WWDTM: mxmtoon

0:04From NPR and WBEZ Chicago, this is Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, the NPR News Quiz. Filling in for Bill Curtis, I'm the boy so buttery you need extra napkins. Chiyoki Ianson. And here's your host at the Studebaker Theater at the Fine Arts Building in Chicago, Illinois, Peter Sagal. Thank you, Chiyoki. Thank you, everybody. Yes, it's great to see you too. Great to be with you. We have a fabulous show for you all today. Later on, we're going to be talking to the musician MXM Tune, who has become hugely popular performing her music online. Basically, she is to the internet what Bruce Springsteen is to New Jersey.

0:50And we want to hear your hits, so give us a call and play our games. The number is 1-888-WAIT-WAIT. That's 1-888-924-8924. Let's welcome our first listener contestant. Hi, you're on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. Hi, this is Daniel calling from St. Paul, Minnesota. I love St. Paul, one of my favorite places. We have some people who came down for the warmth of Chicago. What do you do there? I'm a plant biology PhD student here at the University of Minnesota, which I was delighted to hear shouted out last week by Rose Madafeo. Yes, Rose Madafeo, our guest, became an accidental supporter of the University of Minnesota, where she wore one of your shirts on her TV special.

1:30Is everybody at the University of Minnesota talking about that? Is it just the buzz of the campus? Well, I'm a PhD student and I work with professors and we all obviously listen to NPR, so some of them are. Right, exactly. But basically what you're saying is you're a PhD plant biology student. You don't talk to anybody. He talks to his plants. Exactly. I do, yeah. Well, welcome to the show, Daniel. Let me introduce you to our panel this week. First, the contributor to CBS Sunday Morning is Faith Saley. Hi, Daniel. Hi, Faith. Next, a comedian headlining The Laughing Tap in Milwaukee, March 20th through the 22nd, and at the Gramercy in New York City on May 29th, it's Hari Kondabolu.

2:12Hey, Daniel. And you can see her February 8th in Glendale, California at the Alex Theater, and hear her just about every week on the podcast, and nobody listens to Paula Poundstone. It's Paula Poundstone. Hey, Daniel. So, Daniel, welcome to the show. You're going to play Who's Chayoke? This time, Chayoke Ianson, filling in four. Bill Curtis is going to read you three quotations from this week's news. If you can correctly identify or explain just two of them, you'll win our prize. Any voice from our show you might choose in your voicemail. You ready to apply? Absolutely. All right. Your first quote is from the governor of the great state of Louisiana.

2:49I hope everyone is safe and warm at home with a big pot of gumbo. What rare weather event are the people of Louisiana dealing with this week? Well, I guess it's rare for Louisiana, but it's not rare for me in Minnesota. I'm guessing the answer is snow. Yes, snow. Yes.

3:12You and me and all the other northerners were laughing as we looked at New Orleans covered in snow. They warned us the weather would get weird. It has a cold front moved across the south, dumping a record-breaking 10 inches of snow on New Orleans. But the party goes on, right? It always does there on Bourbon Street. You take off your shirt, you get beads and frostbite. I was thinking this happened a little too early because if it happened during Mardi Gras, it could be like that ring toss, right? You take off your shirt and you'd throw the beads and they'd just stay if you had a good toss. I have no idea what you're referring to, Faith.

3:54But, I mean, can you imagine what's going on in the city right now? All the drunken bachelorette parties staggering into stores to buy everybody emergency Uggs. Usually when there's this much snow in New Orleans, it's going up people's noses. Am I right, everybody, Mardi Gras? Yeah. Ha-ha. It's the first time, at least in modern memory, snow has come to that city down there on the Gulf of America. The Big Easy, more like the Big Freezy. I had written it down and I didn't want to give it up. I appreciate that. I support you. And Daniel, you will appreciate this. If somebody lives in Minnesota, I live in Chicago.

4:36Nothing is more fun than watching people in a state that never gets snow trying to deal with snow. It's great. They're out there with like whisk brooms and spatulas. Do you think they spell it S-N-E-A-U-X there? Y 'all, we got snow. We got some snow. Now, Daniel, your next quote is somebody who launched a new social movement for January. Why am I grumbling right now? And is it necessary? So that person, she's based in Belgium. She started this movement, which is asking people to not do what for the whole month of January? Oh, my. It's not dry January, because that's been a thing for a while. Right, it is.

5:24So this is a new, but you are on the right track. Dry January means no whine. This means no whining. Not complaining. Not complaining, yes. Welcome, everybody, to No Complaining January. You've heard of dry January? Now a social campaign movement out of Belgium and the Netherlands has banned complaining for the entire month. It's a great idea. And whoever decided to pair it with a month that I also gave up alcohol, genius. This no complaining business feels ageist. Yeah, really. Because what are my parents supposed to do? That's what they're retired. They're in their 70s. They complain. They watch TV.

6:07And they talk behind each other's backs to their children. Really? Were you going to ban that too now? We're not going to do that? Talking behind each other's backs strikes me as another sort of subset of complaining, right? Because they're not calling you up and going, Hari, your father, he's so wonderful. Oh, right. No, no, no, no. You're right. One and three are the same. Exactly. On the other hand, I mean, it would be a good exercise to just spend one month trying to look on the bright side of whatever happens to you. So you're like, you know, some of these bankruptcy judges, they're really nice.

6:41for example. Although the real problem... Boy, these extra pounds really fill out my pounds! Exactly! Now you've got it! I've never noticed how interesting the inside roof of an ambulance is now that I can stare at it for a while. I mean, that's what I mean. It's really cold out, but I didn't want those balls anyways! Ha ha ha! Ha ha ha! All right. Here, Daniel, is your last quote. It's called boomerasking. If you do it, stop. Now, that was from a Wall Street Journal article on boomerasking, which is the latest trend in conversation they are noting and condemning. It's boomerang asking. And what that is is when you ask someone a question just so they will do what?

7:32Just so they'll, like, ask you the question again. Exactly. Ask you the same question, right? So boomer asking is the term that was just invented for asking someone a question not because you are interested in their answer But just because you want them to ask you that question So you can tell them what you want to tell them. It was in the Wall Street Journal Do you guys read that every day panel? I don't know Peter. Do you read the Wall Street Journal every day? There you go. Very good. That's boomer asking. You just demonstrated it. I thought boomer asking is when you ask your parents who are boomers, like, hey, did you know the flashlight's on on your phone?

8:12Did you take your statin? Or when your father asks you if you've watched Yellowstone yet. So I could go up to somebody and be like, have you heard of Hari Kondabolu? I'm Hari Kondabolu. That's not exactly it. I'm going to do it anyway. You can say the Wall Street Journal told you it was okay, right? You know, Peter, the truth is the boomer asking thing would never work on me. Why? Because if somebody asked me how I was, I would just keep telling them. That's true. I have a tendency. I'm one of the most selfish people I've ever been in my life. If someone comes to my house, which they rarely do because I'm very selfish, but if someone comes to my house, you know, I'll be eating and drinking the whole time they're there.

9:01I'll have a soda. I'll eat some chips. And it's not until they're on the way out the door that I realize, oh, geez, did you want anything to eat? It would be weird if you realize your therapist is doing this. And all along, she's just wanted you to ask her about her mother. What are your big feelings? Chiyoki, how did Daniel do on our quiz? Can't complain. Hey, there you go. Daniel got all three right. Congratulations, Daniel. Nice work, David. Thank you.

9:39Right now, panel, it is time for you to answer some questions about this week's news. Faith, the New York Times offered a new way to experience local culture while traveling. Just do what? Just, so it's something like when in Rome, act like a native. When in Rome, do this. Try to speak that language, even if you don't know how. No. Nope. Well, as they say in France, I'm loving it. Oh, gosh. Go to McDonald's? Yes. What? Go to McDonald's. A travel writer points out that while Americans usually seek out, you know, these out-of-the-way authentic local cafes in a foreign country, all the people who live there are eating at McDonald's to get away from the tourists at the authentic cafes, right?

10:22So you'll find the locals at the local McDonald's? That's what he says. He says it's a great way to meet just normal people who live where you're visiting. This is McDonald's propaganda. There's no way the New York Times has been paid off by McDonald's. I'm going to say it right now. Yeah. Was it? Okay. The guy who, the travel guy. Travel guy. Is he kind of tall with red hair and big feet? Very pale skin. No, he points out that they've had McDonald's as long as we've had things like Chinese and Thai restaurants. So why can't we say those restaurants over there are just a part of their culture?

10:59And they do have the French fries. They do. They do. And of course, you know, there are variations in the menus from country to country in India. It's all vegetarian, for example. Plus, it's so fun to walk in and be like, tell me, here in your country, what does your grimace look like? I mean, if you're really trying to meet the locals, why not go to their DMV?

11:30That's actually a pretty good question. Why don't you just cut off your hand and spend some time in their medical system?

11:43Coming up, strap on your tool belts. It's a DIY Bluff to Listener game. Call 1-888-WAIT-WAIT-TO-PLAY. We'll be back in a minute with more of Wait, wait, don't tell me. From NPR.

11:57This message comes from WISE, the app for international people using money around the globe. You can send, spend, and receive in up to 40 currencies with only a few simple taps. Be smart. Get WISE. Download the WISE app today or visit WISE.com. T's and C's apply.

12:18From NPR and WBEZ Chicago, this is Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, the NPR News Quiz. I'm Chioki Ianson. We're playing this week with Paula Poundstone, Hari Kondabolu, and Faith Saley. And here again is your host at the Studebaker Theater in Chicago, Illinois, Peter Sagal. Thank you, Chioki. Thank you, everybody. Yes. right now it's time for the wait wait don't tell me bluff the listener game call 1-888-wait-wait to play our game in the air or you can always check out the pinned post on our instagram page at wait wait npr how you're on wait wait don't tell me hi my name is savannah morello and i'm calling from odenton maryland oh i love maryland what do you do there um i'm a fermentation scientist you are what a fermentation scientist not the fun kind of fermentation that that we all enjoy.

13:07I make nutritional lipids and algae and stuff like that. Wow. So when you went to science school, you said, I want to do fermentation, but not the fun kind. Yeah, I think there was too much alcohol, and then I checked the wrong fermentation box. Always a mistake. Well, welcome to the show, Savannah. You're going to play our game in which you have to tell truth from fiction. Shoki, what is Savannah's topic? Do it yourself. Why have something done well when you could do it yourself instead. Our panelists are going to tell you about somebody who did a surprising do-it-yourself project this week with interesting results.

13:45Pick the one who's telling the truth, and you can win the wait-waiter of your choice in your voicemail. Are you ready to play? I'm ready. Let's go. Well, first, let's hear from Hari Kondabolu. Park Ranger Nikki Fisher has overseen Abraham Lincoln's boyhood home in southern Indiana for 20 years, but recently, visitor numbers have dwindled. Three months ago, Ranger Nikki decided to take things into her own hands. Quote, there's always videos of traffic in Yellowstone because people are gaga over some elk. People, they're just fancy deer. So after sending$1 ,000 to a company called No Questions Asked Animals Direct Online, Nikki bought a herd of elk and planted them right in front of the front gate.

14:29People were confused about how they got there. But I just said, quote, climate change is crazy. And they bought it. When the initial buzz died down, Nikki upped the ante. Soon there were two bison living in the park. A month later, a herd of flamingos flew in. Wildlife experts were finally called in when a local farmer spotted a Bengal tiger in his chicken coop. Now that all the animals have been returned to their countries of origin, Nikki has now moved on to her next project, finding a new job. A park ranger decides that she wants her park to not be quite so boring and gets to work. Your next self-sufficiency story comes from Paula Poundstone.

15:16Plastic surgeon Chen Weinong recorded himself performing his own vasectomy as a gift to his wife. not realizing presumably that there are services that can help men choose unique and treasured gifts.

15:36A vasectomy is a form of birth control in which the surgeon cuts and seals the tubes that carry sperm. And although a vasectomy is an effective means of birth control, so are mutton chops. In the tutorial video, the doctor slash patient applied anesthetic cream to numb his genitals before having at them with a scalpel and surgical clamp to perform the surgery, during which he only once seized with pain, perhaps thinking, roses, she might have liked roses.

16:15A doctor performs his own vasectomy as a gift to his wife. Cutting out the middleman, I guess. Your last homespun tale comes from Faith Saley. Mike Hickman asked his four-year-old Sadie what she wanted for her birthday, and she replied, Bluey's Daddy, a.k.a. Bandit, the relentlessly fun Australian dog of the hit cartoon series that leaves every parent feeling crushingly inadequate. quit. So Mike fulfilled his daughter's dream himself. He dressed as Bandit and improvised for the first half hour of Sadie's party using a terrible Australian accent that left guests asking if Bluey's dad was from Boston.

16:55But no human can keep up that level of playfulness, especially when you're stifling in a Bandit suit from Amazon Prime and four-year-olds keep climbing on you to play horsey on the doggie. So Bandit broke. Get the hell off me! He then commanded so much compliance for the rest of the party that the kids called him Mean Bluey's Daddy, sir. And other parents started hiring Mean Bluey's Daddy to implement order at their kids' parties. He's even started a parenting YouTube channel called Meany until the cease and desist letter from Disney comes. Mean Bluey Daddy. All right, let me review these do-it-yourself projects, one of which we found in the news.

17:37From Hari Kondabolu, an enterprising park ranger at Lincoln's birthplace, decides to make it more, you know, national park-like. From Paula Poundstone, a doctor who performed his own vasectomy on himself. And from Faith Saley, somebody who tried to be a character from TV on his own and ended up coming up with his own meaner, more effective version. and which of these is the real story of a do-it-yourself project in the news? I am going to have to go against our American medical system and go with Paula's story about the DIY vasectomy. You're going to go with Paula's story about the DIY vasectomy.

18:17Well, that's your choice then to bring you the real answer. We spoke to an expert on this particular act of creation. Despite how many vasectomies I do, I don't think I'm ever going to be able to do it all myself. That was Dr. Jugen Cancel, founder of Down There Urology, talking about the DIY vasectomy. Congratulations, Savannah. You got it right. Thank you so much. Take care. Bye-bye.

18:53And now the game we call Not My Job. When she was in high school in Oakland, California, a young woman named Maya picked the online handle MXM Tune and started posting videos of herself playing the ukulele and began to blow up. Today, she is touring the world, performing her own original music with millions of followers on every platform and a new album called Liminal Space. MXM Tune, welcome to Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. This is the most surreal experience I've ever had in my life. If I understand correctly, your stage name, your online name, MXM Tune, began because you were a cartoonist as a very young person, and you were, like, posting cartoons, right?

19:34I was. My dad is actually the person who created the handle, so I'll have to hand it to him. He is also a longtime fan of Wait Wait, so I have to mention it. All right. But, yeah, he created it when I was 11 years old and was sharing things on, like, my cartoons on the Internet and thought that would be my claim to fame. Right. It was not. No. No, but something was, and I'm told it was the ukulele. Yeah. So you were posting your videos of yourself playing the ukulele. How did you know they were getting popular? I mean, let me tell you, Peter. There's a thing called a view count and a light count.

20:07And I saw that number kind of slowly creep up and then get exponentially bigger. And then suddenly I didn't go to college and I was a full-time musician. So that is where I'm at. Wow. You know, there's a man who gave himself a vasectomy and filmed it. And it got 4 million views. How about you? I'm definitely not beating out that vasectomy video. So I'd say that that's where I'm at. Well, if you can find a man who will do that while you play the ukulele. I'm curious. You just said you blew up in the internet playing music. so you decided to skip college and become a professional musician. Did you walk into your parents one day and say, guess what, everybody?

20:56I'm skipping college and I'm going to go just be a musician on YouTube. Essentially, there was two coming outs that came out as bisexual in 2017, and then the far scarier one was coming out as a musician who didn't want to pursue higher education, which was mortifying to both of my parents who are both educators, but they've been nothing but supportive since then. About being queer and a musician. I'm guessing the first one was easier. The first one was actually way easier, yeah. I mean, I'm from the Bay Area. I grew up in queer spaces. And yeah, they were definitely more horrified to know that I didn't want to go and pursue an architecture degree.

21:32In both cases, was it a kind of ceremonious thing? Did you sit them down and kind of hold hands? Like when my brother came out, he made my mom sit down and watch The Little Mermaid with him. And then he turned to her and told her. he came out to me at chick-fil-a i mean everyone has their thing i think both felt maybe slightly ceremonious as they were done in the passenger seat of my parents car and a passing moment hoping that maybe you know we would figure it out from there did it get to the point where your parents never wanted to get in the car with you oh god oh my gosh honestly i think we're still at that point i'm a freshly licensed driver at the age of 24 about three months ago, so I'd say they're definitely a little bit scared to be in the car with me.

22:19I want to talk a little bit about your music because you've progressed, and I mean no offense to the great ukulele players, but you have progressed far beyond merely playing the ukulele. You are writing and performing these beautiful heartfelt songs that actually remind me of like the great torch singers like Dionne Warwick or Peggy Lee or the, you know, these amazing women who sang these heartfelt songs about heartbreak and stuff. Did you have a particular inspiration? Did you have a sound or a person you were trying to emulate or reach when you started writing and singing your own songs? Maybe Kermit the Frog, I think, is the only person that comes to mind.

22:53Really? He's just the best. I love him. What's better than that? You're listening to Kermit and you go, you know what else is not easy being? Me. It's not easy being me. I want to sing about that. What I love about your music is it's timeless, but it seems very much for and by your generation, which I guess technically is Gen Z. Am I right about that? Like you have this one lyric in one of your songs, one of your love songs that I love, where you talk about, the singer talks about a relationship with this other person. We snap together like Legos. And I was like, that is perfect. It is, except that the plural of Lego is just Lego.

23:33And I found that out way too late. Really? It doesn't matter for the con. It is, unfortunately, the comment section made that abundantly clear to me. Oh, that was another question. But it still doesn't matter. It's the passion of what you're doing. And I wouldn't get tripped up by that if I were you. You actually brought something I was going to ask you, which is one of your songs, Prom Dress, which is a beautiful song about a prom dress and a moment in a life when a woman finds herself wearing one, went viral on TikTok, right? And everybody's posting it with themselves in their prom dresses. Is that kind of fame fun to know that the entire world knows 40 seconds of one of your songs?

24:11It's the best ever. I mean, for me, it feels like a bit of like a Mariah Carey moment every single year. I'll never write a song that is as catchy as all I want for Christmas, but I did write a song for any sad teenager who is having a tough time in their prom season. And for that, I am very grateful about the evergreen nature of that music. I was about to say, I don't know if it was intentional, but it was smart, because just as we will always have Christmas, we will always have sad teenagers at prom season. And honestly, that feels a little bit more permanent than Christmas in some ways, I'd say.

24:44You know, you should write a song about reading the comments. Ooh, I should. That's a good idea. I'll do that after I collab with the guy who did the self-asectomy. There you are. That's pretty good.