Men In Gorilla Suits

Radiohead once sang about optimism. It went a little like this: Flies are buzzing 'round my head Vultures circling the dead Picking up every last crumb The big fish eat the little ones The big fish eat the little ones Not my problem, give me some We're a bit more optimistic than that, but about certain issues...probably not by much. This week we will fill your hearts with hope as we talk about...optimism... * * * We begin by discussing our own optimism...and when we were first introduced to the concept. Then we talk about the most optimistic people we knew growing up -- and who claims the title today. We chat a bit about if it's easier or harder to maintain optimism as we age...and then devote some time to whether or not we're optimistic about the United States. Find out where our optimism ends -- and what we try [and sometimes fail] to be optimistic about. We answer these questions: Can relentless optimism be damaging? Or annoying? And then we offer our advice for someone who is not

Look at that episode art! LOOK AT IT!!! It's...super, right?! Shawn may not have the beard anymore, but his beard lives on in all our hearts. And Christopher...he's kinda super (for a crusty 50-year old!) Hell, this episode was RECORDED on the day Gorilla Christopher turned 50. So to keep the fleeting moment alive before entropy envelops him, you should listen to this episode! * * * We kick it off with the first -- and last -- superhero movies we saw (and have seen). After that, find out our favorite (and least favorite) superhero movies. We devote a little time to our best superhero movie experiences...and why we think superhero movies finally took hold in popular culture. We chat a bit about if we prefer our superhero movies to match comics exactly, or deviate a bit...and then we discuss our favorite TV superhero shows. Robert Pattinson as Batman has some slobbery geeks' undies all bundled around their pebbly nads. We give our thoughts on the latest Batman choice...and then talk about t

Yo! Like, we never tell you about how Men in Gorilla Suits has afforded us, the Gorillamen, ridiculous side cash! You might think we do this out of love for just making the damn thing, but why make the damn thing if it doesn't make a lot of side money, right? Men in Gorilla Suits has made us rich! Ridiculously so, but...we work day jobs just because it's funny for the show. Really, we're cutting-edge entrepreneurs, out there on the fringes of society, hustling all the time and making the fat stacks of Benjamins! Or maybe not... This week, we talk all about side gigs... * * * We kick it off with the first person we remember who had a side gig...and then talk about our own first side gigs. We talk about the "gig economy" for a bit and if we're currently working any side gigs. We devote a bit of time to the best and worst side gigs we've worked. After that, we chat about if things we do on the side today are strictly for money or other things. If you listen to us regularly, you know we oft

Gorilla Christopher starts a new job this week, so let's get straight to what we talk about this week: * * * What was the first toy you remember? What was the first toy you ever REALLY wanted? What was your favorite toy from childhood? What was the worst toy you ever owned? How important are toys to childhood development? What is the last toy you purchased? What do you think about adults rushing to collect toys before kids can get them? (Like Star Wars figures, Avengers figures…things like that!) Toys have changed quite a bit over the years. What is the most dangerous toy you once owned that they would probably not sell today? How has technology affected toys? Let's talk about the OTHER adult toys. Do you consider things like mini flamethrowers, GoPro cameras, and drones toys? (Or at least appeal to us as adults in the same manner toys appealed to us as kids?) In the world of podcasting, some refer to recording gear as toys. What is your favorite podcasting toy…and is there something else you'd real

Working from home used to be the domain of fancy-pants novelists and snooty painters. Now, it's likely your schlub of a neighbor has worked from home. We say this with confidence, being those very schlubs. Like anything, there are good and bad things about working from home. (Although Gorilla Christopher will argue it's all good.) Working from home is the topic of this week's Men in Gorilla Suits...recorded in our homes on a Sunday night... * * * We kick it off talking about how often we work from home and then jump to the first time we heard about people working from home. Then we move on to our first jobs that allowed us to work from home...followed by our best -- and worst -- working from home experiences. We chat about if we're more or less productive when working from home...and if we tend to work more hours when we're not in the office. It could be easy losing all sense of time working from home, so we talk about how we manage things without being in the office. And then we discuss the be

You'll just have to trust us that this episode is good... * * * We kick it off with our first memories of trusting someone, and then talk about how important trust is to one's existence. Find out who we trust most today...and what role trust plays in this podcast. Next, we chat about how much we trust institutions like religion, corporations, and governments. After that, find out if our trust has ever been betrayed by someone...and if we have ever betrayed someone's trust. We discuss why betrayed trust hurts some people so much, and devote a little time to processes we trust. From there, it's on to talking about if we trust ourselves to make good decisions and then wrapping it all up with the future of trust.

Men in Gorilla Suits automated show notes. READY > 10 print Butt > 20 goto 10 > run_ [Laughter ensues…] * * * We begin with the first example of automation we remember seeing, and then move on to the most recent. After that, we chat about if we (and most people) could lose jobs to automated machines or algorithms. What will humans do if machines and algorithms take over a significant number of jobs? We talk about that a bit before moving on to if automation frightens or bothers us. Find out what automation we use at work and home...and where we stand on home automation. And we wrap it all up with what the future of automation means for humanity.

You know that thing we did last week? We also did something similar three and a half years ago. I know. It's like some Matrix shit.

You leave Radigast City at the break of dawn, traveling north until reaching an unnamed river. For days, the water is your guide as lush earth gives way to dreary moors and tangled thickets. Finally, in the distance, you see a white plume of smoke rising from a mountain in the distance. Two miles from the volcano, you find a suitable cave in which to store your supplies. "Dead Knoll's Eye Socket," your guide says. "This is where I take leave. Good luck." With your traveling gear stored safely away, you make your way along unsettled the land, being careful to avoid any fissures venting steam. Levi, the party's thief, is the first to hear the mountain breathing. Once you all hear it, you realize it comes in a cycle: a thirty-second exhale of heat followed by a half minute of calm. The cave your guide said to seek now lies before you, about eight feet in diameter. Suddenly, the whooshing breath of White Plume Mountain almost knocks you over. The torch Bautigan the Brave readied is extinguished by the

Sometimes we go places. In the past, we went places. This is about that.

Gorilla Christopher initially thought about opening Photoshop and adding your favorite podcasters' faces to images of celebrities known for parody and satire. But swapping faces with Weird Al looked like Christopher because he's apparently hair twins with the world's favorite accordion player. So that idea was scrapped. And yes, obviously -- this week's topic: Parody and Satire. * * * We begin by talking about the first parody or satire we remember -- and then leap to the best work of satire in literature and film. After that, we discuss the funniest -- and worst -- works of parody we've come across. Find out our preferences: parody or satire. (Or do we like each equally?) Also, we tell you where we stand on parody and comedic music in general. If you've ever wondered if either of us have attempted to write satire or parody, this is your moment! And with the current climate ripe for satire, we talk about where to find it. And, of course, we wrap it up looking toward the future, asking what pa

I am so, so extremely sorry. Please try to remain courageous in the face of this abomination, this second episode of Men in Gorilla Suits. Actually, I haven't listened yet. It might be great. Spoiler alert: It isn't.

Gorilla Christopher hoped to have this episode online yesterday, but he was tired and decided a busy week merited sleep, instead. Here's what the gorillamen are talking about this week: What is the first thing you remember hoping for? What is your latest hope? What does hope mean to you? How important is hope to human existence? Share a story of hope. (Could be yours, another person's, or even a universal hope of some sort). Is hope a strong motivator in your life? Is all hope inherently good? Have you ever hoped for something bad? Can hoping too much have a negative effect on a person? When your hopes are not met, how do you react? Obama won, in part, on a message of hope after what was seen as a dark time for the U.S. Is hope enough to win in 2020? What is your hope for the future?

OOOH, look at me, I'm not working 97 hours a week! Jerk.

It is currently 53 degrees with mostly clear skies in the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex. Weekend lows will be in the 30s, with afternoon temperatures reaching 60 by Sunday afternoon. A perfect weekend for getting out and about! This week, we're talking about the weather...specifically: What’s the first weather event you remember? What’s your ideal weather situation? What’s the most extreme weather situation you’ve lived through? What’s the scariest type of weather on the planet? What’s the worst type of weather, in your opinion? Is climate change a thing? Is weather a consideration in where you choose to live, or not to live as the case might be? Are you a weather-centric person? Does it affect your moods? What’s the future of weather on this planet?

Y'all know me. You know how I make a living. I'll find your mess for you, but it ain't gonna be easy. Bad mess. Not like goin' down to the basement and chasin' tax returns and odd socks. No movin’, no organizin’, down you go. And we gotta do it quick, that’ll bring back your family, put all your surfaces on a cleanin’ basis. But it’s not gonna be pleasant. I value my neck a lot more than three thousand bucks, chief. 

A busy week, here, so let's just get straight to what we talk about this week...when we talk about consideration: When did you first realize that consideration is a thing? Was being considerate a thing stressed in your family. That is, were you taught to be considerate? Have you ever worked in a job where consideration was highly important? What about jobs where consideration wasn't important? (And if so, how did the job differ from those more geared toward serving others?) Who is the most considerate person you know? Who is the least considerate person you know? Can someone be TOO considerate? Share a story of considerate Shawn, and I'll share one about considerate Christopher. Share a story about inconsiderate Shawn, and I'll share one about inconsiderate Christopher. Are we less considerate as a society than we once were? Do you think the current administration in the United States has affected consideration? Do you think we will get more (or less considerate) in the future?

Ho ho ho, and happy birthday! It's Hanukkah-time in Gift City, so stock up for Administrative Professionals' Day! What? You didn't get the biggest teddy bear on the planet for your loved on on Valentine's Day? What kind of monster are you?! You better be ready for deep mattress price reductions come Labor Day. Shop, shop, shop...why, just since beginning to type this, marketers have created three new holidays that come with an expectation of gift-giving. Guess what the Gorillamen are talking about this week? It's our gift to you... * * * We begin with the first gifts we ever received...and the first gifts we ever gave. After that, find out if we like receiving gifts -- and if we're good at giving gifts. We spend a moment wondering if there are too many gift-giving holidays in the U.S. before discussing the go-to gifts or methods we use when having to buy gifts for people we don't know very well. And then we talk about all this: What’s the best gift you’ve ever gotten? The most useful? What’s

Hey, man. We get it. Sometimes the world feels like staring at a wall. Maybe this'll help you be less bored for an hour.

Whether we like it or not, weapons shaped human life on the planet. Today, they are big business. At least in the United States, we see weapons from the start: in movies, cartoons, and even in stores. So the Gorillamen decided to pull up a couple chairs and talk about weapons this week. * * * We begin with the first weapons we remember...and the weapons we regularly feared as children. After that, find out if we own any weapons -- and our favorite (and coolest) weapons we've ever used. Because we're geeks, we dedicate some time to the best (and worst) fictional weapons...and then get serious when we discuss the weapon that most frightens us. We talk about where we stand on gun control and American's fascination with weaponry. We also chat about what it says about a society that spends so much on weapons...and then wrap it all up with the future of weaponry.