Distractible Podcast: "Friday the 13th"

Date: March 13, 2026
Hosts: Mark Fischbach, Wade Barnes, Bob Muyskens

Episode Overview

In this episode, the Distractible trio dives into the origins and cultural baggage of Friday the 13th, musing on superstition, unlucky numbers, movie lore, and their own personal tangents. Mark, Wade, and Bob riff on everything from ADR recording mishaps to buying entire villages in Maine, and spiral through math jokes, horror movies, and the glory/hassle of getting paid in actual physical checks. True to form, the conversation is both ridiculous and weirdly insightful—a mix of thoughtful curiosity, competitive ribbing, and pure chaos.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. ADR Mishaps & Movie-Making Realities

[02:19 - 07:50] Mark’s Segment

• Mark shares an anecdote about recording ADR (Automated Dialogue Replacement) for his film. Despite using "good" equipment, matching the imperfect on-set sound was tricky.
• Ironically, the take that fit best was recorded with the built-in mic on an Apple Studio Display:

  “Man, whatever mic you used for these last ADR was really good. It just melted right in. … And I was like, you motherfucker. That was on a monitor.” (Mark, 05:22)

• Takeaway: Sometimes, rougher recordings match the desired environment better than pristine studio sound.

2. Lifestyle Updates & Habit-Building

[08:11 - 11:11] Bob’s & Wade's Updates

• Bob is sticking to his New Year's resolution: walking a mile a day, now up to 58 miles.

  “It’s hard to get there with stuff… but it feels good that it kind of is now.” (Bob, 09:01)

• Wade’s "self-improvement" is daily flossing, which stuns Bob and Mark:

  “Nobody flosses once a day.” (Bob, 11:03)

3. Getting Paid by Physical Checks — In 2026

[11:25 - 16:21] Mark on Theater Revenue

• Mark reveals he gets paid from theaters via bundles of physical checks, managed by his longtime accountant, Mary.

  “Mary has to make trips to the bank with, like, bundles of checks this big.” (Mark, 12:33)

• Bob notes from a subreddit post that checks are actually "the least secure way" to deal with money due to all the info printed on them.

4. Town For Sale in Maine

[16:54 - 19:40] Tangent

• The group discusses buying a whole village in Maine for $5.5 million—with 25 structures and 50 acres.

  “We could buy this and then have a permanent town... The entire Distractible audience is going to live in this 50 acre spot.” (Mark, 18:22, 18:57)

• They joke about making it “Peen Town” and starting a cult.

5. Why is Friday the 13th Unlucky?

[19:46 - 29:15] Main Segment (Prompted by Host Wade)

• Wade launches the investigation into why Friday the 13th is considered unlucky.
• Mark and Bob offer several takes:
  • Norse mythology: 12 gods at dinner, Loki (uninvited, 13th guest) causes the death of Balder, turning 13 “unlucky.”
    (Mark, 26:14)
  • Christian traditions: 13th at the Last Supper is Judas.
  • Pop culture: horror movies (Friday the 13th franchise), and the association with bad luck.
• Mark: “I’ve never picked up that 13’s unlucky, but 17 is a waste of a year. 16, you could drive. 18, you’re an adult. 17, just a number in between.” (25:25)

Notable Quote

“There is always at least one Friday the 13th per calendar year, but it can be as long as 14 months between two Friday the 13ths…” (Mark, 28:39)

6. The Math Rabbit Hole

[35:00 - 40:25] Mark, Numbers, & Nonsense

• Mark reads about “happy numbers,” “perfect digital invariants,” and “narcissistic numbers” from Wikipedia, to everyone’s increasing confusion and delight.
• This includes a deep-dive example of how 13 is a “happy number” and a rambling definition involving logarithms, brackets, and “sociable digital invariants.”
• Bob: “Your mom’s a non trivial perfect digital invariant.” (38:48)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Scary Movies:

  “Filmmaker Markiplier blasts new Scream movie for not even being scary. Quote: whatever.” (Bob, 21:40)

• On Flossing:

  “Yeah, but nobody flosses once a day.” (Bob, 11:03)

• On Writing Checks:

  “Who the fuck has stamps?” (Bob, 15:43)

• On Buying a Town:

  “Just five and a half million dollars and you could own your very own town… not you, Mark—like, listeners…” (Bob, 19:09)

• On Math Definitions:

  “I just don’t know what this is trying to prove. ... I hate mathematicians.” (Mark, 38:37, 38:48)

• On Life & Winning:

  “My life is terrible. And that’s how I keep winning. The worse it gets, the more I win. This is all I have.” (Bob, 47:53)

Key Segment Timestamps

| Time | Segment Topic | |------------------|--------------------------------------------------------| | 01:00 – 01:55 | Ornate, rhyming episode intro | | 02:19 – 07:50 | Mark explains the pitfalls and surprises of ADR | | 08:11 – 11:11 | Bob’s walking habit & Wade’s flossing habit updates | | 11:25 – 16:21 | Getting paid by bundles of checks—physically | | 16:54 – 19:40 | Discussing the Maine village for sale | | 19:46 – 29:15 | Why is Friday the 13th unlucky? Superstitions, origins | | 35:00 – 40:25 | Mark’s “happy number” Wikipedia math tangent | | 40:44 – End | Final point totals, the “wheel” portion, winner/loser speeches |

The Distractible Point System Recap

• Winner: Bob, by 2 points (11 to 9 over Mark)
• Points awarded for:
  • Personal updates (walking, flossing)
  • Movie knowledge/puns/chains
  • Math & number explorations
  • Humorous insults
• Wheel of Fun: Adds bonus point challenges, e.g., “most distracted” tab count, shortest sleep average.

Episode Tone & Takeaways

Distractible shines when the discussion is both unexpectedly informative and completely off the rails. The episode is packed with asides and snark, but still weaves in genuine insights about sound design, superstition, the absurdities of modern finance (physical checks in 2026!), and even number theory.

For those who missed the episode:

• You’ll come away knowing more about ADR, happy numbers, the mythic roots of unlucky 13, and the surprising complications of being paid in the 21st century.
• You’ll also witness how three friends riff so hard that a genuine history lesson turns into a meme-fueled math spiral by the one-hour mark.

Memorable Episode Verdict:
Find someone who looks at you the way Bob looks at scientific uselessness, Mark at niche sound equipment, and Wade at bundles of obsolete checks.