Garage Logic (Gamut Podcast Network)

Episode: MISCHKE: Love, Life, & Murder

Date: March 18, 2026
Host: Tommy Mischke

Overview

In this episode, Tommy Mischke dives into the peculiarities of human connection, obsession, and the strange distinction between love and limerence, weaving his signature wit and dark humor through segments on relationships, existential quirks, and a shocking true crime story. The show blends musings on modern vocabulary, calls from listeners, and a chilling interview with a real-life murderer. Mischke’s conversational, offbeat style frames a journey from light-hearted wordplay to contemplations of human darkness and mortality, always with an eye to finding the wildly unique in ordinary life.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. What’s New? The Word “Limerence” ([02:06]–[10:38])

• Mischke’s Curiosity: Tommy opens by reflecting on the thrill of encountering something entirely new—here, the word "limerence," recently discovered despite decades in culture.
• Definition & Cultural Surge:
  • Limerence is defined as intense romantic infatuation and emotional dependence—different from mature, steady love.
  • Mischke humorously ponders why nobody warned him about limerence in his youth, or whether it’s a new generational phenomenon, quipping about fake terms like “Glock Florkin.”
• Memorable Satire: Mischke transforms the topic into a comedic limerick contest and ad spoofs:
  • “Limerence by L’Oreal – for radiant hair, smooth as silk. Limerence: you took that word from an ad, didn’t you, dad?” ([07:57])

Notable Quotes

• Tommy Mischke:
  “When I was growing up, was no one getting limerence? No one talked about limerence, but the term was out there. It's been around since the 70s.” ([04:21])
• On fatherly advice:
  "Had he done that, I think I would have said, what the heck are you talking about, Dad?" ([05:16])

2. Limerence vs. Love: Expert & Satire ([10:38]–[15:50])

• Relationship Expert Segment: Offers practical tips for distinguishing love from limerence, such as checking if one is editing reality to fit fantasy and willing to see “red lights” in a relationship.
• Mischke’s Satirical Role-Play:
  • Tommy adopts a persona comically blind to a partner’s flaws, using exaggerated hypotheticals (“she walks with her feet above the ground...she’s actually a hairstylist at Great Clips with a meth addiction.”) ([12:34])
  • Self-aware parody of ignoring deal-breakers (“she’s polyamorous...I just said, la la la, la la, la, I don’t want to hear that.”) ([13:46])

Notable Quotes

• Relationship Expert:
  "Someone developing limerence is likely to strategically select pieces of information that fits their fantasy...and unconsciously reject all evidence that does not fit." ([11:48])
• Mischke:
  “I know what you’re thinking. Limerence. You’re probably right. But I have asked her to marry me. She said she’d have the team in her bunker get back to me on that.” ([14:57])

3. From Limerence to Murder: The Chilling Turn ([21:00]–[31:12])

• Listener Call: Ryan
  • Mischke jokingly ponders the odds of O.J. Simpson’s innocence, leading to reflections on how one never truly knows anyone.
  • Segues into Mischke’s reflections on interviewing a real-life murderer, emphasizing the ordinariness of the perpetrator.
• Carl’s Story (Murderer Interviewee)
  • Carl gives a first-person account of the planning and execution of a brutal murder during a robbery—a story initially inspired by a scene from “New Jack City.”
  • He details the psychological disconnect, physicality, and aftermath with chilling directness ([28:37]–[34:46]).

Notable Quotes

• Mischke:
  "You could be a murderer, and even if you’re not right now, you could be in the future. It’s just creepy as hell..." ([21:51])
  • "You think you have folks figured out, but we don’t have anyone figured out. Not really. None of us." ([26:36])
• Carl:
  "My co-defendant paused that scene on his VCR and... said, 'Carl, that's how you gotta do it.' Because I really had no idea... I was aiming for his neck... he pleaded with me, 'No, Carl, no.' But at that point... I just felt like I had to continue. It was reported that I stabbed him in excess of 67 times." ([28:37])
• Carl:
  “I felt this—I felt like a physical force grab me by my shoulder and spin me around as if to say, look what you’ve done.” ([32:39])

4. Murder, Media, and Dark Fascinations ([35:02]–[37:56])

• O.J. Simpson & Crime Scene Obsession:
  Mischke and Ryan muse on who might live at the site of the infamous murder now, the peculiar draw of crime scenes, and conspiracy theories (e.g., "We pegged Judge Ito as the murderer," [36:53]).

Notable Quotes

• Mischke:
  "Am I just another one of those people? Needed to be close to the crime. For some reason, some dark part of me needed to feel that radiant heat from the crime scene." ([35:19])
• Ryan:
  "There’s a conspiracy about every major murder, I’m sure, even the one you’re going to commit later in life." ([37:40])

5. The Joys and Ironies of Aging ([41:25]–[51:25])

• Listener Call: Perry (Retired Listener)
  • Mischke discusses the routines of retirement and the search for meaning or magical moments late in life.
  • Perry reminisces about a magical, drunken night in Greece, leading to Mischke’s diatribe against the modern focus on health and moderation.
  • Mischke lampoons contemporary health advice and reflects on mortality’s trade-offs: living longer vs. living fully.

Notable Quotes

• Mischke:
  "There's a conundrum in life... there's a way to live that's taking care of your health full time. And then there's having magical moments before it's all over, my friend. Before you're a corpse in a cemetery..." ([44:18])
  • “All the wondrous things are bad for you. There’s a way to live to be 90...that’s doing a bunch of things that just plain aren’t no fun. No fun at all.” ([46:35])
• Peer Reflection
  Mischke quips about being named Hortense: “You generally reserve the best name...for that first kid, the name you love more than all others. And this poor woman was given the name Hortense. And I don’t think it’s coincidental that she never married.” ([49:15])

6. On Interviewing the Uniquely Extraordinary ([51:29]–End)

• Sui Generis Appeal:
  Mischke describes his desire to interview those “of their own kind”—people whose life stories truly can’t be categorized, asking listeners to connect him with such individuals.

Notable Quotes

• Mischke:
  “I spent 11 years when I was doing the roadshow looking under rocks, down alleys, behind abandoned buildings, looking for people who I wouldn’t normally come across without someone recommending them to me... wild unusual, different, interesting, eccentric, they’re extraordinary iconoclasts.” ([51:29])

Timestamps of Important Segments

• [02:06] Tommy discovers “limerence”—definitions, humor, and comic riffs
• [10:38] Relationship expert explains limerence vs. real love; Mischke's satirical scenarios
• [21:00] Listener Ryan call: The unknowability of people, segue to murder story
• [28:37] First-hand account from Carl, the murderer—details of planning, murder, aftermath
• [35:02] O.J. Simpson speculation, the dark allure of crime scenes
• [41:25] Retired listener Perry: Joys and absurdity of aging, "magical" drunken night in Greece, reflections on health and mortality
• [51:29] Mischke on interviewing original, unique people—call for recommendations

Memorable Moments

• Comic riffing on “limerence” as a shampoo brand ([07:57]):
  “Limerence by L’Oreal—for radiant hair, smooth as silk. You are worth it.”
• Darkly funny limerick about limerence ([08:30]):
  “A girl, puzzled by his adoration, asked him if this was infatuation... Might limerence be the explanation?”
• Raw true crime revelation ([28:37]):
  Carl’s matter-of-fact delivery about committing murder shocks with its ordinariness and detail.
• Reflection on health vs. enjoyment of vices ([46:04]):
  Mischke lists everything he loves that's "bad" for him—cookies, sitting, tobacco—and rails against a joyless life of abstention.
• Naming and destiny ([49:15]):
  Mischke’s meditations on why anyone would name a child "Hortense" and its impact.

Show Tone & Language

Mischke’s quirky, rambling, heartfelt and often irreverent tone pervades the episode. From gleeful puns to grim crime tales, the show jumps registers but always circles back to the messy wonder and darkness of real life. He mixes improvisational riffs with honest, vulnerable reflection, keeping listeners off-balance but engaged.

Final Impression

This episode of Garage Logic journeys from the comic absurdity of modern love to the grim reality of premeditated murder, all under Mischke's unique lens of curiosity and dark whimsy. The result is both thought-provoking and deeply entertaining—a challenge to find sense and magic in the mess, and to seek out the sui generis in everyday life.