428 - FCF: Prince of Cats

Gobbledygeek

Two hosts, unalike in dignity, in fair Gobbledygeek, where we set our podcast. For this month’s Four-Color Flashback, Paul and Arlo pull out a boombox blasting Romeo and Juliet side B. In Prince of Cats, Ronald Wimberly passes the mic to Juliet’s cousin Tybalt, a sideways entry point into the events that lead to and inform the soapy classic. Oh, and did we mention this version stars a Black cast living in an ‘80s NYC where everybody participates in an underground samurai swordfighting ring? The boys discuss Wimberly’s ingenious distortion of Shakespearean language; his manga-influenced art; how the book enriches (perhaps even improves upon?) the play; and what it means to tell this story from a race-conscious perspective.

NEXT: oh hey, it’s that Christopher Plummer Geek Challenge we promised. Mike Nichols’ Wolf and Michael Mann’s The Insider go head-to-head.

BREAKDOWN

00:00:48 - Intro / Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet

00:23:00 - Prince of Cats

01:03:45 - (Interlude: Paul reads NSFW Shakespearean dialogue from Prince of Cats)

01:55:08 - Outro / Next

LINKS

• Lighten Up by Ronald Wimberly, The Nib

MUSIC

• “Step Off” by Grandmaster Melle-Mel & The Furious Five (1984)
• “Sucker M.C.’s” by Run-DMC, Run-DMC (1983)

GOBBLEDYCARES

• Support Black Lives Matter and find anti-racism resources: https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/
• Help teachers and classrooms in need: https://www.donorschoose.org/
• Do your part to remove the burden of medical debt for individuals, families, and veterans: https://ripmedicaldebt.org/
• Register to vote: https://vote.gov/