Critical Nonsense

Critical Nonsense

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Critical Nonsense episodes

  • 79! VERY Dirty Work and Irreconcilable Age Differences

    What would it take for us to work in a vice industry? And how important is age to friendship? [29:28]

    This week, Aaron and Joey talk about the skills people need to sell drugs, dirty work, moral employment, being 25, the Indiana Jones Adventure ride, and whether or not Joey and Jess are actually friends. They don't talk about how important age is to having enemies.

    references

    • Reply All #119 No More Safe Harbor
    • Dax Shepherd and Dan Heath
    • (Also sorry for my mic gain problem. xo, Jess)
      • 52 min
    • 78! Green vs Purple and Our Feeling Circle

      Silver Linings™

      Which GTA gang should we join? And how are we feeling right now? [25:14]

      This week, Joey and Aaron talk about Grand Theft Auto, more TikTok memes, getting creative, Inside Out life lessons, guilt, and finding little joys. They don't talk about how Jess forgot the last Buffalo.

      references

      • The backstory on the Green vs. Purple debacle from Taylor Lorenz
      • Some collective nouns
        • 54 min
      • 77! From Enormous Baby to Hyping the Homies

        This week, Six Handshakes‽ (A new segment where we try to connect the dots between finds from far flung reaches of the internet.) Special guests Alex and Steven join Joey and Jess to talk about the six degrees of separation between this stay-at-home protestor investigation, the lovability of worms, enormous baby Then and Now, Bezos' wealth, muting on Zoom, and RuPaul's oil money. They don't talk about The Yolk Initiative.

        references

        • We want to know: would you still love us if we were worms? Exhibit A.
        • The Panther Worm Wiki
        • Corrections Department: it was actually BBDO's car crash campaign
        • Joey's extra Mark Warner Tweet
        • 70! The Merits of Jargon and Exploitative TV
        • The Atlantic: "What Jeff Bezos Wants"
        • More from the Atlantic: "Who Killed JC Penney?" and other links on the pay gap from 2013 to 2017
        • Haymarket Books is Eddie Vedder's favorite.
        • The chaos of the Sylvain Labs Office Bathrooms (which, in some weird way, we miss?) See image below if your podcatcher allows.
        • On men's bathroom hygiene and the Mythbused psychology behind stall selection (and again, Corrections Department: the middle stalls are actually the dirtiest).
        • The Culture Series by Iain M. Banks.
        • #humbleflag and other subculture tidbits from SL
        • The Who? Weekly podcast.
        • Refinery29 with more on Who? Weekly fandom

          • 57 min
        • 76! Future Foods and Dog Ownership with Matt Millington

          What is the future of food? And what are the pros and cons of having a dog? [26:47]

          This week, special guest Matt Millington joins Joey and Aaron to talk about stinging nettle soup, the UK's 'umami bomb,' milpas, Matt's dog Mr. Sid, Aaron's dog Rufio Cooper McFly, and Joey's dogs Ragamuffin, Gus, and Diablo. They don't talk about Jess's family dog Coco, nicknamed 'CocoNutButter.'

          references

          • On Milpas: the diverse farming model of the Mayan empire.
          • Small Robot Company.
          • The Ringer: "Dogs on Planes"
          • Some relevant charities: Feeding America, Best Friends Society, Animal Haven, Badass Brooklyn Animal Rescue.
            • 1 hr 1 min
          • 75! Top 3 Things Not to Do in Quarantine, with Clarissa Pharr

            What are the Top 3 Things Not to Do in Quarantine?

            This week, Live Clickbait! We and special guest Clarissa Pharr, deputy ideas editor at Quartz, discuss her picks:

            1. Don't text your ex.
            2. Don't call it "social distancing."
            3. Don't forget to tip the pizza delivery person.

              4. references

              • Sign up for Quartz's "Need to Know: Coronavirus" newsletter
              • The Daily Show on relationships in quarantine
              • The Atlantic on "How to Maintain Your Relationship in Quarantine"
              • Sociologist Dr. Eric Klinenberg on the NYTimes
              • Joey on Quartz: "How boredom breeds creativity"
              • Walmart tops flying off the shelves. Well, no pants though.
                • 56 min
              • Meme Speak and Disney Princes
                What impact will memes have on language? And why are Disney Princes so lame? [19:10]
                This week, an episode from the Nonsense Wellspring (archive)!
                Joey and Aaron talk about raiding Area 51, phatic expressions, inside jokes, lazy patriarchy, Mr. Mom-ism, and the inevitable queer Disney prince. They don't talk about sorghum flour.
                references
                * Original episodes: "Taking Care of Business and Meme Speak" (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/taking-care-of-business-and-meme-speak/id1438320569?i=1000451235462) and "Deprivation, Excess, and Disney Princes" (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/deprivation-excess-and-disney-princes/id1438320569?i=1000451235460)
                39 min
              • [Reruns] Meme Speak and Disney Princes

                What impact will memes have on language? And why are Disney Princes so lame? [19:10]

                This week, reruns from the Nonsense Wellspring (archive)!

                Joey and Aaron talk about raiding Area 51, phatic expressions, inside jokes, lazy patriarchy, Mr. Mom-ism, and the inevitable queer Disney prince. They don't talk about sorghum flour.

                references

                • Original episodes: "Taking Care of Business and Meme Speak" and "Deprivation, Excess, and Disney Princes"
                  • 39 min
                • 74! The Mobile Gaming Stigma and Quarantine Intimacy

                  silver linings™

                  How can we destigmatize—and democratize— mobile gaming? And how might we maintain the intimacy we've developed during quarantine? [20:30]

                  This week, Aaron and Joey talk about Toon Blast, asking ourselves "am I the mayor?", how Dots is basically Candy Crush, small talk, Tom Figura's stand-up special, and doing "fine." They don't talk about whether Joey Tribbiani's "how you doin'" translates the same way.

                  references

                  • The Impossible Quiz and all the answers.

                    •  

                    44 min
                  • 73! Being Bored and Alleviating Millennial Burnout

                    silver linings™

                    How do we embrace boredom? And now that we have no excuses, when do we start doing all the things we've put off? [18:00]

                    This week, Joey and guest-with-absolutely-nothing-else-going-on Cristina talk about Joey's latest think piece, Jared Leto, Jess's meditative extracurricular, choosing what to wear, Cristina's to-do list, and the ways we distribute labor. They don't talk about the bad Isaac Newton stuff.

                    references

                    • Joey wrote a thing. Quartz: "How to Be Creative in the Coronavirus Pandemic"
                    • On Millennial Burnout
                      • 43 min
                    • 72! WFH and The Best Pies

                      How do you work from home? And what kind of pie is best? [21:36]

                      This week, Aaron, Joey, and Jess talk about being "WFH Curious," multi-tasking, taking stock of things, sweet potato soufflé, salmon pie, and Chicken Voilá. They don't talk about why Jess's family is so big on singing the Jell-o jingle.

                      45 min

                    About Critical Nonsense

                    From the publisher's feed

                    High-low brow conversations about anything and everything. Produced by SYLVAIN and hosted by Joey Camire, Aaron Powers, and Executive Producer/Nerd-Herder Jess Vander. SYLVAIN is a strategy and…