Crutchfield: The Podcast Ep 62

Transcript:

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We're using the fancy tech stuff right now.

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That's right. We are Hello and welcome to Crutchfield the podcast I'm JR training manager here at Crutchfield joined in studio by my co-host Eric. Hello there.

How you doing, buddy? I'm doing great today. We are talking movies and specifically movie theaters versus home theaters Yes, you got thoughts on this, you know, I do.

Yeah, buddy the reason we're doing this is because You know Tom Cruise has a lot to say on the subject and with his new movie the the latest mission impossible What does he know? I like it. I kid Tom big fan.

Yes So that that got me thinking about this subject, obviously We're heavily invested in the world of all the gear you need to set up a home theater Yeah, we may be a little biased on this. Let's be honest However, I do enjoy going to the movie theater as well. Yeah, so it's Tom Cruise, right?

That's the question We will be seeking to answer on this episode of Crutchfield the podcast By the way now might be a great time to subscribe to this podcast And if you like what you hear it would really help us out if you could rate the podcast Maybe write a review or a question. You can even comment on the show on Spotify You can simply write a review you can send us an email if you have feedback or questions You'd like us to tackle on this show podcast at Crutchfield comm help spread the word about the fun We're having here talking about the coolest gear on the planet. Well said thank you so I saw the new mission impossible movie a couple weeks ago and First off have you seen it?

I haven't seen the newest one. I Imagine I think I've seen probably three or four of them. They kind of run together It's been a couple years, but man, I remember them as being fun.

Yeah, this is mi8 It's the eighth movie in the series. Okay mission impossible the final reckoning and it is pretty epic It's almost three hours long Wow Incredible stunts incredible visuals not your typical mission impossible movie, right? I was guessing that's a lot of explosions There's some explosions.

There's some underwater submarine stuff, which is a lot of fun There's some you know hit Tom Cruise hanging off an airplane stuff. That's a lot of fun I think he really likes to do that. I think so.

It's like his thing. Yeah and Tom Cruise opens the show if you see it in theaters with a Heartfelt thank you for coming to the theater to enjoy this movie and when I saw that I Had some conflicting thoughts first You're welcome. Tom Cruise.

I did make the trip. I spent the money I left my house to go to the theater to see Tom Cruise hanging off the airplane but I also I Don't know if you can hear that dog in the background. Just a reminder Crutchfield is a dog friendly workplace that happens from time to time I also thought to myself I've got plenty of movies to watch at home and I'm going to do that in fact most of my movie watching will happen at home and My TV and my sound system is very important to me to make the home movie watching experience as good as it can be Without it being a full-blown movie theater and as important as it is to me. I think it's even more important to you Yeah, it's kind of my thing.

I love home theater out of all the cool things we carry here a home theater gear and that's a lot of different stuff, right like people interpret home theater in different ways But that's kind of my sweet spot. I love talking about that stuff Yeah, you uh, you win by the way if we were if you and I were competing and not a contest, but it's not That's right. Yeah, and that that's imagine hard for you to say because I'm so much younger than you so much younger Yeah, I mean you have a huge TV a bunch of speakers Big subwoofer a dedicated kind of room where that's really all that happens in there.

Is that right? I mean you're painting a picture that I don't think is entirely realistic. It's a mess.

But yeah, there's some cool gear in there Yeah, I've worked here a long time I've accumulated good deals here and there and they've you know, they've kind of turned into a pretty nice Home theater at this point and to be clear anything we buy at Crutchfield We definitely get a discount on so this helps a lot. It is a perk I've been told we're legally required to tell people that when we buy things at Crutchfield we get it this I gotta be on I'm not sorry. No It's one of my favorite things One of the reasons to work here.

Yeah, one of the many by the way. Sure. Sure.

Sure So the question is is Tom Cruise, right? Because it seems like he thinks Movie theater, that's the only place you should go to watch a movie, right? I know I've heard Quentin Tarantino talk about how offended he would be to know that somebody was watching his latest movie on like an iPad or something which certainly happens a home theater, he might be a little less disappointed, but Movie theater like is that the only place you should go to watch and enjoy movies that are kind of made to be enjoyed on A huge screen in a big room with a lot of speakers Surrounded by a crowd of people in that shared experience Is that the only way to really truly faithfully enjoy a movie or can it be done?

In a home theater setting like yours. We decided to do some real research. I mean someone needed to this is for science Yes, absolutely.

We decided to bring in a subject matter expert a couple of them. Actually. Yeah And we also wanted to get some first-hand experience so again So Eric and I was in case things and just in case things have changed we needed to do this again.

That's right This is the not the first time that Eric and I have figured out a way to go to a movie during work hours And on Bill's dime. Yeah, and I just want to say thank you Bill I'll thank you again later at the end of the show Eric and I went and saw a movie at the Alamo draft house and we did some lo-fi field recording both before the show and After the show and you'll hear bits of that conversation sprinkled throughout the episode Welcome to the Alamo draft house. Oh boy.

Here we go You know, I suggested we see Mission Impossible, but I've already seen it and you suggested that new Marvel movie With which I'd already seen which you had already seen Thunderbolts Thunderbolts. Yeah, so we had to come up with a movie. It's good So was Mission Impossible Tom Cruise was right.

Yeah, it was a hundred percent better in the movie theater than it would have been at my house Spoiler well, he was right for that movie. Hmm. Is he right for every movie though?

So you'll hear that later in this episode. That's kind of you could think of that as act three act two Will be the interview we did yesterday with your ten-year-old Porter Ten years old. I'm a rising sixth grader I know I'm biased on this one, but I have to say I think he's my favorite guest We've ever had on the show.

I I wasn't sure what to expect I was blown away by his presence his ability to speak Intelligently and convey his thoughts clearly. I'll say he's a natural.

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Yeah.

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Yeah I would agree on a microphone which tends to make a lot of people nervous. He wasn't intimidated at all No, this is his first time in this kind of environment. I'm proud of him.

He did a great job and act one is Well, we got a guy who works at a movie theater. Mm-hmm He works at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas and which we have one of those here in Charlottesville Which is our preferred place to go see movies But we got a guy from Alamo Drafthouse Cinema To help us dive deep into this topic and his answers may surprise you Maybe not. Let's find out

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My name is Brian Loy I am the field marketing and social media manager for the Northern Virginia and Washington DC locations for Alamo Drafthouse Cinema a

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Big fan by the way, I've been a big fan of Alamo ever since they opened in Charlottesville one of my favorite things about it aside from the Well background first if you see my background You'll see that a long time ago when a guy named Michael Kurtzke worked at Alamo He was so gracious Invited me and Crutchfield new advisors new training classes of sales advisors over to Alamo and to see the the projection the the projectors the projection room the sound system the audio all of that stuff he we helped him set up a mic system to set the Levels and stuff in one of the auditoriums. We got a big background into how movie theaters Function how they work and we tried to draw some parallels between that and home theater So he none of the other movie theaters in Charlottesville even wanted to return my call so He was awesome. We sell at Crutchfield home theater gear, right yet We still go to the movies and it seems like there's a place for both To exist to to be in our lives and that it makes a lot of sense.

I Recently saw a mission impossible, of course at Alamo and Tom Cruise is there in the opening of the movie thanking us all for Spending our hard-earned dollars to watch a movie at a movie theater the way it was intended to be Sure, and I wanted to get some of your thoughts on on that topic in general I can leave it that wide open for now and then I can get more specific with questions in a moment But what are your thoughts on like home theater and movie theater?

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I think as you said there there is a there is room for all of it to kind of coexist. I love my physical media I have a whole wall of blu-ray and 4k discs It's my firm belief that you can be an advocate for You know that and the theatrical experience I also appreciate the virtues of digital streaming platforms The convenience, you know the original content, you know, all of all of those methods I think and can nicely coexist but You know, I think there's that undeveloped part of our tiny lizard brains that will always flock to spectacle You mentioned Tom Cruise. I mean he has been such a torchbearer risking his life in the name of Entertainment and giving us something tangible on the screen that we can really only dream about or imagine I mean, that's kind of what the medium of film is all about Of course you have like, you know quieter more intimate more human films that may not necessarily have stunts or explosions But they're no less impactful I mean the whole idea is transporting yourself to another world and and you know Offering a glimpse into another human human experience that you might otherwise never have You know Roger Ebert once very eloquently said that movies are a machine that generate empathy and I Genuinely believe that going to the movies and being fed a steady diet of a diversity of films Just makes you a better person. It makes you a more empathetic person.

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Oh My god, Brian. I love that because you just you just took movies from Entertainment which right it almost belittles it to just simply call it entertainment It is more than that right like it is a meaningful part of life in the in the 21st century here

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Well, there's nothing wrong with fluff but like I said again, if you're fed kind of a diverse slate of Different kinds of films it kind of like I said, it just kind of opens your eyes to a whole different world

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That's a way more elegant way of saying You don't need to just go to the movie theater to see the spectacle of the latest Tom Cruise movie, right? You can also go see although you should you should absolutely should I can tell you you should also go see the more art house stuff the the stuff that doesn't is not loaded with CGI and special effects and Tom Cruise hanging off the bottom of an airplane for real, right?

Like you don't need that to make the movie theater and movies in general An important part of your life. Absolutely For the record Jr. He said you had a tiny lizard brain and Then said that movies can make you a better person all in the same light like it was really well said. Yeah, no doubt It's very true for Eric and I that when we go to see a movie at Specifically the Charlottesville Alamo Drafthouse.

We pay close attention to which Time we're gonna see the movie and which theater which auditorium it's going to be in because we know That theater for has the best audio system. It is Dolby Atmos The biggest screen there's two projectors instead of one So the image is brighter like we know that because we are nerds about this stuff So the question is how much do your customers in general the general population? How much do they care about?

the the Presentation quality the audio and the video performance of the theater. Do they even bring it up? Is it a reason they choose one movie over another or movie theater over another?

What are your thoughts on that Brian?

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Well, we Well, I say I say the general we but I personally am a big stickler for presentation You know, I think even the general audience the layperson can go to a theater and and know when they're not getting the best possible experience whether it's kind of kind of outdated projectors or You know, the image is too dark to see or the the sound quality is either too quiet too loud It's not immersive and you can tell the difference You know, we always like to show the best quality prints We're always excited when we can premiere like a new 4k restoration of a classic film You know, our projectors are 4k Sony projectors As you mentioned theater for in Charlottesville that is equipped with Dolby Atmos surround sound system So you can really kind of feel it in your butt And you and you feel that rumble You know, so I think I think it does make a difference and I think people can tell and You know, we pride ourselves in our presentation and and speaking for me and I feel like I can say this because I've I've been to you know just about every theater in the area that there is and and you know, I can personally tell and I'm not just saying that as a representative of Alamo, but There is there is an attention to quality for sure am I hearing you say that

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You hear it from customers when it's not great But not but people aren't necessarily saying do you have Dolby Atmos? Do you have THX?

Do you have this or that do they actively seek it out? Are you hearing that from your customers?

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I think the more technical technically minded people will Notice or sometimes we'll get questions people asking, you know, is this presented in so-and-so format? you know and I Know from firsthand experience that people will often seek out The showtimes that are in the nicer theater the more premium the more deluxe theater You know, of course, you'll always have the general the general audience who may not necessarily Care or they're just going to see a movie at a certain time Because it's convenient for them, but then you also have the people who who you know make a point to try to see the most You know the most immersive the largest format experience

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Good.

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So so Eric and I are not alone in this No, I mean part of what the Alamo Drafthouse fosters is this kind of a culture of film enthusiasts And so yeah, you're definitely not alone and wanting to see the movie of the best possible way But I mean we value that certainly.

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Yeah You mentioned you have a collection of 4k blu-rays and such I would assume that you have a pretty nice system at home to watch movies on And of course, you know That's kind of what Crutchfield is here to do is to help people get nice systems to watch movies on I would love to know What what is your home theater experience? What do you what do you watch it on? What do you listen to it on like, what do you what kind of gear do you have at home?

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I Have a Samsung OLED 4k TV I use a PlayStation 5 for You know discs. I have an Apple TV for streaming and apps and then a I'm not sure of the brand off the top of my head, but it is a 7.1 sound bar and subwoofer system.

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Got it So sound bar separate subwoofer. Do the do the speakers go behind you or do they just project behind you?

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They project I think they kind of simulate surround sound but we don't we have the speakers on either side of the TV because we don't really have a good place where we can kind of Prop the the speakers to have it behind us. We don't really have it is an apartment So we don't really have the the room I mean one day it would be nice to have a proper like Dolby Atmos set up in my own home But we just don't have the room for it right now I would love like a proper home feeder one day, but you know everything in its time

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absolutely, so yesterday Eric and I went to the Alamo draft house and We saw sinners at 245 Not in theater for if it was there in theater for we would have seen it But I think that's mostly Mission Impossible these days or Lilo and Stitch.

I don't know which but it was in The experience for me anyway and Eric you can speak to this as well It was in no way diminished by the fact that we were in the smaller theater. We didn't have the perfect centered seats we were off to the left a little bit like, you know, all those things that we would normally try to do we couldn't do but Thoroughly enjoyed sinners and and The audio presentation on that was pretty solid I if you hadn't if I didn't know I would have said there might be at most in that theater I mean, it's still you're still getting surround sound.

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It's not necessarily like equipped with the Dolby Atmos technology where it's fully Surrounding the audience, but you are still getting a pretty Amazing sound presentation and sinners, especially with the music being such an important component in the film I mean it Definitely benefits from seeing it in the theater and the remarkable thing is I mean that that was a huge hit And it's not necessarily.

I mean, it's not based on anything It's not a remake or based on a video game or anything like that Fully original horror film from a from a filmmaker who has he's just a visionary and it's such a amazing amalgamation of you know horror and period peace and Western and Musical all these different genres kind of fusing together and something that's you know in a story. That's like cult It's culturally profound. It says something about our culture So, I think that movie really hit in ways that I don't think anybody was really anticipating this is a movie that that performed Better and it's subsequent weeks than it did on opening weekend, which almost never happens nowadays because of the word-of-mouth and because of the positive audience reactions and the critical reviews and it just I mean we we kept it for in our theater For about six weeks now and That just speaks to I don't know.

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I guess like a hunger for great quality original stories I just got an email last night that says sinners is now available for rent or purchase on Amazon Prime Like the movie is still in theaters all the way up to the streaming release That's that's saying something.

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I Mean we've seen the landscape shift because we've seen Movies last in theaters for like maybe a couple weeks and then it vanishes and that it's Instantly available to watch at home So there's really not an opportunity for movies to kind of organically grow an audience anymore It either makes its money on the first week or maybe the second week and then it's you know You know, you never see it again. It just kind of exists on that that Abyss that we call the digital cloud, you know so So, I mean again, like I think that's what makes the theatrical model just like so important But the thing is I mean there's been an angst Among movie studios and those who work in theatrical exhibition like myself like there's so much competition for entertainment That doesn't require folks to get up from their couch You know somewhat of a concern with the advent of home video But now the technology has advanced like we've seen it shift so rapidly whether it's you know Social media or YouTube or tik-tok or you know streaming services? There's so many different outlets demanding consumers attention and the general question, you know in an age where people are so isolated from each other Like how do we get folks to come to the movies?

So it's been an interesting question, but I think movies, you know movie theaters will never die out completely I have faith that there will always be like an innate desire to like share in a communal experience

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So yeah, yeah, I mean you're heading right where I was heading, you know the pandemic obviously hurt movie theater attendance drastically for a period of time and and I'm curious and I mean I'm you can be as specific in the numbers. You might want to give me or as as Nonspecific as you want to be But how is movie theater attendance these days?

Is it on the rise? Is it on the decline? Have we completely rebounded from the pandemic?

Where does that stand?

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I think we've just seen a shift again to your point, I mean It looks so different than it did just even a few years ago and Things that used to be sure things like The Marvel films that come out you used to those used to be easy billion-dollar Money makers and we've seen with some of the more recent Marvel releases. That's not really the case You know, I think there will always be an appetite for superhero movies But I think we're gonna kind of start to see people's tastes change a little bit, you know But sometimes we'll have kind of this beautiful synergy that we saw with like Barbie and Oppenheimer. I mean, that's the Kind of post pandemic example that everyone points to of these two movies that just fed off of one another's I guess I Guess movie nerd cred I mean people who weren't interested in seeing a Barbie movie were interested because of Margot Robbie Ryan Gosling Greta Gerwig Noah Baumbach like that that and then also, you know people wanted to see Oppenheimer because of Christopher Nolan kind of becoming a brand in and of himself, so That was that was huge and then last week he or at last A couple years you've had things like Godzilla minus one that have just completely shattered expectations this year with sinners a movie that just kind of came out of nowhere and You know, you do see movies that that kind of flounder movies that you think will be huge successes that aren't And I think as times change you just kind of have to adapt. I think you know Alamo Draft House Particularly has kind of set itself apart with kind of an approach.

That's like uniquely crafted for movie lovers and Certainly, we can talk about that to exactly how that is that we feel we've kind of set ourselves apart, but You have seen movie theaters Certainly, I mean it's just a volatile marketplace right now You read every day about theaters across the country closing because people just aren't aren't coming to the theater like they used to But there's always going to be innovative ways of you know, getting those butts in the seats Like I said, I mean, I think movie theaters will always be around it's just how do you adapt to the times my question

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Would be about 3d Obviously there was a time where that was huge a long time ago that was big and then kind of try to make a comeback I'm curious whether or not That still drives any business or people still excited about that What what do you see on the 3d front these days?

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I mean, it's certainly less common It was kind of a fad when avatar James Cameron's avatar came out in 2009, we saw just a glut of 3d films and I think there were some that were Some that were spectacular and others that were you know, you saw this post conversion process where movies that obviously weren't Intended to be presented in 3d were presented in 3d to kind of middling results. And I think it just kind of I Think the the Think it burned out quick. I guess it was a fad and you know occasionally we still show 3d films occasionally, especially when Avatar the way of water came out.

It was kind of Necessary to see it in that format and I think that you know that that drove a lot of audience interest I think it's just less common. So people aren't really As familiar with it now as they were back then But I love the format just because I think it's it's just another unique experience that you don't really get at home And I don't know. I'm a fan of gimmicky gimmicky, you know it's almost it's almost like like It kind of is a throwback to like sideshows or you know spook shows of the of the era I mean one of my Favorite actually really what made me fall in love with Alamo draft house to begin with I was working for another theater chain at the time and my local Alamo draft house here in Ashburn was showing House of Wax the original house of wax with Vincent price in 3d and I thought where where in the wide world? Am I going to get that experience where I can see this film in a fresh digital presentation how it was originally intended to be in 3d and it had all the gimmicky effects with the carnival Barker with the With the paddle ball and the paddle and the and the ball is going directly into the frame and you can see that pop-out effect I mean that was like exhilarating and so again, I just I'm a I'm a big fan of giving the audience something that they're not going to get anywhere else and so yeah, that's just My personal experience of how I kind of fell in love with the Alamo draft house.

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I Definitely want to talk about What Alamo does to set itself apart? To make it such a unique Experience when there is so much competition out there. What what do you guys do that makes going to the movies special?

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Well, thank you for asking. I mean we Believe in protecting the sanctity of the movie going experience. So I mean We have a very strict no talking no texting policy that we're very proud of to minimize distractions You know, we operate as a full-service restaurant and bar as well.

So we have you know, our Sneaky serving staff and they'll hand deliver fresh food and drinks directly to your seat That's a huge draw for folks who don't want to like miss the movie and wait in line at a concession stand, you know Other thing is to that we pride ourselves on is our specialty programming So we show not just new releases but repertory shows as well So, I mean you could spend hours scrolling through the interface for Netflix or crime video like Desperately trying to find something to watch nothing's curated. It's all just thrown on there There's no way to determine if any of it is any good But at Alamo, you know, there's something That's worth watching pretty much every night You know free screenings of classic movies anniversary celebrations Monthly programs like terror Tuesday where we showcase the horror genre Themed series for example this month, you know, we're doing a retrospective of Arnold Schwarzenegger films You know interactive movie parties that have an audience participation element.

Those are usually a big hit for family So there's like careful consideration into what we show. It's all a part of like cultivating that cinema culture Another thing to like in our daily lives were so inundated with advertisements at every turn And at the Alamo before the feature we play kind of a 30-minute reel Instead of like car commercials or what have you we show like, you know Interviews with talent and like specially selected movie clips and like weird ephemera It's all themed to the film that you're about to watch and then we show, you know your standard We keep it to 15 or 10 or 15 minutes of trailers and then the movie so you're not being like advertised to you and Like I said lastly Because of that felt love for cinema. There is like a culture That has grown out of people who go to Alamo draft house. It really is like a safe haven a refuge for cinema lovers I've seen it firsthand like people congregate and they hang out in the lobby and chat and make friends and hang out in the Bar and chat about movies for hours.

So that sense of community is something we really try to cultivate here.

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I Do want to point out to our listeners that no money is changing hands here. We're not paying Brian from Alamo Alamo is not paying us This is simply I wanted somebody from Alamo because of my love for the movie theater and your movie theater in particular and It's that's the only reason we're doing this so it might sound like an Alamo commercial on Crutchfield the podcast It's not it's just a love fest

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Well, and I hope I don't Come off as if I'm as if I'm being a spokesperson. I genuinely I mean, I've been working in movie theater since I was 16 I've worked for several different chains and this comes from a genuine place of like, you know, I found my home and So, you know, I'm I'm always happy to chat about movies generally but if I'm given a chance to talk about like again, what makes Alamo different then insert Movie theater chain here.

Yes. I mean, I'm gonna take that opportunity and I appreciate you, you know, letting me have that opportunity That was very regal of you I Appreciate it's fun. This is I mean, this is what I live for, you know, I am movies so Well again, this has been awesome, is there anything I should have asked you that I didn't well now I'm put on the spot I don't know is there Thank the listeners for just Giving giving us their ears and you know, we hope to we hope to see you at the theater I know that you all are about You know the home theater experience.

Like I said, I'm a big believer in that too You know, there's nothing more I love than popping on a movie while I'm at home and getting getting immersed that way but there's always you know, I'm always kind of doing laundry or getting up to make myself a cup of tea or you know, The dogs running around or there's always something at home that kind of Separates you from what you're watching. Whereas like there's something I don't know. I think there's there's There's something almost primal You know, we've been telling stories to each other for hundreds of thousands of years but so to to kind of go to a place where you stare at a Bright screen in a dark room with a bunch of your fellow human beings and are just completely locked in and immersed in a story You know to be entertained to be moved.

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I feel like that's what it is to be human, I Could not agree more Thank you. Well said Brian you are Maybe not the official spokesperson But I am I for one I'm happy to know that you work at Alamo and care as much as you do And we're willing to come on and talk to us about all this stuff. I think you helped us Prove our hypothesis, which is that there is absolutely a place in the world for the movie theater shared experience the spectacle of all of that as well as Investing in a really fun way to watch movies at home.

I think both are Important and it would be easy for Crutchfield to go. I forget the movie theater. Just get a home theater You don't need to go to the movies anymore But I think that would be the opposite of the rising tide floating all the boats Right because Tom Cruise is gonna stop making movies if we all stop going to the movie theater Well, I know Tom Cruise personally.

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I have his phone number on speed dial. So Maybe we can make that up. No have our people.

I would love to shake Tom Cruise's hand and just thank you know, thank him for being a like a like an advocate the spokes Spokesman for for you know The theatrical model because again like it is it is kind of in jeopardy. It is it is something that we're all kind of Kind of anxious about like I said, I mean I think Alamo in particular because of what we offer in the marketplace is doing. Okay, but But you know to your point if mr.

Cruise if you happen to be listening, mr. Cruise We'd love to have you, you know stop by Alamo Draft House stop by Crutchfield, you know, we'll make it happen Eric I think you had one last question about food that you wanted to ask you.

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Yeah, what's your favorite food item? Oh my gosh And does it depend on maybe what you're watching?

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Oh That's a great question. I mean we have like Occasional like special menus that are themed to the movies Themselves and our mission impossible special menu we have like a selection of like different kinds of mac and cheeses and Every single mac and cheese on that menu is delicious. I wish we I wish it's something we could keep, you know Eternally like an evergreen like extension of our menu.

They're all so good You know, I'm I'm a I'm a simple man when it comes to food. So just like a classic Royale with cheeseburger. I mean that pairs perfectly with just about every beer on our menu, you know That's that's pretty classic Our baked pretzel as well.

I mean, that's that's just something that I think I think the first time I ever visited an Alamo Draft House I had the baked pretzel. It's just kind of become a mainstay It's just something that I've always kind of returned to and I don't know what else to order.

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So yeah I'm a sucker for your bottomless popcorn Mmm, yeah, and and also your vegan cauliflower bites. Oh, I'm not a vegan, but those things are amazing Yeah, I just did the I just had the harissa chicken sandwich, which is new to the menu, but really good sweet spicy It's good stuff.

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I'm so glad to hear that.

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Thank you Brian, thank you so much for taking time out of your day to talk with us for Crutchfield the podcast. I really appreciate it Thank you. I really appreciate it and it was wonderful to get to know you so I reached out to the people at Alamo and This was I got bounced around a little bit The manager at the local Alamo Sent me to like the regional guy who sent me to his guy who sent me to his guy They got you the right guy.

They got the right guy. It took a little while, but they got the right guy for sure No kidding. He was excellent.

I don't think this was his first time doing this type of thing No, clearly he's talked into a mic about movies before. Yeah, absolutely Seems very passionate about it, and I'm happy to know that he's not just what I what I thought might be The case was like movie theaters. It's the only way right?

He's a realistic guy and sounds like he enjoys a movie at home Occasionally as well. I it does sound like that, you know on second. I wish I'd asked him one additional question.

What's that? I don't know if you've heard about chicken jockey What? Something that popped up during the Minecraft movie There's a scene where there's a character from the Minecraft world who is a chicken jockey and apparently it became a meme type of thing where people would yell out chicken jockey in the middle of the movie and then throw their popcorn in the air and Make crazy noises and I've seen you know wrestling matches break out and just craziness and I'm sure that drove business to the movie theaters.

Yeah, which is would be a good thing for them worth all the cleanup Yeah, yeah. Well, but there's that And I just I wonder what his opinion would have been on that that sounds like the kids version of Rocky Horror Picture Show exactly and a huge fan Rocky Horror Picture Show a huge fan love that idea of Participation from the audience. I I think that that's that's pretty special But maybe maybe not so much if I worked there I Am interested to find out what your son Porter has to say about chicken jockey Yeah, because that's what's coming up next.

We interviewed Eric's ten-year-old son Porter His youngest son and boy, did we learn a lot? He's so well-spoken. He didn't seem intimidated in the least by our podcast studio the microphones In fact, it sounds like he aspires to be a content creator himself one day Perhaps we will say we will say Porter if you had a YouTube channel, what would it be about?

(40:24 - 40:59)

I'd probably make server Minecraft content probably Would you like make like videos of you playing Minecraft? Yeah, and then I'll probably do my voice on the overview so like just to kind of Be able to understand more what the gameplay is so you'd be like Explaining how to do certain things in Minecraft. Oh, I could be explaining.

I also could be like just Explaining what I'm doing and just kind of making it so you kind of understand, you know, yeah, would you be like educating other people?

(41:00 - 41:24)

You could say that or more entertaining other probably more entertaining and and then we asked him the question of the day The thing we are here to discuss movie theater or home theater now I had to ask him twice Because the first time let me guess. Yeah, you know what's coming this happens Do you know why I wanted to talk to you Porter?

(41:25 - 41:30)

I believe the questions about home theaters and like movie theaters That's right.

(41:30 - 41:44)

It's exactly what this entire episode is about It's like what's better watching a movie in a movie theater or watching a movie in your home theater Let's just start there. Do you have thoughts on that?

(41:45 - 41:53)

personally, I like movie theaters more because you have Depending on the theater you have Adobe Atmos, which is really cool. You get a whoa.

[Speaker 4] (41:53 - 41:53)

Whoa.

(41:53 - 42:23)

Whoa, okay, buddy you don't have to Talk like a kid Not That I have always been telling you about the benefits of we he might have a unique perspective Yeah, not many ten-year-olds are gonna be talking about Dolby Atmos are you good are you gonna coach him and interrupt? Oh, no, I know. You know what you you know, you have at it you have at it Porter you can say whatever you want here.

(42:23 - 42:40)

All right So I'm gonna say that I do like movie theaters more because you just have that bigger screen I personally just kind of like the experience being to have popcorn sit next to People and just kind of being that ginormous theater and have that really great experience

(42:40 - 43:45)

so one of the big benefits of a movie theater is that you're watching a movie with a Crowd of people and it sounds like that is something you enjoy about the movie.

Yeah that shared experience like Like when when something cool happens and everybody cheers or when something funny happens and everybody laughs You're not it's not just you laughing. I'm hearing I do it that so Porter I don't know if this was a surprise to you I don't know if you prepped him or knew what his it was gonna be there was no prepping I did not want him to feel nervous. I wanted it to just you know his thoughts to flow Now I've definitely heard some of my words come out of his mouth You know, but it wasn't in preparation for any any podcast So Porter comes down firmly on the side of the movie theater Yeah, but I did get a little bit more specific with my questions things became a little less clear So in general you prefer the movie theater experience to the home theater experience Yeah

(43:45 - 44:01)

I mean I still like the home theater experience because it is cool just be able to sit on your couch or a chair and just sit back and Watch a movie. I feel like it's a good pastime. It's a good experience, but I would give it to the theaters The theater wins.

(44:01 - 44:08)

Yeah Does it? Does it matter what movie it is?

(44:08 - 45:12)

Oh To be honest, I feel like yes because some movies I don't need I know if I need to go to the theaters like some movies. I'm like, all right Okay, but I don't really feel like I need to go to the theaters to see that I can just watch it at my house But the really good top hits. Yeah, those are ones.

I would really like to see in theaters Give me an example of something you think is more it would be more important to see it in a theater than at home So there's this Superman movie coming up I'm really excited to see that in theaters and just be able to have that experience superhero movies in general. Um Not really to be honest like most of the Superheroes movies we watched at our house like almost all of the inventors movies that are the older ones We watched at our house. It's not just superhero movies I feel like it's the ones I really get all that hype that you're sitting here thinking to yourself like oh, yeah I want to go see that and have that Fun experience.

(45:13 - 46:38)

Yeah, so I gotta say Eric Porter's home movie watching experience might be Swayed a little by the fact that watching movies at his house your house Right is not the same as watching movies at his friends houses, right? Yeah We take our movie serious, but you know when we take time to watch a movie, you know We make it a little bit of an event, right? We talk about why we're introducing them to a movie and sometimes it's something goofy And we just enjoyed it when we were young or maybe it's a little Historic so when we take time to watch movies, we you know, we make it we make it special Erica, I'm just gonna come out and say it.

You're a pretty good dad Might be the best thing you've ever said about me. I try outside of the movie thing I try in other ways to you tell me all the time how great a dad you are I do not now I got to see it in person. I say for a couple reasons Porter is Smart he's an interesting kid.

He has opinions. He's well-spoken. He seems happy, but also You have done an above-average job of making sure he understands that enjoying movies at home is about more than just a big TV I'll take credit for that the rest all of the credit goes to his mom How does watching movies at your house compare to say watching movies at your friend's house?

(46:39 - 47:27)

I would Personally Say that. I like my house more because we do have a decent sized TV and a good surround sound system And also I like having the comfort of your own home. That's also kind of fun being able to be and watching a movie That's something that movie theaters will don't have to home theaters do have as it's very convenient You're not driving places It's also cheaper because you're not buying a $10 thing a popcorn or whatever, you know, totally Do any of your friends have a home theater?

Not that I can think of no not really I mean they have a TV and probably a couple speakers but not like a Real home theater.

(47:27 - 47:35)

That's projector and everything Do you have what about the sound what about the sound when you're watching a movie? How important is that?

(47:35 - 47:54)

I think it's a very important element because it's really cool to hear like footsteps and in the movie It's the right and then you hear it to the right. I think that's really cool And I think that just really adds to the element of seeing a movie man Porter is so smart and well-rounded.

(47:54 - 48:10)

He likes movies. He likes video games. He likes sports and Learning.

Yeah loves books. What's your favorite subject in school? I love history Any particular part of history like American history or the rest of the world or?

(48:11 - 48:19)

I'm a really big fan of World War two just kind of History around we're not like, you know, go World War two.

(48:19 - 48:22)

No, we're not like that kind of fan, right?

(48:24 - 49:20)

Interesting So I like reading a lot of non Like not not I like reading the nonfiction ones my favorite ones are the historical fiction about World War two I think those are really interesting and I think It's just really Interesting to learn about so then I just had to know what's better a good movie or a good book that's a tough question because Movies, I love movies. Awesome. Really love books.

I Kind of depends the topic Because there's some good Movies, but they're still like not my favorite topic, you know, and it was a good movie and it's like just not my topic I'll probably say a book but if it's a book, that's a good book. It's just not my topic I'll probably send a movie.

[Speaker 4] (49:20 - 49:27)

I got confused on that one. I Follow good good would happy Gilmore Gilmore make a good book or is it better as a movie?

(49:28 - 49:45)

I think I'd be better as a movie because in a book it's kind of harder to capture like funny stories Than it is in a movie Plus if it's in the book, you have to make all the funny Adam Sandler sounds fair enough.

(49:45 - 50:10)

Good point. Yeah But similar question though, what if there was you had to make a choice between Reading a book about a topic you love or watching the movie About a topic you love like the same story same thing same book same movie you had to choose You can't you can't take in both of them. Are you gonna read the book?

Are you gonna watch the movie?

(50:11 - 51:03)

So when there's books books are definitely gonna be more detailed Because like a Harry Potter series, you can see how the movies are still long But they're not as Like long as the books you don't get as many Details and just that kind of things. So if it's a topic I love and I can't do both That's tough I'll probably say The movie because the movie is really fun and the book books are fun to read but they do take long and A lot of times you don't really have as much time just to like read and pick up a books. I'll just say The movie but that is a very tough question We all we often say in our house if you're gonna be one thing be Efficient.

(51:04 - 51:24)

There you go Some might say that the fact that a book takes longer to complete than a movie is a benefit, right? like you get more hours of enjoyment out of a book because it's more of a It is a little slower and you get to take your time with it and get all that extra detail I Mean, I would agree with that.

(51:25 - 51:55)

I know that is kind of contradicting myself. It's just that I Mean I just Kind of feel like if you can pick between one it's probably the movie because the movies are just like very short and interesting and just Yeah, I don't really know how to describe it but I really put my finger on it But but I just like movies and books but movies are also really cool any Anything else you would like to say?

(51:58 - 52:50)

Thank you so much for this opportunity I really like being able just to come and be on this podcast and thank you so much Well, you are a very well-spoken young man a very intelligent person and I am excited to know you and to get to Make this podcast with you as a part of it. So thank you for coming in and doing this Thank you so much Eric anything else you want to say that's my boy So we're gonna go see sinners Which I hear is excellent What do you hear about sinners that it might give me nightmares but we shall see Horror movies not your typical thing. Not my thing.

Not my thing. I like to laugh. I like explosions You know, I like comedy I already said I like to laugh tonight.

[Speaker 4] (52:51 - 52:51)

Yeah.

(52:51 - 1:00:32)

Yeah, that's what I like. And that's that's my wheelhouse So, but you may say I also like good movies. So we'll see I hear nothing but good things about sinners I hear you make an exception for vampires and zombies.

Is that true? Well, yeah That's not horror movies to you. I'm trying to remember the name of the Don't want the sparkly guys The one with the Twilight.

Yeah, that's it. I mean, come on You like Twilight gotta love Twilight now, wasn't that just like a love story with vampires? Yeah, I think so I mean I saw it I know so but yes, yes What do you like about the Alamo Draft House?

the seats Comfortable they recline stadium seating lots of room The sounds pretty darn good we we seek out the theaters here with the better sound or the Atmos sound so Yeah, good sound good picture quality. You have a pretty comfortable seats great sound and a huge TV at home Yes, why go to the theater? I Think sometimes when you get really excited about a movie It's kind of fun to have that That experience with people, you know, you're hoping you don't hear them you hoping they're quiet, but it's nice to be part of something and when you're there watching a movie in the first week that it's out or you know early on you you feel like you're kind of part of that experience early on and If you really like the the director or the actors is kind of a nice feeling to feel like you're supporting them at the same time, so I think that's that's mostly it.

Yeah, you're right I can Love watching movies at home. So got a nice TV nice sound I can pause it I can get up I can walk away from the TV and come back. That's nice But Yeah, something special about going to movie theater it's like do you like live music do you like going to watching your favorite band Of course, of course you do.

This isn't quite the same thing but in some ways it's a movie version of that exactly exactly so You got a time the bathroom break just right since you can't pause it. Yeah at the at the movies I mean we can we can stay tuned till afterwards. It's not looking good.

I just drank a ton of coffee. So right before Here's the way to do it at Alamo they show like a whole pre-show thing for like 20 minutes before It's like, you know content related to the movie You're about to watch and then they start the you know opening stuff with like hey go get drinks You can order from the table, you know things like that Yeah, and they start to show you all of the old movies that they're gonna replay here at Alamo That's the time to go to the bathroom short because you can do it pretty quick and you're back in time for the trailers for The new movies.

Yeah, we'll see how this coffee. Yeah. Yeah.

All right, let's walk in and See what it is. We like about the Alamo Nope, we're here to see sinners at 245 We do Cool thank you very much theater six to our Right theater, no, what do we didn't this movie this movie is not in the Atmos theater Oh, we're gonna be in the smallest auditorium. They have your jump scares are not gonna be coming from The ceiling speakers.

No, that's good What do you think about these old movie posters in the hallway here? It's kind of cool I mean this this one says it starred Brock Hudson. He was a real guy Omar Sharif and juggernaut I think those are real movies The valley of gwang So that's like a dinosaur type movie.

Oh It's dinosaurs and cowboys dinosaurs and cowboys Unbelievable creatures of a lost era rising out of the fiery bowels of the earth and it has dinosaurs too Terrifying this is not 50 million years ago. This is today Kind of want to see that movie, but I instead we're gonna be seeing sinners starring Twice the Michael B Jordan I don't know if I'll be able to get any audio in here because of all of this stuff And I got a look and see what Yeah Initial thoughts That's a great movie who really was a good movie very good movie. I Went in thinking it was gonna be good.

It was better than I thought was gonna be That was fun, that was a great movie It's really good movie. I mean the first half of was great. No, I worried about it wasn't both.

That's scary You never get there were a couple jump scares early on. Yeah Did they get you the first one got me a little bit but then after that my guard was on that like right now after that I was I was pretty good, but You know, that's kind of movie It is really good to see it in the theater music was such a part of the storytelling a bigger part than I realized yeah, me too and Yeah, good sound system when music's part of the storytelling That's that's awesome Yeah, and then when when stuff kind of hits the fan in the second half of the movie, yeah, there was some Now the the auditorium we were in was not Dolby Atmos Disappointed there, but but I felt like there was yeah sounds and I don't want to get too specific to spoil anything for anybody But there was whispery sound. Yeah, there was whispery sounds another thing I noticed like there was some outdoor sounds and to make you feel Like you're like you're there like you're To add tension to those moments like hearing a little bit of wind or a cricket There was you know, this sounds of outside or part of that. Yeah, so those things are subtle, but certainly part of you know, it's not all about dinosaur explosions as I know you love but Cornbread yeah Yeah, it's a great movie would you have If you weren't into seeing this movie until I sort of got you into it It let's say I was able to do the same thing, but we were at home watching it on the home theater You know, I'm probably too lazy of a Movie watcher at home. I don't know that I would have taken the time to be honest.

Yeah You know my intention span I'd watch probably Ten things that were short that compiled the same amount of time before I sit down and watch a movie It's you know rare that I make the time to watch a whole movie at home. I'm so glad special I'm so glad you said that because I sit down at home when I'm done doing all my stuff finish dinner done at work and It's time to watch something and I can there's a hundred movies that have come out the last couple years that I would love to watch Yeah, but then I just open up YouTube and I'm watching some stupid YouTube thing that leads right into some other stupid YouTube thing It's like it knows what I want to see.

It's like I'm watching a history of a skyscraper Yes, those are right wonderful b1m.

[Speaker 4] (1:00:32 - 1:00:33)

That's a great channel.

(1:00:33 - 1:00:34)

No, I know what I'm gonna watch tonight.

[Speaker 4] (1:00:34 - 1:00:35)

There you go.

(1:00:35 - 1:05:14)

Yeah sponsor No But yeah, I mean, it's just not the same. No, it really isn't That being said I wouldn't want to watch that YouTube video without my soundbar on And I assume you watch your YouTube videos with your full-on Dolby Atmos I either going nine channels of sound and yes. Yes Yeah, I I mean I watch the news with all that on so yeah, and and you I'm sure you watch movies and stuff But yeah, yeah, absolutely.

Yeah, we've made it a point to You know try to get them into some pop pop culture and you know Just watch Star Trek a weekend ago the one that opens up with the Beastie Boys song. That's the one and It's all good. Yes, I was a little worried, but they loved it.

So absolutely. Yeah sound helped Yeah, I kept on pointing out during that like out of the sound this sounds so good You know what I feel like if you have to point out how good it sounds that kind of I don't know Maybe we should ask them Stay tuned after the credits everybody to hear Porter Educating mostly me on What the kids are saying these days he had a lot to say about that and it's not entirely Relevant to the the main question at hand here.

So if you want to hear All about what the kids are saying according to Porter the ten-year-old That's after the end credits here at the end of this. You're never too old to learn This episode of Crutchfield the podcast is sponsored 100% by Bill Crutchfield and is not sponsored by the flat panel TV anti-tip strap the ELM 701 from Stannis it's just a product we think you should get if you have a flat panel TV sitting on a piece of furniture and Small children or pets that might knock the TV off of its perch. Hmm I feel like this not a sponsor was specifically chosen for a for this episode It seems to me like your two kids have enough respect for the TV To that you're not too concerned with it.

Do you have one of these straps holding your TV onto your stand? I do this is not the only TV that's existed in their childhood and Porter might be the reason that we have this Yeah, yeah Have you had a TV fall down it didn't fall down but it mysteriously ended up with a remote control Dent yeah in the middle of the screen, but you know what everything's forgiven It's okay I have seen a lot of tick tocks in which a small child or a big dog is running around hits the TV and then The TV falls and I just think to myself. Hey, you should have bought an ELM 701. Yeah, these big TVs.

They're not light But the weight, you know, the weights kind of awkward up there, right? So if you just have a TV sitting on a piece of furniture Things happen accidents happen. They can they can definitely move around and you know, unfortunately they at times I do fall So no one we're not trying to scare anyone here.

It's just I don't know Yeah, it's it's it I always considered that particular product like a seat belt for your TV You know, you hope you never need it, but it's nice to have it there just in case but don't take our word for it Here's a real customer from Atlanta, Georgia and their review for the ELM 701 anti-tip TV strap This is off of Crutchfield comm this customer says Nice strap, I mean, is there any more that needs to be said?

No, I think that pretty much sums it up This episode of Crutchfield the podcast was hosted by Eric and me JR We record this in our underground bunker studio here at Crutchfield headquarters in beautiful, Charlottesville, Virginia And by the way, we still haven't received any name suggestions If you have a name suggestion for our new studio email us podcast at Crutchfield calm Big thanks to our guests this week Brian from the Alamo draft house Thank you, Eric, and you should please extend our thanks to Cara as well for Allowing and letting Porter to be on the show again. I've said it before I'll say it again You two should be very proud of that boy.

[Speaker 4] (1:05:14 - 1:05:16)

No, we are also.

(1:05:16 - 1:06:19)

Thanks to Abby and our Lexus our social media team Posting about this stuff and collecting your comments on our social media posts If you see our posts and have questions for us, that's another place You can send us a question. You would like us to answer on this show. We would love to solve your consumer electronics mysteries So send them our way Want to know what kind of stereo we recommend for you your house your car your truck your whatever send us an email podcast at Crutchfield calm and Lastly thank you to Bill Crutchfield one more time for continuing to pay us to go see a movie and Talk about the coolest tech on the planet.

Thanks, Bill. See you next time We'll have another episode coming out in just a week or so all about Kenwood and their new direct replacement car stereos if you've got a late model vehicle And thought that you couldn't replace the radio in it that may no longer be true Stay tuned for our next episode for more on Kenwood's direct replacement radios.

(1:06:19 - 1:06:27)

Thanks again for listening No This is cap. This is cap.

(1:06:27 - 1:06:30)

This is cap He could introduce you to some new lingo.

(1:06:30 - 1:06:37)

Yeah, you gotta learn the new slang we got Yeah, like well, this is cap.

(1:06:37 - 1:06:38)

Is that something?

(1:06:39 - 1:06:41)

Oh Yeah, this is cap.

(1:06:41 - 1:06:42)

What does that mean?

(1:06:42 - 1:06:50)

It means it's a lie or it's just something they don't like So the person just says that's cap Cap. Yeah CAP.

(1:06:51 - 1:06:57)

Yep cap What is that short for something? Cappuccino, I believe yeah.

(1:06:57 - 1:07:10)

Yeah captain Maybe there's also speaking of cappuccino this Italian brain rot, which has been going around and there's something called Bombadillo Crocodillo Yeah, Bombadillo Crocodillo.

(1:07:10 - 1:07:14)

Okay. Yeah, we don't like brain rot. No, mommy hates it.

(1:07:14 - 1:07:14)

Yeah.

(1:07:14 - 1:07:18)

Yeah You want to go ahead and give us some examples of brain rot now?

(1:07:20 - 1:07:24)

That's not Sigma would be some brain rot, you know, that's not Sigma.

(1:07:24 - 1:07:25)

Yeah, what does that mean?

(1:07:26 - 1:07:30)

That's not knowing what it means. It's kind of L Riz. I'm not gonna lie.

(1:07:30 - 1:08:08)

Okay. Well now we're now we're not speaking English Can you explain explain that for the older? It's like you're losing Riz and you don't want to lose charisma that I do know that one Riz is short for Chris I do understand that one L Riz when it makes it sound like you're saying the Riz cuz L means the in Spanish But that's not what it means.

No, it means L We're like L like just the letter L the five year olds that make this don't think of what Spanish Five year olds annoy him because they're young and immature All your all your friends will be driving cars before you. How does that make you feel?

(1:08:12 - 1:08:15)

I So, okay.

(1:08:15 - 1:08:24)

Yeah, you think they'll sell yeah, they're gonna sell the bag of chips right now There you go bag of bag of chips, what did I miss