Space Station Liberty

Trying out the new TalkShoe interface, and celebrating getting many of my old shows back!

Last week it was card games, this week it's board games! We'll be talking to Strange Machine Games co-owners Darius Hambleton and Jeff Mechlinski about the Robotech board games their company is producing, "Robotech: Attack on the SDF 1" and "Robotech: Ace Pilot". After the interview, we'll discuss any other Robotech-related matters that present themselves. Hope to see you there!

Joining us for this episode will be David Killingsworth, owner of SolarFlare Games. SolarFlare has recently gotten a license from Harmony Gold to put out some Robotech-related board and card games, including the new Robotech: Force of Arms. We'll be talking to him about that. Remember that YOU can call or chat in to ask questions, so have them ready! We'll also be discussing recent developments in the ongoing Harmony Gold BattleTech lawsuit. See you soon!

Veteran voice actor/writer/ADR writer Frank Catalano, voices of Rand and Lt. Dennis Brown from Robotech, one-time Rick Hunter cosplayer, joins us again to discuss his book "Rand Unwrapped," his experiences acting and writing for voice acting, and anything else fans would like to ask him. Be sure and check out his book -- http://amzn.to/2gL1eP3 -- it's an enthralling memoir of what it was like to work on Robotech, along with a look behind the scenes at what it's like to act and write for voice acting. And it'll give you something to talk about when you call into the show! Hope to see you there!

Hey, everyone, I'd like to invite you to join me again in another week's time, for another far-ranging fan discussion of all things Robotech. I hope I'll see you there!

I'd like to talk about the new Harmony Gold BattleTech lawsuit, the new version of the Castle of Cagliostro commentary track I did, and who knows what else? I'll try to remember to show up this time. I'll even set an alarm!

What kind of Veritech does Santa fly? Does he bring presents to good little Zentraedi, too? Can there even BE a "little" Zentraedi? What would an Invid want for Christmas? These and other questions may be under consideration this Robotech Christmas Eve!

Let's get together again and chat for an hour or so.

The last couple of shows have been good, so let's have another! Who knows? Perhaps someone from Harmony Gold will show up. Even if not, we can still talk about the latest news, or lack thereof. Join us!

Not everyone can stay up to the wee small hours, so let's get together Saturday! Anyone is welcome, be they fans or Harmony Gold representatives. Discussion will be civil no matter who shows up.

How have you all been? I've been doing various things. If anyone shows up, we'll chat and catch up on Robotech and related matters. If not, I may not record the show. It's not as much fun by myself.

My first interview with Frank Catalano, voice actor and writer. This show's original posting was lost due to a TalkShoe glitch. Special thanks to Robotech fan Andrew Skelton for preserving it for posterity!

It being a slow news week, we touch upon things like the Protoculture Addicts freelancer search, Palladium's listing of the Shadow Chronicles RPG in their on-line store, questions from chatters, and the like.

Tommy Yune joined us for topics including the distributing deal with Fireworks, the solicitation of the Robotech RPG in Previews for December, and Palladium's new press release. After that came the usual random Robotech chat.

I was joined by Harmony Gold's Tommy Yune and (for the first hour) Kevin McKeever, and fans including "Reverend" Presley Cannady and RDF Underground's Justy, for a discussion that started with the Anime Bento film festival and the Shadow Rising trailer revealed therein, moved on to discuss the purported "leak" of a Shadow Rising script treatment, and then headed off into a discussion of continuity, the Sentinels, Protoculture, the absence of Macross influences in Shadow Chronicles, and other old-school discussion. There were also special guest callers from Australia and Guatemala who dialed in to ask the age-old question, "Excuse me, but what is this show about?"

Today I interviewed Bruce Lewis, author of the Robotech: Aftermath comic book series, about his introduction to anime fandom, his contributions to the Robotech canon, and the comic book industry. (Bruce Lewis passed away in 2016; RIP.)

Tommy Yune and Kevin Siembieda discussed the upcoming release of the newly relicensed Robotech roleplaying game.

round-table fan discussion of the recently-released Transformers movie, and its implications for Robotech fandom. Will a live-action movie be released? If so, what changes will they have to make? This show's original posting was lost due to a TalkShoe glitch. Special thanks to Robotech fan Andrew Skelton for preserving it for posterity!

The fans who called in to participate in the interview hang around for another hour to shoot the breeze about mecha shows, hillbilly families, and whatever else comes to mind.

My guest on this show was Greg Finley, voice of Captain Gloval and Commander Leonard, and also one of the writers for the original show. This show's original posting was lost due to a TalkShoe glitch. Special thanks to Robotech fan Andrew Skelton for preserving it for posterity!

Another weekly Robotech chat, among whoever shows up. We'll be talking about the recent toy news, and more! EDIT: Pushed back to 4:00 p.m. Eastern due to schedule conflicts

This afternoon we will be talking with Jonathan Brands, the brand manager for Robotech at Funimation (as well as Genesis of Aquarion, Black Cat, and Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad); Harmony Gold's Tommy Yune will also be present. Discussion will include Shadow Chronicles DVDs and the distribution deal announced this past week. This episode was recovered thanks to Robotech fan Wayne Joyce.

On this show, I talked with the father of Robotech and arguably one of the grandparents of today's animé industry: the late Carl Macek himself. In the first three hours of the show, we covered Macek's career and the history of the various animated shows; in the last 80 minutes various fans asked various Robotech plot questions. This show's original posting was lost due to a TalkShoe glitch. Special thanks to Robotech fan Andrew Skelton for preserving it for posterity!

Tonight I had Michael Bradley and Khristina K. on the show to talk more about their new CD, now that it has been released. Tommy Yune showed up as well, in the last half hour of the show. Formerly lost episode recovered thanks to Robotech fan Wayne Joyce.

Originally recorded as part of the Ulpio Minucci tribute, topic drift led to this segment of the show being split off and presented as a separate episode. There is still a fair amount of discussion of Ulpio Minucci interspersed amid the Shadow Chronicles talk. Episode recovered by Robotech fan Wayne Joyce.

This episode was dedicated to remembering the late Ulpio Minucci, who passed away on March 9th. For the first part of the show, we spoke with Tom and Dennis Bateman about Ulpio, and about the process of putting together the 10th and 20th anniversary soundtrack CDs. The episode ends somewhat abruptly as I decided after the fact to split the last segment of the show off into a new episode, and there was no really clean place to make the cut. This show's original posting was lost due to a TalkShoe glitch. Special thanks to Robotech fan Andrew Skelton for preserving it for posterity!

Tommy Yune was on the line! Episode recovered by Robotech fan Wayne Joyce.

In this show we spoke to Steve Kramer, who was the script editor, one of the writers, and one of the dialogue directors on the original Robotech TV series, as well as providing the voice of Angelo Dante! This show's original posting was lost due to a TalkShoe glitch. Special thanks to Robotech fan Andrew Skelton for preserving it for posterity!

As people may have heard, longtime Robotech blogger Darkwater is ending his Robotech blog due to taking a management position in a media network. Well, on this show his faithful readers will be able to bid him farewell and wish him luck in his future endeavors. Episode recovered by Robotech fan Wayne Joyce.

Interviewing Yuri Lowenthal, who voices Marcus Rush in Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles, and has also done voices for a number of other projects including Naruto. Episode recovered thanks to Robotech fan Wayne Joyce.

This show's guest was Rebecca Forstadt Olkowski, better known to Robotech fans as "Reba West"--the voice of Robotech's Lynn Minmei! This show's original posting was lost due to a TalkShoe glitch. Special thanks to Robotech fan Andrew Skelton for preserving it for posterity!

In which I interviewed Barbara Goodson about playing Marie Crystal and Sera on Robotech, Rita Repulsa on Power Rangers, and various other roles. Afterward, others including Brooklyn Red Leg and Presley Cannady called in for a discussion of Barbara's roles, animé dubbing, and various other topics. This show's original posting was lost due to a TalkShoe glitch. Special thanks to Robotech fan Andrew Skelton for preserving it for posterity!

Tonight I interviewed Michael Bradley, the one-time lead singer of Paul Revere and the Raiders who wrote the music for Robotech: New Generation and Robotech: The Movie. Michael had a new album coming out with new covers of the old Robotech music, and we talked to him about that, and about other matters of musical interest. Also present was his duet partner on his new album, Khristina Kaye. This episode was recovered thanks to Robotech fan Wayne Joyce.

I interviewed Richard Epcar, who voiced Ben Dixon, Grel, Lunk, and Vince Grant, and also served as voice director on Shadow Chronicles and other shows. We talked about his Robotech career, Power Rangers, Ghost in the Shell, Lupin III, and Epcar's other projects. Tommy Yune called in to say hello in the last five minutes. Lost episode recovered thanks to Robotech fan Wayne Joyce.

Interviewing Roger Harkavy, the fan who lucked into a treasure-trove of ARTMIC designs in an old warehouse in Japan, and who has managed to get six of them published in Super Seven Magazine #15 Once-lost episode recovered thanks to Robotech fan Wayne Joyce

For the first hour of this show, we were joined by Kev McKeever of Harmony Gold for some discussion. The rest of it was all Robotech fans. It will likely only be of interest to people who've watched the show, and not necessarily even all of those--but we had a good time while we were recording it! Episode recovered from oblivion thanks to the archival efforts of Robotech fans Wayne Joyce and Andrew Skelton.

For this show, I interviewed James Luceno, the surviving half of the "Jack McKinney" pair whose Robotech novels became one of the most controversial subjects in early Robotech fandom. Luceno has gone on to write a number of novels in the Star Wars universe. This show's original posting was lost due to a TalkShoe glitch. Special thanks to Robotech fan Andrew Skelton for preserving it for posterity!

After an apology relating to a prior show, I introduced this episode's guest: Melanie MacQueen, best known to Robotech fans as the voice of Lisa Hayes, Marlene Rush, and Marlene/Ariel from Robotech, also long-time spokeswoman for the Virginia State Lottery. This show's original posting was lost due to a TalkShoe glitch. Special thanks to Robotech fan Andrew Skelton for preserving it for posterity!

Chase Masterson--Janice Em from Shadow Chronicles, Leeta from DS9, and accomplished singer--was my guest for this show; Tommy Yune and Scott Glasgow also joined us.

Another look at recent happenings in the world of Robotech.

No scheduled guests, just holiday tidings and discussion of recent Robotech news.

Tonight we interviewed Kevin McKeever, whose job includes Production, Marketing, Research and Development at Harmony Gold. Highlights included the exclusive announcement of the Shadow Chronicles movie screenings, what I can only assume to be a prank caller, and some fans' plaints that the website should be updated more frequently--perhaps with the help of fans donating their time. An often spirited discussion but very interesting all the same.

A conversation about various Robotech-related matters. Highlights include discussion of what's known about Shadow Chronicles, and whether or not Leonard was a villain.

For this show, we were joined by Tom Bateman, Brand Coordinator at Harmony Gold and Script Editor for the Shadow Chronicles movie. The show followed the same format as the Tommy Yune interview: an hour or so of one-on-one question and answer time with me, followed by round-robin caller questions and then a Robotech roundtable with Tom and the show's regulars. A good time was had by all!

For a change, we only touch lightly on Robotech, as we recommend a number of other shows, movies, books, and so on that we feel Robotech fans would also enjoy. Highlights include a quote from The Quantum Connection by Dr. Travis Taylor, recommendations of Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet, John Ringo's Legacy of the Aldenata, Lord of the Rings, Apocalypse Now, Taran Wanderer, and many more. We are joined for this discussion partway through by Tom Bateman of Harmony Gold. Thanks to Robotech fan Wayne Joyce for saving this show!

One of the most sought-after names in Robotech RPG circles, Dave Deitrich was the main driving force behind the Third Invid War Robotech RPG fan-supplement. Nowadays it is not uncommon to see posts on the Palladium Robotech RPG forum or other Robotech boards asking whatever became of him and whether he will ever do more work with the Third Invid War supplement. In the first hour of this five-hour talkcast, we interview him and get his take on the past of Robotech fandom. After that, Tommy Yune shows up, and we all have another hour and a half of conversation. Then he has to go, but old-school Robotech fans John Hokansen (from the old mailing list) and Ken Olson (from Robotech Research) join us for some more conversation. This is one of the best shows yet, and more are in the offing! (NOTE: There are scattered four-letter words in the later portions of this show.) Thanks to Robotech fan Wayne Joyce for saving this show!

This episode featured special guest Tommy Yune, Creative Director of Harmony Gold, co-writer/co-director of the new Robotech feature The Shadow Chronicles, currently scheduled for release on February 6th, 2007. This three-hour episode starts as an interview show, with many interesting questions asked, then in the third hour turns into more of a fan roundtable in which some matters of Robotech and Shadow Chronicles continuity are discussed and questions answered. There has not been an interview or fan chat as long or thorough as this one outside of a comic convention!

I was joined for this show by Darkwater, blogger for The Unofficial Robotech Reporter, and Jason "Smitty" Smith, a long-time Robotech fan from the old Robotech Mailing List days. I interviewed Darkwater at length about his fan experiences and about the Shadow Chronicles News site he administered prior to Reporter. I also talked to Jason Smith about the good old days of the Robotech Mailing List. After that, we were joined by Brooklyn Red Leg, CavScout, Justy Ueki Tylor (for a while), and Fernando Gonzalez (chat only) for a roundtable discussion that covered such topics as the fate of the Zentraedi species, the future of the Robotech franchise, and the Prelude to the Shadow Chronicles comic books.

WARNING: This episode contains many, many four-letter words. This impromptu fan chat was joined by Michael "Mad Mike" Choi, a long-time flame warrior from the good old days of the Robotech mailing list. "Mad Mike" is one of those people who uses four-letter words as punctuation in the course of ordinary conversation, so this episode is liberally sprinkled with them (and some three- and five-letter words too). Don't even start listening if that is likely to offend you. Also in attendance are prior guests Presley Cannady, CavScout, Justy of RDF Underground, Fernando Gonzales, and Brooklyn Red Leg (later in the show). After I briefly interview Mike about how he got started in Robotech, and his time on the Robotech mailing list, we talk about yesterday's Peter Walker interview, Robotech fandom today, Roy Fokker's age in both Robotech and Macross, Thinking Caps, Macross continuity, Lancer's Rockers, and the latest Frank Agrama news, then we digress at length into Southern Cross mecha discussion, and finally close out the show with a discussion of the prospects for Shadow Chronicles's success and the future of Robotech fandom. REMEMBER: This episode contains many, many four-letter words. This episode was archived by Robotech fan Wayne Joyce, and recovered in part with the help of a can of Honda motorcycle polish. Inspiring the Mospeada motorcycle, saving Robotech podcast episodes...is there anything Honda can't do?

Arguably the most controversial man in Internet Robotech fandom, Walker created the Objective: Reflex Point glossaries that subsequently evolved into the Robotech Reference Guide. This guide became known as one of the pre-eminent sources of fan speculation and reasoning about the timeline of Robotech and the probable capabilities of the Robotech mecha, based on visual cues from the TV series and on translations of the original Japanese source material. And the more vocal members of the Robotech fandom community have been arguing about it ever since. The interview covers how the whole thing got started, what he's been doing since then, and what he thinks of where Robotech fandom is going today. We talked about the fandom experience early on, RoboCon 10 in 1995, and what Peter has been doing since largely departing from Robotech fandom. Other callers included fellow Robotech fans CavScout and Brooklyn Red Leg. Formerly-lost episode recovered thanks to Robotech fan Wayne Joyce.