The Dollop – Episode 167: The Past Times with Matt Lieb

Released: March 27, 2026 | Hosts: Dave Anthony & Gareth Reynolds | Guest: Matt Lieb

Episode Overview

In this episode of "The Past Times" (a cousin to The Dollop), comedians Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds are joined by comic and podcaster Matt Lieb for an uproarious deep-dive into the headlines of a 1924 edition of the Orlando Sentinel. True to the show’s improv spirit, the trio riff, lampoon, and dissect both the content and subtext of news clippings from the roaring twenties—veering into modern parallels, absurd what-ifs, and vintage racism, classism, and superstition, all filtered through their unique comedic lens.

Main Topics & Key Moments

1. Opening Banter: Crypto Riches, Podcasting, and Matt’s Accents

Start to ~09:00

• The hosts joke about newfound podcasting wealth from “crypto stuff” and betting on geopolitical disaster.
  • “I bet on the bombing of Iran, and I have rolled it over into nuking Iran, so I think I’m going to be pretty rich.” – Gareth (01:56)
• Matt reflects on his infamous “South African Leonardo DiCaprio” impression and social awkwardness of niche inside jokes.
  • “...People have always looked at me like, like, oh, that's funny, because I thought they got the joke, but then I now realizing they just thought I was doing a racist accent. And for that I apologize.” – Matt (03:34)
• Gareth and Dave tease Matt about his podcasting endeavors and touring life: he facetiously describes “working all the jobs” at a comedy club.
  • “They won’t let me do jokes, but they do let me do dishes… covered in suds.” – Matt (05:15)

2. Mocking Generational Complaints & Wealth Inequality

09:00–13:00

• The trio satirize the "kids don't want to work" narrative:
  • “I need seven hours of sleep every night.” – Matt (06:37)
  • “You build up your tolerance and then you don’t have to sleep as much.” – Gareth (06:42)
• Dave skewers the complaints about siphoning money “to the top” and the casual indifference of the rich.
  • “What I always say to that is cool. Can I get more sparkling water?” – Dave (07:12)
• Crossover into sarcastic praise for modern media (e.g., “Barry Vice is unbelievable”—08:36).

3. The Paper Guessing Game & Dave’s Cupping

13:00–16:00

• The hosts have Matt guess the year of the newspaper -- he chooses 1928; the actual paper is from 1924.
• Banter about cupping (removing “dad blood” and “Jewish trauma” via ancient medicinal practice).
  • “I’m trying to remove my dad fully from me... all the blood memory of my dad and everything like that.” – Dave (10:46)
  • “Could you please take out all my Jewish?” – Matt (11:29)

4. Diving Into 1924 Headlines

16:00–48:00, recurring throughout the episode

a. Politics & Puritan Sermons

[16:00]

• Headline: "Will a new party help?"—The hosts joke about whether a new political party will "make America right" and poke fun at a Unitarian pastor named Badger.
  • “Imagine being a pastor named Badger.” – Matt (15:05)

b. Racist & Colonialist Films: “A Son of the Sahara”

[18:10]

• A film produced in Algeria is grandiosely hyped for using “12,500 Arabs, 8,000 camels, 2,500 horses, and the Spa Hill Cavalry of the French government.”
  • “A lot went into this. A lot of Arabs.” – Matt (20:55)
• They lampoon the colonial mentality and note the film’s infamous racism.
• Matt marks the bitter racism and class attitudes in both media and movie plots:
  • “Can you imagine being one of the most racist movies of the 1920s?” – Gareth (23:56)
  • The group discusses how the film’s plot hinges on a European woman only falling for a man after it’s revealed he's not of Arab ancestry.

c. Lost Film, Steve Bannon House, and Scuzzy Histories

[27:16]

• The movie is now “lost” except for a trailer, much to everyone’s bemusement.
• Quick detour into the legend of Steve Bannon’s notorious Florida house and its unsavory rumors.
  • “He looks like the mucus from the Mucinex commercial.” – Matt (28:46)

d. Absurd Rich People Complaints: The Rothschild Servants Tax

[41:00]

• The show's anger crescendos over an article decrying taxes on Rothschild family servants.
  • “Why do you have so many servants?” – Dave (41:34)
  • “They still do this. Jeff Bezos donated $120,000 thousand dollars to the victims of the North Carolina storms.” – Dave (44:34)
• They lampoon “having to choose” between blaming Jewish socialism for taxes and defending Jewish capitalists—citing the antisemitic undercurrents of the time.
  • “I have to choose now between blaming the Jewish Bolshevism for taxes, but also defending a famous Jewish capitalist. I don’t know what to do.” – Matt (42:07)
• Over-the-top sketches on the duties of Rothschild servants (“I do butt and balls”–Matt [43:36]) and the American love affair with labor-saving “robots” that will inevitably end up as “murder machines.”

5. Riffing on Class, Robots, the Gilded Age, and Modern Parallels

Throughout

• The hosts draw constant parallels between 1924’s economic hubris and today’s late-stage capitalism.
  • “We are in that Gilded Age now and the racism is out of control... It's almost a year-to-year replica.” – Dave (31:38)
• Wry takes on government nonintervention, Trump’s “middle term,” and the persistent myth of the hardworking rich and lazy poor.
• The continuing spiral of fortunes for the ultrawealthy (“They feel that they're just like that this is going to work” – Dave [46:47]).

6. The Children of the Confederacy’s Easter Egg Hunt

[50:02]

• The episode’s rage is reignited by a cheery account of Confederate descendants’ Easter egg hunt, which they morph into a satirical sketch on Southern racism:
  • “But this time, remember, only pick up the white eggs.” – Dave (51:46)
• Voices and accents slip into the absurd, everything from cartoonish southern drawl to meta-commentary on offensive impressions.

7. Superstition, Bad Luck, and Blaming the Cat

[57:45]

• An extended riff on a black cat supposedly cursing the production of “The White Moth” film, leading to mishaps and, possibly, feline murder.
  • “This is all of this is laying the groundwork to kill it [the cat].” – Matt (61:13)
• The trio spiral into possibly the most sustained run of deadpan gags about theater superstitions.

8. End-of-Episode Plugs & Final Impressions

[63:00–end]

• Matt promotes his stand-up, Instagram (@matliebjokes), and his podcasts, “Bad Hasbara” and the “Pod Yourself” series.
• Running gags return: Irish accents, “taking out all the Jewish,” and pleas for listeners to see Matt live.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Gags

• “What better way to forget about how much you hate your third job than being completely delirious with no idea what’s going on.” – Dave (06:46)
• “Trying to get all the blood memory of my dad and everything like that.” – Dave (10:55)
• “Could you please take out all my Jewish.” – Matt (11:29)
• “It turns out 1924, this review is the first time cancel culture was invented. Am I right, guys?” – Matt (25:08)
• Satirical anti-robot bit:
  • “They are going to be murder machines and things you...that's all that's going to happen with them.” – Matt (48:14)
• On Rothschild extravagance:
  • “What am I to cook my own foods, prepare my own beds, bathe my own balls and ass?” – Dave (43:23)
• “We like white. And that’s all we like here.” – Matt, as Southern character (52:28)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• [00:55–09:00] – Crypto jokes, Matt’s accent history, generational/wealth riffs
• [13:00–16:00] – Guess the year, cupping/epigenetics banter
• [16:00–23:00] – Politics, Puritan sermons, film hype
• [23:00–26:00] – “A Son of the Sahara,” colonial movies, lost film discussion
• [41:00–48:00] – Rothschild servant tax, robots, class skewering
• [50:02–56:00] – Confederate Easter eggs, Southern satire, history rewritten
• [57:45–62:54] – Black cat, superstitions, production disasters
• [63:00–end] – Plugs, returns to running gags, episode wrap-up

Tone and Style

Irreverent and quick-witted, the episode is laden with mocking voices, meta-humor, and sharp asides. While often absurdist, the trio’s riffs cut deep on issues of racism, class, antisemitism, and historical amnesia—always returning to modern parallels and the cyclical nature of American folly.

For New Listeners

If you haven’t heard the episode, expect an off-the-cuff, joke-heavy exploration of 1924 through the minds of three sharp, subversive comics. The headlines are real, but the historical analysis is often hilarious, deeply satirical, and sometimes uncomfortably relevant.