Best Radio Qcode Podcasts (2025)

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The Battle to Make Star Wars 38:30

Play Pause

3d ago38:30

38:30

Movies that change cinema often come from outsiders – whether it’s Orson Welles making Citizen Kane or George Lucas making Star Wars a.k.a. Episode IV: A New Hope. The excellent graphic novel Lucas Wars by artist Renaud Roche and writer Laurent Hopman just came out in English (the original French title is Les Guerres de Lucas.) I talk with Renaud a…

1
Lifting the Curtain on Theatrical Effects 35:50

17d ago35:50

35:50

I’ve covered digital and practical effects in film and TV, but creating special effects for live theater is a whole other challenge. J&M Special Effects has been up to the task for 40 years. Their crew has worked on shows from Hadestown to Harry Potter and The Cursed Child to Disney musicals like Frozen and Aladdin. I get a behind-the-scenes tour o…

1
The Shark That Ate Hollywood 47:39

28d ago47:39

47:39

I didn't want the summer to end without joining in on the 50th anniversary celebrations of Jaws. I spent summers on Cape Cod as a kid, where I often heard that Jaws was filmed nearby on Martha's Vineyard. In fact, I recently went back and visited an exhibit on the 50th anniversary of Jaws at the Martha Vineyard Museum. So this week, I'm playing one…

1
Dreaming of Coney Island's Dreamland 42:21

1M ago42:21

42:21

Coney Island still has the classic amusements you’d expect today like roller coasters, water slides, and carnival games. But over a century ago, it looked more like a proto–Disney World, with multiple theme parks, colossal buildings, and wildly imaginative rides. The most extravagant park along the boardwalk was Dreamland. At Dreamland, you could t…

1
8-Bit to Orchestras: Video Game Music Scores 38:37

2M ago38:37

38:37

Creating a musical score for interactive video games is like trying to hit a moving target. Luckily, Hans Zimmer’s studio Bleeding Fingers has developed some clever strategies. I talk with their CEO Russell Emanuel and musicians Thom Lukas and Giovanni Rios about how they create innovative scores for games like Arknights, and why they thrive under …

1
How Jack Kirby Made His Mark on Marvel 40:50

2M ago40:50

40:50

The production design of the film Fantastic Four: First Steps is an homage to the early ‘60s comics created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. While Kirby is best known for his bold, fist-popping drawing style, he was also a great storyteller who redefined what comic books could be. He was appreciated by hardcore fans at the time, but he never got the sam…

1
The Hitchhiker's Guide to Douglas Adams 44:53

3M ago44:53

44:53

When Arvind Ethan David was a student, he decided to adapt the Douglas Adams novel Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency into a play. Arvind didn’t imagine that Adams would show up to see the play (which he did), nor that Arvind would grow up to become a caretaker of Adams’ legacy. Arvind just released an audiobook called Douglas Adams: The Ends …

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Imagining the Digital Afterlife 43:34

3M ago43:34

43:34

The animated TV series Pantheon (streaming on Netflix) asks what if you could upload your mind to the Internet? Would still be human? Would we create a virtual paradise where everyone got to live forever? Or would we find new and more sophisticated ways to destroy each other? I talk with Pantheon showrunner Craig Silverstein and Ken Liu, the author…

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Murderbot Is Ready for Its Close-Up (But Not Eye Contact) 38:16

4M ago38:16

38:16

Murderbot is a killing machine in the far future that would rather spend its time binging an intergalactic soap opera. Shooting bad guys with lasers is much less stressful than making eye contact or engaging in small talk with humans. Murderbot is also the main character of Martha Wells’ best-selling series of books, The Murderbot Diaries. The book…

1
The Bright Legacy of Dark Shadows 39:45

4M ago39:45

39:45

Next year marks the 60th anniversary of Dark Shadows. The gothic soap opera wasn’t originally intended to include a vampire, but when creator Dan Curtis introduced the character of Barnabas Collins in a last-ditch effort to avoid cancellation, he inadvertently launched a cultural phenomenon. As portrayed by actor Jonathan Frid, the character of Bar…

1
Bored Teens 14:55

5M ago14:55

14:55

SECRETS! https://secretshotline.org or 929-SECRETS PLAYLIST! https://rosarito1-2.bandcamp.com/track/chao-paraiso https://sereptie.bandcamp.com/album/method-of-division https://takemylungs.bandcamp.com/track/robin https://ab-memoryscale.bandcamp.com/album/chapter-five INSTA! https://www.instagram.com/thesecretshotline ¡SECRETOS EN ESPAÑOL! https://c…

1
Body Horror Gets Under My Skin 37:55

5M ago37:55

37:55

We all have that one thing we just can’t watch. For me, it’s body horror -- the kind of horror where grotesque and disturbing things happen to someone’s body, like in The Thing, The Fly, or The Substance. There is a long history of body horror as a form of social commentary and special effects showmanship. I respect the artform, but I can’t stomach…

1
Bonus: Syd Mead Full Gallery Tour 51:06

5M ago51:06

51:06

Last week, we heard about a new exhibit in New York called Syd Mead: Future Pastime. The exhibit closes on May 21st, and I know most listeners won't be able to see it in person. So in this bonus episode, you can hear the entire tour I got from Elon Solo and William Corman, who organized the exhibit. You can also see some of the images on the Imagin…

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The Optimist Behind Blade Runner's Dystopia 36:47

5M ago36:47

36:47

The late Syd Mead was a visual futurist who was hired to imagine the worlds of Blade Runner, Tron, Aliens, Elysium and other sci-fi films. His work in Hollywood has been lauded for decades, but there’s a new exhibit in New York that shows a different side of the artist. Syd Mead: Future Pastime is a collection of his personal and commercial paintin…

1
Human Body Wash 34:58

6M ago34:58

34:58

SECRETS! https://secretshotline.org or 929-SECRETS PLAYLIST! https://eezzmmeerraallddaa.bandcamp.com/track/soldiamante https://tambien.bandcamp.com/track/aurora INSTA! https://www.instagram.com/thesecretshotline ¡SECRETOS EN ESPAÑOL! https://canalconfidente.org VISIT OUR SPONSOR https://www.oneskin.co/ use code SECRETS for 15% off. Learn more about…

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Blueprints for Utopias 39:20

6M ago39:20

39:20

The golden age of sci-fi was filled with utopian visions the future. These days, when sci-fi creators project ahead several decades, the world is looking a lot more dystopian. But there is a group of artists who believe that a better tomorrow is possible if we can imagine it first. Architects are finding that science fiction can be a great way to u…

1
A Benefit of the Doubt Kink 18:59

6M ago18:59

18:59

SECRETS! https://secretshotline.org or 929-SECRETS PLAYLIST! https://ab-memoryscale.bandcamp.com/track/you-could-see-what-i-heard https://jacekdoroszenko.bandcamp.com/track/resin-arpeggio-movement-iii-io https://andrewheath.bandcamp.com/track/the-night-waiter INSTA! https://www.instagram.com/thesecretshotline ¡SECRETOS EN ESPAÑOL! https://canalconf…

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Mary Blair: Coloring Outside the Lines at Disney 36:10

6M ago36:10

36:10

In honor of Women’s History Month we’re producing a two-part series about two artists who were visionaries and trailblazers. In part 2, we look at the career of Mary Blair. She changed the way Walt Disney wanted to make animation and brought modernist sophistication to his style. But not everyone at the studio was on board with Walt’s dream to “get…

1
Gettin Swole for Climate Change (2023) 36:04

6M ago36:04

36:04

Listeners grapple with the biggest secret of generations: climate change. LEAVE A SECRET! secretshotline.org or 929-SECRETS GENERATION DREAD! https://gendread.substack.com/ PLAYLIST! Pulse Mandala & Distant Fires Burning - R Abacus Lndr - Oblivion in Qbit Strangebird~Sounds - Lavender River - Surface Dust Strangebird~Sounds - Lavender River - Momen…

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Bonus: Superstar Stuntwoman of Silent Cinema 17:36

6M ago17:36

17:36

In the previous episode, I talked with author Mallory O'Meara about Milicent Patrick, but there wasn't room to include this bonus material about Mallory's new book, Daughter of Daring. It tells the amazing story of Helen Gibson, the first superstar professional stuntwoman in Hollywood. She was like a combination of Annie Oakley and Michelle Yeoh at…

Radio Qcode Podcasts

1
Love and Radio

Love and Radio | QCODE

1
The Secrets Hotline

Love and Radio | QCODE

1
Bloodthirsty Hearts

QCODE | Tenderfoot TV

1
Imaginary Worlds

Eric Molinsky | QCODE

1
Blackout

QCODE & Endeavor Content

1
The Battle to Make Star Wars 38:30

1
Lifting the Curtain on Theatrical Effects 35:50

1
The Shark That Ate Hollywood 47:39

1
Dreaming of Coney Island's Dreamland 42:21

1
8-Bit to Orchestras: Video Game Music Scores 38:37

1
How Jack Kirby Made His Mark on Marvel 40:50

1
The Hitchhiker's Guide to Douglas Adams 44:53

1
Imagining the Digital Afterlife 43:34

1
Murderbot Is Ready for Its Close-Up (But Not Eye Contact) 38:16

1
The Bright Legacy of Dark Shadows 39:45

1
Bored Teens 14:55

1
Body Horror Gets Under My Skin 37:55

1
Bonus: Syd Mead Full Gallery Tour 51:06

1
The Optimist Behind Blade Runner's Dystopia 36:47

1
Human Body Wash 34:58

1
Blueprints for Utopias 39:20

1
A Benefit of the Doubt Kink 18:59

1
Mary Blair: Coloring Outside the Lines at Disney 36:10

1
Gettin Swole for Climate Change (2023) 36:04

1
Bonus: Superstar Stuntwoman of Silent Cinema 17:36