Frak That! Podcast

Frak That! Ep. 84: ‘Cyber Monday’

To, ah, commemorate Cyber Monday, Randall Kennedy and Joe Wilcox discuss some of the exciting deals available from Amazon. “Of course I would be shopping for this on Cyber Monday—surely you would be as well”, Joe says about Super Colon Cleanse Supplement!

“Feel the movement! Feel the movement!” Randall interjects. “I feel 10 pounds lighter, Joe. It’s amazing”. “Is that the gift you give grandpa when ties or underwear or Depend—depending on the age—isn’t enough?” Joe asks.

We can’t give greater Episode 84 synopsis without spoiling the surprises, other than Joe observing that the one day isn’t good enough for Amazon, which celebrates “Cyber Monday Deals Week!”  … Frak That! Ep. 84: ‘Cyber Monday’

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Frak That! Ep. 83: ‘Give Thanks!’

The day after American Thanksgiving, Randall Kennedy and Joe Wilcox discuss what they are grateful for in 2016. Joe begins Episode 83: “If not for fake news, we might have a different President of the United States, and there would be nothing, absolutely nothing, interesting to read on the Internet. This fake news stuff is just so good, and the other stuff is sooo boring—except for our podcast, but you don’t read that, you listen”.

Way, way later in the podcast, when talking about archeology, Joe brings up fake news again. “Imagine archeologists of the future, trying to understand our society, our culture, and they discover a treasure trove of fake news. What kind of mistakes could they make about what things were really like here in the 21st Century”. Of course Randall has an answer, and he identifies their source: “The ultimate arbiter of all things truthful—that news source of record for the 21st Century—the Onion.com!” They would understand, for example, “that half of us were abducted by aliens at one time in our lives”.  … Frak That! Ep. 83: ‘Give Thanks!’

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Frak That! Ep. 82: ‘Turkeys of the Year’

Gobble, gobble, and Happy Thanksgiving, ye Americans. For Episode 82, Randall Kennedy and Joe Wilcox hand out their first Turkey Awards—extemporaneously, without any preparation. Joe has one he believes “devout atheist” Randall will appreciate. Hint: “I’m God”.

Florida residents get three different Birds—one gent for answering: “Is it possible to run myself over with my own car?” Amazingly, yes, says Randall. Joe awards a Turkey to a Floridian who shoots people in the leg when they overstay their welcome. Like they can LEAVE after being wounded in the limb.  … Frak That! Ep. 82: ‘Turkeys of the Year’

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Frak That! Ep. 81: ‘Fake News’

After a 10-day break, which Joe Wilcox attributes to the “Trump trauma”, he and Randall Kennedy return to catch up on the news that’s unfit to print. Joe begins Episode 81 by giving his cohost BBC’s fake news quiz. Which stories are true? Which are false?

Among the news reports that absolutely had to be false, but wasn’t, according to the Beeb: “A man in Edmonton, Canada was allowed to board a flight after a pipe bomb found in his bag was confiscated by airport security. A security guard at Edmonton International Airport even tried to hand the bomb back to the passenger, CBC News reported. The teenage passenger claimed to have forgotten the device was in his bag after making it with a friend for fun some months before. Canadian Air Transport Security Authority said several officers involved had been suspended”.  … Frak That! Ep. 81: ‘Fake News’

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Frak That! Ep. 80: ‘Aftermath’

Randall Kennedy and Joe Wilcox discuss the November 8th Presidential election that both call “historic”. Donald Trump’s victory isn’t the “landslide” that Randall previously predicted; that is by actual count. But it is a landslide of stunning support across an electorate among states expected to go to Hillary Clinton but went to The Donald.

The two podcasters dedicate entire Episode 80 to their assessment of the election. They have some advice for President-elect Trump: Keep tweeting. Use Twitter to stay personal and approachable to Americans and through clear communication keep both Houses of Congress working for the people who elected him, and also those who opposed him (and likely still do).  … Frak That! Ep. 80: ‘Aftermath’

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Frak That! Ep. 78: ‘Spirit Cooking’

Randall Kennedy is like a dog with a bone rambling on, and on, and on about Spirit Cooking, which set social media afire Nov. 3-4, 2016. He can’t resist anything that makes the Clinton camp a—borrowing from Ms. Hillary—“basket of deplorables”. Joe Wilcox isn’t convinced about alleged Satan worship and concoctions made of stuff Randall wouldn’t reveal on air (dare we say semen and blood). Episode 78 is nuts!

Referring to the Clinton camp, “I can’t help wonder if we’re gonna stumble into one of their inner meetings and they’re all standing around with a goat’s head chanting, or something like that—in dark robes”, Randall says.  … Frak That! Ep. 78: ‘Spirit Cooking’

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Frak That! Ep. 77: ‘Tech Talk’

When Joe Wilcox and Randall Kennedy conceived this podcast, they started out with the concept: “I Hate Tech”. But one evening, while planning, Joe said “Frak That!” about something and then wondered if domain frakthat.com was available. Yup. And the two decided to expand to a broader scope of topics around Frak That! Finally, now, during Episode 77, they get down to talking tech.

Joe gripes about going to CNET’s website looking for an autumn 2000 story he wrote about the Apple G4 Cube. Same day, the company issued a profit warning, citing slow Cube sales as catalyst. But you’d never he wrote the analysis. The byline is removed—on that and the other several thousand stories he wrote when a reporter. “I am expunged”, he says. “I am obliterated”.  … Frak That! Ep. 77: ‘Tech Talk’

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Frak That! Ep. 76: ‘Trick or Treat’

Joe Wilcox kicks off the Episode 76 Halloween Edition by spotlighting tricksters—for example, FBI director James Comey tricking Hillary Clinton into thinking the e-mail investigation was over, “while treating Donald Trump to an October surprise”. In a change of pace, that’s about all the political talk between Joe and cohost Randall Kennedy.

From there the discussion bounces through an eclectic range of topics, including: favorite comedians; best horror movies; classic scary scifi films; styles of collecting Halloween candy; declining NFL viewership; dental hygiene; and why germs are your friends.

Both men are big fans of Danny Boyle-directed “Sunshine”, which released in 2007. But Randall says it’s a “great movie ruined by a bad third act”—referring to the out-of-nowhere character who “for 7 years I have spoken with God”.

Randall obsesses about the new Westworld episode’s now-infamous “epic orgy scene”. He predicts that “after this week’s episode, it’s never gonna have a problem attracting viewers again because there’s going to be a line of people waiting for the next episode to see how far they will go this time”.

Joe repeatedly baffles Randall by the number of films or TV shows he has never seen, and to which there is no interest—like “Conan the Barbarian”, “The Matrix”, or “Seven”.

Photo Credit: Jeffrey Dixon

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Frak That! Ep. 75: ‘Cocktober Surprise’

Joe Wilcox is rather stunned by the number of hashtag/meme-worthy phrases that Randall Kennedy uses to describe Hillary Clinton’s renewed email scandal: Cocktober Surprise, DickiLeaks, SchlongerTogether, and StrokingGun, among others. Randall is giddy that the FBI’s publicly-disclosed, renewed investigation is so potentially good for his man Trump.

Prepared for a long diatribe, Joe purposely starts Episode 75 by discussing other things: “I’m holding back my cohost Randall Kennedy, who is like a rabid dog waiting to rip into political topics today…We’re going to hold him back, so he gets angrier, more ferocious, so that when the attack comes later in the podcast, it will be devastating”. The political discussion begins at 15:00.  … Frak That! Ep. 75: ‘Cocktober Surprise’