Fundamentals of Fundamentals

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In this emergency FoF, I address a mischaracterization sparked by a boost I left for my friends at The Bugle Weekly and their conversation with Matt Odell. I set the record straight: I don’t have “Odell Derangement Syndrome.” My criticism after last year’s Rabbit Hole Recap comedy event in Nashville wasn’t about jokes or stage chops—it was about the aftermath and the culture of fear I witnessed around offering honest feedback about influential people in our space. I explain why power dynamics matter, why OPSEC still isn’t funny, and why the response to an incident often tells you more than the incident itself.

I also give Matt his due. His appearance with Rod and Dick was candid and gracious, and I respect what he’s built. I share the additional context I’ve heard from the free Samourai community, acknowledge how OpenSats decisions can shape perceptions, and urge greater awareness of the influence leaders wield. This episode is about accuracy, respect, and clearing the slate so we can move forward honestly.

Rock Paper Bitcoin Episode 44: Opsec Isnt Funny
https://fountain.fm/episode/DMzVENSZI3Q5ONJB5vrX

Bitcoin for Institutions:
Zeuspay: https://zeuspay.com/btc-for-institutions

Fundamentals on Nostr:   npub12eml5kmtrjmdt0h8shgg32gye5yqsf2jha6a70jrqt82q9d960sspky99g
Fundamentals on X: @Fundamentals21m

[00:00:00] Unknown:

Dear friend, as your haters endure this marathon of misery, may your days be a blue cocky of cat positivity   and love.  

[00:00:26] Unknown:

Hey, everybody.   This is fundamentals,   and,   we are rebooting the fundamentals of fundamentals podcast.   So this is gonna be a little bit of a different one, a little bit of a different one today.   I'm gonna be putting this out immediately,   and this is to address something that got put out that I think is not accurate. And I want to,   I wanna respect the gravity   of the truth   here, put my story out,   and, you know, then I can move on from all of it.   So this is an emergency podcast   that's being put out in response to,   a boost I left on my good friends, the bugles.  

Shout out Rod and Dick. I love you guys, and you guys know it.   You may have   you may have crossed the line on credential journalism   a little bit, and hopefully, you guys see where I'm coming from. And hopefully,   Matt,   I wanna clarify some things as well. So,   in my boost, which was really just to shout out the giggler, shout out,   shout out giggler,   and the right to it's really the right to giggle.   I wanna be clear that this is not comedy. This is my own,   my own honest thoughts. This is not shit.   Okay.   So in reading my boost,   I think I think it was Rod really, I guess, took it upon himself to   ask a hard hitting question to Matt about   something that I've complained about,   which was his   performance   at the rabbit hole recap, David Lucas. I   I forgot what it's called. Hot style takeover, PUBG hot style takeover   in Nashville last year. So everybody knows,   anybody who's listened to me kinda knows how I felt about it.  

I did a podcast with business guide about it. When we got back, I'm gonna attach it to the show notes here.   I forgot which number it was, but it's called OPSEC isn't funny.   And,   you know,   before I get into it, the thing that I guess I wanna address with,   the thing I wanna address here is,   Rod,   love you, buddy.   But   he   referred to,   he referred to me as having a Dell derangement syndrome,   and,   I just can't sit with it. And I don't wanna use any of my other podcasts   to address this. I also don't wanna wait,   I don't wanna wait a week or two weeks for my next podcast to come out before I address it. I wanna do this immediately.   And,   you know, to   everybody out there, I know I shouldn't   Maybe I shouldn't care. Maybe I'm being sensitive, but this is, I think this is just a bit of an autistic,   need to   make sure that everything is being reflected accurately.  

So I do know that people have Odell derangement syndrome,   and I do not believe that   I am one of them. And I I don't want to be lumped in   with   that crowd of people   mainly because   it detracts   from   the honest criticism I had of Matt from that event.   And I wanna be clear about what it is. My problem with Matt from that event   really   didn't even have a lot to do with him.   It wasn't that he wasn't funny. It wasn't that he didn't behave well in the face of a stand up comedian who was in a just an eight different eight weight classes above him.   It's not that. You can hear all that in the podcast episode OPSEC isn't funny. But what I really wanna address,   which I'm sure I mentioned in that episode,   my issue and the reason I brought it up. So two things. One is the reason I brought it up. Okay?  

It's not the event that   caused my reaction.   It is the aftermath of it when   when I try to talk to people about it, they   were terrified   to be talking about Matt Odell and in any kind of any kind of negative way. I noticed this pattern.   I noticed it so prominently. Okay? Like, there I I'm telling you at least 10 people I talked to in Nashville when I said, hey. What was up with that what was up with how he behaved in with David Lucas? And everyone's like, dude, what are you crazy? You can't talk about Matt like that.   And this happened over and over and over and over again to the point where   okay, the only person the only the only person I told this story to who didn't react like that   was Marty.  

And I did run into Marty. I flew him I was on the flight home my flight home with him. We were on a puddle jumper back to Philly,   and I knew he was on the flight. There were only, like, there were literally only five or six of us on the flight, but I wait I didn't I didn't try to approach him while the while we were on the flight. But when we got off the flight standing on the tarmac, I did pull him aside and just say, hey. This is my observation.   It's also I was let him know, like, my observation about,   you know, the fear that people had, and he's   he kinda just laughed it off and, you know, he doesn't really know me that well anyway. Just that was the I think that was only my second time ever meeting Marty in person. I don't think he knows me too well.  

Regardless,   I'm one thing I'm really clear about in if you listen to me in my four podcasts   that it's never the fire. It's always how the fire department   responds. It's never the event   that gets my attention. It's always the circumstances   around the response that get my attention.   I am not an influencer. So, Matt, I'm sorry. If you've already stopped listening,   it is what it is. This is for everybody else then. But, like,   I'm not an influencer.   I have 1,800 followers   on x.   I have   700 followers on Nostr.   You know, I commit to giving my best   opinions on both platforms,   and it is what it is. I have a book that I put out called Bitcoin for Institutions that has sold 89 copies on Amazon   in three months.  

So, you know, just so you know, I'm not like predator. I'm not one of these accounts that   is trying to make hay.   And I'm not trying to make hay at your expense at all.   And I think I don't think that you could say I have Odell derangement syndrome simply strictly based on,   strictly based on what I just described.   However, let me just go a little bit further   and say, first of all,   I thought   so this is to Matt now. Matt, you were great on your episode with the bugle. I just got done listening to it.   I really appreciate   your candor.  

And, you know, you show like, I've listened to every single   episode of the Bugle. Pretty sure.   And,   I know I've listened to every episode where, like, somebody of   somebody of your stature has been on it.   And you have like, you came on,   I've been on twice, and I commented how it's very hard for me to be myself. You'd made it you made it look very easy.   So whatever criticism I have for you in a comedic sense,   you were very comfortable with yourself,   and I commend you for that.   And I commend you for treating those treating Rod and Dick as equals,   and you create you made for a very, very, very good podcast, and I absolutely   absolutely have to acknowledge that.  

So   I really just wanna set the record straight here   about Odell derangement syndrome. I think you're right about,   I think you're correct that   there are a lot of OpenSats grants that got that get denied and people probably develop   a dislike for that reason.   But I guess I wanted to interject   with something you may not realize, which is that,   there is a notion. And I'm only tell I'm only saying this here because   after,   you know, after I did what I did and said, sorry, said what I said after Nashville, I became a bit of a magnet for,   Odell derangement syndrome stories.  

And, to a lot of people who didn't know   maybe who to tell their stories to about you   decided to start telling me a bunch of stories. K.   I'm not here to verify any of them or say that they're right or wrong. I guess I wanna point out that there is an there is a vector of dislike for you.   I think that comes from the free samurai community,   and   it's probably   not terrible that you're aware of that. So, I mean, you may be aware of that, but I think, you know, you correctly pointed out the OpenSats,   like, the people that get this decline from OpenSats grants.   Absolutely. I think that is gonna   that that's probably   that probably does explain a lot of, like, the dislike for you.  

There is definitely a sentiment from the free samurai community that,   either you turned on them   or something like that. And the thing is, like, when I my experience in Nashville   of people   walking on eggshells around talking about you   tells me that you're probably unaware   of a lot of what's going on around you.   And   that's not a slight. That's not meant to say you're clueless or anything like that. What I'm trying to say is I think that you have people out there protecting you maybe and you're not aware of it.   You maybe have people, you just have people   there's a derangement   around   getting making you upset   that people seem that I've normal people seem to have, which makes sense to me because   they're worried about getting an open sets grant or a $10.31   funding or,   going on your show or, you know, you have or just being being thought of well by you.  

Right? You you wield a lot of power. And I think if I were to criticize you personally, and I think the theme of my criticism for you   comes down to my realization about how much power you actually wield   versus, like, how you present yourself.   You like,   I think you present yourself far too innocently   for   the power it is you're wielding.   And I think it is good for you to recognize   that there are peep people out there are afraid of you.   I wouldn't change. Like, you know, I   again, you've came off really well in that with the beautiful guys,   and that means a lot to me. That actually is a big indicator.  

It's a big indicator of the quality of the person.   So   I think I just wanted to say all that and then I wanna address finally   the information.   You know, you gave a piece of information   in regards to the event that I wanted to make public to everyone who listens to me.   So I criticized you   specifically   for look, I was a I did stand up comedy   and,   you know, I put myself in your shoes which is hard to do because you're really successful   at what you do and I'm not.   So I can't ever really put myself in your shoes to say, wow. What if I   built the audience you do and then have this event where I bring all these people? So, like,   I acknowledge that I I have a very limited ability to do that. Okay?  

But I did I do what I do, and I did my best. And I tell you that I have been to   a lot of comedy shows,   more probably more open mics than anyone   in the Bitcoin   scene has been to, and, probably more comedy shows as well.   And,   you know,   I so I guess I I don't know   how you cannot know   that it was gonna be so   horrific and raunchy. That's like my like, like, it's my instinct. However, you have now said that   you thought it was gonna be a family event. You saw a bunch of people with kids,   and David Lucas came right out and just   just absolutely ripped their faces off with disgustingness.  

And I want you to know that I'm sympathetic to that. I get it.   I   don't think you will   I I mean, I would just say you shouldn't have those kind you should not have those events.   You know what I mean? Like,   it's not the best.   I would advise you if I was your adviser. Say, don't don't   put yourself in public   with stand up comedians   in general.   You can hire them to   you can hire them, but there's no like, a guy like David Lucas, by the way, you should know. I'm sure you know now, but he is sort of renowned for being this way. So, like, to not expect him to be   horrific   in front of kids   is a clearly was clearly a mistake.  

You know, and so to be fair, I still wanna point out that Marty handled himself   pretty terrifically.   And, like, Marty gave me the sense that his he had a very high comedy IQ.   When I covered this on my podcast, I said that basically Marty came off like a guy who played team sports and was relied on   for leadership and came through. And he just, like, he really did handle it like a champ.   This is not a sin for Marty in any way, shape, or form. Just to just I'm sure Marty   was just as horrified as you were that kids were being,   exposed to this, I guess. That's my point.  

Just to be fair. But I do get it, man. I I get it. I don't wanna be associated really with this forever.   Rod and Dick are,   like, I they're very close friends of mine, but the majority of what we talk about is the in the context of comedy.   You know, we don't talk about Bitcoin wallets   too much. You know, when we talk, we talk about comedy.   So   the event   probably,   occupied   a disproportionate   share of our conversation. So it would make sense that when I came up, my name came up,   it would make sense that, you know, they would present   a   picture to you that is   Odell deranged.  

But I want you to know that I would I reject that characterization,   and   I actually I actually respect you, my friend.   I don't know I don't you know, I've never met you in person,   but I do have respect for you.   I I respect what you've built. I'm not just saying that. Like, I would probably tell people I don't like. I respect built something great. I respect what they built. I don't have a dislike for you.   I have a genuine respect for what you built, who you are.   I've learned a lot from you in this space.   I don't know if we would ever be friends. I have no idea. I I don't know if we'd ever even be able to be on a team together. I   these things you can't know until you do it.  

I'd   well, we certainly couldn't work on anything comedy related.   That's that's for sure. But,   you know, I just wanted to put this I'd you know, I wanted to give you my honest my absolute honest self   and clean   at least for myself, clean the slate. I don't want   it's out there. This conversation is out there.   Something tells me Rod and Dick really just wanted to needle me into resurrecting this podcast and putting out putting another one out.   I'd like to think that the credentialed journalists will issue a retraction.   This,   this episode will become a boost on the on Matt's episode. Once again, Matt,   like, it means a lot to me that you treated   Rod and Dick as   absolute equals, and you were great you were really great to them.  

You were very gracious   to them on on their show, and that that all that goes a long way with me.   So,   that is it, guys.   I hope not to wait another nine months before doing one of these again, but,   hope   hope you guys enjoyed it. What can I say?   See you, guys.