Off the Clock w/Jon Eks

On this episode of Off the Clock, I’m joined by my pal Caleb, who has earned a Master’s degree, is a drummer for two different bands here in Denver, a middle school English teacher, and owner of one of the finest mohawk hairstyles I have ever seen. Here’s some of what we talk about:

First Question: What is the gnarliest pit you have ever been in?

• we re-live some old times when Caleb was on the old show 7 years ago, his time living in “Casa Basura,” and compare what the hell it costs to live in this city in 2025
• tattoo talk! matchies (his matching ass tattoo story is worth the price of admission alone), distribution, firsties, etc. 
• we also both a have Rise Against Siren Song of the Counterculture tattoo, so we gush about that band for a while
• former heroes of ours who turned out to be dipsh*ts, abusers, predators, or otherwise dumb*sses – also, especially f*ck Brand New
• how do we use our positions of privilege – straight, white, cis, hetero men – for greater good and to support others without privilege
• Master’s degree, job stuff, and giving young minds plenty to grapple with through literature
• how is it being in two bands? and how was it stepping in for Curly in All Waffle Trick after his unfortunate passing?
• Caleb shares his favorite authors and I chime in with a few of mine
• how much does Caleb tell the kids about his life outside of school?
• why does this scene continue to be great?
• what’s the over/under on how many songs until Caleb takes off his shirt during a set?

Punk Rock Fright Night Tickets here.

All Waffle Trick Linktree.

Younger Than Neil Linktree.

Theme song by Sorry Sweetheart.

Logo by Nebulus Visions.

Produced by Deft Communications.

Engage with the show on Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky. 

Recorded at Ratio Beerworks RINO.

On this episode of Off the Clock, I’m joined by my pal Brady, who I met when he was a site director for our school’s childcare provider, and who’s become a worthy beer pong opponent and one of my favorite homies. Here’s some of what we talk about:

First Question: What compelled you to work with kids professionally?

• where did Brady go to college, what did he major in, and what was his initial career path?
• how does he maintain his chill when a group of kids is jumping on his last nerve?
• why did Brady taking a liking to our family and what was it about our vibe that endeared us to him?
• what makes Brady such a killer beer pong player and where did he get his reps?
• we talk ball! where did he play on the floor? how’s his speed? his hops (can he dunk?) his 3-ball? his statline? 
• we talk about Brady’s old man and what he’s like
• why making kids a “good hang” is a valuable goal as a parent and an educator
• life in a small town, why Brady was tagged as a “city kid” from an early age, and why he loves Denver, including one of his favorite concerts at Cervantes
• we talk about Brady’s ultimate Southern feast, his grandpa and his love of sweet tea
• his personal take on our school closing and how it impacted him
• why getting a start in a new place is so liberating
• Brady’s NBA predictions – Lakers, Cavs, Celtics, Nuggets, Thunder, and more!
• Brady’s advice for what it is to be a good dude

Theme song by Sorry Sweetheart.

Logo by Nebulus Visions.

Produced by Deft Communications.

Engage with the show on Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky. 

Recorded at Ratio Beerworks RINO.

#OTCQuickies are mini solo episodes where I address a question or a topic in service of trying to be a good dude in the world. Today's topic is:

Grow Up and Answer the Phone

I feel like three fucking times a day I see a meme or a joke or a post about how people are afraid to answer the phone or how they never make calls or how anxiety-riddled phone calls are. My response: Grow up and get over yourself. What kind of dork ass baby are you?

Here are some reasons to be not afraid of the phone:

1. Talking to a friend is a quick dopamine hit.

2. Getting comfortable talking to strangers gets you great customer service, makes you fearless, and helps deepen your empathy for all sorts of people.

3. This self-imposed isolation has made our politics worse, coarsened the way we interact with each other, and been detrimental to society as a whole. 

So get over yourself and don't be afraid of talking on the phone. 

Theme song by Sorry Sweetheart.

Logo by Nebulus Visions.

Produced by Deft Communications.

Engage with the show on Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky. 

On this episode of Off the Clock, I’m joined by my wife and favorite person in the entire world Kristin. We get compliments on our marriage A LOT, so why not lay down some audio and let you peek through the keyhole for an hour? Here’s some of what we talk about:

First Question: How do you react when people tell us how great our marriage is?

how dumb it is as a society that we have our healthcare tied to our employer

why and how going through infertility sucks so bad

the time we installed a vanity in our bathroom that put our marriage to the test

the story of how our (possibly autistic) cat Finn was the first to know Kristin was pregnant

Kristin’s professional journey and some cryptic talk about what her next chapter is

what we think is the absolute bottom line thing about our marriage that is most important and why our marriage works so well

what words do we think the other pronounces weird?

having been together for 21 years, what annoys us about the other person?

why we’re so polite to each other, even after all this time

the thing that gives me the most consternation about parenting

the best compliments we can give each other with regard to how our lives turned out

why you need to have the tough conversations about every topic under the sun (you’ll be better off)

Theme song by Sorry Sweetheart.

Logo by Nebulus Visions.

Produced by Deft Communications.

Engage with the show on Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky. 

Recorded at our house.

#OTCQuickies are mini solo episodes where I address a question or a topic in service of trying to be a good dude in the world. Today's topic is:

Get Over Yourself and See a Damn Doctor

I went from trying to choke to death in my sleep 50+ times an hour to having only 5 obstructive apnea events per night. I am no longer in the express lane hurtling toward an early death, and the reason I'm not is because I made the conscious choice to go see a doctor and fix what was wrong with me.

On this #OTCQuickie, I share my insights from grappling with sleep apnea, encourage my fellow dudes to get over themselves and go to a doctor. Seriously, the doctor already knows you're fat and that you drink too much, deal with it. 

I also kick off this show with a brief discussion about Charlie Kirk and why you won't see me weighing in on him in public, gun culture in general, the incendiary rhetoric that comes from the very top in this country, and why it's okay to sit some of this cultural dialogue out. 

Theme song by Sorry Sweetheart.

Logo by Nebulus Visions.

Produced by Deft Communications.

Engage with the show on Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky. 

On this episode of Off the Clock, I’m joined by my pal Jay, who I haven’t seen in person in like 7 years, but think about a lot. Reach out to people you like and do it out of the blue. Why not?! Here’s some of what we talk about:

First Question: Why am I wrong about A.I.?

Jay tries to convince me of his belief that there will be a handful of companies worth billions of dollars running everything, and that everything else will be automation (needless to say, I don’t agree – but we dive into it extensively!)

a fake comedic pitch he did online where a friend of his tries to convince a Shark Tank-style audience that we should replace cars with llamas

why it’s a travesty that we haven’t connected more in the intervening years and why we both perceived our relationship (wrongly) as hierarchical

friends that energize you vs friends that drain you

the importance of platonic male friendship, especially as you get older

Jay isn’t good at receiving praise – and I catch him trying to deflect it from me!

yet another reference by me of the Johari Window

the dangers of over-utilizing self-reliance

we talk about our views on masculinity, fatherhood and prioritizing your values

Jay turns the tables on me and starts interviewing me with a bunch of rapid fire questions about Hamilton, cybertrucks, wet socks, Halloween candy and a ton more (this is really fun, btw)

Find all of Jay’s stuff at his website.

Theme song by Sorry Sweetheart.

Logo by Nebulus Visions.

Produced by Deft Communications.

Engage with the show on Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky. 

Recorded at Jay’s office in Golden, CO.

On this episode of Off the Clock, I’m joined by my long-time pal Shahara. Here’s some of what we talk about:

First Question: Has anyone hit you up to plan a 25th high school reunion this year?

we reminisce about the epic reunion we planned in 2021 and get deep in our feelings about the event and our class in general

the evolution of our hometown of Golden

why Shahara has given up alcohol and why she doesn’t miss it at all

what Jesus would think of today’s moment and how his portrayal has been totally bastardized

why she abandoned her master’s degree in “consciousness studies” and is now pursuing a degree in nursing

we get into the Tao, stoicism, Buddhism, aversion, avoidance, death, who we are as divine expressions and… my god, I love talking to Shahara

as it pertains to living in America in 2025: how to discern where to let things go and where to take action, fight and make things better for us all

how to use associations to make your memory better – e.g. how to remember so many names of pharmaceuticals without losing your mind

“the curse of the gifted child”

why you shouldn’t be afraid to change careers at any point in your life

dharma – and why it matters

Find Shahara on Instagram.

Theme song by Sorry Sweetheart.

Logo by Nebulus Visions.

Produced by Deft Communications.

Engage with the show on Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky. 

Recorded outside Humble House Café in Downtown Golden, CO.

#OTCQuickies are mini solo episodes where I address a question or a topic in service of trying to be a good dude in the world. Today's topic is:

Grindcore Culture Is the New Amish Lifestyle

"Burning Man is for the olds. Just ask the AI kids" is the name of an article I read recently that mentioned "grindcore culture."  Here's a pertinent passage from the piece:

"Daksh Gupta, the 23-year-old cofounder of AI code review Greptile, said Burning Man hasn’t really been part of the zeitgeist since he moved to San Francisco in 2023. 

"Gupta, who has become a poster child of AI boom’s grindcore culture, summarized the current mood among young tech workers in San Francisco as incompatible with the Burner sensibility: 'The current vibe is no drinking, no drugs, 9-9-6 [work from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week], lift heavy, run far, marry early, track sleep, eat steak and eggs.'" 

Congratulations! You've invented how to be Amish with a computer! I dig into this concept more, why I think it completely misses the point of life, advocate for art and beauty, and get an assist from the movie Dead Poets Society. 

Reminder: You are not your fucking job, and you will never be able to turn yourself into a robot, so go touch some grass.

Theme song by Sorry Sweetheart.

Logo by Nebulus Visions.

Produced by Deft Communications.

Engage with the show on Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky. 

On this episode of Off the Clock, I’m joined by my friend and co-star Banana J, the iconic symbol of the punk rock mosh pit. Here’s some of what we talk about:

First Question: When did you first put on the banana suit?

• why did Banana J move to Colorado, and, sub-question: what is his record for most days on the snowboard hill in a season?
• does he ever feel pressure or resentment about putting on the banana suit? and does he ever go to shows incognito?
• I tell a story about who I thought Banana J was, and who I assumed he was related to. this story won’t make sense if you’re outside the Denver scene, but if you are, I am 99% sure it will make you laugh
• which band triggered his love of punk rock, whom he also wrote a report about in 5th grade?
• who is his favorite band?
• how many shows does he go to in a year? and how does he count festivals with multiple bands and multiple days?
•  how’s his body holding up after that many shows and that many pits? what are his gnarliest injuries?
• we talk about punk rock dads, our pals Rob & Lula, and the sweetest people in the punk rock scene
• how does he afford seeing so many shows? how often does he get hooked up with comps? and is he a “trust fund banana?”
• who are the biggest people he’s ever helped crowd surf?
•  we discuss co-starring in The Frickashinas’ music video for their cover of “Day-O” and how that was one of the most fun nights of our lives
• is there anyone left on his list that he hasn’t seen yet in the banana suit?

Find Banana J on Instagram.

Theme song by Sorry Sweetheart.

Logo by Nebulus Visions.

Produced by Deft Communications.

Engage with the show on Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky. 

Recorded at my house.

#OTCQuickies are mini solo episodes where I address a question or a topic in service of trying to be a good dude in the world. Today's topic is:

Why AI Will Never Take Over the World

I read a piece in The Atlantic by Charlie Warzel called "AI Is a Mass Delusion Event," which inspired this Quickie. It's well-reasoned and well-written, and it triggered my memory from a couple of weeks ago of a recent rejection of a data center by City of Tucson. I reference a Tucson Sentinel story about it in this episode, which you can find here. One thing overlooked by both tech bros and the evangelical true believers is that for all their pie-in-the-sky posturing, they have one giant obstacle in front of them: Local governments who answer to their residents about how resources are allocated. This episode is worth 8 minutes of your time. Agree? Disagree? Drop me a note! Share the episode on your platforms!

Theme song by Sorry Sweetheart.

Logo by Nebulus Visions.

Produced by Deft Communications.

Engage with the show on Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky.