Parappa the Rapper and Um Jammer Lammy Bring on the Jams in Retronauts Episode 17

Bob Mackey

March 3, 2014 7:09 AM

Hey folks -- Bob here, with an episode I've wanted to make since I started working on Retronauts back in 2011. It might be hard to believe, but the original Parappa the Rapper turns -- dear god -- 18 years old in 2014, so more than enough time has passed to make it just as rusty and crusty as our usual subject matter. But there's much more to Parappa than just a single game, as you'll see from this slightly oversized installment. Mostly, I'm using episode 17 as an opportunity to preach the virtues of Um Jammer Lammy, the unloved Parappa sequel which actually suffered from its lack of a cynical marketing campaign. Joining us for this one is Gamasutra's Christian Nutt, a Retronauts veteran who's just as fanatical about Parappa and Lammy as I am -- so apologies if we tend to dominate the conversation. That said, please enjoy! And yes, we probably should have mentioned Gitaroo-Man at some point.

Libsyn (1:43:57 | MP3 | 95.2 MB) | SoundCloud

This episode's description:

"In those oh-so optimistic '90s, Parappa the Rapper taught an entire generation there's no shame in playing a game about a paper-thin puppy who raps about pooping. But when the end of the decade saw a sequel about a guitar-playing lamb, our love affair with musically adept cartoon animals was over. Join Bob Mackey, Ray Barnholt, Jeremy Parish, and Gamasutra's Christian Nutt as the Retronauts discuss the Parappa the Rapper series and get cocky, even in the face of potential rockiness."

This episode's musical breakdown: