Peter Fenzel, Mark Lee, and Matthew Wrather overthink favorite villains from our childhood entertainment, the current state of “Peak Television,” and Black Mass, the Whitey Bulger biopic starring Johnny Depp.
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Your Panel
Further Reading
- Fat Cat from Chip ‘n’ Dale’s Rescue Rangers
- MC Skat Kat
- Inspector Gadget
- The Hardy Boys novels
- “The Hubbert Peak Theory of Rock, or, Why We’re All Out of Good Songs” on Overthinking It
- “Have We Reached ‘Peak TV’?”
- Black Mass (film) on Wikipedia
- Whitey Bulger on Wikipedia
- Rashomon on Wikipedia
I was in MA when Whitey Bulger was captured and there did seem to be a disconnect in people’s reactions to it. It wasn’t a collective reaction of relief. It was more like a somberness with underlying fear. Like nobody thought he was captured for good. I had no idea who Whitey Bulger was. A mechanic I worked with told me and I remember thinking that the Italian mafia was probably better than the Irish mafia based on my roots in NJ and having seen Good Fellas several times. On the TV conversation, it does seem like there are too many choices. It would be nice to have times like the days when most of the country would be watching the season finale of something. Thank you. I liked this podcast.
This was a good episode. Peter, Mark, and Matthew discussed (among other things) their shared background with Catholicism. I can’t think of any other context in which three guys with those particular names talk Christian theology. Meanwhile, for those who might be interested in such things, the Pope is in the United States this week. He is @pontifex on Twitter.
Speaking of Twitter, a small “well, actually”: I don’t know if this has been mentioned yet, but “fenzelian” could not actually mean “the quality or condtion of being Fenzel” – that would be “fenzelianness” or “fenzelity” or “fenzelitude” or “fenzelianity” or something like that. Something that is structurally a noun, anyway; “fenzelian” is clearly an adjective, which might be defined for example as “of or relating to Fenzel.”
Well “well actually”-ed. My mistake was unfenzelian.
For what it’s worth, I actually intended it as a small joke; it’s a reference to the Simpsons, and the First Annual Montgomery Burns Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Excellence, where the presentation begins: “Webster’s Dictionary defines excellence as ‘the quality or condition of being excellent.'”
Hi Lemur! Thanks!
In original context, “fenzelian” as my friends used it in college referred to things that were in my particular style, whether I did them or not. You are definitely right that it’s an adjective.
So, a particular joke might be a “fenzelian” joke, whether I said it or not, if it’s like overly talky or self-consciously high-brow/low-brow or presumptively indignant and kind of awkward while also charming in an avuncular sort of way. Maybe.
You could also have a “fenzelian” mannerism or somesuch.
So “In the style or personality of Fenzel” might be the closest definition to how it was used back in the day.
Interesting. Thought it meant the last name. So sort of like meeting someone for the first time who went to St. Lawrence and being like, “Oh my gosh! That was my safety school!” Like all excited. Maybe not.