051. - Andrew Kuo

All right, this episode of How Long Gone is brought to you by Stateside with Kai and Carter, a new podcast from The Guardian. And they are using this podcast to slow down the news and wrestle with the questions that we all have about what's happening in the world. And they do it three times a week. Jason, does that sound familiar to you? We don't really talk about, you know, a lot of international global news items and climates and cultures and sports and things like that. We do talk about fashion and wellness, but for everything else, Kai and Carter are a great place. All right, so who couldn't use more news? Listen wherever you get your podcast. or watch on YouTube. Want to make a podcast? Spotify's got a platform that lets you make one super easily, then distribute it everywhere, and even earn money. We like that. All in one place for totally free. It's called Spotify for Podcasters. And here's how it works. Spotify for podcasters lets you record and edit podcasts right from your cellular telephone or your computer. So no matter what your setup is like, you can start creating today. Then you can distribute your podcast to Spotify and everywhere else, those other places that podcasts are heard. Video podcasts are also available on Spotify. And when you want to take conversations with your fans to the next level, Q&As and polls are the best way to get them talking. With Spotify for podcasters, you can earn money in a variety of ways, including ads and... and podcast subscriptions. And best of all, it's totally free. Zero catch. We've been using it ever since we started How Long Gone. And ever since I discovered Spotify for Podcasters, I feel like having the option of turning off the Q&As and the polls on the user dashboard has really helped boost my creativity and take it to another level. I highly recommend giving it a try. Download the Spotify for Podcasters app or go to www.spotify.com slash podcasters to get started.

Hello, Chris. Hey, bud. How are you? Hey, bud. I'm well. Just a little sweaty. Looking at Twitter. Did you hit a workout or is it just because the AC is off during renovations? I just did. I just did a little jump rope in the park. How did it go? I had a yoga mat on top of grass, dirt. type of situation so it's a little tough actually why would you put a yoga mat down not just raw dog because it's hard to jump rope on grass oh i didn't really think about that well there's a lot there's a lot about the jump burping world that you need to learn chris i mean i think that's true um unfortunately i don't care uh so it doesn't look like i'm gonna learn that stuff i only have so much valuable brain space tj We know. Let's give a quick thank you to everyone who purchased our new shirts. Oh, yeah. Thank you guys for doing the right thing and supporting the best podcast on the airwaves. Rest assured, you did the right thing. Yeah, and for those who missed out, I apologize. These products go very fast. We are doing a reprint of the Harvard Crimson Gone logo long sleeve shirt. It should arrive in beautiful Glendale in between 7 to 10 days. I'm glad that you're coming around to Glendale, Chris. Well, we had a pretty good day yesterday, bro. I mean, you know, Jason and I had... hung out yesterday um and played tennis and then uh had dinner we also went to one of patronized one of my favorite glendale establishments yoga art um which for those that are not familiar it's a it's a uh vegan soft serve location um that just i mean that shit slaps boy i don't know what else to say it really does slap doesn't it i don't it's the type of thing that i usually

I'm not skeptical, but it never really delivers for me. Eating vegan ice cream or vegan dessert treats, it's always a little mmm. But man, is it good. It's so good. It's so good, like Smucker's Jam. With a name like Yoga Erd, it's got to be good. Exactly, yes. You can't think of a worse name for a soft serve place. It's one of the worst names I've ever seen or heard. It must be going well because they do have a second location in Echo Park. I guess it's exciting to think that somebody who created a business called Yoga Earth is making a pretty comfortable living in this world right now. I think soft serve is comforting even if it's vegan. When the world's crumbling, around you paying ten dollars for a vegan soft serve warms the heart thank fucking god um i had you know i had a few people asking on twitter how the how long gone uh tennis showdown went and i'm happy to say that jason beat me um you know i was not expecting you to say that you are you were happy to say but go on well jason you know i think people that listen to this podcast you know probably think that i am you know just such a superior athlete which i think in a lot of ways i am They don't think that. They know that. But it's nice to be the underdog for once. So now I have to come from behind to dominate you on the court. Backdoor black coming from behind. Backdoor black always comes from behind. I don't know if that will be possible in the next three weeks. I think so. Because after seeing... You know how to hit the ball, but again, your fitness just isn't there. But your reach kind of makes up for that. So it's very challenging to play somebody of your stature. And I don't mean stature in the world. I mean stature physically. Physically only. I do have an unfair advantage with my better body. Is that what you're saying? Longer, thinner, less muscular body.

That's it. I will be fair and let the record state that you are one of the most jacked people I know. I would say I'm the most jacked member of this podcast. That's what I would say. You are fucking ripped as fuck. It's not easy playing against somebody who has that. Many, you know, tens of pounds of bulging muscle mass. Well, what happens is also I did notice that one of your weak points is that when I charge the net like a bull looking to rally, your little pinhead ass gets a little spooked and hits the ball into the net. And that happened multiple times. And, you know, I love an unforced error. That's how you really win. Right, right, right. And then you just haven't really figured out a way to win yet. But yeah, you are correct about that. Also, for every time that you did charge the net, and I did unfortunately seal my own fate by hitting the ball into the net, there were also many times where I did successfully hit the ball. right into your penis area, causing you to kind of flail wildly and then produce some sort of racket in your abdomen area that then either allowed the ball to peg you in the nards, as it were, or to alternatively just simply produce a ball that then barely trickles into the net on your side, causing me to win yet another game. Yeah, no, no, no. Look, again, I'm not a sore loser. Look, facts are facts, and TJ won this round, but this is going to go on for weeks. And you're going to keep getting better and better with every time. I would like to think so. Is your theory. But will I exponentially get worse with time? Will I stay the same, or will I also continue to get better?

You will not get better. You will stay the same. You will stay the same. But I think we're also forgetting about the mental aspect of the game, which is somewhere that I can absolutely dominate you over time. Because much like Dennis Rodman, once I'm in your ear, bitch, I'm not getting out. And I didn't talk that much shit yesterday because those nice Persian girls were next to us. But if we were on a private court, just me and TJ one-on-one, the chatter would be nonstop. If it was prison rules on a secluded Malibu clay court. Yeah, exactly. Then you'd really get into this little head of mine, wouldn't you? Exactly, exactly. But again, it's not about who wins or loses. It's about the fun of the game and the sport itself and treating our bodies nicely. But also, how cool is it when you can treat your body nicely, have fun, and then also win? That's extra cool. It must be. I don't know that feeling. That's what I'm saying to you. I cannot relate. I've had such a big week. I'm just really wearing myself out. I've been driving a lot. You've got Maserati fatigue. Yeah. The Masi... incredible and comfortable ride, but going back and forth to Malibu one day and then the next thing going back and forth to Costa Mesa is just really a lot of car time for a New Yorker. Yeah, I mean, you're doing all of the stuff that people who actually live here truly dread and avoid at all costs, but you were sort of doing it voluntarily, which I like to see. I'm into that kind of stuff, but one could say you've made your own bed. I have made my own bed, and I'm doing it in the lap of red leather luxury, so I don't feel too bad. Thank you for letting me put 200 on the dash yesterday in the Mozzie. Yeah, Jason trying to give me a little neck problem in the flats of Glendale. But we made it. And I think that everybody's like, oh, the traffic is so mellow now because there's nobody around.

Bitch, there's traffic, okay? And it ain't as bad, but I also discovered something I'd never discovered before, which is driving back on the PCH into the Malibu Canyon and then through Balabasas and back to the Hollywood Hills, which was honestly very scenic. And I really, I think I might be the first person to ever listen to Natalie Merchant in a Maserati driving through. malibu natalie of all the things to to pull up on title we did natalie merchant first of all i don't think something that white isn't even on title but i could be wrong um but but but uh Yes, I did, and it was a scenic drive, and the weather was cooling. I'd been in the hot sun all day taking a dip in the beautiful Pacific. Yeah, I know that drive. It is a good one. It's a little foresty. It's a little deserty. You kind of get to go through some tunnels. It's nice. Yeah, I honestly had no idea the variety existed in that short of a span. You know what I mean? Like you said, it's getting a little bit of everything. kind of 30-minute window. Yeah, that's our Cali version of going upstate to pick apples, perhaps. It's not about the destination. It's about just, wow, the foliage. I would absolutely never go upstate to pick apples, so I wouldn't know what that felt like. But Jeff Hendrickson, our mutual friend who was hosting me in Malibu, he failed to tell me that I was going to drive right by the Calabasas Airwad. So I wasn't able to stop there, which I feel like is something I should check off my list. Let's you and I do that before your trip is over because even though I live here, that's something I've never done and it is on my bucket list as well. Okay, great. I don't plan on buying anything, but I do just have a scene report. I understand and I also want to buy something, but I understand.

The only thing I'm leaving the Calabasas era on with is Khloe Kardashian's phone number, all right? Hey, let's go, baby. What's up? Lose that. I'm as tall as Tristan. You know what I'm saying? I look good. Yeah, you got TT. Now meet TJ. You fucked up the letters. And then Costa Mesa was also wild. what a beautiful trip through Newport and Laguna and, and California Trump country. Um, it's so funny. I mean, I really like when I was in orange County growing up, you know, I would say that Costa Mesa is the only city or was at least the only city in actual orange County that had any type of culture going on like that, any like bars or clubs or shopping destinations, like whatever semblance of, of that, that we have in orange County was only in Costa Mesa. And, uh, it's a, it's a strange feeling to know that Chris Black is, is in there. Well, our, our, our mutual friend, um, Christian Lennon put me on to a new store in Newport beach that kind of blew my mind. Um, it's, it's like, it's the, it's basically the West coast version of Hirschlifers, the place I wrote about in long Island. and it's like this insane like white mid-century building on the port in newport beach like boats can pull up really my shit i mean it's a little more gwyneth than i would go but they do have jill sander um you know and and drees so you know if if you're a woman and you're in newport beach you're looking for some high-end designer fashion i found the place for you a little little little too gwyneth for chris really says says a lot Well, too, I mean, my personal taste. I think that I would love to run into it there and share an espresso. But, you know, I mean, you know, it's a little white linen. Not white linen, but just like, you know, beach stuff. That's not really your bag. No, I'm a real city slicker, Jason. Known city slicker Chris Black. Exactly. But, yeah, anyway, it's been an eventful few days here in Southern California. We love it.

But I'm happy to be planted, you know, in front of my fucking computer talking to TJ. And we do have a guest today. A lifelong born and raised New Yorker, actually, who's been on the ground, you know, since COVID hit. Artist Andrew Kuo, who you might know from Twitter. He's very funny. He has a podcast called Cookies Hoops. He contributes very often to the New York Times, represented by Marlboro Gallery in New York. He also has the Instagram account Earl Boykins, which I'm sure you follow. Earl Boykins, where Milhouse from The Simpsons is his avatar. I feel like he's had that ever since I've been on Twitter. Legendary meme account. And I like it because it's from someone smart. You know what I mean? It doesn't happen too often with a meme. I mean, you know, fuck Jerry. You know, it's him and fuck Jerry are at the top of the meme. Jason, if you would have zagged instead of zigged, you could have been fuck Jerry. So wash your mouth. Is fuck Jerry still pumping? Fuck Jerry getting that baguage, boy. Fuck Jerry doing Miller Lite memes probably right now for half a mil. That's no cap, bro. I'm serious. I know. I'm doing Miller Lite memes. No question. I mean, those guys kind of don't go away. I don't really get it, but that's just how it works. No one really cares. I mean, when it's that big, it's tough for people to actually care. Yeah, I mean, I believe they call that fuck you money. I would agree. Well, before we talk to Andrew, I just want to report some news. WeWork just liked one of our photos on Instagram. Things are looking up. Things are looking up. We need to further discuss WeWork and social media because I also have some WeWork activity going on with me as well. Good to know. I'm glad that they finally started following you from my engagement. That's cool. I would say that's probably not what happened. I would probably say it's the other way around, but that's cute. All right. Let's call Andrew and stop arguing for people. Okay? Okay. Bye.

This episode of How Long Gone is brought to you by Squarespace. Obviously, Jason, you and I spend a lot of time on the World Wide Web, so do all our peers, our listeners, our friends, our colleagues, maybe even your parents if they're freaky. And if you're doing anything in the world, writing, taking pictures. I do topless boxing. You need a website. Exactly. A website that works, that does what it's supposed to do, that allows you to be creative but also business-minded. Jason, there's one place to go for that, Squarespace. Yeah, Chris, I'm over here. I'm modifying calculators and putting Claude inside of them so you could cheat at school. And I just want a place where I could have everything all in one place. I can have the SEO tools so those future graduates can find me. And I'm able to accept, quote unquote, donations for my services that might be gray area. You know what I mean? And then email campaigns. Hey, I got a new 2.3 version upgrade. Boom, boom, boom. Get the analytics going. Raise some money. Show your investor all of your cool analytics of what's going on. They're going to want to get in early. And we can use Blueprint AI to make your website look as professional as your competition, if not more. So head to squarespace.com slash howlong for a free trial. When you're ready to launch, use offer code howlong to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or a domain. Oh, this is huge for me personally. This episode of How I'm Gone is brought to you by TaskRabbit. Oh, baby, let me tell you something. This is not a joke. I use TaskRabbit a lot. because I can't do anything. You need some art hung? TaskRabbit. You need a fucking something put together? A cabinet? Got to reach that cheese grater on the top shelf? TaskRabbit. Anything you need, TaskRabbit can take care of it for you. And I mean, it... How it works, TaskRabbit connects you with skilled taskers in your area. They can help you move. They can assemble furniture, repairs, yard work, mounting, and more. You can search for a tasker based on cost, skill set, availability, and past client reviews so you know exactly who's showing up and can have confidence that they know what they're doing because taskers have assembled over 3.4 million pieces of furniture, completed 700,000 home repairs.

handled 1.5 million moves, and the numbers are just going up, Jason. Yeah, throw a little money at the problem. It's not so expensive. And that job that you really don't want to do is something that another person out in the world is very good at doing and would gladly do it in exchange for a little bit of money. So when life happens, your to-do list grows. Get ahead of it now and get $15 off your first task at TaskRabbit.com or grab the TaskRabbit app using promo code how long taskers book up faster, especially for same day tasks. So book trusted home help today. That is $15 off your first task using promo code how long with the TaskRabbit app or at TaskRabbit.com. This episode of How Long Gone is brought to you by a new podcast from The Guardian stateside with Kai and Carter. This is covering a lot of our bases, Jason. It's trying to slow down. the news and wrestle with the questions we all have about what's happening in the world and i know you particularly have quite a lot of questions a lot of questions but how often because we do this podcast three times a week and that's a sweet spot how many times do they do three times a week and i i have a feeling just based on the platform and these talking points that they're maybe going to be covering different stuff than we do that's just a guess the guardian is not some billionaire owned They're not afraid to say what they want to say, brother. Yeah, Rupert ain't sniffing around in what journalists Kai Wright and Carter Sherman are up to over there at Stateside. But yeah, listen wherever you get your podcasts. You can watch it on YouTube. It's three times a week. And who couldn't use more news? Especially when it's not from here, let's say. Give it a listen. Give it a listen. There he is. There he is. I see someone's legs. That's me. I've been working out. How are you, fam? I'm good, man. Nice to meet you guys in virtual spaces. Yes, thank you for joining us. We needed a real New Yorker to come on the pod and give us the fucking report from the ground. All right. What, are you guys in LA?

Yeah, Jason lives in Glendale. I am in L.A. for the month of July in the Hollywood Hills. So we're covering all of our bases. Studio City. It's not Studio City, bitch. Stop saying that. And also, I see you have headphones on. Do you also have a podcasting microphone going? Holy shit. I can hook that up if you want. I wasn't sure if it would work. No, no, no. No necessito. But it looks like your home setup. is a little bit more podcast friendly than the average bear. Well, like someone else in this FaceTime, I just got a MacBook Air. So I'm just like hooked up to that. Yeah, no, you sound good. We're pretty lo-fi over here, King. It's not, you know, we're about quality of content, not quality of audio. We've had people, you know, recording from just like a field, like outside, you know. The acoustic's not great. Kat Marnel, I think Kat Marnel used a flip phone in a sewer. Right, right. With Iraq stickers all over it. Exactly, yeah, yeah, yeah. Which, again, it places you in her sphere in a way that is good, I think, overall. You know what I mean? Oh, great. Get the Asian on. He's all set up. Right, I got you. We got Geek Squad on the pod today, baby. So have you been in New York the whole time? Have you left? What's the vibe? Yeah, man. I've been here the whole time. I wish I could claim that I had somewhere to go, but I had nowhere to go. So I've just been in my apartment in the Lower East Side. It's been crazy. It is weird. It's as weird as you want it to be. Wow. I mean, that sounds like New York in the 90s or something. But I mean, can you cop heroin on the street? Because that's what I've heard. It's crazy. And that's like, let me get on my little soapbox here. That's what's nuts about this whole thing. Like you walk around the East Village, Lower East Side, under any bridge, and you just see like people shooting up. It's just like in place, in plain sight. Shit. So New York is San Francisco now. Pretty much. There's human feces everywhere. That, because I came back for a few days to collect myself and make sure my apartment was still, you know, there.

um yeah on fourth and a and it the scene was bleak for sure um but i imagine it has gotten better in the last couple weeks or is it just weirder in a different way it's weirder in a different way it's cleaner because now all the restaurants have kind of staked their claim to real estate you know on the street yeah but uh and some of them some restaurants look real nice i got to admit it looks looks like a vacation to europe or something but um Yeah, it's still kind of weird here. The real quarantine lockdown was eerie as fuck. That was kind of a mind bender. And now it's a little bit back. But to your point, I have a friend who told me it feels exactly how the 90s felt. Everyone's chilling. Everyone's talking. Everyone's talking about what's going on in their lives next to boarded up storefronts and people passed out on the corner. I mean, that is... I don't know. Well, have you eaten in a restaurant, or are you against it? I am not against it, but I've done takeout like twice, and that's about it, man. It's not the same. So you're cooking every meal. I used to, and now this month I am just doing like the Amy's enchiladas, like the veggie lasagna, you know. But you can cook, right, because you're a food daddy. I like to cook, man. Come on. I like to whip something up nice. But if I have to wash another pile of vegetables, I will crack, man. Do you have a salad spinner? No, I just soak them and then drain them as well as I can. And I always end up with a pile of soupy vegetables. So you're using bleach as recommended or just water? I'm trying to inject the bleach into it. I see. Soaking in water, that is the best way to do it. That is a true chef move. But then when you're done soaking with water, you've got to pop it in the salad spinner. I'll recommend the OXO brand. It's available at Target right now. It's a $30 investment that will make you...

Fall in love with vegetable cooking all over again. I used to have one of those, but I stomped on that button too hard and shattered it. Damn. Wow. Damn. When he's aggressive, when the customers are, you can hear the customers complaining from the dining room. Big Willie style. Damn. Calm down, fam. So yeah, we were talking about salad restaurant chopped on the last episode. Are you familiar with this? Because I have had to learn and do some chopped research. Yo, chopped is a vibe in New York City. There used to be lines for chopped. It was kind of shocking to me because the degree in which they are willing to chop your food basically just looks like someone spit it out into a bowl. They go off a little bit. Yeah, we were talking about that where they have like these blades that they chop your shit up. So you could tell them like when you're getting lined up at the barber, I want a number three, I want a number two. And they will fuck your shit up however fine you want it to be, where it's just a paste of carrots? Is that what it is? Pretty much. And they kind of stretch and get fatigued. You'll roll up to a fine chop, and they'll kind of stretch it out and take a deep breath and go in like a Mortal Kombat movie. I don't know. I'm not a nutritionist or anything, but that can't be good, right? You're just messing up the entire food thing. I don't understand the fascination with the chopping itself. What's the point, really? Is it more digestible or something, or is it just a fun trick to watch them do it? It's got to be both, right? I don't know. Jason, what's your take on that? Thanks for asking, guys. You put fruits and vegetables into a blender, and hand-chopping them is not going to come close to the damage done by a Vitamix or something. I don't really think it destroys that much of the nutrition on a microscopic absorbable level. But I was mentioning last week that it does offer a lot of bitter flavors depending on what you're chopping up. The more you bruise and harm certain vegetables, the more bitter it tastes, which is bad. But I was also looking up.

the chopped menu and they have a salad called the avocado, which told me everything that I need to know about this restaurant. I, I, or do they not have them in LA or are they just sparse? Oh, they don't have it. Oh, okay. That makes a little more sense. I mean, we have one called mixed, I think like M I X T. And that's like, that's like the Under Armour version of sweet green. It's like, It's just not even in the convo. But you rock with Tinder Greens, which I've never been there, and I'm not familiar with the setup. Who, me? Yeah, I thought you rocked with Tinder Greens. Bro, come on. It ain't Tinder on here, bro. It's on site. We ain't Tinder on this podcast. This is not 2011, dog. What do they have there, though? It's kind of like a lemonade where you can get salads, but it's also like cafeteria style, like proteins and sandwiches and shit like that. I mean, there are some pros to it. Like you can mix and match whatever you want. So you can have like a healthy ass meal or you can just get like a plate of mashed potatoes. And they have cheap wine. So if you're looking for like an affordable and healthy pregame for the club, I would recommend that if you're balling on a budge. This place sounds amazing. I was about to say. Well, it sounds similar to Dig In, which is a New York, excuse me, Dig, who has changed their name to just Dig, which I actually like a lot. Andrew, do you like that or no? It's okay. It's kind of like an American Meat in 3, whatever. It's a serviceable Soho lunch if you're not trying to sit down. You know what I mean? I love a Meat in 3, I gotta say. Have you been to dig, Jason? No, I haven't dug. But I like the Manhattan salad culture where it's like places that have been there since the 70s and everyone just goes there for lunch and everyone sort of agrees without speaking about it that this food is mid, but it is what it is and I'm in a hurry. I'm willing to eat kind of sweaty canned peas in my salad.

And then I think you begin to start liking it after a while. Well, Jason, the difference between New York and L.A. is that we actually work. So, you know, we have to run back to our cubicle and sit down and scarf down that salad. It sounds like you have to hurry right back up to your Conde Nast cubicle so your boss at Bon Appetit can comment on your feet pics. Exactly. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, New York sounds awesome. Andrew, though, you do do a lot of food reporting on Twitter. I like to eat. I'm a big fan of it because it's very distilled. Expand on that, my brother. Yeah, tell him because the format is Twitter. No, I was talking to you. Expand on what you mean by distilled. It's short and sweet, baby. It just hits you with a left, right, and then walks away. Well, I have a good example of that that I actually pulled from his Twitter today. Oh, we love when Jason does some research. We love this. This is Andy. Quote. Yep. Trader Joe's is groceries for dummies. Oh, 1,000%. And I felt that. But you, I won't go there because it feels cheap to me, and I don't like that. Wow. Well, I don't cook. So if I'm going to go to a grocery store, I want it to feel. high end because I'm not there to buy a lot and save money. I'm just there to cop a few things and keep it pressing. So. Yo, Trader Joe's sounds like your spot though, because that place is for people who don't cook. Really? Yeah. It's all frozen food, man. Oh, I see. I see. They do kind of a good job. So that's kind of what I meant by four dummies. And I'm definitely into those books. Like those books kind of saved an entire generation, right? The four dummies franchise, you mean? So tight. I have no problems with the Four Dummies brand. So have you owned Four Dummies books in your lifetime? I have tried flash programming Four Dummies or how to build a website Four Dummies. This was back in 2001. This was pre-Squarespace. Yes. Whoa, my God. Way before Friendster, maybe.

He's more of a cargo collective guy, I would say. I feel like HTML for dummies is kind of the quintessential dummy book. I was so dumb I didn't get past like 10 pages, man. It was insane. But you learn how to do anything and you're going to have to do it. Shout out to Squarespace. Yeah, build your beautiful new website today with Squarespace. But I don't have – do you patronize local grocers or are you like a Whole Foods guy? I go local but not because I'm like ethical or anything. It's just Whole Foods is a pain in the ass. There's a lot of lines. So I usually go to like the Korean like deli grocery kind of situations. Those work well. I learned – I heard from Eddie Wong that there's these places called bodegas in New York. What are those like? All right. So they're named after a popular radio show and Showtime TV, like a late night TV show. So that show was a big hit. That makes a lot of sense. It's pretty cool. Like in LA, you guys call them 7-Elevens. But in New York, we call them bodegas after the TV show. And in New York, it seems like you form relationships with the people that work there and they become your best friend. Yeah, it's really like the politics of getting chopped cheese are really complicated. You need to know the rules. You need to know where you stand and where they stand. And hopefully you will have something to eat in front of your computer. Chopped cheese really had a big moment a few years ago, didn't it? It was Jesus and Miro's fault, and then they got AOC involved, and it became – it's so annoying. I mean, first of all, though, are those – I don't eat that kind of stuff. Is it actually good? I've never had one, but there's no reason it wouldn't be great, right? It's just a hamburger chopped up with the American cheese on a long roll. Jason, have you had one before? I have not had one. I mean, it does sound good on paper. Like you just said, it's all the ingredients of a hamburger, except it's all chopped up and then made into a sandwich instead of on a hamburger bun. It sounds good.

You know, I guess as a hood delight. I don't, I just, I feel like is it, do people eat it? It's a late night staple, correct? It's not like a breakfast roll. I've seen people order it for lunch, definitely. But yeah, it has to be drunk food. Yeah, I would be concerned if it wasn't, is my point. Although, are we being a certain way? Because McDonald's is packed like all day long, every day. That's true. That is true. I have not been in a fast food establishment in so long that the thought of it is truly shocking to me. You're vegetarian, right? Yeah, but also I just don't – I just never – I guess like – He's more so just a bitch though. That's also true. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I know. I let him talk to me like that, which I know you wouldn't and shouldn't. I just like – I guess I stopped eating fast food when I was like 14 because I was vegan. And then I just never ate it again because I was just like, I don't know. I guess I did try In-N-Out a few years ago, and it wasn't good. So I wasn't super excited. Well, what if they introduce all these Beyond Burgers? I'm anti-Beyond. Staunchly anti-Beyond. They already have those. You can get Carl's Jr. in Burger King Impossible Burgers right now. But to me, it doesn't seem... It doesn't hit the same way. It would be like buying Apple products at the gas station or something. It just feels wrong. And also, it's in the hands of... They're not putting the love into it at Burger King. Have you tried any of that, though, in a fast food setting? Or have you only tried it at home? I've tried it. I've tried it. Damn, both of you fools are slumming it. I just find beyond kind of disgusting and really hard to digest. Oh, interesting. Impossible is a little better, but also, I mean, I've said this before. When you grow up being vegetarian, a Boca burger is fine. I'm straight. That's what I'm used to, and I'm happy with that. I don't think that could be improved on without making it more than I'm interested in. You're making my brother happy right now. Big brother in the family.

Because real heads know, bro. We've been in the game too long. We are also set in our ways. Well, I just don't think... I saw some shit where they're making a steak that bleeds. Impossible, right? Who needs that, dude? We don't need that. That's performative to me. I think that food is only for people who are... just a midwestern person who gets uh like a diagnosis from their doctor that says they can't eat meat anymore and then yes they're just you know they don't know what to do so they got to give give it a shot the stuff that actually bleeds um otherwise i don't know who the who really but at one point i mean at one point especially in la the beyond shit was like sold out like you couldn't get it which is which is truly insane to me but i mean you know people But I haven't had, I guess the most appealing would be the Burger King Impossible Whopper with the, because you get the flame broiled lines, which seems pretty cool, but I have not tried it. In-N-Out doesn't do it, do they, Jason? No, In-N-Out would never. The best homemade veggie burger, in my opinion, is from Houston's, which is pivoted now to be called Hillstone. I know all about Houston's. A mid-level nice restaurant. There's one in Atlanta, but they're all over. They do a great homemade veggie burger. Highly recommended. Great to know. Have you guys had Superiority Burger? I eat there all the time because I live close, but I actually get the burrito. Oh, yeah, man. That is the best restaurant in the world, right? I love it. I eat there once a week, minimum. I love it. I'm so bummed that I have never been there, and I'm a huge fan. I have his cookbook. It's a whole thing. And he was in cool hardcore bands back in the day as well. What band was he in, Andrew? Was he in Drive Like Jehu? No, he was not in Drive Like Jehu. He was in Born Against. He was in Born Against. Oh, shit. Even cooler.

Yeah, I remember one time, I think I saw him play, and he was doing a late shift. I think he was still at Del Posto, and he rolled in with his chef stuff late at night at 1 a.m. That is very sick. But Superiorty Burger, I love, and I eat there all the time. I just wonder, what's the plan? I feel like that space is so small, it's hard to really make money. I know, right? And they just opened in Tokyo. right before the rona hit so i don't know how that went but like jesus the timing for that yeah they're primed for greatness but i just assume that of everything and then you look around and no one's listening to jungle music right sure sure sure great example um i think probably in j in japan i mean those are usually licensed deals so probably didn't really matter to be honest like as far as like the bottom line Also, thank you for saying the Rona. I feel like I haven't heard that phrase or that word in a couple months and it takes me back. It's a throwback. Is it disrespectful? Should I apologize for saying the Rona? I don't think it's disrespectful. It's as disrespectful as calling herpes the herp or whatever. Calling an STD the clap instead of... Do we need to put respect on disease's name? Like, is that necessary? I think we do. Only disease's. If you were affected by it, you might be like, yo, that's not funny. I'm like, that is not funny, man. But the Rona isn't a, it's no joke. But like, I don't know, it just rolls off my tongue a little bit. And then I realized like, all we do is argue about language. So why is that not on the table? people do like putting the word the in front of a disease like i yeah i got the cancer um yeah that's true it gives it more power than it deserves in my opinion you know what i mean but i i don't have it so what am i who do i what do i know right right yeah andrew do you have coronavirus no but i have not gotten checked i thought i had it probably well then we don't then i don't we don't know if you don't have it if you haven't been checked bro why are you saying so confidently

Yeah, there we go. I don't know is a better answer. Thank you for your honesty. I assume I had it, and I assume I'm a carrier, but who knows what? This is like a story conversation, right? You're definitely giving me super spreader energy. That sounds like a future song about a promiscuous gal. About him having 10 kids by 10 different women. It's like Father's Day over there. But I do – I mean I know a lot of people who have it for sure. I'm sure you do too. Oh, yeah. But kind of early, early phase, early days. Yep. Yeah, a whole bunch of my friends were hanging out and they were all bedridden for a month. Damn. I assume I was – I probably had a version of it. I mean I just assumed that it happened. But I feel good. I don't know. And I feel terrible. You can talk me into anything at this point. Yeah, no, big, big, big, big same. I mean, I, I don't, well, the problem out here now is you can't get the tests because there's a spike in LA. The tests are backed up. So you can't really get an appointment, which I don't, is it easy? Is it easy to get one in New York though? I would imagine nothing is easy in New York because that's the whole point of the city. Yeah. I mean, if you could make it there, you can make it anywhere. That's true. That's true. That's true. Um, my doctor's really cool. And he gives me all these updates and basically his vibe is, it doesn't really mean anything. If you want one, I can do it, but it's not quite accurate. And a lot happens between you taking the test and giving you the results. So like if it makes you feel better, absolutely come in, but it does not make him feel better. Well, it must be nice to have a private doctor, Jason. Do you hear that? I don't, I don't, I have a doctor that I email or text with. I don't know about you, Jason. uh i know i do not um and that sounds like a cool thing yeah i just have to i just pull my car up into a uh major league baseball stadium and sit for four hours and then uh some guy yells at me to throw a ziploc bag into a trash can so america is killing it

If you get the swab to the back of the dome. I didn't get the brain prick. I think they've kind of discontinued, but slowed it down. That sounds horrible. It's really weird to think about. I agree. If someone is going to go all up in there, I better leave with at least a septum piercing or else it's not really worth it. I remember getting my septum pierced and that sensation was... Both pleasurable and painful, which is what piercing is supposed to be. You got a little pleasure from it? Yeah, because it's like a weird – I mean, I also – I mean, this is – I really shouldn't admit this, but I also – I kept a plug in my septum when I was in high school and stretched it a little bit. Are you horny for piercings? This is new. No, this is – What year was this? You're a little Dennis Rodman ass. No, it was 97, 98. Give me a fucking break, dude. So this is post Jim Rose Lollapalooza, right? Yes, definitely, definitely. But I couldn't get tattoos yet, so I had a few piercings. As soon as I could get tatties, the piercings came out. Okay, do you get the same amount of sexual horniness from tats, or is it piercings only? I only remember it with the septum. So I guess just piercing. So she likes a little nose play. Exactly, yeah. Well, it didn't hit with my LeBray piercing, the most embarrassing thing I've ever done. So that one was just more painful. And unfortunately, if I have an important photo shoot coming up and they ask for me to shave clean, they can see the scar. Which one is the, for our listeners at home who aren't familiar with the Le Bray piercing? The Le Bray piercing is the lip, the middle lip. Yeah, like if you were to be not a star member of New Found Glory, for example, you might have that piercing. A star member of New Found Glory, right? Yeah, if you're the touring keyboard player of New Found Glory, you definitely have.

And you kind of make your whole personal brand around it a little bit as well? Yes. Well, I'm lucky that I didn't do a side because that has negative connotations of like Bleak 182. Negative. Negative. You think it's cooler? Yes. Everything that's associated with that band is better. Right? Yeah, yeah. So La Brea is in the middle, like bottom lip. And then you could also do the Blink-182 with the little side flavor. Yeah, all the small things is what I call that. Yeah, to the left, to the right. Jason, you had your ears stretched, which is arguably worse. Yeah, but my penis wasn't getting hard because of it, though, is what I'm taking from this. Yeah, I did have my ears stretched, and I am not proud of it. But I don't see any scars, so you're good. No, no, no. And I also stretch it myself like a freak. Real man. Andrew, did you have any piercings? No, I never stepped to that. Must be nice to grow up in New York City where you know what's cool. Yeah. We have to sort of feel around in the dark. I'm covered in the worst tattoos of anybody I know or seen. No piercings, but that wasn't really my scene. Like, I've never smoked a cigarette, never done hard drugs, but like, like beers and get tattoos. Oh, you're like a stick and poke daddy. Yeah. You said some of the worst tattoos are of all time are on your body. Let's, let's hear some of these chief. You haven't seen Jason's, but go ahead. I mean, one of my friends who was amazing was an aspiring tattoo artist. So she would practice on me. So they're not. bad in concept they're bad in execution respect to my friend who's the best who's a nurse who turned out to be a great nurse instead but i got like an x-files tattoo that says i want to believe i have like i have a basketball missing a hoop by accident i got a bart simpson that doesn't quite look like bart simpson i have like two cats that look like gerbils uh i have a reaper with a basketball that says nicks on it

So you have a lot of tattoos that somebody who has a pretty good Depop store might have. Yeah. Big Depop energy from those tats. Yeah, not great. But also, if I went back in time, would I do it again? Probably. You know, I have a lot of tatties, and I agree. And somehow I don't have anything I'm embarrassed of. It's kind of crazy. Yeah. I don't know how I had the foresight. What do you got? Just only traditional tattoos. I mean, I have an Oasis tattoo. I have a Morrissey tattoo. Wait, talk to me about this Oasis tattoo. What does it say? Live forever. That's amazing. I have done to death. I have my business name. I do have... I do have a heart. LLC tatted on my chest. Exactly. Yeah, exactly. You little guys, you just got your LLC. Guess what, bitch? I got it tatted. Employee identification number. Exactly. You want my yay in? I'll show you. It's on my inner thigh. I do have a heart with the word jokes across the encursive. I love that. That's probably the only one. That was with a friend who we're no longer friends. No, there's no beef. We're just not friends anymore. So it's one of those situations. But overall, Jason has some stuff that I probably wouldn't personally get. Yeah, I have the same tattoo that Master P has on his arm, which is from his Ice Cream Man days, which is an ice cream cone in a waffle cone. That is wearing a bulletproof vest and the ice cream cone has two muscular arms on either end that are holding guns. In his version of the tattoo, it says the phrase about it, about it in a nice traditional script underneath it, but I did not choose to get that. Is it done well? Or is it done like... I would say somewhere between...

It doesn't have stick and poke comedy tat energy. It's done just like a total replica. I brought in a picture of Master P's arm to the tattoo shop. It was done in a tattoo shop. It was done in a proper tattoo shop by a professional. Okay. What logo? Don't you have another business logo? Senior Fish. It is a fish that has sort of taken on the persona of like an old Mater D from a restaurant. I know exactly. I can see it right now. That's fantastic. And he's wearing a sombrero hat. He has like a nice mustache. And then he has his forearm holding like a dinner towel over it the way a Mater D might. And then he's not. He's sitting on a fishing hook, using it. Basically, he's outsmarted the fisherman and is just using the hook as a means of transportation, and he has not been hooked by the barb of the hook. Is it a human arm or a fin? It's a fin. It's a good question. It's fantastic, man. When you describe them, they do sound very cool, I have to say. Don't you have an alligator, too? Yeah, well, that one is like old, like 1950s tattoo flash. But that's, yeah, it's an alligator who's sort of laying. It could be a crocodile. He's laying on his side in like a very casual lounging position. And he's holding like a cartoon mug of frosty beer that's like overflowing. And he has a cig in his mouth and he's wearing a top hat. So he's sort of like a socialite playboy, Great Gatsby type of character who's just living a pleasurable life and also happens to be an alligator. These are very complex. And fantastic tattoos. I went into this making fun of him. And now I'm coming out of it. And I'm very familiar with these tattoos. I see this idiot a lot. And he loves to wear tank tops. So it's pretty easy to see them. Don't wear tank tops. Jason, the lies just continue. But I'm very familiar with these tattoos. And I never think about them. But now that he's describing them, it makes them sound poetic.

You're necessary, even, I would say. Yeah, and that means a lot coming from a guy who has a tattoo, a Morrissey tattoo. Speaking of, you know, poetic. What kind is it? How does this Morrissey tattoo look? It's pretty embarrassing. It's the word unlovable across my heart. DJ, I'm down for all of this. Oh, you did Morrissey Night, right? Yeah. Like, this is all great stuff, man. Ben Cho, rest in peace, used to give everyone sick and pokes after hours sometimes. To All My Friends, what did he say? Yeah, mostly To All My Friends. To All My Friends is a classic. I'm a fan of Morrissey and the Smiths. I'm not a huge super fan, but if I did see him on the street, I would get the signature on the arm. And get it tatted. Just because that's like a tat rite of passage to have, you know? For sure. His handwriting is so blessed. Like, that signature is top of all time. Yeah. And the fact that he intentionally makes it look worse because he knows you're going to get it tattooed on you no matter what it is is also very cool. Have you ever had a Morrissey interaction, Andrew? Nope. No. I've just... No, I have not. You've seen him a lot, though. I've seen him a lot, but I've never had an interaction. Have you climbed on stage and held a piece of his Gucci shirt in your teeth? No. Not my teeth. Well, then you're not really down, bro. Have you hugged Morrissey sweaty on stage? I've never hugged Morrissey sweaty on stage. Yeah, me neither. That's good. I don't even have a Morsi tattoo, which is ridiculous. Yeah, let's do that. When I'm back, I'll take you. My treat. Andrew, we talk a lot about shorts on this podcast, the clothing item, not films. Oh, yeah. I had a moment with shorts. We can get into short films after this, but I saw you tweeted that you were given a pair of NBA...

game uniform xl basketball shorts grown man size grown man size and you wear those oh for sure wear those regularly i know i was just looking for a little bot not a scene report but a body report of what what that is looking like where that where the bottom of that inseam is hitting on your body i don't know how tall you are as a person i am not tall i am a solid solid five five five six on a great day but Okay, okay. So that's why all my social media people say. Medium king. Earl Wiggins is a 5'5 basketball player, so that's why I use his name for everything. Okay. So much to the ridicule of many of my friends, for years my uniform was basketball shorts and wallabies with no socks. Damn. This is fire. What are you talking about? I think so. Thank you. What color wallabies? The classic sand suede? High top? Low top? Black leather? What are we talking about? Baby blue. Oh, my God. I wish. They were just the tan low top suede. Okay. Okay. The originals, I would say. The Gallagher brothers love those too, so I also love them. Walk us through the smell of a no-socked wallaby. Very intense, man. All the most adventurous ethnic fermented foods. It makes kimchi smell like Santal 33 is what you're saying. Don't let the style confuse you. I'm not flush with money, so I couldn't afford to swap out these wallabies all the time. I had to commit the ultimate sin of wearing... no-show socks, which is... Wow, that's dark, bro. This podcast is over, Andrew. From now, you're paying us $250 for the next 30 minutes to talk to you about that. That's therapy. We have sponsors, dude. What the hell? Hey, dude, what the hell? Yeah, there was a tipping point where I had to do something and instead of buying... I do have a stack of wallabies because the guy at the shop told me that they were going to be discontinued, so I bought three. They were never discontinued. Now I have three.

I should have checked the internet. That's like their claim to fame. How could they discontinue? You got scammed by a salesman. That's all that is. Which I respect. David Z got your little ass. It was literally like David Z on Broadway. I know, of course. I bought Wallabies there too. That's the spot. That's what they have there. What team wore these basketball shorts, if I can ask? Only Knicks. Okay, Knicks. I mean, we assumed, but just wanted to double check. So Knicks shorts, wallabies with no socks, and then on top, the shirt really didn't matter on top, did it? Always plain white tee to swap those out. So you basically dress like Action Bronson is what you're saying. I wish. An Asian man with a huge beard. How was Action Bronson in The King of Satin Island and not Ghostface Killer? How did that happen? Did you guys watch that movie? I didn't watch the movie because I love myself too much. But I would love to hear your quick review. Does that mean that you paid the money to watch it or did you do VPN hive and torrent it like a real man? I don't steal. I paid 20 bucks, man. Thank you. 20 hard earned COVID bucks. As a member, as a member of, of a SAG member and a member of the Hollywood community, I thank you. I thank you for that. Exactly. I got a SAG tattoo across my chest. Exactly. I thank you for that. Those titties are the only thing sagging over there, bro. You are not a member of the Academy. Just because you live in Studio City does not mean you're on the lot. I'm body positive, man. Yeah, so in the movie, you know, Pete Davidson, I'm a big fan. I love Judd Apatow. I paid that 20 bucks. And Action Bronson shows up like three quarters of the way through. And I'm like, you're supposed to be the king of Staten Island. This is supposed to be about this neighborhood, which is only famous for the Wu-Tang Clan as far as I'm concerned. Agreed.

And Action Bronson had a famous beef with ghosts because Action Bronson sounds like ghosts, which is fine. But, you know, the originator is allowed to have an issue with that. Yeah, and he kind of, like, he kind of, like, punked him out for a good couple of years. And, like, we would talk shit on him pretty heavily to where Action was probably a little feeling some type of way from that, I assume. One of the greatest takedown videos ever posted to social, right, was when Ghost was like, I gave you a pass for a few years, but let me tell you how I feel. But, I mean, it was a disappointing movie. I thought Pete Davidson, I really like him, but maybe his story is better told without him in it. I don't know. They tried twice already. What do you like about him? I think he's funny. I think his sense of humor is not of my generation. I'm a Seinfeld guy. Wait, you said you're a what guy? Seinfeld dude. That whole generation. Chris Rock. I like the way he tells jokes. I assume it's funny because I laugh, but it's just a whole different way. I like him sometimes on Saturday Night Live, but his outsized persona is ruining his career, I think. Maybe. Maybe. I mean, he's definitely more comfortable in a Saturday Night Live atmosphere. In front of a camera, he's a little bit awkward. I thought Apatow would harness that. I need to watch the movie, though. Judd can only do so much. It's hard to mold clay when it's made out of cigarette ashes and shit. Judd has a hard time leaving his office because he's jerking off to interviews he did in high school with comedians that don't matter. So it's really tough for him to get movies made. So safe to say it was no 40-year-old virgin. I mean, I got weird takes with this because I think Superbad is one of the greatest movies ever made. It should be up there with The Godfather to me. Oh, shit.

I know it's weird. Right. But like, we don't talk about comedies or action movies this way. And like, we should, because they're very difficult to pull off. And I think super bad is like one of the most influential movies the last 20 years. I actually, I don't disagree. Yeah. I think it's very influential. I would agree with you a hundred percent there. Yeah. Like, why don't we give these Oscars to movies like we love, like just because we like it. It gets disqualified from the gatekeepers, whatever. Movies are great all across the board, but shout out to Judd Apatow, who I think had some home runs, man. Yeah, Judd's doing good. I think Judd's fine. I would agree with you. Oh, sorry. Go ahead, Chris. No, Jason, please, by all means. You're the most important host here on this podcast. No, no, no. I've been walking all over you all day. Let's let you squirt one out. I just want to talk about painting during quarantine. How's it been going? Are you feeling the creative juices? Yeah, man. I set up a mini studio in my corner. All I do is have a show on for eight hours and just look down at a piece of paper and scribble a bunch of shit. It's been great, man. There's also no pressure to do anything great. Because you're on unemployment? I've been on unemployment my whole life. There's no unemployment going on. So you really are an artist. Okay. But it kind of was a nice reset. It's good, man. Not worrying about making things that would pass as good painting has been fun. You're still doing the New York Times stuff? Still doing New York Times stuff. I got to do some op-ed stuff during COVID. I do charts for T Magazine, for the editor's note. Yeah, what stuff are you doing for The Times exactly, for our listeners who might not know? For COVID, I did like, so my paintings look like charts, and there's writing underneath, and that writing is the key for these charts that look like squares and lines and whatnot. And I get to do those for op-ed when I can. You know, as a person who hates data...

It's a beautiful way to digest it, I have to say. Are you hand-painting these infographics, or are you creating these on a computer? If they live online, or in the newspaper, like the print section, I just make them on the computer. I hand-paint a lot of them at the same time. It's hideous, but it's very calming. I'm not sick of that yet. You went to RISD, right? I did. Do you know someone from RISD? Actually, no, I don't. The only thing I know about RISD is Fort Thunder. Were you there for that era? Yeah, I was in the middle of all that. I started in 1995, and that's when they had... The Fort Thunder guys had just dropped out and they had just signed or they had been like a year in on their lease at the warehouse. So they were the first people I met kind of. Shout out to like Brian Chippendale, Hisham Barucha, Lightning Bolt, all those guys. So I was in the middle of all that. And I always tell the story like there was a turning point in my life where I was a sophomore and they were like, do you want to move to Fort Thunder and like carve out a corner in our warehouse space? I was strongly considering it, and I said no, and that would have changed the entire trajectory of my life. So who knows? Could you explain what this is for people who don't know? Totally. It was like an art collective warehouse, but they were very fast and loose with the idea of living in... a normal space and there was silk screening going on everywhere. There was bands everywhere. The bathroom was like the developing room for photos and screens and people lived in loft beds. I mean, at the time, a few years later, Brian Chippendale was the drummer of lightning bolt was going out and getting like a roadkill and collecting it in, in the space to fill up pinatas with. So it was like a very extreme living environment.

But wonderful people, awesome people, and they're still at it, man. Why did you choose to not live there? I can't live like that, man. I'm a good guy. I like, I don't know, normal stuff like showering. I mean, shout out to them. I'm not hardcore enough, man. I didn't have it in me. I don't know if they're responsible, but that... that kind of living was very popular in the hardcore and punk scene. Because in Atlanta, there were multiple warehouses along those same lines that I spent a lot of time at, where people built the rooms, there was shows, there was a giant kitchen, there's a weird bathroom. But that's the idea, is this kind of like, I don't know if it's communal living necessarily, but it's like, you know, people are more concerned with... whatever they're making they are with cleanliness yeah gutter punk shit like dumpster diving every night yes yes yes knowing when uh places threw away good food when the bagels when the bagels hit the trash can baby you already know yeah dunkin donuts man they throw away those donuts i don't even think i would eat i don't even think i would eat dunkin donuts from the trash can to be honest with you i don't know if i could tell the difference between fresh and trash i mean it's real but but i mean RISD has produced a lot of talent, correct? I think so, yeah. A lot of the artists making work now and a lot of these bands have connections to RISD. Like Lesavi Fav, F-A-V, is film animation video. Those were all film animation videos. And weren't they a backing band to late night TV? I think they still are. Seth Meyers, maybe? Yeah, yeah. Yeah, it's pretty sick. That's a cool way to... graduate to middle age, I feel like, as a band like that. Absolutely. Follow in the footsteps of Questlove, Chris Black's favorite. I really can't stand Questlove. I really can't. I don't even have a reason. I don't even know why. I don't like it. I don't know. I just find it all so obnoxious. I'm kind of with you there, man. I have no reason, but he's not for me, necessarily. He's ubiquitous, too.

he'll show up on top chef. He'll show up on my TV. He'll talk about music and I forget that he was in the roots and then he'll talk about that. I also have no, but I also like the shit like the roots and common is my like nightmare. Like I have no interest in hip hop of that style. Common had some good records though. Like water for chocolate was actually a great record, right? I look, I believe all of that, but unfortunately I have no interest in discovering it. Like it's, it's like, I just don't, I, it's so weird. I mean, but. I also just didn't, like, real hip-hop is not for me. Are you, like, not a native tongues guy? Like, Tough Call, Quest, De La Soul? Extremely not a native tongues guy. Like, couldn't be further from a native tongues guy if I tried. Yo, definitely. Well, you're Atlanta, right? Yes. Oh, why would you mess with New York? You guys took the rap music. But I feel like it's weird for me because I do think that... I mean, the native tongue, it's so important and so many people love it. But I put it on, even when I was younger, I'm like, it's just kind of boring. But I also know that it like shaped like an entire sound. So I know it's important and like valuable. Maybe. Maybe it didn't. Was it the end of something? Because I think what really shaped the sound was what was going on in your town, right? Because the native tongues, I mean, Most Def kind of was the last one that. True. And that was 20 years ago, maybe. And see, like, most Jeff's a good example. I think he's so cool. Like, I actually think, not anymore, I think he's lost his mind. But at one point, he was very cool and just like a great celebrity. You know what I mean? Like a great, like a person that you're happy is famous and you see him on TV. And he also makes music. But I just, that kind of, but you didn't grow up listening to that shit, did you, Jason? I mean, a little bit. I did just because I was like, kind of like doing my homework. Learning about the fundamentals of hip-hop. But yeah, I was never really that drawn to the Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul era. Also, we were kind of a little too young when it was coming out to really feel it as a part of a movement. I was more getting into it when Dr. Dre, Snoop.

biggie tupac era was was going on i guess also any old head i knew would put me on to like goody mob or outcast or you know like notorious big or whatever like that that or j even early jay-z which i think is like the only jay-z i could stomach at this point um same wow he had a perfect 10 years though right is that early jay-z up until like blueprint 2 maybe i would i would agree with that yeah i would agree with that i mean I think, though, I think we've talked on the podcast before, but, like, you know, hip-hop is very unkind to aging. And I do think even though 444 is, like, extremely not my shit, at least he made music for his audience versus, like, trying to get Uzi to produce the album, you know, and, like, make it young and cool. I do respect that from an artist's, like, standpoint. Are people going nuts for pop smoke in L.A.? I mean, in what way? One Oak isn't open, so we don't really know. We're unable to give you an answer. If you're just driving down the street and you hear music coming out of somebody's M3, there's a decent chance. I wouldn't be surprised if I heard Pop Smoke. It's all over New York. It's out of everybody's car, I swear. It's like 90% pop smoke and 10% that Biggie stuff that you always hear. Despite how bad the Virgil artwork was, it's still being played a lot? Dude, that album is bad. It's boring as fuck. Like, it is. It's boring. Like, am I wrong? It's no 6ix9ine. I debated this on... on my other pod that cookies pod but like it is good but every artist goes through this life after death kind of biggie moment and even the original grime guys like dizzy rascal ended up making a lot of records that sounded like this with like different like an r&b song a rapper a famous rapper a not famous rapper like it almost feels like they're servicing like the label and the radio or something which seems so dated

Yeah, and maybe if he was alive, rest in peace, he would have made a ton of money. And would that be a success? I mean, if it was up to us three, we'd probably like to hear a version of him just doing his art for 40 minutes, right? Yes. Yeah, that's why we loved the whole world of mixtape culture where it was the opposite of any of that of like, all right, your label is telling you. You need to have, you know, one song for the ladies, one song for the old heads, one song for the club, you know, all that shit. And then you just get kind of like your own album becomes an artist compilation and it doesn't really have any real direction or theme to it, which is just like, you know, it takes all the fun out of it and it becomes like all just about making money. And that's obviously where it goes bad. Well, I think that maybe 50 Cent being involved was a misstep. That's just me. I don't know about that. Pop Smoke had a lot of early 50 Cent in him. He could be the Jordan to his Kobe. I'm kind of with that. 50 was kind of a nice little addition. Two Quavo songs is kind of weird to me, though. Quavo at this point really phones it in no matter what he's doing. Big Quavo is inescapable. He really is. I found that record to be boring. I think the singles are amazing. Shake the Room and all that. That shit's crazy. It's undeniable. I also just think nothing should be 20 songs. It's just crazy. Maybe it's because we grew up, it was 12 songs, 14 songs max was kind of the deal almost all the time. Yeah, but what about the Outkast double albums, right? We had to digest a lot of big albums too. But a double album was billed that you knew what you were getting into. Does that make sense? You know what I mean?

And also, Outkast would put 20 songs on an album because they had 20 songs. And, you know, Pop Smoke had 20 songs on the album because their label was like, we will have more chances of making more money from streams the more songs we have. It's the same logic that we have for... putting out three episodes of this podcast a week. That's what Irving Azoff taught us. We just listen to our manager and it's going pretty well so far. They just do the same as Savage Mode, 21 Savage and Metro Boom. That record has less than 10 songs on it and they all hit. There's no bullshit on it. There's no filler tracks. There may be one song about... giving it up for the dead homies. That's kind of a snoozer. But otherwise, just put out all your good songs. Don't put out the bad ones and keep it moving. That's how you have a legendary album. I like framing 21 Savage as a grime artist. The best grime artist ever. Because he's British? Yeah. 21, Dizzy, Rascal, Wiley, Kano. I think we all forgot that 21 Savage. All those 21 Savage British memes were really funny for that week, weren't they? They were really funny. Andrew, we're trying very hard to get the streets on this podcast. I was like, is that the fan from my MacBook Air? Mike Skinner, are you a fan of his work? He was the most important thing to me. for a while. I could not get enough of him, man. But talk about someone who went pop, right? Like he ends up going that turn as well and getting like an R&B singer, a diva singer, like trying to make a crossover record. But he mattered a lot to me and my world for sure. Man, original pirate material, get out of here. It really slaps. And I feel like it's really something that has not like, I don't think the generation below us like knows what that is.

I don't think it's something that gets passed around the way that it should. I think maybe this generation's version of that might be something like a Young Lean type of person, perhaps. That's very disappointing because Young Lean is unlistenable, so I don't really know. That's wrong. Young Lean is fine, but he's not British and cool. He's like a dork. Yeah, but he's like an odd white rapper who has... like a, a different cadence and like more emotional. Yeah. It's right for the time. It's right for the time. I think when Mike Skinner came out though, it was like, damn white rappers can be cool. They don't have to be like Eminem. Like that, that is like that, that was part of, he had like swag and it was cool. You know what I mean? Eminem and Kid Cudi having like a comic book together. Is that what I saw? It's an, it's, it's going to be an out. It's going to be an album that I laugh at like a comic book. I think it comes out tomorrow. Wow. So there's an Eminem and Kid Cudi album. I don't know if it's an album or a song. I truly didn't even want to look because I care so little. Damn, bro. Shout out to Eminem, man. He had a moment. No shout out to Eminem. We are an anti-M&M podcast. I'm not anti-M&M. That mixtape, when that was circulating. before his album that was crazy like i feel like new york cared a lot about him no 100 i mean he was huge he was like a massive star like no no you know i mean there's no question i i just don't like he really doesn't age well he really he really i mean look i love a sober king but he did he did not um he has not aged well i just feel like the music feels dated but i mean look he puts on record comes in number one so what do i know it's crazy it's like thinking about these artists base is weird and my lasting memory of him is remember he was on some award show and he was like i'm gonna drop a political bomb and he was in like a parking garage with all of his dudes and at the end of like some rap he's like fuck trump i'm like that's it well look all you've got royce the five nine got him pumped up and then he would finally drop the he dropped the the trump bomb do not vote for royce

I would never. Royce is my favorite D12 affiliate. He's up there. I don't really – RIP to – what's the guy's name? Obi Trice? No, the Purple Pills. The Purple Pills is a slap. That's actually a slap. It's no My Band, but it's pretty good. Damn. Purple Pill, I forgot about it. I'm going to put that shit on when we finish this podcast. TJ, fun fact, I was in the My Band video. Oh, I forgot. Wait, what? Just as a background extra, I didn't have a featured part or anything in it. Dim Jeans is a famous music video extra because of his height. No shit. What other videos were you in? Britney Spears, Every Time. What? You know that video? I mean, I think so. I haven't thought about this in a long time. Where she kills herself in the bathtub? Yup, yup, you were in that video. I played a ravenous paparazzo. Had you put these gigs, like were you a ravenous tall paparazzo and you'd be perfect for this? No, no, I just had a terrible textbook Hollywood casting director person. I went to one video casting for Buck Cherry. Respect. You mentioned jungle music earlier with a couple of my friends who are a part of the junglest community. And I made the cut. I got in there. Mostly, as Chris mentioned, because of my height. But also I had a very cool look, probably. Yeah, not to diminish your cool look. Yeah, and then from there, they were just like, well, you know, like. we'll just keep calling you for these auditions. And then I got a, I got an agent that was like, he lived in some like apartment by, um, running Canyon. And I think he died. And then he died. He was what he died. Like from like mysterious circumstances, you know, he's like one of those, like, Oh, it was money. He may have been Hollywood suicided. Yeah.

Wow. The world of music video extra agency representation, it has to be a slimy world because it's just like, here's 300 people who are getting paid $100 for 12 hours of labor and just go out and wrangle them and you make 10% of that. You just work like a dog for a month and make three grand. My dream gig is to be like a token Asian on like a Best Buy commercial. Or like, you know, there's always like these like Asians that always cycle through commercials and show up in like Judd Apatow movies. But I just want to be like the token Asian in like a fast food commercial, Best Buy, like a 1-800 mattress commercial. I think that's pretty doable for you, to be honest. I mean, you know, I don't see why you couldn't. achieve these goals you live in new york you live in new york maybe it's hollywood too you know you have the genius bar polo shirt on you have the geek squad polo on somebody brings in the ipad that they can't get it to work and then you grab it and you flip it because they had it upside down the whole time and they go oh and i catch it with chopsticks this asian guy rocks i i was i made the cut for uh Coca-Cola ad at one point, but they killed the whole campaign where I had to argue about deep dish versus thin crust pizza while drinking a Coca-Cola. That sounds literally like a page ripped from your life. Pretty much, right? It's like, can you argue about this asinine food thing on camera? I'm like, yes, I can. Yes, I can. yeah it didn't work out i was bummed but it was not even that fun where do you stand on chicago deep dish as our closing question as we're rounding that rounding that third base it's bullshit no no i'm kind of agnostic i like thin crust because i grew up with that but is it still pizza that is a question i don't i don't i would not say it is pizza but i do

Kind of like deep dish. I'll have it once a year. But if it's not pizza, then what is it? A quiche? Is it just like bread? I would say it is more similar to a quiche. I don't like it myself, but I'm not an expert. What about Detroit style? Have you had that? It's like, yeah. It's kind of a cross between the two. It's fried, right? It's not fried, but it's in a square. Kind of deep dish pan. Little Caesars-wise. Yeah. I'm actually making one this evening. Oh. Where's my invite, bitch? Let me get a bite. Did you make it or did you buy it from somewhere frozen and get it shipped to you? Come on, fam. I'm making it from scratch, baby. What? I made the dough this morning. Oh, my. You're still on that COVID bread making. No, this is TJ Lifestyle. Well, we were having construction at the crib for the last month. So I haven't been able to use my kitchen at all. And I've been eating nothing but. I know all about this. Takeout food. You already know what it is. So I've just, you know, in the last couple of days, been able to start chefing it up. So now. I'll heart that shit for sure. Great. Love to see it. Andrew. A pleasure. Thank you for joining us. Thank you for having me, guys. It was awesome. Take the end of the pot. Thanks, buddy. Later, guys. Later, Matt. Thank you. Thank you. Bye.