342. - Chris & Jason

All right, this episode of How Long Gone is brought to you by Stateside with Kai and Carter, a new podcast from The Guardian. And they are using this podcast to slow down the news and wrestle with the questions that we all have about what's happening in the world. And they do it three times a week, Jason. Does that sound familiar to you? We don't really talk about, you know, a lot of international global news items and climates and cultures and sports and things like that. We do talk about fashion and wellness, but for everything else, Kai and Carter are a great place. All right, so who couldn't use more news? Listen wherever you get your podcasts. or watch on YouTube. Yeah, yeah. You're getting better at doing ad reads than you are at just podcasting. There could be a future for you in this, Chris. That says a lot about our division of labor and also what I actually prioritize in my life. So thank you for noticing that. Yeah, let's expand on that, Chris. I'm good. Good to see you, Jason. So you prioritize. It's been what? It's been hours since we shared multiple WestJet economy flights. Don't love that. West jet. I feel like I'd taken West jet before from New York and it wasn't as shitty as it was from LA, but you know, thanks to my loyalty to the Delta medallion status chase, uh, I fucked us and I apologize. That's fine, man. It's fine. I just checked. I'm, I'm probably one flight away from I'm gold. Now I'm moving up. I'm about to hit platinum. And then Diamond is next. That's right. I'm pushing you into the future, and you and everyone in your life should thank me because status is all we have. Status is all we have? Well, when it comes to travel. Okay. Well, I mean, and other things, but let's just stick with travel for now. So, yeah, I mean, some people, the destination is the journey, and for you,

The journey is the destination. The seat assignment is the destination. The seat assignment. I mean, the thing is about when we get on the WestJet flight, because I did be like, oh, maybe I should buy us first class seats because it's pretty far and it's like work. We're going to feel like shit. I want to be pampered. But I'm glad I didn't because it was two inches more of leg room and there's no TVs anywhere. So what difference does it make? No TV in first class in 2022. It seems insane to me. Yeah, the problem is when you're flying to and from Canada, Air Canada is the only way. But unfortunately, it's not in the Delta Partner Network. On a five-hour flight, also no food. Well, you had your little hummus cup. There's pretzels. You had two Bloody Marys and a hummus cup. Jason taught the – it was the stewardesses or stewards. Flight attendants. It was the steward's first day, and he didn't know how to make a Bloody Mary. He said, what's in that? There was two people. That can, that vodka, and give me them sauces too. One person was a pro, and then one person, it was their first day. One male, one female, leaning, identifying. Both flight attendants. And I was like, let me get a Bloody Mary. Which I feel like I got to say, besides water and ginger ale, got to be the top alcoholic drink on a plane. Besides a canned beer, which doesn't count. Especially in Canada where they drink tomato juice like it's fucking water. Let me get fucking two Caesars for me and my man here. So she had just finished months of flight attendant school. She learned the ins and outs. She knew how to jump out of the plane and land on a blow-up slide to save herself. You know what she didn't know, Jason? How to create one of the world's most popular alcoholic beverages. She learned how to land a 747. Can both of the pilots pass out? But, I mean, spend an afternoon at flight attendants college just learning the basics of cocktail making. That's right. And food distribution because that is, unfortunately, 99% of your job is feeding. They think. See, the problem is they think, and I think they're taught, that their job is to keep the passengers safe. Look, once we're on that plane, if it's going down, we're dead. There ain't nothing you can do.

As the tallest guy on the plane, that's my job, unfortunately. That's a good point. As two big, burly American men, we would have been forced to save all the women and children if an active shooter was on board. Yeah, I'm... You're Air Marshal Black? I would have to go into Air Marshal mode. Chris, you have to... It's time. And you're like, I have to go now. But, yeah, so I'm like, hey. I have like a Bloody Mary. And she's like, ooh. Of course, because we're flying to Canada, we are forced to still wear masks on the plane. So you could only see her pained expression through her eyes, which I think is more emotive. And the guy came over and he was like, how do you like your Bloody Mary? Cool way to say, I don't know how to make it. And then I said, you get a cup and you put ice in it. That's right. You get the little bottle of vodka and then you get the can that says Bloody Mary mix on it. You open it. You pour it inside the cup, you drop a small straw in, and then you hand it to me. It's the one cocktail where the name of the drink is on the can that it's served in. I mean, imagine if I said, let me get a slippery nipple or an adios motherfucker or even a screwdriver. The most simple cocktail, orange juice and vodka. It's not in the name in the same way. Yeah, if I said a screwdriver, they'd be like, ooh. Well, I was impressed they had a full-size bottle. of worcestershire sauce as well as a full-size bottle of tabasco to offer you so you could kind of decorate your bloody mary as you see fit i made it my own and when i said here just let me i'll i'll put in the worcestershire and in hot sauce because you you clearly don't know what either of these substances are and you'll probably put in you know a quarter cup of each into this bloody mary and when i said here i'll just do it the look of relief on her face was astronomical you were you were in classic tj form where you're completely demeaning and talking down but i only noticed that and they don't which is one of your greatest skills yeah is there a name for for doing that i don't know what it is well it's just it's called being an asshole but it's like dog whistle asshole because only those that know you can appreciate it dog whistle and thank god because the same thing when i when the guy made a joke when i made a joke to the flight attendant and he thought i was

And I was like, bro, I don't care. He still didn't get it. I was like, I don't care. It was a bad flight. The point is it was a bad, long flight. But I like this concept of asshole dog whistle because is it a victimless crime? It kind of is, right? So I'm that nice, compassionate, empathetic of a person where I can decimate someone. If I can keep a straight face. And they don't even know it. If I can keep a straight face, which in this case I believe I did. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But partly because it was covered by a mask, which is helpful for you in this situation. Sure. You were able to get away with yet another TJ victimless crime. I would be in Rikers if I asked somebody to make a Bloody Mary and were treating them the way you were. WestJet, you're welcome. WestJet, thank you, and you're welcome. Is it tough love if you don't feel any toughness? That's a good point. It's just love. I'm happy to be home. And Toronto was successful. We have a lot of, we get a lot of love in the six. Toronto is goner country, we learned. And this was verified by multiple people. We've renamed North America's hat as gone country. Gone country. And I don't mean a new festival launching in Tampa this summer. This is actually a place that you're already familiar with, but they... Fuck with us in a nice way. What about Torontowians? What about Sixers? Or what about us that appeals to the Six? I think that they don't get a lot. We're peanut butter there, Jelly, and I want to know why. I think that you are President's Choice peanut butter. I think it's because they don't have a lot of people keeping it real up there because everybody's too nice. Oh, okay. We're straight shooters, but not too straight. Not too straight. That's my guess. I haven't done a lot of thinking on this. I haven't really been able to ideate or whiteboard this concept. We're a beginner's guide. We're the shallow end of the pool. Yeah, because I think that we're a voice to the voiceless when it comes to being mean in a nice way. Okay. You know?

Because we roasted Toronto on stage and they loved it. But it wasn't, because it's not mean spirited. Do you remember what we said? I think we just made... I don't remember anything. Well, I made fun of all the women wearing black bike shorts when the weather got nice. And then also mentioned several... Another victimless crime. Mentioned several neighborhoods that every house is over multiple million dollars is the only places that were nice. They also like that. And I also like that as well. So it kind of worked for everybody. That's really it. We didn't go to, I mean, it's not like Boston because we actually like it. You know, Toronto, it was beautiful. I mean, the weather was amazing. Like, the hospitality, I mean, we were, the red carpet was rolled out for us. Norm set us up with this great Juno pre-party. We had a great dinner at Milu, thanks to our friend Adrian. So it was like, you know, I mean. I received enough marijuana products. Yeah. Jason could have killed himself on legal products thanks to Ron for dropping the pack off at the hotel. We love you, Ron. We saw Fran and Jackie and Keith. And also thanks to Ron, I somehow left my hat at the bar. Somehow. We can get into that if you'd like. God only knows why it would slip my mind. But luckily, my weed delivery also included two hats with QR codes on them. So I was able to wear that through Canadian customs just to make sure my hair was dry before. And your hair looked great when you took it off. And I didn't have time to scan that QR code, unfortunately, but I'm sure they did at security. I wonder, yeah, just to flag him. Lean down. Like, what's in that orange box? Also, let me scan the hat. Yeah, so the show was good. Everybody was in attendance. Yeah, it was a nice packed house. But the after party. I mean, the show Whitmer Thomas. Oh, yeah. How can I forget? Big Whitmer being in town. He's got a new show that he is taping in Toronto that's created and directed and I think starring Zoe Lister-Jones. I feel bad for him because he's a member of the skate community. He loves to skate. That's right. Without his wheels, he is nothing. And because he's in a leading...

I don't know if he's starring in it, but he's a featured cast member. He can't skate because if he hurt himself, it would fuck up production. His filmer, Kevin Spanky Long, also is not with him on this trip, so it's kind of in vain. What's the point? Yeah, what's the point? If a tree... If I land a tree... Trey flip on the 6-yard. No one's there to film it. Did he even land it? If you're not getting footy captured by a pro with the CN Tower in the background, there's no reason to be skating in Toronto. And I felt bad for him. So all he does is just kind of walk around. He hangs out in Toronto. I was like, what did you do today? He's like, I walked one hour to Hooters. Ate 20 wings and walked one hour home. He said, I'll find a vintage store and walk there and spend 15 minutes in the vintage store and then walk back. And I'm like, he's like, yeah, you can kill three, four hours that way. It's not a problem. I mean, because he's so far past jacking off in his hotel room. Like, that's so old hat to him by now. Oh, this is huge for me personally. This episode of How I'm Gone is brought to you by TaskRabbit. Oh, baby, let me tell you something. This is not a joke. I use TaskRabbit a lot because I can't do anything. You need some art hung? TaskRabbit. You need something put together? A cabinet? Got to reach that cheese grater on the top shelf? TaskRabbit. Anything you need, TaskRabbit can take care of it for you. How it works, TaskRabbit connects you with skilled taskers in your area. They can help you move. They can assemble furniture. repairs, yard work, mounting, and more. You can search for a Tasker based on cost, skill set, availability, and past client reviews so you know exactly who's showing up and can have confidence that they know what they're doing because Taskers have assembled over 3.4 million pieces of furniture, completed 700,000 home repairs, handled 1.5 million moves, and the numbers are just going up, Jason. Yeah, throw a little money at the problem. It's not so expensive, and that job that you really don't want to do is something that another person out in the world, is very good at doing and would gladly do it in exchange for a little bit of money. So when life happens, your to-do list grows. Get ahead of it now and get $15 off your first task at TaskRabbit.com or grab the TaskRabbit app.

using promo code HOWLONG. Taskers book up faster, especially for same-day tasks. So book Trusted Home Help today. That is $15 off your first task using promo code HOWLONG with the TaskRabbit app or at TaskRabbit.com. All right, this episode of How Long Gone is brought to you by Quince. Jason, the temps are warming up. It's getting hot out there. Summer always changes how I get dressed. I need pieces that feel lighter, more breathable. And they're just easy, but, you know, still put together. I don't want to look like a slob. That's why I keep coming back to Quince. You know, they focus on high-quality essentials that feel and look amazing. Breathable linen and soft organic cottons. Well-made basics, but without the luxury markups. That rare balance where everything feels elevated. but still effortless. Yeah, Chris, linen season is here. I wore a linen blazer to dinner a few nights ago in the warm California sun. But, you know, you got that Italy trip coming up this summer and quality European linen pants and shirts. Upgrade that look starting at just $34. You know, if you get a nice linen suit, a little t-shirt underneath it, some chill shoes, you're looking good, but you're staying cool. The inside of your special areas are nice and dry as you turn up with your besties. So elevate that summer wardrobe. Go to quince.com slash how long for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns, even on a nice holiday now available in Canada. That is Q-U-I-N-C-E dot com slash how long. That'll get you free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince punto com slash how long. This episode of How Long Gone is brought to you by Squarespace. Obviously, Jason, you and I spend a lot of time on the World Wide Web, sort of our peers, our listeners, our friends, our colleagues, maybe even your parents if they're freaky. And if you're doing anything in the world. writing, taking pictures. I do topless boxing. You need a website. Exactly, a website that works, that does what it's supposed to do, that allows you to be creative but also business-minded. Jason, there's one place to go for that, Squarespace. Yeah, Chris, I'm over here. I'm modifying calculators and putting Claude inside of them so you could cheat at school. And I just want a place where I could have everything all in one place. I can have the SEO tools.

So those future graduates can find me and, you know, I'm able to accept, quote unquote, donations for my services that might be gray area. You know what I mean? And then email campaigns. Hey, I got a new, you know, 2.3 version upgrade. Boom, boom, boom. Get the analytics going. Raise some money. You know, show your investor all of your cool analytics of what's going on. They're going to want to get in early and we can use Blueprint AI to make your website look as professional. as your competition, if not more. So head to squarespace.com slash how long for a free trial. When you're ready to launch, use offer code how long to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or a domain. He also said that he's staying in like an extended stay hotel for actors, which is obviously packed to the gills in Canada and that Fran Lebowitz is also staying there and that people just, she's just outside smoking a cigarette looking mad and like. Women just run up to her screaming, like fanning out. Which is wild. Yeah. He's just like, I don't really get it in Canada specifically. And I don't either. But maybe she's got a big following there. I don't know. I mean, you know, Toronto is the New York of Canada, I guess. So there are some through lines there. And we did get to. Matty Matheson, our other guest, gave us a tour of his new restaurant, which was fucking nice. The bathroom has a 30-foot skylight ceiling. No, everything about it was, I was like, this is a nice place where people are going to spend a lot of money. Yeah, he's doing a caviar service. Kind of like he invented something that was a very smart idea, which I love. I guess this is a How Long Gone exclusive. Hopefully Eater is not listening to this, eater.to. I really hope they're not listening to this for other reasons. It could get us into some hot water. But like the corkage fee with wine, he's doing a tinning fee with the caviar can. So instead of being like, okay, I bought this can of caviar for $500, I'm going to sell it for $2,000 or whatever the markup is, he's just going to sell the caviar at cost as a way to kind of,

Democratize. Democratize an often overpriced and out of reach dish. Yes. So I think maybe the logic is like that's a good way to get people through the door. Yeah. It's kind of like the flat screen TV that's $39. And then you get in there and then you buy the other shit. I'm sure his steaks and wines. Will not be affordable. Will not be affordable. I think it's cool to do that. I agree. If you want to just buy $100 worth of caviar, you just buy it. The restaurant, though, the finishings, it's really pretty. It was one of the nicer restaurants I've seen in a long time. A lot of light, natural wood. I think it opens this week or next week. We're in the middle of a soft opening. I saw his brigade of chefs breaking down. I don't know, $500,000 worth of ramps. There's guys with $100,[redacted address] tattoos and fucking rubber gloves on handling ramps like gold coins. It looked like a Bolivian cocaine operation. They had their shirts off, so none of the powder got on it. They checked us for wires. It was a whole thing. If you're going to come in the kitchen, you've got to take all your clothes off. I'm going to be going to Whole Foods later today. I'm going to be getting a lot of, air quote, green onions. But, you know, people were DMing me like, yo, where I live at the market ramps are $50 a pound. Like, that's pretty fucking. The coolest thing was we told Matty this and he clearly looked at us like, you think I know how much this shit costs, bro? I don't fucking do this. I ride motorcycles all day and talk on TV. These guys do that. That's why I'm rich and you're not. Yeah, I was thinking, I was talking to Bay last night when we were at dinner about how many, about like Matty, like how proficient he is. And I was like, no, he has like multiple businesses going on at once. And then I started kind of running down. It's countless. And he has like two dozen businesses. He has like multiple YouTube shows, cookware, workware, cookbooks, restaurants, speaking tours. I mean, we went to the compound of all the offices that had his.

His fake man cave that has like six kettlebells and a padded floor. And then 15 tubs of unworn shoes. 15 tubs of unworn ALD New Balances. And then you go into the kitchen room and it's like a full set with like two kitchens in it. And then there's an office. And then there's a room for the new workwear brand that's like pretty. I like the workwear. I think it's very cool. It's like really simple workwear inspired but chef. because he made the new uniforms to the restaurant. But we had a nice... I could make an omelet or repair a transmission. Exactly. And what speaks to you more? I mean, honestly, he needs to give you all the whole pack, full, custom, whatever color you want. I could see you in that dusty pink. If this color ain't blue, then I don't know what it is, brother. Goddamn right. But I think it was nice because we... I think we both met Matty once or twice, but we've created a relationship since he was on the show, and so it was nice to actually hang out. Yeah, I think that he and us have an interesting calming effect where Matty has, you know, obviously his on-screen persona is going to be different than his just chilling at the restaurant or whatever kind of vibe. And everyone has that, and you have your animated version of yourself that you have. on screen or on stage or whatever. But I don't know. Something about hanging out with him, I feel like we calm him. We soothe him. He doesn't have access to drugs because he also lives a sober life, but we kind of offer some type of Percocet style sedating activity. I don't know. I think it may be because he's only around people that work for him. You know what I mean? So maybe it's nice that it's like, oh, I can't tell these guys what to do, and they don't have to tell me that I'm cool. Yeah, we're not exactly like his friends from high school that are going to like really give it to him, like really demean him and insult him and say he looks stupid and all the bad things he's doing. We're not there yet, but we're not not. We're like a perfect amount of no. That's right.

That's right. When he's surrounded by too many yes people. But as soon as he finishes Blue Goose Farms, Jason and I will be flying back to Toronto to spend a weekend in the middle of nowhere to just kind of get our hands dirty, touch the soil. I'm there to snip some micro cilantro and then just see how it inspires the rest of my life. But I think the best part of his appearance at the show is that he had an Escalade waiting to take him back home to his family two hours away from where we were. I mean, he really is living like a Diplo lifestyle. It is. Without any of the music. He doesn't even have to stay up late. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's kind of like if Diplo was... I was going to say if Diplo was a dad, but Diplo got more kids than he does. Well, it's living a Diplo lifestyle without having to stay up late. And also, it's easier. Everything about it is easier. Yeah. But, you know, there are some trade-offs, perhaps. Yeah, that's true. He has less mixed-race women around, I would guess. And that's the only difference I see, really. Besides hair color, of course. He has to have one of his brick shithouse children give him a foot rub instead of a Belizean pop star. I mean, look. Tis what to tis. As long as the foot's getting rubbed, who really cares? You know what I'm saying? That's where I'm at. Yeah, he jetted off. Jason was able to hold it together to DJ at Tammy's for the after party, which was pretty lit, I have to say. It was pretty lit. I gathered my thing. Because when we were on tour, I had a whole flow going last year. I was like, all right, I'll bring the suit to the venue, and then we'll change, and then I do that, and then I make sure I have my DJ stuff, and I bring that. And then I go there and like, oh, yeah, like maybe I'll change my shoe, whatever. Like there's so many things that I had to remember. And there were so many things I was putting in my body that made me forget that every single time something, you know, like, oh, I forgot my headphone thingy or I left my socks at this venue or whatever it might. You know, I got to go back because I left the suit at the bar. You were out of sorts. So this time I came with nothing.

I was like, I'm going to show up. I'm going to wear the suit already. There's no changing. I'm going to have my USB stick in my pocket. I'm going to borrow somebody else's headphones. So anything that I had on me that I could forget would fit in my pocket. And it worked out perfectly except for the hat on my head, of course. It worked out perfectly except when at, you know, 1.30 or 1.45, I'm like, I'm going to leave. And you look at me. And you're like, okay. And I'm like, are you good? And you're like, yeah, man, I took mushrooms. And I was like, oh, okay. So I gather the stuff. As the tour manager, I, of course, have the merch on me. Yeah, thanks for that. I gather my stuff. I walk outside. I sit down for a second. I'm talking to people. And I get a text from Jason two minutes later. I got to get the fuck out of here. Give me the fuck out of here right now. Give me the fuck out of here. As if I'm his staff member. And I say, okay. I tell. I tell Keith to watch the merch. I'm like, watch the merch. I got to go inside. He's like, yeah, no problem. I go inside. You're DJing, and I'm like, okay, let's go. It's literally like a toddler. You're ready to go. I'm ready to go. It takes 20 minutes to get you out of there. You're giving hugs to a guy without teeth. You're taking pictures with all these people. I'm fucking drenched with sweat. I'm fucking exhausted. I'm ready to go. You left it all on the dance floor. Yeah, exactly. I got to drag you out. And then we finally get in the car, and I'm like, oh, this is maybe the most twisted I've ever seen Big Bird in my entire life. My goose was cooked. Because at Tammy's, and in Canada, it's so cool. You can just buy bottles of wine, and you just drink them at your own leisure. Yeah, I walked in. I was like, let me get a bottle of white. I like a minerality, a little salinity. Cleanse my palate while I'm mixing. And that was it. I just had. I had my DJ set up, one bottle of wine, one glass, and I would just sip it and pour at my leisure. But then 38 seconds into my first song, a young fan came up to me and said, bro, you want shrooms? I was like, okay. And he just handed me mushrooms and I ate them. And how many shots did you say yes to and how many did you say no to? I said yes to two shots of tequila and no to 37. And I said no to 38.

offers of cocaine key bumps that's cool but i was i was just kind of like okay i'm chatting like i'm i'm i'm good i can hang out like everybody's good and then i was like i gotta go it's too late And then, of course, I got home an hour later than I wanted to because of my job of babysitting Jason. But it's better for everyone when Jason's having fun. That's the reality. It's better for everyone. I'm glad you finally figured that out. I want you to enjoy this as much as possible because I'm not going to enjoy anything anyway. So what difference does it make? I'm willing to lay down the sword as usual. Yeah, it's sort of my duty to be the source of joy, the Marie Kondo spark of joy. That's right. You were able to take the spark. And channel that with your copper wires into the system and make it all run. But without me, the inception, you have nothing. Yeah, without you. It's important to protect me. Yeah, it's important to protect you exactly. I don't like the queen bee and you are like one big white thumb worker bee. And you're just there to make sure that I got everything I need. Hair done, nails done, everything taken care of. That's what it feels like. And you know what? I'm okay with that. It gives me pleasure. Because I'm the one at the end of the day that goes home with a pocket full of toonies. You know what I'm saying? And then I dole those out as I see fit. Oh, interesting. That's right. Oh, no. Yeah, so I hope you had a little fun. No, I'm just kidding. So you're like, yeah, the Canadian conversion. The conversion is crazy, bro, right now. Of course, I had to tax you for the stuff. The stuff. I told you if you did mushrooms, that was going to be $100. We're counting red faces. That's $250. Look, just be glad that I ate. A cap and a stem instead of Albanian cocaine. Because then I really would have been hard to drag out of that. Because it would have been three in the morning and be like, I see no reason to leave. No, but if you would have done cocaine, I could have just left. And then you would have stayed and gone to an after party, which I don't care about. Like, it's fine. But I would also like to mention, I don't want to pat myself on the back, of course, on my own program. But, you know, you're 15 minutes late to the Escalade to take us to Pearson. And what did I have waiting for you when you got into the car?

You had a Gatorade. And what flavor was it, Jason? Your preferred flavor? Was it blue or orange? It was blue. Yeah, you got Daddy's Favorite Blue Blue. You had some Extra Strength Tylenol. That's right. And you had, was it the Oatmeal Raisin? It was a Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter. Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cliffy. And I know you love the original Cliff. That's your preferred bar. Back when they made Cliff for flavor, not for nutrition. That's right. Yeah, great mouthfeel. Try and talk. I agree. I agree. The classics never die. I just want to point out to the listeners that think I'm a heartless shithead that I not only – He filled up my love tank that trip. I just – I need TJ to feel good because then everything is better, and I also feel like shit, but it doesn't really matter because feeling like shit – Not hungover is totally fine. No, because you need me to be feeling good enough to help calm you down when we have to go through Canadian customs and TSA. Toronto is a huge city. Massive hub. Massive. And every single Canadian person, no shade, it's all love, but every single Canadian person at the airport is behaving as if it is the first time that they have ever... Gone on a flight, and the maple syrup molasses movement is insane. My favorite part is we show up to the airport. We're an hour before our flight, and we get to the WestJet desk to check in our merch bag, and the girl looks like she was up with a pipe, and I'm not talking for weed. The night before, she's drinking Starbucks water, which I've never seen. That's literally. That's meth behavior. That's the unhoused. That's who I see doing that. You ain't getting my $2. Give me that Starbucks water. She's got a venti Starbucks water. She's got some visible tattoos that aren't great. And she just looks at us like, laughs at us. You guys are cutting it close. I'm like, yeah, we had a big night last night. And she's like, oh, yeah, me too. And then.

proceeds to tell us that like, all right, we're going to charge you for this bag. I'm like, well, I have this Delta status. I don't think you should charge this bag. She's like, oh, that's over. I'm like, what do you mean? She's like, whatever. Don't worry about it. Doesn't charge me for the bag. Tells us that we're late and basically not going to make the flight, but good luck. And I'm like, okay, bitch. And then we, of course, go through security, which is hell on earth because it's all these slow idiots and everybody, you got to take your toiletries out like it's 2007. It was crazy, man. And then we get through and it's totally fine. And we made the flight, and it was hell, and now we're back in L.A., and it's beautiful outside. And look, we made a lot of great friends. We had a great party. We had a great show. And look, I mean, Toronto will be back. We went to Imanishi. That's what it's called? First night we went to Imanishi. Where I had, I said it on stage, but multiple white Canadian people. in uh sort of reprimanded and instructed how how one eats japanese food correctly to be fair i would say that's more offensive if you weren't white but i think it's a white on white crime which is victimless it was just like i didn't like to be treated i think that's the problem i came around on the guy though i came around on him a little bit You know, he had his sort of like standard issue American jokes like, oh, you guys are American because he saw my cigarettes. And I was like, yeah, I'm American. He's like, nobody's perfect. I'm like, you've said that 7,000 times over the last 18 years you've worked here. And then he was kind of like, oh, you know, have fun here in Canada. You can have road rage, honk, yell at whoever you want because no one here has guns. I was like, okay. Yeah, I know. Your country's full of pussies. You think I like that? Okay. But, yeah, people were kind of laughing at me because I was, like, dipping tempura in, like, a soy sauce instead of, like, the ponzu sauce. And, you know, as if she was, like, Jiro dreams of sushi. She's some fucking snowboarder bitch. Never been to Japan in her life.

She had one photo in trans world snow. She's bad. You don't want to get into it with me. But that's why international travel is humbling. In America, if I were to go to a Japanese place here in little Tokyo, they would respect me. They would be able to sense that I know what's going on. I know how this fish was killed, where it's from, the method of ceremonial murder and sacrifice. All the spirits leaving it. And this chick is just like, yeah, I don't know. Salmon is orange. I was upset they didn't have the vegetarian curry anymore. But overall, I thought the meal was good. It was good. It was good. I'm not mad at that. I just don't. I don't like that either. I don't know. But I also feel like Canada has a better connection with Asia, though, I think. Yeah, that's probably true. Like as a whole, like the Vancouver's, the Toronto, you know, like the main cities in Canada, I think they're Canadian. Asian food relationship is better standing. I was actually told that, I was like, I'm surprised Imanishi hasn't expanded, because it's been popular for years. I mean, it's like six, seven years old. They can't get it together over there. What I was told was that the chef, or I think the chef, maybe the owner chef, is just in there most nights, and that's why it's good. Right, right, right. And he's like, this is what I want to do. I don't need to open Vegas. You know what I mean? Well, you know. He's afraid to scale. Classic Canadian. No, you're right. Oh, I don't know. We'll just open the record room in the basement. You guys can listen to Mobb Deep down there on vinyl. I have a deep fear of scalability. What if I fail with my small business? But we did go to a Yorkville classic, thanks for the show, Drew, to Bucca. And I got to say, I had one of the best dishes I've ever had in my life. It was an all-seafood corporate steakhouse. Just the type of place where... It's not even corporate. Well, I mean, it has the energy of a corporate checkout because it's in the lobby, you know, plaza of a Four Seasons, but it's just kind of like it's glass. Everyone, you know, at 6 p.m., it's a packed restaurant of 55-year-old millionaires. For sure, for sure. Everyone's wearing a suit and tie. The only people that are dressed like slobs are, you know, hockey players most likely. And me and you, of course.

Yeah, I wasn't dressed super well. I wasn't dressed bad, though. We were fine. No, we looked fine. But, you know, it was just a place where it had this feel of a corporate steakhouse where everyone is just kind of business card, Amex kind of thing. But it was all seafood. Which it used to not. I mean, I've been to that restaurant many, many times over the years. It used to not be that seafood heavy. I didn't like that all the servers there were like hot idiot guys. Yeah. That was a little disappointing. You want to be the hottest guy in the restaurant. I get it, bro. No, there was like one female working there. I think that America is a little bit more diverse with their kitchen staff. Shut up, bitch. You went to two restaurants. I've been to many restaurants in Canada. McDonald's in Saskatchewan on tour doesn't count. I'm just saying five years ago in America, you would see every kitchen had Had like a guy with a hundred thousand dollars worth of mystery tattoos, a short sleeve shirt with the sleeves rolled up. That's right. So you can see more of the tattoos and just like a perfectly kind of manicured lifestyle. They're a little buff. They're wearing one of those leather aprons and they take their job very, very seriously. And every single person there is just a male that looks like that. Yeah. Yeah. That is different races of male, but it's usually fair. That's not really what it's like anymore. You're right. Like it's not – I do remember that era. And it's more diverse. It's kind of evened out more. I mean things move faster in America than Canada, and I'm sure they'll catch up. But to our Canadian restaurants out there, let's get a little more diverse in the kitchen. What was the dish that I had? The dish you had was a table-side branzino sashimi, which is – and one thing I liked about the restaurant is they called it sea bass and not branzino. And why is that? Because Branzino is just a name that they created to make it sound more interesting. Oh, really? Okay. You're saying that's just marketing. It's a branding and marketing. Oh, I didn't know that. Okay. There's a few different fish like that, like Red Snapper. I don't know. Different fish have names that were created for marketing because their original name is truly unappealing and cheap. Yeah, it's not sexy enough. But they just bring literally a whole Branzino to the table on a cart like they're going to make guacamole or a Caesar.

And then, unfortunately, you have a server do it and not a chef, so it takes 45 minutes to do this. But he just fillets perfect little cuts of both sides of the fish and lays it out on this big kind of oval-sized plate. All the fish is arranged in the perfect way, so it kind of looks like scales of a fish. So it's a deconstructed and a reconstructed. And then they pour some olive oil and lemon juice on there. And then they shave some fresh block salt on top of it. Benjamin Edgar would be sliding off the seat. It was honestly so good. I was like, this is fucked up. It was just perfectly clean, raw, pure flesh and a beautiful light olive oil, lemon juice and salt. I mean, the way God intended it. It was quite good. I was very pleased with that. And then a beautiful dinner at Milou. Oh, yeah, that's right. We had a little group dinner. I felt bad for ordering an espresso martini, but I needed caffeine and I needed to get drunk. But I've been thinking about that asparagus as well. Beautiful asparagus. Asparagus was so well. I had a lot of stuff that was good there, but the asparagus. What was the sauce? Because I heard you talking to Jalil about it outside. It was like a whipped. I don't remember what it was exactly. Maybe it was a ricotta. I don't know. It was a whipped something. It was good, man. It was kind of like a whipped hummus ricotta looking situation. And then it had some oil and some dukkah, which I usually, if I see dukkah on the menu. That's what you were saying. You were like, I'm not a dukkah guy. I mean, dukkah is good. It's fine. But it's like a trendy ingredient that people can lean on too much of just like, I put dukkah on it. And now it's like squirrel food, you know? And then also they take the time to shave. the uh kind of peel the outer tough skin off the asparagus oh which is you know a nice little chef's touch i didn't okay i don't think i have the palate to notice that but i feel like that does make a difference yeah whoever you know whoever's above dishwasher back there has to kind of painstakingly each single asparagus spear peel the asparagus were good the local oysters were good it was good and we were able to keep it light before we touch the stage which is important for us we have to we got to keep it light

So what else do we got? Oh, yeah. So Karsten, our episode with the legendary fucking man. I think podcasting with old people is really the move. No, you're right. I would fly to Stockholm this weekend to build with him. But it's an interesting thing because usually I'll listen to podcasts with older people like around his age, you know, like 55 or whatever. Karsten's like 60, I think. He's older than most old podcasters. I listen to old podcasters. It's good. These people are confident, well-spoken, but then you lose a lot of the references about modern things. Old school references. They can only kind of give you their stories. They can't necessarily keep up with some of the ins and outs. And I'm sure many young listeners feel that same way about us. They're like, oh, I like Hell I'm Gone, but they're like 40 years old, so they're not talking about bussing lit pussy. But he was able to just, he was older and nailing it, and that was awesome. But he was talking about this drug. That he uses for lucid dreaming. Which I forgot the name of it. Do you remember what it is? Like gallon something. Let me check my Amazon purchases. The point is you copped. I copped and I took it last night. And it was a bad idea to take it last night. Because I was like super jet lagged. And fucked up. Wait I got it pulled up right here. It is called. Gallantamine. Galantamine, G-A-L-A-N-T-A-M-I-N-E, for dream recall and lucid dreaming. But I took it last night before I went to bed, and I woke up at like 4 in the morning, and I had a very in-depth lucid dream, but it was a nightmare. Did it involve...

Actually, I don't want to know what involved. I don't care about your dreams, but I'm glad that you – I'm glad that you – I hope – Karsten, I hope – I had a dream. I'll tell you about it. Was that on his Amazon wish list? He was able to get a kickback on this so he could kind of get some bird food? Or do you think this is kind of more of a – I forgot to enter in his code. But I had a friend of the show, Ariel, from Mr. Green. I had a dream that I was at his house, and I let – he has a giant bow constrictor snake. and I allowed it to escape. That was one part, so I had to find a snake, and then the other one was I had to go to the club and DJ, and I had 500 outfits to pick out, and none of them were right. Okay, wow. So that's a real nightmare. Yeah, that's a real nightmare. As soon as you have the perfect vest, you're like, this is going to be it, and then it doesn't fit. It's the perfect vest that doesn't fit over my chest. It's tough. I'm glad that you bought a recommendation from a guest, though. And anytime someone's like, oh, of course it's illegal here, but in America, it's over the counter. I was like, instant copy. Yeah, I'm copying. You're on Amazon. I see you look down at your phone. I mean, when we were in Toronto, I was like, do you guys still have the Tylenol that has fucking codeine in it? Because I'll buy a fucking suitcase full of it. Yeah, deadass. Break that shit down. Mortar and pestle. So I guess we should talk about Kendrick Lamar because that's what I think a lot of people – it's on a lot of people's mind right now, right? Luckily, thanks to our friends at WestJet, I was able to purchase Wi-Fi yesterday for $21 Canadian, and I spent – $21? Yeah, that's not – I mean, that's cheaper than – How much does it normally cost? I've never bought internet. New York is $40. $40? New York to LA on Delta is $40. But they try to get you – the thing is it's $49 to subscribe monthly. So if you really travel, it's like you just pay for it, which makes sense. It does, it does, but that's... But so I bought the Wi-Fi because obviously there's nothing else to do, and I was able to read Kendrick Lamar reviews for a solid 45 minutes just to kind of get worked up. After listening, I listened to the album twice. It sounds like slam poetry for guys that are still active on OK Player.

But it's got like boring – it's boring as hell. I honestly – I truly – I'm not being a hater. I think he's very talented. I really don't get it. Like I don't get it. And I think people are afraid to say they don't get it because it's – the way people are talking about it is like, oh, it's not music. It's art. And it's like, no, no, no. It's music, guys. It's just music. It's rapping over beats. That's music. Yeah. No, no, no. I mean when something is not the music. in the cookie cutter formation that we are known know know it to be then we call it a body of work but it's not this is a piece this is a movement it's not a song yeah but it is just a bunch of songs too many if you ask me 18 songs an album is a little long but it's just it's just like it's all killer no filler though there are there are skits i listened to it a couple times and i'm just like i don't get it and i'm seeing a little bit of a movement of people who are like guys this ain't that good like It's fine, but it's not a generational masterpiece that we will return to until the end of time. Maybe Kendrick is like the radio head of rap in that way. I see a lot of similarities where the kind of staunch orthodox fans are just kind of like everything that these people put out. You do no wrong. You don't miss. It's all art. It's all perfect. It's all gold. One album might be better than the other. overall they can do no wrong yeah yeah and then you know many people will be on the outside for radiohead and be like this is just a bunch of bullshit yeah that that's that's not that's not wrong i mean i think it's just like i don't know man like the video the deep fake thing yeah that's cool like we've seen that five times before the technology is better now but the song is bad like the song isn't good it's like the song is boring well Yeah, I don't know. It is kind of like an art piece or like a release. But if it's an art piece, that's fine. If it's an art piece, then 99% of people are absolutely too stupid to understand it and actually get it. That's the reality.

So they're lying to themselves and saying this is amazing. This isn't a classic because I don't want to feel like other people will think I'm dumb. I don't want to be. Yeah, it's almost like you're dumb if you don't like this because you don't understand the complexity of it and the genius of it. And I also think that. Yeah, but that's the best part of music. And that happens, you know, up the ladder of, you know, everyone who's listening to Autekker remixes of just like pure noise and bleep bloops. And you're going to be like, this isn't music. This is just noise. And then some German person somewhere is like, this is the perfection. Of course, that's what happens in every genre. But this is just... Every genre of art. He's popular music. That's what he is. He's never been underground. He's never been... That's not what it is. If there's a festival, he's never not headlining a festival. Yeah, he's a festival headliner, famous rapper. That's what he is. So it's like, I just don't think... But is it possible for... the famous rapper festival headliner to transition into somebody who's making, you know, performance art or something that's different. I think it's, yeah, for sure. But I think it's mainly because of, but you can't do that without having a tough sell. Well, but the reason people listen to him is because he's had like giant hits. That's why most people like him. Most people, you know what I mean? Most people aren't listening for the. the deep cuts are listening to him for like, right. Damn. The average, the average person is, is knowing. Exactly. And when you're that big, you're appealing to the average person. That's who you have to appeal to, to have a career. Like that's the whole deal. If you're going to be headlining the festival, but it's like getting Thundercat to play bass on something and having some like jazz samples doesn't make it art. It makes it jazz samples and Thundercat playing bass. That's art, though. Jazz in Thundercat is art to me. Jazz is the most artistic music that exists. Bro, that's a painting, bro. Yeah, jazz is – I mean I just don't think it's like – like it or don't like it. I'm not – I don't disagree with you, but I'm only offering my playful devil's advocate for the sake of our listeners. What I'm saying to you is liking something or not liking something is –

just what the world is built on, specifically music. But I don't think, I just think when people are saying something is literally like life changing and you don't get it and it's beyond, you can't, it's also, there's a lot of this like, oh, you can't, this is going to unfold over time. You don't, you've got to listen to this for years before you really grasp what this is. And I'm like, really? Because if anything takes me years to grasp, I don't think I want to listen to it. I mean, you know, the art of winemaking, there's parallels there. This bottle of Opus One from 2013, wait until Trump's back in office before you open this one up. I understand. So Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers is merely an aged whiskey, and it takes time to unfold. And when you take it out of the barrel in 12 years, Chris, maybe you'll get it. I think that... I don't disagree with any of this, but I also don't think that any of this is Kendrick's fault. I think this is all the fault of just, like, guys on YouTube who review stuff and then, like, 13-year-old children. No, it's white guys with Mac Towers and Cortez on. Mac Towers and Cortez. That's a very specific subset of people. No, but I just think that it's, like, I think there's so many things in this world that people really want to like so badly that they just do. And it's easier to just love it and say you love it and listen to it, whether you understand it or like it or not. It's just a much easier path to take than it is to be like, this is just mid and I never need to listen to it again. Right, right, right. Yeah, I mean, I think your stance on it is a good one because there's... It's not just like, this is amazing, this is perfect, and you're not like, this is awful bullshit. You can just be like, this is all right, and that's it. Not for me. If you like it, cool. If you don't like it, cool. I mean, that's the world we live in, though. And I participate in this more than I should, but it's a classic or trash world. And it's like, I think the problem is most things are mid.

That's the thing. There's a lot of mid. There's more mid in the world than there is amazing, and there's definitely more mid in the world than there is awful. Yeah, I agree. Especially with music. That's why I love the spectrum. Especially with music. But I just think it's like the stuff I've been reading is unbelievable. Like unbelievable. Like even when it's flawed, that's on purpose. What? What does that mean? Like what does that mean? Like even when it's bad, it's good. And it's like what? And he's got this whole song where he's like talking about like explaining. like the trans he's got like trans relatives and he says the word faggot a hundred times in it and there's a skit where he's like arguing with his girlfriend who's an actress and they're just screaming each other i'm like i don't want to hear any of this this isn't revolutionary this is bad it's this isn't good like it's not good it's like that skit is so triggering bro it's like yeah man everybody in the world has fought with their significant other like i don't that's not revolutionary it's not like Putting that on an album as a filler track is not art. It's a filler track. It's not music. Well, I guess if you're that level of popular artist, then your target demographic is literally like 12-year-olds. Yeah, you're right. So it could be revolutionary and powerful to a 12-year-old. So if you are a 12-year-old and you hear your parents arguing and yelling and you listen to that skit, you're like, okay, this is like... Something, you know, for the first time ever in my life, popular music has spoken to me. And something like that is beautiful. And I think that, you know, maybe because all these artists and albums and projects and bodies of work and things like that where it's not just, you know, music. It's not just songs. You know what I mean? Like, does there need to be a new platform or a new style or a new kind of... discipline for what this is. Is there a different category that we put this into if it's not just like I made an album of songs and here it is on Spotify? It's not a different category. It's people using terminology to make something feel bigger than it is and more serious than it needs to be. That's all it is.

Yeah, this is a double album of songs. That's all this is. You can call it a body of work. You can call it an art project. You can call it a project. That's all great. But at some point, does it not be a collection of songs anymore, and does it turn into something different? No, it doesn't. Why not? Because it doesn't. How does something – it's like if I put a spoiler on a car, does it change into something else? It's still a fucking car. No, it's a race car. No, but I'm saying at a certain moment, like – There's like performance art or there's music. And then at a certain point, you're like, you know, like MERS, like Japanese noise or G.G. Allen, you know, eating his own shit on stage. Like at a certain point, does it change from songs and into. Well, we're talking about a performance. Outsider art or performance art or experimental art or something. But there's nothing outsider or experimental about this. I disagree. What's Outsider about one of the biggest celebrities in the world making a double album? What is an album? Damn, bro. Great point. I think the mushrooms are still in your system. No, no. I ate a wonderful edible from Rose. Andy Bargani from... Bon Appetit. He's going to be coming on the show pretty soon. That's great. We'll ask him about this. When I say what is an album. I'm going to ask him about his cookbook and say, is it a body of work? Or is it merely a collection of recipes? It's your choice, not mine. Well, I guess the larger point that I'm trying to make is the world. Like you said, it's a classic or trash world. And there's a chance that artists who don't like that mold, they don't like the system that's been created because the system. The recording industry, the music industry, the Ticketmaster, Monopoly, all this bullshit. It's like a system that's been created that you have to play in. But you're still playing in it. You're putting out an album on iTunes. You're not doing anything different. I know. You're not doing anything different. You're putting an album out on iTunes. You're going to stream a shitload, and you're going to go on a big tour and make a lot of money. You're doing the exact same thing that everybody else does, and it's not his fault.

It's people reframing it into something more serious than he is, and he's laughing all the way to the bank. Right, but I agree with that, and it is not his fault. But I'm wondering, is this the first step in the journey of a revolution that's like... No, no. That's like, I don't want to live in this world anymore, and I'm going to create things that I want to create. And then it's up to you guys. And at a certain point, will there be a new way to absorb whatever this is? Yeah, okay. If Kendrick Lamar puts out a line of vitamins I can swallow and that makes me understand his album and it comes with a scroll of the lyrics, yeah, then he's revolutionized music. When you're putting out a double album of music and you go on a tour and you make music videos, that ain't revolutionary, Chief. That's doing your job. Well, is it a music video or is it a video? Well, there's music in it. I don't care if it's OJ rapping or not. There's music in it, but also your version of music or someone's version of what they think music is. I just think at a certain point – I'm thinking a little too conceptual stonery right now, but I'm saying like you said, will this Kendrick album 50 years from now be a vitamin that you can take? That was a joke, but – I'm not saying that, but I'm saying like we have our standard forms of media consumption. We listen to things with our AirPods. We watch things with our Samsung TVs or our LG. Yeah, yeah, sure. I can go listen to Kendrick. My avatar can listen to Kendrick Lamar in the metaverse. It's still something like that. But I'm saying like in the near not so distant future of our exponentially compoundingly growing world, will there be a new? format or way you know like the same way that kanye is doing with his you know he'll go to stem player that people talked about for 40 hours that no one's spoken about again not the stem player not the stem player but what else his what he went his live performances where it's like i'm gonna play this album and it's not a concert it's not yeah you know what just theatrical performance but that's not revolutionary it's selling tickets to a concert where he doesn't have to perform and he still gets to make the money it's a scam

It's genius. That's one way to look at it. But it's a scam. You want to pay $50 to stay in a stadium and listen to an album while some smoke blows around? It looks like you're in Antarctica? Well, $50, that's a cheap seat. I want to spend $800 and be up front with Chloe. She's got those new abs. But I'm saying it takes a long time to turn a big boat around. Are these the first steps of things where it's like, we don't want to do this. I want to have some... Some quote-unquote art. I don't want to have it be part of the standard cycle. But how is any of this stuff not part of the standard cycle? Because it is. All of this stuff that you're talking about is absolutely part of the standard cycle. But people have decided because they think it's better than other music that it's actually different. And that's the issue. It's not. It's like if you like it and you think it's good, it's good music. And you want to go buy tickets to see it on tour. It's a good album you want to see performed live. That's it. It doesn't need to be. You don't need to make things more than it is. People say they have to digest it. It's like, bro, what are you talking about? Well, I think I brought up Radiohead before because I would see that same type of speech. It's ridiculous for anyone. A lot of times. But I think what it is is it's for people that have. It's kind of like talking – like if you've seen an alien or you've seen a ghost and you try to explain that to somebody who hasn't, it's kind of like I don't know what you're saying. Let me tell you about good music. Music that I like, I get it instantly, and that's why it's fucking good. It's because instantly I'm like, that is it. That is fucking genius. This is so good. This song is so good. If it takes me six months to understand it, I don't know. Well, that's just one person's brain. And you're not a lay person. You have experienced music for a long time. But is there something to be said about something taking six months to fully open up and appreciate? Putting in hard work, listening to it 50 times, watching a movie 100 times. I don't want things. Whatever it is. I personally don't want that. And I'm not saying that's because I don't think things can be challenging. I'm just saying if you think about things that are classics in your life, like stuff you've loved forever.

I guarantee you it didn't take 40 times of listening to Queen is Dead to be like, this is my shit. You know what I mean? Or even like a fucking Kanye – you know what I mean? Like that shit is crazy. Like My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is fucking amazing when you put it on and you know it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's like – That's true. It's not – it doesn't take six months. It doesn't take a year. It doesn't – it's not – I don't know. Maybe it takes two weeks. But like I think you have to have – or you have that – Bro, do you remember when the Drake and Future thing came out? Yeah. Darwin's dancing. Bro, I put that show. I was like – This is unbelievable how good this is instantly. Instantly it's like this is unbelievable how good this is. There's no – I don't need to think about it. I don't need to see the music videos. You were instantly gratified by the sound that was coming out of your car. And to me that's what the greatest music is. Like it's instantly – grips you in a way that you're like, this is unreal. Like these guys did it. This is as good as it's going to get. Will this Noma asparagus be better than a double double or McDonald's French fries? Or even like, yeah, do I have to have 12 bites of this to understand it? Like probably shouldn't have to do that. Yeah. What I was saying before with like the seeing a ghost or seeing an alien kind of thing, like you have that language of like, You just don't get it. You have to wait. You have to experience. Here's how you listen to the album. You light four candles. You take a bath. You cut your left ear off. Whatever it is, people talk like that when they've had a life-altering spiritual experience with that form of art or that specific artist. Anyone who's talking like that has listened to Kendrick at the perfect moment in their not-so-perfect life, at a perfect thing, and something clicked. and their brain changed forever. And they're like, this body of music or art is a part of my family. And that's why he's as big as he is because that's obviously how people feel. And I'm not saying that's not possible. I think that's great. I think that's what music should do for people. But also remember that most people won't agree with you. Yes.

When you tell me that you saw a ghost, I'm going to be like, all right, chief. Like, yeah, maybe you did. I don't care. Maybe be more like the fans of Fish and the Grateful Dead, where it's like, hey, man, I was there in 94 in Vermont. I ate this, and my life was forever changed. And every person they tell that to is like, get the fuck out of here, hippie. I don't like that shit. And they're like, fair enough. I understand. I can't wait until somebody tells me that I was at Rolling Loud Miami. And Kendrick came on. And I just smoked an L. Oh, my God. I just had my fourth Bud Light seltzer. No, but I mean – and this isn't to like – there's no question the guy is like talented and like he's got songs like over the years. It's just like I find the music really uninteresting and I kind of always have. And this to me is just more of that. So I'm obviously not the intended audience. Which is – But also, people haven't talked about him the way they're talking about him now. Everybody liked him. It's like J. Cole. To me, he's more reminiscent of J. Cole, where it's like, I will never listen to this. I think it's really uncool. And I've tried here and there, and I'm just like, this ain't for me. I think with the Kendrick album, I've skimmed. I listened to it once through, and I think that you said it's not interesting, and I think that it's only interesting. What do you mean? I think I'll listen to it and be like, oh, I like this drum pattern. Oh, I see. I think this bass line. We don't want to re-listen to that. Yeah, but it doesn't make me want to go back and dip my toe back in that jacuzzi. I think I mean interesting in a way. I think that replayability is what I mean by that, which is the same thing you're saying. It's like I can listen to this and be like, oh, that part's cool. This is cool. I never need to hear this again. And I think the replayability thing is something that people don't talk about as much. compare it to restaurants again. Like if you go to a restaurant and you're like, that was pretty good. And if you forget that you went there, you never have a desire to go back there again. You never think about it. If someone says, hey, do you want to go here? You're going to say no. I think that's more of an important factor than almost anything. I mean, especially with music because it moves so fast. And people are like, it took him five years to do this. He was sitting back. He was watching. I'm like, guys.

He had writer's block. I'm like, do you know how many musicians have had writer's block? Like that is not – like the way people are just like this is so revolutionary. I'm like these are things that have been talked about in popular culture since the beginning of time. Like five years also is – I mean in today's climate, that seems like a long time. That is absolutely normal. It is. It is. Especially at his level where it's like you don't need bread. You don't need – to do any of this if you don't want to. Yeah, I guess the critics love to just melodramatize. I remember I saw the Guardian article written about it, and the first paragraph says, it has been 1,182 days since Kendrick Lamar's last album came out. They're like, okay, I also have a Wikipedia. I can Google that. It's like you work in a dangerous warehouse, and they have a number up where the last time there was an accident. It's like, what the fuck? If you put it into days, it's a more... That Guardian review was insane. And then there was a Stereogum one that was like even more insane. It was that. It was like even when it's imperfect, it's perfect. Everything has its place. Every mistake is on purpose. What are you talking about? Well, I think that every mistake does not have its purpose and is not always good. But when you are somebody as interesting and talented as Kendrick, I think it is possible to have your fuck-ups be. art in itself if that makes sense i think if you're a layman yes i don't i don't know i don't know i think also like the the beauty of imperfection in a world where every every album and every record is extremely polished and i think that kendrick will sort of do that and he'll have the consistency and the texture of of something that's true and real and honest i mean it sounds expensive you know what i mean it sounds expensive it sounds good it's like They are serious players. You know what I mean? It's great. But I think that he's one of the only people at the top who is a festival headliner who will be like, oh, I fucked that word up, or the placement of this was wrong, or there's a weird glitch or a skip. It's so weird. This whole song, I'm offbeat, but no, no.

Let's keep that. But I like things that are offbeat. The people who are just sick and tired of everything being perfectly quantized and syncopated exactly how it is. I understand that. I think it's a rebellion of perfection. Yeah, and I think that that's what Donda was to an extent, too. And that's why people like Donda. Absolutely. And people are saying this is that thing where it's genius. And I'm like, I listen to Donda. It ain't genius. Well, I think that... Well, we talked about this when I was in Italy when the Donda came out. Donda, Donda, Donda, Donda, Donda. And I came to the conclusion that liking Donda or things like that, maybe like this album as well, is a female trait, not in any negative way, of course, but in a way that the female brain is able to absorb kind of real honesty and power and emotion in the words that you're saying. We listened to the Drake and we listened to the Donda. And I was like, Drake has better songs because he actually has songs. It'll be better for the club. And the Donda was a pure expression of art and emotion. And I feel like the female body and brain is able to absorb that. Well, there's another thing that people keep talking about is how vulnerable he is. It's like guys who've never been to therapy being like... he's so vulnerable it's entry-level vulnerability but i'm also like that is i just don't i guess the things that people are so drawn to i'm like isn't that what music is about i mean obviously it's different for rap music i think there's a different energy with that and there's a different understanding of what vulnerability is and it's harder I think, for artists to be vulnerable, for sure, historically, with hip-hop. I mean, there's a thousand other artists out there who are a thousand times more vulnerable and have a thousand plays a month on Spotify. But I know that he's also not talking about drinking lean and killing people, and he's talking about real things, and that is interesting, because most people aren't able to do that. He's talking about real things, but he has to put it through the lens that will...

you know magnified to the widest audience because that's what he is and that's a hard thing to do and he probably has to sacrifice a lot of what he's saying because otherwise it'll go over the heads of his target demographic yeah i think that i just think that the vulnerability thing is so funny to me i listen to joe budden talk about vulnerability is just like that's what i'm attracted to that's really hit me i'm like really bro okay i mean you know it well i mean but it really is it really seems like an opportunity for me to people for people to to like understand art in their minds the way it's but it's also the kind of thing where people are like my kid could do that when they look at a painting you know what i mean it's like it's a little bit like i don't know the whole thing is like i i will never listen to it again i'll never read anything about it again i'm all set you got it out of your system all set but it's like it's just it's the the fervor around it and like the breathless discussion and like the words people are using seems really wild. That's all I'll say. For what I've heard. You know what I mean? It doesn't match. It don't match. It don't match. Well, I feel like I've just been exercised. Wow, we did it. Another How Long Gone in the books. Thank you to Toronto. Thank you for everybody for their hospitality. All the people at the Great Hall, Whitmer Thomas. Big dog, Matty Matheson. Everyone who showed us love. Everyone who gave me drugs. Everybody who came to Tammy's. Thank you, Jamal, for hosting us. All the Albanian Coke dealers in the Toronto area. All the Albanian Coke dealers. Keep your eyes peeled to our social media. We have some new merch dropping. Very soon? We do have some new merch dropping, a few things this week. And then, yeah, we announced this week, actually, thanks to our good buddies at Pitchfork, we are doing a show for the Tribeca Film Festival at Baby's All Right on June the 13th with our dog, Eli. So you can hear some experimental drums as well as some conversation. It's going to be great. So, yeah, New York will be there next month. We look forward to seeing you. Thank you guys for listening, and have a wonderful, blessed week.

Ain't no vitamin C. I be smoking broccoli.