TBTL #4589 Dispatches From The Steam Room

Podcast: Too Beautiful To Live (TBTL)
Date: November 3, 2025
Hosts: Luke Burbank, Andrew Walsh
Special Guest: Chris Hayes

Episode Overview

In this lively and conversational episode, Luke, Andrew, and guest Chris Hayes gather for TBTL’s Monday show from Chris’s Brooklyn home studio ("The Steam Room"). The episode is a blend of nostalgic urban anecdotes, reflections on the NYC marathon, light political analysis, and comically self-deprecating travel tales. Peppered with inside jokes (about the show and themselves), the crew delivers both genuine city-life warmth and the reliably goofy energy TBTL fans expect.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. Podcasting from “The Steam Room” in Brooklyn

• [02:01] Luke introduces the unusual recording location, a converted steam room in Chris Hayes’s Brooklyn basement.

  • Chris jokes: “I always joke that…nothing will be more like peak 2025. I think they called it a podcast studio. Apparently back then, every home had one.” (05:32)

• The former steam room/bath is now a two-podcast household, shared with Chris's wife, legal scholar Kate Shaw.

2. Urban Reminiscing & The Joys of City Living

• [06:03-07:01] Luke describes nostalgic walks through old neighborhoods and the agony of sharing that with others.

  • Luke: “There is just nothing worse than being in a neighborhood that I used to live in with me, as I'm reminiscing about my times there. Everyone that I've dated or been married to has at some point been taken on the tour de terrible of Seattle.”

• Discussion of Halloween and block parties as peak urban experiences (see “Block Parties & Transformative City Streets”).

3. NYC Marathon Reflections

• [09:40] Luke details attending the marathon to support Becca’s family. They marvel at how the event brings the city together, noting growing crowd sizes and vibrant street atmosphere.

  • Chris: “I think it's my favorite day in New York…it's like the closest thing New York has to Mardi Gras.” (11:01)

• Tracking runners via an app and the emotional highs of cheering for loved ones.

  • Luke: "I realize Becca and I are both crying—not intensely, but tearing up a little—over yelling someone's name at a marathon." (14:12)

• The agony and comedy of losing runners in the crowd, tracking them via laggy apps, and the oddity of too many “white guys with mustaches” running.

4. Block Parties & Transformative City Streets

• [19:29] Chris references "The War on Cars" podcast conversation, highlighting how closing down a street for a block party or event dramatically changes the neighborhood energy.

  • Chris: “The difference between a block party and a not block party is just that they don’t let the cars go on the street…life blooms.”

• Discussion about increased pedestrian injuries during Halloween, and NYC’s efforts to close streets for safety and festivity.

5. A Quick Political Detour: Zoran Mamdani and NY Politics

• [22:27] Luke asks Chris for an explainer on NYC mayoral candidate Zoran Mamdani, for listeners who only know headlines.

• Chris gives context: Mamdani as a talented, pragmatic newcomer with infectious campaign energy, but with little executive experience, facing a relentless media environment.

  • Chris: “He’s profoundly talented…pragmatic in a way that I think is going to be necessary to govern the city.” (24:01)
  • Chris: “There are extractable lessons…focus on affordability, use of social media, charisma.” (25:44)

• They digress into the persistent legacies (and baggage) of Andrew Cuomo and Bill de Blasio, and local vs. national implications.

  • Chris: “[Cuomo] does carry around that baggage…I mean, the reason that he got his butt kicked in the primary is because of that.” (29:04)

• Andrew: “Why does Cuomo not carry around more baggage from having to resign in a scandal?”, raising questions about how media and voters weigh personal transgressions against political promises.

6. Travel Snafu: The Great Suitcase Swap

• [40:01-51:00] Luke tells an epic tale of grabbing the wrong bag at Newark airport—a mistake made due to all-too-similar Wirecutter-recommended luggage. He only realizes the error after several ignored calls from the airline.

  • Luke: “I found myself really mad at this guy whose luggage I had stolen. Like, I understood intellectually that I had done this, but I couldn’t not be mad at him.” (42:00)

• The suitcase’s actual owner, Josh, is absurdly forgiving and Portland-y ("He’s wearing a hoodie that just literally says ‘compassion.’”), prompting Luke to reflect on travel etiquette, life hacks (always mark your bag!), and his own neuroticism.

7. Mariners, Blue Jays, and The Agony of Sports Fandom

• [54:28-62:18] The hosts dive deep into World Series emotions. Even for teams they don't root for, high-stakes baseball leads to unexpected levels of investment.

  • Breakdown of a key World Series moment: a play at home decided by mere inches, a runner’s short lead off third, and sporting heartbreaks.

  • Comparative suffering: Is it worse for your team to lose at the last possible moment or to not make it to the big dance at all?

  • Andrew: “I did not want to watch the World Series because … I don’t want to watch anybody celebrating. … But [for the Mariners], having them make it and then even lose in a very painful way would have still been a huge thing.” (62:18)

8. The "Badlands" and TBTL Lore

• [63:03-67:36] Listeners have created on-air "imaging" (short theme music) for new TBTL concepts like "The Badlands"—the show's unofficial after-hours zone where serious digressions reign.

• The hosts reminisce about generational quirks, including MySpace autoplay music as a marker of identity.

  • Luke: “I knew that my first marriage was over when my first ex wife…changed her MySpace auto load song to some song by Spoon.” (66:42)

9. Meta Moments & Show Self-Awareness

• Throughout, the hosts reflect on TBTL’s idiosyncratic traditions, audience in-jokes, and the serendipity of segment sound bites (“Top Story!”, “Power Out!”).

  • Luke: “I think about how incredibly not thought through they were at the time of their first implementation.” (37:26)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the “Steam Room” studio

  • Chris: “I always joke that, like, when we’re selling this house in 25 years, nothing will be more like peak 2025.” (05:34)

• On marathon emotions:

  • Luke: “I realize Becca and I are both crying—not intensely, but tearing up a little—over yelling someone's name at a marathon.” (14:12)

• On cheering runners:

  • Andrew: “You've got to be careful if you're yelling at somebody you don't know. Great job, Ray!” (16:29)

• On losing a bag:

  • Luke: “I found myself really mad at this guy whose luggage I had stolen. Like, I understood intellectually that I had done this, but I couldn't not be mad at him.” (42:00)

• On podcast traditions:

  • Luke: “I think about how incredibly not thought through they were at the time of their first implementation.” (37:26)

• On block parties:

  • Chris: “The difference between a block party and a not block party is just that they don’t let the cars go on the street. Life blooms.” (19:29)

Key Timestamps

• 02:01 – 07:01: Introduction, Brooklyn studio, nostalgia, Andrew’s “please clap” drop.
• 09:40 – 17:25: NYC marathon talk, crowds, marathon emotions, tracking apps, running anecdotes.
• 19:29 – 20:36: Block parties, urban life, closed streets.
• 22:27 – 33:42: Political segment covering Zoran Mamdani, NY mayoral dynamics, Cuomo, political crossover.
• 40:01 – 51:00: Luke’s suitcase debacle, airline customer adventures, Portland compassion.
• 54:28 – 62:18: World Series, sports heartbreak, Mariners & Blue Jays fan anguish.
• 63:03 – 67:36: Badlands segment, MySpace auto-load songs, generational nostalgia.
• 67:47 – end: Wrap up, gratitude, outro with “no mountain too tall, and good luck to all.”

Tone & Style

• The episode is fast-moving, irreverent, and self-referential, with effusive laughter, recounted mishaps, and plenty of friendly ribbing.
• Chris Hayes matches Luke and Andrew’s zaniness with sharp observations and good-natured self-deprecation.

In Summary

This energetic TBTL episode combines all the hallmarks of the show: urban nostalgia, pop culture musings, city-life appreciation, politics explained with a light touch, and the agony/ecstasy of being a sports fan. The hosts’ camaraderie, plus Chris Hayes’s blend of policy insight and willingness to riff on block parties and bad luggage luck, makes for a funny, insightful, and very “TBTL” hour-plus of radio.