Overview of How Long Gone (Chris Black & Jason Stewart)
This episode is a fast-moving culture-and-lifestyle conversation that jumps from indie rock nostalgia and old TV food personalities to movie marketing, AI “vibe coding,” fitness, coffee, and local city life. Chris and Jason mostly riff on what feels culturally “big” right now, what’s overrated, and what still feels genuinely interesting — all with their usual mix of music nerdery, fashion/lifestyle commentary, and deadpan humor.
Main Topics Discussed
Indie rock: The Strokes vs. The Killers
- They open by talking about Brandon Flowers and the Killers, then drift into the long-running comparison between the Killers and the Strokes.
- Their take:
- The Strokes are undeniably cooler.
- The Killers may be more enjoyable to listen to, or more broadly appealing.
- Both bands are tied to a nostalgia cycle that keeps resurfacing every 20 years.
- They revisit classic albums like:
- Is This It
- Hot Fuss
- They also note how some songs have become bigger than the bands themselves, especially “Mr. Brightside.”
Emeril Lagasse, food TV, and the return of high-energy culinary personalities
- A big chunk of the episode is spent discussing Emeril Lagasse and old-school food television energy.
- They compare:
- Emeril’s loud, theatrical style
- modern food content, which is often slower, cleaner, and more ASMR-like
- They wonder whether anyone today could still pull off that kind of maximalist, band-led, chaotic cooking presentation.
- They also speculate about a new generation of chefs/content creators who could fill that role, especially someone with more personality and performance instincts.
- There’s a recurring idea that food media could use more chaos, more character, and less polished “Instagram wellness” energy.
The Odyssey, IMAX, and absurd movie promotion
- They spend time discussing Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey and the strange demand around seeing it in IMAX / 70mm.
- One of their friends apparently vibe-coded a tool to help people find open seats for IMAX 70mm screenings.
- Their reaction:
- It’s funny, niche, and very online.
- It also says something about the scarcity economy around blockbuster filmgoing.
- They criticize the current style of movie promotion, especially when actors are forced into awkward stunts:
- rapping in promo videos
- overly personality-driven press tours
- social media content that feels inorganic
- They argue that not every actor is built for constant promotional performance, and that the industry asks too much of people who are primarily hired to act.
Tom Holland, celebrity promo culture, and media training
- They use Tom Holland as an example of how celebrity visibility now depends on constant press, social content, and “relatability.”
- Their view:
- Some actors are compelling on screen but not in promo mode.
- Too much press can flatten people into media-trained versions of themselves.
- They contrast that with stars like Tom Cruise, who may be weird in interviews but still feel like true movie stars because the work itself is the draw.
Montauk trip and lifestyle observations
- Chris talks about a sponsored/brand trip to Montauk, including:
- a hotel dinner
- beach time
- a beach football session
- a bad local gym
- He jokes about how Montauk is expensive, stylish, and full of the same young, curated social-media crowd found in many desirable places.
- A key takeaway from this section:
- luxury getaway towns often look different on the surface, but they’re still just versions of the same trend-driven ecosystem.
- He also reflects on how easy it is to forget you can enjoy your own city like a vacation spot.
Coffee, protein, and food routines
- There’s a surprisingly long stretch about coffee, cold brew, and protein intake.
- Chris says he’s been dialing in his coffee setup and getting more serious about espresso.
- They talk about:
- protein bars
- smoothies
- cutting back on processed snacks
- feeling better after simplifying diet habits
- Chris also recounts paying an absurd amount for cold brew in Montauk, which leads to a broader point:
- cold brew is becoming premium enough that $10 drinks may soon feel normal.
- He and Jason also joke about opening a coffee shop of their own, with a “spite store” mentality:
- good pastries
- strong coffee
- a place to right all the wrongs of bad café culture
Hardcore music and RIP Lou from Sick of It All
- They briefly pay respects to Lou from Sick of It All.
- They note his importance in hardcore and East Coast punk culture.
- The band’s iconography and place in New York hardcore history come up as part of the tribute.
Timothée Chalamet and “twink death”
- They joke about Timothée Chalamet’s current fashion choices and whether he’s entering a “twink death” phase.
- Their general point is that he may just be dressing for summer and not necessarily changing radically.
- They also speculate that he could eventually have a more traditional Hollywood body transformation arc, depending on his career choices and metabolism.
Notable Running Themes
Nostalgia is accelerating
- They repeatedly return to the idea that culture is moving in 20-year loops.
- What felt current in the early 2000s is now coming back as both nostalgia and internet content.
Performance matters more than ever
- Whether it’s chefs, actors, or musicians, they keep circling the tension between:
- real talent
- and the ability to perform a version of yourself for media
The best content still feels a little chaotic
- They seem to admire people who can be funny, strange, theatrical, and slightly unfiltered.
- That applies to:
- old food TV
- good music interviews
- internet personalities with actual rhythm and timing
- absurd, useful little apps made for a niche purpose
Bottom Line
This episode is mostly a free-flowing conversation about culture, taste, and the weird performance demands of modern life. The recurring throughline is that Chris and Jason are skeptical of polished, overly curated “content,” and they’re much more interested in personality, weirdness, and things that feel genuinely alive — whether that’s a classic Strokes record, Emeril’s old TV energy, or a chaotic little app built to solve a very specific movie-ticket problem.