#4452 May The Hand Of Marriott Guide You

Summary

Podcast Summary: TBTL: Too Beautiful To Live – Episode #4452 "May The Hand Of Marriott Guide You"

Release Date: April 24, 2025
Hosts: Luke Burbank and Andrew Walsh
Location: Chicago, Illinois

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I. Introduction and Episode Context

The episode kicks off with Luke Burbank and Andrew Walsh welcoming listeners to the 4,452nd episode of TBTL, broadcasting from Chicago. They set a lively tone with humorous anecdotes and playful banter, immediately engaging the audience with their trademark humor.

Notable Quote:

Luke Burbank [00:58]: "This is a show for people about dogs, starring one dog and one dirt."

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II. Mariners' Music Tradition

a. Original Tradition

Luke and Andrew delve into a significant topic concerning the Seattle Mariners' in-game traditions. Historically, the Mariners played "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during the seventh-inning stretch, seamlessly transitioning into "Louie Louie" by The Kingsmen—a beloved tradition cherished by long-time fans.

Notable Quote:

Listener [07:13]: "We salute you. The Mariners. For my whole like that I can remember, like, childhood and adulthood."

b. Switch to Macklemore's Song

A few seasons prior, the Mariners attempted to modernize their musical selections by replacing "Louie Louie" with Macklemore's "Ceiling Can't Hold Us." Both hosts express disappointment over this change, characterizing Macklemore's choice as an attempt to attract younger fans without preserving the team's cherished traditions.

Notable Quote:

Andrew Walsh [09:44]: "I think, generally speaking, I find his music to be very cringy and his lyrics to be very cringy."

c. Reaction and Criticism

The hosts criticize the Mariners' decision, suggesting that the choice of a contemporary song like Macklemore's failed to resonate with the established fanbase. They highlight the superficial nature of the change, implying it was more about appearing trendy than honoring longstanding traditions.

Notable Quote:

Andrew Walsh [09:07]: "I'm not a huge fan of Macklemore... his music felt like such an attempt by this ball club to say, hey, we're trying to attract younger people."

d. Return of Louie Louie and Remixes

Recently, the Mariners announced the return of "Louie Louie," though with a modern remix. Luke and Andrew explore this development, discussing whether the remix maintains the essence of the original and how it balances nostalgia with contemporary appeal. They note mixed reactions from fans and speculate on the Mariners' motivations, including distancing from Macklemore's controversial statements.

Notable Quote:

Andrew Walsh [13:05]: "They worked with a few local DJs to remix the song with a new energy that keeps the essence of the original Kingsmen track."

e. Considering Mariners Event

Inspired by the Mariners' musical evolution, the hosts contemplate organizing a Mariners-themed event, aiming to celebrate and perhaps critique the team's cultural choices. They express enthusiasm about engaging with the Mariners community and fostering discussions around team traditions.

Notable Quote:

Listener [27:00]: "I'm pretty sure that it was a remix, right? And it sounds like Greg says it is, too."

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III. Listener Messages and Support

The episode features heartfelt messages from listeners celebrating birthdays and personal milestones. Notable mentions include Ian Kohler congratulating himself and his spouse Steph on their marriage and home purchase, as well as Rachel Sizer sharing her long-term support for the show.

Notable Quote:

Listener [28:08]: "Happy Blurs Day, Michael. Kevin says, and this is our final blurs day..."

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IV. TV Show Critiques

a. Severance

Luke and Andrew discuss their viewing experiences with the TV show "Severance," expressing challenges in keeping up with its complex narrative and emotional depth. They reflect on how the show has impacted their engagement and mental state, highlighting the intense storytelling as both compelling and overwhelming.

Notable Quote:

Listener [38:40]: "I feel like you take your television viewing when it's a complicated show... And that feels like homework to me."

b. The Pit

The hosts critique "The Pit," a show starring Noah Wiley, which they perceive as a flawed reboot of "ER." They discuss plot inconsistencies and character development issues, using specific examples to illustrate their frustrations with the show's execution.

Notable Quote:

Listener [43:15]: "I almost turned it off, dude. This is what I'm telling you."

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V. Miscellaneous Discussions

Fantasy Baseball Frustrations

Andrew shares his struggles with fantasy baseball, expressing a desire to underperform to avoid the emotional rollercoaster of high competition. Luke sympathetically relates, discussing the competitive pressures and personal strategies to mitigate stress.

Notable Quote:

Andrew Walsh [62:04]: "If I just stay in the top half of the standings... it almost might feel like a gift to me."

Hotel Environmental Policies Critique

The hosts critique modern hotel practices, particularly the environmental initiatives that they feel are more cost-saving measures cloaked in green rhetoric. They humorously mock the overly sentimental language used by hotels to justify reduced laundry services.

Notable Quote:

Listener [37:02]: "A little hanging thing that just says where every drop is cherished."

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VI. Conclusion

The episode wraps up with more listener messages and playful interactions between Luke and Andrew. They reiterate their appreciation for their audience, encourage listener engagement, and tease future topics. The hosts sign off with their signature humor, leaving listeners anticipating the next episode.

Notable Quote:

Andrew Walsh [68:57]: "Hello and welcome to Top Story... But then there's something about gravitas."

Listener [67:10]: "Well, no, no, no, Andrew, I don't want you..."

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Final Thoughts:
Episode #4452 of TBTL: Too Beautiful To Live offers a blend of sports commentary, listener interactions, and critical discussions on contemporary media. Luke and Andrew's dynamic chemistry and candid opinions provide an engaging listening experience, balancing humor with insightful critiques.

Transcript

[Luke Burbank]

We were up on Steve Irwin way and all of a sudden we thought, run, he's got a gun. Where's our mum? This ain't no fun. And our heart started to pound faster than a kangaroo hopping through the bush. And our poor mum was stuck up in a tree like a koala bear munching on eucalyptus because he had blood all over his face. And he goes, I'll shoot you. And mum was distracting him to make him look the other way. Kind of like the toilets here. They swirl the other direction and he looks the other way. And mum ran into the bush behind the fence. And he goes, I'll find yer and I'll shoot yer. And we went, r gnar.tbtl.

[Andrew Walsh]

This is a show for people about dogs, starring one dog and one dirt.

[Listener]

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

[Andrew Walsh]

I don't know what exactly the attachment is.

[Listener]

I think they're cute, but kind of funny looking.

[Andrew Walsh]

There's the strain beginning to show on it.

[Listener]

If I could sleep 10 days and nights in a rice patty, I could certainly last in this lousy bank. This is what the animal said to us. He says to Ms. Cochran, Here, baby, up your butt with a coconut. I think he was prepared to do it, except I saw no coconut. He had no coconut to bite out. Hey, everybody, stand by. Here we go again. Well, all right. Hello, good morning and welcome everyone to a Thursday edition of tbtl, the show that just might be too beautiful to live. Let's let her rip this morning. My name is Luke Burbank. I am your host. Oh my God, I made it. Coming to you from sunny Chicago, Illinois, on the shores of Lake Michigan. Hey, where's the freaking gabba goo? I'm here to take part in the Wait, wait, don't tell me news quiz this week. It's gonna be a fun show tonight at the Studebaker Theater. We do have a fun show happening before that though. In fact, that show is happening right now as we've made it to episode 4452 in a collector series, Let the fun begin. Saw some monkey related research coming out of a scientific journal. You're living in the monkey house. Involving monkeys and their proclivity, their enjoyment of getting drunk.

[Andrew Walsh]

You scare me.

[Listener]

You're an alcoholic. And the interesting evolutionary implications of that for all of us. What do we know about ourselves by way of monkeys that like to chew on fermented breadfruit. So we will get into that. We'll also do the blursdays because it's a Thursday, AKA blursday, so it's my birthday today. That's what we do around here on that day. And the other thing we do around here is we say hi to this guy. Longest running cobra of the show, maybe best known for his depictions of the tall ships. This handsome young stranger. His name is Andrew Walsh and he's joining me right now. Good morning, my friend.

[Andrew Walsh]

Good morning, Luke. How you doing in Chicago?

[Listener]

I'm actually doing really well. I got in late last night flying from LA up here and then taking a trip from O'Hare down here to the hotel and then getting into my room and then closing my eyes and then being like, man, it's late. But because of the time difference, I get to sleep in. I get to sleep in until like 10:00am Chicago time today, which has me feeling absolutely revived and refreshed and ready to rock, my dude.

[Andrew Walsh]

Nice. Well, I'm ready to. Well, I don't like to say. I don't like to use the phrase ready to rock. I'm trying to. I'm trying to strip that from. It's been difficult, but I'm trying to strip it from my vocabulary. I do like to pump up co workers, though, and I guess you are technically my coworker. I like to pump up my co workers by every now and then ending an email that says, you rock. Uh huh. You all rock. All right, I won't be cruel.

[Listener]

Do they have something that. And there is an emoji, right. Of doing the rock Finger. Fingers.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, oh, oh. Like kind of holding the fist up.

[Listener]

Like not the fist. The. More no, like the horns. The, like the, like you've got the. Your pinky is extended, your index finger is extended.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah.

[Listener]

And your two middle fingers, your middle finger and your ring finger are pulled down under your thumb. And it's like when you see that hand position, you know that things are about to really, really rock out.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah. And for those about to rock, we do salute you. Okay. Speaking of cringe, that's gonna be my transition.

[Listener]

Speaking of what we were just doing.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yes. You have something on the show sheet that you did not mention in your introduction that I'm really. Let's not say ready to rock on, but let's say hot to trot on, Luke. That's more my generation. I'm hot to trot on this topic regarding the music at Mariners games. Now, you put us, you put in a link in the show sheet. But then you also said you had some updates. So before I launch into. I did some. I have some context for this. I have some background. I've also done some reporting on it this morning, so I'd be interested in having you set this up and seeing where we are.

[Listener]

I was also doing reporting on it this morning. Look at us, a couple of old shoe leather journalists out there knocking on doors.

[Andrew Walsh]

If you and I have the same.

[Listener]

Source, I think we might have the same source.

[Andrew Walsh]

I kind of doubt it, but we'll see.

[Listener]

Okay. Because my source did not tell me that Andrew Walsh was also blowing up his email. And so it would be weird if he was hearing from both of us, but then was not somehow sharing that information with both of us, who's keeping us separate, keeping us siloed from each other. Okay.

[Andrew Walsh]

I would be pretty shocked if we have the same source, but.

[Listener]

Okay, it's Edgar Martinez. That's my source.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, shit. Mine's Ichiro. Okay. I don't think those two talk much.

[Listener]

Okay, so here's. Here's what happened. I got up this morning and I was doing my normal perusal of the Seattle Times, and of course I saw the Rants and Raves column. And I. For those. For those about to dislike us talking about rants and raves, this is less a story about rants and raves and even less who.

[Andrew Walsh]

What monster out there doesn't want us talking about rants and raves.

[Listener]

That's not even a specific piece of feedback I've heard. I guess I feel a little self conscious that the show has devolved into us just reading the Seattle Times Rants and raves every day. Yeah, and responding. But that's totally in my own head. My point is this. I was reading the Rants and Raves this morning and there was a rave from someone who said, rave to the Mariners for bringing back Louie Louie. By the way, did you notice in the show sheet, I spelled it Louis Lewis? Like. Like Louis xiv.

[Andrew Walsh]

I did not notice that. That's pretty good.

[Listener]

Like, I. I've not like how your middle name is spelled. Right. Which is Are you. You're. Are you L, E, W, I S? Or are you.

[Andrew Walsh]

No, I'm L. French. Yes, I am.

[Listener]

Okay, so I spelled it like your middle name.

[Andrew Walsh]

That's right.

[Listener]

Andrew Lewis. Lewis.

[Andrew Walsh]

I took it to be sort of an homage to me.

[Listener]

Right. So the person was basically saying, rave to the Seattle Mariners for bringing back Louie Louie as the seventh inning stretch music. Now, for folks that don't know, for folks about to not know this. We salute you.

[Andrew Walsh]

We truly salute you.

[Listener]

For folks who stopped remembering this, we salute you. The Mariners. For my whole like that I can remember, like, childhood and adulthood. Up until a few seasons ago, they always play Take Me out to the Ball Game during the seventh inning stretch. You sing along, and then it would transition into Lewis Lewis by the Kingsman. And that, you know, that was the tradition. And then a few seasons ago, I think in attempt to be more current and hip and with the times, they switched to that Macklemore song, the Ceiling Can't Hold Us. And I think you and I were both a little bit bummed out about that because, you know, we like our traditions. We're ritualistic in that way. And that song felt to me, I think you said the same thing, basically, like, it was a song that was very popular in the moment, but it didn't feel durable.

[Andrew Walsh]

I mean, that song is like 10 years old, isn't it?

[Listener]

That's a good point.

[Andrew Walsh]

It was just like, it was such a. Sorry, I'll just state my own feeling on it, which I stated pretty vehemently on the show many times, so I don't have to, like, totally dredge up all of the bad feelings. I'm not a huge fan of Mat McLemore. I've heard he's a really good guy. I think he's on the right side of history on a lot of stuff. But I think, generally speaking, I find his music to be very cringey and his lyrics to be very cringy. And.

[Listener]

Well, you don't support the LGBTQ community famously.

[Andrew Walsh]

You have to like all artists that have the same point of view as you. That's what I've learned. So, anyway, so I do not like Macklemore. I'm like. Like, it wasn't like, I thought Louie Louie's was the best song ever. I'm not somebody who grew up around here. I'm not trying to steal other people's nostalgia. Regard that. I don't know that I would have been upset if they had gone with something else that seemed more organic, but it just seemed like such an attempt by this ball club to say, hey, you know what? We're really trying to attract younger people and more fans. Maybe we should lower ticket prices. No, no, not that far. What if we play some more modern music? You mean like something that's out now? No, like something that was kind of cool ten years ago, but was definitely from here in Seattle. They're like something by Kenny G. Like.

[Listener]

No. What about.

[Andrew Walsh]

What about my Homies how about Jeremy? No, Y. Jeremy. Luke. Jeremy was playing in a grocery store yesterday. And I said to Veeves, this is not right. Like, there is a genre of music that is very specifically grocery store music. And we know Belinda Carlisle fits in there. We know sometimes even Enya fits in there. But you know what doesn't fit in there? I don't know if Enya fits in there. I want to. I want to.

[Listener]

Believe me. Are you kidding me right now? Oronko or Unko Flow that fits in.

[Andrew Walsh]

That might be a little too dreamy for grocery store, but Jeremy. Yikes. That was a dark. That was a dark trip up the bread aisle. But anyway.

[Listener]

Exactly. Hey, where's the paprika? Clearly, I remember picking on the board. Seemed a harmless little fuck.

[Andrew Walsh]

I heard him literally say, I was like in there with the peeves, just briefly. And then I literally. The first lyric I heard was arms raised in a V. And I'm like, that's not supposed to be played.

[Listener]

No, I mean, Pearl Jam generally, but specifically that song and the narrative.

[Andrew Walsh]

Dark. Anyway. But yes. So I thought it was like a very Seattle. And I'm sorry to be kind of take a wide swipe at Seattle here, but it seemed to be in this grand tradition of Seattle, really sticking to, like, kind of localness over taste, sort of in a way that I also sort of find cringy. So that's how I felt about the whole thing. I thought it was a bad cringe move by the Mariners.

[Listener]

Well, and I, you know, my sort of attachment to Louis Lewis is just because I grew up with it, you know, I'm with you. Like, I don't even know if that was a. If that was a good choice when they made it in 1981 or something. And by the way, the Kingsmen are from Tacoma. So the funny thing is it was the same impulse, you know what I mean? It was like, let's find a quote unquote local band and we'll use them to whatever, do this little musical moment. Okay. All that is to say, when I read in the newspaper today that they've brought back Louie Louie, I was so excited. But I thought, how, if that's the case, how have we not talked about this more on the show? And then I became worried that we have talked about it on the show and I've forgotten it and so. Or that maybe it was a one time thing. Maybe it was, you know, it was throwback night or something. They were doing some nostalgia play because it seems like it would be a fairly significant backtrack for the Mariners, they would be admitting kind of exactly what we said in the moment when they changed songs, which was, I don't think this is a thing we're gonna wanna do for the next 20 years. And so I emailed my good buddy Greg over at the Mariners and I just said, hey, any truth? You know, I said, I was reading in the rants and raves today that Louie Louie is back. Any truth to that? And he got right back to me and he said, who did you reach out to? My friend Greg Green at the Mariners.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, Greg, right. Yeah, yeah.

[Listener]

He said, louie Louie is indeed back. And then that would have been full stop. I would have, you know, I would have Snoopy. It would have been like a Snoopy happy dance here in my hotel room in Chicago. But then the sentence continued. We worked with a few local DJs to remix the song with a new energy that keeps the essence of the original Kingsman track. God, he gave me.

[Andrew Walsh]

So press release.

[Listener]

If I asked. And this was. This was. This was. This was giving me some clarity because this is actually useful information because I thought they just brought back Louie Louis, but it sounds like they've. They've. They've remixed Louie Louie so that it. They can say it's Louie Louie but that it's not the OG version. I haven't. I have not been to a game Andrew in now over a season, so I haven't gotten ears on this personally. By the way, I asked Greg for an MP3 of it. He politely declined.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, okay, so. But we're missing. And that's why if I knew you were going directly to the Mariners organization, I wish I could have had your ear on this earlier. Maybe I should have not kept my card so close to my vest on this.

[Listener]

Who was your.

[Andrew Walsh]

Who's your deep. Well, it's just my buddy Neil, who's gone to, like, almost every home game this year because. Okay, so I knew that they brought back Louie Louie a remix. Our buddy Neil. Yeah, our buddy Neil. So I knew.

[Listener]

Try to steal Neil from me.

[Andrew Walsh]

There was tons of chatter online on opening day that Louie Louie was back. And it was some awful remix. All of that. Everybody's like, it's awful. Like, even Ryan Divisch is like, what is this remix of Louie Louie? But do you want more cringe? Is it's not because. It's not because the Mariners. Suddenly we're like, you know what? Yes, let's. Let's celebrate the past again. It's because Macklemore said, f America in a pro Palestine rally in September and they dropped it last year. Yes. It's not. They have no. They have no backbone. It's not. And again, now this puts me in a very bad place because now I'm defending Macklemore's being played while your enemies. This is why it's an interesting conversation. I think this isn't about the Mariners thinking that Macklemore's song was a mistake or them saying we had bad taste or that song is cringe. It's them choosing Macklemore, then Macklemore, you know, doing what he does, which is speaking out against things that he thinks are wrong in the world. And so at a pro Palestine rally.

[Listener]

And by the way, being on the absolute correct side of that issue.

[Andrew Walsh]

Exactly. So he says he's like, you know, he was performing at a pro Palestine rally and, like, I think the quote was something like, yeah, he's like kind of talking to the crowd in the middle of the song or something. He's like, that's right. Yeah, that's right. F America. And then what happens? Like, of course, all of corporate, like, Seattle, like, starts, like, I think, because he's a partial owner of the Kraken. So immediately, like, I think Como had the story first and then the Seattle Times, like, what will the Kraken do about Macklemore hating America? And then it became this whole thing. And so you know what they did last season, like, immediately the first game after he did this. Now, keep in mind, this is late in the season, right? This was happened in September. They just sort of punted. They didn't bring back Louie Louie. And they stopped playing Macklemore. They just made sure that they always had hot dogs from heaven, you know, where they dropped the hot dogs via parachute. And they played Heaven is a place on Earth, I want to say, or some sort of 80s song. It must have been that, right?

[Listener]

I would have gone with Louis Prima, Pennies from Heaven, anything with Louie. That's right. This is our Thursday all Louis production.

[Andrew Walsh]

They were going to go with rolls of quarters from heaven.

[Listener]

They were going to literally throw rolls of quarters off of the 300 level.

[Andrew Walsh]

But people were getting injured grievously. Really hurt. No. So that's why this whole story is sort of interesting to me. And like, I wish you could have said to Greg, so this is because of the Macklemore thing, right? Instead of him saying, this was a color. No offense to Greg, but, like, describe, like, kind of giving you a press release language there on a colorful mix of local artists to reinvigorate A classic tradition or whatever. It just kind of makes me.

[Listener]

Well, you're gonna really love the rest of our email chain. Because I was like, hey, we should do another Mariners TBTL thing. And he was like, absolutely, we can do another shirt.

[Andrew Walsh]

I love Greg. He's been so so.

[Listener]

And I was like, this sounds really fun. I can't wait to tell Andrew about how maybe we'll do another TBTL Mariners thing this year.

[Andrew Walsh]

He won't listen to this, will he? I love.

[Listener]

I love us.

[Andrew Walsh]

He's been very good to us throughout the years. I'm sorry to be.

[Listener]

We are truth tellers, Andrew. If nothing else, we have to speak our truth.

[Andrew Walsh]

I can't be bought and sold, though. I do. I love the Mariners. I find them frustrating. I found this move, though, I do feel like, for people, like, because the Seattle Times had a little blurb about it, Like, I just wanted to make sure I had all of my info right on this today. So I had reached out to Neil, like, I said, who had been to the game just, like, a couple of days ago. I'm like, they're still playing the remix. He's like, yeah, it's still the remix version. Because I had heard from a listener who said, oh, Louie, Louie's back. I'm like, yeah, but it was a remix, right? And they're like, no, it's not a remix. I'm like, I think it is. And it sounds like Greg says it is, too. And so, anyway, all of that is to say it's. I feel like it's complicated. I feel like it's a little funny.

[Listener]

No, it is. I don't know how I totally missed that whole kind of. The whole backstory to this. Yeah. Because I was taking it very much at face value. I also think it's interesting because in a weird way, it's like I was going much more to the source, but then I was also getting a much less straight answer from my source, who actually is inside the building, than your source, who's just a person who attends baseball games but is able to give you probably a much less. What's the word? Sort of curated answer. A much more. Much less parsed answer. Like, you had a better source with our friend Neil than I did with my guy, who, whatever his job is at the Mariners these days. My question to you is, how do you feel about us doing a TBT elevate at the Mariners this year?

[Andrew Walsh]

I mean, listen, I'm not boy, scouting the Mariners or anything. I just think that. I think that this particular issue raises My hackles to the degree that you hear. Well, because it's obvious because of everything that I said, and it's just a little bit. I feel like it was a little bit like releasing bad news on a Friday. Like, the Mariners had some sort of decision to make it a lot at the end of last season. They decided, we're not going to make that decision. We're not going to say anything about Macklemore, but we honestly. Or we obviously don't want to have his song played in our stadium because he, you know, said something that could scare corporate sponsors. So we'll just, like, kind of disappear it for the last few games of the season or the last couple of weeks of the season. And then on opening day, everybody's sort of forgotten about it. And it's like, oh, Louie Louie's back. But it's also like, I mean, I guess the kids are like, oh, but this isn't that crusty old Louie Louie. This sounds like fresh. This is Louis Lewis, Grandpa. Yeah, it's kind of like, oh, my.

[Listener]

But what if there was Andrew? What if there's one cool old grandma who has on, like, sunglasses?

[Andrew Walsh]

Howabunga, dude.

[Listener]

She makes the rock sign with her hands that says, it's just turn it up.

[Andrew Walsh]

It's just hard for me not to imagine all of the meetings and hand wringing and let's. And how they decided to sort of, you know, cut the baby in half and it's like, no, you are.

[Listener]

And then have a DJ remix each.

[Andrew Walsh]

Half of the baby and then put a piece of a baby on each turntable. It was biblical, but rough.

[Listener]

Really gruesome. No, I mean, as you're describing it to me, you're absolutely right. It's kind of unfortunately. And again, we say this with peace and love because we. I mean, what if I told you that they. That the. The Mariners just garv. Sauced the Red Sox to the tune of going up 20 in the top of the first inning? What if I told you exactly, that's how much we love this team.

[Andrew Walsh]

Had an 82 lead at one point yesterday and even held on to win the game. Although, by the way, that was a.

[Listener]

Scary, scary moment for me. The airplane was taking off in LA, we were up 8 to 2, and I felt really good about this. You know, I was like, wow, that's a good game against a good team, the Boston Red Sox. And then, I don't know, an hour into my flight, the WI Fi finally kind of kicks on. And I just see a text from David Designated for the basement that will forever be his name now, by the way.

[Andrew Walsh]

That's right.

[Listener]

Not because I want to designate my brother for assignment, because it's just too perfect considering how much baseball we discuss. I just see F U Q in like, all caps.

[Andrew Walsh]

Me too. And I had stopped following the game because I was like, running a bunch of errands. So that was a moment where I was like, out of the car.

[Listener]

Like, I literally, like, my heart almost jumped out of my throat when I just saw F U Q. I was like, could it be that they. I was so confident they were going to win this game that I didn't even. You know, also, it wouldn't be probably possible for me to stream it in the air. But anyway. And then I go to the MLB app and it's like, we won eight to five. But like, those three little letters, F U Q gave me such a strong and terrified reaction at 30,000ft.

[Andrew Walsh]

You know what I thought it was? I thought it was injury. Because I'm like, I know that I saw this injury five or ten minutes earlier and it was like eight to two. And I'm like, there's no way we lost six runs that quickly. So when I saw that, I'm like, oh, no, we have an injured player. Like, you know, we've lost some significant players.

[Listener]

This Mitch Garver went down. Garve's us.

[Andrew Walsh]

He's one foot in the Garve.

[Listener]

Seriously, Again, not that I would ever, ever be monitoring a baseball game while we're talking about baseball, Andrew. Although.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, is it on now? Are they?

[Listener]

Yeah. Mitch Garver hit a two run double in the top of the first.

[Andrew Walsh]

I'm sorry, I thought you were talking about his performance yesterday. That's why you didn't get a reaction to me.

[Listener]

This is how many good performances Mitch Garver is turning in. I've got to be specific to you about which Mitch Garver at bat we're discussing. We was hoping for some razzle dazzle. Razzle dazzle. That's right, man. Razzle dazzle. On your mark.

[Andrew Walsh]

On your mark.

[Listener]

Get set, get set now. Ready, ready, go. Everybody rattle dazzle. Alrighty. It's time to thank some dazzling donors. These folks are keeping TBTL going with their donation of a dazzling amount of dough. And we are so grateful. It is the only way this show can happen. I keep saying this, but this is 100% listener supported podcasting. And it's because of folks like Ian Kohler, who's in Seattle, Washington. I don't know which part of Ian's name this parenthetical statement is related to? You know, we. We ask folks if they want to clarify how we should say their name. The. The spot where that usually goes. Ian has just written, I don't know, man.

[Andrew Walsh]

Now, I think that is a reference to somebody ended a voicemail, and I'm wondering if it was Ian. I'm desperately looking for this tape now, but the story was related to a conversation that comes up a lot with you and I where we talk about wearing, like, a baseball hat that represents a team we don't know much about and being stuck in an awkward conversation or seeing somebody else wearing, like, some sort of a hat or shirt that represents a team we love and then giving them a nod and then them not knowing what the hell we're talking about. I just did that with somebody who didn't speak English at the gas station the other day. I thought they had.

[Listener]

You're still doing it.

[Andrew Walsh]

I thought they had a Reno Aces hat on. And I was just, like, excited about that because my friend Neil, who we.

[Listener]

Were just talking about our friend Neil.

[Andrew Walsh]

My friend Neil. Get your own Neil. He plays for, like, a team that is somehow connected to the Aces. So whenever I see that logo, I get excited. So I stopped this guy. I'm like, oh. And I point to his hat. I'm like, is that the. He takes off his hat. He's got a big smile. He's happy that I like his hat. And I'm like, the Aces? Is that the Reno Aces? And he just kind of keeps looking at me and looking back at the hat and looking at me and looking back at the hat and smiling until I realize, oh, we're not. We're not really connecting on the same level here.

[Listener]

So did you get any clarity on what the hat was actually like? Could you just. In looking at it closer, was it a Reno Aces hat?

[Andrew Walsh]

I'm pretty sure it was a Reno Aces hat. Now, the thing is, is the Reno Aces logo. Oh, my God.

[Listener]

Does that feed up to the Oakland A's?

[Andrew Walsh]

Hold on a second. Was it an A? It would make so much more sensitive. Is the Braves logo.

[Listener]

Yes, it's an A.

[Andrew Walsh]

Hold on. Let me see.

[Listener]

It's a. It's a big A for Atlanta. I mean, that feel like.

[Andrew Walsh]

I didn't feel like it was the Braves A. I thought it was the Aces A. No, I'm.

[Listener]

Luke.

[Andrew Walsh]

I'm not a confident man. I'm not a confident man, but I want to say that. That because the Reno Aces A. This is What Ian wanted. This is all Ian wanted for his dad message.

[Listener]

This is definitely worth the price of admission.

[Andrew Walsh]

I'm pretty sure that. That. I'm pretty sure that it was a Reno Aces hat. I could be wrong. Maybe it was a Braves hat. I confused the hell out of this guy. We were literally not speaking the same language. But I. A while back, somebody, and it might have been Ian, told a very similar story to, I think, approaching somebody who was wearing a hat. And maybe they said something and the person said, I don't know, man. And I loved the way they said, I don't know. So I think I saved the tape. I just can't find it right now.

[Listener]

Well, I'll read Ian's message and maybe we'll find the tape or maybe we'll play it on a different day. But Ian says, hey, business boys. Another year around the sun means another big update for me and my 11, who is now my wife, Steph. Hey, congratulations. Yeah. She continues to inspire me every day. I am so, so lucky to have her. Not only is she now stuck with me, we recently bought a home in Brown's Point and will be Tacomans.

[Andrew Walsh]

Nice.

[Listener]

Congratulations. Those are big life updates. She is the light of my life. I feel like part of Woven into this is Ian. And again, I don't know the exact. I don't know the dynamics of this marriage and what the kind of financial arrangements are, etc.

[Andrew Walsh]

Don't let that stop you.

[Listener]

This feels like a way of really encouraging Steph to have good feelings about this money going to TBTL every month, using this message as a time to really celebrate Ian's love for his wife Steph is a really good way to kind of get Steph invested, literally and figuratively in the TBTL experience.

[Andrew Walsh]

Luke, you want a really big life update?

[Listener]

Yeah.

[Andrew Walsh]

Not only do I have the tape of somebody saying I don't know, man, I have it labeled as Ian I don't know, man short I don't know, man. That was Ian. Good.

[Listener]

Andrew, your file management is on frigging point, dude.

[Andrew Walsh]

I love the way he says this. I don't know, man. Whenever I say I don't know, man, that lives in my head. I say it in Ian's voice. You've given me more than just a dazzling donor message or a dazzling donation, Ian.

[Listener]

Thank you, Ian. Ian continues. This year has been pretty difficult for my family. I'm very grateful for my pod bros for a welcome distraction every weekday. It would be great to do a Mariners event this summer.

[Andrew Walsh]

That is a coincidence.

[Listener]

I Think aloud there, Ian.

[Andrew Walsh]

Did I really.

[Listener]

No, no, no, Andrew, I don't want you. This show would. This show would wither very quickly if we. If we. If we bent the knee to Big Mariner. Like, we love them, but we have to be able to. We have to be able to say how we really feel about things. And if that means. If that means we can't do events there, we can't do events there, but I think we'll be able to do it.

[Andrew Walsh]

I think we can. I mean, I didn't like my. I didn't like my tone when I was talking specifically about Craig. I just feel like I owe him an apology, but I will not apologize. Proof that he actually has heard any of this, which I'm gonna really hope he has not.

[Listener]

I do think that is crazy that Ian randomly mentions. You sent me these yesterday.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Listener]

You know, I mean, there's no connection other than just cosmically that he's saying we should do a Mariners event on this day of all days. It's pretty funny.

[Andrew Walsh]

Absolutely. And also, I don't know, we can make an event of it, but you and I should really go to a Rainier's game this year. I know it's tough. Like, Tacoma's. Is Tacoma right between us, would you say.

[Listener]

It's a little closer to you, but it's not super duper far from. You know what I mean? I'd say it's probably an hour and a half, maybe, which isn't bad. Which is not bad at all. I'm up for it.

[Andrew Walsh]

Just a fun night at the park.

[Listener]

Absolutely. Well, Ian, thank you again so much for supporting TBTL and being a pal for all these years and for giving us some cool audio and for confirming that we should do something at the Mariners this year. Maestro, on your mark. On your mark. Get set, get set now. Ready, ready, go. Everybody, rattle dazzle. We've also got to thank Rachel Sizer in Seattle, Washington. Rachel says the last name is pronounced Sizer. Lake one who sizes.

[Andrew Walsh]

That's literally how I would have written that.

[Listener]

It's such a good. Such a clean, comprehendable way to explain the last name. Thank you, Rachel. Rachel says I've been listening since day one. Yes, day one. Back when TBTL aired on Cairo, I caught the very first episode while out running an errand. Unlike the usual programming, I was intrigued with full episodes as podcast downloads. A rare thing back then. I was delighted to add something new to my limited podcast lineup. Well, Rachel, you have really sizered this situation up accurately, because I've Said this before on the show many times that, well, there are two people who don't get enough credit for the existence of tbtl. One of them is a guy named James Bottor, who was in charge of the website mynorthwest.com when we got to Cairo. And he, more than anybody else who had his job in the radio industry, understood that making sure these audio files got onto the Internet in a timely fashion and so that they were easily downloadable as podcasts was gonna be really important.

[Andrew Walsh]

And he would know that there was somebody out in New Hampshire who would someday work on the show and needed to hear those. I don't.

[Listener]

That's right. I always forget about that part of the lore of this show, too. You mowing your lawn listening to tbtl.

[Andrew Walsh]

That's right.

[Listener]

God, life is strange. But also Shondtore, Japan's number one mixer who would stay after. So, like, the show would go off the air at 10 and he'd be there until who knows at what time in the early days. Eventually he got it pretty dialed in, but he'd have to stick around for an extra half hour or so to get the podcast, to get each hour of the show uploaded to the Internet before he went home. Because we were really, really intent on making sure that this was a thing that you could get anywhere in the country. Now, the funny part is, to some degree, that was not really serving Cairo's interest as a local over the air radio station. I mean, if we would have been able to make this a whole digital thing that Cairo's, you know, continued to play a role in, I guess long term, it could have been good for them. But really, this was just good for tbtl. Just that folks like you out in New Hampshire and Rachel, even in Seattle, could listen to it on demand. That was really, really lucky for us that that was something that was happening all the way back in the early days of the show. Though Mostly a silent 10, TBTL has been a constant source of laughs, comfort, and connection. The parasocial relationship we've built, whether you realize it or not, has meant so much through life's ups and downs. You've been there with humor, honesty, and the perfect mix of nonsense and heart. Oh, Rachel, thank you. What a nice way to describe this. Mishigas. I donate regardless. But to make this tax deductible, because I'd rather not give to the current administration, I'll plug my furnished basement unit, AKA the only way I can afford a modest house in Seattle as a single person. So here's what's Happening. Rachel is going to promote this rental unit that Rachel has associated with her home. It's available via the usual vacation rental apps and usually targeted for month plus stays. But I'd love to host fellow tens visiting town. That would be really fun. If somebody is coming to Seattle maybe for work or something and they are looking for a place to rent, ideally for us, maybe more than a night or two just to keep the paperwork hassle at a minimum, maybe they could rent out Rachel's place. Now here's the question. I'm wondering how we get the info. We know we've established that Rachel is renting out a basement unit. How people figure out how, I guess it's available in all of the regular places. How would you look on, you know, Air B and B and Vacasa and these sorts of things for Rachel's specific spot?

[Andrew Walsh]

Because usually those apps would not give the owner's full name. I assume what I would say is.

[Listener]

Rachel, if you hear this and if we want maybe. And again, if you're comfortable with this, and I think you are, because you're kind of promoting this, maybe drop it into the Stens or something.

[Andrew Walsh]

Well, here's where I did a little bit of work on this ahead of time too.

[Listener]

You were working your tail off this morning, sir.

[Andrew Walsh]

I had John Sklaroff dig into the archives and I have all of Rachel's personal contact information here. And so probably I feel like the best thing for me to do is probably to get her.

[Listener]

What is this tradio?

[Andrew Walsh]

I have her phone number. I have her cell phone number, mom's maiden name. I have the last four of her social. So I'm going to read that here. No, I'm happy to help with this. Of course, if somebody hears this and they want to get in touch with Rachel and don't know how, email me andrewbtl.net Me and John will get the note to Rachel in some way. Don't worry about it.

[Listener]

Excellent. Thank you for this is Rachel's message. Thank you for everything you do. Here's to another 18 years. It's wild to think if TBTL were a kid, it would be graduating high school.

[Andrew Walsh]

18 years. Is that what we're on?

[Listener]

I don't know. 18 years. 18 years got you a kid.

[Andrew Walsh]

Why didn't the Mariners go with a Kanye song?

[Listener]

Now that I think of that, that would have been kind of darkly, my dark twisted hilarity like of them doing that and then pulling it and then doing something else. Anyway, Rachel, thanks again so much for supporting the program. Ian, thank you as well. We really couldn't do this stuff without you.

[Andrew Walsh]

Hello and welcome to Top Story.

[Listener]

All right, we need to get to the Top Stories about drunk monkeys, but first I have to tell you, Andrew, about something I observed in my previous hotel on my way out. Well, I could have observed it right away, but for some reason I didn't notice until I was checking out. I was at the Sofitel in la. You know how I have this long running and let's be honest, kind of boring sort of rant about hotels, really, any business trying to pass off something that's good for their bottom line as being either good for you, the customer, or good for the environment. And a big one for me is this change in hotels where at some point they started basically saying, we'd rather not wash these towels every day, but we're doing it because we want to save the whales or something. And my point is it's probably more because they want to save on their laundry bills, which I don't really have a problem with, but I would rather they not sort of cloak the whole thing in some sort of environmental responsibility because I bet there's a lot of ways that these big hotels are less than. Oh, by the way, another thing, a shout out to our buddy Lynn, who clarified the reason the other day when I was at an AC hotel somewhere and I said, oh, wow, they have the Mormon Bible here, pointed out that it's a Marriott, it was a Bonvoy, and that the Marriott family, the founders of the whole thing, were Latter Day Saints.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, I didn't know that.

[Listener]

I didn't know that either. Although it makes sense when you see there's like an oil painting of like the Marriott dudes, and you look at.

[Andrew Walsh]

That, there's a painting of Kier in.

[Listener]

The hallway under his eye. It's Andrew. Look it up. Look up Marriott founder painting. It is right out of severance. It is ripped right out of like, whatever cures, whatever. We call that the one episode that you truly enjoy.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, where he's holding the rolled up.

[Listener]

He's holding like plans for the next hotel or whatever. Tell me that couldn't be in a hallway at Lumin.

[Andrew Walsh]

But anyway, so this one hand of Marriott guide you.

[Listener]

I really need to decide once and for all what my relationship with that show is, because I am. I'm getting dangerously close to like, oh.

[Andrew Walsh]

You haven't seen the finale.

[Listener]

I haven't seen the finale. I haven't seen anything since Salt Neck, I don't think. And I really need to the problem is I'm running into something that I think is a little bit something that sometimes hangs you up. Like you. I feel like you take your viewing. We haven't gotten to what Sofitel's done yet, but we will. I feel like you take your television viewing when it's a complicated show like that, or maybe Game of Thrones or McMillan, not McMillan men, but patriot. I feel like you'll often like go back and rewatch episodes or you'll read, you know, synopsises, synopses or synopsises. Sees synopses of episodes because you just want to kind of know what's going on and stuff. And I tend to just be more like I'm watching it and I'm either like, I like this or I don't like this. But where I found myself with severance is I've almost lost the thread so badly now. It's been so long that if I might need to like reread some materials or rewatch some episodes from this season so that when I go back to the next episode, I'm kind of clued in on it. And that feels like homework to me. Feels like self assigned homework.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah.

[Listener]

So I can feel myself kind of like I started watching this show. The studio.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh yeah. A lot of people talking about the studio.

[Listener]

Seth Rogen has done. I think it's a pretty good watch, actually. Like, it's sort of a. It's kind of a love letter to old Hollywood. Even though it's not set in old Hollywood, it's set in modern Hollywood. But it's. I gotta say, it's a pretty fun watch. But like, I may be three, four episodes into that.

[Andrew Walsh]

Somebody was raving to me about that recently and I was surprised. There's something about the format of that that is unusual, right?

[Listener]

The format. Well, you know, it's not adolescence, which is like literally a one camera shoot, famously.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, remember you told me that?

[Listener]

But it's trying to be. It's basically adolescence with cuts. Does that make sense? It's all single camera and so it has a very propulsive feel. And it, you know, again it's. They do, they do have edits, but if you're not watching closely, you kind of don't notice that. And you feel like you're just riding along with all these folks. It also has Ike Barinholtz in it, who. I just love Barinholtz. I feel like he's a real slept on comedic treasure. And oh my goodness, Katherine O'Hara is in it and she's Just like incredible. It's. I heard Seth Rogen say something pretty funny because he's also the director of the show and they had Martin Scorsese in the first episode. There's actually a really interesting plot arc with, with Martin Scorsese. And Seth Rogen was saying on one of the shows that, like, he was shooting all this single camera, but he was really worried that when Martin Scorsese got there on the set, because he was acting in it, he was going to say, what are you doing with like single camera? This makes no sense. So he hired an entire multi camera crew to be on standby, like in. They were waiting in a hotel room near where they were filming, so that if Martin Scorsese criticized his single camera decision, he could immediately bring in a multi camera.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, my God. Well, I mean, isn't that. I mean. And what about all the direction that goes along with that? Like, he had a whole plan set up.

[Listener]

That's amazing, I guess, right? That's a good question because that would be two different shot lists, I guess. Right?

[Andrew Walsh]

It would go. Yeah. Very different storyboards. You'd think. I'm trying. It's really driving me bananas. Is it, Is the studio. Does it have a retro feel to it? Somebody was telling me something about it that was like, it's not just a usual modern drama show that it has.

[Listener]

Well, again, it's, it's. Again, it's one camera which really feels different. It looks visually really different. It's a lot of like Aaron Sorkin walk and talks, but kind of more frenetic. And like Seth Rogen's character drives an old convertible, which again, it's set in the modern era, but like, the building they work out of is this Frank Lloyd Wright Aztec building that I think is on the Warner Brothers lot because I think I walked by it one time when I was there filming. And so there's a bunch of stuff and the outfits that Seth Rogen wears, actually, he's kind of a style icon in this. I'm kind of. I was kind of getting. I was intrigued about his, his, his wardrobe because it's, it's also very like maybe 70s or something. Like, there's a bunch of weird stuff that is, is sort of set in the past and gives you this weird retro feel. But it is definitely considered to be 2025 in the timeline of the show.

[Andrew Walsh]

Okay. Yeah, it sounds good. I should definitely check it out. I've been hearing great things.

[Listener]

It's. It's pretty. Well, again, it's not a perfect show. There's this. They do this thing in the very. If you can get through the very first episode and the very first five minutes of the first episode, then you're kind of home free. They did this move where Seth Rogen is a. He's a studio executive, right? He's not the top guy. He's not heading the studio. At the beginning, he ends up. It's not a big spoiler. He ends up becoming the head of this studio. But at the beginning, he's just a studio exec, and he's on a film set, and. And he's kind of a little bit of a pariah. He's. You know, people don't. On the film set, they don't love the studio guy because the studio guy is just there to basically tell them, stop spending money, and maybe could we have one more big explosion? But that doesn't cost any money. You know, they're usually giving unhelpful creative notes and just. They're just being kind of annoying, and that's sort of what's happening here. But then Seth Rogen gets on a golf cart with his assistant, and in the time between leaving the film set and getting over to the other place they're going, he basically sets out his entire. The entire tension of his character expositionally. I'd really like to be making creative movies, but all they want are movies about Minions, you know? And it's like, it just felt so shoehorned in. It felt like. It felt so not natural. It was like, clearly speaking of studio notes, it was like somebody had a note that said, we need to understand what this guy's deal is within the first two minutes of the mov of the TV show.

[Andrew Walsh]

That's cringy. I thought you were saying that they do in some sort of stylistic, funny way. I hate. That's one of my least. Honestly, that is like, the first thing that, like, I'm out on a TV show.

[Listener]

I almost turned it off, dude. This is what I'm telling you. If you do find yourself watching it, you just got to get through that. It doesn't keep happening.

[Andrew Walsh]

That's really.

[Listener]

That's really the worst part of the show.

[Andrew Walsh]

I am all show, don't tell. Even if I don't even. I mean, just trust your viewer. And, like, if you don't trust me, I understand that I'm not the brightest viewer in the world, but, like, I'll figure out a way. I'll figure out a way to figure out your show. Like, just trust the viewer. I hate it when it's just kind of like. And now I am. I mean, it's the same thing as, like, when a cop who's been working in the field for 30 years has to ask what something obvious is or explain to their colleague that they've been working with for 30 years what something is, just so that the audience can hear them say it. Like, no, just trust us. Like, we'll figure it out or show us in some way.

[Listener]

Yes, exactly. It was very. It was kind of off putting, you know, the other. But then again, like I said, I do think the show kind of figures it out and is pretty watchable. The other show that I tried to start recently, none of these are severance. This is what I'm saying. I may have severed from severance, which I have really kind of mixed feelings about, because I love that show and I don't want to not identify as a severance viewer. But the other show I tried to start, which I have a feeling this is going to get a lot of people really mad because this is a show that people have an almost religious fervor for, is the Pit.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, everybody's talking about the Pit.

[Listener]

And when I saw the promo for it, I was like, oh, amazing. Noah Wiley in an emergency room setting. What are the chances? And because he was on ER for many years, and it just. It seemed to me like a prestige version of er, which is totally fine, but it's just not something that I found super compelling. And then somebody was like, no, no, no, you have to watch this, because the idea is it's the same 24 hours in an ER, but it's just told from all these different perspectives. So. And I thought, well, that's an interesting concept, right? Like. Like, I like. I actually like that. That's intriguing. And so one night I was like, what am I gonna watch? And so I put the Pit on, and I swear to God, I could not get five minutes into it because it's like the same thing. It's like every single, like, stereotypical trope about. And I'm sure if I worked in an ER and I watched it, I would probably really appreciate what supposedly. It's just really realistic. They do a really good job of actually excavating the real challenges that are faced by medical professionals. And, you know, and it's very, very true to life. So I could see that being appealing if you were seeing your real work life represented accurately. But it's like Noah Wiley's like, he's coming in and he's got his headphones on, he's Been taking the whatever bus or train or something, getting over there. He comes in and the place is a zoo. And it's the. It's the X year anniversary. He goes in and he looks at a photograph on the wall of a doctor and he stares at it because there's like, all these pictures of the doctors. And then we find out that, like, that doctor died and Noah Wiley blames himself. And then he goes up on the roof to try to find this other doctor, and the other doctor's standing on the roof, and it's kind of unclear if the doctor might be thinking about jumping or not. And then they just have a conversation about, like, same shit, different day. And then there's like another doctor who's a. I don't know what her deal is exactly, but she has morning sickness because she's pregnant, so she's in the bathroom having morning sickness. And everyone is just being the most grizzled er. You know, I've seen it all in this job and, you know, what do we keep doing this for? And I was like, how is this show getting a pass? This is exactly as bad as I expected it to be.

[Andrew Walsh]

That's interesting. You're the first person to say that, but I would guess that I'd be more in line with you. I wasn't an ER fan. I just don't go in for those kinds of, like, kind of procedural. I don't know if you would call that a medical procedural, but I just want to ask.

[Listener]

You're getting a medical procedure on May 15th?

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, yeah. Did you know that? Did you know that? It did. See, there's. There's some controversy around this, too, because apparently Noah Wiley said, f America at a pro. No, no. Right.

[Listener]

That's where they're playing a song that the Mariners gave anyone.

[Andrew Walsh]

No, the estate of Michael Crichton was suing or something, because, like, this idea for the show started as a reboot or a sequel. I'm a little bit fuzzy. I think maybe everybody. It started. It was Noah Wiley talking to some show creators about rebooting or recreating in some way reviving er that ended up not happening. And they end up with the Pit. And then other people are like, well, then shouldn't. Like, if the idea started that way, like, where does the ownership of the idea come from? And should I think, do I have it right that it's crisis?

[Listener]

You have it right. They could not reach an agreement on whatever this. With the Crichton estate about whatever the new version of this thing was gonna be. And then. And then lo. And so the deal kind of dies, and then, lo and behold, this new show pops up. That's basically all the stuff they discussed, according to their lawsuit, except now it's just set, like, in. It's in Pittsburgh. Right. Is that why it's called the Pit, I believe.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, I didn't know that part, but that would make sense.

[Listener]

But again, you know, I'm. I don't know. I don't know why I have to, like, find ways to not enjoy things, but it was like. My first thought was, like, I have a feeling I kind of know what this show's gonna be like. And then everyone talked me out of my instincts. And then I watch, and I was like, this again. I only got five minutes, and maybe it really figures it out. And for people that love this show, please, I don't want to yuck your yum. If you're enjoying it, I hope you continue enjoying it. But I was just kind of bummed because I was. I had talked myself into thinking that this might be some TV that really was kind of entertaining for me, and instead, it just kind of seemed like it was pretty tropey for me, kind of right at the beginning.

[Andrew Walsh]

The same thing, huh? There a couple of things I know that we're still trying to get back to you talking about your hotel room.

[Listener]

We'll get back to the software.

[Andrew Walsh]

While we're talking about, like, you know, kind of new or, like, kind of current TV shows and our relationship with them, I'm going through something now because, as you mentioned, when there's a prestige TV show that I get really into when the new season drops, I'll often go back and at least watch the last few episodes of the previous season. Because, I mean, this isn't because I'm some studious nerd. It's because my brain is terrible. Like, I don't remember details of things well at all. I have to do this. I respect and honor those who don't have to go back and rewatch seasons of a show before delving into the next season. But the Last of Us is back, and I loved the Last of Us the first season. I loved it so much. I mean, we talked so much about episode number three as being maybe one of the best standalone episodes of a TV show.

[Listener]

It honestly makes me wish for an apocalyptic event. If I could have. So you could have Nick Offerman's Life. If I could have ample access to alcohol and steaks and have a big flamethrower fence around my house and have.

[Andrew Walsh]

That Kind of a relationship, but.

[Listener]

Yes.

[Andrew Walsh]

But anyway, my problem with it is I loved that show. I can't remember when season one came out. It feels like more than just one year ago, but maybe that's just how time feels to me now. But, like, now that season two is out, I was like, this actually started with a conversation between tens on slack on the TV channel there. Somebody wrote, you know, I don't know what I'm gonna do because the last of us is gonna start. This is about the time I'd go back and rewatch season one, but I can't. And I was like, oh, shit. I don't think I can either. Like, emotionally, like, I. No, no, I just mean emotionally, like, I just think that, like, that show wrecked me, and it's a really dark show. And I just. My mental. I mean, I'll be honest. Like, just my mental state is very different than it was. And I'm not, like. I'm not trying to draw specific parallels. Like, I'm going to be watching this and thinking about the state of the world. I just mean that, like. Like, things hit me differently these days. Things that, like, I find entertaining. And I just sort of feel like, I don't know, I'm in a pretty dark place. And that show is a really dark show. You know, Like, I just don't know if I want to sit down and like, I certainly. I can't imagine going back and rewatching, like, kind of reliving some of the trauma of season one in my current mental state, frankly.

[Listener]

I mean, that's a really good point because, you know, the apocalypse is. It's all fun until it feels, you know, like something that is the probability of it is rising in one way or another. I mean, that. That's a whole different thing. That's some, you know, sort of. Would you call it a virus? Whatever it was. But, you know, but think about.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, I'm not trying to draw direct lines. Like, yes, if RFK does this, we're all going to be having the rage disease or whatever. But just like, generally speaking, it feels like we're living through an existential crisis. I don't need to have a fantasy existential crisis.

[Listener]

Yeah, that's a really good point. I. You know, I. Again, I feel like I'm just kind of a broken record with this stuff. But, like, I remember, I got to like, was it maybe episode four? There was an episode where, like, I think it's. Is it Pedro Pascal's brother, they reunite, and there's a kind of, like, there's like a scene in a bar that I think you and I both thought was a little scenery chew. Ish.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, it was. Yeah. There were a couple of moments and the show was so good that the.

[Listener]

Film up until then.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah. That the clunky moments, like, kind of stood out and I felt bad criticizing them, but it really was kind of like. Oh, you know, with such good, just like almost perfect performances. Then you get kind of this clunky dialogue and again, exposition and not the best of acting. And it really stood out.

[Listener]

Well, I should. I should actually. I should go back and I know you're just saying it's. It's emotionally intense, but I should actually see. Start watching the rest of that season and see if I kind of want to stick with it.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, because that. Oh, you bring up that brother thing is that's when you were out. You didn't get to.

[Listener]

I wasn't. Well, see, here's what happens, Andrew. I wasn't consciously out. Like, I wasn't like, forget this show. But again, this is also, you know, why have I been married and divorced twice? Some little small seed gets planted in my brain somewhere that I'm not even aware of. I'm watching this TV show. I'm loving it. I'm totally engrossed. And then they have this scene where it's like, you know, you left us behind or whatever.

[Andrew Walsh]

I don't remember what happened. But yeah, spiritual, tonally, you got it.

[Listener]

Kind of not great. And then. But I don't. My mind doesn't tell me in that moment, well, now we're gonna stop watching the show. But I just start to drift. And then the next time I go to watch tv, it's like, oh, well, what's on? And then it just happens and I don't even realize it's happening. So I haven't watched past that episode. But I should go back because generally speaking, those are the kinds of shows I do find very, very compelling. You know, it's kind of, again, sort of post apocalyptic. Like, what would it be like to survive out there and what would society look like, et cetera, things like that.

[Andrew Walsh]

Let me just say one more thing about that before you transition to your hotel from yesterday.

[Listener]

I had a really good transition going to.

[Andrew Walsh]

I know I could feel it. I could have it. But I'm just remembering because we're talking about nitpicking. And by the way, I'm going to say I probably said this once on the show and I think somebody came up with some theory about why I was Maybe wrong on this, but I'm going to stand by it. Speaking of just, like, nitpickiness, I. I'm going to try to be gentle here because I don't even know if you've seen this scene, Luke. It's not a huge deal for you, I don't think. But I'll put a spoiler warning, I guess, on what I'm about to say for the next 30 seconds, although I'll try to be careful. But there is a big set piece of a scene, like a very important to the plot scene, where some of the characters are battling these. Whatever the virus, zombies are or whatever. I mean, the good news is I remember so little about the details of things that I can't even spoil it that badly.

[Listener]

But essentially they're trying to spoil what you don't remember.

[Andrew Walsh]

That's right. But they're essentially, I think maybe setting a trap for a bunch of. To kill a whole bunch of these things or whatever. They find themselves in some sort of a big showdown situation where essentially there is gasoline all over the place. I believe they are standing.

[Listener]

Oh, I remember that scene. Yeah, yeah, that's. That's the, like. Yeah, that, like, train station or some kind of a big, big area. Yeah.

[Andrew Walsh]

But the thing that. I don't know. I don't know if you remember me nitpicking this, but it's like, okay, now it's time to light a lighter and set all this gas on fire and have the big explosion or whatever it's gonna be. But the woman has, like, a Zippo. And again, this is like, this is where tropes just drive me crazy. But her Zippo doesn't have any fluid in it. And she's, like, clicking it and clicking it and sparking and sparking and sparking, but she can't get a flame. And I'm like, bozos. The fuel is all around you. All you need is a spark. Like, this doesn't make sense. Like, if you have.

[Listener]

Right. You don't need the fuel feeding the spark to become a flame because the spark will light the fuel that's everywhere.

[Andrew Walsh]

Exactly. Like, what you need to show there is that your lighter doesn't have a spark. But that's not how we do it in Hollywood. And I just. Drew, it's such a small thing.

[Listener]

As an arsonist.

[Andrew Walsh]

As an arsonist, it drove me bananas.

[Listener]

That's really funny. I hadn't thought of that, but you're absolutely right. Yeah. That was one of those kind of like classic iconic seeds where it's like Somebody is, you know, sacrificing themselves. Somebody's going full Obi Wan Kenobi on it, right? Like self sacrifice to preserve the group dramatically, etc. Okay, Andrew. Well, now I can't get back to it. I was gonna say something about, like, post apocalypse, and could we forestall the apocalypse if we all just washed. If we asked the hotels to wash our towels a little bit less frequently. In the Sofitel Hotel, they have something hanging in the bathroom that I noticed as I was about to leave the hotel room. A little hanging thing that just says where every drop is cherished. And cherished is in like. Like some kind of a weird font that's kind of like. It's probably called Cherished is probably the name of the font.

[Andrew Walsh]

Is that real scripty sort of sublimation, like, live last thing to save energy.

[Listener]

And water, sheets and towels are customarily changed after each stay. During your stay, if you'd like your towels replaced, please leave them on the bathtub floor. Place this card on your bed if you'd like to change the sheet. Thank you for helping us care for our plants. It. There was something about where every drop is cherished, like, that seemed like taking it to a new level.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, Right?

[Listener]

Trying to try to. I mean, I. I really. I could. I promise you, if I were to tour around that hotel, I would find a lot of. A lot of evidence of not. Of every drop not being cherished in some way.

[Andrew Walsh]

I don't like the fact that your brother is swearing on the text chain. Again, I am not following the game, but I'm just seeing a lot of swearing on the text chain.

[Listener]

Effing hate Bregman. Effing hate Fenw. Wait, that's not good. I'm also not.

[Andrew Walsh]

Listeners in real time get to sort of see how we follow the game when we can't watch the game, which is we just get these vague text messages that make our heart stop. Like, oh, no. How bad is it?

[Listener]

Andrew, I've checked, and I can tell you this good news. It appears to have been a solo home run.

[Andrew Walsh]

Okay, a solo home run.

[Listener]

So Mariners leading four. Two. Top four.

[Andrew Walsh]

Between you and me, not the worst for my fantasy team.

[Listener]

Oh, no, we can't.

[Andrew Walsh]

Don't tell anybody I said that yet. Get pregnant.

[Listener]

Well, there's something about. Sorry, we need to get to the blurs days. We'll do drunk monkeys tomorrow. Or not. Who knows? I've used up all the good audio about drunk monkeys in the promo, so that may be a reason to just. Just light A put it in a train station full of gasoline and light your Zippo on it. But there's Bregman's, like, grandfather was like a judge in Arizona or something. There's like, I have a deep disdain for Lance Bregman. Is it Lance Bregman the player?

[Andrew Walsh]

No, Alex Bregman. Alex Bregman, Yeah.

[Listener]

Lance Bregman. Where'd I get that from? I have a real dislike for Alex Bregman because he was a Houston Astro and he seemed to just always bedevil us and. But then I feel like, if I remember right, he had some. His family had some connection to, like, politics in Arizona, and it were actually good politics. Oh, I think they were Democrats.

[Andrew Walsh]

Well, that's why I drafted him.

[Listener]

But, like, every time I see him, I loathe him because of how he's damaged the Mariners. And I think, oh, yeah, and your gross political family. Then I remember. I think they were actually Democrats, but I still hate him. Like, I have very weird Bregman feelings that will never go away.

[Andrew Walsh]

Well, I can get a 2020, TOPS Holiday Baseball Lance Bregman baseball card for $1.70. So there was a Lance Bregman, it looks like. But it's 2020 and he was. It looks like a reliever for the Astros. Was he a reliever or starting?

[Listener]

They had two. Bregman.

[Andrew Walsh]

That's why I'm very confused. This is also a holiday themed baseball card. I am so. It has a wreath on it. I am so confused right now. But when I type in Lance Bregman, I don't.

[Listener]

I think there was a Lance Bregman. Okay. Alex Bregman's father, Sam Bregman, is a Democrat who is running for governor of New Mexico in 2026. He's currently the Bernalillo County District Attorney and has a long history in Democrat politics. Okay, so see, his dad is on the right side of this stuff, presumably as a Dem, but that doesn't. Doesn't get you off the hook. Alex Bregman for hitting solo home runs.

[Andrew Walsh]

Here's my confusion. I'm looking at this baseball card on ebay.

[Listener]

Wasn't Lance Bregman a football player?

[Andrew Walsh]

It's just so confusing all around. The person who posted this calls him Lance Bregman, but it's an Alex Bregman card. I cannot find any evidence that there's anybody named Lance Bregman in the world. In the world.

[Listener]

It's never been a name.

[Andrew Walsh]

Here. Lance Bregman in the egalitarian, the student voice of Houston Community College.

[Listener]

Okay. That's what I was thinking about.

[Andrew Walsh]

No, I think people just keep accidentally calling him Lance. What is going on? That's weird.

[Listener]

There's a Bregman & Lance LLC law firm.

[Andrew Walsh]

Like, I feel like we must be missing something here. I'm really in my head that we're gonna, like, after the show, some news. Like, guys, Lance. But I'm like, I'm typing in Lance Bregman in quotes, like, something should pop.

[Listener]

There was such a person, but I knew the baseball player is Alex Bregman. Very clearly. There is. I feel like there I. Did I hallucinate a person named Lance Bregman?

[Andrew Walsh]

I'm not sure. Anyway, all right, let's do. Let's make it so.

[Listener]

There'S a right way to rock and wrong way to roll. You can and just listen to your song. Just remember that life is number one. You can be having so much fun. Just remember that life is much fun. You can be nothing but one.

[Andrew Walsh]

Do you know that I'm almost. Almost. Well, I don't think that's the right word. I was gonna say happy with the fact that I'm not very competitive in fantasy baseball this year. Like, I was. I did well enough last year for the losses to really hurt me, and then I ended up, like, I did really well. But then I just totally screwed up the postseason or, like, the playoffs, so I had nothing to show for it. And this year, like, I'm kind of purposely, like, every now and then, I'll move, you know, I'll bring in another pitcher or whatever to try to juice this stat or that stat. But, like, in a certain way, like, I'm trying to be, like, you know what? I don't want to be that good this year because I don't want the pain of, like, I got schooled so much.

[Listener]

You can emotionally distance yourself a little bit more when you're not in the thick of it.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, if I just, like, if I stay in the top half of the standings, are in the top you, you know, four positions of the standings, then I'm going to care. But if I slip down far enough that it feels like just a foregone conclusion that I'm going to lose early on in the season, it almost might feel like a gift to me. A gift that cost me, like, what, a hundred bucks? Like, why do I even do this? Is really the question. But anyway.

[Listener]

Well, each season, you seem to be getting closer to not doing it.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, sort of.

[Listener]

It's like you and the blurs days.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, exactly.

[Listener]

How much longer will this Continue.

[Andrew Walsh]

All right, I have some blurs day messages here. If you want to send me a blurs day message, email me andrewbtl.net that's how we can wish people a happy birthday or a blurs day. And I wanted to just mention that I did have to edit a few of these down pretty significantly. So if you're kind of like, hey, why did my message get gutted? I just want to mention that I try to keep them all to kind of a consistent length.

[Listener]

That's exactly what the New York Times does. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

[Andrew Walsh]

Exactly. So if you had written in a very long one and you want to share that with your loved one more directly, do that. But I do have everybody represented here, including Shannon, who says, I want to wish a happy blurs day to my partner Shane. First of all, Luke, this is me talking here. I like the idea of a Shane and a Shannon.

[Listener]

That's fun together.

[Andrew Walsh]

That's a lot of fun. Shannon says, I introduced Shane to the show and ever since he loves to say he is a soft 10 and a hard 11. Buzzer sound. Some people are showers. Okay.

[Listener]

No.

[Andrew Walsh]

Shane, I love you so much and hope I was trying to drown you out with the music there. That was sort of my soft tenet approach of trying to drown you out. Shane, I love you so much and hope you had the best birthday this year. Cheers to many more. Love, Shannon.

[Listener]

Cute.

[Andrew Walsh]

Libby says, I'd like To wish my five Griffin a very happy 8th Blurs Day. Griffin has listened two hours of TBTL. Happy Blurs Day. Big Griff. You are my crazy cake and my pumpkin head. Eight will be great. You're my little travel buddy and monster man. Cute. Love that.

[Listener]

Happy birthday, Grif.

[Andrew Walsh]

Big Grif. Oh, our pal Susan. And Shrub Oak says, hey, friendos, I'm ready to invite the crow bro. The Cobros. Did I say that? Do I say Crow Bros Fund.

[Listener]

It's the Pete Crowbro Armstrongs.

[Andrew Walsh]

That's right, the land.

[Listener]

Okay.

[Andrew Walsh]

Hey, friendos. I'm writing to invite the Cobros and all the fabulous tents to join me in wishing the very happiest of blurs days next Wednesday to the amazing Ruby. Your dad and I are so proud to be your parents and we love you beyond words. Come to New York soon and we can sing together in funky bars. Cute. Funky little bar.

[Listener]

We have our own friends.

[Andrew Walsh]

We have our own friends. Lauren Langley and Puddle. Say happy birthday to Michael. The girls. That's right, the girls. And I love you and hope you had a great. 41st birthday. Puddle and Langley want you to know that you're the best and even funny sometimes. I know life is crazy sometimes with two kids, especially a preteen, but know that we will all love you. Oh, not we will, we do. But know that we all love you.

[Listener]

And really, we'll all love you when you stop drinking.

[Andrew Walsh]

This is an intervention. Ooh, should we do the blinter of Blenscheons?

[Listener]

That would be incredible. I mean, that would be compelling radio.

[Andrew Walsh]

I don't know that you and I have the gravitas.

[Listener]

Yeah, I don't have the cred for that.

[Andrew Walsh]

The cred or the gravitas is the guy who's running the inter blension drum drunk.

[Listener]

Exactly.

[Andrew Walsh]

He calls it interplexion. All right, let me try this again.

[Listener]

Okay.

[Andrew Walsh]

I know life is crazy sometimes with two kids, especially a preteen, but know that we all love you and really do appreciate all that you do for our family. Happy blurs day, Michael. Kevin says, and this is our final blurs day. I want everybody to be emotionally prepared for that. Kevin says this coming Monday is my blurs day. Born in the year of the dragon. I guess we'll all be 49 years old together this year.

[Listener]

Oh, nice.

[Andrew Walsh]

We all. You, me, and Kevin. Or everybody who's everybody in the executive.

[Listener]

Order was recently signed to make everybody 49.

[Andrew Walsh]

We are dragons. Let's see here. Man. This last year was a challenge. I did get a new job, and I realized how much the previous job took a psychic toll on me. My wife and I celebrated our fourth year of marriage in 10 years together. We're celebrating a year and a half of home ownership. Things are coming up, Milhouse. So happy Thursday to me.

[Listener]

Can I borrow a feeling?

[Andrew Walsh]

Yes, indeed.

[Listener]

Did you want to add Milhouse's dad wrote, right?

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, I thought you wanted to add a. Thought you wanted to add a blurs day. Do you want to make.

[Listener]

No, no. Just that when I think of Milhouse. When I think of everything. Coming up, Milhouse, I think of the. Was it Kirk Van Houten song. Can I borrow a feeling?

[Andrew Walsh]

I don't remember that. I'm looking it up now. Can we go out with something about.

[Listener]

Your glove of love? That's an amazing song. It's like, can I borrow a feeling? You wrap me in your glove of.

[Andrew Walsh]

Love this is okay if you hold on. Let's sing.

[Listener]

Hi, everybody. Hi. And hit it. Can I borrow a feeling? Could you lend me a jar of love? Hurting hearts need some healing Take my hand with your glove of love. How are we not starting every February 14th show with that as an intro tape?

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, good. I did not. So it looks like this is probably, like, the divorce is fresh. And he's trying to, like.

[Listener]

I think he's living at the Bachelor Arms apartment. Yeah.

[Andrew Walsh]

What a tragic. What a tragic.

[Listener]

I have a race car bed. He's showing Homer the place, and he's like, I have a race car bed. What kind of bed do you have? I have a. I have a normal bed I share with my wife when.

[Andrew Walsh]

Homer gets me upper hand.

[Listener]

Yeah, exactly. You know, it's not going great. You know, everything's not coming up Mill House, so. Okay, Fun day. All right, listen, that's gonna do it for today's episode of the show, but we are going to be right back here tomorrow with more imaginary radio for you all. So we do hope you can join us for that. In the meantime, have a great Thursday. Take care of yourselves, and please remember, no mountain too tall.

[Andrew Walsh]

Hey, good luck to all.

[Listener]

I don't know, man power out.