Episode 51 - Jack Kirby's Space Odyssey with comic book publisher Eli Schwab (part 1)
Marvel Comics legend and trailblazer Jack Kirby is known for his work with Joe Simon and Stan Lee, creating Captain America, The Fantastic Four, Thor, The Hulk, The Silver Surfer, and countless other unforgettable superheroes. But in the 1970s, he also created a comic book adaptation (and continuing series!) based on 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Who better to cover this mysterious and little-seen dimension of the Odyssey series than comic book artist and publisher Eli Schwab, who is both a diehard Kirby and 2001 aficionado!
From floating monoliths to the innermost thoughts of the Star Child, this wildly imaginative and bold retelling of our beloved Odyssey is part space adventure, part philosophy...and all Kirby.
Plus: Harlan Ellison, prehistoric witches, and X-51 The Machine Man.
Check out more comics at Cosmic Lion Productions!
Follow along with the pictures: Articles & Resources
Episode 51 - Syd Mead & The Art of "2010" (2010: The Year We Make Content)
We've got the Need for Mead...
IT'S the return of the Captain of Concept Design, Syd Mead!
There are so many fabulous illustrations in the "Art of 2010" book and no way we could fit them all in one episode.
This time, we're checking out designs for the aerobraking sequence, from detachable shields to sleeping compartments. The evolving look of the pod and the probe, the command console and main deck (with plenty of paneling and circuitry in between).
Inside the mind of a genius lie visions of the future, some of which have already come to pass. Which predictions came true, and what's next?
Plus: storyboards, sound stages, and how to build a ballute.
Follow along with the pictures: Articles & Resources
Episode 50 - Aerobraking (2010: The Year We Make Content)
Refreshed and lava-burned from a red hot Io summer, we're back on the Leonov to take the ultimate orbital roller coaster ride - aerobraking!
As Soviet-American relations warm and mutual respect grows among scientists aboard the ship, the themes of loyalty, common humanity, and faith in each other return as Floyd and Irina share a death-defying experience.
Hyams and Clarke's odyssey for the perfect futuristic technique, the real-life science and strategy of aerobraking, and the recent maneuvers around Mars.
Sit down and strap in for a slingshot around Jupiter with Captain Kirbuk and the crew.
Plus: ballutes, burbles, and Boohbahs.
Episode 49 - A Fan Odyssey with Virginia Smith (2010: The Year We Make Content)
"2010" was MGM's major motion picture of the year, with major hype, media train, and even merch (!?)
Leap back to December 1984 with Virginia Smith, and experience what it was like to be a young fan of the most influential science fiction of the 20th century, right at the peak of the party!
Hear Virginia's inspiring example of following your passion and staying true to your art, living the 90's life at Nickelodeon and Sega, and her entry into the world of robot building.
How her passion for "2010" and "Short Circuit" led her to once-in-a-lifetime encounters with cast, crew and props. And why the Venn diagram connecting these two films may be bigger than you think.
Plus: Johnny Five, Buddy Hackett, and Bug!
Check out Virginia Smith's artwork at thegirlinthepicture.com
Episode 48 - HAL & SAL with Virginia Smith (2010: The Year We Make Content)
Science fiction artist, video game animator, and media science communicator Virginia Smith joins us to discuss the world's most famous computer twins.
While HAL was off flying a spaceship to Jupiter, incapable of error, his sister SAL-9000 was back in Urbana, Illinois identifying each of his mistakes, confusing mission control, and freaking out Drs. Bowman and Poole.
The similarities and differences between these silicon siblings, their own characteristics and motivations, and examining their relationship with "dad" Dr. Chandra and each other.
What it was like seeing "2010" for the first time as a teenager, and becoming a lifelong fan in 1984!
Plus: T. R. Baskin, Murphy Brown, and Mortimer Snerd. (Warning - here be SPOILERS!)
Check out Virginia Smith's artwork at thegirlinthepicture.com
Episode 47 - LEONOV: Meet The Crew! (2010: The Year We Make Content)
We've examined the ship, now let's get to know our cosmonaut crew mates aboard LEONOV. Here are the stories of our super-scientist, coffee-chugging Russian roomies and the fascinating lives of the great actors who played them. (Aside from Captain Kirbuk, who is, of course, "The Queen.") Hope "Moscow on the Hudson" is on your bingo card...
They made incredible sacrifices for their families, faiths, and artistic freedom. Maybe we can see ourselves in the faces of all those looking for a better life.
Plus: Herve Villechaize, Robin Williams, and Soundgarden.
STARRING:
Elya Baskin as Maxim Brailovsky
Savely Kramarov as Vladimir Rudenko
Oleg Rudnik as Vasili Orlov
Natasha Shneider as Irina Yakunina
Vladimir Skomarovsky as Yuri Svetlanov
Victor Steinbach as Mikolai Ternovsky
Jan Triska as Alexander Kovalev
Episode 46 - The Road to Arecibo (2010: The Year We Make Content)
The collapse of the Arecibo Observatory in 2020 marked the end of an era for generations of astronomers, climatologists, SETI researchers, and space enthusiasts.
From 1963 until its closure in 2023, Arecibo, Puerto Rico housed the world’s largest radio telescope, and “2010” was originally going to start there!
Thanks to The Odyssey File, we have Arthur C. Clarke and Peter Hyams’ insightful and hilarious conversations about the concepts, logistics, and challenges that ultimately lead from Puerto Rico to New Mexico and the VLA.
Plus: the arguments around transmitting messages to outer space, Carl Sagan, pulsars, and Goldeneye!
Episode 45 - Solar Eclipse 2024!
Monday, April 8, marks the biggest, longest, most widely visible solar eclipse to cross the United States in a long time, and the last one for 20 years!
Celebrate the eclipse experience, the history, myth and lore, and amazing science that only comes in that breathtaking few minutes. Tips on how to look, what to look for, and what to expect from Wes, and from NASA (Tahira Allen and Dr. Gina DiBraccio.)
Check out Arthur C. Clarke's observations, and the instances of eclipses and celestial alignments in the Odyssey series.
Plus: helium, reptile housemates, and Lance Bass!
Episode 44 - Syd Mead, Visual Futurist (2010: The Year We Make Content)
For our first look at the book The Official Art of 2010, we pay tribute to the genius of concept artist Syd Mead, his career in industry and in entertainment, and his unique vision.
He imagined not only cars, spinners, ships of sea, air and space, but immersive now worlds around them. Celebrating the beauty of both form and function, his designs are always the perfect synthesis of art and engineering.
His contributions to Star Trek, Blade Runner, Aliens, Tron, and of course, 2010: The Year We Make Contact! This week it's the LEONOV, from concept to craft.
Follow along with the pictures at Articles & Resources.
Plus: CD-rom games, Gundam, and goulash.
Episode 43 - SEALAB 2010: At Home with Heywood (2010: The Year We Make Content)
Haunted by his past, Dr. Floyd moves to Hawaii and makes a new life with marine biologist wife, Caroline, and young son, Christopher.
Still healing from years of tragedy, he finds himself at a crossroads to reinvent his purpose. Taking the last opportunity to atone for all that had gone horribly wrong, and the sacrifices he - and his family - have to make.
The Odyssey File is a fascinating peek into the film's development and production, with candid conversations between Arthur C. Clarke and Peter Hyams.
They reveal the elaborate details of Heywood's Honolulu home, and the real and surreal journey of getting dolphins in the house.
Plus: Esther Williams, orangutans dressed as highland gorillas, and penguins dressed as Pooh.
Episode 42 - 2024: Odysseus in Space (A Year on the Moon)
We're back on the Moon! Thanks to the success of our aptly named "Odysseus" lander, NASA and Intuitive Machines are kicking off a year full of amazing lunar landings and experiments.
As the crew of Artemis II prepare to launch next September, what could be our future on the Moon?
What are the benefits and downsides of nations or corporations leading the charge?
The importance of NASA and its core mission to benefit humanity, and the increasing gains in diversity, exciting new accelerated research, and cancer eradication experiments.
Plus: pogo sticks, surviving on the air from hot fries bags, and the continued purpose and strategy of the International Space Station (In its future, we see a wheel...)
Episode 41 - The Very Large Array Telescope (2010: The Year We Make Content)
Sunrise at the Very Large Array Telescope (VLA), and Drs. Floyd and Moisevitch have to plan a bi-lateral salvage operation between opposing world powers in less than two minutes.
It's 2010's new space race, as filmed during the Cold War in '84.
Dial in on the real-life function and history of the world's largest radio telescope array, and its ever-expanding future!
Plus: the NICER way of radio scanning, planning a trip to Jupiter, and Lewis & Clarke! (Clive & Arthur - a surprising friendship.)
Episode 40 - The Year We Make Content
2010 Year has docked! We’re celebrating the 40th anniversary of Peter Hyams & Arthur Clarke’s knockout followup, 2010: The Year We Make Contact with a year of exciting discoveries following the team who rediscover Discovery One!
And, of course, we still have plenty more to come on 2001.
This week, a (fairly) spoiler-free introduction to 2010, the background, our love for it, and why we believe it deserves just as much conversation and provokes as many questions for what it is: NOT a sequel to perhaps the greatest motion picture of all time, but its own fascinating story told its own way. A Kubrick-sanctioned, Arthur C. Clarke-written, Academy Award-nominated science fiction classic.
Plus: we’ve booked a ride on the Europa Clipper! (We will attempt no landing there.)
Episode 39 - Behind The Concierge Desk
Checking in to the universe's most exclusive hotel, it's time to unpack, explore, and maybe play a little chess. Is that a Louis XVI throne pod?
Dave and Frank's relationship, and humans' innate need for each other. Long-term isolation: is it tao, torment, or vacation?
Gilded cage or petrie dish, this surreal environment evokes the most basic questions of life:
What is time? When is a ceiling a floor? Are we in the bathroom?
So many hidden meanings, so little much time.
Plus: Homesteading Space by David Hitt and the Skylab gravitational belly pull factor.
Episode 38 - In the Orbit of the Odyssey with R.H. Vatcher
R.H. Vatcher is BACK to toast in the New Year with a smorgasbord of insights from his 2019: The Odyssey Brief: BREACHING THE HULL OF DISCOVERY PARTS III AND IV.
Uncovering the many cultural elements revolving around this elliptical journey, from Jungian breakthrough to the groundbreaking scientific discoveries showcased in Life Magazine.
How serendipity or subconscious parallels to the prior roles of these now iconic actors may have influenced their casting.
The impact of Star Trek on a generation and its connections to 2001.
Plus: does Fellini + Kubrick = 2008 & 1/2? (okay, it'd be 2009 1/2, but c'mon...)
Also check out R.H. Vatcher's:
Punching Through the Kevlar of Stanley Kubrick's 'FULL METAL JACKET'
I am Jack's Ax: Breaking Down the Barriers of Stanley Kubrick's Film 'THE SHINING'
BONUS SPECIAL: A Clavius Christmas
Crusty socks hung with care, meat tube trimmed, hot fries smoking on an electrical fire... We're ready for Christmas, but is HAL?
Episode 37 - Beyond The Beyond: 2001 and the Future of VFX
Every science fiction movie since "2001" has been inspired, directly or indirectly by it, often even employing its original visual effects pioneers. For one artist, slit-scan was just the beginning...
Cinerama to IMAX to the future of moving images with MAGI - Douglas Trumbull has always been at the forefront of experiential cinema.
In films like "2001," "Silent Running," "Close Encounters," and "Blade Runner," and large format exhibitions like "To The Moon and Beyond" and "Back To The Future: The Ride" he invented and innovated his way into movie history, and ended up with a few patents along the way.
From the 1960s to his untimely death last year he left behind a massive body of experimental work that is decades ahead of current technology, paving the way for the virtual stage production of "Avatar," VR performance capture, and immersive technology to come.
Episode 36 - A Super SKYLAB 50th Anniversary!
Step right up, folks, step right up - following our interview with Victor Scherrer, it's the SKYLAB Super Show!!
SEE: the famous Commander Conrad and his parasol acrobatics duo, Weitz & Kerwin!
SEE: Big Al Bean the weightless weightlifter, with "Shades" Garriott & Jumpin' Jack Lausma and the twin pole thermal space waltz!
SEE: "Comet" Carr and the Kohouteks live, opening for the Gibson-Pogue Antenna Experiment!
AND...the wondrous Alyene Baker and her magical sewing speed skills!
Plus: Fee, Fi, Fo, Fum, and the animals of Apollo (oh, and Phooey).
Episode 35 - SKYLAB Spectacular with NRL's Victor Scherrer
On this very special Thanksgiving episode we have a legendary guest, SKYLAB all-star Victor Scherrer of the Naval Research Laboratory, who co-designed the solar cameras for the Apollo Telescope Mount. He shares with us an intimate history of the program, the challenges and the victories of America's first space station!
PLUS: Mr. Scherrer has written an EXCLUSIVE ILLUSTRATED ARTICLE for us, detailing the origin, development and implementation of the solar cameras and each mission's responsibilities.
(Historians interested in more of Mr. Scherrer's work, email spacepodyssey2001@gmail.com to get in touch.)
Ridley Scott Birthday Bonus!
November 30 marks the birthday of one of the greatest filmmakers of all time (and Brad's former boss), Sir Ridley Scott! To celebrate, we've dug into the archives to hear just how much his cinematic journey has echoed our very own Stanley Kubrick.
From "2001" to "Alien" and "Blade Runner," from "Barry Lyndon" to "Kingdom of Heaven" and "The Duellists," from "Paths of Glory" to "Black Hawk Down," "Full Metal Jacket" to "G.I. Jane," and from "Napoleon" to "Napoleon," the themes and connections just keep coming...
So raise a glass to the guv'nor, and remember: Xenophobia Sucks!
Episode 34 - Behind The Beyond: VFX of the Infinite
Would there even be a "Space Odyssey" without the inestimable impact of two educational short films: "Universe" (1960) and "To The Moon and Beyond" (1964)?
Not without the (Oscar-winning?) all-star team making history: Douglas Trumbull, Con Pederson, and Wally Gentleman! The agony and the ecstasy, the feuds, the fights, and the fun. How they forever changed the world of visual effects, one gouache stroke at a time.
WARNING: playing a drinking game with the name "Wally Gentleman" this episode may be hazardous to your health.
Original music by the creators of this podcast.
Episode 33 - Jupiter And Beyond
The pod has left Discovery, and now it's just us, Dave, and Gyorgy Ligeti. Through the monolith and into the stargate, we're hurtling past exploding nubulae ... alien civilizations ... Scotland?
How far beyond Jupiter is the infinite, or has it been right here the whole time? And how similar is transcending space-time to yanking a tablecloth?
Plus licorice, socks, AND: Do black holes store your browser history?
Episode 32 - A "Shining" HALLOWEEN with R.H. Vatcher
It's Halloween, and it's "The Shining." What we talk about is so terrifying and twisted, instead of a summary here's an episode Bingo card. Play along at home (if you dare...)
B-I-N-G-O
-Glacier National Park
-NOW (National Organization for Women)
-shadow as allegory
-Rumer Godden
-Fyodor Dostoevksy
-"Emergency!"
-Sigmund Freud
-Kool-Aid
-J.D. Salinger
-Peekaboo
-Bruno Bettelheim
-Winnie The Pooh
-Carl Jung
-Bugs Bunny
Check out R.H. Vatcher's:
2019: The Odyssey Brief: BREACHING THE HULL OF DISCOVERY PARTS III AND IV
Punching Through the Kevlar of Stanley Kubrick's 'FULL METAL JACKET'
I am Jack's Ax: Breaking Down the Barriers of Stanley Kubrick's Film 'THE SHINING'
Episode 31 - Through The REDRUM Looking Glass with R.H. Vatcher ("The Shining" and "2001")
"2001" and "The Shining" are the ultimate twin enigmas of cinema, but how much of Kubrick's commentary is actually onscreen? Turns out, an ashtray is not just an ashtray. R.H. Vatcher reveals the clues hidden throughout the labyrinth of images within images.
Take the plunge with us through the murky depths of "The Shining" from its psychological themes to the subconscious motivations of these complex characters.
The secret importance Alex Colville, Susan Sontag, Jim Morrison and a pack of Marlboros.
What if Wendy is the real writer? Who is really attacking Danny and why? If only Jack had been a dull boy...
Check out R.H. Vatcher's 2019: The Odyssey Brief: BREACHING THE HULL OF DISCOVERY PARTS III AND IV
Punching Through the Kevlar of Stanley Kubrick's 'FULL METAL JACKET'
I am Jack's Ax: Breaking Down the Barriers of Stanley Kubrick's Film 'THE SHINING'
Episode 30 - Pictures Within Pictures with R.H. Vatcher ("The Shining" and "Full Metal Jacket")
This episode contains discussion and clips of dramatized physical and verbal abuse, murder, and suicide. Listener discretion is advised.
Call 988 or go to 988lifeline.org to get 24/7 call, text and chat access to trained crisis counselors who can help people experiencing suicidal, substance use, and/or mental health crisis, or any other kind of emotional distress -- The Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (formerly known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline).
Level 2 of our roller coaster with author R.H. Vatcher races us through the intensity of boot camp, the similarities between HAL and Private Pyle, and the vulnerabilities of Dave Bowman and Danny Torrance.
Fasten your seatbelts as we plunge into the vast possibilites of mise-en-abyme. Plus, Kubrick's inspirations from the paintings of William Hogarth and the importance of the bathroom.
Follow along with photos on Articles & Resources
Check out R.H. Vatcher's 2019: The Odyssey Brief: BREACHING THE HULL OF DISCOVERY PARTS III AND IV
Punching Through the Kevlar of Stanley Kubrick's 'FULL METAL JACKET'
I am Jack's Ax: Breaking Down the Barriers of Stanley Kubrick's Film 'THE SHINING'
Episode 29 - At The 1964 World's Fair with R.H. Vatcher
It's our first in a series with author R.H. Vatcher! We're talking about all the connections he has revealed between 2001 & the 1964 World's Fair. Also, Katharina Kubrick's memories of the fair and the elusive history of IBM's connection to the film.
These are some deep discoveries and crazy connections... Conn Peterson & Douglas Trumbull! Arthur C. Clarke shocked by smiling strangers! Detergents, dolphins, animatronic dogs, (and bush babies) oh my!
Follow along with photos on Articles & Resources
Featuring Emily Love Potts as Katharina Kubrick.
Check out R.H. Vatcher's:
2019: The Odyssey Brief: BREACHING THE HULL OF DISCOVERY PARTS III AND IV
Punching Through the Kevlar of Stanley Kubrick's 'FULL METAL JACKET'
I am Jack's Ax: Breaking Down the Barriers of Stanley Kubrick's Film 'THE SHINING'