The Musers — 2026-02-24
The Musers — 1310 The Ticket, Dallas | Tuesday, February 24, 2026
📋 Segments This Day
- Ticketstock 2026 Thoughts
- Trip Brillstein
- Observation Deck
- Trip Brillstein
- Observation Deck
- Ticketstock 2026 Thoughts
🎙️ Early Show Analysis
Here is the analysis of this portion of The Musers from 2026-02-24:
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Segments That Appeared
- Ticketstock 2026 Thoughts [00:00:00]: The hosts recap the Ticketstock weekend event held at the Plano Center. They discuss guests like Pudge Rodriguez, Sam Perkins, Charles Haley, and Stars coach Glen Gulutzan, and share personal highlights and fan interaction stories.
- Observation Deck (Gordo) [00:00:00 of that segment]: Gordo’s regular feature, sponsored by Generator Supercenter and Pilot George Aikar. He reflects on realizing he loves Yacht Rock after watching the Ticket Time Wasters perform at Ticketstock. The segment turns into a discussion about Toto’s “Rosanna,” “Africa,” and Michael McDonald.
- Trip Brillstein [00:00:00 of that segment]: A Gordo character bit in which a fictional member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team calls in to dismiss the 2026 U.S. men’s team’s gold medal win over Canada.
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Funny Moments, Gordo Bits, and Memorable Quotes
- Trip Brillstein bit [Trip Brillstein segment]: Gordo voices fictional 1980 Miracle on Ice “member” Tripp Brillstein, who claims he was a late add to the roster and doesn’t appear on any paperwork, was benched for breaking curfew, and was “the best pure stick handler on the team.” The character escalates absurdly, claiming the Soviets waterboarded goalie Jim Craig between periods, stabbed defensemen with knives, and put Mike Eruzione in a cage with a tiger. He also claims he stabbed Herb Brooks’s brother at a kid’s birthday party as retaliation for a prank war, and that the 2026 U.S. win was “predetermined by Vince McMahon.”
- Pudge Rodriguez watch moment [Ticketstock segment, ~00:06:00]: George recounts how Gordo interrupted the Pudge Rodriguez roundtable and, when he finally spoke up, asked Pudge how much his watch cost. Pudge shut him down with “Don’t worry about it.” George called it his favorite moment of the weekend.
- George pretends to fact-check Brillstein [~00:07:00, Trip Brillstein segment]: George deadpans, “Sure enough. Tripp Brillstein, U.S. Olympic hockey team, 1980. Mike Eruzione’s hero.” playing along with the absurd premise before breaking.
- Gordo on Herb Brooks pulling his teeth [Trip Brillstein segment]: Brillstein claims Brooks extracted all his teeth with “malfunctioning vice grips” while standing on his chest — “and I think he was making a point about tariffs or something.”
- Gordo in the Observation Deck [~00:00:45]: Gordo jokes about why he keeps getting put on roundtables despite being disruptive. George suggests it’s because Kent uses it as punishment — “and to us.”
- Notable quote — Pudge to Gordo: *”Don’t worry about it.”* [Ticketstock segment, ~00:06:45]
- Notable quote — Brillstein: *”We played and beat the Soviets, which is like beating roided-up Sasquatches.”* [Trip Brillstein segment]
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Sports Topics Discussed
- U.S. Men’s Olympic Hockey — 2026 Milan Games [Observation Deck intro, Trip Brillstein segment]: The U.S. men’s team beat Canada 2-1 in overtime to win gold. Jack Hughes losing two teeth during the game was mentioned. The Trip Brillstein bit was a satirical response to this win.
- Pudge Rodriguez / Texas Rangers [Ticketstock segment, ~00:04:52]: Pudge appeared at Ticketstock and spoke about his career, including his time with the Rangers. Clips were teased for 8:15.
- Sam Perkins / Dallas Mavericks and North Carolina [~00:06:57]: George raved about the Sam Perkins roundtable. Discussion touched on Perkins’s four years at UNC alongside Michael Jordan and James Worthy, his early Mavericks career stories, and the 1983 Pan-American team that won gold.
- College basketball era of the early 1980s [~00:07:44]: George reflected on the peak era of college basketball featuring Ewing, Olajuwon, Jordan, NC State’s upset, and players staying in school for multiple years.
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Debates or Strong Opinions Expressed
- Toto’s “Rosanna” vs. “What a Fool Believes” [Observation Deck, ~00:02:31]: Junior admitted he has never liked “Rosanna,” calling it not his “cup of tea,” while Gordo and George pushed back. Junior argued that “What a Fool Believes” (Michael McDonald/Doobie Brothers) was far superior and “blows Rosanna out of the water.” Gordo, who used to hate Michael McDonald’s voice, admitted he came around on the song after overseeing Mush Mouth rehearsals.
- Weezer’s cover of “Africa” [~00:04:07]: Junior said he prefers Weezer’s cover of Toto’s “Africa” over the original.
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Recurring Bits, Characters, or Inside Jokes Referenced
- Trip Brillstein: A recurring Gordo character — a fictional, delusional sports figure who inserts himself into historic events and takes credit for them.
- Mush Mouth: Referenced as a Ticket character/bit based on Michael McDonald’s mumbling vocal style. Gordo oversaw rehearsals for a Mush Mouth Ticketstock performance. A clip was teased for 8:15.
- The Ticket Time Wasters: The station’s in-house band, which performed at Ticketstock on Saturday with a Yacht Rock set.
- P1s: The Ticket’s term for loyal listeners, referenced throughout the Ticketstock recap.
- Kent: Referenced as the show’s producer/manager who keeps putting Gordo on roundtables seemingly as punishment.
- “Don’t worry about it” drop: Pudge’s dismissal of Gordo’s watch question was immediately turned into a drop used on air.
- Steve in the Attic: Teased for 6:40 in the Observation Deck intro as “the strangest person we know,” suggesting a recurring character or caller.
- Jub Jam / Senior Source: Referenced as a recurring Ticket charity event. A fan donated $200 toward it at Ticketstock.
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Phone Callers
- Tripp Brillstein [Trip Brillstein segment]: A fictional caller (Gordo in character) claiming to be a member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team, calling in to dismiss the 2026 gold medal win. Not a real caller — this was entirely a Gordo character bit conducted on the “Ticket hotline.”
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Guests or Interviews
- Pudge Rodriguez (Ivan Rodriguez): Appeared at Ticketstock Friday night for a roundtable discussion about his career. Audio clips were teased for 8:15 on the same show.
- Sam Perkins: Former Maverick and UNC legend appeared at Ticketstock for a roundtable. Discussed his four years at North Carolina with Jordan and Worthy, early Mavericks stories, and the 1983 Pan-American Games.
- Charles Haley, Kevin Smith, Glen Gulutzan (Stars coach): Mentioned as Ticketstock guests, not discussed in depth.
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3-Paragraph Summary
The opening portion of this Monday edition of The Musers was dedicated to recapping Ticketstock 2026, held over the prior weekend at the Plano Center in Plano, Texas. The hosts — primarily George Dunham with contributions from Gordo and Junior — expressed genuine gratitude toward the P1 fanbase, sharing personal highlights such as a fan who donated $200 toward the Jub Jam charity event, a man who had known George’s late brother Tad, and fans who flew in from Florida specifically for the event. Notable Ticketstock guests included Hall of Fame catcher Pudge Rodriguez, former Maverick Sam Perkins, Charles Haley, and Stars coach Glen Gulutzan. The most memorable moment of the recap was George recounting how Gordo disrupted the Pudge Rodriguez roundtable and, when he finally spoke, asked Pudge how much his watch cost — earning the now-legendary on-air drop response: “Don’t worry about it.”
Gordo’s Observation Deck segment followed, in which he reflected on discovering his love of Yacht Rock while watching the Ticket Time Wasters perform at Ticketstock. This launched a spirited music debate among the hosts, with Gordo and George defending Toto’s “Rosanna” while Junior remained lukewarm on it, insisting “What a Fool Believes” by Michael McDonald/The Doobie Brothers was far superior. Gordo admitted that his longtime dislike of Michael McDonald’s voice had been reversed through repeated exposure while overseeing Mush Mouth rehearsals — a Ticket bit based on McDonald’s distinctive mumbling style. Junior also declared he prefers Weezer’s cover of Toto’s “Africa” to the original.
The segment concluded with the Trip Brillstein bit, one of Gordo’s recurring absurdist character calls. Brillstein presented himself as a forgotten hero of the 1980 Miracle on Ice team — a “late add” not on any official paperwork — who called in to express outrage at the attention being given to the 2026 U.S. men’s hockey team’s gold medal win over Canada in Milan. The bit escalated rapidly through increasingly unhinged claims: the Soviets had waterboarded goalie Jim Craig, stabbed defensemen mid-game, and put Mike Eruzione in a cage with a tiger; Herb Brooks had extracted all of Brillstein’s teeth with malfunctioning vice grips over a tariff dispute; and Brillstein had retaliated against Brooks in a prank war by stabbing Brooks’s brother at a child’s birthday party. George played the perfect straight man throughout, and the segment ended with George deadpanning a fake encyclopedia confirmation of Brillstein’s existence.
⏰ Mid-Show Analysis
Here is the analysis of this portion of The Musers (2026-02-24):
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Segments in This Portion
- Observation Deck (timestamp ~6:16 AM): Gordo’s regular commentary/reflection segment. He riffs on self-discoveries from Ticketstock weekend, 80s music videos, Yacht Rock, and the Ticketstock performance recap.
- Trip Brillstein (timestamp ~8:41 AM): A comedic bit in which a fictional caller, “Tripp Brillstein,” claims to be a member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team (Miracle on Ice), calling in to downplay the U.S. men’s hockey team’s gold medal win over Canada at the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics.
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Observation Deck
- Gordo opens by reflecting on Ticketstock weekend and self-realizations.
- He muses on why he’s still put on roundtables despite being difficult — George suggests it’s Kent’s punishment for him.
- Discussion of 80s music videos being largely unwatchable and cringe-worthy, with the exception of A-ha’s “Take On Me” (praised for its groundbreaking rotoscope animation mixing cartoon and live action).
- Toto’s “Africa” video is called out for “weird racial stuff.”
- Gordo announces he has come around on Yacht Rock and now has a Yacht Rock playlist, citing personal growth. He gives a formal apology to “the greater Yacht Rock community.”
- Gordo praises Michael McDonald and the Doobie Brothers, referencing a past moment where a person named Javier immediately named McDonald as the greatest singer going.
- Discussion of Junior (Craig Miller) performing harmonica at Ticketstock — he learned via YouTube, had to switch from a C harmonica to an A-flat harmonica for the correct key, and struggled with tempo before pulling it off.
- Junior’s leather pants were noted to be 25-year-old hand-me-downs from “Big Dick Hunter,” never cleaned.
- George is praised as the most working musician among the hosts; a classically trained singer named “Daddy” is also praised.
- A guest performer from an Ozzy Osbourne cover band called “Blizzard of Oz” was brought in by “Catman” and impressed everyone. George was pranked by Monty and Mino into thinking the man was a new board op for the station and believed it for about 30 minutes.
- The Ozzy impersonator performed “Bark at the Moon” and possibly “Crazy Train.”
- Gordo recaps the Ticketstock AMAs, noting he walked into several awkward situations with the wireless mic, including interviewing a widow and a one-armed woman. One woman reportedly collapsed sobbing into her boyfriend’s arms after the interview; Gordo insists she was “collapsing with joy.”
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Sports Topics Discussed
- U.S. Men’s Olympic Hockey — 2026 Milan Winter Olympics: The U.S. beat Canada 2-1 in overtime to win gold. Jack Hughes losing two teeth during the game is mentioned. The hosts treat it as a legitimately impressive achievement.
- The Trip Brillstein bit frames the win as a springboard to compare it (unfavorably, comedically) to the 1980 Miracle on Ice.
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Notable Debates or Host Disagreements
- Mild debate during Trip Brillstein segment: Craig/George push back on Brillstein’s dismissiveness toward the 2026 U.S. team, defending the win as legitimately impressive, while “Brillstein” insists Canada is soft compared to the Soviets.
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Funny Moments, Gordo Bits, and Memorable One-Liners
- Gordo’s formal apology to “the greater Yacht Rock community” after years of dismissing the genre.
- The leather pants bit: Junior’s 25-year-old, never-cleaned, hand-me-down leather pants originally belonging to “Big Dick Hunter.”
- Gordo on the pants: *”Did you get to thinking about how many nights of ball sweat those leather pants have seen in their Time Wasters history?”*
- George believing for 30 minutes that a skilled Ozzy impersonator was a new overnight board op.
- The entire Trip Brillstein segment is a comedic escalation of absurdist lies:
- Claims to be the “star” of the 1980 team but was benched for breaking curfew.
- Says he could skate “from goal to goal in under a second.”
- Claims the Soviets waterboarded goalie Jim Craig between periods and stabbed defensemen with knives.
- Claims Mike Eruzione was put in a cage with a tiger during the third period.
- Says Herb Brooks extracted all of his teeth with malfunctioning vice grips while standing on his chest, “making a point about tariffs.”
- Escalated a prank war with Herb Brooks by stabbing Brooks’ brother at a kids’ birthday party.
- Claims the 2026 result was “predetermined by Vince McMahon.”
- Signs off by wishing one of the hosts a happy birthday and complimenting Ticketstock.
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Phone Callers
- Trip Brillstein — a fictional caller (voiced by Gordo) claiming to be a member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team, calling in to disparage the 2026 gold medal win over Canada.
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Pop Culture, Music, and Non-Sports Topics
- 80s music videos broadly criticized as unwatchable cringe.
- A-ha’s “Take On Me” defended as a genuine classic for its rotoscope animation technique.
- Toto’s “Africa” video called out for “weird racial stuff.”
- Gordo’s Yacht Rock conversion discussed; Michael McDonald and the Doobie Brothers praised.
- Reference to “Turtle Man” (the Animal Planet reality show personality) — hosts hope he’s still alive.
- Ticketstock recap: performances, AMAs, fan interactions.
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3-Paragraph Summary
The Observation Deck segment opens with Gordo in a reflective, post-Ticketstock mood. He riffs on 80s music videos being largely embarrassing and unwatchable before making a personal announcement: he has converted to Yacht Rock fandom and formally apologizes to Michael McDonald and “the greater Yacht Rock community.” The hosts then recap the Ticketstock performances in some detail — Junior’s last-minute harmonica crash course for the show, the revelation that his leather pants are 25-year-old, never-cleaned hand-me-downs from station legend “Big Dick Hunter,” and the surprise appearance of an Ozzy Osbourne impersonator from a cover band called Blizzard of Oz, brought in by “Catman.” George was successfully pranked into believing the impersonator was a new overnight board op for nearly 30 minutes. Gordo also recounts his adventures with the wireless mic during the Ticketstock AMA portion, sheepishly acknowledging he stumbled into some emotionally loaded conversations.
The second major segment is the Trip Brillstein bit, a fully comedic fake phone-in segment pegged to the real news of the U.S. men’s hockey team winning Olympic gold over Canada 2-1 in overtime at the 2026 Milan Winter Games. “Tripp Brillstein,” voiced by Gordo, claims to be the unheralded star of the 1980 Miracle on Ice team — a late roster addition not listed on any paperwork, benched for curfew violations but clearly the best player. He is utterly dismissive of the 2026 victory, insisting the Canadians are soft pushovers compared to the evil, knife-wielding, tiger-deploying, waterboarding Soviet team of 1980. The segment escalates beautifully, with Brillstein claiming Herb Brooks yanked all his teeth out with malfunctioning vice grips while standing on his chest to make a point about tariffs, and that he escalated a prank war with Brooks by stabbing Brooks’ brother at a children’s birthday party.
Taken together, the two segments represent a classic Musers morning blend: genuine warmth and nostalgia around a station event (Ticketstock), a real sports news hook (U.S. Olympic hockey gold), and Gordo’s comedic absurdism at its most committed. The Trip Brillstein character is a well-executed bit — a braggart whose claims grow increasingly ridiculous while the hosts play straight men, allowing the comedy to build naturally. The Observation Deck, meanwhile, gives a candid and affectionate behind-the-scenes look at Ticketstock while also delivering Gordo’s trademark random philosophical tangent, in this case a sincere conversion to the Church of Yacht Rock.
🏁 Final Hour Analysis
Segments in This Portion
- Ticketstock 2026 Thoughts (appears first in transcript order despite label): The hosts reflect warmly on the just-concluded Ticketstock weekend at the Plano Center, discussing guest appearances, fan interactions, the Time Wasters performance, and memorable moments with celebrities like Pudge Rodriguez and Sam Perkins.
- Observation Deck (teased at the end, ~[00:08:59]): Mentioned as coming up next but not included in the transcript. George signs off this portion by saying “up next we do have Gordo and the Observation Deck.”
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Sports Topics Discussed
- Pudge Rodriguez’s roundtable appearance at Ticketstock, including discussion of his Rangers career and World Series memories
- Sam Perkins’ stories about his time at North Carolina alongside Michael Jordan and James Worthy, his early Mavericks days, and the 1983 Pan-American Games gold medal team
- Charles Haley and Kevin Smith were mentioned as Ticketstock guests
- Glen Gulutzan (Stars coach) appeared at Ticketstock on Friday
- The legendary early-80s college basketball era (Ewing, Olajuwon, Jordan, NC State upset, etc.)
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Funny Moments or Memorable Gordo Bits
- [00:06:20] Pudge shuts down Gordo: During the Pudge Rodriguez roundtable, Gordo interrupted George’s question to ask Pudge how much his watch cost. Pudge’s stone-cold response — *”Don’t worry about it”* — became the highlight of the weekend. George noted it as his single favorite moment from the two days.
- [00:01:51–00:02:00] Gordo acknowledges his roundtable annoyingness: Gordo semi-self-deprecatingly admits he’s aware of how annoying he can be on roundtables, right before the Pudge watch story confirms it.
- [00:10:50–00:11:24] The leather pants discussion: Gordo raises the question of how many nights of “ball sweat” Junior’s leather pants have seen in their Time Wasters history. Junior reveals they were hand-me-downs from “Big Dick Hunter,” prompting Gordo to marvel at the layered history of crotch action embedded in those pants.
- [00:14:47] “A widow, a one-armed woman”: Gordo briefly and hilariously catalogs the “bear traps” he stumbled into while working the crowd with a wireless mic — including apparently making a widow cry, who then collapsed sobbing into her boyfriend’s arms after Gordo walked away.
- [00:15:28] Gordo reframes the crying: True to form, Gordo insists the woman was “collapsing with joy.”
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Other Notable Moments
- Junior’s harmonica story [~00:09:23–00:10:20]: Junior (Craig Miller) learned harmonica via YouTube for the Time Wasters performance of “Desire,” had to buy the correct key harmonica (A-flat instead of C), and nearly dragged behind tempo at Thursday’s rehearsal. Gordo praised his performance and went out to the soundboard area to watch it live.
- George’s Yacht Rock conversion [~00:02:00–00:09:01]: Gordo describes being converted to Yacht Rock — specifically Michael McDonald and the Doobie Brothers — after overseeing Mushmouth’s rehearsals. He apologizes to “the greater Yacht Rock community” for his former dismissal. George prefers Toto’s Africa to Rosanna; both agree 80s music videos were largely unwatchable.
- Catman’s guitar ringer [~00:12:14–00:14:15]: A guitarist from the Ozzy Osbourne cover band “Blizzard of Oz” was brought in by Catman and was so impressive that Monty and Mino successfully pranked George into believing he was a new Ticket board op who did weekend overnights. George even told Junior about the “new employee” before Catman corrected him.
- George’s personal moment [~00:03:26–00:04:06]: A fan named Chris from Gainesville told George he had worked with George’s late brother Tad at a furniture store and that Tad had helped inspire and change his life. George found this deeply moving.
- Anonymous $200 donation [~00:04:12–00:04:49]: An unnamed fan handed George two $100 bills to put toward the Jub Jam charity event benefiting the Senior Source, asking not to be named on air.
- Fans from Florida [~00:01:28–00:01:39]: Two listeners named Matt and Lee flew in specifically from Florida to attend Ticketstock.
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How the Show Wrapped Up / Previews
- George teases that Pudge Rodriguez audio from the Ticketstock roundtable will air at 8:15
- George also mentions wanting to do a future segment on Sam Perkins’ 1983 Pan-American Games gold medal team
- The portion closes with George announcing: *”Up next we do have Gordo and the Observation Deck”*
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Notable Quotes
- Pudge Rodriguez [00:06:24]: *”Don’t worry about it.”* — in response to Gordo asking how much his watch cost
- George [~00:03:02–00:03:09]: *”It’s just so heartwarming and reassuring that we’re in here for some reason.”* — reflecting on P1 fan stories
- Gordo [~00:15:28–00:15:31]: *”She was collapsing with joy. That’s the way I score it.”*
- Gordo [~00:08:21–00:08:26]: *”Now I have a Yacht Rock playlist. A genre that I once hated, which proves that everyone can grow.”*
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3-Paragraph Summary
This final portion of The Musers covers the post-Ticketstock 2026 afterglow, with the hosts spending the bulk of their time warmly recounting highlights from the two-day event held at the Plano Center in Plano. George opens with a heartfelt thank-you to P1 listeners, the promotion staff (Chris and Sky), and sponsors, marveling at fans who traveled from as far as Florida just to attend. He shares two particularly touching personal moments: a fan from Gainesville who had worked with George’s late brother Tad and credited him with changing his life, and an anonymous listener who quietly handed George $200 for the Jub Jam charity without wanting any recognition.
The conversation turns lively when recounting the celebrity roundtables. The Pudge Rodriguez session was a fan favorite, capped by the moment of the weekend: Gordo interrupting to ask Pudge how much his flashy watch cost, only to receive a legendary stone-cold *”Don’t worry about it”* in reply. The Sam Perkins visit was equally well-received, with the former Maverick spinning stories about the golden era of college basketball alongside Jordan, Worthy, Ewing, and Olajuwon at North Carolina. Junior (Craig Miller) also gets praise for pulling off the harmonica part in the Time Wasters set — a YouTube-learned, last-minute, key-change-required triumph — while the leather pants he wore were revealed to be decades-old hand-me-downs from “Big Dick Hunter,” sparking inevitable commentary from Gordo about their storied history.
The segment also features Gordo’s conversion arc: he now loves Yacht Rock, specifically Michael McDonald and the Doobie Brothers, after overseeing Mushmouth’s Ticketstock rehearsals. Gordo issues a formal apology to “the greater Yacht Rock community.” The portion ends on an upbeat note with George previewing Pudge audio coming at 8:15, Junior floating a future segment idea about Sam Perkins’ 1983 Pan-American Games team, and George handing off to the next segment: Gordo’s Observation Deck.
Analysis generated from archived transcripts. Hosts: Gordon Keith (Gordo), George Dunham, Craig Miller, Mike Rhyner, Donovan Lewis (Junior). Station: 1310 The Ticket, Dallas, TX.
