Armstrong & Getty On Demand

Episode: "These Damned Sores Put Me Over The Top"

Date: November 3, 2025
Hosts: Jack Armstrong, Joe Getty, with Katie Greener

Episode Overview

This episode of the Armstrong & Getty Show covers a wide range of irreverent news topics, pop culture references, and social commentary, all delivered in the duo’s signature sardonic style. The show pivots from a satirical SNL mayoral debate parody, to scandalous local headlines, to Trump’s recent 60 Minutes appearance, government shutdown fallout, social trends like "mood boards,” and critiques of modern life. The blend of news, opinion, and humor makes it lively and engaging for regular listeners.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. SNL’s Mayoral Debate Parody & the State of New York Politics

[03:34–08:38]

• The hosts play and riff on a Saturday Night Live cold open parodying the New York mayoral debate featuring caricatures of Andrew Cuomo, the fictional "young socialist Muslim" nominee Mamdani, and Curtis Sliwa.
• The recurring theme: political choices are dismal, and mayor of NYC is "the worst job in the world".
  • Joe: “As soon as you are elected mayor, everyone in the city immediately hates you. And in that way, I am already one step ahead of the game.” (04:58)
• Discussion on real-life candidate Zohran Mamdani’s activist politics, youth, and lack of experience.
  • Jack: “He’s going to get elected as a socialist who hates Israel in New York.” (06:46)
• Skepticism toward charismatic newcomers vs. a corrupt establishment.
  • Joe: “The specifics of what he will say are repugnant in a lot of ways, but the idea that a charming, handsome young guy who’s never done anything is gonna lead us into a bright future…that’s such a roll of the dice…” (07:28)
• Andrew Cuomo’s problematic reputation and the dilemma of bad options.

2. Scandal of the Week: The Drunk Judge Incident

[08:38–16:59]

• A wild Arizona news story: a drunken female judge caught urinating in public, with her husband (a local official) resisting police intervention.
• Graphic recounting and legal fallout, mixing humor and derision.
  • Joe (quoting the police): “She was so drunk she couldn’t even spell her own name, but was quick to point out she was a judge.” (09:52)
  • Jack: “If I had been defecating in the parking lot, I would not repeat that story on the air. Kind of like, half proudly, which is weird.” (12:33)
• Amusement over statutory language—public urination versus defecation, and musings on correct punishments and social embarrassment.
• Katie adds a live commentary after watching video evidence, calling out the husband as “a complete jerk in this entire situation.” (15:46)
• Consensus: the incident was made far worse by her husband escalating the situation.

3. Interview Recap: Trump on 60 Minutes

[21:41–24:50]

• Brief playback and analysis from Trump’s recent 60 Minutes appearance with Norah O’Donnell.
  • Trump repeats familiar talking points: media distrust, “fake news,” approval numbers dropping.
  • Jack: “You’d think in 90 minutes, there’d be some newsmaking stuff. There wasn’t really.” (21:46)
• Discussion about Trump’s China policy answer and Taiwan ambiguity:
  • Trump: “President Xi knows what I would do […] they have said out loud they will not invade Taiwan as long as I’m president.” (23:10–24:22)
• Joe critiques Trump’s style: “He’s not going to give China an excuse to get more militant… but he’s just looking forward to the next round…” (24:22)

4. Government Shutdown & SNAP Benefits

[28:26–31:44]

• Breaking news: Judge orders the Trump administration to pay SNAP benefits despite the shutdown.
  • Jack: “If you take away that ‘they’re starving people,’ now you’re back to just… government workers aren’t working…” (28:54)
  • Joe: “It all goes back to the whole perception… of who will be blamed. And that’s a question I just don’t have the energy for.” (29:07)
• Preview of discussion for upcoming economic crisis and how modern economic distress is often relative, not absolute.
  • Jack: “A lot of economic unhappiness in this country is just all relative… it’s not ‘I’m starving and have sores,’ it’s ‘my life isn’t as cool as other people’s…’” (30:38)
  • Joe with episode title punchline: “I could deal with starvation if my skin was at all healthy, but these damn sores just really put it over the top.” (31:39)

5. Mood Boards, Fashion, and ‘Meaningful’ Life Choices

[32:00–41:24]

• The hosts read (and mock) a New York Times piece on “mood boarding” for seasonal wardrobe refreshes.
  • Jack: “There are people who live that way… that couldn’t be more foreign to me in my family and upbringing.” (35:24)
  • Joe: “This is like studying some African tribe that puts plates in their lips…” (36:11)
• Spirited debate about meaning, value, and judgments: is painstaking attention to personal style and ‘mood boards’ meaningful, or the mark of a shallow existence?
• Katie: “As soon as it starts getting cold, it’s sweater weather. That’s it.” (35:27)
• Playful idea: a smart hanger that tracks unworn clothes and a “sarcastic gay guy with a mood board” to audit Jack’s closet.

6. Miscellaneous Humor & Social Satire

[43:35–49:49]

• Brief, light stories including a runaway inflatable Halloween pumpkin and a quick nod to a mom who shot a diseased research monkey in Mississippi—“I would hate to shoot a monkey.” (47:45)
• Riffs on the birthrate and Friday the 13th as a lesson for teens about premarital sex.
  • Joe: “Wrong. We need more babies! Look at the birthrate. Let’s get it on.” (48:33)
• Katie on NYC’s young voters: “They’re all for Mamdani. And they all have zero idea about politics or what he’s going to do. It’s amazing.” (48:40)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

“As soon as you are elected mayor, everyone in the city immediately hates you. And in that way, I am already one step ahead of the game.”
—Joe Getty, channeling SNL, (04:58)

“He’s going to get elected as a socialist who hates Israel in New York.”
—Jack Armstrong (06:46)

“The specifics of what he will say are repugnant…but the idea that a charming, handsome young guy who’s never done anything is gonna lead us into a bright future…that’s such a roll of the dice.”
—Joe Getty (07:28)

“She was so drunk she couldn’t even spell her own name, but was quick to point out she was a judge.”
—Joe Getty (09:52)

“If I had been defecating in the parking lot, I would not repeat that story on the air. Kind of like, half proudly, which is weird.”
—Jack Armstrong (12:33)

“A lot of economic unhappiness in this country is just all relative… it’s not ‘I’m starving and have sores,’ it’s ‘my life isn’t as cool as other people’s…’”
—Jack Armstrong (30:38)

“I could deal with starvation if my skin was at all healthy, but these damn sores just really put it over the top.”
—Joe Getty (31:39)

"As soon as it starts getting cold, it’s sweater weather. That’s it."
—Katie Greener (35:27)

“This is like studying some African tribe that puts plates in their lips…”
—Joe Getty (36:11)

“They’re all for Mamdani. And they all have zero idea about politics or what he’s going to do. It’s amazing.”
—Katie Greener (48:40)

Important Timestamps

• [03:34] – SNL mayoral debate parody and commentary
• [08:38] – Drunk judge in Arizona urinating in public incident
• [21:41] – Trump’s 60 Minutes interview playback and discussion
• [28:26] – Government shutdown, SNAP benefits controversy
• [30:38] – Modern vs. historical economic suffering
• [32:00] – Mood boarding and fashion meaning discussion
• [35:24] – Jack discusses the divide in lifestyles over style/fashion
• [41:24] – Hosts reflect on clothing clutter & minimalism
• [43:35] – Miscellaneous news stories: pumpkin runaway, monkey shooting
• [48:40] – Katie’s take on NYC millennial voters and politics

Tone & Style

• Irreverent, observational, and self-deprecating humor throughout.
• Willingness to poke fun at themselves, each other, public figures, and social trends.
• News analysis always delivered with a layer of skepticism and a sense of the absurd.

Summary

The episode toggles between searing political cynicism, lampooning bizarre local scandals, and musings on how people try (or fail) to find meaning today—whether through politics, status, or seasonal mood boards. The Armstrong & Getty duo, with Katie Greener’s “normal person” perspective, deliver brisk satirical takes on the news cycle, demonstrating both skepticism and a willingness to laugh at their own and society’s foibles.

A perfect episode for listeners wanting to keep up with news while getting a hearty dose of exasperated, acerbic humor.