Staying Alive with Jon Gabrus & Adam Pally
BONUS: You Hear Me Rollin’ (Catch-Up Episode)
October 6, 2025 | SmartLess Media
Episode Overview
In this bonus “catch-up” episode, comedians and best friends Jon Gabrus and Adam Pally reconnect after a long stretch apart. They candidly discuss the modern health struggles of midlife, their ongoing quests for wellness (amid old habits), recent travel and gig stories, and riff on pop culture, touring, and the state of the world—all with characteristic raunchy honesty and humor. This episode is lighter on expert interviews and heavier on friendly banter, but it remains anchored in the show’s “grossly forthcoming” approach to men’s health and self-care.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Social Media Comfort Food and Sandwich Influencers
[00:47–02:28]
- The hosts swap stories about their shared social media obsession: watching New Jersey sandwich videos.
- Adam: “I think that's what I want to be is just like a sandwich person on a social media channel.”
- Jon: “I just want to be Action Bronson. I just want to get stoned, walk into a place, dap everybody up, eat for free, and somehow make money and sneakers off of that.”
- Laughter about the repetitive but comforting language of these food influencers, often quoting ‘90s movies.
2. Catching Up: Schedules, Gigs, and Health
[02:58–04:14]
- The podcast marks the longest stretch the duo has gone without seeing each other since starting the show.
- Adam updates Jon about working long, late-night shoots in New Jersey, eating unhealthy fast food (Wawa runs), and feeling the need for a reset.
- Adam: “I feel like I need a little bit of like a realignment.” [04:14]
3. Nighttime Overeating & Wellness Routines
[04:29–05:54]
- Both hosts admit to sabotaging themselves with “fourth meals” (late-night snacking):
- Jon: “I ate a healthy dinner at 8:00pm... now it’s 10:40 and I’m watching Platonic and up. I’m taking out chips and guac... all of a sudden... why do I look and feel like shit? I did eat a box of Girl Scout cookies, dude.” [05:14]
- The struggle to substitute fruit for junk food... but ultimately eating both.
4. Small Behavioral Tweaks: What’s Working
[06:26–08:43]
- Adam shares two new habits started during his movie shoot:
- Watermelon for Breakfast: “I’ve been having watermelon... it’s like, satiating enough.” [06:49]
- Hot Water with Lemon at Night: “I found myself, like, in the car ride home feeling a lot better.” [07:27]
- Jon jokes about being more of a Fernet (digestif) guy but acknowledges the value of Adam’s new nightly ritual.
5. Exercise, Aging, and Injuries
[09:24–10:52]
- Jon is back in the pool, ramping up exercise and appreciating “raw dog sensory deprivation” (swimming sans devices).
- “It’s like the one hour a day that I’m not on a screen. Even when I’m in the sauna, I’m watching Netflix.” [10:27]
- Adam notes Jon’s physique tells when he’s in an exercise groove (“shoulders get yoked”).
- Both discuss the risks of minor (and absurd) injuries as they age:
- Adam: “A PA the other day was walking around, and all of a sudden she goes, ‘Oh, oh, my neck.’ I was like, ‘What happened?’ She’s like, ‘I yawned and pulled a muscle.’” [09:55]
6. Vegas Bachelor Party Adventures
[11:41–15:32]
- Adam recounts a marathon Vegas bachelor party with “bougie” 30-year-old finance guys:
- Late-night wrap on a movie, flies to Vegas, starts drinking at 10am...
- Spa day (wasted), then falls asleep in a Bellagio suite for 15 hours, missing the main party events.
- Adam: “I have no recollection of it. And my cousin said that they were like shaking me and I never even made it to the bed. I was just in the couch in a bathrobe, like my balls out. Like old man. Like Rodney Dangerfield meeting a young comic.” [15:07]
- Wakes up refreshed, the only one at the pool party not hungover.
7. Music, Festivals, & Nostalgia
[16:59–21:56]
- Plans for NYC and Las Vegas music festivals, reminiscing on past concerts and catching up with friends/bands.
- Jon’s upcoming attendance at the "When We Were Young" festival; stoked for Weezer and The Offspring; reminiscing about the first time hearing ‘Smash’. [19:51]
- Adam on seeing Oasis twice this summer: “They played the same set exactly note for note twice and both nights were the best show I've ever seen.” [19:13]
- Discussing band members’ life journeys (e.g., Mark Hoppus’s cancer battle, Tom’s alien obsession).
8. Are Aliens Real? (And Society’s Response)
[22:07–23:38]
- Speculating about Blink-182’s Tom DeLonge and government UFO disclosures.
- Jon: “I used to think that aliens arriving or evidence of aliens would like bring us all together. But... we’re too far gone... the aliens will show up and people be like, they're liberal. Kill them.” [22:47–23:11]
- Lampooning how political polarization would even twist an alien encounter.
9. Satirical News & Social Commentary
[23:40–26:07]
- Commentary on recent bizarre political and military speeches.
- Adam: “I don't think it's a good sign that one day... the president is going, saying, you are anti capitalism is considered terrorism, and then the Secretary of War is in another room going, we will start killing motherfuckers. No more footing around.” [24:10]
- Riffing on social content (Portland as “the front lines,” donut-baiting cops, Internet parody videos).
Notable Quotes & Moments
-
On Algorithms:
- Jon: “When it takes a break from like tatted up busty chicks, it throws me a few sandwiches from the tri-state area.” [01:01]
-
Adam on Trying to Sell Fernet:
- “I can't sell you on this. It's like the attitude of ordering it is what matters.” [08:03]
-
On Late-Night Snacking:
- Jon: “I’ll eat, like, the Girl Scout cookies and the fruit and dinner, and it’s just like, right now, what the fuck am I doing?” [05:54]
-
Adam on Self-Sabotage:
- “I'll have dinner at like, 6, and then at like, 8, I'll be like, I could have a bowl of cereal or four, you know...” [05:14]
-
Jon on Festivals:
- “I get another tattoo in Vegas at a festival on. Oh, bro, speaking of music, I saw LCD sound system and Pulp at the bowl on, like, the Perfect Dose of Mushrooms. I had a fucking time, dude.” [18:27]
-
On Seeing Oasis:
- Adam: “They played the same set exactly note for note twice and both nights were the best show I've ever seen.” [19:13]
-
On Aliens and Society:
- Jon: “The aliens will show up and people be like, they're liberal. Kill them... The aliens actually use the wrong pronouns. We should kill [them].” [23:10–23:24]
-
On Political Dystopia:
- Adam: “I wouldn't want to be one of those people making content that's like, I'm in the dangerous city of Portland right now, and I'm about to get a matcha latte. Oh, my God, it turned me gay.” [24:39]
-
Show Closer:
- Jon: “The saving grace of my life is that we get to talk once a week or 25 times a week, and the audience gets to hear it. One time.” [26:17]
- Adam: “Truly, it's a dream. I wish we were getting paid for it.” [26:30]
Timestamps for Key Segments
- 00:47–02:28: Sandwich influencer talk and social media comfort
- 02:58–04:14: Catching up on life, gigs, and health
- 04:29–05:54: Overeating at night, snack confessions
- 06:26–08:43: Adam’s new wellness tweaks (fruit for breakfast & hot water with lemon)
- 09:24–10:52: Jon’s swimming, screen-free time, “aging injuries”
- 11:41–15:32: Adam’s epic (missed) Vegas bachelor party
- 16:59–19:13: Music festival plans and concert nostalgia
- 19:13–21:56: Band memories and pop-punk reflections
- 22:07–23:38: Aliens, politics, and societal reaction
- 23:40–26:07: Satirical takes on news, protest videos
- 26:17–26:56: Emotional show wrap-up
Tone & Style
The episode is marked by rapid-fire banter, self-deprecating humor, and honest takes on midlife wellness struggles. Jon and Adam’s friendship is front and center, with in-jokes and a conversational style heavy on pop-culture references, nostalgia, and playful cynicism.
Summary for New Listeners:
If you’ve ever wrestled with staying healthy while staying social, or if you just love hearing two old friends riff about food, wellness, music festivals, and the absurdity of current events, this episode’s wide-ranging, highly relatable conversation offers both laughter and small insights. Their raw, off-the-cuff humor is balanced with moments of surprising vulnerability and practical health wisdom—shared by two guys just trying to “stay alive” in every sense of the phrase.