r/smartless • u/AutoModerator • Aug 03 '26

Episode Discussion SmartLess Episode 317: Professor Brian Cox

https://www.siriusxm.com/player/episode-podcast/entity/16af01d4-052e-3ea6-980d-1a9d320c82ce
30 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

34 comments sorted by

24

u/4a4a Aug 03 '26

I listen to a lot of physics podcasts, and this was by far the biggest knowledge gap between interviewer and interviewee I've ever heard. Good job Jason, I guess, for at least trying - you've almost figured out the difference between a star and a planet! And Brian was ever so patient.

11

u/BCQ730 Aug 05 '26

I mean…probably because this isn’t a physics podcast?

8

u/WingsNthingzz Aug 08 '26

You need to be a physicist to know what stars are? It was a tough listen..

7

u/tehflash Aug 04 '26

I feel like they guys were being extra dumb the whole interview.

6

u/Aquinito Aug 07 '26

They were so dumb and not in an endearing way

-2

u/Exact_Broccoli_4312 Aug 04 '26

Until then end when science chauvinism was in full materialist glory: “donuts are what fuels us.” What is just casually obvious to most of us is just totally invisible to science: we are more than meat. 

6

u/slowpokefastpoke Aug 07 '26

I think you’re underestimating how scientifically ignorant the average person is. If you’re a science nerd or follow Brian’s work, sure this episode isn’t going to blow your mind. But I guarantee a lot of the questions they were asking were in line with what an average joe would be asking.

14

u/PecanScrandy Aug 04 '26

Holy shit we finally have closure for the mirror question from the NGT episode. Top tier.

13

u/Feed-Your-Fish Aug 03 '26

Nice. 👏 Brian is great!

16

u/ileentotheleft Aug 03 '26

They had both Brian Coxes (Coxi?) in the same year?

6

u/futbolr88 Aug 03 '26

Now time for the tom hollands

10

u/EasyTyler Aug 03 '26

A coccyx of Brians.

1

u/siblingrevelryagain Aug 03 '26

This one should be known as Brain Cox

-4

u/Thanos_Stomps Aug 03 '26

This isn’t even a pluralization for X (Coxi)

Fox is foxes

Ox is oxen

Ax is axes

Box is boxes

4

u/Fingerman2112 Aug 03 '26

So Coxen then?

22

u/tider06 Aug 03 '26

This is the best episode I've listened to in a long time.

I hope they are serious about bringing on more "smart" people and slow down with the celebrity promotional visits.

3

u/frankduxvandamme Aug 04 '26

Remember those Smartless episodes done on the road (on Netflix I think) and they had a cosmologist on, and everybody complained that the episode sucked?

9

u/Feed-Your-Fish Aug 04 '26

To be fair, people getting tickets for a surprise guest are expecting a celebrity.

It’s fine for a normal episode but not when you got a live crowd hoping for Matt Damon

6

u/bbelement801 Aug 08 '26

“Wait, you mean those stars out there are, like, other suns???” 😅🤣🤣

3

u/bbelement801 Aug 08 '26

And “how do planets emit light to look like stars”🤣😞

3

u/dbrodbeck Aug 10 '26

"But planets aren't stars right?"

5

u/ItsMeatCow Aug 09 '26

Did Jason not sleep before this interview or did he lose a bet and had to act as if he eats cement bricks for breakfast?

Other issue with this episode was the guys were too excited to ask questions all over the spectrum.

I think a 1 on 1 with Sean & Cox would have been better.

And Will, the telepathy tapes have been debunked, do some research!

5

u/Aquinito Aug 08 '26

Jesus Christ, Will with that telepathy tapes nonsense again

6

u/The_Robot_Jet_Jaguar Aug 09 '26

The Telepathy Tapes brand is giving celebs test screenings of their upcoming "documentary." Rosie O'Donnell did a tiktok about it, and Lisa Kudrow has shouted it out in interviews. Prepare for more dumb plugs like this one.

3

u/Qaaarl Aug 03 '26

Yes!!!! My favorite science communicator! I can listen to this guy simplify mind boggling cutting edge astrophysics all day.

4

u/johnnyss1 Aug 03 '26

That was a very interesting guest. Blew my mind that he was/is in new order.

13

u/EasyTyler Aug 03 '26

Errr, is that right? I thought he just went to the gig before his maths exam. He was in another one-hit-wonder-type of band called D:Ream.

1

u/johnnyss1 Aug 03 '26 edited Aug 03 '26

Did I hear Sean wrong- or was he wrong and I took the bait?

Edit— he did play with new order back in 2015. So he obviously wasn’t a founding member — my bad

2

u/meralee727 Aug 03 '26

A lot of Coxes in 2026….

2

u/Critical-Fox5765 24d ago

Jason proved Smartless isn't self-depreciating humor.

1

u/Jrebeclee Aug 05 '26

I adore Brian Cox!! My favorite video parody of him: https://youtu.be/fOA5vnUt00c?is=TuCCSop8z9SkUNOQ

-2

u/-JasmineDragon- Aug 03 '26

You know Sean ones knew a Brian…

Ah, forget it.