#4433 Silly Rabbit, Don't Push The Kids

Summary

Podcast Summary: TBTL: Too Beautiful To Live
Episode #4433: "Silly Rabbit, Don't Push The Kids"
Release Date: March 28, 2025
Hosts: Luke Burbank and Andrew Walsh

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1. Introduction and Opening Banter [00:00 – 01:23]

The episode kicks off with Luke and Andrew engaging in their trademark playful banter. They discuss comedic ideas, such as envisioning a duck who befriends a monkey but refuses to swim, highlighting their creative and humorous dynamic.

Notable Quote:
Andrew Walsh [00:19]: "A duck that's friends with a monkey who can't swim. That's hilarious."

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2. Scam Phone Calls and Listener Stories [03:18 – 07:50]

Andrew shares a concerning listener email detailing a sophisticated scam involving fake sheriff's department calls. The scam led the listener to believe they were under legal orders, resulting in wasted time and unnecessary panic.

Key Points:

• Scam Mechanics: Unpaid fees leading to bench warrants, no-contact orders, and demands for significant cash payments.
• Technological Sophistication: Use of spoofed phone numbers and pressure tactics to extract money.
• Host Reactions: Both hosts express concern over the increasing sophistication of scams and the potential for future exploitation using technologies like voice spoofing.

Notable Quotes:
Andrew Walsh [05:21]: "Due to unpaid fees with the county, you have been issued a bench warrant number."
Luke Burbank [08:24]: "Once they solve for that, they'll probably 3D print a sheriff's office and put it next to the real sheriff's."

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3. Baseball Season Kickoff and Ichiro's Pitch [02:10 – 16:08]

The hosts transition to discussing the commencement of the Major League Baseball season, focusing on recent events like the Mariners' win and Ichiro Suzuki's unusually fast ceremonial first pitch.

Key Points:

• Ichiro's Performance: Ichiro threw a ceremonial pitch at 86 mph, surprising catcher Dan Wilson.
• Tom Hanks at Games: Tom Hanks made charming appearances at Dodger games, scoring the game segments.
• Technology in Sports Viewing: Andrew mentions experiencing audio syncing issues while watching games through streaming apps.

Notable Quotes:
Luke Burbank [02:20]: "Baseball's back."
Andrew Walsh [14:05]: "I think it's not outside the room possibility that I would get a call from somebody who sounded like my daughter saying that she was in trouble."

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4. Email Overload and Organization Strategies [32:28 – 34:45]

Luke and Andrew delve into their personal struggles with managing overflowing email inboxes. They discuss strategies for organizing emails, such as categorizing them into primary, updates, and promotions, and share humorous anecdotes about accidental emails.

Key Points:

• Email Management: Utilization of built-in categorization features to streamline inboxes.
• Personal Anecdotes: Luke accidentally sending messages intended for himself to friends, highlighting common email mishaps.
• Newsletter Efforts: Andrew discusses the challenges of managing and locating past newsletters amidst a cluttered inbox.

Notable Quotes:
Andrew Walsh [33:56]: "Listeners, if you have something that brings you delight... we’ll put it in an upcoming roundup."
Luke Burbank [34:48]: "There are some super cuts I was seeing in like previous years of some guy. He just like a really straight talking guy..."

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5. Listener Messages and Donor Highlights [38:00 – 43:22]

The hosts read and discuss messages from listeners, particularly focusing on Remco Tanis from Zurich, Switzerland. They reciprocate by sharing personal experiences with the band R.E.M., intertwining music discussions with listener interactions.

Key Points:

• Remco's Support: Remco expresses his admiration for R.E.M. and shares how their music connects with the show.
• Music Discussions: Luke and Andrew reminisce about their favorite R.E.M. songs from the "Automatic for the People" album and discuss the band's impact.
• Cultural Connections: They explore the significance of music in personal and listener lives, emphasizing the community aspect of shared musical interests.

Notable Quotes:
Luke Burbank [40:48]: "Night swimming... That's how Michael Stipe signs every record."
Andrew Walsh [42:03]: "I love that too. Every year I say, oh, before baseball begins, I'm going to get myself a score book..."

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6. Vinyl Records and Music Streaming Nostalgia [44:11 – 46:17]

Reflecting on the resurgence of vinyl, both hosts share their newfound appreciation for record players and the tactile experience of listening to music on vinyl versus digital streaming.

Key Points:

• Personal Collections: Luke discusses organizing his diverse vinyl collection, while Andrew shares his transition from digital to vinyl.
• Music Appreciation: Emphasis on the intentional and immersive nature of vinyl listening compared to the fragmented attention spans of modern digital consumption.
• Technological Shift: They express nostalgia for the era when listening to an album meant committing to its entirety without distractions.

Notable Quotes:
Andrew Walsh [45:55]: "I'm kind of going through a little bit of a Talking Heads phase... listening front to back."
Luke Burbank [45:54]: "I'm going to start acquiring stuff on vinyl that I... mention on the show."

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7. Australian Rugby Mascot Incident [55:00 – 62:34]

The central topic aligns with the episode title, where Luke and Andrew discuss a peculiar incident involving Australia's rugby mascot, Reggie the Rabbit, who allegedly pushed a child during a match.

Key Points:

• Incident Overview: Reggie the Rabbit, the mascot for a regional Australian rugby team, was involved in an incident where he pushed a nine-year-old boy, leading to public scrutiny.
• Prime Minister's Defense: Australia's Prime Minister defended Reggie, emphasizing his benign nature and the accidental nature of the push.
• Cultural Context: The hosts humorously debate the likelihood of high-profile figures like the Prime Minister being personally familiar with regional mascots, drawing parallels to U.S. politics.
• Public Reaction: Discussion on the media portrayal of the incident and the community's response, highlighting both humor and concern.

Notable Quotes:
Luke Burbank [56:36]: "He’s a very small man who goes in that costume. He's 81 years old. He wouldn’t want to hurt anybody."
Andrew Walsh [60:19]: "It's not my nature to do anything wrong. Even any... I love the kids and I'll do a lot of hospital work."

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8. Closing Remarks and Final Thoughts [62:34 – End]

As the episode wraps up, the hosts reflect on recent news events, including the passing of Gene Hackman's wife, and maintain their engaging rapport with listener interactions and humorous sign-offs.

Key Points:

• Gene Hackman Discussion: The hosts touch upon the mysterious and tragic circumstances surrounding Gene Hackman's wife's passing, expressing somber reflections.
• Donor Appreciation: Continuous acknowledgment of listeners who support the show, reinforcing the community bond.
• Technical Glitches: Brief mention of attempting to play audio clips, leading to humorous exchanges about podcasting mishaps.

Notable Quotes:
Andrew Walsh [66:13]: "Have stepped into the shadows. Yes, friends, it's time for the Signal Oil program, the Whistler."
Luke Burbank [64:38]: "I'm seeing how much less email I get every day because I only look at the primary one. It's amazing."

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Conclusion

Episode #4433 of TBTL: Too Beautiful To Live offers a rich tapestry of discussions ranging from personal anecdotes about scam calls and email management to in-depth conversations about baseball, music nostalgia, and intriguing international incidents. Luke and Andrew maintain their signature blend of humor, insight, and camaraderie, making the episode both entertaining and relatable for listeners.

Engaging Highlights:

• Humorous Banter: The natural and playful interaction between the hosts keeps the listener engaged.
• Relatable Content: Topics like scam phone calls and email overload resonate with a broad audience.
• Cultural Insights: Discussions about international events and music provide depth and variety.
• Listener Interaction: Acknowledging and discussing listener messages fosters a strong community connection.

Whether you're a regular listener or new to the show, this episode encapsulates the essence of TBTL with its diverse range of topics and engaging host dynamics.

Transcript

[Andrew Walsh]

This stuff is so funny.

[Luke Burbank]

By the way, did the comic come up with this?

[Andrew Walsh]

Cause some of this stuff, like, I feel like I could see somebody doing in their act, right? A duck that's friends with a monkey who. He can't swim. That's hilarious. That's, like, something I would do. I would be like, could you imagine.

[Luke Burbank]

Yourself being, like, a duck but you.

[Andrew Walsh]

Don'T want to get in the water? Yeah. That's the way I feel every day.

[Luke Burbank]

When I hop on the 48 Freeway. TBTL.

[Andrew Walsh]

Guess what day it is. Guess what day it is. It's Friday, Friday Gotta get down on Friday Everybody's looking forward to the weekend. All I know is this violates every.

[Luke Burbank]

Canon of respectable broadcasting. You, like, are definitely. You're the real thing that a lot of people say. So do you think if you weren't. I mean, if you were less fake.

[Andrew Walsh]

Do you think you would be. Or you could.

[Luke Burbank]

Or you have a desire to meat from the street. Sounds like a fun treat. I'm a poet and didn't even know I was rhyming those words, but it happened anyway. All right. Hello, good morning, and welcome, everyone, to a Friday edition of tbtl, the show that just might be too beautiful to live. It would appear we are in the.

[Andrew Walsh]

Midst of what the kids call a crash out.

[Luke Burbank]

My name is Luke Burbank. I am your host, Ooh la la. Coming to you for the final day from New York City. Yes, New York City, tucked between Times Square and the Hudson River. Here we are. It feels like my little. My little home. I've been here for the entire week. I've got my little rituals. I go to Chipotle every day for lunch, which is mentioned in the hey Dummies video this week. I don't feel good about that decision because there's so much. You know, there's so many options here in New York City. The fact that I would go to a chain restaurant is. It's very demoralizing. But it's what I've been doing, and I just have to live with it. And you do, too. Just like the fact that you have to live with the fact that we're at episode 4433 in a collector series.

[Andrew Walsh]

Let the fun begin.

[Luke Burbank]

The Major League Baseball season has commenced. The crack of the bat, the roar of the crowd.

[Andrew Walsh]

That's right. Baseball's back.

[Luke Burbank]

The Mariners won. Tom Hanks did something truly charming, and Ichiro did something that I'm a little bit on the line about. We will talk about that also, time permitting. Listen, we Americans, with the person that is in charge of this country have no room to give other countries grief about their world leaders. About their leaders. But I will say Australia, Australia is a wonderful island. You might need to give your prime minister a little bit more to do.

[Andrew Walsh]

And Australians are just as unique, both warm and direct.

[Luke Burbank]

So he doesn't have time to weigh in on, like, rugby mascot kerfuffles, which is something that's happening in Australia right now. We will talk about that again, time permitting. We will definitely permit time for this guy. He's the longest running cobra of the show, maybe best known for his depictions of the tall ships. He is Andrew Jalapeno Walsh, and he's joining me right now. Good morning, my friend.

[Andrew Walsh]

Good morning, Luke. I forgot to mention something to you before the show that I'm just remembering now is I have a. We can save it for later in the show if you'd like. But I got an amazing email from a listener. I'm not even gonna use their name. They signed it, but I don't know if they want me to use their name or not, so I'm not going to. I got an amazing email from a listener who got the same exact phone call, only from a different county. A scam phone call that was supposedly from a local sheriff's department. But this person went much further down, much further down the line in this scam. So did that make you feel a little better? Well, yeah, Yeah. I didn't feel terrible about myself. The moment I felt terrible was when I, like, kind of told my friend, you know, Ders, I was like, oh, no, something's wrong. I gotta call. Gotta call the sheriff's office. They just called me. And then, you know, I quickly put.

[Luke Burbank]

The on air light on.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, I went into a little studio.

[Luke Burbank]

Put the studio out in whatever system they used.

[Andrew Walsh]

Well, it was amazing, actually. The reason I gave you that detail was because my brain was just thinking about it, and I didn't really flesh it out in the story. The. The studios there at KoW, it's just like a tiny little voice booth, right? Small little room, small board. You could track, you know, some news story in there or something. But there's a little iPad that hangs outside of every studio now.

[Luke Burbank]

Smart.

[Andrew Walsh]

And he's just like, I'll just book it for you. And he just slid his finger across it. I don't know what he did. It was like a Jedi. Jedi knight. I'm like, well, I don't want to go in here. If somebody's using it, he's Like, I just signed it out for you. And he just slid his finger across his head. He was a good friend. Anyway, I quickly realized, oh, there's something going on. This seems scammy to me, but there was a listener that took them. It took them way further down the line. So let's try to get that in later. Or I can read it now. If I've wetted your whistle. No, if I've exposed yourself. If I've exposed myself too much here.

[Luke Burbank]

Sure, let's do it right now. Why not?

[Andrew Walsh]

Let's do it now. Like I said, I am not going to use the listener's name, this person. In fact, they identify themselves. I'm a casual listener. Not a 10, not even a 9. Not even a 9?

[Luke Burbank]

Well, I mean, okay, I don't understand that demographic. Honestly, I feel like this thing, you're either in too deep or you have no patience for this crap that seems. Those are the two kinds of people I know of.

[Andrew Walsh]

Or it could be somebody who is in a relationship, some sort of relationship with somebody who plays the show around them a lot, a coworker, what have you. Anyway, this person says, I also am a person who has now had very little patience for people who click on spam emails and websites. Well, prior to your Kings county scam, this was a Snohomish county scam. Same exact dude with the accent you described, et cetera. And I got taken. Well, almost. I certainly wasted four hours on a recent Friday afternoon running around in traffic. The scam, once you get started, goes like this. Bullet points here. Due to unpaid fees with the county, you have been issued a bench warrant number. Two, you're under a no contact order by the court. Three, you must stay on the phone with the quote unquote officer until either the fine is paid or you surrender to the officer. And finally, you have three outstanding complaints, each of which can be resolved by paying a civil penalty of $1,000 each. If you choose, you can surrender to the court and will be held until bail is posted. What's important here is they were able to spoof the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office phone number.

[Luke Burbank]

Oh, wow.

[Andrew Walsh]

Thus your journey begins. Driving to the designated location, maintaining phone contact with the quote unquote officer. You're ordered not to drop contact with the officer based on your quote, no contact order each time you come.

[Luke Burbank]

Like a no non contact.

[Andrew Walsh]

That's what I was thinking, too. That doesn't quite. I don't quite understand that. But it says each time you come to a stop sign, a Road.

[Luke Burbank]

I have a restraining order that restrains you from not being near me.

[Andrew Walsh]

Each time you come to a stop sign, road change intersection, you have to report your location to the officer. It gets crazier lunar as you can imagine, trying to get $3,000 in cash before the banks close. And then you gotta get to the sheriff's office. What finally caused me not to fall for the completion of the scam is that at the very end, the officer wanted me to put the $3,000 cash, which at this point I had in hand, into a coin star machine at a Safeway.

[Luke Burbank]

Oh, give me a bark.

[Andrew Walsh]

If they had a better means of collecting the money, they would have had me. You know, this would have been a great prank to pull on a frenemy or wow, this takes a turn or a surprise party or something when you tie running them through the hoops. If Andrew feels embarrassed about, quote, getting scammed, he has no idea. Final word. I should report the phone number that called me. It says to the state attorney general's number. Anyway, that is, that is, that's like that story we read by that finance reporter about like how far people go. They actually have money in their hands.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah. I mean that's. I mean you talk about all the time, Andrew, the last mile problem. Their issue is that you can't take the money to the sheriff's office. Right. So like that's the thing. Once they solve for that, and I don't know how they will, they'll probably 3D print a sheriff's office and put it next to the real sheriff's.

[Andrew Walsh]

Right. Right.

[Luke Burbank]

They'll have chat GPT3D print them a sheriff's office or like, thank goodness that that was the one. I'm glad that that person's antenna finally went off when it was like, take it to a coin star machine. I've also heard and I believe that finance reporter in New York, they pulled up to her apartment.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

And picked up the stuff.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah. Through the window. Right. Of a van or an su, I.

[Luke Burbank]

Think or like came down the steps or something and like handed a shoebox of money or.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

I mean, just wild car window.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yep.

[Luke Burbank]

Just hearing before I'd even heard that story, hearing your story.

[Andrew Walsh]

It's.

[Luke Burbank]

It's weird. It's got me kind of not on pins and needles, but like I just made this decision that I'm literally never going to believe anything again. I mean, seriously, like, I was like, because they're getting better and better at it. And again, they're getting eventually, heaven forbid they will probably be able to pretty effectively spoof the voice of somebody in your life. Now, how they would know who's in your life is a whole other, you know, thing to solve. But like, I feel like it's not outside the room possibility that I would get a call from somebody who sounded like my daughter saying that she was in trouble. And basically what I'd have to do is, is not immediately run to wherever she is or immediately deposit the money into whatever I'm told I need to do. It would be to hang up the phone on what I think is my troubled child and then call my troubled child on their real number. Or, you know, I mean, it's like basically we. You can't believe anything.

[Andrew Walsh]

The thing that was different for me this time, and I don't remember if I mentioned this to you when I told you the story on Monday, but like, I don't think I've ever gotten a scam call before where they knew my first and last name. You know, any spam call you get or scam call is. You can just, you hear the phone banks in the background and they're just off somehow, right? They're asking for the wrong person. And then when you correct them, they try to loop you in further or they just don't know your name or whatever. Like. But never have I received a voicemail to my correct phone number, my private correct phone number, and said, this is a message for Andrew Walsh. And so, you know, all of our data is out there. I mean, you Google yourself and you find all kinds of, like, I'm sure you've done this yourself, Luke, and maybe you don't want me to encourage people to do this to us, but like, you know, you can Google yourself and you find like old, you find old addresses and old phone numbers and sometimes it's a little bit off, but it'll. I've been. I remember being on vacation one time. I don't know why that matters, but I just remember like kind of laying in bed, sleeping in late for some reason. I clicked on something all of a sudden I'm like looking at like some really janky looking website that basically is listing old places I've lived and then relationship, like clicking on my sister's name and seeing her old addresses. And again, not all of it is correct, but a lot of it is correct. And there's just like this stuff is just sort of living and floating out there. And so somebody connects the right dots and suddenly when you're being talked to directly by, you know, on your phone by your name. I think that that also is something people now need to look out for.

[Luke Burbank]

Absolutely. No, it's. It's pretty terrifying. How was your baseball watching last night? I know you had gotten your Roku and you were like, all ready to go. You were getting your special peanuts.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

You know, how did it go?

[Andrew Walsh]

I didn't eat any peanuts. Can you believe it? I know every year I eat the peanuts, but, you know, and I had a. I had a thought. I was like, I was really hungry. And so I bought some, like, frozen chicken wings. I think the TGA Friday brand is what I'd recommend to people, but. And I was, you know, I always like, oh, I got my peanuts. I bought my peanuts like a week ago. I was so excited. And that's always a tradition. But then, like, when the game began, I was like, I'm not really in the mood for peanuts right now. And I was like, don't be beholden to doing the, like, if you don't want peanuts, don't eat. Don't choke down peanuts.

[Luke Burbank]

You're an adult man. Decisions around peanut consumption.

[Andrew Walsh]

Honestly, I didn't even eat my wings until I was so hungry. I was hungry two hours before the game, and then I made my food ready for game time, and then I just didn't even touch it until like the seventh or eighth inning, I think. But it was a good time. It was very chill. Veeves watched the whole game with me. It was a lot of fun. Did we have work? The app worked for some reason. It got. It has some sort of audio syncing issue. It's not a big deal when you're watching baseball because very infrequently do you see somebody talking into the screen and that you would notice that they're. What they're saying is slightly out of sync with what their lips are. What you're hearing, I guess, from their lips. But so a couple of times I had to, like, kind of reset it to kind of get it synced up again. I don't know what's going on, but I was a little bit surprised that the whole thing didn't end up crashing out. We lost audio. Were you watching live? Did you lose audio during Ichiro's ceremonial pitch?

[Luke Burbank]

I missed the first pitch, but I've now watched it online and I wanted to talk to you about that.

[Andrew Walsh]

Okay.

[Luke Burbank]

I was watching on the MLB app, which, weirdly, that was the free game yesterday. So after all of the machinations and conversations yesterday, I guess tonight we'll see. If I try to. If I try to link in via my Fubo system or whatever. But I was able to watch it on the MLB.com last night. But okay, so Ichiro threw an 80. It was like an 88 mile first pitch to Dan Wilson, who was 86.

[Andrew Walsh]

There was a lot going on at the time because I couldn't tell if the audio issues were on my end or Root Sports or the app or whatever. So I was a little bit like, what's going on? Why do we lose all the audio? But I did see the clock. I think it's at 86.

[Luke Burbank]

And I read a piece in the Seattle Times this morning that said Dan Wilson was unaware that Ichiro was going to throw the ceremonial first pitch full blast.

[Andrew Walsh]

There was a lot of joking around about that though, all day on the sports station.

[Luke Burbank]

Oh, was that a known thing?

[Andrew Walsh]

That he was good, that it was Ichiro?

[Luke Burbank]

Well, they revealed that he was going to throw it his hardest.

[Andrew Walsh]

Well, they revealed it earlier in the day that it was going to be Dan who was catching him. There was like, sort of like, who's going to catch Ichiro? And then when that was revealed, I heard Dan Wilson on one of the afternoon talk shows and he was joking ahead of time. He's like, yeah, I don't know he's going to throw heat. I don't know if I'm going to be able to handle it.

[Luke Burbank]

Oh, interesting. Well, maybe I misread the article. It, it, the article in the Times made led me to believe, maybe incorrectly, that it was a bit of a surprise to Dan Wilson that the ball was going to come in that fast. And, and I was like, okay, so I guess if Dan, if Ichiro told Dan before that he was going to do that, then that's one thing. But if you just spring that on someone, I'm starting to think Ichiro might be mentally unwell. Why does he have to throw at 86 miles an hour?

[Andrew Walsh]

Well, have you. There. There was a real deep dive. I think we both read it like a long time ago on Ichiro, like maybe about 10 years ago when he was starting to like, it was clear he was going to be wrapping up his career. I can't remember how long he's been retired. I was going to say out of uniform, but. Well, it's been about 10 minutes. That's what I mean, literally in uniform.

[Luke Burbank]

No, but I think he sleeps in it.

[Andrew Walsh]

The, his mentality. And the article didn't say mentally unwell. You got to be careful with stuff like that, I guess, when you're a responsible outlet. But Goldwater violation. No, and I'm not going after you there. But I mean basically this article that just talked about like from such a young age and just like what his routine is like, his brain, the reason he's able to do what he does is because his brain works the way that it works. And let's just say it is not like normal people's brains work. It is absolutely obsessive.

[Luke Burbank]

So regimented and routinized.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

Like I just was like, of course he threw it his hardest.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

By the way, it was pretty high. It wasn't as high as the first pitch I threw out, but it was decently high. Which also made me feel a little better about my first pitch because I'm not a professional baseball player.

[Andrew Walsh]

I'm looking for this article now because I mean, I don't want to be. I might have misunderstood the situation or it might have been one of those things where Dan was joking about it. The manager was joking about it earlier on in the day and then was really surprised in real life when it. When Ichro actually threw in 86. I'm looking to see what it was. I'm not sure but. Or now it's listening at 84 here. It's just going to keep sliding down until it was like a 14 mile an hour curveball. But anyway. Yeah, so I'm not. I'm not exactly sure what was going on there.

[Luke Burbank]

I also saw an ad adorable that Tom Hanks was at the Dodger game and of course they kept cutting to him and he was scoring the game. Oh, I love that so much. I guess it's unsurprising. I mean Tom Hanks is like. Is actually like from our parents generation and, and he's like noted typewriter enthusiast. He seems to like things that are a little bit, you know, sort of impractical but process oriented, I guess.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

But I just loved that he was scoring the game. It was so cool to me.

[Andrew Walsh]

I love that too. Every year I say, oh, before baseball begins, I'm going to get myself a score book or even just print out some online and just learn how to do it. Because I love, I love, you know, when I go to the ballgame with my friend Paul, he's always scoring the game. You know, I've been to the game with other people who do it and I'm always like sort of envious because it seems like something I would really like. Right. Like it's very up to alley, like. Yeah, like. And you can. I love organizing things. Right. And that's Basically organizing a baseball game, sort of. It's sort of why I like archiving things. Like, I've been archiving these. These VHS tapes and stuff. But then when the beginning of the season begins, I always just say, like, I don't know if I feel like learning that. I'm just so deeply lazy. And also, the thing about me and baseball is probably. I wonder if. If people who score the game, they also do it because it's a way to force yourself to stay locked in on the game. Sort of like taking notes during a meeting. And the thing is, like, it's rare that I'm. You know, I was even thinking about this, like, yesterday. I really enjoyed watching that game. Like, I didn't have to plug in my computer. I got the real app now or whatever. But, like, if I'm home on time tonight, will I watch. Will I sit down and watch the whole game again? It does seem long. Like, I love baseball, but I'm always puttering. I like doing things, you know, Like, I'm probably not sitting down to score the game. I'm probably listening on the radio or my headphones as I. As I bop around the house or take care of this or that because.

[Luke Burbank]

I'm in New York. Andrew. I was allowed by the state of New York to place terrible bets on the Mariners, which none of which came through. I don't think, actually, I should double check. I don't think. How many strikeouts did Logan have? You remember?

[Andrew Walsh]

Eight.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah. Not over 10, which I needed. And we did get a Polanco home run.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, we did. A very important one.

[Luke Burbank]

Big deal. But I. I had a bet that Julio Rodriguez, Cal, Raleigh, and Polanco would all hit home runs. It was such a dumb bet.

[Andrew Walsh]

Who is it? It was Polanco. Who do you have? Sorry.

[Luke Burbank]

It was Polanco, Julio, and. And Big Dumper.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, okay. Yeah. Julio. Betty on Julio. Early in the season.

[Luke Burbank]

I know. I. I was trying to manifest it. I was trying to, like. I just thought. I was so full of, like. What is that word? Enthusiasm. It's been so long, Andrew.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

Since I've had enthusiasm. I was just so geeked up yesterday about this game. I was like, if I bet on Julio to hit a home run, maybe it can just be that kind of game. Maybe it can be that kind of season. Maybe it's like he just comes out hot and it's just like we're just getting. We're just getting all these W's, both literally and figuratively. And it starts with me betting hard earned money. On Julio to hit a home run.

[Andrew Walsh]

The only way to make it happen. Yeah. Did you tell Julio that you had money on him? I wonder if that would have.

[Luke Burbank]

I kept calling. He would not. I was getting a busy signal. Like, I was calling. Everybody's live, right?

[Andrew Walsh]

Exactly. We have a little intel on that that we got to be careful about, but we can talk about that more next week. Yes. Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

I mean, I. To our mutual. Who's got some. Got some connects or has a friend who has some connects. My entire personality now is trying to get on everybody's lap with John Mulligan.

[Andrew Walsh]

I think we might be able to make it happen. We'll see, but we'll try. So without making this too much about sports, but we're already kind of here. I just wanted to ask you, did you happen to watch the interview or, like, I guess, the press avail with Logan Gilbert afterwards?

[Luke Burbank]

No.

[Andrew Walsh]

Press conference. I gotta say, I think you're more prone to watch that kind of stuff than I am because I know that you. Highlights. I remember one time, I think I went to go turn off the radio. I was starting to, like, after a game. I was starting to, like, shuffle after a win.

[Luke Burbank]

I like.

[Andrew Walsh]

And you were just like. You were like, no, this is the best part. It's the highlights.

[Luke Burbank]

Anyway, when we were on our road trip, think it might have been the miracle under.

[Andrew Walsh]

I honestly think it might have been. Or I'm just, like, conflating everything in our life into, like, one special sports night. But, boy, I'm not a huge fan of listening to athletes talk. Usually there are some exceptions to that. And that's not me trying to say, like, athletes are. I think that could be sort of a way to interpret that. Like, oh, they don't have anything to say. I think athletes usually, if you're at your top of the game, there's some great level of intelligence there too, Even if it's just intelligence for the game. But articulating that kind of intelligence is very difficult for a lot of athletes. In the same way. I used to have a job where we'd try to get poets on radio shows and get them to talk about their poetry. It's just like, some things are just really hard for some people to talk about, even if they're really good at that craft. So if I'm listening to sports radio, which I listen to a lot, and you're listening to the hosts banter about, and I'm kind of into it, and they're like, okay, up next, we have, like, you know, the new left tackle for the Seahawks. And it's like, I'm probably not interested in that, but there are some who are different. And I would say that Logan Gilbert is one of those. Like, he is not. He does not go into the cliches. Like, he doesn't say, oh, you just got to go out there. You just got to, like, you know, it's one pitch at a time. Like, all that bullshit. Like, he thinks about every question. He really gives some thought about three or four questions in the press conference. You know, this is one of those press, press conferences where the camera stays on him the whole time. The people shouting the questions are not miked, so you sort of hear them in the room. You and I, at this point, could probably recognize most of the voices in that room. You can always hear Ryan Divish. You can hear Shannon or whatever. But anyway, somebody then asks him a more emotional question because they're asking about kind of his strategy or what he's, you know, going out there doing. He was saying, not unlike Ichiro, when he went out there to warm up, his balls were sort of lifting a little bit. His pitches were kind of. So he's like. So I had to talk to Kale. We kind of like, you know, corrected that right before the game because I was pretty amped up about opening day. And then somebody said, what was it like to have the honor of opening day? You know, starting duty? And he. It was. I can't explain it. It wasn't like, oh, it's just great. Anytime you can, you know, get an opportunity like this, you take. It was just kind of like, he just like, he's a pretty serious guy. But then he couldn't help smiling, and he's just like, I can't remember exactly what he said. And it wasn't the type of thing where if you read it in the newspaper, it'd be like, earth shattering, but it was just like listening to a. Just a smart, relatively quiet, but a man with real emotions and real thoughtfulness answering questions immediately after a game like that. It was so good. That kid is amazing.

[Luke Burbank]

I love that. Speaking of good interviews, listener Cat sent this to me on Instagram. This is a guy who I think is a pitcher for the Rays, maybe. His name is Pete Fairbanks, and he apparently gives great interview. This is just kind of like a super cut of him, you know, in the locker room talking after games. It starts with, I think he had, like, an eye injury because he had pulled down a pool basketball hoop on himself while playing against a kid. And they were asking about his Eye injury or something. I'm gonna try to play this from Instagram. See if this. If this works. I know this is always a little touch and go. Let's see. It's thinking about it.

[Andrew Walsh]

I think you might have to unmute it. Instagram's a pain. When you play it from your computer screen it automatically mutes it.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah. It's also like it needs to open Safari for some reason.

[Andrew Walsh]

It's really tough. Instagram is hard to play live. I think I might trying to think there was some guy who was going around. I'm just buying you some time here. There were some super cuts I was seeing in like previous years of some guy. He just like a really straight talking guy kind of talks s a little bit. This guy that you're about to play for me. This Fairbanks.

[Luke Burbank]

I think so. Yeah. I mean basically he's just like. He's.

[Andrew Walsh]

We suck.

[Luke Burbank]

Very unintentionally funny.

[Andrew Walsh]

That's what it was. That's what I'm thinking. I remember some guy would be like we just suck out there. We're just not doing anything good. He was just like kind of very, very frank about being on a bad team.

[Luke Burbank]

He's very. This guy's very direct about his own failings. Like if he threw a bad pitch he really owns it. Let's see. Apparently I have to call Mark Zuckerberg and ask him if he will open Instagram for me. And you have to call Dana White Signal.

[Andrew Walsh]

Dana White can probably help you with that.

[Luke Burbank]

We'll see if this plays. It's still. Sorry. It is. This is absolutely terrible radio or whatever it is we do here. This is. Okay. Stop this right now.

[Andrew Walsh]

Madness.

[Luke Burbank]

Dear goodness. Okay, here we go. Here we go. It's. It's full basketball hoop down onto my face after dunking on a three year old. I have no idea what you said at the beginning. KK was telling me that if I were a real man I'd still be smoking my cigar right now. So that's for him. Would I prefer that you didn't characterize raves baseball as bad offense? Yes, I would. But tight games. But I don't think that's what your intention was. Mark. But we could. We could agree to disagree. Just a very unfortunate time to be the lesser Pete.

[Andrew Walsh]

And we'll get back out there tomorrow.

[Luke Burbank]

And try and get him in the same spot pitch.

[Andrew Walsh]

What were you trying to do with it?

[Luke Burbank]

I was trying to get him to. When you miss. I got you. Yeah. Where you wanted it to go. I might not have been high Enough. Since he's a big old dude.

[Andrew Walsh]

Take us through that.

[Luke Burbank]

That fastball that looked like it was yanked a little bit. What happened there?

[Andrew Walsh]

What did you feel?

[Luke Burbank]

It was yanked. It felt like came out of my hand real hot. And unfortunately a real. Not near the strike zone. I'm still having a better night than the guy who told me wouldn't bat a knife. I drank some bleach. So that's good.

[Andrew Walsh]

I mean, you're trying to go.

[Luke Burbank]

It's a little low in a way.

[Andrew Walsh]

No point.

[Luke Burbank]

Blow his doors off and I overthrew it. Yeah, I'm never trying to get a low away. I'm trying to throw fastballs by people. Was it just a matter of command.

[Andrew Walsh]

Location selection, anything specific?

[Luke Burbank]

No, I thought it generally sucked. Yeah, I didn't think it was a specific. That's what you heard. I thought it was like an all encompassing type of suck. So, you know, we're gonna try and rectify that. But for right now, I'm gonna be pretty pissed about.

[Andrew Walsh]

First of all, let's start with.

[Luke Burbank]

Anyway, that's Pete Fairbanks.

[Andrew Walsh]

The whole time I was like, I guess this isn't the guy. Because I would recognize it because I think I sent that to you a long time ago. Or not the whole thing. Not the whole thing. Just the, like. It's like. Because it does seem sort of. It's a little coarse, but it seems a little TBTL droppy. It's just an unencompassing. It's an all encompassing suck. And I was like, yeah, that seems like we could find a place to use that in our universe somewhere.

[Luke Burbank]

Absolutely. Thanks to cat for reminding me of it. I also love. Because I've been around it a lot. I like. I don't know if I like it, but I recognize. Quiet reporter voice. It's reporter asking an athlete about a thing that didn't go well for the.

[Andrew Walsh]

Athlete after a loss. Yeah, the.

[Luke Burbank]

After a loss, like, they're delivering like a terminal diagnosis.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yes. I remembered when you were just talking about drops there for a second. I was like, didn't I? You'll be unsurprised to hear that. I had a few beers during the game last night. I'm coming in a little bit. A little bit shaggy today. I don't think that's a word that you use when you describe staying up too late, drinking too many beers. But I was like, didn't I send myself a drop last night? Like late? I was like, oh, this is a perfect drop. So I just went to my email here. That's the way I remind myself of things. I just email myself something. Usually I try to email email myself the actual audio I see. No, this was at 1:24am According to Gmail, it was nine hours ago. And all I sent myself was a screen cap of the beginning of the Whistler podcast I was listening to and apparently around 2 minutes and 30 and I can't even dial it up right now. It's literally just a screen cap. So I'd remember to dial this podcast back up. This is the old 1950s show the Whistler and about two minutes in somebody thriller Johnny Dollar. No, I'm saving Travel receipt enthusiast, yours truly, Johnny Dollar, the man with the electric bank account. No. What is it? It doesn't matter.

[Luke Burbank]

But expense report.

[Andrew Walsh]

The expense report. Yeah. So the action packed expense report. Thank you. I need to go back and figure out what I heard as I was laying my head down on my pillow Last night at 1:24am listening to the Whistler.

[Luke Burbank]

I have the exact same system except it's with text message and I text myself things constantly. Like I texted myself this TikTok clip of Tom Hanks at the baseball game so I would remember to tell you that he was scoring the game. And I accidentally texted my friend and the executive producer of Livewire, Laura Haddon the other day. I just texted her the word extremely rude woman on the train.

[Andrew Walsh]

Because you were sending yourself.

[Luke Burbank]

Because I was trying to text myself, but I had been in a text thread with her and I just got mixed up and I sent extremely rude woman on the train. And she's like on spring break with her children in British Columbia right now. Just like four hours go by and I just get a question mark and.

[Andrew Walsh]

It'S like oh, and it's a text. So I'm more likely. I think this is a good thing. Instead of accidentally sending a private note to you or somebody I work with closely, I am more likely to not send you the note, but send something I should be sending to you to myself. In other words, I am emailing myself so often, whether it's I stop emailing yourself, I take out my phone, I take a show pic for tbt, I email it to my. I'm just like constantly emailing myself things. Text doesn't work so great for me because I like email that you can then go back and mark something unread again. Like, like if you ever need me to see something or remember something on Monday over the weekend or whatever, like here's some audio or whatever. If you text it to me and Then you and I go on and we text about other things. That's just going to get lost in the stream up there somewhere. Whereas emails, I every day I open up my email and I see what's like, what's bolded, what's unbolded. And that's my to do list. So just yesterday I think I was trying to send you like dazzling donor messages or something and then I came back to my computer. I'm like, why am I emailing myself all this shit? And it's like, oh, because I'm just constantly typing in my own email address. That was not interesting. I heard it is. No, I heard it.

[Luke Burbank]

No, no, no, no, listen, I was pausing because I was getting, I wanted to get the spec. I have 17,595 unopened emails. How many, how many 17,595 unopened emails in my like personal, not my TBTL but my personal email account.

[Andrew Walsh]

Do you have any like oily rags and a lighter? Because I would just burn the whole thing down if I were you.

[Luke Burbank]

It's, it's rough. I'm never getting to zero. And again most of those emails, well the things I don't use the opened or unopened as the organizing system. I'll just, you know, I'll search for something, you know, and it'll be in there. I mean those are almost all just like from the Washington Post.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh shit.

[Luke Burbank]

You know what I mean? Although I'll tell you this, I clean that stuff out. The new iPhone mail system that I have has now actually separated my emails into primary. And then there's a little shopping cart and then there's a like a speech bubble. So the shopping cart is obviously, you know, commerce related. The speech bubble is updates, it's called. And then there's one called promotions. It's like a little megaphone. And it's insane how much less email I get every day because I only look at the primary one. It's amazing. Like I don't get that many emails that are just, you know, from you or from you know, my CBS folks or whatever. I mean I get some but it's like all of that 17,594, those are all in the like, you know, transactions, updates or promotions categories.

[Andrew Walsh]

And it's.

[Luke Burbank]

Sometimes I'll look down on my phone probably I'm looking for a little serotonin hit or something and I'll realize that like three or four hours has gone by and I haven't received one email to the primary email account. Now, which is just basically to say something I care about reading and I'll feel a little, a little lonely.

[Andrew Walsh]

Probably another reason you're not getting the TBTL email. It's probably going into the promotions bin. I hate the promotions thing because then people then don't read my email emails. Read my emails.

[Luke Burbank]

Right. And it's also I kind of don't know if I trust. I don't know if I trust Apple to decide what is, you know, like what's a promotion and. And what's not. Let's. I found out that like, yeah, like I'm getting. I have a Livewire email in here. I have. We would never do something that's strictly promotional. Every email we send out from Livewire is, you know, is meaningful and important and primary. Yeah. Delta Airlines telling me that it's time to check in for my flight tomorrow. Andrew Walsh. Andrew, you're in here. You're in promotions.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

That's business in the front, business in the back.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh yeah, that was just a quick newsletter last week because I was on the road.

[Luke Burbank]

I'm going to categorize you as primary, Andrew.

[Andrew Walsh]

All right, Good happening. That's good.

[Luke Burbank]

Just moved you into the primary bucket.

[Andrew Walsh]

Good.

[Luke Burbank]

So I will be seeing all of your emails now.

[Andrew Walsh]

I think the email before that one was a good one. Can I be. This is the wrong place to have this conversation if I want people to sign up for the email. What if you wish. I've been having trouble. Like the emails have been great lately because I've been incorporating more listener submitted stuff I love doing.

[Luke Burbank]

You're talking about the newsletter?

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, the newsletter that we send out. I have really loved the yeas and nays that we do, our version of the rants and raves and I'm trying to do that about once a month. Listeners, if you have something that brings you delight, a little moment that brought you delight or frustration, you can email me andrewbtl.net and put yay or nay in the subject line. We'll put it in an upcoming roundup. I enjoy doing that. But like I was looking for something in my inbox. We've been doing this newsletter since 2015. Now I've done hundreds and hundreds of these things and I was. And so usually if I'm searching for something in my inbox, some old newsletter is going to come up. Like some proper search term was embedded in there that pops up when I'm looking for an old dental receipt or something. Where do you keep your dental receipts by the way? Do you have a tab for that.

[Luke Burbank]

That's about 14,000 of those unknown emails.

[Andrew Walsh]

All those dental receipts. Anyway, I had this feeling. I was like, oh, and I'm reading my old email from, like, two years ago. I'm like, this is a pretty good spoof. And I got to the end of it and it literally made me laugh. I can't remember exactly what, oh, you know what it was. And now I'm just smelling my own farts. But I did a bit about replacing Louie Louie with Macklemore.

[Luke Burbank]

Yes.

[Andrew Walsh]

Do you remember?

[Luke Burbank]

Because the Mariners famously did that. Right now, the ceiling can't hold.

[Andrew Walsh]

So the subject line, I'm going to actually do this with you here. I'm going to reread an email that I sent out to the listeners in 2022. Subject line was Louis Phooey. And I basically said, listen. The Mariners recently retired using the song Louie Louie at the seventh inning stretch situation. They replaced it with Macklemore. Like, whatever that ceiling can't hold a song is. I was pretty vocal on this show about, like, not liking the Macklemore choice. Not that we had to stick with Louie Louie, but just that there's probably better, less cringy options out there than Macklemore. That's just my personal opinion. And so I said, but I'm not going to be the type of person who complains about something without throwing, like, suggestions out there, you know, like, let's be the change we want to see in the world. So I said, I'll just throw light a torch.

[Luke Burbank]

Don't curse the dark.

[Andrew Walsh]

Just off the top of my head, here are some things that I thought would have been better. What I like about you by the Romantics Love shack by the B52s. Let's get it on by Marvin Gaye. I'll make love to you by Boys to Men. I want your sex by by George Michael. I want to sex you up by Color me Bad. Knock into boots by H. Town Nice and slow by Usher. Damn, I wish I were your lover by Sophie B. Hawkins. Freak me by Silk. Touch my body by Mariah Carey. Booty by Jennifer Lopez. Big booty by Gucci Mane. Too much booty in da pants by 2 Live Crew or Rock around the clock by Bill Haley in this comments. And I got to the end of that and I was like, that made me laugh. Two years later, that actually made me laugh.

[Luke Burbank]

That's a good joke.

[Andrew Walsh]

But then it made me feel bad about every newsletter I've sent since then. I'm just like, I think I've been in a Sourpuss mood. I don't know what happened around. Well, around November, I started to get kind of in a bad mood. And then in January, I got into a really bad mood and let me.

[Luke Burbank]

Go check my out. What could have happened in, like, early November that would. That would cause one to feel a sort of ineffable sadness at all times.

[Andrew Walsh]

A lack of joy. Yeah. So I was kind of like, I gotta get funny again. Somehow I gotta stop talking about email organization and I gotta find my.

[Luke Burbank]

I think I brought that up.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

Might have been on me. We was hoping for some razzle dazzle. Razzle dazzle. That's right, man. Razzle dazzle. On your mark. On your mark. Get set, get set now. Ready, ready, go. Everybody rattle dazzle. Speaking of inboxes and email organization, we have received some messages along with a significant amount of financial donation from the following dazzling donors. These folks are not only supporting TBTL with a dazzling amount of dough, but they also have filled out a handy form. And we're going to read those messages. We're talking about our pal Remco Tanis out there in Zurich, Switzerland.

[Andrew Walsh]

Hey, Remco.

[Luke Burbank]

What up, Remco? Remco says, I'm a huge fan of REM now, this is interesting to me because that's also the first three letters of Remco's name.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, yeah. I wonder if there's a connection there.

[Luke Burbank]

If your name is like William, do you have to like Wilco?

[Andrew Walsh]

That is an interesting question.

[Luke Burbank]

Was he drawn towards the band? Because it does represent a significant portion of his first name.

[Andrew Walsh]

If his name were ac DC Co.

[Luke Burbank]

Would ACDC think he would? Or is he just a fan of the soulful and honest lyrics of Michael Stipe, who I once saw in Prospect park in New York, and he looked like, way buffer than I expected. That's why it took me a minute to put together. That was Michael Stipe.

[Andrew Walsh]

What do you think of this Michael Shannon thing? You know, like, Michael.

[Luke Burbank]

That he's going around. Agent Van Alden is going around singing REM Songs everywhere. Yeah.

[Andrew Walsh]

Like, and with Michael Stipe on stage, he's, like, doing. And he's like, kind of evoking a physicality that is not unlike Michael Stipe, too. And I'm like, what is happening here?

[Luke Burbank]

I don't. I didn't realize that he was collaborating with the actual Michael Stipe. I thought he was just, like, doing it like a really dedicated REM cover band.

[Andrew Walsh]

I think that he was doing it with non REM actors. And now, like, somehow, like, I Think they. I don't know if they're touring. I think touring together is too strong of a word. But I have seen video from at least two different performances. I think of Michael Shannon doing kind of a Michael Stipe as he's leading REM through some classic songs. And I believe Michael Stipe describe it as snake like. Yes, Snake like.

[Luke Burbank]

I feel like Michael Stipes on stage presence is very reptilian, slithery, slithery. And Remco loves it. He says, I'm a huge fan of REM. It took me 20 years of fandom before I got to see them live. Remco. I will mention, as I probably have before on the show, that there was a significant period of time where the REM Green was the only tape I had in my Honda Civic. There was a period of time where all I had was. Was Cypress Hill, Black Sunday. And then there was a period which is real. Different energies. And then there was about a year where all I listened to was REM Green over and over and over again.

[Andrew Walsh]

Could be worse.

[Luke Burbank]

All right. I wanted to see them live on my own because I thought no one knows my relationship with this band. Getting to the concert hall, seeing people with REM shirts. I was so disappointed. REM was my band, not theirs. Turns out more people like the stuff. Stuff that I like. There's a community. I'm walking around Zurich in a TBTL hoodie. I know you can't play music, but REM's find the river is the song that hooks me up with TBTL since forever. Thanks, friends and I believe. Are these the lyrics to REM's Find the River?

[Andrew Walsh]

I think so. There's a whole bunch of lyrics in here that Remco has included. You know, I was thinking, I don't know this song, but I guess I do. This is off of Automatic for the People, which I believe. It wasn't my first exposure, obviously, to rem, because they had a lot of hits and stuff, but I think that was the first REM record that I actually bought. Was. And I bought it in a mall. God. Remember walking to a mall, a record store in the mall after brunch with my family and got Automatic for the People. Thrilling.

[Luke Burbank]

What was the. Because I believe I had that CD as well. What were the big hits off of Automatic for the People?

[Andrew Walsh]

That was that's Me and. Oh, no, no, that's not. That's me in the corner.

[Luke Burbank]

Is it Losing My Religion?

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, I don't think. I think Losing My Religion was the previous.

[Luke Burbank]

Loving this.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah. Rem Boy, Remco. Let's see here. So. Oh, Everybody Hurts.

[Luke Burbank]

Everybody Hurts would have been no take backs. You still have to donate. Oh, Everybody Hurts.

[Andrew Walsh]

Everybody Hurts. I think it was. Yeah. Oh, man, this is a great record. Good.

[Luke Burbank]

I wish I. I wish I knew this. Okay, so Everybody Hurts. What else is on there? Lay some of those tracks I don't.

[Andrew Walsh]

Know that you like. Oh, you said you had it. Okay. Yeah, yeah. So it started with Drive, which I really liked. Then try not to breathe.

[Luke Burbank]

Oh, yeah, yeah. No, I had this record Drive. That song slapped.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, very much so. The sidewinder sleeps tonight. Everybody Hurts. Then that little instrumental. New Orleans instrumental, Number one, Sweetness follows. A very delicate thing to round outside A Monty got a raw deal. Ignore Land. Ignore Land had a pretty heavy, I think, kind of driving feel to it. Starmie Kitten slows things down again. Man on the Moon was huge, if.

[Luke Burbank]

You believe the Andy Kaufman song.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yes. And then Night Swimming and then finally find the River.

[Luke Burbank]

Hey, baby. I love when Michael Stipe does a moderate Elvis impression. He does an impression of Andy Kaufman doing an impression of Elvis.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yes, exactly. He kind of throws it in there very quickly, baby. Yep. And I guess the very. And this is insulting, but I need to be. I need to speak my truth to Remco. The only song that I can't get in my head right now is the one that Remco's included the lyrics to, which is Find the River. Does that ring a bell to you? It's the last track.

[Luke Burbank]

It doesn't, but we do have. Okay. So we know that this connects Remco to the show, so we want to treat it with honor, which is why I won't try to sing it in my Michael Stipe voice. Night swimming.

[Andrew Walsh]

Do it in your Elvis voice. Can you do Michael Stipe as Elvis?

[Luke Burbank]

Michael Stipe as Elvis covering Michael Shannon.

[Andrew Walsh]

Right. But with a little taste of Andy Kaufman. Just like a touch of Andy Kaufman.

[Luke Burbank]

There's actually a new Andy Kaufman documentary coming out that I'm very intrigued by.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, is there?

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah, I'm seeing a lot of buzz around it. Okay, so here are the lyrics to Find the River. Me, my thoughts are a flower strewn with ocean storm bayberry moon I've got to leave to find my way Watch the road and memorize this life that passed before my eyes and nothing is going my way the ocean is the river's goal A need to leave the water knows we're closer now than light years to go I have to go to find the river Bergamot and vetiver Run through my head and fall away Leave the road and memorize this life that passed before my eyes and nothing is going my way and night swimming.

[Andrew Walsh]

Deserves a quiet night that's not in that.

[Luke Burbank]

That's how Michael Stipe signs every record.

[Andrew Walsh]

You know, when you got to some lyrics near the. I don't know, mid to end of that, I'm like, oh, yes, yes, yes. You start to hear it. I started to hear it. Light Years to Go stands out to me. So I Now. Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

I'm sure that if we played the song, which we aren't allowed to do, I would totally recognize it. Because that was in the era Automatic for the People was still in the era where I put a CD on and I listened to the whole.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

And they just became. I just knew every single song. I would listen all the way till the end, and then I would pick a different cd. I've. My. My sort of attention span is so atrophied at this point, you know, it's ridiculous. But that was still back in the days where I could have named. I probably knew every song off of that record to some degree.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah. And listened over and over. And that's something about listening to records now. You got a record player recently? I got one for Christmas a couple of years ago. And so I've been buying records. I've been buying records that I used to have, but I've also now been like. I'm kind of going through a little bit of a Talking Heads phase. And I've always liked the Talking Heads, but I never kind of went. Went kind of deep on them. And now I am. And I am just like. I got this record, their second record, after a friend suggested it last weekend. And like, it's like, oh, I actually don't know most of the songs off of this. And I'm just like listening to it front to back, front to back. And it's kind of like. It's just nice to get back. It's not for everybody and it's not for all the time, but it's nice to get re. Kind of re. Familiarized with just a record. Side A's and side B's.

[Luke Burbank]

Yes, absolutely. I'm like. My next thing is, because I have this record player and I have this whole setup now is I actually. I have to get serious about my record collection. Because what I realized, I just have a lot of random crap in there. Because I was just.

[Andrew Walsh]

If.

[Luke Burbank]

You know, if I was at a garage sale or something, I have a lot of like, you know, Lawrence, welk Christmas and stuff. That's just more like, of a gag than like music I necessarily want to hear. So I'm going to start. I'm going to start acquiring stuff on vinyl that I, as I said backstage at Livewire. What an incredible plot twist for a 40 something white guy.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, right.

[Luke Burbank]

I am getting into vinyl finally.

[Andrew Walsh]

Well, you know something, this has been living in my head and I don't think I said this to anybody. I know I didn't bring it up on the show, but we sort of alluded to earlier today about like, sort of the mental state of people like you and I as we're dealing with this administration and all the awfulness that is going on in this country and everything that goes along with that. And a big part of it for me is feeling powerless. And I'm thinking about something that Chris Hayes said in conversation. He was in conversation with somebody in the middle. He was in conversation with a fella on stage. I think it was you. In fact, the more I think about.

[Luke Burbank]

It, was it the guy who mixed up what magazine? He had a guest on Livewire the other night and I identified her as being from Ontario. No, being from Calgary, Ontario, and it's in Alberta.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, oh.

[Luke Burbank]

And it was commented upon, rightfully. So. Yeah, we've already got enough tension going on with Canada. Yeah, right. I need to not totally completely confirm that suspicion that we Americans are thoughtless about Canada by not knowing that, that Calgary is not in Ontario.

[Andrew Walsh]

But Chris, during the talk in conversation with Luke Burbank at Town hall, said like, like one thing and it's not like a huge, it's not a huge pushback. But he said you are seeing people sort of returning because, you know, again, talking about the attention economy and the onslaught of, you know, everybody trying to get our attention digitally so they can sell stuff to us and et cetera. But he said like, there are people taking kind of a step back, like slowing down a little bit. And he ticked off three different things. And they were all things that I had been doing, one of which is like getting off the major platforms. He's like, you don't have to be in the gated communities of Instagram, Instagram or whatever. There are other like. And I was like, oh, yeah, you mean like Blue sky and Flickr, where I've been spending my time. And then now this is sounding like I'm bragging. But no, it just struck home with me. It's kind of like he discussed, you guys discussed a little bit about like kind of a move back towards People getting record players and like, and kind of being a little bit more intentional with that. And there was a third thing too. I was like, yeah, I'm not, I didn't do all of these things together on purpose. Some of them on purpose to sort of make a bit of a, the, the tiniest of stands. But like, it's just like, well, I'm also just getting old, I guess. And like you said, it's like, oh, surprise, surprise, the 48 year old white guy got a record player. But it was kind of interesting to say, like, yeah, I guess I am sort of trying to create my own little, my own little oasis away from like the, the mainstream social media stuff. And it has been fun to listen to music again in this manner.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah, I'm excited to get home and get back in touch with my record player. Maestro, on your mark. On your mark. Get set. Oh, I thought I was gonna, I thought I was gonna trick you there. I'd been. We'd been going on for so long, I thought maybe you had like, you know, stored them, the sound effect away.

[Andrew Walsh]

I had like two seconds. I realized we were wrapping up there. I was like, oh, I just. Yeah, sorry.

[Luke Burbank]

Very quick.

[Andrew Walsh]

I also, I'm, I'm lacking. I'm sorry, I'm having. Well, thank you for complimenting my, my technological skills today because I'm, I am leaking confidence in my ability to say anything interesting today. I had. So appreciate it.

[Luke Burbank]

Stop it right now. You know who won't listen to that kind of negative self talk is Chandra Benjamin, who's in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

[Andrew Walsh]

Now, this is a coincidence. I've been having an ongoing conversation with Chandra, I think, did I say that correctly? Chandra, Chandra, Chandra. I believe Chandra and I have been going back and forth all week and it started. And I'm not even gonna get into it. I'm not even gonna get into it. But she didn't like something the way you were saying something on the show. And I wrote back and I said, I don't think I should be copied on this. I said, this isn't. I'm like, this isn't something. I said, this isn't something I say. And I think you can just send this to Luke. And if this is the.

[Luke Burbank]

Am I on that email? I believe I mentioned the 17,000 unopened email.

[Andrew Walsh]

And Chandra, if I have the right person here, I'm looking to see if. I said, yeah, I know, but Luke doesn't check his email. So I needed somebody to read this. And I'm kind of like, I was pretty straightforward. I was like, I really wish people wouldn't do that because then it's just like, oh, well, let's, let's like kind of yell at the guy. And it wasn't really, it was, you know, whatever. It was a little bit. It was sent in a moment of frustration. But it's kind of like, well, the guy who doesn't check his email gets off screen, got free. And I'm your heat shield on this stuff.

[Luke Burbank]

But we talked about not checking your email.

[Andrew Walsh]

Well, that's what the thing I'm like, well, what that's going to lead to is me not checking my email. And it is, it is the same, Chandra. I just double checked it. I was clicking around here. So, Chandra, thank you for the, for the open dialogue that we've been having.

[Luke Burbank]

Chandra, because not to make this a pay to play type of situation, but because you are donating a dazzling amount of dough. I will today, when we're done with the show, I will, I'll put on a like a spelunking helmet with like a little lamp on top and I will slide into the cave that is my emails and I will respond to your email. Chandra, Chandra says just thanks for the hours of entertainment you provide. The break I need from the news work and the real world in general. That is a service that we provide when we talk about did Ichiro throw the ball too hard at old Danny Wilson?

[Andrew Walsh]

That's right.

[Luke Burbank]

Et cetera. It's a break from real life life. Also, this is a very weird place to take this, but just the mention of Santa Fe, New Mexico, you know, we haven't really talked much about is the whole Gene Hackman and his wife passing away situation and like what a kind of nuts story that was and how suspicious it seemed. And then I guess there was a kind of a reasonable explanation that was just like a pretty sad and pretty weird circumstances. I guess his wife passed away and because he was, was the age he was and I think suffering from dementia or Alzheimer's or something, was unable to really care for himself, but also unable to connect with the outside world. That's basically what they, I think of this because they were in New Mexico as well. That was, that's the sort of final, final read on the situation. Right.

[Andrew Walsh]

That's my understanding of it, although I think, and again, it's just such a grim story. I will say it's one of those stories that I talked about this kind of a rarity. It's one that I talked about almost incessantly with Genevieve and friends and like, just kind of like, it was so myster.

[Luke Burbank]

And also it totally seemed like a carbon monoxide leak.

[Andrew Walsh]

That's how it for. Because you heard that, you know, two people were found, two deceased people were found, and we just love Gene Hackman. In this, Genevieve's love of Gene Hackman is only surpassed by her love of laughing at me when I accidentally fall down in public. Like, she loves Gene Hackman so, so much. And when the story first came out and we knew even less than we know now, but it was certainly mysterious. But it also is like, because it was mysterious, they described in great detail how both he was found, how his wife was found dog. Like, it was just so unbelievably sad, but also so hard to sort of figure out. Like, when we hear about stuff like this, it's our instinct to want to put it together and have it make sense in some way. And so as more and more information sort of just sort of dripped out of the story, we were. It would always re. Spark our interest in talking about it. But we don't talk about on tbtl for the reason, like, I'm stumbling. Stumbling around now is because it's like, I don't want. It's a really. It's really sad and it's really, really grim. For lack of a better word.

[Luke Burbank]

It is grim. I mean, my first thought was, well, Gene happen was I think, like 95.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah. He was old. Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

So he would definitely, you know, had lived a very full life. And, you know, were he to pass away from natural circumstances, natural causes at 95, you would probably say, well, that was a life well lived. Again, it's a really, really sad sort of how it happened. But, yeah, just what a weird story and what a weird place for me to take it. But I've been meaning to talk about it with you, and I just figured we would use Chandra's dazzling donation message as jumping off point. Well, Chandra, the good news you got another email you can send me now about another thing I did that you don't.

[Andrew Walsh]

I really feel like I owe Chandra a new dazzling donor message. I really started that off.

[Luke Burbank]

All right, fine.

[Andrew Walsh]

On the wrong foot is my fault.

[Luke Burbank]

All right. Thanks to our donors for making TBTL possible. Possible. Hello and welcome to Top Story. You know how there was that very annoying case of that American picking up like, a wombat or something.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

Taking a. Like a wombat baby away from the mom. And that happened in Australia, and the nation of Australia was rightfully, I think, horrified at that. And I think I Noted that the Prime Minister was commenting on it. And I said something like, feel like the Prime Minister in Australia again. We have a, you know, we have a, like an absolute malign narcissist running our country. So I don't, we don't really get to crap talk other people's leadership. But I do think it's funny that the Prime Minister has apparently weighed in on this story of a rabbit mascot who pushed a kid. May have pushed a kid at, I believe it was a rugby match. And so the first headline I saw was like Australian Prime Minister defends rabbit mascot guy. And I just thought, man, I can't believe that's landing on his desk. Can't believe that's me. Because this is like a. I get the sense it's a relatively kind of small town, like kind of regional team. Like it's, you know, I can't say the President again. I don't even like to say the name of the person who's currently the President along with the words of the President of the United States because I'm forced to confront the reality of it. But like, I mean that every single day that guy does. The guy who's running our country does 50 horrendous things. And this is, you know, this isn't horrendous. It's just funny that it got up to the Prime Ministerial level. Let me just play you some of the tape, by the way. This reporter in Australia, I don't. I'll play you the whole tape. He's really, he's really leaning into, particularly at the end, like some real TV reporter tropes. Let's just take a listen now. He's the man inside the suit. Charlie Gallico is Reggie the rabbit. A 20 year that now hinges on a one second shove.

[Andrew Walsh]

Well, I apologize if I did something wrong, but I don't think I did.

[Luke Burbank]

The boy is nine. It happened on Saturday as South's loss to Cronulla at Shark Park.

[Andrew Walsh]

Not happy.

[Luke Burbank]

Old Reg coming off the field. Yeah.

[Andrew Walsh]

And he called me over.

[Luke Burbank]

I went over like I normally do. Yeah. To make the kids happy.

[Andrew Walsh]

And then he grabbed me.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah, right. And that's it. So he grabbed you first. The boy's mother says her son put out his hand for a high five. A security guard intervening, she reportedly contacted police, but they declined to investigate.

[Andrew Walsh]

It's not my nature to do anything wrong, even any. I love the kids and I'll do a lot of hospital work. I'll do another. A lot of stuff.

[Luke Burbank]

Today he had the support of players. Yeah. Charlie's good bloke, you know, he's in around the boys. You know Reggie, he's a good person.

[Andrew Walsh]

And I know the club will deal with that.

[Luke Burbank]

I know for the comments on that, you know, we all love Reggie Win and the Prime Minister.

[Andrew Walsh]

It's a fact that he's a very small man who goes in that costume. He's 81 years old. He wouldn't want to hurt anybody. And yeah, I've seen nine year olds who are bigger than Charlie. If this.

[Luke Burbank]

That's the actual Prime Minister of Australia defending. He's a small man and he's 81 years old and he would never hurt anybody.

[Andrew Walsh]

Do you have any. What are the visuals like on this? When you sent me this article this morning, I was reading it on my phone and I don't know what was it? I can't remember if it was a foreign news source, was an Australian news source. It had very strong like New York Post sort of vibes to it. Yes.

[Luke Burbank]

I think I might have found an article that was maybe reprinted in the Post. I forget where I saw it initially, but you've got the guy, Charlie, he is a very diminutive fellow and he's like standing outside his house being interviewed by the TV news people.

[Andrew Walsh]

What about the actual incident though? Because it was so funny. Funny is like never have I read an article which first of all is written in a kind of a confusing way. Like they don't even mention what the sport is until like well down.

[Luke Burbank]

But is it rugby or Ozzy Rules football?

[Andrew Walsh]

I'm pretty sure it's rugby if I recall. I don't have in front of me right now. But the amazing thing about it was like never has a story required visuals more than this one. But whatever this sort of like herpes filled website was that I was trying to figure out. Yeah, just all these pop ups and this and that and none of the media was working and I'm like, can we just. The incident. Have you put eyes on the incident as a rabbit pushing a child? What is your take on it?

[Luke Burbank]

It's pretty quick.

[Andrew Walsh]

Okay.

[Luke Burbank]

It doesn't look like I. I don't think that the, the rabbit is telling the full story. Truthfully, I don't trust anyone who says. I believe his quote is something like I don't have any. He doesn't say malice. Well, let's just go back. Let's start. I don't trust anybody who says that they have never had a bad impulse in their life because like everybody and you call me Ivan. I went over like I Nor. Yeah.

[Andrew Walsh]

To my kids.

[Luke Burbank]

Abby. And then he grabbed me. Yeah, right. And that's it. So he grabbed you first. The boy's mother says. Wait, it's a little before that. Sorry. He says something that's like a very. It's kind of a blanket statement about his. Like his innocence now hinges on a one second shove.

[Andrew Walsh]

I apologise if I did something wrong, but I don't think I did.

[Luke Burbank]

The boy is nine. It happened on Saturday. The south's lost to Cronulla at Shark Park.

[Andrew Walsh]

Not happy.

[Luke Burbank]

Old Reg coming off the field. Yeah.

[Andrew Walsh]

And he called me over.

[Luke Burbank]

I went over like I normally do. Yeah. To make the kids happy. And then he grabbed me. Yeah, right. And that's it. So he grabbed you first. The boy's mother says her son put out his hand for a high five. A security guard intervening, she reportedly contacted police, but they declined to investigate.

[Andrew Walsh]

It's not my nature to do anything wrong. Even any. I love the kids and I'll do a lot of hospital work.

[Luke Burbank]

I'll do a lot. It's not in my nature to do anything wrong. I don't. I don't believe anybody who ever says that as a blanket statement because it's in all of our nature to do something wrong.

[Andrew Walsh]

Literally human nature. It's huge. Well, of course he's a rabbit. Maybe this is a rabbit thing.

[Luke Burbank]

Silly rabbit.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah. But it's.

[Luke Burbank]

It's pretty clear that he. I mean, he doesn't. It's also. It's not that big because in the words of the Prime Minister of Australia who's weighing in on the matter, this guy is pretty small. So it's not like the kid's not hurt by this. He's just kind of pushing the kid away. It's a. It's a quick little moment. But I don't think it was. I don't think it was a misunderstanding of what happened. I think the kid got on his nerve somehow and he. And he pushed the kid away in a. In a, you know, in a moment of weakness or whatever.

[Andrew Walsh]

Does it look like the kid is going in for a high five, though? And he pushes him instead because isn't that the story?

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah, I think that that actually kind of checks out. I mean, you, you. I don't remember seeing like a small child's hand in the pre. High five formation.

[Andrew Walsh]

Okay.

[Luke Burbank]

But it's just kind of cuts. It's like in slow mo. Just kind of cuts to this rabbit pushing this kid.

[Andrew Walsh]

Strong Donnie Darko energy. Yeah, serious.

[Luke Burbank]

Donnie Garco energy. How would you feel? Well, it'd be very sad, wouldn't it? Oh, this is to the question of if he loses his job of being the mask of shot of this, of this rugby and the Prime Minister.

[Andrew Walsh]

It's a fact that he's a very.

[Luke Burbank]

Small man who goes in that costume.

[Andrew Walsh]

He's 81 years old. He wouldn't want to hurt anybody. And yeah, I've seen nine year olds who are bigger than Charlie.

[Luke Burbank]

If this was the end for you, how would you feel?

[Andrew Walsh]

Well, it'd be very sad, wouldn't it? I'm not a fan.

[Luke Burbank]

At South's. Charlie is more than just a mascot.

[Andrew Walsh]

Tonight is up to every individual, every.

[Luke Burbank]

One of you giving rev up speeches to the players, receiving awards for his dedication, especially to children. The club now deciding where the push will come to shove. Daniel Sutton continues with a push will come to shove. So that's a great ending to that.

[Andrew Walsh]

I couldn't tell what the tape was there where he was talking in what sounded like a big empty room. Then he calls it a rev up speech. That revved me down my rabbit.

[Luke Burbank]

I was literally gonna say, can you imagine you're some, you know, 22 year old rugby player and you're just like about to go out on the field and put your body on the line and you're like more testosterone than man. And then Charlie comes in to give you a rev up speech. He's got the rabbit head off. You can do it. It's like, save it, buddy.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, save your air. Honestly, as he's giving that rev up speech, I'm kind of like, buddy, you're gonna need that air.

[Luke Burbank]

No, seriously, like, I can't. I cannot imagine somebody who would ref me up less than this kind of weirdo guy who's the mascot. But anyway, I think it's also funny that basically because I played it about three times, it would appear the prime minister knows him personally. Does everyone in Australia know the Prime Minister of Australia? Is it like Schitt's Creek? Does everybody like know the mayor?

[Andrew Walsh]

That's what I it again. I was like reading this article. I found it very hard to follow. But like, is there some connection between the prime minister and this actual this maybe that rugby club or something? Like, yeah, it seemed like there was like some sort of personal connection because it does make the whole country. The way this is written, it makes the whole country sound like one small town.

[Luke Burbank]

Do you know, do you think Joe Biden knew who plays Hawk, the Seahawk mascot?

[Andrew Walsh]

That's. Wait, his name isn't. Hawk, though, right?

[Luke Burbank]

It's Blitz. Oh, Blitz.

[Andrew Walsh]

Blitz.

[Luke Burbank]

I think I've embarrassed myself again.

[Andrew Walsh]

I can't finish this podcast with you, Chandra. Get his ass, Chandra.

[Luke Burbank]

That might be as good indication as any that we should probably wrap things up. What do you think?

[Andrew Walsh]

That sounds good to me. One thing I'm going to do after the music, after the music fades out, I think I found the podcast episode of the whistler. It's episode 252, the lady and the Knife. It's on a different platform here, but I'm going to try playing it after the music to see if we can.

[Luke Burbank]

Hear at the timestamp that you were trying to save for yourself.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, it looked like it happens. It looked like by the time I got the timestamp saved, it looked like it was like about two and a half minutes in. But I don't know how long it took me to fumble around and get that screenshot. So I'm going to start this about 30 seconds in and hopefully not play any modern commercials because what people do is they take these classic radio shows that are, I think, public domain. They put them in podcast feeds, but then they kind of load them up at the front and back end with, like, just really crappy Carvana ads. Yeah, they drive you happy. Anyway, that's what. If you're going to hear some weird audio after the.

[Luke Burbank]

Great.

[Andrew Walsh]

I'm going to stick around for that. See if we can identify what I heard last night or if I was just out of my gosh darn go.

[Luke Burbank]

I'm. I'm actually excited. I usually, you know, second we're done recording, I'm out.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

But today I'm gonna stick around to hear this Easter egg, so. All right, that is gonna bring us to the end of today's episode and to the end of our broadcast week. But we will be right back here on Monday with more imaginary radio. I get to be home finally, which I'm very excited about. Me and my records and the Madrona Hill studio. Exciting times. So we'll see you all on Monday for that. In the meantime, have a great weekend. Take care of yourselves. Go, Mariners. And please remember, no mountain too tall.

[Andrew Walsh]

And good luck to all. I am the Whistler, and I know many things, for I walk by night.

[Luke Burbank]

I know many strange tales hidden in the hearts of men and women who.

[Andrew Walsh]

Have stepped into the shadows. Yes, I know the nameless terrors of which they dare not speak. Yes, friends, it's time for the Signal Oil program, the Whistler. Rated by independent research, the most popular west coast program in the history of radio. Oh, I think that was it in gasoline. You know, it takes extra quality to go farther. And signal is the famous go farther gasoline power out.