TBTL Episode #4613: “A Comedy of Errols” – Summary

Date: December 5, 2025
Hosts: Luke Burbank & Andrew Walsh

Episode Overview

This Friday edition of TBTL finds Luke back in Seattle after a busy week of travel and stage work, including appearances on “Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me!” in Phoenix and an upcoming “Livewire” show in Seattle. The episode’s main theme is a classic, freewheeling TBTL journey, riffing on everything from overlooked December songs and the nuances of nostalgia documentaries to airplane travel epiphanies, cookie franchises, and the strange joys of airport pretzels. It’s a quintessential slice of Luke and Andrew’s comic chemistry, peppered with music talk, pop culture overstimulation, existential air travel stress, and listener stories.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Great December Song Debate

Timestamp: 03:53 – 09:28

• Andrew, prompted by the date “December 5th,” searches for songs titled “December,” referencing a Yard Barker magazine list.
• Both hosts are outraged (“I am shook. I am shocked,” – Andrew, 04:41) that “A Long December” by Counting Crows isn’t included.
• They riff through a series of lesser-known “December” songs, mocking the curators and lamenting the omission.
• Luke brings up a new HBO Counting Crows documentary, expressing initial excitement but a waning interest after viewing the trailer.

“I always expect…oh, this is a whole ass documentary about Counting Crows, I was like, ‘oh, I would be really into that.’ And then the more of the trailer I watched, the less interested I became in the documentary, which is a weird experience.” – Luke (08:58)

2. Pop Culture Documentaries and the Self-Serving Bio-Doc Trend

Timestamp: 09:28 – 14:56, 21:22 – 26:30

• Luke and Andrew discuss how some music documentaries (Counting Crows, Rainier Beer) and celebrity bio-docs feel unnecessary or self-serving, lamenting that “not everything needs to be a full documentary.”
• Andrew critiques fans embracing the recent A-Rod HBO doc as though it’s objective, when it’s more of a “two-hour press release written by A-Rod.” (21:22)
• The conversation segues to hagiographies and the “auto-hagiography” trend, with Luke citing Michael Jordan’s “The Last Dance” as an example where personal mythmaking sometimes backfires.

“If somebody puts out a documentary about themselves…just start with them looking into the camera and going ‘Hi, I’m Alex Rodriguez, this is my version of my story.’ …But of course, they would never do that.” – Luke (22:21)

3. The Errol Morris Rabbit Hole & The Interrotron

Timestamp: 23:53 – 32:34

• The hosts get humorously lost trying to recall the name of Errol Morris (after lambasting themselves for mid-podcast memory lapses).
• Andrew eventually finds it, leading to a tangent on Morris documentaries like “Fast, Cheap & Out of Control,” “Fog of War,” and “Mr. Death,” including the confusion over “Dr. Death.”
• Luke introduces the “Interrotron,” a device Errol Morris built to make interviewees look directly into the camera, and both hosts geek out over the technical novelty.

“That’s what I was thinking of! The Interrotron.” – Luke (30:50)

4. Air Travel Adventures & the Danger of Early Departures

Timestamp: 32:59 – 37:39

• Luke describes Alaska Airlines moving his flight time earlier by five minutes at the last minute, calling it “kind of dangerous.”
• The hosts debate the risks of flights leaving before their originally scheduled time, especially for last-minute boarders.
• Luke reveals an air travel epiphany: taking super-early morning flights is worth it for the peace and fewer crowds, despite the brutal early wakeups.

“I think I might become like a crazy early morning flight guy...” – Luke (36:37)

5. Airport and Mall Food: Pretzels & Cookie Chains

Timestamp: 37:39 – 45:09

• Andrew shares the sublime smells of passing an Auntie Anne’s/Orange Julius combo at Cleveland Airport.
• They touch on the “Mandela Effect” regarding people’s mistaken memory of “Auntie M’s” vs. “Auntie Anne’s.”
• Luke discusses recent cookie adventures: Insomnia Cookies vs. Crumbl, mentiones mall cookie nostalgia, and extols McDonald’s cookies as the surprising “GOAT.”

“You know who I still think rules the chocolate chip cookie game? ...the McDonald’s hamburger corp.” – Luke (44:53)

6. Listener VMail: Talia’s LAX/TSA Phone Anxiety

Timestamp: 61:44 – 66:14

• Listener Talia from Sydney shares a story about LAX TSA agents demanding she unlock her phone (which she’d left in the security line) to prove it was hers.
• Her anxiety in the moment (fearing state oppression, “thought policing”) is echoed and empathized with by both hosts.

“I have a lot of what we would consider, previously, free speech on that phone… I just look at the man and say, ‘Why?’” – Talia (65:26)

7. Documentary Talk: “Marty Supreme” & The Marketing Blimp

Timestamp: 51:32 – 57:59

• Talk of a new Safdie brothers/Timothée Chalamet movie trailer, “Marty Supreme,” a biopic about a ping pong legend.
• Andrew reacts to the trailer as if it’s a parody, but Luke trusts the Safdie pedigree and recounts a clever marketing campaign involving blimps and surreal Zoom pitches.

“They did a really clever bit of…earned media…they released this kind of Zoom meeting… but it was actually pretty funny… and then, after this thing drops, a week later there are Marty Supreme orange blimps over various American cities.” – Luke (55:05)

8. Notable Quotes & Memorable Riffs

• “That’s where I go for my yard barking...” – Luke (04:36, poking fun at music site names)
• “I want to go back, I want a time machine to tell him, hey buddy, just go with whatever your hair is naturally doing.” – Luke, on Adam Duritz’s infamous locks (14:07)
• “I feel like that was him. But also, can I trust my own experience right now?” – Andrew, on possibly bumping into Adam Duritz on weed at Lollapalooza (16:41)
• “They present it like it’s being made by…who made Fast, Cheap, and Out of Control?” – Luke, lost in Errol Morris references (23:11)
• “Oopsie Coin is just absolutely shattering… the ceiling of crypto right now.” – Luke (23:44, running joke about monetizing podcast mistakes)

Important Timestamps for Key Segments

• December Song List Riff: 03:53–09:28
• Counting Crows Doc & Pop Culture Docs: 09:28–14:56
• A-Rod / Sports Documentaries Critique: 21:22–26:30
• Errol Morris & Documentary Devices: 23:53–32:34
• Flight Timing Dangers & Epiphany: 32:59–37:39
• Airport / Mall Pretzels & Cookie Chains: 37:39–45:09
• Listener VMail – Talia’s TSA Story: 61:44–66:14
• “Marty Supreme” Biopic / Blimp Marketing: 51:32–57:59

Tone & Highlights

• Self-deprecating & playful banter: The episode is filled with meandering anecdotes, mock outrage, and affectionate teasing—classic TBTL energy.
• Pop-culture and media obsession: The hosts overlay nearly every mundane subject (flights, snacks, even TSA) with references to movies, documentaries, and music, often with meta-commentary on the commercial or self-mythologizing nature of modern storytelling.
• Listener community: The show features and warmly reacts to a detailed listener story, keeping TBTL’s conversational, participatory tone front and center.
• Lingering, relatable anxieties: Documentaries as image control, flight times shifting, phone privacy fiascos—all are chewed over with both comic exasperation and real-world concern.

Notable Quotes (with Attribution & Timestamp)

• “I can already tell you, whoever made this list, they haven’t lived enough.” – Luke, on the December song list (05:17)
• "Every professional sports kind of icon from that era is writing their...pre-obituaries here." – Andrew (22:01)
• “The Interrotron… that's what I was thinking of!” – Luke, on Errol Morris's interview device (30:50)
• “That five minutes is absolutely the life and death difference in terms of me. The life and death of this particular ticket and flight...” – Luke (35:26)
• “I turn into like Pepe Le Pew floating on a smell. It is so–I don’t even know if it tastes good, but golly does it smell good.” – Luke, on Auntie Anne’s pretzels (39:21)
• “I’m talking about the McDonald’s hamburger corp…” – Luke, surprising Andrew with his favorite cookie pick (44:53)
• “My brain went somewhere else in 3 seconds…” – Talia, on TSA making her unlock her phone (65:26)
• "Oopsie Coin is just absolutely... shattering the ceiling of crypto right now." – Luke, about monetizing podcast errors (23:44)

In Summary

Episode 4613 is a textbook TBTL Friday — sprawling, funny, and sneakily thought-provoking, with infectious enthusiasm for obscure trivia, pop culture, and everyday oddities. Whether riffing on algorithms and nostalgia or chronicling the perils of modern travel, Luke and Andrew create a space for humor, skepticism, and community. Even for newcomers, the episode offers abundant charm, hearty laughs, and insights into how media, memory, and life’s quirks intersect.

Power out.