Men In Gorilla Suits

These are just some of the tools we use to create an episode of Men in Gorilla Suits: Our brains Smartphones Web-based email Cars 2 Audio Technica ATR-2100 microphones 2 Gator Frameworks tabletop boom mic stands Zoom H6 digital recorder Computers The World Wide Web Adobe Photoshop morguefile.com or unsplash.com (for images) Skype (on occasion -- like this episode) Audacity Auphonic This website Libsyn Tools can be as complex as the International Space Station or as simple as a stick used to dig holes or defend yourself. What some deem as tools, others claim are something else. (Are our brains really tools?) But there's not a person alive who won't use a tool of some sort today. So...we decided to dedicate an entire episode to the things that make life a little better. * * * We begin this week's episode talking about the first tool we remember seeing, and then...the first tool we ever used that helped define who we are. After that, we discuss a tool we regularly use that many might not consider a tool. Next,

We can't think of one person we know who didn't grow up with a pet of some kind. Whether a dog or a cat, fish, or something exotic, some of our earliest friendships are with animals. For many of us, we learned about the pain of death from losing a pet. Some of you are probably reading this with a pet in the room -- maybe even on your lap. Scroll down on our About page and you'll see photos of Shawn's dogs -- we consider them part of the podcast crew. It's about time we finally talked about pets! * * * We begin by talking about the first pets we remember having, and then jump to the first pet that was considered our own. Next, we discuss not only how many pets we've had, but we devote some time to the first pet we had that died. We chat about our last/current pets before talking about whether we prefer dogs, cats, or something else entirely. It's no secret that Shawn has a tiny Wolfpack living in his home while Christopher currently has no pets. We discuss why we have/don't have pets before talking about which

ARE YOU READY TO ROCK AND ROLL?!?! (Or maybe just listen to something nice and soothing in person?) We've been listening to live music ever since people began humming tunes and banging out a beat on whatever they found available. Music has been said to fill the soul, and live music can transcend what it is to be human. So of course we had to eventually get around to an entire show about listening to music in person! * * * We begin by talking about the first live music event we remember attending. After that, we discuss why live music has the appeal it has. From there, we move on to the best -- and worst -- concerts we've ever attended...and why we feel that way. After that, find out if we prefer live music to listening to music at home, in the car, or while working. We then talk about how often we hear live music these days and why we think we used to attend more live shows than we do today. If you've ever lied awake at night thinking, "I wonder if Christopher or Shawn have ever been part of a live music show

Political season in America has started. (It seems to start earlier and earlier each election cycle.) A peek into the world of the Internet reveals -- surprise, surprise! -- that people are out there arguing about politics. Conflict might be our national pastime, so conflict is the topic for this week's show! * * * We begin by talking about the first time we became aware that people sometimes didn't get along. After that, we chat about the first conflict we remember having with someone. Find out if we're the kinds of people who gravitate toward conflict, or if we avoid it whenever possible. We share our tricks for avoiding interpersonal conflicts with acquaintances -- and even those close to us. But sometimes conflict is unavoidable. We devote some time to talking about how we handle conflicts we can't avoid. We also share the worst conflict we've ever had with another person; then we chat about whether or not we find ourselves running up against the same kinds of conflict over and over. Want to find out if w

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away... Okay, not so long ago (1977) and not so far away (Earth) a little movie called Star Wars came out. And it's safe to say it changed movies as we know them. It was a franchise that spawned sequels, a ridiculous amount of merchandise, and even this: We've talked about Star Trek many times on the show, but this week it's all about Star Wars! * * * We begin by talking about how old we were when we first saw a Star Wars movie...and what the experience was like. After that, we move on to how important Star Wars was in our lives when we were younger. Now that we're adults, do the movies carry the same weight? Did you know there are grown friggin' men who fume about the Star Wars prequels, going so far to say the prequels ruined the original trilogy for them even more than Ewoks in Return of the Jedi? (Ewoks are worse than Jar-Jar Binks, people!) Find out what we think about those who let other things ruin the movies they love. (Although it's probably more than evident wit

Depending on who you ask, the American justice system is the best in the world, or it has a long way to go to clean up its problems. Probably no surprise that we lean toward, "We have a lot to fix, but it could be worse." Friggin' optimists! But we're not Pollyannas because we probably spend more time this episode talking about what is wrong with justice in America than what's right. * * * We kick it off with a couple questions: Have you ever had an experience with the American criminal justice system? If so, what was the first? America loves court-room dramas, so we jump on the bandwagon and talk about whether or not we've ever been to court as a plaintiff or defendant. (Since we've posted Shawn's mugshot before, you at least have a good guess with one of the Gorillamen...) Shawn shot a man in Reno...just to watch him die. That, or he might have just had a traffic warrant he got hauled in on. (Or he led a suicide cult to the grand comet in the ether...listen and find out the truth!) Then we jump to whet

You hold in your hand a rectangular device with a smooth glass screen. Are there any buttons on it? There appear to be, yes. I press one. The screen lights up with a passcode message. I make a hacking roll. [The Game Master mutters to self: Okay, unfamiliar device modifier -1, but universal hacking kit (electronic) +2. Simple code +1...] Okay, you need a 13 or less. [Player rolls 3 6-sided dice. A 9.] You make it past the passcode block. On the screen before you are rows of icons. I look for one that says Podcast. You find it. I tap the icon and subscribe to Men in Gorilla Suits. Wise choice. Give yourself a million experience points! Ah, role playing games. Most people, even if they've never played one, have heard of Dungeons and Dragons. But D&D only scratches the surface of the world of role playing games (RPGs). We take our dice bags from our belts and roll a critical hit on this episode of Men in Gorilla Suits. * * * We begin with the first role playing game (RPG) we ever played...and how old we were

Marriage is one of those things we're conditioned to accept as our future from a young age. We can both remember relatives talking about, "When you're older and get married..." for almost as long as we've been able to retain bits of the past in our brainmeats! It's a thing we're just supposed to do as humans. This leads to all kinds of wackiness: people spending more on weddings and honeymoons than they can afford; people judging how much a person loves another by the size of an engagement ring. Some people say, "What's wrong with them?" about people who aren't married, as though marriage is the only thing that defines us in adulthood. Hell, some people (even those married multiple times who can't seem to get it right), fume that same-sex couples who have been together for decades and had to hide their love for many reasons are now able to [FINALLY!] legally marry. (So far, the damage to my marriage -- and all my heterosexual friends -- that was promised if same-sex marriage were legalized hasn't happened. Fu

Chances are, if you've taken a peek at any social network or news site, you've seen an online video today. Chances are good that it began playing all by itself. Maybe you have things you subscribe to on YouTube. Or perhaps your thing is the Netflix binge-watch. Online video has not only changed the way we watch news, entertain ourselves, or even take part in production -- there are still so many horizons to be crossed as technology improves. This week, it's an audio show about online video. * * * We kick it all off back in the days of extreme buffering issues and downloading things from Usenet as we talk about the first online videos we ever saw. After that, we leap to the present and share how often we watch videos online. Next, we move on to the appeal of online video and how online content has changed the way stories are told with video cameras. We share some of our favorite online videos...stuff like this: And this: Made by Hand / No 2 The Knife Maker from Made by Hand on Vimeo. And hell, even this: Tu

Earlier today, old-school wrestling legend, Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka was arrested for the 1983 death of his girlfriend. (Figured if we're providing a link about the story, it may as well be a TMZ link!) Soon, the story will be a thing on a variety of true-crime television shows. True crime TV is so big, entire cable networks are dedicated to the stories behind the murders and capers. It doesn't matter if it's unknown people in a no-name town or a huge celebrity trial after a low-speed chase in a white Ford Bronco -- the viewing population has a hunger for crime stories. So we decided to talk about it on this week's episode of Men in Gorilla Suits. * * * We begin by talking about the first true crime TV shows (or "Murder Shows," as Shawn likes to call them), we remember watching. After that, we talk about the most recent murder show we've watched. (And it will become apparent why Shawn pitched this topic.) Everybody needs a favorite murder show, right? We talk about our faves, and then we discuss if it's a probl

It was Christopher's turn to come up with the week's show idea. He had plenty to choose from, but as he's been helping his mom move to a new place, the idea came: We've all moved, so...why not do a show about moving? And so it came to pass that this week's show came to life. And it was good... (Except all the singing in this episode. Our [vague] apologies...) * * * We begin this week's show talking about the first time we ever moved...and the first time we actually remember moving. After that, it's on to how many times we've moved in our lifetimes. After that, find out the best -- and worst -- places we've ever lived. Then we discuss where in America -- and the world -- we'd move to if we could. Since the places in America Christopher considers comes from places he's visited while working, we then talk about whether or not we've ever moved for a job. Moving is a mundane act. Box after box is packed, moved, and eventually unloaded. Along the way, though, sometimes interesting things happen. We share some mov

[We apologize in advance for all the links to songs and videos. (But not really)] * * * "We're on a space race, baby..." Space...it's been called the final frontier... "Open the pod bay doors, HAL..." It's kind of hard to believe we've gone 132 episodes without dedicating an episode to space. Oh, sure, we talked about space in our first episode (and so many episodes since that time), but have yet to do a show completely about space. * * * We begin this episode talking about the first time we were aware that the earth was nothing more than just another planet in space. In this part of the show, you get to hear Christopher sign some of this. His voice will not go high. It is a terrible moment. He apologizes for the auditory agony inflicted on you. (Come on, that song is like being subjected to the music from the Hobbit cartoon over and over and over. It's not a pretty thing...) Next, we talk about when we first became interested in space...and when Americans, as a whole, seemed to stop caring about space. Sp

Ah, the aughts. Full of flagpole sitters and work riots. The assassination of President McKinley and man's first powered flight. Such times...such times... Wait, not the early 1900s... We all got a taste of the future in...the year 2000! Things were much different in the year 2000... * * * We begin this episode (the last in our series about decades we've lived in) by talking about our best — and worst — memories from the aughts. After that, we discuss some favorite things from the time: music, movies, and television in particular. What did we think were the big news stories about the 00s? It's pretty obvious, so we instead talk about where we were when we heard about the attack on that Tuesday morning in September, 2001. Then we discuss what we consider the technological events of the decade. After that, we imagine we have a time machine and the power to change the world. Find out what we would do if we could go back to the aughts and make one change about the decade. Then we talk about our greatest accompl

We were going to write a dope intro, here, but we're too apathetic. Meh... Some band in the 90s said it best: Here we are now, entertain us... Meh... * * * We begin this episode by talking about our best — and worst — memories from the 90s. After that, we discuss some favorite things from the time: music, movies, and television in particular.What did we think were the big news stories about the 90s? Find out before we discuss what we consider the technological events of the decade.Then we imagine we have a time machine and the power to change the world. Find out what we would do if we could go back to the 90s and make one change about the decade. After that, we talk about our greatest accomplishments in the 90s.We devote some time to the best and worst things to come out of the 90s, and then we wrap up the episode talking about the one word we’d use to describe the decade.We know we have an audience spanning many decades; we’d love to hear your thoughts about the 90s in the comments.

Twist away the gates of steel and step into the future...by taking a walk back to the 1980s. (The last decade Gen X was ever happy!) Burn out your retinas on all that neon! Hear synthesizers and drum machines in your sleep. Remember how cool hanging out at the mall was? (We wonder what happened to that guy who mastered Dragon's Lair at the mall arcade -- what is he doing today?) Oh yeah, don't forget the shadow of complete planetary annihilation hanging over us all ("Damn, commies!")  during what many consider the happiest times America has ever seen... We begin this episode by talking about our best -- and worst -- memories from the 80s. After that, we discuss some favorite things from the time: music, movies, and television in particular. What did we think were the big news stories about the 80s? Find out before we discuss what we consider the technological events of the decade. Then we imagine we have a time machine and the power to change the world. Find out what we would do if we could go back to the 80s

Disco! That's what many people think about (or remember) when asked to recall anything about the 70s. Others think about long, blocky cars and gritty movies. Obviously, Nixon and Watergate drop into the minds of others. Vietnam was still going on, and soon those long, blocky cars would be in winding lines waiting for gasoline. The 70s were an interesting time -- in a way, it was a decade that had a great affect on the decades that followed. (We were driving head-first into some big issues and didn't turn or hit the brakes; some might even say we stepped on the gas and are reaping much of what we sowed in a decade that defined America.) We begin this episode by talking about our best -- and worst -- memories from the 70s. After that, we discuss some favorite things from the time: music, movies, and television in particular. For many, the big news story of the 70s was the end of the Vietnam War and Nixon's impeachment following the Watergate scandal. But for us, other news stories bubbled up. Near the end of th

Most of us have memories of the earliest stories read to us...or stories we read on our own. We often carry lessons from those stories into adulthood. Children's literature kickstarts imagination, and reminds the adults reading to children that maybe they'd do well to slow down a little and let their imaginations run wild. This week's show is all about children's literature. We begin by talking about the first book we remember from childhood. Was it a work of children's literature, or something else? After that, we move on to the first book we remember reading on our own. We wrap up the intro to the show listing some of our favorite children's books. (Shawn just might win, were it a competition!) At some point, books move on from pictures and simple tales to something more complex. We discuss what transitional books affected us when we were younger. While we rarely plug our own books on the podcast, it's not a big secret that we both write. Find out if we've ever had a desire to write children's literature. F

The people of Dothan, Alabama are no-good slackers! But first... At least in the United States of 'Murica, many of us had a long weekend last weekend because of the 4th of July holiday. Oh, sure...many didn't, but if they wanted it badly enough, they'd WORK for it, 'cause that's what we do in America, right?! (Obviously, that's sarcasm...but not so obvious, since we felt the need to call that out as sarcasm...) Anyway...last weekend was a holiday for so many, a rare time when people who work hard got a little bit of a break. America is full of people eating at their desks and answering email at 11:00 p.m. If you work in a warehouse or factory, you probably work weekends. Work/Life balance is askew for many, so we decided to devote an entire episode to such an important thing... We begin by talking about the first time we heard the term "work/life balance." After that, we discuss our early years...specifically, when we were introduced to someone, how often was a job the first thing they mentioned about themsel

Last week was a week of change in America. The Affordable Healthcare Act stood up (again) in the Supreme Court, and marriage equality is now a thing in all 50 states. Some people are elated; others feel like the very foundation of all they know is crumbling down around them. No matter where you stand on any issue, it's pretty clear that -- given enough time -- things change. So we decided to devote this week's show to changes of all kinds... We begin this week's episode talking about how we feel about the Supreme Court of the United States overturning the ban on same-sex marriage. (It's probably evident where we stand on this if you've listened to any of our past shows about social justice.) Some people, however, are anything but pleased that two people of the same sex now -- finally -- have the same legal protection that Shawn and Christopher have with their wives. We devote a bit of time discussing how people can change the hearts of those standing on the precipice of being buried by history. Almost everybo

Hey, we hit episode 125! In honor of that, we'll get right to it: this week, we're talking about gender equality! We begin by talking about how old we were when we first realized that men and women were treated differently. After that, we move on to the event that made us think, "This imbalance in equality just isn't right." Next, we talk about why women generally make less than men at work. We don't cut ourselves slack in this episode -- find out if either of us have ever made what could be deemed a sexist statement (and what those statements were). The flip-side of that: find out what feminist statements we've made. (Hell, Christopher once wrote this.) We devote some time to whether or not anyone's ever given us grief for our stances on gender equality before discussing the most enlightened -- and unenlightened -- people we know when it comes to gender issues. We wrap up the episode as we often do: talking about the future of the week's topic. In this case, we close with what we believe will be the solution