Men In Gorilla Suits

It's easy to say, "Nobody's honest anymore!" but were we ever honest to begin with? Or has, perhaps, the ability to research fact from fiction made us more honest? Why people tell the truth -- or lie -- is this week's topic. * * * We begin back in the past, when we first became aware of truth and lies. Find out if we were honest or liars as children...and how we fare as adults. We also devote some time to whether or not the people we know (or whom we're even close to) tell the truth. Truth in media has become a hot topic of many conversations. Does truth in media exist anymore? Also: has truth always been nebulous, or is that a recent development? Then we get a bit deeper and talk about whether it's even possible to know the truth about anything at all. Do people in power sometimes have to lie? We devote some time to that before moving on to whether or not there is a Real Ultimate Truth™ in the universe. And we wrap it up by discussing if there will ever be a time humans are truthful...or if some form of lyin

In the year 2000, flying cars will take us to work and robots will babysit our children and walk our dogs. We will vacation on the moon and Mars; all our needs will be taken care of. Our only fear is an attack from Galagaxian-7...or maybe a portal opening from a fantasy realm and dragons loose in the streets. Lines blur between Macondo, City of Mirrors and our world; somewhere in northern Wisconsin, an English bulldog controls the forces of gravity. Speculative fiction is often viewed as the genre of pulps, but so many classics we're used to are speculative works -- even though we do not see them as such. This week, we devote an episode to speculative fiction... * * * We begin by defining what speculative fiction is to us, and then talk about the first speculative work we fell in love with. After that, it's on to why people love speculative fiction so much...while others hate it. Find out if we have ever written speculative fiction...and if we think there's room for speculating in literary novels (or if here

"Duuuuuuuuude! Where'd you get that gnarly shirt?" "Chess King!" "Excellent!" "Where you headed?" "Gonna get me an Orange Julius and then wander Spencer's Gifts..." "Awesome. I'll catch up with you after I pick up the new Van Halen album at Camelot Music..." This week, we're talking about malls! * * * We kick it off with our first trips to mall and our impression of the places as kids. After that, we talk about our main memories of 80s mall culture. Find out if we were those kids who hung out at the mall (spoiler: we were!) and which malls we considered our home bases for rampant consumerism. We chat about the best places to hang out in malls...as well as some of the more ridiculous mall stores we've encountered. Malls come and go; in honor of that, we devote a little time to chatting about dying malls and what it's like to be inside an abandoned mall. After that, we talk about some of the reasons why malls shut down. But there are places where malls are still a thing. We discuss why that is before moving on

We live in hurried times. Text messages, email, and many other things vie for our attention. At work, managers ask, "How's that coming along?" sometimes just hours after you've given them an update about a task. It would seem to many that patience is a thing of the past. But is it really? People still wait for things. Granted, in many instances, we've figured out ways to make those waits shorter, but if you are human, you've probably waited for something this week. And even if you turned to your smartphone or some other distraction...really, that's another form of patience. (You've still accepted the wait.) But then there are those weird people like Christopher, who still take pleasure in simply sitting and waiting. He'd argue, though, that there's not much difference between the thoughts in his head and someone going to their phone to pass the time. Some might say, "Well, he's patiently waiting and thinking about story ideas, instead of wasting time on his phone," but Shawn has written multiple novels on his

On February 7, 2013, two of the greatest [and humblest] minds mankind has ever known sat down in front of a Zoom H2n portable digital recorder and...talked. About acting grown up. It is the one event in history more impressive than putting an American flag on the moon. Two hundred episodes later, the Men in Gorilla Suits are still going strong... * * * Instead of the usual single topic being the focus of the episode, we take a look back, seeing how our feelings have changed regarding older topics... From Episode 3, we discuss how conspiracy theories have not only gone more mainstream than ever...but how they are, at least in part, responsible for the current President-Elect of the United States of America. Then it's a step back to the first episode, in which we not only discuss how our perceptions about being adult geeks have changed...but whether or not we are happier with our adult lives. Episode 89 found us chatting about patriotism, which ended up being largely about nationalism. We look back and see h

The frantic nature of the Harlem Shake may have given us the Mannequin Challenge. Others choose to express themselves by trying to eat a spoonful of cinnamon without choking...or they throw it in Mom's face and jump off bridges because all their friends are: Humans love doing stupid things because others are doing them. And sometimes those things aren't so stupid and catch on. We incorporate them into life so they become trends. Fads and trends is the topic this week on Men in Gorilla Suits. * * * We kick it off with the first fad we remember seeing...and then the first fad we took part in. After that, we establish the difference between a fad and a trend. Find out if we ever kept up with trends -- and if we do so now (and why). After that, we talk about the last time we considered ourselves trendy. Shawn once started a fad in his school. (Trust us, you'll want to find out what it was!) We devote some time to the dumbest -- and coolest -- fads we've ever seen. After that, we talk about what we'd like to see

So...that election. You know, the one that said, "Hey, you might not claim to be a bigot or racist, but if you voted for the doughy orange one, you're at least okay with bigotry of sorts." At the very least, in the words of Hasan Minhaj: You personally may not be a racist, sexist xenophobe, but that comes with the package. So if you take that deal, what you're telling me is, 'Hey, man, I don't hate you. I just don't care about you.' Because the Gorillamen are disappointed that people voted -- at least in part -- for these things, disappointment seemed like a fitting topic this week. # # # We kick off the week's talk with the first time we remember being disappointed, and then jump to whether or not we were often disappointed as children...and even today, as adults. Find out our biggest disappointments in life and the most recent thing to disappoint us. After that, we talk about how we deal with disappointment -- and why some people seem to deal well with disappointment, while it destroys the lives of others

It's funny that this week's show is about time. Shawn's recently been busy, so we didn't record on our usual night. Then Christopher had an early day in the office on Tuesday, so Monday night recording was a no-go. Tuesday night in America was election night. (You might have heard a thing or two about that...) So, it's funny that we're talking about time when this is the third week in a row with little commentary and Christopher just cutting and pasting our talking points for the episode below. Tick...tock... Tick...tock... # # # When did you first become aware of the nature of time? What's the weirdest time schism you've experienced? When did/does time pass the slowest for you? The fastest? Do you believe time is a thing that must be kept guarded, safe from waste? Are you time-obsessed? Do you believe humans can manipulate time? Do you think time moves forward in a linear fashion? As you get older, do you notice any changes in the passage of time? What do you spend the most time doing, generally? What would

We recorded way later than usual this week, and to top that off, game seven of the World Series went into extra innings...so Christopher didn't get to put the episode together after recording. But here it is, all shiny and chrome the morning after the Chicago Fuckin' Cubs won the Motherfuckin' World Fuckin' Series! # # # Just the list, again, since the show is going up a bit later and there's a bit of a rush this week with other things... What is the first thing you remember annoying you? What is the thing that annoys you today? Are you easily annoyed these days? How do you handle annoying people? Have you ever been accused of being annoying? (And was the accusation accurate)? What is the last thing that annoyed you? People say technology is the greatest thing…when it’s working correctly. Do you think technology has added to our annoyances? (If so, how?) Do you think people look for reasons to be annoyed? (If so, why?) “First world problems” has become a rallying cry by those who are annoyed by people who ar

It's a really busy week, so no commentary -- just our talking points in a nice, neat list: How old were you when you first experienced irrational fear? What was your first phobia? Have you ever had a debilitating phobia? Have you known anyone who had a debilitating phobia? Who has the strangest phobia that you know? Have you ever gotten over a phobia? How? Are you currently phobic about anything? Are phobias something we're born with, or something we're taught? Can phobias serve any useful purpose? Has a phobia ever stopped you from doing something? If you had to take on a severe, incurable phobia, which one would you choose? Why?

Some of us love the call of the wild and sleeping beneath the stars; some of us live for take-out and convenience. This week, we dedicate an hour and change to the great outdoors... * * * We begin as we often do: back in the past. We talk about the first kind of outdoor recreation we remember doing, and then leap to our favorite things to do outside as kids...and now, as adults. Find out if we think outdoor activities are important to the development of kids...and our favorite things to do outside today. Also, we discuss whether or not we feel being outside is important beyond levels of simple personal satisfaction...and then we share some of our favorite outdoor memories. We chat about outdoor activities and trips we'd love to do, including what we'd do if money and time were no object. We live in a fast-paced world where we hear some people even listen to podcasts at 2X speed to take more in. Find out if we think we lose anything by living such hurried lives often away from nature. Sticking to that idea, al

You will do as we say. If you do not do as we say, there will be consequences. For many, that's what authority is -- someone with perceived power ruling over others. But authority is also just being the person who has the authority to sign off on documents...things like that. Really, though...we stick more with the first example of authority this episode... * * * We begin by talking about the first authority we recognized in life...and then whether or not our parents were seen as authority figures when we were growing up. We stick to that a bit more and discuss how our parents compared to friends' parent where authority was concerned. Find out if we have a problem with authority [yes, we do] and when the problem started for each of us. We also chat about why we think authority can make us bristle a bit. We devote some time to current authority figures in our lives, and whose authority we refuse to recognize -- as well as who we will listen to. Many people say we must have authority for a society to survive, b

Really, podcasting is beneath us -- we only do this to be ironic. Our true fans listen to us on vinyl while drinking craft beer you've never heard of in exclusive bars meant to look like dives, even though they aren't. All your thoughts are provincial; you simply don't have what it takes to run with us. We're sooooooo over The Decemberists, Grizzly Bear, and Bon Iver -- you know, the bands you're just now discovering. Our background music is a single note from Velvet Underground's "Lady Godiva's Operation" extended for hours while an Icelandic band only three people know of sings about the plight of being so misunderstood. It's not that we're better than you, but...we're simply better than you! If that makes us pretentious, well, then...call us pretentious. We're not so pretentious that we refuse to do a podcast about the subject... * * * We begin by talking about the first time we became aware of this thing called pretension, and then jump to how pretentious we are on a scale of 1-10. Find out what does brin

Men in Gorilla Suits consists of two middle class guys doing a thing they enjoy doing. Sometimes we talk about serious issues. The class system in America affects many people, and that's what we're talking about this week... * * * We kick the week off by talking about which class we consider ourselves to be -- as well as chatting about the class or classes we've lived in over the course of our lives. We discuss whether or not a class divide exists in America, and what other factors (besides money) contribute to class hierarchy. We devote some time to how we've seen different classes treated in the towns where we live...and if we have ever treated people differently based on the class they are in. There's much talk in this political season about the erosion of the middle class, so we talk about that a bit -- and then we move to whether or not it's possible to move up or sideways in a class structure. Much of the heart of this week's episode resides in this discussion point: In America, do you think that a lot

The Gorillamen have been on the road in the last month. Right now, so many people who live in one place are working in other places. Even with technology that brings us together, we still travel for business...a lot! Some people hate it, while others not only like it -- they seem to live for it. It's time to catch your flight and listen to this week's Men in Gorilla Suits episode all about...business travel! * * * We begin by talking about whether or not our parents traveled much with work...and then move on to our first business trips, including our longest time away from home for work. Find out how much we travel for work today, including our most recent business trip. Many people have trips lined up -- find out if we are those kinds of people. Then we discuss if business trips are even necessary, given recent advances in technology that allow us to work with others remotely. After that, we chat about our best -- and worst -- business trip memories. There are people out there who live for business travel.

Wasn't there just an Avengers or Captain America movie? What music is popular this month? You've seen Stranger Things, right? Oh yeah, can I get a cheer for FOOTBALL SEASON?! Geeks have finally won the good fight, to the point that even geeks can't keep up with the very thing they are. Pop culture has always moved along with speed. For years, top 40 music lists changed on a weekly basis. TV shows came and went. Movies were once only there for a week or two before moving on. But with craving comes ways to get more. Music got more diverse, cable and the Internet changed the ways we thought about television, and now theaters have 25+ screens to keep up with demand. Wrap it all up in hundred dollar bills, and people will churn out as much as Americans (and the rest of the world) can consume. (Because if we're good at one thing in America, it's consumption!) Today, you so much as blink and you missed 20 trends. Add to it Internet memes, YouTube videos, and so many other things, and it seems like we're all travelin

God damned atheists! Always being all up in our faces with, "There is no God!" while vaping and brushing dandruff off their trilbies (or is it trilbys?)...another reason to hate those neck-bearded mouthbreathers! Is This Really The Best We Can Do?! (We pray to the gods we don't believe in to give us something better...) Here's the thing: atheists are all assholes...at least it seems that way if you go online to look for them, where -- sadly -- many people are first exposed to atheism. (And where, if we're being honest, even good people of all types often come across as assholes.) It's almost akin to being introduced to Christianity by a hell-and-brimstone, neo-conservative Baptist shit-storm of a church. Why...it's almost like NO group of zealots have a lock on absolute asshat-ery! But here's the real thing: atheists aren't all assholes. Religious people aren't all bad guys (even those hated Muslims, although it can be hard to convince Christian and atheist zealots of that...it's almost like they do have

By the time you listen to this episode, somewhere in the United States one person will be murdered. Not killed in an accident, and no suicide...straight up muthafuckin' murdered! Someone taking the life of another! We're fascinated by murder in America. We've raised Hannibal Lecter to hero status, and we will never be lacking in true crime television, movies, and books. One-eight-seven is police code for murder, and what episode is this? Keep an eye behind you and listen to us talk about murder for awhile, all the while remembering that statistically, a real person will be murdered somewhere in America before you're done... * * * Oh, sure...we're goofy up front and ask if either one of us have been murdered, but then Christopher ruins it all by asking Shawn if he knows anybody who's been murdered. Find out if anyone has ever attempted to kill us and whether or not we were ever afraid we would be murdered. Confession time: have we ever murdered anybody? Okay, so more realistically, find out if we ever thought

Everything...in its right place... Cleanliness is next to Godliness... Cleanliness has its place. It keeps us healthy, until it makes us sick if we take things too far. Need something fast, organization and cleanliness gets you there quickly. Electronically or physically, there's no denying that cleanliness has its place. So...we are keeping this description tidy and letting you all know this week's topic is all about cleanliness! * * * We kick it off by talking about the first time we realized there was this thing people did called "cleaning." After that, we talk about our cleanliness factors in the following times: Childhood Teen Years Current Days Find out where we place ourselves on a scale of 1 - 10 (with 10 being obsessively clean) when it comes to personal hygiene. Also find out if we are so clean that we deliberately avoid situations that can leave us muddy, dusty, or sweaty. Ever lied awake at night thinking, "I wonder the longest the Gorillamen have gone without properly bathing?" We give you that

That wacky war, all good for the economy and giving nationalistic asshat Americans tiny hard-ons! But is it all that bad? Have there been justified wars? Or is it all just proof that humans are a waste of carbon? We talk all about war on this week's episode of Men in Gorilla Suits. * * * We begin this week's show on a happy note: talking about when we first became aware of war. (Fortunately, it was not in the same manner so many children have learned about war...by actually being in the middle of a friggin' war! WTF, adults?!) Then we discuss our reactions upon learning that we could die by enemy gunfire or a burst in the sky. We then jump to whether or not we think any of America's [recent] wars have been justified...or any of our wars at all! Things get even sadder when we chat about what has shaped history more: war or peace? Then it's on to family members who went to war, died in war, and what those who returned from war were like. Find out if either of us have ever worked for the military-industrial comp