Guest Contributor #5: Ryan Verrill

New content coming from me this week! For now, another great podcaster and physical media enthusiast contributes to this here project with answers to questions about film, food and music!

Sidenote/shameless plug: Ryan’s first answer here is a nice tie-in to the latest Director’s Club episode featuring Tyler and Ross talking all about the great Frank Oz. https://www.directorsclubpodcast.com/episodes/frankoz

1. What is a movie that you think people should know about that speaks to you?

I am a simple man that lives by the cliche of ‘I watch and enjoy every genre’. My Letterboxd Top 4 have been the same for a very long time: Jurassic Park (classic), Green Room (a punk favorite that feels very personal to my individual life), Bo Burnham’s Inside (one of the most brilliant pieces of art I have ever scene and I am not exaggerating), and the fourth one is the one that I would like to highlight for this: The Muppet Christmas Carol from 1992. 

I love horror and sweeping epics and poignant comedy delivered by someone that I have admired for more than a decade… but there is something that captures EVERYTHING that I love about cinema in this Muppets Christmas film- The practical puppetry by the Hensons, the classical performance by Michael Caine, the emotions of this timeless story driven into your heart coupled with some of the most wholesome jokes delivered by Gonzo and the rest of the Muppets… What’s not to love? Something about the magic of the Muppets led me to clinging tight to anything the Hensons made when I was growing up and I even have a giant Muppet tattoo on my left arm. At the heart of this film, though, is the music. The songs are STUPENDOUS and drive the heartbreaking tones of the story into your emotional core. I hope someone can bribe Disney into releasing this on 4K UHD with the song “When Love is Gone” back in the film as they released it on Disney+.

Muppets are love, Muppets are life. 

2. What is a favorite song that made you excited to explore an artist's career further? What is it about that song that means a lot to you?

I am a band geek at heart. I was in the marching band for seven years, was Section Chief, played in Wind Ensemble, was in our jazz band called The Jazztecs and frequently ditched important classes to spend more time in the band room. As someone that was in middle and high school in the 90s and into the early 2000s, that meant that I was required to be an annoying disciple for the world of ska music. I didn’t just like ska… I LOVED (still love) every aspect of ska with my entire being. The positive lyrics played against blaring horns and a beat that makes you want to move was exactly what I needed to cope with the bullying that was heaped upon me. But it was missing some teenage angst… Enter my favorite band of all time: Streetlight Manifesto.

Streetlight Manifesto’s anti-suicide anthem titled ‘A Better Place, A Better Time’ came out at just the right time for a young me to discover at a live show. Nothing beats having a crowd of passionate fans screaming 

“But don't take your life

'Cause it's all that you've got

You'd be better off just up and leaving

If you don't think they will stop”.

This was the perfect remedy for a teenager dealing with narcissistic parents, being raised in fundamental religion, and not fitting in anywhere. The safety in this track, and in Streetlight Manifesto’s entire catalog, has continued to be an overwhelmingly positive impact on my overall outlook and I still consistently find solace in their discography today. Recently, their trumpet player passed away (far too young) and seeing the community come together to grieve was cathartic. It made me desperately miss attending live shows frequently. 

3. What does your perfect comfort meal consist of?

As someone living in Kansas City, it may be sacrilegious to say anything besides BBQ… So I won’t. I have lived in KC for just over ten years and the BBQ scene here genuinely thrusts itself upon you. It is a sweet sauce-based BBQ that (readers in Memphis, Texas, the Carolinas, or vegans are all welcome to shield their eyes from this) covers some of the most tender, smoked meat I have ever eaten and, in my opinion, is BY FAR the best BBQ scene in the US. I have tried BBQ from some of these other famous regions… but KC BBQ is magical. 

The best meal, though, has to be Frankenstein-ed from some of the local spots across the metro: 

• The Mike Johnson sandwich from Slap’s in Kansas City, Kansas, which is Jalapeno Cheddar Sausage, Smoked Brisket, chopped lettuce, topped with white sauce, sweet sauce, & hot sauce… All on a pretzel bun. 

• Brisket Mac and Cheese from Q39 in Kansas City, Missouri which is made from scratch with five different cheeses.

• Onion Rings with Night of the Living BBQ Sauce from Joe’s Kansas City in the gas station in Kansas City, Kansas.

• Red-skinned potato salad and baked beans from Woodyard BBQ in Kansas City, Kansas. 

The perfect meal. 

4. What is something that moves you to tears (film, song, book, anything)?

Aftersun (2022). There is something about the way that this film perfectly captured the experience of being a father going through hard times to young children that felt immensely personal. Charlotte Wells crafted impeccable dialogue and Paul Mescal was a great vessel for portraying emotions that really have to be felt to be understood. As someone with two young kids with special needs, I have been in countless situations facing a spectrum of emotions ranging from an overwhelming amount of joy and bewilderment that I could have been involved in raising two incredibly smart and compassionate young men to desperately wanting to go to the absolute furthest corners of the Earth to escape my children because they are so astoundingly frustrating. Paul Mescal and Frankie Corio show that these emotional responses are normal and not going anywhere. 

And that final needle drop! What a moment to leave your audience with as they depart with THAT song just playing over and over in their minds as they continue with their lives. How can Charlotte Wells expect someone to just choose to live in that moment without being brought to tears by the power of those visuals coupled with that tune blaring continuously. This movie felt like an emotional masterpiece that I will cherish every year. Yes, it is simply THAT good. 

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Ryan Verrill is a champion of physical media and promotes it heavily at The Disc-Connected. He hosts a live weekly announcement show and interviews individuals in the industry frequently. Ryan also recently started a production company called Someone’s Favorite Productions that is creating supplement features for physical media releases, providing consulting services for these boutique labels, and even a podcast network surrounding film and physical media. 

Follow all of Ryan’s endeavors at the links below:

https://www.patreon.com/DiscConnected

https://linktr.ee/discconnected

https://linktr.ee/someonesfavoriteproductions

All guest contributions available here: https://5years.substack.com/t/guest