Okay, now that we’ve got that out of the way… Spoiler alert!
We’re going to spend this episode talking about the Game of Thrones finale, and revisit some of our predictions from Episode 38: Endings. So if you haven’t seen “The Iron Throne” yet, go catch up with the rest of the country before listening to this episode.
Did You Hear About that Game of Thrones Petition?
Season 8 of Game of Thrones has been divisive to say the least. While Michael and Katherine may not have been 100% happy with it, they certainly aren’t among the more than one million fans behind a Change.org petition to have it re-made.
“Get over yourselves, people!” says Katherine.
Michael also thinks the concept is kind of ridiculous. “It’s like a petition to change the result of a sporting event.”
Everyone Katherine liked best ended up living; and both of us were surprised that Arya ended up making it to the end.
Michael gleefully points out that he was right about the Night King storyline being wrapped up by episode three… But Katherine also laughs at his thinking that Jaime would be the true hero of the story (or that Cersei’s child would contribute to a great peace). Oh well.
So… How About That Game of Thrones Finale?
Michael largely liked the last season, and thought it was “appropriate.”
Katherine was impressed that they tied up most of the big loose ends.
We discuss some of the fandom’s nitpicking, but ultimately end up in a similar place.
This is obviously a very different episode of the Such a Crock podcast… But we hope you love it anyway:
The Last Hurrah is Such a Crock! Crockcasters discuss Mardi Gras, timeshares, and the TV show Lost to show why. Welcome to our forty-first episode of the Such a Crock podcast!
This week we are focused on “the last hurrah” … That feeling of wanting to slide in on an opportunity before a big “something” happens. Whether it’s a shopping spree before moving to a less cosmopolitan area or an untamed bachelor party, the last hurrah is SUCH A CROCK.
To get you in the mood for this week’s topic, why not give Bebe Rexha a listen? Her music video is appropriately titled!
Cinco de Mayo – Opposite of Ramadan
We recorded this episode on the fifth of May; so one day after Star Wars Day.
Katherine noted that this was a kind of happy accident, with the Mexican holiday of feasting, parades, and music bumping up against the famous month of Muslim fasting. She wondered if Muslims do a kind of “last hurrah” before the big month, and explored various religious traditions and how they approach fasting.
Mixing some stories of her own childhood or college-aged excess in with the sometimes complicated cultures of self-denial across many world religions, she leaves the topic with a kind of beautiful thought.
We don’t normally like rain, but if you aren’t allowed to drink water all day, mightn’t you love a little sun shower?
If you’d like to learn more about fasting itself, check out this article at Britannica.
What Makes Mardi Gras a Crock?
Riffing on Katherine’s idea, Michael talks about Fat Tuesday — better known as Mardi Gras — the famous “last hurrah” for Catholics before the start of Lent.
Lent is a forty-day period in preparation for Easter. Starting on the fasting day Ash Wednesday, Catholics are supposed to not eat meat on Fridays for about forty days… Which is way less hardcore than some of the religions Katherine talked about in her section.
What makes Mardi Gras a crock is around some of our perception of it, and the culture of New Orleans.
Like… If I say “Mardi Gras” what comes to mind?
For many, it’s wild and drunken parties; or girls flashing their breasts for colorful beads.
It turns out that you don’t necessarily have to flash to get beads! That rumor is SUCH A CROCK!
In fact, it’s only one part of New Orleans that’s super wild at Mardi Gras. Other parts might offer beads if you just ask for them. Who knew?
“A lot of those guys who look like drunken frat boys on Bourbon Street are really carrying badges,”
and
“… flashing in the family-oriented Garden District, for example, is likely to get you free room and board at Orleans Parish Prison. And dropping one’s trousers in the street is ill-advised in any area.”
Can we rely on anything any more?
What about timeshare salesmen?
Vacation Mindset is SUCH A CROCK
Katherine shares with the world her crazy mindset shift when going on vacation.
Michael talks about entering a parallel universe where he doesn’t care about prices the second he enters the airport.
And then there was the time with the timeshares. Okay, two times.
In order to get favorable pricing on Hawaiian vacations, our intrepid duo may have, on a couple of occasions, agreed to sit in on timeshare sales pitches. We won’t ruin Katherine’s story here, but just know she had previously thought Michael the more rational one.
What about timeshares themselves? Are they SUCH A CROCK, too?
Let’s ask the experts!
The Finn Law Group, which specializes in timeshares, posted some eye-opening statistics on their website. What do you think?
The average rescission rate is 15% – essentially identical to the daily average percentage of people who buy a timeshare following a sales presentation
85% of all buyers regret their purchase, citing reasons including money, fear, confusion, intimidation, and distrust
41% of buyers never thought they would regret their purchase, but ended up doing so; 30% were neutral prior to buying, but came to regret their decision
95% of all buyers go back to their resort and sales team for more information after the sale, usually within one to three days, seeking more information about maintenance fees, resale options, and pricing alternatives
So… confusion, regret, buyer’s remorse, and good old intimidation.
If you think timeshares are SUCH A CROCK, though, wait until you get a load of Michael’s story about people who lived in Hawaii for six years.
That’s right!
It’s about Lost.
The Finale of Lost was SUCH A CROCK. Literally.
Lost was the definition of the big budget, widely watched, appointment television show. The pilot alone cost 14 million dollars, and even the White House pressed pause when the show came on each week.
Unfolding for six seasons, Lost was a unique combination of science fiction, fantasy, mystery, and other dramatic genres. At its best it was beautifully constructed, and half the fun was watching the secrets of the show — so carefully hidden for those six years — unfold.
So when the series finale didn’t answer every question, some fans were understandably miffed. The Lost finale as it aired on ABC was polarizing. Some critics thought it was the best episode of the season; others, like Salon.com, put it in the worst finales of all time category.
Like it, don’t like it… Doesn’t matter. Our whole concept of this last visit to the island was SUCH A CROCK!
Why? It wasn’t actually the end.
I mean, the episode was called “The End” but it wasn’t the actual end. Another episode, twelve minutes of question-answering long, is featured on the DVD set alone.
So Michael gets all excited that maybe it’s on Hulu, as there is an extended length version of “The End” up there; just long enough to be it.
He leaves the podcast ready to find out if it is true.
It isn’t
BUT!
We tracked down the final twelve minutes on YouTube. We hope it’s everything you ever dreamed of (or will at least answer a question or two about polar bears or Walt):
Assumptions color all aspects of life. Too bad they’re such a crock! This CrockCast explores the confusion of Instagram DMs, how nobody reads, and a munchausen mom’s murder.
Nobody Reads the Whole Thing
It’s a common assumption that people read. Turns out they mostly scan headlines – shocker! Even if they read a bit, it’s rarely an entire piece. Michael kicks off the podcast with a heads up that people aren’t reading. He introduces radical headline tips to help writers get their readers more engaged. Let’s try to get them past the first paragraph fellow writers!
Learn about how accomplished copywriters use everyday words to grip a reader’s attention. All it takes is a listen to Episode 40 of the CrockCast.
Assumptions Hide Abuse
Next Katherine shares a fascinating tale of Munchausen by Proxy and murder. She invokes a vast reservoir of info accumulated in a movie, miniseries, and Buzzfeed clicks. It’s repugnant and gripping all at once.
How could a woman poison her child? She even had her daughter’s salivary glands and teeth removed. Still that was only the beginning of her madness. Hear more about this single mother’s descent toward her own murder. A gripping unbelievable story awaits on your podcast app at Such a Crock. Or just click below to hit the stream immediately.
Keto Assumptions
Then Michael gets feisty because he’s often assumed to “be keto”. This annoys him. He’s a man not a diet! The rant rolls forth with facts galore. Luckily, that includes a clear definition and advice on its validity.
The keto conclusions may surprise you. Turns out Michael eats carbs. Also, keto may serve epileptic children but few others. No matter who or what keto claims to be; on the store shelves, it’s all about marketing.
Instagram DMs Breed Assumptions
The CrockCast winds down with a quick story out of Katherine’s Instagram direct messages. She shares about her own silly assumptions. Turns out they’ve led to lots of @LadyKflo confusion. It’s a healthy reminder to quiet our personal bias and listen. Quick but fruitful, this story will likely make you laugh too.
We all need human connection. Eye contact works as a way to get this kind of intimacy. Errol Morris, the legendary filmmaker and documentarian, also believes we need it to find truth in conversation. That’s why he invented the Interrotron. It’s the camera technology that enables him to get to the truth during his documentary interviews.
Thanks to his innovation, Morris cracked a murder case and those interviews ended up freeing an innocent man from a death sentence. Turns out, the witnesses who testified against this death row prisoner misremembered facts. They thus perjured their witness stand testimony. The Interrotron uncovered five cases of this perjury.
Learn more about these fascinating false memories as well as many other tasty Errol Morris morsels on the Memory episode of Such a Crock.
Witness Testimony
Next the CrockCast delves deeper into eyewitness memory issues from the backend. Why do eyewitness accounts hold such power over juries? How can people give false testimony in such high stakes cases?
These questions are asked and answered. First of all, the brain is a malleable organ and memory is no exception. Also, our popular beliefs about memory are largely false. Turns out, memory works more like narrative storytelling than a video or audio recording. It builds in layers that can bend and fold – more with each remembering.
Courtrooms don’t help clarify this mental mishmash with their leading questions and evidentiary tactics. If anything, a jury trial simply makes matters worse. It’s complicated by the power eyewitness accounts hold over juries. For some reason, they are more likely to believe falsehoods on the witness stand than most other evidence offered in a court case.
Black Mirror Deletions
The Black Mirror episode The Entire History of You engages our CrockCast cohorts. Thus they discuss what it means to remember the events of a marriage. What really matters? Many would say Truth. But this episode points to a different reality.
The TV show illustrates a scenario where people have a video/audio recording of their life embedded into a “grain”. That means they can choose to rewatch events that transpire alone or even share them with a buddy any time they choose. It gives a whole new meaning to the word “memory”.
Listen to Episode 39 of the podcast to hear all about it …and more! Fascinated beyond your wildest? You can read even more about memory with a click of these data-packed links:
Thanks for listening to Such a Crock every other Monday! Please help us out by showing your support and sharing the love. Just Subscribe at Such a Crock – Apple Podcasts then follow us on Instagram. Also, our fledgling Twitter can really use a your attention and love. Send us tweets and we’ll tweet back atcha loud and proud! Thank you for all your Crocktastic support. We appreciate and love you mucho!
This Special Edition of our Such a Crock podcast brings you Game of Thrones themes, refreshers, and debates. Because it’s nice and long, we bring you an extra dose of crock too. Just in time for GOT’s 8th season! The most fun CrockCast yet, this episode throws the gauntlet from the very start. Our CrockCasters, Katherine and Michael, explain how Endings are a crock because GOT’s ending soon and what’s a bigger crock than that?
Game of Thrones: Themes
What’s it all about anyway? Let’s get down to it with an overarching theory (or three) and back up these propositions with facts galore. Sure, GOT revolves around ice and fire, love and death, nakedness and armor… We get it. But there are more meaningful themes as well. That’s a given with great stories and this one’s the greatest right now. Think not? Check out next season’s trailer if you need evidence of its mastery.
Endings are certainly a GOT theme. So many crucial characters experience the ultimate ending – death – before their time. In fact, the show is most famous for this . You can point to early Season One when honorable main character, Ned Stark loses his head. Or one just need glance at Episode 9, Season 3 for that notorious hero bloodbath the Red Wedding. Either way, main characters drop like flies on Game Of Thrones. It makes us all appreciate the alive ones that much more.
Katherine thinks it’s essentially about Humanity and offers a Jon Snow quote as evidence. Michael then talks about how Game of Thrones maintains a theme of Chasing Your True Nature. He also puts Jon Snow to work, proving his point. That’s the thing about Jon Snow, sure he knows nothing but he looks so good everybody wants to enlist him anyway.
Endings Answer – Who Will Die?
Let’s just admit that this is what really matters to all of us. Endings finally answer this critical question about our beloved characters. Some are so loved that we may not even accept their seemingly certain death.
This comes up for Katherine during the podcast when she admits she’s still holding out for Tormund to have survived the Ice Dragon’s teardown. Yes, Tormund stood atop the wall when it went down… but perhaps he slid to safety? She’s hoping. That way he can finally woo Brianne so they can make big ass babies together.
But this is just a tiny sampling of the substantial discussion about who will live and who will die in the Game of Thrones. Katherine and Michael get down and dirty to debate nearly every character. From Euron Greyjoy to Arya Stark, Bronn of Blackwater to Daenerys Targaryen and everybody in between. This CrockCast gets detailed and real with as much jocularity as accuracy.
The Proof is in the Endings
Our CrockCasters discuss Game of Thrones characters and events with predictions, refreshers, and hearty opposition. After all, it can be hard to even discern what’s already happened from this show’s gorgeous, rich density. People come back from the dead, people aren’t really even people… and then there’s Cersei Lannister.
Michael and Katherine discuss Cersei more than any other character. Funny part is, they also both think this bitch is sure to die in the end. All men must die. Right? But Cersei most of all.
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Your CrockCast is back better than ever! Awards are a crock – from the Academy to the Olympic games. In fact, in this ground-breaking episode, Katherine uses “crapping your pants” to illustrate three distinctly different crocktacular examples.
Economics Briefing
Both crockcasters got into the economics of awards in this week’s podcast. Michael briefly discusses how big budget flicks are often overlooked by the Academy when awards season hits. Maybe on purpose? Perhaps even to spite the ticket-buying public? Could be that or maybe the Academy of Motion Pictures has other considerations in mind. The crockcasters discuss and dispute these possibilities.
Katherine also brings up economics from her research into Olympic gold. Ever wondered how much those medals are actually worth on the open market? Well, she found out and shares a bit about it in this Episode 37 CrockCast.
Post-Olympic Depression
It’s an incredible accomplishment to win even one gold medal. Talk about an amazing award! Right? So, imagine what Michael Phelps must feel, having won more than any other human ever. Well, the fact is he felt like crap. That’s because of a phenomenon now known as post-olympic depression. Turns out winning the biggest prize of all many times over can be a real drag.
Katherine shares some tips from healing and preventing Olympic depression. Not so much because the CrockCast audience is mostly elite athletes… but more as a service to help all of us regular people out there seeking our heart’s desire. How can we avoid this subsequent let-down after our own brand of ceremonious glory finally comes? Find out with a listen to this week’s delightful and informative episode.
Are the Oscars a Crock?
Michael shouts a definitive Yes! to this question about our esteemed Academy Awards. He takes us on a fun romp through a decade’s worth of Oscar winners and sends them up for debate. Many of your favorite movies are considered and discussed in depth including Raiders of the Lost Ark and Back to the Future.
The CrockCast thus traverses a multitude of films, nominated and not. This is thanks to a list Michael found in the Washington Post. Turns out it could have been written by Katherine given how much she agrees with their views on the Oscars through the years.
It’s a rollicking good time to chat about which movies are the most deserving and why. Best part is, all of this centers around an article entitled The Oscars Always Get it Wrong. What’s more thrilling than extreme declarations and subsequent deliberation? Not a gosh darn thing!
Silver Might as Well Be Bronze
Katherine wraps up the podcast with a study about why Olympic silver medalists seem so unhappy in the awards ceremony pics. Turns out it’s because of mental state called Counterfactual Thinking. This particular frame of mindset is all about expectations and asking yourself what “could have been?”.
It’s human nature to think this way. So, the crockcasters talk about the different times in life when counterfactual thinking comes into play and craps on one’s coffee cake. How can we avoid, or at least recover quickly, from it? Check out CrockCast Episode 37: Awards to hear all about it!
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We love bringing you Such a Crock every Monday of the month! If you love listening, please show your support and share the love, Subscribe at Such a Crock – Apple Podcasts then follow us on Instagram and our fledgling Twitter can really use a boost! Thank you for all the Crocktastic support. We are so grateful for you!
The most offensive CrockCast yet! We cover the familiar Crock phrase “No Offense” in all its wretchedness. Topics include a list of forbidden phrases, sexy mothers, women’s colleges, and HBCUs. We also discuss the true purpose of saying the phrase and, as Britney Spears would say, “It’s NOT that innocent!”
“No Offense” but these Definitions are a Crock
Michael begins the podcast with some crocktacular definitions. Ironically, the crockcasters agree that the traditional definition sources, such as the “dictionary of record” give the WORST definitions. These prissy, conventional interpretations certainly won’t offend anyone but they also clearly aren’t what the phrase means.
Listen to this week’s Episode 36 CrockCast to hear the specifics yourself. It’s much more obvious than you might think!
Katherine shares a story about a neighborhood mother offended by a fellow mom’s bikini pic on Instagram. “Can you imagine?” the neighbor said, “And she calls herself a mother!” Katherine’s only reply to this was, “She sounds hot…”
Because what’s wrong with being a hot mama? Apparently it’s quite offensive to emanate sexuality – or even sensuality – while still being a mom. Katherine found several examples of this phenomenon online; including Kelly Oxford, pictured above.
Ms. Oxford, a famous writer, started fires on Insta last year when she posted sexy pics of herself on the same profile that portrays her life as a mother. For some reason, this offended many of her instafans because it contradicted their idea of what a mother looks like.
Hear more about this, as well as more on the whole “mother as an identity” concept, on this week’s “No Offense” CrockCast.
What NOT to Say – a List
We could probably all use a guidebook these days for what’s safe to say. So, Michael gets us started with some basics. He runs through a list from INC Magazine that lays eleven offensive remarks out for us clearly. That way we can stop offending everyone!
However, too bad so sad your CrockCasters STILL continue to revel in offending all with their follow up discussion on the topic. This even includes Katherine’s rampant use of the C-word and other such crock calamities.
SnowFlakes Unite! … Here
She then wraps up the CrockCast with a much-warranted journey into acceptance. Switching gears, Katherine makes an argument to just allow our young people their snowflake years. Specifically, she suggests we grant them snowflake “college years” meaning ages 18-22. Let’s just give these kids a break! We can simply wrap them in bubble wrap to ship ’em off. Easy peasy.
Seriously though, this is the time for that kind of safe learning environment. After all, early adulthood years are about finding our purpose. What do we want to make our lives all about? This makes it a perfect time to study in a specialized place.
Namely, people now realize what’s great about these special advanced education institutions. Listen to Episode 36 of Such a Crock to hear the whole story.
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As a result of a surreal experience at the airport, Katherine magnanimously allows Michael to switch the topic at the last minute – to aging.
The Hallmarks of Aging and Cognitive Decline
Michael starts out our podcast with a list of the hallmarks of aging. You know, stuff like your eye lenses hardening (so you can benefit from reading glasses), declines in fertility or muscle mass… or cognitive decline that begins in your twenties!
Your twenties? Seeing that his brain is quite important to him (and he is decades out of his twenties), Michael looked up an article on Everyday Health on 10 ways to combat cognitive decline. Some seem effective; others a crock.
Physical Activity – Luckily, both our hosts keep active (so presumably they can keep bringing you Such a Crock for the foreseeable)
Education / “hitting the books” – We’re both avid readers, but Michael also suggests taking online courses, and even aspires to get “a whole other undergraduate degree” by stringing extra classes together
Smoking – Quit!
Cardiovascular Health – Kind of a crock; what does this even mean?
Avoiding Head Injuries – Like wearing a bike helmet or strapping in your seatbelt
Eating Well – Michael thinks this is a crock. Whatever fruits.
Getting Enough Sleep
Mental Health – Depression and declines in cognitive health seem related, so taking care of your mental health might safeguard the other
Social Stuff – Buddy lunches, being part of the community, and so on
Stumping Yourself – Katherine pokes fun at Michael for his devotion to Tetris, but she herself does all kinds of wooden puzzles, like this:
Yes, some aspects of aging are inevitable; but all the stories we tell about them — and what people can do with their lives (especially later in life) — are a crock.
Katherine focused on “late bloomers” … Specifically women who did amazing things with themselves and their careers later in life. Women like…
Leslie Jones – At 47, Leslie Jones was the oldest person ever to join the cast of Saturday Night Live as a featured performer. Jones joining also marked the first time two black women were on the show at the same time! Oh, and her Olympics coverage…
Laura Ingles-Wilder – The author of Little House on the Prairie started writing the story of her life at age 43. Ingles-Wilder wrote and re-wrote for 20 years before finding a publisher. The last volume wasn’t published until she was 76.
Gladys Burrill – It took her almost 10 hours, but Gladys completed the Honlulu Marathon at 92! She is the world record holder, certified by Guinness.
Grandma Moses – The celebrated American folk artist didn’t even start painting until she was in her 70s.
And more! Helen Mirren, Martha Stewart, J.K. Rowling, and Roseanne Barr all bloomed late. Katherine rejects Michael’s suggestion of (beloved) Sheryl Crow.
NBA All-Star Steve Nash
In honor of NBA All-Star weekend, Michael tells the story of legendary point guard Steve Nash.
In his 20s, Nash was a very good NBA Guard for the Dallas Mavericks, picking up a couple of All-Star appearances. But when he turned 30, the Mavericks let him go; not matching the offer made to him by the Phoenix Suns.
Nash did something very rare for an already good NBA player… He catapulted to a completely different level of excellence in his 30s. Nash earned multiple All-NBA First Team selections, a ton of additional All-Star appearances, but most impressively two — count ’em two — stints as the NBA MVP.
Did the Mavericks do the right thing, statistically? It would have been difficult to predict Nash’s MVP seasons. Nash also joined the “50-40-90” club as its most impressive member. There are only seven players — total — in the history of the NBA who have shot 50% from the field, 40% from three, and 90% from the free throw line. Only one other player (Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics) has done it twice.
Nash did it four times; all over the age of 30; all in Phoenix.
Valentine’s Day and the Man Crate
This has nothing to do with aging, but we finish off with an adventure into Michael’s Valentine’s Day gift, the Man Crate and sampling many of its exotic meats.
CrockCast covers Childproofing this week with What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, car seats, vaccination conspiracies, anti-natalism, and baby gates.
BabyProofing Basics
Do they have to be this complex? Two cupholders?
Childproofing is more about parental issues than actual child safety in many instances. In fact, when you look at statistics for car seats and baby gates, as Katherine did in this week’s CrockCast, you find parents sometimes make matters worse. That’s because of factors like improper use. Click the link to see a study about these frightening statistics.
Basically, car seats only work to help save your child is they’re used properly and not enough parents take the necessary precautions to do so. Check out the NY Times article linked here to find out how easy it is to be one of THOSE parents. It happens with baby gates too. Listen to Episode 34 of the CrockCast to hear all about it and learn ways to make a baby gate work better for you. Or maybe you’ll just decide childproofing is a crock… Lucky for you, this podcast already did some preliminary legwork to help you decide.
Anti-Vaxers = Childproof Corollary
Some anti-vaxers call the CDC a “conspiracy”
Next Michael explores yet another case of how overprotecting children can actually harm them. In fact, when it comes to vaccinations, the ignorance of anti-vaxers can actually harm others as well. That’s never been more apparent than now. There are outbreaks of measles in the news with fifty reported cases in Washington state for early 2019.
On the bright side, the relative impact has resulted in more people getting vaccinated. For instance, 2018 started off the month of January with 530 people in the Washington state area getting immunized. But the number for January 2019 exceeds 3,000. In other words, the very impulse that led anti-vaxers to avoid immunizing their children – fear of physical harm – also compelled them to vaccinate. Alanis Morrisette might call this phenomenon ironic but here at CrockCast we’re just glad they’re coming to their senses.
You Can’t Childproof Life
Next the CrockCast harkens back to the 90s and indie movie What’s Eating Gilbert Grape starring Johnny Depp, a little-known actor named Leonardo Dicaprio, and Juliette Lewis in a pixie cut. It’s not a traditional tale in any way and that includes filing it under the theme of “childproofing” but still fits perfectly into this podcast. That’s because essentially this is a movie about how you can’t childproof real life.
Dicaprio’s character is the infinite child. He’s so severely mentally challenged that it’s unlikely he’ll ever actually learn any life lessons. That makes his character an infinite toddler. If you show him his towel and robe then leave him in a bathtub, he’ll stay in that bathtub until you come back to get him out. Even if twelve hours go by, night falls, the bath turns ice cold, and you’ve still not returned.
In this way the movie resonates how crucial learning is to truly living. This is how we grow up. Everyone has experienced that first chill of a bath turned cold and the discomfort teaches us when it’s time to get out. That’s why we don’t get hypothermic – we’ve learned. If someone’s always childproofing our lives for us so that we never learn, are we truly living? Leo’s bath is just one example of how this movie explores the theme.
Is the Answer no Kids?
From Raphael Samuel’s Facebook page
Anti-natalist Raphael Samuel would shout a resounding “Yes!” to answer this question. He thinks every problem he has originated with the fact that he was born against his will. Thus, Michael wraps up the CrockCast with a new anti-natalist in the news. This one is suing his lawyer parents for having the gall to bring him into this world. How dare they?!
No really. He believes this and the lawsuit is seemingly legit. Many think he’s just trying to get attention, including his parents. It also seems plausible from the nature of his Facebook page on the topic. Check it out to decide for yourself.
Our CrockCasters were too busy laughing and joking about the whole idea to take Mr. Samuels too seriously. We’ll all have to wait and see what the court systems decide if they are even willing to take the case after all this vapid publicity.
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The Frontman role isn’t just a Crock – it’s a trap! This CrockCast explores timely topics like: blackface at a Virginia school, Freddie Mercury, and Jeff Bezos.
Virginia is for Lovers – Not Haters
Picture courtesy of wamu.org
This week’s CrockCast is unlike any other. It’s the most of-the-moment for topics as well as the most contemplative. In fact, Katherine delves all the way back to her days of yore – freshman year of college to be precise. She went to school in Virginia and had her very own experience with going to a party with attendees in blackface.
What’s this got to do with The Frontman? Everything. When we’re 18 years old many of us put our peers up on a pedestal. We let them represent us, or at the very least our “group of friends”. But part of growing up is learning to be your own frontman. That’s because letting some seemingly more adept peer represent you is a crock. Represent yourself. Nobody does it better.
Top Ten Frontmen – Rolling Stone
The Beatles’ last live concert in 1969 – Picture thanks to COS – consequenceofsound.net
Unsurprisingly, Michael gets literal about The Frontman and engages a hearty debate about a Top 10 List of Frontmen from RollingStone. Although Michael finds the list a complete crock, Katherine thinks it’s perfect. The only part she doesn’t like is John Lennon on the list. Both Crockcasters agree that The Beatles have two frontmen. Look at these two pics. They stood next to each other for a reason – because they shared the leadership position. In fact, McCartney and Lennon made a point of sharing songwriting credit even though they wrote songs separately.
Sharing Leadership from day one. Photo care of – www.contessagallery.com
Michael goes on to deconstruct the Top 10 list with varying complaints. At the same time, Katherine counterpoints and questions his definitions for “Frontman”. In the end, this turns out to be the silly section of this week’s podcast. Give it a listen and hear the frivolity for yourself.
Freddie Mercury – Lonely Frontman
Photo Credit: bbc.co.uk
The new movie Bohemian Rhapsody may not be historically accurate in all things but it’s a perfect portrait of loneliness. That’s why it’s a wonderful example of how The Frontman is a crock. It’s hard to think of a more iconic frontman than Mercury. He cast a spell upon crowds and whipped them into plumes of ecstasy, pounding feet, clapping, and singing along. Freddie could move them with a throwaway line and flick of the wrist. He held them in awe with his rapturous voice.
But as we learn in the emotionally resonant movie, Freddie was a lonely man and not particularly in touch with himself. While standing strong and representing one of the most powerful and successful bands as a figurehead of many years; he wondered who he was. The CrockCast examines this paradox and, frankly, gets a little deep this week. Can you handle the truth? Cause the crockcasters deliver some real talk. Sound impossible? Give it a listen and see for yourself.
No Icon is an Island
Nobody really knows how Bezos became one of the richest men in the world. But one thing’s for sure, he probably didn’t do it alone. In other words, The Myth of the Lone Genius Founder is correct. No one gets that level of success without some help. It’s a sure bet there’s more to the story than a simpleton would say. Who are the crockcasters calling out as simple? Well, the myth of the Iconic Male Figurehead didn’t write itself… In other words, the whole concept of a Frontman is a crock! Listen to this week’s Episode – 33 and learn more about these modern tech billionaire myths.
Michael wraps up the podcast with a journey to Amazon island, where the news is yapping about Bezos every minute but nobody knows what they’re talking about. It’s funny how people think they know anything about a marriage or even how a couple can become one of the richest in the world. We don’t really know. Only the Bezos marriage knows what truly happened there. But one thing you can find out for certain, how this podcast ends and the Tweets of the week. Just listen on your podcast app or click below.
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