cult inducing gas station

Brandon is on Spring break? Collin wants a Bentley to rally in. Then, we book talent for the Missouri State Fair.

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SUMMARY KEYWORDS

good, people, missouri state fair, gas station, barbecue, italian, sitting, talking, weird, part, remember, farewell tour, food, months, days, week, country, book, guess, bit

SPEAKERS

Brandon, Collin

Collin Funkhouser  00:04

Welcome to Oh, brother, a podcast where we try to figure it all out with your hosts, Brandon. And Colin. On this week's show, Colton ducing gas station. Oh, boy. Oh, boy. goes it

00:25

goes well. I'll come to you live from spring break.

Brandon  00:33

Florida. Weird. They decided it's the weirdest Spring Break ever. Right? They treated it. Like a lot of schools treat well. A lot of schools used to treat are still does Thanksgiving, right. We had a school Monday and Tuesday this week. Oh, no. And then we're off the rest of it.

Collin Funkhouser  00:55

I don't know. That is why schools

Brandon  01:00

for choice. Yeah. A lot of schools are going to like on Thanksgiving, right. international listeners Thanksgiving traditionally on Thursday. Right. That's important. So for Thanksgiving, like forever, a ton of schools went to school Monday, Tuesday, and then we're off Thursday, Friday? Or was it there's a Friday? Right. But a lot of a lot of schools now are just going like, African it just the whole week, whatever. Yeah. I mean, that would make sense. Yeah. Because going to school for two days in a week is a it's kind of rough, right? Like, it's like, what do we do? Yeah, I have to just like cram a bunch of stuff in there. And then this week is really awkward, right? Because we were just like the right spot where it's time for our presentation about the Greek gods, right? It's what? Oh, yeah. And so like, basically, Monday, had to give it out. And then, you know, Tuesday, we worked on it. And then they won't see it again, for five days, I'll probably forget what they're doing. To come back and be like, Oh, right. Finish up and we'll present on Tuesday go hmm, but that's like, what, like, I don't know. Yeah,

Collin Funkhouser  02:39

I mean, you can't you can't go into too into anything too, in depth, but to light and then you're just not using that time effectively.

Brandon  02:48

Yeah, we have to do like something. Right. So like, I don't know, and then kinda don't have to, we're ready, almost ready for a science test also. So like, I don't exactly know, how much like, I don't know when or what? We're, I don't know exactly how that's gonna play out. Right. It's very have like a little bit more, but not a whole lot. But like so I don't know. Hey, ecstasy, right. It was at the planning phase. Very difficult. Right. Yeah. Well, see. All right. That's where I'm at being confused about my class schedule. That's what I'm well,

Collin Funkhouser  03:57

I mean, at least I mean, at least that should be maybe that is at a familiar place. You know, maybe,

Brandon  04:02

I mean, sort of, yeah, like, you know, whatever. But it's always a timing thing, because I don't want to give a quiz on a Monday. They just don't really like doing that. Right. It really is not good. No, like, it's just the whole thing. And it's like nobody likes doing that like coming in. Because by start like, first thing in the morning, quiet so like, nobody wants to go to school, like first thing be like, Oh, quiz Monday. No, like, no, that's just don't really, if you want them to be successful, right? You have to like set them up successfully, right? You can't just be like, Ah, yes, Monday, and then expect, like great things, right. Like it's really right. You have to kind of you know, lead them into this right. You got to set up some parameters. You have to set up some Like successful practices otherwise, you know, it just throw it at him and be like, Oh, well, whatever, like I want you to do well, I want you to like, you know, be in a position where you like you will remember some of the stuff later maybe? Who knows? And so like, well, you know, so I don't want to just like throw things at you on a Monday morning. Nobody likes to start their day with that. Now, again, they're not like, the hardest things in the world, right? The point of the quiz is not like Mega difficult, like super challenging and all that stuff. But like, would you need some level of that, right? We have to, like, put something in there. So we have to figure out how to make it like the best it can be and throwing at them. first thing on Monday morning, not the solution. No, no, not at all. So yeah, just doing some planning. That's basically it. That's where I'm at currently. Okay, trying to figure out what to do with myself the rest this week. So sorry. That's right. So it's fine. Not sad. It's like, oh, no, sitting around at home.

Collin Funkhouser  06:25

And the weather's gotten colder, so that's been great to know that it's nice

Brandon  06:29

and weird. Really. Bouncing around a lot, right? Like, oh, freezing cold. Oh, really hot. It's gonna be like, 75 on Sunday for Easter. So, but today was like 40 Well, no, it was like 53 I guess. Yesterday was very cool. incredibly cold yesterday. So yeah, yeah, it's kind of weird. Yeah, we had so good. I was gonna say the only other thing I'm doing tomorrow going to see one of the like, our friends, I guess. And she's like a former student. And she's we're going it's the girl. You're coming. Do they? Yeah. What's one of the girls that works at that restaurant that we do, right? Oh, sure. Okay, cool. Yeah, we were talking to her. And she was just like, Oh, yeah. I'm moving to Thailand for six months. Why? Yeah, yeah. So we're gonna go visit with her see, like, what's up? Like, why?

07:45

What are you doing?

Brandon  07:51

Kind of, depending on where she's leaving, she's

07:52

leaving very soon.

Brandon  07:54

So she might even making time for New Year's with the elephants and stuff. That'd be cool. Oh, like water throwing in the big painted elephants and all the things. April is April so. See, but yeah, that was a surprise. Because they were. Susan wanted her to come to the like, multicultural thing, right? Cuz she's very into this kind of stuff. And she's like, oh, yeah, I can't make it. I have to do all this stuff. Gotta get ready to leave for Thailand. Like casually, casually just going. Right. And she's like, visited before, you know, like, I think stuff but we're going to discover like, what exactly are you? What Yeah, what is happening here when the when the world is going up? So that's the other big mystery for tomorrow. I'm gonna go find out. What is up with this? Who just decides to go to Thailand for like, half a year like

Collin Funkhouser  09:03

what? Yeah, I mean, yeah. I mean, you'd probably don't know a whole lot information about this, because you're going to go talk with her. But I'm like, yeah, that's all I got so far. Okay. Okay. It's

Brandon  09:12

It's mysterious. Thailand visiting.

09:16

So yeah,

Brandon  09:18

I have no, that's the mystery. A quest to uncover them information tomorrow. That's the That's the plan. Yeah. That's a lot of a big

Collin Funkhouser  09:31

I don't know if you ever I mean, did you ever did you ever think about that kind of thing about what it would be like to just go disappear like that for you know, six months or whatever?

Brandon  09:41

Yes, I mean, I have been shopping for houses in Italy. So one point wise, whatever would my daily existence be like, right? Why would that be? Just like chill? It's probably sounds cooler in my head than it probably would be. Right.

Collin Funkhouser  09:58

I don't know. Like me. To cool,

Brandon  10:00

I don't know, I mean, it's probably there's probably a lot of extraordinary, like, difficult things to overcome, right? Like, first of all, of course, the fact that I do not speak Italian. So that would be a problem. Yeah, is a slight problem. Right? But like, what does one do? For like that amount of time? Well, yeah. So like, if you were going for like six months, right? Because like, you know, when you go on vacation, it's like, a week. We can have two weeks, whatever, like, you like to do the things and you blah, blah, blah, and then you like, come home, right? So but what is it like to, like exist in such a different environment? Where like, you know? What, you can't do stuff, like all day, every day, right? Like, I'm a person that likes to like, sit. So what is that? Like? What? Yeah. Like, when you're not like, looking at all the cool like, cultural stuff, and you just need to like, be right, like, what is that experience? Like? What is that's the part that's kind of like, daunting, a bit like, Whatever you do, just like you know, because like today, most of the day I like sat around the apartment and like, read and like, watch TV in blob like what is that?

Collin Funkhouser  11:37

Yeah, I would have to have a project, that's for sure. But then there are days like, I don't know, like, there are days where I go by

Brandon  11:44

Italian house probably has a lot of side quests involved. Right? That would be immediately. Awesome project to take to keep up all your time. Now. Yeah. So like shopping for like, re buying, like random kitchen staples for your second house like, oh, I need it. Where does one buy it? Yes. Yes. Now, unfortunately,

Collin Funkhouser  12:11

I don't know. Now's a bad time, that the Euro is not quite worth a whole lot in US dollars. So it does mean that you'd have to budget quite extensively to make that money last because it's not as though like, when you know, when like $1 was worth $1.25 Euro, you know, when you're what you're saying? Right? Yeah, it's actually a little less like, one $1 is equal to 92 cents? Yeah. That's what I think about to have like, Okay, I'm gonna disappear for 10 months or six months? What, where's money coming from? Like, how do I Yeah,

Brandon  12:52

right. If you're just gonna do that for like, again, if you're gonna do that, like a place like Thailand would be where you want to go? Because then your dollar goes a very long way. Right. Right. So So you want to go to like, you have to pick a place where the currency that you have is of a higher value, I guess, because you need to make it last? Yes. Longer. Even I mean, so like, pick random. The problem is some of those countries not the best place to spend six months. Right? Like, I don't know if it's right, just like, for various reasons, you know, maybe not the best time just like hanging out in, like x country for, you know, maybe it's cheaper, but oh, maybe it's not like, you know, safe or whatever. So. Gotta balance the line. Figured out. Right. But we had a No, I don't know, like, I didn't even make it that far with like, how do you afford things? Like, what do you do? Right? What do you do at least like?

Collin Funkhouser  14:12

Well, I think a whole haikus would get written. That's what I'm saying.

Brandon  14:14

I mean, that's definitely true, but ready for this? Like, I mean, yeah, you have to go on like random quests of like, I need a blanket. Where does that happen? Like what? You know, I need stuff like, oh, I have to go explore and find things and go on many journeys to discover them. Right, exactly. But you could potentially go by train everywhere, so that makes it better yeah

Collin Funkhouser  14:55

it's just yeah, it's art. Yeah, I don't know. I I do think about that. Sometimes. Like, Oh, that kind of be but I don't know, like I, my

Brandon  15:02

life isn't exactly

Collin Funkhouser  15:07

set up for that. So well yeah. Fantasy

Brandon  15:10

fantasy currently, right also, we don't have to think about it for six months because currently you can be just in Italy for like three months with like not a whole lot of worry about it. You gotta go longer than that you need like extra pieces and all these kind of things. Yes, lots more paperwork that no one likes to do. So like Max, like three months, I think, for most things. So that cuts down a little bit, can get a little bit more focused on things right. Making on this house, right, fixing the house, making sure it has things like meeting the ultimate fantasy here is of course befriending the Italian grandmother that lives nearby. Right that's, that's the real question is right.

Collin Funkhouser  15:54

This that's actually the main quest. I don't know what you're talking about.

Brandon  15:57

Oh, yeah. No, yeah. It's not the side quest that it's one of the main goals, different find a lovely Italian woman grandmotherly figure to? Befriend, right, that's what you gotta do? Absolutely. That's an important part of existence here. So if you can live in some random Italian village, you must be friend, the Italian grandmothers that are nearby, right? So they will teach you the ways. Like how to profitably be Italian.

Collin Funkhouser  16:36

That's just me. I mean, that's the first trip over that's just the first three months right, and then you come back over to actually working house. That's what I envisioned this. I mean, you can do those things. congruently. Right. Well, it's gonna take a lot of time. It's yeah, that's true. Plus, you have to do go best shopping. And you do have to buy some sort of scooter. Right.

Brandon  16:53

I think that's important. You have to here's the other problem, right? So Italian villa, apartment thing, whatever. I am not fashionable enough to be in Italian. So I would need I would need another sidequests would be find, like your Italian capsule wardrobe that would stay at your place, right? That way you don't have to travel. You could go back and forth and not have as much luggage is the key. Yeah, this is a yes. procure your Italian a capsule wardrobe. That would stay in your probably the vestibule I don't drop your wardrobe.

Collin Funkhouser  17:47

Wardrobe could this is the thing. This is why it's important to have the secondary place because people think oh, I've got disappear for six months. I gotta get away for maybe three. How do I pack for that? That's the key. You're not packing. Right? Yeah, my clothes over there. There they stay and you come back later? Or the? Yeah,

Brandon  18:07

maybe you bring home a pair of the loafers just to like, you know,

Collin Funkhouser  18:10

let it get broken in. Let people know what's up like, oh, oh,

Brandon  18:14

you thought that I was you bring up the well being of the zestiness back with you. Right. And also

Collin Funkhouser  18:20

wearing around too fresh of loafers over there. I'm pretty sure is offensive. So you gotta beg that isn't illegal. Right?

Brandon  18:25

Yeah. So they gotta have well worn look. Yeah, the other problem, right? Well, I don't know about now. Right? But like, here's the other problem with Italian thing, right? Italian clothing. Right? Not designed for big giant American Beauty. So gonna take this into consideration as well, right now Italian suits for me. They're all like slim and very safe. And that doesn't really work out. So like, not going to be that candle. And I don't know. If like, I know a lot of Italians are if it gets like 60 degrees. They're like, sweater. Jacket. Right? Like, I'm, I'm gonna stand out because I'll be shorts. T shirt. Yeah, yeah, no, no, no shorts there was it's like 90. Gotta like, figure out how to blend in. Right, you gotta like, kind of catch the vibe, right? Like, how do I assimilate here? So

Collin Funkhouser  19:32

I think well, I mean, you're truly

Brandon  19:34

like, in the zone?

Collin Funkhouser  19:38

Well, I think that there is I mean, you will you will acclimate to the environments. So I think maybe after your second or third trip over, you start getting into that feel of what what to wear or maybe you just have to put up with being gawked at while you walk down the street.

Brandon  19:57

That's true. That's true. Right Just maybe though, maybe you have to find that friendly clothing store attendant, right? Like, just like check the vibes. See what the people are wearing. It'd be like, Okay, I'm gonna go find that. And then that lives in your Italian capsule wardrobe so that you can, you know, blend in when you turn, right. Is

Collin Funkhouser  20:24

a is as you arrive, you run into a phone booth that you have outside of your

Brandon  20:31

maybe a shed, you know, maybe

Collin Funkhouser  20:35

and then you burst forth. Yeah, wagon strolling. Yes. Yes.

Brandon  20:42

Strolling and whatever else you do, I don't know. But like so yeah, but sometimes, there are many quests to go on here. But yeah, some days you don't want to quest some days. You just want to like, chill. And that would be weird. Right? Because like, what else do you do? I don't know. What do you do for just like, sitting like

Collin Funkhouser  21:11

Yeah, cuz yeah, after a while. Yeah, ya know, you get a little like, you get antsy reduce stuff, but maybe that's when you start. You're. I don't know. I don't know. Yeah, I guess so. I mean, you gotta there's a lot of history to that you gotta learn maybe do some brass rubbings?

Brandon  21:27

Maybe? Right. Right. You want to get the house D ghosted, possibly, right. It's like a hung out a 400 year. Village like you want to like find the priests like, Hey, can you just come throw water around, you know, give a couple blessings in the corners, please. Just, you know, make sure everything's good. Like.

Collin Funkhouser  22:04

Oh, yeah. Yeah, that's again, here we are like that. I think what this gets as, like, there's gonna be an initial burst of activity. And then then if you continue to go, right, once it's kind of set up and obviously, you know, you'll still have a little stuff to do and whatever, but like, yeah, like, what does that? What does that life look like? Cuz when a lot of people think of, I don't know, I see people I'm gonna go hit. I interviewed somebody who hates the entire Appalachian Trail by herself. It took her like, eight months, right? Like, that's a getting away and disappearing. But like, there's a lot of activities there of like, walking, not dying, keeping socks dry, like, Yeah, more walking, right. Like, it's not like, I'm gonna go to an established villa. And just enjoy that time. I don't know, I genuinely don't know if I would be able to turn my brain off for that long. I don't know.

Brandon  23:04

I mean, I would. But like that, again, you have to like, it's just, it's just a lack of figuring out of like, what is the like, normal level? Right? Right. Because like here, like, you know, in my current abode, right, very well established to have like, many things have like stuff around, right? If you go to another place, there's like zero stuff. Right? So like, part of this is, like a bit almost unnerving. Right? Because you're like, oh, no, there's like no comfort zone at all. Right. Where it does bigeye, like opportunities to like create a new zone. Initially, there is nothing, right? There's only there's only like, emptiness. So that part is just like, the overcoming the initial hurdle, I think is the most terrifying bit. Right? To create a sense of like, normalcy in space. Right would be the hard part. Think getting established. Right? Because like you said, you are thinking a little bit like to, I don't know your frenzy of activity is going to last a lot longer than mine. Because you're like, oh, yeah, after a couple of months or your third drawback is that after a week three, I wouldn't be like alright, alright, calm down a little bit. I don't even care fair. Maybe not even that far right. Like after like day six, like K in rest here. You know, just take it in after the flurry. Like take stock. See what's happening? Yeah, and I think that's because just my you know, I It can it's one of those. That's

Collin Funkhouser  25:01

part of the fantasy too of like, how am I going to react to that? Because like, I've never like a week maybe is whenever it was, like the longest I've ever, like stepped away from anything. So just projecting out into that time like, yeah, what what new equilibrium does develop? What does that look like? What is that pace of like, life? come through with that. And yeah, I mean, I've mostly it's going to be spent befriending people in the village. And I

25:30

mean, hopefully that's true. Hopefully that

Brandon  25:31

is correct. Hopefully it will be. You know, wandering about, you know, exploring how grocery stores work, right? Like you because you have to, like reacquaint yourself with a lot of things, right? Like, that's a weird thing, right? Like, what is like what, even even like when you go someplace, you know, markedly different. Right? In a place that is like a culture that is not your own. Like, you have to think about things like, what does a person eat for breakfast? Right? You know what I mean? Like, very different. What? You know, what time is dinner? Right? If you go to Spain, right, and you're like, Ah, it's 530 I think I'm gonna eat dinner. No, nobody? No, sorry. That's not how that works. No. Like, yeah, you have to do some read rounding, and just like, see what's happening? What do you what do you eat for lunch? Right? I'm pretty sure there's lots of different things, but I don't know what they are. And being outside of your normal for that long, right, like, there's a big problem. Right? Right. So if a person were to be living in Italy for like, you know, three months, let's say there are some things that you are there are also things that you're going to like Miss like, very deeply. Right, and these are things like Mexican food. Right? Like what? Yeah, like, I don't know. I don't know if I can go down long without burritos, right. I don't know if that's possible. You're not I mean, like

Collin Funkhouser  27:28

this is a very good point. Considering how we are very regulars

Brandon  27:34

at our one of our local extra restaurants

Collin Funkhouser  27:36

for Taco Tuesday,

Brandon  27:37

yeah, z what about your street tacos? What do they Oh no. Like I'm pretty sure they probably don't have Springfield style cashew chicken available to me anywhere and that right there is problem like I

Collin Funkhouser  27:58

think that just means that you have to do you have new culinary opportunities during Ellison half of learning new things

Brandon  28:05

that's I think, but you should stay tuned for Elon airily right color culinary things should be additive right you don't want to start subtracting two anything's right it's not right there. And if I didn't have like, I'm gonna have to find a good I'm gonna have to like practice making this before I leave so like like, Oh no, just making what do you have to do with Thursday? Yep, catch up again. And I'm gonna make it because

Collin Funkhouser  28:37

yeah, yeah. And I see this developing it to a very this is how some of that this is where the bonds develop with those in the village start to really shine when we when you begin inviting them over to experience some of your cooking because we've been going to their house an awful lot as they've been in we've been ingratiate yourself to them. Now as we start to give back we can get Well

Brandon  28:59

yeah, but that's a whole nother like level of terrifying like, what American food do you make to impress your Italian neighbor?

Collin Funkhouser  29:08

I think it's important to know that they will aid not be impressed and be as true.

Brandon  29:11

They probably won't be. They'll be like bro, what is this trash? Hit him with the biscuits and gravy. They're gonna be real confused and be like you need to stop like what are you doing?

Collin Funkhouser  29:27

Oh my gosh, I hit stop traveling back and forth between service areas today and it was really driving and I stopped at a gas station to use the restroom and I walked past that there were the hot hot food items. And there was a little plastic tray and one of the little things was biscuit the Greg was like, right?

Brandon  29:51

Yeah, perfect. Oh yeah. You didn't stop at the the cult inducing gas station Did you? He didn't stop at that one, right? No, he stayed away.

Collin Funkhouser  30:11

Okay. Did as a as a job as a principal individual.

Brandon  30:17

Yeah, Susan's mother and her husband, like, they were gonna go, like, just look at it and like, explore and like, go inside and I was like, no now now they come away with hats. They came, they didn't they didn't actually go. They didn't like half time and like it was to did is still so new. There it was like 100% full. Right? And so they're like, we'll just leave and it's like, okay. They're like Adam,

Collin Funkhouser  30:50

I met with a, I was talking in apartments today talking with apartment with property managers and whatever. One of the ladies that apartment that I was talking to was saying that it has the presence of that she lives out kind of on that side of town. The presence of that has added an extra seven minutes to her commute

Brandon  31:12

time. My bed. I was like, I was like,

Collin Funkhouser  31:15

Are you kidding me? And she's like, No, no, she was it's the most annoying thing in the world. Right? It's

Brandon  31:22

that like, not only do is it like II Norris and like the amount of like actual interstate traffic that is going there is just probably stupidly huge. Right? The because it's new. Right? There's also the added like, everyone is just going

Collin Funkhouser  31:46

there's the sightseeing aspect. Yeah, yeah, there's like utilitarian perspective need. That's just a let's go see and enjoy it. Like it's like an

Brandon  31:56

attraction. Yes. Right. Which, like, I don't understand.

Collin Funkhouser  32:01

I don't need a gas station man. Like,

Brandon  32:07

I don't I don't know why you it's like a truckstop too. Right? Like, that's it like, oh, you can have been Yeah, like, truck stops are kind of neat, I guess. Right? Even though every time you are at a truckstop like, you know, like the normal ones like the TA or like the whatever. Like, there's always stuff in there. Like who is buying this eagle statue? And as Gasser like what is happening?

Collin Funkhouser  32:45

Yep. Wow, I really want to go. I really want to speak with you know, an inventory specialist, or that who's in charge of ordering what they stock and be like, but know really, how many people are buying this random? You know, ceramic bust of this, you know of this kind of Hank Williams Jr. Like, please tell me this like,

Brandon  33:10

big, like, Coyote thing like, what? What is that? Who is that for? But who is that for? Really? You know, like, sometimes they're you know, I've been to some right they're always in like Texas, but not the one right? But like, there's like oh, there's like when we drove to Arizona, right? There's like, you know, they have there's little obligatory like, rattlesnake things and like weird hats and stuff like that. But like there's a lot of things sometimes it's like a lamp. Like what? Who is buying a lamp at a drugstore? Yeah, like it's not even something you could put in your truck. Right it's not even like a truck related items. You know, like I'm not a trucking expert by any means but like there's not enough room in some of those. I mean, there might be but like, I don't know of a lot of like Over the Road Truckers that are like oh yeah, I need this like big Tiffany style lamp. That's what I need. Like what that no like what No,

Collin Funkhouser  34:18

it's a really good point. And it makes you think about Yeah, well, I mean, just I know it I've seen it like embroidered like towels like hand towels and stuff there. Again, you're going to who is stopping in for fuel coming in to then use the restroom, which everybody does? And then going oh,

34:41

what?

Collin Funkhouser  34:42

How did they know? That's exactly what I need for my dear. It's not a Bed Bath and Beyond and yet, and yet.

Brandon  34:49

Yeah, we are. There's like, art. Yeah, there was one that we stopped at and like, I don't know, it was in New Mexico somewhere, I think and there was just like we went there, but even though there's like a bunch of weird things everywhere, like it's so strange. I don't know, I do actually. Turn it somewhere. There is I do, I must confess I did at what I did on that trip, somewhere in the middle of the New Mexican desert, I did buy a Panama hat. thing, right? did buy that. Because we were going to go do some more like outdoorsy stuff. And then eventually, we're just like going home. I don't want to be here anymore. So I never used it, or what I was planning on using. But we just because we ran away. Well, sure. But like

Collin Funkhouser  36:01

let's say that they had, again, I'm sure they had a lot of data analytics that they were like, Panama has everybody needs. Everybody

36:09

needs. Well, I mean, it's desert.

Brandon  36:11

I thought I was gonna be outside a long time. I might need more than just like my normal hand, right? Because I am a fair scared, fair skinned boy. And so you know, didn't want that but we decided we need to leave the state of Arizona and possibly never return. So I mean, possibly

Collin Funkhouser  36:29

you mean absolutely never return. We haven't been back yet. So hold true to that promise.

Brandon  36:36

There's that that was about 15 years ago so doing good so far. Yeah. You know, but yeah, they were talking about they were gonna go check it out and they're gonna go see and they're gonna go look around. You don't need to do that. Please don't go do that. Don't become indoctrinated. indoctrinated into the culture that is superstition.

Collin Funkhouser  37:19

Yeah, I did not I specifically avoided it. I went to another another gas station and stared at their gelatinous gravy in a plastic tub and was like, that's, that's exactly what we need. Absolutely.

Brandon  37:33

Yeah, it is. I actually don't think I've ever bought any hot food from gas. Well, maybe like yeah, not while I was traveling. I think I've I've bought like gas station like pizza before? Right. But like, I think that might be it. Yeah, like when I lived in another town, they their gas station like sold pizza. They had like a thing. Right? So I bought that. Sure. But outside of that. I don't think I bought I don't buy hot food items or gas issues. Yeah.

Collin Funkhouser  38:25

I'm trying to get me thinking. I've think I've done pizza. I think I've also done like, like a, like a sausage biscuit like breakfast sandwich.

38:35

We've done that as well. Did I but

Brandon  38:41

maybe I might have done it like that for but it's not evident if I did. It was not it's not a frequent thing. Right. I just don't know. Like a lot of the large portion of my life, right? When we were younger, right? And we were like traveling extensively to like summer camps and things like this. We were stopping these gas stations, right? This was just long enough ago that a lot of the gas station food was like, it's like the stereotypical Asian food where it was like, I'm not sure how long it's been in this role or thing. Yeah, it's the rollers. I don't really want to get food poisoning from this gas station like freshness was not a word that you used, you know, so like, I just avoided it altogether and just was like, Oh, well, I guess we'll get like that I have bought gas station like sandwiches from like the cooler. Sure. I've done that before. Yeah, I bought wraps. Yeah, as well. I bought that kind of stuff before I guess. Because like on like, road trips are just like, Oh, yeah. You know, sandwich. That's no problem. I have about those four little triangle things.

Collin Funkhouser  40:01

Oh yes, yeah, the little wedges with like no little wedges that have the sandwich in the foam bread where you're like, what is really happening here?

Brandon  40:08

Yeah, that's fine. That'd be good. And then I think I did buy like another like a wrap or like a bigger sandwich like a plastic it looks like the same as you buy a Walmart kinda but it was. So I bought those before but I don't think I've I don't remember. Okay, I'm going to caveat this asterisk. I don't remember ever buying hot food items from a gas station. So I don't understand the draw. Right. Like, yeah, I understand why that's a selling point. Like they have brisket like Yeah. You know, what else has brisket? Any of the other like, 700 Barbecue restaurants?

Collin Funkhouser  40:50

nearby? And, and very importantly, here. They're not from a gas station, right? Yeah,

Brandon  40:57

I don't care. How like, I'm notorious for not particularly liking barbecue anyway. Right? I just don't ever. Like, I'll eat it. It's fine. But like, I don't ever go like, Oh, man, you know what I need right now. barbecue sandwich like much to Susan's chagrin. I don't write, because she does, in fact, maybe reconsider if you are in Springfield. And you have like a large choice of barbecue. Why would you get it from a gas station? Right. Why would you do that? I don't understand why that is. Your choice. Like, Oh, yeah. This is where I'm going? Yeah. All right. Don't get it. Don't get it. If you're in Springfield. And you really, really need barbecue real bad. The obvious answer is, of course, Crosstown barbecue, right? Or let's be real here. There's only one real choice. Only one would want to go to cross them barbecue. That's where you want to go. Yes. You don't want to go to a gas station. Nobody wants you don't want to go anyplace else. I mean, there's lots of other acceptable barbecue restaurants. But like, why would you not want to go to Crosstown? The best one, in my opinion, as a person who is not a giant barbecue enthusiast. That's

Collin Funkhouser  42:34

Well, again, not gas station, I think of it just, maybe it's just look, it could be some biases coming out here of as soon as you add gas station as either a prefix or suffix to a food item. It just you know, conjures up a few things. Maybe just mentally Yeah, it's a blockages in their real Yeah,

Brandon  43:00

that's true. That's true. That's what I struggle with. Yeah, that is Yeah, I agree. Again, I don't understand why you would seek that. I mean, I understand if you are like, if you are a I mean I'm glad that this exists for the transportation industry. Right? Yeah. If you are a truck driving individual right? It's you can't go to Crosstown barbecue and just like hanging out because you have a schedule he has key if you have a lot of things you have to do you have to do this stuff. Right. And so it is good that you the professional driver have increased options for you. Right? I'm not talking about that. I'm not talking about that. Oh, those people work very hard. They have very long hours they do a lot of stuff they do you need more food options? I think that's good from right I feel like this is good good for a year morale. It's good for all the stuff. Right? You don't want to just be eating like cheese and crackers and like peanuts all day long. That's not good. Right? That's bad. I so I'm not talking about transportation professionals here. I want to make that clear in this sidenote, right. I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about like, just random looky loo percents like oh yeah, I have infinite choices and I'm going to choose barbecue from here. That's so weird. answer's no. Don't avoid at all costs. Yeah. It's so strange. And so out of left field like just completely random and like going across that barbecue, the dude is super nice. He's really great. I met him a few times before. He probably doesn't know that, but I remember. I remember him being awesome. Super friendly guy. makes excellent barbecue. So there you go. That's what

Collin Funkhouser  45:23

that's what you need to do. Well, that absolutely. Yeah. And yeah. Steve. Yeah, Steve they go ahead. McCullough knows his name after we googled

Brandon  45:33

Yes. He's a gradient. So go see Steve. Get some cross and barbecue. Right? Yeah, I still to this day. That jingle the jingle from the like the old television commercial jingle plays in my head. Because it was to the tune of the whole crowd I was just thinking about it. What's the tune that song? Don't do daddy did he lit it up? But he did you did in the mood

Collin Funkhouser  46:06

right when the band

Brandon  46:09

Yeah, they had a jingle. They had a commercial. They have the Crosstown BBQ song to the melody in the mood. And it was probably the catchiest thing in the history of the universe. Right that's that's I still love that. And I don't I'm the in the mood thing I'd like

46:34

to pass down Barbie. Like oh my gosh, what the heck?

Brandon  46:39

I'm good at marketing and bringing that back. And you need that back. Submit. Yeah, form it doesn't Yeah, bring back the in the new jingle. Right hashtag not sponsored by Carson barbecue, by the way.

Collin Funkhouser  46:53

So part one was the hard put. Just

Brandon  46:55

want to make sure that you know this, right? Yeah, I say this out here. A hashtag now sponsored by the way just shilling real hard. My blood my man, Steve. But it

Collin Funkhouser  47:12

sounds like I know where we need to go record our live in person.

Brandon  47:16

That's right. Susan will be enthusiastic about this plan. She does love barbecue. That is she's making Susie just

Collin Funkhouser  47:24

one of those.

Brandon  47:26

He's indeed. Anyway, what else have you been up to?

Collin Funkhouser  47:37

Limit? Not a whole lot. It's been we're we kind of all we are. We are past our Big Spring Break rush as a business. So things have been really awesome. Oh, that's nice. So it's been really very normal. Right. But it's also been like that, because of how just the economy is right now and how people travel. Like, they all go for like a ton of people go for much shorter time windows, as opposed to what they used to happen. It was more spread out. They're like, Oh, I'll take four days. Or I may take nine days. Obviously they're like, No, three days, and we're all leaving. And so it's just like, really, really crazy. And everybody

48:17

thinks the same three days like yes, they all think the same

Collin Funkhouser  48:19

three days. And then there's a hard crater afterwards, right? Because then it's like there's nothing and then you kind of pick up a few people there. So yeah, it's been weird. Just like the pacing of things has been off, which throws me off. But I was I was in town today making some some stops. And by coming up to this apartment complex, and you kind of look at vehicles, right? And I think like, I think that person lives here. Do they own this, right? Like, or like are they an investor in this property, whatever. I definitely came across somebody who had a was definitely an investor in them as they got into there. Because I saw the guy standing in the office talking with someone else who also looked rather hot and bothered about something and then he's not stormed out, but he stalked out and opened the luxurious door to his Bentley Continental and that gravy of why. And then the GT and then shut

Brandon  49:28

the door with you know, with the force,

Collin Funkhouser  49:34

you know, took off. And the first thing I thought of was James May taking that on the rally stage. Yeah, all right. I just, I just had to laugh because it was one of those. I guess I the whole point of that show was just to show the marvelous engineering that goes into cars and the people behind them and they just make these fantastic machines that you can pretty much do anything thing with and that and then think like, here's the sky and he's gonna go you know, like max speed on that day is probably gonna be 57 miles an hour you know just the thick of what torturous things have been done to that both both on the Grand Tour actually and in top gear so that really that made me laugh like this. That's the first thing I thought was James me rallying.

Brandon  50:29

I mean, yes, true, but that's also insane. Like, we're just driving a Bentley room.

50:33

I rhinefield like bag man, what

Collin Funkhouser  50:35

is it? Serious. This is the thing where I'm like it there. It is insane. And it's it was local play. It wasn't Missouri was Missouri plates. And you know at it. Yeah. So then then, of course, I was on Facebook marketplace trying to figure out like, what can I what are sort of the price range? That's what is appealing GT Continental. I know what, this this

Brandon  51:00

probably by an Italian house for less. So one fan like

Collin Funkhouser  51:07

you can either buy a 2006 Continental GT, or you could probably buy three Italian villas, that's all. Yeah, they go. That's

Brandon  51:15

kinda what's up here. I don't know what I'm picking. It was it was just

Collin Funkhouser  51:28

one of those. That moment where you're just standing there, you know, you're like, Oh,

Brandon  51:33

what is happening? Okay,

Collin Funkhouser  51:36

Tom now I guess.

Brandon  51:40

That's funny. But yeah, we're need some water. Oh. Anyway, vamping filling space.

Collin Funkhouser  51:53

know, I've been doing lots of stuff. Because when it when there is downtime in the business, I do a lot more kind of a lot more administrative business stuff in podcast interviews and stuff like that. So that's been I mean, that's and then the kids are on their school that they go to doesn't have a spring break. They call it an Easter break. And it's like, weirdly long and spans between two weeks. So that's what's weird. Like, it starts on a Wednesday and like, ends on a Wednesday, I was across the weekend. Yep. Okay. So we've got this really long break that we're on right now.

Brandon  52:28

And trying to figure out like, what do we do?

Collin Funkhouser  52:31

Are we gonna go anywhere? I don't know. But no, starts baseball practice next week. So

52:38

does Yes. Yes, we wind

Collin Funkhouser  52:41

up for that. Sign up for that. And it's already off to a really good start. Is it? So? Again, this is run by the city parks department, and they get, you know, volunteer people to do it. So I'm very thankful for that.

Brandon  52:57

But I, I, it's tough. We

Collin Funkhouser  53:02

are so used to Megan. I like hyper scheduling her in my days and times of like, where are we going to be? How are we going to be there? What does that mean? What can we take on what don't we take on what do we say yes to like, yeah, that's something that's constantly on our mind. This was the very first message from the coach

Brandon  53:20

at 10 o'clock last night. Hey, everyone, sorry

Collin Funkhouser  53:24

for late text made this group chat. So it's easier for me to talk to everybody. I'm texting. Let everyone know our first practice. Is this coming Monday at 530 at this park,

Brandon  53:34

see everyone there?

Collin Funkhouser  53:37

pretty chill intro to this. And so all the other parents are texting one another at 10 o'clock at night, saying you know Braxton super excited. Carter can't wait. Christian super gonna be there. Riker is really ready.

Brandon  53:50

And I'm like, can't wait. Hey, do

Collin Funkhouser  53:55

you have any other dates that you can share with us at this time? So I can get it on my schedule.

Brandon  53:59

And he may respond and go?

Collin Funkhouser  54:03

Yeah, I'll ask about more game day. See if they know about that. Yep. All I know, is that practices Monday at 530. Oh, and Thursday at 630.

Brandon  54:14

I mean, that's good, too. And

Collin Funkhouser  54:16

I'm like, I go. Oh, so we're already like, within two texts. I'm we're already adding dates. Right? Like, oh, you said Monday and now it's Monday and Thursday.

Brandon  54:33

Yeah, this is why whatever I coached many, many years ago when I coached my soccer team, right? I just went we picked we it was like the same day is every week. Yeah. These days. I can't remember it was once or twice a week. Not important, but like if it was like Tuesday, for example, was like yep, Tuesday at five. Yep. Every every Tuesday.

Collin Funkhouser  54:57

Well, I just I just I'm glad I I asked because apparently he was just going to wait until Monday to then tell us about the Thursday practice that we were supposed to be attending. Right? Like, that's what had gave me anxiety of like, oh, okay, right. Like I, I just I'm trying to but like here, this goes type x into the fantasy of like, what am I going to be doing for six months like, I just gonna be breathing. I'm just gonna be embracing embracing. I'm just going to learn and I'm just gonna go, I'll know what I need to know. Right? Like, when it's important, I'll be informed and I will just trust for them. The it's hard horrifies me. So yeah, we're gonna go to a local sports. Kind of like, kind of like a local version of an academy. And but it's a sports supply. Yeah, center, and go get a Hamlet's and pants and shoes and then all that are stones. So it is me. Yeah. Because they they do say it is like they want you to to have that. But I'm also like, I want to go this weekend. But also I'm like, well, maybe we wait for one day, and just see. But I'm, I have like, I'm the only one who's asked any questions up to this point. And I don't want to ask more questions. But also, do we need to show up with pants? But do I need a white white pants or black pants or like that that would

Brandon  56:29

be important? Yeah. Right. Do you have a glove? But we do have a glove we have? That's okay, that's good. Start there. Boom, done. So ready for practice?

Collin Funkhouser  56:44

I'm like, borderline like, maybe I just text the coach, like, directly and personally and asked my more follow up questions here because? Or do I just go? Well, just if we were supposed to, I'm going to trust that if we were supposed to show up with more, he would have told us to show up with more. So we're just going to show up and breathe like I'm fine. Oh, internal battles. plays a part.

Brandon  57:08

I don't remember. In my extensive baseball career. I don't think I ever practiced in, like, uniformly things. Right. But that was long time ago. So I don't know why we just practiced like, whatever like,

Collin Funkhouser  57:29

right? Well, here I'm like, I don't know, does he need to practice in the shoes? Like I get that to me? That would be kind of important. So you know, what those feel like? And how we're gonna broken into grab and break them in?

Brandon  57:43

Yeah, so like, Is that weird? Oh, no, no. Yeah, maybe? Yeah. Wherever the secretary?

Collin Funkhouser  57:52

Because that's I'm thinking we'll just show up and stuff. They have stuff they do. They don't they don't get a glove.

Brandon  58:00

Right. Well, that's the most important part. I think. So you need baseball glove to play baseball. Right? Some say it's important. It is right. Potentially a bat, maybe. But I don't know if you have to provide your own bat or not. There is such a young age. So like, he's had some

Collin Funkhouser  58:20

I've read a document that they have procured very early on in this process that have yet to be able to find again, not surprising, but ah, I think that they said that the bats would they can provide helmets, they, they may have some to share, but they really strongly encourage everybody to have their own. I think for like, lice reason, probably the thing you know, like it's totally understand, but

Brandon  58:49

because we just had them in a duffel bag, I seem to remember.

Collin Funkhouser  58:52

Yeah. And that's not very conducive to killing anything. So you could like spray

Brandon  58:56

stuff in there is fine. And this is like,

Collin Funkhouser  59:01

oh, oh, so that's it. That's, that's off to a grand start with, with organization because Megan I also came off of a very, very interesting lack of organization which actually played to our benefit. So we went to the our local Chamber of Commerce awards banquet. And back in January, they had sent out this email that was like, Hey, if you want to attend, email us at this address and tell us who's going to be there and how many and blah, blah. So Megan did back in January 10. I have the email. And it's been sitting there. It's been on our calendar. We've great we're gonna show up. We show up they say oh, did you guys RSVP and we were like, Yes, back in January and they looked at the list. They look at us and they go, let us go check. They they probably updated the last let me go see what we have. Watch that. scurry off, like, frantically Find chairs for your kid new placemat. And they just throw us at this table. And they come sit over here. So, okay, we go over, we sit down, we, we are putting our stuff down. And that's whenever I kind of looked over. And I noticed like the, well, there's the seat for the President of the Chamber, and there's the seat for the grand Pooh bah. And there's a board member. And there's a Oh, that's a county commissioner. And that's a state representative. And that's what they had done is they panicked, and they realized that they had messed up, and they just threw, because they, again, it's hard, they have two people that they have to sit that they know they need to sit together. And none of the other tables had space. And so they put us at the head table. And so awkward. Right up at the front of everything. And this is, I hate this so much. I hate this so much. But there are people in this life that when they see people when they see other people in positions of perceived authority or importance, they become deferential to them, just because of this weird perception. I'm sitting at this table with these people around this random man who I don't know this person. I've never met them in my life.

Brandon  1:01:22

Please tell me you're you're still wearing your petsitter t shirt. I

Collin Funkhouser  1:01:26

wasn't wearing just a pet sitters t shirt. We have kind of nicer polos

Brandon  1:01:29

that okay, all right. Like I was just waiting. I would have been sitting there to your position of power, and you're just t shirt.

Collin Funkhouser  1:01:39

I was wearing a black polo that said that's it or basically.

Brandon  1:01:41

Alright, that's a little more equity.

Collin Funkhouser  1:01:45

It's a Funky Bunch of like nice little letters. But everybody's lovely font. All right, yes, lovely fonts with fire with our brand font. But at Montserrat, up there. I'm sitting there. And he comes over and like, sticks out his hand to gladhands. Me and was like, thank you for all you guys do for the chamber. We really appreciate it your supports Gray, we couldn't do this without just so wonderful. And I'm like, shaking his head nodding. And I'm like, wonderful to meet you. And then he turns and walk away. And I realized what has just happened again, he was like, oh, head table, important person, I better go say hi. I turned to Megan. And she goes, I just happened and it goes, I don't think I don't I don't know. I don't know what's going on. And then within the sub person when the community comes over and like talking with us, and she, she goes, Well, I wanted to introduce you to the state representative who's here so that you can meet him, and I'm shaking his hands and she's gonna do sing and she turns to one of the county commissioners and she's talking to us. And then she turns and she looks at Megan tonight looks at her table and goes, Oh, I didn't know you were sitting with them. And got kind of affected

Brandon  1:02:58

church and walked away.

Collin Funkhouser  1:03:01

And I was like, I wanted to explain of like, like,

1:03:05

I don't know, either I did. He just threw me

Collin Funkhouser  1:03:09

messed up. Here's my email from January 10. I'm not supposed to be here, apparently. I'm really sorry. And then the whole night. I'm just sitting there. And I'm like watching people get their awards and whatever. And we're clapping, we're eating our dinner. And

Brandon  1:03:24

the whole night. I'm like, people must be so confused.

Collin Funkhouser  1:03:29

Because so far, two people were very confused about why those people were sitting at that table with everybody else.

Brandon  1:03:37

I was

Collin Funkhouser  1:03:39

just like, I really hope that they would hope if we're like, I was I was gonna make and see what did they do, how they get into what's going on. And it just, I hope that just sends shockwaves through people's brains of like, I don't know, get this is the fantasies that live in my world. Mostly were probably what happened when that's weird and moved on.

Brandon  1:04:04

I really hope it bothers. It's gonna bother that one lady. For sure. And maybe nobody else. But that one lady is going to be sitting with that for a couple of days at least as like what's going on here. Yeah, that's launching an investigation like what's going on? What's happening, why she

Collin Funkhouser  1:04:28

is in level of like, community importance and involvement. She's way high. Like, really, really like upper echelon kind of people in the community. And so that's what made it all the more better. Because like, she she she knows the state representative by like, personally like I'm pretty sure has had dinner at our at her house when with their family and his and like, like like I'm sitting here like, you know, at the table with him and like I

Brandon  1:05:06

just hanging out, so I was just

1:05:08

hanging out, just hanging out

Collin Funkhouser  1:05:15

Oh, in case you're wondering, the food was not all that delicious. I didn't even get dessert

Brandon  1:05:22

surprising, not surprised. A banquet the things that foods just it's always disappointing. Not right. And to make this even better

Collin Funkhouser  1:05:32

in all of the advertising on all the social media and all the newsletters. Was there any mention of this being? Did you need to pay to attend this thing?

Brandon  1:05:48

Answers answer's no, no, no, no wasn't a terrible surprise.

Collin Funkhouser  1:05:53

Imagine my surprise when the very next day we get an invoice.

Brandon  1:06:02

Good grief, for I'm for an amount of money. That

Collin Funkhouser  1:06:12

that Megan, like, a fancy dinner would not. I couldn't spend this amount of money to go to a fancy dinner like anywhere. They were

Brandon  1:06:22

there. I

Collin Funkhouser  1:06:24

was shot and I'm just staring at this. And I'm like, on it. And then we pour through everything in there. No, uh, no advertising. Is this something that they said? To get your tickets to get your very expensive tickets? Yeah.

Brandon  1:06:43

That's weird. Yep.

Collin Funkhouser  1:06:45

And so I sent a message back and said, I gotta be honest. And I was surprised to see this. And I included as some screenshots of this. And I said, I didn't see anything about pricing on this. And I would like to know, like, where I can find that. And the response was, oh, well, we've we've always charged for this. You know, it costs money to rent the venue and get food. So

Brandon  1:07:08

thanks. So not

1:07:10

coming next year.

Collin Funkhouser  1:07:14

I said, that's gonna make it even better. Because, you know, next year, I was kind of like, oh, that's gonna be sad, because we're not gonna get to sit at the fancy table. We're gonna sit in the back like everybody else. But now we're not going to be there. So even more rumors can spread about what yeah, what? What,

Brandon  1:07:27

Why, why? How did you become offended by the table that you were sitting at which which person caused the strife? enough for you to not return? Right? This,

Collin Funkhouser  1:07:41

this is the small town that I am here for,

Brandon  1:07:43

like every way. Imagine how much you're gonna enjoy. Being in a tiny, tiny village man, that's going to be

Collin Funkhouser  1:07:54

all of the intrigue. I am here for every moment of the intrigue. And I will do what I can to further it and make sure that there are depths and layers and more mystery beneath like, that's, I'm just here for that. So I'm ready to create. We need a backstory. We need a different alibis. Okay.

Brandon  1:08:13

All right, well, I'll I think we can make this work. Right. I think we can do this, we can come up with controversy here, we can probably can have the sixth grade girls. Right? This that will be it'll be extra good. That way.

Collin Funkhouser  1:08:32

It will really come off it will have an air of authenticity

Brandon  1:08:35

at that point really well, right, it will be very

Collin Funkhouser  1:08:47

fewer, fewer things are more authentic than state fairs. Actually, that's true. That's true. That's coming together of people from all walks of life, preparing to state and state states for purposes of their own. Gather around commonalities, slot around culture and specifically music,

Brandon  1:09:11

fried foods,

Collin Funkhouser  1:09:13

foods and music.

Brandon  1:09:16

Yeah, so this year, ladies, gentlemen, the Missouri State Fair lineup is very confusing.

Collin Funkhouser  1:09:21

I think you've been amazing. i It's all one. It is

Brandon  1:09:27

glorious. It is. I have no idea. What it's very. It's a lot. Right. So Colin, this morning, sent me a screenshot of the newest member of the Missouri State Fair grandstand. Right. And so I did some more investigating. And it turns out There are four To Be Announced spots. And so Colin and I have decided to fantasy draft fantasy book, the four remaining spots off the list, which is before before we go into our strategy here, I feel like we should go over the current attendees. All right. So I'm gonna read these off to you. And we can make some commentary as we go down here, right this is in the chronological order, by the way, I don't know what that means. I don't know if that I don't know if they're like building towards something or if they just like stick people places. Yeah, but first one. First one is a foreigner. Big one, the foreigner farewell tour making a stop.

Collin Funkhouser  1:11:02

There is a fair Did you read? Did you read what they're doing on their farewell tour?

Brandon  1:11:05

No, no, I didn't go that far.

Collin Funkhouser  1:11:07

So they to foreigners only been around since 2004. Which seems like I I don't believe that because I think

Brandon  1:11:15

that's the new foreigner, new foreigner. There's a new singer. And I feel like with the current singer, they move because the other guy there's a thing they got they replaced the singer. Yes. So so they

Collin Funkhouser  1:11:29

the in its original incarnation errs are the current incarnation starting 2004. Yes, as part of their farewell tour. They started this back last year in July of 2023. And their goal is to go back to every place they've ever performed.

Brandon  1:11:49

They started Wow. A foreigner in itself has been around since at least the 80s. Yes, right. I think the singer like They either can't sing anymore. Are you sick or so? I don't remember exactly what happened. But like, they gotta do singer guy. And that's why but that's crazy.

Collin Funkhouser  1:12:07

I know. Yeah. Yeah. It's gonna be so that's that is interesting.

Brandon  1:12:12

That is okay. That's kind of interesting. Farewell Tour plan. Right.

Collin Funkhouser  1:12:16

And I kind of like that, too. Yeah. Because Because, yeah, like, you think about, like, going back as a as a as a rock band. Right? If going like, yeah, we are a lot bigger now than we were when we started back then even though you know, long history, blah, blah, blah. Like, it's kind of cool to see them come back to whatever so yeah, yeah. So you go so foreigner kicking off?

Brandon  1:12:40

Do we have a person named Warren Xavier's dieters? 000 is I have no, I confess I have no idea who has no idea. So no offense, Warren. But no clue. Then. Then we have the Goo Goo Dolls, which is what caught me this morning. And I was like, yes, it's yes, that Goo Dolls. Lego. We have a Tracy Lawrence, which I somewhat remember. I think country music II person I believe it's a very country music name and also they're wearing a cowboy hat this picture so I would assume that he is a country singer. And a another person. It's a tauren Well, question Yes.

1:13:40

Don't know go with.

Collin Funkhouser  1:13:41

We'll go with that.

Brandon  1:13:42

who that is. And then ladies, gentlemen, somehow someway, the Missouri State Fair, featuring ludicrous, ludicrous. Linda luda comes to the state fair. Right. It's a very interesting year for luda, right Super Bowl. Was really state fair. And I don't know how

Collin Funkhouser  1:14:08

much bigger than that actually. Yeah, that's true. That's true. I want to retire go in his farewell tour. Yeah.

Brandon  1:14:14

And there you go. There are still four spots open. So Colin and I have decided to pick so I want to know first of all, your strategy for this

Collin Funkhouser  1:14:28

to this one was this one was interesting. They I went back a couple years and looked at other performed some bands that performed just to give some context just real quick.

Brandon  1:14:43

The

Collin Funkhouser  1:14:45

lineup for last year, they had one of the people from Florida Georgia Line had Laney Wilson, which was a big hit three doors down, came and provides a very state fair band right there is a good one right in They have some lesser known people to me, like Cory Asbury had a country comeback tour featuring a bunch of different artists. They had Riley Green, and Randy Houser. And they had Nelly. So last year was a good they do try and pull this mix of genres. And the Missouri State Fair has a long history of having people coming back again, and again. And again. So, it is also very interesting, but, but each year, they don't have like, oh, and all these same people performed here last year, like, oh, yeah, it's like a couple years later, maybe five or 10 years sometimes like so that that is something that is to keep in mind. They have this history, but also they more recently, within the past 10 years, like, like to have a variety of yes, people. Sure. Obviously, given by foreigner,

Brandon  1:15:59

and ludicrous. I tried to keep that in mind when I was making my list. Okay, I thought about, I thought about that I thought about I need a variety. I can't pick just a whole bunch. I can't pick four people from a single genre, a high, that'll never work. Now, the other thing that I thought was important is like, obviously, I can't pick people I've never heard of to be on my list. Yes. So that is a blind spot for me, right? I can't just pick like random people. I don't know why I did think about a lot of these people. Right? Popular at least 20 years ago, that you play state fairs, right? Because it's a lot of times, right? You go through the cycle as a people, they want to get people that like, when you were in high school, right? You listened to them. And now that you're like an adult, and maybe you have a family, you want to see them again, you're gonna bring your family, it's fair to see them. Right. This is this is the marketing strategy. Right? So we need some older X ray, so nothing probably from the last 10 years. That's important. Right now, that doesn't mean that these people still aren't performing, obviously, because here they are performing, right? Uh huh. But like the popular being like when they hit big, they was like before, right? So that's what I was thinking about, as well, trying to think back to the late 90s 2000s.

Collin Funkhouser  1:17:34

Era. Now, also keeping in mind, and this is, this is hard for me, but also keeping in mind like, can't have it, this is why they have some of the unknowns are like the new plus some bigger acts. So it also makes it hard to but like this is so I understand that from a planning perspective, you can't have all of the major acts from like, Tom Yeah, no, I can't. But that's true.

Brandon  1:18:01

But also about, like, who's some, like, mid tier people? Right, right. Like, they're not like bad. Right. But they're not like the top. Right? Or this is the this is the area that are like secretly good sometimes. Right? Right. If you're listing him in a in a list, right, this would be like, like, if you do this, you know, those tiered lists are popular now on the internet, people like Frank things like S, A, B, C, right? Like that. Oh, yes. You know, those, but they a lot of these bands, they would go in like the B cell, right? They're solid? Yep. They're good. They're solid. You like them? You know, they kind of fly under the radar. Sometimes you don't remember them first off, but you're like, No, no, I like that. Right? This is where the beach here. Right? If we think about this, this is what like, this is really where the gold is. Right? Like the diamonds in the rough. Because like everybody knows, like the best ones. You know, like the number one people like the SEC or whatever. Everybody knows them. But like, real fans know the beat here. Right? That's how you know that's that's where the real money's at. Right? So that's what I thought about to like, who's not like maybe not like the best wasn't like the most popular, but it was like solid. Yeah, and like popular enough that a lot of people did like them. And then I remember right

Collin Funkhouser  1:19:29

very importantly, apparently so this is this is tricky. And this is tricky because Yeah. And then why why genres too important. So I have I will not say that I have done a good job balancing the like, because I just don't know more modern artists that would make a good beat here in their current what they're doing. I don't know. These

Brandon  1:19:52

are modern essay. All of mine again, I was specifically looking at lists and trying to brainstorm from The 90s and early 2000s. That's where I drew my inspiration. I feel like that's the correct time period. That needs to be at State Fair now. Right? Understood, still doing solid shows, kind of the adult fans coming back and reliving their high school and you know, college times enjoying the vibes from their favorite bands from back in the day. That's, that's what I was thinking about. To go

Collin Funkhouser  1:20:28

live you have you kick this off as are this is this in any particular order of what you make decisions, not in a particular order.

Brandon  1:20:34

Don't have any particular order here at all. And I just might click the wrong button and my list went away. Oh, no. All right. Okay. So, so I'm going to start with I don't really know here, I'm going to start with I Okay, so I wanted to pick something from some country music. Right. Okay. And so we have to, of course, go to the golden age of country music. That is the 1990s. Right? Because, however popular you think other music genres were in the 90s country was probably twice that. Ah, right. It really was. Right. Like, he's actually watching some stuff today about this. And like, you think like, you know, like Biggie Smalls. Sold like, for some of his albums were like four times platinum. Right? Yeah, there are country music stars in the 90s that weren't like 567. Right. Like the the numbers are ridiculous. It's a very, very popular genre. Now, who is a 90s country star? That like, probably still has a big fan base? I don't know. I only remember this person because my college roommate listened to him all the time. Gosh, okay. So now I'm an end. I think we need more country. Music is a very important state fair. Genre. Very, right. So of course, you have to have Sammy Kershaw. Oh, yeah, right. Hey, yeah, I think Sammy Kershaw. Well, I think that the whole vibe, because that's like, kind of like early to mid 90s was like big popular time. Right. So I feel like he's still out there singing doing stuff. So I feel like that would slot it nicely to a state fair. Yeah. Yeah. Okay.

Collin Funkhouser  1:22:38

That's a good pick. It's good picks.

Brandon  1:22:39

All right. Hey,

Collin Funkhouser  1:22:41

I too. Went with a

Brandon  1:22:46

went with a catchy music from around that time. Maybe a little bit. A little bit older,

1:22:55

I guess. Let me

Brandon  1:22:57

know. No.

Collin Funkhouser  1:23:01

Don't forget, remember what year started? Yeah, no, it was 90 solid 90s through the 2000s. It's not what's not one person, it's two person, it's might be a bigger get to kind of reach for here.

Brandon  1:23:12

While I say that.

Collin Funkhouser  1:23:16

I did some deep dives on these things. They've actually this would actually be really good. Because again, they like to bring people back. These have people have not performed for very long time at the state fair. I think they should do books and done. Oh,

1:23:28

yeah.

Brandon  1:23:30

Are they still active?

1:23:35

I mean, are they I didn't

Brandon  1:23:37

I don't know why that would be a good one. That was big one. Right? Who cannot? Who can forget? No, they are they

Collin Funkhouser  1:23:44

are still touring across two different countries and 20. So

Brandon  1:23:46

yeah, yeah. Alright, nice. I did. I did have a problem where I was like, oh, we should get these people and then it's like, not together anymore. But yeah, who can who doesn't want to remember their elementary school gym class of doing the boot? scootin Boogie doing line dancing in elementary gym class, very integral part of American life. Absolutely. Along with weirdly Filipino bamboo dancing. Also country line dancing. Very important part. Look, I

Collin Funkhouser  1:24:21

can't say we weren't cultured.

Brandon  1:24:25

True. That's a good one. That's i I am definitely guilty of having at least three bricks and done tapes. Right from my elementary school days when I was big country guy. Right. That definitely happened.

Collin Funkhouser  1:24:43

Of course, you have to it was it's literally required.

Brandon  1:24:48

Right. Nice. That's a good pick. I like it. Nice. All right, my next one. I settled on a Rock Band here, kind of like mid 90s. And then like, mid to late 90s in the kind of like, the big breakout was like early 2000s. Right, it was one I remember them. So we're gonna go with Chevelle, Chevelle. Okay. Yes, they go nice, very 2002. Right. Yeah, good. Right. It's good on the cycle. Right? Very, very good on the cycle here. Yeah. Right. Even I can only remember that one song to read song. But you know, everybody continued that one, too. That would be a good everybody's singing along at the state of Arizona. Yes, because they know the words. Everybody knows. They go, Hey,

Collin Funkhouser  1:25:49

this is very interesting. I'm just gonna, I'm gonna throw out my more modern ish rock band here.

Brandon  1:25:59

Now is to

Collin Funkhouser  1:26:02

go along with that is the black keys.

Brandon  1:26:04

Oh, nice. Black Keys. That's a good one. See that on my list? I did. And I did. I know. I didn't put it on my list, but I was thinking about them when I was making. Okay, that is a pretty good one. Yeah,

Collin Funkhouser  1:26:18

I think that we are going to start getting into we're gonna have fewer and fewer of the old timey rock bands, as you know, for various reasons. But you're still gonna have there's still some of those early 2000s 90s rock bands that came out that are going to start touring now at least at this level. So yeah, that's a good one. Like he's very solid. Very solid.

Brandon  1:26:47

And I like black keys. Good stuff. Nice choices so far. Good. Ready for this? My next pick, right? I had I had to toss up here. Right? I had to really think hard about this. But in the end there was only really one choice. I decided I was trying to pick a rap act. Right. Okay. So I'm hip hop action. So that luda is not alone? Very well, I was trying to think like, who is who would be that like? Kind of, you know, solid, like that be level? No offense, right. Like 2000s Kind of the same luda era, right? Because that's like, remember, like this kind of like, rappers like really? super popular, like the early 2000s. Right. So I thought I didn't remember last year they had Nellie. Right. So we need another guy have more Missouri representatives at the Missouri State Fair. Right. And so of course, the next logical choice is ci o. O left, right. Yeah, there you go. He likes the way you do that right there. Right. So from Hulu, right? Still represent Hulu. It's important, right? Oh, no, still can't spell hustler without the STL. And that's an LE lion. But that's fine. By heart CI would be very solid. Right? That's a radio play lots of MTV play. And like, you know, early 2000 Again, like 2000 kind of like two three. Right? Huge MTV presents. Oh, yeah. You know, all over. Oh my gosh, they go. Okay. That was a good one. Oh, it okay.

Collin Funkhouser  1:28:54

I do not have a tit for tat on the rap genre as Alright, so I'm gonna, but in in direct contradiction to what I just said about old classic rock music. People no longer touring, I will say that not only do I have a classic rock band, that is still touring, touring, but also, did I also find that they have a convenient one week break in their tour schedule around the time of the Missouri State Fair? Oh, gasps

1:29:30

Yes, I

Collin Funkhouser  1:29:31

did. Yes, I did. I guess. Again, this may not be good fit. But then you remember, because again, I deep dive. They have not performed at the Missouri State Fair, since 2002. So not only it's 20 years removed from their last thing, but we're still going strong on a grand tour world tour here. And they've kind of week long break between North Carolina and Georgia. I'm just saying hey, that's right. That's right.

Brandon  1:29:59

err REO Speedwagon.

Collin Funkhouser  1:30:01

Come on down. Yeah.

1:30:03

Oh, that's a good one.

Brandon  1:30:08

Oh, man. Yeah.

Collin Funkhouser  1:30:11

And they've got time I have found I've found a break in their schedule when I saw that I was like, well, because he I would I would try and do the like, are they still touring? Are they you know, oh my gosh, like, oh, they are okay, what are they doing? Are they is it would it even be conceivably possible for this to happen? So now we're getting into a little bit of, you know, conspiracy coordinate.

Brandon  1:30:34

There you go. Like, not only is that a good choice, it's plausible, it's a plausible I did not really look into the plausibility of my axe being able to attend, right, but after

Collin Funkhouser  1:30:47

after that one, I stopped that was actually the first one that I thought of who after that was like, that was that's too much. I can't do that. Can't do that for three more.

Brandon  1:30:58

Rain myself in a little bit. Yes. No, that's good. That's a good one. Dang, that's solid. Man. I can't beat that. Oh, what I can offer you. Okay. Right. Is another kind of rocky band. Right. Definitely. Very, like 1999. Right, you know, really good, really radio, raucous songs. Specifically, one of the songs literally everywhere, right? Ubiquitous at their time. They would have people singing along. Undoubtedly, at the Missouri State Fairgrounds. I am of course, putting lit Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Ergo. Nice, right. Ah, yeah. Giant presence on the radio and TV, like 99 or 98, nine, whatever. Big one. Big one. That would be good. That'd be good. That would be good. Okay. Yeah.

Collin Funkhouser  1:32:12

I like that one. I like that one. I'm noticing that on the break of timelines on this. I think you've, you've kind of fell more on the like, on the 90s. And I'm just on the other side of 1000s. I think this is very interesting. It's very interesting here. Um, my my next one, I went from a more like, high energy. Because again, big grandstand high energy lot people like you know, anthemic songs like lots of singing again, the big crowd singing kind of stuff is always very popular. So I'm, I'm going to offer 2000 eights. Imagine Dragons. Oh,

Brandon  1:32:54

there we go.

Collin Funkhouser  1:33:04

That's what the Missouri State Fair needs. I'm just saying I just say hey, go.

Brandon  1:33:09

I get that they do have big state fair energy. I'm not gonna lie.

Collin Funkhouser  1:33:16

Yeah, yeah. Now, I don't think that they are currently touring. So that is definitely an I don't think that is not a not a pass a possibility one but like hopping for a one off right. Like, probably. Probably not. Do you know what kind of money you have to throw up people to come up and do it one off? Like it's probably a lot? Yeah.

Brandon  1:33:36

I don't know. Unless they're not being offered any other things and then they move back? Yes. Let's go. Let's

Collin Funkhouser  1:33:42

do you ever okay.

1:33:43

I love

Collin Funkhouser  1:33:44

this lineup. I would happily go see any of these kids when you say as soon as you said Ching. Yeah. I was like, Oh my gosh, yes. That would be an amazing act to bring out right. Right.

Brandon  1:33:59

Solid telling you people in 2024 Sleeping on Chinni you should listen to that album again. Usually or the first for the first time. You should go check that out and be like oh, no, that early 2000s Wrap it what you need in your life some days right

Collin Funkhouser  1:34:19

that's that's necessary. No, that's good. That's good. So I will submit this and get this out ASAP so that they can stop booking whoever they've worked and get these people instead Yeah,

Brandon  1:34:32

get chimney and lit in our ears because we

Collin Funkhouser  1:34:36

already already found the hole in their booking.

Brandon  1:34:40

Surely a concert look at ad be great.

Collin Funkhouser  1:34:43

You don't need they don't RSVP doesn't need a break. Come on. Don't need a weak rapper Quan. Oh, that's great. I like that. I like that. That's good. as well, as soon as the as soon as you mentioned the four I was like, yes, yes, there, we must do that. Let's do that it's so it's so funny to see with the release of the band's the music acts that that they are announcing and just because they release it and then they could share to all of the local Facebook groups and lists just that their reactions to it is fantastic. And then you compare that to the reaction to the people directly on the Missouri State Fair page. Like it just the very difference between those is wonderful. So yeah,

Brandon  1:35:35

I mean, yeah, I mean, whenever, I mean, the cars you shared with me, like the ludicrous and the Googles one, right. And immediately when you mentioned these names, I could like hum their songs, right. Yes. So I tried to match that energy with my list. And you did too. You did a really good job ever having like, immediate name recognition? Yes. I mean, like, Oh, yeah. Like be able to seeing something right. Or, like know what it's about. Right. So that is, I think, again, you know,

Collin Funkhouser  1:36:08

I appreciate the also the Missouri, Missouri locals can stuff to with pulling those in when you can because that's always a favorite as well. Some of that hometown. Yeah. Right. Local prior to is important. So that's good. That's good, right? Yeah,

Brandon  1:36:21

I struggled. And I was trying to find one, right. And I thought about who could it be? Like, well, it's gotta be. I've gotten the only option isn't the only option, but one of the first ones I thought that I could remember some songs by

Collin Funkhouser  1:36:37

right. Well, get the rest of the criteria really fit the rest criteria.

Brandon  1:36:42

I bet that'd be a good show. He's very high energy guy bet though. Yeah. Oh, give him a call him up. Instagram, yo, hey, what's up? Boy, do

Collin Funkhouser  1:36:55

I have an idea for you? As we talk about music acts in, in in town here, I need to write a note to we need to discuss the Ozark music festival 50 year anniversary debacle that's going on here in town. I'm going to just drop that as a teaser. Okay. We'll cover that next time.

Brandon  1:37:18

All right. Sounds good. As well as we'll keep the listeners updated on who the Missouri State Fair actually books. I'll see if ours is better. Or to judge them harshly. Now, since we have a fantasy draft. We're gonna see. Yeah,

Collin Funkhouser  1:37:35

that's very nice. I'm just reading this and learning music best and who did the fair book and judge and judge them accordingly?

Brandon  1:37:41

Yeah. And if we get any right, I'm gonna like freak out. It'd be.

Collin Funkhouser  1:37:45

I think that means we have to go. I think

Brandon  1:37:52

that's absolutely what that means. accidentally get one right. That'd be hilarious. We'll see. Okay.

Collin Funkhouser  1:38:01

Well, to bring us down and help us to refocus and get back into the rest of the week as we go into a break or not, or whatever is happening within the schedule. Yeah, I was sitting back. Who knows? A joint a little bit of poetry is always wonderful. So I have a haiku here for us.

1:38:21

Oh, yeah.

Collin Funkhouser  1:38:26

Endless scrolling blues profiles gleam reality networking's cold gaze beautiful I never did finish updating my LinkedIn profile. So I've got that. Right. Inspired me for something and that's, you know what, that's, that's what six months in Italy can really refine that.

Brandon  1:39:04

So really tighten the poetry. Ready for that? Release that book release? Right? Oh,

Collin Funkhouser  1:39:12

that's what we do. That's what we finally we sit down to compile them. All right. That's what that six months is dedicated. Just getting that out the door. And it's true.

Brandon  1:39:22

And so, sidenote, just like kind of hilariously, one of the English teachers at school is leaving, and she's good. She's, she's getting a job and publishing

1:39:39

it around, like, hey, just by the way,

Collin Funkhouser  1:39:44

what's the first step or something?

Brandon  1:39:47

If a person had a book of haikus,

Collin Funkhouser  1:39:50

and but it's random, just randomly, just book of anything, but specifically,

Brandon  1:39:55

hypothetically, if a person had a book of

Collin Funkhouser  1:40:00

Suppose would that be different than a short novel or it's fiction and just let me know how that. Yeah. poetry collection, if you will. Yes. Okay, well, you've got some reporting and investigation to do. Yeah. We'll come back and start putting that together. Very good. Yeah. Okay, well go forth and conquer and, and I'm excited to see what it's about this means, you know, we're gonna make a little checklist on my desk. Love you