They say braincloud isn’t really a thing, but I’m not so sure about that. 

Hey everyone! It’s me, Andrew, back from vacation and ready to bring you a new edition of the TBTL Newsletter! Except I have a lot of things working against me today. Including braincloud. 

You’re familiar with braincloud, right? It’s the condition that Tom Hanks’ character is diagnosed with in the 1990 tour de force Joe vs The Volcano. Even though the film’s big reveal (SPOILER ALERT!) is that the character has been purposely misdiagnosed with a made-up disease by an immoral doctor with ulterior motives, I’m not convinced that there isn’t some scientific basis for the malady. 

Click to watch

The film, to my memory, doesn’t deal much with the symptoms of braincloud. In fact, the unscrupulous doc might even claim that it lacks symptoms altogether. But I think we all know what braincloud is and how it manifests. 

Have you ever made a pot of coffee but accidentally just made a pot of hot water instead? That’s braincloud.

Have you ever gotten out of your car and realized you left the keys inside, with the motor still running? Also braincloud. 

Underwear on backwards? Shoes on the wrong feet? Accidentally called your boss “mom” in a meeting? Braincloud, braincloud braincloud. 

And folks, suffice it to say, my brain is severely cloudy today. While I haven’t fallen victim to any of those particular embarrassments above, I have been wandering around in a daze, staring into the middle distance, and re-reading the same line of a Seattle Times story over and over and over again, only to realize that the article is a year old and it’s actually from an issue of Ranger Rick Magazine.

I say all of this as a preliminary defense of the Hey Dummies video embedded below. Since this newsletter has been on hiatus the past several weeks, you might be expecting something brilliant and fresh from today’s installment of our video series. I would like to disabuse you of those expectations immediately. Today’s video has little to offer, other than more scientific proof of the existence of braincloud for the next edition of the DSM. (Oh, and it does contain a cute cat. So it’s got that going for it.)

Also, if you haven’t ever watched Joe vs the Volcano, I highly recommend it. Meg Ryan is a delight, Tom Hanks is at his absolute mullet-iest, and Dan Hedaya turns in a performance FOR THE AGES.

Click to watch

Anyway, I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I’m going to lay down now and watch the screensaver on my TV for a while or two. Luke and I will talk to you Monday!

Andrew

Hey Dummies

Music For Your Weekend

GIF by Jordan Kay

Andrew’s Pick:  Boom Boom Back by Hinds (ft. Beck)

One of my favorite things about going on vacation is that it gives me time to connect with new music -- or, at least, new-to-me music. I’ll go on long walks with my camera and a pair of headphones and listen to an album or a song over and over again, like I did when I was a kid. That’s why I’ll always associate Spoon’s Telephono with the beaches of the Outer Banks and Lana Del Rey’s cover of Doin’ Time with my last visit to Maui. Now we can add Boom Boom Back to Andrew’s Vacation Playlist. I stumbled on this song when I was in Croatia last week, and it was one of several tracks playing on repeat as I wandered around the ancient streets of Komiža. It features a very brief verse from Beck (blink and you’ll miss it) and a summer vibe that I find infectious. I can’t wait to dig deeper into Hinds’ music, and I’m not going to wait for my next vacation to do it.

Luke’s Pick: Oysters in my Pocket by Royel Otis

I first learned of Royel Otis when their cover of the Cranberries song Linger started showing up all over my Tik Tok feed. (My algorithm appears to be set on “Things 14 year old girls get very excited about” and it turns out cute boys from Australia who look like a young Kurt Cobain and also the guy from Coldplay is on that list). Anyway, “Oysters In My Pocket” is probably a perfect encapsulation of this band, it sounds like something we’ve heard before- but with a fun update, and it doesn’t stick around too long. Two minutes and 42 seconds and it’s out the door. I defy you to not feel a little better about your day after listening to this tune.

Oh, and I just realized how unnecessary it is to specify a “young Kurt Cobain”. The only Kurt Cobain that ever existed is a young Kurt Cobain. Sometimes that just kind of hits me out of nowhere and I get a pretty melancholy feeling, not going to lie. Okay, well now I have to listen to “Oysters In My Pocket” again to pep myself back up.

Listener Matt: Ringer by the Unlikely Candidates

I heard this song and thought of the Tens!

Ten Of The Week

What’s your name and where do you live? 
Taylor Miller Overland Park, Kansas

When did you start listening to TBTL? How did you find the show?
I think it was mentioned when Luke was on Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell me, so I checked it out. Initially, I was turned off by the drops. Then I started listening to help me fall asleep. Not sure exactly when I started considering myself a Ten, but probably about two years ago.

How would your friends describe you?
A friend described me as brave a few months ago. I liked that and am no longer accepting feedback.

What was your favorite cereal when you were a kid?Is it still your fav? 
Gerber baby oatmeal with, like, a half cup of sugar (the 80s were wild). Sounds horrible to me now.

What food do you love to eat the most of?
Pizza. Preferably pepperoni and black olive.

What’s the best or worst nickname you ever had?
My best friends call me Jordan because one of them decided, like, 20 years ago that I seemed like a Jordan. I don't know that it's the best, but I've been called worse.

If you could play one song on TBTL, what would it be?
Something in the public domain...

What’s a special skill that you have?
I've trained all my pets (dogs and cats) to not bother me in the morning until I get up.

What’s a skill you *wish* you had?
Creating music. I love music and I took piano and cello lessons as a kid, but it never clicked.

If you were driving down the street and you saw Luke and Andrew on the sidewalk, what would you yell at them as you drove past?
For starters, I would pull over and talk to them. No one likes to be hollered at! I'd probably offer them a ride and make sure they knew the best places in town to eat.

Can other Tens find you on social media?
Insta: @wildcattaylor

Hey, it’s Andrew here again. Just a reminder that you can find ourTen of the Week form here! If you’ve never been a TOTW before  (or if it’s been a really, really long time) fill out our little questionnaire. And check out ourTen of the Week archive here!

This Week On TBTL

#4294  No Gnus Is Good Gnus
Monday, September 16
Andrew is back from Croatia and has a bunch of Croatian Observations to share with Luke, who tries not to pee his pants during the show. 

#4295 Sign Here 
Tuesday, September 17
Luke dips his toe into local politics (and longshoreman culture) in his search for a Harris/Walz yard sign. Meanwhile, Andrew’s search for a cure to jet lag leads him to a Red Robin outside the Alderwood Mall. 

#4296 Red Eye Guy And Pink Eye Boy
Wednesday, September 18
Luke joins the show from Rochester, New York, after trying a red-eye flight that had him nervous. Plus, Andrew’s lost luggage (and prescription meds) pins him between his two least favorite industries as he tries to sort things out. 

#4297 Coffee, No Cheese, Hold The McGriddle
Thursday, September 19
Andrew’s inability to properly use drive-through windows is nearing a breaking point, as is Luke’s addiction to McDonald’s cookies. They also discuss the evolution of TikTok and Luke’s adventures in hot tub buying.

#4298 It Can’t Rainn All The Time 
Friday, September 20
A targeted ad on Andrew’s phone blows his mind and leads to a conspiracy theory that is quickly debunked. Plus, Luke met a very unfortunate Browns fan in a bar in New York, and Andrew (finally) admits to ruining TBTL.