Interview: PodCulture Vultures

Check out the Podculture Vultures, a podcast that celebrates the charm of films and TV shows from both yesteryears and the present. Their funny show is a delightful exploration of nostalgic treasures, filled with laughter and reminiscences about those often overlooked quirky movie moments. While the 80s classics hold a special place in their hearts, the Podculture Vultures are always game for any cinematic adventure, especially if it comes with a killer soundtrack and a dose of badassery. With their cheeky and geeky banter, this podcast promises a unique and entertaining experience for listeners, available on their favorite podcast app.

Where are you from? What is your background?

Southsea, Portsmouth. UK

Deano – Musician (bassist and other instruments), garden landscaper, caretaker.

Kev – Digital Content Design, Filmmaking, Photography, lover of Belgian Beers.

What was the first movie you remember seeing?

Deano – Star Wars: A New Hope Kev – Star Wars: A New Hope

What inspired you to do a Podcast, specifically about movies and TV shows?

We’ve been mates for over 20 years and when the pandemic struck and utterly buggered up our regular catch ups down the pub where we’d talk in popcultre slang, quote movies and TV and generally enjoy a swift one or two, we decided, “Hey, let’s jump on the bandwagon and create a podcast, but just for us!” It was a means of collaborating still in a creative way that would allow us to continue hanging out with each other.

What other areas of art are you involved in?

Deano – Music production and podcast producing and editing.

Kev – I’m a teacher of digital content creation to university marketing students and also content creator for the podcast. I guess that’s where my areas of art are involved. I also enjoy photography and cinema.

Do you remember the first TV, music, or Films you saw as children?

Deano – TV = The Star Wars movies,, The Young Ones, Only Fools and Horses, M.A.S.K., The A Team, Blackadder,Mork and Mindy, Alf

Music = Sex Pistols, The Clash, Free, AC/DC, The Specials, Dub Reggae

Films = 80’s Horror, Robocop, Back to the Future, The Lost Boys, Carry on’s, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Heathers

Kev – TV = A-Team, Kightrider, Batman ‘66, Thundercats, Masters of the Universe, Only Fools and Horses, the Carry On movies.

Music (all on the telly) = Michael Jackson, Guns N’ Roses, John Williams, Tom Jones, Duran Duran.

Films = Aliens, The Goonies, Robocop, Indiana Jones and, the James Bond franchise.

What performer or artist/writer inspires you the most?

Deano – Sid Vicious, John Lydon, Kevin Smith, Quentin Tarantino, Dave Chappelle, Adam Sandler. Rob Zombie, Tom Savini, Jim Jefferies, Lemmy, Jim Morrison

Kev – Salvador Dali, Rembrandt, Corey Taylor, Tom Cruise, Dan Brown.

We’re Americans here at Twisted Pulp Magazine, but rest assured we’re Anglophiles in our tastes in music, films, comics, TV. But I’m not so sure anyone younger thinks it’s important to look to different cultures for their entertainment. Has there ever been a group of younger British folk who are as ravenous about US entertainment as we are? Or you guys?

Both – Yes us! I would say (personally) out of all my friends, Deano is the one in which I can popculture gags and quotes and he just gets it straight away.

That’s quite the partnership. We’ve been influenced by so many different artists that have shaped us into the wallies we are today. The Comic Strip gang (Rik Mayall and Ade Edmondson), The Blackadder lot (Rowan Atkinson, Richard Curtis, etc.) to Americana movies (Star Wars, James Cameron, Steven Spileberg, sci-fi, wild west, fantasy/adventure), rock n’ roll music (Elvis, The Beatles, Sex Pistols, Nu-metal, Post-Punk Hardcore)—there’s too much to reference. We admire the trail blazers, the pioneers of not giving a fuck, those who rise up against the system, artistic anarchists and the those not afraid to be themselves. Exploring and experiencing different cultures is absolutely important to shaping a person(s) and broadening their horizons. I’m (Kev) always dropping in a variety of popular culture into my classes to influence and educate the younger generations.

I remember seeing Python, Benny Hill, Are you being Served, as a teenager over here. Were there imports that affected you guys?

Both – Diff ’rent Strokes, Bruce Lee movies, Tom & Jerry, Magnum P.I., Transformers, The Twilight Zone, Happy Days. American cinema and pop culture (e.g. toys, cartoons, music, films etc.)

A lot of British culture-music-film-TV- comics-books, especially comedies like Benny Hill, had a great effect on me. Are you guys fans of Benny Hill? I think he was brilliant.

Both – We enjoyed watching him as a kid but haven’t really seen anything for years. No doubt it would still make us chuckle, especially those sped up segments and the theme tune.

What would you say to people who have never really watched an episode of Young Ones or Bottom and say those shows are inappropriate?

Both – WTF!!!! Haha, well it depends on their own humor as this kind of comedy is not everyone’s cup of tea. If you like similar comedies then, it’s worth checking out and seeing what were some of the most influential British comedies of all time. As to those thinking to be inappropriate then, people need to remember that all art is constructed within a particular time and place and what was not acceptable today might have been during that time. It’s a tightrope to walk with society being so brittle these days but, if anything, then people can still laugh at the stupidity of those shows. That’s one of many things those guys were genius’ of. As Ricky Gervais once said “You can’t joke about anything anymore.” You can. You can joke about whatever the fuck you like. And some people won’t like it and they will tell you they don’t like it. And then it’s up to you whether you give a fuck or not. And so on. It’s a good system.”

Do you think your environment, where you live, influences the type of art you create?

Both – Yes we do. Growing up in Portsmouth when we did was quite different to today. Especially where we grew up, the streets were tougher, there wasn’t much opportunity, and there was always some form violence happening. Therefore, American and British cinema really had an effect on me in terms of adventure and escapism. The popculture that influenced us in our youth helps us to create the “art if you call it’ today. You are a product of your environment, culture, society and opportunities and we have been conditioned by our surrounds and society to become what we are today.

What long term goals do you have?

Deano – To keep giggling at funny crap as long as possible and continue to be a superb father to my daughter, teaching her the ways of The Force. To keep this podcast going as long as possible, hoping we can entertain as many people as possible the same way we entertain each other.

Kev – Be as happy, healthy and fit as I can be. To be there as long as I can be for my son. Anything other than that is a bonus.

What other things would you like to explore as a podcast?

Both – More British comedy sitcoms and they’re long lasting impact.

The social impacts of particular films and how they resonate in today’s world, discover and review films/ TV we’ve never seen.

Grindhouse and splotation films, Horror and budget movies.

Interviews with filmmakers: We would love to interview filmmakers from all over the world and would want to learn about their filmmaking inspirations, and their challenges.

Deep dives into classic films: We would love to do deep dives into classic films, exploring the history of the film, the filmmaking techniques used, and the cultural impact of the film.

Guests from the film industry: We’d love to have guests from the film industry on the podcast, such as actors, directors, producers, and screenwriters to learn about their experiences in the film industry, the productions that they admire, and their thoughts on the future of film.