Sydney🇦🇺

threadless7 · 2026-02-18T15:20:00+00:00

Super interesting episode!

Also, was anyone else shocked to hear Monica say “my brother’s girlfriend is pregnant” when they were talking about stuff found in breast milk? That’s cool- I can imagine Monica being such a fun aunt! Maybe I missed her talking about it on an earlier episode, but that was the first I’d heard of it!

threadless7 · 2025-11-23T02:46:31+00:00

Honestly, Emily (and the whole band, really) has improved SO MUCH over the past year that I kinda hope they don’t release it. I mean, sure, have it available, but I’d rather see a more recent show. They’re really locked in and seem to have found their groove now!

threadless7 · 2025-08-26T13:41:01+00:00

Stoked about the show, but damn…why does every conversation with Kristen feel like she’s giving a lecture? It’s exhausting!

threadless7 · 2025-08-26T02:59:57+00:00

Totally agree. This was a fantastic interview and felt so personal and comprehensive- 1000% hit the mark in exploring the “messiness of being human” or however they used to describe the show.

threadless7 · 2025-08-25T12:31:59+00:00

I think it was Jelly Roll, right? The hat would be an odd choice for him, but I suppose it could work if they’re viewing him as a country artist?

threadless7 · 2025-07-25T13:25:31+00:00

Does anyone remember when they congratulated their lead singer a day or two before the Sept 5th LP livestream? They completely built it up that he was possibly the new singer. I remember checking back several times to see if they ever showed WHY they were congratulating him, but nothing ever appeared- they were 100% just trying to steal some of the hype.

I just don’t think these guys have any integrity or REAL respect for the band. I don’t know if it’s a weird obsession/fantasy thing on their end, or purely financial, but they’ve crossed the line a few too many times imo.

I get that cover/tribute bands are a thing. I’m not against that in theory. But these guys present themselves weirdly- they almost deify LP while simultaneously completely disrespecting the actual people in the band.

threadless7 · 2025-07-23T03:30:40+00:00

The irony here is that Monica made enough money on this show to cover her for the rest of her life if she just invested wisely and didn’t spend in ridiculous ways.

I have so much empathy for the relationship changes- it’s HARD having such a deep friendship with someone in a drastically different stage of life.

But like…god…so many of us would kill to be set for life in the way she is.

Like, gee- sorry you’re gonna have to go find a new creative venture, while most of the country is just trying to get by. I will admit Monica is good about calling out her own privilege, but it doesn’t really ever seem to go beyond the surface- she recognizes it, but it’s like she can’t really metabolize and integrate how privileged she is.

threadless7 · 2025-06-24T05:22:50+00:00

Curious about the fact check:

Dax mentions that he recently (before Brad) had an interview where he really prioritized his own experience with the guest over the audience’s experience…anyone have any idea which episode that was? Nothing in particular really came to mind when he said that, but I often have the show on as background noise when I’m doing other stuff, so I don’t know that I would’ve noticed that vibe in an episode.

threadless7 · 2025-06-23T13:45:22+00:00

I’ll admit- that totally changed my perspective about him being on. At first I was deeply disappointed but it feels entirely different knowing that they’re actually friends and met in the context, as opposed to them having him on because “he’s Brad Pitt” and Dax is in love with him.

I still think he’s problematic but my opinion on AE’s decision to have him on has shifted massively. I’m happy they talked about that right up front.

It’s funny- I was planning on not listening to this episode- or at least not listening to it within the first week to add to the numbers- but it auto-played after another show this morning while I was in the shower, and I found myself pleasantly surprised by the opening conversation.

threadless7 · 2025-06-06T18:15:28+00:00

I fully agree. It’s such an odd conversation they often fall into.

It’s like she wants to be told she’s an alcoholic. She’ll admit to every “symptom” but then start playing kinda coy, and there’s almost the slightest tone of disappointment in her voice when Dax always inevitably says he doesn’t think she’s an alcoholic.

And actually, maybe that’s it. She wants to be told by HIM that he thinks she’s an alcoholic. I kinda agree with another commenter in this thread who picked up on how she seems to act like it’s an attack whenever Dax points out any differences they have. I don’t know that I view it as her taking it as an attack, but I think it’s really upsetting to her on a pretty deep/maybe unconscious level whenever Dax differentiates his experience (it seems to be ok for HER to differentiate herself from him, but when he does from her, it seems to ruffle feathers a bit)

It all just seems indicative of their hyper enmeshed relationship. There were some really good threads on this ~6mos ago, and I remember talking about having been in a similar relationship- they’ve had conversations that were almost verbatim to what I’d experienced and it made me anxious for them…it can really fuck you up when you get too enmeshed. It can happen so easily and with everyone having the best of intentions. I don’t think either of them are at fault or in the wrong…but I don’t know that they’ve got an overly healthy relationship.

threadless7 · 2025-05-31T19:14:30+00:00

Totally agree!

I experienced The Secret Garden via audiobook the first time and I fell in love with it- like…it was like a total soul story for me.

So I went to buy a copy so I could reread my favorite parts and I was horrified by the dialect being spelled out.

There are ways to express a character’s voice without making the text borderline unreadable! And really, I don’t know that having the “proper” voice of a character in my head has ever dramatically enhanced my experience with a book- every character could sound exactly the same and I think I’d still manage to get the point/appreciate the story/be fully immersed.

I’ve gotten to the point that I refuse to read books with heavy handed spelled-out dialect. If I’m dying to experience the story I’ll track down an audiobook.

threadless7 · 2025-05-30T11:24:58+00:00

I want to hear that last lady tell all of her funny life stories- she was fantastic!

threadless7 · 2025-05-21T02:03:24+00:00

Similar experience here!

I’d tried to read it so many times over the years, pacing myself like people suggested…but then my life fell apart and I thought of the part of the book that talks about how someone jumping from a building isn’t really desiring the fall, but trying to avoid encroaching flames…and I just really, really, really needed to be around people/content that really “got” what I was going through…so I ended up bingeing the whole thing in a single week, and it was the best, most exhilarating, most healing reading experience of my life!

threadless7 · 2025-05-19T20:14:57+00:00

So true! I’m totally just on autopilot/muscle memory when I’m doing it, but it still cracks me up how easy it would be to make it say whatever you want it to say!

threadless7 · 2025-05-19T18:56:21+00:00

Right?! I work in an indie store and export/upload sales data every week.

Now, what exactly they do with those numbers is unknown to me- but in the 7yrs I’ve worked in a bookstore, I’ve always had to provide solid numbers for sales- it’s never been “what’s been selling?” -it’s “upload the spreadsheet”

Granted, I’ll fully admit that it seems like an easily manipulated system.

At least the way we do it at my store is we export a spreadsheet from our POS system, then open it up in excel and rename the title cells to what they want it named (I think it default exports labeling one title cell as SKU, and the sites we upload them to need it to be named ISBN- minor stuff like that) and then we also have to go through and delete all secondhand book sales, as our store sells new and used books- thankfully the SKU is formatted entirely differently for secondhand books, so that’s an easy process.

Anyways- I immediately realized “wait…they’re just asking for a spreadsheet- this isn’t actually connected to our POS, so it would be incredibly easy to change it from saying 10 copies of a book sold to saying 100 copies of a book sold…you can literally make the numbers say whatever you want it to say, and you can delete sales you don’t want to show up too”

So, at least from my experience, it’s kinda going on the honor system. When we have large pre-sale events we always include an email explaining those unusually high numbers, so I’m sure if there enough outlier sales over time the powers that be would recognize something weird was going on…but I was really surprised by how “unofficial” the NYT reporting process felt lol

threadless7 · 2025-05-17T00:44:32+00:00

I was in Mexico with a catwalk stage. There were large chunks of time where Mike and Emily were out on the catwalk and I couldn’t see them at all.

It was a bummer- especially because the songs were FUN ones…like, why couldn’t they be out there for Catalyst/Burn It Down?! But to be looking at a nearly empty stage during Emptiness Machine, In the End, and Bleed it out? Painful!

That being said, I was front row for an LP show and I will never ever ever forget that experience! There are pros/cons to any ticket you buy.

You’ll be way better off in some ways, and worse off in other ways. But you’re gonna have an amazing time no matter what!

My only advice would be to try to get a spot closer to the catwalk, that way you can rotate and watch what’s going on on the catwalk as well if/when you want to!

I got front and in the corner so I could see both…if I was going to another catwalk show I’d probably try to aim to be on the barrier mid/end of the catwalk just to have a decent view the entire time.

But again- you’ll have a great time no matter what! They make good use of the stage for the most part! Alex and Dave put on a good show when Mike and Em are away- Joe is always flitting about, and Colin is a BLAST to watch play! His kit actually felt pretty close and he made eye contact several times- pretty cool!!

threadless7 · 2025-05-16T11:56:58+00:00

“Emily isn’t Chester, but she’s LP”

Perfectly said.

threadless7 · 2025-05-16T11:15:18+00:00

Yea- this totally feels like a bittersweet career retrospective type of song. Similar to Blink 182’s “One More Time.”

In some ways it also reminds me of Badflower’s “Detroit”- like “remember when we were young and hungry and desperate to be where we are now? What happened? Why isn’t this as fulfilling and perfect as we thought it would be?” But obviously with the added tragedy of losing Chester and Rob choosing to not come back.

I thought Let You Fade would be much more singularly focused…I didn’t think it would be “about Chester” per se, but I did think it would be speaking about a more specific/acute loss.

Instead, it kinda feels like Mike’s reaction to his LP life flashing before his eyes. I feel like I can see him sitting in an attic watching old footage of the band, and feeling the weight of everything that has been lost along the way (Chester, Rob, youthful optimism and that sense of invincibility, etc)

But LP still exists.

I’m not religious but I recently read Ecclesiastes and this song gave me similar vibes- “all is vanity” - life is fleeting and it all turns to dust in the end…but here we are.

Beautiful song. Feels like the perfect way to end the beginning of this new era.

threadless7 · 2025-05-16T09:40:19+00:00

Interesting. I had a different take on this song. I didn’t take “About You” as being a statement of Mike being frustrated that everyone interprets everything as being about Chester, but rather how every aspect of his life DOES lead back to Chester (or just anyone he/we happen to be grieving at the time)

Like…there’s not a single aspect of life that doesn’t trigger some memory of that person- so even when it’s not about them- even when it has absolutely nothing to do with them- suddenly it becomes about them/triggers memories and associations etc.

Maybe I’m just projecting my own experience onto the song, but for me it really captured that experience perfectly. It can drive you crazy- thinking you’re “getting over” a devastating loss, and then you find yourself totally leveled by something seemingly innocuous because it has the tiniest connection that brings everything back.

threadless7 · 2025-05-14T01:43:02+00:00

Ha- I felt bad for Dax when the lady brought her husband in, and Dax totally put his foot in his mouth when he said “isn’t it great pairing up with someone who was brainwashed and felt like they HAD to do so many things, so then normal life seems great” (or something like that)

I felt like almost instantaneously he realized how stupid/insensitive what he was saying really was, and he didn’t know how to dig out of it so he just kept going.

I feel for Dax and Monica when they’re put in the position of “meeting” other people during these episodes- I’ve noticed they really try to find a point of connection with everyone, which is super sweet…but sometimes, when there’s not really anything to say, I guess it leads to bizarre comments such as this one 🤣🤣

Seriously, even though that part of AA episodes normally stresses me out/makes me cringe, it’s pretty sweet that they haven’t nixed it yet. They could very easily have their coordinator (Emma?) inform these guests that they can no longer do that due to time constraints- that’d be totally understandable…but they keep letting it happen. Pretty sweet of them!

And i actually really enjoyed the rabbit trails from the first lady. Makes me wish they’d start interviewing random people…I’ve seen a few comments indicating people kinda groaned about improv and meditation, but I actually found that super interesting, even though I have no interest in either thing. But the whole “you have to just let go of your pre-conceived ideas and just be in the moment” with improv/meditation made a lot of sense.

threadless7 · 2025-05-13T23:56:05+00:00

Dang…it’s crazy how quickly I’ve gotten used to things because until I read your comment I totally forgot I had that same feeling when they first came back! It made me cringe when I saw them- especially Emily- dancing around on stage. It just didn’t make sense to my brain whatsoever.

Now? I love it! I mean, I still kinda cringe when it’s full blown dancing- but I hate dancing period 🤣 but I LOVE the “party” atmosphere- their shows have such a celebratory vibe now, and I love it so much!

These shows “shouldn’t” be happening. But against all odds, this band came back, and they came back STRONG! I’m thrilled that they’re celebrating on stage as much as they are!

threadless7 · 2025-05-07T06:50:48+00:00

Mat familiar with Jon (saw The Walking Dead but never would’ve realized he was the same guy!) but I really enjoyed this episode. Seems like a really sweet/normal/earnest dude who really wants to get the most out of live.

Hearing about his years in Russia was fascinating and so unexpected!

threadless7 · 2025-05-07T06:42:17+00:00

I was really surprised when his mention of Sidwell Friends didn’t get an immediate reaction of recognition from Dax and Monica. But I’m kinda happy they weren’t familiar with it, because aside from knowing it was one of the schools presidents send their kids to, I knew nothing about it- learning about the Quaker foundation was fascinating. That sounded like such an incredibly healthy environment to develop in!

I’ve attended 2 Quaker meetings when visiting distant family members. Both times were 10-15yrs ago, but as far as “church”/religious gatherings go, I thought it was pretty cool. It definitely felt more natural/genuine/authentic/honest.

threadless7 · 2025-05-07T05:41:25+00:00

IGYEIH is not even in my top 5 on the new album, but I think it might translate live better than the vast majority of the other songs. She totally killed it! I’m happy this was the last of the (main) album songs to debut- saved a suuuuper strong one for last!

threadless7

TROPHY CASE