Podcast
Mind Gap
Hosted by 2 East 8th Productions · EN
For years Doug Cochrane and Justin Strandlund have been good friends and frequent improv partners. They share a love of debating any topic, although their discussions usually come back around to two things: movies and space. Their most infamous debate involved a 2 hour discussion (while at work) about the actual possibility of time travel and it's potential ramifications on mankind; this included a full diagram drawn on a wall-sized whiteboard. Time well spent. MindGap is what happens when they sit together in front of a microphone and press record.
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Episodes
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Episode 543 - Doug's Been Waiting 10 Years to Show His Daughter The Dark Knight. It Finally Happened.
3d ago01:10:04Tap to summarizeIt's one of the greatest films ever made. Doug has seen it more times than he can count. And for years, he's been waiting for the moment his daughter was ready. This Father's Day weekend, it happened, but not before they worked their way through Batman Begins first. The Batman Begins debrief alone is worth the price of admission: Natalie still doesn't understand why Bruce Wayne's parents had to die and genuinely wondered whether Batman was going to kill Rachel and Alfred in the film. She also thought that Batman can, apparently, talk to bats. Then came The Dark Knight. Doug prepped her on the Joker's philosophy, the importance of Batman's no-kill rule, and the practical effects behind the hospital explosion, which Doug and Jill actually witnessed being filmed when they lived downtown Chicago. Natalie handled the pencil scene with more composure than expected. She processed the ferry sequence. She understood the stakes, and spent the entire climax waiting for Bane to show up. And when it was over, she looked at her dad and said: "I see why you like it." Ten years. Worth every second. Also this episode: a genuinely great question — if you could go back to high school or college and take one class again with everything you know now, which class would you choose? Justin picks social studies, psychology, astronomy, and a very specific European history class he completely wasted. Doug picks management 101 with a professor he truly despised and would absolutely challenge every single day, and seventh grade PE, where his coach regularly called him names that would end careers today. Plot twist: years later, that same coach applied for a job at Doug's brother's school. Doug's brother said no. Justice is real. Plus: a dump truck parked in front of a blind hill with "Trust in the Lord" written on the back, Jesus as a Marvel Rivals support player, and Meccha Chameleon — a $6 Steam prop hunt game where you paint yourself to blend into the scenery and it is immediately one of the best six dollars Doug has ever spent. Justin needs a PC. Doug has thoughts. The movie audio clip guessing game returns with quotes from Wall Street, The Big Short, and The Golden Child including one of the most specific movie pulls in the history of this show. This week's recommendations: 🎬 Justin — Pressure (2025). Andrew Scott, Brendan Fraser, Damian Lewis. A WWII film about the meteorologist who had to get the D-Day weather right. You know how it ends and it still keeps you on the edge of your seat. That's the mark of great filmmaking. 📺 Doug — Watchmen (HBO). Nine episodes. Genuinely one of the best limited series ever made. Also the first time Doug learned about the 1921 Tulsa Massacre, which tells you everything about the American education system. Subscribe: youtube.com/mindgappodcast Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/T3HwyEw5v7 Listen everywhere you get podcasts Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mindgappodcast Merch on Redbubble: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/67768184
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Episode 542 - If You Could Call Yourself 10 Years Ago for 60 Seconds, What Would You Say?
1w ago01:09:05Tap to summarizeJust 60 seconds. One phone call to your past self. What do you say? Doug's answer is immediate and unapologetic: buy Bitcoin. Justin agrees — and then they both go deeper than expected, landing on advice that's somehow funnier and more meaningful than any financial tip: walk more, stop shaving everything off, brace for the subscription apocalypse, and enjoy social media while you still can because it is about to get a lot worse. The conversation spirals into a genuine reflection on June 2016 — what life looked like before the darkest timeline arrived, before every business demanded an app download, and before two-factor authentication became a personality trait. Plus: Doug makes a passionate, sincere case for mobile ordering as the single greatest innovation of the last decade. He's not wrong. Then things get messier. Doug ripped a significant fart at grocery store self-checkout and had a moment of clarity about it. He also sat Natalie down to explain something important about her school's girl squad — specifically that every single one of them takes painful shits, and they are not better than her. Justin tells the story of Benny and the Birds — a harrowing account of his dog chasing a fledgling robin while an increasingly large coalition of robins, finches, a starling, and a squirrel formed a perimeter and launched a coordinated aerial assault. They have maintained that perimeter for four days. Justin cannot use his own backyard. Doug responds with his own bird story: Bruno has now claimed his third life, this time on a Michigan rental property, approximately 30 seconds after Doug told Natalie that nature is brutal and you simply have to accept it. Then: Doug takes Justin to Korean BBQ and hot pot for the first time. Justin immediately eats a large slice of raw pork belly with complete confidence. It tastes great. They use every second of their 90-minute window and already have a game plan for the next visit. Some food poisoning anxiety. No actual regrets. The movie audio clip guessing game returns. Justin picks three of seven clips and must identify the film from the quote alone. This round covers Aliens ("They mostly come at night. Mostly."), Donnie Brasco, and Lucky Number Slevin — and the one-legged man line lands exactly as hard as Doug hoped it would. This week's recommendations: Justin — Obsession (2025). Corey Barker made this horror film for $750K. It has since grossed over $250 million. A unique concept, edge-of-your-seat tension, and the kind of filmmaking that gets a 26-year-old handed the Texas Chainsaw Massacre reboot without blinking. Go support it. Doug — The Wire (HBO). Five seasons. Rewatched it. Still one of the best shows ever made. Young Idris Elba, young Michael B. Jordan, and the most honest portrait of policing, crime, and politics ever put on television. A commitment worth making. Subscribe: youtube.com/mindgappodcast Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/T3HwyEw5v7 Listen everywhere you get podcasts Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mindgappodcast Merch on Redbubble: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/67768184
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Episode 541 - Final Fantasy VII, StarCraft & the PC Games We'll Never Get Over
3w ago01:10:49Tap to summarizeJustin's got the week off, so Seth steps in as co-host and the conversation does not disappoint. Doug and Seth dig into a Reddit question that sent them both deep into the nostalgia rabbit hole: of all the computer games you played between 1985 and 2010, what's the one you still think about today? Seth goes back to the PC port of Final Fantasy VII — the game that defined the RPG genre for a generation of players who couldn't afford a PlayStation — and StarCraft, the game that proved the internet was both a gift and a curse once Korean players started annihilating everyone on Battle.net. Doug lands on Diablo, Counter Strike, Half-Life, and Team Fortress from what he describes as the best summer of his life, plus Warcraft II and the legendary dorm-vs-dorm Counter Strike leaderboard that consumed an entire semester. Seth adds Morrowind and the Halo 2 university network wars, including the top-ranked player named Mixomatosis who turned out to live three doors down and was simply a different kind of person. The gaming conversation rolls naturally into a deep dive on Marvel Rivals, Overwatch, and hero shooter culture — the difference between quick match and competitive, the rage of random teammates, why role-locking exists, and why you absolutely should not be trying out a new character in ranked. But first: Doug's mom has a long history of purging spices from the family pantry, and it explains a lot about his childhood. From there Doug and Seth debate overrated recipes (the dump-and-bake casserole situation has gotten out of hand), wage war over cottage cheese, and discover halloumi together in real time. Underrated picks include millionaire shortbread and candied pecans — two things that deserve far more attention. Plus fair food: dirty, suspect, and somehow perfect. A quick Clair Obscure Expedition 33 check-in leads into the episode's new game: AI or LinkedIn? Doug reads posts and Seth has to guess whether each one is a genuine LinkedIn post or AI generated. The results are both funnier and sadder than expected — especially the guy who timed his lunch at four minutes and 37 seconds because what isn't measured doesn't improve. This week's recommendations: Seth — Taskmaster (free on YouTube, 21 seasons). Five comedians, bizarre tasks, Greg Davies and Alex Horne hosting. One of the best shows you haven't watched yet. Doug — The Backrooms (A24). Directed by 20-year-old Kane Parsons based on the viral liminal space internet lore. Chiwetel Ejiofor stars. One of A24's highest-grossing films. Go see it. Plus: what even is SCP? Seth explains, and the answer sends Doug down a rabbit hole he didn't budget time for. Subscribe: youtube.com/mindgappodcast Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/T3HwyEw5v7 Listen everywhere you get podcasts Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mindgappodcast Merch on Redbubble: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/67768184
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Episode 540 - Things That Were Attractive at 18 But Are Embarrassing at 30
May 2900:58:56Tap to summarizeDoug and Justin dig into one of the most relatable questions on the internet: what was cool, attractive, or impressive at 18 that is straight-up embarrassing by the time you hit 30? The answers get deeply personal, very funny, and honestly a little painful. Stories include: Doug's era of competitive eating and genuinely bragging about how much food he could put away in one sitting, Justin serenading girls with acoustic guitar and firmly believing it was working, Doug entering a male beauty pageant at Augustana College specifically to wear David-statue underwear in the swimsuit competition and performing an original heartfelt song called "Chill" in front of a full auditorium, Justin spending his UPS paychecks exclusively on throwing stars and nunchucks from the mall, and both hosts processing the cringe of house party concerts they gave while extremely over-served. The community and Reddit weigh in with their own entries: basement dates at your parents' house, wearing overalls when you're not a farmer, bragging about how often you drink, living with a mattress on the floor and no groceries like it's a personality, getting into street fights, decorating your apartment with empty booze bottles, and refusing to put your shopping cart back. Also this episode: Doug has big news — he got a new job. And even bigger news — Natalie finally watched Top Gun Maverick and her reaction did not disappoint. Sweaty palms, wide eyes, hand-holding during the final act, and the ultimate compliment: "Why did you wait so long to show me this?" Plus a discussion of what's next on Natalie's movie journey: Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, Hunger Games, and the story of what happened when Daredevil Born Again Season 2 was accidentally too intense for a 10-year-old. And Justin still hasn't watched Arcane. Doug is working on it. Then it's time for The Verdict: the Letterboxd review guessing game. This round features reviews for The Mandalorian and Grogu, Obsession, The Florida Project, How to Train Your Dragon (live action), Silence of the Lambs, The Lighthouse, Don't Worry Darling, and the new Superman. This week's recommendations: Justin — Win Win (2011). Paul Giamatti and Bobby Cannavale. Underseen gem. Rent it for $3.99. Doug — Daredevil Born Again Season 2 on Disney+. Charlie Cox is phenomenal. Go watch it. Subscribe: https://youtube.com/mindgappodcast Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/T3HwyEw5v7 Listen everywhere you get podcasts Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mindgappodcast Merch on Redbubble: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/67768184
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Episode 539 -The Stupidest Things People Have Ever Said That We Still Think About Today
May 2201:05:34Tap to summarizeDoug and Justin dig into one of Reddit's greatest questions: what's the stupidest thing you've ever heard someone say that still lives rent free in your head? The answers (from the internet and from their own lives) do not disappoint. Stories include: the college roommate who saw cubed chicken and asked if it was pancakes, the hotel coworker who was convinced a rocket launch in Florida made it hotter outside, the customer service caller who had never heard of a browser and genuinely believed she didn't use one, the hotel guest who compared being asked for ID to being interrogated by the Gestapo, the anatomy student who used Coca-Cola as contraception, the woman who signed her name differently every time so no one could forge it, the person who applied for a job and chose the word "ominous" to describe herself, and the woman who planned to bring her TV from home when she moved to Italy so she could still watch her shows. Plus a collection of "Bobisms," hard-earned one-liners from a former baseball ump and retail manager that absolutely hold up, and Doug's dad's legendary if somewhat exhausting burn about brains and trains. Then Doug takes Natalie to an all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ and hot pot restaurant for the first time and comes away a changed man. Justin butchers a 125-pound half hog with his two best friends as a birthday surprise and walks away with 40+ pounds of pork and zero regrets. And the movie audio clip guessing game returns with quotes from Kung Fu Panda, Heat, and Minority Report. This week's recommendations: Justin: Marty: Life is Short on Netflix. Martin Short operates at the speed of joy. Watch it. Doug: Potion Seller's debut album Buzzard is out now. Ten songs, zero filler. Grab it on Bandcamp for $7. Also, Parade of Horribles (Dungeon Crawler Carl Book 8) by Matt Dinniman. Jeff Hayes narrates the audiobook. The series is incredible. Potion Seller Album Release Show — July 25th, 2026 at The Pyramid Scheme, Grand Rapids, MI. Get there. pyramidscheme.com Subscribe: youtube.com/mindgappodcast Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/T3HwyEw5v7 Listen everywhere you get podcasts Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mindgappodcast Merch on Redbubble: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/67768184
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Episode 538 - Frog Fractions, Psycho Mantis & the Most Unexpected Video Game Mechanics Ever Made
May 1501:02:20Tap to summarizeWhat happens when a video game stops playing by the rules? Doug and returning guest Noah (Gunchpot) go deep on the most creative, bizarre, and genuinely brilliant video game mechanics ever designed — from games that fake-crash your console to math games that secretly turn into space jail simulators. Games covered include Shenmue (the 1999 Dreamcast game that made boredom part of the experience by giving you an actual forklift job), Seaman (raise a fish with a human face that insults you, narrated by Leonard Nimoy), Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem (the GameCube horror game that fake-deleted your save file and muted your TV on purpose), Metal Gear Solid (Psycho Mantis reads your memory card and comments on your other games), Facade (a 2005 AI couples therapy simulator where typing the word "melon" gets you thrown out of the apartment), Frog Fractions (a browser math game that secretly turns into a completely different game — then hid its sequel inside an entirely separate game for years), Doki Doki Literature Club (the anime dating sim that deletes characters from your hard drive as part of its horror), Disco Elysium (where your skills literally argue with you and you can fail a check just trying to get out of bed), and WarioWare (five-second micro games with one-word instructions and zero hand-holding). Plus: QWOP, Baby Steps, Superhot VR, Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes, I Am Bread, and more. Before all that: Noah is working through 800 of 1,000 movies on his Letterboxd watchlist, watched Ghostbusters and Jurassic Park for the first time this year, and is deep in the David Lynch rabbit hole. Doug's dog Bruno had a very eventful Mother's Day morning involving a rabbit, a shovel, and a crow. Then it's time for The Verdict — the Letterboxd review guessing game. This round covers The Mummy, Devil Wears Prada 2, Nosferatu, Longlegs, Conclave, Barbie, Glass Onion, and Andor. This week's recommendations: Noah: Casino Royale. One of the best action films ever made, full stop. Doug: Potion Seller's debut album Buzzard is out now. Go listen. Brainsynthesizer.com for merch and physical copies. Subscribe: https://youtube.com/mindgappodcast Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/T3HwyEw5v7 Listen everywhere you get podcasts Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mindgappodcast Merch on Redbubble: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/67768184
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Episode 537 - Doug Avoided the Doctor for 10 Years and Ended Up in Surgery
May 801:02:59Tap to summarizeIt finally happened. After roughly 10 years of ignoring something he absolutely should not have been ignoring, Doug ended up in a surgical center getting a very sensitive situation taken care of and somehow, his 10-year-old daughter was along for part of the ride. The full story involves a general practitioner, a urologist, a stethoscope used in a way Doug did not expect, a surgical jock strap, and an alarming amount of cranberry juice in the recovery room. It's equal parts hilarious and a genuine PSA: guys, go to the damn doctor. Justin backs it up with a story about his own dad that makes the message hit even harder. But first: Spirit Airlines is gone. Like, overnight, lights off, sign on the door, gone. Doug and Justin break down what actually happened, what it means for airfare prices, and the wildly ambitious TikTok proposal from a guy who wants regular people to just... buy the airline. Practical Doug has thoughts. Then it's a hard pivot to movies. Doug reviews Marty Supreme (Timothée Chalamet at his most unlikable — somehow four stars) and Dust Bunny (Mads Mikkelsen, a child, a hitman, and a monster under the bed — filmed in Budapest, definitely not America). Plus a quick Project Hail Mary and Natalie update. Game time: Doug plays audio clips from classic films and Justin has to identify the movie. This round features quotes from The Rock, Top Gun, and a Morgan Freeman line that stumped Justin longer than it should have. This week's recommendations: 🎬 Justin — Eddington (Pedro Pascal & Joaquin Phoenix in a pandemic-era slow burn. Stress warning applies.) 🎬 Doug — Dust Bunny (streaming on HBO. Weird, beautiful, and worth it.) Subscribe: youtube.com/mindgappodcast Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/T3HwyEw5v7 Listen everywhere you get podcasts Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mindgappodcast Merch on Redbubble: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/67768184
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Episode 536 - Doug's Kid Watched The Martian for the First Time and Almost Didn't Survive It
May 101:00:06Tap to summarizeDoug's 10-year-old daughter Natalie finally sat down to watch The Martian and her reaction was everything. Sweaty palms, emotional investment, and a death grip on dad's hand during the finale. Is she officially a movie person now? We think so. But that's just the beginning. This week Justin and Doug go deep on the art of introducing kids to classic films: what lands, what doesn't, and why a 10-year-old has exactly zero interest in Star Wars, Harry Potter, or Space Jam. From The Martian to Top Gun: Maverick, Alien, Jaws, Indiana Jones, Gremlins, and the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, we rank, debate, and reminisce about the movies that shaped us and wonder which ones are ready for the next generation. Then we play The Verdict: our Letterboxd review guessing game where Doug reads real (and absolutely unhinged) user reviews and Justin tries to guess the star rating and the movie. This round features reviews for Donnie Darko, La La Land, 28 Days Later, Midsommar, Companion, and a "Roses are red, violets are blue" review for 500 Days of Summer that you will not see coming. Plus: gym etiquette crimes, weight droppers, weight hoarders, filming yourself at the gym, and the chaotic state of dumbbell organization at Doug's LA Fitness. This week's recommendations: Justin: Go support your local ballet, orchestra, or performing arts company. You might surprise yourself. Doug: Potion Seller (Grand Rapids, MI). Check out their new single Irish Exit and their upcoming album Buzzard dropping May 15th. 📺 Subscribe: https://youtube.com/mindgappodcast 💬 Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/T3HwyEw5v7 🎧 Listen everywhere you get podcasts ❤️ Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mindgappodcast 👕 Merch on Redbubble: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/67768184
Transcribe →Episode 535 - This Deep Water Fear Is Absolutely Real (And Awful)
Apr 2400:59:16Tap to summarizeEver feel uneasy staring into deep, dark water? You're not alone. In this episode of Mind Gap Podcast, Doug and Justin dive into the very real fear of deep water (also known as thalassophobia) and how it connects to other bizarre (and surprisingly common) phobias like submechanophobia (the fear of submerged man-made objects). What starts as a simple conversation quickly turns into a deep (and slightly unhinged) exploration of: - How movies like Jaws can create lifelong fears - Why the ocean feels so terrifying even when nothing's there - Horror games that tap into our deepest anxieties - Weird, hyper-specific fears that make zero sense… until they do From childhood trauma to real-life experiences in deep water, we break down why these fears stick with us—and why they might never fully go away. Check out our YouTube channel! Be sure to like and subscribe for this content as well as episode highlights, Doug Watches Awkward Videos, Justin Plays Video games, and more! We have MERCH now! Follow us on all of our social medias and other platforms!
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Episode 534 - Why Are Books Being Rewritten for Modern Readers?
Apr 1701:05:35Tap to summarizeAre books being updated for modern audiences… or quietly rewritten? We came across a debate that's been gaining traction: older books are being edited to replace outdated references (like TV shows) with modern ones (like TikTok). On the surface, it seems harmless, but does it change the story more than we think? In this episode, we dig into: - Should books be modernized to stay relevant? - Where's the line between accessibility and rewriting history? - Are we underestimating readers by making these changes? - And what happens when technology updates break the original story? It starts with one small change… but it raises a much bigger question: Are we preserving stories or reshaping them? We also spiral into: - Whether 90s games trained us to think differently - The psychology of failure vs instant gratification - And a completely normal question about taking $50 million… with consequences Check out our YouTube channel! Be sure to like and subscribe for this content as well as episode highlights, Doug Watches Awkward Videos, Justin Plays Video games, and more! We have MERCH now! Follow us on all of our social medias and other platforms!
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