What happens when you mix wild geese, voodoo potato chips, queer art, improv, and peanut butter theology? You get one very silly, very snacky hangout with comedian and artist Julian Smith, better known online as @glamourtoads.

This episode of Snackin’ & Yakkin’ is part snack review, part comedy jam session, part heart talk about art, passion, and not needing to be perfect. If you like offbeat comics, artsy weirdos, and conversations that keep turning into bits, you are in the right place.

How Julian Cracked Up the Host Before the Show Even Started

The episode technically starts long before the cameras roll. Ben and Julian keep trying to record the intro, but they keep breaking into laughter. By the time they finally get a usable take, Ben’s face hurts from smiling.

Ben met Julian on the open mic circuit and was hooked right away. He says calling Julian “alternative” is underselling it and calls him a true original. Julian is goofy in the best way, the kind of performer people compare to Andy Kaufman or early Zach Galifianakis, but still somehow his own strange species.

“You’re goofy… I’ve just not seen anything like it.”

Caricatures, Glamour Toads, and a Loaf of Bread with Boobs

Before the comedy mics, there was the sketchbook. Julian grew up in “Hotlanta,” then moved to the Carolinas for high school, and at one point worked as a caricature artist at Carowinds. That honed his big, bold, exaggerated style.

Ben, who draws too, loves how Julian’s caricatures are not just of people. The first time he saw Julian on stage, he was doing a bit with a loaf of bread with a very committed pair of cartoon “hangers.” The drawings show up on Julian’s Instagram, though censored for the algorithm, so if you want to see how far his brain wanders, scroll through Julian’s GlamourToads feed.

Snack of Choice: Zapp’s Voodoo Potato Chips

For his snack, Julian requests Zapp’s Voodoo potato chips. When he spots the bag, he instinctively tries to sneak it away to the office like a raccoon with a treasure. Ben has to wrestle it back so they can open it on camera.

Once the bag finally opens, Julian dumps the chips onto the plate with a very dramatic groan. They both go for the biggest chip they can find. How do they describe the flavor?

  • Spicy
  • Sweet
  • Salty
  • Tangy vinegar bite

Ben calls it “salt and vinegar meets barbecue,” an “everything chip” that leans hard into the vinegar. If you want to try them yourself, you can grab a bag of Zapp’s Kettle Potato Chips Voodoo and see if the voodoo magic hits your tongue the same way.

Voodoo + Blenheim Ginger Ale: A Southern Power Couple

To wash down the chips, Julian brings Blenheim’s ginger ale, a southern favorite with a German-sounding name. It is not your mild, polite ginger ale; it has a kick that pairs well with the Voodoo spice.

They talk about how you cannot always find Blenheim in regular grocery stores, so you have to hunt a little. Total Wine, Harris Teeter, Piggly Wiggly, or the shops listed on the Blenheim Ginger Ale store locator map are good places to start.

“Gosh, that’s good.” becomes a bit of a refrain.

All Roads Lead Back to Music

Julian is not just drawing and telling jokes. He is also making music with his producer and creative collaborator who goes by DIY. Some songs are funny, some are serious, but all are strange in that Julian way.

They just finished filming a music video with past Snackin’ & Yakkin’ guest Jaylen Blue. She shows up in the video with a very “esoteric” vibe that fits her so well Ben jokes her episode number should have been 666.

Julian and DIY also do loose “porch sessions,” making music outside with cicadas as backup singers. All roads lead back to music with this guy.

Passion, Puzzles, and Apples That Make You Hungry

Ben’s only real rule for guests is simple: be passionate. Julian passes that test in about three seconds.

While the crew sets up, he is in the other room doing a puzzle with Ben’s daughter and giving a TED Talk about how good the apples in the picture look. He talks about the apples so intensely that Ben starts craving a big juicy Macintosh on the spot. This is how Julian talks about everything, even cardboard fruit.

Flirting, Blue Steel, and Queer Joy

The vibe between Ben and Julian is chaotic, flirty, and very affectionate. They greet each other with European cheek kisses. Ben warns that if anyone ever tries to play “gay chicken” with him after a show, they better commit, because he will go the extra distance.

There is a whole side tangent about Zoolander’s “Blue Steel.” Ben insists Julian is too naturally pretty to do Blue Steel correctly because Derek Zoolander is trying too hard. Between light failures, sultry camera stares, and playful “babe”s back and forth, the episode turns into a little celebration of queer culture, theater kids, and how “gay people throw down.”

When Your Roommate Confuses Beyoncé and J.Lo

One of the funniest stories in the episode is about Julian’s roommate, whose pop culture knowledge is a crime.

Highlights of her confusion:

  • She thought Beyoncé and Jennifer Lopez were the same kind of thing in Julian’s mind.
  • She believed Destiny’s Child was an ’80s group.
  • She did not know Cher sang “Believe” and assumed Cher did jazz standards like “New York, New York.”

Julian, a devoted Beyoncé fan since the Destiny’s Child days, describes himself basically hyperventilating into a paper bag while she talks.

Singing Through the Day, Sitcom-Style

Both Julian and Ben are serial singers. They warm up the mics by singing Beatles songs. Julian ends up singing with Ben’s daughter Bridget in the other room and compliments her voice.

Ben talks about his coworker Natalie, who narrates her whole day in song, Scrubs-style. “I’m drinking ginger ale,” becomes an aria. Julian relates, since he was literally dropped down the stairs as a kid and jokes that now his brain just runs on musical mode.

Hair Chaos, Glam It Down, Ug It Up

Julian recently survived a highlight disaster that left him looking like Rogue from X-Men. The front of his hair went almost white, which was not the plan. Meanwhile, Ben’s silver streaks are all natural, growing in this dramatic swoop his stepmom thought was dyed.

They agree that in comedy, looking a little rough can help. If you are naturally pretty, you sometimes have to “ug it up” and “glam it down” to seem more human on stage. At one point, they decide that “Ug it up. Glam it down.” needs to be a t‑shirt.

Improv at Theatre 99 and Liquid Improv

Julian has gone all the way through all five levels of classes at Theatre 99 in Charleston. He performs with a trio called Liquid Improv, who do musical improv together and even compete in the theater’s 3-on-3 improv tournament.

They make up songs and full compositions on the spot, which thrills Julian. Ben admits that while he loves banter and standup, pure improv on stage breaks his brain. His performer brain wants a script, or at least a set list.

The 27 Club, Human Frogger, and a Different Kind of Death

When Ben starts guessing Julian’s age, the references are confusing. Julian looks young but talks like someone who grew up watching Step by Step and Three’s Company. Turns out, he is 27.

That sparks a riff on the “27 Club” of famous musicians who died at 27. Julian jokes that as a “musical genius” he is right on schedule, but Ben reminds him most of those deaths were overdoses, not cosmic destiny. They invent the idea of Julian playing “human Frogger” in traffic, then reject it just as fast. The only real “death” Julian is planning is the artistic kind, shedding an old version of himself for something new.

Wild Geese, Serving Tables, and Not Having to Be Perfect

After a rough shift as a server, Julian’s poet friend sends him Mary Oliver’s poem “Wild Geese.” He reads it out loud in the episode. Ben listens with his eyes closed.

Instead of quoting the whole thing, you can read and unpack it in this excellent “Wild Geese” summary and analysis, but the heartbeat is simple:
you do not have to be “good,” or crawl across the desert on your knees, you just have to let the “soft animal of your body love what it loves.”

For a pair of people who worry about messing up chip orders and lighting setups, it hits hard. The poem becomes the unofficial thesis of the episode. No one on this show is perfect. The light falls over, chips get everywhere, they keep it all in.

Snackin’ & Yakkin’ Patreon, Geese, and Goodbyes

At the end, Ben thanks the Patreon supporters whose photos cycle in a frame behind him. For five bucks a month, patrons get their face on the wall, their name in the credits, and bonus weekly podcasts with Ben and his daughter or with his wife. You can join the snack‑powered chaos at the Snackin’ & Yakkin’ Patreon.

If you want more of this flavor of Silly:

The episode starts with voodoo chips and ends with wild geese, but the real magic sits in the middle: two passionate weirdos snackin’, yakkin’, and reminding each other that being fully yourself beats being perfect every time.

Want some more episodes? They’re on the blog!