Scapegoats & Straw Men

Every band has its greatest hits. Every TV show has its greatest tropes. We're not any different. In this Cold Cut from TGT 50, Lakin and Pete gab the gamut of topics we've beaten to death many times before, all in one concise 18-minute package.

The talking continues as Pete and Lakin muse upon the pervasion of Donald Trump. They also muse upon sexual orientation and epigenetics. But somehow it circles back to Trump. Everything circles back to Trump. Eventually. www.ssmcast.com www.facebook.com/ssmcast www.twitter.com/SSMcast

The talking continues as Lakin extols the virtues of self-winding mechanical watches and Pete breaks a toilet. Throw in a dash of existential dread and an apocalyptic cover of "Nearer, My God, to Thee," and you have a beautiful day in the TGT neighborhood. www.ssmcast.com www.facebook.com/ssmcast www.twitter.com/SSMcast

A fiendish fedora tricks two logical humanoids into defending irrational thought. www.ssmcast.com www.facebook.com/ssmcast www.twitter.com/SSMcast

Following up on our repost from yesterday, it's only appropriate that we include the Cold Cut from SSM 4. Here's how we described it way back then: "On this Good Friday edition of 'Cold Cuts,' two Gentiles discuss their preference for Shiva rituals, especially after dealing with their fathers' deaths." Monday, we'll have a brand-new TGT for you. Have a great holiday weekend! www.ssmcast.com www.facebook.com/ssmcast www.twitter.com/SSMcast

Given that it's Easter weekend, let's revisit a podcast we recorded in March 2015 that's all about our inevitable fate. Here's how we described our discussion way back then: "Death weighs heavily on the minds of a twenty and thirtysomething as they contemplate whether life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness have passed them by." www.scapegoatsandstrawmen.com

The talking continues as Lakin and Pete take a tour of several mind palaces, ranging from the Current Occupant of the White House (COWH) to wedding photography to event boundaries to paranoia about Internet security. It's a hodgepodge of thoughts that occasionally resemble conversation, all with an extra dash of hodge and a spritz of podge. www.ssmcast.com www.facebook.com/ssmcast www.twitter.com/SSMcast

You've probably seen those MasterClass ads on YouTube and Facebook, the ones in which a celebrity promises to make you almost as good as they are at something. In this episode, Pete and Lakin discuss the MasterClasses of Gordon Ramsay, Dustin Hoffman, and deadmau5. Also: Santa Clarita Diet, technology vs. old people, and who calls art art. www.ssmcast.com www.facebook.com/ssmcast www.twitter.com/SSMcast

The talking continues as Lakin gives the most comprehensive review of the Food Network's Programming you'll ever hear. Because Pete lacks any relevance to the modern world, he simply listens and does his best to act like he knows what the Food Network is. He won't be winning an Oscar for this performance, folks!

The talking continues as Pete and Lakin discuss a great article by researcher David Dunning titled "We Are All Confident Idiots." In fact, we encourage you to give it a glance before listening to us gab about it. The article can be found here: https://psmag.com/we-are-all-confident-idiots-56a60eb7febc#.d5l0oksic www.ssmcast.com www.facebook.com/ssmcast www.twitter.com/SSMcast

In this Cold Cut from TGTs 44 and 45, we wrap up our conversation with Famous Friend and (self-professed) Nasty Woman Micah Labishak, as she gives her final thoughts on the Women's March and what we all can do going forward. She and Lakin also compare a few more knitting notes in anticipation of Lakin's upcoming podcast, "I of the Needle." www.ssmcast.com www.facebook.com/ssmcast www.twitter.com/SSMcast

Our conversation with Famous Friend and (self-professed) Nasty Woman Micah Labishak continues on this episode, as Pete and Lakin discuss Micah's experiences at the Women's March on January 22. We also demand to know why she accepted a paycheck from George Soros to attend the March. www.ssmcast.com www.facebook.com/ssmcast www.twitter.com/SSMcast

In a special Monday edition of Two Guys, Talking, we welcome Famous Friend and (self-professed) Nasty Woman Micah Labishak into the SSM studios via Skype. Lakin and Pete's main intent was to talk with her about participating in the Women's March on Washington a week ago Saturday. Being who they are, however, they had to get other, more important stuff out of the way first, such as Super Meat Boy and Bandage Girl, the Binding of Isaac, knitting, and a bitch-filled evaluation of President Trump's first week in office. www.ssmcast.com www.facebook.com/ssmcast www.twitter.com/SSMcast

In this Cold Cut from TGT 43, Pete accidentally lets it slip that he thinks technology still runs on watch batteries, and Lakin explains the recent challenges Apple has had in marketing AirPods to the public. www.ssmcast.com www.facebook.com/ssmcast www.twitter.com/SSMcast

On the eve of Donald Trump's Presidential Inauguration, Lakin and Pete muse upon the surreality of it all. In case you were wondering, they do descend into self-reflection, which is not exactly a character trait of our 45th President. www.ssmcast.com www.facebook.com/ssmcast www.twitter.com/SSMcast

This week’s TGT is a rerun from December 14, 2015, in which Pete and Lakin discuss a plethora of topics revolving around voyeurism. And join us this Thursday when brand-new episodes of TGT resume. Scapegoats & Straw Men TGT 15 “We Have a Picture Window” www.scapegoatsandstrawmen.com www.facebook.com/scapegoatsandstrawmen www.twitter.com/SSMcast

The talking continues this week as Lakin and Pete discuss love, marriage, open relationships, sex, vibrators, and any other salacious buzzwords that will arouse the pornbots and give us unwanted hits. www.ssmcast.com www.facebook.com/ssmcast www.twitter.com/SSMcast

The talking continues this week as Pete and Lakin recount the movie everyone else is talking about, "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story," with no regard for Spoilers (there are many) and a high regard for the prequels (they're weird that way). They also give Forest Whitaker acting advice. www.ssmcast.com www.facebook.com/ssmcast www.twitter.com/SSMcast

In this Cold Cut from TGT 40, Lakin and Pete offer additional thoughts on Westworld and its troubling analysis of morality and ethics. www.ssmcast.com www.facebook.com/ssmcast www.twitter.com/SSMcast

The talking continues as Pete and Lakin struggle valiantly to focus their jabbering jaws on discussing Doctor Strange and Westworld, but the elephant in the room still manages to rear his ugly hair for a fleeting moment. www.ssmcast.com www.facebook.com/ssmcast www.twitter.com/SSMcast

The talking continues as Lakin and Pete explore nihilism while doing the Hand Thing. www.ssmcast.com www.facebook.com/ssmcast www.twitter.com/SSMcast

In this Cold Cut from SSM 41, Pete and Lakin perform the story "Plot Holes" by omegaokami from the No Sleep subreddit as part of SSM's Spoken Word Musical Theatre Campfire Trilogy.

The talking continues as Lakin realizes that Pete never acts upon his entertainment recommendations. This leads to a firm resolution to never recommend anything to Pete again until he watches Shameless. www.ssmcast.com www.facebook.com/ssmcast www.twitter.com/SSMcast

Two performance artists and their Bohemian friend tell tales of vengeance, dementia, stolen identities, and of course, murder, even as their custom-edited campfire shows no signs of burning out. www.ssmcast.com www.facebook.com/ssmcast www.twitter.com/SSMcast

Two performance artists and their Bohemian friend spin tales of demented twins and predatory Walmart shoppers, all around a campfire that burns eternal in the human ear. www.ssmcast.com www.facebook.com/ssmcast www.twitter.com/SSMcast

In this Cold Cut from TGT 37, Pete and Lakin speculate about Hillary and Bill's sex life. The conversation is more lurid than the reality.

The talking continues as Lakin pitches Apple's next award-winning (albeit tasteless) marketing campaign and Pete revels in his adeptness at creating awkward situations, especially at weddings. www.ssmcast.com www.facebook.com/ssmcast www.twitter.com/SSMcast

Two performance artists and their Bohemian friend celebrate the Dog Days of Summer with ghost stories and urban legends set to music and a campfire that was inserted in post-production. www.ssmcast.com www.facebook.com/ssmcast www.twitter.com/SSMcast

The talking continues as Lakin and Pete marvel over the absurdity of the 2016 election and Lakin's newest fascination: Discovery Channel reality shows. www.ssmcast.com www.facebook.com/ssmcast www.twitter.com/SSMcast

Our podcast philosophers continue their debate over Stephen King's "Apt Pupil" and the extent to which humans are barely restrained animals. www.ssmcast.com www.facebook.com/ssmcast www.twitter.com/SSMcast

The talking continues as frightening thoughts about our feeble humanity lead Pete and Lakin into a cheerier discussion about The Flash and Captain America: Civil War. www.ssmcast.com www.facebook.com/ssmcast www.twitter.com/SSMcast

Stephen King's "Apt Pupil" sparks an intense discussion between two podcast philosophers over the factors that influence a person's psychopathic behavior. www.ssmcast.com www.facebook.com/ssmcast www.twitter.com/SSMcast

Your theatrical hosts discuss their various stagebound pursuits in this Cold Cut from TGT 34. www.ssmcast.com www.facebook.com/ssmcast www.twitter.com/SSMcast

The talking continues as Lakin and Pete gab about almonds, Harriet Tubman, Amelia Earhart, and Cabaret.www.ssmcast.com www.facebook.com/ssmcast www.twitter.com/SSMcast

As our summer hiatus comes to an end, we present once again our Fourth of July episode from 2015. Join us next Monday when the new season of SSM officially begins. And this Thursday: a brand-new TGT. Happy Independence Day! www.ssmcast.com www.facebook.com/ssmcast www.twitter.com/SSMcast

The talking continues as Lakin and Pete consider how they are becoming odd composites of their parents. Also: No politics in this episode either. You're welcome! www.ssmcast.com www.facebook.com/ssmcast www.twitter.com/SSMcast

How do you like that clickbait headline? We're pretty proud of it ourselves. In this Cold Cut from TGT 31, Pete and Lakin talk about their hatred of "Grease," along with a few tidbits on King, Cruz, and Carly. www.ssmcast.com www.facebook.com/ssmcast www.twitter.com/SSMcast

Pete and Lakin do their best to avoid politics as they discuss terrorism and the fear it instills in people. Also: Breaking Bad, Mad Men, Shameless, and 24. www.ssmcast.com www.facebook.com/ssmcast www.twitter.com/SSMcast

In this Cold Cut from SSM 36, Lakin and Pete wrap up their discussion on Donald Trump's ascendancy to the GOP presidential nomination with various ruminations on how this isn't the End of All Things (even though they know it probably is). www.ssmcast.com www.facebook.com/ssmcast www.twitter.com/SSMcast

The talking continues as Pete and Lakin discuss Prince's vault and its rumored contents, along with philosophical rabbit trails into what it means to be someone's fan and why no one person has the monopoly on intelligence. Also: Jared Leto's semen. www.ssmcast.com www.facebook.com/ssmcast www.twitter.com/SSMcast

Two Mind Ninjas are hurled into a long national nightmare after an orange, hairy, bellowing Man-Child defeats Reason and Logic using Fear and Hatred. www.ssmcast.com www.facebook.com/ssmcast www.twitter.com/SSMcast

In this Cold Cut from SSM 35, Lakin and Pete give their blames for the week, and trust us, folks! They're about as first world as you can get. www.ssmcast.com www.facebook.com/scapegoatsandstrawmen www.twitter.com/SSMcast

Is it easy to build a pyramid? Actually, yes. As long as you can siphon success from the hopes and dreams of your friends. www.ssmcast.com www.facebook.com/scapegoatsandstrawmen www.twitter.com/SSMcast

The talking continues as Lakin and Pete discuss critical reaction to the recent release of a small indie flick about middle-aged men working out their issues. Also: illiteracy, Joel Osteen, the Robot Army, and Breaking Bad. www.ssmcast.com www.facebook.com/ssmcast www.twitter.com/SSMcast

In this Cold Cut from SSM 34, we elicit more predictions from the leprechaun's hat. www.ssmcast.com www.facebook.com/ssmcast www.twitter.com/SSMcast

Two sedentary seers conjure up predictions about the future based on questions from a leprechaun's hat. www.ssmcast.com www.facebook.com/ssmcast www.twitter.com/SSMcast

The talking continues as Pete and Lakin discuss extremophiles, Edward Snowden, The Walking Dead, and Shameless without mentioning Donald Trump once. www.ssmcast.com www.facebook.com/ssmcast www.twitter.com/SSMcast

Two social engineers plot to take over the national conversation by dissecting what a particularly devious word means. www.ssmcast.com www.facebook.com/SSMcast www.twitter.com/SSMcast

The talking continues as Pete and Lakin muse about two topics that have no discernible connection: Donald Trump and jazz. www.ssmcast.com www.facebook.com/scapegoatsandstrawmen www.twitter.com/SSMcast

Two master practitioners of the ancient art of Google Fu apply their formidable skills to deciphering Quantum Mechanics. www.ssmcast.com www.facebook.com/scapegoatsandstrawmen www.twitter.com/SSMcast

In this Cold Cut from SSM 31, we consider how deceptive a person's self-image can be and why we shouldn't always trust our mirror image. www.ssmcast.com www.facebook.com/scapegoatsandstrawmen www.twitter.com/SSMcast