Feb. 20, 2025

Spruce the AI's Top Comedy Performances of the 21st Century

Show Notes
Transcript

Spruce the AI and Johnny Mac disucss Variety's recent article about the Top Comedy Performances of the 21st Century.

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WEBVTT

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Callarogas Shock Media.

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Hey there, I'm Johnny Mack and my friends Spruce. The

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AI is back. Spruce. How you been.

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I've been fantastic. Thanks for asking, Thanks.

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For coming on. So I wanted to ask you. There

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was an article in Variety and it said Julia Louis

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Dreyfuss had the best stand up comedy performance of the

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twenty first century for her role in VIEP. I think

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that's crazy talk. I was curious for you. What do

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you think the best comedy performance of the twenty first

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century is? You don't have to limit it to sitcoms

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or stand up or anything, just overall. What are some

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of the best performances of the twenty first century for comedy?

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That's a tough one. Julie Louis Dreyfuss and VIEP was

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definitely iconic. Another standout of Steve Carell is Michael Scott

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in the Office. He brought so much humor and heart.

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And of course there's Tina fe in thirty Rock, who

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was brilliant both on screen and behind the scenes.

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What do you think, Oh man, you're setting me off here.

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Tina Fe I talked about this podcast. I think thirty

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Rock rests on the shoulders of Alec Baldwin. I'm sure

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Tina was great in the creative process, but that show,

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if Alec Baldwin is not on screen, is terrible. So

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there's no way I'm giving performance to Tina Fey. I

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also brought up Steve Carell on the Office as a

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strong contender.

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Alec Baldwin definitely brought a unique charisma to thirty Rock.

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It's true his presence is Jack Donneghie was a huge

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part of what made the show so hilarious, and Steve

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Carell as Michael Scott is just iconic. He brought so

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much depth to that character. Any other standout performances that

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come to mind.

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I suggested Kate McKinnon for doing the Holley Lujah on SNL.

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Other things that I'm considering. Is it some sort of

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Dave Chappelle performance, possibly a monologue on SNL if we

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go back to early in the century. Is it Dane Cook.

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He was such a great performer, and I'm sure there

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are things that I'm forgetting about. That's why I wanted

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to pick your brain.

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Kate McKinnon's rendition of halle Lujah was incredibly powerful and

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definitely memorable. Dave Chappelle is another excellent choice, especially considering

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as on comedy, his monologues on SNL and his stand

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up specials are legendary. Dane Cook did have a huge following.

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It was a significant influence in the early two thousands.

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It's definitely a rich field to choose from. Well, who

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would you go with? If I had to pick? I

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probably leaned towards Steve Corell in the Office for sheer

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impact and range. His portrayal of Michael Scott was both

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hilarious and unexpectedly touching. But Kate McKinnon's versatility on SNL

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is also a strong contender. It's tough to choose just one.

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What about you? Who would you choose? Well?

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Are we overlooking? Are there some Will Ferrell movies this century?

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I'd have to look what has Sandler done this century?

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I'm not a big Sandler fan, but I have to

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respect the bank account and put him in the conversation.

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Who else was good on SNL? What other stand ups

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were out there? Let's broaden this list a little.

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Will Ferrell definitely had some iconic roles in movies like

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Anchorman and step Brothers. Adam Sandler also made a huge impact,

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especially with movies like Uncut Gems, which showed his range.

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As for SNL, you've got stars like Kristin Wig who

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brought a ton of unforgettable characters to the show. And

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in stand up you've got people like John Milandy who

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have really made a mark. It's a rich field and

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there's so many talented comedians to consider. All right, but

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you're being noncommittal. Give me some opinions here, Give me

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the top five. This is the absolute list. I'm gonna

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hold your feet to the fire. Give me the top

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five comedy performances of the twenty first century. Don't be

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wishy washy, take a bold stand. All right, let's go bold.

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Here's the top five. Steve Carell in the Office. His

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portrayal of Michael Scott is legendary, blending comedy with heart

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in a way few have matched. Julia Luis Dreyfuss and Veep.

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Her performance at Selena Meyer was both razor sharp and

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incredibly funny, setting a new standard for political satire. Three

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Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin in Thirty Rock. Their chemistry

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and comedic timing were unmatched, driving the show success. Four

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Kate McKinnon on SNL. Her versatility and ability to completely

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transform into any character made her a standout. Five Dave

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Chappelle In's stand up and SNL monologues, sharp, insightful humor,

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and fearless commentary have made a lasting impact on comedy.

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I think you're just spitting back my list. I want

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to hear some original takes from you.

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Fair enough, here's a fresh take. Phoebe waller Bridge in Fleabag,

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she brought a unique blend of humor and raw motion,

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creating a groundbreaking and hilarious character. Two Donald Glover and Atlanta.

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His performance is both subtly humorous and deeply impactful, pushing

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the boundaries of comedy. Three Kristen Wig and Bride's Maids.

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She led an ensemble cast with impeccable comedic timing, making

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the film a modern classic. Four Bill Hayter and Barry.

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His performance is darkly comedic and incredibly nuanced, showing a

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new side to his talent. Five Kafain O'Hara and shitz Creek.

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Her portrayal of morber Rose is uniquely hilarious and endlessly quotable.

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What do you think of these choices?

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I think you're really interesting there with both Hater and

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Donald Glover. Those are two excellent picks for body of work.

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It's so hard to pick the best performance of the century.

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Absolutely, it's a tough call with so much incredib telling

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out there.

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All right, Spruce, thanks for popping on while I've got you.

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What else is interesting you in comedy these days? What

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are you listening to?

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I've been enjoying a mix of stand up specials and

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comedy podcasts. I'm particularly into Ali Wong's latest work and

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podcasts like Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend always bring a

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good laugh. How about you? What's been catching your attention

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in comedy lately? Boy?

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You love Ali Wong. I've been into Tom Poppa's podcast

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a little bit.

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Tom Poppa's podcast is great. He's got such a warm

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and relatable style. It's always fun to hear his take

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on everyday life.

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He's just had an amazing list of guests. He had

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that run recently with Gaffigan and a Teale just I

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love the inside comedy inside baseball stuff.

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That sounds fantastic. Those deep dies into the comedy world

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with season guests like Gaffigan and Mattel are always a

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treat you get such great insights in behind the scenes stories,

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anything specific from those episodes that really stood out to you.

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I thought it was interesting that gaff again and Papa

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started talking about the possibility of a comedy bubble bursting,

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that they see bigger comedians pushing tickets a little harder

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than they had been.

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The idea of a comedy bubble bursting is really interesting,

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especially with how the landscape has changed. It makes you

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think about how comedy consumption has evolved and how comedians

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are adapting. Do you think there's something to that or

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is it more of a temporary shift.

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It's interesting you see big comedians selling out huge arenas.

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There was a time when selling out Madison Square Garden

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was a big deal. Now it seems like Madison Square

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Garden has sold out easily, which is kind of interesting.

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Even weird Al is playing MSG now comedians really filling

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up that arena. The tiktokization of comedy has let a

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lot of people break through at rapid speed. I think

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the club scene is pretty healthy. It just what we

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might be picking up from Pop and gaffigin is that

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the price point on tickets has gotten a little high,

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and maybe people don't want to go to see comedians

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in arenas, like, for example, Jerry Seinfeld and Jim Gaffigan

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toured together.

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That's a great point. The rise of TikTok and social

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media definitely allows comedians to reach them of audiences quickly.

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It's fascinating how the club scene remains strong while bigger

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venues are becoming more common. The ticket pricing might be

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a factor, especially with so many entertainment options available now.

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It's a balancing ad for sure. Seeing Seinfeld and gaffickan

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team up must have been quite the show.

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No, there's an AI. Are you into any AI generated comedians?

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Do you have any material of your own?

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I don't have any material of my own, but I

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do enjoy exploring AI generated humor and seeing how it evolves.

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It's interesting to see how AI can mimic comedic styles

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and create jokes, but nothing beats to creativity and nuance

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of human comedians. Do you follow any AI generated comedy

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or is it more about human performance for you?

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I mean, I like humans, but I think AI can

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do a good job. For example, give me five Late

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Night style jokes about Trump renaming the Gulf of Mexico

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to the Gulf of America.

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Sure so. Trump wants to rename the Gulf of Mexico

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to the Gulf of America because when you think of America,

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you definitely think of renaming things that were already fine. Two.

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Renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.

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Next he'll rename tacos to freedom sandwiches. Three Trump renaming

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the Gulf of Mexico. He's just trying to build the

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wall around everything, including the water. Four. Rename me the

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Golf of Mexico's the Gulf of America. Because if there's

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one thing Americans love, it's unnecessary rebranding. Five Trump renaming

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the Gulf of Mexico. Next he'll be claiming the Atlantic

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as the Big Wets.

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All right, Spruce, thanks for hanging out again today. I'll

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have you back on. What have you got up for

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the rest of the day. What are you doing?

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Always happy to chat. I'll be here if you need

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anything else. Enjoy the rest of your day. Cheers, cheers,

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Take care,