Empty Checking with Derek Brink

EC Update 4-26-22.m4a

This is a quick update to explain that I won't be doing a full show this week after some bad news in my family. "Thoughts and prayers" are such a cliche, but I know my family would appreciate yours. planning to be back next week. Thanks for your understanding.

Episode 120 - I Don’t Give a F*** S*** B****** A** About Profanity

In this one, I'm low on ideas, so I read an email asking me about the Oscar slap and then talk about my top ten "best" (or favorite) lead singers of all time. Which is an idea I stole from Patton Oswalt. Whatever. It's fun!

Check out the blog at http://emptychecking.blogspot.com for photos (and this week I name a BUNCH of albums I think you should check out in the photos) and more! And e-mail me your questions and comments at db@derekbrink.com, if you want me to actually see them and reply.

Time breakdown:

• 0:00 - Intro (including talk of cats!
• 11:11 - Music Break - Out from the Light
• 11:41 - Checkmail re: The Oscar Slap
• 29:13 - Music Break - Dichotomy
• 29:43 - My picks for "best" lead vocalist of all time
• 49:38 - Music Break - One Man
• 50:08 - Outro

Special Upload - Rest in Peace, Gilbert Gottfried.m4a

A new, full episode came out yesterday but was recorded prior to the death of Gilbert Gottfried. I wanted to share some thoughts on his passing, so I recorded this upload on my phone. Please join me in remembering one of the funniest guys ever to yell into a microphone.

Episode 119 - I Have the Metrics to Show that You Don’t Want to Hear Me Talk About Wrestling

***This week's episode was recorded prior to the death of Gilbert Gottfried. I will talk about him in a future upload.***

In this episode I mainly talk about a weird assortment of movies from my Criterion Collection BluRays, including Andrei Rublev, Being There, The Seventh Seal, Brazil, Blue is the Warmest Color, and It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. I also touch on the passing of wrestling great Scott Hall, in response to some listener mail and talk about my cats and stuff. It's a little all over the place. Enjoy!

Remember to check out the companion blog at http://emptychecking.blogspot.com and email me at db@derekbrink.com! 

Time Breakdown:

• 0:00 - Intro, including some cat-talk
• 14:25 - Musical Break - "Give It Up"
• 14:55 - Checkmail: Rest in Peace Scott Hall
• 24:17 - Musical Break - "Nobody Has It All"
• 24:47 - Criterion Collection Critiques - Including Andrei Rublev, Being There, The Seventh Seal, Brazil, Blue is the Warmest Color, It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
• 1:05:01 - Musical Break - "Sometimes You Say Goodbye"
• 1:05:31 - Outro

Episode 118 - Podcats?

In this (long-awaited?) return to the show, I talk about a bunch of stuff! The cats have arrived and taken over my house, but there's also plenty of movies and music to talk about too. I talk about Turning Red, My Dinner With Andre, and The Breakfast Club (it's a good group), and music from Frank Turner, Guided By Voices, and Dolly Parton. In addition I bid farewell to Taylor Hawkins. And other stuff. Thanks for your patience! I should be uploading pretty regularly from now on!

Remember to check out the companion blog at http://emptychecking.blogspot.com, and e-mail any questions and comments to me at db@derekbrink.com!

Here's how it breaks down:

• 0:00 - Intro - Including much talk of cats!
• 25:33 - Music Break - Remember Me
• 26:03 - RIP Taylor Hawkins
• 35:14 - Music Break - Being There
• 35:44 - Movies, including Turning Red, My Dinner With Andre, and The Breakfast Club
• 55:56 - Music Break - Hindsight
• New Music Releases including Frank Turner, Guided By Voices, and Dolly Parton
• 1:08:42 - Music Break - Slip Away
• 1:09:12 - Outro, including a personal farewell to a friend

Episode 117 - Derek Yells About Cats for an Hour

In this (very special?) episode I officially announce that I'm going to be adopting two cats (aka THE BEST BOYS!) and I spend an hour telling you about that journey. Then I also pay tribute to our recently departed musical genius, Mark Lanegan. Dig in. This is a good one! (I also spend a lot of time singing the praises of my friend Kim, who's been fostering my future babies.)

Please check out https://www.tenthlifecats.org/, particularly if you're in the St. Louis area and looking to adopt. They presently have a little sweetheart named Special Agent Gumdrop. TELL ME YOU DON'T WANT TO ADOPT SPECIAL AGENT GUMDROP!!! 

Remember that you can e-mail me your questions and comments, if you wanna--db@derekbrink.com--and also there's a companion blog at http://emptychecking.blogspot.com.

Time index:

• 0:00 - Intro, and yelling about cats for pretty much an hour.
• 55:28 - Music Break - Danielle
• 55:58 - Rest in Peace, Mark Lanegan
• 1:10:56 - Music Break - Lonely
• 1:11:26 - Outro, including yelling at you about Ukraine. There's a lot of yelling in this one.

Episode 116 - Where Cellphones Make Women (Also a Mouse Dies in this One!)

This episode is all over the place, and those are usually my favorites. I talk about Bob Saget, The French Dispatch, Brain Candy, Eddie Vedder, The Violent Femmes, Sara Bareilles, and a bunch of other stuff...and at one point a mouse dies in this episode! In the interest of full disclosure, it was recorded prior to this past weekend and a LOT has happened since then! But here it is...better late than never!

Remember to check out the companion blog at http://emptychecking.blogspot.com and/or e-mail me at db@derekbrink.com!

Here's the time break-down:

• 0:00 - Intro
• 14:52 - Sometimes You Say Goodbye
• 15:23 - Derek talks about Bob Saget and head injuries for a long time.
• 36:48 - Beautiful Disaster
• 37:18 - Movies
  • The French Dispatch - 37:51
  • 53:01 - A MOUSE DIES!!!
  • Brain Candy - 1:00:00
• 1:06:17 - Born in this Town
• 1:06:47 - Music
  • Eddie Vedder - Earthling - 1:07:22
  • Violent Femmes - Violent Femmes - 1:12:11
  • Sara Bareilles - Amidst the Chaos: Live at from the Hollywood Bowl - 1:17:10
• 1:22:11 - Being There
• 1:22:41 - Outro

Episode 115 - Nor Dark of Night, Nor Muffins

This episode took way too long to get uploaded due to a variety of errors and issues on my end...sorry! It's a little longer to try to make up for it and I might do an upload over the weekend as well. But in the meantime, in this one we're reading some listener-mail ("Checkmail," if you will!) then talking about old TV shows and new music from Elvis Costello, Punch Brothers, Billy Talent, and David Bowie! Plus other stuff! It's a good one. 

Remember to check out the companion blog at http://emptychecking.blogspot.com and if you'd like to email me with any questions, etc please feel free to do so at db@derekbrink.com. I always reply!

Here's the time breakdown:

• 0:00 - Intro including some thoughts on the weather, my health, and the Olympics.
• 9:12 - Musical Break - Hindsight
• 9:42 - Checkmail!
  • Harrison Gurl asks about John Lennon - 12:10
  • Thom asks about Jason Isbell's "Georgia Blue" - 21:41
  • An anonymous writer asks about banned books - 34:20
• 49:09 - Music Break - Give It Up
• 49:39 - Talking about old TV shows like The Simpsons, Night Court, Mama's Family, and the Golden Girls
• 1:07:18 - Music Break - Church Girls
• 1:07:48 - New Music
  • Elvis Costello - The Boy Named If - 1:08:41
  • Billy Talent - Crisis of Faith - 1:11:18
  • Punch Brothers - Hell on Church Street - 1:13:51
  • David Bowie - Toy (aka "Toy: Box") - 1:19:10
• 1:23:19 - Music Break - Please
• 1:23:49 - Outro including talking about stuff I want to talk about, cats, and more.

EC Update 2-10-22.m4a

Just a quick explanation of why an already late episode is about to be even later. Sorry! I'm trying my best!

EC Update 2-6-22.m4a

Just a quick note. I hit an unexpected time crunch and it's pushing back an upload of a full episode. So this is me saying sorry about that. It's barely worth your time.