Episode #913

Summary

Podcast Summary: TBTL: Too Beautiful To Live – Episode #913

Title: TBTL: Too Beautiful To Live
Host: Luke Burbank and Jen Flash Andrews
Release Date: September 21, 2011
Episode: #913

---

1. Introduction and Banter (00:00 – 03:10)

The episode kicks off with Luke Burbank and Jen Flash Andrews engaging in their signature playful banter. Luke humorously alludes to his romantic endeavors and weight tracking, leading to light-hearted teasing about his weight:

• Luke (00:42): "I actually went ahead and weighed myself yesterday, Jen, because I went for a run..."
• Jen (01:19): "You should feel good, because that means that my eyes view you through slimming lenses."

2. Show Time Change and Voting Appeal (03:10 – 07:08)

Luke announces significant changes to the show's schedule and appeals for listener support in a local podcast competition:

• Luke (03:20): "We've decided that we're gonna start doing the show at one o'clock every day."
• The hosts express frustration over their current standing in the Evening Magazine's Best of Western Washington podcast competition, passionately urging listeners to vote:
  • Luke (05:07): "There's no fucking way... that we can lose a local podcast competition in this town."
  • Jen (05:56): "All together, it was $4,848, which provided 22,000 meals get people in need."
• They emphasize the importance of listener participation in securing their position:
  • Luke (07:08): "Please, will you go to tbtl.net... Vote for us."

3. Satellite Reentry Discussion (07:08 – 12:13)

A humorous yet intriguing segment discusses the imminent reentry of a satellite with a minuscule chance of impacting someone on Earth:

• Luke (07:13): "The biggest announcement... it's a good chance we're all gonna die on Friday because of this satellite that's falling to Earth."
• Jen (08:40): "NASA has actually figured out that there's about 26 parts on this thing that are probably going to survive reentry and are going to hit Earth."
• They delve into the probabilities and safety measures, integrating comedic relief:
  • Luke (11:02): "I hope that when this junk lands, it'll land somewhere where people don't understand what it is."

4. Interaction with Chris Hayes and Susie Burbank (14:16 – 36:05)

The hosts attempt to connect with Chris Hayes, host of MSNBC's weekend morning programs. Instead, Luke's mother, Susie Burbank, joins the conversation:

• Susie (14:16): "Welcome back from the land of poor customer service and questionable bathing habits."
• The discussion shifts to the similarities between their show and Chris Hayes' program, focusing on authenticity and personal connection:
  • Susie (22:16): "Like there's a trust relationship that gets built. You guys do that... there's nothing that can go wrong here."
• They exchange anecdotes about hosting, television ratings, and maintaining an authentic connection with the audience.

5. Charity and Community Involvement (05:56 – 07:07)

Luke and Jen reflect on their successful fundraising efforts through TBTL, highlighting community support:

• Jen (06:26): "We brought in a legal team. It took about 45 seconds."
• They discuss raising funds for a food bank, emphasizing the collective effort and positive impact:
  • Jen (06:53): "It was $4,848, which provided 22,000 meals for people in need."

6. Sponsor Mention: Chateau St. Michel (40:57 – 43:23)

The episode features a segment dedicated to their sponsor, Chateau St. Michel:

• Luke (40:57): "We have an official sponsor of the show. They're called Chateau St. Michel."
• They share a listener’s experience integrating the sponsor's song into a tailgate party:
  • Luke (40:57): "Melanie... she said the wine was a big hit and that she'd been getting people to sing this song."

7. Music Break: Bright Futures – "Too Young to Kill" (36:00 – 40:57)

A musical interlude features the song "Too Young to Kill" by Bright Futures, formerly known as Natalie Portman's Shaved Head. Luke enthusiastically recommends the track:

• Luke (37:32): "I dare you, I dare you to listen to this song and to not tap your feet."
• The song plays, adding an engaging and lively element to the podcast.

8. Current Topics: "The Debt" Movie and Book Recommendation (42:46 – 50:59)

Jen discusses the critically acclaimed movie "The Debt," offering a detailed synopsis and personal endorsement:

• Jen (42:52): "The Debt is this really amazing movie... starring Helen Mirren and Jessica Chastain."
• Luke shares his book recommendation, "1493" by Charles Mann, delving into its exploration of post-Columbian ecological and social impacts:
  • Luke (44:37): "It's about basically what happened after Columbus sails to the Americas... I highly recommend it."

9. Listener Emails: Health and Consistency (47:13 – 56:21)

The hosts read and respond to listener emails, addressing topics like annual physicals and personal anecdotes:

• Crystal's Email (52:46): Clarifies an inconsistency about Jen's dietary habits:
  • Jen (52:50): "I felt all sheepish, too. I said, it is a rule that I don't have white stuff in my house... but when I was living in Indiana..."
• Steve's Email (53:58): Discusses television shows like "The Good Wife," with humorous confusion about plot details.

10. Conclusion and Reminders (57:14 – End)

As the episode winds down, Luke and Jen reiterate the importance of voting for their podcast and remind listeners of the new show time:

• Jen (57:20): "Starting tomorrow we're going to be podcasting live at 1:00pm Pacific Time, not 2:00pm Pacific Time."
• They encourage continued listener engagement and tease the next episode's content, ending with a final musical recommendation.

---

Notable Quotes

• Jen Flash Andrews (01:19): "You should feel good, because that means that my eyes view you through slimming lenses."
• Luke Burbank (05:07): "There's no fucking way... that we can lose a local podcast competition in this town."
• Jen Flash Andrews (06:53): "It was $4,848, which provided 22,000 meals for people in need."
• Luke Burbank (22:16): "Like there's a trust relationship that gets built. You guys do that... there's nothing that can go wrong here."
• Jen Flash Andrews (52:50): "It is a rule that I don't have white stuff in my house... but when I was living in Indiana..."
• Jen Flash Andrews (06:44): "All Together, it was $4,848, which provided 22,000 meals get people in need."

Key Insights and Themes

• Community Engagement: The hosts emphasize the importance of listener support, both in competitions and charitable endeavors, showcasing the power of their dedicated audience.

• Authenticity: A recurring theme is the value of being genuine and creating a personal connection with the audience, as discussed in their interaction with Susie Burbank.

• Humor and Relatability: Throughout the episode, Luke and Jen utilize humor to discuss serious topics, making the content engaging and relatable.

• Cultural References: The podcast incorporates discussions about contemporary media, including movies and television shows, aligning with listeners' interests.

Conclusion

Episode #913 of TBTL: Too Beautiful To Live offers a blend of humor, personal anecdotes, community engagement, and insightful discussions on current topics. Luke Burbank and Jen Flash Andrews maintain their engaging dynamic, encouraging listener participation while tackling a variety of subjects with wit and authenticity. Notable segments include their passionate plea for voting in local competitions, a humorous take on a satellite reentry scenario, and thoughtful recommendations on media and literature.

For those who haven’t tuned in, this episode provides a snapshot of the show’s vibrant and personable atmosphere, making it a valuable listen for fans of conversational and community-focused podcasts.

Transcript

[Luke Burbank]

Have you guys ever met someone that just gets you on all levels? Makes you feel like your souls are boning each other in the spirit world? Oh, and fwai, I'm in love. I did it. So I'm gonna be moving out. Okay, it's not fy. It's FYI, for your information. Okay, Durst, I know how to spell dbtl. Hey, fy, we've got a very exciting Wednesday afternoon edition of TBTL for you right here. The show that just might be too beautiful to live.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

Are you trying to seduce me?

[Luke Burbank]

I'm trying to seduce you. I'm your host, Luke Burbank. This is episode 913 in a collector's series. Let's see. I'm. I'm. I actually went ahead and weighed myself yesterday, Jen, because I went for a run, so I got the nerve up to. To actually check the damage.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

And it was.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

Was I right?

[Luke Burbank]

179. Just kidding. No, it was like 190 after the run. 196. And I'm. And I'm on. I'm gonna take it.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

You should feel good, because that means that my eyes view you through slimming lenses.

[Luke Burbank]

That's. That's why. That's why I sought you out as the producer of this imaginary radio program. Speaking of this imaginary radio program, we got a lot to talk about on this Wednesday.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

Hi, this is Luke's mom, Susie, coming tonight on tbtl.

[Luke Burbank]

Did you guys know that a satellite is probably gonna kill all of us, or maybe one of us? There is a one in a trillion chance of it happening. I mean, that's the actual number I heard this morning on npr. We'll get into the math.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

There's a different number that's better than that one.

[Luke Burbank]

Oh, really? Okay. Well, here's something that's even better than that. It's Wednesday, and that means we'll tell you about things that are pretty cool.

[Chris Hayes]

It's pretty cool.

[Luke Burbank]

We'll also talk to our friend Chris Hayes. Chris Hayes is the. The newly minted host of MSNBC's Saturday and Sunday morning programs that run for two hours each day. And he. We had him on the radio show earlier today just talking politics.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

Which isn't really what we're going to talk with him about this week.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

Yeah, we mostly want to talk about his amazing cover of Gaga's you and I.

[Luke Burbank]

Right, Exactly. But the thing he said today on the radio side of things was that it's so early on the west coast when his show comes on that his first show was last weekend, and he was just giving people shout outs who were like watching, like, I guess they were tweeting that they were watching it from the west coast and he was like naming them on the air. I said, I told him he can use tens of viewers.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

Sure, absolutely.

[Luke Burbank]

That was our gift to him. So anyway, we'll talk to him in just a moment or two. Also, we've got some TBTL announcements that I would like to signal with that sound effect. Let's just get right to it. The first is that we have come to an important decision about tbtl, which is that after a lot of conferencing and prayer.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

Yeah, prayer. We brought in a legal team. It took about 45 seconds.

[Luke Burbank]

And we've decided from now on we're doing the show in French. Psych.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

Ha. Just kidding.

[Luke Burbank]

No, actually, we've decided that we're gonna start doing the show at one o'clock every day. And that is because it will just give us more time in the afternoon to not be here. And because with Jen so ably producing the show again, it means that we can actually probably just. I can turn right around from the radio show and do this. It doesn't mean anything to most of you who just listen to the show on your ipod whenever it shows up. For the stickam viewers, for those of you who have gotten used to 2:00, I apologize, but you'll just have to get used to 1:00 now.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

I think the biggest change, honestly, is there's less probability that I will have been drinking. You know what I mean? There's something about 2:00.

[Luke Burbank]

Cause you end up with that. And I'm even ending up with too much of that downtime.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

Yeah, I'm kind of. It's like, I'm ready, but it's only 1:15.

[Luke Burbank]

Right. I went and got. I got lunch today with Andrew, the producer of the radio show, and also TBTL weekend stuff. And we've been getting lunch the last couple of days and it's so tempting to just start tying one on at lunch because you're right, too much time. I need to keep it contained. So from now on, or until, you know, I don't know, we change our minds, we're gonna start doing this thing at 1:00. And the other announcement that we have is. And if you want to find out more about this, you can go to tbtl.net even as we speak, TBTL is we're in this competition for the best podcast, Evening Magazine's Best of Western Washington. And like right now, I don't know. Are we in second place? I'm looking at this thing. Looks like we're not even in the top 10.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

No, that's alphabetized.

[Luke Burbank]

Oh, that's why it starts with so stats. Would that tell us we're still third, though?

[Jen Flash Andrews]

Well, that's ridiculous. We're not going to lose Best local podcast.

[Luke Burbank]

That's right. So what we're asking you guys, I mean, seriously, we're losing to something called Ask an Atheist and something called STP Cast. Now, these, I'm sure, are wonderful fine productions, but there's no fucking way. I'm sorry. I broke out a swear. That's how. That's. That's how passionate I am about this. There's no way, guys, that we can lose a. There's no way we can lose a local podcast competition in this town.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

We practically invented podcasting.

[Luke Burbank]

We really. In fact, that freaking genius award they gave to Jad Abumrad, that was ours. He stole it from us. Straight up stole it. So, please, will you go to tbtl.net, i mean, we're just going for it now. And if we now do not win this thing, we will be deeply embarrassed. By the way, this would be as good a time as any, Jen, just to sort of mention the power of the tens.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

Oh, yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

Would that be okay to give them this information, which is. You know how you guys were so awesome in helping Chateau St. Michel win that contest, the battle of the brands, which they did, and it was all because of you guys. They're the official wine sponsor of the show. But then also, you guys hatched this totally awesome plan to give money to this food bank that they were running against, because, of course, you wanted to make sure that you weren't taking anything away from them. And I'll be darned if you didn't raise. Wait, I got a drum roll here. Yeah, hold on, hold on. Careful.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

I love the fact, too, that this plan was hatched in our comment section on our blog. You know, you look at other blogs, what's going on in the comment section, and it's like the darkest, darkest part of the human heart. And in ours, it was everybody, like, how can we help those in need?

[Luke Burbank]

So how much money did the TENS and Chateau San Michel end up raising in this?

[Jen Flash Andrews]

All Together, it was $4,848, which provided 22,000 meals get people in need.

[Luke Burbank]

That is redonkulous.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

I know.

[Luke Burbank]

You guys are amazing. Thank you.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

Now, I was blushed with pride.

[Luke Burbank]

As well you should have been. And as well you all should Be the listeners. So what we're asking now is that you would turn your attention towards helping.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

Us win this home.

[Luke Burbank]

Exactly. Join us again tomorrow as we turn our hearts towards home.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

We're Dobson this time.

[Luke Burbank]

I'm Gil Magarly. Yeah, that happened. That his name? Gilmagarly?

[Jen Flash Andrews]

I think so.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah. Could you turn your hearts towards home and go to tbtl.net you guys and vote? It's okay. So the sucky part is you do, I think, have to, like, maybe sign up quickly for this Evening Magazine thing, give them a fake email address. And please, will you then also seriously make your friends do it? Like, we don't want to just win this. We want to just completely dominate this. Because last year we were in the radio competition and we got like, what, second or something.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

Which is pretty damn good because you guys took it on as a personal cause, and I appreciated that very much so. But this year, we've been. Basically, we've been. They've created an entire category for us. That's what they did. They looked at and they were like, I'm sure it was Kim Holcomb, our friend who works there and who did a piece about us for Evening Magazine. I'm sure she was like, let's make podcasting a thing. Thinking TBTL will run away with it. So we cannot lose to something called Bionic Dance. Okay. Or something called the Fantasy Answers or Grapes of Rad. What is that bullshit? We like those guys. Anyway, so those are the TBTL announcements. Although I'm kind of, you know, I'm leaving the. The biggest announcement for last, which is that it's a good chance we're all gonna die on Friday because of this satellite that's falling to Earth. Jen, will you give us the terrifying details?

[Jen Flash Andrews]

Okay, here's the thing. This satellite is falling to Earth. It's probably going to hit in the next 24 hours. And what everybody thinks is, oh, but it burns up on reentry. You know, the Van Allen rays and.

[Luke Burbank]

All that kind of science.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

Well, NASA has actually figured out that there's about 26 parts on this thing that are probably going to survive reentry and are going to hit Earth. Now, you said earlier that it's a one in a trillion chance.

[Luke Burbank]

Well, because. Because here's the math that I heard this morning is there's a 1 in 3200 chance that it would hit a person. But the chance that it would hit me is the chances. Then the math.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

If it hits a person, it is a 1 in 3200 chance it will be you. Which means if you don't get hit, probably someone you know is going to get hit.

[Luke Burbank]

You know what someone's got to do, Jen? They've got to recover that satellite. And I know just the band.

[Chris Hayes]

Lifetime commitment recovery.

[Luke Burbank]

Ah, yeah. You knew. You knew Counting Crows was gonna get in on this somewhere. They're playing the Puyallup Fair, by the way, tomorrow night, which I have to miss because it's Addy's dang open house at her school. Thank God it's the last year of this shit.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

Here's the thing I really wanted to let people know. Yeah, okay. Well, first of all, when. When Skylab hit Earth, our other satellite that fell from the sky back in, like, 78, 79, we were charged $400 by the world community for littering, which I thought was adorable. But the main thing that I want people to know is that if you find a piece of the satellite, one of these 26 pieces or whatever, you have to return it to NASA. It's property of the federal government. And so I would just say to you, I know no one's going to return it to NASA, but maybe don't put it on ebay, like, immediately. Don't do a picture of yourself with it on your blog right away.

[Chris Hayes]

Keep.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

Keep it secret for at least a while until the career dials.

[Luke Burbank]

I hope that when this junk lands, it'll land somewhere where people don't understand what it is. So it will be a hilarious thing, like, the gods must be crazy. The Coke bottle falls in the. You know, wherever.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

That was like an idol. Yes.

[Luke Burbank]

I would like that if that happened. If it hits someone in the head, I don't want that to happen. Now, all joking aside, Jennifer, is any small part of you on Friday, if you are outside going to be looking towards the skies?

[Jen Flash Andrews]

Yeah, totally. I mean, I think you should look up. It's like at a baseball game. You don't look down.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah, it's funny because this speaks to.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

Do you want to get hit by something falling out of the sky? That's embarrassing.

[Luke Burbank]

Although, if you gotta go, like, if you have to die, it's a pretty bad a way to die. Yeah. Well, here lies Luke Burbank, killed by falling space junk. So do we know anything about the time of day? Does it come like a thief in the night? No, I'm getting away with a lot of these jokes. As you're hungover, you're just an easy mark today.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

No, there's. There's only. They're only gonna know Two hours before really where it's landing and when exactly.

[Luke Burbank]

Okay, well everybody, you know, watch your, watch your backs on, on Friday because there is, by Jen's mathematical estimation and, and you know, who's NPR to disagree with you with their math, with their ciphering.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

No, I understand what they're saying, that it's probably not going to hit a person, but if it does hit a person, that's where the odds get pretty small. Like that's where it kind of gets to the point where.

[Luke Burbank]

Well, and let's just be honest, if it hits a person, they're friggin dead. I mean, right?

[Jen Flash Andrews]

Probably.

[Luke Burbank]

Like think how big is a bullet?

[Jen Flash Andrews]

I know, but you know, people like fall out of buildings and survive. Like it's, it's amazing what happens, you know, or they get like pruners. This happened while you were.

[Luke Burbank]

Oh man.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

No, I saw pruners in the head.

[Luke Burbank]

That was an amazing X ray. Yeah, well, maybe.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

I mean, I just have some space junk, you know.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah, I think that, I think that if that thing, if that thing makes contact with you, pretty much you're done for. So again, be careful. Step lively on Friday, you guys. And also that would be a great chance to just stay indoors and vote over and over again for TBTL and the Best of Western Washington podcasting competition, which you can find out about right [e-mail]. okay, let's try something. That will probably not work because I haven't really properly pre tested it, but we're going to try it anyway. And that is we're going to first of all get a line that has a goddamn dial tone. I'm so, I'm sorry, Jen. I'm so profane today. I don't know what's going on. We're calling up our buddy, Chris Hayes. Let's see. This might work. Tell me if you hear it. Oh, that's good. I just hung up on it. So far so good.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

I don't hear anything.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah, we need. You know what we need, Jen, is some dialing music. Doesn't Dave Letterman have dialing music?

[Jen Flash Andrews]

Somebody does.

[Luke Burbank]

I think it's because he's always doing this at his desk. Right? It's way cooler when he does it.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

No, this is cool.

[Luke Burbank]

I like hungover. Jen, you're saucy today. It's kind of awesome. Do you know anything about how this is supposed to work?

[Jen Flash Andrews]

I think your probably main problem is that you shouldn't be on the top bank.

[Luke Burbank]

Too late.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

Okay.

[Luke Burbank]

Hi, Chris, it's Luke. Ahoy hoy. No, no, no, that's okay. You're not even on the air yet. I'm still trying to figure that out. I mean, we're doing air.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

He's not.

[Luke Burbank]

I'm. I'm on the air. But you're not. Hold on, hold on a second. Okay. Okay, so I got him on hold, right?

[Jen Flash Andrews]

Mm. And then now you should be able.

[Luke Burbank]

To just push him on.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

And then I do this.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

Yep.

[Luke Burbank]

Hey, Chris.

[Susie Burbank]

Hey, guys.

[Luke Burbank]

Ahoy, hoy.

[Susie Burbank]

Ahoy.

[Luke Burbank]

How are you?

[Susie Burbank]

I'm great.

[Luke Burbank]

Long time no talk.

[Susie Burbank]

Yeah. Welcome back from. From. From the land of poor customer service and questionable bathing habits, I guess.

[Luke Burbank]

Or what did you think of that as important journalist and I think student of the world and generally open minded person. Was I being too harsh yesterday?

[Susie Burbank]

I thought you did it with the self awareness that marks that is the TBTL brand. That always makes it endearing. I also think on the customer service angle, I totally am like the worst, most impatient person on that and I totally. That really pushes my inner Toby Keith button. So there's part of that that rang very true. I lived for Italy for a semester in college and I was like, for the love of God, can we get this line moving?

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah, I know. And I mean, I will also say that definitely the language barrier, and that's on me, right? I went to someone else's country and I don't speak the language. And I'm annoyed that nobody. I mean, that's totally my responsibility, but that makes it more. That makes it more frustrating.

[Susie Burbank]

I will also say my wife and I, we took our week of summer vacation in Europe and half of it was in Dubrovnik in Croatia. And the people there I found to be delightfully kind, wonderful people.

[Luke Burbank]

You're totally right. That actually bears noting that all of the times we were in Dubrovnik and then when this place split and the Croatians were super nice and awesome. By the way, this is going to sound slightly creepy, but like, have you seen a more beautiful group of people than the crows?

[Susie Burbank]

They definitely bring it.

[Luke Burbank]

What the what? No wonder there was a war.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

You clearly weren't watching. Er, because there was a super hot Croat.

[Luke Burbank]

Goren.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

Yeah.

[Susie Burbank]

Oh, yeah, of course.

[Luke Burbank]

Come on, everybody knows Goren.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

I've known about the hotness of Croatians for a while now.

[Susie Burbank]

Isn't there something. There's something. Jen just said Croat. And I would jokingly use Croat as a noun when we were there because it sounds like vague. It sounds vaguely like a slur. Like when someone calls someone a Jew. As a noun, like a Croat, you know, no good Croat.

[Luke Burbank]

Chris, we are having you on this, on this podcast today because number one, we're big fans. But number two, and let me just re wreck the fanfare sound effect because you have a fancy new television show. I should say shows. Well, I don't know. It's one show. It's one show.

[Susie Burbank]

It's one show. It's called up with Chris Hayes on MSNBC. It's on Saturday at 7am Eastern, which is for your west coast listeners. Not the most convenient time.

[Luke Burbank]

I was mentioning when we were doing the intro to the show and that we were gonna talk to you and I mentioned the thing you said about how you were just giving people on the west coast shout outs last week.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

They deserved it though. They were up at 4am Yeah, I.

[Susie Burbank]

Was like, james Seattle, Ames. Seattle. Way to go, dude.

[Luke Burbank]

So if we have some tens that like get up really early on the west coast and they're like tweeting fools and telling people to watch the show, maybe they'll get a little love.

[Susie Burbank]

Yes. Nothing says professional television broadcaster like on air shout outs to people.

[Luke Burbank]

I really.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

That was the first six months of TBTL though. I mean, every listener.

[Susie Burbank]

The ill fated birthday experiment which didn't very long.

[Luke Burbank]

Oh God, that was awesome. Again, I would thoroughly recommend, Chris, that you borrow that as well. People loved that. The only person who didn't love it was Jen. But you have a team of producers. How many producers do you have?

[Susie Burbank]

We have a staff of about 10.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

I guarantee none of his producers will like that idea. As an idea producers don't like.

[Luke Burbank]

I don't think you get it in this cutthroat world of national television. I'm sure these producers are. They do whatever you tell them, right, Chris?

[Susie Burbank]

Oh, yeah, absolutely. I'm calling the shots unilaterally here.

[Luke Burbank]

Hey, don't you live in Brooklyn, like a block away from where I used to live?

[Susie Burbank]

Yeah, I live in Park Slope. Right in the park. It's awesome. I am before my eyes transforming into the most preposterous cliche from a David Brooks column.

[Luke Burbank]

You started going to the Brooklyn Co Op? Yeah. The Park Slope.

[Susie Burbank]

Well, no, actually, no, actually, that's the one thing that I have not. I haven't quite. But I park my Prius in Park Slope and then I get my iced coffee and I go to my job as a professional, professional liberal. And like everything is. The whole thing is like it's almost too much. That said, like, you know, I love it. Park Slope.

[Luke Burbank]

I know, it's so great. Right? I mean, it's.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

I think you should shake it up with a plastic bag. Just shake it up with a plastic bag once in a while. I would like. I would like that if you would just, like, put your lunch in a plastic bag and carry that on the subway.

[Susie Burbank]

And, like, a huge amount of Styrofoam and, like, bubble wrap.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

Yeah. Just to be like. I refuse to be a cliche.

[Luke Burbank]

How do you like all the babies they let into the bars? Have you gone to the gate?

[Susie Burbank]

I have gone to the gate, which I like a lot.

[Luke Burbank]

Covered with babies.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

Aren't you having one, though?

[Susie Burbank]

I am, yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

Whoa. Congratulations.

[Susie Burbank]

Yes, we are.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

So he's probably pro baby in the bar.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah, I bet. Sorry.

[Susie Burbank]

So, yeah, I'm on the cusp of really thinking it's a great idea. In about six weeks, I'm gonna be. Yeah, we've got our. My wife and are expecting our first in November, so we're gonna. I mean, you know, that's the thing about Park Slope is, like. You know, I think when I first started looking, when we were looking in neighborhoods in New York, there was part of me I was like, I'm too cool for Park Slope.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah, right.

[Susie Burbank]

You know, like. But I'm not, first of all.

[Luke Burbank]

And I guess it bears mentioning because, like, there are some people that don't live in New York that listen to this show. Park Slope is this neighborhood in Brooklyn. It's, like, very beautiful. It looks like the opening of the Cosby show, except there are not many black people. But unless you go over towards, you know, Prospect park or Flatbush or whatever. Prospect Heights, I guess. But it's this very. And where. The way I used to describe it is, it's like all of the people who lived in Manhattan and were really attractive and, like, had good jobs, they eventually met. The boys and girls met, and then they got married, and then they decided to have a baby, and then they moved to Park Slope, which is the totally appropriate next phase of that person, that couple's life. Would that be accurate?

[Susie Burbank]

Yeah, I think. I mean, and that's why, again, like, I am a cliche because, like, I am moving to Park Slope with, you know, about to have my first child, and. But. But, you know, we live. There's the Prospect park, which was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, who designed Central park as well. And he always said that Prospect park.

[Luke Burbank]

Was the one he got right, his.

[Susie Burbank]

Masterpiece, the one he got right. And it's just gorgeous. And, you know, there's something really nice about when you're in that phase of your life, like being around, you know, there's just tons of resources for parents and everyone in the building is so nice and everyone's out with their carriages and their little tikes looking adorable. And I'm in a phase of life in which I'm, you know, obsessed with kids being adorable. Yeah, that's sort of where my.

[Luke Burbank]

Do you think you're gonna be able to recognize if your kid isn't cute?

[Susie Burbank]

Absolutely not. I've already like, my wife is even saying like, she said the funniest thing to me. She's like, it squirm the other day in, in what I think foretells that it will be an extremely cute, like it was squirming in a particularly cute way, you know, and it's like already as expectant parents, we're like completely like. I'm well aware that we have no objectivity.

[Luke Burbank]

Well, that's good. At least you know that going in now. You were talking to Rachel Maddow and you have been Rachel Maddow's backup for a while now. And you guys were talking. Jen was actually related in the conversation to me, but she said you guys were talking about how basically how hard it is to try because on your show you interview politicians and do things like that. Presumably I don't get up early enough to watch it, but for the love of God. But you guys were talking about how difficult it is to try to get politicians and stuff to actually just say anything that's meaningful. What's your plan for that? To try to get them out of their little talking points and their pre planned boringness.

[Susie Burbank]

It's really hard because they're good. Anyone that gets to national provenance gets good at sort of, you know, avoiding making any saying anything interesting. I mean, your mission going in as a politician, right, is to avoid saying something interesting because something interesting can only, usually can only cause you heartburn.

[Luke Burbank]

Right?

[Susie Burbank]

Like there's, it's one of these situations where there's a lot of more, a lot more downside risk than upside risk. So if you're, if you're boring, like, okay, fine, you're boring. You just did an interview. If you're interesting but say something disastrous, well then you got to, you know, you got a situation on your hands for the next few days. You're putting on fires, you're getting follow up questions. So they're pretty practiced at it. And I think, you know, I think the best thing you could do is ask them questions they're not expecting or haven't heard before. And also ask questions that you genuinely want to know the answer to. Like I asked Nancy Pelosi. I asked her what bill that they passed in the House during the first two years that they had it that didn't get passed in the Senate. What's the one that she regretted the most didn't become law.

[Luke Burbank]

What'd she say?

[Susie Burbank]

She said the DREAM act, which I thought was interesting, which is a bill that would.

[Luke Burbank]

Great point.

[Susie Burbank]

Yeah. And that's a bill that would allow children, basically undocumented immigrants who came here as kids to get on a path to citizenship. These are people who came when they were five or six or seven because their parents brought them and didn't. You know, it wasn't like they were violating the law. They were kids. So I thought that was interesting because that was. I didn't expect her to say that. And it was a question that didn't really put her on the spot, but also had a genuine question mark at the end insofar as I did not know what the answer would be.

[Luke Burbank]

Right. Have you considered carefully studying our interviews with Sacha Frere Jones, Patton Oswalt and other disasters just as a kind of what not to do?

[Susie Burbank]

What's the other one from Bryant Park Project.

[Luke Burbank]

Yes.

[Susie Burbank]

Land. Not anymore.

[Luke Burbank]

Siguros. Totally.

[Susie Burbank]

Yeah. No, that's. I've been. I've been listening to those tapes on a loop during my morning commute.

[Luke Burbank]

Are people. Since you've been on. You've been on MSNBC a lot, just on the various programs you've been commenting on and also fill in hosting. And now you have your own shows. Do people recognize you now on the street ever? And is that weird?

[Susie Burbank]

They do recognize me on the street. I think I've sort of acclimated to it. I would say that. I don't think I've ever had an unpleasant interaction. I. I am not. I'm kind of. It's sort of a perfect level of recognition that I have right now because people who would hate me have no idea who I am.

[Luke Burbank]

Right.

[Susie Burbank]

So it's not like Michael Moore, you know, Like, I think it would suck to. It would be a real bummer if I was walking around and people were like, hey, jerk, are you.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

Do you find that you are shorter or taller than they expected?

[Susie Burbank]

I am usually taller than they expected.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

Okay. That's nice.

[Susie Burbank]

I think people think that I'm. I think people think I'm a small man. I'm not quite sure how to interpret them thinking that. I did once have someone say. Someone once said to me, I Was in the. Where was I? I was in a bathroom washing my hands next to a guy, and he looks at me and goes, you're a lot thinner in person.

[Luke Burbank]

It's like kind of a mixed compliment, right? Exactly.

[Susie Burbank]

I was like, I don't know how I'm gonna walk. What am I doing with that comment?

[Luke Burbank]

You know what's so pathetic? What? You and I are emailing this week, and you said something along the lines of like, hey, next time you're in New York, maybe we can gin up a reason for me to be on your TV show and all. I thought, I'll see you in two years when I've lost 30 pounds. I was like, there's no effing way I'm getting on television.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

We're in radio for a reason.

[Susie Burbank]

I used to say to Kate when I first started doing, you know, it's a weird thing. You're on tv and then you, you know, because you're either a narcissist or because you. Because it's compulsive and you can't help yourself. You, like, look and see what people say on Twitter. And a lot of it's nice, but a lot of it's not nice. And, you know, that's fine. You sort of get used to it. People. There's a lot of people, lots of opinions, and some people don't like you. And you sort of come to live with that. And I'm like, you guys, to play that, you know, that sound. Drop of the voicemail, like, I can't believe you guys are still on the air. You know? And you guys and the woman who wrote in. So you guys are used to the haters, but I used to say to Kate, my wife, I was like, the first time someone calls me fat, that's it. It's over. I'm never going back on TV again.

[Luke Burbank]

And has that happened?

[Susie Burbank]

The meanest thing that anyone has ever said about me was someone once said, tweeted, chris Hayes, aids must be in remission because he's really put on some weight.

[Luke Burbank]

Wow. Was that this guy?

[Susie Burbank]

No, that's just some random dude.

[Luke Burbank]

Too beautiful to be heard. I can't believe you're still on the air. Oh, my God. That's so over the top that it must kind of just.

[Susie Burbank]

I thought it was kind of amazing. I was like, this is sort of the Sistine Chapel of meanness. Like, this is like a perfectly little. Like, you used every one of those 140 characters to, like.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

And he kind of built a story.

[Susie Burbank]

Exactly. Extract the maximum amount of psychic goal on it.

[Luke Burbank]

See those ones when people say mean things about us that are totally over the top like that, that's easy to brush off, but it's the ones that are a little true, you know, those are the ones that I've always liked.

[Susie Burbank]

I think I may have put on a few pounds at that point. So there's definitely a.

[Luke Burbank]

Like, what's the. We're talking to Chris Hayes. I don't know why I reset. I love that you reset.

[Susie Burbank]

I'm gonna make a reset joke. If you're just joining us, let's do.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

A time check for like three hours.

[Luke Burbank]

A. I am kind of doing that.

[Susie Burbank]

What is the inside joke that you guys always made? That always cracks me up, but I never understood, which is like, we're in a PPM world. What is that?

[Luke Burbank]

Okay, so in radio. In radio. So the way that they used to measure the radio ratings was this thing called Arbitron, which was this really silly system where they would mail out these little diaries to a sample group of people and they would just ask them, please write down what you were listening to on Tuesday night at 8:00.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

And that's why the time check in saying the name of your show was like so crucial, because you wanted people to remember what they had.

[Luke Burbank]

And in fact, that's part of why the radio stations would make so many pens and keychains, because it was no joke to the point where they were like, well, maybe they'll be holding a Cairo pen when they're filling it out and it will trick them. I mean, this is seriously the sort of stuff. So Arbitron, the same company a couple of years ago now brought in this new device. And the way they now measure radio popularity is that same group of people, or not literally the same people, but the same kind of amount of people. Now get this little pager. It looks like a pager, so you look like the beeper king. And it is capable of hearing sub audible tones. It can hear anything the human ear hears supposedly, or as some would say, supposably. And all the radio stations have this sub audible tone or frequency in them that is identified by this thing. So basically, if you're wearing this and you walk by a radio that's on and you hear it, it makes a note of it or whatever radio station you listen to and like it has to be in motion. You can't just set it down on like next to a radio and leave it all day. So it's a fairly complicated thing, but that's called a ppm, personal people meeting.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

So it immediately changed everything because time checks and saying the name of your show no longer mattered all the time.

[Susie Burbank]

It's just a waste of time. In a PPM world.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

In a PPM world, you just have to stay like super interesting all the time and you can't let change that.

[Luke Burbank]

Exactly. And it used to be when we used to have this boss, this dude, Rod Arquette, he's a really nice fellow, but like he came up to this radio station and this radio station was, was humming along, doing okay, and then they switched from AM to FM and this PPM thing came into effect and everything changed. Cairo went from being like the number one or two station in the market to being like the number 20 station. And he was just like, I mean, he was, he was like Uncle Billy and It's a Wonderful Life. When he can't find the entire year's, you know, receipts or whatever for the savings and loan. He was just like sitting in his office with string on his fingers and a crow. And all he would say is, it's a PPM world. It's like everything was just like, hey, you know, are we, you know, are we going to whatever? Like, you want to do an iced tea? That's a. In a PPM world. Like, he just, he just kept saying it over and over. He didn't know what it meant, he didn't know how to use it to like have us do better radio.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

And they couldn't. It was so funny too, because with the PPM world, they could actually monitor like when you had the exact moment that you had high numbers of listeners. And so he kept saying to us.

[Luke Burbank]

Like, literally the second.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

Your highest numbers ever, your highest numbers ever were the night Michael Jackson died. You gotta. And I'm like, well, Michael Jackson can't kill off Michael Jackson.

[Luke Burbank]

Watch out, Lionel Richie, sniper.

[Susie Burbank]

You know, the hardest thing I think actually about television is figuring out how you are going to feel about the ratings because you can, you know, I've had the experience of doing a show where I'm like, oh, that was a great show. And the next day the numbers are terrible. And I've had the experience being like, eh, that didn't feel great. The next day the numbers are, are great.

[Luke Burbank]

You know, so you have overnights, so you really find out the next day how it went.

[Susie Burbank]

Yeah, you find out the next day.

[Luke Burbank]

You went and it.

[Susie Burbank]

And you know, and they're broken down by 50 minute increments. You can see. Well, you know, when we started talking about Afghanistan, everybody left the program. So it's like, ugh, well, what does that mean? What do we know? So you, you know that figuring out how you integrate that, like one of the things I think is, I mean, the thing that I love about TBTL and the thing that, like, I'm just. Let me riff on this a little bit. No, I mean, the thing I love about TBTL is that I think you guys basically said ratings be damned.

[Luke Burbank]

Which as it turned out, they were damned.

[Susie Burbank]

Commercial radio was not that psyched about that business model, weirdly enough. But it's found and developed this amazing audience just because you sort of trusted your vision and sensibility and had kind of built an audience around that. And so I think it's not. I'm in a different situation because I can't really say ratings be damned because that's not really how a big cable TV news network works. At the same time, because of the sensibility we have and the show we're trying to make, like, I want to, you know, I want to, I want to create a core audience that really is devoted to the show and let it kind of build out from there.

[Luke Burbank]

Well, if you look at, I mean, I'm not like giving you advice because you have spent much more time thinking about this with people who are smart about these things. But it seems to me as just a viewer that the shows that really thrive really are in some way cults of personality, whether it's Rachel's personality or Olbermann's, you know, during his heyday or whatever. And it's like, you know, people want to ride the Chris Hayes train or they don't.

[Susie Burbank]

Yep.

[Luke Burbank]

And if they do, awesome. And I mean, because it's, it's the, I mean, there's just so many, there are so many nameless people sitting behind desks, I mean, talking about the news that are interchangeable, you know, and you watch them and you feel like you're trapped at an airport waiting for your flight all the time because you don't care about them. You know, invest. So it's like, I mean, I would encourage you to follow your heart.

[Susie Burbank]

And that's the, you know, you're exactly right. Like that people have a connection. I mean, there's a trust relationship that gets built. You know, people come to trust, have come to trust Rachel and with, you know, it's a very well founded trust that she repays with, you know, very hard work and excellent programming and. But it's personal. It's personal and it's intimate, you know, and I think one of the Other things, I think that we. That is happening on the network and in Rachel's show, but also I think that you guys do that I've actually kind of like, filched a little bit for my show is like, there is no fourth wall. Like, there is no part that's not the show. Like, you know, you guys always say when you, like, are trying to, you know, put together your best ofs, like, people always vote for, like, the train wreckiest moments. And like, you know, we tried to. Like the time that you tried to load a drop six times in a row and it was the wrong drop.

[Luke Burbank]

Or we did that today before we got you on the line.

[Susie Burbank]

Well, and I, you know, and I think on our show, like, we are trying to have the same thing of, like, there's nothing that can go wrong here. Like, it's just. It's just me. Like, there's no. I'm not pretending to be anything else. And, like, if a sound bite doesn't come up, then it doesn't come up, and I'll be like, oh, I guess we don't have that. You know, and that there's a certain. There's something kind of sort of radical about that in terms of the way it breaks the conventions of the genre, which are very sort of, you know, everything is flying around the screen effortlessly.

[Luke Burbank]

Right? You're trying to make this diamond, this diamond of television entertainment where it's perfect, every angle is perfect, but then there's.

[Susie Burbank]

Also a degree to which those. It's like the fallibility that creates the personal connection, you know, Like, I don't think you would. It's the reason. There's a reason that people like the train wreckiest moments or that they write into that, because those moments reveal that you guys are just being yourselves. And the fact that you're being authentic and people feel like they have a personal connection to you through moments in which, you know, technical snafus happen is part of what creates this very intimate, personal feel that the tens have towards you guys in the show. And that's like a very powerful thing.

[Luke Burbank]

Well, Chris, this is exciting, and it couldn't happen to a nicer or more deserving person. So I'm going to set my TiVo. Does that help you at all if we TiVo?

[Susie Burbank]

Yeah, it totally does set. I will say to people, you know, give us a try. I think if you, like. I would say this. I would say up with Chris Hayes is the closest thing there is to TBTL on television.

[Luke Burbank]

Actually, we're flattered by that.

[Susie Burbank]

I Mean, it's more. It's, you know, it's. Obviously, it's more political.

[Luke Burbank]

Well, it has more Nancy Pelosi than TBTL has had in it. Of late, there's more.

[Susie Burbank]

Of late, there's a little more Nancy Pelosi. There's fewer. There's fewer, you know, sound drops, I would say. Yeah. But, yeah, people should. I would. You know, I think, I think. I think the folks. I think fellow tens would really like the show. And DVR for sure.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah. Dvart. Like dvr. I'm not trying to tell people not to get up early in the morning because that's fun too, but like DVR and then just watch it at like 11. Right. Because that's the same difference to you guys.

[Susie Burbank]

Yeah. I think it's unclear how it works. I think if it gets watched in the 24 hours, I think there's like a 24 hour window for time banditing.

[Luke Burbank]

Well, like I said, we'll do everything in our power, which, by the way, is probably the kiss of death, but we'll do everything in our power to. To get the tens watching it because, you know, we're big fans.

[Susie Burbank]

Well, thanks. And, you know, I'm on the F train. Listen to my TBT every day.

[Luke Burbank]

I'll see you in two years when I've. When I've dropped the pounds.

[Susie Burbank]

Perfect. All right, Chris, that sounds great.

[Luke Burbank]

Congratulations. We'll see you this weekend, okay?

[Susie Burbank]

Okay.

[Luke Burbank]

All right, bye. There's Chris Hayes. Could you. Could a person be nicer?

[Jen Flash Andrews]

No.

[Luke Burbank]

Or smarter?

[Jen Flash Andrews]

So nice.

[Luke Burbank]

He's great. So seriously, you guys. Two jobs. You have two jobs. Okay, Vote for us in the Best of West Washington local podcast contest. And watch up with Chris Hayes on Saturday and Sunday. And. And because, I mean, that's like, that's. How often do we have a TV host of a national television program on here who says this is the closest thing to TBTL happening on tv?

[Jen Flash Andrews]

I. I think one time maybe.

[Luke Burbank]

Well, it was one time we had Bob Barker on and he. I don't. I think he was confused, though. I don't think he was talking about.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

We may have taken advantage of his.

[Luke Burbank]

Let's. Let's take a real quick music break. This is a band that is called Bright Futures. Now, they used to be called Natalie Portman's Shaved Head. Unfortunate name for a band, I would argue. You know, they went to the Center School in Seattle.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

Really.

[Luke Burbank]

Which is where Owen and some of our other listeners go. Owen, the kid who always gets mad at me when I talk shit about bassists. But Anyway, the story goes, and we may have them on the show at some point to explain this, but the story goes that they basically reached out to Natalie Portman's people and they said, hey, how do you feel about this? And they said, we are not in love with it. So they said, alright, we're changing it to Bright Futures. And they have a new record out. It's called Dark Past. And this song is called Too Young to Kill. I dare you, I dare you to listen to this song and to not tap your feet. This is like, probably my favorite song I've heard in a long time. Here's Bright Futures on tbtl.

[Chris Hayes]

My friend said you gotta ride the lightning Move on up, make it bright.

[Susie Burbank]

Oh yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Chris Hayes]

A soft shot on a summer night. It'll be the kind of music that everyone likes. Oh oh yeah, yeah, yeah. Making a club if we can all dance till we don't give us yet what it's about. Make it a wild song so we can sing along, sing along make it a perfect we can notice you. We don't give a shit what it's about. Making a wild song so we can sing along, sing along. We're rocking the weather we'll get children.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

Kids idle suit and make a hundred.

[Chris Hayes]

Million About a helicopter just so I can make it rain. You're in your cow with your BFFs the future brightness is something that heaves. Here comes the sun make it a club if we can all dance till we don't give our shit what it's about. Make it a box song so we can sit alone. Sing along, make it perfect we cannot dance til we don't give a shit what it's about. Make it a pop song so we can sing along, sing along. You'll be the leader of the pack Nose always at your back Light your silver sleeping blue. It's make it a barber song so we can sing along, sing along, make it a dance.

[Luke Burbank]

Welcome back to tbtl. This is the show that's probably too beautiful to live. My name is Luke Burbank. I host the show most of the time anyway. And Jen Flash Andrews is right over there. She's the longtime producer of the program. Let's see here. We. Oh, yeah, right. We have an official sponsor of the show. They're called Chateau St. Michel. I went and checked. They're still sponsoring the show.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

Oh, good.

[Luke Burbank]

So after we were gone for like a few weeks, I just want to make sure that we're all we coo. We as coo. And so we invite you and encourage you in fact, to frequent Chateau St. Michel's I don't know if you can frequent their products. It doesn't really work that way. But we encourage you to use their product frequently and responsibly. Here's an email we got from Melanie. She said, last Saturday, my parents were headed to Athens for a big UGA tailgate party, and I got the best text. I'm taking a bunch of Chateau St Michel wine to the tailgate, and I need the salmon song so I can play it for everyone. It wasn't on the winery's website. That is rad. Melanie, your parents are freaking awesome. I love that. All this time, she thought it was the official Chateau St. Michel song. I sent her the YouTube link, and when I called her later that night, she said the wine was a big hit and that she'd been getting people to sing this song. Are you shitting me? Like, I'm trying to. Seriously, my head would explode if I was walking through, like, the tailgating area before, like, before, during or after a Bulldogs game and there was people singing don't kill no salmon when you're drinking your wine. Parents at that. That is so awesome. The image of a bunch of tipsy 60 year olds singing don't kill no salmon delights me to no end. I'm with you, Melanie. And I wanted to share it with you. Thanks for all you do. TBT always makes my day brighter. Well, Melanie, you made our day brighter, and so did your mom. I hope you play this for her, because your mom is. Or your parents, dad and mom are totally rad. And go Bulldogs. Okay, it's Wednesday, and that is the day when we tell you about things that we think are pretty cool. And we'll start with Jen. I mentioned your lady yesterday. The lady who is somehow associated with this thing, the Debt. Is it a movie?

[Jen Flash Andrews]

Yes.

[Luke Burbank]

I guess it would be weird if it was a harp concert and it featured an actress from a different movie I was referencing. Yes.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

The Debt is this really amazing movie that's been out about a week, and it's. It kind of got overshadowed in some way, and it hasn't really gotten a lot of play. And it's a really, really great movie. Like, we loved it. And I'll just tell you, like, the very opening is the idea of it is, you know, the doctors, like Goebbels and those doctors who did experiments in World War II. Well, like, all the other German soldiers, when the war was over, like, most of them just went back to their jobs in Germany being doctors, like, in clinics and stuff. So in 1960, the idea of the story is that in 1966, Israel sends these three agents, Mossad agents, in, like, over into East Berlin to, like, get him. That's like the opening scene. Like, they're sneaking in to go get this doctor that they figured out where he is, and he's just, like, practicing medicine in his, like, little family clinic. And that's how it begins. So Helen Mirren is the star, and then Jessica Chastain, who you mentioned from Tree of Life, is the other star. And they're both amazing. It is such an interesting, gripping movie. It also has all sorts of interest. It's really, like, action filled and exciting and, like, your heart's pumping the whole time. But it also asks greater questions about, you know, revenge and that kind of thing. And I would just say, like, it's the perfect date movie because it's exciting and all that stuff. But then you, like, go out to dinner afterward and you'll talk. We talked about it until the waiter had to come over and say, I'm glad you enjoyed your movie, but we are close.

[Luke Burbank]

That sounds really fascinating. Now, where did you see it at?

[Jen Flash Andrews]

I saw it on my vacation in Idaho.

[Luke Burbank]

Okay.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

But it's out in full release. I'm telling you, like, it's such a good movie and it's just being totally overlooked. I don't understand it.

[Luke Burbank]

It's better than Hall Pass.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

I haven't done my due diligence on Hall Pass yet.

[Luke Burbank]

Well, I haven't seen the Dead either. That sounds. That sounds really interesting, though.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

And that Jessica Chastain, I think she's gonna be a huge mega superstar.

[Luke Burbank]

She's incredible. She's, like, incredibly beautiful, which, you know, go high five your parents, Jessica Chastain. But she's also. I mean, in that Tree of Life movie, she's, like, incredibly expressive and also in these very subtle ways that I just found totally impressive. So that's pretty awesome. Yeah, my pretty cool thing. It's already been mentioned on the show, I think nine times. But I'm actually now reading and I'm like 700 pages in. And it's the book 1493 by Charles Mann. I didn't get to the Alienist because 1493 is 2000 pages long. But I gotta tell you, it's really fascinating if you are interested in nonfiction. And sorry to bore you, I know we've already talked about this book on the show, but, like, it's about basically what happened after Columbus sails to the Americas. Because the basic point in this book is that when the landmass, that was Pangea, right? That was all the continents together. When it broke up, you had this evolution that happened on these different continents of all these distinct things, and that's where they just were all the time. And when Columbus gets from Europe to the Americas, he basically reconnects Pangea. All of this, like, plant life, wildlife, human life, slave trade. As I mentioned, guano mines in Peru where you have, like Chinese slaves who've been kidnapped. They're naked and they're pickaxing a mountain of bird shit because it's valuable fertilizer for Europe. And the bird shit is full of these crystals of ammonia because that's what urine and pee has in it. And as they're chopping with the picks, it's bursting. The ammonia in the mountain of shit is bursting. So that's the worst job ever. Sorry that the IT guy at your work is kind of a jerk, but that's what those guys did was worse, a worse job. But anyway, I found it to be really, really fascinating. And it's amazing how many things I just didn't even know about this country, about Pocahontas, about Jamestown, about just all of this stuff. So I highly recommend it if you're someone who's into that kind of stuff. So that's my.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

It's a. I'll just tell you right now, it's a huge hit amongst the library users of Seattle, because I am.

[Luke Burbank]

Oh, I would loan it to you, by the way.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

I am like 220th in line.

[Luke Burbank]

See, now this is the downside of this whole digital reading of things. I have it on my iPad. I would happily loan it to you.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

See if you have a Kindle you can loan between Kindle users.

[Luke Burbank]

Oh, really? Well, I'll have to get a Kindle and then loan it to you on that Kindle. Let's check in on what's going on in email town every week. I hope that it's from a female. Oh, man. It's not from a female. Is the first one from a female.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

Sure, sure.

[Luke Burbank]

Why not?

[Jen Flash Andrews]

Elizabeth, I actually, we just got a lot of replies. When I told my story yesterday about my doctor, seemingly very confused as to why I was there for my annual care.

[Luke Burbank]

Because you were totally healthy and you weren't feeling unhealthy. It was just confusing for them.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

Yeah. So first of all, I should have made it clear that this was not my gynecologist, because I got a lot of emails from people like, you have to go get those tests. I'm like, yes, it had nothing to do with gynecology. I do go to a gynecologist every year. I understand that. Thank you very much for everyone who is concerned about my pap smears. They're all fine.

[Luke Burbank]

Wow. Sure.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

So that's one thing. And then the other thing that I think is so interesting, as with. I love when a question elicits, like, basically the answer from all the doctors were.

[Luke Burbank]

That's interesting because I love it when a plan comes together.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

Basically, it's controversial. Like, a lot of doctors have a lot of different opinions about it. And so some of the doctors who replied said, basically, a healthy woman in her 30s probably only needs to go every three years, not counting the gynecology thing. Like, everybody calm down about that. But just like, your annual basic physical, like getting your cholesterol checked and all that kind of thing, probably it's only over three years. But then I also heard from several people who said, as doctors, they say every year. And they listed all the things they would have done. Have they been in the room, Like a blood test, you know, listening to my heart, like, a lot of that kind of stuff. And then my favorite response was actually from April, our. Our beloved friend April and Tenver, who. She said to me that basically she thinks because of who I am, because I'm kind of an uptight worrier, that I need to keep going. Like, she's like, luke doesn't need to go because it doesn't bother him that he doesn't go. She's like, if you skip your annual physical, it will bother you. It will make you worried. And so she. She said just because of the kind of person you are, she said, I think you should keep going.

[Luke Burbank]

That's a really good point.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

And then she signed off. It was great. You need to be the queen and don't listen to the sorry people.

[Luke Burbank]

Wow.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

That's gonna take that.

[Luke Burbank]

You might have your first tattoo.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

Like, you know that written on your rib cage.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

I'm the queen, and I don't listen to the sorry people.

[Luke Burbank]

That's pretty great. I think that that's actually really. I think that's really good advice, just generally speaking, which is like, however it is that you're wired. If you're somebody who gets concerned about, like, am I taking too much cold medicine? And you have to call the pharmacy and ask them three times. Just do it, because you're going to be nervous. That's not my makeup. There are other things that concern me. It's like, whatever it is, just go to the doctor every Year call them about the cold medicine. I'm not saying you specifically, but a person just because otherwise it's going to gnaw at you and you're going to just do it is what it comes down to.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

So I would say I got so much email and mostly everybody was basically saying this is what I've heard, this is what I say to my patients. And then a lot of our tens were giving me stories about how stuff actually got found at their bad stuff that thank God they went, yeah, I.

[Luke Burbank]

Saw one of those. But I hesitate to read those because I don't want to be overly. Yeah, I don't want to, you know, even though they emailed it to us which is kind of putting it out there. But anyway, yeah, I got a couple of those also. It was like somebody, they caught something and she still seemed kind of like of mixed feelings on it. Like they caught a thing on her liver, a tumor on her liver which they cut off. Seems like that was a good catch. She was like, yeah, I don't know if it was the right call. That sounded like the right call.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

I know that one made me think, yeah, annual physical, gonna keep doing that.

[Luke Burbank]

But my question is were they palpitating her liver?

[Jen Flash Andrews]

I know, how'd they find that?

[Luke Burbank]

How did they even get to that? So I'm sure she'll send us a follow up email. I was struck by when I started to say I didn't want to over share for them, what came to mind was the letters tmi. And then what came to mind is how much I hate that.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

Uh huh.

[Luke Burbank]

I'm not trying to harsh on people but I walked in the coffee shop today and there was this nice young lady who works there but she was just turning around for something someone was saying and she was just saying tmi. And I just thought like can we all stop saying tmi? Because here's when TMI gets used. It's when somebody's saying something and you don't really know. It's kind of like Alex Trebek's I won't go there. Or you know, it's like it's a non. It's a totally. It's a dismissal, It's a dismissal. It's a non specific response. It's because you don't have enough game to like someone's telling you about like an anal polyp and you go TMI dude. That's just because what you should say is like I don't. I can't hear that from you right now. I'm eating a Pudding pop, what are you doing?

[Jen Flash Andrews]

I think it's especially confusing to us because that doesn't exist on tbt, Right? Like, if someone was talking about some kind of anal situation that they found a polyp or whatever, we would be like, what? Yeah, tell me more. That doesn't exist in this world. And so it's especially confusing to me that somebody would say tmi. Like, if somebody said to me, you know, I'm trying this new treatment for my excessive toe jam, I would be like, what is going on?

[Luke Burbank]

I got distracted because there was some craziness going on in the web chat area. But anyway, so, okay. Any other emails?

[Jen Flash Andrews]

Yes, Crystal wrote in. One of the things that came out of us airing these favorite episodes all in a row was that I contradicted myself, and Crystal caught it, and she wanted some clarification. So in one of the shows when you were interviewing me, you asked me about my diet, and I said that I don't keep anything white in the house, like flour and sugar and white rice and that kind of thing. Then in the tons of effing risotto episode, I knew exactly how to make risotto because I make it all the time. So she said, which is it? Is there white stuff in your house or not?

[Luke Burbank]

Ooh, busted. I know.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

Totally busted. And so I wrote her back and I said, well, I felt all sheepish, too. I said, it is a rule that I don't have white stuff in my house. But when I was living in Indiana, it was kind of a hard time, and I instituted a Sunday exception where I would have risotto as a comfort food. And I like it. And so I continued doing it. And that's just. I mean. And she was loud. I mean, she wasn't like, how dare you? But it's funny, because you kind of have these rules for yourself, and you don't realize how many little justifications and exceptions you make all the time until somebody points it out.

[Luke Burbank]

Like, my rule is that I work out every day. I do P90X, I don't eat any carbs, and I only drink on Friday nights. That's good. Rules. Those are the rules that I live by, except for the fact that I'm drunk every single night. I haven't worked out really in years, it seems. And, you know.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

So. Yeah.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

Good catch, Crystal.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah, excellent, excellent. We'll mind our P's and Q's.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

And then since it's Wednesday, I thought Steve in Manhattan wrote in and said that he had an. It's pretty cool. And I thought what the heck? It's Wednesday. He wanted to say that he actually just finished watching, I think on dvd, the first two seasons of the Good Wife.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah. What? Can you explain. Can you explain the Good Wife's popularity or at least why I've heard about it so much?

[Jen Flash Andrews]

I've never seen it.

[Luke Burbank]

What's the point of it? Because I feel like it's. I feel like it gets a lot of attention. Is it like a. What? Do you even know what the plot is?

[Jen Flash Andrews]

Well, Juliana Margulies and Chris Noth are married, and he's a politician. It turns out he was a bad guy. I mean, I think he goes to prison or something.

[Luke Burbank]

Oh, is she kind of the Silda?

[Jen Flash Andrews]

Yeah, but she, like. She, like, finds her inner strength, I think, you know, and, like, rises about.

[Luke Burbank]

She, like Crossing Jordan or Delancey or something?

[Jen Flash Andrews]

No, she was on er.

[Luke Burbank]

I know she was in the ar, but then wasn't she on Crossing Jordan afterwards? No, that was somebody else.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

I don't know. Is there a show called Crossing Delancey?

[Luke Burbank]

No, that's a movie with Amy.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

Oh, yeah. Anyway, I've never seen it. Julianna Margulies just won the Emmy for, like, the second year in a row for it and does get, like, rave reviews. And Steve was saying. He said he was. I'm just gonna say it. It's Breaking Bad. Good. And so Steve wanted to. I've actually not seen it, but it's one of those shows that I always think when I have time, I'm gonna. I'm gonna check that out. So Steve says it's pretty cool.

[Luke Burbank]

Crossing Jordan had that lady in it.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

Yeah, Jill.

[Luke Burbank]

Some Jill something. Yeah, good. Good cat.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

She was on Law and Order long time ago.

[Luke Burbank]

The.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

Somebody in the. Just go to the webcam. They always know everything.

[Luke Burbank]

They all got scared because there was a guy in there going. How do you say, A little crazy with the totally disgusting. Hitting on people. I wouldn't even call it hitting on people. So I banned him.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

Good job.

[Luke Burbank]

I think everybody. I know. I didn't even know I could do that. Let that be a note to the rest of you in the stick cam land. Not. Not that. Not that any of you would think to do this, but if you act up, I do have the power to ban you. All right, wait. What were you supposed to ask them?

[Jen Flash Andrews]

Who is that girl Jill, who was on Law and Order, and then she was on Crossing Jordan?

[Luke Burbank]

Do you guys know there.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

I think her name is Jill.

[Luke Burbank]

Jill. They usually.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

Jesus Creek reference.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah. Okay, well, anyway, Jill. Jill Funke. That Seems unlikely.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

Now we're not being helpful.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah. Anyway, we'll find out tomorrow. Don't email us with it, please. We'll just figure it out. Because if you email us, then we'll have to read it and it'll be stressful. Any other emails that are Hennessy? Jill Hennessy. Did you just remember that?

[Jen Flash Andrews]

No, I. Wikipedia.

[Luke Burbank]

One last thing came in from listener Karis of Iowa City. This isn't really a big deal at all, but I just thought I'd clarify that Cedar Rapids was actually shot. This is the movie Cedar Rapids that I am loving with Ed Helms in it and John C. Reilly. It was shot in Wisconsin because here in Iowa we have some sort of tax. Means movie makers don't want to make movies here. Some sort of tax that means movie makers don't want to make movies here. They initially planned on shooting it in Cedar Rapids, but it didn't work out. But it is a good movie. Good to have you back. And I like your inner Toby Keith. Signed Karras. So there you go. Just in case you're a Cedar Rapidian and you're like, you know, you're mad that this movie was shot somewhere else, blame your local tax board. Anything else flash today that we've failed to get to?

[Jen Flash Andrews]

Nope. We did a really good job.

[Luke Burbank]

Oh, good for us. Well, let's take the rest of the afternoon off then.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

We should remind people.

[Luke Burbank]

Yes, absolutely. Please go to tbtl.net and please click on this thing that says Click here just above our photo. I'm actually going to go right now and try to actually vote. I'm going to see if I can do this. I'm going to do this live on the air.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

I also want to remind people that starting tomorrow we're going to be podcasting live at 1:00pm Pacific Time, not 2:00pm Pacific Time.

[Luke Burbank]

Okay, I'm going to go to Stats. TBTL, somebody. The last vote was one hour ago. Really? You guys? Come on.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

I think it was you.

[Luke Burbank]

Vote for us. No, it wasn't. But this show, maybe there was a.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

Huge number of them right when we said please.

[Luke Burbank]

Best local podcast. Oh, I think I'm also up for best personality on Twitter. Second place.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

You are a good personality on Twitter.

[Luke Burbank]

I'm alright. I was, I have to say, when I landed from my, my, my faraway trip, I was a tweetin fool. I like sent like. I don't know why I had all this, all these tweets in me, but now I've emptied that out.

[Jen Flash Andrews]

I also like it when the tens tweet stuff you said. That's funny because did you notice today that somebody tweeted your when you said to Europe, get on the fucking hamster wheel.

[Luke Burbank]

Oh, nice. Thanks, guys. All right, well, listen, thanks for tuning in today. We'll be back here tomorrow again, as Jen mentioned, at 1:00. So if you're on one of the web people, I assume we'll have that really disgusting guy back, he'll have made up a new login name and we'll ban him again. So show up. It'll be an adventure. And for the rest of you who listen to this via your ipod, some years or even maybe millennia later, greetings from the distant past and you don't really care what time we record the show. Here's another bright future song to take us out. The album is called Dark Past. I highly recommend you get this thing. It's really, really good. We'll see you tomorrow at 1. Until then, please remember, no mountain too.

[Chris Hayes]

Tall and good luck to all indeed. It started out and everything was fine and swell I was crushing and she could tell she's kinda punk but she likes a kinksay queen Gossip Girl and fashion magazines did you ask her out? I did last week Went to a movie she kissed my cheek did you see her again? I did last night. When to her body she got quite outside how the hell was I supposed to know she's got a twin? Say it isn't so.