RECENT ARTICLES

For those tuning in to the Adult Swim O.G. cartoon show, Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, you may hear a familiar voice. No, you’re not hearing things—that is late night show host, Stephen Colbert, voicing villains with ray guns or judges with gavels. Colbert, who took part in myriad comedic gigs before landing his major hosting job on CBS, was one of many standout voice actors on Birdman in the show’s history. Birdman, which was perhaps Adult Swim’s most highly produced and slickest of the original block of four, featured the winged former superhero defending his cartoon peers in a court of law. The show led to classic episodes like “The Dabba Don,” in which Fred Flintstone stands trial as a mob boss might. Other episodes feature Scooby-Doo and crew and more 1960s Hanna-Barbera superheroes. We caught up with Birdman co-creator, Erik Richter, to ask him about the show’s early days, how he found himself at Adult Swim, and what he remembers most about Adult Swim founder, Mike Lazzo.

This is the fifth in a running series on Under the Radar celebrating Adult Swim and the airing of its first original block of cartoons: Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Sealab 2021, The Brak Show, and Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law. Watch Adult Swim on HBO Max.

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On December 18th, just in time for the holidays, music fans can get the kinks out of their system after a long many months in quarantine-hibernation and get their hands on a copy of the new 50th anniversary reissue of the record Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One, from British band The Kinks. The band, which rose to popularity in the ’60s alongside the British Invasion with hits like “You Really Got Me,” was later banned from playing in America in the middle of the decade. But in 1970, with the release of Lola Versus Powerman and its hit single, “Lola,” the band was back to regain their reputation as one of the globe’s hottest acts. We caught up with lead guitarist and co-founder of The Kinks, Dave Davies, 73, who is the younger brother of the group’s frontman, Ray Davies, to ask him about his early days in music, what it was like to collaborate with his kin, and what he remembers from The Kinks’ glory years.

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When speaking with voice actor, George Lowe, who famously portrayed Space Ghost on the quirky, at times goofy cartoon late night show Space Ghost Coast to Coast, it’s easy to get lost on little anecdote paths or avenues that lead to other stories. It’s charming, endearing. In one moment, Lowe might be talking about interviewing for the show and his mind immediately goes to a receptionist eating peach cobbler. Or he could be talking about his peers on the program and suddenly think about his paintings and sketches, which he loves so much and have hung in museums. In other words, Lowe is a generous interview subject with much to talk about.

He’s also very humble. To any who’ve watched, Space Ghost Coast to Coast is an all-time favorite. It was groundbreaking in its time and led to the creation of Adult Swim, which is the Cartoon Network’s at night block of shows made for adults. Without Space Ghost Coast to Coast there would be no Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Sealab 2021, Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, The Brak Show, or Robot Chicken. We caught up with Lowe to talk to him about his career, how he found the Cartoon Network, what he loved about Space Ghost Coast to Coast and much more.

This is the fourth in a running series on Under the Radar celebrating Adult Swim and the airing of its first original block of cartoons: Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Sealab 2021, The Brak Show, and Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law. Watch Adult Swim on HBO Max.

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For fans of Cartoon Network and Adult Swim, the name Brak likely brings about a particular type of grin. Brak is the oddball amongst oddballs. He’s the lovable, childish character repurposed from the original Space Ghostcartoon series (he was one of the series’ Council of Doom members). Brak was used both on the animated talk show Space Ghost Coast to Coast and later for his very own series, The Brak Show. That program aired as part of the original Adult Swim cartoon block with Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Sealab 2021, and Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law. We caught up with voice actor and writer, Andy Merrill, who voiced Brak, to talk about the character’s origin, if he is a “space cat,” or not and how Merrill first landed at Adult Swim.

This is the third in a running series on Under the Radar celebrating Adult Swim and the airing of its first original block of cartoons. Watch Adult Swim on HBO Max.

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Sealab 2021, one of the four original Adult Swim shows that aired first in December 2000 and then later, more formally, in September 2001, was the underwater-set work comedy in which a group of scientists living in a submarine laboratory interact and get into trouble. The show, created by Matt Thompson and Adam Reed, made use of older Hanna-Barbera cartoon footage from a former cartoon, Sealab 2020, made originally to highlight ocean conservation. But reused and put through the surreal Adult Swim lens, the 2021 version sung with madness and warm, fuzzy oddities. We caught up with Thompson, the show’s co-creator (thanks to the fine folks at HBO Max), to talk about how he first fell in love with animation, how Sealab 2021 found Adult Swim (and the Cartoon Network) and what he remembers most from making the show.

This is the second in a running series on Under the Radar celebrating Adult Swim and the airing of its first original block of cartoons: Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Sealab 2021, The Brak Show, and Harvey Birdman, Attorney At Law. Watch Adult Swim on HBO Max.

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For some, the 12-minute cartoon show Aqua Teen Hunger Force, available now on HBO Max, is a cult classic. With its odd, surreal humor and unelaborate though quirky animation, the television show struck a chord with twenty-something-year-old viewers when it aired in the early 2000s. Featuring the three iconic characters—Master Shake, Frylock, and Meatwad—the show, which was part of the original Adult Swim cartoon block that first aired December 2000 and then again more permanently in September 2001, was so unlike anything else on television that its mere spectacle caught and held viewers’ attention for seasons. Soon, with the help of early file sharing methods, the show became an underground hit, along with other Adult Swim shows like Sealab 2021, The Brak Show, Harvey Birdman: Attorney At Law and Space Ghost Coast to Coast. We caught up with the creators of Aqua Teen Hunger Force—Matt Maiellaro and Dave Willis—to talk about their show’s beginnings, Adult Swim’s early years, and some room called The Fart Vault.

This is the first in a running series on Under the Radar celebrating Adult Swim and the airing of its first original block of cartoons, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Sealab 2021, The Brak Show, and Harvey Birdman: Attorney At Law. Watch Adult Swim on HBO Max.

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Famed traveler, writer, television host, activist and tour guide, Rick Steves, is an inspiration. He’s curious and adventurous but he’s also compassionate and empathetic. He works to keep a long view of global sustainability, rather than promote quick gains. And, as such, he’s helped bring countless people out of their shells or out of their normal day-to-day behaviors and taken them on excursions around the world, whether through his travel guides, TV shows, or guided tours.

Steves is also a devout Christian, who works to make the world a better place through his faith. And in a time when travel is at a near standstill, Steves tells Americans (and other travelers) to stay calm, enjoy your nearby surroundings, and hold tight until the world can move about freely and safely again.

We caught up with Steves to ask him about how he first got into travel writing, how it’s changed his life over the decades, what he does to bridge his faith with his adventurous spirit and how he thinks the recent Presidential election might bring about a renewed appreciation for science and leadership.

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If you’re of the right age, chances are you have a favorite song from the ’90s Irish rock ‘n’ roll band The Cranberries. For many, it’s “Zombie,” the aggressive, buzzy track that talks about bombs, guns, and war inside your head. For others, it’s the jangly “Dreams” or sticky “Linger” that have become personal favorites. Whatever the song, the lasting impact of the band, which was founded in 1989, is astounding. A quick YouTube scan will show that the songs above boast hundreds of millions of views—or, in the case of “Zombie,” one billion, despite the fact that these songs were released upwards of a decade before the streaming platform was even conceived.

To commemorate the band, which sadly lost its lead singer, the indelible Dolores O’Riordan, just a few years ago, in January 2018, The Cranberries will release a remastered and expanded version of the band’s seminal 1994-released hit album, No Need to Argue, on November 13. No Need to Argue was the band’s sophomore album and is their best selling one, moving over 17 million albums, in part fueled by “Zombie.” The reissue, out today, includes B-sides, demos, remixes, and live tracks.

We caught up with founding members Noel Hogan (guitar) and Fergal Lawler (drums) to talk about the early days of the group, O’Riordan’s passing, and much more. The band also featured Hogan’s brother, Mike Hogan, on bass.

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Champions and lovers of art, in all its forms, likely have come across the work of musician and performer, David Byrne. The Hall of Fame songwriter rose to prominence in the ’80s and ’90s with his band, Talking Heads, releasing all-time classic tracks like “Psycho Killer,” “Burning Down the House,” and “Once in a Lifetime.” He is known for co-producing one of the most beloved concert films of all time, Stop Making Sense, and more recently, Byrne has made headlines for projects like his positive-thinking magazine, Reasons to be Cheerful, and his Broadway stage show (recently released on HBO MAX), American Utopia.

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Paris Berelc lights up the screen. Whether the 21-year-old actor is working on a Disney show with one of her bright young co-stars or whether she’s showcasing her luminescent talents in a movie like Netflix’ Hubie Halloween with Adam Sandler and China Anne McClain, Berelc is one of the fast-rising on-screen performers of the 2020s.

Berelc, who grew up in the Midwest, has worked seemingly constantly ever since her first gig at 11-years-old. She boasts a number of Disney and modeling credits to her name and, these days, she’s flying between jobs, from New York City to Toronto to who knows where is next. We caught up with the rising success story to ask her about what it’s like working these days, what her time on Hubie Halloween showed her, growing up on-set, and much more.

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