TBTL Episode #4609: "I'm Not An Influencer, I Just Talk A Lot"

Date: December 1, 2025
Hosts: Luke Burbank and Andrew Walsh

Episode Overview

In this Monday edition of TBTL, Luke checks in from Miami’s South Beach, sharing vacation envy amid his work trip during Art Basel week. The episode features a signature blend of lighthearted banter and relatable life hassles: from epic email box battles and tech woes, to messy Thanksgiving tales and the travails of retrieving lost AirPods from a too-diligent hotel staff. Holiday family rituals, nostalgia for 80s Christian crossover music, influencer culture, and Miami’s unique vibe also weave through the show.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Live from Miami: Luke’s Worktrip Vibes

• Luke describes “absolute vacationland” Miami, soaking in the weather, but confesses to deep FOMO as everyone else appears to be in party mode while he’s locked into an intense filming schedule for CBS.

  "Everyone is in relax mode here, and I’m just like… I couldn’t really be in less relaxed mode.” (29:13, Luke)

• He notes how international and distinct Miami feels—even the prevalence of public smoking signals cultural difference.

2. Email Overload and Digital Storage Nightmares

• Both hosts commiserate over digital clutter:
  • Andrew sheepishly admits to a backlog of 35 unread TBTL emails, promising catch-up efforts. (03:25)
  • Luke learns his iCloud inbox has 121,000 emails (19,645 unread) but is still just 17% of his paid storage.
  • Tech grievances abound: changing storage quotas, surprise photo backups, and the emotional math of paying for cloud space versus simply cleaning out files.
  • Luke: “Here I am getting a bill from Apple every month for all this storage space that I’m not necessarily using.” (10:40)

3. Thanksgiving Tales: Brazilian Steakhouses & Family Karaoke

• Andrew’s "Meat Swords Thanksgiving":
  • Experiences the red light/green light system at a Brazilian steakhouse, sharing a humorous story about lightly pranking Kamaro Kev’s niece about stealing coasters. (16:21)
  • Wrestles with the all-you-can-eat mindset: "There's something about that… clearing your plate and more is being added." (14:09)
• Luke’s Family Traditions:
  • Massive Burbank turnout (30–40 people) with ritual lodging at his parents’; highlights the surprise popularity of his karaoke machine—with kids and grandparents alike.
  • Explains how seventh-graders’ digital savvy led to unexpected karaoke features being discovered.
  • Relates the complexity of singing old Keith Green “so Christian, it’s like the Christian Billy Joel” (19:31) tunes—loving the music, disagreeing with the message.

4. Christian Pop Culture & 80s Radio Confusion

• Andrew recalls as a Catholic kid, he misheard Mister Mister’s "Kyrie Eleison" as “Carry a laser”—assuming all pop radio was sneakily Christian.

  “I always assumed it was Latin… I was just accustomed to this idea of Christian music being the main pop culture music of the time.” (22:06, Andrew)

• Luke describes growing up with strict guidelines about what music was Christian-approved, e.g., Amy Grant being banned after “Baby, Baby,” while Bob Dylan’s Christian phase made him briefly acceptable. (23:22)

5. Lost-and-(Almost)Found: AirPods Security Theater

• Luke recounts losing his AirPods at the hotel front desk.
  • The staff’s by-the-book routine becomes surreal as they require him to not only identify them, but also pair them to his phone and literally play audio (Pod Save America, as it turns out) to prove ownership.
  • The security theatrics verge on absurdity:

    “He goes, 'Let me see if your phone recognizes them.'... Then, 'Well, now I got to make sure that you can play through them.'” (39:54, Luke)

  • Andrew is both amused and appalled by the privacy implications of someone else handling your earbuds.
  • Luke admits the mini-panic of realizing how essential AirPods are to travel sanity: “In the few minutes I didn’t have the AirPods... my entire life flashed before my eyes. How will I survive?”

6. Miami Hotel and Influencer Culture

• Luke registers at a South Beach hotel that's trying to trade on “hipness” (thong sculptures, art for sale, and morning champagne) to mask rough edges—amid a crowd that’s young, stylish, and possibly all influencers attending Art Basel.
• Multiple guests in line have problems with their bills, presumably because of complicated media company arrangements or inexperience with business travel.

7. NFL Fandom and Streaming Woes in Miami

• Luke, desperate to watch the Seahawks, discovers live-streaming geo-restrictions are entirely backward:
  • YouTube TV requires him to be in-market to watch his team, while FuboTV did not care.
  • He finally resorts to watching at the Clevelander hotel bar (of LeBatard Show fame), which is more a tourist reggaeton party spot than sports watering hole—ironically dead except for two Canadians hitting on the bartender. (35:04)
• Minor football rabbit holes: special teams blunders, Marcus Mariota name pronunciation, and longstanding Browns struggles.

8. Selfie Museums, Artificial Amusements, and Miami’s “Art” Scene

• Luke briefly recounts visiting the so-called Museum of Ice Cream and similar “selfie museums,” criticizing their use of "museum" for what are essentially Instagram playgrounds.
• Both hosts bemoan the commercialization and pop-up “hermit crab” style of such attractions.

9. Homemade Syrup and Childhood Food Nostalgia

• Listener email prompts discussion on the homemade table syrup (water, white and brown sugar, maple flavoring) some grew up with as a cost-saving alternative.
• Cinnamon sugar toast emerges as a highlight from family breakfasts—Luke tells on himself for being snippy about his parents' hospitality until comforted by the best cinnamon toast ever.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Podcasting in Paradise:

  "How are we not all living here during this… season, my friends? I'm in Florida on December 1st, and it’s as advertised." (01:01, Luke)

• On Paying for Email Storage:

  “Here I am getting a bill from Apple every month for all this storage space I’m not necessarily using.” (10:40, Luke)

• Andrew's Pranking Admission:

  “I tease too hard… I saw somebody having a good time teasing a kid and what do I gotta do? I gotta say, ‘yeah, they're bringing the cop cars… fire hoses and handcuffs…’ You're going to jail for life!” (16:47, Andrew)

• Miami Hotel Hipness:

  “They’ll give you a glass of champagne at 8 in the morning but haven’t vacuumed the rugs on the 6th floor in what would appear to be a very long time.” (28:55, Luke)

• AirPods Saga:

  “He goes, 'Let me see if your phone recognizes them.'... ‘Now I got to make sure you can play through them.’ ...I was just blasting Pod Save America in the lobby.” (40:37–43:17, Luke)

• Thanksgiving Family Karaoke:

  “Within a minute of me putting the karaoke machine down... full on karaoke party is ensuing. My mom is singing. Abe… is immediately latching onto the voice modulation functions and he’s beatboxing.” (17:19)

• On Influencer Culture:

  “Everyone looks like they might be about to start filming themselves on their phone going live at any moment.” (36:58, Luke)

• Podcast Title Inspiration:

  “I’m not an influencer, I just talk a lot.” (56:34, Andrew – tongue-in-cheek callback)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:59 – Luke welcomes everyone and sets up his Miami locale.
• 03:25 – Andrew admits to overwhelming TBTL inbox woes.
• 04:21 – Luke’s iCloud email storage jaw-drop: 121,000 emails.
• 10:40 – Rant on cloud storage-upcharges.
• 10:57 – Andrew’s “Meat Swords” Thanksgiving at a Brazilian steakhouse.
• 16:21 – Andrew's “teases too hard” story with Kev’s niece and the coasters.
• 19:31 – Luke on family karaoke and Keith Green’s “deeply Christian Billy Joel” energy.
• 23:22 – Christian/secular pop music confusion growing up.
• 39:54 – 47:18 – The AirPods lost & found melodrama.
• 28:55 – Miami hotel décor and influencer spillover.
• 31:55 – Luke's NFL streaming issues and the Clevelander bar scene.
• 49:16 – Selfie museum critique.
• 66:41 – Listener email: making homemade syrup.
• 67:45 – Cinnamon sugar toast story and Thanksgiving humility.

Tone & Style

True to TBTL form: silly, self-deprecating, and warm. The show is a casual, honest celebration of daily foibles and oddities, full of nostalgic tangents, inside jokes, gentle ribbing, and affectionate reflections on family and friends. As always, it’s equal parts banter and slice-of-life documentation, with both hosts displaying a keen sense for poignancy amid the goofiness.

For New Listeners

This episode is a classic example of TBTL’s unique alchemy: turning the mundane details of modern life (email, travel annoyances, holiday chaos) into comedy and communal comfort. Whether or not you know the hosts personally, you’ll feel you do by the end.

Relevant for fans of:

• “Hangout” podcasts
• Personal storytelling
• 80s/90s nostalgia
• Real-life digital woes
• Light cultural critique of influencer/technology/lifestyle trends

Endnote

The episode ends with the usual TBTL gratitude, shout-outs to donors, and playful riffs on cinnamon toast, football, and syrup science, with plenty of tangents left for tomorrow’s show—proof that this crew can turn even lost AirPods into podcast gold.