25 Comments
Apr 17Liked by Charlie Bleecker, Michael Dean

I love me some Viola Davis. BUT if I had been proofreading her memoir, I would have called her out on how many times she used "no words to/can describe" and told her to "find the words." Nevertheless, my reaction would've been the same as yours. LMAO

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Haha same same. She's wonderful in every role she plays! And she could have used an editor for her book lol.

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Mar 19Liked by Charlie Bleecker

I need to take the proper time to listen to the podcast and watch Michael's breakdown but this footnote is 80% EXACTLY like what I envision Michael doing when he makes his masterpiece breakdowns.

Also, good to know about DFW...Something that bothers me and I've been probably to scared to write about is how people tend to be permissive of people that show flashes of genius. I don't know why their behavior has to be absolved even if we recognize that their humanity means that they are fallible and probably prone to doing things that are not ethical/legal. Anyways, you got my wheels spinning on this!

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It was something I struggled with, too, Camilo. Ultimately, I still sing along to Michael Jackson and Theo Huxtable remains one of the best TV dads of all time.

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Mar 23Liked by Charlie Bleecker

I'm back after listening to your podcast ep! Ashamedly this is the first Bleecker Bomb I've ever listened to. It's like sitting in your deep dive. I love every bit of it.

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Ahhh Becky! Thank you. I have so much fun doing them. Way less stressful than presenting in front of actual people on Zoom.

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...what an excellent combo...my favorite trashy memoir btw is David Lee Roth "Crazy From The Heat"...simultaneously one of the best and worst things i have ever read...

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What made it the best and what made it the worst?

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...the best = tale after tale of moronic inspiration and low brow comedic "did he just say that?"...it is the "id" of david lee roth unleashed onto the page...also some good behind the scenes of early Van Halen...my favorite anecdote is when he gets picked up by Canadian police and they take him to the station just so they can say "Hey this guy...He's Just a Gigalo"...worst = it is David Lee Roth so it is a lot, kind of gross, obnoxious, and largely pointless...but again that is also why it is kind of the best...pure delightful trash...great afternoon hammock read for rum punching...

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Pure delightful trash. Reminds me how I used to feel about watching The Bachelor. I loved it and hated it and couldn't stop watching it.

Also, some good behind the scenes stories are always fun.

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...yeah i never understood the bachelor until one night at a local sports bar i sat watching some unnamed long forgotten hockey game and slowly the bartender laid roses out at each seat around me and staging pink pint glasses...my confusion "rose" as groups of adequately dressed, mostly drunk, loud happy people rolled in around me...i think i thought a wedding was about to happen but alas it was a group watching of the bachelor, alongside an announcer making up drinking games at each ad break (drink if there is a kiss, drink if someone cries)...there is strong crossover between the sports obsessed and the bachelordom and experiencing it first hand in between sips of warm pilsner I got to partake in the bachelor fanning and confirm i need to avoid watching the show as i didn't need one more distracting obsession to entertain me (there are 40+ seasons of drag race still for me to take in)...anyhoo all that to say it is a great show...especially when watched in some lousy oakland sports bar...

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that is hilarious and also i don't know what i'm waiting for with drag race.

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...might be the best show of all time but then i remember there is also ALF...

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Mar 20Liked by Charlie Bleecker

"He does drink coffee but only for appearances." haha!

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Hehe ;)

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If only I had the words to describe my enjoyment of that end note. ;-)

Normally don't listen to the podcast, but I'm intrigued. Will check it out and always appreciate how you show rather than tell.

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Thanks, Scott! I've been having a lot fun with this new podcast format.

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That moment when one realizes 1992 wasn't twenty two years ago but thirty two years ago...

This Bleecker Bomb was nuclear and I am here for it!

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Hahaha. I'm not so great at math.

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Well said: "This goes on for three days. The result is a Michael Dean masterpiece, as per usual."

Charlie, I'm in Hawaii on spring break with my family - will dig in when I get home :)

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Enjoy it, James! I'm heading to Maui with my family in May. :)

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"Michael Dean’s alarm goes off at 5am and he turns himself on, like a robot. He does drink coffee but only for appearances. He sits at his computer with three screens and reads, and writes, and transcribes, and pours over every sentence of the essay. There’s a large white board in the room. He stands and draws on the white board with a black marker. There are words and circles and arrows and lines and everything is connected. He runs back and forth from the computer to the whiteboard; his hands can’t keep up with his thoughts. At this point he’s wearing a white lab coat and goggles. He works like this until midnight, stopping only briefly for food, bathroom breaks, and short conversations with his wife. This goes on for three days. The result is a Michael Dean masterpiece, as per usual."

Oh yeah that's exactly what I imagine

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Right, Christin?!

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Mar 19Liked by Charlie Bleecker

Lol I chuckled consistently throughout the note at the end

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Haha I chuckled consistently as I was writing it.

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