229: The Secret Agent (with Gus Lanzetta)

Access this entire 161-minute episode (and additional monthly bonus episodes, including the entire Prefab Sprout series) by becoming a Junk Filter patron! https://www.patreon.com/posts/230-prefab-with-154429820On the fifth episode of the Junk Filter miniseries exploring the work of the cult UK band Prefab Sprout, Jared Bailey, the cohost of the Southern Accents pod, returns from Columbia, South Carolina to discuss their magnum opus, 1990’s Jordan: The Comeback.Conceived by frontman Paddy McAloon as a collection of “nuclear-powered Walt Disney film themes,” the 19-track album was produced by Thomas Dolby and reportedly cost half a million dollars. Structurally, it's divided into four distinct suites: a set of pop songs, a galaxy-brained section centered on Elvis Presley (including the idea of his faked death and surprise return), a medley of love songs, and a final movement contemplating God, death, and redemption.On Jordan, McAloon fuses the accessible melodicism of The Beatles and The Beach Boys with the lyrical and musical intricacy of Steely Dan, all filtered through his own literary and theatrical sensibilities, to create a dreamy, atmospheric, forward-facing masterpiece that sounds like nothing else and holds great appeal to modern ears. Jared and I go track-by-track on the album, which includes many of the band’s greatest songs.My thanks to the Sproutology website, the ultimate online resource for the band.Follow Jared Bailey on Twitter and Bluesky. Jared is the co-host (with @fenderbelly) of the new Tom Petty podcast Southern Accents. Listen to the show and support their Patreon!Radio Love (Prefab Sprout b-side from 1982)Music video for Carnival 2000 (1990)

CW: Spoilers for The Secret Agent.Writer and podcaster Gus Lanzetta joins us from São Paulo for a deep dive into two recent works of the great Brazilian director Kleber Mendonça Filho.We explore how the northeastern coastal town of Recife serves as a lifelong muse for the director, starting with his 2023 personal "audio-visual essay," Pictures of Ghosts, which maps the fading movie palaces of his youth.That film sets the stage for his newest period piece, The Secret Agent, a “hangout thriller” set in 1977 starring Wagner Moura as a man on the run in Recife during the military dictatorship. Gus helps decode the local nuances for the non-Brazilians in the audience, explaining the historical "mischief" the film depicts, its powerful themes of memory, family and resistance and why Kleber is a director you just have to trust.Plus: is Toronto’s Matt Johnson Canada’s answer to Kleber?Over 30% of all Junk Filter episodes are only available to patrons of the podcast. To support this show directly and to receive access to the entire back catalogue, consider becoming a patron for only $5.00 a month (U.S.) at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/junkfilterFollow Gus Lanzetta on Bluesky.Trailer for Pictures of Ghosts (Retratos Fantasmas - Kleber Mendonça Filho, 2023)North American trailer #1 for The Secret Agent (O Agente Secreto - Kleber Mendonça Filho, 2023)

Access this entire 115 minute episode (and additional monthly bonus episodes, including the entire Prefab Sprout series) by becoming a Junk Filter patron! https://www.patreon.com/posts/228-prefab-songs-151720106In the fourth episode of the Junk Filter miniseries exploring the work of the UK band Prefab Sprout, I’m joined by Patrick Svensson, a library worker in Seattle, for a track-by-track discussion of their “lost album” Protest Songs.Recorded quickly and cheaply in Newcastle right after Steve McQueen, Protest Songs was intended for release at the end of 1985 but shelved by CBS Records to avoid cannibalizing sales of the hit single “When Love Breaks Down”.  After four years of bootlegs and rumours, the album was released without fanfare in 1989, serving as a stopgap between From Langley Park to Memphis and Jordan: The Comeback, yielding no hit singles while still making the Top 20 UK album charts.Patrick and I wish to make a case for this album as one of their best releases, with a more stripped-back, less hyperproduced sound that captures the band's live energy and provides further background on Paddy McAloon’s upbringing and sensibilities, as he delivers “protest songs” about the struggles of daily existence in Thatcher’s England as opposed to stridently political material.We dive into our favourite Protest Songs tracks, era-specific B-sides, and the unmistakable influence of Steely Dan on McAloon’s songwriting.Follow Patrick Svensson on Bluesky.My thanks to the Sproutology website, the ultimate online resource for the band.Demo version #2 of Talkin’ Scarlet from 1983- more of a duet, with a different set of lyrics.Tiffanys, live in Munich, December 1985

The film writer Brian Abrams returns to discuss Predator 2 (1990), directed by Stephen Hopkins. The sequel swaps Arnold Schwarzenegger for Danny Glover and transplants the action to a sweltering, near-future Los Angeles in 1997, where climate collapse and gang warfare create the ideal hunting ground for an extraterrestrial predator on safari.Often dismissed as a crass, hyper-violent downgrade from the original, Brian and I argue that Predator 2 is the only other truly worthy entry in the franchise. Its appeal lies in sheer excess, using escalation to meaningfully expand the series’ mythology. Nearly saddled with the newly introduced NC-17 rating due to its extreme violence, the film now plays like a meathead action satire in the vein of RoboCop. It offers a contradictory vision of future America—one shaped by imperialist blowback—depicting Los Angeles as a literal “concrete jungle,” populated by a multicultural cast trapped within a racially insensitive landscape of Colombian and Jamaican drug cartels and an ambulance-chasing tabloid culture, while a dreadlocked interstellar hunter methodically racks up bodies.We also dig into why Arnold didn’t return, how Steven Seagal was briefly considered as the lead, the film’s chaotic production history, and more.Over 30% of all Junk Filter episodes are only available to patrons of the podcast. To support this show directly and to receive access to the entire back catalogue, consider becoming a patron for only $5.00 a month (U.S.) at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/junkfilterFollow Brian Abrams on Twitter and Letterboxd.Trailer #1 for Predator 2 (Stephen Hopkins, 1990)Some Predators and Danny Glover dancing on the set of Predator 2

Access this supersized 148 minute episode (and additional monthly bonus episodes, including the continuing Prefab Sprout series) by becoming a Junk Filter patron! Only $5 (USD) a month!https://www.patreon.com/posts/226-prefab-from-145775014In part three of the podcast’s series exploring the work of the extraordinary UK band Prefab Sprout, I am joined by Atlanta-based critic and theatre scholar Brice Ezell to discuss the band's most commercially successful album: 1988’s From Langley Park to Memphis.Following the critical acclaim of Steve McQueen, frontman Paddy McAloon aimed for a glossy, broadly commercial sound this time. With full label support, no expense was spared on production, a sweeping, cinematic soundscape that blends sophisticated synthesizers and polished studio techniques with full orchestration, gospel choirs, and even a guest appearance from Stevie Wonder.Heavily influenced by Barbra Streisand’s The Broadway Album, McAloon goes full Theatre Kid on this record. The project employed multiple producers (including the returning Thomas Dolby) and experimented across genres from arena rock to Broadway show tunes and adult contemporary. This approach generated two enduring UK radio hits: “The King of Rock ’n’ Roll” (their only Top Ten single) and “Cars and Girls” (a subtle critique of Bruce Springsteen’s persona).Brice and I dive deep on Langley Park, offering track-by-track analysis. We explore the album's surprising global footprint, tracing its influence from Norwegian singer-songwriters to Japanese City Pop, anime scores, and video game music. And we zero in on the album's central theme: an epic statement where Paddy deconstructs the American mythmaking machine from the vantage point of Northeast England, all while processing his band’s sudden success and grappling with an uncertain future.My thanks to the Sproutology website, the ultimate online resource for the band.Follow Brice Ezell on Bluesky.The King of Rock ’n’ Roll - from the Dutch music show TopPop, 1988Nightingales - Paddy McAloon on piano, from KCRW, 1988Mashup of Prefab Sprout’s Knock on Wood and a track from the Japanese anime High School Aura Buster.

Access this entire 115 minute episode (and additional monthly bonus episodes) by becoming a Junk Filter patron! https://www.patreon.com/posts/225-prefab-steve-144565815On the second episode of our Prefab Sprout series, I am joined by Vanity Fair staff writer Erin Vanderhoof for a detailed discussion of the band’s second album, Steve McQueen.Released in 1985, Steve McQueen was produced by a fan of the band, Thomas Dolby, who handpicked a selection of Paddy McAloon's older songs (some dating back to his late teens). The goal was to create a commercially appealing, modern pop record that still captured McAloon’s idiosyncratic brilliance. The critically-acclaimed album was a modest hit in the UK but made little splash in America, where it was released as Two Wheels Good to avoid issues with Steve McQueen’s estate.Forty years later, it is amazing how fresh this distinctly '80s album still sounds. It’s a rich blend of rock, jazz, country, adult contemporary, and show tunes, finished with a beautiful electronic polish. Dolby’s perfect production showcases McAloon's sophisticated songs about heartbreak and complicated feelings, alongside the masterful musicianship of the band, notably featuring the key arrival of drummer Neil Conti.During our track-by-track discussion, we reveal how we each got Sproutpilled, debate whether the band deserved the UK "Sophisti-Pop" label, explore their notable popularity in Italy, and share our hopes for a future Spike Lee Prefab Sprout movie musical.Follow Erin Vanderhoof on Bluesky and follow her work at Vanity Fair.My thanks to the Sproutology website, the ultimate online resource for the band."Thriller in England: Steve McQueen by Prefab Sprout at 40" by Fergal Kinney, for The Quietus, June 10, 2025Live performance of When Love Breaks Down from The Old Grey Whistle Test, 1985Live performance of Goodbye Lucille #1 (aka Johnny Johnny), from The Tube, 1986Appetite from the 1986 Sanremo Music FestivalLondon in Love, from a series of Burberry 2025 adverts soundtracked by When Love Breaks Down.

Access this entire 71 minute episode (and additional monthly bonus episodes) by becoming a Junk Filter patron! https://www.patreon.com/posts/224-brian-de-hi-144418287The actor and writer Mike Mekus returns to the show from Brooklyn to discuss Brian De Palma’s third feature, the vicious satire Hi, Mom! (1970). The film features a breakout performance by Robert De Niro as a young man back from Vietnam who is hoping to convert his voyeuristic tendencies into a career as a pornographer with artistic pretensions, but who ultimately winds up playing a cop in a revolutionary theatre troupe’s new underground experimental play, “Be Black, Baby!”This anarchic comedy serves as a time capsule of late 1960s NYC. De Palma uses it to show off his craft and his enthusiasm for the full potential of cinema—specifically, the possibilities for an American political cinema—demonstrating that Godard was just as much of an influence on his style as Hitchcock.Mike and I discuss how incredibly prescient De Palma was in Hi, Mom!, as he sends up incels, computer dating, the entire Dimes Square style art scene, and New York’s guilty white liberal community. This is highlighted by the incendiary film-within-a-film, “Be Black, Baby!”, the first great cinema sequence in De Palma’s long career full of them, all of this barely contained within an 87-minute film that possesses a surprising New York Dirtbag Cinema energy still detectable today.Follow Mike Mekus on TikTok, Instagram and Twitter.“Landlord” - the 1969 commercial by the New York Urban Coalition that Hi, Mom!parodies at the very beginningTrailer for Hi, Mom! (Brian De Palma, 1970)

The film writers Robert Rubsam and Corey Atad join the show for a discussion of two apocalyptic nuclear thrillers, Sidney Lumet’s Fail-Safe (1964) and Kathryn Bigelow’s brand new Netflix production A House of Dynamite.Both Dr. Strangelove and Fail-Safe were released by Columbia Pictures within months of each other in 1964 (as the result of a lawsuit stemming from the respective novels the films were based on). The two films depict an accidental nuclear crisis from the perspective of command-and-control rooms helpless to prevent the impending bombing but Lumet’s version is a serious critique of Game Theory from a humanist perspective, with the participation of creatives who had been caught up in the Hollywood Blacklist during the Cold War.Bigelow’s modern version of such a tale of nuclear crisis, by contrast, has a lot less to say about the subject. We compare its structural shortcomings to Lumet’s stark masterpiece, a film more plugged in to its zeitgeist than this new Netflix production is.Over 30% of all Junk Filter episodes are only available to patrons of the podcast. To support this show directly and to receive access to the entire back catalogue, consider becoming a patron for only $5.00 a month (U.S.) at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/junkfilterFollow Corey Atad on Twitter and Bluesky and visit coreyatad.comFollow Robert Rubsam on Twitter and Bluesky and visit robertrubsam.comTony Schwartz’s “Daisy” commercial for LBJ’s 1964 Presidential election campaignTrailer for Fail-Safe (Sidney Lumet, 1964)Promo for the live tv broadcast on CBS of Fail-Safe (Stephen Frears, 2000)Trailer for Henry Fonda for President (Alexander Horwath, 2024)Trailer for A House of Dynamite (Kathryn Bigelow, 2025)

Will Sloan returns to the pod to discuss his new monograph Ed Wood: Made in Hollywood USA, which provides fresh insight on the legendary “bad” director by considering his entire body of work.For this episode we focus on the final frontier for Ed Wood fans, the pornographic films and books he produced in the twilight of his life.We discuss in detail 4 of his XXX features: Take It Out in Trade (1970), Necromania: A Tale of Weird Love! and The Only House in Town (both 1971) and his final film, The Young Marrieds(1972). These films (most shot in vivid colour) reveal a dark truth about the Hollywood dream factory, reflecting both the desperation of Wood’s final years and his absolute commitment to his artistic vision no matter the circumstances.Plus: RIP Diane Keaton.Over 30% of all Junk Filter episodes are only available to patrons of the podcast. To support this show directly and to receive access to the entire back catalogue, consider becoming a patron for only $5.00 a month (U.S.) at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/junkfilterFollow Will Sloan on Twitter and Bluesky and subscribe to his substack and his podcasts The Important Cinema Club and Michael and Us.Will’s new book Ed Wood: Made in Hollywood USA (OR Books) is now available through the publisher or in fine bookstores. AGFA trailer for the restored Take It Out in Trade (Ed Wood, 1970)

Access this entire 109-minute episode (and additional monthly bonus shows) by becoming a Junk Filter patron for only $5.00 (US) a month! Over 30% of episodes are exclusively available to patrons of the show. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/posts/221-prefab-swoon-141013448Writer, filmmaker and co-host of the Box Office GROSS podcast Rob Stammitti joins me from Pittsburgh to begin a miniseries on the UK cult band Prefab Sprout, a critically acclaimed band that sold millions of albums and yet didn’t become as huge as they deserved to be. They were hard to categorize, barely toured outside of continental Europe and were somewhat out of step with prevailing trends in popular music in their day and still left behind a fascinating body of work that more people should be aware of.In part one we discuss arriving late to the game in discovering Prefab Sprout and the long shadow Paddy McAloon casts on modern music before returning to the origin story in County Durham, England, their attention-getting early singles and then track-by-track on their 1984 debut LP Swoon (Songs Written Out Of Necessity). McAloon throws down the gauntlet here, combining post-punk with Bacharach and Broadway influences to create a stunning set at odds with the commercial trends of the era, songs about hard-to-express emotions presented in complex arrangements, which also served as a portrait of the artist as a young man and his declaration of intent, which included projecting an insane youthful self-confidence in his own greatness and great scorn for his contemporaries, wanting to be compared to Sondheim, not Spandau Ballet.Along the way we discuss the importance of Wendy Smith’s voice, the Steely Dan factor, Paddy’s “Shots Fired” diss tracks, and some of our favourite moments from Swoon that we hope will Sproutpill the uninitiated.Follow Rob Stammitti on Bluesky, subscribe to his Substack, visit his YouTube page and listen to his podcast with Brian Schmid, Box Office GROSS.“Side by Side with Sondheim – Swoon and the Great American Musical”, from the Sproutology website, a great resource for the Sproutpilled.Music video for Don’t Sing, Prefab Sprout, 1984