Goon Pod

Hosted by Tyler Adams, this podcast has been produced weekly since May 2021. (there’s a yearly couple of months break after New Year nowadays) If you haven’t listened to it yet, you’ve got a lot of catching up to do.

In each episode Tyler welcomes a guest to examine an actual Goon Show, a solo Goon project (films, TV, radio, books, albums etc) or practically anything within the Goon universe. They also talk about comedy in general – whatever direction the conversation takes!

To listen to this show, search for ‘Goon Pod’ and subscribe on Spotify, i-Tunes or whichever podcast app you habitually use. If you don’t habitually use any of those, then there are recent episodes at the foot of the page. Alternatively, click on the Goon Pod logo above to be taken to a suitable corner of the web where all the episodes are available.

Tyler is always happy to receive comments, requests or general feedback as it helps improve and develop the show. Goon Pod can be followed and contacted through Facebook and Twitter.

The Silent Bugler – Goon Pod

The Silent Bugler is a good example of Spike Milligan revisiting earlier material, with the later Vintage Goons remake refining rather than reinventing the original. The original story from Series 4 opens with a Cold War setting and digs at Senator McCarthy, Winston Churchill and the world of secret agents before introducing Seagoon as MI5's Agent X2. The Vintage Goons remake necessarily tweaks some of the more topical material. Much of the enjoyment comes from the performances rather than the plot which is a bit confusing and follows X2's mission to thwart a Russian time machine, leading to an adventure involving spies, concerts, mistaken identities, explosions and improbable escapes in typical fashion. Peter Sellers' later portrayal of Willium the ticket inspector is noticeably richer and more developed, while the original Series 4 recording has Sellers corpsing repeatedly. The episode also contains the first use of Bluebottle's immortal line, "Pauses for audience applause… not a sausage" though early Bluebottle is less pleasing to the ear.As with most Goon Shows the storyline is largely incidental, serving as a framework for Spike's imagination and the interplay between the cast. While the Vintage Goons version benefits from more polished performances, some listeners may prefer the original Series 4 recording for its freshness and spontaneity and the fact it was a glimpse of the Goons reaching the peak of their powers in 1954. Tyler and guest Chas Early examine the two shows and look at what was happening in the Goons' world the week the original show aired, including a fascinating tale of Ray Ellington coming to the aid of one of JFK's closest friends.