TBTL Episode #4564 “Man Chases Squirrel”

Date: September 29, 2025
Hosts: Luke Burbank and Andrew Walsh

Episode Overview

Luke and Andrew reconnect after a chaotic weekend, sharing anecdotes, frustrations, and sharp observations about travel woes, journalism, local quirks, and life’s random adventures. The episode oscillates between light-hearted banter and deeper commentary, with a notable focus on the recent implosion of local sports broadcasting and a mini–manifesto on the state of journalism. Luke recounts his absurdly stressful journey to Minneapolis, while Andrew dishes on bus adventures and local newspaper gripes. As always, the show maintains its signature blend of humor, self-deprecation, and unexpectedly earnest moments.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Travel Ordeals and Live Taping Drama

[03:01] Luke recaps his disastrous journey trying to make it to a live taping of LiveWire in Minneapolis, after a cascade of flight delays and airline snafus.

• Flight Delays and Stress Dreams:
  • Luke details missing a crucial flight, spending a night at a Doubletree, back-to-back delays due to a recurring airplane error, and buying a backup ticket out of desperation.
  • Quote:
    “I had a moment of thinking, am I in a stress dream right now?... Am I imagining it?” (56:57, Luke)
• Desperation to Make the Show:
  • Luke weighs his options, describes the anxiety of seeing LiveWire staff’s “pre-show” texts while still grounded miles away.
  • Receives community support, even from flight attendants aware of his predicament:
    “Are you going to talk about this on Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me? ... If they ever let me back on, it’s the first thing I’m going to talk about.” (60:24, Luke)
• Mad Dash and Miraculous Arrival:
  • Lands in Minneapolis less than 40 minutes before showtime, races—unkempt and in travel-worn clothes—straight from airport to theater.
  • Quote:
    “I was energetically—I was vibrating when I went on stage because I didn’t have the normal amount of time to pace around backstage and think about the show. It ended up being a really fun show...” (63:59, Luke)
• Silver Lining:
  • Lyft driver tells Luke he looks “like a guitar player,” giving him a shot of confidence:
    “You look like a guitar player.” (62:33, Luke’s driver)
  • Minnesota Supreme Court justice band “The Reasonable Doubts” plays the show, bringing uniquely local flavor.

2. Local Journalism: Celebration and Critique

[13:22]–[22:56]

• Professional Awards Cynicism:

  • Andrew and Luke reflect on the self-congratulatory nature of journalism awards, paralleling them with “most calls made” at a telemarketers’ gala, and referencing the infamous Howard Stern “Six children die in plane crash” bit.
    • “I never sat at, like, a telemarketers gathering where people were like, ‘Yeah, most calls made!’” (10:41, Andrew)
  • Yet both acknowledge the critical value of investigative reporting and holding power accountable.
    • “I think we need to protect journalism as much as we can...because it is obviously extremely important for a functioning society.” (13:22, Luke)

• Headline Ethics and Letter to the Editor:

  • Luke recounts writing to the Vancouver, WA Columbian to chastise an editorializing headline about a local church:
    • “Journalism 101 will tell us that that headline is wildly unprofessional... That’s a statement of opinion, not fact, and really should not have been the first thing readers saw as it carries the paper's imprimatur.” (17:47, Luke)
  • Andrew sheepishly admits his own standards have slipped due to the generally abysmal state of local newspaper headlines, taking issue especially with clickbaitification.
    • “Instead of just giving a headline of a newspaper article, [now] it should sort of give you SOME information... But somehow, in the age of clickbait, it has infected actual newspapers.” (20:40, Andrew)
  • Both worry about the transition of real journalism to click-driven, vague teasers and how that cheapens public trust, but also recognize the financial constraints local news faces.
    • “It’s been decided that one of those things is to... run these ones that are like, ‘This Hollywood A-list actor turned 45 today’... Just tell me that Dennis Quaid is 45.” (22:56, Luke)

3. Changing Face of Sports Broadcasting

[25:02]–[33:59]

• Seattle Mariners & Root Sports Closure:
  • Andrew vents after being charged for another month of Root Sports streaming, literally just as the local Mariners broadcast network shutters ("those sons of guns charged me an extra month on the 27th and then rolled up the carpet on the 28th." [28:01]).
  • Both discuss the broader corporate/sports trend of networks ceding local coverage for nationalized, often bland content.
• Regionality and AI-Vibe Broadcasts:
  • Luke and Andrew puzzled by recent “scoreboard update” segments that felt pre-recorded, generic, and untethered from local personalities.
    • “She was just like, ‘Thanks guys, the Marlins are socking it to the Red Sox’—just like this incredibly generic thing that had been recorded and then pumped out...” (29:24, Luke)
  • Lament the loss of quirky, local flavor and direct engagement by known personalities.

4. Local Adventures & Observations

[01:20]–[09:40], [34:21]–[36:29]

• Twin Cities Love Letter:
  • Luke overflows with affection for Minneapolis/St. Paul—its weather, layout, and intriguing places like the St. Paul Farmers Market and the quirky Saints Stadium “Baseball Scouts Hall of Fame.”
    • “I was considering moving to the Twin Cities so that then I could just be a person who buys these reasonably... they had salsa kits.” (06:46, Luke)
• Farmers Market Logistics:
  • Both rue the fate of encountering irresistible markets while unable to buy (travel-compatibility woes) and debate word origins (“knolling” not “kerning”).
• Bus Draggle & Seattle Party:
  • Andrew describes a three-hour public-transport odyssey to the city’s fanciest party:
    • “Vivian and I were on the bus for three hours... I just came up with that: bus draggled. That’s a combination of bus and bedraggled.” (35:53)
  • They’re subjected to a fellow passenger’s conspiracy-laden media played loudly—segueing to serious reflection on the spread of misinformation.

5. Media, Misinformation, and Social Disintegration

[36:29]–[41:52]

• Brain Poison on the Bus:
  • Andrew describes the shock of hearing anti-Semitic propaganda blasted on public transport, underscoring the degree to which fringe conspiracy media are now ambient noise.
    • “Just this voice that is saying: ‘take this green goo...’ but also, anti-Semitic shit... It’s all brain poison.” (39:56, Andrew)
• Information Overload & New Polarization:
  • Luke ties these experiences to broader worries about confusion and chaos in American discourse.
    • “It’s not just a question of is this the most polarized we’ve ever been—it’s... is this the most confused?... with a delivery system that’s never existed before.” (41:39, Luke)
• Historic Comparisons & Port of Misinformation:
  • Reflect on how past divisions (e.g., the Civil War) lacked the instantaneous, omnipresent channels of misinformation plaguing today.

6. Humorous Local Color & Classic TBTL Digressions

[43:00]–[45:45]

• Steven Root Doppelgänger Incident:
  • Luke tries to make a silly video at a St. Paul Hotel, accidentally worrying a couple by declaring “potential Nazi” near Charles Lindbergh’s portrait—classic awkward TBTL moment.
    • “I realize that there's just a nice couple just eating some... Minnesota rice soup...I walk up, hold a cell phone camera...and then goes, ‘potential Nazi’... don't mind if I do [Steven Root voice].” (45:32, Luke)

7. Listener Thanks and Closing Banter

[45:50]–[50:25]

• Donor Appreciations:
  • Luke and Andrew thank listeners from around the country, riffing on their names and hometowns (Edmonds, WA is “very Scandinavian” and like “airlifting Twin Cities folk westward” [48:07]).
• Camp Song Whimsy:
  • The hosts break into “John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt,” bantering about lowbrow vs. highbrow comedy.
    • “Is it high-level comedy or low-level idiocy?” (50:02, Andrew)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Journalism Awards:
  “I don’t think that a bunch of people getting together at the Radisson to pat each other on the back is super necessary to the protection of journalism.” [13:22, Luke]
• On Clickbait Headlines:
  “A newspaper should not be hiding information so that you click it and then you find out whether or not the information is relevant to you.” [21:49, Andrew]
• On Local News Under Threat:
  “Journalism is also not like every other business...you have a certain public responsibility.” [23:00, Luke]
• On the Modern Misinformation Pipeline:
  “It’s not just a question of is this the most polarized we’ve ever been... it’s a question of: is this the most confused we’ve ever been, with a delivery system for confusion that’s never existed before?” [41:39, Luke]
• On Sprinting to the Theater:
  “I’m running… I get an awesome Lyft driver. This guy’s just like taking every shortcut and really, he's really invested in the process.” [61:22, Luke]
• On Minnesota Justice Band:
  “These are people who sit in judgment… and now they’re singing X’s and O’s by Elle King and playing the tambourine.” [64:33, Luke]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00–03:00 – Cold open, football and beagle-boggle-boggle riffs
• 03:01 – Luke begins recounting his travel disaster
• 13:22 – Deep dive into journalism, professional awards skepticism
• 17:46 – Luke’s letter to the editor about headline ethics
• 20:35 – Andrew rails against clickbait newspaper headlines
• 25:02 – Local sports TV collapse & frustrations with Root Sports
• 29:24 – “AI”/generic MLB news segments and loss of regional flavor
• 34:21 – Andrew and Genevieve’s epic bus journey
• 36:29 – Encounter with public anti-Semitic conspiracy theories
• 41:39 – Are we more polarized or just more confused?
• 43:00 – Steven Root doppelgänger mishap
• 45:50 – Listener thank-yous and John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt
• 51:03 – Full recap of Luke’s harrowing travel to Minneapolis
• 62:33 – Lyft driver says Luke looks like a guitar player
• 64:00 – Minnesota Supreme Court band at LiveWire taping

Tone & Style

• Warm and self-deprecating: Classic TBTL banter, with hosts poking fun at themselves and each other.
• Thoughtful but never dour: Serious riffs on journalism and media are balanced by impromptu wordplay, song, and personal weirdness.
• Relatable and meandering: Digressions are embraced, stories are told with detail and side tangents.

In Short

This episode captures TBTL’s essence: hilarity born from chaos, affection for local quirks, and a persistent plea for media literacy amid the cultural noise. Whether cranky about newspapers, running through airports, or musing over accidental crimes against Minnesota hotel patrons, Luke and Andrew’s chemistry remains as sparklingly odd and amiable as ever.