now. Baconsale has viewed every James Bond film (both the official and unofficial movies) and now that No Time to Die was finally released, we’ve been given a license to rank them. However, since we had so much prep time, we have a lot to discuss. Therefore, we’re only covering the early years of 007 on this episode, from Sean Connery to Roger Moore. And as we tier each movie, we’ll also leak top secret information regarding the production and the actors.   Press play to have your podcast shaken, not stirred.

O-o-h Child, it looks like Baconsale is Stuck in the Middle with You—the middle of our 70s one-hit wonder bracket, that is. And as we get into this Rock and Roll Part II musical tournament, sometimes we gotta be Cruel to be Kind, and that causes some Kung Fu Fighting. On the other hand, some of us are Making Our Dreams Come True by advancing the songs that made us feel Hooked on a Feeling from the 1970s. We’ll hope you’ll join us as we’re Dancing in the Moonlight to this disco, rock, and Pop Muzik.   Press play to Play that Funky Music and see if everything is All Right Now. And you can find the advanced 70s one-hit wonder bracket at Baconsale.com.

The Eternals have been waiting on the sidelines for the moment when they could usher audiences further into Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but is this movie leading the franchise in the right direction? Kent and Joel will give their spoiler-free reviews for the first 20 minutes of this BaconBit, and then they will take off their golden CGI power gloves and continue to discuss everything from DC characters to Transformers to Twilight to The Muppets. Yes, this review is a little long, but at least it’s not 156 minutes.   Press play to learn who looks attractive in certain lighting.

There Ain’t No Stopping Us Now, because Baconsale has created a bracket to determine what is the greatest one-hit wonder from the 1970s. We Got to Be Real, neither Kent, nor Joel, nor Zack spent Seasons in the Sun during the 70s, but we’ve done our research and sought advice about which songs are truly Magic. We’ll do our best to not Rock the Boat, but Knock on Wood that we don’t eliminate your Precious and Few favorites in this first round of disco, funk, soul, pop, rock, and novelty music matchups.   Press play to hear some truly terrible falsetto singing, some nose flute solos, and to learn how many of these tracks were on the Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack.   Download the official 70s one-hit wonder bracket at Baconsale.com and play along!

They’re heeeeere! Baconsale is conjuring up the courage to discuss ghosts, specters, spooks, phantoms, or whatever else you call the things that go bump in the night. We’ve wanted to do a ghost show for a while, but it’s such a broad topic, so we’ve focusing our energy on spirits that haunt specific locations. We’ll tell you how to discern if your house is haunted as well as how to rid your home of an unwanted presence. We’ll also share some real-life stories and, of course, we’ll let you know which ghostly movies are Baconsale approved. WARNING! Since we’re talking about the dead, things do get a little dark at times, but we’ll do our best to keep the vibes good.   Press play to hear voices from the past speak to you, listener!

Listener, are you ready for another round of Baconsale horror movie pitches? Although it seems like these “pitches” become more like short scary stories each time we do this. Nevertheless, our friend Brian has joined us on this episode, and since he requested the pitch show, it doesn’t count against Kent’s earnings. Zack brings some real horror into the Baconcave, Joel’s pitch is so basic, Kent’s is a little autobiographical, and Brian’s involves some German. In addition, we combined our forces and each took turns writing a fourth terrifying tale that we’d like to share with you. WARNING! While still family friendly (Manson-family friendly?), these stories may frighten younger ears who may be listening. Parental guidance is suggested.   Grandma Toothy wants you to press play.

Fun Fact: Our first ever BaconBit was a review of James Bond’s 24th official movie, Spectre. And here we are, six years later, finally reviewing the next 007 film in the franchise, No Time to Die. No, this film is not Halloween-related, but we decided to talk about it in October because we’ve been waiting for over a year to see this film. Kent, Joel, and Zack all watched No Time to Die separately and they’re coming together to discuss Daniel Craig’s final outing as Bond. We won’t be divulging any secrets during the first part, but then we’ll dive in and reveal all the plans this film has in the end.   Will James Bond return in our hearts? Press play to find out.

Would you spend the night in a haunted location? That’s the question we’re asking on this episode of Baconsale. Our guest Beaker, a paranormal investigator, has chosen a list of 13 spooky (spoopy?) places from around the world, including the Banff Springs Hotel in Canada, the Castle of Good Hope in South Africa, Isla de las Muñecas in Mexico, Bhangarh Fort in India, Poveglia Island in Italy, the Winchester Mystery House in California, and the Tower of London in…London. We’ll give the history of each haunt and then each decide if we would stay there alone. Feel free to play along!   We hope you enjoy your stay. Press play for your free hauntinential breakfast.

We talk about scary movies a lot on Baconsale, so we decided to switch things up and kick off the spooky season by having a discussion about scary video games. Kent, Joel & Zack are digging up ghosts from their past and chronologically sharing their creepy experiences with horror games on the PC, NES, PlayStation, Nintendo GameCube, Xbox 360, and more. And as we side-scroll through our pixelated memories, you’ll learn about what truly frightens us—including zombies, ghosts, aliens, demons, sharks, hallways, tentacles & bubbles.   Reload! Then press play to vanquish the horrible night.

BACONSALE! I WOULD LIKE TO DO A REVIEW OF THE VENOM SEQUEL! Sounds like a plan. Kent & Joel watched Venom: Let There Be Carnage, and they’re ready to share their thoughts and feelings about the movie on this BaconBit. WE’RE GOING TO RIP IT APART! No, we’re going to review it. I WANT TO EAT IT! You want to eat the review? That…doesn’t even make sense. Anyway, we also give a little backstory about Carnage who-HE’S A RED ONE! Yes, that’s true. AND HE’S SYMBIOTIC WITH CASSIUS CLAY! You mean Cletus Kasady. WHATEVER! And don’t worry, the first part of this review is spoiler-free.   Press play to root for the anti-hero. YOU MEAN LETHAL PROTECTOR! Whatever.

Books are a uniquely portable magic, and few authors have captured that dark magic more than Stephen King. Our friend Nicole is joining us to talk about the King of Horror and sneakily inch Baconsale closer to our October episodes. She & Kent have read many of King’s novels, and they’re going to recommend their favorites to you and try to not spend too much time talking about The Dark Tower. Joel then jumps in as we discuss the best & worst movie adaptations of Stephen King’s works. And Zack mostly communicates with us telepathically.   Whether you're a Phoner or a pantser, don’t be scared by the number of pages, press play!

Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for Baconsale! On this episode, Joel and Kent are taking a walk down memory lane and sharing stories about the various bands they’ve seen live. Zack joins in when he feels like it, but he mostly only attends symphonies. You’ll learn a lot about us as we reveal which concerts we’ve chosen for such categories as Made You Like the Band More, Dullest Performance, Best Showmanship/Audience Interaction, Worst Concert Experience, and Band You Wish You Could Have Seen. Also, listener be warned, Kent shares a brief, yet disturbingly violent mosh pit story.   Raise your lighters (or phone flashlights) high, sway back and forth, and press play!