Roderick on the Line: Ep. 135: "Fire Was Always the Star"
December 21, 2014 1:37 PM - Subscribe
The Problem: 110/20 exposure.
John and Merlin cover many topics today, but hit several big ideas - junk mail, Mad Max and movies of the '80s, guitar licks, and a tale of crowd control at a Michael Dukakis speech.
Conversation map: Vocal Fry; In A World movie & Lake Bell demonstrating vocal affectations; John and Merlin as Vocal Artists; Exploring Intersections of... & artistic philosophy; John's first Text Spam, but first the set up: thrifting, eBay, Italian climbing boots, men's fashion blogs, "bootsplaining" and the JCrew website; Merlin reveals how buying one item leads to 8 marketing emails a day; a side trip into how thrift shops now know the value of vintage ($99 Ray-Bans) - oh, yeah that text spam was for men's fashion; Merlin talks about his text spam for TV Show casting; today's scams are complex; a quick chat on Glengarry Glen Ross;
John brings up the new Mad Max trailer which leads to reminisce on the old Road Warrior movies and how "fire was always the star of the show". We take a hard right into asking if John ever bought a wooden fork; if chopsticks are a new thought technology, realizing that, in the world of Mad Max everyone had a single piece of dinnerware, and how that signaled how the world of the film had gone to hell. John and Merlin determine that you're either a Road Warrior with a fork, a Gyro Pilot with a spoon, or some doofus on twitter with chopsticks.
John hints at revealing his Everyday Carry but they never get back to that point. John gives a nice talk about learning guitar licks, including on-air examples; the power of mental connections and memories; being transported back to a time and place just from a sound (Loaf of Bread, a Container Of Milk, and a Stick Of Butter, the sound of the bell from a full-service gas station, other memories of the '70s); John tells a story of attending a Michael Dukakis campaign speech in Seattle that turned into learning the power of Crowd Control, and ends with a peek behind the curtain of political campaigns. Oh, and remember to get a roll of 110/20-exposure film, please.
John and Merlin cover many topics today, but hit several big ideas - junk mail, Mad Max and movies of the '80s, guitar licks, and a tale of crowd control at a Michael Dukakis speech.
Conversation map: Vocal Fry; In A World movie & Lake Bell demonstrating vocal affectations; John and Merlin as Vocal Artists; Exploring Intersections of... & artistic philosophy; John's first Text Spam, but first the set up: thrifting, eBay, Italian climbing boots, men's fashion blogs, "bootsplaining" and the JCrew website; Merlin reveals how buying one item leads to 8 marketing emails a day; a side trip into how thrift shops now know the value of vintage ($99 Ray-Bans) - oh, yeah that text spam was for men's fashion; Merlin talks about his text spam for TV Show casting; today's scams are complex; a quick chat on Glengarry Glen Ross;
John brings up the new Mad Max trailer which leads to reminisce on the old Road Warrior movies and how "fire was always the star of the show". We take a hard right into asking if John ever bought a wooden fork; if chopsticks are a new thought technology, realizing that, in the world of Mad Max everyone had a single piece of dinnerware, and how that signaled how the world of the film had gone to hell. John and Merlin determine that you're either a Road Warrior with a fork, a Gyro Pilot with a spoon, or some doofus on twitter with chopsticks.
John hints at revealing his Everyday Carry but they never get back to that point. John gives a nice talk about learning guitar licks, including on-air examples; the power of mental connections and memories; being transported back to a time and place just from a sound (Loaf of Bread, a Container Of Milk, and a Stick Of Butter, the sound of the bell from a full-service gas station, other memories of the '70s); John tells a story of attending a Michael Dukakis campaign speech in Seattle that turned into learning the power of Crowd Control, and ends with a peek behind the curtain of political campaigns. Oh, and remember to get a roll of 110/20-exposure film, please.
Yeah, during the last episode, I wasn't thinking John should have chopsticks, but immediately thought of bamboo cutlery I've had at a few "eco" friendly fast food restaurants. They seem easy to pack and possible to get past security but then they're kind of disposable and not as reliable as a wood spoon.
The bit at the end about old advertising reminded me that I bought a Rolo candy the other day and I was showing it to my daughter, who'd never heard of it and thought the carmels were glorious. I started singing "Roll me a Rolo" and it came from the deepest reaches of my brain and I don't remember the last time I saw their ads or heard their jingles, but some things stick with you forever I guess.
posted by mathowie at 7:53 AM on December 22, 2014
The bit at the end about old advertising reminded me that I bought a Rolo candy the other day and I was showing it to my daughter, who'd never heard of it and thought the carmels were glorious. I started singing "Roll me a Rolo" and it came from the deepest reaches of my brain and I don't remember the last time I saw their ads or heard their jingles, but some things stick with you forever I guess.
posted by mathowie at 7:53 AM on December 22, 2014
"You can roll a Rolo, to a pal/It's chocolate covered caramel..." NEVER FORGET!
posted by jazon at 8:56 AM on December 22, 2014
posted by jazon at 8:56 AM on December 22, 2014
Curious. In the UK, the Rolo-based advertising memory is whether you would give someone your last Rolo (the greatest sacrifice of all).
posted by Grangousier at 1:47 PM on December 22, 2014
posted by Grangousier at 1:47 PM on December 22, 2014
I don't get the fork thing - it seems like the sort of problem one can safely ignore until it becomes a problem. Sure, I might go hungry one night or two, but if I can't beg, borrow, steal or improvise a competent fork, I don't really deserve that food.
posted by wotsac at 2:13 PM on December 22, 2014
posted by wotsac at 2:13 PM on December 22, 2014
Have you ever like ordered takeout food in a hotel and the delivery guy forgot to give you a fork and the hotel doesn't have room service and you're like oh god how on earth will I eat this? There's literally nothing in most hotel rooms that looks anything like forks (I have used two coffe swirl sticks as chopsticks before for a salad).
Same goes for when anyone gives you a soda in a cup with a lid but forgets a straw. I always have a stash of straws in my car because once a year I might get stuck drinking from a cup with no straw and it's THE WORST when you don't come prepared.
posted by mathowie at 2:49 PM on December 22, 2014
Same goes for when anyone gives you a soda in a cup with a lid but forgets a straw. I always have a stash of straws in my car because once a year I might get stuck drinking from a cup with no straw and it's THE WORST when you don't come prepared.
posted by mathowie at 2:49 PM on December 22, 2014
The idea of eating take out under the daylight CFLs (they're so often daylight) in the grade of hotel I stay in seems shatteringly sad. But I've eaten the occasional bit of takeout with my hands... not often enough to keep anything like a place setting in my bag though. What I do carry (which is rather bulkier than a set of cutlery) is extension cord with several outlets on it. It's big and annoying, but I have never regretted being able to plug my phone in by my bed.
I'm interested in what I can leave out of my small bag. A straw for instance - would my net happiness be higher if I spent time pawing through my glove box once a year for a straw that might not be there, or if I just popped the lid off my drink and spent a few minutes more sitting and drinking? Napkins though - far bulkier, but endlessly useful.
posted by wotsac at 9:58 AM on December 23, 2014
I'm interested in what I can leave out of my small bag. A straw for instance - would my net happiness be higher if I spent time pawing through my glove box once a year for a straw that might not be there, or if I just popped the lid off my drink and spent a few minutes more sitting and drinking? Napkins though - far bulkier, but endlessly useful.
posted by wotsac at 9:58 AM on December 23, 2014
Easy Joke.
posted by srboisvert at 8:52 AM on January 5, 2015
posted by srboisvert at 8:52 AM on January 5, 2015
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posted by jazon at 1:40 PM on December 21, 2014