The Damn Dirty Geeks -- well, some of us anyway -- flew out from our secret headquarters to Louisville, Kentucky to attend WonderFest 2017. There we recorded another live podcast episode with the convention CEO David Hodge, co-hosted by previous DDG guest and actor Brian Howe to discuss JAWS and diving with real great white sharks in the wild.
As a follow up to our episodes with Greg Nicotero discussing JAWS, Hodge regales us with his own cage diving experiences with great white sharks in the Atlantic, comparing and contrasting moments and lines from the film with the reality of sharks. Dietz has long wanted to cage dive with sharks to fulfill his own JAWS-inspired life experience -- and he still plans to -- but Hodge's shark stories sure gets Frank's pulse racing over the awe these sharks inspire.
Hodge also compares the reality versus the JAWS story of the U.S.S. Indianapolis, as told by Quint in the film: there was an even greater danger to the shipwreck survivors than sharks, as it turns out. Brian Howe also relates his stories with Steven Spielberg while filming CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, confirming that the making of JAWS remains a harrowing memory for Spielberg at the start of his career.
Hodge and Dietz also relate their stories being in with the big cats at the Louisville Zoo, which also got Frank's heart pounding being that close to another large predator.
In true DDG fashion, there's also a rousing, fun discussion of JAWS ripoff films, from the ridiculous like THE LAST SHARK, TINTORERA and SHARKNADO to other strange sci-fi/horror movie predators like THE GIANT CLAW and LAVALANTULA.
Enjoy this latest live podcast with the Damn Dirty Geeks, and check out WonderFest 2018 taking place June 2-3 in Louisville!