Have Mandolin Will Travel

Pelagic Horror and Nihilism - "Moby Dick"

The first in a three part series about Herman Melville's novel "Moby Dick" and its adaptations. This episode is a deep dive into the novel itself, looking at its structure, its writing, and its themes. I *really* like this book.

Old Sports and Green Lights - Orlando Ballet's "The Great Gatsby"

A deep dive into Orlando Ballet's May 2026 production of "The Great Gatsby" where I talk about the performance and the ballet as an adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald classic novel. Spoiler: Ballet is quite good.

A Big Housecleaning - "Yojimbo (1961)" and "A Fistful of Dollars (1964)"

A deep dive into the Spaghetti Western "A Fistful of Dollars (1964)" and the film it is a direct remake of, Akira Kurosawa's samurai film "Yojimbo (1961)." (Like "got sued" direct remake.) Spoilers: Both are good, but I think "Yojimbo" is better.

Wanting to Slap a Fool - A Look at Two "Werthers"

An exploration of Opera Orlando's 2025 production of "Werther" and the book it's adapted from: Goethe's 1774 novel "The Sorrows of Young Werther." Spoilers: Both versions are quite good, but I want to punch Werther in the face. "Horrible incel sh*t, Mason"

Survival, Faith, and Xenomorphs - "Dead Orbit" and "Sacrifice"

A dive into two fantastic comic books set in the Alien universe (i.e. the same franchise as the Sigourney Weaver film Alien), Dead Orbit (2017) and Sacrifice (1993). The two stories are standalone tales that very different from each other and mine a lot of the things I love about Alien.