#4495 What You’re Seeing Is A Bad Clue

Summary

Podcast Summary: TBTL Episode #4495 – "What You’re Seeing Is A Bad Clue"

Release Date: June 24, 2025

In episode #4495 of TBTL: Too Beautiful To Live, hosts Luke Burbank and Andrew Walsh delve into a vibrant mix of discussions, from community engagement through their billboard contest to their upcoming TBTL a-thon event in Friendship, Wisconsin. The episode is a blend of humor, heartfelt moments, and lively banter, encapsulating the essence of the TBTL show.

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1. TBTL Billboard Contest

The episode kicks off with an exciting update on the TBTL Billboard Hunt, culminating in the revelation of the billboard's location and announcing the contest winner.

• Contest Overview & Engagement:

  Luke shares the overwhelming response to the billboard contest:

  "[02:10] Luke Burbank: I'd say in the ballpark of 450 or so. And so that includes people, some people making, you know, several, you know, guests every week."

  Andrew emphasizes the high level of listener participation:

  "[10:36] Andrew Walsh: Huge engagement, huge."

• Clues and Deduction:

  The hosts reflect on the effectiveness of the clues provided over the past five weeks, noting that once all clues were available, listeners quickly pinpointed the location:

  "[11:02] John Sklaroff: We had a plan. We knew what we were doing."

  Notable clues included:

  • "Somewhere in America"
  • "Bugging you" (connecting to Badgers)
  • "We hitchhiked near"

  These led to numerous guesses such as Independence, Mountain, Luck, and Random Lake, with Friendship, Wisconsin emerging as the correct answer.

• Winner Announcement:

  The first correct guess came from Lisa in Chicago, who identified the location as Friendship, Wisconsin:

  "[22:10] Luke Burbank: The winner is Lisa in Chicago. Who is the first to guess. Friendship, Wisconsin."

  Andrew humorously expresses his surprise:

  "[22:24] Andrew Walsh: Wow. Friendship, Wisconsin. Why am I surprised by this?"

• Billboard Reveal:

  John Sklaroff shares the existence of the billboard in the real world:

  "[22:52] John Sklaroff: It wasn't that expensive. We again, big, big part of this was finding a billboard we could afford."

  He adds photographs of the billboard will be featured in the upcoming newsletter:

  "[23:11] John Sklaroff: They're going in the newsletter, which I'm sending out tomorrow morning."

---

2. Announcing the TBTL A-Thon in Friendship, Wisconsin

With the billboard contest concluded, the hosts transition to announcing their TBTL a-thon, an event centered in Friendship, Wisconsin.

• Event Details:

  Andrew outlines the plan to broadcast live from the Friendship Wisconsin Historical Society:

  "[25:20] Andrew Walsh: The reason that we have the billboard in Friendship, Wisconsin is because that is also where we are doing the TBTL a-thon from this year."

  They plan to engage listeners through live broadcasts and a community picnic:

  "[26:16] Luke Burbank: It's July 25th."
  "[26:43] Andrew Walsh: So we will be broadcasting from Friendship, Wisconsin in July, all week from the Friendship Historical Society and then having a get together, a picnic."

• Listener Participation:

  The hosts encourage listeners to attend and participate, highlighting the inclusive nature of the event:

  "[27:22] Luke Burbank: And the newsletter will also eventually contain more information about the event on the."
  "[31:11] Andrew Walsh: I think you mean bug."
  "[31:24] Andrew Walsh: That's right."

• Community Engagement:

  John discusses interactions with the local community and historical insights about Friendship, Wisconsin, reinforcing the show's emphasis on friendship as a core value:

  "[33:23] Andrew Walsh: Like, I've been talking to Michael over there. He's been bringing me up to speed on some of the history of Friendship, Wisconsin..."

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3. Mayonnaise Tasting Adventure

In a delightful detour, the hosts share their experiences with gourmet mayonnaise, adding a flavorful twist to the episode.

• Andrew’s Mayonnaise Exploration:

  Andrew recounts his recent mayonnaise tasting session with chef Molly Boz:

  "[52:03] Andrew Walsh: So the first thing is the mayonnaise was delicious, and it was almost not mayonnaise. Y. It was more sauce."

• Discussion on Mayonnaise Varieties:

  They discuss the nuances of different mayonnaise types, including infused flavors like dill pickle and mustard:

  "[53:19] Andrew Walsh: So she has one that's like, it's like 60% mayonnaise, but then it's like 40% that like peppers and stuff."

• Personal Reflections:

  John shares his evolving perspective on mayonnaise, transitioning from disdain to appreciation:

  "[55:14] John Sklaroff: It's, it's, the, like, condiment a lot of people would like it."
  "[55:56] John Sklaroff: That's true."

---

4. Mariners Game Recap and Ballpark Banter

The conversation shifts to a spirited discussion about a recent Seattle Mariners game, focusing on player performances and game outcomes.

• Player Highlights:

  John lauds Donovan Solano's impressive performance:

  "[66:53] John Sklaroff: His name is Rowdy. Right."
  "[72:11] John Sklaroff: Donovan Solano started that game at 182..."

  Andrew expresses admiration for Solano's turnaround:

  "[71:28] Andrew Walsh: Is it the cream or the clear that Dominic Canzone is on?"
  "[71:46] John Sklaroff: I want, I, I just was like,"

• Host Reactions:

  The hosts share their personal connections and emotional responses to the game’s events:

  "[67:38] John Sklaroff: Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah."
  "[73:09] Andrew Walsh: And I was like, if we were doing this yesterday, you literally don't have a Donovan Canzone highlight to play."

• Sports Insights:

  They touch upon broadcasting practices and performance analysis, showcasing their playful yet informed approach to sports commentary:

  "[74:33] Luke Burbank: You did not get Donny photos..."
  "[75:26] Andrew Walsh: If you do not subscribe to the newsletter to get the Billboard art, subscribe next week to get Andrew's."

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5. Final Thoughts and Wrap-Up

As the episode nears its conclusion, the hosts reflect on the success of their initiatives and express gratitude towards their listeners.

• Appreciation for Listener Support:

  Andrew acknowledges the pivotal role of listeners in sustaining the show:

  "[46:42] Luke Burbank: But, like, especially in this moment where public media is just, like, really going through it..."
  "[47:23] John Sklaroff: Exactly. And this is a pretty secret. Yeah."

• Upcoming Announcements:

  Luke hints at future content and merchandise opportunities, maintaining anticipation among the audience:

  "[75:41] Andrew Walsh: We did it, folks. We announced everything related to the Billboard and the thon."
  "[77:25] Andrew Walsh: Am I bugging you? No. Means I bug you."

---

Notable Quotes

• Luke Burbank on Friendship as a Core Value:

  "[29:39] John Sklaroff: Exactly. And this is a pretty secret."

• Andrew Walsh on the Success of the Billboard Contest:

  "[11:04] John Sklaroff: From literally buying the billboard and setting up this whole ridiculous plan..."

• John Sklaroff on Listener Engagement:

  "[16:01] Andrew Walsh: Bugging is badgering. And it's in the badger state. That's why it was clue number two."

• Andrew Walsh on Personal Growth and Gratitude:

  "[30:56] Luke Burbank: Can I just real quick say again about the 25th? Like, save the date if you think it can make it."

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Conclusion

Episode #4495 of TBTL: Too Beautiful To Live offers a rich tapestry of topics, seamlessly blending community engagement through the billboard contest and the forthcoming a-thon with personal anecdotes and light-hearted discussions. Luke and Andrew's genuine interactions and listener-focused initiatives underscore the show's commitment to fostering friendship and collective experiences.

For those eager to participate or learn more, subscribing to the TBTL newsletter is encouraged to stay updated on upcoming events and exclusive content.

Transcript

[Luke Burbank]

You are a precious beast going about the work that you have. Chomping on little bugs in a grass. Look at you go, just one after the other. Chomping, chomping, chomping. You are a happy little guy. It makes me happy. I'm so glad you're here. So glad I'm here. What a gift it is to be alive. If you weren't scared of me, I would. I'd try to be your friend. But you probably are good. You go tbtm.

[Andrew Walsh]

Excuse me, who even are you, type A?

[Luke Burbank]

I'm not comfortable caring and serious about our relationship. I am.

[John Sklaroff]

We do not know each other. This is all happening so fast.

[Luke Burbank]

Can I get pregnant from this?

[John Sklaroff]

The backstory for that one I thought was like, you crazy frat brother.

[Andrew Walsh]

I keep hearing you say when you.

[John Sklaroff]

Do the snort laugh, that you gotta.

[Andrew Walsh]

Stop doing the snort laugh.

[John Sklaroff]

And I don't want you to stop doing the snort laugh.

[Andrew Walsh]

I love the snort laugh. It's a laugh.

[John Sklaroff]

I love all the laughs.

[Andrew Walsh]

Mom, it's not real. It's a jib jab.

[John Sklaroff]

Let's the filibustering begin.

[Andrew Walsh]

Well, all right. Hello, good morning and welcome, everyone, to a Tuesday edition of tbtl, the show that just might be too beautiful to live. It's a waste of time to do that. My name is Luke Burbank. I am your host. Please clap. Coming to you from Sunset and Wilcox here in Hollywoo, California, where it is. It's actually the June gloom got us today, my friends. Cloud fog. I know a lot of people were wondering, yesterday we escaped it. Today we could not escape it. It's happening and we're just gonna have to deal with it here on episode 4495 in a collector's series, Let the fun Begin. Spent a good portion of yesterday sampling various mayonnaise recipes. Oh, my God. That's so crazy.

[Luke Burbank]

Why?

[Andrew Walsh]

And I've got a full report for all of you. Also, we have an update in the great TBTL billboard hunt, and that is that we have a winner. We will today crown a winner. Somebody guessed the correct place in America, let's be honest, in Wisconsin, where there is a TBTL billboard. And we want to honor that person and tell you some fun stuff about the TBTL a thon. And here to help us with all of that is this guy, longest running cobra of the show, maybe best known for his depictions of the tall ships. The man who brought the rock and.

[John Sklaroff]

Roll edge to the eagles.

[Andrew Walsh]

He is Andrew Walsh, and he's joining me right now. Good morning, my friend.

[John Sklaroff]

Good morning, Luke. I just want to say this is sincere, by the way, and this isn't a build up to a stupid and stupid Andrew joke, as you call them.

[Andrew Walsh]

Let's, you know what, let's not be negative about my friend Andrew this early on.

[John Sklaroff]

I love that this is your front facing, Luke. In meetings you call them the stupid Andrew jokes all the time. You're like, I'm sick of carving out time.

[Andrew Walsh]

Stupid Andrew jokes, inward facing. And what we're doing right now is outward facing.

[John Sklaroff]

Okay. I'm just saying we need to be more transparent about your cruelty. But no, I'm excited to talk about this billboard and the big reveal today because the truth of the matter is I've been so focused on some of the details of it and we have. I mean, from literally buying the billboard and setting up this whole ridiculous plan and coming up with the clues with John gets most of the credit for. But like, I think sometimes I lose sight of how it's actually affecting people, affecting our listeners. And I have now had the opportunity.

[Andrew Walsh]

I think, impact on the American public.

[John Sklaroff]

I had. I got a text from a friend who's a listener who is like, I don't even want to give away your text. It was for private. But she was like hinting around so hard at what the place was and was trying to trick me to like, tell her where it is. And then I was hanging out with Uber Jen last night and I gave her some details on it. And I'm not going to lie to you, I hope this is okay. I broke protocol. I told her. I revealed to her the whole thing behind the Bono clue. And, and the look on her face, it was like it became dark, the darkness on the face. She's like, that's not a clue. That's not a clue. What did you do to us? And I forgot we're dealing with real emotions here. And now today is the day.

[Andrew Walsh]

Is it possible that everyone who's not you and me, and maybe, by the way, our friend John Sklaroff, TBTL employee numero uno, he was king of the tuk tuk sound, is also joining us right now.

[John Sklaroff]

Hey, John, I'm unmute.

[Luke Burbank]

Hey, how's it going?

[John Sklaroff]

Hey, John.

[Andrew Walsh]

Is it possible, John, is it possible that only Andrew and me, I don't even know where you stand on this thought that that Bono thing was a good clue. Oh, don't you dare drag Genevieve didn't like it.

[John Sklaroff]

Oh, don't you dare drag me into this.

[Andrew Walsh]

You remember I said, who's your idea? What do you mean it was.

[John Sklaroff]

This is exactly how it went down. I said during a meeting, this is not a good idea. This is just a type of.

[Andrew Walsh]

It's a great idea.

[John Sklaroff]

I said this is the type. Because I do that a lot in meetings. You guys have back on this, I will say, like, this isn't the idea. It's just an idea like that we should think about things in this way. And I remember specifically saying this. This Bono idea is not a good idea. But let's just maybe start it to see if it spurs any better ideas. I threw it out there. And Luke, you said, no, that is it. That's the clue. No notes.

[Andrew Walsh]

I stand by that, by the way. I think. But what I'm hearing is when civilians. When it is revealed to like your normal American, non TBTL employee.

[John Sklaroff]

Yes.

[Andrew Walsh]

What the nature of that clue is. It's universally negative. The response.

[John Sklaroff]

Yeah.

[Andrew Walsh]

Because I'm starting to think I might have been wrong.

[John Sklaroff]

The thing about clues is they're supposed to be helpful, not hurtful.

[Andrew Walsh]

What you're seeing is a bad clue. Stop the tape. I have to say though, like, and you know, peace and love to Uber Jen and Genevieve. Who by the way, did Genevieve tell you about the text that I sent her yesterday, Andrew?

[John Sklaroff]

No.

[Andrew Walsh]

Interesting.

[John Sklaroff]

What are you guys texting about?

[Andrew Walsh]

Maybe I'm just. Maybe I'm adding to the pain about that shirt that she hand forged.

[John Sklaroff]

Oh yeah.

[Andrew Walsh]

And the fact that it didn't turn out to fit you. Do you know that I have not stopped wearing that shirt for up to four days, including yesterday on a television shoot? While I was eating the mayonnaise, I was wearing the shirt that Genevieve made. And it was complimented. I was complimented on it by not only the producer of the story, who's a very stylish young person, probably maybe in their late twenties, but then the very stylish influencer people who were there, including hair and makeup, all complimented the shirt.

[John Sklaroff]

These are TV people. What did Jane Paul say?

[Andrew Walsh]

These are telling. I mean, this is the kind of thing that can make somebody this. What does he say in the jerk when his name's in the phone?

[John Sklaroff]

This is the type of thing, your name in print that can really make somebody.

[Andrew Walsh]

I mean, like, I'm obsessed with the shirt. Sorry, John.

[Luke Burbank]

No, no, don't be sorry, Andrew. Is it. Is mayonnaise on your like do not fly list? Is that what your food foible?

[John Sklaroff]

Well, does that make it traditional?

[Luke Burbank]

Does that make it extra. More of a betrayal that he's doing.

[Andrew Walsh]

It while eating, Wearing the shirt whilst eating Mayonnaise?

[John Sklaroff]

No, I'm fine with all that. I'm actually very excited because I know that Genevieve worked. Really. I'm now just not being funny, and I'm just being earnest. But no, Genevieve worked really, really hard on that and was disappointed that it didn't fit me. And it's a. It's, as we say, it's a beautiful shirt. It's a beautiful thing do with a beautiful shirt. Yeah. And we were talking about different people that it would fit, and I just don't think a lot of the. The people we came up with first would have fit. And then when you were coming over the other day, Luke, just a reminder, it was my idea. Now this one I will take credit for. I'm like, oh, I. It'll probably fit Luke. Cause he's got a weird body.

[Andrew Walsh]

He's got weirdly small arms, unlike my brawny arms that defy even this bit complex. We did this.

[John Sklaroff]

I forgot. Yes.

[Andrew Walsh]

You know, we did this at Christmas. Okay. No, I'm obs. I am. I am totally obsessed with this shirt to the degree that. Okay, so on Sunday, Adelaide and I were hanging out at the pool. I wore the shirt because it's kind of. It's a little larger on me, but it's comfortable for, like being at the swimming pool. And then I got up Monday morning and I realized I want to wear the shirt again. But it's now starting to, you know, sort of smell like I've been wearing it multiple days. I. Dave Ross, did Andrew, you watched Dave Rossing? It is. I washed in the sink. With your armpits of the shirt in the sink. I hung it to dry, and then it was still a little damp, and I wore it to the shoot. And what I sent Genevieve were what we call production shots. They were pictures of me under the. Under the lights of the TV cameras wearing the shirt while I tasted mayonnaise.

[John Sklaroff]

I bet you those lights are nice. Is that like the primo. Very flattering selfies.

[Andrew Walsh]

Extremely flattering.

[John Sklaroff]

Yeah.

[Andrew Walsh]

It's all kind of yellowish. And, you know, there's a. The camera person has put a lot of thought into getting, I think, what the term they use is. It makes me look human.

[John Sklaroff]

Oh, okay.

[Andrew Walsh]

They use the lighting just right.

[John Sklaroff]

Yeah. That's an expensive.

[Andrew Walsh]

Almost like I'm a human.

[John Sklaroff]

That's great. Well, I'm glad you're enjoying it. I did notice that you were wearing it when we recorded the show.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yes, I wondered if you would notice that yesterday.

[John Sklaroff]

Yeah, it looked good. It looked good. All right, now. Okay, now I'm not trying to get back to where we. But I know that people are on pins and needles here about this billboard that we've put up somewhere in the United States. We even said, I believe last week that we admitted it's in Wisconsin, but we're still waiting.

[Andrew Walsh]

Pretty loaded. We confessed.

[John Sklaroff]

We confess.

[Andrew Walsh]

Where is it? Under cross examination, we had no choice but to admit it's in Wisconsin.

[John Sklaroff]

The waterboarding seemed like much extra. I'm just setting you up for success here, John. Okay, so we were leading with waterboarding. Thank you. So for the past five weeks, you have been collecting clues. We were looking for the name of a city, a town, a village, a township, something like that, where this billboard is. And you have received about how many responses?

[Luke Burbank]

I'd say in the ballpark of 450 or so. And so that includes people, some people making, you know, several, you know, guests every week. Some people would just send in one email, like, four different places. But a lot of people have been just like, this place, this place, this place.

[Andrew Walsh]

Huge engagement, huge.

[Luke Burbank]

It was just really awesome. And I will say the winner, which will reveal soon, shortly, we say it was like the first person to get the place wins, but there were a lot of people after the fifth and final clue got to the right place, which really, I think you talk about the. The how useful the clues are. The fact that, like, once all of them were out there, people overwhelmingly nailed it, I think proves the clues. All five of them were perfect.

[John Sklaroff]

We had a plan. We knew what we were doing.

[Andrew Walsh]

I am. I texted you guys this yesterday, which I think was the second time that I've said this in text. But I said, this has exceeded my sort of best expectations for this. Like, I feel like this went so well. Like, we had meetings about the clues and about where we thought people would be kind of going, you know, with. In their minds, based on the information we were giving them. And it almost perfectly worked out.

[John Sklaroff]

Yeah.

[Andrew Walsh]

Because they're very, very proud.

[John Sklaroff]

Nobody got it before the fifth clue. But then we know that our winner got it almost immediately after the show posted on Friday. So it did.

[Luke Burbank]

And I will say, in his moment of sincerity, Andrew's terrible Bono clue aside, I believe it was in a meeting that Andrew was the ones like, oh, maybe we do, like, a scavenger hunt of sorts to help people. I think it was Andrew that came up with the idea, Luke, and so I wanna give him full credit for being the one that first had the idea.

[John Sklaroff]

It was one of Andrew's dumb ideas, as Luke calls him. In the meeting, I believe. All right, so this is very exciting. How should we do this? Very exciting here. So what are some of the runner up?

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah, well, here's just a bunch of people guessed these towns and I thought they were. They fit. They could be the answers based on the clues. Yeah.

[Andrew Walsh]

Would you guys mind if just on the small chance that somebody is tuning in for the first time or they somehow missed the last few weeks of the show, the hint on Friday was that the place where we're talking about is the organizing principle of tbtl.

[John Sklaroff]

Right?

[Luke Burbank]

Yes.

[John Sklaroff]

Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

Yes.

[Andrew Walsh]

And so then people got ideas. Many people got the right idea, but some other people had different ideas, right?

[Luke Burbank]

Yes. Thank you for saying that, Bluke. And there is. These were some of the ones that were guests most frequently that were really good. That could also work. We had Independence, Wisconsin. Of course, the show went in independent a few years ago.

[John Sklaroff]

And that's like. That's a good idea.

[Luke Burbank]

There are two different towns that were guessed often. One is the town of Mountain and the other of Luck. So no. Right.

[Andrew Walsh]

No Mountain. Too tall. Good luck.

[Luke Burbank]

So I thought that was really cool.

[Andrew Walsh]

That I love how their brains are working. I mean, very wrong, very logical.

[John Sklaroff]

No, very cool.

[Luke Burbank]

And then maybe the most hurtful one was the town of Random Lake, Wisconsin. So I thought that was pretty good.

[John Sklaroff]

The organizing principle of tv. How just dare.

[Andrew Walsh]

You know what? Please refund that person's donation block and unsubscribe.

[Luke Burbank]

Well, unfortunately, it was. Several people sent that in, and now that's revenue. We can't lose. So we're not going to do that.

[Andrew Walsh]

Eyes on the prize. That's actually. That's actually a pretty sick burn.

[John Sklaroff]

That's the underlying principle of tbtl. Don't say no to money. Yes.

[Luke Burbank]

Oh, also that's right. Yeah. Somebody guessed Moneybags Wisconsin. No. All right, so that. So those are some of the more commonly guessed places that. There were some others that were fun to see. People obviously guess the big towns, big cities in Wisconsin, Madison, Milwaukee, etc. But here's some.

[Andrew Walsh]

I don't want to. How do I put this? I don't want to give. Make anybody feel bad about guessing. Like Milwaukee. And by the way, Milwaukee is a wonderful place. But can you imagine if the payoff to this was Milwaukee?

[John Sklaroff]

It's just like a major American city.

[Andrew Walsh]

That isn't the organizing principle of TBTL is a place where Alice Cooper often golfs.

[Luke Burbank]

What was the bit from Wayne's World? Milwaukee.

[John Sklaroff]

Like Milwaukee.

[Luke Burbank]

Milwaukee. Yeah. So shout out to Alice Cooper today.

[John Sklaroff]

Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

So here's Some, here's some people. Can I throw some honorable mentions of individuals. So this was several weeks back and we're joking about the Bono anti clue.

[John Sklaroff]

Yeah, let me. Can I just play that? So the second, the first clue we gave out five clues in the first, first one was it's somewhere in America.

[Luke Burbank]

Yes.

[John Sklaroff]

And then the second clue was this.

[Andrew Walsh]

Am I bugging you? No means I bug you.

[John Sklaroff]

And that was it. That was the clue that almost, I.

[Andrew Walsh]

Want to say that still almost got a spit take from me. I was mid gulp of my coffee. And all these years later, Andrew, I still think that that is a hilarious concept.

[John Sklaroff]

It's funny, it's just not helpful. All right, so that was a clue and only, only one person out of the hundreds of responses you got connected this clue with what we were going for.

[Luke Burbank]

A couple people got but only one person got before we declared Wisconsin.

[John Sklaroff]

Okay.

[Luke Burbank]

Like people got after that. But this one person, this is several weeks ago. Our friend Lauren in Jacksonville. Yeah, Home Depot Lauren.

[Andrew Walsh]

Right.

[Luke Burbank]

For people. Lauren was the first to make the bugging badgering connection. Oh, the badgers.

[John Sklaroff]

My badger in you. I don't mean to badger you. Don't mean to badger ya.

[Andrew Walsh]

That's the clue to bug is to badger.

[John Sklaroff]

That's the clue. Obviously the badgers.

[Andrew Walsh]

If this were, what's it called Andrew? What's the New York Times puzzle? That's like associating.

[John Sklaroff]

Oh, connections.

[Luke Burbank]

Connections.

[Andrew Walsh]

Connections.

[John Sklaroff]

Yeah.

[Andrew Walsh]

It's an E. The comedy speaks for itself. It's an easy connection.

[John Sklaroff]

It's a self fulfilling process.

[Andrew Walsh]

Bugging is badgering.

[John Sklaroff]

Bugging is badgering. And it's in the badger state. That's why it was clue number two. We're trying to get you to the badger.

[Luke Burbank]

Bucky the badger was, is the mascot for the University of Wisconsin. So yeah. So that was really proud of Lauren.

[Andrew Walsh]

I think that sweater on that Lauren.

[John Sklaroff]

Didn'T get, they have to cut it off.

[Andrew Walsh]

Have you seen like Bucky has like a turtleneck on, right?

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah.

[Andrew Walsh]

I just feel like that must have been hell on whoever had to do that because they are a notoriously, you know, unpleasant animal.

[Luke Burbank]

Well I think that's their cousin, the honey badger is what you're thinking. The regular badgers.

[Andrew Walsh]

I think regular badgers are pretty chill. They'll take.

[John Sklaroff]

I thought you meant he was just too. The badgers just too swole under the sweater.

[Andrew Walsh]

So he's not actually. You know what, on the subject of mascots, I'm down with Bucky, the, the Wisconsin badger because I think it's kind of an Older. It's not like a 1950s mascot, per se. But he's not swole.

[John Sklaroff]

Oh, he's voice.

[Andrew Walsh]

He's not like the chest, though.

[John Sklaroff]

Very.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, no, that's a good point. That's a good point. But he's not like the Denver. He's not a buff cougar from the Denver Nuggets.

[John Sklaroff]

No. Boy, he looks grumpy. Yeah, you're right, though. That's the problem with getting that sweater on, that he does not look like.

[Andrew Walsh]

He doesn't look like he was not a fan.

[John Sklaroff]

Okay.

[Luke Burbank]

It's probably custom made, I would guess. Try custom tailored.

[Andrew Walsh]

I haven't even mentioned to you guys yet, and this is relevant because we have John here who is a basketball fan, but I entered a sort of a dream state on Sunday. I was texting with our friend Chris Hayes about this, which turned out this dream was dashed against the rocks of reality. But it was hoping and peace and love to our friends in okc. But it was hoping that the Oklahoma City Thunder would lose on Sunday in Game 7 and the Seattle would get an NBA team and the new Sonics would win an NBA championship before the old Sonics did. That didn't happen. But I. I went. I went in. I went insane thinking how. What an awesome outcome that would be if Seattle got a team. Because the Thunder, if I remember right, many years ago, maybe when they had Durant John, they went in, they played in the finals and they kind of collapsed. Right.

[Luke Burbank]

In LeBron James's second. First or second title with Miami, they played the Young Thunder. It was like 2013. I think it was maybe 2013 or 2014, they played.

[Andrew Walsh]

By the way, I've been trying to get Young Thunder as my nickname. You know, I was at the truck.

[John Sklaroff]

Stop and I bought some Young Thunder.

[Andrew Walsh]

Pills next to the Horny Goat weed. Right?

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah. So that was a very talented team with like a young Kevin Durant, young Russell Westbrook and James Harden.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, you mean the Sonics. Yes, the Sonics, who had both Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. But yeah, I was like, somehow like some weird sort of. As a person who has been really checked out from the NBA, I was very committed to the Thunder not winning. And then again, I thought, oh, Seattle might get a team in this offseason.

[Luke Burbank]

I think it's a. Well, not. I mean, I think. I think an announcement's coming soon because there's been a lot of hints. There's been a lot of hints.

[Andrew Walsh]

There has to be a sort of a fait accompli. But, yeah, and then I was like, and then. And now my new. The new thing animating my whole existence is the new Sonics winning before the old Sonics. But of course, we didn't get there.

[Luke Burbank]

Well, condolences to you and every Seattle basketball fan.

[Andrew Walsh]

Thank you, my friend.

[Luke Burbank]

Congratulations to any listeners in Oklahoma City.

[Andrew Walsh]

Absolutely. You know what I don't hate on our friends in Oklahoma City who are just excited their basketball team won. I hope you enjoy that. Very much so. Okay, I interrupted this whole thing to say that.

[John Sklaroff]

Oh. Just to close the loop on something, we are bugging them. Just bugging the audience.

[Luke Burbank]

We're badger.

[Andrew Walsh]

We're badgering.

[Luke Burbank]

All right, so shout out to Lauren for being the first to get that connection. Also, shout out to Cecilia in Atlanta, who guessed Adams, Wisconsin. And without giving away the reveal of the town we're gonna be in yet. Right next door, very close. And like. And, like, the fact that she got to Adams and, like, was, like, in proximity right there.

[Andrew Walsh]

I mean, not in proximity in. How do I put this again? I'm not going to give it away, but let's just say that in conversation with a town representative from the actual town that we're doing it from, and you guys remember me saying this, he clarified to us that Adams is the bigger town.

[John Sklaroff]

Yeah.

[Andrew Walsh]

He wanted to make sure that we didn't have. Our expectations were not too high for the real town because they live in the shadow of Adams was right. They're constantly trying to establish their own identity.

[John Sklaroff]

So they answer the phone and they're just like, are you looking for Adams?

[Andrew Walsh]

We're not Adams. Adams. Cecilia guessed Adams, Wisconsin.

[John Sklaroff]

I wonder what the thought process was, like, what our connection to Adams was.

[Luke Burbank]

And Cecilia's email. I looked at this morning again, because this was a few weeks ago that Cecilia guessed. This was like, she sent in, like, four different town names, and that was one of them. I'm like, what? You were so close.

[John Sklaroff]

Yeah.

[Andrew Walsh]

I mean, that's incredibly close.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah. But so shout out for, like, being physically right there. I'm sorry, that was not the answer. Another huge honorable mention shout out goes to Emily out in Kirkland, Washington, who guessed.

[Andrew Walsh]

If I say the name, the jeans.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah. Emily guessed a town in Tennessee. And. And when she sent in, she capitalized the 10 in Tennessee. That's. That's, like, cool.

[John Sklaroff]

Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

That's not the relevant part here. This was after, by the way, the third clue that we gave out. This is, wow, somewhere in America bugging you. And what was number three?

[John Sklaroff]

The we hitchhiked near.

[Andrew Walsh]

We almost hitchhiked there.

[John Sklaroff]

Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

So based on those clues, Emily, guests.

[John Sklaroff]

Boy saying it out loud.

[Luke Burbank]

Friendship, Tennessee.

[Andrew Walsh]

Friendship, Tennessee.

[Luke Burbank]

So that. That's not the place. Emily. I'm very sorry. I love that you got the 10 in Tennessee and Friendship because. Do we have a prolonged drum lower? Thank you.

[John Sklaroff]

Just a short.

[Andrew Walsh]

Maybe just a short. I can't believe you're still on the air fair.

[Luke Burbank]

The winner is Lisa in Chicago. Who is the first to guess. Friendship, Wisconsin.

[John Sklaroff]

There you go.

[Andrew Walsh]

Wow. Friendship, Wisconsin. Why am I surprised by this?

[John Sklaroff]

Luke is not.

[Andrew Walsh]

It's like I'm hearing this for the first time.

[Luke Burbank]

You approved the billboard buy, Luke.

[Andrew Walsh]

He absolutely did. Friendship, Wisconsin is where the billboard is.

[John Sklaroff]

That is where the billboard is. And I have some other big news for the listeners as well. This isn't where the billboard will be.

[Andrew Walsh]

I'm all over the map here.

[John Sklaroff]

This is where the billboard is. The billboard is up. John sent me some photos yesterday. They're going in the newsletter, which I'm sending out tomorrow morning. Actual photos of our actual billboard in actual Friendship, Wisconsin.

[Andrew Walsh]

It's. It exists irl.

[Luke Burbank]

Yes.

[John Sklaroff]

Yes, it does.

[Luke Burbank]

People are driving past it as we speak.

[John Sklaroff]

People are driving past it, interacting with it.

[Andrew Walsh]

People are driving past it without any awareness that this cost us thousands of this.

[John Sklaroff]

It wasn't that expensive. We again, big, big part of this was finding a billboard we could afford. I am now in the expectation.

[Andrew Walsh]

I literally think. I thought it was. Well, that's good. That means we're a little ahead of the game for the next thon.

[John Sklaroff]

Exactly.

[Andrew Walsh]

I had a $3,000, like, you know, sort of debit in our account.

[John Sklaroff]

No, we did better than that. I believe.

[Luke Burbank]

Not that. Yeah, significantly better than that.

[John Sklaroff]

Yes. So we do have a billboard in the wild that is out there right now. I mean, there is a chance that tens have passed this billboard and just haven't noticed it.

[Andrew Walsh]

That's a thing that I've been thinking about, Andrew, which is, you know, I am the often the advocate for us doing the absolute minimum in self promotion. But I think this was brought up in a meeting, in a TBTB meeting, which was like even a 10, even a TBTL fan driving by the billboard might be forgiven for not clocking that it is a TBTL billboard.

[John Sklaroff]

Yeah. When your own listeners who know that you've been spending just tons and tons of time talking about this billboard and turning it into a game. The fact that a TBTL listener could actually pass this billboard and not notice it really spe to our marketing skills. I believe.

[Andrew Walsh]

Now, you guys, now that we've Established that the billboard is in Friendship, Wisconsin. That Lisa in Chicago, our friend, who by the way, when she was Lisa in Oceanside, we went and did an episode of TBTL from her parking lot. Our friend Farren showed up as well. Who could forget? Now that we've established that Lisa is the winner and will be receiving a handsome mini billboard possibly signed by us. TBD on that. Now that we've established that, what about the next part of this story? Are we ready to get into that?

[John Sklaroff]

I. I think we are. How would you want to take the lead on that, Lucas?

[Andrew Walsh]

Do you guys mind?

[John Sklaroff]

Not at all.

[Andrew Walsh]

Please get my sound effect going here.

[Luke Burbank]

Oh, you never played. I saw the sign sound that sound.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah. Oh, yeah. You know what? That would be better. Let's do them. The reason that we have the billboard in Friendship, Wisconsin is because that is also where we are doing the TBTL a thon from this year. We are essentially, I don't want to say taking over. That sounds militaristic.

[John Sklaroff]

It really does.

[Andrew Walsh]

We are going to be spending some quality time in Friendship, Wisconsin. We will be broadcasting live from the Friendship Wisconsin Historical Society on Main Street. And that is the name. It is Main street in Friendship, Wisconsin. And we're going to be having a get together on that Friday. John, what is the date on that Friday again?

[Luke Burbank]

It's July 25th.

[Andrew Walsh]

That's the Friday rented out, I believe, a picnic shelter, a pavilion. A pavilion in Friendship, Wisconsin. And we will be getting together with any folks who can make their way to Friendship, Wisconsin. Maybe people who happen to be at the Wisconsin Dells, maybe in a water slide as they hear this.

[John Sklaroff]

Just come in your wet swimming trunks.

[Andrew Walsh]

Absolutely. That's what I'll do.

[John Sklaroff]

Yes.

[Andrew Walsh]

So we will be broadcasting from Friendship, Wisconsin in July, all week from the Friendship Historical Society and then having a get together, a picnic. It is free of charge. Is it BYO m? Is it Bring your own, you know, food?

[John Sklaroff]

We have not realized this bring your.

[Andrew Walsh]

Own meat sounded kind of gross anyway. Yeah, we'll figure that out.

[Luke Burbank]

We'll talk.

[Andrew Walsh]

This is exactly what you didn't want me to do, Andrew. Literally, you said. Can we not get bogged down in the details because we're getting into like, who's bringing what Frankfurt. I really apologize.

[John Sklaroff]

I'm sorry, guys, Just one question. Is anybody bringing veggie dogs now? We don't know. We don't even know where Kyla starts.

[Andrew Walsh]

I had one job and I failed it.

[Luke Burbank]

Who's working the solo class?

[John Sklaroff]

It was to not say something too.

[Andrew Walsh]

I know. I apologize.

[John Sklaroff]

No, no, I did that. It's fine. So here's the deal. Starting on July 21st, that's when we are going to be starting our live YouTube broadcasts. If everything goes according to plan, we'll be doing our TBTL a thon starting on Monday, July 21st, from the heart of downtown friendship. A tiny one.

[Andrew Walsh]

Exactly.

[John Sklaroff]

But not Adam street, not Adams. Although it is in the Luke. Not to. Yeah, I don't even know if you care. I don't think that you're going to make this correction, but it's the Adams Historical Society that we're going to be in because it's Adams county. So it's a correct. Technically, we're going to be in the Adams Historical Society. Downtown Friendship. Exactly. But it's going to be real cute. I believe we are even going to be broadcasting from a place where we can just, like, look out a giant window on Main street and watch the passersby as we do our thing. Hopefully, we'll be taking phone calls from the tens of listeners and broadcasting it live on YouTube. And then to cap things off, on that Friday the 25th, after our final broadcast, we'll be gathering in the park under the pavilion.

[Andrew Walsh]

What's the scoop on napkins on Friday?

[Luke Burbank]

You said you were bringing them.

[Andrew Walsh]

Luke.

[John Sklaroff]

I already know what shirt you're gonna wear. That's a really good picnic shirt, actually.

[Andrew Walsh]

That is. I could also lie down and people could place things on me.

[John Sklaroff]

Exactly. That brings in a different kind of ye. Cultural touchstone there. Anyway. Yeah, I'm very excited about that. And I. You know, I was going to tell you guys. I don't know if you noticed it or not. Hopefully I didn't have too much panic on my face, but I literally panicked about five minutes ago. We were talking about the billboard, and we've been planning this for so long, and we've known, kind of secretly, I guess, that the billboard is tied up with the TBT L A thon. I think a lot of people were kind of making that assumption. And I thought that earlier in this conversation, I might have just let it leak that we were going to Friendship for the. I'm not even sure. Did I. Not that I didn't remember. I didn't. Okay, good. Because I was like. Suddenly I was like, I can't even remember what I've said to whom at this point. So it just feels good to have this all off of my. Off of my chest. No more secrets, Andrew.

[Andrew Walsh]

You're only as sick as your secret.

[John Sklaroff]

Exactly. And this is a pretty secret. Yeah.

[Andrew Walsh]

We can now just get into the sunlight on this and. And celebrate it. I think this, like, literally might be the most excited I've been for a tbtl a thon. And I really mean that. Like, we've had some fun adventures. Australia was obviously a big one. I think we were. I was apprehensive about the hitchhiking plan that year that we did that then we've done some where we kind of just like hunker down in one location. I think the idea that we will be broadcasting from literally the heart of friendship, which is what I mean. I think that's. John, you said that actually a good number of people when they heard that the place we were going to do this or that the billboard was going to be is the organizing principle. People. A lot of people guessed friendship. I feel very proud of that, if that makes sense. Like, I love that that's where people's minds went because it indicates that that really is the organizing principle of this show is friendship. And in the current version of America we live in, I feel like there is not something more important than friendship and looking out for each other. I almost feel emotional talking about it. The point is, I'm very excited about this.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah. Overwhelmingly, friendship was guessed and then followed by random.

[Andrew Walsh]

That's right. Keeping us humble.

[John Sklaroff]

That's the two sides of the same coin, I suppose.

[Andrew Walsh]

That's right.

[Luke Burbank]

Can I just real quick say again about the 25th? Like, save the date if you think it can make it. Great. But we're still working on details to save your inbox. Andrew. Specifically, if you do want to badger someone about it, you can send email.

[Andrew Walsh]

I think you mean bug.

[Luke Burbank]

Sorry, I apologize. Bug someone. Mosquito someone about it. Feel free to send me emails. I'll happily respond. We honestly just don't have a ton of the details ironed out right now.

[John Sklaroff]

Maybe we should set up at some point. Maybe in the next week or so. Should we set up some sort of a optional RSVP situation so that you can get a sense of how many people are coming. Maybe.

[Andrew Walsh]

I mean, I have to bring.

[John Sklaroff]

Right. Exactly. Watch for that. And maybe upcoming shows and maybe a newsletter once we get that thing set up. And again. And I'm. I think we're keeping it really affordable. Right. Like under a hundred dollars a ticket. Right. Like $79. Is that what we ended up on?

[Andrew Walsh]

Well, as far as you guys know, it's $20 a ticket, but I'm selling some on the side.

[John Sklaroff]

It was weird. We were gonna sell tickets for $20, but you bought them all up. Right. And now you're selling them at the secondary market.

[Andrew Walsh]

And now I'm on secondary market.

[John Sklaroff]

Right.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yes. Well, listen, one thing I know about Friendship, Wisconsin is that it is driving distance from a variety of tribal casinos. And I am gonna need. I'm gonna need a little. A little cash to execute my plan out there.

[John Sklaroff]

But no, I mean, no, obviously, just to be very clear, that's obviously a joke. No, this is just a park and it's free. We don't know.

[Luke Burbank]

We're gonna have to hide the rental car keys from Luke.

[John Sklaroff]

I'm assuming the Willis.

[Luke Burbank]

I don't know if we're gonna get.

[John Sklaroff]

Oh, good grief. You're in your Jeeps. I forgot about this.

[Andrew Walsh]

I love it. Just like it's three in the morning. You guys are like parents waiting up for me. Sneaking back into the Airbnb, I saw.

[John Sklaroff]

You hook your fingers. Were you holding imaginary shoes in your hand? Because you've taken off your shoes to sneak in. I saw that.

[Andrew Walsh]

Like, it would be qu.

[John Sklaroff]

Clock to that. Yeah, exactly. Nobody have a really fun real.

[Andrew Walsh]

I mean, I think this is going to be. Yeah, I just think it's good. I'm. I'm as excited about this as I've been for any Thawne. And. And it. It helps that I think we're going to be in downtown Friendship. I've been interacting with the. The. The folks that run the Historical Society, which, for future reference, we will only call the Friendship Historical Society, despite its actual name. Yeah, they're going to love Adams County, I think, right?

[John Sklaroff]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Andrew Walsh]

Like, I've been. I've been talking to Michael over there. He's been. He was bringing. He was bringing me up to speed on some of the history of Friendship, Wisconsin, which is that it was founded by people from. Wait for it, Friendship, New York. It was founded by incredibly uncreative people who came from a town that had a name and then said, hey, this new town, we should name it the same name as the place we were from before this.

[John Sklaroff]

And somebody said, how about New Friendship? And they're like, nah, that really just complicates things, doesn't it? Who's bringing the hot dog?

[Andrew Walsh]

Let her head.

[Luke Burbank]

They have the foresight to call it tbtl, Wisconsin. So they have to go the next.

[Andrew Walsh]

Exactly.

[John Sklaroff]

Yeah.

[Andrew Walsh]

It also, by the way, Friendship, Wisconsin. I know this. Founded before the Civil War, which I guess. And when I was. When the guy, Michael that I've been talking to was telling me this, I was agog. And he goes, why are you so surprised? I Was like. Well, because I'm from Seattle.

[John Sklaroff]

Yeah.

[Andrew Walsh]

Where everything is founded in 1978.

[John Sklaroff]

Yeah, exactly.

[Andrew Walsh]

I forget that there are parts of the Midwest that are pre Civil War. I think of. I think. You know what I mean, I don't come from a place where anything is pre Civil War, but Friendship, Wisconsin.

[John Sklaroff]

I'm older than the Mariners. Like, think about that.

[Andrew Walsh]

Nobody should be older than the Mariners. And yet it's true. Also Friendship, Wisconsin, the reason that Adams. The big city, the Shelbyville to the Springfield, that is Friendship. The reason Adams took off, I learned, is because that's where the railroad went. The railroad. Railroad. That's hard to say. The Rural juror was supposed to go to Friendship, and it was not. It did not end up going to Friendship or going through Friendship. It ended up going through Adams. And that's why Adams exploded. That's why everybody is talking about Adams, Wisconsin to this day.

[John Sklaroff]

Yes, exactly. You know, talking about the geography of that region makes me wonder something. Maybe I should have asked you guys before we started talking on the air, which is, should we give the very, very, very specific location of this billboard right now, as in, like, the juncture of the state highways? I'm gonna put that in the newsletter. So I think I already said this, but I want to just make sure that everybody knows you're getting a newsletter a couple of days early this week, Santa.

[Andrew Walsh]

And it's a good one.

[John Sklaroff]

You guys mean bastard. To send out this newsletter.

[Andrew Walsh]

So everybody's gotten very worked up about the billboard of.

[John Sklaroff]

But anyway, in the newsletter, I have actual photos of the actual billboard as it exists in the world right now, which is a very exciting thing for me. And I specifically pinpoint the kind of state highway junctures. Should we just wait for the billboard for that for the people who want to go take a drive out there, or do you want to talk about it right now?

[Andrew Walsh]

Well, that's for you. I would say that's for you to decide, Andrew, because you're the one that put a lot of work into this newsletter. Do you feel like it's undercutting? I mean, I think, you know, subscribing to the newsletter right now, if you have not subscribed, is that you will get eyes on the artwork of the billboard as early as possible. But is telling people the. Sorry. About the fire trucks. Is it telling people where it is? Is that going to undercut the billboard tomorrow or. Sorry, the newsletter tomorrow?

[John Sklaroff]

You know what? I'm going to be. Yeah, let's be a little bit withholding here that way. Because if we give the specific. I mean, I don't know if we have anybody who cares that much, but if we give the very, very specific location right now, there is a chance. It's a very, very small chance, but there is a chance. Somebody could scoop the newsletter, somebody could drive out there, take the photo, post it on social media, and then that devalues my hard work on the newsletter. So we will say fix tomorrow.

[Andrew Walsh]

Okay, good.

[Luke Burbank]

In favor of doing. Of holding, withholding Andrew somebody. I don't have their name in front of me emailed the guests. They got Friendship there. Like the. One of the later guesses. And they specifically said like, oh, it's like 90 minutes or an hour away from me. I can't wait to Dr. So people are definitely already planning their pilgrimage.

[John Sklaroff]

Okay.

[Andrew Walsh]

I wonder who. I know this will hit the stens like Facebook page or other places the Slack.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah.

[Andrew Walsh]

I wonder who the first person will be to be posing for a photo in front of a billboard.

[John Sklaroff]

Yeah. Because it'll probably not be us. Huh?

[Andrew Walsh]

I would be surprised if it was us.

[John Sklaroff]

Yeah.

[Andrew Walsh]

If it's us, I feel like the system has. Has failed.

[John Sklaroff]

Well, we know that people are invested. In fact, John, I'm going to ask you this. I was a little confused about something and I think this is okay to have this conversation here. You have been sending us little updates. Sometimes when people guessed very, very closely or cleverly, you would text us like, hey, this just came in. You sent us a screen cap the other day that I don't think I fully understood. Did somebody from our audience message some institution in friendship to ask if they have seen a TBTL billboard in the area recently?

[Luke Burbank]

This was on. This was on Slack. This was the billboard location speculation channel in SL that came up.

[John Sklaroff]

Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

And Dr. Stan Blade is how they identify himself. Dean messaged the village of Friendship, like, I guess the.

[John Sklaroff]

I don't know, the Chamber welcome center or Chamber, whoever it was.

[Luke Burbank]

And they. And they posed the question. Hi, this is a weird question based on the TBTL podcast contest. Have you seen a new billboard to Friendship which might reference tbtl? Thanks, Stan. And the very. The very quick response was just no.

[John Sklaroff]

Like, that's. That's a very strange. So somebody who's working in a small town. Yes.

[Andrew Walsh]

For a town called Friendship. That was a very terse response. Being honest.

[John Sklaroff]

No followups, like, I'm sorry, I don't think so. I'm not exactly sure what you're talking about. Just a hard no.

[Luke Burbank]

Just a hard no. No. Yeah. I mean, I. Yeah, I won't give anything away about the location. So I won't speculate on why Maybe this person who responded may or may not have seen the billboard.

[John Sklaroff]

Yeah.

[Andrew Walsh]

Have we, John, you would know this because you sent the photo. What is the. So our billboard is. It's two billboards. It's our billboard and another one.

[Luke Burbank]

Yes.

[Andrew Walsh]

Do we know what the. Who are we sharing, like billboard energy with?

[John Sklaroff]

Yes.

[Luke Burbank]

Church of Scientology, I think.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, good. That was, I was just, that's every. By the way, I'm, I'm coming to you from the Scientology Hotel here. There is. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. It is. Scientology has decided to put up. This is a real thing. So many billboards here in LA that are supposed to be, I guess, humanizing, like peace and love. If we have listeners that are Scientologists, whatever the problem, as Sarah Silverman said, the problem with your relation, your religion is it was invented by a guy named Ron. You can't have a religion invented by a guy named Ron. It's too recent. I don't think it's better or worse necessarily than let's say Christianity or other religions. It's just too new for, for us. But Scientology has decided here in LA to try to do some sort of, I guess, reputational repair by putting up these billboards that are like sort of, I guess you would say, everyday people who are also Scientologists. So it's like a mom holding a baby and she's like, my name is Donna comma, I'm a Scientologist. There is one, though. It's like, it is so obviously an AI generated photograph of a. The most boring ever seen. And it says, Joe comma musician. I'm a Scientologist. It's like an AI generated pretend photo of a person called Joe comma musician. I'm a Scientologist. It is the least compelling.

[John Sklaroff]

It sounds like one of those, one of those made up commenters in the Onion that they haven't changed in like 30 years. Joe Musician.

[Andrew Walsh]

Joe Haberdasher. Not.

[Luke Burbank]

You know, that's very good. I, I not to besmirch any. If there's anyone in the Scientologist and listening audience, honestly, give us whatever money.

[Andrew Walsh]

You'Re giving to Scientology, give us half of it.

[John Sklaroff]

What I had to say about Scientology is because we're kind of trying to run our own little cult over here, honestly.

[Andrew Walsh]

Exactly.

[Luke Burbank]

No one said legally cult anyway.

[Andrew Walsh]

No, but have you gotten eyes on what our, what our neighboring billboard is?

[Luke Burbank]

I just pulled it up and it's not. The photo is cut off.

[John Sklaroff]

No, I had. There's two photos. There's one that's further away and one that's close up. The one that's further away. I'm zooming in. I'm enhancing, I'm enhancing. It is some sort of a. Looks like pickup truck ad. It's like a big pickup truck. It looks like it's pulling up a boat.

[Andrew Walsh]

Like a car dealership or something.

[John Sklaroff]

Yeah, I think so. And I can see the word truck on it, but then the rest of it, it's a little bit obscured. So I'm guessing it's for a dealership, but I can't say for a hundred percent. Can't say.

[Andrew Walsh]

That's good. I'll take it. I'll take it. That sounds pretty innocuous. Like, I was just. I was. I got worried for a second that we were next to some who knows what, some kind of a weird billboard that we were sharing space with.

[John Sklaroff]

Yeah. But I do want to say too, I think the listeners are going to be excited to see this just because they're curious what the billboard looks like. And you've been hyping this up, Luke, but it really is something. It really is something to behold. So please check out the newsletter tomorrow. I think that you're going to lull when you see this billboard every once.

[Andrew Walsh]

In a while since we got confirmation that this thing exists in the world. I'll just be like, I was going to get a. Somehow I managed to forget for the second time, the second trip in a row, I somehow did not bring my iPhone charging cable. Like, I have every kind of mini to mini you could possibly need. Two times in a row I've forgotten my iPhone charging cable. So I was walking down Sunset yesterday trying to find a place. Turns out, out there's a bombed out Staples super center, which initially I tried to go in and the door was locked. And I was like, well, you know, there's no more Staples in the world. And I went across the street to a printing place and I was like, do you have. Do you have charging cables? And they said, no, but the Staples has it. I was like, the Staples is closed. He goes, no, that just. That door is permanently locked. You have to go around to a different side of the staples to get in. Also when I got the charging cable and left the staples, the alarm went off. I paid for it and it went and I stopped and four Staples employees were totally and completely unfazed by the fact that I set up the alarm.

[John Sklaroff]

Right. I held up filled with stuff.

[Andrew Walsh]

I mean, seriously, I Held up this box that had the charging cable in it aloft over my head and looked around and then I just walked out. Yeah.

[John Sklaroff]

And you walked back in. Grabbed a couple of binders.

[Andrew Walsh]

Once I knew it was free. Whiteout.

[John Sklaroff]

Sure. But.

[Andrew Walsh]

But as I was wandering down Sunset, it just hit me. There is a billboard that exists in the real world, Andrew. With us on it, doing the thing we're doing.

[John Sklaroff]

It's something to behold. I'm going to close the mail here because it's. This is. The photos are kind of distracting me, to be honest with you. So anyway, I'm really. That'll be the final reveal of this thing. You know, other than who's going to bring the hot dogs. Is like tomorrow's email. People will forget about napkin. It just keeps piling up. But yeah. So anyway, keep your eyes peeled for that. Or if you haven't signed up for the newsletter letter yet, go to tbtl.net and there's a special tab for the newsletter.

[Luke Burbank]

And the newsletter will also eventually contain more information about the event on the.

[John Sklaroff]

25Th and come in more coming.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Not. Not this week's, but yeah. So it's good. Even more incentive to sign up.

[John Sklaroff]

Great.

[Andrew Walsh]

Well, I have to say, I mean, this really and truly, both to both of you, to. To John and Andrew, thank you so much for all your work on this. Like, this has gone so much better, as I've already said, so much better than I even expected. I have done zero of the work on it. You guys did all of the work and I really appreciate it. Like, this has been a really. This has been. I posed for. Well, I mean, is that giving something away? I don't know.

[John Sklaroff]

Luke is. Luke. A photo.

[Andrew Walsh]

Turns out, you guys, my face is on the billboard. We can. We can confirm that. But no, seriously, you guys both did so much work on this. And this.

[Luke Burbank]

This.

[Andrew Walsh]

It just. It's been a delight. Like 17 years in on this thing. It takes a lot to delight me. I'm pretty dead inside. And I'm delighted by this and I appreciate you both for this.

[Luke Burbank]

If we're being sincere for a moment, can I just real quick say. Also like to piggyback on that a little bit. Luke, aside from the general mayhem and terror terribleness of the world right now, media and public media is really going through it and there's been like apm, you know, a lot of. We know it's some former colleagues and friends that listen to the show. I know they've had rounds of layoffs and it's like, really scary people are very upset, and there's a lot of, like, crappy things happening there. And so, like, taking this leap to do this with you guys a few years ago was very scary. And it's like, every day, it's, like, validating. And this. This get, like, the billboard in particular is very much so, because not to besmirch anyone, apm, We've. You know, we've done that before. And I'll do that. I'll do that.

[Andrew Walsh]

My favorite hobbies.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah, I'll do that with a couple.

[Andrew Walsh]

Beers and me talking to you, Nate, or whatever.

[Luke Burbank]

But, like, I know this was something that, like, when the. Like, obviously the joker on the Spiros billboard was something where this kind of was, like, impetus of this. But you guys had mentioned, like, this was something you tried to get apm, with their absurd amount of money for nonprofit public media company has, like, this would be a drop in the bucket for them to buy the Spiros billboard and. Or something like that. And there was something they never wanted to do, even though you guys were like, oh, this would be a fun, quirky thing to do. And the fact that they shot it down and years later, and now we're this independent thing. You guys were like, yeah, it's something we talked about. We want to do. The fact that we get to say, you know what? Screw it. Like, we're gonna go get billboard. Like, we can just. We can.

[John Sklaroff]

And an affordable one, too, because we care about the listeners money.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yes. Yeah, we do.

[Luke Burbank]

But, like, we can sponsor a little team. We can get a billboard. We can just, like, do these things. And especially in this moment where public media is just, like, really going through it. And I feel bad, obviously, terrible, for there's a lot of great journalists and people working in public media, but if it's really gratifying, satisfying, and you talk about getting choked up, Luke, like, this is only possible because people are listening to the show or, like, yeah, this makes me happy. I connect with the show. These guys are my imaginary real friends. And, like, I want to throw my dollars behind this because they do things that make me laugh, like buy a billboard in friendship freaking Wisconsin. So that's been really cool. Sorry to go a little tangent, but it's been really awesome.

[Andrew Walsh]

No, man, I hear you.

[John Sklaroff]

I hear you.

[Andrew Walsh]

And I feel the same way. Like, I. I don't know if we can say that, like, TBTL is ascendant. I don't know if the latest download numbers, we're stable. What I know is that we're Stable and that this is working. And like, every time I try to tell, like, yesterday when I was at this Mayo taste off, I was like, trying to explain to folks there about the podcast and stuff. And it's like, I'm so proud of this. And also, like, like, yeah, it's working somehow all these years later because of the donors and in a time when, as you said, John, like, stuff like this, particularly public, actual public media, is just suffering, you know, mightily. The fact that somehow this thing is working and we get to keep doing it and we have the resources to have an affordable billboard in Wisconsin and that we can fly to Wisconsin and then go back, make a surprisingly large donation to the Adams County Historical Society. More on that.

[John Sklaroff]

Yeah, well, we have plenty of time to talk about that.

[Andrew Walsh]

By the way, how much do oversized checks cost? Because I feel like we need to present them with an oversized check and then not sign the back. So maybe they can't cash it. No, but, like, but, but to your point, John, like, the fact that this is working in a media landscape that is so fractured and so, you know, is in such sort of decline and so many great people that we know and love and have worked with, that this is somehow still a thing is just really, really humbling and gratifying. And so I am so excited to be going into this thon. Doing it from friendship, you know, with the two of you at this, at our. I guess can we say that we're going to be at an Airbnb. We're not living at the Adams County Historical Society. I asked and Michael said a hard no on that.

[John Sklaroff]

Hard no on that one. I said, but I'm going to do all of my. Gonna wash. I'm gonna wash all my underwear in the sink. What's wrong with that? Dave Rossi is like, no. Ever since Dave Ross, we got to.

[Andrew Walsh]

Get our money's worth on this donation.

[John Sklaroff]

Make that mistake again.

[Luke Burbank]

Recommended donation.

[John Sklaroff]

I know that we're not in, like, the mode right now where we're actually asking for money that plenty of opportunity for that during the TBT althon, but I did just think of the perfect pitch, sort of, because, John, you were talking about sort of, I don't know, personal sacrifices, certainly personal risk that you took in joining this operation. And I feel like your relationship, your marriage probably took personal risk. Like, you have not said anything, like, directly related to that. But I do sort of feel like if this had gone sideways, there would have been problems at home. I just feel like your wife is probably smarter than all three of Us put together and probably said, like, I see some, as Luke would say, salmon colored flags here. And the fact that it's still working and the fact that you're still married has everything to do with the listeners donating. So I sort of feel like there's a pitch in there somewhere. Like, yes, you donate to the show because you want to support the things you love. You want to make sure that this is strong going in the future, but you also want John to stay married. And donating to that cause is a very beautiful thing.

[Luke Burbank]

Yes. Thank you.

[Andrew Walsh]

I love Andrew. You are so good with this because I know that your early days of public radio, you ran, you know, sort of, I guess, supervised or whatever you want to call it, produced pledge drives. You and that clipboard, famously. And you loved it because it was kind of off script. You have a real, I think, talent for thinking about the pitch and how we talk about it and plotting out the week. And I think the idea of John continuing to get laid is a good Thursday closer.

[John Sklaroff]

Okay. Yeah, that sounds good. In the arc of the. Of it. That's pretty good. I could even see some merch. Some merch opportunities.

[Luke Burbank]

Here's my new pitch for the Thon. We need to hire someone for hr.

[John Sklaroff]

Yeah.

[Andrew Walsh]

If that's a Friday, raise the money. Yeah, exactly.

[John Sklaroff]

So, all right, great.

[Andrew Walsh]

That's it. I guess we. It's all out there. Everybody knows everything now. All of our.

[John Sklaroff]

Except what it looks like.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, yeah, yeah. Sorry. That's right. And that's.

[John Sklaroff]

Is.

[Andrew Walsh]

I will just. I will. I will overstate this or I will underscore this or whatever. It is so funny. You really, really. If you're not subscribed to the newsletter, please do, because I defy you to not laugh when you see this billboard.

[John Sklaroff]

And maybe cry a little bit, too.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, well, that's going around today.

[John Sklaroff]

It really is. Thank you, John.

[Andrew Walsh]

Hey, John. Thanks, man.

[Luke Burbank]

We really appreciate talking to you guys today.

[John Sklaroff]

All right. All right. Hello and welcome to Top.

[Andrew Walsh]

So the top story is that yesterday, Andrew, after we got done recording this, I went off over to a different part of Hollywood to eat a bunch of mayonnaise, which I was kind of setting up as, like, your worst nightmare because you don't like mayonnaise. The first thing is the mayonnaise was delicious, and it was almost not mayonnaise. Y. It was more sauce.

[John Sklaroff]

I wondered about that. When you start getting into actual tastings like this, it sort of seems like the center can't hold too much. It's gonna start to get pretty.

[Andrew Walsh]

Be out There, the center will not emulsify. Yes, I believe is what they say in the mayonnaise community. It was. There's a chef and I guess you. Food influencer. Kind of sounds a little, I don't know, flimsy. I don't think that's fair to describe this person, but there's a woman named Molly Boz who is a chef and a really talented food person who has launched her own line of mayonnaise. It's called Ayo. And that's what I was tasting. I was tasting like four or five different kinds and they were delicious. But you would have liked these, Andrew, because there's so much stuff in them. Like, for instance, one of them is like, what is that called? Like a giardinnaise. Like, you know, that kind of like pickled red pepper stuff you'll get on a sandwich, turn into an Italian deli.

[John Sklaroff]

Yeah, yeah.

[Andrew Walsh]

So she has one that's like, it's like 60% mayonnaise, but then it's like 40% that like peppers and stuff.

[John Sklaroff]

Oh. Not to be a hater, but I don't know, texturally, I'm having trouble wrapping my mind around that texturally and combining those things. Yes.

[Andrew Walsh]

Think of like. Well, again, you're not. Probably not a tartar sauce guy either, right? Because it's.

[John Sklaroff]

That's not as much. Yeah, But I mean, here's the deal and this is your story. I don't have to center myself in it this much, but like, my thing with mayonnaise is growing up, the idea of mayonnaise was totally disgusting to me. I wouldn't, I wouldn't. Wouldn't touch it with your spoon. But then as I got older, like in the past, I don't know, 15, 20 years, I feel like they started putting aioli on things and it's just like they're calling mayonnaise aioli, but they're saying it's like herb infused aioli or whatever. So I just say, yeah, leave it on the sandwich. And I stopped requesting sandwiches without aioli. And then that kind of. So it's not like I don't ever have something that is a little bit mayonnaise. Y the idea though, and this is what I really want to hear from you, Luke, is like, how are you eating it? Like the idea of just eating plain mayonnaise.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, on a spoon. Like I was.

[John Sklaroff]

Is that what you were doing? See, that is nightmare.

[Andrew Walsh]

Dollop in a spoon.

[John Sklaroff]

That's nightmare. Fuel me for, for me, like, if you spread a little bit of it On a huge turkey sandwich. I'm okay with that.

[Andrew Walsh]

Which I did.

[John Sklaroff]

Yes.

[Andrew Walsh]

I had my first turkey sandwich in probably. Well, that's not true. I guess sometimes the day after Thanksgiving, I've had, like, a turkey sandwich made from leftovers. But I had definitely my first turkey sandwich in a couple of years.

[John Sklaroff]

You actually did. I thought you were joking. Okay.

[Andrew Walsh]

No, no. That was the ultimate. So it started with. First of all, it started with an interview about mayonnaise. And this chef, Molly, actually said some interesting things about, like, essentially the. The utility of mayonnaise. Like, what it's really doing. It's obviously. And she said, I'm sorry to use this term, but, like, it's lubricating. You know, a lot of the. Like, particularly a sandwich which would be very dry without it. It's also, I guess fat kind of actually helps sort of transfer flavor to things, which I hadn't really thought of it that way. I mean, mayonnaise is essentially pure fat. It's, you know, it's. It's eggs, it's oil, it's a little bit of vinegar sometimes. It's a little bit of, like, Dijon or something. Something.

[John Sklaroff]

I like all of those things, by the way. That's what Genevieve likes to point out. She's like, why do you not like mayonnaise? Do you like eggs? Do you like oil? You cook with oil all the time, Right? Like, what is. What are you liking?

[Andrew Walsh]

Raw eggs. You don't like raw eggs in a. In a kind of oppressively white, emulsified.

[John Sklaroff]

Yes, true.

[Andrew Walsh]

Possibly sweating jar.

[John Sklaroff]

Oh, you gotta. Got a case of the mayonnaise sweats.

[Andrew Walsh]

Which we got into yesterday, too. She was like. She goes, look, I get it. Mayonnaise is kind of gross if you think about it for too long. That's why we shouldn't think about it.

[John Sklaroff]

That's interesting.

[Andrew Walsh]

No, it was a really fun conversation. She was very smart and approachable and not kind of, like, weirdly devout about mayonnaise. The stuff that she makes, you know, or that she sells, I guess, is, again, it's like, imagine just like a very yummy. So one of them was. Had dill pickle. So it had a ton of dill and pickles in it. One had cornichon and one had mustard. But the kind of, you know, like, mustard that had.

[John Sklaroff]

Has.

[Andrew Walsh]

I don't think they're mustard seeds, but, you know, the kind of mustard where there's little balls that.

[John Sklaroff]

Is that, like, stone ground often, or.

[Andrew Walsh]

Is it kind of. But, like, not even ground. You know what I mean? Like, it hasn't been ground. It's like. So when you bite into it, these little kind of. I guess they're mustard seeds, essentially, they kind of burst. And there's like a little cool kind of hit of mustardy flavor, I think.

[John Sklaroff]

Yep, yep.

[Andrew Walsh]

So she had one of those. And anyway, it was all very yummy, but it all kind of built up to her making me a turkey sandwich with, you know, the dill. The dill pickle mayo on there. And let me tell you, my friend, when I bit into that turkey sandwich, I mean, again, we're filming this. This is a very talented chef slash food influencer. We're in a beautiful kitchen in Hollywood. And so everything is going. Everything is going for this sandwich experience. And. But even so, I bit into the sandwich and what I said to one of the producers was I wanted to smoke a cigarette after I ate the sandwich because a. I don't eat turkey sandwiches very frequently. It was perfectly made. It was so delicious. I may have to put turkey sandwiches back on my approved food list because it was so incredibly good. I was like, how have I not been eating turkey sandwiches for this long? This is so good.

[John Sklaroff]

That sounds really good. You're making me hungry. You know, you're making me miss is tubs. We used to talk about tubs so much on this show. This is the sandwich shop that was in the Lake City area here in Seattle that I got kind of obsessed with. People were talking about tubs for a long time and not the hot tub rental place that used to be in.

[Andrew Walsh]

The U district where you could rest in power.

[John Sklaroff]

Rent it by the 15 minute block. By the hour.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yes, half hour if you sweet talk them.

[John Sklaroff]

Oh, God. Anyway, I became kind of obsessed with that place during the pandemic. And like, they had really good, like, I guess all sandwiches are sort of handmade, but I think their thing was they kind of toasted it. They use really good ingredients and they always had some sort of, like, I think, again, herb infused aioli on them that I would always, you know, opt into and I would get those sandwiches and then find a good place with a view in my car during the pandemic and gobble one. And when they left Seattle, first of all, they made themselves harder for me to get to. Like, I think they're in Bothell now maybe, which I think you have to cross. You have to cross the lake to get there. Is both on the east side.

[Andrew Walsh]

Well, depending on where you're coming from. But we once drove a boat up there, you and I.

[John Sklaroff]

Okay. Yeah.

[Andrew Walsh]

But you don't have to. You can just go. You can take Lake City Way, which turns into Lake Forest Parkway, and you can just drive.

[John Sklaroff]

Okay. So maybe it's not quite it, but mentally, for me, it's far away. Also, I was just miffed that they left Seattle for another city, because I like Seattle. Right.

[Andrew Walsh]

When you found them, Essentially.

[John Sklaroff]

Yeah. And I felt. I felt very kind of personally insulted by that. So anyway, so I've never gone back, but honestly, this conversation is making me so dang hungry. I just want to go get a Tubs sandwich right now.

[Andrew Walsh]

It was so, so good. Also, what I realized was actually, interestingly enough, I mean, interesting or also, sadly enough, this woman, Molly, she and her husband and their child lost their house in the Altadena fires.

[John Sklaroff]

Oh, my God.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, right. And so we were not. The plan would have been to film at their house, but their house burned down. So we were filming it at the house of her manager. And I walked into this house and I was like, is this my house? Do I know this person? Everything in the house, from the furniture to the artwork to the fact that he had a vinyl record of. Do you remember that guy, Mick G that I was obsessed with that I kept trying to. I. I definitely suggested it for a Music for your weekend. I think we might have still been doing that. Or maybe it was just for the newsletter. There's a singer who goes by the name McG who I'm still, to this day, pretty obsessed with. And I walk in and there's a vinyl record of this guy McGuire. And I'm like, who? Like, how is this person who owns this house, how do they have the exact same taste as me? Literally, they had, like, posters that I have in my house and stuff. And then I found out that he doesn't normally manage food influencer people. He manages mcg.

[John Sklaroff]

Oh, really? Oh, no shit. Oh, wow.

[Andrew Walsh]

His main thing is managing musicians. There's another musician that he manages that I really like that I'm forgetting off the top of my head. Head. But anyway, just being in the house of this. It also just made me realize, oh, I am of a type. Like when. Because when you look around at kind of the. The way that somebody lays their house out and the kind of objects they pick. Again, whether it's furniture. Like, he had outdoor furniture that I also have at my house. And it means we probably got the same Instagram ad at some point.

[John Sklaroff]

Oh, yeah, right, right.

[Andrew Walsh]

That spoke to us.

[John Sklaroff]

Or.

[Andrew Walsh]

Or like, like, again, just like the. The things that we tend to think or that I tend to think are unique to me. And, like, oh, I want to have this kind of a print framed in my house. And I want to, like. And this is so distinctly Luke. And then you. You walk into someone's house who is another, let's say, white guy in their 40s who has been steeping themselves in, I don't know, the case study homes or whatever, and you go, oh, no, no, no, no. I am. I am very similar to a lot of people who are basically me, but with more money and better taste.

[John Sklaroff]

I was really hoping that the story was going to turn to. And then I found out this guy's obsessed with me. He's been following. He watches all of my.

[Andrew Walsh]

Introduced me to mcg.

[John Sklaroff]

Then he can introduce you to mcg. Exactly. I mean, you must have bonded over that, right?

[Andrew Walsh]

He wasn't there.

[John Sklaroff]

Oh, he wasn't there.

[Andrew Walsh]

And I was telling. There was two things that I was obsessed with telling everyone at the shoot yesterday. One, Genevieve made the shirt I was wearing. Literally told everyone. And two, I love mcg, the singer mcg, and nobody gave a shit.

[John Sklaroff]

No, they had other things.

[Andrew Walsh]

The guy who manages McG was, in fact, not there.

[John Sklaroff]

Oh, man. Did you leave him a little note? Did you put a note under his pillow?

[Andrew Walsh]

I was tempted to, but they asked me not to go in any of the bedrooms.

[John Sklaroff]

That is interesting. That's an interesting rule.

[Andrew Walsh]

Because of prior issues that I've had with other shoots.

[John Sklaroff]

Oh, I know. I've had a question sort of tickling the back of my brain as you've been talking about this, and I'm quite sure, because this is one of those really short features you're doing, right? You're doing three of them inside of the Food episode. So I know that this is like a real quick hit. This is like the. What was it, like, 36 stories about the Simpsons or whatever. That famous.

[Andrew Walsh]

That was a. That was a parody of shortcuts, right?

[John Sklaroff]

I feel like it was shortcuts.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah. But I also feel like this.

[John Sklaroff]

But then, wasn't there also, like, a little Tarantino nod in there as well? I feel like there might have been one of them.

[Andrew Walsh]

Might have been. There was, like, a Zed's Dead Baby kind of a deal, right?

[John Sklaroff]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Which always made me wonder if it was also sort of influenced by kind of Tarantino kind of doing that kind of stuff, but. Oh, all I know, Luke, you know what? It's not. It's not shortcuts. It's. Luke, we've had this conversation before.

[Andrew Walsh]

We sure have.

[John Sklaroff]

You look it up. It's another well known. And I'm blanking on the fella's name. Hey, name. And it's 32 stories. There's a famous movie and it's not shortcuts. But what I'll say is, or what want to ask you is did you at all get into, I don't know, the quote unquote controversy around whether or not vegan mayo should be called mayo? Because remember that lawsuit, remember there was some huge, like Hellmans or something, sued this small vegan company that was making like eggless mayonnaise and they did the whole kind of champagne argument that said like, no, literally the definition of mayonnaise is it has eggs in it. And they tried to basically shut down the small competitor editor.

[Andrew Walsh]

32 short films about Glenn Gould.

[John Sklaroff]

Glenn Gould is the name. I don't know why. I think that's an interesting name, but that's.

[Andrew Walsh]

Isn't Glenn Gould. Wasn't he a pianist? I think Glenn Gould was a concert pianist.

[John Sklaroff]

Okay, that sounds right.

[Andrew Walsh]

But we, what I would say is we did not get into the question of eggs or not having eggs in mayonnaise. But I think what we both agreed, and I say this with peace and love to our vegan list listeners. Maybe you found one that's good. But like the re. The, the moment that I realized I could not become a vegan because I was really toying with the idea for a while was when I tasted vegan mayonnaise, it was so profoundly bad. It was so gross.

[John Sklaroff]

Tom's of Maine of mayonnaise.

[Andrew Walsh]

The, the Kensington, I think was the brand. Yeah. The Toms of Maine of mayonnaise. It was. And again, maybe there's better ones out there, but it's, it was like, it was like you eating mayonnaise like right out of the jar, like it was gagging. Absolutely. It was absolutely gag inducing and vile. And again, maybe somebody has cracked the code on it, but that just seems like one of those things where if you're going to, if you're going to try to have. If you're going to try to have vegan mayonnaise, maybe just skip mayonnaise altogether. Figure something else out to lubricate your sandwich.

[John Sklaroff]

Yeah, yeah, that makes sense.

[Andrew Walsh]

We need to wrap things up because I'm going to head to the airport, but because now it's us time. Now we're past the 60 minute mark. How about the Mariners yet?

[John Sklaroff]

Yesterday, I know I wasn't able to pay close attention to the game, but did it end up being 11 to 2. I think it was wild.

[Andrew Walsh]

I was also not paying attention because I was working and stuff. But then I just. I had so many texts from my. So many celebratory texts from my mother that I knew something was going right. And. And yeah, we. I mean, like Cal Raleigh hit a home run.

[John Sklaroff]

Yes. Another one. Yeah, definitely. Still, like, has maintained his lead in the league for a number of home runs. Right. And it's also broken all kinds of historic records as far as, like getting home runs before the All Star break as both a catcher and a switch hitter. I know, it's. I mean, how much do we want.

[Andrew Walsh]

To do Mono can't be stopped.

[John Sklaroff]

Well, obviously I had my eyes on him for a while, as you all know. Yeah, you did. I. Luke, I don't even want to get into the whole thing, but we were, during Friday's game, we had just learned that a player had been sent down. Basically, the Mariners essentially cut a player who isn't all that especially good. But I thought a lot better than Don't.

[Andrew Walsh]

His name Rowdy.

[John Sklaroff]

His name is Rowdy. Right.

[Andrew Walsh]

Some kind of goodwill. Exactly.

[John Sklaroff]

No. And I like him. But I was so mad that they got rid of Rowdy and I understood that you don't want to. I mean, I do understand conceptually, you don't want two left handers both playing first base, kind of taking turns. If you're going to do that. You want a left and you want a right. And I understand that, but I was just like, yeah, but this guy down in Solano doesn't matter what side of the plate. He's just terrible. You put a child up there and you say, well, he's a righty and like, that doesn't do you any good. And then he just goes on this tear. And I had sort of missed the fact that he had been heating up prior to this. Not to that degree, but after Friday show. So I wrote this just. And this is a classic thing, I wrote this just impassioned, ill informed. Impassioned, super long. I was right there with complaint. Oh, certainly.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah.

[John Sklaroff]

But like, mine was also like trying to get into the rules of Bay or like kind of the. The unwritten rules of baseball, which I really shouldn't get into because I'm like the least knowledgeable baseball person on that chain.

[Andrew Walsh]

Well, they're unwritten too.

[John Sklaroff]

And they're also unwritten. So I'm holding it up. I'm holding it up to a candle. I can't figure out what's. Is it like, how does it work? The Game ends, I go upstairs and I turn on the radio, and I think that was another game that I was sort of catching his catch. Could. And I turn on the radio and.

[Andrew Walsh]

Shannon Dreher, which is Dylan Moore's defensive approach.

[John Sklaroff]

Weird. Weird. Golden Glove recipient, honestly, one of the strangest ones. But anyway, Shannon Dreher, who's one of the broadcasters who follows and beat reporter for the Mariners, might actually work for the Mariners, but is like, kind of your insider on that stuff. She basically is. I didn't realize that everybody online was saying the same thing. Like, basically saying, like, why would you get rid of Rowdy and keep Solano? Whatever. And like, she. And she can take this tone. Anyway, I like her a lot, but she was basically scolding all of us, Luke. And it felt so personal. She's like, I woke up this morning, all I saw were people saying that Donovan Solano should have been sent down instead of Rowdy to Lez. I just can't. I. She was like, I just can't. Like, you can't have two left handers. Look what he did today. Like, it was the. And honestly, Luke, I felt like i3.

[Andrew Walsh]

Has a good game.

[John Sklaroff]

Well, I believe I. Shannon knows ball. Right. Like, I feel like Shannon, she. She knew what the score was, maybe not literally the score going into it and why they sent down Rowdy. And it was, in hindsight, like, such a smart move. And again, I had missed some of the indicators that he was heating up. But, Luke, it was almost like I was being yelled at personally by Shannon Dreher. And here's the kicker. I felt like I needed it. I felt like I deserved it. I was like, yes, if only we could have purify me with. With.

[Andrew Walsh]

If we could have gone Shannon Dreher in the shirt that Genevieve made for you.

[John Sklaroff]

Right, exactly.

[Andrew Walsh]

To fully, fully flagellate you.

[John Sklaroff]

I was so flatulent.

[Andrew Walsh]

I mean, here's the thing. It's absolutely shocking that Donovan Solano has gone from being terrible at baseball to, for a short term anyway, being pretty good at baseball. And I feel like it started with you and I telling television's Chris Hayes via text.

[John Sklaroff]

Oh, you. Yeah, right.

[Andrew Walsh]

That Donovan Solano was going to. To pone the Mariners against the Chicago Cubs. And then he goes off and has the game of a lifetime along with Mitch Garver, who I was also saying was going to play very terribly. That being said, like Shannon Dreher. I mean, again, you're right. Shannon Dre knows so much more about baseball than we do. But, like, I don't Think it was like a no brainer to keep Solano. I mean he's played really well and so now it looks like a no brainer trainer. But to our original point, if you're hitting a buck 80, does the matchup really matter?

[John Sklaroff]

Yeah, he started. That's the amazing thing. I am pretty sure that Solano started that game at 182 because I remember waking up seeing the news and then I, I went to their stats page and I compared Rowdy's and Solano's, you know, stats and everything average and, and I saw, oh yeah, they're very similar. But Rowdy had a lot more home run runs and a slightly better average, just over 2. And I know that Solano was in the 180 something. I want to say 186 or something. And now he's, I mean he has increased his batting average so much in like a handful of games. It's almost like I shouldn't even say this. I feel like maybe there was a, maybe a special like water bottle that Jorge Polanco had been drinking out of and he misplaced that rango and now suddenly he's not doing so well. Well, and, and all of a sudden Donovan is like, what is in this bottle?

[Andrew Walsh]

Is it the cream or the clear that Dominic Canzone is on?

[John Sklaroff]

Yeah, right.

[Andrew Walsh]

He can't be stopped. Like three. Guy had like three career home runs and his three home runs in two games is something. Is Victor Conte from BALCO working with the Mariners? And by the way, keep doing it.

[John Sklaroff]

I want, I, I want him to do well because he reminds me of your brother David a little bit for some reason. He does the kind of way he himself. And also now we're really getting too far into this. But do you remember the day that he came back up? I can't remember who we were facing. I. It might have been the Twins. Nah, that doesn't seem right. But either way, the Mariners were losing the entire game. And then in the ninth inning, he hit, I want to say a two run home.

[Andrew Walsh]

We scored four runs in the ninth to tie it and then ultimately lost an extra innings, I believe.

[John Sklaroff]

And do you. I don't know if you had eyes on that game, but I just, just have this vision of him and he looked like your. He looked like your brother. Very triumphant. He hit this ball and he knew that he had tied the game up. I'm pretty sure he hit the tie. The game tied hit. And he just stood there for a second and he like he had just come up from the minors that day. And he just changed the dynamic of this game which we then go on to lose, which was such a heartbreaker because of that. But the intensity and the pride and the. I don't usually go in for a. Like a athlete who looks too intense. They scare me a little bit. But in that moment I was just so happy for him and I'm so sad that he kind of didn't. Didn't get the win in that game.

[Andrew Walsh]

Well, what I noted was I think it was maybe the next day I was doing some yard work at my house and I was listening to the game on the radio. And you know they'll play these little promos and stuff that are sort of celebrating the different players or when they do the lineup sometimes they'll have highlights of the play players. And it. The. The ink was not even dry on the home run and it was the Don. It was the Dominic Canzone and in whatever right field or whatever he's playing Dominican and they cut to like Kenzone has tied it. And I was like, thank God you had a highlight for this guy.

[John Sklaroff]

Yeah, yeah, like, because they were probably. You're right because they were probably doing the lineup introduction. Right? They did.

[Andrew Walsh]

And I was like, if we were doing this yesterday, you literally don't have a Dominic Canzone highlight to play.

[John Sklaroff]

In fact, what did they play when they said his name? They might have pulled one from a previous year because the 19 before, they do that on the radio every night. They say here's tonight's starting lineup. And then they play a clip, a highlight clip, you know, a very short one for each player. So what did they do on the first night that he came up?

[Andrew Walsh]

I don't even know. I heard it the second night when he had hit the home run the previous day. So they finally had a clip.

[John Sklaroff]

It was perfect.

[Andrew Walsh]

What do you do? Like. Yeah, what were they doing for Donovan Solano up to a week ago?

[John Sklaroff]

Yeah.

[Andrew Walsh]

Or sorry, you know what I mean?

[John Sklaroff]

Yeah, right.

[Andrew Walsh]

Like did they. They have like salon. It's a field. The throat of the. The ball goes to second. It goes to first. Not in time to get Solano out. Fielders choice.

[John Sklaroff]

Solano also in that Friday game, I mean we were just so. Solano had two unassisted double plays in that game.

[Andrew Walsh]

Amazing inning. Enders inning. Donnie baseball. He is officially Donnie baseball now. And, and by the way, I asked and you listen, you let me down on Monday because I wanted you to reference your amazing. Oh my Donovan Photoshop work where you photosh Donovan Solano's face onto a Donovan record so that I wanted you to reference it on Monday so we could have made it the show pick because that was special. Now we could use it today if we wanted to.

[John Sklaroff]

Yeah. For the. I think I should do something Billboard related probably. But the picture is the album cover of A Gift from a Flower to a Garden, which is a Donovan record from, like, I want to say, 67. It's psychedelic as you could possibly imagine. He's standing out in a field of flowers holding a flower, and it's all these trippy colors or whatever. And I gotta say, I was pretty proud of my Photoshop. I took Donovan Solano's kind of headshot for the Mariners. I removed his hat and somehow did place his head amongst Donovan Letch's kind of curly hair in a way that is, like, more realistic than I was even going for. And I was kind of like, I kind of like this Donovan.

[Andrew Walsh]

Okay. If you do not subscribe to the newsletter to get the Billboard art, subscribe next week to get Andrew's.

[John Sklaroff]

I think it's on Blue sky, too. You can also follow me on Blue Sky. I think I double dipped on that one. But. But. All right. All right. We did it.

[Andrew Walsh]

We did it, folks. We announced everything related to the Billboard and the thon. Well, most of it. Not the art, which you'll see on the newsletter on Wednesday or who's.

[John Sklaroff]

But that's all out on Friday.

[Andrew Walsh]

We. That's still. That's kind of. That's honestly a gray area at this point.

[John Sklaroff]

Everybody bring one napkin.

[Andrew Walsh]

Somebody's gonna do that. You forget about it. You will forget about this. But come that Friday in July, we will be standing around at the picnic shelter or the pavilion, I guess. Guess it is. Someone's going to show up with one now.

[John Sklaroff]

And I'm going to say, remind me. Remind me what. What this is like.

[Andrew Walsh]

Are you okay? No. No. This is a callback, my friend.

[John Sklaroff]

Yes.

[Andrew Walsh]

All right, thanks for listening, everybody. That is going to do it for today's episode of tbtl. But we're gonna be right back here tomorrow with more imaginary radio. I will be in Las Vegas. And it's a short flight, Andrew. I think it's about 45 minutes. But it will be on Southwest Airlines.

[John Sklaroff]

Oh, my God.

[Andrew Walsh]

A thing I have not done in a long, long time takes a drag off a cigarette. Southwest Airlines. That's a name I haven't heard in a long time.

[John Sklaroff]

Now, do you have a reserve seat? I know we can't get into all of it, right?

[Andrew Walsh]

Do not have a reserve seat.

[John Sklaroff]

It's really like that still.

[Andrew Walsh]

I believe it's just bleachers.

[John Sklaroff]

Oh.

[Andrew Walsh]

At this point, so.

[John Sklaroff]

That gives me so much anxiety. Not even, like. Not the flight itself. Just like, not having. Having a seat locked down gives me so much anxiety. The idea of, like, shuffling around and hoping for a good pole position.

[Andrew Walsh]

Full report tomorrow. Full report. All right, in the meantime, everybody, have a great Tuesday. Thank you for listening, and please remember, no mountain too tall.

[John Sklaroff]

And good luck to all.

[Andrew Walsh]

Am I bugging you? No. Means I bug you.

[John Sklaroff]

Power out.