WWDTM: Thanksgiving Edition!

Summary

Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! – Thanksgiving Edition Summary

Released: November 30, 2024 | Host: Peter Sagal | Produced by NPR

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Introduction

In the Thanksgiving Edition of NPR's beloved news quiz, "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!", host Peter Sagal delivers a heartwarming and humorous episode filled with engaging quizzes, insightful interviews, and delightful interactions with guests. Recorded at the Studebaker Theater in Chicago's Fine Arts Building, this episode celebrates gratitude and the enduring legacy of the show, which has entertained audiences for over 25 years.

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Celebrating Achievements: Eric Weinmeyer’s Everest Climb

Guest Spotlight: Eric Weinmeyer (00:42 - 07:24)

The episode opens with the introduction of Eric Weinmeyer, the first blind person to summit Mount Everest. Eric shares his unique experience of being misrepresented in a viral local newscast, where his sexual orientation was mistakenly highlighted over his monumental achievement.

Notable Discussion Points:

• Viral Misrepresentation: Eric recounts how a local news segment focused on incorrectly labeling him as gay instead of highlighting his blindness and Everest climb. (01:58)

  Eric Weinmeyer: "They made, like I said, your career and your life has been documented in documentaries and in one feature film about you going up to the top of Everest. That must have been a little odd, having a movie made about you while you're still here."

• Climbing Challenges: Eric discusses the meticulous preparations and support from his team during the ascent, emphasizing that he relied heavily on his guides and Sherpas to navigate the treacherous Khumbu Icefall. (04:05)

• Philosophy of Climbing: Rather than seeking visual beauty, Eric finds solace and inspiration in the sounds and sensations experienced during the climb, describing the summit as a profound auditory experience. (04:57)

  Eric Weinmeyer: "It's sort of like you've been swallowed by sky, and it's this scary, infinite, beautiful, powerful sound of vibrations just moving through the universe."

Quote with Timestamp:

Peter Sagal (02:05): "Nothing funny about being gay or being blind, but I don't know how the two look the same on a script."

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Thanksgiving Quiz Games and Triumphs

Game Segment: Mountain Climber Meets Social Climber (07:34 - 11:35)

Eric Weinmeyer participates in a quiz game that tests his knowledge on recent social climbers. He successfully answers two out of three questions, showcasing his wit and intelligence while winning a prize for a listener’s voicemail.

Quote with Timestamp:

Eric Weinmeyer (11:29): "I'm so excited. I feel like I just summited the seven summits all over again."

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From the Gym to the Olympics: Mary Tyson Lapin’s Journey

Guest Spotlight: Mary Tyson Lapin – Olympic Weightlifter (15:53 - 29:12)

Mary Tyson Lapin joins the show to discuss her impressive journey from a rookie to an Olympian weightlifter representing the United States at the Paris Games.

Notable Discussion Points:

• Olympic Experiences: Mary shares her experiences during the Olympic Games, including the soaking rain during the opening ceremonies and an unexpected encounter with LeBron James. (25:36)

  Mary Tyson Lapin: "We had all those like AI generated images before the Olympics where the sunset was beautiful and everyone was cheering and like we saw the Eiffel Tower and everything. And then we get there and it was gray."

• Training and Challenges: She delves into the rigorous training required for weightlifting and the unique atmosphere of weightlifting gyms compared to regular fitness centers. (23:29)

  Mary Tyson Lapin: "There's... obviously there's a little bit more to it than that, but at the end of the day, it's a very, like, simple sport."

• Media Appearances: Mary humorously recounts her stint coaching Snoop Dogg on weightlifting, highlighting the playful side of her athletic career. (27:16)

  Mary Tyson Lapin: "We started with a broomstick... We started with a broomstick."

Quote with Timestamp:

Peter Sagal (24:07): "Does anybody like, for example, oh my God, you're an Olympic weightlifter. Could you pick that up and they..."

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Artistic Ingenuity: Lyndon Barrois’ Gum Wrapper Sculptures

Guest Spotlight: Lyndon Barrois – Sculptor and Animator (35:06 - 43:13)

Lyndon Barrois, a unique artist renowned for creating intricate sculptures from discarded gum wrappers, shares his creative process and artistic journey.

Notable Discussion Points:

• Creative Beginnings: Lyndon discusses how his childhood in New Orleans inspired his use of recycled materials, particularly gum wrappers, to create detailed miniature sculptures. (35:31)

  Lyndon Barrois: "If I sculpted it with the paper side out, I can color it. And boom, the light switch went off and, you know, here I am."

• Professional Career: Balancing his passion for sculpture with his professional work in animation and special effects for major Hollywood films, Lyndon highlights his contributions to iconic movies like "The Matrix" and "Happy Feet." (37:27)

  Lyndon Barrois: "I've done everything from the Matrix trilogy to Happy Feet. The CG creature effects in those films, the character, the ones that are brought to life..."

• Sculpture Masterpieces: Discussing his standout piece, "Karate Dog," Lyndon reveals the intricate details and the humorous critique it has received for the dog's limited karate moves. (38:13)

  Peter Sagal: "We refer, of course, to Karate Dog. Were you aware, because we looked into this, that Karate Dog, of course, a classic. But there are some people who are unhappy with Karate Dog because despite the title, the dog only does karate twice."

Quote with Timestamp:

Lyndon Barrois (35:49): "They've got me here."

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Celebrity Interactions: Maya Hawke’s Multifaceted Career

Guest Spotlight: Maya Hawke – Actress and Singer-Songwriter (44:31 - 52:06)

Maya Hawke, known for her role in "Stranger Things," discusses her dual career in acting and music. Engaging in a lively quiz segment about birdwatching, Maya showcases her quick thinking and playful nature.

Notable Discussion Points:

• Balancing Careers: Maya reflects on managing her pursuits in both acting and music, humorously acknowledging the challenges of excelling in multiple disciplines. (44:37)

  Maya Hawke: "It's like you try to do one thing well and then you're like, hey, look, I can do another thing badly."

• "Stranger Things" Experience: She shares her experiences filming in the ever-popular series and the unexpected encounters with fans and celebrities like LeBron James. (45:56)

  Maya Hawke: "I was in the background and someone took you... I was like, like looking at him."

• New Projects: Maya discusses her upcoming movie "Wildcat" and her new album "Chaos Angel," offering insights into her creative inspirations and future endeavors. (46:55)

Quiz Segment: Bird Watching (48:25 - 52:06)

Maya participates in a birdwatching-themed quiz, answering questions about urban birds' quirky behaviors with impressive accuracy, further endearing her to listeners.

Quote with Timestamp:

Maya Hawke (49:20): "I love crow story. Crows are amazing and they do amazing things. And so I'm gonna have to go with because of my extensive crow research. With B, thwarting a neighbor's recycling."

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Behind the Scenes: Show Production and Acknowledgments

Production Insights and Special Mentions (43:26 - 53:07)

Peter Sagal concludes the episode by acknowledging the dedicated team behind the show's success, from producers to technical directors. He expresses gratitude to guests and listeners alike, reinforcing the community spirit that defines "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!"

Final Remarks:

Peter Sagal: "This was too much fun. It really was. Was take care."

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Conclusion

The Thanksgiving Edition of "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!" masterfully blends humor, heartfelt stories, and intellectual challenges. From celebrating groundbreaking achievements and Olympic dreams to exploring artistic creativity and celebrity tales, the episode offers something for everyone. With memorable quotes and engaging segments, Peter Sagal ensures that listeners are both entertained and informed, making it a perfect addition to any Thanksgiving playlist.

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Notable Quotes:

• Eric Weinmeyer (02:05): "Nothing funny about being gay or being blind, but I don't know how the two look the same on a script."

• Peter Sagal (24:07): "Does anybody like, for example, oh my God, you're an Olympic weightlifter. Could you pick that up and they..."

• Lyndon Barrois (35:49): "They've got me here."

• Maya Hawke (49:20): "I love crow story. Crows are amazing and they do amazing things."

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Listeners' Takeaway

"Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! – Thanksgiving Edition" delivers a blend of laughter, inspiration, and community spirit. Whether learning about Eric Weinmeyer's extraordinary climb, Mary Tyson Lapin’s Olympic journey, Lyndon Barrois’ artistic ingenuity, or Maya Hawke’s versatile talents, listeners are treated to a rich tapestry of stories that embody the essence of Thanksgiving gratitude and celebration.

Transcript

[Peter Sagal]

Support for this podcast and the following message comes from Autograph Collection hotels. With over 300 independent hotels around the world, each exactly like nothing else, Autograph Collection is part of the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio of hotel brands. Find the [e-mail].

[Bill Curtis]

From NPR and WBEC Chicago, this is Wait, wait, don't tell me. The NPR News quiz. I'm the person everyone thinks of when they're asked what they're thankful for. Bill Curtis. And here is your host at the Studebaker Theater in the Fine Arts Building in Chicago, Illinois, Peter Sagal.

[Peter Sagal]

Thank you, Bill. Oh, thank you, everybody. Thank you so much. We're all excited. Yes, it is Thanksgiving when people gather with family and express their gratitude that they no longer have to argue about the 2024 election. No, I'm kidding. We'll argue about it till we die. But still, when it comes time for us to express our thanks, we go right to the fact that we've been doing this show for more than a quarter century. And despite that history, interesting people still agree to come on and subject themselves to our games.

[Bill Curtis]

For example, Eric Wyanmyor, a man who climbed the tallest building on every continent and had many other adventures despite being blind. But as we discussed when he joined us in June, he was perhaps most famous for something else entirely.

[Peter Sagal]

We first heard about you from a video that went viral in 2006, and we're going to play it for our audience. This is just a local newscast with someone who is announcing that they're going to interview you. Let's just listen. Right after the break, we're going to interview Eric Wyhenmaier, who climbed the highest mountain in the world, Mount Everest.

[Eric Weinmeyer]

But he's gay.

[Peter Sagal]

I mean, he's gay. Excuse me, he's blind.

[Eric Weinmeyer]

So we'll talk about that.

[Peter Sagal]

Yeah. So a couple questions. Couple questions. I assume you've seen, you've heard that before.

[Eric Weinmeyer]

I've heard it a thousand times.

[Peter Sagal]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Eric Weinmeyer]

But what they didn't realize, they think it's funny. But I'm like, no way, man. You made my career. No one heard about climbing Everest, but everyone heard about my gay video.

[Peter Sagal]

Yeah, I guess. So. I guess now that we've established that, I should say, first of all, happy pride. Secondly, thank you. So this local news anchor was going to interview you about your achievement of being the first blind person to climb Everest. Were you standing by as that was said? Did you, like, hear her say that? And did you have to? Yeah.

[Eric Weinmeyer]

There's another clip where if you go Online, you can see me just completely laughing, cracking up for, I couldn't even do the interview. And by the way, I just want to say, for the NPR audience, nothing funny about being gay or being blind, but I don't know how the two look the same on a script.

[Peter Sagal]

Is it when you have to introduce yourself, do you say, well, yes, I'm Eric Weinmeyer. I climbed Mount Everest. First blind person to do it. The first blind person to climb the seven summits, and there's still nothing. And you're like, I'm blind, not gay. And then they go, you.

[Eric Weinmeyer]

No, no, no. In fact, I like more records than I can get. You know, like, first blind guy to climb Everest. First blind gay man to climb Everest is even better. So I'll take it.

[Peter Sagal]

Which also, you actually raised another question. Somewhere out there is the first gay man to climb Mount Everest. And he must be thinking, well, gee, he didn't get the credit. That Weinmeyer guy completely rooked. Yeah, I know.

[Eric Weinmeyer]

I still have stun.

[Peter Sagal]

You did. Now that we have covered that, I actually want to talk to you about the actually impressive things that you did. There might be people out there who say, oh, he's a blind guy who climbed Everest. I guess he just was roped to some guy who did the climbing. No, you do it by feel, right?

[Eric Weinmeyer]

Yeah. And I did have great guides, though. I mean, like, on Everest, I had. We had 12 friends and eight Sherpas on our team, and those guys were helping me get through, like, the Khumbu Ice Fall. I mean, the Khumbu Ice Fall is right out of Base Camp on Everest, and it's a blind person's worst nightmare. It doesn't meet Americans with Disability act standards. I mean, so, yeah, they were ringing, jingling a bell in front of me and talking to me and telling me which ropes to clip into. So, for sure, blind guys, at least as far as I know, don't climb Everest alone. And I owe my team everything.

[Peter Sagal]

I'm sure you get this a lot. When I think about climbing mountains, which is not something I have done, but I think if I were to do it, it would be for the view, which is not relevant to you. So what is the appeal to you to do this remarkable alpine climate?

[Eric Weinmeyer]

I'm sensing my body moving up the ice, swinging my tool into the ice, making, you know, kicking my feet into the ice, feeling the wind and the sun on my face. And when I get to the summit, you're so high. Blind people use this kind of skill called echolocation. And it's the idea of sound vibrations moving out through space and bouncing off of objects and coming back at you. And when you're up high on a summit, those sound vibrations just move out infinitely through space. It's sort of like you've been swallowed by sky, and it's this scary, infinite, beautiful, powerful sound of vibrations just moving through the universe. And so I'm getting a lot of scenery. It's just not visual.

[Peter Sagal]

They made, like I said, your career and your life has been documented in documentaries and in one feature film about you going up to the top of Everest. That must have been a little odd, having a movie made about you while you're still here.

[Eric Weinmeyer]

Well, even odder. This guy, Peter Facinelli, played me, and so they asked me to be the stuntman for Peter. So that, I think, was the first in history because it was a story about me played by Peter, and I was the stuntman for Peter.

[Peter Sagal]

I don't know.

[Eric Weinmeyer]

Really weird.

[Peter Sagal]

So, Peter, this actor is playing you. How handsome did he tell you he was?

[Eric Weinmeyer]

Oh, he was way handsomer than me. I heard he's a real handsome man.

[Peter Sagal]

So it occurs to me, if you asked me, like, well, how handsome is Peter, who plays me in the movie? I would be stuck. Because if I say, well, he's very handsome, would that be flattering you?

[Eric Weinmeyer]

Yeah. No, you could play me for sure. I think you'd. From what I understand, you'd have to put a wig on, though.

[Peter Sagal]

Maybe two wigs. I'm just. I'm so disappointed. Who told you? Because this entire conversation, I have felt so free and unburdened by my. For the first time in years, blind people.

[Eric Weinmeyer]

You know, we're judgy, but we just. We have to get the information in another way.

[Peter Sagal]

Was it the echoes coming off the.

[Bill Curtis]

Top of his head?

[Peter Sagal]

Well, Eric Weinmeyer, it is a pleasure to talk to you. We've asked you here to play a.

[Bill Curtis]

Game we're calling Mountain Climber meet Social climber.

[Peter Sagal]

So since you are an accomplished mountain climber, we thought we'd ask you about another kind of climbers, social climbers, people who are trying to rise above their station in society. Answer two out of three questions correctly, you'll win our prize for one of our listeners, the voice of their choice from our show on their voicemail. Bill, who is Eric playing for?

[Bill Curtis]

Lilac Rain Thompson of Black Mountain, North Carolina.

[Peter Sagal]

Lilac Rain Thompson. All right, Eric, here is your first question. Two of the most famous social climbers in recent history were Tariq and Mikayla Salahi. Who famously crashed a 2009 White House State dinner to which they were not invited. Now, what did Ms. Salahi go on to do after that? Was it, A, she joined the CIA as an infiltration expert, B, she became a life coach, promising to help clients, quote, get past any velvet rope holding you back, Or C, she left her husband to marry the founder of the rock band Journey in a wedding broadcast live on pay per view.

[Eric Weinmeyer]

Wow, the third one sounds so specific. But maybe I'll go B.

[Peter Sagal]

Wait a minute, I'm just going to go.

[Eric Weinmeyer]

No, no, no, I'm going C. All.

[Peter Sagal]

Right, there you go. There we go. Lightning reflexes. Yes, it is C. She ran off one day. Her husband Tar filed a missing persons report because he did. She didn't know where she was. It turns out she had ran off with Neil Schoen, co founder of Journey, and she eventually married him in a pay per view event in 2013. They are still apparently happily married. Wow. I know. Just a small town girl.

[Eric Weinmeyer]

Sneaking through the White House.

[Peter Sagal]

All right, next question. A woman named Rachel Lee loved celebrity style. And she wanted to dress just like her favorite celebrity fashion icon. So she did what? A, she created a wearable digital screen that could display images of any look she wanted. B, she sent every celebrity a version of her favorite dress so eventually they'd be copying her. Or C, she just broke into celebrities houses and stole the outfits she liked.

[Eric Weinmeyer]

I'll go A.

[Peter Sagal]

You're gonna go with A? No, it was actually C. She broke into their homes and stole their outfits.

[Eric Weinmeyer]

What?

[Peter Sagal]

She did, this was a big deal. She and her accompl became known as the Bling Ring.

[Eric Weinmeyer]

Should have known.

[Peter Sagal]

Yeah, here's the funny thing, too. Their first victim was Paris Hilton because they figured Paris Hilton would never lock her door. And they were right. All right, last question. If you win this, if you win this, you have summited. One of the most famous social climbers of recent years was Anna Delvey. She pretended to be a wealthy heiress as she scammed other people out of money to fund her lifestyle after her conviction for fraud, which of these did she really say when a reporter visited her at Rikers Island Prison? Was it A, I'd be lying to you if I said I was sorry for anything. B, would you mind loaning me $75,000? I'm good for it. Or C, the last thing I remember is hitting my head on a car door in 2012. Where am I? Hmm.

[Eric Weinmeyer]

A sounds kind of plausible.

[Peter Sagal]

You going to go for A?

[Eric Weinmeyer]

All right, we'll do it.

[Peter Sagal]

You can do it for a. All right. Yes, it was a. I'd be lying to you if I said I was sorry for anything.

[Eric Weinmeyer]

Yeah.

[Peter Sagal]

These people must have seen the Netflix series about her. Bill, how did Eric Weinmeyer do in our quiz?

[Bill Curtis]

He got two out of three, and that's enough for a win.

[Eric Weinmeyer]

I'm so excited. I feel like I just summited the seven summits all over again.

[Peter Sagal]

And it was easy. Here.

[Eric Weinmeyer]

Yeah.

[Peter Sagal]

Go enjoy your peanut on my couch. It did exactly. Eric Weinmire is an adventurer, activist, speaker, and the first blind man to summit Mount Everest. But not, despite what you've heard, the first gay one. Eric Weinmeyer, thank you for joining us on. Wait, Wait, don't tell me. What a great pleasure to talk to you, sir. Bye, Eric. Take care. Bye. Bye. When we come back, the strongest person I've ever known and with a medal to show for it. That's when we return with more. Wait, wait, don't tell me from npr. Hey, it's Peter Sagal. Before we get back to this show, I just want to take a moment to talk about what makes weight. Wait. And everything you hear from NPR possible. And that is. Drumroll. Somebody do a drum roll. Or I'm assuming somebody out there is doing a drum roll right now. You. Yes, you. NPR is, as we often tell you, public media. That means we rely on the public, and the public is everyone, good people. And people who eat deep dish pizza think of NPR as kind of like infrastructure. It's just like the roads and the highways and the sewers are available to everybody. So are we. We connect people. We give people something they all can complain about, something they can all use. Everybody's got it. It is a public good, but like any kind of infrastructure, it needs maintenance. It needs support so that everybody can keep enjoying it. Otherwise, like Steve Inskeep develops terrible potholes. The problem is he kind of expands in the heat and then shrinks when it's cold, and you end up getting cracks. Anyway, it doesn't matter. The point is that we need your help to keep this infrastructure of information healthy. Giving Tuesday is coming up, so if you haven't made the leap yet to contributing, now's a good time. And a great way to support us is to sign up for npr. It's a program especially for our podcast listeners. As an NPR member, you'll get to hear this and other NPR shows without the sponsor messages. And you get other perks, too, like a chance to play our special quiz, the Wait, Wait, Wayback Machine, where we invite one of you on with me in the studio to try to answer questions from our show 20 years ago. To learn more, just go to plus.npr.org or you can always make a gift at donate.npr.org and by the way, if you've already signed up for NPR or if you've donated to your local station, we really appreciate and we are taking your money and we're filling in the gaps on Steve Inski right now. Thanks. Support for this podcast and the following message come from Dignity Memorial. When we think about the people we love, it's not the big things we miss the most, it's the details. What memories will your loved ones cherish when you're gone? With Dignity Memorial, you can pre plan your celebration of life now to protect your loved ones because nobody should have to plan for a loss while they're experiencing one. Planning truly is one of the best gifts you can give your family. For additional information, visit dignitymemorial.com this message comes from Peloton, offering what you need to keep you on track to your goals no matter what season of life you're in, with a variety of classes and the ability to challenge yourself anywhere with Peloton's All Access membership. Work out at home on your bike, tread and row or take your favorite classes on the go and at the gym. With the app Find you'd push, find you'd power with [e-mail] this message comes.

[Eric Weinmeyer]

From NPR sponsor Saatva founder and CEO Ron Rudsen shares the experience they hope to create in their viewing rooms.

[Peter Sagal]

We want our customers to feel like they've walked into a luxury hotel. That's what Saatva has been inspired by from the day that we started. We take sleep very seriously.

[Mary Tyson Lapin]

We believe it unlocks a superpower if.

[Peter Sagal]

You get the right sleep on the right mattress. We believe we can provide that.

[Eric Weinmeyer]

Visit saatva.com NPR and save up to $600.

[Bill Curtis]

From NPR and WBEC Chicago, this is Wait, wait, Don't Tell Me, the NPR News Quiz. I'm Bill Curtis, and here's your host at the Studebaker Theater in the Fine Arts Building in downtown Chicago, Illinois, Peter Sagal.

[Peter Sagal]

Thank you, Bill. Thanks, everybody. So as you are all listening to, we are lying around in a tryptophan haze from our Thanksgiving meal reminiscing about all the amazing people we got to talk to this year.

[Bill Curtis]

And since we consider you family, we're going to share a few of them with you. But don't hog them like you did the sweet potatoes, for example.

[Peter Sagal]

Here's something we're broadcasting for the very first time in late August of this year. We went to Minneapolis and we did a show that we broadcast that week, but then, then we did another show the next night. Really, just as an excuse to stick around and spend a day at the Minnesota State Fair.

[Bill Curtis]

Did you know that chocolate chip cookies come in a bucket?

[Peter Sagal]

But the show we did that day was terrific. Here's some of it, starting with a round of Bluff the Listener with panelists Alzo Slade, Emmy Blotnick and Shantira Jackson. Hi. You're on. Wait, wait, don't tell me. Hey, this is Cassidy from Durham, North Carolina. Hello, Cassidy. How are you? How are you? I'm good.

[Maya Hawke]

How are you?

[Peter Sagal]

I'm fine. What do you do there in Durham? I am doing my clinical rotations in my last year of pharmacy school. Your last year of pharmacy school. That's really cool. Can I ask, I'm genuinely curious. What's the most important thing about being a good pharmacist? I would say making sure that we have patients on the most affordable medications. I would say that's the biggest impact we make. Okay. I would have guessed not poisoning people, but that's important, too. Well, Cassidy, welcome to the show. You, of course, are going to play the game in which you have to try to tell truth from fiction. Bill, what is Cassidy's topic?

[Bill Curtis]

Bring your child to work day.

[Peter Sagal]

Bringing your child to work. Always a special occasion, right? You get to share all the joys of your workplace with your little one. You get to show them how to submit an expense report and why they should never trust the office milk. But this week we heard about a child who was brought to work and made quite an impression there. Our panelists are going to tell you about it. Pick the one who's telling the truth and you will win the weight waiter of your choice and your voicemail. Are you ready to play? Yes. All right. First, let's hear from Emmy Blotnick.

[Mary Tyson Lapin]

Brain surgery can be a tricky thing. And that's true even if you are a brain surgeon. But it's especially true if you are the 13 year old child of a brain surgeon and your mom hands you the drill. This was the nightmare scenario that played out during a patient's brain surgery in the Austrian city of Graz last January. Thankfully, the doctor was fired. But how was this ever allowed to happen? The conversation between the brain surgeon mother and her 13 year old non brain surgeon kid may have gone something like, hey, mom, are you sure you Want me to use a drill for the first time on a living person? Maybe I should start somewhere low stakes like the foot Mom. Nah, do the skull kid. Hey, by the way, who is this guy? Mom? You can ask him when. I mean if he wakes up. Now don't focus too much and drill baby, drill.

[Peter Sagal]

A brain surgeon brings her daughter to work and lets her drill a hole into the patient's skull. Your next story of some kid commotion comes from Alzo Slade.

[Eric Weinmeyer]

With Georgia State Election board again grabbing headlines, some new information has come to light regarding the 2020 election. A new investigation had proved there was in fact tampering with the ballots in 2020. A Republican election official in Valdosta brought their nine year old Simon to work on election day to show him real life democracy in action. However, after coming to the conclusion that democracy is boring, Simon pulled out his arts and crafts to entertain himself. Within minutes he had an idea to liven up the voting process by creating ballots of his own. Turns out there were only 20 ballots that had to be thrown out after they found glitter, Elmer's glue and construction paper with one question written on it in crayon. Will you go out with me? Yes or no?

[Peter Sagal]

An election official in Georgia brings his kid to work and he actually introduces election fraud. Your last office OMG comes from Shantira.

[Mary Tyson Lapin]

Jackson, a jeweler in Southern California was accused of stealing his customers jewelry when.

[Peter Sagal]

It was discovered that boxes that were supposed to contain priceless items were swapped out and replaced without his knowledge. It turns out that his 7 year.

[Mary Tyson Lapin]

Old daughter was making friendship bracelets for an upcoming Taylor Swift concert. And when she saw how boring all.

[Peter Sagal]

The jewelry her dad was selling looked.

[Mary Tyson Lapin]

She decided to pull them out of.

[Peter Sagal]

Their velvet boxes and swap them with.

[Mary Tyson Lapin]

More festive and colorful tailor themed friendship bracelets. When asked why she would do such a thing, she simply claimed that she didn't think diamonds were a girl's best friend because every girl's best friend is Taylor.

[Peter Sagal]

All right, here are your choices. Somewhere somebody brought their kid to work and something went wrong. Was it from Emmy Blotnick, a brain surgeon who let their daughter just, you know, for the experience of it, drill a hole in a patient's brain? From Alzo Slade, an election official who brought a kid to the counting house and he ended up, shall we say, forging documents and ballots? Or from Shantira Jackson, a jeweler's kid who decided that what those Beverly Hills type people needed was not diamonds and rubies but Taylor Swift friendship bracelets. Which of these was the real Story of a kid coming to work and messing things up. I'm gonna go with the brain surgeon. You're gonna go with the brain surgeon?

[Maya Hawke]

Yeah, why not?

[Peter Sagal]

Absolutely. Okay. That's a good choice. Well, to bring you the correct answer, we spoke to someone who reported on the real story.

[Mary Tyson Lapin]

I'd generally be mad if anybody was.

[Peter Sagal]

Drilling into my head. If they needed to wake up and find out that it was a 13 year old girl, I would hope that she at least watched some YouTube videos. That was Louis Prada, writer from Vice, who reported on the junior brain surgeon in Vienna. Congratulations, Cassidy. You got it right. You earned a point for Emmy, just for telling the truth and for acting out the scenario. Thank you, Emmy. But you have also won our prize. Any voice from our show you might choose. Thank you so much. Thank you.

[Bill Curtis]

And then since the Paris Olympics had just ended, we decided to talk to an actual Olympian about what it was like.

[Peter Sagal]

And now the game we call Not My Job. The best thing about this summer's Paris Olympics was that thanks to streaming, you could watch any sport you liked. And the best sport to watch was weightlifting. No, like, complicated tricks with weird names, no incomprehensible judging, just people picking up enormous weights or not. In the course of just four years, Mary Tyson Lapin went from complete rookie to Olympian weightlifter, representing the US at the Paris Games. She grew up just over the border in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. We are delighted to have her with us here. Mary Tyson Lapin, welcome to. Wait, wait, don't tell me. I wasn't kidding. I watched weightlifting because I was eight to thank God you finally got some attention. And I was fascinated because I don't understand the first thing about it. So let's start at the basics. You pick up weights, is that right? You lift them?

[Mary Tyson Lapin]

Yes. There's. I mean, obviously there's a little bit more to it than that, but at the end of the day, it's a very, like, simple sport. Like, it's. Whoever lifts the most weight wins the meet. And you want to try to be as strong as you can, and that's who gets to win.

[Peter Sagal]

So in the Olympic weightlifting, there's basically two different events and you're gonna say them because I can't without blushing.

[Mary Tyson Lapin]

Okay, so we snatch and then we clean and jerk.

[Peter Sagal]

You snatch and clean and jerk?

[Mary Tyson Lapin]

Yes. The snatch is from the floor and you're going straight over your head without stopping. The clean and jerk is you're gonna clean it, pull it to your shoulders, take a little rest. A break. Not a break. It's like a second and take your.

[Peter Sagal]

Break, don't stop and go get a cup of coffee and come back.

[Mary Tyson Lapin]

You take a one second rest. You're basically enough to recover and get your breath and then you push it over your head. So typically you clean and jerk heavier because you get that little short rest and that's the lift. You add the two up and that's your total, that's your score and that's where you decipher where you're gonna place.

[Eric Weinmeyer]

In the off season. You don't lift weights at a regular gym. Like you're not at 24 Hour Fitness or nothing, right?

[Mary Tyson Lapin]

No, there are people that go to gyms like that, but most of us have like weightlifting gyms where it's like people during kind of what we're doing because it gets kind of distracting at times and I try to avoid it because I get like kind of embarrassed in general.

[Eric Weinmeyer]

I was about to say, but Mary, you never get the temptation to just walk into a 25 hour fit and just flex on these.

[Mary Tyson Lapin]

I never ever.

[Peter Sagal]

Do you know what I'm saying?

[Eric Weinmeyer]

Like you said, you should walk into like, like a 24 Hour Fitness with your USA singlet on and be like, yeah, yeah.

[Mary Tyson Lapin]

No, I did not get the temptation.

[Peter Sagal]

Some people do some gym bro standing there with two 50 pound barbells and you pick him and them up at the same time and put him back in the rack.

[Mary Tyson Lapin]

Yeah. Put him back in his car.

[Peter Sagal]

Yeah. Speaking of stupid questions, does anybody like for example, oh my God, you're an Olympic weightlifter. Could you pick that up and they.

[Mary Tyson Lapin]

Point to someone like, yeah, all the time.

[Maya Hawke]

Right.

[Mary Tyson Lapin]

Do you think you could lift that? I'm like, well, yeah.

[Peter Sagal]

Can I ask you a little bit about the Olympics?

[Mary Tyson Lapin]

Yes.

[Peter Sagal]

So you got to be on the boat, in the boat parade. Was that fun? It looked like fun. It was raining.

[Mary Tyson Lapin]

It was raining. It was fun. I will say it's fun. I'm not going to say it wasn't fun. It's not what I imagined. We had all those like AI generated images before the Olympics where the sunset was beautiful and everyone was cheering and like we saw the Eiffel Tower and everything. And then we get there and it was gray.

[Peter Sagal]

Yeah.

[Mary Tyson Lapin]

And it was wet. And we had these jeans on and a wool jacket and we're all soaking wet. And I don't think Ralph Lauren had any idea we were going to have 99 cents ponchos over our two thousand dollar outfits.

[Peter Sagal]

Right. Wait a minute, are you, in fact you just pointed to your Jeans. Are you. Those are the opening ceremonies. Those are your opening. Those are genuine Ralph Lauren designed opening ceremony jeans.

[Mary Tyson Lapin]

Wow. I know.

[Peter Sagal]

Are they worth $2,000?

[Mary Tyson Lapin]

Well, I think the jeans are like 400.

[Peter Sagal]

Oh, okay.

[Mary Tyson Lapin]

Yeah. But the whole outfit was like, $2,000. Yeah.

[Peter Sagal]

That jacket, I looked it up.

[Mary Tyson Lapin]

I know. Because I wanted it in the car. I got mine in the car. Can I see it in the car?

[Peter Sagal]

Sorry. And I've always. I've also wondered, did you get to hang with LeBron? I'm sure everybody has.

[Mary Tyson Lapin]

Well, I have a picture with LeBron, but it wasn't on purpose. It's. I was in the background and someone took you.

[Peter Sagal]

Photo bombed.

[Mary Tyson Lapin]

LeBron James took it. And it was after it started raining and he had a nice poncho and my hair was soaking wet on my face and I was like, like looking at him. So I won't share the picture because I look really.

[Eric Weinmeyer]

Wait a minute, Mary, to be clear, LeBron James has a picture with you.

[Peter Sagal]

And you got to do one of those promotions, those little kids movies that NBC did with Snoop Dogg.

[Mary Tyson Lapin]

Yep.

[Peter Sagal]

And just like Michael Phelps, for example, taught Snoop Dogg sort of to swim. You taught Snoop to lift?

[Mary Tyson Lapin]

Yes.

[Peter Sagal]

How did that go?

[Mary Tyson Lapin]

He actually did a pretty good job. I pretty much just. Everyone asked me what my strategy was because they said I did a good job. So I said my strategy was basically coaching a kid that's never touched a barbell before.

[Peter Sagal]

Probably was.

[Mary Tyson Lapin]

He did a really good job Coaching.

[Peter Sagal]

A kid who's never touched a barbell and is stoned.

[Mary Tyson Lapin]

Yes.

[Eric Weinmeyer]

Well, that's what you just do. You just like Snoop. Imagine this Barbell is a 25 pound joint.

[Mary Tyson Lapin]

Yeah, basically.

[Peter Sagal]

Yeah. That doesn't work also because at the end you have to drop it.

[Mary Tyson Lapin]

Yeah.

[Peter Sagal]

But anyway, you see what you're saying.

[Mary Tyson Lapin]

He did a really good job. He wanted to lift more weight than I would let him. And I said, I think it's a terrible idea. Let's stick with the little ones. And then he asked if his producers would crop big weights in. And I think I did see a.

[Peter Sagal]

Video of that just to get a sense. So Snoop Dogg is a grown man. How much weight did you have him lift first?

[Mary Tyson Lapin]

We started with a broomstick.

[Bill Curtis]

Oh, I saw that.

[Eric Weinmeyer]

So you had him lift his body weight.

[Mary Tyson Lapin]

Yes.

[Peter Sagal]

He's a skinny fellow.

[Mary Tyson Lapin]

He's really skinny. And then his final weight we lifted was. It was 15 and a half kilos, which is maybe like 35 pounds.

[Peter Sagal]

Wow. Yeah. And just for comparison, what was your starting weight at the Olympic finals?

[Mary Tyson Lapin]

Like, 300.

[Eric Weinmeyer]

And that's it? That's all you gotta say?

[Peter Sagal]

That's all you gotta say. That's all you gotta say. We believe you. We believe you.

[Mary Tyson Lapin]

Yeah.

[Peter Sagal]

Mary Tyson Lappin. It is just a pleasure to talk to you about what you do. And we have asked you here, though, to play a game that this time.

[Bill Curtis]

We'Re calling the bad kind of lifting.

[Peter Sagal]

So you're an expert on weightlifting, as we have been discussing. But what do you know about shoplifting? Correctly answer two of our questions about the five finger discount and you'll win our prize. One of our listeners. Bill, who is Mary playing for?

[Bill Curtis]

Jessica Nelson of St. Paul, Minnesota.

[Peter Sagal]

Ready to go?

[Mary Tyson Lapin]

Sure.

[Peter Sagal]

Here's your first question. We also have three of these three tries with this. So you're used to this sort of format.

[Mary Tyson Lapin]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Peter Sagal]

Right. Here's your first question. Not every shoplifter is caught, but a man in Scotland who stole a bottle of vodka from a liquor store was almost immediately apprehended because he did what? A, he took two steps out of the store, guzzled the entire bottle, then passed out right there. B, asked the cashier on a date and left her his full name and telephone number. Or c, came back 20 minutes later and said, oh, I'm sorry, I forgot to steal some tonic water.

[Mary Tyson Lapin]

I'm going to go with B.

[Peter Sagal]

You've met men. Yes, you're right. Yeah. You know. All right, here's your next question. You handled that well. That was an easy lift for you, as it were. When a security guard at Target once caught a teenager shoplifting. As he said later, he didn't want to, quote, ruin a kid's life for stupid mistakes. So what he did was he just called the police department. They said, send over an officer and just give this kid a, you know, scared straight type speech. One problem. What? A, they took him literally and a film crew from the Scared Straight TV show came along. So, no, everyone knows what she did. B, the officer that showed up to give her a talking to was her own stepfather. Or C, the policeman walked out with the candy bar she stole without paying for it.

[Mary Tyson Lapin]

Oh, gosh. B.

[Peter Sagal]

Now, wait a minute. They're saying C. Okay, I'll go with C. You're from Wis. You're from Wisconsin. They're Minnesotans.

[Mary Tyson Lapin]

True. My sister lives in Minnesota, though.

[Peter Sagal]

Your sister lives in Minnesota? But I'm just saying there is a rival C. You're going to go with C. No, actually, it was her stepfather.

[Mary Tyson Lapin]

Oh, yes.

[Peter Sagal]

All right. This is what happened. A Target store in California, somebody runs out with hundreds of dollars of merchandise, just runs right out the door. And a customer at the cash register asks the cashier, why don't you do something? Why don't you let that person go? And the cashier says, oh, well, that's just because Governor Newsom has changed the law. So, like, stealing that much doesn't even count as a crime anymore. What did the customer do in response? A, say fine, ran out, caught the shoplift himself and then brought him to the police station. B, put his own stuff, you know, back in the cart and then rolled that out without paying. Or C, just stared at the cashier until she realized that he, in fact, was California Governor Gavin Newsom.

[Mary Tyson Lapin]

Okay, let's go with C. You go.

[Peter Sagal]

With C. That's what happened. It's true. Governor Newsom told this story. He was not happy about it. What happened was once she realized it was Governor Newsom, she was like, oh, my God, Governor Newsom, can I get a selfie with you? And he said, I would actually like to speak to your manager.

[Mary Tyson Lapin]

Oh, man.

[Peter Sagal]

Bill, how did Mary do in our little competition?

[Bill Curtis]

Two out of three, Mary, that's a win.

[Peter Sagal]

Good.

[Bill Curtis]

Look, you did it.

[Peter Sagal]

You got the third one. Mary Tyson, laughing, is a champion weightlifter who won gold at the Pan American Games before going to represent the US at the Paris Olympics. Mary, thank you so much for joining us. What an absolute pleasure to talk to you. Thank you. When we come back, actor Maya Hawke and an artist who is the undisputed master of his chosen medium because as far as we know, he is the only guy making sculptures out of gum wrappers. That's when we return with more of Wait, wait, don't tell me from npr.

[Maya Hawke]

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[Peter Sagal]

And the following message come from SimpliSafe. If you've ever worried about the safety of your home and family, there is no better time to act. Get 60% off a new SimpliSafe security system today. Old school alarm systems only kick in once someone is already inside your home. SimpliSafe stops criminals from entering your home with its exclusive ActiveGuard outdoor protection to get 60% off any new system with a select professional monitoring plan, head to SimpliSafe.com wait, there's no safe like SimpliSafe.

[Bill Curtis]

From NPR and WBEC Chicago, this is. Wait, wait, don't tell me. The NPR News Quiz. I'm Bill Curtis, and here is your host at the Studebaker Theater in the Fine Arts Building in downtown Chicago, Illinois, Peter Sagel.

[Peter Sagal]

Thank you, Bill. And thank you, everybody. You know how after Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving is over, you can't wait to sneak into the kitchen at midnight and make a sandwich out of the leftovers? Well, that is basically what we are doing this week, Peter.

[Bill Curtis]

I've always thought of you as the leftover turkey of public radio.

[Peter Sagal]

Well, here are two more essential ingredients for this midnight snack. First up, in May of this year, we talked to Lyndon Barrois, who had become well known for his brilliant miniature sculptured figurines.

[Bill Curtis]

You might be thinking, well, we're all nerds here. We all make little figurines down in our basement. But what makes Baroir special is what he uses to make them.

[Peter Sagal]

A little bit of a fact check here. I referred to you pretty confidently as the greatest living artist who works with gum wrappers. Are there any others?

[Lyndon Barrois]

No, I think I'm the only one on the planet, actually.

[Peter Sagal]

Right. Yeah. I think we just need to go right back to the beginning and ask you how you got started doing this.

[Lyndon Barrois]

As a kid in New Orleans, you know, I just grew up making things all the time, you know, out of, you know, discarded phone wire, aluminum foil, you know, anything I got my hands on, you know, clay. And then, you know, when out of the tons of gum that my mom chewed and I discovered, you know, her discarded wrappers were paper on one side and foil on the other, I had the idea that if I sculpted it with the paper side out, I can color it. And boom, the light switch went off and, you know, here I am.

[Peter Sagal]

Right.

[Lyndon Barrois]

They've got me here.

[Peter Sagal]

I know, in your magnificent mansion made entirely of gum wrappers. And this is where the only one of my few times that I'm sad on the radio because I would love for people to instantly see these. But what people need to understand is like, these are not, I don't know, little stick figures. They're incredibly detailed miniature full body portraits. Oh, he's holding one up now. Yeah. And the two you're holding up are football players. And was that where you started? Because I know that one of your first, your first major projects was football, right?

[Lyndon Barrois]

Well, yeah, that was the first solo show I had, but I actually started just from making drivers for Hot Wheels car. So because, you know, the cars are so cool. You know, the doors open, the hood, the trunk, everything. But there's no driver. So it made no sense to me. And so I just started making people to put in the car and never stopped.

[Peter Sagal]

Did your mother like up her gum chewing to provide you with more raw material?

[Lyndon Barrois]

She did, but then the doctors told her she had to stop because she'd swallow it and said, this is not healthy, man.

[Peter Sagal]

Wow, that's like, the low point. And you're behind the music. You have a day job, which is you do animation and special effects for Hollywood films. Some very, very big.

[Eric Weinmeyer]

Yes.

[Lyndon Barrois]

That has been the bulk of my professional work. I'm responsible for the creature work, the character and creature work. So, like, I've done everything from the Matrix trilogy to Happy Feet. The CG creature effects in those films, the character, the ones that are brought to life, the actual characters themselves.

[Peter Sagal]

I can't let you go without asking about what must be your masterpiece. I refer, of course, to Karate Dog.

[Lyndon Barrois]

Oh, my God.

[Peter Sagal]

Were you aware, because we looked into this, that Karate Dog, of course, a classic. But there are some people who are unhappy with Karate Dog because despite the title, the dog only does karate twice. Wow.

[Lyndon Barrois]

I can't imagine I never heard that criticism.

[Peter Sagal]

Linda Barwa, it is fascinating to talk to you, and we have, in fact, invited you here to play a game.

[Bill Curtis]

We'Re calling that There is a really big sculpture.

[Peter Sagal]

Since you create very tiny sculptures. Oh, my God. We thought we'd ask you about big ones. Answer two out of three questions correctly about very large works of art, and you will win our prize for one of our listeners, any voice they may choose from our show. Bill, who is Lyndon Bawa playing for?

[Bill Curtis]

Larry Sylvester of San Francisco, California.

[Peter Sagal]

All right. Ready to do this?

[Lyndon Barrois]

Yeah.

[Peter Sagal]

Okay.

[Lyndon Barrois]

I hope I don't blow this.

[Peter Sagal]

The ancient Olympic stadium in Greece, where they had the Olympics, had a row of giant statues outside. Those statues served what purpose was it? A, they were each posed as if they were doing a particular athletic event, showing which way you had to go to see that event. B, the names of athletes who had cheated were inscribed on them as a badge of shame. Or C, their arms and legs were posed to spell out the letters in Olympics, like, you know, the YMCA dance. I'm going to say A. You're going to go say A. Like, if you wanted to go see the javelin, you went over to the statue that was holding the javelin and you went that way. No, it was actually B. If you cheated at the Olympics, they inscribed your name and what you had really onto the statues so that people would know and you wouldn't compete. Again. It was the ancient Olympic version of a photo by the cash register. Don't let that person in here. That's okay. You still got two chances. So once one of these big monumental statues goes up, it's rarely changed. One exception is the very big statue of the Duke of Wellington in Glasgow, Scotland. What change was recently made to that statue? Was it, A. Because historians finally proved his horse had been a mare, not a stallion, certain items were removed. B. There is now an orange traffic cone permanently atop the Duke's head. Or C, after a sponsorship deal, his Wellington boots were replaced with Uggs.

[Lyndon Barrois]

I gotta go with A on that one. They had to have made him a gelding.

[Peter Sagal]

The audience is yet. What is the audience yelling?

[Bill Curtis]

B.

[Peter Sagal]

The audience is yellow. The orange traffic cone. I'm just going to lay that in front of you. B. Yeah. B. They were right, and now you are, too.

[Bill Curtis]

B.

[Peter Sagal]

So what happened was sometime in the early 1980s, for reasons no one exactly knows, people just started putting this traffic cone on top of the Duke's head, and they'd take it off, and immediately somebody would come up and put another one on it. And it was such a pain in the ass to climb up and get it that they said, you know what? From now on, that's part of the statue. Problem solved.

[Lyndon Barrois]

I love this because I'm learning things.

[Peter Sagal]

You are. You know, I know what your next sculpture will be. All right. One of the most famous large statues we have is Bob's Big Boy, whose figure looms over many of their franchises. That big statue played an important role in someone's life once when what happened? A. Author, Norman Mailer, said he stopped drinking. Finally, when A Bob's Big Boy looked down at him and told him to straighten out. B. Patricia Arquette told Nicolas Cage she would only marry him if he could bring her a Bob's Big Boy statue. Or C. All of the customers of A Bob's Big Boy were saved from the 1966 Topeka tornado by hiding inside him.

[Lyndon Barrois]

B.

[Peter Sagal]

You're gonna go for B. You're right. Patricia Arquette told the story that Nicolas Cage had wanted to marry her for a long time, and she said, fine, if you want to marry me, you must complete this quest. And gave him a bunch of things, including J.D. salinger's autograph and a genuine Bob's Big Boy sculpture. And he did it, and they got married. And lived very happily for about four years. But let me ask Bill how did Lyndon Barrois do on our quiz?

[Bill Curtis]

Lyndon got two right and you have won. You have won a little tiny statue that we're going to make sending you.

[Peter Sagal]

Lyndon J. Barrois Sr. Is a sculptor, artist and animator. You can learn more about his remarkable work@it's a wrapper.com Lyndon Barrois, thank you so much for joining us. You're a genius and we love talking to you. Take care.

[Lyndon Barrois]

Thanks for having me guys.

[Peter Sagal]

This was too much fun. It really was. Was take care.

[Maya Hawke]

Support for NPR and the following message come from Hydro this holiday season. If you want to give the gift of an immersive full body workout all from the comfort of home, you need the Hydro rower. No matter your starting point or goals. Whether you're training for a marathon or training for life, Hydro meets you where you are. Give the gift of a full body workout all from the comfort of home with Hydro. Head over to hydro.com and use code WEIGHT to save up to $475 off.

[Eric Weinmeyer]

This message comes from Capella University. Learning doesn't have to get in the way of life. With Capella's game changing Flexpath learning format, you can set your own deadlines and learn on your own schedule. That means you don't have to put your life on hold to earn your degree. Instead, enjoy learning your way and pursue your educational and career goals without missing a beat. A different future is closer than you think with Capella University. Learn more at capella.

[Peter Sagal]

Edu.

[Bill Curtis]

Finally, here's an interview with actor Maya Hawke, who also joined us in May and talked with guest host alzo Slade.

[Peter Sagal]

Now, Ms. Hawk had also put out an album of original song, so Alzo asked her, what, singing or acting?

[H]

I've done them both my whole life. It's a notoriously terrible career choice. It's like you try to do one thing well and then you're like, hey, look, I can do another thing badly. And then everyone makes fun of you. But it's fun and I've been doing it forever.

[Eric Weinmeyer]

So you've been a singer songwriter forever. Like when you're like 4 or 5 years old, what are we talking?

[H]

We're talking like 7, 8. But I was not a professional child in any way.

[Eric Weinmeyer]

What were you writing at 7, 8 years old?

[H]

I was rewriting the lyrics to songs from the Hannah Montana TV show.

[Eric Weinmeyer]

You were dropping remixes at seven, eight years old.

[Peter Sagal]

Nice.

[Eric Weinmeyer]

So Stranger Things is what most of us know you for, and you entered in the third season and this show was like the most like streamed show in the history of streaming forever throughout all eternity.

[Bill Curtis]

True.

[Eric Weinmeyer]

And when I watched Stranger Things, it was nostalgia for me because I grew up in the 80s. You're much younger than me. You're 25 years old. How did it feel playing a character that works in a mall that. When malls really don't exist anymore?

[H]

You know, it felt a little bit like, you know, being on the Nina and the Pinta and the Santa Maria, you know, it felt really great.

[Eric Weinmeyer]

Yep. My people weren't on any of those shit. So. Stranger Things is so popular and people. There are some people who didn't want spoilers, didn't want to know what happened. But then there are people online really trying to figure out what was going to happen in the next episode. Where people, when people see you in public, where they kind of, you know, jolt you to try to figure out what's going to happen, they do it.

[H]

All the time, even today, about the upcoming season. But the good thing about me is I can't understand what's happening in the show whatsoever, even if I wanted to.

[Eric Weinmeyer]

Maya, I saw the trailer for your new movie, Wildcats. It looks beautiful. It looks amazing. Can you tell us a little bit about what the movie is about and the role that you play?

[Mary Tyson Lapin]

Yes.

[H]

I played like at least five roles in the movie. I play Flannery O'Connor and characters in many of her short stories. And for those who don't know, she's an extremely complicated, curmudgeonly unpleasant woman from the Jim Crow south who wrote a lot and also died of lupus. That's my pick.

[Eric Weinmeyer]

That was quick.

[Bill Curtis]

And we want to see that. Thank you.

[Eric Weinmeyer]

Yeah. When.

[H]

When I was in college, I was already obsessed with Flannery O'Connor or drama school. And I had a boyfriend who wrote me a song about it. And the last verse of the song was. The only thing I knew about Flannery O'Connor was that she died of lupus, just like her father.

[Mary Tyson Lapin]

It's a solid approximate rhyme.

[Eric Weinmeyer]

Is that on the soundtrack?

[Peter Sagal]

It plays over the closing credits when they do the. The big Flannery O'Connor dance.

[Mary Tyson Lapin]

Maya, do you have a favorite lyric of yours?

[Peter Sagal]

Like, if you had to choose one of your favorite lyrics from one of your songs, what would it be?

[H]

It would be from a song that's not out yet, but that's gonna come out, which is a lyric I stole from something that my grandfather always says, which is, why do it right when you can do it yourself?

[Eric Weinmeyer]

I like Granddad. That's Some real wisdom right there. Yeah, that's some real wisdom. Wisdom. Maya Hawk, we've invited you here today to play a game we're calling.

[Bill Curtis]

Oh, my. A hawk.

[Eric Weinmeyer]

Yeah, that's right. We're going to ask you three questions about bird watching. Answer two out of the three correctly and you'll win our prize for one of our listeners. Bill, who is Maya playing for?

[Bill Curtis]

Liz Price of Denver, Colorado.

[H]

Liz, I'm so sorry.

[Eric Weinmeyer]

You're going to do great. I can feel it. Here's your first question. Urban birders can get amazing video if they're lucky. Like one person who got footage of a crow. Doing what. A, cutting a car's brake lines, B, sorting a neighbor's recycling, or C, goading two cats into fighting each other.

[H]

Ooh.

[Mary Tyson Lapin]

Okay.

[H]

I love crow story. Crows are amazing and they do amazing things. And so I'm gonna have to go with because of my extensive crow research. With B, thwarting a neighbor's recycling.

[Eric Weinmeyer]

The answer is C, no, the bowl. Yes, man. Goading two cats into fighting each other. These two cats are opposite each other on two shed roofs, and the crow keeps flying back and forth, poking them on the butt to push them toward each other until they start going at it.

[Peter Sagal]

Do you think the crow had money on it?

[Eric Weinmeyer]

Probably so, yeah. All right, Maya, here's your next question. Birding may seem like a calm and relaxing hobby, but that's not always the case. Some birders have reported spotting birds doing what in the wild? A, screaming cuss words, B, trying to convince hikers to buy them a pack of cigarettes, Or C, selling tickets to watch two cats fight.

[H]

Okay, that's extremely funny, but I'm going to have to go with A, so I think it's a gimme correct.

[Eric Weinmeyer]

The theory is that captive birds who learned to swear escaped and taught the wild birds all their dirtiest words. All right, Maya, here's your last question. A reporter uncovered a questionable tactic used by birders in Rhode island to see birds who rarely fly close to the shore. What do they do? A, send out a rubber raft full of birdseed and then reel it back in like a fishing line. B, buy tickets on a whale watching cruise, only look at birds, then hope they never see a whale so the company refunds their ticket. Or C, play loud recordings of boat noises so the birds think that they're still over the ocean.

[H]

I'm gonna go with the whale watching.

[Eric Weinmeyer]

Yes.

[H]

Nice.

[Eric Weinmeyer]

B, the whale watching cruise. Bill, how did Maya Hawk do on our quiz?

[Bill Curtis]

She did great. Two out of three. And, Maya, that is a win.

[Eric Weinmeyer]

Ladies and gentlemen, Maya Hawke's new movie Wildcat is in select theaters now, and her new album, chaos angel is out May 31. And Inside Out 2, an animated movie, is out June 14. Maya Hawk, thank you for joining us on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell me.

[H]

Thank you.

[Peter Sagal]

That's it for our Thanksgiving Leftovers edition. Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me is a production of NPR and WBEZ Chicago in association with Urchin Haircut Productions. Doug Benevolent overlord Philip Gotker writes our limericks. Our public address announcer is Paul Friedman. Our tour manager is Shayna Donald. BJ Lederman composed our theme. Our program is produced by Jennifer Mills, Miles Dornbosch and Lillian King. Special thanks to Monica Hickey and Blythe Roberson. Peter Guinness, our little butterball. Our vibe curator is Emma Choi. Technical direction is from Lorna White. Our CFO is Colin Miller. Our production manager is Robert Neuhaus. Our senior producer is Ian Shalog. And the executive producer, wait, wait, don't tell Me. Is Mike Danforth. Thanks to everybody you heard on this week's show, all of the panelists, our guests, also Slade for guest hosting and of course, Bill Curtis. And thanks to all of you for listening. I'm Peter Sagal. We'll be back next week with a new show. This is npr.

[Maya Hawke]

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