{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"The Middle of Culture","title":"Six Mt Rushmores, One Foley Catheter","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":3733,"description":"We open this week with the promise of an 18-day podcastathon — complete with a urologist's catheter and a rectal trumpet — before getting into what we've actually been consuming. Peter is working through The Iliad and saw Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, which we both agree is a fine three-hour movie saddled with a divisive \"wet fart\" of an ending. He also brings new albums from Mastodon (Marrow Deep, a grief-soaked triumph) and Russian Circles (Nine), while Eden counters with gloriously bad movies (Dracula 3000), style-over-substance manga, and Marvel's horror-flavored Midnight Universe. The centerpiece is our no-prep game: building Mount Rushmores for six categories and landing on Columbo, Batman, Sherlock Holmes, and Jessica Fletcher for the last one.\nShow Notes\nThe Odyssey (2026): We both saw Christopher Nolan's Homer epic and think it a fine, overlong movie whose invented \"wet fart\" of an ending undercuts the text.\nThe Iliad / The Aeneid: Peter is on a three-book run through the epics, starting with the one (not The Odyssey) that high school never assigned. The Iliad\nThe Odyssey (1997 miniseries): Eden argues the Armand Assante version is the actually rewatchable take on Homer over Nolan's film.\nThe Great Mental Models: Peter is chipping through Shane Parrish's series on thinking frameworks.\nMarrow Deep: Peter calls Mastodon's ninth album — recorded after Brent Hinds' death — a grief-processing triumph and their best since Crack the Skye.\nNine: We both agree Russian Circles' ninth album cements them among the post-metal greats alongside Cult of Luna, Neurosis, and Isis.\nDracula 3000: Eden breaks down the 2004 space-vampire disaster starring Casper Van Dien and Coolio, which ends on a startlingly abrupt sex-bot punchline.\nSpice and Wolf: Eden's mowing-and-audiobook companion about a traveling merchant and a shrewd wolf harvest goddess.\nMidnight Universe: Eden read early PDFs of Marvel's horror-themed line — Midnight X-Men, Midnight Fantastic Four, Midnight...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/3-7NX9uIL8RD1xA_7xTb80V-108Lf3xuEMQhLzvEbRA/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9lZGY0/NzA4M2FmM2Q3Yjg4/NDczMzkzMTA2NTJk/NmQ1ZS5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}