Michelle 0:10

Hello and welcome to Nirvana the Band The Show The Podcast. A podcast all about Nirvana the Band the Show. I'm Michelle. I'm joined by my two beautiful friends. I'm Steve. And I'm Kit. And together, we are watching all of Nirvana the Band The Show, starting with the web series and then into the Viceland TV show and a bunch of other bits and bobs, and eventually we'll make our way to the movie. Um beyond that, there's a plan that I have written on this whiteboard. And this is, I'm realizing in the moment, um, a really stupid visual gag that you can't see because this is an audio medium. Um, but I have a little whiteboard here. This is the podcast plan that is uh a really elaborate two-step plan. Make a podcast. Number two, get Matt and Jay to be on it.

Steve 0:59

I like that I'm bald, so it was really easy to draw me.

Michelle 1:02

Yeah. I don't know if you can see. I'm actually really pleased with um how you specifically came out. I I also drew the three of us being friends and making a podcast together. This is so wholesome. I need a picture of that later. Interchangeable, yeah. Um uh and I spent my entire ride back from work today giggling about the idea of pulling this whiteboard off my fridge, erasing my grocery list, and writing this uh very smart and good plan on it. Also designing our first piece of merch. And designing our beautiful first piece of merch. We'll get it embroidered on a hat, printed on a t-shirt. Um, welcome to Nirvana the Band, the show, the podcast. Uh, this is the second episode. We have overcome the incredible hurdle of uh doing this thing more than once. Um I'm so excited for us, I'm really proud of us, and today we are talking about two more episodes of the web series. The first one is episode three, The Break-in. Matt sneaks into the Rivoli's office in disguise as the club's fictional manager, Vince Valence, in an attempt to book the band. What did you guys think of this one?

Steve 2:13

Delightful.

Kit 2:14

I mean, another banger.

Steve 2:16

I actually thought it was really interesting how much more confident these two episodes are than the first two.

Michelle 2:24

Yeah.

Steve 2:25

And I think there's a real uptick in quality of just the comedy and visually, frankly.

Michelle 2:31

Yeah.

Steve 2:32

Uh did either of you watch the uh commentary for that?

Kit 2:35

Yeah. I don't I did not.

Steve 2:37

I actually think jumping into the commentary before the episode had some really interesting things. Um like what? One, and it it happens in this in the episode four as well, but Matt is like really nitpicking the color grading. Like he is.

Kit 2:53

Oh, interesting.

Steve 2:54

Being like the blacks are terrible, what did you do? All of this. And you can just that thing we talked about last week of them re-editing episodes and putting them back up and like being, you know, perfectionist about it. I think you're really seeing like who Matt Johnson's going to end up being as a filmmaker. Because like on the third episode of his web series, he is just so like locked in on all of the minutiae. And in 2008, web series were just like, dude screams at camera, runs away, or whatever. And just seeing the complete professionalism and just like obsession to craft was I found genuinely inspiring. And the other thing you know, yeah. Oh, sorry, go ahead. No, go.

Michelle 3:36

Do you know how far or how late after the initial show the commentary was recorded? I feel like I'm listening to them in a vacuum and I don't have a great sense of like how long it's been.

Steve 3:48

I'm not sure. I was wondering that as well. Mm-hmm. But I was thinking it couldn't have been that long after because it was standard Deaf DVD and not Blu-ray.

Michelle 3:56

Yeah.

Steve 3:57

But the other thing that I think really informs this episode and the next one. I don't know if you heard this, Michelle, but Matt makes a confession that I thought was fascinating, where he said that he cannot deal with Jay fucking with him.

Kit 4:10

Hmm. Oh, interesting. Okay.

Steve 4:13

He said, I I can't stand it. I really struggle with it. And I think it taps into this thing that we were we were talking about also on our last episode, where he is so sincere and and even in the character, and I'm guessing actual Matt Johnson the guy, so sensitive and so invested that he lashes out at any sort of pushback, especially I'm sorry, Matt the character in here can't speak for Matt Johnson the guy. But him him saying, like, oh, I can't deal with Jay fucking with me, and sounding incredibly vulnerable and sensitive was so informative into like the character of just yeah, I need to fuck with Jay, I need to lash out, I need to do something bonkers because like I cannot get hurt. Fascinating. You're really putting on a therapist hat. It happens. Like, yeah. So I was at a wedding once, friend of the show, Emily. Uh, and one of the conversations that came up was out of nowhere. So just so you know, Steve thinks way too deeply about everything and will do a 20-minute rationale about how a 3.5-star movie is a masterpiece because of one scene where someone says something emotional. And I think that's the energy I'm bringing to this podcast. I apologize, but that's what I'm bringing to.

Michelle 5:25

I do not have to apologize. I think it's an important element of it.

Kit 5:28

No, I think what you're saying is really interesting. And I have some notes about Matt's character a little bit more in the next episode that we're watching about the basement, because he says something in the basement that I think really contextualizes Matt as a character and his friendship with Jay. But I do think in watching the break-in, you can see how much all of this means to Matt, the character. It's not just, I mean, it is about getting the show at the Rivoli, and like obviously the plans are escalating. We went from, you know, trying to like trick the other club into like trying to trick the Rivoli with El Macambo and then like the box and all of this, and now we're breaking into it. And so the Rivoli still is important to Matt, the character, but at the end of the day, it is very much like a very childish relationship between these two guys. Like this is a childhood friendship, and it feels like two children in a way. You know, the the way that it it's like all or nothing for Matt in this. And I don't know, there's something really interesting about how like it doesn't really matter that if they get the Rivoli show or not. It matters about the plan and hanging out with Jay.

Steve 6:34

Yeah. And I think that's part of the metacommentary of the movie is the importance of their friendship, why it's so important to Matt. And, you know, I'm not going to say what it is, but the new added post-credit scene, I find it really hard to believe that that wasn't added to give context to the desperation of Matt, the character in the web series. Because the thing you're talking about, Kit, I think that added post-credit scene gives it a layer of why the stakes are so high for him and why the friendship means so much to him.

Kit 7:02

For Matt, it's very much just like this is my best friend. It feels almost like, you know, when you are really close with someone in childhood and it's like senior year of high school, and you're getting ready to go off to college and you're going off to two different places, and there's that sort of like tension there of like, I don't want to lose this person, and everything is sort of heightened in a way. Like there, there's something about his relationship with Jay that feels a lot like that sort of like heightened relationship between you and your friend right before the summer, where you probably not gonna see that person again. And so he's like holding on to Jay, and that also causes him to sort of flip out at like at a moment's notice because it's just like like, yes, it's control, but also you're my best friend, and I don't want to lose you in any capacity.

Steve 7:53

And the I will lash out at you and hurt you because I don't want to lose you. You know, which often happens in those situations, right? Like where somebody is so scared that they're going to lose someone that they're kind of a dick because they just kind of can't process those emotions. And maybe that's not what they mean in this web series in 2008, you know, or any of that. And I know and which is the reason we told people to watch the movie first. The movie really does explore these themes that you're talking about. And I it does, I think, give a new view to the web series in a like such a fascinating way. And I think it does reinforce the thing you're talking about, and that energy is there.

Kit 8:32

Absolutely. And I also think that like, I mean, I watched the web series before I saw the movie, like we marathoned all of it before seeing the movie. And so I I feel like re-watching the web series, I feel like I'm a little more kinder to Matt in this. Like, and this was even before the the new post-credit scene was added, because that came out relatively recently. I do feel a little kinder to Matt. Like, obviously, he's like saying crazy shit and he's putting Jay into this torment nexus, and like Jay isn't really a good guy in this either. But like at the same time, it's just like I I see what this is. Like having the ability to contextualize it as sort of like this very intense friendship, and you're growing up and you don't want to let go of that person is really powerful in a way.

Steve 9:17

And I think we will get into it deeper as we, you know, actually, you know, tap into this episode. But Matt is aggro and you know, you use Torment Nexus, like all of that shit. But Matt is not hiding it. Jay is also a fucking asshole, and he won't admit it. Yeah. And going back here, like I have so much more empathy for Matt because Matt knows who he is. Like how you know, he knows I'm a lot, I'm coming at you, and there's no there's no there's no hiding that. But like there's a scene in this episode where Jay is too busy playing fucking Castlevania when Matt has explained to him how important his role is, and Jay's just like, oh yeah. Like he goes, oh fuck, not like oh shit, Matt's in trouble, but like, oh fuck, I should have done this. Like, I think Jay is actually the bigger dick.

Kit 10:07

Okay, so I I think the thing with Jay playing Castlevania is so interesting to me because at the beginning of the episode when Jay is trying to like get across, like, hey, this is the plan, this is how we're gonna break into the Rivoli, here's everything. Matt is on the couch playing Castlevania, and then Jay comes over, grabs the DS, and is just like, how old are you? How old are you? Like accusing him of like not being serious, not taking, like, not taking this seriously, like being a child, basically. And then, what, a couple minutes later, he's the one not paying attention, not taking this seriously. I think the thing with Jay in the web series is that it's so funny that he is the straight man in this, because I mean, compared to Matt, like of course he's gonna be the straight man. Like, Matt is just so, so big, you know, in terms of like his emotions, his reactions, all of that. But when it comes to like Jay, he's a little quieter, but at the same time, like kind of a fuck up.

Steve 11:02

Yeah, they're a perfect pair. Because, you know, there's that classic thing about villains where where villains always think they're the hero of the story. Like that's the that's the best type of villain, is where they think they're the hero. And like Jay thinks he's the good guy of the two.

Michelle 11:17

Yeah.

Steve 11:18

But they're both terrible. Yeah.

Michelle 11:20

I thought it was interesting and me, and like feels relevant to this conversation that this is the first time that I have seen anything where Jay is the one making the plan. And I don't know how frequently that happens throughout the rest of the show, but it feels it's like it's a departure, and he's getting so mad that Matt's not paying attention. But like many of the episodes that I've seen so far, Jay's not paying attention to him. He's playing video games or like doodling around. And um, it was funny to see that reversal of roles, and also and then like also with opening with Jay stealing Matt's hat and threatening to take it out of the apartment, um, was a really interesting just like change up of who's doing what.

Steve 12:09

Yeah, and listen, this opens with Jay doing the funniest face in the world, according to Matt, on the commentary. That like, he's like, this face is too funny. I was laughing, and I told him he can't do it anymore because it's just too funny. And you know what? It's pretty funny.

Kit 12:21

That's a pretty funny face. I didn't think it was that funny.

Steve 12:25

Cont controversial. I mean controversial on the podcast. What's a funnier face, huh?

Kit 12:31

You know, I should respect him for making that kind of face. But I I just it was one of those bits where I was just like, I feel like this is one of those ones where like they just keep doing it and it'll eventually be funny, but it didn't work for me.

Steve 12:45

It's a real dude bit, you know, like we're two dudes and we're gonna do the same dude thing that we find funny and no one else finds funny. Have you never known those guys who like they have one joke that they do back and forth over and over and over again, and to them it's incredibly funny, but to no one else.

Michelle 13:02

Yeah, I feel like that's something I've observed from the outside. And well, I guess you don't know if you're a part of it because you think it's the funniest thing in the world. That's true.

Kit 13:12

I mean, I guess for us, like for you and me, Michelle, it would be like sending that stupid image of Kaya and a fedora to Annie. Like, I don't think that would be funny to anybody else. It is really funny. Yeah.

Michelle 13:21

To torture our friend by putting an animated character that she likes into an awful hat. Maybe I do understand.

Steve 13:30

So should we get a little deeper into the plot after the funny faces?

Michelle 13:33

Yeah, I want to talk about his lime green shirt. I do too. And also, it it's the second time in a commentary track Jay has been like, wow, where did that shirt go? Yes. Wait, is he just losing?

Kit 13:47

Like, where where'd all his shirts go?

Michelle 13:49

He's like, yeah. Unclear. But he's wearing the ugliest shirts in the world and then wondering some amount of time later where they've gone to.

Steve 13:57

Well, on the commentary, they show the lime green shirt, and Matt goes, Look at that shirt. Lime green.

Kit 14:03

It's so bright. It's a lot.

Steve 14:06

It's a lot. I love a man who likes a color that pops.

Michelle 14:09

Yeah.

Steve 14:10

It's bold.

Michelle 14:11

Yeah.

Steve 14:11

Even if it's not great, I still love it.

Michelle 14:13

It's it's a category of clothing that I think of as um something a person in a language learning textbook would be shown wearing. So when the description has you translate a sentence like, the man in the green shirt said this. You know exactly who they're talking about. And there's like, they can't show any labels or designs. It's it's a it's a category of clothing that exists in my mind that I think about constantly.

Kit 14:41

This categorization has changed my entire life. I'm gonna think about it.

Michelle 14:47

You're gonna think about it every time you see someone in like a weird solid colored shirt or hat that like doesn't quite fit them right.

Steve 14:55

This is one of those moments, like when I found out Santa wasn't real, where like there's no coming back from.

Michelle 15:02

Yeah, it is. I'm so sorry. It's gonna enhance and also ruin your life. And sometimes you're gonna put on a piece of clothing that you own and be like, I look like I'm in someone's high school French textbook.

Steve 15:13

Is this what hanging out with me is like?

Michelle 15:16

Yeah, sometimes.

Steve 15:18

Just hitting you with something so disturbing that you're just like.

Michelle 15:23

Um, so Jay is in his French textbook outfit. They spend the beginning of this episode making a break-in plan that I feel like I have lived in every Dungeons and Dragons like heist planning session I've ever experienced. Which is the same of them, and then it also immediately goes wrong. Like, or like the beginning of the plan works, and then you get there, and you're just like, I don't I didn't I don't know what happened. Someone was distracted, I'm in trouble.

Steve 15:53

Well, because Matt is going to wear a walkie-talkie under his jacket, and Jay is going to just speak for him. Yeah. And it is an incredibly funny bit of them prepping for it, where Matt's like doing very large motions of like, hello, and his arms are like, he's putting like his arm out and waving like Miss America, and then Jay just starts going walking, walking.

Michelle 16:18

I was also, I think I was I was delighted by that, and I realized in the moment that I was like, oh, this is the thing they were talking about at the end of the last episode. I wasn't expecting there to be as much continuity between episodes as there is beyond like, I know they're always trying to get a show with the Rivoli. I didn't expect a plan that was being discussed at the end of episode two to be picked up and continued in episode three, and it was.

Steve 16:42

And then it continues into episode four. It's really surprising how important plot is to this web series. And uh to psychoanalyze Matt Johnson again, there's this moment where they're going through the plan and Matt is like, Well, we're gonna have camera guys, what do we do about them? And what about this? And what about that? It looks to me like Matt Johnson, the guy, is like, all right, here's some plot holes, let's fill them. And it just Yeah, it seems like him as a creator is like, oh, I can't stand. There's a plot hole here, a plot hole here, a plot hole here. So through dialogue, I'm gonna like come up with an answer to all of it so that I my brain can rest easy.

Michelle 17:17

Yeah.

Steve 17:17

I love that.

Michelle 17:18

I would love to be inside of his brain for like 20 minutes, although I feel like that might kill me. I just want to know what's going on in there.

Kit 17:26

No, same. Absolutely. I feel like it would be so deeply overwhelming, but he's so fascinating to me.

Steve 17:32

Well, in the commentary, Jay also dropped some info that Matt is hypercritical of basically every other creative.

Michelle 17:40

And like I s in in the commentary, he says, and I wrote this down, I think Conan O'Brien is an idiot. And that's a follow-up. He was like, I look like Conan O'Brien there. I think Conan O'Brien's an idiot.

Steve 17:50

He's too shticky. And I paw I paused it because that hurt. You, because you are Conan O'Brien. Conan O'Brien, and especially late night with Conan O'Brien, is such a like like foundation of my humor and basically just personality. Uh, but uh just and I was like, he's like Conan O'Brien, I was like, fuck you, but I still love you. There's this, there's also along these lines, there's this interview I saw of Matt around this time where he's shitting on 40-year-old guys who want to be funny, and he's like, Could you imagine trying to do a comedy movie when you're 40 years old? Pathetic. I saw that too. It's interesting how he has pretentious film school tendencies, but makes art that is so unpretentious. Like he talks about other creatives and other movies and other stuff, like the way a guy who makes a movie of just a woman staring at a basket of laundry for four hours and calls it art would talk about other movies, but you know, doesn't make movies like that.

Kit 18:52

One, I would love that movie, unironically. Two, I mean, I think that's like the best of both worlds. I feel like we need a hater. I love that he is gonna just like lock in and be like, actually, I hate this. I don't like Conan. Obviously, this is like forever ago. And I imagine he's like a little more PR trained now, probably. But I love that, where it's just like, yeah, actually, you know, I saw this and it fucking sucks. And here's why, or I hate this, and I'm not really gonna explain why. Here's just, you know, my off-the-cuff take on that. We need more haters.

Michelle 19:25

I think that's part of what's so charming about him is that he is both like a very earnest and sweet and sincere person who is also in his heart a hater. And both of those things existing at once is what informs the work that he does.

Kit 19:41

You can be a hater and you can be a lover, and that's great. Yeah. Matt Johnson story. They're not mutually exclusive.

Steve 19:47

And I think this is where our age difference actually plays into our relation. Because you know, Matt Matt and I are the same age. And 2008 was like the rise of emo, right?

Kit 19:58

Hell yeah, brother.

Steve 19:59

And I and I did music journalism back then when I was in college, and I was a pretentious punk kid who just shat on like emo kids and emo just fucking constantly because like sincerity was the worst thing in the fucking world. And I know that impulse, right? To be like, I'm above all of this because I'm smart and good, and I know this shit, and all you motherfuckers are terrible, and I'm gonna tell you why. And then I got older and I was just like, oh wait, like my chemical romance is actually pretty good, and I'm a dick. And and I do wonder, you know, how Matt would feel, like you're saying, Kit. Like, has he changed? Like now? Does he have different ways of looking at that?

Michelle 20:41

And because yeah, I like I know that it's gonna find out when he comes on the podcast.

Steve 20:45

Yeah, of course we're gonna ask him, is he still a hater?

Kit 20:47

That's the number one question, outside of like, why didn't you send us a cease and desist? Like, it's like question number one, why how did you get in here? Question number two, are you still a hater?

Steve 20:58

Question three, how does it feel for us to use fair use, motherfucker? Please note we love you, Matt and Jay. Come on the show.

unknown 21:08

All right.

Kit 21:09

Although I do think it would be funny if they did send us a cease and desist. I think that would be extremely funny. I would frame it and put it on the wall. No, same.

Steve 21:17

Storytime. Uh my my college newspaper ran an art, you know. We we I was one of the entertainment editors, and one of our writers wrote two thumbs up in a movie review, and we got a seasoned desist and takedown letter from uh Siskel and Ebert.

Kit 21:34

Does he own thumbs? They do fuck.

Steve 21:36

No, they owned thumbs up, two thumbs up.

Kit 21:39

No, they don't.

Steve 21:39

They did. It's like when Donald Trump got you're fired trademarked.

Kit 21:42

That's crazy, actually.

Steve 21:45

So, like we we had it framed, like a seasoned desist letter. And that was like, you must take down this article from like Sisco and Ebert.

Kit 21:53

Wow. That's incredible. And then soon you're gonna be able to put the Matt and Jay Z synthesis up right next to it.

Steve 21:58

But anyway, uh there's A joke here where they're playing where where Jay is playing Castlevania and he goes, Oh, I just did a double jump. I wonder if there's a triple jump. And the previous episode ended with him going, I know there's a double jump. And I think it's really funny that for some reason he forgot that he did a double jump before. Yeah.

Kit 22:19

Yeah, I don't think there's really anything up there in Jay's in Jay's head on that one. It's just cotton, maybe.

Steve 22:25

And then we get to the break-in.

Michelle 22:26

And then we get to the break-in. I love that this is filmed in um Jay's parents' office. And the guy that comes in is Jay's dad. The Ontario Racket Club. Jay's dad, very handsome. Mm-hmm.

Steve 22:38

So do one of you want to break down like how this heist goes?

Michelle 22:41

Sure. I can I can attempt. Uh so they break in, they get into the office. Um somehow Matt makes it into Vince Valence. I can't this name will not stick in my head, but they get into Vince Valence's office. Um, and Matt is looking for the booking book um to write their own names in it. Um while they while he's in there, the phone rings, and uh we get an appearance from what I think will become, I hope it's a recurring character. He's recurring from episode one or two, but Jeremy from Elma Combo calls. Um and Matt picks up, obviously, and asks if Jeremy knows where Vince keeps his booking book. And then Matt is sort of trapped in this office. Jay is supposed to be watching, but is not. He's not looking at his binoculars, he's busy playing Castlevania. And then Jay's dad comes in. Is he supposed to be Vince Valence? No. Or is he just supposed to be like a guy in the office?

Steve 23:41

Matt says that he was coming in to ask him if they were gonna go play uh racquetball.

Michelle 23:46

That's right. And then they run away. Uh you see like Matt and Jay running together, and then they get home, and Matt's like, Why'd you leave me? Which is a delight. Also to know that the Rivoli is is like a hundred feet away from their apartment, I think they said in the commentary. The the idea of like, how could you possibly lose each other in such a short distance is a real is a real treat.

Steve 24:13

And then Matt pulls an like fucking pirate gun on Jay. Yes.

Michelle 24:18

The oldest gun in the world. I did, I have in my notes like, is this the first gun? I think this is the first gun of the series. I feel like there are more coming. I know there's one coming in the movie, but I feel like there are there are many more guns. As there should be.

Steve 24:36

Matt reveals um that he says, I left them a note, and the note was renaming a file. Nirvana the band was here.

Michelle 24:45

It's one of my favorite bits. I also I love the concept of a booking book that like a place that has comedians and bands perform just has a book where they write all those things down. Is it's another one of those like almost like kid-brained things where like an idea that you think of as a kid and just like if it's not corrected, you keep believing that for the rest of your life. Um, like, you know, I saw in cartoons that you see someone's skeleton when they get electrocuted and just like never thought about it again until adulthood, and then you're just like, that doesn't actually happen.

Steve 25:24

Do either of you have one of those where you were like, it was revealed to you years later that you had a total misconception?

Michelle 25:30

I do, but mine's very mine's niche. Um, and I don't know if I feel like we've talked about this before, and you're not a big um Disney Channel original movie person. Uh, I think they were a little it was like a little too young for you, but there's uh one of my favorites in that category is the movie Brink, which is a beautiful movie about friendship and inline rollerblades. Um and the villains in that movie are team X-blades. And I think as a kid I heard that and was just like, okay, that's a rollerblading team, and that's a thing that exists. Michelle doesn't know anything about rollerblades. There can be like really teams where someone gives you a ton of money to be good at rollerblading as like a 12-year-old. And I watched it a couple years ago, I think it was a pandemic rewatch, and was just like making fun of it. And I was like, why does Team X Blades have all these boxes of rollerblades? Um, and Patrick, my husband, was like, they're uh they're a sponsored skating team. That's a brand of rollerblades. And for some reason, that just like it blew up my perception of this movie. It's very weird. It's it's so stupid and minor, and that is the one thing that I think of.

Kit 26:48

But how would you know about this thing? Like, you know? Yeah.

Michelle 26:52

T-Mex Blades. Do either of you have one of those?

Kit 26:55

Uh I mean, I I do. I we've talked about this before, but I saw Robocop when I was very young. Younger than I probably should have. Um, it was one of my favorite movies. My favorite movies growing up as a kid were Rocky Horror Picture Show, Beauty and the Beast, and Robocop.

Steve 27:14

This explains a lot.

Kit 27:16

Doesn't it? Um, I couldn't say the full name of Rocky Horror Picture Show, so I just called it Lips all the time. So I'd be like, I want to see the lips tape. Um anyway, so I saw Robocop really young. I really loved it. I didn't realize that Detroit was a real place that existed. I thought it was fictional, kind of like Narnia. Um so for the longest time I l didn't think it was real um until obviously you get older and like learn about geography and places in the United States. And the the I we had like a test once where we had to like mark different cities on the map. And that's when I realized that Detroit was in fact a real place, and it completely threw me for a loop. And that it's been years since then. Like I do know now that Detroit is real and RoboCop is not, um, I think. Uh, but uh every time I do meet or talk to somebody who is from Detroit or going to Detroit or visiting Detroit, I do always have like this momentary lapse of like, wait, where are you going? That's not real. That's where RoboCop lives.

Michelle 28:20

That's so funny. Robocop's not real yet.

Steve 28:24

What?

Michelle 28:25

But it's coming. Oh I'm so sorry.

Steve 28:27

I'm so sorry. Again. I think I block it out every time that you, you know.

Michelle 28:32

It just sounds like static to you.

Kit 28:34

What would you leave out for Robocop if he was like Santa?

Steve 28:37

Baby food. Like he has that weird baby food patch.

Kit 28:40

You're right.

Steve 28:41

Or a dick.

Michelle 28:43

I'm gonna say something that I feel like is gonna upset you even more, which is that I've never seen Robocop.

Steve 28:50

You know, I fucking figured that out the other day because you were dead silent when we were talking about RoboCop, and I was like, Michelle's never seen Robocop.

Michelle 28:58

I think I was also busy while that conversation was happening, but um I thought you were gonna say you were too busy to watch RoboCop, and I was like, no one is too busy to run. I had a lot of stuff going on as a child, and I just I couldn't get around to RoboCop. No, I don't know why I haven't seen it. I should. You would freaking love RoboCops in my film watching history, and one of them is Robocop shaped.

Steve 29:21

Before our next episode, can you watch RoboCop and then check in? Yeah, sure. I can do that. Robocop corner.

Michelle 29:27

Can you put that on the whiteboard, please? It's so far away from me right now, but yeah, I would.

Steve 29:32

Part three. Michelle watches Robocop. We'll have an interlude episode. I would do a whole RoboCop episode, frankly.

Kit 29:40

Hell yeah.

Steve 29:41

But um so mine Robocop. Mine is really pathetic. As a child, I was obsessed with Short Circuit Part two. Not part one, never saw it. Only part two. And it wasn't until I was like 25 that I realized it was Fisher Stevens and Brownface.

Kit 29:57

Oh wow.

Steve 29:58

Because I had stopped watching it when I was like 10. You know what I mean? From like ages like five to like 10. I watched Short Circuit Part 2 all the time. And then I went back and watched it. I was like, oh fuck. And I was so embarrassed. Because I had like a kid brain. It wasn't like I was watching it at 20 and being like, well, obviously, that that is definitely not a white guy.

Michelle 30:20

Maybe my my more interesting, maybe one of these is that I genuinely knew Paul Newman as the lemonade guy long before I knew that that was a very famous and well-regarded actor. I just I he makes a good lemonade.

Steve 30:36

I'm more surprised that it's lemonade and not salad dressing.

Michelle 30:39

I'm surprised it's not salsa. I don't think I've ever had a Newman's own salsa. We did my my household was not an we had some other allegiance for grocery store salad dressing, but we got the Newman's lemonade. It's very tart, it's very good. And um and I was so shocked and delighted later to learn that he was an incredibly handsome and talented actor, as well as a philanthropist who makes delightful beverages.

Steve 31:08

Okay, so before our next episode, I'm buying Newman's own lemonade and you're watching Robocop.

Michelle 31:12

Yeah, we'll find homework for you too. I'm so excited.

Steve 31:15

So the best revelation story is actually my mom. Yeah. We were at Christmas dinner like two years ago, and I saw mommy kissing Santa Claus came on, and my mom pauses, goes silent, like she's having a stroke, and goes, Oh shit, it's the dad.

Speaker 4 31:33

Oh my god.

Steve 31:38

She had made it to her mid-60s before she realized that I saw mommy kissing Santa Claus was not about a woman cheating on her husband with Santa Claus.

Michelle 31:47

That's incredible. I feel like I only learned that a couple years ago, but also I'm my life is I'm not in my 60s. That's crazy.

Steve 31:56

Just she just sat there dead-eyed and silent, not anything my mom has ever done.

Kit 32:03

She had her world rocked by this this revelation. I mean, I imagine, yeah, she hears it every year. She's heard this song every year for her entire life, probably. And for it to connect all this time later, yeah.

Steve 32:14

But I just love that it was playing in the background. Like we weren't like having a family sing along or something. We were fucking just like, you know, eating a ham, shooting the shit. Uh, and then she's like, oh fuck. It was actually, oh shit, it's the dad was the exact quote.

Michelle 32:29

That's so funny. Do which good for your mom? I mean Has that changed her life much since?

Steve 32:36

Yeah, because we make fun of her constantly. She's like, You guys are dumbasses to me and my sister. And then we're like, hey, remember how you didn't know that song was about the dad until you were in a AARP? But the break-in.

Kit 32:52

Do we have any other thoughts about this? So obviously it's a Fraser sort of themed situation with the Fraser opening credits, the sort of like intersitial titles. And at the end, what is Jay miming in the outro? Does anyone know what he's trying to do?

Steve 33:08

You gotta watch his commentary, Jay is acting out how he thwarted a mug uh mugging. A guy tried to mug Jay and he fought him off an umbrella, and then the cops arrested the guy.

Kit 33:19

That's incredible. Yeah.

Michelle 33:21

It's really nice to watch the commentary, and they're like saying exactly what's happening over it. I never, I never would have guessed without the notes.

Kit 33:30

Yeah. No clue.

Steve 33:31

There is one great joke I want to call out where, you know, they're going through the heist and like Jay's like, you know, doing the voice, right? There's like there's a guy at a photocopier, and he goes, Alright, man, don't photocopy your ass. Do whatever you want. I'm a nice boss.

Kit 33:48

Which is such I mean that is that is a nice boss thing to do.

Steve 33:52

Yes, but that's also just the most psychotic thing to say in that moment.

Michelle 33:56

I love that it's not acknowledged either. Maybe Vince Valence is a nice boss. Maybe he talks about who would encourage people.

Steve 34:05

We do know he wears a scarf.

Kit 34:08

He wears a scarf. He has a pirate gun. Like, he's a very interesting guy. He loves racquetball.

Steve 34:14

He 100% has Nazi memorabilia.

Michelle 34:19

Almost certainly.

Kit 34:20

Before we get into the next episode, The Basement, I did want to sort of have a moment in between where we talk about something. Um I periodically do pop on online. I know, Steve, you're anti-fandom and engaging with fandom.

Steve 34:38

I just don't do it. Um like it and I don't approve of it. I like it for you people. I like it for You people. Yeah. The two of you on this call. I mean fucking nerds who are like, we love anime and video games I don't understand.

Kit 34:57

My brother in Christ, you started watching Chainsaw Man this year. You can't, you have a leg to stand on anymore about anime.

Steve 35:04

Literally the only anime I've ever seen.

Kit 35:07

It's a good one. Um but one second. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Steve 35:11

Okay. 90% of the time I'm like, I don't get this. There's some fantasy shit because me and fantasy don't mix. And then someone is like, hey, by the way, this guy's got chainsaw for hands and he just wants to fuck all the time. Yeah. Is there anything more aimed straight down at me than guy with chainsaw for hands that just wants to fuck?

Kit 35:30

No, that that is very much targeted directly at you. And I will say that it's really funny because John and I have talked about how do we get Steve into animate? And we never it never occurred to us like, oh, chainsaw man. But it's so obvious when you think about it. Like, of course. Of course. All he wants to do is touch a boob. Yeah.

Steve 35:48

You know what I want to do all the time?

Michelle 35:52

Have chainsaws for hands.

Steve 35:53

Yes, obviously. And also, I just think it needs a musical number, and then it's my favorite thing of all time.

Michelle 35:59

Maybe Chainsaw Man wears a Mets hat.

Steve 36:02

All right. Chainsaw Man being a fan of the New York Mets and singing. 10 out of 10, perfect masterpiece.

Kit 36:09

Yeah. I mean, it's not over yet. Anything's possible.

Steve 36:12

Any fans out there? Could you make that art for us?

Kit 36:16

We don't want Nirvana the Band fan art. We want Chainsaw Man fan art for our Nirvana the Band podcast.

Steve 36:22

He's sitting in City Field hooting and hollering at Mrs. Met.

Kit 36:26

Sounds great. Incredible. Um, kit.

Steve 36:28

Interlude.

Kit 36:29

Yes. Yes, the interlude. Okay, so I periodically will pop online to see what people are talking about. And there was this interview that was going around that was uh published through Friend of a Friend Zine, done by this person named Lou. Uh Lou was able to interview Jay earlier this year, I think for about 90 minutes or so before the movie came out. And um the interview is really great. Uh, they talk about all kinds of things um in terms of like Nirvana the band, like Jay's process with like writing music, his time with Brave Shores, like all of that. Um, and so I really recommend like checking out and like reading it. It's on Lou's website, uh, which I think is stolenlou uh at gumroad. Um, and it's sort of like a PDF that you can just read right off the bat. But the last question that Lou asks Jay, I think, is the thing I want to talk about. And it is if the Zapruder film, their production company's plane, crash in the Andes and they had to resort to cannibalism to live, who would Jay eat first from Zapruder Films? And Jay pauses briefly and says, Matt. And then I think the thing I really want to have a conversation about is he says Matt, so I want to know from you two, do you agree? Would you eat Matt or would you eat Jay if you were, you know, crashed in the mountains in the Andes? And two, Jay says part of the reason, or the main reason why he would pick Matt is because Matt works out a lot and has a lot of, and I quote, delicious meat around him. So uh the floor is yours.

Steve 38:03

Oh, 100%. He's got pro you gotta worry about your protein, right? And keep going. And those muscly arms are pretty high in protein.

Michelle 38:12

Yeah, and uh Wild Jay, very handsome, feels a little scrawny, maybe. I think this is something that is you see a bit of, at least, you know, in the past in episode four, but he's he's a little skinny guy. And and I think I think Matt is probably the more delicious of the two. Would be maybe harder to fight if that's involved in the answer.

Kit 38:37

I think Matt would win in a fight, but also would do muscles taste good? I tried Googling this and it kept telling me muscles like the like the seafood, and I was like, no, no, no, like human muscles, would that taste good? And then the FBI was at my house, and it was.

Steve 38:53

Have you emailed Army Hammer?

Kit 38:55

You know what? I should email him, he would know for sure. And he's not busy.

Steve 38:59

No. Is he still selling timeshares? He could be. So my honest answer is my same answer whenever somebody's like, what would you do in a zombie apocalypse? Which is instant suicide. If I'm on an island and I have to resort to cannibalism, I'm jumping off a mountain. I'm drowning in the ocean. I don't care what. The minute I am in convenience for more than like four days, I'm out of here, baby.

Michelle 39:22

Yeah, that's been my answer to is is I will give it a week. And if I have not found sustainable food and shelter in a week, get me out of here.

Steve 39:34

If I'm Tom Hanks in Castaway, I'm opening some packages, I'm finding the first plastic bag possible, and I'm duct taping it to my head.

Michelle 39:42

No, Wilson? I feel like I would also lose it enough to be friends with the volleyball within, I don't know, six hours.

Kit 39:50

Yeah, I'm friends with the volleyball like right now. Like nothing would really change materially for me. Except more sand.

Steve 39:55

No connections, I'm out.

Michelle 39:57

Nothing holding you to this mortal coil on a remote island.

Steve 40:01

Oh look, there's a zombie, tootaloo.

Michelle 40:03

That's yeah, that's fair. Kit, who would you eat?

Steve 40:06

Yeah.

Kit 40:07

I think, yeah, I do think that it would probably be Matt. I think that is a a very fair thing to say. I do think that even if you did crash in the Andes and decided to eat Matt if he was still alive, that could also kind of be like a suicide pack situation where it's just like, I'm trying to kill him to eat him, but also I'm probably gonna die during this anyway. So kind of like a best of both worlds almost.

Steve 40:31

Matt seems like a logical guy. I think you could make an argument of just like strategic slices. You could convince him to give up an arm for the good of the group. Or like a nice thin cold cut.

Kit 40:42

Yeah, I was imagining kind of like a halal cart sort of situation.

Michelle 40:46

Um, I I love that whole zine kit. I'm so glad you shared it. Even the there's a spread in the middle that's just like a bunch of sketches of the two of them. Um that I that are previews, I think, for upcoming episodes for me. But they're so nice. And I also love print media, and I can't wait to find out the context for that exchange. Zines are great. Zines are great.

Kit 41:10

Yeah, and so this is just a portion of the overall zine itself. Um, but if you are interested in reading the rest or checking out the other issues of Friend of a Friend Zine, uh, you can head over to uh stolenloo.gumro.com uh to pick up a copy yourself and check it out.

Michelle 41:27

Let's get into episode four. This is the basement. Uh Matt and Jay break into Vince Vale's house. Um the opening credits for this one are I was gonna say a send-up of Lost, but literally just a brief clip from Lost. This is the first one. I feel like I know the Frasier theming was in the last one, but it didn't really it didn't feel like an episode of Frasier. This one felt like it was attempting to sort of be an episode of Lost in a way that the first time I watched it was incredibly confusing, which I guess is the experience of watching an episode of Lost, so good job, boys.

Steve 42:03

I managed to avoid anything Lost related forever. So I'm glad you're giving us the context that this was an accurate Lost episode.

Michelle 42:11

I have not watched all of Lost. I watched a show that aired before Lost for a long time, and so I've seen like the first 15 to 20 minutes of a lot of episodes of Lost and not the full show.

Kit 42:24

So two things. One, I need to know what that show was that aired before Lost.

Michelle 42:29

Alias.

Kit 42:30

Yes. Incredible answer. I mean.

Michelle 42:32

And that show fucking rocks. And it's a show, it's part of it's part of the reason that I never did watch Lost because it is also JJ Abrams. Both, I believe, suffer from the JJ Abrams curse of really compelling beginning, deeply insane, off-the-rails ending, and like I couldn't, I couldn't do it again.

Steve 42:51

It wasn't that you were f you weren't finishing an episode of Alias and just sitting on your couch going omena omena for an hour straight.

Kit 42:58

Uh, I mean that also. How all three of us, neither, none of us, it sounds like, have actually watched all of Lost. Because I've only watched like a little bit of it. I never finished it.

Michelle 43:08

I was all that shit about episodes of Lost, assuming that one of you would either correct me or confirm that I was right. I was really bullshit in my way through that comparison.

Kit 43:19

I have it in my notes where I was just like, I hope one of you guys knows a lot about Lost.

Steve 43:24

Everybody I knew that was super into Lost was really annoying about it, and I was like, I guess I'm never watching this.

Kit 43:29

Man, maybe John should have been on this episode. He's a big lost guy.

Steve 43:32

Can you get him in the room?

Kit 43:33

Do you want him in the room?

Steve 43:34

Cameo.

Kit 43:34

Alright. Let me go quick.

Steve 43:36

All we need to get is him go going, is this an accurate representation of lost? And yes or no, and then he leaves.

Kit 43:43

Can you come in for like one second? I'm literally holding it.

unknown 43:46

Don't bring the cat.

Michelle 43:48

No, bring the cat.

Speaker 43:49

Hey everyone.

Michelle 43:50

Hi, John.

Speaker 43:51

Oh my god, we have a celebrity guest. Uh hi, my name is John. I'm Kit's partner. He's our first guest.

Michelle 43:56

Wow.

Speaker 43:57

Welcome to the I was kidnapped off the street, actually. Essentially, can't just open her door and like brought her brought me in.

Steve 44:04

Is is episode four of Nirvana the band, the show of the web series, an accurate representation of lost?

Michelle 44:10

It's the basement, the one that has all the lost stuff in it.

Steve 44:13

Yes.

Speaker 44:14

Okay, thank you. That's it.

Steve 44:15

That's all we needed.

Speaker 44:17

Okay, cool.

Michelle 44:19

Yes, I'm again, buddy. That's bad.

Speaker 44:21

I'll tag you up.

Michelle 44:22

Oh, sick. Thanks, Matt.

Speaker 44:23

Hang up.

Michelle 44:24

All right. Thanks, John. Love you.

Kit 44:28

I'm guessing you just asked him, was that accurate to lost? And he said yes. And start. And then you were like, all right, bye, right? Word for word. That's incredible. Okay.

Michelle 44:43

The fact that you knew what I said directly. Friendship. It's really nice to know that my um my guessing was correct.

Steve 44:52

I'm just really disturbed that Kit just went, so he said yes and you said bye.

Michelle 45:00

Uh so Matt and Jay break into Vince Valence's house. I don't actually remember them talking about this plan in the one before, but suddenly they're there. They're in ski masks. Someone's opening the door and they rush into the basement and then they're trapped there. In between, scenes of them trying to get out, looking through the stuff in Vince's basement, uh leafing through yearbooks. Um there are these scenes, flashbacks, alternate universes, something where Jay with the worst fucking goatee in the world.

Kit 45:33

That goatee is a hate critical.

Michelle 45:35

It's the one from episode two that I called out. You did. I think it's I think it feels even worse in this episode because he also has just like a terrible suit with like a big tie on and is um in a romantic entanglement with what we eventually learn is Matt's sister. It was it was a real confusing one. I laughed a lot, I enjoyed this episode, but I was I was very confused a lot of the time.

Steve 46:03

This is my favorite episode so far. Really? It same. Because the alternate universe flashback, whatever we want to call it, they just lampshade it by having Jay turn around and wearing a Terminator Jew jacket.

unknown 46:16

Yeah.

Steve 46:17

To call out like alternate timelines. And I thought that was really, really funny, but there's so many jokes in here that just had me cracking up. When Matt goes, Hey, remember that time when I did a racist Bill Cosby impression? And then it cuts to that, or Matt going, Hey, remember when we came up with the name of our band? And it just cuts to Matt yelling, Nirvana the band, and that's it. Um yeah, so they're telling us through the series of flashbacks, and you know my theory that Vince Valence is a psychopath with Nazi memorabilia? It's it's confirmed by two things in this episode. One, he has his drinks next to a bunch of spray cans in the basement. Psychopath behavior. And two, did you see the amount of water damage next to the circuit breaker?

Michelle 47:01

No.

Steve 47:02

I was I had to pause it, I was obsessed with this basement. There was paint falling from the ceiling, there was like water damage everywhere, and then you see a line of water damage like going down the wall past the circuit, the uh the yeah, the circuit breaker.

Kit 47:15

I did not pay any attention to the basement itself. That's wild.

Steve 47:18

I it's all I could look at. It was absolute psychopath house.

Kit 47:23

It is.

Steve 47:24

Even Matt's like, we're in a kiddie porn basement, and I had just finished watching Donnie Darko like the day before. And I was like, this is just my week. Respected members of the community with kitty porn dungeons. Um, so they're just going to put the the mannequin thing comes back, Michelle. You were asking about that. Matt is telling a spooky story about Jay being trapped in a mannequin factory.

Michelle 47:47

The mannequin thing does come back. I also love that this sort of like foreshadowed the scene in the movie where they have to hide in the closet and are all like talking loudly the whole time, even though they're ostensibly trying to be hidden. Uh uh, which is just endlessly delightful to me. Um, I think my favorite of the little flashbacks was Matt going, Remember when I great ate that great sandwich this morning? And there's a scene of him like looking lovingly at his sandwich, and then Jay says, I ate that sandwich, you didn't have anything. And they go back to the reality. Um and then I think in the commentary they say that like that wasn't a planned bit, that was just like one of the cameramen filming their actual lunch interaction, which is very funny to me.

Steve 48:33

Where Matt is bargaining about what he could steal because he won't let him have any of the sandwiches. Like, what about the Gherkin? There's two really interesting revelations in the commentary. One that this is the first episode shot by Jared, and then he is their main guy moving forward.

Kit 48:48

Hell yeah. We love Jared.

Steve 48:50

And Jared was in the commentary for this one, which was nice to have an extra person in there.

Michelle 48:54

Nice.

Steve 48:55

And the other one was that they shot this episode three times.

Kit 48:58

Three times?

Steve 49:00

And I'm waiting to see what the reveal is because Matt says at the beginning that the actress that played um Matt's sister, he thinks they hate she hates them now. And he's like, we'll talk about it.

Michelle 49:11

Because of something that happens in a later episode. And I'm so curious to hear what that is. And like so curious that she'll come back since that seemed like it was an alternate reality.

Kit 49:23

I really love the flashback stuff in this. I love every time they do flashbacks. The flashbacks in the movie were really great, the stuff in Vice Land is really great. Like, and here I think this is the first time they're really utilizing it in an episode like this. And of course, it's for a lost one, right? Like I didn't watch Lost, but I know they had all these fucking flashbacks all the time, you know? So I think this is really great and fun. But at the same time, I am not a huge fan of like the story being told of like Jay was like fucking around with like Matt's sister. Like that feels kind of like, all right, I guess, you know.

Steve 49:59

But I like that they are living together. And Matt doesn't know.

Kit 50:04

Yeah.

Steve 50:04

And he gets a phone call when they're laying in bed, and he's like, I guess Matt and I are starting a band. And like, it is a real, you're a real 2008. Oh, look, the sexy ladies in lingerie, excited to see Jay. And it's just okay.

Kit 50:17

Yeah. But also, not a flashback, but there's a part when they're in the basement and I think Jay grabs Matt's phone and he goes, you know, I'm gonna call someone. And then he looks at his phone and he's I forget what exactly he says, but he's Jay says that Matt only has three numbers in his phone, and it's Jay, his sister, and the Rivoli, which is very funny. But also, I don't think that number is higher than I thought it would be, to be honest with you. I thought it would just be Jay. I didn't think he would have the Rivoli in his phone. He I definitely didn't think he would have his sister in the phone. It would be like Jay, mobile, Jay's like parents' house, and like that's maybe Jay's mom. That's it.

Michelle 50:55

Just in case he can't reach Jay.

Steve 50:57

Yeah. I wish I had seen this in 2008. Uh, because I think you know, the three of us have grown into fairly sincere people. And I do wonder if we would be shitting on Matt if we had seen it when we were younger and a little shittier, versus now where the three of us are all just like, oh Matt, and just feeling like feeling for him and kind of wanting to protect him. I just kind of wonder if we had all would have interpreted this differently back then. I think that's entirely possible. Because it's a joke that you have the three numbers in your phone. And my reaction was just, oh, maybe.

Michelle 51:35

And then he says, Call 911 while we're breaking and entering. What were they charged us with?

Speaker 4 51:43

We haven't broken anything.

Steve 51:46

And then Matt's like, yeah, they're gonna give us the key to the city. We're heroes.

Kit 51:50

Yeah, and it's gonna open the mayor's wife's chastity belt. She's 18. My favorite joke.

Steve 51:56

It's really good. My actual my actual favorite joke is that you know, Vince Valence comes in and crawls down the basement and they're all hiding in the basement, and you see this red scarf hanging down.

Michelle 52:07

It's so, it's so good.

Steve 52:10

I cackled like an old witch when they like you just see this like giant scarf hanging. Just the guy's guy always wears a scarf.

Michelle 52:20

And it is, I'm pretty sure, the same scarf as they have Matt wearing in the last episode.

Steve 52:26

Oh, it definitely is.

Michelle 52:27

Probably because they only had one red scarf.

Steve 52:30

Yeah, but it just shows what professionals they are.

unknown 52:32

Yeah.

Steve 52:33

And then a shocking reveal at the end of the episode is a cliffhanger, as Matt casually drops, he got the booking book.

Kit 52:39

Yeah. Didn't think it was real, but he got it.

Steve 52:42

I gasped at the cliffhanger.

Michelle 52:44

I did, I did, I have it in my notes. I literally gasped at in the beatplot alternate universe, her saying that she was Matt's sister. They look so much alike. And Matt actually has a twin sister, right? Like in real real life, Matt. Oh, a twin? Or I think he there are twins in his family. I don't know if he's a twin or he has siblings who are twins.

Steve 53:10

So the the the actress who plays Matt's sister is uh Caitlin Rieger, I believe it's pronounced. Um I was kind of wondering like what else she had done because they were talking about like what a professional she was. Here's what I think is really interesting. If you pull up her IMDB, Dr. Caitlin Rieger is an ethnographer and documentarian. Her work has appeared internationally in academic and popular print outlets, including BBC, Variety Magazine, and the Los Angeles Times. In addition to serving as a topic specialist for BBC World, Rieger has created a documentary content for networks such as Super Channel, SWR, and Art. Uh, she has a feature documentary about burlesque. She was trained at uh the Moscow Arts Theatre, and she holds a master's degree from Britain's world-renowned Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts and King's College in London. She is an accomplished woman.

Kit 54:06

Are we sure this is the right person?

Steve 54:09

It is. I triple checked.

Michelle 54:11

That's crazy.

Steve 54:12

I was pretty impressed.

Michelle 54:13

That's super impressive.

Steve 54:15

I went to go check out her actual website, and my browser went, not secure. Are you sure you want to proceed? So the answer was no. So I didn't check out her actual personal website. But uh, she's a doctor. So and she star maybe she started here as uh Matt's hot sister.

Michelle 54:32

I wonder how they got her on this web series. Was this just like she was someone that one of them knew from college or comedy or something?

Steve 54:43

Yeah, who knows, or just like a like, you know, local the local casting call or whatever.

Michelle 54:48

Yeah.

Steve 54:49

But she has no photo on IMDB.

Michelle 54:51

She has a Wikipedia page and she has a photo there and it looks like her.

Steve 54:55

Alright. I mean, good for her. Yeah, she wrote a book called Smartphone Nation: Building Digital Boundaries when offline isn't an option. Do we stand?

Michelle 55:03

I'm happy for her. Maybe we stand. We do. We'll see where her character goes over the rest of the web series. One more week. Okay.

Steve 55:13

Oh, you know what? Algorithms and gender stereotypes. Alright, we fucking we do stand here.

Michelle 55:19

We love Dr. Caitlin Rieger. Yeah. Maybe we can get her to come on the podcast.

Steve 55:23

Here's a picture of her and Gloria Steinem.

Michelle 55:25

Damn, alright. I wonder if she actually does have ill feelings towards Man Jay or if they're just guessing that she does.

Steve 55:33

I mean, though they said they're gonna reveal it on the other episode with her.

Michelle 55:36

Oh, that's true.

Kit 55:37

We think they're actually going to.

Steve 55:38

I mean, they're pretty blunt on these commentaries. Oh, but she does have a notorious RBG shirt. That that knocks her down a peg. But everything else we're cool with. Uh, do we have any other thoughts on episode four, the basement?

Kit 55:52

Yeah, I mean, going back to our two beautiful singing boys, um there there is something that Matt says when they're hiding underneath the stairwell where you know Vince Valence is coming down the stairs, and Jay is like, you know, be quiet. Something bad is happening, you need to be quiet, all this other stuff. And he's Matt says to Jay, Jay, this is our life. You think I'm doing this for the band? I'm doing this for us. This is how we spend time together. And one, so sweet, obviously, but also that was what sort of recontextualized so much of this rewatch for me was hearing him say that. I think for the first time, like actually hearing him say that instead of them just sort of like squabbling at each other. And it's just, again, it's this sort of like childish way of looking at friendship, where it's just like, we can't just hang out together. We have to have like a task, a plan. We have to be getting up to something. And the the band is that. This is how he spends time with Jay. But at the same time, this episode is about Jay having a life before Matt, where I mean, obviously he was like fucking around with his sister, like dating her and all this other stuff, but he had a life before Matt, before the band. And it seems like that's just completely gone now. Like we we didn't know this person existed, Matt's sister, until this episode with all the flashbacks. Yeah. And so I don't know, curious what your guys' take on all of that is.

Michelle 57:17

Do you read them as actual flashbacks? Or I feel like I wound up reading it as alternate universe. Same. I was reading them 100% as flashbacks.

Steve 57:26

Oh, interesting. I read it somewhere in between the two of you that these are flashbacks, but flashbacks in a timeline that was not necessarily perfect or like a could be variants, because that's what the Terminator 2 jacket made me think. Was that like this they are on a timeline? These are flashbacks, but the timeline can change. Because also given the movie with time travel, which again wasn't a thought in the moment, but I do think you don't put that jacket in for no reason. Because it was a reveal of it.

Michelle 57:59

Yeah. It is a reveal. They also they do mention in the commentary that that's Jay's dad's jacket. Shout out to Jay's dad again for improving an episode. Um and that they like found it, and we're like, we have to include that. Because all of those flashback scenes with Matt's sister are in Jay's parents' house, I think they said. Um and yeah, I don't know. Like, I don't know what the Terminator 2 jacket means, but it does feel like it could mean like if he still had that, or if he had that in this universe, he would still be wearing it.

Steve 58:34

Because who wouldn't Michelle, can you grab the right the whiteboard for a minute?

Michelle 58:37

Yeah.

Steve 58:38

I need you to add get Jay's dad on the show to that list.

Michelle 58:44

To a get Jay's dad.

Steve 58:50

Thank you.

Kit 58:51

Hell yeah. Yeah.

Steve 58:52

So but before we wrap up today, I I know Kit, you said you had a couple bits of housekeeping from our first episode we wanted to check in on.

Kit 58:59

Yeah, absolutely. So the first thing I wanted to talk about was in the first episode we talk a lot about the fan site. And I don't think we ever really called out the fan site itself. The fan site is NirvanaTheBand.show. Um, all of the web series is on there, as well as the extras, deleted scenes, all of that. I think the only thing you can't get on there is the Vice television show, um, and obviously the movie. Um, so there was a period of time where the web series was not on there anymore. It was taken down, but it's back up. So this is a fan site lovingly curated by just regular people. So feel free to check it out if you're interested in watching Nirvana the Band, the web series with us. So there's that. And then the second thing I wanted to check in on, speaking of plants, is the status of all of our plans from episode one. Um, so I mean, the first one obviously is, you know, Vin Diesel. Have we been contacted by Vin Diesel? Have we been threatened by Vin Diesel since our last episode?

Steve 59:54

Thankfully, not on both accounts.

Michelle 59:55

Not that I'm aware of, but he could be, you know, in my spam inbox or something.

Kit 1:00:00

Okay, cool, cool. Obviously, in the first episode, we spent a lot of time talking about monetizing. I think within the first 15 minutes, we were like, yeah, we're gonna monetize this bitch. I haven't heard anything from Casper Mattress, so I'm assuming we did not get the sponsorship from Picasper.

Michelle 1:00:14

Not yet, but I do think if you make more than 10 episodes of a podcast, you will hear from either them or Squarespace or AG1. I'm holding out hope. Yeah. Some some greens nutrients company. Friends, I have an idea.

Steve 1:00:30

Let's hear it.

Michelle 1:00:31

Okay.

Steve 1:00:32

I love a charity stun.

Michelle 1:00:33

Mm-hmm.

Steve 1:00:34

If somebody wants to give us $10, great. But if you donate $10 to some sort of good charity, I think we could read whatever ad you want on the show.

Kit 1:00:42

Yeah. I think that's fair.

Steve 1:00:43

So you can pay us or you could pay a good cause. Please note.

Kit 1:00:47

I would rather they pay the good cause. I don't want to get involved in the transactions.

Steve 1:00:51

I like a $10. But anyway, it'll cover our podcast hosted expenses for the month. Uh but yeah. If you donate $10 to a good cause and then email us at nirvana the pod at gmail.com, we'll read your ad.

Kit 1:01:06

Within reason. Yeah. Yeah.

Steve 1:01:08

We we have veto power.

Kit 1:01:10

Okay. Just wanted to make that.

Steve 1:01:11

Like if like the daily stormer sends a again, we're not gonna read it.

Michelle 1:01:16

Even if the daily stormer donates to the Trevor Project, still not gonna read it.

Steve 1:01:20

The Daily Wire supports Nirvana the Fan The Show, the podcast.

Kit 1:01:24

Oh my god. Okay, so we didn't get the Casper master we did not get the Casper Mattress sponsorship. Next thing in terms of plans from episode one, Seth McFarland. We spent a lot of time saying that he was a war criminal and that he should be executed. However, we did invite him onto the pod to talk about Frank Sinatra. Did we get did we hear back from him?

Steve 1:01:46

I did forget to send the email. I'll follow up with him this week.

Kit 1:01:49

Okay, great. If you could circle back with Seth, that would be great.

Steve 1:01:53

We'll do.

Kit 1:01:54

Um and then finally, our biggest plan of all getting Matt and Jay on the podcast.

Michelle 1:01:59

Not yet. I think it's coming though. I think I think we just need one more plan.

Steve 1:02:05

One more episode. It's all it's gonna take. And then we're done. We got him.

Michelle 1:02:09

Yeah, and then we're out.

Kit 1:02:10

Wait, so hold on. We're no longer a rewatching podcast. We are now a get Matt and Jay on the pod. The second they're there, we cut our losses and just bounce.

Steve 1:02:19

Oh no, we're we're a Reacher podcast.

Kit 1:02:21

Oh, we just pivot entirely to a completely different show.

Michelle 1:02:25

Once we have reached our goal, uh, we will become a Reacher podcast.

Steve 1:02:30

And then if we get Alan Rich then, we pivot to a new show.

Michelle 1:02:33

Yeah. I don't know what comes after that. Alias, maybe? Maybe we all finally watch Lost together.

Kit 1:02:39

Oh my god, yes.

Michelle 1:02:40

We might die. I I don't like I don't think the world needs another Lost Rewatch podcast. I feel like if I had to guess conservatively, there are about 400 of them. Um maybe they do need us though.

Kit 1:02:54

Yeah, because we've never seen it.

Michelle 1:02:55

Yeah.

Steve 1:02:56

Three assholes who don't care about Lost watch every episode of Lost. The podcast. That's the best kind of podcast.

Michelle 1:03:05

That's this podcast.

Steve 1:03:06

They didn't know what they were signing up for, but now they're here. You're trapped. Once you subscribe, you're in them.

Michelle 1:03:11

Welcome to our saw trap. It's gonna keep downloading on your phone and you're gonna feel bad about deleting it.

Steve 1:03:18

We seem really nice. I do have one bit of housekeeping that I've brought. I found out that somebody actually hosted Juiced, the OJ Simpson Prank show, on Internet Archive.

Speaker 5 1:03:31

Mm-hmm.

Steve 1:03:32

I tried to watch it and it felt so disgusting. It's one of those things that's so much funnier when you talk about it in concept than when you hit play. I made it five minutes of skipping around. I needed a shower after. Don't go watch Juiced.

Michelle 1:03:48

I feel like I can I can co-sign that even without attempting to watch Juiced.

Kit 1:03:52

I don't know. I'm still intrigued. Now that I know that I don't have to spend $80 on eBay, I can just hit up my good friend Internet Archive.

Steve 1:04:00

Everything is Logan Paul filming a dead body in the forest. Like every prank is that level.

Kit 1:04:08

Okay. I don't know. I mean, I'm not doing anything tomorrow. I could just watch like a little bit.

Steve 1:04:12

Watch Robocop.

Kit 1:04:14

You're right.

Steve 1:04:15

Wait, wait, what is the thing that I've tried to bully you into watching that you've avoided?

Kit 1:04:19

I don't know, man. There's so many.

Steve 1:04:21

I broke you on Nirvana the Show. No, Nirvana the Pan of the Show. Now you're podcasting about it.

Kit 1:04:25

That's true. And you also broke me on uh, what was it, Dispatches from Elsewhere?

Steve 1:04:30

Show fucking rock. That's our new season.

Kit 1:04:33

Oh my god, yes. Jason Siegel, show us your dick.

Michelle 1:04:36

He's already done that. I've seen Forgetting Sarah Marshall.

Kit 1:04:40

No, it's an incredible moment in Dispatches from Elsewhere.

Steve 1:04:43

I certainly wasn't forgetting Jason Siegel's penis. Okay, that's so it's it's Reacher, then Dispatches from Elsewhere.

Michelle 1:04:52

What happened to Lost?

Steve 1:04:53

I'm I'm put the kibosh on Lost.

Michelle 1:04:56

Push that one to the back of the list. Damn. Only if we achieve all of our goals.

Steve 1:05:00

If there is another global pandemic that locks miss in our houses, we will do Lost.

Michelle 1:05:05

I did watch, I did re-watch all of Alias during the last pandemic when I was going a little crazy. And I I can't say that I recommend the experience past season three.

Steve 1:05:17

My hot take is I don't think anything JJ Abrams has made has aged well.

Kit 1:05:21

No, I think I think that might be fair. I mean I have fond memories of Star Trek, but I also haven't seen it since theaters. And he did the Star Trek movies, right?

Steve 1:05:30

But he also did Star Trek into Darkness.

Michelle 1:05:32

I don't remember that one. The first one. I mean it's it's the JJ Abrams curse. The first one's fine.

Steve 1:05:37

Yeah.

Michelle 1:05:38

That's true. That's that's the pilot. And then they get bad, and then he leaves and lets somebody else clean up his mess.

Steve 1:05:45

Unless it's Star Wars. Then he comes back to the street.

Michelle 1:05:47

Unless it's Star Wars, and then he says, Oh, you did better than me. Give it back.

Steve 1:05:51

I do love that this is universally a pro last Jedi podcast. That makes me really happy.

Michelle 1:05:56

Fucking love that movie.

Steve 1:05:57

We just lost half of our listeners.

Michelle 1:06:01

Half of the 30 people who downloaded our placeholder episode. Who are you people? I really hope that you're enjoying whatever this is. Uh, we're having a lot of fun, I think.

Steve 1:06:14

My first podcast many, many years ago, um, we had a hundred downloads every episode, and 80 of them were in Jamaica. And I don't know what appealed about our podcast to people in Jamaica. I was very grateful, but yeah. 80% of our downloads were it's 20% in New York City, 80% in Jamaica.

Michelle 1:06:34

That's fascinating.

Steve 1:06:35

None of my friends and family were listening.

Michelle 1:06:37

But shout out to Jamaica.

Steve 1:06:38

Yeah, shout out to those 80 people. Maybe they'll come back. Steve's back on uh uh iTunes. Let's let's go.

Michelle 1:06:45

I can't wait.

Steve 1:06:46

Uh what's the furthest you think we'll get a listener from?

Michelle 1:06:48

Like I think we could get someone in South America.

Kit 1:06:52

I'm thinking Detroit.

Michelle 1:06:54

That's not a real place.

Kit 1:06:55

God damn it!

Michelle 1:06:58

Um thanks for talking Nirvana with me, friends. Yeah. Nirvana, the band, the show. Uh this is our last one. We'll be back together to talk five and six very soon.

Steve 1:07:09

Yeah, we're halfway through the web series.

Michelle 1:07:11

We're halfway through the web series. There's only ten episodes. I didn't realize it was so short. Really powering through this. Um, if there's nothing else, there's nothing like a good feeling.

Steve 1:07:22

Like a good feeling.

Michelle 1:07:23

Nothing like a good feeling. Thanks.

Steve 1:07:38

Thank you for listening to Nirvana the Band The Show the Podcast. We'd love to hear from you. You can email us at nirvana the pod at gmail.com, and we're also on Blue Sky and Instagram at Nirvana the Pod. Our website is nirvana the pod.com. Special thanks to Anne Meadows for our logo. Oh, and Matt and Jay, if you're listening, we'd love to have you on the show.