Pop Screen

The Geek Show

Pop Screen is The Geek Show's new podcast tackling movies starring, about or by pop stars - and that's all genres, from rock to hip-hop, jazz to disco. Each week Graham and one of his stable of trusty co-hosts picks a pop movie and examines its history, its film-making and its music in-depth. It's an irreverent ride through an oft-misunderstood strain of cinema, from era-defining masterpieces to kitsch atrocities.

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Top 10 Pop Screen Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Pop Screen episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Pop Screen for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Pop Screen episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

Olivia Newton John in Xanadu (1980) - Episode 100

Pop Screen

07/27/23 • 52 min

It's our 100th episode! And what better way to celebrate than to look back at one of the great musical flops of all time, 1980's Xanadu. Starring Olivia Newton-John, Gene Kelly and a guy from The Warriors, it's the story of a Greek Muse sent to Earth on a mission to inspire. If she knew she was going to inspire him to make a swing dancing/roller disco fusion club, she'd have stayed on Mount Olympus.

One of the films that led to the foundation of the Golden Raspberry awards, Xanadu nevertheless has a devoted cult following, two members of which - previous co-hosts David and Jeff - are here to guide Xana-newbie Graham through this bewildering film. Is it bad? Good? So bad it's good? Only the 100th edition of Pop Screen can solve the mystery!

Making content is not quite as lucrative as this film suggests, so if you want us to keep creating you can donate to our Patreon, where you'll get a monthly bonus episode of this show, our film and TV miscellany Last Night..., From the Video Aisle's retrospectives on cult franchises (currently going through the Cube sequels), Unseen Asia, reviews of Red Dwarf, The X-Files, and Doctor Who... it's a lot, and you can keep up with what's going on by following us on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook. it is still Twitter too, nobody's ever going to call it X. Give it up, plastic-face.

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S2 Ep12: Pop Screen: It Couldn't Happen Here (with Ewan Gleadow)

Pop Screen

03/25/21 • 60 min

Pop Screen continues its dive into the strangest products of the 1980s trend towards long-form music videos with a lost gem of British pop surrealism - Jack Bond's It Couldn't Happen Here, starring the Pet Shop Boys. Arguably the first stumble in the relentless upwards trajectory PSB were enjoying, it's been disowned by the band and archly reappraised by Bond as "the first post-Brexit movie".
After joining Graham to review Spice World in Episode 2, Ewan Gleadow makes his Pop Screen return for this utterly befuddling film, which sees Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe embarking on an epic road trip involving existentialist ventriloquist dummies, burning men walking calmly through Kings Cross and Barbara Windsor. We also discuss the label of "irony" that hung around the band's necks for much of their early careers, their unfortunate habit of releasing anti-consumerist songs whose messages went over the heads of Thatcher's Britain, and the vexed question of what the best Pet Shop Boys album is.
If you want to help us make lots of money, but in an ironic way obviously, you can donate to our Patreon - backers get exclusive access to our other movie podcast Director's Lottery and a bonus Pop Screen episode every month. For more news about upcoming shows, follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
#popscreen #moviereviews #petshopboys #itcouldnthappenhere #bfi #jackbond #neiltennant #chrislowe #barbarawindsor #garethhunt

S2 Ep16: Pop Screen: Phantom of the Paradise (with Rob Simpson)

Pop Screen

04/29/21 • 44 min

Brian De Palma is not a name commonly associated with campy rock-opera frivolity, but his 1974 film Phantom of the Paradise is closer to Rocky Horror territory than you'd expect from the Carrie auteur. A gonzo melange of Gaston le Roux, the Faust myth and the 1970s music scene before it figured out how to be cool, it's like nothing else you've ever seen before, and this week Graham joins his Directors' Lottery colleague Rob Simpson to figure it all out.
Along the way, we discuss De Palma's career, its roots in experimental hippie-era satire and its many highs and lows. We also discuss Noah Baumbach and Jake Paltrow's 2015 documentary about the director, and how it affected our understanding of this film. There's also room for some consideration of the film's star, singer-songwriter Paul Williams, a delightful anecdote about a young Guillermo del Toro and a quiz about the many, many lawsuits this film unexpectedly faced.
If you don't want to see us reduced signing our life's work away in blood to make money, you can donate to our Patreon. Donors will get exclusive access to bonus episodes of Pop Screen, Graham's Doctor Who reviews and the aforementioned Director's Lottery. Don't forget to follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, and leave a review on iTunes if you enjoyed this show.
#popscreen #moviereviews #phantomoftheparadise #briandepalma #phantomoftheopera #faust #musicals #jessicaharper #1970s #paulwilliams

S2 Ep29: Pop Screen: Moonwalker (with Archaeon)

Pop Screen

08/05/21 • 86 min

Could the King of Pop have become the King of Cinema? Not, perhaps, on the evidence of 1988's Moonwalker, a curious, personal but deeply overbudgeted melange of music videos, live performance, claymation and a bewildering plot-line where Jackson fights back against Joe Pesci's not exactly Scorsese-worthy drug dealer by turning into a car. Critics at the time found it bizarre, self-indulgent and incoherent, and while that's not exactly wrong, its frequent songs and dance routines do remind you what an extraordinary performer Jackson was.
This week on Pop Screen, lifelong MJ fan Archaeon joins us to discuss the album - Bad - that the film was designed to promote, argue that the Smooth Criminal video is a dark-horse candidate for Jackson's best ever, and try to work out what the hell Pesci's haircut is. Other topics of discussion include possible inspirations for Spike the Rabbit, the tragic history of the Noid, the very '80s child performances and the status of Pesci's character as a back-handed 'tribute' to Jackson's then-manager Frank DiLeo.
If this podcast gave you fever like you've never, ever known, you may be interested to know you can get a bonus episode every month by donating to our Patreon, which also gives you access to our other movie podcast Director's Lottery, Graham's Doctor Who reviews, and more. Check out our Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for the latest news on what we've got coming up.
#popscreen #moviereview #moonwalker #michaeljackson #joepesci #1980s #claymation #noid #smoothcriminal

S2 Ep18: Pop Screen: Jubilee (with Mark Cunliffe)

Pop Screen

05/13/21 • 55 min

It's the film that's so punk, it annoyed even the punks - Derek Jarman's Jubilee, with its motley cast including Toyah Wilcox, Rocky Horror legend Richard O'Brien, a pre-fame Adam Ant and at least one former tightrope walker, is our subject of discussion this week. Join We Are Cult's Mark Cunliffe and regular host Graham Williamson as they discuss Jarman's influence as a film-maker, a gay rights advocate and even a gardener, as well as the film's fascinated yet critical overview of Britain's first wave of punk.
There's also room to consider the divergent careers of the film's stars, from the hugely influential original punk scene kid Pamela "Jordan" Rooke to Ian Charleson and Karl Howman: incestuous brothers in Jubilee, but the actors went on to have very different later careers. We also talk about punk's questionable, semi-ironic use of fascist and serial killer iconography, as well as the vexed question of why the British scene burned out so quickly - albeit leaving some tremendous music.
Obviously money is a deeply un-punk statist control system created by the Man to keep us down, but we still need it. If you donate to our Patreon you can get a monthly Pop Screen bonus episode, as well as access to our other film podcast Directors Lottery and Graham's classic Doctor Who reviews. Don't forget to follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to keep up to date with everything we've got coming in the future!
#popscreen #moviereviews #derekjarman #jubilee #timetravel #punk #1970s #pamelarooke #adamant #toyahwilcox #iancharleson #johndee

S2 Ep20: Pop Screen: 200 Motels (with Aidan F)

Pop Screen

05/27/21 • 55 min

The prospect of a Frank Zappa episode of Pop Screen is likely to get you either cheering or groaning, which is of course why we're doing it. This week, confirmed Zappa obsessive Aidan Fatkin joins regular host and Zappa dunce Graham to talk him through the jazz-rock-classical-comedy titan's career - his epic discography, exhaustive production techniques, ribald wit and many, many, seriously many battles with the forces of censorship.
We're also here, of course, to talk about his 1971 film 200 Motels, a plotless mix of skits, musical performances, animation that might be too weird for cult status. Full of sex, lies and videotape - hey, that's a catchy title! - it can be hard work but, like Zappa himself, it's a true one-off. We discuss the career of co-director Tony Palmer and his influence on rock-doc history, as well as Keith Moon playing a sexy nun, a bizarre misunderstanding over the word "pad" and Danny Baker for some reason.
If you want to keep this podcast Absolutely Free from advertising, why not donate to our Patreon? Backers will get a monthly bonus episode of Pop Screen, as well as our other movie podcast Directors' Lottery and Graham's twice-weekly Doctor Who reviews. Follow us at Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for more news.
#popscreen #moviereview #200motels #frankzappa #ringostarr #keithmoon #tonypalmer #mothersofinvention

S2 Ep37: Pop Screen: Cosmic Slop (with Rob Simpson)

Pop Screen

10/07/21 • 51 min

A trilogy of Black horror and science fiction tales, hosted by the disembodied floating head of funk legend George Clinton? It happened! Kicking off Pop Screen's Halloween month, Geek Show kingpin Rob joins us once again to look at one of the stranger products of HBO's post-Tales from the Crypt hunt for a new anthology series - Reginald D Hudlin's Cosmic Slop.
Quickly forgotten, it was edited into a three-part feature for the home video market, and was rediscovered in the run-up to Jordan Peele's Twilight Zone reboot. Rob and Graham discuss how Cosmic Slop matches up to more modern attempts at racial commentary in genre film, as well as the lost world of pre-Sopranos HBO, George Clinton's unforgettable - no matter how hard you try - role in Flying Lotus's film Kuso, the folk horror themes of the haunting middle section and the unexpected role the first story played in the 2012 American election. Thanks, Obama!
If you want to help us keep exploring films that are every bit as obscure and whacked as Cosmic Slop, you can donate to our Patreon, where you'll get a bonus episode of Pop Screen every month, access to our other, entirely Patreon-exclusive podcast Director's Lottery, two weekly Doctor Who reviews from Graham and more. Follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook for more news about what we're doing next.
#popscreen #moviereview #cosmicslop #horror #sciencefiction #georgeclinton #reginaldhudlin #funk #funkadelic #anthologyfilm #hbo

S2 Ep19: Pop Screen: England is Mine (with Mick Snowden)

Pop Screen

05/20/21 • 46 min

Today we know Morrissey as a character on The Simpsons, but are you aware he also taught Villanelle how to do local government admin? This is just one of the revelations in Mark Gill's 2017 film England is Mine, a film about Morrissey's early life starring Jack Lowden as the indie icon-in-the-making. Released just as Morrissey exhausted the patience of his remaining fanbase by threatening to sue Der Spiegel for accurately reporting his terrible opinions, it vanished quickly - but did it deserve better?
This week, Mick Snowden of Behold! podcast joins Graham to mull that question over. They also discuss their shared love of The Smiths, including the evergreen hobby of picking out the references to old films and girl-group hits the band's lyrics and record sleeves are studded with, and share theories about why Morrissey's official Facebook page is so very, very strange.
"I've never had a job/ Because I'm too shy", and if you want to help me maintain this unsupportable lifestyle you can donate to The Geek Show's Patreon, where you'll find exclusive bonus episodes of Pop Screen, our other movie podcast Director's Lottery, the best damn Doctor Who reviews on the internet and more. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to hear about what we've got coming up next.
#popscreen #moviereview #englandismine #morrissey #thesmiths #jacklowden #markgill #jodiecomer #jessicabrownfindlay #johnnymarr #biopic #lindersterling

S2 Ep44: Pop Screen: The Star Wars Holiday Special (with Archaeon)

Pop Screen

12/09/21 • 62 min

We hope all our American listeners had a happy Life Day recently - if not, let this week's Pop Screen put you in the party mood. In 1978, just one year after A New Hope was released, the stars of George Lucas's original blockbuster reconvened for a bizarrely misconceived variety show that's never been officially re-released. They were joined by guests including Art Carney, Jefferson Starship and Bea Arthur in an officially licensed production that nevertheless has the same relationship to the main Star Wars universe as one of those knock-off toys you get from a dodgy market called something like Space War: Return of the Empire.
In this week's Pop Screen, glutton for punishment Archaeon returns to discuss with Graham such pressing matters as Carrie Fisher's somewhat medicated performance, the origins of the special's inexplicable focus on unsubtitled Wookie grunting, the unexpected connection to legendary country singer Gillian Welch and the justly notorious scene where Diahann Carroll turns up to provide some of what Adam and Joe once called "family-friendly erotica". We also talk a bit about the last season of Taskmaster, because, eh, we've earned a reward.
Did you enjoy listening to us suffer? If so, you're in luck - this month's bonus episode for Patreon backers is about Cats! You can get that at our Patreon, along with our other movie podcast Director's Lottery, Graham's twice-weekly reviews of classic Doctor Who, and more. Follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to keep up with the latest.
#popscreen #moviereview #thestarwarsholidayspecial #starwars #carriefisher #georgelucas #harrisonford #markhamill #bobafett #chewbacca #artcarney #beaarthur #jeffersonstarship #harveykorman #diahanncarroll

S2 Ep50: Pop Screen: Purple Rain (with Gav Smith)

Pop Screen

01/27/22 • 69 min

Pop Screen is 50 episodes old! To celebrate, we've got Gav Smith from the My Favourite Film podcast back in to cover one of the big names (in terms of profile, if not in height) that we haven't covered so far - Prince, and his blockbuster first movie Purple Rain. Gav is a Prince superfan, Graham a Prince ignoramus - can he be converted?
More a vehicle for the extraordinary album accompanying it than a narrative movie, Purple Rain nevertheless maintains a cult following, thanks in part to encapsulating the fascinating contradictions that Prince embodied. He could be macho and androgynous, collaborative and singular, spiritual and pervy - all of these aspects of the man are discussed on this week's show, along with digressions about Tipper Gore, the rival band in School of Rock and Morris Day's superb chat-up lines.
Sadly, we don't have Morris's silver tongue, so we're going to ask you straight up - donate to our Patreon. (Why, what did you think we meant?) You'll get a monthly bonus episode of this show, unrestricted access to our other movie podcast Directors Uncut, Graham's Doctor Who reviews and more. Follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook for more information.
#popscreen #moviereviews #purplerain #prince #princeandtherevolution #morrisday #morrisdayandthetime #musicals #apollonia

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