

The Worst of All Possible Worlds
Josh Boerman, A.J. Ditty, and Brian Alford
The first and only podcast bringing you weekly case studies in the pop culture of a dying empire. Every Wednesday, co-hosts Josh, Brian, and A.J. dissect an artifact of popular culture, breaking down how its narrative choices reflect or subvert the reactionary political project. From video games to movies to theater to an apparently infinite supply of evangelical Christian radio drama, we expose the machinations of the worst of all possible worlds in order to figure out how to build a better one.
Also, we have bits.
Also, we have bits.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Aug 10, 2022 • 27min
47 - Top Gun
THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, CHECK OUT
https://www.patreon.com/WorstOfAll
The lads strap on their aviators and lather on their tanning oil as they fly right into the danger zone with the 1986 military propaganda/beach volleyball seminal classic: Top Gun. Topics include plane choreography, the disease at the heart of the American war machine, and the seemingly limitless charisma of Thomas Cruise Mapother IV.
LINKS AND FURTHER READING
"The Indian Ocean: arc of crisis or zone of peace?" by Chandra Kumar: https://doi.org/10.2307/2619047
Road Construction Ahead: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RV3wUjFLJjE
Hot Chip - Hungry Child: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOnMZALLQPk
The Denver Nuggets Mascot Incident: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFVruBvjNl0
**TICKETS FOR THE PINBALL LIVE SHOW**
https://www.nycpinballchamps.com
TWOAPW PATREON
https://www.patreon.com/WorstOfAll
THEME BY BRENDAN DALTON
www.brendan-dalton.com
https://brendandalton.bandcamp.com

Aug 3, 2022 • 2h 9min
46 - Sid Meier’s Civilization (feat. Nate Bethea)
Nate Bethea (@inthesedeserts) joins the lads for a record-breaking third time as they build wonders and conquer the world in Sid Meier’s revolutionary empire simulator: Civilization. They discuss the gamification of climate change, the problem with “Barbarians”, and the inherent optimism of hearing a satellite go “Beep, beep, beep.”
NATE'S PODCASTS
Kill James Bond! https://open.spotify.com/show/5kQS8cE6xF7rUzO2vtCZ3s?si=6fe11f17f1bb4793
What A Hell of a Way to Die: https://open.spotify.com/show/1XEfRCDbLKOB8naNbICU6q?si=6f0a8dfde3a54023
TRASHFUTURE: https://open.spotify.com/show/4loPiV9XWjVOitg2XfzK7Q?si=ef69cc5a7b114333
MEDIA REFERENCED IN THE EPISODE
Sid Meier at the End of History: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1m0aEO7CrxM
How Sid Meier Almost Made Civilization a Real-Time Strategy Game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwUM33VJRbY
NO CARTRIDGE Episode 32, featuring Josh: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1rxqu7OqIbJOfL5QIHpA2b?si=8iq1VFBrSBigSbSV_cKgxg
**TICKETS FOR THE PINBALL LIVE SHOW**
https://www.nycpinballchamps.com
TWOAPW Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/WorstOfAll
Theme by Brendan Dalton
https://www.brendan-dalton.com
https://brendandalton.bandcamp.com

Jul 27, 2022 • 30min
45 - Whit Gets Racist (feat. Lev Novak) [Whit’s Endless Summer #16]
THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL THING, CHECK OUT https://www.patreon.com/WorstOfAll
Fan Favorite Lev Novak (@LevNovak) returns to Odyssey as he and the lads witness the horrors of its racist origins and explore its equally racist present. Topics include lyrical fear mongering, homicidal knights, and the undeniable star-power of Rodney Rathbone.
Episodes discussed:
#92 The Ill-Gotten Deed
#168 The Curse
#179 You Gotta be Wise
#184 Isaac the Chivalrous
For more Bob DeMoss shenanigans, check out his old seminar: https://archive.org/details/learn-to-discern
TWOAPW
Patreon https://www.patreon.com/WorstOfAll
Theme by Brendan Dalton
www.brendan-dalton.com
https://brendandalton.bandcamp.com

Jul 20, 2022 • 1h 44min
44 - Rossum’s Universal Robocops
While Josh is out building Delta City, Brian and A.J. make their way to the streets of Old Detroit and go toe to metallic boot with the future of law enforcement: Robocop. They discuss Paul Verhoeven’s Looney Tunes aesthetic, the logistics of jaw acting, and the seeming indestructibility of 80’s Nostalgia.
TWOAPW Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/WorstOfAll
Theme by Brendan Dalton
https://www.brendan-dalton.com
https://brendandalton.bandcamp.com

Jul 13, 2022 • 31min
43 - Jesus Camp (feat. Dara Swisher)
THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE GO TO https://www.patreon.com/WorstOfAll
Dara Swisher (@dara.jay.bird) and the lads speak in tongues and get drenched in the Nestle waters of salvation as they cover the hit documentary/horror film of 2006: Jesus Camp. They discuss Pentecostal freaks, Megachurch pastors, and the brutality/longevity of the conservative project to control the Supreme Court.
Dara Swisher: Instagram: @dara.jay.bird
5-4 Podcast: “Emergency Episode: Roe is Overturned” https://open.spotify.com/episode/3aYkrXcvUj74cjges6Oilf?si=c219376ec762475e
TWOAPW Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/WorstOfAll
Theme by Brendan Dalton
www.brendan-dalton.com
https://brendandalton.bandcamp.com

Jul 6, 2022 • 2h 10min
42 - 1776
The lads drink rum, swat flies, and endure the heat of Philadelphia in July as they try to crack the egg that is the Sherman Edwards/Peter Stone musical extravaganza: 1776. They discuss the surprisingly subversive book, the hit-or-miss score, and the inherent rot at the core of the American experiment.
The Reactionary Mind by Corey Robin
https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-reactionary-mind-9780190692001
TWOAPW Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/WorstOfAll
Theme by Brendan Dalton
www.brendan-dalton.com
https://brendandalton.bandcamp.com

Jun 29, 2022 • 21min
41 - Red Dead Redemption 2
THIS IS A PREVIEW. THE FULL EPISODE CAN BE HEARD OVER AT https://www.patreon.com/WorstOfAll
The lads head eastbound and down as they take a ride through the American Inferno and sharp cultural commentary of Rockstar Games’ magnum opus: Red Dead Redemption 2. They discuss the magnificent open world, the labor abuses that went into its creation, and the hauntingly empty void at the heart of the American Dream.
How the West Was Digitized:
The Making of Rockstar Games’ Red Dead Redemption 2 by Harold Goldberg.
https://www.vulture.com/2018/10/the-making-of-rockstar-games-red-dead-redemption-2.html
Jessica Hoffman Davis’ Essay on Playing Red Dead Redemption:
https://www.reddit.com/r/reddeadredemption/comments/f31bz4/at_75_my_mother_decided_to_play_through_red_dead/
TWOAPW Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/WorstOfAll
Theme by Brendan Dalton
www.brendan-dalton.com
https://brendandalton.bandcamp.com

Jun 22, 2022 • 2h 26min
40 - PragerU Kids At Their Whit’s End! (feat. Bryan Quinby) [Whit’s Endless Summer #15]
Bryan Quinby (Street Fight Radio) takes the lads on a stroll through the hellscape of modern far-right children’s entertainment (with a pit-stop in the far-right children’s entertainment of yesteryear, Adventures in Odyssey) as they endure the deeply uncomfortable scream-fest and non-union acting showcase that is PragerU Kids. Topics include the ethics of child labor, the importance of flag maintenance, and the enduring legacy of notable genocidal maniac Christopher Columbus.
Adventures in Odyssey episodes discussed:
#209 - Columbus: The Grand Voyage
#81 - Good Business
YouTube playlist for the PragerU Kids videos we cover in this episode:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8u3LFUV-tzj9KKb6ZMWtFlgZwyG-nDm2
Street Fight Radio Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/streetfightradio
Bryan Quinby:
Twitter: @murderxbryan
TWOAPW Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/WorstOfAll
Theme by Brendan Dalton
www.brendan-dalton.com
https://brendandalton.bandcamp.com

Jun 15, 2022 • 20min
39 - The Screwtape Letters (feat. Emily Robinson)
THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE GO TO https://www.patreon.com/WorstOfAll
Emily Robinson (My Brother, My Captain, My Podcast) joins the lads in Hell as they excavate the epistolary proselytizing and smug finger-wagging of C.S. Lewis’ scourge of YA reading lists everywhere: The Screwtape Letters. Topics include the rivalry between C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, the rampant misogyny of Screwtape’s letters, and what it means to live your life in constant fear that you’ll one day be devoured by demons.
My Brother, My Captain, My Podcast:
https://open.spotify.com/show/27HIVoL3VACQZxGyrhmeEx?si=39edc487850b4bd7
My Brother, My Captain, My Podcast Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/ManuclearBomb
TWOAPW Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/WorstOfAll
Theme by Brendan Dalton
www.brendan-dalton.com
https://brendandalton.bandcamp.com

Jun 8, 2022 • 1h 23min
38 - Man of the Year (feat. Luke Savage)
Luke Savage (Michael and Us, Jacobin) joins the lads for some minor election fraud as they cover Barry Levinson’s 2006 political satire//thriller/rom-com/centrist fever dream: Man of the Year. Topics include the movie’s tonal whiplash, Laura Linney’s bafflingly committed performance, and the hollowness of centrist ideology as reflected through Robin Williams doing fart jokes.
Michael and Us: https://open.spotify.com/show/44Uwr3yMXRlqE5Elh5KuL9?si=f74aa9293f6a4a9c
Michael and Us Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus
A Link to Luke’s Book The Dead Center: https://www.orbooks.com/catalog/the-dead-center/
The “Stars and Strife” episode of Chapo Trap House: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95FwFqqgvhE
The NYC Pinball Championships:
nycpinballchamps.com
TWOAPW Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/WorstOfAll
Theme by Brendan Dalton
www.brendan-dalton.com
https://brendandalton.bandcamp.com


