The gents couldn't resist the chance to catch the first Mad Max, in public at a place that sells beer. Somehow, it wasn't the same film they'd both seen decades ago when they were young. Who switched it, and why isn't anyone talking about this conspiracy? Tune in for answers.

Steve wants to talk America's pastime--little league, minors, and The Show; Kelly, who through no fault of his own ended up an Los Angeles of Anaheim California Angels fan, is not really following the action this year. Instead, he tries to introduce Steve to some serious LITERATURE, which Steve naturally resists. If this sounds fun, then you've got good instincts. Pull up a stool and ask the bartender to turn on the game.

"A Game of Catch," Richard Wilbur: https://mrpastor.weebly.com/uploads/1/6/3/1/16317682/a_game_of_catch.pdf

The gents close out the Gonzo trilogy with a pod-fave: the great David Foster Wallace's great mega-essay: "A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again." Daniels has loved essay and author for years. Jones is a new superfan. Tune in for cringy middle aged bromance vibes toward the late author.

The fellas take it on the road, the I-80 to be precise, over yonder to Iowa City's The Vine Tavern, the very setting (in a way) of the episode's subject story. More importantly, they actually TURN DOWN, while recording, an offer of FREE BOOZE, in the form of scary and confusing giant syringes full of alcohol-infused gelatin.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1988/11/14/work

https://www.newyorker.com/news/american-chronicles/the-terrifying-car-crash-that-inspired-a-masterpiece

The fellas don Hawaiian shirts and dive into the repulsively appealing world of Hunter S. Thompson and his attorney, Dr. Gonzo: Destination, the Las Vegas of the mind. Serious consideration of the legacy of Gonzo Journalism is cut with generalized shenanigans, including Kelly trying to drop in a dirty joke he read on the internet, to awkward effect.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear_and_Loathing_in_Las_Vegas

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear_and_Loathing_in_Las_Vegas_(film)

https://www.britannica.com/topic/gonzo-journalism

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Zeta_Acosta

Jones wants to take us there, to Orwell's dark opus. Daniels--the self-affirmed Orwell scholar--can't get past chapter one. Instead, he tries to save face by bringing in his own favorite novel of authoritarian dystopia. Stalin sits at the head of the table in both novels, and we're all reminded of what can happen when individuals surrender their power to orthodoxy.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/may/22/the-ministry-of-truth-by-dorian-lynskey-review-a-biography-of-george-orwells-1984

https://fernwehtun.com/2018/12/12/manuscripts-dont-burn/

The fellas hate on the video version of the trippy and cool sci-fi novel. Also, the Cultural Revolution was worse than you thought.

A poet, a tech guy, and a fiction writer walk into a bar. They have a great time, and so will you if you pull up a stool and join in. Also, switching from PBR to a craft IPA has consequences.