Greg DeMarco: The World Cup, Vinyl Records, And Why Every Barber Thinks We’re Tougher Than We Are

Greg DeMarco reflects on World Cup unity, vinyl records, 80s cartoons, College Football 27, barbershop hot towels, and Episode 2 of Grown Ass Man.

There are some podcast episodes where you sit down with a plan and somehow end up talking about something completely different. Episode 2 of the Grown Ass Man Podcast, Sounds Phenomenal In An Elevator, is exactly that kind of show.

We start with the FIFA World Cup and the simple idea that sports can still bring people together. For a few hours, people who disagree on just about everything else are cheering for the same team, celebrating the same goal, and sharing the same experience. We spend so much time talking about what divides us that it’s worth appreciating the rare moments that don’t.

Of course, that’s only where the conversation begins.

Before long, Patrick and I are talking about vinyl records, cassette tapes, and those gigantic stereo systems that every teenager thought made them an audio engineer. We each remembered the first record and cassette tape we ever owned, and it became one of those conversations that only happens between people who grew up in the same era. Technology changes, but everybody remembers that first album that felt like their music.

That trip down memory lane somehow led us to 80s cartoon theme songs because, honestly, that’s where these conversations go. If you’re a certain age, you probably still know every word to more cartoon intros than songs currently on the radio.

Sports found their way back into the discussion through the new College Football 27 video game, including one of the funniest achievements you’ll ever find in a sports game. If you know why a fist pump during a 2014 Virginia Tech versus Wake Forest game deserves to live forever in video game history, you’re our people.

There was even a little wrestling talk, touching on the news surrounding Sheamus and what his reported departure from WWE could mean, but this episode isn’t really about wrestling. It’s about the conversations that happen after you’ve lived enough life to stop worrying about staying on topic.

Patrick talks about trying to work out more. I explain why the hot towel at the barber is never allowed to be “too hot” because, apparently, admitting it burns would somehow revoke my man card. It’s ridiculous. It’s relatable. It’s exactly the kind of nonsense that makes being a grown man fun.

And yes, the episode title came from one of those completely unplanned moments. While some background music was playing under our conversation, I joked that it would probably “sound phenomenal in an elevator.” That was enough. Episode title achieved.

If you’re looking for deep analysis, we occasionally stumble into it. If you’re looking for two longtime friends laughing about life, sports, music, nostalgia, and the strange things men become passionate about for absolutely no reason, Episode 2 is exactly that.

We hope you’ll join us on this journey and check the episode out:

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