Love Hate Relationship

Love: John Mayer Alex takes his Love segment to proffer a defense of his admiration for guitarist, songwriter, and occasionally problematic figure, John Mayer. He discusses the eras of Mayer's career (complete with clips), his controversies over the years, and why it's cool if you don't like him, or if you do. Andy is reasonably …

This month's Relationship question opens with Julia Cotton (Hellraiser) realizing that she, in fact, had an affair with her dead sister's husband. Andy is appropriately appalled at this being a thing that needed to be realized while Alex gets to the uncomfortable brass tacks of honesty and the consequences that follow it. The next question …

Love: The Venture Bros. Andy takes this episode's Love segment to discuss one of the most iconic Adult Swim shows, The Venture Bros. He talks its evolution from Hardy Boys/Johnny Quest parody to something unique unto itself (all while being irreverent and hilarious and so, so nerdy), while Alex sees how many Marvel, glam rock, …

For this month's Relationship questions, we begin with Elizabeth Solley (The Fog) inquiring about why a dude she was dating only really started liking her Facebook posts after they split up because he was so distant all of the time. Both Alex and Andy have thoughts on the value of emotional distance, especially after very …

Love: Squatting Alex talks about his favorite of the Fundamental Movement Patterns, the Squat. He discusses its essentialness, not just as an exercise but as a means to live. Andy meanwhile learns about the Get-Up Test, and everyone has questions about their mortality. Hate: Comic Book Royalties Andy takes the Hate to discuss the abysmal …

In an attempt to close out 2023 with something joyful, exuberant, new, and filled with a smattering of mostly Love (and a little Hate), LHR is proud to present what may become our new annual tradition, a holiday Tierlist. For our first outing, we're heading back to an old favorite ⁠Triple Love Topic⁠, the James …

This month's all-questions episode opens with Penelope Alvarez (One Day at a Time) asking if she's wrong to be upset when her partner locked their kid out of the house after he came home drunk. Both Andy and Alex are unequivocally supportive of the anger, remind everyone that underage drinking shouldn't be a death sentence, …

Love: Visual Encyclopedias Andy and Alex return after an annoyingly long hiatus with an episode actually recorded some months ago (apologies for the Diane Feinstein reference), and Andy kicks it off with a discussion of Visual Encyclopedias. He discusses DK Publishing, who were responsible for some of the favorites, Alex spends a long time talking …

For our latest all-question extravaganza, we begin with Nick Young (Crazy Rich Asians), wondering if he was wrong to lie to his girlfriend about how rich he was while they were dating. Alex is surprisingly empathetic to the difficulties of dating when there might be other factors affecting perception, and Andy calls out how weird …

Love: Electric Guitar Alex finally uses his Love to dive into a bit of the obvious, and talk about his favorite instrument, the Electric Guitar. He goes into the history, both large-scale and personal, and shares just so many thoughts and feels and photos (see below). Andy eggs him on, of course, but also forgets …

For our new two-pronged format, LHR now brings a full episode of relationship questions for the second half of the month. We begin with Kevin and Vicky (American Pie), and the question of if it's weird for him to be looking up instructions on how to do foreplay while right in the moment. Andy emphasizes …

After a short break, we're back with a slightly altered format! Short version (despite an in-no-way-shorter episode), we're taking our first episode each month to focus on JUST a Love and Hate, and our second to JUST answer multiple Relationship questions. Will it work? Maybe! Will our listeners despise it? Not a clue! But let …

To commemorate Love Hate Relationship's 100th episode, Alex and Andy have eschewed the traditional format for something totally different: the Love Vs. Hate Special. One topic, two sides of it, and no real winner to speak of, except hopefully the beautiful audience that's stuck with us for 100 total episodes. Our topic is 2003's Jerry …

Love: Weightlifting Alex finally lines up and makes an attempt at talking about his favorite sport, Weightlifting. He says a little on its history, a lot on the misconceptions around it, and soft-pitches it as a spectator sport. Andy, meanwhile, finds the drama in the stories, and there is minimal snickering at the word “Snatch.” …

Love: Kevin Conroy For this episode, Andy takes some time to remember the late voice actor, and definitive Batman, Kevin Conroy. He talks about Conroy's acting bona fides, his importance to 90's kids, and his late-in-life decision to come out as a gay man. Alex meanwhile talks about his sobriety, and the best 9/11 story …

Love: Ubiquitous D.A.W.'s Alex gets weird and niche this episode as he discusses his Love and appreciation of ubiquitous Digital Audio Workstations. He gives an explanation and a history of the technology, the impact that it had (for better and worse) in changing music and media, and why it's so cool that everyone with an …

Love: Slashers For this episode, Andy talks about one of his favorite genres in all of film, the Slasher. Alex maybe gives him a good way to look at the “What is the first Slasher?” question, they talk their favorites, past and present, and somehow, Halloween only gets mentioned a couple of times. Hate: The …

For the latest Triple Love Special , Alex and Andy dive into the arguably GOAT of adult animation, The Simpsons. They start off with a rundown of the show's origins, before Alex dives into an explanation of what he considers the three eras of the show. Highlights include discussions of how the first season is …

Love: Whiskey For this episode, Alex dives into his favorite of the liquor-type liquids, whiskey. He talks about the history, types, and jams in why he hates on the Canadian variants, Andy tells stories of Fireball, asks about why so damn many are named after random dudes, and everyone agrees that Grey Goose is an …

Love: Theme Restaurants Andy gets wonderfully nostalgic this episode as he takes his Love segment to talk about Theme Restaurants. He discusses his own definitions (shorthand: Casa Bonita is a “yes,” Red Lobster is a “no”), his personal connection to some weird and interesting examples, and even tells the story of almost crashing a Star …

Love: Andy Wallace As Alex is wont to do, he takes his Love time to sing the praises of a behind-the-scenes shaper of awesome stuff, record producer/engineer/mixer extraordinaire, Andy Wallace. He dives into his moderately straightforward career path, from mixing for early Hip-Hop greats to basically every heavy band worth its salt through today, and …

Love: Tim Sale Andy starts off this episode talking about the late and ludicrously magnificent comic artist, Tim Sale. He dives into Sale's lengthy-yet-relatively small body of work, including classic works for Marvel and DC (alongside longtime collaborator Jeph Loeb), and even artwork for the show Heroes. Alex, meanwhile, rants about how good The Long …

Love: The Great British Bake-Off For Alex's Love this episode, he dives into the nicest reality TV competition show in history, The Great British Bake-Off. He discusses its format, it's over-a-decade-long run, and the value of emotionally investing in people's cakes with no cash or interpersonal drama to cheapen it. Andy gives some comparisons to …

Love: The Arizona Coyotes Andy gets his schadenfreude on and spends his Love segment dunking on what he argues is the most sad-sack sports franchise in history, the Arizona Coyotes. He dives into their tremendous losing record, the hilarity of their presence in a desert state, and how they even marred Wayne Gretzky's legacy for …

Love: The Rock Four-Piece Alex gets a little esoteric this episode and makes a Love out of talking about the classic two guitars, vocals, bass, drums, rock four piece set-up (think Beatles, Metallica, and Coheed and Cambria). He lists sonic reasons, both technical and vibe-based, for the superiority of this arrangement, while Andy gets to …

Love: Kieron Gillen Andy comes into this episode talking up one of the great comic book writes of the day, Kieron Gillen. He talks through his relatively late entry into the medium, some of Gillen's best works, including The Wicked and the Divine and his Star Wars books, and cool stuff like his curated playlists …

Love: Shazam Alex starts this episode up by talking up maybe the last great example of a smartphone app that does an unequivocal public service, Shazam. He talks about it's tech bro origins, the game show based around it, and even tells a story involving “One Week” by Barenaked Ladies. Andy, meanwhile, learns that there …

For Love Hate Relationship's 85th episode, we come back with our second Triple Relationship Special! We start with Jessica Day (New Girl) who wonders if she's the asshole for peeing in the cat's litter box when her boyfriend's IBS forced him to hold the bathroom for a crazy long time. Alex makes a few confessions …

Love: Cracked Andy turns up the early 2000's nostalgia to reminisce on the halcyon days of Cracked.com. He discusses the site's history, including a weird pseudo-connection to Mad Magazine, the incredible careers it's launched, and the bedrock it laid for Internet comedy as a whole. Alex meanwhile, uses the opportunity to lament the awfulness of …

Love: Josie and the Pussycats Alex takes us back to the perfectly innocent era of 2001 to talk about one of his favorite underrated movies, Josie and the Pussycats. He, of course, spends considerable time on the incredible soundtrack, its underappreciated satire, and why it's better than Fight Club. Andy meanwhile, tolerates him, but does …

Love: Benny Blanco Andy takes a page out of Alex's playbook this episode and does a love on music producer and songwriter Benny Blanco. He schools him on the man's legendary credits, his hilarious turns on Dave and TikTok, and his ghoulish looks. Alex learns who Charlie Puth is sort of, and we all agree …

Love: Public Libraries Alex gets both nostalgic and literary for this episode's Love where he dives into the history and benefits of public libraries. He talks up their value as a universal public good, the trouble they've been in over the years, and even calls out a book or two he would've never read without …

Love: The Expanse Andy takes his Love to talk up the sci-fi masterwork, The Expanse. He talks the book and its authors' connection to good old George R.R. Martin, the value of space zombies and class struggles, and why he thinks Jeff Bezos should just pony up for more seasons. Alex, meanwhile, gets weedy about …

Love: Tim Pierce Alex starts this episode with the latest installment of his “People You Didn't Know Made Everything You've Ever Loved” series to discuss session guitarist, YouTuber, and sweet old man, Tim Pierce. He relays Pierce's understated journey to becoming one of the most prolific session players since the 80's and his extensive work for …

Love: Rum Andy takes it alcoholic for this episode to discuss his favorite of all liquors, rum. He gives some chemical, geographic, and historical context for it, discusses its versatility, and even calls out a favorite brand. Alex tells a traumatic story of why he barely touched the stuff for over a decade, and we …

Love: 16-Bit Video Games For Alex's Love this episode, he takes it more than a little old school and outside of his usual wheelhouse to talk about 16-bit video games. He gives some history, both personal and non, talks up the accessibility and creative possibilities of the format, and talks about being a crappy high …

Love: Michael K. Williams Andy's less-than-timely-but-no-less tragic Love for this episode is the late Michael K. Williams. He talks up highlights of his work, from the Trapped in the Closet video to Omar in The Wire to The Atlantic's “Typecast” short film (which he asks all of you to check out here for the sheer …

After a brief hiatus to relocate Andy up to the mountains of Western North Carolina, LHR is back with our first Triple (or maybe more like Sextuple) Relationship Special! We begin with Prince Phillip (Sleeping Beauty, not the dead guy briefly played by Matt Smith on The Crown) who looks for some help with his …

Love: Meet Me @ The Altar Alex uses his precious Love time to talk up what he considers to be the most exciting new act in guitar-based music today, East Coast Pop Punk band Meet Me @ The Altar. He discusses their unique, internet-based origin story, their fresh take on a sort of Paramore sound, …

Love: Warhammer Andy takes his time this episode to discuss his Love of all things Warhammer. He explains the history and nature of the game, his personal attachment to the painting and construction of it's (weirdly expensive) figurines, and his struggles with wanting to get back into it. Alex, meanwhile, offers a class dissection of …

Love: Hanif Abdurraqib Alex uses his Love time to talk up poet, cultural critic, and music journalist extraordinaire, Hanif Abdurraqib. He reads a selection of his work, discusses his expertise on music ranging from Fall Out Boy and Stevie Nicks to Carly Rae Jepson and the Weeknd to Celine Dion and the Four Seasons, and …

Love: Laura Kinney Andy uses this episode to wax affectionately about a comic book character perhaps marginally familiar to most fans, but completely off the radar to the layperson, Laura Kinney AKA X-23 AKA Wolverine. He discusses her origins as a barely-more-than-one-off character in a lesser-known X-Men animated show to her character history in the …

Love: Lewis Black For this episode's Love, Alex takes everyone into the history and work of comedian, author, and actor Lewis Black. He relays Black's surprisingly full life as a Yale-graduate and successful working playwright and actor before his breakthrough as a stand-up at age 50, his equally surprising turns as a writer and essayist, …

Love: Patrick Stewart For his Love this episode, Andy talks up one of the acting titans of the Sci-Fi, Comic, and Shakespearean Nerdoms, Sir Patrick Stewart. He discusses Stewart's 60+ year career with everyone from the Royal Shakespeare Company to Star Trek to American Dad, and the special place that Jean-Luc Picard holds in his …

Love: Adam Neely Alex's Love this episode is Bassist, Composer, and Youtuber Adam Neely. He talks up his work, including electro-jazz covers of “Hello” and “Run Away With Me” and his instructional videos on subjects ranging from music theory to the controversial key of “Hey Joe.” Andy meanwhile learns that music theory is super racist …

Love: RA Salvatore Andy (quite literally) takes the stage at the top of the episode, as he first of all sums up the discussion around the 20-or-son minutes of audio that were sadly lost for this recording which, douchebag buffer aside, are all about fantasy author RA Salvatore. He talks up the man’s prolific commitment …

Love: King of the Hill Alex delves back into the glory days of FOX’s Animation Domination to talk about Mike Judge’s animated sitcom, King of the Hill. He gives some history into its development (including MVP Greg Daniels), Andy asks if Hank Hill might be the greatest animated father of all time, and *POCKET SAND!* …

For the latest in the Triple Love Special series, Alex and Andy spend an episode talking up movie director/writer, composer, satirist, and all-around awesome dude, John Carpenter They begin with a primer on Carpenter’s early years, from his time as a two time college drop-out) once for music, once for film) to his first couple …

Love: The Muppets Andy finally pulls the trigger on one he’s had back-burnered for a while and talks all things Muppets. He and Alex delve into some fond childhood moments, what makes these characters as universal as they’ve been, even decades onward from the original show, the surprising origins of “The Rainbow Connection,” and all …

Love: Phil Lamarr Alex’s Love this episode is onscreen and voice actor extraordinaire, Phil Lamarr. He talks Lamarr’s minute career in movies, his prolific career in onscreen TV, and his absolutely incredible career voicing iconic characters in animation (and only to of them involve Chris Rock impersonations). Andy gets to spend a little time playing …

Love: Batman Beyond Andy takes his Love time this episode to discuss one of the under-appreciated gems of Bruce Timm’s DC animated universe, Batman Beyond. He talks about what makes it special and unique compared to most Batman and comic book character stories, his personal connection to its run, and the greatness of the Terry …