Podcasts about malk

They call it “better-for-you.” But better for who, exactly? And are trendy startups solving a problem – or just selling the illusion of one? The hosts dig in. We also revisit four interviews from Taste Radio's NYC meetup, where leaders from innovative food and beverage organizations, including Rethink Food and The Goods Mart, shared insights on mission-driven business models and scaling with purpose.  Show notes: 0:45: Deadlines & Agendas. Chasin' Victory. NNE Is Next. Your Grandma's A.I. BFY Candy & Vodka. It's Redundant, No?  The hosts note a fast-approaching deadline for the BevNET Live's New Beverage Showdown and the event's newly released agenda. They also spotlight Chasin' Dreams Farm, winner of the Naturally San Diego Naturally Rising Pitch Competition, and tease a similar event that a sister chapter will be hosting this month. They heap praise on Del Real Foods' new marketing campaign, before Ray's skepticism about new BFY candy bar brand Hormbles Chormbles sparks a conversation about whether moderation and simplicity answer real consumer needs. Melissa unveils a new line of “late night” Doritos and asks if soy milk might be having a quiet comeback, Jacqui highlights a beachy iced tea brand and Ray shows love to a pair of bottled cocktails inspired by a legendary bar in Japan.   30:44: Interviews from Taste Radio's NYC Meetup – Cole Riley, VP of Engagement and Partnerships at Rethink Food, described how the chef-led nonprofit repurposes excess food from restaurants and CPG brands to combat food insecurity, having delivered over 30 million meals across NYC and Miami. Austin Rief, co-founder of Morning Brew and Oceans Talent, explained how Oceans helps U.S. companies hire vetted overseas talent – mainly from Sri Lanka – for up to 65% cost savings while maintaining high-quality work and cultural fit. Rachel Krupa, founder of The Goods Mart and Krupa Consulting, highlighted her mission to spotlight better-for-you brands through curated retail and hotel minibars, emphasizing taste, founder values, and ingredient integrity. David Segal, the founder of David's Tea and now president of Highbeam, shared how his frustration with traditional banking led him to join and help grow novel financial platform Highbeam – a financial platform that automates finance tasks, optimizes cash flow, and provides tailored banking and credit solutions to scaling consumer brands. Brands in this episode: Liquid Death, Cann, Malk, Health-Ade, Chasin' Dreams Farm, Recoup, Mooski, Fierce & Kind, RXBAR, Body Vodka, Spiked Ade, Harken Sweets, Gigantic Candy, Mild Addictions, Del Real Foods, Farmer Foodie, Singing Pasture Farm, Conza Crumbs, Doritos, Madley Hadley, Kirra Tea, WholeMoon, Crushed Tonic, On The Rocks, Toki Whiskey, Haku Vodka, David's Tea, GNGR Labs

In this episode, I sit down with Jason Bronstad, CEO of Malk Organics, and talk about the journey of not just leading a clean-label brand but rebuilding it from the inside out.   Jason shares how a deeply personal career pivot led him to a mission-driven company that's transforming the plant-based milk category, one clean ingredient at a time. We get into the weeds from SKU rationalization and shelf life extension to the emotional lessons of transparent leadership and brand stewardship. What happens when your consumers call you out on social media? You listen, and you learn, and Jason shares exactly how his team responded and evolved.

Is West Virginia's groundbreaking move to ban artificial dyes in food the pebble that causes an avalanche? And, is Ben Stiller really leaping into an already crowded pool for BFY soda? Lots to discuss. We also sit down with Dan Grim, the CEO of functional drink manufacturer Lucky To Be Beverage Co. Show notes: 0:45: D2, Not 3. Sign Up, Meet Up. Pitch & Catch. Color Us Intrigued. Dogfight. Pouch Bites, Vodka & Saints. – The NCAA basketball tournaments generate some off-the-wall banter (wait, what's Jacqui's username?), before the hosts turn their attention to Taste Radio's upcoming meetup in New York City and BevNET Live Summer 2025. Ray highlights West Virginia's new law banning artificial colors in food and the rest of the hosts weigh in on its potential impact nationally. The news that Ben Stiller filed a trademark for a new low-sugar soda brand turned heads and inspired a chat about the actor's most notable movies. The Newton crew munches on flavored dates, dried mango and granola clusters, before Jacqui talks about a “mindful” beverage brand. John has an unusual vodka at his side along with flasks of a NA gin analog. 28:51: Interview: Dan Grim, CEO, Lucky To Be Beverage Co. – Dan helms Lucky to Be Beverage, a San Diego-based provider of private label and co-packing solutions for functional beverage brands, as well as gummies, capsules, and tablets. At an event hosted by industry organization Naturally San Diego, Dan shares his expertise on the booming functional mushroom trend and the intricacies of the co-manufacturing business. From scaling beverage brands to ensuring the right partnership fit, Dan dives into some of the key elements that drive success in the ever-evolving wellness space. Brands in this episode: Polar, Guayaki, Harmless Harvest, Chobani, De Soi, Poppi, Health-Ade, Vive Organic, Cann, MALK, Liquid Death, Pepsi, Purely Sprouted, Senor Mango, True Dates, Broda, Mind Garden, Little Saints, Whims

Ryan Rouse has a formula for scaling physical retail sales. First penetrate niche markets, he says, then leverage that success into mainstream chains.He does that with MALK Organics, an Austin, Texas-based plant milk provider. Ryan is MALK's president, having launched and exited a meal-delivery business and served in executive roles of other consumer brands.He speaks with host Eric Bandholz in this episode — addressing critical retail tactics such as packaging, pricing, marketing, and more.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/malk-plant-milk-masters-in-store-retailFor all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcastsListener reviews of Ecommerce Conversations elevate visibility and help others experience the lessons of online entrepreneurs. We invite you to leave a review on this channel.   ******The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We do this with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. We are an independent publishing company founded in 2005 and unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider. https://www.practicalecommerce.com 

Marvel Legends enter the Age of Apocalypse with cuts so deep you might see bone. Plus, the Star Wars Pipeline is looking a little sandy. Better start sweeping or you may face a death sentence in 12 systems. And, Fresh Monkey Fiction is hoping you left room in your stocking for their latest Naughty or Nice Collection. But I always drink my.... Malk?! It's The Reluctant Adult Podcast. Email TheReluctantAdultPodcast@gmail.com Save and get Free Shipping on in-stock items on Entertainment Earth with code TOYPOD TikTok @TheReluctantAdultPodcast Instagram @TheReluctantAdultPodcast Twitter @Reluctant_Pod Facebook Toy Sale Boat YouTube The Reluctant Adult Podcast Paul's Amazon Wishlist Bill's Amazon Wishlist

Send us a textKick off your new year with a fresh approach to nutrition and wellness habits that stick. Imagine starting with grand resolutions only to see them slip away by March—that sounds familiar, right? In this episode of Simple Nutrition Insights, I, Leonila Campos, share how you can avoid this common pitfall by embedding habits into your daily life so naturally that they become as automatic as brushing your teeth. Through personal stories and practical advice, I'll guide you on mastering the art of consistency and self-reminding to cultivate lasting changes in your lifestyle.Let's transform your wellness journey by embracing the power of micro habits. I had a fascinating conversation with the CEO of Malk plant-based milk, where we uncovered how small daily actions, like an extra glass of water or a few minutes of movement, can lead to significant lifestyle changes. Instead of massive overhauls, we'll focus on incremental progress and a mindset of adding rather than restricting—ensuring your meals are as balanced as they are satisfying. This episode promises a practical roadmap to incorporating positive habits that can revolutionize your health journey.Meal planning and holistic wellness take center stage as we dive deeper into creating healthy habits for everyday success. Learn how a simple 15-minute meal planning session can save you time and stress while fostering family bonds. Plus, discover how combining food groups can stave off hunger and why stress management, sleep, and self-care are crucial for overall well-being. From limiting fast food indulgences to understanding emotional connections with food, you'll gain the tools to equip both you and your family with essential life skills for a healthier, happier year ahead. Thank you for listening. Please subscribe to this podcast and share with a friend. If you would like to know more about my services, please message at fueledbyleo@gmail.comMy YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0SqBP44jMNYSzlcJjOKJdg

Malík ven! Část fanoušků extraligových Ocelářů měla v neděli odpoledne jasno, kdo stojí za prapodivným vstupem zlatého týmu do sezony. Hněv se sesypal na hlavu asistenta trenéra Marka Malíka, jenž nedlouho poté oznámil demisi a odchod z třinecké organizace. Na sociálních sítích i jinde se okamžitě objevily zprávy o fyzickém incidentu bývalého obránce NHL s jedním z třineckých beků. Co je na tom pravdy? A proč se titulový soubor celý podzim tak souží? Dozvíte se v novém dílu podcastu Zimák s trojicí Radek Duda, Zbyněk Irgl, Miroslav Horák. A protože z Třince je to jen kousek do Ostravy, kde taky měnili trenérský štáb, zastavíme se i tady. V zamčené části Zimáku se pak podíváme detailně na dotahování velkých nákupů v cizině v případě pražské Sparty a Pardubic. V obou táborech jde samozřejmě o reprezentanty s aktuální či nedávnou kariérní minulostí v NHL nebo AHL. A jako bonus přidáme dozvuk po vyhazovu hlavního kouče Bostonu Jima Montgomeryho. Kompletní díl Zimák už teď najdete na zimakpodcast.cz

Is the best college football coach of all time Nick Saban? Is “Goodfellas” the best mob movie? Does Handel's Ice Cream taste the best? Or how about…am I the world's best dad? There is no such thing as “best,” even if the art created by my newborn son Axton (that hangs on my home office wall) states that “hands down” I am the world's best dad! There is no “best” or “worst,” only different…and everything has a value that can only be truly measured subjectively. So, despite CPG brands still lazily utilizing “best” within marketing…it shouldn't be surprising to hear that people don't buy products because of that meaningless superlative, but because of those products make them feel. And I think you'll be able to easily pick up throughout my conversation with Jason Bronstad (CEO of MALK) that the premium plant-based milk brand is focused on human connection and shared experiences. MALK feels like a CPG brand that knows who they are (and more importantly who they aren't), which is extremely important in today's ultra-competitive CPG marketplace. Jason and I will talk about the simple yet sophisticated approach to product strategy at MALK…and how that's been a foundational core belief that connects to other elements of the commercial strategy. We also talk through the lessons learned thus far as MALK evolves (and expands) away from that “supernatural channel grocery shopper.” Finally, Jason and I examine how MALK is leveraging the “celebrity smoothie collab” trend…and what that strategy could evolve into next. But these are just some of the interesting topics we chatted about in this episode... FOLLOW ME ON MY SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LINKEDIN⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YOUTUBE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TWITTER⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠INSTAGRAM⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠FACEBOOK⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/joshua-schall/support

Víkendová hokejová extraliga přinesla hromobití na severní Moravě a ve Slezsku. Ve Vítkovicích skončil hlavní kouč David Bruk, proti němuž se obrátili fanoušci. Také v Třinci příznivci Ocelářů volali po odchodu Marka Malíka, jednoho z asistentů Zdeňka Motáka. Obě přání byla vyslyšena. V tradiční pondělní Pětce Zimáku jsme se na aktuální dění v obou klubech podrobně podívali. A přidali jsme i názory na rozjetou Spartu, lepšící se Plzeň a samozřejmě nemohou chybět Pardubice. Ty v pátek v Praze schytaly výprask 1:8 v Praze a je otázka, zda se blamáž promítne do případného posilování brankoviště…

Send us a textJoin us for an enlightening episode featuring Jason Bronstad, the visionary CEO of Malk Organics. Discover how a mother's quest to craft a pure and organic dairy alternative for her son sparked a movement that captured the hearts and taste buds of families worldwide. From humble beginnings at local farmer's markets to forming a monumental partnership with Whole Foods, Jason takes us through Malk's journey, emphasizing its dedication to nourishing ingredients and a taste that resonates with kids and adults alike.Our conversation doesn't stop at the incredible growth of Malk Organics. Jason shares the core values that fuel their mission—transparency, sustainability, and accountability. These principles aren't just words; they're the foundation guiding every decision, ensuring Malk remains a trusted choice in the booming plant-based milk industry. We explore the shift towards personalized nutrition and the entrepreneurial spirit that drives new product innovations, responding to the increasing demand for healthier, transparent options in a post-COVID world.Building a strong team is critical, and Jason highlights how Malk's commitment to hiring the right people ensures their culture and objectives align seamlessly. We discuss how they prioritize food safety and product accessibility, with innovative solutions like shelf-stable packaging to reach more communities. As we wrap up, there's a genuine sense of gratitude and excitement for the future, with aspirations for continued growth and collaboration. Stay tuned as we share resources to support your health journey, ensuring you don't miss out on any upcoming innovations from Malk Organics.https://malkorganics.com/#turnitaround IG: Malk Organics Thank you for listening. Please subscribe to this podcast and share with a friend. If you would like to know more about my services, please message at fueledbyleo@gmail.comMy YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0SqBP44jMNYSzlcJjOKJdg

In today's episode, I interview the CEO of MALK Organics, Jason Bronstad.Bronstad began consulting for MALK in 2020 and transitioned to CEO in June 2021. His goal is to bring MALK to the masses and increase their consumer base by educating people on why MALK is the healthiest alternative milk option out there. Bronstad has led the charge in the company's significant growth since becoming CEO. In 2022, MALK became the fastest growing plant-based milk among leading brands** with major distribution expansions, an illuminating ad campaign, and a Series B funding round. MALK is currently the #1 brand across all markets when it comes to sales growth and velocity growth and the #5 brand in the Natural Channel in terms of sales.MALK products are dairy-, gum-, filler-, gluten-, oil-, GMO- and lactose-free. No carrageenan. No binders. No colors or sweeteners Mother Nature wouldn't recognize. Made with six ingredients or less and an abundance of organic nuts in every bottle, using the whole nut to retain all the nutrients without losing any of the flavor.To find MALK near you, use this link https://malkorganics.com/find-malk/ and don't forget to follow them on instagram @malkorganics.Support the showDon't forget to follow me on instagram and tiktok: @dr.kristinatelhami to see more of my content! You can also visit my website drkristinatelhami.com to read my blog posts and see what else I offer!

Plant-based milk has reached a point of maturation -- and Malk is helping take the products even more to the mainstream. The company launched in 2015, starting first in a farmer's market and expanding over a few years into retailers like Whole Foods and Sprouts. Now, the company's products -- which include almond, oat and cashew milk and creamers -- are sold in nearly 10,000 stores around the country and is the official alternative milk used in Erewhon smoothies. According to CEO Jason Bronstad, who joined the company in 2020, "[Grocery has] been the focus the entire time." It's a different track than competitors like Oatly, which grew thanks to distribution in cafes. "We believe that this product is for families," he said. "This product is for people at home." Bronstad joined the Modern Retail Podcast and discussed Malk's growth strategy and the plant-based milk space as a whole. Almond milk, for example, is still the biggest seller for both the industry and Malk. While oat was growing for a while, it began to lose its grounding over the last year over a growing consumer wariness of seed oils. While many plant-based milks do use seed oils, Malk doesn't. "Our job is to remind them that there is a great plant-based product that doesn't have the oils that they can stay in the family with," Bronstad said. But even with these consumer shifts, more people are seeking out these products. According to Bronstad, Malk is focused on finding what he describes as health-conscious consumers. "In every single grocery store in America, there is a health-conscious consumer looking to make a better decision for themselves and for their families," he said.

Com direção de Fede Alvarez (O Homem nas Trevas), Alien: Romulus resgata a atmosfera de tensão e terror que marcou os primeiros filmes da série, trazendo de volta aquele suspense sufocante que os fãs tanto amam.Alien: Romulus se baseia muito na estrutura de Alien: O Oitavo Passageiro, inclusive com cenas, enquadramentos e uma história muito mais intimista que seus antecessores. Além disso, o filme expande o universo Alien sem perder sua essência, nos apresentando algumas vertentes da companhia que ainda não conhecíamos.Nesse episódio, Rafael Arinelli recebe Katia Barga (Garotas Rebeldes), Henrique Rizatto e Edu Sacer (Loggado) para debater Alien: Romulus, passando pela construção dessa narrativa que revive a franquia, até aspectos técnicos como a fotografia claustrofóbica, o design de produção, a direção de arte sombria que faz referência direta ao clássico de 1979, dirigido por Ridley Scott, e o que Fede Alvarez trouxe de si para o filme.Dá o play e venha com a gente invadir essa espaçonave abandonada com um ambiente super duvidoso, claustrofóbico e tenso!Faça o download do episódio aqui• 04m33: Pauta Principal• 1h14m16: Plano Detalhe• 1h37m13: EncerramentoOuça nosso Podcast também no:• Feed: https://bit.ly/cinemacaofeed• Apple Podcast: https://bit.ly/itunes-cinemacao• Android: https://bit.ly/android-cinemacao• Deezer: https://bit.ly/deezer-cinemacao• Spotify: https://bit.ly/spotify-cinemacao• Amazon Music: https://bit.ly/amazoncinemacaoAgradecimentos aos patrões e padrinhos: • André Marinho• Bruna Mercer• Charles Calisto Souza• Daniel Barbosa da Silva Feijó• Diego Lima• Eloi Xavier• Gabriela Pastori• Guilherme S. Arinelli• Gustavo Reinecken• Katia Barga• Thiago Coquelet• William SaitoFale Conosco:• Email: contato@cinemacao.com• Facebook: https://bit.ly/facebookcinemacao• BlueSky: https://bit.ly/bskycinemacao• Instagram: https://bit.ly/instagramcinemacao• Tiktok: https://bit.ly/tiktokcinemacaoApoie o Cinem(ação)!Apoie o Cinem(ação) e faça parte de um seleto clube de ouvintes privilegiados, desfrutando de inúmeros benefícios! Com uma assinatura a partir de apenas R$5,00, você terá acesso a vantagens incríveis. E o melhor de tudo: após 1 ano de contribuição, recebe um presente exclusivo como agradecimento! Não perca mais tempo, acesse agora a página de Contribuição, escolha o plano que mais se adequa ao seu estilo e torne-se um apoiador especial do nosso canal! Junte-se a nós para uma experiência cinematográfica única!Plano Detalhe:• (Henrique): Série: Cidade de Deus: A Luta Não Para• (Henrique): Série: Monstros: Irmãos Menendez: Assassinos dos Pais• (Kátia): Filme: Não Fale o Mal• (Kátia): Série: The Middle• (Edu): Série: Ninguém quer• (Edu): YouTube: Blogueirinha, A Feia• (Edu): Série: Rensga Hits!• (Rafa): Podcast: Alien• (Rafa): Filme: Rebel RidgeEdição: ISSOaí

Odborník na podzemné vody, znalec prameňov - hydrológ Peter Malík. Rozhodoval sa medzi archeológiou a fyzikou. Vyhrala hydrogeológia a to preto, lebo ho zaujímalo, ako sa voda pohybuje v podzemí. Vyrastal v bratislavskej Rači, ako dieťa prešiel pozdĺž celého toku Vydrice. Má rád aj vysoké hory. Annapurna či sopka na hranici medzi Bolíviou a Čile, aj to sú miesta, ktoré navštívil. Aké mýty sa spájajú s našimi prameňmi? Nielen o tom bude Gabika Angibaud hovoriť s hydrológom Petrom Malíkom v tejto epizóde Nočnej pyramídy. | Hosť: Peter Malík (hydrológ, Štátny geologický ústav Dionýza Štúra). | Moderuje: Gabika Angibaud. | Tolkšou Nočná pyramída pripravuje Slovenský rozhlas, Rádio Slovensko, SRo1.

Traditional cow's milk takes a back seat as we taste-test the creamiest, tastiest plant-based milk alternatives on the market. Joined by two cow's milk afficionados, including my 11-year-old neighbor Lily and my friend and colleague Noel Simmons, we sample nine dairy-free delights, from oatmilk to almondmilk and everything in between. Discover which milks make the grade for flavor, nutrition, and eco-friendliness in this refreshing roundup. Whether you're lactose intolerant, vegan, or simply curious, this episode is your ultimate guide to the dairy-free milk decisions. LINKS Top PLANT-BASED picks: Noel + Lily's Favorites Ripple Pea Protein Milk (original, unsweetened) MALK unsweetened almond milk – along with Forager and Three Trees – doesn't include any stabilizers or emulsifiers – just the nuts or seeds, water, and potentially flavor enhancers like sea salt or vanilla beans.  Silk Soymilk (original, unsweetened) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on the program, jD is joined by Russ Romandini to unveil song 21 on the Pavement Top 50 Countdown. Transcript: Track 1:[0:00] Previously on the Pavement Top 50.Track 2:[0:02] So here we go with Texas Never Whispers. Aiden from Vermont, what are your initial thoughts about this song? Texas Never Whispers is a really cool song. Full disclosure, before you sent me that this would be the song that we were going to be talking about, it honestly wasn't one of the tracks off of Watery the Mystic that really jumped out at me. But after um after you sent it and i knew that we were gonna have to chat about it um i listened to it a little bit deeper and i i definitely found like a new appreciation for it hey.Track 1:[0:38] This is westy from the rock and roll band pavement and you're listening to the countdown.Track 3:[0:46] Hey it's jd here back for another episode of our top 50 countdown for seminal indie rock band and Pavement. Week over week, we're going to count down the 50 essential Pavement tracks that you selected with your very own top 20 ballots. I then tabulated the results using an abacus and an air fryer. Seriously, is there anything this machine doesn't do? How will your favorite song fare in the rankings? You'll need to tune in to find out. So there's that. This week, I'm joined by Pavement superfan, Boston Russ. Boston Russ, how the fuck are you? I'm fan-tastic. and ready to rock. This is great news because it would be a hell of a podcast if you were not ready to rock. That's right. That's right. Thanks so much for having me on. Oh, it's my pleasure. Thanks for doing this. You guys do all the heavy lifting on these, so this is fantastic for me. Let's get right to it. Let's talk about your pavement origin story. Sorry. I think my Pavement Origins story goes back to 1994.Track 3:[1:50] I'm a little late. I'm kind of a late comer in some respects. So back in 94, a good friend of mine, so I got to give him some props. His name was Sean McGovern. We called him Slappy and a few other things. He was in a band in the Boston area called Beeswax. There's some other bands in our area called Beeswax also, but he was in with a few guys. And they did AK-47 and a couple other songs. Sadly, he passed away a couple years ago. He got sick. Oh, shit.Track 3:[2:23] But back in 94, we were good friends, and we hung out a ton, and he just one day gave me this bag of CDs. He left it in my car. He's like, listen to these. And so Crooked Rain was there, and so I put it on, and Silent Kid comes on, and I'm just like.Track 3:[2:41] Who are these guys? And, you know, I played the album some. And it was just, like, I go back and I look at that time. And, like, the album release times were just, like, really, like, fast-moving parts of my life. It was, like, the end of college almost where Crooked Rain came out. It was, like, the end of my junior year. And I was doing a radio show. And I don't know. I, like, never quite linked up to, like, really featuring them prominently. And then wowie zowie comes out like two weeks before i graduated college and you know and get into like the summer in 95 and it's just like it like just blurred and so it's like i heard it like a little bit but didn't like totally like dive in not until bright in the corners came out in 97 and that like i just could not stop playing that album like just word great record and word out and And I wanted to see them in concert. I had been to a bunch of different shows for bands, like Foo Fighters. I got to see Foo Fighters when they were together for two weeks in 1995. Holy shit. They were together. Nobody knew who they were. This is my same friend. So Sean says to me, we got to go see this band play.Track 3:[3:55] Eddie Vedder's wife is doing a percussion band.Track 3:[3:59] And Eddie Vedder is going to play with Mike Watt. And Dave Grohl is going to show up. and do, he's going to play with his new band. And I was like, he's like, you got to go. And it was like this rainy Sunday afternoon. We go to this club called Avalon. So if anybody knows Boston, knows the 90s, we wore Avalon out. I mean, it was like one of the best places to go for rock bands. And Foo Fighters was the middle band. Grohl comes out on lead. And you're like, because you're like, oh, Dave Grohl, new band, going to be a drummer, right? He comes out on lead and does like, and he's holding his guitar tower in hand and it was like that one moment where it's like best ever or total train wreck and he did this as a call comes in with the first lines you know just his voice butter and from there it was it was crazy so like you know i followed like a lot of these bands and went to a lot of these shows and just didn't quite i kept missing pavement and then they broke up and i got old you and me both brother you know and it's like oh and they got together in 2010 and but my My son was like a year old, and I had really moved far from Boston at that point and totally missed the tour. And I was like, ugh, you know, and just kind of feeling like stuck. And so I would listen to, you know, Pavement a lot during the 2010s. They were a big part of Spotify, and I would play them. And I don't know, a couple of years ago...Track 3:[5:26] I was just saying to myself, it would be really great if these guys would really do a tour. Yes. And then it happened. And they came to Boston, and I got sick. No fucking way. I got sick at the end of September. I totally missed the announcement that they were coming, and then got sick, and I couldn't get tickets, and I skipped it. And I was just like, I'm totally beside myself. And I was like, all right. This is okay, because we're going to make up for it. And so, we come to the end of the calendar year in 22, and then one of the best things happened to me. My wife, her best friend calls her up and says, guess what I have? And my wife says, what? And her best friend says, I have an extra free ticket to see Taylor Swift. And my wife is a huge Swifty. All right. Okay? Huge. And, you know, but her best friend lives in Tennessee. And we're in Boston. And her best friend says, the ticket's for Tampa Bay.Track 3:[6:41] Oh, my God. So, because that's where her best friend mom lives, right? Right. So, she's just like, well, I'm going to go from Tennessee to Tampa and go to the show. Do you want to come with me? And and of course you know well i gotta tell my wife i'm like you got it's a ticket of the year i'm like this this is like you got a free ticket to this like yeah you have to go right you have to go so of course like she could i you know she got the ticket we just got her i got her a flight and you know she goes down there and has a ball right they drive they do like a 1300 mile road trip from tennessee to tampa and back they go to the smoky mountains they have like the best time ever right so right after that the ticket um you know i got out of the plane ticket, the pavement in iceland announcement comes oh yes and i'm like pavement iceland and i turned 50 and i'm like she's like, You have to do that.Track 3:[7:40] That is a great wife. Yeah. She is fantastic. And I'm like, I do have to do this, don't I? She's like, I think you do. And I'm like, it's three shows. I'm like, they'll play all the songs. They have to play all the songs just to vote because it's three shows in a row. Yeah. So I went ahead and I ended up booking the trip. And so this was like you know late late i think the release was like late january so like early february it was like a couple of weeks after they released the thing i i got tickets but i still got like fifth row and i got second row for like the last show i got really good tickets they were they were a little slow to sell out of the gate but and thankful for me because you know i'm like so i just i got a flight the flights were very reasonable and so got a flight and just said we're doing this thing. So as the year ticks by, I'm getting ready, getting ready, getting ready. And then I think it was sometime in late June, my birthday passed and all this, getting ready for the trip. And then I get the big announcement that says, in Iceland, they're going to do a walking tour with the band. I did not know this. yeah they put out a walking tour with the band so uh steve and bob participated in the walking tour.Track 3:[9:02] Um so um oh and and spiral also of course um so it was the three of them and then you would buy a record and and buy the tour uh the walk tour so 90 minutes around reykjavik um and there was a host and then they would go ahead and talk about, you know, they would just talk about the musical history of Iceland, and then you could walk around and get to meet the pavement guys. That's fantastic. There were 50 tickets, went on sale at noon. My hand was like on that button, and I was number 21. That's amazing. I could not believe I got a ticket. It and i i you know again i was like is i'm like is this hyping up to be the best trip ever i'm like sounds like i'm like what's happening here and so now we're leading up to the trip the trips at the end of july they did the shows at the end of july so sometime in july i'm on reddit i'm on the pavement channel and um sky posts up and he says who's going to iceland let's form a group, so I'm like great I'm like how about me I'm like I'm going he says hi I'm Mike from DC and I'm like I'm Russell from Boston.Track 3:[10:26] So, I jump in. Another guy, Steve from Milwaukee, jumps in and says to me, so, what do you think the weather's going to be like? I'm like, maybe like a mild Boston winter. Unfortunately, to me and Steve, that meant two different things. Sorry, Steve. Because I ended up considering that to be a little chilly. But I went a little cold. So, it was pretty funny. And so, slowly, this little group of people forms on Reddit and then goes over to WhatsApp. So the day comes, finally go ahead and fly out. Do the flight, no problem, get there. And then when you fly into Keflavik Airport, it's about 45 minutes from Reykjavik, you go and take a bus. Okay. And so, guy sits across from me, he's also from Massachusetts. His name's Curtis, and I strike up a conversation with him. And halfway through the conversation, He's like, by the way, are you here for pavement? And I'm like, yes. He's like, what gives me away? He's like, you know, you're a certain age, traveling by yourself. He's like, me too. I figured you were here for the shows.Track 3:[11:35] And I'm like, I'm on the bus and I'm not even there yet. And we're already way off and running. So we get to the Thursday show, and the moment of truth comes, and I'm walking down to Harpa Concert Hall. It's a huge glass structure. It's beautiful. If you ever see the pictures online, it was amazing. Beautiful place to play. And so I'm walking, and I'm within sight distance of the concert hall. I've already spent the day there. Reykjavik's beautiful. People are nice. Everybody's very relaxed.Track 3:[12:16] And guess who walks right by me is Mark Eibold. Really? Yep. Just walking to the venue. I'm walking to the venue. He's walking away from it. He's probably going out for maybe a quick bite to eat or something. something, you know, we got a little, we had, you know, time before they went on. He walks right by me and I'm like, Mark. And he turned around and I told him hello. And I said, you know, I was here for the shows and everything. He took a quick picture with me and, you know, and that was that. But I got to meet him and I was like, all right, I got to meet Mark. He is the elusive one. He is, he is elusive. And so, but I got to meet him and got a photo and, I mean, super nice. You know, it was like 90 seconds tops, you know, because I just didn't want to take up his time. I mean, you know, he's getting ready for the show and everything. So I was happy for that. And I went up to the concert hall and everybody just started to meet. And it was funny because I think it was Mike in the group said, Yeah.Track 3:[13:23] Okay, so here's the moment of truth. How are we all going to know, you know, who each other are since we don't know each other? Good call. So I said, all right, I'm going to go stand by one of the tables. I'm wearing bright blue pumas. You can't miss me. Because I'm also wearing this, like, bright vest. I tend to wear bright clothing sometimes. And so, like, I got this vest and I got this, like, hat and pom-pom and this whole getup. Can't miss me. I mean, I'm like screaming and everybody's dressed in like black and Reykjavik. So I'm like, I really stick out.Track 3:[13:57] I'm like, can't miss me. And so I think like the first guy that comes over is Steve and Steve's like, Russ. And I'm like, hi. And so that just kind of like broke the ice for everybody and people started to gravitate over. And, you know, like we're having a couple of beers. We're talking at the shows, you know, and just met some like really great people, you know, the merch tables there. And we're talking, you know, other people got tickets for the walk on Friday and it was amazing. And so one of the guys, Eric from New Jersey, Eric says to me, I said, you know, I got Crooked Rain with the tour. I said, but I really wanted Wowie Zowie. He's like, why don't you just buy it at the merch table, bring it with you tomorrow. They'll just sign it. I'm like, genius. Yeah. So I did that, and that ended up working out very well, because they signed both albums. So solid piece of advice from Eric. And so we did the show, and it was fantastic. They started off with Grounded, which is one of my favorites. Damn. And it was really great, because when they just break into Grounded, it's like...Track 3:[15:15] I made it, you know, and, you know, the, the, the months leading up to that were a little difficult. My mom was pretty sick. She's, you know, had, she had some tough moments last year and, uh, it was just like really emotional. I was like, holy crap. I like, I really did it. I mean, this was like 30 years in the making. Yeah. And I just, it was, you know, and it's like when you see that like pavement in Iceland thing and it's like, you look at that and it's like a lot of times you just look at those types of things and then it's like, oh, it should do And you don't end up doing it, you know, for all the reasons to not go and for all the reasons to go. And it's like, I'm here, here.Track 3:[15:59] And it was just amazing. I bet. It was just really great. They did Summer Babe. And, you know, by then, we're like, we're all friends. And, like, we're all yelling all the lyrics to the songs. And, you know, everybody's just, like, carrying on, having a good time. And, you know, go out to the bars after we're out late, having drinks. And everybody's, you know, really just getting to meet each other and have fun and, you know, learn where everybody's from. I mean, people came from Los Angeles, Jersey, D.C. There were people from Europe, Berlin, and England, and all these places. All these people just converged, and they all came by themselves. Really? Yep. Most people weren't by themselves. They all came by themselves. Wow. And so there was this group of people that had all come by themselves. And now it was like we started to become like this little unit. So now Friday... Friday was like really one of the highlights of the trip because we had the pavement walk and it was really, it was just great.Track 3:[17:19] I'll send you a copy of this picture, but like, so I bring Wowie Zowie and I mentioned how I like to dress up in bright colors and my whole get up for the day basically matched the album cover. And i didn't plan it that way but i had like you could see like my hooded sweatshirt and i wore this like green hooded sweatshirt and this you know in a shirt and my vest and hat and everything were all like blue and green and so and i had green puma sneakers like the old you know uh the old sneakers all like i'm like blue and green head to toe right and so i show up the next morning and everybody's looking at me and i'm like hey wowie zowie everybody just couldn't believe it and so you know steve west and spiral come up to me and they're like how you doing and i'm like i'm like i'm so glad to be here and they took a picture with me like right away they were like the nicest and um it was great i got to meet uh bob nastanovich and and his wife carly um who who I get to be really good friends with. She was absolutely amazing. So there's more interacting to come. So we go on the pavement walk.Track 3:[18:40] And it's hosted by a guy from Iceland. And so one of my favorite jokes on the whole trip gets set up, right? So we're walking through Iceland, and he's like, oh, this is where Bjork lived, and this is where this was, and this is what happened here and all of these spots. And then we get to this condominium.Track 3:[19:04] And, you know, he's standing in front of it and gets everybody up there and says, now this, this is, used to be the rock and roll club. He's like, it looks very clean now, but back in the late 80s and early 90s, this is where we would come and we would write songs, we would play songs. This was the club. This was it right here. This is the spot. He's like, this was everything right in this spot. He's like, and we used to. And then he said the thing that just made my eyes go like big bug wide open. And he said to me, we used to get blackout drunk. And I'm like and then there was like this kind of pause which I love because it just kind of sets me up and I have this sense of humor and I just kind of raised my hand and I said.Track 3:[20:11] Did you say that you got blackout drunk here? And he's like yeah and I said and, But this is your old club, right? And he said, yeah. And so I said, so now that it's closed on weekends and shut for good, would you consider this your own personal Hall of Fame? And Steve West is kind of looking at me and then all of a sudden just looks straight down to the ground like really hard. And you hear like three people chuckling in the background who get the joke and i'm sure the people got it but like you know maybe it wasn't their their sense of humor um and i just felt like i'm like he and he didn't get the joke which just to me made it like that much better it made it even better and i was just like you know it was great and so my my friend steve comes up. He's from the Midwest and has this very straight sense of humor. And he's like.Track 3:[21:24] Your joke earlier, that was good. Which I loved. He's just like the perfect straight man. It was so good. It was so good. And so we go on the rest of the walk and I got to meet Bob a little bit more. I got to meet Carly. But then I got probably about five minutes to walk with Spiral. And I got to tell Spiral like how much I loved Date with Ikea which is just like probably, it's definitely in my top five I think I submit it as like number three on my list because I just love that song they're just like songs that just really resonate with me it always makes me smile I love playing the John Peel version because it's just it's quicker and it just really hits every time and it's just funny because like.Track 3:[22:15] I became part of like team Spiral, right? Because like when I would go to the shows, I would stand like on Spiral's side. Like a lot of people buy tickets and stand to the left where Malk is. Yeah. But I like to stand to the right because I can see Spiral, I can see Bob, and I can see Mark and Steve very easily. And I can still see Malk and, you know, and Eyebold and everybody else. But like, you know, Mark's, you know, Moloch stands so far over, you know, but a lot of people gravitate over there. So it's good. And, you know, so, I mean, it was just, just amazing. And did you get to hear them play Date with Ikea? They did. They played it Friday night. They played it. I said, he's like, yeah, he's like, but we'll play it. He's like, we'll play it. And you get to hear it. And, and then, so we went and we went back and they did autographs. We got to meet them. They were just fantastic. They were all just so nice. I mean, everybody was generous with their time. I mean. That was my experience as well. Like, just so gracious and so accommodating. Yeah.Track 3:[23:31] Um, and so it was like, okay, where do we go from here? We did the Saturday show. I did like all, you know, I did some tours. I did Blue Lagoon, which is now like closed, you know, and those are heartbreaking every time we see like the volcano eruption stuff. And, you know, I feel for the people in that area. Cause like, oh, the people were so nice. I mean, just walking around Reykjavik, it was like, so, it was just so great. Cause everybody was like so relaxed. I mean, I was walking down the street one day and I had some napkins kind of coming out of my pocket and somebody comes up to me and he's like, your money. And I'm like, oh, thanks. It's just napkins, but thank you. You know, like, you know, and like, you know, where I live, it's like, everybody would be like, boop, I'll take that, thanks, and keep walking, you know, or let it fly away and, you know, all that. But, you know, we just had this crew and we would get, you know, we got together for drinks on the last Sunday and, you know, and people said their goodbyes and stuff. And it was just, it was great. But everybody's like, so who's going to Brooklyn? Because the tour wrapped up in Brooklyn in September. So in like six, seven weeks later, a lot of us went to Brooklyn.Track 3:[24:52] Jesus Christ. So because they had put the announcement out that the tickets were going to come out. And I told my wife, I'm like, I got to do one more. I just feel like I'm really called to just, I got to go to the last show. Got to go to the last. So I bought two tickets and I called, I have a twin sister. and I called my twin sister Andrea and I said.Track 3:[25:17] Because she used to go to all the shows with me. And she took me to Foo Fighters for our birthday. Like one of her birthday presents to me, we went to see Foo Fighters in Laconia, New Hampshire. Turned back the clock and it was a great time. So I said, well, you did Foo Fighters. I said, come to Brooklyn with me because she loves going to New York. I said, come to Brooklyn and let's go to Pavement. She's like, all right, let's do it. So I bought the tickets. And then we were coming up to the shows, and the only song I didn't hear in Iceland that I absolutely had to hear was Elevate Me Later and couldn't stop talking about it. Um so we get to um we get to brooklyn uh the.Track 3:[26:06] Week of the it was monday september 11th was the first show and everybody did the first show and i had friends there like and now everybody's like totally into it people know each other and and my friend eric the guy from new jersey was unbelievable and basically was just like posting in the chat like okay they're doing this song now Now they're doing this song. Now they're doing this song. And like some people would like post videos into the chat. Somebody tried to do a little live. I mean, like, I mean, the time that people were investing in sharing the information with everybody else was just wild. So I'm just like, I was like, I'm getting a ticket for Wednesday because it wasn't sold out yet. And I was like, I'm buying a ticket for Wednesday. And I worked it out with my sister where we were going to take the train together. And then she's like, I'll just buy a bus ticket. You meet me there and I'm like, I'm going, I'm going out on the train a day early and I'm going to the Wednesday show too. So I get to the Wednesday show and, um, cause now it's like, I'm in it now. Now it's like a minute. So I got tickets for the last two shows. I had to. And, um, I'm like, it was like really just called to do it because I got there, you know, I met up with Steve and Mike and, and everybody and, and, and it was wonderful seeing everybody, um, and met new people too, like, uh, Wes from Chicago, who was really great. And he ended up cutting some videos and some other folks.Track 3:[27:36] But they ended up doing Elevate Me Later on the Wednesday show. It was the only time in the whole tour, the whole year and a half tour, that they played Elevate Me Later. Holy shit. And they did. You were there for it. I was there for it. I couldn't believe it. Because they wrote it out as LS2 on the play sheet. Yeah, yeah. And I was like, are they going to play it? Because and my friend Wes is like well there's like two versions of it he's like so he's like I think so but maybe and then like they kicked into it and I'm like that's my entrance song, and it was like I was like in a hyper trance for like the first 20 seconds of it because like I couldn't believe they were finally playing it and it came out great it was amazing Rebecca Clay Cole, who was there doing the organ work on the tour, her voice on the backing vocal was just awesome with everybody else. It's a great version. It really needs to be on Spotify.Track 3:[28:38] Well, I hope we get some live records at some point from this tour. They were taking video and all kinds of stuff. So I am hoping that they do some live work with it. And if we get that out, produce, it would be super great. Um, so I mean, it was really great. Uh, I mean, um, we, you know, at, at the end of the Wednesday show, uh, we went to the bar across the street and we were having beers. We kind of closed that place down and then a spiral runs out and, um, you know, and he's just like booking it for his Uber. Right. Cause I mean, you know, there's still like, you know, probably 20, 20 of us there hanging out and he's like, yeah, Hey, I'll see you guys. And I'm like, hey, Spiral, it's me from Iceland. And he's like, wait, I remember you. And I'm like, knock back. And I'm like, oh, my friends heard that. And it was just like frivolity because it was just, it was too crazy. And I gave him a high five. He gave me a quick hug and he jetted off into his Uber. And I'm just like, my whole night was made. I guess so. You know, and then like it couldn't get any better except Steve Malkmus walked out and was hanging out on the corner waiting for his Uber. And he's just standing there and he's talking to like you know somebody else he was with and we're all standing there like diagonally across the street from Malk and he's just standing there and another friend of mine says.Track 3:[30:07] Russell, what do we do? And I'm like, we go up to him. And so like, I just started walking across the street and then like, I just like went right after, you know, and, and patiently waited for him to finish this conversation. And I'm like, hello. And I'm wearing my Reykjavik t-shirt, except it says Reykjavik in Japanese. And one of our other friends is Japanese in the group. And when she saw me and she walked into the bar, she was the only person who laughed at me because she's like, Like, your t-shirt says Reykjavik.Track 3:[30:35] I mean, the moments were just, like, amazing. They were all, like, it felt like every moment was like that. And then, so, like, Stephen was the only person I hadn't met. And, you know, again, super gracious, took some photos, you know, and, you know, I didn't take too much of his time because, you know, the rest of my friends all got time to meet him before his ride showed up. And that was that. You know, we did the Thursday show also. And, you know, we got to say goodbye to the band and to everybody else. And it was something else.Track 3:[31:09] And, you know, one last story that my friend Mike from D.C. is very fond of. So when we got back from Iceland, I had the picture with me dressed up in the Wowie Zowie outfit. And I have a picture. When we did the record signing, it was at 12 Tonar. Which is one of the record shops in Reykjavik. So in the back, they have this wall with graffiti, and it's all color. So I'm in my color outfit, and it's all color. And it's this really cool photo that came out, and you could see everything, the sneakers, the whole nine yards, right? And so I posted it on Twitter, and I said, you know, I posted it to Bob and Carly and Spiral, and said, thank you so much for everything. And Spiral wrote back and called me a legend. And that just like broke my friend Mike. He's like, he's like, hold up, hold up, hold up. He's like, do I have that right? He's like, did you call Spiral a legend or did he call you a legend? I'm like.Track 3:[32:18] He called me a legend. That's amazing. And Mike is like, why? Why did he call you a legend? He's like, what don't I know about you, Russell? And I'm like. I wear bright colors. Yeah. I mean, you know, I just, I'm like, I don't know, Mike. You know, I'm thankful he did that, you know. Oh, God, that's amazing. It was just, it's wild. It's out on the interwebs, you know, and it makes me smile. There are just so many pieces that made me smile. At me on Twitter. At me on Twitter with the photo. Oh, yeah, absolutely. I would love to see it. Yeah, I'm happy to share it. So a quick shout out to the whole crew here. So Steve, Mike, Eric, Liz from England, Sasha, Chiaki, Curtis, Chris from Berlin, Manny and Liza, Wes Stevens, Tony, Bacon, and a very large shout out to the man from Reykjavik himself.Track 3:[33:21] Elvar, Elvarsson, who was, you know, we all became friends with Elvar when we were in Reykjavik, and he was the only person in our group from Iceland. And I love his name because, Because in Boston, we always swear at people. And Elvar's name is Elvar, Elvar's son. So he's son of an Elvar. I mean, in our best Boston. And he's such a bright personality, a wonderful guy. He does a podcast called Peeling the Onion. So a shout out to him. And if anybody's out there, it's on Spotify. And he covers a lot of punk rock origins and stuff. So huge shout out to Elvar. And to all the people who were there for Iceland and Brooklyn, my sister, of course, you know, and my family for putting up with the time while I'm away and the incessant playing of the pavement. And, you know, but my son has now kind of become kind of a fan a little bit. Done good work. Yeah, we're driving around. You know, he has his pavement favorites too, which makes me smile. So it's, you know, some good dad work there. So I'm trying. I'm trying.Track 3:[34:39] Well, what do you say we flip the record here and play song 21 and then come back and have a little talk about that? Sounds good. I'm ready for a B-side. All right, let's do it. We'll be back after this.Track 1:[34:53] Hey, this is Bob Mustanovich from Pavement. Thanks for listening. And now on with a countdown. 21.Track 3:[38:08] Today's song is the second song from Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain to appear on the countdown thus far. Today, we're talking all about number 21, Cut Your Hair. Russell, talk to me about your relationship with this song. I love this song, you know, for a few reasons. One, I think because, you know, it's ubiquitous. And when I talk about Pavement to the rest of the free world people are like, I don't remember that band, and if I say cut your hair people are like, yeah I remember that and I think it's great that there's a song that helps people kind of make that connection.Track 3:[38:57] Even though their relationship to the band isn't as deep as ours right um i also love it because like 90s russ had the best hair now for those you know for all my friends and family that know me my my hair is gone now and for all my recent friends all they know is you know russ has no hair but 90s russ and my 90s friends or people People that grew up with me know that like in college, they used to call me Mr. Perfect Hair or the guy with the hair. And my hair kind of came off to the left and it would – on the side, it came all the way around and it didn't move.Track 3:[39:43] It did not move. And it would just come down in the front and it was always perfect no matter like when you saw me. I could roll to the cafeteria at 8 a.m., and it had to be just right. It was always on. And people used to try to do all kinds of stuff to mess it up, and it was his own airtight defense system. It was awesome. It was part of me. You wouldn't see me without it. I didn't have the confidence back then to not have it. Be just so um it was just you know it was part of kind of life in my 20s so like you know the hair was it was just that was it wherever i was i was always able to make sure like i could find an outlet and uh blow dry my hair and uh and make it just so so it was um it was hilarious uh so So, you know, I love the song, and the song is just...Track 3:[40:53] You know, it's everything about, you know, kind of just like that, being perfect. It's like, you have to be so packaged and so, you know, you have to have that image just so. You know, like back in the day when we had the Andre Agassi commercials, image is everything. And that's what Cut Your Hair says to me. It's like, image is everything. Thing like if you're gonna go far as a band like you know like you have to have like this whatever it is packaged image that record company wants you to follow in order for your career to advance and and you can't really be yourself you know um that's how i i see the song is it's almost like It's a song of conformity. If you don't fit the image, you won't move forward. And it's interesting that Cut Your Hair is on Crooked Rain, which really propelled their career.Track 3:[41:59] Absolutely. And kind of got them to the point where the next record really could have put them up and over. And they come out with Wowie Zowie, which is really, people say it's equivalent to Weezer Pinkerton. Right. Yeah, I can see that. Which I loved, and it really kind of got a very cool reception. You know but like if you look at the like how everybody rated it it was like this album's amazing and i'm like well yeah that album is amazing the same thing with like wow he's out where you like it you know if as people reviewed it a lot of people didn't like it and some people like really loved it but when you come back and listen to wow he's out where you like it, You know, it was growing your hair. They made the record they wanted to make, even though it didn't quite conform to what the record companies necessarily wanted.Track 3:[43:03] You know, and they made that art what they wanted it to be. And so that's kind of like what Cut Your Hair kind of means to me, you know? I love it. Tension and Fame, South Korea.Track 3:[43:23] I mean, you know, it's a fun song. It's, you know, it's really light and peppy. You know, it's a song when you go to the show, you know, you're going to hear it, you know, more often than not, you know. And if they, when they played four shows, I think they left it out once, you know, maybe twice. But when we got to Brooklyn, they were really playing like real deep cuts. I mean, we got to hear like, they emptied the cupboards in Brooklyn and that was great. We got a lot of, hearing Half a Canyon and Pueblo and those kinds of songs were really great. But, you know, cut your hair, you know you're going to hear it. But, you know, like, it's fun. And sometimes it can be that song where it's just like, oh, you know, I don't know if I want to hear it because it is so popular, you know, and it is, you know, uniquely Pavement. And it's, you know, like, I want to hear other songs. But it was really interesting because when you gave me the opportunity to come on and talk about it, and I'm like, it really is a great song. It is a great song. You know? And...Track 3:[44:42] You know, I saw out on Reddit, I think it was last week, there's now a beer named after it called The Second Drummer Drowned. Dude, interesting story. The guy who posted that, I just said nonchalant, I said, oh man, it's too bad you couldn't ship one here. And then he DM'd me, got my address, and he is shipping one to me. That is outstanding. It is so fucking cool, and I believe his name is, oh shit, I think it's Mark. I will amend this at some point and make sure that he gets the shout out he deserves. But this leads me to an interesting question for you talking about, you know, this song and the fact that some people can dismiss it because it was their popular hit. It had, you know, it was on MTV rotation, like the music video.Track 3:[45:44] So is this song at 21, is it properly rated? Is it overrated? Is it underrated? What do you think? 21, we're into the great tracks now. Not to say that the whole 50 isn't great, but we're starting to get down to the nitty gritty. Be i have to i'm gonna say i was surprised when you told me that i when i was at 21, i did not expect to see cut your hair here me neither but i understand it in a way and so i will you know i'll share a little bit of my own um you know submission i ranked elevate Elevate Me Later, number one, for a very specific reason. I wanted the points for it because I wanted it to be somewhere in the top 50 because I love it. And so when we say, okay, it's going to be the top 50 countdown, I think about the math behind it and goes into it. So I think that Cut Your Hair kind of gets knocked down a little bit because...Track 3:[47:02] Everyone just assumes it's going to be there. Oh, that's a good call. Okay. So it's kind of like that old Simpsons episode where Bart Simpson, and this is like season one where Bart Simpson runs for class president against Martin Prince. And everybody thinks Bart's going to win and nobody votes for him. And only Martin Prince wins two to nothing because him and his only friend voted for Martin Prince. So it was two nothing Martin Prince. That was it. And Martin won. And everybody's like, nobody voted for Bart. So I feel like cut your hair as Bart. I mean, nobody really voted for it because everybody would just count on it being in everybody's highly ranked list. And here it is at 21.Track 3:[47:40] You're probably bang on the money, man. You know, that's an interesting take. I hadn't really considered that, but I think that's a very solid take. I mean, because I ranked some other songs a little bit higher because I wanted to make sure they made the cut. Yeah. And I put Elevate Me Later number one because I asked for it so much amongst my friends. It's tied to me now. And every time I hear it, I put it on right before we came on just to hype me up because it always makes me smile. but Grounded and then Date With Ikea were my top three. And Date With Ikea, for me, that was properly rated because I love that song. And having that time with Spiral, those few minutes with him in Reykjavik is something I will never forget. Of course. It's tied to it between that and the Twitter thing and the fact that he remembered me in the shows and Brooklyn and all that, I'm definitely like Team Spiral and everybody ribs me for that, good-naturedly, because it's just funny. And, you know, but I think that's- He's a gem, man. He's a gem. He's come on five times. Really? Yeah. He's been on five times. Amazing. Amazing. Yeah. I get it. I mean, they've all been great, you know. And a special shout out, too, to Carly, who's Bob's wife.Track 3:[49:10] We chat occasionally on Twitter and say, hi, how are you? And even during the shows, she would say hi to me and she'd say, hey, I love your energy. And like she was taping, she was videotaping the shows on her phone. And she's like, you know, at like certain intervals, she would just like hand me her phone. She's like, you tape this. And so like, I'm like watching the concert and I'm like holding up her phone, making sure I get good footage for her. It was hilarious. I mean, like the stuff that just happened was just like, I'm like, how am I even doing this? Like, why? Like, you know, why have I been chosen to kind of be in the middle of all of this? I had a very similar vibe when I did my UK trip. I had a very similar vibe. It was just like, who am I? What fucking planet is this right now? Right, right, right. This is my favorite band, and I'm following them around, and I'm getting backstage, and they know me. Like, this is so cool. Right, right. It's like, this can't be happening. That's right. And the whole Iceland trip was like, you know, like people talk about like, oh, I had this trip and everything went wrong. The Iceland trip was everything went right. Everything that could have happened that, you know, that could have turned into a positive turned into a positive. And even the little setbacks I had, like, were so quickly resolved, usually by the kindness of strangers or some good fortune.Track 3:[50:38] It was just amazing how well everything went, and really both trips. I mean, it was the time. I had a wonderful time. Well, you were owed it, I think. And after missing them a few times, I'm glad you got to resolve your story that way. Is there anything other than the Icelandic Gentleman's podcast that you want to plug while you're here? Um no I I think I just want to plug my friends one more time for everybody in those groups you know Steve, Mike, Eric you know all those guys everybody is like just the nicest you know it's like just a quick story like you know Eric bought merchandise for us in Brooklyn and then shipped it home to all of us Wow. And he's like, just Venmo me.Track 3:[51:37] Like, that kind of generosity of his time and trust and everything else. Just top shelf. And everybody was like that. Mike was like that. Steve was like that. I've had a good fortune to see Steve a few times, and we've been able to hang out. And even though he's out in the Midwest, we've been able to connect a few times. Oh, that's brilliant. You know, just all the people just, it made it so great. And it just turned into this giant snowball of good that just kept rolling downhill and just kept getting better, bigger. More people came into the fold. Everywhere we went, more people came in. It was amazing how welcoming everybody was and all the people that we met, how great they were. Keep in mind if you ever do a reunion. Oh, 100%. I'll hit you up on Twitter. And I'm sure we'll wind up somewhere at some point. That would be awesome. You know, what I'd really love is like.Track 3:[52:39] One more like place where like iceland where they played three shows yeah you know brooklyn they played four shows like they're doing a few south america shows it's kind of tough but it's like one show in one location at a big festival and like it's hard to like kind of do that but if they played like three shows somewhere where we could just show up and and like kind of recreate them take over and recreate the magic and yeah and make some new stories and spend that time I'm, I would just, I would love that. And I, you know, I don't know. It seems like it's going to be a while, if ever, before they really say, we'll, we'll do that again.Track 3:[53:17] We'll see. We'll see. Like, I don't know. Like, I think SM is getting ready to release. And maybe by the time this comes out, he will have made an announcement of some sort. So we'll get some new Jicks material, SM and the Jicks, or maybe another, like his last two records have been just him so maybe it'll be just him but i wouldn't be shocked if we see them on the road again because it's uh it's fun for them it's relatively lucrative you know like the the touring market is is a good thing and they've got a loyal fan base you know they do i mean my here's my call this is just this is my take um another person i got to meet on the the Iceland trip, was his daughter, Sunday, who's – Sunday's about 15 years old now. And she was super nice. And I connected with her a little bit because that's my son's age. So, like, I got the whole thing, you know, I understood kind of, like, where she was coming from because that's my son's age.Track 3:[54:22] And, you know, my dad –, piece kind of raised up when we talk about, are they going to hit the road again? I think when Sunday goes to college, I think that at that point, we'll have a chance for them to maybe come back out. But I get the feeling like he'll do the dad thing. She'll get through high school. His wife is obviously, we know she's an accomplished artist. She has her career. He'll make time for her. There'll be that balance of family and everything else. And then when So when Sunday's off to her next adventure, everybody will probably say, one more ride.Track 3:[55:04] That'd be great. So I'm thinking maybe 2027, we'll gas up the truck and we'll make it count, I think, by then. Well, if they wait until 2029, that would be 40 years, right? Yeah. 40 years since the band formed. I hope they don't go that long, but you know. Yeah. I hope so too. Yeah. You know, um, and that's where like kind of the, the old guy in me says, let's get out there before we can't. Yeah. Well, on that note, on that, uh, harrowing note, um, uh, it's been a pleasure to have you on, uh, Boston Russ. Uh, this has been a delight. I'm so glad your story turned out the way it did. That's the kind of feel-good stories we do here on Meeting Malcomus. So, you know, kudos to you. That's what I got for you this week. So tune in next week for song number 20. That's right. We're in to the top 20. In the meantime, wash your goddamn hands.Track 1:[56:12] Thanks for listening to Meeting Malcomus, a pavement podcast. Podcast, where we count down the top 50 pavement tracks as selected by you. If you've got questions or concerns, please shoot me an email, jd at meetingmalkinist.com.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/meeting-malkmus-a-pavement-podcast/exclusive-contentAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

This week on the Countdown, jD is joined by Ayden Flanagan to reveal song 22 and to share his Pavement Origin Story. Transcript: Track 1:[0:00] Previously on the Pavement Top 50.Track 2:[0:02] So here we go with Texas Never Whispers. Aiden from Vermont, what are your initial thoughts about this song? Texas Never Whispers is a really cool song. Full disclosure, before you sent me that this would be the song that we were going to be talking about, it honestly wasn't one of the tracks off of Watery the Mystic that really jumped out at me. But after um after you sent it and i knew that we were gonna have to chat about it um i listened to it a little bit deeper and i i definitely found like a new appreciation for it hey.Track 1:[0:38] This is westy from the rock and roll band pavement and you're listening to the countdown.Track 3:[0:46] Hey it's jd here back for another episode of our top 50 countdown for seminal indie rock band and Pavement. Week over week, we're going to count down the 50 essential Pavement tracks that you selected with your very own top 20 ballots. I then tabulated the results using an abacus and an air fryer. Seriously, is there anything this machine doesn't do? How will your favorite song fare in the rankings? You'll need to tune in to find out. So there's that. This week, I'm joined by Pavement superfan, Boston Russ. Boston Russ, how the fuck are you? I'm fan-tastic. and ready to rock. This is great news because it would be a hell of a podcast if you were not ready to rock. That's right. That's right. Thanks so much for having me on. Oh, it's my pleasure. Thanks for doing this. You guys do all the heavy lifting on these, so this is fantastic for me. Let's get right to it. Let's talk about your pavement origin story. Sorry. I think my Pavement Origins story goes back to 1994.Track 3:[1:50] I'm a little late. I'm kind of a late comer in some respects. So back in 94, a good friend of mine, so I got to give him some props. His name was Sean McGovern. We called him Slappy and a few other things. He was in a band in the Boston area called Beeswax. There's some other bands in our area called Beeswax also, but he was in with a few guys. And they did AK-47 and a couple other songs. Sadly, he passed away a couple years ago. He got sick. Oh, shit.Track 3:[2:23] But back in 94, we were good friends, and we hung out a ton, and he just one day gave me this bag of CDs. He left it in my car. He's like, listen to these. And so Crooked Rain was there, and so I put it on, and Silent Kid comes on, and I'm just like.Track 3:[2:41] Who are these guys? And, you know, I played the album some. And it was just, like, I go back and I look at that time. And, like, the album release times were just, like, really, like, fast-moving parts of my life. It was, like, the end of college almost where Crooked Rain came out. It was, like, the end of my junior year. And I was doing a radio show. And I don't know. I, like, never quite linked up to, like, really featuring them prominently. And then wowie zowie comes out like two weeks before i graduated college and you know and get into like the summer in 95 and it's just like it like just blurred and so it's like i heard it like a little bit but didn't like totally like dive in not until bright in the corners came out in 97 and that like i just could not stop playing that album like just word great record and word out and And I wanted to see them in concert. I had been to a bunch of different shows for bands, like Foo Fighters. I got to see Foo Fighters when they were together for two weeks in 1995. Holy shit. They were together. Nobody knew who they were. This is my same friend. So Sean says to me, we got to go see this band play.Track 3:[3:55] Eddie Vedder's wife is doing a percussion band.Track 3:[3:59] And Eddie Vedder is going to play with Mike Watt. And Dave Grohl is going to show up. and do, he's going to play with his new band. And I was like, he's like, you got to go. And it was like this rainy Sunday afternoon. We go to this club called Avalon. So if anybody knows Boston, knows the 90s, we wore Avalon out. I mean, it was like one of the best places to go for rock bands. And Foo Fighters was the middle band. Grohl comes out on lead. And you're like, because you're like, oh, Dave Grohl, new band, going to be a drummer, right? He comes out on lead and does like, and he's holding his guitar tower in hand and it was like that one moment where it's like best ever or total train wreck and he did this as a call comes in with the first lines you know just his voice butter and from there it was it was crazy so like you know i followed like a lot of these bands and went to a lot of these shows and just didn't quite i kept missing pavement and then they broke up and i got old you and me both brother you know and it's like oh and they got together in 2010 and but my My son was like a year old, and I had really moved far from Boston at that point and totally missed the tour. And I was like, ugh, you know, and just kind of feeling like stuck. And so I would listen to, you know, Pavement a lot during the 2010s. They were a big part of Spotify, and I would play them. And I don't know, a couple of years ago...Track 3:[5:26] I was just saying to myself, it would be really great if these guys would really do a tour. Yes. And then it happened. And they came to Boston, and I got sick. No fucking way. I got sick at the end of September. I totally missed the announcement that they were coming, and then got sick, and I couldn't get tickets, and I skipped it. And I was just like, I'm totally beside myself. And I was like, all right. This is okay, because we're going to make up for it. And so, we come to the end of the calendar year in 22, and then one of the best things happened to me. My wife, her best friend calls her up and says, guess what I have? And my wife says, what? And her best friend says, I have an extra free ticket to see Taylor Swift. And my wife is a huge Swifty. All right. Okay? Huge. And, you know, but her best friend lives in Tennessee. And we're in Boston. And her best friend says, the ticket's for Tampa Bay.Track 3:[6:41] Oh, my God. So, because that's where her best friend mom lives, right? Right. So, she's just like, well, I'm going to go from Tennessee to Tampa and go to the show. Do you want to come with me? And and of course you know well i gotta tell my wife i'm like you got it's a ticket of the year i'm like this this is like you got a free ticket to this like yeah you have to go right you have to go so of course like she could i you know she got the ticket we just got her i got her a flight and you know she goes down there and has a ball right they drive they do like a 1300 mile road trip from tennessee to tampa and back they go to the smoky mountains they have like the best time ever right so right after that the ticket um you know i got out of the plane ticket, the pavement in iceland announcement comes oh yes and i'm like pavement iceland and i turned 50 and i'm like she's like, You have to do that.Track 3:[7:40] That is a great wife. Yeah. She is fantastic. And I'm like, I do have to do this, don't I? She's like, I think you do. And I'm like, it's three shows. I'm like, they'll play all the songs. They have to play all the songs just to vote because it's three shows in a row. Yeah. So I went ahead and I ended up booking the trip. And so this was like you know late late i think the release was like late january so like early february it was like a couple of weeks after they released the thing i i got tickets but i still got like fifth row and i got second row for like the last show i got really good tickets they were they were a little slow to sell out of the gate but and thankful for me because you know i'm like so i just i got a flight the flights were very reasonable and so got a flight and just said we're doing this thing. So as the year ticks by, I'm getting ready, getting ready, getting ready. And then I think it was sometime in late June, my birthday passed and all this, getting ready for the trip. And then I get the big announcement that says, in Iceland, they're going to do a walking tour with the band. I did not know this. yeah they put out a walking tour with the band so uh steve and bob participated in the walking tour.Track 3:[9:02] Um so um oh and and spiral also of course um so it was the three of them and then you would buy a record and and buy the tour uh the walk tour so 90 minutes around reykjavik um and there was a host and then they would go ahead and talk about, you know, they would just talk about the musical history of Iceland, and then you could walk around and get to meet the pavement guys. That's fantastic. There were 50 tickets, went on sale at noon. My hand was like on that button, and I was number 21. That's amazing. I could not believe I got a ticket. It and i i you know again i was like is i'm like is this hyping up to be the best trip ever i'm like sounds like i'm like what's happening here and so now we're leading up to the trip the trips at the end of july they did the shows at the end of july so sometime in july i'm on reddit i'm on the pavement channel and um sky posts up and he says who's going to iceland let's form a group, so I'm like great I'm like how about me I'm like I'm going he says hi I'm Mike from DC and I'm like I'm Russell from Boston.Track 3:[10:26] So, I jump in. Another guy, Steve from Milwaukee, jumps in and says to me, so, what do you think the weather's going to be like? I'm like, maybe like a mild Boston winter. Unfortunately, to me and Steve, that meant two different things. Sorry, Steve. Because I ended up considering that to be a little chilly. But I went a little cold. So, it was pretty funny. And so, slowly, this little group of people forms on Reddit and then goes over to WhatsApp. So the day comes, finally go ahead and fly out. Do the flight, no problem, get there. And then when you fly into Keflavik Airport, it's about 45 minutes from Reykjavik, you go and take a bus. Okay. And so, guy sits across from me, he's also from Massachusetts. His name's Curtis, and I strike up a conversation with him. And halfway through the conversation, He's like, by the way, are you here for pavement? And I'm like, yes. He's like, what gives me away? He's like, you know, you're a certain age, traveling by yourself. He's like, me too. I figured you were here for the shows.Track 3:[11:35] And I'm like, I'm on the bus and I'm not even there yet. And we're already way off and running. So we get to the Thursday show, and the moment of truth comes, and I'm walking down to Harpa Concert Hall. It's a huge glass structure. It's beautiful. If you ever see the pictures online, it was amazing. Beautiful place to play. And so I'm walking, and I'm within sight distance of the concert hall. I've already spent the day there. Reykjavik's beautiful. People are nice. Everybody's very relaxed.Track 3:[12:16] And guess who walks right by me is Mark Eibold. Really? Yep. Just walking to the venue. I'm walking to the venue. He's walking away from it. He's probably going out for maybe a quick bite to eat or something. something, you know, we got a little, we had, you know, time before they went on. He walks right by me and I'm like, Mark. And he turned around and I told him hello. And I said, you know, I was here for the shows and everything. He took a quick picture with me and, you know, and that was that. But I got to meet him and I was like, all right, I got to meet Mark. He is the elusive one. He is, he is elusive. And so, but I got to meet him and got a photo and, I mean, super nice. You know, it was like 90 seconds tops, you know, because I just didn't want to take up his time. I mean, you know, he's getting ready for the show and everything. So I was happy for that. And I went up to the concert hall and everybody just started to meet. And it was funny because I think it was Mike in the group said, Yeah.Track 3:[13:23] Okay, so here's the moment of truth. How are we all going to know, you know, who each other are since we don't know each other? Good call. So I said, all right, I'm going to go stand by one of the tables. I'm wearing bright blue pumas. You can't miss me. Because I'm also wearing this, like, bright vest. I tend to wear bright clothing sometimes. And so, like, I got this vest and I got this, like, hat and pom-pom and this whole getup. Can't miss me. I mean, I'm like screaming and everybody's dressed in like black and Reykjavik. So I'm like, I really stick out.Track 3:[13:57] I'm like, can't miss me. And so I think like the first guy that comes over is Steve and Steve's like, Russ. And I'm like, hi. And so that just kind of like broke the ice for everybody and people started to gravitate over. And, you know, like we're having a couple of beers. We're talking at the shows, you know, and just met some like really great people, you know, the merch tables there. And we're talking, you know, other people got tickets for the walk on Friday and it was amazing. And so one of the guys, Eric from New Jersey, Eric says to me, I said, you know, I got Crooked Rain with the tour. I said, but I really wanted Wowie Zowie. He's like, why don't you just buy it at the merch table, bring it with you tomorrow. They'll just sign it. I'm like, genius. Yeah. So I did that, and that ended up working out very well, because they signed both albums. So solid piece of advice from Eric. And so we did the show, and it was fantastic. They started off with Grounded, which is one of my favorites. Damn. And it was really great, because when they just break into Grounded, it's like...Track 3:[15:15] I made it, you know, and, you know, the, the, the months leading up to that were a little difficult. My mom was pretty sick. She's, you know, had, she had some tough moments last year and, uh, it was just like really emotional. I was like, holy crap. I like, I really did it. I mean, this was like 30 years in the making. Yeah. And I just, it was, you know, and it's like when you see that like pavement in Iceland thing and it's like, you look at that and it's like a lot of times you just look at those types of things and then it's like, oh, it should do And you don't end up doing it, you know, for all the reasons to not go and for all the reasons to go. And it's like, I'm here, here.Track 3:[15:59] And it was just amazing. I bet. It was just really great. They did Summer Babe. And, you know, by then, we're like, we're all friends. And, like, we're all yelling all the lyrics to the songs. And, you know, everybody's just, like, carrying on, having a good time. And, you know, go out to the bars after we're out late, having drinks. And everybody's, you know, really just getting to meet each other and have fun and, you know, learn where everybody's from. I mean, people came from Los Angeles, Jersey, D.C. There were people from Europe, Berlin, and England, and all these places. All these people just converged, and they all came by themselves. Really? Yep. Most people weren't by themselves. They all came by themselves. Wow. And so there was this group of people that had all come by themselves. And now it was like we started to become like this little unit. So now Friday... Friday was like really one of the highlights of the trip because we had the pavement walk and it was really, it was just great.Track 3:[17:19] I'll send you a copy of this picture, but like, so I bring Wowie Zowie and I mentioned how I like to dress up in bright colors and my whole get up for the day basically matched the album cover. And i didn't plan it that way but i had like you could see like my hooded sweatshirt and i wore this like green hooded sweatshirt and this you know in a shirt and my vest and hat and everything were all like blue and green and so and i had green puma sneakers like the old you know uh the old sneakers all like i'm like blue and green head to toe right and so i show up the next morning and everybody's looking at me and i'm like hey wowie zowie everybody just couldn't believe it and so you know steve west and spiral come up to me and they're like how you doing and i'm like i'm like i'm so glad to be here and they took a picture with me like right away they were like the nicest and um it was great i got to meet uh bob nastanovich and and his wife carly um who who I get to be really good friends with. She was absolutely amazing. So there's more interacting to come. So we go on the pavement walk.Track 3:[18:40] And it's hosted by a guy from Iceland. And so one of my favorite jokes on the whole trip gets set up, right? So we're walking through Iceland, and he's like, oh, this is where Bjork lived, and this is where this was, and this is what happened here and all of these spots. And then we get to this condominium.Track 3:[19:04] And, you know, he's standing in front of it and gets everybody up there and says, now this, this is, used to be the rock and roll club. He's like, it looks very clean now, but back in the late 80s and early 90s, this is where we would come and we would write songs, we would play songs. This was the club. This was it right here. This is the spot. He's like, this was everything right in this spot. He's like, and we used to. And then he said the thing that just made my eyes go like big bug wide open. And he said to me, we used to get blackout drunk. And I'm like and then there was like this kind of pause which I love because it just kind of sets me up and I have this sense of humor and I just kind of raised my hand and I said.Track 3:[20:11] Did you say that you got blackout drunk here? And he's like yeah and I said and, But this is your old club, right? And he said, yeah. And so I said, so now that it's closed on weekends and shut for good, would you consider this your own personal Hall of Fame? And Steve West is kind of looking at me and then all of a sudden just looks straight down to the ground like really hard. And you hear like three people chuckling in the background who get the joke and i'm sure the people got it but like you know maybe it wasn't their their sense of humor um and i just felt like i'm like he and he didn't get the joke which just to me made it like that much better it made it even better and i was just like you know it was great and so my my friend steve comes up. He's from the Midwest and has this very straight sense of humor. And he's like.Track 3:[21:24] Your joke earlier, that was good. Which I loved. He's just like the perfect straight man. It was so good. It was so good. And so we go on the rest of the walk and I got to meet Bob a little bit more. I got to meet Carly. But then I got probably about five minutes to walk with Spiral. And I got to tell Spiral like how much I loved Date with Ikea which is just like probably, it's definitely in my top five I think I submit it as like number three on my list because I just love that song they're just like songs that just really resonate with me it always makes me smile I love playing the John Peel version because it's just it's quicker and it just really hits every time and it's just funny because like.Track 3:[22:15] I became part of like team Spiral, right? Because like when I would go to the shows, I would stand like on Spiral's side. Like a lot of people buy tickets and stand to the left where Malk is. Yeah. But I like to stand to the right because I can see Spiral, I can see Bob, and I can see Mark and Steve very easily. And I can still see Malk and, you know, and Eyebold and everybody else. But like, you know, Mark's, you know, Moloch stands so far over, you know, but a lot of people gravitate over there. So it's good. And, you know, so, I mean, it was just, just amazing. And did you get to hear them play Date with Ikea? They did. They played it Friday night. They played it. I said, he's like, yeah, he's like, but we'll play it. He's like, we'll play it. And you get to hear it. And, and then, so we went and we went back and they did autographs. We got to meet them. They were just fantastic. They were all just so nice. I mean, everybody was generous with their time. I mean. That was my experience as well. Like, just so gracious and so accommodating. Yeah.Track 3:[23:31] Um, and so it was like, okay, where do we go from here? We did the Saturday show. I did like all, you know, I did some tours. I did Blue Lagoon, which is now like closed, you know, and those are heartbreaking every time we see like the volcano eruption stuff. And, you know, I feel for the people in that area. Cause like, oh, the people were so nice. I mean, just walking around Reykjavik, it was like, so, it was just so great. Cause everybody was like so relaxed. I mean, I was walking down the street one day and I had some napkins kind of coming out of my pocket and somebody comes up to me and he's like, your money. And I'm like, oh, thanks. It's just napkins, but thank you. You know, like, you know, and like, you know, where I live, it's like, everybody would be like, boop, I'll take that, thanks, and keep walking, you know, or let it fly away and, you know, all that. But, you know, we just had this crew and we would get, you know, we got together for drinks on the last Sunday and, you know, and people said their goodbyes and stuff. And it was just, it was great. But everybody's like, so who's going to Brooklyn? Because the tour wrapped up in Brooklyn in September. So in like six, seven weeks later, a lot of us went to Brooklyn.Track 3:[24:52] Jesus Christ. So because they had put the announcement out that the tickets were going to come out. And I told my wife, I'm like, I got to do one more. I just feel like I'm really called to just, I got to go to the last show. Got to go to the last. So I bought two tickets and I called, I have a twin sister. and I called my twin sister Andrea and I said.Track 3:[25:17] Because she used to go to all the shows with me. And she took me to Foo Fighters for our birthday. Like one of her birthday presents to me, we went to see Foo Fighters in Laconia, New Hampshire. Turned back the clock and it was a great time. So I said, well, you did Foo Fighters. I said, come to Brooklyn with me because she loves going to New York. I said, come to Brooklyn and let's go to Pavement. She's like, all right, let's do it. So I bought the tickets. And then we were coming up to the shows, and the only song I didn't hear in Iceland that I absolutely had to hear was Elevate Me Later and couldn't stop talking about it. Um so we get to um we get to brooklyn uh the.Track 3:[26:06] Week of the it was monday september 11th was the first show and everybody did the first show and i had friends there like and now everybody's like totally into it people know each other and and my friend eric the guy from new jersey was unbelievable and basically was just like posting in the chat like okay they're doing this song now Now they're doing this song. Now they're doing this song. And like some people would like post videos into the chat. Somebody tried to do a little live. I mean, like, I mean, the time that people were investing in sharing the information with everybody else was just wild. So I'm just like, I was like, I'm getting a ticket for Wednesday because it wasn't sold out yet. And I was like, I'm buying a ticket for Wednesday. And I worked it out with my sister where we were going to take the train together. And then she's like, I'll just buy a bus ticket. You meet me there and I'm like, I'm going, I'm going out on the train a day early and I'm going to the Wednesday show too. So I get to the Wednesday show and, um, cause now it's like, I'm in it now. Now it's like a minute. So I got tickets for the last two shows. I had to. And, um, I'm like, it was like really just called to do it because I got there, you know, I met up with Steve and Mike and, and everybody and, and, and it was wonderful seeing everybody, um, and met new people too, like, uh, Wes from Chicago, who was really great. And he ended up cutting some videos and some other folks.Track 3:[27:36] But they ended up doing Elevate Me Later on the Wednesday show. It was the only time in the whole tour, the whole year and a half tour, that they played Elevate Me Later. Holy shit. And they did. You were there for it. I was there for it. I couldn't believe it. Because they wrote it out as LS2 on the play sheet. Yeah, yeah. And I was like, are they going to play it? Because and my friend Wes is like well there's like two versions of it he's like so he's like I think so but maybe and then like they kicked into it and I'm like that's my entrance song, and it was like I was like in a hyper trance for like the first 20 seconds of it because like I couldn't believe they were finally playing it and it came out great it was amazing Rebecca Clay Cole, who was there doing the organ work on the tour, her voice on the backing vocal was just awesome with everybody else. It's a great version. It really needs to be on Spotify.Track 3:[28:38] Well, I hope we get some live records at some point from this tour. They were taking video and all kinds of stuff. So I am hoping that they do some live work with it. And if we get that out, produce, it would be super great. Um, so I mean, it was really great. Uh, I mean, um, we, you know, at, at the end of the Wednesday show, uh, we went to the bar across the street and we were having beers. We kind of closed that place down and then a spiral runs out and, um, you know, and he's just like booking it for his Uber. Right. Cause I mean, you know, there's still like, you know, probably 20, 20 of us there hanging out and he's like, yeah, Hey, I'll see you guys. And I'm like, hey, Spiral, it's me from Iceland. And he's like, wait, I remember you. And I'm like, knock back. And I'm like, oh, my friends heard that. And it was just like frivolity because it was just, it was too crazy. And I gave him a high five. He gave me a quick hug and he jetted off into his Uber. And I'm just like, my whole night was made. I guess so. You know, and then like it couldn't get any better except Steve Malkmus walked out and was hanging out on the corner waiting for his Uber. And he's just standing there and he's talking to like you know somebody else he was with and we're all standing there like diagonally across the street from Malk and he's just standing there and another friend of mine says.Track 3:[30:07] Russell, what do we do? And I'm like, we go up to him. And so like, I just started walking across the street and then like, I just like went right after, you know, and, and patiently waited for him to finish this conversation. And I'm like, hello. And I'm wearing my Reykjavik t-shirt, except it says Reykjavik in Japanese. And one of our other friends is Japanese in the group. And when she saw me and she walked into the bar, she was the only person who laughed at me because she's like, Like, your t-shirt says Reykjavik.Track 3:[30:35] I mean, the moments were just, like, amazing. They were all, like, it felt like every moment was like that. And then, so, like, Stephen was the only person I hadn't met. And, you know, again, super gracious, took some photos, you know, and, you know, I didn't take too much of his time because, you know, the rest of my friends all got time to meet him before his ride showed up. And that was that. You know, we did the Thursday show also. And, you know, we got to say goodbye to the band and to everybody else. And it was something else.Track 3:[31:09] And, you know, one last story that my friend Mike from D.C. is very fond of. So when we got back from Iceland, I had the picture with me dressed up in the Wowie Zowie outfit. And I have a picture. When we did the record signing, it was at 12 Tonar. Which is one of the record shops in Reykjavik. So in the back, they have this wall with graffiti, and it's all color. So I'm in my color outfit, and it's all color. And it's this really cool photo that came out, and you could see everything, the sneakers, the whole nine yards, right? And so I posted it on Twitter, and I said, you know, I posted it to Bob and Carly and Spiral, and said, thank you so much for everything. And Spiral wrote back and called me a legend. And that just like broke my friend Mike. He's like, he's like, hold up, hold up, hold up. He's like, do I have that right? He's like, did you call Spiral a legend or did he call you a legend? I'm like.Track 3:[32:18] He called me a legend. That's amazing. And Mike is like, why? Why did he call you a legend? He's like, what don't I know about you, Russell? And I'm like. I wear bright colors. Yeah. I mean, you know, I just, I'm like, I don't know, Mike. You know, I'm thankful he did that, you know. Oh, God, that's amazing. It was just, it's wild. It's out on the interwebs, you know, and it makes me smile. There are just so many pieces that made me smile. At me on Twitter. At me on Twitter with the photo. Oh, yeah, absolutely. I would love to see it. Yeah, I'm happy to share it. So a quick shout out to the whole crew here. So Steve, Mike, Eric, Liz from England, Sasha, Chiaki, Curtis, Chris from Berlin, Manny and Liza, Wes Stevens, Tony, Bacon, and a very large shout out to the man from Reykjavik himself.Track 3:[33:21] Elvar, Elvarsson, who was, you know, we all became friends with Elvar when we were in Reykjavik, and he was the only person in our group from Iceland. And I love his name because, Because in Boston, we always swear at people. And Elvar's name is Elvar, Elvar's son. So he's son of an Elvar. I mean, in our best Boston. And he's such a bright personality, a wonderful guy. He does a podcast called Peeling the Onion. So a shout out to him. And if anybody's out there, it's on Spotify. And he covers a lot of punk rock origins and stuff. So huge shout out to Elvar. And to all the people who were there for Iceland and Brooklyn, my sister, of course, you know, and my family for putting up with the time while I'm away and the incessant playing of the pavement. And, you know, but my son has now kind of become kind of a fan a little bit. Done good work. Yeah, we're driving around. You know, he has his pavement favorites too, which makes me smile. So it's, you know, some good dad work there. So I'm trying. I'm trying.Track 3:[34:39] Well, what do you say we flip the record here and play song 21 and then come back and have a little talk about that? Sounds good. I'm ready for a B-side. All right, let's do it. We'll be back after this.Track 1:[34:53] Hey, this is Bob Mustanovich from Pavement. Thanks for listening. And now on with a countdown. 21.Track 3:[38:08] Today's song is the second song from Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain to appear on the countdown thus far. Today, we're talking all about number 21, Cut Your Hair. Russell, talk to me about your relationship with this song. I love this song, you know, for a few reasons. One, I think because, you know, it's ubiquitous. And when I talk about Pavement to the rest of the free world people are like, I don't remember that band, and if I say cut your hair people are like, yeah I remember that and I think it's great that there's a song that helps people kind of make that connection.Track 3:[38:57] Even though their relationship to the band isn't as deep as ours right um i also love it because like 90s russ had the best hair now for those you know for all my friends and family that know me my my hair is gone now and for all my recent friends all they know is you know russ has no hair but 90s russ and my 90s friends or people People that grew up with me know that like in college, they used to call me Mr. Perfect Hair or the guy with the hair. And my hair kind of came off to the left and it would – on the side, it came all the way around and it didn't move.Track 3:[39:43] It did not move. And it would just come down in the front and it was always perfect no matter like when you saw me. I could roll to the cafeteria at 8 a.m., and it had to be just right. It was always on. And people used to try to do all kinds of stuff to mess it up, and it was his own airtight defense system. It was awesome. It was part of me. You wouldn't see me without it. I didn't have the confidence back then to not have it. Be just so um it was just you know it was part of kind of life in my 20s so like you know the hair was it was just that was it wherever i was i was always able to make sure like i could find an outlet and uh blow dry my hair and uh and make it just so so it was um it was hilarious uh so So, you know, I love the song, and the song is just...Track 3:[40:53] You know, it's everything about, you know, kind of just like that, being perfect. It's like, you have to be so packaged and so, you know, you have to have that image just so. You know, like back in the day when we had the Andre Agassi commercials, image is everything. And that's what Cut Your Hair says to me. It's like, image is everything. Thing like if you're gonna go far as a band like you know like you have to have like this whatever it is packaged image that record company wants you to follow in order for your career to advance and and you can't really be yourself you know um that's how i i see the song is it's almost like It's a song of conformity. If you don't fit the image, you won't move forward. And it's interesting that Cut Your Hair is on Crooked Rain, which really propelled their career.Track 3:[41:59] Absolutely. And kind of got them to the point where the next record really could have put them up and over. And they come out with Wowie Zowie, which is really, people say it's equivalent to Weezer Pinkerton. Right. Yeah, I can see that. Which I loved, and it really kind of got a very cool reception. You know but like if you look at the like how everybody rated it it was like this album's amazing and i'm like well yeah that album is amazing the same thing with like wow he's out where you like it you know if as people reviewed it a lot of people didn't like it and some people like really loved it but when you come back and listen to wow he's out where you like it, You know, it was growing your hair. They made the record they wanted to make, even though it didn't quite conform to what the record companies necessarily wanted.Track 3:[43:03] You know, and they made that art what they wanted it to be. And so that's kind of like what Cut Your Hair kind of means to me, you know? I love it. Tension and Fame, South Korea.Track 3:[43:23] I mean, you know, it's a fun song. It's, you know, it's really light and peppy. You know, it's a song when you go to the show, you know, you're going to hear it, you know, more often than not, you know. And if they, when they played four shows, I think they left it out once, you know, maybe twice. But when we got to Brooklyn, they were really playing like real deep cuts. I mean, we got to hear like, they emptied the cupboards in Brooklyn and that was great. We got a lot of, hearing Half a Canyon and Pueblo and those kinds of songs were really great. But, you know, cut your hair, you know you're going to hear it. But, you know, like, it's fun. And sometimes it can be that song where it's just like, oh, you know, I don't know if I want to hear it because it is so popular, you know, and it is, you know, uniquely Pavement. And it's, you know, like, I want to hear other songs. But it was really interesting because when you gave me the opportunity to come on and talk about it, and I'm like, it really is a great song. It is a great song. You know? And...Track 3:[44:42] You know, I saw out on Reddit, I think it was last week, there's now a beer named after it called The Second Drummer Drowned. Dude, interesting story. The guy who posted that, I just said nonchalant, I said, oh man, it's too bad you couldn't ship one here. And then he DM'd me, got my address, and he is shipping one to me. That is outstanding. It is so fucking cool, and I believe his name is, oh shit, I think it's Mark. I will amend this at some point and make sure that he gets the shout out he deserves. But this leads me to an interesting question for you talking about, you know, this song and the fact that some people can dismiss it because it was their popular hit. It had, you know, it was on MTV rotation, like the music video.Track 3:[45:44] So is this song at 21, is it properly rated? Is it overrated? Is it underrated? What do you think? 21, we're into the great tracks now. Not to say that the whole 50 isn't great, but we're starting to get down to the nitty gritty. Be i have to i'm gonna say i was surprised when you told me that i when i was at 21, i did not expect to see cut your hair here me neither but i understand it in a way and so i will you know i'll share a little bit of my own um you know submission i ranked elevate Elevate Me Later, number one, for a very specific reason. I wanted the points for it because I wanted it to be somewhere in the top 50 because I love it. And so when we say, okay, it's going to be the top 50 countdown, I think about the math behind it and goes into it. So I think that Cut Your Hair kind of gets knocked down a little bit because...Track 3:[47:02] Everyone just assumes it's going to be there. Oh, that's a good call. Okay. So it's kind of like that old Simpsons episode where Bart Simpson, and this is like season one where Bart Simpson runs for class president against Martin Prince. And everybody thinks Bart's going to win and nobody votes for him. And only Martin Prince wins two to nothing because him and his only friend voted for Martin Prince. So it was two nothing Martin Prince. That was it. And Martin won. And everybody's like, nobody voted for Bart. So I feel like cut your hair as Bart. I mean, nobody really voted for it because everybody would just count on it being in everybody's highly ranked list. And here it is at 21.Track 3:[47:40] You're probably bang on the money, man. You know, that's an interesting take. I hadn't really considered that, but I think that's a very solid take. I mean, because I ranked some other songs a little bit higher because I wanted to make sure they made the cut. Yeah. And I put Elevate Me Later number one because I asked for it so much amongst my friends. It's tied to me now. And every time I hear it, I put it on right before we came on just to hype me up because it always makes me smile. but Grounded and then Date With Ikea were my top three. And Date With Ikea, for me, that was properly rated because I love that song. And having that time with Spiral, those few minutes with him in Reykjavik is something I will never forget. Of course. It's tied to it between that and the Twitter thing and the fact that he remembered me in the shows and Brooklyn and all that, I'm definitely like Team Spiral and everybody ribs me for that, good-naturedly, because it's just funny. And, you know, but I think that's- He's a gem, man. He's a gem. He's come on five times. Really? Yeah. He's been on five times. Amazing. Amazing. Yeah. I get it. I mean, they've all been great, you know. And a special shout out, too, to Carly, who's Bob's wife.Track 3:[49:10] We chat occasionally on Twitter and say, hi, how are you? And even during the shows, she would say hi to me and she'd say, hey, I love your energy. And like she was taping, she was videotaping the shows on her phone. And she's like, you know, at like certain intervals, she would just like hand me her phone. She's like, you tape this. And so like, I'm like watching the concert and I'm like holding up her phone, making sure I get good footage for her. It was hilarious. I mean, like the stuff that just happened was just like, I'm like, how am I even doing this? Like, why? Like, you know, why have I been chosen to kind of be in the middle of all of this? I had a very similar vibe when I did my UK trip. I had a very similar vibe. It was just like, who am I? What fucking planet is this right now? Right, right, right. This is my favorite band, and I'm following them around, and I'm getting backstage, and they know me. Like, this is so cool. Right, right. It's like, this can't be happening. That's right. And the whole Iceland trip was like, you know, like people talk about like, oh, I had this trip and everything went wrong. The Iceland trip was everything went right. Everything that could have happened that, you know, that could have turned into a positive turned into a positive. And even the little setbacks I had, like, were so quickly resolved, usually by the kindness of strangers or some good fortune.Track 3:[50:38] It was just amazing how well everything went, and really both trips. I mean, it was the time. I had a wonderful time. Well, you were owed it, I think. And after missing them a few times, I'm glad you got to resolve your story that way. Is there anything other than the Icelandic Gentleman's podcast that you want to plug while you're here? Um no I I think I just want to plug my friends one more time for everybody in those groups you know Steve, Mike, Eric you know all those guys everybody is like just the nicest you know it's like just a quick story like you know Eric bought merchandise for us in Brooklyn and then shipped it home to all of us Wow. And he's like, just Venmo me.Track 3:[51:37] Like, that kind of generosity of his time and trust and everything else. Just top shelf. And everybody was like that. Mike was like that. Steve was like that. I've had a good fortune to see Steve a few times, and we've been able to hang out. And even though he's out in the Midwest, we've been able to connect a few times. Oh, that's brilliant. You know, just all the people just, it made it so great. And it just turned into this giant snowball of good that just kept rolling downhill and just kept getting better, bigger. More people came into the fold. Everywhere we went, more people came in. It was amazing how welcoming everybody was and all the people that we met, how great they were. Keep in mind if you ever do a reunion. Oh, 100%. I'll hit you up on Twitter. And I'm sure we'll wind up somewhere at some point. That would be awesome. You know, what I'd really love is like.Track 3:[52:39] One more like place where like iceland where they played three shows yeah you know brooklyn they played four shows like they're doing a few south america shows it's kind of tough but it's like one show in one location at a big festival and like it's hard to like kind of do that but if they played like three shows somewhere where we could just show up and and like kind of recreate them take over and recreate the magic and yeah and make some new stories and spend that time I'm, I would just, I would love that. And I, you know, I don't know. It seems like it's going to be a while, if ever, before they really say, we'll, we'll do that again.Track 3:[53:17] We'll see. We'll see. Like, I don't know. Like, I think SM is getting ready to release. And maybe by the time this comes out, he will have made an announcement of some sort. So we'll get some new Jicks material, SM and the Jicks, or maybe another, like his last two records have been just him so maybe it'll be just him but i wouldn't be shocked if we see them on the road again because it's uh it's fun for them it's relatively lucrative you know like the the touring market is is a good thing and they've got a loyal fan base you know they do i mean my here's my call this is just this is my take um another person i got to meet on the the Iceland trip, was his daughter, Sunday, who's – Sunday's about 15 years old now. And she was super nice. And I connected with her a little bit because that's my son's age. So, like, I got the whole thing, you know, I understood kind of, like, where she was coming from because that's my son's age.Track 3:[54:22] And, you know, my dad –, piece kind of raised up when we talk about, are they going to hit the road again? I think when Sunday goes to college, I think that at that point, we'll have a chance for them to maybe come back out. But I get the feeling like he'll do the dad thing. She'll get through high school. His wife is obviously, we know she's an accomplished artist. She has her career. He'll make time for her. There'll be that balance of family and everything else. And then when So when Sunday's off to her next adventure, everybody will probably say, one more ride.Track 3:[55:04] That'd be great. So I'm thinking maybe 2027, we'll gas up the truck and we'll make it count, I think, by then. Well, if they wait until 2029, that would be 40 years, right? Yeah. 40 years since the band formed. I hope they don't go that long, but you know. Yeah. I hope so too. Yeah. You know, um, and that's where like kind of the, the old guy in me says, let's get out there before we can't. Yeah. Well, on that note, on that, uh, harrowing note, um, uh, it's been a pleasure to have you on, uh, Boston Russ. Uh, this has been a delight. I'm so glad your story turned out the way it did. That's the kind of feel-good stories we do here on Meeting Malcomus. So, you know, kudos to you. That's what I got for you this week. So tune in next week for song number 20. That's right. We're in to the top 20. In the meantime, wash your goddamn hands.Track 1:[56:12] Thanks for listening to Meeting Malcomus, a pavement podcast. Podcast, where we count down the top 50 pavement tracks as selected by you. If you've got questions or concerns, please shoot me an email, jd at meetingmalkinist.com.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/meeting-malkmus-a-pavement-podcast/exclusive-contentAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Seriah is joined by Mat Festa and Roejen in a deep dive into the bizarre events surrounding Gef, a self-described talking mongoose in an isolated region of the UK in the 1930's. Topics include the “Project Archivist” podcast, “Paratopia” with Jeff Ritzmann and Jeremy Vaeni, the book “Gef! The Strange Tale of an Extra-Special Talking Mongoose”. by Christopher Josiffe, the Isle of Man, poltergeist activity, trickster behavior, “woo” Bigfoot encounters, family stresses and paranormal phenomena, investigators and their interactions with the family, outside witnesses of a mysterious small animal, rock throwing, urination by Gef, tulpas/thought forms, Gef's various explanations for his identity, hoax allegations, Fae activity, the Malk- a Faerie cat, Roejen's childhood experiences with a bizarre black dog, the movie “Nandor Fodor and the Talking Mongoose” and its serious flaws, the difficulties with photographic proof of the paranormal, self-negating evidence, investigators Harry Price, Hereward Carrington, and Nandor Fodor, the personal nature of paranormal experiences, “The Dreams in the Witch House” short story by H.P. Lovecraft, Gef's apparent psychic abilities, attempts to make plaster casts of his footprints, the film “Late Night with the Devil”, Gef as a cryptid, Joshua Cutchins, Fae as an explanatory concept, similarities with Mothman, forensic testing in that era, alleged photographs of Gef, present day fakery on video, “The Excluded Middle”, and much more! This is riveting conversation on a fascinating series of incidents!

This week we welcome Jason Bronstad, CEO of MALK Organics, to the podcast. Jason is a seasoned CPG professional with 20+ years of experience in the food and beverage industry. With a successful background at leading companies like Sara Lee and Jimmy Dean, Bronstad joined MALK in 2020 as a consultant and quickly rose to CEO in June 2021. Under his leadership, MALK has experienced significant growth, becoming the fastest-growing plant-based milk brand in 2022. Bronstad's mission is to expand MALK's consumer base by educating people on its health benefits as the top alternative milk option. His personal journey towards a healthier lifestyle fuels his passion for promoting wellness.   In this episode, you'll discover: Jason's CEO journey and his strategies for steering MALK Organics to success. How MALK is pioneering the premium segment of plant-based milks. Insights from Jason's failures and the valuable lessons learned. The transformative influence of TikTok on consumer information-seeking behavior.

Seriah is joined by Mat Festa and Roejen in a deep dive into the bizarre events surrounding Gef, a self-described talking mongoose in an isolated region of the UK in the 1930's. Topics include the “Project Archivist” podcast, “Paratopia” with Jeff Ritzmann and Jeremy Vaeni, the book “Gef! The Strange Tale of an Extra-Special Talking Mongoose”. by Christopher Josiffe, the Isle of Man, poltergeist activity, trickster behavior, “woo” Bigfoot encounters, family stresses and paranormal phenomena, investigators and their interactions with the family, outside witnesses of a mysterious small animal, rock throwing, urination by Gef, tulpas/thought forms, Gef's various explanations for his identity, hoax allegations, Fae activity, the Malk- a Faerie cat, Roejen's childhood experiences with a bizarre black dog, the movie “Nandor Fodor and the Talking Mongoose” and its serious flaws, the difficulties with photographic proof of the paranormal, self-negating evidence, investigators Harry Price, Hereward Carrington, and Nandor Fodor, the personal nature of paranormal experiences, “The Dreams in the Witch House” short story by H.P. Lovecraft, Gef's apparent psychic abilities, attempts to make plaster casts of his footprints, the film “Late Night with the Devil”, Gef as a cryptid, Joshua Cutchins, Fae as an explanatory concept, similarities with Mothman, forensic testing in that era, alleged photographs of Gef, present day fakery on video, “The Excluded Middle”, and much more! This is riveting conversation on a fascinating series of incidents! - Recap by Vincent Treewell of The Weird Part Podcast Outro Music is by Pandora's Lunchbox with John Henry has a Hammer, and the White Man is a Mountain. Download

#141. We're getting *specific* about everything I'm loving for Spring 2023, from skincare & makeup to fashion favorites and more! FOLLOW PAYTON:https://instagram.com/paytonsartain https://www.tiktok.com/@paytonsartain https://youtube.com/c/paytonsartainhhhttps://amazon.com/shop/paytonsartain https://pinterest.com/paytonsartain SUBMIT TO NOTE TO SELF:→ Ask P: Advice Column: https://forms.gle/avvSu4ibYygZP5rq8 → Simple Pleasures: https://forms.gle/PFmEU9BFRtyE7Dt57 → Your ICKS: https://forms.gle/pgcr9LhmyyvyAyVk7→ Most Embarrassing Stories: https://forms.gle/qpZBp9bxdcH77Utf8→ Little Acts of Love: https://forms.gle/ReEoo6HBoC4QspQs9→ Juicy Confessions: https://forms.gle/Uuz5KdUkC4c3NnFw5Episode Sponsors:Find your feel with Nike Bras & Leggings that deliver supportive flexibility and comfort for whatever your day brings. Shop now at Nike.com.Go to revolve.com/NOTETOSELF today to shop my top picks for the season. And don't forget to check out the Spring Shop while you're there.For a limited time get 20% off your first subscription order by going to Vegamour.com/notetoself and use code notetoself at checkout.You can find Cashew MALK (along with other MALK products) now at your local WholeFoods.Produced by Dear MediaSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Morgan Stewart McGraw is known for her iconic personal style and quick wit. She has seamlessly translated her timeless “quiet luxury” taste into her clothing line, Renggli. In this fun, enlightening conversation, Morgan gives insight on choosing long-term wardrobe staples, some of her favorite Renggli pieces, packing tips, and her go-to outfits for day and night. Beyond fashion, Morgan discusses her career path, the wellness journey she is on as a mom, and how she navigates busyness.Follow Marianna: @marianna_hewittFollow Morgan: @morganstewartMentioned in the episode:RenggliThis week's episode is sponsored by:Jenni Kayne: jennikayne.com/marianna or code MARIANNA for 15% offMalk: code 15LIFEWITHME for 15% off Malk on AmazonMacys.com Please note that this episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct or indirect financial interest in products or services referred to in this episode.Produced by Dear Media.

Today on Subscribing to Wellness we are joined by Jason Bronstad, CEO of MALK Organics. MALK is a  premium plant-based milk made the way you want it made – with simple, high-quality, certified organic ingredients. We talk to Jason about the rapid growth the company has seen compared to other brands in the category, their shift from self-manufacturing to working with a co-man and much more. Jason comes to MALK with a wealth of knowledge- an episode you won't want to miss!  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wellbeingintheworld/support

jD is back and he's joined by Daniel from Chicago to discuss his Pavement origin story and dissect track number 38. Transcript: [0:00] Hey, it's JD here, and I just wanted to throw something down, somewhat of a challenge to all you musically inclined folks out there.We are going to be doing a pod list again this year, and a pod list is simply a podcast playlist.It's a pod list. The previous four pod lists have consisted of talented members of our Pavement community submitting songs that they have covered from the Pavement oeuvre.Pavement adjacent songs are also welcome. So you could do PSOI, you could do Jicks, you could do Malcolm is Solo.Anything is fair game, truly. So get your band together or grab an acoustic guitar and just play your fucking guts out.From there, submit the song to me by email and we'll go from there.So please submit those songs, jd at meetingmalkmus.com, or even better, use wetransfer.com if it's a big WAV file. And WAV files are what I prefer.That will work out just magnificently. That's what she said.Podlist 5 coming July 8th. So get those songs in and be a part of something special. Thanks so much.Now, on with the show.Track 3:[1:24] Previously on the pavement top 50.Track 2:[1:27] What do you have to say dan from rochester about playbook oh man so um first of all when i i listened to this a lot this week and there's three versions so i did some some deepdiving into comparing the different like studio versions that are out there but the first thing that surprised me was the length is relatively short it's slightly less than three and a half minutesand to me that song always felt like very epic.Track 3:[1:58] Hey, this is Westy from the Rock and Roll Band, Pavement, and you're listening to The Countdown.Track 4:[2:05] Hey, it's J.D. here, back for another episode of our Top 50 Countdown for the seminal indie rock band, Pavement.Week over week, we're going to count down the 50 essential Pavement tracks that you selected with your very own Top 20 ballots.I then tabulated the results using an abacus and a six-pack.[2:24] Okay, there were only four left, but I was thirsty. see how will your favorite pavement song fare in the ranking you'll need to tune in to find out so there's that this week we're joinedby pavement superfan daniel daniel how are you doing motherfucker uh doing good how are you i am excellent today it's a bright and sunny day out i did a 10k walk it's uh just fantastic itis a good day it's like i'm in chicago and it's uh 50 degrees and so that's like summer so yeah right to have that in february is like just another another planet it's amazing yeah so let's getright into this let's talk about your pavement origin story daniel from chicago i am from a town in the south called montgomery alabama Okay.And I'm also 45, late Gen Xer.Discovering music in the early 90s, you really had to try to search out cool stuff, and especially in a shitty town like Montgomery, Alabama. Alabama.[3:42] There were like only one record store that was independent and you kind of had to like know a person to get there. And.[3:52] So that's a big part of my origin story is I am from a shitty place.And the more I get to know pavement, I realize that Stockton is a lot like Montgomery.It's strip malls and crime and not a lot to do, not a lot of real culture.So I see that connection now.When I was a teenager, I was into classic rock like Neil Young and Bob Dylan and Steve Miller Band, I guess, was my intro to what my dad showed me about rock and roll.But I started 10th grade and I noticed a guy had the iconic pavement sunny side up shirt. Right.And I said, this guy knows something. He kind of shined with this aura.And at the time, I didn't know much about indie rock or alternative rock.But I knew a lot about film.I was into Tarantino, and that led me to John Woo and other independent film.[5:17] I knew a lot about beat literature, like Kerouac and Ginsberg, Burroughs.So we met, and he helped me with the pavement and the Sonic Youth. We traded CDs.I traded VHS, independent film, with him.And we eventually started a shitty noise band in his garage.Oh, that is so cool. Yeah. Yeah. And we talked about Pavement and Sonic Youth, Daydream Nation.At the time, I think Crooked Rain was the big one, and Wowie was pretty big on our playlist.List um but i'm really thankful for that meeting and his taste was just um beyond anything of people from montgomery so i that's my story and i i continue to love pavement my entire lifehas been my favorite band and i felt very special uh having them as a part of my life and i i'm not sure who it was that said.[6:38] I think it might be Mark Arm from Mudhunt Honey said, when you listen to Pavement, you feel smarter.And I feel like I'm in on some kind of secret.Yeah. And I feel enlightened when I listen to Stephen Moutmiss and his poetry and his lyrics.I feel smarter. And coming from a place of like education was not valued and no culture, it meant a lot for me to like have pavement as this kind of avant-garde art band that led me todifferent bigger cities and bigger ideas.Is so so what was take take me through your experience daniel take me through that so you saw him wearing the sunny side up shirt what was the first spin like like what did you spin firstif you remember i remember and and what was going on in your head when you heard it i got crooked crooked rain crooked rain first and i remember the disc and people these days missout on the artwork of the disc right it's got that layer of like kind of red and maroon art.[8:01] And i spun it and i was like first off i've never heard uh a vocalist sound like this before right and i was like is he singing or is he like speaking um and they're in the liner notesthere's a picture of like a singer but i always thought it was that that was mouth mess or that was spiral stairs i wasn't sure but it turns out it's like just a random collage um i wasn't sure ifthe the singer was playing guitar or was just like singing.Wow. Like something from a different world completely. And unlike any music.[8:46] That i've uh ever encountered even since it's um now i can kind of associate what not miss was doing with like lou reed yes big time uh but at the time it was just like what is thisvocalist doing and then there were parts of the guitar playing it was like kind of dissonant guitar and i was like is are these guitars even in tune like it sounds like noise in some parts but somelodic and others and so melodic and others and that's their secret yeah um.[9:25] And then i started listening to the lyrics um the first song that comes to mind i wrote on my uh we used to have book covers of paper to cover the book i wrote the entire uh lyrics forstop breathing this is like the most poetic I don't know what he's talking about but I was also I went to it like an art high school and I was in creative writing and I would do my best to tryto emulate in my poetry what mountainous was doing with like his prose or his lyrics right Right, okay.So he was talking about, I think, stuff around a father-son relationship in that song, and I had struggles with my dad, and as we all probably do.Sure. And I was like, abstractly, he's talking about stuff that is really hitting home.And so there were some songs I didn't get at first, like...[10:39] But yeah we'll talk about some of that stuff later sure okay yeah um so that was your first experience with them and crooked rain what a great jumping off point and just to followup on you know like who's playing what and what are they doing it wasn't like you could tune into mtv at the time and see a great deal of pavement you know and and sort of match it uplike you could with with other bands.You know, in this case, they were so rarefied.It would be tough to get your hands on, you know, live footage or anything like that. So that leads me to my next question.When did you see them live? Did you see them live?First, my first concert by them was.[11:28] It must have been early my first semester at auburn university i went uh started uh 97, i went to birmingham alabama at a place called the nick i think that's what it is and so it musthave been september or october of 1997 and it was a like maybe uh, 100, 200 person venue. It was a very small venue.And me and my two friends from Auburn, we got there nerdy, super early and waited at the rail of the front row.[12:18] And it turns out that we were right across from Spiral Stairs guitar setup.Okay. And it was in support of Right in the Corners.So, amazing show.I think at the time, what they were doing was they were playing about 15 songs with an encore of three songs. And they played Credence.Sinister Purpose was their cover that they played.And they they had their set list on paper plates which i thought was very diy and cool and spiral at the end of the set uh he picked up his paper plate threw it like a frisbee and i caught it soi had the the set list i don't have it anymore but oh damn one time it was in my dorm it was in a collection as i moved around the country of course of course but i wish i had had thatamazing moment.Probably, I would say it's probably my third or fourth concert ever. Um, and.[13:35] I went to REM and Radiohead in support of Monster. That was my first.So it's in good company.Yeah, I bet. So how did you find like-minded people in uni?Was it easy or did you have to seek them out like you did in high school?Or how did you find your compatriots to go to that show with?This is so funny. uh the first day of english class the teacher asked what what what do we like and get to know you ice icebreaker questions and me and this guy cleave we both put thesame bands we really liked pavement number one lemon heads number two rem number three we we wrote those identically, and it's it's like this uh serendipitous kind of thing happenedwith us and we became, very close friends and at the time he was like really into pink floyd and i said hey man you got to get really back into pavements better than pink floyd so weobsess over our mutual love of malchmas and uh pavement so that that's how that connection happened but other times in my life i've never really found someone who says pavement's myfavorite band and maybe you're my probably my.[15:04] Like third person i they always seem to be like a french band no one is like so obsessed like i am or possibly you are.And that's okay with me. Like, this is something, it's very special kind of in this time where everything feels like homogenized.I'm glad that this is a special thing for a few of us.Yeah, I think so too. We can unite in that, unite in our solodom.In our solitude. dude. Um, What's your go-to record these days?[15:51] Well, it's grown. It's changed over time. Of course. As it should, probably.I think the most bang for your buck and artistic expression of what they represent is Wowie Zowie.Sure. Yeah, I can get behind that. It is their version of the White Album in that it is so many different genre attempts.And it feels loose it feels fun um it's thematically all over the place yeah and, i just it just feels like a real expression of what they were going for as a band yeah i i i'm not sure if it's likethe best album but for me i think it feels like pavement and what they wanted um and the the go-to for me i hope it makes your list is uh grave architecture okay i find that to bequintessential uh a pavement song but yeah Yeah, it's just so all over the place and wacky that I love it.What do you say we take a quick break and we come back on the other side of track number 38?Sounds good. All right, cool.Track 3:[17:18] Hey, this is Bob Mustanovich from Pavement. Thanks for listening.And now on with a countdown.Track 2:[17:26] 38.Track 4:[20:04] Alright, track 38 is Date with Ikea, the first spiral jam on the countdown.It's the fifth from Pavement's fourth record, Bright in the Corners, after Blue Hawaiian at 50, Embassy Row at 44, Old to Begin at 43, and Starlings of the Slipstream at 40.Without further ado, number 38, Date with Ikea.Daniel from Chicago.Hey. Talk to me about your experience with this song.Well, it was the first Pavement album that I was able to buy on its release date.So it has a special place.It was released, I think it's April 17th, 1997.97 and i good went to my local mall and walked in and bought this album and, it's a banger it's a really fucking good album and 100% it's it it rocks and this song is a rocker and you feellike there's some shimmering layered guitar going on yeah Yeah. Um.[21:30] I'm not sure what the song's about. It feels like... Tough to discern.At the time, I didn't know what Ikea was.Now I know. I think it's a Norwegian furniture store, wholesale furniture.[21:50] So now I think I know what the meaning of the song is.Because I've had a date with Ikea. I bought a house, and I've had to go to Ikea to celebrate needing furniture.And I remember going to Ikea going, oh, this is what the song is about.Maybe domestication.Maybe it's a union.I like domestication. Yeah. But the lyrics are about a relationship strife.The actress is always breaking things. That made me think something's going wrong in the relationship or he's annoyed with his partner.Not sure. But Spiral's songs have always had their own feel to them.And this feels like a quintessential uh spiral stairs song not what what else does it sound like in those years maybe uh like super chunk like no pocky for kitty, i don't know if you know ofany other bands that might sound like but.[23:08] No, because it's tough, because his cuts sort of stand alone on a pavement record, because they're so radically different than the stuff that SM does, right?I think that's what I'm trying to get at, yeah.[23:24] But lyrically, you can go down the same bottomless pit with both of their lyrics.I think Malk tends to be, he's got the turn of phrase, right?He's got the gift for a turn of phrase in a way that Spiral doesn't necessarily have the same horsepower at this stage in the game.If you listen to PSOI, like that first record, All This Sounds Gas, man, is he firing on all cylinders on that record.I think so. So that is prime beef.And I love it. Uh, his two outings on brighten the corners are both, you know, I think they're both a great jumping off point for what you need to get from, from spiral. That's just my take.I think you're right. Uh, the idea that it can be on the same album and feel so different.[24:25] Right. And I'm okay with that. Sort of their secret weapon in a way, right i think so i there and i'm in a lot of ways i'm not sure uh spirals influence on what mountainous does that'skind of a mystery i i believe it showed up more on probably slanted and yeah the early stuff yeah the eps off the top i think they were much more collaborative collaborative but i'm likingwhat i hear this this is a rocker this feels like it's got the.[25:04] Almost like a classic rock feel to it of maybe tom petty in there and the heartbreakers, but um got the sing-along chorus here's the a weird thing about uh the spiral Spiral stuff.When I would go to the shows, the crowd would cheer so much for Spiral.It was almost like we were rooting for this underdog.[25:40] And when spiral was playing his, uh, cuts like mountainous, what it seemed like he didn't know what he was supposed to be doing.He would not, he wouldn't have a guitar part to it. He, he would just kind of like Panama. I'm playing guitar.And, but I noticed how much the crowd would get behind, uh, like spirals chance to shine.Shine so you happen to see any dates on the most recent tour in 2022 i did i saw one of the chicago okay i found that steve was much more uh on board with the spiral stuff if if for lack ofa better term if he wasn't on board in the earlier years and i don't know that i'm i'm prescribing that on him.I shouldn't, but I sort of am.And I just feel like they were much more cohesive, like band-wise, this time out.I saw the same thing, and I think I read in interviews where Mountmess before had seemed kind of apprehensive to put his ball in the pavement court, per se.He was very much on board with being a band that was reuniting and good vibes in general yeah but at the time i think what you notice about uh.[27:07] Bright in the corners is oh he's starting to get his own voice mountainous right and it's, it has to feel um daunting to have other people in the band wanting to collaborate whenyou're you're like really finding your groove.So with Wowie, there's, I think, maybe one spiral cut, Brighton two, but then with Terror zero, you're starting to see, Mount Missus realizing that I have something to say and I want it tobe the singular vision.[27:53] That's just my take. I add a lot of meaning and interpretation that might not be there.No, that's what we do with our favorite bands, right?They add, they give us that to sort of interpret. But I feel like.[28:09] Mount miss really was hitting his groove and maybe spiral was hitting his groove as well and they just it was a sign that they needed to take some time off hey listen i don't want tomake this comparison too apt but it's interesting to me that having watched the beatles documentary george is shut out of that song and then he immediately rips off all things must passwhich which is a double record, which just shows like how he had all these songs in the bag.And it's like, how did John and how did John and Paul not include any of his stuff on Let It Be?And then, you know, 40 years later or 30 years later, you have Terror Twilight, which I think is sorely lacking a spiral song.Like, I think that there's part of that record that, that, you know, because a lot of people, it's their number five.And I think it's their number five, because it doesn't sound like a pavement record, necessarily.It sounds lush and rich, production-wise.I continue to call it a beta test for Steve's first solo record.[29:27] It's just interesting to me that it's lacking this something, and I think that something is a Spiral Gem. you might be on to something with that.And, and I'm, I'm, I'm, while I'm glad they both had a great solo careers, um, it is, it's sort of missing something.Yeah. So where do you think in terms of the ranking, this comes in at 38, what do you think, uh, is it properly rated?Is it overrated? Is it underrated? Uh.[30:02] I'm a little, I've been thinking about this. I think it might be overrated.If you would have asked me in 1997, I would have said it should be up there in the 30s.I don't think this has aged for me as well as it should have. I don't know.[30:25] Nowadays, I listen to Brighton and I go, what's the song three on there?Oh, he had to ask me that.I'm cool and underqualified is who I am. I don't have that stuff at my fingertips. No, I've got this.So if you listen to Transport is Arranged. Okay.Going right into Old to Begin. Yeah. Those...It kind of is in between transport and old to begin.And I feel like those are like way stronger songs.Like, and also those are songs where Malcolm is really starting to have his own voice.And it's like very unique rock.And I think those songs, since I heard old to begin, it's like 44 or 43.I I think it's I think those two songs Transport and Old to Begin, are better than Date with Ikea so for some reason I'm feeling like.[31:40] The lack of cohesion of this album, give it a shot, listen to it without Date With Ikea.It's a different album, and it's an interesting choice by the engineers and the producers to put Date in between those two.I think it should be ranked lower. I'm sorry, JD. No, that's okay.That's why I asked the question.[32:08] Hopefully uh transport somewhere in the top 50 i think that's such a a fucking rocker and it's so heavy at the end um but yeah i would put date and probably in my uh, a little bitlower would it crack the top 50 still i don't think so i if i'm going to be completely honest it's going to be in the lower 50 maybe 60s or 70s okay wow you heard it here here first folks stilllove it chicago still love it though it's one of his children but he just disparaged it uh daniel do you have anything that you would like to plug at all is there anything that you're known foron the internet or oh let me tell you i am a therapist here in chicago and i uh as you can see by my uh many plaques on the wall i'm trained to do uh psychotherapy Therapy in the westernsuburbs of Chicago.If you know anyone that wants therapy or wants to try it out for the first time, I specialize in anxiety, depression, addiction, and men's issues.Oh, boy. I ticked a few of those boxes.[33:26] My greatest hits right there. Yeah. Well, it's been great talking to you, and I really appreciate you taking the time to do this. So thanks for that.Thank you for having me on. It's my pleasure.Wash your goddamn hands.Track 3:[33:43] Thanks for listening to Meeting Malcomus, a pavement podcast where we count down the top 50 pavement tracks as selected by you.If you've got questions or concerns, please shoot me an email.JD at meetingmalcomus.com.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/meeting-malkmus-a-pavement-podcast/exclusive-contentAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Do you have big dreams but don't know how to get there? Marie Forleo, entrepreneur, author, and educator, dives into the secrets of success, empowerment, and personal growth. In this episode, we discuss the philosophy of 'Everything is Figureoutable,' inspired by Marie Forleo's journey and insights. We explore how this mindset empowers individuals to tackle challenges creatively, believe in limitless possibilities, and manifest their deepest desires. From practical tips for goal-setting and journaling to navigating ADHD with resilience, we uncover how embracing this philosophy can unlock untapped potential. Additionally, we cover Marie Forleo's B-School, an online business school empowering creative entrepreneurs to build purposeful and profitable businesses aligned with their values. Join us as we discover the power of belief, action, and the endless pursuit of solutions in unlocking our fullest potential. Follow Marianna: @marianna_hewittFollow Marie: @marieforleo Spring Fertility: springfertility.com and use code MARIANNA for $150 off your fertility consult. Cannot be combined with commercial insurance. Malk: code 15LIFEWITHMH for 15% a 6-pack of Shelf Stable MALK on Amazon.Produced by Dear MediaThis episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct, or indirect financial interest in products, or services referred to in this episode.

Are you using almond butter, almond milk, or almond flour as a household staple? We don't want to burst your bubble, but in this episode we discuss concerns with glyphosate and almonds as over 85% of almonds are treated with this chemical. Go down the rabbit hole with us as we discuss glyphosate, oxalates, the environmental impact of almonds, and so much more.    In today's episode we will cover our honest take on almonds and how we plan to make shifts in our households as well as covering concepts of oxalates and anti-nutrients, if blanching matters and some potentially better alternatives.    Also in this episode:  LIVE Beat the Bloat Program - Starts 4/10  Trust Your Gut @ Meridian Buda 4/24 Episode 385 Reducing Exposure and Impact of Glyphosate Naturally Nourished Episode 240 Is Your Wine More Toxic Than You Think Almonds and GlyphosateThe Detox Project GMO Free USA MALK *note: upon our review, MALK is now fully organic Jovial FOND Bone Broth use code ALIMILLERRD What About Oxalates?OsteoFactors Vitamin D Balanced Blend Naturally Nourished Episode 345 Bone Health & Calcium Myths Environmental Impact Swap OutsSiete Cassava Tortillas Heirloom Corn Masa Organic Blanched Almond Flour Simple Mills Seed Crackers Lark Ellen Farm Sprouted Trail Mix Organic Almond Butter Naturally Nourished Episode 350 What the BLEEP is Going on in Our Food System   Sponsors for this episode: This episode is sponsored by Dry Farm Wines. Dry Farm Wines is the only lab tested, all natural  health quantified wine merchant in the world that bio-hacks wine; quantifying organic and natural farming practices, as well as low intervention natural winemaking practices. Dry Farm Wines curates all natural pure real  wines from all over the world, working with small family farms that are committed to producing pure natural wines. Dry Farm Wines is also proud to be the largest natural wine merchant in the world, supporting small family organic farms all over the world. Get a bottle for a penny with your first order using this link: dryfarmwines.com/alimillerRD  

We are joined by guest Malk to discuss Swiss electroacoustic harpist Andreas Vollenweider. A pioneering figure in New Age music, we discuss Andreas' innovations and accomplishments, as well as his continued work in music and beyond.  If you like us, please support us at patreon.com/idbuythatpodcast to get exclusive content, or tell a friend about us. Broke and have no friends? Leave us a review, it helps more people find us. Thanks!  

Mix of the Week #519 is "Balearic Waves" by Malkö Follow and include @m_a_l_k_o in your track ID requests Mix of the Week: https://www.dreamchimney.com/motw/subscribe the Dream Chimney mobile apps: https://www.dreamchimney.com/mobile/ Dream Chimney Radio: https://www.dreamchimney.com/radio

In food and beverage, innovative brands often get the most attention. Novel ingredients, formulations and flavors draw crowds. And, yet, products that are positioned as incrementally better-for-you than existing options might have more runway over the long-term. The hosts discussed the topic in this episode, which highlights several new products and brand extensions launched in recent weeks. This episode also features a conversation with Good Culture co-founder and CEO Jesse Merrill and Steve Young, a managing partner with private equity firm Manna Tree, about the synergy between profit and purpose. 0:35: Jan, We Hardly Knew Thee. Expo What? VIPs Always Get Perks. Granola, Beans, Oats & Vibes. – Upon the arrival of a new month, the hosts looked ahead to Expo West 2024 and noted benefits that Taste Radio VIPs can receive at the event. They also chatted about Poppi's new TV advertisement, sampled a new line of “cookie granola,” spoke about why a “basic” oat milk might resonate with Gen Z consumers and lauded luxury brownies and cold-brewed tea. 31:54: Interview: Steve Young, Managing Partner, Manna Tree & Jesse Merrill, Co-Founder/CEO, Good Culture – During Manna Tree's Leadership Summit in Vail, Colorado, Steve and Jesse sat down with Taste Radio editor Ray Latif for a conversation that began with a review of morning routines and why the Good Culture CEO no longer wakes up with anxiety. The discussion shifted to the interaction between investor and entrepreneur, balancing core values and business fundamentals, and why patience is a key aspect of their relationship. Jesse also explained why Good Culture prioritizes “consumer love and consumer demand” and why they both agree that “mission drives return” on investment. Brands in this episode: Good Culture, Poppi, Olipop, Culture Pop, Pepsi, Coke, Athletic Brewing, Ithaca Hummus, Nature's Bakery, Fig Newton, Somos, Heyday Canning, A Dozen Cousins, Purely Elizabeth, Oatly, MALK, Lexington Bakes, Honey Mama's, Erva, Weekday Vibes

In this episode, Jeff and Reyes discuss the recent basketball tournaments in Arizona. They highlight the performances of teams like Highland Prep, Valley Christian, Santan Charter, Hopi, and Show low. They also discuss the impact of injuries on teams and make predictions for the upcoming playoffs. They discuss the highlights of the Sholo and Hopi teams, the Eastern Arizona Holiday Tournament, and the ALA Coyotes Invitational. They also analyze surprising results, such as Desert Christian's win over ALA and Phoenix Country Day's victory in the ALA Coyotes Invitational. The hosts then preview upcoming matchups, including Rancho vs Valley Christian, Morenci vs Round Valley, Empire vs Thatcher, Gilbert Christian vs Fountain Hills, Ironwood vs Valley Christian, Page vs Chinle, Rancho vs Highland, MALC vs Heritage Academy. They then question the accuracy of team rankings and the potential impact of the Gilbert Christian vs Yuma Catholic game on those rankings. The hosts speculate about the outcome of the game and discuss the significance of a win or loss for each team. The episode concludes with closing remarks and a mention of the podcast's sponsor, Cloud9 Sports. Time Stamps 00:00 Introduction and New Year's Eve 05:58 Visit Mesa Tournament: Highland Prep and Valley Christian 08:08 Injury to Presley eBeh at Highland Prep 11:29 Valley Christian's Performance at Visit Mesa 18:32 Santan Charter's Performance at the Damien Classic 20:26 Impressive Performance by Hopi 28:10 Sholo's Shooting Ability 30:59 Tournament Highlights: Sholo and Hopi, Eastern Arizona Holiday Tournament, ALA Coyotes Invitational 32:56 Surprising Results in the ALA Coyotes Invitational 36:22 Desert Christian's Impressive Win over ALA 39:21 Phoenix Country Day's Victory in the ALA Coyotes Invitational 43:44 Upcoming Matchups: Rancho vs Valley Christian, Morenci vs Round Valley, Empire vs Thatcher, Gilbert Christian vs Fountain Hills, Ironwood vs Valley Christian, Paige vs Chinle, Rancho vs Highland, Malk vs Heritage Academy 01:00:35 Discussion about LEA at Santan Charter 01:01:12 Favorite matchup: Gilbert Christian at Yuma Catholic 01:02:05 Questioning team rankings 01:03:19 Potential impact of Gilbert Christian vs Yuma Catholic game --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/azsmallball/support

MALIK ZAIRE AND SHAUN DAVIS DISCUSS: DOMINIK HULAK COMMITS TO ND SENIOR BOWL TO ALLOW UNDERCLASSMEN MALIK'S 3 KEYS TO THE REST OF THE SEASON DEVELOPING STARS OVER THE NEXT 2 MONTHS Live show Mon-Fri at 10:45am cstSubscribe on YouTube:Full Show: https://youtu.be/mzAScyyvuzI Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

MALIK ZAIRE AND SHAUN DAVIS DISCUSS: DOMINIK HULAK COMMITS TO ND SENIOR BOWL TO ALLOW UNDERCLASSMEN MALIK'S 3 KEYS TO THE REST OF THE SEASON DEVELOPING STARS OVER THE NEXT 2 MONTHS Live show Mon-Fri at 10:45am cst Subscribe on YouTube: Full Show: https://youtu.be/mzAScyyvuzI Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Can you pair tinned fish and beer… in the same can? Kids' cereal flavors in protein drinks – does it work? Is chili crunch and ranch dressing the perfect duo? And, why are we losing it over a “Dragnum”? The hosts discussed how brands are attempting to grab our attention and generate sales via innovation, package design and unexpected collaborations. Show notes: 0:35: Vibin' At The WCB. It's Award Season. Uber Ray Silent Mode. A Must For Office Holiday Parties? – The team reflected on BevNET's fun and engaging meetup at our San Diego office and highlighted conversations with several entrepreneurs at the event, and also noted nomination deadlines for Best of 2023 BevNET and NOSH awards. Ray explained why he doesn't love conversing with rideshare drivers (and was roasted for it) before revealing a magnum of a certain spicy spirit, John introduced a couple of unique beers and new plant-based beverages, and Mike and Jacqui riffed on Indian-inspired lemonades and a brand of noodles with a highly functional, if esoteric, ingredient. Brands in this episode: !MPROV Booze-Free Cocktails, Sol-ti, Recoup Beverage, Togronis, Spade, Koia, Mooski, Hidden Valley, This Little Goat, Truff, Ondori, Olipop, Fishwife, Talea, Tulua, MatchaKo, MALK, GreeNoodle, Bollygood

It was fun while it lasted... The hosts shared highlights from the final edition of Natural Products Expo East, including new brands, standout collaborations and innovative line extensions. Show notes: 0:35: Cinderella Song… Or Is It? Fork & Spork. Mixed Bag O' Sweeteners. Mike Didn't Dunk. –  The hosts discussed the community's reaction to the sunsetting of Expo East and what might mean for other trade shows, offered dining recommendations for Philly and reviewed a rare collaboration between a food and beverage brand. They also riffed on low-sugar gummies and chocolates and the challenge in marketing products made with non-nutritive sweeteners, pickle-flavored foods and upstart brands marketing better-for-you trail mix, pecan milk, kid-centric nutrition bars and “modern Middle Eastern” hummus and pita bread. Brands in this episode: Aura Bora, Graza, ChocXo, Chutni Punch, Blobs, Root Foods, Treehouse Naturals, Better Sour, Patience Fruit & Co., Bollygood, Recoup Beverages, PLINK!, Daily Crunch, Dalsi, Happy Wolf, Absurd Snacks, MALK, This PKN, Baba's, Ziba Foods, Maazah, Ya Oaxaca!

Back to our regular programming this week as Rob, Ryan, Lis, and Steve welcome singer/songwriter, author, motivational speaker, and reality show star Mario Bonds to the show to discuss everything from his journey through vision loss at age 9, through to his love of assistive technology, music, and how he almost got beat up on the set of the reality show, The Glee Project. It's an open and earnest conversation that you don't want to miss – plus it'll cleanse your palette of all of that MALK from last week's "episode" …. Show Transcript https://atbanter.files.wordpress.com/2023/08/at-banter-podcast-episode-347-mario-bonds.pdf Show Notes Mario's Website http://mabspeaks.com/ Mario's YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2G4p2D4xiEKioyWUHwxTrw Mario's Facebook https://www.facebook.com/mariobonds/  “Chocolate” Official Video https://youtu.be/UgYolkvjWrs AT Banter is brought to you by Canadian Assistive Technology, providing sales and training in Assistive Technology and Accessibility with over 30 years of knowledge and experience. Visit them online at www.canasstech.com or call toll-free 1-844-795-8324. Need repairs on your device? Chaos Technical Services offers service and support on almost any piece of Assistive Technology, while also providing parts and batteries. Visit them online at www.chaostechnicalservices.com or call 778-847-6840.

Ever wonder what happens at the AT Banter Podcast before the guest arrives or the show gets started? Ever wonder what topical and hard hitting subjects they may bring up and debate while they patiently wait for their guest to arrive? If this has been keeping you up at night, then this episode is what you've been waiting for, dear listener. Dubbed our “pre-podcast show” or the “podcast before the podcast”, the following 40 minutes of content was never intended to see the light of day, but Ryan is making us post this.  Enjoy this special bonus episode that serves as a little behind the scenes look of the podcast, a loving tribute to Seinfeld's “show about nothing”, and an infomercial about MALK, all wrapped up in one. Show Notes MALK https://malkorganics.com/ AT Banter is brought to you by Canadian Assistive Technology, providing sales and training in Assistive Technology and Accessibility with over 30 years of knowledge and experience. Visit them online at www.canasstech.com or call toll-free 1-844-795-8324. Need repairs on your device? Chaos Technical Services offers service and support on almost any piece of Assistive Technology, while also providing parts and batteries. Visit them online at www.chaostechnicalservices.com or call 778-847-6840.

Starting a business is no easy feat. We hear a lot about people's success stories, but not enough about their intense challenges and failures, and more importantly, the invaluable lessons they have learned. On Today's episode of The Irresistible Factor, Kristi's guest August Vega bravely opens up about the struggles she faced with the very well-known company she founded, MALK Organics. Being a first-time entrepreneur, she quickly learned that it was an intense, cut-throat industry that required a lot of money to stay in a level playing field. August talks about the many challenges of being a leader in the CPG food space like fundraising and the intense competition. When the pandemic hit, it became almost too much for her to handle. Their fundraise was overdue, their books were in bad shape, and every single day was about survival. After eight challenging years, August made the brave decision to leave MALK Organics to prioritize caring for her child over caring for the business. August felt like she really needed to evaluate what was truly important and meaningful in her life. And for her, caring for her child took priority over the business, so she made the difficult but necessary decision to walk away completely. Since August decided to leave, she has paved a new and exciting life for herself that she is far happier with. Today, August is talking about the valuable lessons she learned from MALK Organics and how she is continuing to kick ass in the food and beverage world. She is a board member at Miyoko's Creamery and a Fractional CEO of MommaStrong, a fitness app designed to help you be healthy and reach your goals realistically. Although things didn't work out with MALK, August took the invaluable lessons she learned through starting her company and paved a new path for herself that is far more fulfilling. Tuning in, you'll hear about her abundant career in the food and bev industry, and how she keeps things exciting with her multifaceted and unlimited career interests. Stick around to the end where she shares some wise words of advice for business owners just starting out about having a good team, being financially disciplined, and trusting your gut. You don't want to miss out on this one!

Topics:Best practices for organizing and attacking your ever growing to-do list?What is the process of "How to Work With Me" and how is it implemented within the company?As a salesperson, when days are dense and slower, how do you shift the energy?How much space do you need a week for creative and big picture thinking?What does your relationship with the phone and posting on LinkedIn look like?How does MALK create a healthy company culture when most of the team is working remotely?How cutting out drinking alcohol during the work week has improved Adria's sleep and productivity

"Primátor nám zrušil dotáciu argumentujúc, že festival je nič neriešiaca akcia, ktorú navštevuje strašne málo ľudí a že na to mesto vyhadzovať peniaze nebude. Pritom s dotáciami doteraz nikdy problém nebol," opisuje organizátor festivalu Fraj v Rimavskej Sobote Tomáš Bálint situáciu, ktorá nastala v meste po kritike primátora v jednom rozhovore. Zašlo to tak ďaleko, že poslanec za Sme rodina Jozef Šimko Bálinta pre jeho výrok, že je slabý primátor dokonca prepustil. "Predtým sme nemali žiadny problém. Šimko si ten festival nevšímal, ale odkedy vyšiel článok, začali sa diať veci a vyvíjať tlaky na šéfku mestského kultúrneho strediska, aj na moje prepustenie. Oficiálny dôvod bola moja nadbytočnosť a snaha o zvýšenie efektivity práce. Čo je v kontexte všetkých aktivít, ktoré som tam robil dosť bizarný dôvod. Všetci kolegovia sa ma zastali a argumentovali, že ten dôvod je absurdný a že príčiny mojej výpovede sú vykonštruované," opisuje svoju výpoveď Tomáš Bálint. Ako sa stalo, že festival Fraj v Rimavskej Sobote je ohrozený? Aká je budúcnosť mladého človeka, ktorý sa do Rimavskej Soboty vráti? A čo by Gemeru najviac pomohlo? Pozrite si rozhovor Zuzany Kovačič Hanzelovej s organizátorom festivalu Fraj, Tomášom Bálintom. - Newsletter Zuzany Kovačič Hanzelovej: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://komentare.sme.sk/t/9122/zkh-pise⁠⁠⁠⁠   –  Ak máte pre nás spätnú väzbu, odkaz alebo nápad, napíšte nám na podcasty@sme.sk –  Všetky podcasty denníka SME nájdete na ⁠⁠⁠⁠sme.sk/podcasty⁠⁠⁠⁠  –  Podporte vznik podcastu Rozhovory ZKH a kúpte si digitálne predplatné ⁠⁠⁠⁠SME.sk⁠⁠⁠⁠ na ⁠⁠⁠⁠sme.sk/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠  –  Odoberajte aj denný newsletter ⁠⁠⁠⁠SME.sk⁠⁠⁠⁠ s najdôležitejšími správami na ⁠⁠⁠⁠sme.sk/suhrnsme⁠⁠⁠⁠  –  Ďakujeme, že počúvate podcast Rozhovory ZKH.

I wasn't there this week and don't have a fancy clever description in mind so you're stuck with this. Love you!Wood MilkUFTayIt'sa Mario

On this week's episode of 50 PLUS A TIP, I (Danica) share my experience of a guy bonking me on the head at a recent gig and Riley informs us that she is now a gun slinging str!pper. Also on this episode: we break down the insanity that has recently happened at Calendar Girls in New Zealand, read through your suggestions on how to move past a traumatic experience at work, answer some listener questions and breakdown why it may not be a great idea to ask your partner how you stack up against their previous lovers. Don't forget to RATE, REVIEW and SUBSCRIBE wherever you get your podcasts! And as always, have a wonderful week and happy wh0re-ing

Jacqueline Lotzof and Stephanie Malk are moms and partners leading a Compass team that covers Chicago to the North Shore. They help clients buy, sell, rent, invest, and they refer top agents throughout the country via the Compass Referral Network. You'll hear about how they met, what they say is the key to their success, their tips for standing out in a saturated industry, and how they balance it all… or don't. Thank you to our sponsor College Ave Student Loans. They know that paying for college can be stressful. But it doesn't need to be that way. At College Ave, they will help you build a private student loan that fits your family's unique budget and goals. And, they give you the tools and resources to make it fast and easy to understand. Plus, go to collegeave.com/exitinterview now and enter to win a $1,000 scholarship. Winning could have a big impact on your family's college journey.   No purchase necessary to enter or win the scholarship. See official contest rules for details. LINKS: -Want 10 Tips to Make Awesome Video? Grab our Free Download here (and a bonus How to Shine on Camera!) Click here -Follow host Kim Rittberg on Instagram! -Lotzof Malk Residential Real Estate -Grab our brand new “TOP 10 TIPS ON HOW TO BE A HAPPIER, LESS STRESSED & MORE SUCCESSFUL PARENT FROM OUR EXPERT GUESTS!” Click here!

Today's podcast is a fun episode discussing what we are watching, listening and reading right now. Additionally we touch upon the preciousness of life, being grateful for the current moment, and our upcoming 7-Day Spring Liver Detox. In this episode you will learn: • What Marnie and Stephanie are watching, reading and listening to right now (see below) • Why spring is a wonderful time to declutter your home and your body • About our upcoming 7-Day Liver Detox starting April 10th ***Please note Marnie and Stephanie will be spending time with their families the week of March 27th! Please take this time to catch-up on any previous episodes you may have missed. Resources we mention: Watching Daisy Jones and the Six - Amazon Prime Jack Ryan - Amazon Prime Just Like That - HBO Limitless - Disney Plus Reading Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow - Gabrielle Zevin Young Forever - Dr. Mark Hyman Spare - Prince Harry Night Road - Kristin Hannah Life Force - Tony Robbins Lighter - Yung Peublo Listening (podcasts) E 342: Feel Better, Live More with Dr. Rangan Chattergee and guest Dr. Mindy Pelz S2 E174: Dhru Purohit Podcast with guest Calley Means Drinking Chai tea at home (add MALK unsweetened almond milk with a monk fruit sweetener to enjoy a yummy low sugar chai tea latte) Organifi Gold Chocolate Sign-up for our upcoming 7-Day Spring Functional Medicine Liver Detox here . We start on April 10th. ----------------------------------------------------------- Thanks to our amazing Sponsor, Good Health Saunas.  Good Health Saunas is proud to provide top-of-the-line infrared saunas that deliver the most impactful results for overall health and wellness. For more information and for your special discount please visit, Www.goodhealthsaunas.com and mention The Art of Living Well Podcast. ----------------------------------------------------------- Thanks to our amazing sponsor, Organifi.  Organifi is a line of organic superfood blends that offer plant-based nutrition with high quality ingredients and less than 3g of sugar. As a listener of The Art of Living Well Podcast you get 20% off ALL Organifi products. To take advantage of your Organifi discount, use the link below and the code LIVINGWELL at checkout for 20% off your order.  Order Organifi products now! ----------------------------------------------------------- Ask us a question/make a recommentation We'd love to hear from you! Click here to share your feedback and suggestions. ----------------------------------------------------------- Sign-up for your 15 minute Health Transformation Audit - Click here. ----------------------------------------------------------- Need more protein in your day? Check out these amazing, high quality products from Kion, especially their essential amino acids, which we both use daily.   Use code 'ARTOFLIVING' for a discount off your purchase. ----------------------------------------------------------- Apirl 10 the Start! Sign-up for our 7-Day Spring Functional Medicine Liver Detox here ----------------------------------------------------------- Missed our January group 7 Day Functional Liver Detox? We now have a program where you can do it on your own schedule but still receive all the wonderful support and recipes of the full program.  Register here! ----------------------------------------------------------- Let us help you get to the root cause of your unwanted symptoms. Schedule a 15 minute consultation to discuss at-home functional medicine lab testing here. ----------------------------------------------------------- How can you support our podcast? Apple users, please subscribe and review our show on Apple Podcasts,we make sure to read them all. Android users, please be sure to subscribe to our show on Google Podcasts so that you don't miss any of the action. Tell a friend about The Art of Living Well Podcast® and our community programs. Share your favorite episode on social media and don't forget to tag us @theartofliving_well. Shop our Favorite Products: https://www.theartoflivingwell.us/products Connect with us on social media: IG: @theartofliving_well FB: theartoflivingwell Get on our list so you don't miss out on announcements, programs and events. You can download our guests' favorite reads here. Learn more about your hosts: Marnie Dachis Marmet Stephanie May Potter    

Read transcript It's time for Press B's March Radness! A month long celebration of salt and tears as each week in March we do bracket tournment style episodes. On this week's episode of Press B, join our hosts as they dive into the world of video game villains and battle it out to crown the ultimate bad guy! We've assembled (scientifically and randomized) brackets of 12 of the most iconic and memorable video game villains, from Bowser to Sephiroth to GLaDOS. Listen in as they debate and discuss each villain's strengths, weaknesses, and overall impact on their respective game's story and gameplay. Who will come out on top and be crowned the ultimate video game villain? Tune in to find out! Press B To Cancel now on Youtube! For updates and more episodes please visit our website www.pressbtocancel.com, or find us on Twitter @pressbtocancel and Instagram @pressbtocancel. Special thanks to The Last Ancient on SoundCloud for our podcast theme. Transcript: Chard (A): If he dies, he dies. Greatest video game vitillins today on. Wulff (B): Um. Chard (A): Welcome, everybody, back to another actual, live bless you episode of Presbyter cancel tonight. I am the blessed host of this evening's episode. But I'm not alone. As Jake say. No, I'm not alone. I'm with four of the greatest villains I know running amongst us here. Jake, how are you, sir? Jake (C): I'm doing good. Thanks for being having me back. Chard (A): Thanks for being having back. Thanks for being having back, too. You hit me. I'm just werewolf. Jake (C): I'm distracted setting shit up and oh, crap. Chard (A): How are you set up if we're running? Jake (C): I always set stuff up. Sins (D): The intro. Chard (A): No, even every mad scientist has an evil contraption werewolf. How are you, sir? No. Wulff (B): Is the audio long? Sins (D): There we go. Chard (A): There it is. Wulff (B): Okay, so I unmuted after the sneeze. Cool. Chard (A): It works. Wulff (B): Just muted after the sneeze. Great. Chard (A): Your reverse machines work great. Wulff (B): I apologize for that sneeze. Sins (D): Hey, I caught a light sneeze. Chard (A): Of the evening. I guess I also made my own pretty hate machine. Citistar, how are you? Sins (D): I am Valaneous tonight. Chard (A): There's a pill for that GP. How are you? No whimsical, friend. GP (E): Speaking of Charlie, speaking of whatever those erection pills were that you sent me, they are nuts if we can keep this episode under 2 hours, because at the end of about an hour and a half from now, I will need to go to the Er. Two and a half hours ago, my. Chard (A): Wife accidentally washed those pills, and now I cannot get my pants to fold. Guys, just as bad as that joke are these people that are on our list today. You like that, Segue? Jake (C): That's pretty damn smooth. GP (E): We go hard. Chard (A): We do in the paint, as a matter of fact. Sports reference. Sports ball. Sins (D): Sports ball. Chard (A): Guys, it is march. Radness. We continue fourth on our continuation of brackets bracketeering the brack on tears. Isn't that a Jack White band? No, we're talking music, and we're definitely talking music and sports today. And unfortunately, these guys have come along. We're going to break these guys down. We have several selected villains that we are going to do in our own scientifically, whimsical, Canadian lies way of discussing who tyrannically. Sorry, tyrannically is what I meant to say. Jake (C): I have whimsical back. I'd rather be whimsical. But, you know, out of our no. Chard (A): There'S no Whimsical out of our list of these people. Now, we know there's other villains out there. We dug very deep on the surface of these to try and figure out which one of these villains would be good. Some you'll know, some we won't know. It'll happen, trust me. And some you will probably rant rave that these were poor choices, but guess what? We're the host, so we pick what we want, because that's how things work around here. Sins (D): If it's not on our list, call out in the comments or come yell at us in discord there you go. Chard (A): Yeah, that 100% of us have full time jobs. It's very difficult to find a list when you're having people yelling at you all day. Well, okay. Sorry. 90% of us. Wow. Sins (D): Jeff throwing down early. Chard (A): Time job. Wulff (B): You take care of it. Chard (A): That's not easy. That beautiful background behind you. That's beautiful. That's hard work. Wulff (B): I don't get to see it as. Sins (D): Much as I used to in Chat. Jeff's throwing down early. GP (E): Let's ease up on the spoilers. Chard (A): What do you think? Jake (C): Kafka may not even be there. Sins (D): Kefa didn't make our list. Jake (C): Yeah, he's a small time you guys. Chard (A): Are using the Kafka didn't make our list. Chard Monk didn't make the stream. Wulff (B): All right. Chard (A): It's kind of a one, and it's like, if there's one thing that comes with me everywhere, that's not my wife, it's Kefca. Let's just be honest, all right? I do. I'm trying to get a Kefca tattoo, as a matter of fact. That's not a joke. That's true. Let's go ahead and fire things off. We're going to start with our first two villain matchup back to back here. Our first selection is Joker Mark Hamill. Sins (D): Mark, joker. GP (E): Need to specify that. Chard (A): And Bowser from Mario from the Mario Brothers series. Jake (C): The Marios. Yeah. Sins (D): We're specifically talking video game versions of these villains. So Joker, Mark Hamill, I know that there's similarities, but it is the video game arkham series and not the cartoon series, where he's the Joker. Jake (C): Right. He's great in both, but specifically the video game in this case. Yes. GP (E): Also, when we're talking about let's read. Chard (A): Everything'S about video games here. Right. GP (E): But also, is the metric or the rubric that we are saying for best villain, meaning, like, most iconic, most likable, most successful. What's the metric here? Jake (C): I think we have to be well rounded with this. Right. We have to look at their impact in the game, their successes, their character. I think it's a well rounded we should look at all angles when we're talking about these villains. GP (E): Yeah, agreed. Wulff (B): Yeah. Chard (A): We got to think about some longevity issues that are in here too, because Bowser has been an iconic villain for a long time, while the Joker has been an iconic villain, but not in video game tropes for as long as Bowser. Jake (C): Okay. Sins (D): And if we do look at backstory, then Joker actually comes all the way in from whatever 1930s or 40s or whatever it was, right? If we're talking backstory. Chard (A): Right. Not joaquin. Phoenix's. Joker, by the way. Sins (D): No. Chard (A): Still a great movie. Jake (C): No. GP (E): I could do an entire podcast episode on why that movie upset me. Chard (A): All right, who wants to go round robin on this first? I'll go. I'll tell you what, I'm going to just announce this right now. I know Sinister said he would go last, but I'll tell you what, as the host, I will be the tiebreaker of going last. I will make that decision. Sins (D): This is how Kefco wins call me a tyrant. This is how Kefko wins. Chard (A): I'm trying to ease everybody's mind on here. Although I do like it when GP says, all right, Char, well, you and I, our opinions don't matter. So what do you pick? GP (E): I'm going to go and call it Chard. You and I, our opinions don't matter. Chard (A): So who wants to go first in this round? Jake (C): I'll go for this one. Yeah. The randomized brackets are really cruel here because this is a tough matchup. I mean, Bowser is one of the longest standing video game villains. It was randomized. We discussed this off this, off the stream. It's randomized, scientifically, accurately, through the AI. Anyway, bowser has been a longtime villain, but Mark Hamill, forget the animated series, forget everything else in his career. Just the arkham joker, like Arkham city and Arkham Asylum. He is so good. His voice acting is just iconic as this villain. He's chilling. He's just scary. He's such a great villain and such a great performance in the Arkan games. I mean, Bowser is great and all, and he's a big part of the Mario franchise. But I mean, come on. Joker, I think, is the villain. I think he's like, such an iconic villain. I like Bowser, but I think especially the more recent Mario games where they had the opportunity for things like me voice acting or a story, they don't really do that right. Like, even in Mario Odyssey, the story was Bowser's kidnapping Peach to get married. It makes no sense, and it's barely even a damn plot. So even though he's like, iconic looking, he's not really impactful in the storylines to Mario. Not that there is one to begin with. I mean, he's memorable, I guess, because of nostalgia. But I think Mark Campbell's performance as the joker in Arkham is so damn good. Sins (D): All right, I want to go next. That's why I was holding up my finger there. Chard (A): Because I was getting my bingo card out? Sins (D): No, because I was going to make the argument, you already did this, but I guess I'm going to probably drive it home a little bit. Bowser, while being a long term video game villain, he hasn't actively tried to murder at mass levels. His whole goal is to marry Peach and rule the mushroom kingdom. Right? And then here's the Joker who has literally tried to kill everyone through infection or some other whatever, and he does it with almost a lack of reasoning or care. We've done this trope before, but some people just want to watch, so well. Ben right. GP (E): Specifically, your Mark Hamill impression is horrible. Sins (D): It is. Chard (A): I thought that was Bowser. GP (E): I should have said that. Jake (C): Jack black. Sins (D): But one thing I want to point out, and this happened, I think this was in Arkham Asylum. The first of kind of the video games that we're talking about at the end, he actually has destroyed the cure and he is infected and he knows that Batman is going to save him. And so he goes into this just balls to the wall. Because he knows that no matter how bad of a villain he is, his hero is going to save him because he knows Batman is that good. And so he is just that bad that he is like I will destroy my chances of even surviving this because I know that the hero is going to save me. So I also vote joker. GP (E): Interesting. I hear what you're saying, Sinistar, and also I hear what you're saying, daddy, but I think that it's tough. I think the more iconic villain here in terms of video games is going to have to be Bowser. Which villain do I find more ultimately captivating? Interesting? Would I rather party with all those things going to go to the Joker? But if we're just talking across the spectrum of pop culture, I don't know, it's tough. If the Joker did not exist in movies, TV shows, or anything other than the Arkham series, I don't think he would be as prolific as Bowser, who is primarily in the video games. Yes, he's been in some movies, dennis Hopper, but that's not what he's known for. Sins (D): We don't talk about Super Mario Brothers. Jake (C): Yeah. Chard (A): John Lang Guizamo was excellent as an Italian plumber. GP (E): Okay, first off, John Lang Guizamo is great in about anything. I'll watch him read the dictionary. Johnny Legs, if you're watching, I love you. Hope I can call you Johnny Legs. The other part of that, though no, again, I think if the Joker didn't exist outside of video games, he would be a cool villain, but I don't know that he would be as prolific as Bowser. So I think I got to vote Bowser, even though, in fact, right now, I'm wearing my Batman pajama pants. You guys know I'm a big Batman fan. I got to give it to Bowser. I'll lock it up. Wulff (B): All right. Chard (A): That was an incredible twist of events I did not expect. Wulff (B): Let's look at the lengths that Bowser will go to accomplish his goals. Chard (A): He is willing oh, you're going to read the book. Wulff (B): No, he's going to read the he. GP (E): Is the biggest employer of the Mushroom Kingdom, I wager that. Wulff (B): But he's willing to go to the moon to accomplish his goals. He is willing to. What was the other one? He'll work with Mario if he absolutely has to. GP (E): Mario RPG. I like that. Wulff (B): Which he's done. He can set aside his personal differences to achieve his goals. And when a villain really wants to accomplish what they want to accomplish, they have to learn to be able to move forward with the circumstances they're given. And Bowser always does that. Bowser also lied to his child about who his mom was. Who the fuck does that? That's dark. Jake (C): That's how bad a villain he is. He lies to his children. He's a bad daddy. That's what. Chard (A): His nephews we have the daddy of daddy. Sins (D): I want you to remember somebody who knows something. I want you to remember this argument for later. Because me? Yeah, because there is a villain that we are going to bring up daughter issues. GP (E): No, I don't want to know. I have done my way to ignore the list that you all do some research. Chard (A): I know what you're going to talk about. Jake (C): Okay, real quick. Bowser versus Mario. Can't we all agree that Mario is killed more than Bowser? So isn't Mario a better villain than Bowser anyway? So that automatically disqualifies. GP (E): That goes back to what I was saying though. I mean, Bowser is the largest employer of the Mushroom Kingdom. You have the Princess Kingdom who rules over all these individuals. And then you have the Plumber who comes in and kills them all trying. Jake (C): He's a bad employer. He's a bad boss, but doesn't make him a bad guy. GP (E): Look, yes, we all know horrible employers, but in the end of the day, is he not putting food on tables? I don't know. Chard (A): It sounds like the premise for horrible boss is three. Wulff (B): Yeah. How many things does Bowser kill? We never see him kill anything unless he kills Mario. Right. Have you watched Mario brother throwing yoshis into lava pits and off of cliffs? Sins (D): Yeah, never mind. Never mind punching yoshi in the back of the head to make him eat things. Chard (A): Yeah, right. Wulff (B): Friends. He's throwing off of cliffs and into lava pits. GP (E): For what it's worth, count for a lot. It's mutually. Wulff (B): Mario is the villain. Jake (C): I think so. Browser's biggest crime is just not having his fortresses up to safety. GP (E): That's not true. There's the kidnapping and presumed attempted rape, which you can't sweep that under the rug. Chard (A): That's true. Sins (D): Trigger warning. GP (E): Sorry folks, nobody's a piece of shit. But I think if the issue is iconic have we voted? Did everybody go? Wulff (B): I said bowser. To me. Bowser. No line is too much to cross for him. Jake (C): Okay. GP (E): Yeah. Jake (C): So it's two to two, I guess, right? Chard (A): Yeah, the tiebreaker is wow. Jake (C): There you go. Your opinion does matter. Chard (A): It does matter. It never matters that far. Okay, well, on that note, listen. You guys say that Bowser hasn't killed a whole lot of people. I've watched Cindy Star play Mario Brothers. That's not true. He's killed a lot of people. GP (E): You're thinking of gravity. You're thinking of gravity and spatial awareness. Chard (A): He did design spatial awareness. That's true. The big villain here is actually gravity and spatial awareness. That's true. Sins (D): In a trick twist, the first bracket goes to gravity and spatial awareness. Chard (A): Aka Bowser. Listen, bowser turned the Mushroom Kingdom people into bricks and Mario did kill them. That's where I thought you were going with that wolf. I got to lean on this whole thing with me and the Joker. The Joker and Mark Hamill. Fantastic. Let's think of it this way. I'm going to do how my discussion on the phone went today. Listen. Mark Hamill. Incredible actor. Wonderful job. Top tier, couldn't have done any better. Top notch. However, not going to cut it in this bracket. I got to go with Bowser on this one. And purely because, like GP said, if it wasn't for the Joker being iconic and other things and in comic books before he was put into video games, he's everywhere. It's not really a video game character. He's everywhere. Bowser is a video game character. He was created for gaming and gaming likeness and then has spawned into Dennis Hopper playing King Cooper and the whole nine yards. I'm just saying that if we're going to the roots of video game villains, got to go with Bowser. And it may be the nostalgia again talking. Don't know, don't care. I'll go with bowser. So I've noticed that the bowser fight. GP (E): In Super Mario World. Sorry for the Super Nintendo. After you jump on him and he's in his little thing, he pops out and she's waving. She's like hell. Not to show my sensibilities here, but that was terrifying to me as a kid. She's obviously not wanting to be there. Don't do that. Sins (D): Yeah. Chard (A): Horrible, right? Sins (D): And Bowser, don't stand on her when you're flying your little weird propeller chair. GP (E): That's a TARDIS. There's more room down there than what you think. Jake (C): Yeah, figure it on the inside than isn't. Sins (D): I don't want to hear about Bowsers down there. It's fine. Chard (A): I was going to say it's an undetectable extension charm. GP (E): I love that. All right. Bowser. Jake (C): Bowser. Chard (A): Okay, so round two. So round one goes to Bowser of the Mario franchise. That's fantastic. I'm excited about this one. I'm really excited about this next matchup. We had discussed this amongst our MPs together as a team and we were kind of very him and ha. But Jake actually had a very solid point about this. Could have some really good discussion going into it. So without further ado, I had a good point. Sins (D): No, it's getting delayed. Chard (A): As I am told quite often when I say see, I say things that are smart, I usually get retorted with, well, a broken clock is right twice a day, too. So I'm going to hit you with that one. 1%. One in a row, Jake. One in a row. Sins (D): Except for you're running in military time. And it's once a day, sir. GP (E): My anxiety can't handle this. What's the bracket? Is it like two minutes? Jake (C): Come on. Chard (A): Don't a, I'm going to pronounce this the way I feel it needs to pronounce. Do not at me. This is Magis from Chrono trigger fame. Wulff (B): What? Chard (A): And Handsome Jack versus Mages and Handsome Jack. Sins (D): All right. Can I go first? Jake (C): Only you called megas. GP (E): Maybe. Chard (A): Not called magic. Called magic. Thank you. Sins (D): Look, we're going to have a GIF versus GIF argument here. It's fine. Like my juffed, I'm going to start with Magis. So my experience with Magus Magus, Magus, magus is so far I have only had him as the villain, and I ran him off. I haven't seen some sort of redemption story, but I've heard tell of redemption story. Chard (A): Should we have Citizen mute his headphones for this discussion after he's done making. Sins (D): No, well, it's fine. Jake (C): He's already past the point of the spoilers for that anyway, right? Like you did the NC Palace. I saw you stream it. Chard (A): Yeah, no, he did not go to the end of the he's in the area, like right before one of the boss fights. Sins (D): It's fine. It's okay. That game is 30 years old. However years old it is. Jake (C): Yeah, there is a redemption in that. He's not the big bad, right? In crone trigger. It's Lavos. That's the big bad. Sins (D): And that's kind of where I'm going, is even knowing that he's a redemption story. He did start the whole Lavos mess, right? Well, didn't he kind of kick it off? I mean, it's fine anyway, but with the redemption story, he feels a little soft. He feels a little soft as far as a villain goes. Now, Handsome Jack handsome Jack literally places a floating space station in orbit that can nuke basically whatever he wants. And when his daughter, who has the Siren abilities, accidentally kills her mother through a fight with another person, he decides that he's going to imprison her to power his station. So if you want to talk a daughter arc, if you want to talk a father daughter arc, here's a guy that's like, well, sure, you accidentally killed your mother, but you know what? You're now my power source and enslaves her and then proceeds to basically destroy any vault hunter that decides to show up on Pandora. He purposefully murders, unless they have the chance to open the vault for him specifically. GP (E): But he was honest about who the mother was, and I think that counts. I agree. Handsome Jack for the win on this one. Sins (D): Yeah, I'm going Handsome Jack over. Magus. Magus. Magus. GP (E): Have you guys heard of Dragon Ball Z? Chard (A): Yeah. GP (E): Who is the greatest villain from Dragon Ball Z? Here's a hint. Not Vegeta. Chard (A): That's true. GP (E): Okay, well, I'll close it there, but no law applies. And between these two I got to go. Handsome Jack. Though I do very much enjoy Maggis. Sins (D): That's two for Handsome Jack, then. GP (E): His Majesty. No, too much. Sorry. Chard (A): Booker T. Booker. Majesty. Booker. Sins (D): Yeah. Chard (A): Wrestler do you want to go or. Wulff (B): You want I have a quick question. Is Handsome Jack's daughter, serif or Seraphim, whatever her name was. Whoever. Sins (D): No, he enslaves her later when his I think his daughter ends up dying and he ends up putting the other Siren in her place. Wulff (B): I didn't finish. I only got like maybe halfway through or something. Sins (D): Yeah. Angel. Thank you. Wulff (B): Angel. Yeah. Thank you, jeff but McGuff, he was an asshole. Chard (A): I love it. Wulff (B): But his intentions were in the right place. He was trying to do something for the greater good. He wasn't trying to be a villain. And his end goal was to save the world, not destroy it. Right? That's not much of a villain. He's Chronos nemesis for a time, but he's not the villain of the game. Handsome Jack is a villain. I got to say that's coming from I knew about his redemption chance the first time I played Chrono trigger, and I still said, Fuck that, Maggus. You're going down. GP (E): He's not your gus. He's Mcguss. Wulff (B): Yeah, he's Mcguss. Jake (C): As a youth, he was Janus. As an adult. He's megas janus. Wulff (B): Janice. GP (E): Which would you rather be called? Anus. Chard (A): Look, we don't get to pick her. Jake (C): Names that her parents bestowed on us. And he was named J Anus. And that's just the way it is, my kids. Wulff (B): Question. How do you pronounce his sister's name? Chard (A): Shala. Wulff (B): I'm sorry, I derailed the conversation there. Sins (D): Quick aside, quick aside. I do have to give Handsome Jack. He did create. Or he bought, actually. But without Handsome Jack, we wouldn't have butt stallion but. Chard (A): The iconic. Wulff (B): But my vote is Handsome Jack on this one. GP (E): Yeah. Jake (C): Okay. Chard (A): Well, Jake, looks like you're, in my opinion, don't matter. So what do you got, bud? Jake (C): I tell you. Here's the thing. Okay, fine. So you want to argue that Handsome Jack is maybe the more sinister, the more evil villain. That's fine. Villain does not necessarily always mean evil. Sometimes it could just be a jerk and that could be a villain, right? GP (E): Are you talking about Kirby? Jake (C): No. Kirby has many villains. Can you do those? Misunderstood. Chard (A): Anyway, is this a veiled attack? Jake (C): No. So maggus. Magus magus magus magus maggas. His aura, okay? His look, his garb, the cape, the rubber gloves, the dark slick back hair, the paley pasty white skin, the red eyes. The theme music in the boss battle with Megas is fucking iconic and is one of my favorite boss encounters. And you don't do boss encounters against friends. He's the bad guy. Is he the world's most evil villain? No, but he's a pretty awesome bad guy. GP (E): Conversation is, though. Jake (C): Handsome Jack is just evil. Chard (A): Sure, but he's just rich. Jake (C): He doesn't look cool. He's got a cool horse, he spends his money. Sins (D): He's handsome. Is he? GP (E): We will have other episodes where we discuss handsome doable dude in video games. Is that is not this one. Chard (A): Wow. Jake (C): Ride his crystal horse all he wants. He's not the best bad guy in this match. Sins (D): He purposefully diamond horse. It's a horse made of diamonds. Literally of diamonds. But he is so handsome that he put his face on a whole bunch of doppelgangers on purpose. Jake (C): Look, is Batman the best hero because he's rich? No. Chard (A): He's arguably not a very good hero to begin with, but let's not get into that debate. Sins (D): Jeff. Jeff is correct. Wulff (B): In Chat, this isn't about heroes. This is about village. Sins (D): Jeff is correct. In Chat, Handsome Jack succeeded. GP (E): Now, is it not Handsome Jack. Jake (C): It's Handsome handsome also, am I not wrong? Chard (A): Who cursed? Jake (C): Wasn't it not Magus who cursed, Frog? It was maggus, right? GP (E): Glenn? Chard (A): Magis. GP (E): Not to dachshund, but Glenn, yes. Jake (C): Who cursed? Glenn. Chard (A): Glenn of 600 Ad. Sorry, dude, my bad. GP (E): Wow. Everybody's going to go hunting for Glenn now. Sins (D): It was Maegus. Wulff (B): To be fair, Cyrus had no business dragging Glenn around with him to fight McGuff. Chard (A): They were buggy. I go everywhere. Dennis Star, he doesn't drag me around. I just fucking chill up. Wulff (B): How many squires? How many squires? Just Glenn. He's the only one taken advantage of by heroes in that game. Chard (A): Cyrus is so good, he doesn't need multiple squires. He only needs g. Lynn all right, so we're going to go with Mages on that one, Jake? Is that what you're saying? Jake (C): Yeah. I'm saying magus mages cool. GP (E): Please agree. How to pronounce jump. J Is it Forest Jump are we having. Chard (A): I don't know a lot about Borderlands, I know a lot about Chrono Trigger, and I'm going to go ahead and chime in on this one. Magus is not a villain. He is a man of circumstance and time. Literally of time. He's a man that is trying to get revenge. Sinister plug ears earmuffs sinister ear muffs. Thank you. He's a man that's trying to get revenge on what his mother did to him and his family and how and his sister and all the shit that went down with there. The man was just trying to get back at him and unfortunately, people were getting in his way to get it done. Yes, it is the Vegeta complex, we will call it that. It is vegeta. It's literally vegeta. Wulff (B): Literally trying to what his family broke. Chard (A): With the risk of how this sounds, it's Vegas. It's what it is. It's what it's going to be. We're going with it. I don't care. Don't die on me, Jake. Jake (C): Really? Chard (A): Vegas? Yes. Handsome Jack, you could put your there you go. Handsome Jack is so fucking twisted that in his brain, he thinks he's the hero. GP (E): Well, that's the hallmark of a good villain. Chard (A): Yeah, he thinks he's doing the right thing, but it's so fucking twisted and fucked up, he doesn't care. He still thinks he's right. He still thinks he's getting roll up. I did research today. I've barely played any Borderlands, so I have plenty of people here to tell me if I'm wrong or not. GP (E): You knew he was from Borderlands. Chard (A): Like we are killing off all the Volt hunters because he thinks he's doing it right and he's doing world dominance. Thinks he's the hero. He thinks he's saving his daughter by turning her into the power source for his doomsday device. So as much as I love Mages, or Ages, or Mcgaggas, or Janus Forest Guillumpus, I'm going with Handsome Jack. Sins (D): It's Forrest. Chard (A): I did not stutter. So, I think Handsome Jack is going to be the true villain out of these two. I think that Mages is a really good story and could be a really like on its own debate on on his experience. His depiction is direction, but for actual villainry, I got to go with Handsome Jack on that one. Jake (C): Look, Handsome Jack doesn't have a theme song. Just saying. He does not have a clip. Chard (A): Mages theme song is easily I had it recreated for my stream. That's how good it is. Sins (D): I love that Handsome Jack gets not one, but two games, right? Two entire games of him as the villain. Chard (A): If Chronocross wasn't garbage, then maybe Mages could have had two games too. But unfortunately they decided to shit all over that one. But listen, in terms of cool factor, if we're talking cool factor and badass fights and great lead ins and music and shit, majors wins nine times out of ten and twice on Sundays. He's incredible. But in the villainry department, without spoiling it for Sinistar, heads of Jack wins. You're good. GP (E): What constitutes as a theme song for a villain? The reason I ask there is a song my dad used to hum when I was a kid and he would not important. Chard (A): Let's move on. Was it an original piece? Jake (C): Wow. GP (E): I don't know. Chard (A): Made it up as he went. That it's his this was fucking dark. You want to go dark? I'll dive right into that black pit with you. Right. Sins (D): Sorry, YouTube. Chard (A): Everybody said he was going to be agreeable. Sins (D): Yeah, he's agreeably. Tainting all of every story with his. GP (E): Dad always up on the backstory on the lore. The GP. Chard (A): Lore. Doesn't the GP lore. GP (E): Yeah. Chard (A): All right, guys, let's move on to the next one. So I just recently got to know one of our villains in this particular bracket, and I'm pretty excited about it because she's fucking funny as shit. She kills me, literally. Tries to at least a couple of times. And then this other one is we went with the human form, the later form of this in particular. So we're going to go with Gladys from Portal and Ganondorf Ganondorf, the dorf in the later versions. Ganondorf Dorphy. Good old the zelda. This is a good bracket montage. GP (E): It also sucks because gentlemen, these are great bad guys. Start your bad AIS. Sins (D): Who's starting this one? GP (E): I don't want to. Wulff (B): I will start. So we've got the humanoid gannon. Ganondorf. Or we've got genetic life form and disc operating system. Chard (A): But she's so funny. Sins (D): Have you played number two? Yeah, I've been playing no, jimmy, have. Wulff (B): You played the show? Yeah. Sins (D): Okay. Wulff (B): Portal two. Chard (A): This would be the time where I pull out my steam deck and say, yes, I've been playing on my steam deck, but it's in the living room because I was playing it on my steam deck. Wulff (B): Absolutely. I've played portal one and two. I love those games. But glados. Oh, man, I don't know. This is a tough one because Gannon is just such an evil prick who is relentless, right? GP (E): What an. Ahole, absolutely. Chard (A): But he has a smug look on his face too. Jake (C): Don't punchable face. Chard (A): Big fucking nose, asshole. Wulff (B): Gladys isn't even really capable of emotion. She's just doing what needs to be done. Sins (D): No, but she is an asshole prick too. With the whole parents thing. Your parents don't love you. Or this air is recycled from outside. I'm just kidding. Or I saw a deer today, but you don't get to. Chard (A): Stasis. Wulff (B): She is definitely endlessly demeaning, I will give you that. Chard (A): Which most people, when they come out of stasis, tend to lose a little bit of weight and are fatigued. You don't appear to have lost anything. Damn, bitch. Call me fat man. Sins (D): When she has celebration for the character's parents, confetti comes out. Chard (A): Oh, I'm sorry, they don't love you. Wulff (B): It's just a insults and attacks constantly. Sins (D): Just verbal. Wulff (B): Not just verbal, but you know what I mean, because she does try to kill shell numerous times. Sins (D): What about when she's in the potato? She actually kind of has a personality with feelings when she's in the potato. Wulff (B): I think that's partly because she doesn't have the personality core limiters. Sins (D): Right, right. Wulff (B): So it's really all the Tweaking to her systems that have made her how she is. She was not inherently that way, but at the end of the day, those tweakings to the systems are still Gladys and not the original person that she was based on. That worked for Cave Johnson. At her core. She's Cave, johnson's assistant. But the personality limiters have made her glados. Right. And that's what we see as the villain in Portal. And then you've got Gan, and again, like I said, he's just a relentless reincarnating self aggrandizing wanting to take over the world. Bastard, right? GP (E): Yeah, he's the archetype. Wulff (B): Yeah. Chard (A): I don't know. GP (E): Part of what makes Blatant so kind of scary and chilling is because her motives were kind of unknown. To what degree? What is her end game? If I die in this building, is she going to continue mocking my corpse? Sins (D): Well, and that's the thing that I want to bring up is that's the thing I want to bring up is yes, Ganondorf has continued to try to take over the world. Right? But here's the thing about Gladys. The world has already ended and she's continuing on with this last person. Jake (C): Is that the lore for Portal? Wulff (B): We don't know for sure. Sins (D): You don't know? But there's no humans. You don't ever see any other humans. Jake (C): Right? Well, the facility is empty except for the one character. Sins (D): Well, but there are allusions to basically saying like, this is post the end of humanity. There are illusions to that. Jake (C): Okay, you guys kept saying Ganondorf is wanting to take over the world. He does, though, in Arcarena of Time, he actually ends up taking over the world when Link is stuck in a time thing. And when you come out as adult Link, the world is basically an apocalypse. Gannon rules everything. So he kind of does win in Link to the Past. He maintains dominion over the entire dark world. So he's always had in some capacity like this. He controls vast number of people and, like, takes him down. But he still he wins to a degree. Right? Wulff (B): Yeah. Well, he also you come into Breath of the Wild, and Gannon has already won. You're well past Gannon winning. Sins (D): That's true. Wulff (B): Gannon is supposed to be the physical form of evil in The Legend of Zelda. Right. Like, that's what Gannon is, no matter what iteration of it. Gannon is the physical manifestation of evil in Zelda. Sins (D): Right. Wulff (B): Whereas glados she's got goals with psychopathic tendencies. Right. And it's hard to say which is scarier, kind of no, this is crazy, is scary and Gladys is crazy. GP (E): And you don't have enough information because of the Starkness and the scarcity of anything in the Portal games, your knowledge of what is is severely limited. But you know that there's this very irritating but oddly charming, funny, sexy, early bond kind of voice talking to you. Sins (D): Anyway, Gannon, real quick aside, real quick aside, there's a poker game on steam poker night. Wulff (B): Poker night at the inventory. Sins (D): Yeah. And the second one, Gladys, is the dealer. And it is delicious. It is absolutely delicious. Chard (A): I just had dinner, too. Wulff (B): This is a tough one. Chard (A): I forgot Wolf hasn't been yeah, I. Wulff (B): Think I have to it's it's very close, but I gotta go Gannon on this one. GP (E): I agree, Gannon dorf. But who would I rather probably have a conversation with? Gladys? Sins (D): There's two for Gannon. There is a scene in my mind there is a scene in my mind in Portal Two when Wheatley has been helping or you've been helping Wheatley get the system activated again and all of a sudden that elevator starts going up and all those switches start flipping. And then you see Gladys peel herself off the floor in her cybernetic bits and pieces and it is terrifying. And then on top of that, for those that have VR whatever, that steam that VR. No, but I'm talking the game that they made where you can like but it's all portal based game stuff. Chard (A): Oh, is it really? Yes. Sins (D): And Gladys gladys is massive and terrifying. Wulff (B): So they did something. Chard (A): You can play portal on VR. Sins (D): No, it's its own game. I can't remember what it's called. There's a scene where you assemble the little dudes that are in Portal Two. Wulff (B): And there's a scene where you okay, this is a thing that they built to sort of teach you how to use the valve index. Sins (D): It was prior to valve index. This was during live. Wulff (B): Okay. Sins (D): But if you go into that, you put that headset on it, you look up a gladys, it's called the lab. That's what it is. It's the lab. Chard (A): The lab. Sins (D): It is terrifying. Yeah, it is terrifying. I'm going to say Gladys because to. GP (E): Me. Sins (D): There is nothing more sinister than what seems like the world has already ended and the villain is still going. Like the villain has one last toy and is still going. So I'm going to vote for Gladys because it's not even trying to take over the world. She just wants to experiment on these people. GP (E): Just wants to watch the world burn. I think I just came up with that. Chard (A): That is kind. Sins (D): So gladys here. Jake (C): So I was already to say Gannon but then sister is making a good point and then Wolf said something that's sticking with me where it's just like Gannon is the embodiment of evil. Sure. But Gladys is crazy and crazy is scary and terrifying. Wulff (B): Yeah, crazy beats scary is what it was. I think. Chard (A): Crazy hot. Crazy hot scale, right? Jake (C): So Link against Gannon. Link kind of knows where he stands with Gannon, right. At all times. He's evil. He's the bad guy. His mission is defeat Gannon. He knows this. They could enter a room together and they know where he stands with Gannon. He's just the bad guy. Glados you never know. Is she throwing you a bone, throwing you some cake, trying to get you to help you? Or is she just experimenting as another trap, another twist, another minor cake. GP (E): There will be cake. You will. Sins (D): Spoiler. Warning for those that haven't played portal one I'm going to say this. There is a line where she says in one of the experiments she says I lied to you but I won't lie to you again. And then later, like a couple of experiments later she says you will be baked and then there will be cake. And you think it's a slip of the tongue. GP (E): But there is no tongue. Jake (C): Yeah, it's not. GP (E): There's only a disk operating system. Jake (C): The other thing is too is Gannon. Chard (A): Is he's the bad guy. Jake (C): He's kind of like created these dungeons or added his minions to these dungeons. His final tower is constructed by him. It's really not effective at all. Really. Link easily trounces the final dungeon arcane of time and makes it to the top. It's not much of an obstacle. Whereas Gladys has made a maze of traps and just terrifyingly difficult puzzles to torment and torture the player. I actually think Gladys I think is the better villain in this case. I didn't think I'd go this way but I'm going to vote Gladys. Sins (D): All right, one last thing. And this has no voting like tie to it whatsoever. I talked to Chard about this but the anger module is voiced by Mike Patton. GP (E): Also Ganondorf I think has to win with horse riding abilities. So not that's part of the official you ever see Gladys on a horse? I've not. Chard (A): How fortuitous that I am here yet again. Being the tiebreaker between you chosen charge. Jake (C): Your opinion matters again. Wulff (B): Yeah. Jake (C): Two for two. GP (E): Wow. Chard (A): Two for two. That's never did it right there. GP (E): What do we got? Chard (A): I'll approach. It the same way that my phone call went this morning. Gannon Dorf is a fantastic additional fuck it. Gannon is an evil motherfucker and he's repetitive, but it's the trope. It's the same thing, right? I'm going to kidnap Zelda user. GP (E): It's consistency. Chard (A): My shit is pretty consistent and nobody wants to hear about that either. Sins (D): It's true. GP (E): Charge. Deuce. Moving on to the next round. Chard (A): That is my shit. Sins (D): In a surprise twist, not only do we have gravity going one round, but we have charged shit going on round three. GP (E): What kills more people? Gravity or charge? Jake (C): Please continue. GP (E): I'm sorry, I'm done interrupting. Chard (A): I am Gwen Stefani. Shit. GP (E): But one more thing. Chard (A): Okay, Fenda? Wulff (B): Yeah. Chard (A): I got to go. Gladys. So here's my thing about Gladys. Sinister literally pulled the thing from my brain is the thing coming up and you're flipping all the switches on and Gladys coming in, following that. Gladys remembers you killing her, and she constantly reminds you of it the entire time you're running around inside the fucking maze. And every time you feel like you're going to get out just puts you further, deeper in and then gives you some fucking snide comment about you. That's horrible. And it's literally it's the kid with the magnifying glass on the anthill. That's exactly what it is. She is playing with you the entire time. GP (E): One of my favorite things about Portal was discovering that it was kind of a psychological horror game going into it. You don't know it. It's fun, it's cheeky. It's a puzzle game. Chard (A): You just think it's a puzzle game. GP (E): Oh, my God, I'm getting shot at. As you're learning more, I really don't. Chard (A): Want your learning the entire way. Yeah, she's twisted. She's twisted. Fuck. And she does want to kill you, but unlike Gannon, wants to take over the world and links just in the way of that. That's pretty basic, right? You're in the way of me. Or he's already done it and he's trying to maintain his evil persona and links. He's the fly in the ointment. He's the monkey wrench in the gears. I got to kill this motherfucker. Gladys is just like inkling of hope. You may have no, take that away. Oh, hey, I'm going to give you a little bit. No, I'm going to go ahead and take that away. And you're just going to keep getting worse and worse. She goes, I'll kill you eventually, but right now, this is just too fun. GP (E): It's that whole going back to talk about my dad real quick in a weird coincidence. Jake (C): I'm kidding. GP (E): Please, go ahead. Chard (A): Yeah, I got to go. Gladys and it's fresh with me. It's a fresh thing with me. So it's still like, on the brain with her. I've been really impressed as I think Jake said it, where it was like this. You think it's just a puzzle game. GP and Jake both said it. It's a puzzle game. And I just never got into how interesting the puzzle aspect of it was. But there's so much more into it, and she's so fucking twisted. I remember fighting her at the end of the first one. It's like, this is crazy. All the shit's going down. Gladys is my winner for this round. Sins (D): And for me, one of the things I absolutely love is I went into that game thinking it was just a bear puzzle game. Just a bear puzzle game. And then it has this very cool backstory of what Gladys is doing to you. Chard (A): Anyway. All right, so Gladys, winner of the over Ganondorf. Perfect. All right, I'll try and speed these up because we're already 52 minutes in and we still got at least three more to go. All right, our next one ridley from Metroid series and Salvanis from the Warcraft series. Now, I know there is a lot of deep knowledge amongst this panel for at least one of these characters. I'll go first. So please have added gentlemen, give us. Jake (C): That Lord dump GP. GP (E): Well, okay, no, I don't want to retread things that everybody here clearly already knows and it would be insulting to the audience to go over too much. One of the things that I like so much about Ridley is actually tangentially to Glados. It's this idea of the unquantifiable entity. We don't exactly know the motivations right away. We just know there's, in the case of Ridley, this big, imposing figure that we have to figure out how to take down. And the fact that Ridley comes back several different times for the series, I don't know. And then, of course, the other person that you named who I mean, what. Sins (D): Needs to be said about Sylvanis? GP (E): What else can you say that hasn't already been said and documented in the annals of time? But that said, Ridley I always thought Ridley, aside from being kind of scary or whatever, just a really cool bad guy. And then the revelation of Ridley being in prime when you first see him and all that kind of thing and then you think you've taken him down with the space frigate and then just for him to I don't know, it was some cool shit and a dope looking bad guy. Chard (A): That's my I think you pronounced annals wrong. It's j annals. Sins (D): Analyze anals. GP (E): I thought you were going a different direction. Anyway, yeah, so that's me, of course. I'm kind of a Metroid fanboy, so yeah, that's where I fall between that one and. Wulff (B): Runner. GP (E): Sylvana. Chard (A): Windrunner was my maiden name. Sins (D): Ilvana. Wulff (B): Let me give you guys some backstory on Sylvanis and Ridley. GP (E): Please. Chard (A): You mean Kerrigan? Wulff (B): Yeah, I can do some backstory on Ridley, too. Actually, I did some reading about him today. Fantastic. I want to preface this by saying if we were counting expanded lore outside of the Games, ridley would win. Okay? Because Ridley, shown outside of the Games in the manga is one evil, soulless son of a bitch right? But once you limit your lore base to just what's in the video games, Sylvanis wins. And it's not entirely because she's just a bad person. Because she's not entirely a bad person. She was actually someone of great stature and honor who her soul was ripped out of her by the Lich King, and then he turned her into a monster. And she's been wrestling with that ever since. Her soul was split in two when that happened. When it's together, she is at least someone who is trying to make a better world for the people like her, the Forsaken, the undead that don't answer to the Lich King. Right? But when her soul is ripped apart, separated, the evil part is pure evil and commits genocide. Right? She burned down the world. GP (E): That's Sylvana. Chard (A): Sylvana Winchester. Wulff (B): She was willing to do whatever it took for other people's nefarious devices. Right. But when her soul is whole, she actually means well and does not get her hands all that dirty unless she absolutely has to for the greater good of the Forsaken first, the Hoard second. She's for her people first and then for her faction second. But that's still way up there, right? It's just the fact that her soul can be separated again makes her a scary villain because she will go to great darkness to achieve things. Chard (A): Remember that episode where Sylvanus and Dean were fighting the Lich King outside of the hotel? And then the yellow eyed Lich King, he throws the holy water and he says, hey, ass face, and then he throws on her, and then Sylvanus gets trapped. Her soul gets trapped in the cage with Satan or Lucifer. I remember that. Wulff (B): It wasn't as face. It was ass butt. Sins (D): Yeah. Wulff (B): Okay, you're a short ass, but. Jake (C): I want to build on what Wolf said. So the thing with Savannah so when we're making this list of villains, I think we had to put a Blizzard villain on here. The problem is a lot of Blizzard villains are very formulaic, right? Like, we joked. Carrigan. Right. There's also the lady who played Diablo in Diablo three. Kind of some similar personality traits, I guess. But Sylvanus, though, she's a long standing character. Going back to warcraft three and then World of Warcraft. Yes, in World of Warcraft Three, or sorry, Warcraft Three, she was the bad guy, but she's under the control of the Lich King Arthur when she freed herself in World Warcraft and built up a faction of basically the undead who opposed the Lich King. She's not necessarily a bad guy. Yes, she's looking for people and very Xenophobic, maybe you could say. But she's still looking out for people. So I don't think she's evil then. And there were recent expansion. This is why I want on the list. She becomes the bad guy in that expansion. I think she goes to, like, the afterlife. I don't know the warcraft lore, but she goes to the afterlife and makes a deal with the jailer, the demon. And part of the deal is that she becomes alive again. But she has to kill people to feed him souls. And that's why I felt she was, like, such a great villain. But by the end of that Expansion, she's redeemed her soul. Pieces that are split are burst together, and she feels remorse and guilt and all those things. And by the end of that Expansion, she's no longer a villain. She's trying to redeem herself. So that, I think, does not make her villain. Just like megas. I was all ready to say she was the big, the winner in this. But when I read that last bit of lore today at the end of the expansions, that's what happens to her. That's her fate, is she redeems herself. And she's out there in the world now trying to gain due penance to make up for the atrocities that she's committed. I think that turns around. And much like Meghan, I think she's maybe not the better villain in this case. Wulff (B): Yeah. Sins (D): All right. Chard (A): Sylvanus's origin story is going to premiere on The WB here real soon, too. Sins (D): So, are you saying that's two for Ridley and one for Sylvana? Jake (C): Ridley is not a great villain. Like, Ridley, to me, is super Metroid, and that's it, right? You shoot him in the intro and then you have a boss fight with him. GP (E): Sorry, did Ganondorf show up in a bunch of other properties I don't know about? Wulff (B): Other than Ridley? Chard (A): Mega Ridley? Holy shit. That thing is mega. Wulff (B): Ridley is not Ridley. Right, but it's made of himself to show how powerful he is. Jake (C): Oh, I thought it was him. Chard (A): That's a pretty evil trope. You know what? I'm going to make an evil robot of myself just to prove you how fucking evil I am. That seems pretty evil. Jake (C): That's the robot I'm delegating. Chard (A): I may not have seen that episode of Supernatural, but I'm telling you, that's pretty fucked up. Wulff (B): Two things we never actually learn of Ridley's personal motivations in the Games. Also, he just works for Mother brain. GP (E): Kind of a dick, non quantifiable entity. Why is this person destroying Henchmen then? Jake (C): Not a villain? Is that the argument? Sins (D): I guess. Wulff (B): Yeah. He's basically a cooper kid. Chard (A): What is it, two and two still? Sins (D): I'm going last. I haven't voted. Chard (A): Okay, well, you know what? Jake (C): I think I might go back to savannah has been a villain, right, in the past. I can't even see the name. Windrunner has had a villainous past. She may not be a villain currently, but she was. Ridley's just a henchman and has always been a henchman. He's just a schmuck. All right, you know what? It will flip me. I'm Sylvanis. Sins (D): Okay? So sylvana. Sylvanis. Ridley for GP. What are you charred last? Chard (A): Go. GP (E): No, real quick, please keep in mind to the two other guys who still need to vote here, if you vote Sylvanis, that means that Sylvanis will show up in another bracket and we're just going to have to talk about her some more. We all have to act like we know what's going on. Wulff (B): She's a better villain. Chard (A): No, I'm going, Ridley, because I've seen that episode of Supernatural and it wasn't very good. Sins (D): So now it's two and two, right? Wulff (B): Yes. GP (E): Okay, that's announced my retirement. Go ahead. Sins (D): I'm going, Sylvanus, because no werewolf is absolutely right. We talked about how these are specifically the video game villains versions and Ridley in the video game is just a boss. Sylvan just a boss and not the final boss. Chard (A): All right, that's fine. No, that's fine. You could be a bad guy for like, a segment and then be good again and still be a better villain than a person that's a villain all the time. That's fine. That seems to make perfect sense. GP (E): That's all it is. You're just a temporary asshole. That's all it is. Chard (A): That's fine. I'm sorry I didn't eat today. I was hangry. Best villain ever. Jake (C): Have a snicker. Chard (A): You're good. Sins (D): Except for I didn't eat today and I'm an asshole means I actually fed human lives to the Lich King. That's fine. Chard (A): I fucking slept 3 hours. I guess I'm the best villain today. Cool. GP (E): If somebody would just give don't worry. Chard (A): And my advanced DG, all my soul shards will come back together and I'll stop eating a dick. Cool. Your soul shard villain. GP (E): I love that. Chard (A): They're all in my kitchen next to my advanced GG shaker. Terrible pick. Let's move on. So what everybody's been waiting for? Let's go. We got two final fantasies back to back, but I'm going to throw you a curveball. Yeah, we're going to pick. Everybody likes Sephiroth for some reason is picked on here. I don't know why we went with Sephiroth. There's better villains than that, but not Canadian. So I guess I don't have to understand. Jake (C): I didn't make these brackets. It was a group. Chard (A): Of the gods. Section two. GP (E): Versus what? Chard (A): I love all the squids. It's just Kafka. I'm just fucking with you. It's Kafka. Kafka versus Sephirothko. This should be an easy one. Sins (D): Kafka, look. GP (E): Life, dreams, hope. Where do they come from? Where do they go? Such meaningless things. I'll destroy them all. Kafka for the win. Forever and always. Sins (D): Where did you go? Chard (A): Oh, must be exhausting. GP (E): We talked earlier about how one of the benchmarks of an interesting villain is a strong willed person who believes they're doing the right thing thanos Ultron. Just use some comic book tropes. The great thing about Kefka is Kefka doesn't really have the ideals of right or wrong. They are bat shit crazy in a similar way to the Joker, but to a very, very successful degree. Sins (D): We talked about how crazy is scarier than evil. Kafka is crazy when he man killed an entire kingdom. GP (E): Yes, the kingdom of Doma poisoning. And he becomes all powerful and in a way that's what he's after. But he doesn't really care about being powerful. He just cares about destroying the power is not the goal. Ending everything is the goal. The power is just the means for it. And. Sins (D): The power to destroy a world was in Kafka all along. Chard (A): Yeah. And all of us. Wulff (B): Yeah. GP (E): I don't know about all right, that's two for Kefka. Chard (A): How did Sephiroth even get a fucking. Wulff (B): Heyday, Sephiroth looks cool. Chard (A): Yeah. Jake (C): He is a big source. Wulff (B): An angry toddler. Chard (A): Yeah. Wulff (B): He is just mad about his life circumstance. Chard (A): Genetically enhanced toddler. Wulff (B): That's all it is. Whereas Kefka and we're going to bring it around. We're going to bring it around. Kefka is the joker. If Joker had magic. GP (E): Yeah, that's exactly right. That's a mic drop. Don't drop the mic. But that's right. Chard (A): There goes the thing is, somebody lied. GP (E): To Kefka about who his real mom is. And the reveal of that in the game, I think was one of the highlights of Final Fantasy Seven, because he believes he was an ancient, but turns out he wasn't. He ends up being descendant of this other horrible thing that came to Earth. So big twisty reveal there. You don't have to have a big twisty reveal with Kafka. He just did the thing he said he was going to do. Wulff (B): Yeah, he's just horrified. All he cares about is himself. That's it. Chard (A): I don't even think he cares about himself. I think he doesn't care about anything. Wulff (B): No, he cares about him. If he didn't care about himself, he wouldn't name things after him. He wouldn't say, I'm rebuilding the world in my image. Chard (A): He is, right? Jake (C): Yes. Wulff (B): An egomaniac to the umpteenth degree. Right. He wanted power, so he became a general for Emperor Gestalt. And then Gestalt was like, no, stop. And he was like, you're stupid. You don't know what you're talking about. I'm not stopping here. And so he kept going and kept going and kept going. And then he succeeded, and then he kept everybody down afterward. Even after he was a success, he still didn't care about anybody but himself. GP (E): Yeah. The closest thing Kepka ever cared about, in my opinion, in my estimation, is trying to get people to understand why nothing matters, and he doesn't really care that they understand it, but he still poses those questions. Why do people cling to life knowing it has to end, and that once you're dead, none of it will have meant anything? Like, that's? Some lofty ass shit for six year old me. And I'll say this. Even if Kafka was we'll say, Dr. Wiley, I would probably still vote for him based on nothing other than the Kafka Tower fight battle music fair. I'll stop now. I'll let everybody else talk. Chard (A): You're good. So is that three for Kafka? Wulff (B): I vote Kafka. Chard (A): All right. Sins (D): Jake, you don't matter. Jake (C): Yeah, I know. The story of my life. Chard (A): I'll just say. Jake (C): I thought when the brackets were randomly selected in this. I thought there'd be more of a fight and more balanced fight, but I guess I was wrong. I mean, the brackets fate was wrong. GP (E): That speaks to Kepka. I'm sorry. Would easily beat see how Gladys feels about it. Charge. Jake (C): So Sephiroth's greatest achievements is he burned a village down and he killed Eris. Wulff (B): Or Erith well, I mean nearly destroyed the planet with a giant comet, if you recall. Jake (C): Yeah, but then Kafka literally destroyed everything. GP (E): The weapons, the giant elemental weapon beasts. He took down Midgar, which is the source of all the horrible stuff. Wulff (B): Transformers. GP (E): Yeah. Sephiroth is a badass again, that doesn't. Chard (A): Take away from Sephora screamer off. Jake (C): I think I'm going to go back to what you said earlier. Crazy is scary. Like, crazy is terrifying. And Kefka is going to win. But I was hoping that Sephiroth would have more of an argument for him. But ultimately, I think kefa. This one. Wulff (B): I've always thought that Sephiroth was just like an adult child having a tantrum. GP (E): Scary or pure than a child. The quote from Bebop or crazy. Jake (C): No, but GP, when you mentioned the backstory in Sephiroth and where he came from, I completely forgotten. He thought he was an ancient. And there's a whole weird thing there that the story in fanface seven was always just confusing. I still never understood. I was hoping the remake would expand on that when they finally finish whatever, how many parts they do. Chard (A): We're going to leave out all that important stuff. GP (E): I think we took out Liquid, am I correct? I'll mention this real quick. The reason I thought Liquid Snake would have been interesting for this is because the whole premise to Metal Gear Solid is we have these two genetically almost identical twins who are manufactured, and then one is believing himself to be the inferior clone, and the other one superior, and it kind of goes back and forth. So then Solid Snake ends up winning. And the big kind of twisty thing there, because they do that in that series a lot, is that in fact, Solid Snake was the inferior one, and that theming. And that twist kind of speaks back to the only thing, in my opinion, that really makes Sephiroth super interesting is realizing or finding out eventually you're not what you thought you were. Wulff (B): You heard it here first, folks. Solid snake is Danny DeVito. Confirmed. GP (E): Anyway, all right, sorry. Chard (A): Thank you for that Kafka sweeps. Okay, I'll cut it short. I don't need to go on my die triad for that. You know how I feel about that. All right, we'll go into the next one. Robotnik eggman as depicted by Jim Carrey in the recent films and Dr. Wiley of the Mega man series. Sins (D): Gentlemen, can I start this one? Chard (A): You have your doctor's degrees, you have your eight years in college and in what do they do in practice? Residence. That's it. Resident, please don your white lab coats and. Vote. Sins (D): Okay, my vote. Chard (A): Sorry, you can go first. Sins (D): My vote. Who cares? Move on. Chard (A): Because we'll have a fucking awkward leg if that's the case. And Kefi will automatically win. Sins (D): Fine. Dr. Wiley. Because Mega Man I don't know, I always felt like eggman robotnik was like I always felt like he was a joke. Honestly, I always did. At least Wiley was. I don't know, he felt like robots should always be subservient. So let's go. Wiley wins. Wulff (B): They're both pretty egomaniacal and kind of inept. Let me say something here. How many eons of injustice is Dr. Wiley responsible for? Start with Mega man. He is responsible for the events of Mega Man X, which lead to the events of Mega Man Zero, which lead to the events of Mega Man ZX. All of that is Wiley's fault. GP (E): Yes, he even comes back as surges in my mind palace in X Two. I know there's a subreddit there, but you're exactly right. I don't want to step on you. I'll wait for my turn. Chard (A): Go ahead. GP (E): Sorry. Wulff (B): No, and even if you look at the Battle Network aspect, I'm pretty sure he's responsible for all of those six. And then it goes on to what? Star Force? Which is a spin off of Battle Network. So regardless of Mega Man timeline, you follow, wiley is responsible for everything. Maybe he didn't Wiley all along, but he did the most damage. GP (E): Yes. I'll kind of make my case here. The bad thing about Wiley is he failed a bunch. I can name at least eleven instances in which he did. With that said, whatever it was, he died. His final fuck you to the world was leaving the Zero virus like his last send off was apocalyptic levels of horseshit. But the pro for him being voted is, like you said, the longevity. His legacy of evil is top tier. So if you look at Robotnik, kind of a silly bad guy. I don't really fully understand the story there, why he hates Sonic. Here's the thing though. If you're going to say a pro about Robotnik, and this will lead into his con, he's actually faster than Sonic the Hedgehog. If you make it to the end of Sonic Two, as I recently did, there is a foot race that happens and it doesn't matter if you're running a Sonic or if you're in your little run like Naruto. Yeah, and Naruto runs all the way to the end. So he is faster than the enemy that he is trying to beat. And his enemy, Sonic, the only thing he's famous for is his speed. So why go through all the extra stuff? Why build the giant robots? Why do all that stuff when you can just say Sonic, I bet I can beat you, and we'll go our separate ways? Wulff (B): That he's got to think it's jewelry, right? GP (E): Yeah, I mean, can't blame that. Wulff (B): All he's really after is the the bling bling. GP (E): So, you know, that's robotics kind of. Chard (A): Cue the ring sound. Cue the ring sound. GP (E): Sinister, would you put the the ring sound in after you make the shiny thing? And anyway sure, and show me every step of the process. But the thing is I love you so much, Sinister. You're my best friend. I got to give it to Wiley for those reasons. Chard (A): Oh, man, there's so many inside jokes in this episode. I think you and I might have a similar answer being Sega kids at one point in our lives. Jake (C): Yeah, for me, when I look at this matchup, they do feel very similar in that they both fail a whole lot. And I'm not as familiar with the X lore and ZX and all that stuff. I only know the classic Mega Man games and Dr. Wiley there, where even when he's not the bad guy, he still kind of is, but he still loses every damn time, and he keeps making invention after invention, and they all fail to make a man. So I don't know, but it's also. GP (E): The sorry, go ahead. I'm sorry, I don't mean to keep interrupting. Jake (C): Yeah, not to say Robotnik is this supervillain. He also loses a Sonic every damn time. What does it say when the most brilliant mind in that franchise loses to a blue little fur ball? Every time, right? Like every single time. Yeah, he's faster than. Sins (D): All that means is that Sonic was the true villain all along. GP (E): Look, either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain. Jake (C): So here's where I'm going to fall on this one, because I think both of them are inept villains. From my experience in the franchise, I played with them. They both lose all the time. Sins (D): I come back and come down. Jake (C): No, well, I care for the sake of the science in this bracket, in this tournament important, it's relevant. We're doing dedication here, dedication. We're professional at Press B. So, look, don't let me forget, my point comes down to shit, I lost it. GP (E): Well, while he's searching Sonic, which one are you picking? Chard (A): Robotnik or Wiley? Jake (C): Who's more recognizable as a bad guy? If you went to the

What are the chances that a DCOM called Bad Hair Day has more going on than its name implies? Well, that might be overselling it a bit, but this is not a DCOM you should sleep on... cause you might get bedhead! But seriously, this movie's alright. Plus, the great Milk versus Malk debate! Wikipedia entry for Bad Hair Day

Chile, do you experience uncomfortable symptoms in your body after consuming dairy products? Are you still still consuming dairy? Tune in to this episode to get the real deal on dairy, how it may be harming you, and why you may need to take precautions.Keep listening to hear a few simple tips about what you can eat if you suffer from lactose intolerance. We're also learning about the specific problems non white ethnic groups have with dairy. Our expert today, Jason Bronstad, shares his story of how he started his career in the alcohol industry, battling with his health, to arrive where he is now, a jiu jitsu fanatic and incredible influence on his children. He emphasizes the importance of wholefoods, reading labels and thinking about the journey your food has taken to arrive on your plate. XOGet your oat milk hot chocolate ready and learn:Dairy free alternativesDiseases that consuming dairy can lead toWhat is lactose intolerance?Symptoms of lactose intoleranceHow dairy can be related to bone fracturesThe difference between milk allergies and intoleranceThe importance of organic ingredientsThe impact specific oils have on your digestive systemIf you're ready to take control of your health journey, book a free meet & greet with me here.You can buy MALK products at malkorganics.com, at @malkorganics or in your stores locally!

This week, the hosts discussed a range of topics including BevNET's new partnership with CPG community Naturally San Diego, how Expo West 2023 exhibitors can amplify their presence at the upcoming trade show and MALK's clever new ad campaign,  along with some recently launched products that piqued our interest: think pancake cereal and a neon green hot sauce. This episode also features the latest edition of The Maxi Minutes with investor Maxine Kozler Koven, who spoke about how founders can navigate an increasingly tighter market for private capital and the trend of angel investors passing on subsequent funding rounds. Show notes: 0:51: Elvis Is In The Building, We Need Your Number, What's In Your Milk? – Ray kicked off the show with praise for the biopic “Elvis,” before the hosts chatted about why you should email – and not DM – Jacqui, a February meetup event at BevNET's San Diego office and a CTA for Expo West exhibitors. They also discussed the duality of plant-based foods and beverages with long ingredient lists, Mike took a shot of hot sauce and made a public plea the founders of Belgian Boys and the hosts shared their thoughts on animal crackers, energy drinks and a mushroom-centric beverage brand. 19:52: The Maxi Minutes – Maxine Kozler Koven, the co-managing director of L.A.-based investment firm LDR Ventures shared on-the-ground insights about how angel and seed investors evaluate emerging brands and how entrepreneurs can best position themselves for funding success. Our discussion includes an examination of why many angel investors pass on brands' subsequent funding rounds. Brands in this episode: Belgian Boys, RXBAR, MALK, Califia Farms, Reese's, Mtn Dew, Dr. Pepper, Indo Coffee, Immorel, Moment, Wingman Smart Energy, Blake's Hard Cider

To connect with Lisa Odenweller click HERE #533: On today's episode we are joined by Mona Vand. Mona is a pharmacist who believes in the power of food and natural healing as a first choice, and medicine as the last resort. Mona returns to the show to discuss the power of disconnecting and taking time to reflect on what you really want out of life. We also discuss the power of meditation and how it can help you discover inner peace. We round out the show by discussing wellness tactics and dating. To connect with Mona Vand click HERE To connect with Lauryn Evarts click HERE To connect with Michael Bosstick click HERE Read More on The Skinny Confidential HERE For Detailed Show Notes visit TSCPODCAST.COM To Call the Him & Her Hotline call: 1-833-SKINNYS (754-6697) This episode is brought to you by The Skinny Confidential This episode is brought to you by Squarespace From websites and online stores to marketing tools and analytics, Squarespace is the all-in-one platform to build a beautiful online presence and run your business. Go to squarespace.com/skinny for a free trial & use code SKINNY for 10% off your first purchase of a website domain. This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp If you're thinking of giving therapy a try, BetterHelp is a great option. It's convenient, flexible, affordable, and entirely online. Visit betterhelp.com/skinny to get 10% off your first month. This episode is brought to you by Hiya Health Hiya Health fills in the most common gaps in modern children's diet to provide full-body nourishment our kids need with a yummy taste they love. Go to hiyahealth.com/skinny to receive 50% off your first order. This episode is brought to you by Malk MALK is a premium, plant-based milk made with simple, high-quality ingredients that you can always count on one hand. Go to malkorganics.com to find Malk near you & DM code SKINNY to @malkorganics Instagram to enter a giveaway for a gift pack of Malk products. This episode is brought to you by AG1 AG1 is way more than greens. It's all of your key multi-vitamins, minerals, pre-and probiotics, and more, working together as one. Go to athleticgreens.com/SKINNY to get a free 1 year supply of vitamin D and 5 free travel packs with your first purchase. This episode is brought to you by Perfect Bar Made with freshly-ground nut butter, organic honey and 20 organic superfoods, Perfect Bar has a variety of products that are good to eat and good for you. Go to perfectsnacks.com/skinny to learn how you can receive a perfect bar for free. Produced by Dear Media

#531: On today's episode we are joined for a second time by international water expert and scientist Robert Slovak. Robert returns to the show to discuss how we can utilize different tools and tactics to kick off the year in the most powerfull way. We also discuss potential enviromental hazards that are cuasing us harm, climate risk, and how technology is impacting our overall health and well being.  To connect with Water + Wellness click HERE To connect with Lauryn Evarts click HERE To connect with Michael Bosstick click HERE Read More on The Skinny Confidential HERE For Detailed Show Notes visit TSCPODCAST.COM To Call the Him & Her Hotline call: 1-833-SKINNYS (754-6697) This episode is brought to you by The Skinny Confidential This episode is brought to you by Fashionpass FashionPass is a clothing rental service where you can get unlimited rentals for one flat price. Go to fashionpass.com and use code SKINNY at checkout for $60 off your first month. This episode is brought to you by Just Thrive Just Thrive products have more clinical research than just about anyone else in the industry. Pair the award-winning, gut nourishing Just Thrive Probiotic with the stress-busting, mood uplifting power of Just Calm. These two products are game changers in helping you take control of your mental health AND overall health. Go to justthrivehealth.com and use code SKINNY90 at checkout to save 20% on a bottle of Just Calm + Just Thrive Probiotic. This episode is brought to you by LMNT LMNT is a tasty electrolyte drink that has everything you need and nothing you don't. It contains a science-backed electrolyte ratio: 1000mg sodium, 200mg potassium, and 60mg magnesium. Get a free sample pack with any purchase at drinkLMNT.com/SKINNY This episode is brought to you by Cymbiotika Cymbiotika is a health supplement company, designing sophisticated organic formulations that are scientifically proven to increase vitality and longevity by filling nutritional gaps that result from our modern day diet. Use code SKINNY at checkout to receive 15% off your first purchase at cymbiotika.com This episode is brought to you by Malk MALK is a premium, plant-based milk made with just 3 simple ingredients – organic almonds, filtered water, and himalayan pink salt. . Go to malkorganics.com to find Malk near you. This episode is brought to you by Perfect Snacks Looking for a snack that is good to eat and good for you? Fuel yourself with Perfect Bar: The original refrigerated protein bar. Go to perfectsnacks.com/skinny to find out how you can try their Refrigerated Protein Bars for free. Produced by Dear Media

Welcome! and Thank you for listening.  How do you pick a milk alternative?   Today Addie Majnaric, RDN and I have the pleasure of speaking with Jason Bronstad who is the CEO of Malk Organics.  Malk is a plant based milk alternative that is made from just three ingredients:  organic almonds, water and Himalayan pink sea salt or organic oats, Himalayan pink salt, and water. Most of us have transitioned from the standard American diet to plant based diet.  Jason is no different.  He saw a version of himself in photos that made him want to change directions not only for himself but the health of his family.  The transition can be fraught with stumbling blocks.  Just because a product is vegan does not mean it is healthy.  Just because an ingredient originates from plants, does not mean that is has not been altered in ways that may make it much less healthy.  When you see the ingredient Xanthium gum, you cannot be sure that the source of the glucose used to ferment it with a bacterial organism does not come from a genetically modified or pesticide modified corn, wheat or soy.  A little may not be of too much concern.  However, no one knows what a lot is and how it may interact with other ingested ingredients.  Your best bet is to keep things a simple as possible or in their most natural form.  Malk is a such a product.  Organic almonds or organic oats.  Pure and simple.  I hope you enjoy the interview. Thank you for listening.    Website:doctordulaney.com Email: jami@doctordulaney.com or addie@doctordulaney.com https://malkorganics.com/ https://www.instagram.com/malkorganics/?hl=en https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonbronstad