John Siracusa and Merlin Mann try to figure out exactly how they got this way.

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#42: The Punching in Me

December 22nd, 2016 · 100 minutes

The main topic this week is Merlin’s documentary obsession. Turns out: there are a lot of turns-outs. John and Merlin explore what’s so tantalizing (or off-putting) about some documentary films—as well as the whole genre as a thing.

This episode of Reconcilable Differences is sponsored by:

  • Casper: Because everyone deserves a great night sleep. Get $50 off with the code ‘DIFFS’

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Download: MP3 (92.49 MB)

Links and Show Notes

This week, Merlin introduces John to a thriving culture of internet busybodies. What happens when we’re only ever exposed to people who look or think like we do? What would we do with free access to an all-you-can-eat Fun Dip buffet?

In follow-up, John learns about “Bay Lake,” but badly confuses his celebrity folk heroes. Around a YouTube series Merlin a perimeter creates. Your hosts debate which movies really are mostly terrible. (Murrrrrph!) Also, Merlin’s Netflix account gets borrowed for a morning.

Merlin suggests watching A Meditation on the Possibility of Romantic Love In the South During an Era of Nuclear Weapons Proliferation, and John is very reluctant to recommend 18 hours of New York history.

Merlin learns how Jesus died.

(Recorded on Tuesday, December 20, 2016)


Mr. Show - "Pre-Taped Call-In Show"
Movies with Mikey - YouTube

"Movie Charcuterie. A film show focused on celebrating movies and hopefully making you laugh along the way. Best with Cornichons and a smoky, velvety Gruyère."

The Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) - Movies with Mikey - YouTube
Episode #2: Maria Bamford Talks Bipolar II While Her Pugs Eat Nilla Wafers | The Hilarious World of Depression | APM Podcasts

"For some people, treating depression is a matter of going to a doctor or therapist, maybe getting some meds, and then feeling better. For comedian and actress Maria Bamford, the path to doing better was way longer and more complicated. She shares her experiences with depression, OCD, hypomania, and persistent, unwanted disturbing thoughts, as well as bad therapy, ineffective in-patient treatment, and breakdowns. A diagnosis of Bipolar II, which covered a lot of what was wrong with her, and some Googling helped put her on track to become the healthier person she is today."

Jane Krakowski - Wikipedia
Reedy Creek Improvement District - Wikipedia
Movies with Mikey - YouTube
New York: A Documentary Film - Wikipedia
Patton Oswalt- Steak - YouTube
R.E.M. - Finest Worksong - YouTube
Nextdoor: Join the free private social network for your neighborhood

Nextdoor The private social network for your neighborhood.

Hoodline
The Windows of Main Street, U.S.A. (The 626) - Disney Dispatch

The businesses referenced on the window are all skeleton companies once used by Walt to buy the land in Florida that would eventually become Walt Disney World.

Sherman's March (1986 film) - Wikipedia

McElwee initially planned to make a film about the effects of General William Tecumseh Sherman's march through Georgia and the Carolinas (the Georgia portion of which is commonly called the "March to the Sea") during the American Civil War. A traumatic breakup McElwee experienced prior to filming made it difficult for him to separate personal from professional concerns, shifting the focus of the film to create a more personal story about the women in his life, love, romance, and religion.

New York: A Documentary Film - Wikipedia

New York: A Documentary Film is an eight-part, 17½ hour, American documentary film on the history of New York City. It was directed by Ric Burns and originally aired in the U.S. on PBS.

Andre (@torrez) | Twitter
Las Vegas isn't Las Vegas - YouTube
Will Rogers Today

"...out here I had been putting what little money I had in Ocean Frontage, for the sole reason that there was only so much of it and no more, and that they wasent making any more..."

“Around the survivors a perimeter create.”

“Around the survivors a perimeter create.”
– Yoda

The Illusionist (2006) - IMDb
Broken windows theory - Wikipedia
Hidden Brain : NPR
site:npr.org "turns out" - Google Search
New York: A Documentary Film - Documentary History - YouTube