Bad Friends: "Itchy Bones & Dream Catchers"

Hosts: Bobby Lee & Andrew Santino
Date: September 29, 2025

Overview

This episode of Bad Friends is a prime example of the show’s signature blend of absurdity, vulnerability, and irreverent humor. Bobby and Andrew ramble through birthday stories, riff hard on gifts, imagine outlandishly dark revenge fantasies, improvise with young media interns, and deliver random slices of their inner lives. Longtime fans will appreciate the inside jokes, confessional moments, and playful teasing that double as therapy and comedy, culminating in a show that veers from hilarious to heartwarming and back again.

Key Discussion Points & Highlights

1. Bobby’s Birthday Party Recap

• Bowling Alley Bash: Bobby thanks everyone for showing up to his party, which he hosted in an intimate Montrose bowling alley. There was a fun mix of people from different pockets of his life – TigerBelly camp, Bad Friends, stand-ups, and open mic’ers.
• Gift Rankings: Bobby launches into a comedically detailed ranking of birthday gifts, with Andrew’s thoughtful collectible soccer cards taking first prize.
  "Not only was this gift the best gift of the party, probably one of the best gifts I've ever received in my life." – Bobby (04:00)
• Special Guests & Absentees: Jason Momoa makes an appearance, as does the topic of “excuses” from friends with kids. Bobby riffs on “itchy bones” as the latest made-up kid disease excuse.
• Gift Recap, with Receipts:
  • Andrew gifts Bobby an exclusive Thierry Henry Arsenal football card and a rookie card of promising player Ethan Nwaneri (06:25).
  • Debate over whether Andrew left the price stickers on, with Bobby teasing Andrew’s “sentimental value” but also outpricing the true worth of each gift (Timestamps: 06:10–10:22).

2. Musings on Collecting, Addictions & Sentimentality

• Bobby and Andrew digress into the “addict” itch shared by collectors, with reference to advice from artist David Choe (09:11).
• Bobby professes the importance of surprise and sentimental value in gifts, rather than just financial worth.
• Special mention of rare gifts from friends – language-translating AirPods, a weird Japanese vintage toy, and, humorously, a battered box of Dreamwater.

3. Dark Revenge Fantasies: Murder, Grief, and Crime Scenarios

(Timestamps: 18:00–39:34)

• Murder Fantasia: The hosts spiral into “what if scenarios” involving the revenge killing of their mothers’ murderers – constructing elaborate plots involving torture chambers, pop-culture references (Star Wars, Oldboy, Pulp Fiction), and absurd methods of vengeance (31:23–39:34).
• Memorable Quotes:
  • "I will spend every dollar that I have... 500 by nine [foot warehouse], that's gonna be a lot of running back and forth." – Bobby (30:19)
  • "I'd cut off his feet... every day, cut off each finger... then scoop out his eyes with a hot spoon, fill his sockets with pistachio ice cream." – Andrew (36:45, 37:19)
  • "You wake up and have no way to speak or walk or tell everybody what's going on. And I'll drop him off in the worst neighborhood so they eat him alive." – Andrew (38:33)
• Serious Sidebar: In the midst of this bit, both hosts acknowledge the therapeutic release from such dark hypotheticals, reassuring listeners they’d never actually harm anyone.

4. Sentimentality Over Stuff

• Bobby describes his refusal to hang up framed sports memorabilia like a "man cave" alpha male, sharing instead the eclectic, artsy decor of his own home (Depeche Mode, Peter Sellers, Brian Ferry, Toshiro Mifune, and dreamcatchers) (12:07-13:01).
• Andrew teases Bobby for dreamcatchers and nightmares, tying his past work on Reservation Dogs to this tangent.
• The ritual of gift ranking continues, combining sincerity and self-deprecation.

5. Interacting with Young Media Interns

Segments: 44:52–81:19

• Quinnipiac Students Enter: Bobby and Andrew invite groups of young media interns (Emma, Sam, Ben/Toke, JJ, Gianna/GG) onto the podcast for rapid-fire Q&A, improv exercises, and mentoring.
• Improv Games: The students role-play as producers or pitch movies; Bobby and Andrew construct comically aggressive Hollywood scenarios for them to practice assertiveness.
• Mentors and Roasters: Fanciful names are given (“Willow,” “Toke,” “Slavanka,” “Tweet"), careers and anxieties are probed, and sincere encouragement is lobbed between jokes.
• Standout Moments:
  • “You gotta talk like you’re one of us. I’ll be the exec, you be the producer—show us what you got.” – Andrew (63:39)
  • Interns improvise, sometimes shyly, sometimes boldly, navigating teasing from the hosts.
• Life in LA for East Coasters: Conversations about living in LA versus New York, the grind of unpaid internships, and the challenge of making ends meet.
• **Andrew and Bobby spontaneously give the students cash for dinner, admonishing them to "not spend it on anything but food" (76:57–77:43).

6. LA Life, Robots, and Social Commentary

(Timestamps: 54:33–58:09)

• Downtown life, run-ins with homeless people, rogue one-legged scooter-throwers, stuck delivery robots ("Kenny"), and the existential threat of self-driving Waymos.
• Andrew is skeptical of delivery robots taking human jobs; Bobby cracks that they’re new immigrants.

7. Comic Bits & Wisdom

• On Anxiety: Both hosts and their young guests admit to severe anxiety. Bobby leads improv “TED Talks” for the students, having them pitch inventions like the audible streetlight box or bubble wrap, with hilariously awkward results.
• On Smart vs. Stupid: Bobby questions if he’s dumb, with Andrew reassuring him, calling him an "idiot savant" (though they later realize that term is dated and ableist) (84:03–84:16).
• Gratitude and Sincerity: Andrew thanks fans for watching his special "White Noise," reflecting on the chaotic world and the redemptive power of comedy (84:39).

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Gift Sentimentality:
  “You mentioned Bad Friends before Tiger Belly. Why? ...It’s by ranking, yeah.” – Bobby & Andrew (02:54)
• On Excuses:
  “Itchy bones. They’re nothing but an excuse.” – Bobby (08:55)
• On LA and Young People:
  “People from the east coast are so delusional. LA is the best city in the world.” – Bobby (50:15) “Sit around. Do. Enjoy a movie.” – Andrew, gently roasting student for attention span (48:28)
• On the Next Generation:
  “You’re going to make it. You’re going to be a great editor.” – Andrew to Emma (59:18)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• Bobby's Birthday & Gifts: 01:38–17:00
• Revenge Fantasies: 18:00–39:34
• Moms, Grief & Family: 39:34–43:15
• Young Interns & Improv: 44:52–81:19
• Final Thoughts & Sincerity: 84:39–end

Tone & Takeaways

Bad Friends at its best: meandering, absurd, honest, and disrespectful in a way that ends up being deeply affectionate. The hosts navigate dark material with comedy as a coping mechanism, mix mentorship with mockery, and always land on loyalty, especially to family—even if it’s channeled through increasingly unhinged hypothetical revenge plots. Their rapport with the up-and-coming interns is both brutally honest and quietly hopeful, ending with a note of gratitude to fans and a subtle meditation on what makes a “Bad Friend” good.

*For anyone who missed the episode: expect chaotic reminiscence, wild speculation, and heart hidden under layers of comic vitriol. Welcome to the family.