Zombie Book Club

2024 Recap with Special Guest OllieEatsBrains | Zombie Book Club Ep 77

• Zombie Book Club • Season 3 • Episode 77

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In this lively episode of Zombie Book Club, hosts Dan and Leah are joined by special guest OllieEatsBrains to reminisce about the highlights and peculiarities of 2024. The trio delves into humorous anecdotes, including a whimsical pitch of a Hallmark-style Christmas movie with a zombie twist. They reflect on the evolving dynamics of their community, the creative highs and lows of the year, and share their favorite zombie media. The episode is a testament to the vibrant, interconnected world they've built, filled with laughter, creativity, and deep connections.

Special thanks are extended to all guest contributors throughout the year, whose insights and stories have enriched the discussions and kept the undead spirit alive.

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Zombie Book Club Year in Review

Speaker 1

Did I say it like a Canadian.

Speaker 2

I think so. Tomorrow I'm going to have so much editing to do this is a nightmare.

Speaker 3

We're an hour and 11 minutes in. I think we've got like 30 solid minutes.

Speaker 1

No, okay, let's keep going.

Speaker 3

Welcome to Zombie Book Club, the only book club where the book is a clip show of 2024. I'm Dan, and when I'm not doing mid-sentence flashbacks to that time, five rich douchebags died in the submarine. Dan stares off into the distance and watches a flashback with wistful expression on his face. I'm writing a book about a bunch of rich douchebags who destroy the world by ignoring all the obvious signs of a pending zombie apocalypse and I'm leah and I hate odd numbered years.

Speaker 1

Can we just skip to 2028?

Speaker 3

Yeah, I am a fan of this. Just all four years. Did you know that we can book a cruise that will go for four years, so we can just skip the next four years and just live on a cruise?

Speaker 1

Is this real? This is real. Oliver, are you on that cruise?

Speaker 2

Actually that's my retirement plan.

Speaker 1

And Ollie is here. I've looked into this.

Speaker 2

Oh yeah, I'm Ollie, a zombie chicken impersonator, Anyway. But yeah, I've looked into those cruises and you can actually retire on a cruise ship that runs for a year for less expensive than it is to go into a retirement center.

Speaker 1

That's disturbing and also sounds fun. Yeah, but really bad for the environment.

Speaker 3

I feel compelled to say Today we're going to be reminiscing about 2024. Remember 2024, back when we were all innocent, Even before November of 2024?

Speaker 1

We were naive.

Speaker 3

Yeah 2024, back when we were all innocent, but you before november of 2024, yeah, before november. What? Yeah, hope for the future, back when there was joy and there were coconuts back before you wrote your hope essay we see, you know, we seemed like we were on such a an upward momentum, you know, when that submarine exploded and uh, and here we are I don't know start.

Speaker 1

I think we ended on the high note with luigi mangione. Yeah, but you know what?

Speaker 3

um, I can't help but feel like it should have been bigger world tour, luigi man like a v for vendetta.

Speaker 2

Everybody's gonna have like the luigi masks remember, remember the fourth of december.

Speaker 1

It's the fourth right yeah, I think so.

Speaker 3

Yeah, I, uh, I can't lie. I have been on amazon looking for luigi masks for adults and they might have to exist. We release episodes every sunday. So, uh, skrbubbies, is that what? What that?

Speaker 1

says I had a subscribe, but I'll take scurrbies.

Speaker 2

It's scurrbies, it's an anagram of subscribe.

Speaker 1

So it's been quite a year We've had the biggest thing I would say is all over. I don't think we knew you a year ago.

Speaker 2

Isn't that weird? No, I don't think so.

Speaker 3

Yeah, that that just blew my into that. It makes me feel like. It feels like we've known each other years. I think we were all part of some sort of like revolutionary group in a past life. I thought you meant since, like august also, that august was the first time that we had you on an episode was that the first time we ever talked to you? That can't be right I think so.

Speaker 2

Yeah, I think that's the first time we ever spoke when I I dropped into the episode. I mean, we've spoken obviously through text, but yeah, I don't know, never verbally. Do we know like, um, uh, the, the order in which things begin to happen?

Speaker 1

no, um, I have a sense of it.

Speaker 2

I think I have a little bit of uh so we'll start at the beginning, where the Zombie Book Club podcast started, and then we'll start in August, where Oliver joined, when it started really blowing up, because everybody loves Ollie.

Speaker 1

Yeah, it's true.

Speaker 2

I remember when your episode came out, oliver, there was like so many people on Instagram, on YouTube, being like I love Oliver Ollie's the best, that's that's because I went on to, uh, my current discord channel and I I threw that link at everybody and said go comment and tell everyone how awesome I am. And then I did the same thing on my twitch streams, and then I did the same thing on my friends discord channels and yeah, you know, we were like who is?

Speaker 3

is this Ali person who gets so many comments from so many people about how great they are? You know what, though, like I don't think that's cheating. I don't think like that's. That's how you do social media, is you go and beg people for engagement.

Speaker 1

And they won't do it unless they like you.

Speaker 3

Yeah, so it's still genuine.

Speaker 2

Unless you paid them. Yeah, I paid in shout outs, but, yeah, that was one thing I had at the time was a genuinely, uh, supportive community of people who actually like, just liked and followed me for all the things that I was doing, because I I was a streamer on a friend's stream for a while and gained, uh, got into their community, and so we all just became really tight that's what I've, that's what I always wanted to be as long as I was a streamer.

Speaker 3

I really just wanted to be a streamer on somebody else's channel yeah, that's.

Speaker 2

That's how I've always felt like I don't feel like I have main character personality. I feel like I'm more like uh, uh, what's his name? Andy on on conan o'b's show, I sit off on the side and make snide jokes every once in a while.

Speaker 3

Like you'd be great at a roast, but like as the person who just laughs and is like that's a good joke I'm good at interjecting yes on occasion.

Speaker 2

Yeah, I have side character personality.

Speaker 3

Yeah, I love side characters and I hope to be one one day.

Speaker 1

I think you might be the main character, Dan, because my role on the podcast is side character.

Speaker 3

I am an unwilling main character, yeah.

Speaker 1

But back to the community. It is true, oliver, I think that there was like a threshold moment. That was the summer, because it felt like we were sort of talking to ourselves for the first while. And then I remember I remember doing mushrooms around this time last year and then doing a podcast episode which was basically like I was on mushrooms and I was thinking about you all and that I don't know anything about you, and that's really weird because you're listening to us. And then slowly people started showing up. Yeah, but I feel like the summer is when it really boomed, because that's when we started having more interviews with authors like you. Ollie, about Maze, we met Joe Salazar.

Speaker 3

Yeah.

Speaker 1

Sylvester.

Speaker 2

Barzee Number one episode.

Speaker 1

Yeah, number one episode of the year. We had Sylvester Barzee on in March. That was also the beginning.

Speaker 2

Laurie, if I'm not mistaken, that was your first.

Speaker 1

I think that was our third. We had done two one-offs before that, in 2023, but it was our first of the year with Sylvester.

Speaker 3

That was the first book, Laurie Calcaterra well, that was after, but Brandon Starocki and Joshua Grant. Joshua Grant had comic books and we talked to them, but Sylvester Barzy was the first one that it was a words book with words in it.

Speaker 1

Yeah, and it shows you how far the community has grown. Because Sylvester was somebody we we stalked on the internet and I was like they will be our friend. Dan was like I like this person, I liked their book, and then they ended up being the zombie weaned King 2024. So, and yeah, you can't. I think you emailed you, I think you emailed us, oliver to say hi, I think so.

Speaker 2

Yeah, but uh, yeah, I think I emailed at some point. I don't remember what I emailed. Uh, no, I'm pretty sure we're talking on discord, no instagram. We were talking on instagram because then I sent an email and then we started talking about what I sent in the email on the Instagram and then we stopped sending emails because there was no point in it, because we were already talking about everything in Instagram.

Speaker 1

Yeah, and then at one point there was an email thread, an Instagram thread on both of my accounts.

Speaker 3

Also, we were talking on Discord and I think we realized we need to consolidate this in Discord untenable and you created the brain muncher zombie collective, which I think was a really big milestone for our community this year yeah, do you want to describe in uh to people who haven't been there yet what this brain muncher zombie collective is me?

Speaker 2

yeah um, the creator it's. It's just a Discord community where everybody all zombie enthusiasts from games or movies, books. If you like zombies, just go in there and chit chat about zombies. It's pretty tight knit. Everybody likes each other, it's a fun place. I hate opening the questions.

Speaker 3

Holly, what is your process?

Speaker 2

My process. For what Thinking?

Speaker 3

I don't. What's your life?

Speaker 2

story, born in Virginia, moved to Georgia, moved to Iowa, then dropped off in Idaho. Then I moved to Alaska where my parents got divorced and then I switched back and forth from Oregon to California. A lot went to Washington, then I moved to Kentucky with my dad, then I moved to Colorado with my mom, Then I moved to California with my dad, then I moved to Hawaii with my dad, then I moved to Oregon with my mom and then I moved back to Colorado with my mom, and I think there's a couple more in there, I'm not sure.

Speaker 1

Wow, and then you're in california and then I'm in california.

Speaker 2

That's, that's basically where my memory begins. All the rest of it is just notes in a book that I wrote because I didn't remember anything from back then. And then memory begins in california because, uh, the road trip I almost died several times yeah, wait what I get that, but also let's circle around to this almost dying thing okay, yeah, uh.

Speaker 2

So, uh, when I moved from, uh, colorado to california, I decided I would just pack everything in the back of a u-haul and drive in the middle of winter. Um, so I drove, yeah, I, as I was leaving colorado, I hit a massive blizzard and I couldn't see even like like 20 feet in front of me and, uh, the snow was piling up on the sides and I didn't know what to do because I couldn't see the side of the road, I couldn't see where I was going, I couldn't see anything. And then this massive semi truck just came by. I don't know how they could see what they were doing, but they wasn't doing so, um, I think it was white, okay, I mean, all I saw was the trailer. I don't remember the truck this was back in 2008.

Speaker 2

I just oh right, yeah, this is, uh, yeah, february 2008, I'm just covering my face.

Speaker 3

I'm not accountable for this.

Survival, Discord, and Zombie Community

Speaker 2

If, if you were, I'd say thank you because that truck saved my life. Oh, then it was me, cause, yeah, I, yeah, it definitely was you. I couldn't see what I was doing, so I just got myself right up behind that truck and just tailgated them until I got into the city.

Speaker 3

Yeah, that works.

Speaker 2

But yeah, and then I was denied entry to the hotel because all I had were was a debit card and they're like no, we're cash only, which I don't really understand, and so I was never heard before.

Speaker 1

Very scandalous.

Speaker 2

I don't know. I mean it looked like a pretty decent. I mean, if it was a higher end place and they're like, oh, we're just like too pricey for you, then I could kind of understand that. But no, they just said, no, we're cash only. And I didn't know where any ATM was at the time. So I just slept in the van and in like I don't know negative something degree weather. I had to go to the back and got my blanket and it was just caked in ice and just wow, just covered myself in that, so almost died on the road Cause I didn't know what I was doing and how and I was on, I was on the cliff. So I think I was driving like 15 miles an hour trying to figure that one out and then almost froze to death overnight. So that was fun.

Speaker 1

This is horrifying. It should have been in one of our survival episodes, but I'll just say I'm glad you survived, because now we have a discord.

Speaker 2

Yeah, because now we have a discord. Yeah, now we have a discord, that's uh, that's one of my main objectives in life is to to put discord out there.

Speaker 3

Yeah, uh, you know what. You made a really big achievement and um and something. Like I've had multiple discords in the past but like I never really knew how to run a discord and like keep it going.

Speaker 1

And what I love about your discord is that like there's always conversation happening, because there's so many people there that like just want just just have a lot to say on any given day for those of us like me who very recently didn't know what discord is, could one of you give a description like what is this place called discord, where we have the brain munchers zombie collective? What is it?

Speaker 2

I don't really want to call it like a social media platform, because I don't think it is, but it's, uh, it's, it's just a chat room slash it's a it's yeah, it's, it's like, it's kind of like reddit an application, if you also combined it with Zoom.

Speaker 3

It's Zoom and Reddit together. Yeah, that adds up.

Speaker 1

Zedit yeah.

Speaker 2

Redoom.

Speaker 1

Redoom. I like it because there's lots of different channels, so you get different discussions.

Speaker 3

Yeah.

Speaker 1

All the way from weather to sex and the apocalypse, and then I've liked doing the live streaming of the movies.

Speaker 2

That's been really fun. Oh yeah, that's been super fun, that's definitely my favorite.

Speaker 1

Yeah, you led the way in that one, and I think the reason why I don't remember the movie that we watched together the first time you streamed was because I was watching on my phone and like doing some work or something at the same time.

Speaker 2

Because I don't, it was like it might also be because, yeah, that was completely unannounced, because I was just testing the process to see if I could stream on there, because I I feel like having a couple you know community movie nights and such to build community was was fun yeah, we need to do that often now that we're, now that it's not the holiday season, yeah, definitely I'd love to get one, at least once a month maybe we should do on the day that trump is inaugurated, so we can all dissociate and just not know what's happening there.

Speaker 1

I think I might take that day off oh, that's the sixth right no, that's just the anniversary of of people storming the capitol.

Speaker 2

I think it's the 20th, or something yeah, it's the 20th january, 20th yeah um, okay, I've gotten all my days mixed up. I just know I've I've got plans on the 6th but we have had like a really amazing.

Speaker 1

Are you storming the capital?

Speaker 2

definitely storming the castle again. Yes, with uh, with my louis g mask guys, I can't do jan 6th.

Speaker 3

I have plans.

Speaker 1

I mean, maybe it's our turn. It's our turn, it's our turn yeah.

Speaker 2

When this episode drops and it does turn out that they did do something on the 6th then they're just going to come straight to us.

Speaker 3

This is going to age, so badly.

Speaker 2

On the 6th I'm going to be at church.

Speaker 1

That sounds really in character for you.

Speaker 2

Yeah, I've got church, I've got some gardening to do that day In January Big, big yeah. Lots of community things going on that on that particular day that I'm going to be participating in with a lot of other people, far, far away from everything else, right here at my house, a lot of witnesses.

Speaker 1

Yeah, I was just realizing that I have that day off, so I really look suspect because I wanted to have a four-day work week and I got back to work so I have a job interview.

Speaker 2

It's exciting, that's. That's what I'm doing. I have a job interview that day on the six.

Speaker 1

Well, that is a good alibi, yeah, but I would say one of the greatest things of this year has been finding zombies. Like you, oliver I, I can't even imagine life without you. Sounds really cheesy, but it's true.

Speaker 3

Um, and there's many, there's a few folks that we really love now yeah, and discord is, like this, perfect way to keep in touch with everybody, as long as they use it, yeah we got like we just got a couple extra really big name people dropped in there.

Speaker 2

Um, I don't know if we want to name drop on this, do we?

Speaker 1

absolutely I was gonna say, I was gonna say no, but why not?

Speaker 2

I mean we do have darren and michael from undead symphony both are in there. We have stephanie from uh listeners of dead, brian from zompocalypse, we've got peter from land of the undead. Um, I've reached out to a couple other people, but uh, yeah, they just blocked me immediately, which is fair, because I'm just some random person on the internet saying, hey, come join my discord yeah, same similar thing happened with dj mole, so I I understand that.

Speaker 1

I still consistently tag dj mole. That wasn't. That's like a high point, low point of the year. I we just did a little. America's next top zombie of some of my silly zombie cartoons that I drew this year and shovel guy, inspired by dj mole is the remaining, was one of them, and I tagged him in every single thing.

Speaker 2

That shovel guy was in just to like see if he would care, and I don't none, none, none, not even a like.

Speaker 3

No Does he have a what is it?

Speaker 2

a producer or a PR manager?

Speaker 1

I feel like he must, because I don't see him interacting.

Speaker 2

That would be who you reach out to.

Speaker 1

That would be smart.

Speaker 2

I'm not that smart Also if they have a PR manager, then they're probably outside out of our league.

Speaker 3

Yeah, they probably want nothing to do with us. Um, what other favorite moments have we had this year?

Speaker 1

I gotta say, oliver, I uh wzmb radio podcast.

Speaker 3

That was a wonderful surprise yeah, speaking of another podcast in the discord.

Speaker 2

That's right.

Speaker 3

The discord has oliver from uh wzmb radio yeah, I thought it was really creative and it's not.

Speaker 1

It's nothing like anything else that's out there no, and the whole community was stoked when you first put it out I'm gonna ask you a question what is wzmb radio?

Speaker 2

wzmb radio. So I I don't know I was was sitting around and I had this weird sketch idea in my head and I just decided to put it on audio as sound and turned it into a podcast. It was just supposed to be a platform on which I could do my own little reviews of board games, movies and other such things and set it in a little zombie apocalypse world. But I started it at the worst possible time that I could have, right at the start of the holiday season, where my workload doubles and I literally have no free time, and so I don't know what I was thinking when I started it just then. But I I'm going to continue it this year for sure. Yes, so don't don't feel like, uh, it's, it's over, I know it's just on hiatus while I I get life back together you really left us hanging with the squirrel situation I just assumed that, uh, that your character died from squirrels?

Speaker 2

Yeah, the squirrels definitely got there. If you guys want to know an insider secret, the squirrels didn't exist. They were all part of their imagination.

Speaker 3

You got me. You Tony Soprano-ed this.

Speaker 2

Well, I know at the start I don't know how much of the audio actually goes through, because when I create the thing the audio levels are very different from the actual finished product, so sometimes the sound effects that I put in there disappear. Because I was really disappointed when I discovered this, because when I download things in a wave format, everything's there, but when I put it in to MP3, it gets compressed and a lot of the sound it's the subtle sounds disappear. So I don't know if it it was audible that every now and then, uh, my character Oliver, would comment that the pills that he took just aren't really affecting and so he'd pop another one, and so he takes like five or six of those throughout the episode and then at the end he's hallucinating squirrels the squirrels were never real.

Speaker 3

The pills?

Speaker 2

they were all, all a hallucination from from from the uh, quote-unquote micro dosing yeah, well, how?

Speaker 3

how many micro doses before it's a mega dose? That's six question that I often ask.

Speaker 1

Six in this case, I believe. What other creator, highs and lows, did you have, oliver?

Speaker 2

Oh, I had a lot of highs and a lot of lows. Shortly after you guys did the episode about my, my website and the stories I post on there, I saw a massive shoot in in visitors, but I think I was working on something else at the time and so I didn't update it and I I should have probably pivoted and gone back to that and started working on maze again, but I I don't remember what I was working on?

Speaker 3

I think I was working on.

Speaker 2

I think I was working on the spreadsheet. Actually, I was trying to really dive back into that one and spread and, uh, expand upon it, because that was also getting a lot of notice, yeah, and then I was also focusing on the on, uh, yeah, the spreadsheet. The spreadsheet's a big thing from this year too. I think I started it late last year and, yeah, it's definitely gotten bigger, yeah, um I mean, I think, another high.

Speaker 3

I'm pretty sure that's the first thing that we noticed when we started talking to you is this spreadsheet.

Speaker 1

And I was like I love this person.

Speaker 2

I'm pretty sure that's the first time, my love language is spreadsheet, yeah, I think that was the first actual mention or shout out I got on your on the podcast was a mention of the spreadsheet. Yeah, yeah, so spreadsheet, the website. Uh, maze, I saw the podcast maze and, uh, my zombies, which, um, which I need to get back into also because, again, work got in the way.

Speaker 3

yeah, the zombies were really great because you know a lot of people when they get into the like the review and you know creation space, they they just keep review and creation space. They just keep going and going like make it as wordy as possible. That means it's better, that's me and I love how yours is just like. It just gets to the point.

Speaker 1

And it's funny. You're really good at making them funny and telling the story of whatever it's about. If it's worth watching.

Speaker 2

Yeah, well, since I intended to post them on instagram, I figured I should need it to keep them kind of shorter, so I limited the space that I could work in just to force myself to make a really short review and try to keep it free of spoilers.

Speaker 1

Yeah, it's a really smart exercise. I should probably start doing that at work, because I have I write a lot and then I'm like I need 50 of what I just wrote and then I tell chat gpt, please make this 50 of what I just wrote. And then I tell chat GPT, please make this 50% of what I just wrote, please make smaller. Basically, I literally like more concise, and then I send them my stuff. So I should just hire you.

Speaker 2

Oh, you should definitely. For sure I do it for you, but enough about me. I really want to hear more about this butthole crown.

Speaker 1

You are the reason it's a butthole crown, I think, to hear more about this butthole crown. You are the reason it's a butthole crown, I think I feel like you're responsible for that suggestion. Yeah, people don't know about the butthole crown yet well, we have mentioned that I've been making a crown for laurie calcaterra, who's the 2023 zombie weaned queen, and it's much more than a butthole crown. Okay, that's just one, one small part of it, but I don't remember where the butthole idea originated. To add it, because it's it was me it was you.

Speaker 1

Yeah, I thought it was you, oliver I don't know.

Speaker 2

I'm pretty sure it originated in a conversation between the three of us, so I'm dan was probably the one who put it out there, because that sounds a little too crass for me. Yeah, I'm, I'm definitely a more mature sense of humor.

Artistic Creations and Resolutions

Speaker 1

Definitely so mature. Well, you were the one who suggested that I could not add a butthole if I didn't add lips right by the butthole. Yeah, so there's lips, there's buttholes, there's a lot of fingers, there's some bite marks by me, which I think adds extra value.

Speaker 3

Yeah.

Speaker 1

Some eyeballs, noses Just one nose and one ear. A footprint would be good. Maybe I should use some foot, because I just talked to Sylvester, who is our zombie ween king of 2024. And now I'm going to make him his crown. He's to get me his head size first. Yeah, maybe I should add a foot to Sylvester. Sylvester, are you good with a foot? Is that better or worse than a butthole?

Speaker 3

I feel like all of them have to have a butthole.

Speaker 1

I feel like all of them have to have a butthole now. I mean, how could you not at this point? Yeah, well, I think I think it's only kind to make the butthole on the back side of the yeah, I'm crowned one because it's the back side.

Speaker 2

It makes sense, yeah and also it's right where it presses against the forehead.

Speaker 3

Yeah so it leaves a nice indentation in the forehead. That just looks like you have a butthole in your forehead.

Speaker 1

It was the most fun I've had all year was making that butthole and like just getting the pinkish color just right, and all the little crevices brought me a lot of joy. Audio clip. My other high point was definitely Zombieween. That was a big lift and it's my baby. I love the Zombieween game show. Oliver, you need to come on.

Speaker 2

Yeah, I was supposed to be there last time but I couldn't make it. I'm sorry.

Speaker 1

You're not forgiven.

Speaker 2

That's reasonable.

Speaker 1

But the downside for me was just typos, all the typos and all of my reels. That was my low point as a creator, I think.

Speaker 3

oh yeah oh yeah, we were supposed to think about low points too, yeah oh, how about the fact that we got called out for doing ai art? Yeah, that was a low point, yeah, yeah, um, yeah, I mean, we explained that in an episode, so I don't I don't want to rehash it too much, but yeah, we used AI for our thumbnail art for a little while and it was not a good idea.

Speaker 1

Yeah, and then we pivoted and now it's all either me or Dan, and sometimes Dan's brother, simon, makes art for us.

Speaker 3

Yeah.

Speaker 2

It is great and, and honestly now, the artwork is a high.

Speaker 3

Yeah, now it's a creator high.

Speaker 1

Yeah, it's a lot. It's become a lot of fun. I really never knew I would draw zombies. Now I want a zombie tattoo, yeah. Your Fallout cover was one of my favorites. Yes, I enjoyed making that one a lot yeah the twerking titan.

Speaker 3

Yes, I had some highs and lows too. Do you want to hear about my highs and lows? Sure, I'll start with the lows, I guess.

Speaker 2

I'm sorry, yes, yes, one of my resolutions is to be nice to people. Now I have to be nice, I'm sorry. Yes, I want to hear it's going really well.

Speaker 3

It's the first day of the year, so you're doing great, ollie. Thank you, low point. I haven't been writing as much as I need to be writing and a number of reasons around that, but I am going to be writing. I'm going to do it. This year I did write a lot over the summer, which I didn't expect, so that's kind of a high. I found a way that works for me to do voice. The fuck it was. I was trying to talk about Um also in in the middle of it. Sometimes it'll just catch something that somebody said over the cb and then, radio and then me correcting and saying that was on the radio.

Speaker 3

And now I read through it and it's like, it's like, yeah, I'm coming across the scale and that I'm. That was on the radio. And then there were zombies and I'm like what the fuck was I talking about?

Speaker 2

oh right, this happened in real life just adding some extra realism to the story there.

Creative Ambitions for 2025

Speaker 3

Yeah, another creator occasionally you get interrupted exactly, uh, another creator, hi, I've been doing, I've been getting back into uh, 3d art. A long time ago I taught myself 3d animation because I needed I needed a sense of purpose in my life at that time and 3d animation was going to be it, and I never really did anything with that, except for I learned it, did a few things with it, and then it kind of went on to the back burner for a little while when I became video editor for a youtuber, um, and then since then I haven't really used it. And now I'm getting back into it and I love it and I I would just want to do it all the time. So I've been working on some stuff. Joe salazar has wanted me to make some things, um, for promotional material, but I'm going to be focusing mostly on doing book covers. So if, if you are writing some type of apocalyptic book, maybe a zombie book, even, dan's the man for you yeah, I've got so many zombies you wouldn't believe it.

Speaker 3

Come on down. What about my zombies? I got big zombies, I got little zombies comic book a 3d comic book.

Speaker 1

That would be a lot at one point I thought, when we were first started talking again, dan, you were working on some kind of like a graphic novel. That was apocalyptic, and you showed me some of the art, which was also amazing.

Speaker 3

Oliver, yeah, that needs to come back that was on, that was on 3ds max. Yeah, I was, um, I was. I was at a stage where I was really trying to get down the art style which would have been really super fast to produce and also had like a hand-drawn quality to it, um, but there was just so many problems that I had with it that I never ended up finishing it. And then I went to truck driving school and everything had to stop. I no longer had time for my personal ambitions. I was driving a truck, I was truck boy, and now I'm winter truck boy, which means no trucking, which means no trucks, lots of 3d art, yeah. So I get to do fun stuff now, but you know what, if there's a lot of people out there that want book covers, maybe I don't have to go back into a truck and I'm just an art boy now.

Speaker 1

I like that. I have a question. I don't really like New Year's resolutions, but I'm going to ask us each to do one creative wish for 2025. Just a wish, a thing that you want in 2025.

Speaker 3

Me first Sure, yeah, I absolutely need to have a rough draft, at a bare minimum, in 2025. If I don't, I, I don't know, I I'll be very sad okay.

Speaker 1

So we collectively as a community, need to like poke and prod you.

Speaker 2

Yeah, okay we can do that what's the best?

Speaker 1

encouragement, what can we? How can we help? Alexa, remind me to annoy dan yes, annoying me works we could do um, I I don't know if folks would be interested in this, oliver, you're a good test but we could do like creative sessions, where you basically are online together but you have to create something. You're not really talking to each other I created something just before we went.

Speaker 3

We came on. Do you want to hear it? Yeah, yes, okay. So um have have either of you watched a hallmark christmas movie. I refuse on principle hot frosty hot frosty.

Speaker 1

Is that what it's called?

Speaker 2

wow, yeah, we just watched. Watched frosty, uh, last week okay you're gonna love this then.

Speaker 3

Uh, I've called this home for christmas of the living dead. I love it. So this is, this is supposed to be a movie ready for hallmark, and, and I can see the cover just already. When small town christmas enthusiast claire bennett, a big city restaurateur forced to return home to pine hollow during a zombie outbreak, reconnects with her high school sweetheart, rugged and resourceful survivalist jack foster, sparks fly amid the chaos. Jack, who never left pine hollow, has transformed the quaint town square into a fortified haven, complete with heavy palisade walls and deadly spike-filled moats. Using his manliness, chiseled jaw and rugged beard, claire determined to help the remaining townsfolk volunteers at the diner, using her highbrow chef skills to feed and bring comfort to the frightened community. Jack, however, is focused on building defenses and insists that Christmas is the last thing anyone should worry about. But when Claire organizes a secret, zombie-safe Christmas Eve celebration in the heart of town, she reminds everyone, including Jack, that hope and love are just as vital as survival. As they prepare for the holidays with twinkling lights, a decorated Christmas tree and a makeshift hot cocoa station, all while fending off the undead, jack and Claire realize their past feelings for each other never truly died, but when a massive horde threatens to breach their sanctuary on Christmas Eve, jack must overcome his fear of vulnerability and Claire must trust Jack's instincts. Together they lead the town in a last stand that proves Christmas miracles can happen even in the apocalypse. Complete with heartfelt moments, snowy settings and a surprising amount of humor, like the townsfolk dressing up as zombie carolers for the Christmas parade.

Speaker 3

Home for Christmas of the Living Dead is a heartwarming tale of resilience and the magic of the holidays. Hallmark style, with a zombie twist. Closing scene Jack finally hangs the Christmas wreath on the fortified gate as Claire and the townsfolk gather to light the Christmas tree, the camera pans to reveal a glowing sanctuary in a snowy, apocalyptic landscape. A single zombie outside the gate groans and gets pelted with a snowball. Beautiful, call me, hallmark. Call me for all your zombie needs. Oh, some applause.

Speaker 1

So yeah, I did do some writing today does hallmark ever have like two queer characters in a lot of story, or is it?

Speaker 3

it always hetero.

Speaker 1

Is it always white people? They've got to change that up by now.

Speaker 3

It is always white people that's a good question. It is always hetero people. It is always the woman wearing red and the man wearing green. Fascinating the man is always dark haired, usually with a beard but definitely a chiseled jaw, while the woman sometimes has brunette hair and sometimes has blonde hair.

Speaker 1

Wow, I feel like your movie would fit right into the genre.

Speaker 3

Yeah, it's perfect for it.

Speaker 1

So is that your wish for 2025 is to also produce this movie.

Speaker 3

No, you know what. This is a spec script. This is my elevator pitch. I'd have to say it a lot faster to get it out during an elevator pitch, but like I'm, I'm in the elevator with Hallmark CEO, mr Hallmark, and I just blurred all that out as fast as I can.

Speaker 1

And then they're like that's a deal We'll buy it, or you could just talk to your friend who's a filmmaker named Chris oh yeah, chris, do you want to make this movie?

Speaker 3

It's high budget.

Speaker 2

Yeah, get that down to three minutes.

Speaker 3

You're going to need to buy a small town in Vermont.

Speaker 1

Could do it right here in our town, it'd be perfect. Yeah, it will be perfect. Yeah, oliver, do you have a 2025 creator wish?

Speaker 2

Oliver, do you have a 2025 creator wish? Yeah, I did actually sit down and write down a bunch of resolutions, but I do want to. I guess one of the big ones is I just want to do a podcast at least once a month.

Speaker 1

Like the WZMB podcast.

Speaker 2

Yeah, I want to get an episode of WZMB at least once a month.

Speaker 3

That would be amazing. I thought you were saying that you wanted to be a guest on this podcast once a month. That too, I was going to say, that's fine.

Speaker 1

Oliver became the third co-host back in August, the minute you came on.

Speaker 3

Even when Oliver was here. We speak of Oliver.

Speaker 1

It's true, your name is mentioned in every episode.

Speaker 2

Not every episode. There are a couple episodes that I've marked down for negative marks for not mentioning me, and you're making that into a list. Yes, I'm checking it twice, just so you're aware.

Speaker 1

Do you have any other resolutions you want to share? As a resident zombie?

Speaker 2

I mean, I definitely want to get. I want to try and get back onto that website for the words, which is made for. It turns writing into a role playing game to kind of really inspire you to write more, and a lot of maze was actually written in there, and then I moved out of there to go focus to write on some other app that I got I think it's called Scrivener. Yeah, because I thought it would help me organize, and I spent the next three weeks just trying to organize things and completely lost track of the story and then got distracted by something else. But yeah, I think I want to get back into For the Words, to focus more on writing. I want to stream more, do more for my Twitch stream and I just got the VR set and I've been playing saints and sinners on there, and so I want to go focus a lot more on zombie games and media for my Twitch.

Speaker 3

Yeah, I was watching you play saints and sinners. It seemed like you had a commitment to doing everything the wrong way.

Speaker 2

Um, well, yeah, I don't think I have great survival instincts.

Speaker 3

Yeah, um, well, I was watching I broke everything and you managed to get through the tutorial almost all the way to the end. But then, when you got to pistol training, you looked down the barrel and pulled the trigger and started again and you had to start over again.

Speaker 2

Yeah, yeah, literally the very first thing I do when I get the gun is just shoot myself in the face this is a time-honored tradition I. I didn't know that was going to happen. I wanted to see what the um, what the, if they had like a, what the animation looks like for muzzle flash, and apparently it looks like a bullet to the face.

Speaker 3

Yeah, did you see the bullet come out?

Speaker 2

No, I didn't see the bullet, but I did drop the gun immediately and then the screen went black. I didn't actually notice what had happened right off the bat. The screen just started going black and I dropped a gun and I tried to lean down and pick the gun up and I was like I was thinking to myself, why can't I pick the gun? Did I break something? And then it popped up and said you died. I'm like, oh yeah that makes sense, that's what's supposed to happen.

Speaker 2

when you do that, I guess I did get to accomplish one of my 2024 goals.

Speaker 1

Was that?

Speaker 2

I wanted to both take over your podcast and become a third host, and I took over your podcast successfully. You did one episode.

Speaker 1

Yeah, when you interviewed Dan that was a highlight.

Speaker 2

That was my, that was. That was a big highlight of 2024. I don't know how I didn't make it onto my list. Actually, I think I, I think I was so traumatized by the experience of trying to host that I just blinked it.

Speaker 1

You were traumatized, Oliver.

Speaker 2

Oh, it was so stressful.

Speaker 1

I would never have known. I don't know, I did great how?

Speaker 3

do you think I felt when I realized that we weren't talking about baby animals?

Speaker 1

Oh, that's right. I don't know how we do it either. I frequently just don't listen to them, because sometimes I hate the sound of my own voice and I'm like I can't, I don't want to know what I said, I just don't and then, instead, you asked me about my book, and then it turned into, uh uh, an hour-long rant, while I um had a mental breakdown everybody loved it, though I think the one of your creative through lines is that people love to watch you suffer.

Speaker 3

Yeah, and kind of lose it. Yeah, people love watching me suffer.

Speaker 1

It's very fun, but yeah, let's talk about our podcast for the year. We've got a couple of highlights. Yeah, we got a recap From Buzzsprout, which is what hosts our podcast.

Speaker 3

It's like a Spotify wrapped, but it's for our podcast. Yeah, and that is cool.

Speaker 1

And we got to start with number one, which is that it told us our top five listened to episodes in 2024.

Speaker 3

Yeah, were they made in 2024?

Speaker 1

Not all of them were made in 2024, because it includes Well, actually, let me look, but a lot of them are like much earlier on in the year because obviously they have more time to accumulate. Listens.

Speaker 3

That's true.

Speaker 1

But the Dead weight with Joe Salazar was our number one episode and that was in the summer and actually Joe just commented on a post I'm tagged in. I'll have to look at that later.

Speaker 3

Wow, Thanks Joe.

Speaker 1

See, we're all friends. I love that Real time, but that was really amazing because that was in, I think, august. Yeah, so for them to hit.

Speaker 3

number one says a lot about both Joe as somebody people care about and want to hear about, and also just the book, the quality of the book. Whenever we have an author on, I always hope that they're going to get the reception that they deserve, and sometimes we got to really really try to make that happen. But it makes me so happy that Joe Salazar's was as successful as it was.

Speaker 1

Yeah, they all deserve that kind of listenership.

Speaker 3

We've got some other fun things about our podcast in our recap. We've got over 4,000 downloads this year.

Speaker 1

What are we at in total as of right now? Dan, I have no idea. You can look it up. You have the magic.

Speaker 2

Over 4,000.

Speaker 3

Everybody pause.

Speaker 1

Yeah, and I don't know if uh, oliver, you did this, did you do this math of more than one download per minute of podcast?

Speaker 2

uh, it's it was pretty obvious because you had 3.8 000 minutes ah, I, I guess.

Speaker 1

So, yeah, um, and we, we produced more than 52 episodes because this came out, um, I think, in december, the beginning of december.

Speaker 2

You're looking it up, dude, I'm getting there yeah, the recap said he had 52 episodes through 2024, so I just dropped that in there almost 6 000 we're at almost 6 000 downloads now.

Speaker 1

No way, yeah, seriously, yeah, no, that's total, that's not just for this year total. So so we're at almost 6,000 downloads total for our entire time. What were you asking me? And most of that was for just well, what is it for 2024?

Speaker 3

I don't. Oh, okay, hold on, I don't know.

Speaker 2

I can only tell you what the recap said.

Speaker 1

Me too. I don't have access to the magical keys to see these things. You're not going to believe this. Okay, what's the what's the facts?

Speaker 3

from January 1st 2024 to January 1st 2025. We have 4,000 downloads. Exactly, exactly.

Speaker 1

Wow, that's wild and that puts us in the top 50% of podcasts, so we have more listens than 50% of the other podcasts. Yeah, Take that 50% of other podcasts, we're better than one and two. I don't know, I'm not good at math. Somebody make this make sense.

Speaker 3

If you compare us to one other podcast, there's a good chance that they can suck eggs.

Speaker 2

Let's compare you to WZMB. I think you guys are a little more successful.

Speaker 1

Well, you've also only had four episodes.

Speaker 2

That is true, and I have had about 3,000 downloads.

Speaker 3

Seriously what.

Speaker 2

No.

Speaker 1

I was going to be like damn.

Speaker 2

Oliver, why don't you?

Speaker 1

make this happen.

Global Listener Demographics and Random Discussions

Speaker 2

I don't even know where to get that stat yeah, buzzbro just tells us these things.

Speaker 1

The other thing that's really cool that buzzbro told us was that we've been listened to in 54 countries wow, uh, can you list them all? I mean you're the one with the app from memory um no in the form of a song america, canada, mexico, sweden, some might like the united kingdom. This song should be deleted from this episode. This is not a song.

Speaker 3

Yeah, um I love it.

Speaker 1

No, great job, leah I don't know the places india yeah, probably um cambodia. I think I saw once thailand the russian federation did we have any russians?

Speaker 3

listen. We did love that. Um, the most surprising one, uh, that I saw was kazakhstan. I uh I was not expecting to see listenership from kazakhstan, and I sometimes wonder, uh, what they think about us talking about the apocalypse, if they, if they yeah, this is cool talking about zombies and the apocalypse, or if they're just like listen to these stupid, privileged white people.

Speaker 1

I feel like the one Kazakhstan listener is going to write us and be like you know what, I'm not listening anymore. You know nothing about my country.

Speaker 3

That's what I mean though Kazakhstan listener tell us, Let us know.

Speaker 1

We want to hear from you.

Speaker 3

You are our ideal listener. Let us know what you like about us. Are you still listening? There was only one download from your country, so I'm guessing no.

Speaker 1

Oliver, how many? So did you figure out how many downloads you have?

Speaker 2

66.

Speaker 1

That's a good number. Three more would be more fun. You know what? For four episodes it's pretty good.

Speaker 2

Yeah, For four episodes 66.

Speaker 3

I feel like that's where we were at at four episodes.

Speaker 2

I think I think it's mostly me. I think I downloaded it 50 times.

Speaker 3

Yeah, that helps a lot. That really boosts your numbers. So if you can just download your own podcast like 4, then you'll look really good. I mean, I wasn't supposed to say that out loud.

Speaker 2

I just need to figure out whatever program that one dude used to make his own podcast using AI and then have AI bots listen to it so he could get thousands and thousands of listens per episode and make a lot of money off of that. Figure out how he managed that.

Speaker 1

Yeah, is that a real thing? Is that a real story?

Speaker 2

That's a real story.

Speaker 1

Wow, what have we been wasting our time with dan. I want sponsorship dollars from like um another, um from casper mattress another real story.

Speaker 2

Uh, not to completely derail, but did you guys hear about all the drones in new jersey? I did yes yeah, and how people are literally sending in videos of stars saying that these drones are driving them crazy.

Speaker 1

This is mass hysteria. Such a good example of it.

Speaker 3

You know, when I first heard about that, it was all I saw was a video that somebody was posting of drones in New Jersey, and literally what they were posting were airplanes landing at an airport. Oh my God. Yeah, there's videos of like airplanes and literally what they were posting were airplanes landing at an airport. Oh my god yeah, there's.

Speaker 2

There's videos of like airplanes. There's videos of like someone sent a picture of orion's belt. No, like the constellation.

Speaker 1

Yeah they said that these guys before they haven't, yeah, they.

Speaker 2

They said that these ones have been hovering over his house for hours you know, in new jersey you don't have to look at the sky.

Speaker 3

That's the privilege of new jersey I think that's not a privilege.

Speaker 1

I think the sky and the stars are like our right as people well, that new jersey, and if you don't? Know what orion's belt is.

Speaker 2

I feel like you've been woefully failed only the most identifiable yeah I don't even know what to say, like it's literally the only constellation I can point out and say hey, I know that one you don't know the big dipper um, I can't identify it wow, I think I you know, I grew up with star privilege because I grew up in the middle of nowhere and I would look at the stars.

Speaker 1

I'd like just lie outside all the time and look at them.

Speaker 2

So yeah yeah, all the stars just look alike to me. The little dipper is harder. A little dipper. Yeah, I can't. I don't know where to look for that one either.

Speaker 1

It's really little. When I realized just how little the little dipper is, it was easier to find it's tiny.

Speaker 2

I mean, I'm um.

Speaker 1

Well is there space I want to go down this road for a moment and have a minute. Is there an up in space?

Speaker 2

there is up in space, when, relative to my position on earth, up is that way I can point to it right now that everywhere is up.

Speaker 3

Unless you go back to earth, then you're going down. No, it's specific.

Speaker 2

Actually, I think didn't they say that space isn't really, it's eternal falling?

Speaker 1

Is that what it's doing? I thought it was just spinning around. I thought everything was spinning.

Speaker 2

I think I could be wrong, but I feel like I've read somewhere that the experience of weightlessness in space is just perpetually falling towards the nearest body.

Speaker 3

Yeah, that adds up.

Speaker 1

That makes sense. So there's no up. There is no up sense. So there's no up. There is no up. Yeah, there's gravity but that's it.

Speaker 3

That's my new stance.

Speaker 1

There is no up there's no up or down on the map either. That's a lie guys listen, there is no.

Speaker 2

That's why rick astley can't give it to you big up, big up is lying to you.

Speaker 1

There is no up what is seven up seven up is a lie.

Speaker 3

They have have you found seven up in a grocery store, convenience store area recently I have not.

Speaker 1

Actually, you're making a good point. It doesn't exist anymore.

Speaker 3

You know what it's called, what starry.

Speaker 2

They changed the name to starry no, they did not, they did you, they did. That's Sierra Mist.

Speaker 3

No, it's not.

Speaker 2

That's Sierra Mist, it's not yeah it is.

Speaker 3

It's not Sierra. It is Sierra Mist, you're right.

Speaker 2

I worked for Domino's when they made that switch and I remember being very upset about it. Do you know why? Do you know why they did that?

Speaker 1

No, yes, why they did that. No, yes, what, oliver? Why tell us why?

Speaker 2

uh, because they got into a lawsuit with someone else named sierra mist and they lost, and so they had to change their, their, uh, their whole ip yeah, they they've.

Speaker 3

They went into a um, they they started. They sued a streamer who was using the name sierra mist as their streaming name. Um, and when they sued the person, they failed to realize that the company had not, uh, renewed their copyright on the name sierra mist for several years. Wow, so the person, sierra mist decided I'm gonna copyright sierra mist, and they bought the copyright to sierra mist and then won the trial because they are now the rightful owners of Sierra Mist, forcing Sierra Mist to change their name to Starry. Why didn't?

Speaker 2

they just buy the copyright. That's the whole reason why the WWF had to change their name too.

Speaker 1

Really, I don't even know what the E stands for, because I was a WWF baby.

Speaker 2

World Wrestling Entertainment.

Speaker 1

Oh, okay, what was the question that you asked? I have no idea. We've left the building. I think we should return back to the podcast building.

Speaker 3

Let's come let's come back to the podcast building.

Speaker 2

Yeah, yeah talking about zombies.

Speaker 3

I think right so we talked to authors. Remember, remember when we talked to authors? Yeah, and I would like to say that at the beginning of this time last year, we thought we would.

Speaker 1

Yeah, and I would like to say that at the beginning of this time last year, we thought we would talk to an author like once every 10 weeks. Yeah, that was the plan, and so the first author that we interviewed on march 10th sylvester barzi for the very awesome book planet dead was our first guest and we didn't think we would be talking about any other book at all until 10 weeks later, which was laurie calcaterra at the time, path of the pale rider. Those were our only two plans for the entire year at that point, but we have a lot more than just those two on this list. So what happened?

Speaker 3

I don't remember people started messaging us yeah, people started messaging us and also we started getting involved in like in their lives and they won us over as people. And then we were like please be on our podcast.

Speaker 1

And then they were yeah, it's kind of amazing.

Speaker 3

And then our whole plan went away. Everything changed at that point. Yeah, I don't really remember. I do remember at some point because we were still doing the every 10 weeks thing. So we had like a featured author that we planned to interview in six weeks time but then we'd interview like three other ones in that time and it felt weird to be like thanks for coming on our podcast. Now we're going to tell everybody to listen to a different book at the end. So we kind of did away with that whole every 10 weeks thing, every 10 episodes. Sorry, it was every six weeks.

Speaker 1

It just happened organically and then I think we named it in October of this year. Oliver, as a listener, was that a weird transition for you, like all of a sudden we're just interviewing people all the time.

Speaker 2

Not really. I mean, I did kind of want to hear more reviews, because I think I started listening to the podcast specifically to get other people's points of view on things that I was reading and watching and enjoying. But I mean it's also really nice getting to expand and find other authors and books and such that I never would have found with without them showing up on your on your podcast. So you're giving them a platform that they're they can put it out there. Because, like I had never heard of, you know, mr guy, path of the pill writer, uh, the dead weight from joe salazar, never, never heard of those before, yeah, and uh, I probably would not have found them otherwise that kind of brings up.

Speaker 3

Another point is that, um, you know, at some point we realized that, like, we had a choice as to, like, who got the spotlight. Yeah, and you know, all of all of these authors were, uh, were coming to us and we were, you know, finding them because they were finding us and realizing these. These are really good and there's no way that they really have to find people to read these books, like, and, and we can choose who we point our spotlight at, and that was we decided that we wanted to, was we decided that we wanted to.

Speaker 1

Um, you know, think, think a little bit harder about who, who, uh, who we focus on, and indie writers were, like a big part of that yeah, I realized pretty quickly we weren't going to pass any of the tests that we critique movies for if we just uh interviewed people who came to us for the first time, um, and so that's why I think having lots of different voices and backgrounds, with gender, race, um, parts of the world even, I think is a really cool part of what we're doing now, and I love that it's indie authors yeah I'm pretty much reading primarily indie, yeah, and some of them are.

Speaker 3

Some of them have publishers, but like it's still indie vibe, like they're small, small time. Let's, uh, let's, let's go through this list of people that we talked to this year. Okay, um, first one, sylvester barzy, planet dead epic conversation cannibal clowns can't go wrong yeah, sylvester barzy was great to talk to, and now sylvester is our best friend yes, sylvester, you're our best friend.

Speaker 1

I don't think you know that, but it's official now. Yeah, sorry, ollie, but also we're having them back. We're actually interviewing them tomorrow. Yes, sylvester, you're our best friend. I don't think you know that, but it's official now. Yeah, sorry, ollie, but also we're having them back. We're actually interviewing them tomorrow for their book, the Dead Soil, yeah, which I just realized is like. Planet Dead was their first book ever that they published and the Dead Soil is their most recent one, but they both have very similar names. We should unpack that tomorrow Like they're different, but if you look at the underlying meaning of planet dead and dead soil, there's something there.

Speaker 3

Yeah, planets are made of soil.

Speaker 1

Yeah, and both are dead yeah.

Speaker 3

Path of the Pale Rider with Lori Calcatero. Lori was awesome. First thing that we had Lori on was last year's zombie ween.

Speaker 1

That's right, she's the person I made the crown for that's now being called the butthole crown, which I think is massively does not represent its beauty, yeah, and disgustingness.

Speaker 3

Mr Guy Zombie Hunter with JL and Lindsay From Oneshi Press Oneshi.

Speaker 1

Press. That was a really fun one, very hilarious.

Speaker 3

Yeah, again, super glad that we met jl and lindsey. Super fascinating characters both of them and they make really cool comics I never knew as much about aspic as I do now.

Speaker 2

Thank you, jl I never even heard of aspic until jl I had a very skewed perception of what an ass pic was what did you think it was before you heard JL's detailed description?

Speaker 1

No, why is it? This is one of those moments where I can tell both of you know something that I don't. Let's move on. You're not going to tell me.

Speaker 3

Ass pick. Oh I was slow, slow, I'm sorry zombie nerd and the half term harrowing with Jack bean boy Callahan, our first British author. Yeah, it's true, and I still have to read zombie nerd and the half term harrowing.

Speaker 1

I heard from Leah that it's great it's very fun and it's um some surprises along the way and some really interesting characters, so I'm a fan.

Speaker 3

The remaining Sorry Jack.

Speaker 1

Oh, the Remaining with author Oliver Grayson.

Speaker 3

Remember when we interviewed Oliver for the Remaining written by DJ Mole.

Speaker 2

It had a lot of great insight.

Speaker 1

You did, you did. They had a lot of great insight. You did, you did. Do any of us remember anything we talked about on that episode other than shovel guy?

Speaker 2

no, I was gonna say shovel guy and the dog not deserving to die that's true.

Speaker 1

Yeah, very important spoilers spoilers yeah, don't kill the dog just think, if dj mole had had agreed to come on the podcast, then, oliver, you would not have been on the podcast, and then this wouldn't be happening right now.

Speaker 3

Yeah, or maybe.

Speaker 2

Thank you, DJ Mole.

Speaker 3

DJ Mole would be here instead of Ollie. That sounds terrible.

Speaker 2

He'd be your third host. He'd have taken over.

Speaker 1

Yeah.

Speaker 2

He'd be the first host.

Speaker 1

It sounds like it. He sounds like that kind of guy yeah.

Speaker 3

Yeah, I know him, I've read his books, I know how he thinks the dead weight, but with joe salazar number one remember that one?

Speaker 1

I think so. And then who is joe salazar? Only one of the greatest people on earth? Yes, right now I remember yeah, the person you've been making fan art for for the last month, right that person? Yeah, definitely, um, an incredible book that I highly recommend people read. Uh, and then we had it was like the summer of amazing, because then we had you on for a second time to talk about amazing. Amazing, which was our first character.

Speaker 1

That was not cis first non-binary character, that's true isn't it and also I just realized that claire is also not binary in their monstrousness, and I'm not sure if saying more would be a spoiler, oliver, so tell me oh, I've never worried about spoilers okay, because claire is because both vampire and zombie wow, so they're non-binary monster too. Did you do that on purpose?

Speaker 3

um, yeah uh, then we have avalon comic with uh, brandon staraki very heartwarming, made me want to hug my mom yeah, that was. That's the second time that we interviewed brandon staraki, isn't it? It is yeah yeah, then we have martha's notebook with kurt, folster, see holster first ai zombie I'd ever read about.

Speaker 1

Yeah I.

Speaker 3

I've read ai zombies before. That was cell by stephen king. I think there's a lot more room in the genre for more ai zombies. Let's just say that I think I think ai zombie might be the new 28 days later zombie yeah, and then oliver, what was the next one?

Speaker 2

I'm gonna let you talk about this one thanks the z word with lindsey king miller which has how many peppers I believe I gave that five out of three that's uh, that is a spicy pepper it is.

Speaker 1

That was a fun episode sorry no, are you okay? Yeah?

Speaker 2

I'm good, I swallowed wrong was it the spicy peppers? Probably.

Speaker 3

I don't do peppers very well oh yeah, you don't like the spices I I don't like spicy, but um, I tolerate it very well now, usually so you would not be a fan.

Speaker 1

Wait, are we talking about?

Speaker 2

food or the book whichever way you want to take it, I was talking about food okay, yeah, I I'm not particularly fond of spicy foods, but I I deal with them all right.

Speaker 1

I'm working on it because I feel like dan will love me more if I'm better at consuming hot foods, spicy foods, it's not true, but I admire you for putting up with it, yeah. And then we had how we End with Elm Juniper.

Speaker 3

Yeah, and that was an absolute joy, yeah. Elm Juniper. I loved that episode. I thought Elm was a really interesting person and, uh, now I want elm to be my best friend.

Speaker 1

Sorry, ollie we just keep breaking up with ollie on this episode and calling her best friend.

Speaker 3

Yeah this is my last episode no, and then, finally, we had the zombie re erection with polym Lee. That's the most recent one.

Speaker 1

That is the book I keep recommending to everybody except for my family. I'm like you have to read this. You have to read this. It's so wonderful and ridiculous. Yeah, did you have a favorite Oliver from the year?

Speaker 2

Maze, I think, was probably my favorite. I love reading it.

Speaker 1

Do you go back and read your own work?

Speaker 2

I go back and I read my work a lot, because I constantly forget what I'm writing.

Speaker 3

I wish more people would do that. More people would rewrite their work, read their work.

Speaker 1

Yeah, yeah, you've had some experiences where you've read some stuff where you're just like did anyone else look at this?

Speaker 3

Yeah, that happens from time to time, yeah.

Speaker 2

Outside of things that I wrote, I got a soft spot for the Remaining. Yeah, that was the first episode I dropped in on.

Speaker 3

Yeah, I don't know if I mentioned that already. That crosses over into, like the the more mainstream and the the the the types of diversity that you would expect if you were going to be reading a zombie apocalypse book, which is to say none he's gonna say what diversity yeah, there's. There's a very small amount, but like that's the dog it's it's representative of what you would think.

Speaker 2

The genre is um and the dog was also a cis male that's true we don't know that.

Speaker 3

Sorry, I am assuming you know I want a book from the perspective of tango me too, that'd be.

Speaker 1

I've actually just want a perspective, a perspective from animals period in the apocalypse. I think that'd be really cool, but what I was going to say is that that was the only book this year that we read. That was we didn't talk to the author and was super mainstream. And the next book that I want to read on the podcast that is also a little more mainstream nowadays and definitely can't interview the author. I'd love to have you back on, for Oliver is Parableable the sower by octavia butler, because it's 2025. That's when all the shit goes down in that book and I think we need to read it yeah, you don't think.

Speaker 1

Octavia butler will come on the show unfortunately she's dead and I don't think we can make her undead um well, we'll work on that.

Speaker 3

yeah, yeah, we'll contact, we'll contact octavia's See what we can do.

Speaker 2

With these modern times, anything's possible.

Year in Review

Speaker 1

I don't think she wants to come back to see her predictions in real life.

Speaker 3

No, Leah and Ollie. We watched movies this year so many, yeah. Some of them were good, some of them were not good. How do you feel about that, leah?

Speaker 1

I think that probably of the three of us we watched, you and I watched way fewer movies than oliver. That's my guess. How many movies do you think you watched, ollie, that are zombie related?

Speaker 2

um, I I think I covered right around 30 or so do you watch movies that don't have zombies in them? I do have family, so yes, oh.

Speaker 1

Only because of family.

Speaker 2

They do force me to watch things. Well, also, I did go and see the Deadpool movie three times in theater. So, oh, okay.

Speaker 3

I guess I have to say yes, I do watch things without zombies. So let's talk about the best and worst zombie movies that Oliver didn't watch with family members.

Speaker 2

Oliver's did wait what I don't know. Let's just go. No that, that is true.

Speaker 1

My family refuses to watch most of them really yeah that makes it makes it makes the zombie collective make sense, because you need an outlet yeah, you need.

Speaker 2

You need a place to share that obsession yeah, like like I told brian on his podcast, I did all this for selfish reasons so I'd have a community well, we're glad because it selfishly helped us too.

Speaker 3

Also shout out to brian yeah, hi brian leah yeah, why don't you tell us what the best and worst movies?

Speaker 1

okay, I'm gonna make it quick because there's episodes about these If you want to hear more. Best blood. Quantum loved it, so brilliantly done, such an incredible critique of our society and the relationship between colonizers and the indigenous folks of North America. And very funny and gory as well. And zombie verse Also one of my favorites from this year. And I want to be clear because, oliver, you asked us this, so for the listeners, we are talking about the best and worst movies that we watched in 2024, not the ones that came out in 2024, which will make this next one make sense. 2024 was the first year I watched Night of the Living Dead, 1968.

Speaker 3

Yeah.

Speaker 1

And it's incredible. I was like I get it now.

Speaker 3

Yeah, we watched both versions back to back because I watched 1968 and then leo was like now let's watch the new one yeah, and I thought it was gonna be terrible.

Speaker 1

I got my thinking putty, which is like this putty that you can make stuff with while you're just sitting around it's great for adhd and I like preemptively got it because I was like I need to be able to focus, I'm gonna be so bored and I love that movie yeah um worst. It's not a movie, it's a series. Daryl dixon, yeah I agree just consistently disappointing. But I'm happy for them and their paychecks yeah, I.

Speaker 3

I'm happy that some people enjoy it just don't bother.

Speaker 2

Yeah, don't, don't do it, that's such a disappointment because there was so much high expectation for that show yeah, and you'd think that they'd have a really easy time just sticking to the formula. Yeah, I think they lost me when they said Daryl Dixon is in France, and then I just tuned out.

Speaker 1

It is ridiculous. That's the least ridiculous part, as if Daryl Dixon is Jesus and Carol is a side character.

Speaker 3

Yeah.

Speaker 2

Carol is a side character, I'll never, not being angry about that, but that's mine.

Speaker 1

Um, what about you, dan? Oh?

Speaker 3

uh, my best night eats. The world loved it. I don't think we watched that in 2024. Well, I remember 2024, okay uh, hashtag alive.

Speaker 1

I also don't think we watched that in 2024.

Speaker 3

Wait, no, we did watch that one, but not night eats the world okay, um, and the dead don't die and blood quantum, uh, my, my worst, bigfoot versus zombies. Um, we didn't do an episode about bigfoot versus zombies, but it's awful, uh, but also we all did in such a wonderful way, we did not finish.

Speaker 1

I actually forgot about it till right now.

Speaker 3

Chopper Chicks and Zombie Town. I'd still recommend it, though. No, but it's terrible. And also Daryl Dixon is on my list for the same reason. I love how we mostly watched Daryl Dixon and then stopped 20 minutes before the end and just haven't watched I forgot all about it until you're like.

Speaker 1

You know, we still haven't watched that and I was like I don't care ollie, what's what?

Speaker 3

what movies are on your list?

Speaker 2

well, I agree with most of your guys's because, I mean, blood quantum is an absolutely an amazing film and I did watch that this year and that's on my list also. Um, I also have the battery, which is the movie that we watched just before. We watched bigfoot versus zombies.

Speaker 3

Yeah, I only saw the end yeah, it's definitely worth a watch.

Speaker 2

It's, um, it's. It's a movie, um, it is pontypool. Pontypool, which we were talking about earlier, uh, where the zombie, um, the zombie virus, is spread through audio and words and, uh, die alone, which I, I just loved the movie. I mean, yeah, I you guys were talking about this on one of your previous podcasts where you thought it was kind of predictable towards the end. And, yeah, it was definitely predictable towards the end, but I still still loved it, still enjoyed it. It did keep you guys, um, yeah, uh, right up, right up to a certain point, I think. Then it just kind of clicks in your head like, oh, yeah, there, that's that, that's, that's the twist there.

Speaker 1

Yeah, yeah, I think the battery. Oh, sorry, oliver, the battery you did a review on on wzmb radio, right?

Speaker 2

yeah, wzmb, I think somewhere in the first four episodes I think I did a review on that one.

Speaker 1

Yeah, people go listen to it, it's good and then go watch the movie.

Speaker 2

Um yeah, great movie.

Speaker 3

So, um, as far as worst movies, uh, pro wrestlers versus zombies um yeah you mentioned some stuff about that and it sounds like not just a bad zombie movie, but a bad movie.

Speaker 2

Just a bad zombie movie, but a bad movie, just a bad movie in general. Yeah, it's barely a film and the whole film just annoys me. And Attack of the Flat-Splitting.

Speaker 1

Dead, which has actually grown on me have you just gotten used to the smell?

Speaker 2

I think so. But also I watched it behind the scenes. I think so, but also I watched the behind the scenes, so they had a behind the scenes episode for it and explaining what happened with the show and why it turned out the way it did. And after watching that I had a much better appreciation for what they did with it, because it was intended to actually be a serious movie. But then they completely lost. I think they lost the budget for it and so they just took the whatever they had and just made a nonsense out of it.

Speaker 1

So would you recommend watching attack of the flatulating dead knowing what you know now.

Speaker 2

No, okay, no I mean, I might do it for a movie night just to just to torture people, um, but, uh, but I don't think you need to watch it.

Speaker 1

If you do watch it.

Speaker 2

So the movie is split into three parts and if you do watch it, just do the first part, because that's where all the most of the silly goofiness is, the nonsense that just makes you slap your face and be like what am I watching? And then the rest of it is. You slap your face and be like what am I watching? And then the rest of it is, um, you can skip the rest of it, but, uh, after they leave the military facility you just don't bother. But there's some, there's some stuff in the first part. That's. That's just so ridiculous. It's.

Speaker 1

It's kind of funny actually, let's have a little moment here to just say happy new apocalypse, happy new year to everybody. We're recording this on January 1st, yeah, 2025. And we? I don't know when you went to bed, oliver, but Dan and I did not go to bed until 1232, which is shocking, cause at 10 PM I was like I am mad that I need to stay up for two more hours to do this. Did you stay up, oliver?

Speaker 2

Yeah, need to stay up for two more hours.

Speaker 3

Yeah, to do this samsies, did you stay up all over? Yeah, I went to bed around one, woke up around six. Wow, yeah, same.

Speaker 2

I woke up like around six, yeah well, uh, you know I I do that all the time because of my job, so I'm just kind of used to it do you have revenge bedtimes where you just like don't go to bed, even though you should? Um, I do have occasional nights where I just say, screw this, I'm staying up all night playing video games I feel that I'm gonna have a life, even if I suffer for it tomorrow we'll have more of that, uh, in the future.

Speaker 1

Actually, if we do more games together, I will um be having a revenge bedtime because we did. We were up to like 11 our time playing. Yeah, what is that called? Know?

Speaker 3

We'll have to do an episode about it. It was the last night on earth.

Speaker 1

Didn't we already do an episode about it?

Speaker 3

Did we?

Speaker 2

Yes, you did.

Speaker 3

Wow, was it good.

Speaker 2

It was one of my favorites. You guys mentioned me Wow.

Speaker 1

And you were mad at us for having the wrong number of zombies that could be spawned.

Speaker 2

I was taking notes during that episode of everything you got wrong.

Speaker 1

Well, that's why we should have had you on. That was our mistake, yeah.

Speaker 3

Definitely, but also Oliver was very busy during that time.

Speaker 2

Yeah, it was like yeah, a bad time of year. I'm not very available.

Speaker 1

But it's over now, so I think we should close this out by saying if you've got a fun thing from 2024, you want to share a zombie related best, worst yeah, leave us a voicemail.

Speaker 3

Yeah, what's the number? It's 614-699-0006.

Speaker 1

Yeah, you can also email us. Yeah, at zombie book club. You can text us podcast at gmailcom you can text us. Yeah, we don't respond to any of the phone number things.

Speaker 3

Yeah, or you can find us on Instagram zombiebookclubpodcasts at zombiebookclubpodcasts at Guys.

Speaker 1

I'm tired.

Speaker 3

Yeah, I'm so tired.

Speaker 1

Oliver, where can folks find you?

Speaker 2

guys, I'm tired. I'm so tired. All of our working folks find you. Uh, well, they can find me on instagram and uh, blue sky now under all these brains. Um, also on the brain mantra zombie collective discord channel yeah, that's the best place to be right now.

Speaker 1

That is the best place. That's where it's happening it's popping there yeah, we all wished each other a happy year new.

Speaker 3

Yeah, I wished everybody a happy new year. New year.

Speaker 1

Yep.

Speaker 2

Happy, arbitrary point in the time in which we've decided, the new year has begun.

Speaker 1

Yeah, that's why I said happy Gregorian calendar, new year, because it's a bullshit calendar. Yeah, I don't agree.

Speaker 3

And, on that note, thanks everybody for listening. It's been a great for listening. It's been a great time, it's been a great year. It's like that brand of tires it has great years.

Speaker 1

We'll look back at 2024 and think, wow, the apocalypse hadn't started yet yeah, which is weird because it feels like it's been going on forever. It's true, but it hasn't even begun I think we've offended our one listener from Kazakhstan more now.

Speaker 3

Yeah, sorry, kazakhstan as a country, I offer my sincerest apologies. Yeah, Saying that you don't have electricity.

Speaker 1

That's true. That's very presumptive. That's like when people say that Canadians live in igloos.

Speaker 3

Yeah, but you know what? I'll probably edit it out, so I sound great.

Speaker 1

Sounds good. Yeah, but you know what? I'll probably edit it out. So I sound great, that's good. And oliver, our third co-host, thank you for joining us for this and suggesting it.

Speaker 2

Actually, um, we were a bit freaked out and planning it, yeah, basically doing everything did I plan it, you did, I think.

Speaker 3

So I don't know who did if you didn't do it I know I I did some of that.

Speaker 2

Oh well, yeah, I guess I did write a lot of that, didn't I? I mean, you guys put the base in there and I kind of filled it in.

Speaker 1

You did. You were like I'm going to prepare for this podcast and I said, dan, I aren't.

Speaker 3

And then I got here and there was a whole fleshed out set of notes, so thank you for that. Thanks everybody for listening. We'll see you next year.

Speaker 1

Oliver, do you want to sing your song on the way out?

Speaker 2

No, are you just going to sit there and wait until I do? Yep, end is nigh, baby, bye, bye, bye, don't die.

Speaker 1

Perfect, bye everybody, bye-bye, bye, bye.

Speaker 2

Ciao.

Speaker 1

I cut myself and I'm bleeding. Oh no, I don't know how I did it.

Contributor

Dan

Host
Contributor

Leah

Host