Ep. 48: Look At Me. I Exist.

Ep. 48: Look At Me. I Exist.

Episode 48, ‘Look at me. I exist.’, on Political Advertising

This week, Dave and Steve say farewell — and good riddance — to the American presidential election by talking about the last couple years of political advertising. Spoiler alert: there are no spoilers in this episode. Expect maybe existential spoilers.

  • Intro Clip: I Like Ike.
  • Dave isn’t nervous about today’s episode, he’s synonyms for nervous about today’s episode.
  • Depending on when you start counting — and including today — the American election campaign has been going for 614 days. That is when the first candidate formally announced his candidacy to run for the presidential nomination. No, nobody knows who Mark Everson is. Not even Steve, even if he pretends that he does.
  • Dave isn’t being racist when he talks about “coloured posters”.
  • Dave and Steve insist that they’re going to focus on the form and style of campaign ads — and not about politics. Guess how well that goes?
  • Steve struggles to name a brand of truck.
  • Steve says “watch the game” as if he understands anything at all about sports.
  • This entire episode should probably be understood in relation to the fact that Dave and Steve have clearly never seen Mad Men. That being said, Dave is such a Miranda.
  • As we’ve all come to expect, Dave goes on an extended rant about the death of truth.
  • Steve makes up an ad where Barack Obama plays basketball. It’s unclear why.
  • Shoutout to Patrick Baynham, best known for his roles in Elf and White Chicks.
  • Steve struggles to name a brand of alcohol.
  • Much to the chagrin of third-party candidates, Dave and Steve talk about American elections as being a two-sided debate.
  • Steve feels bad for Kentucky celebrity physician, Rand Paul.
  • Dave spoils who he’s going to vote for in the American election.
  • Dave lays a trap, but Steve spent too many years playing Pitfall! to fall for it.
  • Bill Burr is not “just a comedian”, Dave. He’s a national treasure.
  • Dave’s favorite political ad of the season is a joke; and Steve’s favorite ad involves football.
  • Steve mistakenly suggests that Marco Rubio is a human being when he is, in fact, a robot.
  • Dave wants to Make Advertising Fun Again. #MAFA
  • Here is a series of ads that Dave and Steve talk about: “The Trudeau hair ad”; “Trudeau’s ready”; the one that Steve remembered as Scarlett Johansson endorsing Clinton, but was really more of a generic “everyone should vote. PS: Trump is scary” endorsement; “This is our tour bus”; “a five minute Bernie ad”; “Rand Paul, whoever the heck that guy is”; “Mae Wiggins attack on Trump”; Donald Trump, “a leader”; “Hillary Clinton’s a wizard”; “Trudeau’s escalator”; “The Interview”.
The Style Guide
The Style Guide
Ep. 48: Look At Me. I Exist.
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Ep. 47: I Watch Saw for the Articles

Ep. 47: I Watch Saw for the Articles

Episode 47, ‘I watch Saw for the articles’, on the Halloween series

Naturally following upon their pre-Halloween Spooktacular, this week Dave and Steve do an on-Halloween Spooktacular. This time they explore John Carpenter’s Halloween franchise and the twists the series takes before finally arriving at the two recent Rob Zombie remakes. Keep in mind that Dave feels the need to vividly describe some of the scenes, in case you wanted to be horrified without ever seeing the films. It’s fun for the whole family absolutely no families whatsoever.

  • Intro Clip: Halloween.
  • There are times when Steve is good at thinking on the spot and coming up with creative and clever things to say. The start of this episode is not one of those times.
  • Mike Myers was 15 years old when Halloween came out.
  • You ever think this podcast is just Dave and Steve angling for membership in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences?
  • At one point, Dave whispers “have sex” — and Steve suggests that nobody was having sex in 1978. It is about as weird as it sounds.
  • John Carpenter’s original inspiration for Halloween was Keanu Reeves’ character in John Wick.
  • Steve suggests that Donald Pleasence, who was nominated for four Tony Awards, was a failed actor. Four Tonys, Steve. FOUR.
  • Steve unfairly questions the parenting decisions of the Doyles.
  • For more on the mastery of Carpenter’s use of music, check out Mark’s thoughts on the matter. Unlike Dave and Steve, who are terrified neophytes to the genre, Mark has been at this for quite a few years and it shows.
  • Dave pants heavily.
  • Dean Cundey was the director of photography for Halloween II and the cinematographer for Back to the Future Part II.
  • Dave misremembers something and Steve feels superior.
  • Then, as it turns out, Steven immediately misremembers the significance of Michael Myers’ mask in the later films.
  • The editor would like to take a moment to sincerely thank Steve for including a quote that has three swears in three seconds. Nothing like trying to edit that out to keep the podcast family friendly.
  • Then Dave and Steve go on to make that comment necessary for understanding the next ten minutes of discussion, making it impossible to outright cut. Thanks team.
  • Roger Ebert’s review of Halloween, Halloween II, Halloween III. He would not go on to review the rest of the franchise.
  • Does Dave say “brokeded”?
  • Halloween III is the Cabin in the Woods of its time.
  • Dave and Steve disagree about the number of times Michael Hunsaker and Stacey Nelkin of YouTube relationship advice “fame” have sex before he asks how old she is.
  • Rather than letting the podcast end, Steve gives us the first draft of a paper.
The Style Guide
The Style Guide
Ep. 47: I Watch Saw for the Articles
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Ep. 46: It’s Good When It Works

Ep. 46: It’s Good When It Works

Episode 46, ‘It’s good when it works’, on Edgar Allan Poe

Once upon a Monday mellow, as I podcast, young and yellow
About an author and his life’s work fine and fair
While I Skyped, tamely talking, saying nothing that was shocking
I found myself gently rocking, rocking in my office chair
“Tis my way,” I tweeted, “talking in my office chair–
The Style Guide, with all its flair!”

  • Intro Clip: Vince Price reading The Tell-Tale Heart.
  • Steve doesn’t know what words mean.
  • What, precisely, is so funny about rabies, guys?
  • Dave reads some Poe in his dramatic Poe-voice.
  • Steve gets in a dig at academics. It’s about as hilarious as you’d expect.
  • Steve loves Republic of Doyle.
  • Steve says “Rue Morgue”. It goes better than you’d expect.
  • The Cask of Armadillo
  • Madman, Dave?
  • Steve suggests that a Poe story isn’t a Poe story.
  • Shoutout to Great Canadian Actor, Ryan Reynolds.
  • Poe was definitely known for writing “bad dudes”.
  • Steve doesn’t know anything about opium.
  • Dave misreads The Fall of the House of Usher and Steve spends five minutes trying to justify it.
  • Steve, with all his life experience, talks about what is common in marriage.
  • Dave is confused about the differences between 1847 and 1353.
  • “Poe’s poetry” sounds funny.
  • Steve plays armchair psychiatrist to Poe. You’re not a doctor yet, Steve.
  • Dave briefly commits the Sin of Lovecraft while criticizing Lovecraft.
  • “Pieces of Poe” also sounds funny.
  • This is not a Poe story.
  • Steve spoils a short story from 1902. He also says “dollars” instead of
    “pounds” like a rube.
  • Steve is one step away from calmly calling everyone who drinks “squares”.
  • Edgar Allan Poe: Live at The Improv
  • No, seriously. Why do you guys keep laughing about rabies?
  • Steve desperately attempts to shoehorn a potential episode title into the last 30 seconds. It does not work.
The Style Guide
The Style Guide
Ep. 46: It's Good When It Works
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Ep. 45: There’s No Iron Man For Jodie Foster

Ep. 45: There’s No Iron Man For Jodie Foster

Episode 45, ‘There’s no Iron Man for Jodie Foster’, on Jodie Foster

This week, follow along with the hard to identify noises of construction happening as if it were just down the street from you. Wonder if you’re going crazy or if there is a rhythmic metal thumping (?) of some sort that is almost impossible to pinpoint, but is definitely in the background of Steve’s audio. Also: Dave and Steve talk about Jodie Foster.

  • Intro Clip: Elysium.
  • Steven talks about his struggles as a child actor.
  • Anna and the King of Siam > The King and I > Anna and the King
  • Dave fantasizes about being Jodie Foster, presumably in some sort of Being John Malkovich way.
  • Dave suggests they avoid talking about Elysium, because it’s a rabbit hole nobody wants to go down.
  • Dave talks about Elysium.
  • Is Steve ever going to stop complaining about child actors and the Oscars?
  • Dave’s tendency towards hyperbole puts the episode on a strange path.
  • Dave and Steve don’t talk about The Accused — which is odd, because Foster won an Academy Award for it.
  • Not once do Dave or Steve address Sir Anthony Hopkins by his title.
  • Jodie Foster isn’t Julia Roberts.
  • Steven would not be able to identify Jodie Foster solely based on smell.
  • Sorry Bruce Willis.
  • Hey Steven, go listen to the pronunciation of “ogle” and then come back to the podcast without that high horse of yours.
  • Dave suggests that “unquestionably the greatest actor of his generation” could be easily replaced.
  • Interstellar is the pinnacle of cinema. It’s all downhill from there, folks.
  • Dave claims that something will be in the shownotes. It is not.
  • Steve tries to make a Beastie Boys reference. It goes nowhere.
  • Dave does an impression of a Jodie Foster zealot.
  • Jodie Foster is the shining star that rises all boats.
  • Something Anthony Hopkins and Anne Hathaway have in common: they both have received Oscars for only 15 minutes of screentime.
  • Does anyone remember the role Foster played in District 9?
Actor Profiles
Actor Profiles
Ep. 45: There's No Iron Man For Jodie Foster
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Ep. 44: Technically Canadian

Ep. 44: Technically Canadian

Episode 44, ‘Technically Canadian’, on The 90s

This week, Dave and Steve take a journey through their awkward pre-teen and teenage years which is known more widely as “the 1990s”. While they don’t cover everything that went on in the decade, they do cover some of its more important films. Like Biodome with Pauly Shore.

  • Intro Clip: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II.
  • Desperately trying to avoid being called a Millenial, Steve casually tries to pass himself off as a member of Generation X.
  • Steve impresses Dave with his vast knowledge of the release dates of romantic comedies.
  • If John Hughes was all about fantasy teenagers, the 90’s teenagers were the gritty reboot version.
  • Steve insults The Style Guide‘s wide demographic of teenagers by suggesting that they’re not people.
  • The term “blockbuster” is a World War II invention to describe bombs, but Spielberg’s Jaws in 1975 was where the term entered the film lexicon.
  • Dave and Steve probably forgot to talk about your favorite 90’s actor.
  • Steve mistakes Eddie Murphy for Chris Farley.
  • Dave and Steve should be ashamed when they label the Disney Renaissance as the Disney Golden Age.
  • Uh… Welcome back, Macaulay Culkin?
  • Steve says, “do it up”.
  • A brief discussion about the Nightmare Machine that was 90’s Video Game movies.
  • Steve tries (and fails) to say “John Leguizamo”. Fortunately for the spelling of the shownotes, Google understands what “John Luigieziamio” means.
  • Dave and Steve almost come to blows regarding Space Jam.
  • Steve defends the integrity of Spice World as the part of a long, honorable tradition.
  • Dave is devastated by Batman Forever and Batman and Robin.
  • Dave and Steve almost forget about Jim Carrey.
  • Steven is really bothered.
  • The podcast briefly sounds like it is hosted by two stoners.
  • As we’ve all come to expect, Steve talks about globalization.
  • Steve and Dave confidently declare that Steven Spielberg got his start in the 80’s which is, of course, off by an entire decade.
  • Contrary to smarter people’s opinions, Steve didn’t think highly of The Blair Witch Project.
  • Steve forgot Y2K was a thing.
  • Dave has a friend with a crazy theory.
  • Steve makes fun of that douchebag, younger Steve.
  • Well over a decade into their relationship, Dave finally gets Steve.
The Style Guide
The Style Guide
Ep. 44: Technically Canadian
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Ep. 43: It’s Dumb To Say, But The Magic Isn’t Here

Ep. 43: It’s Dumb To Say, But The Magic Isn’t Here

Episode 43, ‘It’s Dumb to Say, But The Magic Isn’t Here’, on Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

In this episode, Dave and Steve hate-read the latest offering in the Harry Potter universe.

  • Intro Clip: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
  • Steve has a terrible confession that is going to shock everyone.
  • Dave and Steve like ideas.
  • Back to the Future: Part II > Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
  • Steve uses the play’s own words against it.
  • It’s hard to tell whether Scorpius or Albus is a worse name.
  • Dave tests Steve’s knowledge of the titles of Harry Potter novels. Steve gets one wrong.
  • Hey Dave? This sure looks a lot like this.
  • Steve talks a lot about the concept of a “Harry Potter and the…” story. It’s just as confusing when he says it out loud.
  • Harry Potter and Another Cursed Child: Electric Boogaloo: Fury Road
  • Sounds a lot like Dave and Steve think this would have been better off taking the Scream 3 route — or even Scream 4.
  • Dave and Steve sound sad a lot.
  • Uh, Steve, people constantly compare Harry to his parents. Like, multiple times in every book.
  • Harry Potter and the Midlife Crisis
  • Dave and Steve try to be positive. Guess how well that goes.
  • Dave explains the harsh realities of pregnancy.
  • Just a reminder everyone, Harry Potter was born of the force. That’s canon.
  • Steven doesn’t like plays that he can’t put on at his local community theatre.
  • Dave lets Steve ramble like an idiot about Aristotle for a while.
  • Dave has a crush on Ginny.
  • Harry Potter and the Play that Jack Thorne Really Wanted To Put On, Even Though Nobody Wanted Him To
  • Steve experiences the passage of time, but Dave doesn’t think that’s a problem.
  • Instead of reading Cursed Child, Dave recommends you go watch Back to the Future.
  • Instead of reading Cursed Child, Steve recommends you go to Norway.
The Style Guide
The Style Guide
Ep. 43: It's Dumb To Say, But The Magic Isn't Here
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Ep. 42: Tatooine Doesn’t Have Any Beaches

Ep. 42: Tatooine Doesn’t Have Any Beaches

Episode 42, ‘Tatooine doesn’t have any beaches’, on Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

In this episode, which was recorded and released in late June and anyone who says otherwise a liar, Dave and Steve go pretty far down the rabbit hole of nerdy analyses. Abandon all hope ye who enter here, because Dave and Steve chat about Rogue One and the teaser trailer.

Just be clear, this episode is about the Rogue One Teaser Trailer released in April and not the Rogue One Trailer Trailer released in August. Dave and Steve have no idea what happens in the latter. Because this episode came out on June 27th and not September 26th.

  • Intro Clip: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
  • Dave tries to prevent Steven from being a weirdo.
  • “Force Badassery”.
  • Sometimes a title is just a title, guys.
  • Organa’s Eleven
  • Many Bothans died to fact check this podcast.
  • Are they going to de-age Carrie Fischer for this film? If so, which of the Michaels will be: Caine, Douglas, or Downey Jr.?
  • Steven proves, yet again, that he is racist towards English people with his Downton Abbey assumptions.
  • Yeah, sure guys. As if anyone believes that you know Primetime Emmy Award winning actor, Tatiana Maslany.
  • Caroline Blakiston portrayed Mon Mothma in Return of the Jedi; Genevieve O’Reilly portrayed the same character in both Revenge of the Sith and Rogue One; and Kath Soucie voiced that character in Clone Wars.
  • Dave says “less” when he means “fewer”.
  • Dave describes an axe fight as intimate.
  • Steve, normally a “can do” person, doesn’t really believe himself able to make a Death Star.
  • Dave does the accents for everyone from the trailer.
  • Darth Vader is the Kylo Ren of the Star Wars universe.
  • Why do Dave and Steve refer to Forest Whitaker as “our man”? Is this another Tatiana Maslany thing?
  • Steve does the accent thing too. Then Dave and Steve talk over each other, doing the accent thing.
  • Steve puts his single semester of Engineering to good use and explains the nature of fluid dynamics to Dave.
  • It’s Kathleen Kennedy whose job it is to Make Star Wars Great Again.
  • Dave and Steve promise to give this treatment to the trailer trailer, whenever it eventually comes out. They are lying liars though, so that probably won’t happen.
  • This will be the last episode of The Style Guide for the summer, but worry not faithful listener, Dave and Steve will be back soon enough. See you in a few months!
The Style Guide
The Style Guide
Ep. 42: Tatooine Doesn't Have Any Beaches
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Ep. 41: Everyone In France Seems Pretty Terrible

Ep. 41: Everyone In France Seems Pretty Terrible

Episode 41, ‘Everyone in France seems pretty terrible’, on Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

This week, Dave and Steve take on the rough and tumble world of fragrant essential oils, aroma compounds, fixatives, and solvents. That’s right, they watched and read Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind. You’ll pay for the whole seat, but you’ll only need the edge. While ths episode never goes into territory that would require an “explicit” tag, if there was the option of adding “mildly uncomfortable”, that would certainly be on here.

  • Intro Clip: Perfume: The Story of a Murderer.
  • Dave and Steve agree not to change something that’s working.
  • Dave and Steve change something that’s working.
  • Steve doesn’t like anyone.
  • Dave doesn’t approve of Steve as a sexual creature.
  • Dave rubs his knowledge of French in Steve’s ignorant face.
  • Steve is grossed out by concept of birth.
  • “Pitiable” means deserving or arousing pity. “Pitbull” is a type (not breed) of dog. “Pit Bull” a rapper best known for his role in the hit videogame Scarface: The World Is Yours. But “pitable” doesn’t mean anything Steve.
  • Steve spends a lot of time talking about how attractive Ben Whishaw is. Dave seems to agree just to get Steve to stop talking about it.
  • Standing offer: $20 to anyone who guesses Dave’s favorite smell before he says it.
  • Maybe “pitable” is commonly used in the fruit world to describe drupes?
  • “How did you like the murder?” is a sentence that will come back to haunt both Dave and Steve at some point in their lives.
  • Especially when Dave starts describing it as “beautiful”.
  • Steve’s key insight this week is that scent is different than sight.
  • The editor had the ability to remove the noise of Dave stretching, but deliberately chose not to. For those that want to skip right to it, check out the 32 minute 26 second mark. You’re welcome.
  • Shoutout to friend of the show, Scott Thompson.
  • Or perhaps “pitable” is used by hunters to describe terrain which can easily be transformed into a rudimentary animal trap?
  • Dave and Steve would never be aroused by nudity. Nope. They’re upstanding citizens.
  • Religion, love, and eating your neighbour: The importance of setting goals.
  • Neither Dave nor Steve end the episode by saying, “Smell ya later!”. Missed opportunity.
The Style Guide
The Style Guide
Ep. 41: Everyone In France Seems Pretty Terrible
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Ep. 40: I Will Never Speak To You Again. I Hate You.

Ep. 40: I Will Never Speak To You Again. I Hate You.

Episode 40, ‘I will never speak to you again. I hate you.’, on Canons

In this week’s episode, Dave and Steve get into what it means for a work to be ‘canonical’ and why it even matters.

  • Intro Clip: Canon in D – Johann Pachelbel.
  • Spelling is hard.
  • Dave and Steve bring their C-Game to this episode.
  • This episode brought to you in part by the Wikipedia page on “canons”.
  • For a helpful primer on the Bible, see the work by renowned scholar Dan Brown.
  • Is Moby Dick technically in pop culture yet or do we have to wait for Zach Snyder’s take on it?
  • Steve’s education is 8 inches long. And it’s thick too.
  • Hey Steve, line is “I am a leaf on the wind” not “I am a mote on the wind”.
  • Dune reference!
  • Nesting a list orally is not for the faint of heart — or Steven, apparently.
  • If ever there was a story just waiting for a summer blockbuster to be made about it, the Metre Convention of 1875 is it.
  • As is to be expected, Dave throws himself headfirst into long-standing literary theory debates.
  • Dave shows off his knowledge of political philosophers.
  • From Plato’s Republic to Star Wars in two simple steps.
  • Is “canon” the new “literally“?
  • The voice Steve puts on when he’s making fun of himself has a strange quality to it, no?
  • Dave is still angry about the blatant racism that the American publishers of Harry Potter have shown towards philosophers.
  • “Sherlock Holmes.” — DISCOVERING THE BORDER BURGHS, and, BY DEDUCTION, the BRIG BAZAAR.
  • Steve says “so what?” a lot.
  • “Fandom is Broken” by Devin Faraci (and his thoughtful follow-up piece, “Yes, Disney Should Have a Queer Princess”).
  • Dave refuses to mention Anglicans or the Eastern Orthodoxy.
  • Fandom, religion, and the pursuit of truth.
  • Steve stretches the limits of the word “interesting”.
  • Dave hurts Steve’s feelings.
The Style Guide
The Style Guide
Ep. 40: I Will Never Speak To You Again. I Hate You.
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Ep. 39: They’re Not Hecklers Out of Any Greater Good

Ep. 39: They’re Not Hecklers Out of Any Greater Good

Episode 39, ‘They’re not hecklers out of any greater good’, on Comedy Specials

In this week’s episode, Dave and Steve approach whether there is a particular style to be found in comedy specials — mostly as an excuse to watch a bunch of comedians all week.

  • Intro Clip: Jim Gaffigan – Mr. Universe
  • Steve is amazed by this newfangled VHS technology.
  • “Nubile” is one of those words that probably shouldn’t get used to describe an art form.
  • Dave suggests that you can tell what kind of comedy you’re going based on the hairstyle of the comedian.
  • Dave and Steve wonder whether Bill Burr is a nice guy on the inside.
  • Steven briefly refers to Seinfeld as real life.
  • Ricky Gervais started from the bottom.
  • Dave invokes the sacred art of slam poetry and chapbooks.
  • Things Dave and Steve forget the name of: American Ham; John Hodgman; Eddie Izzard: Dress to Kill; the word “delineate”.
  • Rarer or more rare?
  • Dave finishes off a boxing metaphor by almost using a sexual metaphor.
  • Dave regals us with his Social Studies curriculum.
  • Steve kind of goes off topic to chat about Ryan McMahon and Howie Miller for a bit.
  • Steve is sure about something that never happened.
  • Dave issues a disclaimer about Bill Cosby.
  • Dave remembers an unfortunately large amount of Adam Sandler’s comedy routines.
  • Dave drops his “having a kid” privilege.
  • Dave compares Eddie Murphy to Huckleberry Finn. Is that in poor taste?
  • George Carlin: The Last of the Beat Generation.
  • Steve confession time.
  • In response to Steve’s confession, Dave talks about how great he is.
  • Brief thoughts regarding the nobility of hecklers.
  • Dave talks at length about looking at his bit.
  • Steve and Dave didn’t talk at all about music-primary comedians such as Bo Burnham, Tim Minchin, or Tenacious D. This could either be an oversight or a deliberate choice. Who knows!
The Style Guide
The Style Guide
Ep. 39: They're Not Hecklers Out of Any Greater Good
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