Smash Boom Best Premium
September 22, 2023
Smarty Pass Bonus: Gardening vs. Baking | By Any Other Name
Brains On! editor and co-creator Sanden Totten and Smash Boom Best producer Aron Woldeslassie are devoted to their hobbies. Sanden is smitten with gardening. Aron is obsessed with baking! And they both think their preferred past-time is the smash boom best. But is one hobby better than the other? There’s only one way to find out! Grab your Smarty Pass and listen to Sanden and Aron duke it out in a flower-filled (or should I say FLOUR-filled) fracas to crown one hobby the smash boom supreme.
Audio Transcript
Download transcript (PDF)
SUBJECT 1: Now entering Brains On headquarters.
[BEEP]
[FOOT STEPS]
MOLLY BLOOM: Hi, smarty pals. I was just on my way to see if anybody here at headquarters has seen my lucky purple pen. I use it to write down all the best puns and zingers from every episode of Smash Boom Best, so I can chuckle at them later. See, they're all in this notebook.
Oh, here's one from frisbees versus yo-yos. Yo-yo, more like yo-no. Frisbees are the bee's knees. Good stuff, right? Oh, hey, look, there are my buddies, editor and Brains On co-creator Sanden Totten and Smash Boom Best producer Aron Woldeslassie. Hey, Sanden. Hi, Aron.
ARON WOLDESLASSIE: Hi, Molly.
SANDAN TOTTEN: Hey, Molly. I was just coming to find you. I found your pen in the garden.
MOLLY BLOOM: Oh. That's right. I must have dropped it when I was out there to eat my breakfast burrito this morning. Thanks, buddy. The garden is looking great by the way. Those zinnias really know their angles.
SANDAN TOTTEN: I know. Gardening is the best hobby. No contest.
ARON WOLDESLASSIE: I don't know about that, Sanden. This tray of orange chocolate chunk muffin says otherwise. Molly, can I tempt you with a muffin?
MOLLY BLOOM: Always. Hmm. Holy brunch. These are amazing. Is that real orange zest in there?
ARON WOLDESLASSIE: Of course, it is. Why would you play around in the dirt when you could make tasty treats in the kitchen? Baking is way better.
MOLLY BLOOM: Wait a minute, do I sense a debate? This is the perfect opportunity to unleash a sneak attack.
SUBJECT 2: Ha, ha, hoo-ha.
MOLLY BLOOM: Sneak attack.
ARON WOLDESLASSIE: Ahh.
SANDAN TOTTEN: No, she got us again.
MOLLY BLOOM: All right, your sneak attack is called by any other name. Let's pretend the side you're arguing for doesn't have a name. I want you to come up with three alternative names for that thing. For example, if you were arguing in favor of donuts, you might rename them-- I don't know-- cake rings or bagel bennies. Does that make sense, you two?
SANDAN TOTTEN: [SIGHS]
Molly, do you have to make us do this every time we disagree about something?
MOLLY BLOOM: Yes. And because you asked, you're going to go first. Sanden, give us three alternative names for gardening.
SANDAN TOTTEN: OK. OK. Magical food operation.
MOLLY BLOOM: Oh. OK. OK. Nice. Nice.
SANDAN TOTTEN: Dirty catwalk for flowers.
[LAUGHTER]
Excellent
SANDAN TOTTEN: Aha, aha. Last one, here we go. Seed nursery.
MOLLY BLOOM: Oh. That one's lovely.
SANDAN TOTTEN: Yeah.
MOLLY BLOOM: Aww, those names are really growing on me.
SANDAN TOTTEN: And I'm the seed babysitter.
MOLLY BLOOM: [LAUGHS]
SANDAN TOTTEN: Take your nap buddies. You're going to grow big and tall. Be sure to eat your vegetables, which are your brothers and sisters, you little cannibals.
[LAUGHTER]
MOLLY BLOOM: Wow. I didn't know gardening was so extreme. I love it. OK. Aron, it's your turn. Give us a few alternative names for baking.
ARON WOLDESLASSIE: OK. OK. I'm going to say-- oh, oven farming. Yeah, I took your thing, and I made it my thing.
SANDAN TOTTEN: [LAUGHS]
ARON WOLDESLASSIE: And then I'm going to say flour flouncing because that is essentially what baking is. You're taking flour. And you're flipping it around, flipping it and flouncing it about. Yeah. And my last one is going to be sugar parenting because isn't that what like baking essentially is? Isn't that what-- baking and being a parent I think you can both agree on a lot of like.
You're taking something beautiful and fantastic into this world, and you're and you're showing it around to all of your friends hoping that they can enjoy it.
MOLLY BLOOM: [LAUGHS]
Beautiful.
SANDAN TOTTEN: OK, Molly. Fun and games aside, so who is it? Who has the best hobby? Who is it? Is it me?
ARON WOLDESLASSIE: I think it's me.
MOLLY BLOOM: Well, sorry to disappoint, but it's me.
SANDAN TOTTEN: Ha, wait. How is that possible?
ARON WOLDESLASSIE: You can't do this. You do this every time, Molly?
SANDAN TOTTEN: What is your hobby?
MOLLY BLOOM: You see baking is fun, gardening is cute, but everyone knows the best hobby is knitting.
SANDAN TOTTEN: No one thinks that, Molly. Just you think that.
MOLLY BLOOM: Lots of people do. Besides, my hobby makes the best sweaters. You can't wear muffins or zinnias. Wait, or can you? Maybe you can. Quick, to the sewing room.
[RUNNING]
ARON WOLDESLASSIE: She just ran right out of here.
SANDAN TOTTEN: I know. Urgh. And she ran through all of my flowers.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
MOLLY BLOOM: That's it for this smarty pass episode. It was made by Aron Woldeslassie and Anna Goldfield. Our executive producer is Beth Perlman. And the executives in charge of APM studios are Chandra Covatti, Joanne Griffith, and Alex Schaffert. Brains On is a non-profit public radio program. Thanks smarty pass friends. We appreciate you.
SUBJECT: (SINGING) Ooh. Let him ban the rest. It's a smash, boom, best. It's a smash, boom, best.
SANDAN TOTTEN: No. She got us again.
[BEEP]
[FOOT STEPS]
MOLLY BLOOM: Hi, smarty pals. I was just on my way to see if anybody here at headquarters has seen my lucky purple pen. I use it to write down all the best puns and zingers from every episode of Smash Boom Best, so I can chuckle at them later. See, they're all in this notebook.
Oh, here's one from frisbees versus yo-yos. Yo-yo, more like yo-no. Frisbees are the bee's knees. Good stuff, right? Oh, hey, look, there are my buddies, editor and Brains On co-creator Sanden Totten and Smash Boom Best producer Aron Woldeslassie. Hey, Sanden. Hi, Aron.
ARON WOLDESLASSIE: Hi, Molly.
SANDAN TOTTEN: Hey, Molly. I was just coming to find you. I found your pen in the garden.
MOLLY BLOOM: Oh. That's right. I must have dropped it when I was out there to eat my breakfast burrito this morning. Thanks, buddy. The garden is looking great by the way. Those zinnias really know their angles.
SANDAN TOTTEN: I know. Gardening is the best hobby. No contest.
ARON WOLDESLASSIE: I don't know about that, Sanden. This tray of orange chocolate chunk muffin says otherwise. Molly, can I tempt you with a muffin?
MOLLY BLOOM: Always. Hmm. Holy brunch. These are amazing. Is that real orange zest in there?
ARON WOLDESLASSIE: Of course, it is. Why would you play around in the dirt when you could make tasty treats in the kitchen? Baking is way better.
MOLLY BLOOM: Wait a minute, do I sense a debate? This is the perfect opportunity to unleash a sneak attack.
SUBJECT 2: Ha, ha, hoo-ha.
MOLLY BLOOM: Sneak attack.
ARON WOLDESLASSIE: Ahh.
SANDAN TOTTEN: No, she got us again.
MOLLY BLOOM: All right, your sneak attack is called by any other name. Let's pretend the side you're arguing for doesn't have a name. I want you to come up with three alternative names for that thing. For example, if you were arguing in favor of donuts, you might rename them-- I don't know-- cake rings or bagel bennies. Does that make sense, you two?
SANDAN TOTTEN: [SIGHS]
Molly, do you have to make us do this every time we disagree about something?
MOLLY BLOOM: Yes. And because you asked, you're going to go first. Sanden, give us three alternative names for gardening.
SANDAN TOTTEN: OK. OK. Magical food operation.
MOLLY BLOOM: Oh. OK. OK. Nice. Nice.
SANDAN TOTTEN: Dirty catwalk for flowers.
[LAUGHTER]
Excellent
SANDAN TOTTEN: Aha, aha. Last one, here we go. Seed nursery.
MOLLY BLOOM: Oh. That one's lovely.
SANDAN TOTTEN: Yeah.
MOLLY BLOOM: Aww, those names are really growing on me.
SANDAN TOTTEN: And I'm the seed babysitter.
MOLLY BLOOM: [LAUGHS]
SANDAN TOTTEN: Take your nap buddies. You're going to grow big and tall. Be sure to eat your vegetables, which are your brothers and sisters, you little cannibals.
[LAUGHTER]
MOLLY BLOOM: Wow. I didn't know gardening was so extreme. I love it. OK. Aron, it's your turn. Give us a few alternative names for baking.
ARON WOLDESLASSIE: OK. OK. I'm going to say-- oh, oven farming. Yeah, I took your thing, and I made it my thing.
SANDAN TOTTEN: [LAUGHS]
ARON WOLDESLASSIE: And then I'm going to say flour flouncing because that is essentially what baking is. You're taking flour. And you're flipping it around, flipping it and flouncing it about. Yeah. And my last one is going to be sugar parenting because isn't that what like baking essentially is? Isn't that what-- baking and being a parent I think you can both agree on a lot of like.
You're taking something beautiful and fantastic into this world, and you're and you're showing it around to all of your friends hoping that they can enjoy it.
MOLLY BLOOM: [LAUGHS]
Beautiful.
SANDAN TOTTEN: OK, Molly. Fun and games aside, so who is it? Who has the best hobby? Who is it? Is it me?
ARON WOLDESLASSIE: I think it's me.
MOLLY BLOOM: Well, sorry to disappoint, but it's me.
SANDAN TOTTEN: Ha, wait. How is that possible?
ARON WOLDESLASSIE: You can't do this. You do this every time, Molly?
SANDAN TOTTEN: What is your hobby?
MOLLY BLOOM: You see baking is fun, gardening is cute, but everyone knows the best hobby is knitting.
SANDAN TOTTEN: No one thinks that, Molly. Just you think that.
MOLLY BLOOM: Lots of people do. Besides, my hobby makes the best sweaters. You can't wear muffins or zinnias. Wait, or can you? Maybe you can. Quick, to the sewing room.
[RUNNING]
ARON WOLDESLASSIE: She just ran right out of here.
SANDAN TOTTEN: I know. Urgh. And she ran through all of my flowers.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
MOLLY BLOOM: That's it for this smarty pass episode. It was made by Aron Woldeslassie and Anna Goldfield. Our executive producer is Beth Perlman. And the executives in charge of APM studios are Chandra Covatti, Joanne Griffith, and Alex Schaffert. Brains On is a non-profit public radio program. Thanks smarty pass friends. We appreciate you.
SUBJECT: (SINGING) Ooh. Let him ban the rest. It's a smash, boom, best. It's a smash, boom, best.
SANDAN TOTTEN: No. She got us again.
Transcription services provided by 3Play Media.
