CHAPTERS
Wolf jokes, turmeric coffee, and a sudden crystal phase
Joe and Michelle riff on her last name and the endless stream of “wolf” puns it generates. The conversation pivots into wellness trends—turmeric coffee, crystals, sage—and Michelle’s half-ironic, half-curious interest in spiritual stuff.
Ayahuasca, decriminalization, and mushroom giggles
They move from shamans and loneliness to psychedelics, especially mushrooms. Joe explains microdosing versus “blasting off,” while Michelle describes getting uncontrollably giggly on a recent trip.
Mushroom war memories and the idea of ‘broadcast war like sports’
Joe tells a story about watching early Iraq War coverage while on mushrooms with Doug Stanhope, including the unforgettable “kickoff for the war” line. They joke about how absurd it would be if war were narrated like a football game.
Robot anxiety: MIT, Boston Dynamics, Alexa, and surveillance
Michelle shares her fear of robots, referencing a gig at MIT and frustration with robot animals. Joe and Michelle joke about anti-robot sentiment becoming a future stigma, and they agree smart speakers feel like always-on surveillance.
Quakes, Yellowstone supervolcanoes, and choosing instant doom over ‘prepper survival’
After a rumble in the room, they discuss California earthquakes and then spiral into Yellowstone as a continent-altering supervolcano. Both express a preference for being at ground zero rather than surviving a post-apocalyptic collapse.
Lizzo courtside controversy, body image, and phone-size status games
They react to Lizzo’s revealing outfit at a Lakers game and debate confidence versus performative sexuality. The conversation detours into iPhone models, small phones, blue-bubble status, and how Apple locks people into iMessage.
Flip phones, tech minimalism, and comics being addicted to screens
Joe and Michelle talk about ditching smartphones, how hard it is socially, and the friction caused by iMessage ecosystems. They bring up comedians like Ari Shaffir and Dave Attell as examples of people managing (or embracing) tech habits.
Old medicine horrors: mad hatters, mercury, syphilis, and powdered wigs
A tangent about historical fashion becomes a grim tour of mercury exposure, urine processing of felt, and syphilis’s physical devastation. They connect syphilis to wig culture, the phrase ‘big wig,’ and the persistence of court wigs in some places.
Cancel culture as public execution: Twitter mobs, piranhas, and ‘online activism’
They shift to modern outrage cycles, comparing pile-ons and cancellation to historical public hangings and executions. Joe and Michelle discuss the incentives that make people seek moral power online and how quickly communities turn on their own.
Free speech, comedy boundaries, and when jokes get treated like crimes
The discussion zooms in on comedy as a special context with audience consent and evolving joke-workshopping. They talk about legal trouble for comics (Canada cases), outrage at leaked sets, and the importance of letting audiences judge comedy.
Trans issues in sports: fairness, language traps, and fear of discussion
Joe and Michelle debate transgender participation in women’s sports, emphasizing biological differences and competitive fairness. They also discuss how language policing and social backlash make honest conversation difficult, even for people trying to understand.
Michelle’s origin story: Wall Street, Bear Stearns collapse, and finding her voice in comedy
Late in the episode, Michelle explains her pre-comedy career in finance, working at Bear Stearns through the 2008 collapse and then JPMorgan. She describes improv as the gateway to standup and how comedy helped her form opinions and a real point of view.
