TBTL #4644 "Whole Llama Love" – January 19, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode departs from the usual format as Andrew Walsh hosts solo, joined by his partner Genevieve, due to Luke Burbank being "under the weather." The show is split into two distinct halves: the first exploring Andrew and Genevieve's current hobbies, creativity, and the meta question of hobby gifting; the second half features a personalized movie-quote quiz, where Andrew replaces a word from favorite movie lines with "banana." At its core, this is a cozy episode built on playful banter, nostalgia, and unique mutual interests—plus plenty of good-natured ribbing.

I. ‘Niceties’ — Hobbies, Crafting, and Giving Gifts

[04:15–21:50]

A. Genevieve’s Sewing Adventures

• Genevieve just finished sewing “an adorable little black wool mini dress” (08:08). She sources quality remnants from Seattle’s “Recreative” store, extolling the virtues of upcycled and affordable fabric for crafters.
• She describes sewing as both stress-relieving and absorbing, relishing both the present-mindedness of crafting and the tactile nature of DIY pattern assembly (08:27–10:41).
  • “It turns off that part of your brain that's looking at the clock or thinking about the future. It's a way of being 100% in the present.” — Genevieve [10:11]
• Conversation turns to hobby-collecting over 25 years: embroidery, bookbinding, knitting, etc. (11:15–12:56).
  • Genevieve confesses to “failure closets” (Simpsons reference), but with less permanent abandonment—most crafts are paused, not discarded.

B. The 'Hobby Gifting' Debate: When is it OK?

• Andrew remembers commenting that “no one wants to receive embroidery as a gift,” which Genevieve claims nearly killed her hobby ambitions (12:56–13:44).
  • “No one wants to receive your hobbies as a gift.” — Andrew, paraphrasing himself [13:00]
• They riff: Some creator gifts (art, photography, digitized 80s commercials) are only meaningful to the creator and not always appreciated by the receiver. The most contentious example—Genevieve’s never-realized embroidered llama—becomes a running joke (15:15–15:36).
• The lesson: Know your audience—sometimes gifts should be for yourself alone (16:27).

II. Andrew’s Digitizing Obsession & FX Channel Nostalgia

[17:41–46:47]

A. Trawling Old VHS: Preserving Ephemera

• Andrew explains his recent hyper-focus: digitizing 80s-90s VHS tapes—especially local commercials and TV ephemera that otherwise “would never exist” if not preserved (19:56–21:50).
  • “History is made up of all of these little things. Cultural history is all of those things.” — Genevieve [21:18]
• Their mutual love for archiving, nostalgia, and saving cultural flotsam is evident, with ties to Genevieve’s background in public history.

B. The Wild Early Days of FX Network

• Andrew describes tapes he found from FX’s early days ("Breakfast Time" morning show, "Personal FX"—an Antiques Roadshow-style show), where the format was a mix of live cable TV energy, MTV irreverence, and audience-driven ‘90s telepresence (24:16–26:04).
  • Antique appraisers would evaluate folks’ treasures live—awkward remote interviews included (29:16–35:00).
• Favorite moments:
  • Deadpan evaluation of a boy’s “Our Army At War” comic: “I think about maybe three to five dollars, I would think, at this particular point” [34:12].
  • The nervous guest with a “cursed” cast-iron horse, mistaking it for a dog bank: “Well, I brought this little cast iron dog bank or—excuse me, it’s a horse.” [37:01]
• Production comparison: Both hosts note how these awkward, unpolished, almost “hostage video” segments highlight just how artful Antiques Roadshow is (35:18–35:40).

C. VHS Gold: Vintage Digital Photography Segments

• Clips from "Personal FX" demonstrate presenters awed by $700 digital cameras as tools for archiving, with calculations about the “savings” gained versus buying and developing film (38:42–46:30).
• Fashion and makeup of the 90s on display—Genevieve gleefully "notes the Mary Janes" (41:57), and critiques the “washed out” camera tech on-air.
• The conversation is equal parts affectionate roast and fascinated nostalgia.

III. The Movie ‘Banana’ Quiz: Couple Comfort Cinema

[53:00–93:12]

Andrew unleashes a quiz for Genevieve, where he’s replaced a word in a favorite movie quote with “banana” and she has to guess the replaced word, source film, and context. Each answer opens a deep well of shared memories, affection, and comedic analysis. Below, highlights by question—with notable moments and best quotes.

Quiz Highlights and Notable Quotes

1. “I’ve invented a pill that gives bananas to ex-girlfriends.”

• Movie: Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy
• Original: “I’ve invented a pill that gives worms to ex-girlfriends.”
  • “What's positive about that?”
  • “Well, it’s a pill that gives worms to ex-girlfriends.” [54:44–57:43]

2. “I see salt and pepper. Is there a banana?”

• Movie: What About Bob?
• Original: “Is there a salt substitute?” — At the infamous dinner scene.
  • Genevieve: “One of my very favorite movies.” [59:18]
  • On the Dreyfus–Murray dynamic: “Their energies are so perfectly, like, in conflict. And it's like the best movie about conflict.” — Genevieve [60:24]

3. “Banana means hello and goodbye. Goodbye.”

• Movie: The Malibu Bikini Shop
• Original: “Aloha means hello and goodbye.”
• Andrew: “It was a network for men... very low-budget, 80s and maybe 70s and 80s movies and a lot of TNA.” [63:51–65:48]
• Genevieve is amused by the near-absence of actual plot.

4. “I’ve never hung on to that part of the banana, you know, that part underneath.”

• Movie: So I Married an Axe Murderer
• Original: “I’ve never hung on to that part of the helicopter, you know that part underneath the thing where it lands...”
  • (Once Genevieve hears Alan Arkin’s voice, she identifies it instantly!) [66:44–68:01]

5. “I know he can get the banana, but can he do the banana?”

• Movie: Joe Versus the Volcano
• Original: “I know he can get the job, but can he do the job?”
  • Andrew extols the genius of giving Dan Hedaya a minute-plus to riff on four phrases. [69:05–71:56]

6. “Your work is bananas and underdramatized. You lack any sense of structure, character, and the Aristotelian unities.”

• Movie: Addams Family Values
• Original: “Your work is puerile and underdramatized...”
  • Context: Wednesday critiques her camp director’s Thanksgiving play. [73:33–75:32]
  • “It’s not banal... it’s puerile!” — The tough word stumps even Genevieve momentarily.

7. “Well, the entire civilized world knows that all closets are made of bananas.”

• Movie: Overboard
• Original: “Cedar.”
  • “I love that movie. … It's about human slavery.” — Genevieve [76:30–76:32]

8. “I’m not a banana, you can’t just order me.”

• Movie: Working Girl
• Original: “I’m not steak, you can’t just order me.”
  • Genevieve launches into a delightful, passionate mini-lecture dissecting the plot. [77:34–81:58]

9. “How many times do I have to tell you? I’m not depressed. I just need bananas.”

• Movie: The Couch Trip
• Original: “I just need space.”
  • Andrew finally admits only recently warming up to this Dan Aykroyd/Charles Grodin movie; Charles Grodin’s comedic sad-sackness receives high praise [83:44–86:48].

10. “Where has your head been lately? Did you have a hard banana last night?”

• Movie: Sleep Easy, Hutch Rimes
• Original: “Did you have a hard sleep last night?”
  • Obscure, only-viewed-once, but Andrew bought the DVD for Genevieve. [89:33–90:51]
  • “I don't even remember one line…” — Genevieve

IV. Memorable Quotes & Moments

• “I feel like sometimes on this show, I come off as too likable. That's kind of an ongoing problem with me.” — Andrew [17:04]
• “If something's hard to do, then it's not worth doing. You just stick that guitar in the closet next to your shortwave radio, your karate outfit and your unicycle, and we'll go inside and watch TV.” — (Simpsons quote drop, as Andrew reflects on cycling through hobbies) [12:31]
• “The only thing that matters to me in Minecraft is animal welfare.” — Genevieve [19:32]
• “Who would do that? [run a show with user-submitted content]” — Genevieve on IMDb’s quote section and, meta-ironically, the TBTL voicemail segment [91:41]
• On archiving: “...history is made up of all of these little things. Cultural history is all of those things.” — Genevieve [21:18]
• On Joe Versus the Volcano: “They basically give Dan Hedaya, like, four things he can say...in any order. Each one is more irritating than the last.” - Genevieve [71:54]
• On Overboard: “The chemistry is, like, absolutely off the charts. Leaping off the screen. I just can't be mad at Overboard. I'm sorry.” — Genevieve [76:58]

V. Notable Segment Timestamps

• 04:15 – Andrew introduces the structure; Genevieve’s sewing project and crafting
• 12:56 – Debate about handmade gifts and when they are (not) appreciated
• 17:41 – Andrew’s new old-VHS digitizing project
• 24:16 – Discussion of early FX "Breakfast Time" and "Personal FX" shows
• 34:12 – Comic book kid appraisal (“three to five dollars”)
• 38:42 – 1990s digital cameras/craft archiving segment
• 53:00 – Movie quote “Banana” Quiz begins
• 69:05 – “I know he can get the job, but can he do the job?” monologue from Joe vs. The Volcano
• 77:34 – “I’m not a banana, you can’t just order me!” and deep-dive on Working Girl
• 89:33 – “Where has your head been lately?” clue from Sleep Easy, Hutch Rimes

VI. Overall Tone & Listener Experience

This episode is a loving tribute to the in-jokes, shared media touchstones, and low-key joys of a long-term couplehood, all through the absurd lens of homemade quizzes and obscure pop culture. The vibe is gently anarchic, heavy on comedic banter but with a warmth that makes every tangent engaging even for new listeners.

The highlight reels—awkward VHS gems, “banana” quiz, and debates about hobbyist self-indulgence—make this a quintessential “not for everyone, but perfect for some” TBTL.

Power out.