007 - Noble Rot: We Can All Be Fans

·1 hr 20 min·5 clips

After 11 years of perfect podcasting, Chas Smith misses his first interview with beloved surf photographer Chris Burkhardt.

The episode opens with Chas Smith detailing a personal failure: after 11 years of perfect podcasting attendance, he missed a scheduled Zoom interview with surf photographer Chris Burkhardt due to a calendar error. He and co-host David Lee Scales then segue into the episode's theme: fandom. They discuss the current fever pitch of the Padres-Dodgers baseball playoff series, using it as a springboard to explore personal philosophies on sports fandom. Chas argues that unless born into a team, one should cheer for where they live, while David expresses skepticism about the absurdity of rooting for a uniform. The conversation broadens to fandom of non-sports entities. Chas recounts childhood fantasies of donating money to brands like Xelactin and Hostess Pies that helped him. Both hosts passionately debate their fanatical love for specific foods: Chas for French onion dip with Ruffles chips, and David for a well-made dirty gin martini. David also extols the virtues of draft root beer from an A&W in Mentone Beach. They explore fandom of condiments like mayonnaise and pimento cheese, and brands, with David criticizing over-branded luxury wear and Chas revealing his covert admiration for the quality and design of Outer Known apparel. The hosts briefly touch on fandom of filmmakers like Paul Thomas Anderson and Alex Garland. The episode includes ad reads for BetterHelp and HelloFresh. It concludes with a 'hero and zero' segment where Chas condemns restaurants that serve shrimp with tails on, David decries ankle-biting mosquitoes, and Chas controversially names Anthony Fauci a 'hero' for the peaceful, simplified lifestyle he experienced during COVID-19 lockdowns.

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