Baron Von Goolo and Kaijucast host, Kyle Yount, freak out on the freaky at Fright Town!

Greetings, folks! The Kaijucast Headquarters is shipping out, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t get the newest episode online! Right? Yes, that is right. I’ve got more packing to do actually, so I’m going to make this quick and easy for you. Download the latest episode -which is incidentally the nineteenth Kaijucast show- right here! This month, my co-host for the evening was local spooky-dude, Baron Von Goolo! Baron Von Goolo was voted “Best Boogeyman” in the 2010 Best Of Portland Awards by the Willamette Week newspaper here in Oregon – which is our big entertainment paper.

It was a blast shooting the breeze with the Baron, but this month prior guests Martin and Jeff and I also discussed the 1966 Goji flick, Godzilla vs. The Sea Monster for the Daikaiju Discussions! Thanks to everyone who sent in their comments. We also played some music too! Unfortunately, I couldn’t play a lot, because episode runs a little long. Regardless, here are the tracks:

MUSICAL SELECTIONS:

1. “Sacred Springs” by The Peanuts from Mothra vs Godzilla (1964)

2. “Main Title” by Hattori Hanzo from Godzilla 2000 (1999)

3. “Roar! (Cloverfield Overture)” by Michael Giacchino from Cloverfield (2008)

4. “Eiyuu/Hero” by DOA from Ultraman Nexus (2004)

5. “Young Go Go” by Masaru Sato from Godzilla vs. The Sea Monster (1966)

SUGGESTED READING:

San Diego Comic-Con Godzilla Shirt by Legendary Pictures & Link to the AR Flash page

Koichi Kawakita Godzilla Collectibles (Sci Fi Japan)

New home for the Tokyo SOS Podcast

Another Godzilla Podcast: Godzilla Planet [not little kid friendly]

Awesome Godzilla vs. The Sea Monster drawing by listener Nick!

DAIKAIJU DISCUSSIONS HOMEWORK

The eighth homework assignment bring us to the roaring 90s with the 1997 Rebirth of Mothra II. If you guys and gals thought Godzilla vs The Sea Monster was a kiddie film, wait until you get a load of this one. This is one of those movies that I don’t own on DVD yet, so I’m not exactly sure which version we’re going to watch. If I can get my hands on a Japanese version with English subtitles, I might attempt to go that route. Regardless the same homework basics apply – just get me your questions, comments and thoughts before the last week of the month and I’ll include them in the August episode!

Download the nineteenth episode of the Kaijucast right here!  Feel free to write me if you have any music requests, are enjoying the podcasts or if you, questions or even ideas for future shows, too – also don’t forget to follow the Kaijucast on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook. We are on both iTunes and the MS Zune Network as well, so if you listen through an iPod or Zune, you should be able to subscribe to the show and have the episodes download automatically to your player.

So, check this out! Super awesome listener and San Diego resident-extraordinaire, Chris Mowry picked this shirt up for me at the World’s biggest Comic Book Convention, San Diego Comic-Con. This is a promotional shirt being given out by Legendary Pictures!  According to Chris, some kind of effect happens with the atomic ray too.

Here’s the back of the shirt in case you’d like to see them using the actual Japanese name, too! Thanks so much, Chris – you rock!

Crypticon's Godzilla Power Hour panelists (from left to right) K.L. Young, Kyle Yount, Aron Tarbuck, Jeff Burk & Nick the Hat wowed the crowd on a rainy Father's Day.

The download you’ve all been waiting for, folks! Episode number EIGHTEEN is up and running and ready to tantalize your earbuds! For this episode of the Kaijucast, I travelled North to the Emerald City – otherwise known as Seattle for the 2010 Crypticon Horror Convention. I drove up specifically to be on a panel with other Godzilla fans to talk about the history of our giant radioactive deity. The coolest part about it was meeting new fans, Kelly Young, Aron Tarbuck, Jeff Burk and Nick the Hat. While doing this, I recorded the panel and that audio takes up a majority of this month’s show.

I will warn you that the audio quality is a little rough since we didn’t have any fancy sound equipment, but it is definitely enjoyable. Additionally, you’ll find links to some of those fine fans’ websites below in the Suggested Reading portion of the post. This month’s Daikaiju Discussion was about the first Gamera movie and I got some great comments from everyone. So please continue to keep up the good work, class!

MUSICAL SELECTIONS

1. Battle by Cha Cha Maru from the Godzilla vs. Heavy Metal (1998)

2. Title Credits by Akira Ifukube from Destroy All Monsters (1968)

3. Monster Island Tour Narration from Destroy All Monsters (1968)

4. Gammera The Invincible American Trailer (1966)

5. Ending by Yuji Koseki from Mothra (1961)

SUGGESTED READING

G-Fest 2010: Guests galore including Akira Takarada and Bob Eggleton plus a killer movie lineup

New Book: Killer Kaiju Monsters: Strange Beasts Of Japanese Film (Ed Godz’s review)

New Book: Mushroom Cloud and Mushroom Men

New DVD (on the way): Gamera vs Barugon from Shout! Factory

Another Spooktacular in Keen, New Hampshire at www.thecolonial.org

Death Kappa is coming!

K.L. Young’s Strange Aeons Magazine: www.strange-aeons.com

Jeff Burk’s Super Giant Monster Time (not “kid safe” because of language)

Crypticon Seattle (& their Facebook page)

Horror Holocaust’s new website

DAIKAIJU DISCUSSIONS HOMEWORK

The seventh homework assignment for our monthly Daikaiju Discussions will be to watch the classic 1966 Godzilla flick, Godzilla vs. The Sea Monster – specifically the Sony DVD. I’m not sure if we’re going to watch the Engliush dub or the subtitles, but feel free to watch either. If you want to partake in the discussion, make sure you send me your comments, questions and reviews before the last week of the month. Email anything you’ve got to controller@kaijucast.com and I’ll make sure to include your responses in the next episode.

Download the eighteenth episode of the Kaijucast right here!  Feel free to write me if you have any music requests, are enjoying the podcasts or if you, questions or even ideas for future shows, too – also don’t forget to follow the Kaijucast on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook. We are on both iTunes and the MS Zune Network as well, so if you listen through an iPod or Zune, you should be able to subscribe to the show and have the episodes download automatically to your player.

Can Godzilla entertain hardcore Anime fans in Idaho? You'd better believe it!

So I just got back from Idaho last night, and boy did I have a lot of editing to do! I was at the 9th annual Anime Oasis convention to promote the podcast through some panels and a special presentation of this month’s Daikaiju discussion subject, Godzilla vs Biollante. It was a lot of fun, but also very educational. If I ever am in a position to talk kaiju via powerpoint presentation again, I definitely know more about getting those made up.

This episode features something new and kind of cool, too: a special guest review of the new Ultraman film by listener James Bonney. He talks about the film and gives a pretty thorough breakdown of the BluRay DVD release. You can download the seventeenth episode of the Kaijucast right here. But for now, if you want to know what the featured music of episode seventeen is, look no further than this list:

MAY TRACK LISTING
1. Miyarabi’s Prayer by Masaru Sato from Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)
2. Main title by Chuji Kinoshita from Gamera vs. Barugon (1966)
3. Ending title by Keith Emmerson from Godzilla: Final Wars (2004)
4. Main Theme by Mike Verta from Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy Legends (2009)
5. Biollante by Koichi Sugiyama from Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989)
6. Gamera March by Shunsuke Kikuchi from Gamera vs. Guiron (1969)

SUGGESTED READING:

3D Korean Monster Movie

VIZ Cinema’s War Of The Giant Monsters

Ultra-rama on Scifi Japan:
Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy DVD Reviews #1 & #2
Ultraman the Next retrospective
Ultraman 80 on DVD in Japan

Other Stuff:

Tom Whalen’s Kaiju prints

For Portland-area Locals: Geek Trivia Night @ Vendetta

DAIKAIJU DISCUSSIONS HOMEWORK
The sixth homework assignment for our monthly Daikiaju Discussions will be to watch and talk about the 1965 Daiei film, Gammera The Invincible. This comes at an opportune time for kaiju fans because the movie was *just* released last month from Shout Factory! That’s the version we’ll be watching here in June. If you want to partake in the discussion, make sure you send me your comments, questions and reviews before the last week of the month. Email anything you’ve got to controller@kaijucast.com and I’ll make sure to include your responses in the next episode. This segment of the show is proving to be quite popular both with myself and with the listeners, so I am very pleased to see how this evolves for the future of the show.

Download the seventeenth episode of the Kaijucast right here!  Feel free to write me if you have any music requests, are enjoying the podcasts or if you, questions or even ideas for future shows, too – also don’t forget to follow the Kaijucast on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook. We are on both iTunes and the MS Zune Network as well, so if you listen through an iPod or Zune, you should be able to subscribe to the show and have the episodes download automatically to your player.

Anime Oasis' Mascot, Chiara. For some reason, I don't think she's really that big.

This is it folks, the big week for me as I prepare for my panels and presentations at this weekend’s Anime Oasis convention in Boise, Idaho. I hope to return with some great stories and a gallery of photos from my first ever anime con!

If you check out the schedule, you will see that I am presenting a total of three panels and one movie. I’m hoping that I can pique some interest with my kaiju-related discussions. For anyone who is able to attend, here’s the breakdown of where I’ll be and what I’ll be hosting:

Thursday 3pm
Giant Monsters vs Giant Robots: The Influence Of Daikaiju in Anime

Friday 11am
Godzilla & His Rubber-Suited Foes: A Brief History of Japan’s Biggest Star

Saturday 8pm
The Kaijucast presents Godzilla vs Biollante (1989) with a live podcast recording to follow.

Sunday 11am
Podcasting 101: DIY Online Radio

So there you have it! If you can make it to the show, I’m sure Godzilla could use the support. I’ll have some prints and stickers on hand – might even be doing some give aways for the prints… who knows? I’m sure it will be a blast. Hope to see some of you listeners there!

April's target for the Kaijucast spotlight, August Ragone, sat down to talk to me about Eiji Tsuburaya's classic Japanese Science Fiction show, Ultra Q.

Ok, so I didn’t really rock San Francisco – just the Moscone Center, where Wondercon is held. Wondercon was really a fantastic convention and I was very psyched to have the opportunity to head down to the show. Aside from geeking out about comics and artists and everything else that was happening at the show (*cough*cough*doctor who premiere)  I was able to see a couple of my local friends, meet new people and record the interview for this episode of the Kaijucast. That episode, number sixteen by the way, is available for download right here. The person who I hooked up with or this interview was none other than August Ragone, a long time friend of mine who took the time to talk specifically about a television show from the mid-1960s in Japan called, Ultra Q. If you’ve never seen Ultra Q or have always been curious, this is the episode for you to listen to. The series is such an important keystone for not only Kaiju films, but also for most everything you all love that comes out of Japan. August and I sat down in a coffee shop outside of the convention center so there’s going to be some background noise, but I’ll tell you… finding a place near that convention that wasn’t filled with ambient audio was nigh impossible! Regardless, we talked for quite a while about Eiji Tsuburaya’s breakthrough television show, and it came out really well (if I don’t say so myself).

Additionally, this last month’s assignments have been turned in and after a musical interlude, we delve into the heart of the beast known as Hedorah, the Smog Monster! If you  missed out on this month’s Daikaiju Discussion homework, fear not! There’s always next month’s episode… I could go on and on here, but you probably want to know what music I played in this episode, right? Let get our tails to the track listing, then!

APRIL MUSIC

1. Fateful Confrontation by Michiru Oshima from Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000)
2. Super-X2 by Koichi Sugiyama from Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989)
3. Ultra Q Theme by the Surf Coasters (originally written by Kuniyo Miyauchi 1966)
4. Save The Earth by Richiiro Manabe from Godzilla vs Hedorah (1971)
5. Astroboard Departure by Taku Izumi from The X From Outer Space (1967)

SUGGESTED READING:

Gammera’s triumphant return to DVD! [Shoutfactory store] [Amazon link]

Varan’s leading lady gets some attention.

Death Kappa – you need to see this!

DAIKAIJU DISCUSSIONS HOMEWORK:

I know this is going to be slightly problematic, but your fifth homework assignment is to watch the second film in the Heisei series, Godzilla vs. Biollante from 1989.

Now, I do realize this is could be an issue for many listeners since Godzilla vs. Biollante is one of the only films without a legitimate DVD release, but do me a favor… check through your closets, your friends’ closets and maybe even your local library to see if you can find the old VHS version of this movie from HBO. I will be screening this at the Anime Oasis convention next month in Boise, Idaho. So if you are anywhere near Boise on Saturday, May 28th, you need to make out to the Show in order to see this movie. I can’t tell you if it will be subtitled or dubbed, but it’s a pretty shockingly killer treat that this movie is available to show. I don’t expect anyone to buy this movie just so they can take part, but if you do, you get major radioactive brownie points with me.

You can download the sixteenth episode of the Kaijucast right here!  Feel free to write me if you have any music requests, are enjoying the podcasts or if you, questions or even ideas for future shows, too – also don’t forget to follow the Kaijucast on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook.

Daikaiju Discussion takes the spotlight for Episode 15. Left to right: Martin, Jeff, Kyle, T'Igor, Cindy, Sean & Jodi (in front)

I didn’t have just one guest for this episode, I had SIX! That’s right, folks, the Kaijucast is all about Gigan for episode fifteen (which of course is available for download right here) and I was almost able to get every single local guest in to watch it (maybe next time, Rob!). This episode ran a little long, mostly because of the great discussion for Godzilla vs Gigan, but also because some major news was announced just today. If you don’t already know about it, you’ll just have to listen to the show.

Or, y’know…. just look for Godzilla news items from today. It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to check Variety. Seriously it could be the good news that we, as Godzilla fans, have been awaiting for years. That being said, though, those audiophiles out there probably are looking for this month’s track listing. And I won’t deny you that right!

MARCH MUSIC
1. Main Title (repeat) by Akira Ifukube from Godzilla vs Gigan (1972)
2. Three Giant Monsters’ Ferocity by Akira Ifukube (found on Godzilla Perfect Collection Box Set five, disc 6, track six)
3. Destruction of Shibuya by Ko Otani from Gamera 3: The Awakening of Iris (1999)
4. Mechagodzilla II Counterattacks by Akira Ifukube from Terror Of Mechagodzilla (1975)
5. Brown Gargantua vs Green Gargantua by Akira Ifukube from War Of The Gargantuas (1966)
6. Requiem by Akira Ifukube from Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995)

SUGGESTED READING (and watching and listening!)

New Legendary Pictures Godzilla Announcement [ variety.com / comingsoon.net ]

Negadon creators’ new project on Scifi Japan

Amazing Shogun Warriors’ GAIKING Teaser [ Youtube Video / Ain't It Cool News ]

New Podcast Alert!
Because I totally believe that all Godzilla fans need to stick together, I’m happy to share that another Godzilla podcast called Tokyo SOS started recently. Jesse Garret and Thomas Matis have taken on the task of reviewing every Godzilla movie. Their first episode sort of encapsulated all of the films and now they are getting more granular. The second episode talks about the original Gojira and the Americanized version, Godzilla King Of The Monsters. Make sure you check it out and if you like what you hear, they are on Facebook, too.

Anime Oasis Convention: It’s official – I’ll be heading to this convention in May and hosting three panels!

Kaijucast Wondercon Invasion! Keep an eye out for photos from our trip to San Francisco this weekend…

If you haven’t picked on up yet, those super awesome Kaijucast Prints are still available!

DAIKAIJU DISCUSSIONS HOMEWORK:
For the fourth assignment, you’ll need to watch the infamous 1971 film, Godzilla vs. Hedorah. Once again, I’ll be watching the Sony DVD that came out in 2004 some time towards the end of the month.   If you have comments, questions or even just want to tell me what you liked best about this movie, email them to controller@kaijucast.com sometime in the first three weeks of April and I’ll compile everything for that episode.

Download the fifteenth episode of the Kaijucast right here!  Feel free to write me if you have any music requests, are enjoying the podcasts or if you, questions or even ideas for future shows, too – also don’t forget to follow the Kaijucast on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook.

Imperial Sandtroopoer and good friend Rob Johnson sits down for a chat on this month''s episode of he Kaijucast!

I don’t know what it is about this February. I know it’s a “short month”, but c’mon. It’s only two days shorter. Why does it affect everyone so? Well even though my month has been mega packed, I still managed to get the episode done on time and uploaded days before Merry ol’ March shows up. Make sure you download episode fourteen (available, for instance, right here!) and listen to the awesome tunes, news and interviews. And this month’s Wrath of Daimajin discussion. I’m so glad I decided to make this a regular feature (hopefully it will last through the whole list!) and I hope more people participate in the next month’s discussion (see below).  This month, I went back to the Kaijucast basics and invited my good friend Rob Johnson to join me in “the studio”. Rob’s not a big Godzilla fan, so I wanted to find out just what he knew of the big beast.

Here’s the music listing for this episode:

1. Mothra’s song by Yuji Koseki from Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)
2. Main Title by Tadashi Yamauchi from Gammera The Invincible (1965)
3. Kong and Susan 1 by Akira Ifukube from King Kong Escapes (1971)
4. Destroy Hedora from the Ballads of Godzilla album
5. Main Title (aka Ultraseven’s Song) by Tohru Fuyuki Ultraseven (1975)
6. King Kong vs. Godzilla Main Title from Godzilla A Capella
7. Wrath of Daimajin Song Track  (not sure of the title) by Akira Ifukube
8. Wrath of Daimajin Song Track (again,  not sure of the title) by Akira Ifukube
9. Highway Road by Richiiro Manabe from Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973)

SUGGESTED READING:
New Gamera DVDs by August Ragone

DeAgostini Review by Ed Godziszewski

Ultra Galaxy on DVD by Jim Ballard

Bandai Market Report by John DeSentis

Stuff I can’t Afford: Wonderfest with Ed Godziszewski

Daimajin Kannon footage can be seen in this youtube video from Kadokawa – if you want to skip it to 1:08, that’s where the footage really starts.

DAIKAIJU DISCUSSIONS HOMEWORK:

For the third assignment, you’ll need to watch the classic 1972 Godzilla flick, Godzilla vs. Gigan. I’ll be watching the Sony DVD that came out in 2004 some time towards the end of the month.   If you have comments, questions or even just want to tell me what you liked best about this movie, email them to controller@kaijucast.com sometime in the first three weeks of March  and I’ll compile everything for the March episode.

You can download the fourteenth episode of the Kaijucast right here! Feel free to write me if you are enjoying the podcasts or if you have any music requests, questions or even ideas for future shows, too. Make sure that if you have a facebook account, become a fan of the Kaijucast!

(Left to right) Kyle, Jodi, Jeff, Cindy & Martin join forces against the insanity that is Godzilla Final Wars!

So, after trimming the discussion to bits in order for the January episode to resemble something reminiscent of an hour long show, it dawned on me that I had to cut a lot of stuff that I would have liked to include. So, for the hardcore fans out there, I proudly present the almost unedited discussion of Godzilla Final Wars (there were a few moments that were, shall we say, not kid friendly), including the off-topic and rather tangential conversations that were sparked from this bizarre film.

Oh, and if you haven’t listened to the full episode from January, make sure you do so, as it has all of the regular music and the chopped down version where I actually have the budget and gross of Final Wars — sorry for the spoiler.

This entire thing was a lot of fun, so naturally I do plan on making this whole monthly movie watching party/discussion thing a permanent to semi-permanent fixture in my life. I cannot promise that I’ll have one of these in addition to each episode, the chances are pretty high. That being said, let me know what you think either way; as always, I love hearing from you guys out there!

As I stated last week, our next film up for discussion is Wrath Of Daimajin. We’ll be doing the recording on Monday, February 22nd, so I’ll need your input before that time. If it matters, we’ll be watching the second DVD release of the movie from the now defunct ADV Films. If you want to pick it up on DVD, I’d suggest using Right Stuf.com (that’s where I got mine). Don’t forget to vote in the poll to the right! I’d love to know how many of the movies in the discussion list you have seen…

1. Bio Wars by Koichi Sugiyama from Godzilla vs Biollante (1989)
2. Haora Mothra by Yuji Koseki from Rebirth of Mothra 3 (1998)
3. Godzilla vs. Radon by Akira Ifukube from Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla (1993)
4. King Of The Monsters by Keith Emmerson from Godzilla Final Wars (2004)
5. The King Seesar statue audio clip from Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)
6. Showdown between the 3 Large Monsters in Okinawa II by Masaru Satoh from Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)
7. Ending Titles by Keith Emmerson from Godzilla Final Wars (2004)

That's right. I put the smackdown on my own son when we play Godzilla: Save The Earth. Don't give me that dirty look... I'm sure it teaches him some sort of life lesson.

SUGGESTED READING:
Another Killer Silver Screen Spookshow Flyer

Slew of Ultraman Mega Monster Battle News by James Ballard

- Composer Interview

- Press Notes

- Premiere Photos

Stuff I can’t afford!

And as I promised here are some more links from stuff I mentioned in the show.

Anime Oasis – the Anime Convention in Boise, Idaho I just might be visiting!

Flashback to 2004 with the first news Final Wars that H!O broke.

Virtual NES online -  Where you can play the Monster of Monsters Godzilla game in your internet browser

The article that Jodi talked about comparing Godzilla to Zombies.

DAIKAIJU DISCUSSIONS HOMEWORK:

Watch the 1966 Daiei film, Wrath Of Daimajin. In case you are wondering, this is the film with the kids crossing the mountain. If you have comments, questions or even just want to tell me what you liked best about this movie, email them to controller@kaijucast.com and I’ll compile everyone’s sentiments in Fevruary. Just make sure you get those questions in before I do the show (the deadline will be Monday, Feb 22nd).

Download the thirteenth episode of the Kaijucast right here! Feel free to write me if you are enjoying the podcasts or if you have any music requests, questions or even ideas for future shows, too. Make sure that if you have a facebook account, become a fan of the Kaijucast!

The controller hosts an all music episode... and just in time for Christmas!

Ho Ho Ho and welcome to the TWELFTH episode of the kaijucast. This month’s episode is a gift to all of the music lovers out there. I’ve been wanting to do an all-music show for some time now – just something that you can play in the background and not have to keep an ear out for what I’m talking about and because I don’t have a guest this month, this is the perfect time to do that. Next month’s show will be a “normal” one, so if this isn’t your cup of tea, fear not! You can download the show from this link. But let’s go ahead and get that track listing out of the way. One more thing, let me warn you that at first glance, you might say “Hey, that’s not very many songs”. Keep in mind that the first two were medley style compositions that encompass a LOT of Godzilla . Those and the storybook audio clock in at about 15 minutes each! Ok, now you can look over those track!

1. Akira Ifukube’s An Evening Of Special Effects Film Music Track 1
2. Akira Ifukube’s An Evening Of Special Effects Film Music Track 2
3. Thy Name Is Legion by Ko Otani from Gamera 2: Advent of Legion (1996)
4. Snow Falls On The Island In The South by Masaru Satoh from Son Of Godzilla (1967)
5. Base At The North Pole by Akira Ifukube from King Kong Escapes (1973)
6. American Trailer for Half Human (1958)
7. Godzilla vs. The Alien Invasion
8. Kaiju Christmas from the Ballads of Godzilla CD

Recently, I’ve been in contact with James, a fan in Wales (believe it or not) and we’ve been talking a new segment on the show that I’ve labeled DAIKAIJU DISCUSSION. I’ve taken just about all of the Asian monster movies that exist and put them in a list, then randomized that list. From now until that list runs out, I’ll take a little time from each show and dedicate it to reviewing that film, but not only will I be sharing my own musings, I’m inviting critiques, comments and responses from you guys, too. All you have to do is watch that film for that month and send in your thoughts by the time I do the epiode. I’ll have the list of films posted soon, so you’ll know what movies are coming up. Do yourself a favor though and try not to skip ahead too much, it’s best to keep your comments as fresh as your most recent viewing. When I prep the shows, I’ll compile what you guys say and include them in the show. Let’s hope this encourages a even more audience participation and just maybe this will be the most enjoyable homework you’ve been assigned.

Having said that, your first task is to watch (or re-watch) 2004′s Godzilla Final Wars within the first three weeks of the month. Send in anything you want – even questions. If they get here early enough, I’ll do my best to get them answered.

DAIKAIJU DISCUSSION HOMEWORK

Watch the 2004 Godzilla film, Godzilla Final Wars. If you have comments, questions or even just want to tell me what you liked best about this movie, email them to controller@kaijucast.com and I’ll compile everyone’s sentiments in January. Just make sure you get those questions in before I do the show (typically in the last week of the month).

Download the twelfth episode of the Kaijucast right here! Feel free to write me if you are enjoying the podcasts or if you have any music requests, questions or even ideas for future shows, too. Make sure that if you have a facebook account, become a fan of the Kaijucast!

Special guest for November Bob Johnson didn't want to smuggle the Oxygen Destroyer back to the states for me. But I asked him to co-host anyways.

Because I’ve been crazy busy with all the other things going on in my life right now, I did not realize that it was getting so late in the month until last week! But fret not, dear listener… for the 11th episode is now complete and ready to download here. This month, I wanted to interview my friend Bob Johnson. Why Bob Johnson, you ask? Well, I think he knows a little something about a little series called Ultraman. I just wanted to give my ultra special listeners a small sampling of Tsuburaya’s Wide World of Ultraman. I think a lot of newcomers to the Godzilla genre might have some negative things to say about the mysterious visitor from outer space, but lets hope this episode sheds a positive light on the hero.  This was also the first time I’ve ever attempted to record a show over through Skype. That’s right, as if the podcast wasn’t enough of a techno boom for me, I’m now able to teleport my guest directly into my computer! (That’s a joke, son…)

Additionally, I spoke to Robert Troch about his production, Showdown of the Godz. I also recapped my experience at the Filmusik production of Gamera vs. Guiron this month. And, as always, here are the musical tracks played on this episode:

1. Main Title by Masaru Sato from Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)
2. Minya’s Lesson by Kuniyo Miyauchi from Godzilla’s Revenge (1969)
3. The Alpha vs. the Black Shark I by Akira Ifukube from Latitude Zero (1969)
4. Kiryu Team’s Theme 2 by Michiru Oshima from Godzilla X Mechagodzilla (2002)
5. Battle Level by Kuniaki Hajima from Ultraman Max (2005)
6. Monsters vs. Ultraman by Tohru Fuyuki from Return of Ultraman (1971)
7. Theme from Ultraman by Tak Matsumoto from Ultraman: The Next (2004)
8. Gamera vs Zigra Saucer by Shunsuke Kikuchi from Gamera vs. Zigra (1971)
9. Biollante’s theme by Heavy Melody Music from Godzilla: Unleashed (2007)
10. Godzilla’s Farewell by Reijiro Koroku from Godzilla Returns (1984)

SUGGESTED READING:

NEW ULTRA MOVIE REVIEW by James Ballard

GETTING SCHOOLED IN YOKAI by Melanie Burgeois and Dan Ross

GET IN THE FIGHTING ZONE by James Ballard

GIANTS TURTLE SIGHTING IN KOREA by Kim Song

…And make sure you check out the official Showdown Of The Godz website by visiting showdownofthegodzmovie.com – and if you see the film, let me know what you think of it.

Download the eleventh episode of the Kaijucast right here! Feel free to write me if you are enjoying the podcasts or if you have any music requests, questions or even ideas for future shows, too. Make sure that if you have a facebook account, become a fan of the Kaijucast!

Kyle and Jeff attempt to ward off angry bakemono and mischievous kitsune on this spine-tingling episode of the Kaijucast!

Truth be told, this is my favorite time of year… Halloween! And what better way to celebrate the creep-tastic season than by forgoing my normal Godzilla talk and shedding a little light on those bizarre Yokai films from Japan. You know you’ve seen the chirashi or the figurines every once in a while and if you had no idea what those were or where they came from, this is the episode for you.

My good friend Jeff Dean  from Horror Holocaust was kind enough to come back to the console and talk things up a bit with me… and what we discuss is pretty much just a primer showcasing some of the films dealing with Yokai. We talk about films both new and old stretching as far back as 1964 and creeping up to 2004′s The Great Yokai War.  Episode 10 of the Kaijucast is available here, but make sure you check out the links and notes below too! Here are the musical bits and audio clips I played on this episode, but please keep in mind that I couldn’t actually track down any of the original scores so a number of these are ripped directly from the movie audio.

1. The Tale of Heike from Kwaidan’s Hoichi the Earless (1964)
2. Intro by Sei Ikeno from Spook Warfare (1968)
3. Spook Warfare Buddhist chanting
4. Yokai Dance from Sakuya Yokaiden (2000)
5. The Unleashed Spirits of the War Dead by Kow Otani from Godzilla Mothra King Ghidorah – Daikaiju Soukougeki (2001)
6. Gamera vs Guiron II by Shunsuke Kikuchi from Gamera vs. Guiron (1969)
7. Oshiete Jiji (aka the Adzuki Bean Song) by Kiyoshiro Imawano with Yosui Inoue from The Great Yokai War (2004)
8. Ending by Hiroshi Watanabe from Along With Ghosts (1969)

The Kaijucast visits Filmusik Producer, Galen Huckins.

FILMUSIK PRESENTS GAMERA vs GUIRON!

This month, I also interviewed the producer of what is sure to be a fantastic show here in Portland. At the beginning of November, Galen Huckins will be orchestrating live music, vocal and sound effects performance into a completely new audio track from one of my favorite Gamera films, Gamera vs Guiron! I found out about this from my contacts at the Hollywood Theatre and knew I needed to set up an interview. If you have any inclination to live music, I’m sure this performance is going to be amazing. And if you are in Portland and want to o see the November 6th show with a bunch of people, drop me an email and I’ll get the details to you! Regardless, Filmusik’s presentation promises to be a fantastic evening.

NEW HOME FOR HORROR HOLOCAUST

BLU-RAY GOJIRA REVIEW

ULTIMO SPALPEEN VS KAIJUCAST (just kidding, folks)

ANCIENT GHOST PARADE SCROLL APPEARS ON EBAY

OTHER SUGGESTED READING:

*In Ghostly Japan by Lafcadio Hearn

*Field Guide To Demons by Carol Mack

*Yokai Attack by Matt Alt & Hiroko Yoda

Download the tenth episode of the Kaijucast right here! Feel free to write me if you are enjoying the podcasts or if you have any music requests, questions or even ideas for future shows, too. Make sure that if you have a facebook account, become a fan of the Kaijucast!

In 2004, I had the posters made for the 50 Years Of Godzilla Film Festival. They were well done, but they were printed with an offset printer, so they looked exactly like my file. Those kinds of printers can make any color and once the artwork is in the spool, all you really have to do is sit back and watch the output. Call me a romantic, or crazy for that matter, but there’s something very personal about screen printing. First, it’s a lot of work to get your colors down to just the one or two or three (or however many) that are necessary for however many screen you are working with. The next step is that the colors must be separated so that individual screens can be created – quite a pain in the butt. Once the screens are made, the printers line up the registration marks on each screen, making sure that each piece of the artwork is aligned properly. The inks get applied one color at a time, with adequate dry time between the processes. It’s messy, sweaty work and I couldn’t have more respect for the artform.

So earlier this year, I was with talking Jason Shaw, a friend of mine who works with a local screen printer, RichGraphix. I told him about wanting to maybe do some two color screen-printed flyers for the show and Jason knew a lot more about the process than I did. It was sort of a pipe dream of mine to create a flyer based off of one of the old King Kong vs. Godzilla posters. But I let that sit on the back burner of my brain for a little while…..until I signed up for the Portland Halloween Bazaar.

I signed up to promote the podcast which might seem sort of silly… I mean, just get the word out locally? It would seem that the minimal amount of fans here in the Portland area that I could promote the show in other ways, especially since the Bazaar is basically a marketplace and I don’t have anything to sell. No way am I selling any of the collection, right? (in case you didn’t know, the answer is “Right, Kyle!”). Then I started thinking about making those flyers….but who sells flyers, right? I decided to come up with some cool artwork for a flyer anyway. But the artwork was so compelling that I just kept working on it until I had something that looked kind of like the artwork from the Billiken kits and the older work of Shepard Fairey. I decided to call some screen printers, including my friend Jason and get some quotes for a two color print. I thought about doing a run of 100 or 200, but I didn’t want to sit on them. I wanted it to be a one time thing. I wanted to produce something that I could be proud of. So instead of 100, I decided to do a run of 50. But the number 50 doesn’t really suit the King of the Monsters…. what closer (and better) number than 54. So I called Jason again and decided to do a limited run of 54 prints. I also wanted them to be affordable, so I decided to charge $5 for each one.

Jason took the artwork and in a couple of weeks told me that the prints were ready. We hung out last night and watched the H-Man, which I sort of enjoyed, there were no giant monsters and the story wasn’t that great, but still good to see after all of these years. But the real treat was getting to see all of the prints. They look great! I actually signed and numbered them all tonight. Personally, I hope they go over well and hope that I sell them all at the Halloween Bazaar. That way I can gauge interest from the blog and maybe do another run in a different color!

Well, whatever ends up happening with these, I’m glad I made the decision to go with screenprinting them. Stay tuned after the 3rd and I’ll let you all know how many are left.

If you do live in Portland, the Halloween Bazaar will be open to the public between 11am and 7pm this Saturday (Oct 3rd, 2009). Aside from there being a TON of vendors, there will be lots of music, a shadow puppet theater, the Coffin Cruisers Hearse Club will be on display with a Death Proof Nova Replica, too! Plus, I’ll have my son with me and there will be an all-new DIY Craft Area where kids can dive into paper crafts,  adorn papier mache calaveras and skull masks. Gawd, I love Halloween!

Kaijucast alumni Martin Vavra returns for round two...

First off, I feel like I need to say something before I get started with the episode stuff. I want to wish my brother, Marshall, a Happy Birthday so here it is in Japanese… Otanjoubi omedetou, otoutogo!

Number nine, people! Things are going swimmingly for the Kaijucast this month as I just finished up the ninth episode with my guest Martin Vavra, who (back in January) was my very first interviewee! When we were hanging out this month, Martin offered to interview me! So this is my birthday show (mine is the 28th), for which I guess I’m sort of the special guest in the studio.

Primarily, Martin & I  talked about my history with Godzilla and what it is about the genre that I love so much. We also touched on how I compared the genre to other fandom properties, but it wasn’t all hum-drum interview stuff! I played some fantastic music as well. You’re probably wondering when I’m going to stop rambling and post the link to the show, well the episode can be downloaded right here.

Make sure you look below at the links to the news articles and show notes. And especially make sure you read on about the Halloween Bazaar (especially if you are from the Portland area).

Here are the musical selections from this episode:

1. Pursue Rodan by Akira Ifukube from Rodan (1956)
2. The Terror Of Gezora by Akira Ifukube from Yog: Monster From Space (1970)
3. Man… Or Astroman?   Like A Giant Microwave
4. Godzilla Ambushed by Reijiro Koroku from Return of Godzilla (1984)
5. Mothra vs. Battra by Akira Ifukube from Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992)
6. The Birth of Destroyer by Akira Ifukube from Godzilla vs Destoroyah (1995)
7. The Unleashed Spirits of the War Dead by Kow Otani from Godzilla · Mothra · King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All Out Attack (2001)
8. Orga: Irony of Fate by Takayuki Hattori from Godzilla: Millenium (1999)
9. The Enemy Below by Michiru Oshima from Godzilla · Mothra · Mechagodzilla: Tokyo SOS (2003)

SUGGESTED READING

Ed & Steve get interviewed

The Host 2

Death of ADV Films

Silver Scream Spookshow in Atlanta this weekend!

Toho Magazine & DVD Combo releases!

Toho sues Comcast

Limited edition Kaijucast print being produced for the Portland Halloween Bazaar.

Last but not least, I mentioned being at the Portland Halloween Bazaar next weekend (October 3rd), so if you are from the Portland area, swing by the Doubletree Hotel near the Lloyd Center and come get a free sticker. Buy a print from me while you are at it… kidding! (sort of ) Here’s what the Bazaar is all about:

The Portland Hallowe’en Bazaar (PHB) is back with its unique festival atmosphere of music and monsters packed with a vibrant and ghoulish array of activities and spectacles that will entertain and delight everyone in attendance! This year’s Bazaar boasts a slew of NW Artisans and Retailers, Night Shade Shadow Puppet Theater, Live Acoustic Music, Uncle Eerie’s Shiver Show ‘Make Your Own Monster’ Contest, Oddball Entertainers, Skull Bowling, DJ Great Pumpkin Kids Dance Party, Family Photos with Krampus, and a fantastical Day of the Dead Altar centerpiece. The Coffin Cruisers Hearse Club and the Death Proof Nova will be INSIDE the venue, and an all-new DIY Area for kids of all ages have been added to the line up of fun things happening during the 2009 festival!

It should be a LOT of fun and I’m really looking forward to it! But if you need more information, go here:

http://www.portlandhalloweenbazaar.com

Download the ninth episode of the Kaijucast right here! Feel free to write me if you are enjoying the podcasts or if you have any music requests, questions or even ideas for future shows, too. Make sure that if you have a facebook account, become a fan of the Kaijucast!

Dang's graphic novel based on his own creation, Greyduck.

So while cruising around G-Fest this year, I came across an artist named DANG who not only had some cool work on his table, but his own Graphic Novel that he had made. As a comic enthusiast, I was curious and because his artwork reminded me of the “old school” tattoo style, I approached the table. If you recall, I had a brief interview with Dang in episode seven, and after the interview I gave a totally phoned in review of the comic (sorry about that). But I’m here to rectify that with a solid review of GREYDUCK: VOLUME OF ROARS.

Greyduck is a monstrous amalgamation of junk – a giraffe head atop a long biomechanical neck with a chained anchor attached to its mouth. Greyduck has spider leg-like appendages coming out of what looks like a trashbag body. Indeed, Greyduck looks like it could be made up of nothing but bits and pieces from a landfill. The story gives no origin of the beast, but rest-assured, Greyduck is the hero-kaiju of this tale. The graphic novel follows a few different character groups as their travels interact with each other and the different monsters in the story. That’s right, there are four monsters in this tale. Aside from Greyduck, readers will witness a flying Megaguirus-type bug monster, “Cadbury” a beast that hatches from an egg to terrorize the city and the deadly “Aunt-eater.”

Let me start with the good stuff. First and foremost, I am wildly supportive of self-publication. If you spend a few minutes looking at the comic book landscape of today, it is vastly different from the industry of yesteryear. With the public knowledge-base and resources available right now, anyone with the drive and focus can learn to do just about anything they want. So I give a massive “thumbs up” to Dang for having the commitment to take his vision and turn it into a reality.

Gamera...Dang-style

On a technical level, Dang’s vocabulary and prose in this comic are very well written… think less on traditional storytelling and more poetic. The language is entertaining and appropriate for the subjects as they move from point a to point b and so on.  Often, I found myself impressed with the narrative alone. For the most part, that is where you’ll find these nuggets as the characters’ dialogue runs the gamut for their different “voices.”  Sometimes it can come across as a bit one-linerish, but still very cool.

The artwork itself is extremely detailed. Clearly, Dang has talent and as he stated in the interview, he has some old school tattoo thrown in with a picasso-esque vibe. This makes the pages very interesting to look at, but I believe one of the biggest drawbacks to this is that it was produced in black and white with no color at all. Normally, this would not bother me, but with Dang’s surreal compositions and scenes, it can make the page a little too chaotic. Personally, I really do like Dang’s style. His postcards and folding sketch shrines were really cool and recognizable. I know that is partly due to already knowing the characters, but I primarily feel that adding color helps distinguish the subjects from their surroundings. I’m not sure if Dang ever plans on making newer versions, or modifying the existing story, but I truly feel that coloring the pages would greatly help move the story along. As I read the book, it took me much longer to discern what was happening on a page by page basis. The last thing I’ll note about this is that I felt like I never really got a handle on what the other monsters looked like.

Dang had a 3D picture of Greyduck at G-Fest.

So what are my final thoughts on this graphic novel? Greyduck: Volume Of Roars is impressive. What Dang has done is not much different from what I do with my show, taking the initiative to create something and publish it for the masses – and that in itself is commendable. Clearly, the amount of work and creativity that has been put into this graphic novel is evident – this wasn’t just thrown together. Additionally, Dang has included some “special features” to this book. Greyduck portraits from other artists start and end the book, along with some behind-the-scenes stuff from Dang himself, which is a welcome addition and something that (as an artist) I always appreciate in anything I purchase. Yes, I think some of the chaos of the artwork could be better presented with the addition of color, but I do understand that cost is an issue with these things. I would love to see a color version online someday. In conclusion, if you have the $12.21 to blow on an inspirational self-published piece of work, click the link below to buy your own copy. Not only will you be adding something unique to your collection, you’ll help support the practice of self-publication and make everything just a bit more accessible than before.

Dang’s Deviantart page

Where can you get Greyduck: Volume Of Roars? Click here to go to IndyPlanet.com and get your own copy!

East meets the West in a cataclysmic battle to assault the senses in Jim Walsh vs. Kyle Yount

Is my watch right? Why is the Kaijucast so early this month? Oh, right, it’s  because my special guest, Jim Walsh, came to visit me from New Jersey and I just had to have him on the show. Jim and I geeked out on Godzilla mecha and model kits for a long time even before we started recording the session.

Eventually we sat down in the hallowed Kaijucast studio for another one of those classic time-flies-when-you’re-having-fun talks. We covered classic anti-kaiju weapons and vehicles and model making and scratch building.  I will toot my own horn here and tout the fact that some of the tracks in this episode were quite awesome, and I had to bring back the news this month since I didn’t in July. But enough about the good times I had in making the episode, if you are still reading this, you probably want to hear it. You can download the eighth episode of the Kaijucast right here. But I know you’re really looking for that juicy track listing though, right? Well I won’t deny you that:

1. Jet Jaguar by Richiiro Manabe from Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973)

2. Main Title/Meteor Stream by Ko Otani from Gamera 2: Advent Of Legion (1996)

3. The King Of Monsters by Kieth Emmerson from Godzilla Final Wars (2004)

4. We Space Pilots by Akira Ifukube from Gorath (1962)

5. US Atragon Trailer (1965)

6. King Kong vs. Gorosaurus 2 by Akira Ifukube (1973)

7. Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla by Masaru Sato from Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)

8. Ending by Sadao Bekku from Matango (1963)

RECOMMENDED READING & OTHER COOL STUFF TO LOOK AT:

Scratch-built Varan based on the unused 2002 design.

As I mentioned in the podcast, the Godzilla And Kaiju Model Kits Group had a couple of competitions that we called the Iron Chef model contests.  Here’s my scratch-built GMK Varan (that was up against Bill’s King Kong ’73, of course).  I made it out of Super-sculpey, Magic-sculpt and a lot of time. I think he turned out pretty well, and eventually I’d like to modify him so he’s looks a little less like a netsuke and more like a real kit. But to be honest, I don’t know if I can sit still long enough to do that.

* If you are at all interested in building your own kaiju kits, make sure you check out Godzilla And Kaiju Model Kits Yahoo group and you’ll be welcomed with open kit-bashed arms.

* Make sure you visit Bill Gudmundson’s website, Bill’s Kitchen.

*Alberto’s Godzilla Month Project

REGURGITATED NEWS:

Sony Sneak Peak

Another cool added item (but not in the podcast), Steve Ryfle interviewed Michael Friend who worked on the DVD set. Check it out here…

Daikaiu sightings at Fantasia Film Festival

Daimajin Stalks the City

Legendary Godzilla?

Download the eighth episode of the Kaijucast right here! Feel free to write me if you are enjoying the podcasts or if you have any music requests, questions or even ideas for future shows, too.

Kenji Sahara and I just after the interview.

Oh man, was this a different kind of show this time! Usually I sit at the table with my audio equipment and have everything all planned out and hit record, do the show, maybe spend a little time editing and then it up, into the ionosphere (or whatever we’re calling the internet these days). But this episode, let me tell ya, it was a LOT of editing. But it’s here and, really, it’s just a portion of what I recorded. I have at least three more interviews, not to mention the pending interviews with people that I met there! Regardless, I want to everyone at G-Fest who was cool enough for me to record. Maybe next time, everyone else…. for now you are just going to have to download episode seven of the Kaijucast!

So I have the show notes that I have to do here. We don’t have news blurbs (hope there’s not anything I’ve missed that can’t wait until next time).  But I do have links to share from G-fest…oh, and the music. This month’s episode of the Kaijucast was brought to you by a whole lot of Ifukube’s music. Here’s that track listing!

1. Mothra on the Hilltop by Akira Ifukube from Mothra vs Godzilla (1964)
2. Markalite Flying Atomic Heat Projector by Akira Ifukube from The Mysterians (1957)
3. The Destruction of Shibuya by Kow Otani from Gamera 3 (1999)
4. First Meeting by Takayuki Hattori from Godzilla vs Spacegodzilla (1994)
5. Gargantua’s Last Stand by Man …Or Astrroman?
6. Guilala’s Rock by Taku Izumi from The X From Outer Space (1967)
7. Ultraman No Uta by Kunio Miyauchi from Ultraman (1966)
8. Audio Excerpt from Mothra vs Godzilla (1964)
9. Godzilla Comes Ashore in by Akira Ifukube from Hokkaido from Godzilla vs King Ghidorah (1991)
10. Garuda Attack March by Akira Ifukube from Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla (1993)
11. Monster Zero by Akira Ifukube from Monster Zero (1965)

And here are the websites that I feel like I need to link to:

Ishiro Honda Official Site

AlaDang.com

the-void-skull.deviantart.com

Dang’s DeviantArt page

My photobucket Gallery from G-Fest

My Kaijucast stickers await their inevitable distribution to the fans attending the 2009 G-fest!

To put it mildly, G-Fest was a blast!

I brought a roll of 500 stickers and I easily gave away more than half of them. Every time I walked by one of the tables where I put them, they were all gone (which is a good thing). I also had the audio recorder with me and got some fantastic stuff, including an interview with one of the biggest stars of daikaiju eiga, veteran actor Kenji Sahara. There were even more people that I (for one reason or another) was unable to capture any audio with, but I’m going to track down those folks for the coming months.

As I’ve said before, it has been ten years since I attended G-Fest and I feel very fortunate that I was able to go this year (thank goodness for the mileage I accrued from all of those work trips last year). As I start sorting through the audio, feel free to check out the photos that I took. I’ve uploaded them to my photobucket account.

Also, I set up a Facebook page, so if you use that site, please become a fan (I need at least a hundred of you before I can just tell people, “go to facebook dot com slash kaijucast”). I’ve added a link to the sidebar and here’s another right here:
Kaijucast

Lastly, I’d like to thank those that were kind enough to speak with me for the next show. Look for an update towards the end of the month!

My special guest at the console tonight was Sean Donahue, a local artist and friend who I met a long time ago and then became reacquainted with within the last couple of years. We had a grand old time talking monsters this evening and I hope you all enjoy the show. Not only is Sean a G-lover, but a collector as well…and he’s got Godzilla tattoos, something that none of my other friends have decided to get to prove their dedication (just joking, guys).  D’OH!  I just realized that since Sean is a master monster maker, I need to have him build my Godzilla costume! Oh, well….there’s always another potential episode he can co-host (muwahahaha!). Anyway, the usual lineup of music, questions and news happened at the audio console for this episode…and here’s that list of tunes:

1. Requiem by Kouichi Sugiyama from Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989)
2. Flares and Godzilla by Masaru Sato from Godzilla Raids Again (1955)
3. Kiryu – Sally Forth! by Michiru Oshima from Godzilla · Mothra · Mechagodzilla: Tokyo SOS (2003)
4. Godzilla vs. Tokyo by Zebrahead (2004)
5. Earth’s Greatest Deathmatch from Godzilla X Megaguirus (2001)
6. Escape from Monster Land by Akira Ifukube from Destroy All Monsters (1968)
7. Main Theme by Kow Otani from Godzilla · Mothra · King Ghidroah: Giant Monsters All Out Attack (2001)

FURTHER READING (FOR KAIJUCAST NEWS)

US Premiers of MONSTER X STRIKES BACK and GEHARA

The H-Man, Battle in Outer Space and the original MOTHRA are coming to DVD!

New Ultraman movie

Achtung es ist GUALGALON!

IT’S COZZILLA! This is a *must* read for Godzilla fans!

G-Fest Movies and Schedule posted on the G-Fan website.

Download the sixth episode of the Kaijucast right here! Feel free to write me if you are enjoying the podcasts or if you have any music requests, questions or even ideas for future shows, too.