WEBVTT - Listener Mail: Before in the Beginning 0:00:02.960 --> 0:00:06.080 Welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind production of iHeartRadio. 0:00:10.080 --> 0:00:12.559 Hey you welcome to Stuff to Blow your Mind Listener Mail. 0:00:12.680 --> 0:00:15.680 This is Robert Lamb and this is Joe McCormick. And 0:00:15.800 --> 0:00:17.759 it's Monday, the day of each week that we read 0:00:17.760 --> 0:00:20.560 back some messages from the mail bag. If you are 0:00:20.600 --> 0:00:22.960 a listener to the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast 0:00:23.000 --> 0:00:25.480 and you've never gotten in touch before, why not write us. 0:00:26.079 --> 0:00:29.000 You can email us at contact at stuff to Blow 0:00:29.040 --> 0:00:33.400 your Mind dot com. Anything is fair game, of course, always, 0:00:33.800 --> 0:00:36.440 corrections are welcome. We have a correction at the top 0:00:36.479 --> 0:00:40.159 of today's episode, but also just feedback thoughts, anything to 0:00:40.200 --> 0:00:42.559 add on previous episodes, if you want to suggest a 0:00:42.640 --> 0:00:44.680 topic for us to do in the future, if you 0:00:44.760 --> 0:00:46.800 just want to share something that you think we would 0:00:46.840 --> 0:00:48.839 find interesting, or if you just want to say hi, 0:00:49.000 --> 0:00:51.440 tell us your story, tell us I don't know how 0:00:51.479 --> 0:00:54.000 where when you found out about the show or what 0:00:54.400 --> 0:00:57.280 you listen for. Any of that's fair game right in 0:00:57.520 --> 0:01:02.280 contact at Stuff to Blow your Mind dot com. Let's see. 0:01:02.360 --> 0:01:04.720 So when we do get corrections, we try to put 0:01:04.720 --> 0:01:07.280 them near the top of the listener mail episode. I've 0:01:07.280 --> 0:01:10.960 got one about last week's listener mail where we made 0:01:10.959 --> 0:01:14.280 a bird error. So well, if you don't mind, I'm 0:01:14.280 --> 0:01:16.320 going to kick us off with the New Zealand bird 0:01:16.360 --> 0:01:21.119 correction here. Ok okay, So we accidentally last week conflated 0:01:21.160 --> 0:01:26.520 two different bird species. We were discussing the animal conservation 0:01:26.680 --> 0:01:30.800 series called Last Chance to See, which was I think both, 0:01:31.560 --> 0:01:33.679 I believe, both a book and maybe a series for 0:01:33.720 --> 0:01:35.480 the BBC or something. But it had a couple of 0:01:35.560 --> 0:01:39.000 runs and a later one of the runs here was 0:01:39.120 --> 0:01:42.840 hosted by Mark Carwardine, who is a British zoologist who 0:01:42.880 --> 0:01:45.560 wrote a book about whales that we consulted a lot 0:01:45.560 --> 0:01:48.440 in our Gray Whale series, and also Stephen Fry. But 0:01:48.600 --> 0:01:51.920 in this series there was a male specimen of an 0:01:52.000 --> 0:01:56.280 endangered species of New Zealand bird which decided on camera 0:01:56.400 --> 0:02:00.840 to start mating furiously with Mark Carwardine's head, and I 0:02:00.920 --> 0:02:04.280 mentioned that I thought this was the cacapo. That was correct, 0:02:04.400 --> 0:02:08.720 but one of us incorrectly connected it to a specie 0:02:09.040 --> 0:02:11.360 to a species of bird that came up in another 0:02:11.440 --> 0:02:14.720 older bit of Listener mail in which a bird attacked 0:02:14.720 --> 0:02:17.799 a car in New Zealand and started dismantling it. I think, 0:02:17.840 --> 0:02:20.240 like removing the gasket around the window or something. I 0:02:20.240 --> 0:02:22.320 think there was also a mother in law in this story. 0:02:22.360 --> 0:02:25.000 Do you remember more of the details, Rob, I do not, 0:02:25.200 --> 0:02:28.079 did kind of a vague memory of this one. Anyway, 0:02:28.120 --> 0:02:30.600 To clear up the confusion, we heard from Peggy on 0:02:30.680 --> 0:02:34.400 Facebook who said, just listen to this week's mail. I 0:02:34.440 --> 0:02:37.160 have to correct, as I hope some actual Kiwis will do. 0:02:37.520 --> 0:02:41.120 The cacapo is a rare, flightless New Zealand parrot, of 0:02:41.160 --> 0:02:44.600 which the most famous Sirocco has indeed humped a head 0:02:44.720 --> 0:02:47.760 or two, I guess a human head. And then the 0:02:47.840 --> 0:02:50.760 other bird is the Kia, a not so rare New 0:02:50.840 --> 0:02:54.560 Zealand parrot that likes to tear cars apart. And then 0:02:54.960 --> 0:02:58.320 finally Peggy says, maybe a weird extant New Zealand birds 0:02:58.400 --> 0:03:02.160 episode is in order. Yeah, I mean the birds of 0:03:02.160 --> 0:03:05.720 New Zealand are pretty fascinating. Um, yeah, these are. These 0:03:05.720 --> 0:03:11.000 are both interesting species, same family, different genus. Uh. The 0:03:11.400 --> 0:03:15.720 the CACAPOAH believe, is critically endangered, whereas the Kia is 0:03:15.840 --> 0:03:19.880 just endangered. So yeah, I'd be up for any any 0:03:20.880 --> 0:03:24.160 sort of avian exploration in future episodes. All right, Rob, 0:03:24.200 --> 0:03:26.480 do you want to do this message from Angelo about 0:03:26.520 --> 0:03:29.880 your artifact episode on the pinata. Yeah, this was a 0:03:29.919 --> 0:03:38.880 response to an artifact episode talking about the pinata. Angelo 0:03:39.000 --> 0:03:40.960 says Hi Robin Joe. I was listening to the artifact 0:03:41.000 --> 0:03:44.080 episode on the pinata possibly having its origin in China 0:03:44.160 --> 0:03:47.560 and making its way west to Spain than Mexico. What's 0:03:47.560 --> 0:03:50.000 interesting to me is that growing up in the Philippines, 0:03:50.200 --> 0:03:52.800 we have a combination of things related to the pinata. 0:03:53.320 --> 0:03:55.520 The first is the use of a suspended clay pot 0:03:55.560 --> 0:03:58.920 filled with candy and even coins at fiestas and birthday parties. 0:03:59.200 --> 0:04:01.480 Kids are usually line folded and have to swing to 0:04:01.520 --> 0:04:04.240 break the pot to release the goodies within. The other 0:04:04.360 --> 0:04:07.880 is the parole, a Christmas lantern usually shaped as a star, 0:04:08.120 --> 0:04:12.240 made of Japanese paper with bamboo. We don't try to 0:04:12.240 --> 0:04:15.160 break these. Instead, they're lit up, originally with candles, but 0:04:15.280 --> 0:04:18.760 now with electric lights. If tradition is true that these 0:04:18.800 --> 0:04:22.240 were brought by Spanish colonizers to the Philippines and not 0:04:22.400 --> 0:04:26.120 part of indigenous Filipino traditions, it's fascinating to think that's 0:04:26.120 --> 0:04:28.480 something that the Chinese could have brought on a shorter 0:04:28.520 --> 0:04:33.000 trip across the sea. Instead circumnavigated the globe to finally 0:04:33.080 --> 0:04:36.440 end up in the Philippine Archipelago. Thanks for all the 0:04:36.440 --> 0:04:38.720 great podcasts. You guys are always so informative and fun 0:04:38.800 --> 0:04:41.839 to listen to on my commute. Angela, that is a 0:04:41.839 --> 0:04:44.839 fascinating possibility if it is true in this case, Yeah, 0:04:44.839 --> 0:04:49.040 it's it's amazing, an amazing example of how cultural memes 0:04:50.440 --> 0:04:54.279 really make it around. Yeah, okay, So thank you for 0:04:54.279 --> 0:04:57.600 the message, Angelo. So I'm going to do a message 0:04:57.640 --> 0:05:00.880 about our series on t This one comes from a 0:05:00.960 --> 0:05:04.240 listener named Joe. Joe spelled just Jo without the E. 0:05:04.480 --> 0:05:08.719 In fact, they call themselves Joe without the E but 0:05:08.800 --> 0:05:16.080 with some Tea for the purpose of this message. So 0:05:16.360 --> 0:05:18.880 Joe without the E, but with some Tea, says dear 0:05:19.040 --> 0:05:22.720 Joe and Robert. Hello, once again, I binged the Tea 0:05:22.800 --> 0:05:25.960 episodes recently and would like to tell you about Malaysia's 0:05:26.120 --> 0:05:32.359 national drink, Tataric. The name Tataric comes from ta, the 0:05:32.480 --> 0:05:37.560 hockey and name for tea, while Tarik means pull in Malay. 0:05:37.600 --> 0:05:41.200 Invented by the Indian Muslims on the Malay Peninsula after 0:05:41.279 --> 0:05:43.800 World War Two, this drink is made with a strong 0:05:44.120 --> 0:05:47.800 black tea and condensed milk. It's mixed by pouring it 0:05:47.960 --> 0:05:52.200 rapidly and repeatedly between two mugs or containers, often at 0:05:52.279 --> 0:05:56.000 great heights, and with some degree of showmanship. This produces 0:05:56.000 --> 0:05:58.680 a lovely froth on top and ensures the drink is 0:05:58.800 --> 0:06:02.000 very well mixed. It's a popular drink, suitable for all 0:06:02.080 --> 0:06:05.320 hours of the day, and it's quite a treat to watch, 0:06:05.560 --> 0:06:08.760 I guess, meaning watching the preparation if you've never seen 0:06:08.800 --> 0:06:11.960 it before. And then Joe attaches a link to a 0:06:12.080 --> 0:06:15.279 video of like a vendor in a marketplace doing these 0:06:15.360 --> 0:06:19.440 tea pouring stunts that are true quite amazing. They seem 0:06:19.480 --> 0:06:22.440 to defy physics. So I guess this dude in the 0:06:22.560 --> 0:06:26.479 video is just so skilled at pouring between these metal 0:06:26.520 --> 0:06:29.760 pictures that the only way I could think of just 0:06:29.880 --> 0:06:32.520 to describe it is it looks more like a mass 0:06:32.640 --> 0:06:36.919 of dough being stretched between the pictures than actually a 0:06:37.000 --> 0:06:40.039 liquid pouring freely through the air, which though it is, 0:06:40.600 --> 0:06:43.520 it is the latter. Another funny thing about this video 0:06:43.720 --> 0:06:47.440 is that Leanne Rhymes is just blasting in the background 0:06:48.080 --> 0:06:52.320 and that how do I Dream? Or how do I whatever? 0:06:53.880 --> 0:06:58.360 And that's a song I associate so powerfully with getting haircuts. 0:06:58.400 --> 0:07:01.440 When I was about twelve years old that it literally 0:07:01.480 --> 0:07:04.800 makes me experience phantom smells. So like I'm watching the 0:07:04.880 --> 0:07:09.240 video of the tea preparation and I'm smelling hairspray and 0:07:09.320 --> 0:07:11.800 you know that burned smell of like a hair dryer 0:07:11.920 --> 0:07:15.160 that's been used a lot. Interesting. Yeah, I didn't get 0:07:15.240 --> 0:07:17.040 notes of that from this because I watched it with 0:07:17.040 --> 0:07:22.120 the SoundOff, but it is an impressive feat of performance 0:07:22.280 --> 0:07:26.040 beverage preparation. Wait, I just realized, I don't know if 0:07:26.040 --> 0:07:30.679 this is a universal experience. I deeply associate like radio 0:07:30.880 --> 0:07:34.080 soft rock hits with haircuts. Is that unique to me? 0:07:34.200 --> 0:07:37.160 Or is that a common thing? Um? I guess it 0:07:37.160 --> 0:07:39.960 depends on where you're getting your hair cut, right, I 0:07:39.960 --> 0:07:43.520 mean yeah, different different salons are going to have a 0:07:43.520 --> 0:07:48.600 different sort of musical ambiance going on. Yeah, I guess 0:07:48.640 --> 0:07:51.400 it varies. I guess I went to a soft rock salon, 0:07:51.720 --> 0:07:54.320 not just soft rock. It's like it's like Leanne rhymes, 0:07:54.360 --> 0:07:57.440 that song Unbreak my Heart, say You Love Me Again? 0:07:57.680 --> 0:08:01.800 All those are haircut songs to me anyway. Sorry, Let's 0:08:01.800 --> 0:08:06.920 go back to Joe's message. They write there are tataric competitions. 0:08:07.000 --> 0:08:11.000 While most tea lovers agree the whole leaves are better 0:08:11.040 --> 0:08:14.400 for brewing. Tea. Dust is usually used to make tataric 0:08:14.520 --> 0:08:18.920 because it produces a stronger flavor. Another tea related drink 0:08:18.960 --> 0:08:22.960 you might be interested in is cham peng iced tea 0:08:23.040 --> 0:08:27.200 plus coffee. The word chem means mix in Hokien. This 0:08:27.280 --> 0:08:30.400 drink originates from Hong Kong, where it is called yinyong. 0:08:30.960 --> 0:08:34.000 This name itself is a reference to Mandarin ducks, which 0:08:34.040 --> 0:08:38.360 are called yun yong in Mandarin, and refers to how 0:08:38.640 --> 0:08:42.600 two dissimilar things can come together in harmony. In Malaysia, 0:08:42.679 --> 0:08:45.760 the ratio of tea to coffee is usually one to one, 0:08:45.880 --> 0:08:48.560 whereas in Hong Kong it can be seven to three. 0:08:48.880 --> 0:08:52.760 Although Malaysians use the phrase champing more often, It's Cantonese 0:08:52.840 --> 0:08:57.040 name yin Yong is also well understood at most Chinese 0:08:57.040 --> 0:09:01.840 coffee shops. Sarawak, located on the Borneo side of Malaysia, 0:09:01.960 --> 0:09:06.120 has three layer tea. Here, it's usually called tacy Ping 0:09:07.200 --> 0:09:10.960 or tacy Ping Special. It's made of black tea, the tay, 0:09:11.320 --> 0:09:15.800 evaporated milk, the sea and palm sugar. The special the 0:09:15.840 --> 0:09:19.720 word pang refers to ice. Palm sugar is carefully added 0:09:19.840 --> 0:09:23.000 to the bottom of the cup, followed by evaporated milk 0:09:23.080 --> 0:09:26.440 and then black tea. The drink is left unmixed, which 0:09:26.480 --> 0:09:30.120 produces a three layered effect. You're supposed to mix it 0:09:30.120 --> 0:09:32.319 with a straw before you drink, but you can choose 0:09:32.360 --> 0:09:37.240 not to. Fascinating. Yeah, yeah, that parallels some other drinks, 0:09:38.280 --> 0:09:40.840 alcoholic and non alcoholic in other cultures, where you have 0:09:40.880 --> 0:09:44.439 some sort of a layering situation going on, and sometimes 0:09:44.480 --> 0:09:47.160 it is frowned upon. Yes to stir those layers up, 0:09:47.559 --> 0:09:50.760 Joe continues. The three layered version is most common in 0:09:50.800 --> 0:09:53.400 the state, but there's a four layered version where pand 0:09:53.480 --> 0:09:55.800 and sugar I believe you might know it as screw 0:09:55.880 --> 0:09:59.000 pine is poured in after the palm sugar, creating a 0:09:59.080 --> 0:10:03.080 green layer. The five layered version includes the panda sugar 0:10:03.320 --> 0:10:07.680 and a layer of herbal grass jellies called ching chow 0:10:07.920 --> 0:10:11.000 that float on top. In Malaysia, most shops will make 0:10:11.080 --> 0:10:15.760 drinks with condensed milk by default, meaning that our drinks 0:10:15.840 --> 0:10:19.000 here are all super sweet and super milky. To customize 0:10:19.000 --> 0:10:22.040 your drink, you'll need our special code. You've got O 0:10:22.720 --> 0:10:26.920 C and cosong O means no milk. C means use 0:10:26.960 --> 0:10:31.280 evaporated milk instead of condensed, and cosong means no sugar. 0:10:31.960 --> 0:10:35.080 It means empty in Malay. So if you ordered a 0:10:35.160 --> 0:10:38.880 tao that would mean tea with no milk but yes sugar. 0:10:39.320 --> 0:10:42.600 A Tao coo song you would get a tea no milk, 0:10:42.679 --> 0:10:46.120 no sugar, whereas a t C cosong you would get 0:10:46.200 --> 0:10:49.680 tea with evaporated milk no sugar. Hope you enjoyed reading 0:10:49.720 --> 0:10:52.200 about these tea concoctions. Do give them a try if 0:10:52.240 --> 0:10:54.320 you ever get the chance. As always, keep up the 0:10:54.360 --> 0:10:57.319 great work, Live long and prosper. Joe without the E 0:10:57.600 --> 0:11:00.800 but with some tea. Ah, this is awesome. Yeah, yeah, 0:11:00.800 --> 0:11:02.880 I'd love to try some of these out. Sometime. I 0:11:02.920 --> 0:11:05.400 will be on the lookout for a Malaysian tea house. 0:11:05.760 --> 0:11:08.200 All right, here's one that comes to us from Dick. 0:11:13.559 --> 0:11:17.440 Dick writes and then says, this anecdote was presented to 0:11:17.480 --> 0:11:20.040 me as a coon many years ago. While I do 0:11:20.080 --> 0:11:22.840 not presume to be enlightened, it has had a long 0:11:22.920 --> 0:11:25.920 lasting effect on my worldview. I'm posting from memory, so 0:11:26.000 --> 0:11:28.200 forgive me if I get it wrong. Quote. In the 0:11:28.200 --> 0:11:31.720 olden times, four wealthy gentlemen met regularly to drink tea 0:11:31.800 --> 0:11:36.319 and discuss lofty matters of philosophy and politics. Over the years, 0:11:36.360 --> 0:11:39.199 they each competed to provide the best tea to their 0:11:39.280 --> 0:11:42.800 guests as they visited each other's homes. As they were 0:11:42.840 --> 0:11:47.040 wealthy beyond concern, vast fortunes were spent upon quietly outdoing 0:11:47.080 --> 0:11:50.160 each other in this competition. They paid for ships to 0:11:50.200 --> 0:11:52.920 be built to carry expeditions to the furthest corners of 0:11:52.960 --> 0:11:55.640 the world to find the rarest tea. Hundreds of strong 0:11:55.679 --> 0:11:58.120 men were employed just to carry the chests of gold 0:11:58.200 --> 0:12:01.600 they spent over the decades. Finally, one day, when the 0:12:01.600 --> 0:12:04.560 hosts serve the tea, the three guests cried out, you 0:12:04.640 --> 0:12:07.959 have won. The competition is over. The tea is beyond compare. 0:12:08.080 --> 0:12:11.240 We cannot imagine anything to equal it. Please tell us 0:12:11.240 --> 0:12:15.240 where it comes from. The host said, this is called cha. 0:12:15.360 --> 0:12:17.960 The peasants who work in my rice patties drink it 0:12:18.080 --> 0:12:23.880 every day. Boom, all your pretensions laid waste. Yeah, I 0:12:23.880 --> 0:12:25.960 mean that's how the coons work, right, They're supposed to 0:12:25.960 --> 0:12:28.480 just flip the script on you. But I like, I mean, 0:12:28.520 --> 0:12:30.120 this is a this is a good message. This is 0:12:31.080 --> 0:12:34.199 I do like this one. I think it's absolutely true. 0:12:34.240 --> 0:12:38.400 That's certainly not all, but many sort of quests for 0:12:38.559 --> 0:12:42.800 nuances in minor variations of sensation, and you know, in 0:12:42.880 --> 0:12:46.280 like a taste to domains, whether that's food or drink 0:12:46.400 --> 0:12:50.960 or I don't know, audio fidelity or something. Things like 0:12:51.040 --> 0:12:54.200 that are a lot of that might be kind of 0:12:54.240 --> 0:12:57.480 placebo effect, and those differences aren't as great as the 0:12:57.520 --> 0:13:01.800 people spending vast fortunes doing them might think they are. Yeah, 0:13:01.800 --> 0:13:04.000 there are a number of different triggers that come into 0:13:04.000 --> 0:13:07.880 play when when it comes to the valuely place and 0:13:08.160 --> 0:13:10.320 even just a food product. You know, stuff like branding, 0:13:10.360 --> 0:13:15.640 stuff like prior knowledge of where the food or part 0:13:15.840 --> 0:13:18.080 or ingredients in the food or sourced from that sort 0:13:18.080 --> 0:13:21.240 of thing, the experience and making it or preparing it. 0:13:21.400 --> 0:13:23.280 You know, all these things come into play, and I 0:13:23.280 --> 0:13:25.920 don't think that that that distracts from it at all. 0:13:25.920 --> 0:13:28.440 If anything, it just adds the complexity of anything we 0:13:28.480 --> 0:13:32.680 engage in. But this particular con also touches on a 0:13:32.800 --> 0:13:35.679 very common trend you see throughout the world, and that 0:13:35.840 --> 0:13:40.240 is the upper classes discovering something that the working class 0:13:40.320 --> 0:13:42.760 does and then co opting it for their own enjoyment. 0:13:42.880 --> 0:13:46.080 So it works on several levels. Yes, this tea has 0:13:46.120 --> 0:13:58.200 the taste of authenticity. Now, all right, let's see this 0:13:58.400 --> 0:14:02.319 next message comes from Chuck five. It's from the Vault 0:14:02.360 --> 0:14:07.199 episode on the three pupiled eye. Chuck five says, greetings, 0:14:07.320 --> 0:14:09.559 always love the show. I hope my writing in means 0:14:09.640 --> 0:14:13.319 more than flattery. Two notes on your show on multiple 0:14:13.360 --> 0:14:17.200 pupils or irises. The first is the tradition of a 0:14:17.280 --> 0:14:21.080 Japanese luck doll called the Druma. When you buy one, 0:14:21.320 --> 0:14:24.680 only one pupil is painted. You make a wish, and 0:14:24.720 --> 0:14:27.400 when that wish comes true, you paint. In the second, 0:14:27.800 --> 0:14:31.440 and the purpose of the Druma is complete. Now, in 0:14:31.480 --> 0:14:34.320 a second note I'm not going to read directly, Chuck 0:14:34.360 --> 0:14:37.400 mentions a specific tattoo artist in Tokyo who does a 0:14:37.440 --> 0:14:41.640 lot of dragon designs. Apparently, says this person paints or 0:14:41.680 --> 0:14:45.560 tattoos the eyes of the pupils last when making a dragon. 0:14:46.080 --> 0:14:49.320 And then finally, Chuck five says, bonus, this is just 0:14:49.400 --> 0:14:51.880 my observation. But going back to your fear of the 0:14:51.960 --> 0:14:54.960 Void episode, I find it curious that the thing that 0:14:55.200 --> 0:14:59.000 brings these depictions to life, or that gives them souls, 0:14:59.160 --> 0:15:02.720 is actually the absence of something the pupil, which is 0:15:02.760 --> 0:15:05.640 an aperture or whole. It makes me think of the 0:15:05.680 --> 0:15:08.000 saying the eyes are the window to the soul. A 0:15:08.080 --> 0:15:10.800 window is a whole, or at least a clear barrier 0:15:10.840 --> 0:15:13.400 that lets you see into a hole. So what's inside 0:15:13.480 --> 0:15:17.440 and not seen is what is mystical or poignant. Cheers Chuck. 0:15:17.520 --> 0:15:21.920 Five mm. I'd kind of forgotten this about Daruma dolls, 0:15:21.920 --> 0:15:25.200 but yeah, they're very these are these are very interesting 0:15:25.560 --> 0:15:29.960 little artifacts. And also just the idea of the painting 0:15:29.960 --> 0:15:32.680 of the eye makes the thing real. I can't remember 0:15:32.680 --> 0:15:34.920 if we got into this at all discussed in these episodes, 0:15:34.920 --> 0:15:38.840 but you know, this brings to mind various I believe 0:15:38.920 --> 0:15:44.160 Chinese folk tales about magic paint brushes or individuals with 0:15:44.320 --> 0:15:47.360 a power to bring paintings to life, And at least 0:15:47.360 --> 0:15:50.920 in some of these accounts, one can prevent the painting 0:15:50.960 --> 0:15:53.360 from coming to life by not painting the eye. But 0:15:53.480 --> 0:15:56.320 once the eye is painted, well, then it will take 0:15:56.360 --> 0:15:58.560 on life allow its own. Oh, it's like the left 0:15:58.600 --> 0:16:04.000 inscription that animates the golem. Oh yeah, yeah, the finishing touches. Yeah, 0:16:04.120 --> 0:16:07.680 all right, here's one that comes to us from Chuck. 0:16:08.400 --> 0:16:11.040 This is a different Chuck. There's not Chuck five. This 0:16:11.200 --> 0:16:14.320 is just Chuck no number on this one, no version number. 0:16:19.280 --> 0:16:22.120 Chuck writes in this and says, dear Rob, Joe, and JJ, 0:16:22.280 --> 0:16:25.080 Hello again. I hope all of you are well. Thanks 0:16:25.160 --> 0:16:28.960 once more for the informative and dry, lee hilarious episodes. 0:16:29.000 --> 0:16:31.320 I stand by the sentimental comments I made about stuff 0:16:31.360 --> 0:16:33.720 to blow your mind when you graciously read a previous 0:16:34.000 --> 0:16:36.440 email of mine back in early January, about which I 0:16:36.440 --> 0:16:38.760 was surprised and humble to be included in listener mail. 0:16:39.040 --> 0:16:41.400 I'm writing this time primarily because if you're Washing of 0:16:41.400 --> 0:16:43.880 the Waters episodes, you had a brief aside about the 0:16:43.880 --> 0:16:47.320 custom of communal Roman public toilets, and now odd that 0:16:47.360 --> 0:16:51.840 would be to our modern sensibilities. Romans doing one's business 0:16:51.880 --> 0:16:55.200 while doing one's business was shown to humorous effect in 0:16:55.240 --> 0:16:59.160 the first season of the Spartacus TV series. However, I 0:16:59.200 --> 0:17:01.840 can share that I have unfortunately been part of having 0:17:01.840 --> 0:17:04.199 to use essentially a communal line of toilets, and it 0:17:04.280 --> 0:17:06.879 is a strange, awful experience. While it may not be 0:17:06.920 --> 0:17:09.480 done anymore. When I went to Navy boot camp in 0:17:09.480 --> 0:17:13.120 the nineteen nineties, our eighty person training company all had 0:17:13.160 --> 0:17:15.560 to use the bathroom at the same approved time between 0:17:15.560 --> 0:17:19.160 other training exercises and orientation lessons. The line of ten 0:17:19.240 --> 0:17:22.360 or so toilets had no doors and minimal barriers between, 0:17:22.640 --> 0:17:24.800 and a leader of the company had to stand watch 0:17:24.840 --> 0:17:28.199 while the other recruits went. We found out later that 0:17:28.240 --> 0:17:31.159 this was done to break down personal barriers, remind the 0:17:31.200 --> 0:17:34.680 recruits that privacy was a luxury, and to prevent recruits from, 0:17:34.760 --> 0:17:38.200 let's say, smuggling items like drugs or food on or 0:17:38.320 --> 0:17:42.359 in their bodies. Appreciate private toilets, folks, but we should 0:17:43.000 --> 0:17:48.440 pause to I guess, appreciate that and let that. Yeah. Yeah, 0:17:48.480 --> 0:17:51.280 that sounds like you would break down barriers. Yeah, done, 0:17:51.359 --> 0:17:56.080 I appreciate them. Okay, Chuck continues. Secondly, I wanted to 0:17:56.080 --> 0:17:59.000 comment that I, being a kid who loved mythology and 0:17:59.040 --> 0:18:01.679 monster movies, did see Clash of the Titans and a 0:18:01.720 --> 0:18:03.960 packed movie theater as a nine year old kid in 0:18:04.040 --> 0:18:06.639 nineteen eighty one. I'm also pretty sure I saw the 0:18:06.640 --> 0:18:09.119 movie with my best friend, also nine, with no parents 0:18:09.119 --> 0:18:11.920 around at all. I can definitely attest that the Medusa's 0:18:11.920 --> 0:18:14.879 scene was absolutely terrifying to everyone in the theater. Hundreds 0:18:14.880 --> 0:18:17.480 of people held their collective breadth as the creature hunted 0:18:17.520 --> 0:18:21.040 down each hapless Greek red shirt. I had nightmares about 0:18:21.040 --> 0:18:24.680 Medusa for months. That scene, followed up with the Calaboss fight, 0:18:24.960 --> 0:18:28.919 was a fantastic one two punch. Absolutely agree. The Kracking 0:18:29.000 --> 0:18:32.400 fight at the end was almost anticlimactic. After that, my 0:18:32.440 --> 0:18:34.679 best friend loved the movie so much he decided he 0:18:34.720 --> 0:18:37.000 wanted to be a fantasy artist. After that, he's been 0:18:37.040 --> 0:18:40.480 illustrating comics and providing art for fantasy games for years now. 0:18:40.800 --> 0:18:43.879 Oh wow, that's cool story. I also agree about the 0:18:43.960 --> 0:18:48.679 anticlimacticness of the Kracking confrontation. Yeah, though at least it's 0:18:48.720 --> 0:18:52.760 a different sort of confrontation and it's over pretty quickly. 0:18:53.520 --> 0:18:56.119 But but yeah, there's no being that Medusa fight. And 0:18:56.160 --> 0:18:59.440 then Chuck says, lastly, I can't remember the exact context, 0:18:59.520 --> 0:19:02.040 but it was an episode of Weird House Cinema regarding 0:19:02.119 --> 0:19:06.400 I think some insane character changing jobs. But Rob said 0:19:06.600 --> 0:19:10.879 the hilarious phrase quote, maybe this is where I'll apply myself. 0:19:10.920 --> 0:19:13.159 This is a perfect T shirt slogan. May I use it? 0:19:13.400 --> 0:19:15.320 And if so, may I get your T shirt sizes 0:19:15.359 --> 0:19:17.719 so I can send you your own. Ha Keep up 0:19:17.720 --> 0:19:20.119 the great work and take care It's fine with me 0:19:20.200 --> 0:19:22.520 if you use it. I don't know what your opinion is, Rob, 0:19:22.600 --> 0:19:26.000 but you will never take my T shirt size. Yeah, 0:19:26.119 --> 0:19:29.440 still feel free to put this on a T shirt. Sincerely, 0:19:29.560 --> 0:19:33.040 Chuck from San Diego. Yeah. I was recently in San Diego. 0:19:33.760 --> 0:19:36.760 Really loved spending a week in that town. I've only 0:19:36.800 --> 0:19:39.320 been there overnight one time, but it did seem like 0:19:39.359 --> 0:19:42.080 a cool place. I'd like to spend more time there. Yeah. 0:19:42.440 --> 0:19:44.760 All right, we got one more message about weird House cinema. 0:19:44.840 --> 0:19:54.520 This comes from Daniel, subject line Child of Peach. Hi, 0:19:54.760 --> 0:19:57.639 this is Daniel from Australia. Did you notice that the 0:19:57.800 --> 0:20:01.480 music featured in the clip you play from this episode? 0:20:01.480 --> 0:20:04.680 I guess from Child of Peach is from the nineteen 0:20:04.760 --> 0:20:09.320 eighty six album Fourth Rendezvous by Jean Michel Jarre. Is 0:20:09.359 --> 0:20:12.160 that how you say his name? I believe it's jar Oh, 0:20:12.200 --> 0:20:14.560 I definitely. I definitely had to look it up, okay, 0:20:14.840 --> 0:20:18.639 Jean Michel jar I wonder was this used with permission? 0:20:20.200 --> 0:20:23.960 I doubt it. I remember that the old Japanese TV 0:20:24.119 --> 0:20:27.560 show Monkey Magic in the late seventies and voice dubbed 0:20:27.600 --> 0:20:30.560 in English, used mini samples from well known and lesser 0:20:30.600 --> 0:20:33.320 known movies, and I found this distracting as my mind 0:20:33.320 --> 0:20:35.760 went straight out of the story and into the movie. 0:20:35.800 --> 0:20:40.920 The sound effects originally came from Cheers Daniel, great catch, Daniel. 0:20:41.359 --> 0:20:45.080 I didn't recognize Jar's work in this film, But now 0:20:45.119 --> 0:20:47.960 that you pointed out yet, this totally matches up with 0:20:48.000 --> 0:20:50.280 some of what I've read about unlicensed use of music 0:20:50.359 --> 0:20:52.560 and other Hong Kong and Thaiwanese films of this era. 0:20:52.920 --> 0:20:55.680 I know Master the Flying Guillotine instantly comes to mind 0:20:56.080 --> 0:20:58.760 as a film that a lot of fun has a 0:20:58.800 --> 0:21:02.320 great soundtrack that, if memory serves, is probably not legit. 0:21:02.320 --> 0:21:04.600 I think there's a lot of cool crowd rock that's 0:21:04.600 --> 0:21:07.960 sampled and used in that film, and I don't know 0:21:08.040 --> 0:21:11.000 that there was any kind of licensing involved in that. 0:21:11.520 --> 0:21:13.359 I was also reading at some point in the past 0:21:13.440 --> 0:21:16.800 year about a particular Taiwanese film that I think just 0:21:16.840 --> 0:21:20.160 straight up uses some Morriconey Carpenter tracks from the thing. 0:21:21.920 --> 0:21:24.560 Wait didn't somebody also write in to tell us that 0:21:25.520 --> 0:21:29.520 The Thrilling Bloody Sword was using music that's either sounded 0:21:29.560 --> 0:21:33.080 a lot like or was directly taken from a Japanese 0:21:33.160 --> 0:21:37.480 TV show that sounds familiar. But I don't remember it specifically. Yeah, 0:21:37.480 --> 0:21:40.760 it's my understanding that this sort of thing, you know, happened. 0:21:41.880 --> 0:21:44.960 But but yeah, I didn't catch this. Um, I'm not 0:21:45.040 --> 0:21:48.480 super familiar with all of jars work. I've I've definitely 0:21:48.880 --> 0:21:52.280 listened to some of his releases, and his father scored 0:21:52.359 --> 0:21:54.760 some pretty big movies. I think he scored Eyes without 0:21:54.760 --> 0:21:57.560 a Face oh wow, but did not write the Billy 0:21:57.640 --> 0:22:02.320 Idol song. I don't think so now. But but but again, 0:22:02.480 --> 0:22:05.240 I'm not sure of all his various collaborations over the years, 0:22:05.640 --> 0:22:08.560 but I don't think John Michelle Jar has actually scored 0:22:08.600 --> 0:22:10.159 a film. I was looking this up like I had 0:22:10.240 --> 0:22:13.640 this false memory in my head that he had scored something, 0:22:14.400 --> 0:22:17.440 But he has not to my knowledge. I could be 0:22:17.480 --> 0:22:19.080 wrong on that, but I don't think he's He's ever 0:22:19.080 --> 0:22:23.520 really gotten into scoring of films like his father. Anyway, 0:22:23.600 --> 0:22:26.080 I love it when listeners catch things like this, so 0:22:26.320 --> 0:22:29.560 oh yeah, so yeah, great, here, Daniel, you know, we 0:22:29.600 --> 0:22:32.080 had another. I don't remember who pointed this out, as 0:22:32.080 --> 0:22:34.520 may have been on our discord, but Thrilling Bloody Sword 0:22:34.560 --> 0:22:36.919 is apparently being remastered like that one is actually going 0:22:36.960 --> 0:22:40.440 to come out in an even better looking form at 0:22:40.480 --> 0:22:42.480 some point in the future. I don't know if I 0:22:42.480 --> 0:22:47.160 would want it, yea quote improved from the version I have. Yeah, 0:22:47.240 --> 0:22:49.000 I know. It's that you get kind of attached to 0:22:49.040 --> 0:22:52.760 the to the flaws, right, It's kind of like, do 0:22:52.840 --> 0:22:56.320 you dare restore a classic org of art and you know, 0:22:56.400 --> 0:22:59.399 will the will the restored piece feel more magical or 0:22:59.400 --> 0:23:02.560 will some of the aura be degraded in this transformation. 0:23:03.040 --> 0:23:05.720 I believe it's Air four four four four is the 0:23:05.720 --> 0:23:08.280 company that's going to put it out. Yeah, with thrilling, 0:23:08.280 --> 0:23:11.880 bloody sword. The grime and the hard baked subtitles are 0:23:11.880 --> 0:23:15.399 definitely part of the appeal. But maybe that's just because 0:23:15.440 --> 0:23:18.160