The Dollop with Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds

Episode 147 – The Past Times with Alex Pearlman

Original Release Date: October 17, 2025
Guest: Alex Pearlman

Overview

This episode of "The Past Times," a spinoff of The Dollop, brings comedian and internet commentator Alex Pearlman into the classic format: Dave picks a random historical newspaper, and he, Gareth, and the guest riff their way through its stories with a blend of absurdity, social commentary, and biting humor. In this round: June 2, 1955, the Toledo Blade. Along the way, the comedians discuss internet fame, jury duty nightmares, cold war brainwashing, the cyclical nature of American politics, and why shuffleboard can turn bloody.

Episode Highlights & Key Discussion Points

1. Introductions, Tours & Pearlman’s Journey to Internet Stardom (01:03–07:45)

• Dave runs down upcoming tour dates for the Dollop (skip ad content).
• Gareth welcomes Alex Pearlman and jokes about the “greatness” of their guests, leading into a discussion of Alex’s viral rise on TikTok and Instagram, his podcast Too Many Tabs, and the oddities of internet fame.
• Alex relates making politically charged content, being profiled in the New York Post, and attracting a weirdly divided following (“I had this very odd audience that was really 50/50 conservative and lib. But the conservative side always thought I was going to convert. They were always like, ‘He’s almost there, man,’ and I was like, ‘No, no.’” – Alex Pearlman, 03:04).
• The three riff on social media, trying to out-clown each other over who steals which podcast formula, and Alex’s signature approach to dumb internet rabbit-holes.

2. Podcast & Social Commentary: Navigating Misinformation & Content (05:49–07:45)

• Alex plugs Too Many Tabs, describing it as a “couple’s podcast about internet rabbit holes” with a tongue-in-cheek “dumb idiot” framing: “We both have general studies degrees from community college...if we’re wrong, get in the comments and tell us!” (06:43).

3. The Newspaper Game: Guessing the Year & Setting the Scene (07:46–10:30)

• Gareth and Alex attempt to guess the year of Dave's newspaper (Alex guesses 1927, Gareth: 1903); the answer: 1955.
• Chatter about MASH* and famous finales, including an elaborate riff about killing babies as the ultimate "jumping the shark" moment (10:41 onwards).

4. Main Newspaper Stories & Hilarious Reactions

A. “Resisted Brainwashing” – US Airmen Released by China (13:23–20:01)

• Detailed read-through of the story about four American flyers imprisoned in China, their “resistance” to brainwashing, and the politics of confessions.
• Gareth: “Imagine if China was doing that. I mean, they sent a weather balloon over and we lost our minds.” (14:25)
• Arctic turns to Balloon Boy and the media’s appetite for distraction.
• Quote: “What do you think the theme song would be for Guantanamo Bay?” (12:03, Dave Anthony) → devolves into dark humor about torture songs and kids’ music.

B. McCarthyism, Its Echoes & Political Insanity (18:20–21:01)

• Discussion of how American politicians’ statements echo in international press and affect prisoners’ treatment. Dave and Alex compare McCarthy to contemporary figures, musing on how modern politics doubles down on “the ruse.”
• Alex: “Growing up, being taught McCarthyism was bad...and now we’re in a period where there’s like, 35% of the country is like, ‘No, that guy was great. We should do that four times, all the time, with a bunch of different stuff.’” (18:20)

C. Jury Duty: The Jury Kidnappings of Toledo (25:28–31:08)

• 1955 article reveals US marshals “kidnapping” pedestrians for jury duty.
• The comedians riff on dodging jury duty, with Gareth calling jury summons "awful" and Dave spoofing his techniques for getting out of serving (“I love pedophiles.” – Dave, 27:18, a quote gleefully flagged for viral out-of-context edits).
• Gareth: “I do like the idea that it’s like a DUI. Someone could be like, ‘Don’t go that way, they’re doing jury duty,’ and you could outrun your summons.” (26:36)

D. Shuffleboard Rage: Full-Contact in 1950s America (66:15–68:39)

• A shuffleboard game in a tavern ends with a woman needing 16 stitches and a man in jail.
• “Who gets that mad at shuffleboard?” asks Dave (67:19), sparking more incredulity and tales of bar games gone wrong.

E. Old School Advice Columns & Intergenerational Psychodramas (61:43–65:53)

• The crew reads a 1950s advice column about a “mama’s boy”; all agree: move on, girl.
• Alex: “There’s clearly something mentally being happening to him from his own mom for a very long time... now there’s a whole thing on the internet about boy moms...” (64:53)

5. Notable Mini-Segments & Absurdities

• Jury summons as forced conscription (29:27)
• Presidential threat laws come into play (33:37)
• Ted Nugent, cancel culture, and the politics of who gets canceled for what (35:09–36:22)
• The Shakespeare conspiracy: Attempts to dig up a tomb to prove authorship (“I mean, the theory is fine. It’s an acceptable conspiracy. It’s just so old.” – Dave, 46:33)

6. Threads of Modernity: Politics, Fame, & Satire

• Alex brings up his podcast’s take on "dumb but earnest" coverage of internet trends, and how he and his wife try to balance fact and hilarious speculation.
• They poke fun at modern podcasting, the Rogan-verse, TikTok celebrity, and comedians who “play dumb.”

Notable Quotes

• Alex Pearlman [03:04]:
  “I had this very odd audience for a while that was really 50/50 conservative and lib. But the conservative side always thought I was going to convert. They were always like, ‘He’s almost there, man.’ And I was like, ‘No, no.’ I’m really mad that the libs aren’t living hard enough.”
• Dave Anthony [18:09]:
  “Asked if Senator McCarthy figured in this, Captain Fisher smiled and said loudly, ‘Yes.’”
• Gareth Reynolds [27:18]:
  “Eight weeks? I love pedophiles.” (meta-joke on getting off jury duty)
• Alex Pearlman [64:53]:
  “It was like, that is how so it was in 1955. There’s clearly something mentally being happening to him from his own mom for a very long time.”
• Dave Anthony [46:31]:
  “The theory is fine. It’s an acceptable conspiracy theory. Like it’s got…that’s the old conspiracy theories I like.”

Episode Timestamps

| Segment | Description | Timestamps | |---------|-------------|------------| | Intro, Tour Plugs | Dave and Gareth banter, plug live dates (skip ads) | 00:00–01:03 | | Pearlman’s Internet Rise | Story of viral fame, TikTok, Too Many Tabs | 01:03–07:45 | | Podcast Structure & Newspaper Game | Explaining the episode structure and guessing the year | 07:45–10:30 | | MASH and Finale Riffs | TV endings, absurdity escalates | 10:30–13:10 | | Main Newspaper Segment | 1955, airmen in China, cold war | 13:23–21:01 | | Jury Kidnappings | Hilarious dissection of forced civic duty | 25:28–31:08 | | Shuffleboard Assault Story | Full-contact tavern shuffleboard | 66:15–68:39 | | Advice Column on Mama’s Boy | 1950s romantic woes, modern parallels | 61:43–65:53 | | Shakespeare Conspiracy | Tomb raiding to reveal the “real” author | 38:12–47:15 | | Closing, Plugs | Pearlman’s and Gareth’s closing pitches | 68:57–70:24 |

Notable Highs, Running Bits, and Memorable Moments

• Recurring Riff on Out-of-Context Clips:
  They’re hyper-aware that random soundbites (“I love pedophiles”) could be edited into viral clips—fueling their self-referential humor.
• Shakespeare and Marlowe Conspiracy Debates:
  Old-timey conspiracy theories get the full modern culture-war treatment.
• Pink Streets in LA, Infrastructure Neglect:
  A 1950s proposal to paint LA roads pink spurs both nostalgia for failed urban planning funkiness and modern-day climate/surface heat musings.
• Old People in the Senate:
  Searing criticism of gerontocracy, with references to Jerry Connelly and the perennial presence of elderly lawmakers.

Episode Tone

Sharp, irreverent, politically attuned, with a persistent undercurrent of skepticism about authority, institutions, and the media. The comedians’ interplay mixes smart historical context with wild tangent humor and self-parody—a signature Dollop blend.

Where to Find the Guests

Alex Pearlman: On all socials as “Pearl Mania 500”; podcast: Too Many Tabs

Closing Quote [69:12]:
“...to be on, it’s been a real treat for me.” – Alex Pearlman

For fans new and old, this episode is a densely packed riff-fest that’s as smart as it is absurd—offering new angles on everything from 1950s brainwashing to 2020s podcast warfare, all woven together with irrepressible comic chemistry.