#4492 Lukebeard’s Castle

Summary

TBTL: Too Beautiful To Live – Episode #4492 "Lukebeard’s Castle"

Release Date: June 19, 2025
Hosts: Luke Burbank & Andrew Walsh
Description: TBTL is a daily show hosted by two longtime friends goofing their way through the world the best they can. In this episode, Luke and Andrew navigate a series of humorous mishaps, heartfelt moments, and memorable interviews with iconic figures like William Shatner and Neil deGrasse Tyson.

---

1. Morning Mishaps and Personal Anecdotes

Traffic Troubles and Podcast Reflections
The episode begins with Luke recounting a frustrating morning commute:

"John Smith, Tacoma 10 here. I commute between Seattle and Tacoma every day, back and forth. Today, Thursday there was a wreck. So I got an hour and 19 minutes in my car..."
– Luke Burbank [00:01]

He humorously ties his delay to tuning into the TBTL podcast, emphasizing their role in being "part of the solution."

E.T. References and Podcast Dynamics
The hosts engage in playful banter about the mechanics of podcast listening and share light-hearted interactions about classic films like E.T., showcasing their effortless chemistry.

---

2. Farm Fresh Eggs and Genevieve’s Bespoke Shirt

Neighborhood Fresher Eggs
Luke and Andrew delve into their morning routine, discussing the benefits of farm fresh eggs provided by their neighbor Genevieve:

"Genevieve's looking after some chickens that our neighbors have a few doors down. And so she gets to keep the eggs. But we happen to be really flush with store bought eggs right now because I didn't know about this arrangement."
– Andrew Walsh [03:43]

The Story Behind the Shirt
A significant portion of the conversation revolves around a beautifully handmade shirt Genevieve crafted. Luke expresses his admiration for the craftsmanship:

"I cannot believe how nice this shirt is that Andrew passed on. And now here I am wearing it for the show. So, man, a hot start."
– Luke Burbank [02:21]

Andrew humorously discusses the shirt's fit issues, highlighting their long-standing friendship and the playful teasing that defines their dynamic.

"It doesn't fit my arms like it fits around my. She, you know, she measured me, but then followed a pattern and I got a weird body."
– Andrew Walsh [04:23]

---

3. The Starbucks Bathroom Adventure

Desperate Measures
Luke narrates a tense yet comedic episode where he urgently needs to find a bathroom during a morning jog around Green Lake:

"I started running again because the feeling receded. And then I realized if I keep running, I'm gonna be in some actual danger here of losing control of the situation."
– Luke Burbank [16:17]

Despite initial discomfort and a series of missteps, Luke successfully navigates the predicament, resulting in a humorous outcome.

"And then he went back out to the Starbucks, and he said to his wife, honey, this one's available. And I just wanted to say, vaya condios, lady."
– Luke Burbank [31:10]

Notable Quote:
"This is really like a tartan pattern on a gingham shirt." – Andrew Walsh [08:21]

---

4. Dazzling Donors and Listener Shoutouts

Heartfelt Messages
Andrew and Luke take time to acknowledge their listeners and donors, reading out heartwarming and humorous messages that strengthen their community bond.

"Sarah says, oh, this is my pal Sarah here in Seattle. Oh, that's on the."
– Andrew Walsh [69:14]

They also highlight listener contributions to musical projects, particularly praising Ravenna Lux's latest song.

"But I just wanted to ask him. I feel confident. I could have said, like, okay, listen, I gotta ask you a question."
– Luke Burbank [67:27]

---

5. High-Profile Interviews: William Shatner and Neil deGrasse Tyson

Setting the Scene
Luke shares insights from a day filled with interviews at the Seattle Opera's Macow Hall, where they interacted with William Shatner and Neil deGrasse Tyson during the production of "Bluebeard's Castle."

"The branding around it became TBTL Saves the Opera. And so somehow the opera that worked out for us to save was called Bluebeard's Castle."
– Luke Burbank [41:30]

Technical Glitches and On-Stage Tensions
A significant moment arises when Shatner's teleprompter malfunctions, causing unexpected tension:

"He has stopped the whole thing. He's like, this is the nightmare scenario."
– Luke Burbank [52:10]

Luke's detailed recounting includes his observations of the technical breakdown and his thoughts on managing high-profile guests' expectations.

Engaging Conversations and Performance
Despite the hiccups, the interviews conclude positively, with both Shatner and Tyson expressing satisfaction and enthusiasm about their participation.

"We just talked for, like, so long, to the point where I was like, all right, well, thank you so much."
– Luke Burbank [62:58]

Notable Quote:
"Neil DeGrasse Tyson, super nice, really thoughtful, really jovial, powerful Dr. Hibbard vibes from the Simpsons."
– Luke Burbank [45:29]

---

6. Blursday Messages and Community Engagement

Listener Contributions
Dedicated segments feature "blursday" messages from listeners, celebrating birthdays and personal milestones with warmth and humor.

"Jake in Chicago says Happy 34th Blursday to my beautiful wife Ariel. I'm so excited to go on our honeymoon with you this week..."
– Andrew Walsh [70:05]

These shoutouts reinforce the show's community-driven ethos, allowing listeners to feel connected and appreciated.

---

7. Musical Highlights and Collaborations

Featuring Ravenna Lux
The hosts showcase musical talents from their listeners, playing Ravenna Lux's song "Annihilation," which garners enthusiastic praise.

"I am so excited about this free shirt. I'm sorry, Andrew. I'm not trying to rub it in."
– Luke Burbank [27:06]

Andrew integrates Ravenna Lux's work seamlessly, expressing intrigue and support for her musical endeavors.

"Sarah says, 'Check out ravenalux.com and send me a note if you'd like to join forces.'"
– Andrew Walsh [76:21]

---

8. Closing Remarks and Teasers

Looking Ahead
The episode concludes with teasers for future segments, including the "TBTL Billboard Hunt," keeping listeners engaged and anticipating upcoming content.

"So definitely join us for that. In the meantime, have a great Thursday. Take care of yourselves. And please remember, no mountain too tall."
– Luke Burbank [77:13]

Notable Quote:
"Our buddy Sarah says, 'Happy birthday to Lucinda. Hope your day is full of cat and dog cuddles, great music, and overall strong vibes. Happy Blurs day, Lucinda.'"
– Andrew Walsh [69:14]

---

Conclusion

Episode #4492 of "TBTL: Too Beautiful To Live" epitomizes the show's blend of humor, personal storytelling, and meaningful interactions. From Luke’s comical struggle at Starbucks to the seamless execution of high-profile interviews, Luke and Andrew deliver an episode that is both entertaining and relatable. Listener shoutouts and musical features enhance the community feel, making it a must-listen for both regular fans and newcomers seeking a delightful and engaging podcast experience.

---

For more episodes and to join the TBTL community, visit TBTL's website and follow them on their social media channels.

Transcript

[Luke Burbank]

John Smith, Tacoma 10 here. I commute between Seattle and Tacoma every day, back and forth. Today, Thursday there was a wreck. So I got an hour and 19 minutes in my car coming up so says Google Maps. I look at my guys from TBTL from the posting today. 1 hour, 19 minutes of TBTL. Now you guys are part of the solution instead of being part of the problem.

[Andrew Walsh]

Well done, tbtl.

[Luke Burbank]

How's it all going? You asking me about my podcast?

[Andrew Walsh]

Yes.

[Luke Burbank]

Still trying to figure it out. I was just trying to find E.T. hey, E.T. classic Spielberg. Oh, Weaver of dreams. I love when his finger lights up. That's how you can tell he's an alien.

[Andrew Walsh]

And his face.

[Luke Burbank]

And his face. Well, you have found my flabbergast button.

[Andrew Walsh]

And guess what? You've pressed it. It's not that bad, honestly. It is, but it's not.

[Luke Burbank]

When you get there, this is what.

[Andrew Walsh]

You will see on the screen.

[Luke Burbank]

And there's a little arrow over there. You press it and congratulations, you're listening to a podcast. Couldn't be easier. Well, all right. Hello, good morning and welcome everyone to a Thursday edition of tbtl, the show that just be too beautiful to live.

[Andrew Walsh]

This is the beginning of a social engineering attack.

[Luke Burbank]

My name is Luke Burbank. I'm your host.

[Andrew Walsh]

Wait a minute. Who are you?

[Luke Burbank]

Coming to you today from Seattle, Washington, in the studios of Walsh, Walsh and Doormat. Oh, Ma Pa. It's just beautiful. I am already having an amazing Thursday morning. I got to play with Bingo the cat ever so briefly. I got a free handmade bespoke shirt that Genevieve made. I am like, I cannot believe how nice this shirt is that Andrew passed on. And now here I am wearing it for the show. So, man, a hot start. Let's hope things stay hot with episode 4492 in a collector series. Let the fun begin. I was interviewing William Shatner and Neil DeGrasse Tyson yesterday.

[Andrew Walsh]

From my point of view, it's a beautiful story.

[Luke Burbank]

I love your story. It was one of those things that could have gone either way, and I'll tell you the way that it went. Then this morning I was at a Starbucks.

[Andrew Walsh]

This song goes out to all the.

[Luke Burbank]

Coffee lovers of the world over by Green Lake. And something there could have gone either way. And I'll tell you the way in which that went as well. There's only one way that the blurs day messages go, and that is it's my birthday today. Swimmingly. So we'll do that on this Thursday and we are going to talk to this guy. Longest running Cobra of the show maybe best known for his depictions of the tall ship. He is hysterical out there. They're loving you, my man. He's Andrew Walsh. She's joining me right now. Good morning, my friend.

[Andrew Walsh]

Good morning, Luke. Welcome to North Seattle. Whether the North Aurora neighborhood, the nora. We don't say NORA here. That's been claimed by another group of North Aurora advocates that I don't align myself with. It's a real power move wearing that shirt in front of me. That was supposed to be my shirt. It is complicated because it is complicated.

[Luke Burbank]

I was late getting downstairs here to join you for TBTL because, well, a, I was running a little late as it was. So that's on me. But then as I was passing through your kitchen, Veev said, I have two questions for you. She goes, how do you feel about farm fresh eggs?

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, yeah. Did you take the eggs?

[Luke Burbank]

I'm also going to take the eggs.

[Andrew Walsh]

Nice.

[Luke Burbank]

This is really a profitable day for you, honestly.

[Andrew Walsh]

Why don't you do the show here?

[Luke Burbank]

One hundo a day, eight hundo a week.

[Andrew Walsh]

Genevieve's looking after some chickens that our neighbors have a few doors down. And so she gets to keep the eggs. But we happen to be really flush with store bought eggs right now because I didn't know about this arrangement. So now you're getting the farm fresh eggs or the neighborhood fresh eggs?

[Luke Burbank]

I'm getting the neighborhood eggs. And then she goes, oh, and one other thing. And I see this very nice gingham patterned shirt that's folded nicely sitting there on your kitchen table. And Veev says, I made this, this shirt and it just. Andrew's not really into this.

[Andrew Walsh]

Wait, wait, is that what she said? I'm not into it.

[Luke Burbank]

I forget.

[Andrew Walsh]

Well, I love the shirt. It doesn't fit me.

[Luke Burbank]

Really? Okay.

[Andrew Walsh]

It doesn't fit my arms like it fits around my. She, you know, she measured me, but then followed a pattern and I got a weird body. So it mostly fits me, except the arms are really tight and a little bit short because I have strange long arms.

[Luke Burbank]

So it's a really buff arms.

[Andrew Walsh]

They're not even. They're not buff, man. Look at this.

[Luke Burbank]

Actually, they are.

[Andrew Walsh]

Dude, you actually look at this.

[Luke Burbank]

No, no. As I've said many times on the show, you're a man of peace, but one day you will punch someone with those big old strong hands of yours and those arms that defy even the most advanced pattern makers of shirts, and that person's gonna fly into outer space.

[Andrew Walsh]

It's gonna somehow make a slide whistle sound when the guy goes flying. I put the shirt on. Yeah, it fits. So it feels. I feel bad because it's a very beautiful shirt. Like, the material is very nice, and Genevieve did a hell of it. It's a professional, professionally made shirt.

[Luke Burbank]

I mean, I really can't get over how well done it is. And now for people that have been, you know, I guess, listening to the show for many years and also, maybe more importantly, observing photographs of me from the website of the show. Back in the early days, when I moved back home to Seattle from, I guess, New York and started doing tbtl, there was basically one shirt that I liked in the world, and it was a red. Now, the pattern was much smaller. It almost looked pink.

[Andrew Walsh]

Mm.

[Luke Burbank]

It was the shirt that I threw out the first pitch at the Mariners game.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yes. And there's a photo of you. I was trying to remember it. I did not remember this until you mentioned. Oh, yeah, this is like that shirt I used to wear all the time. There's an early TBT promotional photo where I believe you're holding a microphone up to your little statuette of a piggy bank.

[Luke Burbank]

Yes. Yes.

[Andrew Walsh]

And I think you're wearing that shirt in there.

[Luke Burbank]

Yes. Good memory.

[Andrew Walsh]

Wow.

[Luke Burbank]

You're exactly right. And so I loved that shirt so much that I wore it till it actually was falling apart. And there was. I forget what the event was. There was something. I want to say it was TBTL related, but it might have been something else. In our friend group, there was a thing where somebody was doing an impression of me. Like, it was like at a party or a get together or something. And the joke was, I'm being Luke. And they had gone to, like, just a. I think probably a kind of a cheapo clothing store somewhere and just grabbed a shirt that had also had a gingham print on it, which is. If you don't know, that's like kind of red and white kind of checker pattern. And it was, like, different than the shirt that I wore, but it was clear, like, what they were going for. And they wore that shirt to do the little whatever it was skit or something. And then they gave me the shirt. And then I proceeded to wear that shirt for like, two or three more years. It just. Even though it must have cost. It couldn't have cost more than $10 because it almost immediately started decaying on my body.

[Andrew Walsh]

This.

[Luke Burbank]

This joke shirt. And so then eventually the joke shirt fell apart. And then I just haven't really gone back to that world since then until today. And, like, I am. I'M and maybe we can get a. I don't want to force this upon the listeners, but Genevieve did take a photo of me in the shirt.

[Andrew Walsh]

I thought, you're gonna make me take a photo of you in my shirt.

[Luke Burbank]

Which that would be, even for you.

[Andrew Walsh]

A bridge too far, by the way, I think. And I'm looking this up on the fly, but I'm pretty sure that gingham is the material, not the pattern.

[Luke Burbank]

Really?

[Andrew Walsh]

Yes.

[Luke Burbank]

I always wondered about that.

[Andrew Walsh]

Well, I'm trying to figure that out.

[Luke Burbank]

I don't know if this is gingham.

[Andrew Walsh]

Then I think it is actual gingham, which is why it's that really soft feel, like it's a very nice.

[Luke Burbank]

It's often associated with the Czechs.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah. Let me read to you because I may be getting this wrong as well, but it was my understanding from recent conversations with Genevieve that it's a material. So here's what Wikipedia says. Gingham, also called vici Czech.

[Luke Burbank]

Whoa.

[Andrew Walsh]

Like, is that like vici?

[Luke Burbank]

Like, like the French?

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

Where they had. Where they signed the surrender?

[Andrew Walsh]

Let's assume not. Gingham, also called vici Czech, is a medium weight, balanced, plain woven fabric.

[Luke Burbank]

Okay.

[Andrew Walsh]

Typically with tartan plaid, striped or checked.

[Luke Burbank]

This is really like a tartan pattern on a gingham shirt.

[Andrew Walsh]

A tartan pattern. That's what I always say. Isn't that a song you wrote with Willie Nelson? A tartan pattern on a gingham shirt.

[Luke Burbank]

It is. It is.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah. So anyway, I just wanted to clarif. Clean that up a little bit because I'm pretty sure that it refers to the material itself. But anyway, beautiful shirt.

[Luke Burbank]

I'm genuinely so psyched about. And the very. And the fact that this was actually handmade by somebody that. I know.

[Andrew Walsh]

I know.

[Luke Burbank]

I'm sorry. I hope I'm not making this worse, Andrew.

[Andrew Walsh]

No, no, I do. I mean, Viv's. And I had been. I had. Well, I had been joking about this for a while because when it didn't fit, you know, like, she was measuring me and everything. But you still follow a pattern, asking like, well, my arms are kind of goofy, so. Definitely not goofy, ripped. But also long, sort of. I have like a weird, weirdly long wingspan. And so I was trying it on throughout, but it did seem like everything was going to fit. But maybe not the arms. When I put it on, I wanted to kind of make it work. That is my upper torso. Isn't there also a drop about, like, people talk. It's a beautiful shirt. It's a beauty. What Was that old drop from the radio days about a beautiful, beautiful shirt right now?

[Luke Burbank]

Yes.

[Andrew Walsh]

Maybe it was the early podcast days.

[Luke Burbank]

Maybe I don't think I have it anymore. I have some songs by Earl sweatshirt that we better not play that we 100% better not play when I. When I. When I put shirt into it.

[Andrew Walsh]

But let me, let me see if I.

[Luke Burbank]

No, you know what it was? It wasn't Earnest thing. No, no, he wasn't earnest. He was furious.

[Andrew Walsh]

He put a shirt in the microwave.

[Luke Burbank]

It was glow stick Dad, I think it was called. Hold on, let me see if that helps. Yes, you have to do with a beautiful shirt. Your beautiful shirt. I got angry glow stick. Okay, this might just be the shortened version. I apologize, but yeah, no shit. I said don't microwave it.

[Andrew Walsh]

Don't screw around what you do with a beautiful shirt on and get it in your eyes.

[Luke Burbank]

I think the kids had microwaved. He had microwaved a glow stick that had exploded or something. But then he also happened to be wearing a nice shirt, so the dad was mad about that too.

[Andrew Walsh]

I bet you that was like 2012 or something. Because I just remember being kind of new to the show, what we were playing all the time. Just like this beautiful shirt. He's such angry dad energy there. But no, I started joking around a couple of weeks ago because Veeves is like, well, let's see if we're talking about friends who it may or may not fit. And of course they're all men. And I'm kinda like, I don't know if I like this. I don't know if I like this cuck shirt situation where we're like looking for a man to fit Genevieve's shirt. But last night, it was actually my idea. I think I said, you know what? Luke might be the one that would fit in there because he's got these puny little, tiny, little burnt T. Rex.

[Luke Burbank]

I mean, honestly, that's an insult to T. Rexes. No, I'm psyched about it. And also, like, it's a little bit. It's. It's just the slightest bit blousy on me. But that's like how I'm wearing things now because it's.

[Andrew Walsh]

This is.

[Luke Burbank]

I'm. I call it pulling in Andrew, because you famously always go towards a shirt that's a little bit larger than you probably need. I, like so many of my generation, I saw the greatest minds of my.

[Andrew Walsh]

Generation hidden under the poofiness of a blouse.

[Luke Burbank]

No, hidden under the. Not hidden enough. Under the tightness of form fitting things. And I Went a little. I feel like the style has moved away from that a bit. If you actually look at the prevailing fashion now, it's a little looser, like even like men's suiting. It's not like the look now if you're gonna wear a suit is not For a while it was that like really tight body, tight hugging, skinny, you.

[Andrew Walsh]

Know you had a bunch of those, right? You did skinny pant once. I had skinny pants with your sneakers.

[Luke Burbank]

Skinny suits and tight fitting and everything. And now it' this is just how fashion is. It just, it's kind of, there's a little more, there's a little more, you know, a little more billowing that is allowed to happen now. And I for one welcome it and I'm very, very excited about this.

[Andrew Walsh]

It's funny how like if you go back to the 90s and of course I was learning how to be a person in the 90s, right? Like whatever was standard in the 90s didn't feel like a fashion trend to me. It just felt like, well, I'm a young person learning how to eventually be an adult in this world. So I just looked at all these people who. With huge baggy suits, I mean, rivaling David Byrne.

[Luke Burbank]

I was going to say, are you sure you weren't just watching Stop Making.

[Andrew Walsh]

Sense And a lot of Steve Harvey videos, I pictured both of them as like those really big, like kind of hanging. And so I feel like a lot.

[Luke Burbank]

Of my early stuff, anything that an NBA draft, a first round NBA draft recipient would be wearing when they shook David Stearns hand.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, very, very big. And then of course, you know, like you said, time goes on. But I remember interviewing for my job in Los Angeles, which is luckily not place or the people I was interviewing with don't really care about fashion much or that type of thing. And honestly, nobody said anything about it, but I remember first of all, it was like blazing hot la. And I get out of. I think Genevieve dropped me or maybe I took a Uber or something to the, to the radio station. I get out of this car wearing something that looks like my dad's suit. It's like dark ass gray in this bright LA sun. Even I, who has very little instinct for how one should look in any situation, I was like, this is a ridiculous look in Santa Monica, probably in the middle of the summer.

[Luke Burbank]

You got the job.

[Andrew Walsh]

I did get the job, basically.

[Luke Burbank]

So let's not, you know, undervalue that. And if you were working, if you overcame that outfit to get the job, that tells you how well you did in the job interview.

[Andrew Walsh]

And I wore that suit every day to work until they found it was.

[Luke Burbank]

Your good luck suit.

[Andrew Walsh]

I did not clean it.

[Luke Burbank]

You were like Wade Boggs. You had to commit to the ritual of doing the same thing each day before work. I mentioned this on the show a couple months ago, but the Boston Red Sox player Wade Boggs famously ate the same meal before every game his entire career, which was lemon chicken.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, you mentioned that on the show recently. I got an email from somebody who was responding to something we did on the show recently, and I had zero recollection of it. I must just warg out sometimes.

[Luke Burbank]

That's happening more and more to me as well, just as, like, people mentioning even, like, our good friend P. Fletch, who's, like, a careful listener to the show and will sometimes respond to something, and it'll be like, it was a thing we did yesterday. And I have to really, really try to struggle to remember the exact thing that's being referenced sometimes. So I'm feeling really excited about this free shirt. I'm sorry, Andrew. I'm not trying to rub it in. I'm also feeling good, or I would say relieved is a better way to put it that the things did not go as sideways as they might have this morning when I was at the Starbucks there on Greenlake Way, not far from where our friends have the fitness center.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, yeah, the Green Lake Strength Conditioning. Conditioning, yeah. Strength and fitness. I believe.

[Luke Burbank]

That's the one. I was right over near there. I was on a little jog around Green Lake. Let me just tell you. A warm, summery morning. Green Lake. You got Chris Hayes in your ears. You listen to the why is this happening Pod. It doesn't get much better than that. Or at least that's how things felt for about three quarters of the jog until I rounded the area where Spuds, Fish and chips is. And I'll never get used to that, being in a new location like there used to be. I don't know. Were you living here long enough ago when Spuds had its own dedicated little, tiny glass hut?

[Andrew Walsh]

No, I only can picture it as part of that little mini strip there, which is a very cute little strip, too.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah. Original Spuds, Green Lake.

[Andrew Walsh]

Let's see.

[Luke Burbank]

Yes, there's a super party animal. Let me. Oh, I can't really show you. The original Spud fish and chips by Green Lake was. You would just have absolutely loved it, Andrew. It was just, like, right out of the 1950s.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, flat top, roof, angled, but, like.

[Luke Burbank]

It had an old neon sign that said, spud, fish and Chips. It was just like. It was quintessential Seattle. But anyway, at around that point, that part of the lake, I started to feel a discomfort in my stomach.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, yeah, this is really sweet. Oh, my God. Is that actually gooey, the way it goes down the roof? Like, that is gooey? I think so. That is amazing.

[Luke Burbank]

And that was the version of my childhood that's, like, where we would go. But anyway, I started to feel some discomfort, and then I started by thinking, well, I'm pretty close to the end here. I'll just kind of push through this. And then I. And then I realized, no, this is like, if I keep running, I'm gonna be in some actual danger here of losing control of the situation. So I kind of stopped running. Then it went away. And then this was my mistake. I started running again because it receded. The feeling of needing to go to the bathroom. And so I thought, how far away.

[Andrew Walsh]

Are you from everything that. Like, how far away are you from your hotel right now where you're staying?

[Luke Burbank]

I'm a car. Car ride.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, okay. So you drove to Green Lake.

[Luke Burbank]

I drove to Green Lake, so I was staying.

[Andrew Walsh]

How far are you from the car? Are you like, a. My. Because the lake is about three miles around.

[Luke Burbank]

Three miles. And I was. At this point, I was probably. It was three miles into the run, so I might have been, like. There might have been two tenths of a mile.

[Andrew Walsh]

Okay, so you're getting close by the run?

[Luke Burbank]

I'm close to the car.

[Andrew Walsh]

Okay, good.

[Luke Burbank]

And the thing is, if I would have just, like, the first time that it started and I started walking and then it went away. If I would have just kept walking, probably things would have been in an okay zone. But I decided to push my luck and try to, like, finish out the jog. And then the second time that I started back up, then all of a sudden it came back, and now it. It came back with kind of a vengeance.

[Andrew Walsh]

You didn't listen to it.

[Luke Burbank]

I didn't listen to my body. I did not trust my body. And so I go back to walking, and now I'm, like, kind of. I'm realizing that I'm in an amount of discomfort. That means I probably can't get in my car and drive to the hotel. Because really, what scared me about driving to the hotel was one. Well, actually, okay, I got in my car. I went because my car was parked by Super Jock and Jill, the running store.

[Andrew Walsh]

Okay. I don't know if I know, but.

[Luke Burbank]

I got in on Green Lake Way. I got in my car, I started it up, and then by the time I went about a block, I was like. It was cramping.

[Andrew Walsh]

And now you're driving. Okay. So I was worried about even just getting into the motion of getting into the car.

[Luke Burbank]

No, it wasn't quite that bad. But what I realized was my best shot right now is probably to go to this Starbucks that's on Green Lake Way. Now. I would have gone to. I could have gone to the. The community center. The. Where the. Where Evans Pool is. The Green Lake Community Center. But those bathrooms are really rough.

[Andrew Walsh]

And you didn't take. You didn't even take a peek at them today.

[Luke Burbank]

No, because I've been. I've used them before for like going number one. And they're. They're tough. It's got like two stalls. There's often people kind of posted up in the stalls, like kind of on a long term basis. They. That's why I think they've taken the doors off of some of them. If there is a toilet seat on there, it's a pretty crummy one. My memory of it is that there's no toilet seat on there.

[Andrew Walsh]

I've seen let's Go to Prison. So I think I know the kind of toilet you're talking about.

[Luke Burbank]

It's not great in there. And so again, my original plan was I'll get in the car, I'll head to the hotel. But then I started. It really hit me. And what I was really thinking was it's gonna be so bad by the time I get to the hotel. I don't know if the hotel has a bathroom in the lobby. And what I cannot mess with. I thought I could probably get to the hotel, but what I would not be able to do would be to go into the hotel to wait for.

[Andrew Walsh]

The elevator, duck walk across the lobby.

[Luke Burbank]

The elevators are slow at this residence inn. Take the elevator up to my floor, go all the way down to my room, scan in, get to the bathroom. Because as you and I were talking about before the show, our bodies are fearfully and wonderfully made. But they know when we are getting. They know enough that we're close to a toilet. They don't know, though, how accessible the toilet is.

[Andrew Walsh]

In other words, it's weird how they just have this radar. They're like, oh, a toilet's getting nearby. I can start to loosen up here.

[Luke Burbank]

But it's not accounting for the elevator time.

[Andrew Walsh]

Doesn't understand elevator.

[Luke Burbank]

Let's say the key card. Let's say your phone demagnetized the key card. Your body is not able to factor any of those things. It's just basically doing like a find my iPhone. But it's for toilets and it's going well. I see a toilet here, like, yeah, but there's a lot of steps. So instead I decide it's like evasive action. I illegally park in front of Greg Screenlake Cycles. And like by illegally I mean there was a parking spot but the back of my car was slightly blocking this parking lot that nobody was using. It's like 7:30 in the morning and I now I get out of the car and again my body is starting to do that. The thing that we've already been talking about, where this is going from being about a six to being about a nine. As I get closer to the Starbucks and as I'm walking into the Starbucks, a guy walks kind of in front of me in the Starbucks and he starts walking towards where I assume the bathrooms are and I'm like, if this guy just kind of cut me off and is now going to go post up in the bathroom, this could be. That could be, be the like, like the Mariners going on this ten game road trip. That could be the whole season.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, right.

[Luke Burbank]

Depending on how this goes, if this guy goes to the bathroom, season over for me. Season over for these shorts, like this could be really bad. Amazingly, he was going to pick up the. You made an order on your phone. He was just going to get something he had already ordered. Like, oh. So then I go around. There's two at the Starbucks. There's two bathrooms. One is occupied, the other does not appear to be occupied. But of course I don't have the code. So now I'm walking back and all of this is. Again, my body is like, it's like escalating, escalating, escalating. So now I have to go back and I have to try to find some internal chill to ask one of the baristas what the code for the bathroom is without like, what's the word I'm looking for? Exposing the desperation of my situation.

[Andrew Walsh]

Although maybe exposing a little bit of desperation would help here.

[Luke Burbank]

Sure.

[Andrew Walsh]

Nobody wants this mess.

[Luke Burbank]

Exactly. Listen, everybody loses if I don't get this code asap. So I was like, what is the code, by the way? It's 10:20. If you're ever at the Green Lake Starbucks, that's a freebie. Aren't there like websites where people are. I think in New York there was some people that were putting together websites or apps of all the codes for bathrooms which I personally support.

[Andrew Walsh]

I have a mental list of open 1 in the U district, which is the U district or the University Bookstore, which by the way do you hear that's being bought by Barnes and Noble is going to be running because it was never, it was always an independent bookstore, but it wasn't a university. It was called the University Bookstore, but it's not run by the university.

[Luke Burbank]

You know what, there's some part kind of news to me.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, there's some partnership there, but it's basically a hundred year old independently run bookstore that has some cooperation with the university. But Barnes and Noble is buying it, which makes me worried that the first thing they might do is put a lock on that door. Because there's always been a clean free bathroom on the second floor of that. And now in Ballard I have a place too because I realized, oh, when I go to see my doctor at Swedish, I know on the second floor where there's a one, there's like just a one room little personal bathroom that is always open and there are no locks or anything. So as I learn the city, I want to have a bathroom in every neighborhood that I can walk to just in case.

[Luke Burbank]

Very smart. Well, so I was listening to the Ezra Klein show the other day and he was talking to a congresswoman from, I think her name is Sarah McBride and she's from, I want to say Delaware and she's a trans woman. And they were talking about the way that we've really, we've really regressed on trans rights and on public opinion around trans issues, which is obviously really troubling. But the one thing that seems to be very durable is everybody supports single use bathrooms. Cause it's so much better. Yes, exactly. I don't care how many American flags you're pulling behind your stupid truck, everybody.

[Andrew Walsh]

Wants to shit in peace in a private little bathroom.

[Luke Burbank]

It's like every other thing. It's like unfortunately, again, backsliding in terms of a whole host of things. This is the one though, that apparently everyone is like, yeah, that is better.

[Andrew Walsh]

But the thing is, and just to give the other side a little bit of credit, America has always been deeply, deeply interested in girls swimming. It's basically national sport, which is the original.

[Luke Burbank]

Before they put an eagle on the money, they had a call a women's college swimmer. Yeah, we have a signed female at birth.

[Andrew Walsh]

That was, that's exactly right.

[Luke Burbank]

That was who was on the money.

[Andrew Walsh]

We have an ex listener who literally wrote into the show after the, after the election who wrote like one of those, like, really, really long, clearly copy and pasted from other diatribes. I don't know if I ever showed this to you or not, but you know how, like, sometimes you get emails from people that are, like, so passionate that it comes in 17 different fonts and sizes because they're copying and pasting from other things they sent to their nephews or whatever, and it's like they've.

[Luke Burbank]

Kidnapped logic and this is a ransom note.

[Andrew Walsh]

Exactly. It was like this whole thing about. About, like. Well, I mean, it's just nature and how can this be happening to all these. All these swimmers? And I was just like. And I remember writing back. All I wrote back was, I didn't realize you were such a big swimming fan. What were some of your favorite meets from last year? And then they wrote back that they were canceling their donation, which is absolutely fine. I don't need those monies. But all of that is to say, yes, single use bathroom. Everybody can get on board with that.

[Luke Burbank]

I mean. Cause let me tell you, Andrew, when I got the code 1020 from a barista who I don't know if his name is Cole, but I'd bet $1,000 this kid's name was Cole. He's just like a tall, good looking 18 year old. Speaking of swimming, he's probably on the swim team at high school.

[Andrew Walsh]

Tell you what, if Cole Young is not on the road trip for the Mariners, we know for sure that that was him.

[Luke Burbank]

Cole Young had a very effective sacrifice bunt the other day, which was in that inning when we actually managed to come back in the ninth. And we actually, I think it was class A, was the reliever that we were able to put a couple runs up against. And I was like, long live the sacrifice bunt. Yeah, I'll take it.

[Andrew Walsh]

But anyway, hearing them on the radio.

[Luke Burbank]

When Cole gave me the code, and then I went back there and nobody had gotten in front of me in line, and I hit 1020 and I opened that bathroom. It was perfectly clean and it was totally, obviously private. And I just closed the door and I locked it. And I knew in that moment everything was gonna be okay.

[Andrew Walsh]

It was for you, not the bathroom.

[Luke Burbank]

No, no, no, no, no, no. I did a lot of. Again, I don't want to get too detailed, but I am a big courtesy flusher. And by that I mean, as the event is occurring, I'm flushing away.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

I don't know how that is for my carbon footprint or my, you know, you know, my water usage, but I just Think that's. And I'll be honest with you, and I hope she doesn't hear that. That's a technique that I've developed at Becca's house to.

[Andrew Walsh]

To sort of maintain. We're talking about olfactory stuff here.

[Luke Burbank]

Exactly.

[Andrew Walsh]

Like, don't let it sit. Mitigate is the word I was looking for. Don't let it sit in there too long. Just like, let's courtesy flush. Keep this going.

[Luke Burbank]

Let's keep this. Let's try to have this evil. Let's try to have this evil, you know, in this room as little as possible.

[Andrew Walsh]

Let's get this down the sarlacc.

[Luke Burbank]

Get it right down. Right into that sarlacc. And so I am. And by the way, I think it's a fairly effective technique. Again, Becca must think that I'm having a medical situation. She hears eight flushes coming out of the bathroom when I'm over at her place. But it's just to. It's just to keep it moving, keep it out of here, keep it in the room as little as possible.

[Andrew Walsh]

Can I ask you a question? And also I asked this question because it's also driving me bananas that I don't know why I said Greenlake strength and Fitness. It is Green Lake strength and conditioning. You were absolutely right. I feel like I always say conditioning and then I am wrong, but no, it is Green Lake strength and conditioning. We should shout them out.

[Luke Burbank]

Absolutely.

[Andrew Walsh]

Kate and her partner have been supporters of TBTL for a long time now. But I have a question for you, and I don't want to put Kate on the spot here.

[Luke Burbank]

Could I have used the bathroom at Strength and Conditioning?

[Andrew Walsh]

If Kate were to hear this and say, hey, listen, next time this happens, just swing Swangle on in here. We'll take care of you. Now, there's a lot of caveats there because I don't know if Kate is there all the time. If she doesn't know you, then there's just somebody at the front desk. But if that were an option, am I right? You would still avoid it because you're.

[Luke Burbank]

Not going to be sooner die, Right? Exactly. That's the nightmare scenario right there.

[Andrew Walsh]

You don't want somebody who knows you knowing.

[Luke Burbank]

I would crawl into the foliage at Green Lake like a wounded animal going to die and go to the bathroom there before I would use a listener's restroom at their home or business. That would be the absolute.

[Andrew Walsh]

You'd go in the middle of the Little Red Hen's dance floor before I.

[Luke Burbank]

Would do what our friend Jen Flash Andrews, I think Once had to do, which was hang off the back of a moving boat.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, I remember that.

[Luke Burbank]

Which is, I'll tell you, way harder than it seems. There's a whole thing. You don't know how much water pressure is actually going on, keeping it inside you. No, I would never, ever, ever do that. Even though I bet you anyway, that they would offer it, because they're. They're wonderful, kind people. But. Yeah, so that's. I mean, the end of that story is that everything turned out okay. But I really did have the feeling, walking into the Starbucks, that if. If both bathrooms were occupied and were both going to be occupied for a long time, if it was something where I needed to, like, buy a coffee first.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

Because it did say restrooms are for customers only. Like, if there had been any major hiccup in the situation, I was going to be in real trouble because, again, my body, like, the. The process was beginning whether I wanted it to or not. And that was. That train was leaving the station, and I was not the conductor.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah. And not to turn this into, like, a. I don't know, something to get in a soapbox about, but also, like, I think about that stuff a lot, and I don't know if you ended up buying a coffee from them or not, or if you just used the restroom and left. Like, I'm glad that you're able to do that, but. But I do wonder if you would have had that option if you looked really scrubby. You know what I mean? I thought about that. If you look like you had been sleeping on the sidewalk, the answer is probably no.

[Luke Burbank]

Yes.

[Andrew Walsh]

And then you are in that situation, yet you're both human beings.

[Luke Burbank]

I wondered that exact same thing because I came in there, I had, like, running gear on, so I was kind of gross, actually, in my own way.

[Andrew Walsh]

But clearly, like somebody who has Perlene or whatever, who could buy coffee. Yeah, yeah, exactly.

[Luke Burbank]

But I really thought that because it said. And I asked the code, and there was absolutely no hesitation. And that's. I think, that probably hugely privileged, you know, And I didn't buy a coffee.

[Andrew Walsh]

And you didn't buy a coffee because.

[Luke Burbank]

And I thought about that, too. As I walked out, I do think Cole noticed it was too late. Damage done.

[Andrew Walsh]

He's gonna open a visual shop called Cold Brew.

[Luke Burbank]

The actual.

[Andrew Walsh]

Thank you.

[Luke Burbank]

The actual. I mean, to be honest with you, the saddest thing was that as I left, there was a guy coming around the corner trying to see, you know, what was going on with the bathrooms and the bathroom that was next to me was still occupied. I don't know if it was the same person or somebody else as when I went in. But he then noticed that the one I had come out of was not occupied. And then he went back. This was a guy maybe in his 60s. And I thought, oh, he's gonna use the bathroom. And instead, he went back out to the Starbucks, and he said to his wife, honey, this one's available. And I just wanted to say, vaya condios, lady.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, okay.

[Luke Burbank]

In other words, he was sending his wife into the one I had just used.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, my God. And they had those, like, cartoon spirits coming out of it.

[Luke Burbank]

I mean, again, I was courtesy flushing, right?

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

What are you gonna do? I mean, what can you do? This is the human condition. But I was like. He was like, oh, honey, there's a. Oh, honey, there's one available. And I thought, oh, honey, no.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, honey, you don't know what's.

[Luke Burbank]

You don't know what's exactly been going on in there. But it could have been a lot worse. So I'm happy about that.

[Andrew Walsh]

Well, speaking of things being a lot worse, I'm very interested in hearing what happened with your interviews yesterday. So should we do the dazzling donors first and then get into that?

[Luke Burbank]

Absolutely. We was hoping for some razzle dazzle. Razzle dazzle. That's right, man. Razzle dazzle. On your mark. On your mark. Get set.

[Andrew Walsh]

Get set now.

[Luke Burbank]

Ready? Ready? Go, everybody. Razzle dazzle. It appears if our copious record keeping is accurate, and I believe it is, because we've got our man John Sklaroff on the case, we have arrived at our final dazzling donor.

[Andrew Walsh]

That's right.

[Luke Burbank]

And it is none other than Aaron Lenninger. Aaron says len injer, which is fitting this year. See message below.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, no.

[Luke Burbank]

That's foreshadowing this dark foreshadowing in Portland, Oregon. I know the end of this story, Andrew.

[Andrew Walsh]

You know Aaron.

[Luke Burbank]

I ran into Aaron outside a livewire.

[Andrew Walsh]

And that's how Aaron got injured. Because you ran into her.

[Luke Burbank]

I did. And there's a lot for the lawyers and the insurance company at the Alberta Rose Theater to sort out.

[Andrew Walsh]

Be careful.

[Luke Burbank]

Don't. So I need to be. Yeah. I want to just let the listeners know I have to be very careful as to how I describe the situation here. Aaron says, once again, I procrastinated way too long on sending this. Seeing Luke before livewire last week inspired me to get it done.

[Andrew Walsh]

There you go.

[Luke Burbank]

So I'll tell you, I believe the first time I ran into Aaron in The wild was in that Nike store.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

Where you can get a sweet, sweet discount on the Nike stuff.

[Andrew Walsh]

Right? Cause you're a duck. Right.

[Luke Burbank]

Because I am dating someone who is married to someone who used to work at Nike, and I managed to weasel my way onto that list.

[Andrew Walsh]

I think you just said you're dating somebody who's married to someone who used to work at night.

[Luke Burbank]

I'm dating someone who's related to someone who's married to someone. I think I left out one link in that chat.

[Andrew Walsh]

I was like, you're dating. This is a huge scoop if you're dating somebody who's married.

[Luke Burbank]

And let me tell you, they are gonna love this shirt. It's a complicated web of polyamory.

[Andrew Walsh]

How did I get involved?

[Luke Burbank]

Somehow your shirt's now involved. But Aaron was there, I think because Aaron is an educator. And I think also, sometimes rightfully, Nike invites those kinds of folks out there. Anyway, then the next time I saw Aaron, it was outside of Livewire, and Aaron had a very, very, very injured leg. Here's what Aaron says. I got a bunch of shout outs. First to my mom, Janie, and my partner, Chris, for their incredible support over the past three months as I've worked to recover from a gnarly ski accident where I broke. This is a little trigger warning. If you're squeamish out there, I'm gonna just. I'm reading Aaron's message. It was a ski accident where I broke my left tibia, my fibula and ankle. I mean, that's kind of the. That's the trifecta. The tibia. What's left? Nothing. Almost nothing. I emailed you both an X ray. Pick of the metal now permanently in my leg. I don't know what I would have done without the two of them. TBTL was also a constant companion. I believe the two of them would be Janie and Chris, but also us, hopefully. I mean, can we get complimented in one of these messages? Finally?

[Andrew Walsh]

Come on. You're giving us your money. You should compliment us even more.

[Luke Burbank]

It's been a long dry spell of the dazzling donors telling us that we're amazing. Angela.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, right.

[Luke Burbank]

I think it's been 12 hours. TBTL. Oh, here we go. This is the good part. TBTL was also a constant companion, keeping me company during so many long days of doing nothing. Your humor and banter were the perfect distraction and help me keep my spirits up as I healed. Okay, second shout out to our friends, Milwaukee Cafe food cart at Brooklyn Coretta Pod in pdx. So I believe it's the Milwaukee Cafe food cart.

[Andrew Walsh]

Okay. And is a pod. Is this one of those areas where they have a bunch of.

[Luke Burbank]

That's what I'm guessing. Now, I don't know if I know the Brooklyn Coretta pod, but I. My sense is it's probably an area. We've got an accumulation of food carts. Last year, I shouted out the cafe. The cart has many of the same delish cafe dishes, plus new cart only items. Lastly, shout out to Milwaukee bowl, our favorite place to roll with a few tens. That sounds. Andrew. It sounds like we got to get you back down to.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah. Milwaukee, Oregon, which is a suburb of Portland, is very, very intriguing to me because my sense is I could be wrong, is that it was built. It was maybe built up in the 1940s, 1950s, and 60s. So you've got it, like, you've got this amazing Pietro's Pizza there. Just Google Pietro's Pizza Milwaukee.

[Andrew Walsh]

Or you do me a favor and Google Milwaukee bowl and watch the opening drone shot on their website. It begins with, like, a autoplay video, and it shows a drone shot of, like, the classic 60s building, I believe. 60s, maybe 50s. What do you call that sort of arched roof? It's not a dome. It's almost like.

[Luke Burbank]

Like a Quonset hut.

[Andrew Walsh]

Is it a Quonset hut? I'm not sure, but, boy, that is classic. That is really. Oh, the sign is perfect. Put it in my veins.

[Luke Burbank]

I love it so much. Gosh, that is so cool. I didn't even know this was here. This is great. Look up Pietro's Pizza, Milwaukee, Oregon, and just do an image search. It'll just show you the sign.

[Andrew Walsh]

This is not the. This is not the pizza place that you got your T shirt from?

[Luke Burbank]

No, that was Chico's Pizza in Seaview, Washington. Seven days without pizza makes one week. Yes, but this is also. I think this. I could be wrong, but I think this might be the OG Pietro's Pizza, which has got this amazing neon sign.

[Andrew Walsh]

Outside of it since 1957. It says. And I'm looking at the. Oh, they have almost kind of a old. Like, their font is almost like old Englishy kind of. I can't find any photos of the exterior of it, but I will keep looking.

[Luke Burbank]

Okay. It's.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, yeah. This is really. Oh, yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

It's like this thing is like. I feel like this part of Milwaukee, Oregon, or Milwaukee, Oregon is kind of like, again, it got built at this certain time, and then the buildings and the signs and things are just kind of like, frozen in that Amber, this is really sweet and I love it so much. Anyway, so maybe we should take a trip down there, do some bowling, eat some pizza. That sounds good, but you gotta.

[Andrew Walsh]

If you're eating pizza while you're bowling, good lord, wash your hands between every single.

[Luke Burbank]

I am not germ phobic, but if I think for a moment about my hands that have been in a bowling, like a. Like a public bowling ball and then snacking, I get a bad feeling. I get a bad feeling. Aaron says thanks again, Bizboys. What you do is so important. Well, Aaron, what you do is so important. And thank you for all the support and continued good journey. Good luck on your journey of healing. We really hope that. That the multiple injuries to your leg are getting better. Erin was moving around okay by the time I saw her.

[Andrew Walsh]

One of those wheelie things.

[Luke Burbank]

I think she might have been in a walking boot by this time. I don't remember a scooter. I think we might be in walking boot. Maybe with. Did she maybe have some kind of a help a walking device? I don't think there was a scooter there.

[Andrew Walsh]

Okay.

[Luke Burbank]

Because I think if there was a.

[Andrew Walsh]

Scooter, I would have tried to ride it.

[Luke Burbank]

I would have stolen it and probably gone and done some friggin friggin sweet jumps with it.

[Andrew Walsh]

But I totally could see you doing that. Hey, can I just give this.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah, totally. Actually, I do. You know, having broken my ankle as a kid, like a teenager back when it was just regular crutches, technology and then like crutching, like going to Northgate Mall for some reason and then crutching my way up and down the mall and then just feeling like I have now worn out all of the skin, you know, right here.

[Andrew Walsh]

I've never had to do that. Did you tell me though, or did you come up on the show one time that also you were embarrassed with the crutches? Were they like third or fourth hand crutches or am I just.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah, I think I had. I was embarrassed about my trumpet in fifth grade because I had the poor trumpet. But I. The crutches, I think were fairly standard.

[Andrew Walsh]

Okay.

[Luke Burbank]

But they were just really uncomfortable, you know, after a while. And then nowadays I see people like in the airport, like wheeling. I'm not saying that I want to injure my leg. I really don't. But those scooters look kind of cool.

[Andrew Walsh]

They look kind of like. Don't even say that though. I was sort of thinking that before and I was like, do not even.

[Luke Burbank]

I'm jinxing.

[Andrew Walsh]

Temptation, fate. That way. But yeah, that's right. You don't see, you don't see standard crutches as much because of those wheelie dudes.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah, they're a big improvement. Hello and welcome to Top Story. I did have your words echoing in my mind yesterday, Andrew, because I started off the day down at my place and we did the show and then I zipped up here to get to Macaw hall, which is where the, the Seattle Opera is, which was where William Shatner and Neil DeGrasse Tyson were doing a kind of a sort of a two man, I guess, conversation slash presentation last night called the Universe is Absurd. And the first thing I noticed when I was backstage at Macaw hall was I immediately saw a poster for something called Bluebeard's Castle, which was the opera that in the early days of tbtl, Jen Andrews, Jen Flash Andrews decided that she was going to try to save the opera for some reason. By the way, opera's still there. I think it might have been okay the whole time, but we did it.

[Andrew Walsh]

Start with them giving you some tickets to give away.

[Luke Burbank]

That could have been. That very well could have been the origin of the whole thing. What I know is that the branding around it became TBTL Saves the Opera. And so somehow the opera that worked out for us to save was called Bluebeard's Castle.

[Andrew Walsh]

Wow.

[Luke Burbank]

And I remember we got together, we sold like, you know, we basically did a group ticket thing. I want to say maybe we had 50 or 100 listeners, we went to this opera and then I think like we had a reception afterwards or some somehow afterwards we all got together and this led to one of the funnier moments in the history of the show, which I don't really want to paraphrase because it's stealing Jen's valor. But basically the Bluebeard's Castle opera is just a guy. I think it's very German. It's a guy who's living in this castle and he has basically killed all his ex wives or all his wives or people. They're in different rooms in the castle. And now he's got a new lady visiting and the whole opera is her basically saying, show me what's in that room. And him saying, you don't want to see what's in that room. And then she says, you gotta show me what's in the room. And he's like, you don't wanna see what's in the room.

[Andrew Walsh]

This is like you at the Starbucks today. And that woman who was show me where the restroom is.

[Luke Burbank]

You don't wanna get one of the restrooms, ma' am. We call this Luke Beard's castle, and you don't wanna be in here. And then eventually he opens the door, and then she's horrified and then they move on to the next room. It's like three and a half hours of that. We just so happened to pick, like, it wasn't like the Mikado or whatever, one of these sort of lush, beautiful Italian, sort of romantic Italian Puccini or something. It was like the most intense, murderous German opera of all time.

[Andrew Walsh]

Now I'm really intrigued, though. So is this literally a poster from that production back in 2008 or 2009?

[Luke Burbank]

That is really 2008. I took a picture of it and.

[Andrew Walsh]

Sent it to Jed. Oh, yeah. Can we make that the show pick?

[Luke Burbank]

Absolutely. I'll send it to you as well. But so that was the first thing I noticed. And then. And then the second thing that happened was we went down. I went down to the area where we were going to be interviewing the guys, and what we were going to try to do is Talk to Neil DeGrasse Tyson first and then go film their sound check, which was going to be where they're kind of working out the details of their script and when this is going to happen, and that's going to happen. And then we were going to bring William Shatner down and then talk to him individually. And then we're going to talk to both of them for a few minutes.

[Andrew Walsh]

Now, like the Newlywed Game, find out if they gave the same answer.

[Luke Burbank]

That's right. We got to separate them and then lock them into a story, as I just said the other day, about something else.

[Andrew Walsh]

Did you ask William Shatner what's the weirdest place he ever made whoopee?

[Luke Burbank]

I did, and his answer will shock you. I'm going to just start speaking like Seattle Times headlines. You won't believe what William Shatner said was the weirdest place he'd ever made whoopee.

[Andrew Walsh]

Andrew, you won't believe where this iconic actor said he made whoopi.

[Luke Burbank]

So we get. Eventually we get Neil DeGrasse Tyson down there. He's running a little bit late, and this is like a bit of a stressful day because, like I said, these guys already have a lot going on. Like, they're. It's the day of their show. They've never done this show before.

[Andrew Walsh]

Okay, so this is. It's opening in Seattle.

[Luke Burbank]

It's opening for some random reason. Degrasse Tyson said to me, they picked Seattle because he seems to Be and William Shatner, they both seem to be popular in Seattle for some reason, who knows? So they've never done the show before. So that's kind of like, yeah, this.

[Andrew Walsh]

Is kind of a weird time to get them, huh?

[Luke Burbank]

And so I'm like, how committed to doing this interview are they really gonna be? So turns out, pretty committed. Neil DeGrasse Tyson, super nice, really thoughtful, really jovial, powerful Dr. Hibbard vibes from the Simpsons. Like, he'd be saying something really interesting about astronomy and then he'd break into this, like, very kind of like just boisterous laugh. Like he was a really easy laugh, you know, which was kind of nice just. Cause that puts everybody at ease.

[Andrew Walsh]

Do you know that I booked him on a show like way back before he was the celebrity that he is today, because there were various. Like, I don't know if you would cringe at this, but sort of like pop scientists or very popular scientists. And before he was like a household name, which I think you can argue he is a household name kind of at this point. I remember way back when, you know, I'm not saying he was a nobody. I'm not saying I gave him his start. You know what? Yes, I am. I gave him his start. I taught him everything I knew. Speak your truth. But no, but I remember booking him and he had a book or two out or something. But, you know, he wasn't like. He wasn't like landing the big fish that it would be today to get him on your show.

[Luke Burbank]

I guess he was remarkably nice, which, again, this is a guy who at this point has done a lot of television on his own. Like he was the host of Cosmos, you know, like he took over for Carl Sagan. He's just what I get nervous about when we're interviewing somebody who's already done a ton of TV stuff in their life is that it will be boring to them. And therefore, I said this yesterday on the show that what I know about William Shatner is it's not like getting to be on CBS Sunday Morning is some unbelievable opportunity for him. And the fact of the matter is that excitement is kind of helpful. To use a Star Trek reference, it's sort of the dilithium crystal that runs a lot of these interviews. When the interview subject is excited about it, it goes better than when it's like the last thing they want to be doing an hour before they have to go on stage in front of 3,000 people. So Neil DeGrasse Tyson is great. That's like a total home run. I'm like, okay, phew. Now we go upstairs because they're doing their soundcheck and William Shatner is, first of all, unbelievably vital as a 94 year old. Like, I can't believe it. He is reading this teleprompter. They've got these two teleprompters set up, which just have bullet points on them. It's not a script. It's just because they're gonna kind of talk about their childhood a little bit. They're gonna talk about some science topics, but they wanted to make sure that they were actually, you know, there was a focus to the conversation. And somebody said they wanted to make sure it wasn't like, tbtl.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, interesting.

[Luke Burbank]

I was excited to be mentioned, but hurt that this is the, you know, what you want to avoid.

[Andrew Walsh]

That reminds me of something I saw on TV the other day. It has nothing to do with your story, but was it from one of.

[Luke Burbank]

Your tapes that you're digitizing?

[Andrew Walsh]

Yes. No, I'm sorry, go ahead.

[Luke Burbank]

So it was pretty. He's walking around. William Shatner's walking around in some HOKA sneakers. And like, just like, absolutely no visible mobility or balance issues. Like, at 94, I mean, it was really striking how he was totally fine. Like, he just, he was, he. He looked and behaved like he was maybe 64. I mean, really and truly, like, it was really something. But in that he was also had very specific ideas about how he wanted that they were running. You know, there's somebody who's setting up the teleprompter. And. And he had a really specific way that he wanted the timing on the teleprompter to be written out and the way that he wanted the different notes to be. And I would just say that he was not. But in that moment, it was the. I don't say sabotage. I say sabotage.

[Andrew Walsh]

Bill. Yeah. You're saying it wasn't. You're saying it was. You were saying, like, very exacting, like, I'm gonna be. This is my ass out here. And I need these Very, very direct.

[Luke Burbank]

And very not, like, the way you or I would probably be where you're like, before you ask, can they change the thing you maybe say, like, hey, if it's not a hassle. It just helped me out a lot. If we change this. Cause I'm just worried I'm gonna screw it up if, you know, if it's not written this way, it would be, let's just say, much more direct with the staff and with Neil degrasse Tyson.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, interesting.

[Luke Burbank]

So there was like, some times where. So this was where I started to become very concerned about things, was the show ended with Bill Shatner reading one of his songs. You know, he's putting out these albums still where he does this music still. He's doing that. He's still doing it and he's still doing it that way. He's still Lucy in the sky with diamond singing.

[Andrew Walsh]

He's sort of like taking popular songs, doing it almost spoken word.

[Luke Burbank]

Very much spoken word with.

[Andrew Walsh]

Is it still an orchestral? Sort of.

[Luke Burbank]

In this case, it was a kind of freestyle jazz trumpet.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, yeah. You know, I don't even know if. Now that I say orchestral, I don't know if that was ever a proper description of what he was doing in the 60s.

[Luke Burbank]

But anyway, he had a trumpet guy who had flown up from LA to accompany him.

[Andrew Walsh]

Interesting.

[Luke Burbank]

In the performance of this song, which, again, it'd be much more like spoken word with. I have to say, the trumpet work with Spectacular. It was really nice. But they have him reading on an iPad, so he stepped off the main stage and he's now at the front of the stage where there's a music stand with an iPad and he's doing his song. And I can. The teleprompter. I'm now back on the side stage. I'm watching the teleprompter do their thing.

[Andrew Walsh]

He's talking his song.

[Luke Burbank]

He's talking his song. By the way, we got into that in the interview and it was really interesting, but I was like, why do you do that for your music? He's like, because I can't sing.

[Andrew Walsh]

But he wants to be connected to music.

[Luke Burbank]

He was like, I love music so much, I can't sing. So I have tried to find this other way to get into the musicality of words for myself, but I was, like, kind of proud of him that it wasn't. I didn't, like, offend him by being like, why do you do that that way?

[Andrew Walsh]

And honestly, he's like, well, I like doing it. It brings me something. People pay me to do it. Like, why wouldn't you? I guess.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah, yeah. I mean, he was.

[Andrew Walsh]

Well, pride, I guess. No.

[Luke Burbank]

It'S not my thing. Although I'll just say, not to jump to the end of the story, but it was also how he closed out the night. And I will just say there was something. It's like when you're hanging out with this guy, you kind of just agree informally, I guess, to enter the world that is William Shatner's weird ass. Brain. And I say that with love, that it just kind of. It sort of worked. Like, it was like, well, of course he's doing that, you know, of course he's talking in that way. He talks and the guy's playing.

[Andrew Walsh]

And if you're there to see him, you're in that world.

[Luke Burbank]

It kind of like, it got a standing O. And I don't think it was ironic. I think it was like it somehow worked because you. Again, we had. We had all entered the world of William Shatner's brain for two hours, I believe it. But.

[Andrew Walsh]

But anyway, before we get to that, this is still. You've only interviewed Neil DeGrasse Tyson.

[Luke Burbank]

I had not.

[Andrew Walsh]

Okay. Yep.

[Luke Burbank]

And it's getting. It's getting tense because he's doing his song and the iPad that they provided him freezes.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah. Jeez.

[Luke Burbank]

And I'm like. And I can see, I'm looking at the teleprompter person, and the teleprompter is moving. She is doing it correctly. It's on two of the monitors on stage. The only place it's not is the iPad.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, okay.

[Luke Burbank]

And Shatner is not pleased. He has stopped the whole thing. He's like, this is the nightmare scenario. If this thing stops, it's like, why has it stopped? And I can tell that the teleprompter woman person, I should say, does not. Because she's not seeing the iPad. She doesn't understand. There's a confusion about what's gone wrong. She thinks she's not scrolling it fast enough for him. He's just. It's not even moving on his iPad, but it's moving on other places. So there's a communication. There's a breakdown in communication. And I'm like, I'm not even trying to get into this, but I'm just watching this all kind of.

[Andrew Walsh]

You have eyes on his iPad. You see where the disconnect is. You see that his isn't moving.

[Luke Burbank]

I can tell. And of course, I have to be honest with you, I think I would have maybe ideally I would have been more diplomatic in that moment than Bill Shatner was, but I absolutely agree with him. Because there's nothing that tech people love more than hanging a performer out to dry with an iPad that they're very certain will work.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, right. Is there any reason why? I mean, and I'm just a Mr. Belt and suspenders, as you know, especially when it comes to technology. But I would have a. Just if, worst case scenario, a printout up there as a backup.

[Luke Burbank]

This was it Was killing me, because I wanted to say that, again, it's not my place to interject. And I. And I. Again, at this point, I've still never spoken to William Shatner. I'm just watching all this. I'm like, well, someone needs to print him out the script. Print out the lyrics, put them on the music stand. If the iPad doesn't, by the way, iPad connectivity issues. It was on the wrong WI fi.

[Andrew Walsh]

Or whatever I was gonna say. I bet you it's like a mirrored thing. We don't have to get into it, but I use a tablet so that Genevieve can my computer when we do the commercial podcast, because I want her to have eyes on it, but it's always a janky handshake.

[Luke Burbank]

Something had gone off about it. And all I was thinking was just print the lyrics out for the man. But I mean, this is where. And so eventually, after, there's a lot and people are running around and everyone's like, it's just. It's this moment of tension where I'm like, this is not the best lead in to us sitting down with the dude. And finally, he's like, I just need somebody to print out the lyrics so that if the.

[Andrew Walsh]

He said that?

[Luke Burbank]

Yes. And I was like, I Don't anybody think of that. Like, first of all, it should have been the lyrics have been printed out thing one, just as a backup.

[Andrew Walsh]

Just like, even if you prefer the scrolling, which sounds nicer, bigger font or whatever, you don't want to be holding papers while you're kind of doing something that is performative and musical. Like, that's all fine, but if everything shits the bed, at least you have the papers there. You don't stop in the middle of a performance that closes out your opening.

[Luke Burbank]

Yes. It would have been a very bad scene. And so. And so the funny thing is, the ultimate resolution of the whole thing was he never even ended up with the printout. They just didn't use the iPad. And he stayed on stage because these larger monitors were hardwired so there was no chance of latency or whatever. Right. Again, to skip to the very end of the show, when he got up there to do his song, I was again back in the position of looking over the shoulder of the teleprompter operator.

[Andrew Walsh]

You were more nervous than anybody in the room.

[Luke Burbank]

I have never been more stressed out about the execution of a teleprompter scroll in my life.

[Andrew Walsh]

Something that you had literally no connection to.

[Luke Burbank]

Responsibility. No, Doug, on that flight, I mean, actually, honestly, everything was fine. I'D gotten my interviews in. This was just. I was just like, you know, I.

[Andrew Walsh]

Was just kind of like, you don't want to see Daddy be mad.

[Luke Burbank]

And also, I didn't. The person operating the teleprompter was great at their job. Yeah, they were like. They were really, really good. They're a professional, they're in a union, they know what they're doing. It's like when I'm at CBS in New York and I'm doing one of these commentaries, there's a person whose whole job it is to manage the teleprompter. It's kind of a thing. And this person was great at their job. None of what had happened previously was their fault, but I was just like, please, God, don't let this technology fail in this of all moments. Well, here was where. And I'm sorry, I'm belaboring the story, but they finally. Shatner is mollified that the new plan. Oh, and the other thing was, there was kept these points where Neil would have a suggestion. He'd be like, well, we could all stand over. And Bill would be like, neil, Neil, Neil, let me just work this out. Let me just work this out. So he's, like, wandering around, like, he's pacing around the stage, trying to figure out where he wants to sit.

[Andrew Walsh]

Before, sort of, he was like, but.

[Luke Burbank]

It'S so funny because you could see everyone on stage tiptoeing around, trying to keep William Shatner in a good mood, including Neil, DeGrasse Tyson and, like. And trying to be like. And we just. It just became apparent that we're all sort of. We're all on his time and sort of at his, you know, I guess, what is it? Pleasure or something? It's just like everyone was trying to kind of figure out how to make the situation better. And then eventually he was satisfied that just using the other two teleprompters would be fine. The thing was, our crew had to run downstairs. We're now late, by the way. We're now like 45 minutes late to start your interview with William Shatner. And our crew has now gone from filming all of this to going downstairs to make sure everything is ready to go. So the second that we get him seated, we're talking to him, we're rolling, we're not setting more cameras up. That left me, as the person who was supposed to get William shatner downstairs at McCaw Hall, a thing that was challenging because, A, we'd never met, B, it was unclear if anyone had told him he needed to do this and circumstances. I didn't really know how to get back to the room that we were filming in.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, that's a big one.

[Luke Burbank]

You know, it's like one of those theaters. It's, like, totally Byzantine.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

There's like. It's not on the same floor. Everything kind of looks like loading docky and kind of not like, kind of the same and not specific or whatever.

[Andrew Walsh]

You have a warren, too.

[Luke Burbank]

It's a total warren. And I'm thinking, like, this is where I'm like, I have to get a mildly annoyed William Shatner to come to another location with me that I may not be able to find.

[Andrew Walsh]

And he keeps saying, what's in this room? And you keep saying, don't open that door.

[Luke Burbank]

Exactly. So amazingly, he steps off stage, and I say, hey, hey, I'm Luke Burbank from cbs. I think I might even said, I'm Luke Burbank. And he says, are you from cbs?

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, okay. So he knew somebody had told him, good, good.

[Luke Burbank]

And I said, I am. And he said, I think I'm supposed to come with you. And I said, yes. And we started walking towards the elevator. And he said, this place is great. I love the acoustics. And I said, are you an opera fan? He goes, oh, I'm so. You know, I admire opera. Just so jovial. So nice.

[Andrew Walsh]

Did you say we saved opera in Seattle?

[Luke Burbank]

Are you familiar with Bluebeard's Castle? I told him that story, by the way.

[Andrew Walsh]

That's fun.

[Luke Burbank]

I literally said, I go, I used to do a radio show. And we did. And we came here, we sold a bunch of tickets to come to the opera. And it was this weird opera called Bluebeard's Castle. And he's, like, listening. He's actually, like, engaged in the conversation. We get to the correct elevator, we get to the where we're gonna do the interview, and he was just as engaged and nice, thoughtful to the crew. To me, like, he. There was like, you know, and again, maybe this is the two sides of him. Maybe one is when he's recording voiceovers, they're telling him to say sabotage differently. Maybe this is him just being extra on. But he was so engaged in the conversation, I found it actually really amazing. And we just talked for, like, so long, to the point where I was like, all right, well, thank you so much. We need to, like, bring in Neil DeGrasse Tyson so that we can do the next part. Because you need to go, like, you need to go, like, sit down for a while. Like, you're 94 years old, you are about to go on stage for two hours. That's where you need to have the energy.

[Andrew Walsh]

But you need Neil DeGrasse Tyson to come in and join him though, together.

[Luke Burbank]

So we wanted to do separate, end together.

[Andrew Walsh]

But you've already done Neil, now it's him. So one last, one last piece.

[Luke Burbank]

And I'm like, well, this is maybe where we're gonna lose him. Because again, both of them, it's like we're going into like almost hour two of all of this with them because they've each talked to us for 45 minutes now it's like, now you're together. And I could just see, I would have been unsurprised if both of them were like, well, we both did it, we did an interview. Now we got to do an interview to get like, what is this? Why does this keep going? I'll tell you one thing that was very interesting about working, I guess we could say working with William Shatner was as soon as he sat down in the chair at the very first thing that happened was he goes, is there a one shot? Where's my camera? Where's my one? And he immediately identified what his camera was, so he knew where his action was. Although we actually don't really want that, to be honest. We don't want the person I'm interviewing staring into the camera. It's unsettling.

[Andrew Walsh]

It's not a talk show, it's not.

[Luke Burbank]

Johnny Carson, but he wanted to know where it was.

[Andrew Walsh]

He wants to mug.

[Luke Burbank]

So he knows what he's playing to, but he's also smart enough to know that that's not. He was total eye contact with me the whole time. I thought what was kind of interesting was, I mean, he would, he was totally happy to talk about literally anything. But the thing, the bait that he wouldn't take very much was how he is freakishly vital for being 94 years old. Like, it is. I've never experienced anything. Like, I've never. I mean, I don't know how many 94 year old people I've met in my life. I've never met a person who is that old, who is as unaffected by age as he appears to be. Like, it's just totally. And I would bring it up and he would just kind of laugh and kind of like move on to another topic. Like, he didn't seem to have a lot. Like, he didn't have a lot of thoughts on how this is, how this has been going for him. I guess he's just living his life.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

But like, I was like, you know, are you going back to LA tomorrow? Oh, no, I got another gig here. He's going to a Comic Con today.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, really?

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah. And he.

[Andrew Walsh]

Where's a Comic con today? In Seattle. That would have. I mean, that is the biggest.

[Luke Burbank]

Seems like the biggest gift. I think maybe he said it might be on the east side. Is it over in Bellevue or something interesting. But, like, so he was great. Neil. Degrasse Tyson was really nice. They were both just, like, totally, like. I keep using the word engaged, but I just. Like, that's what you're hoping for, is that the person you're interviewing is actually kind of listening and taking it seriously and whatever. So they go up, they do the show. It's a big hit. The crowd loves it. He does his song. The. The teleprompter does not freeze the standing ovation. And then they, like. They come off stage and I'm, like, eating. I'm like, horfing down a sandwich backstage for some reason, because they had free sandwiches and I was really hungry by like, nine at night. And they just get off stage and they're just like, buzzing. Like, he's all excited. Degrasse Tyson. They're like. I am like. I mean, he's like, hey, I really like that one part worked well. We should cut that other part. We did, like. I was like, this guy. Don't quit.

[Andrew Walsh]

And just to be very clear, though, you got the two of them to sit down together before the show or you're getting him out?

[Luke Burbank]

No, no, no.

[Andrew Walsh]

And that all went well. Nothing to remark on there. Just.

[Luke Burbank]

No, you mean the show or the.

[Andrew Walsh]

Two of them sit down with the two of them?

[Luke Burbank]

Two of them was. Well, it went great.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, they were.

[Luke Burbank]

It was another 40. To the point where. To the point where we were now keeping them. I couldn't get them to leave, and I knew that they had to go do, like, the local Seattle tv. They had to go.

[Andrew Walsh]

Like they're worried about their schedule.

[Luke Burbank]

Well, because there was. The guy running the whole thing was standing in the back corner of this theater we were filming in, which wasn't the main theater. We're in a different, smaller one. And he was up there because he was getting grief from local Seattle television who had set up their whole thing they were gonna get to do a little quick hit with.

[Andrew Walsh]

Did he have half a mask in a. In a cape by any chance? Was he.

[Luke Burbank]

He did. He kept crying about some chick.

[Andrew Walsh]

He seemed very Handsome dame.

[Luke Burbank]

He was very. Seemed kind of depressed. But anyway. And so it. Yeah, so the sitting down with the two of them went well, but I just couldn't believe with. With Neil DeGrasse Tyson, who is older than me but not 94, it's one thing, but I just couldn't believe this Shatner dude. Like, if I was his age and I had just had the day that he had just doing the interviews with us, doing the local TV interviews, doing the rehearsal for the show, doing the show. Like, if, when I'm done with Livewire, which is, I think a much more chill day for me than the day that that 94 year old guy had, I'm just like, I am so when I walk off that little stage, I am so kind of out of energy. I'm so like, if I was William Shatner, I would have been like James Brown, like, throw a cape over me and hustle me out of there, hustle me out of the building, right? He just was like, totally, like he appeared that he. Like, then they're walking by and they're like, what'd you think?

[Andrew Walsh]

But the first time you've been doing Livewire for. Let's not even count the years yet, please, you'd be shocked by that. But I'm sure when you first did Livewire, when you first did a TBTL live on stage or whatever, you were probably buzzing like crazy, right? Like, you were like, probably. You do Livewire so often now that it has become a bit of a. It's just grim years.

[Luke Burbank]

It's just.

[Andrew Walsh]

Did you ask Shatner if he brought back clay Art disease or whatever it's called from space?

[Luke Burbank]

I forgot. I forgot. I forgot I was supposed to ask him that. I forgot I was supposed to ask him about. I forgot I was supposed to ask him about sabotage. I could have.

[Andrew Walsh]

I'm glad you didn't. I just don't think that. I feel like that would have been just so wedged. And listen, I'm not like trying to protect him from anything. He sounds like a guy who knows when he. He sounds very professional in a certain way. But he also sounds like if the camera is not on him, he's not afraid to be a bit of an asshole to people who maybe it seems like, doesn't have to be nice to. Because not on camera or whatever. Like, I'm not trying to defend him or protect him from your investigative journalism regarding Sabotage the System, but it just seems like it would have to be a. It seems like it would be really. The conversation would not naturally go in that direction.

[Luke Burbank]

No. But what I wish I would have done, because he was so he was so, like, not. Because my worry about him was that he was the kind of guy that if you said one wrong thing to him, he would just get mad and, like, quit the interview or become, like, kind of like, you know, a little acerbic or something.

[Andrew Walsh]

But if the cameras are rolling, I think he's smart enough to know that that would be.

[Luke Burbank]

But he was on camera, off camera, like, no different.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah. Okay.

[Luke Burbank]

That's all of the 15 minutes that I got to talk to him, you know, walking down in the elevator. So who knows? Yeah, maybe. Maybe he has his. Like, this is the guy from. I'm in a suit, by the way, which I don't usually wear for the shoots. I'm, like, kind of all dressed up. So he's like, you know, maybe he goes into the mode as soon as he identifies it. He's now in the orbit of. So to speak, the orbit of this TV thing happening. Maybe if I'm just, you know, somebody who's working on the crew there on the stage.

[Andrew Walsh]

If you're the iPad man.

[Luke Burbank]

If I'm the iPad person, maybe that's a different vibe. I don't know. But what would have been kind of entertaining, just because of the lore of tbtl, this would have never made it in the TV piece was because we had so much downtime. Because what happened was, after our solo interview ended, we had to go find Neil DeGrasse Tyson and bring him in. There was, like, 20 minutes where me and Shatner are talking. We're not filming, just wandering around. No, we're just sitting in our chairs.

[Andrew Walsh]

Somebody else is looking for it.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah, somebody else is retrieving him. And we're just like. We're just. Literally just. We have nowhere to be. And I was like, do you want to wait here? He goes. The more he goes. The more I sit, the better I feel. Yeah, I'm like, you and me both, brother. But, like, I could have really asked him. I feel confident. I could have said, like, okay, listen, I gotta ask you a question. Like, just out of personal curiosity, I've been obsessed with that tape of you saying sabotage versus sabotage. Like, what happened with that? What's your memory? He would have told me. And just, like, on a personal basis, off camera, that would have just been like.

[Andrew Walsh]

It would have salted him at all.

[Luke Burbank]

I don't think so. It would have been like. Just like, again, having played that tape a million times on our show, it would have just been funny to get his perspective.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, that's true. And you feel like you could have gotten away with it, but you just couldn't quite bring yourself to it.

[Luke Burbank]

I just forgot about it. Oh, you forgot because I was also trying to. I was trying to.

[Andrew Walsh]

To do your job.

[Luke Burbank]

Steer the questions towards things we could use, you know, for the TV piece or whatever. But, like, anyway, the reason I said that your voice was. Was in my ears was because you said yesterday, hey, Luke, I think it's gonna go better than you're expecting because they're gonna be very excited to promote this thing they're doing.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

And that you're gonna be kind of like, buzzing when you're done with it or whatever. And you're absolutely right.

[Andrew Walsh]

Look at that.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah.

[Andrew Walsh]

I get to be right. You get to have a good interview.

[Luke Burbank]

Everybody. Everybody wins.

[Andrew Walsh]

Everybody wins. I'm glad to hear that. That's really good. Yeah, That's a good story.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah. It was a fun. It was a. It was a fun evening.

[Andrew Walsh]

There's a right way to rock and a wrong way to roll. You can't just listen to your song.

[Luke Burbank]

Just remember that life is number one.

[Andrew Walsh]

You can be having so much fun.

[Luke Burbank]

Just remember the day.

[Andrew Walsh]

Life is much fun. You can be nothing but I'll say. What's up, Joe? Nice. Old school.

[Luke Burbank]

Love it.

[Andrew Walsh]

Analog.

[Luke Burbank]

These things are cool, man.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, I know.

[Luke Burbank]

They really are.

[Andrew Walsh]

That's the old TB tail sound machine there. I got just a few blurs days today, Luke. Not too many. These are people wishing other people a happy birthday or sometimes times themselves a happy birthday. If you want to submit one of these, email me. AndrewBtl.net is the email address. But blursday in the subject line. Sarah says, oh, this is my pal Sarah here in Seattle. Oh, that's on the.

[Luke Burbank]

I saw a rocket ship. And I was like, what are the.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, you should have taken that.

[Luke Burbank]

Oh, snap. Yeah, I should have.

[Andrew Walsh]

I didn't even remember that that's on there.

[Luke Burbank]

Sabotage and system.

[Andrew Walsh]

Of course we. I remember the people. At 8pm we had to, like, sort of like, not. They're like, you have. You have clearance for all this, right? We're like, yeah, yeah, of course we have clearance for all this. Are you kidding me? Our buddy Sarah says, happy birthday to Lucinda. Hope your day is full of cat and dog cuddles, great music, and overall strong vibes. Happy blurs day, Lucinda.

[Luke Burbank]

Can I take one of these?

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, of course. We got Shep Smith. Of course. He signed off on. Ethan says, I'd like to wish a very happy blursday to my five Natalie. Natalie brings joy wherever she goes and can Dazzle anyone with her many facts about sharks.

[Luke Burbank]

Do we have a shark? We have this.

[Andrew Walsh]

That's a tuna, bro. Perfect. She can identify. That's not a shark. That was actually tape of Natalie after you called something a shark.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah. And she was like, I'm sorry but I have to clip tuna, bro.

[Andrew Walsh]

She continues to be an amazing big sister and we all love her very much. That sounds wonderful. Happy birthday, Natalie. Hope you got some good shark related stuff. Gotta wait for this one.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah.

[Andrew Walsh]

Kristen says Happy blurs to my sister Emily, AKA Sancho. I'm so.

[Luke Burbank]

I was drunk. I drank eight beers yesterday.

[Andrew Walsh]

That was all I drank. So good. I'm so lucky that you are my one and only and I love you so. You are one of the best people I have ever and will ever know. I couldn't have more admiration for you or for the way you live your life and I'm so grateful for you. Happy blursday to Emily.

[Luke Burbank]

Oh, that's a. I see. That's a marsupial.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, is it a little kangaroo?

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah, because that's the marsupial gurgle. I have to say I'm. I am so proud of this sound machine and like the little. The little icons that we came up with to represent. Like what this one, I'm.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh yeah, Cisco. I remember.

[Luke Burbank]

That's a flower.

[Andrew Walsh]

I remember him signing that release.

[Luke Burbank]

Uh huh.

[Andrew Walsh]

And finally, Jake in Chicago says Happy 34th Blursday to my beautiful wife Ariel. I'm so. I. You know there's. I'm pretty sure it's Arielle, not Ariel. I was so. I am so excited to go on our honeymoon with you. I want to make something clear here. That was me questioning how to say Jake's wife's name. It wasn't Jake. Jake has it locked in.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah, no, he's at this point.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah. I just apologize.

[Luke Burbank]

It took him a few months, but at this point.

[Andrew Walsh]

I think I've gotten that wrong before. But Jake says, I'm so excited to go on our honeymoon with you this week and celebrate one whole year of marriage. I love you. Well, happy blursay Ariel. Hope you guys have a fun begin. Exactly. Enjoy that a honeymoon delayed is a honeymoon enjoyed. Love this, love that. I'm happy for you guys. Sounds like things are going really great. Don't miss the sausage fest. There you go.

[Luke Burbank]

I'm not trying to tell you how to live your life, Jake.

[Andrew Walsh]

Just say it.

[Luke Burbank]

Just say it. Just put it out there. Man, this thing, this is. Boy, absence has really made the heart grow fonder.

[Andrew Walsh]

Take that one I know I have a couple more buried deep in a closet somewhere that we keep for.

[Luke Burbank]

Theoretically, I could even change the battery if and when that runs down.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, that's the thing. I got one here that the battery is dead on, but it's got a tiny. You just get one of those little tiny glasses, screwdrivers. I'll bet you you have one of those.

[Luke Burbank]

I do, because. Hey, look, my watch, you know?

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, that looks.

[Luke Burbank]

It's doing the same thing again.

[Andrew Walsh]

It's breaking again. See the one they replaced? Yes.

[Luke Burbank]

See this arm? I was trying to describe this to you over the Internet connection, but now you can see it IRL what the problem is.

[Andrew Walsh]

These little things, the tine sort of.

[Luke Burbank]

They get loose, and then this gets wobbly.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

And then it doesn't. It doesn't quite contain or keep the watch band off.

[Andrew Walsh]

So the band keeps slipping off.

[Luke Burbank]

It hasn't slipped off yet, but it's in danger of it. And I'm, like, constantly futzing with it.

[Andrew Walsh]

And again, you never sent your old one back, right?

[Luke Burbank]

No, I still have the old one. My question to you is, do you have a little, tiny screwdriver?

[Andrew Walsh]

You have a screwdriver? Maybe. I'll have to check after that. I used to have one because I had some glasses that needed tightening all the time, and I used to carry it in my backpack. And you know how I had, like, emergency supplies in my backpack all the time? A phone charger and all that. And I'm looking through my. I don't know if you can hear that, but, yeah, I might have lost that. But we can check in with Genevieve, too, since you guys are shirt pals now. I don't even know if you need me for that, to be honest with you.

[Luke Burbank]

We have a whole system that we're working on now.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, you know what I should do? This is gonna take me, like, about two seconds to dial this up, but not too long. Yesterday we had dazzling donor Sarah mention her newest. Her newest musical project, Right?

[Luke Burbank]

Oh, yeah.

[Andrew Walsh]

And I was gonna play a song. It's Ravenna Lux. I was so. I was kind of stalling there because I couldn't remember Ravenna Lux. If people want to check out Sarah's latest endeavors, go to ravenalux.com and there's a song here. And I never even checked with Sarah to make sure this is okay, but I think shining a light on a beautiful song made by A10 shared with other tens, I think we can all get on board with that. Absolutely. This is a song called Annihilation which sounds. This is a song called Annihilation. Yeah, Sarah.

[Luke Burbank]

I gotta talk to Sarah because this is.

[Andrew Walsh]

Sounds familiar.

[Luke Burbank]

You may not realize this, but you have accidentally recreated Tim Heidek for.

[Andrew Walsh]

That would be amazing. This starts off very ethereal and very beautiful. I'm going to get it playing behind us here and then we'll go out with this today. What do you think?

[Luke Burbank]

I'm still haunted by dreams of you about the way I change it the.

[Andrew Walsh]

Way I'd rearrange it if I could Is this not beautiful?

[Luke Burbank]

Amazing.

[Andrew Walsh]

Step into the past.

[Luke Burbank]

Stop myself from ripping out our hearts Just to see the blood but there's no going back no way to save us Our slow.

[Andrew Walsh]

Motion all right, what do you say, Luke?

[Luke Burbank]

Dig it. This is really, really good, isn't it?

[Andrew Walsh]

Amazing.

[Luke Burbank]

And it sounds like if I remember the conversation from yesterday, that she would be open to some collaboration.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, I think so. I'll reread this. It says if you're in Portland and are a musician and don't mind hanging out with a middle aged mom, type please. By the way, Sarah just turned 40. She said in her message, Check out ravenalux.com and send me a note if you'd like to join forces. My 40th year goal is to get back into music and I'll tell you, sounds like you're back into music. This is incredible.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah, no, that's really good. I mean the singing, the music and the production. Yeah, this is legit.

[Andrew Walsh]

It's incredible.

[Luke Burbank]

All right, Ravenna Lux. All right, that's gonna do it for today's episode of tbtl. But guess what? We have got another edition of this imaginary radio coming your way tomorrow. Including clue number five. That's right in the great TBTL Billboard hunt.

[Andrew Walsh]

The final clue. The final clue.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah. So definitely join us for that. In the meantime, have a great Thursday. Take care of yourselves. And please remember, no mountain too tall.

[Andrew Walsh]

And good. Good luck to all. Ha.