Mt. Rushmore Podcast

Way back in Episode 10 of this show (Editor's Note: Yipes), we took a look at Video Games That Broke Your Heart. With more than a year of soul-crushing moments under our belts, we felt it was only right to expand this topic to include pretty much anything that has destroyed your spirit.

So why "things" and not "people?" Partially it's because no one wants to hear about the girl who stood you up at your junior prom (Editor's Note: THANKS A LOT DIANA!). But also because having a person break your heart at least gives you direct your anger toward. When it's a thing or an event, it's a lot tougher to make yourself feel better by assigning blame.

Except for this past Presidential Election. Plenty of blame to go around there.

SHOW NOTES

1:10 - Dinosaurs with feathers (Michael's Choice)

9:10 - Cat peed on Mean Gene's Burgers T-shirt (Richard's Choice)

15:09 - Notification from iPad that you've played 24 hours of "Solitaire" (Michael's Choice)

20:30 - The 2016 Presidential Election (Richard's Choice)

27:00 - When people choose to order from a lousy pizza chain (Michael's Choice)

33:26 - Germany 1, United States 0: 2002 World Cup Quarterfinal (Richard's Choice)

39:51 - Selling your comic book collection to make rent (Michael's Choice)

48:33 - Red Hot Chili Peppers concert last minute cancellation (Richard's Choice)

54:04 - Losing an audition for a Merchant-Ivory film (Jeff's Choice)

You know what is music to your ears? Music. But also an incredibly satisfying sound! Whether is the crackling of the fire on a cold winter day or the swish of a basketball going through the hoop, we all have sounds that make us feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Is our podcast on your Rushmore of Satisfying Sounds? Probably not! But we think you'll enjoy us talking about some of our favorite sounds just the same. SHOW NOTES

• The "pop" of opening a package of Pillsbury crescent rolls (Michael's Pick)

• The "twang" of a metal door stopper (Richard's Pick)

• The falling snow shovel that sounds like the intro guitar riff to "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (Michael's Pick)

• The cracking open of a beer can (Richard's Pick)

• Silence (Michael's Pick)

• A perfect strike in bowling (Richard's Pick)

• The Go-Away-Bird from "Animals Are Beautiful People" (Michael's Pick)

• A power chord (Richard's Pick)

There might be some controversy to the theory that having grandmothers as part of a family is why humans live longer than apes. But there's no controversy about the statement that grandmothers are great. (Even if they aren't "great grandmothers." Which doesn't mean they aren't great...look, you get the point.)

This week we look at the Rushmore of Grandmas - real and fictional. Just not Richard, Michael or Jeff's grandmothers, since that would be cheating. Some of these grandmothers are warm and caring. Others are foul and crass. But one thing they have in common is love. And being a lot older than us.

SHOW NOTES

• 1:25 - The Grandmother from "Little Red Riding Hood" (Michael's Pick)
• 6:41 - Olivia Foxworth from "Flowers in the Attic" (Richard's Pick)
• 9:34 - Larry Johnson as Grandmama from 1990s Converse commercials (Michael's Pick)
• 13:01 - Grandma Moses, famous folk art painter (Richard's Pick)
• 18:02 - Olenna Tyrell from "Game of Thrones" (Michael's Pick)
• 20:50 - Madea from "Every Madea Movie" (Richard's Pick)
• 25:38 - The Grandma That Got Run Over By a Reindeer from the Patsy and Elmo song "Grandma That Got Run Over By a Reindeer" (Michael's Pick)
• 28:37 - Granny from "The Beverly Hillbillies" (Richard's Pick)

When it comes to a road trip, sometimes it's less about the destination and more about how you get there. But is this also true when it comes to time travel devices? Sure, you could just go into a plain room like in "12 Monkeys," but where's the sense of style with that? Let's face it, driving a Delorean is cooler than going back to 1955 and having your mom try to get into your Calvin Kleins.

We explore the Rushmore of Time Travel Devices with the help of our good friend Paul Lurie, who suggested the topic. He is one of the best Duck Boat drivers in Boston, which means he knows a thing or two about cool forms of transportation. As far as we know, the Duck Boats aren't time travel devices, though. Yet.

So join us for an episode that was prerecorded, which means it's basically a time travel device right there. (And definitely not as cool as a Delorean.)

SHOW NOTES

• 1:36 - The Delorean from "Back to the Future" (Joint Choice)
• 7:34 - The Time Sled from "The Time Machine" and "Time After Time" (Joint Choice)
• 16:15 - The Map from "Time Bandits" (Michael and Richard's Choice)
• 34:08 - The Omega 13 from "Galaxy Quest" (Paul's Choice)
• 29:22 - The "Time Machine" from "Napoleon Dynamite) (Michael and Richard's Choice)
• 22:26 - The Phone Booth from "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" (Paul's Choice)

There's nothing like watching a great movie, only to have your blood boil every time a certain character appears onscreen. Sometimes the actor is giving a terrible performance. In other cases, they are TRYING to be annoying. And then there are great actors stuck portraying an awful character.

In wrestling it's known as "X-Pac Heat" but here we're just talking the Rushmore of Annoying Characters in Great Movies. Join Richard, Michael and Jeff as they overact, use grating accents and otherwise bug the hell out of you.

So, basically, it's another show.

SHOW NOTES

1:33 - Lina Lamont, "Singin' in the Rain" (Michael's Pick)

7:33 - Fabienne, "Pulp Fiction" (Richard's Pick)

10:55 - Willie Scott, "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" (Joint Pick)

14:36 - Mr. Yunioshi, "Breakfast at Tiffany's" (Richard's Pick)

18:20 - Ruby Rhod, "The Fifth Element" (Joint Pick)

22:52 - Roger Rabbit, "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" (Michael's Pick)

Nothing says "America" like loading up the family in the Volvo and spending the afternoon at IKEA. And we mean "afternoon" since there's no way you are getting out of there in less than two hours. After you're done, you can unwind by spending the rest of the evening loading giant boxes of plywood furniture from your car to your apartment and then trying to find the right Allen wrench to put your coffee table together.

This week we tackle the Rushmore of all things IKEA. From the quality of their goods to the suspicious content of their meatballs, it's a veritable "smorgasbord" of goodness. So grab a giant blue bag, drop the kids off at the playroom and get ready to shop 'til you drop.

SHOW NOTES

3:36 - Meatballs (Richard's Choice)

8:49 - Allen wrenches (Michael's Choice)

12:15 - Kids' Play Area, aka Smaland (Richard's Choice)

15:45 - The blue bag (Michael's Choice)

19:38 - Buying a bunch of random stuff you didn't plan on (Richard's Choice)

23:43 - People walking the wrong way/slow people (Michael's Choice)

29:09 - Buying stuff that is too big for your car (Richard's Choice)

32:38 - IKEA Product Names (Michael's Choice)

We'll be honest - we thought there was no way that we were going to be able to post this episode. Because of a series of unfortunate investments (I guess last week was a bad time to go all-in on United?) and gambling addictions, we were dead broke and didn't think we could afford the basic podcasting fees. But just when Mr. Willoughby from the bank was ready to foreclose on us, Jeff's eccentric rich uncle died and left him $1 million!

Does that garbage ending make you mad? Then prepare for a whole episode of that feeling, since we're talking the Mt. Rushmore of Deus ex Machinas! We get into times when something completely out of nowhere manages to save the hero or wrap up the story. Make sure you listen until the end, when we find the "Make Your Podcast Famous" button on our mixer and become bigger than Marc Maron or that guy who's been stalking Richard Simmons!

SHOW NOTES

00:00 - Introduction

03:22 - Michael's Choice: "Batman '66" - Batman and Robin are saved from a torpedo by an off-screen dolphin.

07:59 - Richard's Choice: "Signs" - Where the aliens are allergic to water after landing on a planet that is 70% water.

14:07 - Michael's Choice: "The Wizard of Oz" - The Wicked Witch of the West just happens to melt when making contact with water.

18:01 - Richard's Choice: "Toy Story 3" - The toys are saved from the incinerator by the Green Aliens using The Claw. (Note: a literally God Out of the Machine.)

22:50 - Michael's Choice: "The Lord of the Flies" - Ralph is miraculously rescued by a British naval officer and fleet.

28:30 - Richard's Choice: "Jurassic Park" - Hero T. Rex comes in out of nowhere to kill the Velociraptor and save the day.

34:30 - Michael's Choice: The Music Video for "The Goonies 'r' Good Enough" - Andre the Giant saves everyone, for some reason.

39:32 - Richard's Choice: "Raiders of the Lost Ark": Indy and Marion are saved when the Covenant of the Ark melts everyone's faces off.

The rivalry between slobs and snobs goes back to the earliest days of man. Ancient wall paintings tell us of Cro-Magnons, who were constantly annoyed by the loutish Neanderthals running around naked all day and banging their rocks all night while they were trying to make their advanced tools.

This week we explore the history of Slobs vs. Snobs in movies, sports and music. So, depending on your perspective, crack open a Busch Light or a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon and enjoy!

SHOW NOTES:

1:55 - "Meatballs" (Richard)

7:40 - "Caddyshack" (Michael)

13:23 - "Animal House" (Richard)

19:15 - "Demolition Man" (Michael)

25:58 - Halftime

27:24 - John Daly (Richard)

34:26 - "Fraiser" (Michael)

39:46 - "Common People" by Pulp

43:22 - The Who's "Quadrophenia"

47:53 - "Breaking Away" (Jeff)

49:40 - Jeff's Choices

Don't call it a comeback!... Wait, do. Do call it that.

Richard and Michael debate the most iconic Comebacks in music, acting, politics and their favorite category "whatever" this week as they try to figure out who has reached the highest highs, then the lowest lows, then a weird gooey middle, before hitting the highs again. Only Jeff can judge who belongs on Mt. Rushmore!

SHOW NOTES

Joint Choice

• Elvis' '68 Comeback Special

Michael's Choices

• Pee-Wee Herman
• 2004 MLB ALCS Boston Red Sox
• Jesus (H. Christ)

Richard's Choices

• Michael Jackson (Post-Death)
• Nixon's '68 Comeback Special
• Bjorn Borg

Hey, did you hear about the Mt. Rushmore Podcast? I heard from Phyllis in HR that they are doing an episode on Office Politics this week. Crazy, right? I shouldn't say too much, but the rumor going around is that Michael thought Richard was stealing his lunch from the fridge, so now they have to go in front of Jeff for arbitration.

Anyway, I'm sure they'll talk about a lot more than just that during their session. They are going to get into all kinds of juicy stuff that happens at the office. It's going to be so good! I can't wait until I hear more about it at the water cooler.

Also, could you not burn your popcorn in the microwave over your break, man? That's super rude.

SHOW NOTES

Michael's Choices

• HVAC Control
• Free Lunches
• Workplace Romances
• Passive Aggressive Notes

Richard's Choices

• Going Over Your Bosses' Head
• Confusing Org Charts/Job Titles
• Lunchroom TV Control
• Employee Reviews