Like Whatever
Join Heather and Nicole as we discuss all things Gen-X with personal nostalgia, current events, and an advocacy for the rights of all humans. From music to movies to television and so much more, revisit the generational trauma we all experienced as we talk about it all. Take a break from today and travel back to the long hot summer days of the 80s and 90s. Come on slackers, fuck around and find out with us!
Like Whatever
Scales Of Mass Destruction
Sun, pelicans, and a stubborn thermostat set the scene for a Florida catch‑up that quickly shifts into big news and even bigger monsters. We start with family stories, beach walks on Sanibel, and the joy of tiny airports that save you from giant-hub headaches. Then we share a win we’ve been chasing for months: our new website is live, and the merch shelf is stocked with hats, tees, hoodies, and water bottles you’ve been asking for.
From there, we stomp straight into Godzilla—why this towering icon still matters and how a rubber suit birthed one of cinema’s richest metaphors. We trace the journey from Gojira’s 1954 origins and nuclear trauma to Showa-era heroics, Heisei’s darker continuity, Millennium’s reboots, and Shin Godzilla’s razor-edged satire of bureaucracy and disaster response. Along the way, we unpack themes of environmental warning, technological hubris, and cultural resilience, plus the West’s spin via the MonsterVerse. If you’ve ever wondered why the roar still chills, we break down the sound design magic, the suitmation grit, and the fun facts you’ll want for trivia night.
Whether you’re the MST3K quipster, the kaiju completist, or kaiju-curious, we’ve got starter picks across eras and tips on where to stream them this weekend. It’s nostalgia with teeth: a look at how monsters mirror our messes, and why we keep rebuilding the skyline anyway. Hit play, then tell us your favorite Godzilla era and villain—we’re reading every take. If you’re feeling it, subscribe, rate, and share with a friend who needs a holiday watchlist. And yes, grab the merch and peek at our new home online at likewhateverpod.com.
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Two best friends fucking fast We're missing two arcades We're having a blast Eating these dreams be on screens It was all bad like you know it's like whatever forever Ever never never laughing sharing our story whatever we'll take you back like whatever Welcome to Like Whatever a podcast for by and about Gen X.
SPEAKER_03:I'm Nicole and this is my BFFF Heather. Hello So I just got back from Florida yesterday. Okay. Hey Kay. I went down to see my parents. Yes. We had so much fun. It was your dad's birthday, yes. It was. Yep. On Sunday, it was his birthday. Uh he turned 78. He wore an old geezer t-shirt. He did. He did. Yep. Um, yeah, it's hot down there. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It wasn't too bad. It was like literally 85 and sunny every single day.
SPEAKER_02:Well, they're down farther, so because uh had a cold snap today, like the week before or something.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, they're down in Fort Myers. So um, but that heat didn't bother me. It's the fact that they keep their thermostatin house set at 77. Because they're old people. Because they're old. Right. My last night there, I was because I was just miserable trying to sleep in 77 degrees. So the last night before I was going to bed, I was like, man, it feels like extra hot in here. And my stepmom was like, I don't know why. Um it's 77 in here, like it always is. I'm like, and she's like, I'll turn it down to 76 for you. Excellent. So much better. I mean, getting out of the shower, I'm like sweating before I can even get dried off. I'm trying to take cold showers.
SPEAKER_05:That's brutal.
SPEAKER_03:But we did some fun stuff. We went to Santa Ball Beach. Um, saw this old rusty lighthouse on the beach. Lots of pelicans. Yes. Lots of pelicans, um, dolphins. Yes, they have the sea life down there. Oh, yes. They're on the gulf. Yes, and lots and lots of pretty birds. Yes.
SPEAKER_02:Um shells too. Shell beach.
SPEAKER_03:Sanibel is supposed to be shell beach. There is a shell beach on in Sanibel. We did not go to the shell beach. Um, I did find a couple of shells, but um my parents told me that there hadn't been any storms lately, so there wasn't really anything new up there. Um, and we went to a uh uh wildlife reserve and drove through and saw lots of those flying fish that come flying up out of the water. Tons of those. Yes. Um, some eels. Ew. Lots of water snakes. Yeah. Lots of birds, a really cool uh spoon build um that has really pretty pink feathers. The only flamingo I saw was flying overhead. Right. It flew over me. Um, but we did we think there was a herd of them like further across the water. But they were too small for us to really tell. Ah. Yeah. So that was fun.
SPEAKER_02:Um I don't think I've ever seen a flamingo out in the wild. As many times as I've been to Florida, I don't think I've ever seen one in the wild.
SPEAKER_03:Um big iguana. Yeah, gross. Mm-hmm. Yeah. So that was fun. Uh and then another day we went out to alligator alley because I wanted to see alligators in the wild. Right. I've only ever seen them in zoos. It it I mean, they were kind of far away, but it's still kind of scary. Yeah. But we saw quite a few of them. That was super neat.
SPEAKER_02:Um sometimes when you drive down, especially when you drive down to the keys. Um, because when I was little, that's what we do. We would hit Florida and then drive down to the keys for Thanksgiving. Um you can see them on the side of the road. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, and then they have like cougar crossing signs. They have quite the wildlife down there. They have bears. They do. I thought bears needed like woods.
SPEAKER_02:There's no woods in beach bears, I guess.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah. That's what I called them.
SPEAKER_02:I was surprised actually that North Carolina had bears.
SPEAKER_04:Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_02:Like when you're when you're going down to um Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and all that, and you the way you cut through Virginia and down the coast, they have bears crossing there too. I thought that was weird. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_03:I didn't I didn't realize I thought they were more of a cold weather. Mountainous creature. Yep, yep. Apparently that. Yeah, so I I got learnt a lot. We spent um a lot of time at the American Legion, my dad's favorite thing to do. Belly up to the bar and that's fun. Yeah, it was fun. So they got to show me off, right? They have to introduce me to every single person in the room. Of course. But they're adorable, so it's all good. Yeah, we ate the day we went down, well, I called it alligator alley, which it is, but everglades. Um, we ate at a Havana cafe, a Cuban cafe. Man, it was so good. Yes. And there were chickens and roosters running around.
SPEAKER_02:Yep, yep. They have actual Cuban food there.
SPEAKER_03:Yes, yes, like the real stuff. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. And it was amazing. Um, yeah, just we just had a really good time. My flight got delayed going down. So I was supposed to arrive in Florida around 11 in the morning. I never got there till 7:30 that night after delays. A bunch of delays, which got a whole day out of our vacation, which sucked. But all three of us sat up till two in the morning talking. Oh boy. Then Janet were like, I haven't done this in decades. So we made up for a little time there. And yep, then when I was coming back yesterday, starting the night before, we're just steady checking for delays, and we're like, of course they don't delay it on my way out. On the way back. No, because I gotta move them planes for this weekend. Yep, yep. So I was there at nine for a 12 o'clock flight. They were a little anxious to get back to the colour. How do you like that airline? I love it. I love, love, love it. It's so easy. Yes.
SPEAKER_02:I know flying out is easy because you just go to Newcastle. It's like stupid easy. Yeah. Yes, yes. It's like flying into Salisbury.
SPEAKER_03:Yep, yep. I love, love a vellow. Yeah is what it's called. Yeah. So yeah, I will definitely anywhere I can go from there, I will to avoid the humongous Philadelphia airport. Exactly.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. That's why I always said Salisbury. It used to be, it's not anymore, but it used to be like 50 extra dollars, and you would take off from uh Salisbury and it would take you to Philadelphia, and then you would catch your plane to wherever from Philadelphia. But you only went through security in Salisbury, which is like, you carrying anything? No, cool, bye. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_03:That's basically it. Not hard. I know I got in trouble. I I try so hard to pack where I'm supposed, whether it's carry-on or or checked. And um, so I checked in, gave them my bag, what showed the little really mean lady my passport, and then went up and did the x-ray thing with my carry-on and myself. And then I go into the waiting area and I go in the restroom, and while I'm in there, I hear Nicole Barr, please report back to the check-in.
SPEAKER_04:I was like, oh What did I do wrong?
SPEAKER_03:So I said I come through and I tell security I have to go, so they have to stop the line and let me go the opposite way of traffic, and then I get to the mean lady, and I was like, I said, they called my name, and she was like, Yeah. And I said, Well, are you the one I'm supposed to come see? I don't ever call anybody. I was like, Oh. She's like, You need to go back there. So I'll go all the way back to checking and I'd put my laptop in my carry-on or in my check bag. Right. I had my laptop plug in my carry-on. I was so confused. So anyway, they gave me that, and then when I got to Florida, I had the little note in there that said they rummaged through my bag because they went right in and took it out. They didn't like let me do it. Then I had to go back through all the securities.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, they don't like them being on the belly of the plane.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, yeah. I didn't mean to do it. No, I know. I had my recharge, my little recharger thing in my bag. Oh well. Maybe I'll get it right one of these times.
SPEAKER_02:That's why it's better to leave from them little airports. Yes, exactly.
SPEAKER_03:So yeah, it was good times. That's fun. Yeah, and and the neighbors, one morning there were such loud birds outside. I was like, what is that? And they were like, Oh, the neighbor just fed the the parrots. And I went out and all these like three foot tall McCalls, probably. No, they were green and black. Oh. They weren't three feet, they were probably two feet, but they um he had two big feeders, and there must have been 50. I mean, they were completely packed in, wrapped around the feeders, all over the ground, all over the stand. They were so cool. It was really neat. Yeah. I'm a big nerd for birds. Yeah, me too. Just nature. I like birds. Yeah. Yep. I have one. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:You do. She's the reason I can't get my nails done right now. Look, I snapped a nail. Oh no. I know. I did that last week, but I can't go because she fucked with my finger here. Like got in the corner of it, and now it's infected. So like I can't go get my nails done. Right. I'm very disappointed because I really wanted to do it before Thanksgiving, which by the way, happy Thanksgiving, everyone. Oh, yes, happy Thanksgiving. I hope you enjoyed your turkey or whatever it is you eat. And if you're not in the United States, I hope you enjoyed your Thursday. Yeah, exactly.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, so we're recording this the day before Thanksgiving. Yes. It will release the day after. Yes. So tomorrow my roomie and I are going to uh a restaurant at the beach to have Thanksgiving dinner. That's fun. Pretty excited about that. Except it's gonna be cold, cold, and windy. Yeah. So 85 to 30 something. Today is really warm. Yeah. Weird. I know. I had a jacket on and I left the house. I was like, ugh, take this thing off.
SPEAKER_02:I actually have today off because it is my day, actual day off. Wednesdays are my day off. And I had to take it, which I normally don't like to take my day off because reasons. But um they are kind of making us now. So uh so I have two days in a whole row. I don't even know what to do with this. Crazy.
SPEAKER_03:Well, tomorrow you're gonna eat the best Thanksgiving meal in the country.
SPEAKER_02:I go to my aunt's, I have the Thanksgiving there. She's the best cook. She is. I'm so jealous. Yes, she is she's already been texting back and forth about what time, and I don't know why they asked me what time, because I don't give a fuck. But I guess everybody else has time to train my cousin. But I was like, whenever. I don't know. You don't even have to tell me till the day of what time. I don't know. So that's what I'll be doing.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah. Yeah. Trying to get some Christmas shopping done.
SPEAKER_02:I will not be doing that. I don't know what I'm doing tonight. I don't know. Probably gonna have the I do have to go to the grocery store. Anyway, tonight. Night is not the night store. Maybe we'll just door dash it. Probably not the night for door dashing either. True. I probably should be actually doing the door dashing tonight because I'm sure they make mad money.
SPEAKER_03:Yes, probably.
SPEAKER_02:I think today, is it today? It's like the second biggest pizza night besides the Super Bowl or something like that. The night before Thanksgiving.
SPEAKER_03:And I think tonight is might be the heaviest drinking night, going out to the bar and yeah. Yep. So there's that. Yeah. Maybe I'll just get drunk. There you go. There you go. I think um I heard too that um Uber is giving free rides tonight. Yeah. Usually they do stuff like that, like around the. So you don't want people to have the cost stop them from doing it. Being responsible. Yeah, be responsible.
SPEAKER_02:Drink and drive.
SPEAKER_03:No.
SPEAKER_02:Um, so we also have an exciting new development. Ooh. Heather finally got her shit together, figured out how to make a website because the one host she had it on made it nearly impossible for a normal person to figure out how to do it. Had to wait a year for it to be released, my domain name. Uh-huh. And then I've been fighting for the past five or six days about letting the old domain people let the new domain people have the domain. Oh Lord. And last night I because I kept check it kept saying, check, it will we'll email you when it happens. And it kept saying there's an error, there's an error, and I was like, no, I'm not, I'm I'm done now. This has got to be done by today, so that I can announce today that we have it.
SPEAKER_03:Yep.
SPEAKER_02:So I got it fixed. Yep. And today it went live and I sent it to Nicole.
SPEAKER_03:Yep. And it will be going up on socials later. I just was a little slow moving this morning. All good.
unknown:Couldn't get it done.
SPEAKER_02:It's just been a fight for the last like five days. Because I got every it let me build it, and it was a million times easier to build it on this one than the other one. Because the other one was like, oh, it's super easy. And about no, it's a lie. But this new one was super easy. So what kind of things are we gonna have? You can listen on there. Um, there is a link to the Instagram. There isn't a link to all the socials, but specifically a little banner comes up for Instagram. Don't know why, okay, but it does. That's fine. Um we're we're active on Instagram, so I figured you liked Instagram. So um what else does it?
SPEAKER_03:Oh, you can buy merch. I was gonna say, are we gonna get our merch up finally?
SPEAKER_02:We have merch. Yeah, we can buy some merch. Um that's exciting. Yeah, there's hats, t-shirts, sweatshirts, and water bottles. Ooh, because I did that over the weekend also. I'm so proud of you.
SPEAKER_03:Well, I was down lounging around in Florida. Yeah, I didn't want to apply.
SPEAKER_02:I didn't usually bug her like 800 times, and I was like, I'm not gonna bug her because she's with her dad. So just do what you need to do and get it done. That's what I did. Yeah. So you can find us at uh www.likewhateverpod.com we even got.
SPEAKER_03:So check us out. It's so special. Thank you, thank you, thank you for doing that. You're awesome.
SPEAKER_02:Let me know if it's just horrible, everybody at home.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah. If you have any issues, let us know. Yeah. So that we so Heather can figure out how to fix it. Tell you, I don't know what to do. Sounds like a you problem. Yeah, if if you contact us with an issue, have a resolution for it as well.
SPEAKER_02:That doesn't cost me any money.
SPEAKER_03:Exactly. Uh yeah, I think, yeah, besides travel, I had a nice flight home. I had an older man on by on the window seat, and as we flew into Wilmington Airport, he pointed out his house out the window to me. I do that shit when we fly over here. I'm like, oh look, that's limited. No one cares. And then there was a crying two-year-old because the flight took off at noon, which is his nap time. Yeah. His dad was next to me, and then mom and the two-year-old, and then a four-year-old daughter, um, were sitting there. And finally, the mom came over and sat with me with him, and I can talk good to babies.
SPEAKER_02:So you like babies.
SPEAKER_03:Yes. I got him calmed down and he passed out on mom for about an hour. So I mean, even when we landed, as hard as you hit and as loud as it is, he didn't flint. Like that kid was out. But the cutest part was their daughter's name, the four-year-old, was Olivia. And there was also a fresh new flight attendant who was having her first official flight. So when we landed, they asked for a round of applause for Olivia, and the little girl thought it was for her. And the parents were kind of rolling their eyes. I was like, let her think that.
unknown:Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:Who cares? Right. She'll be telling her whole life. We landed once and everybody caught for me. It was pretty cute. That's wondering. Yeah. So yeah, good time. I can't wait to go back. Yeah. Yep.
SPEAKER_02:Wait, hopefully, we'll be able to go back in January for Podfest.
SPEAKER_03:Ooh. Yeah. You go and us tickets again. Yeah. Okay. Okay. When do you register for that?
SPEAKER_02:Pops up on the Facebook page.
SPEAKER_03:Oh, okay. Yeah. All right. All right. You do your thing. Um, so find us wherever you listen to podcasts. Like, share, rate, review. Please. We are on all the socials at like whatever pod. Uh we have a new website at www.likewhateverpod.com where you can listen, buy merch, and apparently get connected to Instagram. So um, or you can leave us an email at likewateverpod at gmail.com.
SPEAKER_02:Excellent. So this is my week. And I just told her right before we started. You're gonna have to follow. Come with me on a journey. Come with me on a journey. Um so we're gonna fuck around and find out about Godzilla. What? Here's why. Here's the mental gymnastics we're all gonna be doing. Uh-huh. Thanksgiving is the time for family. My family, big fans of the Godzilla.
SPEAKER_04:Huge.
SPEAKER_02:All year, and like, okay, so here in the wintertime, especially when I was in the 80s and 90s, there's literally nothing to do here from like February to March. Literally nothing. So on weekends when we were home from school, literally nothing to do. And we had a wood stove and it's cold. I mean, it's not cold, cold because it's usually in the 40s, but it's fucking windy all the time.
SPEAKER_03:All the time. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:So it's cold. Um so we would spend a lot of time inside. And somewhere always would be a Godzilla movie. Just always. There's always a Godzilla movie on any given weekend ever. So we would watch them Mystery Science Theater 3000 style. Oh yes. So, which we will do an episode on because fucking love that show. Um, but we that's what we would do. That's why that show is also a family show because we did that too. But it was just a family tradition, so that's why I was like family, Godzilla, Thanksgiving word. There we go. Also, because Godzilla received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on November 29th, 2004. Oh it celebrated the 50th anniversary of Godzilla's debut in the 1954 film. He's more than a monster. See, this is you know, you don't really think about it until I guess you get older. Maybe not. I I didn't really think about it until I started doing this, and I was like, huh. I get it now. Um, he's a metaphor, a myth, and a mirror reflecting humanity's deepest fears and wildest imaginations. Uh his debut in 1954, he rampaged through cities, battled other kaiju or strange beast or monster, and evolved into a global icon. I'm just gonna use the kaiju, because strange beast or monster is a little bit much. His journey spans decades, genres, and continents, making him one of the most enduring and adaptable figures in cinematic history. He first appeared in Gojira in 1954, directed by Isherhiro Honda and produced by Toho Studios. The film was, and I apologize to my um Japanese listeners if we have any, because I am gonna blow it. I'm a white girl. I don't know. Um, it was direct response to the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nama Nagasaki and the 1954 Lucky Dragon number five incident in which Japanese fishermen were exposed to nuclear fallout from U.S. hydrogen bomb tests in the Pacific. And then when I read that, I was like, uh-huh.
SPEAKER_05:Uh-huh.
SPEAKER_02:Oh.
unknown:Got it.
SPEAKER_02:I'm fucking stupid. Um in Gojira, the monster is awakened and mutated by nuclear radiation, emerging from the oceans to wreak havoc on Tokyo. The film's tone is somber and tragic, portraying Godzilla not as a villain, but as a consequence of human hubris. His rampage is a metaphor for nuclear destruction, a force unleashed by science but beyond human control. Honda used innovative special effects, including suitmation, which is just actors in a monster suit, and miniature sets to bring Godzilla to life. Composer Akira Ifukubu haunting score added emotional weight while the film's stark black and white visuals emphasized its bleak message. Kajura was a box office success in Japan and later released in the US in the US as Godzilla King of the Monsters in 1956, with added scenes featuring Raymond Burr. Though heavily edited, the American version introduced Godzilla to Western audiences and began his journey as a global phenomenon. Probably really edited out the whole nuclear issue that we created. So the Showa era is 1954 to 1975. In the Showa era, Godzilla transitioned from a symbol of nuclear horror to a heroic defender of Earth. Films like Ghidorah and The Three-headed Monster in 1964 and Destroy All Monsters in 1968 featured Godzilla battering other kaiju to protect humanity. And my favorite, I have to say, is Godzilla versus Mothra. And I love that one. This shift reflected Japan's post-war recovery and growing optimism. The films became more fantastical and child-friendly, often emphasizing teamwork and moral lessons. Godzilla's design softened and he developed a personality, sometimes even dancing or showing empathy. And those are the movies that are the best to MST3K. Because they're just like, what is happening? Also, one of the ones I watched, um, it's been recent because I'll still watch a Godzilla movie. And it was like from like, I want to say, it was either the late 90s or the 2000s, it's definitely maybe in the 2000s. When in the 2000s, I don't know. But anyway, they're in an apartment building and an alarm goes off, and of course, trans they're dubbed over, and it's a Godzilla alert, Godzilla alert. And I was like, okay, so if you have an alert system for the giant monster, maybe figure out a way to kill the giant monster.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like why I don't then they can't make any more movies.
SPEAKER_02:I mean, it was like a smoke detector that would go off, like Godzilla alert. And I was like, well, I mean, if you figured that part out, why do you not? Whatever. Um, the High Sai era, uh 84 to 95, returned to darkness. The it marked a return to Godzilla's darker roots. The return of Godzilla in 1984 ignored previous sequels and served as a direct follow-up to the original. It portrayed Godzilla as a destructive force once again, with Cold War tensions and nuclear fear resurfacing. Subsequent films in this era formed a cohesive narrative arc, exploring themes like genetic engineering, Godzilla versus Viante in 1989, environmentalism, Godzilla vs. Mafra, 92. Um, and I even wrote after that, my favorite. And the dangers of technology, Godzilla versus Mechanagodzilla, part two, in 1993, and I remember that one too. Uh, the Millennium Era, 99 to 2004, um, was experimental reboots. The Millennium Era featured standalone stories, each reimagining Godzilla's origins and role. These films experimented with tone and style from the horror-infused Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah, Giant Monsters All Out Attack in 2001, which is a really long title, to the action-packed Godzilla Final Wars in 2004. Um, they were not commercially successful, but they showcased Godzilla's versatility and paved the way for future reinventions. Nice. The Rewal era, 2016 to the present, is political satire and global blockbusters. And I think we all know those. Shin Godzilla in 2016, directed by Heidike Ano, referred redefined the franchise with a satirical take on government bureaucracy and disaster response. And I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that's the one that has the Godzilla alert because of the disaster response. Godzilla evolves throughout the film, symbolizing an unstoppable crisis echoing Japan's experience with the 2011 Fukushima disaster. Meanwhile, Legendary Pictures launched the Monster Verse in the U.S., starting with Godzilla in 2014, followed by Godzilla King of the Monsters in 2019, and Godzilla vs. Kong in 2021, which I did not will watch because I refuse to allow those two things to happen at the same time. These films emphasize spectacle and crossover appeal, introducing Godzilla to a new generation of global fans. Do you remember those new ones with um oh my god, what's his name? From Ferris Bueller?
SPEAKER_03:Matthew Broderick.
SPEAKER_02:Matthew Broderick.
SPEAKER_03:I do remember when they came out.
SPEAKER_02:I don't know if they're actually not bad. Okay. Um, and then there's eggs and it goes whatever. So from the beginning, Godzilla has embodied nuclear fear. He his origin as a create creature mutated by radiation. Uh the trauma of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Oh, in Shin Godzilla and Godzilla versus Destroya, 1995, um, they revisit this theme, portraying Godzilla as a walking reactor or a metaphor for nuclear meltdown. Godzilla's battles often involve nature's wrath. Mothra represents ecological balance, while Hidora, the smog monster, symbolizes pollution. These narratives create critique industrialization and warn against environmental neglect. So, like, you know, Godzilla is quite the uh yeah, I d I didn't realize all this stuff about it. He is an environmentalist.
SPEAKER_03:Tree hugger.
SPEAKER_02:Which is weird because you know the oceans will rise and then he'll have more because he lives under the ocean. So maybe he just needs more space down there. I guess I don't know. It's like, no, I don't want your land in my ocean. Your goddamn shit up there. Shin Godzilla critiques government inefficiency, showing how red tape and indecision exacerbate disaster. It was that one that has the um I do I do remember that. Earlier films also reflect geopolitical tensions such as Cold War anxieties and Japan's relationship with the US. Um Godzilla often punishes humanity for its arrogance, whether through nuclear testing, genetic manipulation, or technological overreach, especially because they just keep building the same goddamn city and the same guy not shot. And he's like, I just destroyed that. You didn't get rid of me. So I'm coming back. Uh he is a reminder that nature cannot be controlled and that scientific progress must be tempered with responsibility. Just because you can doesn't mean you should. We need more people to realize that. Brady. Just because you can clone your dog doesn't mean you should clone your dog. Yeah. Oh, and then today, literally today. Okay, so here time out everybody. Yeah. Not really, because it is kind of related. My biggest fear in the whole other than snakes in the whole entire world is a thing called nanites.
SPEAKER_03:Okay.
SPEAKER_02:They are tiny, tiny, tiny little robots that they inject into you that go to whatever specific cancer or whatever and destroy that. Okay. Okay. So let's just Discuss the 45 bazillion different ways that's gonna go wrong. Because if they're tiny enough to go get your cancer, they're tiny enough to get in your brain, and then what? And then who controls it? Yep. Trump. Thank you. Thanks, Obama. So today I read that they have now built a robot the size of a grain of rice that will go into your kidneys and destroy stones. And you know what I say to that?
SPEAKER_05:No.
SPEAKER_02:I will die before I let anybody but nanites. My sister has been given strict instructions to never let anyone inject me with nanites. She said, okay. Weirdo. Then I sent her this today, and I was like, here we go. Yep. Yep. And I'm gonna have cancer within the next probably five years. So don't be putting that shit in there. Okay with the cancer. Oh, Lord. In Japan, Godzilla is a national icon. He's appeared on postage stamps, in tourism campaigns, and even received honorable honorary citizenship in Tokyo's Shinjuku Word. Board. Character is studied in film schools and ref referenced in literature, music, and art. Toho Studios has built a Godzilla-themed hotel and museum, and it's literally the only where I would want to go in Japan now. And the character continues to inspire Japanese filmmakers, artists, and scholars. I should say Tokyo seems like a lovely place, although it does get destroyed by giant monsters all the time. But I don't think I could go there because of the video I have seen of their subway situation. Yes. That one where it's like all the people of Tokyo are in one spot and they're trying to get on track. It is a way populated. Yeah, I don't think I could go there for this. If I if you could just helicopter me in to this Godzilla themed hotel, then then I would go. But I don't think I can think I can go.
SPEAKER_03:When we get ripped off this podcast, we'll take a private plane and just go there.
SPEAKER_02:Because I don't think I can deal with any other part of Tokyo. It is too much. It's it's a lot. It's too neon and it's too. Oh no, it's a lot. It seems like a lot. And nobody, I don't understand what they're saying, although I imagine most of it is English. Yeah. And they have teeny tiny little apartments. And they have teeny tiny little people. Their people are small. Yes. Yes. And their apartments are very teeny tiny. Yeah. And but they have the coolest gadgets.
SPEAKER_03:They do. Yeah. And they're all a lot of big cat lovers over there. Yes.
SPEAKER_02:They do like their cat. That's because they have teeny tiny.
SPEAKER_03:So they can fit into their house. They can't have a dog. They can't have friends over. They can't have dogs. They have a cat.
SPEAKER_02:There's no yard to take. And they they stack apartments, like 500 million of them in one building. Yeah. So in order to take your dog out, you'd have but they do have cool gadgets. Yeah.
unknown:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:You wouldn't like the food there either. Yeah, absolutely not. Can't eat it at all anyway, because they put shelf wish and everything.
SPEAKER_03:Oh yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Um, I'd have to go to McDonald's all the time. Um they probably don't have normal McDonald's stuff. They probably have a they probably have like an American. Yeah, they have cheeseburgers everywhere. Um in the West, Godzilla's influence on Western cinema is vast. He inspired monster movies like Cloverfield in 2008, Pacific Rim in 2013, and Rampage in 2018. The suffix Zilla has entered the lexicon as shorthand for excess or monstrosity, like Bradzilla. Yeah. Godzilla has appeared in American comics, cartoons, and video games. His crossover with King Kong in Godzilla vs. Kong 2021 was a box office hit, even though it's stupid. Godzilla's imager image adores adorns toys, apparel, posters, and collectibles. Video games range from arcade classics to modern console titles. His roar is iconic, instantly recognizable across generations. Um, so let's talk about what he looks like.
SPEAKER_03:This has been very cool to learn. I I have to admit, I don't wait till I get some fun facts. I mean, I've seen I of course I've seen Godzilla when I was younger, but I didn't realize all this about it, and I think I might go home tonight and watch a Godzilla.
SPEAKER_02:They're just timeless, they're just great. Yeah. And though, you know, yeah, they're horrible.
SPEAKER_03:Well, that's the best kind of movie. I mean, my favorite movie in the world is Transylvania 6500, and it doesn't get much worse than that. You know, just like the dubbing is terrible, and that's just all awful, and that's what makes it fantastic. Yeah. Well, I've really gotten into the uh Netflix foreign uh series is oh yeah, and that's a lot of dubbing now, so I've gotten used to it. And it's funny, they really haven't gotten much better at the dubbing. No, like I they do try to line it up, and I appreciate that, but it still sounds very robotic. It it just it doesn't match anyway, just make it flow better, just make shit up.
SPEAKER_02:No one knows. Um, so his design has changed over time from the bulky dinosaur-like original to sleeker, more reptilian versions. His size has increased, reflecting his growing symbolic weight. In Shin Godzilla, he mutates throughout the film, showcasing body horror, and unpredictability. Um in some films, he shows his intelligence and emotions, and in others, he's a mindless destroyer. The flexibility allows filmmakers to adapt him to different narratives and themes. He is the longest-running film franchise in history. Wow. His 70th anniversary in 2024 was marked by um retrospectives, new releases, and fan celebrations. Few characters have sustained relevance across so many decades and cultures. Very cool. Uh Godzilla's ability to evolve with changing designs, tones, and themes ensures his continued relevance. He can be tragic or triumphant, terrifying or terrifying, depending on the cultural movement. And now we're gonna talk about Nicole's diary. Oh play that funky music, white girl.
SPEAKER_03:Alright, so um, yeah, so like I said at the beginning of the show, I just got home from vacation, so I haven't even looked at this one, but um we're now up to April 5th, which was a Thursday. Thursday, April 1984. All right, today I went to Mrs. Fox's again.
SPEAKER_02:God damn it.
SPEAKER_03:And went to school. When I got to school today, when I got to school today, uh Dawn was here. I don't know who Dawn is. Mrs. Bailey had a substitute again. What the fuck, Mrs. Bailey? Where are you? I hope she was okay. She's probably on vacation. You just didn't know that. Today in reading, we got our Caddy Woodlawn books and we read it for a novel. When I got home, me and Valerie made hand puppets from my old socks. And that's on this day, uh, April 5th, 1984. That's excellent. Yeah. Sock puppets. I was such a dork.
SPEAKER_02:Sock puppets. My sister and I were discussing yesterday, the day before. Yesterday. It was yesterday. Um siblings. Um, because her son um ratted out his sister on something. And I said, Wow, what a rat. My nephew will be 21 in July, and my niece just turned 17. Um and yeah, he ratted her ass out fast. So I said to my sister, first off, he missed a golden opportunity to blackmail her. To never pay for anything ever again, uh-huh, and never have to do a chore ever again and just handle it like I did. And she said, she said, yeah, no kidding. And she said, I don't think brother and sister bond is the same as sisters. Okay. Because she said her boss has a brother and he would throw her under the bus constantly. And I was like, but there are some things you take to the grave, and what happened the other day is something he should have taken to his grave. Oh yes, in my opinion.
SPEAKER_03:Do you think maybe with the brother it's a protection thing? Now I don't know what this thing is. Like, do you think that they worry that they would be in harm if the parents don't know? Kind.
SPEAKER_02:I could see that being it still would have been something I would have held over her. I would have shut it down. Yeah. I would have handled it. Yeah. And then it would have been. And she said the exact same thing. She was like, You would have just held that over. I said, I would have never you would have been paying for my shit forever.
SPEAKER_03:You'd still be paying for my shit. I can't wait for this episode to be over so I can find out what it was.
SPEAKER_02:Anyway. Back to this. Okay. Upcoming projects. New films, anime series, and crossovers are in development. Tahoe and Legendary continue to expand the Godzilla universe, exploring new stories and characters. Fans eagerly anticipate future battles, reboots, and reinterpretations. It's part of movie lore by now. The original idea for Godzilla was that he would look something like a giant octopus. Ultimately, producer Tamayoko Tanerka Tanaka smartly decided to go with a more dinosaur-like design instead. Oh, here's all my fun facts. Okay. I forgot to mention that. Um, because I did it weird. Godzilla's Roar. This is a this is fun. This is probably gonna be in your trivia somewhere. For those of you that play trivia, I'm gonna go on a limb and guess this somewhere is a trivia question. Godzilla's roar was made with a glove and a contrabass. Composer Akira Ifikubu created the iconic roar by rubbing a resin-coated leather glove along the strings of a double base and slowing the playback. No animal sounds are involved. He did not capture a Godzilla. The original suit weighed over 200 pounds. Haru Nakajima is the first Godzilla actor. He wore a suit so heavy and hot that he could only perform for a few minutes at a time. He lost 20 pounds during filming. Godzilla once had a dropkick move. In Godzilla versus Megalon in 1973, he performed a flying dropkick with both feet while sliding on his tail. It's one of the most meme warry moments in Kaiju Kaiju cinema, and I very much remember that because he went flying through the air like 80 feet, really entirely too far on his tail. A little bit. I remember that. Um the Church of God, Zilla, was founded decades before the radioactive monster's conception, but that didn't stop the congregation from tipping its hat. To the odd coincidence, just behind the church, a steel wireframe dinosaur statue can be seen clutching a cross and sign. So there is apparently a place in Japan named Zilla, and they are the Church of God in Zilla. And now I want to go there. Patrick Stewart presented Godzilla with an MTV Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996. I love me some Patrick Stewart. Um we've all heard about his temper, about the people he stepped on, his way to the top. Stewart said during the ceremony in the word world of stars and superstars, it would be no exaggeration to say that he is the biggest. Listen for George Takai's rich baritone in the English language version of Godzilla's second film, Godzilla Raids Again, which was his first was first released in Japan in 1955. Previously, the Star Trek legend had broken into the film industry by doing similar work on Rodan and other Toho monster flicks. I know Mr. Sulu.
SPEAKER_03:That is super cool.
SPEAKER_02:Right?
SPEAKER_03:That was such a good I was so excited about that.
SPEAKER_02:I am a Star Trek nerd. Yes. He has appeared in The Simpsons, South Park, and Robot Chicken, often as a parody of pop culture, excess, or misunderstood rage. Um, we talked about the Godzilla-themed hotel in Tokyo. Right. Uh the hotel grassy Shinjuku features a life-size Godzilla head on its terrace and themed rooms with Kazuku decor. In 1992, one of the monster's costumes, worth a whopping$39,000, was stolen from a Tohuho garage, only to be found washed up on the shores of Lake Akutama near Tokyo, where it inadvertently terrified a woman who was out for a scroll.
SPEAKER_03:They tried to put him back in his natural habitat. Can you imagine walking up?
SPEAKER_02:Oh, this is crazy.
SPEAKER_03:Oh my god, that's yeah, that would be pretty terrifying.
SPEAKER_02:He's real. Godzilla alert from 1977 to 1979, Marvel ran a 24-issue comic book series featuring Godzilla, which saw him square off against both the Avengers and the Fantastic Four. Uh, this one was fun fact, too. During the climax of The Lost World, Jurassic Park, an irate T-Rex terrorizes San Diego. At one point in the carnage, a few Japanese tourists can be seen running for their lives, one of whom shouts in Japanese, I left Japan to get away from this. That was a great Easter egg. Oh, a Batman versus Godzilla crossover movie was discussed but never produced. Thank God. I know this.
SPEAKER_04:Oh man.
SPEAKER_02:Uh, Gojasaurus was discovered in northeastern New Mexico in 1997. I actually do remember this too. The creature was roughly 18 feet long and lived some 210 million years ago during the Triassic period. Um that this the scientific validity of this species has become a topic of debate, however. Um, but it was named after Godzilla. Uh Godzilla's height has grown over time, originally 50 meters tall. He's now over 120 meters in some versions, partly to keep up with Tokyo's skyline. He's been used in academic papers. Scholars have analyzed Godzilla in fields like environmental studies, political science, and trauma theory. And I want to go to Godzilla class. Um, God's Godzilla's atomic breath has a real-world analogy. It's inspired by the concept of radioactive firestorms, a phenomenon observed in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
SPEAKER_03:Oh, that doesn't sound like any fun.
SPEAKER_02:Um, no. Manila, Godzilla's son, debuted in 1967.
SPEAKER_03:The killer in Manila.
SPEAKER_02:It's a chubby smoke ring blowing baby Kaju who starred in several films during the Showa area era. I don't know why I keep saying area. That word just looks like area. Um, Godzilla once talked. In Godzilla versus Geegan in 1972, he briefly speaks via speech bubbles. In the Japanese version, it is as weird as it sounds. And I do remember that one. He had a Hannah Barbera cartoon in the late 70s. Godzilla was reimagined as a friendly protector with a sidekick named Godzuki. Do you remember that? I do not. I don't either. Yeah. Um. Godzilla once endorsed Dr. Pepper. In the 1980s, he appeared in American commercials for the soda brand. I do remember that. He has been in a Snickers ad, portrayed as a diva who calms down after eating a Snickers bar. Classic, you're not, you're not you when you're not when you're hungry. Oh my God. You're not you when you're hungry. In 92, a lot happened for Godzilla in '92. It was a big year for him. Godzilla and NBA star Charles Barkley faced off in a Nike ad. The commercial, which was filmed over the course of eight days, was also adapted into a comic book.
SPEAKER_03:Hmm. I don't think I remember that. I don't remember that either. I do love me some Charles. I mean, who does that? I know. Every tell you my nephew met him in the Philly airport. My uh older nephew, uh, I have the his selfie on my phone. He he took a selfie and sent it to all of us. That's fun. Yeah, yeah. He said he was super nice.
SPEAKER_02:I've heard good things about him. Yeah. That he is super nice. Mm-hmm. Um, so Godzilla is more than a cinematic cinematic monster. He's a cultural phenomenon, a symbol of humanity's fears and hopes, and a testament to storytelling powers. Uh from the ruins of wars to the height of global stardom, his journey reflects our own, marked by destruction, resilience, and reinvention. Uh, whether stomping through Tokyo or battling Kong, no. And IMAX, Godzilla remains a towering figure in the landscape of pop culture. Uh-da. And he will because we still have issues with nuclear power. Mm-hmm. Right now. Probably could put out a Godzilla movie today. Yeah, for sure. Um, so yeah, that's Godzilla.
SPEAKER_03:That was really, really cool. I I just of course I know that Godzilla has always been in my life and uh always been kind of everywhere, but I didn't realize how much of an influence.
SPEAKER_02:You really don't until you start thinking about how much and start listing it.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, it's like wow. And you're like, oh yeah, I remember that. Oh yeah, I remember that one too.
SPEAKER_04:Oh, Godzilla.
SPEAKER_03:I definitely need to watch a movie. Which era do you suggest if I just were to watch one? Um well, I know your favorite one, but the Mothra. Um like the old black and white one.
SPEAKER_02:Probably. I mean, the one with Matthew Broder's not bad. Okay. It's fine. It's it's very now. It's modern. I kind of want to watch an older one. Whatever one. I mean, you really can't go wrong. Okay. Because they're all awesome. Okay. In their own little way. I I just I love he's my favorite.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah. So yeah.
SPEAKER_02:I see why now. If you have off this weekend or you're dust roaming around Black Friday and you're like, I do not want to leave my house because it's Black Bucking Friday, maybe look up a Godzilla movie. I'm sure they're streaming somewhere. Yeah, they've gotta be. I'm gonna look it up. I should have looked it up. So I looked it up. You can pretty much get it anywhere. Uh it said HBO Max had the largest, but I'm sure you can find them somewhere. Right. And maybe over the weekend they're on cable somewhere. So yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_03:Godzilla. Godzilla.
SPEAKER_02:And I'm also now I remember Godzilla Alert. I might get that as a ringtone on my phone. Ooh. Godzilla alert. Love it. So that's that, guys. Hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving.
SPEAKER_03:Yes.
SPEAKER_02:Hope you had lots of yummy food. Yeah. Uh, like, share, rate, review. Please. Um, find us wherever you listen to podcasts. All the socials at Lake Whatever Pod. Our new website, www.likewhateverpod.com, where you can find our merch. You can send us an email about your favorite Godzilla villain to likewateverpod at gmail.com or don't like whatever. Whatever. Bye. Godzilla.
