Rhys Mitchell's Home From L.A

Josh: It's The Daily Talk Show, episode 773.

Tommy: Reece Mitchell's in the studio. He's doing a big reveal, spin on the chair. And how you doing?

Rhys: Good. Well, I gotta get closer to the mic.

Josh: Yeah.

Rhys: Well, thanks.

Tommy: Yeah, well, it's, uh, nice. Have we had you on the show since you've been back from LA?

Rhys: No, because we've been isolating.

Tommy: That's right. Yeah, so I know we had you on before you went back.

Rhys: Yeah.

Tommy: To, you know, just take the world by storm. And then the world had a storm and fucking shat itself. And then you came back. So I was speaking to— we were on text, Instagram back in the day when I had an Instagram. It got taken. What? It got deleted.

Rhys: What do you mean?

Tommy: Facebook deleted my Facebook account and my therefore Instagram account. So if you've been wanting to get in touch with me, Rhys, I have. Yeah, I mean, we've been texting. But anyway, we were—

Rhys: I was like, wait a sec, just hold up. Did you get reported or something?

Tommy: No, it was a breach. It was a, like, a hacker trying to get in, and then it just prompted me to try and reset the password and confirm it wasn't, you know, I wasn't hacking in, blah blah, and they fucking took it.

Rhys: I think you were just spinning conspiracies.

Tommy: No, no, what I was actually worried about was someone had hacked in, posted something really vile, and then I'd been taken down from that, but it wasn't. But, uh, update on that, it's been escalated within Facebook. I got an email last night, so I'm fucking happy. It should get done. But we were texting and I was like, dude, what's it like on the ground in LA right now? This is like just when COVID was going mental.

Rhys: Yeah.

Tommy: What happened? Like, how was that vibe?

Rhys: It was strange. I remember hearing that, you know, like everyone was rushing for toilet paper here. I was being told in LA everyone's rushing for bullets. You know, that's what people were like really getting ready, prepping. Kind of the feeling. I don't know, I just stayed in my house a lot and then went for night walks. I just hit the— What's that called? The decline?

Tommy: Yeah, it's a real mid-sentence business meeting.

Rhys: You just started sinking.

Josh: It's low status.

Rhys: It's very low status. That's kind of how I felt. That's a representation. I'm a visual artist.

Josh: You do. In the background, to be honest, having the all-black background, you look like a A puppeteer or something. I feel like you've come to a school and you're about to do some sort of puppet mediaeval performance.

Rhys: Yeah, like sex ed with puppets, you know.

Josh: And so, on the LA thing, were you always planning to come back to Melbourne or when the shit hit the fan, were you like, I got to get out of here?

Rhys: Yeah, we decided that it was a good idea. Like, I don't have health insurance there. I mean, I do when I'm working. Yeah. So. I felt like with no job, no health insurance, it was kind of like, it doesn't seem like a sustainable or smart idea to stay. And I'm lucky enough to be able to come here. So, I just left. I got like one of the last flights before they put people up in hotels.

Tommy: Oh, yeah, that's right. You did isolation for 14 days, though.

Rhys: Yeah.

Josh: Would you have liked that? Would you have liked the whole hotel thing or would that have been—

Rhys: Depends on the hotel. I think it was a real roll of the dice.

Josh: I realise we could have gotten something fancy.

Rhys: Yeah, that would have been nice.

George: Still blows my mind that there's people still coming back. It's like, guys, you've been warned for like 2 months.

Rhys: I know.

George: Just leave them. Là, miss the chance.

Josh: Well, because yeah, they— So, the government was paying for all of that.

Tommy: Paying for the accommodation. That's right. And then they were saying could be $200 a night that you'd be having to fork out.

Josh: Well, because the thing is, it's like at this stage we all know what's going on. So, if you're going for a holiday and then coming back, you probably don't deserve the hotel.

Tommy: What was the flight like home?

Rhys: Pretty tense.

Tommy: Is it true you were in a hazmat suit? Was it hazmat?

Josh: Hazmat, yeah.

Tommy: Hazmat suit.

Rhys: There was a few people in similar outfits at the airport at LAX, and I was like, seems smart. I mean, it was kind of scary. I always seem to sit near people that are like coughing no matter what the flight is. So, that was terrifying. But I was just like sanitising everything, like wiping shutting everything down. Yeah, it felt kind of tense, but also a lot of people kind of— everyone was very confused because before we like, you know, we really saw what was, what was going to happen.

Tommy: We had you on when we were in LA, but then you were slightly speaking to something that you couldn't speak about. It's a classic actor's move, or anyone in the production space. Yeah, I was just lying.

Rhys: I had something going on.

Tommy: Got stuck.

Josh: Because you'll eventually get something, right? If you just say things are coming.

Rhys: Hello, it's called a vision board. Look it up.

Josh: You had that. What happened to your vision board?

Tommy: Mate, it's all here. Look at you.

Josh: Wasn't it a Channel 10 logo? That's good.

George: At one point.

Rhys: He had to sell his vision board. Times are tough.

Josh: Nah, nah, nah.

Tommy: I love that.

Josh: No, no, no, no. Don't be silly.

Tommy: I meditate now. It's fucking, that's all bullshit, that other stuff.

Rhys: Yeah, meditation is the key. That is like the real vision board stuff, hey?

Tommy: What it is, is actually taking a bit of ownership.

Josh: Can you do that at auditions though? Like they say, you can walk in, Just go into a meditation.

Rhys: I just show them my vision board and say, I'd love to be in this.

Tommy: So you were saying that you were working on something, which I knew what you were working on. Yeah. And that's— you're no longer working on it.

Rhys: No longer.

Tommy: But that was annoying because it was something that you'd landed it. Can you tell us more about what happened?

Rhys: I can just tell you what it was. And then I'm sure that if it's an issue, we'll cross that bridge. But I think it's fine because I sold a pilot script to Comedy Central, and I was developing a show that I'm writing with my friend Paul W. Downes and his partner, creative partner and life partner, Lucia Agnello. Yeah, it was a comedy series about myself and Paul living together, which is all based on truth. And we were writing a pilot. We developed a pilot with Comedy Central, but because of the current situation, Uh, it's not moving forward. Like, that's, you know, we're going to keep pitching it and stuff. It's a— I'm really proud of the script we wrote with them.

Tommy: It's— I mean, how— that's so close because it is such an arduous process. It's like, I mean, you get paid to write something and then you write something and then you film something and then maybe they will go with it.

Josh: Yeah.

Tommy: And I mean, how far can you actually see if you were to sort of on a step, like how many steps away from actually having a TV show on Comedy Central?

Rhys: I know it's wild.

Tommy: Like how many steps down do you think you were?

Rhys: It's so hard to say, but I think like that was definitely the biggest step toward my dream that I've ever taken. You know, like we were in the door if it was good enough and if the situation— I mean, we were developing it with them and had this hadn't have happened, maybe I'd be shooting right now. We would have at least shot a pilot and then we would have discussed a series. Yeah. So all that stuff was negotiated should they have picked it up.

Josh: What did you learn from the process?

Rhys: Don't invest everything into like one dream. I think diversification is, is essential for being in entertainment or just being a human. You know, specification is for insects. Really?

Tommy: What are those?

Rhys: I can't remember some songs.

Tommy: That's what your dad would say.

Rhys: Yeah, totally. I think it's good to be like, try to diversify and, you know, offer yourself as many opportunities as possible. It's not over with this project. It's maybe just the beginning. It might be the best outcome. It might find the most appropriate home or we might make it ourselves. But it was a bit of a bump because like, I, it was looking like everything I'd worked towards for like those 2 years. And when I moved to LA, I was living in a cupboard, as you know, like I was living in a walk-in wardrobe. So it felt like such a, yeah, I was like Harry, except without magic, with no magic. But you're in LA, baby. It's a magical city. Yeah. And then, um, you know, it went from that to like, I felt like I worked really hard and then to be able to like pitch my show to, I pitched it to So many networks. It was really cool.

Tommy: Any funny experiences sitting in front of, you know?

Rhys: I saw Tony Hawk in the Netflix lobby.

Josh: Did you?

Rhys: Yeah.

Tommy: Subtones?

Rhys: I was like, whoa.

Tommy: I mean, we were big into Tony Hawk when we were young.

Josh: Yeah.

Tommy: Fuck, he's— Yeah, I reckon I'd be a bit starstruck seeing Tony.

Josh: See, they're bringing the PlayStation game back.

Rhys: I reckon there was— I tried to listen in, but—

Josh: No, no, that's actually happening.

Tommy: Yeah. Chad Muska. I've seen there's a Chad Muska guy.

Josh: Like, you know, like Pro Skater. Yeah, it was so good, dude. So I think that must be coming on PlayStation 5.

Rhys: Can't wait to hear the new soundtrack. I mean, people are still talking about it.

Josh: Yeah, that—

Rhys: No, seriously, it was amazing.

Josh: I can't remember.

Rhys: I'm serious.

Josh: Yeah, it was really, really good.

Rhys: Yeah.

Josh: Grind— Like, would you— Were you someone who would use the cheats?

Rhys: I think I did try a couple cheats.

Tommy: HVH, hack versus hack, or hacker versus hacker.

Rhys: Oh, yep.

Tommy: So it's a thing they like, gamers these days, like do you want an HVH? And you whack on all of the hacks.

Rhys: Sounds like an HDI HVH.

Tommy: I know, I just like to use the unlimited grind. I just grind for days and just get bored of being so good. It's grind everywhere, just grinding. Yeah, yeah, fucking sick, mate.

Rhys: Now I just grind my teeth from stress.

Tommy: Um, I've, I've had— I've got a sore jaw.

Rhys: I feel like everybody I know does.

Tommy: I— what do you— do you get it?

Rhys: Yeah, I grind. My dentist said I need to get a mouthguard. I swear my boxing mouthguard in bed. How do you?

Josh: That can't be good for your breathing.

Rhys: No, I've already got a deviated septum.

Josh: What does that do for you?

Rhys: Oh, it's just, you know, it's not great. I did the COVID test because I, you know, just to be safe when I had the sniffles, and they're trying to shove the thing up my nose because it goes all the way up to your brain. Basically goes like up here, up to your eye, and they couldn't get it up because it hurts so much.

Tommy: How do you know if it's deviated? Because I reckon— remember when I got punched from the side? Were you at the party?

Rhys: Yeah, I was there.

Tommy: I got my nose broken. This guy punched me from behind. Yeah. And just poured with blood. But remember, on one side, like, I have an issue with sort of breathing out one side.

Rhys: Definitely deviated.

Tommy: How do you get it fixed? Is it worth it?

Rhys: You have to have surgery, get it aligned. I don't think it's worth it unless it's a real issue.

Tommy: That's annoying. And it's probably seen as like a Not because it's like not vanity or cosmetic surgery, not like a required surgery that you're going to discount you.

Rhys: I'm not a medical professional. I just want to put that out there.

Tommy: You could play one.

Josh: Yeah. Yeah.

Rhys: I cut my hair maybe.

Josh: Yeah. What role if you're in a medical sort of—

Rhys: I would definitely be a patient. Let's be honest. As I said before, I look anemic. I'm like, there's no way they're going to be like, they're not going to look at me and be like, that's a doctor. No, everyone would be like, go get your dad, mate. Like they're not going to.

Josh: You could be a naturopath.

Rhys: Absolutely. Like a vegan naturopath or something is probably how they'd cast me. But I think it'd be somebody like came off a motorbike and he was like riding it illegally or something. That would be my role in the show, don't you think?

Josh: Yeah, totally. I mean, one of my favourite things to do when we're together is doing a bit of improv.

Rhys: We can do it later.

Josh: Yeah.

Rhys: I thought of another scenario, actually. I'm at the hospital after following a skateboarding grinding accident.

Josh: Yeah, sure.

Rhys: Yeah. And I've You know, come off. Actually, that happened in real life.

Tommy: Did it?

Rhys: Yeah. My first time I actually took grinding to the street, I landed terribly hard on my coccyx bone. And then I couldn't sit down properly for like 2 months.

Josh: Where's your coccyx again? That's your—

Rhys: Like tailbone. Yeah. From when we had tails, you know.

Josh: The good old days.

Rhys: Good old days. I really wish I had one still. Imagine martial arts films if we still had tails. I always thought about that. Like when I was a gymnast, I used to think if we had tails, gymnastics and sport would be fucking unbelievable. Did I swear on this?

Tommy: Yeah, I saw a kangaroo the other day and I just stopped and I was just so pissed off. Bodie had fallen asleep in the back and I was driving through the back streets of Eltham and these things were ripped. Just, I was just looking at, they just fucking stared me down with a look and their tail was thick as my neck. Yeah, it was just holding on the back.

George: They balance on it when they fight.

Rhys: Yeah, they go up on the back and kick, kick, kick, big ones, and punch. They're unbelievable. Look like rabbit dogs from space. They just look like they push tin all day long and just like are on the juice and just like unbelievable traps. You want to go get advice from them?

Tommy: Like, do you remember Biker Mice?

Rhys: Yeah, oh shit, yeah, from Mars.

Tommy: Biker Mice from Mars.

Josh: What is a Biker Mice?

Tommy: A Biker Mice from Mars. Can you Google? You're doing too much over there. But if you just Google Biker Mice from Mars and you grew up in the '90s or, you know, born in the '60s.

Rhys: We're showing our age, hey.

Tommy: '85 to sort of '90. It's—

George: Oh, yeah.

Tommy: You remember Biker Mice from Mars?

George: Nah, I don't remember, but it's almost like Ninja Turtles, but they're mice, but they're really buff.

Tommy: Yeah.

George: And they're wearing vests.

Rhys: They're sick. What about Street Sharks?

Tommy: Street Sharks.

Rhys: Remember Street Sharks? Was that their name?

Josh: Muscly sharks.

Rhys: Look like every bloke in Bondi. You know what I mean? They're just muscly sharks that walk around like, what's with the guys in Bondi? They look like centaurs, a lot of them. I'm like, it's too much sun or something. You know, there's that like gym on Bontai Beach where they just like do chin-ups. It's like, like a mini Venice Beach.

Tommy: I was there.

Josh: I loved it.

Tommy: I lived across the road.

Rhys: I saw a guy doing handstand push-ups there. I was quite impressed.

Josh: Handstand push-ups?

Rhys: Yeah, like unassisted handstand push-ups.

Tommy: There was a— it was like an urban myth at that at that. So, there was a pole, it's like a light pole right at the exercise park. And up high you can see some sticky tape and it looks like hair. And supposedly this guy, this local, Vlad, I think his name is.

Rhys: Definitely Vlad.

Tommy: I think it is. And he wears like short, like Speedos. He's super tanned, buff, and he's well known there. I'd stopped and spoken to him a couple of times. You know, European guy migrated to Sydney, lands on Bondi Beach. One of the best places in the world. And supposedly the urban myth is that someone had taken his— was taking too long on the chin-up rack, the chin-up bar, and he went up and cut the guy's ponytail off and climbed up and put it around the pole and hung it there.

Josh: Who told you this?

Tommy: Look it up. Can you see? I don't have my computer on.

Rhys: What a nutter.

Josh: Sorry, George Long.

Rhys: Yeah, it's only people called Vlad that do stuff like that.

Tommy: Yeah. Let me just look it up. Viktor, Vlad, it's something. He's a Russian dude. But anyway, fast forward, maybe he did this and this was karma. They do rope climbs on the cliff at North Bondi, so they throw a rope over the top. They've got some pole up the top they can hang it on, and all the buff shark guys with no necks—

Rhys: Street sharks.

Tommy: —doing pull-ups. On this rope. He fell from the top, broke both of his legs. Oh, Jesus.

Josh: How was his tail? Fucked. Bounced off.

George: It was Dmitry Maskovich. Oh, 44. 44. He's been leading a bunch of fitness nuts who train doing chin-ups and push-ups at the gym next to North Bondi for more than a decade. Yeah. The group attempts to break a rope climbing speed record.

Josh: So, is that anything about the cutting of the hair?

George: A long brunette ponytail duct taped near the top of the lamppost remains as a warning to potential foes. Oh my God.

Rhys: But you know what he should do? You thought I was talking shit, didn't you, Joey? He should cut all his foes' ponytails off, tie them together in a sort of Rapunzel fashion and climb them up the cliff. You know what I mean? That'd be cool.

Tommy: I stopped and spoke to him. He's a really nice guy. He's just like—

Rhys: He sounds intense. I mean, cutting someone's hair off and then tying it to a pole, like— Yeah.

Tommy: He's a poster boy for melanoma. Like, that guy's just in the sun 9 hours a day. Jesus. I don't know how much sunscreen that bloke's putting on. Probably lathering reef oil on.

George: Oh, quick sun fact. I heard you talking about sun facts the other day.

Josh: Oh, yep. 153 million kilometres away.

George: Yeah, pretty far. You know how it takes 8 minutes for the light to travel from the surface of the sun to Earth? Yep. But it takes 200,000 years for light to travel from its core to the surface of the sun. Oh my God.

Josh: Jesus. Wait, say the last bit again.

George: It takes 200,000 years for the light to travel from the core of the sun to the surface. Versus? 8 minutes from the surface to Earth. I don't think it's a distance thing. I think it's just saying that light is as old as modern humans. Yeah. Wow. So, it's— Wow. Gets to the edge of the sun before it disappears. It's very confusing.

Tommy: Is it saying also that maybe there's no more light or flame or heat within the sun, and so we're just seeing residual? Yeah, from years and years ago.

Josh: The sun's not working anymore.

Tommy: Well, imagine at the core, imagine internally it stopped working. Sure. And it could turn off tomorrow.

Rhys: Yeah, I don't quite get it. Generator. It is generator, right?

Tommy: The other one runs a lot of shit here on Earth.

George: Yeah, well, the other, the other one was if you have a 300-kilometre radius of solar panels in the Sahara Desert, the sun will power the world forever.

Josh: Why didn't they do that? But also the way that you said that, I don't know if I believe it. You know what? Making it up as you went. I don't.

Rhys: I feel like we all— This is like a think tank of like, they got like everyone else is like isolating or something. So like they got who they could, sort of, you know what I mean? This is the best they could do for this think tank. And like, Jesus Christ. It's like TEDx Abbotsford.

Josh: On the tail thing.

Tommy: Sorry, Josh wants to do improv.

Josh: What the fuck? On the tails, sport— you were saying sports people, if they had tails, what it would be like.

Rhys: I love that we've gone back there. I actually love the idea of just like putting solar panels in the deserts.

Tommy: Yeah, that makes sense to me.

Rhys: We'll go back to the tails, but. No, I think that's a really— No, I think we should.

Tommy: But I just jumped to why haven't they done it? Look at Elon Musk, what he's doing and the batteries he's— Like, I feel like it's not against you, George, but why haven't they done that?

Josh: I don't know, money, I guess.

Tommy: Coal companies, I don't know. Yeah, I mean, Elon doesn't give a fuck. He's doing what he wants.

Rhys: We should pop it into the internet. There will be an answer there.

Tommy: Yeah, can you pull it up, George? Look it up. Can you look up the biggest solar farm or solar, you know, layer?

Josh: IKEA is doing energy now. What are they doing, like selling energy?

Tommy: Selling?

Josh: I think so. So I, I, um, caught a Current Affair the other night. Oh, we're all good sources, you know, news. There was a journalist and she was over it covering it. Trace wasn't there, but they were walking on the top of IKEA and there was hundreds of solar panels, but I think it's not to power the IKEA.

Rhys: It's to cook the meatballs. Ah, geez.

Josh: Do you know, JB, can you look up IKEA solar panels?

Tommy: Wow. I can imagine. So, in the city there's a— we were talking about this— a beehive. Oh, we need more of them. Beehive on the rooftop in Bourke Street. On Myer, I think.

Rhys: I feel like every— if you have a little bit of a rooftop that you're not using, Make it a beehive. Yeah. Set— Centre.

Josh: A beehive centre. Do you know how many bees are in a beehive? No. Guess. I want to say 10,000. Wrong. How many? 80,000.

Tommy: Oh, that's right. Yeah. You blew up about that.

Rhys: I got attacked by bees recently. Are you allergic to bees? No. I got a great bee story, actually. Really?

Josh: Is it like the scene from My Girl?

Rhys: No. Saddest scene in movie history, though. Yeah. That used to make me weep.

Josh: Yeah. I was really sad.

Rhys: Oh, yeah, he does a bit.

Josh: Yeah. Back in the day, he really did. He did. And so, yeah, no, he got— It was horrendous.

Rhys: He threw a ring for her.

Josh: Yeah, it was an open casket, too. So, you saw all the stung faces. That was really fucked up movie. It was grotesque, actually.

Rhys: Yeah. Didn't need to do that. He was stung to oblivion, that child. Yeah. But that was, that was such a sad scene. So, what's your bee story? So, I mean, I'm in an Uber pool, right, in LA. And there's this guy, very strange guy, like, like just items all over his car and he's driving. He's like, we're driving, just chatting. The people in the back have headphones in, so they didn't know what— they didn't— they had no clue of what was happening.

Josh: And so Uber Pool is you're sharing with other people.

Rhys: You share with people you've never met.

Tommy: Was the two in the back together or they separate?

Rhys: No, they're all separate.

Tommy: So there's three people after three deaf— You're on a bus, a public bus, essentially.

Josh: Not really the point of the story.

Rhys: Story. Yeah, Uber Pool, you share with people that are going in the same direction, it's a lot cheaper.

Josh: I always use Uber Eats at the same time. Like, could you? No, that would be—

Rhys: I feel like holding it like a health and safety issue.

Josh: Ladies and gentlemen, Rhys Mitchell from Uber.

Rhys: I do not endorse Uber, I have no affiliation, I just drive for them. Honestly need a job. Um, so I'm in the car and this guy's staring at me, we're just chatting, and he goes He's like, you know, you know, I, I died. And I was like, pardon? He goes, I was clinically dead. And I was like, oh, okay. And he goes, I went to another realm, an alien realm. Then I realised this is a simulation. And I was like, okay. He's like, this is an alien simulation that we live in. And I keep looking back to the people in the back, like, are you hearing this? And they're just listening to it on their headphones. I'm like, you have no clue. You're in a madhouse right now. And then he goes, you know, I had cancer and I cured it. I was like, how? And he's like, bee stings. I was like, excuse me? He's like, I stung down my spine with bees. And he goes, open the glove box. That is the scariest thing. I'm putting this in a script because it was too surreal. He goes, open the glove box. And this guy did not look healthy, by the way.

Josh: Did you— were you like, oh, there's going to be fucking bees in there? Yeah, of course.

Rhys: I was like, why? He goes, open it. I open it. There was a fucking clear box full of bees. Oh, live bees. And he goes, you know, I'm looking for a sting, buddy. And I was like, anyway, here's fine. Sting, buddy. Yeah. He wanted me to, like, come to his house and sting his spine. Oh my God.

Josh: How would you control? How would you control the bees?

Rhys: I don't know. I'm sure he has a technique. He's driving around with a box of bees. I gave him 5 stars. Fucking hell. But it's so, it's so absurdly dangerous if people are allergic. I couldn't believe it. I was like, is this a good idea? Like, what if people have allergies? And so could you—

Josh: you couldn't hear the buzzing sound?

Rhys: Not until I opened the glove box and it was like an orchestra. Yeah, just full of fucking bees.

Josh: What sort of car was it?

Rhys: It was like a Honda Accord, you know. It was just like, you never expect that car. You look at that car and go, I reckon there's a glove box full of bees in that car.

Tommy: So when you came to the house where we were staying in LA, from that location we got an Uber. I called it from my phone and I walk out the front. There's a guy in the front seat and the guy in the driver's seat. Yeah. And I said to him, oh, sorry mate, did I call her Paul? Like, I knew I didn't, but I was just like, maybe I fucked up somewhere. So the guy, no, I just got my buddy along, I'm just showing him the ropes. And this guy was an, probably 75-year-old dude in the front. He's like, g'day. He didn't say g'day. No, I was speaking to him. You were not. Oh, you said g'day. Because I was like, oh my God. And then I was like, went to get the guys. I said g'day to this and small chat.

Josh: That sounded like you did an American accent. He said that to me.

Rhys: He may have because he's like, oh, it's an Aussie.

Tommy: Yeah, it's an Aussie. Anyway, you know, and then we just got in the car. We're like What did you think at that point, Josh?

Rhys: That is a false story. Inappropriate.

Josh: It's probably illegal. Definitely illegal. The bee stuff is pretty illegal though, I reckon too.

Rhys: Yeah, I feel like it's a little bit more cowboy though. That's true.

Tommy: It's definitely cowboy. The bee stuff is more illegal than a guy.

Rhys: Than a human.

Josh: What did we have? Another guy. What? He had his own Instagram account. What did he do? Oh, it was a magician.

Tommy: No. That's right. I mean, it's the classic. You're in Hollywood and there's someone there. That thinks they're about to get a show with Comedy Central.

Rhys: You know, vision boards are the thing that can make it happen.

Tommy: If only I had a vision board, you know. Yeah, you would have— Comedy Central wouldn't have gone under. It's your fault, Reece. No, I mean, how many people did you meet that were chasing the stardom dream?

Rhys: I feel like that's why a lot of people, like, yeah, a lot of people go there for that, but Yeah, I don't know. Yeah. And, you know, it's like that idea of actors serving actors in cafes, you know, sort of thing. But do you— It happens. People do. It does come true sometimes. Oh, yeah. But yeah, I've been in Ubers where they give me their headshots and stuff. Oh, really? CD or whatever.

Tommy: Yeah. Yeah. A CD. Mate, who's got a fucking CD player? Yeah. Honda.

Rhys: That's sad. I'm sure that Honda had a CD player. Just the sound of bees. What if he's right? What if this is like an alien simulation? Could be. It could really could be. Did you know the sun is just a big generator that's already burnt out? I've just heard. Yeah. Maybe. GB. Yeah.

Josh: We hear that and you're like, everything else is fucked. Like the— I was getting into conspiracy theories last night.

Tommy: That can make you feel like you're in a simulation.

Josh: Well, the thing is, I didn't know it was a conspiracy theory. I don't even know. Like the thing with conspiracy theories, they could be real. Well, they're just theories, aren't they?

Tommy: And so, because people, they don't think they're a conspiracy, the people who believe the theory.

Rhys: Yeah.

Josh: And there's a bunch of conspiracy theories that have been correct, right? They've been like reality. And so, anyway, the one that I was reading last night, do you know about the fireworks stuff that's going on at the moment? What's this? So, there's fireworks that have been going off from like 8 PM until 3 AM. Every single night in New York in all different, like, residential sort of areas. And they're like commercial-grade fireworks that would cost like $20,000 per show. Right. I think it was like $2,000 per minute to use these. And there's some guys in black SUVs that are giving kids and teens and all that sort of thing, all of these fireworks.. And apparently, there's— they're trying to create unrest. It's someone within military or police. And then there was another video that someone posted on Twitter of about 10 police cars with their sirens on. And it was near where all the demonstrations had happened. And they were going just back and forth, back and forth with on the street, middle of the night. No one else was there with their sirens blaring.. And people were saying that they're trying to basically create unrest and things are going to go bad.

Tommy: So, it's not to try and say, we're here, don't fuck with us.

Josh: Well, yeah, you could look into. So, I guess at the very lowest level, if you're like, okay, let's not make it a conspiracy theory. My mum has a really good way of scaring me. Like, I feel like when I was a kid, she would talk about like things that have happened, like, oh, did you hear? What's happened down the street, like, and it's, you know, it's like a bit dark and they're just talking. It's like, it's almost an adult conversation. You shouldn't really be in it, but I feel like it was just like, like I remember in Endeavour Hills someone got shot and it was like a big deal. Like, I just remember like guns were a bit like, I was scared of guns all of a sudden.

Tommy: You think she was trying to teach you a lesson about guns?

Josh: No, I think that she was just fascinated by just gossiping about whatever was happening. So, it's like, oh yeah, did you hear that person like, Got killed. I remember there was a SWAT team that was outside our school when there was a whole gunman type of thing. Anyway, the conspiracy theories give me that same sort of vibe. It's almost a little bit like the sun thing where it's just like when you're sitting in bed and then all of a sudden you imagine the solar system and then you zoom out and you're like, where you are. Oh, yeah. And it's really fucked up shit.

Rhys: I completely agree. I know what you're saying.

Tommy: I was listening to a guy talk on a podcast. It was like a little bit that goes on YouTube. I don't even know if it's a podcast, but he was— it was almost like he was— Clip? Yeah, it's a weird podcast where it's like jump cuts. It's almost vloggy style. It was quite entertaining. But the point being, he did it. Imagine if we now shifted this episode and it was all about us talking to Bodhi when he's 25. And talking about this time. So we're in the middle of the shitstorm and it's like, yeah, we just came out of being locked down in our houses.

Josh: So should we go darker with the stuff that we talk about so that in the future we can then reminisce on it? Well, what are you— it's not even bad. What are you scared of if you go real dark? Go real dark for a second. What are you scared? Well, I mean What a weird time.

Tommy: It's like we can be on a path where everyone's head down in their own bullshit, trying to, you know, win in Hollywood, trying to build a business in Melbourne. And then all of a sudden, after 31 years of existing and never thinking about washing my hands to the extent we do today, like germs on surfaces, we can be completely shut down. The economy can fall out. Everyone can lose their jobs within a week and everyone's staying at home and we're told and it becomes law and you can be fined and—

Josh: So, what are you scared of then? What's scaring you at the moment? Nothing.

Tommy: I mean, not—

Josh: No, you have to be like, if you go deep.

Tommy: Okay, what's scaring me?

Josh: Because, you know, when you wake up at like 4:00 AM and you're in this different sort of vibe and all of a sudden everything becomes a little bit scarier and you're like, oh, this is— I don't feel good about this.

Rhys: I know it's strange that it seems to be like when you're like safe at home in your bed, warm. Yeah. Like you go into that darkness.

Tommy: Oh, like, so I've thought— Okay, this is dark. Thought about just no longer being here. Like, imagine passing away. And I think about Amy and then I go the dark place of like what her mind is doing when I'm no longer here. And then I think about how life is ridiculously easy to just be gone. And it's literally a light being unplugged from the wall. Yeah, it's like it switches out. So it's like I was trying to fathom what life is like with— without being alive for myself. And then it's like introspectively looking at that is like you realise how not useless, but just— we're just, we're just, you know, our brain sending electrical signals throughout our body to be able to move, and our mind is just this thing that's having thoughts flash up. It's like we are just— and that's how you can go into like, I think I have gone to the— you could see how this is a simulation. Like you can see how it's like, you know, when shit just is like ruined and people have bad lives and people are winning, it's like a game. And so you can just see the trivial nature of life.

Rhys: Well, that's why we just need a box of bees and we can sort it out. Box of bees. Yeah, I know what you mean though. It's very destabilising. How quickly things can become so unsettled. And unstable.

Tommy: And so, that's where you, that's where my I Get Dark is looking at the unstable nature and how we convince ourselves that it is all good. Yeah. Yeah.

Josh: Geebee, what are you scared of?

George: Oh, what am I scared of?

Josh: And what do you fear? Where did it like go dark? This is the dark episode.

George: Dark episode.

Rhys: I did not know I signed up for the dark episode. I thought we're coming in to escape from the hell. Scape that we live in.

Josh: I wanted you to come on for Fat Fridays. Me too. It could have been here.

Rhys: I thought we're gonna push it. Could it have been dark and Fat Fridays?

George: Um, this might not be something I'm necessarily scared of, but it's a dark thought that I have. It's, um, whenever like stuff like this is happening, or like, you know, it doesn't happen often, but this year it's just crazy thing after crazy thing. I, I think back to like December where I think I knew 2 people that died. And I was like, wow, they've— they just missed out on Alista. Or they just like— Oh, yeah, they have no idea.

Josh: Yeah. No idea that's happening. Yeah.

George: So, I thought about that for me. I thought about that with the brother contestants.

Rhys: No, it's very interesting to think about that. Yeah. Like, this is the most bizarre experience we may ever have. Yeah.

Josh: Or it could get way weirder. And this is the beginning. This is like a taste of the fucked up shit.

Rhys: Well, is life going to change forever following this? I did a podcast. I did Jack Rowland's podcast In Too Deep right before I left. And we were like, I wonder, like, he was like, do you reckon this like this coronavirus is going to be a thing? And I was like, I don't know, man. Like, I was like a week off going to LA and it's just so bizarre now knowing what we know. It is so. Yeah, I wonder how things will change forever following this, like the way you interact with strangers. Will we shake hands as much?

Josh: I wonder about that.

Tommy: Nightclubs. I mean, we're just talking, Sevs has never been to a nightclub, nor have you really, have you?

Josh: No, I've just, I've worked at them.

Tommy: But oh yeah, I guess you have filming. That won't be the same, like he's not going to have the experience of what we had at a nightclub. Not that it was like great, but it's like honestly there is a bunch of experiences you could have had 6 months ago that you will never be able to ever have again based on what's happened. It won't be, it won't be the same, it won't be the Because everything could turn back on, but it doesn't. You've got the residual, you know, damage it's done, the trauma that everyone's experienced or feeling about being in public, being around people.

Rhys: A party pash, like kissing someone on a dance floor, you'd be like, oh yeah, you've been screened.

Josh: Do you reckon that's what's going to happen? Like, I feel like in some ways we've gone back to a version of normal. Look at all this stuff that— Who's the number one tennis player that got COVID? Djokovic. Djokovic. It's like he was partying around, like you can—

Tommy: And he regrets it because he's like, I read it wrong. I fucked up. And so, that's where it's like, I mean, another conspiracy is that— Horrible one. Daniel Andrews, you know, like the Premier of Victoria. It's getting worse in Victoria. The numbers are spiking. He was in some issues within Parliament of stacking in his team. It was like convenient time taking away the focus on Daniel Andrews.

Josh: That's right. I mean, it's, um, but that's the conspiracy series. Where did you read that? Conspiracy Jimmy.

Tommy: Oh really? He reckons he didn't— he wasn't sold on it, but someone had probably thrown it out there. But I mean, this is the— I think the, the one you mentioned is like seems legit. Doesn't really say— You could see why someone would be trying to do that, like rocks being piles of rocks being left on street corners in Los Angeles when the protests were happening.

Josh: Protests and stuff. Yeah.

Tommy: You could see it as government or you could see it as like Antifa, far-left groups wanting to incite sort of violence to see change. Or far-right. Or far-right. Just like, let's get these Yeah, who knows?

Rhys: People in trouble. Exactly. Someone wanted some. I mean, you don't put bricks there unless you want a bit more, you know, brickage. Brickage.

George: I saw one video of this guy walking around smashing windows of this building. And people saying, oh, look at him, he's got police boots on. Oh, yeah. He's not actually looting. He's just smashing it. And then he walked off. Very weird video. Don't know. Yeah.

Rhys: You saw that UFC fighter like grabbing spray cans off people?

Tommy: Oh my God, Jon Jones is my favourite UFC fighter. What did he do? So, um, he, you know, he's, he's out there protesting and he sees— he's probably 6 foot 2, 6 foot 3— sees these kids vandalising and he just walks up and grabs the spray can. And they probably knew who he was at that point. He's one of the most famous UFC fighters. And he'd kick your ass. And they were just like, yes sir. Yeah, it's funny, but he doesn't want that shit. He's a black man who cares about these issues, and these fucking idiots were just spray painting on a wall.

Josh: I, I was, um, I landed on a clip last night that was, um, it was on Joe Rogan. There was a guy talking about guns, and he was saying basically the legislation around guns and making it harder to access, he's like, this is going to affect poor people and he created this argument of like, oh, like a person who doesn't have money or who has two jobs doesn't have time to do the required training now that they're requiring of people, blah, blah, blah. But it was fascinating because it was this weird argument where I'm like, oh, this is an absolute nightmare. Like this whole gun situation in the US, this idea that it's like we all need guns and like the only way to solve this is to add more.

Tommy: Did you see guns in LA? Did you hear any shots? No, I left before.

Rhys: I left before.

Tommy: No, but even just in general?

Rhys: Not really. I, you know, you hear police like helicopters all the time. All the time. You can call this line that tells you what they're doing. Really? Yeah.

Josh: Oh, you would be on that, isn't it? What's this? Is it called Citizen?

Rhys: What's the app called? Citizen is scary. Yeah, there's that. It's like, it's like, you know, a mile from here there's been a stabbing. A mile from here, it's been a robbery.

Josh: It's Facebook for just fucked up things in your neighbourhood.

Rhys: And so you see, like, you just scroll through and it's like, you don't want to look at it though, because you're like in your house and it feels like just being here, like in Abbotsford or whatever, like you're just at home. But then you hear, like, you know, you look on this thing and it's like around the corner has been a stabbing, like literally all like live. It's like live. And I'm not exaggerating when I say that, like, it's really violent. Have you had the app before? My girlfriend has it and we were just like, can we just not look at it right now?

Tommy: Because it's— Who's the play? Like, is that government? Is that law enforcement or is that private tech company?

Rhys: Citizens put in reports, right? Or it comes from news sources. I'm not too sure because I didn't have it because my iPhone was set to Australian iTunes, so I couldn't download it. Oh, yeah. Yeah. But yeah, but yeah, it's really, it's scary.

Tommy: I mean, that's how you just sit at home, I think. Get scared. And panic buy. Like I was thinking about, people are panic buying. Toilet paper again here in Victoria.

Rhys: I was like, it's a luxury item.

Tommy: The ones who are doing that are definitely the ones just locked into the news feed, Facebook, you know, they're in that echo chamber of the world's fucked, the world's fucked, coronavirus is on the way back up. They're just constantly, you know, I guess I was doing that early days of coronavirus because I was like so confused about what was happening in where this is going and uncertainty about the next week.

Josh: That's the funny thing about the, I think, the news cycle with all this coronavirus stuff, because once you get off the news cycle and you're not consuming every day, I caught myself like watching something on the news and Daniel Andrews says, "I couldn't be more clear about this." I don't know if he's fact. Yeah, he's like, "I couldn't be more clear." And the thing is, it's like, I actually don't know the specific. I don't, like, I know sort of a little bit of what we can do. I don't fucking know exactly who's open. Like, can you go to, like, restaurants, pubs? I don't fucking know all the stuff. Like, it's not that clear. Yeah.

Tommy: Well, you know, so I looked at, so they went back in some of the restrictions or they prevented the shift forward in opening up. So, they just said we're not going to open up, it's going to be longer now. And I read a bunch of news articles. The problem with fucking news articles is some hipster journalist is trying to sort of like throw some funny headline out there like, well, you won't be having that bevvy any day soon. It's like, what does that mean? Hang on, what does that fucking mean? And then I get in and so I was so annoyed because I was confused after reading the article and then I jumped on Twitter. You don't go there for being less confused usually, but I was less confused. I saw Daniel Andrews' Twitter account and they did a side-by-side dot point comparison of here's what— here's what the restrictions are now and here's what will be moving forward and what won't be moving forward. So, side by side, it was clear as day. So, if we— you'd looked at that, you'd say, yes, yes, Daniel. Yes, Andrew. He would get that a lot, I reckon.

Josh: Yeah, yeah.

Tommy: Anyway, how are you, Mitchell? Yeah, you get that too first.

Rhys: I was taking it all in. I felt like I was listening to the podcast, kind of forgot I was here, in a good way.

Josh: Can we finish on some improv? We'll make it, we'll make it a positive scene just to lift them.

Rhys: It's hard to lift.

Josh: Now we can. Yeah, we can do it.

Rhys: We don't want to also spread any, like, we don't know what's going on, so You know, we don't want to scare people anymore or make them feel uncomfortable.

Josh: Yeah. Yeah. Don't listen to what he says. It's a scary time.

Tommy: Can we, can we do something on the beach?

Josh: I thought fireworks were great. Like fireworks were, if I heard fireworks, I would be like, this is awesome. But now the other thing is they're saying this is really scare tactic shit. You know, they're saying like they're preparing, they're doing the fireworks. So, you get prepared for the sounds of guns. Oh, no. Who said that? Someone on Twitter. Fuck it, it's not scary.

Tommy: Someone on, someone on Twitter, Bobby Joby 73, just some fuckhead. Okay, so improv, can we do, can we, can you work out like an, uh, it's like a linear step to the side of the bee guy. It's like could be the guy's bee dealer or I don't know, something around, and you play the bee guy, you play.

Josh: Well, so we need to set it all up.

Tommy: We don't want to bring— just played the guy, the Uber driver bee guy. And you have to do an American accent.

Josh: Okay. Okay. And so you're the bee guy and— I've got a prop.

Rhys: Okay.

Josh: I've got a prop. Beautiful. Oh, great. He's got a— LA hat. This is great. LA hat.

Tommy: Can I be the Aussie that's moved to LA that is looking to— My mum loves bees back home and she just wanted me to get a little beehive and I've—

Josh: It's good. But how about I think it's too— Well, no, no. I think it's too bee specific. Like you're— He's already passionate about bees. How about you're in line at a Trader Joe's and you have a jar of honey? Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. And— So confused.

Rhys: George.

Josh: So, what's the— So, Trader Joe's is the location. You are the bee guy. You are standing behind Tommy. Yeah. Tommy has a big jar of honey and GB is the server and I am orchestrating the whole thing.

Tommy: And what does that mean? I'm just directing.

Josh: I'm just watching. Oh my God. I'm not in this improv.

Tommy: Oh no. But how about this? We take the scene out of the Trader Joe's, so it has to finish between the bee man and I. And you're waiting in the Uber because he fucking wanted to drop in to get something from Trader Joe's.

Josh: Is that improv? Are we just doing a script?

Tommy: Yeah, but we're laying the scene because you're going to jump back into the plot. We got an A plot, we got a B plot.

Josh: I mean, I feel like there's so—

Rhys: it's almost overwritten.

Josh: Yeah, it does feel a bit like that.

Rhys: Okay, so we'll start development deal.

Josh: And so what was the deal with the development deal, by the way? How does that— how did the whole thing work?

Rhys: Just, you know, we wrote a pilot, get notes. Did you ever get cash? Very positive experience. They're lovely people. They were really good to work with.

Josh: Did you get cash? Do you get money for that? Like, do they say writing a pilot? Yeah. Is that what you did? Okay. So you wrote a pilot.

George: So do they, do they own the IP now? Is that how— do they own it now?

Rhys: Well, they're, yeah, yeah. Like they're, they're involved in the development, so they own a portion of it.

George: But you can still pitch it to other networks and stuff. Absolutely.

Rhys: They would just be like attached to it. Yeah. They were really helpful and really supportive. I mean, it's obviously things happened that were much bigger than entertainment. So like, I don't, I don't feel like I lost, you know. This is such a Trader Joe's conversation. You know, I'm just going to keep grinding on my board because I don't have a career anymore.

Josh: Okay, here we go. So start the scene. GB, TJ's just walking up to GB and Rhys is behind him and start the scene.

Tommy: Oh, yeah, g'day. I was trying to find another honey. Do you have the Manuka honey that's made down in Orange County?

Rhys: Excuse me, sir. I'll stop you there. Uh, honey is not a food. It's a medicine.

George: I mean, I was going to say that too. Manuka honey, for the amount that you want to get, yours is about a liter, it'll cost you $2,000.

Rhys: Excuse me, sir. I don't want you to ingest that. Bees need it to live. It's not for a human.

Tommy: It's for sale. It's— we're at Trader Joe's. What are you talking about?

Rhys: I'm talking about stings. I'm talking about stinging. I'm talking about stinging your spine. Uh, you want to reach optimal health? You don't eat the honey, you have bees sting your spine.

Tommy: Um, I'll just take this one. This is— this will be fine.

George: Thanks. How much is that? $49.50 US.

Rhys: Well, it's actually the lives of 80,000 bees that you're disrupting. So, it's a lot more expensive. Beep. Thank you. I'm witnessing bee terrorism.

Josh: And so, you've paid and you've walked out. Yeah. And then—

George: Were you going to get anything or are you just happy?

Rhys: I just come here to talk about the benefits of stings.

Tommy: All right.

George: We're closing up now, so you guys can both leave. Sure.

Rhys: Hey, you listen to me, buddy. I meant what I said back there.

Tommy: What are you talking about? I don't want you eating that honey. I just want honey toast.

Rhys: Come with me. I want to show you something. Where? To my Uber pool.

Josh: Hey, how long are you going to be? I've been waiting here for 10 minutes and it's 95 degrees. Just a moment, sir.

Rhys: Just a moment. It is a pool. So I have to deal with more than one person. Can't you crack a window though?

Josh: It's boiling in here.

Rhys: I can't, the bees will get out. What? Come over here. What bees? Open glove box. That there is the elixir of life. Oh my goodness, they're live bees.

Tommy: What are you doing with them?

Rhys: I told you in Trader Joe's, the organic market, these bees, they're sent here from the gods who are aliens. By the way, that run a simulation. They're here to heal us. I was clinically dead for 5 whole minutes. And when I met the alien overlord, he told me, we must protect the bees. Queen Bee was sent here from the aliens. Beyoncé? Yeah, Beyoncé is the lord of the bees and we must bow down to her and we must use bees to reach enlightenment and open our Kundalini.

Josh: Hey, mate, I'm gonna be late.

Tommy: Yeah, I've gotta go. Sorry, uh, I'm gonna make toast.

Rhys: Okay, well, give me 5 stars. I really need this job. Insane. And then the bees get out and sting you and you're allergic and it's like the scene in, um, My Girl. Kind of a warped saying that.

Josh: Well, I think because you— a lot of it was taken from inspiration. I think the second half was you playing out exactly what happened.

Rhys: Yeah, because I didn't know where else to go with it.

Josh: That's good.

George: You did really well.

Josh: Thanks, I think so too. Anything you'd do differently?

Rhys: I think next time, like, I feel like we overworked it at the top and then I got lost and I was like, I'm just going to lean into what actually happened.

Josh: Okay. I think, all right, let's do a 30-second one. We're not thinking about it at all. At all. All different characters. We're in a hotel. You're from California, George. You are from Germany, TJ. You are from Australia, and I am at the— Eastern European. No, no, no, no. I'm at the— You should be the desk. What's that called? Concierge.

Rhys: Oh, yeah. Okay. Okay. Well, we're just checking into a hotel. Yeah. Okay, great.

Josh: Yeah.

Tommy: Are we together?

Josh: Yeah, we're together. Hi, how you going?

George: Hey, how are you? Good and tak.

Tommy: Yeah, good, mate.

Josh: Uh, oh, just one at a time, please.

Rhys: Yeah, well, I'm American, so I'll go first. I'd like to book a room suite.

Josh: Uh, we're fully booked out at the moment with, uh, everything that's happening.

Rhys: You listen to me a little.

Tommy: Oh no, no, no, no, sorry, mate. Um, look, I've got a presidential suite. If you need a room, do you— you're welcome.

Rhys: Oh yeah, I need a room. You can stay. I'm here for a conference.

Tommy: You can stay in my room. I've got There's two rooms in there, so.

George: I'm actually just checking in at Tool, but can I at least.

Josh: You know what? I'm going to stop it. Yeah, we're going to stop it there.

Rhys: Listen, I beat the Germans once. I'll do it again. I mean, you started with a.

Josh: I started strong. No, we started speaking German, which I respect.

Tommy: Well, he has to translate to you. Yeah. Yeah. He's doing the English. He's being polite.

Josh: I think I set you up.

Rhys: He's being efficient like the Germans are. He knew you spoke English. I was going to say. Was that our scene? Kind of.

Josh: Yeah. Okay. It was problematic. I think as soon as I started listing nationalities, I knew I'd gone wrong. I mean, we can do— I feel like you're an actor. How would you normally do it? Can you set up a scene for us?

Rhys: It's kind of more fun having someone else do it.

Josh: Yeah. Because it's really a unique approach.

Rhys: Yeah. Go, GB.

George: So, what? What am I doing?

Josh: Come up with a scene.

George: Come up with a scene.

Josh: Quick, 5 seconds.

George: All right, you've just hired a Mercedes. Okay. And you're driving around, but you've got no shoes on. Okay. And the car dealer is disappointed. You're the driver. Yep. Tommy's the car dealer.

Rhys: Okay. Got no shoes on. Wow. Wow. Feel that? It really purrs. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, mate.

Tommy: I said you have to wear your shoes. Where are they? My shoes? I said you had to wear the shoes if you're going to give this a test drive.

Rhys: I don't wear shoes. I don't wear shoes because I have a serious bunion issue, and I find the constriction of shoes only heightens the issue and causes issues with my joints. So I, I've been advised by my, my podiatrist, who is sort of an also an avid beekeeper who has told me to go barefoot and sting the joint as much as possible. Okay. So I can't, I can't really wear shoes even when I'm operating a motor vehicle.

Tommy: This is a $150,000 car. What do you have any intention in buying this? I'm interested in learning more about it for sure. Well, it's a V12.

Rhys: It's— wow, it feels so good. Yes. The pedal is so responsive to my bare foot.

Tommy: Well, you know that it's— the sensitivity of it is incredible. It's not safe to be driving barefoot.

Rhys: Well, I mean, my feet are perfectly designed.

Tommy: Well, in the state of California, it's illegal, and so I'm gonna have to ask you to step out of the car.

Rhys: Uh, I can't really because I don't want to step out onto the road without some sort of protection on my feet.

Tommy: Where were your shoes before the car if you can't get Oh, they're still in Australia.

Rhys: I travel without them. I travel light, you know, just an overnight bag. Just a box full of bees.

Josh: Ad break. Right. This is very good. Very—

Rhys: it was, it was kind of— it was interesting. I mean, it kind of like landed flat, which I didn't mind. Yeah.

Tommy: Flat-footed.

George: It's hard to set up scenes. No, it's fine.

Tommy: What do they do when you're at an improv? Training place?

Rhys: Well, you know, I've— God, I haven't done that in so long. I think a good thing to do always is like have like one— It's always just as a rule for these little games. If you have one person who wants something like what we just did and someone who is just getting in the way of it. So, you just have that opportunity for conflict. And also you always say yes. You know, that's like the number one rule of improv. You say yes and, and then add to the idea.

Josh: Yeah.

Rhys: And so you were, you were doing a lot of no, but no, but, or no, because. Okay. Yeah.

Josh: Yes.

Tommy: And love it.

Rhys: Well, anyway, next time, next time we, we, we, I feel like we ended on a slightly strange but positive note. Yeah.

Josh: They're all going to be snippets on social media. Yeah.

Rhys: I mean, that's the thing is like if you edit it down, so it looks like really punchy and like we're all really on and we're incredible performers. Yeah. That'll be good for us. But if you just put this out raw. People will respect us too because we're being honest.

Josh: Yeah, I think I'm excited to see an edit where we take all of the improv together and create a narrative, because I think that all of those stories— characters—

Rhys: that's a cool idea. I like that.

Josh: I reckon it would go for 20 minutes. It'd be a short film.

Rhys: You could enter it into a festival. If you attach my name to it, you might get into something. Just kidding. What is the—

Tommy: what about animation? Is Tropfest still around?

Josh: Uh, I believe so. I wonder what the signature item is this year.

Rhys: Pop it in. What does that mean?

Josh: Drop it. Yeah.

Tommy: What do you mean signature item? I have no idea.

Rhys: They always do that so they know that you made the film within the time frame. Oh, okay. You know, like close to the festival. Put in a box of bees. Whatever. Box of bees.

Josh: Face mask. All right. Ready? Yeah. Candle.

Tommy: God, I mean, that could be in any scene. Back. Yeah. The back of a scene.

Josh: What about— Why don't we just— I'll just get a pickup of you saying The only thing that honey is good for is making candles. In 3, 2.

Rhys: Well, the only thing that honey is good for is making beeswax candles. And now I'm just going to pick up of TJ, you saying, candles?

Josh: Candles, candles, candles. That's ridiculous.

Tommy: Candles? That's ridiculous.

Josh: Okay, you went off script, but I'm happy with that. All right. Great.

Rhys: So, we just won TopFeds. And I think there's a cash prize.

Josh: Prize. What are we going to do with the cash?

Rhys: Pay my debts.

George: Oh wait, it was actually on the 8th of Feb, so we missed it.

Rhys: Oh no. Do you reckon they'll see this and we could win like retrospectively?

Tommy: Yeah, yeah. Plug for Tropfest. What's next year? When do they announce? Oh, they don't announce it.

Josh: Tropfest had a real financial issue. They nearly went under. Really? They had to get it like a, yeah, a company to basically get them Going again. Well, welcome to our world. Yep. GB, no word on this?

George: Yeah, TSI isn't out yet.

Josh: Great.

Rhys: Something to look forward to for next improv. Yeah, okay, well, I think conversation's hitting an all-time low, so let's wrap it up, huh?

Josh: It's the Daily Talk Show, Rhys Mitchell. Ciao for now. Thank you for coming on the show. See you on the beach. He's got sunglasses. Yeah, I've got to look like an out-of-work actor walking around, uh, you actually fit right in. I am an out-of-work actor. As in, in Abbotsford? All right, uh, it's a Daily Talk Show. See you tomorrow, guys. Have a good one. Bye.