Think Outside the Box Set

Latest Episodes:

S2E2. The Ol' Flush 'n' Flesh Jan 08, 2018

Show notes

The Ringmaster by Insane Clown Posse.

Nathan and Cameron listen to ICP’s second album, Cameron invents old-time ICP music, George Washington’s teeth fall out, and Theo has a juggalo birthday. It’s all part of the kooky karnival fun of The Ringmaster!

The Ringmaster, Insane Clown Posse’s second album, is a big step up musically from The Carnival of Carnage. It has less misogyny, though there’s still a non-zero amount. It probably could’ve been shorter, though.

Listen along to The Ringmaster on Spotify.

Learnin' Links:

Uncle Joe’s Violent Crime Act—which would be a terrible name for a band
Washington’s teeth: “he had a set made with real human teeth, likely ones he purchased from "several unnamed 'Negroes,' presumably Mount Vernon slaves" in 1784.”
The word bitch… its history, and the debate surrounding its usage
The New Jim Crow: a book about how America imprisons its minorities in disproportionate rates
Benjamin Franklin: initially a slaveowner, he eventually became an abolitionist and freed his slaves.
Zaphod Beeblebrox, man of two heads and one hoopy frood
Land Shark
Flow, as defined in hip-hop

You can support us in several ways:

Kick us a few bux on Patreon! By becoming a supporting member, you'll gain access to special bonus episodes!
Buy T-shirts, sweatshirts, and more at our merch page!

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S2E1. ICP: Crasscinating—Just Not on This Album Jan 01, 2018

Show notes

Carnival of Carnage by Insane Clown Posse.

Well, here we are… the first Insane Clown Posse album! It’s… not great. We have a hard time maintaining enthusiasm (or staying awake) through the sheer misogyny and arrhythmic rapping.

There are a few bright(er) spots, but overall, we’re left wondering: did we make a mistake in picking ICP? Also, will Cameron quit the podcast because Nathan used the word "Crasscinating" for the title of this episode?

Learnin’ Links

Leck mich im Arsch—which Nathan almost got the title of right
ICP
Andy Kaufman, famed wrestler
Tracie Morris
Mikhail Bakhtin
Ship of Theseus
The Wiz
MKUltra

You can support us in several ways:

Kick us a few bux on Patreon! By becoming a supporting member, you'll gain access to special bonus episodes!
Buy T-shirts, sweatshirts, and more at our merch page!

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Go Tell It on the Merkin: A Very Garf Xmas Dec 18, 2017

Show notes

Beyond the Season by Garth Brooks.

Merry Christmas, everyone! It's a very special heartwarming episode dedicated to Garf's very special Christmas album Beyond the Season. Recorded live in Chicago on Thanksgiving, Cameron and Nathan are joined by:

Ashely Bowman
Becca DeWhitt
Rachel Y

Merry holidays and happy seasons to all! Sponsored by the OKVixen Corporation.

Learnin' Links:

Ryan Robison's awesome drawings!
We did like the Chase
Banned in Boston
Black nativity
Holiday Inn is racist
Seth Martin, who wrote many new verses to "The Friendly Beasts"
Mardi Gras babies—is THIS what Ashely was talking about??

You can support us in several ways:

Kick us a few bux on Patreon! By becoming a supporting member, you'll gain access to special bonus episodes!
Buy T-shirts, sweatshirts, and more at our merch page!

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Bonus #1: I See Pee Dec 11, 2017

Show notes

I WANNA PLAY A GAME.

Say it with us, in a real real spoooOOOOoooky voice: "I WANNA PLAY A GAME." That's right! It's time to choose the artist we investigate after Garf, and what better way than with a horrifying, flesh-rending, gruesome carnival of carnage? Just call Nathan "Jigsaw," baby, cuz it's about to get all Saw up in here.

Learnin' Links:

Bracket visuals:

The game we're playing to choose the post-Garf artist is a bracket-style tournament. We're releasing the first one of these brackets to everyone, but in the future they'l just be for supporters—along with other cool, funny, smart, nice bonus episodes!

You can support us in several ways:

Kick us a few bux on Patreon! By becoming a supporting member, you'll gain access to special bonus episodes!
Buy T-shirts, sweatshirts, and more at our merch page!

Support Think Outside the Box Set

S1E11. Bouzouki Joseph Dec 04, 2017

Show notes

Gunslinger by Garth Brooks.

Garth's very last album forever: 2016's Gunslinger. We wish we could say it's a triumphant return to form… but it's more of a flaccid, bland return to form. At least it's not horribly offensive?

This is our shortest episode ever! There isn't much to chew on here. Though we do manage to talk about more interesting things than these songs, like a movie that Cameron mysteriously calls Bang Bang Driver.

Learnin’ Links:

The album cover, where Garf looks like Will Ferrell
The Ewok Adventure
Wow. Led Zeppelin had at least three successful plagiarism suits brought against them.
Will Ferrell and Chad Smith Drum-Off!
Heads Carolina, Tails California
Jake Jolliff, an amazing mandolin player, son of professor Bill Jolliff whose classes Nathan and Cameron took
Cotton-Eyed Joe—which might not be racist? It's hard to tell
The Greek bouzouki, and the Irish bouzouki

You can support us in several ways:

If you want to buy Gunslinger, you can do it here and support us.
Kick us a few bux on Patreon! By becoming a supporting member, you'll gain access to special bonus episodes!
Buy T-shirts, sweatshirts, and more at our merch page!

Support Think Outside the Box Set

S1E10. Feeble Little Throw of a Tiny Little Bone Nov 27, 2017

Show notes

Man Against Machine by Garth Brooks.

Garth makes a not-at-all triumphant return after 13 years of hiatus with his album Man Against Machine. And boy does it stink to high heaven.

Not only did Garf not appear to learn anything in his time away, it seems like he regressed in some important ways. For instance, it appears he's spent the better part of a decade in "the friendzone." We expected better from you, Garf.

Learnin’ Links:

The coming man against machine battle
GhostTunes, Garth's aptly-named and short-lived music service
It's "Ukraine," not "the Ukraine"—get it right, NATHAN
William Penn's swordplay cosplay
Triumph of the Will
The real story of Romeo and Juliet
Manifest Destiny
Jingoism—which is a word we've used a lot, but here's a definition if you don't know it
"Love Doesn’t Trump Hate. Accountability Does." by Aleo Pugh

there's also another good article called "Love Doesn't Trump Hate"

David Bowie on Soul Train—he actually wasn't the first white artist. Elton John was.

DO NOT buy this album on Amazon. Avoid it. We don't even want the sweet affiliate link ¢a$h for this one.

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S1E9. DJ Dead Dad Nov 20, 2017

Show notes

Scarecrow by Garth Brooks.

Garth Brooks didn't want to make this album. But he did. Because his record label made him do it. After the Great Gaines Failure of 1999, Garth wanted to hide under a rock and retire until 2014. But his word is bond, and so is his contract with Capitol Records to print money.

Even for all that, though, it's not even that bad. There are many Garf albums that are worse or more objectionable.

We also learn that Cameron and Nathan have a hard time spelling "Beer run." How many Bs are in there, again?

Learnin' Links:

The album cover
Sometimes, people confuse 911 and 9/11… Or 7-eleven and 9/11
The DC snipers, which actually happened in late 2002
Anthrax, and anthrax
George Jones
Dixie Chicks' controversy
The pin-pen merger, a feature of many Southern accents (featured in the song "Beer Run (B Double E Double Are You In?)"
Sonnets from the Portuguese #43
ApologetiX… ew
Squeezits

If you want to buy Garth Brooks’ Scarecrow, you can do it here and support us: http://amzn.to/2z4DlJi.

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S1E8. Anno Gaines Nov 13, 2017

Show notes

Garth Brooks in… …the Life of Chris Gaines by Garth Brooks.

Today’s the day! Human soul patch Chris Gaines gets his day in the sun as Garth Brooks dons a wig and a smoldering, sexy, cheeks-sucked-in face for his best rockstar playacting. Pucker up your pair of kissable ellipses, because this bad boy is going to soft-rock your whole world.

The Garf/Gaines pair is a real Jekyll/Hyde situation… but in the end, it turns out Chris Gaines is actually a lot less fun than we thought he would be. Oh, well. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Learnin’ Links:

To blave
Bill Clinton and “depends on what the meaning of the word ‘is’ is”
Richard Bachman
VH1’s Behind the Music on Chris Gaines
Garf’s interview where he explains Chris Gaines
The Gaines album cover, and the Garf album cover.
SNL Californians
The outdated and racist term “miscegenation,” and the tokenism with which Gaines treats black people
It blows
Black Tuesday

If you want to buy the Chris Gaines album, you can do it here and support us! http://amzn.to/2AH2ET5

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S1E7. Faddy and Fommy Nov 06, 2017

Show notes

Sevens by Garth Brooks.

There are 7s all over this album… it’s a real Dan Brown-type situation. That’s right, it’s Garth Brook’s album “Sevens”! We lost count at some point, but there are probably 7 instances of the number 7, or something.

Learnin’ Links:

We reference Kevin Spacey in Se7en… not exactly timely. Forgive us—we recorded this a while ago. Oops.
The album cover
Flannelgraph and the Borscht Belt
Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule
Fugue and fugue state
A Mighty Wind
“Escape (The Piña Colada Song)”
The Cowboy Church of Junction City, Oregon (I’d link to their site, but… it’s a little bonkers)
Pierce Pettis, the songwriter
“Christmas in the Trenches” (live version!), a much better song than “Belleau Wood”
The Christmas Truce
The 1812 Overture is not about the War of 1812

If you want to buy Sevens, you can get it here and support us: http://amzn.to/2zmnkBf

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S1E6. The Greatest Goat of All Time Oct 30, 2017

Show notes

Fresh Horses by Garth Brooks.

In what way can horses be “fresh”? Is Garth riding with all his freshest of horses? Do horses have placentas? Nathan and Cameron seek answers for all these questions—and more—on another action-packed episode of Think Outside the Box Set!

This week’s album, “Fresh Horses” by Garth Brooks, is sort of a letdown, with few memorable songs. But that’s OK, because at least he induces one emotion in us: ennui.

Learnin’ Links:

The movie Fresh Horses starring Molly Ringwald
The album cover of “Fresh Horses”
(It’s a) Departure, off the album Putting the Days to Bed
The Oklahoma city bombing
“A relationship is like a shark” quote from Annie Hall
An article about the origin of the phrases “balls to the wall” and “balls out”
Cult of domesticity, AKA cult of true womanhood
“I am large—I contain multitudes” (a quote from Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself”)
The hurdy-gurdy, “the 14th century version of the keytar”—which fails to be uilleann pipes
Steve Buscemi’s volunteer firefighting after 9/11

We end this episode with a tune called “Hangman’s Reel” from Cameron’s other podcast, Get Up in the Cool. It features Hunter Walker on lap dulcimer, Brian Bell on guitar—and Cameron on banjo. Check it out here!

If you want to buy “Fresh Horses,” you can get it here and support us: http://amzn.to/2yflAL6.

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