When Banned Things Happen To Good People
Episodes
Episode 90 - The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Live)
03 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
If you missed our recent live episode, worry not because we made a copy of it for you so you could check it out to hear our final thoughts on Stephen ...
Episode 89 - The Perks of Being a Wallfower (Part Two)
11 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Charlie continues to struggle with his high school experience in the latter half of Stephen Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Todd a...
Burn the Book: The Evil Dead's Banned Legacy
22 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It's been a crazy few weeks for us here at Banned Things, and we haven't had the chance to get together to record a new episode, so here's one from ou...
Episode 87: The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Part One)
25 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It's back to school time (or at least it was when we started reading this), and Todd and Pete are pulling The Perks of Being a Wallflower out of the ...
Episode 86 - Brazil
08 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We're adjacent to 1984 this episode as Todd and Peter take a look at the Terry Gilliam film Brazil, which also features a dystopian society, fascist...
Episode 85 - 1984 (Live)
01 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We've made it to the end of 1984, experiencing life in Oceania, and learning what Room 101 contains, and now it's time to finish things up with our fi...
Episode 84 - 1984 (Part Three)
22 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this look at Part Three of George Orwell's 1984 we finally see the inside of the Ministry of Love, and eventually even get a look at room 101. But...
Episode 83 - 1984 (Part Two)
07 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the second part of our look at George Orwell's 1984, love, or something like it, blooms in the grey-dusted despair of Oceania as Winston meets and ...
Episode 82 - 1984 (Part One)
21 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It's time to get a little dystopian up in here as Todd and Peter begin their look at George Orwell's 1949 novel 1984. As we gaze at the news south of...
Episode 81 - Current Events (Daddy's Little Toy & Heil Hitler)
17 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Todd and Pete dig into some media controversies ripped from the headlines, including the the arrest of Daddy's Little Toy author, Lauren Tesolin-Mastr...
Episode 80 - Banned Together (with Allyson Rice)
06 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We're doing something a little different this week as we invite producer Allyson Rice to join us as we discuss her new documentary Banned Together. T...
Episode 79 - The Great Dictator
02 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It's movie night at 'Banned Things' headquarters so Todd and Peter decided to check out what is almost certainly the funniest movie about fascism that...
Episode 78 - The Chocolate War (Live)
18 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Todd and Pete wrap up their look at 'The Chocolate War', the controversial 1974 young adult novel by Robert Cormier, in which a catholic school's annu...
Episode 77 - The Chocolate War (Part Two)
11 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Todd and Pete glide through the second half of Robert Cormer's The Chocolate War to reach the controversial ending, as well as the true answer to the ...
Episode 76 - The Chocolate War (Part One)
06 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
After some delays, we're BACK (we hope) to a more regular release schedule starting with this episode, part one of our look at Robert Cormier's The C...
Episode 75 - Postal 2
14 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Holy crap it's our 75th episode and we're celebrating by covering a video game! Actually, we already did that when we livestreamed us playing Postal 2...
Episode 74 - The Devils
12 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Todd and Pete head back to the 17th century courtesy of Ken Russel's The Devils, a notoriously controversial film that is next to impossible to see. B...
Episode 73 - Cocksucker Blues
29 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It might be autumn, but it's time to finish up our summer of Sex, Drugs, and Rock and Roll with the Rolling Stones controversial concert film Cocksuc...
Episode 72 - Naked Lunch (Live)
07 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It might have felt like the longest short book they ever read, but Todd and Pete made it through the end of William S. Burroughs' 'Naked Lunch'. It wa...
Episode 71 - Naked Lunch (Part Two)
16 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Todd and Pete finish up their final bites of William S. Burroughs' Naked Lunch, and though they enjoyed the meal overall, they probably couldn't tell ...
Episode 70 - Naked Lunch (Part One)
01 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We're back! After some unscheduled away time from the podcast, Todd and Pete return just in time to strip down and enjoy a tasty Naked Lunch, courtesy...
Episode 69 - Sex (Live)
17 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We celebrate our 69th episode with a look at SEX! No, not the act, but the coffee table book by Madonna from 1992. Also, yes, it was entirely an accid...
Episode 68 - Beloved (Live)
10 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This LIVE episode features Todd and Pete wrapping up their look at Beloved by Toni Morrison, the Pulitzer Prize winning novel on the horrors of slaver...
Episode 67 - Beloved (Part Three)
22 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Todd and Pete push through the sometimes confusing, sometimes confounding, and always engaging final section of Toni Morrison's Pulitzer Prize winning...
Episode 66 - Beloved (Part Two)
30 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Todd and Pete continue their journey through Toni Morrison's Pulitzer Prize winning Beloved, which leads them to such questions as what the age of con...
Episode 65 - Beloved (Part One)
10 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Peter and Todd step through the doors of 124 to begin their examination of the Pulitzer Prize winning Beloved by Toni Morrison. It's a beautiful, con...
Episode 64 - Slaughter-House Five (Live)
21 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Well it had happen eventually -- not just because every book ends up with a wrap-up episode, but also because it's all already happened, every moment ...
Episode 63 - Slaughter-House Five (Part Two)
29 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It took until the end of January to finish up the book we were supposed to read in November, but Todd and Pete finally made it through Kurt Vonnegut J...
Episode 62 - Slaughterhouse-Five (Part One)
17 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Peter and Todd begin their look at Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five with an episode covering roughly half the short novel, featuring the first few ...
Episode 61 - The Exorcist
09 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
One of the best horror films of all time has also occasionally felt the pressures of rating boards who have prevented the film from being released in ...
Episode 60 - Heartstopper (Live)
11 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Our crew gathered around their microphones for a LIVE episode to wrap up their thoughts on Heartstopper by Alice Oseman. Though technical difficulties...
Episode 59 - Heartstopper (Part Three)
15 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
And we're off to FRANCE! Well, not us, unfortunately, but the cast of Heartstoppers are, in Volume Three of Heartstopper by Alice Oseman. Todd, Pete a...
Episode 58 - Heartstopper (Part Two)
06 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Summer break has taken its toll on the podcast, as vacations and long weekends have made it hard to get Todd and Pete in the same room together, but w...
Episode 57 - Heartstopper (Part One)
06 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Todd and Pete tone things down this episode with the first look at a slightly different high-school set story in Alice Oseman's Heartstopper. This q...
Episode 56 - Rage (Live)
18 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Todd and Peter take the podcast live to share their final thoughts on the Stephen King / Richard Bachman novel Rage -- a book so controversial that K...
Episode 55 - Rage (Part Two)
06 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Todd and Peter make it through the second of half of the early Stephen King novel Rage, a book that is definitely short, and maybe a little bit sweet...
Episode 54 - Rage (Part One)
23 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week Todd and Peter get it on with the short novel Rage by Richard Bachman, an author better known as Stephen King. Rage is a unique case of sel...
Brave New World (Live)
25 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Todd and Peter reflect back on their time with Aldous Huxley's Brave New World and consider whether it was as good as a grams of SOMA or instead some...
Episode 52 - Brand New World (Part Two)
17 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Todd Sullivan and Peter Aman finish up their visit to futuristic London, shake the soma out of their system, get their libidos back in check, and chat...
Episode 51 - Brave New World (Part One)
21 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The podcast that just won't die has finally returned to the land of the living -- When Banned Things Happen To Good People is BACK after a hiatus of m...
Episode 50 - An Anniversary Celebration!
02 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
They say it's better late than never, and in that spirit, here is the recorded version of our 50th episode live celebration, finally posted two months...
Episode 49 - Maus: My Father Bleeds History (Live)
04 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Todd Sullivan and Dave Coalmine wrap up their look at the first volume of Art Spiegelman's Maus: My Father Bleeds History. We share our thoughts on t...
Episode 48 - Maus (Part Two)
01 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Todd Sullivan is once again joined by Dave Coalmine to finish up their look at the first volume of Art Spiegelman's Maus, subtitled My Father Bleeds...
Episode 47 - Maus (Part One)
14 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Well, it took us a bit longer than usual to get out our first proper episode of 2022 after first losing our permanent recording of a live episode, and...
Episode 46 - Silent Night, Deadly Night
27 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It's late, but we hope you enjoy this Boxing Day edition of When Banned Things Happen to Good People, where we look at the controversial Christmas fi...
Episode 45 - Of Mice and Men (Part Two)
13 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Todd is once again joined by guest Dave Coalmine to wrap-up their discussion of John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, a book that does indeed contain bot...
Episode 44 - Of Mice and Men (Part One)
29 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Todd is joined on this episode by Dave Coalmine to begin their look at John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, a book filled with dread almost from page on...
Episode 43 - This Book is Anti-Racist (Live)
23 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Todd Sullivan and guest host Carlo Sia (Half-Cut Conspiracies) wrap up their look at This Book is Anti-Racist in this recording of their live episode...
Episode 42 - This Book is Anti-Racist (Part Two)
02 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This episode Todd and guest host Carlo Sia (Half-Cut Conspiracies) explore the second half of the controversial This Book is Anti-Racist which was le...
Episode 41 - This Book is Anti Racist (Part One)
19 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This Book is Anti Racist has inspired a touch of controversy in Southlake, Texas recently as a complaint from a mother about the title led the school ...
Episode 40 - The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
06 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Todd takes a crack at hosting the podcast solo with a look at the 1974 "video nasty" The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. This might be one of the most pop...
Episode 39 - The Little Prince
31 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It's a week late, but we're all relaxing for the summer anyway, right? This episode it's The Little Prince that Oren and Todd are discussing as ...
Episode 38 - The Paper Bag Princess
10 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Things get silly this week when Todd invites his 10-year-old daughter to join the podcast to talk about The Paper Bag Princess, a book that was...
Episode 37 - Prince & Knight
25 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our hosts continue to kick back with some easy-to-read children's books, including the LGBTQ+ friendly Prince & Knight, an apparently simple fairy ta...
Episode 36 - The Adventures of Captain Underpants
13 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Todd and Oren take a bit of a break from big, serious novels to spend a few weeks look at books intended for a younger audience -- that still somehow ...
Episode 35 - First Anniversary (Live)
28 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Holy hell this podcast has been around for a year! Who saw that coming!? So Oren and Todd took some time too look back at where they've been, and...
Episode 34 - Last Tango in Paris
15 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We wrap up our first year of podcasting with one of the most controversial films of all time, and a film that released during the year that Todd was g...
Episode 33 - Nekromantik (1987)
08 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week Oren (accidentally) brings something nasty to the Banned Things table with the 1987 West German horror film Nekromantik. He said he thought...
Episode 32 - Day of the Dead (1985)
23 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It's starting to look like Zombie Month with yet another zombie film in the Banned Things queue, this time the 1985 George Romero film Day of th...
Episode 31 - 2 Live Crew (Nasty As They Wanna Be)
17 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Oren and Todd do their first episode looking at a banned piece of music, with guest coast Dave Coalmine along for the ride. Just how nasty was the alb...
Episode 30 - Brain Dead (or Deadalive)
10 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week Oren and Todd settle in with a film that reaches new heights of gore that's from the director of The Lord of The Rings Trilogy, Peter Jackso...
Episode 29 - Gravity Falls
26 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We've had a few weeks off and now Oren and Todd are back with something a bit more mellow -- a look at the Disney XD show Gravity Falls. What, that's ...
Episode 28 - Monty Python's The Life of Brian (Live)
06 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We completed our epic Easter cross-over event with a live episode featuring Todd, Oren, and Carlo Sia from Half-Cut Conspiracies to discuss a film tha...
Episode 27 - The Last Temptation of Christ
02 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Here it is, part one of our special Easter Crossover Event, with special guest Carlo Sia of Half-Cut Conspiracies here to help us take a look at Marti...
Episode 26 - Dr. Seuss Gets Cancelled
22 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Wait, has Dr. Seuss been cancelled!? Well, no, not really, but Todd and Oren decided to take a look at five of the six books that are being removed fr...
Episode 25 - The Turner Diaries (Finale)
14 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Did you miss the live wrap-up of The Turner Diaries? Don't fret! We've got the recorded version of it right here! It's exactly the same as the live ve...
Episode 24 - The Turner Diaries (Part Three)
08 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It's over. They've done it. Oren and Todd have made it to the end of The Turner Diaries which, they hope, is the worst thing they'll ever have to expe...
Episode 23 - The Turner Diaries (Part Two)
28 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Todd and Oren survive another week with the "Bible of the Racist Right" and continue to follow Earl Turner on his exciting adventures in attempting to...
Episode 22 - The Turner Diaries (Part One)
21 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Join Todd and Oren as they dig into the first nine chapters of what will hopefully be the worst thing they ever read on this podcast, a book that has ...
Episode 21 - A Clockwork Orange (Finale)
08 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Oren and Todd once again went live to wrap up their look at A Clockwork Orange, a dicussion that included both the novel by Anthony Burgess and Stanle...
Episode 20 - A Clockwork Orange (Film)
01 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A Clockwork Orange has the rare distinction of being a work that has been banned as not only a novel but a film as well, so Oren and Todd decided to t...
Episode 19 - A Clockwork Orange (Part Three)
25 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Todd and Oren reach the final part of the novel A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess, including the infamous Chapter 21 that was not originally...
Episode 18 - A Clockwork Orange (Part Two)
18 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Todd and Oren continue their look at A Clockwork Orange, digging through Part Two of the novel, which sees your humble narrator, Alex, succumb to the ...
Episode 17 - A Clockwork Orange (Part One)
10 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Happy New Year! It's the first episode of 2021, and Todd and Oren discuss their viddying of the horrorshow novel A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burges...
Episode 16 - Hail Mary
20 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In our final episode for 2020, we are visited not by Christmas ghosts but by Carlo Sia, co-host of another Blah Blah Blah Media production, Half-Cut C...
Episode 15 - I Am Jazz
13 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode Oren and Todd tackle one of the most controversial books written in recent years — a story of ... learning to understand people who ...
Episode 14 - The Handmaid's Tale (Finale)
30 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode Todd and Oren wrap-up their look at Margret Atwood's bestselling work of feminist fiction, The Handmaid's Tale. There are also a few d...
Episode 13 - The Handmaid's Tale (Part Three)
23 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week we come to the end of our look at a terrifyingly plausible dystopia as we cover the final 100 pages of Margret Atwood's 1985 novel 'The Hand...
Episode 12 - The Handmaid's Tale (Part Two)
15 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We continue our decent into a dystopia that is, at least for now, still just a work of imagination. What's waiting for Offred inside the Commander's o...
Episode 11 - The Handmaid's Tale (Part One)
08 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In honour of Amy Coney Barrett's nomination to the United States Supreme Court, Todd and Oren begin their look at Margaret Atwood's famous story of fe...
Episode 10 - Battle Royale
31 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It's Halloween so let's take a break from reading! This episode we watch and discuss the 2000 Japanese film Battle Royale with guest host Dave Co...
Episode 9 - The Autobiography of Malcolm X (Finale)
18 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This was our live wrap-up event to complete our discussion of The Autobiography of Malcolm X, featuring some exciting announcements and live callers.
Episode 8 - The Autobiography of Malcolm X (Part Six)
04 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We wrap up our episodic look at The Autobiography of Malcolm X by talking about the Epilogue, which describes Alex Haley's experience interviewing Mal...
Episode 7 - The Autobiography of Malcolm X (Part Five)
20 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week we're talking about the final two chapters in the Autobiography of Malcolm X, covering the final period in his life following his visit to M...
Episode 6 - The Autobiography of Malcolm X (Part Four)
06 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Oren and Todd return to their discussion of The Autobiography of Malcolm X. They also talk too much, which required this episode to be split into two....
Episode 5 - Gone With The Wind
21 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Todd and Oren take a break from their look at the Autobiography of Malcolm X to visit a film from the same era (a film mentioned early on in the Autob...
Episode 4 - The Autobiography of Malcolm X (Part Three)
03 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Audio issues are overcome and the podcast is back on schedule with this week's episode, as Todd and Oren continue to look at Autobiography of Malcolm ...
Episode 3 - The Autobiography of Malcolm X (Part Two)
28 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Some unfortunate technical difficulties led to the delay of the episode, as well as some less-than-stellar audio, but we're back anyway, to continue o...
Episode 2 - The Autobiography of Malcolm X (Part One)
06 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week Todd and Oren finally dig into their first book -- The Autobiography of Malcolm X -- covering chapters one through five, as well as the intr...
Episode 1: Why We're Here and What We're Doing
23 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This is it! The first official episode of When Banned Things Happen To Good People! Todd and Oren talk about why they care about the topics of censors...
Episode 0: The Accidental Episode
23 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Get a behind-the-scenes look at some of the brainstorming that went on in the creation of When Banned Things Happen To Good People. While testing our ...