Off the Clock w/Jon Eks

On this episode of Off the Clock, I’m joined by my friends Alan and Victor. They’re both multi-hyphenate creators, lifelong best friends, and recently collaborated for the first time professionally on the short film Always Most of the Time. Here’s some of what we talk about:

First question: What is the thing that has surprised you most about making a movie together?

• why I, as a white man, am frequently uncomfortable having conversations about race and what to do about it (hint: show up with curiosity, not prescriptions)
• the male loneliness epidemic and how to fix it? 
• the importance of a film editor – a great editor can elevate a mediocre film and a lousy editor can make a good movie terrible
• writing a story from the perspective of someone who wronged you and the deep empathy that implies
• how friends work through disagreements on a creative project without torpedoing the project or the friendship
• the origin of their friendship and a pushup contest that wasn’t
• culturally why men (and the unique perspective of black men on this issue) are frequently sizing each other up – also! New York vs Atlanta
• why for Victor and I that our marriage is like the easiest thing in our lives, but also how much work we put into it
• taking a “Hippocratic Oath” of friendship

Check out Always Most of the Time at Victor's website. Find Alan here.

Theme song by Sorry Sweetheart.

Logo by Nebulus Visions.

Produced by Deft Communications.

Engage with the show on Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky. 

Recorded over Google Meet.

On this episode of Off the Clock, I’m joined by my friend Jeff, a wine enthusiast, the person I text the most with about the Nuggets and The King of Thornton. Here’s some of what we talk about:

First question: Who is your favorite Denver Nugget and why is it LaPhonso Ellis?

• is Jeff introverted? no, he just doesn’t care. let him explain.
• trying to describe wine without sounding like a pretentious douche – although we were drinking out of crystal, so idk
• a whole bunch of Denver Metro nostalgia featuring Thornton, Englewood, Applewood, and Arvada
• the self-assuredness to even do a podcast, much less do it successfully
• what percentage of each of the two of us is gay. the proportions might surprise you.
• why growing up when he did was the worst time to grow up and realize you’re gay.
• Karl Malone vs John Starks (or remembering some guys) (or how our 90s basketball taste differs)
• how many Jeffs we have in our lives, how it seems to be dying out and what the names are like now
• more music obsession including deep cuts from Bob Dylan, Frampton Comes Alive!, “Take It On the Run” by REO Speedwagon and more
• Bill Simmons (again), hating self-promotion, and selling out.

Find Jeff at his shows CSG Podcast and The GenX Show.

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 over a bottle of Orin Swift’s Abstract.

On this episode of Off the Clock, I’m joined by my friend Conor, one of my best friends of my entire life, but someone I haven’t talked to with our actual voices since the pandemic. This is one of the most honest and intimate chats I’ve ever had in any public-facing format. Here’s some of what we talk about:

First question: When you think back on all of our time together, what memory floats to the top first?

• why a near death experience in his youth contributed to Conor’s nihilistic approach to life in his teens and 20s
• Conor’s superlative musical taste and how there’s basically no punk scene in God’s country
• which state is the absolute worst to drive through?
• we compare notes about living in a deep blue district in Denver vs ruby red South Dakota and share some surprising insights
• the absolute funniest and most accurate description of my dad that I’ve ever heard
• Conor’s ebullient joy at Rory McIlroy winning The Masters
• we get deep in our #FEELINGS about male friendship and our shared history
• Conor’s unbelievable ability to just devastate me by accurately assessing my personality and taking me down a peg or two (complimentary)
• Conor’s low key ball skills and how well he can dish the rock
• the first defense of buying a $200 bottle of whiskey that has actual credibility to me

Theme song by Sorry Sweetheart.

Logo by Nebulus Visions.

Produced by Deft Communications.

Engage with the show on Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky. 

Recorded via Google Chat.

On this episode of Off the Clock, I’m joined by my friend Reed, a dude I’ve known for 20+ years, a man with the voice of a god, and an all-around ray of sunshine. Here’s some of what we talk about:

First question: When was the last time you watched The Big Chill?

• the best friends are ones that you can go months without talking to each other and just pick it back up like no time has passed
• the beauty of the song “Audience of One” by Rise Against
• our candidness about mental health, body image, the constant assault of our adult schedules
• why you should call your friends and not just text them
• [a f*cking siren from a fire truck interrupts us because we’re sitting on a patio]
• why and how Reed is, in fact, smarter than the average bear and having faith in yourself
• when you’re in your 40s how hard the movie City Slickers now hits
• how would 18 year old you look at your current life?
• we’re pretty sure we’re living in the alternate 1985 timeline from Back to the Future II
• we debate fandom of Bill Simmons (yes, we’re middle aged white guys. how did you know?)
• a long discussion of music including boy bands, Radiohead, girly pop, yacht rock, bands you choose to listen to in the car, and a lot more
• who in your life is allowed to be the meanest to you? 

Theme song by Sorry Sweetheart.

Logo by Nebulus Visions.

Produced by Deft Communications.

Engage with the show on Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky. 

Recorded at Prodigy Coffeehouse.

On this episode of Off the Clock, I’m joined by my friend Diana, one of the fiercest and warmest women I know, a great storyteller, and one of the most driven professionals I've ever met. Here’s some of what we talk about:

First question: What is the most baller way of dropping off your child at a birthday party?

• stories of crooked Colombian priests, escaping Pablo Escobar’s men and fleeing to America
• steering your kids away from classmates whose parents suck
• the origin of her love of medicine because nurses let her sneak in as a kid during her mom’s treatment and prep for brain surgery
• her fearlessness in standing up to bullsh*t authority
• we unpack some of the saga of our elementary school getting closed 
• our insanely all over the map musical tastes including Limp Bizkit! DMX! George Strait! Brooks & Dunn! Metallica!
• what it’s like acclimating to America in the 90s and being the only non-white person in her school 
• the Max show The Pitt, nurses who smoke, empathy and violence against medical practitioners
• travel stories of Europe and Mexico and how she knew she loved her now husband
• the counter instinct of wanting people to reply “no” to your wedding invitation and our weirdly synchronous anniversary dates

Theme song by Sorry Sweetheart.

Logo by Nebulus Visions.

Produced by Deft Communications.

Engage with the show on Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky. 

Recorded on my back porch. 

On this episode of Off the Clock, I’m joined by my friend Jeff, lead singer of a kickass band, koozie enthusiast, Here’s some of what we talk about:

First question: You’re in a band. How do you feel about people your band’s shirt to your own show?

• how people react when they find out he’s in a band
• the remedy for the male loneliness epidemic in this country
• our age difference revealed by which of us can drive a stick shift and which can’t
• aging out of some the music we loved when we were younger, and aging out of songs he’s written
• playing music a million miles an hour and how to integrate a new drummer into that insanity
• we rank Zebrahead lead singers (excluding Ali)
• singing a silly song about self-love in the grimly serious style of Tom Waits
• how great video game soundtracks used to be (hi “Not the Same” by Bodyjar!) 
• the eternal struggle of wanting to revisit the nostalgic music you love vs staying up on new music
• how many koozies does Jeff actually have? (the answer will likely surprise you)
• advice to bands about how to create the scene you want to be in, how to level yourself up, and why Denver’s scene is really good
• Jeff’s ultimate 4 band lineup to play with

Find Jeff at All Waffle Trick’s website, on Facebook and 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 Platt Park Brewing. 

On this episode of Off the Clock, I’m joined by my friend Nick who is an incredibly knowledgeable historian, dynamite wrestling promoter, and ace shit stirrer. Here’s some of what we talk about:

First question: Why are you such a mark for a character in the Bible that doesn’t even have a speaking role?

• a LONG history of the iterations of Satan/Satanism, Judaism, Christianity and other religions ranging from discussions about romantic writers, the central tension between Christians and Jews, a reference to the HBO show Silicon Valley and all the religious orthodoxy criticism you can handle
• the discomfort associated with the cultural de-centering of white masculinity and why that has led to our current cultural moment
• why people who are intellectually curious but have no critical thinking skills are drawn to the hero narrative of conspiracy theories
• a history of oppression and discrimination against marginalized groups in this country
• why, when fighting oppression, it can’t be war all the time (spoiler: that relentlessness  turns you weird)
• how he’s helping take professional wrestling back from the racists and rednecks for the cool kids
• I pitch him a pro wrestling angle for his promotion that Nick is goodly enough to listen to very politely
• why all art is political, and making art that reflects your values
• putting haters in a clownsuit

Find Nick on Bluesky, Lucha Libre & Laughs on Bluesky, and on Facebook.

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 Matty, a friend of more than 20 years, lead singer of punk band No Bueno! and probably the biggest Colorado Avalanche fan I know. Here’s some of what we talk about:

• First question [Frank Costanza voice]: Do you know about the cup sizes
• addiction, relapse, recovery, maintenance
• why the Denver punk scene is as good as it’s ever been and who is the Andy Kaufman of this scene
• second acts in life and how you write new chapters
• the godawful vibes of the Denver Nuggets before they dismissed their coach and GM with 3 games to go in the regular season
• the importance of having things to look forward to
• the secret to male friendship: remembering some guys! Dan Hinote! Stephane Yelle! Adam Deadmarsh! Peter Forsberg!
• our shared distaste for the Minnesota Wild, the Las Vegas Golden Knights, the St. Louis Blues and the Dallas Stars
• the Fort Collins punk scene circa 2004 featuring defunct bands Stepshort, Dysarranged, and Knee Jerk and their song “Local Heroes”
• old ass punks and how we can’t stay up late anymore and how to prevent a scene from dying
• singing Matty’s lyrics with a broken English Russian accent
• how to help someone who you think might be struggling with addiction

Find Matty at No Bueno! 

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 Nate, who’s become a good friend, is a longtime media personality, a huge music fan, and a great guy to work with. Here’s some of what we talk about:

• First question: Who is “Big Shot Nate?”
• the necessity of ego to work in media while keeping it in check when you’re not on the air
• developing your forward facing personas and giving audiences something they cannot create themselves
• the work ethic of Denver Nuggets’ bench player Zeke Nnaji
• the comedy of the Marx Brothers, the TV show M*A*S*H and the comedy of Lewis Black
• the person in our lives who is allowed to be the meanest to us
• which athlete’s brain you’d pick to parachute into and experience one sporting contest through their eyes 
• what do swimmers think about while they’re swimming?
• what makes Nate the angriest and how does he handle his anger?
• how we’re in the FO part of the acronym FAFO
• music video recommendations from Dire Straits, Billy Idol, Michael Jackson and Peter Gabriel

Find Nate at Mile High Sports. 

Recorded at Number Thirty Eight (where they were nice enough to turn down the music for us)

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 Kyle, who’s a professional creative, a friend of like 3 decades, a dad and a fellow entrepreneur. Here’s some of what we talk about:

• First question: Senior year of high school Kyle from 25 years ago time travels to the present day, how does he feel about your life?
• knocking on the doors of places you used to live and how much people love that
• tattoos! what do they mean? why do we get them? and the d-bags that hate them!
• recognizing when you’re unfulfilled in your life/career and how you address that
• the AppleTV+ show Severance and how cruel it would be to make your innie hungover
• alcohol as a crutch / addiction to cigarettes / the constant struggle of sobriety / dissociation / how to handle adversity / substituting one vice for another
• why I found acting unfulfilling and why I don’t need to invent new neuroses 
• neurotic body image crap and how we can be kinder to ourselves
• why it’s important to be comfortable being shitty at a hobby and why we don’t need to monetize everything
• strip clubs and “strip club guys”
• Kyle’s best piece of advice for other dads

Find Kyle at Yond Studio.

Theme song by Sorry Sweetheart.

Logo by Nebulus Visions.

Produced by Deft Communications.

Engage with the show on Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky.