Bear Wiseman’s Gathering of Geeks
Gathering of Geeks was conceived in the late 2010s, when I realized that doing the same old album promo interview had gotten a little tedious and I wanted to talk to artists about topics that were a bit more fun and interesting for both them and myself. It seemed like a good idea to gather some geeks together to talk about the things we’re mutually passionate about. As a notorious lifelong geek, I’ve been interested in video games, board games, TTRPGs, fantasy, sci-fi, action figures… you name it, I’ve dabbled in it (with very few exceptions). That’s why it’s so fascinating and fun for me to chat with other geeks: everyone’s taste is different, so everyone’s got different stories to share!
Even better, Finland is filled with geeks of all shapes and sizes, from comic book addicts to lovers of movie and game scores, all the way to action figure collectors and LARPers. Without having to reach out overseas, I could think of half-a-hundred artists to invite as guests from within the music scene alone.
Official recordings began in the spring of 2020, right before the pandemic set in. The first five episodes were recorded between 2020-2021, but then production halted until I was sure that I’d be releasing episodes. Once I figured out all of the gears and levers (which took me a good long while) and once I had an intro video and song, I was finally ready to go!
Bear Wiseman’s Gathering of Geeks has been live since January 2023 and runs monthly/whenever I feel like it. Like and subscribe on YouTube, or follow us here! Podcast apps will be added ASAP.
Gathering of Geeks S02E04: Crimson Sun
Bear Wiseman’s Gathering of Geeks continues its second season! Season 02, episode 04 stars special geek Miikka Hujanen of Crimson Sun! The main topics include
Gathering of Geeks S02E03: SulfuriS
Bear Wiseman’s Gathering of Geeks continues its second season! Season 02, episode 03 starts with special geek Vincent Lilium of SulfuriS! The main topics include geekdom, how JK Rowling should STFU, Star Wars, Avatar (The Last Airbender & Legend of Korra) and its new remake, the live action One Piece remake, alchemy, and so very much more!
Gathering of Geeks S02E02: James Edward Raggi IV
Bear Wiseman’s Gathering of Geeks’ cotinues its second season after a brief hiatus! Season 02, episode 02 starts with special geek James Edward Raggi IV, a fellow former metal media owner! The episode starts with him sharing his history in music and OSR and continues as we discuss controversy, music, and games!
Gathering of Geeks S02E01: Kathy Criswell (StardatexToday)
Bear Wiseman’s Gathering of Geeks reaches its second season after a brief hiatus! Season 02, episode 01 starts with special geek Kathy Criswell, a visual and written artist! The main topics include Xena: Warrior Princess, being book-obsessed kids, life online in the ‘90s, online fanclubs and collections, early internet videos and misheard lyrics, extended universes, and positivity, art, and passion!
Gathering of Geeks S01E15: Andy Gillion
Bear Wiseman’s Gathering of Geeks podcast continues! Episode 15 wraps up the first year with special geek Andy Gillion, a heavy metal and somewhat geeky musician! The main topics include growing up a little bit different, going through religions and bullying, and of course, a little bit of retro gaming!
Gathering of Geeks S01E14: May Lo
Bear Wiseman’s Gathering of Geeks podcast continues! Episode 14 features special geek May Lo, who is a multifaceted artist! The main topics include modeling and art, including makeup and body image, being a geek generally, TTRPGs (Mörk Borg, Dungeons & Dragons, Avatar), Avatar: The Last Airbender and Avatar: The Legend of Korra, and being fantasy-lovers who have grown more and more interested in sci-fi over the years.
Gathering of Geeks S01E13: The Cog Is Dead
Bear Wiseman’s Gathering of Geeks podcast continues! Episode 13 features special geek John Mondelli aka John Sprocket of The Cog Is Dead. The main topics include steampunk, being a weird kid who doesn’t fit in, music making, filmmaking, voice acting and voice actors, the convention scene in America, and Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Gathering of Geeks S01E12: Pihka Is My Name
Bear Wiseman’s Gathering of Geeks podcast continues! Episode 12 features special geeks Henna Helasvuo and Lasse Turunen of Pihka is My Name. The main topics include Miyazaki and Pixar movies, video games (like Legend of Zelda), A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones, Star Wars, and much more!
Gathering of Geeks S01E11: Jouni Koponen
Bear Wiseman’s Gathering of Geeks podcast continues! Episode 11 features special geek artist & graphic designer Jouni Koponen. The main topics cover a lot of territory, including video games, movies, and tabletop roleplaying games. Spoiler warnings for some games and series, but nothing too new/relevant.
Gathering of Geeks S01E10: Helena Haaparanta
Bear Wiseman’s Gathering of Geeks podcast continues! Episode 10 features special geek vocalist Helena Haaparanta. The main topics are tabletop roleplaying games like Dungeons and Dragons and Pathfinder, as well as storycraft and songwriting, and as much more!
Gathering of Geeks S01E09: Lost in Grey
Bear Wiseman’s Gathering of Geeks podcast continues! Episode 9 features special geeks Anne Lil Rajala and Harri Koskela from Lost in Grey. The main topics are books and music (and a little bit of gaming), as we talk about Pippy Longstocking, 8-bit gaming soundtracks, gaming orchestras (like SCORE), Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Animorphs, Ori and the Blind Forest, Hollow Knight, Johanna Sinisalo, Aku Ankka (Finnish Donald Duck), the scariest parts of the Moomins, bands who have extended universes to their music, and more!
Gathering of Geeks S01E08: The Mosfets
Bear Wiseman’s Gathering of Geeks podcast continues! Episode 8 features special geeks Keith Mosfet and Ilari Oinonen from The Mosfets. The main topics are Game of Throne/A Song of Ice and Fire, House of the Dragon, The Rings of Power, Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek… and more!
Gathering of Geeks S01E07: Heli M.
Bear Wiseman’s Gathering of Geeks podcast continues! Episode 7 features special geek Heli M., who is a local cosplay artist and costume designer. The main topics are cosplay and conventions, video games (mostly PlayStation games like Final Fantasy and Resident Evil), board gaming and the lack of decent 2-player games out there, and more!
Find Gathering of Geeks on the following podcast apps [ed: temporarily disabled as we are moving from Podbean to Zencastr]
