Blowing glass is a lot harder than it looks.
Let's talk about that.
♪ (theme music) ♪
- Goooooood Mythical Morning! - Now before we get started we wanna
remind you that we have another animated Song Biscuit launching
tomorrow morning.
♪ Lookin' down from heaven, I see my flat carcass in front of Seven Eleven ♪
Also we got another episode of Ear Biscuits, every Friday y'all.
(Link) This time it's Charles Trippy, out today on ITunes and SoundCloud.
- Check it out. - Now, when you're an internetainer,
you got to prepare for the day when nobody cares enough anymore to click
- on your face. It's what you do. - So, as you guys know we've been going
out into the world to search for what else we might be good at with a little
- help from our friends at... Geico! - Are you ready for another field trip?!
Yes! This time we decided to try glass blowing.
- It's time for... - (both) The Backup Plan.
♪ (dramatic music) ♪
(Link) Two thousand degrees... that's hot. Hot enough to turn glass into goop.
(Rhett) Josh Gelfind is a glass blower. He takes this fiery nectar and uses
ancient techniques to forge it into epic objects, like vases, lamps, flowers,
- and whatever that thing is. - (Link) Could this be our future?
♪ (dramatic music) ♪
- (both) Hey hey! - (Kevin) Hey, how's it going?
- Hey, I'm Link. - Nice to meet you. I'm Kevin.
- Josh. - Josh, this is your spot.
- Josh, I'm Rhett. - Hey.
- Thanks for having us. - Glass. Glass balls.
We call 'em spheres just to avoid any... you know.
How much money would you lose if Link fell into this table and broke all these?
- (Rhett) Cause that's-- - Likely.
There's like a seventy percent chance that'll happen.
- (chuckles) - There's a couple thousand dollars'
- worth of handblown glass here so-- - Oh snap!
Do you ever do that?
I prefer to wear glass, if I can get it over my head.
(Josh) Wear that thing.
Welcome to the future. It is the year 2045. I am WiFi connected to every other human
- on Earth. - (laughs)
Hello. I am Barry.
Hello, I also am Barry. All the Barry's are connected.
Would you like to pick some berries?
(sustained honk)
I didn't think it could make that sound.
- (higher sustained honk) - Wow! Woo!
- (high sustained honk) - You took it up a notch!
That could be an intimidating thing. If you have competition around here?
Because every morning you could just direct that towards the other glassblowers.
We're more of a community than a competition, so... but that would be the
callout. Like, "I need some help today!"
This looks like a beret. It's like, "Oui oui, monsieur!"
We don't have to make everything into hats. What is the best first test for a couple
of guys with zero hours of glassblowing experience?
The first thing I like to do is just get you comfortable handling the material.
It's 2,000 degrees at the end of a gathering iron.
- (flames roar) - (Josh) This is the hot shop.
(Link) Good gosh! It's like walking into Hades! If I were to grab that, it would
- sear and cook my hand... - Yes.
- Eugh. - (Rhett) Look in that thing!
(Link) Ooh, what did you do?! You just poked in there and pulled out a
- whole cauldron... - Yeah, so here you go.
Try turning this. And then... you wanna just keep turning while you blow.
♪ (rock music) ♪
Phbbbbt!
I'm gonna faint! Whoah!
(Link) Your whole body turned red!
- (Kevin) Turn hard and squeeze. - (Link) Phbbt! Phbbbbt!
- (Kevin) All right, stop blowing. - Ahh!
- Ready? Here you go-- - (Link) Blow?
- Squeeze, blow a little. Stop blowing. - (Rhett and Link) Whoah!
(Rhett) Hold the bubble!
♪ (rock music) ♪
Now, how hot is this right now? Like, if if I were to touch it with my lips.
- 8 or 900 degrees. - (Rhett) Yeah, I wouldn't advise that.
'Cause it's so tempting to either A) smash it or B) kiss it.
(Josh) That's where coordinating with your blow partner...
- He's my blow partner? - He's your blow partner.
Yep.
So, this last time I gathered up some glass and handed it off to you and you
made that bubble. This time, you wanna dab into the color.
(Rhett) It was time to graduate from simple bubbles to next-level
- glassblowing tactics. - (Link) It was time to bring forth
- a mythical chalice. - Do it, Link! Do it! Come on, Link!
- Blow it! Blow it, son! - (Josh) Keep turning, now. Keep it turning.
- Phbbbbbbbbbt! - (Josh) Aaaand stop.
- Yeah, okay, right. - (Josh) Keep turning, though.
- Keep turning? (gasps) - (Josh) So my expert opinion is that we
have a bubble in there. Now we're gonna let it cool to get another layer on it.
We're gonna be double layer bubble buddies.
- Double layer budda bubbles. - Nope. Double layer buddle bubbies.
- Double layer butter bubbles. - You got me screwed up now.
- (both) Double layer bubble bubbies. - Buddies!
- (Both) Double layer bubble buddies! - Yeah!
That's what we are!
Lots of turning. You're pushing a little bit. Lower your angle a little bit here
so you're touching your bottom, right? Does that make sense?
I'm getting an oven tan. Is that possible?
(Josh) You can get, like, red irritation from the heat.
- AKA "a burn." - And Link, if you screw this up,
- I'm gonna paddle ya. - (Josh) Let's use the jacks...
(Kevin) Let it sit, let it adjust. Yep, and then turn turn turn...
(Link) Open up for it. We gotta be able to drink outta you.
(Kevin) And then go ahead and take that back to the bench. Oh!
- (Rhett) Oh! Oh! Oh! - (Link) Touching the door!
(Kevin) That's okay, keep turning, come on out, come on out!
(Link) Keep turning, keep turning, come on, come out!
- (Kevin) Level, level! - (Link) Keep it turning.
- (Kevin) Keep it turning. - (Link) Keep turning. Don't panic.
- (Rhett) Whoa. Link, we're gonna lose it! - (Link) Don't panic. It's not over.
(Rhett) The bubble buddies are gonna lose it!
- (Kevin) Move over to your right. - (Josh) Don't panic. Keep it on center
- so it won't focus on that spot. - (Kevin) Help make it round. Just
go slow at start.
(Josh) Lifting pressure up, push and turn.
- (Rhett) Did the bubble buddies save it? - (Kevin) Yeah, there you go. Perfect!
- (Rhett) Oh, my goodness. - (Link) The tension is palpable. Oooh!
- (Josh) Wait for it. Wait. - (Rhett) Now?
(Josh) Yep! Might have to do more than one cut. Open and cut. Open and cut.
- (Josh) Open and cut. - Whoa!
Now grab your tweezers. Hold onto that and grab your tweezers.
Don't blow this, Rhett.
- (Josh) Flash, Kevin. - Look at that!
- (laughs) - (Link) We just added a handle!
- (roars) We made a chalice! - I didn't do anything!
♪ (triumphant rock music) ♪
- Woo! A little hot in there! - Woooo!
- (Josh) Nice job, guys. - (Kevin) Good teamwork.
- (Josh) Very good. - (Link) Boom!
That was the highest pressure atmosphere that I've been in vocationally...
Spin it! Put it in there! Come on, bubble buddy!
- Spin it! Keep it level! Keep it-- - I got a paddle!
- Bring it down! - That's some intense stuff! You guys
- deal with that every day. - (Link) Don't burn yourself!
Surely you're building up a lot of stress.
Every once in a while you have to just quality control and relieve stress
- at the same time. - Break some stuff.
- Yeah. - So... we can break some stuff?
- ♪ (bugle call) ♪ - (Rhett) That's right, ladies and
gentlemen, we present the first annual glass breaking gauntlet.
(Link) On your mark.... get set... break!
(Rhett) But first, a quick word of caution.
What you're about to see us do, you should not try at home.
Or anywhere, really. If you're not at home, still don't try it.
- Right. Our first sport was glassball. - (Link) It's a lot like baseball, but
instead of running around the bases, you just break stuff.
(Rhett chuckles) That looks so athletic! (laughs)
I haven't swung a baseball in a long time. Haven't swung a bat, either.
Let's get that clear first. You're swinging the bat; you're hitting the ball,
which is glass. Got it?
♪ (ambient music) ♪
- Yeeeeeah! Woo! - Switch up, bubble buddy!
♪ (ambient music) ♪
- (Link) That was a smacker! - (Rhett) Yeah! (roars) I'm a glassblower!
(Link) Felt good! That's so good!
♪ (ambient music) ♪
(slowed-down roar)
Woo! Glass, bring it on, glass!
♪ (ambient music) ♪
(roars) Meeeeeeeeeeeh!
How 'bout a higher sound? Meeeh!
No, that sounds like a woman giving birth.
- ♪ (classical string music) ♪ - (Rhett) Next up, glass bowling.
- Blow on my fingers. - We're bubble buddies, but
- that's kinda weird. - It is, isn't it?
♪ (electronic music) ♪
- ♪ (classical string music) ♪ - (Rhett) You feel that you're relieving
- stress sweeping? - I actually cleaning is a form of stress
relief for me. Gives me a sense of control, Rhett.
(Rhett) Hm. Ah, we're going to play some golf. Some glass golf.
- And of course we've got glass! - (Rhett) Look at that.
(Rhett) Do you think I can hit it? You think I can hit it?
- (Josh) I think you can. - Yeah, I think it'd be real funny,
though, if it just passed through two of the stems and didn't hit anything.
(Link) Yeah, I think it's possible. Let's see what happens.
(Rhett) All right!
♪ (classical piano music) ♪
- (Link) Oh! - (Rhett laughs)
(both laugh)
(Link) You busted a light!
♪ (classical symphony music) ♪
We'll pay-- we'll pay you back for that, boys!
- (Link laughs) I can't believe that! - We'll pay you back for that!
- What did you do?! - I don't know, but we owe you a
- fluorescent. All right, I'm going again. - (Link laughs)
♪ (classical piano music) ♪
- (Rhett) Okay, all right. That was a-- - (Josh) Good cut, good cut.
- (Kevin) Practice, practice. - (Rhett) Practice swing.
♪ (classical piano music) ♪
(Rhett laughs) Okay, all right. Well, you know? I mean, ah... You get a mulligan.
(Rhett) I don't know. I don't know what to tell you.
(yells)
♪ (classical piano music) ♪
(yell continues) Yeeeah!
- (roars) Bubble buddies! - Yeaaaaaaaaah!
- Wooo! - I brought 'er down! Eat that, glasses!
(Link) Looking back on today, we really learned a valuable lesson.
(Rhett) That lesson is: Glassblowing is far more hot and stressful than making
- internet videos. - (Link) And glass breaking is strangely
- therapeutic. - (Rhett) We said goodbye to Josh and Kevin
and then the Bubble Buddies had one last thing to do.
All right, it's time for the Bubble Buddies...
- (both) to make their exit. - (Rhett) Three, two, one, go!
♪ (upbeat music) ♪
- We made it back. - Oh, you're still outta breath?
- Yeah, a little bit. - It looks like we're gonna continue to
be internetainers for the time being, but we're gonna be drinkin' outta this
- (both) mythical chalice! - No, me drink out of it.
- That's my side. That's my side. - Hey, we shouldn't pull on this thing.
- I dunno. We made it. - That's your side.
- The handle may come off. (slurps) - There's nothing in it. There's air in
- there. We're drinking air. - (slurps)
- We could put water in it. - Thanks to Geico for sponsoring this
episode. Go to Geico.com, where 15 minutes could save you 15 percent or more on your
- car insurance. - Thanks for likening and commenting--
- "Likening" and commenting! - (both) And subscribening!
You know what time it is.
Hi, my name is Parker from Westerville, Ohio. I'm on an Indo Board. And it's time
to spin the Wheel of Mythicality!
We've got a Tumblr! And if you're on Tumblr you should go check it out.
Click over there. Click over to Good Mythical More where we share our
first glass breaking experience as kids. Got into a little trouble.
Rhett swallowed a time bomb!
- (exhales) - Uh... I'm back. Hey, ah... have you seen
my time bomb? It was right here beside the Mythical Chalice.
(strained voice) Did it look like a cupcake?
- (ticking noise) - No, it looked like a time bomb.
Yeah, but it was black? Round, with frosting...
- Yeah? - And it had a little candle on top that
was lit... I was like, "That's a good lookin' cupcake. (burps, groans)
(explodes)
[Captioned by Caitrin: GMM Captioning Team]