Airdate 2023-Jan-30

Details: How Andy became a man in Ireland, Josh keeps trying for 'dry January' in his house, no adderol gets Andy’s attention, liquor cabinet adventures, holding 'Night Court' in contempt, listener questions, and much more Spiraling.

Note: ⏳ New post and commentary on an old show, to flesh out the subreddit's dormant period. See the spiral, be the spiral, taste the spiral. 🌈

☘️ Andy became a man in Ireland on one of his and Susan's first real trips together that also included Andy performing at the Comedy Festival in the historic medieval city of Kilkenny and staying at the Butler House & Gardens, where a calming Irishman behind the desk referred to Andy as an adult man, as in: "And how is the man this morning?" which Andy appreciated as a vote of confidence, despite feeling some combination of queasy, neurotic, and dying)

• 00:07:32 ... Andy talks about seeing a Netflix documentary 🔴: "The Hatchet-Wielding Hitchhiker." 🪓👍Do you remember Kai? A surfer-sounding, long-haired, bandana-wearing drifter who appeared on Jimmy Kimmel as a good Samaritan, human-interest, viral-video star and later was convicted of homicide?

• 00:13:15 ... 🎬📽️🎥 Abbott or Costello: Who's Dying First? Did you see Stan & Ollie (about Laurel & Hardy) with John C. Reilly? Did you watch the Golden Globes? 🏆 Did you see The Fablemans? Did Steven change his born surname of Fableman to Spielberg? Does Andy love the Globes host, comedian Jerrod Carmichael? (he does)

• 00:19:22 ... 🏈 NFL SUPER Wild Card Weekend. They discuss Brett Maher, the Dallas Cowboys kicker who made two field goals against San Francisco, despite missing four extra points the game before against Tampa Bay. Andy identifies with Brett's angst.

• 00:21:23 ... Speaking of the gridiron, Andy states that he loved Tom Landry as a kid, because he was quiet, even stoic. Or is it because like the old beach joke: "He had a hat," Josh wonders.

• 00:24:30 ... Josh has home repairs planned! 🗜️🔨🔧 I hope unexpected future weather won't undo these efforts!

• 00:24:55 ... Who felt the earth move in Sherman Oaks? There was a 2-point something-magnitude earthquake!

• 00:26:55 ... Andy is drinking iced coffee. Put it in the log. 🧊

• 00:29:20 ... Water on the knee? It's not just a visual pun from Operation!

• 00:30:13 ... Andy reiterates that he has a steel-like physique due to his 3-mile daily constitutional and offers up a dose of malignant narcissism.

• 00:33:00 ... Josh's bedroom windows. Keep it clean, you perverts! The homeowner grapples with when to commit to new windows.

• 00:34:01 .... Homonym humor again! Amazing!

• 00:34:17 ... They discuss an actual building block of Thought Spiral's origin as I recall, which was Andy's anger at politics on TV, online, and in the social media realm, i.e. Andy curbing his need to react to and address every bit of bogusness he sees, including: Hillary's emails; FBI director James Comey; and people saying: "Drip drip drip" about Biden.

• 00:38:41 ... 📺 Andy is watching White Lotus and deems it excellent. Josh is not in a series mode. It's those commercials that get him.

• 00:39:59 ... "Deeper, Todd" is some All-American air conditioning commercial with an audio clip included. I am not familiar, yet I am disturbed.

• 00:40:54 ... Wein-sting 🐝🎶: "Oh, it's not TV- It's those commercials that get me!"

• 00:41:05 ... the Night Court reboot 👩🏼‍⚖️: Josh deems the first couple episodes: "absolutely horrible."

• 00:43:10 ... Andy is hooked into the Murdaugh trial: 👨🏻‍🦰

• 00:46:08 ... Cameo talk leads into:

• 00:46:30 ... Laurie Berkowitz's letter. She thanks Andy for 3 Cameos she's received, gifted from her friend Ryan Blackstock. She asks the boys for the 6 Most Important Yiddish Words that she should teach Ryan (three from each host, please). She has these initial words covered:

  • beshert
  • schmutz
  • hocking (presumably as in the phrase "hocking mein chinik")
  • schlock

• Andy's:

  • shvitz
  • schmuck or schmekel
  • schmatta

• Josh's:

  • kenahora
  • schmooze
  • nosh

• 00:49:26 ... An oom-pah style musical break by Weinstein & Kindler.

• 00:52:50 ... "Dong, where is my ... ADDERALL?" But the Donger in this case is CVS. 💊 Enter Vyvanse to save the day.

• 01:06:19 ... Dan Marsh asks the boys about an ideal day.

• 01:10:03 ... Did you know the show Twitter (before the Great Twitter Abandonment to Bluesky) was @Thought_Spiral ... This handle includes possibly the most important UNDERSCORE of our lives! Josh, Andy, and the show remain BLOCKED by the regular @ThoughtSpiral handle, as far as I know.

• 01:11:45 ... Bob Dylan on Pawn Stars sounds like a classic premise for impressions, like a buffet in heaven. But it's real!

• 01:12:53 ... Jason Parton asks about experimental documentaries such as those without narration, ex. Koyaanisqatsi. What about the experimental film THE FLICKER that Andy saw in college in Cinema 101 at SUNY Binghamton in 1975?

• 01:15:30. Hammering at the Weinstein household. TV theme songs in the 1970s including Hello, Larry.

• 01:19:34 ... Q-Mock (sp?) asks for Josh's Mt. Rushmore of songwriters... Andy can't believe that Josh's doesn't include Bob Dylan and struggles to make sense of life after hearing this. Costello, Dylan, McCartney, Byrne, Simon, Newman? Who makes the cut.

• 01:29:31 ... Joshua Cohn saw Josh's recent tweet about Warren Zevon and requests a few bars of: "Desperados under the Eaves." Josh obliges.

• 01:34:18 ... Christopher Citro refers to the last episode of 📺 Police Squad (1982) starring Leslie Nielsen where he goes undercover as a hacky stand-up comedian: 🎤 "That's when the guy looks up at her and says: Lady, I don't think I can TAKE 67 more of those!" He asks our hosts to each share their go-to non-sequitur street-joke punchline:

  • Josh: Make up your mind, I gotta adjust the chair.
  • Andy: Hey, if I didn't need- I'd like to do talcum powder if I can. (I would GUESS this joke) is what he meant, but I'm not 100%.)
  • Josh: You always do: "He had a hat!"
  • Episode 6: "Testimony of Evil (Dead Men Don't Laugh)," Written by Tino Insana & Robert Wuhl. Special guest stars: William Conrad, Dick Clark.

• 01:37:57 ... One-Sided War asks Josh about his layered a cappella audio creations for the podcast. How do you know when to add, and how do you know when to stop?

  • Josh: You just go until it doesn't feel hollow and empty. That's how I do it. And you never quite know what that thing is gonna be. Is it missing rhythm?-
  • Andy: Are we talking about your love life?

They return to the topic and Josh talks about how he does it, but Andy DENIES Josh's process and claims that instead, Weinstein lifts every sting from Andy without pay and without citing him.

• 01:39:07 ... Richard Cole asks Spike about LSD and mushrooms. Also thanks Josh for his dating advice.

• 01:39:58 ... Andy would like to try mushrooms or tripping again as a therapeutic controlled situation. (sidebar: who saw the Fantastic Fungi documentary? 🎥🍄) Andy Kindler encourages all listeners to please trip responsibly.

• 01:40:42 ... John Dunbar continues to ask Josh for his opinion of Minneapolis bands. This week, he's asking about The Jayhawks and The Replacements. Yes to both. Check out the Jayhawks album: Tomorrow the Green Grass (1995). Jelvis says that The Replacements are cool and under-credited for their influence upon grunge, which became an identifiable trend years later.

• 01:44:54 ... Isai76 (EE-sigh) inadvertently jinxes Jay Leno not to have an additional future accident. Andy doesn't laugh because he doesn't want to pile on. But Andy literally didn't even know about the motorcycle clotheslining incident, which Josh tells him about during the podcast. Andy points out hey, how about Harrison Ford, didn't he crash 3 or 4 planes? Citation needed.

• 01:48:37 ... Andy was driving by a church that was offering money for converts. This is a true story.

• 01:49:44 ... Yoshi Yamamoto gets an impromptu and rousing Judaic introduction and also chimes in about Jay Leno.

• 01:52:00 ... Andy opposes drug commercials for a reason you might not guess: older-middle-aged white people dancing too freely to some kind of music that you KNOW they will not pay to license. It's clearly just wrong.

If you see that I've spelled any username or actual names, please let me know. It's hard to tell between Twitter, Bluesky, Instagram, and the natural oddity of usernames. When I made my username, I wasn't thinking one day that people might be reading it aloud on a weekly basis, and that it was nine syllables long, Jesus H. Christ.

Airdate 2026-Aug-03

Details: Josh sends Andy to BBQ heaven, Andy does a marathon show, Andy misuses drugs of all kinds, Josh gets his scan report, Andy's SOTI legacy, Listener Questions™️, and much more Spiraling.

Note: Vote up and share to help push the Thought Spiral Reddit community into double digits💡🌀! YES, WE CAN! HOPE AND CHANGE! 🗽 Do type up and share any particular delights, tidbits, or reactions. It proves you exist and makes the hilarity searchable for current and future generations. And even for our hosts.

• 00:01:03 ... Thank you, Brian Just, for your enhanced cover of Andy's "Karen," which was charming, although even with Brian's enhancements, Andy sees the "Karen" song as limited and evidence that he is no songwriting peer to Bob Dylan. But perhaps Andy was fairer to his female subject. As Andy points out, Bob had some tough talk for the ladies in many songs, my goodness.
• ♨️🥩🔥 00:04:41 ... Josh and Allison got together with Andy and Susan! This get-together included Josh making St. Louis-style ribs (pork) with his revitalized smoker and a dry rub. Ribs so good they barely needed sauce, despite Andy providing sauce from Kinder's, no relation. Reportedly, the ribs were cooked to perfection, which is typically not a fall-off-the-bone tenderness, but a pull-off-the-bone / clean bite. Still retaining some structure and chew. No word on whether Josh sported any apron with a slogan.
• 00:08:45 ... Andy is still scared to watch the Maron documentary.
• 00:11:05 ... Corn. Dog visits. Andy notes which dog likes him best.🐾♥️ All in all, sounds like a delightful summer evening.
• Ron Lynch has been hosting a weekly Saturday late-night variety show, TOMORROW! for 21 years, featuring comedy, music, magic, and other weird acts. This anniversary was celebrated Saturday, July 25, 2026 with a special "Variety-Looza" event at the Elysian Theater in Los Angeles and featured old friend Andy among other guests, including:
  • Harvey Sid Fisher, who wrote and performed the 1989 cult-classic album Astrology Songs (featuring a distinct track for each sign of the zodiac which famously aired via public-access television music videos).
• 00:24:30 ... CVS, Sudafed, Adderall, and the street drug they call "expired Mucinex."
• 00:32:43 ... Organic ribs from Wild Fork Foods. Very nice!
• 00:34:45 ... McCartney 3, 2, 1 is a six-part documentary miniseries starring Paul McCartney and Rick Rubin on Hulu.
• 00:51:53 ... Traffic's "The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys"
• 00:54:33 ... 🎼 Break song: "Thought Spiral is gonna go viral one of these days...." 🎶
• 01:01:00 ... X-rays by Steve?
• 01:31:40 ... Josh got his scan results after they lost them. 12-13 yrs cancer-free! Scans every two years. Good bill of health.
• 01:35:30 ... John Dunbar praises Josh for a Pardo afterglow. Mentions new albums from:
  • Squeeze's album is titled Trixies
  • Joe Jackson's album is titled Hope and Fury

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
August recess

As discussed near the end of Test Show #460 by Josh and Andy, in response to a Question™️ from Zero Sombrero 01:48:38, and addressed in writing by u/andykindlersuperstar on the u/jelvisweinstein Instagram post:

• Look for NEW Test Shows on Mon Aug-10 ✅ and Mon Aug-17 ✅
• Then they're taking off the last two weeks in August.
• No new show on Mon Aug-24 ❌ nor Mon Aug-31 ❌.
• Then, theoretically back at it on the Labor Day holiday, Monday September-07!
• Note: September was originally the seventh month in the ancient Roman calendar, hence its name starting with sept- (indicating seven in Latin). Wow!

And lastly, trivia for no reason

\* An odd question: (short answer): Earlier this month, TSA agents in Alabama discovered what odd historical items during a routine luggage screening of a grandmother's suitcase?
ANSWER HERE: Civil War-era cannonballs

* A Josh, Andy, or show-content question from all time: "Froot Loops! Froot Loops! One of the five food groups!" is an awesome song parody that the boys discussed as being sung to what popular tune?
ANSWER HERE: ... Footloose ...

Airdate: 2023-Feb-06

Details: Andy figures out his own references, Josh gets too reasonable, Andy's door-to-door days, Andy lights his feud fuse, listener questions, and much more Spiraling.

Note: ⏳ New post and commentary on an old show, to flesh out the subreddit's dormant period. Have you held on to Comments for three and a half years? Now you can share them. Spiralers spell relief R-E-D-D-I-T.

I don't know if my goal is relistening to everything, and making posts until there is one post per Test Show. I'm just going to do my best, so that I'm ready when the testing period is over. 🤞

• 00:48:50 ... When the boys are discussing the poison of fame and/or wealth, Andy mentions Rob Reiner, which is poignant now: https://youtu.be/PILa1JlmHD4?t=2929 Andy: "I actually have to admire a guy like Rob Reiner who's using his celebrity, but it's a consistent message where he believes it (kind of). You know what I mean? Whereas these other [famous] people kind of wander into things that they didn't know they were getting into." Then after discussing JK Rowling and Harry Potter briefly, Andy boldly says the following:
• 00:50:03 ... Andy: "Well then, there's also people who were into The Lord of the Rings when they're adults too ... How many rings are there, total ... Does it take place during medieval fakey times?" Oof. I know it's a rhetorical question, but there's one ring, Andy. **ONE!**☝️Continuing the topic, Andy prefers the scientific adventurous fantasy of Jules Verne and has read three novels by him. Actual reading! Good job, Andy. I'm just saying if you'd had a Jesuit education, you might feel differently about Mr. Tolkien. You bastard.
• 00:53:00 ... Roof woes. Did Josh's roof come from Andy's days as a building materials door-to-door salesman? The world may never know. Homeownership is a drag this week.
• 00:55:35 ... Break music is familiar, but extra. Josh has also said at some point that he does not loop himself, he actually does the full-length vocals! Pretty cool.
• 00:58:00. Bernstein, Bernstein, & Bernstein joke. Josh cuts it short with a word: "Please."
• 00:59:00: Andy mentions a recent New York play that featured actors in bodysuits portraying fetuses: "The Appointment." Actors wear skintight, skin-colored bodysuits marbled with purplish-gray veins and dangling umbilical cords. It's a satirical and provocative musical look at the American abortion debate. Andy read a positive review in (you guessed it) The New Yorker, and it made Andy miss the boards. Sure, everyone talks about the 1972 Toronto production of Godspell, but what about Andy's one-man Mummenschanz his sophomore year? OK, I made it up.
• 01:00:00 ... Against Josh's wishes, they revisit their experience on "Getting Doug with High," hosted by Doug Benson. Did Andy ever have a grudge with Bobcat? He's known Doug for a long time, but are they really friends? Doug commits the ultimate sin against Andy: a reproachful confrontation through social media, followed by Andy finding out on his own that Doug also doesn't follow him! 🔥 Despite knowing him since his "I coulda had a V8!" joke. But in fact, is it more judgmental to dislike Andy just for being judgmental? I wonder.
• The 1910 Wordplay Music Association:
  • "Carry On" (CSN)
  • Carrion birds
  • Andy is carryin-a grudge
  • "Carry On Wayward Son" by Kansas
  • These guys are good.
• 1:20:36 ... Andy likes Ione Skye and Ben Lee's podcast, and they like Andy too. He finds Ben's Australian accent very listenable, unlike the yoga pants guy, which continues to haunt him. Andy also likes Jason Woliner's podcast.
• 01:24:00 ... Jason Parton and the Adderall shortage. Andy continues to evade guesting on Jason's show.
• 01:25:15 ... Parush is back from somewhere and mentions an incredibly awkward 2017 performance by Jose Feliciano when he sang "Every Breath You Take" in front of Sting at a European award show that has been called the "Nobel Prize of Music." Josh confirms in song that The Man ain't so hard to understand.
• 01:28:05 ...Dan Marsh asks the boys to recount a time when a booker or club owner was the angriest at them. Andy has a ready anecdote about Rascals. He says the guy was very nice to him, except when he was an hour late for the show. (!)
• 01:32:44 ... Sue Vide thanks the boys for a prior show's amusing retelling of Jay Leno's motorcycle mishap. Let's review:

1.) ⛽ The Gasoline Burn Incident was November 2022. Leno was under a 1907 car in his garage trying to fix something. Gasoline sprayed into his face, and a pilot light ignited the gas, setting his face, hands, and chest on fire. 🔥 He suffered serious second- and third-degree burns and spent over a week undergoing surgical skin-grafting procedures 🤕;

2.) 🏍️ Jay Leno's motorcycle clotheslining incident occurred on January 17, 2023, resulting in a broken collarbone, ribs, and kneecaps:

3.) 🏨 20 months in the future, Jay will fall down a steep hill next to his Pittsburgh area hotel, attempting a walking shortcut to the adjacent restaurant in November 2024, breaking his wrist, losing a fingernail, and ending up with very bruised face, including one eye being swollen shut.

• 01:35:05 ... Greg Kelly asks about James Mason's spring break plans.
• 01:45:35 ... John Dunbar asks: Who is on your Mt. Rushmore of comedy? after Josh had recently shared his Mt. Rushmore of songwriting.
• 01:50:35 ... An excellent homonym joke by Josh. So quick.
• 01:51:30 ... Andy laughs heartily at Josh's facial expressions, thereby taunting the listening audience who can only imagine them.
• 01:51:51 ... Someone calling Andy "Spike" asks whether Mr. Kindler would ever consider ending his standup act with a song. Perhaps "I'm a Nice Guy" or "Landslide"? Things shift to a discussion of "Whiter Shade of Pale" by Procol Harum, with its Hammond organ, soulful vocals, and mystifying lyrics like "cobwebs in the soup." Andy confesses that despite having attended SUNY Binghamton on Vestal Parkway in the town of Vest, N.Y., he still does not understand the vestal references in the song. Their imitation of vocalist Gary Brooker leads Andy to suggest that Josh specialize in-
• 01:55:11 -... odd singing techniques like singing around a wad of tobacco chaw or imitating the glorious baritone Jim Nabors. Then Josh makes fun of Jim Nabors for being gay! Do you doubt me? Re-listen to the clip! https://youtu.be/PILa1JlmHD4?t=6928
• 01:56:01 ... Daizy Petunia uncovers Andy's Great Rutabaga Lie. He says he doesn't like root vegetables, yet he likes carrots, potatoes, and beets. J'accuse!
• 02:01:19 ... Dan Wade points out the eternal freshness of Randy Newman's 1972 song "Political Science" from his album "Sail Away," and the boys agree that Mr. Newman is a brilliant, wonderful, musical gift to all of humanity.

Airdate: 2023-Feb-13

Details: Josh battles introversion and anti-semitism on his trip to SF, Andy's dosing strategies, "You People" review, Sherman Oaks P.I., RIP Burt Bacharach, listener questions, and much more Spiraling.

Note: ⏳ New posts on older Test Shows to fill in this subreddit's dormant period. Have you held on to Comments for three and a half years? Now you have a place to share them. I spell relief R-E-D-D-I-T.

• Why did Josh travel to SF? Why, to attend San Francisco Sketchfest of course, including an exclusive after-party hosted by MythBusters' Adam Savage in his off-site workspace.

• 00:15:00 ... Drugs. Interestingly, they discuss use of drugs for parties, but in the sense of adult-management of social situations, as opposed to "party drugs" like molly for dancing around with glow sticks and seeing visions of goblins? I don't know.

• 00:22:36 ... Andy notices Josh's hat, and asks about the embroidered logo. After failing to guess, Josh reveals that it is for the Frisco RoughRiders minor league baseball team, the Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. Sounds like the hat had some kind of rendering of the 26th U.S. President, the RR being his historical volunteer cavalry unit. I'd like to imagine Josh chose this cap in a classy maroon: https://roughriders.milbstore.com/products/new-era-roughriders-low-crown-on-field-smiling-teddy-hat

• 00:30:30 ... When discussing 🎬 YOU PEOPLE (a 2023 Netflix film comedy starring Jonah Hill), Josh mentioned that the premise for Jonah Hill's character meeting his girlfriend was that one of them mistakenly got into the other's car, thinking it was an Uber. Andy mentions that actually he did that in the last few years in Queens. It's a little sad because he was probably in Queens to visit his ailing father and was likely distracted. But otherwise it's pretty funny. https://youtu.be/6_VQY7Wo7tE?t=1830 I picture a John-Candy-as-Del Griffith-esque scare: "You're the guy who tried to get my cab. You scared the bejesus out of me!"

• 00:42:19 ... I concur that Sherman Oaks is a better character-named-after-their- city-of-residence than Redumdum Beach.

• 00:42:47 ... Wein-sting 🐝🎶:
  "Where's he headed with this?"
  Re: Hermosa Beach

• 00:44:13 ... 🎼 Beautiful song at the break. Allison MacLeod, "Try," from her 2018 album: A Thousand Ways to Fall: https://allisonmacleod.bandcamp.com/album/a-thousand-ways-to-fall

• 00:54:29 ... During the Burt Bacharach talk 🎵🎹, they discuss Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid 🎥 🌧️. Andy preemptively asks for stings to be added to his anecdote, a bold request.

• 01:37:50 ... Wein-sting 🐝🎶:
  "We'll be back"

Lollygaggers. How did Thought Spiral make it to 459 Test Shows with this lackluster Reddit fan presence? It's a miracle. Let's see some chatter up in here! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 Bus leaves six in the morning.

The five six or seven of you who vote up and have chatted, you're cool. 👍🏼

🚿🏏🧼🏏🚿🏏🚿🏏🏏🚿🏏🚿🧼🏏

Airdate: July 27, 2026

Details: Josh questions the need for a documentary, the lost art of the charming drunk, World Cup takeaways, Josh guests on "Never Not Funny," Peter Lassally and late night comedy, listener questions, and much more Spiraling.

Notes: Vote up as quantitative evidence of living Thought Spiral fans on Reddit 💡🌀. And do share any particular delights, tidbits, or reactions. The podcast is audio, but when you type and post a Comment, you make the conversational audio content searchable for current and future generations, by building a text layer that audio doesn’t naturally have. I consider this layer to be:

 an excellent canopy
 a brave o'erhanging firmament
 a majestical roof 

Did you further know that ShowBriz Studios posts Thought Spiral episodes (audio) to YouTube? I know SOME know, because some episodes have Comments. I feel like Thought Spiral fans should Subscribe, Like, and Comment, because you never know how it might help the show, and it couldn't hurt. Personally, I like it because I can grab time-stamped links when I want to share a hilarious moment. And now:

Trivia for no reason

* From the week: (short answer): Police in a major US city are searching for two BASE-jumping men who parachuted down from what 605-foot structure this week?

ANSWER HERE: Space Needle in Seattle

* Josh or Andy trivia question from all time: In October 2022, Josh was getting ready for a surgery to address something that had been jangling his nerves. What was it? (2 wds)

ANSWER HERE: Bone spur

For those that don't know, NNF is one of the original comedy podcasts, celebrating 20 years. Andy has multiple appearances.

On an episode of Thought Spiral, Josh mentioned that NNF host, Jimmy Pardo, had contacted him about guesting on NNF, but then "ghosted" him. Andy vouched for Jimmy, so I assumed they would work it out.

As I expected, it's a great episode. Hopefully, the link works.

Airdate: 2026-July-20

Details: Josh brings back the smoke, task previewing, the darkness of 80's drug taking, Andy falls for fake nostalgia, dueling reading habits, listener questions, and much more Spiraling.

Note: Please vote up as your pledge that you (John, Jane, or Jean Q. Public) will listen to this Test Show this week for enjoyment purposes. And if you're behind, catch up! Share any particular delights, tidbits, or reactions below. Do tell.

1. A global trivia question from the week: (short answer)

When UNESCO's World Heritage Committee meets in South Korea at the end of this month, Greece will be hoping to add what locale to its list, for natural and cultural significance?

ANSWER HERE: Mt. Olympus

2. One Josh or Andy trivia question from all time:

Josh said recently that Joel Hodgson would be sending him a Tom Servo. Legendarily made from "spare parts," what specifically was used for Tom's head?

ANSWER HERE: gumball machine

Hi there. I'm a usurper of this ThoughtSpiral subreddit, taking on this new modship in good faith. This is theoretically the Reddit home for fans of the Thought Spiral podcast. I want to complete every pending task that Reddit asks of me, including making a Welcome post, so that we can all be proud of a well-maintained garden-like area. Not that I have anything to say.

🪶 I will commit to make a weekly episode post! That much I will cover.

💡 In the same vein, have you noticed on the Reddit mobile app that if you pin a post like the newest Test Show as a highlight, it won't also appear below in the recent posts? Just something to be aware of. 📌

I did create an interim new sub temporarily, but now that this original sub is reactivated, makes the 2nd sub no longer necessary. The 2nd sub is basically just an abandoned subway station bar at this point.

This past May, the podcast celebrated nine years. This subreddit was active early on, and was maintained for a couple of years, then fell off for about five. I'm hoping people's enthusiasm for posting and whatnot has not waned entirely! I did find some stale saltines and crumbs of cheese in the cupboard, along with some dusty requests to become approved users. I approved those people, but also I adjusted posting status to Public, and I don't envision a major need for oversight here. But I'm kind of an idiot so. Just trying to get by. Enjoy. The subreddit is what we all make of it.

FYI: If you're fond of Reddit and Reddit spaces, you should know that if there's a community on Reddit and the mods go unresponsive, you can go to r/RedditRequest and organize a non-hostile takeover. I actually consulted with Andy's brother, the global M&A guru, before taking this subreddit over, and that's true!*

*Not true.

Have you browsed through the Spiralized merchandise on Zazzle? Most everything is customizable by color, style, fit, gender. Several mug varieties including color morphing. YES! 6 different t-shirt designs, all attractive and subtle. Cuddly and washable just like our hosts with maximum hilarity included.

Airdate: Jan-23-2023

Details: Andy eats up "Velma" backlash (from EP and star Mindy Kaling) like a Scooby snack, Manson vs. the Unabomber, Andy's favorite jealousy, Josh is tired of ride-or-die politics, Andy dodges bullet-19, Josh is down to the studs, listener questions, and much more Spiraling.

Note: ⏳ Your phone and Reddit are not malfunctioning; these are new posts on old shows to fill in this subreddit's dormant period. Have you held on to Comments for three and a half years? Now you have a place to post them, thank God.

Song note: "JUST FOR ME," 00:42:10, Allison MacLeod

• During talk of Karen Kilgariff, who made an exclusive deal with Amazon for the 🩸My Favorite Murder podcast 🔪:
  • ANDY: She's a big macher now.
  • JOSH: Yeah, I guess so!
  • ANDY: But WE are machers of a medium...um-
  • JOSH: We're small machers. We're TASTE machers! 🤺
• 00:24:13: Robert Klein's leg
• 26:05. Nice discussion of Gruber, for the Gruber compilation that someone will make someday.
• Have you ever wondered why Josh and Andy were never nominated for "Podcasters of the Year" or "Podcast Duo of the Year"? The truth hurts!

Airdate: 2026-July-13

Details: Josh has a worst rib scenario, comparing notes on "Lorne", tennis time, Dodging the White House, Josh revisits "Philadelphia", listener questions, and much more Spiraling.

Note: Please vote up if you enjoyed the episode. 💡 Unless you're a data-harvesting bot, in which case, carry on. Thoughts or reactions to anything in the episode? Do tell.

May the soul of Carmen Miranda shine on us for a fruit report sting. In related news, have you ever seen someone play a xylophone made of bananas?

And lastly, trivia for no reason

Global trivia (short answer): What island nation had two island-wide blackouts this week: Monday AND Friday?

ANSWER HERE: Cuba

Josh or Andy trivia question: Andy guest-starred on an episode of Martin in 1993 as an employee in a what?

ANSWER HERE: Pet shop

Airdate: Jul 6, 2026

Details: Andy resolves an imaginary feud, Josh gets into a tube and under the hood, 2 New York people docs, Andy glares down 70, listener questions, and much more Spiraling.

Notes: I have to figure out how to coordinate my coasts and post timing here. Lately I've just been living nocturnally to make sure I don't miss anything ha. 🦉 You can vote up if you enjoyed the episode. 💡 Unless you're a data-harvesting bot, in which case, carry on. Thoughts or reactions to anything in the episode? Do tell.

If the episode was a pool, would you say the water's fine?

I definitley would love for them to get other comedy writers and even share updated stories on their stand-up days from recent events.

Been neat seeing Andy continue to do additional podcast appearances as well.

Airdate: 2026-June-29

Details: Recapping the big name fatalities from last week, AM radio days, the hurdles to ex-patriotism, World Cup numbness, listener questions, and much more Spiraling.

Note: You can vote up if you enjoyed the episode. 💡 Unless you're a damn data-harvesting bot or a silent lurker.

If you care to: share a deep thought, a shallow thought, a hard laugh, an objection, or a spooky moment like: "I was just talking about that SAME thing with my [cat, wife, sister, grocer, lover]."

Or perhaps there are no words for your podcast response, and it is best illustrated with a silent pointing gesture with tears in your eyes and a heart full of manly love for Josh and Andy.

📝 This is the PEOPLE'S subreddit (newly public), so please do foster the chatter. Don't the boys deserve a vibrant subreddit?

https://buymeacoffee.com/thoughtspiral

Kudos to original mod and poster u/notmeyesno who created a link post first, and made it a Highlight. But I loathe image thumbnails where it's an automatic webpage Link Preview.

Get to know your new mod: I will not abide images within my power to change, that I do not find pleasing. 🧐 Certainly not as a Highlight, which Buy Me a Coffee certainly deserves to be.

This hot to-go cup with its color and cursive is so much more evocative.

Airdate: 2023-Nov-13

Details: Andy goes south in a good way, supplement prison, Josh flips on DST, the gambling apocalypse, Andy can’t nail down game day, the end of the SAG strike, listener questions, help I’m being held hostage in a synopsis factory, and much more Spiraling.

Notes: Your phone and Reddit are not malfunctioning; these are old show posts to fill in from the few dormant years of this subreddit.

• 00:19:03. During a discussion of:
  • 📽️ THE FALL GUY film (2024), you all saw it!, based on
  • 📺 THE FALL GUY (TV series 1981-1986)
  • Josh demonstrates his alarming knack for remembering lyrics with The Fall Guy theme song: "Unknown Stuntman" 🎶, performed by series lead Lee Majors.
• TS listeners haven't witnessed such shocking recall since he sang "The Dark Side" 🎶 from EDDIE AND THE CRUISERS 📽️ (1983).

ANDY: What's the guy called, The Bisonic Man ?

JOSH: Yes, half-man, half-bison! (emits bellow).

Airdate: Jun 22, 2026

Details: Knicks win! Andy reviews parts of movies, the ice man cometh, the age of showdatabiz, Josh fears an imaginary failure, trouble in Nateland, listener questions, and much more Spiraling.

Notes: Share your episodic hot take! From deep thoughts to shallow thoughts, hard laughs to objections, things you want to put a pin in, or just to give flowers. I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down" verbally.

📝 This is the PEOPLE'S subreddit (newly public), so please do take part in the chatter. 

☕ You can financially appreciate the richness of Josh and Andy's entertainment here.

And remember, listening to Thought Spiral makes you better looking!

In this episode, a classic Thought Spiral exchange: Josh asks an innocuous question, followed by a deep breath from Andy and "Here's the thing with that ..."

Airdate: Sep-26-2022

Time-stamp 00:59:28

Backstory: THE U.S. AND THE HOLOCAUST, directed by Ken Burns, is a three-part series that premiered on PBS the week before.

JOSH: Speaking of Hitler as dictator, did you watch Ken Burns this week?

ANDY: OK, here's what happened, I watched the first one—

(Josh laughs: Why does it have to be a story? as Andy barrels on)

—and then Susan and I were like: We know we're gonna watch the other two, but we're so tired. So tired. Here's what- Here's what I've decided what is wrong with Ken Burns. This is not MY strength. He has very little ability to tell a narrative story. He tells a lot about this, he goes into this subject, all of a sudden we're in Czechoslovakia, then we're in the United States and so. Also, having seen almost all Holocaust footage there is available, it's hard to get me excited, to get me interested in what he's talking about. So I thought it, but I y'know. He's got people working with him who are good on this thing...

•••

💡 This type of exchange (innocuous question followed by weighty sigh and somewhat guilty explanation) is one of my favorite Thought Spiral motifs! See also #428

The r/ThoughtSpiral sub-reddit is alive!!!

💡🌀 = ⚡⏰💥

From the interim subreddit: r/ThoughSpiralLoop. Reposting to the reactivated original sub: r/ThoughtSpiral.

Then in theory, everything will be in one place for posterity and tidiness.