#4660 Stockholm's Syndrome

Summary

TBTL #4660 "Stockholm’s Syndrome"

Date: February 10, 2026
Hosts: Luke Burbank & Andrew Walsh

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Overview of the Episode

In this episode, Luke and Andrew embody the warm, meandering energy that fans of TBTL love. The pair cover quintessential “important topics” ranging from the status of Andrew’s ongoing home construction project to deep thoughts about the state of Super Bowl commercials, all while riffing, joking, and indulging in the delightful tangents that keep listeners coming back. The episode’s undercurrent is the comfort of routine—in the podcast, in life, and even in soda choices—while also grappling with change, whether in home renovations or cultural phenomena.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Technical Difficulties & Studio Setup

• Luke’s Setup Woes:
  Luke is broadcasting from L.A., using a makeshift USB microphone after leaving his usual audio gear in Portland. As a result, there are no signature “audio drops” in this episode.
  • Timestamps: [01:05]–[06:09]
• Bell Ringing Bit:
  Andrew takes over the show’s iconic bell-dinging, leading to riffing about famous bell-related moments in history and analogies about the show’s drops and content (Super Bowl commercials vs. the game itself).
  • “Are the drops the football game, and you and me talking are the commercials?” – Andrew, [03:56]

The Home Construction Saga

• Electrical Issues & Contractor Drama:
  Andrew shares updates about his and Genevieve's home construction project: a new basement kitchenette, electrical upgrades, sourcing secondhand materials, and, hilariously, a workplace injury after the contractor’s assistant pulled his shoulder opening their decrepit garage door.

  • Timestamps: [09:07]–[16:23]

• Contractor Selection Reflections:
  Discussion about how they picked their contractor, trusting recommendations and internet research, and the anxiety of projects stalling—not just with them, but universally.

  • “You’re experiencing one of the great common experiences of any construction project: the construction project not happening.” – Luke, [15:15]

• Project Pace & Andrew’s Philosophy:
  While delays aren’t ideal, Andrew is content so long as the project is quality and affordable. He credits Genevieve for doing “literally all the work” finding deals and making decisions on home hardware.

  • “If anything, I like having nice things, but I don’t like my routines interrupted.” – Andrew, [17:52]
  • “Somewhere between us would be ideal, because I like [shopping] a little bit too less...” – Andrew, [20:33]

Shopping, Routines & Anxiety

• Shopping Aversions:
  Andrew explains how little he enjoys shopping, his reliance on Amazon in the past, and the stress of sourcing alternatives for everyday basics (V-neck shirts, argyle socks).

  • A riff on how “making purchases is stressful,” especially for big-ticket tech.
  • [20:19]–[23:13]

• Luke’s Advice & Warnings:
  Luke gives a friendly warning about letting contractors know you're in “no rush,” sharing stories about losing priority in a contractor’s queue.

  • [23:13]–[25:15]

Dazzling Donor Segment

Molly Simon (Stanwood, WA)

• Message: Appreciation for TBTL’s consistency. Molly plugs her business, Simon Forensic (a materials testing lab in Warm Beach, WA), and their need for chemists, metallurgists, materials scientists, or machinists.
• Notable Quote:
  “May your microphones never fail, your cords be tidy, and your stories abundant.” – Molly, [30:35]
• Hosts’ Response:
  • Both have fun speculating about working at a “TBTL-friendly work environment.”
  • Andrew jokes about learning chemistry “on the fly.”
  • Discussion of the heavy metal album “Master of Puppets” and TBTL being played on the job.
  • Timestamps: [28:08]–[34:34]

Catherine Kachunas (Ann Arbor, MI)

• Message: Expresses gratitude to TBTL, sends best wishes, and gives a toast with “Faygo Rock and Rye.”
• Notable Quote:
  “Cheers with a glass of Faygo Rock and Rye.” – Catherine, [40:16]
• Hosts’ Response:
  • Andrew recalls Catherine once mailed him rare Faygo sodas.
  • Discussion about Faygo flavors, local soda options, and follow-up about Mr. Pibb "Cherry Chaos" (prompted by billboards in Luke's L.A. surroundings).
  • [39:00]–[47:07]

Soda Tangents & Brand Riffs

• Luke discusses accidentally drinking regular (not diet) Mug Root Beer, marvels at its taste, and reflects on sugar/calorie counts.
• Andrew worries about the implications after switching back to diet root beer.
• Ribbing about “cracking the code” on diet sodas and the allure of cherry-themed sodas.
• [44:47]–[47:48]

Super Bowl Commercials Breakdown

Ad Trends Observed

• Sentimentality over Surrealism:
  Both note the decrease in bizarre/absurdist ads (e.g., old Skittles spots) and an increase in sentimental, feel-good family commercials.
  • “Advertisers know we’re at war with each other in this country... [so] they were really leaning into these sentimental storylines.” – Andrew, [53:21]

Specific Spots

• Lay’s Potato Chips Ad:
  Luke, to his own surprise, is emotionally affected by the “family farm” ad.

  • [49:50]–[51:38]

• Universal/Minions "Brothers" Ad:
  Andrew's pick for best tearjerker drama: shows a nuanced sibling relationship that flips roles at a theme park, showing sensitivity and empathy.

  • [51:38]–[53:21]

• Coinbase Karaoke Ad (Backstreet Boys):
  Both agree this was the breakout winner—simple, clever, and broke through the “noise.” At both the Burbank and Walsh Super Bowl parties, everyone in the room started singing along, creating genuine, collective joy.

  • “That is how you advertise in the Super Bowl.” – Andrew, [54:35]
  • [54:35]–[58:12]

• General Note on Commercials Now:
  Discussion of how short-form online video has supplanted commercials as the “natural home” for video comedy, perhaps making traditional ads feel less special or innovative.

  • [58:12]–[59:52]

Cultural Commentary & Side Bits

• Luke’s Observations from L.A.:
  Amusing inventory of billboards outside his window (Skims, Mr. Pibb, “What’s the Deal with Hitboy?”).

  • [41:49]–[43:38]

• Luke’s Mishap with Diet vs. Regular Soda:
  Entertaining story on misreading “Zero Sugar” labels, accidentally consuming a great deal of sugary root beer.

  • [44:47]–[47:48]

• Super Bowl Halftime (Kid Rock/Politics):
  Amused reaction to the Turning Point USA claim of wanting a “politics free” show with “faith, flag, and freedom.”

  • “We just want to get politics out of it and have a nice thing about faith, flag, and freedom.” – Luke, [60:26]

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Memorable Quotes

• “You have found my flabbergast button, and guess what? You’ve pressed it.” – Andrew, [00:53]
• “Are the drops the football game, and you and me talking are the commercials?” – Andrew, [03:56]
• “You’re experiencing one of the great common experiences of any construction project: the construction project not happening.” – Luke, [15:15]
• “Somewhere between us would be ideal, because I like [shopping] a little bit too less.” – Andrew, [20:33]
• “If you had some kind of cool ability you could break out at a bar, I would never tire of being the center of attention and being the cool guy.” – Luke, [64:18]
• “We just want to have a Super Bowl halftime show that is free, it’s for everyone, and it’s free of politics. And it’s about faith, flag, and freedom.” – Luke, [60:26]

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Listener Email/Voicemail Segment

Eric from Stockholm:

• Shares a story about a friend with a calendar memory who—while showing off his skill in a bar—remembered a suspect’s birthday after a stabbing. This enabled police to identify and arrest the perpetrator.
• “It turns out that the stabber... had given his birthday to my friend. And [he] remembered this detail when the cops showed up.” – Eric, [62:24]
• Luke and Andrew marvel at the story and comment on Eric’s “mental-vacation” accent and rich scene-setting.
• [61:17]–[67:04]

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Episode Structure & Flow

• Opening Banter: Tech difficulties, bell-ringing gags, episode/host intros [00:00]–[06:09]
• Andrew’s Home Repair/Electrical Subplot: Project status, contractor philosophy, shopping avoidance [09:07]–[25:15]
• Dazzling Donor Segment: Molly and Catherine’s donor shoutouts and host tangents [27:23]–[47:07]
• Soda Culture & Billboard Riffs: Pop, root beer, and Mr. Pibb bits [47:07]–[48:08]
• Super Bowl Commercials Analysis: Trends, picks, party experiences [48:08]–[59:52]
• Pop Culture Musings: TV, TikTok, “comedy is dead” bits, halftime show sarcasm [58:12]–[60:35]
• Voicemail/Listener Stories: Eric in Stockholm solves a crime [61:17]–[67:04]
• Closing & Sign-Offs: Hints for next episode, gentle farewells [67:06]–end

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Tone & Style

• The episode’s tone is playful, self-deprecating, and gently meandering.
• Both hosts indulge each other’s tangents and display the rapport of old friends.
• The episode is filled with dry humor, observational asides, and generous affection for the TBTL "tens" (listeners).
• Listener engagement and long-running inside jokes abound, maintaining the show's signature warmth and quirkiness.

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For New Listeners

This episode is a perfect example of the TBTL experience: the blend of ordinary life updates, pop culture commentary, and the comfortable rhythm of two friends talking through their days. It’s an episode that rewards both deep TBTL fandom and casual listenership, packed with sincere moments and comic bits. If you’re looking to see why TBTL "just might be too beautiful to live," this playful, engaging, and community-rich episode is a great place to start.

Transcript

[Luke Burbank]

Hello, this is Kristen from Ontario from Thunder Bay.

[Andrew Walsh]

Anyway, I was calling because I've been sick this week and I've been losing my voice, sort of, but then I realized I sound like the chicken lady. So I wanted to call and just wish you all an old mountain too.

[Luke Burbank]

Tall and good luck to all and.

[Andrew Walsh]

Just check to say, you know, I love life and you want some eggs, tbtl, Don't you?

[Luke Burbank]

Latte sipping leeches. And I've seen enough of these Hollywood super hunks. We need a dumpy, unappealing loser, an everyman. Don't take this the wrong way, but you've just been kind of hanging around a lot lately, which isn't a bad.

[Andrew Walsh]

Thing, but it's also not a good thing.

[Luke Burbank]

I feel like we're just, like, in.

[Andrew Walsh]

That tired mode where you're delirious and.

[Luke Burbank]

You'Re laughing at silly things.

[Andrew Walsh]

Well, you have found my flabbergast button, and guess what? You've pressed it. The comedy factor speaks for itself.

[Eric from Stockholm]

It's just painfully obvious. It's an unfulfilled prophecy.

[Luke Burbank]

It just has to be played out. My door is always open. Except when it's closed, but you can open it when it's closed. All right. Hello, good morning, and welcome, everyone, to a Tuesday edition of tbtl, the show that just might be too beautiful to live. My name is Luke Burbank. I am your host, coming to you once again from today. Slightly less beautiful Los Angeles, California, but still, still tolerable. That's how I consider my contribution to the world of podcasting. It's not so beautiful, but it is tolerable. And I hope you're going to enjoy yet another episode of tbtl, yet another episode where I don't have my full complement of audio wizardry, because I did leave my recording equipment in Portland in my car, and I had to buy a temporary USB microphone, which is what you're hearing me on right now. It also means no audio drops. I don't know, maybe for some people, that's a relief. There might be some people who. They're like the people that watch the super bowl, but they just want to see the ads. They. They listen to the tbtl, but they don't want any part of the drops. And this is going to be a great couple of days for all of you. You know what? I think it's gonna be a great day and a great few days for all of us because I just have that sense. I just have that feeling here. As we arrive at episode 4660 in a collector series. See, right there. You would have heard a bell ding if I were at the Madrona Hill studio or even if I had my sound effects. Hey, there you go. Who do you think dinged that bell? Was it Elisha? Was it? We always set a place for him here on the podcast. No, I think that might have been the longest running cobra of the show. Maybe best known for his depictions of the tall ships. He's Andrew Walsh. He's getting my back today. Good morning, my friend.

[Andrew Walsh]

Never has a man scrambled for a bell as quickly as I scrambled for that bell.

[Luke Burbank]

Maybe that was quick reaction time, in my opinion.

[Andrew Walsh]

Are there historic stories where somebody needs to ring a bell as quickly as possible? Anybody have to ring the Liberty Bell or anything really quickly?

[Luke Burbank]

Right. It's a sort of like a Paul Revere esque moment or the, the marathon. Like one of those things where for some reason somebody. Audie Murphy, somebody had to like ring that bell to let the French know that the Germans were coming from the other direction or something.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yes, exactly. Hey, I had a question for you. Hold on, I'm. Wait, before I get into. Before I start picking apart your intro, which is not a nice thing to do. Let me see here. I'm typing in most famous bell ringing into Google. We're at a TikTok.

[Luke Burbank]

Today you're probably gonna get Mike Tyson versus Buster Douglas.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, right. Boxing has bells.

[Luke Burbank]

Maybe.

[Andrew Walsh]

Let's see here. Westminster Abbey comes up a lot. So in your analogy, the drops are the football game and you talking, you and me talking, are the commercials. Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

You didn't assume that?

[Andrew Walsh]

I just wasn't sure. I just wanted to make sure. I just wanted to make sure that I was. That I was following that.

[Luke Burbank]

I figured most people tune into this show to hear Cisco Morris go ooh la la la, and they just tolerate the other. I would say 99.9% of the show where we were talking until the next day when they can hear some more drops at the top of the show. That's. I. That's what my independent research has generated is that people tune in to hear snippets of audio and then they stick around to just kind of like endure the parts where we're talking.

[Andrew Walsh]

There's got to be an AI somewhere that can strip every part of the show away except for the drops. And then it's just a nice tidy little four minute show. How many? Oh, now there's a question for you. I mean, it's not an interesting question. It's terrible content, but it's a question for you. What should we do? Percentage or time? I like time on your average TBTL, which is like let's say a 90 minute program. Right. How much of that is actually drops? Now, we know the intro tape package is usually about 90 seconds, right? So right there you got about a minute and a half. Then you come in and you're talking. But we're not counting the time that you're talking. We're talking just the drops themselves. How many drops do you think you play in a day?

[Luke Burbank]

Probably six. I would say as few as five and as many as seven.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, okay. So those are the number of drops at the beginning of the show. Yes. Which is maybe again taking away all voice that comes into drop.

[Luke Burbank]

I'd say call them three seconds each.

[Andrew Walsh]

Call them three seconds each. So you're like under 30 seconds on drops. We're only delivering. And then here and there throughout the show, you'll drop them down. But we're only. We're delivering like three minutes of drops a day. Is that it? And can we get those numbers up?

[Luke Burbank]

Well, this is why it's so incredible that people stick around for the rest of the show. I mean, the ratio is really off. In fact, you know what, Andrew, to bring it back to the football analogy.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

Somebody did this once, and this used to be the. I was listening to Chuck Klosterman talk to Pablo Torre about this, that the knock on football at one point when maybe it was a little bit less of a national obsession, was that I think an entire football game only has 11 minutes of actual football being played, which is crazy to think about because, I mean, a quarter is 15 minutes. So right there you think you'd have more. But no, we're talking between the guy saying hike and then the referee blowing the whistle. When you add all of that up, this four hour experience has 11 minutes of actual something like actively going on.

[Andrew Walsh]

I have that book, by the way. Have you read it?

[Luke Burbank]

No. I need to start it on the flight home. I'm interviewing Chuck, by the way, next week on Livewire.

[Andrew Walsh]

I had a feel that seemed like. I know he'd been on before and it seemed like something that you guys would do. And a friend had him on their show and so she gave me the book.

[Luke Burbank]

And so how handsome is that book, by the way?

[Andrew Walsh]

It looks great. It's sitting on. It's just sitting on my couch. It's better just to let it sit on the couch. It looks like we have workers who've been coming in and out and they all think like, this man likes to read handsome books about football.

[Luke Burbank]

It just says it kind of looks old and kind of leather bound in a way. And like somewhere between the Bible and maybe like a coaching book that Vince Lombardi would have written or something. It's just got a like a super classic vibe to it. Speaking of, not to change the subject from TRT, total runtime of our. That's a. That's a TV term, Andrew. That's fine. Sometimes we'll say it's 5:14 TRT plus the sun. That just means the story. Total runtime is 5 minutes and 15 seconds. And then a little CBS Sunday Morning sun appears after it. That's usually kind of sort of made to look like something related to what the thing the story just was.

[Andrew Walsh]

I think of that more as the CBS Morning show, son.

[Luke Burbank]

You and a lot of other people, Andrew. And we could talk about that off air if you'd like to. You think I can make a living.

[Andrew Walsh]

On TV on TBTL alone?

[Luke Burbank]

You got another thing coming. You better be rooting for cbs.

[Andrew Walsh]

No, no, wait. I don't know. I don't know if you interpret my riff the way I or my.

[Luke Burbank]

Oh, no, no. I know exactly what you're saying.

[Andrew Walsh]

You've just mentioned on the show before that that used to be just the hallmark or just the logo of Sunday morning. And then the morning show took it. And I know that that's a little bit. It's a little bit of a.

[Luke Burbank]

Well, it's a little sensitive because that was our little special thing. And when you saw the particular branding, a person would be like, oh, that CBS Sunday morning. And now I also will see something. Oh, wow, we did that story. I didn't even know that. And I realized, no, I'm watching CBS this Morning right now or I'm watching.

[Andrew Walsh]

A clip your son. They literally stole your.

[Luke Burbank]

They did. And we were just a little humble Sunday morning show. The reason I said we better hope CBS exists is because I think the fear around the other show borrowing our branding is that it then made it less special for us. Therefore we are less special. Therefore we will cease to exist. That's. I would call that spiraling on my part, but it's one of my favorite activities.

[Andrew Walsh]

Well, what were you gonna say before I interrupted you with a questionable spoof?

[Luke Burbank]

I completely forgot, by the way, that wasn't a questionable spoof. That was a great callback and I appreciated it. I totally forgot that you all are still in the midst of a construction zone there. You had some. The power was out for a bit last Week while things were getting rewired, Genevieve was sending Roden and I pictures.

[Andrew Walsh]

Of your new breaker box, which is pretty sexy, right?

[Luke Burbank]

I mean, honestly, like, you're gonna lock that thing up. I think it's gonna have every tomcat coming around for that breaker box. But. So what's the. What's the latest? Where are things at right now?

[Andrew Walsh]

Things are a little bit paused right now because of a workplace injury, unfortunately. Oh, no.

[Luke Burbank]

I'm sorry. Am I bringing up a sensitive subject?

[Andrew Walsh]

No, I think it's O, but these. So it's basically, we have one main contractor, and then he has a guy that works with him, a young man who works with him, and their names are Adrian and Michael. And I like them a lot, and Adrian's really cool. We're kind of, as I've mentioned before, sort of kind of, like, having an ongoing conversation about kind of designing and choosing, like, design elements and hardware and whatnot as we sort of go along. Like, Genevieve's been spending Saturdays going down to the reuse store down in one in Ballard, but the one down in Soto, I think, and, like, looking at cabinetry and stuff, because we're thinking about maybe getting something that is kind of, you know, that has been used before because we don't want. He keeps on. What is the name of the stuff that is not wood, but it's like particle board. I call it particle board. There's an industry term for it that's three letters, really? Or something like this. Oh, OSB Something like. I don't know. Yeah, it might be that, but basically, it's like. It's the stuff. When we redid my bathroom, I. We went to Home Depot, and we bought, like, a vanity, right, With a drawer and some, you know, and just to put around the sink or whatever. And it looked good, but it's particle board. And so any moisture, it's already kind of swelling or whatever, so we kind of don't want that. I think we're looking at something that might be like, a. Like a plywood or something along those lines. So it's kind of this ongoing conversation of, like, both Adrian and Genevieve being at different reuse stores. Yesterday, or I guess on Saturday, Genevieve was at the reuse store in Soto. Adrian was at one in Ballard. They're texting back and forth. I'm at home just puttering, cleaning, giving my opinions, but doing absolutely no work at all on this project. And. And so while they're picking those things out, they were also, like, kind of doing the first step, which is really getting Our wiring in order and like you said, installing this breaker box, a new breaker box. And there's a lot of mess inside the walls, especially down here in the basement, as far as the expansion of the electricity of the. When they. When they turn this basement into kind of a living space. So kind of ripping all that out and redoing it. Right. And installing some lights and stuff while we sort of figure out the big plan. But we did just uncover. I don't know if you've told me what the square footage is. I'm not sure, but we just sort of uncovered a space in the wall when they were sort of tearing. Oh, yeah. Did she tell you how much of that is? Because she was so excited she measured it that we can.

[Luke Burbank]

Oh, I didn't know the measurement. I just knew you were going to talk about doing some built ins.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, exactly. So that'll be really. So we're kind of like, kind of discovering it on the. On the go. So basically the last big project was, I think Thursday. Genevieve and I had to get out of Dodge. Remember, I did the show from the campus that day from the U Dub because power was cut here. Well, they basically got everything installed for the electrical work on by Thursday evening, and everything was up and running. And then on Friday, Adrian was not going to come. It was just going to be Michael, the young man who works for him, to come and kind of like finish up that job, pull out a little bit more drywall in some areas and just kind of finish up for the week. And then something happened where he pulled his shoulder out. He was actually opening our garage door. I don't think I'm liable for this. Maybe I shouldn't be saying this on tape, but he was opening our garage door, and the garage door came off its track. And somehow he. He kind of hurt his shoulder.

[Luke Burbank]

And he didn't use a human door.

[Andrew Walsh]

He. They're mostly using the human door, but he needed the big garage door to be open. But since we have that. What we now call the human door on the side of the garage, we're not opening that big old door all the time. And it's the kind that's just like a big. For folks who don't know my garage door, it's not the kind that's divided into sections that kind of curve around the track. It's just like. It's an old fashioned big flat door that swings up and then, you know, goes into the garage.

[Luke Burbank]

I kind of like those, by the way. Yeah, those are sort of classic. That's What I grew up with, like, that was the default setting for a garage door. It was a big, kind of somewhat heavy thing that was just on a fulcrum point so that you could, you know, you'd reach down to the very bottom and you'd grab that handle. And then because of how it was, you know, sort of anchored into the. At the midpoint, it would. You'd raise it up, you know, swing it open. That's. That's. That feels vintage 1980s to me.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, I like it. We did not have that growing, but I do like it. And unfortunately, though, you know, it's pretty decrepit at this point. And so it was. So it kind of. And we hardly ever use it anymore. So my guess is somebody who's never opened that garage door before is probably going to do it with more oomph than one needs. And so I'm guessing that maybe, like, Michael expected to be heavier or something, so he, like, I have no idea. But it kind of came off the track, which happens from time to time. It's not a big deal, but I think in maybe trying to save it or do something, he. Because when it comes off its track, it doesn't come crashing down or anything. It just is. It just is unstable up there, and you got to get it back in his track. So anyway, I think he was trying to fix it. His arm is over his head. I don't know what happens. He pulls shoulder out. He said it had happened to him before. It's something that he works with. So that basically takes him out of the game for Friday. So whatever work was going to be done on Friday was not done. And then he was still apparently dealing with that on Monday as well. So things are a little bit paused here. I mean, is the fact that this is happening around super bowl weekend suspicious?

[Luke Burbank]

Super bowl flu?

[Andrew Walsh]

Is the fact that he has a new Seattle Seahawks face tattoo play into it at all? No, I don't think he's a Seahawks fan. Actually. He's an Eagles fan, so I can't accuse him of that. So, anyway, that's where we are now. Things are a little bit positive.

[Luke Burbank]

So, yeah, you're experiencing one of the. One of the great common experiences of any construction project, which is the construction project not happening.

[Andrew Walsh]

Well, I'll tell you what, I'm pretty sanguine about that. Like we said, like, we're not in any kind of huge hurry. I don't like having. The bummer is that, you know, as this is happening, we're pulling more and more stuff out of stores, spaces that they need access to. So our basement starting to look a little bit more basementy because there are shop vacs and just, you know, everything is pulled out of storage in certain areas and it kind of looks ugly. But it's funny how you kind of get used to that. But Vivs and I, you know, said from the outset, like, we're not in any rush like this. We're so lucky that this is just. This is a Lagnia. You know what I mean? We have a working kitchen. Upstairs, we have a refrigerator. We have everything we need to live is still accessible in this house. So take time on the project, do it right and don't charge us too much. Like, I'm just more. I'm more worried about, like, what this is going to be at the end of the day, because as we continue to sort of do this project, the numbers will continue to sort of like, kind of fluctuate. I don't know. Fluctuate is the right word. I'm. Well, they're probably not going down one direction. Yeah, that's what. Well, that's what I'm sort of thinking.

[Luke Burbank]

Can I ask a question that you're under no obligation to answer if it's like too personal. But I just, you know, having been through a lot of these kinds of projects, I'm curious how, without going into too much detail, how exactly did you all land on this particular contractor? Did you use Angie's List? Was it somebody who you knew who had used this person? How did you guys get to the person they ended up hiring?

[Andrew Walsh]

Genevieve had. Did as with everything. Genevieve did the research, had a couple of people I'm trying to think of. We had two or three different people kind of come out for consultations. And I don't know. I don't know exactly what source she used, but she just was googling around and maybe, maybe use some recommendations of neighbors. Although I don't know that we know anybody who's used him before. But then once we kind of were getting very, very close to the. To signing the contracts or whatever, I did, you know, do a little bit more background as well. I just wanted to kind of make sure that everything seems good and he seems very well loved or he's just the. He's one of the smartest.

[Luke Burbank]

The world's greatest Internet. I doubt it.

[Andrew Walsh]

Exactly.

[Luke Burbank]

I doubt it.

[Andrew Walsh]

No. So I actually, I mean, I think. I don't think think we are. We have any trust issues when I say that. And I also think that I mean a lot of the conversations we're having are about, like, how we can save money on this. He seems to be, you know, pretty money conscious. And so, you know, and we got an estimate, but that estimate we knew would, like, continue to kind of grow as we would potentially add things to this project. But speed is not an issue. Like, I'm not. I'm not, Like, I don't. I think it was maybe a little bit harder when we were first tearing into walls, because it's kind of like I'd mentioned to you that, or maybe I didn't. You know, I might have talked more about this with Han, but, like, I feel like you just know me well enough and the listeners know me well enough that, like, I'm really, really, really looking forward to having this beautiful, nice space that we've created and made all the decisions about and really have it be ours from the get go. And we got a new sink that I'm excited about. And, like, I just know that if anything happens, if I ding that sink, it's my ding. You know what I mean? Like, I just, I'm very, very much excited. Sorry about that. I'm very excited about all of that. But the anxiety, I think, was a little bit right at the beginning of work because as much as I like having nice things, I don't like my routines interrupted that much. And so just like being without a basement sink for a while, I knew it wasn't a matter of life or death. Like I say we have a sink upstairs, we're so lucky. This is just an extra little kitchenette we're doing. But to say goodbye to my big basin sink in the basement for a couple of months or whatever, it's going to be where I wash my big coffee thermoses for my pop up gig or whatever, like just having to, like kind of adjust to that, or not having everything put away nicely and instead having closets full of cleaning supplies emptied and out on the floors. Like, those are the types of things that usually get in my head a little bit. Because I'd rather just have things stable and nice and clean and tidy, even if it means it's not the nicest kitchen in the world. Everything is put away, right? I emphasize things being put away too much. I think my parents instilled that in me a little bit too much. So I think there was a little bit of anxiety at the beginning of this project about just like feeling disrupted. But it's amazing how quickly I get used to that too, you know, like, we're just like now I got A pile of shit in front of my bathroom door. And every time I look at it, I think it's going to be really nice when we get to put that stuff away. But I'm not feeling, like, anxious about, when is this going to be done. I'm kind of enjoying the process. But again, I want to be very, very clear here. And it's not just because Genevieve can probably hear me through the door live, but. But my contribution to this project has been, like, very little other than having some opinions here and there. I really got to give Genevieve the credit for, like, getting the ball rolling on this and actually, you know, actively going out and looking at designs and stuff, because, like, I have opinions, but I just don't like shopping. That's a huge, huge difference between, like, me, they should study you and Genevieve.

[Luke Burbank]

They should study your brain chemistry and figure out if they can make that into a GLP one of not being a consumer. Because I will. I'll inject myself or take the pill or whatever people do. Because, like, I wish that I liked shopping a little less.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, yeah. Somewhere between us would be ideal because I like it a little bit too less. I think that was. This conversation could quickly expand, but I think that that was part of. I was having some issues when we decided we weren't going to use Amazon anymore, which is, of course, something that I strongly believe in, us not using Amazon anymore. It wasn't something I had to be talked into, but it was like I had just gotten into some routines of like, okay, when I'm out of my argyle socks, I know that I go to Amazon. I just go to things I've already ordered and I order another two bags of those or whatever. You know what I mean? Or, like, there were just certain things in my life that were. That took me a while to sort of set up because I do hate shopping. And then I sort of found myself just like, a few months ago, you know, generally feeling a lot of unease in life anyway in these United States, but then really focusing on, I just don't know where to get my V neck shirts. It's not a big deal. I can get some V neck T shirts anywhere. But it's like I had to sit down and shop and think about that sentence. I had to sit down and look at my phone. That was it. But I just don't have the patience for it. And so when I actually found some new, let's call them, suppliers for some of my kind of regular needs in life, it was such a relief to me. And now I know I can. Okay, I don't have to go to Amazon. I can go back to this company or this company or I can't remember. I think it doesn't really matter. But like for these colored V neck T shirts that I like to wear, I know I can go right back to. It's the, it's not the Gap, but it's something like that. You know what I mean? And I know that they're tested and I can just hit reorder again. Like, that's really important to me because I hate the hunting.

[Luke Burbank]

Well, something that I have noticed with you when you're talking about, and granted, a V neck T shirt is not the kind of purchase that a computer is, but I know something that you've expressed is that sometimes making purchases is stressful for you because you really don't want to buy the wrong thing. So it just feels. And again, that's probably different when you're talking about your new computer versus, you know, some argyle socks. But just, I think you're.

[Andrew Walsh]

I do think that's different. I think I get. I think that is a little bit of a different thing with me and technology because I do think computers, it's a much bigger investment. I don't think it's a money thing for me. It's just a patience thing. When it comes to the smaller things in life. When it comes to the computers and stuff, it's like, well, it's so much money and I'm gonna learn that it doesn't have this one small driver that I didn't realize was a change in a Dell computer. And suddenly I can't create a mix minus with you or something. Like, I think I get frozen on those things a little bit differently than I do with my argyles.

[Luke Burbank]

Well, the thing that I'll say about which you didn't ask and nor did Genevieve, but my hope for you is that you guys continue to be the primary project for this construction company. Because what's happened to me, and this is, I get a little nervous when I hear we're not on any timeline because I get nervous about them hearing that. Because one thing that's happened to me is, you know, I've had folks doing work on various places I've lived and then there just keeps being. I don't think that this is what we're dealing with right now, but they're just. I'm not prophesying this for you, I'm prophesying against this. But like something that has sometimes happened to me is like we'll get some two days of work and then suddenly it's like we had to go do this other job or we're waiting for this part, which really means we were going to do this other job because someone else was paying a little more money and they were on, the rush was on them. And then things can kind of like, like. And again, the stuff that I've mostly been having done is like, actually it's pretty, it's pretty massive. And so it's like it not being done is a huge problem. Whereas you've already got this figured out. If like, you know, it takes an extra two weeks, it's not going to ruin your life. For me, it's like one side of the house is missing and if it doesn't go back up soon, all the furniture gets rained on. So it's not, it isn't going to be as critical for you, but I'm just hoping that you. And by the way, the whole thing with contractors, in my experience is it is shifting just so. Luck of the draw. I have had some of the best, most awesome folks and most reliable folks that have just done amazing stuff. Less the case for me, thankfully. But there have been a couple times where it's been just like making me a little crazy. And one of the things that made me crazy was the pace of work because I would never, I, I also, I'd be like getting up early, making sure I don't look like I just got out of bed at 7, even though I did. And because the guy is supposed to be there at seven and then they just like never show up that day. You're like, hey, what happened? I was like, oh, we were on this other thing or oh no, we're not coming out till Friday now. Oh, okay. So anyway, I, again, I don't think you guys are in a pickle with this. You've already said that. But I'm hoping that it isn't just heard the door.

[Andrew Walsh]

Apparently I didn't even know this, but apparently someone's here today because I just heard.

[Luke Burbank]

See, my anxiety for you brought them there. So you're welcome.

[Andrew Walsh]

Well, that is certainly, that's not, that's not where my anxiety lies right now. Because if anything there is. They're very, very, very attentive. And they're like, like last night, Genevieve and I recorded a three hour episode of after these Messages yesterday. Which by the way was a huge accomplishment. Last year's episode after the Super bowl was four and a half hours long. So the fact that we shaved 90 minutes off our final product yesterday on.

[Luke Burbank]

Time and under budget.

[Andrew Walsh]

Absolutely right. No cost overruns here. And so. And I know that even Adrian, like, was texting us during the show saying, hey, I just need to swing by and check on the. This other thing. Or so. Like, I feel like they're very, very attentive.

[Luke Burbank]

Nice.

[Andrew Walsh]

He just swung by now it's or somebody that. I assume it's that or Genevieve has taken a lover.

[Luke Burbank]

Let's hope it's door number one.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, just too.

[Luke Burbank]

Although. What a plot twist for tbtl. It's door number two.

[Andrew Walsh]

Maybe he or she can help pay for the project. I'm open to really anything at this point.

[Luke Burbank]

That is something else that Genevieve said to me and Roden. I don't think she'd be embarrassed if I repeated this, but I said, oh, my gosh, that's so incredible. She goes, yeah, I'm really excited about it. She goes, goes, this was probably the most expensive day in the history of me and Andrew's relationship.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, absolutely. Getting that electrical work put in well here. I mean, I do think that we're sort of burying the lead a little bit here, because here's something I forgot to mention, which is that Michael, who may. Maybe he's the fellow who's here right now. I. I really don't know. The door is closed, but I heard somebody come in. But we are turning him into a TBTL10.1 vinyl greatest hits record at a time. So I gave him the. He showed some interest in my background in radio and was asking me some questions, and I said, well, if you're interested, here. Here is a TBTL's greatest hits record. And so he took that home. I have not heard. It was right around then that he started to feel not so well and started no showing is.

[Luke Burbank]

The timing is interesting on that one. I'm gonna be honest with you. We was hoping for some razzle dazzle.

[Andrew Walsh]

Razzle.

[Luke Burbank]

Razzle dazzle. That's right, man. Razzle dazzle. On your mark.

[Andrew Walsh]

On your mark. Get set. Get set now. Ready? Ready, go. Everybody.

[Luke Burbank]

Razzle dazzle. Well, what do you know? That music indicates that we have entered into dazzling donor territory, like the swallows returning to Capistrano. As I love to say, it's about that time of year, Andrew, where we are starting to thank a whole new batch of donors. These folks are donating a truly dazzling amount of dough, and we want to thank a couple of them and also read a message that they've submitted of one kind or another. By the way, if you have been donating at a dazzling amount of dough. And you have not received an email. There's another one that's going to be going out pretty soon. That's just a little reminder that if you would like to submit a message and have us read it it and. And have your name read on air, we would be happy to do that also. If you don't want to do that, no pressure. We're going to start off thanking Molly Simon, who's up there in Stanwood, Washington. Beautiful Stanwood, Washington. I heard it's going to be incredible tomorrow, by the way, in Seattle.

[Andrew Walsh]

I won't be there. I'm looking outside. You said it's not so nice in la, right? I'm looking outside. It is. I move. It is literally beautiful. Blue skies and sunny outside. I don't know what the temperature is out there right now.

[Luke Burbank]

46 degrees.

[Andrew Walsh]

It feels like 52.

[Luke Burbank]

That's what the Internet's telling me.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah. Incredible here. And so tomorrow's the big parade and you've got Seahawks parade.

[Luke Burbank]

Literally nothing but sunshine on the schedule all day today. And meanwhile, I'm down here in Los Angeles in the clouds. What in the.

[Andrew Walsh]

It's June. U er y. Wait, what?

[Luke Burbank]

Sure is June gloom. Luckily, I'm guessing if it's nice in Seattle, it's nice up in Stanwood where Molly is. Here's what Molly says. Oh, the steadfast joy TBTL brings to my daily life. Your consistency and reliability are a rare experience that I've come to depend on. Thank you for being here for me. The tens, the people of the world, five days a week. Peace and love. Peace and love. This year, my donations are related to my business, Simon Forensic. We are a materials testing lab in Warm Beach, Washington, a beautiful rural community near Stanwood. That's right, Warm Beach. That used to be where some of the Christian camps that I went to were.

[Andrew Walsh]

Really? Oh, I've never heard of Warm beach.

[Luke Burbank]

Back in the day.

[Andrew Walsh]

That's new.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah. If you are a. Let's see here. We are a. We are. It seems we're perpetually looking for the next metallurgist, chemist, material scientist or machinist to join our small but mighty crew. Did you guys hear? Molly is hiring. Molly is hiring over there at Simon Forensic. If you are a metallurgist, if you're a chemist, if you're a material scientist or a machinist, you could join this small but mighty crew. If you're looking for a TBTL friendly work environment, you can find me on our website, SimonForensic.com. as I work away here in northwest Snoho, I'm gonna go with Snohomish county earbuds locked on my favorite podcart. I look forward to many more years of daily companionship. Thank you, Luke, Andrew, John and fellow tens. May your microphones never fail, your cords be tidy, and your stories abundant. Go Mariners. I love Molly has rewritten an old Irish blessing.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yes.

[Luke Burbank]

May Riverside always rise to meet your back. Andrew.

[Andrew Walsh]

Right. May you be in Riverside a half hour before the devil knows you gave up.

[Luke Burbank]

That's a really good point because I have been watching our little connection here today very carefully. Yesterday's show, this is so boring and technical, but basically the recording stopped somewhere in the middle and I didn't note it, so I wasn't able to tell you. And then we had some other hassles associated with that. So I'm trying to be a very good cobra today. And by the way, it has not yet disconnected. And I'm not saying Molly Simon is uniquely responsible for that, but she played.

[Andrew Walsh]

A role, I feel definitely. And I would like to mention as well. So I'm on the Simon forensic website right now. I am not a metallurgist, as you know. I have no background in this.

[Luke Burbank]

Are you a material scientist? Are you a chemist?

[Andrew Walsh]

I'm looking.

[Luke Burbank]

Are you a machinist?

[Andrew Walsh]

No, I'm not.

[Luke Burbank]

Are you a tbt?

[Andrew Walsh]

I'm a TBT listener. I like the idea of a TBT friendly work environment because that's not what I'm dealing with right now. I am jealous of people who can apply for this job. I'm wondering, Molly, can I learn on the fly? I'm a quick learner and I definitely.

[Luke Burbank]

Chemistry is one of those things you don't need a lot of.

[Andrew Walsh]

Of. No.

[Luke Burbank]

A lot of sort of schooling on. I think it's one of those kind of learn on the job yet. Definitely. It's more of a. Just a vibe.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah. And you sort of feel your way through it. I do like metal. I was actually. Listen. I was thinking about you, Luke. I was listening to Master of Puppets this weekend. Yes. I don't know why I never. I liked that record quite a bit when I was a young man and I had not gone back to it in a long time, but some little voice in my head said, hey, Andrew, you sure should go back and listen to Master of Puppets. I listen to it all the way through. It's very. It's very good if you're into heavy metal, which Molly certainly is, and I am too. So I feel Like, I'm kind of read up on it.

[Luke Burbank]

And if you were to work. Well, actually, this. You'd be the worst example of this. But if there's another 10 who ends up working at Simon Forensic, then maybe Molly doesn't have to have the earbuds in the earbuds. Maybe we can. If we all like tbtl, then we could just, you know, they could put it out on a Bluetooth speaker of some kind. I said, you'd be the worst, Andrew, because I don't think you'd want to get done with your shift on TBTL and then go up to Simon Forensic and then start listening to TBTL on the speaker. I think that would really embarrass you, because I know that would really embarrass me.

[Andrew Walsh]

That is true. I don't think I told you this, but I had a dream. Sorry. I had a dream a couple of weeks ago that me and a bunch of friends were gonna go to a cabin together. And our friend. I'll name him. I'll name him and blame him. In the dream was our friend Aaron Roden, who's often mentioned on this show. And Aaron called me aside in my dream, and he said, hey, you know, there's only about, like, nine of us who are. Who are going to the cabin. And I thought he was going to say, so maybe you're comfortable, like, swimming with us or something. And I said, yeah. And he said, so I was thinking maybe we could listen to TBTL in the car, ride out there. And I remember in my dream being like, no, no, no, no, no, no. I said, why don't we just have a nice conversation instead?

[Luke Burbank]

What an incredibly conceited dream.

[Andrew Walsh]

It really was. This is the new me. This is the new me. No, it was really nice. Can I just say something? And this is on Molly's dime, by the way. This is Simon Forensics is paying for this anecdote.

[Luke Burbank]

Forensic.

[Andrew Walsh]

Forensic. Sorry. I also. By the way, that's my other thought. When I think Simon Forensic, I picture like a. Not a superhero, but like a detective character. Well, could you.

[Luke Burbank]

Simon? Well, you had Simon and Simon. That was a.

[Andrew Walsh]

Sure.

[Luke Burbank]

That was a TV show. And then Forensic right there. It sounds like the other one.

[Andrew Walsh]

I'm Simon Forensic, and I'm here to help. Just think about that, Molly, as a. You know, that dream I had about just like, a bunch of friends, spur of the moment, saying, hey, let's go on a road trip together, was very nice, and it was just a pleasant dream. You know how you and I sometimes talk about how, like, is every dream some sort of a tension dream? And actually, there was some tension in it because I think that the plot was. I didn't feel like I had packed my bags, but I didn't want everybody waiting on me. How Andrew, is that? Like, literally, that dream was about, like, everybody's like, we're ready to go, and I'm still looking for my bags. And I'm really concerned that everybody's, like, tapping their toes waiting for me. But the point is, I've been having terrible dreams lately. Luke. Last night I had a bad dream, or this is like two nights ago, I had a bad dream. I woke up from it and said, hang glad that bad dream's over. And I went to bed and I had a dream that was 10 times worse. Man, I am having bad dreams all the time. How's your mental health?

[Luke Burbank]

I had a dream the other day that I was part of an influencer family. I was one of the children.

[Andrew Walsh]

I almost spit out my coffee. Go ahead.

[Luke Burbank]

This was my dream Saturday night. Not the Seahawks. Not going to Roden's cabin with stress package. It was. I was, by the way. I was.

[Andrew Walsh]

I am.

[Luke Burbank]

I was the age I am now. The parents, these influencer parents and their kids were younger than me.

[Andrew Walsh]

Okay, interesting.

[Luke Burbank]

I was somehow a. Like, I. Again, I was somehow part of this family that was like a. Kind of a relatively young, I'll say, you know, in their 30s, husband and wife. They had some kids that were maybe, let's say, like, age nine through age four. Three of them. Them and their whole thing. They were like an influencer family whose whole thing was personal family finance. So their big thing was talking about how you can, like, pay down your credit card debt and you can save money. But they kept saying they. But they. But they said, but that doesn't mean we're not going to take our family trip to Denali. And all the kids were so excited to go on this family trip to Denali. And they kept. This. Kept being. Their thing was like, just because we're saving money and just because we're. We're. We're paying down our credit card debt, it doesn't mean that we're not going to Denali. And I had two thoughts. One was, do I get to go to Denali even though I'm 49 years old? I am a child in this family.

[Andrew Walsh]

Okay?

[Luke Burbank]

I am a. I'm a kid in this family. I'm just weirdly old. Oh, and by the way, Andrew, a different race.

[Andrew Walsh]

Okay?

[Luke Burbank]

But I was like, do I Get to go to Denali. And then later I thought, how great, how unracist am I that I didn't think it was Mount McKinley. Even in my dream. Even in my dream, I'm using the right terminology for things.

[Andrew Walsh]

If my dream was conceded, yours is self righteous.

[Luke Burbank]

Mine was just accurate. Okay? I'm one of the great non racists of our time.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, my goodness gracious. That's a double anti racist dream. That's wonderful.

[Luke Burbank]

It's not enough to be anti racist in your dreams. You got to be double anti racist. And I'm the one doing it. I never got to the end of the dream. I never got to the part where the family went to Denali. Andrew. I just, just remember thinking like, am I going to get to go or not?

[Andrew Walsh]

But did you ever get into the. Because for me it's always the trip, right?

[Luke Burbank]

It's always like, oh, that never even got on the trip.

[Andrew Walsh]

Never got in the car, never on the plane.

[Luke Burbank]

Nope, nope. Unfortunately. But, but yeah, that was my. That's my most recent dream. Hey, Molly, thank you so much for your support. And yeah, I mean, what a cool thing. If you're looking for a job in those industries or with those qualifications that we read, check out SimonForensic.com we know Molly's good people. So, you know, this should be a great fit. Maestro, on your mark.

[Andrew Walsh]

On your mark. Get set, get set now. Ready, ready, go.

[Luke Burbank]

Everybody rattle dance. Look at you, Andrew Walsh. You're in mid season form with.

[Andrew Walsh]

Ready to go there, maestro. Yeah, I just remembered it at the last minute. I kind of scrambled.

[Luke Burbank]

No, no, no, that was seconds before you said it. I mean, but hey, that was elite like that, you know.

[Andrew Walsh]

Well, the game slowing down, Luke.

[Luke Burbank]

Well, I would just expect, you know, we are pitchers and catchers reporting for dazzling donor duty.

[Andrew Walsh]

I would.

[Luke Burbank]

It'd be all right if you, you know, want to play the long toss first. If you want to. Like, I don't expect you to be. I don't expect to be whizzing in smokers like that. But you were, man. Congratulations.

[Andrew Walsh]

Well, I just hope I didn't set too high of a expectation for the rest of the dazzling donor season.

[Luke Burbank]

I'm already buying my World Series tickets based on how competent you've already seemed early in the season. Hey, we want to thank Catherine Kachunas who is in Ann Arbor, Michigan. We were talking extensively with absolutely no background information, Andrew, about Michigan recently.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, that's right. On the show. I was like, I don't remember that. Hopefully that wasn't on the air. But of course it was. Of course.

[Luke Burbank]

Because I was talking about Art Prize in Grand Rapids, and you were saying, what about Ann Arbor? And I said, ann Arbor's beautiful. That was what I had to offer to the conversation.

[Andrew Walsh]

Well, that is what I think of when I think of Ann Arbor. I just. And that's what I was trying to remember. You were talking about areas that have, like, specific kind of art spaces and art events, which Ann Arbor fits that description. And you just always hear how unbelievably beautiful Ann Arbor is. And you also hear from people like Catherine how great Faygo is. And Catherine sent me because I did not have access to Faygo for a while. I don't know if you recall this, but Catherine mailed me a package of, I believe, like, four or five bottles of various flavored Faygo a while back. Luke. The shipping must have been triple the cost of the soda inside.

[Luke Burbank]

Well, it's interesting, Andrew, because I've already read ahead a little bit. And Faygo makes an appearance in Catherine's dazzling donor message. Catherine says, sending love and support to you. Tension. And a sincere thank you to the business boys for bringing us together. May we find peace and strength with one another. Best wishes to you all. Cheers. With a glass of Faygo rock and rye.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, the rock and rye.

[Luke Burbank]

Did you have a rock and rye, if you can remember, in that batch that Kathryn sent you?

[Andrew Walsh]

I feel like I did, because I feel like there was a conversation maybe about rock and rye that actually brought it to the forefront. But I'm looking at this now, and I was thinking that Rock and Rye is the one that's like a. It's like a cream soda, right? Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

The Internet says it's often described as a mix of vanilla, cream soda and cherry cola.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yes, yes, yes. That's right. That's right. Oh, my God. Oh, my goodness. You know what this is going to do? And I'm not even joking. You'll be surprised to hear the SARS by my house has a large Fago cooler. Really? A lot of different options I'm actually impressed with. Yeah, I haven't had any yet, but I might go over there today because now I'm thinking about this rock and Rock.

[Luke Burbank]

There was a restaurant in Bellingham called Rock and Rye. It might still be there. And I think they were called Rock and Rye because they were like, we have oysters and we have whiskey.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, it's like more of a rock. Okay. Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

So the oyster was the rock because it kind of looks like a rock when the Full shell is on. And the. The rye was a reference to the rye whiskey that they served. Rock and rye.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yes.

[Luke Burbank]

That was one of our go tos up there. Well, listen, Catherine, thank you so much and thanks for supporting the show and thank you for keeping Andrew well stocked in faygo. I don't know how much faygo they have down here in this part of Los Angeles, but I'll go. I'll go on the hunt later today and see if I'm looking. Actually, you know, I'm looking at a giant Mr. Pibb billboard. I'm actually looking.

[Andrew Walsh]

Mr. Pib has billboard money.

[Luke Burbank]

They've got Hollywood billboard money.

[Andrew Walsh]

Let me just give you a quick. For your consideration, Mr. Pib, seriously.

[Luke Burbank]

I'll tell you the cause I'm staying in Hollywood. And I'll tell you the billboards that I'm looking at. I'm looking at a Mr. Pibb. It says, crack open some cherry chaos. So obviously they've rolled out a Mr. Pibb cherry product. Then, of course, one entire side of a building is skims. Skims is the Kim Kardashian like underwear, like lingerie? Not. But I think it might be body shaping, too. So it's not just Victoria's Secret, per se. It's kind of like. I think that it's stuff that you might wear under your regular clothes to kind of contour and shape your body more in some kind of way that you're wanting. But there's a big skims ad which kind of checks out. We're in Los Angeles. Then there is a billboard that I have to say has been very effective because it did make me Google it. I've been looking at it out my window. And then yesterday I had walked out to get a little bit of dinner, and as I was walking back on Sunset, I looked up this big billboard that said says, what's the deal with Hitboy?

[Andrew Walsh]

I kind of like marketing. That makes you go figure it out.

[Luke Burbank]

Well, and Andrew, you'd actually. I can't. I'll take a picture of it. It's not going to be particularly helpful because it's sort of. How do I put it? It's to the side. I'm a little bit to the side of this billboard. So I don't know how this photo is going to turn out, but I'm going to try to take a picture because what I really like is the layout. You're a layout guy. You're a font guy. Mm, sorry. I'm using. I'm using one hand to hold the microphone, the other hand to try to steady my phone so I can take this picture and I'm gonna send it to you right now.

[Andrew Walsh]

I thought you were burping.

[Luke Burbank]

No, I do that usually in the email and vmail segment.

[Andrew Walsh]

Okay, gotcha.

[Luke Burbank]

But it actually worked. I gorgled Hitboy to figure out what the deal is with Hit Boy.

[Andrew Walsh]

What's the deal with Hitboy?

[Luke Burbank]

I think Hitboy is a hitbox pop producer. That's what Wikipedia said.

[Andrew Walsh]

Well, you got me. You mentioned the cherry chaos and it sounded good. And I feel like I don't know how to describe how I feel right now, but I googled Mr. Pibb cherry chaos. And the first result is an Instagram hit that says, you up. Mr. Pib knows you're looking for cherry chaos. And I was like, I am. Whoa. I am looking for cherry chaos. A little forward. That's the. Yes. I was feeling a little taken aback by the forward nature of this. And then it's like a 15 second Instagram post. It looks like somebody just opening up their refrigerator door. Let's see here. Do we have any audio? Mr. Pibb is just getting started. When Mr. Pibb texts you up, it's.

[Luke Burbank]

Not a question, it's a promise. Because trust.

[Andrew Walsh]

One sip, you up bold, kick up cherry.

[Luke Burbank]

Hey, yo, Mr. Pibb. Most sodas call it at a reasonable hour.

[Andrew Walsh]

That's when Mr. Pibb is just getting started. See, I kind of cut off the beginning of it.

[Luke Burbank]

Don't leave your girlfriend alone with Mr. Pibb.

[Andrew Walsh]

This is a very. This is a very straightforward miss. But it also looks good.

[Luke Burbank]

Well, that's the thing. I mean, you throw some cherry in about any cola product and I'm pretty much there. You know that this is. This is. We need to just. You know what? I'm not going to get into it. I have a whole. At some point, we should talk about the mug root beer labeling situation because essentially what happened, Andrew's was I crushed. I would say 10 to 11 to 12 to 13 to 14 mud root beers that I thought were diet mug root beers. They were zero sugar mug root beers, and they weren't. And I remember drinking them and thinking, God, this is good. This was. Made it into a hey Dummies video that then didn't make it onto the newsletter feed.

[Andrew Walsh]

Well, it is on the Internet. It just wasn't in the newsletter yet. We'll get a link to it next time. But yeah, I was delighted by that part of the newsletter.

[Luke Burbank]

Drank an entire. Like a whole whatever you call it, like a giant rectangle, you know, like a rectangular 12 pack. 12 packs. And I was just like, every time I would take a sip, I'd be like, they have officially cracked the code on making this taste like the real stuff. And then it was only while I was making that video, legitimately making the hey Dummies video, did I look at the thing and realize it is not the diet root beer I thought I was drinking.

[Andrew Walsh]

Is there any reason why I assume you bought it, right? Or did somebody else.

[Luke Burbank]

I bought it. I think I might have bought it when some of my family was coming. Like, my parents are really anti any kind of diet or zero kind of sugar soda. So I think I might have bought it to have it around, but it just got mixed up with everything else. And again, they were in that crazy deal where it's like, buy, buy two, get three 12 packs free.

[Andrew Walsh]

Or like, so I'm just buy two, own the company.

[Luke Burbank]

Exactly. So I'm just like. I'm like. I'm just, like, pulling them off the shelf. And it's like, I just think it got in the fog of war. It just got. It got crazy. And. And I just didn't realize. And there's, you know, I've got, like, three different kinds. Well, not three, but two different kinds of root beer going on. And got some in the Madrona Hill studio refrigerator, some down in the house. It's just like, a lot happening. And I just lost track of the thread. And the thing is, I think of a can of regular soda. I tend to think of it as being 100 calories. I don't know if that's true or not, but that's just kind of my. So I'll have a regular Coca Cola now and then. But I'm just thinking, okay, that was 100 calories. That's what that was. Well, these were like 130 or maybe 160. I felt like they were. Not only were they not diet, they seemed like they were especially decadent as far as a can of soda goes.

[Andrew Walsh]

So what I'm worried about is youcause you've loved diet Dr. Pepper for a long time. Dr. I'm sorry, Dr. Pepper and diet root beer, which you're talking about now. I think for a long time you have said those are the. They've cracked the code on those two flavors. The diet stuff is really good or the zero sugar stuff is really good. But now you've been. You've been drinking the real stuff, thinking it's diet. I'm worried about you going back and realizing how chemically those Other things are.

[Luke Burbank]

Are a hundred percent. What this proves is they were chemically the whole time. And I was just lying to myself because as soon as I had a sip of that sweet, sweet nectar of the real stuff, I was like, oh, my God, this is like the best diet soda I've ever had in my life.

[Andrew Walsh]

Why?

[Luke Burbank]

Because it wasn't diet.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, my God. I'm going to get some Faygo and some Chaos Cherry. Cherry Chaos. What is it?

[Luke Burbank]

A Ewa cherry chaos. Some Mr. Pibb cherry chaos.

[Andrew Walsh]

I need to try the those.

[Luke Burbank]

Absolutely.

[Eric from Stockholm]

Hello and welcome to Top Story.

[Luke Burbank]

Andrew, we didn't get into it yesterday because we're kind of running out of time. And once again, we find ourselves. We've got a little bit of time here to talk about this, but I know that you did, as you said, a very restrained episode of after these messages, I'm assuming, is that. Is that show out can people.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, we posted it last night. In fact, I will even say, since we're in a little bit of a timeline here, I will try as much as possible to not interrupt you and give you the floor because if you want to hear my thoughts on the super bowl commercials. Oh, they're out there.

[Luke Burbank]

Okay, I appreciate that. I don't. The. I don't know if it's the good news or the bad news is I don't have a huge, Like, I don't. I didn't do anywhere near the research that you did. I don't host a advertising podcast, so I don't have a particularly, I don't know, thought through take on all of the commercials. I did have. Well, the one thing was, I did find myself. It was actually Monday morning I was re. Watching the super bowl, which meant I got to see the commercials as well. That was. I just let them. I normally would skip through the commercials, but I just let them happen. And I will tell you that I was a bit surprised at myself that I got emotional from the lay's potato chips commercial. Like, I didn't know that's where that was going. It's like, you know, it's. A farmer is ready to turn his farm over to his daughter and they're just having. I mean, it's. I almost was expecting it at some point to turn into some other kind of commercial because it was so sort of nostalgic and you could say a bit cheesy and a bit obvious. And I was like, okay, I know how this goes. These, you know, this is what they do to make you think you're watching one kind of a commercial. And then all of a sudden, Mr. Pib shows up and starts, you know, hitting on your dad or something.

[Andrew Walsh]

Mr. Pibb.

[Luke Burbank]

But it didn't. That. It just. It just ended up being for Lays. But, like, the argument was, was, these potatoes are grown by people who really love each other, therefore, you should eat. These potato chips caught me in my feelings a little bit, which, again, it could be the state of the world. It could have been residual Seahawks, joy in my heart dough. But I was surprised that that commercial actually kind of worked for me.

[Andrew Walsh]

It is definitely designed to do that. They show the people choking up. They show the adult daughter choking up, which is like, it's such a cheat. It's. In a certain way, it's a cheat code. I'm not trying to be mean about it, but, like, the. That one, like, I watched it a couple of times, got choked up both times, but also was a little bit like. But I've seen it so many times. There's something about the Daddy Daughter ads that, like, it's become kind of cliche. And they were all over the place a few years ago, maybe five years ago. I feel like Veeves and I did a show on that. And I'm not trying to take that away, but it's, like, sort of funny how, like, you are moved to feel the emotions they want you to feel. But the levers are also, like, so obvious. They're, like, very manipulative and. Yeah. But I will tell you the one that got me a little bit more kind of in this. I'm saying in this category, because Genevieve and I give out Boli Awards, and we divide it up into different categories. And this was best drama category. And the Lays one was a tearjerker. You know what hit me a little bit harder than I expected to the Union, the Minions one, the Universal Orlando one, with the two brothers who were like, I don't know, that maybe one of them was four or five years younger than the other one. And they have a very loving relationship. But the older brother's always calling the little brother little guy or lil bro. Cause he's shorter than that.

[Luke Burbank]

I don't think I saw that commercial.

[Andrew Walsh]

Ruffling his head kind of. And it's interesting because it's not. The characters aren't like archetypes, if that's the right word. It's not like the older brother is a bully and the little brother can't ever get his way. But it's more like they show them just living their lives in kind of a montage. And they're very loving. And the older brother's always looking out for the younger brother, but he's just always saying things like, here, let me help you, little bro, or whatever. But you see the little kid getting more and more kind of a little bit peeved at his older brother because he keeps saying, like, I'm not that little. Like, don't stop talking down to me a little bit. But it's like kind of a subtle thing. And then they go to Orlando Resort or whatever, Universal Studios, whatever, and they're having a great time there. And it's still generally the same dynamic. But then the older brother is just a little bit more nervous to go on the roller coaster than the little brother.

[Luke Burbank]

Oh, that's a good idea. That's a cooler idea.

[Andrew Walsh]

It's really. And so then they go on and. But it's. It's all joyful. None of it is like, oh, the older brother's mean, and he gets his comeuppance. It's all, like, in the middle. It's, like, all very, very sweet. And I gotta tell you, Luke, I think that was the thing with the super bowl this year. Did you notice there was not a lot of, like, the weird commercials? Like the really outlandish Skittles commercial. The Skittle turns into a dog that turns into a duck that attacks a unicorn. There was hardly any of that this year. It's all this very sentimental, neighborly stuff. It's very much. I think the advertisers are kind of like, we know that we are at war with each other in this country, and they were really leaning into these really sentimental storylines. I feel like.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah, I kept waiting for more of those. Just like. Like you said, like, what was it? Was it Paramount or who did the one, you know, with. It's not the most weird, but the one that had, you know, the guy from Star Trek, Captain Picard.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, I didn't see any Picard ones. I.

[Luke Burbank]

No, no. But I mean, the previous year, I was just trying to think of an example.

[Andrew Walsh]

Paramount, they're up on the top of the mountain. I'm sorry. Yes, yes, yes.

[Luke Burbank]

That kind of a thing. You know what I mean? What? That, like, that sort of energy of just like, we're gonna get weird and then we're gonna get weirder, and then it's gonna be like. That's why you're gonna be talking about this commercial. They felt. The ones that I saw, which was probably most of them, felt like there was a little bit more, generally speaking, a little bit more. I Guess Sincerity woven in. And I will tell you the one that fully got me. And I'm sure even if you were home, this wouldn't have gotten you Andrew, because this was like a litmus test or a Rorschach test on the kind of person you are. But it happened to be that. I was at, of course, Becca's brother's house, and I was there with her family. And, like, her brother Scott owns a bar in Portland, 21st Avenue pub that has, like, the best karaoke in Portland. He loves karaoke. His wife does. We all. Sometimes we'll sing it at their house. It was the Coinbase ad.

[Andrew Walsh]

Hands down, best commercial. Oh, you agree? Oh, hands down. That is how you advertise in the Super Bowl.

[Luke Burbank]

I can't. It got me so. Because it was like we're all just talking, talking, talking. I mean, you probably already already analyzed this, you know, with Veeves and maybe in other places. But, like, we're just at the super bowl party, we're talking. All of a sudden, this thing's playing, and it's kind of low, and I'm like, oh, this is clever. They're making it look like a karaoke screen. And. And then, you know, like 10, no, 15 seconds in, one person in our party starts singing, realizing it's. What is it? Every. It's a. Like a. It was a. Which song? Backstreet Boys, maybe.

[Andrew Walsh]

Backstreet Boys. I'm trying to play it. The reason I. But I forgot this link is broken. But, yeah, it's. Backstreet's back. Okay, so.

[Luke Burbank]

So about 15 seconds in, one person starts singing it. And then everybody. Pretty soon, there's like 15 people are loudly. Me included. Are loudly singing along with it.

[Andrew Walsh]

And then it's actually the karaoke track, too, which I think is interesting. It's not perfect. It's not. Here. It starts with the countdown. It's like, five, four, three, two, one. Getting everybody ready.

[Luke Burbank]

And it's too quiet, by the way, because it's the background track.

[Andrew Walsh]

It's the actual karaoke track. Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

Right. So it's like. It's like you're kind of. Again, that's why it throws you a little bit, because it's like, oh, did somebody mute the tv? Or. Why is this.

[Andrew Walsh]

It's like.

[Luke Burbank]

Well, no, because this is exactly what would happen if you went to the Vibe sports bar. Do they have karaoke anymore at the Vibe?

[Andrew Walsh]

Yes. Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

If you were at the Vibe doing karaoke, this is what it would sound like to a T. And. And. And, yeah. Then pretty Soon a couple people are singing, then everybody's singing, then we're all just scream singing along because we're so excited. And then it just. Just absolutely nails us with the word Coinbase.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yes and no. No connection to the product or service. It just says coinbase at the end. And again, this is not me. This is not a statement about Coinbase. In fact, I was glad that there are so few crypto ads this year. There were so many a couple of years ago, which makes me feel good about the future of all this AI shit, because this year it was all AI ads. And I'm like, well, how'd that. How'd that crypto shit work out for you guys a couple of years ago? Maybe this will go away too. But it just says coinbase at the end. But, like, as far as getting the most out of your dollars, not like hiring Danny McBride to, like, do some just like that. To me, that Danny McBride, Keegan, Michael, key thing, like, I generally like those guys, but that, to me, is the quintessential bad super bowl commercial. Tons of money, cliche idea song from the 90s. Get Bon Jovi. Like, it just was like, it's so lazy and stupid. And this one is like, let's be smart about this. Let's just get the whole room singing with a. With a simple karaoke thing. It's like, it's such a good use of the. Of the space and of the dollars and to get the attention to actually break through, you got to do less, not more.

[Luke Burbank]

Do you remember what the experience was like at the Eagles when that played?

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, we went crazy. So Viv's and you do the same thing, basically. Same exact thing. We're all kind of like, wait, what is this? What is this? And then Veeves is like, oh, wait, I know this song. And then as soon as the kind of, you know, the chorus kicks in, like, Genevieve starts singing first, I think, and then Scott starts singing. And then by the end, by the time the chorus kicks in, everybody realizes what's happening. I mean, it's the Eagles. I mean, I was wondering how this hit in other parts of the world or other parts of the country. Maybe if you're at home, it hits differently. But, like, we are at karaoke central, you know, in a room full of people who come to the Eagles to do karaoke. Now for 30 seconds, everybody's just doing karaoke on the huge screen. It was great.

[Luke Burbank]

Very, very effective. Now, one thing that is not specific to any of the commercials, but that I had read somewhere that I thought was really an interesting take on super bowl commercials and commercials in general. The guy was talking about how if it feels like super bowl commercials maybe aren't quote unquote hitting like they used to or just commercials in general, maybe it's because in his opinion, commercials used to be the only, really the only place for short form video comedy because we didn't have vine and we didn't have TikTok and you know, Hollywood movies are an hour long and TV shows are a half hour and even snl.

[Andrew Walsh]

Even snl, yes. Seven minutes. You know, like there. I feel like SNL sketches, they hit on them was. You had good a five. A good five minutes and then two more minutes, right?

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah. Like there was no. The only place to look for 30 and 60 second video that would be funny or thought provoking or whatever was pretty much commercials. And now there's a whole entire world on TikTok and YouTube and, and this guy was saying, look, if you put the, like, if you put the 10 best tick, the 10 funniest TikTok videos of any week up against the 10 commercials, it's not even close. And it's like, oh, I hadn't thought about that. But yeah, you know, they're. Now we have a whole other place that we can go to experience 30 and 60 and 1 minute and 8 second because it's also not bounded exactly by the bounds of like television advertising, you know, time slots. But like, yeah, there's a lot of places I can get short form content now that didn't used to exist.

[Andrew Walsh]

Well, that is not what I've been hearing because I've heard that comedy's dead in the United States because you can't say anything anymore. You got to go down to Saudi Arabia to really free speech and.

[Luke Burbank]

Or to the Kid Rock halftime show.

[Andrew Walsh]

Or to the Kid Rock halftime show.

[Luke Burbank]

Where the organizer said, I was reading the Times, the New York Times review of that today and the Turning Points usa, like Guy, whoever it is now said, we just want to have a Super bowl halftime show that is free, it's for everyone and it's free of politics. And it's about faith, flag and freedom. I thought that was one of the most amazing statements I've ever read.

[Andrew Walsh]

That's one.

[Luke Burbank]

We just want to get politics out of it and just have a nice thing that's about faith, flag and freedom.

[Andrew Walsh]

That's right.

[Luke Burbank]

Just enjoy. That's non political.

[Andrew Walsh]

Here I go once again with the email. Every week I hope that it's from a female. Oh man, it's not from a female.

[Luke Burbank]

All right. Some emails or V mails before I rush on over to. Oh, by the way, on tomorrow's show, I want to tell you about this. This artist that I'm doing the story about. His name is Robert Therian. Andrew, you would freaking love this stuff.

[Andrew Walsh]

Okay.

[Luke Burbank]

All right.

[Andrew Walsh]

I'm intrigued. Should I look?

[Luke Burbank]

He's all about scale, my boy.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, I do love scale.

[Luke Burbank]

It's all about scale. I walked into the show at the Broad and I was like, oh, man, I wish Andrew was here.

[Andrew Walsh]

Like it'd be.

[Luke Burbank]

You would be into it, I think.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, nice scale. And shadows. Those are my. Those are my love.

[Luke Burbank]

He's got them both. He's got them both.

[Andrew Walsh]

He's got them both. Big shadows, small shadows. All right, I have a voicemail here that I want to play for you and it's kind of self contained and I. What I love about this, this is from Eric in Stockholm and I love the sound quality of this. You can hear Eric's feet, like kind of crunching on leaves or something as he's walking telling us this story. And I don't think it really needs much setup other than the fact that you and I, from time to time, the topic of Mary Lou Henner comes up on this show. The woman who had kind of like, I don't know, would you call it kind of total recall? She was able to like remember very specific dates and what happened in the world and around and her life.

[Luke Burbank]

She remembers. Or she was on Taxi, by the way too, and was, you know.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, that's how it came up.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah, an actor in a variety of things, including Taxi. But then as a side thing also has like perfect memory of every single day of her life. And they've sort of tested this too because a lot of people would say that certainly in an argument. I've been known to say it. I remember everything, but it's not true. But she is one of those people that it actually appears to be true. It's. It's incredible. Her ability to recall, specifically afternoons from 30 years ago.

[Eric from Stockholm]

Hi, this is Eric from Stockholm. I'm walking home from the grocery store and I was thinking about the story you told about Mary Lou Henner and her ability to pair sort of a historical date to a certain day of the week. And I have a friend who has that same kind of ability and actually helped him solve a crime. A couple years ago he was at the bar and he was sort of showing this ability off and people came up to him and said, gave him their Birth date. And he said which day of the week they were born. And later on that same evening, at the same bar, one of the guests stabbed the bartender. And. And it turns out that the stabber, earlier in the evening, he'd given his birthday to my friend. And my friend remembered this detail when the cops showed up. So by him remembering the date this guy was born, they could identify the suspect and later on arrest him. And the case closed thanks to this savant like ability. Yeah, that's it. Power out. Love the show.

[Luke Burbank]

Bye.

[Andrew Walsh]

That is a great voice crown for a lot of reasons.

[Luke Burbank]

Oh, my gosh, that's incred. Eric, will you start a weekly series where you just walk around the gravel roads of Sweden and tell us stories with your flawless English, but which has the most wonderful Swedish accent?

[Andrew Walsh]

I love it. And also, what a story too, right? Totally.

[Luke Burbank]

Well, you know what?

[Andrew Walsh]

Annoying to have this ability, though. Do you think after a while it would get old, like, hey, do it. We're at the, you know, we're at the pub. Hey, do it, do it. Do the thing again. And then all of a sudden a line of strangers is coming up to you?

[Luke Burbank]

No, I mean, I would. First of all, you know me, if I had some kind of a cool ability that I could break out at a bar, I would never tire of. Of being the center of attention and being the cool guy. But also it would be absolutely terrible to be in a relationship with that.

[Andrew Walsh]

Person because you would.

[Luke Burbank]

And it would be. Again, it would be verifiable. It wouldn't be one of those. We just remember it differently. It'd be like, well, no, the person who remembers everything. Yeah, remembered it also. What I was hearing from Eric's message was that this definitely sounds like the makings for a show that my dad will have me watching at my house. That he is. It sounds like it's a. It's a. It's a real natural follow up to Shetland because in Shetland they're always going up to Bergen. Now, I know Bergen is Norway. I know that's not Sweden, but it just still feels energetically like I could see a Swedish show. Well, here's what it will be. It'll be produced by ITV or the BBC. The characters will be in Sweden. They will speak perfect British English for some weird reason. And the star will be Eric's friend who can remember everything and is solving mysteries because of it.

[Andrew Walsh]

I'm trying to think of what it's. Is it. What is it called? Is it called Stockholm syndrome? No.

[Luke Burbank]

Oh, wow.

[Andrew Walsh]

I don't know but it's really about.

[Luke Burbank]

The thing about those British shows is they're. They're classy. They go with things like. You know what I mean, they go with Shetland. They go with Father Brown mysteries.

[Andrew Walsh]

They go be the name of the pub. Maybe it's Macy's or something.

[Luke Burbank]

There you go. Broad Church is another one. Like that's what they. You know what I mean? They don't. They don't get. They don't get all. All cutesy like we do over here in the state.

[Andrew Walsh]

I wish they would just make one more season of Broad Church that doesn't involve a murder. Just give me like this is what I. I want shows like Broadchurch that aren't grisly at all. It's just a bunch of people living their lives.

[Luke Burbank]

There's no Darren, Darren. Dar, darn, darn. You want the characters of Bride Church dancing in a fountain.

[Andrew Walsh]

I don't want it to be that corny. I just want it to be nice. I want them to have conversations over coffee. I want them to go on long walks and I want those swooping shots of the bluffs.

[Luke Burbank]

This sounds, Andrew, like an editing project for you.

[Andrew Walsh]

And by that I mean everything related to murder.

[Luke Burbank]

Murder, yeah, exactly like Broadchurch, but not as sad. And then you just recut it with a slightly different soundtrack and use some of those shots that after you get done digitizing all the VHS tapes in the world, you can move on to that.

[Andrew Walsh]

All right, sounds good. Put it on my list.

[Luke Burbank]

Eric, I'm being serious. That was like a mental vacation for me getting to hear you in Stockholm talking to us. So I really hope that you will call us back with anything on your reminded you've heard the show. It doesn't have to be interesting.

[Andrew Walsh]

Okay.

[Luke Burbank]

All right, well, that's going to do it for today's episode, but I've got some great news. We're going to be right back here tomorrow with more imaginary radio for all of you. So please, if you can join us for that from wherever you might be. In the meantime, have a great Tuesday, everybody stay safe, take care of yourselves and please remember, no mountain too tall.

[Andrew Walsh]

And good luck to all. Power out.