People often come up to me and say, “Hey, Andrew! Why don’t you ever use your newsletter to respond to fake emails anymore?” And they’re right; It’s been too long. We’re going to correct that today. 

Hello, by the way! Andrew Walsh, here, from the Too Beautiful To Live Podcast. I hope this email finds you well. 

Let’s start with this note that I recently received from a listener named Ben. He writes: 

Greetings, Andrew. I am aware that you are the person who makes the audio montages that play at the beginning of each episode of TBTL. I also remember you saying that you assign a number to each intro that you make. May I ask what number you are currently on? And is it true that you keep a spreadsheet to keep track of when you use (and re-use) each audio montage? 

Well, Ben, not only are you correct, your timing for this question couldn’t be more apt! I started producing these montages back in 2012, before I even officially worked on the show. And when I sent that first audio file to Luke, I named it, simply, “INTRO 1.” A couple of days later, I made “INTRO 2.” As time went on, I started adding a longer description to each file, like “INTRO 260 - STEVE BRULE Panini” or “INTRO 490 - Maggie Hot Dog Song.” 

The reason this question is so timely is because we finally just crossed the 1000 mark! The last intro I made (featuring Luke’s parents reacting to the “Vedder Cup”) was officially number 1002. And yes, Ben, I do keep a spreadsheet to keep track of all this stuff. 

We also received this note from Leia last week: 

Hello Andrew! I recently donated during the TBTL-a-Thon, and I’m wondering when I can expect to see my thank-you gifts in the mail. No pressure! I’m just curious. Thank you for everything you do! 

Great question! First of all, thank you for your very generous support to keep this podcast (and, to a lesser extent, this newsletter) alive and well. I just got a note from Jon saying that most of the thank you gifts will be arriving at his headquarters soon, and he hopes to start sending them to donors in mid-September, except for the TBTL Greatest Hits vinyl. Luke and I are still working on that, so we won’t be able to get them produced and pressed and shipped until late fall or early winter. 

In fact, listener Han had a similar question about all that:

Andrew, I know you just told Leia that the TBTL Greatest Hits LP won’t be shipped until late fall or early winter at the earliest. That’s kind of late. Are you working as fast as you can on the album? And is Jon concerned about how long it’s taking you?

Yes, this production process is taking a little longer than I’d expected, and yes, Jon is concerned about the timeline. But the good news is that it’s shaping up to be a really fun recording, and hopefully something you can treasure for a long time to come! 

And finally, we received this note from listener Jar-Jar: 

Ya-hoo Andrew! Me noticed dat all of da names in disa newslettah familiar to meesa in some way.  Ben? Leia? Han? Why these names so familiar, Andrew? These real people or what? Selongabye, Jar-Jar

Of course they’re real people, Jar-Jar, just like you. I’m not sure what you’re talking about. 

Anyway, that’s where we’ll have to leave things for now. But I hope this newsletter was helpful! I also hope you have a wonderful holiday weekend. Luke and I will check-in Monday for a special Labor Day edition of the show. Talk to you then! 

-- Andrew

Andrew: Buick Door by Case Oats

I hadn’t heard of Case Oats until last week, when a preview of their new record dropped into my inbox. They’re a Chicago band debuting their first album, and even though “Buick Door” isn’t the single they’re officially pushing, it is the first track on the record and my favorite so far. It reminded me immediately of one of my favorite Breeders songs, “Drivin On 9”, and it turns out that might not be a coincidence. I just stumbled on a Case Oats cover of that song that they recorded back in 2021 as a summer project, presumably before they were an official band. As I continued to poke around, I noticed that their drummer is Spencer Tweedy, Jeff Tweedy’s son and musical collaborator, who’s also worked with Waxahatchee and other artists we love. I also just learned that Spencer and lead singer Casey Gomez Walker recently got engaged. Fun!

Listener Sean: Dawn Believes by Guided By Voices

The inspiration for this song comes straight from product copy on a bottle of a common household cleanser. I imagine Andrew will relate to lyrics like “Your world through liquid eyes” and staying up all night cleaning, but “When it’s done / it’s done all nice and bright.” (My favorite is “I pronounce you pie and crust / to the pots and pans that will never rust.”) It’s a beaut of a song too, from what might be my favorite GBV record of the past decade (and that’s saying something, as they average 2-3 per year!). A neat method was utilized: Robert Pollard assigned one song to each of the four other band members to singlehandedly flesh out the instrumentation from his demo, and this one was handled by guitarist and longtime collaborator Doug Gillard. But I heartily recommend Universe Room in its entirety too.

What’s your name and where do you live? 
Andrew Isola. Hickory, NC.

When did you start listening to TBTL? How did you find the show?
I think I started listening in 2012? One of my earliest TBTL memories is Andrew on Luke's roof for the Blue Angels flyby. I had a data entry job at the time and was looking for podcasts. I was a regular Wait Wait listener and thought I would check out 'that TBTL podcast'. The rest is history!

How would your friends describe you?
Quiet.

What was your favorite cereal when you were a kid?Is it still your fav? 
I lived off sugary cereal as a kid. We were a bag cereal family. Marshmallow Mateys and Coco Roos were favorites. Eating Golden Crisp (which felt name brand) at grandma's house was always special. I'm too old for sugary cereal; my guilty pleasure now is Cinnamon Life.

What food do you love to eat the most of?
Italian food. Pasta, risotto, polenta. You name it, I like it. Although, looking at that list, maybe carbs are my favorite?

What’s the best or worst nickname you ever had?
My 9th grade science teacher called me 'Iceman'. I think because my last name starts with an 'I'. He was a cool guy, so I took it as a cool nickname.

If you could play one song on TBTL, what would it be?
I still say Lou Gramm's 'Midnight Blue' holds up. What a great road trip song.

What’s a special skill that you have?
I build custom furniture and love designing and building midcentury modern pieces.

What’s a skill you *wish* you had?
Painting murals. I love public art, and it must take such skill to paint a piece large enough to cover the side of a building, billboard, etc.

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?
“Is this real life?”

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!