Home Again Home Again: Interviewing Blade Runner Actor Kevin Thompson

In this exclusive interview with Shoulder of Orion: The Blade Runner Podcast, Patrick & Jaime are joined by Blade Runner actor Kevin Thompson. Kevin most famously played J.F. Sebastian's toy bear in Blade Runner as well as a myriad of other roles. Kevin takes us through his time on Blade Runner, his relationship with Ridley Scott, Rutger Hauer and so much more. We hope you enjoy!

159 // Interviewing Kianna Shore, Writer of Blade Runner: Tokyo Nexus

Now that we've got the complete first arc of Titan's first non-LA Blade Runner comic—the wonderful Blade Runner: Tokyo Nexus—we wanted to chat with the person responsible for creating this bold new vision: first-time comic writer (!) Kianna Shore.

Set in Tokyo in 2015, Tokyo Nexus is a story about identity, class, trauma, and finding connection in a disconnected future. In this episode, Kianna guides Patrick through these first four issues, discusses her "big break" in the comics industry, and talks about working with amazing collaborators like Blade Runner Origin's Mellow Brown and Tokyo Nexus' artist Mariano Taibo.

Issues 1-4 of Tokyo Nexus are on sale wherever you buy comic books. There are some light spoilers in here, so we'd suggest giving them a read before listening!

158 // Andy From Alien: Romulus and Blade Runner

In this episode, your hosts Patrick and Jaime along with returning contributing host, Peter from the Midwest sit down to discuss Andy, the android from Alien: Romulus. While tossing around episode ideas, Peter from the Midwest offered that Andy might be a fascinating topic to discuss as a comparison to the Replicants featured in the Blade Runner films. It is widely agreed that Andy, as seen in Alien: Romulus is the most in-depth depiction of androids in the Alien universe yet. Join us as we jump head first into this exciting yet complicated discussion. 

157 // Interviewing Mellow Brown (Blade Runner: Origins) and 2099 News Roundup!

When we heard Mellow Brown, writer of 2021's stupendous Blade Runner: Origins, was going to be at Comic-Con, we knew we needed to talk to him! Along the way, we learned about his newest Titan project: consulting on Blade Runner: Tokyo Nexus, a thrilling new arc written by Kianna Shore (with art by Mariano Taibo) you can pick up today from your local comic store or from Titan's website.

There's also been some new news on the Prime series Blade Runner 2099, and we spend some time at the beginning delving into that. These are exciting times to be a Blade Runner fan, and the coming year is going to be one to remember!

156 // Anatomy Of A Scene: Deckard Meets Rachael Again For the First Time

At long last, your hosts and contributing hosts at Shoulder of Orion break down Deckard's recreated meeting with Rachael. There is so much in this scene. From its subtext, to its music and framing, each moment in this loaded scene is pure Blade Runner. Please join Patrick, Micah, Peter from the Midwest and returning guest Ricardo Silvestri as we explore this moment in Blade Runner 2049 and its far reaching implications on the story and maybe the story to come. 

151 // Is Blade Runner CyberPunk?

Is Blade Runner considered CyberPunk? That's the question that inspired this month’s episode. The word cyberpunk has been tossed around in relation to Blade Runner for many years. Patrick & Jaime have talked briefly about cyberpunk while never fully investigating the topic. For this episode, we’ve invited cyberpunk author T.R. Napper and first time guest and inspiration behind this episode, longtime listener a.t. johnston.

Join us as we explore this fascinating topic with the experts.

150 // Blade Runner 2099 News, Rumors, and Speculation

A curious bit of news recently broke suggesting Blade Runner 2099 is going to begin production in Europe in May. While we haven't as yet been able to verify this is 100% factual, it's got us thinking: what's the state of this thing?

On today's episode, Jaime and Patrick go through some of what we're hearing around the internet about this Prime Video series helmed by Silk Luisa. They also discuss some of her previous work, and some recent series that have hit—and missed—the mark when it comes to adapting science fiction and noir IPs for television.

Art by Jon McCoy

149 // On the Nature of Luv

As we close out our sixth year, we thought we'd return to the sort of content that's been our bread and butter since the very beginning: character analysis. 

This episode was prompted by a simple question: is Luv really an antagonist? She's murderous, she's frightening, she's chasing our heroes ... but she's also clearly a victim. She's acting within the boundaries of her conditioning and programming. So who's really the "bad guy?"

Jaime, Patrick, and Micah have a great time hashing out these sorts of questions—and the questions within these questions—on this thought-provoking episode.

From all of us at Shoulder of Orion: thank you SO MUCH for your support, your listenership, and your friendship over this past year. Wishing you peace and warmth as 2023 comes to a close.

148 // Interviewing Bill George, Blade Runner VFX Artist

Bill George was just starting out a career in Hollywood as a VFX artist and model maker when he got the call to join the storied Blade Runner model shop. He would go on to play a pivotal role in creating some of Blade Runner's most iconic props, including the Spinner and the Blimp.

In this incredible interview, Bill gives Jaime and Patrick (and you!) behind-the-scenes glimpses into how these amazing structures came to life.

147 // Blade Runner Goes Metal: Interviewing Matt Motto from Dissona

The Blade Runner universe inspires art of all sorts: visual media, poetry, cosplay, you name it. But the form of media most touched by Blade Runner's influence might just be music. Vangelis' legendary score (complemented beautifully by Wallfisch and Zimmer decades later) conjures an atmosphere that many musicians have sought to reconnect with over the years.

But this often translates to aesthetic choices. Synth-heavy, reverb-laden, soaked with the atmosphere of dark streets and wet neon.

When we heard Dissona, a progressive metal band out of Chicago, was working on a Blade Runner-inspired EP called Dreadfully Distinct, we knew we HAD to speak with them.

More than just attempting to capture the "sound" of Blade Runner—although there's some of that here too—Dissona took a more philosophical approach to the material. The result is three tracks that focus on characters from the films, charting their internal emotional journeys while taking the listener on fantastical journeys through the world of Blade Runner and Blade Runner 2049.

We highly recommend you listen to the tracks "Prodigal Son" and "Skinjob" before listening to the episode—and make sure you watch their videos as well. You'll hear much of them in the episode itself, but it'll be useful to give everything a listen/viewing before diving in. You can listen to the tracks on streaming services and here, on Bandcamp. The videos are available on YouTube.

The full EP premieres on November 10, so be sure to add it wherever you listen to music!

For more on Dissona, visit dissonaband.com and give them a follow on Facebook!

146 // Interviewing Blade Runner Producer Ivor Powell

In this episode, Jaime & Patrick sit down with legendary producer Ivor Powell to discuss his work on Blade Runner, Alien and Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. From his early days working with Ridley Scott at his production company, to the search for the perfect creature performer for ALIEN, Ivor Powell brings us into his memories of filmmaking, producing and beyond. 

145 // Blade Runner and Blade Runner 2049: Assessing Their Resonance // Part Two

We are excited to share with you part two in our two-part series discussing the resonance of the Blade Runner films. In this episode, Jaime is joined by Patron, and Blade Runner mega fan, James to further what ended up being a very subjective discussion. We hope you enjoy and thank you for supporting us through the years. 

 

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144 // Anatomy of A Scene: The Morricole Orphanage

We are proud to present another entry into our Anatomy of A Scene series. In this episode, Patrick and Jaime are joined by contributing hosts Micah Greene & Peter From the Midwest. We realized that despite 2049 being in the world for over 5 years, we've never discussed the presence of children. The Morricole orphanage is a great entry into that discussion. Join us as we discuss the details of one the most fascinating scenes in the Blade Runner film universe. 

143 // Anatomy of A Scene: The Pushback

In this episode, Patrick & Jaime are joined by longtime listener, sometimes guest, Ricardo Silvestre to push back against some of our ideas and opinions presented in our Deck-A-Rep and Bryant and Deckard episode. Is there a definitive answer to the Deck-A-Rep conversation? Does it matter? Is Deckard central to the story of Blade Runner or is he a distraction? We dive into all of this and more. We hope you enjoy! 

142 // Women in the Blade Runner Universe

In this episode, Jaime & Patrick are joined by contributing host Micah Greene to discuss the role of women in both Blade Runner films. This episode pivots back to some heavier topics for us as we delve into female representation, and the idea that even films we love should not be shielded from scrutiny. This was a thoughtful and sobering discussion and a return to form for us. We hope you enjoy!

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