#4368 I’ll Be Slanged

Summary

Podcast Summary: TBTL Episode #4368 – "I’ll Be Slanged"

Release Date: December 27, 2024

TBTL: Too Beautiful To Live is a daily podcast hosted by Luke Burbank and Andrew Walsh, who navigate the world with humor and camaraderie. In episode #4368, titled "I’ll Be Slanged," the hosts delve into a variety of topics ranging from celebrity spotlights to linguistic trends, all while sharing personal anecdotes and engaging banter with their recurring guest, Gillian Bell.

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1. Spotlight on Gillian Bell and Her Career

The episode opens with a lively discussion about actress Gillian Bell, beloved by the hosts for her roles in projects like Workaholics and Idiot Sitter. Andrew Walsh expresses a desire to see more of Bell's work, highlighting her comedic talent and versatility.

• Andrew Walsh [02:00]: "I was like, 'Jillian, I will follow you anywhere.' But then I stopped following her and I don’t know where she is now."

Gillian Bell provides insights into her past projects, reminiscing about her time on Idiot Sitter and expressing enthusiasm for reviving her presence in more substantial roles.

• Gillian Bell [04:54]: "I've always felt that way. And I don't know what. So Gillian Bell is the actress that you heard, the actor that was from Workaholics."

The hosts play clips from Idiot Sitter, showcasing Bell's comedic prowess and sparking a conversation about the potential for her to lead her own sitcom or movie.

• Andrew Walsh [05:04]: "We need a Curb Youb Enthusiasm that's built around the comedy genius of Gillian Bell."

2. "Brain Rot" Named Oxford's Word of the Year

Transitioning to current events, Luke Burbank and Andrew Walsh dissect the intriguing selection of "brain rot" as the Oxford English Dictionary's (OED) Word of the Year for 2024. They analyze its implications and the cultural significance behind the term.

• Andrew Walsh [09:47]: "Brain rot is the 2024 word of the year, according to Oxford University Press."

Gillian Bell challenges the categorization of "brain rot" as a single word, arguing that it's more accurately a phrase.

• Gillian Bell [10:22]: "Brain rot is not a word. I would argue that it is a phrase. It is absolute words combined into a phrase."

The hosts explore the societal concerns encapsulated by "brain rot," particularly the impact of excessive social media use and technological immersion on cognitive health.

• Andrew Walsh [16:34]: "Slop is a good word that describes an actual thing this year that has become more of a problem."

3. Personal Anecdotes: Running a Half Marathon

Andrew shares a personal story about participating in a half marathon, highlighting the often humorous and humbling experiences that come with such events. The conversation turns to the unrealistic portrayal of runners in media versus the reality captured in photographs.

• Andrew Walsh [20:12]: "I was running 8 minute 10 second miles. That's exactly what I did. My time was 1:47:02."

Gillian empathizes with the discrepancy between self-perception and photographic evidence, adding to the light-hearted tone of the discussion.

• Gillian Bell [22:00]: "It feels like a whole power pose. But like that’s... something that is good for you and healthy."

4. Viral Trends and Gen Alpha Slang

A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to dissecting viral internet trends and the slang popularized by Gen Z and Gen Alpha. The hosts debate the authenticity and longevity of terms like "skibidi toilet," "Sigma," and "Rizzler," questioning whether these phrases have genuine staying power or are fleeting fads.

• Andrew Walsh [24:55]: "These were children. This wasn’t like teenagers who were kind of like, that's neat, man."

Gillian Bell reflects on the accelerated lifecycle of internet trends and their integration into mainstream culture, suggesting that the rapid pace diminishes their perceived authenticity.

• Gillian Bell [25:30]: "It's because the lifespan of something like this is so sped up."

The discussion also touches on the challenges of translating fleeting online trends into enduring cultural phenomena, emphasizing the importance of letting viral moments remain as momentary delights rather than over-commercializing them.

• Gillian Bell [15:25]: "Let’s have some restraint and let the beautiful things just be beautiful in their brief moment to shine."

5. Acknowledgments to Donors and Supporters

As the episode nears its conclusion, the hosts take a moment to thank their loyal listeners and donors, acknowledging their support and sharing personal shout-outs to contributors from various locations.

• Andrew Walsh [34:20]: "Thank you, Angie. Thank you, Chris."

Gillian Bell adds heartfelt thanks to specific individuals, reinforcing the community-driven nature of the podcast.

• Gillian Bell [35:44]: "Thank you, Angie and friend."

6. Closing Remarks and Humor

In their signature style, Luke and Andrew wrap up the episode with playful exchanges and humorous remarks, leaving listeners with a sense of camaraderie and anticipation for future episodes.

• Andrew Walsh [40:25]: "Have yourself a great little weekend. We'll see you on Monday."

• Gillian Bell [40:40]: "Good luck to all. Power out."

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Notable Quotes:

• Andrew Walsh [05:04]: "We need a Curb Youb Enthusiasm that's built around the comedy genius of Gillian Bell."

• Gillian Bell [10:22]: "Brain rot is not a word. I would argue that it is a phrase."

• Andrew Walsh [20:12]: "I was running 8 minute 10 second miles. That's exactly what I did. My time was 1:47:02."

• Gillian Bell [25:30]: "It's because the lifespan of something like this is so sped up."

• Gillian Bell [15:25]: "Let’s have some restraint and let the beautiful things just be beautiful in their brief moment to shine."

• Andrew Walsh [40:25]: "Have yourself a great little weekend. We'll see you on Monday."

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This episode of TBTL: Too Beautiful To Live seamlessly blends humor, insightful commentary, and personal stories, offering listeners an engaging exploration of entertainment, language, and the quirks of modern life. Whether you're a long-time follower or a newcomer, episode #4368 provides a delightful snapshot of the hosts' dynamic and the show's unique charm.

Transcript

[Luke Burbank]

For he's a jolly good fellow and nobody can of it. But I can. Nobody. I'll get this.

[Andrew Walsh]

Okay.

[Luke Burbank]

But I can. I'm gonna look up those lyrics.

[Andrew Walsh]

You got it?

[Luke Burbank]

Alright.

[Gillian Bell]

That was good. TBTL Guess what day it is. Guess what day it is. It's Friday. Friday. Gotta get down on Friday. Everybody's looking forward to the weekend.

[Andrew Walsh]

You're here to make friends.

[Gillian Bell]

Making Friends is the name of the show.

[Andrew Walsh]

But if what you want is Superman.

[Gillian Bell]

The only way you can get him is illegally from a modern day pirate.

[Luke Burbank]

Sometimes people say that my head is too big for my body. And then I say, compared to what?

[Gillian Bell]

Look, man, you know your stuff, but you're like a crazy volcano. You'd have to show me you can bring it down a notch. I'll bring it down a thousand notches if I have to.

[Andrew Walsh]

Right on down to a Friday edition of tbtl, the show that just might be too beautiful to live. My name is Luke Burbank. I am your host. Coming to you from the Madrona Hill studio, perched high above the mighty Columbia and just about, I don't know, I want to say like a couple of hundred miles up Interstate 5 from me is that guy, that guy right over there. The longest running cobra of the show. Maybe best known for his depictions of the tall ships. He's Andrew Walsh. He is joining me right now. Good morning, my friend.

[Gillian Bell]

Good morning. I'm looking up whatever happened to Jillian?

[Andrew Walsh]

Are you kidding me, Andrew?

[Gillian Bell]

No. What do you know?

[Andrew Walsh]

I'm literally on Jillian Bell's IMDb.com page and I was going to say to you we need more Gillian Bell.

[Gillian Bell]

I've always felt that way. And I don't know what. So Gillian Bell is the actress that you heard, the actor that was from Workaholics. Right, Exactly. That you heard at the beginning of the show. That clip was from Workaholics, not alcoholics. That's a project I'm working on.

[Andrew Walsh]

And Jillian, I'm working to be.

[Gillian Bell]

Yeah, I loved that. I loved Workaholics and there are a lot of things to love about that show, but Jillian was always my favorite.

[Andrew Walsh]

Then she was in a show called Arnold Schwarzenegger Haircut.

[Gillian Bell]

Yes, I. We could. Oh, do you want to just like clear out the file on Jillian? Because she was also an idiot sitter. I don't know if you watch much of that. That started as a web series that Comedy Central then put on TV for a while. I loved that show. She is so her and her partner in that. I can't remember the two Women, Miller? No, no, the two women in that show.

[Andrew Walsh]

Why did I think he was in it too?

[Gillian Bell]

He is in a scene with her. I think he has an appearance on that show. But anyway, I loved Idiot Sitter and I was like, jillian, I will follow you anywhere. But then I stopped following her and I don't know where she is now, what is she working on, and how can we get more of her projects in our life?

[Andrew Walsh]

You're absolutely right, by the way. It's. Gillian Bell and Charlotte Newhouse are the two main characters in Idiot Sitter. I think it's like. Is it. I think Gillian Bell is like a spoiled brat and Charlotte Newhouse is assigned to watch her.

[Gillian Bell]

Yes, that is the case. And I'm gonna. I'm gonna pull this audio out here for a second here. We're gonna. We're gonna start with some Idiot Sitter clips here. This one is. I don't know if we're gonna hear Jillian in this. This is a. A DJ talking, I believe. Yeah. I've been DJing for like Deuce years now about loud music and tight spaces, you know, I just love it when the beat drops and everybody's face is like, whoa. The beat just drops.

[Andrew Walsh]

It's like, yeah, that's what I do.

[Luke Burbank]

I'm like, whoa.

[Gillian Bell]

Right?

[Andrew Walsh]

That must be Paul Rudd.

[Gillian Bell]

So fresh on a fresh level.

[Andrew Walsh]

It is the frost.

[Gillian Bell]

On the fresh level. It is the froshest. I. It could. Could be Paul Rudd, but it could be a Paul Rudd alike, possibly. I'm not sure about that. You know, I have so much of this, I don't think we can play at all. But I am thinking that maybe the workaholic stuff is the better. What is the jingle? I mean, it's kind of seasonally appropriate, right? The jingle all the way haircut.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah. She's like a short stiff.

[Gillian Bell]

And I'm gonna get myself an Arnie Schwarzenegger. Yeah.

[Andrew Walsh]

Jingle.

[Gillian Bell]

Short, stiff and tall. She says. She says short, stiff and tall.

[Andrew Walsh]

Which is no way that was written down. That had to be ad libbed because no one would. It's too ins to write down. Right?

[Gillian Bell]

That is absolutely right. Is it legal to be this insane here? I think I found it here. I'm gonna try to play this from a different program this time. Let's see if this.

[Luke Burbank]

Be honest. What is it about me that no one respects? Is it my hair? Yeah. I'm thinking about getting a new haircut, changing stuff up, maybe getting like an Arnie Schwarzenegger jingle all the way type of haircut, you know? Short, tall and stiff. Kind of like how I like my men.

[Gillian Bell]

It doesn't make any sense, and I love it. I'm in love with that audio so much.

[Andrew Walsh]

I mean, the thing is that Gillian Bell appears to be having a great career that anyone would be lucky to have, and that she's working a lot, she's in a lot of different things. But I feel like we need a Gillian Bell vehicle.

[Gillian Bell]

Yes, I agree. I agree.

[Andrew Walsh]

We don't need her to just be showing up. And I don't say just like, this isn't anything but, like a one episode arc on Curb youb Enthusiasm. We need a Curb youb Enthusiasm that's built around the comedy genius of Gillian Bell.

[Gillian Bell]

And that's how I felt about Idiot Sitter. I'm looking for the one that had T.J. miller where they're talking about how they're making food in the kitchen. I believe she was also an inherent vice.

[Andrew Walsh]

Apparently she was.

[Gillian Bell]

I loved Inherent Vice. Did you like Inherent Vice?

[Andrew Walsh]

I did not see it. I did not watch it. It is a vibe feeling I would not. I have a feeling it'd be maybe hard for me to get through. Even though I love Paul Thomas Anderson, I love Joaquin Phoenix and I think.

[Gillian Bell]

And also, who's the actor? That Brolin. Right. Isn't that a. Isn't that a Josh Brolin?

[Andrew Walsh]

Okay, sure.

[Gillian Bell]

I honestly think you would like it. It's a long movie. It's based on a Thomas Pinchot.

[Andrew Walsh]

Pinchon.

[Gillian Bell]

Pinchot. Pynchon.

[Andrew Walsh]

Pynchon.

[Gillian Bell]

Pynchon novel.

[Andrew Walsh]

I didn't even know this was by him. So I'm not gonna be the one trying to say how to pronounce.

[Gillian Bell]

No, I guess you're right, but. Which I've never read in it, but it's like. And everybody told me, like, listen, it's impossible to turn this book into a movie. It's. Don't go see this movie expecting the plot to be satisfied. Like, just like, go and enjoy the movie. And I went in with that attitude. I think I saw it in la and I know I saw it in the theater, and I loved it so much. Cause I love noir films. It's kind of like a neo noir film. Not. Not completely unlike, like a Lebowski vibe. Sort of like sort of a Private eye sort of vibe, but a California based, you know, and a little bit like, who's the. Oh, God. What was that show I was obsessed with from the seventies? The Something Files? The Rockford Files. A little bit like the Rockford Files, only it's like, so Beautiful. And it's got all the tropes. It's got, like, you know, somebody gets involved with a cult, he's trying to track down some missing girl, blah, blah, blah. And it does. You're losing the plot, like, very quickly. But it doesn't matter. Just ride along with these wonderful characters.

[Andrew Walsh]

Okay, That's a great recommendation. And also level setting, expectation management for me, anyway. More Jillian Bell. That's, I think, the. The theme of today's show. And also possibly brain rot, maybe, if we get to.

[Gillian Bell]

Did you know that our little.

[Andrew Walsh]

You're so committed to us not. Did you know that our little BG.

[Gillian Bell]

On me comes from workaholics? I didn't even realize that.

[Andrew Walsh]

Is that the guy? Cool. Wait, is that the same guy that says, like, cool Scott?

[Gillian Bell]

Some young cool people called me that one.

[Andrew Walsh]

Called me that one.

[Gillian Bell]

Yeah. This is apparently.

[Andrew Walsh]

Who's that?

[Gillian Bell]

GG on me? I do.

[Andrew Walsh]

HR Means human resources here at tac.

[Gillian Bell]

My name is Eric Rossdale.

[Andrew Walsh]

Some people call me Cool Eric. They called me that once. Some young people, too. Some.

[Gillian Bell]

One young person did that.

[Andrew Walsh]

I love people.

[Gillian Bell]

To say that another way. I love people.

[Andrew Walsh]

I love people. That one's got a little more fun to it, doesn't it?

[Gillian Bell]

Oh, I love it so much. I did not remember that. That was a. Wow. That wasn't from me.

[Andrew Walsh]

That was. That was for me, trying to get eyes on Cool Eric. I'm now watching.

[Gillian Bell]

I don't know who that is.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, that's the guy you just heard.

[Gillian Bell]

No, no, I know, but I don't know. I don't know who. No.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, I was trying to see if he's a. If he's an actor that I recognize from. From other things, because you'd think that they would just list him in the credits. I'd put in Eric Rossdale, workaholics, and instead I just get a clip of him. I don't get the. Oh, here we go. Cool Eric, actor. Let's see. Oh. Oh, you know who it is, Andrew.

[Gillian Bell]

Who?

[Andrew Walsh]

Mitch Hurwitz, creator of Arrested Development.

[Gillian Bell]

That's who plays that. I didn't know that he ever was on screen.

[Andrew Walsh]

That's. That's the creator of Arrest Development. Cool Eric.

[Gillian Bell]

Oh, my God. Did you have you. Do you recognize his face? Like, has he been on screen?

[Andrew Walsh]

Yes, I did recognize it, but I couldn't quite place it. He's in, like, a bike helmet and running like a cycling outfit in the clip I was watching.

[Gillian Bell]

Right, right.

[Andrew Walsh]

And you don't see Mitch Hurwitz on TV very much. He has been in things, but very sporadically. So that's. That's okay. There you go. That's a little fun fact.

[Gillian Bell]

Nice. All right, we can get to work now, if you want. If you insist.

[Andrew Walsh]

The Oxford. This is. We started to talk about this yesterday and then we punted on it, which again, was very apropos because the idea is we're going to try to go through and handle some top stories that we promoted and never got to during 2024. But I have more questions than answers with this article that I'm looking at from Time magazine.

[Gillian Bell]

Can we play that story intro? Do you mind here? Oh, okay. Thank you.

[Andrew Walsh]

Hello and welcome to Top Story. Brain rot is the 2024 word of the year, according to Oxford University Press. Now, where I'm getting confused. By the way, this is an article by Chad de Guzman at Time magazine. If you've been scrolling too long on social media, you might be suffering from brain rot, the word of 2024, per the publisher of the Oxford English Dictionary. So in other words, in years past, when they've said, like the Oxford English Dictionary's word of the year is, what they really mean is the people that publish it. The Oxford University Press. Right.

[Gillian Bell]

I assume that you're right about that. I was sort of doing the same sort of mental gymnastics to sort of figure out exactly how to credit this. And even if it's not officially the dictionary, it's like basically the dictionary people. And I just feel like, not to start super negative here, you would think if anybody knows what a word is, it would be the dictionary people. And I am here to argue that brain Space rock is not a word. I would argue that is a phrase. It is absolute words combined into a phrase. How is that the word of the year? I am. I need to calm down about this, but I feel a little bit on my high horse about it, too.

[Andrew Walsh]

And it looks like the other kind of runners up weren't much better. Dynamic pricing.

[Gillian Bell]

Come on.

[Andrew Walsh]

Not a Word was a finalist.

[Gillian Bell]

Praise.

[Andrew Walsh]

Lore was. Was one of the finalists. Romantasy.

[Gillian Bell]

I don't know about Romantasy, but I see a good one coming up here. That should have been the word of the year.

[Andrew Walsh]

Slop.

[Gillian Bell]

No, demure. That one wins.

[Andrew Walsh]

You hate. See, you hated it when I was. Maybe you didn't hate it.

[Gillian Bell]

I never hated it.

[Andrew Walsh]

No, I was the one pushing that very, very mindful, very demure thing.

[Gillian Bell]

I remember you playing that early on. I think I heard it. I think I did hear it on the show before. Before I saw the tape. The original tape of it and then everybody sort of like, you know, kind of spoofing on it. But I did, I, I, I 100% reject the idea that I ever had any negative attitudes about that.

[Andrew Walsh]

Okay, that's fair. Yeah, that's fair. I'm wondering what the next. You know, we've already today revived the career of Gillian Bell. I wonder what's the next step for, for that woman who's the very demure, very mindful woman. Yeah, like, like, you know what I mean? Like, because I remember seeing her right after that became a thing and was just absolutely blowing up the Internet. I remember seeing. Do I not, I don't, Weirdly, I don't have it on this computer. I have it on my travel computer. That's strange. But I saw her in, like she was in a hotel room in Las Vegas and she was being very, actually genuine and was saying that like this, the popularization or the popularity of very demure, very mindful had changed her life extensively to where she was able to quit her job that she didn't really want to have and become basically a content creator. And she was in Las Vegas doing something related to this new phase of her life. And yet I haven't really seen her anywhere since then. Like, how do you turn, can you turn that into a sitcom? Can. Very demure, very mindful. Can you power a Netflix movie on that? Like, I wonder what the. Because the indication was that her life had changed, you know, dramatically for this and that she was going to be able to, you know, I guess sort of capitalize on it. But I wonder how you capitalize on that. And we haven't seen her now we have. The super bowl hasn't happened yet.

[Gillian Bell]

That's a good point.

[Andrew Walsh]

Maybe a Super bowl ad or something.

[Gillian Bell]

Oh, I thought you were thinking maybe a halftime show popping up through the stage as a special surprise guest. But here's the deal, and I will, I looked it up, by the way. I'm not going to pretend like I knew this off top of my head. Jules LeBron is the one in question here. And you know, though, and again, I hope this doesn't come off as negative because I find delight in that clip. I'm glad it went viral. Sometimes things go viral and it just brings you delight, light. You're like, I'm glad this one did. But I also am a believer that not everything, not every, you know, three word phrase that goes viral needs to then be tortured into a sitcom or something. Like, sometimes these things are just more beautiful when we aren't trying to squeeze, or the person in question isn't trying to just squeeze every last penny out of it. And like, you know, I think about like in the early days of the popular Internet. I know that's a weird way to say that, but I'm kind of being serious. Like not the early days of the Internet, like in the 70s when scientists were like using punch cards to talk to each other across a football field. I know a lot about computers. Remember that famous, remember that famous thing where they set computers on either side of a football field and talked using punch cards?

[Andrew Walsh]

They're all hidden minds. Yeah, you've hid your mind so well you can't find it.

[Gillian Bell]

I think I hid my mind this morning. But anyway, all of that is to.

[Andrew Walsh]

Say where is my mind?

[Gillian Bell]

Where is my mind?

[Andrew Walsh]

Seen it.

[Gillian Bell]

But when I think of like when the Internet sort of like came of age and people, it became something that was like omnipresent. It was changing the way people were shopping, it was changing the expectations of life. It was also where people were starting to really like goof around with the Internet. And it's like it's high power days, I'm gonna say the early to mid 2000s, you had stuff that would go like, let's call it viral. And then inevitably it wasn't like shit my dad says or something. Wasn't that a whole thing? And then they tried turn that into a, into something on like more of a traditional platform, like regular broadcast TV or something.

[Andrew Walsh]

William Shatner was dad who was saying.

[Gillian Bell]

Let'S like have some restraint and let's let the beautiful things just be beautiful in their. In. In their brief moment to shine.

[Andrew Walsh]

If. Yeah, I'm just looking now at the. My dad says the sitcom. The theme song was yous Dogs by Ben Folds. It starred William Shatner, Will Sasso from Mad TV and Nicole Sullivan. It had one season. The plot, Ed is a very opinionated 72 year old who has been divorced three times. His two adult children, Henry and Vince, are accustomed to his unsolicited, unsolicited, oftenly often politically incorrect rants.

[Gillian Bell]

Oh, dad, that's just shit.

[Andrew Walsh]

My dad says.

[Gillian Bell]

And they probably couldn't even call. It was broadcast tv. So is it like sh.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh no, it's bleep. No, it's literally a picture. Just imagine Andrew, something even worse than you were thinking. It's just a picture of, of an angry William Shatner who's in the midst of saying something. But bleeped across his mouth is $sign hashtag *. Exclamation point. My dad says is his.

[Gillian Bell]

Are his arms crossed in front of him?

[Andrew Walsh]

We can't see his arms. But I. But yes, it reads as.

[Gillian Bell]

Yes, it reads that they are right, exactly. So, okay.

[Andrew Walsh]

Brain rot. It's. It's not too. It's not. One word's two words. And I agree with you. And I mean, the thing about this whole thing and you again, you look at things like. I do actually think slop is kind of interesting because I think that that slop is a reference to all of this AI generated stuff that's starting to really clog up the pipes of the Internet.

[Gillian Bell]

I was wondering.

[Andrew Walsh]

Okay, that's being described as slop. Just all like, for instance, like, if you were to go like, try to buy a book by somebody that. It was a popular book. Like, I know this happened recently to the, to the tech writer Kara Swisher. She put out a book, very popular book. But then all of these, like, I don't know if it's humans or bots or whatever, but then there are all these fake versions of her book that are in. You can buy digital versions of. And so it's like, you know, you download it to your Kindle and it's so confusing because it's kind of a book. It's kind of about the thing that Kara Swisher is writing about, but it's not. It's just an AI fantasy based off of like one prompt. But the deal is if you're just sorting by cheapest, you might actually buy the wrong Kara Swisher. The fake one.

[Gillian Bell]

Yeah. That is technically a book that is so dirty and nasty. And I wonder if that especially happens because she is a tech writer. And so therefore there are like tech individuals or bots or whatever that kind of see that as something that can be. That can be manipulated. But like, that is. That is such. That makes. But that's so good.

[Andrew Walsh]

But that's also a good word that describes an actual thing this year that has become more of a problem.

[Gillian Bell]

Sure. Yeah. And it's a word. I don't, I don't think a brain rot. Like, I mean, have you really thought about brain rot before this story reared its ugly little brain?

[Andrew Walsh]

No, you know what? I've heard it, I've seen it in the discourse, but I didn't give it a ton of thought. This is what the. According to this Time magazine piece, Brainrot speaks to one of the perceived dangers of virtual life and how we are using our free time. According to Casper Grathwall, the president of Oxford Languages said in the announcement, it feels like a rightful next chapter in the cultural conversation about humanity and technology. It's not surprising that so many voters embrace the term, endorsing it as our choice this year. Oh, so I guess this is like a vote, too, which I don't let the Internet vote on anything.

[Gillian Bell]

Yeah, I agree.

[Andrew Walsh]

The term has gained new traction among Gen Z and Gen Alpha. These communities have amplified the expression. Did I tell you that when I was running that half marathon, you know, lots of people had signs out, which actually was really fun. Like, people really went all out with the signs, and it was actually really encouraging and nice. But there was one where there was this little kid. He had a sign. He was standing next to his mom, and he said, my dad is like, the ultimate. My dad's the ultimate Sigma.

[Gillian Bell]

No, I thought you couldn't say Rizzler.

[Andrew Walsh]

No, but that's when I said, you got to Riz your dad up. And the kid looked so afraid of me.

[Gillian Bell]

Yeah.

[Andrew Walsh]

And then I saw the photos.

[Gillian Bell]

You were bleeding from your nipples.

[Andrew Walsh]

I'm. I seriously probably was because the. My gosh, we got all kinds of stuff going on.

[Gillian Bell]

What's going on over there? You seem very distracted.

[Andrew Walsh]

I'm sorry. There's a deer in my. There's a family of deer in the yard. There was a noise outside of the Madrona Hill studio when, you know, when you run one of those, like, races, they have tons of photographers. And also, I think, like, cameras that are just on, like, a motion detector throughout the race course. And because you're wearing that number on your front when the race is all done, they have a whole website, and they're like, would you like to buy any of these photos of yourself running triumphant?

[Gillian Bell]

Oh, like a rolly coaster.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yes, exactly. And I looked at these photos, Andrew, and I have never felt worse about myself.

[Gillian Bell]

And you're doing something that. And you're doing something that is physically good. You know, it's both an accomplishment. It would be for me anyway, and certainly something that is good for you and healthy and then. But you see yourself, like, sweaty and vulnerable.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, my gosh. So bad. Like, first of all, it looks like there are no pictures where I have. Where I don't have both feet on the ground, if that makes any sense. Like, it doesn't look like I'm running.

[Gillian Bell]

Oh, I see. Yeah. You want to be in the air like Jordan.

[Andrew Walsh]

Not even like Jordan. I want to be. I want to be one foot off the ground and one foot landing on the ground. I'm in Stride I'm running. It's Chariots of Fire. It's Eric Little Action. No, every picture. And by the way, I know exactly what I was running. I was running 8 minute 10 second miles. That's exactly what I did. My time was 1:47:02. I was running. I know that my both feet were off the ground a lot, but there are no photos of that happening. It looks like I just power walked it. By the way, if you power walk a half marathon, that's awesome. I'm not crapping on that. Also, every single photo is from the ground level.

[Gillian Bell]

Oh geez. What are they doing there?

[Andrew Walsh]

One flattering.

[Gillian Bell]

Why are they. Well, yeah, I mean I guess it might be one of those things if you're somebody who's like really in shape. Like I. Now that you say that I'm picture I'm picturing like Runner's World and it seems like maybe that is an angle you see a lot. I'm picturing. I don't know if I'm accurate about this or not, but I sort of feel like I can picture a cover of Runner's World where there's some like really like you know, in shape runner and it's taken from below, you know, so it really kind of focuses maybe on the running shoe or something like that. Like I could see that being a real.

[Andrew Walsh]

The musculature in the legs.

[Gillian Bell]

Sure. Like a real power pose. But like that's. But you have all kinds of people who are running these things and you.

[Andrew Walsh]

Have people like Luke who there wasn't. And by the way, these between the human photographers and then I guess think the motion activated ones, there must have been 20 photos of me. Not one of them was in the remotest sense cool looking. And by the way, Andrew, this is the sad part. There were a couple of points where I was running and I noted that there was a photographer and against my all indications from my body, like this is particularly towards the end of the race. My baadi is really, really shutting it down. It's really like we don't like this anymore. But I was like chest up, you know, chin out, like look like you're just. You could like look like you could do this for an extra 40 miles after this. Like I was literally posing for the photograph sometimes.

[Gillian Bell]

And so you're saying like what if I wasn't posing? What would have these have come out?

[Andrew Walsh]

Like maybe better maybe. I don't know this. I, I really was very dispirited by this because again I was proud that I, that I pulled this off and that I set it as a goal and that I did it and. And I got what, for me was a okay time. And then I look at the photos and I just. It just absolutely took away any of the. Any of the pride that I felt about the incident. All that is to say, I went by a kid who was telling his dad, his dad's a Sigma, and I said, you gotta Riz your dad up. And now that I've seen the photos of what I looked like running, I.

[Gillian Bell]

Understand why he recoiled. You're the one on the show, and I think we're pretty early on in the cycle of this trend. You're the one who kind of introduced into the conversation for me these supposed slang terms of Gen Alpha, including the. In fact, I think it was the first time I heard the word Gen Alpha because I kept thinking that you were quoting somebody named Jen Alpha. I'm not joking. And I think I said that at the. Took me a long time to realize you're not quoting a linguist here. You're talking about a generation called Gen Alpha and that they were doing this skibidi toilet thing and the Rizzler and all this stuff. And then, like, you know, we talked about it became a whole thing on the show. We got people creating AI voices of Terry Gross saying that or whatever. And then it's had a very long tail because then, you know, I started to hear like, the other, like, just like the kind of just AM radio shows start to pick up on it later. Then they go through the whole thing like, you don't know what the Rizzler is or whatever. And it sort of seemed like. I can't think of a time. First of all, I guess I was going to start to say that I'm glad that we're past that now. Like, not just us as a show, but sort of as society. I feel like we're seeing less and less of that. But also, I've always just been a little bit dubious that it was really a thing. And I don't know how to explain that because we've heard from so many listeners. And by the way, we're kind of back on the topic of words of the year, so I'm kind of, kind of proud of us here.

[Andrew Walsh]

But wait till you see a photo of us doing the show. Devastating.

[Gillian Bell]

I feel like it was always. I know that we heard from a lot of people who are like, my kid came home saying these things. I heard it on TBTL first or what have you. So I'm not Saying that it didn't catch on. The kids weren't saying it, but it sort of. It always felt like tail wagging the dog. Ish a little bit to me. And also that because the definitions of these things were so like oblique, it sort of. It felt like, first of all, when in our history have the buzzwords come from so young of a generation? I don't know what I'm arguing here. I sound like I'm arguing and I'm not arguing. But like literally these were children. This wasn't like teenagers who were kind of like, that's neat, man. In the 1950s while rolling their cigarettes up in their short sleeve shirt like that. I could is slang coming from like a rock and roll generation. But we're Talking about like 7 year olds here. Supposedly introduced this into the lexicon.

[Andrew Walsh]

Right here's what I think happened and why it feels kind of off to you is because the lifespan of something like this is so sped up. So instead of there being a fairly long sustained period of time where young people were using some terms that the old people didn't really understand, it's like one young person somewhere once said skibidi toilet. And then we started writing think pieces about it. Yeah, that's what kind of what I like. It didn't. It's. It's not quite astroturf because we didn't go tell the kids to say Sigma or Riz, but the second they did, we then all were like, we're talking like the young kids, we're rising each other up. We're giat. Like it just. You know what I mean? It just, it was a barely a. Probably a nascent thing that we then all jumped on instead of it, you know. How long were the hippies saying far out, man, before any squares, before any astronauts.

[Gillian Bell]

Andrew figured it out, before Goldie Hawn was saying it on Laugh In Precisely.

[Andrew Walsh]

Like, I have a feeling that like. Because everything now is sped up because it's like everything gets milkshake ducked. Everything is like. It goes from no one's heard of this person to this is the most famous person in the world. Because they said very demure, very mindful to like whatever happened to that person? You know, it's just all so sped up that that's probably part of why it just doesn't feel genuine to you.

[Gillian Bell]

Yeah, I could definitely, I could definitely see that I'm looking for. It's probably best that I can't. Oh, shit. Bad news, everybody. I found it.

[Andrew Walsh]

I was gonna.

[Gillian Bell]

Good morning TPS students.

[Luke Burbank]

It is Testing week and it's time.

[Andrew Walsh]

To slay all day.

[Gillian Bell]

Stay woke beyond sleek and get that Gucci breakfast Goals.

[Luke Burbank]

Say bye, Felicia, to that testing stretch. Weather's gonna be turned right, Chris?

[Andrew Walsh]

Yes.

[Gillian Bell]

Toledo weather gonna be v lit during testing week. A hundo p chance of success. You've got this, kids. Steve, how about that traffic? Are we looking ok, ok, I'll. I gotta call it there. I have it labeled. Here is news anchors talking cool slang. Wtol. So I think that was somewhere in Ohio. Did I just hear him mention Toledo? Yeah, it must be Toledo. Right?

[Andrew Walsh]

The other words. Everybody's got a word now, Andrew, because this is how you get into the conversation. The Economist had a word and it was kakistocracy, which is rule of the worst, which I don't disagree with, but I also don't know if I like that. I don't like walking around basically just calling it a. Because it makes me feel like we've then just. We've stopped fighting. We've just said, eh.

[Gillian Bell]

Yeah.

[Andrew Walsh]

We just live in. You know, we live in a caucusocracy.

[Gillian Bell]

Now I'm really confused and I can't tell if this is like that Gen Alpha thing again. I don't know if I'm hearing the word correctly. Is this something you've heard? A caucus like a catastrophe, Only a.

[Andrew Walsh]

It's spelled with a K. I think it might be a Greek word.

[Gillian Bell]

Okay. I've never heard of this.

[Andrew Walsh]

Greek knew how to. I have only like in the last. Only basically since the reelection of Donald Trump did I start seeing this term going around, which is, I think an exist, you know, a word that existed. I'm trying to get. See if I can.

[Gillian Bell]

I'm on the Economist now looking at it. Yeah.

[Andrew Walsh]

Wow, you actually subscribe to the economy.

[Gillian Bell]

Oh, I see. Nope. I just scroll down and I realize I am. Well, I'm blocked, I guess.

[Andrew Walsh]

Where's. Where's that on the list? Hold on. I'm hacking into the mainframe. I'm toasting the quarterback. And I'm here.

[Gillian Bell]

Nicely done.

[Andrew Walsh]

So it's. Let's see here for the year's defining word. It helps look back a long way. English has a host of political terms derived from Greek because it got a lot of its political thinking from the likes of Plato and Aristotle. Greek has a root for rule and it's kratia, which is. Let's see, I'm trying to get.

[Gillian Bell]

Well, I see the definition of it here. Just like on the plain old, like, you know, Internet. Kakastocracy. Kakistocracy. Kakistocracy. Government by the least suitable or competent citizens of a state.

[Andrew Walsh]

It's definitely appears to be what we're heading into. I mean, that's. I can't disagree with it. But I also, there's something about. I don't know, I'm not ready to admit defeat quite yet. I mean, we lost the election, but I'm not willing to. Did I. I was at a party recently, Andrew. We got to thank the donors. Now we're getting to the end of this. But like, I was at a party where I was talking to someone who I really like, this dude, but he's in law enforcement and I don't exactly know his politics. And he. We were having this whole entire conversation about the election where the whole time I assumed he was someone who was probably who had voted for Trump. But he's a very thoughtful person. He's a smart person and thoughtful person. And so I was ready to leave this get together and say to Becca, hey, guess what? I can talk to somebody who voted for Donald Trump and have a civilized conversation and find what our commonalities are. And she was like, oh, no, no, he completely voted for Kamala Harris.

[Gillian Bell]

What are you talking about?

[Andrew Walsh]

But I was being so delicate because I thought I had like a 40 minute conversation with someone who I thought had voted for Donald Trump. And I didn't want to get overly political, but it was impossible to not get into politics and get into, you know, I would say this person is probably like center right, if that makes any sense. Like they're not probably not center left.

[Gillian Bell]

And you're not saying that. That was your impression. You still think they are probably center right, but center right enough to not vote for Trump.

[Andrew Walsh]

Center right, but not voting for Trump.

[Gillian Bell]

Centerish, like centrist.

[Andrew Walsh]

But like, you know, he also said something like some of the people I work with who are really hit super hard by this. And so I held off on sending some of these memes that were like joking about it or that were like, basically like, I think he's. I think he's probably like a heterodox type of dude, if that makes sense. Like, probably much more open. Like he likes Elon Musk. Literally, he thinks Elon Musk is entertaining, right? So as we're talking about that stuff, I'm like, well, okay, I know where this guy's at. And I have this whole conversation where I'm pretzeling myself to try to be like. Like what I was saying about Trump was, I go, I really, really really hope that he's successful as president, like, in that. I hope that makes the lives of Americans better. And I hope that. I hope that we live in a great country that's working as well as he thinks it will work. I don't think that's going to happen, but I'm not rooting for everything in the country to become horrible. Like, that's not my goal. I'm hope, you know, But I was doing all this stuff that I thought was a way of showing my disdain for Trump without just, like, completely, I don't know, isolating this guy. And then I get in the car and I find out that there was no. I said, can you please tell your friend to tell her husband that I, the whole time, thought he voted for Trump. That's why I was being so weird.

[Gillian Bell]

I was gonna say, I. I love the. The counterpoint to this conversation. I love this person getting in the car at the end of the party and being like, wow, Burbank's way more MAGA than I thought.

[Andrew Walsh]

Like, well, that's the thing. I think I was sort of code switching. I mean, I wasn't, you know, maga, but I was. I was trying to not talk about it in the way that, like, Becca and I would talk about, or you. You and I would talk about it. You know, I was trying to basically talk about it in a way that I was like, okay, this guy and I, we don't see eye to eye on this issue of politics, but I've known this guy for a while, and he's a very thoughtful person. A very. Again, a very. Like, he's. He's not. When I think of the worst elements of somebody who would vote for Donald Trump, this guy doesn't embody that. So I was like, what I need to do is figure out a way to talk to him and communicate with him that doesn't completely alienate him, even though we did different things in this election. And in doing that, I probably sounded like a MAGA person by the end of the conversation.

[Gillian Bell]

He sounds very demure, and that's brain rot.

[Luke Burbank]

Thank you for being a tam.

[Andrew Walsh]

You know, whose brains are perfection. Not even. Just not. Not even the tiniest hint of rot is our donors. Andrew. Their brains are operating on all cylinders.

[Gillian Bell]

Despite my best efforts to rot their brains.

[Andrew Walsh]

Brains are pink and there's great blood flow. They make very good decisions, like supporting tbt.

[Gillian Bell]

They're wrinkly as hell, too. They're.

[Andrew Walsh]

But that's a good thing.

[Gillian Bell]

That's a great thing.

[Andrew Walsh]

The more wrinkles Honestly, the better. You want a brain. Looks like a damn Shar Pei.

[Gillian Bell]

That's right.

[Andrew Walsh]

And you know who has one of those? Natasha Brucewicz of Moses Lake, Washington.

[Gillian Bell]

We love your brain, Natasha, and we appreciate donation.

[Andrew Walsh]

But you're not just another pretty brain.

[Luke Burbank]

No.

[Andrew Walsh]

Also smoking hot. I went fishing on Moses Lake when I was a kid, Andrew, and it stayed with me. I caught a huge sunfish, or somebody in the boat caught a big sunfish. And we were over there. My dad was working.

[Gillian Bell]

Big sea turtle.

[Andrew Walsh]

Jay, what is that? Jay, what is this? Catherine McFadden might know. Catherine's in Portland, Oregon.

[Gillian Bell]

Catherine, our old friend, Katherine McCarthy Fadden. Thank you so much, Catherine. Always, always special to see your name in the list.

[Andrew Walsh]

Speaking of old friends, Andrew, Angie. Angie Dominguez of Austin, Texas, longtime friend of mine.

[Gillian Bell]

Thank you so much, Angie and friend.

[Andrew Walsh]

Of mine, but more your friend.

[Gillian Bell]

Yeah, I believe we hung out quite a bit in LA while you were living somewhere else.

[Andrew Walsh]

Well, you don't know what was happening when you weren't there.

[Gillian Bell]

Sure, that's.

[Andrew Walsh]

I could have been jetting. I could have been jet setting in and out. Remember during the thon, we got to meet Angie's feller, Chris, and there was an adorable dog involved, too.

[Gillian Bell]

In fact, Chris has been. And I always forget the name of this, but what do you call that printing that Chris has been exper. He's an artist and a photographer, and it's like not Leno type. I think I have that wrong. But he.

[Andrew Walsh]

It might be.

[Gillian Bell]

He took a photo that Jenna type.

[Andrew Walsh]

It's Jay Leno stuff.

[Gillian Bell]

It's Lena. It's Lenox type.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, I'm a Leno type. I'm a Leno type. My Jay Leno. Who knew I had a Jay Leno in here?

[Gillian Bell]

Leno on the streets.

[Andrew Walsh]

Hey, that's not bad.

[Gillian Bell]

You got to do the lisp. And the lisp comes naturally to me, but Genevieve and I. But Genevieve is over the moon on these prints of a photo. Genevieve took a photo of Bingo popping his head out of a cardboard box like a year ago or something. And Chris had turned it into these prints for us and sent it to us. And within moments of getting it, Genevieve literally had to frame ready to go and hung it up in our. In our front room. So, anyway, thank you, Angie. Thank you, Chris.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, thanks to both of you. Thanks also to Chelsea Davis, who's in Martinsburg, West Virginia.

[Gillian Bell]

Nice, Chelsea. I know Chelsea from Instagram. Thank you, Chelsea.

[Andrew Walsh]

I was talking to somebody else from West Virginia at the after party of the Philadelphia show.

[Gillian Bell]

Oh, really?

[Andrew Walsh]

Well, yeah, I think we've got a growing West Virginian contingent. I think it's growing to, like, two people.

[Gillian Bell]

And so that wasn't Chelsea that you were talking about.

[Andrew Walsh]

It wasn't Chelsea.

[Gillian Bell]

Interesting. Well, that's interesting.

[Andrew Walsh]

But, yeah, we've got. We've got lots of folks out there in West Virginia. Again, three folks, but we'll take it. Hey, look, it's Julia Morse who's in Beaux Arts Village, Washington.

[Gillian Bell]

Julia, thank you so much.

[Andrew Walsh]

Good old Beaux Arts Village. We love it. We love to see it. And then we also love to see Oakland, California, the Yask area, where Darren Malihy is. Darren, if you need an emotional support podcast to curse the name of Major League Baseball, allowing the Oakland Athletics to go to Las Vegas, well, first to go to some other weird place, I think, in California and then go to wherever they're going.

[Gillian Bell]

High school field or something.

[Andrew Walsh]

Something like that. We are gonna. I prom. I'm. I'm already sharpening my grudge, even, you know, in the middle of winter. So.

[Gillian Bell]

We are gonna be your show.

[Andrew Walsh]

We are gonna.

[Gillian Bell]

Yes.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah. Yeah. We. I almost said. I almost made a joke that I don't even want to make, which was, I won't make it.

[Gillian Bell]

Okay, don't.

[Andrew Walsh]

We were good. How we were going to be vengeful on Darren's behalf.

[Gillian Bell]

Okay. Well, I was. You know, my friend Gretchen is. I think I might have brought this up on the show because I was texting with her possibly during the show. My friend Gretchen is a longtime A's fan, and I was trying really hard.

[Andrew Walsh]

You were trying to talk, right, of being a Dodger fan?

[Gillian Bell]

Yes. Okay. Yeah. I did tell you about this. So I was trying to get her. I had a whole thing. I had this whole, like, almost a deck. I don't make decks, but I should make a deck to. Sincerely. Sincerely, PowerPoint. Yeah, like a PowerPoint. Offer the A's fans a warm welcome if you would consider becoming a Mariners fan. Like, I feel like it's a pretty good fit. You know what I mean? Like, not as far as the region is concerned. Northern California, Pacific Northwest. Like, we're kind of neighbors. I mean, I'm not saying this to be cruel, but you're used to heartbreak. We're used to heartbreak. Welcome aboard. Like, going from. Going to be from an A's fan to a Dodgers fan. Especially in this day and age. Dodgers fan. Where they're deferring. No. A billion dollars artery.

[Andrew Walsh]

Your arteries are not prepared for it. No.

[Gillian Bell]

Like, and it's just, like, it's just.

[Andrew Walsh]

Instant heart attack from just the excitement of that much talent on a team.

[Gillian Bell]

I feel like it might be tempting to be like, well, if I'm going to choose a new team, why don't I go with, you know, I've been, I've been heartbroken for too long as an agent house. But don't, like, stay in the outhouse with us here in Seattle. Like, think that, like, it's a good match for Ace fans. Do what you will, I'm here for you. But just know that we Mariners fans are open to your fandom as well.

[Andrew Walsh]

Mariners baseball. Stay in the outhouse. Hey, we got the number three pick in the draft that we weren't supposed to get, but better than nothing.

[Gillian Bell]

Yeah, I'm that article never explained how the picks are chosen, though.

[Andrew Walsh]

Well, we had the least.

[Gillian Bell]

Oh it did.

[Andrew Walsh]

I think probably because we've almost made the playoffs. I think it's related to your record.

[Gillian Bell]

But how do you not know though, if it's related to your record? Why was it a surprise for all the execs in the room?

[Andrew Walsh]

Because it's a drawing. So every. So this is also how it is in the like the NBA. So the worse you are, the more ping pong balls you have in the lotto machine. And, and the Mariners only missed the playoffs by a couple of games, which is their preferred move. And so we were probably at the high. I'm sure that the playoff teams are maybe not even like if you made the postseason, you're probably not in the drawing. And then if you miss the postseason, the closer you got to making the postseason, the fewer ping pong balls you have down to like the worst team has the most ping pong balls. So like the Chicago White Sox probably had most of the ping pong balls is my theory, having not read anything else about this.

[Gillian Bell]

In fact, do you remember where the Sox ended up on that list? That was a while back down, but. But that. Yeah, should have been.

[Andrew Walsh]

I only read the headline and then sent it to the criminals.

[Gillian Bell]

Oh, that's right. That's right. Anyway, yes. So I do want to wrap up here and just thank everybody for donating to the show.

[Andrew Walsh]

Thank you for being a 10.

[Gillian Bell]

Yes, for sure.

[Andrew Walsh]

And thanks for spending this week with us. We are going to be back here on Monday with more imaginary radio for all of you and we're hoping you can join us for that. In the meantime, have yourself a great little weekend. We'll see you on Monday. And please remember, no mountain too tall.

[Gillian Bell]

And good luck to all. Power out.