Dudes--one of my dearest, oldest friends recently interviewed JAMES EFFING CAMERON at the offices of the Wall Street Journal, and in addition to that being just insanely cool, it's also a really insightful, smart interview.  I think he does an amazing job of talking to James Cameron as an artist rather than a commodity, and you can hear the actual curiosity in his voice, which is something that I find lacking in most interiews.  Check it out if you dig Avatar, James Cameron, or movie culture in general.  Congrats, Mr. Crook! 

In which the origin of the show is (mostly) explained in decidedly new-agey terms, our Panel of Distinguished Experts waxes nostalgic about their favorite all-time pairs of shoes, and Texas Cowboy Poetry Week is heartily celebrated.  

As the arrival of the diabolical Space Fungus draws ever closer, it is important to remember the things in life that are important: Scientific Innovation, crown roast of pork, and our elected representatives keeping us safe from the dangers of Scientific Innovation.  Let us also give thanks for the Lu, who reminds us that though the devil may be in the details, the Almighty is lurking somewhere in the platitudes.  Plus, your awesome voicemails!

In which we explain our unintentional three week hiatus, account for the holes in our socks, nearly perish in a vicious attack by a local arsonist, explain our feelings on the film “Up” (using the powers of PLAGIARISM!), and give Martin Luther King, Jr an (unfitting) tribute.

We are back in action with a panoply of ambitious New Year’s Resolutions/Decisions/Problematic Initiatives, plus nostalgia-ridden editions of Cashmere Thoughts and the Search for Delicious, in which Roberto Alomar and Roald Dahl, respectively, are remembered for their various contributions/complications to and of our lives.  All that plus the music of Matt Singer and Boswell’s new reading spectacles, you ask?  Oh yes, my friends, it’s all right here...

JINGLES 2 YA DINGLES–it’s an all-music special edition of The Road 2 Shambala this week, as we broadcast remotely from Sam’s mom’s house in Alexandria, VA. Stream it below…

Midnight Rudy has declared it long enough without his input on the show, and has accordingly taped a missive from the road that sheds some light on Sam’s current laundry predicament.  Speaking of predicaments, Ben Camp has been so busy lately that we’ve not seen hide nor hair of the boy, until now–he joins us once again to explain the various EXTREMELY IMPORTANT tasks to which he’s been attending, and also helpfully puts the imminent alien invasion in the proper perspective.  Vital Topics picks up where it left off last week, with an excoriating expose on Corporate Lingo, and Boswell debuts a new narration technique in another edition of All’s Well With Boswell.  All that, plus music from Chris Cubeta and the Liar’s Club as well as Marc Orleans--check it out below...

 There will be no apostrophes in the show description this week, because they make everything look all janky.  Rather, we will simply tell you that this episode contains harrowing tales of Battletoads and cocaine, idle threats upon the life and well-being of Senator Joe Lieberman, the Holy Trinity of Oats, Peas, and Beans, partners in folk-rock crime Nat Cassidy and Brian Pluta, as well as the musical stylings of The Radio Grifters, straight out of Austin, TX (via South Korea).  Plus, Boswell reads us The Single Greatest Poem of All-Time.  All of this magic in one place, you ask?  Yes, my friends, it’s all right here.

 Hoorah!  I thought I would never see this again--brilliance that has never been MATCHED: