Give Us the Launch Codes

No one is safe from scams, not even you. Travis and Tom talk about all the times people have tried to scam them and their families - from fake calls from the government to emails about fake online security bills to creepy phone calls to grandparents pretending to be their grandkids. A fruitful discussion in what is our shortest episode yet!

NOTE: None of us here at GUTLC Productions are experts on this subject matter as Travis & Tom's advice is only based on their personal experiences. For the expert advice including some scams that we didn't think to mention, check out these resources from the Federal Trade Commission (at least before the Trump/Musk administration takes it down, probably):

https://consumer.ftc.gov/scams

Clips Cited

• Full Metal Jacket. Directed by Stanley Kubrick, performance by R. Lee Ermey, Warner Bros., 1987.

Six episodes in and we are already running out of things to talk about. Lord help us all!

Sticking with the theme of television, Travis & Tom have a new sub-series called, "F*** It!" where they each discuss a movie or TV show that the other hasn't seen. Travis tries his darn-dest to enthuse upon the surrealist magic of 'Twin Peaks' without spoiling anything. Later as Tom revels in the violent thrill of 300, he discovers that he might be one of those guys whose idea of talking about how great a movie is to just spoil what happens in said movie. It's the David Lynch vs. Zack Snyder showdown you never asked for!

Hopefully, they'll have something more productive to talk about next time.

Clips Cited

• 300. Directed by Zack Snyder, performance by Gerard Butler, Warner Bros. Pictures, 2006
• "The Man Behind the Glass." Twin Peaks, written by Robert Engles, directed by Lesli Linka Glatter, performance by Miguel Ferrer, Spelling Television, 1990.

Travis & Tom react a chaotic week filled with shouting matches, costly tariffs, and wacky speeches all happening in the District of Columbia. They contemplate witnessing the fall of their own nation as well as what is the proper decorum when shopping for groceries. By the way, don't blame us if the stuff we talk about becomes outdated by the time we put this out. We're still working out our scheduling kinks on how to make these things as timely as possible.

(Also, the song Tom is thinking of is "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding" by Elvis Costello & The Attractions.

Clips Cited

• “Full Meeting between President Trump, VP Vance and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy in Oval Office.” YouTube, uploaded by C-SPAN, February 28, 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pxbGjvcdyY&ab_channel=C-SPAN
• “Lindsay Graham calls on Zelenskyy to resign after Trump argument.” YouTube, uploaded by Guardian News, February 28, 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18oqMGLWcRA&ab_channel=GuardianNews
• Men in Black. Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, performance by Tommy Lee Jones, Columbia Pictures, 1997.
• “Patch Over.” Sons of Anarchy. written by Jams D. Parriott, directed by Paris Barclay, FX Networks, 2008.
• Tombstone. Directed by George P. Cosmatos, performance by Kurt Russell, Hollywood Pictures, 1993.

Music Cited

• “Frolic” by Luciano Michelini, 1974

Change of pace from the droning wasteland that is current events, Tom and Travis take a break to talk about their favorite TV dads - some good, some bad, and some just plain wacky. Amazingly this is our longest episode [yet] - which is why there are no audio clips from any of these shows because that would just be a pain in our editor's butt! And if any of y'all are complaining that we didn't talk about YOUR favorite TV dad, you can take that complaint and put it right next to Red Foreman's foot!

Shows Discussed

• All in the Family (1971-1979)
• Band of Brothers (2001)
• Battlestar Galactica (2003-2009)
• Bob’s Burgers (2009-present)
  • “V for Valentine-detta” (S8E8, 2018)
• The Brady Bunch (1969-1974)
• Everybody Loves Raymond (1996-2005)
• Frasier (1993-2004)
• The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990-1996)
• Friday Night Lights (2006-2011)
  • “El Accidente” (S1E6, 2006)
• Friends (1994-2004)
• King of the Hill (1997-2010)
• The King of Queens (1998-2007)
• Married… with Children (1987-1997)
• M*A*S*H (1972-1983)
• Parenthood (2010-2015)
• Saved by the Bell (1989-1993)
• Sons of Anarchy (2008-2015)
• Star Trek (1966-1969)
  • +Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
  • +Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)
  • +Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-1999)
  • “Indiscretion” (S4E4, 1995)
• Star Trek: Enterprise (2001-2005)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation
  • “The Icarus Factor” (S2E14, 1989)
• Succession (2018-2023)
• That ‘70s Show (1998-2006)

As the Trump/Musk administration and specifically the new goon squad known comically as "DOGE" continue to fire people left and right without thinking things through, Tom & Travis let out their stream of consciousnesses into an unfiltered and unstructured mess of grievances, armchair philosophies, wishful thinking, and movie quotes. Will this be an enjoyable experience? YOU DECIDE!

Audio Clips from the following films:

• Network. Directed by Sidney Lumet, performance by Peter Finch, United Artists, 1976.
• Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Directed by George Lucas, performances by Peter Cushing and Don Henderson, 20th Century Fox, 1977.
• “The Target.” The Wire, story by David Simon & Ed Burns, teleplay by David Simon, directed by Clark Johnson, performances by Seth Gilliam and Domenick Lombardozzi, HBO Entertainment, 2002.
• W. Directed by Oliver Stone, performances by Richard Dreyfus and Jeffrey Wright, Lionsgate, 2008.

Travis & Tom talk about how the blatant corruption and incompetence currently seen in the new Trump/Musk administration make them nostalgic for when conspiracy theories assumed the government was actually run by evil geniuses. They talk about TV shows and movies that do conspiracy theories - particularly 'The X-Files' and 'Stargate', why people believe in conspiracy theories, and whether or not we should even use the term "conspiracy theories".

Audio clip from:

"Gay Frogs (Alex Jones REMIX)." YouTube, uploaded by placeboing, 22 June 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JRLCBb7qK8&ab_channel=placeboing

Longtime friends Travis and Tom try this podcasting thing out for the first time.

Recorded from Travis's dump apartment in otherwise-beautiful Long Beach, CA, these two random dudes talk about some of the news of the world circa the week before Super Bowl LIX. Then Travis goes into an armchair philosophical rant about the nature of borders, nations, and citizenship.

If you hear any weird noises in the background, blame Travis's dog.