Anne from Pikapi Podcast joins me to talk about the music of Pokémon Rumble U and Pokémon Battle Trozei. Both games are small, but we were able to pick out a few tunes and make some interesting observations. In our feedback section, we talk about the connections we’ve made in our musical research, as well as an unexpected entry in a recent miniseri…

Anne from Pikapi Podcast drops by to help me discuss several versions of the English Pokémon theme. Listen in as we compare and contrast renditions from the TV show, movies, and beyond. Oh, and if by some chance you were wondering how “Born To Be A Winner” fits into all of this, don’t worry, we cover that after the outro.…

Anne from Pikapi Podcast stops by to discuss the music of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity for the 3DS. While not the most popular entry in the series, it still comes with a wide array of impressive new tunes, giving us plenty to talk about. As usual, we have a game discussion after the outro. In our feedback section, we discuss the ongoi…

The first segment (1:06-39:08) is a series of interviews from Anime Milwaukee 2024*. As usual, I was able to meet with a number of voice actors and talk about their work on the Pokemon franchise. With roles in miniseries, Pokemon Masters, and the Detective Pikachu games, these performers will give you a wide perspective.The second segment (39:51-57…

Anne from Pikapi Podcast helps me discuss the music of Pokemon Conquest for the DS. This quirky crossover gave us a lot to talk about, including instrumentation, Japanese history, and a much more recent Pokémon game. On top of all that, there’s a game discussion after the outro that covers...much of the same.Editor's Note: I state in this episode t…

Anne from Pikapi Podcast drops by to discuss the music of PokePark 2: Wonders Beyond for the Wii. This sometimes-forgotten sequel delivers a fresh set of tunes, which have some interesting structural ties to the game. Afterwards, we move on to our feedback section, where we ponder whether the Japanese version of the second movie may have originally…

In the first segment (1:14-28:42), Anne from Pikapi Podcast drops by to discuss the music of Pokemon Rumble Blast for the 3DS. Like practically everything else in this entry, the soundtrack is an expansion of the original Rumble’s, but that didn't stop us from making some interesting observations. If you want to know what we thought of the game its…

In this episode, Anne from Pikapi Podcast joins me to discuss the music of Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Wii. This entry in the series massively expanded the number of available tracks, so the two of us had to be very picky in narrowing that down. After that topic, we have our feedback section, where I give a detailed explanation of why Pokemon: …

In the first segment (1:22-3:54), I interview Vince Krekeler of Day 2 events, the company that runs many of the regional Pokemon tournaments in the middle of the US. I took this opportunity to talk with him about how things are going for the first full season back from the pandemic, and gave him an opportunity to talk about some of the other events…

Anne from Pikapi Podcast joins me to discuss the music of Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs for the DS. This final entry in the trilogy may not change the Ranger formula drastically, but it does come with a wide array of new tunes. As usual, there’s a game discussion after the outro.Links:Pikapi Podcast: http://pikapipodcast.blogspot.com/Poke Casters …

Anne from Pikapi Podcast drops in to help discuss the music of Pokemon Rumble. This WiiWare title is definitely meatier than My Pokemon Ranch in terms of gameplay, and we try to figure out if the soundtrack follows suit. As usual, there's a gameplay discussion after the outro, where among other things we compare Rumble to Pokemon Unite.Links:Pikapi…

The first segment (1:14-9:00) contains a pair of voice actor interviews from Anime Milwaukee 2023*. Listen in as Suzie Yeung and Leah Clark share their experiences working on Pokemon. If you'd like to know more about what I did at the convention, look for a link in the episode description.The second segment (9:58-43:30) is a discussion of the music…

In the first segment (1:15-24:18), Anne from Pikapi Podcast joins me to discuss the music of My Pokemon Ranch for the Wii. While it might be light in...a lot of areas, this title still had enough material for us to make some observations. As usual, there's a game discussion after the outro.Our second segment (25:22-49:32) is a round of Pokemon musi…

Anne from Pikapi Podcast drops by to discuss the music of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time, Darkness, and Sky. This second set of games from the beloved side series features another boatload of tunes, which we try our best to cover, even if we couldn't possibly get to every song we wanted. That said, we do make sure to talk about the game…

Anne from Pikapi Podcast joins me to discuss the music of Pokemon Battle Revolution for the Wii. This follow-up to Genius Sonority's GameCube titles has a number of venues with a diverse set of tunes, plus an announcer to boot. It may also have some shortcomings due to being released early in the system’s life. As usual, if you want to know what we…

In the first segment(1:18-21:20), I interview Michael Haigney, a localizer for early seasons of the Pokemon anime. We talk about his career in entertainment, what the process of adapting an anime is like, and a few of his other experiences. Don't forget to check out his podcast, Original Pokeman.The second segment (22:35-26:14) is an archival inter…

In this episode, Anne from Pikapi Podcast joins me to examine what can be heard behind the vocals of various Pokemon songs. "A Small Thing", "Polkamon", “Blah, Blah, Blah", and several others all get a close listen in this discussion. We may not have found any secret messages, but it does shine light on some interesting aspects of these tunes, and …

In this episode, Anne from Pikapi Podcast drops by to discuss some of the songs from Pokémon 25: The Album. In addition to the tracks themselves, we cover the release strategy, music videos, and whether these songs would work with Secrets of the Jungle.Links:Pikapi Podcast: http://pikapipodcast.blogspot.com/Poke Casters Network: https://www.pokecas…

In this episode, I interview James "D Train" Williams. While many of you will know him as a co-performer of the original PokeRap, it turns out he’s actually had a very extensive career, both as a lead singer and a backup artist. For even more stories, be sure to listen after the outro.Links:D-Train's Website: http://theofficialdtrain.com/…

In this second part of our "Secrets of the Jungle" discussion, we cover the score of the film, and our thoughts on the movie itself. In the process, we revisit a song from a previous Pokemon movie, and make some observations about scientists in the franchise’s recent cinematic outings-there's definitely a pattern.Links:Pikapi Podcast: http://pikapi…

In this first part of our "Secrets of the Jungle" discussion, Anne from Pikapi Podcast helps me go over the movie’s six songs. It’s a lot of material to navigate, but we manage to cover all of them, including comparing the ones that are different between the Japanese and Western versions. So…maybe it's really ten songs then. In any event, we had a …

This episode features a series of interviews from Anime Milwaukee 2022. My first convention in two years, it gave me an opportunity to talk with voice actors from the across the franchise. Characters like Dr. Zed, Detective Decker, and Karen are all represented. If you still want more, you’ll find some outtakes at the end.A press pass was provided …

In this episode, Anne from Pikapi Podcast drops by to discuss the music of Pokemon Ranger for the Nintendo DS. This final side game of generation three is best known for its touchscreen mechanics, but we manage to get quite a bit out of its varied soundtrack. To find out what we thought of the game itself, and hear even more about audio cassettes, …

In this episode, Anne from Pikapi Podcast joins me to talk about the music of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Red & Blue Rescue Team. These initial entries in Pokemon's most successful side series have a number of interesting facets, including being the only side games with a full-on remake, which adds a third version to every tune. Luckily, the two of us…

In this episode, Anne from Pikapi Podcast helps me talk about the music of Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness for the GameCube. While it may seem like a slightly expanded version of Colosseum, there's actually a ton of new audio content to cover, with our selections highlighting new areas, new characters, and of course, Shadow Lugia. On top of all that, …

In the first segment (1:45-15:21), Anne from Pikapi Podcast drops by to discuss the music of Pokemon Trozei for the Nintendo DS. While the soundtrack isn't the most extensive, it's certainly worth talking about, with some interesting stylistic choices. As usual, there's a game discussion after the episode outro.In the second segment, Anne and I ret…

First (1:15-20:25), there's an interview with Paul Umbach, co-producer of Aaron Carter's "(Have Some) Fun With The Funk" from the Pokemon: The First Movie soundtrack. In addition to discussing the song, we cover Paul's lengthy musical career, including his time at Jive Records.Our second segment (21:40-31:47) is an archival interview with Neal Coom…

In the first segment (1:17-35:20), Anne from Pikapi Podcast helps me discuss the music of Pokemon Dash, the first Nintendo DS Pokemon game. While this racer certainly isn't the most memorable Pokemon title, that didn't stop us from finding plenty to talk about. As usual, there's a game discussion after the outro.Our second segment (36:25-43:17) is …

Anne from Pikapi Podcast drops by to talk about the music of Pokémon Colosseum, the first of many Pokémon games by Genius Sonority. With its western-inspired setting, it gives us plenty to compare to, especially from the world of film. If you want to know what we thought of the game itself, be sure to listen after the outro.Links:Pikapi Podcast: ht…

In this episode, Anne from Pikapi Podcast helps me cover the extensive and varied soundtrack of Pokemon Channel. While the game itself isn't exactly well-regarded, the music gives us plenty to talk about, both in terms of production and style. To find out what we thought of the gameplay, be sure to listen after the outro.Links:Pikapi Podcast: http:…

In this episode, Anne from Pikapi Podcast drops by to discuss the music of Pokemon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire. This Game Boy Advance sequel takes a rather different approach to its soundtrack, but that doesn’t stop us from making some interesting observations. As usual, we discuss the game itself after the outro.Links:Pikapi Podcast: http://pikapipod…

In this between-generations discussion, Anne from Pikapi Podcast drops by to analyze the music of Super Smash Bros. for the N64 and Melee for the GameCube. While these early entries don't have the sheer volume of content featured in later iterations, there's still plenty to cover, even if we did have to include a "wish list" song. As usual, we disc…

Anne from Pikapi Podcast joins in to discuss the music of Pokemon Stadium 2 for the N64. While not as well-known as its predecessor, there's still a lot of material to cover, both on the battling side as well as in the minigames. Honestly, it's pretty impressive for a game with only a single composer. If you want to know what we thought of the game…

In the first segment (1:18-12:33), I interview Veronica Weygandt, a percussionist who's done several covers of Pokemon music. Despite being relatively early in her career, we still had a lot to talk about, including how percussion is much more than just drums, how those instruments have been brought into the digital realm, and how she's revisited s…

Anne from Pikapi Podcast drops by to discuss a number of "disputed" Pokemon songs. "Flying Without Wings", "Happy Together", and several others go under the microscope to determine just how tied they are to the franchise. In the process, we cover a Whoopi Goldberg movie, a car commercial, and some other oddities, so it's definitely worth a listen.L…

In this episode, Anne from Pikapi Podcast helps me discuss the music of "Hey You, Pikachu" for the N64. While this title is most famous for having the player speak to it, there's also a lot of sound output to go over. Even if you've never played this game (sorry Anne), the discussion definitely has something to offer. As usual, we also have a game …

In the first segment (1:10-17:56), I interview Peter Moshay, an audio engineer who worked on Dream Street's "They Don't Understand" from the Pokemon 2000 soundtrack. In addition to providing details regarding the recording session, we also discuss some of the many acts he's worked with over the years.Our second segment (19:13-36:09) is an archival …

In the first segment (1:19-15:27), I interview YouTube musician Jordan Moore. We talk about his channel, his recent graduation from college, and his covers of Pokemon music. If you want to know what it takes to put together a video with many instruments all performed by the same person, this is one you shouldn’t miss.Our second segment (16:33-1:05:…

As promised, this episode contains our discussion of the non-musical aspects of Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution. Anne from Pikapi Podcast joins once again to go over the art style, script, and other facets of the remake. We also talk about whether the movie got released the way we wanted, and what kind of CGI Pokemon movies we'd like to see in the fu…

In this episode, we continue our discussion of the music of Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution. Anne from Pikapi Podcast helps me analyze the absence of "Brother My Brother", the score of the remake, and the opening sequence. After that, we review some social media comments and messages from the chat. If you want to know what we thought of the movie its…

This episode features the first part of a discussion of the music of Pokemon: Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution. Anne from Pikapi Podcast helps me analyze both "Keep Evolving" and a new rendition of "Together With The Wind". After that, we begin talking about music that's not in this remake by going over "We’re A Miracle". If you want to hear even more…

In this episode, Anne from Pikapi Podcast drops in to talk about the music of Pokemon Trading Card Game for Game Boy. Released years before the online version, this oddity mimics some of the structure of the regular games, but the tunes are original. Between the area themes, battle music, and a song for a real-world character, it produced a very in…

Bernie sits down with three leading economists and a top trade union leader to discuss how the government should respond to the coronavirus pandemic. Stephanie Kelton is a professor of economics and public policy at Stony Brook University. She is a leading expert on Modern Monetary Theory and a former Chief Economist on the U.S. Senate Budget Commi…

In this episode, Anne from Pikapi Podcast joins me to talk about the music of Pokémon Stadium for the N64. While most of the songs are pulled from the original gen one Game Boy games, it still manages to do a number of interesting things with them. We also discuss the announcer, and explain what's up with the shouting guy in the sushi minigame. To …

Since the start of the Democratic primary more than a year ago, we have seen the field dwindle from 20-some candidates to just two. On the one-year anniversary of our first episode, former Warren supporters make the case for progressives to rally around Bernie now that the choice is between him and Joe Biden. Ryan Knight is a progressive activist a…

In the third instalment of our Third Reich series, we discuss how lucky Hitler was, as well as how he was able to do the things that he did. Follow us on Twitter: @historyisfunpod If you have any suggestions for future topics you can email us at historyisfunpod@gmail.com Theme music thanks to https://www.purple-planet.com --- This episode is sponso…

Imperialism is usually a boring subject in school; we learn that the Europeans came in and ransacked Africa and left it destitute. While that is mostly true, like all things in history, there is more to the story. Enjoy! Follow us on Twitter: @historyisfunpod If you have any suggestions for future topics you can email us at historyisfunpod@gmail.co…

Economist Stephanie Kelton gives Briahna a crash course in monetary policy and why the United States would actually benefit from increased deficit spending - so long as it flows toward working people, not stock buybacks. Stephanie makes the case that, in the midst of the historic economic crash that COVID-19 is causing, the federal government could…

Recording from home, Briahna speaks with YouTuber Natalie Wynn about how COVID-19 underscores the need for Bernie's policies and talking to the political other. Under her YouTube alias ContraPoints, Natalie tackles topics like incels, cancel culture, and classism in stylish video essays. ContraPoints on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNv…

As COVID-19 reshapes American life in unprecedented ways, Briahna examines how Bernie's health care and housing proposals would help protect American workers during a global pandemic. In two interviews recorded late last week, Briahna talks to professor Jeffrey Sachs about how Medicare for All would do much to prepare the U.S. for outbreaks like CO…