Podcast Summary: This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von

Episode #646 - Hey Patty!!
Release Date: March 14, 2026
Host: Theo Von

Episode Overview

In this freewheeling solo episode, Theo Von reflects on the meaning of St. Patrick’s Day, shares personal updates about his mental health and self-care, offers comedic observations from his recent trip to Albuquerque, and dives into stories from his and listeners’ time as busboys. A big focus is on the upcoming movie "Bus Boys"—an independent project he created with David Spade, celebrating restaurant culture and DIY artistic ambition.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Remembering Patty and Childhood Sweetness

(Starts around 00:23)

• St. Patty’s Day Wishes: Theo opens with stories from his youth, recalling a bus stop acquaintance named Patty, a shy girl who became the subject of friendly childhood attention.
• Memorable Moment: “She’d smile so big she’d get lipstick on her earlobes, bruh. She was like that happied out. And there’s something nice about that. Seeing somebody get joyed out.” (00:31)
• Random Childhood Joys: These anecdotes set a nostalgic, lighthearted tone for the episode and segue into a questioning of the true meaning of St. Patrick’s Day.

2. Who Was St. Patrick?

(Begins at 03:00)

• Quick History Lesson (via Perplexity):
  • St. Patrick: 5th-century Christian missionary, originally from Britain, kidnapped by Irish raiders, worked as a slave in Ireland, later returned there to evangelize.
  • Famous for “driving snakes out of Ireland”—which Theo jokes about being more legend than fact.
  • Quote: “Dang. He was that dog. He was that lord dog. Brother, we ride here. Hey, Penny.” (05:23)
• Playful Jabs: Jokes about snakes now being found “working in politics in Israel, I guess, or America” (06:16)

3. Recent Trip to Albuquerque

(07:07–13:00)

• Albuquerque Observations:
  • Describes the city as predominantly Latino, filled with hard-working, kind people, especially in construction.
  • “A lot of kindness, bro. Mexican culture, bro, they freaking. It’s a blast, dude.” (08:10)
  • Jokes about architecture: “They don’t like doing two stories on nothing… It’s almost like for a long time they maybe didn’t have a ladder.” (09:15)
• Local Food Obsession:
  • Everyone’s fixation on green chilies—Theo riffs on how it’s a running gag in local culture: “Have you tried the green chilies?” (Multiple times)
  • Memorable local eateries: Frontier and El Modelo, where “even the gang bangers, they were taking off their face tattoos before they walked in, bro.” (29:11)
• Basketball Shout-Out: Congrats to Abby Pavia and her basketball team.

4. Mental Health & Spiritual Check-In

(13:00–28:00)

• Taking a Dating Break:
  • Theo shares that he’s intentionally staying away from dating to “focus on myself and my relationship with my higher power.” (14:02)
• Self-Care Challenges:
  • Honest struggles with prayer and keeping up with all the routines of wellness.
  • Quote: “Sometimes I just get tired of being the one to always have to take care of myself, you know?” (21:10)
  • Discusses guilt around occasional slips in habits (including masturbation): “Sometimes you just... you jerk off because it’s almost St. Patrick’s Day, but that’s not a good reason, dude.” (26:11)
• Reflection:
  • Acknowledges that caring for oneself and keeping up with the world’s issues is exhausting.
  • “There’s algorithms that are set up, it feels like, to ruin you.” (33:09)

5. Navigating Current Events, Overwhelm, and Speaking Up

(28:00–37:00)

• Pressure to Comment on Issues:
  • Theo explains he can’t possibly address every issue listeners ask about—sometimes from lack of knowledge, sometimes out of self-preservation.
  • “Some of it’s just, it’s too much. Some of it I don’t know enough about it.” (34:52)
  • Highlights the challenge of finding “clean information.”
• America, Israel, and the War Complex:
  • Candid and controversial criticisms of America’s political ties with Israel’s government.
  • Quote: “It just feels like it’s causing a lot of pain and fear… If we don’t speak up now, that one day our kids will not be able to.” (36:12)
  • Expresses fear and disappointment about religious and political leaders staying silent.

6. Bus Boys: Community, Culture, and Independence

(31:04–54:39)

• Restaurant Work as a Rite of Passage:
  • Theo recounts his own long stint as a busboy—“I was one of the top seven busboys south of Phoenix probably for a little while. And I say that with my whole chest.” (32:16)
  • Describes the camaraderie with dishwashers, the gritty, unglamorous side of food service.
  • Shout-out to all who’ve “got the tables and the trays and the tubs and the plates in their heart.” (33:39)
• The Making of ‘Bus Boys’ Movie:
  • DIY approach—he and David Spade wrote and financed the film themselves after Hollywood passed.
  • “I just wanted to have my own voice. I don’t want to read your lines. I don’t even believe. ...And so when I got into podcasting, it was a place where we could have our own voice. And I think some of this movie just kind of followed suit.” (39:17)
  • Movie is “about two dudes trying to be alive, trying to become waiters… with some love stories in there and some other type shit, but you feel me?”
  • Tickets on sale March 16 at busboysmovie.com. Movie releases April 17.
  • “The critics don’t know shit!” (51:00)
• Theme: Importance of creative independence; skepticism of industry gatekeepers; pride in “coming up through the dirt.”

7. Listener Calls: Busboy Stories

(54:40–71:49)

Selection of Funniest and Most Memorable Stories:

• Jacob from Cincinnati (54:40): “I saw some tits once… but I’m more of a butt guy myself.” / “A butt is just a big tits on the back, bro. With no nipples, with no milk in them.” (55:26, Theo)
• Charlie from New Jersey (57:56): Happiest part was “you get a lot of food in the back.” Theo counters: not all busboys get to eat; sometimes the rules are oddly specific.
• Ryan (59:03): Accidentally ate an old regular’s partially-eaten (actually sucked and spat out) oysters: “Bro, you ate a secondhand oyster.” Kitchen howls with laughter.
• Jackson (62:49): Claims he got beat up at Denny’s by a group of teens over all-you-can-eat pancakes.
  • Theo: “I just do not believe it. Is it wrong for me to say that, Trevin?”
• Ethan Anderson (64:34): Job as a barback—“I maybe did two hours of work while I was there… I don’t really know what I do, to be totally honest with you.”
• Anonymous (66:17): Found someone’s panties under a PF Changs table; Theo jokes what the kitchen might want with them.
  • “You had to give them to the back of the kitchen for what? Some purr back there huffing on them, boy.” (66:47)
• Jason V (Kai the) (68:56): Shares a colorful family history involving busboy jobs, a clown named Plinko (paid in booze), and a side hustle with cable descramblers—“I was losing hope in humanity and in myself, and you just restored it with a good story.” (71:49, Theo)

Notable Quotes (w/ Timestamps)

• “She’d get lipstick on her earlobes, bruh. She was like that happied out. And there’s something nice about that. Seeing somebody get joyed out.” (00:31, Theo)
• “Have you tried the green chilies?” (running joke throughout; see 09:51, 12:29, 28:49, 30:15, et al.)
• “Sometimes I just get tired of being the one to always have to take care of myself, you know?” (21:10, Theo)
• “If we don’t speak up now, and it may already be too late, but if we don’t speak up now, that one day our kids will not be able to.” (36:12, Theo)
• “I was one of the top seven busboys south of Phoenix probably for a little while. And I say that with my whole chest.” (32:16, Theo)
• “The critics don’t know shit!” (51:00, Theo)
• “A butt is just a big tits on the back, bro. With no nipples, with no milk in them.” (55:26, Theo)
• “Bro, you ate a secondhand oyster.” (61:11, Ryan quoting the kitchen)
• “Thank you, bro. Thank you. I was losing hope in humanity and in myself, and you just restored it with a good story. I appreciate that.” (71:49, Theo)

Key Timestamps for Major Segments

• 00:23–06:00: Childhood Patty story, intro to St. Patrick’s Day musings
• 07:07–13:00: Albuquerque trip observations, green chile riff
• 13:00–28:00: Personal updates—dating fast, self-care, spirituality
• 28:00–37:00: Handling pressure to speak on world events; Israel/America
• 31:04–54:39: Bus boy stories, bus boy culture, DIY film project
• 54:40–71:49: Listener call-in segment—quirky and wild busboy stories

Tone & Language

Theo’s voice remains that of a Southern raconteur—warm, self-deprecating, irreverently honest, and quick with a joke. The episode is conversational, looping in-and-out of serious and absurd, marked by memorable phrasing, recurring bits (“Have you tried the green chilies?”), and affirming, empathetic asides to his listeners.

Conclusion

This episode is a blend of heartfelt humor, reflection, and working-class nostalgia. Theo offers fans a window into his current headspace, childhood, and evolution as a creator—culminating in an invitation to support indie film and the underdog spirit. “Bus Boys” is positioned as the product of creative grit, and the bus boy segment is both a celebration and a remembering of those making their way, one cleared table at a time.

Call to Action:

• Check out busboysmovie.com for movie tickets
• Leave stories or messages for the show hotline: 985-664-9503

Final Advice:
“Be good to yourselves because you deserve it, you know? … One day at a time. Can I do this today? That’s been helping me recently.” (74:00)

Gang, gang. Have you tried the green chilies?