The Toy Department – Episode 88

In Episode 88, Matt Kolsky and Derek Madden get right into it with:

  • The passing of Tom Petty (1:25) and his place in the pantheon of American rock music, leading to…
  • A breakdown of the Mount Rushmore (7:15) of American rock artists…
  • The new Fox show Ghosted (20:05) starring Adam Scott and Craig Robinson…
  • Another Fox comedy, The Mick (24:35) as it begins its second season…
  • The newest entry into the Law & Order canon – True Crime (28:55), focusing on the Menendez brothers murders…
  • The definitive debate about the all-time Law & Order fantasy cast team (39:00) – starring Lennie Briscoe, obviously, but WHO ELSE?!?!
  • Homework for next week (1:01:30) including: new albums from the bands Alvvays and Death From Above 1979, the USA v. Panama soccer game coming up on Friday, Episode 5 of Bojack Horseman and the new Netflix cartoon Big Mouth (from the mind of Nick Kroll) and revisiting The Deuce on HBO…
  • A few words on the NFL’s continued blackball of Colin Kaepernick (1:07:00)…

By the way, if you like this podcast, TELL A FRIEND!! And if you want to subscribe via iTunes/Stitcher/Google Play/etc. you can just click on the link below the player (and don’t forget to leave us a review!!)… And if you want to contact the Toy Department, it’s easy — find us at ToyDepartmentPod (at) gmail.com… or tweet us: @MaddenOnAir & @thekolsky.

The Toy Department – Episode 87

In Episode 87, Matt Kolsky and Derek Madden fight through a recording snafu to get to a variety of topics, including:

  • The unstoppable interaction between sports and politics (1:30) and where Donald Trump’s behavior has gotten us with the NFL…
  • The Netflix movie The Fundamentals of Caring (11:10) and the idea of the Netflix indie…
  • Rapper Leikeli47’s new album Wash & Set (16:30) and Madden’s seeming disinterest in female rap artists…
  • FX’s Better Things (25:15) and how the guys are feeling about it early in Season 2…
  • HBO’s Vice Principals (35:15) and whether the show will hold up through a second season… or that would have been the discussion but THE RECORDING CUT OUT!!
  • Several hours later, Kolsky and Madden reconvene (36:35) and begin with a brief discussion of Derek’s other podcast and their interview with Rolling Stone’s Rob Sheffield…
  • They revisit some of the topics from the lost recording (41:00) including: the Killers’ new album, lady rappers and NBC’s The Good Place…
  • Homework for next week (46:45) including: TV shows The Mick, Law & Order: True Crime and Ghosted, and a plan to pick favorite all-time Law & Order teams for next week… Plus checking back in with HBO’s The Deuce…

By the way, if you like this podcast, TELL A FRIEND!! And if you want to subscribe via iTunes/Stitcher/Google Play/etc. you can just click on the link below the player (and don’t forget to leave us a review!!)… And if you want to contact the Toy Department, it’s easy — find us at ToyDepartmentPod (at) gmail.com… or tweet us: @MaddenOnAir & @thekolsky.

The Toy Department – Episode 86

In Episode 86, Matt Kolsky scolds Derek Madden for his persistent failure to complete homework assignments before they discuss what he DID manage to get to, including:

  • The Emmy Awards (5:55) and the state of television in general…
  • The beginning of the new season of Netflix’s Bojack Horseman (22:00) and whether it was enough to convince Kolsky to watch more…
  • The seas0n premiere of Comedy Central’s Broad City (28:20) and whether the Sliding Doors-esque design got the job done…
  • Top of the Lake: China Girl (32:00) and how it marks a significant change in tone from the first season of that show…
  • The National’s new album Sleep Well Beast (44:00) and the fundamental differences between Madden and Kolsky’s respective musical tastes…
  • Homework for next week (1:06:30) including: Madden’s make-up work (Better Things on FX and Netflix original film The Fundamentals of Caring), the new seasons of HBO’s Vice Principals and NBC’s The Good Place, the movie Patti Cake$ (if available) and the new album Wash & Set by rapper Leikeli47

By the way, if you like this podcast, TELL A FRIEND!! And if you want to subscribe via iTunes/Stitcher/Google Play/etc. you can just click on the link below the player (and don’t forget to leave us a review!!)… And if you want to contact the Toy Department, it’s easy — find us at ToyDepartmentPod (at) gmail.com… or tweet us: @MaddenOnAir & @thekolsky.

The Toy Department – Episode 84

In Episode 84, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky debrief on the latter’s recent travel before dispensing with:

  • A brief preview of the excitement of the coming week (3:15), including the NFL and HBO’s new show The Deuce, from producer David Simon (of The Wire fame)…
  • A more extended NFL preview (8:45), including discussion of the impending Roger Goodell extension, a debate about the third-best QB in the league and a breakdown of the wide range of potential contenders…
  • The disappointing new Netflix series Disjointed (38:15)…
  • Recent developments on HBO’s Insecure (50:05)…
  • An interesting storyline on HBO’s Ballers (55:15) and how it mirrors some of our feelings about the real-world NFL…
  • The new LCD Soundsystem album American Dream (1:00:30) and Kolsky’s curious reaction to the band in general…
  • Homework for next week (1:11:10): including the opening week of the NFL, the premiere episode of The Deuce, the new Steven Soderbergh film Logan Lucky and the season premiere of the FXX comedy and pod favorite You’re the Worst…

By the way, if you like this podcast, TELL A FRIEND!! And if you want to subscribe via iTunes/Stitcher/Google Play/etc. you can just click on the link below the player (and don’t forget to leave us a review!!)… And if you want to contact the Toy Department, it’s easy — find us at ToyDepartmentPod (at) gmail.com… or tweet us: @MaddenOnAir & @thekolsky.

The Toy Department – Episode 83

In Episode 83, Derek Madden finds Matt Kolsky on the island of Mabul, off the coast of Malaysian Borneo, where despite massive internet connectivity issues they manage to record a pod discussing:

  • The Kolsky family vacation to Borneo (0:40)…
  • The finale of Season 7 of HBO’s Game of Thrones – where are we at, where do we go from here and are we sufficiently satisfied (10:30)…
  • Louis CK’s self-produced web series Horace and Pete (26:35)…
  • The series finale of Orphan Black (41:55) and whether the show managed to navigate some plot confusion and land on its feet in the end…
  • Two new albums: The War On Drugs’ A Deeper Understanding (51:15) and Queens of the Stone Age’s Villains (57:00)…
  • Madden’s experience at the Kendrick Lamar show (1:01:45)…
  • Homework for next week (1:07:50):including catching up on HBO’s Insecure, the start of the NFL season and the new Netflix weed show Disjointed…

By the way, if you like this podcast, TELL A FRIEND!! And if you want to subscribe via iTunes/Stitcher/Google Play/etc. you can just click on the link below the player (and don’t forget to leave us a review!!)… And if you want to contact the Toy Department, it’s easy — find us at ToyDepartmentPod (at) gmail.com… or tweet us: @MaddenOnAir & @thekolsky.

The Toy Department – Episode 80

In Episode 80, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky take a minute to discuss the weather before diving into:

  • Madden’s experience at a Guns N’ Roses concert (1:50)…
  • Season 7, Episode 3 of Game of Thrones (11:05) and whether it is lagging a bit or if expectations might simply be too high…
  • Toy Department Goes To The Movies Part 1 — discussing the film Atomic Blonde (19:20) and whether it lives up to its billing and its own ambitions…
  • Toy Department Goes To The Movies Part 2 — discussing the film Girls Trip (29:05) and the burgeoning stardom of Tiffany Haddish…
  • Some new hip hop: Tyler, the Creator’s new album (41:45) and the young female rapper cupcakKe (47:25) and her potential as an artist…
  • Some new rock music: the disappointing new Arcade Fire album (49:05) and the exciting new Nine Inch Nails EP (56:40)…
  • Homework for next week (1:02:20): the movie The Dark Tower, based on Stephen King’s books and starring Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey… the new Duplass Brothers-produced HBO show Room 104… and the new Vic Mensa album The Autobiography…

By the way, if you like this podcast, TELL A FRIEND!! And if you want to subscribe via iTunes you can just click on the link below the player (and don’t forget to leave us a review!!)… Some other links down there as well… And if you want to contact the Toy Department, it’s easy — find us at ToyDepartmentPod (at) gmail.com… or tweet us: @MaddenOnAir & @thekolsky.

The Toy Department – Episode 77

In Episode 77, Matt Kolsky’s summer of vacation has moved to Chicago, where Derek Madden finds him for a discussion of:

  • The geography of the midwest and some brief critique of assorted cities…
  • Madden’s experience at a Diana Ross concert…
  • Haim’s new album Something to Tell You…
  • The new Broken Social Scene record Hug of Thunder…
  • The new FX drama Snowfall…
  • Homework for next week: including A NEW SEASON OF GAME OF THRONES!!! (and the Netflix show Friends from College)…

By the way, if you like this podcast, TELL A FRIEND!! And if you want to subscribe via iTunes you can just click on the link below the player (and don’t forget to leave us a review!!)… Some other links down there as well… And if you want to contact the Toy Department, it’s easy — find us at ToyDepartmentPod (at) gmail.com… or tweet us: @MaddenOnAir & @thekolsky.

The Toy Department – Episode 74

In Episode 74, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky break down Madden’s sports injury before some deep dives into:

  • The season finale of AMC’s Better Call Saul and the mastery of the show’s third season…
  • The season finale of FX’s Fargo and its choose-your-own-adventure style ending…
  • NEW MUSIC!!!
    • Young Thug’s Beautiful Thugger Girls
    • Portugal. The Man’s Woodstock
    • Lorde’s Melodrama
    • Phoenix’s Ti Amo
    • Alt-J’s Relaxer
  • Homework for next week: the new season of Orange is the New Black (to prepare for next week’s special guest Julie Lake, aka OITNB’s Angie Rice)… the new Netflix show GLOW… the new Showtime show I’m Dying Up Here… and the return of the pod favorite Orphan Black…

By the way, if you like this podcast, TELL A FRIEND!! And if you want to subscribe via iTunes you can just click on the link below the player (and don’t forget to leave us a review!!)… Some other links down there as well… And if you want to contact the Toy Department, it’s easy — find us at ToyDepartmentPod (at) gmail.com… or tweet us: @MaddenOnAir & @thekolsky.

The Toy Department – Episode 73

In Episode 73, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky overcome a late night for Kolsky and a bit of a hangover for Derek to give you insightful breakdowns of:

  • Kolsky’s experience at the Roger Waters concert (1:15)…
  • The NBA Finals so far (11:00) and what it means for the future of the NBA…
  • The series finale of The Leftovers (26:20) and where it ranks in the pantheon of Peak TV shows…
  • The newest DC Comics Universe film Wonder Woman (40:10) and whether Derek was enable to enjoy it despite his superhero fatigue…
  • Madden’s enjoyment of the Tom Petty concert (52:25) and the joy of classic bands playing their hits, plus the wildly underrated Joe Walsh…
  • This week’s episode of AMC’s Better Call Saul (1:01:00) with a special focus on the stellar acting performances of Bob Odenkirk and Michael McKean…
  • Homework for next week, or possibly two weeks from now (1:09:25): including FX’s Fargo, a last-chance effort to get Derek to enjoy a superhero movie with Logan, and the upcoming new season of Orange is the New Black (to prepare for future special guest Julie Lake, aka OITNB’s Angie Rice)…

By the way, if you like this podcast, TELL A FRIEND!! And if you want to subscribe via iTunes you can just click on the link below the player (and don’t forget to leave us a review!!)… Some other links down there as well… And if you want to contact the Toy Department, it’s easy — find us at ToyDepartmentPod (at) gmail.com… or tweet us: @MaddenOnAir & @thekolsky.

The Toy Department – Episode 70

In Episode 70, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky ride some emotional twists and turns through:

  • A brief discussion of the passing of legendary rock singer Chris Cornell… RIP.
  • A brief digression into The Pretty Reckless, also known as the rock outfit fronted by former actress Taylor Momsen…
  • Netflix’s Master of None, and Aziz Ansari’s creative excellence in making the show…
  • AMC’s Better Call Saul, the increased intensity and excitement, and the changing moral dynamic…
  • The new Hulu drama The Handmaid’s Tale, whether the guys will watch it and how Kolsky is a relative stranger to the work of Elisabeth Moss…
  • The NBA Playoffs, the general lack of excitement throughout the postseason so far and the controversy over Zaza Pachulia’s foul on Kawhi Leonard…
  • Next week’s homework – a couple of films in Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol 2 and Colossal… also the Sundance show Top of the Lake and potentially the Amazon show I Love Dick…

By the way, if you like this podcast, TELL A FRIEND!! And if you want to subscribe via iTunes you can just click on the link below the player (and don’t forget to leave us a review!!)… Some other links down there as well… And if you want to contact the Toy Department, it’s easy — find us at ToyDepartmentPod (at) gmail.com… or tweet us: @MaddenOnAir & @thekolsky.