{"podcast":{"title":"Ancient Geeks","slug":"ancient-geeks-7192842","podcast_index_feed_id":7192842,"rss_url":"https://feed.podbean.com/ancientgeeks/feed.xml","website_url":"https://ancientgeeks.podbean.com","image_url":"https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/20028807/LogoWithText1.png","author":"Ancient Geeks","episode_count":73,"summary":"Two old geeks talk about being young geeks, at a turning point in popular culture. In the 60s, 70s, and 80s, the threads of modern geek culture emerged and wove together. Science fiction, fantasy, comics, movies, TV shows, tabletop games, computer games, ad all their incarnations. The great SF&F writers, Star Trek, Star Wars, monster movies, D&D, Doctor Who, the Marvel and DC superheroes, 2001, Planet of the Apes, UFOs, conventions, Zork, Ultima...What was it like to experience these for the first time? Why did we love them? And how do we feel about them, decades later?","last_synced_at":"2026-06-16T02:22:55.131042+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/ancient-geeks-7192842"},"episode":{"title":"Ancient Geeks episode 56: Close Encounters Of The Third Kind","slug":"ancient-geeks-episode-56-close-encounters-of-the-third-kind","published_at":"2026-03-02T12:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/ancient-geeks-7192842/ancient-geeks-episode-56-close-encounters-of-the-third-kind","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/ancient-geeks-7192842","url":"https://ancientgeeks.podbean.com/e/ancient-geeks-episode-56-close-encounters-of-the-third-kind/","audio_url":"https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/kidsy59vuvpcyugx/AGEp56.mp3","summary":"In 1977, the other big science fiction film release, aside from Star Wars, was Close Encounters Of The Third Kind. Riding the wave of success from Jaws, Steven Spielberg wrote and directed the iconic UFO movie that was also a blockbuster success. From the special effects to the soundtrack, from memorable scenes to top-notch filmmaking, Close Encounters was a smash success, both commercially and artistically. While Jaws had been a blockbuster movie, Steven Spielberg wasn't yet Steven Spielberg (spoken in hushed, reverential tones). Close Encounters made us stand up and take notice of him. It was a showcase for his directorial style that we've seen in decades of movies, and part of one of the most amazing runs of films from a young director (Jaws, Raiders Of The Lost Ark, E.T., The Color Purple, etc.). Come with us back in time, back to the metroplex, to see, through our eyes, Close Encounters for the first time, and the reasons why we enjoyed it. Messages from space! Benevolent conspiracies! Mashed potatoes! Living room art projects! Amazing cinematography! Criticisms of the parenting skills of fictional characters! It's all here. Ancient Geeks is a podcast about two geeks of a certain age re-visiting their youth. We were there when things like science fiction, fantasy, Tolkien, Star Trek, Star Wars, D&D, Marvel and DC comics, Doctor Who, and many, many other threads of modern geek culture were still on the fringes of popular culture. We were geeks before it was chic! For feedback, contact someancientgeeks@gmail.com. You can also find us on Facebook, Reddit, and Bluesky. Also, check out the Ancient Geeks blog on Substack! And if you like what you hear, please tell a friend. Also, we always appreciate a review on the podcast platform of your choice. © 2026 Tom Grant…","meta_description":"In 1977, the other big science fiction film release, aside from Star Wars, was Close Encounters Of The Third Kind. Riding the wave of success from Jaws, S…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":6851,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/ancient-geeks-7192842/episodes/ancient-geeks-episode-56-close-encounters-of-the-third-kind/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/ancient-geeks-7192842/ancient-geeks-episode-56-close-encounters-of-the-third-kind.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}