The Fifth Hour: Suburban Superhero With Extension Cord

·33 min·3 clips

Maller calls his jacaranda tree a 'leafy anarchist' that vandalizes his car and yard with sap and debris.

The episode begins with Ben Maller introducing the show and noting it's a Saturday podcast recorded after his overnight radio shift. He mentions avoiding cursing to keep content consistent across platforms. Maller promotes an upcoming meet-and-greet in Cincinnati, clarifying it's in northern Kentucky, and teases appearances by fans like Dick and Cardiac Stanley. He then segues into discussing National Poutine Day and Barbershop Quartet Day, explaining their relevance to his show's absurd humor. Maller shares a story about the 'Chubby Cubby' barbershop song, which was banned by a Chicago radio affiliate years ago. He connects poutine to a Vancouver meet-and-greet hosted by his friend Nico. The main narrative focuses on Maller's domestic life, starting with his jacaranda tree, which he describes as beautiful but troublesome, dropping sap and debris. He details the yard work process: cutting branches with a trimmer, breaking them down, and using an electric leaf blower he nicknames 'Benny the Blower.' Maller reflects on this as a 'suburban superhero' moment. The episode shifts to his bulldog Moxie, who licks her paws excessively, causing blisters. After a vet suggests expensive medication, Maller's wife finds Velcro dog socks online to prevent the licking. Maller compares Moxie's persistence to Andy Dufresne in 'The Shawshank Redemption.' He concludes by noting the temporary solution and promoting the Sunday Mailbag podcast. Throughout, ads for other iHeart podcasts like 'Thanks Dad' and 'Serving Pancakes' are interspersed.

As heard by us

A reluctant yard-worker turns one tree and a household summons into a suburban sports saga.

The episode treats yard work like an unlucky draft day at Malheur Mansion, where a domestic request arrives with the weight of a court summons.

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Why you'd press play

Press play when a routine yard chore starts feeling like a hostile draft assignment.

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