The Economy of Nothing Podcast
The Economy of Nothing is a show about building something real in a world that rewards nothing. Part podcast, part experiment, part transmission from the void—this is where ideas get tested, stories get shaped, and the impossible might get made. Join us each week as we work in public and try to make meaning from the mess.
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A Surreal Metaphor
06/10/2025
A Surreal Metaphor
This wasn’t supposed to be the episode. But it happened, we recorded it, and now it’s canon. Episode XI starts with some low-grade chaos: voice tests, pharmaceutical tangents, a show that may or may not exist. Then Ryan calls in. And we spend the next hour and a half trying to figure out whether we’re friends, coworkers, or just people who keep accidentally podcasting together. It’s not dramatic, exactly. But it’s definitely… not nothing. No lore this week. No planned bits. Just a long, strange conversation about apologies, performance, and whether anything means anything. 🎧
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Lesbian Scissoring Saves the Universe: Part II
06/03/2025
Lesbian Scissoring Saves the Universe: Part II
We finally hit double digits... so naturally, we switched to Roman numerals instead. The only thing scarier than Episode Ten is the commitment to continuing. So we rebranded — X is cool, X is timeless, X has no expectations. It's a numeral now. Deal with it. We’re doing paperwork with Mississippi while Sailor Moon scissoring her way into queer canon. In this episode, the crew breaks down the internal logic of Dispatch — a split-tower, multi-floor nightmare of bureaucracy where revolutions are buried under form 9B. Cheyenne is filing prisoner reports and hosting astrology-themed intern rituals. Mr. Green is climbing the social ladder. The Captain would prefer not to talk to anyone. Somewhere between Monsters Inc. and a workplace seance, we uncover what makes each crew member tick — and why the Nothing Corporation would absolutely mislabel the stars just to ruin Cheyenne’s horoscope. Then, after the hour mark, the pod launches into a wild tailspin of: 🧠 The rise of AI influencers 🏫 Local library supremacy 🧹 JK Rowling’s crimes against narrative and humanity 💥 She-Hulk vs. Deadpool vs. the woke-industrial complex 🍻 Butterbeer addiction 😬 Mike Allen, the rainbow behind the Moses fan And we ask: if the Nothing Corporation says Pluto is a floor tile, is it? Call to Action: ✨ Get the early uncut video and join the rituals:
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The Least Facebook Thing Becomes the Most Facebook Thing
05/27/2025
The Least Facebook Thing Becomes the Most Facebook Thing
https://economyofnothing.com/podcast/009-facebook In this episode of The Economy of Nothing, the crew descends into full Dispatch chaos: empathy overloads, elevator jingles, and a leaderboard system that runs on trinkets, trauma, and vibes. Captain Tracy nearly punches out a She-Joe Rogan. Mr. Green bribes an elevator operator with a Tamagotchi. And Cheyenne… well, Cheyenne has reached the upper limits of emotional labor inside a bureaucratic surveillance tower that believes in feelings—but only as policy. We unpack the evolution of the Dispatch, why the most “non-Facebook” thing became the most Facebook thing, and how rogue podcasting formats might be the only way to fight back. If you're looking for the full mess (including 45 extra minutes of rogue formats, podcast theory, and the original fight pitch), head to or find us on your podcast app of choice. ⏱️ Suggested Timecode Chapters Timestamp Chapter Title 00:00 Welcome to the Facebookverse 00:10 Character Merch, Identity & Performance 00:20 Podcast Form Theory & Thumbs Up Culture 00:30 Captain Tracy vs She-Rogan 00:45 Dispatch as Setting, Lore, and Structure 01:05 The Food Court Murder Mystery Begins 01:15 The Elevator Song Is Mandatory 01:26 Cheyenne's Empath Meltdown 01:39 Leaderboards, Loyalty, and the Nothing Machine 01:55 Outro Ramble & Existential Wrap-Up
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Moses, Michael Westen, Bob Kelso
05/20/2025
Moses, Michael Westen, Bob Kelso
Welcome back to the only sci-fi podcast brave enough to take Scrubs seriously and turn The Prince of Egypt into corporate canon. This week on The Economy of Nothing: Cheyenne becomes Bob Kelso. Captain Tracy walks like an overly sexy Moses. Mr. Green brands the ship and burns the kitchen down. Ryan tries to cook… metaphorically. Mike Allen gets cold medicine. And a trophy. 🎧 Full lore, visuals, and extras: 💾 Support the show + get early access: 00:00 - Cold Open: Storage Container Lore 11:00 - Burn Notice Homework 13:00 - TV Show Club Setup 16:00 - Prince of Egypt Begins 20:00 - Moses as Captain Tracy 25:00 - What Comes After You Win? 29:00 - Musical Power Struggles 33:00 - Captain Tracy and the Red Sea 38:00 - Scrubs Setup 40:00 - My Jiggly Ball Explained 44:00 - Bob Kelso's Moral Spiral 49:00 - Let Me Cook (Ship Branding Chaos) 54:00 - Sponsor Deck from Hell 59:00 - Puppetmaster Metaphor 1:24:00 - Uncrustables & Content Club Wrap-Up 1:25:00 - Next Week’s Pick
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Pay to Lose
05/13/2025
Pay to Lose
Description: What if a board game could bankrupt you and teach you how the economy works? In this episode, the crew designs the ultimate satirical game — part Mario Party, part Monopoly, part Squid Game — and accidentally stumbles into an entire TV episode. Plus: 🎲 The rules of "Economy of Nothing: The Game" 👀 Mr. Green’s mob boss era 🧠 Mike Allen earns the “genius” badge 📺 TV Show Club™ kicks off https://economyofnothing.com/codex/content-club 🧃 Ryan discovers crystal mic playing Timecodes: 00:00 – Intro & Welcome to the Board Game Planet 02:20 – Cheyenne Plays the Microphone Like a Crystal Glass 08:45 – TV Show Club: Burn Notice & Corporate Paranoia 16:00 – Mr. Green Becomes a Mob Boss 21:30 – The Rangers Form a Sewer Gang 29:00 – Virtual Gangs & Game Show Simulations 42:00 – The Mario Party Monopoly Death Trap Planet 57:00 – Mike Allen Rewrites Capitalism (Genius Moment) 1:01:00 – Game Ends When You Reach the Finish Line… but Lose 1:06:00 – Mr. Green’s Potato Sack Race from Hell 1:14:00 – We Build a Real Game 1:27:00 – Outro: Buy the Box Set at Your Local Dispatch Office
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Choose Your Own Surveillance Orb
05/06/2025
Choose Your Own Surveillance Orb
When a ceremonial dragon egg vanishes from the palace vault, our crew is dispatched to recover it — or at least look like they’re recovering it. Cheyenne's secret orders, Mr. Green’s weaponized laser pointer, and Captain Tracy's ongoing breakdown collide in the messiest mission yet. This one has everything: rebel camps, wizards with interns, jungle fires, and one very angry baby dragon. https://economyofnothing.com/podcast/006-choose-your-own-surveillance-orb 📺 Watch full episodes and access transcripts: 🧾 Codex entries: 💸 Support the show:
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How Mr. Green Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Economy
04/29/2025
How Mr. Green Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Economy
Mr. Green just wanted to make it home for dinner. Instead, he faces deep space scurvy, bureaucratic betrayal, and the uncomfortable truth that survival comes at a cost. In this episode of The Economy of Nothing, Mike, Mike Allen, and Ryan dive into Mr. Green’s fractured loyalty, Captain Tracy’s stubborn morality, and the myth of Deep Space Scurvy. Plus: for-profit orphanages, gladiator pits, and a galaxy that runs on deadlines, not dreams. https://economyofnothing.com/podcast/005-how-mr-green-learned-to-stop-worrying 🎥 Watch the Visual Radio Edition on YouTube: [YouTube Link Placeholder] 💸 Support the show: 🌐 Visit the Codex: 0:00 — Theme Song + Cold Open 2:00 — The Vanity Check: Turn Off Your Camera 5:00 — Deep Space Scurvy Explained (Badly) 10:00 — Mr. Green’s Real Motivation: Dinner and Survival 18:00 — The Captain’s Hero Complex 24:00 — Who's the Real Protagonist? (Hint: It’s Not Cheyenne) 32:00 — Building Mr. Green’s Moral Code 40:00 — For-Profit Orphanages and the Cost of Loyalty 48:00 — Gladiator Pits of New Rome: Mr. Green's Past 55:00 — The Myth of Deep Space Scurvy Spreads 1:02:00 — Balancing Work, Family, and Galactic Collapse 1:10:00 — Outro and Future Trouble
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Captain Tracy, You're the Problem
04/22/2025
Captain Tracy, You're the Problem
In our most chaotic (and somehow also deepest?) episode yet, we celebrate Mike Allen’s birthday while unraveling the character of Captain Tracy — war vet, space trucker, wannabe legend. Does he deserve to be the protagonist of The Economy of Nothing? Or is he just the loudest guy in the room? Along the way, we debate birthdays, bathroom logic, what a protagonist actually is, and the cosmic importance of Waffle House. Also: Cheyenne’s new Codex page is live. And yes, she absolutely would weaponize her interns. 🔗 Check out the Codex: 💥 Join the rebellion: 🎧 Listen on Spotify & Apple: 📺 Watch the visual radio: 0:00 – Happy Birthday Mike Allen (??) 3:00 – Are Birthdays the Same as Handwashing? 6:30 – The Captain’s Bathroom Doctrine 10:00 – Who's the Protagonist Anyway? 16:00 – The Cheyenne Codex Page Breakdown 26:00 – The Robo-Human Wars and the Rise of the Nothing Corporation 33:00 – Everyone’s Wrong Until Something Works 42:00 – Katniss, Coin, and the Captain's Arc 52:00 – Mr. Green’s Chachki Collection and Personal Capitalism 59:00 – The Captain’s Flawed Need to Be Remembered 1:07:00 – The Intergalactic House Waffle's is Real 1:18:00 – The Rangers Deserve Better 1:24:00 – A Cozy Penguin Narrator? 1:30:00 – Final Thoughts, Saturn Blood, and Birthday Wrap-Up
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The Cheyenne Episode
04/15/2025
The Cheyenne Episode
Epidoes 003 e-mail: In this glorious descent into glitter and chaos, we go full girlboss. This week’s focus: Captain Cheyenne — pilot, captain, and capitalist icon of the Sunshine. The crew breaks down her ship, her motivations, and her secret army of unpaid interns. Is she driven by greed? Glory? Orphanage-related trauma? Depends which scene you're watching. Also featuring: The origin of her golden Russian nesting doll ship Debates over corporate rank (and why Tracy is salty) Munitions officers who only want to blow stuff up Intern cult logistics Worldbuilding via anime logic and expense reports This is the episode where we realize… Cheyenne might technically outrank the main character. 🎨 Codex page coming soon at: 🌐 📺 Visual clips & animation boards at: 🟣 Support the mission:
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Too Many Factions, Not Enough Sandwiches
04/07/2025
Too Many Factions, Not Enough Sandwiches
This week, the team digs into the chaos of the Economy of Nothing From bounty hunters and robot sheriffs to deep space scurvy and what the Rangers *actually* think of all this—this is worldbuilding at its weirdest. TAS: Episode 1 Page: https://economyofnothing.com/episodes/season-1/episode-001 We explore motivations, faction dynamics, the cowboy planet Brenner 7, and how many groups is *too many groups* for one shootout. Also: Mississippi the dog, storyboarding tips, and what it’s like to write a sci-fi cartoon in reverse. --- 🎧 **Listen & Watch Everywhere** 🌐 Website: https://economyofnothing.com/podcast 📼 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@economyofnothing 🎧 RSS: https://economyofnothing.libsyn.com/rss 💸 Patreon: https://patreon.com/economyofnothing ✅ Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@economyofnothing?sub_confirmation=1 --- 🕰️ **Chapters / Timecodes** 00:00 – Intro, Beards & Brick Walls 01:00 – Mr. Green vs. Wardrobe Logistics 03:00 – Power Rangers, Color Theory & Identity 07:00 – What Is Cowboys vs. Pirates Really About? 12:00 – Lore of the Cowboy Planet 20:00 – Skull Pirates, Freelancers, and Factions 35:00 – Vaping & Sandwiches: The Ranger Cut 47:00 – Character Motivations & Creative Workflow 55:00 – How Many Factions Is Too Many Factions? 59:00 – Closing Chaos & Moving Forward --- Got thoughts, fan theories, or better lines for Tracy? 📧 [email protected] We’re not on social media. Be better.
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The Theme Song is Propaganda
04/01/2025
The Theme Song is Propaganda
In this inaugural episode, Michael and Ryan go way too deep into the show’s theme song. Spoilers, satire, and existential dread included. 🕒 Timecodes 0:00 – Intro Fumbles & Space Talk 3:00 – What Is The Economy of Nothing? 4:30 – The Theme Song Mission Statement 6:30 – Theme Song Plays In Full 8:00 – Structural Breakdown 10:30 – “Planets Full of Nothing…” 14:30 – “We’re Here to Save the Day” 20:00 – Character POV Debate 25:00 – The “Might” Debate 32:00 – Rewriting the Refrain 38:00 – Mr. Green & The Void Economy 46:00 – Do the Rangers Deserve Praise? 54:00 – Is This All Propaganda? 1:00:00 – The Value of Trying 1:13:00 – Closing Lyric Woes 1:25:00 – Season Six Spoilers
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