Culture on My Mind
Roll-A-Panel ’86 & ’96: From Aliens to Scream!
September 1, 2026

The Roll-a-Panel is a hallmark of the Dragon Con American Sci-Fi Classics Track. Using revolutionary convention panel technology, highly trained nerds cram twenty discussions into one panel of pop culture entertainment.

Usually in celebration of anniversaries, twenty topics are added to a twenty-sided die. When the D20 is rolled, the topic is chosen for five minutes of shenanigans. It’s a hoot to watch (and partake in), and now it’s digital!

On August 26th, Gary Mitchel and Joe Crowe assembled a crew of the regular Classic Track Irregulars to discuss films of 1986 and 1992 as decided by a toss of the die. They also teased events to come at this year’s Dragon Con.

If you will be attending the convention, you can find the Classic Sci-Fi Roll-a-Panel: Movies of 2001 on Monday morning. The custom D20 will be auctioned off after the presentation to support the Dragon Con charity drive.

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These Classic Track Quarantine Panels are hosted by Gary Mitchel and Joe Crowe, the diabolical masterminds behind the Dragon Con American Sci-Fi Classics Track. If you want to play along at home, grab your internet-capable device of choice and navigate the world wide webs to the track’s YouTube channel and/or the group on Facebook. If you join in live, you can also leave comments and participate in the discussion using StreamYard connected through Facebook, YouTube, and Twitch.

Gary can also be found on A Podcask of Amontillado, a horror-themed podcast that he co-hosts with Erin McGourn.

If you want to connect with the track, Joe, and/or Gary on the socials, you can find them on Twitter (ClassicTrack, JoeCroweShow, and sneezythesquid) and Instagram (SciFiClassicTrack, JoeCroweShow, and Gary_Mitchel). And, of course, to celebrate more pop culture awesomeness, you can find Dragon Con all year round on the internet, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

You can find those discussions and more every other Thursday as the American Sci-Fi Classics Track explores the vast reaches of classic American science fiction.

The episode art each week is generously provided by the talented Sue Kisenwether. You can find her (among other places) on her website Subspace Sue.

Culture on My Mind is inspired by the weekly Can’t Let It Go segment on the NPR Politics Podcast where each host brings one thing to the table that they just can’t stop thinking about.

For more creativity with a critical eye, visit Creative Criticality.