01.31.10: Akemashite omedeto, Kaijucast fans!

Happy Twenty Ten, my loyal fans and new listeners and even those who don’t really care for the show! The new year is here and while it’s already been here for almost a month, I’m just starting things up! This month’s episode (which, by the way, is available for download here) features some very exciting stuff – mainly the brand new segment called Daikaiju Discussions! To kick off the new assignment based session, I invited all of my former guests (at least the locals) over to watch Godzilla Final Wars. After the film we talked about the film and I recorded it. But my fantastic guest this month was none other than my own son, T’Igor. We sort of got off on a video game tangent – clearly he knows more about this subject than I do, but it was a lot of fun talking with him only about Godzilla stuff. All in all, this episode has over two hours of content that I could have made into an Ultra-long episode, but I did my best and whittled it down to just over an hour (more like an hour and fifteenish minutes).  I’ll post the mostly unedited discussion in a few days – just because I think it was a real kick to hear. But you are probably wondering where that track listing has been placed. Well, you’ve been patient, so here you go:

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!

 

 Kaijucast Episode 13 [78:42m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

12.21.2009: A Very Kaijucast Christmas

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!

 

 Kaijucast Episode 12 [60:18m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

11.25.09: Let us give thanks for ULTRA special episode number 11!

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!

 

 Standard Podcast [65:45m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

10.27.09: Japanese Ghosts and Goblins take over episode 10

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!

 

 Kaijucast Episode 10 [78:50m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

09.30.2009: The Art of Screen Printing Godzilla

In the mid-1990s I started buying a few show posters from bands that I listen to – I mainly focused on Frank Kozik’s stuff, but I also have several more from other artists. Basically, there’s something that really “does it” for me with silk screened posters. The older screened Godzilla posters are fairly hard to come by and, by jove, are they pricey!

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!

09.24.2009: Episode 9 & Martin turns the tables!

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!

 

 Kaijucast Episode 9 [64:35m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

09.12.2009: Greyduck Volume Of Roars Review

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!

08.19.2009: East & West see eye to eye for Kaijucast Epsiode 8…

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.

 

 Standard Podcast [58:49m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

07.30.2009: I’ve finally finished Episode 7 (the G-Fest Episode)!

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

 

 Kaijucast Episode 7 [55:27m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

07.06.2009: Back from the show

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!