0:07

Fall too love, closed

0:11

my eyes for that one, got into the spirit

0:13

of the music, lost myself in the jingle.

0:17

Maybe you lost yourself in the jingle because

0:19

this is a very special episode of Born to Love.

0:22

Normally we bring on

0:24

a guest to talk about something that they love, but

0:26

today it's just you and.

0:27

Me, Scott. It's what Ellie loves,

0:29

It's what Scott loves, and I am not sorry

0:32

about it. We get all the airtime.

0:35

It's just you and me talking

0:37

about what we love.

0:38

One of the things that both of us love is

0:41

talking. We like to hear ourselves talk. So

0:43

this this is tailor made for us. We were

0:45

both born to love the year nineteen

0:47

ninety nine? Am I right about that? Ellie?

0:50

You couldn't be more right? Full disclosure.

0:52

I was born in nineteen eighty Scott

0:54

was born in nineteen eighty one. Can I tell people that.

0:57

I mean, I prefer you not. But the cat's

0:59

out of the bag. But now you know.

1:01

How old we are, and we

1:03

are very excited to talk about the

1:05

year nineteen ninety nine. Scott.

1:07

What was happening in the what's set

1:10

the scene for some of our younger listeners,

1:12

some of our toddlers.

1:13

The last year of the twentieth

1:16

century. Boy, the internet

1:18

guys taken off. The tech bubble

1:20

was about to burst, but having to

1:23

get President Bill Clinton impeached

1:26

in December nineteen ninety eight. So the fallout

1:28

from that and impeach

1:30

does.

1:30

Not mean indicted something some people

1:32

confuse.

1:33

Look it up, kids, because it's a little

1:36

racy what Bill Clinton was doing in the White House

1:38

and then got in trouble for it. What were you up

1:40

to, Li, I was in my senior

1:42

year of high.

1:43

School, bmocuit.

1:46

Do you know what that means?

1:47

I don't know what that means.

1:49

Oh, it's big man on campus,

1:51

ohmoc.

1:53

I was a huge man on campus, bmo.

1:57

Okay, in nineteen ninety nine, do the

1:59

math. I was a year older than you. I still

2:01

am. And in nineteen ninety nine, I

2:03

had graduated from high

2:05

school and I was a freshman

2:08

in college.

2:09

Okay, you you have picked three

2:11

things that you most loved about nineteen

2:13

ninety nine. I picked three things

2:16

that I most love about nineteen We're gonna do a little countdown.

2:18

So do you want to go first? Or should I go first?

2:20

You go first, Scott, You're the BMOC

2:23

So I feel like the BMOC

2:25

goes the first turn.

2:27

If it were nineteen ninety nine, I would be the bmocn

2:30

Here we go. The first thing that I love

2:32

from the year nineteen ninety nine

2:36

Star Wars episode one.

2:38

Okay, okay,

2:42

god yet listen.

2:43

So wait, let's say let's take back it up,

2:45

back it up. Are you familiar with the Star

2:47

Wars franchise?

2:49

Ellie, very

2:51

very vaguely. I'm

2:53

saying that because I need to just

2:56

let people know that when

2:59

you talk about Star Wars, I will

3:01

not know half of the things you're referencing.

3:03

But also I understand

3:06

that people are going to come after me for this. I

3:08

did see Star Wars, but I

3:10

have very little memory of it, and I'm.

3:12

I mean the first one because there's a whole bunch of since

3:14

then. You don't know, no idea I saw.

3:17

The first one that was out in the world

3:19

was Harrison Ford.

3:20

In the Star Wars You saw.

3:22

Correct, Carrie Fisher, Yeah,

3:25

that's the one I saw. Okay, So that's my starting

3:27

point. I just needed to put

3:29

that out there as a disclaimer. Okay, yeah,

3:32

tell us why you loved it

3:35

was Star Wars episode one.

3:37

This is only going to confuse you more Ellie, the one

3:39

that you saw. Yeah, it was made first,

3:41

but it turns out it was episode four. So do

3:43

you know a character by the name of Darth Vader? Yes,

3:46

yes, guess what, I'm about to blow

3:49

your mind out in nineteen ninety nine and they

3:51

made a movie where Darth Vader was

3:53

the star and he was eight years old.

3:57

It may as well have been called Kid Darth Vader. I

4:00

had a very good film. Everyone was very

4:02

excited for it, and I myself at

4:04

you know, Big Man on campus, Scott Eckert, I

4:07

was so excited. I was the first Star Wars

4:09

that was gonna lit. I was going to get to see in the theaters.

4:12

And it wasn't not very good, but

4:14

we collectively, at least the

4:16

nerds among us, decided it

4:18

was good. So I Ellie worked at

4:21

a movie theater over

4:23

the summer when it came out. Okay, and you

4:25

know the best perk of working in a movie theater.

4:27

Is you get to see the movies for free.

4:29

Free movies. If you had to

4:31

guess how many times I've seen Star

4:34

Wars episode one, what would your guests be, I'll

4:37

cut to the chase. I saw it about twenty times.

4:39

Oh my God, Now, would you stay would you

4:41

go like independent of your work hours? Or

4:43

I don't mean you would watch it during work, but would you stay after

4:45

work to watch it? Or would you come back on it?

4:47

I actually watched it during work. I'm

4:50

exagerating. I didn't see it the whole thing twenty

4:52

times.

4:52

Yes.

4:52

What I would do is I knew exactly when

4:55

the pod Race was to the minute,

4:57

so I would take my breaks, yeah,

5:00

during those times, and then

5:02

I get some free popcorn and

5:04

I'd watch the pod Race.

5:07

Uh yeah, I'm

5:09

so curious. Your own

5:12

assessment of the film is that

5:14

it was not that good. But what you're saying

5:17

is it seems to be like the critical response

5:20

was also not good? Am I wrong?

5:23

Medium? I would say medium. The

5:25

thing is that it's hard. And this is why I

5:27

struggle with this choice. I love that

5:29

movie, and I loved it in nineteen ninety nine,

5:31

but it's not that great. The pod Race

5:33

is good, and the Darth Maul Duel is good.

5:36

But sorry, I'm really curious to get to the

5:38

bottom of this. Is your love for it,

5:40

like warts and all? You love it

5:42

in its imperfection. What do you

5:45

love about it besides the pod Race and

5:47

the other thing.

5:48

Those are mostly the things I love about it. I also

5:50

love the music. I mean, it's a Star Wars movie.

5:52

I mean, I'll go to Star Wars till the day I die, which

5:54

it just brings me such joy Man to be

5:57

transported to a galaxy far, far away.

6:00

Envious of that. Do you know how many times

6:02

I've wished I loved Star Wars? Every

6:04

May the Fourth I'm like, I wish I

6:06

loved it more so I could make more

6:08

references than May the Fourth Be with

6:10

You.

6:11

That's the number one one.

6:12

That's it.

6:13

So I love Star Wars Episode one. What do

6:16

you love about nineteen ninety nine?

6:17

It's another movie, Scott. It couldn't be

6:19

more different from Star Wars.

6:22

I'm guessing one in my head, go go what is

6:24

yours?

6:25

Blair Witch Projects

6:30

Nasticks Crackling The

6:33

scariest horror film

6:35

ever made by man or which

6:38

I love that movie. It

6:40

still chills me to my core

6:43

just thinking of it brings back absolute

6:47

terror in me. And I love to

6:50

be scared. And I'm not a horror film

6:52

officionado.

6:53

I thoughd you would hate horror movies.

6:55

I don't horror movies on

6:57

the whole. I'm not trying to be mister tough guy.

7:00

You're BMOC. I'm MTG,

7:02

mister juff guy. I'm not scared

7:05

by horror movies, are you? Like? Do horror movies

7:07

scared?

7:08

I'm terrified by them? Well, I mean I'm

7:10

not scared to go see one, but like,

7:12

I don't enjoy myself because they scare

7:14

me while I'm watching them.

7:16

Do you mean blood and gore scares? Like?

7:19

What is it that scares you about them?

7:21

I could count the number of horror movies that I've seen

7:24

in their entirety on one hand, and The Blair

7:26

Witch Project is one of them.

7:28

Okay, Scott, so you know exactly what I'm

7:30

talking about.

7:30

I know exactly what at the end, when

7:33

she's standing in the corner or whatever scared.

7:36

The sounds you made is exactly right, Ellie.

7:39

It was a phenomenon back in nineteen ninety

7:41

nine. I remember it. Where did you see the Blair

7:43

Witch Because I imagine it was in a.

7:45

Packed Every screening of

7:47

The Blair Witch Project was packed because it

7:49

was it was a sleeper hit and

7:51

a phenomenon. Nobody could believe what they

7:53

were seeing. Everybody wanted to see it. I

7:55

saw it in a packed movie house.

7:58

A movie organist

8:00

was playing. We

8:04

thought that the train was going to come out of the

8:06

screen and roll over us.

8:09

We were talking about eighteen ninety nine, right, No,

8:12

nineteen ninety nine. I saw a pack movie theater

8:14

in Saint Louis, Missouri. I hope this isn't

8:16

like shaming my parents. But my parents

8:19

were out of town. So I went home to

8:21

an empty house.

8:22

I stay alone by my business,

8:25

risky business.

8:26

I guess nineteen year olds stay alone. Anyway.

8:28

I went back to an empty house and I couldn't

8:31

sleep. Of Court, I couldn't sleep. Who

8:33

can sleep after watching that movie? Not I?

8:35

And it was I just I loved

8:38

the feeling of being scared. I haven't seen something

8:40

that has really scared me as much

8:42

since, and it was a great movie. I also

8:45

have a really nice little memory. Because this

8:47

might make you laugh, Scott, my family

8:50

made a parody. My sister Carrie was the

8:52

Blair Witch and my dad and

8:54

I were the hikers. And you know my dad

8:56

he's pretty serious.

8:57

Right, well, yes, absolutely.

8:59

Look I made you say yes he is because I

9:01

was like, right, and then I stared right at.

9:03

You through her. I didn't want to start characterizing

9:05

your dad because he's so serious. He's

9:07

serious enough that you want to be well

9:09

behaved. I'm a man in my forties and I

9:12

do not want to get on the wrong side

9:14

of your father. So yes, he's a serious man whom

9:16

I respect deeply, and he was in your

9:18

movie.

9:19

Yeah, because the thing is as serious

9:21

as he is, he's also as funny.

9:24

He has got both sides of the coin. He's a serious

9:26

man who's very funny. So we three made

9:28

this movie and it was such a wonderful,

9:30

funny, weird thing to make. So

9:33

that's mine. Blair Witch project Scott,

9:35

your.

9:35

Turn, all right, this one, Ellie.

9:38

This was a little bit of a deeper cut, and if

9:40

you didn't know Star Wars, you might not

9:42

know this one.

9:42

I'm not.

9:45

I love Michael

9:48

crichton novels

9:51

now Scott. I know that you

9:54

do.

9:54

I know that you actually,

9:57

I think I know that you like him, and I know Michael

9:59

Crichton because of Jurassic Park.

10:02

Jurassic Park was the first adult book

10:04

I read. I didn't read in nineteen ninety nine. I read

10:06

it in like nineteen ninety two, but I

10:09

was like, you're super fan. I

10:11

felt like such a grown up for reading it.

10:13

And I read all of Michael Crichton's

10:15

books, and every time

10:17

a new one would come out, it was like a phenomenon.

10:20

There were lines outside the Barnes and Noble

10:23

and I was in those lines.

10:25

So he would come up with just bonkers

10:27

ones. The one that came out in nineteen ninety

10:29

nine I had to refresh myself. Is a

10:31

time travel one about some scientists

10:34

to go back to like the medieval

10:36

erae.

10:37

Oh, I'm looking it up. Is

10:39

it timeline?

10:40

It's timeline, But so that one's

10:42

not so great. It's about you know, quantum

10:44

stuff. It was always a like Jurassic Park

10:47

has a veneer of science, which only

10:49

made me feel smart. I mean, I

10:51

was reading about it for the Dino chases

10:53

and for the you know, I assumed that there was bad

10:55

guy knights and Timeline, but it

10:58

was such an edge of your seat science

11:00

thriller. In Sphere they

11:03

go under the ocean. Ah,

11:05

do you know what he also did, Ellie? Do

11:07

you know what he did in the television space?

11:10

I might because I'm I was just

11:12

looking him up.

11:13

Here's a guy, best selling author, every

11:16

book he sells huge, makes

11:19

the biggest movie of all time. Jurassic Park,

11:21

spawned a franchise that is with us to

11:23

this day. And then just decides to

11:26

dabble in television one time and

11:28

creates e R.

11:31

No, I didn't know he did.

11:33

Er Er medical drama

11:36

basically invented the modern medical

11:38

drama insane hugest

11:41

TV show for like a decade. We

11:44

all of us collectively as a society have

11:46

Michael Crichton to thank for. George Clooney.

11:49

George Clooney was made famous by r

11:51

R, such a hit that it minted

11:54

a movie star.

11:55

To have that talent. I mean, you

11:57

could argue what he's doing in books, movies,

11:59

and television is all a similar thing. He's creating

12:02

these edge of your seat

12:04

thriller I mean, ER isn't an edge of your seat

12:06

thriller, I guess, But.

12:07

It's pretty thrilling to watch

12:10

those er doctors save lives

12:13

and you.

12:13

Can make a thousand episodes from.

12:15

It, and they is sexy, and

12:17

then then when they were so stressed out

12:20

from saving lives that maybe they hook

12:22

up. Sometimes it happens outside

12:24

the er. Okay, sometimes

12:26

it happens inside the ark.

12:30

But how does he know? Like, I

12:32

don't know if I envy him or not, But to have

12:34

that brain to be able to create

12:37

such hits, it seems like nothing

12:40

is halfway with him.

12:41

Michael Crichton, hit maker, He's

12:43

timeless.

12:44

Wait, I have to tell you one other thing about Michael

12:46

Crichton.

12:46

Oh I want to hear it.

12:48

Can you even guess how tall he was?

12:51

Uh? Well, now

12:54

now I'm imagining, I

12:57

seem to remember he's tall. How tall is he? Ellie?

13:00

This cartoonish six

13:04

foot nine?

13:09

He was also a forward for the Boston

13:11

Celtics. Michael, Ellie,

13:27

what is your second thing? I guess we're down

13:29

to down the countdown.

13:30

No, we're down to three. We're down to three.

13:33

I was too busy being popular in high school

13:35

to learn my math.

13:38

Skip math, come out with us. Okay,

13:42

okay, let's read these Michael Quinton novels

13:44

and watch Star Wars for the.

13:45

Twenty year time.

13:47

A big man on campus.

13:48

You're almost as big as Michael.

13:50

Christ six foot nine.

13:53

Why are there so many little kids at your high school?

13:56

That's why I was the big man on campus exactly.

13:59

Wasn't so hard going to school with second graders?

14:04

Okay, number three for

14:06

me or for us, I have to preface

14:08

this isn't unique to nineteen ninety nine, but I

14:10

discovered it in nineteen ninety

14:12

nine, and therefore it is extremely special

14:14

to me. Wah Wah

14:17

convenience stores, I.

14:22

Know it and I love it.

14:23

I love it. For those of you who aren't located

14:25

in the northeast, wah Wah is I

14:28

think an elevated seven to eleven,

14:30

and there was a wah Wah right next

14:32

to our college. Scott and I went

14:34

to college together. That's why I said our college and

14:37

my dorm was located right

14:39

next to one, and I sort

14:42

of went my first half of school in nineteen

14:44

ninety eight. I like maybe when I got

14:46

a water there, But it wasn't until nineteen

14:48

ninety nine that I really took advantage

14:51

of all wah Wah had to offer. Specifically,

14:54

it's wah Wah brand ice cream, and I

14:56

do hope while WA is listening so they will send

14:58

me some merch. But I love

15:02

Not only did I find the ice cream very comforting.

15:05

You know, I was homesick the first year

15:07

and ice cream brought me a

15:09

lot of comfort. And also

15:12

what I loved about wah Wah was it

15:14

was my first experience ordering sandwiches

15:17

on a touch screen.

15:19

All of that is iconic.

15:22

You eating late night ice cream

15:24

because you're lonely and using

15:27

a touch screen for the first time in

15:29

your life.

15:31

I mean, I kind of it's the only word. Yeah.

15:33

Now everyone's got a touch screen in your pocket.

15:36

You walk into a Wawa in nineteen ninety

15:38

nine and there's a screen that you operate

15:40

with your finger.

15:42

Insane. I didn't even understand how to

15:44

use it at first. I started speaking with the

15:46

sandwich maker and she like politely told

15:49

me, oh, you can do it on the screen. Oh

15:51

my gosh. What a life of gluttony

15:53

and bad choices. But then

15:55

apple fritter that I had like regularly,

15:58

and so you shouldn't be having apple fritters

16:01

more than once. I don't know a

16:04

week. Is that terrible?

16:05

I think you can buy apples.

16:09

I would say that the ice cream is probably

16:11

probably. I

16:13

love that.

16:13

I came after the apple fritter and the ice cream

16:16

was like, no, I think I always

16:18

consider there or I don't, because there is I

16:20

always like acknowledge the protein and calcium

16:23

in ice cream, so I always think,

16:25

oh, there is some value to

16:27

that. But the apple fritters I

16:29

ate like five times a

16:31

week, it's weird because

16:34

of course Wahwa is linked to

16:37

nineteen ninety nine and meeting that age, So that's

16:39

why I have a nostalgia for it. I

16:41

don't know that it's actually

16:43

that good, but it did feel like

16:47

a very special sandwich that I

16:49

haven't been able to replicate elsewhere. And I know in

16:51

my heart it's a convenience store sandwich. You

16:54

know. I always got like whatever, turkey

16:56

cheese, pickles.

16:59

And it's weird because like, you can go to any bodega

17:01

in New York and order that same

17:03

thing, but it just doesn't have that same

17:07

It's not zest, it just doesn't happen, but

17:13

it just doesn't have that.

17:16

Really. One of the things that I loved so

17:18

much about wah Wah is it's radically

17:20

different depending what time you go. Because

17:23

if you went in the morning, I don't when you're getting thoz

17:25

apple firs. If you went in the morning, it's like a bunch

17:27

of adults getting coffee because

17:30

they're commuting. If you go sort

17:32

of midday, then it's a hot lunch spot.

17:34

But if you went at like two am, it

17:37

was wow. It

17:40

was an animal house.

17:41

I mean, because it was a twenty four hour store.

17:43

Oh yeah, Wowa, the one near us, the only

17:46

one I think I've ever been to. Have you been to any other wahwahs?

17:49

No, I haven't. I mean

17:51

it begins and ends with that wahwah. So I actually

17:53

don't know the wah wah chain in general.

17:55

I guess it's just that specific wah wah which was

17:58

a universe unto itself. But yeah,

18:00

it changed with the time and

18:02

it was like, you know, a beacon for us,

18:05

and I just I love it. I love the food there. I love

18:07

you ice cream. I love the apple fritters. I loathe

18:10

to love them. But that was

18:12

my number three. Scott nineteen ninety

18:14

nine. We're getting to the end of the countdown here. Number

18:16

two.

18:17

This is my number one. It's number two

18:19

overall, but it's my number one. It's also a little

18:21

bit of a cheat, but I hope people

18:23

will forgive me. My favorite thing about

18:25

nineteen ninety nine was senior

18:28

Prom.

18:31

I went to senior Prom.

18:33

Ellie, I mean, of course

18:35

you did.

18:36

I was a big man on campus, rented my tuxedo,

18:38

got my corsage, all that stuff.

18:41

Elie, quick quiz.

18:44

I think our listeners are

18:47

going to be ahead of you on this one. Okay,

18:49

how much game do you think that I had

18:51

back in nineteen ninety nine? Scott?

18:54

Why are you making me answer that question?

18:56

All? I answer it for you? Not

18:58

much.

19:00

Based on your two favorite

19:02

things.

19:03

Based on my Star Wars and

19:05

Michael Crichton obsessions, you might

19:07

have figured out no no,

19:09

no, no no no. So prom

19:11

for me, I was like, pretty excited. It

19:13

was a big deal. A girl asked me out.

19:16

I thought she was joking. She asked

19:18

me out again. I thought she was joking.

19:20

I'm crying.

19:21

She asked me out a third time, and then

19:23

I was like, oh, she's not joking.

19:25

Didn't you believe that?

19:26

Well? Because I didn't have much game, Ellie, I didn't

19:28

play it well. It's

19:32

a fun, delightful, happy

19:35

Her name was Katie, very very nice,

19:37

much cooler, truly one of the

19:39

big big men on campus. Oh she

19:42

was a woman. An unforgettable

19:45

prom night. I might have gotten

19:47

the kiss, Ellie Scott.

19:51

Very exciting for me. One

19:53

of my favorite parts of the

19:55

whole experience was the next morning,

19:59

my best friend and pick me up

20:01

in his parents

20:04

like hatchback and we drove around

20:06

with the windows down. The lasting

20:09

Mo Money Mo problems. Yes,

20:12

we were just so happy.

20:15

We were like, yeah, we're kissing.

20:18

It was all. It was

20:20

great, unbridled

20:23

joy.

20:24

But I have to tell you I

20:26

was not groaning and making sad

20:28

sounds because I thought it was a bad man. I

20:30

was. I wish that you had

20:32

had more confidence in high school.

20:34

I had a lot of confidence, just not a lot

20:37

of game. That's all. There is a little

20:39

sad ending to the story. You want to hear the sad part. Yeah,

20:43

I see Elie space and I'm like, oh,

20:45

why why are you taking these

20:47

skeletons out of the closet for all

20:50

to seat?

20:50

Here we go.

20:51

So another thing that wasn't around a lot in nineteen

20:54

ninety nine was cell phones. Sure, no,

20:56

So I had two jobs. I worked

20:58

at the movie theater and I also worked out of Barnes

21:00

and Noble, where I would get my Michael Crichton books. I

21:02

was a bookseller. And there's no real way

21:04

to reach me because I didn't

21:07

have a cell phone and I was working. And

21:09

my best friend, the same one that I had

21:11

driven around with about a week after prom,

21:14

came into the Barnes and Noble because he had an important

21:16

message to deliver, and I was like, oh,

21:18

this must be a big deal if he drove all the way to Barnes

21:21

and Noble to see it. And he

21:23

was like, Katie, she

21:25

started hooking up with some other guy. How

21:29

my romance lasted exactly one week,

21:31

and I was good, heartbroken.

21:34

I'm sorry. I'm

21:36

not gonna I'm not saying anything

21:38

about Katie, but I do wonder

21:40

what happened because she was so intent

21:43

on taking you to promt and

21:45

she asked not once, not twice, but three times.

21:48

Rice.

21:48

I guess she got what she needed,

21:51

which was a kiss.

21:52

And then moved on and then moved on or

21:54

maybe just maybe bad kiss her.

21:57

Scott again,

21:59

you got to up your confidence.

22:02

Don't worry, guys. The last twenty four years,

22:04

I've turned into a pro kissing

22:09

professional FMOC

22:12

BTC, big tongue on campus,

22:16

disgusting, Scott.

22:18

That's really beautiful. I'm glad you had a nice promise.

22:20

I'm sorry the afterglow can I

22:22

all of that only lasted a week, but it

22:24

sounds like it's a fond memory.

22:26

You know. That's love, Ellie. They're ups and downs,

22:29

and the ups are worth the downs.

22:31

And that's how it was for my high school point they.

22:33

Couldn't agree more. They're the tax you pay.

22:35

On the ups, and just like the stock

22:37

market, on balance over time,

22:40

you usually come out ahead.

22:42

That's exactly absolutely

22:44

right with the stock market.

22:47

So ellie, why don't you, why don't you take

22:49

us home?

22:51

My number one? It's

22:53

number one for both this list and number one for

22:55

me. Nineteen ninety nine

22:57

favorite thing. It's a little

22:59

pro considering the time

23:01

that it's coming in this conversation.

23:05

It's the song Closing

23:08

Time.

23:09

Oh semisnic, you

23:12

don't have to go home.

23:14

But you know what you can't say here, you're in

23:16

like a limbo land. I sorry.

23:18

Closing Time came out in nineteen ninety eight. Okay,

23:21

so no, I know, I know. I

23:24

just don't know if it was as

23:26

relevant or as like prominent

23:28

in your life as it was in mine. Because they

23:30

played Closing Time a lot when

23:33

I was a senior in high school. Because hello,

23:35

it represented so much. It was closing

23:37

time on our high school experiences.

23:40

The reason I liked it in nineteen

23:43

ninety nine. Again, I mean, you're gonna think

23:45

I was just a real mess

23:47

my first year living away from my home.

23:50

But I really liked listening to Closing Time.

23:52

Because it was well a lot ice cream and

23:54

closing time where you're Solas,

23:57

That's exactly it.

23:59

And I would blast closing time

24:01

and slurt my because it was

24:03

always melted by the time I got it back to my

24:06

dorm, slurt my little mint chocolate

24:08

chip wo wa ice cream and cry

24:13

fist, oh my gosh, dipping it in the

24:16

foamy aftermath

24:19

of the wah wah mint

24:21

chalk. It was always really bubbly. And I again

24:24

I I would always acknowledge.

24:26

I always thought, Oh, it's because there isn't so much fat

24:28

in there, That's why it's so like watery

24:31

when it melts. It was always bubbly. Isn't that weird?

24:33

Was it a witch's brew? When

24:35

my green ice cream would melt and

24:38

start to burble up, bubble,

24:40

gurgle, cauldron.

24:44

I don't know Shakespeare's collar. So

24:46

anyway, I loved that song.

24:49

And my friend Larry,

24:51

he caught me crying once to that song.

24:54

We were out partying as

24:56

you do, and and

25:01

that song came on and I started crying, and

25:03

he was so nice, and he was like, it's

25:05

okay, we should go home.

25:07

Closing time. It was closing time for you

25:10

that night, and yeah, and it

25:12

was time to leave.

25:12

And so again for our listeners who never really heard

25:15

that song, it's a very sweet song

25:17

about the time of closing

25:20

and so it's you know, represents a lot

25:22

of things in life. Everything does come to an end. You

25:24

don't have to go home, as Scott said,

25:26

but you know you can't stay here. That's

25:28

how life is. And

25:30

I felt that they summed it up very well in the

25:33

song. But also I just like the melody, the tune.

25:35

It's fantastic. It's a phenomenal song. And

25:37

Ellie, you may not have known this about

25:40

it. Semi Sonic, the group that

25:42

sings Closing Time is from Minnesota,

25:45

and I was in Minnesota, so

25:47

it was on the radio, like however

25:49

often it was on the radio in Saint Louis.

25:52

Just double it, triple it. It

25:54

was a hometown hit. I think that the bar.

25:56

It would be cool if I could say I'd been to the bar that

25:59

inspired the song. I know I've much

26:02

too dorky to be going to bars

26:04

in nineteen ninety nine.

26:06

And you, well, you wouldn't be let in.

26:08

I wouldn't be let in.

26:09

You know what you could do? You could just arbitrarily

26:12

name a bar and say that that's the bar,

26:14

and then in your head you've been to this iconic

26:16

bar and it doesn't really matter if it's bad

26:18

or not.

26:19

And the saddest thing is maybe I've been there many

26:21

times and didn't even know.

26:22

Well, that's that's the tragedy of all of

26:24

this.

26:25

But that one bar is every bar, and that

26:27

experiences universe, and that's why the song

26:29

is so amazing.

26:34

I have a bonus one for you that

26:36

I wanted to spring on.

26:37

Right, great, great?

26:39

Do you know what I most loved about nineteen ninety nine?

26:41

No meeting

26:43

you.

26:46

Closing time,

26:49

Scott Eckert. It's so

26:52

I was saving that for the bonus too.

26:54

You were not.

26:56

I don't know we were allowed a bonus, Scott.

26:59

Nineteen ninety nine is the year Scott

27:01

and I met in our college

27:04

improv comedy groups.

27:05

Sepetember nineteen ninety nine, I

27:07

believe, yeah, yeah.

27:08

And we were both auditioning. We both joined

27:10

Oh my gosh and Denny's. We

27:13

should have named that.

27:14

We should have named Denny's. Yeh yeah, yeah,

27:16

Denny's and wah wah, that's the high class

27:18

stuff that we like back in college. Yeah,

27:20

well, yesteryear, Yeah,

27:23

how do you say goodbye in French, oh revoir

27:25

uh.

27:26

With abiento abiento

27:28

or nineteen ninety nine.

27:31

It's time to get back to the current year. We

27:33

have a very special round of love it or loath It coming

27:35

out.

27:36

Oh we do. I've got some good ones.

27:38

You've got some good ones. Stick around for love and loathed.

27:52

Welcome back.

27:53

You and I both know how to play the game. But for anyone

27:55

who's listening for the first time, I don't think they know.

27:58

No, it's a complicated game. We're going to say, I'm

28:00

kidding, it's not complicated at all. Scott and

28:02

I are going to give each other items

28:04

and we're going to answer the other person

28:07

with a love it or

28:09

a loath it. There is no in between. You're

28:11

all in or you're all out on the subject

28:14

mentioned, okay, Scott Ecker, love

28:16

it or loathe it?

28:18

Midi Chlorians midichlorians

28:21

loath loath

28:24

Ellie, you have no idea what many Chlorians are? None

28:28

an invention in Star Wars episode

28:30

one. There's something in your blood

28:32

that gives you the force power and

28:34

I do not like the idea that the force

28:37

is determined by your biology. The

28:39

force should be determined

28:42

by maybe your talent, by maybe

28:44

your will power. I do

28:47

not like that there is a scientific basis

28:49

for the force is antathetical? Antithetical.

28:53

My first one for you, Ellie,

28:56

AOL instant messenge.

29:00

L love it. I love

29:03

AOL instant message.

29:06

I love it. Do you understand

29:08

how thrilling that was as

29:10

a person?

29:12

We were all why didn't you explain

29:14

what it is to all the tweens out there?

29:16

Is it that different from direct messaging?

29:19

Now?

29:19

It's basically AOL instant

29:21

message was a way of essentially texting

29:24

someone on your computer. Though we didn't

29:26

have cell phones and you could talk to anyone,

29:29

mostly in your school. And I talked

29:31

to Craig, who was a

29:34

powerful football player, but he was

29:37

a very quiet guy, and on AOL

29:39

Instant message he opened up. We

29:41

didn't have deep talks or anything, but the difference

29:44

was so stark between seeing

29:46

him in person and not really talking to him at

29:48

all and then online. He was just one example,

29:50

but you got to talk to people in this new medium

29:53

and it was nothing short of thrilling.

29:56

I can't explain what it was, but do you remember

29:58

that adrenaline?

29:59

It was so exciting, and everyone would

30:01

open up a bunch of aol instant

30:03

messengers on their tabs. Now we be

30:06

texting. We have different threads, you know, sort

30:08

of simultaneously, but we're only looking at one at a

30:10

time. We used to have like eight

30:13

open at once. Yeah, and then you'd copy

30:15

and paste. It's like, oh, David

30:17

just said this.

30:19

It was all so exciting. I

30:21

loved it.

30:21

It's funny to talk about this, and everybody

30:23

now in their pockets is doing it all the time.

30:26

The miracle of technology.

30:28

It was so exciting. Okay, Scott,

30:31

love it or Loathe it?

30:33

Eighteen ninety nine, eighteen

30:38

ninety nine, I like it. Steampunk

30:41

President William McKinley,

30:43

I believe. Let's see.

30:45

Now, I gotta figure out.

30:46

I got to look that up.

30:47

I guess that I have to say, loath

30:50

it. I don't like that. I

30:52

don't like Jai eighteen

30:54

ninety nine. No, I don't think. No, there's the

30:57

plutocracy's running America. Yeah,

31:00

there's a lot of strife, a lot of forgettable

31:03

stuff. I mean, I don't think I liked it.

31:05

Well, there's not I didn't think. It's either you love it

31:07

or you loathe it. So it seems like you.

31:08

Loath it loath I did

31:11

say loath, right.

31:11

You did, but then you like tempered it with I didn't

31:14

really like it, but you have to loathe

31:16

it.

31:16

I loath it. I'm sorry, all right, I'm

31:19

not going to break the rules. I'm going to lay a nineteen

31:21

ninety nine er on you. Another bit of technology.

31:24

Napster.

31:25

Oh my gosh, I don't know what napster

31:28

was. I didn't use it, I really do, Yeah,

31:30

I didn't. I never use Oh.

31:33

Oh, I'm so sorry. I like momentarily

31:35

forgot the rules of the game. I loathed it

31:37

because I know that it was. Was it illegal?

31:40

Was something like bad legally downloading

31:43

music.

31:43

That's why I didn't know about it, because I didn't do

31:45

anything illegal, and I still don't law

31:48

or any law law enforcement officers

31:50

listening. I don't do anything against the law.

31:52

But anyway, no, I I guess I

31:54

loathe it. I loathe it. I feel like when

31:56

it comes to whatever.

31:59

That was, digital piracy, you're against

32:01

it.

32:01

I'm against digital piracy.

32:03

Love it or loathe it, actual pirates like

32:06

school love everybody does digital

32:08

piracy. No real piracy?

32:10

Yes, yes, Scott, this is

32:12

a callback to prom love

32:14

it or loathe it?

32:15

Slow dancing hmmm,

32:18

I really got to think about this one. I

32:23

think love I

32:26

think I love it. I don't know so much

32:28

anxiety, so much stress,

32:31

especially for a big man on campus like

32:33

me without a lot of game. Yep,

32:37

I think I love it. Ellie, what's your take on slow dance?

32:39

Oh?

32:39

I loath it?

32:40

Well wait, wait, wait, I want to clarify. I'm

32:42

thinking of how I felt about it in nineteen

32:45

ninety nine. In nineteen ninety

32:47

nine, there are a lot of stress and anxiety, but I was

32:49

into the physical touch of a lady

32:52

and that was like all I was getting. So

32:55

now now I hate it. Man, we're

32:57

at a I went a wedding with my wife and a slow dance.

32:59

Come on, It's like, give me thirty seconds

33:02

tops. I'm like, well, we don't need what

33:04

are we doing here? But back as

33:06

a kid, it was like closing

33:08

times playing on the gym speakers.

33:11

Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah. I haven't convinced

33:14

you because I'm a

33:16

prude and I was always uncomfortable with

33:18

slow dancing and the intimacy

33:20

it necessitated. So no,

33:23

I didn't like it. I loath it. I love it, I

33:25

load it. Then I love it. Now Okay,

33:28

got your turn for me?

33:29

I think it's the last one, Ellie.

33:33

James Vanderbeek, I

33:36

guess I.

33:36

Have to go with love. Oh my gosh,

33:39

I definitely have to go with love.

33:41

I mean Dawson's Creek. He was Dawson right.

33:44

I didn't watch Dawson's Creek. But he's

33:46

such a likable guy. He's a

33:48

positive force in the world. He's a he's

33:53

suddenly goes would be like, he's a net positive.

33:54

He made it admit of a love It TV show. So you're not

33:56

a Dawson's Creek fan. What were your television viewing

33:59

happenings.

34:00

In the nineties. I watched Beverly Hills nine O two

34:02

one oh, and I watched My So Called

34:04

Life, and I watched Seinfeld. I didn't watch

34:06

a lot of TV in

34:08

the nineties. I was always doing my homework. Yeah

34:12

yeah, but James Vanderbeek

34:14

love love

34:16

Now, there is actually one more I want

34:18

to ask you about love it or love it, because

34:20

I know.

34:21

How about it? Going out

34:23

strong?

34:23

Love it? I load it Mambo

34:26

number five. I

34:31

think I think there, you just gave me.

34:33

Your I mean I think I love it. I love

34:35

it as you know, Ellie. Music

34:37

in general, let's

34:41

just say I don't love it. I know very

34:43

little about music. The only

34:46

music window that I'm a

34:48

little familiar with high school,

34:51

so late nineties chart toppers

34:54

Before Nothing, After

34:57

Nothing, Mambo number five. Yes,

34:59

definitely could sing the whole

35:01

song if it started playing, right now.

35:04

That's fantastic.

35:05

Well, what are all those all those girls

35:07

that he just names? Right? Oh

35:09

my god, now that I think about it. Also, you just

35:11

the unexamined lyrics of songs

35:14

where a guy just lists the number of

35:16

ladies that he's yeah, you

35:19

know, slow dancing with, slow dancing

35:21

with. Yeah.

35:23

Well, Ellie, thank you so much for reminding

35:25

me all the stuff that I love about nineteen So.

35:28

For that nice little walk down

35:30

memory lane. Thank you everybody for

35:32

joining us on our walk we were

35:35

born to Love.

35:36

You bye,

35:42

thanks for listening to Born to Love. We'll be back next

35:45

week with brand new things that we love.

35:47

We want to hear from you. Leave us

35:49

a review in Apple Podcasts and tell us

35:51

what you love. We might even

35:53

ask one of our guests in an upcoming

35:55

love it or Load It.

35:57

Born to Love is hosted and created by Ellie Kemper

35:59

and Scott Our.

36:00

Executive producer is Aaron Kaufman. Our

36:02

producers are Sina Ozaki and Zoe Dankla.

36:05

Born to Love is part of Will Ferrell's Big Money

36:07

Players Network in collaboration with iHeart

36:09

Podcasts. Special thanks to Hans

36:12

Sonni.

36:12

Rachel Kaplan and Adriana Cassiano

36:15

Michael Fails, Alex Korl and

36:17

Bahied Frazier