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Zombie Book Club
Welcome to Zombie Book Club! We're a Podcast that's also a book club! We talk about Zombie / Apocalyptic horror novels, TV and movies.
Zombie Book Club
100 Episodes Strong (but still waiting for the Zom-Poc) | Zombie Book Clup Ep 100
A hundred episodes in, and the zombie apocalypse still hasn't happened—though sometimes it feels like we're getting close. What began as two people talking about zombies in a basement has evolved into something much more meaningful: a community of creators, readers, and enthusiasts who've found their people through a shared love of the undead.
For our centennial celebration, we turned the microphone over to you—our ZomBestie community. From unexpected celebrity congratulations (hello, Chandler Riggs!) to heartfelt messages from authors we've interviewed, each voice reminded us why we keep recording week after week. We heard stories of friendships formed through our Discord, authors meeting at conventions after connecting through the podcast, and listeners finding comfort in our conversations during tough times.
The Zombieween Game Show emerged as a clear fan favorite, with past champions and competitors alike reminiscing about meat crowns, hilarious challenges, and unlikely rivalries-turned-friendships. Many praised our willingness to venture beyond entertainment, drawing parallels between fictional apocalypses and our current reality—finding meaning in zombie stories during increasingly uncertain times.
What struck us most was learning how this podcast has become more than just zombie discussions. For some, it's been a lifeline during mental health struggles; for others, a way to discover new creators and stories; and for many, simply a place where their passion for the genre is understood and celebrated.
As we look toward the next hundred episodes, we remain committed to building this community one conversation at a time. Whether you've been here since episode one or just discovered us, thank you for making the apocalypse less lonely. Subscribe now to join our horde—we promise we won't bite (unless you're into that sort of thing).
Zombie Book Club Links
Sign up for our Newsletter!!!! --- https://zombiebookclub.io/newsletter/
Join the Brain Muncher’s Zombie Collective: https://discord.gg/rn3nPDa4CB
ZBC Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zombiebookclubpodcast/
Dan's BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/danthezombiewriter.bsky.social
Zombie Book Club Voicemail: (614) 699-0006
Zombie Book Club Email: ZombieBookClubPodcast@gmail.com
Our Secret Website That Isn't Finished: https://zombiebookclub.io
Our Merchandise Store (Where you can find our Evil Magic Chicken Zombie Shirts): https://zombie-book-club.myspreadshop.com
Welcome to the Zombie Book Club, the only book club where the book is a podcast, and that podcast just turned 100.
Speaker 2:They grow up so fast. Happy birthday podcast.
Speaker 1:Now we're getting sued. I'm Dan, and when I'm not nurturing our zombie baby to maturity, I'm writing a book about the zombie apocalypse and the survivors, who learn what it really means to be alive as they struggle to adapt to a new world. To be alive as they struggle to adapt to a new world.
Speaker 2:And I'm Leah and I had no idea what I was in for when I told you that you should make a podcast about zombies.
Speaker 1:You're like hey, then you should make a podcast about zombies, and I'm like, and you'll be there.
Speaker 2:Basically, and now I'm covered in paint from working on my third zombie crown.
Speaker 1:Another thing I had no idea was I was in for when we started this. Yeah, it's been quite an interesting ride. Earlier we listened to our first episode and it is, you know, while the bones are there. It is really interesting to hear us all the way back then versus all the way now. I'd like to say we've improved. Maybe we have.
Speaker 2:Maybe we haven't, I don't know. Maybe we got worse or we just evolved. I feel like you know, we're not a one hit wonder, because we've got a hundred. Yeah, we did a hundred of them and also people like some of our stuff and not all your other stuff. It's like you know something about like early albums from a band and then hate the later things yeah, that's true.
Speaker 1:We evolve as humans. I feel like we, uh we found our stride by, like episode five. Yeah, I think so. I mean, I mean we were still finding our stride after that, for you know, a couple dozen episodes, and then later, like 50 or so, and now we're just starting to get the hang of it yeah, this time last year we were recording our 50th episode and I feel like a huge milestone, and now we're at 100, and then I think about the undead symphony podcast, which has hundreds.
Speaker 2:Yeah, um, so I guess we're still babies.
Speaker 1:Yeah, our first baby our first season, we were only doing it every other week, true? So so after episode 26,. We just bolted out of there, bolted out of the I don't know what's a horse racing metaphor for that Out of the gates.
Speaker 2:Yeah, bolted out of the gate. Yeah, bolt out the gate. You know what it's okay. Yeah, we're not horses. We know what we're talking about, and maybe people who are listening do. Actually, today's episode is dedicated to you, our ZomBestie community. Oh wow, yeah. So hi everybody.
Speaker 2:Hi I'm not talking to you. Oh, I'm talking to everybody else. Hi, I will always remember the time after coming back from Jamaica and doing a lot of mushrooms and realizing that I wanted to know who all of you people were. And now we know a lot of you and it's really great. You're nice. Yeah, you're really nice Zomvesties. Thank you.
Speaker 1:Now that you say that, I do remember you being on the beach and being like people listen to us. Who are they? Who are these people?
Speaker 2:Yeah, and some of them have become real friends and some of them I hope to become real friends one day yeah, I agree, um, we've met some really great people and we're going to meet even more.
Speaker 1:And yeah, I'm not always thrilled to meet new people, um, because anxiety, but I found that the people that we've met through this podcast have been really great, top-notch people. Yeah, it's kind of incredible. Yeah, uh, we were so afraid when we started this podcast that we really great.
Speaker 2:Top-notch people. Yeah, it's kind of incredible. Yeah, we were so afraid when we started this podcast that we would just get a lot of people who how do I say it nicely? A lot of MAGA people who would not align with us politically. And so the first couple episodes you're like, if you like Trump, get out of here.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, I stand by it, yeah.
Speaker 2:And I was like I don't know if we should talk about politics, dan, fast forward to 2025. Things have changed, but it's it's really nice to be here, uh, and we really appreciate you being here. And if you're brand new, because you just saw us at, uh, living dead weekend, hi, welcome. Yeah, you've got 100 episodes to to get through.
Speaker 1:Hurry up yeah, and you, you better, you better get to it, because we release episodes every sunday, so subscribe. Scrub a dub, scrub a dub. That's what I need to do with all the paint on my body. Right, that's what I need to do with all the grass clippings that are on my body so we're gonna do groans from the horde, dan?
Speaker 2:yeah, do we have some groans? We have a lot. Because, um, I'm shameless and I said hey, everybody, we are asking listeners to share their favorite moments with us. And a bunch of people did wow, after a lot of me harassing them I'm kidding a couple people I was like you give me your, you better do it, yeah. And then some people ollie forgot, ollie, ollie forgot, ollie forgot.
Speaker 1:I don't have one from Ollie, who sends us messages in the middle of the night, yes, about random crazy movies that they read.
Speaker 2:Because Ollie reads movies, I just yeah, that's canon now, but that's okay because, ollie, you're one of the greatest things to come out of this podcast. I mean, you didn't come out of the podcast is ollie the zombie no, I think ollie. Ollie has been around since uh 2000. Bc around there oh, yeah, I forget the exact date. I'm so sorry. Yeah, um the original, but regardless we have an original zombie who's listening right now and we love you, oliver, oh yeah, yeah, I thought you meant somebody else.
Speaker 1:I'm like what? But that's okay, I'm lost.
Speaker 2:Yeah, if you're somebody else who didn't get us something we won't forget. Yeah, I'm going to remember forever that you did not send me a nice message.
Speaker 1:So, Dan, who do we want to listen to first? I don't know, I haven't heard. I've only I've heard maybe one of these, so I don't even know what they've said. You're the expert, so.
Speaker 2:I actually, except for the ones that are written. I have no idea what most of these say, because I wanted us to be surprised when we listened. Yeah, I have no idea what most of these say, because I wanted us to be surprised when we listened.
Speaker 1:Yeah, why don't we start with our newest Zombesty, carl?
Speaker 2:We have a.
Speaker 1:Zombesty named Carl. We do, oh, okay.
Speaker 2:And he found out about us relatively recently through another Zombesty. Which is how these things happen they spread through like a virus, right? Right they bit somebody else. Now they're our Zombesty too, so Carl has an ear infection because he's been infected via his ear holes. Yes, that's how it works. Yeah, okay, we should write. We you should write a book about that. Are you ready to listen to carl? I'm ready. What does carl have to say about his only book club podcast?
Speaker 5:dan and leah. What's up, guys? How you doing? Channel roots here. Carl from the walking dead great to you. It's great to be talking to you. I heard that you guys are well, first of all, massive fans of the show, so thank you for the love and support. But I wanted to drop in and give you guys a huge congratulations for your 100th episode of the Zombie Book Club podcast. It's just so amazing, I hear you guys. Guys have just built an awesome community of zombie lovers and just created such an awesome space where zombie authors can come and share their stories, which is so, so cool. So huge congrats to you guys.
Speaker 6:Hopefully you guys have just a huge celebration.
Speaker 5:Make sure you just sit down, relax and enjoy a big old can of chocolate pudding to celebrate because that's how you do it and maybe it's not a roof.
Speaker 5:Neither, though, it's just in the bingers. But, yeah, congrats, guys. That's so exciting and just thank you for, you know, wanting to have a podcast around, like horror stories and horror stuff, you know, in general, just it's so cool and and I just love to see the passion behind just that people have for all this stuff, it's so cool. So, thank you, guys for being huge fans of the Walking Dead, and congrats on 100% of your podcast. So great, all right, great talking to you, great to meet you, see you later.
Speaker 2:So his name is not Carl, it's Chandler. You tricked me.
Speaker 1:Also, how did he come back from the dead?
Speaker 2:I don't know, from the dead, I don't know. And also, he has two eyes in this video. Is he, is his carl, a zombie? No, he is wearing a suit. It looks like he's at some kind of convention because he's got a lanyard on um with a credit card logo that I won't name. So he's very alive and very, very flesh-toned regular flesh-toned two eyes with two eyes yeah, that's amazing, um. Thank you so much, carl yeah, carl, we're so glad that you are now our zombesty yeah, we're zombesties.
Speaker 1:It's official now.
Speaker 2:This is canon but, in all seriousness, an anonymous zombesty sent us this and I got it in the middle of my work day. It was not a great work day, and when I say that, I could not stop pacing around the house being like, oh my fucking god, I was gobsmacked. I don't do well meeting famous people, so even like a famous person on a video, yeah, but also it did take me a minute to truly comprehend that carl is not dead. Carl is chandler riggs.
Speaker 1:Chandler riggs lives on Chandler Riggs is a human being.
Speaker 2:Chandler, are you our zombie?
Speaker 1:bestie who is not living in the Walking Dead universe?
Speaker 2:Also enjoying a big old can of chocolate pudding. It's one of our iconic images. It's one of the first images I drew. Yeah, For us.
Speaker 1:One of our first Leah drawn thumbnails yeah.
Speaker 2:And Chandler, I hate to tell you, but the picture is of us on a roof. So yeah, we're on a roof. Yeah.
Speaker 1:We've also been in a basement, that's true. I have read a few times. I mean you might as well get, get the all the traffic out of it, yeah.
Speaker 2:It's my first GBs ever. Yeah, they're so cute yeah.
Speaker 1:So what's your reaction to chandler, carl, chandler, chandler riggs, carl, it's, I mean it's, you know it's. It's one thing to see somebody in a video, it's another thing for that video to be talking to you in as a person individually. Yeah, um, I feel a little uh, it's, it's, it's, it's weird, it's like. It's like chandler chandler riggs has me in his sights now. He knows our names, he knows that we exist.
Speaker 2:He knows there's a podcast. Maybe we should ask him to come on yeah, let's ask him we should. We should start stalking him really seriously. We are already. Well, I shouldn't say we're friends. We follow him on the internet, yeah, and if I was deluded, I'd believe we're friends because I like a lot of his stuff yeah, um, I think we can make it happen, maybe by episode 200, maybe, okay, maybe by then.
Speaker 1:Um, if our, if our street teams uh, make us famous enough, maybe we'll have the clout to be like carl sorry, chandler, you have to call him.
Speaker 2:I'm already, I'm already screwing things up but I would like to say, chandler riggs, I'm so glad you're not actually dead. Yeah, and I knew that because I followed you, but also it was still it's, it's, I don't know.
Speaker 1:You probably get that reaction a lot like oh you have two eyes, wow yeah congratulations also also, you are older than when you were in the Walking Dead as a child.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm going to change it up and read one. Okay, from Greg the writer, one of our OG Zombesties.
Speaker 1:Yeah, greg has been around for a really long time. I don't even know when Greg found us. That's how long it's been. Like, greg, have you just been here always? I feel like he has. So back when we were the only ones listening to our podcast, was it just us and Greg. The writer. Maybe Brian from Zompocalypse podcast maybe brian yeah brian and greg and us, and that was it yeah we were all besties, I don't know.
Speaker 2:but then there were people that were around for a while before we found out who they are. There's still people where I'm like where, where are you from? Well, I know where you're from. Actually, that's what's creepy is like I'm kind of reverse, stalking all of you because I know all the places that you live Not your actual address, don't worry folks but I do know the city and state or country you live in and how often you listen to us, we're coming over.
Speaker 2:Yes, but let's get to Greg's very lovely message. Greg says I honestly don't think I can pick a single favorite moment from the podcast. There have been so many incredible episodes. Oh, thank you, thank you.
Speaker 1:That is very kind of you to say.
Speaker 2:That said, the Halloween game show Zombieween was a real standout. Hearing such a great group of storytellers having fun together captured everything I love about the show. Another special moment for me was the Christmas episode you did based on my suggestion. Kevin McAllister vs Zombies yeah, with Eric. Kevin McAllister versus zombies yeah, eric. Yeah.
Speaker 2:Hearing that idea come to life on the podcast was such a surreal and joyful experience. I really meant. It really meant a lot to feel included in a fun. I can't read. This is not going to go well today. It really meant a lot to feel included in the fun like that.
Speaker 2:What's really struck me, though, is how you both bring together a mix of voices new and established authors alike and create space for so many stories to be shared. You've helped me discover writers I might never have come across otherwise. More than that, you've made me feel part of something. Even though I've never met anyone in the community in real life, and probably never will. I felt less alone. Oh no, now I'm getting emotional like there's a group of people out there who get it, who love this weird, wonderful genre as much as I do. Yes, there are many of us, greg. Yeah, there's a horde of us.
Speaker 2:And then he says the Zombievers Discord watch party was hilarious, but honestly it's been the whole run of episodes that had me laughing, thinking and sometimes just feeling a little bit better, on the days when I really needed it. The show has pulled me out of more than one rough mental health patch and I can't thank you enough for that. You've built something special. I'm so grateful for it. Here's to the next 100. Hopefully I'll be writing in again when that time comes. Greg, that's so nice.
Speaker 1:That is so nice. Yeah, it's kind of amazing that something that we do in our basement can have such an impact. I don't know if I ever considered that it could be something that somebody uses to cope with mental health crises, but it's really amazing that that's what it's done for you, because it's not, honestly, it's not something that I really ever thought about. I'm just like I just want to talk about zombie shit.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and at the same time, though, it makes sense, because I know that there are definitely things that I've listened to podcasts or just music, whatever that help a lot. So, yeah, um, it's a little surprising that that is us sometimes, but I'm grateful that we could do that for you, because you are why we're here. I would, I think there'd be a point if there was no listeners, that I'd just be like let's not do this anymore. Like we can, we this is us every day. It's true, these are the conversations you hear us have are slightly more organized than our actual daily conversations, but you're just hearing us talk to each other, so I can do that without recording it. Yeah, okay, are you ready for another one? I'm, I'm ready. Let's do a recording, yeah, okay. Hmm, I'm also to go with a way back person. I'm going to surprise you with this one. I'm going to go ahead and play it.
Speaker 8:Hello, this is Brian from Zomboculus Podcast. Hey you guys, congrats on the 100th episode. That's super awesome. I'm very happy for you guys. 100 episodes, that's freaking crazy for you guys, 100 episodes Freaking crazy. Just to think about 100 episodes, man, that's just like wow, where has the time gone? I don't know. So my very, very opinion, very best episode, or at least my very best moment of Zombie Book Club is when you guys send a comment content 8888, where the evil magic zombie chicken Evil magic chicken zombie and hatched the clock.
Speaker 8:The reason why I enjoy the clock because to add on the clock then it just hatched an amazing idea where everyone can turn in their best evil magic chicken zombie clock and just for the longest time everybody came in and done the best clock of all time. It was so freaking hilarious and it's just seeing everyone just come in and like doing what's their best zombie chicken impersonation. I thought it was so freaking amazing and it lasted such a long time. And there's, of course, there's so many other great moments during the zombie podcast, but that stands out the most to me as I feel it's just really super special because I just feel like a whole bunch of strangers that came and done their best clock and it's just so funny and just like we forgot about the bullshit in the world for a while and just we listened for the best clock and now it still lived to this day.
Speaker 8:So once again for my final best, the evil magic chicken pop. What it would sound like if it was real, if it was so like this. So hey guys, congratulations. So here's to 100 more episodes. Thanks, danielia.
Speaker 2:I hope he has a wonderful night we're bagocking across the time space continuum from when? Uh, you sent that to us, brian. Thank you so much. That was your idea, is a really great. We got a whole song out of it from Jack Callahan which we should absolutely play in this episode at some point we should Maybe at the end. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we'll play ourselves out with the zombie chicken cluck song.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I have a message from Jack. Actually, I think we should go to that one. Jack Callahan is an author, author of Zombie Nerd and the Half-Term Harrowing. Lovely fellow from the United Kingdom, also special guest of Zombie Ween Game Show 2024. I think we should listen to Jax. Now let's listen to Jax. Yeah, jack Callahan is one of the first few authors we ever had on the show before. We knew we would be doing a bunch of interviews. Yeah, and they wrote Zombie Nerd and the Half-Term Harrowing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, also reviews yeah, and they wrote zombie nerd and the half-term harrowing yeah, also a lover of beans, big lover of beans. Yeah, jack, you'll never live that down from zombie ween game show 2024. Here is what jack has to say to us hello, dan and leah, it's jack callahan, hi jack.
Speaker 10:Congratulations on a hundred episodes. Um, if I had to pick my favorite zombie book club moment, it would of course have to be one that I was involved in, and it's my to and fro, let's say, with Laurie Calcaterra that we had on the zombie ween episodes.
Speaker 10:I thought I made a complete fool of myself, but other people seem to enjoy it in general, I'm very grateful for you for introducing me to so many great people like Laurie Joe Salazar, naila King, ollie Eats Brains and everyone else, so really well done on 100 episodes, and here's to 100 more. Seeing as you're editing this in later, I'll assume that you've already made a joke about beans, so I won't get one myself.
Speaker 1:bye are we that predictable jack?
Speaker 2:you were hilariously silly on zombie wien game show.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yes uh, it, it's. It's something to listen to. If you haven't heard jack callahan and laurie calcaterra, um, go back and forth on some queen game show 2024 I made a whole tribute love story reel for them. It was really special yeah, there was definitely an enemies enemies to I don't want to say enemies to lovers, but enemies to marriage proposal.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, uh, really worth listening to. Thank you so much, jack. That's so sweet. I um find your voice very soothing. You should, you should send us voice messages more often.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah you can talk about anything. It's true, especially if it's about beans always beans, only beans.
Speaker 2:Okay, we've got a written message now from Steph. From Steph, yeah, listeners of the Undead podcast. Yes, steph thought that they were too late to be in our podcast, but they she did not anticipate how late we are in recording this episode. Yeah.
Speaker 2:After we gave the deadline. Yes, in fact, we forgot we were supposed to record this until I was packing some stuff for zombie or not zombie we living dead weekend, which is less than a week from now, and I thought I said, dan, we got to record this episode. It's coming out the week after living dead weekend, so you're right on time. Stephanie, from listeners of the undead podcast, from the original zombie podcast out there, so huge shout out to you and I think, possibly one of the original zombie podcasts out there, so huge shout out to you and I think, possibly one of the most like well-versed zombie people out there, absolutely without question. I always want to hear what you have to say about anything zombie related.
Speaker 2:So this is what what steph said. Um, I know it's already too late to submit my message for the podcast, but I wanted to speak here anyways. I really enjoy the positive energy on your guys podcast. Never felt a warm and welcoming feeling from a community like the zombie community here and I've been a part of a lot of communities. I always leave with a smile on my face after a listen oh, that's really nice.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, I, you know, I, I really I that's, that's what I really want when we're, when we're doing this is, I do want everybody to feel like they're welcome um you know there's.
Speaker 1:There's a lot of fandoms out there and you'll always find the people who are the gatekeepers or the people who have big opinions or they. They tend to talk down about things and uh, especially when it comes to, um, things like things like writing and art on this podcast, I never really wanted to tell people whether or not they should think it's good. I'd rather know the person behind it and I think that's so much better way to talk about people's art than giving it a rating.
Speaker 2:Except for when we do that to movies yeah, I'm okay with movies, in fact, uh, zoombies, which came out last week afterwards. You're like oh no, yeah, I hope we never interview anybody from zoomies.
Speaker 1:They're gonna hate us. Sorry, I mean I'd love to interview them.
Speaker 2:I have so many questions, but I think they know what they made yeah. I think so I think they know what they made. Let's go with a record. Oh, we got tippy-tappies from Nero. We could not have a 100th episode without a special guest appearance yeah, from Mr Noodle. He was giving us some groans. Do you remember what episode it was that he interrupted it so badly that we had to just quit recording?
Speaker 1:And then you put a compilation of his I don't remember, but yeah, I remember when it happened. I don't remember what episode it was. Yeah, it took us two days to record that episode because of Nero.
Speaker 2:Looking back I now realize that was early signs of his dementia.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Which he now has.
Speaker 1:Yeah, he's a full blown dementia buddy Like oh, that's what was going on. Yeah, he's having a hard night. He was. Yeah, he did not like that we were talking into microphones and not to him it's very true.
Speaker 2:Okay, let's segue to naela. King naela, yeah, naela sent us an audio message.
Speaker 3:Let's hear it my favorite memory of the zombie book Club podcast would probably be Zombieween. It was just so much fun and so fun-y, as well as just getting to meet lots of really, really cool people. It's such a good community and I love it so much.
Speaker 1:Yay, yeah, naila was amazing in Zombieween. Yes, that was the first time I'd ever talked to Naila, because usually you're the person behind the Instagram messaging. Um, so I I didn't know much about Naila until she was there and I learned so much in such a short period of time. And now I show up uh, maybe not for every single write-in that she has, because sometimes I forget or I go to Living Dead Weekend but I've been doing a whole bunch of them and we're writing buddies. Now we're doing the writing sprints.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I usually make art or I say I'm going to use this hour to write emails back to people on Somi Book Club Podcasts.
Speaker 7:Yeah, that's right, I hate writing emails, yeah.
Speaker 2:Because I do it for work, so I have to do it for the podcast. I'm like, what is this?
Speaker 1:And you know what, one day, when my book is finished, you can thank Naila for having mandatory writing.
Speaker 2:Naila definitely needs to be in your acknowledgements. Yeah, for sure. And if you're a writer or you just want to have a creative space with a bunch of other people, join Naila's Discord. We'll put it in the show notes. Super fun Weekly write-ins on Saturday or Sunday, and it's just a nice community.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I love the write-in yeah.
Speaker 2:And Naila is also an author and was on an episode with us at some point this year.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I forget what day we already talked about writing. Yeah, it's a really good one. Check it out. I think it was called Naila's Ghost Carnival, that's right.
Speaker 2:And Jack actually joked about Naila being the most illustrated podcast guest because my brother-in-law, your brother Simon, drew her as a ghost. That's right, yeah, that's very cool.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Naila was a ghost.
Speaker 2:I think, my favorite thing about Naila and maybe you're listening to this, Naila, I think is your give no fucks about the apocalypse and just party till you die. Attitude, yeah.
Speaker 1:It's very refreshing.
Speaker 2:It was because it's honestly a take that I hadn't considered, which is we're all going, all gonna die, so let's have fun. I don't know how you never considered that.
Speaker 1:I guess I never said I wanted to have fun. I just said I wanted to get out of there. I guess just because my my first impulse is fight yeah, the zombie apocalypse is just an excuse for me to fight that makes sense.
Speaker 2:Okay, let's listen to brandon star. I think actually our second or third interviewee ever. Second, second, absolutely second Second interview Introduced us to. Lori has been on our show twice now.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think episode 17 was the first one.
Speaker 2:Wow, that's amazing that you remember that.
Speaker 1:I'm guessing, but I think it is.
Speaker 2:They are the creator of Avalon, a really awesome comic series, yeah, and they sent us a little a voice note.
Speaker 4:Hello, I'm Brandon Starocki, creator of Avalon comic and celebration of the amazing zombie book club podcast 100th episode. I wanted to share my favorite moments of the show. Ironically enough, they aren't even moments where I am present on the show. These are the Zombie Ween game show episodes and I don't know if I said that right or not.
Speaker 2:You did. You're the only one Invited to each one.
Speaker 4:Present to none, Due to no one's fault. It's just how life works. But the day will come when I will be on that game show and, Laurie, I'm coming for the meat crown.
Speaker 1:Oh, I, I almost, I almost want it to just be canon that we invite brandon every time and he never shows up.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I, think brandon wants to come now. One day brandon will and I want brandon to come now. One day Brandon will show up and I want Brandon to come because I want to see the Battle Royale. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's going to be quite the battle, and everybody else better I don't know get behind something solid when that happens.
Speaker 2:I don't know. Sylvester's going to be there to probably take it too. It's going to be this year's Zombieween the very three people at least that I'd like to be there to probably take it too. Like it's gonna be this year's zombie wean my very three people at least that I'd like to be there. Brandon, you're officially invited. It's june 1st. Let's get our dates straight now. Uh, brandon staraki, laura yalkatera, sylvester barzy. So we got two former winners wieners, brandon, and then I don't know who else. I I've got some ideas.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:We're going to reach out.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we'll see A lot of great potential out there, because we're going for funnies and there's a lot of funny people in the zombie apocalypse genre.
Speaker 2:I won't name them because I know that they don't like receiving compliments. So you know who you are right now. But they're very funny. But I feel like they would say no if we invited them, and if you know who you are, you should dm me later. But I think you know who you are. Oh, is it carl?
Speaker 1:no, sorry, carl, I can't say who it is if chandler rags wants to come to zombie ween, I think we could probably find a spot for him.
Speaker 2:I feel like this is the right time to listen to Lori, the inaugural wiener of Zombieween Game Show 2023, who got the first meat crown.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah.
Speaker 2:Lori actually sent us videos, so y'all are going to get to see the videos later and there's two of them and I'm not sure which one is which order, so let's try.
Speaker 12:All right, lori, let's hear what you've got to say. Congratulations, zombie Book Club on your 100th episode From yours truly, lori Calcatero. Writer-creator of Path of the Pale Writer. I have had such amazing memories from being on the podcast and participating in the Zombie Ween Halloween show slash contest oh my gosh. So from the show, my favorite was oh and this is kind of a spoiler being on the show and having Dan and Leah guess where the story is going and I have to pretend that they didn't just stumble upon the biggest spoiler ever. But and then?
Speaker 12:you know, casually carrying on the conversation about zombie ethics, talking about, uh, sex after zombie ism, um gosh. We've talked about so many great things on that podcast. And then the other thing is, um, the podcast brings creators together. I would have never met the lovely Joe Salazar, so talented, great book, Good soul, good human. And then James Cole, creator of the zombie board game. I got to meet him in Fort Worth and it was funny because we have been talking back and forth via socials and we finally got to run into each other, which was a lot of fun. So, zombie book club bringing people together in the community.
Speaker 2:We got another one, but I just want to respond to that. I love you so much, laurie yeah, and I it.
Speaker 1:It is amazing because, like I, I never expected that people would find each other through this podcast and that's like it's such a surprise that that happened, especially somebody who, no, already knows so many people like laurie calcaterra and james cole. Yeah, um, like that, that laurie calcaterra is like our connection to the comic side in a lot of ways, um, because she's she knows so many people that it's it's kind of bizarre that she would meet people through us, but I guess it makes sense yeah, I mean we are all connected.
Speaker 2:It's the whole six degrees of separation thing. But um, laurie, you know we love you very much. Please move to vermont and be our zambesti in person.
Speaker 1:That's all I'm saying yeah, you can uh buy our neighbor's house.
Speaker 2:Oh my god, anybody can buy our neighbor's house. We'd be happy. Okay, I'm going to play the second one from Lori. There's more. We got lucky.
Speaker 12:Zombie Ween Annual Contest. Oh my Lord, jack Callahan, I will forever be astounded by your turn from frenemy to lover. I don't know what the hell happened there, but apparently to win some men over over, all you need to do is recite the speech for gondor. That's what did it. I don't know, everybody's got their thing. And then, of course, the very first zombie wean contest, uh, which I won.
Speaker 12:I got goosh, who is still with me, who lives in the center council of my car, um, shooting precious moments out of a junk jet, and, gosh, so many funny tangents we went down. Gosh, I forgot to mention the crown. If you don't know, you need to go see the crown, the crown that Leah made with fingers and eyeballs and buttholes. It's all there Bite marks and confetti, and, oh my God, you need to go see this crown. Oh my gosh, you guys, the hijinks we get into and the laughs we have. You got to come along for the ride. You got to join, you got to listen to Zombie Book Club podcast, the one, the only Zombie Book Club podcast. Congratulations again on your 100th episode and, oh my Lord, I cannot wait to see the next 100.
Speaker 12:And where you guys go, I'll be there listening you will participating zombie ween kicking butt flory calcaterra out oh, thank you so much, flory yeah, that was amazing yeah, um, your most recent crown, leah.
Speaker 1:How many buttholes are there on it?
Speaker 2:zero whoa, it's my. I've made three, now the first two, I think. Maybe that's for the zombie wieners. They need a butthole on their crown, yeah, um, but I made one for a living dead weekend and I was I. There might be kids there, yeah. So I was, like you know, I think, dismembered fingers, bloodshot eyes, a nose that's been like ripped off and then reassembled. Um, really disgusting teeth. That's fine. Taking it too far, uh you know.
Speaker 1:On another note, um, laurie mentioned goosh uh, the four foot tall inflatable zombie baby that we sent her um originally. We, you know, leah leah just recently in the last year, took up making uh, meat crowns, um, but the? Uh, the intention before was to send somebody something that they would regret winning uh, and I wanted to just send them something obnoxious and horrible.
Speaker 2:So I sent this inflatable zombie baby that looks just awful, um, and laurie loved it, yeah she blows it up to be in the front seat of the car when she picks up her children at school. That is who laurie kakatera is and why you are a zombie bestie. We adore you, so grateful to be in community with you. This is literally like all the the people that have messaged us for this or just in general, are listening to the podcast. I love this podcast because of you. It's just a lot of fun and I'm just going to get emotional about it, probably a couple times this episode, so we'll just keep going. Another author that we had the privilege of having on the podcast Z Martin Brown. Z Martin Brown.
Speaker 6:Z Martin Brown.
Speaker 2:Sent us a message. They are currently neck deep in college courses, oh yeah, and also thought they were too late to be on the podcast, so this is a surprise for them. Z Martin Brown is the author of the Non-Essentials 1 and 2. We interviewed him for the first book, uh, back in, I think like january.
Speaker 2:It came out of 2025 so go check that out, right yeah and this is what our lovely friend has to say 100th episode, that's a huge milestone. Congratulations. I love the podcast and well, between me and you and whoever else is listening, my favorite zbc moments are when you and dan deep dive into the eerie parallels between a zombie apocalypse and the current state of our country. We're living through a major shift on the timeline and, fuck, if someone doesn't call a spade a spade, who the hell will? I seriously appreciate the honesty and how you both articulate the issues while still driving home the core topic zombies, media and culture. You and dan delivered all the natural voice, free of charged corporate dollars, yeah, I mean, I'll take it's true, though we have no, we have no corporate dollars, and I for one am really grateful someone's out there doing it.
Speaker 2:Oh, and I also adore the fuck out of the animation videos you make for each at least most of the episodes. They're awesome. Bravo. You too. You freaking rule. Tell dan I said hello. Oh, cheers to 100 more. Everybody assumes there's going to be another hundred. That's a lot of pressure, y'all yeah, we might.
Speaker 1:It might be the zombie apocalypse before we reach yeah I don't know what's going to happen, but it's like almost another two years that's why everybody needs to get one of those rate.
Speaker 2:What are those radios called again a ham radio?
Speaker 1:yeah, yeah that's how we're gonna zombie book club's gonna be on ham radio. Yeah yeah, that's how we're going to keep going. Zombie Book Club is going to be on ham radio after the apocalypse.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but thank you, z. I think hearing the people like our depressing episodes is what I call them is kind of helpful, because I can't ignore what's going on in the world right now.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, it's rough out there and I'd be lying if I said it didn't take a serious toll on my mental health and I've had to really just like dial back my eyeballs from seeing a lot of things, because there's just so much that I have no control over Most of it, and it is all really upsetting, um, but whenever I switch from my personal Instagram account to the zombie book club. So much.
Speaker 1:I'm like, oh, I can use Instagram again without being really mad and I see what everybody is doing. I'm seeing like people writing new books, making videos, leaving comments and it's so much, so, so much nicer, but so, but you know, we also can't ignore what's happening around us yeah um, as much as I'd love to it doesn't make it go away, it doesn't.
Speaker 2:And we got to figure out how to survive it. And, um, I remember the first time I brought up gaza on the podcast, I was like, okay, I'm gonna do it, um, but I think it's, I think we're better for it yeah, and now we're terrorists yep, yep, let's uh. This is why I'm afraid to cross the border.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm gonna do it anyways for my brother's wedding yeah yeah, uh, but in all seriousness, I appreciate that you like those ones. Um, we try and keep it fun. That's the, that's it's like trying to find the balance right now in life in general and also to remember, uh, frankly it's, it's rough here in the united states, but what the united states is doing to places like gaza is, um, the deepest level of hell I could imagine living in, and I think that's very sobering to remember yeah, we're just right now.
Speaker 1:It's just a little taste of what the US has been doing to countries all around the globe for decades.
Speaker 2:Yeah yeah, it is a full-blown apocalypse in many places in the world, paid for by our tax dollars, and so we got to talk about it sometimes, yeah yeah. So thanks, zee, for encouraging us to keep doing that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, this has been a pick-me-up sometimes, yeah, yeah, so thanks, thanks, z, for encouraging us to keep doing that. Yeah, what this has been a pick me up, yep I'm gonna pick something.
Speaker 2:Let me see what else I've got. Uh, let's go with our buddy, your longtime buddy, chris w.
Speaker 11:Oh, chris yeah, well, well, well. 100 episodes. That's crazy. I remember back when this started. I remember back when I was on a podcast with you. It's the garbage of a podcast, literally Don't look it up. But I'm super proud of how far you've come, dan, and I'm super happy that you found Mia, and I'm super happy that you guys are having a wonderful life, talking about the ending of our civilization as it slowly rots around us Truly motivating words, I think.
Speaker 11:Oh man, I remember the long drives to and from Tri-Cities in Portland. You can look that up on a map. It's about two and a half hours each way. I had to do that every week for a year. That was when the podcast was starting to way, and I had to do that every week for a year and that was when the podcast was starting to go and I would listen to it out during my drive all the time. It was a wonderful respite and I'd be driving down the Columbia River Gorge and looking at pretty much heaven on earth and I would be listening to Dan tell Leah how to fight a zombie in pitch black as I'm looking at the most beautiful sunset on earth. It's a very funny juxtaposition. So it's crazy to see how far you have both come, and it's wonderful to see the community you have built, and I'm looking very forward to the next 100 episodes.
Speaker 11:I figured you guys would eventually do something like this way. Back when you had that Snakefish Explosion podcast with leah which was, by the way, adorable I could hear you two just falling in love throughout the entire thing. It's very funny. If you can find it, you should give it a listen. All right, folks, I'll catch you later. And dan, thanks so much for being a good internet friend for so many years. Talk soon thanks, chris.
Speaker 1:Chris, we we actually go back further than chris even uh, implies, because chris um and I were part of a fandom of a filmmaking youtube channel called Indy Mogul, of which our friend was a host, who we actually became friends with because we were such fans of of the YouTube channel. It was a place where you'd learn how to do practical effects and editing and filmmaking and people would share their short films and stuff and Chris was was a part of that community and from there the the host of of indie mogul and I made a channel called snake fist explosion, which was a gaming channel, and chris came along to that to support us there, um, and we did that for a really long time and then I became a truck driver and that kind of went away for a while. I came back shortly after and I'm like, hey, let's make a podcast and we called it the Dumpster Fire.
Speaker 2:Podcast. I remember you still have a tiny dumpster.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I bought a little dumpster. Yeah, it's very cute and we did exactly two episodes. Not that I didn't enjoy doing the podcast. I think it was a really funny podcast. I just didn't have the time at the time, so it did just fizzle out.
Speaker 2:Maybe, it's time to bring it back.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we're bringing back the Dumpster Fire podcast. There was never any plans. We just winged it live on my YouTube channel and people liked it, but it was all over the place. And then, of course, chris was one of the earliest adopters of this podcast, because I'm not sure when Chris found out about this, maybe Chris had been following the entire time.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we don't know. Let us know, Chris.
Speaker 1:But I do know that once I added my old YouTube channel to the RSS feed and it automatically started uploading episodes to YouTube, chris was always the one that would leave comments and and leave his likes and uh and share all of his ideas, usually in one really big post. Um, that was uh with. That was really hard to tell what point of the podcast he was switching between and I really appreciated that because it was nonsensical and hilarious, just like dumpster fire podcast. Yeah, it was a dumpster fire.
Speaker 2:You know, chris, I've never met you, obviously, in person, and we've never talked in real time, but I just want to say thank you for being such a good friend to Dan all these years. Thank you for remembering our little podcast episode of Snake Fist Explosion fame, when this podcast was but a twinkle in our eyes, yeah zombie baby. We didn't even know zombie baby was coming um the zombie baby was conceived and then gestated for um four years.
Speaker 2:Yeah, five years, six years uh, it was 2018 and we did that. So, yeah, it's math. I I really love that episode, but it's also incredibly vulnerable and I don't know if you have you taken it down everywhere.
Speaker 2:I don't I don't know, I think it's on youtube well, it's called entangled hearts and it starts with my favorite song by metric, which for some reason, all nouns are leaving my brain today and I can't remember what it's called. That's terrible. Um doesn't matter, uh, regardless, it was the first time, one of the first few times dan and I talked, after eight years of not talking um because I married somebody else and they didn't want me talking to dan because obviously, uh, if I was talking to dan, I'd probably be wanting to fuck dan, and so I didn't know you were going to go there.
Speaker 2:Should we delete that? No, Well, to make love to Dan my handsome handsome partner.
Speaker 1:Yes, Very gently. We've just lost some people.
Speaker 2:But I'm glad that you listened to that. It was a really vulnerable and special time and it meant a lot to me. And there's actually another secret, one that never came out, that Dan tells me still exists somewhere but is too vulnerable to share it does.
Speaker 1:It's in my Google Drive and it is incredibly vulnerable and explicit and I don't know, and that's also six hours of footage. Um, we basically just hit record and then had an all night conversation, um, about all kinds of stuff and uh, yeah, I was, I was going to edit it into an episode, and then I went to truck driving school and things went on hold and now I, uh, I don't know how I could dive back into it because it's just so much it would be really intense to listen to again.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah um. Part of me is terrified to hear that that version of me same, like my version of me too, because a long time ago we both evolved a lot as people. Yeah, but it's a nice little time capsule. Okay, we have a written message from captain magenta again I don't know, your name captain magenta, but I guess it's captain.
Speaker 2:yeah, so captain says as a new listener. These podcasters certainly keep you gripped. They discuss many topics regarding zombies and things outside of the zombie culture, from book to tv series, movies and real life scenarios, each discussion in great detail and hilarious, might I add. Thank you, oh, thanks the hosts amazing. They have such a great sense of humor and have had me rolling with laughter each episode. I would like to say that I had no sense of humor before, dan. So thanks, dan, and my sense of humor was crass.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you think it's evolved. Yeah, you've reeled in the crassness of my humor and I've donated some humor for yourself so that you could build that up. It's like a calcium deposit on your humor bones. Yeah, you know, you just gotta give a little bit so that the deposits can build up and form something hazardous.
Speaker 2:Is this why I was supposed to drink milk as a kid? Is that how I get funny?
Speaker 1:If you drink milk as a kid, you get funny.
Speaker 2:Didn't happen, for your funny bone grows. I drank a lot of milk as a kid, so that's a lie.
Speaker 1:Oh, well then, I'd never meant to say it. Then it's okay.
Speaker 2:I just was super serious, I don't know why. Why I was a super serious, super depressed kid for a long time and you've definitely brought a lot of joy in my life. Okay, continuing to, captain magenta. Uh, you can feel the chemistry between them and, with constant puns and facts, they give non-stop entertainment if you're a fan of books, movies, tv shows regarding zombies and beans, oh yeah, this is the last show to listen to. My favorite episode that I keep going back to is the sean of the dead episode. That's like episode two yeah, really back there.
Speaker 2:As a brit, I find hilarity in americans trying to understand our culture. I would love to hear, captain, what? What did we fuck up completely in our attempt to understand british culture? Uh, he says dan and leah just had me in tears talking about the movie being in a discord with these two and all the other podcasts, or podcasters, is a great honor, and sharing a love and passion for zombies makes it all the more welcoming to fans alike. Keep up the great work, guys. Love your work and love the show oh, thanks, captain.
Speaker 1:Uh, captain, my captain, um yeah, we uh, captain magenta was in the watch party for zombies. They were, and we heard Captain Magenta's voice at the beginning and end and it was kind of nice because it's like, oh, it puts a voice to the name and that can be a very meaningful thing.
Speaker 2:It is. Yeah, it was fun. I hope we do more of those. And for those of you who don't know what Discord we're talking about, we're talking about OllieEatsBrain's Discord called the Brain Munchers Zombie Collective Discord. So we technically have our own Discord, but we like hanging out in that one because it's a collective of other authors, creators, artists like me, crafters, zombie aficionados. It's a fun place.
Speaker 1:Much like a horde of zombies. Zombies, we're stronger together than we are alone. So I, I love the collective uh discord, um, because uh, you can.
Speaker 2:You can get so much in one spot yeah, I got a couple other messages from the discord. Uh, speaking of james of zombie survival infection game fame j James S Cole, the illustrator, he said his favorite memory was meeting Lori Calcaterra of path the pale rider frame randomly in an event that we first connected through zombie book club.
Speaker 1:Wow, yeah, you know, I remember seeing the pictures from that and I'm like they're in the same place. It's. This is crazy. Look at them. They're standing next to each other. I want to be in the same place yeah, let's all be in the same place.
Speaker 2:I am so much more excited about traveling for this podcast than I ever am for work, yeah, which says a lot, but, um, maybe one day we'll all get together yeah, maybe one day we'll have some zombie ween in person exactly uh.
Speaker 2:Kurt folster, another awesome author of martha's notebook fame yeah, been on the uh the show with us says I love the wide range of zombie fandom that you cover, from board games I've never heard about before to all types of movies and film, to just simple conversation with the shelf of the gas station you live off of during an apocalypse. It's never boring.
Speaker 1:Thanks Kurt. Thanks Kurt, that was nice. Yeah, the episode that we did with Kurt was amazing. Kurt is hilarious.
Speaker 2:Kurt is on my short list for Zombieween, oh, but I don't know. We'll have to see. We're trying to figure out how many people to have on Zombieween 2025.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Because if you have too many people, it can, it can, it can become difficult.
Speaker 2:We had what did we have? Five last year and it was hard to wrangle six yeah, I think so yeah, it was. Uh, it was a thing. Okay, we've got two more, three more three more yeah, all right, let's go with sylvester barzy. 2025 zombie ween king. 2024, 2024 yes, because now it's 2025, right? Yeah, let's see what sylvester has to say 100 episodes versus a zombie gorilla.
Speaker 9:I think y'all could take them. I think I think it'd be easy. Congratulations on your 100th episode. I love the podcast. I love everything that you guys are doing. It's just amazing to have just a space for zombie fiction, especially zombie books, because there's not that many out there. So let me think I do love the interviews, but I really like when you guys are solo, because I love the breakdowns and the research that you do and just the banter is real funny. But my favorite episode might be last year's zombie queen, because you know it was a good time and then we, uh we got to crown a new king, and who was that? He was handsome, it wasn't me. So you know I love that. I'm looking forward to this year to see who I get to take down and, uh, once again, congratulations, happy 100 episode.
Speaker 2:You guys are great we love you, sylvester barzy thank you so much, sylvester also one of our earlier interviewees for planet dead. Such a good, gory fucking book. Yeah, that's what I remember of Planet Dead. Also, we did an interview with Sylvester for Dead Soil, which was gory and dark in a totally different way than Planet Dead Both zombie books, completely different. They are one of the prolific authors that we've had the opportunity to become friends with and he's got so many.
Speaker 1:Yeah, like Planet, dead is a series series, yeah, um, and we haven't even talked about those books yeah, and then there's all the books that are not related to zombies that sylvester has written like camp uh, camp lanier yeah and uh, young blood, there's a whole bunch of them.
Speaker 2:Stitches, many, many. I think there's another one that's on our shelf that I mean to read eventually it's. You know, I love books and I love reading, and I'm so slow, that's the worst. But thank you, sylvester.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm really happy that Sylvester mentioned that he likes the episodes where we're just solo, because we've done so many interviews lately that I also missed those types of episodes and it's nice to know that there's people that enjoy those ones.
Speaker 2:It is Cause we take a break from interviews, and we're in the middle of that break right now. Yeah, but our next interviewee is going to be Courtney Constantine.
Speaker 1:Yeah, a baby, a babysitter of the apocalypse.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's going to be in July, so, but with that we're not even doing that interview until the end of June. Yeah, so it's a really nice break for us. But we do love talking to authors too. But, yeah, it's nice to get back to our roots of just trash talking a movie together or me belatedly discovering Romero films, as I've been doing a lot of lately.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we're doing them almost back to back now.
Speaker 2:Okay, do you want to pick door number one or door number two, dan?
Speaker 1:Oh, I'm always going to pick door number two.
Speaker 2:Okay, this is from Gerard Clark, author of the End, the End, best friend with Killian Murphy, who I believe I finally said right, that's right. Yeah, from 28 Days Later. Well, actually, his dad's dog is his best friend is is killian murphy's dog's best friend yes and that's that's our uh kevin bacon.
Speaker 1:Six degrees of separation to killian murphy yeah, uh.
Speaker 2:Apparently the plan right now is to find out if, in 28 years later, killian murphy is in it, by having jared gerard's dad's dog ask, yeah, killian murphy's dog, so and then getting back to us gerard says dog, don't let us down. Yeah but, gerard, we had a lot of fun in our interview with you. Um great book the end. Everybody should check it out.
Speaker 2:And there are irish, which is part of my way back playback ancestry yeah, it's probably mine but I didn't know very much about it and we actually in our episode we also got schooled on the potato famine yeah, we learned a lot in that episode we did all right.
Speaker 6:Let's hear what gerard has to say hi everyone, this is gerard clark, author of the end, and I want to give congratulations to the Zombie Book Club podcast for reaching their 100th episode. It's been a fantastic journey through the apocalypse and my favorite moment has to be episode 87. This was a compelling departure from the usual, offering a raw and insightful look into Dan and Leah's experiences with the current climate in America and how it's impacting on ordinary people. It was particularly amazing to hear Dan's perspective as a veteran and his profound need to protest against what is happening today. The discussion drew chilling parallels to how society can unravel, vividly illustrating how the fantasy of an apocalypse can inch disconcertingly closer to reality. I found it to be an incredibly powerful episode with a strong and resonant message, so if you haven't given it a listen, I suggest you go back and do so. Congratulations again, guys, and I look forward to hearing many more Thanks.
Speaker 1:Thanks, Gerard. Thanks, Gerard, I also. The episode before the one that he mentions is the one that we did with Gerard Clark, episode 86. And that was a really fun episode with Gerard Clark, episode 86. And that was a really fun episode. We had great conversations in that episode, including talks about the Irish potato famine.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's why I had some misconceptions about it that I was, I relearned, I unlearned and relearned because of you, gerard, and thank you for again another person saying that apparently our real life apocalypse episodes have people like them.
Speaker 1:Some of them, yeah. And episode 87 that he was mentioning was right after March 14th. March 14th was the Veterans March, where we went to our state capitals and I don't know how many people showed up around the country. I think it was a lot. I think it was a couple million people showed up, but the idea was that this is all veterans, or people who support veterans, all saying hey, we're not cool with fascism. All saying hey, we're not cool with fascism. And it was really amazing because even here in Vermont, I didn't expect a huge turnout, but there was well over 200 or 300 veterans there, and it was just really helpful to go there and see that there were other people like me that weren't going to sit by idly.
Speaker 1:Yeah, um yeah and sometimes, sometimes you, you get a a misconception of who veterans are, who soldiers are uh, you get, you get an idea of what their politics are because you know they joined the army. So they, they must, they must be somebody who believes a lot of, a lot of stuff on the right-wing side, like they want to go invade people and and all that. But you know, what you learn about things like that, especially during those types of get-togethers, is that we're a complex group of individuals who have seen the world and we've seen some of the darkest parts of humanity as well as some of the most beautiful parts, and not all of us want to see people hurting. So thank you for bringing that up, because I actually forgot that we did that episode.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's what happens when you don't. I mean, it's like how many times have I told the same story on this podcast? Probably a few. It was only 10 episodes ago. Well, you know, a lot's happened. That was March. Now it's June, June 1st. Everybody, we're recording this. Let's listen to one of our favorite ZomBesties, Joe Salazar's message to us.
Speaker 1:Yeah, who we're going to meet this week, in less than a week? Yeah, less than a week.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we're going to be silly high school kids together. That's how we've been talking about it, because we're both so excited.
Speaker 1:And, dan, hopefully you're getting more excited and less nervous. Oh yeah, I've been dealing with the anxieties of going to a big public meeting space for a con.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's not the hanging out with Joe, that's the anxiety To be clear, joe, or anybody else that we're meeting up with there. It's the big physical space with a lot of people. Yeah, all right, are you ready for this? I am so ready.
Speaker 1:Y'all ready for this?
Speaker 7:The 100th episode to the Zombie Book Club podcast, and we all know that zombie stories are always about more than just zombies, and the Zombie Book Club podcast is no different. This is a podcast about more than just zombie books, comics, games. It's about bringing people together and learning from zombie culture and different apocalyptic scenarios. It's about thinking about the world differently, and I don't know how they did it, but Dan and Leah have put together a podcast that kind of makes you want to laugh and cry but also somehow take notes, and they have this magic kind of chemistry that makes you feel like you're just hanging out with your best friends while you listen. It is rare and it is special, and I feel so, so lucky to be part of this community. So thank you, dan and Leah, for putting in the work to bring us 100 amazing episodes of the Zombie Book Club podcast. We can't wait to see what the next 100 bring.
Speaker 1:Oh, thank you. Thank you so much, Joe.
Speaker 2:That was so nice, joe. You definitely know how to hit me in the feels, in writing, in your books and also as a human being. Joe introduced me to taylor swift this week actually.
Speaker 2:Oh, you met taylor swift no, but joe convinced me finally to listen to taylor swift and now I get it. I feel like I can feel like joe. You're such a heartfelt person and um taylor swift's folklore album emotionally destroyed me while I was painting my latest meat crown. So and the first time I listened to that message from you also got me a little bit teary. So thank you for being our bestie, um, very excited to give you a hug soon yeah, also joe has um a new book coming out soon yes, I don't know.
Speaker 2:We're allowed to talk about it very much right now.
Speaker 1:So we'll just say I'm not going to say anything.
Speaker 2:We got a sneak peek of the cover and it's fucking awesome.
Speaker 1:It is, it is so awesome, yeah, and also just it's, just it's, it's going to be good.
Speaker 2:Yeah, there's no question of that. Yeah I. I love all the fan art you made for the dead weight too.
Speaker 1:Yeah I you know, I, I, I I haven't talked too much about this, but I, I really got back into 3d art, something that I've done for a long time but then also took off a lot of time, and making art for the dead weight, for Joe Salazar was kind of like my return to doing that and it's been a lot of fun and I've been keeping up with it. Yeah, every now and then, like some of our thumbnails are my 3d art, like the uh, the Negan episodes. Um, that is, that is my Negan.
Speaker 2:So satisfying to see the guillotine yeah.
Speaker 1:Uh, my Negan, my Rick, my guillotine yeah.
Speaker 2:But enough about us. Thank you, joe, so much for being uh one of our community members. We're so grateful. In fact, I think you're one of the first people that said community and that we were building a community and I hadn't really processed that at the point in time.
Speaker 2:It's like what, I guess? Yeah, we're all building a community, though that's what that word is. Yeah, we just happen to be the people who sit in front of this mic and randomly say things that people listen to, and then we have conversations about it with all of you, which, like I said before, is the reason I do this. I love hearing from you, I love hearing what you have to say. I love hearing your opinions. I love when you disagree with me. I love when you agree with me.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I love when people agree with me too.
Speaker 2:Yeah, last but not least, we have a message from Jacob. Jacob found us through their own podcast, viva La Festiva podcast, and they wanted to do a little shout out for us on their show way back in the fall, and they've definitely become a Zombesty that I really enjoy hearing from. So let's let's hear what Jacob has to say.
Speaker 13:Yeah, hey Zombesties, it's Jacob. Congratulations on the hundredth episode. That is quite the achievement. I just want to say that my favorite zombie book club moment was probably hearing Z Martin Brown's answer to y'all's question about which food would take him into the zombie apocalypse. And when he answered peanut butter I was like, oh my gosh, that is the perfect answer and I gotta say it has made me appreciate peanut butter 10 times more. Every time I have it, I swear I'm just like you know what this is going to save me one day. Anyway, congratulations on 100th episode and I can't wait to hear more from y'all.
Speaker 2:Thanks, Jacob. I got extra peanut butter in our backup apocalypse pantry, Thanks to Z Martin Brown too. So I agree.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we also have powdered peanut butter when things get really bad, when they get really bad you know what would be super tasty is a big can of chocolate pudding and peanut butter.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, oh my God, A little scoop of peanut I'm salivating.
Speaker 1:It's probably because it's getting close to dinner time.
Speaker 2:It's true, we have to make dinner now, it's true, so have to make dinner now. Also, jacob, when you hear this, you're going to realize that I wrote you an email inviting you to come on our podcast and then I put this email thread in my 100 episode folder so I'd have them all organized. Didn't see your response till right now, so sorry about that. I'm going to you're going to get an email from me momentarily. We'd love to still have you on the show.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Well, that's it. If there was other ones, I am sorry that I lost them and I did not put them in the folder, but I think that I caught everybody's. We really appreciate you taking the time to share a favorite memory with us. But thank you so much, everybody. That was really heartfelt, feels like almost like a little party that we just had with you. Even though it was across time and space, it was like we were all together for a little while.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we got together, we shared some stuff and it feels good. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:Dan, you're going to close us out with our very own assessment of the capitalist, ableist, misogynist, racist of the living dead.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so we're going to apply all four of these tests to ourselves. Let's start with the bechdel test. Um, this evaluates the representation of women in fiction. Requires a work to have at least two women in it who talk to each other about something other than a man. Um, what do you think, leah, we fail. Yeah, there's only unless we're interviewing a woman yeah, some, some episodes pass, but, as on the whole, this podcast is a failure. On the bechdel epic failure.
Speaker 2:Uh, race test, oh fail, yes, um I have been called the whitest person that somebody's ever seen multiple times.
Speaker 1:And you are also white yeah, I am very white yeah, there's no diversity on this, no racial diversity, specifically okay, the uh, the vito russo test um, named after a film historian and lgbt activist, vito russo. This test assesses the representation of lgbt, lgbtq plus characters. I fucked that up. The alphabet community, yep. For a work to pass, it must contain an identifiable LGBTQ plus character who is not solely or predominantly defined by their sexual orientation or gender identity. That's me, yeah, that's Leah, we pass. Yeah, that's a pass, we did it. Yay, we passed something. Finally, the Fries test evaluates media representation of people with disabilities by checking for one characters with disabilities portrayed as complex individuals beyond their disabilities, two narratives that are not solely about overcoming disability and three, ideally, actors with disabilities playing these roles to ensure authentic representation. Pass for both of us. Yeah, team disability. Yeah, let's Pass for both of us yeah.
Speaker 2:Team disability yeah. Let's high five across the table. High fist pump yeah. And our last segment for this is what are we doing next, dan? I have no idea. Yeah.
Speaker 1:We're going to Living Dead weekend.
Speaker 2:Yeah and yes, we're going to keep going. We don't have a timeline on this podcast. We're going to keep doing it as long as there is a community to do it for and the time and the internet with which to do it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean I'd love to say that we're going to get another 100 episodes, but also when I think about that I'm like oh, that sounds hard. Yeah, one step at a time, one episode at a time we're going to do one episode and then another one after that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Thanks for being with us every episode, or just the ones that you come and listen to once in a while. We love you, yeah we love you.
Speaker 1:We do. I don't think that we have to tell you this, since you're here at the end, but thanks for joining us on the Zombie Book Club. You can support us by leaving a rating and a review.
Speaker 2:Have you left a rating and review. I mean, I feel like everybody just gave us a really lovely review in this episode.
Speaker 1:Can we put those reviews up? I guess we will, as this episode. Yeah, this is our review episode. Yeah, you can send us a voicemail. Many of you did 614-699-0006. It's like a burner phone.
Speaker 1:You know we don't pick up, but it's like a burner phone. You know we don't pick up, but you can leave a voicemail and ask for drugs. You can sign up for our newsletter. I'm still working out the bugs, but there is a newsletter. It might go to your spam folder and you can also follow us on Instagram at zombie book club podcast or, like we mentioned before, join the brain mantras, collective discord. Those links are all in the description that's down below. It's part of this episode. You can find a description, but thanks for listening Everybody. The end is not as nice as it was before.
Speaker 2:I feel a little more hopeful for the future because of the zombie apocalypse book club. Yeah, bye-bye everybody, bye-bye, bye everybody, see you soon.
Speaker 1:Bye, bye In a world where chickens are grown in factories.
Speaker 13:Arkansas alone has over 6,500 chicken farms, each farm with over 100,000 chickens.
Speaker 1:Humans thought they were the king of the roost. The job is easy Hands go down the chute, roosters ride the blender. But when evil magic resurrects poultry back from the den.
Speaker 13:They're just something ain't right with these chickens. How did they get out of all their cages? They're free range.
Speaker 1:The town's pecking order is about to change. They're dead. They're supposed to be dead. To save this small town in Arkansas, it's time to call in an expert.
Speaker 13:Colonel Sandals reporting for duty General Sal sent me to fry up some trouble.
Speaker 1:Sanders, you're out of control. You've completely flown the coop.
Speaker 2:Save me, Colonel Sanders. I can't outrun them in my high heels and heaving breasts.
Speaker 1:But as feathers and fate collide, old rivals show up.
Speaker 13:I don't know who sent you preacher man, but you have no business with chicken.
Speaker 1:I agree, this church's chicken champion was poorly thought out.
Speaker 13:I'm a lone rooster in this hidden house, so scramble. Same goes for you cop-eyed back-off.
Speaker 1:Don't count your chickens before they hatch, because this summer summer, a peckin is coming try my extra spicy recipe you evil magic evil magic chicken zombies zombies.
Speaker 13:Y'all smell that sentence, miles I coming to a Netflix near you.
Speaker 1:This is so stupid.
Speaker 11:I love it.
Speaker 1:I want this movie.
Speaker 8:Zombie chicken impression. I'm on deck.
Speaker 9:Zombie Chicken Impressions Time on deck at 12.08pm the. I'm not sure if you can hear me. Oh, we'll be right back. Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. What the fuck. What the fuck, what the fuck.
Speaker 8:What the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck. Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on again. Come on, come on again. Come on, come on, come on, come on again. Come on again. Come on again. Come on again, come on again, come on, come on, go Ha Ha On the clock On the clock. On the clock On the clock. Go, go, go, go Go.
Speaker 3:Go Ghost, ghost, ghost, ghost Ghost, bye-bye, bye-bye, bye-bye. No more, no more, bye-bye.
Speaker 1:Bye-bye, bye-bye, bye-bye, bye-bye, bye-bye, bye-bye.
