Zac Amico's Morning Zoo

Episode 46 – Na’im Ali & Sydney Gantt

Date: September 21, 2025
Host: Zac Amico
Guests: Na’im Ali, Sydney Gantt
Producer/Booth: Shannon
Podcast Network: GaS Digital Network

Overview

In this fast-paced episode, Zac Amico is joined by comedians Na’im Ali (from "True Dat" and "Durag & the Deer Tag") and Sydney Gantt ("World War Fun") for a typically unhinged, laugh-out-loud drive-time romp. The crew riffs on family traditions, black holidays, wild funerals, children's books with a twist, comic book lore, the psychology of trinket collecting, wild Florida mugshots, and more—mixing sharp cultural observations with casual chaos and edgy humor.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Lateness & Family Time Games

[01:38–04:00]

• The crew talk about calling Na’im earlier to ensure he’s on time (“This is exactly how my family treats me – they tell me everything starts early, so I’ll be there on time.” – Na’im, 02:38).
• Discussion devolves into how, in their families and especially black households, event times are flexible (“My mom does the opposite; she tells everyone a later time so she’s not the latest.” – Sydney, 03:29).
• Multiple stories about food, lateness, and various Thanksgiving/dinner habits—including who gets asked to bring what dishes.

2. Toilet Paper, Food, & Family Rituals

[06:00–08:28]

• Hilarious discussion of not flushing toilet paper in some cultures (“I don’t want people seeing my shitty toilet paper – have shame!” – Na’im, 07:23).
• Jokes about food-induced colored bowel movements, with Zac recalling how blue cereal led to alarming results for his mom (“When I was a little kid, my mom called the doctor because I had shit forest green.” – Zac, 07:51).
• Brief tangent on Pepto-Bismol turning stool black, confirming it’s temporary and harmless (“Pepto Bismol can cause black stool... reacts with sulfur...” – Zac, 08:49).

3. Quick Plugs and Promotions

[09:41–11:14]

• Plugs for "World War Fun," "True Dat," "Durag and the Deer Tag," and Zac’s stand-up & tour (“Too Fat 2 Furious 2 Sex and we’re going to be doing stand up and stunts...” – Zac, 11:14).
• Reminder to subscribe to get Friday's bonus episodes.

4. Corpse at the Club: Wild Funeral Customs

[12:26–18:33]

• They react to viral news of rapper Goonew’s family propping up his embalmed body at a nightclub memorial (“I think the thing that's most disturbing is that he's standing.” – Zac, 15:09).
• Funny and morbid speculation about logistics (“They probably stuck some fucking poles up the back of his heels.” – Na’im, 13:26; “Just pour some lean in his mouth.” – Sydney, 13:44).
• Philosophical debate about death and memorials in black communities.

5. Children’s Book: “Stay Away From Snow Bunnies”

[20:04–24:47]

• Review of a children’s book warning black boys to “stay away from snow bunnies” (i.e., white girls), humorously dissecting black culture references and double standards ("Can you imagine the opposite version of this book for white girls?" – Zac, 22:04).
• Lively talk about the origins of the "snow bunny" stereotype and black/white name culture: “You got a woman with actual interest. That’s what divides it right there.” – Na’im, 21:47.

6. Great Black Names & Black Superheroes

[24:52–34:29]

• They riff on creative football player names (e.g., “General Booty,” “Kool Aid McKinstry,” “Tiger Shanks”), linking it to cultural blending: “Now white trash people are naming their kids the same thing as black people.” – Na’im, 24:42.
• Best Black Superhero Debate:
  • Static Shock: “Hands down, outta here with everybody else.” – Sydney, 28:59.
  • Others: Bishop, Storm, Spawn (“Do you count Spawn as black?” “Yeah, he’s still black.”)
  • Storm reigns due to her powers: “If you can control the weather, that’s everything.” – Na’im, 34:38.

7. The Origin of High-Fives and Cultural Mandela Effects

[36:20–40:46]

• Sydney shares how high-fives only became common in 1977, stunning everyone (“The first high five — 1977. Confirmed by my dad!” – Sydney, 37:16).
• Confusion about “the pound” (fist bump) and handshake traditions, and how pop culture backdates these gestures.

8. Florida Roulette: Guess The Crime

[57:45–80:04]

• The group plays a recurring game guessing from real mugshots what the Florida arrestees did—riffing on people's faces, names, and “I did it!” attitudes.
• Notable entries:
  • Smiling young woman: “She bashed her boyfriend’s head in with a hatchet while he was sleeping. She’s charged with attempted murder.” – Shannon, 79:01.
  • Discussion evolves into analysis of the physical cues of mugshots, assumptions, and cultural confluence shown in new “white Jaron” names.

9. Trinket Gene: Obsessive Collecting Fads

[48:48–55:08]

• Dives into why humans get obsessed with fads—Labubu dolls, mystery boxes, yo-yos, crazy bones, fidget spinners, LEGOs.
• Theorizing a “trinket gene”: “I think humans have a trinket gene. Like we have a gene for God... there’s a trinket gene for sure.” – Sydney, 53:56.

10. On Childhood Trauma, Therapy, and Family

[70:12–76:16]

• Zac, Sydney, and Na’im get candid about therapy, processing trauma, and parent–child communication.
• Memorable story: Zac’s private blog gets printed and read aloud to the school’s child study team: “In my mind, now I get it. This is the villain arc. This is how we got here.” – Na’im, 73:41.
• Sydney and Na’im share real experiences with therapists feeling out of their depth.
  (“My college therapist told me after one of our sessions... he went home and cried because he couldn’t believe my coping skills.” – Sydney, 72:07).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Family Lies and Black Holidays

• Na’im [02:38]:
  “This is crazy because this is exactly how my family treats me. They tell me everything is starting an hour earlier than it actually is so I can be there on time. And I feel like everybody just lies to me now. Now everybody’s just lying.”
• Sydney [03:29]:
  “My mom does the opposite...she tells everybody a later time so that she's not the latest. She lies the other way.”

Cultural Hygiene (Toilet Paper)

• Na’im [07:23]:
  “How about this? Have some shame. I don’t want people seeing my shitty toilet paper. Absolutely not. Put that shit in the toilet, bruh. The fuck are you doing?”

Corpse at the Nightclub

• Zac [15:09]:
  “I think the thing that’s most disturbing is that he’s standing. They could have put him in a chair. I think if he was in a throne... way less creepy.”

• Sydney [15:20]:
  “Would it bother you? Because it would bother me less if he didn’t look like he would still pull more bitches than me.”

Black Superhero Debate

• Sydney [28:59]:
  “Best black superhero? Static shock. Hands down. Outta here with everybody else.”

• Na’im [34:38]:
  “Storm’s pretty strong. If you can control the weather, that’s everything.”

Name Creativity & Football

• Zac [26:43]:
  “Nitro Tuggle looks like a badass.”

• Na’im [26:04]:
  “Yo, his dad has to be a clown. Kool Aid...”

High Five Origin

• Sydney [37:16]:
  “The first high five. 1977. Confirmed by my dad, saying that they didn't exist.”

Florida Roulette Standouts

• Na’im [63:00]:
  “Like, his name’s Jaron McFarlane. A white guy with glasses. America, now is America. We got a white Jaron.”

• Shannon [79:01]:
  “She bashed her boyfriend’s head in with a hatchet while he was sleeping…charged with attempted murder.”

Humans & Trinkets

• Sydney [53:56]:
  “Dude, I think humans have like a trinket gene.”

Additional Timestamps for Key Segments

• Plugs & Promotions: [09:41–11:14]
• Corpse at the Club Discussion: [12:26–18:33]
• Best Black Superhero Debate: [28:54–34:29]
• High Five Origin: [36:20–40:46]
• Florida Roulette Game: [57:45–80:04]
• Therapy & Trauma Stories: [70:12–76:16]
• End of Show: [80:04+]

Tone & Atmosphere

Casually outrageous and irreverently funny, the energy is familial, fast, and fiercely honest—a blend of classic morning radio and contemporary, off-the-rails indie podcasting. The hosts and guests riff comfortably, dropping subversive takes on everything from bowel movements to family trauma, uniting pop culture, black communities, and personal vulnerability into a chaotic—but surprisingly structured—comedy jam.

For New Listeners

You don’t need to have listened to previous episodes or know the guests personally to jump in—this episode’s chaos is welcoming, with discussions that are as culturally sharp as they are laugh-out-loud reckless. The show’s highlights include cultural tales, comic book nerd-outs, games, and an unfiltered look at the overlap between black and mainstream American culture. If you like your morning radio with a shot of truth serum and zero restraint, this is your zoo.