AS ALWAYS: The first episode of this season of Players Club is free and available on all podcast platforms. All subsequent episodes will be available exclusively for subscribers at patreon.com/chapotraphouse. The year is 2009. Baquack Odoula is giving birth to Obunglercare and telling Americans that if they like their doctors, they can keep their ashes in urns above their fireplaces after they are rounded up and incinerated (Google “doctor’s plot”). Jay Cutler is filling Chicago Bears fans with hopes of a better tomorrow. Taylor Lautner is at the height of his powers. It may not be morning in America, but we all woke up at 2 PM, so same difference. Across the world, a coder employed by From Software eager to prove his mettle is told by his employers that they just so happen to have a game that is so poorly made, behind schedule, and over budget that if he really wants to, the former Oracle employee can take over its development and try to make something playable. Now free from the clutches of the Ellisons and their blood sacrifices, the man and his team work day and night to turn a quagmire that was previously called something like The Terrific Reclaim of Dark! [1+3=0 Edirion] YOU ARE INFINITE into something playable. That 30 something boy that nobody liked grew up to be Hideteka Miyazaki. And the game? Our inaugural entry for Season 2 of Player’s Club, Demon’s Souls. Frequent collaborator and long-suffering podcast dungeon master Patches was kind enough to join me on this first step through From’s contemporary catalog. This game may be the least of From’s efforts from the catalog of games it kicked off, but it’s not for a lack of ability or vision. Even just making something functional out of such a mess would have been an achievement by Miyazaki and co, but they did more than that. Demon’s Souls may lack some of the more brilliant level design and deceptively deep combat of later entries, but it cannot be overstated how little they had to work with and just how deeply this entry deviated from the standard fare put out by Japanese publishers the size of Bandai Namco in 2009. While everyone else was making once-challenging and open-ended titles more linear and centering every level around scripted set pieces, Demon’s Souls broke the mold by harkening back to a time before endless handholding, and delivered a game that respected its players enough to allow them to tackle individual levels and bosses how and when they saw fit. For this entry, I did my playthrough on a PS3 emulator, meaning I went without the quality of life adjustments in the 2020 Blue Point remake. That said, I found myself enjoying my experience more than my first go around on the PS5 version years prior. To say this is the least challenging or exciting of the remaining 6 (or 7, if you count Shadow of the Erdtree as a separate entry) games on our docket is not a knock on this game, but a compliment to the massive leaps in quality From achieved in each consecutive release. The fact that such a catalog grew out of a game that was almost abandoned before Miyazaki became the stepfather that stepped up.  Praise aside, I don’t care for Stockpile Thomas. He always has to be such a downer. I didn’t ask for your life story!  The wonderful Patches can be found on Twitter (@Senator_Gun) and as the dungeon master of my personal all time favorite DnD episodes we’ve ever done. He does not necessarily share my opinion that Stockpile Thomas is responsible for his family’s awful deaths.

The titular Guys are back! We continue our coverage of the deteriorating conditions on the USS Abraham Lincoln before checking in on two women in politics: Nancy Mace and Natalie Harp. We then do a deep dive into the world of mafia-turncoat-influencers, former made men in the Five Families who now run YouTube channels to talk about food, gay people in the mafia, and how you should spend your money. If you’re in Canada, check out the CHUNKS live screening on Sept 1. with Amber Frost, Nate Fisher, and the Important Cinema Club: https://paradiseonbloor.com/movies/chunks-toronto-premiere And in Charlottetown, PEI on Sept 4th and 5th: https://tivolicinema.com/production/chunks/ Chapo & Friends Live at New York’s Society for Ethical Culture on Friday November 6th is SOLD OUT! TOO BAD! CHUNKS now available for streaming purchase at www.patreon.com/chunkstv

Journalist and YouTuber Jordan Shanks-Markovina aka friendlyjordies joins us for an Australian news ep, comparing the MAGA movement of the United States with the right-wing nativism of Pauline Hanson’s One Nation. We talk about Australia’s world of mobsters and bikers, one deputy PM’s war on Koalas, and how Jordies’ videos lead to several criminal prosecutions and his house being firebombed. Check out Jordies’ videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2-i3KuYoODXsM99Z3-Gm0A His Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/friendlyjordies And his podcast The Official Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@theofficialytchannel  If you’re in Canada, check out the CHUNKS live screening on Sept 1. with Amber Frost, Nate Fisher, and the Important Cinema Club: https://paradiseonbloor.com/movies/chunks-toronto-premiere And in Charlottetown, PEI on Sept 4th and 5th: https://tivolicinema.com/production/chunks/  Chapo & Friends Live at New York’s Society for Ethical Culture on Friday November 6th. Tickets are going fast, get yours now! https://link.dice.fm/zaf99528079e  CHUNKS now available for streaming purchase at www.patreon.com/chunkstv

We get to some news that we didn’t get to on Thursday, such as Iran_Ceasefire_FINAL_FINAL.pdf, right-wing influencers pivoting to OnlyFans, and the cold case of Nancy Guthrie’s kidnapping. We also respond to some listener suggestions about how to deal with a vulture problem before a lightning round of dystopian stories about AI and dating. Pitch Katherine pieces for The Intercept at [email protected] CHUNKS now available for streaming purchase at www.patreon.com/chunkstv Chapo & Friends Live at New York’s Society for Ethical Culture on Friday November 6th. Tickets are going fast, get yours now! https://link.dice.fm/zaf99528079e

NOW UNLOCKED! Devin Thomas O’Shea returns to discuss his book on St. Louis’ notorious Veiled Prophet society. We look at St. Louis history as a microcosm of America, the interwoven history of labor & racial suppression, Parade Politics, the public mystification of white supremacy, and how modern secret societies forget to have a little fun with it. Find Devin’s book The Veiled Prophet here and wherever you buy books: https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/2770-the-veiled-prophet

Jake & Thomas join us to explore some recent Rogan Lore, look at the eschatological facets of Ted Lasso, and contemplate the interiority of some of our acquaintences. Then, our various failures in Iran, our Troops on T, and our bumbling military in general. Jake’s promo for flood & food relief in Kerr County, Texas: https://rebuildkerr.org/ CHUNKS now available for streaming purchase at www.patreon.com/chunkstv Chapo & Friends Live at New York’s Society for Ethical Culture on Friday November 6th. Tickets are going fast, get yours now! https://link.dice.fm/zaf99528079e And see Jake on Aug 14 in Orlando: https://www.alexsundergroundcomedy.com/event-details/jake-rhodes?fbclid=PARlRTSATDOIBwZG9mAmV4dG4DYWVtAjEwAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDzEyNDAyNDU3NDI4NzQxNAABp1h2teRUwDGGngWIxx75wF9nO-kjVrAJzXqahezosR-kvYdnifBFFeSP5T6O_aem__1_cFrY01k64f6UoZ58Cvg

Journalist Jasper Nathaniel returns to the show for another look at the state of the West Bank. We talk about continuing settler rampages, mass shootings ignored by Israeli authorities, and Ro Khanna’s recent trip to the occupied lands. Jasper's article: https://www.infinitejaz.com/p/a-hellish-month-in-the-occupied-west

DIVA DOWN! We pay our respects to Lindsay Graham, a man who died doing what he loved. We then tour some recent geopolitical conflicts, with the Ukraine war in a continuing stalemate despite recent drone innovations and the Iran War back in full swing. We also talk about a few fun cultural topics, such as Connor McGregor’s loss, Boosie Badazz allegedly trying to bribe Jacob Wohl, and the continuing story of Kash Patel. CHUNKS IS COMING! Get your tix to the streaming premiere of CHUNKS on July 19, available on-demand after: https://www.patreon.com/chunkstv CHAPO LIVE - NYC - NOV 6. - TEN YEARS IN THE ZONE Chapo & friends will be live at New York’s Society for Ethical Culture on Friday November 6th. Tickets are going fast, get yours now! https://link.dice.fm/zaf99528079e

This week on Chapo, we finally beat the news curse to talk about Graham Platner’s latest and likely career-ending scandal…only to fall victim to it by talking about the Trump-FIFA red card reversal that absolutely did not matter at all. Our friend Tim (@garliccorgi) of the ALAB podcast is here to talk about this all, plus a roundup of the Supreme Court’s recent stripping of the copper wire out of everything, the narrow survival of the 14th amendment, and any potential options a future administration might have to reverse this. Find all things ALAB Series here, and get the show wherever you get podcasts: https://www.alabseries.com/ Just ONE WEEK left to get CHUNKS at the early bird price here: https://www.patreon.com/chunkstv 🚨🚨 LIVE SHOW ALERT 🚨🚨 NYC - NOV 6. - 10 YEARS IN THE ZONE Chapo & friends will be live at New York’s Society for Ethical Culture on Friday November 6th. Pre-Sale for Patreon subscribers on Wednesday, July 8 General sale begins Friday, July 9.

Josh Ettingermentum is back to recap Zohran’s hostile takeover of the New York Democratic Party, with his three endorsed candidates cruising to victory. We talk about this new wave of left insurgency throughout the country, what it means for the sclerotic Democratic establishment and the stillborn Abundance movement, and what we make of Zohran’s time in office overall. Plus: John Fetterman fires shots at Chapo and Hasan. Find the Ettingermentum newsletter here: https://www.ettingermentum.news/ Get CHUNKS here: https://www.patreon.com/chunkstv