Pop Rocket

Wynter takes over hosting duties this week and is joined by comedian and writer Sara Benincasa to talk about fall TV shows! Atlanta, Frequency, Designated Survivor, and more! What’s going to make it to season 2 and what will fall flat on its dumb face? Plus, Oliver is finally able to talk about Stranger Things, Sara is surprised by Joe Swanberg’s hotness, and Wynter has a few words to say on Rob Lowe’s roast. With Wynter Mitchell, Oliver Wang, and special guest, Sara Benincasa Produced by Christian Dueñas for MaximumFun.org

It’s finally going to happen, people. Many songs enter, but only one jam can be crowned the Song of the Summer. Guy, Oliver, Margaret, and Wynter bring their picks and some suggestions from the Facebook group and discuss what really makes a summer jam. Writer and analyst Chris Molanphy comes in with hard data to see what is objectively the Song of the Summer. Sia, Calvin Harris, DNCE, Lizzo, and so many more are brought into the fight. Who wins? The answer may shock you. With Guy Branum, Oliver Wang, Margaret Wappler, Wynter Mitchell, and guest, Chris Molanphy Produced by Christian Dueñas and Colin Anderson for MaximumFun.org  

Margaret is back you guys! She takes over hosting duties and is joined by Oliver and Wynter to go through the mailbag and answer YOUR questions from the Facebook group and Twitter. The gang discuss good baby making songs, Harry Potter, time travel, and more! Plus, Margaret has some travel stories, Wynter mourns the death of Gawker, Oliver just can’t get enough Frank Ocean, and producer Christian just can’t take all the sex talk in the studio. With Margaret Wappler, Oliver Wang, and Wynter Mitchell Produced by Christian Dueñas for MaximumFun.org  

Guy, Wynter, and Oliver are joined by academic and Pop Rocket’s fifth Beatle, Karen Tongson to talk about vacations in pop culture! The gang has some suggestions on how to pass the time on a plane, train, and/or automobile. What’s the difference between a vacation and travel movie? Why are ABC show families always taking vacations? Karen talks about her trip to the Philippines and Vietnam, Oliver and Wynter aren’t too sure about The Get Down, and Guy is slowly losing hope in finding a truly amazing Jam that is deserving of the Song of the Summer crown. Our regular host Margaret Wappler thinks it would be pretty cool of you to buy her new book Neon Green. Get it HERE or at your local independent bookstore. Check her website for tour dates. With Guy Branum, Oliver Wang, Wynter Mitchell, and guest Karen Tongson Produced by Christian Dueñas and Colin Anderson for MaximumFun.org

Oliver takes over hosting duties today and is joined by Wynter and special guests, comedian (and writer for MaxFun podcast International Waters!) Riley Silverman and Editor in Chief of Birth.Movies.Death, Devin Faraci. This week, the gang talks about this summer’s blockbusters with a focus on DC and Marvel movies! Is Suicide Squad a beautiful trainwreck or just a trainwreck-y trainwreck? Why does Marvel seem to be killing it at the box office and with critics while DC struggles to do either? Who in the world wanted another Independence Day movie? All that, plus, Oliver finds a new weird Olympic sport to obsess over, Wynter brings in some more KCRW-esque Jams, Riley has a few words to say on Rio de Janiero, and Devin still holds hope for one final potential summer blockbuster.   NOTE: Mild Harry Potter spoilers from 03:35-07:01 YOU’VE BEEN WARNED, NERDS! Hey, you! Margaret Wappler’s book is out now! Treat yourself tonight and get Neon Green HERE or at your local independent bookstore. Check her website for to

Guy and Wynter are joined by two special guests, host of NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour Linda Holmes and television producer Clinton Trucks to discuss the Netflix series Stranger Things! Linda is pretty pumped for the Splash remake, Clint talks about his first D&D experiences, and Guy and Wynter finally find some common ground in a Jam. Hey! Margaret Wappler's new book, Neon Green, is out now. Go get it! Find it at your local independent bookstore or grab it HERE. She's also on tour to promote it. Check her website for dates and see if she's coming around to your town. With Guy Branum, Wynter Mitchell, and special guests, Linda Holmes and Clinton Trucks Produced by Christian Dueñas for MaximumFun.org

Guy, Oliver, and Wynter are joined by special guest, comedian and actress Melissa Villaseñor to talk about reality competition shows! Is Shark Tank any good? Are we still allowed to like The Apprentice? How “real” are these reality shows anyway? Also, Guy has a few words to say on Star Trek, Melissa talks about her AGT experience, Wynter is a huge fan of this year’s Comic-Con, and Oliver gives us a preview of his special “kitchen sink” mix for donors. Regular host Margaret Wappler’s book is available now and is currently on tour! Find it at your local independent bookstore or buy it HERE. Check her website for tour dates. The search for the Song of the Summer is still underway. Look for the official thread on the Pop Rocket Facebook group and submit your pick! With Guy Branum, Oliver Wang, Wynter Mitchell, and guest Melissa Villaseñor Produced by Christian Dueñas and Colin Anderson for MaximumFun.org

The Pop Rocket gang (well, most of them) went to go see the new Ghostbusters this weekend and are here to tell you all about it! Is Leslie Jones the next big movie star? How amazing is Kate McKinnon? Where was Rick Moranis in this whole thing? Plus, Margaret puts on her tin foil hat and discusses her theory about Kimye and Taylor's latest feud. Oliver talks about his latest DJ gig, Guy explains why Ghostbusters is getting so much criticism from certain internet communities, and Wynter closes with a Bustin' remix. Hey! Margaret's new book, Neon Green, is out now! She's going on a book tour soon! Check HERE to see if she's coming around to your town. You could also buy her book HERE. The search for the Song of the Summer still rages on, folks. Look for the official thread on the Pop Rocket Facebook group and send in your submissions. With Guy Branum, Margaret Wappler, Wynter Mitchell, and Oliver Wang Produced by Christian Dueñas and Colin Anderson for MaximumFun.org

Rocketeers, it's been a very strange couple of weeks. The gang all come together to talk about the recent events in Dallas, Baton Rouge, and Falcon Heights. This week, Guy, Oliver, Margaret, and Wynter escape reality for just a bit and talk about all things fantasy. Wynter and Guy just can't agree on Summer Jams, Oliver discusses his first Choose Your Own Adventure book, and Margaret tries to draw the line b sci-fi and fantasy. You guys, Margaret's book, Neon Green, is out NOW! Pick it up HERE. Time is running out for the search for the Song of the Summer. Look for the official thread on the Facebook page and send in your submission so Guy and Wynter can berate your choices on the show. With Guy Branum, Margaret Wappler, Wynter Mitchell, and Oliver Wang Produced by Christian Dueñas and Colin Anderson for MaximumFun.org

Guy, Margaret, and Oliver are joined by special guest, comedian and writer Jonathan Rowell to talk about Mexico and Canada's pop culture. Sabado Gigante, Walter Mercado, You Can't Do That On Television, Porky's and so much more! Plus, The Pop Rocket Book Club talks all about Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel. With Guy Branum, Oliver Wang, Margaret Wappler, and special guest Jonathan Rowell Produced by Christian Dueñas and Colin Anderson for MaximumFun.org

It's wedding season, Rocketeers! This week, the Pop Rocket team discuss everything weddings. The Graduate? Of course! Bridezillas? Obvs. Punjabi weddings? Yes! Margaret talks Game of Thrones...again, Guy finds another Song of the Summer contender, Oliver defends soccer, and Jesse Williams' BET speech shakes Wynter to the core. NOTE: MAJOR Game of Thrones season finale spoilers from 01:13 - 04:53. You have been warned With Guy Branum, Margaret Wappler, Oliver Wang, and Wynter Mitchell Produced by Christian Dueñas and Colin Anderson for MaximumFun.org  

Guy, Wynter, Oliver, and Margaret talk about all things Florida. Also, producer Christian gets on mic to discuss E3 and VR! He’s the coolest. Margaret nerds out over Game of Thrones, Wynter has some things to say about The Neon Demon, Guy finds a summer jam he loves, and Oliver chats about Henry Stone’s impact on the Florida music scene.   You guys, the search for the Song of the Summer is still on, so look for the official thread on the Pop Rocket Facebook group and send in your submission!   NOTE: Mild Game of Thrones “Battle of the Bastards” spoilers starting at 04:15 and ending at 08:28. You have been warned.   With Guy Branum, Wynter Mitchell, Oliver Wang, Margaret Wappler, and special guest Christian Dueñas   Produced by Christian Dueñas for MaximumFun.org

Guy, Wynter, and Margaret are joined by special guests Ricky Carmona and Corin Tucker for our first ever live show! This week's topic, summer camp and campy camp movies. Pop culture trivia! Xanadu! Movie and music advice! All that and more on this special episode of Pop Rocket!! With Guy Branum, Wynter Mitchell, Margaret Wappler, Ricky Carmona, and Corin Tucker And special thanks to Nick White for his help during the live recording.   NOTE #1: This is a live show, so forgive the audio issues. We tried to clean it up as best as we can, but we're not miracle workers.    NOTE #2: After we taped this episode, someone pointed out to us that Sleepaway Camp is a somewhat transphobic movie. We didn't know that when we taped, so bear that in mind if you plan on checking it out. 

It’s our 75th episode! To celebrate, the gang talks 1975 (and some 1974…and 1976) in pop culture. They talk JAWS, Farrah Fawcett, and everything in between! Oliver finally talks about something that isn’t the Golden State Warriors, Guy discusses the beauty of 8-tracks, Wynter is in love with Joan Crawford’s autobiography, and Margaret is all about the newest season of UnReal.        With Guy Branum, Wynter Mitchell, Oliver Wang, and Margaret Wappler   Produced by Christian Dueñas for MaximumFun.org

Guy, Oliver, and Margaret are joined in the studio by special guest, writer and host of the podcast Call Your Girlfriend, Ann Friedman. This week, the group discuss politics in TV and film. Also, the search for Pop Rocket’s song of the summer officially begins today, so look for the official thread on the Facebook group and leave a suggestion!   With Guy Branum, Margaret Wappler, Oliver Wang, and special guest Ann Friedman.   Produced by Christian Dueñas and Colin Anderson for MaximumFun.org

Wynter takes over hosting duties on this week’s Pop Rocket. Oliver, Margaret, and Wynter are joined by tech reporter and VP of Original Content, Sarah Lane to talk about working women in pop culture. Wynter has a few words to say on the new Ghostbusters movie, Margaret gives her take on The Night Manager, and Sarah discusses Game of Thrones. SPOILERS AHEAD! Also, the Pop Rocket Book Club announces what they’re going to read during the summer.     With Wynter Mitchell, Margaret Wappler, Oliver Wang, and Sarah Lane   Produced by Christian Dueñas and Colin Anderson for MaximumFun.org

The Pop Rocket team sits down to discuss RuPaul’s Drag Race and drag culture in general! Oliver is in love with the newest season of Veep, Wynter finds another song that hits all four quadrants, and Margaret has an announcement for everyone about Pop Rocket’s summer reading book club. Plus, Guy explains why Chris Evans is one of the greatest people alive.   With Guy Branum, Oliver Wang, Wynter Mitchell, and Margaret Wapppler   Produced by Christian Dueñas and Colin Anderson for MaximumFun.org

On this week’s show, subcultures! The gang discusses ASMR, Hatsune Miku, and a special interview with Dominic Rodriguez, director of Fursonas (a documentary about Furries). Oliver and Guy have a few thoughts on Captain America, Wynter finds a song that hits all four quadrants, and a special announcement for the Pop Rocket Facebook group from Margaret!   with Guy Branum Wynter Mitchell Oliver Wang and Margaret Wappler

Guy, Wynter, and Margaret are joined by academic and Pop Rocket’s official Fifth Beatle, Karen Tongson to discuss all things Game of Thrones. Be warned, GoT spoilers ahead! The gang also talk about the Met Gala, Radiohead’s weird disappearance from social media, and why UnREAL could be the next big thing. With Guy Branum, Wynter Mitchell,Karen Tongson, and Margaret Wappler

The gang reunites this week in a special double discussion episode of Pop Rocket! First up, Queen Bey's most personal and controversial album yet, Lemonade. Oliver has some critiques for the "visual album" while Guy reveals the problem some of the younger gay men are having with the record. Then, a very special discussion of all things Prince. His place in pop culture, the young proteges he worked with, weird Prince party stories, and some Batdance talk, obviously. And Prince-inspired jams to top it all off.   With Guy Branum, Wynter Mitchell, Margaret Wappler, and Oliver Wang