Unknown Panelist
Appearances
The Megyn Kelly Show
Megyn Kelly Reflects on the Outrageous Duke Lacrosse Case, as the Accuser Finally Admits the Truth | Ep. 965
I wanted to send a message to the people involved in this assault, to the people who think that it's okay to propagate sexual violence and racial violence and class violence. There are not just legal consequences for these actions.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Megyn Kelly Reflects on the Outrageous Duke Lacrosse Case, as the Accuser Finally Admits the Truth | Ep. 965
There are community consequences and the people that are here today are members of your community and we will be here tomorrow and into perpetuity protecting each other and taking care of each other. The community consequences for this action I guarantee you will range far beyond the legal consequences that you will face.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Megyn Kelly Reflects on the Outrageous Duke Lacrosse Case, as the Accuser Finally Admits the Truth | Ep. 965
I mean, I love this old black and white and we do a lot of that around my house, but I also just like a laugh and there's nothing funnier than, you know, when you've got a family and everything that goes wrong can go wrong. And it's just like life as a dad, as I found it within a family, when you're hosting Christmas, like something's going wrong and it's a calamity of errors.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Megyn Kelly Reflects on the Outrageous Duke Lacrosse Case, as the Accuser Finally Admits the Truth | Ep. 965
So Christmas Vacation is my movie, right? And Chevy Chase.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Megyn Kelly Reflects on the Outrageous Duke Lacrosse Case, as the Accuser Finally Admits the Truth | Ep. 965
We have something. Stand by.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Megyn Kelly Reflects on the Outrageous Duke Lacrosse Case, as the Accuser Finally Admits the Truth | Ep. 965
Classicals. And it's just like so relatable to me. You know, it's like he has all these like finally just lost it. That's it. I just love that movie.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Megyn Kelly Reflects on the Outrageous Duke Lacrosse Case, as the Accuser Finally Admits the Truth | Ep. 965
No, no, I want an officer right under cover, and I shoot you in the chair with my laser rifle.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Megyn Kelly Reflects on the Outrageous Duke Lacrosse Case, as the Accuser Finally Admits the Truth | Ep. 965
Once again, you have Santa laying down the law. That is my favorite Christmas movie. Yeah, it's a Christmas story. I've been watching it basically every year since the 80s. And one of the things, everybody thinks that movie is about Ralphie, who wants a Red Ryder BB gun, and he ultimately gets it at the end of the movie. But I think the movie is really about the dad.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Megyn Kelly Reflects on the Outrageous Duke Lacrosse Case, as the Accuser Finally Admits the Truth | Ep. 965
And if you listen to Ralphie narrate as an older person, his memories of being a kid, some of the best moments are when his dad loses his mind on a broken furnace. He's mad at the Chicago Bears. He's mad at his neighbor's stupid dogs who come in and ruin everything in his house. And I just think I find that guy so hilarious. He's amazing.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Megyn Kelly Reflects on the Outrageous Duke Lacrosse Case, as the Accuser Finally Admits the Truth | Ep. 965
I'm a... Great Robert. Honey, beautiful. Just keep going. Don't worry about it. Just keep going. You're a therapist.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Megyn Kelly Reflects on the Outrageous Duke Lacrosse Case, as the Accuser Finally Admits the Truth | Ep. 965
Okay. This is what you dripped on me. Oh, wax. No, after that. It's brown. Okay, make this stop, please.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Megyn Kelly Reflects on the Outrageous Duke Lacrosse Case, as the Accuser Finally Admits the Truth | Ep. 965
Oh, oh, chocolate. Oh, no, before that, after the wax.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Megyn Kelly Reflects on the Outrageous Duke Lacrosse Case, as the Accuser Finally Admits the Truth | Ep. 965
Oh, the syrup.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Megyn Kelly Reflects on the Outrageous Duke Lacrosse Case, as the Accuser Finally Admits the Truth | Ep. 965
Yes! Yes!
The Megyn Kelly Show
Megyn Kelly Reflects on the Outrageous Duke Lacrosse Case, as the Accuser Finally Admits the Truth | Ep. 965
Way sticky, dude. I would not recommend that.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Megyn Kelly Reflects on the Outrageous Duke Lacrosse Case, as the Accuser Finally Admits the Truth | Ep. 965
Okay. Okay, time. Time. Yeah.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Megyn Kelly Reflects on the Outrageous Duke Lacrosse Case, as the Accuser Finally Admits the Truth | Ep. 965
What is this? This is for Christmases, Megan. It's the greatest Christmas movie.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Megyn Kelly Reflects on the Outrageous Duke Lacrosse Case, as the Accuser Finally Admits the Truth | Ep. 965
You got to watch it.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Megyn Kelly Reflects on the Outrageous Duke Lacrosse Case, as the Accuser Finally Admits the Truth | Ep. 965
No, no, no, no, no. It is hilarious. So Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon are sort of living like the childless millennial dream. Like every Christmas, they like tell their families, oh, we're doing humanitarian relief in Africa. We can't come over for the holidays and all that sort of stuff. They show up to the airport and there's a huge storm. And so local news is there to cover it.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Megyn Kelly Reflects on the Outrageous Duke Lacrosse Case, as the Accuser Finally Admits the Truth | Ep. 965
You know, all the flight cancellations, everything. And here they are like they're on camera. They're on live news. And so all their families are watching them not be able to get on their flight. So they have no excuse. So now they finally have to travel to their families for Christmas. And both of their parents are divorced and they're sort of dysfunctional families and all this sort of thing.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Megyn Kelly Reflects on the Outrageous Duke Lacrosse Case, as the Accuser Finally Admits the Truth | Ep. 965
That scene that you saw there was Vince Vaughn's mother, who is now dating one of his buddies from high school. And so it's four Christmases of some of the most awkward family exchanges you could imagine. I love that. But the lesson in all of this is like families could be totally, totally dysfunctional and you may not like each other all the time, but at the end of the day, it's worth it.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Megyn Kelly Reflects on the Outrageous Duke Lacrosse Case, as the Accuser Finally Admits the Truth | Ep. 965
And so Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn decide at the end to settle down, have a kid, have a family. So it has a really good message at the end, and it is hilarious. Robert Duvall plays Vince Vaughn's father, and I don't want to ruin it, but he is the funniest character in the entire movie.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Megyn Kelly Reflects on the Outrageous Duke Lacrosse Case, as the Accuser Finally Admits the Truth | Ep. 965
Awesome film. What? The Godfather.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Megyn Kelly Reflects on the Outrageous Duke Lacrosse Case, as the Accuser Finally Admits the Truth | Ep. 965
Fredo. Of course. Honest to God, that's better than his first choice.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Megyn Kelly Reflects on the Outrageous Duke Lacrosse Case, as the Accuser Finally Admits the Truth | Ep. 965
His first choice, I'm not sure you could have put on your podcast. Yeah, so Amanda wouldn't admit the pick to your team for Eyes Wide Shut. Yeah.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Megyn Kelly Reflects on the Outrageous Duke Lacrosse Case, as the Accuser Finally Admits the Truth | Ep. 965
It is. So right after that, Michael Corleone is Christmas shopping with Kay when he realizes his father's been shot. It's a Christmas movie. The whole idea is this rejection of people who pick Die Hard as their favorite Christmas movie. Like that was a funny joke 10 years ago, but they cling onto it so strongly. So I propose The Godfather eyes wide shut.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Megyn Kelly Reflects on the Outrageous Duke Lacrosse Case, as the Accuser Finally Admits the Truth | Ep. 965
We've got two minutes for you.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Megyn Kelly Reflects on the Outrageous Duke Lacrosse Case, as the Accuser Finally Admits the Truth | Ep. 965
I love that movie. It's a good one. What a good movie.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Megyn Kelly Reflects on the Outrageous Duke Lacrosse Case, as the Accuser Finally Admits the Truth | Ep. 965
Yeah, it's like the things that make you happiest in life aren't the acclaim or fame or money. It's the hardest things, right? Like it's family and kids and all that sort of stuff. And it's easy to overlook all of those things. But around the holidays, when you're around family, it gets a lot easier. Well said, Mitch.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Megyn Kelly Reflects on the Outrageous Duke Lacrosse Case, as the Accuser Finally Admits the Truth | Ep. 965
That was right on.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Megyn Kelly Reflects on the Outrageous Duke Lacrosse Case, as the Accuser Finally Admits the Truth | Ep. 965
Merry Christmas.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: mxmtoon
Plastic surgeon Shen Wenong recorded himself performing his own vasectomy as a gift to his wife. Not realizing, presumably, that there are services that can help men choose unique and treasured gifts. A vasectomy is a form of birth control in which the surgeon cuts and seals the tubes that carry sperm. And although a vasectomy is an effective means of birth control, so are mutton chops.
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WWDTM: mxmtoon
In the tutorial video, the doctor slash patient applied anesthetic cream to numb his genitals before having at them with a scalpel and surgical clamp to perform the surgery, during which he only once seized with pain, perhaps thinking, roses, she might have liked roses.
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WWDTM: mxmtoon
You know, there's a man who gave himself a vasectomy and filmed it. And it got 4 million views.
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WWDTM: mxmtoon
Well, if you can find a man who will do that while you play the ukulele... I'm curious. You just...
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WWDTM: mxmtoon
But it still doesn't matter. It's the passion of what you're doing, and I wouldn't get tripped up by that if I were you.
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WWDTM: mxmtoon
You know, you should write a song about reading the comments. Ooh, I should.
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WWDTM: mxmtoon
I think it's just like a stand-in. You know, Bob would be here, but he doesn't enjoy a big wedding.
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WWDTM: mxmtoon
Which one? Is there more than one? There is. The big one over on the left.
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WWDTM: mxmtoon
After her blank got caught in her office chair. Yes. I don't know, her hair.
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WWDTM: mxmtoon
Yeah, that's just, yeah, you shouldn't, see, that's telling you no about that.
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WWDTM: mxmtoon
I mean, that's what I mean. It's really cold out, but I didn't want those balls anyways.
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WWDTM: mxmtoon
You know, Peter, the truth is the boomer asking thing would never work on me.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: mxmtoon
Because if somebody asked me how I was, I would just keep telling them. That's true. I have a tendency. I'm one of the most selfish people I've ever met in my life. If someone comes to my house, which they rarely do because I'm very selfish, but if someone comes to my house, you know, I'll be eating and drinking the whole time they're there. I'll have a soda. I'll eat some chips.
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WWDTM: mxmtoon
And it's not until they're on the way out the door that I realize, oh, geez, did you want anything to eat?
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WWDTM: mxmtoon
I mean, if you're really trying to meet the locals, why not go to their DMV? You know? That's actually a pretty good question. Very good. Why not just cut off your hand and spend some time in their medical system?
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WWDTM: Billy Porter, Mark Ronson, Tara Dower, and more!
Do you know that that mill is closing down? So the aroma of Tacoma is going away in the next few months. So sniff it while you got it, people.
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WWDTM: Billy Porter, Mark Ronson, Tara Dower, and more!
Oh, you are scrupulous.
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WWDTM: Billy Porter, Mark Ronson, Tara Dower, and more!
Well, it must be comforting knowing, like, that's not real. There's not a cat and a devil here. Like, I might as well just keep running. There's no threat, you know? Yeah.
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WWDTM: Billy Porter, Mark Ronson, Tara Dower, and more!
It's the calories though, right?
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WWDTM: Billy Porter, Mark Ronson, Tara Dower, and more!
Well, normally she just got the two points, but every one of the toes that she sacrificed is actually worth a quarter point. So we're just going to give you a perfect score.
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WWDTM: Billy Porter, Mark Ronson, Tara Dower, and more!
Nicely done. Yay.
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WWDTM: Billy Porter, Mark Ronson, Tara Dower, and more!
We're very happy that you were so unhappy at that point. You are a style and fashion icon, in addition to, we'll get to the performing and stuff that you do, but I'm really, as somebody who, you can't see me, Billy, but I am wearing an extremely boring outfit.
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WWDTM: Billy Porter, Mark Ronson, Tara Dower, and more!
Just to follow up on that, Billy, Peter's outfit right now, he bought at whitesisheteroman.com.
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WWDTM: Billy Porter, Mark Ronson, Tara Dower, and more!
That's amazing. You do belong on PBS.
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WWDTM: Billy Porter, Mark Ronson, Tara Dower, and more!
He kind of looks like he's about to ask us... He looks like he's about to ask us to leave the restaurant.
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WWDTM: Billy Porter, Mark Ronson, Tara Dower, and more!
Adam, you can stay. But no, Billy. Oh, my God, that's hilarious. My question was going to be, you're always sort of pushing the envelope, and every time you have a look, it goes in a new direction, and it sort of stakes out new ground. Do you feel sort of pressure every time you have a new event? Like, what is it like for you to sit with a designer and think, what are we going to do next?
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WWDTM: Billy Porter, Mark Ronson, Tara Dower, and more!
How am I going to top my last thing? Or do you even feel that?
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WWDTM: Billy Porter, Mark Ronson, Tara Dower, and more!
yeah what options to give you yeah can i ask a question whenever i see people on the red carpet there's always someone skulking behind them like tugging at a hem or something or you know what i mean like positioning the gap who is that person and what is the name of that and how did they get into that job i just really want to tug at things for a living that's really that's really funny
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WWDTM: Billy Porter, Mark Ronson, Tara Dower, and more!
Oh, I know. Since COVID, you don't have a whole lot of people.
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WWDTM: Billy Porter, Mark Ronson, Tara Dower, and more!
Well, also... Billy, many of your outfits are very large. They take up a lot of space. You're a perfect person for the COVID era because if you're wearing, you know. Totally.
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WWDTM: Billy Porter, Mark Ronson, Tara Dower, and more!
Are there any things that you've worn on the red carpet that's like extremely fashionable and extremely stylish but also extremely uncomfortable that then like during the award ceremony or the event that you're in, you're just like, I'm going to change into some sweatpants because I'm going to sit here for three hours. I can't be sitting in this like birdcage looking cape thing or whatever.
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WWDTM: Billy Porter, Mark Ronson, Tara Dower, and more!
The hat that I wore to the Grammys that opened and closed. For people who don't know, it was this hat that sort of had this, it was like a 180 degree sort of curtain that was motorized, and he's saying it was very heavy, and it motorized and it just opened up like a curtain in front of his face.
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WWDTM: Billy Porter, Mark Ronson, Tara Dower, and more!
I was going to say, you're a singer, you're an actor, you're a director, you have a degree in screenwriting. Is there anything that you're bad at?
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WWDTM: Billy Porter, Mark Ronson, Tara Dower, and more!
So you're in this new movie, 80 for Brady, about four women in their 80s who go see Tom Brady in the Super Bowl. Can you tell us about it?
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WWDTM: Billy Porter, Mark Ronson, Tara Dower, and more!
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
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WWDTM: Billy Porter, Mark Ronson, Tara Dower, and more!
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
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WWDTM: Billy Porter, Mark Ronson, Tara Dower, and more!
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
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WWDTM: Billy Porter, Mark Ronson, Tara Dower, and more!
I mean, that has to be correct. That is, well... Yeah. More specifically, a lot of the males became unattractive.
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WWDTM: Billy Porter, Mark Ronson, Tara Dower, and more!
Yeah. It's just not appealing to a female of any species.
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WWDTM: Billy Porter, Mark Ronson, Tara Dower, and more!
A smilodon? Yes. That's so adorable. That's like a children's story.
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WWDTM: Billy Porter, Mark Ronson, Tara Dower, and more!
How do you know that?
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WWDTM: Billy Porter, Mark Ronson, Tara Dower, and more!
I'm not sure what level these books are. Because really, there's one wherein it said, don't talk to scientists who study this and mention saber-toothed tiger because they will just lose it. Yeah. That's ridiculous. I would like, wait, wait, don't tell me it has a website, doesn't it? I believe we do, yes. Okay. I want to see. A copy of the book. That cautions the reader. The young reader.
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WWDTM: Billy Porter, Mark Ronson, Tara Dower, and more!
I'm assuming, how old is your son that you're reading this book to? My son is four. Oh, yeah. You're not one of those parents who's already pushing your kid to get into college, are you? All right, I want you to go to college, but here's a tip. When you get in there... Do not. For the love of God, yeah. Your mother and I love you very much, but there's one thing up with which we cannot put.
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WWDTM: Billy Porter, Mark Ronson, Tara Dower, and more!
Coming up, it's like... Wait a minute, coming up. What's the name of the book?
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WWDTM: Billy Porter, Mark Ronson, Tara Dower, and more!
I just made these little DJ cards.
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WWDTM: Billy Porter, Mark Ronson, Tara Dower, and more!
I'm like, oh, I see why they did that.
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WWDTM: Billy Porter, Mark Ronson, Tara Dower, and more!
That song legit slaps. So I heard this weird factoid about you.
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WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
On the Code Switch podcast, 40 years ago, the Philadelphia Police Department carried out a bombing that destroyed a Black neighborhood on live TV. And yet the deadly events of that day have been largely forgotten.
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WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Is there, like, do taxidermists have, like, their own aesthetic? Like, what makes a great taxidermy?
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WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
A good mount. Thank you.
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WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
How do you get anatomically correct models of animals or do you make them?
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WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Tons of molds. I mean, obviously, you're so deeply invested in this. I have a problem with stuffed animals because whenever I look away, I assume they're moving their heads to stare at me. And I turn and I look back and they're immediately still again. I find it discomforting to be near all those completely still animals. It's creepy.
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WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
There is now a historic marker because a group of middle school children were assigned to look at police brutality in their community. Listen to the Code Switch podcast from the NPR network.
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WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
It was an act of courage on my part. Well, Amber Maycott, we have invited you here to play a game we're calling They're Alive. So as we have been discussing, you specialize in putting deceased animals recreated in people's homes. So we thought we'd ask you about three instances of live animals getting in there. Get two to three right. You will win our prize for one of our listeners.
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WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Are you ready to play? Sure. All right. Chioki, who is Amber Maycott playing for? Larry Gold of Minneapolis, Minnesota. All right. Minnesotans here. Here's your first question. An Australian family was surprised when a koala got into their house, especially because it took them a little while to notice it. Where was it? A, on their couch next to a throw pillow with a koala printed on it.
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WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
B, hanging on their Christmas tree as if pretending to be an ornament. Or C, sitting on top of their ceiling fan until that is they turned the ceiling fan on.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
I'm going to go with A. You're going to go with A, that it was on their couch next to a koala throw pillow. And they were like, oh, I guess we have two koalas. Oh, you pick it up because you're choosing B, hanging on their Christmas tree?
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WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
That's right. Oh, wow. Nice. It was like hanging on the Christmas tree. They like trees. It makes sense, all right? Good. All right. Next question. Some people actually welcome wild animals into their homes, including some surprising people. Like which of these?
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WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
A, Britain's King Charles, who not only lets red squirrels into his Scottish estate, but leaves jackets hanging on chairs with nuts in the pockets for them to find. B, Jamie Foxx, who has a deal with local animal control for them to bring any captured foxes, naturally, to his house. Or C, Peyton Manning, who learned to imitate six different mating calls so he could attract animals to his patio.
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WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Yeah, that'll do it. Now, the question I often ask people like you who've done so many different things is, what do you most recognize for? And you say in the book that you wish you had used a different voice for Olaf the snowman because whenever you're talking in public, children hear you and go insane.
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WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
I'll go with A. You can go with A. Britain's King Charles, you're right. Yeah. He loves those red squirrels. He says, sometimes when I leave my jackets on a chair with nuts in the pockets, I see them with their tails sticking out as they hunt for nuts. They're incredibly special creatures. All right. Last question. You're doing very well. It's not just houses that can have trouble with wildlife.
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WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
A high school in Little Rock had a bat infestation but dealt with it quickly and decisively. Just by doing what? A, changing their mascot from the running rebels to the fighting bats. B, enrolling the bats as students, which allowed them access to state funds to get rid of the bats. Or C, just ceding control of the school to the bats and making all classes remote for a while.
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WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
C. Yes, exactly right. It took them about four days to clear out the bats and clean up everything and bring the students back.
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WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
She is a winner. Well done.
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WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Amber Maycutt is a taxidermist to the stars and the founder of Brooklyn Taxidermy. You can see her work at brooklyntaxidermy.com. I recommend it highly. Amber, well, thank you so much for being on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. Take care. Bye-bye.
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WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
I asked her how she came to embrace that handle.
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WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Right.
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WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
If there's not, if there might be somebody in the audience who's not as au courant with Detroit hip hop as you and I. It came from a, but it was bestowed upon you by a rapper, a Detroit rapper named G-Mac, right?
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WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Right, and for people who don't know it, I'm not going to attempt to perform it, but the chorus is, throw the buffs on her face, because that's Big Gretch. We ain't about to stress, we got Big Gretch. You can find her in the press under Big Gretch. Fresh in a new dress, yeah, that's Big Gretch.
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WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
And you said you weren't going to perform. It's almost like GMAT Cash is here with us.
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WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
It really is.
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WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Sticking with nicknames for a second, you mention in the book that you've had other nicknames before Big Gretch, one of which was Gravity Gretcheth.
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WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
And could you tell us how you got that particular nickname?
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WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
And what did you do to anger God thusly? I don't know.
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WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Thank you.
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WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Something for the next book.
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WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Since we brought it up, I have to ask you about another time you fell down or at least were found on the ground in high school, which again I think is a unique story among America's governors. I was wondering if you could share that.
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WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
I get that. But in the telling of that story, which as you say is inspirational both in terms of its effect on your life and I think hopefully to the many young people who might read the book, there was a detail that you left out just now. Which is when the principal found you.
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WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Didn't you like... Oh, I threw up on him.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
I gotta tell you, this all sounds like Big Gretch Bay. It really does.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
It really does. Continuing, this is great, because one of the interesting things about your life is that we can tell it via nicknames. Another famous one, of course, you can find it on merch, That Woman from Michigan. which was bestowed upon you by President Trump, or as I guess we should call him, President Trump 1.0. It must be exciting. Are you hoping for a new nickname in the second term?
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
All right. But, you know, the T-shirt printers are ready in case it comes up with something.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Governor Whitmer, it is an absolute thrill to be able to talk to you here in Detroit. As we have with so many important people, we have invited you here to play a game that this time we are calling... Check out these not-so-Great Lakes. So Michigan, as I'm sure you know, is the Great Lakes state.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Yeah. LAUGHTER So we thought we'd ask you about some not-so-great lakes, that is, much, much smaller bodies of water. Answer two or three questions about tiny lakes correctly, and you will win our prize. One of our listeners, the voice of anyone they might choose for our show. Bill, who is Governor Whitmer playing for?
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Are you ready to do this? I'm ready. Here's your first question. One of the smallest bodies of water you can find is, of course, a hot tub. And if you happen to have a hot tub outside of your house in Monrovia, California in the 1990s, you had to watch out for what? A, a brand new STD that evolved in the heated water called Jacuzzi Rhea.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
B, Samson the hot tub bear, a 500-pound black bear who loved ending his day in somebody's hot tub. Or C, a business called Peeping Tim's Aerial Hot Tub Helicopter Tours.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
You just knew.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
You just had a feeling because of your knowledge of hot tubs, your knowledge of bears, both, neither. All of the above. All of the above, yes. All right. That was very good, Governor. Here's your next question. Puddles. Harmless little bodies of water, but they can cause problems from time to time, as in when which of these happened?
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
A, a Japanese government official got in trouble for making a subordinate give him a piggyback ride over a puddle. B, a single puddle caused a massive traffic jam in Texas when a cyber truck rolled through it and shorted it out. Or C, a Florida billionaire got caught trying to get a tax break by calling a puddle on his property an endangered wetland.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
I mean, I think it's A. You think it's A, the Japanese government official. You're right. Oh. You're right. This happened back in 2016. Thank you.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
There you go. Yeah, okay, there's some people. So I myself have never watched the show. Why is that surprising? Who is Bearclaw?
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
And there was this big typhoon that damaged, and the minister in charge of emergency relief showed up, and there was a big puddle, and he says he forgot to bring his overshoes, so he had a subordinate pick him up and carry him through the puddle, which did not go over well with the Japanese public. I had to apologize. All right, that's very good. You have one more.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Let's see if you can be perfect here. The largest public swimming pool ever... we think, was the Fleischhacker public pool in San Francisco. It was so enormous during its heyday that what once happened? A, it was taken over by a pod of gray whales. B, it had to close twice a day for low tide. Or C, they had to put lifeguards out to patrol the pool in rowboats. C. That's right. Wow.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
It was an enormous pool, now closed, now gone. Those with seawater piped in from the ocean next door, they say, could accommodate 10,000 people at once. Bill, how did Governor Whitmer do in our quiz? She's perfect.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Yes.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Gretchen Whitmer is the governor of Michigan. Her new book, True Gretch, is available now. It's a hoot and a half. Governor Gretchen Whitmer, thank you so much for joining us.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
When we come back, two of the humans behind the heavy metal aliens of GWAR and a singer-songwriter with a very special connection to me. That's when we come back with more of Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me from NPR.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Thank you, Bill. Thank you. So by this time, at the exotic spa where we're spending the week, we've had the massages, the yoga, the meditation, and frankly, none of us are feeling any better.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Well, you work on that, Bill. Here are two more treatments for our audience in the form of music therapy, by which we mean interviews with musicians.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
We were joined by Mike Bishop and Mike Dirks, who did something they almost never do. They got up on stage without their elaborate costumes and makeup. So I started by asking them to describe their band.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
It's a theatrical shock rock, shock heavy metal band that is very performative on stage. And we are a theatrical show that involves a lot of costuming and set pieces and phony executions.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Oh, that old saw. Quite literally. They use a saw sometimes.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
We're also from outer space, though. We have a more narrative.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Right. And you two were right there in the beginning. And when you joined the band, did you pick your own characters?
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Balzac, the Jaws of Death.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
And Bishop, who are you on stage?
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
So originally, I was Beefcake the Mighty, who was the bass player.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Beefcake has some fans here.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Yeah, and now I am the singer following the passing of the original lead singer, Dave Brockie, who everybody knows and loves. I came back, and now I play the Berserker Blothar.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
The Berserker Blothar. And for people who haven't seen it, these costumes you wear are not just... I mean, like the guys from Kiss, for example, are just amateurs when it comes to you guys. You've got, like, enormous headpieces and huge full-body costumes that often have... shall we say, over-the-top anatomy. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
This is not your first time at NPR because, famously, GWAR did a tiny desk concert. This is true. And, by the way, I recommend everybody watch this. When you walked into NPR headquarters in the full GWAR regalia, what was the reaction from our colleagues there? It was enthusiastic. LAUGHTER
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Wait a minute, what do you mean?
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
It'd be like, hey, Scott Simon, could you step out of the office just for a second? Yeah, yeah. Sylvia. And you, GWAR, very popular in Richmond, of course, and you even have a GWAR bar. We do. Yeah. People have been here for fans. And Dierks, you work there sometimes, right?
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Right. And do people ever come in? I presume they're GWAR fans.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Well, Mike Dirks and Mike Bishop, we have invited you here to play a game we're calling... You guys are Gwar.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
We're going to ask you about Jaguars. Answer two out of three questions about Jaguars of various kinds. You'll win a prize for one of our listeners. Choki, who are Mike and Mike playing for?
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
All right. One down, lady. If you win, maybe she'll come by the bar to thank you. All right, here we go. Now, the Jacksonville Jaguars are an NFL team that's had some good seasons, but they have also been Very unlucky, including one year when their punter suffered a unique injury. What was it? A, he bet somebody he could punt a 35-pound kettlebell and broke all his toes.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
B, he accidentally chopped himself in the leg with the inspirational axe kept in the locker room. Or C, he joined the team's cheerleaders for a kick line and ruptured his groin on the first kick.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
C sounds real.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
The kicker joining a kick line?
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Broke his toes. So let me get this right. Dierks, you're picking he broke his toes trying to punt a kettlebell. And Bishop, you're choosing he got in the kick line with a Julie. It was actually the other one. The coach kept an axe and a stump in the locker room to inspire his team to, quote, keep chopping. What does that have to do with Jaguars? And one day, the punter did.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
All right, that's okay, guys. You still have two more chances. Here is your next question. The Jacksonville Jaguars mascot is Jackson DeVille. It's a person in a skintight suit and a big jaguar head. And he has been so innovative in the mascot arts that he has actually inspired a rule change for all mascots across the NFL. What is that rule change?
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
A, no mascot may ever mime intimate acts with the other team's mascot. B, all mascots must be drug tested before each half. Or C, no mascot may get closer than six feet to the field of play, especially not if they are carrying a life-size dummy of the opponent's quarterback that they intend to stomp on midfield.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Can I ask a question about Olaf? Yes. So I have a six-year-old daughter. So your voice is like in my apartment all the time. And I, you're great.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Maybe it was. That's the real answer, of course. The... The rule arose from an incident in a game against the Steelers in 1998. Okay, let's start talking about real jaguars. According to the scientists who work at a wildlife reserve in Guatemala, the best way to attract one of the big cats that can do it without fail is to do what? A, turn on music by Kenny G, which the jaguars find irresistible.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
B, where lots of obsession by Calvin Klein... which draws them like flies, or C, dress like Jackson DeVille, the Jacksonville Jaguars mascot?
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
I bet it's Kenny G, man.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Oh, wow. The audience is saying... B. B. The audience is shouting B. Session. Session by Calvin Klein.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Well, they've got that thing where they go...
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
So you're going to go for B? Yes, that's right. Congratulations, everyone.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Finally, in October of last year, we hosted the singer-songwriter Cara Jackson, a former Illinois and then national youth poet laureate.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Thanks for having me. Now, I have left off. what I think of as one of the most important items on your resume, which is that you were one of the starting players on the Angels, an eight-year-old girl's t-ball team in Oak Park, which I coached. Yeah. So... A little nervous about the answer. What do you remember about...
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Coach coach Sagal on the on the Angels and being on the Angels, you know, I was pretty good at t-ball I've gotta say I was just really tall Yeah, I feel like some people struggled like there were some people where it was like they were shorter so they had to like You know lower the tea. Yeah, but the taller kids they would make it bigger and everyone would be like back up like I
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
There really is no better feeling, I imagine, than coming to bat with the tee and all the other players.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Yeah, I feel like I'm still chasing that high, honestly.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Right? So you moved from tee ball to poetry and were named the Chicago Youth Poet Laureate while you were still in high school. Do you remember any of those early poems?
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
What kind of relationship do you have with the parents of the children that go nuts?
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Well, unfortunately for me, a part of the Youth Poet Laureate program in the city, every poet laureate is responsible for writing a chapbook, so like a mini book of poems. So I have, you know, a living archive of all the poems I wrote at that time.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Right.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Do you ever go back and look at them and how do you feel about them? I think it's been a minute since I've looked back at them, but I think I have mixed emotions. Sometimes it's cringy just because I think that having a living record of things you thought as a teenager would just be cringy probably for everyone here.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
You know, it's also like a chance for me that I'm trying to do better the older I get to also treat my younger self with care and appreciate what I was doing at that age, because I think you take for granted a lot.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Yeah, my advice would be go to that young girl you once were and give her a snack and a juice box, because it always worked.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Yeah, the after the game snacks.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Oh, the best part of T-ball.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
So good.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
I can see we're never going to get off that topic. You then became, and I remember hearing about this and being very impressed, the National Youth Poet Laureate.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Yeah.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Right, and what kind of, I mean, that sounds like a serious post. What kind of obligations, duties, ceremony, or otherwise come with it?
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Yeah, so when I became the Youth Poet Laureate, I was the third one. So I think the program was still kind of establishing itself in terms of what it entails as a role. I think it was still kind of, you know, becoming a real tangible thing.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Yeah.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
I don't know. I really think I only look at the new ones with admiration because they're younger than me. Either way, I think I would never trade places with someone who's, like, 19. Like, no matter what I'm going through. Yeah, yeah. But...
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
And you're 25 right now.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Yeah. Okay. Almost 25. In a couple weeks.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
You're not 25 yet? She's 24.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
24 and a half. Let's talk about your music.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
So you have a song about the various losers you've dated. It's called Head Blues. It's pretty scathing, and I'm wondering, what has that done for your social life?
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
I don't know, because I think that I am really associated with like-minded people, so I think it maybe only enhanced it. I feel like... for people who needed that song, they really leaned into it. And it's been fun to travel and perform that one in front of many different audiences. I had to perform at the U.S. Ambassador in London, and I did that song for the U.S. Ambassador.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
And she was really cool with it. I feel like she maybe related, possibly. And the response was positive? Yeah.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Yeah, well, there you are.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
The ambassador was like, right on, right on. He said, yeah, girl.
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WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Get them, Glo.
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WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Well, Kara Jackson, it is great to talk to you, and we've invited you here to play a game we're calling... It's a, yes, fun party. So, you wrote a song called No Fun Party. Yes. So, based on that, we thought we'd ask you about some really fun parties. Answer two to three questions correctly, you'll win our prize. One of our listeners, the voice of anyone they might choose for their voicemail.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Bill, who is Kara Jackson playing for?
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
okay yeah first question uh the former executive of a company called tyco was sent to prison back in the day for stealing money from his company to fund his lavish lifestyle including a 2002 birthday party for his wife which included which of these a each guest getting a new mercedes-benz in a giant bag as they departed be an ice sculpture of michelangelo's david that dispensed vodka from his little david
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WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Or C, a musical background of instrumental versions of U2 songs played during the cocktail hour by U2? I feel like... maybe it's B? It is B. So if you think about it, it's sort of like a spigot, right? The ice sculptor? Anyway... Here is your next question. A British woman named Ivy Smalls celebrated her 105th birthday back in 2016. She only had one request for the party. What was it?
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
A, life-size blown-up photos of all her enemies that she had outlived.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
B, hunky firefighters with tattoos. Or C, pot brownies. Hmm. The first one speaks to me the most, so I'm going to go with A. Life-size photos of all the people she had outlived. No, it was actually hunky firefighters with tattoos.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Really?
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WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Yeah, that's what she wanted. All right, here's your last question. Get this right, you win. Colleges are known, of course, for huge parties, and in 2017, one house party at a college in Maryland became such a rager that what happened? A. NBA scouts showed up just to recruit from the beer pong games.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
B, when the cops came to bust up their party, their breathalyzers all went off just from the air inside the house. Or C, the party became so big it could be seen from space.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Yeah, I'm going to go with B. Sorry in advance to this person. You're right again.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
The air was so thick with alcohol that the breathalyzers on their belts started beeping.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Kara Jackson is an award-winning poet and the celebrated singer-songwriter behind Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love? And speaking from personal experience, she's a contact hitter who can hit with power to all fields. Kara Jackson, thank you so much for joining us on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. That's it for our Wellness Retreat Edition.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me is a production of NPR and WBEZ Chicago in association with Urgent Haircare Productions, Doug Berman, Benevolent Overlord. Philip Godeka writes our limericks. Our public address announcer is Paul Friedman. Our tour manager is Shana Donald. B.J. Lederman composed our theme. Our program is produced by Jennifer Mills, Miles Dornboss, and Lillian King.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Special thanks to Monica Hickey. Our jolly good fellow is Hannah Anderson. The hot stones at our massage, those are Peter Gwynn. Yeah. Our vibe curator is Emma Choi. Technical direction is from Lorna White. Our CFO is Colin Miller. Our production manager is Robert Newhouse. Our senior producer is Ian Chilog. And the executive producer of Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me is Mr. Michael Danforth.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Thanks to everybody you heard on the show this week, all of our panelists, our special guests, of course, Bill Curtis, and thanks to all of you for listening. I'm Peter Sagal, and we'll be back next week, revivified with a new sense of well-being.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
This is NPR. On the Code Switch podcast, 40 years ago, the Philadelphia Police Department carried out a bombing that destroyed a black neighborhood on live TV. And yet the deadly events of that day have been largely forgotten.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Wow. It's like a Twilight Zone episode thing where it happens to you, man. It took so much empathy for you to give that detailed answer instead of just saying, as I would have, Nagin, let it go. LAUGHTER
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
There is now a historic marker because a group of middle school children were assigned to look at police brutality in their community. Listen to the Code Switch podcast from the NPR network.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
He has more dignity than that, Josh. He has more dignity than that.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
He's the superior Josh G. You did tell the story in the book of one person who did not recognize you, which was the director David O. Russell.
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WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
What?
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WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
I got to ask one thing. The book does cover some of your struggle. And one story I loved is when you applied as a young man when you were living in Florida to work at Disney.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
And I was a skipper for a day. Thank you. But when David O. Russell got in that boat... Game over.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Amazing. Well, Josh Gad, it is a pleasure to talk to you after seeing you do so many amazing things over the years. But we have asked you here to play a game we're calling... Josh Gad, meet Posh Lads. Oh, boy. So we've decided to ask you about Posh Lads, those fancy boys produced by British universities and boarding schools...
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WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Here's your first question. In 1805, posh lad and poet Lord Byron attended Cambridge University, but Cambridge wouldn't let him bring his dog with him as dogs were banned. So, Lord Byron, that scamp did what?
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WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
So good to see you all. Um... I am going to be honest with you all. The year's not even half over, and we are already exhausted. So, inspired by the hit TV show, The White Lotus, we're going to take a week off. We're going to an exotic retreat, and we're going to work on our wellness. Oh, no. There's been a murder. Who could have seen this coming? Amen.
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WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Was it A, he kept a bear in his dorm room instead because nothing in the rules said he couldn't do that, B, he built a dog house 50 feet away just off school grounds with a tunnel connecting it to his room, or C, he submitted a fake application that got his dog hired as a professor?
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WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Well, you think it's the bear? Well, you're right. It was the bear. He used to walk the bear around campus on a chain. All right, Josh, your next question. The famously elite Eaton College has a longstanding tradition called the Eaton Wall Game. It's a sort of combination of soccer and rugby, and it's played against this big brick wall.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
You have? No, I lied to you. I understand that. There's an annual game between the fanciest King scholars and the rest of the school. It's a big deal. Even though which of these is true? A, the last time anyone scored a goal in the game was in 1909. B, the wall completely encloses the playing field so none of the spectators can actually see anything.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Or C, the game is played with a 95-year-old ball that deflates if you kick it. I'm going to go with C. You're going to go with C, that is played with a 95-year-old ball. No, the answer is actually A. No one has scored a goal in this game for more than 100 years. Here's your last question. If you get this, you win. Here we go.
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WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Eden was founded in the year 1440, so obviously a lot has changed over the years. For example, in the 17th century, what was a rule imposed on all Etonians? A. Before exams, the headmaster inspected each boy to ensure his upper lip was sufficiently stiff. B. Students were forbidden from even learning the cleaning staff's first names.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Or C. For their health, all students were required to smoke before breakfast.
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WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
We did it! They smoked tobacco. They were forced to smoke tobacco for their health. It probably protected them.
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WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
I don't know.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
When we come back, the taxidermist to the stars and a woman affectionately known as Big Gretch. That's when we return with more Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me from NPR.
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WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
While we try to get to the bottom of this, we've got some soothing treatments for you, selected from the finest naturally derived radio segments.
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WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
To hear it, sign up for NPR+. You get other perks, too, like sponsor-free listening and discounts at the NPR shop. Just head over to plus.npr.org.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
On the Code Switch podcast, 40 years ago, the Philadelphia Police Department carried out a bombing that destroyed a Black neighborhood on live TV. And yet the deadly events of that day have been largely forgotten.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
There is now a historic marker because a group of middle school children were assigned to look at police brutality in their community. Listen to the Code Switch podcast from the NPR Network.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Thank you all so much. So right now, all of us at Weight Weight are off in a spa somewhere looking at custom reports on our biometrics and nodding along as if we understand them.
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WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Our therapy for you, though, is some delightful conversations we've had in the past few months.
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WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
We saw that you were called taxidermist to the stars. What exactly does that mean? How did you earn that title?
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WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Can you describe, without breaking any confidences, what the kind of work you've done for some of these people?
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WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
I'm sure the goat heads are very popular with the whole heavy metal genre, right? They all need their goat heads.
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WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
I mean, I think people should understand this, that when we're talking about your taxidermy, for the most part, we're not talking about what they're thinking of, which is like, I don't know, a deer head, you know, mounted above a bar or in a cabin somewhere. Could you describe your work and what makes it special?
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WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
And congratulations on the book, which I devoured this week. Was it a little intimidating to write a memoir at the age of 43?
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
Yes, yes. I have so many questions. Let's just focus on Justin Long's raccoon with the cowboy hat and the finger guns.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut
So you came up with it. Where did that come from? Were you like thinking about raccoons and going, you know what would make them even better?