Overview of 951. - Chris & Jason
This episode of How Long Gone is a loose, fast-moving catch-up between Chris Black and Jason Stewart that jumps from travel woes and a wedding in western Canada to internet discourse, celebrity weirdness, music releases, politics, and tennis. The core vibe is conversational and sarcastic: they spend a lot of time joking, riffing, and correcting each other’s takes on culture and current events.
Travel, Canada, and the Wedding in Osoyoos
Chris joins from Osoyoos, British Columbia, a desert-like town near the Washington border and the southern end of the Okanagan Valley.
Travel log
- He describes a punishing trip: three flights plus a one-hour drive.
- The final leg involved a tiny regional plane from Vancouver to Penticton, which he compares to a military or WWII-style no-frills experience.
- Despite the travel, he says the setting is beautiful, with lake views and a surprisingly dramatic mix of heat and rain.
Wedding details
- He’s in town for a best friend’s wedding.
- The wedding was held in a church that was historically moved by horses in the 1800s.
- He also mentions the food, including an especially good off-menu pasta.
Local Remedies, Folk Wisdom, and Nature Talk
A big comedic thread is their discussion of sting and bite remedies:
- They talk about a video of Ella Langley applying chew tobacco to a sting or bite, a folk remedy they confirm is associated with rural Southern and Appalachian traditions.
- They riff on whether dried tobacco can be rehydrated and whether modern equivalents exist.
- This leads to jokes about:
- rattlesnakes in the desert,
- RFK-style snake handling,
- surf movies not covering “critters” enough,
- and a hypothetical surf-rom-com built around local remedies for sea creatures and stings.
Spencer Pratt, Media Literacy, and “Platforming” Debates
One of the episode’s biggest discussion points is the online backlash to Interview Magazine and Vanity Fair covering Spencer Pratt.
Their main argument
- They think the outrage is largely based on people reacting to vibes and photos without reading the actual story.
- They argue that covering a controversial or ridiculous figure is not the same as endorsing him.
- They stress that:
- Interview’s job is to capture culture,
- magazines always run photos with stories,
- and the photographs in question were not especially flattering anyway.
Broader point
- They criticize the modern misuse of the term “platforming.”
- Their take: if someone is foolish enough to be persuaded by a magazine profile alone, that is a reader/media-literacy problem, not necessarily a publishing failure.
- They compare Pratt’s media treatment to other politically/culturally charged figures and note that culture, politics, and celebrity are now deeply intertwined.
Peter Thiel, Argentina, and “Teal Bucks”
They briefly discuss reports that Peter Thiel may have moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Jokes and implications
- They joke that the move feels “Nazi-ish” in an exaggerated, internet way.
- They invent the idea of “Teal pesos” vs. “teal bucks”:
- “teal bucks” for business investment,
- and a cruder joke about investing “in your hole.”
- The bit turns into a broader satire of wealthy tech money and creator economy weirdness.
Music and Pop Culture: Katy Perry, Chief Keef, Boards of Canada
Katy Perry x Chief Keef
- They react to the news of a Katy Perry / Chief Keef collaboration.
- Their take: it’s baffling, probably not something that will revive Katy’s career, and mostly makes sense only to a tiny group of older hip-hop/pop observers.
- They speculate the track is more likely a Katy Perry song with a Keef feature than a true collaborative reinvention.
Boards of Canada
- They discuss the reaction to a new Boards of Canada release.
- Their takeaway:
- the band has a legacy of being mysterious, avant-garde, and niche,
- but the new material is being criticized as simply bad or odd, not groundbreaking.
- They suggest that for artists like Boards of Canada, fans often hide behind the excuse of “you just don’t get it,” even when the music may genuinely miss.
Armie Hammer’s Rebrand and Gay Internet Fascination
They spend time on Armie Hammer’s new look and why gay men online seem obsessed with him again.
Their read
- Hammer’s current style is described as:
- muscular,
- mustached,
- rugged,
- and convincingly “working guy” rather than stylized celebrity.
- They think the appeal is that the look feels natural, not curated.
- They also joke that there’s a fetishistic element: gay men are often drawn to the former bully / jock / alpha type once he’s softened or reappears in a hot, more accessible form.
The “Freedom 250” White House State Fair Chaos
They react to the Great American State Fair / Freedom 250 event tied to the White House and the 250th anniversary celebrations.
What happened
- Several performers reportedly pulled out, including:
- Martina McBride
- Young MC
- Millie Vanilli
- The Commodores
- Morris Day and the Time
- Bret Michaels
- Remaining performers include:
- Flo Rida
- C+C Music Factory
- Vanilla Ice
Their response
- They find it depressing and absurd that artists are acting surprised by the political nature of a White House-adjacent Trump event.
- They joke about:
- booking agencies,
- whether artists were lowballed,
- and how some performers likely didn’t care as long as the check cleared.
- They also note the historical shift: there was a time when a White House invite would be accepted automatically; now, many artists would rather skip it.
Tennis Talk: Sinner, Djokovic, Jodar, Fritz, and WAG Culture
Tennis is a major recurring theme in the back half of the episode.
Main points
- They discuss Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz in the context of doping speculation, though in a conversational, speculative tone rather than as a hard claim.
- They both agree Novak Djokovic is an incredible player, but they also find him grating and robotic.
- They talk about the emotional and physical intensity required to be a top tennis player, especially given the sport’s travel schedule and “internment camp” vibe around courtside life.
Rafael Jodar camera-angle controversy
- They discuss a video where Rafael Jodar appeared to push a ball girl.
- Their conclusion: it was likely a bad camera angle and a misleading moment rather than an actual shove.
Taylor Fritz and Morgan Riddle
- They mention Taylor Fritz and his ex, Morgan Riddle, noting how tennis WAG culture and social media branding dominate the sport’s off-court image.
- They joke about how players are often too sponsored to take on additional lifestyle-brand work the way influencers do.
Closing, Personal Plans, and Outro Energy
Toward the end, they wrap up with:
- Chris preparing for more travel,
- Jason heading to Pilates and then a Rostam show at the Ford,
- and both looking ahead to London.
The episode ends with their usual casual signoff style, after a sprawling conversation that mixes travel diary, culture commentary, internet politics, and elite-athlete gossip.