Friends come and go like sunsets, but the tales they tell last forever – especially if they’re conveniently located on several streaming apps and sites in podcast form.
Take “Distractible” into consideration, where three YouTube personalities – Mark Fischbach (better known as Markiplier), Wade Barnes and Bob Muyskens – sit in front of their computers to recall childhood stories or ideas to impress the host of the episode in hopes of winning that position for the next episode.
The three men bounce ideas off each other throughout episodes, and often end up straying far from the topic at hand. The episodes don’t always have to be about personal stories; sometimes, the host may pick a topic where the competitors must use their imagination to create an idea good enough to give a winner’s speech at the end.
From the start of the podcast, the roles have always consisted of one host, who doubles as judge, and two competitors. The host is always in charge of picking a topic or idea for the other two to think about and see if they can come up with the best retelling or inventions.
The March 21 episode, titled “Disappointing Our Parents,” featured Muyskens and Barnes telling embarrassing stories about times when their parents weren’t mad, just disappointed. Whether certain types of clubs were entered or pirates were surrounded by police, each story ended with adults looking at their children with shame and contempt.
One of the early episodes, hosted by Muyskens, had Fischbach and Barnes predict what the next major form of transportation may be. Flying cars were discussed, but ultimately, the real treat was Barnes’ idea of a moving circle in constant motion. Even when one of the members seems to be doing well in terms of quality content and sticking to the topic, they’re still not guaranteed to win.
The last two weeks resulted in Barnes losing to Fischbach and Muyskens despite having better stories to tell. Listeners may begin to think the points system is rigged for certain people to win or lose, defeating the purpose of the podcast which is for the men to talk and have fun.
If you can look past the unfair scoring, “Distractible” opens your eyes to facts and folklore you may never have heard of otherwise. The cultural differences between the stories the friends tell and how childhood/adolescence is in 2022 is staggering. With these three men, there is nothing they won’t talk about, or get distracted by.
New episodes drop weekly on Monday on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts.
