Son of a Boy Dad #356 – “Shake It Up”

Date: December 2, 2025
Hosts: Francis Ellis, Harry, Roan (Barstool Sports)
Theme: Crafting Adulthood, Maturity, and the Chaos of Real Life

Episode Overview

In episode 356, "Shake It Up," Lil Sasquatch (Harry) continues to navigate post-college uncertainty while leaning on producer Roan and cohost Francis for oddball mentorship, life advice, and the distinctly absurd wisdom that underpins the Son of a Boy Dad universe. The conversation pinballs across car brands, pop culture, growing up rich versus real, thrifting, dangerous driving, and the sometimes-fraught journey into adulthood, all delivered in the show’s signature blend of self-deprecation and bro banter.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Lexus & Car Culture Debates (01:38–07:17)

• Roan, Harry, and Francis riff on the annual “Lexus December to Remember” sales event and spar over the status of Lexus in the luxury car hierarchy.
  • Francis: “Lexus, to me, seems they are vying very hard to be in the family of Mercedes and BMW and they simply are not.” (02:16)
  • Harry: “I hate to inform you, Francis. I bought a Lexus no more than two months ago.” (02:49)
• They reminisce about family cars growing up, from minivan upbringings to the social tragedy of driving a Prius in rural Maine.

2. The Comedy of Middle-Class Flex & Faking Wealth (07:01–14:22)

• Roan and Francis poke fun at the image gap between high-end car brands and how owning one can change people’s perception of you.
• Discussion of Taylor Swift’s upbringing, with skepticism over her "everygirl" narrative. They dissect celebrities’ origin stories and the performance of authenticity.
  • Roan: “She can’t claim that. There’s no shame in having a beautiful house in Stone Harbor.” (16:28)

3. Pop Culture Rabbit Holes

Euphoria & Generation TV (23:52–29:46)

• Francis confesses to re-watching Euphoria, sparking a comedic debate about taste, prestige TV, and “girl TV” vs. “boy TV.”
  • Roan: “Re-watching Euphoria though is crazy.” (29:19)
  • Francis: “It’s that good of a show. I would honestly put it at top five shows I’ve ever seen.” (29:23)
• Outer Banks, Shake It Up, and other generational favorites get roasted.
• The psychology of "blind hating" on popular things is explored.
  • Roan: “I’ve always been just a blind hater of...white people TV shows and movies. You kind of have to be.” (29:59)
  • Harry: “Disliking something before you give it a chance to hurt you.”

Movie & TV Structure: Suspense, Classic Films (31:28–35:32)

• In-depth (and hilarious) praise of suspenseful films like Silence of the Lambs, Mare of Easttown, and Zodiac.

4. Suspicion, Guilt, and Good Deeds (39:21–44:42)

• A tangent about Paige Spiranac’s anonymous charity donation during a golf event, the nature of public backlash, and the performativity (or authenticity) of online outrage.
  • Harry: “No better way to quell a dirty conscience.”
  • Francis: “She didn’t expect that to come out.”
• Francis’s take on being recast publicly as the “good guy” despite seeing himself as an “agent of chaos.”

5. Death Threat Discourse & the Internet's Dark Side (41:36–46:44)

• The hosts mock the inflation of “tens of thousands of death threats” as a claim.
  • Francis: “Who do you think you are, Bin Laden?” (41:36)
• Discussion of how online parasocial relationships drive mob behavior and performative hate.

6. Swimming Woes & Memories (53:05–59:44)

• Francis describes his struggles with swimming laps, the agony of water trapped in ears, and the mechanics of freestyle breathing.
• Talk detours to the legendary “bad Olympian swimmer” and the bizarre qualities that make swimming’s butterfly stroke so over-the-top.
  • Francis: “The butterfly is insane. It looks cool though. It’s the most gorilla technique of swimming.” (58:56)

7. Driving Faux Pas & Left Lane Anxiety (60:09–65:53)

• Harry recounts a driving scare where cops flashed him for "left lane camping."
  • Roan (teasing): “You got your man card ripped out of your hands in front of your whole family.” (63:50)
• They riff on the regional differences in road culture and how close calls on the highway can lead to existential self-doubt.

8. Thrifting, Resale Culture, and Guilt (73:24–77:09)

• The hosts debate the honesty of thrift and donation programs, the possibility of secondhand market exploitation, and the weird satisfaction of directly handing items to people who need them.
• Francis tells an “urban treasure” story about donating a humidor of old cigars.

9. Travel Fears & Customs Paranoia (77:09–84:36)

• Francis voices anxiety about bringing new Japanese clothes back through U.S. customs and whether Reddit horror stories are believable.
  • Roan: “Reddit’s filled with paranoid fucking schizophrenics. You don’t got to listen to them.” (82:30)
• The group reassures him that customs rarely cares—unless you’re smuggling mass merchandise or raw fish.

10. Wrap-Up: Upcoming Shows & Final Jokes

• The crew plugs upcoming stand-up dates and bidding farewell, bantering about their holiday plans and continued search for jeans that can stand upright.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Francis on Lexus Status: “If I showed up at a girl’s house in an Acura, she’d be like, do you work for Uber?” (02:30)
• On Celebrity Backstories: “Rick Ross was a corrections officer? It changes how you listen to his music.” – Roan (15:28)
• On ‘Billy Elliot’ Fable:
  • Francis, deadpan: “That didn’t happen in my town. That wasn’t real. Billy Elliot. Unfortunately, it’s Billy Elliot again.” (22:49–22:54)
• On Euphoria vs Outer Banks Taste Wars:
  • Roan: “Outer Banks was phenomenal—well, phenomenal is a stretch. It was entertaining.” (27:42)
  • Francis: “Now I know what you’re into and I know what I’m into.” (27:52)
• On Thriving as a Hater: “People should be allowed to just hate on something.” – Roan (29:40)
• On the butterfly stroke: “It’s the most gorilla technique of swimming. Like push-ups off the water.” – Francis (58:59)
• Roan, dismissing customs paranoia: “Reddit’s filled with paranoid fucking schizophrenics.” (82:30)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Lexus Banter / Car Hierarchy: 01:38–07:17
• Taylor Swift / Celebrity Backstories: 14:22–23:29
• TV Taste Wars (Euphoria, Outer Banks): 23:52–29:46
• Suspense Movie Talk (Silence of the Lambs, Zodiac): 31:28–35:32
• Golf Donation Story & Death Threats: 39:21–46:44
• Swimming Struggles & Techniques: 53:05–59:44
• Left Lane Camping & Driving Faux Pas: 60:09–65:53
• Thrifting & Clothing Donations: 73:24–77:09
• Travel Paranoia & Customs: 77:09–84:36

Tone & Style

Loose, irreverent, self-aware, and digression-heavy—the hosts combine satirical philosophizing and flippant confession in a way that blends sincerity with bit-driven comedy.

Final Takeaways

This episode is less about clear lessons and more about the absurdity of adulthood in modern America—from navigating status signals and pop culture, to the struggles of swimming in a lap pool or the “existential dread” of airport customs. Lil Sasquatch’s “education” via the older, slightly wiser Roan and Francis is every bit as scattershot and entertaining as college itself.

Listen if:
You want an hour-plus hang with three comic minds parsing the dumbest, deepest, and weirdest parts of modern twenty- and thirtysomething life.