TBTL Episode #4692: If I Had A Ninnyhammer

Date: March 26, 2026
Hosts: Luke Burbank & Andrew Walsh

Episode Overview

This Thursday episode finds Luke and Andrew welcoming baseball’s opening day while sifting gleefully through listener voicemails. The episode offers a characteristic dive into their behind-the-scenes banter—such as the mysterious origins of audio drops, the art of media archiving, early career stories, etymology tangents, and a celebration of TBTL community artifacts. The show is a love letter to nostalgia, minutiae, and the odd pockets of language and memory that define longtime friendships.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Mystery of the Audio Drop (00:55–10:30)

• Origin Debate: Andrew quizzes himself and Luke about a drop: “This ship doesn’t go anywhere except in circles.” A lively exchange ensues as they try to deduce its source—possibly the 1990s, a Mariners feature, or a local broadcast.
• Drop Labeling Styles: Andrew shares his methodical naming conventions for audio drops (all-caps, source, descriptors, common misspellings) while Luke admits his system is chaotic, e.g., “This ship doesn't go anywhere…”.
• Metadata Rabbit Hole: Attempts to discover the file's age via Apple Music metadata prove inconclusive, leading to nostalgia about forgotten origins of shared soundbites.
• Quote:
  Luke: “I just write any old thing… I could write Webster’s Dictionary in there.” (06:52)

2. Archival Nerd-Out: Andrew’s Old Radio Job (12:00–17:00)

• Archive Days: Andrew recounts digitizing reel-to-reel tapes and creating the “Andrew Walsh Memorial Archive” at college, reflecting on loving the process of library science—arranging, cataloging, and preserving old broadcasts.
• Contrast: Luke admits to pilfering books and CDs from his student radio days at KCMU, fueling a conversation on radio station “free bins” and the moral gray area of opportunistic student employees.
• Quote:
  Andrew: “I should be an archivist. Archivist at heart. I did part of that for my job for a while.” (12:31)

3. Nostalgia-Heavy Childhood Neighborhood Chatter (21:06–28:08)

• Memory Lane: Discussions range from Luke's formative years in Seattle neighborhoods—complete with stories of glamorous neighbor moms and 1980s touchstones (Pitfall, John Cougar Mellencamp)—to an interactive stroll via Google Maps.
• Ethiopian Food Side Quest: Andrew tries to pinpoint Luke’s childhood haunts by referencing a beloved Ethiopian restaurant, prompting debate about underrated world cuisines and what constitutes “American food.”
• Quote:
  Luke: “Is there an American food?... Like, is every food in America… an American food?” (24:12)

4. Listener Appreciation - Dazzling Donors (29:06–52:04)

A. David Zacharys, Burlington, VT

• TBTL Superfan: Shoutout to David of the band The Smittens; artist behind illustrations for the show.
• Transformers Theme Deep Dive: Resolving David’s 20-year question—Luke’s band teacher played the Transformers TV theme on trumpet, not “The Touch” from the movie.
• Music Trivia Black Hole: The duo uncovers trivia about "The Touch" by Stan Bush, its ties to The Transformers: The Movie, and a surprising fact: the single’s double A-side features Weird Al Yankovic’s “Dare to Be Stupid.”
• Artist Advocacy: David stresses the importance of supporting local artists and organizations:
  "Culture survives when communities show up." (41:09)

B. Cinder Conlin, Traverse City, MI

• Olympics, TBTL Artifacts, and Seahawks Fandom:
  • Cinder reflects on Olympic passion and how TBTL made her a Seahawks fan in Michigan.
  • Shares a photo of a dedicated TBTL memorabilia shelf (framed Greatest Hits album, bingo cards, dolls).
  • Lighthearted OT: Air Supply, Shrine etiquette, and the concept of “Tenship.”
• Quote:
  Cinder: “Don’t worry—this is not some sort of twisted shrine. And I do not use Bobo and Johnny as voodoo dolls. Or do I?” (51:07)

5. Voicemail Frenzy & Listeners Weigh In (52:17–end)

A. Russian House Burping—Patrick’s Moscow Story (56:37–63:29)

• House Burping in Russia:
  Patrick tells a vivid story about staying with an elderly Russian widow, describing how she sealed windows with wool and tape for winter—leading to an accidental “burping” that saw snow blown into the apartment (and a "worst tongue lashing").
• Relatability: Luke and Andrew swap stories about overheating old apartments, shared heating systems, and resourceful thermostat hacks.
• Quote:
  Andrew: “I had a bag of peas… I would set that on top [of the thermostat] and it would make it think it was colder in the room…” (65:43)

B. Word Origins - ‘Kitty Corner’ & Friends (70:20–76:16)

• Jamie from Maryland:
  Explains that “kitty corner” originates from “cater-corner,” meaning diagonal, which morphed to “catty corner” and then to “kitty corner.”
  Luke: “...I am so, so glad that Jamie called. The term ‘kitty corner’... how is that what we’re calling that?... The fact that it was ‘cater corner’ and that became ‘catty corner’ became ‘kitty corner.’ That is—oh, I am so— I weep for the summer barbecues this year that I’m at, and the people are gonna have to hear about that...” (71:57)
• Side-track: Expanding into fun 19th-century words like “ninnyhammer,” “flibbertigibbet,” “bumfuzzle,” and “throttle bottom” (all defined).

C. AI Hallucinations About Podcast Lingo (76:38–79:20)

• Marsupial Gurgle:
  Listener tests ChatGPT on a classic TBTL in-joke. The AI attributes “marsupial gurgle” to Roman Mars of "99% Invisible," fabricating details to sound authoritative.
• Hosts’ Response: Andrew and Luke bemoan AI’s confidently-wrong answers, especially when it gives credit for TBTL inventions to “bigger” podcasts.
• Quote:
  Luke: “That’s actually the most upsetting—like, it’s not a hallucination as much as it’s just what we call an uneducated guess... you stole—It’s like, isn’t it what David did with Bathsheba in the Bible? … you had everything, and you looked over and you coveted her...” (78:34)

Memorable Quotes & Light Moments

• On organizing drops:
  “This ship doesn’t go anywhere except in circles. That’s all.” — Luke (04:53, 08:24)
• On nostalgia for old neighborhoods:
  “If you just kept going towards Lake City Way, there is a very good chance you would run right past my old house.” — Luke (26:52)
• On the dangers of karaoke:
  “If you are considering doing an AC/DC song at karaoke, don’t. I know what you’re going to do—I know you’re a guy and I know you want to scream… get a pillow. Scream into the pillow.” — Andrew (54:18)
• On band recruitment:
  “Mr. Morton, very smart, right? … That was the best song he could have possibly played.” — Luke (39:46)

Notable Timestamps

• 00:55 — Laser pointer and mystery audio drop origins
• 12:00 — Andrew’s archivist past and college radio job
• 21:06 — 1980s neighborhood nostalgia, neighbor moms, and John Cougar Mellencamp
• 29:06 — Dazzling Donor: David and the music trivia rabbit hole (Transformers, Stan Bush, Weird Al)
• 51:07 — “Not a twisted shrine” — Cinder’s TBTL collection in Traverse City, MI
• 56:37 — Listener Patrick’s story from Moscow (“house burping” gone wrong)
• 70:20 — Jamie explains the surprising origin of “kitty corner”; word etymology fun
• 76:38 — AI wrongly claims “marsupial gurgle” is a Roman Mars thing; hosts’ mock outrage

Tone & Takeaways

The episode is quintessential TBTL—brimming with meandering but meaningful conversations, “inside-joke” culture, wordplay, and community appreciation. The playful, self-deprecating tone highlights the comfortable rapport between Luke and Andrew and their listeners. For newcomers, it’s a parade of offbeat trivia, endearing confessions, and the gentle weirdness that has made TBTL a daily staple for its devoted fans.

Power out.