Halloween '23, Matthew Perry, and Jabberwocky - Bite Size: 007

00:11
Welcome to another bite sized episode of Chewing the Fat. I am your host, Big Robb. I apologize ahead of time for not putting out as many episodes this season as I wanted to. There's just a lot of stuff in life that's been happening. I've been trying to put out some more content on the Instagram account. So if you follow me at Chewing the Fat BR on Instagram or find me on the website at ChewingTheFatBR.com, I certainly do appreciate you sticking around with me.

00:39
It is a bite-sized episode. We're heading into Halloween. So I thought I'd invite my best good friend and one of the scariest people I know, Dale Thomas, back to the show. Hey, Dale. Hello. Not that you're scary. I'm just trying to do one of those segues. How much is a segway? I don't know. It's more than a hen weighs.

01:04
But we're heading into the Halloween holiday. That's what this episode is about. Dale's gonna read a little poetry for us as we've done in years past where I've done like a dramatic reading of the Raven. Dale's just gonna change it up a little bit for us with something different. Do you got any Halloween memories, a favorite costume when you were growing up or anything like that? Oh man, I had one. I think one year I was, and talking about scary, unintentionally scary, probably the creepiest one.

01:32
was one year I was a clown. But it was back in the day of the costumes that came in the box with the clear cellophane top. Made out of trash bags. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And the mask that went over your face with the rubber band. Yeah. The elastic that they'd made out of old used underwear waistbands. Right. And it was holes for a nasal mask. Oh, yeah. So you couldn't breathe. The eyes you couldn't see out of. And when you took it off, your face was just covered in sweat and your own exhalation, your own moisture and your own breath.

02:02
It was creepy. Oh my God. It was creepy looking, looking back at those. That's like just, I don't know, just kind of weird. Um, era there. I still kind of have that clowns still kind of creep me out. I know some folks that are professional clowns actually. So it's different when you know them, but when they're in full regalia and you still know them, it's still just a little bit like, and they're talking to you and they're like real human person voices. Instead of there. Yeah. It was like, okay.

02:31
just a little weird. Yeah. Let me tell you my clown story. It's not scary. It's just not appropriate. It's not appropriate. That's for the bonus content version of the podcast. You know, yeah, I did read somewhere, sometime they say like folks that have like a fear of clowns. And I'm sure there's an actual phobia name for that. I don't know. Clownophobia. I don't know. Like those are the people who were abducted by aliens.

03:01
and you come back with a fear of clowns. I'm like, that makes no sense. But whatever, it's like, I feel like I would have a version of cucumbers or something like that. You know, I don't. I'm not scared of clowns. Yeah, but you've been a tiny bit. Oh, yeah. Oh, and also on a more serious note, just to mention the loss, the...

03:30
The world felt with Matthew Perry's passing a few days ago, announcement of that, 54. I mean, that's young. That's young. Yeah. I mean, great actor. Everybody knows him for Friends. Everybody knows the work that he did there in comedy, but he was so much more than that. And especially these last few years, he's gone through so much with going through rehab. I think I read somewhere like, there were like 60 something instances of him trying to go through rehab.

04:00
And it seemed like it finally took and he was getting better and he was doing things and it was living and he was like more active on his social media, very much more positive head space. So it's hard to see that stuff in. That's one of Val's favorite shows. She loves Friends and loved Chandler. But it's one of those things that we say here on the show all the time, you're not alone and whatever you're going through, you're not alone. There's somebody else out there that's

04:29
been struggling with that, that's gone through that stuff. So you don't have to feel like you have to be the only one in it. So I encourage anyone, if you feel any type of way, and it's not been, and I don't say like, he committed suicide or anything, like I think they said it was a heart attack. No foul play expected, at least that's from the news report that I read, but if you're going through anything, you reach out to someone, if you wanna reach out to me.

04:57
through the website, if you have a close friend, there is the 811 like help line you can call that's nationwide, so wherever you are, if you just need somebody to talk to, there's always humans there manning that line to be able to help and to talk you through whatever you might have going on and help you direct you to whatever path you may need to get better, to be able to live life.

05:25
Well, and you know, even though, like you said, it's looking like it was a natural causes. A lot of times when people are dealing with issues like he did, he was very open about with his substance abuse issues. There's a physical component and a mental component to that. I mean, yes, there's the chemical need that your body establishes for those substances, but there's also a mental component too. But then even...

05:52
though once you get it out of your system, you get things straightened out, there's still that physical damage to your body that has been done. There are a lot of people that have gone through a lot and had those same issues like he had, that even once they get clean, they're good, they're living life, they're happy, they're in a good place mentally and physically, but they've done irreparable damage to their body that they know has taken years off their life. So, like you said,

06:21
the mental aspect of it, yes, but it also can do physical damage too with the things that you do to yourself to hurt yourself because of that. So, you know, any help you can get is good and, you know, that's available to you. Yeah. And that's one of the things that he's one of the last things I remember reading from him is like, you know, people are going to remember friends, friends, friends. He mentioned this in an interview. He's like, when I die, of course people are going to remember friends, friends, friends. But I hope people will remember, you know,

06:49
the work that I did afterwards, finally getting clean and being available, being open to help other people, to be kind of like, hey, I was there. I've been through it. Let me help you through it, whether it's one-on-one or in a group setting or speaking to people or whatever, that, you know, like the theme song to the show was it, that he would be there for you. So yeah, it's a big loss to...

07:16
the entertainment community, but also to the world of people wanting to help other people. So like the saying goes, if you can be anything in the world, be kind. You know, it doesn't cost you anything to be kind. You know, people say it doesn't cost you anything to be a jerk either, but you know, but I mean, although I guess it might cost you your reputation, you know. But anyway.

07:44
Again, if you need help, reach out. There are people there for you. So we've reached the point of this mini bite-sized version of the podcast, and Dale is going to do his thing. And what are you bringing to the podcast? So I thought this one actually fit in really well with the theme of your podcast with mental health and things, because this poem on its surface is just about a young boy fighting monster.

08:13
But deeper down, it's representative of facing your fears, fighting your fears, and overcoming them. And it's Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll. And so, that's it. Here we go. Okay.

08:31
’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves 

      Did gyre and gimble in the wabe: 

All mimsy were the borogoves, 

      And the mome raths outgrabe. 

“Beware the Jabberwock, my son! 

      The jaws that bite, the claws that catch! 

Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun 

      The frumious Bandersnatch!” 

He took his vorpal sword in hand; 

      Long time the manxome foe he sought— 

So rested he by the Tumtum tree 

      And stood awhile in thought.

08:57
And, as in uffish thought he stood, 

      The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame, 

Came whiffling through the tulgey wood, 

      And burbled as it came! 

One, two! One, two! And through and through 

      The vorpal blade went snicker-snack! 

He left it dead, and with its head 

      He went galumphing back. 

“And hast thou slain the Jabberwock? 

      Come to my arms, my beamish boy! 

O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!” 

      He chortled in his joy.

09:27
’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves 

      Did gyre and gimble in the wabe: 

All mimsy were the borogoves, 

      And the mome raths outgrabe.

09:40
Awesome. Thank you for that, sir. Thank you. And thank you for being here for this bite size episode of the podcast. Thank you for being my first.

09:51
Repeat Offender. Hey! Thank you for your friendship and for being here whenever I call to say, let's do some weird stuff. Absolutely, man. Same here, dude. Same here. I love you so much, man. If folks want to keep up with Dale, I'll put all the links in the show notes and on the Instagram and everything like that. You changed your job since the last episode that you were on, so they got to find you in new ways. You can't buy no insurance from me. Y'all insurance from me no more.

10:21
But thank you again for being here, buddy. I certainly do appreciate it. Well, thank you for inviting me. I love you too, man. And it's always a pleasure. Awesome. And thank you for listening. If you would like to follow the podcast, you can do that on Instagram at ChewingtheFatBR. If you'd like to support the podcast financially, you can buy me a coffee at ChewingtheFatBR.com. But until next time, and I promise it won't be too long, I look forward to the next chance we have to sit a spell and chew the fat.