Love Hate Relationship

Alex opens this episode with a discussion on the concept and phenomenon of G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Time) debates. He lays out the term’s history in basketball and Hip-Hop culture, and then he and Andy turn it to everything from hockey to guitarists to hockey to weightlifting and boxing and rap and even hockey. They lay out the purpose of the debate, what can be gleaned from having them, and even try their hand at one to short and hilarious results.

Shout out to Hip Hop DX for their videos on Basketball and Hip Hop and discussion of the term “G.O.A.T.” which were instrumental in research for this subject. Follow them, they’re great.

Andy comes to this one prepared to dissect everything he hates about the newest innovation in watching stuff, Video Streaming Platforms, and the abundance thereof. He and Alex break down the ones they use, the ones they actually pay for, and reminisce about that brief period of time where you could seemingly get everything you ever wanted with just Netflix and Hulu. They even dive into the ethics of piracy, a subject that is sure to result in very reasonable, not-at-all hyperbolic internet conversations.

For the first time in LHR history, one of our listeners writes in AGAIN to give an update on their situation. Harley Quinn returns to the podcast to tell us what’s happened at her place of employment since we’d last left off, what she plans to do following the latest BS that her boss and company president (The Joker and Mayor Hill, respectively) have attempted to pull, and she even receives an offer of assistance from one of the hosts.

Listen to Episode 10 here for Harley’s original question, and listen to this episode for a lot of angry swearing at people who aren’t Harley.

Following brief addresses on both last month’s midterm elections and the passing of Stan Lee, Andy brings the podcast to possibly its most niche topic ever, writer Mark Waid’s three-year comics run on Daredevil. He and Alex summarize a little about the character and the particular arc, and focus in on what a story can do when it lowers the stakes from the world-ending and centers it on personal drama. They also talk about how the artwork depicts a blind man’s senses, the use of D-list villains for unpredictable storytelling, and how Mark Waid manages to build a commentary on media and police manipulation by white supremacists back in 2014. Very minor spoilers, and with plenty of background for those who don’t follow comics much.

Not to be outdone by Andy’s niche-ness, Alex brings LHR to its most political, singling out an entire segment to call out Iowa’s 4th District representative, Steve King, the man so extreme that his own Republican Party regularly rebukes him. He runs down a shortlist of King’s most racist, homophobic, and misogynistic statements and legislative actions, including denying Medicaid coverage to women in cases of rape and incest, defending racial profiling, and spending $80k of his own money to campaign against pro-marriage equality judges (just to start). It’s an info dump for sure, but it’s followed with Andy’s entertainingly absolute horror at bullet point after bullet point of terrible Steve King stories.

A listener writes in to ask if they did the right thing in letting go a former partner who seemed to still not be over an ex. Alex and Andy inform them with the gusto that a beautiful, powerful, awesome-as-hell listener of theirs deserves that they’re totally in the right and any doubt about it should be shunted into the abyss where their now ex and that ex’s ex will probably end up if they don’t sort out their BS. 

Love Hate Relationship welcomes guest host, Mac and Cheese Connoisseur Moriah Boell (@moraiuhuh), who has brought the Love for us all today: the stop-motion religious satire, Moral Orel. She, along with Alex and Andy, dive into the various characters and all the ways in which they’re super broken as people, the dark and twisted plot lines satirizing on biblical literalism and stereotypes about evangelical families, and why Moriah argues that the show isn’t mocking religion so much as mocking hypocrites.

Andy and Alex chose this one together, and it shows. They ramble and yell about how while some studios and creatives are working to make excellent, thoughtful reboots of both well-known and under-served properties (looking at you 21 Jump Street and 90’s Mummy), others are shallow, trend-chasing garbage fires that ignore everything wonderful about previous iterations in favor of cheap humor (3 Stooges), big name actors (Tom Cruise Mummy), and half-assed effects and marketing (The Thing). Everyone gets angry and it’s generally delightful.

A musically-inclined listener writes in to ask for some advice on finding people to casually jam with now that they’re ten years out of high school and it’s been just as long since they’ve picked up their guitar. Andy recommends mining workplaces and already existing social circles while Mo suggests getting into an actual music scene, and Alex just tells them to go back to school already.

This episode, Alex dives into the 1960’s psychedelic rock band, The Doors, with a caveat: he and Andy agree to have almost the entirety of the discussion without referencing their lead singer, the one most of you are most familiar with. They talk about the versatility of the three instrumentalists, how they blended those skills into the band’s unmistakable style, and why it is that fans have so much trouble caring about the members of their favorite musical acts who aren’t the frontmen.

Andy with the hot takes comes in to talk about all of the reasons why he hates the National Collegiate Athletic Association, from their cabalistic leadership to their profit-first model of operations to scandal after scandal after scandal. He mentions their noble origins as an organizing body (founded by Teddy effing Roosevelt), Alex takes the chance to rail at the universities that kowtow to them, and everyone comes away feeling just a little dirtier.

One of our marvelous listeners writes in to ask for advice on how to deal with envious thoughts when faced with the successes of the other people around them, particularly those seen on Facebook and social media. Andy recs social media hiatuses and empathetic practice while Alex brings in stuff like therapy and the (potentially crunchy) practice of congratulating first and thinking second.

It’s a podcast partly about podcasters this episode as Andy explains to Alex all about the McElroy brothers, best known for their shows My Brother, My Brother and Me, The Adventure Zone, and a plethora of additional projects. They discuss the brothers’ heartwarming beginnings, the podcast boom which they arguably helped usher in, and how genuinely awesome they all seem to be as people, and their seemingly superhuman ability to generate a prodigious amount of content.

Alex once again addresses the audience from the bottom of his stomach as he takes on Organic Food, and all of the reasons why it’s an over-hyped, market-manipulated scam. Andy learns about organic-approved pesticides, Alex screams at the USDA, and everyone generally gets reminded to be madder at corporate marketers than at super crunchy moms shopping at Whole Foods.

Citations: Forbes: Why I Don’t Buy Organic, And Why You Might Not Want To Either; The Telegraph: Think organic food is better for you, animals, and the planet? Think again

A listener writes in asking about how to deal with an awful boss when the straight-up president of their company seems to sweep the matter under the rug. Andy takes the opportunity to recommend olive branches and peaceful, empathetic reaching out to a potentially troubled soul, while Alex basically suggests armoring up (with documentation) and going in gun a-blazin’ (with a presentation on workplace efficiency).

For the first time ever, Alex and Andy are recording together, in the same room, facing each other! And how best to use this opportunity than for Alex to talk about his very favorite of all foods, burritos. He talks about his somewhat wistful, reverent relationship with the meal that essentially carried him through a cross-country solo road trip, Andy gives recs regarding fast food Mexican, and Alex gives you his personal recipe for the most delicious vegan burritos you’ve ever had. (Text at the bottom of these show notes)*

Andy, a lifelong comic book fan, rails and flails angrily at the very worst of comic book fans, namely white cis-dudes who complain on the internet about diversity. Alex, another hardcore comic book fan, joins him, and the two have a bonanza running down the history of creators and franchises telling diverse and politically-charged stories, and how every childish man-baby complaining about SJW’s ruining their culture don’t know what the hell they’re talking about. LHR at its very rant-iest.

One of you brilliant, gorgeous, immensely awesome audience-members writes in to ask about how to build an audience willing to pay money for their art. Alex and Andy discuss freelance services, working for free, being realistic, and maybe finally come to terms with just how hilariously unqualified they probably are to comment on the subject.

*Alex’s Vegan Burritos

Following his take-down of a certain frustrating fantasy author last episode, Andy comes in this time with a hyper-real literary icon, the incomparable Hunter S. Thompson. He talks about Thompson’s background, his unflinching devotion to subjective journalism, and what his writing makes of the American Dream. Alex meanwhile interrogates the politics of that writing, and both of them more or less agree that the Fear and Loathing movie might not be as great as some may remember it.

Alex brings it down to the super general as he discusses the very notion of Traditions, shouting about internet-friendly topics like circumcision, spanking children, and college sports. Andy gives some wholesome examples of nice traditions from his own life and Alex desperately tries not to come off like a cynic.

A listener reaches out for ideas on how to tactfully fire her hairdresser, who also happens to be a drinking buddy. Alex and Andy both emphasize communication in friendships along with the arguably greater importance of being happy with your own hair, and everyone is reminded that alcohol can be a great lubricant for bad news.

Only a little late following the premiere of the show’s fifth season, Alex talks up one of his very favorite TV shows out there, Bojack Horseman. Following a spoiler-ridden discussion of characters, comedy, animal puns, and darkness, he and Andy dive into the show’s depiction of Existential Nihilism, a little about the philosophy, and why it resonates with Alex so hard. Big shout out to Youtube Channel Wisecrack for their excellent videos going deep into this topic, which can and should be watched here:

The Philosophy of BOJACK HORSEMAN – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rORIDYHOFTQ

Andy comes down hard this episode on writer, producer, showrunner, and architect of joy and misery, George RR Martin. They discuss his career (which features exactly one more Ron Perlman reference than you expected), his A Song of Ice and Fire novels (which Andy loves), the show Game of Thrones (which Alex hasn’t watched), then actually have a long, meaningful conversation about what an artist does or does not owe to the audiences that love their work.

A listener writes in with the good news that they’ve gotten a new job (yay, congrats!), and the fear that in taking it, they’ll lose touch with the tight-knit community of friends from their last gig. Andy and Alex offer practical advice on maintaining long-distance friendships (which may or may not include a suggestion to start a podcast), and some reassurance about the weird, quirky ways that friendly adult relationships sometimes look.

Back to form this episode as Andy talks up the concept of one’s “Happy Place.” He discusses his love of the mountains (and beer) of Canada, the nostalgia that fuels his love of them, and Alex works very hard not to spend the entire segment making dirty jokes while dissecting this complex psychological phenomenon.

Alex brings the rage to yell about the stereotype of “tortured artists” in society, and the notion that creators need to be traumatized and suffering to be any good. They discuss examples where we forget how hard these so-called broken people work to hone their crafts, and how truly mundane and boring that process can be. Plenty of ranting and maybe some stories you’ve never heard before.

One of Alex’s online weightlifting connections sends in a question about how exactly to break off a relationship with a training partner who doesn’t seem to quite get how homophobic and misogynistic he is acting. Andy recommends smart ways minimize conflict and both of them agree that the phrase “hooked up with” is needlessly confusing.

In a departure from our usual format, Love Hate Relationship is proud to present our first ever Triple Love Special, all about the life, career, loss, and impact of the incomparable Robin Williams.

In this episode, Alex and Andy along with our special guest host, Stephanie Renae Johnson (Poet, Editor of The Passed Note, a literary magazine for young adults, and a Hook/Peter Pan aficionado from way back) do a full deep-dive into Robin Williams as a pillar of culture. We discuss his early years both at Julliard and as a street performer in San Francisco (down the street from Andy’s forefathers, apparently), and his transition into film and television, including how people seem to forget he did serious stuff like The World According to Garp the same year as Popeye.

We also talk about the idea that everyone post a certain time has one or two defining Robin Williams movies which were instrumental to their childhoods (lots of Hook and Mrs. Doubtfire talk, trashing Disney, and even an origin story linking Alex and Andy’s friendship to Night at the Museum). We mention his progressive politics and insistence on just doing as much good as he could in the world while he was still on it, and of course, some talk of death, suicide, and what we really can know about the struggles of the people we admire.

No Hate this episode, no Relationship advice, just 85 minutes of a man we have absolutely nothing but Love for, which we hope to share with you. Follow Stephanie on Twitter at @srenaewrites, and we’ll be back to regular format on the Tuesday after next.

NOTE: This episode was recorded slightly out of order from when it was released, so you’ll hear one or two references to other discussions we’ve had previously, but which have not yet been released. They aren’t a big deal to this discussion and you’ll hear them in a couple of weeks. We promise. Don’t tweet us about it, ya animals.