#4386 Caricature Study

Summary

Podcast Summary: TBTL Episode #4386 – "Caricature Study"

Introduction In episode #4386 of TBTL: Too Beautiful To Live, released on January 22, 2025, hosts Luke Burbank and Andrew Walsh delve into a variety of engaging topics, seamlessly blending humor with insightful commentary. The episode kicks off with a lighthearted discussion about alien abductions and modern dating woes, setting the tone for an entertaining and thought-provoking show.

Alien Abduction and Modern Dating Andrew Walsh opens the episode with a humorous take on alien abductions, contrasting the experience with the frustrations of online dating.

Andrew Walsh [00:00]: "If an alien abducted me... unlike these people on Tinder, who the only thing they want to do is scam me and catfish me and extort money from me."

Luke joins in, adding his own quirky observations, illustrating their chemistry and shared sense of humor.

Hollywood Squares Revival A significant portion of the episode focuses on the revival of the classic game show Hollywood Squares, now hosted by NFL star Nate Burleson. Luke and Andrew express mixed feelings about the reboot, discussing its placement in prime time and its appeal to both nostalgic and new audiences.

Luke Burbank [05:12]: "I have comments or questions regarding four different drops... one is a voicemail about hearing Barabba Jaggle on the radio in their car."

Andrew Walsh [15:23]: "He was the hardest working fellow in broadcasting... he's also hosting Hollywood Squares. The guy is, it's all coming together for Nate."

The hosts analyze the choice of celebrities involved, noting the balance between well-known figures like Drew Carey and emerging talents such as Tiffany Haddish and Nicole Byer. They ponder the impact of familiar IP (Intellectual Property) on viewership and the strategic timing of the show's revival.

Genevieve [16:11]: "They start with Nate Burleson... the ascendance of Nate Burleson to being one of the main broadcasters in America is not something I saw coming."

Caricature Studies Transitioning from television, Luke and Genevieve explore the art of caricatures, sharing personal anecdotes about their experiences with caricature artists. They humorously recount encounters with caricaturists in Los Angeles, highlighting both flattering and less-than-favorable renditions.

Genevieve [35:37]: "The art of doing a caricature is to draw the person in the most flattering sort of construction of them... The only caricature that I've ever sprung for was me and Addie."

Luke Burbank [37:36]: "I think it's charming looking in it... they drew Addie and I as two people who have the saddest eyes behind our smiles."

Donor Appreciation Acknowledging the support that makes TBTL possible, Luke and Genevieve dedicate a segment to thanking their listeners and donors. They highlight specific contributors, emphasizing the community aspect of the show.

Genevieve [50:35]: "It's time for us to thank some donors of this here thing. TBTL."

Luke Burbank [51:01]: "Thank you so much, Alan and Luke. I hope it's okay to spoil this, but we have a complete 50, 50 split today on cities that have two names or one name or two-word names or one-word name."

Listener's Story: Popeye Erotic Poster The episode takes a surprising turn with a listener voicemail from Danielle, who shares a childhood memory involving an unexpected and inappropriate depiction of Popeye.

Danielle [59:06]: "I realize that it was because their pants were not on and they were holding each other... Popeye and olive oil."

This candid revelation sparks a reflective discussion between the hosts about their own suppressed memories and the dynamics of childhood exposure to unexpected content.

Genevieve [62:19]: "I have a vague sense that I also saw some sort of animated Popeye erotica as a kid."

Luke humorously attempts to validate the story, searching for related content online, while Genevieve empathizes with Danielle's experience.

Conclusion As the episode draws to a close, Luke and Genevieve wrap up with lighter banter about their evolving appearances and the future of their podcast branding. They reaffirm their commitment to their listeners, encouraging continued support and engagement.

Genevieve [63:05]: "Thanks for listening, everyone. We're going to be back here tomorrow with more imaginary radio for all of you."

Luke Burbank [58:10]: "If it's not there, it means Genevieve and I got into a huge fight and there is trouble in paradise."

Notable Quotes

• Andrew Walsh [00:00]: "If an alien abducted me... I'll make love to them because that shows effort."
• Luke Burbank [05:12]: "I have comments or questions regarding four different drops..."
• Genevieve [35:37]: "The art of doing a caricature is to draw the person in the most flattering sort of construction of them..."
• Danielle [59:06]: "One day when I was about 10, I found in their closet an old poster that was rolled up..."

Key Takeaways

• Nostalgia vs. Modernity: The discussion around Hollywood Squares highlights the tension between reviving beloved classics and catering to contemporary audiences.
• Personal Connections: The hosts' shared experiences with caricaturists and listener stories underscore the importance of personal anecdotes in building a relatable podcast.
• Community Support: The emphasis on donor appreciation reflects the vital role of listener contributions in sustaining the show.
• Childhood Memories: The candid sharing of Danielle's story about Popeye serves as a reminder of how childhood experiences can shape and sometimes haunt our memories.

Episode #4386 masterfully blends humor, personal stories, and cultural commentary, offering both entertainment and introspection for its listeners. Whether discussing the revival of a classic game show or navigating the awkwardness of childhood memories, Luke and Andrew provide a rich and engaging listening experience that resonates with a wide audience.

Transcript

[Andrew Walsh]

If an alien abducted me, took time out of his day, his or her day, to beam me up into a spaceship, just me, not anybody else in the neighborhood, I would make love to them that, because that means I was chosen special. They didn't just beam up Sally next door because she was out in her yard working. They beat me up out of my own bed as I'm relaxing playing Candy Crush. So if they took the time to specifically pick me out of all these other humans that are around me, yes, I'll make love. That shows effort. Unlike these people on Tinder, who the only thing they want to do is scam me and catfish me and extort money from me. You never know, an alien might make such good love to you, you might fall in love with an alien. And I'm not opposed. Look at that.

[Luke Burbank]

Tbtl.

[Genevieve]

Well, well, here we are. I want to congratulate you for being on time.

[Luke Burbank]

Dudes, the craziest thing happened to me this morning.

[Genevieve]

I got in my car, turned it.

[Luke Burbank]

On, had the radio on the alt station, and the song playing was freaking Rabbit Jangle I, you notice? Blew my mind.

[Genevieve]

By the way, I'm a dentist, okay? So I read body language very, very well.

[Luke Burbank]

If you two dirtbags ever mess with me again, I'll take this to the next level. You don't do 22 episodes of celebrity Outhouse with Lorena Bobbitt without learning a few things. You believe that? I do if you do, but it's absurd. Booty Scoop, scoop, scoop, scoop.

[Genevieve]

Well, all right. Hello, good morning and welcome, everyone, to a Wednesday edition of tbtl, the show that be too beautiful to live. My name's Luke Burbank. I'm your host.

[Luke Burbank]

Another day, another victory for the OG.

[Andrew Walsh]

Taking down the sweats, the imposters among.

[Genevieve]

Us trying to manifest it being another victory for the OG Feels like a lot of victories for a lot of folks that we're not wishing that for. But the good news is I am here at the Madrona Hill Studio, perched high above the mighty Columbia. It's another beautiful day. Oh, Matt.

[Luke Burbank]

Pa.

[Genevieve]

It's just beautiful. And for me personally, it's gonna maybe get even more beautifuler tomorrow when I'm doing the show, my half of the show. From the tropical climate of Maui.

[Luke Burbank]

Aloha means hello and goodbye.

[Genevieve]

Goodbye. That's right. Becca and I are making a very quick trip over there to celebrate her birthday, which is today, by the way. Happy birthday, honey. And maybe too quick of a trip because we'll be back on late on Saturday night. This is like The South Pacific. It is a place that until, I don't know, a hundred years ago, almost no one had ever been except the folks living there. I mean, it would take. You could die trying to travel there. You could spend a year, you could get scurvy in an attempt to even glimpse the shores of Maui. And now we're going there for like three days or something. But I'm not here to talk about that. I'm here to talk about today, which is episode 4386 in a collector series, Let the Fun begin. And I'm also here to talk about the fact that for the last, I don't know, few shows, we've been trying to avoid the depressing news of the country and therefore have been promoting like more light hearted stories out of other places and then not ever getting to the stories themselves. I don't want any more at any time during the day from anyone. That includes me. That BS ends right here, right now, my friends. Or does it? I don't know. We'll find out together. I know this for a fact. We gotta talk to this guy. He's like the longest running cobra of the show. And also you're like the coolest person I've ever met. Maybe best known for his depictions of the tall ships. He's Andrew Walsh and he's joining me right now. Good morning, my friend.

[Luke Burbank]

Good morning, Luke. I was taking notes during the intro to the show today. I don't know if you can see that.

[Genevieve]

I can. I have my glasses on so I can see it very clearly.

[Luke Burbank]

My writing is a little bit scribbled because I was writing quickly. So here's what I would like to do if you'll allow it. And I know we really want to get to the top stories and we're a little bit tight on time, but please allow this. I have comments or questions regarding four different drops, some of which we played in the in the prerecorded intro package, two of which you played the first one, phone call from the person who left us a voicemail about hearing Barabba jaggle on the radio in their car. That is one of my favorite TBT voicemails of all time. It goes back probably close to 10 years now. I have no idea who it is.

[Genevieve]

We know you were part of the show because there was no Barabba Jackal discourse before. There was less before when Andrew Walsh arrived on the scene.

[Luke Burbank]

I mean, I'm pretty sure Shawn Dettori used to bring up Donovan quite a bit, but he was more of deeper tracks that was kind of more of a pop hit for him, and so he disregarded it. I would like to say, you know, I. We know a lot of our listeners kind of personally from meeting them or, you know, emailing with them. And a lot of people who call the voicemail line are sort of regular callers to the voicemail line. So I get to know them that way. I have no idea who that person is. But if you are still listening in the year of our Lord 2025, will you reach out to me? I would love to know who you are, because I swear I would remember that voice. And it's so good. And I just love that you checked in on Barabba Jaggle. So thank you. And if you're listening, please get at it.

[Genevieve]

It's funny that you that that was one of the four things you wanted to discuss here at the top of the show, because I. When I heard that little snippet of tape, I thought, I don't know who that. But I don't know who that is. But I do care to find out? I thought, that person sounds fun. They sound fierce.

[Luke Burbank]

Yes, exactly.

[Genevieve]

They sound like they're. They sound like they're a barrel of fun. And I couldn't tell you, based on the voice, who that is. And like you, I know the other day, oh, it was. Becca posted a picture on her Instagram feed of she and I post running that little race over the weekend. And she was getting a lot of likes on it and a lot of likes from people that weren't that were following her on Instagram but that weren't like, part of her social circle of friends. And she would just list a name and I would say, that person lives in such and such place.

[Luke Burbank]

Yes.

[Genevieve]

And then she. And I was like, giving her. She was like, this is insane. You know all these people. I was like, yeah, how many listeners do you think we have? Yeah, I know all of them. And it's like our friend Maggie and Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. And then it was like our friend Nate Hultman. It was like I was just giving her chapter and verse on every single person who was smashing the like button. All that is to say you and I have a pretty. And I'm sure now John Sklaroff, TBTL employee, numero uno. We have a pretty good sense of who most of the folks in the TBTL universe are, because honestly, there aren't that many of them. And we've been hang in with him for going on now, you know, almost what, a decade and a half and so when you get somebody like that who sounds fun and flirty and excited and you don't know who it is, it sticks out. Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

And it's good energy. We could use more of that energy, but I don't know if that person is still listening or not. But if you are, let me know. The next note is just a note of appreciation for just one of the best jokes, I think, in pop culture history, which is you don't do two seasons of Celebrity Outhouse with Lorena Bobbitt without lur learning a few things. Like, again, it's just one of those perfect 30 Rock jokes that just hits so many things all at once. That is just so wonderful. I don't know that we need to pause there. I just wanted to appreciate that. Did you?

[Genevieve]

I recently. I don't even think I watched. It troubles me deeply, which tells you that my life is going okay. If this is the kind of thing that troubles me deeply. But I'm always, like, I'm always confused and slash a little disappointed when I see a 30 rock thing that I don't remember when it happened in the wild, because it makes me wonder, am I missing. Are there. Were there, like, episodes I didn't watch or seasons I didn't watch? I can't imagine that's the case. But I saw this clip the other day of some episode where there's a fundraiser where they have Jenna singing the most general song for like, a NBC or like, a. Whatever they're called there, Cabletown or something.

[Luke Burbank]

Then they blow off fireworks in the heart of Manhattan, and everybody thinks it's a terrorist attack, but they're trying to do some sort of huge ending, like we are the world kind of thing.

[Genevieve]

But it. But it has to be. It's not specific for anything. So Jenna's singing a song about how everyone who saw the thing that happened are thinking about what the thing was that had gone on. Do you think there's a very inspirational song that's completely devoid of detail?

[Luke Burbank]

I'm trying to figure out the best way because I know exactly what you're talking about. I just can't. That's right. She also. I'm just remembering this now. I also think one of the best jokes is America's Kids got singing that she's like, one of the celebrity judges. That's something else. Totally. I'm just thinking of it because now in our house, like, I mean, literally, for 15 years, Vivian, I will only refer to those kind of, like, late night, like, kind of reality, you know, contestant shows as America's kids got singing. It's all that. By the way, I do want to. Well, these other ones aren't super.

[Genevieve]

No, you still got two things on the list and I want to hear them.

[Luke Burbank]

I did want to say I was. I had some actual ambivalence, meaning actual mixed emotions going between excited and pre dismayed. Not over anything that we've talked about this week, but instead the resurgence of Hollywood Squares. I was watching one of the NFL games this weekend, one of the playoff games. Oh, I know. It was like the Sunday night one or the Sunday afternoon one because I actually was able to watch it on Paramount plus because we have Paramount plus. So it was like I actually saw an actual broadcast of it as it's supposed to be broadcast, as opposed. Opposed to my new thing, which is watching Canadian tv. Somebody sent me a Canadian leak site where you can basically watch all kinds of American tv. You basically just switch through it. It's all kinds of live programming, including football games, but it's through Canadian broadcasters. So I'm seeing all kinds of Canadian commercials.

[Genevieve]

Now it's just all Tim Hortons.

[Luke Burbank]

They just call them Tims now. They're just going with Tims. They're very familiar. For real. So anyway, what was I gonna say? Oh, so I'm watching the actual CBS/ Paramount plus broadcast of this football game and they keep on, you know, promoting the Hollywood Squares. And like, I have fond memories of the original Hollywood Squares. And it's not like this is some sort of, you know, the one in the 70s or 80s that I saw. It wasn't some sort of, you know, artistic endeavor that I feel like should not be rebooted. Why? Why not just bring a bunch of like B and C list celebrities, put them up in some squares, get to spoof and get to goof and let's see if you can make me laugh. I was like locked in and ready to watch it. But I think think it maybe started to. I don't know. I didn't feel like hearing Josh Allen give post game interviews. It was unclear exactly when it started, but I was like ready to watch a show after the game the way the announcers are always telling me to do. And I thought it was notable and I thought it was notable that they're bringing back a daytime game show in a primetime slot. I guess that was my big point of all. This is like, when we make new game shows these days, the world is so different. We don't slot them in on a weekday. When I grew up watching them like 11:30 Bob Barker and the Price is Right is on. No, no. You're putting that in prime time now.

[Genevieve]

Well, a couple. I've actually many thoughts on this and I want to just manage. I want to level set here. I don't think we're getting to the top stories because I've got nothing but thoughts on this.

[Luke Burbank]

Okay, good.

[Genevieve]

They start with Nate Burleson. If you would have told me, in 1994, one of the kids that were attending school in the metro school district were going to be hosting a game show on CBS. Is it going to be O'Day star wide receiver Nate Burleson or aspiring radio nerd Luke Burbank? I would have really hoped it was aspiring radio nerd Luke Burbank. The ascendance of Nate Burleson to being one of the main broadcasters in America is not something I saw coming.

[Luke Burbank]

I did not recognize him. I even asked Genevieve who is the host, and she didn't know either. So who's this Nate Burleson? I mean, I guess I picked up a lot from context there. He was a. Is he somebody who came up.

[Genevieve]

He went to O'Day High School and.

[Luke Burbank]

Then he became famous as a talk show host after being a professional athlete. Yes.

[Genevieve]

He was a football player. I believe he might have played for. I think he might have played for the University of Nevada. And then he was a Minnesota Viking. And he was always on my radar because he had been a star at O'Day High School. And then he got into, you know, football commentary and then he did the kind of he achieved Strahan velocity, which is he was able to escape the bounds of purely football content as a broadcaster. You know, every once in a while you get a guy who sneaks out, a guy who's like known for football, calling football, but then jumps over to regular kind of morning talk show news.

[Luke Burbank]

Stuff they call that very wide out is that position. You go so wide you end up.

[Genevieve]

You got to finish the right to leave the stadium.

[Luke Burbank]

Can I just say that that makes I was one of the things that I thought was funny in this quick, very, very basic, I mean, very mid promo for cbs. I thought they included a pretty good joke which was one of the one of the contestants saying to Burlington, watch yourself or we'll get Michael Strahan in here to take which I thought was funny anyway. But now knowing that they had the same, the same like that, you would say that he's Stray hand esque makes that even a funnier joke to me.

[Genevieve]

So I've always Nate Burleson has always been, again, somebody that I've followed because of us both being in Seattle at the same time. He's actually, when I said 1994, Nate Burleson was, was a, we was a wee pup. He was probably in eighth grade because I'm actually like five years older than him. Him. Point being, I'm impressed and jealous, as you can hear in my voice, that he's become the big star that he has, I think is well deserved. I actually really like him a lot. So I, but I, but I'll tell you this. I mean, he is the hardest working feller in broadcasting these days because not only is he the, he's on all that, you know, CBS's, like, football coverage, he does a lot of it, but he's also, he's like the co host with Gayle King and Tony Decouple of CBS this Morning. And so he's doing that five days a week. Then he's doing the football stuff. Now he's hosting Hollywood Squares. The guy is, it's, it's all coming together for Nate. Okay, that's.

[Luke Burbank]

I'm into it. I'm into it. I want to check.

[Genevieve]

I am too. Listen, if it's going to happen to somebody who's not me, I would just as I'm, I'm very glad it's Nate Burleson. Okay, second observation about this. I think part of the reason why this has gone from being a daytime show that you remember to being a nighttime show is because it's all about existing IP and existing awareness. And probably a lot of the people like you and I who grew up with an awareness of Hollywood Squares from it being on in daytime, maybe it's summer, maybe you're home, whatever. They don't have to explain to us what Hollywood Squares is. We already know, and that's who they're trying to get. Now, granted, they would like also to bring in some younger people, but if you've seen any of the promos for any of the network content on cbs, you know, they've given up on anyone under the age of 50. You know, like 50 is generous.

[Luke Burbank]

I mean, I know we got to be a little careful to the hand that feeds you, but yeah, I am shocked that they'll be there.

[Genevieve]

They'll never hear this. They don't know what podcasting is.

[Luke Burbank]

But I just would say, though, I'm confused about the existing IP because Hollywood Squares, of course, was a show from the 60s that they, you know, the game shows have been doing this forever. Then we watched a re you and I, or at least my generation, watched.

[Genevieve]

A new Hollywood Square.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah, that was, like, started in, like, a mid-80s, I think, but they still decided to keep it in the middle of the day. What does IP have to do with time placement?

[Genevieve]

I didn't. I. Well, I didn't mean. I didn't mean IP in the strict sense. What I meant was. What I meant was public awareness of something. If you're going to put a new show on. If you're going to put a show. Like there was some show. I don't. Maybe it's still on Fox called like, the Floor with Rob Lowe. And you'd see promos for this thing while you were watching football on Fox. And I would think, I know what a Rob Lowe is. I don't know. I know what a floor is in general. I don't know what the floor with Rob Lowe is. Do I want to learn a new. Do I want to learn a new game show where it's like a character named Chunky comes out? You had all summer. No, don't.

[Luke Burbank]

That's my computer.

[Genevieve]

You have an idea of what you're gonna do? No, I was like, I don't. I don't want to learn a new show called the Floor with Rob Lowe. Even though I like Rob Lowe, too.

[Luke Burbank]

So what I mean is, you know, like, does he have a team?

[Genevieve]

He's like you. He's a fan of Super Wildcard Weekend. He loves the Shield. He's a fan of NFL.

[Luke Burbank]

He's a fan of the Shield. Yep.

[Genevieve]

Do you realize that you're, in a way, you're becoming Rob Lowe in a lot of ways. One, very handsome. Two, they're looking at you to do the ads for the Atkins shakes. And see, you're also generally a fan of football.

[Luke Burbank]

I'm shy peeing. Rob Lowe. Remember those commercials? Those were so good.

[Genevieve]

Oh, yeah. So I. All I'm trying. All I'm trying to say is my theory about why this jumped from daytime to prime time was because in the olden days, they had other stuff to play in prime time that was getting massive numbers. They were playing Love Boat. They were playing Knight Rider. They were playing NYPD Blue. We were all hoping to see a shot of Sipowitz's ass.

[Luke Burbank]

A quick, quick shot of man's little butt.

[Genevieve]

But now they're like. But now they're like, nothing is working in primetime because nobody's watching TV the same. Guess what's really cheap to make Hollywood Squares. It's cheap, but also, you've heard of it. So Maybe we'll get some eyeballs on it because there's a familiarity there. So now it's. It's sort of a downgrade for the overall ambition of the time slot, but an upgrade for something called Hollywood. Does that make any sense?

[Luke Burbank]

An upgrade for the TV show, a downgrade for the time slot.

[Genevieve]

Like throw this at the wall.

[Luke Burbank]

I don't know what they're doing with. And I mean literally, by the way.

[Genevieve]

I'm only halfway through my thoughts on holiday squares.

[Luke Burbank]

I'm only halfway through my notes on drops. Sorry, woman who still has Halloween costume.

[Genevieve]

By the way. Fight the power. We're with you. Fight the power.

[Luke Burbank]

Don't steal my take. I was going to say, you know, I know that they're still making straight up, like game shows. Like lesser, less pricey game shows, let's say, because when I visited my mom and grandmother, like a few.

[Genevieve]

There are game shows that are on in the daytime. You're telling me aside from just Price is Right. There's others.

[Luke Burbank]

But, like, there are new, newish ones. Who's the guy? Is it's Michael Higgins Clark. Oh, no. Is that. Am I pulling that name for the first time in my life?

[Genevieve]

Is. Wait, the guy that we're. The number one show on Sinking Riverboat.

[Luke Burbank]

Yes. Did I get his name right? If I got his name right.

[Genevieve]

Is there a Clark?

[Luke Burbank]

Is it just my.

[Genevieve]

Definitely got two. You definitely. There's a Michael and Higgins.

[Luke Burbank]

That is so close to. I can never remember his name. It's not just John.

[Genevieve]

John Michael Higgins.

[Luke Burbank]

Higgins. I just.

[Genevieve]

I'm giving you two out of three. That's all you got to do. Andrew. It's about winning series.

[Luke Burbank]

It was parlay, Luke.

[Genevieve]

Oh, shit. Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

It's bad news.

[Genevieve]

But all three to come through.

[Luke Burbank]

You really do all right. So I'm very excited that I got his name right. He hosts a show that, like, I had never seen before. So I should mention my grandma passed away somewhat recently. I'm saying that for. So you can send me sympathy. Of course.

[Genevieve]

Yes. I'm sorry.

[Luke Burbank]

By the way. That was a while back, but I visited her and my mom and they were both staying in the same facility. My mom is in kind of a care facility as well. And they both. Neither one of them get around that well anymore. And so they both watch a lot of daytime television. And I was shocked at. So there's like a Yahoo based game show. It's like Yahoo. Answers based game show.

[Genevieve]

And like the Search Engine.

[Luke Burbank]

Yes. And it still seems to be going strong or at least strong in Reruns. And for huge chunks of the day it's that alternated by this Michael Higgins, John Michael Higgins game show which is also some sort of a. It's called America says that I'm looking up now it looks like maybe that ended in 2020. But are they like maybe they're. It was 2018 to 2022, so actually that's now three years ago. But like there are these like game shows that are being produced that are in the middle of the day for that audience. You and I just don't know about it because we're not watching our Canadian leak television during the day.

[Genevieve]

Apparently America says, let's see, it's. I was just. I'm on his Wikipedia page as well. I guess my question is are they on? And I'm not trying to quibble here, I'm trying to understand. Okay, are they on? Do you have a sense of what network you were watching? Was it like a, a network program or was this high up in the cable channel?

[Luke Burbank]

So this was. What I was watching was clearly reruns of the show. But it was a modern show. In other words, I think, you know, my family was probably watching like some sort of game show network situation. And so they were definitely like that time. Do you remember the very, very fine memory of. Do you remember the memory. I could have said that better. Do you remember the very fine time that you, me and my brother in law Zachary spent in a somewhat weird Airbnb in Arizona and one night we.

[Genevieve]

Behind a bunch of Kansas City Royals fans who are renting the main house.

[Luke Burbank]

And do you remember the evening that we watched two game shows that just kept alternating back and forth in a marathon forever?

[Genevieve]

It was incredible.

[Luke Burbank]

One was Family Feud and the other one was Cash Cab I believe. And we could not get enough. We just sat there. I think relatively. I could be wrong, but I think relatively sober. Like I don't even think this was like a late night, like kind of just put on tv. No, we were just meant lining these two shows and it kept going back and forth. Basically that's what I experienced when I was in Arizona visiting family. It went back and forth from America says to Yahoo Answers. So these were two shows that maybe we weren't watching them live on NBC, but certainly they were in production somewhere in the, you know, in recent years.

[Genevieve]

Game Show Central is probably the network that was being watched and that was. That's one of. I'm at the America Says. Well I'm at the gameshow network.com website and they're Saying that they still play America says so I bet you that's maybe how you were experiencing this. But like.

[Luke Burbank]

So I guess, I guess my point with all of that is I guess they're still making the even less expensive shows and they're escaping our radar. But I guess Hollywood Squares isn't a cheap show because you're actually getting some sort. You're filling up the grid with some sort of talent that must be paid as opposed to just getting like, you know, well, Andrew from Seattle on to see if he can go up against the guy I like to call John Higgins Clark.

[Genevieve]

By the way, one thing back to John Michael Higgins and his Wikipedia page, if I can find it. If you are, Let me see, can I get to this? If you're looking for the Australian metallurgist who's also named John Michael Higgins, that's a disambiguation. So make sure you're looking at the right John Michael Higgins. You get very confused.

[Luke Burbank]

Do you know that that was the first thing that popped up to me because I typed in John Higgins or something like that and I had like a very British elderly guy looking back at me.

[Genevieve]

The other thing I was going to say is, you know, you kind of mentioned. And I feel like here's my experience with Hollywood Squares as a kid. I never, I didn't actually watch it much, but it was such a punchline in the culture and this idea that it was kind of like sort of washed up stars, but they'd go on there and they'd act wacky or whatever. And you know, there was always this like, well, you got Charles Nelson Riley on there and he's gay, but we're not saying it. He. But he's giving these kind of like quirky answers that are kind of a wink and a nod towards some sort of a quote unquote alternative lifestyle later, I think replaced kind of by Bruce Valanche. Bruce Valanch in the new Hollywood Squares was kind of the like. And I'm hoping by the time Bruce got on there, we were a little more accepting of who people were. But I just knew that it was kind of like a place where you parked movie stars of yesteryear to give them something to do or whatever. But I'm looking at the list for this Hollywood Squares and that's not. I mean, it wasn't pretty legit. Drew Barrymore, let's see. Julie Bowen from Modern Family.

[Luke Burbank]

Oh yeah, the new one. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Genevieve]

Tiffany Haddish is. Tiffany Haddish is pretty at the top of her game, I would say, as far as, you know, RuPaul, like, there's, you know, the list of people. There are some people that are maybe a little less well known. Like, I'd say probably Nicole Byer, who's a really funny comedian who, who I've worked with before, is on the list. Maybe a little less kind of public awareness. But, you know, Drew Carey, speaking of which, Drew Carey is on there. So it's a. He's, he's a panelist, you know, so they've got some. Robert Smigel is apparently a panelist. Tyra Banks is a panelist.

[Luke Burbank]

But I recognize a lot. I'm telling you, Luke, the promo was good. You had the stray hand joke. You had some familiar faces. Some people that I do know make me laugh, and I'm interested in maybe watching that show. My concern is that I'm sure they saved all the best stuff for the promo.

[Genevieve]

So this is also Chelsea Peretti's on there, who I love. I think Chelsea Peretti is amazing. What I'm wondering, though, is, is it progress? Oh, JB Smooth. Looks like he's on here sometimes. Is it progress that we don't do? We need whatever the latest iteration of a Charles Nelson Riley is. And by that I mean a person who is introducing middle America to some sort of a way of being in the world that maybe they're not deeply familiar with. You know what I mean? Like, I think there was probably something semi important about having a Hollywood Square who was someone that we understood to be different, you know, in this case, potentially gay, I guess. And like, that would seem like that was probably kind of a good thing. That's probably how a lot of people became maybe a little bit more acclimated to the idea that there was somebody out there who was gay, but it was not a threat to them. Now, I don't think that's. I mean, thankfully, I hope, anyway, we've mostly moved on from that. Although with the doings this week in D.C. i guess I don't want to speak too soon.

[Luke Burbank]

I wouldn't say that acceptance is at all level, at historically high levels right now in America.

[Genevieve]

I would say, well, is it time to. I'm just saying Hollywood Squares was, in its own way, maybe just in my mind, a vehicle for kind of through humor, sort of presenting a small bit of social change. And it doesn't. Maybe it's. Maybe it's doing that in ways I don't understand. I just doesn't seem like this. Doesn't seem like that show is Doing that. I don't know who that would be anymore. I don't know what person from what particular group of folks would help move the needle. But anyway, it's just like.

[Luke Burbank]

That sounds like such a very personal take, though. I feel like what you're bringing to the take is your experience as a very young person in the 80s, maybe being exposed to these folks and then opening up your eyes to maybe a certain kind of humor. So I don't know. I would be sort of surprised to hear anybody say that that was sort of a mission driven thing on how.

[Genevieve]

That'S why it's such a good take. You're not hearing it other places.

[Luke Burbank]

However, I am shocked and, well, just shocked to learn that Bruce Valanch was in the movie Ice Pirates. Have you ever seen the movie Ice Pirates? It's a very.

[Genevieve]

I'm. It's one of those things that exists again in my night, like Hollywood Squares. I'm aware of it. I didn't see it. Does that make sense?

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah. And I remember. So it's like a very gritty, low budget, like comedic space opera, I think. Wow, that was a lot of words. But I think they're all correct if you take them all together and apply them to the Ice Pirates. And it was the type of movie that was on TV a lot when I was a kid or maybe just once or twice. But it's just stood out and it always. It kind of gave me the bad feeling a little bit because there's some really scary scenes where like the main characters, it's like kind of body as well.

[Genevieve]

It's one of those movies where they. They got a little too real with it, considering it was kind of aimed at kids.

[Luke Burbank]

There's a scene where they're strapped down to like a moving conveyor belt that is going to essentially make them eunuchs. And they're getting closer and closer to these chomping like metal jaws as they are.

[Genevieve]

Whoa.

[Luke Burbank]

Did I say. I said Unix, right?

[Genevieve]

No, you did. I'm just saying that's a pretty like.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah. So that.

[Genevieve]

Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

To see like these Jaws of Demolition, I guess, coming right at the junk of these guys who are strapped out.

[Genevieve]

Great Pixies record, by the way.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah. Kind of a.

[Genevieve]

Only released in Germany, Jaws of Demolition.

[Luke Burbank]

But I do think I went back. I think I had Sean, like in the. In our. In the very early days of our burgeoning relationship. I think I had Shonda Torre over to my house to watch the Ice Pirates. Or at least we planned on doing that because we Both remembered it from our youth. But I don't recall if I ever went back as an adult and watched the whole thing. My guess is it probably does not pay off, except in just maybe if you really like campy movies. But I'm not the type of guy who likes to watch bad movies to laugh at them, you know?

[Genevieve]

Right. That's also not my sort of thing. By the way. I'm not ignoring you. I'm trying to find in my phone if I can locate a show pick for today's episode of Bruce Valanche in an Airport. Because the funny thing is, I think I've seen Bruce Valanche in the airport a minimum of three times. He is probably the celebrity, if you will, that I have just observed. And maybe because both of us are just road warriors and often flying out of Burbank. Like, I definitely was. I was definitely in Burbank with him. And I want to say, like sky harbor to the point where I took a photo of him and sent it to Becca and I was like, I keep seeing Bruce Valanche. So that's, you know, basically the end of that observation. But there's something about my travel pattern and the travel patterns of Bruce. Oh, you know what, maybe it was even Palm Springs, but. But I'll try to see if I can find that photo and send it to you for the show pick.

[Luke Burbank]

We could probably get him on the show if. I mean, I don't know if I have a lot of questions for Bruce Valanche, but I'm looking to see if I could find whatever scene he's in in the Ice Pirate pirates. I'm coming up zero on that, but I am seeing a bunch of, like, podcasts have interviewed him about his role on Ice Pirates and apparently also the Star Wars Holiday special or something as well.

[Genevieve]

You know, that seems gettable, you know that. Well, I just, next time I see him in the airport.

[Luke Burbank]

Exactly.

[Genevieve]

You know, buttonhole him. You know that of course, Charles Nelson Riley, one of his. He was in the, like original or one of the early iterations. His whole thing was doing something kind of crazy with his glasses. You know, he would make this funny noise and he would do like pull on his glasses. I'm realizing today. Andrew, look at this. You and I almost have the same glasses on. Look at the shape.

[Luke Burbank]

Similar.

[Genevieve]

Yeah, because you got new glasses a while ago and I've just started. These are just reading glasses. They're just easy Peasy is the company that makes them. But they have similar shapes. Right.

[Luke Burbank]

Yours are definitely more designy See, yours are a little, yours are round. Are those the ones that you got at a museum shop?

[Genevieve]

Yes, like a museum shop. See, look at you.

[Luke Burbank]

Oh, I know those glasses well. Those are, those are classy glasses. Those are little.

[Genevieve]

Got them at the, at the, the New York Public Library. The gift shop at the New York Public Library in Bryant Park.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah. And they're readers. They're good. I can't see how the years are smaller. I can't wear small, round glasses. Like, those are kind of pop on you a little bit. If my glasses get too small, it just, my, my face is just too big. I have too big of a face, especially with my growing, you know, forehead. So I can't.

[Genevieve]

Well, I think your glasses look very nice on you. But, but I do think, you know, like, usually, whether intentionally, I think mostly intentionally, like we don't usually, like, if we're doing something, we won't both be wearing baseball caps or like we want to try to have a little differentiation between the two of us. But as my eyesight continues to, let's just say, regress to the mean. I guess As a 48 year old, I think this is just what happens. And I wear these glasses more and more. I feel like we're going to be like, we are now a podcast where we're two guys with glasses. That's never been the branding of the podcast, but we are kind of moving into that because I wrote this on, on the ascendant social media platform Blue Sky a while ago. And I was, I was half joking, but I was being kind of serious. The, the progression from, at least for me, you had a different progression because you wore glasses from a young age.

[Luke Burbank]

But I wear progression.

[Genevieve]

You wear progressive lenses. I, for me, the progression from I didn't need glasses to I gotta wear glasses, I need to wear glasses sometimes to where the hell are my glasses? Like, I can't read this without my glasses. It, it's happened at lightning speed.

[Luke Burbank]

Like, well, like Hemingway said about the end of democracy.

[Genevieve]

Precisely.

[Luke Burbank]

And I think that happened slowly than all it was.

[Genevieve]

These are comparable issues. But like, I am now, I'm now at the point where if I'm trying to read, you know, small print or anything on my phone and I don't have these glasses nearby, it's now possible that I will not actually be able to make out. I used to be able to just hold it a little further away or something. It's now become like something that I really actually need to function. And it means that like more and more when we're doing. Let's say, if we're doing tbtl, live somewhere or even just doing this show. We are now, like, when people start drawing caricatures of us, it's a two glasses experience, potentially, which has never been the vibe of the show.

[Luke Burbank]

What do you think of. I'm assuming you saw something. That is a big assumption on my part, but Genevieve was at a work event. I think it was like the. The her works New Year's party. But it was well into the new year. It was like, I don't know, January 6th or 7th or something. And there was a caricaturist there. And Genevieve texted me. I don't remember where I was. I remember I was out. She's like, there's a caricature here. Should I have him do my caricature? I'm like, of course you should.

[Genevieve]

And then I'm shocked she even asked. That's a hard yes.

[Luke Burbank]

Yes. And then she texted me it. And then I got really defensive on her behalf. I'm like, that's not fair to you. Did you see it? I think she posted it on Instagram and she's very happy with it. I don't. I mean, listen, I can't believe we still have caricaturists. You must be the most. It must be the most hated job in America, right? You're like. You sit down and you're like, yeah, do me. And then you look at yourself, and you're just like, I'm all jowls. What are you doing here?

[Genevieve]

No, no, no, no. That's. Well. Well, okay. The only thing I have more thoughts about than Hollywood Squares.

[Luke Burbank]

I got through two of my drop.

[Genevieve]

Well, we need some for tomorrow's show.

[Luke Burbank]

Yes, we do.

[Genevieve]

Is, are these caricaturists? Because I actually. I mean, here's the thing. The art of doing a caricature is to draw the person in the most flattering sort of construction of them, which, you know, again, is this even a conversation about body type? I don't know anymore, Andrew. You can't say anything. But when I was coming up, if you saw a caricaturist, they're sitting on the boardwalk or the beach or whatever, and they were to draw you, which never happened to me as a kid because it was eight bucks or something. They would draw you with, like, a large head and big, expressive eyes and a nice shape to you, and then a tiny, svelte little body, and then you're like, on a surfboard. Like, in other words, the. The first rule of caricature is you make the person look much more appealing than maybe they look in real life. And they're never going to be mad at you. Now, here's the thing. The only caricature that I've ever sprung for was me and Addie. And I want to say we were in maybe Chicago. It might have been New York. I think it was Chicago. And this. This. This caricature is legendary because we got the only honest caricaturist in the game. And they drew Addie and I as two people who have the saddest eyes. Like, there's so much pain behind our smiles. Like it made us look like this person's drawing, drawing, drawing. You're sitting there posing, and I'm just like, can't wait. I can't wait to have a huge muscle bound chest and to be like, you know, I can't wait to look like Rock Hudson in Beach Blanket Bingo or something. And for my daughter, who's very beautiful irl, but for my beautiful daughter to look even more beautiful, like, this is what I'm waiting for because you can't see what they're drawing. And then the person turns it around to us. And it was the least flattering caricature of all time. And all I could think was, dude, we don't even care if it looks like us as long as the people look hot.

[Luke Burbank]

Well, that's. I mean, I. Apparently you did not see it. I'm sending it to you now.

[Genevieve]

But that's why I think I liked it. I thought it was a nice picture.

[Luke Burbank]

Really? I thought this caricature did Genevieve dirty on this one. I don't think it represents her.

[Genevieve]

Okay. Are you texting or emailing?

[Luke Burbank]

I just texted it to you. I mean, it really emphasizes big front teeth.

[Genevieve]

I think it's charming looking in it.

[Luke Burbank]

I mean, I thought. I don't like it.

[Genevieve]

Oh, that's so interesting. I mean, you know.

[Luke Burbank]

You know she likes it.

[Genevieve]

Yeah, I thought it was. This was a really cute picture because it's, as the young people had stopped saying months ago. It's giving like one of the cartoon girl chipmunks with the Alvin and the Chipmunks. And I think I always kind of had a crush on them. Like, this is, I think, a good caricature because this is, of course, not what Genevieve looks like exactly, but it's a very, like a warm, charming, welcoming, I would say, cute person being represented in here, even though it's not hyper realistic. I would have killed for this treatment when Addie and I got our caricature done, although I'LL tell you this, it's better how bad ours was because we talk about it to this day. Because Andrew, let me stress, even if you don't think this is a nice depiction of Genevieve, the person in the caricature looks happy. We got a caricaturist who drew two sad eyed precious moments. People like large mournful eyes like it was. But Addie and I still talk about it all these years later so that maybe that was a better outcome.

[Luke Burbank]

Do you remember I'm blanking on his name here, but I'm googling it. Oh yeah. David Lieb Hart did a caricature of me and Genevieve were in la. We were just like leaving the. What's the Tar Pits Museum.

[Genevieve]

Oh, La Brea.

[Luke Burbank]

La Brea Museum. No, we weren't even leaving. I think we're just heading towards it because we sort of lived in that area. Like, why have we. We've driven past this place a million times. So like on a Saturday, we're like, let's just go check it out. I think on a whim, let's go.

[Genevieve]

Put one foot in this tar.

[Luke Burbank]

See how it goes. See how it goes. And then we're walking in and the like. But we're still like, you know, I don't know, quite a ways from the doors, but there's like this long sidewalk. It's kind of like a park out there. And then sitting on like a park bench is David Leap Hart, who people would know from like some sketches from the Tim and Eric Show. He was one of those guys who was like kind of a cable access guy and like definitely like a character of himself in many ways too, and deals with various things and he was out there selling cassette tapes of his music and offering to do caricatures. And so we're like, yeah, absolutely. I don't know where that thing is right now, but I remember I liked it. Liking it quite a bit.

[Genevieve]

Did it look in any way kind of. Did it represent anything about the two of you? Like, was it an okay caricature?

[Luke Burbank]

I thought so, yeah.

[Genevieve]

Or was it super abstract?

[Luke Burbank]

No, no, no. Oh, no, he was. It was a straight up caricature. I don't think he was doing any outsider art or anything with it. I think it was a caricature and I liked it. I thought it was flattering. But yeah, that's a special thing.

[Genevieve]

You remember when I bumped into him on the way out of the Hollywood bowl and I think I was trying to videotape it to send it to you, and all he was doing was yelling at me to put money in the thing, which I was about to do. But first I wanted to get a little video of his performance. And he just was, like, pointing down to the, like, thing, like, if you're gonna videotape me. And I was like, I get it. I'll give you, you know, the five bucks or whatever. But I just wanted. I just. Didn't you guys also get a CD of his or something?

[Luke Burbank]

I think we got maybe a CD or maybe even a cassette tape. I'm not exactly sure. He was selling his music, and each cassette was, like, you know, there was no uniformity to it. I think you'd like. Each one was made individually. So he was just out there, like, trying to, you know, get his hustle on or whatever. But it was like. It was very much like. I know it's like you can run into, like, the. The aest of a list celebs in la, but I just like. And I never cared about that. Like, Genevieve would be like, oh, that's so and so from, like, Veep in the corner, like, you know, some tertiary character. I'm like, okay, yeah, I don't care. I never really got excited, except for David Leebhardt, I think. Just.

[Genevieve]

I know how that is. Yeah. Like, there are people that are little. You know, they're. I was listening to the Stern show the other day, and basically they were talking about this character, Ronnie the limo driver. And it's like Ronnie the limo driver was Howard Stern's limo driver, like, would just drive him to the studio in Manhattan, you know, for 30 years, and then became kind of a, you know, character on the show and is now a person who. Who other people are nervous to talk to because he's such a big celebrity.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah.

[Genevieve]

Like. And, like, Jimmy Kimmel was flying Ronnie the Limo driver over to LA to be at the Kimmel show when Cher was going to be there. Because Ronnie the Limo driver is a big Cher aficionado and. Or fan of hers or whatever. It's just funny how it. Somebody's actual. I guess. Let me. Let me compare us, if I can, to David Leibhart and Ronnie the Limo Driver. Like, on the one hand, it's shocking to me when anyone is ever excited to meet us, like, if it's at a TBTL event or whatever, because it's like, we are not celebrities. But I guess if you spend enough time, you know, in the audio presence of a couple of folks, like, it's. It's actually at some point less about, are you a celebrity? And More just like, has some sort of connection been made that now makes this an exciting event because. Because people are legit excited to meet us and I legit can't understand that. But also I was legit excited to send you a video of David Liebhart.

[Luke Burbank]

I worry about him a little bit. Not to take it to like a less fun place, but you talk about Ronnie the limo driver. Like, I wish Dave Leeb Hart enjoyed more of that kind of celebrity. But I think he would, you know, for a very small section of the population who's like really dialed in on a show that's pretty old now, Tim and Eric and his roles on there. And I remember even in the moment, like Genevieve, I think made some conversation and maybe asked about somebody else who used to be on the show or something, like another one of these people who kind of made the. One of the more like non famous people who made the crossover from doing some sort of really quirky thing on cable access. And then Tim and Eric sort of brought them over and you and I have had the conversation too about whether or not it was somewhat exploitative or not. I think from what I've read, I think they were well taken care of and they were performers performing what they wanted to perform only on a larger stage. So I think it was all on the up and up in hindsight. But in talking with Dave Lee Hart, it was sort of sad. He just sort of like went on and on, like kind of spilling some sort of, you know, negative tea about the other people and what. And then like very quickly became like, I don't understand what you're talking about anymore. Like just assuming we know all the background of this thing. And like it was kind of like, oh, yeah. And so I don't, I don't think that he is able to live kind of like the, the type of life that you and I enjoy in a certain way. And I don't mean because of his fame, but I think that he's probably, I don't know, struggles with something, has some demons.

[Genevieve]

Absolutely. How do you feel about Joe Estevez being a character on. On Cinema?

[Luke Burbank]

That's been going on for quite some time back, by the way. Yes.

[Genevieve]

I'm seeing a lot of new On Cinema clips now. They're in the movie house. Have you seen this?

[Luke Burbank]

No. I mean, here. Do you want to know the. Maybe the funniest thing about this is I got an update from HEI Industries saying you just renewed your membership for $55 for another year. I'm like, I never even Watched it like last. I just remember feeling about a year ago like, you know what? I really want to support what these guys do because I think the money doesn't go to Tim so much as just like, I think Greg, probably Greg and Joe Estevez. Yeah, exactly. And so I was like, oh, I'll throw a little, what did Newman used to say? I'll throw a little candy on that or whatever. But then I kind of forgot and now I'm just, I never went. I'm like, I'm going to watch all of the On Cinema archives. I'm now a paying member. I don't think I ever watched much of anything. It's just tapped into my bank account now.

[Genevieve]

I just see it and you know, 30 second or a minute long clips on TikTok, which is, it might be the right amount, honestly, because it's. But there's something new where now I think this season. And by the way, if you're unfamiliar, this is, is, this is an impossible to describe kind of show that's, I guess, technically associated with Adult Swim. I, I, that's when you go to Joe Estevez's Wikipedia page, as I am right now, it says that he's part of On Cinema, which is then the reference is Adult Swim. But it's like Tim Heidecker from A Million Things that We Love and Greg Turkington also, who was, oh my gosh, how can Andrew, who's.

[Luke Burbank]

Oh, Neil Hamburger.

[Genevieve]

Are you looking for Neil Hamburger? Came on one of the least popular guests we've ever had because people didn't understand that it was all a meta joke.

[Luke Burbank]

But he just grouses.

[Genevieve]

People did not like Neil Hamburger. But anyway, there the show is them reviewing movies. But there's of course all this like amazingly subtle and weird subplots where like, for one thing, Greg Turkington's character loves all movies, which is the funniest thing. He doesn't ever think any movie is bad, so his critique is totally useless. Tim Heidecker's character is always like branching off into these other weird subplots. And he looks very different every season. This new season, his hair is dyed black.

[Luke Burbank]

God, it looks like very plasticky. By the way, this is kind of sallow looking. This is Turkington on James Bond. I pulled this drop years and years and years ago. But it gives an example of how he just loves everything.

[Genevieve]

No one enjoys James Bond more than I do. I mean, anytime you have a chance to see a James Bond film film, you've got to see it. They're all great movies. There has not been a James Bond movie that's not a 10 out of 10.

[Luke Burbank]

Doesn't really go anywhere. But that's just his attitude on everything.

[Genevieve]

T shirts that he's wearing are always pitch perfect from some random movie.

[Luke Burbank]

Oh, that's my favorite thing. He's always wearing something from the same movie.

[Genevieve]

Always a movie shirt.

[Luke Burbank]

But it's just.

[Genevieve]

Yeah, it's like. It's just like from a very forgettable Hollywood film. So what I'm piecing together is that this latest season, they're all moving into Greg Turkington's house for some reason, which is being called the movie house. I don't know if it's like a reality show or like a hype house where they're all gonna like, basically it's gonna be. Somehow the content will be that they all live together. But now it's like Tim Heidecker's character has a new. I don't know what this woman's role is exactly. Here's the thing. And Andrew, this is. Now, this content is exclusively for you. So if you want to donate $50 a year to me for this content, you can on a recurring basis. Like what? I'm always fascinated by, you know, Greg Turkington's in on the joke or in on the whatever it is. Tim Heidecker is clearly in on it. But when they bring in these other sidekicks and they don't give them a specific, like, job to do other than to hang out on the set, I'm so curious about what the explanation is to them. Because, like, this is this latest version, whatever season they're on. Tim Heidecker has this new woman. I'd say she's sort of a middle aged woman who is sitting next to him in one of those director chairs and when he's kind of talking to Greg Turkington in their weird, super improvised bizarro lingo that we as the viewers understand. They understand that we understand, right? It's this huge meta joke. What do the other people that are on set who are clearly, like you said, brought in off of, you know, Craigslist or something, and this woman is not a liebhart. Like, she's just a normal ish person. What does she think is going on and what is her. How allowed. How much is she allowed to improv along with them? Like, what is. How much is Tim Heidecker trying to control what's going on so that it fits into what they're doing? I just. That's what I want to know. I want to know the behind the scenes of On Cinema.

[Luke Burbank]

Well, I also. We might just need to see the. In front of the scenes though too because as you mentioned, you're just seeing clips of it, as am I.

[Genevieve]

That's a good one.

[Luke Burbank]

But the thing is they're clipping it out from longer running things and I think that there's a, like, is this woman you're talking about, does she almost present like a news, not a newscast, a different person? Okay. Because they slip into like again, Tim's character slips into different stereotypes season to season. And last season he was like sort of a fast talking, like kind of conservative. There's a lot of like kind of Fox News charlatan and a lot of.

[Genevieve]

Like alpha, like alpha brain. He was like selling supplements and things.

[Luke Burbank]

Right.

[Genevieve]

And there was some, there's. What is it? Like, there's a company that he's aligned with called like Something Industries.

[Luke Burbank]

Oh, I think it's the HEI and the I. IS Industries is Heidecker Enterprises Industries.

[Genevieve]

There's another company that he's like, again, I need. You know, you're right, Andrew. You said, you said something truly wise. This show for one. You said, before I analyze the behind the scenes, maybe I should watch the scenes.

[Luke Burbank]

And I think I sent you my login. If you have any issues, somebody should be using that, that money that I'm paying.

[Genevieve]

You know, honestly, now that I can't look at the real news anymore, maybe this will be a safe harbor for me.

[Luke Burbank]

So thank you.

[Genevieve]

You've done me a great kindness. Thank you for being a tam. Speaking of donor support, Andrew.

[Luke Burbank]

Hmm.

[Genevieve]

It's time for us to thank some donors of this here thing. Tbtl. That's right. Much like the High Network, we rely on your financial support. And it's the only way that we could do this five days a week as our job. This is our job and John Sklaroff's job. And we are so grateful for that. And we're grateful for folks like Alan Mullinix who's in Battle Creek, Michigan.

[Luke Burbank]

Thank you so much, Alan and Luke. I hope it's okay to spoil this, but we have a complete 50, 50 split today on cities that have two names or one name or two. Two word names or one word name. So we have a Battle Creek, Michigan.

[Genevieve]

Uhhuh.

[Luke Burbank]

That's a two word name.

[Genevieve]

Gotcha. Battle Creek. And again, that's. Isn't that where when you read the cereal box it always say Battle Creek, Michigan? Was that where the brothers made their wellness center?

[Luke Burbank]

No. I don't know. I didn't I didn't realize that.

[Genevieve]

Yeah, a lot of cereal. A lot of cold cereal coming out of Battle Creek. And I thought of that because just to reference back to it, the episode of the Ezra Klein show where he's talking to our friend Chris Hayes. They were talking about how when they were kids, they were both voracious readers and there was not enough stuff to read. So you would read the cereal box.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah, yeah.

[Genevieve]

And I've stopped being a voracious reader, but back in the day, I could identify with that. Like reading the cereal being like Battle.

[Luke Burbank]

Creek, Mission, Michigan, and rereading the same thing over and over and over again, too. Yes.

[Genevieve]

Thanks to Bonnie De Padua in Garden Grove, California. There you go, another one.

[Luke Burbank]

All right, names. That's two. So we're. We're going for a 50. 50 split here. So just to let it.

[Genevieve]

Thanks, Bonnie. We've also. This will become clear as we continue on, we've got some really solid Z names.

[Luke Burbank]

Oh, yeah, you're right. That's what solid out. You're right.

[Genevieve]

It is a solid selection of last names, starting with Z, including Jeremiah Zimmerman of Nashville, Tennessee.

[Luke Burbank]

That's right. He goes by Jeremiah Dillon now, I believe.

[Genevieve]

Yeah, he sure does. He sure does. Thanks, Jeremiah. Appreciate you. Also thanks to Jeanne McMakin of Port Towns in Washington. It's our friend Jeannie.

[Luke Burbank]

Thank you, Jeannie. And thank you for having a residence in a town with two words.

[Genevieve]

Long, long time supporter of the show. I don't. It might have been genie. Somebody very nicely slipped a little card or a letter or a present of some kind under the door of the old TBTL studios in the Port Townsend post office. And I want to say maybe it was Jeannie, but, Jeanne, thanks for all the support over the years. Really appreciate you. Also thanks to Martha Zumak of Oxford, United Kingdom.

[Luke Burbank]

That's right, another Z. And if you spelled Oxford as two different words, you could sort of cheat that, but we're not doing that. That's not the kind of podcast we are.

[Genevieve]

Martha, I just finally actually pushed through my special application to enter England here in a few weeks because they got this new thing going, which, by the way, it's just a. Just a chance for them to get €12 off of everyone who comes into.

[Luke Burbank]

The UK a temporary visa. Is that what they're calling or.

[Genevieve]

I guess, yeah, something like that. Yeah, there's a. Let me see if I can even find the exact name. Anyway, I just, I just sent in my application and I, I, you know, it's the uk ETA is what it's called okay. And they have, they're supposed to tell me in a few days if I've been approved. If I haven't been approved, Martha, could you swing over to Heathrow and spring me for you here in a few weeks?

[Luke Burbank]

You'll find out once your boots on the ground over there, wouldn't you find.

[Genevieve]

No, I better find out before then because I think again, I don't know if this is such a legal thing as, I mean like, if you have a passport, if you have a working passport, then you've already cleared all of the hurdles that this thing, I mean, this thing wants to make sure you're not a felon or something. But like it's, it strikes me mostly as a way to get 12 more pounds out of people that are traveling through Heathrow on, on a daily basis. But anyway, if it doesn't work out, Martha, I'm going to need you to help orchestrate some sort of Ocean's 11. What's the conversion rate over there? An Ocean's Zed. 12 and a half. Ocean Zed.

[Luke Burbank]

You know, not to get us too far off track, but at some point we might want to talk about this. It's finally 2025. Like literally, I don't know, how many years was it after? 9. 11. When they passed that Real ID Act. They've been threatening that it's going to be difficult to fly unless you have like an enhanced driver's license. I do not have an enhanced anything. Do you have an enhanced.

[Genevieve]

Now what I've heard.

[Luke Burbank]

Do you have an enhanced driver's license or.

[Genevieve]

I do. And I was surprised. I didn't realize because when I moved to Portland, I got an Oregon driver's license and it is, technically, it's got this little hologram and I didn't remember consciously signing up for that, but I did, apparently. So I'm, I'm, I'm okay on that one. But yeah, you got to get that now. You got to get that. Oh, you know what, also I did the other day, and you know who loves this kind of content is Elisa Zagone from Concord, California. Oxford. We almost. Nashville ville. We could almost stretched all of these towns out to be two names. Thanks, Lisa. I, I think anyway that I just renewed my, you know, my TSA pre check kind of thing. I got an email from them the other day saying your pre check is going to expire here in a month. And so you just go into this website and fill it out. And when I tell you that no matter how many times I quadruple checked it. I still thought I was being cyber. Cyber fool.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah.

[Genevieve]

Because you know what I mean? Like, it's so many of the emails I get or texts or things are completely fraudulent now. They're like, weird activity on your account. And I'm like. And I've fallen for it once in as much as I called the place. Now I'm just like, I wouldn't believe anything anyone ever told me via this. And this really was from the TSA. And I really, like, it was like, you know, TSA.gov, whatever. I looked through it very carefully. I do. If I'm. If I'm on high alert, then I do usually have a pretty good sense of what the. Even, like, the artwork looks like and things. If you look at it closely, you can usually tell when it's bullshit. But I just couldn't bring myself to believe that this was really the TSA just letting me email them to please continue my TSA stuff.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah, no, I'm with you. But I think it's good to stay vigilant.

[Genevieve]

Yes. No, I know. Because it's also. I'm putting in, like, extremely.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah.

[Genevieve]

Personal, you know, and information that I wouldn't want somebody being able to steal. So, anyway, thank you to our donors today for making TBTL possible. We. We couldn't do this without you.

[Luke Burbank]

Here I go once again with the email. Every week. I hope that it's from a female. Oh, man.

[Genevieve]

It's not from a female. All right, emails or V mails, before we skedaddle.

[Luke Burbank]

Indeed. I want to say, I don't know if I said this out loud or if it was just a thought I had. I'm going to check with Genevieve after the show to see if I can use this caricature of her as today's show pick. If people are wondering what it looks like after we described it. I think Genevieve likes it, so I'm pretty sure it'll be okay.

[Genevieve]

Yeah, I think I smashed the like button. I think I thought it was a really very cute. If I can say that, a caricature.

[Luke Burbank]

So go to tbtl.net to see that. And if it's not there, it means Genevieve and I got into a huge fight and there is trouble in paradise.

[Genevieve]

But then you can come live here in podcast house and we can have all kinds of new content.

[Luke Burbank]

Oh, that's right. That's gonna turn quickly, though. It's gonna become very quickly. Like the Run DMC Aerosmith video where I'm, like, blasting music on one side of a wall and you're like, I'm.

[Genevieve]

Trying to get some sleep.

[Luke Burbank]

Trying to get some sleep with my nightgown on. Exactly. So I don't know why we were talking about Popeye, but we were talking about Popeye because he came.

[Genevieve]

A version of Popeye came into the sort of non reserved. What's the word I'm looking for? Like it's in the public domain.

[Luke Burbank]

Right, Exactly. Yep.

[Genevieve]

But what was funny was it's not. It. It's not the iteration where he starts eating spinach yet.

[Luke Burbank]

Right. That's how we end up getting a steamboat. Popeye. Exactly. It's like Popeye minus.

[Genevieve]

The main thing that we know Popeye for is what we can use on this show.

[Luke Burbank]

And he's. You can identify him as. As a sailor. He's just. He's merely a lieutenant. Okay, here. This is from listener Danielle.

[Genevieve]

Hey, Luke.

[D]

And Andrew. I'm calling for my car, but while it warms up in the morning. Not being able to tell the story because I'm either at work or my kids are around. So you've been talking about Popeye, and one of some of the jokes got got a little crude. Not really, but crafts, maybe.

[Genevieve]

I don't.

[Luke Burbank]

Were we making someone? Were we. Were we putting Popeye in any adult situations? I don't recall.

[Genevieve]

Maybe something about.

[Luke Burbank]

Sounds like something you'd do.

[Genevieve]

Private or something.

[D]

Know what word you would give it. But I just had to tell you my truly crude story about Popeye. So I was very close to my great grandparents. I went there every day after school. It was my entire childhood. So going and snooping around their house was part of. Part of that. One day when I was about 10, I found in their closet an old poster that was rolled up. And I remember looking at it and thinking, that doesn't look right. And it just stuck with me. And I realized that it was because their pants were not on and they were holding each other. So it was Popeye and it was olive oil. And I didn't really know a lot about porn at the time, but my first introduction was by my great grandparents. Antique poster of Popeye and olive oil. So I've never told anybody about that poster. It tried to get suppressed, and then you guys brought it forward. So there you go. Welcome to my childhood drama.

[Luke Burbank]

Talk about taxicab confessions. We now have people calling into TBTL to tell us things and to tell the tens things that they've never told anybody before.

[Genevieve]

Well, as I established recently, if you want to hide something away from the wider world, this is the place to do it. This is where no one in tbtl, no one can hear you scream. You wanna know something insane, Andrew? Until Danielle brought that up, I think I had completely suppressed this memory. But I have a vague. I can't tell you the specifics of it, but I have a vague. In the back of my mind sense that I also saw some sort of, like, animated Popeye erotica as a kid. Like some kind of a cartoon where it's Popeye but he's in a. Let's just say adult situation. Is this might have been a thing, like maybe because. Because he's eating spinach and he's getting strong. So it was a natural thought towards, you know, that stuff. I don't know. I. I think I've seen some weird Popeye. Popeye erotica myself, which is I had totally forgotten about until Daniel. I don't. It wasn't the poster she's describing, but it was like something else. And I just remember thinking, like, well, this is weird because I know this Popeye thing from tv. I don't know anything about this Popeye guy being, like a sexual creature. That's never even occurred to me. And now here it is.

[Luke Burbank]

I am literally googling vintage Popeye erotica and I am seeing some.

[Genevieve]

Some things you ain't never seen before.

[Luke Burbank]

Let's just say we're not using this as the show pick. Although I'm not seeing anything that sort of depicts what. What Danielle was talking about there. So I was to maybe find something that specifically addressed that.

[Genevieve]

Danielle, congratulations on unrepressing in me the thing that we unrepressed in you.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah, exactly. All kinds of memories are shaking loose here. So anyway, I'm just going to go ahead and close this tab. You can feel me popping up, getting more and more distracted as I continue to look at Popeye Erotica.

[Genevieve]

I'm amazed that you were. You're getting a new computer. Anyway, this is.

[Luke Burbank]

This is my newish one. And I didn't even do that on. What do you call it? I didn't do that on Secret Boy Mode or whatever.

[Genevieve]

Incognito.

[Luke Burbank]

I think it's called Secret Boy Mode.

[Genevieve]

All right, thanks for listening, everyone. We're going to be back here tomorrow with more imaginary radio for all of you. So please, if you can join us for that. In the meantime, have a great Wednesday. Hope you're doing all right, considering everything called America. And know that we're here for you and here with you, and we're going through it as well. In the meantime, have a great Wednesday. Take care of yourselves and please remember, no mountain too tall.

[Luke Burbank]

And good luck to all.

[Genevieve]

And it's romantic and it's full of these sort of situations, which turns out to be. That's very interesting, very scary at times, but also a lot of romance and really well made. So I recommend good soundtrack. Good soundtrack. Power out.