Transcript of Torin Talks Music with Andy_Havok

[singing]
From topics A to Z via one, two, three.
You'll always be fun to me.
Your hyperfocus will never be mocked.
So, let's deep dive on to talk.

Torin: Hello and welcome to the Torin Talks podcast, where hyperfocusers are not too much. And today we are talking to-Hey, you know what I mean- We're talking to Andy_Havok. Uh Andy is a full-time streamer and content creator on Twitch and YouTube. He plays a multitude of variety of games while having incredibly funny and welcoming streams which have a big focus on meeting people, building community, and much much more. And I am very excited to talk about more with you and deep dive into it. And yeah.

Andy: Oh yeah. Yeah. I'm so excited.

Torin: I'm so excited. Um yeah, this is great. Oh good. We'll see. So, uh, first off, Andy, just how are you, man? It's been a while since we've actually gotten to just talk and hang out.

Andy: Yeah. Really, it's it's I like that we see each other in streams and, you know, we get to we message and stuff, but yeah, really just talk and especially like, you know, face to face or in a chat or whatever. It's so nice. Uh, but yeah, I'm doing great. Just I mean, you know the drill. Work on things. wake up and you're in in work and go to sleep and you're in work and you know dreaming about work. Oh yeah, totally. Yeah, actually. Yeah.

Torin: Yeah. No. Oh god, it's so true. And and even that, do you have ways that And for the record, anyone that does not know, Andy and I both are full-time content creators in various ways and thus self-employed. And our our work is in our homes and don't find it. That's fucking weird. But yeah, like don't look at the background. No, it's such a a weird experience in some ways. Even I would say even from like and quote a normal job because the hours aren't normal, hardly ever consistent. Even the the plans and everything can change. So, do you have ways that you help separate that in like this space is only for work, this space is only for home type of things? Anything like that?

Andy: That's always been the problem. I always think um like especially with work, you know, you clock out, you go home, and you're just home. Like that's it. So with this, it's I mean I you know, I got a laptop on my nightstand. I come over here and it's computer. I got everything on my phone still. So you're just always plugged into it. And uh that's been the toughest thing is not feeling like almost guilty for not doing stuff. if there's stuff you can do right here, you know. Um, but I think just kind of remembering, and I've been talking about this a lot, just remembering that with creating anything, there's times when you're just locked in, everything's just fire and you're working, you know, just let that roll. If that's 20 hours of just straight up incredible progress, like do it. But there's those times where there's like maybe one hour you just can't focus, you know, you're just pounding away and nothing's working. It's like just walk away from it. take a walk, you know, play some games offline, whatever. Um, so those kind of things are definitely things I've had to do more of. And, uh, having a separate room alto together from everything has been just huge. So, you know, having this space where even though I have like, you know, I'll have a computer here and then like an area back there to do music or whatever on. It's like that's all here and then when I leave this area, it's like, okay, that's over there, you know? Right. So just separating that has been really helpful.

Torin: Good. And honestly I feel that so hard and I I think it's whatever neurodivergence is happening you know the the dopamine train of when it feels good right. Yeah. Yeah. Where especially in such a creative job and it's not to say like even as an engineer I had to be creative in things but it was very different than I'm gonna make an overlay, I'm gonna make a show. I'm gonna play video games and suck at it. And right, it's such a different thing where there is a I mean maybe you feel this way too, but there's a thing of discipline has to be there too to keep going even when not necessarily burnout but like the creative sparks aren't sparking as Yeah. pot if you will. Yeah.

Andy: Yeah. It hits both ways for sure. I mean, you have to keep yourself on track, but also have to remember like there's only so much you can realistically do before it's unproductive, you know? I mean, if I'm putting out hours and hours of videos that I just think are awful because I don't want to do it for YouTube, it's like that's hours and hours of wasted time and effort essentially. But if I take like a break from that, do a stream somewhere, you know, maybe even just write down ideas or, you know, get ready for the next thing, get excited about something else, then I can kind of come back to that, which is, I guess, why I, you know, I never even thought about this till now, but I guess that's why I schedule it out and like pre-record all those videos because if I'm rolling, I'm just want to get that done. And then there's like periods of time where I don't feel like doing any of that. So, it's a good way of balancing that, I guess, with the schedule. That's kind of eye opening there. I guess that's what we do. Thank you.

Torin: You're very welcome. Yeah, my therapy bill is No, right. What the heck? We're only 5 minutes in.

Andy: Yes. No. Uh, honestly though, in in some ways, I feel like that's the nice part about like Twitch versus YouTube in a way of just not that I'm at this point, but you know, you can capitalize on those things while people aren't watching you live. Yeah.

Torin: Yeah. versus being on Twitch and you've got a Twitch chat. Not necessarily that you're beholden to them, but it it's a community element and an immediacy, right, of having to do that immediately there and like respond and and also just control six things at once. Yeah. For anyone who doesn't know, streaming live is controlling six things at once. Like making sure your shit's actually going. Oh, yeah. and watching chat, responding to chat, and then whatever you are streaming at the time, unless it's maybe just chatting. Maybe. Yeah.

Andy: Right. Oh, for sure.

Torin: Now, recently I unfortunately wasn't there for it, but did didn't you have your community stream recently?

Andy: Yeah. Yeah.

Torin: Oh, no.

Andy: Yeah. So, we did uh Yeah, I was trying to do a 24-hour community stream, and this like you say, just Yeah. the one day I have anything planned, anything scheduled. Nine hours and five disconnects later, I'm like, "All right, I'm just going to rate. We'll try another day."

Torin: You know what though? Like that is something I personally really appreciate appreciate about you, Andy, is just there is a tenaciousness about you and even though like I think we're both similar in this way, of just things can really get us down, but damn it, we're going to keep trying. I feel like doodoo by the end of it, but you know what? Just keep showing up.

Andy: Yeah, definitely. I know. And that's the thing about this whole, you know, creating experience. Whatever you're creating or doing or plugging away at, like this is how it's going to be all the time. I mean, it's been said many times. It's such a cliche, but it's like you're going to try thousands of things and thousands of times and one thing will work, but man, just getting there is probably what keeps those people, you know, that are successful successful because they don't stop. I mean, I can't imagine where I'd be if I was like, ah, the Xbox doesn't work. I think I'm just done. You know, because I was at that point real early where I'm like, h, you know, I'm not buying a new Xbox just to stream. What do I care? But then uh I kept doing it and I was like I'm glad I care. It's been pretty fun. It's actually kind of fun.

Torin: Yeah. I even remember you I mean that was one of one of the funniest clips I think has ever occurred on your stream was during the Xbox days before your computer and and you know cam and everything of um what is the game? It's Family Feud, but is it Family Feud on the Xbox 2?

Andy: Oh yeah.

Torin: I don't remember the question, but something of what is Tarzan likely to call out our best friend or I don't remember.

Andy: Yeah, there was something I know that and it had something to do with like exactly like Tarzan or the Jungle Book or something where there was like animals involved and I didn't know anything about it, but I was like, "Oh, animals, whatever. Sure." And uh everybody in chat was just like, "Put elephant. Put elephant. It's got to be elephant." I'm like, "It's not elephant. There's no way it's elephant. Come on. What are you talking about? So, I didn't and then the other team took it and it was elephant and I just like left the room and yelled.

Torin: It was so funny and like enough where four years later, five years later, oh my god, it was and it's such I think a testament to how good of a streamer you are where we didn't even have a cam. We didn't have any way to even see your reaction, but it was so well done even just from a the voice, you know, proximity to mic of just you just hear it get fainter and fainter to door slam.

Andy: And it's just that's how it is though. I mean, you know, it's the best because I don't have to even think about it. It just happens. I mean, like getting jump scared or any of these reactions or whatever. I mean, that's the thing I love about a lot of the people we watch and you know, you included. It's like it's all just so natural. It's just out there, you know? We don't even have to like try or do it. Just happens. It's great.

Torin: Well, and I think now, don't get me wrong, at least for me, I definitely have to try. But in a in a different way like for sure cuz due to a lot of my content is due to the anxiety and OCD I have. There's a lot of things to overcome there of being live to a bunch of people and and almost worse that I can't see because I can't see their reactions.

Andy: Oh yeah, for sure.

Yeah. Uh or you know they're John Cena [John Cena arm wave]. Um, so but I was going to ask like you know it is so effortless in some ways and maybe that's due to trust but also a vulnerability to be yourself maybe. I don't know if that's-

Andy: Yeah, I don't know. I mean I think if I had started doing this when I was like 20 I would have been embellishing stuff and playing a character and you know just going over the top. But man, coming home from work every day and getting on stream, it was just like, you know what? I've had 12 hours away from my house every day and I'm just too tired to do anything other than just be here. And so there's times when you know you're like just you because you have nothing else to be. You don't even have the energy to do or be anything else. And then there's other times when it's like, you know, you want to put on a show or do something different or special and, you know, the real you just kind of seeps out anyway. I mean, there's been a few times where I've tried to do like certain things on stream and it's like, boy, this was a good hour, but I'm going to do what I want to do for the rest of the stream now. You know, the person that like claws out, no. Oh, exactly. Yeah. A certain game or a certain whatever. I'm just like, no, we just got so funny. It's just so exhausting.

Torin: It really is. And you know, and I think I can absolutely empathize with that. And I think this is also due to like us both doing retail and service jobs for so long first. Oh man, there's, you know, you're not representing YOU in those jobs. You're representing the company you work for, right? And you have to be on your best behavior in a lot of ways, which some people that's totally cool and easy for them. Just me not being able to curse at work was rough. Yeah. So bad. So like is streaming then just the the unmask, you know, like the I can just let the belt loops loose. And I think both of us though, and it's interesting you mentioned that, both of us have not, you know, like a higher up that's telling us how to act or be or professionalism in that nature, but how we want our stream to be perceived though. So, like, you know, there's certain things we wouldn't do just because that's not how like I want my stream and I know that's not how you want your stream to be received.

Andy: So, um you know, yeah, definitely in in both ways. I could see it like cuz yeah, retail I'm in the warehouse, you know, it's game over, whatever. But man, I'm out on that sales floor. We all know the story. I'm making friends with people on the floor and stuff. It's great.

Torin: Yeah, totally. Gosh, that's so true. Um, so now now with your streams, there's at least what I observe and/or see is a throughput of no matter what it is, whatever game it is, if it's an event, um, there's a throughput that I see of just community, I think, is probably the best way to say it. At least what I think. And I said it, sure. Um just but but even like when people uh raid into stream for anyone who doesn't know what that is that's people visiting your stream from another channel. So it it would be like you turning on the channel but you can take your guest with you. Um even then when people come in and they're brand new, one of the first things you say which I think is very unique to you is tell me what y'all are up to. Like yeah, you know, promote what you're doing. tell me who you are versus like, "hey, I'm Andy. This is what I'm doing. Blah blah blah." You know, like don't talk about yourself because this is my time to shine. Your platform, if this was a stage, you know, you have big bright light on yourself, but then there's multiple lights popping up on everybody else.

Andy: Oh, yeah.

Torin: Like, would you say that's true? Is that your ultimate goal for what you do, or just that's just who you are? Like, where did that come from?

Andy: Yeah, definitely. Yeah, I I think that was well it was very like I don't know when I got on Twitch I knew nothing about the internet or Twitch or Twitter drama or anything at the time. So I had an idea of what streaming was and it was just get on stream, make stuff, you know, talk to people that want to talk to you, but people are just going to watch and enjoy. Um, and then when I found out like what a raid was, I was like, "Oh, so they're coming to my stream, but they don't really have a choice on the matter unless they leave the raid." So, it's like, you know, they're doing me these people now. They're doing me a huge favor by coming over here. And then I saw people like acknowledging the person that raids in and I said, "Oh, that's cool. What about everybody else, though? Cuz like if I go in on a raid, am I just supposed to sit and watch what's going on or like, you know, what is this all about?" So it it I've always been one interested and just fascinated in like everything when people have hobbies or interests or stuff they're working on. I think that's just really cool and I want to get excited about what they're doing and I want to get excited about new stuff. So that's always helpful to learn just something I might not know already about, you know, what they're creating. But then also it's like it gives people an opportunity to feel immediately connected to where they are. So, like if somebody comes in and they're a first-time chatter, I'm not pointing out that they're a first-time chatter, but I will give them an opportunity to be like, "Hey, this is who I am and this is what I do." And it's not like a transaction like if you have like a channel point thing, which I don't find a problem with that at all, but I also think it's like I don't want you to feel like you have to sit here and look at me for so so long before you're able to talk to me about stuff, you know? So, I just wanted people to feel like people in in my stream and I wanted to feel like, you know, I gave more people an opportunity to talk about what they were doing and everything. And so, like, it's just kind of it's so mutually beneficial, which is always like something I'll be saying, too, because I want it to not just be like, "Come in and look at me, come in and do for me, but what can I also learn from you and show to you?" And you know, like it's there's just so much about streaming that's like hopefully beneficial to anybody that watches a stream or is part of a stream. So yeah, that was all where that came from. And it was pretty early on, too. Like I said before, I knew about like Twitter drama, no self-promotion, and all that stuff. It was that just wasn't even a thought in my mind. And I, you know, I can understand people have rules and, you know, run your stream exactly the way you feel comfortable running stream. And this is just how I've always been comfortable running mine. So, I just kind of went with it, you know.

Torin: Yeah. And it makes sense when you think about it because absolutely agreed. And again, anyone's unfamiliar in Twitch, a lot of the people's channels will have rules like, hey, no self-promotion or anything like that, but at the same time, it doesn't I mean, I feel like your viewpoint makes more sense because at its core, it's a social platform, right? So the the thought of just you have a let's say an auditorium of 30 people and you're talking doing things presenting chatting back and forth and someone walks in and they're like no you could sit in the corner and say nothing like it makes no sense right oh man and and it like I said I think it's unique to you at least as the first thing that people say when like or sorry first thing that you say when people raid or new people come in And at least for me, I think it's really well done.

Andy: Oh, I appreciate that. Yeah, of course. Um, yeah. Weird. I wouldn't have stayed around as long, but no, like my s what am I doing here? Jesus. No, no, absolutely. It's a wonderful thing. And I have like your community. I think it's such a rare one because it is a big community but everyone is so different and we can kind of and we I mean as his audience can kind of form little groups around that and friendships. Um, it's it's wonderful and because realistically Twitch has so many people on it and it's really hard to make yourself stand out in any way. And you like even us too, we have at least people have told me and compared us as far as like how our streams go, how we are. And they're like, "Hey, you're like the female version of Andy." And I'm like, "Get out." Like, "No, Andy's the male version of me." No, I'm kidding. But yeah, exactly. Stop. But I really just wanted to give you accolades for that. And one other part that I think is very unique about your stream that I absolutely want to ask about is few but your music parts of it.

Andy: Oh yeah.

Torin: Yeah. I mean at least part. Well, and I feel like you know I mean I've been in your stream for what four or five years now and Yeah. Um, we've we've talked about music a little bit and it's never been like a focus of your stream because it's always been like just chatting or games or something, right? So, share with the class. What music parts do you have on there? There's a particular sound alert is what I'm thinking of.

Andy: There's there's just so much. And it's so funny because um I'll be recording a lot more just things and stuff and I have a lot of plans for that. But yeah, it's another one of those like it goes back to that whole if you're just feeling something, do it. And every now and then, like every couple of years, I'll just feel this urge to make all kinds of music. It's parody songs or jokes or just, you know, out out of this world kind of, you know, what are you thinking? What are you doing? You know, and I a good example is like the the raining tacos parody, right?

Toirn: Yep. That may have may have been the one I'm thinking about. I don't know.

Andy: Yeah, that one is crazy. Okay, so I do a song.

Torin: Yes, please.

Andy: Yeah, it's uh like there's no way to even explain how this even came about. Everybody has the raining tacos like I for a while I just kept hearing people have that alert. Like it was just a thing, a sound alert they played. It's raining tacos, you know, and my computer was broken for like a week or something. And while it was getting fixed, I was walking around just listening to streams and that song kept coming on. And for some reason, I changed the lyrics from It's Raining Tacos to It's Raining Season. And then I expanded on that song. And that was just for some reason, no reason at all, just why that, you know, became a thing. And then I made an entire song. I took the full version of that song and made a whole song with the lyrics and everything and just sang the just I mean I just like blew my voice out. Like I was sick for days after that because my throat hurt so much. Yeah. So I'm just yelling at in this room and I'm sure all the neighbors heard and everything but it was just like I mean I gave it everything. There was backing tracks and stuff. All of this attention for a just a joke that I thought of for two seconds. And the funny thing about creating that song or any just random thought you have that you're really just like locked in on. I've met several people that have the parody version as an alert and they came in my stream and were just like they had no idea. Somebody plays the song and they're like, "Oh, I have that as an alert, too." And I'm like, "Yeah, I made that one." And they're like, "Wait, what? There's no way." And then they look and see who up Yeah. They they up see who uploaded it and they're like, "There's no way this guy made what the hell." So we have that. We have the tuna song. We have all kinds of stuff and there's going to be so much more.

Torin: I cannot wait. Okay, just for the record, I'm going to ask questions about it cuz I definitely want to, but you don't have to answer if there are like secret, you know, music plans or anything like that. You know what I mean? Like don't share your don't share your secrets before you have time to capitalize on it. Um cuz it absolutely makes me laugh. For the record, I'm not going to make Andy sing it, though I wish I would. Go visit his Twitch chat and you'll find it.

Andy: Yeah, it's on Sound Alert. It's on YouTube. It's just one.

Torin: Is it on blurp now, too? Yeah, I think it is. If it's not, it should be. But I think it is.

Andy: It should be to do.

Torin: Make sure Andy on blurp. It cracks me up. And I think it's an at least for me, an irreverence of things. And like Weird Al, come on. Who doesn't like Weird Al pun music and and parodies and um so so thank you for talking about it by the way.

Andy: Oh, it's my pleasure so to speak.

Torin: I mean main thing not even going to lie that was one of the main questions I had. I'm like we have to talk about this. So Oh yeah. So with the with music and streaming now are you ever going to do a music stream do you think?

Andy: I've been trying to for a while it's very difficult um to get that stuff set up because um well for a while I didn't have the hardware for it and then the last year and a half I didn't have the privacy to do it anymore. So like you know when my brother my nephew moved in it was like oh well I gotta' make sure that I'm not just losing my mind in here while they're you know trying to sleep or go to work or whatever. So, um, I'm getting that back soon, of course. So, it's like, okay, I'll be able to do that again. And then it just comes back down to more of that hardware issue. Like stuff just moves fast and um, you know, it costs money to get that stuff set up. So, I don't know about like I'd like to do guitar streams and things. It's something I've always wanted to do and I will at some point. Um, but for now, it's looking more like just maybe some singing streams in the future or something like that. Um, but yeah, I've been syncing up audios and stuff and getting, you know, set up for more of that when the time comes in the next hopefully year or so, 2026 at some point.

Torin: I am so excited. Okay, perfect. Cuz I at least for me, it's always been, bro, I'm not a musician. Trust me, I tried in the 30 plus years I've been on this planet. It just will not happen. Like I can sing, but that's very different than actually playing a guitar or playing an instrument, you know, because singing you are the instrument, right? Um. Yeah. Yeah. And I I'm always fascinated and deeply not jealous, but very like like I love musicians and people who just get it, you know? So, when did you start first playing guitar or any whatever instruments you play?

Andy: Yeah. Um, I did like piano and trumpet throughout most of grade school. Um, and at the time I was just learning. It was mostly just a tool at that point, you know, like what is sheet music, what is music, this and that. And then what does mean? Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. Right. It was just deciphering, you know, hieroglyphics at that point essentially. Um, and then I in high school I developed a personality and started actually listening to music and deciding like what I wanted to actually do. And so my friends were like, "Let's try playing instruments." But see, my family like we didn't have like just instruments laying around. So I went to a couple of friends house. They all had drum sets and guitars and stuff. And I'm like, "How do you just have this?" So, you know, we just pick it up and mess around. And then through that I started, you know, just figuring out what I like to do. And at first I I played bass guitar because it just I don't know. It it was I liked all the variety that I could play because I like any type of music. I mean, I just like all kinds of stuff. So bass can really transcend a lot of genres. Um and you know, just through that I was like, I'll buy a guitar, mess around with that for a little bit. So definitely heavy into bass, but um yeah, probably I'd say 15 years ago or so, maybe even a little more, I started messing around on guitar and bass and just seeing what that was all about. Was there I know you like all types of music and we talked a little bit about that before, but is there a certain genre that you really like playing? Um like something that just connects more to you actually playing rather than listening. playing.

Andy: I would say if there is a genre, it would be transposing pop songs into more of like guitar-heavy songs. Um, yeah, because I mean like I I'll I'll play different genres or, you know, whatever the mood strikes because I've played all kinds of different things depending on how I'm feeling and whatnot. But I really enjoy like taking a song that has little to no guitar influence at all and putting guitar into that and just kind of changing the song a little bit. I think that's like my favorite thing to do and play. Is there one that is there one song that sticks with you or that you did and you were just like, "Fuck yeah." Um, man, there was a couple back in the day. I think um I did uh what's it called? Um Bad Romance by Lady Gaga. That was one of the first ones I ever attempted. Yeah. And it just it's even though it was the first one, it still feels like the best one I ever did. And I just keep going back to that over and over again. And you know, there's a lot of actual instrumental in that song. But um just putting like a distortion guitar on it. And the funny thing is like Lady Gaga is so like big into all kinds of genres as well and she likes a lot of metal influenced music and stuff like that. And then she did the, you know, I think like 18 years later or something like that along those lines, she did that um duet with Metallica, however long it was after she, you know, fame. Yeah, exactly. But I was just like, yeah. I mean, you know, she's wearing Iron Maiden shirts, but knows what Iron Maiden is. And it's just I've always felt this like, man, she really has, which I think is why she's so successful in the genre, too, because it's not just like pop music on the radio. It's pop music with some kind of like meaning and it flows really well and it's just I don't know. It's it's instrumental. So I I that was just one.

Torin: There you go. That's my sad attempt at drums. No. Um, and and to your point though, there's a a passion in there and yeah, uh, it it shines through really well regardless of how much, you know, marketing may be on top of it, you know, whatever it may be or fancy outfits. We all know she's drowning in money. Um, but what's that like? Uh, but no, I I was going to ask actually, you had mentioned the first one you played. Do you think that might be like akin to like when you first play a video game and that feeling that you always kind of want to recapture? You know what I mean? Like you like a lot of people for me I wish I could replay Dragon Age. Oh my gosh. Exactly. And so that's why uh I don't finish a lot of games cuz there's always some reason to go back to them, you know? I hate that about me, but I also love that. I'm like that, because I get picked on for that so much.

Andy: Yeah. I It's like that's why I never finished Banjo-Kazooie for so long. I'm like, that's one of my favorite games. And if there's always a level I haven't played, I'll always go back to it. And it'll always be something new. Like, it won't be cemented in my brain.

Torin: Oh gosh. You know, I I No, joke. Just as a little sidebar, um, started Horizon Zero Dawn, only eight hours in, my chat's already picking on me because I was like, what is literally every side quest I can do to avoid this? Yeah. Oh, yeah, for sure. I'm already enjoying myself. I don't want it to end.

Andy: Yeah. And that's Skyrim for me. I mean, I'll do anything but finish the game.

Torin: I mean, literally, have you actually never finished it yet?

Andy: I think I finished a mainline story quest and then uh you know, there was still all kinds of DLCs and other things out there. So, I'm just like, let's stretch it out. Well, and the good news about those games in Horizon Zero Dawn versus like Banjo-Kazooie, it is possible to do it.

Torin: Exactly. Yeah.

Andy: Yeah. Banjo-Kazooie, all those older games like just didn't have the capacity to right, you know, create an in-depth world universe. Yeah. Yeah. They did the best with what they had and it was great, but it really is just a lot of limitations of the past. And, you know, looking back on those kind of games, the ones that stand up, it's just amazing how they can even, you know, come close to the fun we have back in the day really because a lot of those games I'll revisit. I'm like, "God, I liked this. What the hell?" Now I'm like, so the ones that I revisit, I'm like, "Yep, this is very good." I'm like really appreciative of I know my underdeveloped brain me thought this was great. Yeah.

Torin: Oh my god.

Andy: There's some that I revisit. I'm just like, "What? How do you even play this?" I mean, maybe it it's rated, you know, like a child game because children are better at it than me and they can actually comprehend what's happening. Yeah. without glasses or for the most part. Yeah, exact. Right. Exactly.

Torin: Rather than arthritis developing, you know. Yeah. I feel like I did a full workout. All I did was play the first level of a game. My blood pressure-I was so tired after starting Horizon Zero Dawn because I don't know if you played at all, but there's a lot of emotion in that game. I was so tired like at the very end. I was like, "What are y'all doing to me?" Anyway, Oh, Andy. Oh, no. I got to tell you. Okay, so after I got done playing the second stream of it, I bruised my thumb. Oh, god. I shit you not. I shit you not. Cuz I had an Xbox controller, you know, attached to the computer. And part of the mechanic is she can sprint. So she runs as like a base movement, you know, but then she sprints to avoid monsters or, you know, whatever. I shit you not, man. At first stream, I picked up my drink that was cold and I was like, "Yeah, why is my mug like bumpy?" Oh, it wasn't the mug. It wasn't the mug, y'all. It was my fucking finger. Like, you know when you get like a deep bruise where it's like under the skin and it's like a little hardened part? Oh, yeah. Yep. I joke you not, man. Talk about getting older.

Andy: Like, yeah, that's that's brutal. That was a sad comment and especially compared to like I know we played N64, right? Like that. Oh yeah. What?

Torin: Like that thing was just a hard piece of plastic like Lego tensile strength. Yeah. And when I will never forget ever when I first played games with that controller. I didn't you know I was used to the NES controller. Yeah. So it was a square. It was like okay hand goes here teeny tiny little button and I hit buttons. Yeah. Exactly. And then I see this fucking trident and I'm like, "What? What do I do?" So, I put my hand on the side of both and then tried to stretch my thumbs into the middle. Yeah. As a child. And I just It didn't make any sense. And my dad's like, "I think you got to hold it like this." And I said, "Oh, that's I guess how you do it. I don't know." Honestly, begs the question, why was the one on the left there? You know, like for the D-pad. What? Yeah.

Andy: Yeah. I know they redid a lot of those controllers and they made them like normal controllers after that, but yeah, the first ones I don't know if they were trying to make a statement or what they were doing, but that was the craziest I've seen trident. Yeah. Yeah, exactly. Like what does this have to do with anything? What even is this design? A lot of extra space there for nothing.

Torin: Oh my god, I love it. Was there ever like a video game soundtrack that was your favorite?

Andy: Uh god, it had to be Golden Eye. That was just I mean that was some real like I I've never the because it wasn't just like okay we made music that whole studio was genius back in the 90. Rare was doing like all kinds of things that were just incredible but the music they did they actually incorporated so many of the old like James Bond songs into it and did just enough to make them new but also feel immersive and it like I mean you just felt that game with the soundtrack. It was so good and it's like to this day just some of the best music I've heard in games, you I mean, if you're going to call back to a long-standing, you know, franchise and you use music, it it's hard to kind of like it's hard to capture, you know, 50 years or whatever of of literal just cinematic masterpieces, I guess, because there's a lot of iconic music that came out and uh, you know, to do that in a video game. They haven't done anything like that since for any of those games. And I know Rare hasn't handled a lot of them, but like I mean that was just something I've never seen before in a game.

Torin: And I love that. Especially just world building, world encompassing. I'm not sure. It just it provides an experience that keeps you playing the game.

Andy: Yeah, for sure. Yeah, definitely. Like bad music can also take you right out of it. Yeah. Oh, exactly. if there's like a, you know, uh, music definitely helps a lot. Actually, a great example of this is Duke Nukem 3D cuz um, I never noticed this when I was growing up and now going back to it, I noticed it entirely. The 64 had a very limited capacity for what it could do, of course. So, you keep in all the good world building bits and everything like that, but they took out the music because the sound was not like they weren't able to keep the sound on the the cartridge. So, if you play Duke Nukem 3D on the PC, there's music. There's like sound effects in the atmosphere and things like that that are kind of along the soundtrack. Um, and then if you play 64, it's just there's a couple of background noises, but no music at all. and it's just really weird. Um, so yeah, music just helps so much more with the feel and the flow of games.

Torin: Now with your I don't want to say you only stream scary games, but it tends to be a favorite.

Andy: I don't know. Yeah. And it's funny because that just came out of nowhere too because I hated anything horror or scary beforehand, but then because I react and because it's just so like, you know, jump scary from not just the games, but sound alerts, too. It's like I've played more of those than that and simulators. I've played more of those than anything else in my life. I feel like

Torin: Yeah. And I feel like at least for me because I am also well maybe not also but I am a huge big baby about I can't I can't man and legitimately it's part of the sound design too which is obviously intentional but even things like phasmophobia just when you would play phasmophobia and play jazz music I was like I can watch it now.

Andy: Yeah. Exactly. And that was a big thing for me because there's three phases of phasmophobia that I've had. I've had the Phasma where there's just there's no sound in Phasma except for what's going on, which I think is interesting because as a game that you want to be immersed in the life of a ghost hunter or whatever, you probably wouldn't have music playing in general. So, I get that aspect of the game and why they do it. Um, but I was like, "Okay, so that was phase one. Just play the game as it is. Fine." And then I started playing like creepy like eerie music in the background like haunted house kind of like it wasn't anything that was going to stand out a lot but you just kind of like it would be in the back of your mind and you know it get your heart racing a little bit and stuff and it was very tense. So then I had that going and it was a lot of fun but also um I was scared regardless. So then I thought, okay, we can take that a step further and just play jazz music in the background. So anybody just listening can kind of relax and hang out and listen to whatever's going on, but it doesn't amp me up enough where I'm not going to get scared of sound alerts and ghosts, right? I'll still I'm like chilling and then all of a sudden something scares me. It scares me big time. So it almost amplifies the scares to have just a relaxing It's a roller coaster. It's crazy. Yeah. So that's where that all came from.

Torin: But yeah, you know, and that's the thing is I swear I would be more scared because you were scared and it did the same thing to the viewer as well of just like ah this is oh my god. Yeah, exactly. I know. And it's so funny because like that is exactly I I get that so often where it's just like I'm only scared because you just jumped. You just got scared.

Andy: I'm like I know. I can't help it. And I always apologize for that cuz I feel so bad.

Torin: No, it's so funny. At least not to me. I don't think you should. That's very It's very funny. And just as a content creator, A+. Yeah.

Andy: There's just so many clips where I'm like I yell and then I'm like, "Oh, sorry everybody. I didn't mean Okay, anyway, moving on."

Torin: It's even better when it's a cascade, you know? Yeah, definitely. Like there's an initial freak out.

Andy: No, we're good. We're good. It's fine. It's fine. You know? Exactly. Just keeps repeating. Oh my god, it's so funny.

Torin: Oh man. And you know, honestly, I'm not sure how I want to phrase this question, but for me, even though I'm not a musician, I always need music playing. I don't know, neurochemistry, whatever it may be, are you like that? Like when you're not streaming or, you know, um yeah, life is very rhythmic, you know?

Andy: I mean everything like heartbeats and breath and you know everything is just literally rhythm right and that's I mean music has to be part of that I feel like and it's so mood dependent it's so like I think about this pretty often but if I'm sitting in a just a dead silent room then I'm thinking a lot more right and that's good if you want to think a lot more but if you want to focus in and work on something there's got to be music there's got to be like a convers there's got to be something else going on where I don't give my brain time to jump to the next thing or not. So like if I'm sitting here and I'm working on like writing something out or I'm, you know, scheduling stuff out or doing anything PC related, working on, you know, an overlay or whatever I'm doing, if I'm also listening to music or a stream or a YouTube video or something, it's like, okay, I hear that, but I'm also over here. If I don't have any of that, then I'm like, I could be going downstairs and doing this thing or maybe I should think about doing this or how about playing this game, you know, but I don't have time to even do that if I don't have music and stuff on. So, it just kind of helps you move and do things, you know?

Torin: And that's the thing. It's like I don't know about you, but when when it gets quiet, Yes. the brain, my brain doesn't stop either. It's like just a cacophony of different ideas like, well, you could do this. Well, you should do this, but what if we could do this? Yeah. And at least for me, I can't control it. like it doesn't matter if it's silent then my brain at least is like and just throws at me and it's horrible. Um is there any particular sound or not sound song and or album that you kind of always return to when you're looking at music or want to keep replaying? I know you said it's mood dependent but yeah

Andy: um anything Iron Maiden really. I mean that's just the band I can listen to anytime. In fact, that's that's kind of like my danger music where like uh if I listen to that, then I'm like, "Oh, I got to listen to all of it." You know, it's just feels like danger music. Yeah. Oh, cuz I literally say that when I'm walking because if I have everything on like shuffle, I'll just, you know, song here, song there, all the genres, and then I hear like an Iron Maiden song like, "Nope, got to start that album from the beginning and listen to the whole thing." I mean, I just get locked in. Yeah. So, it's definitely that like I'll go back to that all the time. Yeah.

Torin: Is it something like kind of like we're talking about, you know, you want to reexperience your favorite game again for the first time? Is it something like that? Like when was the-I mean I know there's multiple obviously Iron Maiden albums, but like does it ever kind of go like that for you when you hear it? It kind of evokes that like first experience of this was the best fucking thing I ever listened to for the first time.

Andy: It's weird. It brings back a lot of memories of listening to it in pivotal times of life where you just kind of come online and think about this and that. So I remember the first three songs I downloaded off of like iTunes when that became a thing and like I just remember just like looking at a laptop and telling my mom about it and we were just talking about it and downloaded that or then you know playing like a game uh after school or something and listening to it on an MP3 player. Yeah. And like stuff like that. Like just things like that. It's there's so many songs tied to that kind of stuff. And then there's this one song, Strange World, which sounds so little like Iron Maiden, but it's just such an atmospheric song and it's just something that I really love. Um, and I would listen to that all the time on the drive home through the woods after like working nights at my catering place. And it was just one of those things, you know, you're just in the middle of nowhere and there's stars and there's the song and it was just like a memory I'll always go to. like you can't have it again, but you can feel that kind of vibe, you know? So, yeah. Absolutely. Yeah.

Torin: Totally. I love that. And I love that you talked to your mom about it. That makes me so happy for some reason. Yeah. Know, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say she's not an Iron Maiden fan or question.

Andy: Not really. She likes a lot of that kind of music. Well, she likes just music in general. I mean, she's always trying to go to Metallica concerts and stuff like that and just see things and do things. But, uh, yeah. Yeah. I mean, she's like me. She'll listen to just anything. Literally.

Torin: You had to get it from somewhere, right? Oh, yeah. Definitely.

Torin: Yeah. That's so cute. I love that so much. You know, and and for me, it's always the first two Linkin Park albums. Like, that was probably those two CDs were probably the ones that I first listened to all the way through. Yeah. You know, like there was no song on there where I was like, "No, skip."

Andy: I love that. Yeah. That's a special kind of album, too. Especially these days.

Torin: Yeah. Right.

Andy: You know. Yeah. It's all about singles now. I swear.

Torin: You know, and that was kind of the weird thing. It's like I don't know. This might be a dying experience maybe, you know, cuz like for us millennials, that's still a thing. Like it wasn't records, but it was CDs. And you know, a set curated experience from the people the band. Sorry. The people some people somewhere. The fuck are they? Specifics. Uh, the band, the curated list. Oh my god. You know, and that's kind of this is a weird just how my brain works thing, but it kind of makes me feel like a weird insight for us now that we are also content creators.

Andy: Yes, definitely.

Torin: A throughput to music and things like that because you know YouTube has playlists, right? And I know you've got multiple YouTubes which the playlist, you know, blah blah. We always watch it. Yeah, it's great. Anyway, enlightened moment.

Torin: So, um I definitely want to ask though with not that I'm trying to lead you anywhere. No, who would do that? um with your music streams and and your love of music like do you think or could you give us some insight maybe into what you would want to do as a music stream maybe?

Andy: Oh yeah, totally. Yeah. I if I had my way of doing what I wanted to do, I would have um just a full-on couple to three hour long like kind of like a concert, like a production of just, you know, you can come in and I'll be playing a song and we'll talk a little bit after the song. you know, there might be a list of songs to play or whatever, or just a complete set list or something, but just put on like just a show like that where I could play guitar, have a backing track, um, you know, sing some stuff or whatever, but like it would be a whole experience of different songs. And I've thought about this many times where, you know, like maybe one Friday night or Saturday night every month to do just, oh, this is the, you know, the 80s throwback concert or whatever. this is the, you know, karaoke night kind of thing. This is the, you know, Iron Maiden set list, whatever. But like just something like that cuz I would love to do that. I got a lot of the physical like in room stuff to do that. I don't have the uh the plugins yet for everything, but I mean, you know, partly there. So, that would be the idea. Yeah, absolutely.

Torin: Um, I have to ask what would be the like curated 80s playlist that you would have for us if you could, you know, pull it out, you know, just Yeah, I I would uh parts. Yeah. Just it's, you know, you'd have to have like Take on Me on there. You'd have to have some Hall n' Oates or something.

Andy: You'd have to I mean, there's just so many. So, you know, and you could just go down the list of so many songs. But yeah, it it would be like just a if you had a top 80s songs, you know, pop songs or uh alternative songs or something like that, I would be just going down that list. We've heard most of them on the uh on the stream really. A lot of them I discovered even on the stream. Actually, some of the ones, man, I swear like the playlist just goes and does its thing and I'm like, "Oh, that's a song I want to hear from now on." Sure. I'm like, "I don't know. Add this into rotation 40 years later." And you know, you're right. But that's another good thing about the like I those Minecraft streams we were talking about like the before camera, I would have the music playing and I'd be sitting there thinking like this is like an awesome song. Why have I never heard this? And it would just be on that 80s playlist. Yeah. And the internet being like, "But have you heard this one?"

Torin: Oh, yeah. I know. I personally would be very happy if you had like an 80s night every once in a while. Oh, yeah.

Andy: Yeah. I definitely want to do something like that. I think that would be just really really fun.

Torin: Mhm. I think it would be especially just get an Andy concert. Now, would you ever play original things?

Andy: Um, maybe. I I had a whole lot of stuff before, but um it's hard to like I don't know. It's hard to put all that stuff together and then be able to to play it in a way where it's like interesting to like I know there'd be a few people that be like, "Yo, this is great." You know, but then would it be the energy I'm looking for either because I mean I definitely think I could throw one or two in here and there, but I don't know if I even have the ideas fine-tuned enough to want to play them live, you know? I mean, I recorded a whole bunch of stuff back in the day and I put it on like MySpace and we had CDs and stuff like that, but it was still just like Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. Right. It was still just like, man, this is something that we could play live, but why would we, you know? So, until there's something that I'm like, yeah, this is this has got to go out there. Yeah. That's always been the big fun thing about recording music for me. It's like I love the thing until I fine-tune it and perfect the recording enough to the point where I'm like I'm tired of hearing this and playing this.

Torin: No, I get that. And and you know, do you think maybe that's a uh like I think we all kind of suffer from this turning our hobbies into work thing.

Andy: Uh yeah, definitely. Yeah.

Torin: Yeah. Do you kind of not fear that, but maybe that kind of infects an idea of music for you?

Andy: Um, yeah. I think I think it's just the, you know, the critical aspect of it, too. It's like, how am I going to put this up to the, you know, the things I just listen to from all these great artists. You know, what am I even thinking, Andy?

Torin: You know, but that's that's just how it is, though. No, it is. And I say, "Oh, Andy," as a friend, not as a I do the same exact thing. Yeah.

Torin: Yeah. It's just so hard to get out of your own way with that kind of stuff, you know? And that's how it's funny cuz I talk about it all the time like just do stuff and then I'm sitting here like ah why would I just do stuff you know? Well ways like I feel like cuz even playing a video game is such in a way a more universal experience but it's an experience that you are going on a journey that someone else has set for you. Yeah. Versus something like music and or singing where you could be laying those tracks down. That was not a pun intended, but now it is. I'm so smart. But

Torin: Jesus. No. God. But but legitimately, like especially your own stuff like your own music, your own songs, that kind of thing.

Andy: Yeah, it's, you know, it's such a different thing. like I don't even know how how I'm trying to explain it but maybe imposter syndrome or it's just you know you see what you your standard or your goal would be if you had like I have that talent or that time or that money or that investment or whatever it might be and you know just go well I can't do that. Yeah. Yeah. My problem is I always see a song and I think that's an incredible idea and I didn't think of it, you know. So like why am I not able to come up with stuff like that? But yeah, it's it's always tough.

Torin: Yeah, it's so felt though, you know. And that's the thing though. I really think I was talking to someone about this yesterday actually. no this morning about voice acting and just I personally wouldn't have become a voice actor without my Twitch community literally and and having those people that you know are excited for you no matter what you're doing because you're excited and I'm just saying if you ever did start putting your throwing stuff out there. I would have little Andy flags like, "Yay!"

Andy: Yeah. I you know, and I feel that too. It's just, you know, the other tough thing about it too is like I say, it's so mood dependent and stuff. I jump around from what I want to actually create. I even had the idea to make like an everything album, which makes no sense, but it was like, you know, I would have just a song from all these different genres that I enjoyed. And it was just record this and just by the end of the album you're like how did we get here?

Torin: You know Andy, I would be so fucking on board with that. You don't even know. I would even draw an album cover for you that is an everything bagel. Like what?

Andy: Oh, that'd be cool. Actually, that's genius.

Torin: I thought that's where you were coming from. And we'd have to have cream cheese coming out of the hole. That'd be perfect. I mean, of course. Come on. And I'm imagining like like you know like the ' 90s cartoon feel of things like like um uh uh oh shit what's that one band? Um Oh, Help. Kids aren't all right.

Andy: The Offspring. Yeah.

Torin: Yeah. Like but you know there there one album that I will not remember the name of, but The Kid on the Swing. Yeah. Yeah. Like that kind of art style, but it's an everything bagel and Yeah. We got to make it and then maybe even like the back of it if it was a CD like the open like the two open halves. Yeah. Oh yeah. True. Yeah. Wow. God. You know what? That's got to be the inside cover. Hold on. I amend my statement. That is wild, though.

Torin: I like I mean this is just like I it's amazing seeing people like just work on something together out of nowhere and it just kind of it happens. It's so wild how that works, you know. Even though but but that's kind of like I don't know. I've had the weirdest evolution about streaming in the last two months or so of and and I think you and I are similar in this vein of we we both view our Twitch streams as our spaces like we control them we are responsible for them we take that very seriously and at least for me in the past it's been a very barrier too because I fear collaboration in some ways because of that. Oh yeah, 100%. And and I'll tell you, Andy, I've had this, like I said, a weird evolution on Twitch. I just got four book deals because of it. Random people that I've talked to in chat, I shit you not, man. And it's such a it's such a weird feeling that I'm trying to embrace with, you know, faith, I guess. I'm not sure. a you can let go a little bit. Yeah, for sure. Mhm. For sure. It's such a It's such a weird thing. But so anyway, on the table at any point, if you want weird album covers, I got you, friend.

Andy: I think we're-Well, we're definitely I mean, like I said, I'm going to record a whole bunch of stuff in the next couple of months, too. So, I think uh that would be a very good idea, actually. Okay.

Torin: And I swear we're getting towards the the last question, I promise. But um slight little swing here, but you've been doing video editing and you've done it for me, which by the way I can never thank you enough for.

Andy: No, I can't thank you enough. You kidding me? Stop.

Torin: No, but seriously, like I never would have done anything on YouTube without it. But um do you think you would ever do that with like music and/or music editing or anything like that?

Andy: Yeah, I used to a lot. I love it. I uh Yeah, I used to do that stuff all the time with bands in the local area and everything. I mean, you know, nobody could afford to go to like a whole, you know, studio and production company or anything like that. So, you know, we just learned the tools at the time. I'd have to I mean, there's it's so much diff more advanced than it used to be. And um you know, it's like it's very overwhelming. But I will say learning like Da Vinci and learning OBS and things like that, how I've kind of shifted gears from just like throw something in there and you know make exactly what you want to how I do things now with editing and all that where it's like okay start here and then go here and then start back at the beginning again and see how you would do it differently or better or add other things, you know? So that's kind of been how I'm gonna tackle like producing any kind of music nowadays. Whereas before it wouldn't be like that. Before I'd be like, I'm just gonna, you know, bang my head against this program forever and, you know, just hope it comes out the right way. So yeah, I I think uh you know it was very overwhelming to look at the new stuff, but now with like a shift in mindset on how to like learn it and do it, I think uh I'm definitely interested in going in and doing that more almost more than recording live instruments because um recording live instruments like that's just a feel thing, you know, you do what you got to do, listen to it back, see if you can do it better or different or whatever. But when you're producing something that's already been laid out, it's like, "Oh, I can make this hit a little better, this flow a little bit, this smooth into that, you know?" So, I think that um that almost is more exciting to me than recording an actual song again.

Torin: Really? Okay. Maybe from like a collaborative standpoint, like Yeah, definitely.

Andy: I think if people have those ideas but don't have the tools to put them, you know, out I I don't think I'm, you know, some kind of sound engineer or anything, but I definitely get very excited about like, oh man, I really feel this part of the song or, you know, this this verse comes in a little different than the last verse did, or, you know, the way it all wraps up at the end. If you can like lift some of the the low-end levels or something and just feel it a little more like it just those little impacts definitely get me more excited than me sitting around and you know pretending like I'm writing songs again.

Torin: Oh my stop. No, but you know good to know. Yeah. But seriously like just even spoiler alert. No. Well hopefully by the time that this actually comes out it's not a spoiler anymore. Yeah. Um, but I um have another crazy hair-brained idea that I'm going to do some music for this podcast. Okay, let's go. Brace yourselves, everybody. Um, and would desperately need some help. So, yeah, for sure. That's awesome. Thank you, bud.

Andy: Yeah, definitely.

Torin: Oh, yeah. The implied question of you're going to help me, right? Oh, yeah. Cuz again, at the very beginning, we established not a musician, y'all. Me. No. Nope. Can't do it. Like it's something about like chords make sense. Strumming does not, which is so weird for me. Yeah.

Andy: Yeah. I feel that. You know, the funniest thing about that too is like I anything when it comes to drums is like I understand all of the the patterns, time signatures, and and things like that. Um, you know, I I love what I enjoy listening to as far as drum beats and, you know, the type of things that can get laid out on the songs, but I couldn't play them to save my life, you know, and it sucks. Like, I know what I want to do. I just can't do it. It's crazy. It's so wild. Like, why is this moving this way when I want it to move that way? And it's like, come on, arms. What are you doing?

Torin: You know, this wasn't intended to be my last question, but I will ask it as the last one. Just do you ever feel then like our lives are just kind of like being back to a little kid where you don't have the coordination to do something? Like you're trying to kick a ball and you just like kick the ground, hurt yourself like Yeah, totally.

Andy: Yeah, I mean throwing a baseball in my DC house, I was, you know, I one summer I didn't I didn't know why it wouldn't work. I couldn't do it right, you know. And then the next summer, zero practice, but I had, you know, that rhythm down or whatever, you know. I just kind of understood it a little better. maybe a little more strength or something and I could do it. But, you know, I just I always think back to that summer previous where I was like, I know what I want to do. I just physically cannot do this. I don't understand why. Yeah.

Torin: Totally. I'm only laughing because I feel like that all the time. Yeah. It's so like that with instruments. I mean everything like and even just I swear I have those moments of just like am I even coordinated and or smart enough to have accomplished this like I'm well into elder millennial age and then just just then the weird thing happens the flip side of I talk to someone else who's like I want to do that and then I start talking to him about it because I'm like oh I'm interested I want to hear it. Yeah. And then you realize oh maybe I'm a little further than I thought I was.

Andy: Yeah, I know. Well, it go. That's the life of a creator, right? At any level, it's like you are literally just at your spot and nobody else will ever know what that's like. People will be looking at you and saying, "Man, I can't wait till I get to that point someday." And then other people will be like, "Man, you're really just starting out now." And it's just it just depends on the journey you're on and where you are, I guess.

Torin: But yeah, nobody's going to understand it better than you do, you know?

Andy: Yeah. Oh god, I really do.

Torin: Um, honestly, Andy, like I said, I had some other things, but you know what? I think that's a very good place and and almost inspirational to to end at. You're only where you're at. Nobody can understand it. Good luck.

Andy: No kidding.

Torin: You're just lost in a sea of confusion. People cheer you on, but they don't they don't know. They'll never know what you feel. God, no.

Torin: All right. Actual last question. What based on however you're feeling right now and you're not gonna hurt my feelings, I swear. Just what song would you want to listen to or what playlist? Um

Andy: Oh god, I wish it was released. The freaking um that Ava song uh Emotions. They did a cover of um or I guess not a cover, she did um kind of like a remix or reimagining of that uh what is it? Abba song emotions I think. Um sing it. That one. Oh so good. And I just listened to it again the other day and I was like man I wish they could release this. That would be amazing. But yeah it's it's always one of those songs gets me like really just I don't know. I'm just happy listening to that song. It's so awesome.

Torin: Well and plus it's Ava Max. Come on.

Andy: Yeah. Anything Ava Max is great. Literally.

Torin: Oh my gosh. You know what? I'm gonna take that as a win. Thank you. Oh hell yeah. Definitely. Oh man. Well, Andy, thank you so much for hanging out with me and just just being willing to kick off this little project with me cuz

Andy: Oh, yeah.

Torin: The chat just says anxiety noise. Yeah. Well, I freaking I love this so much.

Andy: This is a great idea and um you know, I like I said, I just appreciate everything this and all that we've done together and will do together, you know. Yeah. No, me too. It's it's been like I know you said, you know, no one's going to know what you feel. No, but like no one's going to be where you're at. It's absolutely true. So, thus, you know, inferring from that, don't hold yourself back and/or feel like you were in a weird slump because of it, right? Like, let it be an uplifting, you know, you can only know where you're going to go. But truly, either because we started at the same time-ish or we're we're very similar. Uh, at least for me, I have always felt like I have a friend that can kind of get it when Yeah, for sure. when everything else feels like just, you know, a big black gray box of just like what? Yeah.

Andy: Oh, yeah. I know. Because if there's one person that knows what it's like to just, you know, just wake up and be like, it's time to go, you know, and go to sleep and be like, should have done this, should have done that, could have done this, you know, and I'm sitting there in bed like, oh, there's a computer just like a foot nope, don't do it away from me. I could just do this real quick. Yeah, exactly. So, I know. And nobody gets that kind of stuff, you know, cuz it's like we have so much time, but no time at all, you know?

Torin: Oh, shit. Yes, I do know. as I as I go, "Oh my gosh, it's already Wednesday. What just happened to Monday, Tuesday?"

Andy: Yeah. I don't know. I don't know. Anybody ever tells me I'm bored or they're bored or whatever and they have nothing to do, I'm just like, "How?" Yeah. How did you get there? Really?

Torin: Is that nirvana? Did you attain it? Yeah. Serious. I was like, "Man, you have no idea." Oh, man. Well, now, uh, this will be coming out in about March-ish time. So, is there anything that you want to make sure to uh talk about and or anything that you're planning on that you want anyone to know or just anything even going on now that will be on YouTube to view later?

Andy: There's uh the 7-day series of course where it's just, you know, a a different let's play each day of the week. Um, and it's a continuation series. So that gives people a chance if they like what game I'm playing on a Sunday, they can come back every Sunday and get the next part um without having to tune in every single day or whatever. There's going to be playlists, too, if you want to go back and watch some of your favorite retro games and things from the past. I'm working on that. And then there's also going to be a retro revenge series, which is games that I've done on YouTube that I haven't either completed or done all the way through or maybe just didn't finish. And I'll go back and play them again and finish them and like really work hard at actually understanding the game. So, that's going to be coming out on YouTube and um Hell yeah. You know, the stream is going to be streaming, that's for sure.

Torin: Yes. I only laugh because I'm like, "Yep, nope. That that train still keeps on going, doesn't it?" Oh, definitely. Well, man, thank you so much again. I really appreciate it. And um for anyone who wants to go find Andy's work, you can go to https://www.twitch.tv/andy_havok Um there's the link tree on there because I know you have multiple YouTubes, so please go check those out. They're very fun. Um, all of his content is incredibly entertaining and inviting and one of the best things to have playing in the background like while you work. I promise. Um, and if you don't believe me, well, shove off. Anyway, so that's how nice I am. Please everybody, uh, take care of yourselves as best you can. And this, you're going to love this. Uh, TTFN that's Torin Talks for now. Bye everybody. Have a good one.

[singing]
From topics A to Z via one, two, three.
You'll always be fun to me.
Your hyperfocus will never be mocked.
So, let's deep dive on to talk.