“I find I’m so excited, I can barely sit still or hold a thought in my head. I think it’s the excitement only a free man can feel, a free man at the start of a long journey whose conclusion is uncertain. I hope I can make it across the border. I hope to see my friend and shake his hand. I hope the Pacific is as blue as it has been in my dreams. I hope.”
Some birds aren’t meant to be caged, especially not the Losers. Today, they’ll prove as much as they get busy living and get busy talking. About what, you say? How about Frank Darabont‘s Oscar-nominated, IMDb topping, TNT favorite The Shawshank Redemption. The Stephen King adaptation celebrates its 27th anniversary today, which isn’t exactly a number worth celebrating, but hey, I guess they just missed their friends in Red and Andy.
They’re not alone in that feeling. Joining them on the prison yard is Old 97’s songwriter-author Rhett Miller, who shares an affinity for both the film and the Different Seasons novella. Together, the Losers and Rhett leave no black, volcanic rock unturned as they wrestle with the universal truths behind the 1994 classic. They talk about the themes, the casting, the narration, the bird, the score, and its dire Oscar chances from way, way back in 1995.
Stream the episode below and catch Rhett live through one of his raucous online shows via StageIt. As for the Losers, they’ll be back next week with a special detour to Crockett Island as they resurrect the Kingian influences out of Mike Flanagan’s latest Netflix series Midnight Mass. For further adventures, join the Losers’ Club over long days and pleasant nights via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, RadioPublic, Acast, Google Podcasts, and RSS. You can also unlock hundreds of hours of exclusive content in The Barrens (Patreon).