CHAPTERS
- 0:02 – 3:47
Baculum banter: “dick bone” collections, coffee stirrers, and walrus canes
Joe and Steven start with a long, comedic riff on baculums (penis bones), including personal stories about collectors and using them as drink stirrers. They also dig into how common baculums are across mammals and why some species have them.
- 3:47 – 6:30
Is it really fossilized? Testing the heavy “ancient walrus baculum”
They examine a purported fossilized walrus baculum gifted by Frank von Hippel and debate whether it’s truly fossilized. Steven cautiously agrees after a knife-scrape test, and they joke about how evolution keeps “reinventing” baculums.
- 6:30 – 8:28
Public land rules: bones vs fossils vs artifacts (and why arrowheads are different)
Steven explains the confusing legal distinctions around collecting items on public lands—especially National Forest and BLM areas. The key theme is that “bone” might be legal to keep, while fossils and culturally modified items become protected.
- 8:28 – 9:28
Reporting finds and Steven’s bison-site story from *American Buffalo*
Joe asks whether people must report archaeological finds; Steven says there’s typically no obligation, but he once cooperated with the Forest Service on a bison skull site report. This pivots into Joe praising Steven’s book *American Buffalo*.
- 9:28 – 14:54
Audiobooks and ownership: why authors often don’t read their own work
Steven describes the publishing rights system that led to an actor narrating his audiobook—and how jarring that felt. He later regained rights, re-recorded it himself, and found it symbolically meaningful as audio grew in value.
- 14:54 – 18:33
Craft and focus: family life, discipline, and why writing can feel miserable
They compare creative focus across careers—writing, standup, fighting, elite sports—especially how family responsibilities and modern stressors fragment attention. Steven says he loves podcasting but hates the physical act of writing, even though he loves the results.
- 18:33 – 37:02
Handling criticism and social media: “post and run away”
Steven presses Joe on how he deals with harsh scrutiny and whether he ever reads comments. Joe explains his rules—especially avoiding conflict at night—and why on-the-fly conversation makes “perfect phrasing” impossible.
- 37:02 – 57:40
Podcasting’s rise: Adam Curry, skeleton crews, and authenticity vs gatekeepers
Joe traces podcasting’s short history and why mainstream media struggled to take it seriously. He argues podcasts work because they avoid executive control, heavy production, and scripted “fake” broadcast banter—preserving raw authenticity.
- 57:40 – 1:30:50
Influence and responsibility: ‘radioactive boy scout’ analogy and Steven’s hunting dilemma
Steven frames Joe’s cultural influence as something that can ‘accumulate’ into risk, using the ‘Radioactive Boy Scout’ story. He also shares his brother’s critique that hunting media increases participation and competition, potentially diminishing the experience for longtime hunters.
- 1:30:50 – 1:40:22
Election-night uncertainty: lawsuits, mail-in ballots, and media narratives
With the 2020 election still unresolved in real time, they react to shifting calls and rumors of lawsuits. The conversation widens into media bias, selective coverage, and how narratives distort context—especially around Trump and Biden.
- 1:40:22 – 1:58:37
Polarization and The Social Dilemma: digital echo chambers vs real-world civility
Steven says he feels grief and fear about America’s polarization despite positive day-to-day interactions. Joe points to social media algorithms as accelerants, and they connect online outrage to real-world unrest, homelessness tensions, and civic instability.
- 1:58:37 – 3:05:37
Wildness and mortality: Rinella’s Kodiak-bear scare, opossum response, and predator politics
The conversation turns from media to nature: Steven recounts a terrifying near-attack on Afognak Island while retrieving elk meat, describing a freeze/‘playing opossum’ stress response. They then discuss predator management politics—BC grizzly hunting bans, wolf reintroduction in Colorado, and the cultural symbolism around wolves.
