Son of a Boy Dad #387 – Nick Mullen: Part Two

Date: March 26, 2026
Guests: Nick Mullen
Hosts/Panel: Lil Sasquatch (Harry), Rone (Francis), Lev, Tyler

Overview

This episode features comedian Nick Mullen returning for a long, meandering and hilarious conversation with the Son of a Boy Dad crew. The group dives into all manner of topics—from nostalgic movie references to gym etiquette, niche cuisine, cultural rituals, lifestyle changes, and the quirks of modern technology. Along the way, the panel delivers sharp-witted banter, tells personal anecdotes, and offers their idiosyncratic takes on everything from espresso-making to the collapse of Xbox. The tone is irreverent, self-deprecating, and often raucously funny.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Nostalgia: Movies, Trailers, and Parodies

• Kung Pao & Comedy Movie Trailers
  • The guys reminisce about seeing Kung Pao: Enter the Fist trailers in theaters and the colorful characters they encountered ([01:15]).
  • Discussion of spoof films: Hot Shots, Naked Gun, Spy Kids.
  • Charlie Sheen’s reputation and infamous moments:
    • “Charlie Sheen is funny... Especially those transcripts of him giving that woman aids.” —Tyler ([03:01])

2. Coffee and Drinking Rituals

• Coffee Tinkering and Rituals
  • AeroPress vs. Keurig, Italian stovetop, Turkish coffee in sand, gung fu tea—the guys debate their preferences ([04:09]-[08:31]).
    • “Keurigs are just dog. It’s disgusting.” —Tyler ([05:24])
  • The mystique and performativity of coffee culture videos online:
    • “My whole feed is just people making coffee in different ethnic ways.” —Harry ([07:50])
  • Ethnicity, ritual, and cultural borrowing:
    • “If you’re not Chinese and you’re doing this, you’re a retard.” —Tyler ([09:12])
• Other Drinks
  • “This kid in college went to Argentina and came back with mate... It tastes terrible, but it’s got a lot of caffeine.” —Harry ([08:42])

3. Clothing, Denim, Americana

• Japanese brands remastering American workwear better than US companies ([10:13]).
• The rituals around jeans (putting them in the freezer, using starch) and preserving them as artifacts ([11:00]).
• “I hope we get Gundam soon. I can just be in a Gundam nude. I never bathe. I smell terrible.” —Tyler ([11:32])

4. Gyms, Saunas & Social Dynamics

• Gym Hierarchies & Etiquette
  • Recurring characters at local NYC gyms, gym etiquette, and the contentious politics of communal sauna usage ([16:09]–[22:32]).
  • The intersection of gay and straight culture in gyms, and discomfort/awkwardness in locker rooms and saunas.
    • “That doesn’t fly at Lifetime, in my opinion. Take that shit to Equinox.” —Tyler ([18:47])
    • “The Planet Fitness over here on 27th street used to have the cummiest floor.” —Francis ([24:02])
  • Anecdotes about chatty or flirty men in the sauna and how to respond, including memorable lines and advice ([18:41], [20:06], [21:20]).
  • Women and gay men both desperate for Harry (Lil Sasquatch’s) attention, to Lev’s disbelief ([25:20]).

5. Homelessness & Pipes

• Philosophizing about what it would be like to be homeless and why more homeless people don’t smoke pipes ([14:06]).
  • “I’m surprised you don’t see homeless people smoking pipes more often... if I had schizophrenia and I was covered in shit and lived outside, that’s what I’d do.” —Tyler ([14:06])

6. Doctors, Health Anxieties & Getting Older

• Tales of recent doctor visits, stress tests, life insurance, and jokes about bad health markers ([15:05]-[16:42]).
• Gym routines: “I go sauna, then shower.” ([16:39])
• “The more you drink, the stronger your stream gets... You just have a fire hose.” —Francis ([37:09])

7. Eating, Cooking, and “What’s Good” in NYC

• Debate on coffee quality and home setups versus cheap alternatives ([04:42]-[06:36]).
• Riffs about Chinese cuisine, where to get the best soup dumplings in NYC, and the overwhelming authenticity of Flushing compared to Manhattan’s Chinatown ([38:13]-[40:17]).
  • “If you haven’t been to Flushing, you should go. It’s like basically China.” —Tyler ([39:41])

8. Hardware, Tech & Gaming Talk

• Micro Center visits, the urge (or lack thereof) to build a PC, and the demise of Xbox:
  • “Nobody plays Xbox and they don’t have any ideas for how to make Xbox any better than the PlayStation.” —Tyler ([42:31])
• The joy of laptop bags and Samsonite cases: “People think you’re doing... I have a laptop.” ([41:05]-[41:59])
• Steampunk explained (“guys really into goggles and top hats”), and the allure of obscure aesthetics ([43:44]).

9. DIY Home Repairs & Appliances

• Swapping out light switches for aesthetic appeal, braving simple home repairs, and sourcing help from listeners ([44:21]-[49:42]).
  • “Just put in a dimmer switch? …You could probably handle that yourself pretty easily.” —Tyler ([45:14])

10. Real Talk: Poverty, Hunger & Book Anecdotes

• Vivid recollections from Black Boy by Richard Wright:
  • “If they went to the faucet or the hose and injected water down their gullets at a high volume, it would relieve the hunger...” ([60:17]-[60:43])
  • A child becoming an alcoholic in a bar for entertainment: “He was an alcoholic at seven years old.” —Harry ([61:21])

11. Medical Emergencies: Seizures

• Experiences witnessing seizures, what to do/not to do, and personal brushes with health emergencies ([51:11]-[54:44]).
  • “It’s crazy they ever figured out what the medicine is or what a seizure is.” —Tyler ([54:21])

12. AI, Memes, and the Spread of Misinformation

• The proliferation of AI videos, deepfakes, and viral hot AI soldier memes ([64:55]-[67:18]).
  • “The more you see AI, the more exposed you are to these AI videos, the more you recognize what an AI video is.” —Tyler ([65:26])
  • “Thousands have been swooned by this [AI soldier].” —Francis ([67:01])

13. Quick Hits & One-Liners

• Who would replace Dave Smith on Legion of Skanks?
  • “Ms. Rachel probably would crush it.” —Francis ([63:18])
  • “Talk would be great.” —Lev ([63:24])

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Coffee:
  • “Keurigs are just dog. It’s disgusting.” —Tyler ([05:24])
• On Gym Saunas:
  • “I tell a story about that because that doesn’t fly at Lifetime, in my opinion. Take that shit to Equinox.” —Tyler ([18:47])
  • “That's how he gets away with it, honestly.” —Francis ([25:55])
• On City Life:
  • “Imagine if New York City were being hit by those same, like, ballistic missiles... I would go to McDonald's after this.” —Tyler ([30:08])
• On Cooking:
  • “I’m terrible at cooking because that’s what I do—I’ll follow instructions and I can make food from a recipe, and then when I eat it, it tastes like all the individual elements... I have the recipe in my mouth rather than the meal.” —Tyler ([45:39])
• On AI Hoaxes:
  • “The more you see AI, the more exposed you are... The barrier will get better. Our ability to perceive AI videos will increase at the same speed as the technology.” —Tyler ([65:26])

Fun Timestamps

• [01:15] — The Kung Pao / lesbian movie theatre anecdote.
• [05:24] — Tyler’s fierce anti-Keurig stance.
• [09:12] — Gung fu tea and cultural borrowing riff.
• [18:47] — Rules of etiquette for Lifetime Fitness’ sauna.
• [24:02] — Filthy gym floors.
• [37:09] — “Fire hose” pee metaphor.
• [39:41] — “Go to Flushing, it’s basically China.”
• [42:31] — “Nobody plays Xbox.”
• [60:17]–[60:43] — Memorable book anecdote: drinking water to stave off hunger.
• [65:26] — AI and recognizing deepfake videos.

Tone & Style

Wildly conversational, meandering, and constantly veering into absurdity and sharp self-deprecation. The show thrives on inside jokes, meta-commentary about podcasting and content, and a unique blend of lowbrow and whip-smart humor.

Useful for Listeners Who Missed the Episode:

This episode is a quintessential hangout pod—a series of stories, rants, and in-the-moment riffs. It’s part nostalgia trip, part modern life roast, and all delivered with a blend of sarcasm and unfiltered honesty. There are no real resolutions, just lots of punchlines and occasionally poignant observations about masculinity, aging, technology, and the absurdities of city life.

If you love podcasts for the ride, not the destination, this episode is a classic.