Transcript
Speaker: The first movie that scared me was a movie called Ernest Scared Stupid. Do you remember the Ernest series? Yeah, dude. All right. So for everybody listening, Ernest was like a series of videos, usually straight straight to VHS. It was Ernest Saves Christmas, Ernest Goes to Camp, you know, all these movies. And and they were great. Jim Varney was great. and Did you guys see Ernest Goes to Auschwitz? I feel like that wasn't his one. I think that one got pulled pretty quickly. apart Yeah, I don't remember that doing great. Ernest Stands His Ground.
Speaker: earnest sovereign citizen death by cop um earnest bleeds for america yeah crucifies jesus that one was weird earnest towards the capital it's like well earnest saving christmas got weird really quickly yeah earnest has stigmata um
Speaker: Hey everybody, welcome to another episode of Growing Up Christian. I'm Sam. I'm Casey. And today, we are joined by a very special guest, Josh Carley.
Speaker: Josh, how's it going, man? Good, how are you guys doing? Doing fantastic. For the listeners out there, Josh is, uh, he is... He started a Kickstarter for an independent film where he is the writer and director of a film called Sit on a Sunday. We connected through our friend Tyler Eaton. Tyler's a friend of the show.
Speaker: And where um i saw what like the, uh, the little trailer that you had for the the Kickstarter and what the film's about. And I was immediately grabbed. I go, Oh, this is perfect. I saw that Tyler was attached to the project too. And I was like, this looks sick. Uh, really ah interested in what you're doing. And, uh, wanted to kind of get the word out here and talk to you about your upcoming project, but we can, um, we can get into that as we do.
Speaker: Cool. Yeah, I love talking about my myself. So, you know, whatever you want to but if you want to ask, let's go. Perfect. I like the way that you laid it out first, too. because it it's The way that he said it, it made it sound like your main credential is that you were like a... ah You originated kickstart campaign. Yeah.
Speaker: You did the the Hunter Biden meme coin final blow to your career. Yeah. Usually I'm walking down the street with a cup saying, give me coins, but there's one time I did a Kickstarter. So that's my, that's my claim to fame. Nice. I do. I hear you can make some serious money panhandling. So you can, yeah. I mean, it's, you know, yeah, I, it's not something I'm, you know, necessarily gonna, gonna risk my day job on, but if someone says they make a lot of money, I'll just take them at their word.
Speaker: Yeah. There's some parallels to like, there's some parallels to like filmmaking at a high level and like the like scumbag uh crypto grifter oh yeah in that like it seems like major hollywood projects are pretty much a pump and dump at this point yes like we our budget for captain america 8 was 600 million dollars and you look at it and you're like but Where did Where did that money? I can tell you where it didn't go, and that's to a lot of the crew. yeah um
Speaker: So where where else it goes, I'm sure it ended up in a so you know small amount of pockets. um But yeah, I mean, some of these some of these budgets are insane. And of course, when you have like a $250 million, $300 million dollars budget, and then you don't make ah what, what a billion dollars at the box office, you're like, Oh, it's a flop.
Speaker: And I don't know that. I don't know that it's a good thing. We're in a world where a movie can make a billion dollars and like, no, that's just not successful. I mean, that's that's sort of insane to me. Here I am. I'm running a Kickstarter for $35,000. All right. If I can get that much, you know, if I can get that much and it'll be a minor miracle,
Speaker: much less whatever a budget for one of these things. you know i'll take I'll take what they spend on lunch for one day. Just give me what they spend lunch in one day. Oh my God. And that will fund like 10 Kickstarters. My wife gets so tired of me talking about this and she, I don't know, she might snap eventually, but- Like the amount of money that's out there that people just fucking play with. They, they just, yep.
Speaker: They just, it's throw away cash. It's like, it's just like a little marginal boost for your shareholder. It's nothing. It's like the amount of money that's being played with on a constant, like constantly. And it's just like, Oh my God, all I need, all I need is like $250,000 and all of my problems go away.
Speaker: and it's like It's just a drop in the bucket. It's like, it's really upsetting to think of how much money people are constantly spending. And I imagine, like, like you said, a $35,000 Kickstarter for a film. I mean, i think that is, I'm more impressed. This is why independent film is so good and interesting to me is like,
Speaker: even if an independent film like feels like, um, it was constrained, its budget was constrained. I think it's overall something I appreciate more often than something like, I mean, I don't, I haven't like um watched a Marvel movie in over a decade because of how little I care about.
Speaker: It's not that cool to me to just spend that much money. It's just annoying. Like show me what you can do with, the smallest amount possible and I'll be impressed. Well, I'm rereading. I said, Shay rereading. i'm I'm listening back through. i've already read it, but um just to kind of like get with the can do spirit of the Indie short world.
Speaker: um i'm listening I'm listening to Robert Rodriguez's. He has a book called Rebel Without a Crew. And basically what it is is it's his diary that he kept. to fund his first movie, Mariachi, which he says he spent like $8,000 on. Now, the version that like you could see right now was picked up by, i think it was Miramax, and then they spent more money it, you know, whatever.
Speaker: But basically, he had to be like a lab rat for a month and um use that to fund his movie, which he thought was going to just go straight to like the Mexican straight-to-video market, which is, as you can imagine, the bar of entry is...
Speaker: pretty low and it and then ended up you know taking off much more than that. But his whole thing is that like I didn't have money to blow, so I had to creatively problem solve every issue that came across came across my way. where like I couldn't be like Well, that's a bummer. Okay, well, I guess we'll just drop a million and into a reshoot. you know like that That was totally off the table for him. So yeah it's really interesting to hear like from that approach and then...
Speaker: hear like, okay, this movie underwent like the umpteenth amount of reshoots. And, you know, those reshoots are probably at least the cost of 10 to 15 independent films, like just for a reshoot. And then, you know, I think there's a space for massive tentpole movies, but I also think there's a space for like much smaller movies where the risk is lower so you can get away with more.
Speaker: But yeah, right now at the theater, obviously the the people are showing up to see things that are huge outside of um some small things like Obsession, which obviously did really well, Backrooms, which did really well.
Speaker: you know And that's the kind of stuff that gets me excited and makes me happy that like, okay, there's still a hunger to see things that aren't these massive IPs. yeah Yeah. I think you hit on something important when it comes to like the the whole like, we don't have a million dollars for a quick reshoot. Like you can't.
Speaker: To actually have to be careful and cautious and thoughtful about where every penny goes and how you're going to solve your problems creates an ingenuity that gets lost. when you It's like when, I don't know if anyone watched the interview with Stavi on the New York Times when he was like, nobody gets funnier on a private jet.
Speaker: It's like that's just where like comedians good comedians like who get rich go and get less funny because they're just – you throw money at all your problems and eventually – it's like why rich people can be assholes. It's like, oh, I'm sorry. you know like it's in i'm sorry You're spending $300,000 to put heated floors throughout your entire house so your little feats don't get cold in October. Like it's just if you just throw money like that at all your problems, you – kind of just lose your creative edge in some ways.
Speaker: Well, and I, you know, and we can get into the whole, you know, the short and then the the films in general. And, you know, I work in post-production. So, you know, obviously i I love films. I love TV. I love all of these things. I would never want to do anything else.
Speaker: Couldn't do anything else. If I wasn't doing this, I'd be in deep shit. So, um you know, so, but, but yeah, I mean, if you want to, if you ever want to be reminded about like you're standing in the world compared to somebody else, it's the perfect industry for that. Yeah. You know, it's like, okay, well, you're going to have to work your whole weekend and miss your son's first t-ball game because somebody much more important than you couldn't be bothered to open an email a week ago, you know? And so, um, that's, that, that's kind of the world, but again,
Speaker: sounds like what it is what it is you know like we love what we do i mean everyone who embarks on this filmmaking journey is a little crazy like i don't think like a rational sane human being is like this seems like a good idea um totally great this will all go well like we're all a little crazy so yeah i think we're a good fit in a way you know yeah yeah what what was your budget okay so we watched uh samantha last night oh okay And I'm curious about the budget for that. But also, um did the man ever get to lay his eggs in the ghost?
Speaker: Well, that's, you know, that's the um you you got to figure that out yourself. You know, do you do you think he did or do you think he did not? You know, that's the big question. Did he get to... It's Schrodinger's egg-laying ghost. Exactly. You guys, yep, you got it. That's it. That's that's why I made it. you know um But the ah the cost for it was... That was $11,500 we did that one for.
Speaker: Wow. The economics of film are kind of interesting because you know typically when someone says $11,500...
Speaker: They're like, oh, wow. you know But that's obscenely small amount of money um when you're working on something, even even a short film. And for that, we had pretty heavy heavy visual effects.
Speaker: And so, yeah, I mean, I'm very proud of what we were able to do and achieve on that with the budget we had.
Speaker: it's Yeah, it was awesome. what Like, yeah. I mean, I've i've talked about this a little bit before previously on about a friend of mine who was really into funding ah like independent horror films. He was into like, but it's like, it was almost like the lower amount that you were asking for and what you were, pro versus what you're promising was like, I mean, that was it for the horror films. Like, oh, I'm going to make this like,
Speaker: 30 minute, incredibly grotesque film for $7,000, whatever. Like it was always like, it was the brag was what you made and how disgusting it was for how much money you like it costs. And that's obviously the horror films, a a slightly different world. um Yeah. I mean, there's an audience for that. yeah yes and If you think about it, like the money that they're spending on independent horror is money that they're not spending on child pornography. yeah There's a silver lining to everything, I guess. um
Speaker: And the profit margins on horror are usually pretty good. So, you know, if that if that helps keep keep the CP down, we're doing good. Yeah. Silver Lanes. Well, let's um i do want to talk more about the film specifically that you're working on, but I do want to get to know the man behind the film. so All right.
Speaker: Josh, I i i have it under good authority that you grew up evangelical. Is that correct? Your authority, yes, is is correct. Yes.
Speaker: Awesome. Our authority happens to be a mutual friend. So if he set me up, I would have fucking killed him. Yeah. I've never stepped foot in church in my life jokingly knew, hi, guys, good luck with the show. you know Total setup.
Speaker: But yeah, no, I, um, so I'm from South Louisiana. I grew up in Baton Rouge, which, uh, for those of you, which I'm assuming most of you, ah are like probably thinking, okay, well, but where is that in relation to new Orleans? Cause that's new Orleans is like the one place that everybody knows in, in, uh,
Speaker: in Louisiana. And it's about an hour, hour and a half, depending on where you are in Baton Rouge. And then I grew up in Prairieville, which is an Ascension parish, which is like a suburb of Baton Rouge. And then in college with that, you know, so that was sort of my area until, uh, at 30, my wife and I moved out here to where I am now in LA.
Speaker: Um, but no, I mean like we, you know, I born and raised in church, very, you know Southern Baptist was our poison. And it's allowed in, uh,
Speaker: Baton Rogue, I believe, is that actually the correct way to pronounce it. I do get that. I mean, I get a lot of like you know ah questions about like how do you say this? like And sit on a Sunday... um the town of Natchitoches is mentioned. Right.
Speaker: And ah now if you were to look at it, you might not. Natchitoches is not the way that you would probably think to pronounce it. So it is, it is fun for me whenever I get to do like some decoding things. Like I had somebody go, you know, LSU tigers is, um,
Speaker: LSU Tigers is Go Tigers, but it's, you know, G-E-A-U-X. And someone's like, what does guh mean? I said, well, it's not guh, it's go, it's just, you know, Cajun French. And so I do like, you know, I get to embark on ah some culture sharing.
Speaker: But yeah, no, i was I was born and raised in South Louisiana and um church every Sunday And I think for me, it was, you know, and in terms of like the the Southern Baptist tradition or even the broader pop Protestant tradition, but certainly in the Southern Baptist tradition that I was in um you you do what's called, you know, you you go to the front of the church and you make sort of this public proclamation of faith. You've accepted Jesus into your heart and then, you you know, you get baptized.
Speaker: So I did that in like second grade. And, um you know, my parents. That's perfect age. That's when you have the probably the best grasp on the world around you and what final final decisions you should make that guide the rest your Exactly. Exactly. You can't. Yeah. You know, like, OK, you can't um join the military. You can't sign up for a loan. You can't drive a car. You can join God's military. But you can you can make a decision on eternal life. You become a soldier for Christ. There you go. Exactly. Fighting the war for Jesus. but i But when, in you know, and my parents wouldn't sat me down in front of the, you know, to their credit, they went and sat me down with the pastor. And I have like a one on one with the pastor. He asked me questions. I guess I passed the test. I don't know.
Speaker: um because they let me you know i did the thing but at the same time from kindergarten through ninth grade i was actually going to a baptist school which in baton rouge is is very common to put your kid not in in public school so i was at a baptist school which was a church and the school was just you know an attachment on to that oh yeah and how many kids in your class uh probably A hundred ish, maybe. Oh, wow. That's pretty good. Yeah. No, it's not one of, well, like I had 20 kids, you know, like it was, it was, a it was an okay size group.
Speaker: And, but the thing about it was like, when you go to a school like that, right? Like in the morning, there's morning prayer and devotional. Um, And then on Wednesdays, you have chapel.
Speaker: And then, of course, there's like stuff sprinkled throughout. And then on Sunday, I would go to church. So at a certain point, you all yall just kind of become numb to it, right? Because it's just culturally, yeah, sure, I'm a Christian, whatever. And um like South Louisiana is predominantly Catholic. North Louisiana is predominantly Protestant.
Speaker: I was brought up Protestant in South Louisiana, but I knew a lot of most people you talk to would tell you that they were Catholic, but it was usually like yeah you know Yeah, sure. I'm Catholic. Sure. Yeah, yeah. You know, that's what it is. Yeah. um And so it was that kind of thing for me.
Speaker: And then in 10th grade, I left and went to a public school. And o I actually greatly preferred the public school. And um I switched at a closer on that time. I switched churches and the church I went to. ah Actually, I was there for many years and I and I and I.
Speaker: I have a lot of good friends from there and and and still talk to some of them. um But then going into senior year, i kind of had, i guess in in in Southern Baptist terms, what we call like a rededication, right? You can only be saved once. That's the deal. You can only be saved once. But if you've backslidden or become lukewarm or to you know whatever any of these phrases are, you can- By playing Mortal Kombat.
Speaker: Yes, exactly. You can rededicate your life. So going into senior year, I did that. and Do you recognize now that it was public school that made you backslide? I'm hoping you can see that. No, no, actually. And this is what's funny because I remember being asked very specifically um by by someone, they go, in public school, do you feel like your your faith is challenged every day?
Speaker: And I was like, no. And when I told them that I was friends with Christians at public school, they were like beyond shocked, right? Like that they were Christians at the school. Yeah. And it was funny. I can even tell So on my first day, I remember in world history class, we were starting with, um,
Speaker: you know, the beginning. And my teacher, her name was Miss Avery. And she was, she was a really, really, really good teacher. And she taught me a lot about just thinking and thinking through why you arguments and stuff like that. But I remember on the first day, she's like, all right, we're going to start like world history, the beginning.
Speaker: How do you, you know, what is your, um what is your, or like, how do you think the earth came to be? how do you think the world came to be? And I'm like pissing my little Christian pants because I'm like, I'm going to sit, you know, because this is what they tell you in private school. They're like, you're so lucky to be here. Yeah, yeah. Like, they're so lucky to be here. You can't talk about this stuff. And I'm like, oh, is Braveheart moment. Yeah, exactly. It's your Columbine. Yeah, like, here come here comes the persecution.
Speaker: You know, like, here it is. You know, give me strength, Lord. And I'm like, second row over. And then the first dude is like, oh, I think God did it. And I was like... what do you mean you think God did it?
Speaker: People in public school don't think that way. Don't steal my thunder. I didn't watch Braveheart, Gladiator, and The Patriot this week just for – and it's thunder stolen. It took the wind out of my sails. you know i was ready to I was ready to go to war. Give a little friction, Mrs. Klebold.
Speaker: Yeah, come to find out you know the people and in private schools aren't the only ones who are Christians. Who would have known, right? um Unbelievable. I know. I'm sorry. sorry to be the one to tell you. Yeah, I'm sorry to the one to to break it to you guys, but it's not the case.
Speaker: especially in in South Louisiana where, you know, at everyone is, is, you know, it's like, you can't go five feet without seeing a church. Yeah. I mean, I spent enough time in Virginia where it was, I still am actually surprised when I go, when I drive, I'll drive to North Carolina a couple of times a year and I'm,
Speaker: still surprised by how like you can just pass like eight churches in 10 minutes. It's um when you get to certain areas. I'm like, what this is this? This is I'm and I'm I'm genuinely curious to like how how full they are, like to what capacity are people attending? ah They're full. Yeah, I guess so. Yeah, there's a shocking to me.
Speaker: You know, it it depends like the one I grew up in, you know, well, I went to some different ones, but the one I kind of ended up in ah whenever I was in senior and I sort of had my, my rededication moment and where I actually got into ministry and and things like that.
Speaker: um That was was pretty small. And a lot of those smaller churches, a lot of times their congregation is sort of on the older side, right? Like it's their place. It's where they've come to.
Speaker: this is their This is where they want to be. And it's why like and I think a lot of times like absurd issues like should we paint the stripes in the parking lot white or yellow, right? And this becomes like a whole thing. It's because, well, it's a bunch of respect but you retired people and they have nothing better to do than to argue about this shit.
Speaker: It's retired the word you were looking for. Yes. Well, it's like, you know, they they they're sitting there, they're watching the news and it's like, okay, what else am I to do this week? Well, I guess I'll go to church.
Speaker: um You know, and then, so it's like, I guess I'm going to obsess over a parking lot paintings this week or something, you know, um not letting me play drums in the sanctuary. Yeah.
Speaker: It's all fights that we had at my church. but Are they really? it is oh yeah. Like we we had old people that like, you know, because we had the hymnal and then we had like a chorus book.
Speaker: Yeah. And there were some people that would not pick up the chorus book. And there was a, they used an overhead to put like the words on the wall, you know, but we had like several old people that would sit up near the front that refused to look up at the overhead on the wall. They would only look at the court. I mean, it's so stupid, but it really is. It's kind of like, I mean, and and this isn't even like a religious, not religious thing, right? Like this is just like,
Speaker: Why? You know, like if somebody is in the church and and and they're hearing some of this stuff for the first time, are they being moved by singing? Like, are you really going to does it really matter if they heard the words because they were on the wall or the book? Like, you know, we're missing the forest of the trees here, people.
Speaker: But it's literally like the the purpose of the church, like over and over. It's like they they never cease to say that. the purpose of the church is like the great commission and reaching out and stuff like that. But like, you see it over and over again, we're like, especially these smaller congregations and stuff and Christian schools and things like they're really like a protectionist enterprise. Like they, they dig a moat around them and it's like, our people stay in here. You stay out there. Occasionally we'll, we'll don our protective gear. Like it's the walking dead and we'll go out into the streets and hand out a few tracks and then we'll wash our hands and go back inside the the safety of the walls. But like that stays out here. You're welcome to come in, but you, you need to adopt, you need to sign off on our code of conduct before you can like stay. yeah And they wouldn't say people act like they don't believe that they'd be like, no, no, we'd let anyone come in. But yeah, there is a timeframe in which they would expect you to start.
Speaker: Yes. It's like, it's like on the job training. We're like, you know, a couple of weeks of bad decisions and bad poor choices, getting the wrong breakfast for people. They're like, Oh, wrong coffee. Or like, Oh, it's okay. You're new here.
Speaker: But after like three or four weeks, they're like, this person just doesn't fucking get what we're about. Do they? And it's like, is he still, is he still gay? I mean, it's been three weeks, you know, like he hasn't knocked that out yet.
Speaker: God, what are we doing wrong? like I don't know. I so didn't think that I had to tell you this, but we we don't do blue jeans on Sunday mornings, okay? Sunday evenings, Wednesdays.
Speaker: The good thing about where I was in South Louisiana, right, is that like blue jeans and cowboy boots were sort of like were sort of acceptable because – certain part, you know, like it it was a mixture of, sort you know, some people that were lower income and sort of middle income, stuff like that. So it wasn't totally uncommon to see that. So you'd have suits, but then you'd have like the dude and they were like nice jeans and nice boots, but like that and a button up shirt or something. Now, if you were going up on stage,
Speaker: a little different, but, um, the general cong congregation member, like that was there. Now, if you were going into like, that was out like an Ascension in Prairie, but like if you were going into Baton Rouge, definitely didn't see a near as much as that. and ill just been here in l a You can like basically wear whatever the hell you want. They don't care. You're actually look better. You, people are more receptive to a pastor wearing ripped jeans and a weird tank top in LA. Yeah.
Speaker: Well, it's funny because I remember when I got into college, I felt like, you know, and I was still, you know, I didn't, as a Christian in college, and I was, um... I was doing ministries. I led a Bible study. I was going to some college ministries. Solidarity, brother. I did all the same. Yeah, yeah, yeah. yeah And then I was doing some children ministry at stuff and praise band at at the church at the other church I was at. and But like I remember there being almost this trend, right, especially amongst youth pastors, where they would walk out in jeans, nothing else, blue jeans that had rips them. shirt, no shoes, no socks, no Just jeans. Just jeans. Well, they might as well. i mean, look, they had because they had the flip-flops, right? Everyone had flip-flops. Nobody was wearing shoes. It was flip-flops. It was the long blue jeans with tears in them, of course, and then like some T-shirt.
Speaker: And it felt like every youth pastor on planet Earth, no matter where you were, like that was like the garb that they donned to go um speak to us.
Speaker: I feel like I hit an age where I was just kind of over need like seeing people's feet. like I feel like I hit an age where flip-flops were just, oh, I don't. For a long time, I would hear people be like, oh, feet, gross. Who needs flip-flops? People need to, like, do not wear flip-flops on a plane. Like, be a respectable human. Like, I hear that, and there was in my life where I was like, I don't get it. It's, like, not even that big a deal. And then you start seeing, of course, there are some nasty feet out there. We know there's nasty-ass aesthetics.
Speaker: ah And it takes you back. When you see the shit that grows under some people's toes, you're like, oh, wow, that's crazy. Now I get what some people are complaining about when they don't want to see feet as a rule. But that now even still, it's been a long time since I've been able to wear flip flops and not be like, I don't think people want to see this. I don't think.
Speaker: I think I'll just cover my feet when I go out in public. That's how that's that's how I feel now. Is that pretty, pretty, pretty light in here. Your mushrooms are going to spoil. no't know Maybe that's just me. Maybe it's different in L.A. Maybe. No. Well, I mean, I think probably the ratio of flip flop and sandal wearers to non in l L.A. is probably much bigger, you know. Yeah, but um no, I mean, I'll wear flip flops if I have to like run out and do something. But no, I'm a I'm a closed toed guy.
Speaker: And I think like if nothing else, like COVID really put us in this like hygiene mindset when we realized like there are some nasty fuckers out there like that had no sense of hygiene.
Speaker: And like when I get on an airplane, I don't want anything exposed. Right. Because you're like, you're locked in with these people. And like, there's no way I'm going on an airplane. with flip flos It's not happening.
Speaker: And that's that. So the like going out, look, go right in the group. You got no one to impress. Go to Walmart, go to the grocery store, do what you got. Like, I'm not talking about getting chores done. Right. Like I'm talking like,
Speaker: Again, getting on a plane, going to church, going to work. Now, it's different. Women wear open-toed shoes all the time. If I see women wear open-toed shoes... ah Women are disgusting. Women also, I've learned like in the last few years, that like...
Speaker: It's a, it's a, they get real in their heads if they don't have their like toes painted and shit like that. Like, yeah, there's some, like yeah yeah, yeah, definitely some like that.
Speaker: And I didn't know that that was like such a big thing. people I've heard people be like, absolutely. I can't believe she went out with her. without having like a pedicure. Like, and you're like, oh, I've never thought about that I wish more men would get pedicures. Let's be clear. Like that would be a worthwhile investment for a lot of men out there. But yeah, I would, I could never wear an open toed shoe to work.
Speaker: yeah I don't, I would not feel like a respectable person. I don't think people should respect me if I do that. No, I definitely wouldn't. I mean, i'd be I'd be very self-conscious. And like right now I'm working from home, so it's whatever. But like anytime I have to go into an office, I – no way.
Speaker: No way, no how. Couldn't do it. Casey wears flip-flops and puts his feet up on the desk whenever he has an employee come into his office. Nice. too I just lick fingers a lot.
Speaker: Yeah? Yeah. You bite your fingernails while people are talking to you? I just pretend I always just finished a powdered donut. What can we do for you today? Still tasting the last client. um You guys have my favorite church in ah in Los Angeles. Which one?
Speaker: five f I don't know this one. Have you heard them? No. You haven't heard all the demons screaming down the street, dude? They're getting casted out. No, I'm an inside guy. So, you know, most of you, you know, I leave them alone. They leave me alone.
Speaker: We have a perfectly amenable relationship. they're ah they They're led by several apostles, like official apostles, which is, I don't know what the requirements are, but I know that you can call yourself one.
Speaker: But they cast out demons all the time. Like, they'll cast the the the the sciatica demon out of your, you know... Oh, yeah. That's a tricky one. Like, lot of that kind of stuff. A lot of squirming and screaming. This is in LA?
Speaker: Yeah. Yeah. Dude, they go hard. They started outdoors. Mm-hmm. What's this? 5F is for... Five-fold. Five-fold. That's right. Which seems...
Speaker: It's a one-syllable word. like How important is it to abbreviate that? Five-fold. Five-fold. I think it's for friends who do things together. I think really taken nosedive in church title creativity here. You know, like...
Speaker: He used to be like, this is the redeeming Lord Church of the ninth realm of Baton Rouge. you know Now it's like, ah, fivefold, whatever. Yeah, you're like, is this a church or is this where they make sourdough? Yeah. Well, once you think it's where they make sourdough, and when you walk right in and you look for the breakfast menu, it's like, ha-ha, it's actually the word of God. He got you. You look up, you're like, is this menu? You're like, no, it's actually the first full book of the Bible.
Speaker: dude There's a great Maria Bamford had a great bit about being tricked into going to church because of the names. That's fun. Like, Oh, that's funny. It was, So great. She's so funny.
Speaker: I'll have to look it up. But no, yeah, I mean, I, um yeah, I mean, look, I was, I was in church for a long time. And then 12th grade, I mean, I, and I think for me, like, my thing was like, I had a lot of friends at public school that were not believers, right?
Speaker: Atheists, agnostics. And like, my thing was never like, oh, no, like, my thing was, I wanted to sit down and talk to them, right? Like, I would love, I love talking to them. and debating with them. And for about a year and a half, two years of my life, like I was really into it, like young earth creation, stuff like that. Like I remember my 10th grade biology class when I was started being taught evolution and I was like, Oh my God, no, no, no, no. no You know?
Speaker: And, um, that, that, I mean, that lasted for years and years and years and years. And i feel like you're telling my story, dude Yeah. And then mid twenties is when i so slowly started my, uh,
Speaker: I don't know what the right. The dissent. The dissent. Yes. My apostasy.
Speaker: Tickling the taint of apostasy. That's the best way to put it yet. did ah That's how I should have approached my loved ones. Sorry, guys. I'm tickling the taint of apostasy. I think it would have big it would all go ah gone much better if I'd said it that way.
Speaker: You're like, why didn't you just tell you were gay? Oh, dude. ah Bill Maher. Bill Maher calls the he it was I guess it's so curious's far enough in that we can start talking about Bill Maher. I know. It doesn't matter. Maher calls the taint of every young woman apostasy.
Speaker: that's all it's not that bad i just don't do that i just don't i almost didn't want to get it he's just i'm actually appalled he he's hitting on people who are like 50 years younger than him right now and it's just oh i hate him anyway i hate him so much i hate the video this week is so funny like the uh no it's like talking to like a 22 year old OnlyFans girl. And he's like, Oh my God. like You know, I'm ah um a, I'm a dog. I'm, I'm real horny. I, I, I used to jack off four times a day.
Speaker: You know, you wouldn't even get it. Like he keeps touching her. It was it was was so gross. This is all like, this is a clip on something. it's his club random podcast oh not the bill maher show which honestly the bill maher show needs to get canceled after that interview i don't know why it hasn't been who the fuck is watching that shit it's been bad for a decade um dude it's worse though because he's not even like oh i just he's not even just i used to dude the projection is insane he's like
Speaker: he's he's talking about men and he's trying to talk about men in general. Like, oh, like you don't even get it. Like, and he's like being bashful, which is weird to watch him do. Like to watch him trip up, he'll be such a dick to everyone everywhere all the time. And then to watch him in the presence of a 22 year old get all bashful and and weird. Like it's like watching. a It's like when you watch an eighth grade boy step into the presence of a girl they love and they just don't know what to do. It's like watching yeah Napoleon. din if They were a horn over. Yeah. Fawn over whatever that girl's name was in Napoleon Dynamite.
Speaker: It's ah don remember what seems it's it's it's Dab. It's Dab. That's right. Dab. It's like Napoleon Dynamite kept touching Deb's hand and trying to put something in drink.
Speaker: But he's like, man, you don't even get it, man. It's like, so you wouldn't even know. I mean, it'd be hard to, it's like, man, some, to have to, have to jack off like four or five times a day. She's like, you do that? He's like, I mean, at one point it's like, but he, at first he's talking for like, ah no, Bill, I don't think you've ever really,
Speaker: ah do you really believe that every man is like this? You actually think this is all men or you just like projecting because you feel weird admitting to a 22 year old, how much you jerk off. I mean, that's, that's information you couldn't waterboard out of me, you know?
Speaker: And that's why you're a respectable man with a great job. There you go. That's why you need that Christian upbringing. Yes. Even when you're done with it, the shame stays and let's have some shame, little shame.
Speaker: It's a good thing. Let's make shame great again. Make shame great again. i think i think we lost the importance of shame in society. i actually yeah I was talking with a friend about this, and I'm like, i get why in the past – We were like, you know, too much shame.
Speaker: We probably overcorrected. We overcorrected. We definitely overcorrected. And now it's like we could do with a little shame in the public sphere. ah you Let's bring just a little of it back. a little bit. Just a bit. Enough to make things. like And just a little bit of shame is like just enough oil to make the engine run properly. Yes. You know, it's like, you don't want to overdo it. You overfill the oil tank and shit blows up. I guess. I don't know. What do I know about cars? Casey, what happens if you put too much oil in? I don't know.
Speaker: Sure. It blows up or something. Okay, perfect. Then I'm right. i get Everything's then my analogy is awesome. Uh, and it like the, like, Now people are like, I can't find my inner peace until I can tell my parents that I'm in a polycule, but I can only come when I'm hung upside down in a closet and punched in the gut for 45 minutes straight. And you're like, no one needs to know that. Just go back to being alone. You know, you do you, but I'm good. There's that, I think it's New York Times, but there's that thing that gets posted online where it was the the title of an article and it says, we all know too much about each other. Yes. And I'm a huge I'm definitely a firm believer in that, you know, like I think we would. So, for example, if you say, I don't know, I'm just spitballing here. But like if you were to say i was rescued from the rubble of 9-11 for something that factually just definitely is not true. Yeah, that's so fascinating. I wonder who recently I don't know who would ever say something like that, but I sure hope that if they did. that Fox News would say something. Somebody would call them out for that. They must.
Speaker: who Who was it? who did Trump. Trump. Oh, did he really? Yeah, he absolutely said that. How did I miss this? Not only was he pulled from the rubble of 9-11, they were big, strong guys because he's a big guy and they picked him up and they were running and they were running the whole time. They were strong. They just picked him up and they ran.
Speaker: like Which is crazy because we we have audio recording of him talking during this time period about how he now has the tallest building in New York City. Like that was his takeaway.
Speaker: I remember that. This isn't made up. like This is their exist. And now it's, you know, actually I was beneath the rubble being pulled by big burly men, their sweat you know dripping upon my brow. I mean, it's just, it you know, the shame. like This is a perfect instance where shame, like, he should be ashamed to say something like that. And he should be called on it. And he should, all right, guys, you know what? That was my bad, but.
Speaker: What do you know? We're in a post-shame society. I think so, yeah. Unfortunately. We should be in like ah a mid-shame society. right like We were at too much shame. Now we went to post-shame. We should bring it back to mid-shame, 50% shame society. 35%, 35 to 50%, depending on the time and what people are talking about. Like that's the right amount of shame. And yeah, during wartime, 50%, not wartime, bring it down to like 30%, you know, we got to have in Threat level yellow.
Speaker: Oh, hey, go ahead. i was I was curious. what What curriculum did your Christian school use? Do you remember? So, I mean, they, well, okay. So they used um a lot of normal curriculum. Well, I say normal, right? Okay. So, I mean, I was taught all all the basics, right? Like I was taught all the basics of of of what you would learn and in a normal school.
Speaker: um But a lot, you know with the, except, you know we had Bible class and then we had chapel and we had the morning devotions. But a lot of times, like you can, at least in like an elementary school, you have, know,
Speaker: you know Sometimes problems involve Bible characters or your reading might be a Bible story. you know and It's like these small ways to just sort of like drop it in here and there.
Speaker: Now, when you get to high school, it's a little different, but I left in ninth grade. and In 10th grade at public school is where I learned about evolution. so I actually asked some of my friends ah at at my school, I said,
Speaker: How did that how did they deal with that? And they're like, they just kind of stepped over the whole thing. Just didn't talk about it. i was like, OK, we just been a totally bypass that. So, you know, the origin of life and, ah you know, how creatures came to be. But, you know, skip right past it. That's not important, I guess.
Speaker: Yeah, they didn't have like a plug and play like curriculum that they use, like Christian school oriented thing. No, not not like that. Although I will say that um a lot of times, at least for us, a lot of the churches did kind of the same vacation Bible school stuff because what would happen is that, I don't know if you guys remember Lifeway. You remember Lifeway?
Speaker: Oh yeah, the bookstore? Yeah, yeah, like this huge Christian bookstore chain. And a lot of times like they would sell VBS material. And so a lot of the churches would go to Lifeway and get their VBS material. So if it was like,
Speaker: you know this week we're you know this this This year we're doing Cowboys and Hoedowns or something. like Every church down the street was Cowboys and Hoedowns for Vacation Bible School because they went and got it at Lifeway.
Speaker: yeah Yeah, dude. that's that i don't I'm always interested in who like the VBS conglomerate, like VBS HQ. What is happening over there? Because they they do there's a lot of different ones. And I remember because I was pretty active in my church.
Speaker: And when they did VBS and I was like, I used to do in like high school, I would do like, I was one of those people who did all the VBS skits and like, and volunteered at it Oh yeah. I mean, I do there.
Speaker: I'm glad. I'm really glad that people weren't recording things then like they are now. You, you ain't lying, dude. I have a lot. You ain't lying. did a lot. I said a lot. I, I mean, i came back from a youth group missions trip in Jamaica with my hair braided. And I think we call that cultural appropriation now. And I'm glad, I don't think there's any video or photographic evidence of that. That's how long did it take you to snap out of that one?
Speaker: Uh, I think I only kept it in for a few days. Um, all right. and Before I was like, but you know, you come back on a plane and everyone's like, everyone on the plane is like, should we break his window and watch him get sucked out?
Speaker: doing Society a net positive. Like, Oh, did you, I mean, what did you just do to an entire culture? How much did you just ruin an entire culture?
Speaker: Yeah. Um, Just it turns out not much. We were more just like sightseeing poor people. And it was, you know, oh, but it affected me a lot. You know, it was I think it impacted me more than I impacted them. I'm being honest, which is probably what I said word for word when I got up in front of my church and spoke about it with the group this following Sunday. um But yeah, it's ah it's.
Speaker: uh i lost my train of thought i don't know why i was going with this other than self-deprecation in general but i mean doesn't need to be another reason yeah there's nothing wrong with self-deprecation it was the uh the skits in like talking about the curriculum there was they were always floating a few different options so like you can go back a few years and pick that one up there's always a few to pick from um And then, yeah, it like I remember having like not a say because no one cared what I thought, despite my best efforts to make people care. ah But it was like, oh, let's do the medieval one. That sounds fun. you're Like, no, we're doing the one where people accidentally go back in time to the desert and we're going to get a camel to come to our church. You're like, oh, that sounds fun.
Speaker: Did you actually, I mean, you you had a camel at your church? Yeah, and then I lost some, like, contest competition, so I had to, like, I got tongue-punched in the mouth by the camel, and o it was horrifying. It was unintentional. was like, oh, get close, give the camel kiss, and it just went bleh, and just venom-tongued my mouth. is that Is that where it all fell apart for you? You're like, how could a loving God let such a thing happen? And then it all came falling down?
Speaker: That would have been the right place for it to come falling down. If I asked that question and then had a moment of like real reflection, i' would have like, oh, it's just a bunch of weird men that voted for this and said that this is what we're doing. They just wanted to see swaps fit with a camel. Who has been the biggest shit this year in the youth group? Let's go make him stand in front of that camel. Yeah, it was. I was thinking I didn't try to play drums in church.
Speaker: Oh, God. Oh, that was me. Fuck, dude. You nailed it. I was bad at it. I did not really get to. No, yeah, we, I mean, and, and, and, you know, I've been to, of course, plenty, plenty, of plenty of churches that have drums on stage and whatever, but, you know, the, the, the last church I, I went to, like, and was a member of, um, that was always sort of like a thing, like, right, we, I think at one point we got some amps on the stage and got electric guitars in there, uh, keyboards were usually fine, but drums were like that line in the sand. Did they get the drum shield, though?
Speaker: They got the drum shield, didn't they? the Even with the drum shield, it's just like the presence of that on stage was like not happening. ah that The drum shield is an important part of selling the kit, though. Oh, yeah. hundred We got it. It's like, how do we how do we sell it to the congregation? Give it the sound like someone threw a wet blanket over it We promise you won't hear them.
Speaker: They just feel like they're doing something. It's basically the, you know, like the participation trophy of the praise band. Like you stick them, you'll never be. in And this is no shade to drummers. I'm just joking. Drummers, we love you.
Speaker: But yeah, they just stick them back there in the corner. And it's like, nah, you go do your thing. And the rest of the praise band, we're going to be at this table over here. You know? yeah We had the, we had the electric drums.
Speaker: Oh yeah. Those are actually like hitting empty coffee can. Yeah. Those are actually most emasculating. I mean, I'm sure the people who are doing the sound don't mix it that good, but in theory, when you're in a weird acoustic environment and people don't like the drum super loud, it's a good idea.
Speaker: Yeah, no. And we, um, you know, so yeah yeah. And I, and, and, and, and with that church, um, you know, was, we had an okay size youth group, but a lot of the big church decisions were made by predominantly, um you know, 60 and above.
Speaker: And so they know it's kind of this constant tug of war, but I, you know, I always got along with them really well. And, and anytime, you know, I, I gave a few sermons and they were always really well, well received.
Speaker: So, um, you know, I, I, I got along with, pretty much everyone. So, you know, but no, I was never able to get the drums up there. Did you, do you remember what any of your sermon topics were? Uh, yeah. I mean, one of them was, um, I'm trying to think one of them was, i think why bestiality is a sin in the Bible.
Speaker: Yeah. Uh, yes, yes. That was, that was, I'm like, you know what? No, one this is my first outing. I'm just going to go for it. Right. I'm just going to go for it. Mary was 13. What are we doing with these laws? um It bestiality is talked more, it talked about more than homosexuality. I think it's time that the church does the same.
Speaker: There you go. No, I mean, there's quite a bit in the Bible that's talked about more than homosexuality, right? Like they probably referenced the weather more than homosexuality. Like, you know, like the amount of things that, which is, you know, it's like, it it seems like if you had like limited space to convey the most important things in the world,
Speaker: and homosexuality was you know that important, it seems like it would be taking up more than like a questionable verse or two, right? But yeah what do I know? Isn't it funny that when you when ah when people like us sit down talk Bible, like i the word homosexuality never comes out of my mouth until I start talking about the Bible and.
Speaker: Well, I think that this is this is this is the, um i i I remember, you know it it feels like, some of these people think more about people being gay than gay people think about being gay. You know, like yeah it's like i don't I don't understand the fascination with it. I certainly don't like I can't. There's the the world is in such a state right now and things are like expensive. i have kids.
Speaker: There's a war going on. I simply cannot get worked up. It's technically a combat mission. What is it? it's ah It's not a war. What do they call it? A military um operation. Yeah. doing So just to be clear.
Speaker: A military? Oh, yeah. Yeah. Well, you know, the hardest part about ah a two-week war is the first six months, right? so Yeah. That's true. Yeah. But like all this is going on and then somebody's getting upset about what somebody who they'll never meet in their life is doing in their own private time.
Speaker: And i just don't i don't have you know I just don't have the emotional bandwidth. to be ah upset about something like that. And, and, and, you know, it's, it's, it's been a while since I've like really sat down and truly studied the Bible.
Speaker: Um, but I don't remember Jesus having much to say about it either. So I think the amount of, amount of conversation about it in relation to, you know, the cameo, the brief cameo it makes in the Bible is, is a little, you know, disproportionate, but it says more about them. but You guys are more about the just yeah gay Yeah. You know what's upsetting to me?
Speaker: is that i've never I've never seen a furry whose fursona was a camel.
Speaker: What do I mean, true nobody that's a furry identifies like as a camel. That's never their they're chosen. It's always wolves, dragons, horses. Never a camel. It's really under underrepresented. ah In the furry communities.
Speaker: Yeah. yeah That's true. That's too bad because think of how much you can store in your fake home. To any of the furries who are listening, I guess this is your chance to make a difference in your community.
Speaker: You can rebrand yourself. It's not too late. The Camel community needs you. Call yourself Joe Camel. Have a pack of cigarettes. Oh, dude. that's um You know what? I'm doing it. I'll be the first. There you go.
Speaker: Any excuse to start smoking. be the training Be the change you wish to see in the world. Not to go... not to not to go too far back, but I did have a quick question about when you changed churches. Yeah. Did your whole family change churches? Yes. and Was there an incident that happened where you guys were like, ah enough is enough? No. So what ended up happening was we went to, the first church I went to, i don't really remember why why we moved. I was too young.
Speaker: But um the i went the other church I went to, I was there from like second grade through... ninth, 10th grade or something. and And I think what ended up happening was that um I had some good friends in youth group and most of them moved away.
Speaker: So with with the exception of one. and And so there just became this disconnect, right? Between me and like we were showing up on Sundays, we were kind of going on Wednesdays. We would go to certain events, but like nobody really paid much attention. And so I know my parents really wanted me to be involved somewhere.
Speaker: And what ended up happening was, One Sunday, my brother and I were staying with my grandparents. We call them mama and papa. we We're staying with my mama and papa. And we went to their church.
Speaker: And some kid from the youth group who I had never met, he had never met me, walked up and said, hey, why don't you come sit with us? And that was like the nicest thing someone in a youth group had done for me in, ah God, five, six years at that point.
Speaker: and so I've still never been invited to sit with anybody. Uh-oh. Well, you should have gone to my church. That's your mistake. I'd probably become a Christian again. Closest he came was jury duty. ja Actually, i was though I was the one jury who refused to... Oh, that was you....to go not to go to to say guilty on the Lindsay Clancy trial. So you're the mistrial guy. ye Yeah, that's me.
Speaker: Sam's the gig of Chad. but no like my you know and and so my parents um saw that we were getting involved with that youth group and um that's what they wanted for us so i don't think they really at the time wanted to go to that church but for them the fact that we were getting involved was okay like the most important thing in the world to them so they were like you know what we'll just This is what we'll do.
Speaker: And, um you know, to their credit. And so I was there. Yeah. So I was there until about college where i switched over to like some college ministry stuff.
Speaker: And then i kind of did my wife and I kind of did like our own Bible studies and stuff. And then, you know, and then dear then it happened. But yeah.
Speaker: yeah Did you go to a Christian college? No, I went to LSU. Good for you. good you did not Definitely not of Christian college. But I will tell you that um at colleges like that, the student ministries are very big.
Speaker: I bet. So there's a lot of campus outreach. There's a lot of outreach to foreign exchange students, which... I have my own opinions on that. yeah i can think of a few opinions that you might have. and then might share them. At the football games, like they would paint themselves up, and it was known that like you know in the student section, this these were the guys from this ministry. you know and so there was Even though it's not a Christian school by any stretch of the imagination, the the campus ministries had a really big presence.
Speaker: So again, it's this thing where there's always around. And actually one of the great things about LSU is they had, um they called it free speech alley, which wasn't an alley. It was like the open space in front of the union.
Speaker: It's just a white bunch of white people saying the N word. yeah Well, no, what happened no actually what happened was, I mean, there was, there was definitely some of that, but actually there was a group. um I think their church was called consuming fire. Oh, God, what it that's well not good. Well, and, but these people were like. Were gay?
Speaker: Like, literally? Not just saying that, like, I mean, like, that. They, they, no, they were like. Closet cases? Like the Fred Phelps types, right? Like. Okay. They were like on tense intense, intense.
Speaker: And everyone's, you know, you know, everyone's going to hell. We don't, you know, la, da, da, da. I mean, everything was an infraction. Yeah. And, you know, close I feel like I do. I hear that. And I think closet case. I feel like the harder I'm sure like but I'm sure there was more just like, what are you doing behind closed doors? i know Those people I couldn't trust less than anybody else. in I would trust someone who is actually arrested for having CP on their computer more than those people. That's how bad it is.
Speaker: Well, I mean, you know, yeah, I mean, I always think that the the, you know, the louder they proclaim against it, the more likely they are to be found doing it. Yeah. And yeah um usually with minors. But I, but no, like, and so me being me and the person that I was, like, I was always there, like, engaging with them.
Speaker: And there was this other guy who literally all he, he would, he had two chairs. He was by himself. He'd sit in a chair. There was an empty chair. And all he said, well, you know, his whole thing was like, we called him the Jesus talks guy.
Speaker: And all he said was like, let me pray for you. And anybody could just come sit down. He'd say a prayer with them. He talked to them if they needed to talk and they go about their way. Right. Really nice guy. They harassed this guy to no end. So he was ultimately like, um we're not,
Speaker: Line in the sand. You have your thing. I have my thing. We're going to disagree. And then you had like one or two Muslims that were there, like really just in shouting matches with them. So it was pretty interesting.
Speaker: Yeah. And I love to be in my personality was such that like I i was in it. I wanted to be in the middle of it. I wanted to know these people.
Speaker: Dude, feel like i um there's a lot that you say that I connect with. Like, I feel like if... We went to Christian University, so it was like... though we still pretended like that was an important thing we're like there are a lot of people here who aren't christians how do we reach them and then like i would try to like get in conversations with people about it but oh my god dude if i if we had if we had a free speech alley where we got to just go off like a king would have been so hard the whole time yeah it was it was it was like it was like a certain time during the day where people could come and just like
Speaker: go at it and um no it's pretty cool and like again like my personality was such that yeah i wanted to like be in there debating with these people all right so let's let's i want to start making some connections what because you go from that to being one to be the guy like in the dirt right going at it and then uh It sounds like there was a within a short-ish period of time, a few years maybe, there was like a drop-off where you were like,
Speaker: ah Wait a second. Maybe I don't, maybe I don't care so much. like Sounds like it had something to do with your wife. No, no, it didn't. No, it didn't. And, um you know, I'm not, ah you know, and we'll get into this, of course, like I'm not a Christian anymore.
Speaker: um She is. So, you know, we've been married for 15 years. So another that's another thing we're in a similar boat with. I ah like ah my wife still feels very much like gravitates towards that. Yeah. Yeah. And like, you know, and yeah.
Speaker: Outside of that, like which obviously it's a big thing, like my wife and I have very similar values about everything else, how we want to raise our kids. So um if people are tempted to think as they sometimes are like, oh, he just no.
Speaker: You know, like, no, um I still go to church once or twice a month with her. Like, so, but um anyway, so what ended up happening was so so like, but I was, i was so like, I always wanted to be that guy, like you said, in the dirt.
Speaker: And I would read a lot of apologetic books. I would listen to like debates. I was always wanted wanted to be engaged. Like I had to study Bibles. Like I really wanted to know, and it drove me nuts that there, that everyone wasn't like that, right? Like everyone wasn't just like hungry to know more.
Speaker: But one of the things that I think about now is that I didn't just but I mean, obviously, like there's a whole relationship and an emotional slash, quote unquote, spiritual part of it.
Speaker: But for me, like I genuinely believe like I had the facts on my side. Right. I genuinely believe that I felt like I had done enough studying to know that I had the facts on my side.
Speaker: So I believed it. And then what ended up happening was um I was actually, i was in a car. I was going to a commercial shoot at Walmart in New Orleans. All right.
Speaker: And the guy driving the car, I didn't know the two people. I didn't know the guy driving the car and I didn't know the guy in the back, but they were coming to the shoot. They were both leaving Baton Rouge. So we all hitched a ride together.
Speaker: And long story short, the guy driving the car was an atheist. And the guy in the back was like, fundamentalist Christian like to the max, right? like I think even Young Earth, you know sort of on the on the fringe there.
Speaker: Yeah, yeah. and what ended up And so I was engaging with them and listening and stuff like that, but... you know my eight and i'm And I'm avoiding names because I don't i don't know if anyone wants to would want to be associated with this. But anyway, so he um when he got in the car, the guy in the back had asked him, how's your how's your reading of the Bible going? He's like, oh, I finished it.
Speaker: I'm done. Mission accomplished. And I said, well, why did you read the whole Bible? like what And he's like, well, you know I'd read a bunch of books about why the Bible was wrong.
Speaker: So I figured I should actually just probably read the Bible for myself. And I remember like that sentiment really stuck with me because i i I valued being fair-minded and doing research and knowing why you thought and believe what you believe.
Speaker: But then I was like, wait a second. I've read a bunch of books about why those people are wrong and why their books are wrong. But like I've never actually gone and read their books or listened to you know their lectures or or whatever it is.
Speaker: And that stuck with me for about six months, just sitting around in my head. So I made a decision. I said, you know what? if Christianity is true, then I will come out the other end of this, a stronger Christian, right? What's the Bible verse about like fire refining gold or, you know? And so it was like, that was sort of my mentality.
Speaker: So I spent like a year and a half, right? Reading. i mean, I don't know how many books, right? I go to like the used book sites and like buy used books, um, on every topic I could, could get my hands on.
Speaker: Um, And then I was listening to debates nonstop, lectures nonstop. I was meeting with pastors and having coffee and seminary students. Like I was just, I was, I was in, I was going in, I was trying to just do as much as I could. And about, about a year and a half in, i was just, I, you know, I was like, I can't, I can't in good conscience say that I i believe this stuff anymore.
Speaker: And that's that's what did it. And and wow a lot of times people, they think it's because of like some traumatic event. or There was no trauma. it wasn't traumatic you know there was no trauma There was no like something bad happened to me or a loved one was killed by a church member or something. There was nothing like that. It just was a year and a half of me studying honestly.
Speaker: And at the end of it, I said, I don't I don't see sufficient evidence to believe in this anymore. Dude, that resonates with me because that's yeah basically what I did. But listening to Joe Rogan,
Speaker: so we're academic yeah the rigor. Yeah, dude it's it's funny, like.
Speaker: when people try to associate or make connections to your leaving Christianity, like what the reason for leaving the faith and come up with some like reason, people who are still in it want to pinpoint a reason.
Speaker: Um, and I understand that, uh, you know, I used to do that to a degree. If people left and be like, how could they leave? They must've, if only they had talked to me first, ah, yeah I'm the guy who knows. And then, but what people also don't, when they're like, well, maybe there's a trauma of this or that. And you're like, no, you're actually like, you're making the choice to, I don't, I don't want to use the word trauma loosely, but like in a lot of sense,
Speaker: Like, people making that choice, that is actually the hardest part of it, is, like, what you go through when everyone realizes you've turned your back on it. Yes.
Speaker: That becomes the hard... Like, they... It's like a self-fulfilling prophecy in there. and Like, what trauma have you been through? Who hurt you? And you're like, actually, it's you guys, right now, not helping your case at all. Like, it's just...
Speaker: It is something to lose. It's like I i share a lot of i i feel a lot about what you were saying where like I did the work. I did the research. I never stopped learning. It was always important to me. And then the more you do that outside of that evangelical environment, outside of a very well controlled version of knowledge dissemination, you you you start going,
Speaker: Oh, shit. Like evangelicalism is like, we're going to tell you the people you can listen to yeah because these are the safe ones. But then you listen to other people outside of that and you go, they have some really good points. And now I know why you didn't want me to hear them because, you know, they have really good points. And and you get to this, that you just go, I don't this is at at the very start of it. It's like this doesn't really make sense. And I'm not holding it with as tight a fist.
Speaker: And then as things happen, you just go, oh, okay, maybe maybe not this, maybe not that. And then you realize like at the end of the day, you don't have that community left that actually you did value, that actually did mean something to you.
Speaker: Absolutely. That you do actually miss. somewhat regularly on the other side of it. And you go, i wish there was a world in which a community, and an environment, in a social group, or I wish something like this existed for people who didn't just toe the line and say, I believe the same things you did. I wish it wasn't uncomfortable to be around you guys because you voted for the demise of this country with like...
Speaker: ah heart and hand and really fucking excited about it. Like, I wish there was a way to like have back some of what I had, uh, in, in the, in that part of my life where it felt meaningful, important. I, I liked a lot of the people I liked them. There was a lot of people I liked.
Speaker: And, uh, and then just, then one day you just kind of look back and go, Oh, that that's just gone. that That's never coming back. That's a bummer. That sucks. No, I agree with you entirely, you know, like, especially because like whenever you have a kid or whenever something happens like out here with like the fires, you know, um people from church step up, right? Like a lot of times they're they're the first line of defense.
Speaker: And um that, I mean, I feel like if speaking honestly, like that has that has to be acknowledged. And I don't know yeah I couldn't give you anything quite comparable to that, right? From a, from a secular point of view.
Speaker: um So no, I mean, it's, yeah, I agree. Like there's, there's a, there's something to the community. There's something to knowing these people at at that level.
Speaker: um And yeah, I mean, of course, yeah, there are parts of me that, that still very much miss it. But at the end of the day, it's like, I don't believe it. And I can't, I can't in good conscience, like, act like I don't believe it. You know, like, it doesn't, I can't, you know, like, it it's like, I would just be, I would just be lying and presumably God is smart enough to know that,
Speaker: I'm not telling the truth. Yeah. so Once you're out, it's hard to be like, we'll just keep doing it really is. It's hard to keep doing the thing when you don't believe it because so much of the way people talk and act and what they say, like it it too much. I have a hard enough time with it in general.
Speaker: with people I do, like, whether it's family, whatever. I have a hard enough time being, like, people telling me they'll pray for me. Like, there's things where I'm just like what what is this? Like, I feel like, i ultimately, it feels, like, dismissive of who I am. Yeah.
Speaker: A lot, because it's not that I'm upset that they don't agree with me. It's that they... it feels like a con like for people who are still in that world, everything feels like, like a constant, like, uh, well,
Speaker: Like, what's the word I'm looking for? like ah Like an opportunity to. Yeah, an opportunity, an op, a stealth attempt. Like just something to be like, oh, let me try. How do I slip this in? Maybe that will be the thing that makes them, that plants the seed. And you're like, can we just be real fucking people right now? Well, I think some of that, like, yeah. And it and and that mileage varies on that for me, right? Like there are some people who will say something like that. And I'm like, come on.
Speaker: you know But ah sometimes I think it's because people genuinely don't know what else to say. right That's fair. That's a fair point. Certainly in the face of like great tragedy.
Speaker: right like And it's one of the things that it's like, i don't I don't know that there is a right thing to say, right? Except just being with that person in that moment. But I think a lot of times if people feel truly helpless, like what else are we going to do?
Speaker: Well, we'll pray because that's what we do, right? Like that's that's going to work. That'll help them even if they don't receive it. And um I think it comes with like the intention of who's saying it. Because again, yes, I agree. There are some people that are like, yeah.
Speaker: you know me well enough and we're close enough that you have other alternatives here that you're choosing not to use willingly. Um, and there are some other people that just, I'm like, i this is you doing the best you can. So yeah, thanks that's fair, man. I'd like that point.
Speaker: I'll be on my way. Thank you. You know, but yeah, I had a friend I was talking to not too long ago, but when, when like the most recent, like,
Speaker: pack of documents from the Epstein files came out, you know, and you're like paging through some of this stuff and listening to people like, you know, dissect it and whatnot. And one of the things that's weird to me, because I don't, I don't, is I don't have strong feelings about like,
Speaker: whether or not there's a God and this and that. And the, other I just think that like the evangelical notion of it that I grew up with is, is that's just not it, you know? Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker: One of the things that was weird about reading some of that stuff is that there's, there's clearly like a ritualistic, creepy, like pseudo supernatural element to some of the, like just despicably evil things that they were doing. and that to me is like very hard to process because i don't, I don't for a second believe that like these powerful people have the same conception of like God and the devil and there's two sides and that's it. Like, I don't, I don't think for a second that they have that idea
Speaker: of what's out there, you know, but I really don't understand what they're like, what their, their viewpoint is on it and like what they're trying to do. But I was talking to my buddy about it. Who's a Christian. It's still like, you know, engrossed in the church, but I, he's a person that I really respect.
Speaker: And he and I were talking about, and he's like, well, you know, I mean, you just have to ask yourself, like, if there's, you know, if, if there is like, ah you know, if the devil is real or this, that, and the other you know, I mean, then the inverse that he like, try it. He was, cause I was talking about it kind of open-ended and he's like, basically like, well, it just goes to show you that, you know, there is a God and Jesus died for our sins and this and that and the other. i'm like, I think you're missing what I'm saying. yeah I don't, I don't know how you get from one to the other.
Speaker: you know, like it doesn't, I'm not, that is what I'm struggling with. It's not, this isn't going lead me back to the church. It's the horrific violence in front of me. Um, not, uh, did, did Christ die for my sins?
Speaker: Did Christ die for Epstein's sins? I'm good. I don't need to even ask that question, bro. Like, yeah, I don't, I'm fine knowing that he died quote unquote in his jail cell. However, that may be. Uh, I don't,
Speaker: Like, I don't want to entertain. Like, when you get to that level of egregious evil, you're like, I don't even need to entertain. Whether or not if they repented right before they died, that they'd be in heaven. Like, fuck that. I don't want to talk about that.
Speaker: Do you think that ultimately he went to hell because he killed himself? No, I mean, I think that – think he's in heaven with Hitler, honestly. Him and Hitler are partying in heaven with Jesus Christ because right before they pulled the trigger, they repented of their sins. Well, you know i don't i don't know you know. I know the suicide thing is – suicide straight to hell is is a Catholic thing. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker: But I do – object, certainly, you know really morally object to the idea, right? Like, it should be an open and shut case that if there is a hell, Jeffrey Epstein is in it, right? Like, that's, I don't believe in hell, but if there is one, then certainly he seems like the one of the strongest candidates, yeah certainly in my lifetime.
Speaker: And, um... The idea that even for a second we could entertain that that's not the case because maybe in the last five minutes of his life he had like a genuine repentance and accepted Christ. right like The idea that like you have to theologically take that seriously, it i can't i can't it makes my it makes my skin crawl. There should be no world in which Jeffrey Epstein... Yeah, dude. Magic word theology. That's it, Casey. And I do what to your point, Josh, what I think is like that was a thing. i think a virtue signal in evangelical Christianity and was was who who could admit that like what worst person would be in heaven.
Speaker: I feel like that was a, like, that was how much you believed in grace. Yeah. And that made you like a more serious, well, you know, if I'm taking the Bible real seriously, if Hitler, brave if he, if he repented right before he died, like, they were like what are we doing? incantation and You know, what it's like Christian, like it's Christian, um, evil. gento My scrotum.
Speaker: Yeah, it's just like who can get the closest to saying that the most evil person alive could actually end up in heaven, like hanging out with you and your family. yeah like It's sort of it's sort of beyond the pale, especially whenever you consider that like, know,
Speaker: You know, there are people in the world right now who are doing the best they can in their communities. Maybe they live in impoverished communities and they they spend every day trying to help people.
Speaker: And because they happen to lose the birth lottery and they're living in some country and they believe in the wrong God, like that person straight to hell. But maybe these other people who may be maybe have like a deathbed conversion, they're going to heaven. And I don't, yeah I just can't, I can't square that with any type of like moral thinking.
Speaker: And, you know, that wasn't like, you know, that that's not the reason why I ultimately turned away. But like, that is a question that I have, you know, like it's a poing question. Honestly, I'm like, this is a flaw in Yeah.
Speaker: Evangelical thinking. And that one helped me too. In college, I was like, I remember being like, hold on. If I was born somewhere else, I would believe something different.
Speaker: And that's yes. The end of the story. Like that matters when you like by the grace of God, brother. And we would say that. And that's when you start to realize how insane it is to constantly retreat to God's grace as you're like, umm I'm not doing the fucking Grace Olympics anymore, where it's like, hey, let's do this thing where we decide when dude, here's your next film, Josh.
Speaker: It's a it's an absolutely deplorable, disgusting, despicable person. We're talking human centipede times 10. Yeah. I need you to workshop. i need a i need like 30 of the worst people imaginable in a room coming up with the most horrific things they can think of. That's the film. And in the last five minutes, that person, as they're like ah as ah the walls are closing in, the cops are showing up, they realize the error of their ways and they convert to jesus to Christianity and they they pray to Jesus Christ to save them from their sins. And then they go and then he ends up in heaven.
Speaker: And that's the end of the movie. He's just partying in heaven. can I think that would... i think do What do you think that would do to people? Do you think people would... I think... i think Here's what think. think that would be too abrupt of an ending? Do you think that's a good concept? you You're the smart guy when it comes to film. You know, i Out of that land. As a movie, no, it it it would drive people crazy. But as a um as a as a illustration of a theological point, you know it's the kind of thing that people would see, and then they would get angry, and then you go,
Speaker: Yeah. Yeah. What ah what about is a social experiment where you have an angel vid put it out on their their streaming service where you sell it to Christians and to see what they'll put up with just to see someone get saved at the end. The Yellow King's deathbed professional.
Speaker: I mean, dude, it's good look whenever you mean, this is you know, ah the the good thing about ah Christian movies, I guess, is that like they have a guaranteed audience, right? Because you have and I don't mean I mean, I don't want to say Christian movies like in general. Right. Because to me, like Bergman's ah The Virgin Spring is a Christian movie. And I certainly wouldn't like put it in with like God's not dead or anything like that. Like with these certain especially like angel films or whatever this shit is like.
Speaker: It's like, okay, how many buses of people can we pre-buy tickets for who are going to show up at 2 o'clock after they go get lunch and go see this fucking thing, and now they've just made tens of millions of dollars and tons of profit because like they don't even have to normally advertise. They just advertise it to certain groups, and these fuckers are all going to go get on a bus and go see this thing. Maybe it's good. Maybe it's not. It doesn't matter.
Speaker: What matters is they got them on the bus to go see it, and the tickets were all pre-balled. It's a genius. um Joe Arpaio biopic presented by the Daily Wire. It's the it's the God's Not Dead cinematic universe. It's just it's it's Marvel movies for Christians. People just go see it Marvel movies for Christians. I like that.
Speaker: ah um All right. Let's, ah let I want to, I want to move into your, you moving into filmmaking. um Like, so and maybe before we get to this idea, because sin on a Sunday is pulling from some of your yeah Christian experiences and and and how you ah kind of processed it on the other side of it. But even prior to that, like,
Speaker: um Yeah, I guess before we get into that, how did you, like, what was what was your move into filmmaking and and what was the appeal? When did you be like, hey, this is something I can maybe do?
Speaker: Well, started with the shoe camera. Yeah, no, no. I mean, I've always loved movies. Like, I can't. You were the guy at Trader Joe's filming up people's skirts before you got for Before I knew that was, that apparently you're not supposed to that. Yeah. Apparently you're not supposed to do that. i had to spend a few nights in jail, go knock on people's doors. Right. You live in your learn. What can we do? um no God used what was what what men meant for evil. God meant for good. That's right.
Speaker: That's right. And but I couldn't convince the judge of that, you know. so That's what happens when you when you live in a secular justice system. Yeah, that's true. They don't go for stuff like that. It's not fair. i mean like Honestly, as far back as I can remember, I've always loved watching movies. right like There wasn't a time where I didn't give a shit about movies. And and it wasn't one of those things where it was like,
Speaker: I was sitting in a theater and I saw Star Wars and I was like yeah I need to be a filmmaker. You know, like no shade to that, but like that wasn't it for me. I've just always liked movies. In fact, i I can't tell you, like, I can't be like, oh, that was the movie. I can tell you the first movie I didn't like.
Speaker: I can tell you tell you the first movie that scared the shit out of me, but I can't tell you like... You know, I just always liked watching movies. And then as I got into like high school, I gravitated to certain filmmakers and things like that.
Speaker: But it's always been a part of my life. And in high school, I had so many DVDs by that point that like people would come to me and they go, okay I'm kind of looking for this. You were your own blockbuster. Well, what I was, what I was, was I was Netflix because, because my rule was, and I don't know if people listening to this might not have remember this was a thing, but like originally when Netflix came out, it was DVDs, right? Or Blu-rays if you wanted to pay extra few dollars and you could rent two movies at a time, two movies at a time, and then you'd have to return them and then you get the next movies.
Speaker: But before all that, Josh had his rules. And his rules were, you were allowed to borrow two movies from the DVD shelf, but before you could get anything else from Josh, you had to return the movies, right? And like, so movies have always been a part of my life.
Speaker: People have always known that about me. Anytime there's like class projects, and I could do a movie, like I was going to do it. I would often run around with like, my cousin had a camera. So I would use his camera, you know, and then eventually like I was able to edit on my own computer.
Speaker: um so it was just always something I did. And then going into college, 2007, so this would have been my second year of college, going into sophomore year, um I made a movie called Breach and Tranquility, which is a very absurd name for ah a shitty zombie movie. And um That was, and it was, you know, my group of friends and then my buddy who I wrote it with, it was his group of friends and it was like 40 something minutes long, but that was like the first like major undertaking.
Speaker: And I was making shorts or webisodes or whatever, all the way up through like 2014, 15, like year annually. And then in 2018, I made Samantha. So for me, it's just always been the thing. Like if there was nothing else that I could even fathom doing with my life. Right.
Speaker: Now it's like, so if I, so if this didn't work out for me, I'm fucked. Like there's no, there's no plan B for Josh, right? Like Josh has to be doing this. But what ended up happening is shortly after I graduated college in 2011.
Speaker: You know, I wrote films. Sometimes I wrote with friends, but I wrote films and I cut everything. I just because no one else was doing it. and i I got hired to do some editing, and then that editing turned into part-time editing, and then that part-time editing turned into full-time editing.
Speaker: so That's how my career started as an editor, which is how I keep the roof over my head. It's post-production. you know Right now, it's assistant editor with some editorial duties and stuff, but That's how I started into that. It was just a thing I did because I wanted to make movies, and that's the first thing somebody thought it was a good idea to pay me for. i don't know why, but they did. and It's just taken off. and so you know i did I've just always made them. I loved them. I love the process. I love everything about them. I don't know how or why so many people were willing to show up for me and just get nasty shit poured on them, like blood and fake skin and guts and all that stuff. but um
Speaker: And yeah, I've it's it's just always been a part of my life. And 2018 was the last time I did something that was the last thing I did in Louisiana before I jumped ship to L.A.
Speaker: When you were doing stuff in Louisiana, was that um with that was just remote work that you somehow know. So like, how how did that work out?
Speaker: No, i so the first time, so I i met a guy and he he knew that I edited because I had done a couple of things by that point. I had done my zombie movie. I had done like a riff on Julius Caesar called Kill Caesar.
Speaker: i think I had done one called Carolina at that point. I don't remember. Anyways, but he needed somebody to come cut a hip hop music video. Oh. um By a Baton Rouge artist named Webby who, you know, they had...
Speaker: that whole record company had sort of blown up. So anyways, so unbeknownst to him, I was a huge hip hop fan. So I very enthusiastically agreed. And so I did that. He was like, Oh, okay, this is pretty good. And this was just like a computer setup he had like in the house behind his, his house with his, you know, family and stuff.
Speaker: And, um, He had just moved back from LA, so he was kind of looking to get things going. So what ended up happening is like he would go and approach clients to do videos, and occasionally he'd get one, and he'd pay me to come cut it, and then we got enough to do it part-time.
Speaker: And then eventually, we there was enough work that he was able to keep me on full-time. So that's just you know over the course of a year, a year and a half, I think, I was working at... ah Best Buy, was a day camp counselor, and then I was doing this, right? So it just slowly became the thing I did. Yeah, that's good for you, man.
Speaker: And um so I did that for God, I mean, till till untill I left in 2018. So what, six, seven years or something.
Speaker: and um and that was i mean And that was predominantly... ah local stuff, commercial stuff, um a lot of web stuff. That's when web advertising kind of started blowing up.
Speaker: And we would do like mini documentary pieces. We would do like traditional things, like that you would see on TV. um We did, we did, ah we did stuff for construction companies because they're always building plants in Louisiana. So they're like, we need a bad-ass drone video. So like stuff like that, you know, we did like some AI data center or real bad. Yeah. Make it awesome. Add the fucking stock music. That's like, do do two dooooo do you know, and you cut this AI data center video to make you look really fucking cool. Yeah. Does this data center or make your dick hard? You know, like stuff like that. And, um,
Speaker: You know, and then, you know, lots of things in different subjects. And we did stuff for, I did a lot of food stuff. I cut a lot of food videos. I mean, I'm from South Carolina, you know, like, and so I've cut.
Speaker: every manner of dish that in any version of video that you can imagine. So I did a lot of shit like that. And then, you know, just tons, but, but, but in so doing that, I got a chance to work with filmmakers. So, you know, I do music videos.
Speaker: id I'd cut short films. I always wanted to cut anything I could get my hands on. Um, I got to work on a few features as an assistant that were like sci-fi movies, you know, because there was a time where like, because Louisiana had tax credits, you, they were filming stuff there. So so like a lot of sci-fi Hallmark lifetime stuff.
Speaker: And eventually I got to cut a lifetime feature. Um, and so, yeah, I just got like a ton of different types of experience. So, yeah And it taught me a lot, you know, and then ultimately I was able to use that and some of my connections to direct Samantha. I had done ah another one before that, about six months before that called the trust fund, which was the first one I'd done in a while, made some mistakes, learn from them. And then, you know, went and did Samantha and Samantha. I finished, I sent off, uh, and then right as it was going to hit its first film festival, which was in Portland, I,
Speaker: my wife and I moved here. And so then that started my editorial journey here. Nice. Dude, that's so sick. Nice little resume piece. Yeah.
Speaker: It's, I always like learning how people enter into that because I, ah I've said plenty of times that that's one of the, that world feels like the most foreign to me. Yeah. When you think like, and I think it does for a lot of people. Um,
Speaker: Where, you know, you, everything you watch in your big screen, like you watch the credits and you're like, there was like 750 names on those credits. And you're like, at least, and then you, but like it, and there's actually an old childhood friend of mine is, um is out in LA and like, dude, she just grinded for, I mean, she was probably grinding for a decade, just trying to,
Speaker: Whatever. And then all sudden you see her her name in the credits of the goat, that that animated movie, the goat. And you're like, hell, yeah. Good for you. Like, but it's like even knowing someone who's been in that, like the amount of shit she had to eat in that world for over 10 years. like living in a studio apartment is, um, it's wild. It feels very foreign. Yeah. It feels like such a foreign world. It feels like a microcosm of our overall like country and economy where like all the money's at the top and everybody else just sucks dick to get by.
Speaker: And it's so like, i love hearing people like, i mean, cutting, cutting local music videos or local local videos, I mean, for like construction and doing some like hip hop video, like all the way to, yeah, like everything's, everything's part of your resume. And I think, you know, as people's work speak for, it's just cool. I love hearing people's way into a world that feels like there's no, there's no typical path into it. Like there's not, that's what i think is neat is there's no typical path.
Speaker: There's not. And especially now, you know, I, the world, I mean, the, the, the, the stuff I was working on then, that world is like totally different now, right? Because it's all on the web. and But ultimately, like, it's all beneficial, right?
Speaker: To learn and to grow. And, um you know, I i left Baton Rouge for a few reasons. One of them was like, I wanted to get into scripted. And that just like, that's just not, wasn't really a thing. I mean, there was some stuff, but like, it wasn't what I wanted to be doing. So more or less,
Speaker: my wife and I, we decided to move and she was a huge catalyst. She was like, we need to make the jump, right? Like, I don't know, maybe I would have been too scared to do it. And she was like, no, this is the thing that we need to do.
Speaker: um But yeah, I mean, and so by the time I got out here, i had already put in a ton of work, right? I had done like some behind the scenes things, some EPKs, I had done a feature and it was enough to sort of like eke into the union.
Speaker: so But before I could do that, I was working on some short web docs out here. And eventually, I got into the i worked with a guy. I worked with an editor. Got into the union. And got my first union show as an assistant editor 2019.
Speaker: Okay. oh Yeah, and you forget that there's a whole union side of all of that world too. Yes, which is very difficult to to to get into and to deal with it, and we don't have to tangent on that. Because if you're an actor, it's like, oh, if you have a certain amount of credits or certain amount of hours, you just default into it otherwise.
Speaker: Yes. Like, yeah, it sounds different for that. for there's Yeah, there's a roster company. I don't know if this is the same for SAG, but certainly for IATSE. Like there's there's a roster company and you have to have so many days, but you not everything counts, right? So almost all web stuff just simply doesn't count. It has to be like this kind of project that aired in this kind of way and you had to pay this amount of money. And so there's just so much shit that just doesn't qualify. And it all has a time ticker on it, right? So it's like, oh, you did that two years ago?
Speaker: Too bad, so sad. Doesn't count anymore. It's crazy that they don't count the hours that you jerk off in between cutting porn They don't. I think that's fucked It's something the union should really push for, I think. They should fight for that. At the next bargaining, we're going back to the table again this year. They really need to push the AMPTP for that.
Speaker: Can someone fast track you? Hey, look, he gets a 15 minute smoke break. I don't smoke. What can you give me that's comparable to that? Can someone fast track you? Like if ah if your dad works at Warner Brothers, can they just like rubber stamp you into the union and all that? No. Well, okay. So in theory, no. And in theory, that's why the roster company exists, right? Like the union can't grant you membership unless you're on the roster, right? And so like, there's this sort of this separation. Now, does it happen?
Speaker: Probably. Have I ever heard of it? No. But you know that's why these two things exist as separate entities, because otherwise, yeah, you probably could. so it kind of And as much shit as I talk about the roster company, and there's plenty of shit to talk about them, ultimately, they exist to kind of like a barrier for that kind of thing.
Speaker: you can't just like wear flip-flops to Kevin Spacey's yard sale and big bang, boom, bop. Nope. You're an actor. Nope. You unfortunately do have to actually ah do a little work to get in. it's's It's a bummer, but you do have to try. Dude, that's why I don't like unions, okay? Let the market decide. Do we let the market decide?
Speaker: Yeah, dude. I can see why you'd think that.
Speaker: I'm a Nepo baby, by the way. yeah no nice, nice. um All right. So let's like ah I'm somebody's baby. you know, i don't know how Nepo it is, but, you know, that's so Nep. Can we make that the new like the new slang? Can we make Gen Z cringe because millennials go? That's so Nepo.
Speaker: That's so Nepo.
Speaker: uh real quick before we jump into uh cinema sunday like you mentioned like you can remember like the first movie you hated and the first oh yeah yeah like what stands out in your mind is like okay these are the memorable movies from my childhood that impact Well, hated and loves like elevated above. And I was very good. That's great case. I'm glad you brought I was super curious about the first movie he hated. So I remember the first movie I hated. Rock a doodle. If it's rock a doodle, I'll kill you. It's not rock a doodle.
Speaker: So, um, no, it was a movie called Tom and Huck. Oh yeah. I remember seeing it. Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Jonathan Taylor Thomas. And i think it was Brad Renfro. And I remember walking out of the theater and just thinking, i have no, I couldn't tell you what year it came out. I don't anything, you know, and just remember thinking like, I didn't like that.
Speaker: I just, I didn't like it. And you know, you see as a kid, it's like, Oh, colors, things happening. Like, yay, this is enjoyable. Like she were thinking like, What is this? What is this feeling of dissatisfaction I have with this thing that my parents just paid for me to watch? That was enough. You're such a supple young lad. Yeah. yeah That was old enough where i like I'm trying to remember when that came out, but I remember how old, I'm 38.
Speaker: From what I'm hearing, we're around the same age. We we are the same age, yeah. Okay. Yeah. And it was when Jonathan Taylor Thomas was still a thing. So yeah. So under 13, I don't think I didn't like a movie until I was 17. So it makes sense that you were already on your way into this world where you're like already on my way. And i remember much younger than that, probably four or five.
Speaker: I watched. But ah no, so, but there was one called Ernest Scared Stupid. And in and in this one, Ernest, through his, you know, whimsically stupid behavior, like ah unleashes some troll that's been hidden for, you know, an untold amount of time.
Speaker: And this troll would like turn kids into small little stone statues, which is fucked up. And then whenever, like when there's this scene where this little girl is like, is in, she's just been hanging out with Ernest. She goes to bed.
Speaker: She hears something. She rolls over and that fucking troll is in bed with her staring at her and like turns her into a statue. And I remember as a kid, like peacing out at that moment. be like Yeah. No, I'm done. Mom and dad, you got to tell me what happens at the end of this one.
Speaker: And um I went back and watched it because one of my one of my very, very good friends, his name is Coleman. I'll say it because his his name on it I know he won't mind. His name is Coleman. We're friends for a while. We were roommates. He had like all the fucking Ernest movies and he had all the Are You Afraid of the Darks? Oh, yeah, watching and loving. And so I went back and watched Ernest Scared Stupid. And I was like, no wonder this scared the shit out of me.
Speaker: This is intense. Yeah. And so, yeah, so like those were like my my my core movie memories. And then, you know, growing up, I always gravitated to like goosebumps.
Speaker: Are you afraid of the dark? I just always liked the scary shit. And then once I kind of got into high school, I really kind of got into like the ah some of the Miramax stuff. So like Robert Rodriguez, Kevin Smith, really Quentin Tarantino. But then I was also getting into like Scorsese, the Coen brothers, all that kind of stuff. And that was whenever I really was like getting into it wasn't just I would occasionally watch movies, right? Like I was getting into filmmakers. And that was sort of like informing me and my style and kind of turning me into the geek I am today. And that was basically whenever it was like, it became more than just, I like to watch movies. It's, I want to get in. I like this filmmaker. Yeah. You're like dissecting them now as you watch them. Yes. Yeah. And I like having opinions on filmmakers and things like that. And so that started around late middle school, early high school. And yeah, I've been, I've been jamming on it ever since.
Speaker: Are you going to watch... that After that Ernest Scared Stupid moment, did you just sit with a super soaker full of milk under your pillow? Probably. ah Probably. i remember I remember I had to ask my parents the next day, like, what happened? Were they okay?
Speaker: And my parents thankfully were like, yeah, you fucking idiot. It's an Ernest movie. Of course, everyone's going to be okay. They were much more cordial than that. Dude, I remember one time I was home alone on...
Speaker: I must have been like 14 or something yeah like that. Yeah, and wasn't that how they beat the trolls? Yeah, you're absolutely right. I'm a scared stupid. Yeah, that was how they did it. Because I made my wife Every funny movie from when I was a kid. Casey's great with the deep cuts.
Speaker: Every funny movie from when I was a kid, I've made my wife watch because she hasn't seen any of them up until we started dating and whatnot. And every time she's like totally like dumbfounded by it. And she always like turns to me and she's like,
Speaker: Is the joke that he's like mentally challenged? Like, look, you just don't understand Billy Madison, all right? Yeah, I mean, i i my wife and I both, you know, we we love Billy Madison and we put it on a few times. and But i can like it would be difficult coming to Billy Madison for the first time as a grown adult and being like, this is comedic genius. I'm so into this. Yeah, I can...
Speaker: I can see why that would be challenging. I empathize with your wife there a bit, yeah. are you go to watch She's right. yeah You mentioned Are You Afraid of the Dark. That was huge for me as a kid. um I don't know. like It's weird watching things that are older with your kids now. Yeah. um So my oldest is 10, almost 11.
Speaker: ah She's just getting into wanting to do... My kids... Some kids are like from an early age, like I want to do the most grown up thing I can whenever I can. My kids not like that.
Speaker: That's that's a good thing. Yeah, I've appreciated it I haven't I've never had to be like, no, we can't watch that. My kids are just not really asking to watch stuff that I wouldn't want them to. But now that, you know, she's she's turning 11, she's like.
Speaker: wanting to now she's asking oh i want to do this i want to that i want to watch more things whatever so we're and because she hasn't like it's so cute like sitting down watching like no we're gonna watch this pg-13 movie and she's like can i watch pg-13 movies now i'm like probably a lot of them honestly yeah uh and so all the kids at school love euphoria i I've never, I always talk about how I haven't watched a Marvel movie in forever. I watched the original Spider-Man trilogy. I watched the original X-Men trilogy.
Speaker: um I watched a couple of the newer X-Men because I just loved X-Men. And then that whatever new ones, i absolutely, it got ruined for me and I just was done. And then, but now my daughter really wants to watch X-Men.
Speaker: a lot of those movies because that's what's popular. and You get to speed run them all at once after being an elitist and bragging about how you never seen it a thousand times on this podcast. what but what i But now I'm excited to watch them. And I think that's what makes this experience more fun. like I think I'll watch them and come walk away with like a different impression watching it with like a kid who's just there to have fun and watch superheroes fuck shit up. And like It pulls me out of my like critical asshole brain that I feel like it's hard to come out of. That's what's nice about like kids. is you like all right um ah We started the Tobey Maguire Spider-Man last night. and i'm like this i i haven't watched that in over i haven't watched that in at least years. and i'm like also Watching it, you go... i
Speaker: it's now I'm a parent and like with watching movies with their kids and you go, Oh, old movies look old now. And that's yeah like in my brain, it didn't look as old as it does. It looks old. It looks old when you watch it. It's crazy.
Speaker: Um, and I'm like, but this is fun. And it's, it's, There's so much cheese there that i didn't like that I don't even remember. Yeah. And I'm having ah the time. i like I can't wait to watch the next eight Spider-Man movies.
Speaker: I can't. And that helps. like Watching stuff through the eyes of a kid. But um like my kids don't do scary shit. Sorry, I went super tangential. I want to go back to Are You Afraid of the Dark? Have you...
Speaker: have you thought about are you a afraid like or watched it like I feel like it probably doesn't hold up but I would kind of love to introduce that to my kids it so I've watched it my my buddy Coleman my roommate had them on DVD um some of them don't hold up some of them are still actually pretty good and um I haven't shown my kids that yet. They, we did the other day. So my oldest is seven. My middle is he just turned five.
Speaker: Okay. And then my youngest doesn't even two yet. So, you know, she's still at the age where you could show her the most horrible thing in the world on TV. And it's just not, she's just not clocking it. You know, my daughter was born. We watched, I mean, I was on paternity leave for five weeks. out We were like, Oh yeah, you're, you're a kid. You know, it's like,
Speaker: You're watching, whether you're holding a newborn while people are getting murdered. Yeah, it's put on put on Cannibal Holocaust or something. I was watching Kill Bill and it's just like, Cannibal Holocaust. All right, I'm trying to, okay, no, you're going to go back to sleep while I watch people get, while I watch 100 throats get slashed. This is nice. No, I, you know, it's my, and so, yeah, it's like, you kind of have to ride the line. We watched, we read the other, ah a few weekends ago, we did, um there was a Goosebumps book. It's, they had their like, choose your own adventure ones. Oh, sick. And so we, we went through one of those,
Speaker: um My son tried to read one of the Goosebumps ones. It wasn't quite there. So we backed him up to a Bailey School Kids, which is which was all I read a lot of those. Oh, shit. I remember that, dude. Yeah. It's like my teacher is my gym teacher is a werewolf. Yeah. my yeah Yeah. You know, like um and he's reading one of them and and he seems to he seems to enjoy that.
Speaker: But he definitely um he likes the scary shit more than she does. Like last Halloween, I made the mistake of showing them The Headless Horseman cartoon. And that's, dude, that's just, I was watching it. You know, sometimes as a parent, you're like watching something and you um you immediately know you've made a huge mistake. And I'm like watching it. I'm like, I have, i have aired severely here. And, um, my daughter was like terrified, but my son was like, is there a book? Can I have the golden book? You know, like, and he was like, he was like so into it, like Coraline. They were terrified of Coraline, which is a terrifying movie until he watched it and loved it.
Speaker: And then she's like, ah, I, my little brother can't like be not be scared and me be scared. So like, she'll like come in after the fact. Um, So, you know, like we, we introduced it to him slowly. Like they've seen the first Spider-Man and like Willem Dafoe in that movie is fucking terrifying.
Speaker: Right? Like his voice. He's great. And dude he is, he's, he's fucking terrifying. There's this line though, where I remember, I, as soon as I heard it, I remembered as a kid being like, that was weird. And it's when, uh, they're pumping the gas into him. Like when he, what makes him become the green goblin. Yeah. Yeah. And they, they closed like the metal latches over he goes, what?
Speaker: that's cold and you're like what the fuck was that like it's the weirdest line I've heard in so long and I heard it the other night watch I'm like oh, that's cold. You're like, that's weird. That's weird. Who kept that?
Speaker: Who kept that? We don't need him to acknowledge the cold metal that closed down on him. it was It was very strange. It was a decision. It was a decision they made. They had the chance to cut it, and they didn't do it.
Speaker: It feels like it felt like that scene, it literally felt like watching a deleted scene. yeah and You know when you go back, you' like I can't believe they released a DVD with the deleted scenes, and you watch them, and you're like, oh i get I get why they got rid of those. Yeah.
Speaker: Yeah. It felt like that, especially in like comedy movies like Wedding Crashers or like Anchorman or something like those were infamous for their deleted scenes or like American Pie or, you know, it was usually like the scene that made it like if it was a PG-13 movie, yeah they like put in the scene that made it are where it showed someone's balls from their backside. Yes. Or they say fuck like twice or something. And it's the unrated special edition that you charge $10 for, you know, It's so funny. You have to put that in a special curtain room in your home basement video store.
Speaker: That's right. the The private viewing arena. Yeah. the The room that you can't go back unless you're like over 18. Yeah. So no, I mean like with kids, it's like you just kind of got to, you got to feel it out. Like they've watched, my son is really into the Pirates movies. We were very hesitant, but we showed him the first one and he like loved it.
Speaker: So I'm like, okay. So we showed him the second one. loved it you know, so we've watched you the first three and he just is like impervious to this shit. Like he loves it. It's funny seeing the way that kids just have different feelings and thoughts because you're like, because your goal is to not like make them have them watch something that's too much. And then you're like, oh, you can handle this. All right.
Speaker: All right. well Badass. Let's see what you got. Like, yeah. and And I think the difference with something like pirates or Spider-Man is that like, and even Coraline to an extent, which I would consider a pretty,
Speaker: ah and as far as PG movies go, it's on up there in terms of like terrifying. It's a yeah phenomenal film, but like, those are movies that have scary parts, right? Whereas like goosebumps or are you afraid of the dark? Like the intention is to scare you.
Speaker: And so like that to me is like, I haven't quite gotten there with them yet, yep but yeah we'll see because it's like, we can, are you going to close your eyes for a scene or like,
Speaker: Are you just going to your eyes for the whole thing? Cause the whole point of it is just to shit you. Are you going to be sleeping my bed for the next two weeks? Yes. Which fucks me in the end. And that's not helpful. Like, yeah, dad daddy, daddy can't get a paycheck if you can't work, you know, like you like eating kid.
Speaker: suck it off so tell us about sin Sunday. Yeah, so basically, um so I, you know, in 2018, I made Samantha and then I moved out here to l L.A. where I'm at now. And I've been working in in post-production since then. I've been working as an assistant editor. And then i finally got the Bump 2 editor.
Speaker: So on Terminal Season 2, which will be out at the end of October. And like in this time, I've just kind of like I kind of my whole thing was like, I just want to learn. Right. Like, that's why I moved out here. One of the reasons I moved out here is because like in in Baton Rouge, I felt like i had sort of hit a plateau and I I can't do that. Right. Like, I've got to be learning. I've got to be getting challenged. And so like I wanted to come out here and learn from the people that were doing Right.
Speaker: at the top. And so I've spent the past however many years just having incredible opportunities to work on great projects, where have really good mentors, and just learned a lot about storytelling, right? Like, how do yeah how do you read a script? What kind of stuff in the script gets, how is it filmed? What kind of stuff ultimately gets cut out in the editing room? Like, what makes a scene compelling? Like, all these things and just learning and learning and learning and learning. And I got to the point where, like,
Speaker: I'll use a Louisiana phrase. I got full as a tick. Right. And, um, and basically I was like, I'm ready to go. Like I, I'm ready to get back back on the camera. I've got all this stuff in my head. I'm ready to just, I want to unleash it. I want to put everything I've learned, uh, to, on you know, on the screen. And so I, I've always written just as a hobby. Like it just so is always something I've done. And so I wrote a feature,
Speaker: called Parish Lines, which is a Southern anthology, horror anthology, and each one takes place in a different parish in Louisiana. And I actually let a lot of people read it. I usually didn't let people at work read my stuff because that was kind of a line I had. like But this one I did, and a lot of people responded positively to it.
Speaker: And they're like what you need to do is you need to film one of these, like just to to demo it. And the third story is what I took out and rewrote to be sent on a Sunday.
Speaker: And so that's why I'm tackling, I mean, I rewrote it as its own thing, right? Like it exists as its own piece of storytelling. I rewrote it to to work as a short, not as like a bigger piece.
Speaker: But that's where the idea came from. And so that's why it's, I'm like, this is this is it, this is the one. And I think one of the reasons I chose it is because it in reading the full script, it was one that a lot of people, um it resonated with them.
Speaker: um It was one of the easier ones, like practically to truncate. But I think it really is one that I dug deep for just in terms of like my own interest with like horror. I'm a big fan of like pulp crime, graphic novels, comics and stuff like Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips stuff.
Speaker: um But it had this faith component, right? this This sort of corrupt pastor component. And, you know, coming from my background, I'm like, this is the one that I can really sink my teeth into and present it in a way that I feel is unique to me. Right. Like I know that they've had like religious horror things or like bad pastor stuff and, and whatever, certainly Louisiana horror, but this is my lived experience, both yeah in Louisiana, in church,
Speaker: i've you know I've been watching horror movies and making horror movies since fucking whenever. So this is the one that I felt like this is where I can really put it all on the line and make it the best it could be. Dude, I love that. There's something what's what's standing out to me is someone who understands.
Speaker: I feel like people who truly understand that world with the lived experience have the opportunity to really sell it and make it, make it scary, but, but sell it, uh, in a way where it's like, cause sometimes dude i think all three of us could say that like watching, watching cinema,
Speaker: or like any version of it where you go, they bring in like pastors or the Christian element. There's often something about it where you go, that just feels like a guy who doesn't get it made this. And it doesn't make it bad.
Speaker: And I still, I still like it. um I still can appreciate it, but it's not the same. You always have some sort of like critique or like a note or two.
Speaker: um Even watching like the righteous gemstones, you know, go switching. Yeah, right. Where you go. I love this. But there are aspects of the righteous gemstones where you go. I know it's satire. So sky's the limit.
Speaker: But I still have a couple notes on how to satirize this a little better. Especially that show in particular. I've only watched the first season, which I thought was phenomenal, by the way. But that in particular, and think, is pulling from like Jimmy Swaggart. And Jimmy Swaggart and his ministry and his son is in Baton Rouge. Yeah, yeah. And so I had to drive past that fucking thing for years and years and years and years of my life. So it's it's interesting to watch someone's very good, but like you said,
Speaker: very outsider perspective on that world. Yeah. It's a like amalgamation of a lot of mega. It's like swagger. It's a Baker, uh, Tim, Jim, Jim and Jimmy Faye Baker.
Speaker: um and, uh, you know, it's, it pulls from a few different elements, but that, I think they do a good job making it comedic, but there are times where you're just like, as someone who knows, yeah there are some things.
Speaker: like the imagine sounds a little much yeah Like the amount of cursing, the cursing they do, like I'm like, I don't think, I mean, and that's that's their style of comedy and I and i love it.
Speaker: yeah But like the way they speak to each other, I'm like, that's not. It doesn't sell it to people like us who grew up in it where you go they wouldn't talk like that. Yeah. Yeah, they were the one that got caught with the prostitute twice doing meth twice.
Speaker: Twice. No, so Haggard hagger ha was the one Haggard was the one doing in meth with young men. And Jimmy Swaggart was the one banging prostitutes. And he has like that weepy apologetic video where he's like, yes, you know, and then, of course, went right back to banging prostitutes. Ted Haggard's the one that that did the interview with the math the lady in the street. oh yeah like I did go there, but I didn't i did't buy meth from him, but I didn't do it.
Speaker: the most catastrophic interview of all time we had a um in louisiana uh quite a few years ago this would have been before i left there was a governor race between uh a democrat john bell edwards uh who i voted for and the republican candidate david vitter which of course if you're a republican in louisiana you're like super evangelical right um And of course, there are plenty of Christians in Louisiana who don't have the time of day for that shit and voted for John Bel Edwards. But there is unfortunately a huge chaag segment of the population that they go in for that. The problem with someone like David Vitter is this dude was going to a brothel in in New Orleans.
Speaker: And the headmistress or somebody over there had pictures of this guy in a fucking diaper, right? No! thought yourself and yeah Because there was like a sting on this place. Right. So it wasn't just I mean, look, Louisiana politicians and corruption like they go hand in hand, you know, it's like peanut butter and jelly. But like, I mean, imagine trying to run as like the traditional family Christian candidate and and the guy that you're running against is like a veteran.
Speaker: who went to like but military school, is a staunch Catholic, right? So he has those bona fides, and you're over here and with a fucking diaper picture. like it's It's the kind of thing that if they wrote it, even in the righteous gemstones, you might be like, eh,
Speaker: He's got his legs up. He's holding his ankles with his hands. Yeah. He's on video. He's doing am made sticky ickies in my diapy. I made boom booms in my pow pow. No. So like, um, yeah. So, I mean, yeah, there's this, it's, it's, yeah, it's an amalgamation of all that. But, um, so obviously like really weird and heinous shit definitely goes on. But yeah, I mean, I think for me, um,
Speaker: I think my hope, you know, the goal would be that like obviously like i can give an air of authenticity to it. Like we're filming here in l L.A., which I was very like trepidatious about. But it's a short film. We don't have a lot of money. So a lot of my resources are here, right? Like can't fucking fly everybody. So at least for the short film, we're here. So it's like, all right, I have to make it look and feel like Louisiana.
Speaker: and how it looks, how characters speak and behave. And like, that's a big thing I'm working on with the actors and trying to imagine like, we found a really good church, but you know, making sure it feels that way.
Speaker: Um, and making sure like the people in the church and the way that they speak feel like that too. um, And but but part of it is like I want to make sure that the pastor is talking the way that a pastor would speak to these kind of congregations. Right. Like, yeah how is he praying? What phrases is he using? Like, how is he responding? And I think that like everything, like there's a certain language that you only know if you grew up in that. And so, you know, it's small things, but I do think those things add up and make a big difference.
Speaker: Yeah. So for the for the listeners, let's the the premise, the genre, sell that a little bit. Explain it a little bit. Right. So um the short we're trying to make is called Sin on a Sunday.
Speaker: um It is a horror, religious horror slash pulp crime movie. And it's about a pastor and Louisiana pastor who is a faith healer.
Speaker: And he you know, people come to him. He he heals their ailments and such. But he, yeah, he's definitely not who he claims to be. has some dark secrets in his closet.
Speaker: And um he has to kind of, let's just say, he has to to keep those secrets hidden through any means necessary. And so the short is about him having to ah keep the cover-up a cover-up.
Speaker: Nice. and dude I love it. I'm super excited about the idea of it. Uh, made me, some of it made me think just the, the description made me think of, um,
Speaker: uh, midnight mass a little bit where you're yeah, that's a great, that's a great example. I mean, you know, obviously that's, that's a whole series. Yeah. The whole series. And obviously like that, that, well, that's Catholic. This one's, this one's Protestant, but yeahp ultimately like, I don't think whatever, you know, whatever else he did in that, I don't think that he was necessarily like a bad guy. I think he actually had good intentions, but yes, like there's a lot of religious and church horror,
Speaker: in this, that is a direct, you is midnight mass is a wonderful example. The intentionality and focus on the religious aspect and the evil and the, I, that's, that was one of the first things that came in And, uh, but obviously from, in from a, uh, a different vantage point, I, you know, I, I think that in in most cinema, um, not that I'm like a full blown cinephile or anything like that. I'm,
Speaker: People know me as a guy who doesn't usually watch a lot of movies, but it feels like in cinema. Okay. That just feels like I'm just spitballing here. a Catholic is the one to move ah to, to, to pull from when doing any sort of religious horror. It's always Catholic shit. And I, I, I, I love when people pull in anything from evangelicalism because like Catholic has the um like the the age behind it. It has a lot of the the symbolism yup and the iconography.
Speaker: But like evangelicalism, man, that's good. I know from experience that despite everyone's best intentions, there's some fucked up shit there. Yes. And they don't have high church. They don't have any overarching like group of people. Some of them have an elder board that are basically reporting to the pastor. Like this is a that's a world run amok, dude. You can do whatever you want. And I think some of the darkest, weirdest, outlandish ah fringe kind of shit could come from there because any cult people love cults, right? Any cult is like a fringe offshoot of something evangelical. Yeah. It's never a fringe from it's never an offshoot of Catholicism. It's never like it's always something like outside of high church tradition. Mormonism. yeah, Mormonism or evangelicalism. They have a lot of good cults. Well, yeah.
Speaker: And you're right, because independent of anything high church, hu like, and you can get to the real dark nitty gritty, like move away from the symbolism, the cliches, essentially, you can move away from someone like those cliches, which aren't bad. I'm not, there's no, I'm not dunking on them. I think there's a lot of aspects of Catholicism that are fun to incorporate in, in religious horror, but like, yeah I think evangelical horror is something that's not, it's not, it's not,
Speaker: used very often. Well, i I agree with you. And to that point, one of the first things I did is something I like to do, like whenever I write something is I cut what's called like a sizzle reel, right? Like I haven't shot anything, but, but you know how like people will put together mood boards or look books and they're like, this is what it's going to look and feel like and whatever. What I do is I go find movies that are similar and I cut like a movie trailer more or less, right? I'm an editor. That's what I do. So I cut a movie trailer with images and sort of vague story points really to convey the tone and in the, and the stuff like that. And so for this, I was like, okay, well, let me go look for religious stuff.
Speaker: I mean, 95% easy, easy. 95% is Catholic stuff. Just like you said, like it's all like the Omen, the exorcist, um like midnight mass, any exorcism film ever.
Speaker: pulls on, ah you know, like Catholic stuff. and And so you're absolutely right. And so on one hand, I get frustrated because I'm like, shit, there's nothing out here. What am I going to do? But on the other hand, I'm like, hell yeah, like this is i agree with you.
Speaker: Totally untapped potential. Right. Yes. And um true detective does a really good job. Yes, dude. With the evangelicals. Yeah, dude. like I mean, I i i think Woody Harrelson's character is a Catholic, but like other than that, like the way that the evangelical... The revival, tent revival shit. Tent revivals. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Evangelicals kind of work tu through the yeah the politics and the education system. like that I'm like, this...
Speaker: is fucking perfect. Like, this is what it is, really, actually. I mean, I think season one is the best representation of Louisiana I think has ever been put on a screen. Incredible. But mean, they more that kind of shit. One most incredible things ever put on the screen, let's be clear. Season one, the True Detective. Yeah, season one. Let's clarify, yes. Absolutely. Season one. S-tier. S-tier. S-tier TV. All right, go ahead.
Speaker: No, but like i that's, and I think that's an example of, um, someone so stepping outside of Catholicism and using it, using those types of things within evangelical culture for, you know, I think it's horror. I as think it has horror aspects. Obviously it's a detective mystery, but I think it has a lot of horror aspects. And that's not that I would ever presume to even be like remotely close to the genius of season one. But I think that for me, I look at that and I go, this is the successful version
Speaker: of sort of an evangelical horror piece. Yeah, dude, i could I totally agree. I love that you brought that up. I think that's a fantastic point. I might be close to the genius of season four.
Speaker: good I still haven't watched it. I haven't been able to bring myself to watch it. I shouldn't. I'm not. I'm going to resist the temptation here, but... um yeah and look yeah yeah Here's what I'll say. Here's what I'll say.
Speaker: There's a lot of people who really liked it. Yeah. I'm not one of them, but there's a lot of people who really say they really like it. There's a lot of people like the Marvel Cinematic Universe. There was a point where I did, and now I'm just like, what's happening? You can only go through so many multiverses before I'm like, you know, I'm multiversed out. Thanks.
Speaker: Apparently, all that matters. The only thing that matters is it does what you do make money? Yes. That's the only thing that seems to matter. To be fair to the showrunner,
Speaker: To be fair to the showrunner for season four, she wrote that as an independent yes thing, and yeah HBO made her put it in the True Detective universe. Yes, yes, and that's Yeah, and so there's this whole thing where people are like, it you know, when more people like it,
Speaker: if it wasn't branded as true detective, I still don't think it would, it would be for me, but no, I think that's a legitimate, I think that's a legitimate point, right? Like but you pulled the wrong audience. You pulled the, because when, with, with how look look, we all know true detective season two was abysmal, abysmal. That was embarrassing. I don't hate things. I mean, no, I hate a lot of things. I don't, it's rare that I walk away from a show being that,
Speaker: Like, what the fuck did I just watch? Like, I'm usually pretty... i might not like something like, yeah, I don't think they did a good job. I was astonished by how much I disliked. When season two ended, i was like...
Speaker: Was this a joke? You got further than I did. I've tried to watch the pilot. was furious. I think I've watched i watched the pilot, never went back, and I've tried to go back and watch the pilot once or twice because I'm like, okay, now that this many years has passed, right, do we need to give it like a re a rewatch, a re a rethink? Because, okay, no, it's not season one, but does it work as like an L.A. Noir?
Speaker: now It doesn't. No, it just doesn't work, It's embarrassingly, horrifically poorly made. It's not good. It's so bad. But season three, I thought, was good.
Speaker: i Yeah. Yeah, it was fine. I know a lot of people, I liked it more than most. i I know the reviews for season two, and I was like... it can't be that bad. And was like oh no, it was really that bad. And then I was like, I'll do that in season three. And I go, I actually think I liked that more than a lot of people. I thought, yeah, I thought it was pretty good. worse i thought the way that they, they use memory, you know, and, and time and passage of time. I feel like I, it was really good with, I thought people were they acting? I'd like the actors. I thought they did a great job.
Speaker: Who stands out to you in that like in your mind is like the, like who's your favorite like villains and, and bad guys in, in movies, film literature and stuff. Like who, who's, who's on the Mount Rushmore villains for you?
Speaker: oh Oh, there's so many to pick from. I feel like a lot of times the first thing you say, people are thinking you're number one and that's not the case here. I mean, I think as a villain, the Joker is like he has to be up there, right? Just because he's... I think that's a fair point. He's very pure in his... But only Jared Leto's Joker. That's only one I'll accept. No, no, no, no, no. That's it.
Speaker: You spoke. Yep, that's only Jared Leto. I need to clarify. I meant only Jared Leto. Not Nicholson, not Heath Ledger, only Jared Leto. um He's up there.
Speaker: um Hans Gruber from Die Hard One, I think is just like an iconic villain. i could I could watch that movie a million times. um
Speaker: I think... Man, I don't know. He said Mount Rushmore, so you have at least two more. I have at least two more to go, yeah. I think... um Until Trump puts his face on Mount Rushmore, then you'll have five. I think if Trump puts his face on ro Mount Rushmore, he'll probably take everyone else's off, so then I'll just have to go down to one, right? Yeah, that's true. Who could sit beside him? He's etch himself laying sideways like this across all the old spots. Like the person who ruins the fucking photograph, yeah. yeah um No, I think... i think um
Speaker: uh, Freddy Krueger. I love Freddy. I think Freddy is a great antagonist. Nice. Um, even before like, you know, the movies made him into like a child predator. I didn't, even if you go back to like the original ones, yeah. Nightmare on Elm Street. He's, he's, he's the perfect line of like terrifying and like legitimately funny, like fun to watch. I think, I think he's a great villain.
Speaker: Um, I don't know. I'd have to, I'd have to keep thinking. Um, Yeah, it's some on-the-spot stuff. Casey loves on-the-spot. Yeah, I think those like i those I never tire of watching, ever.
Speaker: um I put Anton Chigurh up there. Oh, yes, yes, yes. Him, um yes. I think Hannibal Lecter's another one. Yeah, yeah. Hannibal Lecter.
Speaker: um But no, and Anton Chigurh is it's terrifying. I think like they have said, like clinical physicians have watched or psychologists have watched a bunch of movies and they're like, this is probably one of the most accurate portrayals of a sociopath ever put on screen.
Speaker: Hmm. Cause it's just, figure out this screen adaptation of blood Meridian. That'll be interesting to see what they do at the judge. Yeah. Yes. Well, yes, but we'll, we'll see. I think, I think last I heard John Hill coat was going to do it. And now that's completely shit the bed. So I don't know if they'll ever do it.
Speaker: It doesn't seem like it could turn out very well. It's hard to do as a single movie for sure. It would be so difficult. Yeah. Yeah. Well, now that, you know, they like breaking movies up into parts, you know, because I feel like Harry Potter and Twilight started this shit where it's like, we'll break one up into two movies and.
Speaker: you know it'll be great yeah um i mean sometimes it works like with dune one and two right like that worked but yeah is anybody gonna go see blood meridian two you know i don't know blood meridian is a little bit of a deep cut i feel like people like blood meridian but it's not like people who like it fucking love it yes but it's not super well known it's not it's not animated series dude blood meridian anime the anime yeah by the makers of dragon ball z i think if you did it and this isn't my argument i'm i'm copying but i think if you did it as an animated like uh multi-part series you could you could do it without watering down like the truly like yeah allical parts of it
Speaker: And you'd have more time to like really like sketch out the characters. Cause yeah like to really like understand how like evil the judges, like you need time to show like,
Speaker: his how manipulative he is, how the people around him like revere him, but they're also terrified of him. and like yeah you You're not going to be able to do that very well in 90 minutes. No.
Speaker: no no no i mean It would have to be two and a half, three hours. you know like ah There's no way to do it. and and and less than that and Even that is is an enormous challenge. yeah ah All right.
Speaker: We've been going for a while, man. let's ah not to Not to stop the Blood Meridian rant. I know Casey gets so hard when people will talk to him about it. The only thing. it's It's literally my blue chew. That's it. you go He's been waiting this whole time patiently to be like, okay, where can I bring up Blood Meridian? Yeah. I've read one book, and I'm going to talk about it. Instead of Bluetooth, he's in the zone. He's having a hard time getting it up. He's like, hold on, hold on, hold on, babe.
Speaker: He pulls out his phone, connects to the Bluetooth speaker, jumps to the three-hour mark in the Blood Meridian audiobook. Talk to me, Corbett. I think it's the tree of dead babies. And he's like...
Speaker: He heard us talking about True Detective and he was like, here it comes. Here it comes. He was warming it up, getting ready to just sort of slip it in. that's He felt the foreplay. said you'd make flowers on me. Is that what you scream when you finish?
Speaker: Yeah. Hell yeah, dude. I'm proud of you, man. I'm glad you found what works for you, dude. That's all a good all a friend wants for another friend is for them to find out what works for them.
Speaker: All right. So you got the Kickstarter, man. ah I want... a We want everyone to go donate to the Kickstarter. Tell us about the Kickstarter. How long is it open? no i want i want I want no one to donate. That's why we're here, Ignore it. It's here. Yeah. So we launched um the Kickstarter last week. um And we're you know the way the Kickstarter is, it's 30 days. we have you know It's an all or nothing thing. So... um Yeah. And because, you know, it's, it's one of those things where like, if if we're going to do it, I want to do it right. Right. And to do it right.
Speaker: it it takes money. Like it just, it just does. And even so we're, we're at, we're asking for 35,000, which seems like a lot. And it's not a small amount. Like, I'm not going to tell you that it is, but like,
Speaker: to I'll tell you that it is. Yeah. Yeah. And to get the amount of people that we, you the kind of people that we want and the kind of people to to allow them to do what they can do and to do it like safely and efficiently, which is how we have to work, you know, it it costs money. And so, yeah. So we we launched last week. We were off to a good clip.
Speaker: This weekend was a long weekend was a little rough. So right now we're playing catch up. But yeah, like we we we feel really, really good about the project. And we already have like a ton of people on board. Like obviously, Tyler is the producer and Clark's the cinematographer. ah My friend, Andrew Morgan Smith, who's done like a kajillion movies as a composer. My friend Colby's doing visual effects. Um, Aaron Laplante, who does a lot of voice work is the lead actor. His wife, Tasha Ames, who's done like a trillion things is the other lead. Like we have so many like good people. And these aren't people who have kind of like dabbled in film, right? Like these are people who this is their fucking jobs. Like this is what they do. This is their life. And so I, I, I can assure you that the, the, the, the film that will be finished is,
Speaker: will be exceptional, right? like And again, like it kind of takes a little bit of money to get the kind of people that can do it well and do it safely and efficiently. It takes a little money, but we're we're excited and everyone involved in it, they're not like, yeah, sure, I'll do it. They're like, this fucking rocks.
Speaker: let's Let's get it done. And so Kickstarter, um we've got some pretty cool rewards. um you know We're on Facebook, Instagram. Apparently, we're on TikTok. I don't know. I don't use it. um We have a website, sendonthesunday.com, or you could go to Kickstarter and type in send on a... Forget all that other stuff.
Speaker: Forget everything I just said. Go to Kickstarter, type in send on a Sunday, and just... you know and And again, like I just want to say... like Every dollar counts. Like if you're like given five bucks and that's all you can do. Thank you.
Speaker: Thank you. we We take it and we appreciate it. If you can't give any money, I totally get that. Dude, things suck right now. i get it. Like, but maybe share it. Or like if you know someone who loves horror films or maybe can like that's helpful, too. You know, it it all helps and it's all very much appreciated. Appreciate it.
Speaker: Yeah, yeah, for sure. Dude, and we're excited to share it. We're excited to i'm I'm excited to donate to it. I want to I want to see you get this movie made. So thank you. That's why you're here, man.
Speaker: Very much appreciate it. and And I appreciate the opportunity to talk about it. You know, like I hear I have two people they cannot escape. They have to sit here and listen to me talk about it. So I've had you trapped. Thank you You're lucky, dude. You're lucky because I was like, oh this sounds great. Let's have him on and let's talk about this movie. And it I was going to turns out you're a great vibe, dude. You thank fit in real good, man. I didn't know if like 10 minutes in, you're like, oh shit.
Speaker: When I did Ernest Goes to Auschwitz, I was like, I think I might have lost. I don't know. I felt bad about that. I go, why did I say that? I immediately I was like, that felt like a mistake. Not well, it might be a mistake, but I, you know, I have a dark sense of humor, so I'm not a good gauge of that. I have to tell you, I have to be honest with you out of the proposed titles. Ernest stands his ground, takes the cake like that's the one. Ernest meets the toy box. yeah You sometimes say things you go, fuck, why did I say that? We're actually recording this. But, you know, no, um I immediately it's ah I was like, this this sounds really fun. i I want to see a finished project for it. We're super happy to share it continuously until the Kickstarter is over.
Speaker: If you post something, feel free to tag us. We'll reshare it in our story, man. I mean, I want to You're going to regret saying that. I'm going to start putting pictures online. I'm going to put pictures online. and like Oh, now you're talking our language. there you go Within flip flops on an airplane.
Speaker: I want i want a zoomed in picture of your bottle. I want it so zoomed in. You don't know it's a bottle, but I want to share it anyway. That's so you got it. Yeah. You won't know when it's coming. I'll send you random pictures like peanut butter and jelly. Here's my kids playing. Here's a picture of Ernest scared stupid. Here's a picture of something. I can't quite make it out what it is. I want to see a landscape or balls it is it balls? Are you? It's an Escher. How beautiful are you blasting someone with a super soaker full of milk or is that a.
Speaker: Or is that a ah wrong send? Is that a sin on a Sunday? we got Okay, that's it. That's the end. That's the end. We're done. It will not get any better than that.
Speaker: All right, everybody. Thanks for listening. Go to sinonasunday.com to donate, and we will see you next time.
