Life Wide Open with CboysTV: "Ryan's Foreign Lover, How We Handle Our Hectic Schedules, & Favorite Guilty Pleasure Music"

Episode Date: June 13, 2023

Episode Overview

This episode of Life Wide Open is a classic, freewheeling roundtable with the CboysTV crew (Ryan, Ben, CJ, Mike, and others), covering everything from podcasting trends and guilty pleasure music to thoughts on time management, tech, social media memes, and behind-the-scenes CboysTV stories. The group keeps the energy high, with plenty of inside jokes, good-natured roasting, and candid insights into their personal habits, business, relationships, and current events. The tone is irreverent and conversational, bringing listeners into the heart of the friend group.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Podcasting & Listening Habits

• Rise of Podcasts (00:15–02:20)

  • Discussion on how podcasts have overtaken music for many, especially during commutes or work.
  • Ben: "I never listened to podcasts, let's say, two years ago. Ever. Never ever. I was like, podcasts are boring... Now I get bored when I listen to music." (01:38)
  • They credit podcasters like Theo Von for making solo shows entertaining and discuss the challenge and talent it takes to do a solo podcast.

• Podcast vs. Music in Car (02:20–03:15)

  • Some members lament that music can feel less engaging after switching to podcasts, while others still enjoy blaring energetic EDM or rap solo in the car.

2. Guilty Pleasure Music & Curating Social Vibes

• Musical Guilty Pleasures (03:52–08:59)

  • Members share their "guilty pleasure" music: early 2000s rap (Ryan), basic radio pop (CJ), Taylor Swift or Harry Styles, aggressive EDM (Mike), and even tongue-in-cheek references to "Ben Shapiro" for Ken.
  • CJ: "Sometimes, it's the most basic songs where I kind of even hate myself for liking them." (04:22)
  • Discussion on the anxiety of "aux" duty and curating playlists to match group moods—Ryan’s girlfriend Alondra gets props for reading the room.

• Tech for Group Listening (06:24–07:10)

  • Chat about Apple and Spotify’s shared playlists and queue features, and who should be gatekeeping what makes it onto the queue.

• Aging Out of Music Eras (08:40–09:02)

  • Ryan describes the embarrassment of playing early 2000s rap for younger friends, only to discover they're unfamiliar with it: "I went too far back. I'm getting old." (09:00)

3. Tech and Social Change

• Apple VR Headset & Tech Advances (09:09–10:49)

  • Brief impressions of Apple’s new VR headset, its see-through features, and how life is edging closer to sci-fi.
  • Mike: "We are just getting closer and closer to the robots coming." (10:24)
  • Commentary about the price ($3,500), justifying tech costs, and reminiscing about older, cheaper phones.

• Phones & Parenting (12:05–13:56)

  • How younger kids are getting phones earlier—more for safety, but also raising parental tracking concerns.
  • Mention of a parent literally "chipping" their child for tracking, sparking a debate on privacy and safety.

• Old-School Living vs. Now (16:43–20:18)

  • Nostalgia for pre-technology days—grandparents showing up unannounced, slow travel by train/boat, and how society’s pace has quickened ("People back then were like tough bastards." - CJ, 19:59).

4. Time Management & Multitasking

• Handling Hectic Schedules (20:14–22:23)

  • Group discusses feeling overwhelmed and making mistakes when rushing.
  • Strategies for compartmentalizing work, being present in the moment, and not half-assing tasks.

• Obsessive Focus & Burnout (21:54–22:23)

  • Trade-offs of obsessively pursuing goals, sometimes at the expense of work-life balance.
  • "The more obsessed you are... the easier time you'll have compartmentalizing your tasks." (22:01 - Ben)

5. Golf Merger, Money & Principles

• PGA-LIV Merger (22:23–27:10)
  • Recap of the golf world drama: Saudi-funded LIV poaching players from PGA, massive paychecks, public accusations, and eventual merger.
  • Critique of PGA’s hypocrisy—first condemning LIV’s Saudi ties, then joining forces.
  • Ryan: "When you flip flop on something like that, you look like a real idiot." (25:29)
  • Takeaway: Markets dominated by single players can be challenged by innovation and big money, meaning "money talks."

6. Memes, Social Media & Brand Voice

• Corporate Memes & Social Media Strategy (28:23–34:45)

  • Roasting companies (like U.S. Border Patrol on Instagram) that attempt “meme marketing”—sometimes landing, sometimes cringy.
  • Ben: "Including the Border Patrol, there's just pages that should be cut and dry. And I think the Border Patrol should be cut and dry." (30:52)
  • Discussion on how meme levels and humor depth are generational and subcultural (Big Chungus, Buffalo Bills “shitpost” memes, etc.).

• Meme Literacy (34:45–36:33)

  • Some team members admit they’re not “level 10 meme” people and don’t always find internet humor funny—leading to jokes about who “gets” memes.

• Social Media Usage (37:03–39:44)

  • Love/hate relationships with suggested posts, infinite scrolling, and the changing ways people interact with followers and group chats via Instagram DMs.

7. Marketplace, Business, & Getting Scammed

• Facebook Marketplace Addiction (40:04–41:09)

  • Ryan’s confession: scrolling Facebook, especially Marketplace, has replaced other social media for him.

• Cboys Marketplace/Reselling Stories (41:09–42:53)

  • Tales of being a sucker (buying a bad snowboard), hustle culture, and Gary Vee’s yard sale hustle videos.

• Alibaba and Trust Issues (55:04–61:36)

  • Ben recounts an ongoing e-bike order scam saga with a Chinese supplier—mis-shipment, dodgy customs fees, and ultimately losing money.
  • The group discusses their many Alibaba orders and how, despite success, things can go belly-up.
  • Ben: "My false trust was absolutely from ordering some custom stuff we've done overseas. And we've had good luck... but not this time." (59:48)

8. Ryan’s “Foreign Lover”

• Jenny the Jersey Maker (53:19–54:54)
  • Ryan shares about his “admirer”—Jenny, their jersey supplier from China, who sends emotional texts after he hasn’t replied for months.
  • The group jokes about being “in too deep” with Alibaba contacts and draws parallels to mail-order-bride tales and business relationships turning personal.

9. Local Celebrity & Weatherman Stories

• The John Wheeler Story (43:28–45:44)

  • Ryan recounts “rescuing” regional weatherman John Wheeler from over-zealous fans in a bar restroom—resulting in an inside joke about taking a “John Wheeler” shot.
  • Commentary on how local TV personalities become community legends/memes.

• Fame, Public Encounters, and Boundaries (46:36–47:06)

  • Ryan shares about fans approaching him in odd situations, drawing parallels to Wheeler's experience.

10. Home Life & Growing Up

• CJ’s New House (48:43–52:26)
  • CJ discusses moving into an unfurnished house, the complexities of interior decorating, and meeting the neighbor, who turns out to be a Cboys fan.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Podcast Shifts:
  • "I can't believe that he's able to sit there and just portray thoughts out semi-coherently for an hour and a half." – Ryan on Theo Von (00:44)
• On Musical Guilty Pleasures:
  • "Sometimes, it's the most basic songs where I kinda even hate myself for liking them." – CJ (04:22)
• Realization of Age Gap:
  • "I went too far back. I'm getting old." – Ryan (09:00)
• On Childhood Tracking & Helicopter Parents:
  • "One of his friends...got him chipped." – CJ (13:06)
  • "Talk about a hover parent." – CJ (14:00)
• On Corporate Flip-Flopping:
  • "When you flip flop on something like that, you look like a real idiot." – Ryan (25:29)
• On Marketplace Hustle:
  • "No one, as the guy they, like, come to him..." – Mike, about Mike's reputation for wheeling and dealing (41:11)
• On Memes in Real Life:
  • "If you get too deep in anything, you're a meme." – Ryan (42:52)
• On Losing Money to Overseas Scams:
  • "I just chalked that up as an L..." – Ben (57:24)
• Jenny the Jersey Maker:
  • "Hello Ryan, you've been three months and not reply me. Haha." – Jenny (53:35, as read by Ryan)
• Local Legend:
  • "Everybody has their local weatherman that's kind of a legend." – CJ (43:45)
  • "No spotlight is bright as the Fargo weatherman Spotlight." – Ryan (46:13)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:15–02:20: Shift from music to podcasts
• 03:52–08:59: Guilty pleasure music and playlist curation
• 09:09–10:49: Discussion of Apple's VR headset
• 12:05–14:10: Kids and technology, tracking children
• 16:43–20:18: Reflections on old-school life, "tough bastards"
• 20:14–22:23: How they compartmentalize hectic schedules
• 22:23–27:10: PGA-LIV merger and money in sports
• 28:23–34:45: Brands, memes, and social media marketing
• 40:04–42:53: Facebook Marketplace and business hustling
• 53:19–54:54: Ryan’s “foreign admirer” story
• 43:28–45:44: The John Wheeler (weatherman) local legend story
• 48:43–52:26: CJ’s struggles with home ownership and decorating
• 57:24–61:36: Ben’s e-bike Alibaba scam saga

Episode Tone

Fun, self-aware, authentic, and slightly chaotic, with a heavy dose of friendship banter and tongue-in-cheek Midwest humor. The crew’s discussions oscillate between serious reflections (business, work-life balance, technology) and comic absurdity/inside jokes. Even moments that seem throwaway often contain nuggets of wisdom about creative business, friendship, and growing up.

A perfect episode for fans of behind-the-scenes stories, meme culture, and honest takes on navigating young adult life while running an unconventional business.