

Normal Men
George Pearkes
Normal Men is four guys talking about the news. We want to help explain what's happening in the world around us and have some laughs along the way. And we think you might enjoy hearing what we have to say, as long as you don't mind a bit of normalcy in a world without much of it.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jan 23, 2026 • 1h 22min
Episode 42 - A Bit Crap, Really
On dogs, football, Blorth Carolina, the spirit of the cities, Chipotle, why you should care about Claude Code, adventures in transatlanticism, and the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr.
Chapters:
0:00 Intro & Poop Talk
5:31 NFL & College Football Review
16:53 Indiana Coach's Chipotle Habit
26:53 North Carolina Political Landscape
43:24 ICE Occupation in Minneapolis
53:46 Adventures in AI: Claude Code
1:09:36 Trump, Greenland, and NATO

Jan 15, 2026 • 1h 41min
Episode 41 - True Crime ft. Normal Wives
Ms. Malone and Ms. Speedrun-Enjoyer stop by to explain the appeal of murder. Also, we talk about the Horrors foreign and domestic.
Chapters:
0:00 Intro & Guest Welcome
10:06 Defining True Crime & Adnan Syed
20:12 Personal Appeal & Favorite Podcasts
35:21 Unsolved Cases & Killer Psychology
50:30 True Crime's Gender Gap & Safety
1:05:39 Guest Farewell & Renee Good Murder
1:15:45 Authoritarianism & Public Backlash
1:25:51 Greenland Invasion Rumors & Geopolitics

Jan 8, 2026 • 1h 48min
Episode 40 - Model Failstates
The Normal Men talk college football, Venezuelan stabs, and what genAI won't do for you.
Chapters:
0:00 Woodworking & Ice Bath Project
4:38 Gaming Controversies: FF7 & Animal Crossing
13:51 College Football & Ole Miss Racism
27:46 Venezuela Regime Change Operation
58:29 US-Mexico Cartel War Speculation
1:17:09 AI & Grok's Pornography Problem
1:31:09 Understanding and Using LLMs

Dec 31, 2025 • 1h 45min
Episode 39 - Malebag ft. golikehellmachine
Goodbye to 2025! The Normal Men talk food, travel, optimism, and dating.
Chapters:
0:00 Intro and Holiday Recap
9:32 Cookbook and Rice Cooker Recommendations
28:38 Favorite Destination Foods
47:43 Affordable Protein Alternatives
1:04:54 Nonalcoholic Drinks and Mocktails
1:22:05 Party Playlists and Social Confidence
1:39:16 Dating and Parenting Advice

Dec 29, 2025 • 1h 32min
Episode 38 - ICE, Wind, Jail ft. Mark Fleming of National Immigrant Justice Center
The Normal Men dive into appellate immigration strategy and the Battle of Chicago with Mark Fleming of National Immigrant Justice Center. Also, stroads and the modern authoritarian; primary ethics and efficiency.
National Immigrant Justice Center: https://immigrantjustice.org/
Illinois Coalition for Immigrant & Refugee Rights: https://www.icirr.org/
Organized Communities Against Deportation: https://www.organizedcommunities.org/

Dec 18, 2025 • 1h 19min
Episode 37 - Rated NY-17 ft. Mike Sacks
We interview Mike Sacks, who is running for Congress in NY-17; people are doing more mass shootings; Propter sounds robotic; and what is truth, really?
Mike Sacks (https://bsky.app/profile/mikesacks.bsky.social) is running for Congress in the New York's Fightin' Seventeenth: (https://bsky.app/profile/mikesacks.bsky.social/post/3lmev4vf4hc2n)
Learn more here: https://www.mikesacksforcongress.com/
Give his campaign money here: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/mike-sacks-donate
Early corvid scholarship by Mr Sacks: https://www.dukechronicle.com/article/cb488d23-ab03-42be-994b-1fe5b2054038
An AI-generated video of a crow sledding on a frisbee: https://www.facebook.com/reel/864322122972412
Chapters:
0:00 Podcast Intro and Guest Mike Sacks
4:50 NY-17 District and Politics
19:30 Universal Healthcare as Key Policy
24:30 Supreme Court and Structural Reform
30:30 Primary Race and Competitive Edge
45:00 District Deli and Smoked Fish
47:30 Mass Shootings and Gun Violence
55:30 Proctor's Voice and Robotics
1:02:30 AI, Crow Video, and Epistemology
1:12:30 Duke Chronicle Letter & Outro

Dec 10, 2025 • 1h 19min
Episode 36 - Blue Devils and the Deep Red Sea
Infant diction, Noted Underdogs Duke, birthright citizenship, c-c-c-cocaine, coffee: black.
Norwegian outreach: https://bsky.app/profile/norwayinusa.norway.no/post/3m4bcalmg7s2u
Coffee, black: https://bsky.app/profile/bmhughes.bsky.social/post/3m6wc33skm22z
Chapters:
0:00 Intro & Linguistics Lesson
4:39 Trump's Pardon & RGV Politics
12:53 College Football Playoff Explained
33:29 SCOTUS & Birthright Citizenship
50:39 Navy SEALs & Cocaine Strikes
1:00:21 FIFA Award & Global Bribery
1:04:29 Normalcy Studies & Identity
1:18:01 Outro

Dec 2, 2025 • 1h 24min
Episode 35 - Light, Sweet, Crude
The majesty and the mystery of Lane Kiffin, what on earth is up with oil, war crimes in your war crimes, and optimism in Tennessee.
Chapters:
0:00 The Boston Molasses Disaster
5:00 College Football: ACC & Lane Kiffin
22:20 Global Oil Market Dynamics
35:00 OPEC, EVs, and Geopolitical Oil Play
50:00 Oil Geopolitics: Russia, Venezuela, US
1:01:00 Trump Admin War Crimes & Fallout
1:11:00 Tennessee Special Election
1:23:50 Episode Wrap-up

Nov 26, 2025 • 58min
Episode 34 - Mail Gobblin’ ft. golikehellmachine
Talking turkey, taking questions, slandering yams, and giving thanks with distinguished alumnus golikehellmachine.
Chapters:
0:00 Intro & Blue Sky Food Discourse
2:22 Podcast Intro & Trump's Post
6:13 Vehicle Must-Haves & Deal Breakers
12:56 Friendsgiving & Dinner Guests
19:37 Thanksgiving Music & Gravy Debate
29:53 Hosting & Turkey Debate
38:53 Dealing with Racist Uncle
46:33 Lightning Round: Sides, Pies & Trolls
57:01 Outro

Nov 19, 2025 • 1h 54min
Episode 33 - Straight to Jael ft. Jael Holzman
Green energy and touring finances with Jael Holzman of Heatmap and Ekko Astral (@jael.bsky.social), the Epstein Files, and Peak Trump.
listen to Horse Glue by Ekko Astral here: https://ekkoastral.bandcamp.com/album/horseglue
and submit questions for mailbag here: https://golikehellmachine.com/2025/11/16/thanksgiving-mailbag/
Chapters:
0:00 Intro & Casual Food Chat
5:20 Energy Transition & Policy
16:00 Fossil Fuel Influence & Geothermal
30:00 Political Risk & Media Critique
42:30 Echo Astral & Music Life
58:30 Jeffrey Epstein Email Dump
1:26:00 Epstein's Political Impact
1:37:30 Has Trump's Era Peaked?
1:46:00 CBP in Charlotte & Outro


