Ear Biscuits with Rhett & Link - Meet Our Best Friend From College ft. Gregg Hartsfield | Ear Biscuits Ep.327

Episode Date: March 21, 2022

Rhett & Link welcome their other best friend, Gregg Hartsfield AKA the rightful owner of the bass on Good Mythical Morning, to reminisce about their college days. They swap college stories involving Gregg announcing to the entire class that he's a jackass, watching way too much Planet of the Apes and playing too much Twisted Metal, smoking only smooth cigars and way more. Plus, they check in on how the bass held up after the long trip to Washington State. Got some idea of what to put up on the wall? Send your ideas here! Watch the Bass send-off with Gregg on GMM here! Also, Stevie's got a new podcast! Best Friends Back, Alright! is out now! Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or anywhere you get your podcasts so you never miss an episode! To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This, this, this, this is Mythical. Make your nights unforgettable with American Express. Unmissable show coming up? Good news. We've got access to pre-sale tickets so you don't miss it. Meeting with friends before the show? We can book your reservation. And when you get to the main event, skip to the good bit using the card member entrance.

Let's go seize the night. That's the powerful backing of American Express. Visit amex.ca slash yamx. Benefits vary by card. Other conditions apply. Welcome to Ear Biscuits, the podcast where two lifelong friends talk about life for a long time. I'm Rhett. And I'm Link. This week at the Round Table of Dim Lighting, you are in for a treat.

Ooh, I'm excited about this one. I've been looking forward to this one. We want to introduce you to our other best friend in college who we've kept in touch with. I mean, we'll get into some of that, but we wanna introduce you to the one, the only Greg Hartsfield.

Greg, you're here. Well, no, you're not. I made it. You made it, but you're- You made it to your home and a phone that you're communicating through. And you're in Washington State. Yes, I'm there.

That's where it's here. You're still in Washington State. Yes, I'm there. That's where it's here. We're still in Burbank. Now we've talked about Greg a lot throughout the years. I mean, most recently, if you watch our other show, Good Mythical Morning, you know that the black base that was on the set for basically many years. Basically.

Most of the history of the show was a bass that Greg gave us when he left to go to Argentina right after college. So we're talking like 20 years ago. So we had the bass. The bass was played in a few early Rhett and Link songs. When I would lay down a bass line, we later realized that I could just play the guitar

and then we would just lower an octave in GarageBand. Yeah, yeah. But recently Greg asked for the bass back. And so that whole story is unfolding on Good Mythical Morning, but. And so by the way, if you have something that you think can fit in that space that the bass was occupied, you let us know, there's a Twitter post,

you post your photo and your, basically your sales pitch as to why this thing is special. Hopefully it's the base. I'm trying to lobby for the bases for Alabama to donate one of his bases. I just think that would be funny. If he won't, then we are just hoping for a guy named Greg, preferably a guy named Greg with two Gs at the end.

So Greg, have you received the bass back? It's here, it's here. It needs to be restrung. You have not maintained the bass. It wasn't broken when it arrived. It just needs to be refreshed. Yes, it needs a light buffing and some new strings. Yeah, I mean, bass strings do not last two decades.

They probably last like, you know, you might get, I don't know, six months out of some bass strings. Now listen, if you don't replace these strings and play this thing within like the next two weeks, you're at risk of us asking you years from now if you played it and you'll be like, you'll be embarrassed. You'll have to start lying to us that you're playing it. So you need to get on it, man.

I'm working on the plan. I didn't have a plan till just now. So now I have a plan. I don't really know the details of the plan, but there's a plan. How good did you get at bass before you gave us that bass? I was not so good. You know, from one to 10, I might be a two.

Okay, right. It's fine. You've been holding steady at a two. I did go to a jazz club in Raleigh and went open mic night one time. And for some reason, people thought I played bass well, but I don't think I did. Are you talking about when you were in college? No, that was after college.

I went with Tom from our church. Okay, and you did a little bass thing. Man, I didn't know you were moonlighting. I do remember that you had an acoustic guitar when we first met. You could probably, I think you could play some Grateful Dead songs, but all right, so tell us, what do you remember about meeting us for the first time?

So I, you know, I've spent the last 30 minutes trying to recreate this memory in my mind. It doesn't, nothing really pops out, but when I first met you guys, I think it was a freshman year of college, and I saw Red up on the stage at Crew. And I was like, there's that guy up there. Didn't really care, you know. Didn't really even want to be at the meeting.

We really didn't meet, in my recollection, until sophomore year, so. Well, if that was the first time you saw me, that was your sophomore year, because I may have gotten up front freshman year for something, but I wasn't MCing until, because I lobbied to MC my freshman year, knowing that the guy who was a senior was graduating.

Oh, okay. So I talked to Mark and was like, well, can I MC next year? So you must've, cause I remember it being the beginning of sophomore year. That was definitely when we became friends, like pretty early on sophomore year. But what was your impression of us?

I mean, I remember my impression of you, but I'll let you go first. Whatever you remember of, like when we first started becoming friends sophomore year, it was within the context of the Campus Crusade, like Todd Smith, who was and still is a full-time staff member. He was like leading Bible studies

and like organizing the weekly meeting and a lot of the organizational stuff that happened on campus with the organization. But like he knew you and then he knew us and then we must've met through Todd, right? I think so, I think so. But I don't recall. I know that like we hit it off.

I mean, we hung out all the time. Yeah, we were fast friends. I really enjoyed hanging out with you guys. So the thing that I remember is, I mean, I don't remember the specific thing, but I have to know that our first impression of Greg was, this dude is different. I mean, and take this in a positive way, but I was like, this dude is different. This, I mean, I mean, and take this in a positive way,

but like, I was like, this dude is strange and funny and like just different than anybody else we knew. So like, we were very much drawn to like, you know, everybody in Campus Crusade, I don't know. It's just like, everybody's fit into a certain mold. Well, I mean- But Greg, you stood out. You were like this like super skinny dude with like this real floppy clothes, like us.

Like you were dressed in huge jeans. That's the thing. So we were at NC State, which is already, you know, it's a technical school, right? It's a technical state school in the South. And we were also then sort of filtered into this Christian group. So there was a little more like,

for lack of a better word, like Southern preppiness. So, you know, there's a certain, I don't know if you grew up in the South, you know exactly what I'm talking about, but like a guy who will wear a polo shirt and a trucker hat. It was a little frat-ish. It was a little frat-ish. It's a little frat-y.

But not full on frat. So you're not quite redneck and not quite preppy. And that was most of the people. Now we kind of came in thinking that we were gonna be rock stars. You know, we're dying our hair, bleaching our hair, wearing these big baggy pants. Alternative, embracing the alternative 90s scene.

So we were really leaning hard into that. And it wasn't difficult to stand out because there wasn't a lot of people in our small circle doing that. And then Greg comes along and it was immediately like, oh, this guy, he feels like he's on a very similar wavelength. I mean, and we thought that you were a stoner.

Like, and like a really, like you had this delivery. Like I remember whenever we would see Greg, we'd be like, what's up? Recovering stoner. Recovering stoner. Okay, yes, there was some recovering stoner thing happening. So by the time we met you, you were like, yeah,

you were being introduced to the straight and narrow through Campus Crusade. And like we were, besides Todd, Todd was trying to bring you into the fold basically, right? Yeah, he was putting in me in my, you know, in the right place. Yeah, and when he introduced us, I was like, we just kind of,

we just found you very funny, very entertaining. Whenever we would say, what's up? You remember what Greg would say? Good. Good. It's just like anybody who that's what, like nobody's response to what's up is good. And every time, and you were always good. You were always good.

How else do you respond to that question? I mean. Well, I mean, How else do you respond to that question? I mean. Well, I mean, you want me to break it down logically? Because I mean, when you say what's up, what you're asking is like, what is up? Like. Like what's going on? You're asking, how are you doing?

Well, I mean, you gotta cut to the chase. If you say what's up, you could respond with like, well, I'm good. That's one of the things that's up, but you were just like, good. Nothing much, man, I'm good. That's one of the things that's up, but you were just like, good. Nothing much, man. I'm headed to class. I'm going back to my dorm.

You wanna come over and play some Twisted Metal? Really the proper response at that age with a familiar person to what's up is what's up. Yeah. Just say it back. But no one before, during, or since said good. And that's why we knew that you had to be a constant part of our lives.

I think that, you know, we were in this place, we had gone through our freshman year together. Like we had made a lot of friends. We hadn't really like really found our group. It was just the two of us on the weekends. I was still, I was going back home, seeing my girlfriend. We were still involved in our band, the Wax Paper Dogs. So freshman year was like this transition period.

But like sophomore year, we had basically decided, we were deciding to quit the band. You were deciding and lobbying to be the MC of Campus Crusades weekly meeting. I was already involved in the music team of the weekly meeting. So I was up front singing, leading the music. So I was like, we were moving in these positions

where we were like visible positions early on. And so like college for us at the beginning of sophomore year was, okay, I've broken up with my girlfriend. Now it's like all in on college. And right about that same time, very early on, we meet. And it was just like, it was always fun to have you around. So it was just like, it was always fun to have you around.

So it was just like, let's, I mean, in a lot of ways, we became this trio very quickly. Like, I mean, do you remember any more of what you thought of us? I'm not fishing for a compliment, but like, I mean, I told you that I thought you were basically gloriously weird and it was like, I mean, I told you that I thought you were basically gloriously weird. And it was like, unlike anybody else.

So I was like, let's do this. I just thought you guys were, you know, my friends. I just wanted to, you know, in my life, I haven't had a ton of friends up to that point. I meet you two and I was like, this is my people. This is who I wanna hang out with. I mean, you were in Wood Dorm, which was like halfway across campus in a weird spot

where we didn't know anybody and it was a suite. And you spent a lot of time with Jack freshman year. You had a number of friends that were suite mates, right? Yeah, yeah, yep. And so, now that I think about it, because junior year, which we'll get to in a second, where he moved off campus, because we met at the beginning of sophomore year,

it turns out that a lot happened during sophomore year because sophomore year was our last year in Syme dorm. So that was Syme dorm room 24, which has since been turned into a storage closet because the window opens up underneath the stairs. But that was the year that we got into smoking cigars. We would crawl out through that window. In that little area.

I have fond memories of that window. Tell us what you remember. Well, I remember we would smoke cigars. Did we get into pipes by that point? Yes, pipes by George, yes. Oh, it was low. There was some chairs. It was chairs permanently staged out

in the under the stairs area. And there was a dirt floor and it was dark and damp. Yeah, because it was, okay, so it was- It wasn't good for like our respiratory health. The only window for our dorm room- Like walking out of the sign, you can hear them walking out and talking. Right, because the main entrance to sign

was like these like huge cement stairs. And then underneath that staircase was like, it was just open air, but it was, that's where our window was. So our window never got sunlight and we would open the window and we would crawl out of our window into underneath the stairs

where everybody's walking into the first floor. And there's bushes on both sides. So it was like completely walled in. It was like a cave. Like you couldn't, you probably could have, but you didn't go from underneath the stairs outside. No, we never did that. You could, it was like, it was enclosed.

I'm so sad that they made that into not a room anymore because it was the best room. It was great to be a college student there because- Students don't need sunlight. No matter what time of day it was, you could sleep. It was like having room darkening blinds, but it was just the staircase. And I remember, yeah, if you didn't get us into cigars,

I don't know who did, but what would happen was you'd say, hey, let's hang out and we'll smoke cigars. And you would come over. Backwards. Backwards. You started with backwards. We were not doing fine cigars. Well, that's because we didn't have a lot of money. I do remember we would save up and you would come over. Backwoods. Backwoods. You started with Backwoods. We were not doing fine cigars. Well, that's because we didn't have a lot of money. I do remember we would save up and you would,

you were like, we need to go to this place called Pipes by George. And we would go down on Hillsborough Street. It's still there. Oh, you checked last time you went? Yeah, it's still there. And George, you knew George because you had been in there. Yep, was first name basis was George.

And you remember what his catchphrase was? No, well, he would say, pack in the pipe, you know, pack it like a baby, pack it like a mama, pack it like a daddy, or something like that. But when you asked him about like, what do you think about this one? Oh, smooth, this is smooth.

Yeah, they were all- Smooth. It's real smooth. It's real smooth. Everything, I was like about like, what do you think about this one? Oh, smooth. Yeah, they were awesome. Smooth. It's real smooth. It's real smooth. Everything, I was like, George, do you have a tobacco that's not smooth? Smooth. No, I specialize in smooth. So we would go in there and we would buy cigars and we'd save up money to get like the nicer ones.

Like a $7 cigar. And I remember- That was a big Friday night. We would go sit underneath the stoop and you're right, there was like dirt, it was a dirt floor. It was dank and dark under there. And one day, I mean, like you would call and be like, I'm coming over. And then he came over and Greg was dragging a chair.

And we're like, where did you get this? This looks like one of the chairs from the student center. Do you remember that? This looks like one of the chairs from the student center. Do you remember that? Yeah, I remember now. Yeah, I wouldn't remember that, but yeah. Yeah, brought the chair over. You borrowed it, permanent. Hold on, he was a student.

He was a student. I mean, he's paying tuition. It's his chair. Just because it's not currently in the student center doesn't mean he can't use it. He didn't take it off campus. He just brought it to the little hole under the stairs. That was our level of subversion.

It was like, you know, we were so by the book, and I'm talking capital B book here. And I think, I mean, Greg, you were very much like, I don't, do you remember us being like very pious? But then I guess to finish my point, and you can answer the question, is like, whenever he would come over and he stole in a chair

and we're like smoking cigars and we're like just blowing all the smoke around the entrance to the, I just felt like we were being, we were edgy. I think, I wouldn't say that we were pious, we were zealous. There's a very distinct difference between those things. Right, pious is someone who is obsessed with rule following. Now we were good guys and everything, but we were zealous. It's more about belief.

About our belief and our faith. But also rules. I remember that time being the first time, not that we didn't do this before, but when you're sitting under the stairs smoking a cigar is when you start just talking about stuff and considering a night out, just having a three hour conversation about something.

Yeah, every weekend. That was the beginning of that being a staple because we weren't going out and partying. Nope. You know? Do you remember us being zealous? Like, was that a part of the equation of like, these guys are different?

No, that wasn't part of the equation. I do think you might've been zealous. Yeah. But never really took that into account, to be honest with you. Because if you, I mean, if you came from a place where, you know, you were doing things that like, were off limits for us, right? So then like, once you were doing things that were off limits

for us, right? So then once you came into the fold and like, Todd was trying to get you into Campus Crusade, once you became our friend, it was just like, you were all in at that point. Which came first, being friends with us or being Christians? Did we rope you into like really going all in for Jesus? No, you guys didn't.

I think like, well, you know, this kind of goes to you guys' deconstruction. Yeah. I've thought about this a lot actually um because when i was when i became a christian i met you guys shortly thereafter right and like it you know it i i thought like what what what does this say about me like this does their deconstruction what effect does it have on me but you know i i, I kind of realized that, like, I deconstructed many years before. You know, I grew up in a Christian home, and at some point I said, this is not for me.

You know, this is not, I don't even know what I'm doing. So I kind of rethought the whole thing and ended up where I am, where I was at that point in time. And, you know, you guys were just great friends. I just love being around you. And I still wish I could relive it all. It was a wonderful time in life to hang out. Yeah. Nothing beats those college years, you know.

Those are the best years that I remember. to hang out and nothing beats those college years, you know? Those are the best years that I remember. Yeah, because it's like you said, the definition of entertainment was just the three of us hanging out for hours, just talking, just talking. And I think, you know, there was no, yeah, we were just getting a kick out of each other. It's just being on the same wavelength

and there just being that. I also think, Greg, we were just getting a kick out of each other. It was just being on the same wavelength and there just being that. I also think, Greg, you brought this dynamic into our, I have to think, it's like I'm projecting a little bit because I don't remember thinking this at the time and I don't remember us talking about Greg, talking about you when you weren't around, but I have to think looking back on it that like, as close as Rhett and I were,

there was something to bring, like you mix things up. Like you bringing a third person into the equation, it kind of opened things up. There's lots of things where it's like, you know, if the two of us are talking, and it's even true now a lot of times, like if we hang out with people, there's this dynamic that's like, we've heard so much about each other,

we've lived so much of our lives together and know so much. It's like you bring somebody into it who's newer to the equation, it opens up the conversation. It makes it where you can cover new ground, you can have a different perspective. it opens up the conversation. It makes it where you can cover new ground. You can have a different perspective. And I think you were so, your sense of humor

and you were so game for conversation. And you came from a different place. Well, Wilmington. But then like, it was just like, okay, this is a new, this guy has a different vibe. He's cool, he's weird, he's got interesting perspective, he's funny. I think it had to have breathed,

it had been a breath of fresh air into our friendship to open it up in that way. I kind of see like, you know, you guys, you guys have been best friends for a long time. And, you know, I think it speaks volumes to your friendship that you would allow a third best friend into that dynamic. And it didn't affect you guys at all. I mean, we can, I can hang out with Red or I can hang out with Link or we could all hang out together. Y'all can hang out with each other. And it was like, there was no question that the friendship was true. Yeah. There was never any, you know, worrying that, you know, Red had a new best friend or Link had a new best friend that it was just, it was, it was truly,

you know, this perfect three, three way friendship. It was a perfect three-way friendship. It was a perfect three-way. Yeah, that's how we definitely thought of it. But yeah, I was thinking about that too. Well, I think that we were always, without stating it, we were always looking for somebody to be like the third person in our friendship. But that takes a special person.

Right, because- We didn't know we were looking for it, but I do think when we found it in Greg, it was just very natural. It has happened a few times in our lives, but the reason it's a challenge is because, you know, we both have to like the person, which isn't always the case, right?

And it's not that you like people that I don't like, or I like people that you don't like, is that we are both pretty particular in terms of like where we're gonna invest our time and who's gonna be our friend, and it's kind of always been the case. We're both very tough. And as we said, we like spending time with people

and then like retreating and analyzing the person and the experience, the two of us later. And I think if we ever talked about you, Greg, it was like all the stuff that I've already said and it was all positive. And like, there was this vibe that, yeah, I'm actually very surprised that there was something about the nature of our dynamic that you brought something

that I wasn't threatened by, you know, cause I have to think that that very well could have been part of the equation, but it never was. Cause we did hang out, I wanna talk about the dynamic with how we did hang out, how we spent our time and it was basically- You hung out with Greg a lot more than I did during school week.

And we'll talk about why that was. But one of the things that happened early on that sophomore year, I wanna see if you remember this. And I don't remember exactly how it came up, but we got you to cut your hair. Like if you remember your- Mop top. Your freshman year haircut,

and then you went basically just like buzz, and you basically had the buzz cut for a very long time after that. Do you remember what- Did I cut his hair? Did I cut your hair? Probably. I'm sure we all cut each other's hair. We had the clippers.

Yeah. You were cutting my hair in college for sure. You don't remember us talking you into cutting your hair? No, I thought I always had that haircut. No, dude, when we met you- Freshman year, man, you had a lot of hair on top of your head. You had like a, it looked like a wig.

Well, we called it the mushroom. You had a mushroom, dude. We gave you a makeover. And then you guys, I mean, whenever you guys would hang out without me, it would, you'd be playing twisted metal. But let's establish why. You studied all the time.

I studied a lot my freshman year. I studied a whole lot my freshman year. I got all A's and I was like, okay. Been there, done that. This wasn't, this doesn't need to be what college is about. So starting sophomore year, I was like, I'm gonna study enough to like get out of here

with a respectable GPA, but- But you also had another guy who wasn't me that gave you opportunity to do stuff. Well, and then Greg- When I was not giving you any opportunity. Greg is famous for the line when I was over there at his place and we were getting ready to play another round of Twisted Metal.

Cause that was our game, you remember that. Twisted Metal was our game. Now, do you remember what you told me when I was like, I gotta go study, man. You know what you know, you don't learn anything. I live by that. You know what you know, you don't learn anything. And then there was like this corollary

of like everything I learned, everything I You know what you know, you don't learn anything. And then there was like this corollary of like everything I learned, everything I know I learned in kindergarten, was that also you? No, I don't think so. Okay. I didn't learn anything in kindergarten. The catchphrase. I mean, me and Greg- You know what you know,

you don't learn anything. It's interesting in the dynamic that you're talking about with not feeling threatened because Greg and I did end up spending a lot of time together playing video games, eating Gumby's pizza. Like again, like you're not, you don't really, you've never really been in a video games, you're not really into food.

Yeah. So the idea of like, we're gonna go and get off extra large pizza and sit on a bench and eat the whole thing. Right. That's just not Link Neal stuff. So it was like, yeah. But I had somebody who was like, yeah, I do like to eat pizza in the middle of the night.

And I do like to not study and play video games. And so me and Greg had something. So for you, from your perspective, Greg filled a felt need that you had that I couldn't fulfill as your best friend. I wonder if we look at it the other way, like for me, I don't, what did we do together, Greg, without Rhett?

I don't know. I know that the years, you know, after college, like I hung out with you a lot more than I hung out with Rhett. It's like almost two different stages there. Yeah. Yeah, we had another, we had a post-college stage where, you know, we were both, you know, newlyweds,

starting our marriages. Christy and Jim were good friends. But we- Did you go to the same church? We went to the same church. Ah, yeah. So that's why like, we had like now first stage of post-college adulthood. I would go over to your house

and like you still had that Homer Simpson grill. Like it was a yellow grill. It looked like from the Simpsons. I had one of Greg's bristles on that grill. You still have it? Still have it, yeah. This episode is brought to you by Lego Fortnite. Lego Fortnite is the ultimate survival crafting game

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and play Lego Fortnite for free. Rated ESRB E10+. But to go back to sophomore year, yeah, so you would go over there, you would play Twisted Metal, and then let's get into the prime time of it all because you took over, Garrett was a senior, a freshman year-ish.

He was the MC, he was leaving. He pulled you under his wing and you were just waiting for him and Todd to ask you to step up and be the MC. You were lobbying for that. And I was in support of that. But like you were having these, it was like there was these like recruiting conversations.

It was interesting. But then you got the job, there was no pay. And then because I was already upfront, we were both in the most visible roles as students to shape what the weekly meeting looked like. And of course, we would talk about, we would talk about like, you'd be working up stuff that you were gonna do in your monologue.

I'd like to walk through what a primetime episode would look like, but of course, Greg, you were wrapped up in all this because we were a trio. Like if we were both shaping the meeting and having ideas, I think pretty quickly you got involved on stage too, basically as the Andy Richter to Rhett's Conan or Ed McMahon to his Johnny Carson. Well, I just remember thinking-

So you were like the sidekick character. I just remember thinking that Greg was hilarious, that everybody thought that he was funny, and he had really interesting ways of saying things. Yeah. And so I was just like, why don't you come up and just give a deep thought? So it was obviously a throwback

to the Jack Handy thing from SNL days, but it was just like, Greg, do you have a deep thought for us? And then I honestly don't remember how those were concocted. I don't know. I remember how they were concocted. We would sit back before the meeting and you guys would, we would all come up

with this deep thought and you guys would perfectly plan out what I was gonna say and I could never say it. Never say it quite as written. But there was a- Which was part of the thing that made it great. And then a lot of times I would, you and I would be working on it because Rhett, you'd be working on the other,

you'd be working on your monologue. Right. So then while you're getting prepared last minute for that, Greg, you and I would be over on the side and I would be drilling you in your deep thought. I mean, you do remember the preamble to it, right? That was the same every time.

Yeah, yeah. I did mess that up, I don't think. Let's hear it. After much deep thought and great meditation, I've come to the realization. That. That. And then you would say it.

I don't know. I don't remember one. Yeah, I don't remember any of that. Yeah, after much deep thought and great meditation, I've come to the realization that if you're gonna walk backwards, you're only seeing where you've been. And, but that's not a bad thing

if you're about to walk off a cliff. I don't know. I made that up, but they would be that non sequitur. And they were very unrelated. They weren't themed to anything that I was talking about because what I was doing every single week is, I mean, this was, again, this is one of my favorite times in my life

because I had this audience and I basically was like, I'm writing a standup routine, an original standup routine every single week. I was much more excited about that than I was studying. Yeah. And it was just like, okay, well this week I'm gonna tell this story or this week I'm gonna do this. And I remember one week I was like,

I had gotten so much confidence, way overconfident. I was like, this week, I'm not letting myself think about any of it until I'm up there and I'm doing it all off the cuff. I don't think that one went that well. No. But it was just such a, I mean, it was really the,

and of course there was the video aspect, which probably was about one out of 10. Let's paint a picture for how this went. So- We did that like two times a semester. The weekly meeting, every Thursday night, there'd be, it would start, you know, I think when you started, it was like,

maybe it might've been a few hundred people. And then that was sophomore year, junior year, senior year. By senior year, there was like, it was the largest campus group. There was like over a thousand students coming to this thing. They had to start like moving the venue. And it was just, it wasn't just because of any one thing.

I mean, the fact that, yeah, like, there was a lot of comedy involved. It was very fun. It was a fun environment to be in, but there was, so that was a factor. There were other factors too, but I think it definitely was a lot of comedy involved. It was very fun. It was a fun environment to be in, but there was, so that was a factor. There were other factors too, but I think it definitely was a positive contribution to like the numbers growing every week.

It became kind of this spectacle of you're gonna show up to this thing. And in my mind, I was very much a part of it. Obviously in your mind, you were the center of it as the host and Greg is a sidekick, but like in our, whenever we'd get together sophomore year and then junior year, when we moved into an apartment,

the three of us together, it was like the epicenter of planning, like working with Todd on planning an episode, I mean a meeting. So the meeting would start with like singing and I would lead the singing. So I will be up there and like saying stuff in between songs and kind of scratching that itch

of like having an audience. But it was very spiritual. It was very spiritual. I had to stay in my lane. But then the next thing that would happen is you would come out as the MC and like do a welcome. But a lot of times we saw that as an opportunity to create a video.

Wasn't our, and they had done this in years past, create a video where it would be this comedy lead up to you, it would always be you're doing something, some sort of adventure or something. And then the way the video would always end is you walking up the stairs to the front of the venue and then you would come in and you'd be there. So it would seem like a continuation of the video live.

And in reality, I think we probably only did that at the beginning of each semester because we just didn't have, because literally we had to make the videos and then I was going home to my dad's office in Buies Creek and editing them on two VCRs. Like this was still before a nonlinear editing system. And so we just, we would have,

I mean, if we were in college right now, we would have been doing videos every single week, but it's just, there wasn't, we didn't have the capacity to do it. So at first you would just come out, maybe without a video, but then when we started making videos, you and Greg would come out as a duo.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. As a comedy duo. The two of you would come out. And so the video was a set piece to introduce the two of you whenever we could make those. And I was the director, DP, I was the cameraman. Right. And I would kind of, I mean,

you and I were very involved in coming up with what these videos would be. And then it would be kind of some sort of storyline. Sometimes like Greg would be lost or you would be like fighting, I don't know. I had to like find Greg a couple of times, but then, and then I think- One of them you actually carried-

I carried you in. You carried Greg in, like he was like passed out or dead or something. I never thought of this, but why did I never find Rhett? Why was I always wrong? Because you were the sidekick. You were the sidekick. I had to find you in order to, you know, feel complete.

You would come down the aisle together and then Rhett would, you would stand on the side, Rhett would do his monologue. I would be sitting in the audience laughing the loudest. I was basically doing what Stevie does in Good Mythical Morning. You were like the crowd, you know, like the person who sits in the crowd.

I'd break the icebreaker. I'd break- It's okay to laugh. It's okay to laugh. Applause coach. Yeah, I would laugh, not applaud. So Greg, you would be standing up there the whole time that Rhett was giving his monologue and occasionally Rhett would turn to you

and like have an exchange if he wanted to, but otherwise you were just kind of standing there awkwardly waiting to give your deep thought, which was hilarious. Not the deep thought, the fact that you were just standing up there was just kind of funny to me. Like, and then you would say something like Greg, and you would know it would have a pattern,

video or not, monologue. And then you would turn to Greg and say, Hey Greg. Or you might say, what's up Greg? And he'd say good. And I'd be like, I'd say like, Greg, you've been thinking about anything? Like we always set it up as if it was a natural conversation. So everyone would expect this really anti-climactic,

deep thought that I was waiting for you to totally screw up, which was an added layer of, but you, I mean, you were good at it. Like something about your delivery. It but you, I mean, you were good at it. Like something about your delivery. People loved it. People loved it every time. And then after that, we'd probably sing some more songs, there might be like promotions for different events

and then there'd be a speaker and then there'd be more songs and that would be it. So it was like really the beginning was about the comedy. Well, that's the interesting thing is that, you know, at the beginning of every meeting, in addition to the funny monologue, I would have to say, you know, Campus Crusade for Christ

is an inter-nominational Christian organization founded in 1951 by, and I would do the spiel and I would be like, we operate on a three, I would make it different every time, but say like three pronged philosophy of win, build, sin, win students to Christ, build them up in their faith and send them out to continue the wind build sin process. Like I said, stuff like that all the time.

And- You became like a spokesman. And I would, and then there was this weird dynamic of your, and this really became a thing during Christmas conference, but being, trying to be as funny as possible and then being spiritual. Cause a pastor would come up and speak

and do like a serious talk. Right. Usually started humorously and then ended in a serious place. And then I got to get up there after that. And at this point, this is all, all the funny games are over. And I got to say something that sounds

like the student response to this thing. Like that talk really had an impact on you. But Greg, the thing I wanna talk to you about is, do you know that, so obviously after we graduated and we were engineers for a while, then Link and I went on staff of Crusade to kind of do our comedy ministry thing. And during the support raising process,

you would have to kind of talk about, you know, you got to give your spiel and kind of explain what you're doing. And Link... I was going to bring this up because I was there for one of these meetings. Oh, you were? So, yes.

I was there when Link was presenting the fact that Rhett and Link were hosting the weekly meeting, and I looked at Link, and I was like, hmm. Yeah, and Link's simplified story that he would give to supporters, he overwrote you with himself. And you were in the room for it. Yeah, I heard the spill.

I was there for one of the presentations. I think you gave me some money. Thank you. Well, listen, to me, I was justified in doing it because it was just too complicated to try to explain. I completely understand why you did it. You weren't- Were you upset?

No. Yeah, you were talking to like a 65 year old person in Kinston, North Carolina who- Well, apparently I was talking to Greg at one time. No, no, for some reason you and I went up to Asheville for something and you were scrounging for supporters and I was like, well, I know some people in Asheville so these were my contacts.

Yes! So you took him to Asheville and then he told the story about me and him. As him. Yeah. It probably didn't occur to me and him. As him. Yeah. It probably didn't occur to me as I was saying it. I don't think they supported you. They could see through your lies.

Yeah, yeah, I'm glad. You had the perfect opportunity to be like, you know, and Greg was up there. Like you had the perfect, you could have used Greg's connection to these people. You probably would have come out of there with like seven. Oh, I was using Greg. That's very clear at this point, but not in the right way greg i'm sorry for uh for erasing you in my revisionist history

shop best buys ultimate smartphone sale today get a best buy gift card of up to 200 on select phone activations with major carriers visit Visit your nearest Best Buy store today. Terms and conditions apply. Before that, you know, I think there were moments when, okay, you moved from, by junior year, they asked you, Rhett, to host, to be the emcee for the regional Christmas conference. And by this point, when you did that, I was involved less at first,

but then more and more over time. And that's where we became a comedy duo on stage. But the way that that happened was, first of all, Greg, I'm interested in your perspective on this because at that point, like the Greg sidekick thing didn't, I don't remember how, but it didn't transfer over

to the regional Christmas conference. Well, I- And I didn't replace you. I remember this. Immediately. The first time, okay, so the first year I did it, the only time that you were on stage was during the music. Right. The comedy music, not the worship music, the original songs.

That we would write together. And the first song was the unibrow song, which was the song that we wrote, when we wrote the song for your rehearsal dinner, which was, we've seen Greg naked, soon you will too, whatever that one. Hope you enjoy it more than we do. So when we got up there,

it was actually you and Tim and Greg. Nope, Greg wasn't there. It was just you and Tim? No, and I think the reason- I was getting married, I was getting married right then. You were moving on. That's why you went out of the picture. You weren't, you didn't go to Christmas conference.

You were engaged, you were moving on. We were writing, we had written and performed at least one song for seniors at the NC State weekly meeting. So we had started writing some songs. That first song that we ever performed at a primetime NC State meeting for seniors, I don't wanna go into the details of it.

It was, yes. But it was me, but by senior year, we had Tim move in with us in our apartment. So me, you and Tim were each playing a three headed person who was singing back up to you singing. So that was the first song we ever played. But then the second song that I remember was, was a Unibrow song, which Tim still came up there for that.

At Christmas conference. And then after that, there was no more Tim playing, singing songs with us. And I moved more into a sidekick and then a co-host role. Once I was no longer a student, and me and you were doing our comedy thing together and also talking about going on staff is when like right at the beginning

of the whole conference, we would both get up there together. So that was like the third year or something like that. So in retrospect, from that point, Rhett and I were a comedy duo, we were doing this full time. And when you work backwards, like we had done it in Christmas conference so many years that like, when you go back, you we had done it in Christmas conference so many years that like when you go back, you know, four or five years, then yeah, I kind of become you in the story

just so I can get that money. Now, just to simplify. Greg, did you ever find yourself thinking, man, I mean, he's not asking me to do the deep thoughts at Christmas conference, because you never told me that. No, I never thought that, never. Okay, good, I don't feel bad.

I ran out of thoughts. You ran out of deep thoughts. You stopped thinking deeply after college. Yeah, I've been writing them down every week for 22 years. Well, rewinding a little bit to that junior year, because again, the first time, so that was the year we moved off campus, right?

And this is the first time that the two of us ever lived with anyone else. So of course we had lived together freshman and sophomore year in our dorm, but when we decided to move off campus to Gorman Crossings, apartment 3000 C. I'm sure it was a no brainer that it was gonna be the three of us.

Yeah, that only made sense, right? It was so exciting. Like I remember that moment too of just like, hey, we're getting an apartment. Yeah, it had stairs in it. We each- No, when we did the tour, it had stairs. I remember the tour had stairs in it.

It was a two-story one. And then we ended up getting the one-story one is what we ended up renting. But I was like, this is so crazy. There's carpet on stairs. Like, I don't know why that was fascinating to me. Oh yeah, we didn't get that one. We thought that Gorman Crossings was so nice.

It was a three bedroom apartment. We each had our own bedroom. It had a sliding glass doors off the living room that went right into like this stoop. And I was like, this is our new stoop. We now have sunlight. We get to sit out here and have our three hour conversations and smoke pipes by George.

So yeah, like play in house with your best friends. It was like so much fun. Like we moved Mr. Fly, our couch into there. We decorated the room with the Lionel vinyl and the Michael Jackson Thriller vinyl. We found a couch out by the dumpster that looked similar to Mr. Play. It was like a golden and green.

Do you remember that? Yep, and we brought in, every, all the furniture was probably from thrift stores. Oh yeah. Pretty janky. And I remember you had a thing for a label maker. Yeah, I labeled things. You would label things for comedic effect. Yep, yep, still do.

Like our VCR, said VCR on it, which reminds me of the big God-macking initiative that I think was, I was in a relationship. I was dating Christy. It reminds me of the big God-macking initiative that I think was, I was in a relationship. I was dating Christy. Do you remember? I was on the fringe of this. Greg, do you remember the God-macking idea that we had? Yeah, I think we had that idea

while we were going out to Mission Valley, $1.50 theater. This is where the plan really got hashed out. Yeah. But it culminated with the plan of got hashed out. Yeah. But it culminated with the plan of the apes. Oh yeah. Movie marathon. Yeah, so for the uninitiated. For those of you who weren't there that night.

God macking, it was me and Greg's idea to, and this goes very much against what we're being told by Campus Crusade. You find a girl who's not a Christian or maybe she's not a serious Christian and you date her with the intention that she would become a Christian. And really it was, I think it was because we were a little-

Doesn't sound good, does it? We were a little bit frustrated with the pool of women that we had at our disposal in Campus Crusade. And we just, we wanted to expand the circle and the only way we could justify it is in the end of the process, it was an act of evangelism. How do you remember the Planet of the Apes idea? I don't know, you know, like every good idea,

who came up with it, I don't know. But I know that we had multiple TVs and we had a VCR and we figured out a way to hook multiple TVs to one VCR. Yeah, that's a classic Greg thing to do. There was Planet of the Apes in every single room of the apartment. You created a closed circuit television system so in anticipation for so many women who you didn't know.

We wanted it to be us and all women. That was the plan. So you went around campus and started inviting- We would go up to- At NC State. Strange women. We would just go up to groups of girls talking and be like, how you guys doing?

We're showing Planet of the Apes. Some girls came. They did, they showed up. I mean, not many, we had more TVs than we needed. Not more TVs than women, but. I mean, to your credit, there was a good number of women there. I would say there were at least eight women there.

And I walked in and I didn't know any of them. And Planet of the Apes was showing on at least two televisions. I don't know if there was a third one. Yeah, and Greg, we didn't provide any, like, if I recall correctly- Was there food? There definitely wasn't alcohol.

There was no alcohol. I don't know if we even had drinks and food, man. We didn't know how to throw a party. We were just like, they're just gonna be interested. Why would you need drinks and food? There's Planet of the Apes. Oh man, I would love to hear one of those- No relationships came out of that.

I would love to hear one of those girls describe that. Like they're out there somewhere and they're just like, these guys invited me to this thing. Yeah, some strangers invited me to their apartment to watch Planet of the Apes. They really built it up as a big deal. I'm sure they don't even remember it because it was not memorable.

They did not mention Jesus because- You can't do that in day one. You gotta use Planet of the Apes as a segue into the gospel. Right, bait and switch, they call that. So you baited them with Planet of the Apes. And yes, I think they would say, "'Well, we showed up and they were watching

"'Planet of the Apes on VCR and the couches were kind of ratty. There was no food. They seemed very excited that we were there and then we left. I think that's what they would say. Man. So maybe it's not all you hoped it would be.

Yeah, it didn't last. But hey, you know what? It took a lot of initiative and you guys really, but again, I was in a relationship. You guys are trying to play catch up. You still are. I got married first. Greg, you got married second. I got married in May.

You got married in December. And then Rhett, you got married the next June. Right, all within the one calendar year. But I mean- And all still married to the same lovely women. So Greg, you jotted down some stuff. One other thing here about relative, relevant to what we're talking here.

There was this girl named Lindsay. Yep. Like I was talking to Lindsay. This is the one bone I will ever pick with Rhett and I've never done it, so here I go. Oh, I'm excited about this. Oh yeah. I thought you would be.

There was this girl named Lindsey. Yep. Oh, I remember. Lindsey was interested in me and I was interested in Lindsey until Rhett got involved. What happened? Well, I'll add another next thing. Next thing, Lindsey likes Rhett. But she didn't though.

You were talking to her, right? Did you go out on a date? The date was, you know, it was about to happen. It was imminent? It was imminent, yes. Yes, imminent. But like in your mind, it was imminent. Yes, definitely.

And did, hold on. Did you tell me that I know this? Did I know that you liked her? I remember it. I remember Greg liked her. I remember Rhett sort of like hinting, like, would it be okay if I talked to Lindsay? I mean, you know, what do you say to your friend

when they ask if they could talk? You were my God-macking partner. I mean, I just thought it was just tit for tat. No, I honestly do not, I do not remember. Cause when I think about Lindsey, what I remember is liking her. And then she immediately went on Summer Project. And when she came back,

she was dating one of the guys that she met on Summer Project. And when you meet somebody on Summer Project, even though it's for another school, you've got on like Summer Project glasses, you know, and you think you're in love. I don't- Call him Goggles. Goggles.

She probably ended up marrying him, who knows? But I'm sorry, Greg. I didn't know that you were moving in. Sorry for what? Give a full apology. I'm sorry for moving in on you and a girl that you were interested in. Oh, well, I'm over it.

I'm over it now. I don't think I really understood that there was something there. I didn't know that that was happening. I thought you were just like, yeah, she's hot. And I was like, yeah, she is hot. Maybe I could talk to her. Maybe I shouldn't have said anything then.

Well, I mean, you know, it all worked out for the best, obviously. Yeah, nobody ended up with Lindsey. She went on Summer Project. She ended up with somebody if she wanted to. You gotta lock it down before they go on Summer Project, but I didn't. It does remind, I mean, if you said

you didn't get upset at that, like there were some signature moments where Greg would get upset. Like you had this signature way of getting mad that was hilarious. And it, I mean, literally we would, when you would get really angry, we would laugh and it would do nothing

but make you more angry. It just makes it matter. Like I distinctively remember, one time of you, there was a basketball involved and whenever you would get upset, that you would get this look on your face that would be like, like your eyes would get big

and your lips would start moving, like, but you're not saying anything. And then we'd be like, Greg, you're mad. Tell us what's going on. And then, I'm sorry, I don't remember anything you were mad at. Apparently Lindsey. I mean, I never moved in on don't remember anything you were mad at. Apparently Lindsey. I mean, I never moved in on any girl

that you were clearly talking to, because I do remember that you were talking to Lindsey. Yes, I remember that too. Yeah, but I do remember at another time, you got mad with a basketball and you threw the basketball and hit, was it? Threw it at Tim. It was Tim.

Okay, hit Tim in the chest with it. From what I remember, he was making fun of my, the skinniness of Greg. Oh. Speaking of third person here, a very sensitive subject for myself. Okay, for Greg. Okay, I didn't mean to bring up

another traumatic experience on top of it, but like- But I think you also got mad when we- We hugged it out, I didn't mean to bring up another traumatic experience on top of it. But I think you also got mad when we- We hugged it out, I think. That's one thing. I mean, that's why I'm surprised that we never talked about the Lindsay thing because we were actually, yeah, so junior year we lived together

and then of course Tim joined senior year. But we were really good at working. I think there was an emotional maturity there that I definitely think it came through. At least for two of us, yeah. Our involvement in crew and just sort of like, you know, these things are important and like being real and being vulnerable is important.

And so there was, like we would work through our issues, which is why I'm surprised that we haven't, we never talked about Lindsay until now. But I do remember the time that we took your, speaking of your label maker, you had slightly different tastes. You had like Wilmington taste, which was elevated above the taste that,

you know, the Buies Creek taste. So you would get like Edie's ice cream and we would get like the plastic, you know, bucket of ice cream from Food Lion. And you had this Edie's ice cream. Food Lion brand, yeah. And we were just sitting there one night, you weren't there and we were like,

man, Greg's got that Edie's ice cream. We need that Edie's ice cream. And the color of the Edie's ice cream was very white. Very nice vanilla. You had a taste for the better ice cream. We need that Edie's ice cream. And the color of the Edie's ice cream was very white. Very nice vanilla. You had a taste for the better ice cream. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. We just didn't have the budget. I was afraid to buy it.

Because we had communal groceries, but then on top of communal groceries, There were some special items. You would have special stuff that you just buy and label for yourself. You had labeled the Edie's for yourself. And because everything else was communal with the three and then the four of us,

it was never enough because we weren't willing to allocate enough money. We would split one hamburger helper meal. Four ways. Four ways. We did it three ways and then when Tim came along, we just went four ways. We didn't get more hamburger helper, we just got less each.

But you had, so yeah, the E.D.'s ice cream. So we ate probably get more hamburger helper, we just got less each. But you had, so yeah, the Edie's ice cream. So we ate probably a third to a half of your Edie's pint. And then we took our cheap yellow vanilla ice cream and filled it back up and smoothed it out on top. And then your lips started to move, but you weren't talking. Do you recall this? I do, but did I get mad about that? Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. No, I think you probably

thought it was hilarious that we tried to do it. No, no, no. I think you got mad. No way. No way I got mad about that. Those are the days, though, man. My whole grocery budget on ice cream, and then you eat it. Yeah, man. What was the last thing that filled you with wonder that took you away from your desk or your car in traffic? Yeah, man. Crunchyroll presents The Anime Effect. It's a weekly news show. With the best celebrity guests.

And hot takes galore. So join us every Friday, wherever you get your podcasts and watch full video episodes on Crunchyroll or on the Crunchyroll YouTube channel. I've taken all of our oldest videos and we're getting them digitized. So, and because on a, you were the editor back then.

Once we really started moving into video editing later, definitely when we got into YouTube, I like really wanted to be the editor and took over for that. But like, yeah, it was interesting because your dad had the two VCRs that you became the default editor and you would always throw Led Zeppelin on it.

So like that, I don't know, you just kept going back to Led Zeppelin. We weren't even huge Led Zeppelin fans, but it was always perfect. It makes a great soundtrack. It's like great for like- And it's subversive for like- Entrance videos.

It's very subversive music- For a Christian organization. For a Christian organization. Okay. We kind of liked that aspect and Barry White as well. Yes. It was like, we were like, we're gonna play lovemaking and devil music in all of our videos

that we're making for crew. Yeah. And again, we weren't like, we were super zealous about our faith. But we did not like Christian music. Yeah, we hated it. Because we had taste. But for that reason, we can't put these videos out there.

Like the first videos that we made for our first audience, which featured the two of you prominently and me just in like feature roles or just behind the camera, like have never been seen except for in front of those live audiences. But now I'm gonna put them on the Mythical Society because of the Led Zeppelin of it all, that's the only place where we can safely put it out there.

So yeah, it's gonna be behind a paywall, but hey, you get what you pay for, baby. So we're gonna do like a director's commentary of this thing. We can just get rid of the soundtrack and voiceover all the parts together. We can do yeah yeah so you guys have i'm sure you've talked about the the calc have you talked about the calculus uh jackass story has that been has that been talked about before yeah oh my god yeah yes but it's been so we gotta tell that story again yeah red i was right

in the calculus class yeah right and tim were in the calculus class. Yeah, it was me. Right in the calculus class. Yeah. And we get through the semester, I'm a back row seater. All the way back. All the way back, back corner, close to the door. And how many students?

Probably 40, 50? It was probably 100. 100. I don't know how the idea got followed up, but. Well, I remember, so we had that British professor, right? Because this is like, this is linear equations,

like maybe calculus four. He was very, he was like, he kind of have a sense of humor, but he was, he was very like in control professor, right? Like he had control of his classroom. And so at some point I just remember thinking, God, I was like, what would this guy do? I was like, Greg, if you'll stand up,

you know, raise your hand and when he calls on you, stand up and say, I'm a jackass. At any point in the semester, I will buy you a foot long. Was that the- From Blimpy? From Blimpy. Blimpy, yeah, Blimpy. Which is a big sandwich, that's a big sandwich. So this is like halfway through the semester,

this idea hatched. Yeah, it must've been. Yeah, through the semester, Rhett's like, always kind of like prodding me, when are you gonna do it? They're doing the, you know, we're doing the end of semester exam. It was, yeah, exam prep, last day of class.

Yeah, the professor had just gone over number nine, I'm pretty sure. I'm pretty sure it was number nine. And he's asking, is there any more questions on number nine? And I raised my hand. And he's like, yes, yes, you in the back. And I stand up and, you know, there's a, there's a pause. Everyone turns around to see. Cause you stood up like that wasn't, it wasn't a protocol to stand up.

Yeah. And I, and I say, I'm a jackass. And, uh, well, the TA was sitting nearby and he started laughing. He understood what was going on. I think we had kind of run up by him to see what he would think. We didn't want Fs in the class. Right, yeah. I didn't want to compromise your grade.

We meaning you. We, me, me. I didn't want an F in the class. And do you remember what the professor said? Because he was very quick. What does that make me? Yeah. I mean, I was like, yes! Pretty great. I mean, it was said? Cause he was very quick. What does that make me? Yeah. I mean, I was like, yes!

Pretty great. I mean, it was just like, he was so quick. And then what did you do? And then everybody laughed. Then I sat back down and- And then we went to Blympi and got a sub. You got that sub, baby. There was another incident similar.

Rhett and I were at Carmichael and we were just... You must have been playing basketball or something, but there's a group of guys that are playing 21. Isn't 21 where you're just playing one-on-one against everybody? Against everybody, yeah.

Rhett says, hey, Greg, I want you to get in there and get that ball and go in for a layup. It's like, I don't to get in there and get that ball and go in for a layup. And it's like, I don't care if you make it. I just want you to like fall hard. I did not play basketball, but I get in there in the mix. I'm in the mix.

I get the ball and I go for a layup and I throw it as hard as I can up into the rim. And it hits the rim and it hits the rim and it hits me in the face. And I'm laid out and I, you know, duck on the ground and those guys, I'm sure they've never had a better laugh. Yeah, wherever you go, Greg, you enrich people's lives. And there was a bit-

I love that jackass, like, you know- I'm a jackass. I love jackass humor to this day. Like one of my favorite movies of the year is Jackass Forever. Like I just, I love it. And again, I didn't- You love watching other people do it.

I didn't take you, I didn't go, I took Shepard of that movie because you don't care about it, right? And so it's like, and Greg was just like the perfect- Up for anything. Yeah, he was like, I'm totally gonna do this and it'll get this reaction. Now, so, I mean, yeah, we did, you were kind of,

I mean, you were the object of a lot of humor. You were the subject of a lot of like ideas that we would hatch. It was like, because, I don't know, it was kind of like we produced you. We were like comedy producers. And so- We just weren't filming it. We should have been filming it all.

It wasn't like we were puppeting you. It was just like, we saw like, yeah, I think as producers, we saw how funny you were and we wanted to offer that up to the classroom or to the pickup basketball court or whatever the case may be. It just seemed like we were just packaging you as a gift to the world and you were always game for it.

And it wasn't, we weren't pulling one over on you. No, no, if it was in that scenario, I would be the Johnny Knoxville and you would be the Steve-O. You know, it was a beautiful arrangement and you get the reaction that you're looking for. It's just, we weren't shooting any of it. We were just remembering it. But when we did film stuff,

I mean, it was like, you'd have an idea and then it would be like, okay, this is gonna be funny, but I don't know what Greg's gonna do, but I know it will be even funnier than I thought. Like it's one thing to do a layup. Especially if I did it. Right. It wouldn't be funny. Right, right.

You know what I'm saying? But it's not, okay, it'd be funny if he does a layup, but what you don't know is that he's gonna hit himself in the face by accident. I remember we were shooting this video and I was setting up this shot and I was like, "'Hey, Greg, you've got to run around the corner and then into the entrance to our dorm.

And I'm filming it. I hope I can find this footage. I'll show it on the Mythical Society if I find it. You're running and you had these big ass baggy jeans, but you didn't have an ass. But, and we always saw your crack, man. Your crack was always showing. And you're like running around the corner.

And then as you, I remember seeing this through the camera, clear as day, you're running, you turn the corner. And then as you're running, your pants start falling. Slowly falling down. Slowly falling down. To the thigh, to the knee, to the ankle. But you didn't stop running because you knew exactly what you were doing. You knew where you needed to go. And it's like, okay, he's gonna make it to his ankle. But you didn't stop running because you knew exactly what you were doing. You knew where you needed to go

and it's like, okay, he's gonna make it to his mark. He's just not gonna have pants on when he gets there. And like, I don't know, you either fell or didn't fall. He got steps from the door and fell down. You remember that? Yeah, yeah, I remember. I was still running and the pants were all the way down. But it wasn't-

We couldn't show that one in the crusade cut. But there was a video where you were two completely naked. Completely naked. And you were playing video games. Twisted metal. Twisted metal and oh, it's like, oh shit, we forgot, we didn't say oh shit, but he's like, oh no, we forgot that it's time to be

at the primetime meeting. That was one of the semester's opening meetings was me and Greg playing video games naked. And I framed it up. I don't know why they let us get away with any of that stuff. Because I framed it up where you couldn't see your junk. And then it's like, oh no, they're naked,

they're playing a game. And then it's like, oh no, we gotta go. And then you both start to stand up, but you grab your book bags in such a way in the perfect placement so that, but like. I gotta give it, listen. You were probably naked. Yeah, listen. You were probably naked. Yeah, we were, you were literally both probably naked.

I gotta give it to Mark Valentine and Mike Mahaffey and Todd Smith. For letting that go through. For being cool with that, you know. I hope they don't have any regrets about how we ended up. But it wasn't because of that. Like they, you know, they knew what was important and they were willing to have fun. And it was like, you know, they knew what was important and they were willing to have fun.

And it was like, you know, it's just a couple of dudes naked playing video games as a joke, it'll be funny. So first of all, Greg, do you have any other memories that you've jotted down? I love the fact that you actually made notes. Like we've never seen you actually make notes. You've actually done homework.

This is important. This conversation was important. Anything else before? No, I just wanted to bring up one other thing. It was Rhett's wedding rehearsal dinner. Was it barbecue pig picking? Yeah, yeah, we had a pig picking. Yeah, so yeah, I was at that function.

And everyone, we're sitting in a big circle, right? We sit in a big circle and everyone's going around. They're saying, you know, how wonderful Rhett and Jesse are. And, like, I felt the need to say something important. But big mistake. Big mistake. but big mistake big mistake you should never sit me down and give me the opportunity to say something important but so my observation has always been well you know what happens the ret will happen to link or what happens link will like eventually like it's it's going to happen

like if ret does it like links link is not not far behind. But my example was the snowboarding incident. We go snowboarding for Link and a couple weeks later go with Rhett, same thing. We both got concussions. Both got concussions. I didn't get a broken pelvis though. So were you insinuating that I was gonna have sex with Rhett's wife?

Yep, that was the subtext. No. After I got done, I sat down and after everyone else's nice little speech, everyone gave a clap, polite clap or laugh, but I got nothing. You got nothing. Well, the funny or laugh, but I got nothing. You got nothing. Well, the funny thing is, it's like, it was, you know,

that's the wonderful thing about, you know, rehearsal and receptions and stuff like that. That was like the night before engagement thing, is that it's the whole mixed company thing. So you've got like family. Yeah. And we were bringing this, you were bringing that dynamic of,

I'm gonna do something. I'm gonna be strength. I'm gonna be straight. That we would have done just amongst us but like my grandparents were there. And so they're like, who is that boy? I think that's, I mean, we got a lot of love for you, man. I mean, this has been so fun like catching up but I think we've alluded to this in previous podcasts,

just to kind of talk about like where our friendship is now and over the years. I think, you know, there was, you know, when we graduated and then you went to, you and Jim went to Argentina for on staff of Campus Crusade, right? For STEM, yes. For over a year, like a year and a half. And then you came back and did you,

you went somewhere else on staff? No, no, I came back and we lived in Raleigh for three years. We reconnected then, right? Yeah, went back to school and then, yeah, then we did a lot of stuff with you and Christy. Right. Then we moved to Florida and then we moved to South Africa

and here we are now in Washington. Right, so and then Florida, South Africa and Washington, that was all engineering, your engineering jobs. Yeah. But yeah, I mean, I think that, you know, with distance and with us trying to get our careers off the ground, it was kind of like, there was a drifting apart where like,

we really didn't keep in touch that often. At least that was my recollection of it. Well, yeah, I mean, things get so busy. But when I was in South Africa, we started talking again. We made a way. We made a way thanks to the internet to talk. Yeah, that's right. Because you and I had gotten,

yeah, we had that like second wind when we were going to church together and like what I said about being adults. And then, so like, I think we carried on some of that. But even that started to kind of dissolve over time of like being able to keep in touch. And it was really- For a number of years. It was the pandemic that,

you know, I don't remember, it may have been Harm's idea initially for us to start talking on a regular basis, you know? So like that group of guys from state. And you know, it's been, we were better about it earlier in the pandemic. And then as life has slowly sort of gotten back to normal and people's schedules have gotten back to normal,

it's been more difficult. But one of the things that we have pulled off is we've actually planned a get together. I'm excited about that. Like it's like the tropish middle-aged men still relive their college years by going whitewater rafting in Colorado. Well, that's what I said on the group thread.

I was like, this is like the beginning of either a horror movie. Now I said, this is like the beginning of like a thriller where something goes wrong. And then I think Tim said, or a comedy, like Hot Tub Time Machine. Right. It's very much like middle-aged dudes

who haven't hung out in a while, all getting together in one house. So in their own like whitewater rafting. We've hung out a few times, you know, over the years seeing you guys. And it's always like, you know, conversation picks up where it left off. But I am excited to go on a retreat together.

That's another level. Yeah, that is another level. It will be great. It'll be good. Yeah, I mean, it's just crazy, you know, just to see like, I mean, you got all these children running around. You got three kids.

Yeah, I got three kids. I got three kids. I got two. You still got two kids. I'm not gonna catch up with you guys on that. But I mean, what is it? I'm just grateful that, you know, it's like now we're reconnected, we're like getting together.

Of course, that's assuming nothing bad goes happen when we're on that raft. I might regret the whole thing. But even if it does, I mean, if it doesn't go too bad, that'll just be a good story. And videoed. We'll do that. We're all gonna have GoPros on our heads.

But I think that, you know, I'm grateful for our friendship and like, Rhett and I talked so much about our college years, not only on this podcast, but just in normal life. It's like, like you said earlier, it was just such a sweet spot of a time for us. It was such a dynamic experience and it would not have been the same

if you hadn't come into our lives. And I mean, we became a trio and it was something that, I mean, Rhett and I, we talk so much about how our friendship is one of a kind. And I mean, definitely for those college years, those three years, sophomore, junior, senior, especially sophomore, junior year where it was the three of us so much.

I mean, it was just such a special time that few people have that, you know? So we just kind of fit together like a glove and I wouldn't trade it for the world. It was just super, super sweet. Now that you reminded me of those stories, which I had, the jackass one, of course, I remember I've told, I forgot about the basketball one.

So now we just got, just prepare yourself, Greg, because we've got to come up with something for you to do when we all get together. So you're gonna have to say something to the RAF guide or something, put your hand on his knee or something. I don't know. But we're gonna- We'll ride it. But we're, yeah.

And we will egg you on to do it. And then we're gonna film it. And then you will make it better than we ever thought it could be. This time there will be video evidence. Needs to be. Well, I know you gotta go back to work. Gotta supervise the digging of that hole,

so don't let us keep you from it. All right, we'll be in touch. All right, this is the end? This is the end. This is it, Greg.