Slinging Drinks and Barbarians

The One About the Rattlesnake

The Brothers come in scorching this week. Salt Lake City is hotter than Hades. Brother Patrick nearly meets his maker at a water park, while Brother Ben cools off at Red Butte Amphitheater, catching Dawes and Kaleo under the desert sky. Somewhere between the merch table and the moonlight, Ben also encounters an armless critter with fangs. Spoiler: it was a big snake. Back home, the Brothers have been deep in their bossa nova guitar era, chasing João Gilberto ghosts and cowboy‑chord bliss. They rave about Widow's Bay on Apple TV — atmospheric, sharp, and absolutely worth your queue. Finally, RIP Sam Neill. Hell of an actor and one of the Brothers' favorites. Music heads get homework: * Watch GWAR on Tiny Desk — chaotic, operatic, and surprisingly tender. (https://www.npr.org/artists/1111695255/gwar [https://www.npr.org/artists/1111695255/gwar]) * Check out Marcus King at Bonnaroo ("Honky Tonk Hell") — a blistering performance that'll melt your face faster than the SLC heatwave. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6IGLmYi41k [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6IGLmYi41k]) And for the fiction fans: Brother Ben is sharing the PDF of The Hex Nut Affair at Lab 53 — email him at benj.raskin@gmail.com to get your copy. A funny, profane, and sun‑baked episode. Be a mensch and tell a friend.

Wedding Bells

Reunited—and it feels so good. After a month-long hiatus, The Brothers Raskin are back in the saddle. Brother Patrick returns from some well‑earned SoCal R&R, fully recharged and absolutely ready to play. This episode is peak Raskin chaos: they bounce from the eerie world of the Backrooms to pure hokum, dive into Obsession, wander through The Odyssey, and even discuss a middle linebacker's… well, wang. It's a ride. Brother Ben drops an update on his ongoing movie project, "The Hex Nut Affair at Lab 53." If you want to read the PDF, shoot him an email at benj.raskin@gmail.com. And in a twist worthy of the Raskin Cinematic Universe, Patrick officially buries the hatchet with newlywed Travis Kelce. May their bromance last a century. If you love the show, be a mensch and share it—your friends deserve this level of delightful nonsense.

Happy Fourth of July

Happy 4th of July. Be safe. See you next week.

Grand Old Flag

This week on The Brothers Raskin Brother Ben kicks things off with a call to action: support the Heart and Soul organization — donate at heartsoul.org. Then he dives into a new creative challenge: a two‑person book club with a work friend, each writing daily toward their own projects. Ben's is titled The Hex Nut Affair at Lab 53 — a story you'll want to hear more about soon. Want to read Ben's earlier work? Drop him a line at benj.raskin@gmail.com for a PDF. Meanwhile, Brother Patrick is scorching the mic with hot takes that might just melt your earbuds. Love California? Brace yourself. Hate Bin Laden? You might not like what you hear. It's a wild, unfiltered ride through politics, pop culture, and brotherly banter. Be a mensch — rate, review, and tell a friend about the show.

Doin' a Mow

Let's light this Roman Candle and see what God looks like. It's a big, bright episode — with original music by Jack Johnson (kinda), heard first on The Brothers Raskin. Brother Patrick channels his inner aloha, debuting a new Jack Johnson track and riffing on how he fell for the guitar: cowboy chords, pop hooks, and the pure joy of live performance. From there, the Brothers pivot from surf vibes to cinema, crowning Nicolas Cage as the greatest living actor. They dig through his wild catalog, swapping favorites and debating the sacred Mt. Rushmore of where "Face/Off" belongs. Here's the New York Times interview with Nicolas Cage [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/23/magazine/nicolas-cage-interview.html] that Brother Ben references — a must‑read for anyone who loves the man, the myth, and the meme. A funny, free‑wheeling, and heartfelt ride. Be a mensch and tell a friend.