For the first true guest of season two, we welcome Morgan. Despite enduring a recent divorce, Morgan remains upbeat and mellow. Where does this positivity come from? Where does Morgan come from? Dan: What do you have in your future that we don’t have? Morgan: I have everything in my future. Music by Ergo Phizmiz, MI-GU, … Continue reading Episode #21: Focus →

We attempt to start season two of We Need to Talk again, this time with a renewed sense of motivation. Things start a little rough as we get back into the groove, but we quickly find our footing among the psychological weeds of making the right choices, and how we can make better choices. Evan: … Continue reading Episode #20: Motivation Part II →

Season two of We Need to Talk begins with a discussion on motivation. We can become complacent, adrift, and lazy. How do we reverse this? Apply advice to all wounds, projects, and relationships. Evan: I’ll look at the dishes. I’ll say this is a 10 minute job. I don’t have hot water in my sink, … Continue reading Episode #19: Motivation →

Sean takes us through the steps to make a fantastic pie dough. Giving tips and tricks along the way, he wraps up with both personal and societal implications of a good pie. Pie Dough Recipe: 2.5 cups of flour 1 to 2 teaspoons salt 12 tablespoons cold butter 8 tablespoons cold shortening Mix together flour … Continue reading Episode #18 Bonus: How to Make a Pie →

We’re back with our friend Sean, a guy who makes friends with the person deemed his greatest enemy by OKCupid, who attends a dance marathon not knowing a soul, and who makes a mean pie. Look for the follow up episode, coming soon, that details how to make a pie just as well as he … Continue reading Episode #18: Finding Your Escape Velocity →

Show news: changing formats to be more sporadic, but better quality. Y’all know that juggle.

We interview our mothers, which means ghost stories and school lunches from the mid-1900s. Either mom: Is it recording? Evan or Dan: Yeah. Either mom: Oh dear. Music by Kayne and 2Pac.

Evan and Dan head out to see the Grand Canyon. A coming of age tale that isn’t about the destination, but the journey. Rated R for coarse language and beards. Dan: If I was driving, I’d be much more comfortable… Evan: Do you want to drive? Dan: No. See, but what’s that? What are you … Continue reading Episode #16: Road Trip →

Over mimosas, Ashley talks about two guys she thought would be with her for life. Instead of life, however, she spends some grueling last moments with each, one in a tent in New Zealand, one in an apartment where the only private refuge was the bathroom. Lessons are learned. Dan: It sounds like you make these big … Continue reading Episode #15: Black Fly In My… Whiskey →

Jen with one ‘n’ joins us, and she hits you with some great advice at the very end. Before that, we find out how she’s never been on a date — yet has been in a relationship for 98% of her adult life. Also, we learn how Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon is a better aphrodisiac … Continue reading Episode #14: Indie Movie Love →

Alex is a traveling circus performer. Kind of. The traveling and the performing may not have anything to do with each other, or the time he got mugged in Glasgow. Even though he’s moved his life a lot, he lends his serene state of mind to the podcast. Dan: Don’t be so likable, would be my advice. Alex: I have tried being a dick, it doesn’t work… being up front, it doesn’t work… I’ve basically decided nothing is going to work. Evan: That’s a s**t place to be. Music by Paul Biese Trio.

Without a guest this week, we resort to gimmicks, then talk about a harrowing date that we both lived through, together. Then we inexplicably talk about frontiers and failure…it’s live, people. Music: Grandaddy

You’re in for a treat with a different Steve, and it’s almost as tasty as the pie that we munch down on during this talk covering his whirlwind of a new marriage, deep talks with moms, and just how we’re supposed to navigate through this life. Steve: …and I proposed nine months later. Dan: Because…it was kind of a shotgun proposal, then? Music by Andru Bemis.

Erin thought she was just doing another intro. But, you feed someone enough wine and bread, and they’ll stick around to tell you how they’re brain is structured and how it thinks about relationships, depression, and physical intimacy. Erin: I’m content being single. Dan: You don’t hear that — often at all. We’re going to probe that…pretty deeply. Music by Factories and Alleyways.

Dan’s on a small vacation, so this is an old chat. The kind of chat that exemplifies why a borderless friend is such a good thing to have around…so they can listen to your wild thoughts. Dan: Sometimes, I wonder, if I have a grasp on reality. Evan: I think that’s what makes you incredibly sane. Music by Gillicuddy.

What’d you do after college? Ride some freight trains? Hitchhike around the Western U.S.? Dodge FBI agents, along with the draft? Our guest, David, did. Turn on, tune in, and drop out. David: The judge held court in his garage…he and his wife were both on parole for murder. Dan and Evan: Wait, the judge?! David: Yeah, I mean, this is New Mexico in ’66.

After some heavy episodes, we keep it light: first crushes, where our ideas of love come from, and what makes a conversation. Maybe…it’s not so light. Evan: I get home, I look at myself in the mirror, and I say “I HAVE A GIRLFRIEND!”… I never admitted that to anybody.

Courtney invented the idea of smiling when talking over the phone. You’ll feel that smile, even as she tells harrowing tales of horses, horrible screen names, and husbands — and her half of Steve’s story (from Episode #2). Courtney: Have you not heard of the DTR? Evan: What is that? It’s DTF! Dan: You want someone who’s DTF before you DTR, otherwise you’re in for a WTF. Evan: LOL. Music by Greg Gibbs.

We add another Dan to this episode, and it’s for the better. Through his two breakup sagas, and anecdotes of dashing through rail yards, brokering peace in the Middle East, and the fate of his ex’s sheets, we find out that everything will be okay. At least until your early to mid-30s. Guest Dan: My parents were over for Passover… Dan: …it’s a Jewish holiday… Evan: Oh, Lord of the Rings s**t. Music by Man Bites Dog.

On a winter’s eve, we tuck in around the dinner table with the always delightful Jenn. If she doesn’t warm your soul, her chicken recipe will. Beware: we earn the explicit rating near the end. Dan: …I’ll allow them to tread lightly on my heart. Jen: And wear their high-heeled shoes. Music by Conveyor.

Man, “ex” has such a bad connotation, when sometimes, like this time, it shouldn’t. Evan sits down with an old girlfriend and talks memories: of high school, of college, and of horrible attempts at winning her back. The music in this episode is “E-Love” by The Upsidedown. “Where’s your bonsai tree? You kill it? Hm, is that it over there? Looks dead.”

Pull up a chair and a few drinks to listen to a night with special guest and newly-minted friend Steve. We talk about pivotal moments in life. This theme arches through various topics, including digging holes, pancakes breakfasts, and of course, points of no return in relationships. Evan: What keeps you on Earth? Steve: Gravity. Evan: God damnit. Dan: That was very East Coast.

In our debut, we record Evan’s thoughts over a month as he experiences a breakup: “So lemme just say that I don’t have anything in the world right now…”