Shawn Mendes

[0] Welcome, welcome, welcome to armchair expert.

[1] I'm Dan Shepard.

[2] I'm joined by Maximus Mouth.

[3] It's our last real Monday episode of 2020.

[4] And you know what song would be appropriate right now?

[5] What?

[6] Well, one of his would be most appropriate, but it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

[7] That's right.

[8] Everywhere.

[9] Even as we sit in your living room right now in the shadow of a beautiful, noble fur.

[10] I love it.

[11] It's my first real Christmas tree.

[12] Elegantly decorated.

[13] Very elegant.

[14] It looks like it could be in the window at Meem and Marcus.

[15] Wow, thank you.

[16] It's kind of an OCD person's nightmare putting ornaments on a tree.

[17] Like all I see, like I need to move that toilet paper roll one.

[18] Sure.

[19] So that it's more spaced out.

[20] You know, it's tough.

[21] You know what?

[22] I'm going to take a picture of this for the cherries in case they get curious, what you find disagreeable.

[23] Is that a right?

[24] Sure.

[25] Now I'm going to zoom in on the toilet paper, okay?

[26] Okay.

[27] Because people might have a hard time finding that toilet paper.

[28] That's my 2020 ornament.

[29] Oh, that's a really smart one.

[30] Thanks.

[31] It was the year of toilet paper shortages.

[32] It sure was.

[33] I'll tell you who has no shortage of toilet paper or talent.

[34] Wasn't that a good segue?

[35] Great.

[36] Ding, ding, ding.

[37] Sean Mendez.

[38] And it was so fun to have Sean Mendez on because he's actually been an armcherry from the kit from the jump.

[39] So flattering.

[40] It really is.

[41] And he is a Grammy -nominated multi -platin singer and songwriter.

[42] You love Senior Rita.

[43] You love treat you better.

[44] You love there's nothing holding me back.

[45] And Wonder now.

[46] His fourth studio album, Wonder, is out right now and a great documentary with the title in Wonder on Netflix.

[47] So check that out as well.

[48] And please enjoy Sean Mendez.

[49] Wondry Plus subscribers can listen to Armchair Expert early and ad free right now.

[50] Join Wondry Plus in the Wondry app or on Apple Podcasts.

[51] Or you can listen for free wherever you get your podcasts.

[52] He's an object to make.

[53] Can you hear me?

[54] Oh, my God, can I hear you?

[55] What a silky voice right out of the games.

[56] Oh, man. You delivered already.

[57] Interview's over.

[58] Good job, Sean.

[59] Thank you very much.

[60] Hold on.

[61] I'm setting up the recording.

[62] We're going to lose you for one second.

[63] Okay.

[64] I've already began recording, so don't...

[65] I know that.

[66] Don't double hit.

[67] I won't.

[68] Okay.

[69] I can see.

[70] Okay.

[71] With my eyes.

[72] Wow, I'm shocked by that, to be honest with you.

[73] I was about to say you have good eyes, but you don't.

[74] You have terrible eyes.

[75] I do, but I can see a bright red light that's very close to me. They're not aesthetically pleasing.

[76] They just are not functional.

[77] Well, maybe you can only have one or the other.

[78] What are you saying?

[79] That I can't see?

[80] Uh -huh.

[81] If you had to pick whether your eyes were pretty or...

[82] Hey guys I've always wanted to just be like so laid back like this I've seen everyone look like they're relaxing so much during this podcast and I was so excited to like cross my legs in an interview Isn't that weird?

[83] Yeah you've got a real vibe going on this morning You look like you're in a grotto And you look like you are also at Woodstock You look very cash Super cat I mean this is a big deal for me I did Jimmy Fallon a couple weeks ago And I'm more nervous for this because I realized that this is like, I really consume this content.

[84] I heard Hugh Jackman say that in a podcast once, and I was like, oh, I wonder if that's going to happen to me, and it is.

[85] That's so flattering.

[86] My God.

[87] And I'm not unaware of this.

[88] So I've known that you liked the podcast, your first one in, I think.

[89] Early adopter.

[90] Early adopter of the new technology.

[91] And somehow we got connected on Instagram, and I found it incredibly flattering that you liked it.

[92] And then I got really curious why you like it.

[93] I'm not mining for compliments, but you're a young man on the go.

[94] The world is your oyster.

[95] What on earth do you want to talk about failures and humility and fucking mental health?

[96] I'm really curious what appealed to you.

[97] I mean, to be honest with you, like that's more on my mind than music and pop culture.

[98] These days, I feel like I'm doing more for my mental health to stay above water than anything else in my life.

[99] You know, I'm so much older than you.

[100] And I was really saddened when I watched the documentary last night to realize, I mean, really much older.

[101] But we see all this data about younger people having increased levels of anxiety.

[102] And it would probably be hard to know if it's part of your generation or just your unique experience.

[103] I think it's the generation and more so my unique experience.

[104] I'm also chasing anyone in an industry similar to mine.

[105] So when I started, seeing you interviewing actors and talking about that type of pressure.

[106] I think the one that really got was Michael Pina.

[107] It was just his psyche before doing a movie.

[108] Yeah.

[109] The entertainment industry is just kind of crazy.

[110] Not knowing you and just watching the doc, I'd say that you guys are really similar in your approach.

[111] He and I are opposite, right?

[112] So I like being thrown in a very chaotic situation and trying to find my way out.

[113] And he is the ultimate rehearser, the ultimate preparer.

[114] And he wisely tries to control all the variables that are within his realm to downsize the anxiety about the performance.

[115] It seemed that that's your approach as well.

[116] Yeah, but also that's a very controlling approach.

[117] And also sometimes leaves you with more anxiety than just trusting yourself.

[118] Like I, after listening to a bunch of your podcasts, I feel like you have this confidence, also this vulnerability, but this confidence that is kind of just there innately in what you do as an actor, no?

[119] You know, it depends.

[120] Some situations, yes, and then other ones, it scares me. But again, you know, I've been at it for a while.

[121] And I got really excited to talk to you genuinely.

[122] I never give advice to anyone.

[123] But you're so empathetic in the documentary.

[124] You're just so fucking likable.

[125] And I see the many things you're wrestling with.

[126] And then so much of it is just, you know, you're 22 years old.

[127] If you weren't wrestling with this stuff, something probably would be broken.

[128] But there's just a couple things I was watching where I was like, oh, I really am glad to have his ear.

[129] Because there are a couple things.

[130] and you're already on the path like the doc starts with you walking down on stage and by the way we just interviewed a Formula One driver this is the same for anyone in a high pressure situation right so the moment before the storm there's so much going on and you say like walking out in front of that many fans you start with like ego to bolster yourself right like you try to let those people inform you that yeah I'm the fucking man I can do this or these people wouldn't be here and then what I love about you as you immediately admit the first note's always bad like that approach yields you not hitting the note and then like 30 seconds later you calm down you remember you're just a dude who loves singing and performing and then the thing takes off and I found it so relatable and I think so many people would relate to that you know you interviewed my performance coach actually Michael Jervais oh I've been working with him for like a year and a half and And we, I mean, have been on this insane journey together, but the big thing for me was the signal to noise ratio, basically talking about your why, your reason of doing something and how that really controls how you're feeling at the moment.

[131] And during that doc was my first time playing with my perspective on what I was doing and why I was doing it.

[132] And before it was kind of just like bulldozing through.

[133] like they cheer oh that means you do good like keep going like and then at some point during that tour i started to try and practice this thing of like look i'm under the stage i'm about to walk on stage in front of 20 ,000 people and i say to myself you do this because you love it you do this because you love to perform not because you need praise like if you walk on the stage and they're silent you're still going to have a great night it didn't make me believe it at all uh -huh yeah sure yeah i didn't i didn't believe that at all but i started doing it every single night and it really helped my attitude of being a little bit more carefree about how it went.

[134] I was connected to my why a little bit more.

[135] But I watched back the dock and I'm so different from then.

[136] And that was a year and a half now.

[137] At that point, I hadn't had more than three weeks off for seven years since I was 15 years old, completely absolutely nonstop.

[138] And then COVID happens.

[139] and I'm put into my girlfriend's parents' house in Miami and we're there for three months together, just like doing laundry and cooking food again.

[140] It feels like the first time in my entire life.

[141] And the last seven years hit me, and I'm like, oh, my God, I'm like, I haven't spent any time with my sister.

[142] She's 17 now.

[143] She has a, who's this guy she's dating?

[144] I don't, all that, like, I'm a horrible son.

[145] My mom doesn't even know, like, how I feel about certain things.

[146] And it was like this whole, like, thing, a couple weeks of, like, extreme anxiety and then starting to flow.

[147] into more of a state of like, okay, I get it.

[148] Community and family time and the people around you, the people that care about you is the most important thing in the entire world.

[149] I hear the message loud and clear.

[150] Now it's about trying to figure out how to get that balance, you know?

[151] Yeah, I mean, in essence, you're really talking about identity, right?

[152] And so for seven years, the number one thought when you think of who I am is I'm a performer who goes out and performs.

[153] And then when that goes away, you're really forced to go like, oh my goodness, What else am I?

[154] Because I haven't been watering many other plants out of necessity.

[155] And I have to imagine it's terrifying.

[156] Yeah.

[157] And success is a funny thing to happen to anyone at any age.

[158] But I think, I don't know, I could be completely wrong.

[159] But I think maybe if I started now at 22, knowing myself a little bit better, I would be able to be like, hey, before a guy who has a few hit songs, you are a son and a brother and a friend.

[160] good friend.

[161] Just remember that.

[162] Oh, for sure.

[163] Between 14 and 22 is when you like, I don't know, for me, I was going to be Jack Kerouac and I tried that for six months and I was like, oh, this is fun, but it's lonely.

[164] I don't think I want to be Jack Kerouac.

[165] Then I was like, oh, I'm really undereducated.

[166] I should go to college.

[167] Yeah.

[168] You know, I'm at college.

[169] Oh, I'm a Harley guy.

[170] I own a Harley.

[171] I'm going to join the Hells Angel.

[172] I mean, I had 23 pursuits before I ever had any success.

[173] Yes.

[174] And so by the time I had a little money, I think I, yeah, I had kind of honed in on what was maybe a more sustainable identity for myself.

[175] Although I don't think it ends.

[176] Yeah, you were robbed of that really fertile experimenting time.

[177] Yeah, I still haven't done it.

[178] All I know is this is a very unique thing where I've been to like three high school parties in my life.

[179] I have so many thoughts about going to school and like, do I need to go learn how to play music?

[180] It's nonstop.

[181] Well, you've certainly sold a ton of albums.

[182] I think you've sold 10 million albums or more, which is very rare these days.

[183] But even at that, your income is touring, right?

[184] That's your livelihood.

[185] Totally.

[186] And brand campaigns and stuff like that.

[187] Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[188] So there's got to be fear at the beginning of it.

[189] Also, maybe then some guilt that, oh, my God, I'm really grateful for this.

[190] That's certainly what I've had, which is like, oh, my God, I've been with my kids in this crazy amount of time for the last year that would have never happened without this.

[191] So I have all this gratitude, and then I have guilt about having gratitude.

[192] gratitude.

[193] Isn't it weird, like, how real relativity is, our own experience is all we can ever know.

[194] At some point, hopefully, I want to go, if it's safe, travel somewhere and be there for a couple months to experience a different reality and understand and have some perspective of my life, because when you have so much, you start to really just pick on things that other people would see as, like, they're just not problems, you know?

[195] And inside of the pandemic.

[196] I knew a lot of really close people from home who were closing down businesses and their restaurants and stuff like that.

[197] And I was here like being like, oh, I'm so grateful for this time to just like stop.

[198] And it's just the opposite reality for so many people.

[199] And I realize how different my reality was, you know.

[200] Yeah, but I think that's a really easy path to start feeling guilty.

[201] Look, everyone has problems.

[202] And there's a saying in a, like if you put all your problems today in a box.

[203] If you were able to do that and you threw the box in the trash, and two days do you think the box would be full again?

[204] It would be.

[205] That's human nature.

[206] So then you get into this thing where you feel guilty because I shouldn't have anxiety about this uncertain future because I have money and I'm comfortable.

[207] Well, that's just an unrealistic expectation for a human.

[208] You could fucking have $10 billion and you still got to be a good boyfriend.

[209] You still got to be a good son.

[210] You're still going to worry about something.

[211] I think that's just the human condition and then because you don't feel like you're allowed to have that experience or it would be some sign of not being grateful for everything it puts you in a very tricky trap that i think is what becomes really isolating about a life like yours absolutely and i mean you can feel like the complex of like i don't deserve this and like go down that guilt thing forever and ever and ever, but then you just have to find a place of like, well, this is it.

[212] This is what I have and this is my life.

[213] And there is amazing things I can do with it, ways I can push this voice and the platform that I have to really make a difference.

[214] But it's really interesting being in a position that you are too and understand is a position of real comfort in a time like this, you know?

[215] Yeah, but I can at least speak to both sides.

[216] So often people, I'll post a picture me in the sand dunes, right?

[217] And someone will write out, must be nice to be rich.

[218] And then, of course, I get really defensive.

[219] I will tell you this.

[220] I was broke for 10 years and I've had money for the last 20 years.

[221] Sure.

[222] I have worried about money the same exact amount with none of it and a lot of it.

[223] So what that tells me is it really has nothing to do with the money.

[224] I have a fear of financial disaster.

[225] And it's exactly that.

[226] It's a fear.

[227] In fact, I maybe have worried about money more with it than when I didn't have it.

[228] So I luckily have had both perspectives where I'm like, Oh, no, this is just me. Do you think that that has a lot to do with the culture of, not just America, but the culture of Western society of like this constant need to be wanting more and not be content with what we have?

[229] Or this constant fear of not being able to maintain?

[230] Yeah.

[231] And by the way, that's the topic I kind of wanted to talk to you about, like on a personal level, which is we say I have a disease of more.

[232] So I want more of anything I want, and I want too much of everything that I want.

[233] This is something I was actually talking to my girlfriend about last night because I'm from Canada and it's similar to America, but it is a different type of place.

[234] And then in Europe, in Portugal, where my father's from, in England, from a farm town, it's another type of culture.

[235] And in America, there is certainly this, like, hole that needs to be filled of, like, more and more and more and beyond means.

[236] And I also feel it, too.

[237] I mean, for instance, I released an album last night, and the amount of urges I have to go online and check in hopes that it's more successful than my last, and I'm getting more streams, and there's more people excited about it is ridiculous.

[238] I mean, I've read enough self -help books and done enough therapy sessions and enough work with people who can tell you that, like, happiness doesn't lie in that, but it almost feels like a conditioning of the society, you know?

[239] Oh, I totally agree with you.

[240] First and foremost, yes, the United States is the least regulated capitalist experiment of all time.

[241] So I definitely think when you look at what Europeans spend money on, say, like a three -week holiday, an experience, a meal.

[242] And I just am reminded of that bummer of a Cadillac advertisement like four years ago that they pulled where the guy was like basically saying, yeah, I don't see my family.

[243] And I fucking sleep four hours a night.

[244] But I got this Cadillac.

[245] I was like, oh, my God, they just said it exactly what they're selling us.

[246] Like, don't enjoy a fucking thing.

[247] Just have all the stuff.

[248] It's an obsession with more.

[249] And lately, I'm just constantly trying to wrangle that in and be on top of that.

[250] Because that is the main source of my anxiety and my fears.

[251] And it's this comparing thing.

[252] And it's the conditioning of media that I think has taught me to believe that I need to be doing more and having more and getting more.

[253] Well, the thing I really felt like I related to you a lot on was when you were talking about who you were going to be publicly.

[254] And if you were this certain person publicly, would you lose all of those fans?

[255] Would that result in people not being interested in you anymore?

[256] And I know that feeling so much.

[257] And specifically with this podcast, which is, I can't explain why it works.

[258] I don't feel worthy of it working.

[259] And so for the first, two years of it all I thought about and I even say it to Monica like I just I know it's going to drop off I'd watch the numbers it's too good to be true it's going to drop off it's going to drop off and I really was ruining this amazing experience that I'm lucky to have and you know what I switched and this was the one thing the only piece of advice I was desperate to give you is I now go oh yeah if it collapses tomorrow I still did this like it can't fail, it already happened.

[260] I'm trying to measure the success of it by what's happening in a week or two weeks, but that's just completely backwards.

[261] I already got to experience this amazing bolt of lightning, and it's awesome.

[262] So if it ends tomorrow, it was three years I'm grateful to have had.

[263] And if it ends in five years, it's five years.

[264] So I'd really just switch what side of the equation I look at now.

[265] When you're acting and directing, did you feel like you were in the game of trying to be in the top 10 of that game?

[266] Well, great question.

[267] That was the other thing I was going to bring up to you about your shows.

[268] I was going to ask you, if you have the choice to go out and do a show and you could feel that the audience thought it was lackluster, but it was the exact show you wanted to do and you sang exactly how you wanted to sing, which of those two outcomes would you pick?

[269] Or they thought it was the best show they've ever seen, but you personally didn't like it.

[270] I grew up in a family that wasn't spiritual at all.

[271] There was no talk of religion or God or anything.

[272] And so kind of over the last couple of years, just learning everything I can about spirituality.

[273] And I have a real belief in the fact that if it is the most authentic direct route to what I want, it would be the one that people would enjoy the most.

[274] That's like the irony of how the world works.

[275] But it also might just be a naive, childish way of seeing it.

[276] But I think if I don't see it that way, then I would.

[277] choose the one that they want.

[278] And I don't want to choose that one.

[279] That's a really honest answer.

[280] Interestingly, the things that I had no control over, say, parenthood or some other things I've been in that were really successful, the things I had control over, the three movies I've made, I actually made the exact movie I wanted to make.

[281] And America did not want to see that, or some section did, but not what I wanted, top 10, as you say.

[282] And so I really had to go like, well, what would I have rather have?

[283] had.

[284] It's a huge hit, but I didn't make the movie I wanted to make or I made the thing I want to make and it didn't work.

[285] And so I'm very much of the opinion on my deathbed.

[286] I'm very happy it was this.

[287] Because I already have an imposter syndrome.

[288] If everyone loved it and I'm like, that was shit.

[289] Boy, it would be even worse.

[290] But also, we have to remember that Sean is really young.

[291] So for most of your life, social media has probably played a role and you are conditioned we're all conditioned, but I think the younger you are, probably the more intense it is, to be focused on numbers, to be focused on likes.

[292] Like, our brains are now shifting into being numbers focused and always having numbers to look at and always having this comparison thing happening.

[293] Everyone is doing that.

[294] And so it's, I think, a harder battle.

[295] Way harder for you.

[296] Everything's quantified in your life.

[297] Views, likes, streams.

[298] I often think about how, like, 30, 40 years ago, like, there was only, like, celebrities who were famous and understood what it was to be famous.

[299] But now, if you have Instagram, you understand in a smaller way what it is to be a celebrity because this completely unrealistic expectation that everyone's chasing to put on Instagram.

[300] This is the really exhausting part.

[301] And this is, like, brutally honest, I never really talk about this because I have this horrible guilt and fear of ever sounding like I'm ungrateful for what I have.

[302] have and what I do and I am so grateful for and here I am I'm defending it like I always do but let me tell you something it is abundantly clear you're grateful yeah okay thank you and it's exhausting because this industry I mean everything demands effort to be great you can't just like half acid and it comes out great but the industry demands being on top of that numbers game and that numbers world and not only on top of it, but understanding the game and the codes and how it's working and why it's working for some people.

[303] And it feels like even social media to like the coloring or the stylistically framing of your photo, like it demands you to be on top of that to stay in the game.

[304] And I know it shouldn't maybe be talked about as a game, but it does genuinely feel like that sometimes.

[305] And it feels like you have two options.

[306] If you want to be able to detach, like for instance, if I want to say to myself, like, look, tomorrow, if it all went away, like, I would be okay and happy.

[307] I'd have to work so hard to believe that.

[308] I would have to delete social media off my phone for years, at least.

[309] And anytime someone brought up Instagram, I'd have to ask them to stop talking.

[310] Oh, yeah.

[311] It's like an insane drug.

[312] Well, it's so interwoven as well with what you do.

[313] You know, I don't know if there's a lie I tell myself, but I do tell myself if I didn't have to promote things, I think I would leave it.

[314] Like, it's part of my business to have an Instagram account.

[315] You know, this episode, I'll post a picture.

[316] And I do tell myself, but I don't know if it's a lie.

[317] It could be a lie that if I had no business reasons for Instagram, I probably would quit.

[318] I have deleted it.

[319] I've deleted it for like a month.

[320] And I felt better, but also there comes a point where you don't realize that there's any difference because I think it's not necessarily social media.

[321] It's more of just the way we're looking at everything.

[322] It's like the same everything is a comparison game and everything is a better than game.

[323] So whether it's Instagram or a conversation with a friend or a manager, it just feels like it's so woven into our culture to be thinking that way, if that makes sense.

[324] Oh yeah.

[325] But although it doesn't make it better that's for sure yeah have you ever thought like okay what if i didn't monitor any of this and then at some point i said i'd like to go on tour then someone would have to tell you okay well we're playing this venue and not this arena or you have this budget for your next album and not this other budget having all the thoughts and anxiety about that inevitable outcome what if you just unplugged and then if that inevitable outcome happens someone's going to tell you you'll find out when you walk on stage and you're you know you're at a theater and not an arena well that's when you get real with yourself and you ask yourself why and you keep coming back to that question of why and to be honest with you i still am unsure of my answer and i don't know if that's just because i'm terrified or it's because i have no perspective you know i think there's a lot of room in my heart and soul in mind that needs to be filled up with perspective and other types of lives and other people's realities to be able to understand how mine is existing in those, you know?

[326] Have you figured out what country you're going to go to where people aren't going to know you for these experiences?

[327] I'm a little concerned about where you're going to be able to go.

[328] I don't know.

[329] I spoke to Ed Sheeran and he told me to take a year off after every album and tour.

[330] And I haven't done it ever.

[331] So he has like a whole routing for me. He's like there's Some places you can go in Asia where, like, you're good.

[332] Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[333] I was walking through this jungle in northern Thailand once, and I was getting stopped because I was legitimately the first white person anyone had seen.

[334] They were, like, touching my skin and looking at my eyes.

[335] And I thought, there are places.

[336] You're tall, right?

[337] Yes, sir.

[338] Thanks for noticing.

[339] I noticed you're pretty tall from the documentary.

[340] Got the long legs.

[341] You see that?

[342] Oh, yeah.

[343] What height are you?

[344] I think I'm like six two or six three.

[345] Oh, my God.

[346] That's exactly what I say.

[347] Somewhere between six, two and three.

[348] Oh, you too?

[349] Yes, yes.

[350] Now, do you just genetically have that sweet chassis, or are you a slave to the gym?

[351] I'm a slave to the gym.

[352] I was since I was really young, but less every day, and I, like, free myself from, like, what I think I have to be.

[353] But the most mind -bending things I've ever done, I did a Calvin Klein campaign.

[354] When you do a Calvin Klein campaign, you really kind of have to be in shape.

[355] Marky, Mark, set the bar high.

[356] Set the bar high.

[357] And it was like one of the biggest cultural things of my career.

[358] And that moment was so hard for me because then I was like completely obsessed with not ever being anything less than that.

[359] And it was crazy for so long.

[360] But I mean, this is the good thing about Zoom.

[361] It's like it's all angles and no one can really tell what you look like anymore.

[362] So it's great.

[363] Well, the good news is you're already confronting all the shit.

[364] I didn't start even thinking about until 30s.

[365] This career has brought a lot of anxiety and insane shit into my life that I have to work with on a everyday basis.

[366] But at the same time, it put me in touch with people who pushed me in a direction to confront this stuff at a young age.

[367] Yeah, I mean, everyone says that to me. Like, I didn't start thinking about this until I was in my 30s.

[368] And I'm like, holy shit, if I had to go through another 10 years of not healing this stuff, I don't know what I would become.

[369] Have you recognized that this is why the road that you got on is littered with bodies from people who become addicts because it is such an isolating bizarre experience.

[370] And so you either got to be a miserable, B, get to work, or see, numb yourself.

[371] It takes a lot of courage and it takes a lot of hard work and it takes discipline.

[372] And that's something I actually find naturally, something I've always had is discipline in anything I do.

[373] so I found it easy to be disciplined with my mental health, but I can't imagine for people who struggle with discipline, I'd be finding ways to numb myself like that too.

[374] I was relieved to hear you smoke pot.

[375] I hope you smoke a good deal of pot.

[376] Yeah, enough to get me through the year, I think, most years.

[377] I have this whole belief of I have to be the absolute, most incredible A perfection of everything I do.

[378] And I treat, like, my mental health the same way.

[379] well that's what's interesting so all these things are double -sided swords right so i noticed you have a manifestation journal yeah a i was like that's such a cool idea because it starts forcing you to take the littlest bit of control that you can but then i also notice the way you do it is you'll write i will not blank or i am going to this but you'll do it like a hundred times and then i was like he's a little ocd and probably that's required to learn guitar to sit there and practice endlessly and become good at it.

[380] So it's like all these things that are two -sided coins that you just have to learn to manage the downside and, right, nurture the upside.

[381] And it's tricky.

[382] Would you say you're a little obsessive?

[383] Extremely.

[384] I mean, I've calmed down a lot now.

[385] I've been on the last week of promo.

[386] It feels like in every interview, you just come up with almost an automated response.

[387] I hate that.

[388] I don't want to come up with automated responses.

[389] but you do regardless.

[390] So some version of an automated response.

[391] And I've been doing that for like a week.

[392] And now I'm sitting here and I'm like freely talking.

[393] And I'm like, oh, I can just be like a human.

[394] And I'm like realizing something very honest and humbling.

[395] Over the last year, I really started to tap into a world of meditation and mindfulness and really setting myself free from expectations and gratitude, all the things.

[396] And the last couple of weeks I've been like, I'm on top of this shit.

[397] And the ego is fading away quicker than I ever thought it was going to fade away.

[398] I don't even care anymore.

[399] Like, I could be living under a rock tomorrow.

[400] And then I get on this conversation and it's like I'm completely full up with like you have to say something.

[401] Profound.

[402] I'm just saying that because it's honest and it's what's happening.

[403] Stay tuned for more armchair expert if you dare.

[404] What's up guys?

[405] This is your girl Kiki, and my podcast is back with a new season, and let me tell you, it's too good.

[406] And I'm diving into the brains of entertainment's best and brightest, okay?

[407] Every episode, I bring on a friend and have a real conversation.

[408] And I don't mean just friends.

[409] I mean the likes of Amy Polar, Kell Mitchell, Vivica Fox, the list goes on.

[410] So follow, watch, and listen to Baby.

[411] This is Kiki Palmer on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcast.

[412] We've all been there.

[413] Turning to the internet to self -diagnose our inexplicable pain.

[414] debilitating body aches, sudden fevers, and strange rashes.

[415] Though our minds tend to spiral to worst -case scenarios, it's usually nothing, but for an unlucky few, these unsuspecting symptoms can start the clock ticking on a terrifying medical mystery.

[416] Like the unexplainable death of a retired firefighter, whose body was found at home by his son, except it looked like he had been cremated, or the time when an entire town started jumping from buildings and seeing tigers on their ceilings.

[417] Hey listeners, it's Mr. Ballin here, and I'm here to tell you about my podcast.

[418] It's called Mr. Ballin's Medical Mysteries.

[419] Each terrifying true story will be sure to keep you up at night.

[420] Follow Mr. Ballin's medical mysteries wherever you get your podcasts.

[421] Prime members can listen early and add free on Amazon music.

[422] I don't know if you heard my admission, but when we interviewed Bill Gates, my main goal was to try to not make him think I was smart.

[423] So I got home that day and I was like just thinking, well, you did it.

[424] You did not try to make him think you were smart.

[425] I was proud of myself and I was like, look at what humility can yield.

[426] And then my very next thought was, I wonder if we'll win a Peabody Award for that interview.

[427] This is real time.

[428] I went from patting myself on the back from being humble to wondering if we were going to win a Peabody Award.

[429] I was like, at least I laughed at it immediately.

[430] I think when I was younger, I would have ran with that fantasy of what I would do with the Peabody.

[431] I'd start making a speech.

[432] I take myself so serious all the time.

[433] I don't know who told me that I was like the lead actor in the movie life, but I really believe that sometimes and I'm like really taking myself so seriously and everything I say and everything I do and so I don't know how many times a day I'm like dude you're fine this is not as big of a deal as sometimes I think I make it out to be have you gotten good insight or connection from different people like when you were touring with taylor swift I saw her documentary and I was really impressed with how aware she seems to be of this duality of a public and personal persona and the needing the approval and all and what a treadmill that is is anyone like really said something profound to you that you put in your back pocket i mean i've always been young like 17 18 19 so like a real child in an industry full of adults and i'm not really sure if people thought that they should give me that honest human advice more than to give me the career advice right right i feel like I've gotten a lot of amazing advice on career, how to make that a bigger and better thing, but maybe not as much advice as I needed on how to just be human, if that makes sense.

[434] Yeah.

[435] Well, this year in quarantine, we just have interviewed so many humongous singers.

[436] And this story is just so uniform in the loneliness, the spike of everyone loves me, then back in a hotel room and now I'm by myself.

[437] If all these people love me, why am I by myself?

[438] I mean, it's just so predictable, it's so clear that it's something that everyone's going to go through doing what you guys do.

[439] It's interesting.

[440] There's an juxtaposition here because people feel connected over music at concerts.

[441] Everyone's there because they all love you.

[442] They all have like one singular thing.

[443] And music is a connecting device.

[444] It's this beautiful device, but the person making the music is actually outside of that.

[445] It's this bizarre thing.

[446] where they're almost isolated while everyone else is connected.

[447] It's not really fair.

[448] It's weird.

[449] It's certainly weird and it always has been weird.

[450] So many musicians, it's the same story.

[451] You can go back to Elvis and it's that isolation for so long and separation from kind of normal life.

[452] But I think I'm like on this pursuit of forcing it down.

[453] I don't even know if it ever is going to go, but I'm forcing it down to normal life to try and have them be aligned with each other.

[454] and searching for other musicians and other people in industry who live that way.

[455] I think you should seek Sting's counsel.

[456] I think Sting took the path that you're on.

[457] I don't think I'm ready for his words yet because I've met him a couple times and he's got this very...

[458] It's almost like he's scanning me spiritually.

[459] Yeah, yes, yes.

[460] I felt him scan me. But that was like a couple years ago, so maybe if he scanned me today, I'd be ready for the words, but I wasn't...

[461] Yeah, like Yoda.

[462] Yeah.

[463] Well, you never know anyone's real life.

[464] but it appears to me that he has figured out how to do the thing he loves to do without any desire of the approval related to it and whether or not he's meeting your expectations.

[465] He seems to just be very centered in what his job is.

[466] Yeah, I mean, he's a super spiritual guy too.

[467] I think that people who have a strong belief in a higher power can sink into that and dig their teeth into that as a stable thing.

[468] But, I mean, the thing for me is like it is a choice.

[469] I just don't really know what I want yet.

[470] I don't really know what it is that I want.

[471] And it all kind of stems from fear because I do know that I want to live a life where I'm not constantly chasing endorphins and little ego bumps.

[472] But at the same time, I don't know if I want to exactly slow down either.

[473] It's confusing.

[474] Sure.

[475] Yeah.

[476] The stakes are huge.

[477] They're enormous.

[478] I mean, half the girls you're talking to out front of your hotel, they're bawling.

[479] And I was like, wow, what an emotion to have to see, somehow meet.

[480] I had this crazy absurd rule.

[481] And my rule was for like five years is if there's anybody ever asking me for a photo, I take a photo.

[482] So I'm not kidding.

[483] I was in England and this was last tour of the tour before.

[484] Last tour I slowed this down a lot.

[485] But 2 ,000 people outside my hotel, I lined them all up down the street.

[486] And I took a photo with every single one of those 2 ,000.

[487] some people.

[488] And halfway through, I'm just like basically doing this.

[489] Yep.

[490] Yep.

[491] You know, it's like there's nothing human about that.

[492] It's like I'm my autopilot robot.

[493] To be able to say that I do that, to be able to say that I take a photo with everybody, or to be able to show the fans that I love them.

[494] And I realize if I can just like spend 30 seconds talking to a couple girls outside the hotel and maybe really kind of say something genuinely and connect with them, I mean, you You can feel it in your heart, the frequency of, like, what that means compared to taking 2 ,000 selfies.

[495] It's a different world.

[496] Well, you have limits as an actual human being.

[497] You have a capacity.

[498] So it's 2 ,000 pictures.

[499] At some point, you kind of are clicking into survival mode, which is, like, I don't know if I have the stamina for this if we don't pick up the pace.

[500] Like, I might have to bail out of this.

[501] And I couldn't bail out because I set these crazy standards to, like, always take every single photo that was asked of me. So, in thinking back, I did a lot of really crazy weird things like that.

[502] I think sometimes we're just driven by the fact that I wanted to be able to say that because then I'd get an interview and they'd be like, you're different than every other artist.

[503] And they would say you take photos with every single person.

[504] Why do you do that?

[505] And I would be like, you know, like, you just got to take photos with everyone.

[506] But like if you were actually there in person, you'd see me as a robot going down the line where maybe it would have just been so much nicer to just like spend five minutes trying to communicate and talk.

[507] So I try and do that a little more now.

[508] It's a phenomenon and it always will be and it's super weird.

[509] and I don't think we're ever going to really understand that type of thing.

[510] But I really think that giving a couple people some authentic heart to heart is so much more impactful than a ton of people like a smile or a wave or like an eye contact.

[511] That's when it starts to become another job.

[512] Yeah.

[513] Okay, I have a question.

[514] There's a mystery in the documentary.

[515] And I doubt you're going to tell me the answer.

[516] But you've come home from tour, you haven't been to your apartment in Toronto for, I guess, six months.

[517] and as you walk in you're being followed by the film crew and then you immediately snatched something off your piano and you went and hit it in a closet and I caught you.

[518] And then an alarm went off and then you were kind of freed from having to explain what just happened but I caught you.

[519] What was it?

[520] You're not the first to catch me. I think every single person has asked me what that photo was.

[521] Shit, I'm not so unique.

[522] My girlfriend and I posted a video of us we might have had a little too much tequila one night and just like recorded ourselves making out like as though we were like just monsters to get a rise out of people I think it just felt like everyone was just talking about it and taking photos and there's paparazzi hiding in bushes and it was like what if we just post a photo of us like licking each other's face like no one's ever seen his kiss like we're just going to go full on like like gross and people were so offended by it and so excited by it too was like this really intense thing because I was getting messages from people being like that's the funniest thing of ever seen in other people being like you should really take that down i don't know that's kind of offensive i was like put me in the excited camp yeah same me too and monica too yeah it was ridiculous but at the time it was relevant and my nan in england who's in her 60s i don't even think she knew what the photo was from she framed the photo from that video and put it in a little happy new year's thing and sent it to me and it was on top of the piano and i was my fear just took over and i was like They've got to get this out of you.

[523] So that's what it was.

[524] What a great man. So Nan's in the excited category, too.

[525] I'm glad to join her there.

[526] I think most people are in the excited category.

[527] I just think the excitids are a little less loud than the offended sometimes.

[528] Yeah, that they see, yeah.

[529] Well, it's like I always say, when's the last time you asked for the manager at a restaurant to go, hey, just want to let you know this fucking meal was dynamite and the service was spectacular.

[530] But if I find a fucking glove or a fingernail, I'm talking to that manager.

[531] I've re -singled.

[532] I mean, I don't think I've ever done.

[533] that, to be honest.

[534] Can I tell you a funny story?

[535] Tell me. I was younger and we went to Big Boys.

[536] I'm from Michigan.

[537] I noticed at your early shows, the big travelers that had saw you were from Michigan.

[538] I was proud of that.

[539] We're at a Big Boys restaurant.

[540] There's a salad bar.

[541] My mom gets a bowl of soup.

[542] She finds in the soup a condom, an unfurled condom.

[543] And my mother in her brilliance asked to see the manager, and the manager came over and she said, I have good news and I have bad news.

[544] The good news is your employees are practicing safe sex.

[545] The bad news is they're having sex with the soup.

[546] Oh my God.

[547] Where were you in Michigan?

[548] It was a big boy in Milford, Michigan, and I was an employee there at one point.

[549] You were an employee there.

[550] Wow.

[551] Not at the time of the condom fiasco, but yeah.

[552] Your mom wouldn't know it was you.

[553] That's true.

[554] She would have just told me not to put condoms in the soup.

[555] Wow, I guess you really did rough it at some point.

[556] That's gross.

[557] you know what was a really cool podcast to listen to way back was with milakunis and ashton separately but i do this thing where i like desperately reach out to any celebrity who i like think has figured out how to be a celebrity and be normal at the same time so i did the same with matthew mccaneh too and i ended up just getting in touch with ashton and milacunas and i listened to both of their podcasts i'm starting to realize a pattern and also i think that's why I probably got addicted to your podcast was because I was like searching for these people who really had this like grounded reality being a celebrity.

[558] Ashton's been such an amazing person to me now over the last couple years and reached out and Mila's also been so kind and stuff.

[559] But yeah, that's because of you, man. Oh man. That makes me so happy.

[560] Yeah, they're both delightful.

[561] That brings me to one of my questions.

[562] I think those two benefit from each other both being on a similar level of fame and I will say that I have benefited from when I work with my wife because she keeps me from being bratty.

[563] She's like, it's no big deal.

[564] Like if I'm on my own, I can start thinking it's a big deal.

[565] I do the thing I do.

[566] But when she's there, she's like, what are you talking about?

[567] Do it five more times.

[568] What do you care?

[569] And I wondered if having Camila around, when I would watch you guys on stage and stuff, I thought, is that a good force where it's like you can't buy into your hyper uniqueness all that much because your partner does the same fucking thing and it's not that big of a deal.

[570] I mean, that is the conversation.

[571] Our constant is, sorry, I'm taking myself a little too serious right now.

[572] Sorry, my, it's like, that's our conversation to each other.

[573] We're constantly apologizing for being like, oh, shit, I realize the ego is getting involved.

[574] And I'm like, I'm thinking I'm a superstar right now.

[575] But it's fine.

[576] I can totally do this.

[577] It's no big deal.

[578] I'm like, I'm unhappy about the lighting to do a liner for your cousin, but it's like, oh, this is not a big deal.

[579] but we both struggle with that and I think we're both really kind of settle each other down to a place of humility for that reason like the second she gets on stage it's like you can't really hide which is great it ends up making the performance better all the time yeah it's really fun to see you guys out there together I have to imagine you like didn't date a ton as a non -famous person and so you're kind of entering your dating life is already someone famous and I was wondering did you have any fear that you wouldn't be interesting enough offstage for anyone?

[580] No, I actually have always really liked myself.

[581] Oh, good.

[582] I mean, I've had a lot of insane insecurities, but I think my insecurities had more to do with my craft and my career than my humanness.

[583] I always felt like if I could walk into a room and be there in front of the person, I would be able to pull off anything because it's just like, that's the default.

[584] That's the human.

[585] And that was really good for me. The hard part about dating Camila was only after five or six months being able to even sing a small lullaby around her because I didn't want her to hear me sound bad.

[586] And it was exhausting.

[587] It was an exhausting.

[588] I couldn't even do vocal warmups around her or anything because I was so terrified of not sounding like I was like a perfect auto -tuned human being.

[589] But that's ironic because isn't that kind of how you guys started getting romantically involved as she came into your dressing room while you.

[590] at some Taylor Swift show, and you guys just sat down and wrote a song together?

[591] Absolutely, but can I be completely honest?

[592] I have a mental block on the first, like, four years of my career, and it's weird.

[593] And I can't explain why, but it's almost like the only things I can remember are the things that everyone has talked about, like that.

[594] Oh, yeah.

[595] And I don't know if it's because media has repeated it, and so many times that it's just, like, it's creating copies of it and pasting it in my mind, and it's removing the actual memories.

[596] Yeah.

[597] I think I have memories of things and then I go home to my mom's and I'll look through a photo album and I go, oh no, no, no, I just remember that picture.

[598] I thought I had my own mental image of like my brother and I sitting on the couch and no, I just remember that picture.

[599] And so much of your life has been documented like, who fucking knows what's a memory and what's that?

[600] Sometimes not even true.

[601] Sometimes I think things happen that were just once a myth that people were talking about.

[602] And I really believe that happened.

[603] It's weird.

[604] Oh, man. This is fascinating.

[605] I'm fascinated by you.

[606] I'm fascinated by that, too, actually.

[607] I have this really odd mental block on that first four or five years of my career.

[608] Now, I think you were in a very tough position.

[609] There were all these rumors about you being gay early on.

[610] And I remember thinking, oh, you're in this impossible situation because if you want to come out and go, I'm not gay, it has some weird veil of homophobia, which I'm certain you're not homophobic.

[611] And so I guess if I were you, I'd want to go like, hey, I'd be happy to be gay.

[612] I don't mind being gay.

[613] I just happen to not be gay.

[614] I just seems like a weird position to be in.

[615] Yeah.

[616] It was also so frustrating for me because there's some people in my life, like, I was very, very close to who were gay and in the closet.

[617] And I felt like this real anger for those people.

[618] I don't know.

[619] I mean, it's such a tricky thing.

[620] You're right.

[621] You want to say, like, I'm not gay, but it would be fine if I was gay, but also, like, I have nothing wrong with being gay, but I'm not.

[622] you know like you don't really know how to respond to the situation yeah it's like it's a trap i've realized that we just have to stop having to be experts and like politicians about it especially like as a famous musician who's a guy like i need to like be really fucking messy and say the wrong things and apologize and say the right thing after i apologize and like be confused about how to respond when people say I'm gay and like, no, everyone's calling me gay since I was 15 years old.

[623] I'm not gay and I'm like, well, what does that mean?

[624] And I had these problems with the way my voice sounded.

[625] I'm like, how do I sit?

[626] Like, I'm always first to cross my legs and sit with like a position of this feminine type of style.

[627] And I really suffered with that shit.

[628] But it kind of just like ended up becoming something that I wanted to just be really open about and really honest about too.

[629] Because I think a lot of guys go through that.

[630] And even worse than that, there's just so many guys who are gay and in the closet and must be hearing shit like that, just being like, I'm terrified to come out.

[631] Oh, my God.

[632] Yes.

[633] There's definitely two obvious reasons, I guess, that gets rumored is like, generally, if there's a beautiful dude who doesn't have a girlfriend around him at all times, that's one reason people go like, well, something doesn't smell right here.

[634] Or another reason would be the one, I guess, is the one you were nervous about was that you were some.

[635] somehow not acting manly or masculine or straight or something, you had to start thinking about how you moved.

[636] I grew up, all my cousins were girls, and I didn't grow up wrestling.

[637] I grew up, like, getting my hair braided on New Year's Eve.

[638] It just completely depends on the way you grew up in your life and your surroundings.

[639] Then came a point where I just started to be like, hell yeah, I've got that divine middle ground, that, like, Freddie Mercury, I'm going, right there.

[640] But then I'm also not there either.

[641] I'm totally not there.

[642] I'm still a little bit more manly than that.

[643] So I don't know.

[644] It's all a little confusing.

[645] So I'm just going to let it be what it is.

[646] Well, you're definitely on the generation.

[647] It's like an interesting time to be who you are because we're on this cusp of like a lot of these things breaking down for the better.

[648] I think to take the shackles off men and if they should be emotional or they should be scared or weak or strong, all these things.

[649] And you're kind of at that moment.

[650] I think you're one of the people that will pave the road for other people.

[651] I even think about it in a much simpler way.

[652] I was watching your documentary and all your childhood friends show up.

[653] And this feels weird to say, but the first thing I thought was like, you got a DESA friend, you got a black friend, you got a red -headed white friend.

[654] Even that's different from when I was a kid and you saw rock stars.

[655] Like they all looked alike.

[656] They were all this.

[657] And already that's different.

[658] Yeah.

[659] That's my reality of where I grew up in Canada.

[660] It's a complete melting pot of so many cultures.

[661] and, like, that is my reality.

[662] It's also a fine line to balance, too, because I think people are really quick to just say, like, oh, well, he's an artist, so he gets a past to be vulnerable and a past to cry, but, like, most men shouldn't.

[663] Guys need to just be vulnerable.

[664] We need to cry.

[665] Stop thinking this is being brave and strong and start thinking it's the opposite, actually.

[666] We're holding in these emotions and not crying and being assholes.

[667] Nothing about that is nice.

[668] I admire you.

[669] You're evolved male 2 .0, but I had to go, like, ride wheelies on motorcycles and stuff, I had to do so much, quote, masculine shit so that I felt like I could get away with all my female emotional side publicly.

[670] I felt like I had to be doing both.

[671] And it's not anyone's fault, though.

[672] It has so much to do with the way media has portrayed men and the way media puts men in movies.

[673] I also think, like, there's an aspect to it of the way women want their men to be.

[674] And I definitely know relationships of friends of mine who are like, oh, my girlfriend doesn't want me to just, like, tell her how I feel and cry and stuff.

[675] around her like i got to be strong for her i'm in a relationship with my girlfriend's like we're going to get in bed and you're going to put your head on my chest and you're going to cry into my chest and you're going to tell me how you feel because if you don't do that you're just going to be an asshole for the next week and i'm not going to do with that shit so i'm just lucky to be in a relationship that's for it yeah it makes me think of this funny onion article i read two weeks ago and it was like weak a feminine man decides to cry for two minutes in his bedroom instead of telling his son shut the fuck up.

[676] And I thought, oh, this is so fantastic.

[677] Yeah, like, what if that was the response to your frustration to your kids?

[678] Is it like, go, fuck, this is hard?

[679] I'm going to go cry for two minutes in my room because it's so brutal.

[680] But no, you're like, I got to control these little shits.

[681] I got to, you know, be the captain of the ship.

[682] What a world that would be.

[683] Also, I think something that needs to be talked about, too, is like, there is a natural feeling of how to be masculine as a man. Like you just ooze some sort of masculine thing.

[684] But it doesn't mean that that's what it has to be all the time.

[685] But you can't be afraid of either.

[686] I think it's the allowing of whatever's coming up to come.

[687] It's all courage.

[688] It's complete courage.

[689] You are right, though.

[690] We're on a cusp in like 20 years.

[691] I really can't imagine like what it's going to be like.

[692] Because I already think in like two years, it's like a different world.

[693] Oh, I totally agree.

[694] I had one creative question for you.

[695] Well, two things.

[696] One is I really like, again, something that took me, oh i don't know 32 years to figure out which is to give myself permission to be shitty at writing i found that when i sit down to write a script it has to be great so i just don't start because i'm afraid of course it's not going to be great so just learning and tell myself like hey write something shitty you're allowed to do that it sounds like you've embraced that concept when you're writing ed sheeran told me this concept to get to the clear water you have to open the faucet and let all the dirty water pour out and i always thought that that was so much more easy to digest, then write something shitty and be okay with it.

[697] It was like, no, there's only one out.

[698] You can't just get to the clean water, so you got to like let it almost bomb it out.

[699] I will say, though, for me, it's not about writing something shitty as much as it's about just like writing something and then that is what it is and freeing myself from the expectations of what it's going to be.

[700] It really, really freed me up over the last year.

[701] well in my experience i permit myself to write something shitty and guess what i don't ever really write anything you don't write anything shitty i just go like just start it can be shitty you'll rewrite tomorrow and you'll fix it and then the only real hurdle in my life is just my fear of being shitty absolutely i mean that's the constant and that that was what i used to get confused about because it's like i don't really ever actually want to write something shitty can't i just like write something like and try for it not to be shitty that's why the faucet thing always helped me yeah yeah you're not giving yourself permission to put out something shitty yeah exactly that's a whole different thing yeah stay tuned for more armchair expert if you dare how do you channel the devastatingly in love vibe on every album how is that sustainable i was really curious about that because i've certainly fallen in love a handful of times but you know it's sporadic and I don't know if it's because you're still young that's really accessible, but is that hard or not?

[702] That's because I was never in love all those times I wrote about it.

[703] I think the only time I've ever really wrote about being in love is this time, and I'm not devastatingly writing about it anymore.

[704] It's a much more subtle approach to writing about love this time around.

[705] But yeah, in the past, I would hear the smallest little thing, and it would set me off to write a song that was like, you know, you're ripping my heart to the floor, and I'm going to absolutely die if you don't text me back.

[706] But I was never in love before.

[707] That was just me dramatizing anything I've ever heard about love.

[708] Yeah.

[709] Well, on Wonder, and in the movie that you're writing that song with very cool lyrics about wanting to go to sleep, to get in bed, to rush to bed.

[710] I'm not with you.

[711] I want to think about you and count backwards from 100.

[712] And I was like, oh, yeah, yeah, I've felt that.

[713] But, boy, I couldn't be required to feel that every album.

[714] There is a world that you tap into.

[715] love and hate and darkness and happiness like the extremes are like so entertaining and so fun to talk about and to listen to so when you walk into a studio it's like you walk through a door that's like you're going to be dramatic today you're about to be dramatic just like to accept it you know so I think I was like 15 when I really started writing so it's just become a part of a process that I haven't even thought about actually until asked about it because it just feels like it is how I do it you know Yeah.

[716] And Jeff, what's Jeff's last name?

[717] Jeff Warburton.

[718] You guys write a lot together, is that right?

[719] Yeah, you know what?

[720] Jeff was one of my best friends from home, older brother.

[721] And he kind of taught me how to play guitar.

[722] I was about to go out and to do promo, but my parents couldn't leave.

[723] Because my sister was young and they were working.

[724] So he kind of became my...

[725] Your guardian?

[726] Yeah.

[727] And it was so funny because he was hired as a guardian, but then he was also teaching me how to play guitar.

[728] and we were just writing songs together in hotel rooms, and that was how that relationship started.

[729] When I see you on stage, it looks cool, but it doesn't look like a life experience I'll think about.

[730] But when I see you in the studio, I'm very jealous of those moments where it's like you throw a little bit of paint on, and then the other person throws a little bit of paint on, and then all of a sudden this thing just catches fire.

[731] Like, that has to be a euphoric, zen -like flow experience.

[732] it is as long as you can remember that it comes when it comes and you don't spend all the time when it's not coming exhausted from stress about the fact that you don't have a song yet you can really thrive and enjoy those experiences you just like sit in a living room talking about things and it's kind of playing some chords and kind of singing some things and then something kind of sticks and then like you said it catches on fire and next thing you know you have a song well i think it's a really like outward display of vulnerability because you don't know it yet right like when you go on stage you're going to play the whatever 18 songs that you know those fucking people are going to love whereas when you strum a new chord and then try a new lyric it's like it could be terrible for me i cannot write trying to write something that people will like i can't i have to write trying to be cool that sounds so ridiculous but i mean i have to write trying to be more interesting than I have in the past.

[733] So it's like a weirder chord or a weirder sentiment or weirder words I haven't used before, a different type of key.

[734] Like, that's what triggers my creative sense.

[735] If I go into like I have to beat the next song, I'll make the worst song.

[736] Well, so then what's the dynamic when you collaborate with some of these bigger artists?

[737] Like you and Justin Bieber did a song together.

[738] Does it elicit a lot of fears?

[739] Like, oh, I'm not good enough to be here with him or not.

[740] I'm going to be shitty on this.

[741] Yeah, totally.

[742] I mean, I was so exhausted by the end trying to just cut a couple vocals on that song after he laid his verse down.

[743] I just didn't even know who I was anymore.

[744] I was in the studio for three hours cutting vocals and I walked out of it like spinning, a spinning mess of who I was comparing myself to him.

[745] And he's so, like, gracious and so kind.

[746] And this is something I keep learning over and over again, but we were on the video shoot and I come into the room and I'm like, if the camera's rolling, I have to actually sing.

[747] Otherwise, it doesn't look like I'm emoting.

[748] I'm going to sound like shit.

[749] Like, I'm not the best if I don't practice and he was like I feel really intimidated and really nervous in front of you actually right now so like we both had this real moment of like such human interaction that it really freed us to move forward together but that is rare that doesn't always happen I mean that happens actually one percent of the time that is beautiful you guys both just were humble yeah some people you cross in life you just can't really bullshit well you guys seem like drastically different people, but at the same time, there's so much similar stuff.

[750] I mean, you're both being from Canada and being very young phenoms.

[751] I think we share a lot of similar trauma, being young celebrities.

[752] And I think Camila, actually, and I share the same thing.

[753] It's kind of like in Harry Potter, like when Ron and Hermione end up falling in love.

[754] What?

[755] Monica's favorite thing in the world is Harry Potter.

[756] Oh, don't get me started.

[757] It's my absolute favorite thing in the whole entire world.

[758] It's the reason I ever thought of anything cool ever.

[759] It's so good.

[760] Are you a Gryffindor?

[761] No, I bet you're a Ravenclaw.

[762] I feel like a Hufflepuff, actually.

[763] No. No. I have no idea what you guys are saying.

[764] I love it.

[765] What's a Hufflepuff?

[766] It's one of the four houses, and it's generally considered to be like the do -to -do house.

[767] Like the dumb -dums or the rejects?

[768] Not dumb -dums and not rejects.

[769] It's a happy -go -lucky kind of.

[770] Maybe I'm not.

[771] Actually, you're right.

[772] Maybe I'm more of a Ravenclaw, more anxious and neurotic.

[773] I think so.

[774] So, I think so.

[775] And I think I am too.

[776] Monica just took a personality test yesterday on air.

[777] And she got a one out of a hundred for emotional stability.

[778] So she's really kind of reeling right now still from that.

[779] Did that actually really affect you?

[780] Yeah, more than it should have.

[781] I just was really surprised by that number.

[782] My identity was shattered a little bit.

[783] I had therapy the next day.

[784] We talked about it.

[785] The more interesting part was my reaction, obviously, that I cared.

[786] that I'm not stable in that way.

[787] Also, I think that was misleading.

[788] I think I'm a little more stable than 1%, but, you know, I guess I value that more than I thought.

[789] Have you been sitting there today, like being like, I got to be more emotionally in touch today?

[790] No, no, that's the opposite.

[791] I'm just more stable.

[792] I'm too emotionally in touch, I suppose.

[793] Or it's just a roller coaster, right?

[794] Who creates those things?

[795] Who's the professional that decides?

[796] Well, there's the big five personality traits.

[797] And we decided to take the test and it'll tell you if you're an extrovert, if you're disagreeable, your emotional stability, your openness to experience.

[798] It's a good test.

[799] It's like fundamental, fun things.

[800] But what I enjoyed about it is I could so relate to Monica.

[801] She got her score.

[802] I saw the look on her face.

[803] And I could tell in her mind she somehow was evaluating like, oh, God, what does Dax now think of me?

[804] Well, I said that after.

[805] I said, I think you're going to use this against me. Which is comical because I just think what.

[806] I think about Monica, it really wouldn't matter what some test said.

[807] I already think what I think about Monica.

[808] Did you already think she was emotionally unstable before that?

[809] Yes, and I love her for it.

[810] Yes, exactly.

[811] That's the point.

[812] That's the interesting thing is like, I don't think we even realize why people like us.

[813] I don't even know why people like me sometimes.

[814] I think they like me for other reasons and it's just not the case.

[815] We love you because you're emotionally unstable.

[816] Well, I think we all spend a lot of time trying to figure out what other people like about us.

[817] And we don't spend a ton of time figuring what we like about ourselves.

[818] Oh my God.

[819] Something that really stuck with me was this realization of like these grooves in our mind.

[820] And if we have these deep grooves of self -whipping and not meeting our own expectations and you fucked that up, you didn't do that good enough, you weren't whatever, that groove gets so deep.

[821] And I feel like we're killing it in that game.

[822] Like our grooves must be so deep.

[823] And the one that's like, like you said before with the manager at the restaurant like we're never like dude that was nice you were really that was great you open the door up for that person great one like so what i've been trying to do over the last year is like i have a journal and i'm like literally writing in the journal trying to deepen that groove because it's like completely habitual the way we think about ourselves depending on what we've done so i mean i work on that non -stop trying to just be like i like you i'm so happy you're journaling because what the journal ends up being is what google can do right so google actually actually knows what we've done over the last 10 years.

[824] They know every single thing we've done.

[825] So when they're trying to figure out what we're going to do next, they have the data.

[826] Yeah.

[827] We don't have the data.

[828] But your journal can be the data where you're like, oh, last time I went on on tour, let me just see how I felt three days before tour.

[829] Oh, I was scared.

[830] I think I suck.

[831] I'm this, I'm that.

[832] What I feel like on day two of tour?

[833] Oh, this is fun.

[834] It's so great to see everyone, blah, blah, blah.

[835] And I was like, let's just skip to day two.

[836] We know it's coming because I have the proof.

[837] It always comes.

[838] I mean, I just wish that my journal was as good as, Matthew McConaughey's journal, to be honest, because I read his book and it's like, certainly during the process of reading his book, I started writing in my journal differently.

[839] Turning, like, any sort of simple situation into some sort of messier, dirtier, grittier, like, just gross situation.

[840] Yeah.

[841] I mean, he's a storyteller.

[842] 100%.

[843] That was weirdly good.

[844] I don't know why it was weirdly good, that book.

[845] I think you and I share that I aspire to be as comfortable as he is in his own skin and seem to enjoy the exact situation he's in.

[846] He does things that I would be really afraid to do, like go down the Amazon River on my own for two weeks.

[847] I would be very afraid to do that.

[848] And I think that's why he's so comfortable in his own skin.

[849] He does really gnarly things.

[850] Yeah.

[851] Well, listen, if you're ever in Los Angeles, I'd love to take you out to do some gnarly things.

[852] You're invited anytime you'd like.

[853] Thanks, man. I would love to come sand dweeting with you and have people comment about the richness on the photos i think it'd be funny well then they'd be even more pissed to be like must be nice to be friends with sean mendez it'd be i'm rich and friends with you it'd be a double whammy you guys are awesome thank you so much i know i messaged you like a long time ago i was so flattered you really made my day and then yeah we've been trying to get this going for a couple years and i'm so happy that we're here i really want people to listen to your new album wonder i have it i was with my daughters this morning preparing for Zoom school eating breakfast listening to all the new music it's fantastic thank you the documentary is absolutely fantastic i really like it and that too is called wonder on netflix and is there anything else you would like us to put out there that we haven't yet no it's so funny like i think as a musician like i'm always in the ringer of people promoting my album and my music and stuff so i really was so excited to do this because it was not about that i knew you were going to just be like talking about the condom in the soup in Michigan.

[854] So I'm really grateful.

[855] If you need the address for that place, I'll forward it to you.

[856] Thank you so much, guys.

[857] I appreciate you guys.

[858] Yeah, I hope we get to talk to you again.

[859] I can tell I like you a ton.

[860] We can see perfectly eye to eye.

[861] We're six, two and a half.

[862] Nice.

[863] That's rare.

[864] Let's obsess about our bodies together in my home gym.

[865] I'd love that.

[866] We should film it and put it on Instagram.

[867] All right, Sean.

[868] Well, good luck with everything.

[869] I hope you enjoy the end of quarantine.

[870] And I look forward to seeing you in person, I'd love to bring my daughters to come see you.

[871] That would be so fun.

[872] Whenever you want, if we're ever playing shows again.

[873] Take care, guys.

[874] Thank you.

[875] Bye.

[876] Be well.

[877] Bye.

[878] And now my favorite part of the show, the fact check with my soulmate Monica Padman.

[879] I'm dreaming of a white Christmas, just like the ones I used to know.

[880] Jingle out, jing jingle bells, jingle, jingle, jingle, it's time.

[881] Moni, you know, it was just a matter of time that we were going to get in business with McDonald's, on account of how often I talk about how much I love the Big Mac with, specifically with extra sauce and extra cheese.

[882] But we don't have the mission of moving any Big Macs.

[883] In fact, we're here to talk about the fact that in L .A. and around the country, McDonald's is proud to be a meaningful part of the community because, you know, they're owners and operators.

[884] They don't just work in the communities.

[885] They live in them, too.

[886] And that's why McDonald's supports their communities when they need them through food donations and serving hot meals of first responders who are working to provide aid after disasters or right now in our current pandemic.

[887] And we love spreading kindness and supporting others and helping our community.

[888] So I thought we could, in honor of celebrating community, each maybe share some holiday traditions from our own holiday community.

[889] How out of 10, how hard did you guys go for Christmas in Georgia, you and the family?

[890] We never went hard because I don't really know what that means, but very, very predictable.

[891] Okay.

[892] Whole fam every year at my parents' house.

[893] That's grandma and grandpa.

[894] And aunts.

[895] Uh -huh.

[896] Everyone comes around one.

[897] On Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?

[898] Christmas Day.

[899] We didn't have any Christmas Eve traditions, except my brother and I started creating one.

[900] We would watch the holiday on Christmas Eve.

[901] Oh, fun.

[902] Together.

[903] Yeah, we enjoyed that because first it was a joke because it was on once randomly, and we were laughing at the way Jack Black said chocolate -covered macaroons.

[904] Uh -huh.

[905] You loved that.

[906] Oh, we loved it.

[907] We laughed and laughed.

[908] And so then we made it a tradition.

[909] and we watch it every Christmas Eve except not this year.

[910] Maybe you guys go watch it virtually.

[911] Maybe.

[912] He texted me and said and was bummed.

[913] I wasn't coming home and I said me too.

[914] But it's the way it goes.

[915] This year's a little different, but that's okay.

[916] Okay, so that sounds nice and warm and lovely.

[917] So this is what I would say going hard is.

[918] Okay.

[919] Which is what a day would do.

[920] Okay.

[921] So, oh my God, what a day this was.

[922] About two weeks out from Christmas, maybe three.

[923] We'd get in the car, Carly, David, I, my mom.

[924] We'd drive to downtown Detroit.

[925] We'd go to Cobol Hall and they had this huge indoor festival.

[926] They had all these weird rides and then they had this thing.

[927] We spent most of our time at this area, which was styrofoam snowballs.

[928] And you'd try to throw them in the mouths of all these different characters.

[929] And then real ball fights would break out, so on and so forth.

[930] Then we would hop over to Hudson's back when Hudson's was still thriving.

[931] And when you walked through their little Christmas thing, you got to meet Santa Claus.

[932] It was all decorated.

[933] It was lovely.

[934] And inside of Hudson's was Sondon.

[935] Oh, you know my love for Saunders.

[936] Oh, yeah.

[937] So Saunders deals exclusively in sweets, and we would go and get a hot fudge ice cream puff.

[938] Ooh.

[939] I'm telling this out of order.

[940] We'd actually go after Copa Hall to Lafayette, the best cony dog in the city.

[941] We'd eat our chili dogs.

[942] Then we'd go over to Hudson's.

[943] We'd walk through the fun little thing.

[944] And then we'd end at Saunders, and we'd get a hot fudge ice cream puff, which is like this beautiful pastry.

[945] They've just cooked, flaky pastry, stuffed full of vanilla ice cream.

[946] and smothered in Saunders hot fudge.

[947] Wow.

[948] And that's just to get into the spirit of Christmas.

[949] That's weeks out.

[950] Sure.

[951] Now, Christmas Eve, because divorced parents, we'd start over at the shepherd's house, Aunt Juan and Uncle Jerry.

[952] They would host.

[953] All the shepherds would be there.

[954] We would rage.

[955] And then my dad would then drive us to Uncle Larry's house where we would be with the Lobos and we'd rage hard there.

[956] We would not get back to our house to probably one in the morning.

[957] Wow.

[958] Then we wake up in the morning to an elaborate Christmas morning.

[959] Waffles the whole nine yards.

[960] My mom always put herself in debt buying really nice presents.

[961] And then we would get picked up and then we go to my dad's and have Christmas.

[962] Oh.

[963] And did your mom go with you to your dad?

[964] Occasionally my dad would sleep at our house on Christmas Eve so that he could be there for Christmas morning.

[965] That's nice.

[966] When she was without husbands that happened, but obviously some of the stepdad didn't want my dad spending the night there.

[967] Right, right, right.

[968] That is so fun.

[969] Yeah, mine is definitely a little bit more low -key.

[970] The morning is cooking together.

[971] Not breakfast.

[972] No one needs breakfast on Christmas.

[973] Okay.

[974] The food's about to hit in a big way.

[975] Hit hard.

[976] Yeah.

[977] So we'll cook and then open presents.

[978] And then the rest of the fam comes.

[979] And then we have the Christmas feast.

[980] And normally lots of fun titter chatter at the table.

[981] Oh, I love it.

[982] It's really fun.

[983] It's really, really fun.

[984] Yeah, I love the day that there's literally the chore to do that day is to open some presents.

[985] What a great day.

[986] And to give, I love having people open presents I give them.

[987] Yeah.

[988] I give worse presents than you, so it's not as fun for me. I generally get like one or two great presents and the rest I don't do a great job.

[989] That's all right.

[990] Yeah.

[991] Stop that count.

[992] And as I've gotten older, I don't really want anything.

[993] So to me, it's all about laying on that couch, fire going, and just like, lounging all day long.

[994] It's so comfy and cozy.

[995] I keep the shades closed so you get that pop of all the colorful lights in the house and the fire.

[996] I wanted to kind of be nighttime all day during Christmas day.

[997] Oh, interesting.

[998] Cozy, cozy, cozy family time.

[999] Now, we have partnered with McDonald's because McDonald's does a lot of great work with the Ronald McDonald House.

[1000] So to celebrate our family traditions, we wanted to start a new one.

[1001] So armchair expert has made a donation to the Ronald McDonald House charities this holiday season because like McDonald's, we believe in the power of celebrating community and the joy of giving to those in need.

[1002] So I hope other people donate as well.

[1003] It's a great, great organization.

[1004] McDonald's serving here.

[1005] Now, I wouldn't mind getting some French fries on Christmas.

[1006] I would like a Big Mac with, you know how I order my Big Mac's extra sauce, extra cheese.

[1007] Yeah.

[1008] Wow, does that take it to the next level?

[1009] Maybe it could be Christmas Eve Eve meal.

[1010] It could be a new tradition.

[1011] Oh, yes.

[1012] That'd be something.

[1013] fun.

[1014] Well, we'll all be together.

[1015] Let's start that tradition.

[1016] I love it.

[1017] I regret not asking Sean Mendez what he was going to do on Christmas.

[1018] He's going to be soulful and attractive in Miami with his beautiful gal.

[1019] Beautiful gal, exactly.

[1020] They'll probably make love under a Christmas tree.

[1021] Wow.

[1022] Wow.

[1023] Wow.

[1024] What a thing to observe.

[1025] I'm just looking at my tree and seeing that that would be quite hard.

[1026] Well, to be literally under it, it seems like it'd be impossible.

[1027] But if you put out a huge red, feltie, soft throw.

[1028] Santa hat type throw.

[1029] But that was huge enough for two adults.

[1030] Okay.

[1031] And then you laid on that in front of the tree.

[1032] Oh, in front of.

[1033] Okay.

[1034] Then you could do your sweet Christmas lovemaking in the shadow of the tree.

[1035] That sounds cheerful and joyful.

[1036] Yeah, holiday joy.

[1037] Yeah.

[1038] Because under the tree, if you have a tree like mine, mine, mine starts low.

[1039] real low, you'd get many prickles.

[1040] You sure would, which might amplify the experience.

[1041] You never know.

[1042] That fine line.

[1043] Ooh.

[1044] Oh, poke, poke.

[1045] A little bit of ow.

[1046] And you never know what it's due to.

[1047] That's right.

[1048] Mix messages.

[1049] Oh, God, we love our mixed messages.

[1050] I'm so glad we got to chat with him because, as you said, he's an arm cherry, and also he's a humongous star.

[1051] He is a humongous star.

[1052] And a lovely person.

[1053] My goodness.

[1054] I don't know how he has the disposition to be asking himself these questions.

[1055] At his age.

[1056] I know.

[1057] This is why I have hope for the future.

[1058] Me too.

[1059] These young kids are thinking in ways we were not thinking.

[1060] No. And sadly, I think it's out of necessity because of the really epidemic levels of anxiety and stuff.

[1061] I think they're kind of forced to confront this.

[1062] Yeah, you're right.

[1063] Or get taken out by it.

[1064] And he's fighting like a motherfucker to not get taken out by it.

[1065] It's impressive.

[1066] I know.

[1067] Good for him.

[1068] Good for him and good for his hair and good for his sultry, soft, sweet voice.

[1069] You're going to hate this.

[1070] Uh -oh.

[1071] Go ahead.

[1072] Prepare.

[1073] I did get worried that he's not going to have sex enough.

[1074] Why?

[1075] Well, just because he's so healthy, you probably won't be filling a hole in his body in his soul by just having sex with a lot of people.

[1076] That sounds like he's going to have sex the exact right amount then.

[1077] Probably.

[1078] Yeah.

[1079] Yeah.

[1080] Like the healthy amount.

[1081] I hope that's what he does.

[1082] Yeah.

[1083] But I kind of want him to traips around a little bit.

[1084] You want him to hurt people.

[1085] people's feelings and also get hurt and that's not a good Christmas wish for him.

[1086] What about a multiple person situation?

[1087] You don't, you want them to miss out on that?

[1088] Oh, no, he could have that.

[1089] Oh, and everyone could be, everyone, but they wouldn't, their feelings wouldn't be hurt in that.

[1090] Well, if everyone's coming in knowingly.

[1091] Yeah, well, I, the type of traipsing around, I'm implying he do be with full honesty and everyone be excited and not hurt by it as well.

[1092] I think he's just going to have some monogamy.

[1093] I don't know what he's going to have, but I think he's going to just probably try to do it in a healthy way, and I hope he succeeds.

[1094] It might be easier for him because he's so fucking gorgeous that the thrill of getting the approval isn't as much as it would be for me. Yeah.

[1095] You know?

[1096] Yeah, he said he's always liked himself.

[1097] I really liked that he said that.

[1098] Me too.

[1099] I guess maybe if you're not starting from a place of like, oh, I bet no one likes me, then maybe you don't have to go out and try to prove that they do.

[1100] I don't know.

[1101] It might be one of the advantages of being gorge.

[1102] I'm sure it's one of the many advantages, I'm sure.

[1103] But he's responsible with his gorgeousness.

[1104] He's taking his life seriously.

[1105] And I appreciate it.

[1106] Me too.

[1107] Oh, I guess I know what I'm trying to get at.

[1108] I didn't even know what I was getting at, but now I just realized what I was getting at.

[1109] Okay.

[1110] So he has the expressed goal of like living a real life.

[1111] Yeah.

[1112] something he wants to do.

[1113] And I guess I'm nervous if he becomes self -actualized before he even has that experience.

[1114] Can he get the experience he wants while being self -actualized?

[1115] Oh, that's interesting.

[1116] I guess that's what I was thinking when I was like, well.

[1117] Yeah.

[1118] But that doesn't have to come via sex.

[1119] No, it's just preferred from my point of view.

[1120] Sure.

[1121] I see what you mean.

[1122] You have to learn from mistakes.

[1123] So you do have to have them.

[1124] Right.

[1125] Right.

[1126] Maybe we'll talk to him when he's like 45 and we'll find out.

[1127] Let's check back in in 20 years.

[1128] Sean put it on your cal. Yeah, I'm going to have Rob put it in the armchair calendar, 241.

[1129] Let's give Sean a call.

[1130] He's your child's favorite.

[1131] Oh my God.

[1132] We have not stopped listening.

[1133] Do I know what you did last summer?

[1134] It's on every single morning now.

[1135] She loves it.

[1136] I like mercy.

[1137] Mercy.

[1138] Mercy.

[1139] Mercy.

[1140] Is it on this new album?

[1141] No, you know it.

[1142] I'm going to play it for you, okay?

[1143] Hopefully he won't sue us since we're, he just was on the show.

[1144] Oh, I love this song.

[1145] Yeah.

[1146] I didn't even know.

[1147] I thought this was, um, uh, God, what's his name?

[1148] Bieber?

[1149] No, the like English kind of.

[1150] Oh, Sean, um, Sam Smith.

[1151] Yeah, Sam, I thought it was Sam Smith.

[1152] Wow.

[1153] Yeah, this is a good song.

[1154] I'll just show me an open door And you go and slam it on me I can't take any more I'm saying, baby, please send mercy on me Take it easy on my heart I mean to hurt me It's good Oh, it's so good Yeah, you're right, Sam Smith That's who I thought had sang that song Until I went down the - It was all shiny Mendez's rabbit hole.

[1155] Lincoln has good taste of music.

[1156] Yeah, she does.

[1157] I attribute that to her and then also the fact that we never went down that road where we played bullshit kid music to them.

[1158] Some parents will get these kids CDs and it's the most annoying music ever.

[1159] Oh, sure.

[1160] And they're just like held hostage by these terrible, terrible kids songs.

[1161] And we were just like, we're not going to, that's not going to be part of our life.

[1162] That makes, yeah, but that seems like it is working out.

[1163] People gifted them to us and I just, I did those.

[1164] Yeah, or donated them.

[1165] You tossed.

[1166] I donated to people who wanted to be held hostage by.

[1167] I mean, Hall of Notes was their main education on music.

[1168] That's what they heard the most when they were kids.

[1169] Oh, man, that's a good one.

[1170] It's a good entry drug.

[1171] Okay, so some people enjoy our quizzes.

[1172] Oh, tell me. Well, I thought maybe we should take a quiz since it came up, which house we're in in Hogwarts.

[1173] Oh, great.

[1174] Yes, because I'm totally.

[1175] in the dark about how this works.

[1176] Like, I never know if you're giving someone a compliment or burning them by saying you're in Muggleborf or you're in Scalions.

[1177] No, no. Hufflepuff.

[1178] Hufflepuff.

[1179] And Slytherin are the two years.

[1180] Slithering.

[1181] And you seem to like people in Slythering because you're in Slythering?

[1182] No, I'm not in Slytherin.

[1183] Oh, my gosh.

[1184] Slytherin is evil.

[1185] But also, also not.

[1186] So people are screaming right now because there are no good and bad houses.

[1187] It's just characteristics.

[1188] Like people.

[1189] Exactly.

[1190] But it's widely known.

[1191] Hufflepuff is for dodoes.

[1192] Dodos.

[1193] Okay.

[1194] And Slytherans are for evils.

[1195] All the Dark Lords came out of Slytherin.

[1196] Ooh, not a great track record for that.

[1197] No, but they're very smart, intelligent.

[1198] And they have also beautiful people come out of Slythering.

[1199] Oh.

[1200] And the big thing, Harry, so when he went to get his, so.

[1201] Terence Posner.

[1202] Terence Posner, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, Hufflepuff.

[1203] Ravenclaw is the one that you, when I've heard you tell people there in Ravenclaw, what I say to myself is Monica likes Ravenclaw the most.

[1204] Ravenclaw is the Smarty Pants house.

[1205] Okay, so I was right.

[1206] Yeah, but I also love Gryffindor.

[1207] Yeah, but you like Ravenpants.

[1208] Don't call it that.

[1209] So.

[1210] Oh, sorry, Smarty Clause.

[1211] Gryffindor is the Brave house.

[1212] You want to be in Gryffindor, really.

[1213] Mainly because Harry.

[1214] in Gryffindor.

[1215] But when he put on the sorting hat, the sorting hat said, basically, this could go either way, Gryffindor or Slytherin.

[1216] Right.

[1217] And he said, you really want to be in Gryffindor.

[1218] I can't be in Slytherin.

[1219] Please know.

[1220] And so it allowed him to go to Gryffindor.

[1221] And this is the age old battle between the good force and the bad force, the dark force and the good force.

[1222] That's right.

[1223] I'm not saying that right.

[1224] Dark force and the.

[1225] Yeah.

[1226] From Star Wars?

[1227] Oh, I don't know anything.

[1228] about Star Wars?

[1229] Use the force.

[1230] The dark side, the good side, I don't know.

[1231] Yeah, one's positive one.

[1232] But it's the same force.

[1233] Okay.

[1234] It can be good or bad.

[1235] Mm -hmm.

[1236] So let's take it.

[1237] Oh, great.

[1238] We're getting some interference.

[1239] I want to be in the house that solves problems.

[1240] Because, like, there was some electrical interference just now.

[1241] Oh, right.

[1242] And I solved it.

[1243] And I feel so proud of myself.

[1244] I want to be in that house.

[1245] Okay.

[1246] Well, that could be any of the houses, but probably Ravenclaw or maybe Gryffindor.

[1247] Or Slytherin.

[1248] Not dump.

[1249] They don't really solve those kinds of problems.

[1250] Okay.

[1251] They're not mechanically inclined, per se.

[1252] Oh, thank God.

[1253] My logging worked.

[1254] My Pottermore.

[1255] Oh, you have a whole account.

[1256] Look, I have a passport because I got Gryffindor when I did this.

[1257] It's surprisingly.

[1258] I did do it one other time and I got Ravenclaw, but on Pottor.

[1259] or more, I got Gryffindor, and when I put the hat on at the Warner Bros. Studio, I got Gryffindor.

[1260] Oh, okay.

[1261] I mean, from what you've told me about both houses, yeah, you're a shoe in for either, but you're brave and smart.

[1262] I probably have a lot of Slytherin and me, too.

[1263] I don't like it.

[1264] Don't we all?

[1265] We all do.

[1266] Well, the Hufflepuffs really don't.

[1267] The Puffel Puffs.

[1268] I know.

[1269] They couldn't even give them.

[1270] I know.

[1271] They didn't even mask it much that they're dumb -dums.

[1272] Wait.

[1273] Or bozos?

[1274] This is it.

[1275] Okay.

[1276] Okay, here we go.

[1277] You ready?

[1278] Yeah.

[1279] Are you going to be taking it simultaneously?

[1280] I can't.

[1281] I have to type it in.

[1282] I guess we're going to every other one because you gave me the zip code test.

[1283] I gave you the five personality test.

[1284] We already know, as is my passport says, I'm Griffin.

[1285] You're Griffin.

[1286] You're a brave.

[1287] What would you least like to be called?

[1288] Ignorant, cowardly, selfish, ordinary.

[1289] Oh, boy.

[1290] I know.

[1291] Do you know which two I would hate to be called?

[1292] cowardly and ignorant.

[1293] Cowardly and ordinary.

[1294] But cowardly would be the number one burn for me. Okay.

[1295] Yeah.

[1296] When you're dead, what do you want people to do when they think of you?

[1297] Miss me and smile.

[1298] Think of my achievements.

[1299] Tell stories about my adventures.

[1300] I don't care what people think of me when I'm dead.

[1301] It's when I'm alive that counts.

[1302] Yeah, the last one.

[1303] When I'm dead, I want people to remember me as the good, the great.

[1304] the wise, the bold.

[1305] The bold.

[1306] If you can make a potion that would guarantee you one thing, what would it be?

[1307] Love, glory, wisdom, power.

[1308] Love.

[1309] Four goblets are placed before you.

[1310] Which do you drink?

[1311] The golden potion that gives off bright sunspots that dance around the room.

[1312] A silvery, glittery potion that sparkles as if containing ground diamonds.

[1313] A thick potion that smells of plums and chocolate.

[1314] A black inky potion that gives off fumes that make you see strange visions.

[1315] A, golden stuff.

[1316] Was that Puffelhoff?

[1317] I don't think so.

[1318] Okay.

[1319] I do kind of know, but I don't want to sway that.

[1320] Well, why don't you give me my score before you find the results?

[1321] We'll see if you're...

[1322] Oh, at the end you...

[1323] Yeah, yeah, before you find out the official results.

[1324] I want you to make a prediction.

[1325] Okay, sure.

[1326] Which instrument is most pleasing to your ear?

[1327] Violin, piano, drums.

[1328] trumpet.

[1329] To toss up between piano and drums.

[1330] Oh.

[1331] Most pleasing to your ear.

[1332] Yeah, piano.

[1333] Thank you.

[1334] Thanks for putting me back on the right track.

[1335] Not the most fun to play.

[1336] But I just like beats.

[1337] I like when I hear beats.

[1338] Because then that makes me want to dance.

[1339] Was it drums?

[1340] Dance in your pants.

[1341] No, piano.

[1342] You're right.

[1343] Pleasing.

[1344] You enter a magical garden.

[1345] What do you look at first?

[1346] Luminous pool with something in its depths.

[1347] Statue with the twinkling eye, a silver tree with golden apples, talking toadstools.

[1348] Oh, it's hard.

[1349] It is because I want to hear what the toadstools have to say.

[1350] Sure.

[1351] But I think I'm going straight to that tree.

[1352] I want to see those golden apples.

[1353] Really?

[1354] Okay.

[1355] I got really excited in my mind.

[1356] I hate to admit this and bust myself, but every time you say, like, I'm going to walk into a thing and see, my immediate thought is, like, what thing's going to be sexual?

[1357] and I'm going to pick that one.

[1358] Like, oh, I want an invisibility cloak.

[1359] Right.

[1360] Or I want, I'm going to go into the thing.

[1361] There's going to be like a nymph.

[1362] But why is golden apples?

[1363] It's not.

[1364] There's never an option.

[1365] But before you give me the list.

[1366] Well, no, some of the options that you haven't picked any yet that I think are a little more carnal.

[1367] Like?

[1368] Like the one that was like a black kind of inky.

[1369] Inky.

[1370] and then something's like lurking.

[1371] You didn't pick it, though.

[1372] But you think that's sexual?

[1373] I kind of do.

[1374] Oh, wow.

[1375] Four boxes are set before you.

[1376] Which do you open?

[1377] A plain jet black box with a silver run that you know to be the mark of Merlin.

[1378] A golden box with carved feet that warns secret knowledge and unbearable temptation lurk within.

[1379] A plain pewter box that says, I open only for the worthy.

[1380] A tortoise shell box that sounds like something living is squeaking inside.

[1381] Holy smokes.

[1382] Could you just read me the first one again?

[1383] Of course.

[1384] A plain jet black box with a silver run that you know to be the mark of Merlin.

[1385] I think that one.

[1386] What's a run?

[1387] I'm going to say a bow.

[1388] Oh, okay.

[1389] No, let me look because maybe that's important.

[1390] A letter of an ancient Germanic alphabet.

[1391] So just a simple.

[1392] Yeah, I'm probably going with that one.

[1393] Okay.

[1394] I like a black box.

[1395] What smell is most appealing to you?

[1396] Home, the sea, fresh parchment, a log fire.

[1397] A log fire.

[1398] A troll breaks into the headmaster study.

[1399] Order the following items in the order you would save them.

[1400] Dragonpox cure that the headmaster has nearly completed.

[1401] Student records going back a thousand years.

[1402] A book of indecipherable ruins thought to have been owned by Merlin.

[1403] So you have to put those in order.

[1404] Okay.

[1405] The kids are last.

[1406] The grades.

[1407] I don't care at all about the grades.

[1408] Okay.

[1409] The records.

[1410] Yeah.

[1411] And then the disease cure that we're about to have.

[1412] That's number one, I'd say.

[1413] Okay.

[1414] So you'd do cure.

[1415] Then you'd do book of indescriberable ruins.

[1416] Mm -hmm.

[1417] And then grades.

[1418] Okay.

[1419] What would you rather be?

[1420] Trusted, liked, praised, feared, feared.

[1421] envied, imitated.

[1422] Trusted.

[1423] Which are the following do you have the most trouble dealing with?

[1424] Hunger, being ignored, cold, boredom, loneliness.

[1425] But being ignored and loneliness sounds very similar, right?

[1426] I think being ignored, if I'm being honest.

[1427] Okay.

[1428] I hate to admit it.

[1429] If you could have a superpower, which would you choose?

[1430] Read minds, invisibility, change the past, change your appearance, Talk to animals, super strength.

[1431] Oh, man. Wow, it's between super strength and invisibility.

[1432] I'm going to go invisibility.

[1433] Okay.

[1434] And again, that's more to the purviness.

[1435] Right, sure.

[1436] What would you pick?

[1437] I pick Reed Mines.

[1438] Oh, God.

[1439] I don't know that that would go the way you would think it would go out.

[1440] I know exactly.

[1441] I know that's a painful thing to want, but I do.

[1442] In A, they say what other people think about you is none of your business.

[1443] Yeah.

[1444] I just made me think of that.

[1445] I'm not saying you're right.

[1446] wrong, it just reminded me of that.

[1447] I think that's a good thing to strive to believe.

[1448] Which are the following would you most like to study?

[1449] Centaur, mur people, ghosts, werewolves, vampires, goblins.

[1450] You love the word goblin.

[1451] Oh, I love the word, goblins.

[1452] But would you want to study it?

[1453] And then trolls is the last.

[1454] And these things are all real in this world?

[1455] Yeah.

[1456] Okay, because initially I'm like, I don't want to study something that's not real.

[1457] No, no, they're all real.

[1458] Werewolves.

[1459] Oh, okay.

[1460] They're pretty sexy.

[1461] Okay.

[1462] Well, the Mur people are sexy.

[1463] Are they?

[1464] Are they over sex?

[1465] Of course.

[1466] They're sirens.

[1467] Oh, wow.

[1468] Mer people are...

[1469] Still werewolves, but yeah.

[1470] All right.

[1471] Which subject at Hogwarts would you be most interested in studying?

[1472] I can help you if you don't know what some of these words are.

[1473] Okay, great.

[1474] I didn't know what any of those words, but werewolf and vampire were.

[1475] Well, I don't know what's centaur.

[1476] I didn't know.

[1477] You should have asked.

[1478] That's a mermaid.

[1479] Oh, wow.

[1480] Yeah.

[1481] Wow.

[1482] Like from an herbal essence commercial?

[1483] commercial?

[1484] But these are sirens.

[1485] They call you to the rocks.

[1486] Oh, we were sirens actually in that commercial.

[1487] Yeah.

[1488] There was some shipmen.

[1489] Sailors.

[1490] Yeah, sailors.

[1491] Thank you.

[1492] And we were lure in them.

[1493] That's right towards the rocks.

[1494] So they'll smash their trip.

[1495] Oh, my gosh.

[1496] Yeah, I don't want to fuck with them.

[1497] And to wash their hair with herbal essence.

[1498] Ooh.

[1499] Okay, which subject at how words would you be most interested in studying?

[1500] Everything.

[1501] Apparition.

[1502] That means going from one place to another like.

[1503] Oh, astro travel.

[1504] Hexes, jinxes, secrets about the castle.

[1505] Nope.

[1506] Transfiguration.

[1507] That's when you become an animal.

[1508] Ooh.

[1509] Oh, shape shifter.

[1510] Yeah.

[1511] Broom flying.

[1512] Oh.

[1513] Care of magical creatures.

[1514] Oh, boy.

[1515] Apparitions.

[1516] Okay.

[1517] I want to zip here and there because I have wanderlust.

[1518] You and your friends need to cross a bridge guarded by a river troll.

[1519] He insists that one of you fight him before you can.

[1520] cross.

[1521] What do you do?

[1522] Confuse the troll.

[1523] Have all three of you fight without telling the troll.

[1524] Volunteer to fight.

[1525] Draw lots to see who fights.

[1526] Volunteer to fight.

[1527] Maybe even push some people out of the way so I could fight them.

[1528] Like push them over the bridge so that they don't get to fight.

[1529] Yeah.

[1530] I could kill the other two people so that I could fight it and then revive them so they'd be impressed with me. Yep.

[1531] Unfortunately, that's not an option, but that is the truth.

[1532] You know that a fellow house member cheated on a test.

[1533] You got the second highest grade in the class.

[1534] Your housemate was the highest and he cheated.

[1535] Professor Flitwick confronts you and asks if they were cheating.

[1536] What do you do?

[1537] First, tell Professor Flitwick the truth.

[1538] If your class weight is willing to come in first by cheating, he deserves to be found out.

[1539] You'll make up the house points your classmates lost by coming in first.

[1540] Tell Professor Flitwick to ask your classmate and tell your classmate that he won't tell the truth you will.

[1541] No, tell your classmate that if he won't tell the truth, you will.

[1542] Lyons say you don't know, but hope he finds out somehow.

[1543] If you knew someone was cheating, you wouldn't wait for Flitwick to ask you, tell him before the test started.

[1544] A lion and hope he finds out.

[1545] Okay.

[1546] Which path do you take?

[1547] Twisting leafy path through the woods, a dark lantern lit alley, a wide, sunny, grassy path, a cobblestone street lined with ancient buildings.

[1548] The first one leaves.

[1549] Which nightmare would scare you most?

[1550] None of your friends or family know who you are.

[1551] Ooh, fuck.

[1552] Being trapped in a dark room with an eye peering at you through a keyhole.

[1553] Mm. Being caught up high with no handholds.

[1554] Being forced to speak in a funny voice so that everyone laughs at you.

[1555] A. Having the people in my life not know me. You're walking down the street late at night and hear a cry that you're fairly sure has a magical source.

[1556] What do you do?

[1557] Withdrawing to the shadows, reviewing offensive and defensive spells that might be appropriate.

[1558] Draw your wand and try to discover the source.

[1559] Proceed with caution keeping a hand on your still concealed wand.

[1560] Draw your wand and stand your ground.

[1561] Draw my wand and stand my ground.

[1562] Wahn's not a euphemism.

[1563] No. No, no, no. It's a real thing and you do spells with it.

[1564] Okay.

[1565] you and says you're a wizard.

[1566] How do you react?

[1567] A muggle is a non, uh, is a, well, I'm not sure about me yet, but you, yeah.

[1568] Ask a muggle approach and you're not allowed, you're not supposed to tell them.

[1569] Like, you're supposed to keep it a secret.

[1570] That you're a wizard.

[1571] Yes.

[1572] Okay.

[1573] Ask them why they think so.

[1574] Agree and offer a sample of a jinks.

[1575] Agree and walk away, bluffing.

[1576] Express your concern and offer to call a mental hospital.

[1577] So they, a muggles, accuses me of being a wizard.

[1578] And my options are...

[1579] Ask them why they think so.

[1580] Agree and offer a sample of a jinx.

[1581] Agree and walk away.

[1582] Bluffing.

[1583] Why is that bluffing?

[1584] I guess you'd be like, yeah, I am.

[1585] Like make them look stupid, I guess.

[1586] I guess.

[1587] Okay.

[1588] Express your concern and offer to call a mental hospital.

[1589] I would bluff.

[1590] Okay.

[1591] I'd have a hard time with that one.

[1592] I wouldn't lie.

[1593] Are you sure?

[1594] Yeah, I wouldn't lie.

[1595] No, you wouldn't lie.

[1596] But I think you'd ask them why they think so.

[1597] Like the one I want to, I wish, was the answer was I just say, yeah, I am.

[1598] But then I don't do a trick for them.

[1599] I wouldn't want to do a trick for them.

[1600] That was the second option.

[1601] Yeah.

[1602] I don't want to then show off.

[1603] That's why I'm going to like, yeah, I am who I am.

[1604] You're in a position where you're not, no, it's not like that.

[1605] It's like, I equate it for this, like when you were hiding drugs.

[1606] Oh.

[1607] Like you're not.

[1608] I equated it to like me being an AA, which is a lot of people are ashamed.

[1609] to be a or what not like root it's not your it's not like for you it's a shameful thing it's like it's bad for the wizarding world if muggles in general yeah oh so that's um that really puts two of my values in opposition to one another which is truthfulness and loyalty i value both those things those are both characteristics i value that i have a bluff then i feels like the best of both words.

[1610] I didn't lie.

[1611] And I said it in a manner that hopefully I'm not exposing my tribe.

[1612] If you could pick any house to be sorted into, which would you pick?

[1613] Slyther and Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, I'll let the sorting house decide where I should be.

[1614] I don't want to be in Hufflepuff.

[1615] I know.

[1616] I'm sorry.

[1617] I put a stigma on it.

[1618] So I guess I'd say Gryffindor.

[1619] Gryffindor.

[1620] All right.

[1621] Let's see.

[1622] I think you would be in Gryffindor.

[1623] You got Gryffindor.

[1624] We'll be roommates.

[1625] You might belong to Gryffindor where dwell the brave of heart.

[1626] The daring nerve and chivalry set Gryffindore's apart.

[1627] Welcome to Gryffindor House where bravery and chivalry are valued.

[1628] You belong here because you have a lion's heart.

[1629] You'll put your life on the line for anything, whether it be for a friend, an ally, or for the thrill of it.

[1630] Very little stops you from having fun, but you have good morals when it comes down to it.

[1631] You choose good over evil.

[1632] It doesn't really sound like I'm a Gryffindor based on that.

[1633] But why?

[1634] What part?

[1635] I'm not daring, you know, I'm not brave in that, in that sense.

[1636] Well, you have this, first of all, you're not in a position anatomically to be brave in the manner.

[1637] I am, I am.

[1638] That would just make you stupid.

[1639] Well, that's true.

[1640] So I would say you're fearless when talking to people, confronting people, arguing with people, standing up for people, you're fearless.

[1641] now you also worry when you go jogging someone's going to kidnap you so yeah i do i think you're mixing up a reality with your bravery you shouldn't be getting into fist fights with full grown men okay you know well what about trolls are they big or small huge oh geez okay then definitely not okay well now we know griffenburg i think if you had a super power you'd be fearless physically Like if I had that disease where I had so much muscle Well, not that per se, but just a wand and you were good at it And you had strong wizard powers Oh, I see I think he would be valiant Like a Hermione Oh yeah She's not strong physically, but she's a Gryffindor and she's brave And she's got some pretty serious powers Oh yeah, she's the best she can throw down She's the best wizard Oh, she's stronger than Terence Wizarding wise, she's the best in the school Oh, you must have thought of yourself as her so much.

[1642] Well, I wanted to be her.

[1643] I'm not, I've never been the best in my school.

[1644] I wanted to be.

[1645] The best of my school was a girl named Sophia.

[1646] She was number one in our class of 500.

[1647] Ooh.

[1648] Red hair.

[1649] You like that or don't like that?

[1650] I love it.

[1651] Okay.

[1652] She was so, so smart and white.

[1653] And.

[1654] What is the driven snow?

[1655] Which is rare.

[1656] We had a lot of Asians.

[1657] The rest of the next top, whatever, are all Asians.

[1658] Oh, yeah, good for her.

[1659] And what I really liked about her, I mean, this is nothing to like nor dislike, but it was really practical.

[1660] So she got into, like, you know, all the Ivy League schools.

[1661] And she chose to go to George Tech.

[1662] Okay.

[1663] Because she got a, they call it something specific there, but a full scholarship.

[1664] Allbright scholarship?

[1665] I don't even know what that means.

[1666] But something similar.

[1667] It just means every single thing is paid for.

[1668] Oh, wow.

[1669] Including, like, I think living, like all of them.

[1670] Your chowder and your, yeah.

[1671] On meandies and your bambas.

[1672] Yeah, they provide meandies.

[1673] And bambas.

[1674] And you sleep on Brook Lennons?

[1675] And a sleep number.

[1676] Holy fudge.

[1677] I know.

[1678] No wonder she picked that.

[1679] I know.

[1680] It was hard to turn out.

[1681] Yeah, that's kind of cool.

[1682] That's like Pat Tillman, turning down more money to go to St. Louis.

[1683] I hope Sophia's doing great.

[1684] whatever she's doing, I hope she's happy and doing well.

[1685] Mm -hmm.

[1686] And she'll always be the Hermione.

[1687] For you?

[1688] For me, yeah.

[1689] Okay.

[1690] You know what I always thought when I would see those movies?

[1691] I would check in with them sporadically.

[1692] I didn't watch him in order or whatever.

[1693] I just thought Ron Horsley, what's in, Ron Weasley was so gorgeous at some point.

[1694] You loved him.

[1695] I couldn't believe how gorgeous he was.

[1696] And also, Hermione stayed.

[1697] So cute.

[1698] Emma, I know.

[1699] This is like almost impossible to cast kids.

[1700] I know.

[1701] And then follow them through puberty and they stay cute like that.

[1702] When the movies first came out, there was a little issue.

[1703] There was a little issue some people had.

[1704] That Hermione was too hot.

[1705] Too cute.

[1706] Because in the books, she is written very clearly to be not attractive.

[1707] Okay.

[1708] That's not what she's selling.

[1709] And that even as a kid, Emma Watson is.

[1710] so cute.

[1711] Yeah.

[1712] So, so cute.

[1713] And turn into a gorgeous adult.

[1714] Right.

[1715] But that's fine.

[1716] I love Emma Watson.

[1717] This becomes a dilemma quite often in making movies.

[1718] And it's talked about regularly.

[1719] I've been apart a lot of these conversations.

[1720] And what it comes down to is, you know, there's a basically a market reality.

[1721] Yeah.

[1722] And then there's a authentic reality.

[1723] And, you know, they do have sell tickets to pay for the movie.

[1724] So it's not easy.

[1725] It's not like you can just go like, we're going to cast everyone.

[1726] Well, no, people like movies are fantasies.

[1727] People want to be a genius like Matt Damon and look like him.

[1728] Of course.

[1729] And that's just what the market said.

[1730] That's why the superhero movies are so big.

[1731] It's not representative of anyone.

[1732] That's so unrealistic.

[1733] I know, but at least that's supposed to be unrealistic.

[1734] They're literally superheroes.

[1735] So I think it depends on the type of story you're telling.

[1736] And I do think we are moving more towards more real -looking people and stuff.

[1737] It's just a matter of whether you can have your cake and eat it too.

[1738] Like, can you do it and have it work?

[1739] And if it doesn't work, there's nothing much to talk about after that.

[1740] If you cast someone no one wants to look at for two hours, then they can't just keep making movies with the person and losing $30 million a time.

[1741] Yeah.

[1742] It's just there are people.

[1743] It's unfortunate.

[1744] There are people who are, in my opinion, physically not the standard of a attractive that you end up wanting to watch for hours and hours and hours because there's something super compelling about their face, they're acting, all of it.

[1745] For sure.

[1746] And it's definitely a leeway given to men way more than women.

[1747] Yeah.

[1748] Like the margin of attractiveness, and that's in quotes, for women is so much more narrow than for men.

[1749] Yeah.

[1750] But then there's also very encouraging things.

[1751] There's a lot of different shows led by not convention.

[1752] They wouldn't have been leads of TV shows in the 80s.

[1753] Exactly.

[1754] Yeah, I think we're moving forward.

[1755] Yeah.

[1756] A few people have responded that they liked Luke Duke.

[1757] Oh, that's nice.

[1758] Yeah.

[1759] I'm glad people like Luke Duke.

[1760] He was a great Duke boy.

[1761] He's a good, good Duke boy.

[1762] He was shorter as well.

[1763] Okay, but people liked him still.

[1764] Can I show you a picture of the two of them?

[1765] Sure.

[1766] You can tell me which one you would want to roll around with under your Christmas tree.

[1767] Okay, here they are.

[1768] Let me get a good look.

[1769] Feel for you to go back to look at the look at other pictures if you need more data.

[1770] Okay.

[1771] Bo is just really cute You're gonna think I'm lying You're not gonna believe it But I'm just gonna tell the truth I like the dark -haired person Oh good Yeah That's great I mean I like Bo's body profile from what I just saw Yeah it's gorgeous buns I was so envious of his He could fill out those wranglers Huh If I'm being honest Neither them are doing it for me Okay let me see Yeah they're very 80s Yeah, but look at the playfulness of that smile.

[1772] I think if you watch the show, you would have liked Bo.

[1773] Maybe.

[1774] He is just more playful, and Luke was more serious.

[1775] Got it.

[1776] Wow.

[1777] Wow.

[1778] Just wow.

[1779] Just wow.

[1780] Well, everyone can like who they like.

[1781] Yeah.

[1782] And I'm glad everyone likes different things.

[1783] As my father would say when he was in the car business, there's an ass for every seat.

[1784] That's right.

[1785] And I think that's a good thing.

[1786] to remind yourself of.

[1787] Agreed.

[1788] There's an asshole for every scene.

[1789] You guys can like Daisy Duke.

[1790] You can like Bo Duke.

[1791] You can like Luke Duke?

[1792] But can I just, I hope, I hope you're not waving the Confederate flag.

[1793] No, no. You can like the Duke Boys without embracing the Confederate flag.

[1794] Yeah.

[1795] All right.

[1796] Well, it's end of the year.

[1797] End of the year, which is not to say we're over.

[1798] we've got a spectacular Christmas episode coming your way on Christmas Eve.

[1799] We do.

[1800] And we have a little our yearly best of on Monday.

[1801] So there's a couple more things for you.

[1802] But, oh, and Thursday we have a regular episode.

[1803] But this is just our last Monday.

[1804] Our last Monday.

[1805] And we love you.

[1806] We thank you for getting us through this year.

[1807] Yeah.

[1808] Yeah.

[1809] We really appreciate you.

[1810] Yeah, you all saved our house.

[1811] I think we'd be both in a very deep, dark depression.

[1812] without getting to do this 1004 times this year.

[1813] Agreed.

[1814] Well, I love you.

[1815] Happy New Year.

[1816] I'm excited to start a Christmas tradition with you this year.

[1817] Mickey Donald.

[1818] Macle Donald.

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