From somber documentaries about the struggles of the wilds to, "Crikey! We're gonna wind up some animals for your viewing amusement, mate! Why's this cobra so mad...all I'm doing is dragging it around by its tail!" -- nature documentaries and programs are a viewing staple.

This time, the Gorillamen talk about them...specifically:

• What's the first nature program you remember seeing?
• How did--or even has--nature programing affected your life?
• How important do you think nature programming is?
• What are some of your favorite nature shows or movies (or books...whatever)?
• Who is your favorite person involved in nature programming?
• What's one nature show that doesn't exist that you'd love to see?
• Have you encountered nature programming that skewed things in its favor to force a point? What was it?
• How has the Internet affected nature programming?
• All right...the Internet thing is a gimme. So, how has cable affected nature programming?
• Have you ever signed up for a channel or service for its nature programming?
• If Men in Gorilla Suits were to dedicate an episode to an animal or cause, what would you choose?
• What is the future of nature programming?

There is no better episode of Men in Gorilla Suits than this one!

This is the perfect episode...

We could stop now and call it quits...

But we are imperfect Gorillamen still chasing a thing that can never be captured.

And so...we talk about these things this time around...

• What’s the first thing you heard described as perfect?
• What was your first concept of perfection?
• Did you ever strive for perfection when you were younger?
• How about now?
• Is there anything you do perfectly?
• Anything you wish you could do perfectly?
• Is our culture obsessed with perfection?
• Do you believe perfection can be achieved?
• Does anything in your life need to be perfect?
• What the future of perfection?

Busy week for the Gorillamen, so we'll get right to it. This time around, we talk about self teaching...specifically:

• When did you first learn about self-teaching?
• What’s the first thing you taught yourself?
• What are a few self-taught things you feel you do well?
• Most self taught things are still shaped by books and other things. Is there something you've done that you truly taught yourself? (i.e. You did something new with no idea at all of how to do it?)
• What are the advantages of being self-taught?
• What are disadvantages of being self-taught?
• Who are some of the coolest self-taught people you know?
• How has the Internet changed being self-taught?
• Is there still something to be said for traditional learning vs. self-taught learning?
• Do you think the confidence that comes with being self-taught can lead to over confidence and not actually learning as much as someone who is taught more traditionally?
• What would you tell someone who thinks they need to learn traditionally or who lacks the discipline to teach themselves something new?
• What's the future of being self-taught?

It's been a nutty couple years, and many people the Gorillamen have bumped into have had a rough time coping. Hell, even the Gorillamen have had their moments. And that's why, this time around, the discussion turns to...coping.

* * *

• What’s the first time you heard what coping was?
• What’s the first thing you had to cope with?
• Are you good at coping?
• What’s your coping strategy?
• Do you think the world is harder to cope with than it used to be?
• What’s the most efficient coping strategy you’ve seen?
• The least?
• What helps you cope with uncertain situations?
• What’s the future of coping?

It's that time of the year...cool winds drop from northern climes, bringing a crispness many waited for all year. Treetops glow in a blaze of colors; the smells of fires and sweet decay waft on breezes.

And, somewhere online, a mouth-breathing cretin cracks his knuckles and gets a little chubby in the groin at the thought of telling someone on Facebook that there is no pumpkin in pumpkin spice...despite most people knowing that.

This time, the Gorillamen talk about fall. Specifically:

• What is your first memory of what we call in the U.S. fall?
• Which do you prefer: "fall" or "autumn?"
• Of the four seasons, where does fall rank for you?
• What is your best fall memory?
• Your worst?
• Do you have any fall rituals?
• Every year online, I see people excited about pumpkin spice season…and others raging against it. Where do you stand on pumpkin spice?
• What media (movies, music, TV, etc.) do you associate with the season? (A list is fine—even preferred.)
• Some people hate darker mornings and evenings…others like them. Where do you fall on autumn’s change in lighting?
• Just how much do you like Halloween?
• How about Thanksgiving?
• What is the future of fall?

One of the many cries of Gen-X: "Remember when MTV used to play videos?"

Music videos were made for Gen-X, and for years, cable stations (and even some network shows) catered to playing music videos. Videos changed the face of music in the 80s, but to hear some people talk, you'd think they are a long-gone thing.

With YouTube and other ways of sharing content, clearly that's not true. We can now watch the videos we remember with a simple Google search, and new videos pop up every day. (Hell, you can now make your own videos and put them out there as easy as a podcast...)

So...the Gorillamen finally sat down to talk about music videos...specifically:

• What was the first music video you remember seeing?
• What impression did that video have?
• Did you watch a lot of music videos growing up?
• Do you watch a lot of them now?
• What was your first impression of MTV?
• Of VH1?
• What was the most non-mainstream way you watched music videos? (public access, late-night TV, etc)
• What's the best music video of all time?
• The worst?
• The most insane?
• How important were music videos to you when you were younger?
• If you had to make a music video for any song, which song, and what would the video concept be?
• Do you think music videos are important to the kids now?
• What's the future of music videos?

The Gorillamen have talked about movies, but this time around, it's all about movie theaters. Specifically:

• What is your first memory in a movie theater?
• What was your best movie theater experience?
• What was your worst movie theater experience?
• What do you love about movie theaters?
• What do you hate about movie theaters?
• Do you prefer going to a movie theater or watching things at home?
• I once heard someone say upscale movie theaters are ridiculous. What do you think about movie theaters where you can get food and drinks while kicked back in a massive chair?
• What's the last movie you've seen in a theater?
• What's your favorite movie theater concession?
• Are you eager to return to watching movies in theaters after COVID hit, or are you done with theaters?
• What other things do you think movie theaters can do to stay relevant in a time when many prefer their home theaters?
• What is the future of movie theaters?

A busy week after last week's busy week, but...the Gorillamen recorded a new episode.

This time around, it's all about vintage things...

• What was the first thing you heard described as vintage?
• What’s the first vintage thing you ever owned?
• Do you like vintage stuff? Why/why not?
• Why are people — especially younger people — obsessed with vintage stuff?
• What’s the coolest vintage thing you’ve seen?
• What's the lamest vintage thing you've seen?
• Coolest vintage thing you own?
• Cool vintage thing you wish you owned?
• What things from today will be the vintage obsessions of future generations?

Lots of life happened this week, so the new episode will come out next week. It's about vintage things, and it should be a lot of fun.

Do you follow recipes, or wing it and see what happens? Maybe you just love the look of cookbooks, with all those great photos. Some recipes are passed down for generations; others seem to come out of nowhere like a one-hit wonder and fade away. But it's clear that humans enjoy food...and the recipes that can make it even better...

The Gorillamen didn't even turn this one dark!

Here's what's discussed:

• What's the first recipe you remember seeing?
• How well do you follow recipes?
• What's the best recipe you've ever followed?
• What's the worst recipe you've ever followed?
• What's the strangest recipe you've ever made?
• Have you ever made your own recipes? If so: what?
• What's the last recipe you followed?
• Do you have any cherished family recipes?
• Cookbooks…are you a fan? (If so, how many do you have?)
• How has the Internet changed the ways we look at recipes and cookbooks?
• What do you think about the blog story recipe, where someone goes on (and sometimes on and on) with a story before sharing the recipe?
• What's the future of recipes?

It's funny how you can record a thing and, a week later, it's maybe not obsolete, but definitely shows how quickly things can change. Granted, we discussed the likelihood of what is happening again--climbing COVID-19 rates brought on by [mostly] unvaccinated people and the Delta variant--but we didn't expect that prediction to be so timely.

With many people getting out and about, though, we Gorillamen sat down and talked about how our lives have changed since being vaccinated and able to venture out not as concerned as we were before vaccinations.

This is what we discussed:

• When did you get vaccinated?
• What was that experience?
• What’s the first thing you wanted to do when you were fully vaccinated?
• What’s the first thing you actually did?
• What have you noticed is different in the world now than pre-COVID-vaccination?
• Do you feel like we’ve turned a corner on the pandemic?
• What’s something you were sure you were going to do when vaccinated that you haven’t?
• How has your social interaction been compared with pre-COVID?
• Have you noticed any problems or issues re-engaging with the world?
• What’s the future of the pandemic?

Sometimes, life happens.

That's a rather ridiculous statement when you think about it. Life is always happening. If you're asleep, things are still happening that affect your life. So let's start over.

Because Gorilla Shawn was recently traveling and is currently feeling a little under the weather...and because Gorilla Christopher is redoing his office right now, we're skipping the scheduled episode of Men in Gorilla Suits this week.

It will likely be released next week. (At the latest, in two weeks on the usual schedule.)

Until then, we hope you're all chilling the fuck out...and making the damn thing!

A busy week, and Gorilla Shawn is traveling, so we'll get right to the talking points of this episode about YouTube:

• When did you first become aware of YouTube--and how did you stumble upon it?
• What are some of the earliest things you remember seeing on YouTube?
• What are some of the funniest things you've seen on YouTube.
• What are some of the coolest things you've learned on YouTube.
• Do you subscribe to any YouTube Channels? (If so, what are some of your favorite channels?)
• Do YOU have a YouTube channel? (What's it like?)
• What role do you think YouTube plays in politics (good, bad, or otherwise)?
• Are there aspects of YouTube you find problematic? If so, what?
• What do you think about YouTube when it comes to copyright? (i.e. movie clips, albums, and other things shared on the platform.)
• What do you think about "YouTube Celebrities" and how much money some people make on the platform? Do you think they are comparable to other celebrities?
• If there's one thing you could change or add to YouTube, what would it be?
• What is the future of YouTube?

We're back...and happy.

Sure, much of the country seems to be in a blast furnace, but...after skipping a release week, we're sure you're happy to have a new episode of Men in Gorilla Suits in your earholes.

This time around, it's one of those subjects we can't believe we've not already discussed: happiness! Specifically:

• What’s your first memory of something that made you happy?
• What’s your happiest memory?
• Do you think we actually have the right to the pursuit of happiness?
• What does your pursuit of happiness look like?
• Are you a happy person?
• What’s something that keeps you from being happy?
• What’s the happiest time in your life?
• Do you think America is a happy country?
• What’s the happiest place on earth?
• What’s the future of happiness?

It was a crazy-busy week for Gorilla Shawn. His dad turned 70 this weekend, so Shawn went to Florida to surprise him. On top of that, he had to double up on his radio show, Metal DNA -- as well as taking care of some work stuff and a sick dog.

Instead of stressing about it, we decided to just skip an episode release week and catch back up on June 9...when the topic for discussion is happiness!

It's been a busy week. No funny chat...just this, what we're talking about (Also, during a Skype freeze-up for Gorilla Christopher, Shawn sings most of "Sweet Caroline"...bom bom bom...):

• What is the first myth you remember?
• Why do you think ancient myths endure?
• Let's talk a moment about Medusa, Sirens, Lamia, Banshees, and Harpies. Why do you think so many mythological monsters are female?
• What's the differences between mythological religions and faiths enduring today?
• Do you think mythology can be dangerous?
• Do you know of any myths based on truth?
• Why do you think so many writers are into older myths?
• If you were to create a mythology, what would it be like?
• What is your favorite ancient myth?
• What is your favorite modern or pop culture myth?
• What is your least favorite myth [of any kind]?
• What is the future of mythology?

It is rather funny that, despite having this episode about memories edited and ready to go, Gorilla Christopher forgot to get it online yesterday.

And since he is prepping for a long weekend in East Texas, this is all he's typing. Well, this...and what we talk about this episode:

• What's your first memory?
• Do you have a good memory?
• How reliable is human memory?
• What tricks or methods do you use to assist your memory?
• What's your favorite memory from your life?
• What memories of your own do you doubt?
• What memories are you absolutely sure of?
• What's the last thing you forgot? (If you remember that you forgot it)
• What's the most mundane thing you remember?
• Weirdest random thing lurking in your memory?
• What's the future of memories?

After 319 episodes, we have made the decision to...keep going with the podcast! Okay, so we didn't decide a thing...we do the show almost automatically, now. But since the episode is about quitting things (habits, jobs, and so much more), we of course must make the joke that it's all over.

It's not.

This is what we talk about this time around:

• What’s one of the earliest things you remember quitting?
• Have you ever quit a job suddenly? Why, and what happened?
• Do you think people should quit their job and pursue their passions?
• What is the biggest thing you quit?
• At least in the United States, we seem to love quotes like, “Winners are not people who never fail. Winners are people who never quit!” Why do you think we sell the story that quitting is bad?
• Is there anything you’ve quit that you regret quitting?
• When is quitting a good idea?
• Is there anything in your life you feel you should quit? If so, what and why?
• Why do you think it’s so hard for people to quit certain things?
• Do you think most people give up too easily?
• Is there anything you believe you’ll never quit?
• What’s the next thing you think you’ll quit?

The hands of time creep forward and the pages of calendars turn. Along the way, microbes become creatures that leave the water and eventually walk upright. In time, the Progenies of Time create societies, the Internet, and so many other things.

Progress marches on, so...this time around, that's what the Gorillamen discuss.

Specifically:

• When is the first time you were aware of progress (societal, technological, other). 
• How much societal progress would you say you’ve seen through your lifetime?
• Technological?
• What thing would mid-80s Christopher (or mid-90s) Shawn be most surprised by existing today?
• What would each of those people be most disappointed had not progressed?
• What’s your favorite example of societal/technological process from your lifetime?
• What is the worst example of progress from your lifetime?
• What would you like to see progress faster?
• What’s the future of progress?

Once upon a time, there were two little gorillas who worked together in the mortgage branch of a very large bank. They liked each other enough that they stayed in touch, even after leaving that job and going their separate ways.

They talked about starting a new thing: a podcast. They jumped into that new thing, and the only thing that ever stopped them in a release week was the recent Texas winterpocalypse that wiped out power and Internet connectivity for most of a week.

The Gorillamen often talk about things they are up to, so...it seemed time to dedicate an entire episode to trying new things.

Here's what Gorilla Shawn and Gorilla Christopher chat about this time:

• What is the first new thing you remember trying?
• How easy is it to try something new?
• How open are you to trying new things?
• What is the coolest new thing you've ever done?
• Has a new thing ever changed your life? What was it, and how did it change things?
• Why do you think some people are apprehensive about trying new things?
• What's a new thing you tried that you quickly stopped doing? (And why?)
• What's the last [vaguely major] new thing you've tried?
• How has the Internet factored into people trying new things?
• What's a new thing you have always wanted to do, but haven't? Why?
• Do you think a person can do too many new things?
• What is the future of trying new things?

This is not the government writing this intro to tell you that Gorilla Shawn, recently receiving his first COVID-19 vaccine dose, is now under the control of Bill Gates. And Gorilla Christopher recently didn't eat fake Texas snow, and is not now a HAARP zombie! Nope...nothing to see, here...move on...

This time around, while still rebounding from the big Texas winter storm, the Gorillamen are taking on modern conspiracy theories. (Yes, they talked about conspiracy theories way back in Episode 3, but this time, it's more recent things...and the damage they're doing to the U.S. and beyond...)

What is discussed? How 'bout this:

• What’s the first time in the last few years you noticed an upturn in conspiracy thought?
• What’s the first modern conspiracy you saw?
• Why do you think conspiracy theories have come back into the mainstream lately?
• What kind of people are most susceptible to believing in conspiracies?
• What’s the dumbest conspiracy theory you’ve heard lately?
• What’s the most believable?
• How do conspiracies start, and why?
• Who benefits from the latest rash of conspiracy thought?
• Who is damaged by it?
• What’s the immediate future of conspiracy theories?

A quick update...

For the first time in over 315 episodes (eight years), it looks like we won't get an episode out during its scheduled week.

Because of the unprecedented storm that hit Texas this week, Gorilla Shawn has been without power, and Gorilla Christopher spent much of the week without Internet.

Not sure if we will release the new episode next week, or wait for the next scheduled week.

Just wanted to let everyone know what's up!

Hope you're well...we're starting to crawl out of things down here in the Lone Star State...

It's time to change that avocado-colored kitchen you've looked at daily since buying that 60s ranch house in the 'burbs. But how? Do you hire contractors, do it yourself, or find the right combination of both options?

More people than ever are giving it their own go. If you live in the suburbs, you are likely just a few miles from a large home improvement store. Many cities offer grants to improve where we live. Access to industry knowledge and materials is commonplace, and the result is more homes being updated than ever.

That's what the Gorillamen are talking about this time around...specifically:

• When did you first become aware of home improvement?
• Growing up, what home improvements did you see done? (Could be your family, or others.)
• Functionality used to be enough, but now we love luxury and design. Why do you think home improvement is such a big thing?
• Why do you think Do It Yourself home tasks have become more popular than ever?
• What is your favorite home improvement show?
• Have you ever worked in a job centered around home improvement? (Or, if not…do you ever have the urge?)
• How has the Internet changed home improvement?
• What's the most involved home improvement task you've done?
• How do you learn how to update things around your home?
• What's one home improvement task you need to do or have done?
• What is THE home improvement task you want to do or have done?
• What is the future of home improvement?

You will listen to Men in Gorilla Suits...
You will spread the good news about Men in Gorilla Suits...
You will listen to Men in Gorilla Suits...
You will spread the good news about Men in Gorilla Suits...
You will listen to Men in Gorilla Suits...
You will spread the good news about Men in Gorilla Suits...

This time around, we're talking about brainwashing...specifically, these points:

• When was the first time you heard of the concept of brainwashing?
• Who's the first person you ever saw brainwashed or radicalized in any way?
• What is brainwashing, in your opinion?
• How long has brainwashing been a part of the American experience?
• Have you ever been brainwashed?
• What's the most benign example of brainwashing you've seen?
• What's the scariest?
• Does the internet make it easier to brainwash people?
• Why are some people more suggestible to brainwashing?
• Can brainwashing ever be used for good?
• How do we combat brainwashing, or try to help those who have been radicalized?
• What's the future of brainwashing in America?

So...uhm...how 'bout that attempted United States coup attempt, eh?

It's been a bit of a nutty week (to say the least), but we have yet to miss posting an episode by Friday of the scheduled week for 313 episodes and counting...

This time, we talk about hypochondria; specifically:

• When did you first hear about hypochondria?
• Who was the first hypochondriac you knew?
• Are you a hypochondriac…or do you have any tendencies toward illness anxiety disorder?
• How does one become a hypochondriac?
• Do you feel hypochondria is a valid phobia?
• How does illness anxiety disorder affect one’s life?
• Have you ever lived with a hypochondriac? What’s that like?
• Do you think doctors are quick to dispel valid medical concerns as being all in one’s head?
• Has a doctor ever told you there was nothing wrong with you and then…it turned out there was?
• What role do you think the Internet plays in those with illness anxiety disorder?
• Can someone overcome hypochondria?
• What advice would you give someone with illness anxiety disorder?