WEIRD Here To Help: Community Garden Drama & Clown Hotel

Summary

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Podcast Summary: We're Here to Help — "WEIRD Here To Help: Community Garden Drama & Clown Hotel"

Date: July 24, 2026
Hosts: Eric Edelstein, Steve Berg
Episode Theme: This episode is a classic delight: Eric and Steve field two wildly different advice calls—one about managing conflict at a community garden, the other about facing fears at America’s scariest Clown Motel. The conversation flows with the hosts’ signature mix of Midwestern warmth, friendly jabs, and good-hearted absurdity.

Main Theme & Purpose

Eric and Steve—joined by inquisitive callers—try to tackle everyday and extraordinary problems with the candor and chaos of your most entertaining uncles. Today’s show centers on two stories: one, a Midwest community garden thrown into utter chaos by group-chat drama and boomer technology; the other, a road trip quest to the infamous, haunted Nevada Clown Motel, much to the distress of a “cool aunt” who’s… maybe not as adventurous as she wants to be.
The episode also features riffs on Bob Dylan, Midwest cuisine, technology and boomers, and the enduring saga of how to keep the peace in modern America.

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Segment 1: Warm-Up & Banter (00:22–13:48)

Key Points

• Weather and Sun Hat Talk:
  The show opens with Eric and Steve discussing surviving sweaty Midwest summers, the perils of sun exposure, and comparative superlatives about head size.

  • Memorable moment: Cranially Endowed, a store for large hats, gets a loving (if joking) plug.
  • Eric jokes, “My head doesn’t match my body... I have a small head. You have a generously sized head. You have to get your hat specially ordered.” (01:45)

• Aliens, Nordic Blood & Conspiracy:
  Eric wonders (mostly facetiously) if their shared Nordic ancestry means they’re part-alien, riffing on government UFO reports.

  • “Nordics might be an alien species. So that’s maybe why Steve and I are friends and vibrate together.” (02:49)
  • Steve, always the skeptic: “It’s a lot of huge claims with absolutely beyond zero evidence... it’s all folklore, baby, until it ain’t.” (03:32)

• Boomer Music & Live Concert Culture:
  Eric shares tales of hitting concerts alone to see Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and Willie Nelson; much of this is a preface for the upcoming “boomer” themes in the episode.

  • Insight: Boomers and younger generations approach concerts and music nostalgia very differently.
  • Quote: “When people come in, I’m like, ‘Oh, come on in, come check it out…’ But Bob Dylan was there, and it felt like we were blessed with the spirit of Bob Dylan on that day.” (07:20)
  • They stress that classic artists do what they want—if you’re at a Dylan or Neil Young show, don’t expect a hit parade.

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Segment 2: Caller #1: K Dot and the Community Garden (“Drama in the Tomatoes”) (17:12–49:46)

Intro to Caller (17:12)

• Caller: “K Dot” from Michigan, proudly representing the Midwest with tales of meatloaf and Detroit’s rise.
• Desert Island Picks:
  • Meal: Mother’s bacon-adorned meatloaf (19:01)
  • Album: Paul Simon, Graceland (20:42)
  • Book: Leaves of Grass, Walt Whitman (22:25)
  • Movie: What About Bob? (21:54)

The Problem (22:57–23:49)

• K Dot and family helped found a community garden on a generously loaned patch of land. Diverse and “eccentric” members—including transient stoners—make the garden lively but vulnerable to human drama.

The Drama (25:46–27:49)

• Technology (group chat) is making things worse than in-person interactions.

• Group texts have become vicious, with accusations of being “anti-nature” and claims of the garden becoming an “autocracy."

  • Quote from group chat: “Your impatience, compulsiveness and lack of knowledge of gardening in Michigan are telling and expensive.” (28:57)

• K Dot wants to restore peace—without becoming the manager or “leader” of the garden.

The Hosts’ Analysis & Advice (31:01–46:38)

• Solution 1: In-Person Potluck & Harvest Party
  Steve suggests restoring community face-to-face: “Do an end-of-harvest potluck, get everyone together, bring a covered dish... when people are in person, face to face, that cattiness just disappears.” (31:01)

  • The hosts riff: Make it fun, lean in to the eccentricities, and “maybe encourage some nudity” (Eric’s half-joking fix for everything).

• Solution 2: Technology Detox

  • Eric: “It’s not the garden. It’s technology. That’s fucking shit up.” (28:04)
  • They bemoan how boomers misuse group chats, fueling drama—“boomers are the worst with technology” (34:56)
  • Suggest making the potluck a “cell-phone-free gathering” (44:29)

• Solution 3: Tone-Setting & Musical Management

  • Set the vibe with gentle “boomer music” (Neil Young, Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell).
  • Remind group chat users: “Don’t say anything here you wouldn’t say in person.” (39:24)

• Empathy for Boomers:

  • Eric makes an extended (and compassionate) case for viewing older adults as “victims” of technology they never grew up with.
  • “They didn’t choose this. It chose them. We’re the beta testers for all this.” (46:38)

• Potluck Twist (K Dot’s Idea):

  • All food must feature something from a gardener’s own plot—a “hyper-local” celebration. (43:40)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “This should just be a meatloaf podcast, actually.” — Steve (20:34)
• “It’s a microcosm of our larger world… even a community garden.” — K Dot (28:20)
• “If you give a boomer weed, make sure it’s a nice gentle outdoor…” — Eric (42:16)
• “Protect the positivity of the community garden at all costs.” — Steve (46:38)
• “Take a few pictures with your cell phone, and then put that thing away because this is a hands-free party.” — Eric (49:29)

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Segment 3: Caller #2: Allie and the Clown Motel ("Haunted Hospitality") (51:16–75:00)

Intro to Caller (51:16)

• Caller: Allie from Fort Collins, Colorado. She’s the “cool aunt” who takes her nieces/nephews on epic road trips.
• Desert Island Picks:
  • Book: The Hunger Games
  • Album: The Bodyguard soundtrack (“Whitney!”)
  • TV Show: Schitt’s Creek
  • Meal: Colorado green chili (“put it on everything”)

The Problem (55:08–58:27)

• Allie’s next niece wants their destination to be the haunted Clown Motel in Tonopah, Nevada.
• Allie is a self-described “cradle Catholic”—not actively religious, but “haunted things freak me out.”
• She asks: Should I steer my niece away, or just suck it up and face my fear?

The Hosts’ Analysis & Advice (58:31–74:43)

• Face the Dragon:
  Steve draws from Jungian psychology: “If you do not face the shadow, the shadow will pop up all over the place for the rest of your life... My vote is to face the demon.” (58:27)

  • Make fear a running joke; lean into the bit by dressing up as clowns, hamming it up, turning fear into humor.

• Back-Up Plan:
  Eric suggests Allie check for alternate hotels nearby in case terror strikes: “I want you to have a backup hotel at the ready. I don’t think there’s anything that close to the Clown Hotel is an issue.” (61:23)

• Steve: “Just being around the lore and reputation is almost certainly scarier than the reality—most haunted places are mostly fiction given life by people’s imaginations.” (63:50)

• Bring Your Totems:
  Both recommend bringing objects of comfort—Catholic candles, Bodyguard soundtrack, etc.“You control your experience. Find some kind of semi-religious, spiritual or psychedelic way to hold your energy in.” — Eric (66:59)

• Embrace the Absurd:
  Don’t pass on anxiety to the younger generation; make it an adventure and a story to laugh about. “It’s like bungee jumping for hotels. If you go in like, ‘This is crazy!’ that’s a good mindset. It’ll be amazing memories.” — Steve (62:44–73:09)

• Food and Fun:
  Capping it off with signature podcast energy, Eric gushes about the Clown Motel’s chef pedigree; Steve rhapsodizes about hotel food and road trip cuisine.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “The clowns for sure come to life at night. I’m sorry.” — Eric (60:52)
• “If I was you, I’d take a hunk of iron in my pocket. Because I think all this stuff emanates from the fae realm.” — Steve (68:00)
• “If you look in your rearview mirror and see a classroom, don’t pull over—get to that next hotel.” — Eric (74:21)
• “Go back to Whitney. The power of Whitney Houston, one of the great American voices. Maybe drink some orange juice to honor Kevin Costner.” — Steve (72:34)
• “You are now an official weird here to help correspondent investigating paranormal activity at the Clown Motel. This life chose you.” — Eric (72:11)

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Key Takeaways

• In-Person Community is Irreplaceable: Nothing resolves digital drama and restores connection like meeting in person, sharing food, and listening to music.
• Boomers & Technology: The generational divide on group messaging is real; patiently teaching etiquette is a loving act.
• Face Your Fears (with Humor!): Turning anxiety or dread into a performance, and making peace with the absurd, is a pathway to self-growth—and family legend.
• Always Pack Meatloaf (and a Backup Plan): When all else fails—lean into the comfort food, and know your exit strategy.
• Bring Your Own Totems: The tools and tokens that make you feel brave or calm—whether it’s a Bodyguard soundtrack, a rosary, or a brick of green chili—are always worth packing.

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Sun Hats & Midwest Banter: 00:22–04:18
• Aliens/Nordics/Conspiracy Chat: 02:49–03:32
• Bob Dylan & Concert Rants: 04:18–13:14
• Community Garden Drama Call: 17:12–49:46
  • Group chat drama: 27:49–30:50
  • Advice portion: 31:01–46:38
  • Notable quotes: 28:04, 39:24, 42:16
• Clown Motel Call: 51:16–75:00
  • Fear and facing it: 58:09–62:44
  • Paranormal lore: 63:50–67:43
  • “Bring a totem”/Coping strategies: 68:00–73:09
  • Closing words to Allie: 74:09–74:52

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Tone & Style

Warm, irreverent, expert at blending tangible advice with offbeat observations.
Eric and Steve’s camaraderie is the show’s secret weapon, inviting even vulnerable callers—and listeners—to reframe their oddest problems as opportunities for community, growth, and laughter.

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Memorable Quotes

• “It’s not the garden. It’s technology. That’s fucking shit up.” (Eric, 28:04)
• “If you do not face the shadow... the shadow is going to pop up all over the place for the rest of your life.” (Steve, 58:27)
• “Protect the positivity of the community garden at all costs.” (Steve, 46:38)
• “You are now an official weird here to help correspondent investigating paranormal activity at the Clown Motel. This life chose you.” (Eric, 72:11)

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Final Thoughts

This episode crystallizes the show’s mission: Give help, even when you’re not sure you’re qualified—do it with kindness, humor, and just enough meatloaf. Even haunted clowns can’t beat that.

Transcript

[Eric Edelstein]

This is a headgun podcast.

[Steve Berg]

A colossal monster. A city in ruins. No way out except inside. Of the all electric Toyota Chr. Jon chose stars in escape test drive. Toyota's new all electric family today. Toyota. Let's go places,

[Eric Edelstein]

friends. Are you weird? Do you need help? Then you've come to the right place.

[Steve Berg]

It's weird. Here to help. Okay, we,

[Max]

We,

[Allie]

We.

[Eric Edelstein]

Jake's willing to take off his judgment hat. We can really move something now. Well, well, well, ladies and gentlemen, they are giving us the microphone again. And we all get to celebrate. It's weird. Here to help with the greatest man we know in Omaha, Nebraska, it's Steve Berg. Steve, how are you, buddy?

[Steve Berg]

Oh, I am fantastic. It's a, you know, it's hot, it's humid. It's a classic Midwest summer. Played some tennis this morning, boy. I went through about one and a half Nalgene bottles, but boy, staying hydrated, Eric. Wearing sun hats. Got to keep that sun off the old face. Yo. I've had a brush with skin cancer, so, you know when you see me outside, I look like white ghost, dude. I have like sunscreen all over the place. It's dripping in my eyes. My eyes always staying. I got a giant sun hat that my wife likes to make fun of me even though she bought it for me. But I look like the biggest goon in the neighborhood.

[Eric Edelstein]

Mine went the other way. I had this giant. I went to the Dodger game yesterday because it was so hot. Tickets were so cheap and I live three and a half miles away. So I'm like, I'm going to go park for free and. And I got my giant sun hat and my wife's like, are you wearing that? I'm like, yeah. And she's like, it just makes your head look so small. Shouldn't she be fighting? She's always on me for sunscreen and stuff. But apparently she's a fashion forward lady first. Cause, Steve, I'll admit this. I have a small head. Seven and a half. But I look at my body and my head doesn't match my body. I have a small head. You have a generously sized head. You have to get your hat specially ordered.

[Steve Berg]

I do. From cranially endowed. That's a shout out to cranially endowed. If you want to sponsor us, that would be great. I've been wearing your hats for about a decade. If you ever go to business, let me know because I'll buy all your inventory.

[Eric Edelstein]

Cranially endowed. We'd love to have you as a sponsor, but I think Steve has such a giant head because you have such a massive brain. And I think our listeners would agree.

[Steve Berg]

Yeah, but I feel like a big brain. I think scientifically it's not an indicator of smart person. So it might be the opposite. The big brain could explain. Explain some of my setbacks.

[Eric Edelstein]

Well, Steve and I both have Nordic blood. There's now these alien files are getting released. Who knows if it's a psyop, but they're saying that Nordics might be an alien species. So that's maybe why Steve and I are friends and vibrate together.

[Steve Berg]

That's true.

[Eric Edelstein]

Do you buy that, Steve?

[Steve Berg]

No, I don't. But

[Eric Edelstein]

I want to believe.

[Steve Berg]

I'll explain to you off the air why I don't think it is. I think it's a problematic trope, I think. But you know me, I'm always paranoid and looking into the. No, yeah, I'm psyopsis of everything.

[Eric Edelstein]

Isn't it weird though? It's got to be weird for you, Steve, that this stuff's now in like the paper and this stuff's on regular websites of like government releases. Nordics are an alien species. Lizard people perhaps ruling the world. I'm like, this is the news. What happened?

[Steve Berg]

It's crazy. And honestly, it's just all that. It's a lot of like huge claims with absolutely beyond zero evidence. And as much as I love all this stuff, it's all folklore, baby, until it ain't. And so I think it's also something that's making people crazier. I don't, I don't think that's a very positive thing to be putting out there. That when you have the vice President, United States saying that, yes, I believe in UFOs, yes I believe in occupants driving UFOs and he thinks they're demons. He said that on an hour long talk show format. To put that kind of messaging into the world I think is very negative and problematic and also zero evidence. What is a demon? Do demons exist? I don't think so. I think it's something from mythology. However, Eric, back to sun hats, Andy

[Eric Edelstein]

Dick might be a demon.

[Steve Berg]

Well, you know, he's not. Not a demon, you know. But Eric, I am so curious because it's summertime and summertime means boomers are on tour. Oh brother. I know, I know you've been out and about going to these solo shows, seeing a little man by the name of Robert Zimmerman. Is a Robert Zimmerman?

[Eric Edelstein]

Yeah, Robert Zimmerman originally. Yeah.

[Steve Berg]

Bob Dylan from the great state of Minnesota. How has he been live?

[Eric Edelstein]

Not only that Bob and I might be related. Have I told you this?

[Steve Berg]

What?

[Eric Edelstein]

Bob's grandmother is named Luba Edelstein and pronounces it the same way I do, the old country way.

[Eric Elston]

Okay.

[Eric Edelstein]

And basically, I think Bob and I think it's why I have such a. Such a pull to him. I think Bob and I are probably related.

[Steve Berg]

This is a new wrinkle to the.

[Eric Edelstein]

No, it sure is. And then, have I told you the story of Jake and I seeing Bob Dylan in the wild?

[Steve Berg]

No.

[Eric Edelstein]

Jake and I. So Jake and I, years and years and years ago, shot a pilot together. We both still had day jobs. I was working as a bouncer. Jake was working as a professional card player in California, which is the most on brand like. Yeah.

[Steve Berg]

That's where Jake's heart really is completely.

[Eric Edelstein]

He's ready to go back to that at any moment. But we shot this pilot on our own with our great friend Jeremy Connor directing and helping create it went on to do Drunk History and so much more. And we were. Jeremy called in some favors at his old high school for us to shoot there. And it was our first day of filming. Unbeknownst to each other, Jake and I had both listened to Bob Dylan the night before. And we were sitting back getting ready. And it was a. Basically, it was that we did overly simplistic versions of American historical events to put on shows for kids at assemblies. So I was dressed as an indigenous chief. This. This probably was appropriating and inappropriate at the time.

[Steve Berg]

Different time.

[Eric Edelstein]

Noble Intentions.

[Steve Berg]

Yes.

[Eric Edelstein]

The song's called we could have worked it out if we just asked questions. Jake was just dressed as a shyster land stealing cowboy.

[K Dot]

And.

[Eric Edelstein]

The great Gudrun Flaherty burst backstage. We were changing. She's like, dylan's here, Dylan's here. So we walk out and I'm in a full regalia with a headdress. Jake is in a full shady cowboy outfit. And not 10ft from us. Bob Dylan is at Crossroads High School in Santa Monica with his son and grandson. And he was looking to tour the high school while a security guard said, you can't tour today. They're filming. At which point you would think Jake and I would both just say, it's okay, come on in. We literally, neither of us could get a word out. Bob Dylan was 10ft from us in his hoodie. He turned to see what the filming was, saw Jake as a cowboy, me as a chief, and just. This was just another day for Bob Dylan. Just nodded his head and started shuffling off. We couldn't get A word out any other time now even I've done it now, where people come in like, oh, come on in. Come check it out here we're doing a mayonnaise commercial. But Bob Dylan was there. And it felt like we were blessed with the spirit of Bob Dylan on that day. And it was truly, truly amazing.

[Eric Elston]

That is.

[Eric Edelstein]

And it was amazing. He was in a hoodie. And that's probably the first thing I should mention about seeing Bob Dylan right now. He is performing even outdoors in heat in a north face hoodie. He has a black hoodie and a white hoodie, depending on the mood. And the hoodie is pulled up the entire time because he's sick of people taking videos and pictures.

[Steve Berg]

I love that.

[Eric Edelstein]

It is the funniest thing ever. I'll get a lot of shit for this. I know a lot of listeners have seen Bob Dylan and it wasn't great. While he is singing his ass off these days, he's committing to it completely. He's also singing mostly songs from his new album, no Hits. So people are very upset. And I'm surprised continually people are seeing Bob Dylan and not knowing he's an iconoclast and he's just gonna do what he wants. But he's pissing a lot of people off. You know, he's not doing songs they want.

[Steve Berg]

I mean, I. That's always so weird to me because, like, I like, sure, it's nice to hear, like, songs from old albums. That's great. But I really like if I love a band or, you know, a musician. Like, I love to hear the new stuff. That's what they're excited about playing. They're. You don't. You don't make a. You make a record so you can tour the music. Musicians love to play music live and they want to share the new album. Like, I don't understand that disconnect with people.

[Eric Edelstein]

Yeah. Or not doing a minimum amount of Googling, because it's the same with Neil Young is. He's my favorite concert in the world to see, and I want to see where he's at now. And he's constantly creating. And I love Bob Dylan's new album, Rough and Rowdy Ways. But I once went in Santa Barbara and I was. I was general admission pit tickets. And I was surrounded by grocery executives and lobbyists.

[Steve Berg]

Grocery executive.

[Eric Edelstein]

Yeah. And they were talking, what, like Joey Ivy and. Oh, yeah. And they had mistresses there with them. And they worked for Safeway and then one of them worked for the distributor. Yeah, I heard them all loudly.

[Steve Berg]

Yeah.

[Eric Edelstein]

And they're like, yeah, he's going to come on. Do Heart of Gold. They'll do Old man. Do rock in the free world, Mike. Oh, someone did not Google because Neil Young came out and played his album the Monsanto Years. Oh, these were the angriest humans I've ever seen in my life. Drunk and raging. Monsanto's done a lot of good. Random kills. We like yelling. And it made Neil so happy, he started playing songs from Time Fades Away just at them, these angry songs. And they did not. I'm like, do some Googling. I try to avoid set list. But Neil Young's gonna play what he wants. Bob Dylan is gonna play what he wants. I love it. I want to hear where they're at right now. I think the aliens that have taken over in 200 years, listen to Bob Dylan, they're gonna love rough and rowdy ways as much as Mr. Tambourine Man. I don't need to hear Mr. Tambourine man again. Bob's also firing guitarists left and right these days. But I got to see him play with Julian Lage, who is a guitar prodigy who had a documentary made on him at age 8. And watching Bob Dylan figure out things of this guitar prodigy is one of the best guitarists in the world. It was a joy for me. And yes, I went by myself. Santa Barbara, Palm Springs, San Diego, sitting by myself. If you get an up close seat, you can do it very cheaply if you're by yourself. So I got a ticket for 150 bucks. I was front row in San Diego, and I saw him staring daggers at Bob Britt, the other guitarist, and he was furious at this guy, and he gave him a look that could kill a goat from a thousand yards. And then two days later, Bob Britt posted on Facebook his flight path from Austin, Nashville, and just posted, sayonara, Bob. And he quit the band.

[K Dot]

What?

[Eric Edelstein]

He quit the band? Yeah. So you know what? Tony Garnier, band leader, bass player, just found another guitarist.

[Steve Berg]

Was he wearing a black hoodie that night? Because I wonder if that means he

[Eric Edelstein]

got the darker energy.

[Steve Berg]

Black hoodie. See, I wonder if that is representing how he's feeling. Like, sometimes I'll be the light, sometimes it'll be the darkness.

[Eric Edelstein]

I think so, because he was definitely in, like, it's outdoors, you're in a North Face hoodie and you're 85 years old. And like, I wouldn't have it any other way, Stephen.

[Steve Berg]

No, no, I know you don't consume alcoholic beverages anymore, but, like, I mean, you know, these are Long shows. Like, do you enjoy any concessions? Is it like a bottle of water? Like a cherry Coke? Like, what do you. What do you have?

[Eric Edelstein]

No, I have a very specific thing because I'm also driving myself in and out.

[Steve Berg]

Sure.

[Eric Edelstein]

So I'm. I'm not embracing a teacher plant. I'm driving back from Palm Springs and driving back from San Diego. I limit my water so I don't have to leave during the show because a lot of people are drunk. There's crazy lines of the restroom. And what if he plays something like, I saw Bob Dylan and Chula Vista last year and he busted out a perfect version of Ricky Nelson's Garden Party because he was a Ricky Nelson guy. I like Elvis. I respect Elvis.

[Max]

But.

[Eric Edelstein]

But I was the Ricky Nelson guy. I loved Ozzie and Harry. I felt like it was my family. So what if I'd had to go to the bathroom and I missed the greatest Bob Dylan song, I think ever. I hear that done live. Garden party. Watch the garden party chula vist on YouTube. You will see an overjoyed, happy Bob Dylan with grandpa energy giving a damn about what people thinks. So I would say go see Bob Dylan. He's touring the summer to your town. I have many other exciting, vital seniors I'm seeing. We're seeing the Guess who. We're seeing the Doobie Brothers. We're seeing Willie Nelson on Sunday. Steve. I'm going by myself to the Orange County Fair. I will see my buddy Micah Nelson, AKA Particle Kid, and it's going to be a transcendent show. But like Willie Nelson's 93. What else do you have? He was born before Elvis. Go see Willie Nelson, friends.

[Steve Berg]

Yeah, agreed, agreed.

[Eric Edelstein]

Don't miss it. Don't miss Bob Dylan. Just, you know, no, he's not going to play Mr. Tambourine man or How Many Roads.

[Steve Berg]

Yeah, well, you know, we got a boomer centric caller from what I hear coming up. So, folks.

[Eric Edelstein]

And did I not call it? Did I not hearing the whole issue? Then I said, is this a boomer? And it was. Look, folks, because I am the last boomer, Eric is kept in. I'm with boomers constantly. I love them. I'm lucky to be accepted by them. But we're going to start limiting their social media starting with this call. Weirdness abounds. Steve's weird, I'm weird. You're on Weird. Here to help, caller. What is your name and where are you calling from?

[Eric Elston]

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[Max]

Max, I am legit watching this. This feels like something our podcast should have been producing. I would love to see the best dunkers dunk. We need to discuss the dunk contest and we might need to lower it into a six foot dunk contest presented by Shaquille o'.

[Eric Elston]

Neal. Get involved with Dunk Man.

[Max]

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[Eric Elston]

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[Max]

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[Eric Elston]

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[Allie]

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[K Dot]

Oh my goodness. Hello.

[Eric Elston]

Hi.

[K Dot]

Call me. Hello. Oh my goodness. You can call me K Dot. It's one of my lesser known nicknames. Thank you.

[Eric Edelstein]

Hi, K Dot. Welcome to Weird. Here to help.

[Steve Berg]

Wait, does that stand for Catherine? Catherine Dorothy.

[Eric Edelstein]

No, she's trying to.

[K Dot]

You know what? It does not. Does not. I am keeping it anonymous. But it's also, you know, the nickname of Pulitzer Prize winning rapper. It's Kendrick's.

[Steve Berg]

Oh, Kendrick.

[Eric Edelstein]

Hell yeah. Los Angeles represent. They not like us.

[Steve Berg]

Where are you calling from? Kdon?

[K Dot]

I'm calling from the Great Lake State. The Great Lakes State from the Midwest.

[Eric Edelstein]

We love it up there.

[Steve Berg]

Hell yeah. No, it's the Great. That's Michigan, right?

[K Dot]

It is indeed. It is indeed.

[Steve Berg]

You know, I've never been to Michigan.

[Eric Edelstein]

You've never been?

[Steve Berg]

Well, I was at the Detroit airport, but I didn't.

[Eric Edelstein]

Oh no, you gotta get out. I worked in Detroit, fell in love with it. I really, truly incredible.

[Steve Berg]

In Detroit, pizza is really having its moment right now. Which that is like the most popular pizza probably in America right now.

[Eric Edelstein]

No Detroit rules. And I was out there maybe eight, 10 years ago and you could just see there are all these amazing houses for 60 grand and you're like if I had money back then, would have bought them, would have bought A house there because now they've exploded. Greek Town's amazing all over Detroit and the people there Midwest are awesome. I did the last movie filmed under the Michigan tax credits and I hope they bring them back because nobody builds and makes stuff like Detroit is. Detroit goes, so goes America. K Dot, you're on a desert island. You're stuck there. You are going to give us your desert island album, book movie, premium television show. And now for little Stevie Berg, we want your meal because we are leaning into Stevie talking about food here.

[K Dot]

Oh, my goodness, it's big. Perhaps I'll be. That is big. And I think I have to begin with meal because I have a Midwest mom, you know, and she cooked every day and so, gosh, it would have to be one of her meals. Maybe I stick with the meat and potatoes of the Midwest west and go with my mother's meatloaf.

[Eric Edelstein]

I love meatloaf.

[Steve Berg]

I knew you were gonna say that. I knew you say that.

[K Dot]

Oh, how did you know? I mean adorned with bacon.

[Steve Berg]

Excuse me, that is leveling up. I've never had. Well, I don't have to find words right now that you just.

[Eric Edelstein]

I've never seen Steve this happy.

[Steve Berg]

I'm flummoxed and titillated.

[Eric Edelstein]

Well, because the next day what you're gonna get is a meatloaf sandwich, buddy. That's mayo, ketchup, cheese. I don't heat it. I like cocoa.

[Steve Berg]

No, you keep it cold.

[Eric Edelstein]

I do it beyond now it congeals together. It's so good.

[K Dot]

Blasphemous to heat it on some sourdough bread.

[Steve Berg]

Stop it, stop it. Go on.

[Eric Edelstein]

Fermented. It's good for you. It's the only one that doesn't hurt my stomach. I used to get meatloaf sandwiches and take them to school. That was the best day on, like, a white bread. It was called Franz Bread, the good bread. There's a lot of life in every loaf. Boy, do I miss that life.

[Steve Berg]

You can. I one time did a tofu meatloaf and it wasn't great, but it was serviceable.

[Eric Edelstein]

No, do it beyond and then just, you know, do a really nice tomato on top. I do peppers and onions in there, sure. Oh, you know, you do an egg replacement, but I eat eggs now. You do an egg in there and then. Oh, boy.

[Steve Berg]

This should just be a meatloaf podcast, actually.

[Eric Edelstein]

Okay, so we are deeply in agreement on the meatloaf. What else you got for us? K Dot album.

[K Dot]

We're going with Graceland Paul Simon.

[Eric Edelstein]

Oh, I love it. I love it. I've seen him live. And he busted out diamonds in the soles of her shoes recently. It was so awesome.

[Steve Berg]

I'll give you a pass on that because I love your meatloaf call. But I'm not a Paul Simon guy.

[Eric Edelstein]

Why is that, Steve?

[Steve Berg]

It's pretty simple. His music is pretty bad. I like Simon Garfunkel, but Art Garfunkel was carrying him the whole time.

[Eric Edelstein]

You're saying Art Garfunkel is carrying Paul Simon? You're the first person in his face.

[Steve Berg]

Everyone knows that.

[Eric Edelstein]

No, but Graceland is incredible.

[Steve Berg]

Graceland.

[Eric Edelstein]

He may have dipped a toe in the appropriation waters. Not properly.

[Steve Berg]

I mean, they all wrote the music and he just lifted it. Didn't pay anyone. Didn't even give him session fees.

[Eric Edelstein]

He gave him session fees. I'm sure. I am in full support of Graceland, but we are. We are agreed on Mateloaf. Deeply split on Graceland, but I would encourage everyone see Paul Simon on the.

[Steve Berg]

That's my own thing. That's my own thing.

[Eric Edelstein]

Yeah. I didn't know this.

[Steve Berg]

Steve.

[Eric Edelstein]

Steve. You're not a Paul Simon guy. That's.

[Steve Berg]

I can't do. I can't do a lot of, like, white guys doing world music like Sting makes me uncomfortable. He makes me want to hide under a coffee table.

[Eric Edelstein]

What is your movie slash premium television show?

[K Dot]

Okay, movie. I gotta go with what about Bob?

[Steve Berg]

Love it.

[Eric Edelstein]

Oh, great calling.

[Steve Berg]

You're back, you're back, you're back. Kdot.

[Eric Edelstein]

I could see Steve Berg beautifully rocking it. Don't hassle me, I'm local shirt.

[Steve Berg]

That's exactly right.

[Eric Edelstein]

That's the blue.

[Steve Berg]

And look, look. Say what you want about Dreyfus, that's probably his best movie.

[Eric Edelstein]

And he and Bob fought. He and Bill Murray fought horribly. I think Dreyfus chucked something at him. Or vice versa. They did not get along well in real life.

[Steve Berg]

Yeah, Dreyfus. That might have been his yak years, where he was doing a lot of yak.

[Eric Edelstein]

Oh, yeah. And then we just need a book.

[K Dot]

Okay. The book is Leaves of Grass. Walt Whitman. Love a long form poke.

[Eric Edelstein]

Steve, you have anything to rain on that parade? Are you?

[Steve Berg]

No, not at all. I'm pro Whitman. I'm pro women.

[Eric Edelstein]

And I love that meatloaf and Whitman. You agree? I'm with you on all four.

[K Dot]

Three or four.

[Steve Berg]

And plus the meatloaf thing was so strong that it really. It offset and negated the Graceland. So.

[K Dot]

Okay, good.

[Steve Berg]

We're basically. We're basically brothers and sisters now, but.

[Eric Edelstein]

Yeah.

[Steve Berg]

K Dot. What can we help you with today.

[K Dot]

Well, I desperately need your help, and this surrounds some unrest at the community garden and.

[Steve Berg]

Oh, my God, I'm so excited already.

[Eric Edelstein]

Unrest Community Garden, my limited series on Lifetime.

[Steve Berg]

I loved it so much already. I'm a huge fan of what's happening already. Go ahead, please.

[K Dot]

I could just give you lists and lists of all the glorious things we're growing. Unfortunately, the human drama is a little bit overshadowing the glorious growth.

[Eric Edelstein]

Boy, did you come to the right place.

[Steve Berg]

Yeah.

[K Dot]

So essentially, what's unique about this, because I tend to not get involved in human drama, but we do live directly next door, so there's an empty lot next door when we moved here five years ago. About a year into living here, we became founders. We broke ground on what became our community.

[Steve Berg]

That is awesome.

[Eric Edelstein]

How cool.

[Steve Berg]

I love this. You know, my dream. My dream, if I was ever very successful, would be to start a community food co op. So you're inspiring me right now.

[K Dot]

It's really cool now the way that it works. We are renters, and that land is owned by our landlord, and so it's actually free. He. He is generously allowing us to. To garden that otherwise unused land.

[Steve Berg]

Really awesome. Good landlord.

[K Dot]

Yeah, he is a cool landlord. And we are able to each. You know, any homes in the area that are interested can. Can tend a plot of their various choosing, you know, various sizes, and it should be quite lovely, but it is not. You know, it's never been a quintessential garden, and that's why I like it, actually. It's got a really eccentric cast of characters.

[Steve Berg]

That's wonderful. As it should.

[K Dot]

As it should. We have some transient stoners who do a little bit less gardening, a little more weed tending.

[Eric Edelstein]

Is there weed in the garden?

[Steve Berg]

No, no, no.

[K Dot]

There might be. Oh, there might be, actually, yeah.

[Steve Berg]

Were you talking about pulling, like, weeds or, like, marijuana weeds or teacher plant weeds?

[K Dot]

You know what? I think it's a dual. It's a dual meaning for weed. I think both. There were both weeds and weed.

[Steve Berg]

I will say a stoner is good at doing the first off, if you have a garden. The worst part about gardening, the worst part about taking care of any piece of land is weeding. It is annoying. And if you're like me, you don't want to spray all these, like, you know, roundup chemicals in your yard and kill animals and give yourself terrible diseases. You. You want to go el natural, which I do. But, man, I'll tell you what, I have to weed later today, and my back is not looking Forward to it. However, it's a job that needs to be done. There's no getting around it. You have to do some weeding. So thank these transient stoners because that's, that's the thankless job.

[K Dot]

Yes, thank you to the transient stoners. Yes, we have, yeah, just a, just a really wide diversity of people. It's a blue collar neighborhood. We've got folks. Yeah. Of, of every, of every type in this garden.

[Eric Edelstein]

Beautiful.

[K Dot]

And you know, it's interesting you brought up, you brought up weeding because the weed management techniques and the animal management techniques have created quite a rift in the garden this year. And I personally, as a peacemaking human, have trouble witnessing what is now like a lot of tension and bad vibes in the garden this year. All year thus far. Yes. Gardeners are being reckless and emotionally volatile on the group text thread. So audacious as to call each other anti nature. I know. How dare.

[Eric Edelstein]

Ouch.

[Steve Berg]

Swords have been drawn.

[Eric Edelstein]

I won. In this group chat. It's getting spicy. Real Housewives of the Garden.

[K Dot]

It's true. And I will say, I don't know if either of you have ever participated. Stevie said you would like to participate in a garden. But something unique about a community garden that I actually love is the sort of strange, abrupt intimacy that you develop with people because you're crouching around with them. You're inspecting mildew and aphids, you're attempting to solve problems constantly. And it. And that's been quite beautiful and wonderful in the past. But this year there's a lot of tension and upset and I guess as you know, to wrap it up, as someone in such close proximity to the garden, my husband and my son and I, we kind of consider ourselves guardians of the garden. We want to know how we can guard it and protect it and usher it into a more peaceful era again without necessarily taking on a leadership role. We don't want to be like actually managing the logistics and the people. We just want to participate and help it be peaceful and protect it. There's also been a drunk driver destroyed it. There's been vandalism. So it's had its fair share of actual bad juju. So we need, I think some restoration of goodness needs to occur.

[Eric Edelstein]

I want to hear about this group chat too, because it sounds like a lot of the issues are coming from the group chat.

[K Dot]

Oh, yes. I mean, there was a lot of things thrown around. Let's see, I did copy and paste for myself a couple.

[Eric Edelstein]

Please.

[K Dot]

Wonderful quotes.

[Eric Edelstein]

So once again, it's not the garden. It's technology. That's fucking shit up.

[K Dot]

It really is. When we're in the garden. Yes. When we're amongst each other in the garden, things are all right. But then when we get to the group chat, like here's a couple quotes.

[Eric Edelstein]

That's America right there.

[K Dot]

Oh, that's America. It's true. Every little space becomes a microcosm of our larger world.

[Eric Edelstein]

Yeah. Even a garden.

[Steve Berg]

You nailed it.

[Eric Edelstein]

Thank you.

[K Dot]

Even a simple community garden. Like here's a couple things that have been said. Not only people being called anti nature, someone else said this is turning into an autocracy. I mean, talk about being a microtrans

[Eric Edelstein]

what in this chat so bad. Can you just discreetly add, Steve and

[Steve Berg]

I,

[Eric Edelstein]

we'll be referees for the group.

[Steve Berg]

We would just throw gas on this fire so fast.

[Eric Edelstein]

Oh, completely.

[K Dot]

Oh yes.

[Steve Berg]

We would ruin it.

[K Dot]

I mean, and some really, really spicy words like here's a direct quote. Your impatience, compulsiveness and lack of knowledge of gardening in Michigan are telling and expensive. There's a lot, there's a lot of vitriol and I'm flummoxed. I have trouble witnessing it because it's. I mean I'm pretty sure these people have seen us naked. Like we're literally right next to the garden. We can hear them when the windows are open.

[Eric Edelstein]

Hold on, hold on. Why would they have seen you naked

[Steve Berg]

if they're near the garden? And no judgment here are you.

[Eric Edelstein]

No judgment. K dot, this garden just got 90% more interesting and I was already fully aboard. But are you walking around nude around the garden with open windows?

[K Dot]

For sure not. Yeah, I mean certainly it's the open windows. And we have a five year old boy who absolutely is an exhibitionist. I mean, and he's.

[Eric Edelstein]

All the good ones are.

[K Dot]

Yeah, absolutely. Standing in the window. Just.

[Max]

Sure.

[Eric Edelstein]

It's a garden. Why not? Why not get weird? It's just skin.

[Steve Berg]

Clothes aren't natural to us.

[K Dot]

It's just skin.

[Eric Edelstein]

No, no. We've been had this thrust on us and it's bullshit. Now what led someone to say somebody else was anti nature in the group chat?

[K Dot]

Well, there was a mysterious mowing down of the beloved perennial bed. So actually we don't know who someone mowed down like a four year building of a perennial flower bed.

[Eric Edelstein]

Now I'm pissed.

[Steve Berg]

Yeah, that's awful.

[K Dot]

I know.

[Steve Berg]

Why would you do that?

[K Dot]

So people are quite pissed. And then, you know, there were various. There were arguments about how that should be dealt with and yeah, so there's unrest and I know that it's probably not within my capacity to make peace among this many. I mean, we have like, 15 gardeners, so it's not an enormous amount of people, but that's a lot of people.

[Eric Elston]

It is.

[Steve Berg]

It's a lot of cooks in the kitchen.

[K Dot]

Yeah. Yeah. And so I just wonder, how do we help support a peaceful experience?

[Steve Berg]

Now, let me tell you what I would do. And, you know, this is. This is very Omaha, Nebraska, Eastern Nebraska tradition. Multiple times a year. We do, like, block parties. In fact, I attended one on Saturday for the July 4th, and it was just lovely. But getting the. Your. Your direct local community together is about as Midwest of a thing to do as possible. I bet that flies in Michigan as well, I would suggest. And not even addressing the bad vibes, just like, hey, y', all, what if we did kind of an end of harvest? Because, you know, in the Midwest, end of harvest is kind of like, you know, basically like a month away or like five, six weeks away, where everything has hit its peak. You're kind of picking everything down. Sure, there's some straggling tomatoes and zucchinis, but, you know, for the most part, the peak of harvest, it will be in about four to five weeks. I think I would recommend a potluck get together at the garden at the end. And this is like blessing the space and turning the space, turning negative vibes into something good. Everyone bring a covered dish, whatever that means to you. Maybe you wheel over a grill, you throw some burgers and dogs, and they're nothing expensive because, you know, it's like, you're not going to pay for the this, but host it. Hopefully booze doesn't get too heavy or maybe that's a good thing. I don't know. But I would say to do. To get everyone together and when people are in person, face to face, a lot of that cattiness and that kind of like, you know, people have this, like, courageousness behind the. The safety of a cell phone. And that's where all Vit, like Eric mentioned, like, technology. While there's some great things about it, like, we can do this podcast. There's a lot of shit that goes with it and a lot. Like, I was on one of those neighborhood apps for a little while, like next door.

[Eric Elston]

Oh.

[Steve Berg]

And it. I actually got off it because it was so toxic. Yet every one of my neighbors in my neighborhood, when I see him in person, are the sweetest people. And they. But when they're behind a keyboard, it's different. I think you need to get everyone together and help Remind people that this is a thing of beauty. It is. Community. Community is the most beautiful thing we have.

[K Dot]

The.

[Steve Berg]

The. The control system that lords over all of us. They can't take away community from us. Community is the most powerful tool we have as local citizens. And I think to get everyone together, please bring a covered dish. If you can't, that's okay. Maybe just buy some like a grocery store cookies or whatnot or, you know, a nice crudite setup.

[Eric Edelstein]

Bake them in the nude. Do what you do.

[Steve Berg]

Yes.

[Eric Edelstein]

Let k optional. Yeah, clothing optional. And you should encourage more of your gardening neighbors to nudity too. What if you could turn this into a little mini gardening cult?

[Steve Berg]

Well, now we're finding out some of Eric's fantasies. This is very revealing.

[K Dot]

Gardening in the nude is pretty. Yeah, that's pretty.

[Eric Edelstein]

Sounds like you're already halfway there if they've all already seen you in the nude. But I love where Steve's going with this. As the great Renee Shankerman said, we are the beta testers for these cell phones and we didn't know what we were getting into. And for some reason, they just divide people in a crazy way. And it's like you talk to like a 28 year old, then you're like, nobody's to care about each other's politics. You're kind of quiet about it or whatever. And everybody was like, yeah, whatever now. And I'm guilty of it. I'll see somebody in person that's post a bunch of crazy shit online, and I'll see in person, like, I love this person. They're so crazy online feeling they have got to post all this shit. I'm like, I like them. Okay, I may disagree with them on this, that, or this. But, like, who. Who are the biggest offenders? I love Steve's message of unity. Who are the biggest offenders in the group chat. And may I ask a pointed question? I don't think they're much of our audience. Are they boomers? Because I have found boomers are the worst with technology.

[K Dot]

It is. They are the slow boomers.

[Eric Edelstein]

Oh, dude.

[Steve Berg]

Eric. Eric has been hot on this theory for a while now.

[Eric Edelstein]

I think boomers have had the toughest road to hoe, to use a guarding metaphor, with technology. Because they weren't raised with any of it. We were at the beginning of it with like, Oregon Trail and understanding computers.

[Steve Berg]

True, Very true.

[Eric Edelstein]

Little bits of it. But I've seen boomers in the pit at Neil Young and Bob Dylan not looking up from their phone. And they're the meanest in these chat groups, they end friendships over it. My parents have people they don't see anymore because they're different politically online and vice versa. And I think what we need is a massive national outreach to teach boomers about these phones and to teach boomers chill the fuck out. Don't post that. Be kind, be nice. When I see horrible vitriol online, it's boomers. And bless their hearts, we all know I've been called the last boomer and guilty as charged. I'm seeing 80 year olds in concerts this week. But I think we need a national movement to help boomers understand these and understand that they could be an incredibly negative force and understand the boundaries with them that you don't have to answer your phone every time it's answered. Mom and dad. My dad will answer the phone at a bridge tournament. My mom will answer the phone at her book club. Like, you don't have to answer mom. Just send me a voicemail. Well, Eric, honey, I feel so bad sending you to voicemail. I don't ever want to deny anything from you, but it's because boomers don't understand these phones as well. They don't understand the limits. And I knew you were going to say it was boomers that were causing these problems because they get mean as a snake quickly in these group chats. Mean as hell. And I think it's also. But they're open to suggestions, kind of Eric, sort of.

[Steve Berg]

Eric, I want to ask you this because, please. So basically what we were diagnosing is. And boy, you have been saying this for a while about the boomers. So we're gonna. I really do believe you should have this potluck community little get together now to disarm the boomers and put them in an atmosphere that they're comfortable in. I think some music should be played on a Bluetooth speaker. Oh, I'm here for you, Eric. Eric, what is going to sue the savage beast within in these boomers? I don't know anything about boom music. I really don't like. So, Eric, I'm here for you.

[Eric Edelstein]

I'm here for you. Start with Neil Young Harvest. Don't do any of the dissonance, don't do any electronica, don't do any but like gentle boomer music because that's who you're going to have to midwife through this and let these people see each other in person. And then I think you are less likely to see. To say awful things in the group chat. But what I want today's call to Be is a movement toward, we have to help boomers with these phones because you broke it, you bought it. They're out there, but they are mean as a snake. And we have to play soothing music. But I think Steve is right and K Dot, you may not want a leadership role in this, but you have this ability. I can tell. I don't know what you do for work, but like you're a leader and I think you can really start to bring people together, do something in person, put on boomer music, and then it might be a gentle talk of letting these boomers know. And you can do it within the group chat that this is. Keep it nice. Don't say anything in here you wouldn't say in person. And I'm in multiple group chats with many boomers. Two different boomer groups have adopted me as their own. And one of them is very political, but everyone kind of looks at stuff the same way. The other one, I think everybody kind of avoids politics because it's, you know, we used to have that thing of you don't bring up religion or politics at the dinner table. And I think that now we are volunteering our religion and politics constantly online. And it's led to this. And when people get in person, they forget about their division. Thank you. And we all used to get along great. We would have meals and kind of keep that stuff quiet. And now because everybody knows that, everybody thinks they bring it with them to every social engagement in an activity. I think you make a nice hot plate, you have all these dishes. You call it a community year end harvest party, let people see each other. But also I think, K Dot, you got to kind of start regulating these boomers in the group chat. And being like in a group chat, that's. That tone is really not kind.

[Steve Berg]

Yeah. I love that.

[Eric Edelstein]

You know what I mean? And like, they want to be helped. And when I told my parents, you don't have to answer the phone every time you can send me to voicemail, you answer and dad, you're at a bridge tournament. Mom, you're at your book club. And then I'm on speakerphone talking with everyone in the book club. And God bless, they're lovely people, but we don't need to have this interaction right now. And I think just a gentle nudging of the boomers. And I'm just going to say this as a larger thing than we usually deal with to society. We got to start helping these boomers with these phones.

[Steve Berg]

Yeah.

[Eric Edelstein]

Because they're hitting.

[Steve Berg]

It'll just get worse.

[Eric Edelstein]

Let's view them as victims. There's a new technology that comes in they're not familiar with. They didn't grow up with any technology. They grew up with the telegram and a hard line. So we need to start helping these boomers. And as the last boomer, as somebody who spends a lot of time with elderly people, we have to start helping them because they don't know. And they're kind of victims, and they don't know. They're alienating and driving people away, and they don't know. They are the most. Most addicted to their phones out of everybody else, you know?

[Steve Berg]

And, Kada, I would say in. You know, in. As an homage to your sweet, sweet Midwest mother, make it bring a meat. Bring a meatloaf.

[Eric Edelstein]

Yes, bring meatloaf.

[Steve Berg]

You know, bring a goddamn meatloaf. And honestly, that will disarm everyone. And if there may be, like, light, like some nog champa, there could be some hippie boomers, which are hippie boomers, too. Like, who were former hippies are the most volatile.

[Eric Edelstein]

They're how we got here. Woodstock turned to Wall Street. They never looked back.

[Steve Berg]

That's exactly.

[Eric Edelstein]

And they shouldn't be pissed off. They bought houses for 40 grand that are now worth a million.

[K Dot]

Come on, take it easy.

[Steve Berg]

Life's pretty good.

[Eric Edelstein]

It all worked for you, boomer.

[Steve Berg]

Yeah, you're fine. You're fine.

[Eric Edelstein]

You're welcoming it.

[Steve Berg]

But I think this is such a good way to go. Do it at the end. Call an end of harvest party. Everyone bring a cover dish. You're making that meatloaf. Like Eric said, take his advice about, like, setting the atmosphere with boomer tunes. Now, if you have to spin up some, like, low, kind of low THC teacher plant, that will probably drop their shoulders and get them in a better headspace, too. Boomers love weed.

[Eric Edelstein]

Well, hold on. But, Steve, I'll say this as somebody that's been to a lot of concerts. So I went to desert trip trip, which was old Cella with all these. And also, boomers drink, and when they drink, they want weed. But I watched at least three different boomers, and they'd get warnings from the younger generation, like, this stuff's a lot stronger. Oh, I had more weed than you can believe. I smoked this when you were. I'm like, I know that, but it's a lot stronger now.

[Steve Berg]

That's what I'm saying.

[Eric Edelstein]

I watched three different boomers drop and sit in a fetal position because the weed is so much stronger. So if you give a boomer weed, make sure It's a nice gentle outdoor.

[Steve Berg]

We're talking 16 to 18%.

[Eric Edelstein]

You know, this is my life. It chose me somehow. But I've watched a lot of boomers have difficulty with. With weed and teacher plants because it is so much stronger. And I'm the rare guy that has known this because I've seen a lot of boomers have horrible times at concerts.

[Steve Berg]

And you've given it to him probably.

[Eric Edelstein]

I gave him a warning first. But no, I won't give a boomer weed because I know how it ends. I'll watch other people do it or it'll get passed around. I'm like, be real careful that friend. And then they always get mad mad like they do in the group chats. Cause I won't even pass on. Be real careful that friend. Because I can tell they're drinking and haven't had in a while and all of a sudden they're ready to smoke for the first time since 75 before they went to Wall street. And it doesn't end well. So Keda, I know he's thrown a massive amount of advice, life theory, my ideas on boomerism and group chats. What are you thinking here? What are you gonna do?

[K Dot]

Okay, here's what I'm. Here's what I'm feeling from everything that you said and thank you. I too like you. Thank you. I love you guys. I have an affinity for an older adult and I truly. I'm a big fan of the boomer music. I mean, come on. Paul Simon.

[Eric Edelstein]

Yeah.

[K Dot]

You're me. Yeah, yeah, I am. I really am.

[Eric Edelstein]

Actually. Put on Gracely.

[K Dot]

I'm an older adult.

[Eric Edelstein]

Yeah, yeah, it probably will work.

[Steve Berg]

It probably will work.

[K Dot]

It will soften them. And I actually have another really fun idea that I thought of as you were speaking, Steve, which is not only to do an end of harvest potluck, but what if there's a fun requirement that you have to use ingredients from your own patch.

[Steve Berg]

I love this damn K. That is awesome. Yeah.

[Eric Edelstein]

Incorporates brilliant.

[Steve Berg]

At least part of what you grow into your dish. That.

[K Dot]

Yeah, I.

[Steve Berg]

First off, if I got invited to that party, you have no idea how excited be I would, I would be like just like this. This is the kind of party I want to attend at this age is a community garden party where I'm supposed to incorporate my, my own produce into a dish. Yeah. Yeah, you had me at that, sister.

[Eric Edelstein]

I would put one tiny note on the invitation. This is a cell phone free gathering because they will get on Facebook and just say, we are doing it's part of the theme people. But they will show up. The people that are angriest in the group chats will show up and just be on Facebook the whole time.

[Steve Berg]

Yep.

[K Dot]

Oh, it's true. We've had some of the wonderful boomers in the group doing like, you know, doing vitriol in the text thread and then going to Facebook and doing a monologue there, of course, written monologue about what has happened in the group thread. So there's a lot of sharing going on and I think. Yeah, yeah, I do think that sort of. I love the idea of. Because really it's a long time coming. It's kind of a shame we've never done a potluck. This is the fourth year of the garden and it's kind of shocking. No one has kind of had the, I don't know, it's a lower income neighborhood. I think a lot of people are strapped and it's sort of like, you know what we need to really relish in our, in our harvest and the beauty and bringing all the bees and the birds to this area. Like, let's celebrate that. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. I love that. It's a very long time coming. Thank you for encouraging it. It's something we thought of in the first year and have, have never done. So.

[Steve Berg]

Yeah, this is great. And like, you know, and like I hear you times are tough for like everybody and like, you know.

[K Dot]

Yeah.

[Steve Berg]

You know, like in like no need to make this extravagant. Like I think like, you know, you can jam a kano on this, this situation and really it's just like, hey man, no fussing. Must you if you can't bring anything that is cool. We just want you there.

[Allie]

Yeah.

[Steve Berg]

You know what I'm saying? It's, it's all about like and you know, even if it's just bring some of your zucchinis and you didn't cook them down, but you're like giving them away. I think, I think this is such a positive way. And also people will drop their shorts, let their hair down, go like, you know, maybe they'll think twice before they start spewing vitriol on group messages. You know, like, I really, I think remind people what the beautiful thing is, what you're doing because the community is wonderful. They can never take community away from us. And I'm telling you, this is such a high positive thing. So protect the positivity of the community garden at all costs. And I think this is a great way to do it.

[Eric Edelstein]

And it's a cell phone free event and for everybody listening, this helps me a lot. It's somebody that hangs out with a lot of boomers and feels bad for them because they're on Facebook all the time and they're watching cable news all the time. Whether it's msnbc, Fox News, cnn, they're on it all the time. View them as victims. They're a massive technology absorber that they weren't prepared for. And you can get mad at them and get frustrated, or you're like, well, they're victims. They don't know how to deal with this. It's a technology beyond their control. And what if we can kind of help the midwife through all this technology in a funny way, just from somebody that spends a lot of times with boomers and is in two different boomer chat groups, works with boomers and loves elderly people and thinks there's a ton we can learn from them all. And I've been better for it. View them as victims. They didn't choose this. It chose them. We're the beta testers for all this. We did know a B division. Look at that retirement community, the villages. They have physical fights now over politics. Cause they're on Facebook and cable news.

[Steve Berg]

Don't they, like, bone all the time and get STDs?

[Eric Edelstein]

There's a huge STD. I volunteered at the Woodland Hills Motion Picture Theater retirement home. And let me just sell you. Be healthy men. Hang on. Because there is nothing more desired than a man in a retirement community because the numbers are low. So it was like eight to two. Eight women to two men. And they would. They were fighting over the men during an improv exercise. Fighting, fighting. Why don't I get to be in a scene with Alfredo? Why don't I get to hitchhike with Alfredo? We did Zip Zap Zob together, so. No, it's a whole other world. But there's so many. Communities value their elders. And one of the best ways we can value and respect our elders now is to gently teach them about social media and teach them about the limits of this technology. So, K Dot, were we able to help you today?

[K Dot]

Absolutely. This is.

[Eric Edelstein]

Okay, well, keep us updated. We want pictures from this community gathering, please.

[K Dot]

We will. We'll totally send. Yes, please.

[Steve Berg]

Video pictures. We would love to see it. And if you need help on your playlist, look no further than our resident boomer, Eric Elston.

[Eric Edelstein]

I'm here. I'm here. Start with Graceland. Start with Harvest. Don't look back.

[K Dot]

Yeah, yeah.

[Steve Berg]

Maybe some Joni Mitchell. Give me some Joni Mitchell.

[Eric Edelstein]

Yeah. Oh, yeah.

[K Dot]

Forever. Forever, sister.

[Steve Berg]

Joni, I love her.

[K Dot]

One of the best.

[Steve Berg]

Well, K Dot, this is. I think you're a great person. You're a great human being. Bring that meatloaf and wow everybody. You can even bring it cold and make sandwiches. I mean, that might be.

[K Dot]

It'll help stretch that with fresh peppers that we grow. We have so many pepper kittens.

[Steve Berg]

Yeah. With the cost of beef right now, you make that stress. Don't be afraid to put breading in there, you know?

[K Dot]

Come on.

[Allie]

Yeah.

[Eric Edelstein]

Eddie, you do a beautiful version with beyond. There's four ingredients in it.

[Steve Berg]

Sure, sure.

[Eric Edelstein]

Richard Berman's war on veganism is not going to be.

[K Dot]

Check it out.

[Eric Edelstein]

Okay, okay. All right, Fred, great to meet you. Kdot, keep us updated. Take a few pictures with your cell phone and then put that thing away because this is a hands free party.

[Steve Berg]

Boom.

[K Dot]

Absolutely. That's why we garden.

[Steve Berg]

Hell yes. K Dot. Hell yes.

[Eric Edelstein]

Great to meet you, friend.

[Steve Berg]

Peace out, sister.

[K Dot]

You too. Have a good one. Bye.

[Max]

This episode of the podcast is brought to you by Squarespace. You know what Squarespace is and so do you. It's where you can build a website. You want to see how it works? Go to garethreynolds.com I love Gareth, but he is not a technically sound individual and he built that website himself.

[Eric Elston]

They really are the best. They make you stand out. Your website looks professional and there's all these things they can help you with. They can help you with the SEO tools, your cutting edge design, your domains, your donations, your videos, you know, whatever it is that is really Squarespace is there for you. They make you look the part. And again, it's easy. Nobody's gonna go to your Squarespace website and be like, boy, this guy mailed it in. I've worked with Squarespace for a long time. Every website I am associated with, which is quite a few of them, completely Squarespace only. I'm a Squarespace only fellow. What can I say? So go to squarespace.com GilSentMe for a free trial and when you're ready to launch, use offer code GilSentMe to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.

[Steve Berg]

Now at McDonald's, get a $5 McChicken meal deal or a $6 McDouble meal deal. They come with small fries, a soft drink and four piece McNuggets. We're gonna need a bigger tray. Get more value with your meal deal. With McValue, prices and participation may vary.

[Eric Edelstein]

Prices may be higher for delivery. Ho, ho, ho. Steve, we Have a caller.

[Steve Berg]

Juby.

[Eric Edelstein]

Now, caller, welcome to live chat with two weirdos. We're guessing if you're here, you might potentially be weird too. We're about to find out. To begin, caller, what is your name or fake name and where are you calling from?

[Allie]

Oh, yeah, so my name is Allie. I'm calling from Colorado.

[Steve Berg]

Ooh. Whereabouts? Do you mind gimme like a little more specificity? You don't have to.

[Allie]

Yes, over in like the Fort Collins area.

[Steve Berg]

My brother lived in Fort Collins for like 20 years. I love Fort Collins. I mean, I love Fort Collins.

[Eric Edelstein]

Steve's a huge Colorado guy. It's. It's part home for him.

[Steve Berg]

I love it as an Omaha. And you know, Colorado is where we. We come to vacation. But Fort Collins is wonderful. There used to be an incredible pizza place called Justine's. I think it might have closed. Did you remember Justine's pizza?

[Eric Edelstein]

Allie, we're real. None of this is a bit welcome.

[Allie]

I have not eaten there, so I don't know.

[Eric Edelstein]

You go to Justine's, you get the Tavern pizza. You can just cancel Christmas and get ready to have a blast.

[Steve Berg]

I've seen a few. I've seen a handful of shows of the Aggie. What a great venue that place is. Oh, yeah, very, very lovely. My brother had a condo right above the Aggie.

[Eric Edelstein]

But you're not name drop city popcorn. Not trying to brag. Not try to brag. Paddock condo above the Aggie in Fort Collins, Colorado. Must be nice. Brotherburg. Must be nice. So, Ellie, you know the glorious fun drill. We want to know who you are. So please, so please tell us your desert island album, book, movie, premium TV show and meal that you're gonna eat.

[Allie]

Oh, my gosh. I've been thinking about this all week.

[Eric Edelstein]

Oh, that's big. We love it.

[Allie]

It's so hard to decide, right?

[Eric Edelstein]

It is hard. But that's how we really get to know people and can give decent admit advice.

[Allie]

Okay, well, we'll see how I do. So, book. I would go with the Hunger Games. I love the Hunger Games books.

[Eric Edelstein]

Super fun. And probably good for a desert island too, right?

[Steve Berg]

Yeah, it will teach you some shit.

[Eric Edelstein]

Things are gonna get weird.

[Steve Berg]

Hell yeah.

[Allie]

Yeah. And then album. You know, I love the Bodyguard by Whitney Houston. That one.

[Steve Berg]

Oh, no. The Bodyguard. The Bodyguard soundtrack with Kevin Costner.

[Allie]

Yes.

[Eric Elston]

Whoa.

[Eric Edelstein]

We always love Steve.

[Steve Berg]

I had no idea you could get that high until this moment. I just learned something.

[Eric Edelstein]

Oh, I can get.

[Steve Berg]

And I'm going to use that to my advantage. Let me also tell you one thing about the Bodyguard. I just remember Kevin Costner chugging on orange juice the entire movie. That was my big take.

[Eric Edelstein]

Was he really?

[Steve Berg]

He was always ordering orange juice. That was like his little character thing.

[Eric Edelstein]

Oh, I love it. And my, my buddy's in it. The great Mike Starr. And if the Bodyguard was made today, I'd probably be on the medium list if a bunch of other people turned it down to play very bad bodyguard that Kevin Costner has to subdue. Oh, Kevin's a good guy. You know, we taught baseball. It was in the Natural Eric. So we love the Bodyguard. That's a, that's a classic soundtrack. And then what about a movie? Premium TV show. Are you just going to roll with the Bodyguard for both?

[Allie]

I could, but I'm going. TV show. Going. Schitt's Creek. That one.

[Steve Berg]

Great.

[Eric Edelstein]

Love it.

[Steve Berg]

You like a laugh. You like a laugh. A little zany time.

[Eric Edelstein]

Well, we love Canadians here.

[Steve Berg]

Yeah, it's good to laugh. And what is the meal you would be enjoying?

[Eric Edelstein]

Steve needs to know this.

[Steve Berg]

I need to know. Remember, it's like you have a food replicator. So it's going to be the same meal for the rest of your life. You have to take that in consideration.

[Allie]

Yes. Okay. I'm going with green chili because you could put it on everything. It's very versatile and delicious.

[Steve Berg]

It really is. Colorado green chili classic. You're going to find that on your omelets, your breakfast burritos, I mean, on your huevos rancheros. It is a staple of the great state of Colorado. God, I love Colorado. I could talk about it all day. But we're not here to talk about Colorado today, Allie. We're here to help you with a little bit of a weird problem, sister. Lay it on.

[K Dot]

Thank you.

[Allie]

Okay, so here's my problem. So what I'm trying to get going is when my nieces and nephews, like when they turn 16 and they get their permit, we go on a week long road trip. So far, like, I've taken my oldest niece to the biggest ball of twine in Minnesota.

[K Dot]

Great trip.

[Steve Berg]

Oh, so you love a roadside attraction. You are talking to two roadside attraction aficionados. In fact, one day, Eric and I dream of doing a road trip down Route 66.

[Eric Edelstein]

You and I, buddy, the whole way. If any producer is listening right now, give Steve and I, we'll do it for nothing. Just pay like 80 grand and we will go from the start of Route 66 to the end together.

[Steve Berg]

That's right. We'll document the whole damn.

[Eric Edelstein]

We just need budget. We probably do need separate hotel rooms because daddy snores.

[Steve Berg]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. We will definitely need that and a large food per diem. But so. Okay, so you are obviously this cool. This cool aunt.

[Allie]

Yeah, I'm trying to be the coolant.

[Eric Edelstein]

I think you're doing.

[Steve Berg]

Yeah. Please elaborate about this wonderful roacher, buddy. I love this.

[Allie]

Okay. Yes. So that's my, you know, an example of what my past strips have been. My niece now, who just got her permit. Her name is. Let me think of a name. Grace.

[Eric Edelstein]

Hi, Grace.

[Allie]

So she wants to go on, like, maybe see some, like, haunted attractions.

[Steve Berg]

Oh, yeah, baby.

[Eric Edelstein]

Yeah.

[Allie]

And, you know, I started joking around. I'm like, oh, the clown motel. Thinking that she wouldn't go for that because it would. It scares me thinking about it.

[Steve Berg]

Yeah.

[Allie]

And that's what she picked up. So going to the desert.

[Eric Edelstein]

I know this clown motel. I googled this clown motel.

[Steve Berg]

So that's in the southwest, Is it New Mexico?

[Allie]

Nevada.

[Steve Berg]

Nevada.

[Eric Edelstein]

Isn't it on the road to Vegas from California?

[Allie]

Probably.

[Eric Edelstein]

I googled this once, Steve, and I actually have a friend that's a clown. And I think people in life need to embrace their inner clown. I think it's a good thing. And what I started doing when I Googled, because I'm terrified of clowns. Terrified of haunted. So I understand why you're resisting Ally, for sure. What freaks you out most about the clown motel?

[Allie]

Okay, so I am what they call a cradle Catholic. I was. I was raised Catholic. Don't practice. An adult, but just enough to, you know, haunted things freak me out.

[Eric Edelstein]

I'm not trying to friend. You probably heard the debate on here. I was raised the same way. I won't go near a Ouija board to this day. Steve's always threatened to bring him over. I don't want to invite that stuff in. Steve gets a calligraphy pen and builds his own invitations to invite that shit. I'm not in favor of it.

[Steve Berg]

Erica's dead. Right. But so is the real issue is that, like, obviously you don't want to disappoint your niece or nephew, but she wants to go to the clown museum and you're. Or the clown hotel. I'm sorry. And do like an overnight and, like, stay there for a bit. And you're like, I'm going to do it, but. But I'm scared. How do I steel myself? Is that kind of what you're calling about?

[Eric Edelstein]

Or do you want to steer the kid away from the clown museum?

[Allie]

All right. Originally I was like, okay, how do I steer us away to something Else that's equally creepy but doesn't make me look lame or should I just suck it up Now? I'm thinking I should just suck it up.

[Steve Berg]

I would say this now. The great Carl Jung, brother Carl would say, if you do not face the shadow, then the shadow is going to pop up all over the place for the rest of your life and take over. So I do think there's something to facing your fears. A lot of people in life get super. Their hobbies become tangentially related to their fears. I am like, weirdly, I am scared a lot of the stuff I'm interested in, but it's because the more I know about it, the more information I have, the more disarming it becomes. So my vote, and we can, we'll pitch some advice on this would be to face the dragon, to face the demon. Go to this place and conquer this. And even if you don't fully conquer it, you'll be better off for doing something challenging like this. I think also you're making your, your, you don't want to like pass your fear necessarily to your niece or nephew. You know what I'm saying? It's like, look, you're, you can make it into a whole bit like, you know, the whole way there. Like, I'm scared. You're gonna have to protect me. You know, you're the leader here, hold my hand. But I mean, like, what, like are you willing to go? Or is this like something deep? You're like, actually like, I'm legit scared, Eric and Steve. This is gonna cause like problems for me. Or is it something that, like, I'm just a little spooked out in between,

[Allie]

I'm like, in between, like I'm, you know, trying to get it.

[Eric Edelstein]

I get it.

[Allie]

Still terrified.

[Eric Edelstein]

Well, and for me, part of the allure of a trip like this would be going somewhere scary and then going and then leaving the scary thing for a hotel with the sheets with a high thread count, perhaps a continental breakf. You know, the idea of staying there for me is so scary because you know, those clowns come to life at night. I'm sorry, there's gonna be weird stuff in your room. It looks everybody. What's the name of the Clown Hotel? Is it just the Clown Hotel or.

[K Dot]

I think so.

[Allie]

Yeah, the Clown Hotel.

[Eric Edelstein]

Like I, I truly looked this up and I was. There were surprising amount of good reviews. Like, it's not a bad hotel. I'm one of those guys when I pick a hotel, I've mastered getting last minute, great, inexpensive hotels. That filter for me is always three stars and at least an eight in guest reviews. And I don't think the clown motel is checking either of those boxes. It looks if everyone right now, you know, not if you're in your car listening, wait till stoplight or pull over. Google this clown motel. It's truly terrifying.

[Steve Berg]

It is.

[Eric Edelstein]

And the clowns for sure come to life at night. And, like, I think, you know, Allie, what you should probably do is smear on that grease paint, become a clown yourself, have your niece put on clown makeup. You're gonna have to get the cheap clown outfit on Amazon. And 100% lean into this. And I think Steve's right. In the Jungian world, you will conquer and face your fears. But I want you to have a backup hotel at the ready. I don't think there's anything that close to the clown hotel is an issue.

[Steve Berg]

This is a great idea.

[Allie]

The backup hotel I saw next to it, also haunted. So the whole area, I guess. Do you know.

[Steve Berg]

Do you know what the name of the town is? I feel like. You know what? I feel like you're right. I know my friend Jessica Knappik, who's in the paranormal game named Wrong.

[Eric Edelstein]

She.

[Steve Berg]

Yeah. Not direct, but she did stay there, and she did mention that the town itself has, like, a history of hauntings. So another. Another, like, hotel motel may not be the solution. Hold on. But I do like Eric's plan. Like, having a backup plan. The situation if it becomes too much, it's not a bad idea. However, what I would do, I think. I think, like, you're. You guys are on. Both of you. It kind of mentioned that, like, if you lean hard into it and take this as, like, a fun thing and even make your fear part of the joke, you. You said yourself, you know, you like Schitt's Creek. You're a person who likes to laugh. You like a bit. Turn this into a bit, and if you. It will disarm the whole situation. I promise you. Like, like, if you're comfortable, wear some clownish outfits, joke around the entire time. And the main thrust of, like, the bit you can work around is your irrational fear of this clown motel. I'm not saying. No, I'm. I'm not saying it's irrational, but treat it as, like, an irrational fear. That will be such good fodder for jokes and bits. I think. I think if you go in there with, like, this is crazy. That's a good. It's like bungee jumping for hotels. And so, like, I would never go

[Eric Edelstein]

wrong with bungee jumping. Well, I mean, I'm looking at the website right now and it says the world famous Klein Motel, quote, America's scariest motel. Now this, what is interesting is it's started by a guy named Vijay Mehar. I hope I'm saying that right. And Steve, you'll love this. He was a master chef in five star hotels of repute in Qatar, Australia and Canada. And his goal is to make the world's scariest motel. But I'm guessing if you have a five star chef there, the haunted meals will be good. But I think the, yeah, the one next door is also extremely haunted. You're gonna have to find another backup motel, Even if it's 30 miles down the road. Just as for your own peace of mind, for your own mental health, to get out of Dodge and away from those clowns. Because if they're billing it as the scariest motel in America, good lord, is

[Steve Berg]

that frightening to me, I would also say ally. So a lot of times these place, these haunted dwellings that are of, of some kind of note, the lore and the haunting stuff is complete fiction. I, I don't, I, I, My guess is that this place is what was not haunted until the guy of the hotel said it was haunted. And then I, I believe we things are attracted to expectations and folklore. And so it may have become haunted. But this place, it's not like it, it's cursed land or anything like that that I don't believe at all. So the hunt, it's more of a reputation. It's a, it's a great tourist attraction because there's a lot of paranormalists out there and weirdos like myself who want to go to a place that is haunted and go out of their way and detour 60, 70 miles to go to a place that is like reputationally haunted. I think that's what this is. And obviously clowns as well. Like public speaking is a great known fear. I think to put you at ease, it is fiction, I believe. I think maybe now people's energy stuff to have.

[Allie]

Maybe it's not.

[Eric Edelstein]

Hold on. What sister died there?

[Steve Berg]

Who died?

[Eric Edelstein]

Their friend, Sister.

[Steve Berg]

People die everywhere. But, but I will say this, people die everywhere. People have died every building.

[Eric Edelstein]

Potentially the worst advice in the history of this podcast. People died everywhere.

[Allie]

Steve, I'm not feeling very confident.

[Eric Edelstein]

Oh yeah, hold on. The clown motel in Tonopah, Nevada is famously haunted by the spirits of 17 miners killed in the 1911 Belmont Mine fire and victims of the 1905 Tonopah plague. It was built by the Old Tonopah Cemetery by the children of Clarence David, a miner and clown enthusiast who died in a mine accident.

[Steve Berg]

I stand corrected.

[Eric Edelstein]

Ali is a cradle Catholic. Start praying. And I would definitely. What better time to refind your faith? I don't know if there's a Catholic saint of evil clowns to look to. I'm big on Saint Genesis, the patron saint of actors and sex workers. But find I would bring some totems for yourself. What better time to reinvestigate your faith under the current leadership of Pope Leo than to bring something for you as a talisman to keep this stuff away? I'll tell you what. I would have the Catholic candles. I would have totems. I'd have a whole bunch of stuff to counteract all these people that died in a mine. And is there anything more terrifying than a 1905 clown that died in a mine accident? Like he probably lived his whole life to haunt people. That's true. I want a backup hotel. Also another backup idea. I don't know if your niece is a fan of the show. I sure hope she is. We can give you Steve Berg's home address. You can drive to Steve's house. You can watch him mow the lawn with his shirt off and eat a massive amount of pasta. There are options for you that aren't this clown motel. But if you're determined to do it, I would say for you. No, you control your experience, you control the energy. And find some kind of semi religious, spiritual or psychedelic way to hold your energy in.

[Steve Berg]

Yeah, Allie, just to kind of get down to brass tacks here, because, I mean, we've been pitching some ideas here. Are you wanting us to give you an out, help you get an out with your niece. Nephew, or are you wanting us to help. Give you some tools to help you face this climate? All what, like, what is. What is the outcome you're looking for here? Because I'm a little. It's a little murky for me.

[Allie]

All right? So I'm open to staying one night.

[Eric Edelstein]

That is fair than I would.

[Allie]

I can do. I don't want nothing. I don't want anything to follow me home. And I'm more like, if I bring a lot of religious things and then it knows that I'm scared. Is it. Are the clowns just gonna mess with me more?

[Steve Berg]

I think so. I think so. So I think the more stuff you do to. To that is like, you know, like, here's what I would do if I was you. Honestly, you know, I. I take that back. I would Bring things that come for you and make you feel more confident. Like if, if bringing like some Catholic iconography is going to make you more comfortable, I say do it for me. If I was truly scared of a place, I would take a hunk of iron in my pocket. Because I think all this stuff emanates from the fae realm. Of course, we all know that, but whatever that means to you, like if it's a crucifix or rosary, I don't know much about Catholicism, but like, whatever it is for you, bring those tools also. I tell you, I'm telling you this. I have gone to into a lot of these haunted places. I spent the night in caves. When I am feeling scared, I've spent

[Eric Edelstein]

the night in caves, merch, at least a calendar month quote.

[Steve Berg]

What helps me is to joke around and sort of take the piss out of the situation by doing bits and leaning into it. So if you're scared, like, make the. How you exhibit your fear funny.

[Eric Edelstein]

Yes, Steve's right. Piss the evil haunted clowns off.

[Steve Berg]

That's right. They don't love comedy. And also they love the respecter. Kind of like, you know what, she's funny. We're gonna leave them alone and go to the people who are truly scared.

[Eric Edelstein]

And I would bring your desert island stuff. I would bring the Bodyguard soundtrack. I'd have shit's creek on for you. Yes, let. Let your. Let grace revel in the hauntedness of it all. But you're gonna have your totems, you're gonna have your Bodyguard soundtrack. You're gonna have shit's creek. Have you have a nice book there, some reading. You know, I think you can make this experience and you do one night. If nothing else, you're now officially a weird here to help correspondent. I'm looking right now. There's an insane amount of paranormal activity in this clown motel. Steve, I think you should go there. I think you should.

[Steve Berg]

I'd love to.

[Eric Edelstein]

Yeah. I won't. I will shake your hand and then I will be off at the rat

[Allie]

in the nearest radical before we get there.

[Steve Berg]

I would love to. I mean, like, you know, my, my, My wife is absolutely. She was, you know, kind of like you would cradle Catholic. Not practicing anymore. But she has fear of like, whatever. We're on vacation. We're like, what about this place? She's like, absolutely not. And so I'm kind of on my own with wanting to overdo overnights in a haunted dwelling. So I, I hear, I get that. I respect it. However, I think this is so like, character Building for you.

[Eric Edelstein]

It's so cool.

[Steve Berg]

I think it really is cool. It's also showing your decent nephew. It's like, look, I'm legit scared of this. If I act goofy and I start making a lot of jokes, that's just how I cope with it and deal with it. So join me in having fun in the situation and we're going to be better off. Also, Eric, Eric is right. I bet the food is amazing.

[Eric Edelstein]

5.

[Steve Berg]

And that's a five star chef.

[Eric Edelstein]

You're going to be in a guy's cooking in Qatar.

[Steve Berg]

I bet there's like a table sized Caesar, like a beef Wellington, a lot

[Eric Edelstein]

of classics body, you know, lobster thermidor

[Steve Berg]

at Lobster Sand Dunked Alaska. Yeah, you know, the old school.

[Eric Edelstein]

They can chip in fish now. I just read an article in the New Yorker that one of the great sushi restaurants in the world is in Omaha, Nebraska.

[Steve Berg]

It is. It is. He just won a Michelin star. I mean, like.

[Eric Edelstein]

Okay, so Ali, we've given you a whole bunch of pitches here. What are you thinking? What are you going to do?

[Allie]

Okay, so I'm going to do it.

[Eric Edelstein]

Wow. Will you record.

[Max]

All right.

[Eric Edelstein]

Will you record this outing for us, please? And so we can keep our listeners up to date on what happens and. Or maybe you leave this behind in case something awful happens and we can honor your memory.

[Allie]

Yes, I will do that. Will you have the Bodyguard soundtrack?

[Eric Edelstein]

I will play the Bodyguard. Fuck. I'll bring in Mike Starr, the bad Bodyguard. We will honor you properly. And play this clown footage as a warning to people. Don't do this, you know, go to the Radisson Hotel. Just visit the clowns. But we are proud of you for doing this. And please record all this because you're now officially deputized as a weird here to help correspondent investigating paranormal activity at the clown motel. This life chose you, my friend.

[Steve Berg]

Get some merch. Because I have seen people wear the shirts.

[Eric Edelstein]

If they got some double XL clown shirts, we will rock. No, I probably wouldn't. I probably. I'd be scared.

[Steve Berg]

Eric won't. I will.

[Eric Edelstein]

Steve will. Steve.

[Steve Berg]

They have amazing merch. I have seen people wear the T shirts at the many, you know, conferences.

[Eric Edelstein]

6,500 clowns in there. Steal one and send it to Steve. I'm sure nothing bad will happen.

[Steve Berg]

That's a lot. And also, you know, if you do find yourself scared, go back to Whitney. The power of Whitney Houston. One of the great American voices of all time. And that song, you know what? That is unbelievable. It's so good. It's such a good song. And you know what? Maybe drink some orange juice to honor the great Kevin Costner because that was his drink of choice in that movie. Great movie. Maybe watch it before you go. And the brave. The brave, you know, like the courageousness that Whitney and Kevin both had in that movie. Let that infect you and let that be your. Your, Your gutting light.

[Allie]

Okay, that sounds good to me.

[Steve Berg]

Ali, you had also. What a cool aunt. What a cool thing to do. There's nothing better. That is one of the best things America has to offer is the road trip because it is such a beautiful country, so diverse and like this geology and geography. But to go traverse the road, that is like the best bonding experience. These are memories you'll have forever and you guys will laugh about even if you're irrationally scared during this thing. These will be amazing memories in a couple years, I promise you. It'll be very funny. And at holidays you'll bring this up.

[Allie]

I'm hoping that's the case.

[Eric Edelstein]

We are, too. We're rooting. I'm nervous, but I think if you,

[Steve Berg]

if you, if you get possessed, I, you know, I'll contact a local or a priest in Denver who can come exercise you. So we. Don't worry. Don't worry. I got your back. We'll see this through. But, yeah, I have some. I have some local connections in Colorado with some local weirdos who can help you out. So you got this. Ally, you are one cool aunt as Eric Palos Santos himself because he's so superstitious, he thinks he's possessed.

[Eric Edelstein]

And I'm sending Palo Santo to you.

[Allie]

Thank you. Yes, I'll need it for me and my niece because I don't want.

[Eric Edelstein]

Okay, so keep us updated and informed.

[Steve Berg]

She won't. She's fine. She's fine.

[Eric Edelstein]

She'd find she's inviting this in. You're. The die is cast. We're.

[Steve Berg]

We're just.

[Eric Edelstein]

We're with you. We're with you and I. And if you look in your rear view mirror and see a classroom, don't pull over, get to that next hotel

[Steve Berg]

because I would love to know. I would love to know what you had to for. Please tell me about the food at this club, which I'm so curious. And yeah, we would love some video of a little walkthrough, if you don't mind. And you can send that to us and we'll post it on the Patreon at least.

[Allie]

You got it. Yeah, I'll do it. I'll do my best.

[Steve Berg]

You got this, sister. Go get him.

[Eric Edelstein]

Love it. It's on, friend.

[Steve Berg]

Go get him.

[Allie]

Thank you so much.

[Steve Berg]

Yeah, pack plenty of road sandwiches. You know you don't want to have to. You'll be stopping at Long John Silver's in some weird town. Peace out, sister. Have a good one.

[Allie]

Thank you. You too. Bye.

[Eric Edelstein]

Weird Here to Help is hosted by Eric Edelstein and Steve Berg. If you'd like to be on the show, please email us your question at weird hereto helpmail.com hey, everyone, this is

[Allie]

Whitney and Alexa, aka the Popcorn Queen and king.

[K Dot]

Hey, guys.

[Eric Edelstein]

We just wanted to thank you so much for all the love and support

[K Dot]

you've shown our family.

[Allie]

As many of you know from episodes 224 and 231, we're navigating Alexa's second kidney transplant journey.

[Eric Edelstein]

And that journey has really inspired us to create the Ironic Kidney Recovery Foundation.

[K Dot]

That's right. The foundation helps transplant families with everyday

[Allie]

expenses during recovery so they could focus on what's most important.

[K Dot]

Healing.

[Eric Edelstein]

Now, whether it's lodging, transportation, groceries, or other essential expenses, we're here to help lighten the load.

[K Dot]

If you'd like to support our mission,

[Allie]

you can learn more or donate at ara n a krf.org that's aranakrf.org thank you so much for being such an incredible community.

[Eric Edelstein]

And thank you for always being there to help.

[K Dot]

Hi, I am Mandy Moore.

[Steve Berg]

Sterling K. Brown.

[Eric Edelstein]

And I'm Chris Sullivan. And we host the podcast that was Us now on Headgum. Each episode, we're gonna go into a deep dive from our show.

[K Dot]

This is us.

[Allie]

That's right.

[K Dot]

We're gonna go episode by episode.

[Eric Edelstein]

We're also gonna pepper in episodes with

[K Dot]

different guest stars and writers and casting directors.

[Eric Edelstein]

Are we gonna cry?

[Steve Berg]

Yes.

[K Dot]

Little bit.

[Eric Edelstein]

Are we gonna laugh a lot?

[K Dot]

A whole lot.

[Steve Berg]

That's what I'm hoping, man.

[Eric Elston]

Listen to.

[Steve Berg]

That was us on your favorite podcast app. Or watch full video episodes on YouTube or Spotify. New episodes every Tuesday.