21: #21 | What Happened in the Year 2003?

Summary

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Public Figures – Episode 21: "What Happened in the Year 2003?"

Hosts: Brian Bates, Aaron Weber, Dusty Slay
Date: June 24, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this lively and nostalgia-driven episode, the Public Figures trio—the always affable Brian Bates, the sharp-witted Aaron Weber, and the dryly mischievous Dusty Slay—dive into the cultural, historical, and personal significance of the year 2003. The conversation covers everything from the Iraq War and technological revolutions to sports, pop culture, and their own quirky life stories during that year. This episode is filled with playful banter, side-splitting digressions, and unique perspectives on news, music, television, and more.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Where Were They in 2003?

(53:01–57:13)

• Dusty: Working at a TV station, managing the assignment desk, and dispatching crews on news stories. Reflects on almost 20 years in news and describes his role as similar to a dispatcher, fielding morning meetings and handling breaking news.
• Aaron: Age 21, living in Opelika, Alabama, working at Office Depot, still on probation, and “wanted a fresh start.” Moves to Charleston, SC with friend Joey after a lackluster New Year’s party and a break-in at his trailer.
  • "2003 is when I turned 21 and legal now. Stuff got wild and it was great." (53:26, Aaron)
• Brian: In fifth grade, playing YMCA football ("one of the last years I was quarterback"), with his arm in a cast for much of the season.

2. Life Riffs & Personal Anecdotes

(05:29–15:06, throughout)

• The group shares gig stories, mishaps at comedy clubs, awkward Uber experiences, working with family, and the struggle of adulting.
• Memorable Moment: Aaron recounts sticking up for his mom at Office Depot after a customer made her cry, nearly getting fired, and the customer returning the next day with flowers. (54:11–55:19)
  • "Because he needed somebody to step to him, and that's what I did." (55:23, Aaron)

3. Major News Events in 2003

(69:22–71:47)

• Iraq War: Operation Iraqi Freedom begins. President Bush’s “Mission Accomplished” speech.
  • "We defeated the Iraqi army in two weeks. And then it was smooth sailing after that." (69:28, Brian sarcastically)
• Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster: Often overlooked compared to Challenger, it broke apart on re-entry, killing all seven astronauts.
  • "Isn't it amazing that people don't even… I've never heard of this." (71:28, Brian)
• Tennessee Lottery: Legalized in 2003—Dusty reflected on how often callers would request lottery numbers at the news desk.

4. Sports: Iconic Moments & Forgotten Names

(79:48–85:45)

• Super Bowl: Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat Oakland Raiders (John Gruden as coach).
• College Football: Last year of split national champions (LSU & USC). Jason White wins the Heisman Trophy—remains one of the least memorable winners, retiring before ever playing in the NFL.
  • "He signed a two year contract with the Titans...before the season even started, he retired." (81:50, Dusty)
• NBA: Michael Jordan’s final season; LeBron James enters NBA as #1 pick in a legendary draft class; his son is now playing.
• Alabama Football Scandal: Mike Price hired, fired for off-field hijinks, replaced by Mike Shula.
  • "He went to a strip club in Pensacola, Florida, brought a woman back to his hotel...charged $1,000 to the room..." (83:23, Dusty)

5. Pop Culture: Music, TV, Books, & More

Books:

• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix leads book sales; Brian's family bought four copies so each kid could read it simultaneously (72:31–73:51).
  • "We had to buy four copies of the books at once. So every kid had one right away." (72:51, Brian)
• The Da Vinci Code and Moneyball are released.

Music:

• Top Album: 50 Cent, Get Rich or Die Tryin’, with “In Da Club” as the year’s anthem.
  • "I love that album. Gosh, I love that album." (89:53, Aaron)
• Nora Jones' "Don’t Know Why" also dominates (classic confusion on the song title).
• Outkast’s “Speakerboxxx/The Love Below” and Linkin Park’s “Meteora” are also top albums.
• The Blue Collar Comedy Tour becomes a cultural phenomenon.

Technology:

• Apple launches the iTunes Store, changing how people access music. MySpace launches; the hosts reminisce about their top 8s.
  • "I loved MySpace...I just thought it was blowing my mind." (88:32–88:56, Aaron)
• Flash mobs become a thing.

Television:

• Shows that ended: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dawson’s Creek, Oz, The Practice, Sabrina the Teenage Witch.
• Shows that started: Arrested Development, The O.C., Two and a Half Men, Reno 911!, NCIS, Mythbusters, and America’s Next Top Model.
• Kenan Thompson joins SNL, marking the start of his record tenure.

Film:

• The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King is the top-grossing movie; Finding Nemo also huge.

6. Cultural Shifts & Generational Reflections

(43:17–48:55)

• A spirited, ongoing debate about whether things are getting better or worse:
  • “Would you rather live in 1970 or live now in 2026?” (44:55, Brian)
  • Arguments about technology, music, PTSD, and the “good old days.”
  • Listeners write in with both optimism (“young people are safer, healthier, and more responsible than any generation before”) and pessimism (“things are progressively getting worse”).

7. Fun Listener Comments & Banter

(24:35–48:55)

• The gang reads and riffs on listener emails—including praise for Dusty’s country music playlist and debate about Brian’s infamous bad impressions.
• Multiple running gags: Uber mishaps, Dusty’s hat collection, the Brian-and-Aaron odd couple dynamic, and attempts to describe Olivia Newton-John.

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• "I'm not arguing that he blends in a little bit better than I do since he is a professional soccer player. I'm just saying I get out there in the middle of the field..." (35:45, Dusty on soccer inconspicuousness)
• "When I worked there, Palm Pilots, and it was like, oh yeah, look at this." (57:48, Aaron waxing nostalgic on Office Depot)
• "We need some, you know, Jeff...Jim Ross...Vince McMahon type people" (37:57, Aaron wishing sports commentators were like pro wrestling hosts)
• "Would you rather live in 1970 or live now in 2026?" — "I think 70s or 80s, you know, you got. There's less technology. You could, you know, you just buy yourself a little land. You could work a regular job and pay all your bills." (44:55, Brian & Aaron)
• "We all got naked...I think everybody had a great time." (77:13, Aaron on an unforgettable party)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 03:15 – Show starts after ads; banter on Father's Day, comedy gigs
• 05:29 – Aaron's Austin gig stories, comedy club life, Mandela effect joke on Nate Bargatze/Bargetzi
• 13:14 – Brutal bomb at Palace Theater; magic transcending language
• 18:24 – Brian's Hattiesburg gig; getting outsmarted by a weight-activated gate
• 24:32 – Listener comments and banter
• 43:17 – Is society getting better or worse? Cultural debate
• 51:15 – Transition into “What Happened in 2003?”
• 53:01 – Where were the hosts in 2003?
• 69:22 – Major news coverage: Iraq War, Space Shuttle Columbia, lottery
• 72:31 – Pop culture: Books, music, MySpace
• 79:48 – Sports in 2003 (Super Bowl, Heisman, LeBron’s draft, etc.)
• 95:11 – Iconic TV shows that began/ended in 2003
• 106:33 – Top movies and music of the year
• 114:04 – Episode wrap-up and upcoming dates

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Episode Tone and Style

• The episode maintains a balance of heartfelt nostalgia, comic absurdity, and biting sarcasm—anchored by the hosts' unique personalities.
• Listener comments and spontaneous tangents are embraced, often spiraling into hilarity or deeper debate.
• Callbacks and inside jokes abound (e.g., “get loose,” “Brian’s impressions,” “we all got naked,” “public offenders” podcast idea).
• True to form, the hosts are self-aware, poking fun at themselves and each other, never taking anything—including their 2003 selves—too seriously.

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Closing Thoughts

2003 was a year of change—for the world, for pop culture, and for the young (or fifth-grade) versions of your favorite podcasters. This episode is a must for anyone looking to relive the early-2000s, reflect on how much (or little) has changed, and laugh alongside three comics who remember just enough to get themselves in trouble.

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Notable Quotes Recap

• "Operation Iraqi Freedom. The Iraq war started, right? Saddam Hussein, all that." (69:22, Dusty)
• "He went to a strip club in Pensacola, Florida ... charged $1,000 to the room ... just having a great time." (83:23, Dusty on the Alabama football coach scandal)
• "I loved MySpace. I just thought it was blowing my mind." (88:32, Aaron)
• "I love that album. Gosh, I love that album." (89:53, Aaron on 50 Cent)
• "Kenan Thompson's been on SNL Valerie's whole life." (105:13, Brian)

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“We’re having a good time.”

Transcript

[Aaron Weber]

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[Aaron Weber]

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[Dusty Slay]

Welcome to the Public Figures podcast, where three public figures get down to the level. You common folk. You know, most people like the common folk. There's always one that says, that's not nice. But nine out of ten say they like.

[Brian Bates]

I like it, too, but I feel like it's getting more aggressively mean every week.

[Dusty Slay]

I thought that was.

[Brian Bates]

I just like to see where this is, you know, a couple months from now. Good morning, idiots.

[Aaron Weber]

I like the idea that they pop in their headphones, they start a podcast immediately.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

Are. Are down.

[Dusty Slay]

I mean, I think if you check it out first time, you're like, public figures. I don't know who these guys are.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

So we're.

[Aaron Weber]

Well, at least two of them.

[Dusty Slay]

That's probably true. That is probably true. So it's just all tongue in cheek here, guys, but welcome as always, Aaron Weber. Dusty Slay. All right, this weekend I'm going to be in Columbia, Tennessee, at the Packard Playhouse. Aaron, what about you?

[Brian Bates]

Where am I going to be? I don't know. I got a lot of dates coming up. I know I should. You told me to be ready for this, but I'm not. But I got.

[Dusty Slay]

All right, what about you, Dusty?

[Brian Bates]

Go ahead, Dusty.

[Aaron Weber]

I'm going to be in Lake Charles, Louisiana, at the Golden Nugget Casino. Very excited.

[Dusty Slay]

That's a nice hat.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, I'm very excited. Yours is a nice hat, too, Brian.

[Dusty Slay]

Thank you, Dusty. Some say nicer than yours.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah. You've been trying to push that narrative. I think he got a compliment on his hat and then immediately became an insult to me.

[Dusty Slay]

Well, I know you take great pride in your hats. Everyone always tell you how cool your hats are.

[Aaron Weber]

Well, they are cool, and I appreciate them saying that.

[Dusty Slay]

This was a Father's Day gift.

[Aaron Weber]

Was it? Yep.

[Dusty Slay]

Yep.

[Brian Bates]

And I got a. Oh, Happy Father's Day.

[Dusty Slay]

Thank you. Same to you. I got a tops shirt as well I'll be wearing on a future episode.

[Brian Bates]

All right. I like that, dude.

[Dusty Slay]

Yep. Yep. Happy Father's Day to you guys. Father's Day. One of that and your birthday. The two holidays you celebrate. Congratulations.

[Aaron Weber]

I don't really celebrate any of them.

[Dusty Slay]

I know.

[Aaron Weber]

I'm to be honest with you.

[Dusty Slay]

Well, happy Father's Day.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah. Thank you.

[Dusty Slay]

Happy Father's Day, Aaron.

[Brian Bates]

Thanks, man.

[Dusty Slay]

Did you guys do anything fun?

[Brian Bates]

Nah.

[Aaron Weber]

I was in Austin, Texas, and on Father's Day.

[Dusty Slay]

Okay.

[Aaron Weber]

So I was there doing comedy.

[Dusty Slay]

Yep. How was the weekend?

[Aaron Weber]

It was great. I did the mothership 5 shows all sold out.

[Dusty Slay]

Boom.

[Aaron Weber]

And it was great. And I love it. I love doing that club.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

And you know what? I always talk about Austin in a way, because I say it's 6th street is insane. I always say that. But I also talk about the homeless situation. But you know what? This time, not really that bad. It feels like they've really cleaned up the homeless situation in Austin. And it was. It was nice. I walked around, you know, there's still people out there. It's not a big deal if there's a, you know, a homeless person or two. Right. But it's like one time I was down there and I was like, whoa, this is wild.

[Brian Bates]

And there was just a line for dusty show. Yeah, well, that.

[Aaron Weber]

That is what I said. Because there's so many comedy clubs on 6th street that it's like people come up to me on the street and I can't tell are they a homeless person or an open micr.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah,

[Aaron Weber]

I actually met a guy, he

[Dusty Slay]

called himself probably both.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, I actually met a guy, he called himself a Fender. That was his stage name. Nice guy. But he was like, yeah, I live in this van right here.

[Brian Bates]

So his name was Fender or Offender.

[Aaron Weber]

Offender. Because he's, you know, he tells offensive jokes.

[Brian Bates]

Hope he doesn't have a first name.

[Aaron Weber]

He was a nice guy.

[Brian Bates]

Okay, I know. I believe you. I believe you.

[Aaron Weber]

I think his name was Jacob.

[Brian Bates]

Jacob. Offender.

[Aaron Weber]

Jacob. And then goes by Offender.

[Brian Bates]

Oh, okay.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, okay. It could be Offender. Like a offender guitar, maybe.

[Brian Bates]

That's what I thought you said originally.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah. Or a, you know, offender of a car.

[Brian Bates]

Fender bender.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Okay.

[Dusty Slay]

He should start a podcast, Public Offenders.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

So I've heard that club is. It's like, perfect, right?

[Aaron Weber]

It is. It's really. It's really nice. I. I really enjoyed it.

[Brian Bates]

Connor Larson was with you?

[Aaron Weber]

Connor Larson was with me. Ye. Yeah. And it was great. I love the club. And, you know, they have two rooms, one green room. But they, you know, they give me the option when I headline to have a closed green room. So it feels pretty good. Feels like I'm really exercising some power. I'm like, I don't think so, guys.

[Brian Bates]

Wow, you got the whole green.

[Aaron Weber]

But I just.

[Brian Bates]

It is because all the comics in Austin hate you, but probably had a good week.

[Aaron Weber]

But all the, like, like, I don't know, quote unquote, famous comics still come in there and hang out.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

You know, but it's like, it's just too many people on a showcase. I don'. Want a whole, you know, I don't want it all crowded up. And Paula Shore was there on Sunday. He was doing the other room, and, you know, we were hanging out together, and I never met Pauly Shore before.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah, what was that like?

[Aaron Weber]

He's great. I had a great time hanging with him. Yeah, you know, I'm a. I'm a Paul Shore fan. I mean, he was. His movies were out in my era of MTV and movies, and I like him. Yeah, I thought he was fun.

[Brian Bates]

The wheeze man.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, he. You know, it is funny to see him now. Like, you know, he's an older guy. I'm older. We're all older. But, you know, you think about this guy I've been watching now. He's just, you know, he's like a grown man out here now.

[Brian Bates]

He's wheezing the prune juice.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, yeah.

[Brian Bates]

It's a joke he tells.

[Aaron Weber]

Okay. And he's great. And then on Saturday, I found out Nate was in town doing Nate Bargazi, our friend. You know, listen, I think there's a Mandela effect. You guys familiar with that?

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

Nate was Nate Bargazi forever. And then one day on this podcast, he was Bargetzi. And what does that mean? I think that you started calling him

[Brian Bates]

by his last name.

[Aaron Weber]

I think there was a bit of a man, he's saying.

[Dusty Slay]

He said the. The name changed.

[Aaron Weber]

They changed the name, and everybody was like, it's always been Bargetzi. And I go, no, it's been Bargazi.

[Brian Bates]

That's always how he said it. Bargetzi. That's how his family says it. Yeah, but it's spelled Bargotzi, so the world has pronounced it that way.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, but he was in town, and

[Brian Bates]

we got to the bottom of that.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, Well, I just, you know, I always say it wrong, so I just want to clarify that it, like, as all Mandela effects, it goes. That's how I remember it.

[Dusty Slay]

Someone commented this week, how come you don't know how to say his name?

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, because it's. This was how it was told to me years ago. And then the, you know, Mandela effect through the. Through cern, they changed this. His last name, and. But I was messaging him to get him to come do a guest spot on my show. And then he goes, oh, I got a matinee. So I just popped over real quick to the. To the Moody center to do a quick set in front of, you know, 15, 000 people.

[Brian Bates]

Wow.

[Dusty Slay]

And how was that?

[Aaron Weber]

That was fun. It was a lot of fun.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Eight minutes.

[Aaron Weber]

Eight minutes.

[Brian Bates]

What's it like doing the length of time you let your openers do?

[Aaron Weber]

Well, it's challenging.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

You know, because I was, you know, the rise. The round.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

And I got into the round, though. I could see how that. Because I. I think I swayed less. I was fidgeting less because I was walking around.

[Brian Bates]

I really wish there were a comedy club in the round. I heard that there used to be one. Right. Or maybe there still is one.

[Aaron Weber]

I don't know.

[Dusty Slay]

I don't. Can't think of one.

[Aaron Weber]

Oh, that sounds like that could have been a comedy zone type gig where.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah, maybe.

[Aaron Weber]

But it was great, great weekend. Loved it. Connor did great.

[Brian Bates]

Awesome.

[Aaron Weber]

Had our friend Cameron Shepard do a guest spot on the show.

[Brian Bates]

Sing any songs on your show?

[Aaron Weber]

He didn't sing any songs. I asked him to be clean. His songs are good, but they would not. Not fit in well.

[Dusty Slay]

See, at Austin.

[Aaron Weber]

He's in Austin now. Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah. He used to live here.

[Brian Bates]

He used to. He started here. Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah, I think. Did you mention him last night?

[Brian Bates]

Maybe. Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

So we did a show together last night. We were here at the the Lab doing a Father's Day show.

[Aaron Weber]

Okay.

[Brian Bates]

The Dad's Night out. Yeah. Edition of Zany's All Stars where there were nine comics, three of whom were fathers.

[Aaron Weber]

Oh.

[Brian Bates]

But it was a dad's night out, was it? It was me. Brian and Jay Flake were the only.

[Aaron Weber]

Wow.

[Brian Bates]

Not really, man.

[Aaron Weber]

What you say all dads in the audience.

[Brian Bates]

No, no.

[Dusty Slay]

I thought it was supposed to be. You're supposed to do all dad material. So my whole set was dad stuff. And after a while, people were like, dude, can you talk about something else?

[Brian Bates]

I was like, get that lame dad out of here. Trying to have a good time.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah. But Saturday night I was in Gallatin, Tennessee, at the Palace Theater. And that was a great show. Thanks for the folks who came out to that.

[Brian Bates]

That's a cool theater, man.

[Dusty Slay]

You've done that.

[Brian Bates]

I opened for James Gregory there years ago. Had the worst bomb of my entire career.

[Dusty Slay]

That's funny because the guy who opened for me said you had the worst bomb he'd ever seen.

[Brian Bates]

Is that true? I believe it. If he was at that show.

[Dusty Slay]

No, it was a different show.

[Aaron Weber]

James Gregory shows were hard.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah, it was a magician. And he said he was with you on the infamous Corporate. You did.

[Brian Bates]

Whoa. He was at that gig.

[Dusty Slay]

He said he opened for you.

[Brian Bates]

He. No, I kind of opened for him. He was going around doing magic. That was the luncheon where nobody spoke English.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah, he said he did great.

[Brian Bates]

I'm sure he did. Because magic transcends language.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Language is all I got up there.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

So it's pretty tough when they don't speak the same way.

[Aaron Weber]

And it doesn't count as a bomb if they don't even know what you're saying.

[Brian Bates]

It counted, dude.

[Aaron Weber]

Okay.

[Dusty Slay]

It felt like it didn't.

[Brian Bates]

It was so bad that I, I. I walked all the way to my car, like, two miles to my car. And then the lady called me and said, you forgot your check. And then I sat in the car, and I was like, I'm not coming back. I'm not walking back in the room.

[Aaron Weber]

Oh, yeah.

[Brian Bates]

To get the check, mail it to me or burn it. I don't care.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

I just want to go home.

[Aaron Weber]

I get it. I get it. That's why it's great.

[Brian Bates]

So funny that guy was on the show. He's a good magician, right?

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

It's great to have an agent, you know, where you go, I'll just talk to my agent. They'll get the check for me.

[Brian Bates]

And then they don't.

[Aaron Weber]

They'll get it. Yeah, they'll get it.

[Dusty Slay]

You drive by and you see flames coming up, and they burn it that quick, you know?

[Aaron Weber]

Speaking of that, though, I was. When I went to go to the Moody Center, I got an Uber, and my Uber driver didn't really speak very good English. And then as we got to the Moody center, he was like, this is where all the. You know, my map. I had a pin that I sent him, and that's where he was to take me. And he was like, this is where Uber drops off for the Moody Center. I go, yeah, but that's not where I'm going. And we were going back and forth, and then it's like his map was telling him to go a different way, and he's like, I can't go that way. And I go, yes, you can. Like, he goes, the cops are blocking it off. And I could see where the cops were blocking the street, and it was not the street that I was telling him to go on. And we almost got into an argument. I go, just let me out. And then a pedicab guy goes, hey, Dusty.

[Brian Bates]

Oh, really?

[Aaron Weber]

Gave me a ride for free.

[Brian Bates]

Wow. Well, that worked.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

I don't know if I've seen that,

[Aaron Weber]

but I was just like, dude, just follow the mat. Yeah, you're making this complicated.

[Brian Bates]

But he. He's probably got in trouble before for doing that. He's just a little gun.

[Aaron Weber]

He got in trouble with me. He got in trouble with me.

[Dusty Slay]

How many conversations have you had with Uber driver?

[Aaron Weber]

Not a lot, but every time I do, I talk about it here.

[Brian Bates]

Have you ever given a one star on one time? Okay, not that guy.

[Aaron Weber]

Not that I gave him. I gave him three because you know what? His car was clean.

[Brian Bates]

Three is basically one. Yeah, it's five or nothing.

[Aaron Weber]

I want people to know. I don't, you know, I'm giving out fives every time this guy, it's like, just follow the map. All I want you to do is follow the map. That's all I want you to do.

[Dusty Slay]

I had one other day, wouldn't pull in my driveway.

[Brian Bates]

Why?

[Dusty Slay]

I don't know. I see him come down the road. I'm out on my front porch with my bags and he just stops. And then he just puts his like hazards on or whatever and he just watches me roll up the driveway.

[Brian Bates]

And you have a long driveway, right?

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah, I mean, it's not short.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah, yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

How many stars you give him?

[Dusty Slay]

5. I don't really remember, but I'm so non confrontational. I didn't say anything.

[Aaron Weber]

Well, you don't have to say anything, but it's like it would have to

[Dusty Slay]

be, you know what?

[Brian Bates]

Absolutely bad for me to give a one.

[Aaron Weber]

Mine was my one star. Guy was truly bad.

[Dusty Slay]

There are times when I've given. Started giving less than five stars and then he'll ask you to explain your reasoning and I'm like, I don't care enough. Just five?

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

I mean, you got to write an essay explaining why.

[Aaron Weber]

I don't think you have to. They just ask you to give feedback, but you don't have to.

[Brian Bates]

Well, I talked about on here, I had a Uber ride in Tacoma, Washington with a guy who had just soiled himself in his seat. Jaz? Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

Oh, that weekend we were together.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah. After my car got towed. And then I had to call an Uber and then the guy had just crapped his pants.

[Aaron Weber]

Did he say it?

[Brian Bates]

No, he didn't need to, man. Oh, it was right there. It was a small car.

[Dusty Slay]

I'm trying to drink water, guys.

[Brian Bates]

Come on.

[Dusty Slay]

Every time I try to take a sip, you say something that makes me want to do a spit table.

[Aaron Weber]

They did a add that on the Uber app, you know, or the I use Lyft where it says drivers who

[Dusty Slay]

don't soil their pants.

[Aaron Weber]

It has odor free. Was the car odor free?

[Brian Bates]

That's a compliment you can give them.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Okay, you can't request odor free.

[Aaron Weber]

Now.

[Brian Bates]

That should be default, but we know it's not.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah, Dusty do you ever leave your doctor's office feel like you got nothing from it?

[Aaron Weber]

Every time.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah, they usually just tell me to drink more water. No real answers or game plan. That's the reason I love Superpower. Superpower sends a licensed professional to your home or you can visit a nearby lab. It's one simple blood draw with over 100 biomarkers, which is way more than what you usually get. And it unlocks a real understanding of your body as you head into a new year.

[Aaron Weber]

Hmm.

[Dusty Slay]

The app includes a detailed information on your heart, liver, thyroid, hormones, metabolism, vitamin and mineral levels, and even environmental toxins. So from disease prevention to treating that annoying brain fog, or simply optimizing your gym game, Superpower is the most comprehensive and advanced system out there. Once you get results, Superpower actionable health plan starts based on your results. Superpower gives you access to high end concierge level care at the best price on the market. Other services can charge you up to 100, up to 500. Excuse me.

[Brian Bates]

Wow.

[Dusty Slay]

Or even $1,000 sometimes for similar or even less testing.

[Brian Bates]

Wow.

[Dusty Slay]

So make this the year you stop guessing about your health. The year's halfway over, guys. It's time to get with it. Get with it with Superpower. For a limited time, our listeners get $20 off to unlock their new health intelligence. Head over to superpower.com and use code NATE for $20 off your membership. That's Code Nate. After you sign up, they'll ask you how you heard about Superpower. And do us a favor if you could tell them public figures sent you to support the show.

[Brian Bates]

Aaron, where I was in beautiful Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Oh, yeah, I made the. Which is the home of what college? Dusty, do you know?

[Aaron Weber]

University of Southern Mississippi.

[Brian Bates]

Southern Mississippi. But you passed through a university I'd never heard of in my entire life. University of West Alabama. We drove past it. Wow. You've heard of that? No, no, I've heard of north Alabama, South Alabama, but University of West Alabama. We drove past it. And the reason I mentioned that's because that's the pretty much the only thing you see between Birmingham and Hattiesburg. That is rural area, dude, there's nothing out there. Long drive. We got there. The show was great. I had Lee Kimbrell with me. Very funny comics. Mary Ryan Brown, he's from Hattiesburg. And then our old friend Landon Bryant. Landon talks, lives in Laurel, Mississippi, about 30 minutes away. And I was like, why don't you come down, do a spot? So he came down and hung out and it was just A. A fun, fun show for everybody.

[Aaron Weber]

Go see Mayor Toby.

[Brian Bates]

Mayor Toby came. I offered him a spot on the show, too.

[Aaron Weber]

Okay.

[Brian Bates]

And he. He didn't want to do it.

[Aaron Weber]

I don't think he does comedy.

[Brian Bates]

He does do stand up.

[Aaron Weber]

Oh, does he?

[Brian Bates]

Yeah. And I'm told he's very funny. This is the mayor of the town.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

And he does stand up, and Mary Ryan Brown will actually take him and have him open for all over the state. So I go, dude, why not give the mayor five minutes?

[Aaron Weber]

He doesn't want to bomb in front of his whole constituents.

[Commercial/Announcer]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

He only goes out of town.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

But it was just such a funny sentence. Mary Ryan Brown's daughter was in the green room, and she was like, is. Is mayor to. Is Mr. Toby gonna do a set? And she was like, no. You remember, he's asked. He is the mayor of our town.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

And I was. I don't think that's ever been said in a comedy club.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

He can't do a spot because he's the mayor of the city. It was just. Just bizarre. But everybody was so great there. It was so much fun. I had a funny thing I thought of y' all about. We were staying at an Airbnb right by the theater, and they had a garage with, like, an automatic door. And so we pull up. Lee and I are in my car, and we pull up and we type in the code, and it doesn't open. So we're like, oh, what do we do? So, like, we type in the code. There's a door. You can get inside the garage, but the gate doesn't open. We can't figure out how to get the gate open. I'm in my car waiting for Lee to figure out how to open this gate, right? And Lee's over there, he's, like, waving his arms. He's touching everybody. Can't get this gate to open. And I go, let me come and take a look. So I walk inside around the gate. I step in front of the gate, and the gate opens. It was weight activated.

[Aaron Weber]

It's a cattle gate.

[Brian Bates]

I can't get this thing to move. I go, let me look, dude. And it just opened immediately. As soon as I stood in front of it, you heard it go, jeez.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

I was like, wow, man, that is humbling. Lee goes, we don't have to talk about that again if you don't want. No, I'll bring it up.

[Dusty Slay]

Up.

[Brian Bates]

That's pretty funny.

[Dusty Slay]

Wow.

[Aaron Weber]

You know what? Speaking of Lee, we're going to do a new show at Zany's at the lab on the 24th. We're doing a. Probably the day this podcast comes out, and it's going to be sort of an open mic called Get Loose.

[Brian Bates]

Okay.

[Aaron Weber]

But sort of it's half booked, half bucket pulls.

[Dusty Slay]

So how about Slay Dusty?

[Aaron Weber]

Well, that's a good name. I mean, it really plays right off Kill ton.

[Brian Bates]

You have to keep it loose or can you be tight?

[Aaron Weber]

You know, I didn't come up with the name.

[Brian Bates]

Okay.

[Aaron Weber]

But I also could not come up with a name.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah, it is very hard to come up with a name.

[Aaron Weber]

So Get Loose was presented once.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah. Well, you see, it's hard. Yeah, it's real hard. As we sit here on the Public

[Aaron Weber]

Figures podcast, which we came up with, you know, I don't know, a hundred names.

[Commercial/Announcer]

Yep.

[Aaron Weber]

But so we're doing that. So if you're, like, looking to do some comedy, we're going to be doing it bi weekly. Come on down. Get in. Get in the thing.

[Brian Bates]

Or just watch some comedy.

[Aaron Weber]

Or just watch. Yeah, either way.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Anyway, I got this ball, by the way, at a Bucky's.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, it's kind of got a loose skin on it.

[Brian Bates]

It's got a real skin on the outside of it.

[Aaron Weber]

It is real loose skin. It's like a yo yo, but also a ball.

[Brian Bates]

I'll level with you. Uncomfortable to hold and touch.

[Dusty Slay]

He was throwing it around last night. Everyone who caught it would be like,

[Brian Bates]

it's fun to throw to people not knowing what it is, and they grab it and they're like, wait, what is this? Yeah, you can hold on to that, Brian. But I went to a Buc EE's in Alabama on Father's Day. It was a zoo.

[Aaron Weber]

I bet it was.

[Brian Bates]

I think I'm done with them for a while.

[Aaron Weber]

And Athens.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah, I think that one.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah. But I think I'm done with the. I think I can take a year off. For some reason, I felt like when I'm driving by one, I go, I might as well stop, see what's going on in there. I think I'm done for a while.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

You ever.

[Dusty Slay]

I agree.

[Aaron Weber]

Some people talk about that. We live in a simulation. Right. And so when I think about BUC EE's, that's what I think about. Because you go, like before, it was just there was no gas station there, you know, might have a loves on the next exit where there's, you know, a handful of people in there. And then all of a sudden a giant gas station comes. And then every time you're in there. It's full.

[Brian Bates]

Right.

[Aaron Weber]

Where are these people coming from? Were they just not stopping before?

[Brian Bates]

No, they're not going to other gas stations?

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, but I mean, I don't know. But I don't see a lot of gas stations going out business. So we. I just feel like.

[Brian Bates]

I bet they are.

[Aaron Weber]

Buc EE's has their own NPCs in there. Non playable characters that just walk around to make you think it's busy. Those people all work there. They're all hired and they're just walking around and it's just people going, have you tried all this jerky brisket on the board?

[Brian Bates]

You know?

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah, they're good actors then because they got the wardrobe down. You guys want to get in these comments?

[Brian Bates]

Let's do it. Let's start it off.

[Dusty Slay]

All right. Comments come From Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Apple Podcast reviews and [e-mail]. we still occasionally get email sent to the old email, which I check about once a month. So if you do that, you're probably not going to make it on here.

[Brian Bates]

Okay.

[Aaron Weber]

You're probably not going to make it even if you get it right.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah. The odds are slim anyway and not impossible. Rich Lind. The pranks episode is already an all timer and I'm only 40 minutes in. Dusty's quip to Aaron, I don't know. What you're doing in your bedroom was classic. I've been a fan for about three years now and I always look forward to the new episodes. Thanks for the laughs, guys.

[Brian Bates]

All right. Thank you, Rich.

[Aaron Weber]

Thanks, Rich. Rich. Rich Lind.

[Brian Bates]

Richie Rich. Remember that?

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Got nothing else.

[Aaron Weber]

It was good though, that movie. I liked it.

[Dusty Slay]

So what you're talking about.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah, I'm thinking of the movie with the kid from Seventh Heaven.

[Aaron Weber]

I don't know what happened.

[Brian Bates]

Y' all know what I'm talking about. 7th Heaven, there's the kid, Simon. And then all of a sudden he was Richie Rich. But I think it. Was it a cartoon before that? Was he?

[Aaron Weber]

I think so.

[Brian Bates]

He was like Dennis the Menace.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Okay. Sorry, Rich.

[Dusty Slay]

I remember one of the Richie Rich. I mean, well, the whole premise was he was a millionaire.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

Now, I mean, if they make it now, they'd have to make him a billionaire to even. Really?

[Brian Bates]

Yeah. It's for making a trillionaire now.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah. It was cool, though. He had that little remote control. B. Remember that?

[Brian Bates]

No, I remember he had a McDonald's in his bedroom.

[Aaron Weber]

Oh, yeah. I would look down on that. Well, back then, though.

[Brian Bates]

Back then you would have Been like, this guy is unbelievable.

[Dusty Slay]

Jim B. Aaron. Not knowing who Olivia Newton John is is mind boggling. But yes, he has a question. So I guess he asked me, is it is mind boggling?

[Brian Bates]

I don't think it is.

[Aaron Weber]

I don't think so either. It's like if you. Especially if. If you've not seen Greece, I don't know why you would really know Olivia Newton John.

[Dusty Slay]

And you were joking about Xanadu, right?

[Brian Bates]

What about. I don't remember what I said.

[Dusty Slay]

You looked her up and he's like, oh, yeah, Xanadu.

[Brian Bates]

Oh, yeah, yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

That's the worst possible picture they could have picked for her.

[Dusty Slay]

What do you mean? What?

[Aaron Weber]

It's just a bad picture.

[Brian Bates]

Well, she's dead now, so it's pretty good there. Could be worse.

[Dusty Slay]

That's her later in life.

[Aaron Weber]

It just is a bad picture, though.

[Dusty Slay]

I mean, I bet she. I don't.

[Aaron Weber]

Look at that one. Look at that one. Where the cursor's at. That's later. Yeah. And that's a good picture.

[Commercial/Announcer]

Okay.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah, but she doesn't look familiar to me in that.

[Aaron Weber]

Nah.

[Dusty Slay]

Do you know the song Physical? Let's Get Physical?

[Brian Bates]

Madonna.

[Aaron Weber]

Let's Get Physical. No, Physical.

[Brian Bates]

Isn't that Madonna?

[Aaron Weber]

I wanna get physical.

[Brian Bates]

Who's that?

[Aaron Weber]

Physical John.

[Brian Bates]

She's a singer. I thought she was an actor. I thought she was in Greece, but

[Aaron Weber]

then Reese is a musical.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah, well, John Travolta is not a musician.

[Aaron Weber]

He sings, though.

[Brian Bates]

He doesn't have a song called let's Get Physical.

[Aaron Weber]

He has one where he talks about being stranded at the drive in Branded a Fool.

[Dusty Slay]

That song was like one of the biggest songs of the 80s.

[Brian Bates]

Okay.

[Dusty Slay]

That's right. When fitness and, you know, the spandex and the headband.

[Aaron Weber]

Right.

[Dusty Slay]

And all that is going on. So. All right. Olivia, John. An. John. Joannon.

[Brian Bates]

Johannon.

[Dusty Slay]

Johannon.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah. Yeah, maybe it's Johannon.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah. I was making that harder than it needed to be, wasn't I?

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Olivia Newton Johannon.

[Dusty Slay]

Dusty, what's your opinion on Grease? Two Grease fans either love it or hate it. I personally think it's great. The cast is awesome. The soundtrack is some catchy tunes.

[Aaron Weber]

You know what? I've never seen it. I know. It's Michelle Pfeiffer. Big fan. Yeah. Very attractive lady and I like her. I think she's more attractive than Olivia Newton John. I don't know if that's a hot take or not, but. But I've never seen it. Greece too. Have you seen it?

[Dusty Slay]

I have not.

[Brian Bates]

I have.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

I Skipped the first one.

[Aaron Weber]

I think it's one of the. To me, it's one of those. If you give it some time and go back and watch Grease 2 as its own movie, it could be good. But I don't think you can watch John Travolta and. And Jeff Conaway and Stalker Channing. Stalker Channing.

[Brian Bates]

Stalker Channing. Wow. The first lady from the West Wing. I didn't know she was in that.

[Aaron Weber]

I don't think you can watch all of those and then go over and watch a Grease 2 with a whole new. Okay.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah, yeah. Aaron Vandergriff. The amount of people who don't realize that Brian knows he's bad at impressions is funnier than anything else. Well, I don't know what you're talking about.

[Aaron Weber]

I don't either.

[Dusty Slay]

I am.

[Aaron Weber]

Are you bad at him? Are that people think you're bad at them?

[Dusty Slay]

Oh, I'm. Well, I don't think that. I think I'm great.

[Aaron Weber]

So hit us with the one real quick.

[Dusty Slay]

Just so I mean, request.

[Aaron Weber]

What about John Candy?

[Dusty Slay]

John Candy?

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

From Uncle Buck.

[Dusty Slay]

You know what? I have not seen Uncle Buck, sorry to say.

[Brian Bates]

Okay, I've got what? Here you go. Stephen A. Smith.

[Aaron Weber]

Talk about.

[Brian Bates]

And Dusty Slay having an argument. Go.

[Aaron Weber]

I'll go. I think all sports are rigged.

[Dusty Slay]

Well, let me tell you,

[Aaron Weber]

that's very good. Gosh, that's good.

[Brian Bates]

Well, let me tell you, the way

[Aaron Weber]

you hit that, I started to get scared.

[Dusty Slay]

Oh, Stephen A. Smith.

[Aaron Weber]

He'll go at you.

[Dusty Slay]

Exactly. So there. Scott Johnson. Lots of teenagers and people in their 20s are taking up old school ways of passing the time and being creative, such as knitting and crocheting, etc. It's pretty neat for a man who grew up in the 1970s to see that kind of activity gaining traction amongst younger people.

[Aaron Weber]

Is that true? You heard that needle pointing is huge?

[Brian Bates]

Needle pointing.

[Dusty Slay]

Last week we talked about whittling. You know anyone who whittles, like with a wooden stick.

[Aaron Weber]

A knife and a. Yeah, a knife and a wooden stick. Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

I've got a friend who whittles.

[Aaron Weber]

You do?

[Dusty Slay]

But you're old, so talk about young people. It's you, isn't it? All right.

[Aaron Weber]

It is cool, though, that people are doing that.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah. World's getting better.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah. I think if, you know, you spend too much time on your phone, you get mad, you get a lot of anxiety and people really get mad at me. I've been on Threads a little bit and I don't know if you guys have been over there, but. But that's you think the world's falling apart. You get on threads and I try to make a little jokes here and there and people yell at me. Yeah, People are mad at me right now. I bet. I bet I'm in trouble right now.

[Brian Bates]

Hanging on by three.

[Dusty Slay]

Let's pull up Dusty's thread, see what's going on over there.

[Brian Bates]

Let's not do it.

[Dusty Slay]

Amanda. Arnold. I'm going back through the Nateland podcast from the beginning and it's just so funny to me how Aaron's demeanor changed when Dusty joined the group.

[Brian Bates]

Oh, man.

[Dusty Slay]

Dusty and Aaron are a prime example of two people who wouldn't be allowed to sit next to each other in church or at a funeral without side eyeing each other and cracking up.

[Brian Bates]

Oh, that's where she was going.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, that's true.

[Brian Bates]

I thought she was going to say he's cynical now. He's hardened world.

[Aaron Weber]

I brought life to Aaron.

[Brian Bates]

He brought life into. He breathed life into it. I appreciate it. Manda is an interesting name.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, I used to be.

[Brian Bates]

Think it's Amanda and she goes by Manda?

[Aaron Weber]

I think so, yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Mand, Amanda. Mand, Amanda, Manda.

[Aaron Weber]

I used to be. I was a real laugher, like in school and in church. I mean, if I'm not allowed to laugh, everything's funny.

[Brian Bates]

And then life broke you down or you think you're still.

[Aaron Weber]

I think I'm still like that. I just. Now I'm allowed to laugh wherever I want to go.

[Brian Bates]

Oh, yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

You know, ad reads.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah. Did you get shorter?

[Brian Bates]

I did. I lowered my seat a little bit trying to get comfortable.

[Dusty Slay]

How's that going?

[Brian Bates]

I feel better until you brought it up.

[Dusty Slay]

Hannah White. I love Abigail stories. One time I was live streaming a channel regarding a true crime case and saw Abigail comment on the stream and I got so excited. We need more Abigail. No, we don't.

[Aaron Weber]

Well, she's not here today. Good day to have that comment.

[Brian Bates]

Yep.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

No, Abigail's great.

[Brian Bates]

Very into true crime too, so that doesn't surprise me.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, I. I love that ever. Like it feels like anxiety amongst people is like all time highs. And also true crime is that like all time? Like people are so into it.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

And then now they know every way somebody could break into their house and kill them.

[Brian Bates]

Oh, yeah. Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

I don't feel like you want to know all that unless you're like, you know, trying to, you know, prepare a defensive strategy.

[Brian Bates]

Right.

[Aaron Weber]

Which I don't think most people are.

[Dusty Slay]

And it's mostly women that are into it. Right.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah, I like it. Too.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah, that makes sense.

[Brian Bates]

Sorry.

[Aaron Weber]

I know a guy that whittles.

[Dusty Slay]

Nick fazino. Fazino.

[Brian Bates]

Hey, nick, Man.

[Dusty Slay]

Spain played Cape Verde in a World cup match. I say that, right?

[Aaron Weber]

I have no idea.

[Brian Bates]

Right?

[Aaron Weber]

I don't think it's right, but I don't know. Verde does sound more like Verde.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah, whatever. I think we got a Cape Verde listeners out there.

[Aaron Weber]

Cape Verde sounds like a dessert.

[Brian Bates]

Eat a little salsa Verde, dude.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

Mikhail. Oh, Yara Zabal.

[Brian Bates]

This is a minefield of skill.

[Dusty Slay]

Started the first 30 minutes without touching the ball once, breaking a record since 1966, which leads me to believe that old brigade biodegradable baits could blend in better on the field than Dusty in the pool. Well, that's what I've been saying the whole time.

[Brian Bates]

That's crazy.

[Dusty Slay]

I think that kind of proves it,

[Aaron Weber]

I mean, I guess. Yeah. I mean, if. If, If. If soccer or. Or football, as people like to call it, is, if not touching the ball for 30 minutes is allowed to, even in the World cup, in the greatest games of the. I don't know of the season. I don't know how it works, but there's a guy not touching the ball for 30 minutes.

[Brian Bates]

He's the goalie.

[Dusty Slay]

No.

[Brian Bates]

So here he is right here. I still think he would blend in a little better than you, Brian.

[Aaron Weber]

I gotta Photoshop Brian's face over this guy and let's see how it shapes up.

[Brian Bates]

Okay.

[Aaron Weber]

Dude, can we see it?

[Brian Bates]

Okay.

[Dusty Slay]

I'm not arguing that he blends in a little bit better than I do since he is a professional soccer player.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

I'm just saying I get out there in the middle of the field. I mean, a lot of these games, not World cup necessarily, but they seem they in zero. Zero.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

I just want to sell nil. I just want a soccer team to listen to this and have you out for a game and let you be on the field for a little while. And I want it to be videoed, and I want us to be able to watch it over and over again on this podcast.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

Okay.

[Aaron Weber]

And then I want to race Michael Phelps.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah. Yeah. I want to. I want to be a row of professional swimmers up on the diving board. Or not diving board. Was it the block?

[Aaron Weber]

Professional swimmers, though, not Olympic. You know, obviously not Michael Phelps, the fastest guy of all time.

[Brian Bates]

You'll race a professional swimmer, though.

[Aaron Weber]

A professional.

[Brian Bates]

You won't race the owner of the Comedy Catch in Chattanooga, but.

[Aaron Weber]

No, I will.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah. I mean, you know, it's not like we were standing next To a pool together.

[Brian Bates]

It's up to you to make it happen, man.

[Dusty Slay]

I mean, you and Nate were on a cruise together.

[Aaron Weber]

I didn't back out. I said I'm ready to go.

[Dusty Slay]

You said, I smoke cigars all day,

[Aaron Weber]

but I said I'm ready to go.

[Dusty Slay]

Okay, well, I'm right.

[Aaron Weber]

Cigars do not affect your lungs. You don't inhale.

[Dusty Slay]

You know, we did four years ago.

[Aaron Weber]

I'll go right now.

[Dusty Slay]

Four years ago, during the World cup, we did a World cup episode. And I think it was probably the most frustrated people have ever been with us who are die hard soccer fans.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah. Because we basically. We did this for the whole episode.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah, it was me, you and Nate.

[Aaron Weber]

People are so elitist about it.

[Brian Bates]

I know.

[Aaron Weber]

They're like, oh, they just treat you like you're garbage because you don't know anything about it.

[Brian Bates]

But it's the world's game. They think you're elitist for looking down on it. You know what I mean?

[Aaron Weber]

I'm not looking down on it. I just don't like it.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah, yeah, I get that. I've tried. I've actively tried to care and it's hard, man. It's really hard.

[Aaron Weber]

I think we need. You need better and commentary, like the people. When you listen, it's like we're used to our. Our commentators for football and.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

Baseball. It's like we need. We need some, you know, Jeff. Who is it?

[Dusty Slay]

Jeff Ross.

[Aaron Weber]

Not Jeff. Jim Ross. Jim Ross. Vince McMahon type people. Out with it. Jerry the King Lawler.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

I don't know. They go pretty nuts when a goal is scored, these announcers.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, but how often is that?

[Brian Bates]

Well, that's not the announcer's fault.

[Aaron Weber]

They're trying, but I mean.

[Brian Bates]

But you can get somebody like Stephen A. Smith on there. To do what?

[Dusty Slay]

Brian, let me tell you something. I mean, if you're listening, you think Stephen A. Smith's in the room, right?

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Let me tell you something.

[Dusty Slay]

I think my.

[Aaron Weber]

Think he says that a lot.

[Brian Bates]

I don't know if he does.

[Aaron Weber]

I don't know.

[Dusty Slay]

Just sounds like something. Maybe you would. I think my second sport would. Would be baseball.

[Brian Bates]

Baseball.

[Dusty Slay]

Disney hitter.

[Brian Bates]

Okay.

[Dusty Slay]

And I just get up to the plate, not even swing.

[Aaron Weber]

Hitting, I think, is the hardest part.

[Dusty Slay]

I wouldn't try to hit. I would just stand up there, not swing. Or I might swing, but I'm knowing I'm going to get a hit. But guys strike out all the time.

[Aaron Weber]

Why not be a right fielder?

[Dusty Slay]

Because then they may hit the ball to me.

[Brian Bates]

I think if you Were Brian. I think if you were the bat boy, people would ask questions. People, wait, is that guy supposed to be out here?

[Dusty Slay]

Yes, because I'm 54.

[Aaron Weber]

You don't think you could catch a pop up professional baseball that came to you?

[Brian Bates]

Right to him. I mean, right to him. Like Benny the Jet Rodriguez hitting it in the smalls glove in sandlot. I mean, but if you had to track it, I don't know.

[Dusty Slay]

When we went out at the soundstage,

[Brian Bates]

you made some good catches out there.

[Dusty Slay]

I made one, yeah.

[Brian Bates]

I'm trying to help you out.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah. But I wouldn't trust me in a professional game or anything where I have to throw the guy. Yeah. Guys, I'm right field and he's rounded second for third. He's going to score.

[Aaron Weber]

But we should. We need a reality show that Nate Land needs to create a reality show. And it's just called where does Brian Fit In? And we just take you to different sporting events.

[Brian Bates]

Comes on right after the Rearranger.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah. And we just take you to different sporting events. Yeah, but different sporting events. And then you just, you know, you wear the uniform and we see can do people notice and go, that guy's not a professional.

[Dusty Slay]

The Nashville Sounds just emailed me, asked me throughout the first pitch again, July 4th.

[Brian Bates]

Did they really?

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

That's amazing.

[Dusty Slay]

I'm so good.

[Brian Bates]

Good for you.

[Dusty Slay]

They're begging for me on the biggest game of the year.

[Brian Bates]

I love that. I love that.

[Aaron Weber]

I do, too.

[Dusty Slay]

So, Dusty, once you go throw it, our first pitch.

[Aaron Weber]

You know what? I have kind of talked to them about it, I think, but I'm not, I, I'm not really that into it because.

[Dusty Slay]

Because you stink.

[Aaron Weber]

Well, it's, it's, it's a whole. Like, what do they say? No, it's like the ratio, like, like win, win. Like there's no win. Like if it, if it goes.

[Brian Bates]

Oh, it's a lose, lose.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah. If it goes, great, nobody cares. But if I throw it, I don't know, over the backdrop, people go, this guy.

[Brian Bates]

What is it?

[Dusty Slay]

The backstop?

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

It honestly, you could spin it and it become better for you. If it's that comically bad of a pitch and you get the video of it and just lean into it.

[Dusty Slay]

They made a 30 for 30 about George Bush's first pitch. They can make a 30 for 30 about you.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

No one thought he could throw, but he did it.

[Aaron Weber]

I don't think. I don't get the impression that people don't think I could throw. So I don't want to Let them down.

[Brian Bates]

Okay.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

And you only get one. It's not like you're out there.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

You know, you get a few.

[Brian Bates]

You get one throw. We'll make it happen.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah, that is true. It's tough when you. It'd be nice to have to that first one just to get a feel for where it's going. Hang on the second one. This is the one that counts.

[Brian Bates]

That counts.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

And none of them count.

[Aaron Weber]

And let's do a full, you know, a full batter, you know.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

Like, you know, let me throw three pitches.

[Brian Bates]

There should be another celebrity who does the ceremonial first at bat.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

And then you have a full. You could try to strike them out.

[Aaron Weber]

Have a whole celebrity, two teams.

[Dusty Slay]

What about. What about stay at home? What about a last pitch?

[Brian Bates]

La. That's an old Jesse Case tweet, right? That went super viral.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah. Jesse Case tweeted, like to do a last pitch where Danny. No, it's two out spot on the ninth baseline. Danny DeVito comes to the mouth. Yeah, that's funny. Freezied one. Dusty Slay's country radio is the best playlist ever.

[Brian Bates]

All right.

[Dusty Slay]

I've listened to classic country all my life and still find hidden gems. A true work of art.

[Aaron Weber]

Well, I appreciate that. I wish I had a better way to thank you, but I don't. Freeze it won.

[Brian Bates]

What does that mean?

[Aaron Weber]

I think that's their name, you know.

[Brian Bates]

You mean a better way to thank them?

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, I mean, like, you know, if they had their.

[Brian Bates]

Give them a hug.

[Aaron Weber]

They had an. They had an actual name. Like if it were. Oh, they were Hannah White. I could say thank you, Hannah. But it's Freezied one. But I appreciate that. I worked on that playlist. It's a good playlist.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah. I thought you meant just by saying thank you, that somehow wasn't enough.

[Aaron Weber]

Now I would like to give him a hug.

[Brian Bates]

Okay.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, I mean, I know you said that.

[Dusty Slay]

I mean, I just heard from Freezey1. He does not want to hug.

[Aaron Weber]

Lala.

[Dusty Slay]

I believe every generation complains about the next, like Brian said. However, I have to agree with what Dusty is saying because things are now are actually bad and actively, progressively getting worse. Societies went downhill gradually starting around 1970 or earlier until current day and picking up speed each year. It's not improving. Well, that's what you said, right? 1960s.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

And I listen to your podcast. I kind of understand where you're coming from. That was the civil rights movement. Well, women in the workforce.

[Aaron Weber]

No, it's all about. It's all about the music started to change and then we had. We had another war. We went to Vietnam. It's like a lot of things. And then. So all these people, you know, it's like this. These. These clashings of things happening and then that, you know, the government is classically stirring it up all the time.

[Brian Bates]

And then.

[Aaron Weber]

And then you're, you know, people are coming back from war now. Everybody talks about ptsd, everybody has ptsd, but back then, no one was talking about PTSD with these guys coming back from Vietnam. And then they were just. A lot of them were homeless and.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah, it's terrible.

[Brian Bates]

So it's called shell shock.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah. So it was like.

[Dusty Slay]

But that's why the world's better now, because now we understand it.

[Aaron Weber]

It. I don't know. I don't.

[Dusty Slay]

Back then we didn't even know what was going on.

[Aaron Weber]

I did. Well, I mean, I think we've made some improvements in that area, but I don't think the world's better.

[Brian Bates]

If you could pick up your family and travel through time and just go, let me live the rest of our life in the 60s and 70s, you would do that versus now?

[Aaron Weber]

I don't.

[Dusty Slay]

Well, not.

[Aaron Weber]

I mean, maybe the 70s. I think that'd be great.

[Brian Bates]

Would you really?

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Oh, all right.

[Aaron Weber]

When the world.

[Brian Bates]

Brian, you were there. Would you take.

[Dusty Slay]

I was there for most of it, yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah. The 80s I liked. I love 80s country. And so I always say, I like 90s country, but a lot of the country I consider 90s actually came from.

[Brian Bates]

But think beyond the radio and think about the rich tapestry of life outside of songs and think, would you rather live in 1970 or live now in 2026?

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, that's what I'm saying. I think. I think 70s or 80s, you know, you got. There's less technology. You could, you know, you just buy yourself a little land. You could work a regular job and pay all your bills.

[Brian Bates]

Right.

[Aaron Weber]

You wouldn't need 14 roommates.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

And I think it'd be great.

[Dusty Slay]

The late 60s, I wasn't alive, but I've read a history book. It's pretty. I mean, Vietnam War going on, some major assassinations of political leaders. It was.

[Aaron Weber]

But if I'm my age and I take my kids back, they're not going to get drafted for Vietnam.

[Brian Bates]

Okay.

[Aaron Weber]

You know, because they're still too young. And so I think that's the spot. That's the sweet spot.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

I'm sorry you missed it, man.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, well, I often think about it.

[Dusty Slay]

Well, I'm his look. He's Trying to bring it back. Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

What about you? Where would you. You would say here.

[Brian Bates]

I'd stick with where I am right now.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah. Yeah, yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Maybe go to the future.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

What if you went to the future and you didn't? You're like, oh, Dusty was right. It is getting worse.

[Dusty Slay]

What if you said, just take me way in the future and it got to 2029 and it stopped?

[Brian Bates]

There's just nothing.

[Dusty Slay]

This is where it stops.

[Brian Bates]

Maybe. Maybe.

[Aaron Weber]

Chase.

[Dusty Slay]

Kia. When people say society is falling apart.

[Brian Bates]

Keo.

[Dusty Slay]

Keo. When people say society is falling apart, they're reacting to cultural change, not actual decline. By the numbers, young people today are safer, healthier, and more responsible than any generation before them.

[Aaron Weber]

I don't know where he's getting that from, but he shared some stats.

[Dusty Slay]

Too long.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

Smoking's at all time low, Drinking's down, teen pregnancies down.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, but there are other things that are up.

[Dusty Slay]

Christianity is up.

[Aaron Weber]

I don't think so.

[Dusty Slay]

Among gen zers. That's what I read online. First time in.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, but it's like. It's nitpicking little statistics here and there. I don't think things are better. And I think in a lot of ways, I think people were better when we were all smoking.

[Brian Bates]

And.

[Aaron Weber]

And, like, there's different things. Like, smoking's down, but more people are vaping, more people are. Do you know, it's like, it's just like people kind of nitpick statistics or there's no way to say young people are safer, healthier, and more response. Like, we just look at our. This is what they do. They go, don't believe what your eyes tell you. Look at these numbers I presented to you,

[Dusty Slay]

Lindsey Crosby. I think the fact that you three are all a decade apart in age is one of the reasons this podcast works so well. It makes your discussions and stories that much more interesting and draws so many different types of fans in. Well, thank you, Lindsay. I say that it was true.

[Aaron Weber]

But cultural change also can play a role, too. It's like, you know, we, you know, we have a Western culture, and when things, you know, start to change in

[Dusty Slay]

a way, it's like, I think worldwide, I would argue even more so. Things are better. Poverty's down, worldwide. Literacy's up. Stuff like that. I mean, I can't prove it, but that's what I read.

[Aaron Weber]

I think there's some pretty good numbers for how literacy is not doing too well. Even in our own country, people are not reading. Well,

[Dusty Slay]

I wish you'd have said people are not reading. Good.

[Aaron Weber]

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[Brian Bates]

That's right.

[Aaron Weber]

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[Brian Bates]

You hit it the first time.

[Aaron Weber]

I did, yeah. I feel like I really got to hit that g though in there's 24. 7 travel concierge included with your Chime card. You can even get up to 500 off your pay. When you say with my pay they I'm just reading it. They also have Spot Me which lets you overdraft up to 200 fee free. I'll be honest, my younger self really would have benefited from something like this. It's a smarter way to manage your money. Chime is not just smarter banking. It is the most rewarding way to bank. Join the millions who are already banking fee free today. Head to chime.comnate that's chime.comnate it only takes a few minutes to sign up.

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[Dusty Slay]

chime.com disclosures before we get into today's topic, let me share some nat land news with you guys. This yeah this it be this Sunday, June 28th at 3pm Nateland presents at the Woolworth Theater three great comics doing three half hour specials. Alex Veluto he was. He's been a Guest on the Nateland podcast.

[Aaron Weber]

Great friend to the podcast.

[Dusty Slay]

Super, super friend to the Nateland podcast. We don't know him on this one.

[Aaron Weber]

He's still a friend of mine.

[Dusty Slay]

Mike Goodwin.

[Brian Bates]

All right.

[Dusty Slay]

Mike's super funny.

[Aaron Weber]

All right.

[Dusty Slay]

He, he used to open for John Crist a lot on the road.

[Aaron Weber]

Mike.

[Brian Bates]

I spent a lot of time with Mike.

[Aaron Weber]

Mike's very funny.

[Dusty Slay]

And John Heffron. John won last comic standing. He was here for the Nateland Showcase, Season 4. And I hosted and just destroyed. Just so fun.

[Aaron Weber]

He's very.

[Brian Bates]

Such a pro.

[Aaron Weber]

I opened for John a couple of times 10 years ago.

[Brian Bates]

Me too.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah, all three of those guys are so funny. So come to the Woolworth Theater this Sunday, three o'. Clock. And speaking of, Natlan presents the Showcase. Season five is now coming up. We're going to be taping those August 23rd, 24th, 25th at the lab at Zany's. Tickets are on sale now for that. A lot of great comics on that one. And Stephen Bargetzi special Out in a Minute is out now and it is doing great, great reviews, really great. People are loving it. So go check it out. If you haven't already or even if you have, go watch it again. It's great. All right, this week we are talking about what happened in the year 2003. All right, and again, I want to start with you, Dusty. I'm still just working at the TV station. Aaron's still in school.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah, I'm fifth grade.

[Dusty Slay]

Fifth grade.

[Aaron Weber]

All right.

[Dusty Slay]

But you were.

[Aaron Weber]

Still was a tough year for me.

[Brian Bates]

Okay, well, maybe we'll go back, do some more of that.

[Dusty Slay]

What's. What's going on with you in 2003? Are you trying to figure things out?

[Aaron Weber]

2003. 2003 is the year that I do finally move from Opelika to Charleston.

[Dusty Slay]

All right, so that was a big year.

[Aaron Weber]

But it was.

[Dusty Slay]

Why did you move?

[Aaron Weber]

I moved in August, though, so there's still a lot of time. 2003 is when I turned 21 and legal now. Stuff got wild and it was great. Well, I left because I'm still, I think, 2003 rolling in. I think I'm still rolling in with the suspended license. Some of that time's a little shaky, but I think I'm at least still on probation and. And wanted a fresh start. Yeah, I'm working at the Office Depot, having a great time. I'm the receiver and, well, you know, I took the position, the receiving manager position went away, but they hired me to fill that position with no pay Raise.

[Brian Bates]

And are you buddies with the guys you work with at this point? You like all your co workers?

[Aaron Weber]

Some of them.

[Brian Bates]

Okay.

[Aaron Weber]

There's some. I. You know, I. I won't say their names, but there's somebody.

[Brian Bates]

But you remember them?

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah. I mean, I got into arguments. I got into an argument with my manager one time. This guy. My mom worked there, too. And one time this guy came in and he started. My mom was working the returns desk, and he was yelling at my mom. And then my. My mom came back to the break room. She was crying.

[Dusty Slay]

He yelled at your mom?

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah. So then I went out. My manager was helping this guy load a chair into his car, and then I yelled at that guy. And then my manager came back, and then me and him. You were yelling at each other? And he fired me. And then my mom came back there, and I go. And we were all talking. I go, well, he just fired me. And then my mom started crying again. And then. And then I told the manager, I go, you wouldn't let anybody talk to your mom like that. And then he goes, well, my mom's dead. And I go, okay, well, don't try to pull that card.

[Brian Bates]

I hate when people do that. You know what we mean?

[Aaron Weber]

And. And then I. I didn't get fired. I kept my job. And then the next day, that guy came in and brought my mom flowers.

[Brian Bates]

Wow.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah. Because he needed somebody to step to him, and that's what I did.

[Brian Bates]

Wow. So he felt so bad after being confronted by. For his. By his behavior.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

Why did he yell at her in the first place?

[Aaron Weber]

Because he was trying to return something. I think it was probably a situation where it was like, you can't return that. And so he's mad at the Office Depot Corporation.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

But taking it out on my mom.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

Who's, in fairness, a representative representation, the

[Brian Bates]

face of the operation in that moment.

[Aaron Weber]

I get. I used to get fired up. I've had to really. I've had to really tone it down.

[Brian Bates]

But how was that like working with your mom? Was it good other than that?

[Aaron Weber]

It was good other than, you know, I was into some extracurricular activities, and I would go in. In all kind of, you know, situations, and. And. But it was good. You know, I wouldn't carpool to work or anything. No, I didn't live with her.

[Brian Bates]

Okay.

[Aaron Weber]

We were just working there together.

[Dusty Slay]

But come in hungover, and you're like, she just mad at me. And then she comes in five minutes later like, oh, boy, it was a rough night.

[Aaron Weber]

No, I mean, the first part, yes. By that point, my mom was pretty chill. My mom wasn't really doing anything like that, but, yeah, I for sure would.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

And it was wild. I liked it because it was, like, in Opelika, but also close enough to Auburn where there were some college students that worked there. So it's people I didn't know.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

You know, when you work at a big chain store like that or big retail store, if you walk into an Office Depot now, do you know things that, like, I don't know about the store and how it's run and. And what's going on in there?

[Aaron Weber]

Probably so. But that's been a long time. Things have changed.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

You know, but it just. It's. Office Depot is pretty unchanged, though. I mean, things have changed, but you walk in and you're like. Smells the same.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

Even though it's different. Office Depots, they all smell the same, and they make me sad.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

When I see. Yeah. When I see people working there, I go, I'm sad for you. Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

Huh.

[Brian Bates]

So you say it was a bad experience.

[Aaron Weber]

Overall, I liked it, but it just feels like. It feels like a. A store that's. That should be done. Like Office Max and Office Depot merged, like, because you don't need all these stores anymore.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah. Staples, too, right?

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, I think so.

[Brian Bates]

So they're around, but. But you think it's sad because of where you were at in your life when you worked there?

[Aaron Weber]

No, I think it just feels like a. A store that's no longer relevant.

[Brian Bates]

Okay.

[Aaron Weber]

Best Buy feels like that to me, too. When I walk in there, all these stores that used to be cool and exciting. I mean, Office Depot had Palm Pilots, and it was like, oh, yeah, look at this. Go.

[Brian Bates]

I remember going to Best Buy in high school, after school, just to. And you would go to the Best Buy and, like, dude, they got. There's like, an Xbox out. We can play it. And.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

There's just nothing. I don't know. I'm older now, obviously, but I doubt kids think of Best Buy in the same way.

[Aaron Weber]

I don't think so.

[Dusty Slay]

They're empty usually when you walk in.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

And then it's like, every time I go, I need this. I go. I go, I could order it, but I'm just gonna go. I'm gonna go support the store. And then they don't have it. Nobody's helpful. And I go, yeah, this is why you guys are going out of business. Like, whenever they say stores. Stores and restaurants going out of business, especially corporate chains.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

They always act like it's economy stuff. And I go, no, I just think you're not keeping up with your customer service.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah, it's not a good experience.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

But what made you move to Charleston?

[Aaron Weber]

Well, I was. You know, me and a friend of mine, we ended up. My friend Joey, we ended up hanging out on New Year's of 2002 to 2003. And we were. It was like, not a good. We didn't have any good New Year's parties. Nothing was good. And we were like, we hate it here.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

And we'd said, let's get out of here. Let's. Let's make it our New Year's resolution to get out of here. So that's what we did. We just started working towards moving to Charleston.

[Brian Bates]

Wow.

[Aaron Weber]

We went to visit Savannah. We wanted to go to Savannah, but his parents lived in Charleston. So while we were in Savannah, we went up and visited them. And then we loved it. Yeah. And then while we were gone doing that, someone had broken into my trailer and stolen things for me.

[Brian Bates]

So that's a sign.

[Aaron Weber]

It's a targeted attack. Yeah. People knew where to look. And. And so I was like, let's get out of here.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

So y' all both moved to Charleston in August? Yeah, we moved.

[Dusty Slay]

And we're roommates.

[Aaron Weber]

We're roommates for about two months. And then I got my own place.

[Brian Bates]

And were there plans to do stand up or comedy in any way?

[Aaron Weber]

No. No.

[Brian Bates]

What do you think you're going to do with your life at this point?

[Aaron Weber]

I have no idea.

[Brian Bates]

You have no idea, but you're open to whatever the universe gives you?

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, I'm just like, I was pretty sick of rolling around my hometown, everybody asking me if I'm going to college. Where are you going to school at? And I just gotta keep explaining to people.

[Brian Bates]

School of hard knocks, brother. Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah. So I. Yeah, I moved and then I transferred Depot.

[Dusty Slay]

Sad.

[Aaron Weber]

I transferred with office.

[Dusty Slay]

Oh, okay.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

So you had a job.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, transferred. I was paying about four times as much rent and did not get a pay raise. I never got employee of the month at the old Office Depot in Opelika. But when I moved to Charleston, like, two months in, I got employee.

[Brian Bates]

Wow.

[Commercial/Announcer]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

Because I knew everything.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

I should have been.

[Brian Bates]

They're also just trying to keep you there.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah. I feel like I should have been the manager. They gave me two months. Yeah. They gave me employee of the month. And then I went out, you know, shortly after, I went out drinking at a place called the Plex. They used to have this bar called the Plex P L E X. Yeah. In North Charleston. And it was an old movie theater, and then each little movie theater was different bars.

[Dusty Slay]

That's fine.

[Brian Bates]

On.

[Aaron Weber]

And it was really wild. And I hung out there, and I went, and I ended up calling in sick the next day, and they called me into the office, and they got so serious with me. They go, you know, we took a chance on you, bringing you in here, transferring you, and I chance I'm employee of the month. That's what I'm saying. Yeah. Come on, guys.

[Brian Bates]

I took a chance on y'.

[Dusty Slay]

All.

[Commercial/Announcer]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

I could have transferred to any Office Depot in the country.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

You remember anything about 2003 that stands out?

[Brian Bates]

Well, I remember my mom sent me this picture last night. Is my.

[Aaron Weber]

This is.

[Brian Bates]

This is me in 2003 right there.

[Aaron Weber]

Right.

[Brian Bates]

Playing YMCA football. I think this is one of the last years I was quarterback. Things. Things are starting to change athletically for me. I would say we are.

[Dusty Slay]

Offensive lines coming up.

[Brian Bates]

My arm is behind my back.

[Aaron Weber]

Because you want to be like, Nate broken.

[Brian Bates]

No, I'm not doing a Nate impression. It is broken. I have a cast on my arm in this picture. So I played most of the season with a cast on.

[Aaron Weber]

It seems like in the. Your expression makes it seem like your arm was in front of you. And then they go, hey, let's do one without your broken arm.

[Brian Bates]

Probably what happened. And that's probably why I got a little grin on my face.

[Aaron Weber]

But, yeah, we don't want the competition to know that our quarterback has a broke arm.

[Dusty Slay]

Montgomery, what's the cp?

[Brian Bates]

Catholic preparatory.

[Dusty Slay]

Okay. All right.

[Brian Bates]

The Knights.

[Dusty Slay]

The Knights.

[Brian Bates]

There we are. YMCA football. Remember those old mesh jerseys?

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Oh, yeah, man. Yeah. You could just breathe in those things.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Felt good. Felt real good.

[Dusty Slay]

Well, I was working in the news business. I'll share a couple of news things of 2003.

[Brian Bates]

2003 is a busy year for the news. Right. Well, what. What is your role?

[Dusty Slay]

I want to get into the fun stuff, but.

[Brian Bates]

I know. But I want to. What is your role at the news station as far as in 2003?

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah, in 2003, I was on the assignment desk. I was probably the assignment manager at that point.

[Brian Bates]

Okay, so what does that mean?

[Dusty Slay]

That means almost a little bit like a dispatcher. I assigned the crews to their stories. I put a reporter and a photojournalist together. They go out.

[Brian Bates]

So you're making editorial decisions on what gets covered.

[Dusty Slay]

We would have a morning meeting where I would go over a list of of things going on, and we would decide as a group. I wouldn't make the final decision.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

Our news director would. But once we decide that, I would dispatch people.

[Brian Bates]

How do you know the news?

[Dusty Slay]

We get press releases. Yeah, Stuff like that. And then we just keep a running database. You know, if somebody's in court and they got a new trial date, we put it in for that date.

[Brian Bates]

Okay.

[Aaron Weber]

Did you ever get breaking news and run it up to them on a piece of paper or something?

[Brian Bates]

Sure.

[Dusty Slay]

And, I mean, I was.

[Aaron Weber]

Were you excited?

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah, I was the. You know, the main person would fill the calls to the newsroom. So very often I was the first one to get calls about breaking.

[Aaron Weber]

Would you run it up there on a piece of paper? I like to picture you.

[Dusty Slay]

I get winded. The other stations get it on first because I'm tired. I take a break.

[Brian Bates]

You ever wave to an anchor off camera? Just. I'm just picturing you in there, like,

[Dusty Slay]

just to mess with them?

[Brian Bates]

No, because you got important news, Breaking news or something.

[Dusty Slay]

Something.

[Brian Bates]

Tell them to stretch.

[Aaron Weber]

Do you have a headset?

[Dusty Slay]

Not in this job.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

Earpiece.

[Brian Bates]

Did you wear a little green visor and suspenders, like a stock trader? That's what I'm picturing. Extra.

[Aaron Weber]

Extra.

[Brian Bates]

Folks. I'm picturing something like that.

[Dusty Slay]

I mean, some of the stuff you're thinking about is more like a producer, which I was that as well.

[Aaron Weber]

Where

[Brian Bates]

do you have a fire pole that you slid down at the office?

[Dusty Slay]

All right, let's move on.

[Brian Bates]

You don't have a clue what your job.

[Dusty Slay]

Well, I was trying to share it.

[Aaron Weber]

I was. I actually was nailing it.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

He said what you're describing as a producer, which I also was. Oh, that's what he said.

[Brian Bates]

Okay.

[Aaron Weber]

That is what he said.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah. I was also a producer, but. But in this role.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

At this time in 2003, I think I was a. On the assignment desk.

[Brian Bates]

Right.

[Dusty Slay]

I was there for almost 20 years.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Don't be ridiculous.

[Dusty Slay]

Had a lot of jobs. All right, guys, I didn't make fun of.

[Brian Bates]

No, Brian, I'm sorry.

[Dusty Slay]

This guy's going nowhere in his life.

[Brian Bates]

Exactly. Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

You're playing peewee football. I'm the only one that had a real career.

[Brian Bates]

You're called the midgets. They still call it that. Unfortunately.

[Dusty Slay]

They called you a.

[Brian Bates]

No, that was the name of the division.

[Dusty Slay]

I know, but even that should have. You should have just. Your presence should have made them change it to something else.

[Aaron Weber]

What would you have changed it to?

[Dusty Slay]

What's the opposite of midget?

[Aaron Weber]

Robert Wadlow.

[Brian Bates]

No, that's a big, tall guy.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

I think he's making a weight joke.

[Aaron Weber]

Okay.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah, I was. Sorry. That's impressive, though, that you knew the world's tallest man and we both knew who you were talking about.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, yeah. 8 foot 10, I think 11. 8 foot 11.

[Dusty Slay]

8 foot 11.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

Y.

[Brian Bates]

We learn a lot on this. This is an educational show.

[Dusty Slay]

It is.

[Brian Bates]

I'm sorry to. I'm not trying to make fun of your job or anything, Brian. I'm sorry. I feel bad about that.

[Dusty Slay]

Do you?

[Brian Bates]

I feel like you took it the wrong way. I'm just trying to have a laugh with.

[Dusty Slay]

I took it the correct way that you guys were attacking me.

[Brian Bates]

No, I want to hear more about it.

[Aaron Weber]

I think I was nailing it. And then because of Aaron's jokes, it got roped in, like I was making fun of you.

[Brian Bates]

Idea.

[Aaron Weber]

I'm just trying to get a feel for what you're doing in there. Right where they call it in and they go. And you go, I got breaking news. And then you run it up to the news reporter's desk, and then they read it off to get it out there fast. You can't. Can't sit around on a fresh story like that.

[Dusty Slay]

You know, this was before, I don't know when the lottery came to Tennessee, but it was probably around that time. Could have already been here, but people used to call. We would give out lottery numbers on the news. So for like, the Kentucky Lottery, and I guess after the Tennessee Lottery, we still gave them out, and people would call all the time just wanting the lottery numbers. What was the pick? Three.

[Aaron Weber]

Wow.

[Dusty Slay]

So I would just have to do a lot of nonsense like that.

[Brian Bates]

Tennessee lottery started in 2003. So this is the year you start to cover it.

[Aaron Weber]

Look at the beginning of the downfall, once gambling started to get legalized everywhere.

[Dusty Slay]

Well, I don't want to judge people, just over the voice, over the phone, but it sounded like the people who least need to be spending their money on lottery tickets.

[Aaron Weber]

It always is.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Well, I have been an adult now. I did the math before the podcast started. 17 years. Wow. I've been an adult. And you know what I've learned? Adulthood is just carrying around an energy source. That's all you got. Look around. Everybody's got a coffee. They got an energy drink. You're just trying to work without staring at a wall for 20 minutes. I started noticing how much coffee or an energy drink would make me anxious. And there'd be that crash at the end. Right. That's why I started using these Ultra pouches. They're a complete game changer. I tried Ultra when we were on the the cruise back in February. I love them now. Nicotine free, caffeine free. Which sounds confusing because you're like well then what's the point of these things, right? Well they've got clinically proven nootropics and adaptogens to deliver immediate focus and smooth energy that lasts one to two hours. They're truly clean plain plant powered pouches designed to sharpen your mind, lift your energy all without caffeine, nicotine or crash. They're all trusted by top athletes, entrepreneurs and engineers around the world. My favorite flavor is the watermelon but I got right here, tropical. That's the flavor that's right on the desk right now. Ultra is the ultimate guilt free pouch delivering instant focus and mental clarity without nicotine or caffeine. New customers can use Code Nateland to get 15% off at take ultra.com that's take ultra.com for 15% off with code nateland. After you purchase the last guy you heard about them, please support our show

[Aaron Weber]

and tell them we sent you exploitation

[Brian Bates]

two given billions to Tennessee education though

[Aaron Weber]

I don't think so.

[Dusty Slay]

Operation Iraqi Freedom.

[Brian Bates]

All right.

[Dusty Slay]

The Iraq war started, right? Saddam Hussein, all that.

[Aaron Weber]

Oh yeah.

[Brian Bates]

We defeated the Iraqi army in two weeks. And then it was smooth sailing after that. Right.

[Dusty Slay]

And he landed on that cruiser.

[Brian Bates]

Yep.

[Dusty Slay]

And it was rusada to put up on the side behind him. She's like what if we did this? You remember that Dusty?

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, I think so.

[Dusty Slay]

It was just in a big mission accomplished banner behind him. And of course it drug out forever.

[Aaron Weber]

And I wasn't really keeping up with a lot of stuff going on in the world.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah, 2003, once the army is out of the equation you go, I'm not going over there.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, exactly. But I might have ended up there.

[Dusty Slay]

And I guess for people who don't know, my wife worked at the White House during this time.

[Brian Bates]

During this time.

[Dusty Slay]

So that was a. She did not come up with that. But that was the joke.

[Aaron Weber]

Which is why Brian refuses to agree with me on anything thing some type of conspiracy I think.

[Dusty Slay]

You know what the other the thing happened. Space shuttle Columbia 2003. See that's so funny. You think you're thinking about Challenger.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah. Okay. What happened in Columbia?

[Dusty Slay]

It same thing. No, except it was coming back, not taking off. Really don't even remember it, do you?

[Brian Bates]

There are people on it.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

Where'd it go?

[Dusty Slay]

Seven astronauts.

[Aaron Weber]

Where'd it go.

[Dusty Slay]

It blew up in the air.

[Aaron Weber]

No, but you said it's coming back.

[Dusty Slay]

Was coming back from space.

[Aaron Weber]

Oh, it just was in there.

[Dusty Slay]

It's just amazing how the Challenger, for people my age especially, it's such a where were you? Moment that people always talk about remembering. But the Columbia Columbia 2003. Nobody even remembers it happening.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah, I'm having trouble even finding. Okay. Space shuttle Columbia disaster. Wow. It was the second. Right. Okay. 1986 was the challenger.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

Is that video of it?

[Brian Bates]

That's video of it coming through right there. Yeah. I mean, it's already broken apart.

[Aaron Weber]

How is this video better than every video that we have now?

[Brian Bates]

I don't think it is cool. I don't think it is. It's 240p and it's black and white.

[Aaron Weber]

Oh, I think this is some of that alien footage.

[Brian Bates]

No, I think it's a shuttle that got broken up.

[Dusty Slay]

Anyway, isn't amazing that. That people don't even.

[Brian Bates]

I've never heard of this.

[Dusty Slay]

You don't even remember it?

[Brian Bates]

No. Know never heard of this, Man.

[Dusty Slay]

Dusty, do you remember this at all?

[Aaron Weber]

No. Like I say, 2003 was not the year for me keeping up with current events.

[Brian Bates]

You weren't keeping up with space travel.

[Aaron Weber]

And in 2003, I would have believed it. I would have gone, whoa.

[Dusty Slay]

In 86. You were too young. Were you four?

[Aaron Weber]

I was four. Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

That was when I would have been most likely to believe it.

[Dusty Slay]

Okay.

[Brian Bates]

It happened over Texas and Louisiana.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Wow. Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

Louisiana, Where I'll be this weekend. Lake Charles. Golden Nugget.

[Brian Bates]

That's the most shameless plug of all time.

[Aaron Weber]

Just left Texas.

[Dusty Slay]

Speaking of disasters, Dusty will be Louisiana this week. Okay. This turned to something more fun.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah, yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

Books. Let me talk about some of the top books.

[Brian Bates]

Okay.

[Dusty Slay]

2003.

[Aaron Weber]

All right.

[Dusty Slay]

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

[Aaron Weber]

Wow.

[Dusty Slay]

The biggest book of 2003.

[Brian Bates]

Book. Five out of seven.

[Aaron Weber]

Wow.

[Dusty Slay]

Did you buy it like the day it came out?

[Brian Bates]

We bought pre order not. I mean, this is how much we were into it. We had. We had to buy four copies of the books at once. So every kid had one right away.

[Dusty Slay]

Wow.

[Brian Bates]

So every kid had. He wanted to read it immediately.

[Dusty Slay]

Every kid in your house?

[Brian Bates]

Every kid in our house.

[Dusty Slay]

Even the one who went to Purdue.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah. He was 8 or 9 at this point, so maybe I don't know if he was as into it as me and my older sister and older brother, but yeah, man, it's a hot book.

[Aaron Weber]

Wow.

[Dusty Slay]

What?

[Aaron Weber]

I just. That's. That's. Yeah. The Fact that you had to buy four copies.

[Brian Bates]

We all wanted to read it.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

So the movies were coming out and the new books were coming out and they were kind of following.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah, the movies were pretty far behind the books.

[Aaron Weber]

Do you think there's any one of your siblings that didn't read it, but was like, the other siblings want it? I'm gonna.

[Brian Bates]

Oh, that's what my parents did, I think. Oh, they were like, oh, you're talking about read it reluctantly or pretend to.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah. They're like, ah, yeah. All the other siblings are reading it. I. I don't want to be the one that's not reading it.

[Brian Bates]

Of course. There's probably some of that.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

Who do you think that was?

[Brian Bates]

My younger brother.

[Aaron Weber]

Okay. The tall guy.

[Brian Bates]

The tall one.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

My young brother's 6 foot 8.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

Wow.

[Brian Bates]

I know.

[Aaron Weber]

He's like, I got other things going on in my life. I'm not going to be out here playing midget football. Okay.

[Dusty Slay]

He really was Robert Wlo. The Da Vinci Code.

[Brian Bates]

Oh, the book or the movie?

[Dusty Slay]

The book.

[Aaron Weber]

The book.

[Brian Bates]

I didn't know the book was that new. I thought the book was like, way older than that. No, I believe you.

[Dusty Slay]

Did you read it?

[Brian Bates]

No. I know about it a little bit.

[Dusty Slay]

And Michael Lewis's Moneyball, the Art of Winning an Unfair game, about the 2002 Oakland A's.

[Brian Bates]

The book was written that quickly?

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah. I was surprised, too.

[Brian Bates]

Wow. You don't even really give it time to reflect on it and see how it affected baseball.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah, but are you familiar with Moneyball?

[Brian Bates]

You see the movie?

[Aaron Weber]

No, but I. Every time I do need to watch it, because every time you say, you asked me, have I seen it, I tell you that I haven't. You say, it's really great. And then you guys agree that it's one of the best baseball movies. And then I never watch it, and I. And I should. Brad Pitt's in it. Right.

[Brian Bates]

He's the star of it.

[Aaron Weber]

Every Brad Pitt movies.

[Brian Bates]

Good. Also, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Men is in it.

[Aaron Weber]

Oh, yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Playing a very small character, but he just crushes every scene that he loves him.

[Dusty Slay]

He does.

[Brian Bates]

And Spike Jones is in it. Robin Wright is in it. You know them?

[Aaron Weber]

I like Robin Wright, but she's.

[Brian Bates]

Spike Jones is Brad Pitt's ex wife's new husband.

[Dusty Slay]

Oh, that's a. That's a man.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah. Spike.

[Dusty Slay]

What does he do?

[Brian Bates]

He's a director and actor.

[Dusty Slay]

Okay.

[Brian Bates]

He was in. He did a lot of the. He was in Wolf of Wall Street.

[Dusty Slay]

Okay.

[Aaron Weber]

And Robin Wright's Jenny he directed the movie. Yeah, yeah. She's like, you know.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

Forever, you know. Yeah. But, you know, she's in the Princess Bride too.

[Dusty Slay]

Chris Pratt's in it, too.

[Brian Bates]

He is?

[Aaron Weber]

Steve Carell.

[Brian Bates]

Golly. No, he's not in it.

[Aaron Weber]

What's he in? Like, I feel like he's in some movie.

[Brian Bates]

Like that Steve Carell.

[Aaron Weber]

I feel like he's in some.

[Brian Bates]

He was in a wrestling movie.

[Aaron Weber]

I feel like he's in some Moneyball type movie.

[Brian Bates]

No.

[Dusty Slay]

What wrestling movie?

[Brian Bates]

The Fox. Something with fox hunting foxes or something.

[Dusty Slay]

Oh, you're right. Like, I was thinking about professional wrestling.

[Brian Bates]

No, yeah, that was a great movie. Like, Greg Warren wrestling.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah, it was a true story. All right. Flash Mob started in 2003.

[Aaron Weber]

What is that? That's where people coordinate on the Internet and, like, streak.

[Dusty Slay]

No, no.

[Brian Bates]

Like, maybe on some, not the ones else.

[Aaron Weber]

Okay.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

Like at the mall. And everybody breaks out into Christmas carols.

[Brian Bates]

Oh, you remember, that was like a viral trip people were doing just.

[Aaron Weber]

I guess Flash is where. Yeah. Okay.

[Dusty Slay]

Is this when you were. I was listening to your podcast where you were hanging out naked with your buddies?

[Aaron Weber]

No, that was probably more 2000. 2001.

[Brian Bates]

Okay, well, let's. Let's take a trip back to 2001 real quick.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah. Why were you doing that, Dusty?

[Brian Bates]

When were you hanging out?

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, we were bored and we're just drinking, experimenting, had a little party. We thought. Me and my buddy. It's just me and one other guy, but it was. We were at a party with a lady. Lot of people. It was just the two of us that, you know, got naked and just hung out at the party.

[Brian Bates]

You get cleared out when two guys got naked?

[Aaron Weber]

No, it's my house and nobody had anywhere else to party, so they hung out. And we. I think everybody had a great time.

[Brian Bates]

Right?

[Dusty Slay]

Okay.

[Aaron Weber]

I think everybody had a great time.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

My buddy John.

[Brian Bates]

What's his last.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah, exactly. Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Let's break.

[Aaron Weber]

Well, I could probably say his name's John Strickland, and I don't know, I think he's in Tennessee somewhere. All right. But John was wild.

[Dusty Slay]

He just got outed.

[Aaron Weber]

We had a great time. We had a great time.

[Dusty Slay]

The itunes store launched in 2003. I had to look up how you even got songs on your ipod before

[Brian Bates]

then connected it to the computer.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah. Ripping physical CDs directly to your computer or downloading MP3s from peer to peer.

[Aaron Weber]

I'm still stuck in that technology. That's still my favorite.

[Brian Bates]

You love burning CDs.

[Aaron Weber]

I love it.

[Brian Bates]

Burning DVD.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah. Yeah, that's still my favorite.

[Brian Bates]

I used to do that a lot, man. I haven't burned a CD or a DVD in forever. But the itunes store was huge. I used to cut this guy's grass who lived a few blocks away from me, and he would pay me $25 to cut the grass, and I would walk to the Walgreens after He gave me 25 bucks. Cash. Cash. And I would get a drink and then a 20 iTunes gift card with it and then walk home and load it up and buy an album. That was. That was how I got music.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

I was also torrenting.

[Aaron Weber]

I was doing that a lot.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

What's that?

[Brian Bates]

Felonious amount of.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

You were doing what?

[Aaron Weber]

You're stealing it off the Internet.

[Dusty Slay]

Torrington

[Aaron Weber]

bit torrent.

[Dusty Slay]

What?

[Brian Bates]

Torrent. Peer to peer share.

[Dusty Slay]

Never heard that word. Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

I always justified it as I'm. Yeah, I mean, if. If you come over to my house with your CDs, I'm just gonna burn your CDs onto my computer.

[Brian Bates]

Right.

[Aaron Weber]

So rather than you having to come over, I'll just get it from here.

[Brian Bates]

Right, but you were probably also inadvertently seeding it to other people in the process, right?

[Aaron Weber]

I don't know.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

Inadvertently. Yes.

[Commercial/Announcer]

Maybe.

[Dusty Slay]

A little. Sports. Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the super bowl over the Oakland Raiders.

[Brian Bates]

John Gruden.

[Dusty Slay]

John Gruden. The Titans made it to the AFC Championship game that year, but lost to the Raiders.

[Brian Bates]

You had season tickets that year.

[Dusty Slay]

Halftime. Super old halftime performers was Shania Twain, no Doubt, and Sting.

[Brian Bates]

All right, that's an interesting mix of stuff.

[Dusty Slay]

College football had a split. National champion. Last time. They've had that.

[Aaron Weber]

Oh, that was Auburn, right? Was that Auburn 2003?

[Dusty Slay]

Nope. I think that might have been the next year.

[Aaron Weber]

Okay.

[Dusty Slay]

LSU won the BCS national championship. That's Nick Saban beat Oklahoma in Sugar Bowl. And then USC was named national champion by the Associated Press by beating Michigan in the Rose Bowl.

[Brian Bates]

And that's the last time we had one of those. Right? Yeah. And now every college football season, nobody contests. Everything's just. Everybody agrees on everything. So that's good. That's good.

[Dusty Slay]

Do you know who won the Heisman trophy that year?

[Brian Bates]

2003. Can you tell me? The team.

[Dusty Slay]

I think you were about to say it.

[Brian Bates]

Jason White.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Wow. From Oklahoma.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

I remember thinking he was, like, old, wasn't he?

[Dusty Slay]

You might be thinking of Brad Winky.

[Brian Bates]

No.

[Dusty Slay]

Okay.

[Brian Bates]

I don't know why was old, man? I'm thinking of Brandon Weed and one of those guys.

[Dusty Slay]

Jason White.

[Brian Bates]

He's bald.

[Dusty Slay]

He What? Okay, Dusty.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, yeah. I feel like you guys are just naming names.

[Brian Bates]

What?

[Aaron Weber]

That's.

[Brian Bates]

The whole show is name songs that you've heard of and then just movies that I'll.

[Aaron Weber]

No, I'm saying I've never heard of. Of these guys.

[Brian Bates]

You never heard of. You see what I'm talking about? He wasn't bald.

[Dusty Slay]

I brought him up because he is probably the least memorable Heisman winner of all time. He did not get drafted in the NFL. He signed a two year contract with the Titans. And then.

[Brian Bates]

I didn't know that.

[Dusty Slay]

And then a few months later, before the season even started, he retired from football.

[Aaron Weber]

Wow.

[Brian Bates]

He was so good that year. I remember he was unbelievable that year.

[Dusty Slay]

That was his junior year.

[Aaron Weber]

Why did he retire from football?

[Dusty Slay]

Said he had some injuries, weak knees from. From previous injuries, and just, you know,

[Brian Bates]

you might as well go get drafted.

[Dusty Slay]

It was gonna be really hard, but I think he's so.

[Aaron Weber]

Did he not make any money from the NFL? Feels like he at least stick it out and make a little money. A weak knees. I mean.

[Dusty Slay]

I mean, now with nil, he would be making so much money.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

College football, but yeah, you think.

[Aaron Weber]

I think about that with Johnny Menzel, like, gosh, that guy would have made so much money. Instead, he got drafted to the Browns.

[Dusty Slay]

Do you. Do you know who the football coach Alabama was in 2003?

[Brian Bates]

2003. Was it the last year of Mike Shula, maybe? Or was it Price? Mike Price.

[Dusty Slay]

It was your bright.

[Brian Bates]

It.

[Dusty Slay]

It was the first year of Mike Shula.

[Brian Bates]

Okay.

[Dusty Slay]

But it originally was supposed to be Mike Price.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah. And then he.

[Dusty Slay]

And he got let go before he

[Brian Bates]

ever coached in disgrace. Right. It was a big scandal.

[Dusty Slay]

You remember this, Dusty?

[Aaron Weber]

No, no.

[Dusty Slay]

You would love this guy.

[Brian Bates]

You weren't following even Alabama football at

[Aaron Weber]

this time in 2003. Yeah, I was focused on getting to Charleston.

[Brian Bates]

All right.

[Aaron Weber]

And I was 21. Yeah, I always looked young, so I couldn't drink in the bars, underage. So when I turned 21, a whole world was open to me and I learned a lot of new things and I had a lot of. Of experiences and I wasn't doing a lot of TV time.

[Dusty Slay]

Okay, well, you would love him. He went to a strip club in Pensacola, Florida. I brought a woman back to his hotel. She charged $1,000 to the room, and some other stuff happened. He was also seen going all over campus at bars, drinking with students and stuff like that. Just having a great time.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

And they. They fired him.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

I mean, it sounds like a college coach to me. I don't let this guy go.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

Just trying to get acquainted with the school, you know, Coach one game.

[Brian Bates]

Did he. Wasn't it?

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah, he did the spring game.

[Brian Bates]

Wow.

[Dusty Slay]

And then got fired. And they hired Mike Shula. Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

And we never know how it would have went. And I don't think it went well with Mike Schuler.

[Dusty Slay]

Shula. No.

[Aaron Weber]

Whatever his name is.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Don Shula, son. You know Don.

[Aaron Weber]

I know Don. Julie. Yeah. The fact that I don't know the guy's name says he didn't do well.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah, it's true.

[Aaron Weber]

I hope he doesn't listen to the podcast.

[Dusty Slay]

Florida Marlins won the World Series. Were the Yankees spurs won the NBA championship. Was Michael Jordan's last season. NBA.

[Brian Bates]

Wow.

[Dusty Slay]

With the Wizards.

[Brian Bates]

2003.

[Dusty Slay]

And then a few months later, NBA draft happened. And who Was the number one pick in the draft?

[Brian Bates]

LeBron James.

[Dusty Slay]

Yep.

[Brian Bates]

2003. Yep.

[Dusty Slay]

Right out of high school.

[Brian Bates]

Still playing to this day.

[Dusty Slay]

That was one of the best draft class ever. So he went first. Carmelo Anthony went third. Chris Bosch fourth. Dwayne Wade, fifth.

[Aaron Weber]

Wow.

[Brian Bates]

Who's third?

[Dusty Slay]

Second was third was Carmelo Anthony.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Who's second? Some foreign guy.

[Dusty Slay]

Yes. I forgot his name now.

[Brian Bates]

Just fizzled out.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah, it didn't. Didn't work out.

[Aaron Weber]

So.

[Brian Bates]

Crazy, man. 2003. LeBron's still playing. His son's playing now.

[Dusty Slay]

I know.

[Brian Bates]

It's how long ago, though? That's how long he's been playing.

[Aaron Weber]

How's his son doing?

[Brian Bates]

He did all right in the playoffs.

[Dusty Slay]

I mean, I think he's doing better than people expected.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah. And I think people kind of want him to not be good because they, you know.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

But he's good.

[Aaron Weber]

Okay.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah, he's okay.

[Brian Bates]

Sorry. Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah. I mean, I don't know if he's all right.

[Brian Bates]

No.

[Dusty Slay]

A lot of people didn't think he deserved to be in the NBA. I think he's shown that. At least that's what.

[Brian Bates]

That's what I mean.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

Do you think when LeBron retires, they keep him this his son?

[Brian Bates]

Oh, I don't know.

[Dusty Slay]

I don't know. It's a good question.

[Brian Bates]

Maybe.

[Dusty Slay]

Are they trade him?

[Brian Bates]

Who knows? When LeBron retires, it's in. Who cares?

[Aaron Weber]

In another 15 years.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

Who won season two of American Idol?

[Brian Bates]

Would you.

[Aaron Weber]

Taylor. Taylor. Is it that Taylor guy?

[Brian Bates]

Taylor Hicks? Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

No, not him. Season 2.

[Aaron Weber]

Was it Carrie Underwood?

[Dusty Slay]

I did think. Think it was somebody from Alabama, but I thought he was from Alabama.

[Aaron Weber]

Ruben Stutter.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

All right. I love Reuben.

[Brian Bates]

Corned Beef sandwich.

[Aaron Weber]

I think he had, like.

[Brian Bates]

It's a good joke.

[Aaron Weber]

Oh, yeah. I think he had trouble touring, but I liked him. I thought he was really good.

[Brian Bates]

He had trouble touring, like, physically?

[Aaron Weber]

I think so.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah. Yeah, that'll do it, man. He's a big dude.

[Aaron Weber]

And they probably. You win American Idol, they probably work you to death, you know, Doing what?

[Brian Bates]

Sing touring?

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, they go. They go, you're on our tour, you're not going to make very much money, and we're going to work you.

[Dusty Slay]

Didn't he wear shirts, like, with the Alabama area code?

[Brian Bates]

Maybe Alabama was very proud of him because that show was so huge at this time. Yeah, it was Clay. He beat Clay Aiken in the finals, right?

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, I think it was.

[Brian Bates]

Clay Aiken was the number two guy.

[Dusty Slay]

The top comedy tour of 2003 was the Blue Collar Comedy Tour.

[Commercial/Announcer]

Wow.

[Brian Bates]

That was going on then.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, I remember that. And I do remember that.

[Dusty Slay]

And the movie came out that year, too.

[Brian Bates]

Wow.

[Dusty Slay]

The movie, man.

[Brian Bates]

Cultural phenomenon that was.

[Dusty Slay]

And how many of those guys do you guys know personally?

[Aaron Weber]

I know two of them personally. I've met all four of them, but two of them I know pretty well.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah, I've only really talked to one, which is Jeff Foxworthy.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah. I haven't met any of them.

[Brian Bates]

Really.

[Dusty Slay]

No. I'd love to. I mean, I'd love to meet any

[Aaron Weber]

of them, but probably Larry the Cable Guy's my best friend. Friend. That's not true. But you like to think so. Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Y' all tweeted each other every now and then. Yeah. Yeah. He seems like a good dude. Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

In March 2003, Friendster started. Do you ever have Friendster?

[Brian Bates]

Friendster? Never. No, I didn't have a Friendster. I think I started up with MySpace. Were you on Friendster? Br.

[Dusty Slay]

I was not on Friendster, but later that year, MySpace launched.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

Oh, yeah, I had MySpace. I remember that. I was living on. On now. I don't think I'd moved to Folly beach in 2003, but I think I got a MySpace. I hadn't. You know, I had a computer sometimes,

[Dusty Slay]

and so I was looking at your MySpace page today that you created. You've obviously got it set up. Last login is today.

[Brian Bates]

Right.

[Dusty Slay]

You must have it set up where it automatically.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah, it just puts whatever the current date is on there.

[Dusty Slay]

You gotta update your age.

[Brian Bates]

I need to update my age on there, too. AaronWebberComedy.com is a MySpace page page designed to. I mean, it's designed to look like a MySpace page from this this period of time.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah, this is.

[Brian Bates]

This is what it looked like when I started here.

[Dusty Slay]

This is how I remember my space looking.

[Aaron Weber]

I loved MySpace.

[Brian Bates]

You had your top eight?

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Who was on your top eight was your friends.

[Aaron Weber]

I was rotating.

[Brian Bates]

Throw a little girl you're interested in every now and then.

[Aaron Weber]

Strangers I would meet from other states that I thought were fun. Like, I. I thought, like. I remember talking to this girl that was from Denver, and I just thought it was like, like. And when I say talk, I mean, we sent, I don't know, 10 messages.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

But I just thought it was, like, blowing my mind.

[Brian Bates]

And she made your top eight?

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah. Because I'm like, you don't want to put people in your. Too many people in your real life in the top eight. Interesting, I feel like, because then you.

[Dusty Slay]

Bout your buddy John, Was he on there?

[Aaron Weber]

No, John. I don't know if John ever got on MySpace, but y' all were close. John might have been in jail in 2003, but,

[Dusty Slay]

yeah, I. When I started comedy in 2007, my buddy helped me create a MySpace page and it. I feel like it went away not too long after that.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, yeah. Facebook really came around 2008 for. For the general population.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah. MySpace.com is still a website. I don't know what anyone does with this. I think Justin Timberlake owns it now or something. He's involved with it.

[Dusty Slay]

All right. That's just about some music of 2003.

[Aaron Weber]

Okay.

[Dusty Slay]

The top album of the year, Get Rich or die trying by 50 cents.

[Aaron Weber]

I love that album. Gosh, I love that album.

[Brian Bates]

Is that Many Men?

[Aaron Weber]

Oh, yeah. Many men wish death upon me Blood am I.

[Dusty Slay]

But you know what the top song was from that? It was the top song of the year.

[Brian Bates]

In the club?

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah, in the club.

[Brian Bates]

Wow.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

No, I like.

[Brian Bates]

That was such a huge.

[Aaron Weber]

It's not one of my favorites of the. I mean, it's not my favorite one, but I do like it.

[Brian Bates]

Could not get away from that song, man.

[Dusty Slay]

Number two was Come Away With Me by Nora Jones.

[Commercial/Announcer]

Really?

[Brian Bates]

I don't know if I know that one. I'm not.

[Aaron Weber]

Not a Nora Jones guy.

[Dusty Slay]

But, you know, you would know that one song.

[Brian Bates]

It's the second biggest song of the year. I don't think you need to be a Nora Jones guy.

[Aaron Weber]

I don't remember it. If you played it, I might know it, but I don't.

[Brian Bates]

Okay.

[Dusty Slay]

I think it was that one song. I don't know why I didn't come. Or do you know the song?

[Brian Bates]

No, not from that.

[Dusty Slay]

I don't know what it's called. Is that what it's called? I know what song you're talking about. I can't think of it. Don't know why it didn't come that way. Yeah, you know that.

[Brian Bates]

No, no, not from that either, man.

[Dusty Slay]

You don't know that. Keep going, Crystal.

[Brian Bates]

What you're talking about. Y' all are crazy, man. This is. This is.

[Dusty Slay]

I mean, he's nailing it. I thought he nailed it. Bestie Austin's Hat. If you're listening, we need more of the lyrics to find it.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah, I got the lyrics pulled up.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah. Go, Tristan.

[Brian Bates]

The chorus is. Well, there's not a chorus, verse one, verse two, bridge, verse three.

[Dusty Slay]

No, that's not the same. Oh, yeah, that's. Come Away With Me. Let's Come Away With It.

[Brian Bates]

I thought. What was the name of the song?

[Dusty Slay]

I don't know why I didn't come.

[Brian Bates]

Oh, it's.

[Commercial/Announcer]

Don't know why.

[Dusty Slay]

It's. Don't Know why That's what it's called.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Oh, okay.

[Dusty Slay]

Oh, now you know it.

[Brian Bates]

No, I don't, but I got the right song.

[Dusty Slay]

All right. There you go.

[Brian Bates]

My heart is drenched in wine.

[Dusty Slay]

That's right.

[Brian Bates]

Is that how it goes?

[Dusty Slay]

Everybody knows it except you guys.

[Brian Bates]

I don't know.

[Dusty Slay]

Valerie was born in 2003.

[Brian Bates]

I've never. That's crazy. That's crazy.

[Dusty Slay]

All right, Some others. Meteora by Linkin Park.

[Brian Bates]

Oh, man, it's a hot album.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, I bet. I know some stuff that was the

[Brian Bates]

beginning of me not listening to them as much, but. Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

Speaker Box Love by Outcast.

[Aaron Weber]

Oh, yeah.

[Brian Bates]

One of my favorites.

[Aaron Weber]

It actually, they have some of the. Their best stuff on there, but not one of my overall favorite, especially the. The big. The Big Boy album was really good. The Andre 3000 had that HEA on it, which is obviously huge.

[Brian Bates]

Huge.

[Aaron Weber]

And it had the. Caroline.

[Brian Bates]

Oh, yeah. Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

That's a good one.

[Brian Bates]

This is really. Smell like Poop.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

Shucking Y' all by Toby Keith.

[Aaron Weber]

What's on that?

[Brian Bates]

I bet. I bet. Courtesy Red, White and blue and all that, right?

[Dusty Slay]

That was the last.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, I think it was the last

[Dusty Slay]

one that we already talked about, but

[Brian Bates]

he's still milking it for a while.

[Dusty Slay]

I don't remember what songs were on it.

[Aaron Weber]

Red Solo Cup.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah, that was way later.

[Brian Bates]

That was way later.

[Aaron Weber]

I think it's called Shocking, y'. All, Right. Oh, Shock. Not Shucking Oyster Song.

[Brian Bates]

I don't know. How many puns does he want to do Russia?

[Aaron Weber]

I thought, like, all I love this bar. I love this American Soldier. That was a big one. Yeah, I love this bar. I mean, when I was working at Office Depot in Charleston, there was a guy that I worked with. God, he loved that song. He used to sing that song all day.

[Brian Bates]

Man, I. I can't wait to get in the car after this and put on if I Was Jesus by Toby Keith. That just sounds like a great way to spend the day.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah. Oh, bonus tracks. The Taliban song and Weed With Willie.

[Brian Bates]

Was it pro or Ant? Hot.

[Aaron Weber]

I don't know.

[Dusty Slay]

Weed with Willie. You probably like that one.

[Aaron Weber]

I liked it. Yeah, it was okay.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah. Rush of Blood to the Head by Coldplay.

[Brian Bates]

Oh, man, what a hot album that was.

[Aaron Weber]

I love that album. Yeah, I loved it. I'm not into anything Coldplay does now, but that first album I liked.

[Dusty Slay]

That's all the big hits. The Scientist. That's Yellow. Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

Russia. Oh, no, I don't know. I liked Russia. Blood to the Head as Fox was a big one.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, it's a good album. Radio Head Light.

[Brian Bates]

What does that mean?

[Aaron Weber]

That's how I. I think of Coldplay that way. Yeah, that. That album.

[Dusty Slay]

Some TV shows that ended and some that started. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, it ended. Dawson's Creek ended. Oz ended. The Practice, you know?

[Brian Bates]

Watch any of these, man.

[Dusty Slay]

Sabrina the Teenage Witch.

[Brian Bates]

Well, I did watch that with my

[Dusty Slay]

neighbor, Melissa Joan Hart.

[Brian Bates]

They. Your neighbor?

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah, she lives around the corner.

[Brian Bates]

Really?

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah. She doesn't know that she's my neighbor, but.

[Brian Bates]

But do you ever see her around the neighborhood?

[Dusty Slay]

I always look. Look when I drive by her house, but I've never seen her. Or if I pulled her driveway.

[Brian Bates]

I always drive slow in front of her house and just look if I

[Dusty Slay]

walk in the back of the yard.

[Brian Bates]

She came to Zany's once, and I think it was very nice to everybody. I heard she's very nice. You ever watch that? Sabrina the Teenager?

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, I sure did.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, I liked it. I was gonna do her podcast. I got sick and then. Never happened. Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

Well, if you do it, tell her her neighbor say hello.

[Aaron Weber]

I will.

[Dusty Slay]

Some shows come by. Some shows that.

[Brian Bates]

I got a buddy that's at your house a lot.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah. Where does she do her podcast at? At her house.

[Aaron Weber]

I think it was in.

[Dusty Slay]

You'll probably see me there then.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Commercial/Announcer]

Okay.

[Dusty Slay]

You'll be looking at the one. Brian.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

What's that in the bushes? Some shows that started in 2003. Arrested development.

[Brian Bates]

All right.

[Dusty Slay]

The O.C.

[Brian Bates]

i don't know. I don't know much about the O.C. i know Marissa died.

[Dusty Slay]

Spore.

[Brian Bates]

Wasn't that a big. Was that a big thing when it happened? Who is Marissa? Was that. What's her name? Misha Barton. That was Marissa. No. All right.

[Dusty Slay]

Well, she don't know why didn't come. You guys know it now?

[Aaron Weber]

No.

[Brian Bates]

No.

[Dusty Slay]

Two and a half men started 2003.

[Aaron Weber]

Oh, okay.

[Dusty Slay]

Still going.

[Brian Bates]

No, it's not.

[Dusty Slay]

Feels like it does.

[Brian Bates]

It went off for a while. Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

I mean, that kid grew up. Reno911.

[Aaron Weber]

I love that show.

[Brian Bates]

Hot Show.

[Aaron Weber]

Love that show.

[Dusty Slay]

NCIS. And there was a big gear for reality shows starting America's Next Top Model.

[Aaron Weber]

Okay.

[Dusty Slay]

Mythbusters. We love that. Dusty's favorite punked. The Simple Life. That's Paris Hilton. And.

[Aaron Weber]

Oh, I like that one too. I actually like that one.

[Dusty Slay]

And newlyweds. Nick and Jessica.

[Brian Bates]

Never heard of that.

[Dusty Slay]

You have it?

[Brian Bates]

No. What was it?

[Aaron Weber]

That was Jessica Simpson and Nick from.

[Dusty Slay]

Nick Lachey.

[Brian Bates]

Nick Lachey. 98 degrees. Okay.

[Dusty Slay]

You've never seen the scene where host

[Brian Bates]

of Love is Blind.

[Aaron Weber]

Oh, Chicken of the Sea.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Okay, I've seen that. That clip.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

I didn't know that's what it was. From

[Dusty Slay]

some people. Born in 2003. Valerie. We were listening on the way back from a trip with Nate. We listened to his playlist and every song that came out, I did not know it. And she would criticize me every time. Brian, how do you not know this? So I was.

[Aaron Weber]

Sounds like an awful playlist.

[Dusty Slay]

I know, I know. Current hit. I told. How about Nate grows up a little bit.

[Aaron Weber]

Chance the Rapper. Justin Bieber.

[Brian Bates]

Oh, yeah. Brian keeps up with all of them.

[Dusty Slay]

But hey, I was on there. That was the only one I knew.

[Brian Bates]

Oh, yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

You didn't know that.

[Commercial/Announcer]

There you go.

[Dusty Slay]

Fernando Mendoza. Really? Born 2003. That's wild. Jackson Dart. Travis Hunter. Some deaths. Because we gotta have some of those.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

June Carter Cash and Johnny Cash.

[Aaron Weber]

Wow.

[Brian Bates]

Do they die together Like Romeo Juliet.

[Aaron Weber]

He died shortly after, a few months later. Yeah. From a broken heart.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah, a lot of people think so.

[Brian Bates]

That'll do it.

[Dusty Slay]

Bob Hope.

[Aaron Weber]

He also kept hurting himself to see if he could still feel.

[Brian Bates]

Really? Was he really?

[Aaron Weber]

No, that's a song. Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

That song hurt. Oh, yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

Mr. Rogers.

[Brian Bates]

He died 2003.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah, man. When do you think he died?

[Brian Bates]

I thought recently.

[Dusty Slay]

Time flies. Johnny Paycheck.

[Brian Bates]

Oh, take this job and shove it.

[Dusty Slay]

Does he? People say he's the greatest country singer.

[Aaron Weber]

Well, my friend says that. Yeah, my friend, Alec Parent says that

[Brian Bates]

he's the greatest country singer ever.

[Aaron Weber]

The greatest voice he Believes his voice. He has the greatest country voice. Johnny Paycheck's really great. Yeah, but he, you know, he's also, you know, he's an outlaw guy, and he. I think he killed a guy. At least shot a guy. And. And he was, you know, he had a rough life, but he's good. There's a couple of those on the Dusty Slay country music playlist.

[Dusty Slay]

Robert Palmer died.

[Aaron Weber]

Oh, he was a musician, too, huh? Yeah, I liked him.

[Brian Bates]

Ms. Elizabeth, I'm trying to listen to the newest Robert Palmer tape, but Evelyn keeps yapping in year. You know where that's from?

[Dusty Slay]

American Psycho.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

You know Ms. Elizabeth?

[Brian Bates]

No. What is that?

[Aaron Weber]

Macho Man's.

[Dusty Slay]

Macho Man's wife. No, at the.

[Brian Bates]

I was 11.

[Aaron Weber]

Dude. That was prime time for WWF. Oh, well, but she was. Yeah, she was dying then.

[Dusty Slay]

Prime time was when he was 11.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

CMA Awards.

[Brian Bates]

Single of the Year, 2003.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Nate, what's the artist?

[Dusty Slay]

You guys, just.

[Aaron Weber]

What's a cma?

[Dusty Slay]

Country Music Association.

[Aaron Weber]

Okay.

[Dusty Slay]

You just alluded to it.

[Aaron Weber]

Okay. Oh, Hurt.

[Dusty Slay]

Hurt by Johnny Cat.

[Aaron Weber]

Really?

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

Song of the year was that.

[Brian Bates]

I kind of give it to him because he died kind of thing.

[Aaron Weber]

It was. It was. It brought him back out of the dark. I mean, it was.

[Brian Bates]

I remember that song.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, it was awesome. It was big.

[Dusty Slay]

Song of the year is by Randy Travis.

[Aaron Weber]

Oh, Three Wooden Crosses.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

That's a good one, too.

[Dusty Slay]

What's the difference between single of the year and song of the year?

[Brian Bates]

No idea. No idea.

[Aaron Weber]

Probably just a way to give away two awards.

[Dusty Slay]

Probably so. Vocal event of the year. It's five o' clock somewhere.

[Brian Bates]

Oh,

[Dusty Slay]

yeah. By Alan Jackson. Jimmy Buffer.

[Aaron Weber]

That's a good one.

[Dusty Slay]

You know, he's doing his final concert this weekend. This coming weekend here. Alan Jackson is. Yeah. Downtown. Nissan Stadium.

[Brian Bates]

Nissan.

[Dusty Slay]

But they're going to block off downtown for people who didn't get tickets to watch it on big. The big screen.

[Aaron Weber]

Wow.

[Dusty Slay]

That's how big it is.

[Brian Bates]

He's dying or something. He's got a sick.

[Aaron Weber]

I think.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah. He's got a condition that's forced him to retire, but.

[Brian Bates]

Okay.

[Dusty Slay]

It's his final concert.

[Brian Bates]

Wow. Are you gonna go dusty now?

[Aaron Weber]

I'll be in Louisiana at the Golden.

[Dusty Slay]

I'll just let y' all finish.

[Aaron Weber]

I had a lot of sleep.

[Dusty Slay]

Amanda Arnold's like, yeah, this is what I'm talking about.

[Brian Bates]

All right.

[Dusty Slay]

In country music, you know what else happened that year based off of the Iraq war?

[Brian Bates]

What's that? Oh, the Dixie Chicks.

[Dusty Slay]

Dixie Chicks.

[Brian Bates]

Oh, Got canceled.

[Dusty Slay]

That was a big. Yeah, that was a big.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah, big story. Dixie Chicks are so good. The Chicks. They're so good. Dude, you're back. And listen to some of them.

[Aaron Weber]

They were so good. Yeah, the old stuff.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, they are really good.

[Brian Bates]

Wide open space.

[Dusty Slay]

The 75th Academy Awards hosted by Steve Martin. Chicago won best pitcher.

[Brian Bates]

Oh, kind of a down year, huh?

[Dusty Slay]

It was a down year. Adrian Brody kissed Halle Berry when she presented him the best actor Oscar. That was kind of memorable.

[Commercial/Announcer]

All right.

[Dusty Slay]

Even then people were saying she wasn't in turn it. Even then people were saying that was inappropriate. Now he'd get cancelled.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah, but what was he. There was this to the. The Pianist. Wow. So he won best actor, right?

[Dusty Slay]

Yep. And she had won the previous year for Monsters Ball. Right. And she presented and you know, he gave her a big kiss.

[Brian Bates]

And so things escalated. It was kissing back then and nowadays

[Aaron Weber]

and then punching each other. Did Jim Carrey do something like, to him like.

[Brian Bates]

I don't think it was Adrian Brody. There was some other award show where a guy kissed a woman and. And then Jim Carrey came up and kissed him.

[Aaron Weber]

Okay.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah, that was a different award.

[Aaron Weber]

Okay.

[Dusty Slay]

Okay. Demi Awards.

[Brian Bates]

He would never besmirch or attack the integrity of the Oscars.

[Aaron Weber]

Oh, yeah, right.

[Brian Bates]

It's a much more prestigious.

[Aaron Weber]

Yes.

[Brian Bates]

Classy kind of.

[Dusty Slay]

If you're listening. Yeah, he's joking. Yeah. At the Emmy Awards, West Wing won a standing drama series for the fourth consecutive year.

[Brian Bates]

Unheard of. Unprecedented. It'll never be topped.

[Dusty Slay]

Tying the record set by Hill Street Blues. Also later tied by Game of Thrones and Mad Men.

[Aaron Weber]

But you're right, Aaron, no one's beat it.

[Dusty Slay]

That's true. That's true. Comedy went to Everybody Loves Raymond. Raymond. Well, I would have thought by 2003 that would have. That show was off the air. Feels like.

[Aaron Weber]

I feel like.

[Brian Bates]

Right. When it's just getting started. Right.

[Dusty Slay]

I always thought it was a 90s show.

[Brian Bates]

I always felt it was like an after Seinfeld.

[Dusty Slay]

Okay.

[Brian Bates]

That's how I think about it. Like the Next Wave. I always thought it was like Seinfeld and then after that King of Queens, Everybody Loves Raymond.

[Aaron Weber]

I remember talking to about it at my church in Charleston.

[Dusty Slay]

Okay. Maybe I'm thinking about Home Improvement was on the same time that.

[Brian Bates]

That feels a little before.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Wow. 96 to 2005. You're right. 210 episodes, nine seasons. God, the show is on forever. How about that?

[Dusty Slay]

SNL New Cast Member 2003.

[Brian Bates]

See a big one. Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

Kenan Thompson. Wow.

[Brian Bates]

Wow.

[Dusty Slay]

Isn't that crazy?

[Brian Bates]

Wow. Keenan Thompson's been on snl. Valerie's whole life.

[Dusty Slay]

Life, yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

Wow.

[Brian Bates]

That's crazy. I knew him as the. The Keenan and Kell Show.

[Aaron Weber]

Me, too. Good Burger. Good Burger.

[Dusty Slay]

And.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, you really would. To me, you really would have thought it would have been Kell who, you know, who had the better career.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah. But I think Kell's still doing.

[Aaron Weber]

He.

[Brian Bates]

He does a lot.

[Aaron Weber]

Okay.

[Brian Bates]

Does a lot of voiceover work and he's so. He's had a really good career, too.

[Dusty Slay]

What. What channel was that on?

[Brian Bates]

What network? Nickelodeon, dude.

[Dusty Slay]

Way before my team. Way after my time.

[Brian Bates]

That's Teen Nick, dude.

[Dusty Slay]

The new governor of California.

[Aaron Weber]

Schwarzenegger. All right. Look at that.

[Dusty Slay]

It's pretty wild, huh?

[Aaron Weber]

That is pretty wild.

[Dusty Slay]

I sent you the list of the top movies of 2003.

[Brian Bates]

I will look it up. Up. Why don't you vamp for 10 seconds,

[Dusty Slay]

Dusty, where you going to be this week?

[Brian Bates]

Well,

[Aaron Weber]

down at the Golden Nugget Casino.

[Brian Bates]

I never got anything, you know, 2003,

[Dusty Slay]

I guess I didn't.

[Aaron Weber]

Is when I started working at Hyman. That's when I first. First became a food runner at Hyman Seafood, Charleston, South Carolina.

[Brian Bates]

I got it pulled up.

[Aaron Weber]

Attitude. Is everything all right?

[Brian Bates]

All right. Thanks, Dustin.

[Aaron Weber]

You did.

[Dusty Slay]

You. You filled in.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

Oh, you know what? I think, Abby?

[Aaron Weber]

Maybe.

[Brian Bates]

Highest grossing films of 2003, Lord of the Rings.

[Aaron Weber]

Oh, you know what? I went to see Lord of the Rings, Return of the King, by myself at the theater in Charleston.

[Brian Bates]

Wow.

[Aaron Weber]

I wanted to see it. I had not made friends yet.

[Brian Bates]

Was the theater full? Do you remember?

[Aaron Weber]

I want to say it was like Christmas Eve or something.

[Dusty Slay]

It was around Christmas.

[Aaron Weber]

Pretty empty.

[Brian Bates]

Wow.

[Dusty Slay]

Oh, it was empty.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah. Pretty empty.

[Dusty Slay]

Oh, because it was Christmas Eve.

[Brian Bates]

This is why you stopped celebrating Christmas?

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Sad.

[Aaron Weber]

But I. Yeah. Wanted to go see it. I didn't have my. I didn't, you know, I had not made friends yet.

[Dusty Slay]

So why do you think you didn't go home for Christmas? You had work probably.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Office Depot.

[Aaron Weber]

I was working Office Depot. And Hyman's okay by this point.

[Brian Bates]

And it's busy at Hyman's around Christmas time, I think.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah. I just think I was working seven days a week.

[Dusty Slay]

Week.

[Aaron Weber]

I was on the grind.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah. Look at you now, working once a month.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah. Yeah. I put in my time, guys.

[Brian Bates]

Finding Nemo at number two.

[Aaron Weber]

Wow.

[Dusty Slay]

And I think domestically Finding Nemo was number one.

[Brian Bates]

I believe it. I believe it.

[Dusty Slay]

I cannot Lord of the Rings, though.

[Aaron Weber]

Return of the King. So Good.

[Brian Bates]

Unbelievable.

[Aaron Weber]

Movie. So good. I like. I think I like two the best, though, though. With the trees.

[Brian Bates]

Two towers.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah, with the trees.

[Dusty Slay]

All right, I just sent you a link.

[Brian Bates]

Tree Beard.

[Dusty Slay]

Also, for the top songs.

[Brian Bates]

Where? Did you send an email?

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah, I can send.

[Aaron Weber]

I wish I could find nine hours to watch all of those again.

[Brian Bates]

I think you could find it.

[Aaron Weber]

Maybe I can do it on the road. Maybe when I'll do it down in Louisville.

[Dusty Slay]

That's movies, but.

[Brian Bates]

What did you want me to pull up?

[Dusty Slay]

Well, anyway, we get the songs now, if you want. Yeah, we already did the song.

[Aaron Weber]

Oh, Ignition.

[Brian Bates]

Ignition. Remix by R. Kelly.

[Aaron Weber]

Gosh, that was a great one.

[Brian Bates]

That was a big one.

[Aaron Weber]

Really great.

[Dusty Slay]

How many of these When I'm Gone

[Brian Bates]

by three doors down. Rest in peace, man. That guy just died. The. The lead singer.

[Aaron Weber]

Unwell. Any matchbox 20 is good.

[Brian Bates]

Right there by Chingy. Remember that song, Brian? I bet you've heard it.

[Dusty Slay]

Let me sing right there.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

Is that how it go?

[Brian Bates]

How it goes? I like the way you do that right there. Remember that?

[Dusty Slay]

I don't think so.

[Aaron Weber]

It's a hot song picture.

[Dusty Slay]

Tristan, will you sing it for us? Cheryl Crow, you know that song. I like the way you do that.

[Aaron Weber]

Right there.

[Dusty Slay]

Right there. Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

Perfect.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah, that was perfect.

[Dusty Slay]

Okay, come on. What year did you see that concert? Your first concert where the guy who's listening from FFH.

[Brian Bates]

Oh, man.

[Aaron Weber]

Oh, shaky tail feather.

[Dusty Slay]

Maybe 2,000.

[Aaron Weber]

All right, I'm with you. Avril Lavigne. Avril Lavigne? Yeah, before she was replaced. You know, they say she's been replaced.

[Brian Bates]

What year did that happen, do they think?

[Aaron Weber]

Probably right after this. 2004, after her last hit.

[Dusty Slay]

Okay, what do you mean replaced? Like another person's hurt.

[Brian Bates]

Well, they think. Yeah. Yeah, they took her out.

[Aaron Weber]

And why?

[Brian Bates]

Installed somebody else.

[Aaron Weber]

Who knows?

[Brian Bates]

She was getting too big too quick.

[Aaron Weber]

Who knows?

[Dusty Slay]

Chris Gaines has already happened, though, right?

[Brian Bates]

Yeah.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

Lose yourself at 28. It must have come out the year before. Yeah, because there's just no way it was that far down. Lose Yourself by Eminem what a year.

[Dusty Slay]

Adrian, what'd you weigh in 2003? Probably about 280.

[Brian Bates]

Did you really? At around this time Time?

[Dusty Slay]

Maybe not that much.

[Brian Bates]

Yeah, maybe.

[Dusty Slay]

But you were headed that direction.

[Brian Bates]

I was going there.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah. All right, I guess we can wrap it up.

[Brian Bates]

Y ug boots, let's go. Everyone. Everyone go around. Say your weight now.

[Aaron Weber]

I like that you. Yeah, we ended on that. Just kind of an awkward moment for Adrian and we don't for if this is someone's first time listening. They don't. Maybe they don't know what Adrien even looks like now. And they go, know maybe this guy. How much does he weigh now? And he weighs 340 now. Yeah. Yeah.

[Brian Bates]

He weighs considerably less now, I'll say that.

[Aaron Weber]

So everybody ends with just going, well, what's going on with Adrian?

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah, we can wrap it up.

[Aaron Weber]

Adrian's. He's jacked now. People are wondering.

[Brian Bates]

He's in good shape now.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah.

[Dusty Slay]

All right.

[Aaron Weber]

When we did the grip competition in here once before, Adrian won.

[Brian Bates]

Well, I'd like you to explain what that meant.

[Dusty Slay]

Just got more awkward.

[Brian Bates]

It was a grip strength tester.

[Aaron Weber]

It was a grip competition.

[Dusty Slay]

We all got naked.

[Brian Bates]

All right, let's wrap it up.

[Dusty Slay]

All right.

[Brian Bates]

I feel like I'm going crazy.

[Dusty Slay]

This Saturday, I will be in Columbia, Tennessee, at the Packard Playhouse. Then July 3rd here at the Lab at Zany. You guys are always welcome to do it. Brian Bates and friends. July 3, July 9, Comedy Catch in Chattanooga. July 17th and 18th, Comedy Off Broadway in Lexington, Kentucky.

[Brian Bates]

Awesome. All right, Aaron Weber here. I've got kind of a relatively slow summer. Things pick up pretty hard towards the end of the year. But a couple dates I got coming up, I'm going to be. Let me plug. I want to plug three things.

[Dusty Slay]

Okay.

[Brian Bates]

All right. July 16th, 17th, 18th, Royal Oak, Michigan. I'm going to be at the Comedy Castle.

[Aaron Weber]

All right. Love that song.

[Brian Bates]

Which I have never been to before. I'm super excited to be back up there. Jay Flake will be with me. August, I'm going to be in Phoenix, Arizona at the Desert Ridge Improv. And then I want to plug at the end of September. My wife and I are fundraiser show, which Nate Land is. We're very happy and grateful that they're sponsoring of it is our PR Willie. PR Rather our. Our fundraiser show for the organization that Lucy and I work with. It's right here at Zany's. Last year, these guys were on. The show was a great lineup. So keep an eye out for that if you're in the Nashville area or. Or whatever. September 30th, it's right here at Zany's. And you can learn more about it at a prodder silly dot com. Thanks, guys.

[Aaron Weber]

Okay, I'm gonna hit you with about four dates, just kind of one offs here.

[Brian Bates]

Here.

[Aaron Weber]

Tonight we got a show at the Lab called Get Loose.

[Brian Bates]

Okay, cool.

[Aaron Weber]

You can come watch or you can participate by putting your name in a bucket. It's going to be a great show. We're doing bucket and book. That way you get to see a little bit of an open mic. But it also will remain a good show this weekend. If you haven't heard, I'm in Louisiana Lake Charles at the Golden Nugget Casino.

[Dusty Slay]

You just ripped everybody. That's the bucket spot.

[Aaron Weber]

Yeah. July 7th, I'll be here. Dusty Slay's grand old comedy show. July 11th, I'm in Charlestown, West Virginia at a casino. I don't have the name of the casino listed here. And then July 18th, I'm in, in, I'm in Atlantic City.

[Brian Bates]

Cool.

[Aaron Weber]

At the Music Box.

[Brian Bates]

Awesome.

[Aaron Weber]

So come check those out all over. Those are going to be great. I got, you know, I'm doing a few one nighters in in July, which is great. June was had to work every weekend. You believe that?

[Dusty Slay]

Well, that's it, guys. Thank you so much. That was 2003. We learned a lot.

[Brian Bates]

Thank you, Brian.

[Dusty Slay]

Well, thank you Aaron and thank, thank

[Aaron Weber]

both of you guys. Thank you both, Brian and Aaron.

[Dusty Slay]

Yeah. And thank you guys for listening or watching however you tune in to the Public Figures podcast. Check us out next week when we're back.

[Commercial/Announcer]

Back.

[Dusty Slay]

We're having a good time.

[Aaron Weber]

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[Dusty Slay]

as essentially non technical people. We're able to admin everything on the back end, front end and sell things online easily.

[Aaron Weber]

If Shopify were a bike accessory, I

[Dusty Slay]

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[Brian Bates]

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[Dusty Slay]

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[Brian Bates]

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[Aaron Weber]

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[Brian Bates]

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[Brian Bates]

Lowe's we help you save valid through 7, 8 while supplies last selection varies by location.

[Aaron Weber]

See the lowe's.com for more details.

[Dusty Slay]

Visit your nearby Lowe's.