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Tonight, locked in the BRIG, we have a multi-faceted artist, Sandy Netburn! Sandy is a New York based singer songwriter, comedian and ventriloquist whose talent and fearlessness as a performer, utterly belies her years! Her debut album “ISSUES” was released last October and she’s currently dishing out inspiration and goosebumps on tour! With handcrafted style and humor that positively permeates her lyrics, Sandy's music bridges generations of musical style! From folk to country to reggae and all things in between. Like the artist herself, this album is a true original! Pick up your copy of ISSUES from Wex Rex Collectibles! RETRO RIDOCTOPUS is ----------------------------------- "Parasite Steve"...... AKA Steve Van Samson (read) "8-Bit Alchemy "...... AKA Tim Krikorian (listen) "Coopster Gold"...... AKA Justin Cooper (subscribe) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Show your RETROID PRIDE! Get your official GEAR right here! ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Retro Ridoctopus is a proud member of The Dorkening Podcast Network and is brought to you by Deadly Grounds Coffee. Podcast intro and all heavy metal interstitials by Enchanted Exile.

On this episode of the THE BRIG, we have a local hero who, thanks to 13 seasons on Antiques Roadshow, has risen to become a nationally recognized name in the collecting, appraisal and selling of old plastic playthings. He also owns and operates Wex Rex Collectibles in Hudson, Massachusetts, writes novels, rock operas and has been running Northeast Comicon for decades… Retroids, put your tentacles together for the one and only Gary Sohmers! RETRO RIDOCTOPUS is ----------------------------------- "Parasite Steve"...... AKA Steve Van Samson (read) "8-Bit Alchemy "...... AKA Tim Krikorian (listen) "Coopster Gold"...... AKA Justin Cooper (subscribe) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Show your RETROID PRIDE! Get your official GEAR right here! ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Retro Ridoctopus is a proud member of The Dorkening Podcast Network and is brought to you by Deadly Grounds Coffee. Podcast intro and all heavy metal interstitials by Enchanted Exile.

BEEP! BOOP! With the help of our pal Scott Clevenger (from the Slumgullion podcast), we are greasing the gears and making sure all the little lights are blinking for a serious synthoid celebration that runs from the 1950s all the way to the 1990s and beyond! We looked to movies, cartoons, comics, TV shows and beyond to bring you our favorite ROBOTS, DROIDS & OTHER MECHANICAL MEN! From Robbie the Robot, to the many droids of Star Wars, the synthetics of the Alien universe and so much more. No need to bring any spare parts because this time the batteries ARE included! RETRO RIDOCTOPUS is ----------------------------------- "Parasite Steve"...... AKA Steve Van Samson (read) "8-Bit Alchemy "...... AKA Tim Krikorian (listen) "Coopster Gold"...... AKA Justin Cooper (subscribe) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Show your RETROID PRIDE! Get your official GEAR right here! ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Retro Ridoctopus is a proud member of The Dorkening Podcast Network and is brought to you by Deadly Grounds Coffee. Podcast intro and all heavy metal interstitials by Enchanted Exile.

Writer Ryan Benson caught a wave onto the indie comics scene with his debut ECLIPSED, a tie-in comic to the upcoming VAMPIRE SURF CULT animated series! He dishes on the book, his ties to the show and all about his new story “Sir William and the Scourge” which features incredible art by Mason O’Halloran. This sword and sorcery/horror yarn is going to be featured in AHA! (A Horror Anthology!)  That's 70+ pages, 8 stories, 3 covers and 1 nightmare inducing book that you can support on Kickstarter RIGHT NOW! Check out the campaign! RETRO RIDOCTOPUS is ----------------------------------- "Parasite Steve"...... AKA Steve Van Samson (read) "8-Bit Alchemy "...... AKA Tim Krikorian (listen) "Coopster Gold"...... AKA Justin Cooper (subscribe) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Show your RETROID PRIDE! Get your official GEAR right here! ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Retro Ridoctopus is a proud member of The Dorkening Podcast Network and is brought to you by Deadly Grounds Coffee. Podcast intro and all heavy metal interstitials by Enchanted Exile.

Tonight… locked in the pit of despair we call THE BRIG… we have the creators of the long-running storytelling podcast ACHEWILLOW and the first Achewillow novel "A DASH OF DEMON"! Both chronicle the exploits in and around a fictional Canadian/American town, where you can get a darn good cup of coffee, but also… possibly disemboweled by a demon. :o Writer, J.F. Dubeau and narrator/producer Amy Frost spill the tea on how Achewillow came about, just what the heck COZY HORROR is and why food (baking in particular) is so intrinsic to the show's DNA. Later on, we try something new, as guests and hosts alike take turns dropping some recipes on your butts! Pre-order your copy of A Dash of Demon from your local bookseller or snag one from our favorite! RETRO RIDOCTOPUS is ----------------------------------- "Parasite Steve"...... AKA Steve Van Samson (read) "8-Bit Alchemy "...... AKA Tim Krikorian (listen) "Coopster Gold"...... AKA Justin Cooper (subscribe) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Show your RETROID PRIDE! Get your official GEAR right here! ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Retro Ridoctopus is a proud member of The Dorkening Podcast Network and is brought to you by Deadly Grounds Coffee. Podcast intro and all heavy metal interstitials by Enchanted Exile.

Tonight we'll be spotlighting characters that have had a ton of different VARIATIONS over the years. Think costumes, alternate dimensions and even the dreaded heel turn! We plumbed the depths of video games and comic books to find just the right candidates to create quite the motley crew for you to enjoy. Ever see #Batman on the same list as #SimonBelmont ? Well, now you have! And the medium that shows off these different versions of our characters can be anything. Action figures, cartoons, games, comics and movies. For this episode, we are all over the place! RETRO RIDOCTOPUS is ----------------------------------- "Parasite Steve"...... AKA Steve Van Samson (read) "8-Bit Alchemy "...... AKA Tim Krikorian (listen) "Coopster Gold"...... AKA Justin Cooper (subscribe) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Show your RETROID PRIDE! Get your official GEAR right here! ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Retro Ridoctopus is a proud member of The Dorkening Podcast Network and is brought to you by Deadly Grounds Coffee. Podcast intro and all heavy metal interstitials by Enchanted Exile.

Our guest tonight is a legendary character actor who you have definitely seen in more movies and TV shows than you can COUNT! Daniel Roebuck has 273 acting credits on IMDB since his debut in 1985. You might recognize him from TV shows like Matlock, Nash Bridges, or a truly EXPLOSIVE appearance on LOST! He’s also appeared in movies like Rivers Edge, The Fugitive, U.S. Marshals, The Munsters, Terrifier 3 and so so many more. His new project is The Hail Mary… and right now, he’s has the distinct misfortune to be LOCKED in THE BRIG!! RETRO RIDOCTOPUS is ----------------------------------- "Parasite Steve"...... AKA Steve Van Samson (read) "8-Bit Alchemy "...... AKA Tim Krikorian (listen) "Coopster Gold"...... AKA Justin Cooper (subscribe) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Show your RETROID PRIDE! Get your official GEAR right here! ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Retro Ridoctopus is a proud member of The Dorkening Podcast Network and is brought to you by Deadly Grounds Coffee. Podcast intro and all heavy metal interstitials by Enchanted Exile.

The black sheep of the 16bit console generation of video games was definitely the TurboGrafx-16, but does coming in third mean it wasn't great in it's own right? Heck no! (link in comments) We run down a list of our nine favorite TURBOTASTIC games (plus a few more in there for good measure) on the system that was called the PC-Engine in Japan. We cover everything from head-banging cave babies to everyone's favorite Jason Voorhees clone. SHUBIBIN! RETRO RIDOCTOPUS is ----------------------------------- "Parasite Steve"...... AKA Steve Van Samson (read) "8-Bit Alchemy "...... AKA Tim Krikorian (listen) "Coopster Gold"...... AKA Justin Cooper (subscribe) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Retro Ridoctopus is a proud member of The Dorkening Podcast Network and is brought to you by Deadly Grounds Coffee. Podcast intro and all heavy metal interstitials by Enchanted Exile.

Though Jenny Toupin has been writing books since the first grade, she just released her first full length novel! The Blurry Man is a masterful portrait in psychological horror. The book is haunted by ghosts and grave robbing, by dolls and wannabe devil worship, but these things exist on the edges of the narrative. The heart of the Blurry Man is a guarded one, and you will not be ready when it is finally laid bare. Jenny spills the bones on this truly awesome book, as well as the unbelievable true crime story that inspired it. Then, after a short reading, We'll choose Mudkip and SURF over to her love for Pokemon Emerald, Vampire: The Masquerade and Magic: The Gathering. All that and Kari Sanders gets a new best friend! Dig up your copy of THE BLURRY MAN straight from the publisher! RETRO RIDOCTOPUS is ----------------------------------- "Parasite Steve"...... AKA Steve Van Samson (read) "8-Bit Alchemy "...... AKA Tim Krikorian (listen) "Coopster Gold"...... AKA Justin Cooper (subscribe) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Retro Ridoctopus is a proud member of The Dorkening Podcast Network and is brought to you by Deadly Grounds Coffee. Podcast intro and all heavy metal interstitials by Enchanted Exile.

Back in the early to mid 90s, when a popular movie was turned into a video game, that game was often released for both of the 16-bit systems that dominated console gaming of the day. This meant that whether you owned a Super Nintendo or a SEGA Genesis you'd be able to snag a copy and play! The thing is, in those days, these licensed games would often involve completely separate developers for each system, leading to a pair of games that were actually, nothing alike! Tonight, with the help of our pal Aldo Aroujo, we will be talking about 16-bit licensed games that did just that! A single property that resulted in two totally different games... one for the SNES and one for the Genesis/Megadrive. Sure, the debate over which variation on a beloved theme was major fuel for the fires tended by partisan gamers of the day, but those days are long gone. Heck, we're gonna play 'em all! RETRO RIDOCTOPUS is ----------------------------------- "Parasite Steve"...... AKA Steve Van Samson (read) "8-Bit Alchemy "...... AKA Tim Krikorian (listen) "Coopster Gold"...... AKA Justin Cooper (subscribe) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Retro Ridoctopus is a proud member of The Dorkening Podcast Network and is brought to you by Deadly Grounds Coffee. Podcast intro and all heavy metal interstitials by Enchanted Exile.

Tonight, in that vinegar-laced cask of nightmare fuel we call THE BRIG… we have the clobberingly awesome, Michael Burke! Mike is the author of many pulpy tales of horror, fantasy and more. He's here to promote his brand new novella “Vengeful Spirits”, which appears in the 2025 collection SINISTER SOCIETIES by Ruadan Books. Beyond all that, he’s the co-founder of the Eisner-award-winning comic and collectible store, Comicazi, in Somerville, MA! The discussion shoots from Mike's favorite Conan stories to his most beloved run of the Fantastic Four and why his Great Grandmother deserves to be the hero of his pulp adventure stories. Hint... IT'S BECAUSE SHE LIVED THEM FOR REAL!! Snag your copy of Sinister Societies direct from the publisher! RETRO RIDOCTOPUS is ----------------------------------- "Parasite Steve"...... AKA Steve Van Samson (read) "8-Bit Alchemy "...... AKA Tim Krikorian (listen) "Coopster Gold"...... AKA Justin Cooper (subscribe) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Retro Ridoctopus is a proud member of The Dorkening Podcast Network and is brought to you by Deadly Grounds Coffee. Podcast intro and all heavy metal interstitials by Enchanted Exile.

G.I. Joe is the codename for America's daring, highly trained, special mission force. Its purpose: To defend human freedom against Cobra, a ruthless, terrorist organization determined to rule the world. For millions of fans, the exploits of G.I. Joe have been chronicled in the forms of action figures, plastic vehicles, cartoons, video games and even live action movies! It's a lot to cover, but tonight, General Coopster Gold will lead this important mission briefing, aiming our battery operated searchlight on the characters of the "A Real American Hero" cartoon which ran from 1983 to 1994! So fire up your Skystrikers, because we'll be shouting out six Joes and six agents of Cobra, all while managing to airdrop in an Octoponder and some UNCOMFORTABLE NATURE FACTS about actual cobras! YO, JOE!!! RETRO RIDOCTOPUS is ----------------------------------- "Parasite Steve"...... AKA Steve Van Samson (read) "8-Bit Alchemy "...... AKA Tim Krikorian (listen) "Coopster Gold"...... AKA Justin Cooper (subscribe) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Retro Ridoctopus is a proud member of The Dorkening Podcast Network and is brought to you by Deadly Grounds Coffee. Podcast intro and all heavy metal interstitials by Enchanted Exile.

Last season, 8-Bit Alchemy and Parasite Steve devoted some playtime and one whole episode to the classic Lucas Arts point and click adventure game, Maniac Mansion. Now they dive into the sequel! Day of the Tentacle is a true classic of the genre, but these guys are playing it for the first time! So stock up on some exploding novelty cigars, hop into your Chrono-Johns, and prepare for a far out trip through time because we have to stop that purple MANIAC from enslaving humanity! RETRO RIDOCTOPUS is ----------------------------------- "Parasite Steve"...... AKA Steve Van Samson (read) "8-Bit Alchemy "...... AKA Tim Krikorian (listen) "Coopster Gold"...... AKA Justin Cooper (subscribe) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Retro Ridoctopus is a proud member of The Dorkening Podcast Network and is brought to you by Deadly Grounds Coffee. Podcast intro and all heavy metal interstitials by Enchanted Exile.

In what might be our longest episode ever, we welcome back one half of the Throwdown Thursday Podcast (the great Ashes Von Nightmare) to talk about some of our favorite movies that feature fictional bands! After a STONEHENGE-sized presentation on the one that started it all, Rob Reiner's seminal classic THIS IS SPINAL TAP, we move onto 8 other films that are also GONNA ROCK YOU (tonight). We've got everything from outright comedies to hard-hitting Oscar-winning dramas. Some of these flicks have full soundtracks by their "fake bands" and others only a track or two. Does the cast sing and play their instruments? Who did the writing? Make no mistake, while the bands are all made up... this ROCK AND ROLL is as real as it comes! \,,/ And if horror and indie films are your idea of a good time... check out the what Ashes came to promote, the Dead of Winter Festival coming to Worcester, Massachusetts Feb. 21st & 22nd 2026! NOTE: This episode is dedicated to the wonderful Catherine O'Hara, who passed just hours after this recording. Our hearts were not ready and are thoroughly broken. #RIPCatherineOhara #SpinalTap #ThisIsSpinalTap #ThatThingYouDo #Airheads #AMightyWind #AlmostFamous #2gether #StillCrazy #Rockstar #SteelDragon #Stillwater #StrangeFruit #TheFolksmen #MickeyandMitch #TheWonders RETRO RIDOCTOPUS is ----------------------------------- "Parasite Steve"...... AKA Steve Van Samson (read) "8-Bit Alchemy "...... AKA Tim Krikorian (listen) "Coopster Gold"...... AKA Justin Cooper (subscribe) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Retro Ridoctopus is a proud member of The Dorkening Podcast Network and is brought to you by Deadly Grounds Coffee. Podcast intro and all heavy metal interstitials by Enchanted Exile.

Back in the BRIG is a 10-time Amazon/Audible best selling author of the long running post apocalyptic zombie mega hit series ADRIAN'S UNDEAD DIARY and much much more! This time, Chris is here to chat about his brand new smash hit LitRPG novel AN UNDEAD GLITCH! This one takes the zombie apocalypse and makes it digital, via an incredibly well realized (sadly fictional) game environment. Think "Dungeon Crawler Carl" or "Ready Player One", but with ZOMBIES and tons of crude humor! What's extra cool is that the audio book for An Undead Glitch is a Retro Ridoctopus co-production—featuring engineering and narration by Parasite Steve and original retro game style music and sound effects by 8-Bit Alchemy! Expect plenty of talk on all of that, plus a discussion of our favorite glitches in gaming. Oh yeah... and WE HAD A CONTEST, which Chris graciously chooses the winners for!! SPOILER ALERT...(everyone is a winner). SHUBIBIN!! RETRO RIDOCTOPUS is ----------------------------------- "Parasite Steve"...... AKA Steve Van Samson (read) "8-Bit Alchemy "...... AKA Tim Krikorian (listen) "Coopster Gold"...... AKA Justin Cooper (subscribe) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Retro Ridoctopus is a proud member of The Dorkening Podcast Network and is brought to you by Deadly Grounds Coffee. Podcast intro and all heavy metal interstitials by Enchanted Exile.