#4350 Bandying About Benny Blanco

Summary

Podcast Summary: TBTL #4350 – "Bandying About Benny Blanco"

In episode #4350 of TBTL: Too Beautiful To Live, released on December 3, 2024, hosts Luke Burbank and Andrew Walsh navigate through a humorous and candid discussion covering online fame, social media dynamics, personal career anecdotes, and unexpected medical woes. The episode is rich with witty banter, insightful commentary, and engaging storytelling, making it both entertaining and relatable for listeners.

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1. Introduction and Episode Kickoff (00:00 – 02:12)

The episode begins with Luke Burbank announcing he has something important to discuss, setting a playful yet earnest tone. Andrew engages with Luke’s musings on procrastination, leading to a lighthearted exchange about the word's etymology. The hosts then officially welcome listeners to the show from the Madrona Hill studio, describing the picturesque yet foggy Seattle backdrop.

Notable Quote:

• Luke Burbank (00:04): “No procrastinating. Procrastinating. Procrastinating. That's a good word, isn't it?”

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2. Online Fame and Reddit Adventures (04:11 – 09:05)

Andrew shares his unexpected rise to online fame through the Seattle subreddit. After accidentally posting a Minecraft-rendered Seattle skyline with the caption "I'm never leaving Seattle," his post rapidly gains over 1,400 likes, attracting both positive attention and negative comments from trolls. This segment delves into the unpredictable nature of social media algorithms and the thin line between genuine engagement and trolling.

Notable Quote:

• Andrew Walsh (07:37): “I posted sort of a skyline sort of photo. And I posted it and I just ran out to my doctor's office and I get to my doctor's office, I'm in the waiting room and it's already got like 200 likes or something.”

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3. The Impact of Social Media Dynamics (09:05 – 19:19)

The conversation shifts to the complexities of online interactions, particularly the rise of bots and trolls. Andrew expresses confusion over distinguishing genuine user engagement from automated responses, especially in politically charged environments. The hosts reflect on the evolution of internet trolling, referencing past incidents and the current state of online discourse.

Notable Quote:

• Andrew Walsh (17:58): “I literally don't understand which ones are real, meaning actually humans and not bots.”

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4. Personal Career Stories and Online Requests (20:03 – 33:05)

Genevieve (Luke) discusses her role as the face of cybersecurity training for a large software company and the pressures associated with it. Meanwhile, Andrew humorously recounts receiving various online requests following his Reddit fame, including unexpected invitations to podcasts and events. The segment highlights the blurred lines between personal branding and professional responsibilities in the digital age.

Notable Quote:

• Andrew Walsh (22:05): “I have a lot on my plate. I’m kind of a big deal on Reddit.”

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5. Light-hearted Banter and Internet Culture (33:05 – 39:06)

The hosts engage in playful teasing about each other's online antics and past roles, such as Luke’s "Pancake Dad" persona from a Hotmail ad. They also acknowledge the support from donors across various states, adding a regional flavor to their camaraderie.

Notable Quote:

• Genevieve (Luke) (27:29): “Pancake dad for Hotmail. I was trying to explain that to Becca the other day.”

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6. Navigating Personal Health Challenges (39:06 – 55:17)

Luke opens up about a personal struggle with an infected eyelid, detailing the discomfort and the steps she’s taking to manage it before an upcoming shoot in Los Angeles. The conversation touches on the challenges of maintaining a public persona while dealing with real-life issues, blending humor with genuine vulnerability.

Notable Quote:

• Genevieve (Luke) (40:06): “I have to go film stuff in Los Angeles, and it's very unsightly. I don't think it's going to get fixed by then.”

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7. Creative Storytelling and Appearance Concerns (55:17 – 57:37)

In a humorous exchange, Andrew and Luke brainstorm creative (and fictional) backstories for her eye condition to present a more engaging narrative for their audience. They joke about resembling Philip Baker Hall and discuss the importance of lighting and presentation in media appearances.

Notable Quote:

• Andrew Walsh (53:30): “Then they said, will you be my boyfriend? I said, no, because I beat you at basketball. And those were the rules.”

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8. A Skit: Mr. Bookman Confrontation (57:09 – 59:04)

The episode concludes with a lighthearted skit featuring a character named Mr. Bookman, who confronts Luke about an overdue library book. This segment blends satire with humorous dialogue, reflecting on societal views of libraries and personal responsibility.

Notable Quote:

• Mr. Bookman (57:11): “You think because you're a celebrity that somehow the law doesn't apply to you? That you're above the law?”

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Final Thoughts

Episode #4350 of TBTL: Too Beautiful To Live masterfully balances humor with heartfelt conversations. Luke and Andrew offer listeners an authentic glimpse into their lives, touching on the highs and lows of online fame, personal challenges, and the enduring friendship that underpins their daily show. Whether discussing the quirks of social media or navigating personal health issues, the hosts maintain a relatable and engaging presence throughout the episode.

Final Quote:

• Genevieve (Luke) (56:58): “Have a great Tuesday. Take care of yourselves, and please remember, no mountain too tall.”

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This comprehensive summary captures the essence of the episode, highlighting key discussions and memorable moments. For those who haven't tuned in, episode #4350 promises a blend of humor, introspection, and the signature camaraderie that defines TBTL.

Transcript

[Luke Burbank]

I have something I need to tell you.

[Andrew Walsh]

I'm all ears.

[Luke Burbank]

Right. I'm not gonna beat around the bush. I'm just gonna get straight to the point. No around. Cause that's just annoying. And definitely no procrastinating. Procrastinating. Procrastinating. That's a good word, isn't it? Procrastinating. Procrastinating. I wonder what the etymology of that word is. Obviously pro. Very good. But crass.

[Genevieve]

Crast.

[Luke Burbank]

I have no idea. Hey, why don't we look it up? Have you got a dictionary?

[Andrew Walsh]

Not on me. Are you doing okay? Tbtl. I have a beta sequence I've been working on. Would you like to see it?

[Genevieve]

You have to be it so we don't see it. You have to live it or we won't forgive it. You have to inhabit it or leave it in the cabinet.

[Andrew Walsh]

I know everything there is to know about computers, okay?

[Genevieve]

All the Twitters, I know them.

[Andrew Walsh]

That's not how it works. That's not how any of this works. What's on the website probably isn't gonna be where it's actually gonna be. Ok? A lot of the times we will play like a Home Depot parking lot.

[Genevieve]

There you go.

[Andrew Walsh]

Or a Best Buy parking lot.

[Genevieve]

Follow the website TBTL well, all right. Hello, good morning and welcome, everybody to a Tuesday edition of tbtl, the show that just might be too beautiful to live.

[Mr. Bookman]

So explain that.

[Genevieve]

My name is Luke Burbank. I am your host.

[Andrew Walsh]

That's a tuna, bro.

[Genevieve]

Coming to you once again from the Madrona Hill studio perched high above the mighty Columbia, where the fog was out this morning. Cloud fog. And the ships were using their fog horns. It was very New England and very cinematic and also very loud. I'm going to be honest with you. Very loud. Maybe take that amount of foghorn you're blowing and cloud fog, cut that in half and make it that amount. Ships that are piloting the mighty Columbia. We are at episode 4350 in a collector series, Let the fun begin. And we have a lot to talk about today, which means we will probably get to very little of it, including the Oxford Dictionary has declared their word of the year.

[Andrew Walsh]

I don't think it means what you.

[Genevieve]

Think it means, of course. It is just. It's clickbait and talk bait and earned media. It's designed to get podcasts like this talking about it, and it's working. Also, if you have been one of those really sort of purposeful, purpose driven people who reuses maybe plastic forks, just kind of rinse them off. Or a water bottle that you bought like at the airport or something. Maybe you shouldn't. I wish I hadn't done that. You should be more like me and never reuse anything. There's a health reason that you want to be careful about that. Also, if we have time, which we won't, we'll bring you a bunk journalism report.

[Andrew Walsh]

I'd like to point out to anybody.

[Genevieve]

Watching this is really bunk journalism. We always have time for this guy. He's the longest running cobra of the show, maybe best known for his depictions of the tall ship. He is Andrew Walsh and he is joining me right now. Good morning, my friend.

[Andrew Walsh]

Good morning, Luke. I promise you, I promise you I am not going to let it go to my head, my newfound online popularity. I mentioned to you before the show that I'm kind of a big deal in some space right now. What happened is I am a brilliant Internet er. You know, I've mentioned on the show several times, I've been spending more time on Reddit, specifically the, the Seattle subreddit. It's a good place to kind of see how people are reacting to news. It's a little community over there. People will post little appreciation posts about the city and how much they love living here. People will post complaining things about the struggles sometimes of living in the city. And I stay out of it all. I'm not somebody who posts to Reddit. I've probably posted to Reddit like three times in my life. Maybe slightly more than that, but it's very rare. In fact, I think the only time I've posted to the Seattle Reddit before was when I was looking for a certain kind of salt. I was looking for lavender salt and I wanted to know if anybody knew of a good salt. I was out of lavender salt. What do you do when you're out of lavender salt?

[Genevieve]

I grow some more.

[Andrew Walsh]

You grow some more lavender?

[Genevieve]

Actually, that is, I grow some lavender and then I chop it up and then I go, I dredge. I go out to the mouth of the Columbia, where it actually meets the Pacific Ocean, which is called the graveyard of the Pacific. I harvest, I go down Nene Tarts Bay and I harvest some salt and then I combine it with my lavender.

[Andrew Walsh]

No joke. That is funny. That's how everybody online is a little bit annoying, right? Unlike me.

[Genevieve]

That was the actual recommendation.

[Andrew Walsh]

No, I mean, you know, but I go on the Seattle subreddit. This is months and months ago, if not a year ago, and I'm just like, hey, you know, I like to have lavender salt on hand and I'm out of it. And the farm I usually get it from is gone. Thought maybe I should buy locally this time. Anybody have any recommendations for like, you know, small locally owned salt shop or something you recommend? Like, could you ask for a more like sort of twee supporting the local economy kind of thing? But of course, you always get somebody who's going to be more Pacific Northwest than. Than you. And like, I got a couple of people who are just kind of like, you don't buy it, you make it. You get yourself some lavender, you get yourself some. I'm just kind of like, come on, Wallingford, just calm down.

[Genevieve]

You're the worst. W U R S T okay, peace and love.

[Andrew Walsh]

But no, I love. I love Wallingford. Of course. It's just like one of those. Anyway, that's not what we're here to talk about. We're talking about my fame.

[Genevieve]

Your Internet fame.

[Andrew Walsh]

My Internet fame. Yesterday I was scrolling through the subreddit, and the subreddit is not a super jokey place. It's not like. It's not the type of place where jokes will get totally out of hand, but people will sort of like pick up on a theme for a day, sort of, if. Let me explain it this way. Few days ago or a week ago, there was somebody who had posted a very specific request for a bar they were looking for. Like, I'm new in town. I'm looking for a really cozy bar where maybe I can get a warm drink and do my work on my laptop and, you know, and had some other specificities to it, which, honestly, people were like, feels like you were born.

[Genevieve]

To answer this question, you know.

[Andrew Walsh]

No, that's not true. This is more of a cozy, like, somebody recommended. And I did think of this, like, the Cozy Nut in Greenwood, which is really not my kind of bar. I'm not the type of place that might have like a fireplace in the corner or whatever. So they were looking for that kind of thing. And a bunch of people answered. But then it also spawned some other people to post their own sort of parodies of that post. Like, somebody posted like, I'm looking for a bar where I can do this. And it was like a picture of Gandalf in a bookshop, like, lighting his pipe or something like that. Right? Or something the opposite of that, like from Blade Run or something. Well, yesterday somebody, or recently somebody had posted a beautiful photo of the Seattle, I believe it was. The city skyline was the first one, maybe from their apartment window or I don't know. Where it was from, but they just wrote I'm never leaving Seattle. And accompanied by this beautiful photo of the city, which prompted other people to post very similar appreciation posts. Somebody posted another one that said I'm never leaving Seattle. And there's a picture of their vantage point or maybe a. Something that they like seeing in their neighborhood. I can't remember all the details of it. And then you get the complainer. Somebody posted a photo of just like, just terrible traffic on the five. And they just said, I'm never leaving Seattle, you know, because they were stuck in traffic and feeling cranky. And I was, as a lot of the great thinkers are sitting on the toilet. When I was sort of scrolling past this stuff yesterday around lunchtime and I just had a very brief idea. I'm like, I'll just post my own. I don't know why I had this idea. I never post unless it's salt related. But I was like, I'm gonna post. So I went out. I had to.

[Genevieve]

Wasn't your pants around your ankles? No, I'm never leaving this bathroom.

[Andrew Walsh]

I did, I did post that. It was an accident, though. I dropped my phone. I had to delete it. Delete, delete, delete. Created a new account. And then I went online. I found a picture of Seattle that I specifically was searching out. And I posted sort of a skyline sort of photo. And I posted it and I just wrote, I'm never leaving Seattle. And I posted this photo and no comment or anything, but the photo I used was a screen cap of a Seattle that somebody built in Minecraft. So it's like this really janky, like, not. I mean, it's really good for, you know, I couldn't do this, but, you know, it's like a kind of a city skyline from above. Like kind of a fake drone shot of like Seattle. You see the Great Wheel. I think maybe you see Rainier in the background. And anyway, but it's all sort of pixelated, but it's all like, yes, it's clearly Minecraft. And that's it. I just wrote I'm never leaving Seattle. And I posted it and I posted that. And then I ran out to my doctor's office and I get to my doctor's office, I'm in the waiting room and I open it up and it's already got like 200 likes or something. I'm like 200 likes. I never post anything on Reddit that gets any kind of reaction. That's just not. I mean, I know some people do. Things are going to start Happening to me now, Luke. I'm waking up this morning, I'm looking at this. We're up to over 1400. They stopped counting the specifics. At a certain point, we're up to 1400 likes. We got people angry at me in the comments saying that this subreddit needs more mods. People are voting them down.

[Genevieve]

Other people are saying they're offended by your Minecraft joke.

[Andrew Walsh]

So I don't know if they. I don't know what. Honestly, at first, that was one of the first comments. I was like, oh, no, did I break a rule? Because, like, subreddits do have rules and, like, they literally have. Every community has moderators, and those moderators make sure that you stay within the line. Some communities don't want a bunch of goofy spamming jokes or whatever. But I was. For a moment, I'm like, oh, no, did I. Did I break the rules? But no, there's just always one of them. There's another person who commented, make your own lavender salt. And I was like, how do you know I'm the same guy? But anyway, yeah, it's a real. It was a real boost. I hadn't. And again, I don't think. Well, obviously 1400 likes on a Seattle subreddit is not maybe the fame that my parents saw for me when they sent me through school, but it's a start.

[Genevieve]

It's better than I did last night when I made my first foray into TikTok posting.

[Andrew Walsh]

Interesting. Well, you're second because I believe you and your nephews maybe collab.

[Genevieve]

Well, I don't think. I think that was Jack.

[Andrew Walsh]

Well, it's on your account, though. You get an executive. You get an executive producer credit.

[Genevieve]

I have points on the back end.

[Andrew Walsh]

Sure.

[Genevieve]

So I deleted that. And. But like, last night, I was putting up my Christmas tree. I was in the Christmas spirit. Becca got me a beautiful wreath to put on my door, and it just had me feeling real Christmassy. So I. But I thought it's kind of a. It's a fairly involved process to put this aluminum Christmas tree together that I have. And so I thought. And I think I might have even done this last year on Instagram where I just did like a time lapse of me putting it together. And I thought, oh, this might be kind of entertaining. I put that up on Instagram and some people seem to like it. And I thought, you know, this might actually be something on TikTok that people might find entertaining, just in the sense that it's that time lapse thing. Like, I'll kind of watch anything that's time lapsed. It just makes it inherently more interesting. And so I just decided I'll put this on TikTok and see what the reaction is. I think I wrote something like, something to the effect of like just checking if sped up aluminum Christmas tree assembly is a thing on here, no problem if not or something. And it has like 80 views but they all appear to be sex bots.

[Andrew Walsh]

You could ask for worse. I mean, I don't think there's war bots, you know.

[Genevieve]

Okay, sure, yeah, make love, not war exactly. But I will probably take it down now because I don't know, I had this fantasy that maybe it would like. It would, it would catch on and would be the talk of TikTok this morning. And it's not. It's just something that various bots have smashed the like button on.

[Andrew Walsh]

Well, the cool thing about bots is they are the like button. They don't have to smash it. Couple of things.

[Genevieve]

You're getting famous online and I'm. I'm becoming even less well known.

[Andrew Walsh]

It sounds like you're giving up pretty early. I didn't go back and delete my salt post. You know, just like I would say that you gotta. If you're not somebody who's creating content, obviously bringing it up on the show now will direct other people towards it. And then that is one thing that I saw with Reddit, of course. And I've again, as a non Reddit poster, never really occurred to me that once something starts to catch a little bit of steam, the algorithm will push it further and further up, you know, and so more and more people see it. So it becomes like a snowball going downhill. I believe TikTok is the same way. I think Blue sky is like specifically not supposedly like that because they're not trying to fall into some of those like kind of astroturfy traps of popularity. I could be wrong about that. But all of that is to say I think I know mistake you may have made. You didn't slap it probably with the hashtag mcm. You. That Christmas tree is definitely hashtag mcm. That was going to bring all the boys to the yard.

[Genevieve]

You know, I didn't do any search optimization or hashtag. I was texting Becca as you were talking about that because I was reminded that she. I don't know if I brought this up on the show recently or not, but she just said something on TikTok the other day. It was in the aftermath of the election and it was like there was This. I don't know if it was a real thing or not, but, you know, the music producer, his stage name is Benny Blanco. I don't know what his real name is. I think that Benny Blanco is a reference to the Carlito's Way character played by John Leguizamo. Benny Blanco from the Bronx. Anyway, he seems like a sweet dude, actually. Like, the guy produces a lot of hit music and is seen as, like, really a really good boyfriend to Selena Gomez, I think is his partner. And so he was. I don't know if he was seriously nominated as the Sexiest man of the year or he was in the running or something. And it's.

[Andrew Walsh]

I think Krasinski won those top honors from People magazine.

[Genevieve]

I do believe Krasinski won, but there was some point at which Benny Blanco was being bandied about.

[Andrew Walsh]

And Benny Blanco is being bandied about, you say?

[Genevieve]

I know that's a lot of bees, dude.

[Andrew Walsh]

I keep up the pattern.

[Genevieve]

So. So anyway, this was right after the election, and Becca was not somebody who thinks that maybe Benny Blanco is the. Is the most.

[Andrew Walsh]

Is the bee's knees. Benny Blanco is a bee's knees.

[Genevieve]

Benny Blanco from the Bronx is not the bee's knees to Becca.

[Andrew Walsh]

Look at that.

[Genevieve]

Just keeps rolling, dude. We get frogs. We get by the B sound, right? Is that the new business model? The new business model, sir?

[Andrew Walsh]

I believe so. This is real Gilbert and Sullivan territory here.

[Genevieve]

So she, like, throws up this comment on, like, there's a post that's like, you know, Benny Blanco is. Whatever it is, people, Sexiest man or something, or he might be. And Becca just said something very innocuous, like, we can't get any elections right in this country. 86,000 likes, like, millions of impressions, 380 replies, mostly MAGA trolls threatening her physical harm, like, commenting on a comment.

[Andrew Walsh]

Wait. Oh, wow. Okay. So that wasn't even her original post. That was her comment underneath. And why are. Why are MAGA trolls protecting Benny Blanco?

[Genevieve]

They were mad about her saying, we can't get any of the election.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, right. Sorry. You know what? I hear it now. Sorry. No, no, no. But of course.

[Genevieve]

But it's. It's just crazy because, like, we'll just be sitting around and, like, every when, you know, after she had posted this thing, every five minutes, there would be literally a thousand notifications on her phone from this one thing. And I believe. I forget what the other one was. There was something else like this where she commented on something, and it just became this, like, Internet sensation. I was like, how is. Can you make that your job. Not even posting on things, but just commenting on things if you seem to have a skill for it.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yes. I'm sorry, you said this was. This was. No, this was not Instagram. Where was this comment made? Are you protecting back in my community?

[Genevieve]

No, no, not at all. I think it was on TikTok.

[Andrew Walsh]

Okay. Wow. Yeah, I didn't know that. Comments. Yeah, that's right. People can react to comments on TikTok. I don't spend a lot of. I don't spend a lot of time there.

[Genevieve]

Well, the thing too is like, imagine this is what we kept talking about. Imagine that you won the election handily. So, you know, imagine Kamala Harris won and that we also took Congress and we had the Supreme Court in her back pocket and everything was coming up. Milhouse, how much time would you spend going on to TikTok comments where somebody was sad about the outcome of the election and trying to roast them? Wouldn't you be on to other bigger and better things? Like, it's the weirdest thing for someone who's in this very moment really, really gotten the W politically to then after the election be going around and trying to, like, threaten my girlfriend in the comments because she made a snide remark about the election.

[Andrew Walsh]

Well, this is going to sound obvious, but I truly don't understand that world anymore. There were times as we saw the progression of online trolling sort of, you know, evolve over the years. There were times where I felt like I had a grasp on it because you would see this stuff. You know, when was Lindy's thing about her? Like, she wrote not a book, but like an article and was kind of outspoken about all the trolling that she received online. That was like at least 10 years ago, I think. Right?

[Genevieve]

I think she did a big this American Life.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yes, that's right. Thank you. I couldn't quite remember, like, kind of.

[Genevieve]

What the Found out album was the beginning of it. I mean, I think Lindy has unfortunately dealt with trolls her whole career, but I wonder if the specifics of that were when she had the temerity to say she didn't find rape jokes funny.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, right.

[Genevieve]

And the stand up, a certain section of the standup comedy world was so threatened by that, by someone having an opinion that then they, you know, she was out battling, you know, stand up comics in the public space and then the trolls really came for.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, and, you know, but again, my point just being that that was a long time ago and people like Lindy and others were talking and trying to like, Sort of understand the mentality, the Internet mentality, the kind of group mentality of that.

[Genevieve]

The brain rot, Andrew.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, the brain rot. More on that soon. But also, like, then, like sort of the robots took over. Then on Facebook, you know, during the elections in 2016, there was like, well, a lot of these commenters that are kind of like really pro maga aren't real. They're like Russian bots that are just supposed to not change the election, just confuse everybody. I was always confused, you know what I mean? So now that we're in 2024, I literally don't understand which ones are real, meaning actually humans and not bots. Which ones are really upset, as opposed to saying just like, yes, I am a human leaving this, but I'm a human with like 1700 accounts and I have some sort of agend. I just don't feel like a lot of these people are real. And then some of them are just real angry people, you know what I mean, who feel a certain way. But I'm just very, very confused how that breaks down these days and how much, like you said, you have some sex bot. By the way, if you send me that list of sex bots and I'll do some research on that later, but.

[Genevieve]

Do incognito for that.

[Andrew Walsh]

Andrew, what is the. That is my online name on Reddit. Yes, Incognito, Andrew. So anyway, yeah, I don't understand what the point of a lot of the Stu stuff that isn't sincere is.

[Genevieve]

Well, the ones that she was reading me and she was just cherry picking some of the most insane sounded like they were from real people.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, yeah. Oh, okay.

[Genevieve]

Because, you know, it had sort of. It's not exactly Reddit, but still, I think that there with the algorithms is something where if something gets caught in an updraft, all of a sudden a bunch of people are seeing it who would have otherwise not seen it. And so then, yeah, it just kind of. It becomes part of the conversation. And for, you know, a day or two, it was a big part of the conversation on TikTok about the, about the election.

[Andrew Walsh]

Well, let me ask you about this. What is what. I've never been threatened online before. I've been scolded for not making my own lavender salt, and that took me a few days to get over. Yeah. Oh, I'm also looking.

[Genevieve]

What you said in the police report.

[Andrew Walsh]

I'm also looking for chive salt, if anybody has that. But how does Becca react to that?

[Genevieve]

Just laughter.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, Because, I mean, that can be. I mean, in this Case, you know, even though people are making personal attacks on her, her comment wasn't necessarily something super personal. But, I mean, obviously being threatened online by people who are, you know, really into guns or whatever is not always.

[Genevieve]

I may have also. I may have overstated it when I say threatened. I don't know how much of it was real threats. It was mostly just like, you should die. Is that a threat or is that just a comment on what they're hoping for? I don't know.

[Andrew Walsh]

I have more of a comment than a question.

[Genevieve]

You should die.

[Andrew Walsh]

Thank. I'll take my answer off the air.

[Genevieve]

I would love to see you do that at a Q and A Elliot Bay Books or something and just wait around. Or a film at the Seattle Film Festival. More of a comment than a question. You should die.

[Andrew Walsh]

That. More of a comment than a question. That phrase haunted me so much when I first moved to Seattle and I was going around to places like Town Hall. Oh, where Chris Hayes will be on. What. Do you remember the date? February. February 2nd 4th. Yeah. It's a Wednesday. I know that.

[Genevieve]

Something that I should definitely guess at.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yes, exactly. People can look it up. They can use that Internet that. The safe side of the Internet.

[Genevieve]

But what if I'm not in conversation with Chris Hayes for that?

[Andrew Walsh]

What if. Well, I'm curious. I'm curious what's going to happen to you.

[Genevieve]

I shamelessly threw my hat in the ring.

[Andrew Walsh]

Right. If it's somebody else, that could be said.

[Genevieve]

I will. I'll put the. I'll get the PR people working on that. But that is not a hard. That's not a hard. Yes.

[Andrew Walsh]

No, it's not.

[Genevieve]

Could be setting me up for a soft. You know, letting me down. Like the way they'd let Benny Blanco down when he found out he wasn't actually people's sexiest man.

[Andrew Walsh]

Benny Blancos the bee's knees. I don't know if you heard that or not, but, yeah, I am wondering if it ends up being somebody else. Like, I. It would be. Obviously, it would be a disaster, but it would be. I would. I would never accept the gig because I'd be so bad at it, but I would respect Chris so much if he asked me to do it. Just to troll you.

[Genevieve]

I would love that.

[Andrew Walsh]

Just to troll you. I would totally.

[Genevieve]

By the way, I would not be good at that.

[Andrew Walsh]

You know, I wouldn't be good at that. And that's fine. I don't have to be good at everything.

[Genevieve]

Well, wait a sec. Why do you think you would be.

[Andrew Walsh]

I'm sorry. Chris, I don't want the job. Thank you for. Can I just clear the air right now? Chris, thank you so much for considering me, but I don't think I can take the job right now. I have a lot on my plate. I'm kind of a big deal on Reddit.

[Genevieve]

See, this is the thing. You're half joking, but I think, I think you would be great at that. I think you have. When you read something, you have interesting thoughts, and I think you would be able to formulate those into questions. Like, I don't think that it's given.

[Andrew Walsh]

Here's the deal. If that was something that I, And I don't mean just Chris's thing, I just mean generally speaking, if earlier in my life I was like, that is a real goal of mine. I want to be the per. I want to be. I want to do a lot of the things that you do like that. And I want to be the type of person who, when they come to town, you are on the list of people that maybe somebody would turn to. Like, maybe if that was a true goal of mine and it was something I enjoyed and I worked towards, maybe I could be there at age 48, but it's not something that I necessarily want. It goes back a little bit to. And I'm just trying to learn, like, what my boundaries are and, like, and there's nothing wrong with also just sort of saying, yeah, that's not my wheelhouse, you know, And I think that I'm not. First of all, for stuff like that, you have to be able to just devour content. And I'm a slow reader. It would take me. I'd have to. I would have had to start preparing before Chris was done writing the book. Probably. I would be super, super nervous. And I would sound nervous. I would come. My questions would sound stilted because I'd be so in my head about it. Again, if I had started doing this on a lower level at a, you know, I mean, you know, with less eyeballs at a younger age, maybe I could have worked towards it. But, like, I don't. I don't feel like I just learned a lot in Burian Luke, like, never, never forget Burian.

[Genevieve]

That I would love to actually get ears on that thing because I bet you it was so much better than you remember it being and that and so much better than you felt it was going in the moment. For those who are just joining us, this was a debate, a local political debate, right, that you hosted or it was a roundtable you hosted?

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, it was Technically, not a debate. I can't remember. I think they called it a. What would you call it? It was. Yeah, more of a forum or whatever, but it was with a bunch of candidates who were running for Burian, I believe, city council. It was a long time ago. It's funny I remember about that, except.

[Genevieve]

That it scarce you for life.

[Andrew Walsh]

Except it's also amazing how much I. How much my brain doesn't remember, but my. But my heart and my.

[Genevieve]

The body keeps the score.

[Andrew Walsh]

The body does keep the score, as.

[Genevieve]

This one book in my therapist's office in Bellingham said to me for years and years as I stared at it behind the therapist. But first of all, that is a very hard gig. I would not want to try to go host a forum related to the politics of a city that I wasn't super informed on with a number of people who are probably not themselves, just, you know, charisma in a can, trying to make that whole thing kind of sizzle a little bit. That's a very, very tough lift. That's much harder than, like, talking to professional writer and thinker and commentator, television's Chris Hayes, like, you know what I mean? Like, that's. He knows exactly what he's doing. I. If I. If I do get the gig, fingers crossed, I'll just be kind of, you know, teeing it up for him to do his thing. That is so much easier than the Burien city council election.

[Andrew Walsh]

I do think, though, before we got serious about my skills and potentially the lack thereof, I do think it would be a really funny troll if we hadn't already had all of these conversations, and it wasn't really, like, if we weren't here in the dialogue right now, but if instead you had reached out to Chris and said, hey, just. If you're looking for somebody, I'm around. Would love to do this with you, buddy. And he's like, yeah, I'm going to. You know, let me. Let me ask who's doing that? And then you. And I never comment on it, but maybe, I don't know, four weeks later, I just say, hey, did you hear that Chris asked me to do the. To do the town hall event with him? Like, what would your reaction be? That would be. You want to talk about trolling? That would be just so wonderful. You should.

[Genevieve]

I would. I. More of a comment than a question. I honestly think I would love it so much. I would. First of all, I would totally want to come attend, and I think I would. I would absolutely love it. Like, I don't know I mean, you know, I'm the guy who was all butthurt about Chris Fleming's very funny standup bit about. Wait, wait, don't tell me. Last week. So I guess I'd have to experience it to really know. But I do think I'm getting to the point in my job life where if something. If I end up not doing something, the relief of not having to do something is pretty intense to the point where. So, for instance, I, for the last good number of years, have been the face of the cybersecurity training of a large software concern on the east side. And I don't know if they're rehiring me to do it or not. I would like to point out if they're listening. I got recognized two times in Seattle as Microsoft Guy, and it was without a doubt, the most excited anyone's ever been to recognize me, but.

[Andrew Walsh]

Except for somebody who recognized you as pancake dad in 2009. Right.

[Genevieve]

Okay. That also. That was a big moment for all of us.

[Andrew Walsh]

I have that right, Right? You were the pancake.

[Genevieve]

Yes, I was Pancake dad for Hotmail. I was trying to explain that to Becca the other day.

[Andrew Walsh]

How do you explain pancake for hot pants?

[Genevieve]

How do you catch a cloud and pin it down? Like, it makes. No, I was like, yeah, I did this. I don't know if it was an ad. I don't even know what it was. I just stood in a kitchen and I pretended to make pancakes for, like, days on end. And then later, they filmed someone actually making the pancakes that somehow was promoting Hotmail.

[Andrew Walsh]

Wasn't it? Somewhat. I thought it was somewhat interactive. I might be confusing you with the angry choice. Yes. You could go.

[Genevieve]

You could log on and you could say, make a dinosaur. Or you could make. And if you said something naughty, I would say something like, all right, that's a little adult for what we're doing here. Like, I'd recorded every possible response and every. Like, hundreds of things that someone might ask to, you know, a shape of a pancake to be made in. And so there was all this recorded stuff of me. And then they would cut to. Somebody came in afterwards and made these pancakes, and they filmed all of it. I don't know.

[Andrew Walsh]

It's very subservient. Chicken. I said angry chicken.

[Genevieve]

I think that was. Must have been the kind of. The motivation. And unfortunately, it wasn't enough to save Hotmail. We had a lot riding on it. But here's the point. I don't know if this. This is about the time of year When I'm usually filming those things, and, you know, there's always big shakeups at the corporate level, and it's unclear to me if they're going to have me back to do it. And I'll. You know, I'll tell you that it's. The remuneration of it is pretty good for me. Turns out Microsoft, you know, they're doing okay, but the relief that I will feel of not having to do it, even though it's really fun and everyone is super nice to me, the. The being the central character of this thing for, like, three intense days of filming, where it's. Every single bit of it revolves around me and, you know, if I'm doing it okay or not or whatever it is, it's something that gives me a pit in my stomach. And I'm. You would think I'd be like, oh, dear God, I hope they rehire me for this, because I could use the dough. But I really feel like if they don't, I don't have to do it. And I'm, like, massively relieved about that. That's where I'm at in my career. So what I'm saying is I would. I think I would genuinely, first of all, I would just absolutely love the theatricality of it. Like you said, the trolling of it, if you were. Actually, the. Really. The best way to handle it is I say, hey, Chris, man, if you need someone to, like, you know, sit on stage with, he's like, yeah, yeah, yeah, let me. Let me run that up the flagpole. And then it's just the day after, and you're, like, moving a little slow today. I was kind of out late last night. You know, after I did the Chris thing, then we went, you know, we got a couple drinks or whatever. That would be the most.

[Andrew Walsh]

The biggest, flexible afterwards.

[Genevieve]

Because if I found out after the event that you had, that you had been in conversation with, that would be. That would be an immense flex and probably something that would hurt my fragile ego.

[Andrew Walsh]

You know, speaking of that feeling of, like, saying yes to something and then realizing that all you want to do is get past it, you're not even looking. I mean, unfortunately, there are too many things in my life.

[Genevieve]

Every single thing in my life.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, unfortunately, like, there are sometimes even, like, quote unquote, fun things. I'm like, let's just get through it. I'm just here so I won't get fined, and then you do it and it's fine. But as far as I kind of work things or sort of obligations There was one. I need to be a little bit careful here because I don't think this event has happened yet. It was sort of a, sort of on the, on the down low sort of a fun thing that a former colleague, somebody that I used to work with, asked me if I would emcee a little like kind of awards ceremony that he was thinking about holding for, for some, for some other people in the industry. And that's all I can kind of say about that because I don't, I don't want to give away too much because I don't think this thing has happened. But had asked me like, you know, and this would be, I don't, you know, this would not be a paying gig or whatever. It would actually be a very. When I say mc, we're talking about like in the back of some sort of bar, somewh or something, just sort of a silly little thing. And asked me if I would be the emcee for this thing. And I just said no. And I just said, listen, no, let me help you. Let me help you brainstorm. And this is somebody that I like a lot. This is somebody who I don't like saying no to. And, but it didn't even, I didn't even struggle with that one. And I'm not trying to be a jerk about it, but like, I, what I said was, you know, I'm not the right person for this, but let's brainstorm it and let me see if I can help, you know, And I don't, I don't think my brainstorming really helped much, but I didn't want to just say that and just like, then forget about it. But like I said, I'm not the right person. He said, you are the right person, but that's okay. But I was like, in my own head, I'm just like, all this will do is put this date on my calendar. That will be a pit in my stomach and it shouldn't be that way. If I were a different person, it would put something on my calendar that I would look forward to, an opportunity to get together with some old colleagues, meet some new people who I haven't met in the industry, probably meet some younger people in the industry. If I was a different person, this would be a great fun thing to do in the city I love. And also it's really flattering that somebody would invite me to do something like that. But I'm me. And I was sitting there again, probably on the toilet having this text conversation and just thinking to myself, if I say yes to this because I feel kind of bad saying no right now. It's going to kind of screw up the next several months because it's going to live in my head and it's going to get more and more pronounced and I'm going to get more and more nervous as it happens and I'm going to be mad at myself for not sort of just saying no to this thing. So I don't know, I was going to say I'm trying to be better at that, but maybe I've always been good at that. Maybe I've always been good at saying no, but I'm kind of happy with that decision.

[Genevieve]

Now that you've tasted the white hot light of fame that is noted Seattle Reddit commenter. Has that changed your opinion now that you've gotten a taste for it?

[Andrew Walsh]

My problem is I think that more people are going to be coming at me with requests. You know what I mean? I told you. Oh, in fact, I did. I got. I got a request to be on the KUW podcast later this week. It's happening and I'm pretty. I know for a fact that Von Jones, the person who produces that show, is often spending time in that Seattle subreddit. They probably saw my post, thought, this guy's going somewhere. And yeah, Vaughn would be wrong to think otherwise. I am going somewhere, going to bed immediately after the show.

[Genevieve]

Dalton Trumbo style.

[Andrew Walsh]

Thank you for being a tam.

[Genevieve]

Andrew. The way that I'm able to be so sanguine about maybe not booking the cybersecurity gig for a large software concern is because I'm able to do this for my job. I'm able to butter my bread over here as a co host and one of the three employees of two beautiful Tabiz.

[Andrew Walsh]

Do you think that Benny Blanco. Is it Benny Blanco or Benny?

[Genevieve]

Benny Blanco from the Bronx?

[Andrew Walsh]

Do you think that Benny Blanco from the Bronx butters his bread?

[Genevieve]

You're going to be doing this all day, like every bee, long after the show has ended. You're going to be puttering tonight. I think you're going to be dart botting it up and thinking of bees. I love it. We are able to do this as a job because of the support of our donors. It's an incredible thing. Incredible people like Lara O'Neill Dunn of Durham, North Carolina. I feel like we had a Winston Salem, North Carolina. Maybe yesterday.

[Andrew Walsh]

We did. In fact, only fate broke up these two North Carolinians. North Carolinians.

[Genevieve]

North Carolinians.

[Andrew Walsh]

North Carolinians. Thank you. I'm gonna be so bad on stage with Chris. But yeah, because we stay off the.

[Genevieve]

Top of the state that's above South Carolina.

[Andrew Walsh]

I'm not going to mention any state. Yeah, South Carolinians. I have no problem with the north, though. Yeah. No, we had a Winston Salem is our last thank you yesterday and then the first thank you today.

[Genevieve]

Look at this. The Tar Heel State showing up and showing out here for TBTL. As is the Evergreen State where Burley McIntyre is in Seattle, Washington.

[Andrew Walsh]

Thank you.

[Genevieve]

It's Burley. We love you. We appreciate you. We also appreciate Mike Sylvester. He's just a little bit north up there in Everett, Washington.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, yes, definitely the airplane.

[Genevieve]

Really great. You want to talk about mcm? Some really great MCM happening up there in Everett, Washington.

[Andrew Walsh]

Can I tell you something? That was hurtful. Somebody posted one of those funny maps of Seattle that like, broke it down. This was not on Reddit, by the way. This was on Instagram, so it had a little bit more integrity to it. It was one of those maps that sort of breaks down all the different areas and it gives it sort of a funny name. Like, you know, instead of like Lower Queen Anne, it's like where your friends have babies in strollers or whatever, like that kind of thing. And you know what our neighborhood said? Nope. Our neighborhood was called Nope. It was right above Carthevery Stan, I believe.

[Genevieve]

Where what neighborhood was declared?

[Andrew Walsh]

Carthevery Stan, just further south on Aurora, I think. Or I may be in Carthevery Stan and maybe nope is right north of me. I'm not exactly sure. But Everett definitely avoided catching any strays there because I don't like that.

[Genevieve]

I don't like them putting a nope on any neighborhood in Seattle. I think it's this Andrew and Genevieve erasure will not stand.

[Andrew Walsh]

It was very rude.

[Genevieve]

I have been to your lovely home and enjoyed time with you there and I did not feel like I was in a nope zone.

[Andrew Walsh]

Although I did steal your car.

[Genevieve]

Well, yeah, I was in.

[Andrew Walsh]

I needed cash fast.

[Genevieve]

Our relationship is still yet to recover from that. Thanks to Dana Hoyle, who's in Portland, Oregon.

[Andrew Walsh]

Dana, thank you very much.

[Genevieve]

Doug Ratamaker is in St. Louis, Missouri.

[Andrew Walsh]

Someday I'm going to visit there and me and Doug are going to cut it up.

[Genevieve]

Go look at the arch. It's incredible.

[Andrew Walsh]

I really do. As advertised as one of those cities, I really. St. Louis and Baltimore are two cities that I really want to spend some quality time in. I don't know why I said quality time like that, but I did.

[Genevieve]

Speaking of boundaries, they wanted me. I'm doing this TV profile of the standup comedy performer Nikki Glaser, and she's hosting the Golden Globes.

[Andrew Walsh]

She's a real roaster, right? She's.

[Genevieve]

Yes, it's kind of. I think one of the, one of the things that really rocketed her to prominence was her extremely dark style of roasting people at those roasts. But also she's a very successful standup comic. And they were like, well, we have availability, but it's in St. Louis and it's the week of Thanksgiving. And I was like, I just can't make that happen because it's Thanksgiving and I'm doing things. And it was because she's from St. Louis and I think, you know, she was going to be there with her family. And they, you know, there was various PR people were kind of sort of in the, in the further negotiation around the. When we were going to film and this and that. It was noted that I wasn't available to go to St. Louis last week. And I was like, come on, like, you know, can't tell me one day before Thanksgiving. Like it, you know, this wasn't on the calendar for six months.

[Andrew Walsh]

In other words, you feel like people were sort of dragging your name around in these emails as if you were being a prima donna.

[Genevieve]

Yes. Or as if I had made things unnecessarily difficult for everyone by not dropping everything in my life, literally the week of Thanksgiving to fly to St. Louis and back. Which sounds like an. I mean, nothing against the city of St. Louis, which you've already established you're going to visit, but that sounds like a living nightmare Thanksgiving week, unless I was going home to visit, you know, my actual family or something. So anyway, Doug, point is we missed each other last week. I'm sorry I couldn't make it to St. Louis, but just know that the PR people for the Golden Globes and Nikki Glazer are more mad at me than you could ever be.

[Andrew Walsh]

I can't believe you got through that whole thing without saying Louis in a high pitched voice. That, my friend, is gross. Or regression. Or regression. I'm not sure.

[Genevieve]

Or forgetting.

[Andrew Walsh]

Or forgetting.

[Genevieve]

Or forgetfulness. Forget me. Shot. You know what I haven't forgotten is that Sean Moss is in Seattle, Washington and is our final donor that we are thanking today.

[Andrew Walsh]

Thank you, Sean.

[Genevieve]

Thank you. Thanks to all of our donors for making TBTL possible. We could not do this without you.

[Andrew Walsh]

Hello and welcome to Top Story.

[Genevieve]

So we've got these stories that we could talk about, although I have to be Honest, I was very upfront about the fact that we're probably not getting to the stories today, but really what I could tell you, Andrew, is we're on a slightly tight timeline here today because I need to dash out of here and go to Kaiser Permanente to have a different doctor look at my bulging eye disc.

[Andrew Walsh]

Hey, keep it for the sex bots, my friend.

[Genevieve]

My bulging eyelid that has some kind of infected duct. Like, it got clogged and then it became infected, and now it is very, very red and irritated. Even though I took the entire course of antibiotics and the entire course of probiotics, it made no impact. And I have to be honest with you, I kind of knew it would make no impact. Like, when the doctor said, we'll start you with these antibiotics, I kind of thought, well, I'll see you in a week. You know, like, I just didn't have any hope that it was going to magically cure whatever's going on with my eye. But the problem is I have to go this week, have to go film stuff in Los Angeles, and it's very unsightly. I don't think it's going to get fixed by then. And I don't know what to do about it. I have. I did go buy some special concealer at the Walgreens that I'm wearing right now.

[Andrew Walsh]

So you could probably.

[Genevieve]

It's probably not super noticeable on the connection that we're on, but if you were standing to the side of me and you. And you looked at my lower eyelid on my left, you would say, is that the noted character actor Philip Baker Hall? And I would say, no, it's not Andrew. It's me with an eye infection.

[Andrew Walsh]

But you do have the gravitas.

[Genevieve]

I mean, and many have said it. Yeah, that I have. I've carried many a Paul Thomas Anderson film with my sort of world weariness.

[Andrew Walsh]

Indeed.

[Genevieve]

But anyway, it's. It's very embarrassing. And in fact, last weekend when Beck and I were in Seattle, we kept running into tens and I kept having conversations with them and. And like, for instance, we were talking to Amy, who sells really cool stuff there in the Pike Place market, and she said something like, I'm a little behind on the show. And what I wanted to say was, I know I have this weird thing on my eye. If you were up to date on the show, Amy, you would know what's going on, but you're not. So you probably just think that I don't know this is here, and I.

[Andrew Walsh]

Do know it's here, but you didn't do that.

[Genevieve]

I didn't do anything. I'm doing it now.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, yeah, it.

[Genevieve]

Which Amy will hear in six because it feels so.

[Andrew Walsh]

I mean, honestly, I can't see it from here. But, you know, we're also in a blinding.

[Genevieve]

Yeah, I'm in a blinding shaft of. Of sunlight here in the Madrona Hill studio. And I'm also blasting myself with not one, but two yellow, like, you know, light boxes. I'm doing everything in my power to minimize this. And I do think I'm gonna have to have a talk with our camera person in LA and say, can you try to shoot me from the now, here's the thing, Andrew, and this is what I don't. We run a drone and just have. I want to be looking up at the drone like Tim Robbins at the Shawshank in the Shawshank Redemption when he finally busts out of the. Right out of the sewer line. That's what I want the whole shoot to be for me. But this is the weird part, and this is where. So I'm going to the doctor today. I don't know what they're going to do other than schedule me probably for a procedure where they'll have to, like, cut this thing out down the road.

[Andrew Walsh]

Because that's.

[Genevieve]

The other thing is, I'm sure that the results of that are probably more unsightly than what I'm currently dealing with, but this is where my brain is. So strange, Andrew, and so devious. For some reason, I was a mat. I was. I was already sort of like, planning out how I was going to talk about this unsightly eye situation with our camera folks and the producer and anybody else, probably Nikki Glaser, anybody else in LA who will listen. And the first thought I had was, I'm going to say that I got poked in the eye playing basketball at the ymca and then it got infected, which for some reason seems like a cooler story and also like, less gross than what the reality is, which is a duct became blocked and is now infected. Is now has a raging infection that cannot be tamed by anti or probiotics given mood.

[Andrew Walsh]

For some reason, I pictured you playing basketball with a duck and then the duck accidentally stuck its bill in your eye. How long did you. Every now and then I will have a notion that is so fleeting that you couldn't even measure it in time. But then I'll kind of tell you about it as if it was something I considered a little bit more because it's interesting to think about that way. How Long did you consider this?

[Genevieve]

Well, I'm still considering it.

[Andrew Walsh]

Okay, good. Well, nobody will know. We'll keep it.

[Genevieve]

Well, my thought was, what are the chances that anybody involved in this conversation will listen to tbtl? The chances are pretty low.

[Andrew Walsh]

I just don't think anybody's going to believe it because it doesn't look like that kind of thing. And if I said to you, hey.

[Genevieve]

I'm sorry I got poked in the eye playing basketball and it's like just gotten weird on me, so I apologize. Maybe if you guys could try to film me from this side or something, that would be awesome. Doesn't that feel like a low key, chill, not gross thing versus, oh, hey, I'm sorry that my eyelid is infected and possibly full of pus. We can never know because. Because it's such a large lesion that I need to leave it to the medical professionals to deal with it.

[Andrew Walsh]

Well, yeah, I mean, honestly, when you put it like that, I do wonder if maybe you're giving a little bit more information. You could maybe do it without the pus. You could just say, hey, my eyes messed up. Could you? You know, you don't have to get into it. You don't have to get into it.

[Genevieve]

I got my basketball.

[Andrew Walsh]

I got a bum eye.

[Genevieve]

I was playing basketball at the Y. I got poked in the eye and now it's like swollen. So sorry about that. I just feel like that's the most cool, chill way that this could have happened.

[Andrew Walsh]

Okay. I'm. I was playing basketball with Jake from State Farm and he, you know, sharp elbows on that guy. So could you shoot me from the other direction?

[Genevieve]

Yeah. I feel like that's a, that's a believable story and it makes me sound like not a weird medical oddity who's having infected eyelids, but a guy who goes and plays basketball at the Y and has a rich, full life.

[Andrew Walsh]

But you don't need a story at all. Nobody is going to. There's not going to be a follow up if you just say, hey, I have a messed up eye. You don't have to say how you're. You got your eye messed up.

[Genevieve]

But don't you kind of want to know? Wouldn't you kind of want to know? Don't you feel like the backstory informs you're your Hollywood sensation Nikki Glaser and you're going to meet this reporter they've sent down from CBS who is already on your last nerve because he wouldn't go to St. Louis during Thanksgiving week. And now he walks in and he's got Philip Baker hall eye also, by the way, I keep meaning to actually do a Google image search and see how bad my eyelid is compared to his resting eyelid state. His resting bluffer situation.

[Andrew Walsh]

Look him up here like, is this comparable. He's no longer. I should be careful here. We've done this before on. Okay. Yeah, no, he did pass cast somewhat recently in 2022.

[Genevieve]

Yes.

[Andrew Walsh]

Let's see here. Yeah, he's got. Well, you can sort of see him through the ages here. He definitely had. He definitely had baggy eyes, not unlike our boy Michael Christmas. I was listening to that again recently. That's dead ass.

[Genevieve]

You high?

[Andrew Walsh]

You remember the. Luke remembers. Yeah. So I'm trying to think is one of his eyes more specific? It's just you're referring to the fact that maybe both eyes just are kind of baggy or does he have something distinct in one of his eyes?

[Genevieve]

I think he just has heavy. Heavy eyelids.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, exactly. Which.

[Genevieve]

Which again I think lent. You know, they lent themselves or that look lent itself. Well to these characters that he would play particularly in like, you know, Magnolia and stuff.

[Andrew Walsh]

Sure.

[Genevieve]

He's kind of a world weary. Is he a. Is he a TV journalist? Is he like an anchor in that? Or is he a game show host?

[Andrew Walsh]

Game show host. I'm pretty sure in Magnolia it's a game show host. Yeah. That he plays.

[Genevieve]

But I mean, you know, the idea that he's. I think he's. He's. He doesn't have long to live on the show. Right. That's the.

[Andrew Walsh]

That is movie. I could be wrong about this, but there's also a famous actor who plays Tom Cruise's dad and he's literally on his deathbed for most of the movie. But you're right.

[Genevieve]

Jason Robarts.

[Andrew Walsh]

Jason Robarts. But yeah. Does Philip Michael Hall's character also. He also has Baker hall or Philip Baker Hall. He. He's got an infidelity storyline, but also. Yeah. Health storyline. Doesn't.

[Genevieve]

And I think he's like not telling people he's about to sign off for the quiz show that he ever hosts or game show. Yeah. And. But anyway, his look really lent itself to that sort of character. I don't think that the people who want to promote the Golden Globes are like, we hope that the person interviewing Nikki Glaser looks like a half a Philip Baker Hall.

[Andrew Walsh]

I think your production.

[Genevieve]

I don't think it. I don't think it lends itself to this whole thing.

[Andrew Walsh]

We couldn't afford a full Philip Baker hall. So we went with half. I think that your film crew. Whatever you tell them, whatever you tell them doesn't matter as far as the final outcome. You know what I mean? That. That's just. That's just your pride.

[Genevieve]

It is a slow creeping of my. Me being high maintenance and being a diva. Because I will tell you this, Andrew, there is a specific camera person in LA who I work with a lot who will very possibly be the camera person for this shoot. Who. I adore this guy. I really love working with him. But every time I do a story that he lights, I feel like I look like death warmed over.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh.

[Genevieve]

And I kind of want to have a conversation with him and say, I don't know what is going on with how I'm being lit, but I look extra bad. Not just my normal amount of bad, but extra bad.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, I'm sorry. Can I back up for a second? Because I was actually mis. I misunderstood. I thought you meant it was sort of a coincidence that every time you work with this person, you have some malady that is affecting your looks. You're saying that like, I mean, other than normal face, but their final product. For some reason, when you work with them, you're always like, ooh, yikes. The lighting on this. There's something about the way you feel like you shoot, you.

[Genevieve]

It's the. It's the worst that I look in any of these.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, that's really an interesting. That's a conundrum. That's really interesting.

[Genevieve]

And I don't want to get too weird with it, but I wonder if. Well, I'm a different ethnicity than this person. And I wonder if there's a. I wonder if there's something about. In. Unfortunately, in the way that, you know, the sort of dominant white paradigm has very often left, you know, people of color and others out of, like, you know, the Kodachrome scale and things like that. Like, there's a lot of stuff around the default setting is whiteness and what that means for everybody else. But I wonder if in this case it's like. I wonder if the person is like, you know, I don't know, like if somehow the difference in our skin tone in any way impacts this outcome that I keep seeing, which is that I look, again, I have to clarify, extra bad, because there's just a base level of bad that I always look, but these are even worse. And so. So you throw in that element, you throw in the Philip Baker hall eye, and it's going to be. I'm hoping that we can just do the Entire shoot outside where I can be wearing sunglasses and looking at a drone.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah.

[Genevieve]

Looking up towards a drone, I was going to say.

[Andrew Walsh]

Sounds like somebody's going to go full Slick Rick for this shoot. And I am here to the ruler.

[Genevieve]

I mean, look, here's the thing. If you can lean into an eyepatch and if you can, you know, make it your thing, like Mr. Fischer in.

[Andrew Walsh]

Bob's Burgers or Mr. Leno in the world.

[Genevieve]

Yeah. I don't, I. That whole thing was kind of honestly upsetting when I actually saw him.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah.

[Genevieve]

He was. The bruising was so pronounced.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah.

[Genevieve]

That it was rough. But yeah. If you can like become an eyepatch guy or eyepatch person and really commit to it, it's a kind of a dope look, I think, honestly. But you've got to like, you've, you've got to do it permanently. And you can't do one of those flesh toned, flesh colored eye patches. Whoever thought that that was less upsetting.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah.

[Genevieve]

Was not right.

[Andrew Walsh]

Sometimes things need to stand out. They don't need to blend in. It's the blending in that's the problem. Yeah, precisely. There's a problem with those. And again, we say, you know, that's sort of fraught too because when you talk about flesh tone, not all like kind of medical equipment or what have you has been, you know, the things they called flesh tone were only white people's flesh tone for the longest time. But I think about, in fact, you know, we won't get into this now because maybe you'll put it back on the show sheet at some point. But I saw that we were going to maybe talk about sort of the new technology of the blurring line between air pods, not air buds, those are dogs, air pods and hearing aids. Cause my dad basically has a hearing aid now that is basically an airpod. And every time I talk to him, you know, he's talking to me on that thing. And it's both like, he talks on the phone with his hearing aid. He uses his hearing aid to aid his hearing. He listens to music on it. You know what I mean? I think a long time ago I sort of. Of saw that coming with the sort of advancement of these things. I think that's really interesting. But it got me thinking about the early days of hearing aids and how there was always a stigma around them when I was a kid because I think the technology was somewhat newer, but also the technology was bigger and bulkier. And I remember, I think it was my grandfather, somebody in my life had one and he hated wearing it. But he could never hear us. Huh huh. So he would have to dance. Dad. My grandma called him dad, dad, put on your hearing aid. And then like he'd put this thing and be behind his ear. And it was like that again, like that beige color. And it's like, why are we making.

[Genevieve]

That Was supposed to make it less noticeable.

[Andrew Walsh]

I didn't notice that this thing is behind grandpa's huge cauliflower ear. You know what I mean? Like, oh, that makes it better. Just make it like a swatch watch. Like, let's lean into this shit.

[Genevieve]

Absolutely. Bright red maybe or some other non natural color not occurring in nature. Now here's the real question. If I go to this document doctor and this doctor says, oh, you know what? If you want, I can shoot that up with some lidocaine and I can cut that thing right off. Do I opt for that because I really want it off of my face? It will again. It would be probably worse looking.

[Andrew Walsh]

I God, I don't for this. That's tempting though, especially if you're like that way you can just say, I had eye surgery. Nobody has to ask you what kind of eye surgery.

[Genevieve]

After that, I won the basketball game.

[Andrew Walsh]

Pustules.

[Genevieve]

For some reason, they were so mad at me because I dunked on them so many times. That was the rules. Boston Celtics.

[Andrew Walsh]

That's right, Baltimore Celtics.

[Genevieve]

Those are the rules. After I dunked on the Baltimore Celtics so many times at the Y that they couldn't even stand it. Then they poked me right in the eye and then I had to have eye stitches.

[Andrew Walsh]

Then they said, will you be my boyfriend? I said, no, because I beat you at basketball. And those were the rules.

[Genevieve]

So it sounds like the decision has already been made. If they offer to resect this, if they offer to cut this thing out of or off of my eyelid today, I should just go for it.

[Andrew Walsh]

I don't know. I would ask a lot of questions before that. You really. When it. When you. When is this shoot for real?

[Genevieve]

You said it's Thursday.

[Andrew Walsh]

They might honestly say, well, you'll have to wear an eye patch for a while. And then you really will have to make that decision to wear like a piratey eye patch or like a black. Because you do. You seriously do not want. You can't be on CBS with like a big bandage over your eye.

[Genevieve]

No, but what about just some like stitches? Eyelid stitches? I mean, that's. Then it's like, I'm sorry, I was. I saw these street toughs hassling Some nuns who were getting some orphans to the food bank. And I had to step in because they were hassling these nuns and orphans and, you know, you should have seen the other guy. But anyway, yeah, they did got me a pretty good shiner here.

[Andrew Walsh]

Well, I think that we're making this easier and easier on you for sure. I think we've definitely found a good solution. So your appointment, actually. In fact, I'm going to go ahead and make a decision here. Here, Luke. What if I just start sneaking this up now because I like it. You have to run out to go to this appointment. I guess we'll find out tomorrow what the doctor says. I don't think. I think you want to be careful going under the night. It's very.

[Genevieve]

So much.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, yeah.

[Genevieve]

And also I'm wearing all this concealer on it right now, but there's a point at which I have to unconceal it so that, like, the doctor's getting the full measure of it.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, yeah.

[Genevieve]

So that means I have to walk through Kaiser. Yes, it means I'm going to go into the bathroom here at the Madrona Hill Studio. I'm going to get some warm water, I'm going to wipe off my cosmetic. But then it means as I walk through Kaiser Permanente, I'm going to have this big, like. It looks like a. Like a cranberry on my eyelid. It's very unsightly.

[Andrew Walsh]

So, you know, I was at the doctors yesterday too, and it occurred to me, I want to give you a quick. Because I've given you updates on my sort of ongoing saga with getting blood drawn, which is something that I have to do maybe about once every three months now. And I want to tell you what happened in the blood lab yesterday. I was, I, you know, I advocated for myself, which is never something that is very comfortable for me.

[Genevieve]

Tomorrow is going to be all medical problems all the time.

[Andrew Walsh]

So old Luke, do you remember when the show was new? You guys were like these young hipsters.

[Genevieve]

We had push up contest, push up.

[Andrew Walsh]

Contests and proms and all this stuff. They were like, tune in tomorrow. We'll find out what's going with Luke's eyes.

[Genevieve]

Andrew gets his medically prescribed shoes and Luke. And Luke asks for the Philip Baker.

[Andrew Walsh]

Hall surgery to the young, to the 20 year old. I think Maddie, who wrote in to say, I enjoy the show. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry about all.

[Genevieve]

You were following Andrew on the Seattle subreddit and you've come over here. Welcome.

[Andrew Walsh]

Exactly.

[Genevieve]

All right, thanks for listening. Everybody, we will be back here tomorrow with more imaginary radio and many a meditation update, I'm sure. So please do join us for that. In the meantime, have a great Tuesday. Take care of yourselves, and please remember, no mountain too tall.

[Andrew Walsh]

And good luck to all.

[Mr. Bookman]

You took this book out in 1971?

[Genevieve]

Yes, and I returned it in 1971.

[Mr. Bookman]

Yeah, 71. That was my first year on the job. Bad year for libraries. Bad year for America. Hippies burning library cards, Abbie Huffman telling everybody to steal books. I don't judge a man by the length of his hair or the kind of music he listens to. Rock was never my bag, but you put on a pair of shoes when you walk into the New York Public library, fella. Look, Mr. Bookman, I. I returned that book.

[Genevieve]

I remember it very specifically.

[Mr. Bookman]

You're a comedian. You make people laugh.

[Andrew Walsh]

I try.

[Mr. Bookman]

You think this is all a big joke, don't you? No, I. I don't. I saw you on TV once. I remembered your name from my list. I looked it up. Sure enough, it checked out. You think because you're a celebrity that somehow the law doesn't apply to you? That you're above the law?

[Andrew Walsh]

Certainly not.

[Mr. Bookman]

Well, let me tell you something funny. You know that little stamp, the one that says New York Public Library? Well, that may not mean anything to you, but that means a lot to me. One whole hell of a lot. Sure, go ahead. Laugh if you want to. I've seen your type before. Flashy, making the scene, flaunting convention. Yeah, I know what you think. This guy making such a big stink about old library books. Let me give you a hint, junior. Maybe we can live without libraries. People like you and me. Maybe. Sure, we're too old to change the world. What about that kid sitting down, opening a book right now in a branch at the local library and finding drawings of peepees and wee wees and a cat in a hat and the five Chinese brothers. Doesn't he deserve better? Look, if you think this is about overdue fines and missing books, you better think again. This is about that kid's right to read a book without getting his mind warped. Or maybe that turns you on, Seinfeld. Maybe that's how you get your kicks, you and your good time buddies. Well, I got a flash for you, Joy boy. Party time is over.

[Andrew Walsh]

Power out.