The Two Vague Podcast
Two Vague is a 2 player cooperative conversation program which starts with a focus word and ends on the topic of video games. Each episode contains a blend of interview questions, trivia, storytelling, improvisation and pop culture discussions.
Listen on:
Episodes
Wednesday Jul 14, 2021
Wednesday Jul 14, 2021
2VP - Episode 4 - Spy part 2
0:20 - Restarting the conversation - OSS1179:10 - Two dudes and aunt - recapping the favorite Bond actors 11:55 - Bond movie theme songs - the Thunderball submission from Johnny Cash14:05 - Chris’ baccarat and martini experiences in Las Vegas 17:55 - Back to Bond theme songs19:55 - “You Only Move Twice” and Ben forgets Albert Brooks’ name22:00 - IOI’s Project 007 and the Hitman franchise28:15 - Chris’ wish list… for the Bond game36:21 - Ben’s list - putting on the gloves of wish list excavation37:10 - Jetpacks are dumb!43:52 - Gadgets or question marks?49:02 - Original theme and opening sequence51:09 - Bundle up and be your own “Bond”53:50 - Romance?57:01 - Is SPECTRE necessary in the game?1:01:59 - Closing thoughts
Episode corrections:
After Jean Bruce’s death in 1963, his wife (not his daughter) Josette Bruce continued to write 143 OSS 117 novels until retiring in 1985. Their daughter Martine and her husband continued the series starting in 1987 and wrote an additional 23 books about OSS 117.
The Simpsons Episode “You Only Move Twice” is the second of Season 8.
Wednesday Jul 07, 2021
Wednesday Jul 07, 2021
2VP - Episode 3 - "Spy" part 1 of Chris’ 2 part SPOOKTACULAR!
Disclaimer: We have the boom situation corrected for part 2 (pro tip - missing sock collection makes excellent sound baffle. Crinkle sounds, compliments of Mango the podcat. Thank you for your continued patience while I work on improving the audio quality.
0:00 - The 2VP theme song0:20 - Introducing the hosts Ben and Chris0:34 - The word… spy3:10 - MI6 has some budget oversight issues5:00 - Top Secret RPG8:20 - RPG hot take (from a middle aged white dude)10:10 - Disco Elysium is a weird game15:50 - Elliot Gould interlude19:00 - Goofus and Gallant22:00 - SpyTV shows and movies and a shout out to the “For Your Reference” podcast30:10 - Impressions31:40 - Ian Fleming and Bond; incredibly racist and sexist36:00 - Bond actor rankings43:38 - Chris’ son introduction of the Golden Eye remaster44:40 - A series of awful sounding closers
Wednesday Jun 30, 2021
Wednesday Jun 30, 2021
2VP Episode 2 - Inclusion
Thank you Kenny for joining me as my first guest host of the Two Vague Podcast!
0:00 - Two Vague Podcast theme song0:20 - Today’s hosts… Ben and Kenny0:31 - In honor of Pride month, the word is “inclusion”1:40 - Ice cream and chili 3:25 - Gender identity and inclusion8:52 - Kenny shaved their head last year17:18 - Ben is stopping at the Q21:08 - NEWS FLASH: Arizona is hot22:40 - Art talk27:52 - Learning and gender identity30:52 - Video games - the Sims35:19 - Cyberpunk 2077 and their “misses and hits” in regard to gender40:54 - The sandbox game and why it is enjoyable to some44:13 - Dontnod Entertainment’s “Tell Me Why” - the first trans male protagonist49:57 - Krem, Bloodhound, Fl4k and buy Kenny an Xbox One62:28 - Kenny thanks me for including them and we “sign off”
Wednesday Jun 23, 2021
Wednesday Jun 23, 2021
Episode 1 - friendship
Disclaimer: This was the first time using our new boom microphones, so you will hear occasional USCSS Nostromo / “One ping only” sounds. In future episodes you should hear less of those noises as the springs have now been baffled adequately. Thank you for your patience and enjoy the show!
Hype Songs:
Ben: “So Excited” - Ranking Roger
Chris: “X Gon’ Give It to Ya” - DMX
0:00 - Two Vague Podcast theme song
0:20 - Today’s hosts… Ben and Chris
0:54 - Housekeeping on Episode 1?
1:27 - Questions from… again with the water levels
3:26 - The word is friendship
6:34 - Our friendship
14:56 - ASMR warning
17:18 - Vaguely Spader-esque
20:08 - Alpha Flight spoilers and Ben’s view on spoilers
26:26 - “Think of the listeners Ben.”
32:20 - Ben’s impressions kill comedy
36:56 - The turnip and no sandbox games for Chris
41.53 - The 100 baby challenge
44:17 - Chris recalls touching moments of friendship in video game narratives
48:32 - “Kaidan is a walking yawn!”
50:17 - Mortal Kombat
55:10 - M.Bison, Balrog, Vega and Chris’ disbelief
58:04 - “Now you're just saying words.”
Friday Jun 18, 2021
Friday Jun 18, 2021
Two Vague Podcast - Episode 0 - Musical
Disclaimer: Chris and I sat down to test the equipment and record a promo, but it turned into a mini episode about the word musical. On “normal” episodes there will be a discussion about what the word means for each participant (1UP and 2UP), followed by a video game centric discussion. Instead of throwing the footage in a vault somewhere, we decided to release it just ahead of the full episode drop date of 6/23/21 to give you a general idea of what to expect from our show. We hope you enjoy Episode 0 of the Two Vague Podcast!
0:00 - Two Vague Podcast theme song
0:18 - Brief introduction of your hosts Ben and Chris
0:39 - The word musical / Ben sings horribly
1:27 - Starlight Express
4:03 - Switching gears / video games in the style of a musical
6:37 - “Way better than Mannheim Steamroller?”
8:55 - Water levels
10:28 - “Speaking of water…”
12:12 - Weights and measures conversions
12:49 - The missus calls
13:10 - Better or worse?
14:18 - The Mannheim Steamroller PC game
15:34 - “… an example of our show”
The 2VP Origin Story:
Two Vague originated from an idea I had for my eventual memoir. Games have been such a big part of my life that in theory, I could document most of my personal history using them as points on my timeline. The original concept was to begin with an arcade or video game, provide some background and facts about it, and then combine that with anecdotes / memories / life experiences. I could never quite justify committing it to the written word (not yet anyway), but that was the starting point.
As time went on, I began thinking about it with greater frequency, typically after watching, reading, or listening to video game related content. I wasn’t really interested in putting together game news program or a solo monologue type of show. Two people having an interesting, unique exchange of ideas was the premise I wanted to explore and develop. I thought it was important for me to come up with a name and logo to use as a conceptual anchor. I vaguely knew what I wanted, so decided the name would be “Too Vague”. My brother suggested that I use the number 2 instead and from that suggestion I quickly drew up a logo.
Shortly thereafter, my brother and I talked at length about the podcasts we enjoyed and why. Soon we moved on to discussing what “shape” my show would eventually take.
B: “It will be me and someone else… only 2 people.”
A: “Would it be an interview show?”
B: “Not exactly…”
A: “What is the show going to be about?”
B: “Video games… and something else.”
A: “How?”
B: “I guess I could describe it as an in-depth conversation"
… and that is where our podcast journey began in 2021!