The Brilliant Idiots – "Blues Brothers" (October 4, 2025)
Overview
This episode marks the return of Andrew Schulz from a months-long filming trip in Australia, reuniting with Charlamagne Tha God. The duo swiftly dives into everything they've missed: behind-the-scenes movie talk (notably about the new "Street Fighter"), the nature of nostalgia, celebrity culture, American politics, gun violence, generational divides, cancel culture, and a host of current events. As usual, their discussion jumps between the hysterical and incisive, pairing “idiotic” riffs with sharp commentary on the state of media, society, and power.
Reunited and It Feels So Good
- [01:07] Charlamagne and Schulz open with mutual affection and jokes about genuinely missing each other, setting an upbeat, energetic return.
- “I saw you and I was happy, like, oh, Shosi, I did, man. I was like, oh, my boy is back. My guy is back, man.” — Charlamagne
- “No, it's great to see you, man.” — Schulz
- Andrew reflects on quality family time during his break, describing the joy of “reading my daughter books to sleep every night.”
Behind the Scenes: Street Fighter Movie
Filming Down Under and 50 Cent Tales
- [03:15] Schulz shares details about the "Street Fighter" movie shoot in Australia, creating a buzz among the cast and crew, especially around iconic characters.
- 50 Cent plays Balrog, and Schulz recounts a hilarious “Rolex incident” at the cast dinner:
- “He like spills it a little bit on me, right? He goes, dude, I'm so sorry, bro. Here. And he takes off his Rolex.” — Andrew [04:53]
Nerd Lore & Acting Intensity
- Explains "Street Fighter" history and how character names changed from Japan to the U.S. [04:01]
- Praises the collaborative environment on set, noting how every actor cared deeply about their character and the story; the director was “super collaborative” [08:36].
- “You're going to be very surprised by what you see, like, the way it looks, you're not going to expect. It's not shot like a Marvel movie.” — Schulz [06:08]
- Schulz reveals he’s with the main character throughout much of the film, suggesting a prominent role.
Movie IP, Nostalgia, and What Audiences Want
The Power of Childhood Nostalgia
- Discuss the crucial role of nostalgia in movie success:
- “There's nothing you care about more than the shit that impacted you as a kid.” — Schulz [07:59]
- Charlamagne predicts a revival of the “Street Fighter” franchise and video game movies, noting this generation’s ongoing desire for nostalgic content.
Hollywood’s Struggles
- The conversation touches on Hollywood’s difficulty recognizing and adapting to new types of talent (streamers, comedians, online personalities) [61:19]:
- “Hollywood is just starting to [see] comedy… they don't even know streaming exists.” — Schulz
Comedy, Drama, and Authenticity in Storytelling
- They analyze how the best comedies are built on real dramatic stakes:
- “The more you can get, people convince people that the drama is real, the funnier the funny parts will be because they're breaking up the severity of the drama.” — Schulz [13:43]
- Cites "Friday" and "Coming to America" as comedies with serious, dramatic underpinnings [14:02].
Cancel Culture, Social Media, & Flattened Identities
The Charlie Kirk Shooting: A Case Study in Polarization
- [22:13] Schulz and Charlamagne dissect media reactions to the Charlie Kirk shooting, decrying how quickly tragedy is politicized and how social media algorithms "flatten" people into two-dimensional avatars.
- “There's a different version of Charlie Kirk depending on who you are. And the algorithm will feed you the things that confirm your belief about that person.” — Schulz [26:36]
- Charlamagne likens contemporary public image to “the multiverse: I don’t know what version of Charlamagne you witnessed.” [27:45]
Nuance, Good-Faith Conversations, & the Problem with Outrage
- Praise the civil discussion between Ta-Nehisi Coates and Ezra Klein about Kirk’s legacy [30:25].
- Schulz: “When you're a nuanced person, you get to piss off everybody. Because there's so much reward online in engaging in rage.” [35:58]
Politics: Democrats, Republicans, and the Fractured Left
Government Shutdown & Blame Games
- Talk about the government shutdown, its real-world impacts, and the right’s messaging discipline [44:12].
- Schulz, on establishment Dems: “The only thing they could do is go, he's bad. Look how bad he is.” [47:00]
- Charlamagne observes, “Dems are walking into Congress with one hand over their asshole because they getting fucked at every turn.” [45:59]
Mandani, AOC, and The Hope (or Hype) of Fresh Faces
- Discuss Zoran Mandani as a new voice in NYC politics; hope for substantive change but acknowledge challenges of meeting sky-high expectations [49:57].
Echo Chambers, Accountability, and “The Big Lie”
- On “the Big Lie” (the Democratic establishment’s failures): Charlamagne and Schulz urge Dems to publicly reckon with and move beyond their own mistakes [55:14].
- “All these people are just like, let's ignore what's happening in our house and let's point blame, let's scapegoat, let's find out what's going on in the world.” — Schulz [56:01]
- Discuss how revisionist history pins blame on podcasters for Trump’s win, while ignoring the failures of Dem candidates [58:22].
The Future of Fame & Media: Old Stars, New Influencers
- Deliberate why there are “no young movie stars” to match Cruise, Willis, etc. [60:07].
- Streaming, podcasting, and authenticity are now central to building generational fame, whereas Hollywood once held all the power.
- “The era that we're in calls for authenticity… You had to be polished and clean. That's not what the world wants anymore.” — Charlamagne [65:33]
On Being Cancelled, Empathy, and Our Disposable Culture
- Discuss society’s trend toward making people “disposable” through algorithms, outrage, and cancel culture [39:03].
- “We're making everybody disposable. Even when we say things like, oh, they're canceled, they're done. Like, you're literally making humans disposable.” — Charlamagne [39:14]
- Schulz: “We have more empathy for people outside of our country… than people inside.” [39:14-40:06]
Crime, Guns, and Social Reform
- The trio (with guest Chris Distefano) dig into crime and policing: disagreements over punishment vs. rehabilitation, talk of gun violence, and political grandstanding on “scooter” crackdowns [51:34–54:34].
- Charlamagne: “If you're putting them in a situation where they go into these jails and now they just gotta survive one hand on their motherfucking butthole… they become more savage. They become more of an animal.” [52:47]
Current Events Grab Bag
Defamation Law & Celebrity Drama
- Hot take on Kardashians suing Ray J for defamation over RICO claims, and the difference between radio, podcasting, and loose-talking YouTubers [91:18–95:16].
- Charlamagne warns: “If you’re a Ray J and you’re going to make an allegation like that, you got to come with it. Can’t flirt with it.” [95:15]
Real Estate: NYC’s Rental Crisis
- Dismay over NYC’s rental market—who can actually afford to live there? “How is everybody a millionaire?” [89:08]
Jake Paul’s Boxing Impact
- Commend Jake Paul for singlehandedly raising the profile and pay for women’s boxing. Schulz: “Jake does not get enough credit, bro.” [80:54]
Society, Nostalgia, and the Next Generation
Are We Running Out of Nostalgia?
- Deep reflection on whether the current generation is creating enough for future nostalgia cycles, as society increasingly reacts instead of invents [111:32].
- Chris: “20 years is generally the cycle for nostalgia, right? … But what’s the nostalgia gonna be in 20 years from this moment?” [111:59]
- Charlamagne, about younger people: “People don't remember what happened yesterday… Everybody is such a prisoner at a moment.” [114:34]
- Schulz: “Nothing's true. Nothing's false, dude. There is no truth.” [116:40]
Rapid-Fire Q&A (“Asking Idiots”)
- Blind person hygiene dilemma, joke-crafting and whether ‘natural funny’ is the same as comedy, AI presidents, and whether being funny signals intelligence.
- Schulz: “Joke writing you can learn… but naturally funny, you just have. It's not you're born with, but, like, you learn through life.” [99:47]
- Charlamagne: “Comedians... have a level of intelligence that a lot of politicians wish to have. Because it is an intelligence that taps into society.” [101:15]
- Live ChatGPT joke demonstration, with Charlamagne’s delight at witnessing machine-generated (but ultimately mediocre) comedy [107:00–109:40].
Notable Quotes & Time Stamps
- “There's no such thing as a not fun 50 story.” — Charlamagne [03:38]
- “I think the funniest movies are the ones where we genuinely believe the drama.” — Schulz [14:42]
- “The algorithm flattens all of us, you, me, Charlie, everybody, into these two-dimensional avatars.” — Schulz [26:36]
- “Sometimes you look at people and you see something in them that they may not see in themselves.” — Charlamagne [103:50]
- “You had to be polished and clean. That's not what the world wants no more. And that's what Democrats keep fucking up.” — Charlamagne [65:33]
- “See, it's just noise… How is this going to change us? How are we going to reflect?” — Schulz [24:36]
Tone & Style
The conversation is rapid-fire, irreverent, and full of in-jokes asides—yet regularly lands on thoughtful questions about the state of media, politics, and culture. They move fluidly from satire to sincerity, constantly poking fun at each other and the world, but always returning to the importance of nuance, authenticity, and empathy.
Episode Highlights (Timestamps)
- 01:07 — Reunion vibes & family talk
- 03:15 — Street Fighter movie, 50 Cent story
- 08:36 — Collaborative moviemaking & improv
- 13:43 — Comedy built on dramatic stakes
- 22:13 — The Charlie Kirk shooting & online polarization
- 30:25 — Ta-Nehisi Coates vs. Ezra Klein: model of good-faith discussion
- 39:14 — Cancel culture, empathy, and disposability
- 44:12 — Government shutdown talk
- 60:07 — Where are today’s young movie stars?
- 65:33 — Authenticity vs. polish in politics and entertainment
- 80:54 — Jake Paul’s impact on boxing
- 91:18 — Ray J, Kardashians & defamation law
- 111:32 — Are we running out of nostalgia?
- 114:34 — The dangers of living only in the present
- 116:40 — “Nothing’s true. Nothing’s false, dude.”
This episode is a masterclass in blending playful idiocy with insightful commentary. Both hosts, re-energized from their time apart, challenge each other’s perspectives on fame, accountability, identity, and what actually matters in shaping the culture—as always, one viral controversy, wild tangent, and sharp punchline at a time.