Post "February Bonus: Diet Book Buffet" by "maintenancephase" from patreon

H. Owens

Mike and I started to sing the what’s love song at the same exact moment and I laughed out loud, startling my roommate

MHW

ME TOO! I'm going to suggest "Sex and the Single Girl" for that--there's a diet/exercise section (because, girls, you know how you must look adorable). I love If Books Could Kill, but given their theme, they are a little heavy on books written by men.

R

Still waiting for the Maintenance Phase/If Books Could Kill crossover episode. 🤞

Betti Tristan

I first interpreted “Is he being paid by the preposition?” not as “He is paid according to how many prepositions he uses,” but as “This guy is in the pocket of Bug Preposition.”

SnakeGrl

I have the same birthday as Ted Neugent and I hate that I do

Pinakebbet

Shrimp! Recipe! Now!

Nina Bee

The people humbly request the Christian diet book episode! I need to know what’s in Bod for God

Astrid Hogenkamp

I just listened to this episode yesterday and today this popped up on my FYP https://www.instagram.com/reel/C7svN2vtUvS/?igsh=cXB5ejBvMG94eDk5

Sarah Easley

kv my

Sarah Easley

md y

Sarah W.

Love y’all, your idea for your own “diet book” is just a cook book. Those also exist😄

Rachael

My cousin works in bike infrastructure in Seattle and he’s always pronounced Biketown the same way as you and I try to convert as many people as possible.

king

I remember this book!!! It was a whole series of 'skinny bitch' books and they were horrible. Even as a young teen I could tell they were full of shit lol!

Melissa Lobo

27 min. in, where Mike reads a book section comparing love as a diet motivator to driving...that part was beyond ridiculous and funny. 'Love levels' sound like a setting for a sex robot.

Alexia Bunge

I found a diet book at my local used book shop called, “skinny bitch”, in which the gimmick is that the authors “tell it like it is” and basically call the reader stupid and ugly the entire book.

Destinee E.

PLEASE GIVE ME THE SHRIMP RECIPE OMG I WOULD BUY THAT “DIET” BOOK

Ivie Montgomery

“Resist the entire fucking premise” should be a tshirt

Tiffany Kummer

When they were talking about TicTok all I could think was “Everybody’s so creative!”

Kala Emmy

Coke is great for cooking. My mum uses it for the Christmas ham sometimes. And, as you say, great on chicken.

fig leaf

Omnivore's Dilemma?

fig leaf

would love more of these! so curious about wack diet books

Christie Moore

I was crying laughing at this one, omg

Emmaline Conover

I'm very down for Aubrey to bring a garbage diet book to If Books Could Kill!

Nicole Iger

I want to see the tiktok too!

coffinrehearsal

Does anyone have a link to the Tiktok. lol

Candi Risk

OMG, Noom, your personal guide for developing an eating disorder. Fun fact, they used to use some of Brian Wansink's research in their teachings. I don't think that they ever changed the information used after his retractions....

nina

Rosh Hashana brisket uses cans of Coke, too. Bet that makes Ted mad

LeAnne

Great episode as always :) I'll echo the interest in covering Noom (but maybe that will be a regular episode vs. bonus?)

Delaney McBride

Sex fried fish slab is my new trivia team name, I call it

Candi Risk

Hoping people listen to it!!! I posted the podcast link on my FB page and some dude totally popped up out of his trash can (within 2 minutes of me posting without even bothering to listen....) to shout "O###### is BaD fOr ChIlDrEn"and doubled down after I asked him to at least consider... ... .... anyway, we're no longer friends

Ashlee Beals

I read some of the comments and saw "sex fried fish slab" and thought, well now I know the joke so it won't be as funny, and oh my god I underestimated how incredibly hilarious this bit is. I laughed to the point of crying and wheezing. Peak comedy lol

Gabriela Lamadrid

I don't want to be that person, but In college we used to make "Pollo a la coca cola" (coca cola chicken) with chicken thighs and a can of coke, and it doesn't taste very sweet. Nowadays I still do it every month more or less, with a dash of soy and oyster sauce, garlic, cayenne and onions, and ginger. And it's delicious. I might say that venison must taste good xD without the chutney

Julia

Some comedians i follow would not shut up about their strict diets in their last episode. Man comedians. Regressive progress?!?!

Kendra LeSar

*Beef

Kendra LeSar

Y’all have clearly never heard of Mississippi Roast. Pork, ranch, and Coke in the slow cooker https://www.deepsouthdish.com/2013/01/mississippi-roast-my-way.html?m=1

Sei B

“Sexfried fishslab” is gonna become one of those phrases that lives rent free in my mind for the rest of time

Blake Martin

What are your top 3 must haves and bottom 3? For your average home cook.

Shartooterie

I'd LOVE a review of the college health class requirement and the textbooks used. Connect Core Concepts in Health, seventeen edition, for me.

Lisa Brundage

I really really want an episode on Caroline Dooner and the anti-diet to conspiracy theorist pipeline!

Sam Stone

Amazing as always, y’all! 💛💚💜

Rachael

Drop the shrimp recipe Aubrey!!!

Amy Hayden

SEX FRIED FISH SLAB. Hoooly lord this was worth the $30 "patronage" alone.

Sunflower 🌻

I HAVE NOT LAUGHED THIS HARD SINCE 2015 THANK YOU

Sunflower 🌻

I HAD TO STOP DRIVING AT SEX FRIED FISH SLAB AUBREY YOUR LAUGH IS THE BEST

Lauren Sina Bondi Piccioni

Yes please share the recipe!!!!! 🍤🥥

Jancee Hansen

Aubrey, I’d take that shrimp and coconut milk recipe if you are still offering.

Ember Macaroni

I love the expression "very ex husband" lmao

Ember Macaroni

"Let's dunk on jerks" is my fave hobby

Erin Marziale

The deep gliggles from Sexfried Fishslab were SO GOOD. Can’t wait for the next Aubrey’s diet book collection tour!

Grace

Another killer episode!!! You guys are the best. WOULD LOVE episodes on Noom and Ozempic

Gary McCammon

Aubrey: reason GWB and Tom Ridge blurbed Ted's book is that it came out a year after 9/11, when these yobbos were riding high. Would be surprised if there wasn't a blurb from Limbaugh.

Nina

Do you guys remember the name of the book about academic squabbling and politics that you recommended early on in the pod?

Katie Cook not a book

YES! The abuse that was hurled at her was appalling

Lisa Manske

I want that t-shirt and I also love my air fryer.

Lisa Manske

Demanding!

Lisa Manske

Yes! It's dizzying

Lisa Manske

As an exvangelical, I can say that the reason white American evangelicals buy evangelical diet books has nothing to do with the bible but with being conditioned to not trust any information that comes from a non-Evangelical. The pressure to stay inside the bubble is very strong.

Lisa Manske

In case anyone needs yet another reason to be disgusted by James Dobson, enter his name and Paul Popenoe" into a search. YIKES, yes, it's the e word.

Lisa Manske

Please share details! Name and date of show?

Lisa Scheff

omg, thank you! I don't use TT and was so curious. That's too good.

Lisa Scheff

I just want to say thank you for the childhood o**** episode. It's all so horrifying and now I don't have to try to explain why, I can just point people to your extremely excellent breakdown.

Emily Cicora

Okay, but actually bear meat makes a pretty delicious chili.

Melissa M

I love whole milk cottage cheese with crackers. This episode was fantastic and as a chef who received a TON of cookbooks when I said I was going to culinary school, I can tell you there are a lot of bad cookbooks out there.

Michelle

Just listening to NPR and heard an ad for a show airing this weekend and whose voice did I hear? Aubrey!! Love to hear her voice getting out there!

Irene

In case anyone else wanted a direct link to the tiktok mentioned @ ~ 6:30 https://www.tiktok.com/@mandibossard/video/7164775397366697262

Allegra G Harris

Can I ask which state? States moving from Fee For Service to Managed Care Plans can be a total mess

nina ♡

I wasn’t sure where else to put this (I cannot do twitter) but in relation to the most recent main feed episode it made me think about my recent experiences with medicaid. I’m disabled and in my state they recently changed the services that Medicaid recipients get from the broad “medicaid coverage” umbrella to a list of plans under private insurance companies that you are required to choose from. It’s a nightmare and now for the first time in my adult life I’m having to do all of the network navigating bullshit that I believe no one should have to do. When choosing a plan you’re given a breakdown of what each one offers/includes. It’s very confusing. But the thing that made me laugh in a grim way was that EVERY SINGLE PLAN offers first and foremost a “fReE mEmBerShIp with WEIGHT WATCHERS!!” It’s fucked and I hate it and I had to share this somewhere lol. God bless America.

Christina Bugna

Government Objectification Project

Tom

Sexfried Fishslab sounds like someone trying to remember Benedict Cumberbatch’s name.

Tanner Johnson

OMG BIKETOWN ME TOO

Meredith Anderson

I desperately want to see a picture of Aubrey's entire diet book collection, but I even more desperately don't want to spoil future episodes for myself. It is difficult to be alive.

Laura Hayes

Totally bought the Nugent Book as a totally serious anniversary present for my now VERY ex husband. He got the book in the divorce.

Casey

I LOVE COTTAGE CHEESE AND I AM ALLERGIC TO CHEESE FFS 😂 😭

Elizabeth

Dear Michael & Aubrey, our book club is going through some stuff so could you help us out ? Michael mentioned he was in a book club...anything he liked that was fun in the last six months? (We already have Aubrey's books 💜)

Amanda Gibson

I want to know Michael's bookclub book

Giovanna N. Reesby

I have family members who have been on hunting trips with Ted Nugent and the blurb on "Nugentizing" the language truly does not do justice to the words he makes up

Thuri Calafia

Okay I'm gonna write a book called, "The Love Your Diet Book," and fill it with all kinds of delicious delicious recipes (which are in NO WAY low-cal, but just plain awesome), and then tell the reader to eat their fill of these yummy things, and tell them that only when they are happily sated and dreamy-eyed after dessert, can they consider that they've achieved "dietary success." P.S. I fucking LOVE you guys!!!!!

Lyndy Wilde

I WANT THE SHRIMP POACHED IN COCONUT RECIPE

Ashton Ballard

“I mean, I’ve seen TikTok.” - all millennials

Gretchen Sprinkle

I don't feel they've ever hid their political leanings. Like even a little bit . . .

Kate Naomi Aldridge

These two could rant about eating dog shit and my ears would eat that shit up all day long, because listening to them talk about anything brings me so much joy.

Reid Dutchess

It’s a bummer that this has become an political podcast in many regards whereas in the past it wasn’t. This was my favorite podcast of last year, according to Spotify, and I really enjoyed this show from its inception until about 6 months ago or so. At this point, you are both so certain that every opinion you have is “right” that you have become arrogant and close-minded. I have been a patron for over a year and I have introduced this podcast to many people, but recently it turns people off because they don’t want to listen to two people just make fun of or bully other people with different beliefs. You have both become very much the thing you have such disdain for, and it is really discouraging. Some of your episodes recently are more enjoyable to me than others, but the phrase “far right” is said in almost every episode and it’s completely unnecessary. People of all political beliefs stigmatize people for their body, so it seems ridiculous just to be critical of one demographic of people. Please be more open-minded and demonstrate more humility or else this show truly will just be two people complaining about the other side of the political spectrum and that concept is awful to listen to and absurdly unoriginal and overdone. As a fan from the very first episode, I really hope the focus goes back to the actual issues related to diet culture and prejudice/stigma associated with body types rather than focusing on whether or not people like Donald Trump. Who cares if people like Donald Trump? People who don’t like Donald Trump have the capacity to be just as awful, so please stop using that as a metric to determine if someone is a legitimate person or not. This is just my opinion though.

Maria

Ok, so I'm wearing a heart monitor for 24 hours. When you got to "sexfried." I literally could not stop laughing! Not sure if I had a weird heart moment, but I noted it down on my chart as "laughed really at funny joke" with the time just in case XD

Holly Surbaugh

Love it. Such a fun conversation. If you ever decide to dip into this well again, I'd be curious to hear if you have takes on Mike Huckabee's Quit Digging Your Grave with a Knife and Fork, which was published some years before he started calling for conservatives to eat at Chick-fil-A as a way to own the libs. I had thought his whole deal considered eating fast food as bad, but I guess he makes an exception if it can hurt gay people.

Glo

Love that Aubrey low-key roasts Ted Nugent for using the “catsup” spelling.

Angela Hathikhanavala

Another Michigander here. The Nuge is inescapable in large swaths of the state (or was, anyway, back when he was sexfrying fishslabs), and my huntin’ uncle ABSOLUTELY owns this book. I’m a brand-new Patron and this single episode was worth 10x the price of admission. 🤣❤️🤣

Laura Perna

Yes! Please!

Chelsea

I grew up in rural Northern Michigan. Ted Nugent is the absolute worst. Don't forget the song "Jail Bait." What a piece of shit.

Anthony Melo

Just need y'all to know that I also started singing What's Love Got to Do With It at that exact moment 😂

kb

If texture is your issue with cottage cheese, blending it is a game changer.

Leigh Fisher

I absolutely lost my shit when Aubrey couldn’t get out the words sexfried fishslab. We need this phrase in the tee public store STAT 😂😂😂

Em Munson

I hate/love that I immediately recognized the title “Kill it and Grill it”… because I’m 99% sure that book was a gag gift circulated in our (extended) family gift exchange one year. For context my momcomes from a mennonite family, is one of 6 siblings, and grew up in the Washington DC area but everyone is pretty spread across the country now. Most of my aunts and uncles more or less lean liberal/democrat with a few exceptions: so basically I think someone just thought this book would be a fun and wild thing to throw in the gift exchange one year as none of us are the target audience. A few of my uncles are really into cooking and barbecue so maybe that had something to do with it? Anyway, buckwild.

Natalie Gayle

If you guys did a diet/cookbook I would totally buy that! Lol

Erica McKernan

Sexfried had me pee 😂😂😂😂

Lissie Green Geyer

There are tears streaming down my face from laughing so hard at the “sexfried” part. The juxtaposition of the most macho, fragile end of straight dude culture with the diet world was a wild ride. Plus I had no idea they couldn’t use the word “meatloaf!”

Claire

Should not have listened to this on a cross country bus. The SNORT LAUGHS.

Nico Peruzzi

Anyone else learn the phrase “sentence case” from this episode?

Andrew McGee

So the evangelical diets brought me to the concept of “live” and “dead” foods… please look into some explanations. The ones I found make no sense and are very funny.

Moth

YES! I'm envisioning a camp for fat kids in the same way there are camps for queer kids, where your fatness or your queerness is mostly irrelevant to your kidness and everybody who's there just GETS IT. I have so many fond memories of camp and I was never a kid who was comfortable having a body except when I was running around the woods learning about trees and riding horses and practicing archery. That sounds like an amazing experience.

Moth

I'm so glad I work from home so that nobody can walk into my office and ask why I'm laughing so hard, because I don't think I could explain it. #sexfriedfishslab

Kaitlyn Wahl

You can share your poached shrimp recipe. You don't need a reason

Elizabeth Kovach

I’m laughing I’m crying I’m laughing #sexfriedfishslab

Greta Christina

Fascinated by how a 1980s conservative diet book said, “Trust the government! Do what the government tells you!” How times have changed. Unrecognizable as a conservative message now.

Vanessa Gorelkin

I’m officially deceased after hearing Michael’s guess of the exercise plan (repeated sit to stand flag salutes.)

Natalie

“I about shit my pants” Whether this was an intentional or unintentional reference to Nugent’s maybe most famous anecdote, I love it.

Christina McPants

Add me to the group wanting y'alls cookbook!

Maia P

Died at "pizza slices and sewer rats"😂

A

Thank you for the term “body sovereignty” in a recent episode! Suffered a serious injury last month and since been physically afraid of my body, including eating, with reason. Nice to release the “but are these changes a diet?” baggage while muddling towards recovery.

Rouge

Now I really want a Maitence Phase watch along for the Khloe Kardashian show

Marika Lee

Sexfried fishslab: the second time I’ve stopped breathing from laughter and nearly injured myself thanks to Maintenance Phase

Elodie Rain

Write your fake diet book! 📖 Ever since listening to MP I’ve had the dream of opening a “Fat Camp” but then just treating the children to good food and a good time

Jordan

Omg can we get the Boston PD's diet book as a bonus episode for If Books Could Kill 👀

Abbey W

just losing it over sexfried fishslab 😂

Carrie Bulger

Oh, holy shit, I do remember those! Wow, that's a blast from the (so distant) past! I had to look it up and now am reminded that the commercials went "There she is...she's in the chicken biz" and "You won't like it...by George you'll love it!"

Meh

they've always been highly selective about what science they believe... when it reinforces racism or sexism or homophobia, they support it. If it challenges prejudices, they reject it.

Leela Corman

Was just coming back here to say I'd wear a tight black Sexfried Fishslab tshirt. God, that sounds like the name of the worst jam band imaginable.

Caitlin Fry

I'm also in for an "Uncle Mike and Aunty Aubrey's Guide for Young People" book - helping teens navigate weird awkward years but also practical advice on how to be politically engaged in stuff that's important to them

Corrie Tritz

The wildest part is seeing how conservatism has moved from “trust the government’s scientific consensus” to pure tinfoil hat in the space of my lifetime.

Caitlin Fry

When's the "sexfried fishslab" t-shirts coming out? Maybe we've finally found what's next after the air-frying craze calms down

Allistair Owley

Love this discussion — the two of you together makes me absurdly happy. I will admit that you are my imaginary (internet) friends — thank you for spreading the love!

Kathryn Carper

Hahaha celebrate the flesh. I was outside and I audibly gagged

Brenna McLaughlin

That was a really good one guys. Cracking up the whole time! Thanks for bringing me some cheer on this dreary PNW evening. Appreciate you two ❤️

Sara Striefel

This was the MOST fun!! I was in tears laughing along with you both. Please do more diet books!

Erin Prizant

Hearing Aubrey completely devolve because of Sexfried Fishslab was choice

Leela Corman

If I remember correctly, Ted Nugent got a visit from the FBI in the oughts after threatening, onstage, mid performance, into a microphone, to shoot Hilary Clinton. Then there's that story about him getting granted legal guardianship of his underage girlfriend, which Snopes says is "unproven".

Ashley Clements

Had to go find the tiktok 🤣🤣🤣 It’s all love! You two brighten my day so much. For others curious, I think it’s this one: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRnvfeF9/

Heather Seidle

The Kenny Rogers mix up made me laugh so hard, and still- I was in no way prepared for how much harder I would soon laugh over sexfried fishslab. Tears, running down my face. Top shelf.

Carey Leigh

So here's my own Ted Nugent walk of shame... For about 3 years, we had the same dentist and the one time I saw him there I about shit my pants. He was always a trash baby, but in the 90s, had a weird little redemption arc with a gig writing about nature conservancy for JFK Jr's short-lived magazine George. I think this cookbook is a tie-in for his equally short-lived reality show, Surviving Nugent, which was basically The Most Dangerous Game. He would chase and shoot arrows at contestants from the back of an ATV and sent Tila Tequila home on like the first episode screaming in her face that she smelled like a French whore. This show premiered the same year as The Apprentice (2003). I watched both and I'm sorry. So very, very sorry.

Daniel Brandes

Missed opportunity for a “Threat Level Midnight” reference when Michael was comparing the empty and try hard verbiage about love levels to Michael Scott.

Carey Leigh

You and I can be embarrassed together. I used to think "Stranglehold" was a top tier banger.

erin

Seconded!! Someone gave me that book to give to my mom when she was in cancer treatment… I flipped through it and then tore it up and recycled 🥴

Kim Luke

We need a Maintenance Phase x Fundie Fridays collab to talk about the Weigh Down Diet!!!

Parul

I have long felt that Aubrey needs to put out a cookbook for us!

Dorian

Right? That shit sounds fire

Sally Pierce

I just alarmed my family by how loudly I laughed at "sexfried fishslab."

Kristi McQueen

PLEASE do the Gerson diet. My aunt just went to Mexico for 3 weeks at a Gerson resort to treat her stage 4 cancer. She is convinced it’s going to shrink her tumors. It’s illegal in the US so I know something’s up. 3 coffee enemas a day so it’s right up Michael’s alley. Please please! 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

Edite Grendze

Omg someone got "Kill it and Grill it" for my dad! As an 11 year old i thought the title was hilarious but unsurprisingly we never cooked any "recipe" from that book.

Patrick Myers

“Man fried meat slap” sent me into orbit. 😂

Anita Ford

Paused to take a call, opened it up again hours later. At 47:52. Had to rewind a bit for context. 😆

Lindsey Goss

That one got me, too!

Jeff Puckett

It’ll be mediocre and not as good as advertised

Ellenbrenna

Dying of laughter at the Nugent segment. Thank you.

Jeff Puckett

Sexfried fish slab definitely got me in a stranglehold baby

Lindsey Goss

"ManFried MeatSlap" --I need the parody recipe immediately.

Jennifer Sais

Agreed! Please don’t ever change it!

Crystal Carrigan

I remember the Ted Nugent cookbook! Someone in my family got it as a white elephant gift for Christmas in the early 2000s. I remember us passing it around, flipping through it and laughing. 😂

tabgirl

Phyllis George was married to a Democratic governor of Kentucky. Obviously they were not wild hippies, but I wouldn't call her a "conservative." Further, she was briefly married to the notorious cokehead producer Robert Evans. Again, hardly Focus on the Family type stuff.

Mugiwara

the people demand the If Books Could Kill crossover

Lindsey Goss

Yes! Fellow PDX resident and "Bikey-town" sayer!

Bridget

Aubrey and I said No. That's Kenny Rodgers in unison! What a fun episode

Kim Denise

I snort-laughed so many times!

Aimlyn

Listening about the Ted Nugent book, I made so many faces I have never made before 🤣🤣🤣

bee

Sexfried Fishslab is Ted’s nickname for his penis.

Emily Hewitt

SHARE THE SHRIMP RECIPE AUBREY

Sara Hamilton

Also BIG GAME MEAT CAKES

Sara Hamilton

OK - who else thinks SEXFRIED FISHSLAB was a rejected Ted Nugent back up band name?

bee

Could we do a March-Madness style bracket someday to determine which diet is the most batshit? That could be fun. Well, darkly fun.

Sara

The Dobson book is giving me Patrick Swayze's "love |----| fear" life lesson chart from Donnie Darko.

Elizabeth Vrinten

There is also a bush family cookbook. Just putting that out there for a future episode

Maya

Ok but can we get the shrimp recipe

ML Tafoya

Audrey's laugh is the best!

ML Tafoya

I love cottage cheese. My mom served it with black pepper and I still eat it that way. I'm not sure if it's a relic from one of Mom's many diets, but I love it (Mom doesn't eat it anymore, so maybe it was torture for her).

Taryn

Obsessed with Aubrey melting down about the fish slab

Meghan_S

I feel personally devastated not to hear Mike make a “Sarah Paleo-n” joke. 😉

Rachel

My child free fundamentalist sister gave me those books when my son was young. Pure trash. I managed to never strike my child and he managed to get through my lax parenting unspoiled and happy and successful. Must be all the Satan

Mirandorkus

I love your intro music, it makes me feel all the joy when I hear it. That is all 😘

Angela Hendricks

I've been thinking for awhile that Mike and Aubrey should write a Choose Your Own Adventure diet book (pretty sure they mentioned it in a previous episode)...

Ali

Dare to Discipline and The Stong Willed Child should be on a If Books Could Kill episode. James Dobson has so much to answer for

Meh

There's some great joke diet books, like The Taco Cleanse

Sarah Bear

I want to Google images of Sexfried Fishslab but I’m scared

Megan Hazzard

The Boston PD book reminded me of a diet a friend once told me about from General Motors. They made a whole diet up to get the 'most efficient' line worker possible. Capitalism, man.

Molly

Here for a Church of the Maintenance Phase recipe book

Elena

I love how much of an extra silly goofy mood Michael was in in this one

Carrie Shevelson

Honestly, the coke braised venison doesn't sound that bad (coming from someone who's made Dr pepper pork) 🤣

Liz Winston

I really appreciate you sharing this. I felt really seen by what you wrote. Isn't it disturbing, when you leave a high-control group, to see how much nonsense you went along with?

Anna O.

About a decade ago, my mom sighed and said "Dr. Dobson has turned into a cranky old man." I just stared at her and said, "He's ALWAYS been a cranky old man." We had Dare to Discipline on the bookshelf; we listened to some of Focus on the Family's radio shows; we got the kids' magazines. I don't even know how much of my childhood was affected by Dobson because he was just so fucking ubiquitous. My spouse's parents are still so much in to Focus on the Family that they're leaving a significant amount of money to the organization in their wills.

Emily Dykes

I used to work in the Christian nonprofit world and my friends who worked at Focus on the Family always referred to James Dobson as “the Doctor” - never by his name. It was creepy, even when I was steeped in that culture - sooooo culty! Thank goodness I’m free of that nonsense now 🙃

Zardogs! Zardogs!

I always listen as soon as I possibly can, then I'm sad when I'm done. This one was quite a ride from "I say Bikey-town, too!" to "HOW DARE you misattribute The Gambler!" I was super excited to see Aubrey at Powell's, thinking "I really just want to show my support" to disappointment when it was hard to find a place to stand in the overflow area that just had her playing on speaker. Glad you are so popular, bummed it means I will have to show up an hour early to see you.

Jessica Hoffman

Mitch Albom and The Nuge - both from Michigan. Weird reason to blurb a book, but there we are.

Shannon O'Rourke

Man, that whole Ted Nugent blurb part took me back to when he was, like, the designated right-wing guy that everybody had to get on board with because he was just a good ol' straight shootin' real man or whatever. Even Bourdain did an episode with him. Dark times.

Kristi Brokaw

If someone doesn’t start a band called Sexfried Fishslab I swear to god

Nemo

Use an oil-based lube when sex frying your fish

Elizabeth Archer

watch and cringe: https://www.today.com/video/what-are-blue-zones-and-how-they-re-responsible-for-people-living-healthier-lives-131915333875

Angela

Phyllis George was married to a Democratic governor...the GOP jokes don't really work here.

Elizabeth Archer

Can't wait to listen! Episode idea: Blue Zones. There is so much to say about it, but basically it works by local organizations with deep pockets paying Blue Zones to come into their community and make it "healthy." Which mostly consists of the Blue Zones team taking credit for work that other, smaller, often BIPOC-led organizations are already doing in that community. The founder, Dan Buettner (Nat Geo fellow and NYT Bestselling Author), is an anti-fat narcissist. On one of his MANY media appearances he said on the Today Show that fat people have toasters on their counters and thin people have bowls of fruit (or something like that). It's full of cultural appropriation and smug thinness.

Victoria Spratt

1) the people need that diet book!! 2) can we also join Michael’s for fun book club??

Nicole Wagner

Sexfried Fishslab was my nickname in high school. 😏 /s Audrey melting down was a light in my day. Oh Audrey. Bless you hunnies. You angel.

Liz Fenton

Pretty sure GOP is an acronym for Grind Off Pounds.

Rae Leo

i’m glad than when problematic christians say something stupid and hurtful in the name of Jesus that Mike is like, “that’s not what he said.” 👏thank👏you👏 say it louder for the people in the back

Wendy Reed

I've actually seen Nugent perform live a lot of times (before discovering what a trash human he is), he came to my hometown every year to deer hunt and put on a free concert. He actually does hunt with a bow and arrow, and is still super popular in my area. And Cat Scrath Fever, his most popular song is over 40 years old, he was most popular in the late 70s, early 80s. I'm more than a little embarrassed I have retained all of this information but I feel this is a safe space.

Wendy Reed

I'm also from rural west TX and Nugent used to come to my town every year to deer hunt (graduated in '93, so not exactly the same time frame). I've seen him perform live *many* times, I liked his music before learning what am absolute trash human he is

Jessamy Klapper

Agreed! also, not only are they an MLM but at least in NYC they've been a repeated front business for recruitment into *actual* human trafficking (makes sense anyway since the line between MLMs, trafficking, and cults is paper thin). My mom and uncle both had a phase with Herbalife when I was in my teens - they have been around a while now!

Mara

Give us the booook! I need that shrimp in my life

ev

As a senior in high school ( circa 2000-2001) in rural west Texas, I quit the tennis team and had to find another elective - the choice available was "Wildlife Management" where we almost exclusively watched Ted Nugent hunting videos and took quizzes where we had to be able to identify things like collared peccaries. I was the big loser of the class who sort of jumped every time the guns were fired. Also we ate deer meat chili? Anywho, what an unexpected stroll down memory lane!

Julia Hilliard

PLEASE write that book.

L. Brooks

mitch albom?!?!?! sexfried fishslab?!?!?! I'm dying over here!

Sophie

ok but drop the shrimp recipe!!!!

Ember

Episode idea: Would love to see y’all do a deep dive on the Ozempic shit show that’s happening right now. It’s definitely the new segment in a long series of ‘healthy people co-opting chronically ill people’s life-saving medications’ for weight loss. So gross.

Jennifer

Aubrey, how many books are in your diet book collection?

picatso3

Aubrey please drop the coconut ginger shrimp recipe, I am so mouth-wateringly curious

Ember

Yes! Both Aubrey and Michael’s laughs are so contagious - this show always makes me laugh, despite the often serious subject matter, they always find a way to make a laugh, too😊🫶🏽

Ember

Ah yes, and the classic: ‘More of Jesus, Less of Me’ 🫣 Christian diet books are a special kind of vile😖

Ember

This is so wholesome, and 10/10 relate to the motivation, although I’m in a different life stage - it helps me a feel a LOT more excited about my workday commutes every time a new Maintenance Phase episode drops🤗

WOOD, MORGAN

Does anyone remember Phyllis George's "Chicken By George"? She sold marinaded chicken breasts in a few different flavors--BBQ, lemon, etc. You'd buy them in just little boxes at the store--my mom loved them.

heathermama7

Cellar door, I'm dying! 😂I love that so much

Sheree Speaks

Anything from Ted Nugent is a nightmare. Once I looked at his Facebook page out of curiosity and it was was like looking down a sewer drain. Woof

Three Memes in a Trenchcoat

"Sex-fried fish-slab" is my new "cellar door."

KMB24

Lmao at the food porn thing. At least once a week I see something and I’m like wtaf is wrong with people. And then I remember it’s porn. It’s always porn.

Michelle Dobris

Suggestion for a bonus episode! CASS ELLIOT, from The Mamas and The Papas. Please!! And thank you for your consideration:)

WOOD, MORGAN

Aubrey! Please tell me you have "The Beautiful People's Diet Book"!

Sarah Akers

I saw that this bonus episode had dropped, and it decided me to get up, showered, dressed and the laundry started so I could reward myself with Maintenance Phase! (when you’re 74, motivators are important. Mike and Aubrey, you’re totally worth it!)

Kristi Brokaw

Next round up, let’s do the Christian diet books like What Would Jesus Eat, Weigh Down, etc. 🙈

Michelle Stavrou

For a bonus episode, can I suggest Herbalife? These protein shake and juice bars have been popping up all over that claim they're healthy when they're actually all made with Herbalife. I'd love a deep dive into how they came about and if they're actually duping the business owners, the customers, or both.

Amy Bond

As an aside, I read recently that the phrase 'to pull yourself up by your bootstraps' was originally meant to refer to an impossible task

Rachelle Stallard

It's Aubrey's breathless laughing for me, every time. It's absolutely infectious.

Allyson Whipple

Lordy, I am laughing out loud at work . . . This is great. I didn't realize a bonus episode was coming today, and I was in such a bad mood when I got to the office, but then I saw this had dropped. Y'all seriously made my day.

KTG

Absolutely love it when Aubrey can’t stop giggling. Makes me smile every time.

Allegra G Harris

Please link to the tiktok call out????

Jane Mather-Glass

"i save the potatoes in my little hand"

AliceMerray

To many of us, that whole "It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven" thing seems pretty clear. Just say or write it where rich people can hear/see and I give it 10 seconds before you get the "Oh, that's not what it really means" push back. Yeah, right.

Eleanor

I love that Michael went "let's make a diet book, but subversive!" And then proceeded to describe a cook book 🤣

Skye

Rhode Islander here. Yes

Shelby

This episode had me cackling so hard!! Absolutely brilliant episode 👏🏻 As an Australian I’m sad but grateful I don’t have to carry the burden of knowing far too much about Pete Evans alone! 🤣

Jillian Price

I just threw both my arms up like I stuck a gymnastics landing seeing that y'all posted!!!

Leela Corman

I love this, thank you! Re cottage cheese. I'm surprised to hear it come up as a diet food. It's extremely an Eastern European Jewish food. It was ubiquitous in my Yiddish grandmother's house. Egg noodles with cottage cheese are a Jewish kid comfort food! Also delicious with honey and fruit. Totally not meant to be an instrument of torture!

Kate

I'm from Boston, and the idea of a diet book from the police force is genuinly terrifying

Emma Nyberg Feldt

Oh my gosh, yeees, I needed a maintenance phase episode today! ❤️ Thanks for all that you do 🥰 Loved your guest appearances, Aubrey! Especially the one with being there for friends when times are tough with Oh, I like that. I’m so thankful you and Michael are out there in the world. Hugs from Sweden! ❤️

Ellen

Maintenance Phase cook book undercover as a diet book when?

Taylor Flora

I made some wild auto-suggest typos here (“opioid” should be “opinion,” for example), and it’s not letting me edit. Sorry!

Jules B

Coconut shrimp recipe pls?

Beth Visser

Oh I am so in for the diet book!!! Do it guys!!! ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

Taylor Flora

As someone who grew up in a rural, conservative place, you’re underestimating Ted Nugent’s popularity when saying people aren’t reading his cookbook. As soon as you said the title was Kill It and Grill It, I was instantly like, “Oh, Ted Nugent.” He had a very popular hunting show, and that was one of his catch phrases. There is a huge audience for this content, believe it or not. One of the current most popular hunting shows is on Netflix and it’s called Meateater, and it is a true combination hunting/cooking show, where they start by hunting’s something and then go, like, full Food Network “watch me cook this, follow along” with things like crane. Having grown up with my dad watching hunting shows (and being someone who still enjoys wild game — I made venison shepherd’s pie last night made with venison my dad shot), Meateater is definitely an improvement over the Nugent era in my opioid, but yeah, he was definitely a popular hunting show host in 2002. Also, if you think the titles of his chapters are wild, look up the titles of his songs. Hoo boy.

Miles Walser

“It’s my Man-Fried Meat Slap!” 😂🤣😂🤣😭

Siobhan Roberts

Recipe for Asexual Fish: Ingredients: Some fish. Any type and amount you want. Butter Parsley Lemon Salt and pepper The confidence of a medicocre white man The most important part of this recipe is that you DO NOT fuck the fish. This will change the flavour and texture of your dish. Get the fish and all the other stuff, combine it however the universe moves you to do so, and then fry the fish. You can put the other stuff on the fish before, during, or after cooking. DO NOT fuck the fish after frying. Let it rest for a moment while you do whatever you want with the ingredients you didn't use while you were frying the fish. Serve with watercress.