Men In Gorilla Suits

We don't know how many photos were taken worldwide in the time it took to write this sentence, but we're guessing it was a ridiculous amount. With all the professional cameras, amateur cameras, security cameras, and smartphones, the number of photos taken in a day [even in small towns] must be high -- let alone, all around the world. Camera technology changes quickly; the ability to take quality photos from things we carry in our pockets is beyond imagination to those who once looked at Fotomat kiosks as the epitome of convenience. Oh, snap: the topic this week -- obviously -- is photography! * * * We begin by going back in time to talk about the first photos we remember affecting us...and then jump to whether or not we took many photos when we were younger. Find out what our first decent cameras were...and also if we've ever made money with photography. There's no denying times have changed when it comes to photography...we discuss whether or not shooting (and processing) film is somehow more "real" than sho

Image: Mike King - https://www.flickr.com/photos/95243741@N00 Few things say "cultural appropriation" like a thin, white model -- barely dressed -- and wearing a warbonnet on her head. At the same time, there are so many things from other cultures people don't think twice about in America. Some will argue that appropriation of any kind is terrible; others claim it's bound to happen in a place where many people come together...that it can even help others come to understand what they may have once feared. Cultural Appropriation is the topic of this week's episode of Men in Gorilla Suits. * * * We begin with whether or not we identify as white -- and what it means to be a white guy in America. After that, we talk about whether or not we identify as American -- and what that means to us. Next, we chat about whether or not we fit wholly within what most consider a white, male American...or if we've borrowed traits and ideas from other races and cultures. We discuss the first thing we remember admiring about

There are many things in life where strategy and luck come together, but few things living up to that description are as loved as board games. In ancient times all the way up to right now; played in the dirt or on special tables made for board games -- humans love board games...and the Gorillamen are no different. In fact, this is one of those episodes that made us think, "It took us this long to get to this topic?" * * * We begin by going back in time and kicking it all off talking about the first board games we remember. After that, we discuss our favorite board games back then -- and if we still play board games with any regularity today. Find out what the last board game we've each played was...and why we think board games have such a huge appeal. We run through lists of our favorite board games, and then dedicate a bit of time to what a Men in Gorilla Suits board game might be like. Is there a certain kind of mind that's most appealed to playing -- and even making -- board games? And do we see a differen

Photo by the mighty Tom Wideman! https://www.flickr.com/photos/tomwideman Ask most people if their life is chaotic, and they will say "Oh hell yes!" There's rushing about for work, taking the kids to 20 different kinds of practices, errands, working around the house, and hours of Candy Crush while watching a myriad TV shows. Teenagers will talk about how much school work they have (and they do!)...as well as the pressure to pick their life path before even experiencing what will become most of their lives. Millennials will talk about how busy they are trying to balance work and life. And we two Gorillamen will talk about chaos in a much different manner. For us, chaos is an unpredictable system in which certain patterns often emerge. It is not something to be feared, but surfed! So this week, we talk about all facets of chaos: how for many it's a hectic thing, how it can destroy us all, and even how it's beautiful when viewed a certain way... * * * We kick it all off discussing if the universe tends towa

Everywhere you turn, lazy Millennials are taking their parents to job interviews, watching their YouTubes, mainlining text messages like junkies, and using slang the rest of us don't understand. How could such a self-centered, good-for-nothing generation come into existence when their Baby Boomer grandparents and Gen-X parents are so damn flawless? Or...is that all bullshit? Could Millennials be doing well, all things considered, with what they're being handed? Could it be they are more likely to not care if a black guy is dating a white girl or -- GASP -- if two guys want to marry? Could it be that much of their negative press isn't wholly true; that maybe they write articles about themselves in defense of Gramps in a Crosby, Stills, and Nash t-shirt shaking his cane on his front lawn while his Nirvana-wearing T-shirt son (Bleach t-shirt, at that; you know, to prove they were fans before Nevermind, even though they weren't) throws Pabst Blue Ribbon cans of irony at a 24-year-old passer-by just wanting to pay

For many of us it came with chores. Others, with school. Later, it carried over to our first jobs...and then when we found ourselves out on our own. Responsibilities. What is seen as responsible to some is seen as taking on too much for others. In turn, some people look at a person making riches surfing or skateboarding and claim that person isn't responsible...because they aren't in an office job with standing. (Perhaps that's just jealousy that someone figured out a way to make millions doing what they love, while most people are stuck in jobs they'd not do were they independently wealthy.) What constitutes responsibility is an interesting thing, so that's the topic for this week's episode of Men in Gorilla Suits. * * * We begin by talking about our first responsibilities and then move on to when we actually became aware of this thing called responsibility. Find out if we actively seek out responsibilities today...and if we consider ourselves responsible people. After that, we chat about whether or not we c

If we say, "What do you think of when you think about performers?" you probably think of an actor, musicians, or maybe even [God forbid] a clown or mime. But chances are you spent your day around performers: people holding back what they really want to say or that guy at work who honestly thinks his desperate attempts to suck up to managers isn't recognized as the corporate version of jazz hands that it is! We all perform...whether it's looking out over the audience from a stage and overacting in the hope that your father will see in what you do the same thing you do, or saying to your kids, "This breakfast you made is yummy," when it tastes like Play-Doh and cat urine. (Hint: you probably just ate Play-Doh and cat urine.) Performing of all sorts is the topic this week, so step into the spotlight and claim your 15 minutes! * * * We kick it off talking about the first performance we remember actually impressing us, and then talk about performing before others we've done. Find out if we believe live performance

"I remember it as though it were yesterday: the first time I wiped my butt with a log. It was after I beat up 12 men in a drunken brawl and zipped off with a bunch of strippers in the old Pontiac GTO I restored with my bare hands. Did I ever tell you about that time I punched a moose so hard in the head that it went mad and destroyed a lumber camp? Those bark-skinned pussies didn't know what hit them! But it was out in those woods, living off the land, when a log was all I had at my disposal. You know what it's like when you eat nothing buy protein 'cause yer in the gym all day, pumpin' iron and getting all swole for your next big fight. You may as well be shitting steel girders! Or maybe you don't know, 'cause yer not a real man like me..." What it is to be "manly" varies over the years and depends who you ask. Some would say there's not even a need for manliness in modern society. It's an interesting enough topic -- what it is to be "manly" -- that we decided to dedicate this week's episode to "manliness."

More Americans than not ate at a restaurant this week; in some cases, multiple times. People begin their day with a stop for coffee and a bite to eat. At lunch, we head out with coworkers to get away from work (and often, depending on the group, talk about work while eating...for the record, we hate those kinds of lunches). Dinners out with family and friends -- it's easier than cooking, after all...or at least it feels that way at the end of a long day when you don't want yet another list of tasks to contend with. It's just not Americans -- all around the world, from cities to even rural areas, people make a living cooking for others. Because we're fans of restaurants (and have even worked in them), we decided to chat about eating away from home on this week's show. * * * We begin with the very first restaurant we remember and then move on to how frequently we went out to eat with family when young -- and today. We talk about working in restaurants, and then share our favorite local restaurants -- as well as

Christopher is currently sick, so all you get this week is a notice that he's sick and our runsheet. (Cheerier show notes next week.) * * * What is the first holiday you remember celebrating? What was the "big" holiday in your household growing up? What's your favorite holiday now? What was your favorite holiday as a kid? What's the stupidest federally recognized holiday? What's the stupidest non-recognized holiday? What isn't a holiday that should be? Why do you think there are so many holidays? What holiday do you think Americans should co-opt from another country/culture? Whose birth or death should be a national holiday? What do you like most about holidays? What do you dislike?

On Memorial Day, Christopher saw a couple cop cars behind a truck with a couple kayaks in the back. Christopher was going to buy beer, a substance that has led to more than a few fights in the drink's history. On the way back, the cops were searching the vehicle. It's not right to stereotype people, but Christopher guessed that maybe they had a little marijuana on them...a substance that has not contributed to nearly as much violence over the years as alcohol. And yet, the dudes with the kayaks were in trouble from the looks of things. (This point made very well with this video by The Streets) Trouble is a strange concept to us, so we decided to devote an episode to it. We hope you like it, but if you don't -- worry not because...you're not in any trouble... * * * We begin by discussing the first trouble we remember getting into, and move quickly to the last bit of trouble that came our way (as well as the worst trouble we've ever been in). Next, we get a bit more philosophical and ask if getting in trouble

Bumping your head into cabinets or stubbing toes; chainsaw accidents and car wrecks; mauled by wild animals: All painful things. But pain goes beyond physical injuries. Emotional pain can lead to physical pain. Hell, many people believe life is pain. Whether it's a chronic illness or feelings that cannot be shaken away, part of being human is experiencing pain. So that's the topic for this week's show. * * * We begin by talking about the first time we remember being in severe physical pain, and then get even happier by jumping to the first emotional pain we remember experiencing. Then we leap to the present day and discuss the last thing that caused us pain. We're both getting older (this episode is being loaded the day before Christopher turns 47, and Shawn trails Christopher by 9 years), so we wondered: do we believe we experience more or less pain than most men our ages? After that, we chat about the worst pain we've ever experienced -- as well as how we deal with pain and reduce its effect on us. Some say

When we aren't recording podcasts, writing, or doing the other things we do on our own, we're busy working corporate jobs. Corporate America gets a bad rap by many, but it affords us enough security to approach episode 175 of a weekly podcast without an end in sight (or ever missing a week). It has provided us with a higher income than we made at more menial jobs. Some places we've worked have even offered some great perks we'd never have imagined when we first started working in offices. But we've also seen more than our fair share of layoffs. We've worked long hours to cover the mismanagement of tasks and other things. We've had to hear people complain and gossip about jobs that -- for us -- are a far cry from the days in corn fields, on warehouse floors, and in restaurants being yelled at as an entire team by irate managers. We've seen work/life balance blur in an always-connected society. We've lived the life for years, so it seemed time to devote an episode to corporations. * * * We begin by talking abou

Chances are, you were bombarded by advertising today -- you probably didn't even realize it. Many of you probably bought stuff today as well. Looking around your home, it's probably full of stuff. Marketers do what they can to get you to buy, while others tell us all to be appalled by consumerism. This week, we chat about buying stuff! * * * We begin by talking about the first things we bought on a regular basis -- and what we spend the most on today. We make it clear from the start that yes, we consume stuff; in fact, we chat about how often we go into stores for one thing and come our with a dozen things...and what we do if a store is out of the thing we are there to buy. What then? (And where do we go to buy our stuff?) If you ever lost sleep thinking, "I wonder how often Shawn and Christopher shop for groceries, clothes, and other things?" then this is your lucky day! We also discuss whether or not we've gone out to purchase something in a major metropolitan area like the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex and fa

Nothing happens to us if we don't get this show out weekly, but we told ourselves from the start that we would get episodes online by Thursday of every week. 170 episodes in, we've never missed a deadline; in fact, it's not uncommon to post episodes early. We usually record episodes on Sundays. If recording in person, it's an 11:00 a.m. start time. If we don't meet in person, it's 9:00 p.m. Sunday night on Skype. While one could argues these are deadlines more than schedules, we both schedule things to various degrees (erring quite heavily toward the side of no real schedules -- just hitting deadlines and remembering the bodies of work we have created to drive us to create even more). Others schedule things down to the seconds (which helps if, say...you're launching a rocket into space -- but it's probably not necessary for daily life). This week we are on schedule and...talking all about schedules. * * * We kick off this week's show talking about the first schedules we remember. Oh, wait...Christopher had hi

By Christopher's own admission, loading this episode will be one of the most boring tasks he completes this week. (Right up there with speaking of himself in third person!) From day jobs, to the times following them, people look to myriad things to alleviate boredom, succeeding to various degrees. You could say boredom is our shadow, but is there a way to fight it? Ho hum...this week, we talk about boredom... * * * We kick it off talking about the first time we remember experiencing boredom -- as well as our most recent moments of boredom. Find out what we did to alleviate boredom when young...and today. We chat about how often we're bored today -- and whether or not it's more (or less) than when we were younger. We also discuss whether or not one can be bored when they have a lot going on -- and also what always bores us...and what we find boring right now. We know many bored people. Find out what advice we have for the bored masses in an effort to combat those feelings, as well as the most -- and least -- b

Do sayings like this motivate you? If you dream it, you can achieve it... Problems are not stop signs, they are guidelines. Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it. Or does it take something more, like a mentor constantly checking on your progress? Maybe you hate someone and are like, "I'll be damned if that son of a bitch is successful before me!" Or perhaps you simply enjoy doing something, so you do it. There are many reasons people seek out motivation; probably as many as there are to be motivated. That's our topic for this week's episode... * * * We begin back in the past, talking about the things that naturally motivated us as children -- and the things for which we needed motivation in order to do. Find out what motivates us today -- and what we need motivation in order to do even as adults. After that, we discuss how we feel about motivation as an industry, and why we think many people will pay good money to be motivated by another person. Clearly, some people are naturally motiv

Ghoooooooooooooooooooooosts!!! SpooooOOOOOOoooOOoOOOooooOOoooooky things! The OTHER side... The truth is out there...and...it's not what they want you to believe. This is the episode in which you will hear Christopher almost come unhinged. This is the episode you will see (and hear) the Gorillamen fly the "No Ghosts" banner -- but they are not Ghostbusters... And yet...they have experienced "paranormal things." That's the topic of this week's episode. (You might even walk away from it being like, "Okay, I do NOT want to push that Christopher button...holy hell - I can't believe he said that about one of his favorite people of all time!) * * * We kick it all off by talking about the first time we were introduced to...THE PARANORMAL!!! Find out if we believed in ghosts when we were kids, and what -- if we believed -- those ghosts were (are). Déjà vu. We've all experienced it, but does it mean we're psychic? What is that feeling that we've not only been here before, but that we can predict...the FUUUUUUUUTURE (a

Oi, ya c@unts -- we f&cking did it! We went an entire f@cking episode of our sh$tty podcast without any G!d-d%mned swearing! That's cooler than sh*t -- especially because the motherf%cking episode is about f#cking SWEARING!!! And it wasn't easy because our f#cking signoff is "Chill the f*ck out, and make the d@mn thing!" No s%it -- look at that motherf@cking image up top! We're badass b%stards for not dropping so much as a b%tch, @ss, or other sh%tty word that's okay of f!cking television...let alone f&ck and c@nt and other words that make people cringe like sh$t-monkeys! So open your f@cking earholes and listen to our only "clean" f&cking episode to date! * * * We kick it all off with our first memory of swearing -- and then talk about the first time we swore (and if we got in trouble). After that, it's on to places we don't swear (if they even exist) -- or people around whom we refuse to swear. This whole episode came to be after reading that Adam Carolla is doing a couple "clean" shows to attra

It seems one can't watch the news without hearing that ISIS, their neighbors, or even the weather is out to get them. While we're at work, criminals are stealing our stuff. No one has money; we're all facing a Mad Max future...and it's all the fault of politicians and the people who follow them. There's a lot of money in making people secure (or feeling secure after you've scared them). This week, we're all about security. * * * We kick it off talking about if we feel more or less secure than we once did, and then step back to the first thing that made us feel secure...and the thing that shattered our sense of security. After that, we discuss the least secure times in our lives -- as well as the most secure time. Security and stability are the most important things in some people's lives. Find out how important it is to us -- as well as the thing we're most worried about upsetting our security. We chat about what we feel would make us more secure, and whether or not there's too much emphasis today on safety a