Armstrong & Getty On Demand

Episode: It May Help With Your Homicidal Rage Problem!
Date: January 5, 2026
Podcast Host: iHeartPodcasts

Episode Overview

This episode marks the first "One More Thing" podcast of 2026, in which Armstrong and Getty reflect on post-holiday routines, the challenge of motivation, and how technology—particularly AI chatbots—can offer surprisingly profound psychological support. Through candid discussion and humor, the hosts explore everything from the tedium of returning to work, homicidal rage (or the lack thereof), the psychological and neurological benefits of musical creativity, and the existential perspectives sparked by personal loss.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Back to Work & Modern Attitudes on Labor

Timestamps: 02:15–03:13

• The hosts return from holiday, commenting on the universal sensation of "exchanging my labor for money."
• Amusement is found in Reddit's "anti-work" threads. Armstrong compares them to being "anti-breathing or anti-eating."
  • Quote (A, 02:42):
    "It's so mystifying. It's like somebody being, I don't know, anti breathing or anti eating."

2. The ‘Homicidal Rage’ Topic: Do People Really Feel It?

Timestamps: 03:13–04:18

• Lively debate: Has anyone actually felt homicidal rage?
• None of the hosts seriously claim to have experienced it, though jokes are made and one participant playfully "pleads the fifth."
• They wonder whether women might experience rage differently, but statistics don’t seem to support this.
  • Quote (A, 03:18):
    "But have you ever had homicidal rage or anything?"
  • Quote (F, 03:24):
    "Not that I remember. I think you'd remember."

3. The Potential of AI Therapy

Timestamps: 06:50–08:36

• Both Armstrong and Getty share their skepticism and eventual surprise at the effectiveness of AI as a therapeutic tool.
• AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Claude provide good advice, sometimes surpassing expensive in-person therapy.
  • Quote (F, 07:13):
    "I guarantee you I've spent six figures on therapy for me, my kids, my family over the years and most of it crap. And I get answers out of these chat Bots where I think wow, that is really insightful. Regularly."
• Armstrong notes that contrary to some therapists' fears, chatbots aren't just sycophants—they offer honest, even challenging feedback.
  • Quote (A, 08:05):
    "Claude specifically has told me like whoa, whoa, whoa, dude, you are way off base here."

4. Finding Motivation & Meaning Through Music

Timestamps: 08:36–16:44

• Armstrong describes turning to ChatGPT for motivation to return to music-making.
• He shares the AI's psychological and neurological benefits of music creation:
  • Emotional regulation: Making music helps channel and process difficult or ambiguous emotions, supporting mental well-being.
  • Identity reinforcement: Stopping creative pursuits causes "low grade identity friction"—a feeling of not being oneself.
    • Quote (A, 12:27, reading AI):
      "Low grade identity friction. I'm not living aligned with who I am."
  • Entering ‘flow’: Making music fosters focus and stress reduction, increasing dopamine and positive mood.
  • Neurological: It sustains neuroplasticity, enhances executive function, supports emotional resilience, and helps slow cognitive decline.
  • The act of creating—even with no intended audience or commercial purpose—brings joy and mental benefit.
    • Quote (A, 16:44):
      "The point is just do it. There doesn't need to be a point. The point is the doing it."
• Getty reflects on how parenthood and life changes can erode personal identity and time for individual passions.

5. Existential Reflections on Mortality

Timestamps: 16:54–18:14

• The recent diagnosis of Senator Ben Sasse with terminal cancer is discussed.
• The hosts contemplate the universal certainty of death and how it should motivate meaningful action now, not despair.
  • Quote (F, 17:56):
    "He said, I found out I'm going to die. But he said, here's something. We're all going to die. I already had a death sentence. So do you."
  • Quote (A, 18:05):
    "Yeah, not. Not to get too metaphysical, but the idea that a spirit and an intelligence like Ben Sass goes away, just vanishes is. It's too painful."

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the value of doing things for their own sake:
  "I've long been an activist against the trend that every hobby, every passion, every interest needs to become a side hustle... The point is just do it. There doesn't need to be a point. The point is the doing it." — Armstrong (16:44)
• On mortality as motivation:
  "We're all going to die. I already had a death sentence. So do you. And I thought, that's an interesting way to look at it." — Getty, quoting Ben Sasse (17:56)
• On AI chatbot therapy:
  "Claude specifically has told me like whoa, whoa, whoa, dude, you are way off base here." — Armstrong (08:05)
• On returning to life’s routines post-holidays:
  "Exchanging my labor for money. How about you? And I thought, yeah, pretty accurate." — Getty (02:15)

Important Segment Timestamps

• 02:15 — Discussion on returning to work, anti-work culture
• 03:13 — "Homicidal rage" conversation, gender differences
• 06:50 — Using AI for counseling/therapy
• 08:36 — AI’s practical advice on music, motivation, and mental health
• 12:27 — "Low grade identity friction" and identity discussion
• 14:28 — Neurological benefits of music; parenting and identity
• 16:44 — The value of hobbies for their own sake
• 17:56 — Mortality and urgency in life (Ben Sasse anecdote)
• 18:05 — Reflection on loss and metaphysical questions

Episode Tone & Style

The conversation blends humor, personal anecdotes, and thoughtful reflections. The hosts are candid and self-deprecating, leaning into their personal experiences and playful banter to explore much deeper themes about motivation, identity, AI, and the meaning of life.

For Listeners:

If you're considering using AI for self-improvement or feeling listless about your creative pursuits, this episode offers both practical insights and humorous reassurance. It emphasizes that making time for the things you love—whether or not they're "productive"—is a worthy goal in itself, and that mortality is a call to embrace life, not to withdraw from it.