Garage Logic – "Mischke: Just One Thing" (March 14, 2025)

Podcast: Garage Logic
Host: Miskhe (TD Mischke)
Special Guest: Dr. Ximena Nelson (Spider Expert)
Theme: The Beauty, Power, and Oddity of Devoting Life to Just One Thing

Episode Overview

This episode of Garage Logic, hosted by Mishke, explores the transformative power of focusing one’s life around a single passion, or “just one thing.” Through monologue, personal anecdotes, and listener calls, Mishke delves into what it means to pursue "one thing" to a remarkable degree—with highlights on radio, spiders, and idiosyncratic one-thing obsessives. The heart of the episode is a wide-ranging, insightful, and often whimsical interview with spider expert Dr. Ximena Nelson, examining the wonders of her lifelong devotion to spiders.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Power of One Thing (03:32–12:14)

• Mishke reflects on his own radio origins and path into broadcast, focusing all his passion on that “one thing”—audio. He shares the philosophical underpinning to pursue and master a singular quest.
• Cites cultural references: City Slickers' “secret of life” scene, Bruce Lee's martial arts adage about repetition and mastery, and various self-help books about focusing on a "one thing."
• “If you chase two rabbits, you won’t catch either one.” – Mishke paraphrasing an old Russian proverb. (09:08)
• Links the concept to others—whether it's Picasso with painting, Shakespeare with writing, or even odd examples like Don Gorski and Big Macs.
• Urges listeners to find their own “one thing,” noting how far obsession and deep engagement can take a person.

2. Ximena Nelson: A Life Devoted to Spiders (14:32–36:41)

Finding Her One Thing

• Dr. Ximena Nelson, Professor of Animal Behavior at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, tells how she fell into spider research almost by chance, because she wanted to work with a certain mentor.

  “As soon as I started working with the spiders, it was just like, wow.” – Nelson (14:32)

• Mishke praises the complexity and variety of spiders, noting they're more surprising than the most beloved pet mammals.

  "I find spiders so wildly complex and fascinating, I honestly mean in a way I would never say about dogs.” – Mishke (15:03)

Spider Facts & Myths

• Phobia: Spiders are the world's #1 animal phobia, but the reasoning is elusive. Nelson suspects it's learned in childhood, not innate.
  • “Kids, before they go to school, if they don’t have phobic parents, love spiders…as soon as I go to school, it’s all over.” – Nelson (16:24)
• Universals: All spiders have eight legs, make silk, and have two body parts, but only a minority build webs.
• Sensory Marvels: Some have vision rivaling cats (19:15)
  • “There’s one genus in particular that’s pretty phenomenal...they can see to a resolution that's not overly dissimilar to ourselves.” – Nelson (19:15)
• Cannibalism: A regular but misunderstood feature of spider lives—mostly occurs among siblings or after mating. Sometimes improves offspring health.
  • “There are a few species…where the females will often, if not most of the time, eat the male who is trying to mate with her.” – Nelson (20:24)
  • “Male dark fishing spiders die spontaneously during sex. That’s the Nelson Rockefeller way to go.” – Mishke (23:07)

Spider Engineering & Evolution

• Silk: Several kinds—tougher and more elastic than steel or rubber, able to catch surprisingly large prey.
  • “It is unmatched when it comes to how effectively it combines these two opposing properties in a single material.” – Mishke (29:46)
• Webs: Designs are diverse—some three-dimensional, some decorated with leaves or prey remains, some the size of trucks!
  • “Webs can be 15 meters high, spanning trees…and 20 meters wide…Absolutely massive.” – Nelson (28:00)
• Silk as an external sensory system & digestion: Their webs serve as “giant antenna”—like an extension of their brain. (31:02)
  • “A lot of their sensory system is the web…their own little satellite dish.” – Nelson (31:02)

Remarkable Species and Abilities

• Diving Bell Spider: Lives underwater, builds silk diving bells to breathe.
  • “They carry their own little scuba gear.” – Nelson (26:13)
• Peacock Spiders: Dazzling, dancing maters with colorful, fan-like displays.
  • “If she is not impressed, she lifts and wiggles her abdomen, signaling disinterest…[the male] changes rapidly from the visual dance to singing, to singing through seismic signals.” – Mishke (32:48)
• Daddy Long Legs (Whirling Spiders): Vibrate so quickly, they become nearly invisible.
  • “Our visual system cannot keep up essentially with the speed of the motion.” – Nelson (34:33)
• Cognitive Ability: Spiders can learn, plan, and demonstrate surprising forms of intelligence.
  • “I design experiments…and then they outwit me.” – Nelson (35:32)

3. Quirky Portraits: The Many Faces of "One Thing" (36:54–55:18)

Don Gorski—the Big Mac Devotee (36:54–41:27)

• Mishke shares archival tape and correspondence from Don Gorski, who has eaten a Big Mac every day since 1972, and will soon reach his 35,000th burger.
  • “Choose something you love. One thing, right? Jack Palance. One thing.” – Mishke (41:26)
  • “It's kind of like you have chocolate for the first time or something. It's hard to describe it because I couldn't get enough of them at first.” – Don Gorski (40:00)

Easy Ekman—the Bank Robber (41:27–44:55)

• Mishke reminisces about “Easy” Ekman, an unrepentant and affable former bank robber who focused his life on his one calling.
  • “I've been shot twice, shot at…I've got buckshot in my neck and back…In all them years we never hurt anybody.” – Easy Ekman (43:10–43:53)

The Coffin Maker (44:55–48:13)

• Mishke visits a local craftsman who exclusively makes traditional wooden coffins, offering a humble but meaningful product.
  • “What are they curious about?…Well, I just dug up the wheel and represented it.” – Coffin Maker (45:51)

4. Listener Calls: Real People, Real "One Things" (51:02–60:53)

• Calls from listeners about their own “one things”:
  • Matthew the Plumber: Prefers tangible work and customer gratification over insurance sales, shares a comical anecdote about a work misadventure in a bathroom.
  • John the Pro Wrestling Announcer: Found his “one thing” much later in life, organizes and announces wrestling events in Minneapolis.
    • “I lost my way for a while when I, you know, got a bit older, discovered girls, but found my way back.” – John (59:32)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “You gotta chase but the one rabbit. That’s the secret.” — Mishke (09:08)
• “As soon as I started working with the spiders, it was just like, wow.” — Dr. Ximena Nelson (14:32)
• “Choose something you love, because you’ll need that…on the inevitable days when you feel like giving up.” — Mishke (11:55)
• “Male dark fishing spiders die spontaneously during sex. That’s the Nelson Rockefeller way to go.” — Mishke (23:07)
• “They are essentially like a giant antenna, if you like, around the body.” — Nelson (31:02)
• “If she is not impressed, she lifts and wiggles her abdomen, signaling disinterest.” — Mishke, describing the peacock spider (32:48)
• “It's kind of like you have chocolate for the first time…this is the best food in the world.” — Don Gorski (40:00)
• “Never shot nobody, never hurt nobody. In all them years.” — Easy Ekman (43:53)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Opening Monologue/The One Thing Theme – 03:32–12:14
• Interview: Dr. Ximena Nelson (Spiders) – 14:32–36:41
• Don Gorski/Big Mac Story – 36:54–41:27
• Easy Ekman—the Bank Robber – 41:27–44:55
• The Coffin Maker – 44:55–48:13
• Listener Call: Matthew the Plumber – 51:02–54:26
• Listener Call: John the Pro Wrestling Announcer – 57:37–60:53

Tone & Takeaways

The tone is classic Mishke: whimsical, rambling, witty, human, sometimes philosophical, alternately poking fun and waxing poetic. The interview with Dr. Nelson surprises and delights with the secret wonders of spiders, anchoring the episode’s thesis—devoting life to “just one thing” can reveal immense depth and richness, whether it’s a scientist and her spiders, a man and his Big Macs, or a local craftsman and his coffins. Through stories, humor, and heartfelt conversations, listeners are left asking: What's your "one thing"?