The Daily Zeitgeist - The Bolton Factor, A Tragedy 1.28.20

Episode Date: January 28, 2020

In episode 557, Jack and Miles are joined by comedian Eric Lampaert to discuss the 2020 Democratic candidates' celebrity crushes, what we learned from John Bolton's book, impeachment updates, televangelist Paula White, the tragic passing of Kobe Bryant, and more!FOOTNOTES: Do you have a celebrity crush? Bombshell book: What we know about John Bolton's allegations about Trump and Ukraine Trump was determining just how necessary US support was for Ukraine. He figured they'd give him *anything* in exchange for it. Paula White, Trump’s Personal Pastor, Joins the White House Civil rights groups wary of Trump's latest faith-based initiative Trump’s New ‘Religious Freedom’ Order Actually Undermines That Principle Why televangelist Paula White is the perfect Trump administration hire Did Trump’s Spiritual Adviser Ask People to Send Her Their January Salaries? Trump's spiritual adviser, Paula White, fires back at critics Trump’s “spiritual advisor” may as well be a Righteous Gemstones character  Kobe Bryant never stopped trying to inspire Kobe Bryant’s death: Live updates and remembrance WATCH: Sudan Archives - Iceland Moss | A COLORS SHOW Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kay hasn't heard from her sister in seven years. I have a proposal for you. Come up here and document my project. All you need to do is record everything like you always do. What was that? That was live audio of a woman's nightmare. Can Kay trust her sister or is history repeating itself? There's nothing dangerous about what you're doing.

They're just dreams. Dream Sequence is a new horror thriller from Blumhouse Television, iHeartRadio, and Realm. Listen to Dream Sequence on the iHeartRadio iheart radio app apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts senora sex ed is not your mommy's sex talk this show is la platica like you've never heard it before we're breaking the stigma and silence around sex and sexuality in latinx communities this podcast is an intergenerational conversation between Latinas from Gen X to Gen Z. We're your hosts, Viosa and Mala. You might recognize us from our first show, Locatora Radio.

Listen to Señora Sex Ed on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. In California during the summer of 1975, within the span of 17 days and less than 90 miles, two women did something no other woman had done before, try to assassinate the president of the United States. One was the protege of Charles Manson. 26-year-old Lynette Fromm, nickname Squeaky.

The other, a middle-aged housewife working undercover for the FBI. Identified by police as Sarah Jean Moore. The story of one strange and violent summer, this season on the new podcast, Rip Current. Hear episodes of Rip Current early and completely ad-free and receive exclusive bonus content by subscribing to iHeartTrue Crime Plus only on Apple Podcasts. What happens when a professional football player's career ends and the applause fades and the screaming fans move on. I am going to share my journey of how I went from Christianity to now a Hebrew Israelite. For some former NFL players, a new faith provides answers. You mix homesteading with guns and church. Voila! You

got straight away. They try to save everybody. Listen to to spiraled on the iheart radio app apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts hello the internet and welcome to season 118 episode 2 of your daily zeitgeist a production of iheart radio this is a podcast where we take a deep dive into america's shared consciousness and say officially off the top fuck the coke brothers. Fuck Fox News. And fuck Mike Bloomberg 2020. It's Tuesday, January 28th, 2020. My name is Jack O'Brien, a.k.a. You clowning Jack OB, yeah, so sweaty.

You clowning Jack OB, yoga baby. You clowning Jack OB, yeah, boot cut cheek. Who's clowning Jack OB? Mostly Jack OB. That is courtesy cut cheek. Who's clowning Jack OB? Mostly Jack OB. That is courtesy of Trite Gang. And I'm thrilled to be joined as always by my co-host Mr. Miles Gray! Don't it always seem

to go? You gotta shit away from your home. Miles brought his wipes to shit in a parking lot. Crispy meme donut. Christy Yamaguchi main. Hey, we've all been there. Wowie wow.

We've all been there. Actually, I have taken a shit in a parking lot. Not like outside of a car. I was four years old. So you were wearing diapers? No, I was wearing diapers at four. Okay. Did my mom tell you that? No. That's a lie. Did not wear diapers until I was a kid. So you were wearing diapers? No, I was wearing diapers at four. Okay. Did my mom tell you that?

No. Because that's a lie. Did not wear diapers until I was four. Well, technically, maybe. So you just shit in a parking lot? I just had to go to the bathroom real bad and my mom was like,

yo, here, go over there. Go over there. Go in this shopping bag real quick. Okay, over a shopping bag. Over a shopping bag. Just, yeah. Just took care of your... Just wanted to be as transparent

as possible with the audience. You know what I mean? Well, we appreciate it. When does one stop wearing diapers? What's the accepted timeline? With girls, it's usually a little bit earlier. Probably two-ish. Oh, well, girls are better at holding their fingers.

Yeah, they figure things out. They're just generally smarter. And then boys usually late to early three late to early twenties

uh well we are thrilled to be joined in our third seat by the hilarious

and talented Mr. Eric Lampere oh Eric oh wow wow yeah I didn't I didn't have a song wow that's beautiful I still haven't got a song Oh, Eric Oh Wow Yeah, I didn't have a song Wow

That's beautiful I still haven't got a song I think you do have a song right there I'm slowly gonna build up to a You got the beginnings of something Genuinely good song Yeah, like an opera, eventually I'd like that

Some record producers out there are just like You got something, kid Keep building on that It's my seventh time here, I believe Yeah Yeah, welcome I'm starting to really become a member of the family oh yeah yes i was helping myself to a bagel like family

does hey when you hear your family you have invited me to have some of those bagels but it is fun i just go in the fridge now i'll have all of it yeah please do yeah that's what it's here for it's quite nice uh well we're gonna get to know you a little bit better in a moment first we're gonna tell our listeners a few of the things we're talking about uh we're talking about some of the 2020 uh democratic primary candidate celebrity crushes new york times is doing some real just getting to the truth of the matter who would you fuck tom steyer we're gonna talk about bolton's leaked manuscript just generally what the dynamic for impeachment is now. Girl, I'm talking about impeaching this creep.

We're going to talk about Paula White, the televangelist who is Trump's right hand. Right hand of God. Spiritual advisor. Yeah. Who I think at the end of last week begged God to terminate satanic pregnancies, which is why she's in the news. And she's like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. I think you guys got me all mixed up here.

That's not what I meant. I meant, gotta go. Yeah. We are, of course, going to talk about the tragic loss of Kobe Bryant and his daughter and seven other people in a helicopter crash in L.A. over the weekend. All of that and plenty more. But first, Eric, we like to ask our guests, what is something from your search history that's revealing about who you are? Well, if I'm honest, I Googled some STD clinics in my local area. I got a message this morning from a lady saying, you should get checked.

Oh, all right. And I was like, oh, no. And we had sex like a year and a half ago. Okay. So I'm feeling good. I'm feeling good about it, guys. But actually, you know what? I haven't checked myself in a while.

So I was like, oh. Always important. Know your health. This is a positive text. Yeah. Know your health. This is a positive text. Yeah. Get your health checked. And, you know, shout out to responsible partners too.

You know what I mean? Yes. Yeah. That is responsible. It's not a great thing to wake up to. No. No. I believe that's one of the five categories of fear.

Yeah. Rejection, failure, high, I think you should go maybe possibly get your health tested, and 900 missed calls from a parent. And also, there's such a variety of STDs. That's the beauty. Yeah. It's, you know, like, because if I've got, like, the top dog one. Right.

Oh, life is going to change. Right. What if it's just lovely sort of genital walk type thing? Right. Those are lovely, by the way, I have to say. Lovely. Yeah. They look nice. You can decorate them. You know, that's something way, I have to say. Lovely, they look nice. You can decorate them.

You know, that's something that I can handle. You can draw a little face on them. I don't know what gonorrhea is like, for example.

Yeah. Like Miles, what's that like? Oh, boy. Is that the clap? Still figuring it out, man.

Still figuring it out. Let me get back to you on that one. We can, we've pulled the koala community and is that the one they have? That's chlamydia. No, that's chlamydia. Yeah, koala. Still figuring it out. Let me get back to you on that one. We've pulled the koala community. Is that the one they have? That's chlamydia. No, that's chlamydia. Yeah, koalas have chlamydia.

I feel like a fool. They have the same fingerprints as well. As humans, apparently. The same fingerprints. Yeah. Oh, man. Oh, they have similar fingerprints? Does the FBI know that?

I feel like that might crack some cases wide open. Jack the Ripper was actually a koala. It was actually a koala. You don't know. We can't say. According to Live Science, it says even forensic investigators can have trouble discerning between a human and a koala fingerprint. Take a second look at some open cases. How is this not a movie?

I'm serious. Like a CSI episode. Yeah, like for real. That's a twist. I've heard of cat burglars, but koala burglars? Or a guy with koala burglars. That's pretty great.

Or there happens to be a koala with a very similar fingerprint. I mean, look, dude, I'm going to workshop this. I'll be back with it. Right. Koala's breaking into the CIA with the fingerprint scanner thing. Oh, Mission Impossible style? Yeah, Mission Impossible style.

Yeah, okay. Yeah, Mission Impossible, the crew will add a koala to their squad. Yeah, to replace the contortionists that have another cruise. They're like, and then you need one koala. They're dangerous. They got chlamydia and fingerprints like a human. Yeah, to replace the contortionists that have another cruise. They're like, and then you need one koala. They're dangerous. They got chlamydia and fingerprints like a human. Yeah, but they're wonderful lovers.

So it's hard to resist. It would be a good way to get away from murder, actually. If I found the corresponding koala to my hands. Right. I heard every human has a corresponding koala.

Which would not be beautiful. Yeah, that'd be great. Wow, that's the movie. Find your koala has a corresponding koala yeah would that be great wow that's the movie find your koala finding your koala yeah but that would say what how many people seven billion people yeah okay so seven billion koalas a little much yeah probably too many okay well we'll work on that uh eric what is something you think is overrated so i can find something that was overrated i've got the underrated but overrated i was like that's such a challenging thing to to to sort of pinpoint when i think that everything has value to some people wow and so i was i was really challenged by that i was like what is what is what is overrated in my life sure yeah i don't know if i can find something i like that

philosophical answer yeah it's we i think we need uh positive answer. I think we need positive vibes today. We do need positive vibes today. A lot of people hurting. You know, like last time I was here with you guys, I was like, oh, the Penny Farthing, that's overrated. And then I got a barrage of onslaught. Penny Farthing game came for you.

And then I actually learned quite a lot about Penny Farthings. I was like, actually, they are quite cool. You actually rolled up in a penny farthing gang today. Yeah, I noticed. Yeah, they're like, I'll be done in about 90 minutes. They're just circling outside the studio right now. Yeah, one guy's really got that hoop going with a stick down the street. Let's go, boys.

Yeah, I think that's fair. what is something you think is underrated underrated here we go may i say yogi tea now i am not sponsored by them but i almost kind of want to i don't know if you've ever had a yogi tea i mean i i've seen the box at the store but i've not so good tell me about it oh mate so i had a for like two weeks ago. I tried my first yogi tea, mango ginger. What a flavor. Yeah. What a flavor. Also, it got me thinking of a lovely lady with red hair.

Nothing to do with the tea. Right. That was just the imagery. Mango ginger. I was drinking that in. Yeah. Like a sort of nice afternoon tea with a lovely lady with red hair. Okay.

Wow. And it comes. Like a sort of nice afternoon tea with a lovely lady with red hair. Okay. Wow. And it comes, so like, you know, like each tea bag comes with a little string and then a little sort of tag. Yeah, yeah. The tag for yogis have like a sort of uplifting thing. Oh, nice. I actually have a yogi tea with me right now. You do? Did you bring one with you?

No, you actually have some in there. Yeah, yeah. See, this shows you how little tea I drink. Right. I'm like, oh, we have that here? So this one is lift people up to their potential and higher self. Wow. So you drink that,

you put that in your subconscious, and then your subconscious goes, ah, thank you, and then you drink it. Ah! Honestly. You're buzzing. I think I'm becoming more British now that I live in the UK. I never cared about it. In the US, you mean? In the US. Oh, yeah, that's what I mean. Oh, constantly you're having more, you think your tea intakes increased? I think I'm becoming more British now that I live in the UK. I never cared about it. In the US, you mean? In the US. Oh, yeah, that's what I mean. Oh, constant.

You're having more. You think your tea intake's increased? I think my tea has gone up. Are you having more full English fry-ups as well? Oh, no. I'm actually learning to. I'm one of those. Unfortunately, I'm learning how to become vegan.

Oh, nice. No shade in there. No, no. I'm ashamed. I'm ashamed. Why is that? I think being vegan. Oh, nice. No shade in there. No, no, I'm ashamed. I am ashamed. Why is that? I think, you know, being French technically originally.

Oh, right. We are carnivores. Yeah. So you're going against your DNA in a way, you feel? Well, I guess what I would like to do is, you know, I don't want to have the factory meat. Sure. But there is a sort of, I would love to just get naked in Africa, right? And then just chase a lion down and just with my bare hands and my teeth destroy the animal and eat the entire thing.

And then become king of its pride. Oh, wow. So I'm still down for eating meat, but I have to deserve it. Wow, we've got two great movie ideas going. I know, right? I have to deserve it. Wow, we've got two great movie ideas going. I know, right?

We've got the Who's My Koala? It's called My Koala, the search for my very own koala with the same fingerprints. And then also Eric, King of the Pride, where you just go, to earn your keep, you must hunt your meat. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I like that. I think the koala movie should be Mike Hoala. And that's the guy's name. Wow. Yeah. And Mike has to find his koala movie should be Mike Hawala. And that's the guy's name. Wow. Yeah.

And Mike Hawala has to find his koala. Just spitballing here. We can work on it. Different than Mike Hawk. Yes. Right. The best. Finally, what is a myth?

What's something people think is true you know to be false? Well, I was just talking to Miles about this before recording, but my current life is a myth in itself. So some previous listeners are aware of my sort of psychosis. I don't have depression or anxiety. I have the opposite. I have psychosis where I don't know what is reality, which is really fun to live in because then it open it opens it opens it opens

it opens like portals to infinite possibilities which in terms of creativity is really fun that's great um but that being said it means that every single second that i live i actually don't know what is real my current struggle is i don't really know that we live on earth uh-huh right i'm i'm thinking okay maybe we live on jupiter and we humans are taught to think that we live on earth but actually what we are thinking is earth is actually a sort of simulation to learn how we all fucked up the earth wow you know and then we all wake up together Earth. Wow. You know? That would be interesting. And then we all wake up together on Jupiter. On Jupiter.

See? And we're all clones, and Ozymandias is our master. Right. Or that would be the moon of Europa, of Jupiter. I'm thinking of Watchmen. That's the thing. I have no idea what's... I have just no idea what's going on.

And it's quite fun, but at the same time, exhausting. The possibilities are sort of... Yeah, right now we're in a room with this four of us. All four of us experience universe and reality in a different way. Right, based on our experiences. Yeah, and it's beautiful and at the same time

challenging. Because then we have to somehow find a way to communicate with each other. If you want to communicate on a deeper level. Right, right. To truly make a connection with one another. You then have to like dig deep. And I'm just an exhausted archaeologist right now.

And you're finding something deeper though. Shit. So that's my answer. Pretty profound. Yeah. I mean, I remember when I realized I was going to be a philosophy major, the main overarching thing that I realized was how little we know. That was the thing that kept coming up in Philosophy 101 was the thing that people got wrong was just assuming we know certain things. And it was just like, no, you're assuming things about like the nature of reality

that that aren't actually there so i mean the stuff you're you're talking about is also things that various philosophies get at and they're very interesting and also wildly impractical things right in terms of your day-to-day life. Yeah, chasing your own tail. Right. Yeah. But, yeah, a little bit. I feel like chasing your own tail is a little myopic, and this is kind of the opposite of that. It's trying to understand the nature of reality. Well, very interesting. A true pursuit.

Let's talk about the celeb crushes of the 2020 primary candidates, which doesn't matter at all. Oh, what? It doesn't matter to me at all. But it is funny in the sense of watching these people who have been trained their entire careers against human impulses have the desire to be like, I'm a normal human. I'm a celebrity.

And some of the answers are genuine. Some of the answers are laugh out loud. Some of them, I stand. Okay? Now, let's just go in order for who they got up first. Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Yes.

77 years old. Who's your crush, Mr. Bloomberg? You know, a couple of actresses that I like, a couple of actors that I think are really good. My favorite actor and actress, Lorna Dern and William Macy, who starred in a movie that I produced called Focus based on an Arthur Miller book. Wow, way to make that about yourself. Right.

And also, who's Lorna Dern? Lorna Dern. The cookie? No, Lorna Dern. Is it Lorna Dern from an English novel, too? make that about yourself. Right. And also, who's Lorna Dune? Lorna Dern. The cookie? No, Lorna Dern. Isn't Lorna Dune from an English novel, too? I don't know. The name Lorna Dune, I believe so. I think he was going for Laura Dern.

He was. Right. Lorna Dern. I don't know who this gentleman is, because I'm not keeping up with the news lately. Yeah, don't need to. But Laura Dern is a good choice. Yeah. She is smashing it with the acting at the moment.

He is one of the wealthiest men in America who's running for president. He was the former mayor of New York. And he's like avoiding traditionally run. Like he's doing a thing where he's just betting big on Super Tuesday in the primaries to try and become the nominee for the president. For the presidential race. And a lot of people do not like him because he comes from the billionaire class. And is sort of doing the exact thing that's wrong with these kinds of presidential races. He's using his money to like

not really need to have like a full on ground game. He's using all kinds of airtime to get his name recognition out there. So he's been a bit of a divisive figure. He has spent $200 million on his campaign so far, just of his own money, just blasting his ads into people's brains. Right. And then you look at people who are going for small dollar donations, and it's just much, the comparison becomes very clear. Okay, so next, another mayor. Another mayor. It was interesting also that he is somewhere. I don't know if he was just kind of panicking,

looking for another actor that he had heard of, William H. Macy, or if he's kind of coming out as bi. I don't know. I think he doesn't know what the question was. Right. I think if it was put – because, look, the things you hear about Mike Bloomberg is, like like he would look at an attractive woman and comment about it yes so he probably probably does have a celebrity crush and he had to read like he had to go to pr mode right he's like i made a movie with these two actors right yeah so it's there's that

right but the fact that he can't come up with a celebrity crush without just going into celebrity that I have interaction with is pretty amazing. What's your celebrity crush? When you were a kid. When I was a kid? Lorna Doon. Lorna Doon Cookies.

For me, yeah. Always a big fan. Little Debbie. From Crayshon's sidekick from the gucci gucci video that's the one oh i love i love tyra banks when i was a kid oh yeah beautiful i loved uh when i was really young i really loved paul abdul um oh yeah the cold-hearted snake video oh wow me up man damn okay jack really fucked me up uh let. Damn. Okay, Jack. Really fucked me up. Let's go move on to Mayor Pete, who, again, very professional answer. Mayor Pete, who's your celebrity crush?

Not for the New York Times to know about. Oh. Wow. Damn. Keep the cards close to the chest. Let's go to Minnesota. That's not a good answer, though. Yeah.

I mean, there's a little intrigue in there. Yeah. That's probably a good answer, though. There's a little intrigue in there. That's probably a good answer. To me, I'm like, ooh, maybe there is somebody. So these are actual questions that we're asking a few people. Presidential candidates, yes. That's what we're asking them out loud. Among with like 20 other. This is why it's like, look.

I like your amusement. Real hard-hitting stuff. We're looking at creeping white supremacy and all these that are not creeping like authoritarian white supremacist governments uh just horrible financial inequality hey who's your celebrity crush though huh right right what's your what's your yeah but the thing is also i would love to know hitler's crush yeah of course you don't want to know these things but there is a weird sort of curiosity about that sort of stuff. See, and this is where I say maybe there is a little value to this. Because Amy Klobuchar from Minnesota, she's a senator from Minnesota, her answer, I'm like, you know what?

Maybe I need to open myself up a little bit to Amy Klobuchar. A celebrity crush. Yes, Prince. And I know he's not with us anymore anymore which is one of the most biggest tragedies of opioids uh but prince uh is an icon yep yep yep okay all right clovis char 2020 yes that one makes sense uh then elizabeth warren she will just i mean i'm curious to know i'm no i'm curious to know how if we feel this is a for real thing or this is just like a good answer this is elizabeth warren celebrity crush oh i do the rock oh what does he have going for him oh what does he have going for him that's a question

only a man would ask uh you know the rock come on uh just look at that man he's oh she's like he's eye candy is that what she said yeah you know what i like her answer i like her answer because it was i believed it that's the thing it when you hear it you seem like that's like sort of like if you were saying what's the least offensive choice you could make given like popularity in this country like right i get it i mean maybe not everyone likes the big muscle bound wrestler but she her eyes light up right she's like yes i do the rock wow yeah i don't i i've heard people comment about the rock and the arnold schwarzenegegger body type as being too much. Yeah, just that hyper masculine. Yeah, it's kind of off-putting,

but there are definitely people who that appeals to. Mostly straight men, I thought. They're like, yeah, bro. The Rock. I did think, though, if I had to be saved by a man, like The Rock, if I saw The Rock coming towards me and I was on fire, I would trust him. No, I want The Rock to hold me in his arms like a little baby, but that's me. I just don't know.

Like a little baby. Like a little baby. Just hold me like a little baby, The Rock. I want him to put me on his shoulders at a concert. I'd be like, get up there. You see the stage? Good. Right.

All right. So she smells what The Rock is cooking. What about Andrew Yang? He, look, really great diplomatic answer from Andrew Yang, the former tech executive. I'm a happily married man. I think my wife's a star and I've got a big crush on her. Okay. Is that it?

Yeah. Boring. I mean, don't get me wrong. Sentiment, correct. Correct. Yeah. That's not a wrong answer. I actually love that his wife is number one? Yeah. Boring. I mean, don't get me wrong. Sentiment, correct. Correct, yeah. That's not a wrong answer. I actually love that his wife is number one.

That is actually, again, the correct answer. Yes. That being said, I think that in a marriage and in a relationship, you're allowed to just be like, hmm. Yeah. Every person who's in a committed relationship will ask their other, be like, hey, who's your celebrity crush? If you had

a chance to be with this person right who would that be and i think most people have that answer just loaded ready to go the thing is me my ex-wife we had a list but the frustration that i had was that i believed she could get any of those men like she's just like nail biting right she had the power so it's just a matter of time yeah well i was like well this is just a fantasy right this is never gonna happen yeah yeah and then uh let's just go to one other our final billionaire uh tom steyer for his answer who's tom steyer's celebrity crush a celebrity crush well i'll tell you this the gramm Grammys are this week, right? And Alicia Keys is going to be hosting the Grammys again. And she's somebody who I really think is a fantastic artist and a really good person.

Okay. I like that. That was one where he wasn't quite getting into the seediness of a crush or what the implications are of a crush. But he was just like, I admire her. Right. And I love Alicia Keys. I guess that's better because Trump, let's say, would probably give us the real answer, which is like, oh, I'd love to bone this one. Right.

Right. He's like Alicia Keys, but with way bigger boobs. Right. It's like, what? Oh, my God. Jesus. But none of that should be surprising. Yeah.

There's something about old white dudes and Alicia Keys, because Bob Dylan, I remember when she was first out, and I think she was really young. He was like, wondering where Alicia Keys can be. And one of the songs, it was like, yo. He did? Yeah. Wow.

He had a lyric about how he was just real wanting to know about that Alicia Keys. All right, Bobby. Anyways, did they ask Bernie Sanders what his was? No, he's absent from this thing. I'm not sure why or what. I didn't even look at what the first questions were because the next question was, what's a bad habit you have? Mike Bloomberg was like well i like cheese

it's uh-huh okay we're looking for something good at least p buddha judge is like i bite my nails we get that yeah yeah all right well we're gonna take a quick break and we'll be right back mtv's official challenge podcast is back for another season that's right the challenge is about to embark on its monumental 40th season y'all and we are coming along for the ride woohoo that would be me devon simone and then there's me devon rogers and we're here to take you behind the scenes of drum roll please no no no no no no no no the challenge 40 battle of the Eras. Yes. Each week, cast members will be joining us to spill all of the tea on the relentless challenges, heartbreaking eliminations, and of course, all the juicy drama. And let's not forget about the hookups.

Anyway, regardless of what era you're rooting for at home, everyone is welcome here on MTV's official challenge podcast. So join us every week as we break down episodes of the Challenge 40 Battle of the Eras. Listen to MTV's official Challenge podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. In 1982, Atari players had one thing on their minds,

Sword Quest. This wasn't just a new game. Atari promised 150 grand in prizes to four finalists, but the prizes disappeared. And what started as a video game promotion became one of the most controversial moments in 80s pop culture. I just don't believe they exist. I mean, my reaction, shock and awe. That sword was amazing. It was so beautiful. action shock and awe. That sword was amazing. It was so beautiful. I'm Jamie Loftus. Join me this spring for The Legend of Sword Quest, a podcast about the fall of Atari and the disappearing Sword Quest prizes. We'll follow the quest for lost treasure across four decades. It's almost

like a metaphor for the industry and Atari itself in a way. Listen to The Legend of Sword Quest on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This summer, the nation watched as the Republican nominee for president was the target of two assassination attempts separated by two months. These events were mirrored nearly 50 years ago

when President Gerald Ford faced two attempts on his life in less than three weeks. President Gerald R. Ford came stunningly close to being the victim of an assassin today. And these are the only two times we know of that a woman has tried to assassinate a U.S. president. One was the protege of infamous cult leader Charles Manson. I always felt like Lynette was kind of his right-hand woman. The other, a middle-aged housewife working undercover for the FBI in a violent revolutionary underground. Identified by police as Sarah Jean Moore.

The story of one strange and violent summer. This is Rip Current. Available now with new episodes every Thursday. Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. After 80 years of learning his wildfire prevention tips, Smokey Bear lives within us all. Learn more at SmokeyBear.com. And remember, only you can prevent wildfires. Brought to you by the USDA Forest Service, your state forester and the Ad Council. And we're back.

And it is time for the Republicans, the president's lawyers, to launch their defense. Yes. And as we're going into that process of the impeachment hearing, a bombshell dropped. 100% from the shadows. Like a lightning bolt in from above. Wow. The man with the push broom mustache has put more detritus onto the floor of the Senate. I'm just picturing like mustache dandruff.

Detritus. I mean, yeah, I said that wrong. Let's see. I blame my teachers for mispronouncing it. No, no. Is it detritus or detritus? Can we get one? I think it's detritus, right?

Yeah, I think you're right. Okay. I'm not judging you. It doesn't matter. Look, God's working on all of us. One word at a time. Yeah, we're allowed to make mistakes. So he was, so John Bolton, just for, just a refresher, he was the former national security

advisor who conservatives were loving his appointment to Trump's cabinet because he is so horny to start wars anywhere, especially with Iran. He is just such a hawk. He has like pieces like, no, let's fire up the war machine. And his, I mean, his worldview is pretty much shared by most conservative pundits.

Like the Sean Hannity's, the Laura Ingram's of the world. They were like, yes, get this guy in here because HR McMaster, who was one of the former national security advisors was to, how do I say this? Adult.

Right. Yeah. Yeah. Scared of starting a war with this guy as the president. Absolutely. Yeah. And so the New York times has an excerpt or basically they got a hold of the part of the manuscript from his book.

That's about to be published in March. And it's got, you know, it basically says this, that president Trump, according to this manuscript told Bolton in August that he wanted to continue freezing the $391 million in security assistance to Ukraine until the officials there helped get these investigations into the Bidens going. Okay. Full stop.

Wait, so that's the whole thing, right? That's the whole scheme. So his national security advisor at the whole scheme so the national security advisor at the time yes confirmed the charges that's what i was told i was told by the president to withhold the aid until we get investigations because the entire impeachment hinges or not hinges on the articles of impeachment center around the president using his office and the influence and power of his office as president to coerce, to lean on, to blackmail, whatever, extort, whatever word you want to use,

the Ukrainian government to give him an optics win, not even an actual investigation. He just wanted the Ukrainians to announce that there would be an investigation into the Bidens because Joe Biden at the time and even now looks like one of the front runners to face him in this next election. Yeah. But who did Bolton hear this from? Because that's been the issue all along. It's all telephone game.

You know, people talk to Giuliani who tells them this stuff. People talk to. I know. I heard it straight from the president's mouth. The president. But it was the president's mouth the president but it was the president's mouth so i mean that's there's a chain that goes from his brain down to his mouth uh so you heard from the president's vocal cords actually yes did he confirm it in writing uh i don't know that's the thing can't be can't be confirmed yet so this is just how you know again for most people

who saw all the testimony that happened in the House, it was pretty clear that this was happening. Yeah, yeah. And it's no, this isn't against the character of the president to abuse his power to do something for his own gain. What I do like, though, is, okay, so again, I don't approve of the things that he's done because it seems like it comes from a place of pain and anger and fear. comes from a place of pain and anger and fear. That being said, personally, I'm not president, but sometimes I like to just give and love and do favors and stuff. But I've also got my own life to live.

And sometimes I do think, look, if you want me to do this for you, what's in it for me? And there is an element of, do you want billions of dollars? Well, can you just do me a favor and check up on this guy? Right. There's almost like, I almost kind of feel sorry for him because I think that Trump is just an idiot. Right. Who didn't realize he made a mistake. Yeah, sure.

And that mistake, I actually can go like, oh yeah, I sort of see why that makes sense. You want billions of dollars? When you have somebody who violates all the norms, you start to realize how important and also unnatural some of those norms are. The thing that we're asking them to do is a bunch of fucking dorks. He's like, what are these bunch of dorks? I'm not allowed to ask for some favors in return? What do you tell our president?

This is how it works, baby. What do you think we're going to do, be selfless and look out? No, there's a bunch of really high minded ideals that are enforced by a bunch of like really nerdy, really detail oriented bureaucrats that like, that is the line between authoritarianism and this like, uh, amazingly successful experiment in government that's been going on for,

uh, and now we're watching the experiment begin to fail spectacularly yeah and he's like it just seems wild to him that anybody would uh criticize him for doing that he also uh according to this manuscript too there's mention that uh the the attorney general america's top cop william barr also knew about it because he overheard trump basically saying he's like yeah i'll let giuliani and attorney general, America's top cop, William Barr, also knew about it because he overheard Trump basically saying he's like, yeah, I'll let Giuliani and Attorney General Barr know, like in a call to other conspirators. Yeah. So, again, this like everyone's been saying since this impeachment trial started in the Senate, we need to have witnesses testify. Right.

Because these are the kinds of facts that are material to determining whether or not this president had committed these offenses. And it's pretty clear he did. But now the position for Republicans is starting to get a little shaky because before this, they're like, it's fine, it's fine, it's fine. Now you have someone that's on their team saying, no, yeah, he said that. I'm there. I have a book coming out. Yeah. And there's a book coming out that says this. So it's not like, yeah, we heard this, or he gave this, he might've said this in an interview. It's, this is going to come out after your vote. You're going to look stupid if you vote and then the thing comes out and completely contradicts all of the conclusions you drew. It really feels like at this point,

we're not trying to figure out what happened. Like everybody knows what happened. It's just like we're watching a staring contest where the Republicans see if they can keep a straight face through the vote. Yeah. And like each piece of evidence that comes out, it's like, well, that's going to make it kind of,

like they're going to break, certainly. Yeah. Yeah, I don't know. That's the thing we're up against. that's going to make it kind of like they're going to break. Certainly. Yeah. Yeah. I don't know. That's, that's the thing we're, we're up against. It's like,

are they going to, as every day, as more things come out, you know, Lev Parnas just dropped audio clips of him, of the president talking about all this stuff. I'll play a clip right now of Lev Parnas, basically explaining to the president,

like how much Ukraine relies on U.S. aid to be able to defend themselves from Russia. And he's giving him a lay of the land. And we're hearing this out loud happening. Obviously, if they go on their own, Russia won't let them do it because they'll cut off a lot of their revenue. How long have they lasted a fight with Russia?

Not very long. Not very long. Without us, not very long. Without us. Without us, no. Hmm. How long do they last with Russia? Without us, not very long. Who asked that question?

That was Trump. That was Trump? Yeah. Damn. And being like, yeah, okay, so how strong is my hand? So they really need us. Yeah. Oh, damn.

30 seconds? Oh, okay. I might be able to get some couple things out of this and that's we're seeing all that sort of logic like play out you know with audio with these things and i granted sure you could say you could question the legitimacy of these recordings or whatever but based on everything we've heard from lifetime uh state department workers and things like that this this is what's been happening, and it's very clear. So the defense seems to be, because we got a little preview,

like an hour and a half of the defense over the weekend and then a full day yesterday, and the defense just exclusively seems to be like, man, y'all are a bunch of haters. You need to just leave the president alone because their overall argument is this is an attempt by democrats to tear up the votes which uh that's what impeachment like they so it's a it's a critique of the idea of impeachment yeah exactly and then uh their other argument is like the democrats keep trying to get him catch him when he does illegal stuff.

Yeah. Which is an odd argument. Right. And they've also held back on impeaching like over the course of years of him doing illegal stuff. But again, those are those are the main arguments. And they're they're not really legal arguments. Right. They're more.

No, they're just like it like schoolyard arguments. It's everyone. Like, you know, when they submitted their document prior to the trial starting, most legal experts laughed. They're like, there isn't a sensible legal argument to any of this aside from being like, it really was almost could be distilled to. Nah. Yeah. Is the hot. Like, what do you mean by that?

Nah. Like he did that. Nah. Okay. But you're just saying this is impeachable nah because you love him yeah that's what i also like that so right i mean because it's it's such a dick move it is but but unfortunately the stakes are so goddamn high that when you see someone enter into this space where we're trying to trying to work something out but everything is so hyper partisan that they no one can look at this process as being like a real trial that yeah they can enter with these arguments shield this president and then continue to who knows what

you know but it's like it's like the most high version of uh shaggies it wasn't me it is which i i yeah from afar can enjoy exactly she even got me on camera it wasn't me yeah oh wow okay picture this we were both butt naked banging on the bedroom floor what bathroom bathroom floor yeah bathroom floor weird uh all right there's no cameras in there yeah let's talk about let's talk about uh paula white White, who we've had a profile of her from our writer, J.M. McNabb, on the doc for a little while, but she recently came to national attention because she was seen praying that all satanic pregnancies be spontaneously miscarried. That's what she says. She says, in the name of Jesus, we command all satanic pregnancies to miscarry right now.

We declare that anything that's been conceived in satanic wombs, that it'll miscarry. It will not be able to carry forth any plan of destruction, any plan of harm. What's a satanic pregnancy? I have no idea because there are a lot of clergy who are like, this is the most horrible thing. Because most priests would be like, every child is God's creation. There's no such thing. A satanic pregnancy does not exist unless you were hooking up with Satan somewhere. Right.

I think that's the only case you could say a pregnancy was satanic if you had sex with satan and he and he or she got you pregnant but this worldview and we'll see in a little bit like there is an entire worldview where it's fear-based and there is good and evil and evil is out there constantly uh you know scheming about ways to get the good guys because they are the bad guys and people are always like oh god, God, oh, he's so good. You know, God is probably so bored, right, just being good all the time. He needs a pal like Satan to just mess shit up. Like, I know that if I was God, like, it would be very boring on my own.

I'd follow Satan on Instagram, look at his stories, be like, this dude is fucking wild, man. Alright, back to my God shit, but I'm gonna look at it real quick. Yeah, you know, like um, so interesting game. She, so his, uh, she is his primary spiritual

advisor. She's also a televangelist. Uh, she's known Trump for over 15 years, was at his inauguration. And he actually hired her a couple months ago as an advisor for his Faith and Opportunity Initiative. Yes. Which is basically a program designed to help service providers who don't want to assist people for religious reasons. Yeah. If your faith has brought you to a place where you don't want to give another person an opportunity to help them,

then we're here to help. Because that's such a, I guess that's the new thing is being like, no, I can be discriminatory because of my faith. Right. Not allowing me to be discriminatory is actually discrimination against me. Right, right, right. Wow. So good.

This is something else. But she is controversial even among Christians because she believes in the prosperity gospel, which teaches that God will bless you with riches as long as you first put a little down payment, give a little money to, I don't know, how about Paula White, maybe? Yep, yep. Yeah. It's basically like, hey, man, look, God loves you. Look, let's get this on the table.

God loves you, okay? And he wants you to be blessed. He wants you to have that car, that money, that job. All you got to do is have faith in him and to prove it. And give me a portion of your first month's salary. Like, it's really shit like that. Oh, he's like your agent. Yeah, in a way.

Yeah, exactly. But it's funny. These people are like, help me grease the gears with God, grease the wheels with God a little bit to allow, let the blessings come in to you. And this whole thing,

it's wild because it's so predatory and it really, the people who make ten thousand dollars or less per year are twice as likely to adhere to the prosperity gospel than people who make 35 to 50 000 yeah like it it it preys on a very specific desperate kind of person of being like fuck it like my maybe my last roll of the dice is to give my money to this person on tv who's saying like if you give me the money i can help god turn that you know a boomerang of cash for

you that'll come right back or something it's it's really really uh yeah fucking disgusting one of her suggestions uh was explicitly that her followers should send her quote a portion of their first month's salary. Paula is challenging you to put first things first. She's also, just complete aside, she's married to the keyboard player from Journey. Great. Don't stop believing, y'all.

Instead of fake news, she called for, quote, every demonic network who has criticized President Trump to be torn down in the name of jesus so again that kind of goes yeah in the name of jesus do violence onto uh people who don't support donald trump or who you know basically it's a us versus them world and she is praying for the deaths of anybody who's on the other side. Well, it's, but you know, that whole thing, like if you have the thing, when you have like these forces of evil,

so well defined like in your religious theology or how you're looking at the world that allows you to hate something. Yeah. You know what I mean? That allows you to be like, you know, I love every like, but the demons, I don't, I don't like Satan. Right. And this is a bad thing I have to press up against. Right. And I think being able to create those kinds, that kind of dynamic allows you to put the focus of whatever's quote unquote demonic on anything, because they're always being like, well, what's demonic? Right. Because if there's something's demonic or labeled as demonic, then I can be opposed to that, or I can push back or hate that. Yeah. It is. And that is, and That is a challenge that I think we all sort of face, right?

It's what is bad and what is good. Right. That is a challenge. Yeah, for sure. And I think, yeah, it's... And also, if you don't have something... This is the weird thing where, again, this is where I'm at, where life is technically, I think, but my personal life,

not, you know, there's shit going on out there, but my personal life seems to be pretty good. And yet there is a sort of fire in me that's still looking for a problem. That's looking for something to fight against. Yeah. And it's maybe very human. Oh, absolutely.

To want drama. You need conflict. Sometimes it helps, it helps create sides. It helps create those kinds of labels we need. Yeah. And then sometimes it can be, sometimes we are so used to conflict that to be in a state of peace feels weird.

Cause you're like, well, fuck, I'm not used to this. Usually the chaos is about to show up. I mean, our nervous system was designed when we were still in the food chain. Right. So having to make life or death decisions every day, that's when our nervous system was designed.

So once we made it out of the food chain and stopped having those threats every day, there's there's still like some vestigial like stress built in there like we we don't necessarily feel natural don't feel human unless yeah we are fear fearing for our lives well because like that whole mechanism to keep us safe from predators or whatever when we were in the food chain is still in us and now in our our new world, it's like, well, the tools are still there. So now I'm just going to use a weird thing someone said to me and I'll put it through this lens. Do I need to fear this? And a lot of the, yeah.

I mean, the powers that be have figured out what, like how that apparatus, like the perceiving apparatus, like works and have figured out how to hack it using commercials and advertising. So therefore have figured out how to hack it using commercials and advertising. So therefore there is a way to hack it so that you can sort of quench that. Yeah, by showing you visual evidence of things they want you to fear instead of, you know, the long term.

No, but I'm saying that so you could do the opposite thing, right? Yeah, yeah. You can self-hack. Well, yeah. Then you can also say, hi, thank you, outdated safety mechanism from my caveman brain. I acknowledge that you're looking at the problem like this because that's how it was wired. Right. But sometimes I think the hard part that people have is like recognizing when your fear on switch is just stuck on on.

Yeah. And you're not actually using it in the way it needs to be. You're like, is this really a threat to me? Why am I looking at this? Why is that activating the same emotional space as something that would be a threat or something to my existence? And I think that's like the bit where you're like, I think the on button's stuck. Let me just kind of loosen it.

There we go. That's off. And that's just a tool. It's not me. It's just a tool. That's some good advice, guys. But on the sort of philosophical question we were talking about earlier on, like whether we know anything,

Paula has some interesting things to say about she knows for a fact certain things about Jesus. Right. Okay. So on the subject of immigration, that's an argument that people have been like, how does it fit in with your Christian values that the president is leaning on putting kids in cages? And on the subject of immigration, Paul has a good answer.

She claimed that while Jesus was a refugee, he didn't break any immigration laws. And if he did, he would not have been our Messiah. Boom. So. Wow. That's something she knows for a fact. When you really look that whole quote, well, Jesus was a refugee. Yes, he did live in Egypt for three and a half years, but it was not illegal.

Right. If he had broken the law, then he would have been sinful and he would not have been our Messiah. Right. That's something that she can speak to for a fact. And all of, that's why he was so famously all about whatever the Romans said was the law and whatever, you know, he was just about it. I feel sorry for Jesus. He's getting such a hard time being misunderstood by so many people. He's just a chill guy, man. She also casually demands $100,000 while warning that, quote,

your dream will die if you don't empty your pockets. This is, I mean, but it's great, though, that she works with Trump because he did the exact same thing with Trump University. It's like, let me sell you a dream because you are desperate and i'm just gonna fucking rob you blind yeah gotta love it uh all right we're gonna take a quick break we'll be right back mtv's official challenge podcast is back for another season that's right the challenge is about to embark on its monumental 40th season y'all and we are coming along for the ride that would be me devin simone and then there's me devon rogers and we're here to take you behind

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Brought to you by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Ad Council. And we're back. And, yeah, we have to talk about the death of Kobe Bryant. Yeah. One of the most tragic deaths of a public figure in, I feel like, our lifetime, maybe. a public figure and I feel like our lifetime maybe, you know, I feel like the sports world has had those people who, you know,

you didn't expect to lose, die young like Kurt Cobain and Prince. But I don't know, with Kobe, it seems like people are incredibly shocked and, you know, a lot of people are hurting based on this. Yeah, I have not really processed what has happened. I am a lifelong Laker fan. I personally was not a fan of Kobe when he played. I was very frustrated with him very early in his career because he was like, I'm going to do everything on my own, sometimes to the detriment of the team. But he was an amazing competitor and you can't take away the things he's done in basketball.

And while I've seen a lot of people really choose to focus on the rape allegations that had come out in, I think, 2003. Sort of like defining or making. I've seen people celebrate his death, which I'm not sure why you would do that. Because I'm, well, yes, that can be true. And that can be reprehensible and unforgivable or however you want to choose to look at that. But to me, more than even it being Kobe Bryant,

I think just the idea of him and his daughter and these other families that were on board on these helicopters, everyone's lives are just shattered instantly. So many people died. It's a very – I'm just very heartbroken for all of those families because I cannot imagine, you know, from the Alta Belli family, there was another coach on there that was a father, a mother and their child. And they have other children, too. Yeah, that's completely like I can't you can't imagine. Yeah, it's it's really tough. And, you know, it's he was he inspired many people. And I think when you look at even in Japan, right, just to sort of see his influence,

there are people in Japan who are mourning his loss because, A, he was named after the city of Kobe because of Kobe beef, basically. I think his father had a huge love for it. Yeah, and even in the aftermath of this tsunami in 2011, he really used his presence to draw attention to the humanitarian efforts. And it's, I think things like this are always difficult to deal with because when you have any kind of complicated legacy, people may only choose to put on one, like focus on one thing. You see some people just looking at all the bad that he's done or these, the, what, what happened in Colorado. Some people are completely ignoring all of that and choose to focus on that. I think that's in your right, depending on how you observe who this person is.

I can only speak for myself personally to know I can't defend any of those actions, but to say as a human being who lived in Los Angeles, who his championships created moments of connection for me and my father and my family and many other young black kids, brown kids, seeing somebody say, Hi, I went from high school and I changed the life and I did all of this on my own. It's a lot to process. I don't even know what I'm saying out loud. I feel so many different things.

It's definitely challenging when you – I don't know know what I'm saying out loud. I feel so many different things. It's definitely challenging when you, like I don't know anything about Kobe, just because I just didn't grow up around that. But, you know, death, we all come across it. And I guess it is challenging when, certainly people just judge one person on a tiny segment of their life, which is like, how can you do that you know we are

all however many years worth of experience that we become the person that we become and uh i do find it odd when people just i'm angry at this thing and it's like there's a whole life that you should dissect before you can truly make an educated... Adjudication? Yeah. Assessment. Assessment, yeah, on someone's life. I mean, there were a couple really just horrifying, intentionally shocking reactions that did not take into account that a third of, a third of a family and, you know, a lot of people died yesterday.

Way too many people died in a very tragic, horrible way. But there were also, there was just an outpouring of, you know, people talking about what he meant to their lives. Um, you know, I think I got, I got a sense that, you know, he really stood out as somebody who like kind of was a intellectual and philosophical like figure to people. Like, even though he was a basketball player, like he was somebody who spoke multiple languages. He was somebody who talked about basketball and competition, like, from a philosophical perspective and, like, studied and read. And, you know, like, one of the first things you heard about him was that he, like, had some crazy high score on his SAT and, like, could have gone anywhere he wanted. But he was just like, no, I'm ready for the league. Just competitive. Yeah, and just competitive and wanted to play in the NBA.

So, like, I think there's, like, something, there's an extra dimension there just objectively as a national figure. But I will say as somebody who's a transplant to LA, I've never seen a city ride as hard for someone as LA rides for Kobe. His career had an afterlife unlike anything I've seen. Even Jordan fans in Chicago weren't refusing to root for new members of the Bulls after Jordan retired. One of the greatest players joins the team. Yeah. I mean, there's just something obstinate and hardheaded about LA's love for Kobebe um that is you know admirable and you know unlike anything i've ever seen in a

fandom uh it's almost like a perfect storm for uh you know creating just a you know sainthood for a for a modern athlete the way like the way he's going to be revered going forward. I don't think you can pick an athlete, active or retired, whose death would mean more to a city. I mean, you could just see how all the games that were played on Sunday, the effect it had on every person playing. Some teams were like, nobody's coming in the locker room before or after. Other people were just sobbing outwardly like on the bench.

Coaches were – like it was – it shows you just sort of what his place is. I mean as one of the greatest players. And I honestly, aside from – even from being a Laker fan, there's – the manner in which it happened is so tragic. And he was on the helicopter with his daughter who was showing tremendous promise as an athlete. They were always together at games. You could see their relationship was very strong.

Most of me is looking at this purely through a human lens, not even as a fan or whatever. I'm like, my God, this, I don't know. It's so fucking, it's so tragic. I still can't really articulate exactly how I feel. If I've learned anything recently that maybe I can share is that separation is an illusion, which is a lot to wrap one's head around.

But for example, I'm far away from my entire family. And I was like since I was 15. Right. I actually went through the grieving stages of losing my parents, even though they're still alive. Right. Just from the physical distance. The physical distance.

They literally were gone. And so my body actually went through grief. And what's interesting now is, you know, I'm really far away from all the friends and family that I've got, you know, the decade-long relationship. Sure. truly love and know uh actually i know it sounds like oh you know like fantasy type talk but they are well and truly alive in my head if i were to ask my you know my best friend a question i almost know how he would respond or how she would respond um and so i have them in my head. And it's like David Bowie. When he died, it was hard. I was like, man, I really loved his music.

Loved it so much. His music is incredible. I know it's easier said than done. Death is challenging for us all. But it's interesting how maybe there's a revival in a way. Maybe there's a, you know, maybe there's a revival in a way, maybe there's a, you know, like,

yo, yeah, he's inspired so many that now actually there's loads of tiny Kobe's everywhere. One of my favorite, uh, afterlives in fiction is the Coco afterlife where like your, uh,

like your memory is sort of how you live on in, in the afterlife. And like, you basically still exist as long as people remember you. Uh, and yeah, I, I think that's, there's something valuable about that and like kind of profound about that. Uh, yeah, I just, yeah. I hope all of these families involved are able to grieve. I mean,

I keep, ah, Jesus. You can't imagine, like, I mean, I'm not a parent, but I know how every parent speaks about losing a child. Yeah. And I know how my own parents would even talk about losing a child and having, you know, talking to friends, you know, parents who have lost their children.

It's the worst thing that can happen. And some of these, you know, some like nearly entire families have been erased. Yeah. And I can, I just hope that that process can be one where they can find peace. Yeah. of these yeah you know some like nearly entire families have been erased yeah and i can i just hope that that process can be one where they can find peace yeah that's maybe my biggest fear i think yeah the idea of bringing life in and then yeah like them going before me yeah yeah i was at

a four-year-old birthday party when i when like everybody basically at the same time learned the the news and like people were crying and shit but I I think that is uh something uh to like he had been over over the last year had been really like coming out as a as a parent like that that was sort of how he was primarily presenting himself as in the public as like so you know uh a father to this amazing young woman who was preparing to be basically a superstar uh athlete and you know just being uh just like seeing them interact on the sidelines and stuff i i also think that that's you you know, when you talk about the impact that somebody has after they're gone and people's memories and sort of the cultural consciousness. Like, I think that's a very valuable one to be, you know, a really great father. And it just shows you these kinds of like parasocial relationships we create with people we don't even know.

I mean, I think that shows you too. Like you can go outside. I'm telling you most people have some kind of purple and gold on. Oh, yeah. There's like it's – I saw it everywhere in my neighborhood this morning. On Hollywood, I saw people. But it's – you know, these celebrities can mean so many different things to people in different ways. these celebrities mean so many,

can mean so many different things to people in different ways. And, you know, the, obviously his legacy is complicated, but I think for, at the moment, the only, the only feeling that I really have is just looking at this tragedy as a whole

and being like, just really sick to my stomach because it's just so fucked up yeah yeah i guess when when it's also how someone goes right yeah so helicopter crash just seems so oh like what a way what a horrible horrible way to go yeah yeah not that there's any like good ways well i guess it's like yeah i guess if you die you know of old age the thing every there if some people would say i just want to be old and go in my sleep right from old age sure but then yeah like these when it's not expected it's it you know because i think we we all live with this existential fear of our own mortality

and then you have something like this come up so vividly. It activates a lot of those things. That's why I'm like, I don't know what I'm processing exactly. I don't know if I'm processing my own mortality and how we all just hang by a thread and how quickly things can change in an instant. Is it that the loss of a sports figure who has created a lot of great memories between my friends and my family and just the entire communities? Is it the, is it me responding to seeing images of other athletes being so distraught over the loss of a friend or mentor or idol? I don't, I'm not sure, but I think that's, yeah, but when you see it all, it's hard to put a finger on it. And, you know, some people were like asking me like, well, what about this or that? I'm like, I don't, I sure I can. All these things can be true.

Right. You know, he can be, he could be a sexual predator. He can be the one of the greatest basketball players of all time. He could be a father who tragically died with his daughter in a helicopter crash along with these other families and the pilot. And it's just, my God, it's just, I don't know. Eric, it's been a

pleasure having you. Thanks for having me. Despite the sad ending to the episode. Where can people find you and follow you? Instagram would probably be a good shout, but I'm also starting to make some cool YouTube content. Nice. I say cool by

myself. I say cool by myself. I mean, I love cool content. If I can say so myself. But it's going to get weird. Is there a tweet you've been enjoying? Actually, I am off Twitter. Is there a YouTube video? Any work of social media or any media that you've been enjoying?

No. Great. There just isn't well that's good to counterbalance here nothing is overrated uh miles where can people find you oh if you can find me on uh twitter and instagram at miles of gray also on my other podcast, 420 Day Fiance with Sophia Alexandra. And first of all, I just want to thank everybody that came out to the SF Sketch Fest live show we did over the weekend. What a fucking blessing to see everybody in a room and the vibes were fucking so positive. And it was all love after the show. Really great to meet everybody uh you know every

you know who you were we all shared moments so i think we all we are greatest thanks to all the zeitgang that pulled up tweet that i like oh boy where is it oh okay so this is a tweet from reductress that i like as someone who has helped other significant others straighten their hair with a flat iron it says how to straighten your hair, except that one part in the back that literally everyone will see. Because it's always like, hold on, I think I did it. And then I'm like, nah, hold on, let me hook up the back part real quick. Very hard.

So, you know, I know the struggle for you, for straightener gang out there. Some tweets I've been enjoying. Lil Sasquatch tweeted, dudes be like, I have a dark sense of humor. Coronavirus? I'm more of a blood like guy um a lot of those jokes going around on twitter yeah uh marissa mind of marissa tweeted my cousin's tesla just got stolen should we call it an edison now and then oh that's actually a good that's like i quite enjoy that yeah It didn't get me. It didn't gethaw me. Yeah, she is full of just really clever shit.

And then Ben Jacobs tweeted, Pete Buttigieg starts off his Fox News town hall being asked about Kobe Bryant and talking about people being inspired by what Kobe did on the field and off the field. Oh, wow. Yeah. Wow, he's a big fan. Man of the people. You can find me on Twitter

at Jack underscore O'Brien. You can find us on Twitter at Daily Zeitgeist. We're at The Daily Zeitgeist on Instagram. We have a Facebook fan page and a website, dailyzeitgeist.com, where we post our episodes and our footnotes. We link off to the information that we talked about in today's episode

as well as the song we ride out on. Miles, what's that going to be today? It's a track from Sudan Archives called Iceland Moss, A Colors Show. And I just really dig Sudan Archives. Just really good musicians, songwriter. Vocals are great great the beats are always like you know they're out there she's a violinist who also you know uses samples it's just a i don't know just a great artist uh so this is a great track from her so check that out sudan archives

all right we're gonna ride out on that the daily zeitgeist is a production of iheart radio for more podcasts from iheart radio visit the i visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. That's going to do it for today. We'll be back this afternoon telling you about what is trending, and then tomorrow with another podcast. We'll talk to you then. I'm tired.

I'm bothered. I'm tired, unbothered Yet dwelling on the fact You're just like my father You don't know when to quit and commit I need your open hand now. Tired of this heavy dance. I have something special in my mind now. Don't get it twisted, this is where I stand.

Kay hasn't heard from her sister in seven years. I have a proposal for you. Come up here and document my project. All you need to do is record everything like you always do. What was that? That was live audio of a woman's nightmare. Can Kay trust her sister or is history repeating itself? There's nothing dangerous about what you're doing.

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