#4402 Spewy Spewed So Chazmo Could Die

Summary

Podcast Summary: TBTL Episode #4402 – “Spewy Spewed So Chazmo Could Die”

Hosts: Luke Burbank & Andrew Walsh
Release Date: February 13, 2025
Duration: Approximately 69 minutes
Location: London, United Kingdom

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1. Introduction

In episode #4402 of TBTL: Too Beautiful To Live, hosts Luke Burbank and Andrew Walsh dive into a variety of humorous and insightful topics ranging from personal travel mishaps to a detailed analysis of Super Bowl commercials. Broadcasting from London's West End, the dynamic duo shares their adventures, frustrations, and amusing anecdotes, all while maintaining their signature playful banter.

2. Improv Class Rejections (00:00 – 01:26)

The episode kicks off with Luke and Andrew reminiscing about their attempts to join improv classes, only to face unexpected rejections.

• Luke Burbank [00:00]: “Mark auditioned for improv classes and was turned away from the theater for life. Just to take a class. Yeah. They said, no, no. I'll never forget that. Yeah, we don’t want your money.”
• Andrew Walsh [00:09]: “I initiate, initiated a scene they said was too violent.”

Their discussion humorously highlights the challenges of joining creative spaces and the sometimes strict rules that govern them, such as the prohibition of props like nunchucks during improv sessions.

3. London and Liverpool Adventures (01:26 – 43:00)

Luke shares his experiences traveling from London to Liverpool to join the Magical Mystery Tour, a guided tour of significant Beatles landmarks.

• Luke Burbank [01:26]: “I took a train almost. Well, not the entire length of the nation of England, but I went all the way up to Liverpool yesterday.”

The hosts delve into the intricacies of the tour, praising the tour guide, Chaz, for his knowledgeable and engaging manner.

• Luke Burbank [32:13]: “He was phenomenal. He just had so much relevant information and he was really good at timing.”

A recurring joke emerges around Luke’s mispronunciation of “Tottenham Court” as “Tottenham Square” or “Tottenham Circle,” leading to humorous interactions with locals.

• Andrew Walsh [04:42]: “You’ve mucked some part of that up.”

Luke also vents about his frustrating experience with British Airways customer service while trying to check in for his flight back home.

• Luke Burbank [23:10]: “I just cannot. Like, basically, the American Airlines app tells me that I need to check in on the British Airways app, and the British Airways app tells me I need to check in on the American Airlines.”

4. Face Blindness and Commercial Characters (43:00 – 62:00)

Andrew opens up about his struggle with face blindness, affecting his ability to recognize familiar faces in commercials.

• Andrew Walsh [09:24]: “The second thing, though, is my face blindness that is really getting in the way of life.”

They discuss various recurring commercial actors, highlighting how ubiquitous some faces are despite not being easily recognizable.

• Andrew Walsh [14:35]: “But the only person I recognize is my former property manager in Los Angeles.”

5. Super Bowl Commercials Analysis (62:00 – 68:00)

A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to dissecting Super Bowl commercials, with a particular focus on the Totino's Pizza Rolls ad featuring an alien named Chazmo.

• Andrew Walsh [19:57]: “If you only watch one commercial during the big game, make it the one for Totino's Pizza Rolls and close your eyes for all the other ones.”

They draw parallels between Chazmo and Spewey from the classic show Get a Life, suggesting that the commercial serves as an homage.

• Luke Burbank [21:25]: “This is definitely a homage. Homage or spewy. Spewed so that Chazmo could die?”

The hosts critique the creativity and effectiveness of modern commercials, lamenting the overuse of explosions and nonsensical scripts.

• Andrew Walsh [11:05]: “They release them every Halloween now, which is kind of fun when commercials do that.”

6. Travel Troubles and Phone Issues (68:00 – 69:30)

Luke shares his ongoing frustrations with international travel, particularly with unreliable cell phone service in London.

• Luke Burbank [62:41]: “If you have Xfinity cell service and you're traveling internationally, just know that it, at least for me, is not working very well.”

Andrew empathizes, discussing his own challenges with phone connectivity and customer service abroad.

• Andrew Walsh [60:58]: “It's exhausting to try to figure out how phones work.”

7. Listener and Donor Shout-Outs (69:00 – End)

In the concluding segment, Luke and Andrew extend their gratitude to listeners and donors, reading heartfelt messages and sharing personal anecdotes.

• Luke Burbank [53:51]: “Thank you so much to all of our donors today for making TBTL happen.”
• Andrew Walsh [63:47]: “Happy blurs day, everybody.”

They highlight messages from listeners celebrating birthdays and personal milestones, fostering a sense of community and appreciation.

8. Conclusion

The episode wraps up with light-hearted banter about future plans and expressions of gratitude. Luke and Andrew encourage listeners to continue sending in their messages and support the show, ensuring that TBTL remains a relatable and entertaining space for all.

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Notable Quotes:

• Luke Burbank [00:00]: “Mark auditioned for improv classes and was turned away from the theater for life. Just to take a class. Yeah. They said, no, no. I'll never forget that. Yeah, we don’t want your money.”

• Andrew Walsh [09:24]: “The second thing, though, is my face blindness that is really getting in the way of life.”

• Andrew Walsh [19:57]: “If you only watch one commercial during the big game, make it the one for Totino's Pizza Rolls and close your eyes for all the other ones.”

• Luke Burbank [62:41]: “If you have Xfinity cell service and you're traveling internationally, just know that it, at least for me, is not working very well.”

• Luke Burbank [53:51]: “Thank you so much to all of our donors today for making TBTL happen.”

Conclusion: Episode #4402 of TBTL: Too Beautiful To Live expertly weaves together personal stories, travel experiences, and cultural critiques, all infused with the hosts' trademark humor and camaraderie. Whether discussing the nuances of face blindness, the pitfalls of international travel, or dissecting the latest Super Bowl commercials, Luke and Andrew provide an engaging listening experience that entertains and resonates with both regular listeners and newcomers alike.

Transcript

[Luke Burbank]

Mark auditioned for improv classes and was turned away from the theater for life. Just to take a class. Yeah. They said, no, no. I'll never forget that. Yeah, we don't want your money.

[Andrew Walsh]

I initiate, initiated a scene they said was too violent.

[Luke Burbank]

Mark for me. I just need to know how you can go into an improv class just.

[Andrew Walsh]

To apply for an improv class and get denied.

[Luke Burbank]

What happened? I brought my nunchucks.

[Andrew Walsh]

Leave those at home.

[Luke Burbank]

I didn't know you weren't allowed to.

[Andrew Walsh]

Have props or weapons.

[Luke Burbank]

The whole idea of improv is you're making it up with nothing. I have a mug.

[Andrew Walsh]

Watch.

[Luke Burbank]

She's incredible at prop work. All right, okay, now show me you're flying an airplane.

[Andrew Walsh]

Help. Okay, now you're driving a car.

[Luke Burbank]

Okay. Same kind of thing. A bus. I can't do that.

[Andrew Walsh]

A bus.

[Luke Burbank]

I can't do that.

[Andrew Walsh]

Tbtm.

[Luke Burbank]

It is simply two guys who just.

[Andrew Walsh]

Wanted to dig a cave.

[Luke Burbank]

And what was the purpose? Yeah, what did they want to do with that? They just wanted to dig a cave to hang out. Love it or hate it, it appears to another irreversible step along mankind's journey toward God only knows what. I dove deep into your podcast because.

[Andrew Walsh]

That'S what you do when you're hungover.

[Luke Burbank]

You're here to make friends.

[Andrew Walsh]

Making Friends is the name of this show.

[Luke Burbank]

You are a really good actor.

[Andrew Walsh]

Thank you. Thank you.

[Luke Burbank]

Well, you know, it's just living truthfully.

[Andrew Walsh]

In imaginary circumstances and whatever. Enough about me. What's on your schedule? All right.

[Luke Burbank]

Hello, good morning, and welcome, everyone, to a Thursday edition of tbtl, the show that just might be too beautiful to live. I can't believe you're still on the air. My name is Luke Burbank. I am your host.

[Andrew Walsh]

Things are going to start happening to me now.

[Luke Burbank]

Coming to you once again from London's West End in the United Kingdom. Darling, that really hurts. Where they let you attend the Supreme Court, and they only minimally search you. That's the kind of place it is here. Having a great week here in England. And I'm happy to report that my luggage has arrived finally, just in time for me to pack it up tomorrow morning and fly home. That's. That's. That's what's going on with that. Here's what's going on with episode 4402 in a collector series, Let the fun begin. I took a train almost. Well, not the entire length of the nation of England, but I went all the way up to Liverpool yesterday. Oh, and the adventure begins again. Such a Fun train ride. I was loving it. When I got to Liverpool, I went on a guided tour of important Beatles locations. Peace and love. Peace and love did not go the way I was expecting when we boarded the bus. The Magical mystery Tour. That is literally what they call it. It's kind of. It's right there for the taking, obviously. Also, it's a Thursday, AKA Blursday, so we'll do the Blurs day messages and we'll chat with this guy. Longest running cobra of the show. Maybe best known for his depictions of the tall ships. He's also a soulful rocker from New Hampshire. He's Andrew Walsh and he's joining me right now. Good morning, my friend.

[Andrew Walsh]

Good morning, Luke. Things are starting to come into focus on a story that you told earlier this little by little throughout the week. And I saw on your original show sheet you put a. You put a mention of this, although I didn't hear you forward promote it. So I hope it's okay for me to raise it here. But I'd like to retell this story from my perspective, if you will allow it. You mentioned, I believe on Monday's show that while you were trying to get around London, you went up to somebody who maybe worked for the. For the. What are they called? The Tube. Almost said the light rail. Seems the tube is such a better name than light rail. Seattle needs to come up with a better name for it, right? Like we had, like the. You have the L in Chicago, you have the T in Boston, you have the tube in London, we have the light rail system.

[Luke Burbank]

Or hire Edgar Martinez to reenact his legendary Eagle Home Improvement commercial. It's a light rail.

[Andrew Walsh]

We have to get Eagle Home Improvement to sign off on that. Anyway, what I was gonna say was you had mentioned that you had gone up to somebody there and you were a little bit lost as a tourist. Your phone wasn't working and you said, where is? And I'm gonna quote as best I can, Tottenham Square. And her quote was very charming and if not a bit blunt. She said, well, you've mucked some part of that up trying to figure out. And the first thing you realize, well, at the time you thought you were saying square instead of circle. Turns out that's not quite right either.

[Luke Burbank]

No, no. And in fact, it led us on this entire recurring joke about Tottenham, insert shape name here. And I believe you might have even named the show like Tottenham Quadrangle. Quadrangle. And imagine my shock and dismay when I was walking by the station after we recorded the show and I noted that it's actually a Tottenham Court. It was not. It was not circle. It was not square. It was not trapezoid. It's court. So that whole riff must have just been brutal for our. Not only our British listeners, but just anyone who has been to London and remembers the name of that particular station.

[Andrew Walsh]

But the thing is, it's still being brutal because I've seen listeners commenting also, and this is because it really stuck with me. Cause I thought it was such a good line. Well, you've mucked some part of that up. Like, she was confused.

[Luke Burbank]

And I did. But the accurate part was I did muck it up by calling it Tottenham Square or circle, but not in the way that I thought I had.

[Andrew Walsh]

But there's more to it than that. Because I was thinking, yeah, but like, if you call something a circle or a square from somebody who's clearly an out of towner, like, that's not. You've mucked some part of. It's not confusing. It's like, oh, you just said square instead of circle. I think a big part of this too is that it's Tottenham, it's not Tottenham. And apparently that is kind of tough on the ears of people who know. In the same way, hearing somebody or a guy.

[Luke Burbank]

I refuse to accept that criticism.

[Andrew Walsh]

Have you ever heard anybody. And whether it's. I'm not going to put any morality on this, but do you get a bad feeling when you hear somebody say Oregon, who's not from here, if they.

[Luke Burbank]

Are from the United States of America, like, if they grew up here, then I think you might have heard, like, Oregon Trail. Like, yes, it does. It does hit my ear wrong. But if somebody came over from England and they said, oh, we're going to Oregon, I would think it was charming and cute. Just like when I call it Tottenham.

[Andrew Walsh]

Well, either way, calm down, people.

[Luke Burbank]

I'm not in the mood for it on this Thursday.

[Andrew Walsh]

Well, clearly. But either way, it helps me, like, forget about how it hits people's ears. It helps me understand why the reaction to this from this person was, well, you've mucked some part of that up. Like, it sounded like there were a lot of things going wrong with that. And I realized it was probably both the pronunciation of Tottenham and the square instead of the court. So because I, I both. I found it charming, but the more I thought about it, I was like, why is this. Why is this person being so difficult with you? And that's probably.

[Luke Burbank]

Oh, no, no. She was being. I actually, I have to. I have to politely disagree with the gentleman From New Hampshire. She was kind of laughing as she said it, and I. I mean, maybe she was noting I mispronounced it, but I just. If I'm. If I'm reversing the roles and I work on the light rail and somebody comes up to me and says, what's a light rail station that someone could say, like, could mispronounce or say incorrectly?

[Andrew Walsh]

What's a word that somebody could mispronounce?

[Luke Burbank]

Well, like, I'm saying, like, I don't know the light rail station names. Is there, like.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, specifically one here? Well, angle lake and Angel Lake. I mean, it's Angle Lake, but I think some people mistake that for angel because, let's face it, angel lake, while somewhat ghostly, is still a better name than angle.

[Luke Burbank]

Way better.

[Andrew Walsh]

Right? Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

Although I would not go there with a group of horny teens. Angel definitely seems like a place where there's going to be a slashering happening.

[Andrew Walsh]

Virginities and lives will be lost. Yes.

[Luke Burbank]

I still think that. Is it a geico commercial? I still think that Geico commercial where the, you know, kids are, you know, hiding behind the. Handing themselves right over to the chainsaw killer. I think that's. That commercial holds up.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

My money.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, that's. And then I think that's kind of become a bit of a tradition. Right. They release that every Halloween now, which is kind of fun when commercials do that.

[Luke Burbank]

And also, the guy who plays the chainsaw killer, I've seen him in so many other things. He just never has long hair like he does in that, actually. Does he have long hair, or am I just tottenham myself here?

[Andrew Walsh]

I picture him with long hair, but I don't know.

[Luke Burbank]

But like that, you know. I mean, you know this very well now because you're such a commercial connoisseur, Although you do claim to have some amount of face blindness. I bet you Genevieve. Genevieve is probably pretty strong on this. Like, I've over the years been very proud of my ability. Although I would say it's lessened over time because we just don't watch. You know, we just don't watch many commercials. We used to. And you don't. I don't sit there with Becca and, like, just watch endless commercials like I used to in other relationships years ago and constantly say, annoyingly, oh, that's the guy from that other thing. Yeah, that's like a big pastime for me.

[Andrew Walsh]

I really wish two things that I would change about myself. I mean, the list is long.

[Luke Burbank]

Only two.

[Andrew Walsh]

You muck. You mucked something. You mucked some part of that up.

[Luke Burbank]

Luke, you've mucked some part of it up.

[Andrew Walsh]

No, obviously the list is long. It's like one of those long scrolls that you. You unscroll it and then it goes rolls down the steps. But it's like a CVS receipt. Exactly. But anyway, number one is I wish I could read faster. I think that, like, if I were not such a slow reader, if I were somebody who could read more quickly and absorb the information more quickly, it would change a lot of other things about me. I feel like there'd be a lot of good, like, kind of downhill effects on that. The second thing, though, is my face blindness that is really getting in the way of life. It's led to awkward situations when I don't recognize my neighbor after I've met her 15 times. It's led to me watching super bowl commercials and having, like, on the top of the list, like, of things to talk about is, I don't know who any of these buff white guys are anymore. Like, the commercials on Sunday were just a celebration of middle aged, buff white guys that I don't recognize. Chris Hemsworth. Chris Pratt, Glen Powell, Channing Tatum. On my original notes that I hand wrote, I was watching myself, so I didn't have Genevieve there, and I just wrote, who is this guy? And so many times she's tracking the.

[Luke Burbank]

Hemsworth brothers, I promise you.

[Andrew Walsh]

Is this a Chris? I kept writing under all of them, is this a Chris? I thought they were all Chris's. So, yeah, the face blind is not helpful.

[Luke Burbank]

That there are two Hemsworths. That's adding to the confusion.

[Andrew Walsh]

What was the other?

[Luke Burbank]

Liam and a Chris.

[Andrew Walsh]

And did they make appearances too?

[Luke Burbank]

I don't know. I just mean generally, these buff dudes on my radar. Yeah, I never know which. I never know which Hemsworth I'm, you know, is playing Thor in a movie. I'm probably not going to.

[Andrew Walsh]

And then putting Glen Powell in a big blonde wig. You're like, blonde wig? Isn't that a Thor thing? Because he was in that, like, oh.

[Luke Burbank]

He'S in that Goldilocks.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

By the way, I thought that commercial. That commercial stunk.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, terrible. Just for a second, I thought, God, I had a really bad feeling, like, we're gonna have to stop our partnership. Because I thought you were about to say you like that commercial. I was like, I don't know. I couldn't have anywhere to go with that. I can't.

[Luke Burbank]

I just kept waiting for it to improve, and it kept getting worse.

[Andrew Walsh]

Just terror. Like, that is the quintessential Terrible super bowl commercial. Huge budget, huge name. And let's just take our toys and smash them together as much as possible and, like, write a script that makes absolutely no sense, but put explosions and dragons in it. So bad.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah. There was one moment where he says something to the kids, like, this is about me, which I kind of. I slightly turned the corner of my mouth up in a smile. It slightly pleased me. But other than that, yeah, that commercial was kind of lousy. So interesting. So have you always, since you can remember, had a difficult time recalling people's faces?

[Andrew Walsh]

I don't think I realized this about me until I was an adult. And I don't know, kind of. I mean, I don't know when I started to realize it, but at age 48, I realized it's a real problem. And that's one thing that I really do think is cool, that you watch these commercials and you're recognizing the people who were just in a lot of commercials. Like, Genevieve's got a decent eye for that. There's this woman that we keep an eye out for. She's in, like, some sort of a tax commercial. And she's also like. She's like somebody who's like a daytime investor at dinnertime with her family. I don't know if you've seen that one. And she's, like, really rude to the family. She's trying to, you know, work the markets.

[Luke Burbank]

And she's trying to basically, like. Yeah, she's trying to day trade.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yes, exactly. Only it's nighttime, and she's like, well, the markets never close or something like that. Like, she's in a bunch of commercials that we like. Yes. And she turns in a lot of good performances, but I would have never identified her as the same person across various commercials that, like, you and Genevieve can do.

[Luke Burbank]

I have a friend. I mean, I don't think. Can we call him a friend? A guy who I used to know in Seattle briefly, and then he moved to la. His name is Gabriel Tigerman, which sounds like he should be a puppet in Mr. Rogers, land of make believe. He is in everything. And I remember. I mean, has been for years. If you Google that person's name, you'll see, you'll be like, oh, that guy. He. And he is still working to this day. He's still in so many national commercials. And he does not appear to be aging, but not in a weird way, like, he's getting work. He just has a very youthful appearance, and he's just omnipresent. And I remember the first few commercials I saw with him, and I was like, oh, that guy. I know that guy from Seattle. And now it's just like, there's Gabe working again, you know, for Clorox or whomever. So that one is one I've clearly clocked. But yeah, there's other folks who, like. There's an African American guy who's in like. He's the guy they call. He's probably in his 60s. And he's the guy they call. Maybe not even in his 60s, but he is the guy they call when they need a dad in a prescription drug commercial. When they need a guy who's like, standing by the barbecue by a white picket fence while the list of side effects is rolling. And he's just got that market locked. He's just an extremely kind of regular looking dude. And I don't know that guy's name, but I always see him in commercials. Yeah, I'm. I'm tracking that stuff.

[Andrew Walsh]

The only person I see and get excited about is my former property manager in Los Angeles.

[Luke Burbank]

Oh, yeah?

[Andrew Walsh]

Who is it, John? Well, Jung. Yeah. And Geico commercial, right?

[Luke Burbank]

Where they're with the.

[Andrew Walsh]

They're throwing phones. Yeah. And then. Yeah, that's right. They're putting phones in the jug machine. And then he catches one and he gets a line at the end of one of the edits of that. He's like getting really excited as he's talking into his phone or something. And of course, he's in that final sketch of season three's or I guess the final episode of season three.

[Luke Burbank]

Is it banana breath?

[Andrew Walsh]

Banana breath, yeah. He's the one leading the.

[Luke Burbank]

Leading the meeting or something like that.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yep, exactly. So anyway, that's the only face I recognize.

[Luke Burbank]

I think it was yesterday's show when you just said. You casually mentioned the name of the alien that's in the Totino's pizza. Chaz.

[Andrew Walsh]

Right.

[Luke Burbank]

Chasmo.

[Andrew Walsh]

I think I might have that wrong.

[Luke Burbank]

Now, I found that commercial delightful because I'm delighted by all things that Sam Richardson and Chris Robinson.

[Andrew Walsh]

No, Tim Robinson.

[Luke Burbank]

Tim, the other guy is the lead singer of the Black Crows.

[Andrew Walsh]

I was. You said Robinson, so I was like, yeah, Robinson is right. I was. Miss. Yes, of course. Chris Robinson is somebody.

[Luke Burbank]

There'd be a lot more Southern voodoo vibes on that show if it was Chris Robinson of the Black Crows. It'd be more like scarves. This is such a weird place to take. Well, you know, I'll lay off the fact that Chris Robinson, you know, they had one of those benefits, that big, huge benefit for the Victims of the LA fires that a bunch of really famous musicians got together and played and they raised money, which I think is a very good thing to do. And I really hope that folks are finding some modicum of relief down there. But I, I just saw, and I, by the way, loved the Black Crows when that record came out, but there's just something about Chris. Did I say this on the air to you? I might have. Or off the air a little while ago. There's something about that vibe that just does not work into your, like late 50s, early 60s.

[Andrew Walsh]

Like you were talking about who's the famous. Who's the famous Lenny Kravitz? I think you were talking maybe about.

[Luke Burbank]

Lenny Kravitz is who you're talking about.

[Andrew Walsh]

Is that the famous Lenny Kra. Okay, I remember this coming up with that. I don't know if Chris Robinson came in, but would you sort of group that in sort of a similar kind of vibe?

[Luke Burbank]

Well, I. Yes. Although I never, I didn't really think of it that way. I mean, the thing about Lenny Kravitz is he looks amazing.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yes, he does.

[Luke Burbank]

He is. He has like a 12 pack or something. You know, it's. I mean, it's wild. So, I mean, I've got a keg. So like, I had never thought about this as it related to Chris Robinson. And then I, I was flipping the channels or I was on the Internet and it was like, this is happening live right now. They're raising money. And I just like, who's that ridiculous? As my brother Sam once said to my brother David in the backseat of my car when I believe David had put on a promotional bumper shoot ball cap that they'd been throwing into the crowd. And Sam said, take off that ridiculous hat. To this day, we will say that sometimes, but I was like, who is this ridiculous person? And I was like, oh, that's the Black Crows guy. But he's not giving up the kind of Southern gothic, you know, hard to handle, she Talks to Angels energy. And it just doesn't really travel well with you into later years as far as I'm concerned. But all that is to say, which.

[Andrew Walsh]

Is weird, by the way, I haven't seen him, if you don't mind me saying. I don't think I've seen what that guy looked like since the 90s, honestly. But it's kind of a bummer because I feel like that style of music could age slightly more gracefully.

[Luke Burbank]

Oh, yeah.

[Andrew Walsh]

And maybe that sounds ridiculous. You know, it's very blues based, even Southern harmony, a Musical Companion was sort of a mature record for the time. Sort of like you could see him continuing to evolve and, you know, and like, continuing to work history into music and like, become a graceful kind of older musician. But if you're still. But you're saying that there's still a lot of, like, kind of peacocking in a way that doesn't fit, I think.

[Luke Burbank]

The music is probably still pretty good. Like, Howard Stern is sort of obsessed with the Black Crows. And so I think they released a new album and he played one of the songs. I didn't think it sounded bad. Actually. The music is fine for me. It's just the. It just was this momentary thing where I. Again, I was. I doubt I turned on the tv, but I was like looking at my computer and I was seeing this guy and like, I feel like he had very flamboyant facial hair going and some kind of crushed velvet, you know, blousy shirt on. Something where I was like, I don't get this look. And then my mind realized, oh, that's the guy from the Black Crows. And anyway, all that is to say Tim Robinson from I Think youk Should Leave and Sam Richardson from I Think youk Should Leave and Detroiters and splitnet, they did that Totino's commercial. I actually, believe it or not, did not see it when the sort of. When I was trying to do a little cursory, you know, refresher on the commercials. Because of course, I was on an airplane when the super bowl was happening and then I finally saw that one and I thought it was. I loved it, of course, but I'm in the bag for them. Do you feel like that was a good commercial? Were they creatively really pushing themselves?

[Andrew Walsh]

I thought it was a good commercial. But in the same way that you have trouble sort of separating yourself from it, so do I. Because also they release. I don't know if these were teasers or just like kind of previous commercials in the storyline, but before the Super Bowl, Genevieve played for me, like three other 15 second commercials where these two guys are just standing outside the spaceship talking to Chasmo. And so we knew there was going to be some chat here. Let me see if this one will work here on February 9th.

[Luke Burbank]

If you only watch one commercial during the big game, make it the one for Totino's Pizza Rolls and close your eyes for all the other ones. Totino's Pizza Rolls. You better not look at the other ones.

[Andrew Walsh]

You better not look at the other ones. I didn't even realize that we have that one which sets it up. And then here's one where they're talking.

[Luke Burbank]

My pizza rolls.

[Andrew Walsh]

These are like a hundred bucks. No, Totino's pizza rolls are 10 for about a dollar. Well, then give us about a dollar.

[Luke Burbank]

Why do you.

[Andrew Walsh]

From an alien? So I just.

[Luke Burbank]

If you're down, I'm sorry. Humor.

[Andrew Walsh]

Just one more here.

[Luke Burbank]

You ate probably 70 pizza rolls. It's kind of a lot of money.

[Andrew Walsh]

Chasmo, Totino's pizza rolls are 10 for about a dollar.

[Luke Burbank]

Do you have any plans to pay us back about a dollar for every ten you ate? No, but I'm messing up your spaceship.

[Andrew Walsh]

And then that's it. We never see him mess up the spaceship. So I was sort of.

[Luke Burbank]

And then. So the one that actually aired on the super bowl is when Chasmo is leaving. Chasmo leaving door of his spaceship closes on him.

[Andrew Walsh]

And we see that there are kids. Kids in these. And the kids just. This whole time, I was like, why did they make Chaz Mo so goofy looking like such a. Like a rubber Muppet of a cartoon of an alien? And I guess maybe part of that is so that when they brutally kill it and it sits there dead with its eyes open. How is this the first commercial in commercial history where they show somebody dead with their eyes open? Because it is creepy.

[Luke Burbank]

So isn't one of the eyes, like, roll over to Sam Richardson or something?

[Andrew Walsh]

Maybe. Maybe one of them still has motion. I don't recall. It was buried very near the end of the super bowl, by the way. It was like, maybe in the last break or something like that.

[Luke Burbank]

You know, what Chazmo had was really strong, spewy energy. Do you remember Spewey from Get a Life?

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, I. Vaguely. And I'm wondering if I know it more from you reminding me of it, if that makes sense.

[Luke Burbank]

It was an episode where this alien comes down, and his name is. I think Chris Elliott's character nicknames him Spewey because his, like, his thing is he just. His head rotates around, and he just projectile vomits a terrible green fluid. And I think. I feel like there's a line where Chris Elliott's character says, like, he came to teach us about love. But then, of course, at the end of the show, they just eat Stewie. And he's just like, stewie's delicious. He's just eating a large roasted section of the alien.

[Andrew Walsh]

You are absolutely right. This is definitely. This is definitely a. I don't know, an homage. Homage or spewy. Spewed so that Chasmo could die? I don't Know.

[Luke Burbank]

Can that fit into a show title? Hey, I have a couple of little updates here. My luggage did arrive, as I mentioned, at the top of the show, and I'm honestly 5% annoyed because it's basically. I'd learned to live with the things that I had purchased at Uniqlo. I had enough to get home, and now I just have basically a gigantic suitcase I have to babysit all the way back across the pond.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, that's what I was gonna say. It's kind of coming in late. I mean, there must be. Yeah, I mean, you must be somewhat glad to have some of your stuff, or were you, like, basically across the finish line of travel now? You're gonna drag this thing all the way back?

[Luke Burbank]

Yes. I mean, it's. When I. When I get up tomorrow, I guess I can wear. Well, you know what? Here's one nice thing. The thing I had not fully understood is new clothing when it hasn't been washed yet is a little uncomfortable to wear. Like, it's a little. It's a little stiff. It kind of has a funky smell, you know, and so. And practically everything I was wearing brand new underwear that had never been washed and a brand new T shirt that had never been washed. And, like, I was on the treadmill, and it was like I felt like I smelled really weird to the other people in the gym here at the.

[Andrew Walsh]

Hotel that had almost that plasticky. It's not plastic.

[Luke Burbank]

Precisely. And it was just like that, but then with a massive amount of sweat working its way in, like, I thought. These people think. Probably think I have some sort of medical condition where I put out a very unpleasant. Like, an unusual and unpleasant odor. So I'm glad to be able to just wear, like, one of my own T shirts that's been washed. That is kind of nice. But again, it would have been nice to have this all on, you know, Sunday with me. And it just is one part of what has been a very, very frustrating experience of trying to check in for my flight home because the ticket was bought on American Airlines, but it's a British Airways flight. And today I came as close as I've come in a long time to really kind of going off on a customer service person on the phone because I just cannot. Like, basically, the American Airlines app tells me that I need to check in on the British Airways app, and the British Airways app tells me I need to check in on the American Airlines, apparently. And I kept calling. First of all, the British Airways elite level of phone call avoidance elite. Like, you almost have to Respect their game. It is so hard to get a human being there. And when you get that human being, in my experience now over the last couple of days, they are not in the United States of America, which is fine generally. But I was dealing with someone today where I really could not understand the things they were saying. It was, it was sort of a bad hire in that the person, you know, they're not under any obligation to speak my language outside of the fact that they've been hired to kind of handle an English language, you know, helpline. And it was the case that I actually could not figure out what they were saying. And what I eventually put together was what they were saying was just the same, like two lines of nonsense when I was asking for a supervisor or someone else. So, so I call up and they said they were saying, basically all of the information you need is at the British Airways website or on the app. And I was saying, I know that, but I've been to the website and it keeps telling me I got to go to American Airlines. And then I go to American Airlines and they're telling me I gotta go to British Airlines. And then she just said the same thing again. And then I was like, I'm having a difficult time understanding you. I'm wondering if you might be able to transfer me to a supervisor. And then she just said the same thing again. And after like the fourth or fifth time, I realized, oh, she's not even responding. I mean, this was a human too. This wasn't a bot. She's not even responding to my request. She's not even saying, I can't transfer you to someone else or I won't transfer you to someone else. I was like, is this the new training? Is this how the folks are being trained? Which is if it's almost like a politic, like a Trump level politician. Well, not really Trump, but anybody else in his era who's getting confirmed. And the Senate is asking reasonable questions about your qualifications and you are trained to just not even dignify the question with a response. You just say what you were planning on saying. That was the treatment I was getting from this person of British Airways. And it was really, really frustrating.

[Andrew Walsh]

That is really rough. I mean, usually we are used to the first line of defense on these. I mean, first of all, the first line of defense is they hide phone numbers now. It's impossible to find. And I'm not talking about British Airways in particular. I'm just talking about, generally speaking, when it comes to customer service in this day and age. They're like, they'll hide the phone number. Make it impossible, please. You know, just all the answers you need, all the answers you need are if you type in what is your phone number? It'll be like, are you trying to figure out, have you tried plugging it in and unplugging it or vice versa? You know what I mean? Like, whatever the program is that you're looking for help with or whatever, they're just like, I promise you it's online. You're like, okay, well can I get to the phone? And then it's like, well, what about our chat service? And then like, I'm pretty sure like we're real people, people, you know, monitoring the chat.

[Luke Burbank]

What about Chasmo?

[Andrew Walsh]

What about Chasmo? I know that the chat is not a real person at least, or, or they've lost all humanity or basically an AI type of situation where they're pushing auto responses. And then you finally get on the phone and then you have a like 17 hours of pre recorded messages saying whatever the hell you need. It's all online. Can I give you your balance? And you're like, God, no, just a human. Until like we the humans are just like screaming alone into a void. Human. Operator. Operator. Human. Or swearing. Right.

[Luke Burbank]

Which I feel bad about, but I deployed that. Not this time around, but in the last couple of weeks I did the move where I said I intentionally inserted the F word into the thing I was saying. Not even, I mean, I was mad obviously, but not out of like rage, but out of. I know that this is trained. If they hear a swear word, they're going to get me to a human. And guess what, it worked. I got to a human finally. Which it's really messed up that that's what you have to do.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yes, absolutely. I heard somebody was telling me the same thing about Google search results.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah. Somebody emailed us and said if you put swears in, it won't go to the AI version.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah. So if you type in where is Liverpool playing tonight? Or something like that, then it'll just give you some sort of AI answer of the history of the Liverpool Soccer club or whatever. But if you, if you say where the F are they playing tonight? Then you'll just like skip all of that and just get a list of links the way we used to back in, back in the glory days of 2017.

[Luke Burbank]

But at what cost to our soul.

[Andrew Walsh]

True.

[Luke Burbank]

Now that we're just, you know, where the, where the F word is, is Liverpool playing tonight, by the way. Liverpool was really a cool town Actually and I loved, loved taking the train up there. I was listening to Morrissey while I was looking out at the Midlands and basically it felt like I was living inside of a Morrissey song. It felt like every day is like Sunday in an eastern town. They forgot to close down. It was everything I expected from all of the Smith's music that I've listened to. As far as the trip up there, it was really, really great.

[Andrew Walsh]

What is the weather like?

[Luke Burbank]

Balmy. It was about 85.

[Andrew Walsh]

No, no, no, no, no, no.

[Luke Burbank]

Just gray, like damp gray. Which is again in, completely in keeping with the expectation of England this time of year for, for me, you know, which like that added to it. Yeah, it was very, it was kind of chilly. In Liverpool we're waiting outside of the Magical Mystery Tour bus, me and a variety of people. Well north of 70. I was not only the only person by themself but the only person under the age of 50 who had opted for the 11am Magical Mystery Tour.

[Andrew Walsh]

So this before this is you went out to Liverpool because that's you're staying in London because you wanted to have the kind of the London experience but you took a train out to Liverpool for a work purpose, for an interview. Are you done with the interview now? And you're like well I got some extra time or you're just kind of like I got some time before this interview. So let's learn everything about the Magical Mystery Tour.

[Luke Burbank]

Yes, I went up early. I took one of the first trains that I could take because I wanted to leave some time before I had to go out to where we were filming. So I was just kind of wandering around Liverpool in the morning and I just figured, you know, it's kind of. Well first of all it's like the main thing, a main thing Liverpool is known for. And also it's kind of corny, but it would be the best way. I don't have a car here. It would probably be the best way for me to get, you know, in a two hour period all of the information and see all of the kind of important places, you know. Even though sometimes I've been on a cold streak with tours lately, talking about how like our whale watching guy was kind of a lousy MC and when Beck and I went on the San Antonio Riverwalk tour once we had a very, very bad tour guide and we're all standing around outside the bus kind of freezing and these two guys walk up to the bus finally and the one guy is a little bit older, gray haired and then the other guy's kind of younger. He's wearing a magical Mystery Tour like, sweatshirt. And the older guy says, sorry, we're late. It's this guy's fault. And then we all kind of, like, chuckle. And I was like, oof, let's see how this goes. We get onto the bus and the guy kind of gives us the tour guide. So the older guy was the driver, Dave, and the host, Chaz, gets on the mic and he's kind of giving us the rundown of what we're gonna do. And he says something, Andrew, that chills me to my core. He says, you know, we are gonna be playing some music on this tour as well, and I would love it if you would all sing along.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, geez.

[Luke Burbank]

I was like, get me cut to outside the bus looking through the window. Luke trying to pry open the window.

[Andrew Walsh]

Of the bus, right?

[Luke Burbank]

Like, it's like a school bus. He's trying to get out that half. That half window that they have so that the kids won't climb out the window.

[Andrew Walsh]

Why is he screaming? Human. Operator. Human.

[Luke Burbank]

And the F word.

[Andrew Walsh]

And the F word, yes.

[Luke Burbank]

But here's the thing I didn't expect, Andrew. The tour was awesome. The guy, Chaz, was great. He was so knowledgeable and he was. I mean, he'd done this a million times, but he was so good at, like. It's the thing I said about the whale watching tour, which was, just tell us everything we could ever need to know about whales. I'm interested. It don't say that there's a contest for best question and then not give it to my girlfriend. Don't randomly say, you probably think I'm making this up. Maybe I am. They're probably like, he's making this up. Like, don't do any of that stuff. And this. This, I would say kid, because he was younger than me, but this guy was phenomenal. He. He just had so much relevant information. And he was really good at timing, the way that he was presenting the information. So he'd be telling some really fascinating story about, you know, the Beatles and coming up in Liverpool and whatever. And then it would sort of crescendo right as we were arriving at the thing that was relevant to the story. Like, he's talking about. I think it was a young John Lennon who used to go and he would sneak out of his house and he would climb up this tree and he would watch this brass band that was rehearsing at the Salvation army camp. And the instructors for the Salvation army would come and yell at him to get out of the tree because it was an all girls school and they thought he was just like peeping on the girls. But he was just really into the music, he said. And he thought that they were kind of overreacting. And he said, you know, it's nothing to get hung about. And it's because where he was watching them practice was Strawberry Fields. That's why the line nothing to get hung about is this is as we're rolling up to the gates of Strawberry Fields. Like, it was just. He was so. It was just like an incredibly entertaining and informative tour and the music was rad. Now, thankfully, no one really took the bait on singing along. People were kind of quietly singing along, including me, very quietly. But, like, there was. He never said anything again about, like, you have to sing with the music. He just played it and it was actually kind of like a vibe. Like he would talk about a bunch of stuff, give us all this information. We would get out of the bus and we'd go, like, take a picture of the house that George Harrison grew up in and then we'd get back on. And then he'd like play a George Harrison song or whatever. Like, it was like, the music was actually very well suited to the moment and would also, like illustrate a point he had just made. Or it would be a song featuring the Beatle that we were currently kind of like deep diving on. It was phenomenal. I cannot recommend it highly enough. If you're going to Liverpool, do the Try to get Chaz and Dave and do the Magical Mystery Tour tour. It was really great. The other thing was at the end, I realized I had no British money. I still have not gotten my hands on. I haven't needed it because I just use my card everywhere. And so I wanted to tip him, but I didn't. I literally had no money of any kind. I didn't have US money or British money. And he said basically, like, look, you know, if you want to tip us, that's great. He goes, but the really, the great thing you can do is just tell your friends about the tour, tell people that you had a good time. And I really wanted to say to him as I was getting off the bus, I know I don't have money, but I promise you, I am able to promote this more widely than anyone else on this bus.

[Andrew Walsh]

I don't have any money. But, sir, I have something even better. It's called a podcast.

[Luke Burbank]

I understand how insufferable that sounds. That's why I didn't say it to him. But I really wanted to say, like. I really wanted to say, like, dude, I'm so sorry, I'm not giving you, yeah, five quid.

[Andrew Walsh]

I still don't know what the money is here, what the amounts are. A quid is a thousand dollars. I'm just saying that to make our listeners mad.

[Luke Burbank]

It's Tottenham.

[Andrew Walsh]

Did they. And that's because that's where ham was invented. I'm pretty sure I read it.

[Luke Burbank]

That's what I heard.

[Andrew Walsh]

That's what they said. I'd ask Jeeves. Do they have. They didn't have any kind of digital tipping thing. This isn't even an English American thing. It's just generally speaking, like kind of a tour thing. You would think more and more places would be adapting those or adopting those, I should say.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah, I was going to. That was another thing I was going to ask him, like, hey, do you have cash app? Or something like that. But I just got off the bus, I shook his hand heartily and said that was really, really good. Because it was.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

And then I just made a note that I wanted to mention it on the show and give them some promo. If you're going to Liverpool, do that tour, it does not disappoint. And also it kind of rehabilitated to some degree Ringo Starr in my mind because, you know, peace and love. Peace and love. He's really come in for some criticism on this show and seeing like the little tiny street he grew up on and hearing about how he was actually a very sickly child. He was actually in the hospital a lot. He had a lot of health problems and stuff. There was something about seeing the places where these folks came from and just imagining like Ringo Starr just as this like 15 year old sickly kid who's in the hospital, just kind of drumming away on his, you know, the whatever, the table there or something. And that from these very humble origins they made this band that, you know, really, I don't know, maybe changed the world, is overstating it, but did something pretty phenomenal. Like we went over to where Paul McCartney, also. Paul McCartney lost his mother when he was 14, which is a really sad thing. And we were at Paul McCartney's house where he grew up as a kid. And I was just walking around, I mean, it's a very, very unremarkable street in Liverpool. And I was just thinking, what was it like for Paul McCartney to come out of this house? Like literally to walk out the doors of this house. Let's say he's 15 and he's going to go Play a gig, and he's got his guitar maybe in a case or whatever, and he's, you know, he's on his way somewhere. What do you think he thought this was gonna be like? How did he see this story ending? Could he have ever pictured how this would go for him? And there was something about walking down the sidewalk that he had walked down and thinking those thoughts. It was very. I don't want to say profound, but it was a really, really fun, fun thing to do.

[Andrew Walsh]

Did they get into Pete Best and Stuart Sutcliffe and the other guys?

[Luke Burbank]

Pete Best definitely was brought up. I don't think Stuart. Who's Stuart Sutcliffe?

[Andrew Walsh]

He was like, one of the original band members. He seemed like he was a real Quarryman. He was a re. I think he was in the Quarryman. And I think I could be wrong about this. He might have been the one who came up with the idea of, like, calling them the Beatles with the word beat in there. He was like an art. He's. I just remember him from, like, Beatles documentaries I watched growing up. And he was, like, kind of the cool guy. He was like, kind of like. He was. He was a painter, I think, or some sort of a visual artist. And he also did this. He seemed more like the kind of guy who was, like, in the band in 90210, because he was just, like, cool. Like, he. Of course he has to be in a band, right?

[Luke Burbank]

Something I did not realize or know was that. Well, you know, famously, their manager was Brian Epstein. And Brian Epstein had a record shop in Liverpool and he had, like, more records. His inventory was bigger than anybody else in Liverpool. And he had this. This album, I think it was from, like, Germany or something, that was selling like crazy. And the reason it was selling like crazy is because the Beatles were the backing band. Like, so it wasn't a Beatles record. It was somebody else's song.

[Andrew Walsh]

I know who this is. I have this on tape.

[Luke Burbank]

So you know this story?

[Andrew Walsh]

Yes, it's the singer. I'll look it up.

[Luke Burbank]

And so he's like, well, who's this backing band that people are going crazy for? So he goes and he sees the Beatles and he says, oh, they're phenomenal. Or at least they have a lot of potential. I should manage them. And he calls up their current manager and basically is going to be like, what can I pay you to take over this contract? And the guy's like, oh, these guys are going nowhere. They are a giant pain in my ass. They won't do anything that I Say have them. So their original manager wanted nothing to do with them and basically gave the account to Brian Epstein. And this was also something that I thought was charming that our tour guide said he was like. And that guy, I forget the name of the first guy, he goes. Has written three best selling books about being the guy who gave the Beatles up for free.

[Andrew Walsh]

And he goes.

[Luke Burbank]

And one of his books is titled the fool on the Hill.

[Andrew Walsh]

Tony Sheridan by the way is the name we were looking for before. Tony Sheridan is who. They're the backup.

[Luke Burbank]

I was just like these are dazzling deets. I'm loving it.

[Andrew Walsh]

Did you and I. There's no way I'm going to be able to find this on the fly. But do you remember? And again I was just so obsessed with the Beatles that anything that was even tangentially related to the Beatles.

[Luke Burbank]

I'm sure you knew everything this guy was talking about on the trailer.

[Andrew Walsh]

Maybe not actually but I also. It's been a really, really long time since I was like really just obsessed with them. I was just like a kid and all I had was like my stuffed animals and the Beatles and I never confused the two. People will say I confused the two. I never confused the two.

[Luke Burbank]

Well you were allowed to kiss both of them so that. That kept it from getting overly compl.

[Andrew Walsh]

That is true. What was I gonna say? Oh, there was an old SNL bit where John Belushi I think plays the guy who turned down the Beatles and he's just like smoking cigarettes the whole time and he's just like maybe it's in the Ruddles. Maybe it's in the Ruddles which is another Lorne Michaels production or the Beatles. But there's some bit and I'm pretty sure. I'm pretty sure it's Belushi might be somebody else but he's just broken. He's just ch. Smoking cigarettes and just answering the same question tetchily over and over and over about being the guy who let the Beatles go.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah, it was really fun and. And then I went out to a town called Chester and we. We filmed out there and then I got back and did not go to the. To the. The match decided against that. The Liverpool Everton match. Although it was pretty crazy there like just the amount of like stuff for sale with either Liverpool or Everton on it and it was kind of raining, it was kind of cold and it was kind of €300 for a ticket so I decided to just take the train on back, which I did and it was a lovely ride home. I was. I Told you. I was in, like, first class of the train, and I was the only person, literally the only person in the entire car. And I started to become kind of not annoyed, but I started to become kind of. I don't know what the word is for it. But nobody came to check my ticket for 90% of the train ride. And I was like, I could have just. I could have just walked here and sat in this car. And then finally a guy came through and checked my ticket, and I was so happy he did. I would not have been able to process the information if they would have never come and asked for my ticket.

[Andrew Walsh]

Were you like, that's in that scene in a real Pain where they're just trying to, like, be cool, but, like, walk up and down the train and kind of avoid the ticket takers. Do you recall that part?

[Luke Burbank]

I do remember that scene. I've been thinking about that movie a lot, actually, over here, because I'm in transit in Europe and that's so a part of that movie. And I was thinking about an interview that I heard with Kieran Culkin, who said he was talking to his agent who said, look, this one's for you. His agent said, this is a movie that 30 people will see at Sundance, so if you want to do that, fine, but just know what this is. And I feel like maybe that agent should be fired. He's nominated for an Oscar for this movie. Like, that's pretty. That's a. That agent was kind of loud. Wrong on this. At least as far as the professional, you know, burnishment of Kieran Culkin's career. He almost got to do an interview with me. I mean, that's the high.

[Andrew Walsh]

By the way, he still regrets it. He's not saying no to anything anymore. I'm glad it's Thursday. And now I'm suddenly. I can't stop talking about the super bowl commercials. My apologies. I'm all over the place today, but I did not recognize this. Do you remember the beluga whale commercial? It was for Nerd Wallet. I just happened to have it here in front of me. I would have never remembered that. But essentially a guy's in a whale watching boat, and then he drops his phone into the water, but then a whale catches it and, like, brings it back up to service. And then the guy starts. Then the whale is a talking.

[Luke Burbank]

Oh, Kieran Culkin is the voice. Yes.

[Andrew Walsh]

I didn't recognize it. I'm gonna play it so we can hear it again. I didn't recognize it. Genevieve's like, do you recognize that voice? And I did not on the first time I saw it. But then when I, like, kind of closed my eyes and listened, it was very, very clear.

[Luke Burbank]

Beluga whale has the IQ of a human genius. Hey, Richard, got your phone. Do you say my name? Yes, I said your name because I'm a genius. Were you not paying attention?

[Andrew Walsh]

Man, can I get my phone back?

[Luke Burbank]

Want to know what else is genius?

[Andrew Walsh]

Finding the right credit card.

[Luke Burbank]

With NerdWallet, they do the research so.

[Andrew Walsh]

You don't have to.

[Luke Burbank]

Pretty cool, huh? Wait, you use credit cards?

[Andrew Walsh]

We don't, Richard, but you do. I don't know why he sings. You do like that. But once you. Once you separate the visuals from that, it's obviously Kieran Caulk. And he's such a specific way of talking.

[Luke Burbank]

That reminds me, Andrew, of a blurb that I saw somewhere that I. Then I thought I texted it to myself to tell you how much it outraged me, and now I can't find it. But it involves the Kieran Culkin NerdWallet whale. And it was like People magazine or something. And they're like, kieran Culkin talks about. Kieran Culkin talks about his Oscar nomination and also being the voice of a whale and nerdwallet. And I was like, I can promise you who availed him to People magazine. And it was NerdWallet's PR people like. And the fact that they had to put. This wasn't the full article. This was the. The blurb that was supposed to get you to click on the article. And it's like, I'm sure there's nothing Kieran Culkin wanted to talk about less than being the voice of a whale on NerdWallet. But that was who. That part of his contract, part of the big money they paid him to do that scene, was him also doing the rounds. And really what you wanna talk to him about is a real pain, which is a brilliant piece of filmmaking and his Oscar nomination. But we've also gotta make sure to ask him. And what was it like when you were the voice of a whale on NerdWallet?

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, it's just such an honor to actually be part of the big game. The one thing I've noticed in sports interviews, maybe it's just because I was late to sports radio, but I feel like it's definitely part of the modern sports radio experiences. Not even during the Super Bowl. I mean, during just whatever part of the year or whatever part of any sports season they will. Local stations as well, as the Le Batard and the major outlets will have some athlete or former athlete on. But the first and last question have to be, well, first, tell us about this program that you're working with, or tell us about Old Spice or just like. And it's like, they have to. And it's like, it's very. In a certain way. You got to give them credit for being transparent. It's just kind of like, yeah, well, I'm working with Old Spice because we're really trying to make youth smell better or like, whatever the hell it is. And it's like. And that's all the time. I had a very interesting experience listening to LeBatard's Super bowl week content this week, because I was.

[Luke Burbank]

Were they on Radio Row?

[Andrew Walsh]

Yes. And so Radio Row is like. I don't know. It's like a uber convention, right? Only the convention. The profession that the convention surrounds is sports media, essentially. And so the LeBatard show goes hard on Radio Roast, specifically, like, kind of Stu Gotz's role as longtime buffoon who. Everybody knows him because he's such a big name there, and he loves the free chicken wings and just whatever the gaudy experience is.

[Luke Burbank]

Let me guess. Does Dan think that Radio Row is basically soul crushing?

[Andrew Walsh]

Dan, literally. Soul crushing would be the word he would use. Exactly.

[Luke Burbank]

I've been on Radio Rose at various things, and it is absolutely. I've been a producer on Radio Row, and it's just not for the Super. I don't think for the Super Bowl. I covered a Super bowl, but I didn't have a spot. But it's. Because, really, what you are is. It is the clearest indication of where you rank in the minds of people and of PR companies and products, because you are sitting there. You are cheek to jowl with 85 other radio shows and TV shows and. And the people that are brought around here. I just remember being at one of these things and us just getting the absolute dregs. It was like, you know, Kieran Culkin's driver talks about what it was like for Kieran Culkin to be the voice of the whale in Verde.

[Andrew Walsh]

Voice of the whale.

[Luke Burbank]

That's, like, who we were getting. I remember the host just being so annoyed at me that he'd see, like, some really famous person somewhere. I gotta remember where this Radio Row was. I don't think it was the Superbowl, but it was just like, I was just. I couldn't get anyone who was notable to come over and sit at our little dumb thing. So I just kept getting offered the worst people, but I kept having to say yes because we didn't have anyone else. It was brutal.

[Andrew Walsh]

You know, the closest thing I have to this, and I'm sure the vibe is significantly different, although I think you'll go with me about the sort of seed of an idea here, was the New Hampshire primary, at least what it was like when you and I went there and I had. I had covered it, obviously, living in New Hampshire before that. But when you, me and Dave Ross went. We actually had our own little table there, which was like our little broadcast table. We were right next to WMUR or whatever, and we were trying to get like, can we get this politician or that politician or maybe somebody's aide or something like that.

[Luke Burbank]

And so just Jon Huntsman.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yes, right, exactly. John Huntsman.

[Luke Burbank]

John Huntsman at a small gathering at someone's house.

[Andrew Walsh]

So anyway, I sort of feel like. Do you remember that part that in the convention center of covering the primary, I sort of feel like that would maybe be like a tiny Radio row.

[Luke Burbank]

Yes, very much like that. But again, I feel like there was an athletic component to it as well. You know, it might have been. There might have been a Radio Row at morning show boot camp, which would be. I guess it would kind of make sense because you have a bunch of morning shows. And so maybe. Because what I remember about this was it wasn't just politicians. The thing that I'm thinking of, again, it couldn't have been the super bowl because I don't think I was ever assigned to the super bowl as a producer. But I remember there being these sort of pop culture. There was a more pop culture dimension to it than just something strictly political. And I just remember just failing so hard at getting anyone good to come over.

[Andrew Walsh]

Before we slip too far away, let me finish. My. The reason I'm bringing this up here. And then maybe they'll give you time to think about it more if you want. But the reason, it was a weird experience listening to these Radio Row interviews on Lebatard. I was behind because they released so much content, especially Super Bowl Week. I had just gotten done recording literally a four and a half hour podcast with Genevieve. If you've ever wondered, can you upload a 4 1/2 hour MP3 file as a podcast on SoundCloud? They do allow that, apparently. And so I got done on Monday recording this super long podcast all about the commercials with Veeves. I was really in that head space. And then I was like, we're done about 10:30 at night. And I'm going to relax and play some darts and I put on some of these Radio Row podcasts from the LeBatard show and what do I hear? But pre super bowl conversations with all these celebrities, mostly sports people, but also just like celebrities like Adam Devine who are just like, oh yeah, I'm a fit fluencer here. I'm here with circle water. I'm giving away these many water bottles and they're like, like they're trying to just get to like, you know, the jokes in the middle part. But also nobody's really trying that hard. It's just really kind of sad. It's kind of like the Stu Gotts just kind of wallowing in the radio row of it all the celebrities just their like 1000th interview about Circle water bottles of the day and they have to pretend to care about it. And also I can't remember who the sports figure was, but somebody visited their booth and tossed around a bunch of those Walton Goggins goggles that you saw in the GoDaddy commercial. And so it was sort, sort of weird to hear like to go back in time and hear how these folks and these brands were sort of like already putting the word out or somehow engaging with the product pre Super Bowl. It was a weird, It's a weird world we live in. What a world. Luke.

[Luke Burbank]

Andrew, as I've always said, what a world.

[Andrew Walsh]

Thank you for being a tam.

[Luke Burbank]

Alright, let's thank some donors. These are the amazingly awesome folks who are supporting TBTL with some money and, and we're appreciative for that. It's. We don't have to do weird circle water bottles. Well, I've never even heard of that before. Oh, by the way, it's also, I guess they get the W on that and they're also getting a free mention on our show.

[Andrew Walsh]

That's true. Although I'm encouraging.

[Luke Burbank]

Never even heard of that product.

[Andrew Walsh]

It was like some sort of water. It's like, C I, oh, you'll love this. C I R K U L. It's like, did you see the commercial? It was early in the super bowl with Adam Devine and he's like, I accidentally ordered 10,000 of these water bottles. I'm sending them to houses around America. It was pretty rough. He's apparently married to somebody who's very famous named Chloe. Somebody who's famous in like, I think younger circles. I think she's a voice of some beloved character or something in some sort of animated film. But like that's the other thing about these commercials is like, I don't know who half these people are anymore. I'm too old, and I've always been too ignorant on pop culture stuff. So I have the perfect job, I guess.

[Luke Burbank]

A job that is supported by Mia Carr of Paynesville, Ohio.

[Andrew Walsh]

Now, I am very appreciative of Mia, and I am not into spoilers. However, I would direct your attention, Luke, to a donor maybe one or two down the list here. And I would ask you, do you think there's any relations going on between these supporters?

[Luke Burbank]

I mean, it's a heck of a coincidence if they're not. If these people are not related. I'm of course talking about Sharon Sprout in Chilliwack in bc.

[Andrew Walsh]

That's exactly right. Because if you look at it, there's an A in Mia and an A in Sharon.

[Luke Burbank]

And Painesville has nine letters and Chilliwack has eight letters. So that's also a similarity. So you're telling me nothing, Andrew? Hey, we didn't credit that guy yesterday. Do you remember his name?

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, the person. Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

We've started the show with some standup. I think that was yesterday's episode where he's talking about being in a mini mart and buying some beer and the fact that the cashier was commenting on his birthday month being the same as her daughter's maybe, or something. That's extremely likely to have happened. But we did not credit that person. I thought we should give him a shout out.

[Andrew Walsh]

We should give him a shout out. His name is Aaron Weber. I think it was a couple of days ago, but, yeah, Aaron Weber doing the birthday month thing. A listener sent that in because I think there was a bit preceding that about Seattle hot dogs or something, which was also entertaining. But I kind of like that part because I have that instinct, too, when somebody's like, oh, My birthday is November 13th. I'm like, no shit. Mine is November 27th. In a completely different year. Why would I ever think that's interesting to another person? Yet I'm inclined to do it.

[Luke Burbank]

Well, thank you, Sharon Sprout and Chilliwack. And then, of course, thank you to Kirsten Carr in Saugatuck, Michigan. We've got a Mia Carr in Paynesville.

[Andrew Walsh]

A Kirsten Car in Saugatuck, Ohio, Michigan. You know, geographically, yeah, similar.

[Luke Burbank]

Close together. Pretty close. These folks got to know each other.

[Andrew Walsh]

I feel like they do.

[Luke Burbank]

We have a David Carr in the mix?

[Andrew Walsh]

No, unfortunately, we no longer have a David Carr.

[Luke Burbank]

We do have a Sarah Shipley, though, who's in Seattle, Washington.

[Andrew Walsh]

Ah, that's a city I've been to.

[Luke Burbank]

Thanks also to Katie Anderson of Olympia, Washington. Look at this. We have all. It would appear anyway, Andrew, I don't want to make too many judgments, but it would appear that all of the donors today are women. Oh, yeah, that's interesting. I don't think, you know, I don't think I'm trying to think of a podcast that we're competing with. I think it's, you know, I think it's a credit to our show and to how in touch we are with ourselves, Andrew, that we have listeners of all genders.

[Andrew Walsh]

Are we not doing bucking the trend? Are we not doing One and a Half Men anymore?

[Luke Burbank]

No, we've stopped. And I think that's why the female listeners have flocked back to the program. Folks like Lisa Pettic of Renton, Washington, and Katie Anderson of Olympia, Washington.

[Andrew Walsh]

Thank you very much.

[Luke Burbank]

Thank you so much to all of our donors today for making TBTL happen. Should we also, I don't want to create a hassle for John Sklaroff, but as we are getting towards the end of these daily donors, if you are a daily donor and you have not heard your name, can folks reach out, Andrew, or is that creating a logistic nightmare?

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, I think that's good. You can reach out to me and. Or John, johnbtail.net, john does not have an H in his name. And if you're curious how this works, not to get too much into people's.

[Luke Burbank]

We say H over here.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, sorry. Not to get too much into people's finances, but specifically the folks that we thank on the air. This is something that we do for folks who give it the $15 a month level. So if you're somebody who gives it that level level or whatever that adds up to after 12 months and you feel like you have been passed over. Yeah. You can email johnbtl.net or me, andrewtbtl.net, or write to me and copy John. Or you could write to John and copy Luke and then bcc. Fun. There's a lot of fun you could have with this.

[Luke Burbank]

The thing is, Andrew, because of these donors and the many other folks who support the show, we can do this for our job and we don't have to appear in articles in US Magazine. Adam Devine gets real about losing dad weight after wife Chloe Bridges gives birth. The first baby. This is exclusive. Adam Devine learned firsthand that dad weight is real during his wife Chloe Bridges pregnancy with their son. And he's finally shedding the excess pounds. My gosh, what an uphill battle that was. I didn't even realize how plump I had gotten. Divine, 40 exclusively joked to Us Weekly on October 2 while discussing his partnership with TurboTax Tax.

[Andrew Walsh]

Turbo Tax, not I look like I.

[Luke Burbank]

Was a blueberry about to pop. Like, I. I'm guessing both, right? Because he, you know, because he did. He's in some kind of a water bottle commercial in the super bowl, you said.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, but I don't remember a tur. I don't remember him being in a Turbo Tax commercial. Was this a new. A new.

[Luke Burbank]

This is in October, so this is a while ago. But what I'm saying is Turbo Tax, you know, Adam Divine does, like, some partnership with them, and then they offer him up to Us Weekly, but then Us Weekly has to run this sham of an interview about him losing his dad bod. Brought to you by TurboTax.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yep.

[Luke Burbank]

I am just so grateful for our donors that we don't have to do that also. Slash, nobody wants us to do that, but I'm just glad we don't have to also.

[Andrew Walsh]

It would be sort of fun, though, to name for real, to get a sponsor for our listener line or first, I just love the idea of having a sponsor for a phone line specifically because we joke about that so much much. I feel like we should, like, not run ads, but just anytime we use a phone line and then maybe start using the phone line a little bit more. Just like before we get a guest, before we get Chris Hayes on the line or before we open up the phone lines or whatever it is, we have to remind listeners that, you know, the listener line is supported by TurboTax or Circle Water or what I don't think.

[Luke Burbank]

Gotta be.

[Andrew Walsh]

They're not gonna call me a fit fluencer, I'll tell you that much.

[Luke Burbank]

It's gotta be, though, like, some kind of a very unnatural thing to be sponsoring the phone line. Like, the more. The more random it is, the more funny it is to me, because that's what you get on sports radios are trying to work in. Like, it'd be one thing if it's like the Verizon phone line or something. Oh, by the way, on that, I am seriously considering when I get home, switching my cell phone coverage again, because this whole Xfinity thing over here has been a living nightmare. Like, my phone just gets throttled so quickly each day. And like, yesterday I was trying to get an Uber from our shoot back to the train station, and, like, I have no coverage out Here I had to, like, borrow the phone of the person who we were interviewing to call a cab service because. And it's just. I'm just not used to living. And then when I get to the train station, I walk out and I leave the bounds of the WI fi of the train station. Once again, this is in London now. Cannot call an Uber because my phone does not work. It's allegedly 2G, but 2G is not even enough to operate the, like, Uber website. And the reason I'm using that over here is because I don't really have Lyft. But, like, so I hailed a cab. Again, it worked out. But this is really, really annoying to me to basically not have a working cell phone when I'm out in, you know, a country that I'm unfamiliar with.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, that's rough. And you said it's also probably looking constantly for a signal and it's draining the battery quickly.

[Luke Burbank]

Once again, my phone was dead when I got back to the hotel. That's happened two times in the last 10 years, and it's been on this trip.

[Andrew Walsh]

Well, I'm not saying that T Mobile should sponsor our call in line. In fact, that would be too unfunny, a cell carrier sponsoring a phone line. Having said that, I've been using T Mobile since I think I signed up for my first cell phone, you know, 20 years ago. And I'm pretty. On the. On the rare occasions that I fly outside the country, I'm always like, I don't know what's going to happen once it realizes I'm in a different country. I'll look into that later. Like, I never have the. I don't know, it's just so exhausting to try to figure out how phones work. So, like, well, when I. When I land in Croatia, we'll see what it says, but my phone is always kind of like in the sky. It'll be like, oh, we realized that you just crossed over some boundary. Just so you know, this functionality is turned on on your phone and, like, you're good. Like, I basically just keep on getting messages from T Mobile being like, oh, looks like you're in a different country. Country, you're good. And so far it's worked out pretty well.

[Luke Burbank]

Dude, I might have to switch, honestly, because this is not that I travel internationally that much, but this is really annoying. And like, it's. I guess it's. This is why my cell service is like 50 bucks a month or something, because it's fine in the US and maybe that's what I should just focus on. But, like, if I were in a place where it was English wasn't the default language, I would be sort of in a tough spot. Like, I can get around here because it's my native language, but if I were somewhere else, I would be really, really kind of in trouble. So just duly noted. If you have, like, Xfinity cell service and you're traveling internationally, just know that it, at least for me, is not working very well. There's a right way to rock and wrong way to roll.

[Andrew Walsh]

You can't just listen to your soul.

[Luke Burbank]

Just remember that life is number one.

[Andrew Walsh]

You can be having so much fun. Just remember that smile. You can be nothing but today's blurs days are brought to you by chorizo flavored Fritos, which I tried last night and didn't like all that much. Stinky Noah says this is a blursday message for my sister, Laura Gray. Grace, it feels like just yesterday we were listening to TBTL in the car on the way to school. And now you're all grown up. You know, I'm going to reread that and put my own little spin on it. Now you're all growed up and just bought a house. I couldn't be more proud of you. Love, your brother, Noah. Hey, happy birthday, Laura.

[Luke Burbank]

Grace. Handsome.

[Andrew Walsh]

Don't worry. Congratulations on the new house, too. That's exciting times.

[Luke Burbank]

No small feats.

[Andrew Walsh]

But if you have small feet, that's okay, too.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah.

[Andrew Walsh]

Let's see here. We got a happy 50th Blurs Day to Jake from Natalie. These are buddies, right? Yeah, of course.

[Luke Burbank]

This is my good friend. His name's Mr. Mr. Mr. Unlimited. Jake is a fellow longtime Northwest sports appreciator. He's known in some quarters as Stay at Home Pops. That's like his social media handle. But also he's like, deeply, deeply involved in the world of, like, Husky sports and Seattle sports. And whenever, like, he emails me whenever I'm talking about, like, some kind of 90s sports memory, he's always chiming in and we always have a good time. And Natalie is a longtime friend. You know, Natalie was responsible for the first ever ads that TBTL had. I believe Natalie worked at T Mobile at the time.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, I was.

[Luke Burbank]

When?

[Andrew Walsh]

Shouting out T Mobile. Natalie, did you hear that?

[Luke Burbank]

We were. She's not there anymore. Left under very questionable circumstances.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, she's not. I thought you meant she's not listening anymore. She's not. She's not on the line anymore. Andrew, you can be quiet.

[Luke Burbank]

No. If I remember Right. I think Natalie when, when TBTL was still a radio show, but we were starting to get some podcast heat. We had ads like baked in ads for T Mobile, I think on only on the podcast. And this was a revelation. This was way ahead of its time time and I think probably bought us an extra five months at Cairo like because they were like, well, something's working being sponsored by T Mobile. Like just the podcast. So Natalie was forward thinking even back then and forward thinking when she and Jake got married and had a beautiful family and are living a great life.

[Andrew Walsh]

How does Jake feel about the Mariners infield going into this 2025 season? I've made a huge mistake, I believe.

[Luke Burbank]

Was his exact quote. Anyway, happy birthday, Jake.

[Andrew Walsh]

Indeed. Happy 50th. Heidi in Minnesota says, I'd like to wish a late blurs day to my five Reese who turned nine a couple of weeks ago. Just because I forgot to write a blurs day message in time, it doesn't mean I love him any less. I'm so proud of the smart, kind and brave kid he has become. Happy blursay Reese Grumpy. Can't believe pardon term nine.

[Luke Burbank]

You know what this is called? TBTL Trivia Denver. That's what this soundboard is.

[Andrew Walsh]

That was a big time for grumpy.

[Luke Burbank]

Oh, what a great grumpy.

[Andrew Walsh]

Pardon the term. And finally our buddy Keith says, I've been listening since the radio days. I'd like to wish myself a happy 38th Blursday this Friday, February 14th. Look at that. Love is in the air. Luke. Valentine's Day Blurs day here. Yes. Let's say this is signed listener Keith from Yelp.

[Luke Burbank]

Like I know what a JPEG is.

[Andrew Walsh]

I just want a picture of a God dang hot dog. Keith says, I hope the mini cassette player is working well for you, Andrew. Keith, remember my woes about the But I had all those mini cassette tapes but none of my players players would play it. Let me see if I can I met Keith. He came up from Yelm. We had some beers at Teddy's, talked about he works in a school. He's like a custodian after hours in a school. Which sounds amazing to me. Let me see if I oh, okay. Okay. Well, we're gonna work on that later, figure out what's going on with that. But be a different device maybe. Hopefully that's just the tape. But thank you for the mini cassette player, Keith. I'll get it working here in no time. That was supposed to work so much better, Luke. It wasn't supposed to pick up space. Apparently just spin around apparently every time you get dizzy. Anyway, those are your blurs days, ladies and gentlemen.

[Luke Burbank]

Happy blurs day, everybody.

[Andrew Walsh]

Happy bir.

[Luke Burbank]

Keep them coming. Send them to Andrew Btl. Net. That's where they go, right? You're the collector of.

[Andrew Walsh]

That's absolutely right.

[Luke Burbank]

We know it's not me. Could be John.

[Andrew Walsh]

AndrewBtl.net is how you get them to me. Sorry I'm getting distracted here at the end. I'm trying to figure out.

[Luke Burbank]

What are you trying to figure out to fix that thing?

[Andrew Walsh]

Well, no, I'm not trying to fix on the fly, but I was kind of surprised because the truth of the matter is Keith gave that to me. Says deep in my. I wanted to start that project of digitizing a bunch of old kiss these mini cassettes from. From a voicemail machine I had years and years ago. And I knew that it worked, like, physically worked, but I guess I had never put a tape in there before. So I was just a little bit surprised and I feel a little bit bummed that that was part of Keith's. That was part of Keith's day message. We're on a journey together with this Keith. Don't worry, I'll figure it out. I'll figure it out. Grumpy, pardon the term.

[Luke Burbank]

This seems like a good place to end so you can get to working on that tape. Tape recorder. Thanks for listening, everybody. We will be back here tomorrow. One final show coming to you from England. Hey, you know who I am getting, ironically, I guess you could say tea with tomorrow. Although it's not tea. It's coffee.

[Andrew Walsh]

Is it our boy have a chat. I was wondering.

[Luke Burbank]

I'm going to have a cup of coffee and a chat with our boy, Bean Baxter, tomorrow.

[Andrew Walsh]

Cup of tea and a chat.

[Luke Burbank]

Well, that's the thing. We're having a cup of coffee. I invited him to a cup of coffee. Not remembering that he's famous for having a cup of tea in a chat. That's his podcast.

[Andrew Walsh]

That's right. Check out the podcast. Our buddy Bean. Well, great. Well, tell him I said hello. I love that guy.

[Luke Burbank]

Tell him the Bean sent you.

[Andrew Walsh]

That's right.

[Luke Burbank]

All right, thanks for listening, everybody. We'll see you tomorrow. In the meantime, have a great Thursday. Take care of yourselves and please remember to Mountain two Tall.

[Andrew Walsh]

And good luck to all.

[Luke Burbank]

Power out.