TCB, Your Undercover Lovers!

Transcript

Speaker 1 This episode is sponsored by 5-Hour Energy. Caffeine just got a flavor upgrade with what they call tasty caffeine, 17 bold flavors that actually taste good.

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Speaker 2 And welcome back to WSHIT on a beautiful Wednesday morning. 6:02 on the in-studio clock, currently 56 degrees.

Speaker 2 SHIT's Mark Mellenhopper says it's gonna be pleasant, partly cloudy, with a few stray tornadoes later on this afternoon.

Speaker 2 Now, if you hear a few stray voices in the studio this morning, that's because it's Take Your Daughter to Work Day here at WSHIT.

Speaker 2 Could Could not be prouder to have our little bundle of joy, Bobby Joe Alexis, here today with us. Just a proud mama here, teaching Bobby Joe Alexis the ins and outs of local broadcast news.

Speaker 2 Today's top story here in CrabApple, more long lines at the local Crab Apple Cinema.

Speaker 2 For the 15th week in a row, Smash Mouth live at Panama City Beach has caused a record turnout and long lines at the box office.

Speaker 2 Local authorities are reporting a few scuffles here and there, but no injuries and limited arrests have been made. Protest at the Tina Tan and Tweez.
What's that?

Speaker 2 What's that? Fuck you but sounds like someone's gonna have to put a quarter in the swear jar. As I was saying,

Speaker 2 more protests at Tina Tan and Tweez as more people have presented with

Speaker 2 as more people have presented symptoms from a listeria outbreak due to a shrimp dip served inside of the waxing room over there at Tina Tan and Tweez. Unfortunate incident all around.

Speaker 2 We had an opportunity to talk to Tina and she said the green coloring on the shrimp was part of the recipe. Local health officials are investigating the incident.
So far, five people have died.

Speaker 2 Dear God, Bobby Joe,

Speaker 2 Bobby Joe, I'm taking away your access to Disney Club. I knew that Taylor's rich was no good.

Speaker 2 And now on with traffic, Bobby Joe, you are not getting any more Peppa Pig plates.

Speaker 2 Bobby Joe, Alexis, Mackenzie Smith, we're gonna take a short break and then we'll be back to this episode of the Commercial Break. Tuck your bitch.

Speaker 3 On this episode of The Commercial Break,

Speaker 3 the podcast has a strong, engaged fan base that regularly interacts on social media and podcast platforms. Bullshit.
Bullshit.

Speaker 3 If you look at our social media, that's not what you would say. I love you guys, but we're just not, that's not, that's not our sweet spot, you and I together.
I'm talking to you, listener.

Speaker 3 You and I, we have a special kind of relationship. It's like we have a secret romance going on where we don't let anybody know on social media that we're dating.

Speaker 3 The next episode of the Commercial Break starts now.

Speaker 3 Oh, yeah, cats and kittens. Welcome back to the Commercial Break.
I'm Brian Green. This is my dear friend and the co-host of this show, Kristen Joy Hoadley.
Best to you, Kristen.

Speaker 3 The best to you, Brian. Best to you out there in the podcast universe.
Thanks for joining us. Just reading that Tom Brady showed up to the Super Bowl with a $780,000 watch slung around his wrist.

Speaker 3 Ah, to be king. It must be nice to be king.

Speaker 3 Isn't he also now the co-owner of one of the NFL teams I think he is? Wow.

Speaker 3 It must be nice.

Speaker 3 It must be nice to live a day in somebody's shoes where you don't have to worry about negative account balances.

Speaker 3 Yeah. Taking all the food out of your mouth.
Or, you know, all the stuff that we all worry about. Here down on the floor.
Yeah. Down near the smoke you know you know they say stop drop and roll

Speaker 3 i feel i feel like that's most of us stop drop and roll that's what we do yeah stop paying your bills drop anything that matters to you

Speaker 3 yes and roll right into bankruptcy

Speaker 3 that's what it is i do get a little i do get a little of a clemp sometimes when i see somebody wearing a 740 000 watch and i think to myself i have negative 740 in my my account right now.

Speaker 3 If I could just borrow that watch, take it to the pawn shop for a couple of days, I think I'd be okay. You know,

Speaker 3 just give me a hundred grand, Tom. Here's my plea to you, Tom.
Listen, I know I knocked your analyzing of the game a little bit, but what's a little criticism amongst friends?

Speaker 3 I'm trying to make you better. I'm trying to help.
What I would really like is just an invite to that island you live on, whatever that place is. I think he lives down.

Speaker 3 You know, I went down to Brady Isle. Brady Isle, that's right.

Speaker 3 I'd like to go down to Brady Isle for a couple of days. If you could loan me $100,000, that before you die, I promise I will do my best to pay back.
And

Speaker 3 could I borrow the watch for a few days? I'll bring it back just how I found it,

Speaker 3 but probably it will be like something I bought off a Somali pirate in Barcelona.

Speaker 3 Listen, Tom, we're buds. We know each other.
Well, I invite you to come on the commercial commercial break anytime.

Speaker 3 Let me tell you about this. Let me stop talking about Tommy here because I'd like to talk about something

Speaker 3 that was, that I heard in the podcast news. There is a rather well-known podcaster, not going to name her because I'm not here to talk shit about other creators.

Speaker 3 And I'm not here to step on other creators' game, however that game may be played. But there are a number of ways you can make money in this industry.

Speaker 3 You could sell subscriptions like Chrissy and I once did. I think we got to a total subscriber count of three,

Speaker 3 two of which were my family members.

Speaker 3 So I think we got three subscribers. We quickly threw that idea out the window because we didn't want to make more content that wasn't going to be consumed.
Why do that?

Speaker 3 Well, the funny thing to think about now, though, is that when we tried that,

Speaker 3 we were only doing one day a week. Oh, yeah, that's true.
We were just doing one show a week.

Speaker 3 And then we were trying to put together a second show and struggling mightily to put that second show together.

Speaker 3 If four days a week isn't any indication of just how terrible we are at this show, we don't do this because we want to. We do it because that's, we need it to sell to advertisers.
I'm kidding.

Speaker 3 I'm kidding. Kind of.

Speaker 3 So, yeah, so there are subs, there's a subscription base. You can do that.

Speaker 3 There is the advertising model, which we subscribe to because it doesn't require you, the listener, to take any additional action except for listen to the sponsors.

Speaker 3 And quite frankly, for now, I think that's the best way to do it because because it's not a heavy lift. It's not a heavy lift for the listeners.
It's not a heavy lift for us.

Speaker 3 We just, you know, read some advertisements on occasion, companies that we would do business with or do do business with. Then there is the model where you can have a business that you sell.

Speaker 3 to the audience like a course or a manual or merch or whatever that's a sense we call that pitching your audience you can pitch your audience for whatever it is you want to sell to them and then make a cut off that that certainly is another business model then there's the business model where you have adjunct content that then you sell to streamers, like, you know, some

Speaker 3 murder mystery podcasts, true crime podcasts, they will sell their ideas to Netflix and to the streamers. You're right.

Speaker 3 I've noticed there's quite a few of those getting turned into show, like actual Netflix shows. Yeah.

Speaker 3 Yeah.

Speaker 3 And like we're in one of those con we have what's called a 360 contract with our talent agency, which means that any adjunct stuff that would happen, you know, they would be responsible for pitching and getting a cut of or whatever.

Speaker 3 But what adjunct material is going to be made from the commercial break?

Speaker 3 A series on Brian's 15 minutes with Chopper Johnson? I don't think anybody's buying that, though it would be a good series, and I should write it.

Speaker 3 I should write a series based on my time with Chopper Johnson. Actually, that might be funny.
Huh? I got an idea now.

Speaker 3 Anyway, so those are the ways that you can make money, and there's probably other ways that I'm not thinking about.

Speaker 3 But one of the ways that I had never thought about, but I had heard sometimes happens, is selling space on your show

Speaker 3 in the form of guesting. So

Speaker 3 charging a guest to come on and be in front of your audience.

Speaker 3 Now, where does this make sense? You're probably saying to yourself, why would, you know, I don't know, Ari Shafir pay the commercial break to come on. Well, he doesn't, clearly.

Speaker 3 You know, I mean, I, quite frankly, it would be the other way around if it was anything. We would have to pay Ari to come on our show.
But to make it clear, we do not pay for guests.

Speaker 3 They do not pay us. Because if they did, or if we did, I would have to tell you that because that is what the FCC requires.

Speaker 3 If this is a commercial, if time has been paid for and you are actively pitching something, anything out there, the FCC requires now, it always has, but now it's coming down hard on creators.

Speaker 3 It requires that you indicate that that is what is going on inside of the episode.

Speaker 3 So that is why when you hear me read a commercial, I don't have to do this, but I do, I say this episode is sponsored in part by, because I want you to know that this is commercial.

Speaker 3 I'm not, and you're not dumb. You're going to know if I'm pitching you something.

Speaker 3 But I read a story about a podcaster who's kind of popular charging $10,000

Speaker 3 per guest to come on their show. Really? $10,000.

Speaker 3 So. This episode is sponsored by Chrissy Hoadley.

Speaker 3 Thank you here. Yeah, thank you.

Speaker 3 I need to check before we air this, but I'll let you know that. 10 fucking

Speaker 3 girls are we talking about that paid this? CEOs of companies, senior vice presidents of companies, marketing various products or services, I'm sure, to people like B2B businesses and stuff like that.

Speaker 3 I think is where that would probably make the most sense. I don't think you go on and sell like, you know, air mattresses

Speaker 3 on any podcast, right? You would do that inside of commercial time because you're not going to just accept the guy from purple coming on here and talking for an hour about his mattresses.

Speaker 3 You're probably going to tune that out real quick. So it probably makes sense to sit down.

Speaker 3 And I also don't want to, like, again, I don't want to bust on any other creators, you know, modes of making cash because it's really hard to make money in this business.

Speaker 3 And so if that's the way that you do it, fine.

Speaker 3 But I think the big rub is, I think what the podcast periodical that I was reading is trying to point out is there's no indication that that's what's going on inside of the show.

Speaker 3 No one's saying that out loud. And so, in fact, it's one long commercial, but no one tells you that it's one long commercial.
Yes.

Speaker 3 Now, I went and listened to an episode, and it's clear there are, I think there are a lot of guests on this show.

Speaker 3 And I'm not 100% sure every single one of them paid to be on because some of the guests, I don't think they would have to pay to be on. And I don't think that that's the game.

Speaker 3 And again, I'm not going to get into specifics, but some of them, it's clear that they are pitching a service and that the host is going along with the most rosy-eyed version of what's going on.

Speaker 3 They're essentially blowing smoke up the ass of the guest, which we also do. But again, we don't pay anybody to do that.
We're just nice people. We just like to be nice.

Speaker 3 I don't like confrontation, okay? Except unless it's you, the listener, and I'm just yelling in the microphone. That's the kind of confrontation I like, the one where you can't talk back to me.

Speaker 3 But this just got me thinking: wow, $10,000 an episode. Imagine if we made made $10,000 an episode for a guest to come in here.
I mean, we do like 6,000 episodes a year.

Speaker 3 Carry the one forward the zero times six. We would be making $600

Speaker 3 a year.

Speaker 3 That's how it would work. Yeah.
$10,000 an episode. That's a lot.

Speaker 3 It is a lot. It is a lot of money.
And you must be, they must have a really good audience that buys all kinds of shit. I know, and they're not telling the audience that this is paid.

Speaker 3 There's no indication anywhere inside of the episode that

Speaker 3 this is a bought and paid for episode. It's like those commercials you see after Good Morning America.
I was going to say it was the news, the two news people.

Speaker 3 What did I used to call that at Clear Channel? I made up a word. Oh, advertorial.

Speaker 3 An advertorial.

Speaker 3 An advertising editorial. It's like, it feels like it's organic, but wait, why is she so excited about that brand new egg beater at two o'clock in the afternoon?

Speaker 3 Oh, because it's a whole commercial for the egg beater. But it looks like your local newswoman who's just telling you about great products and services that you need to know about.

Speaker 3 But no, it's all paid for. It's bought and paid for by the people who are featured on that showcase.
That's how it is.

Speaker 3 But now on television, you will clearly see at the bottom, somewhere, even in tiny print, this content bought and paid for by whomever.

Speaker 3 You hear this on radio a lot on the weekends, like on talk radio.

Speaker 3 You'll hear a tax guy talking about tax implications, you know, giving you some content that's actually good for you, like that makes sense.

Speaker 3 Like, oh, I could use that tip or I could use that trick or whatever.

Speaker 3 But then they're telling you to call their office to make sure that they, you know, you implement that the right way by using their service. Okay, got it.

Speaker 3 But again, there's always an indication that it's being, that that time is bought and paid for. That here, there is no indication.
And it's, you know, I'd say it's, it's ruffling some feathers.

Speaker 3 It is illegal. Yeah.
Yes, it is illegal. It is illegal by the FCC standards.
Let's put it this way: it's against the FCC rules. You can be fined.

Speaker 3 Even when you're a podcaster and you're not using public airwaves to do this, you can still get fined if you're misleading people as to the nature of what's going on. So, interesting to follow up on.

Speaker 3 And just to let you know,

Speaker 3 the commercial break is now open for business when it comes to guesting.

Speaker 3 If you have a business and you would like to pay us to be on air, no shame in our game, especially if you have a private plane company, a travel company, a what else do you need, Chrissy?

Speaker 3 What do you need?

Speaker 3 A private driver. Private driver company.
What are you looking for, Tina? New socks on a daily basis. A sock company.
Bombas, you got an hour of time.

Speaker 3 And by the way, no $10,000 charge here at the commercial break. $38 is the going rate for an hour of the commercial break's time.
That's about what we're making. That's about what we're making.

Speaker 3 Why not? There you go. $38.
Yes, very surprising. Very surprising turn of events.
Interesting. It doesn't surprise me that it's happening.

Speaker 3 It surprised me who it was, and then it surprised me that this has been going on without any counterindication that that was going on. Well, now that that's been exposed in your daily brief.

Speaker 3 Would you be bothered if your favorite podcast then came on and announced that all the people we have had on

Speaker 3 have been paying us to be on?

Speaker 3 I don't know. It would depend

Speaker 3 okay but i have a very strong very strong opinion well i mean if i've been listening if if it was a mattress company marketing person i don't think i'd even be listening to the podcast

Speaker 3 you know but i guess it would depend is it will farrell no that paid so maybe i wanted to listen to what he had to say i don't know okay no it's not a it's not that it's not that it's not celebrity it's not like we have like comedians and celebrities and stuff like that it is definitely almost all business oriented oriented, life coaching oriented.

Speaker 3 Get your shit together oriented. It's one of these rah-rah sis boom ba, wake up in the morning and, you know, start your day off right.
Unlike the commercial break.

Speaker 3 Yeah, I was going to say I don't listen to. No.

Speaker 3 You listen to us at the end of the day when your life is miserable and you know it. Do you know what I'm saying? That's when you listen to the commercial break.

Speaker 3 You're like, okay, I listened to what, Mel, whatever, Robbins in the morning, and I'm going to listen to the commercial break. And I realize that Mel is full of shit.
My life's always going to suck.

Speaker 3 Brian will commiserate with me.

Speaker 3 brian will let me know what the skinny is yes i will i'm not going to sugarcoat it kids i'm not going to sugarcoat it life sometimes can be funny and it's and it's not always roses i'm just sharing that with you but just know that at least we're not paying anybody to at least no one's paying us to be on the show when i say no one i mean no one no one is paying us to be on the show not yet but we're looking forward to that day we're going to start a second show yeah called the commercial breaks and it's just going to be all commercials is what it's going to be

Speaker 3 and then you can listen to it. I'll just beg you to go listen to it just so we can get some listeners so we can get people to pay.

Speaker 3 I thought about for a long time before we had actual commercials, I thought about doing my own like funny pretend commercials. I thought that would be the commercial breaks inside the commercials.

Speaker 3 And now, when and but we never did that, right? Never. We never put uh parody commercials in there.
We did bits at the beginning of the show. Yeah, that took a lot of time, energy, and effort.

Speaker 3 I, I, coming up with those ideas took a long time, actually.

Speaker 3 But now, when you you ask ChatGPT what the commercial break is all about, you will get an answer that is very flattering to us, but also is pretty far off the nose from what we actually do.

Speaker 3 It's like the commercial break is known for their parody commercials inside of the actual commercial break. We're fooling AI.

Speaker 3 We have fooled AI completely. Some AI don't even know our names.

Speaker 3 We're like, I like it. Yeah, it's like

Speaker 3 Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford host the Commercial Breaks. The Commercial Breaks.

Speaker 3 That's what that guy, one guy said at your

Speaker 3 conference. Oh, yeah, the Commercial Breaks.
Oh, my God. That guy.
I'd like to introduce Brian's Greens from the Commercial Breaks with over 35 viewers per YouTube episode.

Speaker 3 And I was like, what are you fucking talking about? Who is he? The Commercial Breaks is a very informative podcast. You should listen to it.
I've been listening for a long time.

Speaker 3 If you want an interesting conversation, you want to learn something, tune into the Commercial Breaks.

Speaker 3 And it's like, what are you fucking, you Nudnik, if you're going to have four guests on a panel, at least get their bio right. Yes.
At least get their bio right.

Speaker 3 Me and the guy next to me just sat there and it was all we could do to just like get through it. Number one.
Number two, there were barely anybody in the audience anyway.

Speaker 3 So it was like, ah, who fucking cares? No one's listening to this. All right.
We'll talk more about AI.

Speaker 3 Chrissy and I's trip to see Bill Murray and the Blood Brothers and my interesting weekend at my brothers' engagement party. Oh, yes.
Take a break. We'll be back.

Speaker 4 Let me do something Brian has never done.

Speaker 3 Be brief.

Speaker 4 Follow us on Instagram at TheCommercial Break. Text or call us 212-433-3TCB.
That's 212-433-3822. Visit our website, tcbpodcast.com, for all the audio, video, and your free sticker.

Speaker 4 Then watch all the videos at youtube.com/slash thecommercial break. And finally, share the show.
It's the best gift you could give a few aging podcasters.

Speaker 3 See, Brian, that really wasn't that difficult now, was it? You're welcome.

Speaker 1 This episode is sponsored by our longtime sponsor, Squarespace. I am working on a new project, Information TBD.
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Speaker 1 And thank you to Squarespace for being a sponsor of the commercial break.

Speaker 3 This is Free Range with Von Miller, the podcast where I step outside the lines and I take you with me.

Speaker 3 Each week, we're talking everything from the biggest stories around the league to the biggest stories off the field. This isn't your average sports podcast.

Speaker 3 This is game meets culture, locker room meets living room, and no topic is off limits.

Speaker 3 So if you're into good conversations that ruffle a few feathers, join me every Wednesday and follow Free Range with Von Miller everywhere you get your podcast.

Speaker 1 This episode is sponsored in part by Rula. You know, there was a time when I really needed therapy, but I could not find a therapist who took my insurance.

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Speaker 1 You deserve mental health care that works with you, not against your budget.

Speaker 3 Okay, here we are back in studio again, Chrissy and I.

Speaker 3 Back to the way it was, Chrissy. I know.
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. All the people around us keep leaving.
What are we going to do? What do we do? It's just like, you know.

Speaker 3 I think I've learned that the commercial break is just really, it's about friendship, Chrissy. It is.
Yes, it is. It's about friendship.
And all our friends keep leaving. What are we doing wrong?

Speaker 3 I don't know. Whatever.
Now, I do want to address this because people have been emailing and texting and calling and

Speaker 3 they've noticed that Christina is not in the liners anymore and that Tina has been here helping us with the cameras. So let me pull down the curtain just a little bit.

Speaker 3 I'm going to share a little bit of information. I'll address this once and then we will move on with life, all of us together.
So Christina has moved on to greener pastures. You are right.

Speaker 3 She is not here at the show anymore. There is no big nefarious drama.
There is no secret. Christina is not sick that I'm aware of.
She is not hurting. Nothing has happened to her.

Speaker 3 She has moved on to greener pastures, as people do sometimes. We have all the love in the world for Christina, and we know that she's going to do wonderful things in this business.

Speaker 3 And we wish her nothing but the best. And we'll always be here for her.
She'll always be part of the TCB family and always be part of TCB's history. She was here for a couple of years.

Speaker 3 She has her own show.

Speaker 3 called all the rom-coms we've loved before you can go and check that podcast out it's been around for a long time like longer than our show right am i right about that it's been around for a long time i think they put out an episode try to put out an episode every week.

Speaker 3 They talk about rom-coms. That's what they do, her and her friend.
And that show is also very funny. So, if you want to keep up with Christina, you can go listen to that show.

Speaker 3 I encourage you to do so. It's available on all the podcast platforms that you listen to our show on.
And yeah, that's what I'll, that's what I'll say about that.

Speaker 3 Y'all, keen-eyed, keen-eared listeners have been paying attention.

Speaker 3 And yes, so now we have Rachel is the voice of God, or the person who does our liners, good friend for a long time, been a big fan of the show. Yep, funny, fun fact: Rachel was our first ever guest

Speaker 3 on the show. Um, you can go back and listen to that gas station girl.
That's an episode.

Speaker 3 You can go listen to that, that's pretty funny. Yeah, I think it's episode number like 13 or something.

Speaker 3 You can go listen to that if you want to hear a whole episode of Rachel, very famous voiceover artist. We are blessed to have her

Speaker 3 across the world. Yeah, you hear, you'll hear her in Walmart, in Publix, in Kroger if you have a Kroger, on SiriusXM, on your local television stations.

Speaker 3 90% of you are within earshot of a radio station she is the voice of God for.

Speaker 3 So she is very famous at what she does, and she happens to be a good friend of us and of the show. So she has agreed to do the liners under distress.

Speaker 3 But, you know, hey, listen, we had to convince her somehow to do it. And so I said, I will release the pictures that I have in my phone.

Speaker 3 From us 10 years ago, if you don't do our liners, and she immediately had liners to us. That's the way we wrote.
Maybe that's why we don't have any friends here at the commercial break.

Speaker 3 I do everything by blackmailing people.

Speaker 3 So she is the voice of God. And of course, you've heard Tina here in the studio.

Speaker 3 She is helping to produce the show because, you know, Brian set the studio up so that it's, so that everything I need is 10 feet away. With the new studio set up.
Yes, that's right.

Speaker 3 And Tina, also, a good friend of the show, been here for a long time. Those of you who listen know that Tina has been on many times here on the show.

Speaker 3 She's filled in for Chrissy when Chrissy had to take some time off. So we thank Tina for being here.
And again, all the rom-coms you loved before.

Speaker 3 If you want to keep up with Christina, please go over there and listen to her show. I'm sure she would appreciate it.
And it's funny. So go listen to it.
Okay, that's that.

Speaker 3 So yes, Chrissy.

Speaker 3 You told me I should get chat GPT and that's exactly what I did. I had a different AI program on my phone that I don't use very often, but on occasion, I'll go there.

Speaker 3 And I mainly ask about the commercial break because I don't know anything else to ask it. Like, you know, I'm not looking to solve some complicated problem.

Speaker 3 I'm not looking to dig in any worldly events. It doesn't need to, you know, I'm not a biochemist.
I don't need it to

Speaker 3 solve complicated cancer questions. You know, it's just a tool.
It's a thing. It's fun for me.
I'm an old man. What do I need to ask GPT about?

Speaker 3 But I decided, why don't I ask GPT about my favorite subject, the only subject I know about, the commercial break podcast? Would you like to hear what it has to say?

Speaker 3 What should we ask Chat GPT about the commercial break? Do you think?

Speaker 3 Is the commercial break podcast funny?

Speaker 3 Is the Commercial Break Podcast funny? Question mark. It's thinking.

Speaker 3 It says yes. Oh! First word, yes.
The Commercial Break Podcast is known for being funny. It's known for being funny.
No, it's not. Okay, but we'll take it first word.

Speaker 3 Hosted by Brian Green and Chrissy Hilde, got it right. Oh, okay.

Speaker 3 It's an unscripted, more than you know, comedy podcast featuring absurd stories, pop culture commentary, and hilarious takes on random topics.

Speaker 3 Their chemistry and off-the-cuff humor makes it appealing to listeners who enjoy light-hearted

Speaker 3 and often outrageous conversations. Outrageous.
We are outrageous, Chrissy. Two old people sitting here and musing about the days gone by.
It's so outrageous. Ooh, he did drugs once.
Woo! Scandalous.

Speaker 3 If you like spontaneous, slightly irreverent humor with a mix of pop culture and personal anecdotes, you'll probably find it entertaining. Would you like recommendations for episodes to listen to? Oh,

Speaker 3 yes, please recommend some episodes from the commercial break podcast.

Speaker 3 Let's see. I'm interested to see what it comes up with.
It's reasoning. It's currently reasoning.
It's thinking. It's thinking.
Confirming podcast details.

Speaker 3 Wow. Okay.
It's keeping us informed of what it's doing. Providing episode recommendations.
Here it comes. Uh-oh.
I bet it recommends episodes from a different podcast. Thousand bucks.

Speaker 3 Clarifying episode details.

Speaker 3 Wow. It's really out there.

Speaker 3 I don't have any detailed episodes that are must-listen to the commercial show.

Speaker 3 Well, it's being truthful. Yes.

Speaker 3 Is the commercial break podcast a popular podcast? Question mark.

Speaker 3 Because I want to know that answer myself.

Speaker 3 I'm still trying to decide whether or not we're popular. Evaluating popularity, assessing popularity.
The commercial.

Speaker 3 It's being so politically correct. The Commercial Break podcast has developed a loyal following within its niche.

Speaker 3 While it may not be as widely recognized as some mainstream or interview podcasts, it's appreciated by listeners

Speaker 3 who enjoy its off-the-cuff sense of humor and unique take on pop culture. Here's a few bullet points on the Commercial Break's popularity.

Speaker 3 Dedicated audience. The podcast has has a strong, engaged fan base that regularly interacts on social media and podcast platforms.
Bullshit. Bullshit.

Speaker 3 If you look at our social media, that's not what you would say. I love you guys, but we're just not.
That's not

Speaker 3 our sweet spot, you and I together. I'm talking to you, listener.
You and I, we have a special kind of relationship.

Speaker 3 It's like we have a secret romance going on where we don't let anybody know on social media that we're dating.

Speaker 3 Yes.

Speaker 3 Positive reviews. Many listeners praise the chemistry between the hosts and the unscripted conversational style of the show.
In other words, we have no idea what we're going to say next. All right.

Speaker 3 Niche appeal. Its focus on humorous insights about commercial advertising

Speaker 3 and pop culture resonates with fans looking for something a bit different. Word of mouth.

Speaker 3 Like many cult favorites, this popularity tends to spread through their recommendations rather than mainstream media coverage. Well, you got that right.

Speaker 3 There is no mainstream media coverage of the there is no media coverage of the commercial break. Mainstream or not? Yes.
Let's ask it. Let's ask it this.

Speaker 3 Can you find any mentions of the commercial break podcast in the media? Question mark. I wonder.

Speaker 3 And if it comes up with something that we don't know about, I'm going to be surprised. Yeah.
Yeah.

Speaker 3 It's reasoning. Considering media mentions, considering them.
This is weird how it keeps on. It's letting me know what it's doing.

Speaker 3 I don't have any real-time browsing capabilities,

Speaker 3 but check out the podcast platforms to see what the commercial break is up to. Okay.
What is the commercial break comedy podcast about, question mark?

Speaker 3 I'm now letting it know that we're a comedy podcast, so it doesn't mix us up with the other one about commercial advertising.

Speaker 3 The commercial break is an unscripted, keeps on saying that humorous podcast that takes a look at advertising.

Speaker 3 It takes a look at advertising. Okay, well, listen,

Speaker 3 ChatGPT doesn't quite have us down yet. Let's see here.

Speaker 3 Can you tell me more about the hosts of the commercial break podcast? Question mark.

Speaker 3 Let's see

Speaker 3 if it even recognizes which version of the commercial because there is another commercial break out there.

Speaker 3 But that commercial break is called Commercial Break. It hasn't had a new episode in years.
And I also don't think that was about commercial advertising either. Oh, okay.
Here we we go.

Speaker 3 The hosts of the commercial break are Brian Green and Chrissy Hoadley. They are celebrated for their natural chemistry and off-the-cuff humor.

Speaker 3 While detailed biographical information is hard to come by,

Speaker 3 here's what is generally known about them and how they shape the show. Oh, okay.
Tell me more. Brian Green, background and expertise.

Speaker 3 Brian brings a perspective that is informed by a strong understanding of the advertising world. Oh, God.
His insights on how to commercials are conceived and produced, provide a behind-the-scenes.

Speaker 3 Wow. Congratulations.
Let's talk about Chrissy. Background and perspective.
Chrissy is recognized for her energetic and spontaneous approach.

Speaker 3 She often injects the conversation with personal stories and a keen sense for the absurdities of modern media advertising.

Speaker 3 With a style that's both relatable and irreverent, Chrissy's commentary bridges the gap between industry insight and everyday pop culture.

Speaker 3 Her ability to riff riff on topics about advertising and bring a playful twist. It's a key ingredient to the show's appeal.
Okay. Wow.
Well

Speaker 3 still eluding chat GPT, but it's getting close.

Speaker 3 Do any celebrities listen to the commercial break podcast? Question mark.

Speaker 3 I think this is so off base, it's not even funny. The other day it was giving me great answers, and now it's giving me terrible answers.
I texted you a few. Yeah.
Yeah.

Speaker 3 I haven't come across any celebrities that have publicized that they listen.

Speaker 3 There's no readily available information letting you know. Okay,

Speaker 3 let me ask this. My friend Jeff has a podcast called Classic Conversations.

Speaker 3 And Classic Conversations is a good show, but I think that just a few less people listen to it. So let's see if a unique name gets it more accurately.

Speaker 3 Can you tell me about the podcast Classic Conversations? Question mark

Speaker 3 reasoning,

Speaker 3 checking podcast info,

Speaker 3 searching for public details,

Speaker 3 clarifying details. I couldn't find a definite.

Speaker 3 Okay, all right, it doesn't make me feel that bad that you know it just doesn't get podcasting right. Let's see this:

Speaker 3 is the commercial break break podcast better than Smartless? Question mark.

Speaker 3 It's going to tell me that it doesn't want to compare the two. It's going to say, well, I can't compare the two.

Speaker 3 Determining whether or not the commercial break is better than Smartless ultimately comes down to personal taste. Yes, it does.
Okay.

Speaker 3 Which podcast is more popular? Question mark.

Speaker 3 I just want to know, like definitively, ChatGPT will give me the answer.

Speaker 3 She'll talk straight to me, Chrissy. She's not going to bullshit me.
Popularity can be measured in several ways. Audience size, media coverage, and social media buzz.

Speaker 3 Smartless has mainstream recognition and gained widespread attention. Media coverage, the podcast has been featured in major media news outlets.

Speaker 3 Audience reach with a diverse range of guests and format that appeal to both casual listeners and celebrity enthusiasts. Smartless attends to attract a large audience.

Speaker 3 The commercial break has niche appeal.

Speaker 3 While it has a loyal and dedicated fan base, the commercial break caters to a more specific audience. That's true.
Less mainstream exposure. Its content and focus on industry-specific humor.
What?

Speaker 3 Community engagement. The podcast is well loved within its niche, but its overall audience size is generally smaller than the Smartlist.
That's one way to put it. Overall comparison.

Speaker 3 In terms of mainstream popularity, Smartlist appears to be more popular due to its celebrity draw and larger media presence than the broader uh and the commercial break on the other hand shines in a very specific niche with dedicated listenership thank you dedicated listeners yeah by the way thank you dedicated listeners we really appreciate it what are you sighing about just bummed out that

Speaker 3 chat gpt doesn't

Speaker 3 you know We don't have a Wikipedia page yet, and that kind of bums me out.

Speaker 3 I wish somebody would start a Wikipedia page for us, you know, just so we could, just so we could feel like we've done something with our lives. Like, if it's not on Wikipedia, then what is it?

Speaker 3 And if ChapGPT can't even, doesn't even understand what the commercial break is about, I bet if I ask it any question about any episode of Smartless, no, not on Smartless, I like Smartless.

Speaker 3 But I bet if I ask it a question about any specific episode of Smartless, it would get it right for sure. Well, that's a good, that's a good thing to ask.
Hold on one second. Let me ask this.

Speaker 3 Let me ask it. Let's see how in tune it is with the actual podcast universe.
Can you summarize the last episode of the Commercial Break podcast question mark?

Speaker 3 Let's see if it can get it right. If it does, then we know that it's at least listening.
At least listening. That's right.
At least someone is out there listening. His name is Chat.

Speaker 3 On February 10th of 2025, the Commercial Break put out an episode called The Great Ramblin' Raft Race. Okay.
All right. It's listening.
Yes.

Speaker 3 Discusses water raise and touches upon the drama surrounding It Ends With Us. For more detailed information, please go listen to

Speaker 3 their official website. All right, it's listening.

Speaker 3 When I asked it about you the other night, it says Chrissy Holy is the co-host of the Commercial Break podcast, and she plays a key role in the show's dynamic and success.

Speaker 3 Known for her quick wit, humor, and candid personality, Chrissy is the perfect complement to Brian's style, making their chemistry one of the highlights of the podcast.

Speaker 3 She brings relatable, fun energy to the conversation, often balancing Brian's banter with her own unique insights and comical commentary.

Speaker 3 Before becoming a podcast host, Chrissy worked in media and entertainment industries, and her experience in this field shines through in her ability to gauge with various topics from pop culture to current events.

Speaker 3 She often brings a fresh perspective to the discussion, whether she's chiming in on trending topics, sharing her personal experiences, or just having a laugh with Brian.

Speaker 3 Chrissy's down-to-earth, unfiltered, and she's a favorite among the podcast listeners. Thanks, chat.
Right? Okay, so when I asked,

Speaker 3 that is a very favorable review of you. I'm kind of blushing.
Well, I think it's kind of accurate if I mean sitting in this chair. That's how I see you, right? That's sweet.
It is very sweet.

Speaker 3 Thank you, chat. You're very sweet.
And here's what it said about me: Brian Green is one of the hosts of the Commercial Break podcast.

Speaker 3 He is known for his charismatic and comedic personality, which plays a big role in the show's success.

Speaker 3 As a co-host, alongside Chrissy, Brian brings a mix of humor, sharp wit, and a laid-back style to the podcast.

Speaker 3 As you have your leg propped up on the table. Yeah, I do have my leg propped up on the table.
You look laid back.

Speaker 3 I look laid back.

Speaker 3 His ability to engage in spontaneous, often humorous conversations about a wide range of topics is a key element to the show's appeal.

Speaker 3 Before the commercial break, Brian worked in various areas of entertainment industry, which likely contributed to his knack for storytelling and commentary.

Speaker 3 His background in comedy and media is evident in the way he hosts the show, often using clever humor to bring out the best in his co-host and his guests.

Speaker 3 In addition to being a podcast host, Brian is involved in other creative ventures and businesses. I am? I love it.

Speaker 3 He is also known for his podcasting expertise, with his ability to navigate the media world and handle the show's dynamic with ease.

Speaker 3 His personality makes listeners feel like they are eavesdropping on a fun conversation between friends, which is one of the reasons the podcast has gained such a loyalty. Well, that's very fantastic.

Speaker 3 And niche following for you. Yes, I think it is.
So here's my question: why asking the exact same question to ChatGPT gets such wildly different answers?

Speaker 3 Why do you think? I don't know. Still learning and this is why we need to be careful about AI.
Because it doesn't know anything.

Speaker 3 Chrissy is informed about media and advertising because she was an advertising executive.

Speaker 3 She worked for WME, the largest advertising company in the world.

Speaker 3 She was the president.

Speaker 3 Brian and Chrissy's witty and often humorous banter about the the media landscape makes the commercial break a fan favorite with three to four listeners.

Speaker 3 Compliments all round, Chrissy.

Speaker 3 Niche audience means tiny.

Speaker 3 Humorous and irreverent means not so funny.

Speaker 3 Off-the-cuff answers means you don't know what you're talking about.

Speaker 3 Yes, this is all true. It means clueless.
Wabay.

Speaker 3 I can spin bullshit better than Brian. Wabayam!

Speaker 3 I can make anybody sound good.

Speaker 3 Well, hey, listen.

Speaker 3 It can't read. I don't think it reads the internet.

Speaker 3 Does it read the internet yet? I don't know if ChatGPT is at the point.

Speaker 3 You remember when ChatGPT first came out and it said anything that was anything on the internet before this date, it's not going to have access to, right?

Speaker 3 But I think it might be like more up to date now. Well, clearly,

Speaker 3 the search engines themselves are using AI to go out there and search. And AI and other AI tools that I have used have done an okay job of like summarizing some of our episodes.

Speaker 3 And like they do it in a, in a like kind of a humorous way.

Speaker 3 The one thing that I will share with you that I've shared with Astrid about the commercial break is that I don't think it's ever going to be a AI podcast because AI has really not got a great sense of humor.

Speaker 3 So we use like an AI platform before we brought on our video video editing staff who are wonderful, by the way, WePlash, check them out.

Speaker 3 You need any information, you text me about our video editing services. The video editors who do our show is a company and we have our own dedicated team on that company.

Speaker 3 But if you want any more information, just let me know. They're wonderful.

Speaker 3 But we used this AI service. I won't mention it before we hired WePlash.
We use this AI service to cut up clips. using AI.
And it got it so wrong every time.

Speaker 3 The beginning of the clip would be awesome And then the end of the clip would be anything but funny. It would be like me rambling for four and a half minutes.
And it's like, that's not a clip.

Speaker 3 That's just Brian killing airtime because he has four episodes to do this.

Speaker 3 Yes. It's hard.
It's hard to cut clips. You have to have a sense of humor and you have to understand the sense of humor of the show.

Speaker 3 It doesn't do a good job doing that, obviously, because it thinks we're an advertising show. Thinks we're about advertising.

Speaker 3 We used to work in advertising. We used to work in advertising, but that's not how we talk about it now.

Speaker 3 First of all, second of all, I guess you would be remiss probably to think we talk about advertising, given that the last episode of this show was talking nothing but advertising the entire episode.

Speaker 3 But I think every podcast does that the day after the Super Bowl, right? Yeah. They must.
That's what you talk about the day after the Super Bowl, the commercials.

Speaker 3 But that's not what this show is about, in case you haven't gotten it. All right, let's do this.
Let us take a short break. I'm going to get unwound from all the bad GPT information.

Speaker 3 And then when we get back, Chrissy and I will talk about our experience with Bill Murray and the Blood Brothers. We'll be back.

Speaker 4 Hey, it's Rachel, your new voice of God here on TCB. And just like you, I'm wondering just how much longer this podcast can continue.

Speaker 4 Let's all rejoice that another episode has made it to your ears, and I'll rejoice that my check is in the mail.

Speaker 4 Speaking of mail, get your free TCB sticker in the mail by going to tcbpodcast.com and visiting the Contact Us page.

Speaker 4 You can also find the entire Commercial Break Library, audio and video, just in case you want to look at Chrissy, at tcbpodcast.com. Want your voice to be on an episode of the show?

Speaker 4 Leave us a message at 212-433-3TCB. That's 212-433-3822.
Tell us how much you love us, and we'll be sure to let the world know on a future episode. Or you can make fun of us.
That'd be fine too.

Speaker 4 We might not air that, but maybe. Oh, and if you're shy, that's okay.
Just send a text. We'll respond.
Now I'm going to go check the mailbox for payment while you check out our sponsors.

Speaker 4 And then we'll return to this episode of the commercial break.

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Speaker 3 All right. One word to describe your experience with Bill Murray and the Blood Brothers.
I mean, entertaining. Entertaining is a good word for it.
I would have put interesting. It was funny.

Speaker 3 It was funny. And not in like in a laugh out loud way, like where Bill was, you know, hamming it up out there on the stage, although he did do that at times.

Speaker 3 I will share with you that the Blood Brothers, I saw the advertisement for Bill Murray and the Blood Brothers pop up on my Instagram because I follow, I think, Variety Playhouse, which is a local playhouse here.

Speaker 3 It's exactly what it sounds like. It's a concert venue and playhouse.
It's very famous. It's down in Little Five Points, which is like the hate Ashberry of our town.
That's the best way to explain it.

Speaker 3 Little mom and pop stores, head shops, you know, used clothing. You know, every town has this little corner where all the alternative kids go and hang out.

Speaker 3 And while Little Five Points certainly has its fair share of yuppies too that go down there, because it's just Little Five Points is a great place to go and hang out and they've got some great dive bars, it is generally known as the counterculture section of our town.

Speaker 3 It has remained that way while the rest of the town has blown up with incredibly expensive properties. So we love Little Five Points.
Oh, yeah. Always love Little Five Points.

Speaker 3 You lived down there for a while. I lived down there for a while, about a mile down the street in East Atlanta, which is also another kind of counterculture favorite here in Atlanta for older people.

Speaker 3 So, and when you're in your teens and 20s, you hang out in little five points. When you get into your 30s, then you move over to East Atlanta.
That's right.

Speaker 3 And then when you get into your 40s and 50s, you move to the Virginia Highlands. That's the way it works.
Okay. If you're single and you don't have children, that's how it happens.

Speaker 3 That's what you do in Atlanta. That's where you go.
And if you're rich, you stay in Buckhead. Stay up there.
Go to Buckhead.

Speaker 3 All right. So we see this advertisement pop up, and it's like two days before Christmas.
And I decide Blood Brothers is right. My entire family loves Bill Murray.

Speaker 3 My dad has kind of like put us in front of the TV to watch Bill Murray when we were kids. And I remember my dad laughing out loud at a lot of Bill Murray stuff.
Oh, yeah, he's so funny. He is.

Speaker 3 And I think of Bill Murray when I think of Chicago. I think of Bill Murray, Chicago Cubs.
He's often there at the games, you know, sometimes singing and the seventh inning stretch.

Speaker 3 Bill is an interesting character who doesn't have a phone number,

Speaker 3 who doesn't, oh, he has an email address, but it's Yahoo. So we already talked about that one.

Speaker 3 He's a guy who's like hard to get a hold of. He's a very interesting human being.
He shows up at random weddings, at bars. I've had friends that have met him in like random places.

Speaker 3 He will literally crash weddings. He lives in Charleston, has some property there, and he will crash weddings in Charleston.
He'll show up and be the guest of honor. I mean, he's just that guy.

Speaker 3 He loves a good party. He loves a good time.
He goes out there. He experiences the world.

Speaker 3 You know, with every artist comes drama, and I don't want to get into that part necessarily, but when I see Bill Murray and the Blood Brothers, I think we have to go do this.

Speaker 3 We have to go see Bill Murray in person in a tiny little venue called the Variety Playhouse. It fits about a thousand people.
Yes. This is going to be fun, regardless.

Speaker 3 There's one of two things that are going to happen musically. It's going to be a total shit show or we're going to be blown away at the musical prowess of Bill Murray and his Blood Brothers.

Speaker 3 So my dad and my brothers and I were all going to go. A Christmas present that I gave to everybody.
But my dad, unfortunately, had something else to do.

Speaker 3 And so he told us, well, in advance, that we couldn't go. And while I tried to sell the ticket, it didn't happen for this reason or that reason.

Speaker 3 And the day of, I'm sitting here with Chrissy and I'm like, why not? You heard it on air. I'm a huge fan and I didn't even know he was coming to Atlanta.
You actually gave me.

Speaker 3 Bill Murray merch one time for my birthday. You gave me a candle with Bill Murray on it.
You also gave me a magnet that still sits on my refrigerator today from Stripes, Bill Murray Stripes magnet.

Speaker 3 Okay, so you get it. We're Bill Murray fans.

Speaker 3 So we all meet down there at the Variety Playhouse a couple of nights ago, and we go into the venue, and there is an opening band to which we don't see a lot of. What's that name, Tishamingo?

Speaker 3 Tishamingo. Tishamingo.
They've been around for a long time. I know.
I was familiar with the name

Speaker 3 because they like traveled around playing the Brandy house here many, many years ago. Yeah, they've been around for like 20 years.
Yeah, they were playing acoustically up there.

Speaker 3 Whatever, like no one, it didn't seem, the crowd didn't seem too excited about that. And I wondered why, because I thought, well, we're going into a Bill Murray concert.
Yeah.

Speaker 3 I expected the crowd to be really charged up and hip. Even though it was sold out, it wasn't very crowded.
It was like we stood in the balcony and we had no problem finding space.

Speaker 3 And sometimes at the Variety Playhouse, that place gets packed, like human to human, you can't move.

Speaker 3 So either they purposefully didn't sell more tickets because that's the way that the band preferred it, or

Speaker 3 a lot of people didn't show up. A lot of people bought tickets, but they just didn't show up.
I would say if it holds a thousand people, there were probably 700 in the facility. That's my guess.

Speaker 3 But right in front of the stage, it's just open. There are no seats right in front of the stage.
There's a good, you know, 40 by 100 foot square where you just, there's nothing.

Speaker 3 People just stand there. And it certainly is filled in there.

Speaker 3 So 15, 20 minutes go by after Tisha Mingo comes out. We're sitting there getting drinks, talking, laughing.
And all of a sudden, Kid Rock shows up out of nowhere.

Speaker 3 And when I say Kid Rock, I mean you would have been excused if you

Speaker 3 thought for one second that this guy wasn't Kid Rock.

Speaker 3 Yeah. He was a doppelganger.
And when I say a doppelganger, I'm talking down to the gold change, gold chains, the silly hat, and the damn white, you know, glaringly white high tops.

Speaker 3 He was everything Kid Rock. Long, stringy hair and all, redneck voice, the whole nine yards.
He came out and he's like, y'all ready for Bill Murray and the Blood Brothers? I'll be right back.

Speaker 3 And we were like, oh, okay, cool. And the crowd did nothing.
The crowd's like, woo, woo.

Speaker 3 Well, as I start to look around, you know, Chrissy and I are talking, as I start to look around, I realize the average age of the attendee here at the Bill Murray and the Blood Brothers event is 67 years old.

Speaker 3 Everybody's sitting around us.

Speaker 3 There's like, we're standing in the back in this empty space that's that's you can like there's seats, but there's like 10 rows of seats in the balcony, and then just this big empty space where people can stand.

Speaker 3 Bar tables.

Speaker 3 As I look into the crowd of those people that are sitting there, I realize they're not getting up because they can't. They don't have their walkers with them.
It is unbelievable how old the crowd is.

Speaker 3 It is really old. Guys in suit shirts with ties.
Yeah, that's right. Yeah.

Speaker 3 Or what I call the Atlanta uniform, which is some kind of white shorts with a polo shirt, like a bright colored polo golf shirt tucked in and a big old brown belt with, you know, penny loafers on.

Speaker 3 That is the Atlanta out uniform. And there are many older gentlemen wearing the Atlanta uniform, the buckhead uniform.
So now I realize, I get it. I'm putting my finger on the pulse of the crowd.

Speaker 3 The finger of the pulse of the crowd were guys my dad's age who wanted one last hurrah. Do you know what I'm saying? Let's call that drug dealer we haven't used in three or four months.

Speaker 3 Let's get away from the children that probably have already left the house because they're at college or whatever. Let's get some blow.
Let's get a couple beers and let's go laugh at Bill Murray.

Speaker 3 Let's go have a good time with Bill Murray. Yeah.
That is the vibe of the crowd.

Speaker 3 Now, I'm not saying everybody of the crowd was like that because we brought the average age down probably by about 10 years. And that's saying something.

Speaker 3 When we walk into a room and bring the average age down by 10 years, you know it's an older crowd.

Speaker 3 But after like 10 or 15 minutes, after this guy says, we'll be back in just a few minutes, all of a sudden, the band starts walking out.

Speaker 3 And the band, the Blood Brothers, is a typical blues review band. That's what they are.
It was. There was about eight people in it.

Speaker 3 There was double everything. Double guitars, double bass, double drummer, double keyboards, double harmonica.
One saxophone. They should have had double saxophone because that guy was good.

Speaker 3 Yeah, he was really good. And they start playing a number of bluesy rock and roll tunes.
I would say, like, Chicago blues is probably the best way to describe the kind of blues that they were playing.

Speaker 3 Just like a rock and rolly, a rock and rolly type blues. Yeah, it was fun.
It was good. It was good.
It was fun music. I would say that anywhere else in America, this was a $10 cover band.

Speaker 3 Do you know what I'm saying? Like, you would walk in, pay $10.

Speaker 3 This band happens to be playing at a bar that you like to go to. This would have been like a Northside Tavern band.
Yes. This would have been a band you would have seen at a medium-sized bar.

Speaker 3 They would have been there on a Friday night. Really talented, very good at what they do, but the music caters to a certain crowd.
And that crowd is drunk and high on cocaine.

Speaker 3 That's what the music caters to. This is not, you're not seeing Chappelle Roan here, you know? Yeah.
Okay, all right.

Speaker 3 I just want to, I don't want to knock the band, but I also want to be accurate about my description here. But some of the tunes are okay.

Speaker 3 They certainly know how to play their instruments. And one drummer is playing rather well.
He's got one drummer, and he's going, but there's another drum set.

Speaker 3 And in between the drum set, there's a set of congos, like the big, you know, the big bongos, excuse me, the big bongo drums.

Speaker 3 So

Speaker 3 after the first song is played, I'm like, where's Bill Murray? We're all thinking. Well, I was like, is that him? Is he the keyboard player? Because he's fat.
Yeah, Bill got fat.

Speaker 3 The keyboard player is huge. Now he's wearing glasses and he's got a bald spot.
And we're going through the members of the band, all of which are of a certain age, except for one of them.

Speaker 3 And it's like, is that him? Is that him? Is that him? But none of them are him. And we're like, where is Bill Murray?

Speaker 3 When the second song starts, now Bill and the second drummer come out, and Bill starts doing the bongos, like one hand at a time.

Speaker 3 When I say rhythmless, he's kind of getting it right, but it's clear there's probably no microphone to those bongos.

Speaker 3 He's hitting it like

Speaker 3 he's hitting it very slowly. And he keeps looking back at one of the drummers.
I think in some, like, in hopes that the drummer would give him some kind of

Speaker 3 cue, like, yeah, you're doing good, or yeah, get on this beat or do that. And the drummer keeps pointing to him, and he's picking up different percussion instruments, like the

Speaker 3 washboard, or the cowbell, or whatever tambourine.

Speaker 3 What was the one where you're sliding it and the cheese grater type thing? The cheese grater type of thing.

Speaker 3 Well, it's called, you know, if you had had it on your chest, it would be called a washboard, but I don't know. You know,

Speaker 3 and you can barely hear it. It's there, but you can barely hear it.

Speaker 3 When he plays the tambourine, you can hear it, but the room's small enough that you could hear the tambourine anyway, even if there was no microphone. There was no amplification to it.

Speaker 3 Basically, you quickly realize the following:

Speaker 3 somewhere at some point in Chicago, Charleston, New Orleans, wherever these Blood Brothers come from, wherever they were,

Speaker 3 Bill took a liking to them. He saw them and he loved the band.
He was drunk. I don't know.
I don't know. I don't know if Bill drinks or does drugs.

Speaker 3 He was in some state of musical euphoria about the Blood Brothers. And afterwards, he approached and said, you guys are great.
I love you guys. To which they say, fantastic.

Speaker 3 You are one of the three people in the crowd tonight. And Bill says, I can change your fortunes.
So here's the deal. Why don't we go on tour? You can put my name on the bill.

Speaker 3 I'll take the private plane. You take the U-Haul truck.
I'll stay at the Ritz-Carlton. I'll see you at the Red Roof Inn.
You guys load in. I'll show up five minutes before the show starts.

Speaker 3 You guys keep most of the money. I've got that movie cat.
I've got that Yahoo cash from commercials.

Speaker 3 Don't worry about it. He made a deal with them to say, I will help you sell to you.
So he had some kind of aspirations of being in a band. He clearly did.

Speaker 3 So he latched on to this one and hey, he's having fun. Yes, he's funny.

Speaker 3 Listen, the guy's 74 years old. First of all, he dresses smartly for a 74-year-old.
He doesn't try and dress like he's 22.

Speaker 3 He doesn't try and dress like, you know, most 72-year-olds, which they have a uniform too, you know, like dress pants, you know, socks and shoes and some kind of, you know, stuffy shirt.

Speaker 3 He had like some weird colored shirt on.

Speaker 3 Yeah, it was like a button down, kind of flowy shirt with pants. Some flared pants, linen flared pants that looked really good.
Like he looked good. Like the guy looked good for 74 years old.

Speaker 3 And he did sing three or four songs, including the very famous cover of Like a Rolling Stone that now everybody has seen on the internet from some other appearance they made.

Speaker 3 And he sang it the exact same way, which is more like, it's like Bill Murray doing Bill Shatner singing a song. Do you know what I'm saying? That's the vibe that I got.

Speaker 3 But it wasn't the worst thing I had ever heard in my life. No, it was fun.
And I think I was having a fun time with you and the brothers. That's what it was.
It was a good time with the brothers.

Speaker 3 Chrissy and I were dancing. We were making fun of everybody else dancing.
We were having fun with Bill. Bill was pointing and doing shenanigans when he was when he was not singing.

Speaker 3 He was not trying to be the center of attention. When he was singing, he was the center of attention.
So he knew his place in the band too. So you got to give him respect for that.

Speaker 3 He knew that these guys were the guys that are talented. I'm just here to sell the tickets.
And if I'm the band, that's a deal I'm taking every day of the week. Of course.

Speaker 3 Because most blues bands are not going to see 5,000-seat venues sold out night after night after night. It's just not a form of music that's extraordinarily popular right now.

Speaker 3 So these guys have a real leg up on a lot of other blues musicians in that Bill is willing to put his name on the bill and probably gives all

Speaker 3 tickets. Oh, he's going to sell.
He

Speaker 3 sold out both nights here in Atlanta. I will say this.

Speaker 3 The crowd was kind of a dud. You know, what did you went into the bathroom and you heard somebody talking about their cataracts?

Speaker 3 Yeah, I was like, oh, times have changed what you hear in the bathroom.

Speaker 3 Usually it's cocaine, not cataracts, we're talking about in the bathroom of a concert. But, you know, so the crowd was a bit of a dud.
They weren't, it wasn't the most high.

Speaker 3 At least where we were, I don't, I didn't spend much time down on the floor. I spent a couple of minutes down on the floor.
I just didn't hear the crowd really like, you know, getting that much.

Speaker 3 Like, you know, sometimes you can tell when a crowd is a lot of energy. That wasn't in the room, but it was also a Thursday night, you know, in Atlanta.
Maybe it was just the night.

Speaker 3 Maybe it was the vibe. Maybe it was the age.
I don't know. But I will say, there were a few guys in front of us that clearly had gotten a hold of something.

Speaker 3 You know, those reels where it's like when the Molly kicks in or when the LSD kicks in?

Speaker 3 You could tell because they stood up out of their seats and all of a sudden they were staring at the wall. There was one guy who was like staring at the ceiling and standing up.
And

Speaker 3 you knew the molly just hit. That's what you knew it.
You could see it. And he was probably 62 years old.
And there were other guys that were dancing. I mean, it was just like

Speaker 3 the town was entertaining. It was entertaining.
If you need entertainment, I would encourage you to do the following.

Speaker 3 Go to the local bar that's been around for a long time, where the average age is into their 60s, because those are human beings too, and they've lived a lot of life.

Speaker 3 And they're just just trying to shake a couple more good nights out of their bodies. And they

Speaker 3 are

Speaker 3 hilarious. They need your attention.
They need your entertainment. They're not dead yet.
The boomers aren't dead yet. And they're letting us know.

Speaker 3 From the villages to the Bill Murray to the Blood Brothers show, they're letting us know they're here. They're queer.
And they aren't going anywhere. Nowhere whatsoever.

Speaker 3 It was entertaining. I had a great time.
I had a great time. I really did.
I had a fantastic time. Plus, it was the first time you and I had been out without,

Speaker 3 you know, kids or Astrid in 10 years. Oh, my God.
Astrid couldn't go because she was watching the kids, by the way. It wasn't like a.

Speaker 3 That sounded kind of weird. Astrid, I love you.

Speaker 3 First time we had been out, you and I, on an adventure in a decade. I know.
In a decade. And man, was it a lot of fun.
I really did have a good time. And I love your brothers.
It was great.

Speaker 3 Yeah, they're great. Most of them are great, aren't they?

Speaker 3 They're all great. I love them.
Yeah, no, we had a good time. Blood Brothers saw the Blood Brothers.
That's right. Actually, it's Blood Brothers.

Speaker 3 Bill Murray, because that's what you expect. But if he comes to your town, it's a relatively cheap ticket if you're not buying it on the secondary market and it's two hours of entertainment.

Speaker 3 That's the other thing. It wasn't very long.
Like, it was an hour and a half, two hours.

Speaker 3 They knew.

Speaker 3 They knew the crowd out there couldn't handle much.

Speaker 3 Yeah.

Speaker 3 The encore was happy birthday, by the way.

Speaker 3 Which was the funniest part to me. I was like, okay, let's go.

Speaker 3 Roll him up. Roll them up.
Roll him up.

Speaker 3 All right. Thank you to Ari Shafir for coming in this week.
We would appreciate it if you'd go check out his new special, America's Sweetheart.

Speaker 3 What an interesting and engaging conversation we had with Ari.

Speaker 3 Couldn't have been a nicer guy. Honestly, could not have been a nicer guy.
And he changed my perspective a little bit. And his podcast is good, too.
I've been listening to it.

Speaker 3 You be tripping is much better than this podcast, so go check it out. I'll put a link link in the show notes for you.

Speaker 3 AriShafir.com for tickets and access to his new special, which is available on Netflix. If you're a subscriber for free, go watch it.
212-433-3TCB. 212-433-3822.

Speaker 3 Questions, comments, concerns, contents, ideas, we take them all right there. Text us.
We'll respond to you. We'd love to hear from you.

Speaker 3 Or leave us a voicemail and you could be the next voice on the commercial break. Leave us a short voicemail.
Don't get into it. You know, minute or two.
Max. Max.

Speaker 3 At the commercial break on Instagram. TCB Podcast on TikTok.
TCBPodcast.com. All the audio, all the video right there on the website and your free sticker.

Speaker 3 And youtube.com slash the commercial break for all the videos the same day they air here on the audio. Okay, Chrissy, that's all I can do for today.
I think so. But I'll tell you that I love you.

Speaker 3 And I love you. Best to you.
Best to you. And best to you out there in the podcast universe.
Until next time, Chrissy and I will say, we do say, and we must say.

Speaker 3 Goodbye.

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