2026 Draft

Update & The Works of V.E. Schwab

Little change in the episode order, as we'll be covering TJ Klune's We Burned so Bright [https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/b1f3b985-0e16-497a-9d83-09cf19258622] for June instead of The Ending Writes Itself [https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/efee62fd-5c41-4872-8639-a990fc4d4697] by V.E. Schwab and Cat Clarke. With that said, we did want to gush on the works of V.E. Schwab, so there's a quick primer on her genre-bending bibliography. And for our local listeners, you can catch Schwab in October at NC State [https://quailridgebooks.com/event/veschwab26]! Theme music by Practical Dinosaur [https://practicaldinosaur.bandcamp.com/album/16-khr2] Send us a message at TheGoodArtFriends@gmail.com [TheGoodArtFriends@gmail.com], or connect on Bluesky at @goodartfriends.bsky.social‬ [https://bsky.app/profile/goodartfriends.bsky.social].

American Football's LP4

American Football released their fourth LP, so it’s our sworn duty to cover this ethereal album. The episode starts with some background on the band and Jonathan’s history with them, before diving into the specifics of the LP at 14:40 when we break down our favorite lyrics, musical moments, and songs from this wonderfully weird record.  Other art discussed in this episode: Playoff hockey; Prince Daddy and the Hyena [https://princedaddy.com/]; Indiana Jones and the Great Circle [https://indianajones.bethesda.net/en-US]; Tactical Breach Wizards [https://store.steampowered.com/app/1043810/Tactical_Breach_Wizards/]; Cast n Chill [https://www.wombatbrawler.com/cast-n-chill]; Oracle of Ages.    Next month’s topic: The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clarke [https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-ending-writes-itself-a-novel-evelyn-clarke/7bb745293b87a144?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=dsa_nonbrand&utm_content=%7Badgroupname%7D&utm_term=dsa-19959388920&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=12440232635&gbraid=0AAAAACfld42Li--dujJQ9pZxkReuqCWvl&gclid=Cj0KCQjwzqXQBhD2ARIsAKrIeU-Azo2HpAHBidmlB1IMcyipXZ1iAsT6aUML8RFxQDzEQz109JAm-OsaAshlEALw_wcB].  Theme music by Practical Dinosaur [https://practicaldinosaur.bandcamp.com/album/16-khr2] Send us a message at TheGoodArtFriends@gmail.com [TheGoodArtFriends@gmail.com], or connect on Bluesky at @goodartfriends.bsky.social‬ [https://bsky.app/profile/goodartfriends.bsky.social].

Eephus

Is 2025’s Eephus [https://www.eephusfilm.com/] the quintessential baseball movie? That’s the question that Spencer and Jonathan discuss alongside returning guest Stephen (who is a host of the wonderful Batting Around podcast [https://www.patreon.com/cw/BattingAround]). The trio discuss the poignant and humorous moments from this delightful film and unpack how it captures the essence of baseball. This isn’t really a movie that can be spoiled, but, for what it’s worth, the theoretical spoilers start at 13:20. Other art discussed in this episode:  * Can We Hang Out Sometime by Good Kid [https://goodkid.bandcamp.com/album/can-we-hang-out-sometime] * Gregg Araki’s Movies [https://letterboxd.com/director/gregg-araki/] * The seasons, generally * Baseball in the Garden of Eden by John Thorn [https://bookshop.org/p/books/baseball-in-the-garden-of-eden-the-secret-history-of-the-early-game-john-thorn/4ccf87d79202d64f?ean=9780743294041&next=t] * Disco Elysium [https://discoelysium.com/] * Under the Island [https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/under-the-island-switch/?srsltid=AfmBOopn9ZOo3hTGeLcyEQYQIIwZIA0BsTnlwucqeRvV7RJupBCNipyA] * Here Comes the Pizza! [https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/33734026/fenway-pizza-chucker] * Northwoods Baseball Sleep Radio [https://www.sleepbaseball.com/] Next Month: LP4 by American Football [https://www.americanfootballmusic.com/] Theme music by Practical Dinosaur [https://practicaldinosaur.bandcamp.com/album/16-khr2] (EP out now!) Send us a message at TheGoodArtFriends@gmail.com [TheGoodArtFriends@gmail.com], or connect on Bluesky at @goodartfriends.bsky.social‬ [https://bsky.app/profile/goodartfriends.bsky.social]. Catch Batting Around on Bluesky at @battingaround.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/battingaround.bsky.social]

Project Hail Mary: The Good Science Friends

Amaze! Amaze! It’s time to talk about Project Hail Mary, both the book by Andy Weir, and the movie by Lord & Miller starring Ryan Gosling. The episode starts with some spoiler-free discussion about space fiction and the works of Andy Weir, before soaring into the plot, production, and performances at 16:40.  Other art discussed in this episode: Origami Angel [https://origamiangel.com/], Super Nintendo by Keza MacDonald [https://bookshop.org/p/books/super-nintendo-the-game-changing-company-that-unlocked-the-power-of-play-keza-macdonald/2658fe175be7758e?ean=9780593802687&next=t], On a Sunbeam [https://www.onasunbeam.com/], Baseball in the Garden of Eden by John Thorne [https://bookshop.org/p/books/baseball-in-the-garden-of-eden-the-secret-history-of-the-early-game-john-thorn/4ccf87d79202d64f?ean=9780743294041&next=t], Cowboy Bebop [https://www.crunchyroll.com/series/GYVNXMVP6/cowboy-bebop?srsltid=AfmBOopgviQ3vfS3CM955QEuyJaK5DVO4zlLXA88OkgwrLHhC0Ws4spd], Seveneves [https://bookshop.org/p/books/seveneves-a-novel-neal-stephenson/003029e007f2f9d5?ean=9780062334510&next=t] and Anathem [https://bookshop.org/p/books/anathem-neal-stephenson/d308ae04ceef61d7?ean=9780061474101&next=t] by Neal Stephenson, Cosmicomics by Italo Calvino [https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-complete-cosmicomics-italo-calvino/104c45fea82bb150?ean=9780544577879&next=t], The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells [https://bookshop.org/beta-search?keywords=Martha+Wells].  Theme music by Practical Dinosaur [https://practicaldinosaur.bandcamp.com/album/16-khr2] Send us a message at TheGoodArtFriends@gmail.com [TheGoodArtFriends@gmail.com], or connect on Bluesky at @goodartfriends.bsky.social‬ [https://bsky.app/profile/goodartfriends.bsky.social].

Making Art

After a couple of seasons of talking about enjoying art, it’s time to talk about making art. In the first half, Spencer interviews Jonathan about his band Practical Dinosaur. Then Jonathan turns the tables and asks Spencer about the books he has published (29:25). Along the way, they discuss what drives them to create, where they find inspiration, as well as their favorite and least favorite part of the process. We hope this episode will compel you to make and share some art of your own! Check out Jonathan’s music here [https://practicaldinosaur.bandcamp.com/] and Spencer’s writing here [https://www.spencermakesstuff.com/].  Other art discussed in this episode:  * Wellness by Last Dinosaurs [https://last-dinosaurs.bandcamp.com/album/wellness] * Ahead of the Beat by Summerfuss [https://open.spotify.com/album/4zwlSQ845lxNJ1sfytSlTb?si=2PigUdrQRSCkqNPUmrA1hQ&nd=1&dlsi=96e5e7edb5454313] * It’s (probably) not rocket science podcast by The University of New Mexico [https://podcast.unm.edu/] * Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett [https://bookshop.org/p/books/agnes-aubert-s-mystical-cat-shelter-heather-fawcett/994154312b190093?ean=9780593973257&next=t] Send us a message at TheGoodArtFriends@gmail.com [TheGoodArtFriends@gmail.com], or connect on Bluesky at @goodartfriends.bsky.social‬ [https://bsky.app/profile/goodartfriends.bsky.social].