TBTL #4597 "The Right Amount Of Panic"
November 13, 2025
Episode Overview
This lively Thursday edition of TBTL features hosts Luke Burbank and Andrew Walsh bouncing between personal mishaps, show business woes, audience appreciation, and playful TV analysis. The “right amount of panic” runs like a motif throughout the episode — from Luke’s traffic-stressed morning TV appearance (with his flatulent support dog), to Andrew’s obsessive quest to protect TBTL listeners’ data in their vinyl “greatest hits” project. The hosts also sink their teeth into HBO’s “The Chair Company” and the new Vince Gilligan series "Pluribus," while celebrating listener "Blursdays" and debating the nuances of TV release models, minor tech annoyances, and retro burger joints.
Main Discussion Points & Insights
1. Apple Cereal, Pet Chaos & Morning Banter
- Luke opens from the “zoo” of his Portland home, introducing Gigi the poodle, Holly the tuxedo cat, and Bubbles the Bengal, who regularly disrupts the show. The vibe is casual, silly, and self-aware (“This is a show for dogs, about dogs, starring one dog and one dirty dog.” [00:29])
- Quick detour into the ethics and textures of apples in cereal—listener Christina loves it, Andrew is skeptical (“Seems like a textural minefield to me,” Andrew, 02:25), but Luke reveals his fondness for a new apple-pear hybrid.
2. The “Right Amount of Panic”: Luke’s TV Appearance Saga
- Luke details his anxiety-ridden morning en route to a local morning TV show to promote Livewire, his other project currently in a fundraising crunch. Despite prepping early and consulting Waze, unexpected traffic snarls caused mounting panic as his ETA kept getting later.
- He recounts the relentless “updating arrival time” loop and communication with the TV show’s producer: “I’m trying to figure out the right amount of panic to create for them.” (Luke, 17:24)
- Adding to the stress, Gigi the standard poodle is “ripping ass” in the car, indicating bathroom needs—but refuses to go both before and after the appearance.
- Ultimately, Waze discovers a miracle backroad and Luke squeezes in just on time, even managing to bring Gigi on set to much approval.
Notable Quote
“I was trying to produce my way out of this in my mind.”
— Luke Burbank [16:54]
Timestamps
- Saga Start: [06:16]
- Peak Panic: [17:24]
- Resolution: [21:49]
3. TBTL Vinyl “Greatest Hits”—Andrew Goes Full “Chair Company”
- The team is excited to be shipping out a limited-run vinyl “greatest hits” album as a thank-you for donors. Alongside the records, they’ve arranged a digital download option via "drop cards."
- Andrew notices that the system misleadingly requests listeners’ emails (“The artist has requested your email address”) even though they haven’t, provoking “Tim Robinson in Chair Company”-level obsession over data privacy.
- He rants about the antiquated tech, calls the “Drop Cards” company, and ends up on the line with what feels like the last founder, who is totally unbothered (“It was not like that at all. I feel like I might have talked to somebody who runs the company... I’m mad that I never got his name.” — Andrew, 35:24)
- Assured that emails go nowhere except a dashboard no one checks, Andrew relaxes, but insists they’ll include a letter telling listeners to “just opt out.”
Notable Quote
"I'm trying to figure out the right amount of panic to create for them."
— Luke Burbank [17:24]
“He literally said at one point, ‘Listen, man, you can use us or you don’t have to.’ Like, we’re just not making any changes... we’re not doing any updates.”
— Andrew Walsh [36:19]
Timestamps
- Data Anxiety Introduction: [24:45]
- Customer Service Call Recap: [35:24]
- Resolution/Listener Instructions: [40:44]
4. TV Corner: HBO’s "The Chair Company" & "Pluribus"
- Engage in fan-level analysis of “The Chair Company” (HBO) — loving its quirky casting and Tim Robinson’s signature blend of annoying, self-loathing characters. Compare the show’s oddities to “Tim and Eric” and muse on the unconventional delivery styles of the actors.
- Luke notes that episode five got right up to his “quirk tolerance” limit but didn’t tip over.
“As long as that's like, kind of the most quirkiness we'll have compacted into 15 minutes, I'm into it...” — Luke [51:57]
- Both hosts praise the weekly-release model for fueling fun, shared speculation and water-cooler talk.
- “Pluribus” (Vince Gilligan’s new series) prompts discussions about trusting the showrunner, creeping dread (especially when watched on a plane), and heavy-handed allegories for contemporary American politics.
- Andrew critiques the “lack of concern” by supporting characters as metaphor for denial in “Trump’s America”; both hosts worry about the show’s ability to “land the plane” with so many narrative threads.
Notable Quotes
“Generally speaking... it’s nice to have everybody on the same page... It's fun to have those conversations in between episodes where everybody is speculating and talking and geeking out together.”
— Andrew, [53:13]
“Storytelling is sort of juggling... It's relatively easy to put a bunch of balls into the air, but the real trick is catching them.”
— Luke, quoting George Saunders [59:20]
Timestamps
- Chair Company Deep Dive: [46:47]
- Pluribus Analysis Start: [54:20]
5. Soapbox & Side Topics
- They riff on the demise of burger joints (Red Robin closures, R.F.O. Sullivan’s), regional burgers (onion burgers), music-based TV (Peacemaker), and the perils of heavy-handed TV allegory.
- Andrew shares a niche Bluetooth speaker/turntable technical issue, crowdsourcing listener help ([71:45]).
6. Listener Appreciation & Blursdays ([43:08], [70:07])
- Heartfelt reader shoutouts—donors, “Blursday” birthday wishes, including a touching message from Luke’s niece, Maddie, in Scotland to sister Marian.
Memorable Quotes & Moments
-
“Have you ever put apples in your cereal, Luke? Seem like a textural minefield.”
— Andrew [02:25] -
On the harrowing TV appearance commute:
“I’m trying to figure out the right amount of panic to create for them.”
— Luke [17:24] -
Describing the Drop Cards customer service call:
“He literally said, ‘Listen man, you can use us or you don't have to.’ Like, we’re just not making any changes to this thing. Like, honestly, we’re just here to support it. Like, we did this like 15 years ago.”
— Andrew [36:19] -
Andrew’s “Chair Company” breakdown:
“I was going full Chair Company...” [30:18], and Luke: “We should put an additional card in that explains what's going on with the other card...” [40:44] -
Analyzing 'The Chair Company':
"I'm into it if it... I had the tiniest bit of fear that it was, like, maybe going to go off the rails for me, but they... they got it back together."
— Luke [52:57]
Key Timestamps
- 00:00 – Episode start, cold open antics
- 06:16 – Luke’s TV appearance, Waze panic begins
- 13:44 – Traffic, dog stress, and near-disaster
- 17:24 – Real-time panic, producer calls
- 21:49 – The arrival, bringing Gigi on set
- 24:45 – Vinyl “drop cards” and data privacy odyssey
- 35:24 – Andrew’s customer service saga
- 40:44 – Solution: Listener note about data privacy
- 43:08 – Donor thank-yous
- 46:47 – TV segment: “The Chair Company”
- 54:20 – TV segment: “Pluribus” and TV release games
- 70:07 – “Blursday” greetings
- 71:45 – Andrew’s Bluetooth/bad party analogy
Tone & Style
- Casual, quick-witted, self-deprecating: Both hosts gleefully dissect their foibles and neuroses, whether it's morning vanity jogs, overthinking digital privacy, or getting stuck in customer service hell.
- Meta and referential: They riff on running gags, past show arcs, and directly engage with their committed audience.
- Joyfully rambling: Discussions flow loosely but always circle back to the running theme of minor crises, handled with “the right amount of panic.”
For New Listeners
This episode is a perfect snapshot of TBTL’s blend: friendly chaos, audience intimacy, pop culture obsession, and a feeling of eavesdropping on two friends both delighting in and mildly judging the absurdities of their own (and each other’s) lives.
Power out.