Mike & Matt Are White & Black: Recent Episodes
Mike Sangfield & Matt Avery
Two friends from different backgrounds who discuss political, current news, and other topics from their individual perspectives. As we have found, we agree on much more than we might have thought if we hadn't taken the time to listen to each other with respect and empathy from the beginning.
Our recording session was longer, but here is a small bit to keep all of our loyal listeners going. Matt got a little worked up again and some of his words had to be blipped.
You'll hear Mike say, "No one's trying to take your land."
You'll hear Matt say, "We are above the shenanigans of violence."
We're not sure when we will stop talking about January 6, 2021. But, it is on all of our minds, isn't it?
We know what you're thinking...and you're right. We did skip number 23. That episode has not been released. This one jumped the gun.
Everyone has been so eager for 2020 to be over. We all looked back on the year and thought, "Man...that year sucked. It can surely never be as bad as that last year was." January 6th, 2021 said, "Hold my beer."
There is just so much SMH to go over. SMH. SMH. SMH.
Our message to everyone trying to justify or say what happened didn't happen: "Stop it. Just stop it."
You'll hear Matt say, "By definition, a riot is violent."
You'll hear Mike say, "This isn't a Target, right? This was at the State Capitol."
Do you not like what we say about this? Now is your time to really let us have it.
We were having a discussion about Matt's bathroom hangups while we were recording and we felt it was important to let you all hear it. You are welcome.
Then we fade in and out of a discussion about what is or is not respectful while the National Anthem or the Pledge of Allegiance is happening. Part of the first part relates to whether the Star Spangled Banner is appropriate as the national anthem.
That and Traditions. What are traditions? Are they necessary? Are they important? Are there any good traditions?
You'll hear Matt say, "I was not a fan of it all, you know what I mean?"
You'll hear Mike say, "Start a new tradition - a tradition of growth...learning."
Matt really was not wanting to talk more about coronavirus but Mike managed to get Matt into more discussion. To be fair, it's all that is in the news.
First, though, we will briefly talk about election fraud and aliens. We are not saying the two are related, but the discussions do take place back-to-back. Thankfully, it allows us to mention the monoliths again.
The COVID-19 vaccine is set to be approved and released (as of the time of this episodes release) in the next two days for the United States. It is already being distributed in the United Kingdom.
You'll hear Mike say, "I have a golden doodle just like yours."
You'll hear Matt say, "I'm just going to bring up a whole bunch of different alien references to different movies."
That text alert is not your phone.
It was a longer period of time than we wanted to have since our last recording. What with Thanksgiving and then some logistical challenges we had the week after, we were having difficulty getting together for a recording session.
Monoliths, Commercials and Masks (again).
The mystery of the monolith is a wonderful break from the awful of 2020. Do you like how Mike was caught off guard by the start of our theme song? Aliens or artists? Or alien artists?
We talk a little about the Thanksgiving celebrations we had in each our separate homes in complete compliance with the wishes of the Governor.
After another brief coronavirus discussion, we plan a future getaway to the foreign, independent, sovereign country of the Republic of Molossia...fully surrounded by the State of Nevada.
You'll hear Matt say, "Cause it looks like a knight from a chess set...or it's a dead horse."
You'll hear Mike say, "So, if he's an extreme sports guy, I'm pretty sure he rides motorcycles through the desert and messes it up."
We wanted to follow up on a couple of topics that we just talked about the last couple of weeks. There are updates with new shutdowns and GSA ascertainment for Joe Biden.
We also briefly- and very briefly - touch on Kenosha, Wisconsin, particularly in regards to Kenosha Kyle, who was just released from jail on bond.
But mostly...it's Thanksgiving week. We want everyone to be able to look through or around the crazy and the anger and the fighting and the division. Find the reasons to be grateful because they are all around you - regardless of the crazy.
You'll hear Mike say, "Listen pillow, if I do something that the world sees as bad, are you gonna bail me out?"
You'll hear Matt say, "We turned the entire county into a giant HOA."
The article is "Immunity to the Coronavirus May Last Years, New Data Hint" from the New York Times, by Apoorva Mandavilli on November 17, 2020.
COVID-19 hasn't gone anywhere. And neither have a lot of the questions that a lot of people have - including Mike & Matt.
Ultimately, we acknowledge, however, that whatever the restrictions or capricious rules may be, we need to do our best to respect one another and help each other get to the other side of this particular storm. The storm called corona.
You'll hear Matt say, "They just want to stay in business and sell you their wares..."
You'll hear Mike say, "You dirty germ!"
Mike had a question about some Disney movies and Matt knew the answers.
But after that got out of the way, we had a discussion about the status of the 2020 Presidential election. It gets a little wonky with details of how the process works, but we hope you find it informative.
Then we will take some turns ranting about the state of our public discourse.
You'll hear Mike say, "You selecting me as President of the United States means nothing."
You'll hear Matt say, "Don't ask me when Aristocats came out - I don't know that."
Hopefully you are getting the pun in our title as we discuss social media. Its benefits. And its pitfalls. Why does everyone only post the wonderful about their lives? Trying times happen, too. We're not sure how our suggestion for a new social media trend would go over, but it would be...eye-opening.
We are not social media experts. We didn't invite a social media expert on our show this night. But we use it and we see how it affects us and those around us.
Is social media in and of itself a bad thing? Absolutely not. But how it is used in our lives is what determines what type of effect it has on us. Either we let social media control our lives, or we let our lives control social media.
You'll hear Matt say, "Holy mother of pearl!"
You'll hear Mike say, "If you don't think a relationship is work, you're an idiot."
Even though we don't have a live broadcast, we figured we would chat while we watched some election returns flow in. We didn't get to call a winner. And...as of the time this is being published the next night, there still isn't a winner.
We discuss whether our lives are about to drastically change for the better or the worse based on the election results. We also discuss the horrid level of division among our fellow citizens of the United States of America. Our state don't feel too united in this moment.
You'll hear Mike say, "You have snacks...you can look like me sitting here."
You'll hear Matt say, "And you can see the blurred me in the background."
Can you pick out the two intentional references to songs?
Let's figure out what white privilege is. Does it even exist? Is it important to really understand, if it does exist?
The conversation is difficult. And yet, we all managed to remain friends by the end. We had a great special guest, Ben Franke. We take the opportunity to award him or "Pop Bang" popper that was promised for our first subscriber - for which Ben has been assumed. (Was it due to his white privilege?)
You'll hear Matt say, "Two young white guys in suits."
You'll hear Mike say, "Can I have just one cookie, please?"
You'll hear Ben say, "It's the violin of the orchestra."
We hope you enjoy our discussion on this topic that can be difficult to talk about.
"Come in...and know Mike better, man!"
As more people start to listen to our podcast, we thought it might be helpful for you all to know a little more about each of us. In Episode 13, it's Mike's turn.
Matt will pretend like he is an interviewer and help us get to know Mike better.
You will hear Mike say, "Let's get out of this craziness going on."
You will hear Matt say, "The doctors actually told Dana not to expect you to survive the weekend."
Look...we both are Michael Jackson fans. We can't really apologize for it. We embrace it.
We decided to continue some discussion about conspiracy theories and thought it would be fun to at a very current one. Who is right? Who is wrong? Will it have any effect on the 2020 election? Will it have any effect on our lives? Aren't conspiracy theories fun?
Some of them lead to crazy actions on all sides. We are less than 2 weeks away from election day and in our current climate it is likely to only get more crazy. And is it worth it? Will our lives come to a screeching halt if one wins over the other?
Listen to see if Mike announces his candidacy for President of the United States.
You'll hear Matt say, "Bigfoot? You know he's real."
You'll hear Mike say, "I need everyone to chill...out!"
Thank you so much. We are publishing our 11th episode. We are so grateful for those of you listening regularly and sharing us with others. We appreciate your hanging with us as we are working out some technical bugs, as well as content and production issues.
Reminder - please let us know what sort of topics you would like to hear us discuss. Our hope is that we can be that outlet for you for difficult (or strange) topics - particularly as they may relate to differences that may be observed based on some cultural and skin color differences.
And maybe John Titor didn't actually stop by, but it was a fun, brief discussion.
We cover another cancellation, since it came up in the news the day after we recorded our previous episode discussing cancellations.
Then we will talk a little about some politically correct language. Who determines what words are mean or no longer can be used? If a word or phrase has been around for centuries, then should it be changed and made to be a "bad word?"
Somehow, that will transition to a brief tangent on politicians, in general.
You'll hear Mike say, "Man...it has to be real. Pass me those chips!"
You'll hear Matt say, "They have a direct flight to Area 51."
Thank you so much!
To start off, we introduce our slow version of the theme song.
Rosa, the cleaning service representative, shows up while we are recording. So we say hello to her. You will also get a little bit of Mike's back story and his Rip Van Winkle experience.
Cancellations. They are happening all the time. Is it okay? Can people really change? Is there allowance for mistake in past years? Maybe there is. Maybe there should be.
Kennesaw Mountain Landis, major league baseball's first commissioner was removed from the MVP award title. This was the impetus for how we begin our discussion. As always, we have our tangents...but we do our best to stay on topic.
You'll hear Matt say, "I do that and people make fun of me all the time."
You'll hear Mike say, "Everyone says, "Ooh a spongebath." What? No fun!"
Please remember to share our podcast with your friends and family and your enemies.
How does David Bowie figure into our conversation? It's embarrassing, actually - for Matt. Enjoy it.
We catch up from our weekend and discuss how we can make America great again. When is that time period that we want to go back to? And what does it mean to make America great again? And was the United States of America made for everyone?
We also will talk about how black people and white people might view figures such as Santa...or Jesus differently.
After some random thoughts at the end, and a brief interruption from George, we will wrap up our episode.
You will hear Mike say, "I just want to know when we all going to make it great for everybody"
You will hear Matt say, "Nope...still not talking about anything interesting."
Enjoy the episode. Please remember to share us with others!
It's a slogan. But we are not afraid of it. Yesterday, a Grand Jury declined to indict 2 of the 3 officers involved in the raid that killed Breonna Taylor. The officer charged was indicted on charges on wanton endangerment. Is it fair? Was it right?
What does this case say about our society and our country? Does it say anything? Was it all justified under police authority for which there should be no recourse?
You'll hear Matt say, "Why can't we just all be brothers and sisters?"
You'll hear Mike say, "But the truth will always be there, even if we don't know it."
This is an emotional discussion. As usual, we will find ourselves on slight tangents as we move along, but we hope you stay with us through it all.
Please let us know what you think by emailing us at mikemattpodcast@gmail.com or by commenting on FaceBook, Instagram, Twitter - and tag us #mikemattpodcast. And please share us with your friends and family.
There has been a lot of furor and discussion over the past year, particularly, regarding the removal of statues that are deemed as offensive. This is a conversation that requires empathy to understand how others can look at a statue in a different light than you might. Where do these statues belong? Or do they belong anywhere in today's society?
Along these lines, we will touch on protesting, in general and what is, or is not, considered acceptable. And does it depend on who you are?
We even manage to briefly mention the Mountain Meadows Massacre. How did we get there? We know you can't wait to listen to find out.
You'll hear Mike say, "Excellence, Integrity, Service before self."
You'll hear Matt say, "I would kind of empathize with those aliens."
We hope you enjoy this latest episode.
After the last two episodes, we felt we needed a small break from the heavy subjects. So, in this episode, we keep it a little loose and light.
The CDC has updated recommendations regarding masks and their effectiveness for protecting individuals affected by the fires in California. How does that recommendation settle with the COVID-related mask advice and mandates?
Also, we will celebrate the re-opening of Clark County, Nevada's bars and taverns, effective Sunday night, September 20, 2020 at 11:59 pm. Is this solely science-based, or is there a correlation with the Las Vegas Raiders' Monday Night Football debut the next night?
Additionally, Mike wife, Dana visits our studio. She was not going to participate, but finally couldn't resist for just a minute.
Lastly, there was a crazy road rage incident in Las Vegas the day before and we will talk about that. Don't think we could totally get away from police, though, as you will find out.
You'll hear Matt say, "I've been having some great conference calls today."
You'll hear Mike say, "I'm all gangster in my car when people cut me off."
For some reason, Matt can't seem to remember to turn off his phone before we start recording. Listen for the phone calls and the texting.
This episode is specifically in reference to the shooting of Linden Cameron, the 13-year-old in Salt Lake City on the autism spectrum. How could that happen? Is there training that could be better? Are there others who are better to respond to the type of help the mother was requesting?
Thankfully, Linden has survived the shooting.
We also wonder why this incident did not get the same coverage that shootings of people who are not white.
You'll hear Mike say, "You ever notice the cops don't come out and say 'I'm sorry.'"
You'll hear Matt say, "I walked into a recruitment office when I was 18 and then I walked out."
As previously mentioned, our first couple of recording episodes went considerably longer than the length we want to keep these episodes. Have I mentioned that we are not professional sound engineers or editors?
We did the best we could and put together our first episode that really stays on the subject of how police interact with people of color. Specifically, we discuss the Daniel Prude incident.
You'll hear Matt say, "I should've put my phone on silent."
You'll hear Mike say, "I'm pretty sure you wouldn't smash your mama's face in the concrete."
Our first 2 recording episodes went a little long. We are new at this podcast stuff, so the 3rd episode is cut from our second recording session on September 8, 2020, the day after Labor Day.
It was hot out there. We talk about the heat experienced on the West Coast over Labor Day weekend, as well as the fires the are raging in California. Kamala Harris gets a mention for the coverage on her fashion style when it comes to shoes.
We also will solicit praise and feedback on our theme song and Mike will confuse Joe Piscopo for Joe Pesci. And then we touch on just how different all human are from each other.
You'll hear Mike say, "The world is an ever-changing place."
You'll hear Matt say, "This is why it would be nice to have a boom mic."
How does COVID relate to privacy issues?
Apparently, we have plenty to say about the marriage of the two, whether it is your cell phone tracking you, your children's teachers spying on your kids through the distance learning, or how we interact with others.
In this episode, recorded the day after Labor Day, we will also speculate briefly on how an interaction between police and Matt might be different than the same situation with Mike.
You'll hear Matt say, "I didn't touch anything else until I got to some hand sanitizer."
You'll hear Mike say, "Black people were getting it because they don't wash regularly."
Give it a listen and subscribe, please!
Our inaugural episode is a brief introduction of Mike & Matt and our thoughts on a few items happening at the beginning of September 2020.
We didn't make an outline. We just knew we wanted to get started. Bear with us as we work through technical issues and inexperience in sound engineering and editing.
We will touch on distance learning, UFOs, reverse 911 cell phone alerts, and even Ron Jeremy.
You'll hear Mike say, "We're not trying to change anyone's mind."
You'll hear Matt say, "UFOs have always been much more interesting to me than birds."
For context, listen to the entire episode.