BEST OF THE GIST: Christmas Content Edition

Summary

The Gist: BEST OF THE GIST – Christmas Content Edition

Released on December 21, 2024 by Peach Fish Productions

---

Introduction

In this special Christmas edition of The Gist, host Mike dives into a festive lineup featuring beloved guests Brian Baumgartner and Ben Silverman from the iconic TV series The Office. The episode intertwines heartfelt discussions about their latest collaborative book, humorous anecdotes, and delightful interactions with Mike's son, Emmett, culminating in a celebration of holiday traditions and cherished memories.

---

Special Guests: Brian Baumgartner and Ben Silverman

The episode kicks off with Mike introducing his special guests, Brian Baumgartner, who portrayed Kevin Malone on The Office, and Ben Silverman, the show's executive producer. Their presence signals an in-depth exploration of their new book, The Night Before Christmas at Dunder Mifflin.

---

Discussing the New Book: The Night Before Christmas at Dunder Mifflin

Brian and Ben delve into the genesis and creative process behind their collaborative book. They discuss how their shared passion for The Office and the show's enduring legacy inspired them to create a festive literary piece that resonates with fans across generations.

Collaboration and Creative Process

Ben shares insights into their teamwork:
"We had collaborated on our previous book, which we got to be on your show and discuss and is an awesome book... It’s something that they can take and actually own and keep in their house..." (03:30).

Brian adds, highlighting the book's multi-generational appeal:
"The show gets younger and younger and gets discovered by the children of fans and now by the grandchildren of fans. And so we thought this would be a great way to kind of bring everyone together..." (09:02).

Involvement of Glenn Keane

A highlight of their collaboration is working with the esteemed animator Glenn Keane, known for his work on Disney classics like Aladdin and The Little Mermaid. Steve elaborates on this partnership:
"Glenn Keane is an Oscar winner... he was the animator for the Beast, he was the animator for the Genie and Aladdin and Little Mermaid..." (10:40).

Brian underscores Keane's dedication and artistic influence:
"He was wildly familiar with these characters and had been an avid watcher... So understanding their kind of texture and nuance and dimensionality was something that he came to readily." (16:02).

---

World-Building in The Office

The conversation transitions to the intricate world-building that The Office is celebrated for. Brian reminisces about the extensive efforts made to develop the show's universe:
"We did webisodes, all in the accounting office with a murder... We were one of the first to have our characters in character on Facebook and MySpace..." (19:19).

Steve further explains how this depth translates into their book:
"Because anyone who's reading this book are, understand where it is... So he went in the art Myel went in and was like, oh, this is what you want?" (20:10).

---

Connecting with Fans Across Generations

Brian and Ben discuss how The Office has successfully bridged generational gaps, attracting new audiences while maintaining a loyal fan base. This multi-generational connection is a cornerstone of their book's appeal, making it a perfect Christmas gift that celebrates both nostalgia and contemporary relevance.

---

Personal Stories and Anecdotes

Mike interjects with personal stories that add warmth and humor to the episode, particularly highlighting interactions with his son, Emmett.

Emmett's Contributions

Emmett, Mike's son, showcases his wit by transforming current headlines into playful Christmas carols. For instance, he humorously adapts a headline to:
"Donald Trump is coming to town." (28:27).

Emmett explains his creative process:
"So I say this. His enemies are gonna be sick to fight Trump Democratic... Donald Trump is coming to town." (31:02).

These moments not only provide comic relief but also demonstrate the generational exchange of humor and creativity.

Mike and Emmett's Subway Interactions

Mike shares his unique approach to parenting in New York City, emphasizing interactive and engaging communication with his children:
"The main way that I interact with my children is not front to backseat. It's either side to side or face to face... We're either looking at each other or walking next to each other or sitting next to each other." (27:30).

This dynamic fosters a closer bond and encourages his children to develop their comedic talents, as evidenced by their appearances on shows like Jimmy Kimmel Live!.

---

Conclusion

As the episode wraps up, Mike reflects on the significance of The Office during the holiday season, highlighting its role in family traditions:
"When I go home for the holidays, we watch the Office Christmas episodes. Like that has become our family tradition." (23:01).

Brian and Ben express their gratitude for the show's enduring impact and their excitement to share their book with the fans:
"The Office means so much to our family... putting it here at Christmas, putting it is meant to give a gift for people who not only love the show but are participating and using it during the holiday season." (23:28).

---

Final Thoughts

This Christmas edition of The Gist beautifully blends nostalgia, creativity, and familial warmth. Through engaging conversations with Brian Baumgartner and Ben Silverman, coupled with charming interactions with Emmett, Mike crafts an episode that not only celebrates the festive season but also honors the lasting legacy of The Office. Whether you're a longtime fan or new to the series, this episode offers a delightful insight into the magic that makes The Office a beloved part of many holiday traditions.

---

Notable Quotes:

• "We had collaborated on our previous book... It's something that they can take and actually own and keep in their house." – Ben Silverman (03:30)

• "Glenn Keane is an Oscar winner... he was the animator for the Beast, he was the animator for the Genie and Aladdin and Little Mermaid." – Steve (10:40)

• "We did webisodes... We were one of the first to have our characters in character on Facebook and MySpace." – Brian Baumgartner (19:19)

• "When I go home for the holidays, we watch the Office Christmas episodes. Like that has become our family tradition." – Steve (23:01)

• "Donald Trump is coming to town." – Emmett (28:27)

---

This comprehensive summary captures the essence of The Gist's Christmas Content Edition, providing listeners with a vivid overview of the discussions, insights, and joyful moments shared throughout the episode.

Transcript

[Beth]

I can say to my new Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, hey, find a keto friendly restaurant nearby and text it to Beth and Steve. And it does without me lifting a finger so I can get in more squats anywhere I can. 1, 2, 3.

[Steve]

Will that be cash or credit? Credit. 4 Galaxy S25 Ultra the AI companion.

[Brian Baumgartner]

That does the heavy lifting.

[Steve]

So you can do. You get [e-mail] compatible with select apps. Requires Google Gemini Account results may vary based on input. Check responses for accuracy.

[Beth]

Your data is like gold to hackers and they'll sell it to the highest bidder. Are you protected? McAfee helps shield you blocking suspicious texts, malicious emails and fraudulent websites. McAfee Secure VPN lets you browse safely and its AI powered tech scam detector spots threats instantly. You'll also get up to $2 million of award winning antivirus and identity theft protection, all for just $39.99 for your first year. Visit mcafee.com/incancel anytime terms apply.

[Mike]

Hi, it's Mike. It's Saturday. It's the Saturday show. You know me, I'm Mike. Just as you know Dasher and dancer and Prancer and. Wait a minute, I'm good with a name. Vixen. Is it Vixen?

[Steve]

Yes.

[Mike]

I believe Vixen was Rudolph's mom in the movie. But for the movie, the documentary, forget about all that. We've got more Christmas content. First we bring you Kevin Malone from the Office. That'd be Brian Baumgartner along with Ben Silverman, executive producer of the Office. They were on recently to talk about their new book, the Night Before Christmas at Dunder Mifflin. And I will bring you half of that interview and the other half of the show today will be what is a Christmas tradition around town? When my son Emmett was but a wee elf, we collaborated on a Christmas song that will warm the cockles of.

[Emmett]

Wherever you keep your cockles.

[Mike]

Hopefully in a stocking. Stocking full of cockles. So here's Emmett and here is Brian and Ben. And this is our Christmas celebration to.

[Beth]

If fashion is your thing, ebay is it. Ebay's where I find all my favorites. From handbags to iconic streetwear. All authenticated for real this time. A little supreme, some Gucci. I even have that vintage Prada on my watch list. That's why ebay is my go to for all my go tos. Yeah, ebay, the place for new pre loved vintage in rare fashion. EBay, things people love.

[Ben Silverman]

Are you still quoting 30 year old movies? Have you said cool beans in the past 90 days. Do you think Discover isn't widely accepted? If this sounds like you, you're stuck in the past. Discover is accepted at 99% of places that take credit cards nationwide. And every time you make a purchase with your card, you automatically earn cash back. Welcome to the now it pays to Discover. Learn [e-mail] credit card Based on the February 2024 Nielsen report, I'm pleased to.

[Mike]

Be joined by Brian Baumgartner and Ben Silverman. They are of the Office. Brian played Kevin. Ben was. Well, actually he had a role, but he was also an executive producer and one of the brains behind the show. And they're out with a book based on the beloved TV series the Night Before Christmas at Dunder Mifflin. Brian, Ben, welcome to the gist.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Thank you.

[Steve]

Thank you so much. Thanks for having us. I thought we were recording before. Your listeners just missed a big talk on education.

[Mike]

We solved Pell grants.

[Steve]

We put our brains the arts in three minutes. We did that.

[Mike]

It was crazy. Ben came down for charter schools. Brian came over the top and smacked him down in the name of unions. I don't know. Do you? Do I permission to.

[Steve]

Sure. Yeah.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Volatile. Where's Betsy?

[Mike]

Okay, so I have. Ben, I do have questions for you, but I want to start off with two quick ones for Brian.

[Emmett]

Question one.

[Steve]

Yes.

[Mike]

What's the capital of Arizona?

[Steve]

Oh, my God. I can't believe that you. That. That is such like a deep, dark fade. I'm going to say Phoenix.

[Mike]

And my question to Ben is, do you know why I asked him that?

[Brian Baumgartner]

I don't. I don't. I'm not even connected to that one.

[Mike]

Go ahead, Brian.

[Steve]

Yes. I was on an episode of Jeopardy. And the state capital is for 200.

[Mike]

Arizona, Tucson, Scottsdale, Phoenix.

[Steve]

Brian, what is Tucson? I'm sorry.

[Tim]

No, Tim, what is Scottsdale?

[Steve]

Also incorrect. Lisa Ann, this just got a little easier.

[Brian Baumgartner]

What is Phoenix?

[Mike]

Is in fact Phoenix. Yes. You're in the lead.

[Steve]

Let me just say this. This is. I swear to you, this is a true story. On my way because I have a drive. I don't live in Los Angeles proper anymore. And I was talking to my sister and I was like, you know, there's just so much potential for me to look like an ass here on. On the Jeopardy. And I specifically said, well, like, I knew all the state capitals at one time, but what like are like Delaware, is this going to come up? Or like New Hampshire is this. And sure enough, she's like, oh, no, that will never happen. Sure enough, the Capital of Arizona, which should be one I got. Too tricky with it. That's all I have to say. I got to trick.

[Mike]

Well, to be fair, first of all, your batting percentage was pretty good. I think I looked up the stats. You got something like 17 right and three wrong on the whole show.

[Steve]

Yeah.

[Mike]

So you did.

[Emmett]

You did.

[Steve]

Mostly it's all about the button.

[Mike]

It's all about the button. And to be fair, you. You'd think Phoenix would be the fake answer with city count, Right. Almost never the big city. Except, of course, you do grow up in Atlanta.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Yeah. Yeah. Usually there's an Albany.

[Steve]

Exactly. It's not Los Angeles. It's not even San Francisco. It's not San Diego. It's Sacramento. So I was just like, oh, and here's the other thing is they must not talk about it very much because, like, you're in Atlanta and it's mentioned there's the Capitol. Look at the beautiful dome. I don't know where the Capitol building is in Phoenix. I've been to. That's the thing is I've been to Phoenix a lot. And I was like. In that moment, I was like, never heard of that being the capital. Can't be that.

[Mike]

Also, to be very fair, and you might have a case. Did they mean now or did they mean from 1868-78? In which case, Tucson. Your answer would be.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Wow, I love that.

[Steve]

Nailed it. Nailed it.

[Mike]

So, okay, now here's my second question. Ben, I'll let you feel this question. This is an important one, literary one. What is. Ben, what is your second favorite poem written by Clement Clarke Moore?

[Brian Baumgartner]

Oh, wow. That. That. You. You've nailed me. Thank you so much to. You know, Twas the day after Christmas. The box, the Boxing Day. The Boxing Day poem. I need the second poem. What is it? What would it be?

[Mike]

I don't know. I. I think from what I understand of reading about him, the poem was written in or published in like, the 1860s, and it was 13 years. It was anonymous. I don't know why it was Anonymous. It was 13 years before anyone took credit. Yeah. There wasn't shameful or anything.

[Brian Baumgartner]

No, I mean, it's like. It's beautiful. What. What a strange thing to have not wanted attribution for.

[Mike]

And then. And then he did, but then there was some sort of fight over whether he wrote it. But he is pretty much the founder of Chelsea, New York, or at least his family is. And he named. I didn't realize this until doing research for the show. He actually named all the reindeer that Was him.

[Steve]

Yes.

[Brian Baumgartner]

He's a Christmas icon.

[Steve]

I'll field that question. I will tell you specifically, I assume that another poem by Clement is also in the public domain. So let's just say that is a book. Two, yeah, is another possibility. We'll find it. Old Santa Claus with much delight. Old Santa Claus with much delight. Because you asked Ben. I found that. I don't know. Is that, that a different one? I think it might be.

[Mike]

So how did you guys decide to collaborate on this idea?

[Brian Baumgartner]

Well, we had collaborated on our previous book, which we got to be on your show and discuss and is an awesome book, kind of talking about culture and how the show came to be and with interviews that Brian initiated on, on his podcast that is, you know, deeply, actually kind of educational for anyone who wants to learn how a television show is made and how hits are made. And we had so much fun doing it and also saw what a great response the audience had. But as Brian pointed out as we were exploring this, it's really a gift for the fans. You know, it's something that they can take and actually own and keep in their, in their house and have on their, you know, bedside table, or in this case, more like the kitchen table, because it's a family book. And the other thing that we were watching with the show is it continually had new young audiences. Unlike other shows that are kind of rewatched by the same fans of the original. This show gets younger and younger and gets discovered by the children's of fans and now by the grandchildren of fans. And so we thought this would be a great way to kind of bring everyone together and, and connect to the show multi, generationally, just as they, they do watching it. And so we were very excited to bring it, to bring it out. And we're seeing a really loving response. And Brian has done unbelievable work in the animated world and found our incredible illustrators who are brilliant Oscar winners. And why don't you tell them about that, Brian?

[Steve]

Yeah, I mean, I had the great blessing to work with Glenn Keane. Now, you may not know the name Glen Keane, but Glen Keane is an Oscar winner. He won the Oscar for Dear Basketball with Kobe Bryant. Prior to that, he was an animator at Disney. And as it has been explained to me, the old school animators at Disney were like responsible for a character when I think. And so this is. He was the animator for the Beast. He was the animator for the Genie and Aladdin and Little Mermaid and all, all of these other things. And so I worked with him on this show, Trash Truck, which was on Netflix, which, if you haven't checked it out, you probably don't have young kids. But it is beautiful. And that's what I kept saying to people. When it finally came out, I was like, forget about my voice. Like, this is all about how it looks. And he and I became friends, and when we had the idea to do this, he was like my first, second, third, fourth, and fifth calls, which it took that many calls to get him to agree to help us out. He's incredibly busy. I'm not going to leave that for him to discuss. But he put us in. In contact, and he worked in collaboration with us, with Maelle, our illustrator artist, every step of the way. And that was the most fun for me, was being able to work with those guys. It's something I've never done before. Every week, having those meetings and talking about the illustrations, which I think in this are beautiful.

[Mike]

In Trash Truck, you play Walter, the Big bear, right?

[Steve]

That's right. Walter, wake up. Huh? How are you?

[Brian Baumgartner]

Whistling?

[Steve]

Doing what?

[Mike]

Whistling.

[Steve]

What's whistling?

[Brian Baumgartner]

Bears.

[Mike]

And you say he did the Beast, and he did. What was the other one that you named?

[Steve]

Well, so he. In all of those. So you know you have, like, the original Disney. Right. Which is like Snow White and.

[Mike]

Right.

[Steve]

All of that. So he was in that. That. The Renaissance. Right. So Little Mermaid, Aladdin, the Beast, Right?

[Mike]

He did.

[Emmett]

He did.

[Mike]

Aladdin. He did. These are big, large, actual endomorphic characters, as are you. Is that his specialty?

[Steve]

The big characters? I don't know. That's a really interesting question. I don't know if he would define it that way, but his imagination is. Is incredible. And before he even agreed to say yes, we had about an hour phone call. I was actually away with my family, and I am pacing in the snow in Wyoming as he's talking to me, and he's literally talking about character traits from the characters of the office and going through each character and identifying that which is like, so what is the trait of this character? What could we latch onto to not imitate, but to exaggerate and focus? Just the whole process of that is. Is amazing. I have trouble with stick figures and, like, houses with windows aligned properly when I'm drawing. So it was just so, so interesting shadowing to me. Shadow, yeah.

[Mike]

So what did he say to illustrate? Figuratively and literally. And also literally, figuratively. Really? Sorry about that verbal cul de sac there. But what did he do to bring out and illustrate character traits of these characters who you've both known for many, many years, that maybe you Never saw. But as soon as he said it or as soon as your discussion led to it, it was really illuminating to you. Maybe even about Kevin himself.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Well, one thing he started with is being a fan of the show. That's why he did it.

[Steve]

Yeah.

[Brian Baumgartner]

So he was wildly familiar with these characters and had been an avid watcher. So understanding their kind of texture and nuance and dimensionality was something that he came to readily. And I think that's why he was willing to do it, frankly. That's right. You know, so. So that helped kind of amplify the truths behind these characters in their animated or illustrated format. And when you have the book and you see the book, you're going to immediately recognize them. But obviously, also in illustration, there's some caricature. And so somebody's nose may be bigger than normal, somebody's eyes may be droopier than normal. And you may have that. That kind of physicality over amplified, but it relates to character. And one of the things the show was so extraordinary was how good our actors were. I always talk with Brian about the Murderer's Row of performers on the show and how deeply they embedded these characters. And these characters became family for the audience, but also family with each other. But also their texture and depth and growth was really, really cool. And so I think you get a lot of that from Glenn's relationship to the show.

[Steve]

Yeah. You know, and just specifically, you know, I'll just talk about Kevin for a second. I mean, what do you know about Kevin? Angela's cats are cute. So cute that you just want to eat them. But you can't eat cats. You can't eat cats, Kevin. Well, no, but in terms of. I don't know that it was something that he. That he told me that I didn't know. But there's a way that he. And part of it is Kevin, in our story, does take a particularly childlike role within it. And the way that he talked about the expression, the movement, which is so bizarre. Right. Because it's a still image, there is literally no movement. But when you look at his drawings, you see the movement, which lends itself to be childlike or something. It's very difficult to understand. I will share with you this little story which I can't even remember now in all of these conversations we've had about the book that Ben and I talked about it. But when Trash Truck ended, he did a drawing for all of the people who did voices. So he did a drawing of Walter the bear. And Trash Truck is about a boy who his best friend is a trash truck. So his other friends are animals that would live around maybe a dump or a trash truck, a bear, a raccoon, a mouse, whatever. And so he did a drawing of Walter that was around a bunch of trash, and he had, like, four Easter eggs, including, like, little cans of chili, like, embedded into the drama. And I didn't even. I wasn't even fully aware of what a fan he was, but he had created this. It's now on the wall of my office. It's one of my. My treasured possessions.

[Mike]

That's amazing. And do you think? There are many reasons it's beloved, the acting, the writing, but two of the reasons are people's connection to the characters. But it just occurred to me as you were talking, the Office built lore and they engaged in world building, and that's actually where TV went. Right? You were. If people talk about the world building of tv, they'll probably think of, I don't know, Westworld or some prestige show on. On hbo. But man, did the Office. You could have a map, a big sprawled out map of the Scranton of the Office.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Not only that, we did webisodes, all in the accounting office with a murder, like, during our summer after our first season. And Brian actually won an Emmy for those. We did a thing called the Dunder. We basically did this Dunder Mifflin, you know, infinity thing online. We were one of the first to have our characters in character on Facebook and MySpace as it launched and to kind of showcase them in greater depth. And we had our. Are actors actually writing in character to their characters profiles. We did all of this work to kind of further ground this and showcase it in really unique ways. That was absolutely what Game of Thrones did years later.

[Steve]

Yeah. And I do want to say, Mike, you bring up an interesting point in terms of building the world. And I, you know, for my podcast, which then became the first book that Ben and I did together. Welcome to Dunder Mifflin. Greg talked to me about this. And so the only episode that is a direct American version, but the episode is essentially the same, was the pilot, and Greg and I talked about that. And he said there were a couple of reasons. One, he thought if the words were the same as the British and the British was a success, he'd get less notes from the network. So that was one. But two, he wanted to, like, what do you know? Exactly.

[Emmett]

Ripping off the BBC.

[Mike]

And then these Americans are like, oh, they are British.

[Steve]

Exactly. But two, he wanted to spend that time on building the world and through the whole first set of episodes. Again, this is not cheap. This is, this is more expensive. All of the actors were at our desks at, let's call it 7am before we shot. And they would shoot 30 minutes of B roll, which means 30 minutes of us sitting at our desks working non scripted little exchanges. Sometimes it would make it in, sometimes it wasn't. But what it did do was it built the architecture of the space and what people were doing. Not in a performative way, in a very, again, that sort of ultra real way. And so the, to bring it back to the book. Because this is one of the things that I talked to the illustrators about when the first drafts came in. They were beautiful. They were great. And I said, guys, I can't, I can't tell where we are. Where, where, where is this drawing? And I talked to them about how important for me the architecture of Dunder Mifflin was. Because anyone who's reading, most people who are reading this book are, understand where it is. And sure enough, the very first image now in the book, as we're entering the book, we're entering Dunder Mifflin and you see Pam at her desk and Michael's office and the painting on the wall and Jem and Dwight's clump and then everything sort of in the background, but you immediately see the architecture. And then halfway through the book he was like, oh, this is what you want? Well then I'll give it to you. And he does an aerial shot from above with a bunch of stuff going on where you liter see the layout in plain sight there. And again was he doing it like, oh, you're going to keep giving me notes about the architecture. Well, here it is. And so he went in the art Myel went in and was like, would watch the show to make sure he had the right angle, the right perspective. Sorry. Of his drawing within the space because that was so, that was so important to me because I knew that would be so important to our fans.

[Mike]

Right. And that is why this book is not just an example of let's strap the jumper cables up to the corpse of the dead body and try to get 10 more volts of juice out of it. This is the sort of thing where I sense that fans just want to connect again to these characters that they love. And I can hear now that you guys really enjoyed revisiting.

[Steve]

Yeah. And you know, the, the last thing I'll say about that is, you know, it was, it was. As Ben said before, it was, it was gift. But you know, it came out of a real thing that I kept hearing from people interacting with me on social media or in person was that, you know, whereas when I was a kid it was the Grinch and it was Frosty and the Rudolph. You know those.

[Mike]

Yeah, all the Rankin Bass iconic stop.

[Steve]

Motion correct Christmas specials and what we and then, you know, the Christmas story and Elf, you know, it starts to evolve. And what I kept hearing was, you know, the Office means so much to our family. You know, when I go home for the holidays, we watch the Office Christmas episodes. Like that has become our family tradition. Those episodes are special not just to us, but I know to a bunch of the fans. And so really setting it here at Christmas, putting it is meant to give a gift for, for people who, who not only love the show but are are participating and and and and using it during the holiday season.

[Mike]

The name of the book is the Night Before Christmas at Dunder Mifflin and it's co written by Brian Baumgartner and Ben Silverman. Gentlemen, thank you so much.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Thank you so much. Mike.

[Steve]

Mike thank you. Appreciate.

[Tim]

This episode is brought to you by the Nissan Armada Pro 4X. With a twin turbo V6 engine ready to propel your adventures. Up to 8,500 pounds of towing capacity to haul all your favorite toys and space for eight passengers, Nissan's most powerful car yet will chew up and spit out anything you throw at it. Learn more about the all new 2025 Nissan Armada at nissanusa.com Towing capacity varies by configuration. See Nissan Towing Guide and Owner's Manual for additional information.

[Unknown]

Always secure Cargo Are your ulcerative colitis symptoms proving difficult to manage? Tremfiab can help you manage the cycle of UC symptoms. At one year, many patients taking Tremfia achieved clinical remission and some patients also achieved endoscopic remission. Individual results may vary. Tremphya is a prescription medicine used to treat adults with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis. Serious allergic reactions and increased risk of infections may occur before treatment. Your doctor should check you for infections and tb. Tell your doctor if you have an infection, flu like symptoms or if you need a vaccine. Ask your doctor if Tremphya can help you manage the cycle of UC symptoms. Call 1-800-526-7736 to learn more or visit Trimfire radio.com and now the Spiel so.

[Emmett]

I don't know if you've been able to discern this or not, but on the show I sometimes talk about my life and just things that happen to me. It Gives me fodder for especially this portion of the show. I mean, did you hear yesterday spiel? It was entirely premised upon the fact that last night a cat jumped on my face.

[Steve]

Last night a cat jumped on my face.

[Emmett]

That really happened. And another thing that happened was. And people have asked me, why don't you talk about this on the show? So now I will. My children were on Jimmy Kimmel. They've been on a couple of times. Most recently, Jimmy and Guillermo combined to do the Homework Helper Guys segment. I have to admit, they don't really help that much with the homework. But the kids found it funny. People found the kids funny. So people ask me, why are your children so funny? And I usually brush off. I just think of it as a compliment. But then I was thinking about it a little bit, and I think there might be a reason. A few reasons. One, humor is currency in our house. For sure, it's emphasized to, you know, I've enrolled them in acting classes and so forth. But I think a big reason has to do with a wrinkle of parenting in New York City. So I think the way that a lot of parents and their children interact is in cars, front seat to backseat. And there is no way to execute that interaction that's not somewhat dictatorial. I mean, you could have conversations and you could involve everyone and you could go around the car in a game, but still, the dad, the mom in the front seat are dictating, say, the music choices, or if you have DVD players or whatever, they're sort of dictating the conversation. They're not really looking at the children. And so the flow of information goes from parent to child. It's top down. There's nothing wrong with that. Based on that, I think kids can learn a lot. I would say that in the times when I have been in a car that I've used it to try to deepen the musical education of my children. For instance, I didn't realize they didn't know, whoomp, there it is. And then I played it for them, and now they know whom. There it is. But the main way that I interact with my children is not front to backseat. It's either side to side or face to face. Because I bring them to school via the subway. And on the subway, we're either looking at each other or walking next to each other or sitting next to each other. So the other day, while walking to the subway, we were singing some Christmas carols. My son Emmett and I, Santa Claus is coming to town. And then he changed the lyrics spontaneously.

[Unknown]

To Donald Trump is coming to town.

[Emmett]

Okay, so I should say, joining me now, you've seen him on the Jimmy Kimmel show, also Katie Couric's show. And what are your other credits, Emmett? What, what other shows have you been on?

[Unknown]

This one. The gist.

[Emmett]

The gist. Okay. Yes, you know him from the gist. And Emmett is here and we're going to play for you and show to you what we do on the subway with the Christmas carol classic.

[Unknown]

Donald Trump is coming to town.

[Emmett]

All right, so what we do is I, I'm going to say I trick Emmett into reading. I have two papers with me every day, the New York Times and the Washington Post. So we take the idea of Donald Trump coming to town and we pivot off the day's headlines like here's today's Wall Street Journal. Now, Emmett, I'll help you. There's a woman's last name, but can you read this headline?

[Unknown]

Yellen Trump on some.

[Emmett]

Same, same. Yeah, the font's weird.

[Unknown]

Move finger a little bit paid for now.

[Emmett]

Okay, so then what I would try to do is think of a good rhyme for this. Maybe something like will the Fed reserve chair and Trump get narrow?

[Unknown]

Well, Yellen Trump on same page for now.

[Emmett]

Donald Trump is coming to town. Alright, next headline.

[Unknown]

And guess what's very funky. Donald Trump has a monkey going to war with Canada isn't really funny.

[Emmett]

Okay, let's read this one.

[Unknown]

A Trump tactic face roadblock.

[Emmett]

It's faces, right?

[Unknown]

Yeah, Faces, roadblocks. Anything with tactic is the opposite of a tic tac, like a big candy that makes your teeth rot.

[Emmett]

So a tactic is the opposite of a tic tac.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Yeah, yeah.

[Emmett]

All right, let me think of a rhyme for this. In the late 80s, he went deep into hawk go.

[Unknown]

A Trump tactic. Faces go with block.

[Emmett]

Donald Trump is coming to town. Now, now, I have noticed Wall Street Journal headlines, they're pretty good with the rhyme scheme and the meter. But the New York Times, they, they try to shove so much into their.

[Unknown]

Headlines, to wit, to fight Trump Democrats.

[Emmett]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

Look to a gop. Tick tock, no tactic.

[Emmett]

Okay, so I'll say this. His enemies are gonna be sick to fight Trump Democratic.

[Unknown]

Look at GOP tactic.

[Emmett]

Donald Trump is coming to town. So in this way we Christmas carol, we make up rhymes, we read the papers, we learn the difference between general and genial, and we learn definitions of words like what is the definition of tactic?

[Unknown]

A large candy that makes a teeth rot as big. The opposite of a tic tac.

[Emmett]

It also means a strategy. But if you want to go with tactic is the opposite of a tic tac, that's fine. Yeah, yeah. This way. The side to side subway collaboration type way of interacting with one's children. Not the right way, not the way that everyone can do. But it does answer the question, hey, how'd your kids get so funny? I do think this has something to do with it. Anyway, that's my theory. If you don't like it, I hope it won't get you down.

[Unknown]

Cause Donald Trump is coming to town.

[Mike]

And that's it for today's show. The chief compliance officer of Peach Fish Productions is Michelle Pesca. And of course the quaint mallards, Corey and Joel produced the show. I'll talk to you on Monday.

[Unknown]

Marketing is hard, but I'll tell you a little secret. It doesn't have to be. Let me point something out. You're listening to a podcast right now and it's great. You love the host. You seek it out and download it. You listen to it while driving, working out, cooking, even going to the bathroom. Podcasts are a pretty close companion. And this is a podcast ad. Did I get your attention? You can reach great listeners like yourself with podcast advertising from Libsyn Ads. Choose from hundreds of top podcasts offering host endorsements or run a pre produced ad like this one across thousands of shows. To reach your target audience in their favorite podcasts with Libsyn Ads, go to Libsyn ads.com that's L I B S Y N ads.com today.