WWDTM: Eric Idle

Summary

Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! Episode Summary: Eric Idle Special

NPR's "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!" invites listeners to engage in a lively and humorous quiz that tests their knowledge of the week's news alongside the show's renowned panelists and celebrity guests. In this special episode hosted by Peter Sagal at the Studebaker Theater in Chicago, Illinois, the show features Eric Idle, a founding member of Monty Python, adding a unique comedic flair to the proceedings.

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Introduction and Listener Participation

Opening Remarks (00:22 - 02:15)

Peter Sagal opens the show with a personal anecdote about his teenage years attempting to emulate Monty Python's humor, leading up to his excitement about hosting Eric Idle. He warmly welcomes listeners and introduces the format of the show, emphasizing the interactive component where listeners can join by calling in.

First Listener Contestant: Shivali (01:31 - 05:30)

Shivali from Downers Grove, Illinois, a product manager for a large financial company, joins the show. Peter playfully probes into the abstract nature of her work, leading to a humorous exchange about the desire for more tangible products like ties. Shivali participates in the first quiz segment, correctly identifying quotes related to Kamala Harris's recent media appearances and a debunked scientific study on "Blue Zones."

Notable Quote:

Peter Sagal (04:29): "She did a barrage of appearances with everybody but them."

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Panel Discussions and News Quizzes

Panel Introduction (05:30 - 12:27)

Peter introduces the panelists: Shane O'Neill from The Washington Post, comedian Nagin Farsad, and actor Eugene Cordero. The panel engages in witty banter, discussing topics ranging from Kamala Harris's media strategies to the misinformation surrounding Blue Zones.

Blue Zones Debunked (05:36 - 08:22)

The panel jokes about the revelation that Blue Zones—regions thought to harbor populations with exceptional longevity—were inaccurately inflated due to pension fraud. This sparks a humorous conversation about the absurdity of life-extension claims.

Notable Quote:

Nagin Farsad (07:47): "That's all I've been doing the last year."

Fashion Trends and Pajamas at Work (08:32 - 10:18)

Bill Curtis presents a quote from the Wall Street Journal about the trend of wearing pajamas to work. The panelists humorously discuss the implications of this trend, likening it to past fashion phenomena and expressing skepticism about its practicality.

Notable Quote:

Shane O'Neill (09:34): "I'm trying to fit in with the salt of the earth people at Cracker Barrel..."

Interview with Eric Idle (21:30 - 31:53)

Eric Idle Joins the Show (20:18 - 27:27)

Eric Idle, famed for his role in Monty Python and the creation of the musical "Spamalot," joins the show for an in-depth interview. Peter expresses his admiration and shares a humorous moment about struggling to converse with Idle due to being a longtime fan.

Notable Quote:

Peter Sagal (21:31): "It's a lifelong dream to talk to you."

Monty Python Anecdotes and Star Wars Story (22:37 - 24:49)

Idle recounts legendary parties with the Monty Python cast, including a memorable event where members of the Star Wars cast attended, inadvertently disrupting a film scene. This story highlights the intertwining of Monty Python's humor with broader pop culture.

Notable Quote:

Eric Idle (24:29): "Because they stayed up all night. They blamed me."

Elvis Presley and Monty Python (24:49 - 26:22)

Idle shares an amusing claim that Elvis Presley was a fan of Monty Python, engaging in late-night sketch recitations. This anecdote blurs the lines between reality and Idle's characteristic whimsical storytelling.

Notable Quote:

Eric Idle (25:04): "He called everybody squire after my nudge nudge sketch."

"Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" at Funerals (26:46 - 27:27)

Discussing his musical contributions, Idle proudly notes that his song "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" is a staple at UK funerals, humorously replacing the traditional "My Way."

Notable Quote:

Eric Idle (26:50): "I'm happy to say that it replaced My Way."

Game Segments: Bye-Bye, Daddio! and Listener Limber Challenge

Daddio Round (12:27 - 20:26)

Listeners Glenn Straughan and others participate in the "Daddio" segment, where they discern between fictional and real news stories involving the term "Daddio." Glenn wins by correctly identifying the accurate story, showcasing the show's trademark mix of humor and news trivia.

Notable Quote:

Shivali (20:26): "After passengers complained about Daddio, they switched it to a family-friendly movie."

Listener Limber Challenge: Quinn Duffy (38:13 - 43:04)

Civil engineer Quinn Duffy tackles a limerick-based challenge, correctly identifying humorous takes on everyday issues like children's footwear deformities caused by Crocs and unconventional smoothie flavors. Quinn's success underscores the engaging and playful nature of the show's games.

Notable Quote:

Quinn Duffy (40:33): "Oh dear God. I have no idea."

Lightning Fill in the Blank (44:37 - 50:05)

Panelists Kenny Cordero, Nagin Farsad, and Shane O'Neill compete in a rapid-fire fill-in-the-blank game, answering questions related to the week's news. Shane O'Neill emerges victorious by swiftly and accurately completing his responses.

Notable Quote:

Nagin Farsad (46:39): "Vladimir Putin."

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Final Discussions and Predictions

Next Big Hoax Predictions (50:55 - 51:26)

The panelists humorously speculate on future debunked myths, ranging from personal fan accounts to whimsical takes on popular sayings.

Notable Quotes:

Eugene Cordero: "That your only fan account that you follow, that person actually does like you."

Nagin Farsad: "The commonly belief that if you step on a crack, you'll break your mother's back is in fact untrue."

Closing Remarks

Peter Sagal wraps up the episode by thanking Eric Idle, the panelists, and the audience, promising more engaging content in future episodes. The show highlights the seamless blend of humor, current events, and celebrity interactions that make "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!" a beloved staple in NPR's lineup.

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Conclusion

This episode of "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!" masterfully combines satirical news quizzes, engaging panel discussions, and a special interview with Eric Idle, delivering laughter and insightful commentary. The inclusion of memorable quotes and lighthearted exchanges ensures that both regular listeners and newcomers can enjoy the show's unique take on the week's events.

Transcript

[NPR Sponsor]

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[Bill Curtis]

From NPR and WBEC Chicago, this is Weights, Weights. Don't tell me the NPR News quiz. Yes, I'm Stentorian, but I'm so much Mauryan. Bill Curtis. And here is your host at the Studebaker Theater at the Fine Arts Building in Chicago, Illinois, Peter Sagal.

[Peter Sagal]

Thank you so much, Bill. Thank you, everybody. So great to see you. So great to have you here. We have such a great show for you today, and it is an important one to me personally. When I was a teenager many years ago, I really wanted to be funny, so I just would repeat bits from Monty Python to charm people. And it never worked for some reason. But today I get to talk to Eric Idle, one of the founders of Monty Python, somebody who might finally appreciate my version of the dead parrot sketch. And I do both characters, but it's first your turn to join us by giving us a call. The night number is 1-888. Wait, wait. That's 1-888-924-8924. Let's welcome our first listener contestant. Hi. You're on. Wait, wait, don't tell me.

[Bill Curtis]

Hi.

[Shivali]

This is Shivalu from Downers Grove, Illinois.

[Peter Sagal]

Downers Grove, not far from here in Chicago. Some people here know it. What do you do there?

[Shivali]

I am a product manager for a large financial company.

[Peter Sagal]

I've always wondered about this because you're a product manager for a financial company which technically doesn't make anything. And does that ever bother you, like you're saying, would you like to try one of our financial products, which only exist in concept?

[Shivali]

I mean, it's, it's a little it's definitely very convoluted. I feel like I work on a lot of stuff that people don't see. So.

[Peter Sagal]

Yeah.

[Shivali]

Which I guess in one way it's a little less scary.

[Peter Sagal]

So. I know. Do you ever wish you could just, like, sell ties or something? Something you could look at in your.

[Shivali]

Hand, Something more tangible? Yeah, definitely.

[Peter Sagal]

Well, welcome to the show. Shiva Lee, let me introduce you to our panel this week. First up, it's a staff writer in the Washington Post, where he writes the Absolutely Essential Style Memo newsletter. It's Shane O'Neill.

[Shane O'Neill]

Hello, Shavali.

[Peter Sagal]

Next, it's the comedian and host of the podcast Fake the Nation. You can see her in the Muslims Are Coming Stand Up Show in reading, Pennsylvania, on October 18th, it's Nagin Farsad.

[Nagin Farsad]

Hey, there.

[Peter Sagal]

And you can see him on season five of Star Lower Decks, premiering October 24th. And on Mike Shore's A Man on the Ins. On Netflix in November, it's Eugene Cordero. Hi. Hello. Hello. So, Shivali, welcome to the show. You're of course, going to play who's Bill this time. That's how we always start our show, with Bill Curtis giving you three quotations that we found in the week's news. Your job, correctly identify or explain just two of them. Do that, you will win our prize. Any voice you might choose from our show for your voicemail. Are you ready to go?

[Shivali]

Awesome. I'm stoked.

[Peter Sagal]

That's all. We are. We're all stoked. Here is your first quote.

[Bill Curtis]

This is what happens when I drink beer.

[Peter Sagal]

That was one of many presidential pronouncements from somebody's media blitz this week. Who was it?

[Shivali]

It sounds a little awkward. So I wonder if it's Trump or Vance or if it's Waltz, because I know Pamela Harris and Tim Waltz were going on a lot of shows this week.

[Peter Sagal]

Well, you said it. It was Kamala Harris said the name.

[Nagin Farsad]

You said, every possible answer.

[Peter Sagal]

Technically, you said every person running for every high office, but I wanted to stop you before you got down to the Senate candidate. So Kamala Harris. The mainstream media, as I'm sure you know, has been constantly complaining that Kamala Harris has not done enough interviews with them. So this week, she did a barrage of appearances with everybody but them. Harris this week appeared in the podcast Call Me Daddy and All the Smoke, the Late show with Stephen Colbert, the View, Howard Stern, and somehow she's the next Bachelorette.

[Eugene Cordero]

I love the fact that she's getting on, you know, these shows where it's about getting high and basketball players and all that stuff. Just the idea that she's doing it. I'm going like, okay, you're a real person. But also, just walk through a door and I'll go, okay, you're not a ghost.

[Peter Sagal]

That's true. You're easy to impress.

[Bill Curtis]

Yeah.

[Peter Sagal]

Yeah.

[Eugene Cordero]

It doesn't take much.

[Peter Sagal]

She's been trying to appeal to more conservative voters in these appearances. So she's been talking, talking about the gun she owns and bragging, quote, I have put a lot of people in jail, unquote, and quote, I am the author of Hillbilly Elegy.

[Nagin Farsad]

But I feel like she talked about her Glock the same way I've talked about having a tennis racket.

[Shivali]

You know, What?

[Nagin Farsad]

I mean, like, I have one. It's in a closet. I've used it once in a really non serious way.

[Bill Curtis]

Yeah.

[Nagin Farsad]

And I'd like to pretend like I don't really have one.

[Eugene Cordero]

But if somebody came to your house, you would play tennis.

[Nagin Farsad]

I would play.

[Shivali]

Shout out to them.

[Nagin Farsad]

I will. Yeah.

[Eugene Cordero]

So it's the same.

[Peter Sagal]

It's the same.

[Shane O'Neill]

I just, I don't get it. I was trying to fit in with like the salt of the earth people at Cracker Barrel, but when I started telling everyone I had a Glock, it did not go over.

[Peter Sagal]

Not at all. Alright, Shivali, your next quote is from a scientist named Saul Newman, who in a new study proves a very popular idea is completely wrong.

[Bill Curtis]

People want there to be some exotic island where everything's okay and if you eat goji berries, you're gold.

[Peter Sagal]

Dr. Newman says that he has now proved that in fact, there are no special places on earth where due to diet or climate or anything else, people do. What?

[Shivali]

Live longer?

[Peter Sagal]

Yes, live longer, exactly right. For decades we have been told about these oases around the world of long life, and they're called Blue zones by scientists. Places like Okinawa, Japan and Sardinia, Italy, where demographic data shows that the population is living remarkably long and healthy lives. And it turns out. Was it the secret diet? No. Was it lifestyle? No. Was it shoddy record keeping and pension fraud? It sure was. So it turns out all, all of those places reported very high average lifespans because lots and lots of people in those places were pretending their parents were still alive so they could collect their pension checks. Now, I found this very shocking and I've heard about this my whole life, these places where people have figured out the secrets to their longevity. And that's led to all these diet and lifestyle books like the Sardinian Secret, the Flemish Fountain of Youth, the Okinawan method of propping up grandpa in a lifelike manner.

[Nagin Farsad]

But also that Netflix show came out like pretty recently. And I'm so embarrassed because I have been that jerk at a cocktail party being like, you guys haven't heard of Blue Zones? Oh my gosh, this is what we should all be doing. We should be walking on stairs every day, like literally just spewing the stuff from that documentary at cocktail parties. That's all I've been doing the last year.

[Peter Sagal]

And there you go. Now you have to go back to every person you talk to at those cocktail parties and tell them you were nonsense.

[Nagin Farsad]

Cheetos eat Cheetos all day long.

[Peter Sagal]

You might as well.

[Eugene Cordero]

I mean, it is a bummer. That there's not a secret place and secret ways to like make you like a highlander or whatever. But I would absolutely. I'm actually more intrigued now to go to Okinawa and see this Weekend at Bernie's type people. Yeah, like, I would be amazed by being like, wow, you kept them looking alive. How'd you do it? Like, maybe their embalming is really good.

[Peter Sagal]

Yeah, no, Okinawans are really very friendly. It's a very welcoming place. Just don't ask them if you can meet their parents. All right, here is your last quote.

[Bill Curtis]

Wearing them is no longer an easy way to see who's given up.

[Peter Sagal]

That was the Wall Street Journal telling us, as they often do, about the latest fashion trend. Wearing what all day, even to the office?

[Shivali]

Pajamas.

[Peter Sagal]

Pajamas, yes. People are wearing pajamas to work. Who hasn't wondered what their co workers wear to bed? Trick question. Sickos. You should never think that. But soon, according to the Journal, it will be impossible not to know as more people are wearing. There's sleepwear out and about. Don't mind if I do, commented the sleeps naked contingent.

[Shane O'Neill]

I'm sorry, this is not new. Like, there was a whole squadron of girls in high school that we all called like the Cookie Monster fleece pants girls. It's an archetype. And if you are a bullied gay teen, all you have to do is get right with the Cookie Monster fleece pajama girls and they will defend you until they die.

[Peter Sagal]

Really?

[Shane O'Neill]

Yes. It's like the universal, I guess. You know, if this trend does widen, look for the fleece Cookie Monster bottoms. Those girls decide if you live or die.

[Peter Sagal]

Wow. Life lessons, ladies and gentlemen, from Shane O'Neill. We should note, by the way, before everybody gets too excited, that all the people pushing this and all the people photographed in the Journal, they're either models or they're actresses or they're fashion influencers. That is, they're very good looking people.

[Eugene Cordero]

Oh, so they're not going to work?

[Peter Sagal]

Well, in a way, yeah. Bill, how did Shivalee do in our quiz?

[Bill Curtis]

She's putting on her pajamas right now because she won all three.

[Peter Sagal]

Exactly.

[Eugene Cordero]

The winner.

[Peter Sagal]

Yeah. You went to work. Well done, Shivalee.

[Nagin Farsad]

I think they won.

[Peter Sagal]

Right now, panel, it is time for you to answer some questions about this week's news. Negin, Couples therapy isn't just for couples anymore. The latest trend is who going to get couples therapy together.

[Nagin Farsad]

Oh, throuples.

[Peter Sagal]

By couple, I mean two people at once who are related, but, you know, not in that way.

[Nagin Farsad]

Oh, siblings.

[Peter Sagal]

Yes. Couples therapy for siblings is now A thing.

[Nagin Farsad]

Why don't they just call it sibling therapy?

[Peter Sagal]

I guess they could.

[Nagin Farsad]

Yeah.

[Peter Sagal]

Well, if we called it that in this context, you would have known the answer. You know, couples therapy, as we know, is for couples trying to work out their differences. And, and as we all know, siblings often have differences, too, so why not them? But if your session starts with your brother saying our sex life is in a rut, you don't need couples therapy. You need real therapy now.

[Shane O'Neill]

I mean, it seems healthy to me. It's like if you're having trouble with your sibling and you go to therapy, then the two of you, when things get too intense, you can just get back to making fun of your parents, which is the best, most bonding thing.

[Peter Sagal]

That's why you have siblings, obviously.

[Eugene Cordero]

But I don't get it. Because also, if my parents couldn't make it work between me and my sister, how is a stranger going to do it? Because I don't listen to my parents when they tell me that my sister was right. So I'm not going to listen to some suit do it either.

[Peter Sagal]

Well, the difference is the therapist will be objective and unbiased. When your parents loved your sister more.

[Eugene Cordero]

Ah, you're right.

[Peter Sagal]

Honesty the best policy. Don't say let that tear us apart. Ooh, we are love, we are light we are fear, we are fight we are good, we are bad all that we have is each other. Oh, sisters and brothers coming up. You won't be Matteo at our bluff. The listener game call one triple eight. Wait, wait to play. We'll be back in a minute with more. Wait, wait, don't tell me from npr.

[Eric Idle]

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[Peter Sagal]

Support for this podcast and the following message come from Autograph Collection hotels, offering over 300 independent hotels around the world, each exactly like nothing else. Hand selected for their inherent craft, each hotel tells its own unique story through distinctive design and immersive experiences. From medieval falconry to volcanic wine tasting. Autograph Collection is part of the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio of over 30 hotel brands around the world. Find the [e-mail] this message comes from Noom.

[NPR Sponsor]

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[Eric Idle]

Message comes from Wise, the app for doing things in other currencies. Send, spend or receive money internationally and always get the real time mid market exchange rate with no hidden fees. Download the Wise app today or visit wise.com Ts and Cs apply.

[Bill Curtis]

From NPR and WBC Chicago, this is Wait, Wait, don't tell Me the NPR News quiz. I'm Bill Curtis. We are playing this week with Eugene Cordero, Shane O'Neill and Nagin Farsad. And here again is your host at the Studebaker Theater in Chicago, Illinois, Peter Sagel.

[Peter Sagal]

Thank you, Bill. Thank you all so much. Right now it is time for the winner. Wait, wait, don't tell me. Bluff the listener game. Call one triple eight. Wait Wait. To play our game in the air or check out the pinned post on our Instagram page eight. Wait, npr. Hi, you're on. Wait, Wait, don't tell me. Hi, Peter. It's Glenn Straughan. Hey, Glenn Straughan. How are you? Where are you calling from? I'm calling from Annapolis, Maryland. Oh great. Annapolis, capital of Maryland. What do you do there? I work for an international organization named Chipago whose goal is to save the lives of women and babies at birth. Oh wow. That is excellent work. Do you know if any babies out there are named after you? No. None, thankfully. Well, Glenn, it's great to have you with us. You're going to play the game in which you must try to tell truth from fiction. Bill, what is Glenn's topic?

[Bill Curtis]

Hey there, Daddio.

[Peter Sagal]

The word daddio popped up prominently in the news this week and not just because of Kamala Harris appearance on the podcast Call Her Daddio. Our panelists are going to tell you the real reason that word came up. Pick the one who is telling the truth and you'll win our prize, the wait waiter of your choice and your voicemail. Are you ready to play? Yes, I am. Alright. First, let's hear from Eugene Cordero.

[Eugene Cordero]

When the in flight entertainment system broke down on a flight from Sydney to Tokyo, it made it impossible for individuals to control their screens. So in a stunning show of cooperation, a group of passengers chose a movie for the entire plane to watch. Altogether, the movie they chose was Daddio. For those of us who haven't seen Daddio, which is everyone on earth who wasn't on that plane, it's a 2023 film starring Sean Penn and Dakota Johnson that takes place entirely in a taxi cab and somehow manages to feature full frontal female and male nudity. How does this happen? Was the only other choice Despicable Me for, and everyone who voted had already seen it. Did Inside out too sound too sexual? Who would have thought that raw dogging on a flight is a safer option?

[Peter Sagal]

The passengers on a long flight because of a malfunction all ended up watching the same movie. Daddio. Much to most people's dismay. Your next Daddio dispatch comes from Nagin Farsad.

[Nagin Farsad]

Dave Pearson is a stay at home dad in Park Slope, Brooklyn, where New York City keeps helicopter parents who sign their kids up for trapeze and feminist zine building workshops. Dave was always looking for healthy snacks for his two kids, Eleanor and Henry, because if you live in Park Slope, your kids were named off of a 1940s name registry. So he created his own cereal, which he called Daddios, the dad joke version of Cheerios. And like Cheerios, they tasted rather bland. But unlike Cheerios, they were made from nuts, seeds and flavored with your imagination. But one day a video circulated among Brooklyn parents. Daddios had been Featured on the OnlyFans page Hot Deliveries. In the video, a hot instacart lady delivers the cereal to a hot client. They sexily unbox the snack in what turns into a rather steamy, albeit highly nutritious porn delivery scene. Disappointed, Dave ends up changing the name of his cereal to Nutty's, and the rest of us are just waiting for him to see the problem with that name.

[Peter Sagal]

A Park Slope dad invents Daddios, his version of Cheerios. And then things get unintentionally sexy. Your last story of Daddio drama comes from Shane O'Neal.

[Shane O'Neill]

Diadio's, an Italian restaurant in San Antonio, Texas, had been the pride and joy of the Diadio family since they immigrated from Italy in 1976. But when owner Joseph Diadio fell on hard times after an ill advised investment in crypto, he sold his family's restaurant to a venture capital firm that rebranded Diadio's as Daddio's, a vaguely nostalgic and very loud diner. Once the menu had sundae sauce that marinated for hours, sopped up with crusty bread baked from a closely guarded secret family recipe. Now you could order the Elvis Presley Ain't Nothing But a Hot Dog Platter with your choice of of Jackie Onion Rings or Joan Crawford's Hush Hush Puppies. Sweet Charlotte. This was all news to Joseph's grandfather, Vittorio who paid a surprise visit to the restaurant during a day trip from his nearby nursing home. This doesn't even make sense, he said. Is this supposed to be the 1950s or the 1960s? Jackie Kennedy didn't marry Aristotle onset until 1968. And does anyone remember the movie Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte besides gay film buffs?

[Peter Sagal]

All right, Daddios popped up in the news this week. But what did that word refer to? Was it from Eugene Cordero, a movie called Daddio, which the passengers on a long flight inexplicably decided to watch all of them? Or from Negin Farad, Daddio's the breakfast cereal that took off when a Park Slope dad invented it? Or from Shane O'Neal, how D'addio's the classic Italian place, become Dadio's the retro diner, much to the dismay of the family patriarch, which was the real story we found in the news this week. Well, Peter, I did read about this, and I'm gonna go with Eugene. You're gonna go number one? Yes. Okay. Well, then your choice is going to be Eugene's story. To find out the correct answer, we spoke to a reporter covering the real story.

[Shivali]

After passengers complained about Daddio, they switched it to a family friendly movie.

[Peter Sagal]

Yeah, that was Mary Kate Carr of the A.V. club talking about the in flight daddio debacle. Congratulations, Glenn. You have earned a point for Eugene simply by telling the truth. And you have won our game. You get the voice of your choice in your answering machine. Well done, sir. Thank you very much. Take care, Glenn. And congratulations on the very good work you do. Bye. Bye. And now, the game where we ask people about things they know nothing about. It's called Not My Job. Eric Idle is one of the founders of Monty Python's Flying Circus, the most influential sketch comedy show ever made. And he's also the creator of Spamalot, the hit musical based on the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. He has just published a book about the music, and he joins us now. Eric Idle, welcome to Wait, Wait, don't tell me.

[I]

Thank you very much.

[Peter Sagal]

It is such. I'm just going to put it this way. It's a lifelong dream to talk to you. In fact, when we first spoke earlier this week, you called me and I picked up the phone and you said, hi, it's Eric Idle. And I became completely incapable of human speech. And I was wondering, does that happen to you a lot? Because there are a lot of people like me.

[I]

Well, not really. I mean, you know, human speech. But thank you. It's very nice to be back in Chicago, where Spamalot started.

[Peter Sagal]

Yes, yes, it's true. Spamalot. You had your, what they call the out of town tryouts here. It's very exciting.

[I]

We certainly did, yes.

[Peter Sagal]

Did you enjoy your time in Chicago?

[I]

I loved my time in Chicago. I'm married to a Chicago woman and I have lots of Chicago relatives. So I'm very, you know, I love Chicago.

[Peter Sagal]

Yeah, that's really great. It's a good town. And let me put it this way. When you walk the streets of Chicago, we're a very cool, sophisticated place. I know, but do people recognize you and go nuts? Because they, like me, were Monty Python fans growing up?

[I]

Yes, sadly they do. But there's very little you can say. People come up and start reciting a sketch at you that you can't say, well, how are you too? You know, I mean, they sort of remove the possibility of conversation.

[Peter Sagal]

Right. So you just have to stand there and nod while they do the whole like nudge, nudge, wink, wink thing, for example.

[I]

Exactly. Yeah, exactly.

[Peter Sagal]

So that's. Is that hellish or do you just sort of accept that as the price of fame?

[I]

It's fine. I mean. I mean, I'm glad that. The nice thing about being a comedian is if people recognize you, they tend to laugh because they remember you in some silly costume. Usually drag or something, you know, so it's not unpleasant. It's not like rock and roll. They don't try and kill you or anything, you know.

[Peter Sagal]

In addition to knowing all these rock and roll bands in the 70s, we've also heard stories that you either yourself as a group, used to throw these pretty legendary parties. Is that true?

[I]

I've always enjoyed. We always had some good parties because, you know, I like to play music and we always have singalongs and Ding Dongs. And we still do that.

[Peter Sagal]

Right. We heard once that, like, you threw a party in the late 70s and the cast of Star wars, which was filming at the time, came over.

[I]

Well, Carrie Fisher rented my house in London for filming the Empire Strikes Back. And they were very depressed. And Harrison Ford, they've been in England for a long time.

[Peter Sagal]

Yeah, that'll do it.

[I]

So I pulled out a special liquor, liquor we bought from Tunisia, and the party started. And by chance the Stones were around the corner in Abbey Road. And they all came round and this party went on all night. And they were finally picked up by their cars at 6 o'clock and we all went off to bed. And I'm happy to say I ruined one of the scenes. In Star wars, you ruined.

[Peter Sagal]

Do you know which scene you ruined and how you ruined it?

[I]

Well, because they stayed up all night. They blamed me. I mean, they're adults, you know, it was a scene where they meet Billy Dee Williams and they come off the plane and they, you know, Carrie says hi and they're all completely hi. You know, they've been up all night.

[Peter Sagal]

That is an amazing bit of Star wars lore. And I don't know if everybody knows it. That is amazing. Speaking of musicians, the Stones came by to your party. I also, again, for the first time, found out, was it true that Elvis Presley was a big fan of yours?

[I]

Yes, and I found that out, quite surprisingly, in one of the books. He called everybody squire after my nudge nudge sketch.

[Peter Sagal]

No, he did not.

[I]

Yes, he did. And he was a huge fan. And I met Linda Thompson, who was his girlfriend, and she said at night in Memphis, when the television stopped, about 2:30 in the morning, Elvis would make her do Monty Python sketches with him. And not just anyone, she'd go, hello, Mrs. Thing. Hello, Mrs. Entity. And I said, I don't believe you.

[Peter Sagal]

And she, she.

[I]

She convinced me finally that because she knew the words.

[Peter Sagal]

Could that be what Elvis was doing the night he died?

[I]

Because you take it harsh to blame us for that.

[Peter Sagal]

No, but, I mean, if you take a tour of Graceland and. And I have. They're very cagey about what he was doing the night he died. They won't tell you. And maybe it was that. Maybe he was, you know, just sort of.

[I]

I think he was quite healthy, sitting up in bed doing sketches with Linda Thomas, I think.

[Peter Sagal]

So. I want to talk to you about the Musical, of course, which went on to be a huge hit in Wontonys and then was revived and won Tonys again. You had always been a musician. In fact, you wrote, I don't know if this is your first big hit of a song, but always look on the bright side of life. From the end of Life of Brian, we heard that that is, at least at one time, was the number one song played at funerals in the uk.

[I]

I'm proud to say that it still is. It's been that for 20 years.

[Peter Sagal]

Really?

[I]

Yes. I'm happy to say it replaced My Way.

[Peter Sagal]

Oh, that is good. I think. Yeah. That is definitely improvement. Have you ever.

[I]

I like it.

[Peter Sagal]

Have you ever been to a funeral and all of a sudden the choir starts? You know, it's like always look on, they start doing it in harmony.

[I]

Now they play the record, I'm happy to say, but unfortunately, they don't pay royalties.

[Peter Sagal]

Right. Funerals don't pay royalties.

[I]

They don't. It's. I think it's wrong. Quite wrong.

[Peter Sagal]

Well, Eric Idle, it is a huge honor for me especially to talk to you and a pleasure to have you here. And we have invited you here to play a game that we're calling Spam.

[Bill Curtis]

Spam, Spam, Spam and Spam.

[Peter Sagal]

Now, as I'm sure you know, it was that famous Monty Python spam skit that is responsible for the fact that unwanted email advertisements is called Spam. But we wanted to know, even if you knew that we. We wanted to know if you knew anything about spam email. So we're going to ask you three questions about it. Answer two, right? And you will win our prize for one of our listeners, the voice of anyone they might choose for their voicemail bill. Who is Eric Idle playing for?

[Bill Curtis]

Andy Hill of Boston, Massachusetts.

[Peter Sagal]

All right, you ready for this?

[I]

Yes.

[Peter Sagal]

All right, here's your first question. The first genuine mass advertisement that people called Spam went out to the users of Usenet, a precursor to the Internet, in 1994. What did it advertise? A, A, then unknown new TV series called Friends, B, a new canned meat product called Spam plus. Or C, Jesus Christ.

[I]

I would say Spam plus, Spam plus.

[Peter Sagal]

You think that Hormel, the manufacturer of Spam, which by the way, has embraced Monty Python and Spam?

[I]

Perhaps not. Could it be Friends?

[Peter Sagal]

Well, that would be an interesting way of advertising a brand new television show on something called Usenet.

[I]

Yes. That leaves us with Jesus Christ, then.

[Peter Sagal]

It does so in many situations in life, all you're left with is Jesus Christ. Yes. The message was headed global alert for all. Jesus is coming soon. And it was sent to the hundreds of thousands of people who were on Usenet at the time. So not only was it annoying, it was also incorrect.

[I]

So far, anyway.

[Peter Sagal]

So far, yes. Well, it said soon in 1994. I think we can say that it was inaccurate. Okay, here's your next question. Now, one of the odd things about spam is while that everybody hates it and they really hate the people who send it out, it doesn't make the advertisers themselves a lot of money. One study showed that you would make more money and suffer less social disapproval if you did. Which of these A, dined and dashed once a month, B, played saxophone in a subway car, or C, stole a car?

[I]

Iris has stole a car.

[Peter Sagal]

Yes, that's right. Stealing a car. People don't like like car thieves. It's true. But at least you could sell the car and make some money. All right, here's your last question. One of the most notorious spammers ever was a man named Alan Ralsky, who was actually convicted of fraud for sending out all those spam emails. Before that, though, he had another punishment. What? A, he fell for a spammer himself and ended up sending all the money he had to a fake prince. B, he typed so many fake emails that his fingers all broke or C, people found his physical address and signed him up for every piece of junk mail they could find, resulting in him getting thousands and thousands of magazines and pamphlets every day.

[I]

I would say C, you're right again.

[Peter Sagal]

Bill. How did Eric Idle do in our quiz?

[Bill Curtis]

Well, he woke up on the better side of life because he got all. All right.

[Peter Sagal]

Congratulations, Sarah. Thank you very much. Eric Idle is one of the founders of Money Python. He is also the Tony winning creator of Spamalot and the author of the new Spamalot Diaries out now. Eric Idle, an absolute pleasure to talk to you. Thank you so much for joining us. I'm. Wait, wait, don't tell me. Thank you so much. Take care. In just a minute, Bill offers you a delicious smoothie to either drink or rub under your arms. It's your choice. It's the Listener Limerick challenge. Call 1- Triple-8-WAIT wait to join us on the air. We'll be back in a minute with more Wait. Don't tell me from npr.

[Eric Idle]

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[Bill Curtis]

From NPR in WBEC Chicago, this is. Wait, wait, don't tell me. The NPR News Quiz. I'm Bill Curtis. We're playing this week with Nagin Farsad, Eugene Cordero and Shane O'Neill. And here again is your host at the Studebaker Theater and Show, Chicago, Illinois, Peter Sagal.

[Peter Sagal]

Thank you, Bill. In just a minute, Bill performs his hit Broadway show Rhyme A Lot in our Listener Limber Challenge. If you'd like to play, give us a call at 1-888-WAIT-WAIT. That's 1-888-924-8924. Right now, panel, though, some more questions for you from the week's news. Eugene, President Macron of France has decided to publicly protest somebody who has announced their intention to leave that country. Who is it?

[Eugene Cordero]

Oh, I don't know who's. Who's leaving France on purpose?

[Peter Sagal]

Well, specifically, they'll be leaving Paris. Oh, she has to be in Paris. Cause it's right in the title, In Paris.

[Nagin Farsad]

Oh, you know this, don't you play.

[Shane O'Neill]

Straight with me, Eugene.

[Peter Sagal]

Emily. Yes, yes. Emily in Paris. Don't you play straight with me. Emily in Paris is, of course, the hit Netflix show about a clueless American woman in Paris that Americans watch because they hate it and French people watch because they hate Americans. And the producers announced that for the fifth season, Emily will move to Rome, and that cannot be. The French national motto is liberte egalite. Emily and Macron, the president of the country, weighed in. He told Variety magazine, quote, emily in Paris in Rome doesn't make any sense. And he's right. I mean, how is she supposed to find the time with her social schedule, to also not learn Italian?

[Shane O'Neill]

Well, I mean, what are the incentives for Emily to stay? Is Macron offering bigger hats, more clashing patterns? These are the things Emily needs to sustain herself.

[Peter Sagal]

Well, I know.

[Nagin Farsad]

Did she go through every meet cute possibility with Frenchmen that she now has to go to Italian men? Is that what's happening?

[Peter Sagal]

Apparently, she had gotten down to the Frenchmen who wear pajamas outside. She had to move on, I guess. Eugene, nobody likes a person who brags about themselves all the time. Trust me. But sometimes you need to let people know about all the great things you've done. So how do you do it? According to experts, the key is while you are bragging, you also need to do.

[Eugene Cordero]

What is that like a humble brag?

[Peter Sagal]

Like sort of. It's related, but it's a different style of bragging that they say is more successful.

[Eugene Cordero]

Add a joke.

[Peter Sagal]

Yes. Be Funny. Very good, Eugene.

[Eugene Cordero]

Oh, thanks.

[Shane O'Neill]

You ever thought of that?

[Peter Sagal]

A team of researchers found that being funny and playful while boasting about your accomplishments helps you stay likable as you also convey confidence. They call this humor bragging.

[Nagin Farsad]

I think it's also the thing Elon Musk thinks he's doing.

[Peter Sagal]

Yes. In one of the studies they did, this was social science, ladies and gentlemen. They sent out a serious resume to a bunch of employers and then they sent out the same resume with an added joke. And that joke was, quote, the more coffee you can provide, the more output I will produce. And it got 25% more responses. But of course they were all just people writing and saying, did you just apply for a job with a poop joke? So if you're looking for a job, everybody don't write successfully managed a team of five to increase sales by 20% or something. Write. What's the deal with the increased sales from that team? I manage.

[Shane O'Neill]

I increased profits in Q4. Orange are glad I didn't say banana.

[Nagin Farsad]

I'm embarrassed.

[Bill Curtis]

Hired.

[Peter Sagal]

Hired.

[Nagin Farsad]

I'm embarrassed. But like I, I used to have in special skills on my resume for the two and a half minutes that I was trying to be a real person with a job. Languages, French, Farsi, Pig Latin or something stupid like that. And like no one. I mean, maybe that's why I'm now in this fate that I have.

[Peter Sagal]

That's true, by the way. This is important and this was part of the study. They tried this self deprecating humor. Doesn't work.

[Shane O'Neill]

Oh, because what are you supposed to do?

[Peter Sagal]

Well, it comes across as either inside sincere or if it's sincere, you're downplaying your own achievements. So don't be like, oh, I won the Nobel Prize for economics. I know, gross. Blah nerd. Coming up. It's lightning. Fill in the blank. But first it's the game where you have to listen for the rhyme. If you'd like to play on air, call or leave a message at 1-888-WAIT-WAIT. That's 1-888-924-8924. You can catch us most weeks, including some Halloween night fun, right here at the beautiful Studebaker Theater in Chicago. And we'll be back at the Fox Theater in Detroit on November 14th. For tickets and information, go to nprpresents.org and check out this week's how to Do Everything podcast featuring and I kid you not, sir Patrick Stewart, mooing like a cow. Hi, Erin. Wait, wait, don't tell me.

[Shivali]

Hi, this is Quinn Duffy from Glastonbury, Connecticut.

[Peter Sagal]

Glastonbury, Connecticut. What do you do there?

[Shivali]

I'm a civil engineer. I work for the state of Connecticut.

[Peter Sagal]

Oh, really? Oh, I always love talking to civil engineers because you're one of the few jobs not having one myself that I can understand. You build stuff like bridges and highways, right?

[Shivali]

Yeah, I did bridges for the majority of my beginning of my career and now I do like railroad stations and rail adjacent facilities.

[Peter Sagal]

Wow, you do railroad stations? You ever stand in front of one and wait for people to compliment it and then just go, yeah, that's mine. I did that.

[Shivali]

Yeah, they mostly just walked by and on their way.

[Peter Sagal]

It's a shame. Well, I'm very. I'm very impressed by what you do. Welcome to the show, Quinn. Bill Curtis is going to read you three news related limericks with a last word or phrase missing from each. If you can fill in that last word or phrase correctly on two of the limericks, you will be a winner. You ready to go?

[Shivali]

Yes, sir.

[Peter Sagal]

All right, here's your first limerick.

[Bill Curtis]

As little kids walk down the blocks, they wear squishy kicks without socks as they're pounding the street. It's deforming their feet. They're unhealthy. These shoes we call crocs.

[Peter Sagal]

Crocs. Yes, we all love crocs because they're comfortable and great for our feet, which we are now told they are also destroying. Some podiatrists say that young children should not wear crocs because they lack arch support. Could cause gait issues, and if your kid's foot grows inside the croc, it'll look like one of them forever.

[Shane O'Neill]

Okay, as someone who has been croc pilled, I love crocs. Are we sure these are deformities and not just the next step of human evolution?

[Peter Sagal]

Maybe you're a big fan of crocs.

[Shane O'Neill]

Love crocs. I resisted for years. I know how they look. I know they're terrible. But I'm one of those jerks where just, you know, I saw Balenciaga do it and I said what the hell? And oh my God, there's no going back. There's no going back.

[Nagin Farsad]

You're using Kamala campaign slogan for prop.

[Peter Sagal]

We will not go back. Here is your next limerick.

[Bill Curtis]

Quinn the smoothie stand down by the ocean front gets requests that just might make the owner grunt. A tangy hint of the spritz that belongs on armpits. Make a smoothie that tastes like.

[Shivali]

Oh my God.

[Peter Sagal]

It's a tough one. It is. I was reading along going this isn't working, but there are some. We'll tell you what. We'll have Bill do it again. Listen for that thank you. Rhyme like thing that's happening. And there is a hint. Armpits is a hint. Here we go.

[Bill Curtis]

The smoothie stand down by the ocean front gets requests that just might make the owner grunt. A tangy hint of the spritz that belongs on armpits. Make a smoothie that tastes like.

[Shivali]

Oh, dear God. I have no idea.

[Peter Sagal]

There's no way in the world you would ever guess this. Just logically, which is kind of why we're featuring it. I'll give it to you. It's deodorant.

[I]

Deodorant.

[Peter Sagal]

Deodorant. Yeah.

[Shivali]

Never would have got that.

[Peter Sagal]

Yeah. No, we would have been here all day. It's all right. Deodorant. A fancy LA health food store just announced a new smoothie that tastes like deodorant. Strong enough for demand, smoothie enough for a woman. The store is known for its $20 smoothies, and for this one, they partnered with an upscale deodorant brand called Salt and Stone. So if you've ever sniffed your own armpit and said, wow, I wish this was edible and had 1500 calories, this is your moment. Here is your last limerick.

[Bill Curtis]

New viruses are an uncouth mushroom that they go in my mouth, makes the youth blush. We have found brand new germs that are making us squirm in the bathroom. Right here on my brush.

[Peter Sagal]

Yes. Toothbrush. Yes.

[Bill Curtis]

You did it.

[Eugene Cordero]

I was going to say deodorant.

[Peter Sagal]

Scientists at Northwestern University discovered hundreds of different virus on used toothbrushes, even though they claim that none are harmful to people. Okay, then why would you even bring this up? Yes. This was part of a scientific exploration called really Operation Potty Mouth. To find microbes that live around us in daily life. And it turns out there are uncounted numbers of microbe species in our toothbrush and showers and toilets that have never been discovered before.

[Nagin Farsad]

I mean, I feel like it makes me feel less lonely in the world.

[Peter Sagal]

Just to know that there are thousands of species.

[Nagin Farsad]

You know, we're never quite alone.

[Peter Sagal]

You know, in a weird way. Bill, how did Quinn do on our quiz?

[Bill Curtis]

2 out of 3. Good for another bridge.

[Eugene Cordero]

Yay.

[Peter Sagal]

Quinn, congratulations.

[Shivali]

Thank you so much. This has been a childhood dream of mine.

[Peter Sagal]

I'm so glad. Thank you, Quinn, for playing. Bye bye.

[Shivali]

Thank you.

[Eric Idle]

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[Peter Sagal]

Now onto our final game. Lightning Fill in the Blank. Each of our players will have 60 seconds in which to answer as many fill in the blank questions as they can. Each correct answer is worth two points. Bill, can you give us the scores?

[Bill Curtis]

Eugene and Nagin each have three and Shane has two.

[Peter Sagal]

All right. Eugene and Nagin are therefore tied for first and Shane is in second place. So Shane, you will be up first. The clock will start when they begin your first question. Fill in the blank asserting it hard Children's Mental Health Fourteen states have filed a suit against social media at Blank TikTok. Right. This week, Jessica Campbell became the first ever female coach in the Blank.

[Shane O'Neill]

NBA?

[Peter Sagal]

No. NHL. Since entering the presidential race in July, Blank has raised over a billion dollars.

[Shane O'Neill]

Harris yes.

[Peter Sagal]

Transportation campaigners who are trying to keep cybertrucks out of the Czech Republic say the cars are, quote, too blank for European roads. Ugly. That's right, they say too big and too sharp. On On Tuesday, Blank once again raised ticket prices for their theme parks.

[Shane O'Neill]

Six Flags?

[Peter Sagal]

No.

[Shane O'Neill]

Disney. It must be.

[Peter Sagal]

It was Disney. Yes. On Wednesday, Rafael Nadal announced his upcoming retirement from Blank tennis. Yes. This week, a staff member at a museum in the Netherlands had to apologize for throwing away two crushed beer cans without realizing they were Blank installation art. Yes, they were. According to the artist, the two empty beer cans that were placed inside a transparent elevator shaft symbolized, quote, precious moments with my friends. Unquote. An elevator technician was like, oh. And he picked them up and he threw them out. Fortunately, they recovered completely unharmed. And now that engineer has a really great excuse the next time he's sitting around having a beer, I'm not drinking on the job. I'm making art. Bill, how did Shane O'Neill do in our quiz?

[Bill Curtis]

Hard to beat six. Right. 12 more points. 14 is the total and the lead.

[Peter Sagal]

All right, Nagin, I'm going to arbitrarily choose you to go next. Here we go. Fill in the blank. On Monday, a new report showed that in 2020, Donald Trump promised a secret shipment of COVID 19 testing equipment to Blank.

[Nagin Farsad]

Vladimir Putin.

[Peter Sagal]

Who else? Yes. On Tuesday, the union representing over 30,000 striking airplane mechanics said that talks with have broken down Boeing. Right. This week, the National Weather Service warned that an intense blank could disrupt satellite operations.

[Nagin Farsad]

Solar shower.

[Peter Sagal]

Yes. On Monday, the largest water utility company in the US said it was the target of a Blank attack.

[Nagin Farsad]

A cyberattack.

[Peter Sagal]

Right. This week, a woman in Washington state who spent decades feeding raccoons outside her home called 911 because Blank.

[Nagin Farsad]

They attacked her.

[Peter Sagal]

Yes. Her house was overrun with 100 hungry raccoons. Third, human rights advocate Ethel Kennedy, the widow of Blank passed away at 96.

[Nagin Farsad]

Kennedy, which one?

[Peter Sagal]

There have been a lot like one.

[Nagin Farsad]

Of the main ones.

[Peter Sagal]

It was Robert Kennedy senior. This week, a beach cleanup crew in Denmark who posed for photos with what they thought was a four foot long sea snake have since learned it was in fact blank.

[Nagin Farsad]

A toy?

[Peter Sagal]

No, a giant detached whale penis.

[Eugene Cordero]

I'm sorry, did you say attached or detached?

[Peter Sagal]

I said detached. Oh, okay.

[Eugene Cordero]

I was gonna say if you didn't see the rest of that whale.

[Peter Sagal]

The two men posted the photo before realizing what they were actually holding. It's an understandable mistake, but it doesn't explain why passengers on that flight from Sydney to Tokyo voted to look at the picture for two hours instead of watching Inside Out 2. Bill, how did Nagin do in our quiz? Five. Right.

[Bill Curtis]

Ten more points. Total of 13. She trails Shane by 1.

[Peter Sagal]

And how many does Eugene need to win?

[Bill Curtis]

Six to win.

[Peter Sagal]

Here we go, Eugene. This is for the game. Fill in the blank. On Tuesday, the US government hinted they may break up. Search giant. Giant Blank.

[Bill Curtis]

Google.

[Peter Sagal]

Right. This week, the CDC confirmed a fourth case of blank flu in California.

[Eugene Cordero]

Swine?

[Peter Sagal]

No, Bird flu. On Wednesday, sources said that North Koreans were fighting alongside Russians in blank.

[Eugene Cordero]

In Ukraine.

[Peter Sagal]

Right. This week, police confirmed that a suspicious package left outside a news station in Baltimore was blank.

[Eugene Cordero]

A bomb?

[Peter Sagal]

Just an old toilet. On Wednesday, Pop star. On Wednesday, pop Star Blank donated $5 million toward hurricane relief efforts.

[Eugene Cordero]

Oh, that's sweet. Taylor Swift.

[Peter Sagal]

Right. On Friday, South Korean author Han Kang was awarded The Blank Prize for literature.

[Eugene Cordero]

Oh, the Nobel piece.

[Peter Sagal]

Yes. This week a court in South Korea ruled that a man couldn't be charged with drunk driving because he blanked after getting pulled over.

[Eugene Cordero]

Made it art.

[Peter Sagal]

No, chugged an entire bottle of alcohol, according to the cops. Pulled him over. The 60 year old man got out of the car and immediately pulled out a bottle of liquor and drank the whole thing. And this week a court ruled that because he had drank so much immediately after he was pulled over and was out of the car, any breathalyzer test would be invalid. Pretty smart. Yes. I mean, how could you know what his blood alcohol level was when he had just swapped out all of his blood for alcohol?

[I]

Wow.

[Nagin Farsad]

Writing that down for the future.

[Peter Sagal]

Yeah. Bill, did Eugene do well enough to win?

[Bill Curtis]

Shane? No, he did not. Shane is saying just no.

[Peter Sagal]

Just no. Don't even bother giving the score.

[Bill Curtis]

Just move on. Shane is the winner this week.

[Peter Sagal]

Congratulations, Shane. Now, coming up, our panelists will predict now that the blue zones have been debunked, what will be the next to be revealed as a hoax? But first, let me tell you. Wait, wait, don't tell me. Is a production of NPR and WBEZ Chicago in association with Urgent Haircut Productions. Doug Berman, benevolent overlord Philip Goeteker writes our limericks. Our public address announcer is Paul Friedman. Our tour manager is Shannon Donald. Thanks to the staff and crew at the Studebaker Theater. BJ Lederman composed our theme. Our program is produced by Jennifer Mills, Miles Dornboss and Lillian King. Special thanks to Blythe Roberson and Monica Hickey. This week, Peter Gwyn Escaped. Look out. Emma Choi is our vibe curator. Technical direction is from Lorna White. Her CFO is Colin Miller. Our production manager is Robert Neuhaus. Our senior producer, that's Ian Chillag. And the executive producer, Wait, wait, don't tell me. Is Michael Danforth. Now, panel, what would be the next big hoax to be revealed?

[Eugene Cordero]

Eugene Cordero, that your only fan account that you follow, that that person actually does like you.

[Peter Sagal]

Negin Farsad.

[Nagin Farsad]

The commonly belief that if you step on a crack, you'll break your mother's back is in fact untrue. You can step on multiple cracks.

[Peter Sagal]

And Shane O'Neal, Tim Walz is actually.

[Shane O'Neill]

A bachelor from Mississippi.

[Bill Curtis]

Well, if any of that happens, we'll ask you about it on. Wait, wait, don't tell me.

[Peter Sagal]

Thank you so much. Bill Curtis. Thanks to Eugene Cordero, Nagin Farsad, Shane O'Neill, thanks to our fabulous audience here at the Studebaker Theater in downtown Chicago. And thanks to all of you out there for listening, wherever you are. I am Peter Sagal. We'll see you next week. This is npr.

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[Eric Idle]

NPR sponsor Shopify, the global commerce platform that helps you sell and show up exactly the way you want to customize your online store to your style. Sign up for a $1 per month trial [e-mail] NPR this message is brought.

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