1 00:00:01,320 --> 00:00:01,960 Speaker 1: The volume. 2 00:00:05,080 --> 00:00:06,880 Speaker 2: John, pick the water bottle up and put it next 3 00:00:06,880 --> 00:00:07,280 Speaker 2: to your head. 4 00:00:10,280 --> 00:00:12,360 Speaker 3: These two guys a gallon. It's a cool that's a 5 00:00:12,440 --> 00:00:13,600 Speaker 3: cool aid. Lookout picture. 6 00:00:14,440 --> 00:00:16,279 Speaker 4: Yeah, I feel like you text the other guys and 7 00:00:16,280 --> 00:00:18,360 Speaker 4: you're like, I'm gonna have this big ass water container. 8 00:00:18,440 --> 00:00:20,840 Speaker 4: Let's see if she says anything. I'm like, that's what 9 00:00:20,920 --> 00:00:21,800 Speaker 4: happened from this. 10 00:00:22,239 --> 00:00:26,240 Speaker 5: It looks crazy too, Like, yeah, it looks half my body, 11 00:00:26,280 --> 00:00:28,479 Speaker 5: so like my you know, it. 12 00:00:28,480 --> 00:00:31,280 Speaker 4: Looks like the bottle in the water and the water cooler, 13 00:00:31,560 --> 00:00:33,559 Speaker 4: like it looks like you're drinking out of just a 14 00:00:33,640 --> 00:00:34,280 Speaker 4: water cooler? 15 00:00:34,600 --> 00:00:38,760 Speaker 6: Is my Torso'll remember on Pee Wee's playoffs when Pepe 16 00:00:38,760 --> 00:00:40,680 Speaker 6: would show with just like that big ass cowboy hat 17 00:00:40,720 --> 00:00:40,920 Speaker 6: on it. 18 00:00:41,000 --> 00:00:41,800 Speaker 2: Right, right right? 19 00:00:43,000 --> 00:00:47,800 Speaker 3: What are you talking about? What are you talking about? 20 00:00:49,640 --> 00:00:52,239 Speaker 7: Just a reminder you can catch us recording this podcast 21 00:00:52,400 --> 00:00:55,400 Speaker 7: live on amp amp is a new live radio app 22 00:00:55,440 --> 00:00:57,560 Speaker 7: that lets you call in and chat with us in 23 00:00:57,720 --> 00:01:00,440 Speaker 7: person while we're recording. Get the app on Apple App 24 00:01:00,520 --> 00:01:03,880 Speaker 7: Store and make sure you follow us at at Jenkins 25 00:01:03,960 --> 00:01:05,600 Speaker 7: and Jones to get notified when. 26 00:01:05,480 --> 00:01:06,080 Speaker 2: We go live. 27 00:01:17,760 --> 00:01:21,000 Speaker 7: All right, it's our pleasure to welcome on New York 28 00:01:21,040 --> 00:01:30,160 Speaker 7: Times bestselling author and noted water bottle size noticer shay show. 29 00:01:29,560 --> 00:01:30,080 Speaker 2: What I'm. 30 00:01:32,080 --> 00:01:32,120 Speaker 7: So. 31 00:01:32,600 --> 00:01:35,920 Speaker 4: I'm so happy to be here, man. I saw y'all 32 00:01:35,920 --> 00:01:39,800 Speaker 4: as a beast battle thing that y'aller working on, and 33 00:01:40,000 --> 00:01:42,360 Speaker 4: I saved it to my iPad and then I went 34 00:01:42,400 --> 00:01:43,800 Speaker 4: home and it was the first thing I did when 35 00:01:43,840 --> 00:01:46,160 Speaker 4: I got home with my youngest son. I said, Hey, 36 00:01:46,200 --> 00:01:47,480 Speaker 4: we got to do this. This is going to be 37 00:01:47,560 --> 00:01:49,960 Speaker 4: so much fun. And he he told me to tell 38 00:01:50,000 --> 00:01:52,680 Speaker 4: y'all he really enjoyed it. On his bracket. The three 39 00:01:52,720 --> 00:01:56,000 Speaker 4: silver Backs ran away with it. Not that nobody could. 40 00:01:56,040 --> 00:01:57,680 Speaker 4: Nobody could fuck with the three silver backs. 41 00:01:58,280 --> 00:02:00,600 Speaker 2: I'm trying to figure out the demos on animal opinions. 42 00:02:01,520 --> 00:02:03,680 Speaker 4: He's ten about to be. He'll be eleven in a 43 00:02:03,680 --> 00:02:04,200 Speaker 4: couple of months. 44 00:02:04,480 --> 00:02:07,639 Speaker 7: Here was right aboutge and my son had the exact 45 00:02:07,640 --> 00:02:08,040 Speaker 7: same thing. 46 00:02:08,960 --> 00:02:11,120 Speaker 6: So someone showed their seven year old filled out of 47 00:02:11,120 --> 00:02:12,960 Speaker 6: the bracket and they picked Silverbacks. So silver Backs all 48 00:02:13,000 --> 00:02:15,120 Speaker 6: the age with the kiddos. I think the silver back 49 00:02:15,280 --> 00:02:16,880 Speaker 6: is a smart pick too. I don't think you know 50 00:02:16,919 --> 00:02:17,280 Speaker 6: what I mean. 51 00:02:18,800 --> 00:02:19,519 Speaker 4: That's the winner. 52 00:02:19,720 --> 00:02:24,240 Speaker 3: That's the winner. You have all the opposable dumbs they 53 00:02:24,240 --> 00:02:26,760 Speaker 3: can chose throw, and you. 54 00:02:26,800 --> 00:02:29,200 Speaker 4: Have all of the benefits of a human but also 55 00:02:29,360 --> 00:02:32,639 Speaker 4: superhuman strength. It's just you're not going to beat three 56 00:02:33,240 --> 00:02:34,720 Speaker 4: three of them, three of them. 57 00:02:34,840 --> 00:02:37,160 Speaker 2: Was it close anywhere? Was anything close with it? 58 00:02:37,480 --> 00:02:39,639 Speaker 4: Or was it just like a clean sweep on you 59 00:02:39,960 --> 00:02:42,680 Speaker 4: all all of the other brackets. He was like, well, 60 00:02:42,720 --> 00:02:46,480 Speaker 4: let me see with if you have eight hyenas, like 61 00:02:46,560 --> 00:02:48,359 Speaker 4: he was talking through it. And then every time we 62 00:02:48,400 --> 00:02:52,040 Speaker 4: would get to the silverbacks versus gators, the silverbacks like 63 00:02:52,120 --> 00:02:55,400 Speaker 4: didn't matter what he was like, when the gator would 64 00:02:55,400 --> 00:02:56,840 Speaker 4: fight something else, he'd be like, well, if they get 65 00:02:56,919 --> 00:02:57,519 Speaker 4: him in the water. 66 00:02:57,480 --> 00:02:57,840 Speaker 2: It's over. 67 00:02:57,919 --> 00:03:00,280 Speaker 4: And they they get the gorillas, could you just pull 68 00:03:00,320 --> 00:03:02,560 Speaker 4: them out of the water, Like, yeah, they're done, They're done. 69 00:03:10,080 --> 00:03:12,120 Speaker 7: All right, Well, Shay, the reason we've got you on 70 00:03:12,320 --> 00:03:14,400 Speaker 7: is to talk about your new book that's out on 71 00:03:14,480 --> 00:03:16,320 Speaker 7: your own label, Halfway Books. 72 00:03:16,800 --> 00:03:19,079 Speaker 2: The books called Action Hero Scouting Report. 73 00:03:19,200 --> 00:03:21,359 Speaker 7: You can find it obviously if you're on any of 74 00:03:21,480 --> 00:03:23,320 Speaker 7: Shay's socials you've been seeing I'm tweeting. 75 00:03:23,040 --> 00:03:24,959 Speaker 2: About it, but very excited to see this. 76 00:03:25,080 --> 00:03:28,280 Speaker 7: Over one hundred pages of what sounds like very I 77 00:03:28,320 --> 00:03:30,200 Speaker 7: don't know how conscious you are of this, It sounds 78 00:03:30,240 --> 00:03:32,920 Speaker 7: like very Shay Serrano content like it sounds like if 79 00:03:32,960 --> 00:03:34,280 Speaker 7: I told someone it's. 80 00:03:34,160 --> 00:03:37,000 Speaker 2: A very shay sounding project, would you agree with that? 81 00:03:37,960 --> 00:03:38,800 Speaker 3: Give people the pinch. 82 00:03:40,280 --> 00:03:43,480 Speaker 4: Yeah, that's exactly what it is. I love action movies. 83 00:03:44,560 --> 00:03:47,000 Speaker 4: It seemed like an idea. This is an idea that 84 00:03:47,040 --> 00:03:49,640 Speaker 4: I had in twenty eighteen when I was working on 85 00:03:49,840 --> 00:03:53,200 Speaker 4: a movie book called Movies and Other Things. But as 86 00:03:53,240 --> 00:03:55,200 Speaker 4: you mentioned, this is one hundred and five pages. It 87 00:03:55,320 --> 00:03:57,240 Speaker 4: was too long to put in a different book, like 88 00:03:57,240 --> 00:03:59,640 Speaker 4: it had to be its own standalone thing, and so 89 00:03:59,720 --> 00:04:01,480 Speaker 4: I just sat on it for a while and then 90 00:04:02,520 --> 00:04:04,280 Speaker 4: finally had some time to do it. Probably spend like 91 00:04:04,320 --> 00:04:05,840 Speaker 4: six months working on it. But the way that it 92 00:04:05,920 --> 00:04:09,000 Speaker 4: works is is much the same way you have a 93 00:04:09,040 --> 00:04:12,160 Speaker 4: scouting report for a basketball player that tells you they're 94 00:04:12,200 --> 00:04:13,920 Speaker 4: good at this, and they're bad at this, and this 95 00:04:14,120 --> 00:04:16,000 Speaker 4: is the tendency in this situation, and this is a 96 00:04:16,040 --> 00:04:18,720 Speaker 4: tendency in that situation. It's like that, but you just 97 00:04:18,800 --> 00:04:22,159 Speaker 4: replace the basketball players with action heroes. Now, this action 98 00:04:22,279 --> 00:04:25,680 Speaker 4: hero is is with regards to action movies, they're good 99 00:04:25,720 --> 00:04:27,120 Speaker 4: at this and they're bad at this, and they have 100 00:04:27,240 --> 00:04:31,600 Speaker 4: this tendency and that tendency. You take twenty seven of them, 101 00:04:32,240 --> 00:04:35,240 Speaker 4: bundle them all together and here we are halfway books. 102 00:04:35,320 --> 00:04:37,520 Speaker 3: Baby, who did you add in there? 103 00:04:37,720 --> 00:04:41,839 Speaker 2: Like, is Jean Claude van Dam in there? There's it? Yeah? 104 00:04:41,880 --> 00:04:43,320 Speaker 4: Yeah, yeah, so it was it was. 105 00:04:43,520 --> 00:04:45,919 Speaker 3: Important this character is there actual action stars. 106 00:04:46,480 --> 00:04:48,560 Speaker 4: That's a distinction that we need to make early on 107 00:04:49,000 --> 00:04:52,279 Speaker 4: this is this is this is populated with characters, not actors. 108 00:04:52,640 --> 00:04:56,160 Speaker 4: So you'll find for example, Chance Boudreau in there from 109 00:04:56,240 --> 00:04:59,479 Speaker 4: hard Targets to Jehan claude vandamn character not John claude 110 00:04:59,520 --> 00:05:00,200 Speaker 4: vandam Yeah. 111 00:05:00,240 --> 00:05:01,560 Speaker 1: Cool, cool, cool, cool makes sense. 112 00:05:03,760 --> 00:05:06,560 Speaker 7: The sequel can be which action heroes would win in 113 00:05:06,680 --> 00:05:08,000 Speaker 7: fights against action heroes. 114 00:05:08,200 --> 00:05:09,880 Speaker 2: That could be that's a maybe that's a. 115 00:05:09,920 --> 00:05:12,400 Speaker 4: Follow up who that could be a whole other thing. 116 00:05:12,480 --> 00:05:13,159 Speaker 4: Yeah yeah, yeah. 117 00:05:13,200 --> 00:05:15,600 Speaker 7: So so break it down for us, who you know, what? 118 00:05:16,040 --> 00:05:18,120 Speaker 7: What's someone looking at like they open it up? What 119 00:05:18,200 --> 00:05:20,640 Speaker 7: are some of the scouting attributes you've got? Like what 120 00:05:20,720 --> 00:05:22,720 Speaker 7: did you I know, when you do these projects you 121 00:05:22,800 --> 00:05:25,680 Speaker 7: get incredibly detailed, So like what was some of your 122 00:05:25,720 --> 00:05:26,359 Speaker 7: favorite stuff? 123 00:05:26,440 --> 00:05:27,520 Speaker 2: Yeah, we got to kind of nerd. 124 00:05:27,440 --> 00:05:31,240 Speaker 4: Out over so when we're breaking this down, because what 125 00:05:31,360 --> 00:05:34,440 Speaker 4: you can't do is you can't just go this person 126 00:05:34,640 --> 00:05:36,640 Speaker 4: is a is a ninety five out of one hundred 127 00:05:36,839 --> 00:05:39,240 Speaker 4: and move on like you have to. People are not 128 00:05:39,360 --> 00:05:42,080 Speaker 4: receptive to that. People want to know how did you 129 00:05:42,279 --> 00:05:45,160 Speaker 4: arrive at wherever you arrive. If you can explain that, 130 00:05:45,680 --> 00:05:47,640 Speaker 4: even if they don't agree with it, they'll at least go, well, 131 00:05:47,680 --> 00:05:49,000 Speaker 4: I see how how he got there? 132 00:05:49,080 --> 00:05:49,200 Speaker 2: Right? 133 00:05:49,600 --> 00:05:51,880 Speaker 4: So with the action Hero Scouting Report, what we did 134 00:05:52,040 --> 00:05:54,839 Speaker 4: is we we established that there's this thing called an 135 00:05:54,880 --> 00:05:57,440 Speaker 4: action hero score. Every action hero has an action Hero score. 136 00:05:57,440 --> 00:05:58,800 Speaker 4: And the way that we arrive at the action hero 137 00:05:58,920 --> 00:06:02,600 Speaker 4: score is is it's a composite of six key categories. 138 00:06:03,160 --> 00:06:05,880 Speaker 4: Every action hero is measured on these six criteria here, 139 00:06:05,920 --> 00:06:10,400 Speaker 4: it's a grading rubric. The first one is the inciting event. 140 00:06:10,839 --> 00:06:13,600 Speaker 4: Every action hero, every action movie you've ever watched, the 141 00:06:13,720 --> 00:06:16,680 Speaker 4: person was thrust into action by some sort of event 142 00:06:17,040 --> 00:06:20,800 Speaker 4: that happened. Liam Neeson and Taken had his daughter kidnapped 143 00:06:20,839 --> 00:06:24,040 Speaker 4: by by human traffickers in Europe. That's the inciting. 144 00:06:25,279 --> 00:06:26,800 Speaker 3: Of all inciting event. 145 00:06:26,920 --> 00:06:29,880 Speaker 4: Right, It's a really good insighting event. 146 00:06:30,640 --> 00:06:30,839 Speaker 2: Yeah. 147 00:06:30,920 --> 00:06:31,120 Speaker 1: Yeah. 148 00:06:31,680 --> 00:06:35,039 Speaker 4: John Wick had his dog murdered and his car stolen. 149 00:06:35,160 --> 00:06:38,360 Speaker 4: That's the insiding event every action hero you've ever watched. 150 00:06:38,560 --> 00:06:40,480 Speaker 4: There's that thing in the beginning. So we look at 151 00:06:40,480 --> 00:06:43,520 Speaker 4: that Okay, cool, And then we say, okay, how original 152 00:06:43,600 --> 00:06:44,600 Speaker 4: was it, how compelling is it? 153 00:06:44,720 --> 00:06:44,920 Speaker 2: Whatever? 154 00:06:45,040 --> 00:06:46,960 Speaker 4: Whatever, and then we give it a score. And then 155 00:06:46,960 --> 00:06:50,560 Speaker 4: we wanted to the next one. Determination. An action hero 156 00:06:50,640 --> 00:06:54,839 Speaker 4: will they will face impossible situations and impossible odds against 157 00:06:54,839 --> 00:06:57,839 Speaker 4: impossible enemies. If your action hero is not extremely determined, 158 00:06:58,520 --> 00:07:01,360 Speaker 4: they're not going to turn out so great. After that, 159 00:07:01,560 --> 00:07:04,640 Speaker 4: you have skills training. What sort of skills does this 160 00:07:05,160 --> 00:07:08,720 Speaker 4: action hero possess? Are they Were they trained by a 161 00:07:08,839 --> 00:07:13,000 Speaker 4: grand master of kung fu like Beatrix Kiddo and kill Bill? 162 00:07:13,560 --> 00:07:16,840 Speaker 4: Or is this person just like a very angry musician 163 00:07:17,040 --> 00:07:19,520 Speaker 4: like Elmariachi and Desperado, you know what I mean? Like, 164 00:07:20,840 --> 00:07:23,680 Speaker 4: we have to establish that. After that, the fourth one 165 00:07:23,840 --> 00:07:27,560 Speaker 4: is the cool factor. An action hero above all other things, 166 00:07:27,680 --> 00:07:30,120 Speaker 4: needs to be cool. They need to look cool, They 167 00:07:30,200 --> 00:07:32,440 Speaker 4: need to say cool things, they need to do cool things. 168 00:07:32,880 --> 00:07:35,120 Speaker 4: Other people need to say cool things about them when 169 00:07:35,160 --> 00:07:37,560 Speaker 4: they talk about them, Like, you have to consider all 170 00:07:37,640 --> 00:07:40,760 Speaker 4: of that. To extend that point, we have the wishnificence category. 171 00:07:41,080 --> 00:07:44,400 Speaker 4: Wishnificence is a made up word that we're using here 172 00:07:45,000 --> 00:07:48,640 Speaker 4: to define. This is the feeling you get in your 173 00:07:48,720 --> 00:07:51,280 Speaker 4: chest when you're watching a movie and you're like, fuck, 174 00:07:51,360 --> 00:07:53,360 Speaker 4: that dude's cool. I wish I was at dude, Like 175 00:07:53,480 --> 00:07:56,080 Speaker 4: you know how you get like fuck? Like I remember 176 00:07:56,480 --> 00:08:00,280 Speaker 4: when I watched Blade with my wife. As soon as 177 00:08:00,320 --> 00:08:01,960 Speaker 4: it was over, I was like, I gotta do karate 178 00:08:02,080 --> 00:08:04,000 Speaker 4: now I'm gonna karate chock like you know what I mean. 179 00:08:04,120 --> 00:08:06,840 Speaker 4: Like it's that feeling. Sometimes you watch a movie and 180 00:08:06,920 --> 00:08:09,240 Speaker 4: you get that feeling, other times you don't. So that's 181 00:08:09,240 --> 00:08:11,480 Speaker 4: one of the things we measure. And then the last 182 00:08:11,520 --> 00:08:15,040 Speaker 4: part is the legacy level. And with the legacy level, 183 00:08:15,120 --> 00:08:18,400 Speaker 4: we look at did this action hero have any effect 184 00:08:18,480 --> 00:08:22,200 Speaker 4: on the action movie genre or on action heroes as 185 00:08:22,240 --> 00:08:26,280 Speaker 4: a figure and cinema. If it had a big effect 186 00:08:26,480 --> 00:08:28,960 Speaker 4: like John McLain and Diehard who changed everything when he 187 00:08:29,040 --> 00:08:32,400 Speaker 4: showed up very high legacy level score. If they didn't 188 00:08:32,400 --> 00:08:36,160 Speaker 4: have a big effect like Chance Boudreau from Hard Target 189 00:08:36,240 --> 00:08:39,439 Speaker 4: that we mentioned didn't really change anything fun character, sure, 190 00:08:39,520 --> 00:08:42,560 Speaker 4: but his legacy level score not super high. You add 191 00:08:42,600 --> 00:08:44,439 Speaker 4: all those little numbers up and then you get your 192 00:08:44,840 --> 00:08:47,120 Speaker 4: one out of one hundred action hero score. 193 00:08:47,240 --> 00:08:47,679 Speaker 2: There you go. 194 00:08:47,840 --> 00:08:52,079 Speaker 3: We're off and running and are they all good guys? 195 00:08:52,120 --> 00:08:52,880 Speaker 2: Are they all heroes? 196 00:08:52,920 --> 00:08:55,160 Speaker 3: Are they any anti heroes, any villains in this or. 197 00:08:56,080 --> 00:09:00,439 Speaker 4: Well, there are a bunch of anti hero was in there, 198 00:09:01,280 --> 00:09:04,760 Speaker 4: largely because action movies trended that way once we got 199 00:09:04,800 --> 00:09:08,000 Speaker 4: to like the late nineties and into the two thousands, 200 00:09:08,320 --> 00:09:10,560 Speaker 4: that became like the thing to do. They got they 201 00:09:10,600 --> 00:09:12,719 Speaker 4: got a little bit dark in there, so you'll find 202 00:09:12,760 --> 00:09:14,640 Speaker 4: some characters in there like that, but but they there 203 00:09:14,640 --> 00:09:16,240 Speaker 4: won't be anybody in there. You go, like, this is 204 00:09:16,280 --> 00:09:19,040 Speaker 4: the villain of the movie. It's always the hero, you 205 00:09:19,120 --> 00:09:20,160 Speaker 4: know what I mean, how. 206 00:09:20,120 --> 00:09:21,319 Speaker 2: Did you decide on who to do? 207 00:09:21,360 --> 00:09:23,800 Speaker 1: Because that's a that's not not a lot and compare 208 00:09:23,840 --> 00:09:26,240 Speaker 1: to how many acting heroes exist out here, you know 209 00:09:26,280 --> 00:09:28,280 Speaker 1: what I mean, like at least like your favorite movies, 210 00:09:28,440 --> 00:09:31,360 Speaker 1: or like is your favorite characters personally. 211 00:09:31,160 --> 00:09:35,720 Speaker 4: Or what we wanted to do was just have a nice, 212 00:09:36,400 --> 00:09:41,000 Speaker 4: a nice combination across different eras of action movies, across 213 00:09:41,160 --> 00:09:44,400 Speaker 4: different styles of action movies. We wanted like like the 214 00:09:44,559 --> 00:09:49,240 Speaker 4: John Wu like hard boiled, like that kind of action hero. 215 00:09:49,520 --> 00:09:53,720 Speaker 4: We wanted the contemporary, the contemporary stuff that Ethan Hunt 216 00:09:53,960 --> 00:09:58,000 Speaker 4: and the later Mission Impossible franchises. We just want it 217 00:09:58,120 --> 00:09:59,839 Speaker 4: just needs to be a nice mix, you know what 218 00:10:00,040 --> 00:10:02,319 Speaker 4: I mean, Like it's got to feel balanced when you're 219 00:10:02,320 --> 00:10:04,439 Speaker 4: going through it. We need we need Rambo in there 220 00:10:04,760 --> 00:10:07,920 Speaker 4: from nineteen eighty two that we also need Furyo, so 221 00:10:08,040 --> 00:10:10,800 Speaker 4: from Mad Max fury Road, like twenty you know what 222 00:10:10,840 --> 00:10:12,920 Speaker 4: I mean? Twenty What is that twenty sixteen or something 223 00:10:13,000 --> 00:10:15,959 Speaker 4: like that. It's it's it's a it's a mix of 224 00:10:16,040 --> 00:10:17,120 Speaker 4: them that are in there. 225 00:10:17,920 --> 00:10:21,600 Speaker 2: So I have a sort of nerdy like process question, 226 00:10:21,960 --> 00:10:23,760 Speaker 2: and Jackson encouraged me that other. 227 00:10:23,720 --> 00:10:25,360 Speaker 7: People would be interested in it. So I'm gonna go 228 00:10:25,360 --> 00:10:27,040 Speaker 7: ahead and ask it. But if it's boring to you 229 00:10:27,120 --> 00:10:27,600 Speaker 7: to answer it. 230 00:10:27,679 --> 00:10:27,920 Speaker 4: Gues. 231 00:10:30,640 --> 00:10:30,920 Speaker 3: Okay. 232 00:10:31,040 --> 00:10:35,000 Speaker 2: So you know, you obviously had success in sort of traditional. 233 00:10:34,600 --> 00:10:37,400 Speaker 7: Book publishing right New York Times bestsellers, et cetera, and 234 00:10:37,480 --> 00:10:41,079 Speaker 7: you've been branching out with your your enterprise Halfway Books 235 00:10:41,080 --> 00:10:44,120 Speaker 7: dot Com and doing putting your projects out in this way. 236 00:10:44,720 --> 00:10:47,760 Speaker 7: I've been enjoying it because you can see that there's 237 00:10:47,880 --> 00:10:50,760 Speaker 7: less filter between you and the product. So, like, I 238 00:10:50,800 --> 00:10:53,240 Speaker 7: feel like the cover of this project is a good 239 00:10:53,280 --> 00:10:55,720 Speaker 7: example of that. It looks like an eighties action movie 240 00:10:55,880 --> 00:10:58,400 Speaker 7: VHS cover, Like it looks like sort of. 241 00:10:58,720 --> 00:11:00,880 Speaker 2: Something you would have of cooked up. 242 00:11:01,360 --> 00:11:04,880 Speaker 7: But I'm curious about your decision to kind of transition 243 00:11:05,000 --> 00:11:07,920 Speaker 7: into doing stuff under your own imprint, you know what 244 00:11:08,000 --> 00:11:09,679 Speaker 7: I mean. That's not something I haven't seen a lot 245 00:11:09,720 --> 00:11:13,000 Speaker 7: of writers outside of like poets who do chat books 246 00:11:13,040 --> 00:11:14,480 Speaker 7: and stuff like that. You know, I haven't seen people 247 00:11:14,480 --> 00:11:17,040 Speaker 7: who've been New York Times bestsellers. Go, I want to 248 00:11:17,080 --> 00:11:19,120 Speaker 7: put this out online. I want to do it my way, 249 00:11:19,280 --> 00:11:20,480 Speaker 7: and I'm starting this website. 250 00:11:20,520 --> 00:11:22,200 Speaker 2: I'm going to do it. So what kind of led 251 00:11:22,240 --> 00:11:25,280 Speaker 2: you to go down that road with your recent projects? 252 00:11:27,000 --> 00:11:30,199 Speaker 4: It just seemed like a fun thing to do. Like, 253 00:11:30,320 --> 00:11:32,400 Speaker 4: sometimes there are projects that you want to work on 254 00:11:33,040 --> 00:11:35,520 Speaker 4: that they're a little too long to just be like 255 00:11:35,840 --> 00:11:39,480 Speaker 4: a thing you can pitch to a pop cultural website, 256 00:11:39,920 --> 00:11:41,520 Speaker 4: but they're a little too short that they can be 257 00:11:41,640 --> 00:11:45,839 Speaker 4: like actual printable standalone books. So you have this like 258 00:11:45,960 --> 00:11:49,040 Speaker 4: middle area, these like little passion projects that you want 259 00:11:49,080 --> 00:11:51,840 Speaker 4: to spend maybe six months working on, and they're anywhere 260 00:11:51,880 --> 00:11:56,079 Speaker 4: from thirty to one hundred pages. But it's still like 261 00:11:56,160 --> 00:11:57,679 Speaker 4: a thing I want to do when I want to 262 00:11:57,679 --> 00:11:59,559 Speaker 4: put out and I want to work on it, and 263 00:12:00,160 --> 00:12:02,319 Speaker 4: so if I can't find anybody else to do it, 264 00:12:02,360 --> 00:12:05,520 Speaker 4: then I'm just gonna do it myself and see what happens. 265 00:12:05,559 --> 00:12:07,280 Speaker 4: And then you know, we've done a few of them 266 00:12:07,320 --> 00:12:10,040 Speaker 4: at this point in halfway books, and and each time 267 00:12:10,120 --> 00:12:11,800 Speaker 4: they do a little bit better than the last. And 268 00:12:12,520 --> 00:12:15,840 Speaker 4: it's really nice to see, uh, to see that support 269 00:12:15,920 --> 00:12:19,959 Speaker 4: that's growing. It's just like a fun thing to work on. 270 00:12:21,320 --> 00:12:23,640 Speaker 4: You know what else am I gonna I'm a professional writer. 271 00:12:24,080 --> 00:12:26,160 Speaker 4: I'm supposed to be a writing things, So I'm just 272 00:12:26,240 --> 00:12:28,400 Speaker 4: gonna fucking write and see what happens. 273 00:12:28,720 --> 00:12:31,679 Speaker 1: It seems like you're always dropping something, and it's like 274 00:12:31,840 --> 00:12:35,080 Speaker 1: you have endless cool ideas. It feels like like how 275 00:12:35,120 --> 00:12:38,559 Speaker 1: do you stay inspired, you know, as a writer, always 276 00:12:38,600 --> 00:12:41,439 Speaker 1: coming up with new stuff that's just super interesting. 277 00:12:43,480 --> 00:12:46,720 Speaker 4: Well, here's the thing, John, You're gonna appreciate this because 278 00:12:46,760 --> 00:12:50,320 Speaker 4: you're filling this now yourself too. Every single every single 279 00:12:50,400 --> 00:12:52,360 Speaker 4: morning when I wake up, when I open my eyes 280 00:12:52,400 --> 00:12:55,319 Speaker 4: in the morning, I know, at a bare minimum, a 281 00:12:55,440 --> 00:13:01,800 Speaker 4: bare minimum, husband to a beautiful, intelligent wife to three handsome, 282 00:13:02,280 --> 00:13:06,960 Speaker 4: smart boys, I'm responsible for fifteen meals every single day 283 00:13:07,360 --> 00:13:09,720 Speaker 4: for the rest of my life, no matter what. Every 284 00:13:09,760 --> 00:13:12,000 Speaker 4: time I open my eyes in the morning. Oh fuck, okay, 285 00:13:12,120 --> 00:13:16,320 Speaker 4: fifteen at a minimum, fifteen plates of food I need 286 00:13:16,440 --> 00:13:18,920 Speaker 4: to provide you know what I mean. You gotta work, 287 00:13:19,000 --> 00:13:22,040 Speaker 4: You got to you gotta do the work. And that's 288 00:13:22,080 --> 00:13:24,360 Speaker 4: really that's that's all that it is, Like I gotta 289 00:13:24,400 --> 00:13:25,839 Speaker 4: do the work. And if I'm not going to do 290 00:13:25,920 --> 00:13:30,160 Speaker 4: the work, then who Who's going to care who? That's 291 00:13:30,280 --> 00:13:33,040 Speaker 4: that's how that you know, that's how capitalism gets you. 292 00:13:33,120 --> 00:13:33,400 Speaker 3: Baby. 293 00:13:33,559 --> 00:13:36,160 Speaker 1: Ideas are actually good, Like you know what I mean, 294 00:13:36,200 --> 00:13:38,599 Speaker 1: It's not like it never feels like you're writing to 295 00:13:38,760 --> 00:13:40,360 Speaker 1: in order to feed kids. 296 00:13:40,559 --> 00:13:42,280 Speaker 3: You know, it feels like you're writing for the love 297 00:13:42,679 --> 00:13:44,400 Speaker 3: and fun, you know what I mean. It just happens 298 00:13:44,440 --> 00:13:45,320 Speaker 3: to feed your children. 299 00:13:46,880 --> 00:13:50,960 Speaker 4: Yeah, yeah, yeah, I mean I definitely, I definitely only 300 00:13:51,040 --> 00:13:52,559 Speaker 4: work on the stuff that I want to work on 301 00:13:52,679 --> 00:13:54,800 Speaker 4: now and the stuff that I'm like excited about. I 302 00:13:54,880 --> 00:13:57,760 Speaker 4: think that's important. All of my favorite things when I 303 00:13:57,920 --> 00:13:59,520 Speaker 4: when I read them or when I listen to them, 304 00:14:00,080 --> 00:14:02,120 Speaker 4: you can hear that, you can hear that the person 305 00:14:02,200 --> 00:14:04,520 Speaker 4: talking about it cares about it, or you can see 306 00:14:04,559 --> 00:14:06,199 Speaker 4: it on the page that they care about it. That's 307 00:14:06,200 --> 00:14:08,280 Speaker 4: always my favorite stuff to consume. So if I'm going 308 00:14:08,360 --> 00:14:10,920 Speaker 4: to work on something a book, one of these things, 309 00:14:11,000 --> 00:14:12,160 Speaker 4: like I know this is going to be a chunk 310 00:14:12,200 --> 00:14:13,480 Speaker 4: of my life for a while, so I'm going to 311 00:14:13,559 --> 00:14:16,079 Speaker 4: do something that I want to do. But also, but 312 00:14:16,200 --> 00:14:19,280 Speaker 4: also that's like the business part of it, because you know, 313 00:14:21,400 --> 00:14:23,400 Speaker 4: you know, if if you're going to put a thing out, 314 00:14:24,760 --> 00:14:26,760 Speaker 4: and if you put something out that twenty five other 315 00:14:26,800 --> 00:14:30,480 Speaker 4: people have already put out, well, now the consumer, the 316 00:14:30,680 --> 00:14:33,520 Speaker 4: audience has twenty five different options to like get the 317 00:14:33,640 --> 00:14:35,640 Speaker 4: think they get. They don't have to pick yours, they 318 00:14:35,680 --> 00:14:38,240 Speaker 4: can go somewhere else. But if you're the only person 319 00:14:38,360 --> 00:14:42,080 Speaker 4: doing that thing, you sort of force the audience's hand. 320 00:14:42,560 --> 00:14:44,680 Speaker 4: Like were like when you guys do the Beast Battle. 321 00:14:45,200 --> 00:14:47,760 Speaker 4: I thought that. I thought the really smart thing that 322 00:14:47,920 --> 00:14:50,720 Speaker 4: y'all did here. It's not just like a tiger versus 323 00:14:50,800 --> 00:14:53,000 Speaker 4: a lion or whatever. You're like, no, we have to 324 00:14:53,480 --> 00:14:55,520 Speaker 4: level the playing field. We're gonna do this thousand pound 325 00:14:55,600 --> 00:14:59,200 Speaker 4: cap thing on it. Right, that that changed everything. Nobody 326 00:14:59,240 --> 00:15:02,600 Speaker 4: had done that before. So when y'all did that, that's 327 00:15:02,600 --> 00:15:03,920 Speaker 4: why I was so excited about it. I was so 328 00:15:04,000 --> 00:15:05,720 Speaker 4: excited to talk to my son about it because like 329 00:15:06,640 --> 00:15:09,040 Speaker 4: a gorilla versus a rat or whatever, that's not a 330 00:15:09,360 --> 00:15:12,920 Speaker 4: fair competition, but a couple of gorillas versus two hundred rats, 331 00:15:13,240 --> 00:15:14,880 Speaker 4: And now I got to think about it a little bit, 332 00:15:14,880 --> 00:15:17,000 Speaker 4: like now it becomes interesting, and it becomes and it 333 00:15:17,080 --> 00:15:19,920 Speaker 4: becomes fun. So when whenever I'm working on a project 334 00:15:19,960 --> 00:15:22,560 Speaker 4: to put out, like I spend a sizeable amount of 335 00:15:22,600 --> 00:15:24,240 Speaker 4: time in the beginning being like, what's the thing I 336 00:15:24,320 --> 00:15:27,680 Speaker 4: can do that feels like like what Mike was saying, 337 00:15:27,760 --> 00:15:30,240 Speaker 4: like a thing I'm interested in, but that also has 338 00:15:30,320 --> 00:15:33,760 Speaker 4: like an interesting or what I'm hoping is an interesting 339 00:15:33,840 --> 00:15:36,760 Speaker 4: or new spin on it to get people excited about it. 340 00:15:36,880 --> 00:15:38,840 Speaker 4: This is it should always be an idea, like with 341 00:15:38,960 --> 00:15:40,720 Speaker 4: the Action hero scouting report, where all I have to 342 00:15:40,760 --> 00:15:42,400 Speaker 4: do is say, you know they do scouting reports for 343 00:15:42,480 --> 00:15:45,760 Speaker 4: basketball players. Yep, all right, it's that, but it's action heroes, 344 00:15:45,760 --> 00:15:47,920 Speaker 4: and everybody goes, oh, okay, I get it. You don't 345 00:15:47,920 --> 00:15:49,400 Speaker 4: even have to see what's on the page yet, but 346 00:15:49,480 --> 00:15:51,680 Speaker 4: you get like in your head what you think it 347 00:15:51,800 --> 00:15:52,000 Speaker 4: might be. 348 00:15:52,480 --> 00:15:57,880 Speaker 7: So you're always looking for your two hundred five pound rats. Yea, 349 00:15:58,680 --> 00:16:01,320 Speaker 7: what is my two hundred and five pound rats? 350 00:16:01,680 --> 00:16:03,360 Speaker 2: In this idea is what you're fling. 351 00:16:03,560 --> 00:16:07,560 Speaker 4: That's that's exactly right, because that changes, it changes every 352 00:16:07,600 --> 00:16:10,280 Speaker 4: single thing. I think A very easy example to do 353 00:16:10,480 --> 00:16:14,960 Speaker 4: is is like several years ago, I remember the Carter 354 00:16:15,120 --> 00:16:17,280 Speaker 4: three was celebrated in a big like a ten year 355 00:16:17,320 --> 00:16:20,440 Speaker 4: anniversary or something, So this is what twenty eighteen. And 356 00:16:20,520 --> 00:16:22,520 Speaker 4: I knew every person who wrote about rap and every 357 00:16:22,560 --> 00:16:26,680 Speaker 4: publication was going to write something about that album. So 358 00:16:26,880 --> 00:16:30,240 Speaker 4: you can't like, I can't compete with somebody like like 359 00:16:30,440 --> 00:16:33,520 Speaker 4: Wesley Morris at the New York Times, like I could 360 00:16:33,880 --> 00:16:35,440 Speaker 4: him if him and I both wrote the same thing, 361 00:16:35,480 --> 00:16:37,240 Speaker 4: He's gonna fucking blow me out of the water every 362 00:16:37,240 --> 00:16:40,280 Speaker 4: single time. He's just too talented. Doreen Saint Felix, I 363 00:16:40,320 --> 00:16:43,080 Speaker 4: can't write how she writes, like I have to think 364 00:16:43,120 --> 00:16:45,320 Speaker 4: of a different thing. So I just was like with 365 00:16:45,480 --> 00:16:48,320 Speaker 4: a little Wayne thing, spend a bunch of time reading 366 00:16:48,400 --> 00:16:51,000 Speaker 4: old interviews, listening to old albums, like trying to figure 367 00:16:51,040 --> 00:16:54,320 Speaker 4: out a way in that nobody else is going to do. 368 00:16:54,440 --> 00:16:57,200 Speaker 4: And then in that situation, I think what ended up 369 00:16:57,200 --> 00:16:59,800 Speaker 4: happening was I was listening to one of the old 370 00:16:59,840 --> 00:17:02,440 Speaker 4: tam and he says something like flow so sick, make 371 00:17:02,520 --> 00:17:04,240 Speaker 4: you want to throw your food up. That's the line 372 00:17:04,320 --> 00:17:07,000 Speaker 4: on the on that he says on the Carter and 373 00:17:07,119 --> 00:17:09,320 Speaker 4: then another Carter three, and then he says it like 374 00:17:09,359 --> 00:17:11,560 Speaker 4: one more time later on, and then I was like, wait, 375 00:17:11,680 --> 00:17:13,200 Speaker 4: I feel like I've heard him say this a bunch. 376 00:17:13,440 --> 00:17:14,840 Speaker 4: So then I just went and listened to all of 377 00:17:14,880 --> 00:17:17,280 Speaker 4: his tapes and wrote down every single time he did, 378 00:17:17,720 --> 00:17:19,800 Speaker 4: flow so sick, make you want to flow, so sick, 379 00:17:19,840 --> 00:17:21,600 Speaker 4: make you want to flow so sick. And I'm like, 380 00:17:21,640 --> 00:17:23,240 Speaker 4: I'm just going to do a whole article where it's like, 381 00:17:23,320 --> 00:17:26,520 Speaker 4: how like literally how sick was he when he had 382 00:17:26,560 --> 00:17:28,560 Speaker 4: this moment? Like, because there are some of them where 383 00:17:28,600 --> 00:17:32,920 Speaker 4: he's like flow, like where he like calls in the 384 00:17:33,040 --> 00:17:35,199 Speaker 4: name cancer, and like a couple of them and like, oh, 385 00:17:35,240 --> 00:17:37,040 Speaker 4: he was really like actually really sick, right, like you 386 00:17:37,080 --> 00:17:38,840 Speaker 4: know what I mean. And then you put and then 387 00:17:38,880 --> 00:17:41,280 Speaker 4: you put that out so everybody else is doing one 388 00:17:41,320 --> 00:17:42,760 Speaker 4: thing and then you try to go the other way 389 00:17:42,800 --> 00:17:45,680 Speaker 4: and then you know, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, 390 00:17:45,680 --> 00:17:46,200 Speaker 4: but that's. 391 00:17:46,119 --> 00:17:47,879 Speaker 2: Like what you got to do. 392 00:17:47,960 --> 00:17:51,680 Speaker 6: It feels like, So, how do you actually feel about 393 00:17:51,680 --> 00:17:53,399 Speaker 6: the process of writing? Because I know so many writers 394 00:17:53,440 --> 00:17:55,160 Speaker 6: have a love hate relationship with it. So many writers 395 00:17:55,240 --> 00:17:57,399 Speaker 6: are like the best thing about writing is actually just 396 00:17:57,560 --> 00:17:59,359 Speaker 6: finishing it and having that sense of complace, Like do 397 00:17:59,440 --> 00:18:01,840 Speaker 6: you enjoy the process of it? Because, like John said, 398 00:18:01,840 --> 00:18:03,359 Speaker 6: you know, you put out a bunch of stuff, like 399 00:18:03,440 --> 00:18:05,840 Speaker 6: real high volume. So do you love the process of 400 00:18:05,880 --> 00:18:07,119 Speaker 6: it or do you love kind of you know, the 401 00:18:07,200 --> 00:18:09,040 Speaker 6: satisfaction of getting things completed. 402 00:18:09,920 --> 00:18:13,199 Speaker 4: I enjoy the process of it. I really like researching. 403 00:18:14,240 --> 00:18:16,639 Speaker 4: I really like I really like the way it feels 404 00:18:17,200 --> 00:18:20,359 Speaker 4: when a thing snaps into place and you know, oh 405 00:18:20,440 --> 00:18:23,119 Speaker 4: there it is, okay, great or great now I'm running. 406 00:18:23,359 --> 00:18:25,000 Speaker 4: I really like the way that feels. I really like 407 00:18:25,040 --> 00:18:26,879 Speaker 4: the way it feels when you're done and you get 408 00:18:26,920 --> 00:18:29,080 Speaker 4: to look at it and put it out and then 409 00:18:29,119 --> 00:18:32,479 Speaker 4: I especially like you write the thing, you publish the thing, 410 00:18:32,640 --> 00:18:35,679 Speaker 4: it's out, and then it's gone. What's the next thing? 411 00:18:35,960 --> 00:18:36,520 Speaker 3: You know what I mean? 412 00:18:36,720 --> 00:18:38,879 Speaker 4: I like there's a small period in there where you 413 00:18:38,960 --> 00:18:41,920 Speaker 4: get to be like yeah, and then you got to 414 00:18:41,960 --> 00:18:44,200 Speaker 4: get right back to it. But that little small break 415 00:18:44,359 --> 00:18:47,680 Speaker 4: that you get feels really really good. And it's like 416 00:18:47,760 --> 00:18:49,520 Speaker 4: a thing I'm always chasing. 417 00:18:49,760 --> 00:18:52,119 Speaker 1: How many short stories or books do you have that 418 00:18:52,240 --> 00:18:56,480 Speaker 1: aren't finished that you started but they didn't make it 419 00:18:56,560 --> 00:18:58,359 Speaker 1: to completion. Are you a person that just I'm gonna 420 00:18:58,359 --> 00:19:00,200 Speaker 1: fight through it, or you like I'm gonna put to 421 00:19:00,680 --> 00:19:02,399 Speaker 1: put this it aside because you said you know this 422 00:19:02,560 --> 00:19:04,200 Speaker 1: idea came in like twenty eighteen. 423 00:19:04,960 --> 00:19:07,119 Speaker 2: It is just now coming out, so. 424 00:19:09,359 --> 00:19:14,240 Speaker 4: Yeah, it's usually it's usually I will tinker with the 425 00:19:14,359 --> 00:19:17,000 Speaker 4: thing and then if it feels like it has legs, 426 00:19:17,359 --> 00:19:19,520 Speaker 4: then I'll chase it down, and if it feels like 427 00:19:19,600 --> 00:19:22,280 Speaker 4: it doesn't, then I'll just discard it really quickly. So 428 00:19:22,920 --> 00:19:24,800 Speaker 4: the last thing I put up before this was last 429 00:19:24,880 --> 00:19:28,680 Speaker 4: year in October a short story called The Abduction, and 430 00:19:29,240 --> 00:19:31,600 Speaker 4: it was about a guy who gets abducted by aliens, 431 00:19:32,200 --> 00:19:35,679 Speaker 4: but again the go left when everybody else is going 432 00:19:35,760 --> 00:19:38,159 Speaker 4: to go right. The idea for that one was you 433 00:19:38,240 --> 00:19:41,240 Speaker 4: watch any alien abduction movie. They abduct the guy. He's 434 00:19:41,320 --> 00:19:43,760 Speaker 4: up on the ship and then he's like, oh my god, aliens, 435 00:19:43,920 --> 00:19:48,040 Speaker 4: uh help me? Like fire in the sky. He's terrified. Right, 436 00:19:48,200 --> 00:19:50,400 Speaker 4: He's like, they always abduct a wimp, A wimp a wimp? 437 00:19:50,880 --> 00:19:53,359 Speaker 4: What happened if they accidentally abduct, Like they get a 438 00:19:53,400 --> 00:19:55,520 Speaker 4: guy up there and it turns out he's fucking John 439 00:19:55,560 --> 00:19:59,359 Speaker 4: Wick and now he's just fucking ripping aliens apart and 440 00:19:59,480 --> 00:20:02,160 Speaker 4: killing them. So that's what the story ended up being. 441 00:20:02,359 --> 00:20:04,040 Speaker 4: But that one really early on I was like, oh, 442 00:20:04,080 --> 00:20:05,840 Speaker 4: this feels like it could be a fun thing to write. 443 00:20:06,359 --> 00:20:08,240 Speaker 4: This feels like it has legs. Let me go ahead 444 00:20:08,280 --> 00:20:10,160 Speaker 4: and chase that down. But there have been a bunch 445 00:20:10,200 --> 00:20:12,600 Speaker 4: where you started and you go, oh, this is this 446 00:20:12,800 --> 00:20:16,280 Speaker 4: was a funny tweet. It's not a funny book, book 447 00:20:16,359 --> 00:20:18,159 Speaker 4: chapter or funny article. 448 00:20:18,280 --> 00:20:18,800 Speaker 2: You know what I mean. 449 00:20:18,920 --> 00:20:21,479 Speaker 1: You spoke about fire in the sky. That movie scared 450 00:20:21,560 --> 00:20:25,119 Speaker 1: the ship out of me. In seventh grade, I slept 451 00:20:25,200 --> 00:20:27,520 Speaker 1: with all the lights on. I was sleeping in the 452 00:20:27,560 --> 00:20:29,720 Speaker 1: basement at that time. Perio in middle school slept with 453 00:20:29,840 --> 00:20:32,200 Speaker 1: all the lights on downstairs. Mom came down like why 454 00:20:32,240 --> 00:20:33,920 Speaker 1: you got all the damn lights soon and ship? You 455 00:20:33,960 --> 00:20:35,639 Speaker 1: know what I'm saying. What got me to sleep was 456 00:20:35,640 --> 00:20:39,520 Speaker 1: there was a brown and tan rug like rug or 457 00:20:39,600 --> 00:20:42,040 Speaker 1: like blanket that was sitting in the hamper, and I 458 00:20:42,280 --> 00:20:44,200 Speaker 1: swore I saw Jesus's face in it. 459 00:20:44,520 --> 00:20:47,399 Speaker 3: And so I was like, okay, Jesus is with me. 460 00:20:47,680 --> 00:20:48,919 Speaker 2: I'm safe now. 461 00:20:50,760 --> 00:20:54,640 Speaker 6: Come white Jesus is there in the same by white lightness, 462 00:20:54,680 --> 00:20:55,919 Speaker 6: so called Jesus. 463 00:20:56,480 --> 00:20:59,320 Speaker 3: Since it got me asleep, I might. 464 00:20:59,240 --> 00:21:01,440 Speaker 5: Never slept again to see that white man and that 465 00:21:01,600 --> 00:21:03,040 Speaker 5: dawn and that damn blanket. 466 00:21:03,160 --> 00:21:05,040 Speaker 2: So it was. 467 00:21:05,960 --> 00:21:07,680 Speaker 4: It was scary when you watched it as a kid. 468 00:21:07,800 --> 00:21:09,200 Speaker 4: It's still scary if you watch. 469 00:21:09,880 --> 00:21:11,280 Speaker 2: I might tap just off the street. 470 00:21:11,320 --> 00:21:15,960 Speaker 4: But when the jelly falls off the table to the 471 00:21:16,080 --> 00:21:19,960 Speaker 4: syrup onto him and he flashes back into being. Them 472 00:21:20,040 --> 00:21:22,280 Speaker 4: running the tests on it, fucking forget about it, and 473 00:21:22,320 --> 00:21:24,119 Speaker 4: it's and it's partly they forget about it. 474 00:21:24,400 --> 00:21:27,720 Speaker 1: It's inspired by true events, right, It's like based on 475 00:21:27,760 --> 00:21:28,359 Speaker 1: a true story. 476 00:21:28,760 --> 00:21:30,760 Speaker 3: Correct, that's what they say. 477 00:21:31,640 --> 00:21:32,640 Speaker 4: That didn't that didn't happen. 478 00:21:32,640 --> 00:21:35,040 Speaker 3: It made me feel like you did. It's seventh grade. 479 00:21:35,920 --> 00:21:36,120 Speaker 2: Yeah. 480 00:21:39,800 --> 00:21:42,440 Speaker 4: When when I rewatched it, I was I was in 481 00:21:42,560 --> 00:21:45,040 Speaker 4: New Mexico for a couple of a couple of months 482 00:21:45,119 --> 00:21:48,600 Speaker 4: last summer, and I was a few hours away from Roswell, 483 00:21:48,640 --> 00:21:50,360 Speaker 4: and I was like, I'm not going to drive to Roswell, 484 00:21:50,760 --> 00:21:53,119 Speaker 4: but since I'm in New Mexico, I'll just rewatch all 485 00:21:53,160 --> 00:21:55,879 Speaker 4: of the movies with aliens in them, just for like 486 00:21:56,240 --> 00:21:58,639 Speaker 4: over the course of two or three weeks. And when 487 00:21:58,680 --> 00:22:00,639 Speaker 4: I got to that, when I was like, fuck, this 488 00:22:00,720 --> 00:22:02,560 Speaker 4: is I'm gonna watch this one during the day. That's 489 00:22:02,560 --> 00:22:03,359 Speaker 4: what I'm gonna do with this one. 490 00:22:03,480 --> 00:22:04,520 Speaker 2: I'm gonna watch it that night. 491 00:22:07,600 --> 00:22:11,879 Speaker 5: I remember there was a moment where I was so scared. 492 00:22:11,880 --> 00:22:14,040 Speaker 5: I just went upstairs and just stood in the hallway 493 00:22:14,920 --> 00:22:18,720 Speaker 5: and my mom came out. She scared the ship out 494 00:22:18,720 --> 00:22:21,920 Speaker 5: of her. What the squaring off with me? She was like, 495 00:22:22,040 --> 00:22:24,160 Speaker 5: what you downstairs? 496 00:22:25,320 --> 00:22:28,080 Speaker 2: I was so messed up that entire night, bro. 497 00:22:32,680 --> 00:22:35,359 Speaker 5: Shae, if we can tell Blanket Jesus, thank you, thank you, 498 00:22:36,040 --> 00:22:39,840 Speaker 5: thank you, White Jesus wondering Blake was one wrink away 499 00:22:39,840 --> 00:22:41,800 Speaker 5: from looking like so Jim Duggant, but it gave you. 500 00:22:43,640 --> 00:22:44,600 Speaker 2: Wife Jesus. 501 00:22:45,400 --> 00:22:46,160 Speaker 3: That's a T shirt. 502 00:22:46,560 --> 00:22:51,840 Speaker 7: T shirt there somewhere, Lennon Josea saved save John's Thank you. 503 00:22:52,880 --> 00:22:54,800 Speaker 2: Sha If we can talk basketball for a minute. You 504 00:22:55,000 --> 00:22:56,360 Speaker 2: are a Spurs fan. 505 00:22:56,680 --> 00:22:59,520 Speaker 3: And oh, yeah, baby, I know he's a proud papa, 506 00:22:59,600 --> 00:23:02,320 Speaker 3: right yeah, so is gonna be the. 507 00:23:02,440 --> 00:23:05,440 Speaker 7: Best basketball player of all time or the second best 508 00:23:05,520 --> 00:23:07,639 Speaker 7: basketball player of it? Like where are you on the 509 00:23:07,720 --> 00:23:09,280 Speaker 7: optimism to pessimism scale? 510 00:23:10,080 --> 00:23:12,520 Speaker 4: We are so back. I'm gonna tell you, I'm gonna 511 00:23:12,520 --> 00:23:14,359 Speaker 4: tell you the truth. I'm gonna tell you the truth. 512 00:23:14,840 --> 00:23:17,120 Speaker 4: And I watched I watched that first Summer League game 513 00:23:17,720 --> 00:23:19,520 Speaker 4: and I was like, Oh, he's falling down a bunch 514 00:23:19,560 --> 00:23:22,440 Speaker 4: of times. Guys not looking it's not looking real great, 515 00:23:23,119 --> 00:23:25,600 Speaker 4: He's not looking real he's not looking real great. But 516 00:23:25,760 --> 00:23:28,520 Speaker 4: game two, oh, I was feeling real good. You couldn't 517 00:23:28,520 --> 00:23:31,359 Speaker 4: tell me ship After game two, I think it's gonna 518 00:23:31,359 --> 00:23:33,200 Speaker 4: be good. There was a bunch of stuff that that 519 00:23:33,920 --> 00:23:36,640 Speaker 4: when you watch the games, like you saw him competing 520 00:23:36,680 --> 00:23:40,560 Speaker 4: against NBA level talent, was was exciting to see. But 521 00:23:40,880 --> 00:23:42,800 Speaker 4: some of the stuff he was doing was really like 522 00:23:44,280 --> 00:23:47,000 Speaker 4: small stuff that stood out to me. And one of 523 00:23:47,000 --> 00:23:49,640 Speaker 4: the thing of him falling down when he fell down, 524 00:23:49,680 --> 00:23:52,119 Speaker 4: because it did happen a bunch of times, it seemed 525 00:23:52,160 --> 00:23:53,680 Speaker 4: to me like he fell down in a way that 526 00:23:53,880 --> 00:23:57,080 Speaker 4: was protecting himself. One one play in particular, during I 527 00:23:57,080 --> 00:23:58,560 Speaker 4: think it was the second game, He's on the left 528 00:23:58,560 --> 00:24:01,000 Speaker 4: side at the court of the rim people. It's the 529 00:24:01,119 --> 00:24:03,800 Speaker 4: shot up, but they just foul him, and him and 530 00:24:03,920 --> 00:24:05,920 Speaker 4: the defender both are falling down at the same time, 531 00:24:06,400 --> 00:24:09,320 Speaker 4: and there's a very very like clear moment of when 532 00:24:09,359 --> 00:24:13,200 Speaker 4: you see him with his long, gigantic eight foot long 533 00:24:13,320 --> 00:24:17,480 Speaker 4: legs brings him up like so that the guy doesn't 534 00:24:17,480 --> 00:24:19,800 Speaker 4: fall on top of him, very like a small little thing. 535 00:24:19,880 --> 00:24:21,760 Speaker 4: But you're like, oh, that's right. He spent his whole 536 00:24:22,480 --> 00:24:26,480 Speaker 4: last few years being seven foot ten, like he's used 537 00:24:26,480 --> 00:24:28,920 Speaker 4: to this. He he falls down in a way that 538 00:24:29,440 --> 00:24:32,520 Speaker 4: to me, you watch Anthony Davis fall down. 539 00:24:35,160 --> 00:24:35,960 Speaker 2: Like a tree, like. 540 00:24:36,840 --> 00:24:38,879 Speaker 1: Somebody that was six to one and walk up and 541 00:24:39,040 --> 00:24:41,200 Speaker 1: was almost seven foot That's how he falls down, you 542 00:24:41,280 --> 00:24:41,800 Speaker 1: know what I mean. 543 00:24:43,200 --> 00:24:45,560 Speaker 4: Fall He falls down like a toddler where they just 544 00:24:45,600 --> 00:24:51,360 Speaker 4: go like I'm going down, no self protection. Yeah yeah yeah, 545 00:24:52,240 --> 00:24:54,560 Speaker 4: Wi Wimby was not doing. But it was a little 546 00:24:54,560 --> 00:24:56,200 Speaker 4: stuff like that that I was watching. I was like, man, 547 00:24:56,280 --> 00:24:58,600 Speaker 4: this is this is really exciting. But the thing to 548 00:24:58,680 --> 00:25:01,560 Speaker 4: me that stood out the most was for the last 549 00:25:01,600 --> 00:25:04,840 Speaker 4: five six years or whatever, it's not been like super 550 00:25:04,880 --> 00:25:07,639 Speaker 4: exciting to turn on a Spurs game. I couldn't remember 551 00:25:07,720 --> 00:25:10,560 Speaker 4: what that felt like. But I knew when the Summer 552 00:25:10,600 --> 00:25:12,240 Speaker 4: League game was gonna happen. I knew what time it 553 00:25:12,320 --> 00:25:14,399 Speaker 4: was gonna happen. I like planned my day to be 554 00:25:14,520 --> 00:25:17,520 Speaker 4: in front of my TV. I called my oldest son 555 00:25:18,119 --> 00:25:21,360 Speaker 4: who plays basketball, sit with me for the first half 556 00:25:21,400 --> 00:25:23,600 Speaker 4: of this game. We're gonna watch Whimby, like you know 557 00:25:23,600 --> 00:25:25,760 Speaker 4: what I mean. Like that was the thing that I 558 00:25:25,800 --> 00:25:28,560 Speaker 4: appreciated the most. Just being excited. You can feel it 559 00:25:28,640 --> 00:25:31,959 Speaker 4: in the city. We're excited. We're ready for the season 560 00:25:32,080 --> 00:25:35,560 Speaker 4: to start like, please let me buy my Spurs tickets 561 00:25:35,640 --> 00:25:38,680 Speaker 4: right now, Like we're back, baby, that's what it feels like. 562 00:25:38,760 --> 00:25:39,520 Speaker 4: I'm so excited. 563 00:25:39,600 --> 00:25:41,600 Speaker 7: That's the best thing as a father. Are you doing 564 00:25:41,680 --> 00:25:44,480 Speaker 7: the math? Like like I do that with my son 565 00:25:44,600 --> 00:25:47,840 Speaker 7: and different teams, Like, oh, Bronze signed for three years, 566 00:25:48,160 --> 00:25:49,960 Speaker 7: you'll be in high school, you know what I mean? Like, 567 00:25:50,320 --> 00:25:52,119 Speaker 7: are you doing that math of Like okay, you and 568 00:25:52,200 --> 00:25:54,800 Speaker 7: your youngest son, Like wow, he's when we could get 569 00:25:54,840 --> 00:25:56,280 Speaker 7: us all the way through high school where we have 570 00:25:56,400 --> 00:25:58,440 Speaker 7: these moments to watch games together and shit. 571 00:25:58,920 --> 00:26:00,800 Speaker 4: He can he can take us all the way through that. 572 00:26:00,880 --> 00:26:02,639 Speaker 4: You know what happened the other day? I went in 573 00:26:02,720 --> 00:26:06,119 Speaker 4: the cause we have twins and then the baby. And 574 00:26:06,400 --> 00:26:08,000 Speaker 4: when I say the oldest son, I mean the twin 575 00:26:08,040 --> 00:26:10,080 Speaker 4: who can't use one minute earlier than the other one. 576 00:26:10,760 --> 00:26:12,640 Speaker 4: But I went in his room and he's playing two 577 00:26:12,720 --> 00:26:15,800 Speaker 4: K on his computer and it was like, uh, Spurs 578 00:26:15,840 --> 00:26:18,120 Speaker 4: and Warriors and I was like, hey, they got wim 579 00:26:18,160 --> 00:26:20,000 Speaker 4: beyond there and he's like, yeah, they got wim beyond there. 580 00:26:20,040 --> 00:26:22,159 Speaker 4: And I was like, that's fucking dead rules. I'm so 581 00:26:22,280 --> 00:26:24,760 Speaker 4: happy you're playing with the Spurs And he's like, I'm 582 00:26:24,760 --> 00:26:25,600 Speaker 4: playing with the Warriors. 583 00:26:25,640 --> 00:26:27,680 Speaker 2: What are you talking about? And I was like, oh no, 584 00:26:28,480 --> 00:26:28,840 Speaker 2: oh my. 585 00:26:28,960 --> 00:26:33,240 Speaker 4: God, oh god, this is this is awful. This is terrible, terrible, terrible. 586 00:26:33,119 --> 00:26:39,879 Speaker 2: Terrible Internet dropped out. Sorry son, I don't know what 587 00:26:40,040 --> 00:26:41,840 Speaker 2: happened to the router. I don't know what's going on 588 00:26:41,960 --> 00:26:45,320 Speaker 2: with it. All right, Well, Shay, thanks for being so 589 00:26:45,440 --> 00:26:46,760 Speaker 2: generous with your time. Everyone. 590 00:26:46,840 --> 00:26:49,880 Speaker 7: Once again, that's Halfway books dot Com for the new project. 591 00:26:49,960 --> 00:26:51,720 Speaker 7: Sounds like it's going to be super fun. Over one 592 00:26:51,800 --> 00:26:54,720 Speaker 7: hundred pages of electronic book from the one and only 593 00:26:54,800 --> 00:26:56,840 Speaker 7: Shay Toronto Shade. Thanks again for joining us. 594 00:26:57,520 --> 00:26:58,800 Speaker 4: Yeah, baby, thank you so much. 595 00:26:59,160 --> 00:26:59,639 Speaker 2: Appreciate you. 596 00:27:00,080 --> 00:27:00,119 Speaker 4: I