AVSC: Drugs

posted January 28th by jake

nude european style mannequinIn this week’s episode of A Very Serious Conversation, you’ll find Phil much more subdued than he was in last week’s podcast. His changed attitude could be a result of the sound beating he received from me once we finished recording last week, but it’s more likely because he’s beaten me so many consecutive times at Scrabble lately that he pities me enough to taper back the verbal assaults.

Along with Phil’s apologies to me, the first third or so of the podcast contains us brainstorming ways to outsource AVSC to another country, a description of the new high-tech microphone we plan to get (if you, the listener, does your duty) and discussion of President Obama’s drug policy plans such as doing away with disparities in sentencing for crack-related vs. powder cocaine-related crimes (see my review of WhiteHouse.gov for the specifics). The remainder of the episode is structured around weighing the pros and cons of some of the most commonly-used drugs: caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, hallucinogenic mushrooms, LSD, cocaine, methamphetamines, ecstasy and heroin.

Of course, other related and unrelated topics come up, including the legalization of marijuana, Obama traveling backwards in time to impeach Bush, scary drugs that we’re not even sure exist (like the drug called “ice” that Captain America fought against in the 1980s) and drug use by Presidents/Founding Fathers. Of particular note is the moment near the end of the podcast when Phil confesses that his grandfather was an amphetamine dealer.

By the way, if you send a link to this page to ten other people and tell them to do the same, something good will happen to you. If you don’t, you’ll die within a week.

Just kidding. But if you don’t leave us a comment I’m gonna throw myself out a window.

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→ 22 comments so far ↓

  • 1 phil // Jan 28, 2009 at 5:07 pm

    For the record, veryserious.org has an extremely strict no tittypics policy, which serves the purpose of keeping our traffic low. This is not a photograph of a nude woman, but of a “European style” mannequin, of the type that Jake and I discuss retrofitting with a microphone so that we speak into its neck. It’s all above the board and very “safe for work”. If you disagree, please say so in the comments here.

  • 2 beth // Jan 29, 2009 at 10:22 am

    it is about as creepy as the dr. who pic.

  • 3 thadd // Jan 29, 2009 at 3:48 pm

    I think that you brought up some good points about drugs in this podcast. I really enjoyed it and happen to agree with you on most of the ratings that you gave the different drugs. I do take issue with nicotine being so highly looked down upon. Much of the doom and gloom surrounding cigarettes comes from old fueds between PM and NBC. Neither one really experts in health.

    I enjoyed the level of comedy in this episode, how well balanced it was with the facts and useful information.

    Thanks for enlightening me with your podcast this week guys. It was great.

  • 4 jake // Jan 29, 2009 at 4:06 pm

    Thanks, Thadd. Your comment has gotten us much closer to getting that new microphone.

  • 5 phil // Jan 29, 2009 at 4:51 pm

    Yeah man thanks for listening. I am going to put up a thing that counts the comments for this post, and we won’t buy a microphone until the comments get above a certain number. You should be on our show again. So should Donovan, he recorded one but it is lost forever.

  • 6 Beth // Jan 29, 2009 at 5:34 pm

    “Ice” is also the drug of choice for many of the people hunted by “The Dog”. Apparently, Hawaii is lousy with ice.

  • 7 Beth // Jan 29, 2009 at 5:54 pm

    Good convo guys and excellent music selection – Yeah! Huey! Also, it’s cool that you left in the part that Phil suggested you edit out. That part set my brain-wheels a-turning… A Very Serious Conversation: Outakes and Bloopers. Wild!

    ps. I hate the creepy mannequin. Her cold, dead eyes don’t match her suggestive pose. ick!

  • 8 Beth // Jan 29, 2009 at 6:01 pm

    PPS…I hear a high pitched squeal in the background of the recording…maybe it’s my speakers?

  • 9 phil // Jan 29, 2009 at 6:04 pm

    I insisted that Jake leave that in! I’m also going to change my profile pic to me doing shirtless yoga. I want Jake to make a “safe for work” version so I can share it on Facebook (which you can do by clicking on the link on the left). As for the squeak, I don’t hear it. We’ll have our engineers look at it.

  • 10 phil // Jan 30, 2009 at 11:48 am

    I listened for the squeak. I believe that is Jake talking to me.

  • 11 beth // Jan 30, 2009 at 1:18 pm

    I thought it sounded like a familiar squeak. But I just wanted to double check.

  • 12 kathy // Jan 31, 2009 at 7:51 am

    Oh how this reminds me of any number* of conversations that I’ve had with Phil in the last 20 years.

    * ok, 3 — but lasting 30 to 400+ minutes — because you never come to see me. BTW, Ed’s coming over tomorrow to watch the game. Open invite… .

  • 13 phil // Jan 31, 2009 at 2:49 pm

    Thanks for listening and replying Kathy. I made other plans, sorry. Tell Ed that I miss him and that if it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t have an imagination, which is true. Also if it wasn’t for you I’d have an amputated foot from gangrene.

  • 14 Steven // Feb 4, 2009 at 1:41 pm

    but really… jake would be nothing without phil

  • 15 phil // Feb 4, 2009 at 1:47 pm

    @Steven I’m Jake’s #1 fan though. It sounds like I don’t like him on these podcasts but that’s all wrestling-style feuding that we do. On a related note, we’re going to have a pay-per-view podcast at the end of the month to settle our feud.

  • 16 zjyw // Feb 7, 2009 at 10:37 am

    This got me through a good workout. I like the length. I recommend watching “Super High Me”. I think it was on that docu that I heard that marijuana is bad for your lungs because you’re ingesting smoke of some kind. I think I also heard that it’s worse than cigarette smoke however, not as addictive as cigarettes. Actually, I think there is no evidence that states that marijuana is addictive at all.

  • 17 Javier // Feb 7, 2009 at 10:39 am

    I think you were a bit harsh on the mushrooms.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RisxckQlzc

    Keep the podcasts coming!

  • 18 zjyw // Feb 8, 2009 at 11:26 am

    Jake, I thought you quit smoking?
    So you’re a smoker and vegan?

  • 19 jake // Feb 8, 2009 at 6:40 pm

    Vegan?

    Man, I’m vegetarian but I’m not crazy.

  • 20 zjyw // Feb 8, 2009 at 8:49 pm

    Alright so you’re a smoking vegetarian. I wonder if those cancel themselves out. . .

  • 21 jake // Feb 9, 2009 at 9:05 am

    Does smoking really kill animals that much?

  • 22 Matt B // Feb 9, 2009 at 9:12 am

    Have you guys watched the special Marijuana Inc on CNBC? They focus on the trade in Ukiah. Everyone is talking about it.

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