Paintings Large and Small with Jeremy Culhane

Summary

The Neighborhood Listen: "Paintings Large and Small with Jeremy Culhane"

Release Date: May 13, 2025

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Introduction

In this captivating episode of The Neighborhood Listen, hosts Burnt Millipede (Paul F. Tompkins), Joan Pedestrian (Nicole Parker), and Doug (Brett Morris) delve into the vibrant artistic community of Dignity Falls. They welcome Jeremy Culhane, a local artist renowned for his unique ability to translate personal mantras into bespoke paintings. The episode offers listeners an intimate look into Jeremy's creative process, his inspirations, and the profound impact his art has on the residents of Dignity Falls.

Meet Jeremy Culhane: The Artist Behind the Mantras

Jeremy introduces himself as the "pharmacist in chief of the Dignity Falls machine," highlighting his integral role in the community’s artistic landscape. He elaborates on his passion for creating custom art tailored to individuals' mantras, offering a therapeutic and personal touch to his work.

Notable Quote:

"[...] when someone comes to me without a mantra, we work together to discover their vibe and translate that into a meaningful piece of art." — Jeremy Culhane [40:05]

Understanding the Art of Mantras

The conversation shifts to the concept of mantras and their significance in Jeremy's artwork. He explains that mantras are more than just phrases—they are personal affirmations that guide individuals through their challenges and aspirations. Jeremy's approach involves deep collaboration with his clients to ensure that each painting resonates on a personal level.

Notable Quote:

"A mantra isn't just a few words; it's a lifeline for someone going through a tough time. My job is to visualize that lifeline." — Jeremy Culhane [40:10]

A Glimpse into Jeremy's Personal Journey

Jeremy shares a poignant story from his childhood, where an early experience with hallucinogenic drugs at a music festival led to a significant personal epiphany. This moment shaped his understanding of self and inspired his dedication to art as a means of healing and expression.

Notable Quote:

"I realized I was projecting who I thought I needed to be to stay safe. That moment changed everything for me." — Jeremy Culhane [59:30]

Challenges and Triumphs in Creative Expression

The hosts engage in a lighthearted yet insightful discussion about the challenges Jeremy faces in his creative process. From interpreting abstract mantras to managing the technical aspects of his artwork, Jeremy demonstrates resilience and adaptability. The playful banter among the hosts adds a layer of charm, making the conversation both informative and entertaining.

Notable Quote:

"Sometimes I feel like I'm saying these things almost like a detective solving a mystery." — Jeremy Culhane [40:22]

The Impact of Community and Support

Joan reflects on the supportive environment of Dignity Falls, emphasizing how the community plays a crucial role in Jeremy's success. The collaborative spirit among residents fosters a nurturing space where artists like Jeremy can thrive and continuously evolve their craft.

Notable Quote:

"I'm just glad they're alive and doing great with their condition. It's a supportive community, and that’s what makes all the difference." — Nicole Parker [24:30]

Humorous Interludes and Host Dynamics

Throughout the episode, the hosts infuse humor and camaraderie, particularly when discussing Jeremy's intricate artwork and the sometimes perplexing interpretations of mantras. This dynamic not only keeps the conversation lively but also highlights the close-knit relationship among the hosts and their guest.

Notable Quote:

"Everything is a mantra here, but I don't want to spend any more time on talking about the people that are going to be getting jaws together." — Nicole Parker [08:00]

Conclusion and Reflections

As the episode draws to a close, Jeremy expresses gratitude for the opportunity to share his art and connect with the community through the podcast. The hosts reiterate the importance of understanding and supporting local artists, leaving listeners with a deeper appreciation for the creative forces shaping Dignity Falls.

Notable Quote:

"You've been a great guest, Jeremy. Take care of yourself, and keep creating those amazing mantras." — Nicole Parker [74:55]

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Key Takeaways

• Jeremy Culhane leverages art to help individuals articulate and visualize their personal mantras, offering a unique form of therapeutic expression.
• The collaborative and supportive community of Dignity Falls plays a vital role in fostering artistic growth and resilience.
• Personal stories and humorous interactions among the hosts enhance the episode's relatability and engagement, making complex topics accessible to all listeners.

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Whether you're an art enthusiast, a seeker of personal growth, or simply a fan of engaging storytelling, this episode of The Neighborhood Listen provides a rich and entertaining exploration of the intersection between art and personal mantra. Tune in to uncover the layers of creativity that make Dignity Falls a hub of inspiration and community spirit.

Transcript

[Paul F. Tompkins]

The new McCrispy strip is here. Dip approved by Ketchup Tangy Barbecue, Honey Mustard, honey mustard, Sprite, McFlurry, Big Mac sauce, Double dipped in Buffalo and Ranch More ranch and creamy chili. McCrispy Strip Dip now at McDonald's.

[Nicole Parker]

At.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

T Mobile we'll give you four free 5G phones and four lines for only $25 per line per month with eligible trade ins. And no, it's not a contest. It's every day for a limited time. Everyone's a winner on America's largest 5G network. Minimum of 4 lines for $25 per line per month with auto paid discount using debit or bank account. Dollars more per line without AutoPay. Up to $830 off each phone via 24 monthly bill credits plus taxes, fees and $10 device connection charge for well qualified customers. Contact us before canceling entire account to continue bill credits or credit stop and balance on required finance agreement too. Bill credits end if you pay UP devices early. CT mobile.com hi, I'm Paul F. Tompkins.

[Nicole Parker]

And I'm Nicole Parker.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

On this podcast, we improvise in character using real posts from a popular neighborhood networking website.

[Nicole Parker]

Occasionally we change the names of some.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Streets and that's all you need to know to support the show and unlock the ad free archive as well as exclusive monthly episodes of the Bonus room. Go to CBBworld do and sign up for a Maximus membership.

[Nicole Parker]

And now please enjoy this episode of the Neighborhood.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Listen. Knock knock.

[Eric]

Who's there?

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Your neighbor.

[Nicole Parker]

Good. In Dignity Falls, you're never alone. You've got the neighbor half AP and us burnt and jode. From coyotes to male theft to weird things to sell.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

We'll cover it all and meet new neighbors as well.

[Nicole Parker]

We'll chat about any posts you're missing. So just tune in to the Neighborhood.

[Eric]

Listen.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Welcome once more to the Neighborhood Listen. This is the podcast that looks at the neighborhood of Dignity Falls through the eyes of its residents.

[Nicole Parker]

Bert, you kind of had like an old timey radio announcer sound just then.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Did I really?

[Nicole Parker]

I went to that falls.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Well, that didn't seem flattering.

[Nicole Parker]

It wasn't. That wasn't nice. That came out wrong. I'm so sorry.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I mean, I hope so. I hope it came out wrong.

[Nicole Parker]

It didn't come out right. That is not what you sound like. I enjoyed it and so I was trying to imitate what I enjoyed, not make fun of what I did.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

It didn't come off that way.

[Nicole Parker]

I'm so sorry. I'm sorry to start it off this way.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Starge.

[Nicole Parker]

All right. Now are we even?

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Yes. A truce has been achieved.

[Nicole Parker]

Okay. You are burnt me a payday?

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Yes, I am.

[Nicole Parker]

Did you say what you do?

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Not yet.

[Nicole Parker]

Go ahead.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I was too busy listening to how I sound. I am the pharmacist in chief of the Dignity Falls machine here in Dignity Falls.

[Nicole Parker]

And I am Joan Pedestrian. I'm the top realtor here in Dignity Falls. And also a local act is correct.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

And I think a terrific one.

[Nicole Parker]

Well, I appreciate that. You say that every time, Star. He knows I'm very self conscious about it.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Why do you say that?

[Nicole Parker]

Well, I just.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Isn't funny. Isn't it funny that someone can have.

[Nicole Parker]

He put. He. He put his fingers to my lips. It was a little bit intimate.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Well, I did two. Is that more or less intimate than one?

[Nicole Parker]

No, it's worse than one. Okay, let me do one. Way worse than one. I also don't like it.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Oh, how about three?

[Nicole Parker]

Did you have tuna?

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I'm about to.

[Nicole Parker]

But wait a minute.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I open the can first.

[Nicole Parker]

You like to let it rest.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I like to let it. To let it rest. I like to let it rest. I open it at home, let it rest and I come back from the recording and then I'm ready to dive in.

[Nicole Parker]

That doesn't seem sanitary. I wouldn't let it. I wouldn't leave it out.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I don't have a cat or anything.

[Nicole Parker]

I'm talking just about it being in the air to exposed to the elements. It's going to get all warm.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Smell of tuna.

[Nicole Parker]

Well, I mean, not warm tuna.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

You don't like the smell of warm tuna fish right from the can.

[Nicole Parker]

This is. This is not a hot take. Mernd. I've got news for you. I. I think everyone is nodding their head. Who's listening along?

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I mean, I'm gonna. We're gonna have to ask Doug. Doug, our engineer who is Joan's hu. Was in another room in the house. Doug, first of all, where are you? And second of all, do. Don't you like the smell of warm tuna?

[Doug]

I'll answer that in reverse.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, okay, okay.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I like this press conference style.

[Nicole Parker]

Sure.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I'll answer the second question first.

[Doug]

I. Geez, I've never thought about that before.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, he doesn't have an answer.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I love it. Why would he go to that first?

[Nicole Parker]

I don't know. Because it seems like you go to the one you can answer right away.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Where are. Seems like home run.

[Nicole Parker]

I don't think that order worked out for you, babe.

[Doug]

Well, the last one was fresh on my mind. I wanted to tackle that.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Tackle it.

[Doug]

I think I love it. Especially when it's thought about mine.

[Nicole Parker]

I think you love it.

[Doug]

I only like it when it's my.

[Nicole Parker]

Not someone else's tuna.

[Doug]

Someone else's tuna. It's like, all right.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, my gosh.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Everyone loves their own.

[Doug]

Enjoy your tuna.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Yeah.

[Nicole Parker]

Okay.

[Doug]

Can I have some?

[Nicole Parker]

What? Babe, are you asking that?

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Tuna.

[Nicole Parker]

Can I now? You want some, don't you?

[Doug]

Well, at first I give them the cold shoulder.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Yes.

[Doug]

And then if, like, they don't take the hint, I go. I mean, can I have it?

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I'm gonna turn down.

[Nicole Parker]

And where are you?

[Doug]

I am in the hall.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, there's more.

[Doug]

The hall of Habsburg Jaws.

[Nicole Parker]

I'm sorry, you're gonna have to explain that. Jaws.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Do you not know what the Habsburg jaw.

[Doug]

Oh, good.

[Nicole Parker]

Know, actually. Okay. And he said it in a way that made me feel. I feel dumb that I don't know it.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

No, Joan.

[Doug]

Cuz I just learned about this.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

They don't teach it in school.

[Nicole Parker]

Should they? What is it?

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I don't think so. I think they're fine.

[Nicole Parker]

Okay. What is it?

[Doug]

I just learned about this, and it's fascinating.

[Nicole Parker]

Okay.

[Doug]

The Hapsburgs were a royal family.

[Nicole Parker]

That I know.

[Doug]

Okay.

[Nicole Parker]

Yes, well. Well, thank you.

[Doug]

I don't know what you know or.

[Nicole Parker]

No, I'm not.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Okay.

[Doug]

Joe, babe, let me cook.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, I love it when he says that. I love it when he's on a roll.

[Doug]

I feel like I had burnt theater for a second.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I feel like you're getting that. Let me cook in just under the wire. Because if we're still saying that by the time this episode comes out, something's wrong.

[Nicole Parker]

Okay, keep going. Keep cooking.

[Doug]

Okay. The Habsburgs were. I'll try and make it short. Heavily. Incestu. Incestuized.

[Nicole Parker]

Nope.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Somebody did it to them.

[Nicole Parker]

We're not gonna do that. We're not gonna use that word because I don't think.

[Doug]

Lots of incest in that.

[Nicole Parker]

Got it in Reading. Okay. See no more.

[Doug]

And if they developed this signature jaw that protruded.

[Nicole Parker]

Okay. Yes.

[Doug]

Called the Habsburg jaw.

[Nicole Parker]

Why in the world is there a hall dedicated to this? What does this mean?

[Doug]

Well, it's like a series of portraits along the hall, you know, Very beautiful.

[Nicole Parker]

And did you give us all the jaws?

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I'm sorry, when you say along the hall, you mean literally a hallway, not a hall, like the hall of President.

[Doug]

Oh, yeah. Hallway. So you're walking.

[Nicole Parker]

So you've done this to one of our hallways.

[Doug]

And you see the Habsburg jaw developing as you walk.

[Nicole Parker]

Are There paintings of us that you've given us the jaws on.

[Doug]

That's that what you've done at the end?

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, my God.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Wow.

[Nicole Parker]

I just want to see myself in a Habsburg jaw.

[Doug]

We are all Habsburgs.

[Nicole Parker]

Well, we're not. Let's make that clear.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

No, she's Louise. Obviously.

[Nicole Parker]

We have none of that in our bloodline.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

This is an audio medium. Everyone has a standard jaw.

[Nicole Parker]

Thank you for that. I appreciate it. You know, I'm very, very so self conscious about this. You know, I almost two seasons ago got a total face change. Everyone knows this.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I'm so glad you didn't do that.

[Nicole Parker]

So I don't want to hear about. I don't want to see myself with like a big jaw or something.

[Doug]

Yeah, I don't mean it. Big.

[Nicole Parker]

Is that what they are? They're big?

[Doug]

Yeah, they're. Yeah, they're big and kind of bulk.

[Nicole Parker]

Why would that be the thing that becomes bulbous? Why would that be the thing that really stands out from everyone running around together?

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I don't know. I don't know. I guess it was. If you. If you. If two of you have a strong jaw and you're related.

[Doug]

Oh, if you.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

It's gotta double up, I guess.

[Doug]

Yeah.

[Nicole Parker]

Wow. Okay.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

The more strong jaws that are interbreeding with each other will create a stronger. I mean, I don't understand how they breed certain dogs to do certain things.

[Nicole Parker]

That is true.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

You know what I mean?

[Nicole Parker]

I do.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

That is true.

[Nicole Parker]

But I don't want to spend any more time on talking about the people that are going to be, you know, getting jaws together. So what does this entail? You just have paintings? Did you paint the paintings yourself?

[Doug]

Oh, no, I. I've collected them. I've started a collection where they're knockoffs.

[Nicole Parker]

You know, they're not the original portraits.

[Doug]

Yeah.

[Nicole Parker]

Where is that even a thing?

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Oh, you can find anything on the Internet.

[Doug]

That's true. Well, pawn shops around town.

[Eric]

Oh, babe.

[Nicole Parker]

Okay.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

There's a lot of art in the pawn shops around town.

[Nicole Parker]

There is a lot of art.

[Eric]

Yeah.

[Nicole Parker]

And. But. But you know, they're. They. They say that every. They say that. Well, there' one.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Hey, what's going on?

[Doug]

I love the one one.

[Nicole Parker]

There's the one one.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

The one one is. Is the best pawn shop in town. Because it's one to one.

[Doug]

I like the.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

You only are trading for a thing you're getting rid of.

[Doug]

Right. In an older version, for some reason.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Yeah, that's right.

[Nicole Parker]

But in the 1:1, everyone says that there is a van go hiding in there somewhere. So everyone goes looking for it.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

That's right.

[Doug]

And you have to bring a van. Go. To get it. That's.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

That's right. Nobody's been able to do that.

[Nicole Parker]

It's the one One.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Yeah. So the guy. It's Mort who runs the one One. And he knows which painting has the band.

[Nicole Parker]

He does. Yes. But he. And he. He says he gives. They say he gives little clues, but you had to be very tuned into that.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

That's right. He puts them. He's been buying bags of Hershey Kisses, unwrapping them, putting the clues in there, rewrapping them, and then distributing them throughout.

[Nicole Parker]

I mean, you can get them at all the stores. I mean, like, I don't know how.

[Doug]

He'S done this, but Hershey's Kisses aren't. You think about it.

[Nicole Parker]

Like, I've never thought about it, Doug, but I'm not. I'm not surprised you have.

[Doug]

Could peel off that aluminum foil and put it back on.

[Nicole Parker]

Well, it's a pretty. It's a pretty elegant design. I have to say it.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Really elegant simplicity.

[Nicole Parker]

It really does. You just pull and it. And there it goes.

[Doug]

She's closing her eyes as she says that.

[Nicole Parker]

Yes, I am. How did you know?

[Doug]

She loves that elegance.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, I love that elegance of a Hershey Kiss.

[Doug]

She always holds it up and in the sun.

[Nicole Parker]

I love the way it catches the light.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Of course, it's. It's gorgeous. Sparkle.

[Doug]

How do they get that thin tip to hold?

[Nicole Parker]

I don't know. And I love it when they all play Jingle Bells together with that tip when it's a Christmas commercial. Oh, it's so cute. You know what I'm talking about.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Same commercial for a million years.

[Nicole Parker]

It's a great ad. And at the end, I love that one of the Hershey Kisses takes that tab and wipes his forehead and goes like. That was hard to do.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Well, now I don't like that because. Oh, I'm supposed to eat this. It's alive. It knows that it made an effort.

[Nicole Parker]

Right. It's been given. It's been given some sort of sentience. Yeah.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Like Elsa did with those snow monsters. It frozen. That was a big storyline. I don't think was addressed at all.

[Nicole Parker]

I remember is the rock people. They were strange, too. There were trolls. Well, like. Yeah. I believe that they rolled around as rocks and they. They would pop open and be people.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Wow. I don't remember them at all.

[Nicole Parker]

I don't. Oh, no, we're not. We're already on a movie. And we always say Strictly. This is not a movie podcast. But Burnt and I seem to have only like 5 minutes remembrance of old movies. And they're not the same five minutes.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

It's very true.

[Nicole Parker]

They never line up.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

They never do.

[Nicole Parker]

So, Bert, can you tell us, last time we spoke about you and Gabby.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Yes.

[Nicole Parker]

She's. Has she completely moved in? She was moving in box by box.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

She has three boxes left to go.

[Nicole Parker]

Wow.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Yes.

[Nicole Parker]

And you know what's gonna be over.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

The next three weeks?

[Nicole Parker]

I wanna address something. I was listening to a podcast, our podcast. An episode from a little while ago where you mentioned that you actually. You said she sleeps on a ton of pillows, but it's actually true that you do too. Well, you had said in this episode that you don't, you know, you sort of make up for the Murphy bed. You sleep on a bunch of pillows as well as on an angle. So are you all just sleeping on just a huge heap of pillows now, both of you?

[Paul F. Tompkins]

No, no, no. We have a bed now.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, that's right. You have a dignity falls king.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I eventually.

[Nicole Parker]

Dimensions of which are not seen anywhere else in this country.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

No. It's five feet in length and then the width is off the charts.

[Nicole Parker]

Good luck getting a fitted sheet.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Yeah. So the Murphy bed I eventually abandoned because I just.

[Nicole Parker]

That's right.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

It was never going to get fixed.

[Nicole Parker]

But I thought you still like to sleep. But the same angle.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Oh, yes. That I used to put you at. Yes, yes, yes. So I would.

[Nicole Parker]

Situation sounds very crazy to me.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

It's. It's. We're. We're meeting in the middle. So we have meaning.

[Nicole Parker]

You both slide off of the pillows into the middle of the mattress.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

That's exactly right. There's. There's mounds of pillows on either side. We climb up on those.

[Nicole Parker]

Yeah.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

And then as we start to doze off, we. We. We just sort of roll. It's kind of sweet. Gently. It is kind of sweet.

[Nicole Parker]

So how is.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

We do wake up when we bang together.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, that's rough. Yeah, because that's hard that you bang together.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

It's really. It's clank. It's. It's really.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, rattlesnake in the clank.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Well, our skulls do hit each other.

[Nicole Parker]

Sure.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Pretty hard.

[Nicole Parker]

That's gonna clank pretty hard. So. So how is it going? How's it going?

[Paul F. Tompkins]

It's going pretty well. I don't have the hives anymore.

[Nicole Parker]

That's good because you were breaking out in wild stress, sort of like reactions. Yes, Wild stress hives.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I would lose the taste in my mouth that's terrible. Would start seeing black and white.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, God. What? You didn't mention that one. What?

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Well, so many. I didn't feel the need to list all of them.

[Nicole Parker]

That is a specific that I've never heard.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

That's very specific. Yeah. I started to hear words out of order.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, dear. Like when people were talking to you or just someone's voice was saying words to you out of order.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

No, it was when people were talking.

[Nicole Parker]

Okay, all right, all right.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Going crazy.

[Nicole Parker]

We. I don't think I'm the one saying strange things here.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Well, I'm trying to. I feel like I'm saying these things almost like.

[Nicole Parker]

So can you give. I'm going to call us such as here on this podcast. When we want examples, we call a such out. So could you give me. Could you give me a such as of the words that you heard differently?

[Paul F. Tompkins]

All right, give me a short sentence.

[Nicole Parker]

I have to go to the veterinarian.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Go, veterinarian. I to have.

[Nicole Parker]

Now, is that just. Is that just an example just now, or is that how you heard it from me?

[Paul F. Tompkins]

That. That's an example, Joan.

[Nicole Parker]

I'm just making sure.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

How would I set it up? And then all of a sudden it happened just then.

[Nicole Parker]

I don't know how often it's happening. I'm just trying to assess the situation.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

It's not happening anymore is what I'm saying.

[Nicole Parker]

Okay. And so have you already sort of come around to like, finding some fun traditions or habits as you're co. Living together now? Do you feel like you found a groove?

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Yeah, Joan, we have found a groove.

[Nicole Parker]

Good. I'm so glad. It's wonderful news.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

It really is. It's lovely. What we do is, you know, when we both get home from work. Gabby, of course, is a smokejumper.

[Nicole Parker]

Yes.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

But she keeps roughly the same hours as me.

[Nicole Parker]

That's interesting. Nothing's happening after the time of what.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

5Pm well, if it does, somebody else is on that shift.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, great. Okay, good.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Yeah, she's a daytime.

[Nicole Parker]

A daytime smoke joker. Okay. I know it didn't come out right.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Let it go.

[Nicole Parker]

Thank you.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

And Elsa. And so we will. We'll greet each other at the. At the door, whoever gets home first.

[Nicole Parker]

Okay.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

The other person waits at the door behind the closed door.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

For the other person to arrive.

[Nicole Parker]

Okay, that's a little different. So you're just waiting there, nose to the door. You're just waiting.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Not nose to the door because it opens in.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, dear. You don't want to do that.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

No, you don't. And so you wait the distance that the door to allow the door to swing in.

[Nicole Parker]

Do you have a little piece of tape down just so that, you know.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

We have pieces of tape all over the place now. Why is that?

[Nicole Parker]

Why is that?

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Well, we're doing some choreography.

[Nicole Parker]

Really?

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Yes.

[Nicole Parker]

I want to hear all about this.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Yeah. That's a fun thing we do at home.

[Nicole Parker]

Okay.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Is we will watch television and then, you know, remember, auto tune the news.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, I sure do. That was fun. That was fun.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

We'll auto tune the news.

[Nicole Parker]

Doug loves it.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

And then make up a dance for it.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, like, again, what would you auto tune? What's the dance you're working on Most.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Recently, let's see, there was an episode of Landman.

[Nicole Parker]

Is that one of those, like, Yellowstone type shows?

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Oh, yes. The genius Tyler Sheridan or Taylor Sheridan.

[Nicole Parker]

Who doesn't matter. Who cares?

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Oh, he may. He makes this beautiful television where. Oh, this. This iconoclast who is, you know, sort of, you know, you might think at first blush, oh, these are the kind of people that are ruining everything.

[Nicole Parker]

Okay.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

But then you get diaper and it turns out you, the viewer, are ruining.

[Nicole Parker]

No. You're kidding. Oh, I don't want that. I don't want the finger pointed at me.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

No.

[Nicole Parker]

And there's a beautiful song that you're choreographing to. Or what are you choreographing? Oh, an auto tune of.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Yeah. One of. One of the hallmarks of. Of Sheridan's work.

[Nicole Parker]

Okay.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Is that it will have this iconoclast explained to someone who is essentially the.

[Nicole Parker]

Viewer, is the iconoclast. Like an old grizzled white man. Yeah. Okay.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

And the. The. The viewer surrogate is somebody who says things like, isn't oil bad? And then the iconoclast will say, actually, this is your fault. Yes, oil is bad. But it's all we've got because you haven't come up with anything better. Now, we sidestep the idea that people have tried to come up with something better and the oil companies have stopped it every time.

[Nicole Parker]

Yes.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

We make it so that it's your fault.

[Nicole Parker]

Okay.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Yeah. And then so we. We set that to music.

[Nicole Parker]

Okay. Anti or halt. Like, it's just, you know.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Because I can't sing.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, that's right. So Bern can only sing on one tone.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

And then we'll. We'll do a little dance to that.

[Nicole Parker]

Really?

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Yeah.

[Nicole Parker]

And what are the spike marks for? Because I will tell you. Sorry. And I'm just gonna let you know and anyone listening at home, that is what we call them in the theater? We call them spike marks. You might not have heard that before. Have you heard that before?

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I haven't.

[Nicole Parker]

Okay, well, now you have.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I thought that was a heroin term.

[Nicole Parker]

It might be. Good Lord. But no, in the theater, it's. It's much more innocent. It's just different colors of tape. And, you know, like, in a blackout, you might have to rearrange the scenery. Well, the crew comes out. The way you do it is you have this glow in the dark tape.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

What?

[Nicole Parker]

Yes. And it might be just a little corner, and that's where the right corner of the chair goes.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

You have.

[Nicole Parker]

And that's how you know tdt. I'm so. What? What?

[Paul F. Tompkins]

What you have Gitdt.

[Nicole Parker]

Could you tell me what that stands for?

[Paul F. Tompkins]

In the dark Tape. Now, is this commercially available?

[Doug]

Where can I buy this?

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I want it because Doug comes in.

[Nicole Parker]

Like he's in commercial.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Doing our choreography. In the dark would be so exciting.

[Nicole Parker]

No, you don't need to do it in the dark. But please tell me.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

No, we don't need to.

[Nicole Parker]

Okay, but why do you have the tape?

[Paul F. Tompkins]

You don't need to go on a roller coaster.

[Nicole Parker]

Okay, but please tell me why you have the tape down? For choreography. Because generally you don't need that for choreography. You know, you're using, like, the time signature and the beats, like, you know, eight counts of this, eight counts of that. That's how you know how to keep track of your choreography. How do you do it with tape?

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Because that's where we put our feet.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, that's interesting.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

You never saw.

[Nicole Parker]

Your floor has to be absolutely covered.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Footprints.

[Doug]

Exactly.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Doug knows what I'm talking about.

[Doug]

Left, right, left, right.

[Nicole Parker]

Like, no, I've never seen this before. This is. Wow.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

You're not familiar with this at all.

[Doug]

Dance training with the footprints going like.

[Nicole Parker]

One of those dance ass revolution type of games where it's like, you know.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Where it predates that.

[Doug]

Okay, maybe that's where they got it.

[Nicole Parker]

I only used it for. You know what? Maybe I'm just thinking about it as spike marks as to where to move, because then I. I don't mean to segue, but this is kind of a good segue because we have them all over our house right now. I don't know if you've noticed, but that is because my twins. Again, revisiting the idea for anyone who hasn't been listening, they are back at home now because their Chick Fil a streaming pilot prank. Your parents did not go, and they're now home. They're Doing kindergarten with scrimshan. Old Mr. Scrimshake is still coming here every weekend? Yeah, he's. Well, I mean, it's questionable. We actually thought we lost him last yesterday.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Really?

[Nicole Parker]

Yes. But he was just taking. Well, because he was. He laid down and he was like, I'm just going to teach Lane down today. And then. And then he started calling for his wife, Matilda, and then he started having conversation with her.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

So she came over.

[Nicole Parker]

She came over. Matilda is still alive. Anyways, they're now.

[Doug]

We thought we heard a flatline. It was the flatline sound, but it was just him. That's his noise he makes when he's sleeping.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Okay.

[Nicole Parker]

He just goes. It was really confusing and scary.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Is he hooked up to machinery?

[Nicole Parker]

Well, sometimes oxygen. Yes. Sun Hill brings his oxygen in it. Anyways, so what the boys are doing now, of course, I'm talking about my twins. My twins, Matt and Mark. Spike and Mark. Spike. And that's been very confusing this week.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Sure.

[Nicole Parker]

Because as you can imagine, they. What they're doing now is they wrote a pilot for me to star in, and it's Mrs. Mr. Doubtfire. Sorry, I always get it wrong. Where I'm playing sort of. I'm doing the gender bending. So now what they've decided to do, because they've been very inspired by recent works that they've been watching, they want to do every episode in one shot. And let me tell you, these boys are not organized to pull this off.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

You have. That's.

[Nicole Parker]

My God. We have broken lamps. They have run into things that constantly forget that that's happening. And they'll be eating in the kitchen because we're trying to shoot it. The first scene here in the house.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

They're eating in the kitchen.

[Nicole Parker]

Who's shooting? Their friend Buzz.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Buzz.

[Nicole Parker]

Yeah. We talked about.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I think we talked about Buzz.

[Nicole Parker]

His nickname was Buzzkill when they were kids.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Oh, no.

[Nicole Parker]

He would ruin every party.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Wow.

[Nicole Parker]

Because he had. Terry had this crazy disease where he would vomit every time he was having fun.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

That is a crazy disease.

[Nicole Parker]

And so it was so sad. He was an only child and, you know, it just. He really, really loved being over here. But after a while, I was like, we've got to get this figured out, because I'm just cleaning up after you all the time. Because he did have a lot of fun.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

There's actually. That is a. That is a. It's a rare condition, but people do have it. And it's called. It's called Spew du Joie. And you know what you take for it?

[Nicole Parker]

Well, what What. What have you suggested? We had a ginger ale. Oh, it's great.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

That's all you have to do.

[Nicole Parker]

We did try that sometimes. We did try that sometimes. Oh, well, the problem is it was. It was Canada wet.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

No, no, you can't. You can't pinch pennies.

[Nicole Parker]

But Costco lets you buy them by the pallet.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I know, I know. They shouldn't do that, by the way.

[Nicole Parker]

It is more gel. Like, to be honest, when you drink it.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Nicole Parker]

So. So he went away for a while. We don't even know what happened to him. He was gone for a couple years and all of a sudden he came back into town, like, come strolling down the street just like, hey, even it isn't. If it is an old buzzkill.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

It is an old buzzkill.

[Nicole Parker]

And he needs a job. And the boy said, okay, we'll pay you if you'll be. If you'll be the cameraman. He's like, I don't know if I. I'm good at that, but. And you know what?

[Paul F. Tompkins]

So far, if you have to say that, then you're not.

[Doug]

You never know until you try.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Well, that's true.

[Nicole Parker]

The good news is that he get. Whenever he gets really dizzy, he does not throw up. You know what I mean? So mostly he's just been dizzy and unhappy. So he's actually been doing great with his condition.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

What's making him so dizzy?

[Nicole Parker]

Because they keep on wanting to do. They want to do shaky cam. They want. They're trying to do all shaky cam and one shot. Yes, they want to do shaky cam and one shot and then zoom in and then zoom out. And so, so yes, they keep on not. Not staying over where they're supposed to stay in the corner. And then, yes, they'll go into the kitchen and help themselves to something. I'm trying to start a scene in there. There, there. They're like, oh, you know, and so I've tried. The spike marks are mostly for.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

They're not even in video village.

[Nicole Parker]

No, they're not a video village.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

They're just having lunch.

[Nicole Parker]

That's right.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

They don't seem like very hands on producers.

[Nicole Parker]

Well, they're just not professionals. You know, I keep trying to tell them, like, they're just going from things they see on TV that are about the industry, you know?

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Right.

[Doug]

They did one shot where they went to the SW swing set and Buzz got on the swing to do like a zoom. Yeah, zoom in and then zoom out.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

A very quick zoom.

[Nicole Parker]

Yeah, yeah. We tried to tell him that there's a zoom feature on the camera. But he wanted.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

He wanted to do it practically.

[Nicole Parker]

Yeah, he wanted to do it practically. So the spike marks are mostly for the boys. So that's like. That's where you stand. That's where you stand for the scene. And you cannot move, you know, otherwise we will see you in the shot.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Yeah.

[Nicole Parker]

So it has just been. It's been the worst. I really have to tell you, I'm proud of them. And again, like I always say. I will always say this. I'm just glad they're alive. But it's been hard.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I'm sure it has been. And I. Boy, I hope those boys catch a break. I really do. Including Buzz.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, sweet. But he's so sweet. He's the sweetest. Oh, I thought you said he's okay. No, he's a great kid. Yeah, he's a great kid.

[Doug]

He owns it, you know, he owns his condition now.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Yeah. Good for him.

[Doug]

When he. When he spews, you know, he keeps laughing. He tries to laugh through.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Wow.

[Nicole Parker]

He's still having a good time, right?

[Doug]

That sounds terrible.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Somebody vomiting and laughing. That's really scary to me.

[Nicole Parker]

We've gotten so good at it at this house. We're just so, like, you know, set. He's set up for success. We've got buckets everywhere. You know what I mean? You know, we're a really. It's a. It's a safe place for him to be.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Gosh. Remember when you were a kid and it was time to get the bucket?

[Nicole Parker]

I know. You know, it's interesting.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Lay here on the couch.

[Nicole Parker]

My family wouldn't do a bucket. They wouldn't do the bucket. You had to run to the bathroom. You had to go to the toilet. There was no.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

You weren't allowed.

[Nicole Parker]

You were not allowed.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Wow.

[Nicole Parker]

I know it was rough.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I mean, you can't have made it 100% of the time.

[Nicole Parker]

I actually can't remember. I can't remember.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Not even buckets on the way.

[Nicole Parker]

The only time I remember throwing up and not making it in time was when I was at a showing a Pete's Dragon with my. With my father.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Sure.

[Nicole Parker]

And I was wearing a terrible purple and black strip stripe. The Lord jumpsuit.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Okay.

[Nicole Parker]

And we had to find. I went into a vet. The next door. Next door in the. In the. In the shopping mall, there was a vet, and they had a bathroom in the back. And I was really sad because he said, we can't go watch the rest of the movie. And I would have done so because I was really Loving it. He's like, no, we have to go home now because you were sick.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

So why. Why couldn't you use the bathroom at the theater?

[Nicole Parker]

Never been able to answer that in my memory. I don't know.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

But you do remember that black and purple velour jumpsuit?

[Nicole Parker]

I sure do. Can't forget it.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Okay.

[Nicole Parker]

I seem to have brought the podcast to a dead stop with that jumpsuit. What is. What. What are you so hung up on, Bert Houston?

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I don't know why I was included in the story, and I don't know why. I don't know why you can't remember why you had to go to a veterinarian.

[Nicole Parker]

It might have been a pet store. It had something to do with animal. I just remember the overhead lighting made me even more sick.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Oh, sure.

[Nicole Parker]

I don't know. I. I'm not sure, because we did have that one. Listen, you know what I think it was? We did have that one movie theater here in Dignity Falls that only was around for a year or two. And it was around that time when I was a kid. I've never asked my father about this, but it might have been that one. It was a movie theater. There was only one screen.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

That's right.

[Nicole Parker]

There was only. There were no bathrooms. That's right. And. And there were. And they. And they literally. There was only one row, and it was. It was like perpendicular. So it was the stupidest thing. It was like a very. Literally just had to lean over everyone, even when everyone leaned on either side just to watch the screen.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Because what the attempt was. You know how they have those movie theaters where you, like, sit in a big chair and you sure. Sleeping.

[Nicole Parker]

Yes.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

You're almost reclined flat.

[Nicole Parker]

Yeah. What's the point?

[Paul F. Tompkins]

They built, like, little tiny apartments instead of individual seats. And it. So you couldn't. There was not that many people could.

[Nicole Parker]

No.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Go in there. You were not allowed to go into other people's apartments.

[Nicole Parker]

It was supposed to be the idea of, like, a drive there, a drive in. But instead it's like you had. You're in your house and you happen to look out and go, oh, look, a movie's playing.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Yeah.

[Nicole Parker]

Yeah. That's what. That's the experience they wanted people to have.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Yeah. So they'd have, like, little walls with a window so you could get the sense of, oh, I'm in. I'm in my apartment.

[Nicole Parker]

And there were bathrooms in those little apartments, but everyone was just to use them.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Yeah. Because nobody. That's why. Because nobody knew if they were real or not. And they said I can't take this chance.

[Nicole Parker]

That's right. So. So that's. Does that answer your question?

[Paul F. Tompkins]

It does, Joan.

[Nicole Parker]

Okay, Doug, how long have we been talking?

[Doug]

Welcome to the family.

[Nicole Parker]

No, no. Are you doing, like, a voiceover in the hallway? That's terrifying.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Yeah.

[Doug]

When you enter the hallway.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, I don't care for that. Is it motion censored?

[Doug]

Yes.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, no.

[Doug]

How would I know otherwise? Wait, actually, that's a good idea. I could just keep playing that on repeat in the beginning of the hallway.

[Nicole Parker]

I'm still hung up on. How would I know otherwise?

[Doug]

How would that.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

You're saying you're not voiceover?

[Doug]

No.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

You're. You're not monitoring this. You. You're doing a set.

[Doug]

Ideally. Forget it.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Yeah, yeah.

[Doug]

Right now I am. But until I would love to get it to a place where it's automated.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I would do motion sensor rather than play it on a loop. Because you know how when you. If you go through a haunted maze or something like that.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, sure.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

And then you. The people are too close together. So you see the people, the hot. The ghouls. Resetting.

[Nicole Parker]

Yes, resetting.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

It's always. It's disappointing.

[Doug]

It is disappointing.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Yeah.

[Nicole Parker]

How? And I would love it. My suggestion would be to do away with this hallway altogether. I have not seen it, but it's interesting. It doesn't sound. It sounds creepy to me.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

It's definitely unnecessary.

[Nicole Parker]

I don't want. How about just the voiceover? I don't want the voiceover. It's gonna startle me at night.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

So no hall, Just the voiceover?

[Nicole Parker]

No.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Just.

[Eric]

Welcome to the family.

[Nicole Parker]

No. That's the creepiest part to me. Babe, how long have we been talking? I think we need to take a break and get to our guests.

[Doug]

It's been 27.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, well, that's minutes.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

All right, we should take a break. We will take a break. When we return, we'll have a guest right here on the neighborhood. Listen.

[Nicole Parker]

Hi, everybody. It's Nicole Parker here. Listen. Once the temps started rising, I realized I was back in the same worn out rotation. Same tank, same shorts, same everything. So I gave my daily uniform an upgrade with Quince. Their pieces are easy, elevated and. And somehow make me feel more put together without even trying. Somehow. I am talking 100% linen shorts and dresses from $30 Luxe Swimwear, Italian leather platform sandals, and so much more. And the best part, Everything with quince is priced 50 to 80% less than what you'd find at similar brands. By working directly with top artisans and cutting out the Middlemen. I love it when they cut out the middlemen. Quince gives you luxury without the markup. And Quince only works with factories that use safe, ethical and responsible manufacturing practices and premium fabrics and finishes. Now one of my favorite pie I've gotten from Quince is a short sleeve white linen button down shirt. It is so perfect because you can dress it up, you can dress it down, I can wear it with anything. It is the perfect summer accessory to making a statement which says I didn't really even try Quince tried it for me. Do you know what I'm saying? Treat your closet to a little summer glow up with Quince. Go to quince.com TNL for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. That's Q-U-I-N-C-E.com TNL to get free shipping and 300, 365 day returns. Quince.com TNL hi, it's Paul.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Now look, if you're constantly on the move or just tired of skipping meals, Huel has you covered. Huel, spelled H U E L is this episode's sponsor and their black edition Ready to Drink is a total game changer. It's a complete meal in one bottle with 35 grams of protein, 27 vitamins and minerals, high fiber and low sugar. So you feel full, focused and ready for your day. No pressure prep, no cleanup, just grab n go. Huel's already sold over 500 million meals around the world. Our world, planet Earth. And now it's your turn to try it. If you're from Earth, new customers get 15% off plus a free [e-mail] when you use our code TNL don't miss out. Try it today. Like, look for me, I'm running around all the time like a chicken with a head that has been removed. And a lot of times I forget to bring a lunch or I forget that lunch is a thing that I'm supposed to eat and then I get real hungry and I start to crash. So Huel has helped me out so much because I can just grab one of these guys, take it with me in the car and then when I'm feeling hungry, I drink it. Then I'm not hungry no more. It's just that simple. And it tastes good. I'm not gonna lie. It tastes good. Like you ever have, like chocolate, a vanilla, strawberry, banana. Like these are the flavors I enjoy. And then I can go through my day without crashing hard. I'm about to call you to action. Get Huell today with this exclusive offer for new customers. 15% off plus a free gift with code [e-mail] TNL minimum $75 purchase. That's 15% plus a free gift for new customers using our exclusive code [e-mail] Please see the description for the terms and conditions. Skip the stress, not the nutrition. Try Huel today for complete nutrition Bottled.

[Nicole Parker]

Ever notice how indignity falls? Even the smallest stories can turn into big adventures. The same goes for your dog's health. Ollie delivers clean, fresh nutrition in five drool worthy flavors all made in US Kitchens with high quality human grade ingredients, real minimally processed food and is the best choice for your dog's health. And Ollie's recipes like fresh Beef with sweet potatoes or Fresh turkey with blueberries are protein first and filler free. Ollie creates a customized meal plan just for your pup based on their weight, activity and health info. Dogs deserve the best and that means fresh, healthy food. Head to ollie.com freshpup Tell them all about your dog and use code F R-E-S-H-P U P to get 60% off your welcome kit when you subscribe. Subscribe today. Plus they offer a clean bowl guarantee on the first box so if you're not completely satisfied, you'll get your money back. That's O L-L-I-E.com Freshpup and enter code F R-E-S-H-P-U-P to get 60% off your first box. Hey guys, this is Reynaldo. I got a wooden storage cabinet for free. It's a sturdy wooden cabinet with drawers. Ideal for garage or home storage. As you can see if you reference the picture. I mean it really is ideal. You got room for all your stuff, like whether it's a pool noodle on top of pile of other things, you can put water guns like underneath it like so basically on the floor. My Newt, who lives in the terrarium down there loves it and he loves that plastic bag. That's a perfect place to store that plastic bag. Just jam it right there in the corner. You know, a dustpan that is unhealthy emptied, you know, just good because you know, honestly the dustpan is a good place to store the dirt and then you store the dirt in the dustband underneath the storage bin. Just lots of, you know, I mean, like I'm just looking to shake it up. Even though this is absolutely, as I said, just ideal. This is the ideal way to store things. So come get it for free.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Welcome Back to the neighborhood. Listen. And Joan, it's that time again.

[Nicole Parker]

Sure is.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Here's what we do, folks. We scour the neighborhap, the social networking application for neighborhoods, and we look for interesting neighbors to talk to. People want to tell their stories. They have a problem, they have a solution. They need advice.

[Nicole Parker]

Whatever it is, they really have a solution.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Boy, that's true.

[Nicole Parker]

It's really true.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I don't know if we've had anyone here in any way.

[Nicole Parker]

That's okay.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

And we've tried to help people. We sure have, but not successfully a lot of the time. I know some people are troubled.

[Nicole Parker]

It's all right. Maybe today. Maybe. Maybe today's the day.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

If you see a post that perhaps you think we've missed, why don't you screenshot it and send it to [e-mail]. now, this we found in the for sale and free section. And there's a picture of a lovely picture of a painting. And then this is posted by Erica. Erica says, give the gift of custom art for the holidays. I create paintings large and small based on your mantra for extra impact. I'm curious as to what that means.

[Nicole Parker]

Same.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

So here to tell us is Erica. Welcome, Erica, to the. Yeah.

[Eric]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, it's Eric. It's Eric.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Oh. Oh, sorry.

[Doug]

No, no, no.

[Eric]

Yeah, you know. Yeah.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Yeah.

[Eric]

No, it's all good. It's all good. Yeah. No, it's good.

[Nicole Parker]

Okay. No, I wouldn't have known that. Thank you.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

So should there be a space in there?

[Eric]

Yeah, Yeah. I could not figure out how to do that. Like, just like I did on my phone, it keeps on correcting. Like, I think it just auto corrects.

[Nicole Parker]

But is that how your parents named you? How is it spelled when they. When they named you Eric?

[Eric]

So my last name is. So it's like, So A for my family is really important.

[Nicole Parker]

Okay.

[Eric]

So what is.

[Nicole Parker]

Yeah. What does that mean? What that means is really important.

[Eric]

So, like, it's just like a really important letter. Like, you know, like, why? Well, like, you know, families. Like, every family has an important letter. Like, some is, like.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Yeah.

[Nicole Parker]

Didn't know that.

[Eric]

Like, a family that feel like. I've heard about this. Yeah.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Like.

[Eric]

Yeah. Like, so, like, for us, like, A is, like, really important. So, like, every kid has an A following their name. Like, because, like. Well, actually. What happened?

[Nicole Parker]

Opened up a beer.

[Eric]

Yeah. So.

[Nicole Parker]

Yeah.

[Eric]

Is that cool if I drink here?

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Absolutely.

[Nicole Parker]

All right. Frequently.

[Eric]

Yeah. That's. That's awesome. This is actually my family's beer. We make beer yeah, we're home brewers. We, like, love hops. We love that. We love all that stuff.

[Nicole Parker]

Like, and I. And I see that it says a beer.

[Eric]

A beer.

[Nicole Parker]

Like, crack open a beer. But it's because of the a. Sorry, a beer was loving hops.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

What got you into making beer?

[Eric]

Yeah, that's exactly it. So, like, my family loved hops. And we're like, well, what do we do with this?

[Nicole Parker]

Oh.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

You know what? Do what you love. You'll never work a day.

[Eric]

Yeah. Literally.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Right, that's great.

[Eric]

So, like, yeah, like, so my sister Shannon, she was like, Shannon, she was like, well, what if we start a beer? And we all, like, really rattled off.

[Nicole Parker]

What if we start beer?

[Eric]

Yeah, yeah. We were not on board.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Now, Shannon, she loves 50s music.

[Eric]

She loves 50s music is like, her love.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I think I've seen her at the Tavern. She. I think it's Wednesdays. She does, like a 50s night.

[Eric]

Yeah, yeah, she does it fun. Everybody complains. It's some of the worst music you'll ever hear at a bar. But, like, she loves.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

She just sings in acapella.

[Eric]

Yeah, she sings at acapel. She's up there for three and a half hours. No breaks.

[Nicole Parker]

Wow. That. No breaks. Good Lord.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

She repeats a lot of the songs.

[Eric]

Yeah.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Oh, yeah.

[Eric]

It's like she has a playlist and she repeats it, but it's not like, oh, this is. Oh, I'm gonna do the same. Five songs. It's like 10 songs, then one repeats, then three songs, then three repeat. And you're just like, sometimes you'll do one song on in repeat the whole time.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I remember one night and I heard Rockin Robin, I think eight times.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, is the space of an hour.

[Eric]

Yeah. She was going through a divorce. Like, that was like, okay, well, that's.

[Nicole Parker]

I'm sorry to hear that.

[Eric]

She was like ripping Rockin Robin non stop.

[Doug]

I remember she did the Tweet Tweet Elite part just on a loop one time, like an extended bridge.

[Nicole Parker]

Burton. You could do that. You could do that part.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Tweet tweet.

[Nicole Parker]

There you go. See, Bert really matches up with 50 style songs. It could actually be her backup. You really could.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I'm. I'm good.

[Nicole Parker]

You could do. Get a job for Shannon. All right, well, as much as I.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Love hearing about then, I can't go further than that.

[Nicole Parker]

Mama and dang.

[Doug]

The dang Dang Bob.

[Nicole Parker]

Boy, they really repeated just a lot of sounds back then. We may have just.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Music is at the beginning of Blue Moon. It just stays in the same place that's right.

[Nicole Parker]

And then. And then you lose it. Can I see a picture of the painting, please? I want to get back to this.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Absolutely.

[Nicole Parker]

Thing, so. Which is fascinating, hearing about your family. Can you tell us what maybe the mantra was that you based this painting on? Because this was probably for like a. A client, right? Or I guess, I mean.

[Eric]

Yeah. Yeah. So, like, right now, like, I'm trying to get more clients. Like, so like anybody that comes in, it's like really freaking awesome. Like, we. We try to figure out your mantra. If you don't have one. Like, we're working with you to try to figure out your vibe.

[Nicole Parker]

What about in this case?

[Eric]

So that's a guy named Nathaniel. He was struggling. He did not have a mantra.

[Nicole Parker]

That's hard.

[Eric]

And I said, stop being such a little baby bitch. And so mantra, like a little bit.

[Nicole Parker]

Like, was he okay with that?

[Eric]

He seemed to like it. He kept on saying, okay.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

And this is what this painting is what came out of.

[Eric]

Yeah. Yeah. So, like, if you look at that.

[Nicole Parker]

Painting, it's quite beautiful. I'm not sure I would get. I'm not sure I'm getting baby bits from it.

[Eric]

Well, actually, you can see. So like it's a mother holding a baby in the womb.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh. I thought it was. I thought it was just. To me, it just looks like. I don't know, like a. Like a fish covered in a sea anemone or in some hay. I'm not sure.

[Eric]

Huh. That's interesting. I don't really. Huh.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, I think that. Huh. Lets me know that he's upset.

[Eric]

Huh. No, no, it's fine. It's like, fine.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Trying to. Polite, but it.

[Nicole Parker]

Yeah. Oh, you just keep saying it.

[Eric]

Really interesting. Huh?

[Nicole Parker]

You see, his head is so far to the side, it looks like it's going to snap off.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Higher pitch.

[Nicole Parker]

It's just. Okay. Sorry. Eric. Eric, Let me just step. Let. Let's. Let's take a few steps back.

[Eric]

Yeah. Okay.

[Nicole Parker]

Normally. Normally when you do this, you said they have them come in. Do you have an office for this where someone.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Joan, this is a great question.

[Nicole Parker]

Thank you. Does this person come in.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Realize that makes it sound like it's a great question? Because I was going to ask it, but that's not what I meant.

[Nicole Parker]

Right. And I got there first.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

No one is disputing that.

[Nicole Parker]

I want everyone to know.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

No, no, no. You've planted this flag.

[Nicole Parker]

Okay, great. So do you have an office? Does someone come in and you make an appointment? How does it work?

[Eric]

That's such a great question. Oh, wow. Thank you such a cool question. Like, I do have a tiny studio, so it's like, kind of like what? It's an awesome place to work and I really, really love it.

[Nicole Parker]

It's great.

[Eric]

It's on the corner of Sumac and Jacaranda.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, great. Great.

[Eric]

It's, it's this beautiful little.

[Nicole Parker]

That's a beautiful street.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

That's a lovely street.

[Eric]

Oh, yeah. Gosh. It's crazy, right?

[Paul F. Tompkins]

People call that rural Dignity Falls stretch of pavement that doesn't have pavement on it.

[Eric]

Yeah, and that's exactly. So that's where I've set up my studio. It's like, I kind of like, right.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

There in front of the grass.

[Eric]

Yeah, right there in front of the grass. You kind of like, wander in and it's like a beautiful little abode I've like, kind of created like a beautiful little abode. Like I got.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

You live there as well?

[Eric]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. Yeah. Like, so, like, it's like a really cool place.

[Nicole Parker]

Like, it's like an abode. Right? Because I'm sure that is part of it.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Fun. Is that part of it?

[Eric]

I didn't like that.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, wait a minute. What? Oh, dear.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I, I, I will say this. Thank you for being so direct.

[Nicole Parker]

Yes, thank you. And also, I'm sorry, you know what.

[Eric]

My family is have to put up with for our favorite letter being a.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, I wouldn't have known that you were discriminated against.

[Eric]

Oh, you wouldn't?

[Nicole Parker]

No.

[Eric]

Privileged.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

To be fair, I don't. I mean, I guess I'm privileged too, because I wouldn't have known.

[Eric]

Yeah, you both are privileged.

[Nicole Parker]

Kinds of. Okay, what kinds of. I'm not disagreeing, but maybe we're disagreeing about what the privilege is. Oh, no, there he goes again on the other side. His head is going to snap off. Yeah, I'm very worried.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Like a haunting of Hill House.

[Nicole Parker]

Yes. It's like a pest dispenser. Now, what, what is an example? Well, is this if the pest dispenser opens sideways. That'd be horrifying.

[Eric]

Oh, terrible.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Oh, wow. Never thought about that.

[Nicole Parker]

What's an example of, of that kind of sort of like discrimination you would get for loving letter A?

[Eric]

Well, yeah, like my family. Like, like, well, like, yeah. So like, when I was like, young, like, everybody would be like, erica, Erica, Erica. And I'd have to be like, no. Like, no, okay, my name is.

[Nicole Parker]

They didn't pronounce their your name the way you wanted them. Yeah, like, okay, but what, can you give another example?

[Eric]

So, like, yeah, like, like so.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Because you said your family.

[Eric]

Yeah, yeah. So like, and then like, my family. So, like, when we. You'd like, like, get our driver's license, like, that's like a really. And they would look at me going like, erica, that's back to you.

[Nicole Parker]

So that just sounds more like someone being confused about how to pronounce your name, not, like, walking around saying they love the letter A and so they must be, you know, singled out.

[Eric]

Well, like, agree to disagree because I see, like, the family lineage being attacked. Almost like, like, like my dad.

[Nicole Parker]

Really? Like, actual attack?

[Eric]

Yeah, yeah, like my dad.

[Nicole Parker]

Okay. What happened, man?

[Eric]

Like, it's really even hard to talk about. Okay, his name is.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Take your time.

[Eric]

Alexa. Okay, Alexa.

[Doug]

Alexa.

[Nicole Parker]

Alex.

[Eric]

And everybody's like, always calling him Alexa. And like, one time, like, one time.

[Nicole Parker]

It's all right.

[Eric]

Sorry.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, no. Oh, no. He's starting to cry.

[Eric]

One time, like, oh, no.

[Nicole Parker]

Here, have a Kleenex. Have a Kleenex. Take a breath. Take a breath.

[Eric]

Thanks. Thanks. Uh huh, uh huh. One time.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, I feel like we should make him feel.

[Eric]

One time we were at a baseball game and my dad's co worker seemed to be sitting in front of us because they got tickets from their work. And he turns around and goes, whoa, if it isn't Alexa and his good boy Erica. And that just broke me in half.

[Nicole Parker]

I don't. I don't get it.

[Eric]

And that just broke me.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I don't get the. Like is the good boy.

[Nicole Parker]

That sounds actually like a nice thing to say.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I mean.

[Nicole Parker]

Split you in half.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

What does that mean?

[Nicole Parker]

Wow.

[Eric]

I had a sexual awakening. I was so devastated. But also it got me going in a way that I've never experienced before. And it was so uncomfortable.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Wow. You know, this reminds me of Hellraiser, because I should not have brought another movie.

[Nicole Parker]

I do apologize.

[Eric]

All I know is that was one of my mantras. That was my mantra for a little bit. Hellraiser. Raise hell.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh.

[Eric]

So, like, I did a lot of art about that. Like, so many cool stuff. Like, I wish I could show you guys.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

So many cool.

[Eric]

I wish I could show you guys.

[Nicole Parker]

Well, I mean, you can't.

[Doug]

Do you have no bites?

[Nicole Parker]

What? Babe? Sorry, that's my husband, Doug. He's in a different room hall at this point. What did you say, babe?

[Paul F. Tompkins]

He said Cenobites.

[Doug]

Cenobites.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Those are the creatures that come from the hell dimension.

[Nicole Parker]

Okay.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

And they all have their own thing going going on.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, geez.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

And Cedom bites always will make me think of cinnamon. And there's nothing done about that.

[Nicole Parker]

Which is weird because recently we were just talking about how alienation. They have heads like Dutch Crunch Bread. Oh, my gosh. Why. Why are. Okay, hang on. Let me go back. What happened is your family's favorite baseball team, the A's.

[Eric]

I didn't like that.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Oh, come on. Now you have.

[Eric]

What's with her?

[Nicole Parker]

What's with trying to, like, find a common ground and, like, into the A of it all?

[Paul F. Tompkins]

You said the letter A is very important.

[Eric]

Really important to us.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

So I don't think that's a. That's a. An insulting question.

[Eric]

Oh, you don't. Oh, you don't.

[Nicole Parker]

You. I'm actually, I'm. What I'm trying to do.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Well, touch the controversy. Yes. Let us. Let us learn.

[Eric]

Yeah, I'm trying. You guys are just not. Listen, I wish I could paint this. God, you'd understand.

[Nicole Parker]

Well, go ahead, paint it. Here, look, I have a canvas because we've been using it to, like, give myself better light during our shooting. So just do this. The bounce board. Yes. You can use the bounce board to.

[Eric]

Use as a bounce for. But that's cool.

[Nicole Parker]

It is. It's fine.

[Eric]

That's fine.

[Nicole Parker]

All right. So he's drawing. It's a lot of stick figures, which is surprising.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Yeah, I don't see any in the example of his art.

[Nicole Parker]

No, it doesn't look like this other painting.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

What is he saying?

[Eric]

Freedom.

[Nicole Parker]

Freedom.

[Eric]

I can't live Freedom by George Michael.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

It's a different Frida, I think.

[Nicole Parker]

Okay.

[Eric]

Christmas.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I heard a Christmas last Christmas.

[Eric]

Okay, I'm done.

[Nicole Parker]

He's just singing a bunch of whams.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Oh, my God. Look at that, Joan.

[Nicole Parker]

Yes.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

That's incredible.

[Nicole Parker]

That's amazing.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

So wait, under all your art is stick figures that are doing things?

[Eric]

Yeah.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

And then you layer the images on top of each other.

[Eric]

Yeah. I get really confused once I start using the paint.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

So what. So what happened? What? What was the stick figures doing before you covered them with the paint?

[Eric]

So, like, for this one, like, this is me trying to explain something, and this is you two throwing batons at me. And me going. Throwing.

[Nicole Parker]

I'm so sorry. That's how you felt.

[Eric]

A bunch of A's above it. Yeah. And it's.

[Nicole Parker]

Yeah, we can see. You can put it down now. He's holding it above his head like Lloyd Dobler and say anything, and I.

[Eric]

Just feel like you guys can't see it.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

It's another movie.

[Eric]

Can you guys see it now?

[Nicole Parker]

No, we've been able to see it very clearly. You can put it back down. Yes, but I'm sorry, I do think that it's interesting that, like, I almost think more interesting for you, art wise, might be not to draw other people's mantras, but to channel what it is. What it is you're experiencing this anger, this frustration into art. Because that is. Sorry, sometimes, Sometimes it happens to Bert. So don't be alarmed. But I think that that's very interesting. Now, can I walk back for a second and ask you how much business you do in is this? Do you get a lot of clients? You were posting about this. I don't know how long ago this was.

[Eric]

Yeah, yeah.

[Nicole Parker]

It's talking about the holidays, but that could be any holiday.

[Eric]

Yeah, yeah.

[Nicole Parker]

How is your business? Is it thriving, would you say?

[Eric]

Oh, my gosh, it's like booming. It's like.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, it is, yeah.

[Eric]

Like. Like every couple of weeks I get a very sad kind of stranger that walks in and we do it and we like, we do it.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

A sad kind of stranger.

[Eric]

A sad kind of stranger.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Are they always sad people? I mean, there's nobody with a. With a mantra who's happy that says I want to.

[Eric]

You wouldn't believe. People that have mantras are usually the saddest people.

[Nicole Parker]

You're kidding. I wouldn't have. Guess I think it would be all the go getters have the mantra.

[Eric]

Well, yeah, well, a lot of these people are looking for me to help with them, with the mantras. But like, if you have a mantra like, like you guys have mantras like I, I don't.

[Nicole Parker]

I.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

You do have one card up.

[Nicole Parker]

That's cool. Yeah, but I usually think it in my head.

[Eric]

That's good. Do you think it that loud?

[Nicole Parker]

I do. I absolutely do. Babe, do you have a mantra?

[Doug]

I have a new one.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh. Oh, congrats. Like just now.

[Doug]

Yeah, no, as I was working on this. Oh, it's gonna come at the end of the hallway. Okay, listen to this. I already did a voiceover.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

From what I understand, your mantra is supposed to be a very private thing, but you're gonna have it on the voiceover at the end of the hall of Hapsburg Gins.

[Eric]

I'll come for this.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, yeah, Jaws, Jaws.

[Eric]

Dude.

[Doug]

Well, you almost gave it away. Oh, keep your chin up.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, no. Oh, wait. Normally a mantra also doesn't have a creepy laugh at the end. I like keeping up. That's a good one.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Positive advice.

[Nicole Parker]

But then, wahaha at the end. I don't. I don't see the need for that one. Exactly. Why is there a creepy laugh after it Babe, it just feels right after.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

A hall creepy laugh at the beginning of it.

[Nicole Parker]

That's true. There was. Yeah.

[Doug]

There doesn't need to be. It could. Could just be welcome to the family.

[Nicole Parker]

See, for a second, I thought he was gonna play the. The Jaws theme in the hallway.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Right?

[Doug]

No, but I do have actually a great idea.

[Nicole Parker]

It's not bad.

[Doug]

That's. That's a good idea, Joe. Now you're getting on board.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, I wouldn't say that.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

What others? Are there other songs that have jaw in the title?

[Nicole Parker]

That's a good question.

[Doug]

What do you think, Jawbreaker?

[Paul F. Tompkins]

There has to be a song called Jawbreaker.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, yeah.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Jawbreaker, Jawbreaker, or the soundtrack to Jawbreaker. You can just play that whole thing.

[Nicole Parker]

Well, I think we're getting away from our topic here.

[Eric]

Actually gave me some time to drop draw. I've been actually adding a little bit of like, oil paint to.

[Nicole Parker]

Now this just says help all over.

[Doug]

Jaw rule.

[Eric]

Jaw rule.

[Nicole Parker]

Okay, thanks, babe. We've moved on.

[Doug]

Had to get one.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Goodness arguable that you did.

[Nicole Parker]

And am I now that I'm looking closer, is it help? And it's spelled help with an A.

[Eric]

Help.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, okay. Okay, I get it. I guess. Help.

[Eric]

Help. Yeah, with an A.

[Nicole Parker]

Sure.

[Eric]

Yeah. That's good. That's really good. That's really good. Try it.

[Nicole Parker]

Help.

[Eric]

I didn't like that.

[Nicole Parker]

Nothing. Doesn't like anything I do.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Can I say, John, I'm not to victim blame, but it did sound like help.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, my gosh.

[Eric]

Thank you.

[Nicole Parker]

You know what? My voice is tired from having to sing my mantra impromptu. Okay. Unprompted. Unprompted.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I think it's both.

[Nicole Parker]

Now I'm splitting in half and it's not sexual. All right, so that is an interesting one.

[Eric]

Yeah, But.

[Nicole Parker]

But you were. You have sad people come in all the time. How much do you charge for these paintings?

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Great question, Joel.

[Eric]

This is a great question. I love this question. It's such a good question. Usually how much I charge depends on the mantra. The size of the mantra.

[Nicole Parker]

I wondered about that.

[Eric]

Yeah. Like, more words is a little bit more expensive.

[Nicole Parker]

You might have to do more work.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

What's the longest mantra you've. I always think of them as very short phrases.

[Nicole Parker]

Same, I think.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I don't know a lot about.

[Nicole Parker]

They're supposed to be easy to remember.

[Eric]

But sometimes the person is going through something and I gotta really help them find, like a long mantra to just like to say and front of the mirror, like, hey, you got this. And that's the only thing that you're going to focus on right now is getting this step up, step out. Let's do this, baby. Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, that's too many.

[Eric]

Hey.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Oh, it's not. It's not done.

[Eric]

Interior. You're at a cafe.

[Nicole Parker]

Wait a minute. Interior.

[Eric]

The bartender. The cafe person and the bartender are talking about how much you rock. And you walk. Walk up and say, yes, thank you. Blackout, out. Post credit scene, you're at lunch with all the Avengers. Somebody says, are we getting falafel after this? Everybody laughs. And they love you because you deserve to be there because you're a superhero.

[Nicole Parker]

Is that it? Is it over?

[Eric]

Cut to black.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, my God. Whose mantra was this? Who was this sad person?

[Eric]

No, this person was very sad. A guy named Gregory. Gregory Hines.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

No, it wasn't. Yeah, I was just giving.

[Eric]

Guessing Gregory Hines. Do you know the dancer?

[Nicole Parker]

Well, he's not. He's not with us anymore. I don't think.

[Eric]

Yeah, I think this killed him.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, my.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Now there's.

[Nicole Parker]

I wouldn't have thought that to be Gregory Hines's mantra, to be honest.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

If there's any confusion for the listener, There is a famous dancer here in Dignity Falls named Gregory.

[Nicole Parker]

Yes, there is.

[Eric]

Very famous dance.

[Nicole Parker]

And he's the one who's no longer with.

[Eric]

Uhhuh.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Yes. So the other Gregory Hines is also no longer with us.

[Eric]

That's so sad.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

They're dancing together in heaven.

[Nicole Parker]

Wouldn't that be so lovely? Could you paint that? I would love it if you painted that.

[Eric]

Oh, yeah, Yeah, I would try. Yeah. Hold on, let me try.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, he's gonna do it. He's now just drawing on my kitchen island. But it's okay. It's waterproof.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Little lines representing movement.

[Nicole Parker]

Did I hear a fling?

[Eric]

Fling, fling. Don't go break in my heart. Okay.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Oh, you are sweating storm.

[Eric]

My dreads are getting in my face. All my dreads.

[Nicole Parker]

Yeah, I didn't want to mention it.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

But yeah, it's not good. You never want to mention it.

[Eric]

Wait, why didn't you want to mention it?

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Because why would you comment on someone's hairstyle?

[Eric]

I commented on yours.

[Nicole Parker]

Did you? When did you do that?

[Eric]

I think I did. I said your hair looks like slinky.

[Nicole Parker]

What? I don't ever wear.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I don't remember hearing that.

[Eric]

I swear to God. I must have said it while I was channeling art.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, wow. I have got to tell you, I am turned around and upside down right now by this guest because I feel like we've lost the plot a little bit. I don't. I haven't been asking a lot of questions, and they've been good. Do you have any.

[Doug]

That's a good idea, though, to put a Slinky in your hair.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I have to ask why.

[Nicole Parker]

No, please. Hang on.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Okay, sorry.

[Nicole Parker]

Why would that be a good idea, babe? Slinky in your hair, you get like.

[Doug]

A really flowing, you know, like, curl going, you know, I mean, like the Superman. Or like a wave. Like a wave, you know, but like.

[Nicole Parker]

It looks like really picturing, but it's not at all.

[Doug]

When you whip your head around, it would just look so bountiful.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Your hair is sort of wrapped around the slinky, so it looks. Looks like hair.

[Doug]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, it looks like hair.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I think that would look weird.

[Nicole Parker]

Yeah. I think it would almost look like an elephant's trunk rather than anything, because a sticky does. Exactly.

[Doug]

Oh, it would look like the Ghostbusters guy. You know, his. The front of his hair. The cartoon.

[Nicole Parker]

What? No, I don't know it.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Yeah, I'm not familiar with. I know.

[Nicole Parker]

Are you familiar with the Ghostbusters cartoon?

[Eric]

No.

[Nicole Parker]

Literally, he looks like. You're really young.

[Doug]

Slinky in his head.

[Eric]

I'm really young.

[Nicole Parker]

You're really young.

[Eric]

Can you guys guess? Guess my age.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, I hate doing this.

[Eric]

Guess my age.

[Doug]

Guess my age.

[Nicole Parker]

Let's just price this, right?

[Paul F. Tompkins]

25.

[Eric]

So close.

[Nicole Parker]

24.

[Eric]

So close.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

26.

[Eric]

So close.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

23.

[Eric]

I'm 21.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Wow.

[Nicole Parker]

Really? Yeah.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

You are a young guy.

[Nicole Parker]

How long have you been doing this?

[Eric]

Oh, I've been doing this for a while. Like. So what happened is I went to the big music festival in town. You guys ever been?

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, yeah.

[Eric]

Yeah. Cuca. Coachella. Mushroom City. Yeah, well, Mushroom City is that one year that I went. It was like, cuckoo. Coachella presents Mushroom City. And, like, I just had this moment. Have you guys ever experienced an ego death? Okay, that's the photo.

[Nicole Parker]

You know what? Doug just texted me a picture of what he's talking about from that cartoon. It actually does look like a Slinky, as in his hair. I'm not gonna lie.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Speaking of ego death.

[Eric]

Yeah.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Do you know who has died? It's the actor who played Ego from Ghostbusters.

[Eric]

Oh, no.

[Nicole Parker]

I thought it was Ego on.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Yes, it is.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, okay.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I was trying to relate it.

[Eric]

I can't believe what's her deal said ego. What's her problem with me?

[Nicole Parker]

Wow, I. I missed that.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I don't know how you could.

[Eric]

It was so clear and straightforward. So clear and straight. It was so obvious.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

And it was really worth saying.

[Eric]

And I appreciated it.

[Nicole Parker]

Yeah.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

And. Okay, so wait, wait, wait. Tell us about.

[Nicole Parker]

We were just talking about something very interesting. What happened? We got distracted. Yes, but before then, I asked you. No, no. Yes, that's right. You were talking about Cuckoo, Coachella, Mushroom City. And you were there one time.

[Eric]

Yeah.

[Nicole Parker]

And when was that?

[Eric]

That was 2016.

[Nicole Parker]

I feel like. I mean, like a. Like a John Grisham novel right now. And he's on the stand. I'm really having to stay focused here.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

But you know what you sound like is you sound like the bad guy. Lawyer.

[Eric]

Yeah. And that's what I feel like. I feel like I'm just.

[Nicole Parker]

I sound like who it would be. It would be like Kevin Spacey.

[Eric]

Yeah, you sound like Kevin Spacey.

[Nicole Parker]

I sound just like Kevin Spacey.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

We brought him up.

[Nicole Parker]

I am so sorry. What are you gonna do about it, huh?

[Eric]

It was honestly not. Not too bad of a depression. No, thank you.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

It was good. But let's stop talking about.

[Nicole Parker]

Definitely stop.

[Eric]

Have you. So, like the.

[Nicole Parker]

It's the sequel. We need to talk about Kevin. Okay, so you went to this festival and you had an epiphany. When did this happen? Happened.

[Eric]

So, like, this happened 2016, 2017. And like, I just. I.

[Nicole Parker]

You were really young.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

You can remember the exact.

[Nicole Parker]

Listen, what happens in Mushroom City.

[Eric]

Thank you.

[Nicole Parker]

It happens in whatever year you want it to.

[Eric]

Yeah, it doesn't happen in a year.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

If you were. If you. If you can remember what year Mushroom City was, you were there.

[Nicole Parker]

That's right. Literally, you were about like 10 or 11.

[Eric]

Yeah, I was like 11.

[Nicole Parker]

Shouldn't have even been in there.

[Eric]

I was 11.

[Doug]

I want to go somewhere.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

You had to take mushrooms to walk in.

[Nicole Parker]

You do. That's at point of entry. That's what you do. That's the payment.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Instead of a wristband.

[Nicole Parker]

They give you drugs.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

They make you take drugs.

[Eric]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I took a bunch of mushrooms and they're like, wait, aren't you 11? I said, buzz off.

[Nicole Parker]

And they asked that question after he ingested them, which is wild to me.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Buzz off.

[Eric]

I said, buzz off. That kind of intimidated them at that time. And I. Cuz I used to be so different. Like, I. I'm like a really chill, like, relaxed kind of zen guy who's like into really chill guy. Like, and. But I used to be super aggressive and super. Like, I used to.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, yeah. And I used to.

[Eric]

I used to like, wear. Yeah, it's super. In the past, like, it's so past me different Now. Now is different.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, wow. Okay.

[Eric]

Now is different because I used to slip my hair back and wear like black leather pants and like carry like a switch comb at 11. A switch comb at 11.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Do you have a switch comb?

[Nicole Parker]

I mean, it's like a switchblade, but it's a comb.

[Eric]

Exactly. And I would be like this, buzz off.

[Nicole Parker]

Say, oh, yeah.

[Eric]

That it was not a good look. And like, so I went. A lot of kids were intimidated by me. It was mostly because I was getting bullied for my name. So I had to kind of create this Persona. Bullied for my name.

[Nicole Parker]

I can't unpack that one burnt. I don't think we should.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

It sounds like he still has a little touch of a childhood speech impediment.

[Nicole Parker]

That's what's kind of happening to my boys. We've talked about this.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

They're regressing.

[Nicole Parker]

Yes, they're regressing. Um, Mark, Spike and Matt have really been like, not doing their good Ls or their good Rs, you know, so they're like, hi, everybody. I love you.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I love those good Ls.

[Nicole Parker]

I mean, to be honest, I love it. It takes me back to a happier time.

[Eric]

Can I ask how old they are?

[Nicole Parker]

Well, they're 22.

[Eric]

Yeah. Okay.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

They're twins.

[Eric]

Yeah, got it, got it, got it. Because they're like right around my age.

[Nicole Parker]

That's true, actually.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

That is true.

[Nicole Parker]

Huh.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

21 or 20.

[Nicole Parker]

Interesting.

[Eric]

That's really interesting.

[Nicole Parker]

Huh, huh huh.

[Eric]

Interesting, huh?

[Nicole Parker]

Indeed.

[Eric]

Interesting.

[Nicole Parker]

So you went into this. I think we haven't really gone through the story yet. We're just trying to nail down the specifics. But you're in there and something. You're clearly on drugs as a 10 year old.

[Eric]

This is concern 11.

[Nicole Parker]

Well, we're not sure.

[Eric]

I'm.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I'm okay. So you, you know the, the, which festival it was. You know exactly how old you were, but you cannot tell.

[Eric]

It was around 2014 to 2018. I cannot tell you now.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

It's gotten.

[Nicole Parker]

I cannot remember further back in time and then what? Can you just tell us the epiphany?

[Eric]

So, yeah, so, yeah, I'm in the. I'm like, I'm greasing it up, like, because it was kind of like a greaser vibe and I was yelling, but get out of my way. See, I'm trying to enjoy the festival.

[Nicole Parker]

30S detective.

[Eric]

Okay, mushrooms hit. And I just realized I've been living life wrong. Like, I look around and I see the vibes and it's all love and it's all Spirituality and it's all Nexus and it's all vibes and it's all this feeling. And I realized in that moment that I was projecting who I thought I needed to be to stay safe.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Wow.

[Nicole Parker]

Heavy for a 10 to 11 year old.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Yeah. This is big.

[Eric]

Yeah, well, yeah, my guru tells me I've lived about 17 lives and.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Your guru, guru.

[Eric]

Do you guys know Guru Joshua?

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I've heard that name, I think.

[Eric]

Yeah, Guru Joshua.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

What's his whole.

[Eric]

He's really fun. He. He's kind of the fun guru.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Never hear that about gurus, that they're.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, is this the guy who has the drive thru coffee place?

[Eric]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Nicole Parker]

You can drive through, but then you can also just get a little bit of advice and whatnot. Okay, yeah. So like lattes and life lessons.

[Eric]

Yeah, he's been really instrumental to my change and like helping me out here. And he's just so fun. You know what's fun?

[Nicole Parker]

What does he do that's fun? What's an example?

[Eric]

You know, he one time, if he like gives you like good advice, they'll throw in a cookie and you'll be like, guru Josh.

[Nicole Parker]

That is fun. I love an extra cookie.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

And he.

[Eric]

So unexpected, you know, he's kind of like. He looks like a pencil pusher guy. Like buttoned up, straight lace. Like, you wouldn't think of him as a guru. Yeah, like a real freaking nerd. I'd really beat up if I was still 11.

[Nicole Parker]

Let's walk it back.

[Eric]

If I was still 11, I'd freaking pummel his ass. No, I've changed.

[Nicole Parker]

So what does the rest of your family do? Do you live with them still?

[Eric]

Yeah, lightly. So like when I'm not living at work, I'm living with my family.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Oh, that's right.

[Eric]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Nicole Parker]

Okay. And what do your parents do?

[Eric]

So my dad is an airline pilot and my mom.

[Nicole Parker]

So is mine. That's so interesting.

[Eric]

That's so crazy.

[Nicole Parker]

Or. Well, was. He's retired.

[Eric]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. No, my dad can't retire. He won't. He refuses.

[Nicole Parker]

Well, I think at a certain point he's gonna be. He's gonna take his park to you at a certain place.

[Eric]

No, no, he's threatened.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Oh, what?

[Eric]

He's threatened to crash a plane if they try to take it away so they'll keep them on.

[Doug]

That's like the show Paradise.

[Nicole Parker]

Yeah, we haven't seen exactly like the show Paradise.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Paradise.

[Doug]

One of the characters has a father who won't retire being a pilot.

[Nicole Parker]

Really?

[Eric]

Yeah.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

For real?

[Doug]

That's for real. And he has the same thing he has early on. He has. Oh, he has Alzheimer's.

[Nicole Parker]

Okay.

[Doug]

Beginning to show up and he still won't.

[Nicole Parker]

Who's. Who plays this character?

[Doug]

I don't know.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, okay.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I'm going to say this is spoilers for the show paradise, which I've seen the first episode of.

[Nicole Parker]

Okay.

[Eric]

Okay. Spoilers.

[Doug]

I loved it.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

This. Oh. Because it slides back and forth in time. This is before. They live underground, I would assume.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, wow. That is a spoiler. Wow.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

So he's out of pilot.

[Nicole Parker]

Sorry, guys. Hope you turned flying around underground.

[Doug]

Oh, yeah. That's. Yeah. This has been the before times. Yeah.

[Nicole Parker]

Before time.

[Eric]

They live underground.

[Nicole Parker]

Have you not seen it?

[Eric]

No.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, okay.

[Eric]

I was going to watch it tonight.

[Nicole Parker]

You were literally watching. What a terrible timing.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

They do. It's covered in the first episode. I mean, it's the end of the first episode.

[Nicole Parker]

Okay. It's their big. It's their big cliffhanger at the end of first episode to get you to watch again.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Big reveal. But honestly, I think it helps to hear that in advance.

[Eric]

Literally. I'm more hooked than ever.

[Doug]

It's a big genre shift.

[Eric]

I thought it was just a guy working a job.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

It kind of is for a while.

[Eric]

Yeah.

[Nicole Parker]

Okay, so your dad is a pilot. We've established that. He doesn't want ever. You're gonna have to rip the plane out of his cold, dead hands. And what does your mom do?

[Eric]

My mom is a nail technician.

[Nicole Parker]

Okay.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Oh, you crushed your camera.

[Nicole Parker]

Why are you pissed about her job?

[Eric]

I hate nail technicians.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Why?

[Eric]

Because nails shouldn't be touched. They're natural.

[Nicole Parker]

This is an interesting take.

[Eric]

Oh, you never heard this before, coming.

[Nicole Parker]

Out of left field. Well, for you, I think.

[Eric]

I don't like people who dye their hair. I don't like people who touch their nails. I don't like any of this.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, gosh.

[Eric]

Keep it natural.

[Nicole Parker]

Keep it looking at me while he's saying this.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Natural tattoos.

[Eric]

I love tattoos.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, okay.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Because I saw.

[Eric]

That's different.

[Doug]

Only henna tattoos.

[Eric]

That's different to me. No, not henna. Oh, that's unnatural.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

What is the differentiation in your mind?

[Eric]

So. So for me, a tattoo is art. Tattoo is art. It's beauty. You're. You're adding something to your body that represents something else for you.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

But you don't feel that way about nails.

[Eric]

No.

[Nicole Parker]

I mean, look at Cynthia Riva, the lady from Wicked. She has art sculptures on her nails. That's not artistic.

[Eric]

No.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

They're getting longer and longer.

[Nicole Parker]

They are getting too Long.

[Doug]

And you do feel that dreads are art with hair.

[Eric]

Dreads is hair.

[Nicole Parker]

All right. I think that we're again getting off the beaten path a little bit.

[Eric]

But adding all these crystals to my hair, that's art.

[Nicole Parker]

Yes, it is.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Because they're natural.

[Eric]

Because they're natural.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Yeah.

[Eric]

They come from the earth.

[Nicole Parker]

You are an interesting person, Erica, I have to say. You're an interesting person. I do feel like maybe you're a little unstable.

[Eric]

Huh? Me? Huh?

[Nicole Parker]

Just maybe just a tiny. I'm just concerned that, like, you had an epiphany when you were on massive hallucinogenic drugs as a child, and it could have had a profound effect on your brain because you know that that front temporal lobe is not fully formed yet at 10.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Oh, I think it damaged your brain.

[Nicole Parker]

Yeah, definitely. Definitely.

[Eric]

No.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm not a doctor doctor. I'm just a pharmacist.

[Nicole Parker]

That's right.

[Eric]

Well, I trust pharmacists from hearing this story.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

From listening to you, it does sound like you have some kind of brain damage.

[Eric]

No.

[Nicole Parker]

Now, maybe that has contributed to an incredible ability at art.

[Eric]

Couldn't be.

[Nicole Parker]

But I couldn't be you.

[Eric]

Couldn't be me.

[Nicole Parker]

This could it be?

[Eric]

Okay, this is really interesting. Interesting.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, see?

[Eric]

Yeah.

[Nicole Parker]

He says interesting. There goes the necklace sideways.

[Eric]

Interesting. I would actually love to help you guys with your mantras, cuz I feel like maybe. Are you guys going through something? I'm getting a vibe.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

You know what? I think we have just enough time to. To do that if. If you'd like to give us mantras.

[Nicole Parker]

Yeah, I mean, I guess I already have mine. I'm happy with it.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Oh, you have your. I don't have one. I guess.

[Nicole Parker]

Why don't we do burnt?

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Keep your chin up. Okay.

[Nicole Parker]

Yeah, let's do burnt.

[Eric]

Okay.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Do you need to know anything about me?

[Eric]

Yeah, I would love anything.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

All right. I. I'm born and raised here in Dignity Falls. I'm a farmer pharmacist. I. I have square food that's probably important to mention. I. I cannot eat square. I don't believe in ghosts, but I do believe in ghouls. I. I just moved in with my girlfriend.

[Eric]

Oh, wow. Yeah.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

And I have red hair.

[Eric]

Oh, okay. Okay. Okay.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Are you eating something?

[Eric]

I have some. Me think.

[Nicole Parker]

He just has. He has some tobacco in there.

[Eric]

It's chewing tobacco.

[Doug]

I don't think you're supposed to actually chew it.

[Eric]

It's chewing tobacco. I'm going to chew it.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, wow. I would not cross him. Babe.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I never thought about that before did they used to chew it?

[Nicole Parker]

I don't know.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

In the old days in the Wild West.

[Nicole Parker]

I feel like they did a little bit.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I thought you just those idiots.

[Nicole Parker]

I feel like this has been longer.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Than miracle we're here.

[Nicole Parker]

I feel like this has been longer than the Jeopardy Theme. Are you ready yet?

[Eric]

Yes, I am. Say it with me.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Okay. Oh, say it with you.

[Eric]

Say it with.

[Nicole Parker]

This is going to be interesting. Here we go.

[Eric]

You don't just say it. Repeat after me.

[Nicole Parker]

Okay.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Easier. That's easier.

[Eric]

I I am am the the best best at at everything everything. I I have have big big dreams dreams that.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

True true.

[Eric]

The the wave wave of of life life will will not not stop stop me me. I I will will surf surf on odd top top of of the the wave wave. And and when when it crashes crashes against against the the rocks rocks, I I will will learn learn the the lesson lesson of repeating repeating waves waves. This is multiple multiple ways I am merely merely the rock the rock.

[Doug]

Wow Full stop.

[Eric]

Wait.

[Nicole Parker]

Is it. Oh, it's not a rock.

[Doug]

You're the rock.

[Nicole Parker]

Is there going to be a blackout or an interior interior Interior.

[Eric]

Chinatown A A guest guest patron patron sits sits at a table table eating delicious delicious duck.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Oh boy.

[Eric]

I sit sit at the table. He looks at me. Edwin.

[Doug]

Oh, Edwin Edwin.

[Eric]

This is the this is the title of the name Edwin.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh okay.

[Eric]

Hey hey, you you seem good good. This this feels feels different you you say I do do feel feel feel different different.

[Nicole Parker]

Wait a minute. He split up the word because.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

That'S weird split it right in half.

[Eric]

I realized that that life life is merely merely waves waves crashing crashing against rocks.

[Nicole Parker]

Okay.

[Eric]

And and I I am merely merely water water flowing flowing period. Wait cut to cut two.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, this can't this is too long.

[Doug]

I want to know what happened to.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

The delicious duck babe.

[Nicole Parker]

There's not.

[Eric]

Interior Interior Detective's office Detective. Detective Marshall Marshall stands That's the stage direction. Desk Desk. Detective Marshall standing desk. We've We've got got to figure figure out who murdered all these people people. We only have 48 hours to accomplish this goal. You walk.

[Nicole Parker]

It's amazing to watch.

[Eric]

I know the answer answer is life continues at the precipice merely we are at at the end. If we wait, we will solve the murder. Detective looks at you.

[Nicole Parker]

Murder. Where did the murder come from?

[Eric]

Dang Dang. That was smart. You got it. You're detective. You're detective.

[Nicole Parker]

Now what?

[Eric]

Waves crash in the distance Period. Black out Fade to white.

[Doug]

Oh.

[Eric]

Cut to fade to black. So you can just say that to yourself in the mirror.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Wow.

[Nicole Parker]

Birds. How does that feel? What's going on with you right now? Terrific. They both started, like, closing their eyes, and, like, you can see the whites of their eyes. They just started really going into this trance almost.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I feel. I feel.

[Nicole Parker]

It was wild. I started talking at the same time.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Wow.

[Eric]

Wow, that's crazy.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Thank you for that.

[Eric]

Hey, no, you can just repeat that whenever you can in, like, whenever you're feeling low.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I'm going to. I'm going to, like, factor it into my commute to work.

[Eric]

That's a great time.

[Nicole Parker]

I sure hope you solve that murder.

[Eric]

Yeah, it's a bunch of murders.

[Nicole Parker]

Well, Eric, that was fascinating. That's definitely a first for the podcast. No one has ever hypnotized burnt before.

[Eric]

And it was very entrancing. It was very.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Was.

[Nicole Parker]

It was something else to watch.

[Eric]

Yeah. So you guys thought I was in Sable. I'm actually a genius. Huh?

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, well, okay.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

He's got a point.

[Nicole Parker]

It was. I will say this. This was a unique episode, and I'll never forget it.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I'll never forget this.

[Eric]

This is awesome. Thank you guys so much for having me.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Thank you.

[Eric]

Thank you. Great. Like, you've been great, and I'm such a big fan. A fan of you, like, so much.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, a fan.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Yeah.

[Eric]

I used to watch you do, like, acting when I was.

[Nicole Parker]

You did?

[Eric]

Yeah. Yeah. Oh, my goodness. I've been a huge fan of you. Maybe I was, like, a little, like, angry at you because I was so scared, but, like, do you remember seeing.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

A little greaser in the audience?

[Nicole Parker]

You know what? I do. I remember we. We were doing Steel Magnolias, and I'm old enough that I played Shelby and Malin, but I was probably playing. Probably playing Shelby one time.

[Eric]

You were so good in it.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, thank you so much.

[Eric]

I love it.

[Nicole Parker]

But I remember, yes. He. He was yelling, give her the juice. Just drink the juice.

[Eric]

I just was obsessed. I got locked on.

[Nicole Parker]

Yeah. Yeah. He really locked the juice party. Well, thank you for coming on. Listen, like we always say, we wish you the best of luck.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Yes, we really do.

[Nicole Parker]

In all your endeavors. You're a very talented artist, and I just want you to take care of yourself. Okay?

[Eric]

Yeah. And if you guys ever want to buy my art, let me know.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I'm good.

[Doug]

Is there any Habsburgs in there?

[Eric]

I could try.

[Nicole Parker]

Okay.

[Doug]

All right.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Well, Eric, thank you so much for being here.

[Eric]

Thanks for being here.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

We will return to the Neighborhood Listen when the Neighborhood Listen returns.

[Doug]

Christmas bags. $7 news.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Well, burnt.

[Nicole Parker]

That was something else.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I. What a turnaround for me. I did not see. I gotta tell you, I did not see that come.

[Nicole Parker]

I don't think.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I did not ever get the new bedrock.

[Nicole Parker]

My makeup. Oh, no. This is something other than Frankenstein throat.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I'm just excited. I'm just excited to have this new thing in my life.

[Nicole Parker]

Wow.

[Doug]

That.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

You know, I. Of course, I. I will have to say it every day to myself.

[Nicole Parker]

Do you think you have it? Remember. I mean, do. You do remember it.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I do.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, really?

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Yeah, I do.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, so much confidence. Okay. Okay, sure. I won't ask you to do it right now.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

No, I shouldn't do it, right? I mean.

[Nicole Parker]

No, you should probably run. It is private. It's meant to be kept inside.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I think we should probably cut that part out of the episode.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, I don't know about that, Bern. It was so magical. I don't think we should. What do you think, babe?

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Already too many people have heard it.

[Doug]

I can beep the whole thing.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

That would be great. If you could just beep it, that would be great.

[Nicole Parker]

Why would you do that? Why would you just cut it, babe? Why would you just beep it?

[Doug]

Cut and beep.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Are you going to do cut and beep?

[Nicole Parker]

Cut and beep?

[Doug]

I don't. I don't cut and beep.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, let it be known. That's his mantra.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Doug will not cut.

[Doug]

If I'm beeping, it's for the full length of the beep. If I'm cutting, you'll never know.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

If I'm. If I'm beeping, it's the full length of the beep. Is that what you said?

[Doug]

Yeah.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Of the beepable content.

[Doug]

Of the beepable content.

[Nicole Parker]

Okay, I can't with beepable content.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

To me, it's like movable feast. Beepable content.

[Nicole Parker]

Beepable content.

[Doug]

So how about.

[Nicole Parker]

It's really fun to say.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

It's fun to. To say.

[Doug]

It is fun to say. One more time, beepable content be content. How about this?

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Its own show.

[Nicole Parker]

It sure could.

[Doug]

Oh, it could.

[Nicole Parker]

KB T shirt.

[Doug]

That's a good T shirt.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I mean, once it's a show.

[Nicole Parker]

There you go. What would beable content be like maybe exploring, you know, scenes in shows that are, for whatever reason, not appropriate. I don't know.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Scenes and shows. Do you mean like television programs?

[Nicole Parker]

Yes. Or movies or Broadway? Sometimes I say shows. Yes. Just because I am theatrically minded.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Oh, yeah. This is what I know. Is that from Gabby? Of course. Because she. She's very into the very into the industry that. That movie. People refer to movies as shows. Like I was working on this show.

[Nicole Parker]

Right? That's right. They do. They do.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Okay.

[Nicole Parker]

All right. Well, I have a post. Should we do that?

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Yes, we should.

[Nicole Parker]

Okay. This post comes from Hunter.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Hunter.

[Nicole Parker]

Hunter.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Oh, no, not from a certain laptop.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, Bert.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

What?

[Nicole Parker]

Listen to you making a political joke. Where did that come from? You are a new man. This mantra, my goodness.

[Doug]

Speaking of people content, I watch Bill.

[Nicole Parker]

Maher and I just.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

That looks like. Oh, boy, it looks like fun to make those political jokes.

[Nicole Parker]

You watch Bill Mar. And you think that looks like fun. That's so interesting.

[Doug]

Yeah, he's having a blast.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

He's having a great time.

[Doug]

My favorite is when the. When the audience is really there with him.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Yes.

[Doug]

And they kind of groan at a thing he's saying in the news, but then he scolds them because he always treats that as them booing him.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Exactly.

[Nicole Parker]

I'll tell you what. Well, good for him, I guess. All right, now, Hunter, a different hunter says, I saw a lot of parakeets at the circle. They were squawking and I was scared. Sad face. Oh, now this is. Of course, that's the whole point. That's the whole post.

[Doug]

Wait, can you repeat that one more time?

[Nicole Parker]

I assume. I assume this is an adult as well. Bert was really ready for more. I saw a lot of parakeets at the circle. They were squawking and I was scared. An old fashioned colon parenthesis emoticon right there. So we know this is an adult. He's a grown man.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

That's right.

[Nicole Parker]

That's right. Now, of course, he's referring to the dignity circle, which is kind of like they wanted to have like their own like of Big Ben, like that big round, you know? But it is. It's absolutely a mess.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

The big, big round. What?

[Nicole Parker]

You know, in. What is it? The European vacation, you know, with Chevy Chase, The Griswolds.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Oh, sure.

[Nicole Parker]

And they get stuck in the turn. What's it called? Roundabout. That's right. Thank you. And they just keep going. Hey, look, there's Big Ben. There's Parliament. They just say it over and over again.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

You know what? I've never seen that film.

[Doug]

I love it.

[Nicole Parker]

Let's add it to the list. We'll show you that.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

We don't have to add that. Get that off.

[Doug]

Remember when they created the circle in Denny Falls and they used that giant compass to create it?

[Nicole Parker]

Well, that's. Yeah, that's what I'm talking about, babe. The circle and. And it was meant for cars.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Do you think? A different circle?

[Doug]

No, I was, I was on the same subject.

[Nicole Parker]

You were on the same. It just sounded like he was on a totally different.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Sounded like a totally different subject.

[Doug]

It's the same circle. I just meant the Creation Day of it.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Yes.

[Nicole Parker]

You know, we still celebrate, we still.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Celebrate Creation Day and you know what, a lot of religious people show up and they're mad.

[Doug]

Oh yeah.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Think it's something else.

[Nicole Parker]

Something else.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Remember those guys, they were building that life size Noah's ark and then we had to explain Creation Day to them and they got so upset they moved out of town.

[Nicole Parker]

And the circle was meant to just be for cars, but then pedestrians wanted to have a go. So now it's just, it's.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

They saw those cars going around, get out of this.

[Nicole Parker]

It's car, pedestrian, car pedestrian. And everyone's honking and the pedestrians just say honk and it's a mess. So I, you know, I can't even imagine that he could hear parakeets squawking over all that noise, you know, because pedestrians yelling honk.

[Doug]

Yeah.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Those parakeets must have been loud.

[Nicole Parker]

And, and cyclists are like, you know, doing bells or some version of it. And so I, I'm surprised he heard it over the din, frankly.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

It's, it's quite a din.

[Nicole Parker]

It is quite a din.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I, what I, what I like is the parakeets. They're seasonal. They're not here all year round. Round.

[Nicole Parker]

We do have seasonal parakeets. So maybe Hunter's not familiar with that.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Yeah, maybe not. Maybe he's new to town. But they, they. The thing about the parakeets is we don't know which season it's going to be.

[Nicole Parker]

That's right.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

They'll show up any old season, but just for the season. And then they go away. Yes, but they'll never do two in a row.

[Nicole Parker]

No, they don't. Back to back it.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

So you'll get winter and then you might, you, you might get a. What. What would be next? Spring.

[Nicole Parker]

You really are turned around from this mantra thing.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

My goodness, so many words. So I.

[Nicole Parker]

What would be next?

[Doug]

And then, of course, spoon.

[Nicole Parker]

Well, yes, of course, spoon. That is the only exception. They might back to back a spoon. Right on the, on the beginning. End of the back end.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

That's right.

[Nicole Parker]

Might go spring into spoon or spoon into summer.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Yeah, there's more of them every time.

[Nicole Parker]

Yes, there are.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Yeah.

[Nicole Parker]

And they really. It is, it is a lot of them. And sometimes it. You think you're looking at a tree and it's actually like. If it's in the winter, you think you're looking at a tree. It's just a bare tree, and it's just all parakeets. Yeah.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Sometimes I don't think there's a tree under there. I think it's just parakeets making the shape of a tree.

[Nicole Parker]

Yeah, It's a lot like ants. They have a queen parakeet, and she's actually gigantic.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

They were. There were two. There were two pets. Two parakeets. And this is in 1910. This happened and they got out, and every year they came back. There would be double the amount.

[Nicole Parker]

Yes.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

And so now it's. It's a lot of parakeets.

[Nicole Parker]

It's a lot. It is. But, you know, I find them charming. I don't find them. I'm not. I've never been scared by them.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I'm not scared by them. If anything, I feel sort of. There's like a feeling of awe that comes over.

[Nicole Parker]

Yes, yes. Well, I wish Hunter would have that instead of emoticon scare, but it looks and sounds like.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Honestly. Get the keyboard emoji. The emoji. Keyboard.

[Nicole Parker]

Do it. Just do it.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Or get the keyboard emoji. If you play keyboards, it's a great way to sign off your text.

[Doug]

Yeah. Put those little music.

[Nicole Parker]

I think you need to sit down and drink some. Some. Some electric lights.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I've been standing this whole time, and.

[Nicole Parker]

I. I. Yeah, they were. Stand. They. They. In the middle of that mun. They stood up.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I didn't realize.

[Nicole Parker]

I honestly swear. I would have sworn to God they were floating as well, but. Yeah, you really were. We should have filmed it. You. You. When you listen to it back. I'm very interested as to what happens when you hear it back. Well, you're going to have to talk about that, Doug.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I hope you'll send me the unbleeped version so I can hear it before.

[Doug]

Send him discreetly. It'll arrive at your door.

[Nicole Parker]

Content. Unble.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Arrive at my door?

[Eric]

What are you.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

What are you gonna press this?

[Doug]

Very discreet. It'll be a USB key.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Okay.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, great.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Put in the wrong way first, probably. Of course.

[Doug]

Covered in, you know, foam, peanuts. Keep it safe.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Covered in them.

[Doug]

Yes.

[Nicole Parker]

All right. Well, that's like a good plan.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Liberally sprinkled.

[Doug]

Oh, by the way, before you leave, just. Will you just do a walk through of the hallway just to test it out?

[Nicole Parker]

I don't want to.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

No, I'll do it. I'll do it.

[Nicole Parker]

All right.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

She's my buddy, you know. What am I going to do?

[Nicole Parker]

Okay. Oh, yeah, I forgot. You guys are funny now. You just weren't for so long.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I know, I know.

[Doug]

And just know that the eyes shifting are mine.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Oh, you.

[Nicole Parker]

You're going to cut out all that the whole time, but you're going to.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Run behind each one of us?

[Doug]

Yep. I also cut out the chins.

[Nicole Parker]

Oh, no.

[Doug]

For some. Some of them. So you. You can put like, if we have a party, everyone can choose their own Habsburg and shove their chin.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

But now when I'm walking down on the outside, I'll just see holes where the chins are.

[Nicole Parker]

That's somehow more horrifying than what it already is.

[Doug]

Only on a few of them.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Okay, so I'll know.

[Nicole Parker]

Making this one up as he goes along clearly sounds like. All right. And I don't even want to know. I want. I don't want to ask what you hollowed out on the other side of the wall to be able to find a craw, run through and do this with. And I don't want the answer running.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Around through the walls like E.B. farnham.

[Nicole Parker]

All right, go ahead. I know you want to do it.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Hey, look.

[Eric]

Welcome to the hall.

[Nicole Parker]

This is, of course, the beloved character of E.B. farm from Deadwood, which, of course, I have to answer back with Calamity Jane.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Oh, please.

[Doug]

Please.

[Nicole Parker]

You prison shit. You putty chin to the brow. I still love you. Believe it. Oh, God damn it.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

What if they had a show together?

[Nicole Parker]

That would be called Believable Content.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Joan.

[Nicole Parker]

That would be their podcast.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Cracked it. Bleepable content. Hosted by Edie Farnham.

[Nicole Parker]

Calamity Jane from Deadwood.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

From Deadwood.

[Nicole Parker]

All right, well, stay tuned for that, folks.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Thank you everyone for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode, of course, if you'd like to hear ad free content.

[Nicole Parker]

What is going on?

[Paul F. Tompkins]

I'm really distracted because it sounds like there are werewolves outside.

[Doug]

Does they did just bring direwolves back from.

[Nicole Parker]

They did, but there's something's going on.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Something's going on.

[Nicole Parker]

We're gonna go see what that is.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Yeah, very quickly, though, if you would like to get ad free episodes and have access to our bonus content, go to cbb world.com Sign up on the Maximus tier and you'll get all that. And if you'd like to email us, of course, Burmail.com and follow us on the social at the neighborhood. Listen.

[Nicole Parker]

Until then.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Has it stopped?

[Nicole Parker]

It has stopped.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

Okay, until then.

[Nicole Parker]

Goodbye and bye. All of the posts used in this episode were real. Only some geographical specifics have been changed.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

The Neighborhood Listen is hosted and produced by me Paul F. Tompkins and me.

[Doug]

Nicole Parker and me Brett Morris.

[Paul F. Tompkins]

This episode's guest was played by Jeremy Culhane. The Neighborhood List Listen as a production of Comedy Bang Bang world.

[Nicole Parker]

Go to cbbworld.com to unlock the entire history of the show. Ad free as well as brand new full length bonus room episodes exclusive to Maxima subscribers. Your support keeps the show going. Shopify's Point of Sale system helps you sell at every stage of your business. Need a fast and secure way to take payments in person? We've got you covered. How about card readers you can rely on anywhere you sell? Thanks. Have a good one. Yep, that too. Want one place to manage all your online and in person sales? That's kind of our thing wherever you sell. Businesses that grow grow with Shopify. Sign up for your $1 a month [e-mail] listen shopify.com listen.