Wonderful! - Wonderful! 228: Touched By a Turbo Teen

Episode Date: May 12, 2022

Griffin’s favorite sky-facing career! Rachel’s favorite Pushcart Prize poet!Music: “Money Won’t Pay” by bo en and Augustus – https://open.spotify.com/album/7n6zRzTrGPIHt0kRvmWoyaNARAL Pro-Choice America: https://www.prochoiceamerica.org/ MaxFunDrive ends on March 29, 2024! Support our show now by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

Hi, this is Rachel McElroy. Hello, this is Griffin McElroy. And this is Wonderful. Good morning. Hello. Hello. Or afternoon. Dankeschön. Should you morning. Hello. Hello. Or afternoon. Don't be ashamed.

Should you be listening in the afternoon? That's thank you. Guten Morgen is good morning. Okay. And that's... And evening, if you're listening in the evening. These are all the times of day. Yeah, good evening.

I'm trying to... I've forgotten every form. My brain is... I should say this now, soup. Yes. This is Wonderful, a show where we talk about things we like, things that we're into. My brain is, I should say this now, soup. Yes. This is wonderful. Show we talk about things we like, things that we're into. My brain is soup.

I had a bit of a whirl. And we love soup here at the McElroy Podcast Empire. I had a fly somewhere in the morning, fly home at night situation last night. And I feel like my mind was disrupted in that process. I left a splinter of myself somewhere in the sky. Can you do that? I don't think I've flown as much as you have. So maybe that's the kind of thing that happens after a certain number of miles.

Possibly. That's entirely possible. But I'm here now with you and that's the only thing that matters. I have my small wonder. Oh, yeah? Yeah, I'm ready this time. Okay that's the only thing that matters. And. I have my small wonder. Oh, yeah? Yeah, I'm ready this time. Okay, do it. I don't.

So like, it'll give me some time to prepare. You know that universal thing where somebody tells you you haven't seen a movie and then that person in disbelief always says you haven't seen and then says the movie again? Yeah. in disbelief always says you haven't seen and then says the movie again yeah so for example if i were to say like you know i haven't seen a walk to remember and then you were like i don't know that that's one i would really put the all right if i were to say i haven't seen lord of the rings two towers that's how they that's how they say it right yeah i mean i wouldn't i think i i mean i know that and accept that about. You haven't seen.

It's weird that you would single out one of the Lord of the Rings movies when you haven't seen any of. Okay. What about I haven't seen Terminator 2? You haven't seen Terminator 2? There you go. That's the thing I like. You gotta see Terminator. It communicates so much and just restating.

Yeah. The thing the person said. Okay. Like now I know immediately that that is a movie that is important to you and that you are surprised that I haven't seen it because you like it and or think it is so important. Terminator 2 is an incredibly important. In fact, that's going to be my small wonder this week is Terminator 2. We used to rent like a lake house with our friends here in Austin that was just kind

of a sprawling but ancient manor. Yes yes it's the best way to describe it had several rooms dedicated to the storage of ehs tapes and it was a treasure trove and i feel like i was exposed to a lot i watched terminator one and two and predator for the first time in like one stay. Because I was like, it's time to find out what Predator's all about. Whoa! I'm all for what Predator's all about. But yeah, Terminator 2 is a pretty kick-ass flick, man. This time, the Terminator, he's on our side. He was rewired,

and he's here to protect John Connor and his mom. And there's a big motorcycle chase and a big fight in a factory that I think just makes molten metal. I'm pretty sure. Not entirely sure what the purpose of the factory was, but I think they just made molten metal. Kind of like the factory in Rudy

where it's like one of them dies because of the molten metal. It's like, yeah, maybe don't work in a molten metal factory. Got all this liquid metal everywhere. Have you seen Rudy? Yes, but only once. And it was maybe like five or six years ago.

I remember you showed it to me. I did? Yes, it was one of those like courtship kind of like, I have an important movie for you to see, partner. I don't think it was five or six years ago then because we were married at that point. Okay, well, all right, then nine or 10. We've been together a while now.

We've been together for a really long time. That's my other small wonder, is the longevity of our relationship. Okay. And the still passionate fire of our romance. Okay. Do you want to hear my thing that I have ready for us? I would like to hear the thing. Today, I'd like to talk about flight attendants or if you prefer the cabin crew of commercial aircraft.

All right. Here we go. I like them. I know very little about this process. I have known several people that have participated in the industry. Yes. But I never got any good details on what it's like and what training and that kind of stuff. Yeah.

I mean, obviously, everyone lives a different journey follows a different path that's beautiful uh thank you uh but from everything i've seen and everything that i've read is that you know there's a lot of people that find it to be a very rewarding line of work and there's a lot of people who enjoy that sort of people facing type experience. But from everything I've read, it is also a tough road to hoe. Oh, yeah. I think about that every time I'm on a plane. Yeah.

Like when the crew is coming up and down the aisle and they're doing their various tasks and they're giving their various speeches. I think like, I wonder what that's like. Yeah. speeches i think like i wonder what that's like yeah i i the i mean there's a lot i'm just going to kind of jump around my notes here because i feel like this is like the big biggest thing to kind of talk about is like uh there there is a cornucopia of mental and physical health sort of concerns that come along with for sure. where there's like more traces of radiation is possible. Oh, man. I mean, that's sort of, I couldn't really find any direct confirmation of that.

But then like, you know, on a more direct and observable level, there's like, you know, disruption to sleep cycles and, you know, barometric trauma. And like, I have to rock the the flownase pretty hard for a couple days before and a couple days after i know i'm gonna have a flight uh because it like it it really wrecks my my nose business yeah and being sort of into that just on a daily basis for your job seems like it would it would really dry you out at the very least yeah and then you also have like you know they are more susceptible to harassment and abuse uh there's there's any

number of things and then on top of all that they are carrying with them an uh inordinate amount of emotional labor where despite all of the things that I have mentioned so far, they have to be pleasant. That's so true. And they have to smile through the pain. I think the experience of being a passenger, you spend a lot of money on the flight. You do a lot of waiting. Often you experience a lot of delays. And so a lot of times when you get on that plane, you are already operating at not your best.

And I mean, I feel like everybody has witnessed those people that really take it out on the flight attendants. Absolutely. And it's really disturbing to see. Yeah. And it's honestly, this is a thing of just like tremendous respect. I have tremendous respect for anybody who can like do this job at all. And I'm not even talking about like the ones who go above and beyond. I think that somebody who is in this sort of hospitality and safety sort of industry under such, you know, pressure, literal and figurative pressure is like is is someone who's very fucking tough. Well, and you're trapped, right? Like a lot of professions,

like if you experience something that's really frustrating and taxing, you can walk out. Yeah, you can't do that when you're in Sky. Yes. Because it's up a pretty big amount. True. I feel a lot of respect for them.

And on a day like yesterday, especially on my flight back to Austin, I was so wiped out. And I just had a really pleasant experience with the cabin crew on that flight. I felt very taken care of and attended to. Oh, man, especially now that we have children. Yeah. Like those are the, when the real heroes come out, when you see those flight attendants that are just very accommodating and understanding and they try and make it as easy as possible for you.

I have a real new appreciation. And I'm always trying to earn a, he did so good from them on my way out. If I can get that on my way out of the airplane, it puts a little spring in my step. I do kind of make the eye contact when I'm holding a child to be like, this one? Do you see this one? Yeah. Yeah, that part is just delightful. And sometimes they do a little skit during the post-boarding announcements and it's like, that's great.

This is your fourth flight of today. I can't believe you can even generate any level of skit. I am impressed. Yeah. You see that a lot on Southwest flights. I wonder if that's like mandated. Like they sit them down and they say like,

here are some jokes. Maybe it is. Maybe. I don't want it to be, though. It's like a forced jungle cruise in the sky. Yeah, it's just it's it is it is a job that I think takes a Herculean effort and in a lot of different ways. And I just I really appreciate them. So the first flight attendant, like the first person to hold that job was actually a German man named Heinrich Kubis, who worked on airships like as early as 1912.

And he was actually aboard the Hindenburg in 1937 when it went down in Jersey. But I didn't know this about the Hindenburg. There were 96 people aboard and 35 fatalities. I did not know that either. A lot of people got about the hindenburg there were 96 people aboard and 35 fatalities it's like a lot of a lot of people got off the hindenburg which like you look at pictures of that and it's like how where were they how did they get in there um my man henry cubis like helped people get off of the the cabin of the thing uh he was he was in charge of the of the cabin of the thing. He was in charge of the waitstaff and cabin crew, and he managed to get a bunch of people off and then himself jumped out of a window as it approached the ground and made it out,

as I guess 60-some people did as well. That's pretty badass, I think. Obviously, the expectations that have been placed upon flight attendants have historically been pretty horrific. Like there has been in the mid 20th century, like this like aesthetic ideal of beauty that was placed on the almost entirely female workforce. And I did not realize just how rough that got. I pulled this

from an article from Wikipedia. So like these airlines started to advertise basically the attractiveness of their cabin crew. National Airlines began a Fly Me campaign

using attractive female flight attendants with taglines such as, I'm Lorraine, fly me to Orlando. Yikes. Oh, no. Braniff International Airways presented a campaign known as the Airstrip with similarly attractive young female flight attendant

changing uniforms mid-flight. In the United States, many airlines had a policy that only unmarried women could be flight attendants. attractive young female flight attendant changing uniforms mid-flight in the united states many airlines had a policy that only unmarried women could be flight attendants as well as a mandatory retirement age of 32 no uh because of the belief that women would be less appealing and attractive after this age i mean that is true stop it and that was the law of the land for a minute and then in 1968 the uh equal employment opportunity uh act i don't remember exactly what the name of the thing was made it basically against the law to discriminate based on age and marital status that's how that's how you have to be skeptical whenever you meet somebody that talks about like oh flying isn't

what it used to be you have to wonder like what exactly are you referencing yeah right uh and and so like over the next couple of decades after like the the civil rights act of uh 64 you know these these insane draconian restrictions like slowly got peeled away. And then in like the late 80s and 90s, you start to get more men entering the career. And, you know, it still definitely has its share of problems. But I did not realize how like profoundly sexist and ageist and all of these different ways that it was like there's been a number of like films and tv shows i did not watch that pan am show but i assume

that that's largely what this was about but yeah it is an industry where i just appreciate anybody who like does it because it seems like a job that i could never in a million billion gajillion years do yeah and i have had so many like really good experiences with with cabin crew on yes the many many many flights that i have had to take in in my adult life so just wanted to give a shout out flight attendants y'all are getting it done cabin cabin thank you thank you i don't know if i i think cabin crew is now the preferred term uh obviously steward and stewardess. We don't. It's been out of out of style since like the 70s, despite the fact that there are still people who definitely use that that term today.

But anyway, can I steal you away? Sure. Here I go. Got a couple of tumbo toms here, and I would love to read the first one because it is for Michael, and it's from Sarah, who says, Keister, happy seventh wedding anniversary. I'm sure by this time we are holding our sweet baby boy in our arms, and baby B is being the best big sister.

Let's order a big tray of sushi to celebrate our anniversary, our new baby, and the fact that I can actually eat sushi again. P.S. I still want that Korg. Love you, lady. And that is Korg spelled C-O-R-G, which I guess is short for Korgie, not a K-O-R-G, you know, synthesizer situation. But maybe they want both. Oh, I didn't even know that was a thing. Maybe they want a puppy dog that they can create, you know, beats and arpeggios and all that fun stuff on. Boy, wouldn't that just be so whimsical? I'm feeling really whimsical. Little headphones on a corgi.

That's nice. Can I read the next one? Oh, yes. It is for Jess. It is from Jared. Happy birthday, beautiful. Unless this isn't being read around your birthday, in which case happy slash merry

slash etc insert nearest holiday here beautiful i love you so much and you're the most wonderful part of every one of my days and this was for may 1st okay so not too bad no so i guess star wars day is the closest holiday there that we that we hit so um happy Star Wars Day. I'm going to be with you and also with you. And that's no moon. It's love. Oh, hey, if you want to get a Jumbotron on the show, spots for the second half of 2022

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And for more information on the patches, head to MaximumThun.org slash patch sale. Hey, this is Alden Ford. And Mujan Zofagari. And we are here with all the other creators

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you to Maximum Fun and to every single one of you who's listened to and supported Mission to Zix. Thank you. And if you haven't checked it out, well, Mission to Zix is an improvised space opera with blockbuster quality sound design, a score performed by an actual 60-piece orchestra, and hilarious guest comedians on every episode. And as our final episodes air, now is the perfect time to jump on board.

That's Mission to Zyx, Z-Y-X-X on Maximum Fun. Sorry, hold on, that was my car i sometimes i have to it doesn't turn over the first time the start the spark plugs are pretty old hold on let me try again boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom no hold on it's doing the thing again it's still the clutch is uh getting a little it's the poetry corner i know i know what do you got i really have to make an effort to not do 76 trombones every time or because of your influence the theme song to frazier yeah that was almost a mash-up what you just performed for us called 76 76 Frasiers. 76 scrambled eggs. 76 Frasiers.

That's fun to think about, huh? Yeah. Just lock them all in a room together and see who survives. This is a poet who resides in West Virginia. Hey. I'm not saying that because I think you'll know who they are. I might. Because they live in Morgantown.

Ugh, barf. I could not care less about that rivalry i know uh this is james harms yeah no sorry you know you got me for a second i know i did uh he teaches at wvu uh he was a founding director of the mfa program there in creative writing cool But he's been teaching there since 1994. Okay. And he was the department chair. I'm not sure if he still is. He was as of 2018. But he's in my little anthology. So sometimes, you know, when I'm looking for new poets, I'll just pick up an anthology. This one's not particularly new. It's called the New Young American Poets. So you'd be like, oh, this must be new.

But it's from 2001. So not new new. But I found him when I was looking through here, and I had never read any of his poems before, but I really like him. All right. So I wanted to share one of them that I thought was appropriate. It's called The Joy Addict. Okay. And this is from a book that was published in

2009 with the same name um so one might say the title track um and i thought this was kind of a nice fit because obviously here on wonderful that's kind of what we're trying to do yeah you know let's focus on the good stuff right uh so i wanted to read this okay the joy addict on the good stuff right uh so i wanted to read this okay the joy addict whales fall slowly to the ocean floor after dying and feed the vertical nation for years like christ who feeds us still they say though i don't know but imagine it fish chasing through the bones or nibbling what's left the whale when it finally touches bottom, an empty church. Forget all that. It's intended to soften the skin like apricot seeds in mud or boredom. The drift of worlds in a given day can turn a telephone to porcelain, open graves in the sidewalk. So that who knows why thinking about thinking leads to new inventions

of grace that never take, never lead to say what to do with grandmother who is determined to live beyond her usefulness, which is fine. But why won't she relax and watch the sea with me? I wish someone would intrude on all this. People grow tired explaining themselves to mirrors, to clerks administering the awful perfume. I ask a Liberace lookalike, why do you dress that way? What way? He says, and he's right. Who taught us to bow our heads while waiting for trains, to touch lumber without regret and sing privately or not at all, to invest the season with forgiveness and coax from it a hopeful omen. with forgiveness and coax from it a hopeful omen. Lord knows the hope would heal this little fear.

But who taught us to fear? Soon branches crackle in the windy heat like something cooking too quickly. Dogwood lathering the empty woods and everyone looking for a commitment of permanence from summer from someone else. Two deer the color of corn disappear into an empty field and I wait beside the road for them to move. I want to see them again. Fuck. Isn't that lovely? Yeah, the back,

the back like quarter of that poem really hooked, really hooked me. Yeah. Yeah, I like, I'm glad that he is teaching literature and creative writing

if he still is because that poem does so many essential things. Yeah. You know, it really roots you in these various images, and there's kind of like surprising turns in it. And it is very grounded in a way that you can see what's happening, even though you're all over the place. Right. And I just love it and also knowing the title man it is so hard to title a piece of work right and i feel like the title really reminds you like oh this is this is what we're talking about what was the line about the promise

of permanence from summer from someone uh everyone looking for a commitment of permanence from summer from someone else that's really good isn't that't that nice? That's really, really good. I mean, living in Texas is like, we get that commitment pretty much on an annual basis. So he has written 10 books, eight of which are full-length poetry collections. The last one I could find was published in 2017 called Rowing with Wings. The last one I could find was published in 2017 called Rowing with Wings. I found a poem published from him relatively recently called Uncertain Air that was actually in the Missouri Review, which is the literary magazine I used to work at. He has been writing a collection between March and May of 2020.

So I don't know if he has a book forthcoming. But Uncertain Air is another one to check out. It's kind of about the early days of the pandemic. He's received a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, three Pushcart Prizes, as well as various fellowships from West Virginia and Pennsylvania Arts Commission. He is from Los Angeles. Okay. So he doesn't have that not a hometown boy mountains pebbles in his veins the mud the slurry in his in his soul uh and for those of you that don't know what a pushcart prize is uh every year uh small presses that publish poetry are kind of scoured to find kind of the best poetry of the

year. And it comes out annually, as I mentioned. That's also true for short fiction essays. But yeah, he has published broadly and still writing today. And I really enjoyed everything I read by him. i just picked that poem because it seemed applicable there's a lot of good work yeah there's a lot of uh whale fall imagery in there that uh uh as as someone who's been working on ether c for a while is yeah um he mentioned as far as influences the new york poets i've talked about frank o'hara before but also john ashbury he said that he likes to hear uh people talk in poems um just just poets that kind of kind of speak to you through their own experience um in a very kind of conversational

way which i also really yeah of course there you go. There he is. Thank you. Thank you for this. Pleased to meet you, James. Pleased to meet you, James. Your acquaintance is so appreciated. And you, dear listener, are so appreciated. As are Bowen and Augustus for the use of our theme song, Money Won't Pay, which you can find a link to in the episode description if you can believe it. Hey, we have a bunch of merch over at McElroyMerch.com. Yeah, thank you to everybody that was able to give during the Max Fund Drive.

Oh my gosh. Y'all came out in a big way. We did not have high hopes. I think it continues to be a tough time for everybody. And it is always awkward for us to ask for help. But everybody showed up for us in a big way. Yeah, thank you all very, very, very much. It means the world.

We hope you enjoy the content of us talking about dharma and gray because god knows i enjoyed it i i mean we're going on tour still we got some shows coming up you can check all that out at uh yeah the macroy dot family we have a lie a virtual taz coming up i think next week, maybe. Are you doing that one? No, but we are playing a game called Dread, which is Jenga based. It's gonna be so fucking fun. That does sound fun. I think it's next Friday,

but I don't have that pulled up in front of me because again, soup inside my skull soup. Hey, Breezy, you're a real Dharma right now. Yeah, I guess so. Anyway, thank you all for listening and thank you for thanks for the memories yeah thanks for your thanks for the strength that you give me you're the one beneath my wings and you're also the wings and you're the joints that connect the wings to my shoulder blades uh-huh which is where my wings come out of when I eat spicy food. Well, okay.

Sorry, when I eat spicy food, I turn into an angel. Oh, I like that reboot. Yeah, it's sort of like a mix of Turboteen and Touched by an Angel. Does she become an angel? It's called Touched by a Turboteen. And there's the name of the episode. Oh, yeah. Oh, good.

Right at the midnight hour. You're welcome, Rachel. Bye. MaximumFun.org Comedy and culture. Artist owned. Audience supported.