Critical Nonsense

What happened in 2019?

This week, a special end of the year episode! Joey, Aaron, and Jess talk about "Made in anywhere-but-America," Jim Carrey's Trump art, the Lancet paper, unicorn mac and cheese, and purpose-washing. They don't talk about the title of their Zuckerberg Lion King remake.

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Why are we obsessed with year-end wrap-ups? And when does performance on social media go wrong? [17:26]

This week, special guests Steven Ebert and Nora Mestrich join Joey to talk about Spotify Wrapped, Dunbar's Number puns, rebirth, vague-booking, trauma, and Walden. They don't talk about how we never edit out things in post that we say we will.

What should or could Thanksgiving music be?

This week, a special! Joey, Aaron, and Jess sing about crooning, country crooning, the elbow that keeps going, Heartstrings, Aaron's cornbread pro-tip, and the green bean casserole divide. They don't talk about how "pipette" translates to "little pipe" in English.

How much greatness is hiding in plain sight on the internet? And what if we took Thanksgiving more seriously? [17:29]

This week, Joey and Jess talk about 9M9H9E9, future Kafka, penny press newspapers, the Thankanator (coming soon to theatres), the Duchenne smile, and the Gratitude Turkey. They don't talk about which poultry cut is superior: white or dark meat (hint: there's a right answer).

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How do we fix customer service? And why do we make up work? [18:04]

This week, Aaron and Jess talk about Jess's new friend, Jonah, their worst flight ticketing blunders, Amazon's silver lining, fabric swatches, entry level usefulness, and allowing for agency. They don't talk about what a snerfherder (sp?) is.

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This week, our first ever live show! Joey, Aaron, Jess and special guest Daisy Walker (joined by Hot-Takers Osei, Hannah, Ilana, and Katie) talk about junk playgrounds, The Big Mike, the alternate and "maybe probably true" origin story of Santa, Heinz Mayomust, Dolly 'effin Parton, and sweatpants material. They don't talk about how we slyly convinced the whole audience to sing with us (in true, Nonsense fashion).

To skip around: Hot take 1 and Adult Play [2:45], Hot take 2 and Fungi [23:50], and Hot take 3 and the Lightning Round [50:34].

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How new is this generational divide? And what good is fear? [20:46]

This week, Joey and Aaron talk about "OK Boomers," the B.S. factory, Big Doorbell, a glissando of strings, Juice, and the effect of adrenaline on our brains. They don't talk about TikTok nor how a useful mnemonic for the generations could be Goop Slap But (Joneses) Xtremely Musical Zebra Appetites.

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What happened to the dinner party? And what's the value of storytelling? [16:38]

This week, Aaron and Joey talk about Betty Draper, "instagram tables," the only reason we clean, "narrative economics," seed libraries, and data translation. They don't talk about Ina, though she really deserves a mention for her venerable dinner hosting prowess.

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What is our responsibility to pigs? And what are we doing with the void of organized religion? [21:10]

This week, Jess, Joey, and magical guest Ilana talk about octopus gratitude, k-type versus r-type animals, "the PR crisis of raccoons", the Jewish New Year, thick and thin love, and our susceptibility to cults. They don't talk about how humans recently recorded pigs using tools for the first time.

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How is the LGBTQ community shaping modern comedy? And how do you manage a company's values in a global economy? [22:47]

This week, Joey and special guests Dylan Fowler and Osei Kwakye talk about Bowen Yang, "beefing down," Los Espookys, Daryl Morey's 7-word tweet, the forsaken Hearthstone player, and the time test of Space Jam. They don't talk about how Jess is actually afraid of 1993 Jurassic Park microvillain, Dennis Nedry.

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