Wax On, Wax Off

Summary

Armstrong & Getty On Demand

Episode: Wax On, Wax Off
Date: June 17, 2026
Host: Jack Armstrong & Joe Getty
Podcast: iHeartPodcasts

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Episode Overview

In this episode titled “Wax On, Wax Off,” Armstrong & Getty muse on the deeper meaning behind everyday chores, channeling the iconic Karate Kid lesson of turning mundane tasks into opportunities for discipline and self-betterment. The hosts discuss their own approaches to repetitive drudgery, citing personal, philosophical, and even historical examples (including Martin Luther King Jr.’s celebrated “street sweeper” speech), and poke gentle fun at their habits of taking pride—even obsessive satisfaction—in tasks like dishwashing, lawn mowing, and dog cleanup.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Karate Kid & the Philosophy of Chores

• Karate Kid Reference:
  The episode’s title references Mr. Miyagi’s “wax on, wax off” teaching from the 1980s Karate Kid movies (01:06), sparking a discussion about the value of repetition and discipline in mastering a craft—or even a household chore.

  “The whole concept of wax on wax off... was the sort of discipline you need to develop to become a karate master.” — Guest Host/Narrator (01:40)

• Character Tribute:
  They reminisce about Pat Morita (Mr. Miyagi), who began his career on Happy Days and became a beloved character actor (01:36).

Listener Letter: Chores & the Monastic Mindset

• Alvin’s Perspective:
  A letter from longtime listener Alvin connects the discipline of learning a musical instrument to tackling mundane chores. Alvin compares monks’ approach to daily drudgery with musicians practicing scales and performers honing their act, suggesting that doing chores with intention is a path to personal satisfaction (02:24–04:49).

  “He says, speaking for myself, I was a farm boy. That makes everything work is just another thing like these proverbial monks do.” — Guest Host/Narrator (03:53)

• Making the Mundane Meaningful:
  The notion arises of not seeing dishwashing or manure-shoveling as drudgery, but as a craft—striving toward perfection in even the simplest task (04:13).

  “You look at washing the dishes not as getting the dishes clean, but as taking steps to becoming the perfect dishwasher.” — Guest Host/Narrator (04:09)

Personal Reflections on Drudgery

• Jack’s Experience:
  Jack confesses to never having trouble with chores like dishwashing or laundry, as he simply distracts himself with podcasts or TV and treats it as exercise or self-improvement (05:11–05:36).

  “That's one of the reasons it doesn't bother me to do laundry or stuff like that. I'm just listening to a podcast while I'm doing it.” — Jack (05:36)

• Paperwork as the Real Drudgery:
  Both hosts agree that paperwork and administrative tasks are much worse than menial labor (05:23, 08:20).

  “Paperwork is the one. And I don’t know if you can do that with paperwork.” — Jack (05:20) “I'd rather do [picking up poop] all day long than do paperwork.” — Guest Host/Narrator (08:14)

• Taking Pride in Menial Tasks:
  Jack and the Host admit to feeling satisfaction in doing tasks—like mowing lawns or bussing tables—well and efficiently, sometimes even creating “perfect” patterns or being faster than others (06:25–07:02).

  “I’d actually be annoyed if you got to the end and you got like, half a strip and it stood out from the full strips that you’d carefully…” — Guest Host/Narrator (07:02)

The Value of Entertainment During Chores

• Modern Solutions:
  Unlike previous generations, they note that today’s technology (TVs, podcasts, earbuds) mitigates the pain of chores, making it easier and even enjoyable (05:23–05:36).

Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Street Sweeper” Speech

• The hosts cite Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech as inspiration for finding dignity in all forms of labor (05:45–06:25).

  “If you’re going to be a street sweeper, be the best street sweeper that’s ever lived. Take pride in that. Perfect it. And, you know, everything you do, do it as well as you possibly can.” — Guest Host/Narrator (05:52)

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• “I've sought to, like, leave the perfect pattern behind [while vacuuming]. Is that like a weird OCD thing or just amusing myself, or is that what the Monks are talking about?” — Guest Host/Narrator (06:41)
• “I remember when mowing your lawn diagonally became a thing and people just wanted it to look different, and that was harder.” — Jack (07:19)
• “No doubt. Not even close. Am I going to have to log into a site that the password doesn't work? No, I'll just stand out here and pick up the dog.” — Jack (08:20)
• “…I would do some sort of manual labor, which I'd be perfectly fine with.” — Jack (08:48)
• “Different strokes for different folks. Clean those dishes, get them shiny.” — Guest Host/Narrator (08:58)

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Timestamps for Noteworthy Segments

• 01:06–01:40: Karate Kid reference and lesson introduction
• 02:24–04:49: Listener Alvin’s letter on discipline and chores
• 05:45–06:25: MLK’s street sweeper speech applied to everyday work
• 06:41–07:19: Pride in mundane tasks (vacuuming, mowing)
• 08:14–08:20: Preference for manual labor over paperwork

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Episode Tone & Style

Throughout the conversation, the hosts maintain their signature tone: candid, slightly sardonic, and conversational. They balance reflective wisdom with playful banter, using everyday examples and listener input to make philosophical points feel approachable.

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Summary

“Wax On, Wax Off” explores the surprising profundity in everyday drudgery, suggesting that any task—from washing dishes to picking up dog poop—can be a practice in discipline, presence, and even artistry. Drawing parallels with musicians, monks, and the wisdom of Martin Luther King Jr., Armstrong & Getty frame the mundane as meaningful, provided you bring intention and maybe a bit of pride (or at least a good podcast) to the work.

Transcript

[Karen and Georgia]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Guest Host or Narrator]

Guaranteed Human

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[Karen and Georgia]

hi, it's Karen and Georgia from My Favorite Murder. We cruised around LA in the Hyundai Ionic 5 and dove into the fascinating life of actress and inventor Hedy Lamarr.

[Guest Host or Narrator]

Want the full story?

[Karen and Georgia]

Take a listen. She starts dating Howard Hughes and in fact she helps him design a faster plane. So she finds the fastest bird and the fastest fish and sketches out a drawing of what the two would look like as a plane. And that becomes the plane that we know today. And he calls her a genius. Check out our new episode spotlighting groundbreaking innovators like Hedy and Lamar and Billie Jean King.

[Guest Host or Narrator]

Presented by the Hyundai Ioniq 5. Goodbye. Wax on, Wax Off Just one More thing. I'm strong and getty. One more thing that is an ancient reference to the Karate Kid movies of the 80s.

[Jack]

I think the 80s. I think the first one was in the 80s.

[Guest Host or Narrator]

Yeah, I want to say 80s.

[Jack]

Young Ralph Macchio and a young. Whatever the old Asian guy was, Pat Morita.

[Guest Host or Narrator]

He was from Happy Days.

[Jack]

Yeah.

[Guest Host or Narrator]

After Arnold retired it was. What was his character's name? Doesn't matter. Yeah, it's just a fabulous, fabulous character actor. Beloved American institution, Pat Morita. Anyway, the whole concept of wax on wax Off. His character was the sensei for the young Ralph Macchio who wanted to beat down the blonde haired kid who was cruel, bully, etc. But the idea of the wax on wax off was the sort of discipline you need to develop to become a karate master. And they did a lot of pruning of bonsai trees and that sort of thing. Right?

[Jack]

Right. Yeah.

[Guest Host or Narrator]

It's funny, that popped into my head. We got this note from semi frequent correspondent Alvin who's been writing us emails for years and years and years. We're talking about doing chores and drudgery and that sort of thing. You wrote the following. Think I've got a way of dealing with chores as drudgery and making them acceptable like it appears monks in monasteries do. And something you both should relate to since you're musicians. When a person wants to learn an instrument or to sing, practicing is what you have to do to get proficient. Although I have run into people like who as teenagers, the first time they opened their mouths, their. Their voices were the sort of voices that people wanted to hear. And other people, me don't. Don't have that. Anyway, practice what you do. So you keep doing it, even though you don't sound good. And it's just hard, but you keep doing it, doing it and doing it until you improve. And then he mentions that back in the day he saw Otis Redding and James Brown, Brown and others close up. I've got a friend, he's a little older than me, grew up in Augusta, Georgia, who talks about seeing James Brown work in nightclubs for years because he and his friends were. They couldn't stand country music. They were all about R and B back in the day. And he says the shows were just magnificent in a club. I can't even imagine. Anyway, Alvin says I've also had opera singers live nearby and heard them do voice exercises every morning. I think the idea is to translate that into washing dishes and cleaning toilets and shoveling cow manure into a trailer and then spreading it in the field. He says, speaking for myself, I was a farm boy. That makes everything work is just another thing like these proverbial monks do. It's talking about how the monks all look at shores as a effort to move toward perfection that you look at washing the dishes not as getting the dishes clean, but as taking steps to becoming the perfect dishwasher. Wash them with as much efficiency and care as you possibly can till it's practically an art form. I could believe that if, like painting a house, washing a dish, you got the goo for the Mac and cheese on there. You scrub it for a second, and now it's off of there.

[Jack]

Man, this is on here hard. I gotta remind my kids they gotta rinse this stuff off before they put it in this thing.

[Guest Host or Narrator]

You gotta soak them.

[Jack]

Yes. Yes.

[Guest Host or Narrator]

Or are you buying that? Picture it. Vacuuming. I. I've gotten close to that and. Oh. Oh, I know one you can relate to. Mowing lawns.

[Jack]

Yeah. I don't. I don't know if I'm the right person. I don't have trouble with those kind of things you just described. I've never had trouble with them. Paperwork is the one. And I don't know if you can do that with paperwork.

[Guest Host or Narrator]

Yeah, yeah. Although I tell you one thing we have going that the previous generations really didn't is we can entertain ourselves while we're doing the drudgery.

[Jack]

Right.

[Guest Host or Narrator]

You got it. You got a big screen TV over there, you got earbuds in or whatever.

[Jack]

Yeah, that's one of the reasons it doesn't bother me to do laundry or stuff like that. I'm just listening to a podcast while I'm doing it. Anyway, I consider it exercise and getting information.

[Guest Host or Narrator]

A couple of times through the years I've featured. I've praised Martin Luther King's famous street sweeper speech, which is just. It's inspirational and I wish more people heard it, but it isn't convenient to the modern narrative. It's part of King's legacy, and each side leaves behind parts of Martin Luther King's legacy to serve their own purpose. I get that, but he was talking about how if you're going to be a street sweeper, be the best street sweeper that's ever lived. Take pride in that. Perfect it. And, you know, everything you do, do it as well as you possibly can. I used to do that.

[Jack]

I. When I was driving a feed truck and feedlots, I liked being, like, really good at it and faster than everybody else at it and that sort of thing. And a lot of people just had no interest in doing anything other than getting through the day.

[Guest Host or Narrator]

I was that way when I bust tables.

[Jack]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Guest Host or Narrator]

And vacuuming, you know, if you're on the sort of rug where you can see where you've done, because it leaves the, you know, like, grain changes. I've sought to, like, leave the perfect pattern behind. Is that like a weird OCD thing or just amusing myself, or. Is that what the Monks are talking about?

[Jack]

I think it's what the Monks are talking about. Definitely do it with mowing lawns. I always did.

[Guest Host or Narrator]

Oh, yeah, yeah. I'd actually be annoyed if you got to the end and you got like, half a strip and it stood out from the full strips that you'd carefully. I'd be like, damn it. Is that weird or pride or what? I don't know.

[Jack]

I remember when mowing your lawn diagonally became a thing and people just wanted it to look different, and that was harder.

[Guest Host or Narrator]

No, I used to. When. When Baxter, when we lived in our old house, and he'd poop in the backyard. He'd go out and poop, as opposed to us taking him on a walk because our newer house has no fence. I would certainly be as efficient as I could be in picking up the poop. But I don't think that was like imitating the mumps Monks. I think it was a person who didn't want to pick up a dog's excrement for a minute longer than was necessary.

[Jack]

Right.

[Guest Host or Narrator]

Nor to step in it having missed some.

[Jack]

I don't want to spend any more time in the hot sun picking up crap for free.

[Guest Host or Narrator]

Right? So I was meticulous about making sure I missed none. But again, that wasn't pride. That was practicality. So picking up the crap was my crappiest chore. But I'd rather do that all day long than do paperwork.

[Jack]

No doubt, no doubt. Not even close. Am I going to have to log into a site that the password doesn't work? No, I'll just stand out here and pick up the dog.

[Advertisement Announcer]

Boop.

[Jack]

Dumb dog.

[Guest Host or Narrator]

Sorry. There's already an account with that name.

[Jack]

I gotta get a gun. I'm gonna put it in my mouth. There we go.

[Guest Host or Narrator]

Sweet release. You couldn't work in a cubicle, could you, Jack?

[Jack]

No, you just.

[Guest Host or Narrator]

You're just not made for it.

[Jack]

No, no, no. I would do some sort of manual labor, which I'd be perfectly fine with.

[Guest Host or Narrator]

Yeah, I'm thinking. I'm trying to picture it. I did. Well, no, I had a desk. I had an office. A little office, but, oh, so bad. Different strokes for different folks. Clean those dishes, get them shiny.

[Jack]

Pick up that dog poop.

[Guest Host or Narrator]

Show some pride.

[Jack]

Right. Well, I guess that's it.

[Advertisement Announcer]

This July 4th, come celebrate at America's Block Party. Hosted by America 250. America's Block Party is a can't miss 4th of July concert happening at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Experience music, performances from major artists, patriotic tributes, and the kickoff to giving 4th, helping to make July 4th the largest day of giving in American history. It's more than just fireworks. Learn more about this landmark [e-mail]

[Guest Host or Narrator]

hi,

[Karen and Georgia]

it's Karen and Georgia from My Favorite Murder. We cruised around LA in the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and dove into the fascinating life of actress and inventor Hedy Lamarr.

[Guest Host or Narrator]

Want the full story?

[Karen and Georgia]

Take a listen. She starts dating Howard Hughes, and in fact, she helps him design a faster plane. So she finds the fastest bird and the fastest fish and sketches out a drawing of what the two would look like as a plane. And that becomes the plane that we know today. And he calls her a genius. Check out our new episode, spotlighting groundbreaking innovators like Hedy and Lamarr and Billie Jean King.

[Guest Host or Narrator]

Presented by the Hyundai Ioniq 5. Goodbye.