The Toy Department – Episode 85

In Episode 85, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky literally hows-the-weather each other before addressing more pressing concerns, including:

  • An on-air programming meeting (2:40) wherein Kolsky suggests a new segment for the future of the pod…
  • The new Steven Soderbergh film Logan Lucky (6:20) which was a bit of a disappointment to both guys…
  • Week 1 of the NFL (21:35) wherein a Colin Kaepernick discussion was redacted for the second consecutive week but Kap’s situation was still briefly discussed, along with some of the many QB issues across the league and the general lack of a standout team…
  • The season premiere of FX’s You’re the Worst (42:20) and what it says about where this season will go…
  • HBO’s new Sunday heavy hitter, The Deuce (48:50) and how it’s already springing to the top of best current shows…
  • Madden’s experience at the U2 concert last week (57:55) and how they have honed a big stadium show to perfection…
  • Homework for next week (1:02:15): including the season premiere of Better Things on FX, the new National album, the new season of Bojack Horseman, the Netflix original film The Fundamentals of Caring and the season premiere of Broad City…

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 67

In Episode 67, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky waste no time in getting into:

  • Kolsky’s experience at the Chance the Rapper show the previous night (0:40), what Madden is looking for in a live show and how they handle a performer’s differing religious views…
  • A preliminary discussion of the Netflix show 13 Reasons Why (9:40), particularly regarding the premise and some of the problems therein…
  • Some discussion of the ongoing NBA Playoffs (25:45), including Russell Westbrook’s divisive play and the wide open nature of the Eastern Conference…
  • ESPN’s wide-ranging layoffs (41:40) and what it says about their business model and the changing landscape of sports media…
  • Netflix’s new film Win It All (56:00), a Joe Swanberg/Jake Johnson collaboration…
  • A live-action version of the new Facebook phenomenon “10 concerts, 1 lie” (1:07:50) only they stick with just 5 concerts…
  • Somewhere in there is homework: watch the rest of 13 Reasons Why and catch up on Silicon Valley and Better Call Saul!

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 44

In Episode 44, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky have recovered enough from the release of new Black Mirror episodes JUST in time to bring you discussions about:

  • Last week’s homework assignment: the Test Pattern episode of IFC’s Documentary Now (2:30), and how Kolsky just can’t get over his deep distaste for Fred Armisen…
  • The aforementioned Netflix property Black Mirror (12:55) — Madden and Kolsky rank the original 7 episodes (17:15) by quality and by how disturbing they are, and also discuss the first of the newest episodes (47:10) that hit Netflix last Friday… WARNING: Spoiler-Heavy discussion, especially about the original 7 episodes…
  • A few thoughts on the last couple episodes of FX’s Atlanta (57:55) and how it returned to a more straightforward narrative arc over the last couple episodes… But still maintains the quality and innovation that makes it so wonderful… And a few words on Donald Glover’s casting in an upcoming Star Wars film (1:03:45)…
  • It’s ROCKTOBER, so Kolsky talks about a couple of concerts he saw last weekend: Chance the Rapper’s Magnificent Coloring World Tour (1:05:40) and Anderson .Paak (1:11:40) at the legendary Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco…

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… 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.

The Toy Department – Episode 42

In Episode 42, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky briefly address Kolsky’s in-progress Yom Kippur fast before delving into:

  • The San Francisco Giants’ elimination from the MLB playoffs (3:50) and some discussion about baseball at large (10:20)…
  • Kolsky’s homework assignment for Madden – Netflix/Marvel’s Luke Cage (20:35) and Madden’s anti-superhero/comic book bias…
  • Madden’s homework assignment for Kolsky – the previously British and now Netflix-owned Black Mirror (32:40) and how it really inspires thought and discussion like few other television experiences…
  • HBO’s new comedy Insecure (43:50) and how it brings another original perspective to the increasingly diverse television landscape…
  • Madden’s experience at a recent Kanye West show (52:20) and the big stadium show experience in general…
  • A bit of talk about last week’s You’re the Worst (1:01:05) but MOSTLY just because it leads into Madden’s experiences at fancy, exclusive bars as a big time radio star in Los Angeles…
  • Homework for next week (1:08:05) wherein Kolsky assigns the new Solange album to Derek…

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… 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.

The Toy Department – Episode 31

In Episode 31, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky deliver an ACTUAL “mini” episode of The Toy Department… They dive into:

  • A brief debrief of the first half of Kolsky’s nutty Phish adventures… (2:00) Spoiler alert – he’s enjoying himself 🙂
  • KimYe v. T-Swift in the battle of whether or not Kanye actually “made that bitch famous…” (8:20) wherein we discover Madden’s deeply conflicted feelings on TayTay…
  • Is golf a sport? Madden says NO – Kolsky says YES… (15:35) And it gets heated, ladies and gentlemen…

Oh, and if you want to subscribe via iTunes you can just click on the link below the player… 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.

The Toy Department – Episode 29

In Episode 29, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky are living in a Post-Game-of-Thrones-Season-6 World (and Kolsky is on the phone from his car) but they still manage to soldier on with a podcast discussing:

  • Kevin Durant’s decision to join the Golden State Warriors — from where he might live in the Bay Area (1:45) to how the W’s and the league will look in the coming season (4:00) to the many haters and whiners in the aftermath of Durant’s free agency (17:05)…
  • Madden’s experience at the Adele concert (31:30) and just what it is about the “diva” singer that makes her so overwhelmingly popular…
  • Last week’s homework assignment (39:25) wherein Kolsky watched the first two episodes of the TV show Roadies so that Madden would have somebody with whom to discuss it…
  • And then of course there’s this week’s homework (49:00) which YOU should also do — watch the new HBO miniseries drama The Night Of…

Oh, and if you want to subscribe via iTunes you can just click on the link below the player… 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.