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Is Nostalgia Ruining Culture… or Reinventing It?
84 Plays2 months ago
Talking out loud about the stuff that won’t leave us alone.
This week we get into nostalgia, reboots, and the strange moment we’re in where so much of culture is either being revived, reimagined, or just repackaged. We also get into a bigger question underneath all of it: what actually moves us forward. Through Project Hail Mary, we talk about the idea that hope isn’t naive, it’s necessary for survival, a framework that allows you to take action instead of defaulting to nihilism.
This week’s Intos:
James brings:
• The Scrubs reboot
James brings in the news of the Scrubs reboot as a jumping off point to talk about the current wave of revived IP, and the tension between revisiting something beloved and it feeling unnecessary.
Curt brings:
• Project Hail Mary
Curt talks about revisiting Project Hail Mary and why it hit even harder the second time. Inspired by a piece he wrote, we get into the idea that hope isn’t blind optimism, it’s a conscious choice to keep moving and act even when the outcome feels impossible. Because the alternative is giving up.
Along the way the conversation keeps circling back to a bigger idea: when nostalgia actually works, and when it doesn’t. Are we reinventing ideas, or just repeating them?
We talk about:
• The difference between rebooting and reinventing
• Why some nostalgic projects feel alive
• When familiarity becomes a crutch
• Hope as a framework for action
• Why doing something is better than doing nothing
So… what are you into right now?
Email us:
sowhatareyouintopod@gmail.com
Follow along:
Instagram + TikTok: @sowhatareyouintopod
Recommended
Transcript
Milestone Celebration & Podcasting Journey
00:00:03
Curt Mega
a Hey, welcome back.
00:00:05
James Tolbert
That at our, we're here.
00:00:10
Curt Mega
It's episode five, episode five dance. Welcome to what are you into? James, we've been going, we've been going solid now for like, this is technically like six, it's five official episodes, but I think that means we're officially,
00:00:30
James Tolbert
In kindergarten.
00:00:32
Curt Mega
yeah yeah
00:00:34
James Tolbert
We've made it to the age of crayons and nap time.
00:00:37
Curt Mega
ah But I'm not saying it's a milestone. I'm just saying I've started a few podcasts that only got about two episodes out.
Genuine Conversations & Listener Engagement
00:00:45
Curt Mega
So I think at this point, I'm like, hey, it's happening.
00:00:48
Curt Mega
We're rolling. It's part of our weekly schedule. It's feeling good.
00:00:52
James Tolbert
Yeah.
00:00:53
Curt Mega
I'm loving it
00:00:53
James Tolbert
I was just saying the other day, what I also like about doing this podcast with you is it's a dedicated time that I know I get to hang out with Kurt.
00:01:00
Curt Mega
Yes, me too.
00:01:00
James Tolbert
You know?
00:01:01
Curt Mega
like talk with you 100%.
00:01:02
James Tolbert
it
00:01:04
Curt Mega
It's so funny.
00:01:04
James Tolbert
It's very, yeah.
00:01:04
Curt Mega
i was talking to my <unk>s talking to my friend Dave Chen, who hosts the film cast, which is a very successful podcast. But he said multiple times, like a lot of great podcasts are just built out of, we were having the conversation anyways.
00:01:19
James Tolbert
Mm-hmm.
00:01:19
Curt Mega
so let's just record it. And i i very much feel the same way. And like with Riker last week and with our next guest we've coming up, Genuinely, like I'm like, oh, I can't wait to have that conversation. This is going to be so much fun. And i hopefully that's coming through through to the audience that's listening.
00:01:38
James Tolbert
Yeah.
Listener Recommendations & Music Video Intentions
00:01:38
James Tolbert
um So speaking of listening, ah listeners have sent in some emails that last episode we said we were going to look at and we're we're men of our words.
00:01:49
James Tolbert
So we're going to do that right now. I'm to start off first with an email from Anna from the UK. Shout out to Anna from the UK and all of our UK listeners.
00:01:59
Curt Mega
Hello, Anna.
00:02:00
James Tolbert
um So Anna writes, very recently I've been into Paris Paloma, a British singer-songwriter, particularly her songs about gender roles in society and fighting against AI doomerism.
00:02:11
James Tolbert
The music is always well done with power behind it, but also complex layers, though for me her lyrics are the best part. Rich with imagery, but still accessible. um ah Anna recommends Good Boy and also Miyazaki.
00:02:26
James Tolbert
as two of of her favorite songs. So everyone check out Paris Paloma.
00:02:33
Curt Mega
I must confess, i've I've never heard of this artist thus far, but just a quick Google search, and I am vibing with this aesthetic. It is such a, there's a lot of evocative imagery. There's a lot of cool stuff going on. So I'm like already intrigued just from the, ah just from the quick Google search. So I appreciate the recommendation.
00:02:52
James Tolbert
And I need to go back to some words that I brought up last week about music videos and, you know, the intention behind them not necessarily being that great. ah Shame on me, because what I should be pointing out is that most mainstream music videos, yes, are kind of falling into that. Let's just make a video just to get the song out there. But um from the little bit that I have seen about Paris Paloma and artists like Ray, artists like FKA twigs,
00:03:18
James Tolbert
They are putting the intention. They are doing the work. So i I think you have to look for artists that aren't necessarily being ran by the machine and the ones that are trying to stand out and make an identity for their art. It is being done.
00:03:33
James Tolbert
So um I will. Oh, go ahead.
00:03:36
Curt Mega
I will say even last week, just editing the episode, I was like trying to put some fun B roll and I'd never heard of Ray until you literally, until you brought her up last week.
00:03:42
James Tolbert
Mm hmm.
00:03:45
Curt Mega
And I watched that music video, her new one. And I was like, this is cool.
00:03:48
James Tolbert
Yeah.
00:03:49
Curt Mega
Wow. This is sick.
00:03:50
James Tolbert
Yeah.
00:03:51
Curt Mega
Um, real and realizing that you were saying the music director or the director for that music video
00:03:51
James Tolbert
Yes.
00:03:56
Curt Mega
is a legendary like music director who's made a bunch of stuff.
00:03:58
James Tolbert
Mm-hmm.
00:03:59
Curt Mega
So yeah, it's, there is still great stuff being made. Uh, you just have to go find it. And again, shout out to the jungle album. We've talked about it. I had watched some stuff that you had shared, but in searching for B roll, I just went down a rabbit hole and watched, I don't know, seven or eight of those music videos.
00:04:11
James Tolbert
Mm-hmm.
00:04:17
Curt Mega
And my God, it's intoxicating. It's so good. It's so lush and interesting and, ah, so good.
00:04:23
James Tolbert
Oh. hmm.
00:04:26
Curt Mega
So good.
00:04:26
James Tolbert
Yeah. Yeah. If you haven't watched those, please go do that.
Broadway Choreography & Dance Appreciation
00:04:29
James Tolbert
It's amazing. ah All right. Let's let's run over to another email from Jake Morgan, also from the UK. So shout out to our friends in the UK. you You're all a rock in it.
00:04:37
James Tolbert
um Jake says that they've been really into the choreography of Broadway shows, especially Be More Chill, which is on Broadway in 2019. um That they ah ah Jake just feels that dance is a misunderstood art form. And I would agree there are certain and I would even say within certain Broadway shows, dance is kind of a all right, here's the little number.
00:05:01
James Tolbert
Here's a little production number. We'll throw things, you know, and I, and I get bored with that.
00:05:02
Curt Mega
Yeah.
00:05:05
James Tolbert
So, um, you know, anytime, if, if you have a show that you actually, this is great for all of our listeners. If there is a stage show that you really liked the choreography of, can you send us an email?
00:05:18
James Tolbert
So what are you into pod at gmail.com and let us know what those shows are. Cause I'm interested to see what people are vibing with in our, in their live entertainment sphere.
00:05:27
Curt Mega
James, as a dancer, do you have one that stands out on your Mount Rushmore in terms of choreography and staging? Is there a show that comes to mind that's kind of a an all-timer for you?
00:05:40
James Tolbert
It feels like a cop-out answer, but if you get the right cast of dancers for a chorus line, it's one of the coolest things you'll ever see.
00:05:47
Curt Mega
It's great answer.
00:05:47
James Tolbert
um That one, and also, i the for the same reasons, West Side Story.
00:05:48
Curt Mega
It's a great answer. Mm-hmm.
00:05:53
James Tolbert
ah you And many people will come up with... those There will be productions that will do the original Robbins choreography. and There will also be productions that will try to put their own spin on it. I think...
00:06:05
James Tolbert
If you, the closer you are to the Robbins choreography and the intention, I think the stronger your show is, that, it that it's not to say that people can't do their own choreography for it.
00:06:15
James Tolbert
I just know that whenever, when you try to emulate is when it falls off for me rather than, um, either do what it was or just, yeah, either embrace what it was, or if you're just going to make your own thing, make your own thing, whether it flies or falls, that's for the viewer to decide.
00:06:23
Curt Mega
just embrace it. Yeah.
00:06:32
James Tolbert
But it's when you try to do Robbins without doing Robbins that I start to question what's going on.
00:06:39
Curt Mega
I am. I'm of the same mindset of like seeing a show reinvent is really exciting. Like, I don't know if you've been following any the cats, Jellicle ball, the remake, like,
00:06:47
James Tolbert
Oh, I need to see that show so badly. Mm
00:06:50
Curt Mega
And I'll just be super real, not a big Cats fan on its face.
00:06:54
James Tolbert
hmm.
00:06:55
Curt Mega
I've never been like, love Cats. I want to see that show because it just just the images that I've seen out of it, I'm like, this feels so different and so fresh and so...
00:07:07
Curt Mega
just exciting. And I'm like, that is what I crave when somebody is going to touch something that is tried and true. And, and maybe i don't want to say overdone, but you know, it had its run.
00:07:19
James Tolbert
Yeah.
00:07:19
Curt Mega
if you're going to revisit, I was talking today, I was talking with Nick Lang, Stark, it's Nick Lang about this very thing today, just of like, when you're going to go back to a source that is so well, well,
00:07:33
Curt Mega
The path is is is is well trodden. Is that the word?
00:07:37
James Tolbert
Sure. Yeah, we'll go with that.
00:07:38
Curt Mega
um like You really have two options. You can just do what works or you really need to do something that's out of left field.
Reinventing Classic Shows & Inclusivity in Revivals
00:07:47
Curt Mega
And so, um like I said, not a Cats fan, but just the just the snippets I've seen coming from social media with the
00:07:49
James Tolbert
Mm-hmm.
00:07:55
Curt Mega
you know, the, the sort of revamp of cats. I'm like, that feels fresh. That feels new. That feels wild and different. So I'm like, so in for that.
00:08:01
James Tolbert
Mm-hmm.
00:08:04
James Tolbert
ah That's going to touch on what I want to talk about later in the episode. But yeah, there's on your mug.
00:08:08
Curt Mega
Cats. This
00:08:10
James Tolbert
There's a cat on his mug.
00:08:13
Curt Mega
is my cat Linus.
00:08:14
James Tolbert
But ah oh that oh, that is Linus.
00:08:15
Curt Mega
I should love cats.
00:08:16
James Tolbert
Yes.
00:08:16
James Tolbert
Oh, yeah.
00:08:16
Curt Mega
Yes.
00:08:16
Curt Mega
I should love cats. The musical it's Linus's favorite musical.
00:08:19
James Tolbert
ah
00:08:20
Curt Mega
ah
00:08:21
James Tolbert
But yeah, i'm i'm also i've I've talked to people who have seen this Cats revival.
00:08:21
Curt Mega
Yeah.
00:08:26
James Tolbert
and and And I mean, it is a revival by the by the pure fact that it is an existing score and show. But that is a true reinvention. And it's not often that you get um a stage revival, a Broadway revival of a longstanding classic musical that truly changes its perspective of how it tells the story.
00:08:46
James Tolbert
But it's because I think is this is the most inclusive version you can tell.
00:08:47
Curt Mega
Yes.
00:08:50
James Tolbert
I think the context is what they're using. Like if anyone that doesn't know ball culture goes to see this, they're going to all automatically be inundated with it. They're going to know. And I think it's such a perfect way to tell what is a bizarre story.
00:09:04
James Tolbert
I've seen cats so many times and not once that I walk out of that theater saying that I knew what was going on. So to put it in the context of ah of an actual ball, brilliant idea.
00:09:15
James Tolbert
And I i hope it runs forever.
00:09:15
Curt Mega
yes
00:09:19
James Tolbert
Okay. Uh, so let's pop into, one more. Uh, this is interesting one. So this is from Izzy Barry and Izzy recommends, uh, two things actually, uh, uh,
00:09:32
James Tolbert
This is from Izzy. First off, musically, I cannot recommend you both ah probably in enough ah checking out the band The Amazing Devil. Oh, I read that sentence wrong. Let me redo that. We're going to redo that. OK, here we go.
00:09:47
James Tolbert
First off, musically, I cannot recommend you both checking out the band The Amazing Devil enough. Genre wise, they fall somewhere in the folk alternative rock space, and they have put out three albums since 2016.
00:09:59
James Tolbert
Highly recommend that we listen to each album in order without shuffling as well. Their music makes Izzy feel the entire gamut of human emotion and it's beautiful.
00:10:10
James Tolbert
Second thing recommended, it's the short-lived little-known project called The Middleman. It is both a comic series through Viper Comics as well as a 2008 12-episode TV show that aired on ABC Family, described by its creators as a love letter for nerds by nerds. The idea came from a pilot written for a television series, and it is not...
00:10:33
James Tolbert
um It's not on streaming anywhere. So if you can try to find it, ah see what you can. But ah the middleman is played by Matt Kessler and Wendy Watson is played by Natalie Morales, who I'm now realizing has had a very long career and has been in so many shows.
00:10:50
James Tolbert
um
00:10:51
Curt Mega
Yeah.
00:10:51
James Tolbert
Yeah. So ah those are a couple recommendations we received from some of our our wonderful listeners here.
00:10:59
Curt Mega
We appreciate it. And I'm going to go check all these things out.
00:11:00
James Tolbert
Yes.
00:11:02
Curt Mega
I'm like Googling as we speak on who interesting, interesting. So it's on my list.
00:11:06
James Tolbert
ah And I'll be honest, i ah it's been I've been rather busy the last couple of weeks, but um as I'm thinking of just ways for us to engage with our with our audience, um I'm thinking about starting kind of like a podcast that people can contribute to. Or if they can't do it, what I would like to do is make a, did I say podcast? I meant to say playlist. that's Maybe that's what I meant to say.
00:11:27
James Tolbert
It's been a long day for both of us, so we're both going to say words and whatever comes out, just bear with us. But um I want to make a playlist. And so the idea would be um any song recommendations you give us, I'll put them on a public playlist and anyone can you know check these things out.
00:11:40
Curt Mega
Mmm. That's cool.
00:11:44
James Tolbert
So ah I'm going to I'm going to work on that and I will let you all know when that is live and kicking.
00:11:44
Curt Mega
It's a great idea.
00:11:49
Curt Mega
That's a really good idea. I love that. We could even, you know, you know, we could do this two, two ways. We could have a, like a music playlist. We could also do like a letterboxd movie, you know, a list that we start.
00:12:00
James Tolbert
Ooh, yes.
00:12:03
Curt Mega
um I don't know if there's one for TV, but I'm sure there is something where we could have like media recommendations. Maybe you have a book one.
00:12:10
James Tolbert
Yes.
00:12:10
Curt Mega
I'm we'll figure it out. We'll figure out what those different things would be, but that's a, that's a great idea.
00:12:15
James Tolbert
Yeah. So be on the lookout for that. I'll work on that. And as always, if you have any recommendations or anything you want to ask us, you can reach us at so what are you into pod at gmail.com.
Theater's Impact & Artistic Expression
00:12:25
James Tolbert
And as we just saw, we'll read them on the podcast.
00:12:30
James Tolbert
um
00:12:31
Curt Mega
That we will.
00:12:32
James Tolbert
Yes.
00:12:32
Curt Mega
James, what have been up to this week? what do you What's been going on how
00:12:35
James Tolbert
What's been going on? um So it's not a secret.
00:12:38
Curt Mega
We're both like tired, so.
00:12:39
James Tolbert
We're both so tired. um So as recently as today, and this is not a secret, but we just started filming the official first season of Realm.
00:12:49
Curt Mega
Let's go.
00:12:50
James Tolbert
Yes. So we are we are.
00:12:50
Curt Mega
hot off the the heels of of a successful Kickstarter. You guys are into production now.
00:12:55
James Tolbert
Yes. We are into production and yeah, I wish I could talk about the contents of what we filmed today is very exciting. It's very great to just hop back in to these characters.
00:13:05
James Tolbert
And thank you to everyone that supported the Kickstarter because there were some fun little add ons into our story as as ah contributed by by your pledges. So thank you so much for doing that.
00:13:17
James Tolbert
um And besides that, I just took part in this. I think I might have mentioned it ah last week. I took part in public assembly, which is a yes.
00:13:25
Curt Mega
Yes. Oh, I wanted to see this so bad. I'm so interested in, in curious about this as a concept.
00:13:28
James Tolbert
ah
00:13:33
James Tolbert
It is a, ah so basically Public Assembly is a nonprofit here in l LA. They are a theater company and what they do is several times throughout the year, they receive submissions from first time writers or people you know who may have some experience writing, ah but they try to get new writers for each of their specific performances. And they'll select three scripts with some sort of loose theme that connects all the stories, but they can be truly about anything. um And with those three writers, they ah hire however many actors are needed. They tend to be smaller groups of actors. My show in particular had six. And they make very quick one acts. Nothing's longer than 15 minutes.
00:14:13
James Tolbert
And there's a wonderful just day, I think it's the last Thursday of that month, they bring and a crowd of about 300 people that are just excited to see live theater in LA.
00:14:24
James Tolbert
And put on a little show. And so we are we happen to do this in Pasadena last week. And mine was the show that I was in was called Mating Rituals, which is about ah four birds and their literal their mating rituals. And i played a peacock who was an asshole.
00:14:45
James Tolbert
Um, which is so the Prince, you know, and I was, it was so funny because I was thinking that I was like, wow, I've been my whole life.
00:14:46
Curt Mega
So the Prince from Cinderella.
00:14:52
James Tolbert
People just telling me how nice of a guy I am. And yet some of the most fun I've had on stage is where I play a complete dick. So yeah, uh, I'm noticing a trend now, but, um, yeah.
00:14:59
Curt Mega
Yeah.
00:15:04
Curt Mega
That's so funny. That's so cool. I love, i feel like there's a, there is a belief or an idea, which I am here to say is false. When people think about Los Angeles,
00:15:15
Curt Mega
people associate it with film and television and movie stars and celebrity. And I feel like I hear people often say, especially when I go home to Texas, I don't know if you ever get this when you go to Michigan, but like, oh, l LA is kind of a fake place or I don't know, this this sort of like sheen of of plastic celebrity. But I'm here to tell you there is such...
00:15:36
Curt Mega
a thriving arts, creative scene of like passionate artists, you know, whether it's in the improv or comedy scene or with theater, you know, with people getting together and making projects, it is genuinely the reason I have stayed because if I had just stayed for like the work, probably would' have left a long time ago, but there is such a thriving scene of passionate, interesting artists doing stuff for the love of it that I just don't think it's talked about enough.
00:15:55
James Tolbert
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
00:16:05
Curt Mega
I think people just, don't see that part of the city. I feel like people associate that with New York, but I, I just, there is such a cool culture here and I am, I'm on a journey, a mission to like, I want to plug more into that and kit can there's been a few like pop-ups that I've seen recently where i've I've been trying to figure out when I can go, but there's this really cool like coffee shop, movie club thing.
00:16:27
Curt Mega
where people are like screening their shorts at this coffee shop. My friend, um my our our mutual friend, Mary Kate Wiles, invited me recently to this thing that was like a every month or so, maybe it's every quarter, a bunch of really cool artists and animators get together and in someone's backyard and screen like stuff they've been working on and shorts and I just, there's such a world of people just trying things and exploring things and I'm wanting to dive into that more. So when you told me about this and what that's the cool, that's so cool. So how was, was the experience like in the room? How, what was the vibe of the audience?
00:17:05
James Tolbert
Oh, they were, again, so excited. And, you know, and who knows, maybe these are people who go to theater all the time or they're just friends of the writers or the actors. But it's it's rare that you go to an event, well, that I've been to an event, where people are just genuinely excited to be there for the thing, especially when that thing is theater.
00:17:26
James Tolbert
You know, this isn't like, a oh, we're going to dress up and, like you know, it's not hoity-toity. It's literally pay what you can. You know, they're not they're not charging some huge amount of dollars and money for for this event.
00:17:31
Curt Mega
I love that.
00:17:35
Curt Mega
I tried to get tickets, but you were not kidding. It sold out like that. It was impossible.
00:17:39
James Tolbert
So quickly. So quickly. And that's the thing. And this is the, the so that was the 47th one they've done. And so they have a dedicated fan base that like loves to just support this thing.
00:17:45
Curt Mega
That's so cool.
00:17:49
James Tolbert
um And so, yeah, and and and they they were hanging on every single joke. They were cheering. um If there were chants involved, they would get in on the chants. I did this one bit where I make this grand entrance.
00:18:02
James Tolbert
And so I made the audience applause with me. And if it died down, I told them to keep going. And they were getting louder each time I did it, you know, so it's it felt like ah like a pep rally almost. um Yeah.
00:18:11
Curt Mega
Yeah, yeah.
00:18:13
James Tolbert
But ah but really, i'm I'm so glad that something like this exists here because it shows that people, if you make something with heart and intention, they will show up. And it's I'm glad to see that.
00:18:24
Curt Mega
That's awesome. I love that.
00:18:25
James Tolbert
Yeah. What
Commercial Acting & Stop Motion Animation
00:18:25
Curt Mega
That's very cool.
00:18:26
James Tolbert
about you?
00:18:26
James Tolbert
What have you been up to?
00:18:28
Curt Mega
Well, I was in Texas. I shot a commercial a few weeks ago and I was there, but that kind of ended and it was a really interesting shoot. It's a very cinematic shoot.
00:18:39
Curt Mega
There's a lot of post-production and VFX in this particular spot. And so... These are things they don't teach you. They do not teach you in acting school. Hey, one day you're going to be driving a brand new truck that is an $80,000 truck down a country highway road. And you need to stop on a dime going have four people in the back of your truck with gear and you have to go 45 miles an hour.
00:19:02
Curt Mega
You got to sharp stop fast enough that it looks like it's a really hard stop, but you don't want to send the people in the back of the truck flying. um and everybody And you have a walkie-talkie in the car and you have ah a video village of like 20 ad execs being like, can you go faster?
00:19:08
James Tolbert
Mm.
00:19:18
James Tolbert
Mm-hmm.
00:19:18
Curt Mega
so so it was a very ah it was crazy. it was like It's so funny. I had a i had a breakthrough, i would say, in the last two years. For years, commercials to me felt so...
00:19:31
Curt Mega
you know, it's like, Oh, I'm a real artist. I, you know, I'll do commercials, but I i took a wonderful class a few years ago that was just sort of about the the process of commercials and sort of minutia of the genuinely the commercial side of it.
00:19:33
James Tolbert
yeah
00:19:45
Curt Mega
Like it is to sell a product or a service. And it kind of walked through all the, just the kind of crazy aspects of how these things get cast and made and shot and what the objectives are and It really showed me how the sausage gets made.
00:19:59
Curt Mega
And I've had so much fun in the last year or two having a blast with commercials again and sort of playing the puzzle of like, yes, the ultimate thing is like not that important, but there is this kind of fun game of how can i how can I craft a performance in a very
00:20:00
James Tolbert
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
00:20:21
Curt Mega
ah not particularly truthful, emotional so premise, but how can I still like find the emotional stakes and be a great actor in this kind of ridiculous world anyways? um So I had a lot of fun. The directors were these two awesome they were both French directors. both brothers.
00:20:42
Curt Mega
And it was so funny because, you know, we're doing a commercial, but you walk over between takes and be like, it is very good, but do to see if you can be as more of an internal this sort of thing. And you know like, God, it more internal. Yes. More like I use the stakes, but keep it small. Like I was, I had a, I had a real blast doing it. It was a lot of fun. So he did that. I got back and then I've just been, I've just been doing some auditions and a lot of editing.
00:21:09
Curt Mega
So a lot of, I was telling James before we started recording, I was having a conversation with ah with Nick about this too. Just so much of the stuff that you make that you care about, it being good is dependent on your tolerance for how much monotony you're willing to put up with.
00:21:28
Curt Mega
And I think that's where I'm at right now, where a lot of the stuff that I'm doing is very monotonous and tedious.
00:21:29
James Tolbert
Yeah.
00:21:34
Curt Mega
And I know when it comes together and I can share it, people are going to go, that's cool. Right now, it doesn't feel cool. It just feels... It's so much just minutia and tedium, ah but your willingness to see the vision through that process is is sort of the thing that will make or break your ability to finish something and see it to fruition.
00:21:44
James Tolbert
yeah
00:21:59
Curt Mega
um So that's kind of where I'm at right now. It's a lot of tedious, monotonous stuff, but I know when it's done, if I can just see it through to the end, it will be cool. I have to believe that.
00:22:10
Curt Mega
So.
00:22:10
James Tolbert
that's why i That's why I think the most patient people in media are anyone that works in stop motion animation.
00:22:16
Curt Mega
Oh my, I can't, dude. Yes. i I've been, I've been, I will say the last week I've been filming some stuff with some small things, not stop motion, but some small things that was very specific and very tedious in the capturing of it.
00:22:28
James Tolbert
Mm-hmm.
00:22:33
Curt Mega
And I kept thinking about like, uh, or, you you know, any of the stop motion stuff, you know, that we love.
00:22:39
James Tolbert
Mm-hmm.
00:22:40
Curt Mega
And I was like, how, how do they do it? How do they do it for months coming into the same setup, moving an arm, you,
00:22:50
James Tolbert
Ever so slow.
00:22:51
Curt Mega
doing a frame, doing truly incredible.
00:22:51
James Tolbert
Yeah.
00:22:55
Curt Mega
Incredible. Do you have a favorite stop motion?
00:22:58
James Tolbert
Oh, do i Um, well, I used to watch a lot of Wallace and Gromit when I was younger.
00:23:04
Curt Mega
Oh, dude.
00:23:05
James Tolbert
So yeah, I think those are pretty good.
00:23:05
Curt Mega
I love Wallace and Grumman.
00:23:08
James Tolbert
um I vividly remember watching chicken run after.
00:23:12
Curt Mega
Yes.
00:23:12
James Tolbert
Well,
00:23:12
Curt Mega
Chicken run was one of the first movies I remember seeing in theaters.
00:23:16
James Tolbert
really?
00:23:17
Curt Mega
Yes, i like I have a vivid memory of going with friends and watching Chicken Run. i i don't remember a lot of it. I remember the mouths of the chickens were very funny to me.
00:23:26
James Tolbert
Yes.
00:23:26
Curt Mega
But Chicken Run is great.
00:23:29
James Tolbert
Yeah.
00:23:29
Curt Mega
ah Mine is Coraline. I go back to that movie all the time.
00:23:32
James Tolbert
Yeah.
00:23:33
Curt Mega
I think it's so...
Project Hail Mary: Hope vs. Cynicism
00:23:35
Curt Mega
The vibe, the mood, the sort of... eerie liminal space of it all it is like such an aesthetic that i love and i crave i want to like make things that feel like that um but man i have a friend who she worked for years in miniatures and she's just told me story what it takes to make it and i just can't believe anybody ever does it and finishes anything that's it it's insane yeah and animation too even just animation hand-drawn animation impossible impossible
00:23:40
James Tolbert
yeah
00:24:01
James Tolbert
Yeah.
00:24:05
James Tolbert
Yes. And it's impossible for me only because I'm such a terrible artist in that regard. I can like, oof, oof, just rough bucket.
00:24:10
Curt Mega
Me too. Me too.
00:24:15
James Tolbert
um So yeah, anyone that does animation, I i applaud you.
00:24:15
Curt Mega
Yeah.
00:24:19
James Tolbert
um You're much, you're a much better and more patient man than I.
00:24:19
Curt Mega
Yes.
00:24:22
James Tolbert
um All right. Well, Kurt, why don't we ah get into it? I'm going to ask you, what are you into?
00:24:29
Curt Mega
I'm going to sound like a broken record. Cause I'm gonna talk again about something I talked about last week, but I'm back to talk about it some more.
00:24:36
James Tolbert
Great.
00:24:36
Curt Mega
So you're just going to have to listen. and You're just going to have to deal with it.
00:24:38
James Tolbert
Yeah.
00:24:40
Curt Mega
And I'm still thinking about project Hail Mary, but actually have a very specific thought.
00:24:42
James Tolbert
yeah
00:24:44
Curt Mega
So I went and saw that I went saw project Hail Mary a second time. um And you know, I am not one to go. i will see movies a second and third time when I feel like they are a visceral sort of immersive experience, ah especially.
00:25:02
Curt Mega
i don't I don't tend to rewatch movies very often. lord of the Rings might be an an exception. Toy Story. I go back to that a lot. But I felt like the first viewing of Project Hail Mary, it's such a so much imagery and sound and scope and scale. And I wanted to kind of go back having having a fresh perspective.
00:25:23
Curt Mega
What I noticed and this this always happens with films. the The movie came out a week or two ago, about two weeks ago. There was an initial positive wave. It's done really well at the box office. It's it's generally well-reviewed.
00:25:39
Curt Mega
And if you're like me and you're a masochist, you're on film Twitter. I refuse to call it X. And you want to hate yourself. You're on film Twitter. And so I'm on film Twitter reading the, you know, everyone's talking about it. And there's always this inevitable spike of positive...
00:25:56
Curt Mega
energy. And then immediately on the, on the heels of that, there's a wave of here's why the thing that everybody likes sucks actually. So there's a lot of that in the last week, but a recurring thing that I kept noticing in terms of the critique of the movie. And I am so open to the critique of films. I'm very, you know, people may not vibe with it. They may not enjoy it. That's totally fine. It's a taste thing. But one of the things that I really stuck in my Got in got under my skin this week was that a lot of people a lot of criticism of the film was geared around. It's this like hope core millennial cringe kind of naivety.
00:26:35
Curt Mega
We talked about it a little bit last week on the podcast, but I saw a lot more of that subsequently. And so going back to watch it again, watched it on Sunday. i kind of had that in the back of my mind of like, okay, is this, is this a naive sort of, what if things are better? And, and I, you know, there's a lot of criticism of it.
00:26:55
Curt Mega
It offers hope without a real, a real sense of the gravity of things. And so I went into it thinking like, okay, I want to be open to that criticism and like, see how it hit me.
00:27:07
Curt Mega
And I'm here to say those people are wrong. And in this essay, and I literally wrote another essay.
00:27:13
James Tolbert
Okay.
00:27:14
Curt Mega
So I really, i really went in on this, but no, I jokes aside, I genuinely on a second viewing, what really struck me. And I think this is actually really, the reason I'm thinking about this in life is because We are at a point right now where things feel objectively pretty bad in a lot of ways. um And yes, a lot of that can be algorithmic suggestion. It's people are more inclined to engage if they're feeling, you know, enraged and angry or whatever.
00:27:45
Curt Mega
That's true. However, there's some really bad things happening. There's some really bad things going on
00:27:48
James Tolbert
Very.
00:27:51
Curt Mega
ah Wars and and. policing the streets and it's, you know, and, and economically it it feels like things are like tipping over into a really bad place.
00:28:04
James Tolbert
Yeah. Yeah.
00:28:07
Curt Mega
And i understand why people might have this like, you know what? I don't i don't want to deal with this. I don't want to i don't I don't accept your everything could work out if we just.
00:28:18
Curt Mega
That doesn't feel like it's grounded in anything. And so on the second viewing, something that really stuck with me that I feel like I can bring into the way I'm thinking about the world is in particular the character that Sandra Huler, Huler, Huler, not sure.
00:28:34
James Tolbert
i think it's I think you're correct, Hewler.
00:28:34
Curt Mega
ah plays, Hewler plays. um She plays a character in the film named Eva Stratton. I'm not going to spoil the like spoil it here, but essentially the the premise of the movie is Earth is pretty much doomed.
00:28:47
Curt Mega
ah The sun is being eaten alive and her character has assembled a team of people to attempt to do something about it. And yes, the movie is very hopeful and trying to say, what if we all work together in science? Maybe we'd all figure it out.
00:29:04
Curt Mega
Sure. But in particular, her character on a second viewing really struck a chord with me because Ryan Gosling is goofing around and making jokes and being fun and we're adorable and great. Her character is this, there's a real gravity and weight and pain that her character kind of bear bears throughout the film.
00:29:26
Curt Mega
um And there's this one particular scene where she gets up and sings Harry Siles sign of the times in this karaoke scene that a lot of people have talked about. And on a second viewing, it really shattered me because you see this character who is fully aware of the full weight of the hopelessness that is sort of in front of humanity.
00:29:51
Curt Mega
And she understands that she is in many ways asking everyone involved to go to their deaths. You know, this mission they're on is there. is It is a one way ticket. There is there is no coming back from it.
00:30:03
Curt Mega
And even at that, it's the most long shot. It's likely not going to work. but there's this great moment where she's on the, she's, she's singing this song. She sings, she's singing, you know, don't stop your crying. It's a sign at the times.
00:30:15
Curt Mega
And, and, and she kind of has a forced smile, but underneath it all, there's this heaviness. There's this pain of, I'm so sad that we're, I'm so sad that it's come to this, but yet we must try. And there's this moment on the boat that happens right before that where Ryan Gosling's character asks her, he says, hey, do do you believe in God?
00:30:39
Curt Mega
And she says, it's better than the alternative. And that particular moment, that particular scene, that line really encapsulated to me, encapsulated for me what I think really struck ah struck me about this film that goes beyond hopium, goes beyond just whatever this millennial Reddit core humor, whatever the whatever the critique is.
00:30:58
James Tolbert
Mm-hmm.
00:30:59
Curt Mega
And that is that and and I'll just read this. I'll read a section from the the thing that I wrote on my newsletter, but I wrote the moment we find ourselves in culturally, geopolitically, economically is bleak to deny that to look away to pretend the tidal wave isn't at our door would be ignorance. But does that mean we give up?
00:31:18
Curt Mega
Do we resign ourselves to the inevitable darkness? ah Strat, who is Hewler's character, and the film's answer is no. You bring the best of yourself to the task at hand. You use whatever skills and gifts you have. You launch yourself into the darkness and you face the problem.
00:31:36
Curt Mega
Why? Because it's better than the alternative. And that was what I took from the movie. Like, and the reason I think it hit me and it struck me so much is that at this moment in time, it's so easy to get on the internet and just spiral so quickly.
00:31:41
James Tolbert
Mm-hmm.
00:31:49
Curt Mega
And it's understandable. Like, it's not it's not a ridiculous reaction to look at things and go, what the F is happening. But I love that this character represents that in the face of that, you say, yeah, it's bad.
00:32:06
Curt Mega
What are we going to do about it? What are going to do? What are we, how are we going to, despite the impossibility of it, still try to do something?
00:32:17
Curt Mega
And I think that a lot of people right now maybe are feeling that it is so easy to slip into nihilism, to slip into a very dark place where you go, you know what?
00:32:31
Curt Mega
We tried, I give up. And I guess the movie for me injected in a very real palpable way, not a fake, not a sweet like escapist way, but in a very genuine way, this character represents, represents somebody who recognizes the the darkness at hand and is like, but we're, but we're going to still try to do something about it.
00:32:51
Curt Mega
And I love that. And it just, it's, it really has given me a lot of hope and, and, and not to ignore bad things, but to go, but I'm going to choose to try to do something about it with whatever skill I have, whatever, whatever, whatever thing that I have at my disposal, it is actually worth it to try to like do something about it.
00:32:53
James Tolbert
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
00:33:11
Curt Mega
So i don't know. I'm here to say that the people who say this movie is, uh, the hope is like, naive. I think they're wrong. And I actually think that there's something pretty powerful about choosing hope, letting it inspire you to action, even when things feel bad. And I think we need more of that.
00:33:32
James Tolbert
I would agree with you. And I do wonder, because we asked this question last week, specifically about the whole fact that this is a millennial um connected emotion, like hope and um I guess happiness in general. And I understand that, you know, how dare, how dare this generation want to be happy? Uh,
00:33:53
James Tolbert
But i I balk at that because if you think about when we were kids, we were being told fairy tales, you know, and most of them had some sort of moral to them, some sort of understanding that at the end of this story,
00:34:00
Curt Mega
Yeah. Mm-hmm.
00:34:08
James Tolbert
the actions of the protagonist, the hero, the good person resulted in a favorable outcome. As you grow up, you realize that is not always the case. Sometimes you try everything and it and you fail, and sometimes it doesn't work.
00:34:22
James Tolbert
But if the lesson is to keep going, then we realize that our our efforts are not in vain as long as we are intent on helping others around us and to to provide a better future.
00:34:37
Curt Mega
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
00:34:37
James Tolbert
So somewhere along the line, that gets misconstrued as, oh, well, you guys are just telling these tall tales, but that's not how the real world real world works. You know, look at our government. Look at this. And I think cynicism is such a huge part of our culture right now. Nihilism is a huge part of it. um And i don't and if I find it hard to digest that people would balk at a movie like Project Hail Mary, ah which technically is ah is is a masterpiece. I think they did a phenomenal job cinematography direction. I think it's a great movie. um
00:35:11
James Tolbert
But if you're saying the story at its core about hope and connection, I think those are two of the biggest things we need as a society right now. And for people to not recognize in a fictional story that there is a value in saying a story like that.
00:35:29
James Tolbert
That's it. I know that that to me, it's like, okay, so something's wrong with us. Something's fundamentally wrong with us now. And yes, it is. i you know, I'm very well aware, even though I'm not on Twitter.
00:35:40
James Tolbert
I know that every, yeah, I'm, I'm calling it Twitter.
00:35:41
Curt Mega
Good for you.
00:35:43
James Tolbert
I haven't been on Twitter for almost two years now, I think. um But um it's very, I know that everything's reactionary. Everything is, what is, what because what gets clicks is the hot take with little nuance and little understanding of the other person.
00:35:58
James Tolbert
We treat people like just an anonymous figure halfway across the world, even if they're in the same state, same city, same block as us, because there's that level of anonymity that removes you from whatever ah negative emotion you decided to impart in the world.
00:36:13
James Tolbert
But that disconnection is what makes things like watching an astronaut connect with an alien who had to figure out their ways to connect and communicate with each other.
00:36:24
James Tolbert
That's something we could do with just one person, ah two humans that speak different languages. We could do that. But there are people who are inherently thinking that, no, I don't connect to this person.
00:36:30
Curt Mega
you
00:36:33
James Tolbert
I don't see their humanity. I don't see their value. um So to your point, I don't. I don't have an answer as to why, or a solution, I should say.
00:36:48
James Tolbert
How do we fix that? Because you can just not like the movie, and that's fine. You don't have to like every single movie.
00:36:53
Curt Mega
Absolutely. Absolutely.
00:36:54
James Tolbert
Yeah.
00:36:54
Curt Mega
And I want to be clear. 100% if someone's like, it just didn't work for me.
00:36:58
James Tolbert
Mm-hmm.
00:36:59
Curt Mega
i didn't buy to go. Absolutely. Dude, of course you don't have to like it.
00:37:03
James Tolbert
Mm-hmm.
00:37:04
Curt Mega
But the it's bad because it suggests that you that hope ist ah is a viable path to a better future.
00:37:13
James Tolbert
Yeah.
00:37:13
Curt Mega
I'm like, I refuse to walk down that road. Because if we if if we're starting to say, oh my God, the art suggests that things could get better. Ugh. I'm like, well, then we then it's self-fulfilling prophecy. like i don't i do not need a movie to moralize and to hold my hand and say...
00:37:32
Curt Mega
here's what you should do. But i I found it so moving that a film could look genuine doom in the face and say, but, but we should still try. And that actually really leapt out to me on a second viewing.
00:37:51
Curt Mega
And it feels like, it feels like that is something we desperately need more people in this moment in time I understand the the impetus to feel hopelessness.
00:38:07
James Tolbert
Mm-hmm.
00:38:08
Curt Mega
I think the movie suggests you can you should act anyways. You should like still... There's a great moment where she goes...
00:38:19
Curt Mega
little spoiler for the movie. So if you want to skip ahead 20, 30 seconds, do it now. It's not really a full spoiler, but it's kind of a conflict conflicting moment and in the character going on this journey. But her character is basically saying, I need you to, to to Ryan Gosling, I need you to go. I need you to be the scientist on this mission. And he's like, I'm not the guy, dude. I'm not the guy. I can't do it. I'm a, I'm a teacher. I'm not an astronaut.
00:38:43
Curt Mega
And she's like, if you don't go, The mission fails and we all die in 30 years. And he's like, yeah, i I know that sucks, but I'd rather, think I'd rather like die in 30 years here on the planet as we all starve than go now.
00:38:58
Curt Mega
And she goes, it's only 30 years. And that's if the the countries of the world could work together. And we know they won't. He's like, she is not unaware of the hopelessness.
00:39:08
Curt Mega
She's not like, it'll be great. We're going to figure it out.
00:39:10
James Tolbert
Mm-hmm.
00:39:11
Curt Mega
She is so heavy.
00:39:11
James Tolbert
Mm-hmm.
00:39:13
Curt Mega
But she is like, I'm still going to do something. And I just, that feels so urgent and of this moment in this time.
00:39:16
James Tolbert
Mm-hmm.
00:39:21
Curt Mega
and i refuse to believe that that that is naivety. Do you know what i mean? I refuse to accept that.
00:39:26
James Tolbert
Yeah. and And now, actually, I'm glad you brought up that scene because now it's making me like kind of analyze the opposition here. And I i think what it is is that if they feel like a moment of connection, tenderness, happiness is being, quote, manufactured, that makes it inauthentic. And part of that, so that it's like, well, no, I mean, if this is the story, if this is our arc,
00:39:48
James Tolbert
I don't want to say that just because something has a happier ending or just because a character is basing their their intentions, their want on the idea of hope and possibility, that doesn't mean you know you can feel however you want to feel from that action. that's That's just a human thing. But I don't think that in this case is manufactured happiness. This isn't a Hallmark card. This isn't an like overly saccharine script. I do think there is something at the core of this. And so it's almost like people don't want to be tricked into being happy.
00:40:18
James Tolbert
and And maybe that's their problem to deal with. And there are plenty of therapists and they everyone should see one. But I don't think this is one of those cases that, know, they're feeding us some, oh, that's overly dramatic, but happy. And it's like, no, there's something at the core of this that we can really connect to and listen to. I think some people are just afraid to tap into that emotion, lest they be deemed soft for whatever reason. So.
00:40:44
Curt Mega
And I recognize, you know, Gen Z, Gen Alpha, like, man, they've been through it. You know, they they, a lot of people coming out of high school, hoping to have a, stepping into the beginning of their lives, got hit with lockdowns, got hit with economic, just, just devastation. um And so I, I understand, i understand that. I understand this, like, why, why,
00:41:10
Curt Mega
what are you What are you excited about? What are you hopeful for? um And I think you kind of have to make your own hope and believe that better things are possible because the alternative, what's the alternative to just give up?
00:41:25
Curt Mega
And I'm not ready to do that yet. So not yet.
00:41:27
James Tolbert
Yeah. Yeah. Not yet.
00:41:30
Curt Mega
Not yet. Yeah.
00:41:31
James Tolbert
Not yet. That's awesome. That's great. Yeah, I'm glad. I'm glad.
00:41:35
Curt Mega
Yeah.
00:41:35
James Tolbert
I really i really enjoyed that movie. So i'm I'm glad you saw it again.
00:41:38
Curt Mega
Yeah. James, i have a question for you.
00:41:42
James Tolbert
Yes.
Nostalgia's Influence on Media & Industry Challenges
00:41:43
Curt Mega
So what are you into?
00:41:45
James Tolbert
Not C.
00:41:45
Curt Mega
Question mark, question mark.
00:41:47
James Tolbert
Question mark, question mark. ah So ah it's a multi-layered into this week.
00:41:52
Curt Mega
Oh, I love a multi-layered into.
00:41:53
James Tolbert
um so I'm going to start with a positive. The Scrubs reboot slash continuation came out a few weeks ago, a little over a month, I think at this point. And I got to say, I enjoy it.
00:42:06
James Tolbert
I was a big fan of the show when it first aired. ah probably a little
00:42:09
Curt Mega
Me too. Same.
00:42:10
James Tolbert
Probably a little young to be watching it to at the time, but I could appreciate the humor.
00:42:14
Curt Mega
james
00:42:14
James Tolbert
i liked how quick it was. um i really loved JD and Turk's friendship. I always like wanted that. I think everyone wanted that bromance. In fact, was that the kind of the first TV bromance where two hetero dudes were just like so like comfortable with themselves that like their friendship could...
00:42:33
James Tolbert
yeah It just kind of existed in a way that was like not toxic. And I think that a lot of people gravitated towards that.
00:42:41
Curt Mega
You think they genuinely love each other they're not afraid to express their love and devotion for each other.
00:42:41
James Tolbert
Yes.
00:42:44
James Tolbert
hit
00:42:48
Curt Mega
And what's weird about it is not that they love each other. They're just weird people, but everyone's like, they got a special thing and it's, it is something to be admired and it is a beautiful thing.
00:42:54
James Tolbert
Yes.
00:43:01
Curt Mega
And I love that the show embrace that and says, this is beautiful. Let, let these people love each other and take care of each other and be there for each other.
00:43:08
James Tolbert
Yeah.
00:43:08
Curt Mega
It's a genuinely maybe, Well, I grew up watching Seinfeld, but I remember distinctly like falling in love with the idea of a sitcom through watching Scrubs on TV as a kid.
00:43:20
Curt Mega
um And my mom, for some reason, let me watch it. I don't know why, because I couldn't watch a lot of other stuff.
00:43:23
James Tolbert
yeah
00:43:24
Curt Mega
But I i watched I just watched so much Scrubs and I love the jokes and the setups and the payoffs and the. bizarre, you know, ah cutaways and the absurdity of it. So I haven't watched, I have not watched the the revival, but everyone, everyone that's like an OG Scrubs fan has has all said, it's actually really good.
00:43:35
James Tolbert
yeah
00:43:39
James Tolbert
Thank you.
00:43:44
Curt Mega
So I'm stoked to hear that you're enjoying it.
00:43:46
James Tolbert
Yeah, I really think they ah they they hit the mark on it. I know there was that extra season over a decade ago that was not as great. um I think they corrected a lot of mistakes from that by just going back to the root and the heart of the show, which is on the other side. So yeah, it's known for its comedy. It's known for, like I said, the bromance. But at the end of the day, it's it's laced with a lot of life lessons and things not working out, picking yourself up after a patient might not make it, or you're seeing the humanity in and the life lesson in each interaction between medical professional and patient. So I i really like what they're doing with this show.
00:44:31
James Tolbert
And it's funny that you bring this up with Project Hail Mary about people being ah suspicious of the happiness or whether it's manufactured, because I just looked up an article from Variety. And Variety, I'm noticing a trend with you guys, so I don't know what's going on in the water cooler over there. But the title of this from it was a month ago, but it was the Scrubs revival is Millennial Cringe.
00:44:53
James Tolbert
So once again, everyone has something against millennials and not joy. But again, see a therapist. I wonder.
00:45:06
James Tolbert
And this is the part where I'm going to go into the negative spin, because I ah you might have heard me rant about this in the past. I'm not the greatest advocate for all of these revivals, reboots, you know bringing things back. um I'm not always on board with them. And the reason I've said that is because I do want opportunities for new shows to come up. I do want new writers. I want new voices. And you know we're well past to the the starting point now, but our current media landscape is dependent on existing IP.
00:45:41
James Tolbert
it's dependent on something that they know was a guaranteed moneymaker 10, 20 years before that will have a built-in audience and is guaranteed to return some of its investment on you know once it airs.
00:45:54
James Tolbert
ah What that means is that sometimes that's less opportunities for those of us that are up and coming. um you know i think we forget that But with shows that have been running forever, and I'm talking about your CSIs, NCISs, your ah ah you know scrubs notwithstanding because there was a large gap in between seasons, but even even something down to, I feel like I'm just calling out Survivor.
00:46:20
James Tolbert
CBS shows, but Survivor being on 50 seasons, right?
00:46:22
Curt Mega
ah
00:46:23
James Tolbert
so
00:46:24
Curt Mega
Yeah.
00:46:24
James Tolbert
So we have to we have to understand, like so we're living in an interesting age because, Kurt, when you and I are kids in the 90s, shows maybe ran for, you know if you got to 10 years, that was a big deal.
00:46:35
Curt Mega
yeah
00:46:35
James Tolbert
You know, that was that was a huge thing. The fact that some shows have made it past that, the fact that any show is, you know, in such heavy syndication that some actors are just literally living off of reruns.
00:46:50
James Tolbert
You know, like I feel like the cast of Big Bang Theory, again, a CBS show. what There's a trend here. ah But the cast of Big Bang Theory is going to live off of just reruns for the rest of their lives. They if they didn't want to work, they didn't have to, you know, because of just what they were making. So a part of me is I'm i'm at odds with myself here because it's a show that I like, like Scrubs, and I think they're doing a good job. So it's like, hey, this is great to bring in another show that is a lot of joy, a lot of happiness with a lot of heart.
00:47:21
James Tolbert
But at the same time, it's like, oh, but we're falling into that trap again. Because what will happen is you'll get some really inventive shows that just need to get off the ground. and they And if they don't show within the first, sometimes three episodes, that they're going to maintain an audience, they're already out the door. And now we're getting, you know it hasn't happened yet, but Friends reboot. you know Just because they know, a a network doesn't have to risk anything by having an audience that's dedicated to that show.
00:47:51
Curt Mega
And I think you make a great point about that. We have back in the day, it's like shows were successful if they ran five, six, seven seasons.
00:47:59
James Tolbert
Yeah.
00:48:00
Curt Mega
That was considered a really great arc. And yes, the yes shows came out that didn't get picked up or take off. But I feel like now you point to this bizarre divide where we have shows that have literally been on the air for.
00:48:12
Curt Mega
i think Grey's Anatomy just got picked up for season 23.
00:48:16
James Tolbert
Yeah.
00:48:17
Curt Mega
and and then you also have shows that get.
00:48:22
Curt Mega
pulled before they've even begun to find an audience. They dump a whole season on streaming and then they're like, that's canceled. Like it's like you, you have the extremes where it's like no runway or it's just going and going and going and going and going and going because it's a surefire thing.
00:48:31
James Tolbert
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
00:48:41
Curt Mega
That middle ground of can it go three or four seasons that it feels like they are so reluctant to let shows even have that opportunity. So if it's not a hit, pull it. And that's to your point, why they're like, how do we make sure it's a hit?
00:48:57
Curt Mega
Let it be something people are already familiar with. Make sure it's something that people go. I remember that from when I was a kid. And so that is absolutely dominating what kinds of things even get pitched and potentially greenlit.
00:49:13
Curt Mega
much less much less developed beyond the initial concept.
00:49:18
James Tolbert
Yeah, I mean, and and to take it over to the movie side lately, um I kind of lament the death of the rom-com.
00:49:27
Curt Mega
Oh, me too. Yeah.
00:49:28
James Tolbert
So they've kind of been subjected to just being almost exclusively on Netflix now, and you don't really see them.
00:49:34
Curt Mega
Yeah. yeah
00:49:37
James Tolbert
They're not really, they don't get a lot of big names. um I, I'm not going to say I've seen every movie. So someone's going to you know correct me and tell me, Hey, you know, this movie came out, but in terms of major movie release, like theater releases, ah commercial releases, you might get one or two, maybe three big rom-coms a year now when, know,
00:49:57
Curt Mega
We got that, uh, the Sydney Sweeney, Glenn Powell one. It's like anyone, but you or whatever, that was the last one.
00:50:00
James Tolbert
Mm-hmm. Something like that. Mm-hmm.
00:50:04
Curt Mega
I, and before that, it was a good chunk of time that, that actually found an audience. And yeah, most of the time they get kind of relegated to throw away, you know, streaming thing that comes out on Valentine's Day or something or or it becomes even more niche like a like a romance but it's specifically like Hallmark and I'm not diminishing those works it's just it is seen as oh that belongs over there in the corner not that is a that can be enjoyed we just recently i had never seen the movie it's complicated with Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin
00:50:24
James Tolbert
Mm-hmm.
00:50:40
Curt Mega
It was my first big audition I ever had. And I got a callback for it. And I got pretty close. I think I got like put on a veil to play Meryl Streep's son. And then I didn't get the part and Hunter Parrish got it, which in hindsight makes sense because I don't, he's blonde.
00:50:50
James Tolbert
Mm.
00:50:53
James Tolbert
Oh. Okay.
00:50:55
Curt Mega
He looks like you whatever he looks like. It makes sense. He was on weeds, but I'd never seen it because I was bitter at the time.
00:51:00
James Tolbert
Mm-hmm.
00:51:01
Curt Mega
i was like, I'm not going to watch this movie. It would have changed my life.
00:51:04
James Tolbert
Yeah.
00:51:05
Curt Mega
And we went back and rewatched it. What a delight. What a stacked cast.
00:51:09
James Tolbert
No.
00:51:10
Curt Mega
that money was spent John Krasinski's in it. Like you're just like, wow, look at like this. Well-produced, well-shot, well-funded, delightful story of romance.
00:51:22
Curt Mega
And i was like, they would never make anything like this nowadays at all.
00:51:26
James Tolbert
no And back in the 90s, I feel like they were coming out with those every other week. because And that that and also like the stoner comedy.
00:51:31
Curt Mega
Yes.
00:51:34
James Tolbert
um yeah you know i mean, we can talk about the content of the jokes and stuff like that before.
00:51:34
Curt Mega
Oh,
00:51:39
James Tolbert
But what I'm saying is they were just there were different scripts and different types of movies that were coming out way more frequently.
00:51:39
Curt Mega
Right, right.
00:51:45
James Tolbert
I would say 30 years ago. And now, as big of a nerd as I am even I got fatigued with Marvel, but they just knew if you throw out a Marvel movie, you're going to get an audience unless there's a female lead.
00:51:58
James Tolbert
And then, you know, all the dude bros are going to try to trash it before it even comes out. So i the reason I bring that up is is to say that nostalgia, whether it's TV, whether it's film, has kind of made us, ah as an audience, ah expect to only see the thing that we already know.
00:52:19
James Tolbert
We have to go in and be comfortable.
00:52:20
Curt Mega
Yep.
00:52:21
James Tolbert
I think now we've been conditioned to not take the risk on the smaller script and not take a risk on unknown actors in favor of the thing that because you know the powers that be, your major studios and then even advertisements are only going towards the bigger projects and whoever they want. Because again, they want a guarantee that we're getting ah that they're going to get their money. So they're only going to do something that you they know you're going to watch rather than take that script that is an inventive new idea and and, you know, it might build its own audience. They they just don't want to do that anymore. And i as as an actor, is a not to say that I'm ah getting anywhere near those scripts when I'm auditioning,
00:53:06
James Tolbert
But it excites me to see something new and different. you know Like that play that I just did last week. It was is about birds. you know But that was so much fun because you know we don't do shit like that.
00:53:16
James Tolbert
no one You're not out here like trying some experimental stuff and just trying to find new ways to tell a story about love.
00:53:17
Curt Mega
Yeah.
00:53:22
James Tolbert
um And and And so that's why I'm at odds with myself, because, again, I'm watching the Scrubs ah ah revival and I'm i'm loving it. it's It's fun. It reminds me, yes, of what I loved about the show before. Malcolm in the Middle is about to come back. That actually looks pretty good, too.
00:53:39
James Tolbert
But yeah, where's the new shows? Like, where's something that ABC took a chance and said, like, hey, here's a new show. Let's let's try this out. um I'm um yeah.
00:53:47
Curt Mega
i I don't if a valid parameter to think about it through, but this is how I tend to sort of analyze it. I go, if there was a real story in there to be told, and you can, and i you know, we're not privy to how things get developed exactly, but I guess I feel like sometimes when I've seen things brought back,
00:54:10
Curt Mega
you get a really strong sense that there really was something here that the creators wanted to like get to, you know, and and I've had projects again, not, im not talking successful syndicated TV shows, but projects where years later i was like, Oh, it's so fun to do this.
00:54:28
Curt Mega
Oh, I have to hide this an idea. it'd be so fun to do that. Like we've had thoughts about that with characters we've played, you know, oh, wouldn't it be cool if we, these characters, what if we saw them later on?
00:54:39
Curt Mega
Or, you know, there's been a running joke for years ever since I did Spies Are Forever. The end of the show ends with Spies, Agent Kurt Mega will return and Spies Are Forever 2, which is a gag.
00:54:49
James Tolbert
Mm-hmm.
00:54:49
Curt Mega
But like, there is a world where I'm like, oh, it would be so fun.
00:54:50
James Tolbert
Mm-hmm.
00:54:53
Curt Mega
So I can understand the instinct of of creators and actors and and artists being like, You guys want to get back together and make the thing. But then there's the ones where you go, this feels like the only way that they could get funding was to say, what if it was tied to a franchise?
00:55:11
Curt Mega
And it, literally let's just bring it back because let's dust that off a shelf.
00:55:11
James Tolbert
Mm-hmm.
00:55:18
Curt Mega
I can't fault people for, you know, I, I got ah an audition. I'd be like, okay, I'm back. You know, I'll join this endeavor, but it's tough, man.
00:55:24
James Tolbert
Mm-hmm.
00:55:28
Curt Mega
It's tough when you feel like a thing is being dusted off the shelf because they don't want those rights to expire.
00:55:29
James Tolbert
Mm-hmm.
00:55:35
Curt Mega
When they're like, we got this IP. Let's, let's, i'll I'll just say there's a very famous IP that has recently released a trailer for a remake of a thing.
00:55:45
James Tolbert
Mm-hmm.
00:55:47
Curt Mega
And I was watching the trailer and there is no shade to the children involved. They are children. But I was watching it going, is this AI?
00:55:58
James Tolbert
Mm-hmm.
00:55:59
Curt Mega
I'm watching the thing that I've already seen again, slightly different, but not really different.
00:56:02
James Tolbert
Mm-hmm.
00:56:07
Curt Mega
But kind of, i was it was such a bizarre thing. And I was like, what is the reason for doing this? And the only reason I can come up with is we got to make that money.
00:56:17
Curt Mega
We got the i p
00:56:19
James Tolbert
Truly.
00:56:19
Curt Mega
Let's use it, baby.
00:56:21
James Tolbert
Yeah.
00:56:21
Curt Mega
and that feels not like the art that I particularly want to engage with.
00:56:21
James Tolbert
Oh, that
00:56:28
James Tolbert
the the question I find myself asking more often than not is who is this for? And yes, that show in particular, listen, they've already got theme parks. All the movies already exist. They made some pretty subpar sequels and video games and like all kinds. So there's there's so much money in that already. I don't know what this who this show is for.
00:56:50
James Tolbert
especially because the author has turned off so much of the fan base that made that thing popular in the first place.
00:56:57
Curt Mega
Mm hmm.
00:56:57
James Tolbert
So yeah, so i agree.
00:56:58
Curt Mega
Do you do you remember back in the this is prior to MCU Spider-Man stuff, but there was i remember when when Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man came out or even the um the Fantastic Four, a lot of those films that were developed in the two thousand
00:56:59
James Tolbert
Go ahead.
00:57:18
Curt Mega
were genuinely because they needed to make a movie every so often to retain the rights. Like genuinely Sony was like, we need a new Spider-Man every so often so that we can hold on to the rights that we acquired from Marvel ages ago.
00:57:24
James Tolbert
Mm-hmm.
00:57:33
Curt Mega
And there's a whole, I'm not going to the exact numbers correct, but there was a whole specific sort of litigious aspect to it where
00:57:34
James Tolbert
Mm-hmm.
00:57:43
Curt Mega
if, if a certain amount of time passes, they would lose the right. So there is genuinely a tick tock, like, all right, we need a new one. We got to keep that.
00:57:51
James Tolbert
Mm-hmm.
00:57:52
Curt Mega
We got to, it's putting the paddles on, on the, ah the corpse and going, let's go, baby.
00:57:55
James Tolbert
Yeah. yeah i
00:58:00
Curt Mega
Let's pump some life into this thing.
00:58:02
James Tolbert
I'm probably wrong in my recollection of this, but I believe that's what happened with Craven and Morbius is that they, I think they had to make those.
00:58:08
Curt Mega
Hmm.
00:58:10
James Tolbert
Otherwise, yes, they would have lost the rights, but someone please correct me, send an email and tell me I'm wrong.
00:58:11
Curt Mega
Yeah.
00:58:16
James Tolbert
But that, that but yeah, that happens a lot.
00:58:19
Curt Mega
And people, you know, listen, like, I think nostalgia is a powerful, powerful thing. I saw the trailer for the new Toy Story movie. And I went, I'd watch it.
00:58:32
Curt Mega
I'd watch it because I love Toy Story. I do. Like, i love I love that world.
00:58:36
James Tolbert
Yeah.
00:58:36
Curt Mega
I love those characters. And so... I, I can under, I, it's like, I guess I'm, what I'm saying is i don't, I don't think less because somebody is like, you know what?
00:58:47
Curt Mega
I really liked this thing and it's back and and it makes me happy to revisit and and reconnect with it. I, that can genuinely be a beautiful, wonderful thing. In the kinds, if i if if I was given all the power tomorrow, ah go, what what do I think is a net positive for the arts, for creativity?
Creative Risk-Taking vs. Corporate Interests
00:59:08
Curt Mega
to me, I want to, we talked about the cats of it all. Like, that's why seeing what they're doing with this reinvention of cats, to me is the coolest way you could possibly come back and take this thing that has been done And every every conceivable theater, it's toured, it's to and go, what is something you would never have expected? And I think it takes a real courage and willingness for people with the money to go, you know what?
00:59:38
Curt Mega
Let's try something different. So I want to like seek out that kind of art and I want to support that kind of art and patron be a patron of that kind of art, because that's the kind of stuff that to me goes, that's, that's exciting.
00:59:40
James Tolbert
Yes.
00:59:50
Curt Mega
That's what I, that's why I wanted to do this in the first place.
00:59:53
James Tolbert
yeah
00:59:53
Curt Mega
um But I also understand nostalgia and I, I, I, I can't, I don't want to belittle it and be like, Ooh, you like a thing.
01:00:01
James Tolbert
yeah but
01:00:01
Curt Mega
that's like, I get it. I totally get it.
01:00:02
James Tolbert
But no, but i but I agree with that. And so to to bring that full circle, yes, like the cat's jellicle ball that's in New York right now is a perfect example of if you're going to do something that's already been done, just find a new way to do it.
01:00:15
Curt Mega
Mm-hmm.
01:00:15
James Tolbert
And um like so, for instance, when um with Star Kid, when I did VHS Christmas Carol and we and we I directed the expanded version, it's like, OK, I want to take what we did, but I don't want to just do the same thing.
01:00:29
James Tolbert
Less we, you know, we're just running the wheel and everyone's like paid to see that already. Let's let's add some more layers. Same thing with the guy revival that we did last year. Yes, there's a world in which I could have kept the choreography that I did back in the original, and that's fine. People loved it.
01:00:44
James Tolbert
Thank you. But also for me, artistically, I don't want to just put the same thing out there. You know, I i want to try to expand this. We have a different space. let's Let's see how we can stretch this and give it new life and new vision. And and I'm really happy that we did that.
01:01:01
James Tolbert
And that there's this version of the show that also exists.
01:01:01
Curt Mega
sir
01:01:04
James Tolbert
And so i I want, I mean, and this doesn't have to apply just to theater.
01:01:04
Curt Mega
Absolutely.
01:01:07
James Tolbert
I think there are ways in which if we're going to just rely on nostalgia and rely on existing IP, then let's find new ways to tell these stories so that we can, you know, maybe get a new audience, maybe get people to be engaged in something that they normally wouldn't have watched in the first place because they know Oh, well, I've already seen that.
01:01:27
James Tolbert
I know what to expect. There's no reason for me to and enjoy this. um So yeah, i go for go for the new stuff. Go for expanding your horizons.
01:01:37
Curt Mega
And I also, think it's, I think if creators and artists can keep that at the forefront of of part of the endeavor of making things is to
01:01:50
Curt Mega
is to challenge and push audiences to to be open to new experiences. and And I think part of being a great artist, and I'm not trying to say that I am, I'm um i'm on that journey to, I want to be,
01:02:06
Curt Mega
But it is recognizing that you don't necessarily want to give the audience what they think they want. And I think sometimes that's the issue with, I don't know if it's executives or the corporatization of art, you know, it's such a weird thing.
01:02:21
James Tolbert
It's commercial art. Yeah, it's just commercial art.
01:02:23
Curt Mega
Yeah. It's like such a bizarre thing when you're making a thing that needs to be profitable and have an ROI to justify it is so it's such a, it's like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. Like it is truly kind of two antithetical things trying to like come together and and make something cohesive.
01:02:41
Curt Mega
But
01:02:41
James Tolbert
Mm-hmm.
01:02:44
Curt Mega
I think there' is a real there's a real artistry to knowing what an audience is looking for and giving it to them in a way they would never expect.
01:02:57
James Tolbert
Yeah.
01:02:57
Curt Mega
Versus, you said you wanted this, so I gave you exactly what you wanted. That to me is like a such a magic thing when you go to see it a new piece of theater or a movie or listen to an album or something and you're like, here's what I think I'm going to get from it.
01:03:11
Curt Mega
And then it... it It surprises me and and takes me on into wild new directions. And yes, it gives me something that I thought I was going to get, but it gives me something I never expected. That to me is the ultimate it's the ultimate task and the ultimate pursuit I have as a as a creative.
01:03:31
Curt Mega
like i want to give you something you didn't even know you wanted. But once you get it, you're going to be like, that was the...
01:03:35
James Tolbert
Mm-hmm.
01:03:38
Curt Mega
How did that was amazing, but it requires an audience to come to the table, willing to engage with something that I'm so grateful to my mom growing up. She always, and I, and I totally understand with um food specifically that there are very specific, you know, textural, textural things and whatnot. But I remember as a kid, my mom was like, you need to try everything once and, and really decide for yourself if you don't like it.
01:04:06
Curt Mega
You got to try the mashed potatoes at at at our this dinner we've been invited to.
01:04:08
James Tolbert
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
01:04:11
Curt Mega
And if you hate them, you tried them, you were respectful about it. Now you know. Now you don't ever have to have them again. And i and she really instilled that in me. And i I want to encourage people with art to think the same way.
Morning Routines & Lighthearted Farewells
01:04:24
Curt Mega
i don't i don't like horror movies. Okay. Watch this. if you if If you engage with it and then you still hate it, great. Now you know. But like give something a try. I don't like oh i don't like dance heavy pieces.
01:04:39
Curt Mega
Okay, just try it. i you know It goes back to our tagline of like stay curious. But there is something so valuable. And I'm going to try something even if I you i don't know if I'm going to get what I want out of it.
01:04:53
Curt Mega
but you might get something you never expected. And nostalgia, unfortunately, is kind of like, well, I know I like cake, so give me cake. And they're like, it's okay. Where's this cake? It's cake upon cake upon cake. It's a six-layer cake of cake, and there's cake on the bottom and cake ah versus like, I like cake, but I don't know. What else do you got? And you go, okay, all right. It's a little cake, but...
01:05:15
Curt Mega
or tried ice cream. Like I want, that's our job is to bring us in.
01:05:16
James Tolbert
like what Yeah. Yeah.
01:05:19
Curt Mega
And so i think, i mean, to to to your credit, especially with like the guy thing, I think you guys did that beautifully. People are like, I like the guy didn't like musicals. And you go, yeah, great.
01:05:30
Curt Mega
Here it is. Here's some stuff you didn't know might be in there too. And that's so cool. That's the reason why you do it. So i don't know, try new stuff.
01:05:38
James Tolbert
yeah
01:05:40
Curt Mega
Yeah.
01:05:41
James Tolbert
Try new stuff. Yeah. um but Yeah. ah All right. Anything else ah you want to add?
01:05:46
Curt Mega
I want cake.
01:05:48
James Tolbert
Oh, I, you know what i got?
01:05:48
Curt Mega
Just that I want cake now. I don't.
01:05:50
James Tolbert
Okay. I don't want cake because um I actually hate frosting, but what I did get are some oat ice cream, ice cream bars from Trader Joe's.
01:05:54
Curt Mega
Really? Oh,
01:06:00
James Tolbert
Cause I, I'm mostly, I'm pretty, I'm like 95% dairy free.
01:06:00
Curt Mega
ah that sounds really good.
01:06:04
James Tolbert
So I get these oat milk ah ice cream bars and they're delicious.
01:06:08
Curt Mega
That sounds really good.
01:06:08
James Tolbert
Delicious. Delicious.
01:06:12
Curt Mega
this is what This is a food thing I've been into, and I'll just throw it out there. Now that we're talking food, why why not talk food?
01:06:15
James Tolbert
Please.
01:06:17
Curt Mega
We should talk food.
01:06:17
James Tolbert
Yeah. Talk about food.
01:06:19
Curt Mega
We should bring on a chef. I've had the same breakfast every day for the last six months.
01:06:27
James Tolbert
Excuse me.
01:06:28
Curt Mega
And it is all I want to eat. It's my favorite thing. It's it's it genuinely i I wake up and I'm like, I can't wait to eat that. um And it's going to sound weird, but I'll tell you what it is.
01:06:40
James Tolbert
okay
01:06:41
Curt Mega
Greek yogurt, which is kind of nasty. I don't love Greek yogurt. Oatmeal. And then i put in, not sponsored, the Rise brand Skippy protein skippy peanut butter protein powder. And i mix it up. I put it in the night before.
01:07:02
Curt Mega
and the next and sometimes if I'm feeling real, real, real sexy, I'll put in a little sugar-free cheesecake jello. Just a little little dash. Just a little dash.
01:07:11
James Tolbert
Yes.
01:07:12
Curt Mega
In the morning, throwing a cup of frozen blueberries into it, and the the sensation of it is like cheesecake pudding every morning.
01:07:22
James Tolbert
a
01:07:24
Curt Mega
It's got 55 grams of protein. It's got 30, 40 grams of carbs. It is it is everything. It everything.
01:07:33
James Tolbert
yes
01:07:34
Curt Mega
I'm thinking about it right now. It is my favorite meal and it tastes like blueberry cheesecake pudding and I eat it every single morning and it's changed my life.
01:07:43
James Tolbert
Okay. So, so, so basically, so what you do, it you're doing overnight oats. Um, yeah, you're doing overnight oats.
01:07:48
Curt Mega
Essentially, yes.
01:07:49
James Tolbert
Cause I've, I have done that. Uh, what I'll do is I'll do like, uh, obviously like a dairy free yogurt and then I'll put, um,
01:07:55
Curt Mega
you Are you ah you lactose intolerant?
01:07:58
James Tolbert
i'm so like I'm learning. the yeah yeah The answer is yes. And I kept testing that limit with like pizza and stuff.
01:08:02
Curt Mega
Okay.
01:08:03
James Tolbert
And I'm learning like in my big age.
01:08:04
Curt Mega
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
01:08:05
James Tolbert
It's it's slowly like just don't have it. um But um yes, I'll do ah some dairy-free yogurt. I'll do a little bit of protein. I'll put the berries or strawberries in that night with the oatmeal.
01:08:17
James Tolbert
So everything's already ready the next morning. So we're just going about our ingredients in a different order.
01:08:22
Curt Mega
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
01:08:22
James Tolbert
um But I'm realizing...
01:08:23
Curt Mega
It's so funny. Go ahead. Go ahead. and So good. qui ahead
01:08:25
James Tolbert
What was I was um'm realizing that honey is also a really great addition in there, but some honey in there and that makes it makes, okay.
01:08:31
Curt Mega
So good.
01:08:32
James Tolbert
You were saying.
01:08:33
Curt Mega
i had somebody who was I was talking to somebody about this recently and they were like, why would you put frozen berries and not fresh berries? Totally valid. I love fresh berries, but the frozen berries kind of makes it feel like kind of ice creamy.
01:08:45
James Tolbert
e
01:08:46
Curt Mega
It's so good. I genuinely cannot believe how good it is and I can't believe how good the macros are. and it's I wake up every morning and I go, I can't wait to eat my yogurt.
01:08:51
James Tolbert
Yeah.
01:08:56
Curt Mega
Yeah. And Kim is like, do you want a different thing?
01:08:58
James Tolbert
<unk> You've never sounded
01:09:01
Curt Mega
And I'm like, no, never change.
01:09:03
James Tolbert
you've never sounded more 65 in your life.
01:09:06
Curt Mega
I know. i know.
01:09:07
James Tolbert
But also, I i have such like food ADD. I can't eat the same things for a long period. like The fact that you've been doing it for six months, I go through like three days. And if I've had the same thing for three days that isn't Cap'n Crunch, I have to find something else to eat.
01:09:22
Curt Mega
I normally do. I'm very, I love to, I have my meals that I like to come back to that are, I know we're good, but I do love to try different things, but for some reason it has like hit the spot.
01:09:33
Curt Mega
So anyway, maybe you'll come over.
01:09:34
James Tolbert
Yeah. the I can't have dairy.
01:09:35
Curt Mega
I'll make it for you. Well, you know, you can't have nevermind. You can't you can't have milk. Nevermind.
01:09:38
James Tolbert
believe We can substitute the yogurt.
01:09:38
Curt Mega
yeah
01:09:39
James Tolbert
The one thing I will say, though, it has become part of my morning routine. A different brand of rise, or maybe it is, but um ah it's the mushroom coffee. I'm a mushroom coffee guy now.
01:09:49
Curt Mega
Oh yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
01:09:51
James Tolbert
And i I love it. It's great because i I don't like the actual taste of coffee.
01:09:54
Curt Mega
like lion's mane and
01:09:55
James Tolbert
Yeah, it's got all that really good stuff in there. And it gives me a little perk, just enough to to go about my day. um Otherwise, I drink a yerba mate.
01:10:05
Curt Mega
do you have like a specific morning routine? so Sorry, i know we're running long, but I'm just curious. Do you have like a specific morning routine with your wake up and eating and all that? Mm-hmm.
01:10:12
James Tolbert
um ah The first thing I'll do before I eat anything is I'll have that tea or mushroom coffee rather. um I'll have that um some mornings when I'm really good and like actually feeling energized.
01:10:23
James Tolbert
um I will I'll do some yoga in the morning. I do that before I eat, though, because I'm not always hungry.
01:10:29
Curt Mega
Yeah.
01:10:29
James Tolbert
First thing when I wake up, I'm not always hungry. So, yeah, that's kind of that's why that's why.
01:10:34
Curt Mega
Interesting. We're going to become a fitness podcast, a health and fitness podcast.
01:10:39
James Tolbert
yeah So what are you into? Transcendental meditation.
01:10:43
Curt Mega
ah
01:10:43
James Tolbert
of Yep. That's, that's where I'm at right now. yeah Um,
01:10:47
Curt Mega
I don't know how we got to yogurt from ah scrubs, but you know, i don't question it.
01:10:52
James Tolbert
ah
01:10:53
Curt Mega
We don't, we just, we just go. Yes. And yes. And, and
01:10:56
James Tolbert
All right. So for those of you who didn't skip the last 10 minutes, ah thank you for listening. So as always, you can get in contact with us on socials at SoWhatAreYouIntoPod. And also you can email us at SoWhatAreYouIntoPod at gmail.com. All right, Kurt, this has been fun.
01:11:16
Curt Mega
Stay curious, folks.
01:11:17
James Tolbert
Stay curious, everybody.
01:11:19
Curt Mega
Eat your yogurt.
01:11:22
James Tolbert
Frozen berries. oh yeah. Doom, doom.