The Basement Yard #525 – The Hardest I Have Ever Cried

Release Date: October 20, 2025
Hosts: Joe Santagato & Frank Alvarez
Guest: Ant (recurring contributor)

Overview

In this emotionally vibrant episode, Joe and Frank dig into vulnerability, the cathartic power of a good cry, and the importance of seeking joy and authentic connection—both online and offline. Stories about dogs, parenthood, and “Hope Core” moments lead to a discussion about balance, nature, and messy, playful living. Later, the crew dives into sleep paralysis, alien abductions, and the paranoia around the unknowable, keeping things grounded with their signature humor.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Crying Over Hopeful Dog Videos

• [01:35] Joey’s Tearful Experience: Joey shares how a touching TikTok about a dog's last day brought him to tears.
  • “Yesterday I cried for the first time in a while, so hard… sobbing, tears coming down my face, because I saw a video… it’s our dog’s last day. Give us some advice and him a treat. And… at the end it’s like, the dog… they had to put the dog down… And I just started, like, welling up…” (Joey, 01:35)
• Community Responses: Both gush over the supportive, communal comments—people sharing stories and photos of loved pets lost.
  • "It's a sense of community. That's what social media and the Internet should be—a big hug. Instead, it's... a dirty diaper." (Frank, 03:42 / 06:22)

2. The Power and Necessity of a Good Cry

• Therapeutic Release: Discussion of how crying resets emotions and brings balance.
  • “A good cry—scales, okay? The scales of our emotions. Every now and then you need to reset them… recalibrate your emotional stability. You just gotta let it out.” (Frank, 09:07)
• Mixed Emotions in Crying: Joey admits sometimes laughing while crying, feeling silly and cathartic.
  • "I was laughing my ass off and crying. I just kept going, 'You fuckin' bitch!'" (Joey, 09:19)

3. Hope Core and Finding Joy Online

• Hope Core Videos: They discuss the “Hope Core” trend—wholesome, hope-inspiring clips that restore faith in humanity.
  • “Hope Core videos get me every single time. And they have that same song… gets me every time.” (Frank, 04:10)
• Restoring Balance on Social Media: Praising communities that uplift and support, bemoaning how negativity dominates but calling listeners to seek out goodness.

4. The Importance of ‘Touching Grass’ — Nature, Messiness, and Real Joy

• Spending Time Outdoors: Both recall times when simply sitting in the yard, touching dirt, cooking with hands, or jumping in puddles brought real, tangible happiness.
  • “There’s a link between, like, a feeling of serotonin… and getting your hands dirty” (Frank, 10:41)
  • “Go outside. That’s how you know we’re fucked! ...Think about it, in 10 years, what I just said will be profound.” (Joey/Frank, 14:11 / 14:19)
• Reclaiming Messy Joy: Suggestions include making meatballs, jumping in leaf piles, walking barefoot, dancing in rain, and letting go of digital distractions.
  • “Just make a mess. Go somewhere and just make a fucking mess.” (Frank, 18:13)

5. Playful Banter & Ant’s Hypothetical Question

• Paintball Dilemmas: Ant poses a darkly funny would-you-rather scenario involving a gunman and million-dollar temptations. The guys debate risk tolerance and the thrill of “cashing out” before getting shot.
  • "I'd let him shoot one. There's no way..." (Joey, 33:06)
  • “Not leaving that room, brother.” (Frank, 44:27)

6. Sleep, Dreams, & Sleep Paralysis

• Sharing Vulnerabilities: The crew opens up about nightmares, sleep paralysis, and strange nighttime sensations (Frank’s so-called “Sharp Rounds”).
  • "I've never experienced sleep paralysis and I consider myself very lucky." (Frank, 57:55)
  • “There’s this feeling… things are round but sharp at the same time. I call it the sharp rounds.” (Frank, 60:49)

7. Alien DNA, Abductions, and Existential Humor

• Alien Claims in the News: They riff on recent (dubious) reports about people returning from “abductions” with unknown DNA.
  • “So this person… just went to the people who claimed to have got abducted, sampled their DNA, and… at least 11 families had… DNA that didn’t belong to either parent…” (Ant, 66:22)
• Laughing Off the Unknown: Rather than dwell on paranoia, they gravitate toward musing about party-going aliens, cosmic “stag” trips, and probing hypotheticals.
  • “What if the aliens are just, like, sailors… stopping at any port and banging a fish.” (Ant/Joey, 67:41)
  • “It is kind of like… that’s my approach with all these, like, scary things, is like, I have to find something to laugh at… because if not, I will be terrified and I will crumble.” (Frank, 72:13)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Frank on the Internet, [06:22]:
  • "The Internet has just become just a fucking dirty diaper of a place."
• Frank on Parenting, [05:00]:
  • “The little parts of life are the most beautiful with kids… the unprompted, 'I love you.'”
• Joey on Touching Grass, [10:11]:
  • "It's nice to be outside."
• Joey on Emotional Reset, [09:28]:
  • "It's good to find a little hope and love and joy on the Internet."
• Frank on Outdoor Showers, [16:17]:
  • "Because I like to see the sky when I wash my fucking balls."
• Group on Playful Living, [19:09]:
  • "Let's reestablish a sense of just joy and wonder. Hope Core."
• Joey on Paintball Grudges, [50:25]:
  • "I'm behind a log or a bunker... and I see them walking by and I look at my buddy Brian and I go, now or never. And I fucking—bam, bam, bam..."

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:35] – Joey describes the dog video that made him "sob"
• [03:42] – The healing community of pet loss online
• [09:07] – The catharsis of crying: balancing emotions
• [10:07] – The realness of getting outside, “touching grass”
• [14:19] – The hosts discuss how life online makes the simplest advice profound
• [18:13] – Call to playful, messy living: "Just make a mess"
• [32:06] – Ant's million-dollar hypothetical gunman scenario
• [57:40] – Group shares sleep paralysis and “sharp rounds” experiences
• [65:07] – Discussion of alien abductions and “alien cream pies”
• [72:11] – Using humor to cope with the unknown & cosmic paranoia
• [76:17] – Discussion drifts to bunkers, prepping, and going “down with the ship”
• [78:42] – Throwback pop song singalong and wrap-up

Tone & Style

True to The Basement Yard’s spirit, the episode blends sincere vulnerability, vivid imagery, and goofy irreverence. Moments of real emotional openness (tears for a lost dog, reflections on parenting) are punctuated by layered jokes, playful ribbing, and absurd hypotheticals—all delivered in the relaxed, rapid-fire banter characteristic of lifelong friends.

Takeaways

• Real connection—whether through crying, outdoor play, or messy cooking—resets the spirit in a way that digital life rarely does.
• There’s power and courage in vulnerability, and humor helps make even the unimaginable (loss, sleep paralysis, aliens) relatable and less frightening.
• The Basement Yard invites listeners—not just to laugh, but to touch grass literally and figuratively, letting life (and puddles) make a glorious mess.