Wicked vs Aliens w Greg Stone - CHIT CHAT WEDNESDAY - The JTrain Podcast w Jared Freid

Summary

Summary of "Wicked vs Aliens w Greg Stone - CHIT CHAT WEDNESDAY - The JTrain Podcast"

Release Date: December 4, 2024
Host: Jared Freid
Guest: Greg Stone
Podcast: The JTrain Podcast

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1. Introduction [00:00 - 03:00]

Jared Freed welcomes listeners to the latest episode of The JTrain Podcast, introducing it as a "Chit Chat Wednesday" edition. He brings on his friend Greg Stone, a fellow comedian and co-host of the podcast Talk Town. Jared highlights Greg's passion for fandoms, particularly Star Wars, and sets the stage for their diverse conversation topics, including Wicked fandom and the hypothetical scenario of alien invasion.

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2. AI in Art and Music [03:00 - 21:17]

The discussion begins with Greg's engagement with Artificial Intelligence (AI) in creative processes.

• AI Music Creation:

  • Greg Stone [04:30]: "With the AI music stuff, it allows me to dump those into this AI and it makes background music for it... it allows me to create all this really cool stuff that there was like, no world that that would ever."

  Greg explains how AI assists him in generating background music from his poetry, enabling him to produce content without traditional band setups. He appreciates AI as a tool that enhances his creative output rather than replaces it.

• Moral Implications of AI:

  • Jared Freed [05:09]: "There's this whole moral quandary with this AI stuff... But I guess they would pay the family of the person who made the song in the 50s is the difference, right?"

  The conversation shifts to the ethical concerns surrounding AI, especially regarding the use of existing intellectual property (IP) in generating new content. Greg expresses his unease with companies leveraging AI to produce content without fair compensation to original creators.

• AI as a Creative Tool vs. Replacement:

  • Greg Stone [21:17]: "AI is now the piece of paper. So you still need an artist to draw on it... but if it's doing all of the creation, then what the fuck am I doing as an artist?"

  Greg emphasizes the importance of human creativity in the use of AI, advocating for AI as a supportive tool rather than a complete creator. He fears a future where AI-driven creation diminishes the role of artists.

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3. Discussion on Star Wars [03:00 - 35:55]

A substantial portion of the podcast delves into the Star Wars universe, examining recent developments and classic narratives.

• Star Wars Fandom and New Content:

  • Jared Freed [08:06]: "Skeleton Crew is a Star Wars universe show... Have you watched the first two episodes yet?"
  • Greg Stone [09:25]: "Skeleton Crew is gonna have to be really good for me to like it."

  Jared introduces the new Star Wars show Skeleton Crew, sparking Greg's interest and critical perspective on its potential quality.

• Impact of New Movies and Characters:

  • Greg Stone [16:42]: "The sequels were like, we're getting rid of all the old characters and we're giving you all new characters to sell toys and to keep this going forever."

  Greg criticizes the Star Wars sequels for prioritizing commercial interests over storytelling, lamenting the sidelining of beloved characters in favor of new ones designed to drive merchandise sales.

• Character Development and Storytelling:

  • Jared Freed [17:27]: "How could they mess this up so badly?"
  • Greg Stone [32:10]: "Ryan Johnson had an idea... all of the big studio people were like, hey, man, as long as you kill these fucking characters, I don't care."

  The hosts discuss the lack of coherent storytelling in recent Star Wars installments, particularly focusing on character arcs like Kylo Ren's and Luke Skywalker's inconsistent portrayal.

• Prequels and Expanded Universe:

  • Greg Stone [35:20]: "Dave Filoni came along... created the cartoon the Clone Wars... showed people what the vision there was."

  Greg acknowledges the contributions of Dave Filoni and the animated series The Clone Wars in enriching the Star Wars lore, contrasting it with the less favorable reception of the prequel movies.

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4. Wicked Fandom [26:30 - 36:06]

Shifting gears, Jared introduces the topic of Wicked and its passionate fanbase.

• Understanding Wicked:

  • Greg Stone [27:01]: "I heard like Wicked's about like her side of the story of the witch maybe, which seems interesting. I have no idea."

  Jared explains that Wicked is a Broadway show offering an alternate perspective on the Wicked Witch of the West, resonating with themes of being misunderstood and fighting for one's rights.

• Fandom Dynamics:

  • Jared Freed [28:03]: "The Wicked fandom is hilarious to me that, like, theater kids are always just going to be theater kids no matter how old or where..."

  The conversation highlights the exuberant and often dramatic nature of Wicked fans, drawing parallels to other passionate fan communities.

• Cultural Impact:

  • Greg Stone [35:41]: "People who were raised on the prequels love them... we don't care about old people."

  Although partly overlapping with the Star Wars discussion, Jared and Greg touch upon how established fanbases like those of Wicked focus intensely on their beloved stories, sometimes overshadowing other narratives.

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5. Aliens and Hypothetical Scenarios [36:06 - 42:17]

The final segment explores the concept of alien life and potential interactions with humanity.

• Existence and Probability of Aliens:

  • Greg Stone [37:23]: "The chances of them coming here to take our resources or to SeaWorld US is a lot slimmer than them coming here and being like, oh, like we're just going to look at them."

  Greg discusses the improbability of alien invasions, emphasizing the vastness of the cosmos and the slim chances of encountering intelligent life within a manageable timeframe.

• Humanity's Reaction to Aliens:

  • Jared Freed [38:15]: "You could say whatever you want... inadvertent parallels to historical interactions between different human cultures."
  • Greg Stone [40:23]: "Money, money... disrespect story didn't come first."

  They explore how humans might treat aliens similarly to how different human cultures have interacted, often with conflict or misunderstanding.

• Philosophical Musings:

  • Greg Stone [37:45]: "I don't want to be the hand anymore. I want the hand to come and clean our oil off."

  Greg philosophizes about humanity's shortcomings and humbly expresses a desire for a more benevolent external force (e.g., aliens) to address environmental and societal issues.

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6. Closing Remarks [43:04 - 45:12]

As the episode winds down, Jared and Greg engage in light-hearted banter, touching on historical anecdotes related to witches and cats, and humorously speculate on creating a fictional history podcast. Greg shares an interesting fact about the association between witches and cats during plague times, attributing it to misunderstandings that led to the branding of witches with feline companions.

Final Highlights:

• Greg Stone [43:34]: "Why do we say they're not for adults? It's like, why is pink for girls?"
• Jared Freed [44:22]: "That's wild."

Jared concludes by promoting Greg's Talk Town podcast and encouraging listeners to follow Greg on social media, while Greg thanks Jared for the engaging conversation.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Greg Stone [04:30]: "With the AI music stuff, it allows me to dump those into this AI and it makes background music for it... it allows me to create all this really cool stuff that there was like, no world that that would ever."

• Jared Freed [05:09]: "There's this whole moral quandary with this AI stuff... But I guess they would pay the family of the person who made the song in the 50s is the difference, right?"

• Greg Stone [21:17]: "AI is now the piece of paper. So you still need an artist to draw on it... but if it's doing all of the creation, then what the fuck am I doing as an artist?"

• Greg Stone [32:10]: "Ryan Johnson had an idea... all of the big studio people were like, hey, man, as long as you kill these fucking characters, I don't care."

• Greg Stone [37:23]: "The chances of them coming here to take our resources or to SeaWorld US is a lot slimmer than them coming here and being like, oh, like we're just going to look at them."

• Greg Stone [43:34]: "Why do we say they're not for adults? It's like, why is pink for girls?"

---

Conclusion

In this episode of The JTrain Podcast, Jared Freed and Greg Stone traverse a spectrum of topics, from the ethical considerations of AI in creative industries to deep dives into Star Wars storytelling and fandom dynamics. They also explore the fervent Wicked fanbase and contemplate the philosophical implications of alien existence and potential human-alien interactions. Their candid and humorous exchange offers listeners both insightful commentary and entertaining banter, making it a compelling listen for fans of pop culture, technology, and speculative conversations.

Transcript

[Jared Freed]

Hello and welcome to the J Train Podcast. This is J Train Jared Free coming to you live from the West Village of Manhattan. That's right, it's a Chit Chat Wednesday. Today I have on Greg Stone, my old friend, hilarious comedian. Go follow Greg in whatever way you like to follow comedians. He's fantastic. He's hilarious. The reason I wanted Greg on today is because Wicked is like everywhere to me. And maybe that's just my algorithm or my TikTok feed or whatever it is, just Wicked Fever is in the air. And I wanted to talk to Greg about fandom. And if you're a Star wars fan, then you'll understand all the references and how passionate Greg is. If you're not, I hope we did a good job of explaining it. Towards the end, we get into some fun stuff. We were talking about aliens and what it would be like if aliens came to Earth. So, yeah, we start with, like, Star wars and fandom, and then we talk about Wicked, and then somehow we end up with aliens invading and how they would treat humans. So it's a little weird. But that's the fun of talking with Craig and that's the fun of Chitchat Wednesday. So enjoy today's episode. Definitely comment here on YouTube what you thought of the episode, what parts you liked. If you had fun with it, let me know. And also subscribe to the channel so that we can get you back next time for the next Chit Chat Wednesday and all the other standup videos I'm putting up on here. So enjoy today's episode. Boom. Welcome to the new J Train podcast. Hello and welcome to the J Train Podcast. This is J Train Jared Freed coming to you live from the West Village of Manhattan. That's right, Right? Every Wednesday, it's a Chit Chat Wednesday. I have a friend on the show to have a little chit chat with, and you guys get to sit in on the conversation. You can listen. You don't even have to open your eyes. I think that's the best way to be involved with a conversation. You can just sit here and be a part of it. You can yell to yourself. But we don't have to, you know, you don't have to put any energy into this conversation. That's. That's what a podcast is. You just get to sit there and listen and be a part of it, which is great. So I'm very excited for today's guest. And if you're watching on YouTube, all of the chitchat Wednesdays are on YouTube, he's coming to us From a forest somewhere out in New Jersey, I think.

[Greg Stone]

Oh, yeah.

[Jared Freed]

Greg Stone, the co host of the newest sensation, Talk Town. Go check out the podcast Sweeping Nation. Welcome to Talk Town. That's the name of it.

[Greg Stone]

Yeah. We couldn't get talk down.

[Jared Freed]

You sing at the beginning of every episode. Do you do a rap or a poetry?

[Greg Stone]

Oh, no, the. Are you talking about the theme song?

[Jared Freed]

Yes.

[Greg Stone]

Yeah, that's not me, that's AI. That's an AI song.

[Jared Freed]

You. Do you love AI? Are you like obsessed with it?

[Greg Stone]

No, I mean, I'm not.

[Jared Freed]

You were the first person that I knew that was like messing around with it. You. You have an interest in it. You're not. I'm fearful of it. I see it. I'm like not happy about it. But you were the first person that was like making pictures from it, like right away.

[Greg Stone]

Yeah, because I'm a. I'm a Renaissance man, you know.

[Jared Freed]

That's how I would describe you.

[Greg Stone]

No, it allows me to do shit without having to do artistic things, without having to include other people, which is great.

[Jared Freed]

I mean, it's your own robot. This is the world Star wars promised you.

[Greg Stone]

Yeah, I mean, that's what they, you know, they say that thing where, like, you're not going to lose your job to AI, you're going to lose your job to the guy with working with AI, you know?

[Jared Freed]

Is that what you say or is that what they say? Who's that? Well, I.

[Greg Stone]

Robot overload. The robot Overload said that shit.

[Jared Freed]

Well, that is a good point and a good way to think about it, I think, because you're like, this is a tool. This isn't something that's going to take over for me, but it's going to make me a better ro. You will be a better robot. Not the robot won't be a better you.

[Greg Stone]

Yeah. So like, to explain what I do with the music.

[Jared Freed]

That's a good. That was it. That'd be a good like pump up speech. You're gonna be the better robot. There's no robot that can outdo you. Yeah, but go ahead. I'm sorry.

[Greg Stone]

No, no. So like with the AI stuff, right, the picture stuff was I just fucked. I just futzed around with it. I don't mess around with a lot of AI art, but like the music stuff I play with, because I would do. I would just get really high and I would write this stupid poetry that just sat on my computer. Right. And so with the AI music stuff, it allows me to dump those into this AI and it makes background music for it. Like, there was never a world where I was going to hire a band or do anything with this, right? So now I can. And now it allows me to create all this really cool stuff that there was, like, no world that that would ever. It allows people to do stuff that they would never be able to do.

[Jared Freed]

And honestly, I guess, you know, there's this whole, like, moral quandary, so to speak, with this AI Stuff that it's like they're. They're sampling other people's music that they've made on the Internet to accompany your words. But that's what music is. There's. I mean, music is a lot of sampling. So, like, you know, when we listen to music, you know, you get the remix and you'd be like, oh, they used, you know, something from the 50s to make a rap. Like. But I guess they would pay the family of the person who made the song in the 50s is the difference, right?

[Greg Stone]

So I guess with the music stuff, yeah, I guess it kind. Like one. I'm not like, starting. Well, let me just. This is. Let me also explain what I do, just so you're. You understand, because I have, like, problems with this because I have, like, some moral conundrums about it.

[Jared Freed]

I. I'm just saying this is worthy. It seems as though we are the only ones that care about this morality. Because it seems as though the comedians, the writers, the artists are the only ones discussing it. Everyone else is just, like, full steam ahead. They can go fuck themselves. So it is funny that, like, the only people that are sitting there being like, should I, shouldn't I? Are like, people just trying to, like, make fun stuff. Like, it is not, you know, the CEO of. Know of.

[Greg Stone]

Of.

[Jared Freed]

You know, of Warner Brothers doesn't give a.

[Greg Stone]

No, they do. And that's the problem. Allison L. Co host, your friend explained to me what they were doing. So let me. Let me just. Let me just go through this, okay? And you. And then I'll explain where my conundrum comes in, right? For me, I had these poems. Let me put them in. They will get a song, and then they go, oh, this kind of helps me show where I would sing. Then I take the AI song and I send it to my beat guy, because I have a beat guy. And I go, hey, here's a basis of what this song is. Can you make this better or do your thing?

[Jared Freed]

Because I don't want to have add some beats.

[Greg Stone]

I want to add some beats. I also want to pay an artist. I'd rather do that. It's it's one step easier for me. It also gets me going now that's just to what I was doing and fucking with it. And also, I'm not making albums. I'm just making fun, stupid stuff for podcasts. What AI, what the. What the CEOs are doing, and Alice explained this to me, is they used to get like a writer who'd be like, hey, write us a first draft of a movie. And then of course it goes through a million drafts, whatever. But there was like a first draft. You'd get a lot of money. But now they have these IPs, so they have like Batman so they don't have to pay anyone to create a character. And they just can tell, AI, write me a first draft of a Batman movie. Right. And it's garbage. Garbage. And then they go, hey, you come in and you do punch up and I'm going to give you $1,000 as opposed to $125,000 for the first draft.

[Jared Freed]

Right. So the original writer is now out of the picture.

[Greg Stone]

Could be that's what they were suing for. There was like a big lawsuit. And I'm not the guy to talk to about this, but that's essentially what Alison explained to me that they were trying to do.

[Jared Freed]

Yeah.

[Greg Stone]

I strike came from.

[Jared Freed]

You're not generally the guy I'm going to go to for the law, the legalese of this, but I am happy to have you explain it. I. I want name a thing I.

[Greg Stone]

Would be the guy you would go to for.

[Jared Freed]

Oh, I actually wrote this down.

[Greg Stone]

Oh.

[Jared Freed]

Before we started. Yeah. Skeleton Crew. This is the new show that's out on Disney Plus. It is a Star wars universe show. I'm tempted to watch it. I want you to sell us on Skeleton Crew. Have you watched the first two episodes yet? Are you interested in it? You're my go to for this.

[Greg Stone]

I'm a big Star wars guy.

[Jared Freed]

I think you see Non plus why.

[Greg Stone]

I'm not like, here's the thing. I was Star wars guy and I love bullshit. Like, I like a lot of the shit Marvel's been putting out. I'm like, yeah, you know, it's fun. It's fun enough. The last acolyte they did. I just. I didn't hate it. I just couldn't. It just didn't get me excited. Skeleton Crew. Here's a problem with Skeleton Crew that I'm facing, okay. Is it's. It's new characters. So there's no immediate rush for me to see it. So what that means is Skeleton Crew is gonna have to be really good for me to like it, which is. Which what it should be. It should just be fucking good.

[Jared Freed]

So I saw the trailer, and it feels very much. They. They were like, let's do stranger things in Star wars universe. Let's do E.T. in Star wars universe. Let's do 80s coming of age in Star wars universe. Is that kind of the takeaway you had?

[Greg Stone]

That's what the trailer gave to me. It did seem like a Goonies or ET Type thing, which seems exciting, and I'd like to. I do want to see it. I just have. My expectations have been a little low. If it's not Dave Filoni or Jon Favreau doing it. Dave Filoni is the guy who did Mandalorian Lauren and Jon Favreau. You know, I'm usually like, eh. I don't like. I trust them, so they do that stuff. And Andor was unbelievable.

[Jared Freed]

That's my favorite show. One of my favorite shows of all time.

[Greg Stone]

Yeah. Andor was like, something else that was like.

[Jared Freed]

And that. I mean, you don't have to be a Star wars person to enjoy Andor, in my opinion. But, yeah, I think it'd be cool if they did connect these things. And you have these, like, you know, this, like, rat pack group of kids. This, like, you know, what are they? You know, these, like, nerdy kids end up in Andor, and they're like, in a, you know, like a. A prison. Working a prison camp.

[Greg Stone]

Yeah. Child labor. Right.

[Jared Freed]

What happened to these kids? It gets real sad because Andor was sad. Like, it made me, like, feel.

[Greg Stone]

Yeah. Andor was unbelievable. He has a thing, right? People look at Star wars. They look at. When they go, it's bad or it's good, but it's not. It's everything, right. It's all these different genres. So, like, for me, acolyte is like.

[Jared Freed]

Oh, I hated acolytes.

[Greg Stone]

I got to the first three episodes, and I was like, I just didn't care. And I'm like, maybe one day I'll go back.

[Jared Freed]

All of a sudden, there was witchcraft. I just didn't understand it. Like, I was just like. I just was like, it didn't seem. I need some attachment to the Star wars universe. Like, I. I went back and I watched the. I started rewatching the, like, the newest Star wars movies, and those went like, the first one's pretty good.

[Greg Stone]

Yeah. They. I have real problems with the sequels.

[Jared Freed]

You do?

[Greg Stone]

I have very specific. See, I hate when you bring this to me.

[Jared Freed]

What I'm Trusting you. There's no joke here.

[Greg Stone]

A very long conversation. It's like, okay, now I have to have a very long conversation, and people need to understand who I am, right? Like, oh, you know, like, this is who I am, right?

[Jared Freed]

Yeah, he's holding up. If you're not watching on YouTube. What is that? What? What? Whose car is that?

[Greg Stone]

Whose car? That's why I love you.

[Jared Freed]

That was on purpose.

[Greg Stone]

I know, and I love it. This is Ahsoka's ship. I got it at Target. I didn't tell my wife. It's just been sitting down here, but I'm going to hang it from the ceiling in my.

[Jared Freed]

Now, you just had a second kid, okay? You just had a second child. The first one. Is he aware of Star Wars? Have you brought him into the world yet? He's too young.

[Greg Stone]

Now, here's the thing. I'm holding everything back. So what I'm doing is I like to call the slingshot. I'm just pulling the rubber band. He's gonna know nothing about any of this. And then when he's ready, it's gonna smash him in the face. I know how to show him all this. My tour. One day, I'm gonna walk him down in my basement and be like, oh, you like action figures now? Enjoy. I'm Willy fucking Wonka.

[Jared Freed]

You can't push it too soon. So for those that don't know, Greg is a action figure collector. He's got all the Marvel ones, he's got the Star wars ones, and he's a huge Star wars fan. So, you know, the problem with this is, like, you have to remember it is a kid's thing. Like you, I could understand forgetting.

[Greg Stone]

Now, here's the thing, right? This is the issue is I have, like, real. Real, like, kind of deep thoughts on. On action figure collecting and toys and all that.

[Jared Freed]

One.

[Greg Stone]

I don't. I don't. Not that I don't like the term collecting, but I don't like when you think collecting. I just think of a guy who grabs stuff and hoards it and keeps it. For me, this is all imagination. Right?

[Jared Freed]

Right.

[Greg Stone]

Toys. We. We. We say the children. Other. For children. Why do we say they're not for adults? It's like, why is pink for girls? Why is anything right for me as an artist? This stuff a. It gives me a dopamine drip. I buy it. I feel good for a second. It's like, look, I can't get into meditation. That's all too much, you know? Like, I'm not trying to better my life. I'll just buy a toy and feel good for 20 minutes.

[Jared Freed]

Okay. Everyone gets hit in different ways. You know, there's shopaholics, there's alcoholics. There's. You know, there are all these aholics, you know?

[Greg Stone]

Right. And when I. And I'm a writer, you know, so when I write, for me, it's all about fidgeting. Right. Like, I always have something in my hand. Speaking of which, it's like a little Star wars thing in my hand.

[Jared Freed]

Just held up a C3 podcast.

[Greg Stone]

No, no, that's a. That's a. What is that the Walker from.

[Jared Freed]

I know, but what. What? I know what those are, but atsd.

[Greg Stone]

I always.

[Jared Freed]

Didn't you always think that that was such a. Like, a bad idea for, like, an attack vehicle, really, to put, like, the tanks on legs? It just seems inefficient.

[Greg Stone]

I guess you could step over stuff, but, like, your balance seems very off.

[Jared Freed]

It seems way off. It seems like it has a. I mean, I. What did you think when Family Guy did those episodes where they, like, made every joke you could ever make about Star Wars? Like, did you feel like. Did you, like. I mean. No, no, no. I'm not saying you were offended, but I'm saying, were you, like, oh, you did all the jokes. Now I have to, like, say it's a Family Guy joke. Like, doesn't it feel like that a little bit?

[Greg Stone]

Yeah. I mean, like, I don't do, like. Like, Spaceballs was unbelievable.

[Jared Freed]

Right.

[Greg Stone]

You know, and I guess Family Guy, like, they did all the jokes. They did point out some things where I was like, what was good about Family Guy is they pointed out shit that was, like, real nerd. Like, the idea, like, I had never noticed that Lando is wearing Han Solo's clothes in Return of the Jedi. So I don't know the story behind it, but I guess.

[Jared Freed]

Right.

[Greg Stone]

They didn't know if Han Solo was coming back, so they just got Lando instead. And then, you know, Han Solo, I can't think. You know, Harrison Ford was like, no, I'm coming back. And they're like, okay, well, you're in the movie now, too. That's why it seems like he's almost like Shoe Horden a little bit.

[Jared Freed]

Oh, interesting.

[Greg Stone]

Yeah. But they essentially gave the wardrobe to Lando, so he's wearing his outfit and flying his spaceship, and no one really says anything, but they pointed that out in Family Guy, which I had never noticed.

[Jared Freed]

Right. Well, I mean, that's the thing. Like, for every one Family Guy thing they point out, it's like, there's like five that you've said with your friends already. You know, that's the, that's kind of it. I would think that it kind of ruins the fun of like getting to talk shit about it, but I watched those family guys and I was like, I was like impressed. Like, it was like, it was like fun.

[Greg Stone]

It was done with love. There's like nerds who love nerd shit, right? So, like from my, my Star wars love, like, I thought the sequels. I liked the Force Awakens because I was like, okay, seems like we're playing the same plot, right? But we're seeing cool stuff. It's the setup. The second movie I hated because they kind of ruined Luke Skywalker. There was clearly an agenda there to be like, hey, we're, we're getting rid of all the old characters and we're giving you all new characters to sell toys and to keep this going forever. So they kind of disrespected story didn't come first.

[Jared Freed]

Right? And. Well, that's the problem with like, I guess the AI of it all. If we come back to that, like, yeah, you're just like, hey, it's kind of like when you, when something gets cast versus like something that just happens with friends, you know, like, you know, they do this sometimes. You know, there was a period of time we're podcasting, they're like, we're casting podcasts. And you're like, well, you can't cast good repertoire and like a lived in relationship, you know, like. And it did I. That second one for Star wars, it was, he's kind of jokey. And he, you know, it is interesting that they tried to make Lou Skywalker into Yoda. And like, I had forgotten how like jokey Yoda was.

[Greg Stone]

Yeah, Yoda wasn't really jokey. He had some like, kind of funny lines, but they weren't.

[Jared Freed]

But he was like kooky when they first. That's true. It wasn't, but. But he was like a crazy guy. Like, he was weird.

[Greg Stone]

He was 900. He said some things were funny. But that's the problem with Marvel. And so the problem with Marvel and Star wars now is it clearly you can see they found a formula and now they got afraid to get away from the formula. So they're like, everything kind of looks the same. You can tell it's been punched up from the outside because all the jokes are like clearly shoved in as opposed to. But if you watch, if you watch Rogue One, which is, I think maybe the best Star wars movie and you look at K2. So the robot. I can't think of his name. I'm a little tired. I apologize. All of his jokes are all very natural. They're all just the way he says a thing, is just his personality, as opposed to being like, well, that's why my wife left me. It's like, what? That's so stupid.

[Jared Freed]

Yoda wife or whatever.

[Greg Stone]

You know what I mean?

[Jared Freed]

Yeah. I. That Rogue One also has. We're trying to go from here to here. Like, I think that's the beauty of that, is, like, they were told, we want a story. If you're going to start from a produced space, hey, make a story where we. How we got the map, right? It's like they had this one little thing from the original Star Wars. It's like, how'd they get this map of the. Of the. What's it called? The. The Death Star?

[Greg Stone]

The duck. Yeah, there was a. There was a tear. There was not tear, Duck. A duct that the. They had to shoot a missile through, which was also. Sorry to interrupt. One of the biggest plot holes in all of Star wars was they were like, wait a minute. You build this whole thing, yet you have this one duck that can blow the whole thing up. So then they go back in Rogue One and they were like, there's a reason for it. This guy did it on purpose. He didn't want to be designing it for the Empire. And you go, fucking beautiful. Make me that movie.

[Jared Freed]

Right? It's a. It is a beautiful thing. They took a joke that Family Guy would have done. Like, how is there this one thing on the Death Star that, you know, could. Or blow up the whole thing? And they're like, that's a good start.

[Greg Stone]

Yeah.

[Jared Freed]

And. But that, you know, that is like, the mix. It's like, you know, with all this creative stuff, it's like, where we get lost. It's so interesting to me because it's like that comes from, like a. Okay. We love this movie so much. We know that there's this, like, quirky, funny plot hole.

[Greg Stone]

Right?

[Jared Freed]

Okay, let's go from here. And it's the same thing with, like, the AI and, like, you being like, oh, I like me, I'm writing poetry. Okay, let me get some background music. Okay. Let me go to my. You know, it is. Everything gets ruined by the people who try to repeat it. You know, like, whether you. What you're doing with the music is morally wrong or right. There is. You know, I. I don't think it's morally wrong because you are in the service of creation. Like, you're like, I want to make this thing. And it's not like you're going, I want to make this thing so that I can make a million dollars. Like I. And it is from a and but also in a court of law, someone could go, no, no, same as the other shit to you still a cop, you know what I mean? Like, still not using ip, still not paying the right people. But yours came from a more honest place than the like. Let's say your poetry becomes the number one hit in the country. Then the next, the next thing will be the company that goes, okay, we got to take all this poetry and dump it into AI and then add in some background music and you know, try. And then you. Then you go, oh, we've mass produced something that came from a good place.

[Greg Stone]

Yeah, my whole thing with AI is AI is now the piece of paper. So you still need an artist to draw on it. So you'll see a lot of people who are just going to put out a lot of pieces of paper. Really just take the AI they say a thing and it's good. It's like, but how can you make this creative, right? So with AI drawing, same thing I was doing a similar thing is I can't draw, right? So I would be like, AI draw me a picture of a robot choking an alligator, right? Then I would take that into like photo manipulation. I'd cut it up, cut it apart and I'd redraw over it because it would give me a place to start and like a place to do things. And that's what I'm okay with. If I can use that as a helper, I'm okay with it. But if it's doing all of the creation, then what the fuck am I doing as an artist? Like, how can I be artistic with this tool?

[Jared Freed]

Speaking of the future, I am sitting here. We are sponsored. Even if your grandparents aren't tech savvy, they can figure this one out. The aura digital frame. Do you have an aura digital frame? I'm going to show it. I'm going to show it on YouTube. If you're watching. I mean, it's beautiful, it looks good in your home. I'm showing it on YouTube now. I have it. You basically a frame that you upload photos onto from anywhere. So you can get this aura frame, put it at your parents house and then just like shoot in pictures of the kids, of you, of you and Tina. It is WI fi connected digital picture frame that shows off all your favorite photos and videos. Add unlimited photos to the frame straight from your smartphone using the app so you can change up what's being displayed anytime. So my mom has one, my parents have one, and I'm on the account, my brother's on the account, my brother's wife's on the account, my dad's on it. We're all just shooting pictures onto here.

[Greg Stone]

Yeah. So man, if I'm gonna help your ad, please, so much because my mom has one and she, I don't get to see her often, so I just send her pictures of the kids.

[Jared Freed]

Yeah.

[Greg Stone]

And she just gets pictures of my kids right onto her thing. And she said she. And then she could say, oh, they like this one. And she loved it. She goes, oh, I saw the new kids and I didn't realize what you're talking about, but I was like, yeah, my mom, my sister got her one for Christmas.

[Jared Freed]

I mean you, you wouldn't know that. It's like a machinery. Like it looks good, it looks like it should go in a home. But I would even say your mom or dad or whoever you're giving this to, I think it's the best tech gift because they don't have to do it. You just put it in their house and then walk away. You have the app, you upload, they don't have to do anything. They just have to look at it and then they're going to, you're going to come home. Like you could have the least tech savvy parent or grandparent and you can just go, where do you want this? And they're going to love it. And I'm, I'm loving it.

[Greg Stone]

Right.

[Jared Freed]

Like all you have to do is place it in their home and connect it to the WI fi and it's like over. And now they're the happiest people alive. So every time they get a picture.

[Greg Stone]

They get really excited.

[Jared Freed]

They come right?

[Greg Stone]

Very excited.

[Jared Freed]

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[Greg Stone]

Sure.

[Jared Freed]

Wicked.

[Greg Stone]

Wicked. Wicked. Like a witch?

[Jared Freed]

No, Wicked. Wicked. Well, Wicked, yeah.

[Greg Stone]

One word.

[Jared Freed]

You could say whatever you want. I just woke.

[Greg Stone]

Bullshit. No, I'm kidding. I don't.

[Jared Freed]

What if you just went on a 30 minute rant? It's these. It is a symbol of how woke we've gotten. I mean there are. What do you think of. What do you think of the fandom that goes with Wicked?

[Greg Stone]

So I don't know much about it. I. I heard like Wicked's about like her side of the story of the witch maybe, which seems interesting. I have no idea.

[Jared Freed]

I think you'll like it considering. I think this is like very much in the like Star wars lore type of like you know, building the story type of thing. I. It is funny. We're Two people who have no. Have never seen it. And to some people, it is like their favorite show of all time.

[Greg Stone]

Like, I thought it's a play. Broadway.

[Jared Freed]

No, it's a Broadway show.

[Greg Stone]

Right, A show.

[Jared Freed]

But I think it's like, you know, when I'm looking at like, the Wicked fandom, it is hilarious to me that, like, theater kids are always just going to be theater kids no matter how old or where. Like, just as an outsider's point of view, it's like there is a gushing going on that I'm like, I recognize this gushing from a certain person you would know growing up.

[Greg Stone]

Yeah.

[Jared Freed]

And you're like, oh, that's what they do. But now it's like it's just on en masse.

[Greg Stone]

Yeah.

[Jared Freed]

So it's like kind of like, weird to watch like, the whole pop culture narrative be taken over by like the most dramatic fan base. Like, because what I've found with Wicked is so the story is about how the, you know, the Wicked Witch of the west is actually the good, you know, she's misunderstood.

[Greg Stone]

And Glenda, your sister is a bitch.

[Jared Freed]

I guess the Glenda, the Good Witch is considered like, you find out, like, she's the asshole. And it's fucked up.

[Greg Stone]

That's pretty fucked up. I'm, I'm sure there's some old wizard of boz heads who were like, what? You're ruining my Luke Skywalker. You're ruining my Glenda.

[Jared Freed]

That is interesting. That's a good point. What if, what if they did that to Star Wars? What if they were like, they did.

[Greg Stone]

That to Luke Skywalker.

[Jared Freed]

Did they?

[Greg Stone]

Luke Skywalker attempted to murder his nephew after, first of all, Luke Skywalker.

[Jared Freed]

Sorry, Wicked, I forgot. You forgot about this. You're right.

[Greg Stone]

Darth Vader, and he's his father. The emperor said, I'm, I'm destroying the whole universe unless you turn. And he said, I'm not turning. I will die here and let everything. I will not do that. I will, I will not. And I believe in my father. I believe my father, the most evil person that killed children. Jedi throws his lightsaber. I am a Jedi like my father before me. Throws this thing on the floor. They Emperor goes to kill him. Vader saves him.

[Jared Freed]

Right.

[Greg Stone]

So you're telling me the guy who did that is going to go to his nephew and try to murder him in his sleep.

[Jared Freed]

So let me give you.

[Greg Stone]

You don't like Star Wars?

[Jared Freed]

Well, let me give people a backstory because no, I, I, I, I, as a, you know, kind of a fringe Star wars fan. I know what you're talking about. But someone who's never seen it in the original movies, Luke basically comes to his dad. Spoiler alert. His dad is Darth Vader. I am your father. So. And then he, like. And then Darth Vader saves Luke in the end, who gives himself up in, you know, the spirit of good. And then. So then they come back and they're like, we're making three new Star wars movies. And the whole thing is like, it's a big deal. They're. They're making new narratives, new characters, new stories. And the Darth Vader character is. What's his name?

[Greg Stone]

Well, it's kind of the sun. Not really any.

[Jared Freed]

Well, Kylo Ren. But what's his. What's his name in real life?

[Greg Stone]

Driver. Adam Driver.

[Jared Freed]

Adam Driver plays like the. So he plays the son of. Of Han Solo and Leia and Princess Leia. And then he goes to get trained by Luke Skywalker and he starts going towards the dark side. And the storyline is that Luke gets so afraid of his nephew becoming Darth Vader that he goes to kill him and he loses it in his sleep in the most. In the most, like, horrific way. You know, in his sleep is like the most. You know, the. What's it called? Like, just the less unhumane, inhuman nephew.

[Greg Stone]

That's your best friend and your sister's kid, right? Trusted you to watch, right? Shows a little bit of a sign and you're like, well, off with his head.

[Jared Freed]

Right? They don't even show even. It would have helped in the story if they had had a run up, like, of like showing him kind of going bad. Like, you couldn't even defend it because there was no. There were no scenes to, like, get us.

[Greg Stone]

That's the thing. If he gets there. I need six movies on what happened to Luke Skywalker.

[Jared Freed]

Right.

[Greg Stone]

I need that story. You can't do that off screen.

[Jared Freed]

You need six movies of why is Kylo Ren deserved to be killed in his sleep.

[Greg Stone]

Yes, yes, exactly.

[Jared Freed]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Greg Stone]

So, yeah. And also, like, you have to remember, like, in the original movies, Darth Vader was the most evil. He was the evilest of evil. And the whole story was that he then becomes redeemed and Luke is the goodest of good. So, like, that to me is what Star wars is, right? Everyone wants to get like, oh, but.

[Jared Freed]

Like, but how could they mess this up so badly? That's crazy. Like, you.

[Greg Stone]

Money, money.

[Jared Freed]

It's money that was involved. But I'm saying, like, you know, someone like you exists out there who's, like, cares about the franchise.

[Greg Stone]

Yes.

[Jared Freed]

And then they're sitting in a room, like, throwing a baseball in the air, and they're like, oh, yeah, well, we'll kill him off. We'll have them try to kill him in his sleep. And, like, are they making these decisions that frivolously like that? That to me, did they ever answer to that?

[Greg Stone]

No. So here's what I think, right? I think Ryan Johnson had an idea, right, of like, oh, what if we did this? Right? But all the people behind him, all of the big studio people were like, hey, man, as long as you kill these fucking characters, I don't care, right? Because here's the thing. You have to remember, the prequels were bad movies, right? Those movies were not good. They just were like, George Lucas, he had a good story. They were good Star wars, but he didn't tell them, right? But then Dave Filoni came along. He's a director who created the cartoon the Clone Wars. And that is a giant cartoon that you made fun of me on my podcast.

[Jared Freed]

If you can go to listen to welcome to Talk Town. We have a huge argument about the Clone wars cartoons, but not. I wasn't making fun of those shows as much as I was making cartoon. Well, I did call it a children's cartoon, but I was making fun of the idea that if someone doesn't like Star wars, that they would like that show. And you were convinced that you should show them 17 seasons of a children's cartoon.

[Greg Stone]

Yeah. What that show did was ultimately someone who loved those prequels. It highlighted them and been like, hey, this is why it's good. This is what he was trying to say. This is what we were trying to do, right? So then you watch that show and you go, oh, fuck, if they would have told that story. That's what they. Whatever. So now you look back and you go, but people who. I'm sorry, I'm off case. People who were raised on the prequels love them. Who were children. They watch them as kids. They love them, right? So now what they're saying to do is like, so it doesn't fucking matter. People who are raised on these new movies will then grow up and love them. And that's who we want. We want the future kid who's gonna keep spending money. We don't care about old people or.

[Jared Freed]

Store put gas in the car.

[Greg Stone]

Yeah.

[Jared Freed]

I would argue, though. I went back and watched them all over the last, like, couple months. Those prequels aren't so horrible. Like, I and I know I'm not. That's not really a hot take anymore. Like, I watched those and I enjoyed them way more than the new ones.

[Greg Stone]

Like, Ewan McGregor should have back surgery after holding those movies on his shoulders. Ewan McGregor is a fucking saint. No, I love the prequels too, but after watching Clone Wars, I love them more because Dave Filoni essentially showed people what the vision there was. And you go, oh, this makes way more sense, right? Like, when you learn Count Dooku's backstory, you're like, oh, like, whoa, this guy's super deep. But, like, I don't think that George Lucas is a great director. He's a great world builder.

[Jared Freed]

Don't you think it's funny, though, that no one from the Wicked, you know, no one that was a huge wizard of Oz fan, was like, mad that they made the Good Witch evil and the Wicked Witch movie came out. Well, the whole premise of Wicked is like, someone who feels othered is, like, given.

[Greg Stone]

Yeah.

[Jared Freed]

Is shown why they were pushed to, like, you know, be. To fight. There are fighting for their, you know, their rights, so to speak. To, like, be heard. I gotta see it. I listen.

[Greg Stone]

I.

[Jared Freed]

This is bad.

[Greg Stone]

Talking about it, because I have no idea.

[Jared Freed]

I know. Well, now someone's listening. That's like a huge Wicked family and, like, clenching their fists. They're, like, angry, but they're smashing their.

[Greg Stone]

Sunglasses against the brick wall like you.

[Jared Freed]

Did with welcome to Talk Down.

[Greg Stone]

Yeah.

[Jared Freed]

So. All right, well, okay, here's another word. Okay, you ready? Aliens.

[Greg Stone]

Oh, too scary. Love it, but too scary. I loved aliens, but, man, that movie. Oh, alien.

[Jared Freed]

Well, that's funny that you go right to the movie. What were we talking about?

[Greg Stone]

Alien.

[Jared Freed]

I went, oh, it's funny that your. Your brain. You go straight to the movies. I was like, what do you make of, like, all the alien news that's going on?

[Greg Stone]

What? There's alien news? I live in a fucking two children under three years old black hole. I know nothing.

[Jared Freed]

I mean, it's all on TikTok. Like, maybe now you'll probably get one TikTok about it and, like, you'll never get away from it. But everyone, basically, there's like, I get like 30 million TikToks a day just being like, there are aliens here. They're all here on Earth. On Earth. Like, if you go look up there in Scotland at the airport, there's like this little disc. They have it on video.

[Greg Stone]

I don't care. I mean, like, I. We. Here's my way of looking about aliens and AI do it come save us. I don't want to be.

[Jared Freed]

I think they save us.

[Greg Stone]

We don't deserve to be in charge. I want to be, you know, when you see those oil spills and there's a duck and he's covered in oil, and then humans come and they save the duck and they clean him. I don't want to be the hand anymore. I want the hand to come us and clean our oil off. I don't want to be the top anymore. I want to be the dogs of the civilization.

[Jared Freed]

So let's say the aliens show up and then they go, all right, you're my dog, you know, you're my pet, Greg. You're like, okay, I'm in.

[Greg Stone]

Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

[Jared Freed]

Because here they sleep on the floor. You know, there's your little dog bed, your Greg bed.

[Greg Stone]

Because, I mean, if a dog could talk to you, right? If a dog could be like, hey, man, could I have a better bed? You'd buy him a better bed. Like, we have the ability to talk, so we'll tell them. But to them, like, we. The best we could communicate to them, I think would be enough to get what we are to be happy.

[Jared Freed]

You make a good point, but you're forgetting that, like, dogs are the only ones we really treat that way. Like, it is kind of crazy to think, like, as far as the, you know, the life lottery is concerned, dogs have won. If you think about it for the most, I guess maybe I'm not thinking of, like, an abused dog, but I'm thinking of, like, there's dog, right? There's this. What?

[Greg Stone]

There's fringe, right?

[Jared Freed]

Right, this. But I'm saying for a domesticated dog that has won, what's going on, you would think, but they get their balls cut off. So I don't know.

[Greg Stone]

I'm fine with that. I'm absolutely fine with that.

[Jared Freed]

You want your. Your balls cut off, make you the pet.

[Greg Stone]

You take the balls off a dog. He stops humping the couch. I would love whatever humping the couch for me is to be gone. I don't want to look at women on the train. I don't want to be horny. I just want to watch Star wars and be left alone. You're going to get three meals a day, and I could just watch my comic book movies and play with my toys, throw a couple tennis balls my way. Couldn't be happier.

[Jared Freed]

It's not a bad life. I. The, the problem is you have to trust that the aliens get here and they go, oh, humans sleep on the end of the Bed, like, as opposed to humans. Get in the cage and I'll bring my alien children to look at you at SeaWorld. Like, SeaWorld is also a possibility.

[Greg Stone]

I think the chances of them coming here to take our resources or to SeaWorld US is a lot slimmer than them coming here and being like, oh, like we're just going to look at them and be like, you know, I mean, like, if you could travel the way they traveled. The insanity it takes for them to even find us for how big the cosmos is. So, like, the way aliens work in is the thing that drives me nuts is that, like, in order for aliens to exist, in order for us to exist, the. There's billions upon billions of things that need to go right in order for us to happen on Earth. So the chances of that happening are so slim that it's insane. So not only is it slim for happening in this galaxy, it's slim for happening in this time period. So, sure, aliens could exist, but maybe not for 60 more billion years, I guess.

[Jared Freed]

But if you look at, like, human history, let's consider, like, the people living in Europe as aliens to the people living in Africa. You know, when they sailed up on the sea, they were. I'm just saying, like, they sailed up. They didn't say, be friends, let's just hang. They went to war. You know, they, you know, people were atrocities.

[Greg Stone]

So this is going to sound racist because people aren't listening on a deeper meaning, but my wife is. But, like, just imagine you're sailing and then you get to an Asian country and then you see. You look the way you look and then you see an Asian person, and then you go, whoa, that's crazy looking guy. And then you just go further and it's millions of Asian people. You.

[Jared Freed]

I wouldn't see anything at all. I would say we're all human beings and we're all right. You're not getting me in on this discussion, Greg. I don't like where this is going.

[Greg Stone]

I don't think it's right.

[Jared Freed]

I'd give them a hug, I'd kiss them on the lips, and I'd say, let's all treat each other equally and fairly. No, I understand what you're saying. It would be shocking.

[Greg Stone]

It would be shocking. I'm not saying you go to war with them, but you'd be like, yeah, they clearly were aliens at the point.

[Jared Freed]

Well, in the same way that, like it. I always think of this, like, when you eat like a, like an apple, like the first person to eat an apple.

[Greg Stone]

Right.

[Jared Freed]

Must have been like, mind blown, like, and how scary that was.

[Greg Stone]

Yeah. Like, eat an apple. Yeah. I'm so sorry.

[Jared Freed]

No, no, no. You don't be sorry. I'm just saying, like, you, maybe you picked up a leaf first and you're like, oh, this is gross. Why would I eat this? It did nothing for me. And then, like, you're like, okay, but that round thing, I should. Could I give that a try? And then you, you're like, but the leaf was horrible. And then you do it. It's like this grand surprise, you know, like, lose it.

[Greg Stone]

Because you're also like, this could kill me. But I have in a long time. We got to start trying everything. And you grab an apple, and it's the most, one of the most delicious things in the world.

[Jared Freed]

Well, this could kill me. Could also be the reaction of seeing someone that looks completely different than what you're used to. I, I, that could be another reaction. So. And that comes out in different ways, too.

[Greg Stone]

The. This was a joke. This was like a joke I used to do when I first started doing standup. I don't. It's probably stupid, but I always thought about, like, how blowjobs were, like, the first town that the first person that tried that was like, this is amazing.

[Jared Freed]

Right?

[Greg Stone]

But back then, they probably didn't know that you have to have sex through the vagina. Right? So they start telling his friends. Next thing you know it, no one's having babies in that neighborhood. And now they're like, witches are doing this. And they just start killing all of the women, right? Because they realize it's just like everybody.

[Jared Freed]

Like, this bit took quite a turn. I didn't see the. So this is the Salem witch trials is now we're not having babies because of blowjobs.

[Greg Stone]

They just, but they just, they never put it together that the blowjobs because they don't know about sex. So they just go like, babies aren't happening. Wonder why it must be the moon. Must be Larry.

[Jared Freed]

Kill all the Larry's or whatever fun, fun podcast from you would be history with Greg. You just started Salem witch trials. And, like, how did we get here? And you just make it up.

[Greg Stone]

I don't.

[Jared Freed]

Let's do it.

[Greg Stone]

Want to be doing things with you.

[Jared Freed]

Let's do it. We'll make up the history. History with Greg and Jared. Greg Stone, thank you for coming on.

[Greg Stone]

One last thing.

[Jared Freed]

Oh, go ahead.

[Greg Stone]

About witches. It's a great fact I learned, which I probably got a tick tock but I thought was so interesting. Do you know why Witches have cats.

[Jared Freed]

Why?

[Greg Stone]

So this is mind blowing. So the whole thing with witches was. So the plague was being spread by mice and rats. By rats. Right. So women who had cats didn't have rats, so they didn't get the plague. So then people were like, well, that's a witch. Because she knew. Yeah.

[Jared Freed]

Or oh, they didn't get the plague.

[Greg Stone]

They get the plague. So she must have been a witch.

[Jared Freed]

Oh, wow.

[Greg Stone]

And so now all the people with cats, they were like, they're all witches. And that's why ever you see a.

[Jared Freed]

Cat with a witch, that's unbelievable. And then it just catches on and it becomes the brand.

[Greg Stone]

Yep. Brand.

[Jared Freed]

That's wild.

[Greg Stone]

Cats were murdered. And now it's.

[Jared Freed]

You're like, no, I just like this cat. It was a nice pet. It was docile.

[Greg Stone]

Yeah. Yeah. Wow.

[Jared Freed]

It is wild. Well, Greg Stone, thank you for coming on the great chit Chat Wednesday. Everyone go follow Greg at Greg Stone on the social media. Also, welcome to Talk Town that is out on podcasts. Go listen to my episode. I was on two of them. So much fun. Greg gets really angry with me. Um, check it out. Uh, we'll be back next week.

[Greg Stone]

Boom.