Podcast Summary: How Did This Get Made? – Last Looks: Monkeybone w/ Brad Meltzer

Date: January 23, 2026
Hosts: Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael, Jason Mantzoukas
Special Guest: Brad Meltzer
Episode Focus: Listener reactions, deep dives, and bizarre trivia surrounding “Monkeybone,” plus a chat with bestselling author Brad Meltzer.

Episode Overview

This "Last Looks" episode serves as a companion to the main “Monkeybone” review, featuring listener corrections, clarifications, and extended discussions. The hosts field Discord posts and listener calls about the film’s strange logic, production backstory, and odd character choices. The episode culminates with an interview of bestselling thriller and comic book writer Brad Meltzer, covering his new book "Viper," the realities of the witness protection program, and comic book recommendations.

Tone: Freewheeling, irreverent, pop-culture obsessed, and ridiculously fun.

Key Discussion Points

1. “Monkeybone” Fallout: Name Games, Discord Debates & Downtown Doubts

• Paul riffs on the meaning of "Downtown" in Monkeybone, realizing it's an actual town—“not just ‘downtown,’ but like down, town. So maybe there’s even a downtown downtown.” (03:00)
• “Monkeybone is confusing…No matter how much Griffin Newman explained the plot to us, I still didn’t like it, even though maybe I respected it a little bit more.” (Paul Scheer, 03:28)
• Community alt-titles for the movie: A Discord user suggests “Drop Dead Fraser.” Paul jokes about accidentally pitching a spec comedy called “Drop Dead Frasier,” featuring Cheers villains targeting Frasier Crane (04:00).

2. Listener Input: Corrections & Omissions

• On ‘Bingo Wings’ & Nightmares
  • Ghost Mutt writes in, explaining the British term "bingo wings" (loose underarm skin)—which connects back to a scene in Monkeybone:

    “In the UK, there’s a specific derogatory term for this—bingo wings. Comes from waving at Bingo Halls—loose skin flapping like wings…” (08:10)

• Alternative Casting Intel
  • Dr. Guts 1103 highlights DVD commentary revealing Nic Cage was almost cast as a puppeteer version of the main character, with stop-motion segments. Chris Columbus allegedly blocked this for being "unrelatable.” (11:01)
  • Jason & Paul agree: “Nic Cage would have been genius…we were robbed.” (11:10)
• Listener Theories Go Wild
  • Julian from New York calls in, sarcastically pondering aloud if Griffin Newman’s defense of Monkeybone means Hitler’s “monkey bone” caused the Holocaust:

    “Is Griffin suggesting that Hitler’s monkey bone took over his body? Is he saying Hitler’s childhood boner is responsible for World War II? Is Griffin a Hitler apologist? Do we need to cancel Griffin Newman?” (12:35)

  • Paul’s classic deadpan response: “I am not touching that. No, Griffin is not a Hitler apologist…He hates ice. He is a defender of democracy. He…he likes Stalin. I know that to be true.” (13:50)

3. Monkeybone Lore and Mind-Blowing Trivia

• Fan Explanation: What is Downtown?
  • Sarah from Connecticut gives a detailed, earnest explanation of the movie’s internal logic: “Downtown is a collection of all of Earth’s nightmares…Monkeybone is Stu’s personal nightmare, drawn from his own bad dreams.” (14:40)
  • Paul muses: “Downtown should maybe be called Nightmare Town. Or Dream Zone.” This leads to a tangent about being a kid, 3D movies, and nudity in “Dreamscape.” (15:44)
• Edgar Allan Poe IV—Keeping It in The Family
  • Jamie from the Berkshires explains the actor Edgar Allan Poe IV is actually Poe’s great-great-great nephew, building a career around the name.
  • Paul: “I am still shook by my Dreamscape revelation. Anyway, let’s go back to the Discord. I mean, that Edgar Allan Poe thing was actually pretty great, too. Odd, but great.” (18:14)
• Behind the Scenes Drama
  • Rose McGowan’s 2016 post is quoted, illuminating director Henry Selick’s firing and Fox’s interference. Production tried to move away from the original comic (“Darktown”) due to fear of audience offense over the title, switching to "Downtown"—with a direct dig at Fox’s boardroom logic. (19:38)

4. Hosted Tangents & Bonus Deleted Scene

• Train Travel Woes
  • Jason: “A woman had the loudest cell phone conversation from Washington D.C. all the way to New York screaming… I was like, I am going to fucking murder this person.” (21:46)
  • Paul: “I sat next to a lovely lady who dinged her elbow, and we talked about that for 10 minutes.”
  • Jason: “Wait, you’re talking to people on the train?”
    Paul: “Not willingly.”
  • Jason: “Huge mistake.” (22:08)
  • Paul: “I think I was an easy target for an older woman. I had a mahjong card out…” (22:19)

Special Feature: Brad Meltzer Interview

[Begins ~25:58]

Introduction to Brad Meltzer

• Emmy-nominated, bestselling author; his new thriller "Viper" is the centerpiece
• Paul and Jason nerd out over his Zig & Nola series, disappearance, witness protection, and funeral home secrets.

Notable Quote

“If you write thrillers for a living, you have to be moving in [the world of disappearances]… In my phone, my wife knows: if anything happens, there is a guy to call… put in the word kidnap.”
– Brad Meltzer, 26:54

Funeral Homes, Secret closets, & The Ultimate Hiding Spot

• Brad visited a funeral home for research, found a padlocked closet of pre-chosen “burial outfits.”

“If you take the outfit you’re going to be buried in, secretly sew something inside it, and give it to a funeral mortician…it’s the ultimate hiding space no one ever tracks.” (29:06)

The Secretive World of Dover Air Force Base

• Meltzer learned Dover is “the most secretive funeral home in America”—where fallen soldiers, astronauts, Pentagon 9/11 victims, and spies are taken.
• Morticians there “rebuild jaws, hands…because a parent wants a final moment.”
• Jason: “You couldn’t have just said a more Gen X statement that you are a huge Quincy fan.” (34:02)

Researching the Witness Protection Program

• “The witness protection program… was one of the hardest places ever to research, because people’s lives are on the line.” (41:15)
• Started as a mobster program, then gang members, then (today) accountants are the top group protected.

“Now the number one group…are accountants, because that’s the fricking world we live in now.” – Brad Meltzer, 43:30

• On how digital footprints make hiding difficult:

“In the old days, it was just give someone a new license…now, if there’s nothing online about you, it’s more suspicious…Good luck hiding in today’s world.” (45:06)

Comics & Pop Culture Deep Cuts

• Meltzer hints at a new Marvel project—teased via classic comic sound effects:
  • Jason: “Can you tease what it is? Thwip. Thwip.”
  • Brad: “So subtle. I can’t say no… I’ll say yes to one of those.” (46:31)
• The three gush over current comics, especially Batman, Ghost Machine, Chris Samnee’s art, recommendations for kids, and the importance of Dave Pilkey (Captain Underpants, Dogman) as a gamechanger for young readers. (48:19–51:50)

Notable Quotes & Highlights (with Timestamps)

• “Jason, I think there’s a team Monkey and a team Bone…but that sounds wrong too. Let’s just call it Team Sanity.” (Paul, 06:00)
• “Nic Cage would have been genius. And we were robbed.” (Jason, 11:10)
• “Is Griffin suggesting that Hitler’s monkey bone took over his body?...Do we need to cancel Griffin Newman?” (Julian, 12:35)
• “No one likes a long song. Do what Midwest Shakes did—you nailed it, got out.” (Paul, 05:30)
• “I am still shook by my Dreamscape revelation.” (Paul, 18:14)
• “If the President trusts you, then I’ll talk to you. And then if the Secret Service talks to you…now you can get the CIA…It just starts from people being genuinely nice.” (Brad Meltzer, 38:00)
• “The witness protection program…accountants are in there now. And that’s the world we live in.” (Brad Meltzer, 43:30)
• “If I do ‘snikt’ or I do ‘bamf’…that’s how I just find my friends.” (Brad, 46:59)
• “Nine year olds now are like, I’m not watching the new ones—I gotta watch these other 25 first.” (Brad Meltzer, 53:05)

Important Timestamps

• [01:38] – Paul’s opening monologue & Discord jokework
• [10:59] – Alternate casting and production background (Nic Cage/Chris Columbus)
• [12:35] – Wild fan theory call about Monkeybone and Hitler
• [14:40] – Movie logic explained by a superfan (Sarah from Connecticut)
• [17:05] – Edgar Allan Poe IV segment
• [19:38] – Rose McGowan’s behind-the-scenes Monkeybone revelations
• [21:46] – Bonus deleted scene: hosts discuss travel nightmares
• [25:58] – Brad Meltzer interview begins
• [29:06] – Funeral home “hiding spot” anecdote
• [30:41] – Dover Air Force Base discussion
• [41:14] – Witness Protection Program myths and truths
• [46:26] – Brad hints at Marvel comic project
• [47:37] – Comics roundtable and recommendations for kids

Next Week’s Movie

• Return to Oz (1985) – Deep-cut, bizarre family sequel to The Wizard of Oz, streaming on Disney+.

Memorable Moment

Paul on nudity in Dreamscape:* “I have a mind for remembering nudity. All right, let’s go. Like weird little kid pervert.” (15:44)

Summary Takeaways

• Monkeybone’s backstory is even stranger than the finished product: Near-castings, studio panic, and a director’s vision cut short.
• Listener mail and Discord are goldmines of WTF movie lore and hilarious takes.
• Brad Meltzer is an impeccable guest: His witness protection research, funeral home tales, and comic fandom provide a wealth of strange-but-true stories, insights for writers, and nerdy enthusiasm.
• Comic book recommendations abound—for both hardcore fans and young readers.
• **The show seamlessly blends deep movie nerdery with digressions into real-life weirdness and heartwarming asides about kids, family, and what it means to “disappear.”

For More

• Brad Meltzer’s “Viper” – Out now; link in show notes.
• Next week: Return to Oz (1985).
• Classic episodes and community engagement: Join the Discord, call 619-PAUL-ASK, or follow on social (@hdtgm).