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Flightless Bird

Laundromats

Flightless Bird

David Farrier

Society & Culture, Documentary, Comedy

4.93.3K Ratings

🗓️ 3 October 2023

⏱️ 47 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

This week on Flightless Bird David Farrier investigates whether we have America to thank for the modern laundromat. After all, there are over 30,000 laundromats in the US - employing 39,000 people, making $5 billion in revenue each year. To help him in his investigation David meets with Brain Wallace of the Coin Laundry Association to discuss how on April 18th,1934 a Texan named CA Tannahill opened the world's first coin-operated laundromat. David then discovers how laundromats mean different things to different people in America. He then talks with Jason Sowell, who is very enthusiastic about the importance of the American laundromat and runs a non-profit called “Current Initiatives” which helps people do their washing. David also learns why Americans have a phobia of clotheslines. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

I'm David Ferrier in New Zealand are accidentally marooned in America, and I want to figure out what makes this country tick.

0:07.0

Now a big part of being a human being is trying to stay clean, washing our bodies and the things we put on them.

0:14.0

Clothes.

0:15.0

And as I've wandered around the United States, I've noticed that many Americans love washing

0:19.9

their clothes at a laundromat. I raised this with Monica previously, putting forward my theory

0:26.0

that laundromats are as American as apple pie. She violently disagreed.

0:30.9

Laundromats. Laundromats. No, no, no. Londromats are not American.

0:36.0

Today, I'm here in an attempt to prove Monica's thesis wrong. Londromats are American.

0:42.0

I propose that Londromats are American. I propose that laundromats are as American as flying the American flag or eating a juicy cheeseburger.

0:49.6

After all, there are over 30,000 laundromats in the US, employing 39,000 people, making $5 billion in revenue each year.

1:00.0

So, grab your disgusting smelly clothes and a handful of quarters, because this is the Laundromance

1:06.4

episode.

1:07.4

Flightless, Flightless, Fightless bird touchdown in America.

1:17.0

I'm a flyless bird touchdown in America.

1:20.0

I'm a flyless bird touchdown in America. David David David David

1:27.0

David David

1:28.0

I thought it was time for some controversy for butting heads it's been too calm for too long.

1:33.0

Well, you picked the right topic because I stand by my original thesis.

1:39.0

Yeah, and I'm curious about this and I want to sort of investigate it together but first I was curious how often you wash your clothes

1:48.8

because I think I wash mine more than some people do like I will almost wear something once like a

1:54.8

t-shirt once and then I'll put it in the washing basket to be washed if there's any

2:00.1

danger of smell right then it's going in the wash. But some people wear t-shirts for days, or

...

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