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Lyle
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Riley Wilson
This is Riley Wilson and Keon Miller from OK Storytime.
Keon Miller
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Barnacle
To accept, press 1. To send a voicemail.
Lyle
Hello?
Barnacle
Oh my God. Is this Lyle?
Lyle
Yes, who is this?
Barnacle
Oh my God, Lyle. I'm so excited. This is Barnacle. How are you? How are you in Tokyo right now?
Lyle
I'm doing good. I'm living life. I'm around. I'm somewhere. I'm somewhere in a room in the world. I'm around. Barnacle. What's up with you? Where are you, dude?
Barnacle
Okay, I'm in Alaska and like, let me tell you, I'm so fucking excited. I saw that you're coming here.
Lyle
Yes.
Barnacle
Every day, every day I look at the thing to see if it got taken off of RSVP and it's still on RSVP and it's.
Lyle
Did you, did you rsvp? Did you hit the. Did you put Your phone number in the thing?
Barnacle
Yeah, of course. Yeah.
Lyle
Okay, then you will.
Barnacle
I will for you.
Lyle
I promise you. First of all, I'm very happy to hear that you're excited. I've been wanting to do it. I have been wanting to do a show in Alaska, so. Since I started doing shows. So I'm excited that at least one person will be there. So. So thank you. Barnacle.
Barnacle
What. What is the draw to Alaska? Like, why are you excited to come up here?
Lyle
I'm running out of places to go to in life. I'm just running out of places. I mean, why go to Alaska? I don't know. It's just like. It's just a thing. It's like, what's going on over there? You. You know, I'm kind of. I'm kind of a runner. I kind of. I'm like. I mean, I'm addicted to novelty in some sense. And so I'm always like. I'm always trying to find the new. Where the sauce is, you know? I mean, that's why I do all this traveling and stuff. And I don't know. I. Alaska is a curious. Alaska is a curious place to me because it's America, but it's totally not because it's so far away. It's a different place, you know?
Barnacle
What are you. What do you. What. What do you mean? It's What?
Lyle
It's not America. It's like, listen, I'll go there and I'll figure it out on my own.
Barnacle
Yeah, yeah.
Lyle
But anyway, Barnacle. Well, what's up with you, Barnacle? Is there anything in particular you called in to talk about?
Barnacle
Dude, okay, this is so wild. I have, like, called you. I'm not even kidding. Like, I have you as my contact. Like, in. As a contact in my phone. I've called you, like, three million times with, like, things to talk to you about. And, like, tonight I just called you randomly and you're like, hello, this is therapy Echo. And now I'm like, okay, I would know. And, yeah, no intentions. Like, well, how about.
Lyle
Well, how about this? Well, the last time you called me and you had something you wanted to talk about, what was it?
Barnacle
Oh, my gosh. Let me. You know, let me look at, like, what I've texted you. Let's see. Because I've done that, too. Which. I don't know, does that actually work? Like, the texting thing?
Lyle
Let's see. You said,
Barnacle
God, it's, like, almost embarrassing.
Lyle
Oh, you want to talk about. You want to talk about strip clubs? That's what you Wrote,
Barnacle
oh, my gosh. The amount of things I've, like, texted you is outrageous. Well, okay, I guess if that's the case, you should definitely go. Like you said, you, like, you know, just floating around the world. If you ever find yourself in Portland. The best strip club in Portland is. Oh, now I'm like, forgetting it. What is it called? It Third. They have steak there. They have steak and you can eat, like. And they raise the cows so you can like, get this incredible steak. Acropolis. That's what it's called.
Lyle
It's called Acropolis. Okay.
Barnacle
And you can literally. Yeah, you can literally, like, sit down and have a steak and get like a lap dance. It's like the best.
Lyle
That sounds cool.
Barnacle
Do you go to strip clubs? Are you, like, into that?
Lyle
I've been to some strip clubs. There's a Shout out in Miami. There's an awesome strip club. It's called the Gold Rush. I went there. I went there, like, to do like an event once, and then I came back to like, film something. And then I went with some people after a show in, let's see, maybe one or two, three years ago. Yeah, I like strip clubs. I went. I did like, I did some filming at a bunch of strip clubs in Portland like five years ago, but I just never released any of that stuff because it wasn't. It was. It wasn't that great because we couldn't really, like, film inside of the club. But. But yeah. Do you. You're not a stripper, are you? Or are you just a fan?
Barnacle
No, no, I actually, like. I really love strip clubs because people, you know, people really relax in there. Like, you, you can really learn a lot about people. Like, you know, like, single serving friends, kind of like on Fight Club. Like, you go in there, sit down, and like, meet just random people that are in there. So, like, that night that I went into Acropolis, it's actually. This is so outrageous that we're talking about this right now because it's been a while. It's been like three years since I te to do that. I was having, like a family reunion at Comic Con in Portland. It was like, me, my dad, and my sister and my brother, and we don't like, get together often. Like, we're kind of a dysfunctional family. And so it was like a big deal, you know, and my sister and I, we ended up having a huge fight at Comic Con and it was really embarrassing. Like, like yelling, like, Spider man was like, staring at us. Like, it was just so bad. And so I ended up like, Going back to the hotel and like grabbing a beer and was like, you know what this shit? I'm going to the strip club. Like, I'm gonna give some space to like my family and I'm just gonna go have a great time. And I had dated this girl for a bit who had told me about Acropolis in Portland, that you could get like a really good steak and a laugh dance. And so I went there and met like immediately met this dude, Shout Out Matt in Portland. The Luther, who. I don't have his number anymore and I hope he's well. But anyway, sat down third chatting to this dude. He. His family was driving him crazy. My family was driving me crazy. And we ended up having just like the most ultimate epic night and like just talking to strippers and just talking to random people in there and. Yeah, I just, you know, I just love strip clubs because people just like, they go there for a reason and they just chill the fuck out, you know. And I like, I like to like talk to people and learn about them and just, you know.
Lyle
Raz, you know, did you, did you meet any particularly interesting people, whether strippers or clients that you remember?
Barnacle
Well, Matt, Matt the Luther, he really stuck out to me because he was like, you know, do you ever like me, Lyle? Do you ever like, meet someone and you're like instantly like, man, we could be friends or like we really vibe or like the connection there is just like really good and the conversation flows and it's just like easy. It was like that, you know, it was like. Yeah, it was like, it was, it was great to meet him. We talked to a lot of the strippers that were working there and they were wonderful, like great people. But yeah, you know, I think like that was a great experience. There's also, there was a strip club in a place called Kei in Alaska, which is like, it's like a really small town and probably shouldn't have a strip club. And you know, this is like years ago, but my friend's husband actually passed away and we ended up going to the strip club. I don't know why it was. Grief is strange. We ended up going there and I had like the most philosophical like crazy conversation with like a like an 80 year old dentist there. There was like a pregnant lady dancing and I was like just sitting there drinking while my other friends were drinking and this guy was sitting next to me and we started talking about like death and what that means and it was just like so ridiculous and.
Lyle
Yeah, what did you, what did you learn about what death Means that's one of your. I'm looking through the things that you texted me, and I would love to try to. I would love to chat about death and what that means is on there.
Barnacle
Yeah, I can't even remember, like, when I texted you that. That must have been recent. Gosh, I don't know. You know, death is so crazy. I used to work in the medical field for a very, very long time, and I've actually had, like, people pass away, like, on my care or, like, seen people pass away. My mom passed away when I was 27, and I've had various friends pass away and stuff. And I think it's so much more, like, maybe less personal than we think. You know, a lot of people like it kind of like, of course, death is. Know, death of a loved one is devastating. I'm not trying to downplay that. But, you know, I work in, like, biology now, and, like, I just feel like death is just so part of, like, the natural process. It's just like, society, art, and our culture specifically, like, hasn't. We don't, like, know how to process or handle that.
Liam Roman
Well, what do you mean?
Lyle
Our. When you say our culture specifically, do you mean, like, Americans?
Barnacle
Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I know consider Alaska not American, but.
Lyle
Well, okay, well, to that. Okay, well, to that point, where. What. What cultures do you think do have a better perspective?
Barnacle
You know, that's a great question. You know, I think, like, the Philippine culture, like, the Filipino culture. I think that, like, my friend, she's Filipino, she was saying that they, like, spend time with the body and, like. And I could be totally wrong. I could be totally wrong. This could just be her family. I'm not sure, but I. I know for a fact that there's, like, other cultures there in. In the world that, like, they spend time with the body. There's, like, you know, they'll have a body in the house for a long time, and visitors and, like, family can come and, like, spend time with, you know, the deceased family member or loved one. And there. I mean, I think all over the world, they probably, like, handle death very differently, I think, like, at least from what I've experienced. And just, like, in the medical field and just kind of, like, in general, it's very much like, hands off here, right? Like, usually, like, somebody dies and then if, like, they're kind of whisked away and either put, like, in the ground or, like, cremated. I mean, I guess it depends on, like, the family member and what they want, but. Have you ever thought about what you want when you die,
Lyle
I don't think I want the box. The box seems weird to me.
Barnacle
Yeah.
Lyle
Yeah. I'm thinking more. I'm thinking more ashes, you know, or. I don't know. I'll give my body to science. I don't really care. I don't really have a preference. Do you?
Barnacle
Oh, yeah, I definitely want to be, like, cremated. But you know what I just found out? You can be composted. Did you fucking know that? Like, that.
Lyle
I did not fucking know that.
Barnacle
Yeah, you can be. Well, I guess it's a box, Lyle, but you could be put in a box and then composted, and then I guess your family members can, like, put you in a garden or something. So that's kind of interesting. But, yeah, like, it just seems weird to be put in, like, a graveyard and just kind of, like, put a plaque on you and then, like, you just kind of sit there and, I don't know, decompose. I mean, I guess it's. It would be nice to go back to the earth, but I don't know. And then, like, people do weird things with ashes, right? They, like, put them in a box and then they never. They just. Like, you just stay in, like, a jar for the rest of your bone ashy life. I don't know. Yeah. I mean, I would want to be released. Like, that would be weird to be in, like, a little jar, right?
Lyle
I. I don't know. I feel like I just don't care at all. Like, it doesn't. Like I'm not there anymore. I can't. I don't have an experience, I guess. Like, the people around me, right. Like, if I like it. Like if I have a kid, like, if they're like. If they're like, oh, I don't want to see him in a. In a weird. Whatever, my friend, my family. I don't even want to burden my fan. Whatever is the least expensive, truthfully. Whatever. Whatever.
Barnacle
The least expensive.
Lyle
That's what I would do. Yes. I think whatever. The least expensive option is. Whatever the government is willing to pay for to get rid of the dead people that are in the place. That's what I'll do.
Barnacle
Yeah.
Lyle
Oh, I thought funeral would be nice. I'd like a funeral, you know? I mean. Yeah, funeral be cool. I mean, I'm saying it's like. Like, I'd like a funeral. I don't get to have a funeral. Like, I'm not there, you know, It's. I. It's not like a wedding, you know, I don't look at it as mine. It's for other people. If I. If enough people like me that they want to put together the funeral, then they can do that. But I think that. I think that, that that's. There are people who put. To get put on their own funerals. Yeah. If I'm like 70 or something, I would probably putting on my own funeral.
Barnacle
What would you be in your gut costume in your funeral? Okay.
Lyle
Absolutely not. I mean, you know what? You know what? You know what? I don't know. I hope I have no fucking idea what will be of the gecko by the time I die, but throw a glove in there, you know, I don't want to be in the. I don't. I don't want my. I don't want. I don't want to. Yeah, no, it's. I actually. I have this weird thing where, like, I don't like, if. Okay. In my real life, if somebody. If somebody I know in real life calls me Geck, I really don't like that. But the opposite, I don't mind the opposite, I don't like if somebody who I've never met before that just listens to the podcast. If I meet them and they call me Lyle, I don't mind that at all. I find that. I think it's nice, actually. I mean, if they. If somebody I've never met, if I'm wearing the gecko costume, if I'm wearing the gecko costume and somebody I've never met calls me Geck, I also find that nice. I like. I like Geck. But if, like, I'm just, like, hanging out with my homie and I'm. We're just, like, together and, like. And he calls me Geck, I'm like, why call me Geck if I'm wearing the costume is different, you know? But like, if I'm wearing the. If I'm wearing the costume and some random person comes up to me is like, yo, Lyle, I'd be like, yo, what's up?
Barnacle
But like, your friends calling you Guk is offensive. Like, the people that are really close to you, like, if you're not offensive, like, yo, G. You're like, yeah, that'd
Lyle
be a little weird. It's not. It's not offensive. It's just, like, strange to me.
Barnacle
That's interesting. It's kind of like living double double lives.
Lyle
Well, like, if. I guess. I don't know, like, if. Like, if. If. If Mr. Bean's wife called him Mr. Bean, it'd be kind of weird. Wouldn't.
Barnacle
Might be a Kink. You never know. Wow.
Lyle
I don't mind being called Geck, like, you know, when I'm. I mean, I am. I like being called Geck, but I guess it's just like, if, like, my family does it, it feels, feels kind of weird, you know?
Barnacle
Are you. So, like, speaking of, I'm, like, really excited for you to come to Alaska. Are you going to, like, bring your family up and, like, show them around? Do they travel?
Lyle
No, I'm. Do I. Does my family travel with me? Like, does my mom travel with me?
Barnacle
Yeah. Or, like. Yeah. Or your dad, who, like, by the way, is, like, the coolest. I listen to that.
Lyle
Oh, thank you.
Barnacle
That podcast you get. Thank you, Barn Nuts. Because it was cool to see like, or listen. Listen to you and your dad interact like that. It was like, oh, yeah, this is where, this is where Lyle gets it, man.
Lyle
That is totally. It is 100% where I get it from. Yeah. I'm glad you liked that episode. Yeah, I like that one too, man. I like that one too. Yeah. My dad, My dad's the best. No, but, no, he doesn't travel with me. My all. Actually, my, my childhood best friend is going to come with me on this tour, which is nice. Normally. I, I, I don't think he's gonna come to Alaska, though. I think I'm probably gonna go to Alaska. Not actually. Wait, Barnacle. I actually have a qu. Actually, actually, this. I'm glad, I'm glad you brought this up. So. Well. So I'm making, I'm making these documentaries, right? Like, I made one in Iraq. I made one in Ukraine. I'm, I'm, I want to make one in Alaska for sure.
Barnacle
Mm.
Lyle
Do you have any suggestions where should, like, what should I cover in Alaska?
Barnacle
Oh, fuck, yeah. Oh, yeah. Okay. Okay. I'm so excited right now. Okay, so I'm assuming you're going into. You're doing your show in Anchorage. I think that's what I thought.
Lyle
Doing the show in Anchorage, like, in October. Yeah, it's in October.
Barnacle
October, yeah.
Liam Roman
Okay.
Barnacle
I'm so excited. So October is like, it's like fall time. It's starting to get pretty cold around then. October, you're, like, coming in mid October, so, like, before Halloween. So. Yeah, it's getting kind of, like, kind of nasty around then. I definitely think, man, there's so much stuff in Alaska to do and places to see and things to do and all that. I would say definitely go downtown and do interviews downtown. You'll meet, like, a wide variety of people. Actually, like, years Ago, I called in and I. I talked to someone, like, on the phone line. He said he was your manager, and he said that you guys were trying to do coots. Like, there was a bar named Coots that you guys.
Lyle
Oh, that must have been. That must have been years ago.
Barnacle
Yeah, thousands of years ago. Which I think you should definitely go to Coot, I think, interviews.
Lyle
Because doing coots
Barnacle
you are. Okay, that's.
Lyle
I think. I think I'm doing coots. Yeah. How many people does that sit? Like, a hundred fifty.
Barnacle
Coots has, like, multiple bars inside of it. And so it just depends what section. I would, you know, not hundred, not hundred. I would say, like, maybe a hundred people. Probably way less. Like, six, 60, maybe. I don't know. It's.
Lyle
It's a small bar. That sounds great to me. It sounds perfect.
Barnacle
Oh, my gosh, I'm so excited you're going to Coots. I would say, like, it would be cool for you to go to, like, Talkeetna. Talkina is, like, a real kooky little whimsical town. And there's a lot of really fun, strange, cool Alaskan people. Like, essentially, like, the further you go out from Anchorage, like, the stranger and funnier and, like, wilder people are. I'm very biased. I'm from Homer, Alaska, and so. And Homer's, like, stunning.
Lyle
Now, actually, here's. Well, I was gonna say what I'm thinking is, like, I wanna. Tell me if you can help me with this. I want to do. I want to make a video called Being a Gecko on an Alaskan fishing boat. Like, how do I. Like, how do I hang out? Like, how do I hang out with, like, the depressed, alcoholic fishermen? That's what I want to. I want to see Easy go.
Barnacle
Okay, you need to go. Okay, you need to go to either Homer and hang out on the dock. You can go to Juno's, a great place. You know, actually, you should definitely go to Juno. Juno's stunning. It's wonderful. I love it there. Go hang out on the docks. Talk to the fishermen. Definitely talk to the fishermen a lot of times. Okay. So I used to. Fisheries is, like, what fisheries is like. I was in the medical field, and now I'm going into fisheries. And I've done some, like, charter fishing myself. And, like, love. Like, my whole life is, like, fishing, but, like, really. Well, kind of. Yeah. Yeah. Yes. I love fish. But, like, if you go down to the dock, sometimes, like, commercial fishers will, like, go up to the dock and they'll have, like, a sign, like, selling King Crab or selling, like, Dungeness crab or, like, you know, fresh fish here. Like, I would definitely recommend going up to them and a. Yeah, yeah. Because it's fucking awesome. But also, like, interviewing them and.
Lyle
No, I really want to do that. I really want to do that. Yeah.
Barnacle
The Alaskan fishermen are incredible. Like, they are. They have the wildest stories. Yes, they are, like, incredible, hardy people. They are, like, the backbone of our economy up here. Like, they are so important and so wonderful. And I definitely recommend you talking to them. Like, they are fantastic people.
Lyle
Yeah, totally.
Barnacle
And, you know, I just think so. Juno, Homer. Those are probably going to be your, like, hubs for fishers. For, like, cool, cool, crazy, fun fishers.
Lyle
Yeah, I'm going to forget all about all of this, but once. I mean, I guess it's being recorded, but. No, once I'm actually. Once. It's actually time to go down there and I have all my shit. I'll be ready, dude.
Barnacle
I mean, like, if you want me to text you some suggestions, I'm happy to do that. Or like, if you, If. If you need someone to show you around, like, I'm super happy to. Like, Alaska is huge. You could. You could explore it for some time. Did you.
Lyle
Did you grow up in Alaska, dude?
Barnacle
Yeah, I grew up in Homer, actually. Homer is like, my stomping ground. Lived in Anchorage for, like.
Lyle
Did any part of you ever want to leave Alaska? Or you're. You're. You're Alaska for life?
Barnacle
That's a great question. I think, like, every Alaskan when you're growing up here is like, alaska, I'm moving to Portland. Or like, I'm. Or I'm gonna, like, travel and then you, like, get older and, like, either you do that or you don't. And for me, I, like, moved to Anchorage and I stayed there for 10 years and I did a little bit of traveling, but not much. And now I'm like, I can't imagine living anywhere else. Like, a lot of people will leave and then come back. A lot of my classmates have, like, moved back and, like, have families here now. Like, Alaska is just so special, and it's just not like anywhere else. I mean, I guess you're kind of right. Like, it is kind of removed in, like, a very different part of the world. But, you know, it's just. It's just so special. I just. I honestly can't imagine living anywhere else. Yeah, so I like. Yeah, I've been here a long time. That being said, like, I really admire the traveling that you do, first off. And like, in this next phase in my life, like, traveling is, like, going to be my priority.
Lyle
Yeah.
Barnacle
So I'm looking forward to that. Yeah.
Lyle
Dude, what are you trying to. Where are you trying to go? What are you trying to do?
Barnacle
Oh, my God. I just, like, you know, sometimes I imagine, like, buying a. Buying a van and like, just traveling around the US Seeing a bunch of stuff there. I definitely. I've been to Japan. My brother lived there for. In Hiroshima for a bit, so I went over there.
Lyle
Oh, cool.
Barnacle
I'm super excited about that at Japan. So fun. But, yeah, I want to just snowboard and, like, dirt bike and camp and, like, hunt and fish and, like, hike and just do. And bike and ski and just do like, all that everywhere as much as I can, you know.
Lyle
That's awesome. Is like. I've heard. I mean, I've heard this. I've heard that the. That like, in the winters, there's, like, a couple hours of daylight at best for, like, months.
Barnacle
Yeah. Yeah. Did you ever watch, like, you're. You're kind of. You're kind of nerdy. Did you ever watch that, like, vampire movie, like, 30 Days a Night?
Lyle
What makes you. What makes you say I'm kind of nerdy? Not. Not, dude, by the way. By the way. By the way. I am. I am, but I. I don't feel. I'm not really. I'm not, like, nerdy for, like. I'm not really nerdy for, like, movies and TV shows, things like that. I don't really watch movies or tv. I'm, like, nerdy about, like, video games.
Barnacle
Yeah. Which. Yeah, I love that. Yeah, I love, like, yeah. Mario Kart and shit. But, like, you know, that's actually surprising because, like, you went to school for film, right? And you're kind of like. I mean, you're doing, like, the film stuff, so that's kind of surprising that you're, like, not nerdy about, like, film and movies and. Yeah, that's like.
Lyle
I've. I've always been like that. I. I'm mainly. I mean, I like to make stuff, but I don't really. I have too much adhd. That's why I'm into video games is all the adhd. I have too much ADHD to, like, sit down and watch a. A movie, you know,
Barnacle
it's more engaging. I feel like it's. It's. It takes more brain power to, like, sit down and play a game, and it's so much more, like, creative than, like, watching a movie, you know?
Lyle
Okay, wait, what. What's this? Vampire thing. You were gonna tell me.
Barnacle
Oh. Oh, yeah, sorry. I got derailed. I. It's. It was a reference to a comic about Alaska. 30 days a night. Anyway, yes, the winters are very dark. And, you know, the older I get, like, it's like. It's kind of like this, Lyle. Like, you wake up to go to work. You go to work, like, you wake up and it's fucking dark. It's like pitch black. You go to work, you kind of peek your head out. It's like. It's like kind of light outside. And then you get off work and it's pitch black. And so it's like you have to. You have to go outside. Like, you have to. You have to be active. You have to have a community. You have to like, take care of yourself in the winter time here because, like, people will get like vitamin D deficient or, you know, they'll hermit up and get isolated and it's just like, not good for you. So a lot. I think a lot of people up here, they're just like, pretty. Pretty active. Like, community is really important up here. The older I get, the more I'm noticing, like, that darkness is like. It gets pretty heavy around December, and that's like, pretty tough. Especially like when I was growing up in Alaska, there was always like so much snow. Like, as a kid, you know, Halloween time, you couldn't even tell like, what costume you were wearing because you're wearing a snowsuit over it because there was so much snow, you know. And now there's not really a lot of snow up here, like in October, December. So like, when it's dark like that and there's not a lot of snow, it's like kind of dreary and like, it draining a bit. So, yeah, it's. It's tough, Jack. Like, it's not. It's not easy. And then it's like, weird when I do go to the lower 48 and it like gets dark at like 7, but there's like all this light. It's like. It's like very bizarre. It feels like being in a different world. And then in the summertime, it's like the opposite. It's like light 24 fucking 7. It's like constantly bright. And so I feel like Alaskans will be out, like, mowing their lawn at like midnight, like, doing wonky stuff, you
Lyle
know, but that's that. Okay, so that part sounds for the eternal darkness sounds awful, but the eternal light sounds cool. I like that idea. Like, yeah, just endless day.
Barnacle
You would like, be Mowing your lawn at, like, midnight. You would be. You would be active.
Lyle
Yeah. I mean, how long is the, like. Okay, so is it literally like, fully light out at midnight?
Barnacle
Yeah. Yes. They call it, like, the land of the midnight sun. Yeah. Like. Like, for instance, you know, like, fishing is, like, way important up here. And so, like, a lot of fishers, like, people that are sport fishers, assistance fishers, like, we'll go fishing at, like, midnight, dude. And, like, everybody's out there. Like, nothing is better than, like, being out on a river or, like, in the ocean and you're just, like, throwing a hook. It's like midnight. There's, like, people in the water with you, like, yelling about, like, catching their fish. And it's just like. It's just like such a great feeling. Yeah, it's wonderful. But you're coming in October, which is kind of like the in between, which is tough. I wish you were going to be here, like, in the summertime.
Lyle
Well, Barnacle, it was nice talking about Alaska with you. I'm more excited now to come. I appreciate, and you've made me excited because I appreciate the people will be there. Get tickets@therapygecko tour.com therapygeckotour.com Barnacle, is there anything else you want to say to the people at the computer before we go?
Barnacle
Yeah. You know, if you put your mind to it, if you're creative enough, if you're flexible, and if you're willing to work hard at it, you can do it. Like, anything you want, you can do it.
Lyle
Beautiful.
Barnacle
Lyle, it was, like, awesome talking with you. Thank you.
Lyle
Great talking to you, too. I'll see you in Alaska.
Barnacle
Yeah. Peace out, rainbow trout. See you later, beautiful.
Lyle
See you later, Barnacle.
Barnacle
Bye,
Lyle
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Riley Wilson
This is Riley Wilson and Keon Miller from OK Storytime.
Keon Miller
Okay, honest question. Are you someone that does your taxes the minute you can, or someone who waits until the last possible second?
Riley Wilson
Wow, calling me out already. But yes, last possible second. Every year.
Keon Miller
Same. Which is why I'm very into anything that makes tax season easier.
Riley Wilson
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Riley Wilson
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Lyle
Hello?
Liam Roman
Hello?
Lyle
What's up man? What's your in?
Liam Roman
Hey Gak. This is Liam.
Lyle
Liam. Liam Neeson. I know a guy named Liam.
Liam Roman
I wish that would not be the type of phone call you'd want. Then if this is Liam Neeson, le
Lyle
that's the only Liam Neeson I know. Yeah, he's the taken guy. Go ahead, name a guy. Name a guy. Just name anyone. It doesn't have to be a Liam. Just name someone.
Liam Roman
I don't know. There's that one other actor. I think he's Australian.
Lyle
I've dude three times now I've tried to open A call by asking the caller to name somebody and they can't do it. They can't name anyone. Didn't even have to be a famous person.
Liam Roman
Well, you know, I don't really think of other Liams too much. I've only met a couple others, to be honest.
Barnacle
Wait, you didn't.
Lyle
Never. Never mind, never mind. Forget it. For. I'm gonna stop doing this because I don't think. Hold on.
Liam Roman
Maybe next time.
Lyle
Maybe next time. Maybe the next person will, you know. Who cares? Who cares about anything? Liam, what's up, man? Would you want to talk about today?
Liam Roman
I want to talk about work stuff, I guess. I don't know, I'm just like, worried about if I'm gonna be able to get a job. Mm.
Lyle
What's in what. In what field?
Liam Roman
It's pretty fucking cooked. Computer science.
Lyle
Oh, shit. Yeah, it's super. It's super cooked. It's super cooked. Wait a minute. I'm looking at the text that you've sent me and it said you sent me a text. You sent me a text four months ago and you said, geck, I'm currently being fought over professionally and I'm unsure how to go about things. Wait, so how did you go from being fought over to not being able to find a job?
Liam Roman
Well, okay, so right now I'm. I'm self employed as. As a dj and I work for a couple of companies and I do my own stuff as well and I'm also going to school for computer science.
Lyle
Okay, so how. What. How were you being fought over as the dj?
Liam Roman
So I work. I work for one company mainly. They're one of the bigger companies in the city I live in and they contract me for stuff and it's more of like. It's not. It's not really. They. It's a guy I work for, it's like it's his company, right? Like, we built a relationship and one of the other bigger companies in the city that does DJ stuff, they reached out to me to try to get me to do some work for them. And like, I wasn't gonna switch over completely doing stuff for them, but it's like, you know, I got to keep my lights on kind of thing. More work the merrier.
Barnacle
And
Liam Roman
yeah, the guys from the, from the, from the second company that reached out to me, they had me like, they like sent some message to a group chat I was in saying some like, like if it was like more of like a message out to all the DJs that were in this chat and they were like, if you want to continue to work with us, you got to come to this photo shoot that we're doing, have like headshots taken. And I'm like, okay, cool. I mean like, whatever. So I go to this photo shoot and mind you, at this point I hadn't even done any work for them at this point. Like I was already fully booked because it was like they got me into this group chat during like peak wedding season, which is during the summer. So I go to this photo shoot and I get like a photo taken with, with their staff and stuff and they post it on their story. And then the guy I, I've been working with from Company A, he like calls me the next morning. He's like, hey man, are we, are we cool? Like, do you need more money? Like, are you like unhappy with your pay? And I'm like, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. So I don't know, they had a. They talked to each other because like they're friendly, you know, like they work in the same industry so they know each other and I guess they chatted it out. I don't know, it's. I don't know, I don't want to like toot my own, but like I feel like I've been a little bit of a hot shot over the past couple years in the scene and it's like there's a lot of people just kind of gunning for me.
Lyle
Yeah, so, so then why can't you. Why are you unable to do that for a living?
Liam Roman
Well, I am doing it as for a living right now.
Lyle
Oh, so why are you looking for a job?
Liam Roman
Well, I'm not like currently looking for a job. I'm more of just worried like when I graduate if I'm going to be able to get a job in computer science.
Lyle
Are you graduate, Are you still in college?
Liam Roman
University, yeah.
Lyle
Okay, wait, university where? Are you Canadian?
Liam Roman
Yes, I am.
Lyle
Okay, well why don't you just keep doing the DJ thing? Why don't you focus on that instead of worrying about whether or not you'll get a. I mean, you already have. Why, why don't you. Why, why are you worried about whether or not you'll be able to make money doing something else when you're already making money doing something that you're doing right now? I just focus on what you're doing right now.
Liam Roman
Well, I don't know, it's more of just like long term security, I guess.
Lyle
There's no such thing as long.
Liam Roman
I'm already.
Lyle
There's no such thing as long term security. Everyone who worked for like Google and like all these big, big tech companies that are like replacing their people with AI. Like they all thought they had jobs secure. Like job security is not real life. Security is not real. You could get. You could die tomorrow. There's not like security is not a real thing. It's an illusion of like trying to grasp on to a ever evasive life that counts down its days. I'm getting existential on you here, but it's like there's, there's not really. I mean people get. People thought. So many people thought they had job security and they just got like canned, you know, you're at the, I mean, companies, right? Like it's like saying that, I mean the world has no security. We just went to fucking war. And then that tanked the stock market. And then companies are like, fuck, the stocks are gone. We gotta make cuts. You know what I mean? Like there's no, there's no anything. The world does not exist. Sorry, I don't know. This rant has gone on too far, but you know what I mean, right?
Liam Roman
Yeah, I know what you mean. I know what you mean. I don't know, like I, I still like want to do computer science stuff. Like I grew up kind of being like techie and stuff and I always found like a lot of interest in it.
Lyle
I mean, I think that all the, that they have right now is like you like propped engineers, whatever the fuck that means.
Liam Roman
Yeah, I think, I don't know. That just sounds like a sham. Yeah, I don't think like real software engineers are be like gonna be going anywhere. It's just the way I look at it is over time in history, there's been lots of shifts in technology. I mean, I always give the agriculture example. You know, during the Industrial Revolution, you know, they came out with a. But like before people mostly most people lived on farms and they worked farms and homesteads and stuff. And when new farming technologies came out, if you, if you owned a farm and ran a farm and you didn't kind of adapt to the new technologies, you were kind of, well, you were out. Most people moved to cities because new job opportunities were there. And that's the way I look at it. It's great.
Lyle
Let me ask you this. Why are you popping off so much as a dj?
Liam Roman
I don't. I don't know. I mean, I've just been fucking. I practice. I practice a lot and I love music.
Lyle
Okay, and so people are connecting with your music?
Liam Roman
I guess so. And I don't I don't really make music, I just play it.
Lyle
You don't make music, you just play it?
Liam Roman
Yes. Like, I'm not like a producer.
Lyle
Okay. So you go up there and you hit play on a Spotify playlist.
Liam Roman
Okay, Not a Spotify. Like, I got. I have like thousands of tracks I have downloaded and I'm curating a mix, like live. I'm picking what songs to play in the moment, taking requests, if I take requests.
Lyle
Okay, so you don't make music. You're like, you're like a wedding DJ type of thing.
Liam Roman
I do weddings, I do corporate parties. I do bars, clubs.
Lyle
Oh, okay. Okay.
Liam Roman
Like, right now is not any wedding season. So, yeah, like, I'm.
Lyle
You got a good dude, you got a good. You got a good business on your hands. Why don't you just keep going with that?
Liam Roman
Well, it's. I mean, it's going all right. I mean, okay, long term plan. Because like, really there's two paths to go in that, in that route. Either there's. There's the public sector and there's the private sector is. The way I look at it, public sector is like bars, clubs and festivals. Festivals, like that's like the huge. Right. Like, that's like your David Guetta's, your Steve Akleys or Steve Bayoki or whatever, right? And then there's the private sector, which is like private events, weddings, stuff like that. To make it in the public sector and like festivals, you gotta. You have to make music. That's the only way you get booked at festivals really, is you make music or you blow up on like, tick tock. The private sector, you know, you can work for companies, but to really make the big bucks in the private sector is you have to start your own company and then hire people under you to start, like, you get, you get too busy, right? And then you start subcontracting.
Lyle
Okay. And you sound like you know a lot about that, but you sound like you know a lot about this. You sound like you've been researching it, you've been thinking about it. Why don't you just go on that route?
Liam Roman
Well, I'm, I'm going down it. I was about to get to it. Like, long term plan, I'm gonna do that, right? I'm gonna get to the point where I'm too busy and I can subcontract and then my day job during the weekdays will be coding, you know, because I can't DJ every day of the week. It's. It's a weekend gig for the most part.
Lyle
But how. That, that doesn't make any sense to me. If you're too busy, it means you have too much work in the dj, so why would you even. Why would you need to code?
Liam Roman
There's all. There's only so many days on the weekend.
Lyle
Okay?
Liam Roman
You know, there's only so many days in the weekend. You know, let's just say, like, I have for the month of June, 16 brides contact me. There's only eight weekend nights, you know, Fridays and Saturdays in June. You know, I can do half of those, but I can't do all of them. But if I subcontract the other half and I take a cut, I'm still making some money off of that and the other guy is making some money off of it too.
Lyle
That makes sense.
Liam Roman
You know, I don't know.
Lyle
Okay.
Liam Roman
I don't know. I mean, right now I'm, I'm, I'm taking a break from school right now. Like this winter term. I took off just because, like, it was. I was working too much and I was falling behind in my classes and stuff. And I feel like I just needed some time to figure out what I was doing. I was like half thinking of switching my minor and major round because I'm taking psychology as a minor and also, you know, switching that around and doing psychology as a major. But, you know, as I had time to just some time to myself and do some projects on my own time and kind of rekindle my love for computer science, it's like, okay, this is what I want to do in the first place. You know, it's not really just a dollar amount. The end of the day. It's more of like, this is, this is the.
Lyle
I really like doing the, the technology stuff. Well, yeah, so, okay, so I don't. I mean, I don't really know what the landscape of all this stuff looks like now. It looks like it's a very, like, AI heavy. Like, is there still a way for you to. For you to sneak in there amongst all of that,
Liam Roman
I'm gonna have to leverage AI. You know, it's. I hate to say it, but if I don't, it's. There won't be a job for me. And whether that means doing it in, like, working for a company sense or freelance sense, I'm totally open to both. I don't know. I mean, I've been doing this DJ stuff freelance for two or three years now. And like, I'm not, like, I'm not a stranger to it to like, running my own business, essentially.
Lyle
Dude, how old are you, like, 20?
Liam Roman
I turned 21 in May.
Lyle
You're. You're doing great, man. You know? Don't. Don't. I. Listen, I don't freak out. You know, Honestly, I don't think you. I don't think you need to be freaking out, man. Like, you'll be. You'll be fine. You know how to do. That's. Let me tell you something. Let me tell you something. What's your name again?
Liam Roman
What's up, dad? It's Liam.
Lyle
Liam. Listen, Liam, listen. There's. There's. Here's the thing. There's a problem. Like, the job market is tough, but I do believe that, like, people who just kind of, like, know how to do shit and, like, know how to, like, competently exist will inevitably figure out a way to, like, do well in this life. And you strike me as one of those people, so I'm not particularly worried about you.
Liam Roman
That's. Thank you, G. Of course. I don't know.
Lyle
I mean, you're doing. You're doing. You're doing, like. Dude, you're 20. You're running your own business. You're like. I can tell. Like, Liam, listen, man. Some people are stupid. Some people are just fucking. Just kind of fucking stupid. With. That's the pro. That's the big. It's like, we. Society has a lot of problems, and there's a lot of difficulties to it. And. And. And some people have to deal with both that and being a little stupid. And I'm. And I'm actually. I feel like I'm actually pretty good at determining whether or not I think someone is kind of stupid or whether I think they're smart, competent human being. And you strike me as a smart, competent human being. Again, I'm really not. I'm really not worried about you. I think you're gonna be okay.
Liam Roman
Yeah, I don't know. There's. There's pressure that comes with that. Like, I. Growing up with, like, my parents, my family, I was always kind of, like, seen as that way. I mean, like, literally on my mom's side of the family, they, like. They dubbed me the car salesman of the family because I was, like, selling when I was, like, little. I don't know. And it's like, there's just a lot of, like, expectations behind, like, how well I do.
Lyle
Well, I mean, you're. You're. It's like you're setting these expectations for yourself, and it's like, what do you want to. What do you want to. Like, what do you. What do you what expectations do you have for yourself? Like, what do you want to accomplish? Right? Like, you want to do these businesses, you want to work in tech. Like, you know, I don't really, I don't really have advice for you. I just think that like, you'll figure it out. I just, from talking to you for 15 minutes, you seem like a smart guy. I think you'll figure it out whether or not, like, I mean, people are also finding ways to it. And also you're an optimistic guy. Like some people, you know, kind of are like, oh, like, like we're doomed and you know, all this AI shit is gonna destroy society and it'll have its effects of like, everything will. But, you know, I don't know, just the fact that you're maintaining some semblance of optimism and you seem competent, like, you know, don't take my word for it, like, still do shit. I know you're gonna do it anyway, but like, you'll be fine.
Liam Roman
That's, that's true, gang. That's true. Yeah. I don't know, I've just been taking like this, this, this past while with winter because like I'm taking this winter term off because I feel like I haven't really got like giving myself a break at all. Like, like I went into university straight out of high school and I was working like two jobs at the same time. Like, and then I just kind of got burnt out. Like, even during the summers, like I wouldn't give myself a break. I'd still be going to school, summer school and working. Like, like March of last year was like the busiest time I had ever had. I was working two part time jobs, DJing, like doing my freelance stuff, going to school full time, and I had an internship. Like, I literally don't know how I didn't like die.
Lyle
What's your name again? Liam. Yes, Liam, take it easy on yourself, man.
Liam Roman
I get told that a lot. You know, I've been, I've been trying to think a little bit, a little bit more easy. I've been playing some more games. I used to play a lot of games and I've just been trying to like get back into it.
Lyle
Where can we find your DJing stuff?
Liam Roman
It's. I don't know if I should be saying this on the podcast. I mean, if, if you want me to, I can.
Lyle
Yeah, if you want to. Yeah, go ahead.
Liam Roman
It's Liam Roman, but the Roman is spelled like R O A, M N, so it's kind of like a play on words, like a Liam.
Lyle
Oh, because you're roaming around. I like it.
Liam Roman
Yeah, I'm a mobile dj. Yeah.
Lyle
I love it. I love it. Okay, I'm gonna look. I'm gonna look at your Instagram right now. Rome, say it one more time.
Liam Roman
Liam Roman. So. R O A M N. It's all together.
Lyle
R O A M. Oh, there he is. Oh, look at this guy. Look at this fucking guy. You'll be fine. Dude. Dude, look at this black and white photo of you with the tattoo and shit. That's me, bro. Look at this guy. Dude, you'll be fine, man. Don't worry about yourself. You'll be fucking fine. Thursday.
Barnacle
Do you remember every.
Lyle
Every Thursday you play the Buckingham?
Liam Roman
That's true. Every third and then it's Thursdays. It's Thursdays. Not every Thursday. I play there this Thursday, though.
Lyle
What's the difference between Thursdays and every Thursday? Well, Thursday, when you say I. When you say I play Thursdays, that I. That means all Thursdays in the universe to me.
Liam Roman
When I say I play Thursdays, it means that I don't. I played other places on the weekends, and when they have me play there, it's just on Thursdays, usually.
Lyle
Okay. And then on Fridays and Saturdays, you play these places.
Liam Roman
Yep, you got a good Saturday, but,
Lyle
you know, you got a good life, man. Why are you meeting a lot of people? You having a good time?
Liam Roman
It's been fun. Things are picking up, which is pretty good. Recently, like, I've only been doing bars and clubs for like a year now.
Lyle
I can tell you're going to be successful because when people have success, successful people have this thing. I have this thing too, where it's like they're. They're living really cool lives and they just hate them, you know? Like, I have a friend. Not that.
Barnacle
Not.
Lyle
Not that they hate them. Not that they hate them, but they're over them. Like, I have a. I have a friend. I have a friend. He's like a successful comedian. And, like, he opens for comedians who do, like, like, arenas and stuff. And, like, I'll give him a call, he'll like, do an arena or something. And, like, I'll call him like, how'd the set go? And he'd be like, ah, it's fine, is whatever, you know, I think I kind of sucked. And I'm like, you're fucking doing a fucking cool thing, you know?
Liam Roman
Yeah.
Lyle
So I don't know. Enjoy your life. I mean, enjoy your life, but keep. Keep doing it. Look at this guy. Every Thursdays, look, you got a guy eating a Burger on here. DJ Roman. All right, I gotta. Next time I'm in Edmonton, I'll. I'll come through.
Liam Roman
Yeah, actually, you were in Edmonton recently.
Lyle
Did you see the show? Oh, you were, you were at the show. Oh, I took a photo with you. Oh, we did.
Liam Roman
And when I took a photo with you, I don't know. Can I text this photo to you? Man?
Lyle
It was, yeah, text.
Liam Roman
It was such a wake up call for me. Why am I like a. What's this, what's this number on? I can text it. Just give me one second here.
Lyle
Why was it a wake up call for you?
Liam Roman
For my hair. For my hairline. It was such a wake up call because, like looking at these photos now going back, it's like, oh my God, my hair in the front looks so thin that if you're like looking at the photo, it looks like I don't even have hair in the front. And that's like, that's scary as a 20 year old that like I'm losing my hairline because like my. At this age, my dad was like full little peaked bald, bro.
Lyle
Here's the thing. When you're like a bald. By the way, I'm looking at your Instagram, you're. You're kind of. You're a little ripped, dude.
Liam Roman
I, I might look a little ripped, but like, okay, it's like a year ago.
Lyle
Liam, Liam, get the over yourself. You're a little ripped. You're a handsome guy. You're a successful dj. Enjoy who you enjoy. Can you do me a favor, Liam? Can you do me a favor?
Liam Roman
Sure.
Lyle
For one day. For one day, can you just enjoy being Liam Roman? Can you just enjoy being Liam Roman for one day? Can you do that for me? Can you enjoy being a young, ripped DJ guy for one day? Just one day? One day. One day. Just. Ok, this, this coming Thursday at the Buck on White. This coming Thursday, can you just, while you're doing your set, just be like, I'm a young, hot, ripped DJ guy living my best life. I'm making money. This is cool. Can you just enjoy just one day? Do it for one day and, and then go back to, you know, being an anxious mess, but just.
Liam Roman
I'll do the same thing.
Lyle
I'll, I'll, I'll try to enjoy my life for one day and then I'll go back to being an anxious mess. Just. Well, let's each take a Thursday to just enjoy our life and then we can return to the regularly scheduled anxiety afterwards.
Liam Roman
Okay, good.
Lyle
Liam, is there anything else you want to say to the people at the
Liam Roman
computer before we go, um, been a pleasure, Geck. If you're ever in. In Edmonton, let me know. I will treat you well.
Lyle
Thank you, man.
Liam Roman
Last time you were here, I remember you talking about. You were talking about how you didn't know what to do here besides the mall, which is partly true. There's. There's other stuff to do, but you got to look.
Lyle
Well, we had a good time in Edmonton. We went to the. We got some poutine, we went to the mall. It was a good time. Yeah, beautiful. Have a good rest of your life, Liam. I'll talk. I'll see you around the universe.
Barnacle
All right.
Liam Roman
See you guys later.
Lyle
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Riley Wilson
This is Riley Wilson and Keon Miller from OK Storytime.
Keon Miller
Okay, honest question. Are you someone that does your taxes the minute you can, or someone who waits until the last possible second?
Riley Wilson
Wow, calling me out already. But yes, last possible second every year.
Keon Miller
Same. Which is why I'm very into anything that makes tax season easier.
Riley Wilson
Enter into a TurboTax.
Keon Miller
With TurboTax Expert full service, you get matched with a real tax expert who does your taxes for you, start to finish.
Riley Wilson
And you won't be left wondering what's going on because you get real time updates throughout the process, so you're always in the loop.
Keon Miller
All you do is upload your documents to the app, then go live your
Riley Wilson
life like you can be, listening to this podcast, grabbing coffee, or pretending you're being productive.
Keon Miller
Meanwhile, a dedicated TurboTax expert is checking out every deduction and credit to help get you the best possible outcome and
Riley Wilson
if a question comes up, you get unlimited expert help, even nights and weekends during tax season at no extra cost.
Keon Miller
So instead of overthinking it, let a
Riley Wilson
TurboTax expert handle it for you.
Keon Miller
Visit TurboTax.com to get started.
Riley Wilson
Real time updates are available on the iOS mobile app.
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Lyle
hey folks, what's up? It's Lyle and I am here because I am going to end today's little episode with a segment that many of you know that I know for sure. It's called Geck Mail. It's called Geck Mail. It's a segment where I read a piece of mail. Maybe I'll even read two. I don't know. I can't promise anything. I know for sure I'll read one. But I'm gonna read some mail. People have emailed me. Listeners of the podcast people have emailed me mail mailed me mail to therapygeckomailmail.com and I'm gonna read some of this email and I'm gonna ponder on it. So let's read this. I have one pulled up. The subject line is Dear Geck Daddy, I am an archaeologist. It's from a gentleman named Billy. Hello Geck Daddy. I am writing for many reasons and none at all. At the same time, I have trouble deciding what to even talk to you about, seeing as your infinite green scaly wisdom would be invaluable for a myriad of subjects. I wanted to talk about my first job. I am in my early 20s and I've been working professionally as an archaeologist for four years now. People always ask me if I look for dinosaurs or treasure and that is simply not what I do. I knew people did not fully understand this job when I began, but I think the world deserves to know and care that this field about what this field actually does. I should state outright that I really do love my job. I have amazing bosses and coworkers. I get to go to weird places and meet weird people and every day is different from the last. Despite this it can be quite emotionally taxing. Archaeologists deal exclusively with humans, not dinosaurs or treasure. My job is to survey and record places where people have been doing random people y things throughout history. While this can be very cool, it is also a bit sad. My job usually involves trying to record sites that are going to be destroyed or at least heavily disturbed by modern development. It can be really difficult working on a 5,000 year old site that you know is going to be covered in a parking lot or some rich asshole's fourth home. So many people see us as hassles and the assholes who hold up developments of areas. And while our presence does slow things down, we don't do it for fun or to get rich. Parentheses this job does not pay very well. We are only there to try and preserve what we can and, and make sure irreplaceable pieces of past people's lives aren't lost forever. Furthermore, because I am in North America, this is often a painful continuation of the erasure of indigenous history and culture. I am not a tribal member and do not have any indigenous North American heritage. But I feel like I have some responsibility to attempt to slow the destruction of the heritage of an already marginalized people. I love my job, but it can be very emotionally draining. I am also so grateful to have the opportunity to interact so intimately with the lives of people who lived so long ago. And I will not lie that finding something in the field that was last held hundreds or thousands of years ago is an incredibly special feeling. But it is always tinted with sadness. I want to do what I can to help preserve the past. Thank you for taking the time to read this, Mr. Geck. We can call on the telephone sometime and I can tell you about the time I saw an eclipse high on mushrooms on top of a lighthouse and had to run from the Coast Guard in a canoe. Stay positive. Test negative. Billy wow, that was actually a very beautiful email. Yeah, that was. That was really nice. That must be. That would give me a big existential crisis. I feel like thinking about, you know, seeing like people's bones from 5,000 years ago. You know, actually it's funny because I, I always assume like archaeologists and like history folks and like, it's like space stuff where it's like, is that government funded or are there are these like private rich folks who like pay for the preservation of the sites? And it's like rich folks who want to preserve the bones versus rich folks who want them to be destroyed so they can make parking lots. I'm very curious about that. I might have to give you a call sometime. Billy, thank you for sharing and thank you for your work as a great archaeologist of the universe. Okay, we'll do one more. This is from Matthew. Subject line. I think you're a scaly and not a furry. Hi Geck. I'm currently watching my girlfriend shave her legs in the sink of a Motel 6 and it made me think of you. That's a great way to start the email. You've said explicitly before that you're not a furry or part of the furry fandom but that putting on a gecko costume and painting your face technically could be considered a furry. But I disagree. I think you are a scaly which focuses mainly on anthropomorphic reptiles, amphibians and dragons instead of mammals. Just some food for thought. Love the pod Geck. Bless. Matthew, you are correct. I have heard of this phrase before. Scalies. They're furries who dress up in. Who dress up as reptiles. I just googled scaly and I'm now looking at a picture of a hot ripped Chad lizard guy. Yeah, I guess I would be a scaly. Maybe I'll go to one of the. I do want to do a gecko. I would love to do being a gecko at a furry convention. That is. That is high on my list that you will see that video at some point in the future and maybe I'll learn more about scalies and I'll. I'll become one of them and maybe, maybe, maybe me and some other lizard people can have a great gecko orgy or something like that. Whatever it is they do there. Whatever it is they do there. Folks, this has been therapy. Gecko. I'm Lyle. I'm a gecko. Um, please, I. Please just exist. Just exist. Be yourself. I'm going on tour. I kicked off my tour the other night here in Tokyo with a sold out show. It was really fun. It was a great time. I'm. I worked all my new material. We did some great audience interactions. It was a fun time man. I'm really happy about the stories and stuff I have for this next tour. I think you guys are gonna like it. So please go to therapygecko tour.com and get tickets for that right now. I would love to see you guys all there. Geck. Bless. Catch you guys on the next episode and thank you all very much for listening. Have a good one. Bye bye. Doing it right. He's teaching you how to live your life. But he's not really an expert. 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Lyle
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Podcast: Therapy Gecko
Host: Lyle (the Geck)
Production: iHeartPodcasts
In “ALASKAN DAYDREAMS,” Lyle, the beloved unlicensed lizard psychologist, takes listener calls from across the universe—this time, with a special focus on Alaska. The episode explores themes of place, death, identity, career anxiety, and the unique social fabric of far-flung places, all with the signature whimsy, sincerity, and offbeat curiosity fans love. Lyle connects with callers Barnacle (from Alaska) and Liam Roman (a Canadian DJ/computer science student), diving into everything from strip clubs and funerals to DJ hustle and existential dread. Each conversation is a mix of heartfelt advice, gecko-philosophy, and lighthearted banter, grounded in the shared sense of not really knowing what the hell life is about—but wanting to talk about it anyway.
Timestamps: [01:39] – [33:55]
“Alaska is a curious place to me because it's America, but it's totally not because it's so far away. It's a different place, you know?” ([02:00])
“I just love strip clubs because people just like, they go there for a reason and they just chill the fuck out, you know. And I like to like talk to people and learn about them.” ([08:33])
“Grief is strange... I had like the most philosophical like crazy conversation…” ([09:38])
“Death is just so part of, like, the natural process. It's just like, society, art, and our culture specifically, like, hasn't... We don't, like, know how to process or handle that.” ([11:15])
“You can be composted...Your family members can, like, put you in a garden or something.” ([14:08])
“I mean—yeah, funeral be cool. I mean, I’m saying it’s like—like, I'd like a funeral. I don't get to have a funeral. Like, I'm not there, you know, It's... not like a wedding. It's for other people.” ([15:59])
“If somebody I know in real life calls me Geck, I really don't like that... But if I'm wearing the costume and some random person comes up to me, is like, ‘yo, Lyle!’ I'd be like, yo, what's up?” ([17:00])
“Go to Homer and hang out on the dock or Juneau’s docks, talk to the fishermen... They have the wildest stories. They are, like, incredible, hardy people.” ([24:19])
“Like, you wake up and it’s fucking dark… You have to be active. You have to have a community... The darkness gets pretty heavy around December.” ([30:01]) “[In summer,] it’s like light 24 fucking 7…Alaskans will be out, like, mowing their lawn at like midnight.” ([31:53])
“Every Alaskan when you're growing up here is like, Alaska, I'm moving to Portland.... a lot of people will leave and then come back. Alaska is just so special...I honestly can't imagine living anywhere else.” ([25:44])
Timestamps: [36:37] – [59:47]
“Why are you worried about whether or not you'll be able to make money doing something else when you're already making money doing something that you're doing right now?” ([41:23])
“There's no such thing as long term security. ...Job security is not real. Life security is not real. You could die tomorrow... Security is not a real thing. It's an illusion of trying to grasp onto an ever-evasive life that counts down its days.” ([41:53])
“You got a good business on your hands. Why don’t you just keep going with that?” ([45:21])
“March of last year was like the busiest time I had ever had... I literally don’t know how I didn’t like die.” ([53:32])
“There’s just a lot of, like, expectations behind, like, how well I do.” ([51:09])
“People who just kind of, like, know how to do shit and, like, know how to, like, competently exist will inevitably figure out a way to, like, do well in this life. And you strike me as one of those people, so I'm not particularly worried about you.” ([49:40])
“When people have success…they’re living really cool lives and they just hate them, you know? I have this thing too.” ([55:47])
“For one day... can you just enjoy being Liam Roman? ... Just one day. ... I’ll try to enjoy my life for one day and then I'll go back to being an anxious mess.” ([58:15])
Timestamps: [62:19] – [70:39]
“My job usually involves trying to record sites that are going to be destroyed... while our presence does slow things down, we don't do it for fun or to get rich... only there to try and preserve what we can...” ([62:19])
“Maybe I'll learn more about scalies and I'll… become one of them and maybe, maybe, maybe me and some other lizard people can have a great gecko orgy or something like that. Whatever it is they do there.” ([End of Geck Mail])
The episode is marked by Lyle’s self-deprecating, gently philosophical style. He validates callers' anxieties while challenging their assumptions about fulfillment, success, and identity. The language is relaxed, peppered with humor, swearing, pop culture references, and personal anecdotes; vulnerability and play mingle freely.
Whether you're here for advice, comfort, or just a dose of cosmic absurdity, “ALASKAN DAYDREAMS” is classic Therapy Gecko: funny, real, wandersome, and rooted in the weird, vital connections strangers make when they simply talk and listen.
Next Time:
Expect more listener stories, existential tangents, and green scaly wisdom, wherever in the universe Lyle may be!