TBTL, that's the way I like it.

So, okay. I can admit it. I'm sort of obessed with something right now. It's called TBTL. Short for Too Beautiful To Live. It's a local radio show in Seattle. But because they also podcast the show it has a much wider audience. Why am I so obsessed? It's funny, interesting, just generally delightful and it makes the bus ride to work each morning so much more enjoyable. 

In fact, I didn't even realize just how much more enjoyable until I noticed I was smirking while listening via my iPod shuffle so much that I found myself constantly biting my lip to stop from laughing. Hello, crazy person. Still, small price to pay. 

In any event, perhaps you're not interested in a local radio show. Sure, I can see where you're coming from. I'm not a huge radio fan myself. Although that's mostly because most radio (except NPR) bores me with their stupid, loud sound effects and their hot button debating. However, could you perhaps be interested in stories about Hot Cheetos as contraband in public elementary schools? If so, TBTL is definately for you. Because Mr. Luke Burbank, host of TBTL, use to work for NPR, and his head is full of wonderful stories.

So just in case you're interested the TBTL podcast can be found right here. What's that? You're not interested? That's fine. But just know that I no longer like you.

Comments

[egan]

Luke is one of seven kids like me!

Boom, roasted!

[egan]

Huh, this guy works at Mioposto near my house. Hmm, he's a great dude.

[sprizee]

Egan, Ha! You must have listened last night. I didn't know you followed it. How'd you find it? It's great, right? Typically I podcast it for the bus but I couldn't resist last night. The way they kept playing that audio drop over and over again. So funny.

And, duh. All the cool kids live in Mount Baker. Except me.

[sprizee]

P.S. Luke Burbank also lives in Mount Baker smarty. C'mon!

[egan]

Luke lives in Mount Baker? Do they record it in Mount Baker? I listened after reading your blog post. I let you guide my social discoveries, duh!

[sprizee]

Egan, Would I lie to you? You're smart and funny. TBTL is smart and funny. I knew you kids would get along. Rawr!

[egan]

Who knew you could discuss the intimate details of Groundhog's Day as they did. Very NPR-ish. It's a pretty funny discussion. Yes, I'm listening right now and providing a play-by-play.

Groundhog Cheats:
1) multipurpose animals (most lesser known) are used to predict weather
2) it's based on pre-christian celebrations
3) it's actually the reverse of what you think -- sun equals 6 more weeks of winter
4) 90% of the time
5) zoo on Staten Island

Groundhog's Day is the most ridiculous thing, that's my take home. Feb. 2nd every year.

[kirk]

Luke Burbank would fill in for whathisname on Wait Wait Don't Tell Me. Is this the guy from SallySimpleton's flickr?

[sprizee]

Kirk, Good call. You are correct. Luke fills in on that show from time to time. He's referenced it on TBTL before. Nope, that's Sean De Tore, Japan's #1 Mixer. Also, the audio engineer. Interested? Yeah, who isn't. But be warned, serious inquires ONLY.

[kirk]

re: Groundhog Day. My various news pages (iGoogle, my.yahoo.com, several daily newspapers, etc) had links to the Groundhog Day story and I wondered in years when people study the history of the United States if they will think that people actually believed it was a way to predict weather. (my alternate thought was what must the aliens that are watching us think).

[sprizee]

Are you just recounting the plot of Dark City or do you really think that's possible?

[kirk]

It can't be Dark City because I haven't seen it.

[Wheelson]

What do you call a pop culture reference that is for the specific purpose not really of making the pop culture reference, but instead it's for referencing TBTL first and then the pop culture reference? It's not meta but something else. It's like in a programming language where you have something that points to something but what you really want is to talk about the thing that's doing the pointing. In that instance you dereference the pointer. For example:

&BoomRoasted

You must be &Smarty Pants Dancing your way through your day today after the shout out, which makes two, you got last night. Excuse me I have to go, Jealous is calling, I think he wants his green with envy T-Shirt back.

[egan]

Rumor has it you're in like Flynn with this radio show.

[sallysimpleton]

Warning, nerd alert.

Wheelson, are you thinking of RECURSION? Maybe we should look into TBTL-repurposing that term. It's my favorite term of those that give me a headache!

Boom, roasted.

[Chris]

The whole hot cheetos thing is funny and cheered me up when I needed cheering up.

I've got a bunch of TBTL podcast on miPod on your recommendation but haven't ahd the time to listed as of yet.

[sprizee]

Sweet! So far I know of at least 3 people that have started podcasting TBTL based on my OCD.

New TBTL podcasters: Egan, Kirk, Chris

Yay for peer pressure!

[Wheelson]

Warning: Nerd Alert, like totally. I'm serious.

@Sallysimpleton HA. I didn't mean recursion, in a way that's more what meta is. Technically not really accurate but, close enough.

Instead I thought it was funny how TBTL serves as sort of a storage bin of pop-culture references. Tens however relate to other tens by referencing not the pop-culture reference but the TBTL reference to the pop-culture references. Anyone can go around saying, "I just love hot Cheetos. I love em so much." But when a Ten says it to another ten what they really mean is &I just love hot Cheetos. I love em so much.

&And boom goes the dynamite.

[egan]

So I'm a little ashamed to ask this, but what exactly is a "Ten"? I know Sprizee is going to kick my ass for asking, but I can take it.

[sprizee]

Ten = Avid listener of the show.

You know how some radio shows have 100s or 1000s of listeners? Luke once joked TBTL had 10s of listeners. So somehow that caught on as the name of someone who's a big fan of the show.

Boom goes the dynamite.