Big Beach Energy: Cover-Ups, Close Calls & Sandy Seat Stealers

🌊🏀 Big Beach Energy & Big City Madness!

In this episode, I dive headfirst into the chaotic joy of a beach day when you’re a bigger body — the dos, the don’ts, the strategic cover-up game, and why people sitting way too close to you should come with a warning label. From sandy seat stealers to ‘dude, you’re blocking my sun’ moments, I spill all the hilarious survival tips no one asked for but everyone needs.

Then we pivot to the absolute fever dream happening in the city right now: the Nets winning and turning the streets into pure pandemonium. I break down how wild everything feels when your team’s on a roll — the energy, the craziness, the random celebrations, and why NYC (or Jersey-by-NYC) turns into a beautiful circus during moments like these.

Equal parts relatable rants, beach body real talk, and sports-fueled chaos — if you’ve ever felt out of place at the shore or hyped in a city losing its mind, this one’s for you. Grab your sunscreen and your victory cigar… or at least a lawn chair far away from your neighbors. 😂”

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Welcome to Gotta Get Said. Here's your host, Matt Cucko. One, two, three, go. What's happening, guys? And welcome to another episode of Gotta Get Said on this Wednesday, June 17th, 2026. How's everyone doing today? How's everyone's week? Having a good time? Weather's been really nice over here, up here in Jersey. Hot, but very, very nice. Hopefully, wherever you guys are. I know a lot of you are in the Northeast, but I know a few of you aren't. Shout out to Cali, Texas, you know, uh, Connecticut. Um, so hopefully your weather's just as good as our weather right now. Tis the season, they say. Tis the season. What should we talk about? What happened last week? Hey, Knicks won. The Knicks won. Like I said, I know we spoke about it last episode. I'm not a sports, I'm a sports guy, but I'm never gonna talk about sports on the show. So don't get crazy, don't get crazy. This is more of just like a cultural movement, in my opinion. And the Knicks won, man. The Knicks won. You know, full disclosure, I've never been so connected to a sports team that I cry when they win, cry when they lose, care so much, show so much emotion that it actually affects my day. The closest I've ever gotten to that would be me being a quote unquote LeBron guy. And I, you know, I was sad for like two, three hours, maybe even a day after like a tough finals loss, but it never really stuck with me on that level in the moment for sure, but it it went away fairly quickly, full disclosure. So to see these people tell their stories, give their testimony, and with such passion, with such care, with such raw emotion, grown men in their 70s bawling their eyes out, people with their children all sitting there crying. We didn't think we would ever see this day. So much heartfelt, so much turmoil. Like, I can't believe this is finally happening. Like I said last week, uniting a city. The parade is tomorrow on Thursday. You know, I'm sure there's gonna be some bad stuff that we're gonna see, but man, the majority of it I imagine is gonna be good. People coming together, morale. Like, I can't even imagine that. I really can't. And that just happened. It's a crazy, crazy world we live in right now. The Knicks won in five, beat the team in the West in five. And I'm watching these New Yorkers united, crying, caring. And I'm very happy for them to, you know, to put a bow on this long-winded point, if you will. I don't even know what it is. Really, just a me speaking about a current event. But if you know, to put a bow on it, very, very happy for the city, very, very happy for the fans. And I love that you guys are showing your emotion. I really do. I love it. I I'm I'm genuinely jealous. I wish this is true. This is no BS. I wish I loved a sports team so much that I cry win or lose. Genuinely cry, genuinely changes my emotions for the day, good or bad. I envy that. That's something really cool to have in this life because life's short. So to have that for something so minuscule, that's awesome. That's awesome. And I envy that. I really do. I really, really do. But yeah, Knicks won, baby. What else happened? UFC had a fight in the White House. On the White House lawn, the UFC had a fight. Now look, two things I rarely talk about. One is sports, one is politics. So I'm not even gonna touch the politic part. What I will say to those people that are offended by the fight on the White House lawn, no problem. Your feelings are valid. I understand, I hear you, and I respect your opinion on that. I truly do. I'm not gonna talk about the politics of the fight on the White House lawn. I'm not gonna be naive and turn a blind eye to it. I'm not gonna pretend it's not there because of course it's there. We know it's there, whether you're right, whether you're left, whether you're in the middle, you obviously know politics are there. I'm just gonna highlight the good from a UFC fan, which I am, highlighting the good about what happened on that White House lawn. Let me just say this. Seven fights they all finished, all finished in knockouts. Great, awesome, cool. Forget all that. But the pump and circumstances of this card was amazing. The production of this card was amazing. The fighter walkouts with the Marine Corp band, I think it's called like the president's band or something like that. That production, that quality, that show that these men and women put on during these walkouts was a 10 out of 10. Hit it out of the park. I have Paramount Plus, I watched the card, it was cool, whatever. I literally am on Paramount Plus re-watching the walkout songs. Re-watching the walkout songs. Man, were they good? Man, and listen, I'm a sucker for landscape lighting. I love landscape lighting, absolutely adore landscape lighting. You know, you drive around the hills and the mansions and the really nice houses and the nice areas at night. They're all lit up with their landscape lighting, and it it really does a house justice. It really changes, in my opinion, a house from a seven to a 10 with the landscape lighting. I really mean that. I'm a sucker for landscape lighting, and the White House has some of the best landscape lighting I ever saw. I don't know if it's just every day or I don't know if it was because of the production with the UFC, but man, these walkouts between the band being a 10 out of 10, the vocals being a 10 out of 10, the landscape lighting while these people were walking out was an absolute 10 out of 10. The whole show was a spectacle. And look, I'm choosing to take politics out of it, put the freaking card in a vacuum, and listen and give my takes on it that way. You're not wrong if you want to throw politics in it. You're not wrong. I'm just not gonna do that on this show. You're like I said, your feelings, your points are a hundred percent valid. I validate them, I understand them, I'm not naive, I get they're there. I'm just talking about the event from a fan who has no horse in the race politics-wise. The the production value was a 10 out of 10. I feel like UFC hit it out of the park. I really do. I really do. It was a great, they put on a great show. They really did. And if you want to play politics a little bit, and like I said, I'm not giving one way or another, but if you want, you know, not for nothing, people that are offended by this. Not like I said, I totally understand. I get it. I really do, I get it, but not for nothing in the UFC's defense. They aired Trump. I know this is gonna be crazy, but I'm a UFC fan. I watch every single card, so I promise my point is legit here. I'm not talking shit here. They aired President Trump on this White House card less than any other UFC card he was at. Any other one. They barely showed him, and that's what should have been. It should have been that. It shouldn't have been a celebration of Trump, his birthday. I agree with that. I 110% agree with that. But in my defense, and you in the UFC's defense, it wasn't that. I I don't know, man. I felt like it was not a celebrate night of Trump. They didn't say happy birthday. They showed him a couple of times, very, very minor. Very minor. There was no pumping circumstances given to Trump. They do the walkout. Obviously, Dana White and Trump always walk out every single event. Obviously, they're gonna do the walkout on the guy's house on his front lawn. That would be kind of weird if they didn't do it when they do it at freaking Oklahoma at the TD arena. You know what I mean? So, you know, to be fair, let's be fair here. But yeah, I feel like the event was a 10 out of 10. I understand people that are offended by it, I understand people that are angry about it, I understand people feel like it wasn't the time, place, or air or location. Totally understand, totally get where you can come comment from. I totally can sit in a room with you and understand that your points that you're gonna give me would make sense, and maybe you can I get that you can make it make sense. I totally get it. But like I said, not to be the dead horse here, in my humble opinion over here, it gotta get said, I think it was a 10 out of 10. Production level was a knockout, walkouts, lighting, fight results, matchup makes fights, great matchups to put on a good show. So, you know, we we're never gonna get those Paramount Plus numbers to see how they really did. I don't think you know, Dana White makes comments and said Super Bowl status. Obviously, that's nowhere near. Obviously, he just tells us one thing and it's really not always the truth. But if you deal with what it is with a grain of salt, 10 out of 10 night, in my opinion. It really was 10 out of 10 night. Crazy world we're living in, though. I get it, I get it. There's a cage in the front of the White House lawn, and people are fighting in it. And for those who listen to this podcast that know nothing about UFC, 10 years ago, this exact thing was illegal in many states. Many, many states. John McCain, God rest his soul, right? This isn't a shot at him, but John look up John McCain Ultimate Fighting Championship and read some of those quotes. And they weren't too long ago. They weren't too long ago. So for in this very short time, I think they've been around the UFC's been around 32 years. In 32 years of their short-lived career, to have a fight on the White House lawn, pretty cool. Pretty cool, in my opinion. But that's just me. That's just me. All right, guys. What else do you want to talk about? What else happened? What else happened? You know, I always my biggest struggle over here, gotta get said, is things to talk about. In my my personal opinion. That's my biggest hurdle every single week. What things can I talk about? What things can I discuss? And I struggle with it. And I'm sure some I'll listen, I'm not naive. I'm sure some episodes it shows. I'm sure some episodes you guys listen to it and you feel like it's a watered product, a watered-down product. Maybe you do. I'm not naive. I I know when I click and sometimes, I know sometimes I'm like, I might have punted that episode for lack of a better analogy. And you know, it's hard. Hard for it's hard to just make things up to talk about because you know, you gotta feel it. You know what I mean? You gotta feel it. And uh so I it my point is I really encourage when listeners give me things to speak about. I love it. It's a win-win. I get to engage with you, you get to hear my take on something you obviously feel strong about, and I get to have something to give my opinion about on the podcast every episode. And it's it's a great thing, it's a w it's truly a win-win. It happens very rarely, full disclosure, but this week it happened. This week the podcast gods shined a light under me, you know? They gave me a smile from up above the podcast gods, and I was told by a listener. Shout out, you know exactly who you are, family, cousin, woman, jersey, brown hair. Who are you? For those who know, you obviously know giving those clues. If you don't know, giving those clues, and you weren't meant to know. My point is this I was told to give my opinion on beach outings. You know, I live here in Jersey, not too far from the shore. The beach is a big part of our culture, our life over here. In uh Jersey Shore, where I live. So give my take on the beach. Full disclosure, another hint about this person, she doesn't have children. So her take on the beach is totally different than my take on the beach. Totally different than my take on the beach. What I will say is kids out of it right now. I will bring kids up because I I personally have to bring kids up because that's my life and it's such a factor in the beach. But real quick going to the beach, it's tricky in New Jersey. Very tricky in New Jersey. First and foremost, I hate bays. I hate people that go to the beach on the bay. I hate that. I hate the bay. I hate the bay. I hate the bay. It's gross. There's no waves. I feel like there's no filteration, you know? I hate the bay. I don't even count the bay as a beach. I don't want to hear the bay crap. I really don't. I don't want the bay crap. If you're going to the beach, it better be the fucking Atlantic Ocean over here. It ain't the bay. I don't do the bay. Bay's gross. Bay's gross. We don't do the bay. So forget the bay. You're at the beach. It's tricky, man. The beach is a very tricky place because you get all different walks of life at the beach. You know, I'm a big guy. I've been big my whole entire life. I I I feel like I have pretty good big person etiquette, you know? I feel like I know the rules about being a big person. I feel like I know what other people see when they look at myself being a big person. And for that reason, I'd like to think that I give them something very conservative to look at. I give them something very, you know, easy to look at. I don't, I don't push the envelope, you know? I know when I'm sitting on a beach and I see a person with my dimensions go out into the water with no shirt. The first thing I think about is where's that fat motherfucker shirt? Where's that fat motherfucker's shirt? And I'm a fat motherfucker and I think that. Can you imagine what not fat motherfuckers think when they see a fat motherfucker without their shirt on? Because I know what I think, and I'm one of them and I know what I think. So imagine being someone else seeing a fat motherfucker without their shirt on. I can't even imagine. If if I took my shirt off at the beach with public there, I can't even my skin's crawling just talking about it. I would feel like a fucking beluga. Not even worse, I would feel worse. I would feel like like a caged carnival creature. Remember the freak shows back in the 30s and the 40s? You know, monkey man and lizard boy pay a nickel. You get to go into the the alleyway of the carnival and everything's draped off, and you pay the nickel, and the drape lips off off to the cage, and it's you know, that's what I would feel like. Give me a fucking nickel. It's like I th I would feel like a freak. I would feel like an absolute freak show. Kids running away. I would feel like Godzilla. I wouldn't even I wouldn't even look these these poor children. These parents have to explain to their child what they're looking at. Mommy, what's that? Why is there so much hair on it? Why is it so big? What is that? And those poor parents have to explain in a PC way so their kids don't become assholes growing up. They have to explain what they're looking at in a PC way so their kids don't become assholes growing up. Well, honey, that's why we eat our vegetables. Okay, when mommy says one snack, that's what she means. This can be you if you don't lock in type shit, you know? I would never, ever do that to the public. Ever. Sadly, I'm not in the minority here. Because you go to these beaches, and some of these people, you're like, what the actual fuck am I looking at? Can you imagine being a fat person and like, all right, we decide, yo, babe, we're gonna do the beach today, okay? Let's round up the troops. We're gonna do the beach. Okay, cool. And you get ready, you plan the beach, you packed your badge, you get in your car, you're driving, you packed your snacks. This is your day. This is your day. You guys planned for this. You're well prepared. You got the wagon with the big wheels so it doesn't get stuck in the sand. You're 110% prepared for this beach day. And in that preparation, you have checked off that you're going shirtless as a fat hairy loser. Huh? How? How do people think like that? And I know certain people are thinking right now, and they're like, oh, I don't give a fuck about those people. You only live once. I don't care about those people. I'm gonna be happy. I get it, man. I don't give a fuck about those people either. I really don't. But like, you don't feel a little weird, you know? Be proud in the house. Be proud in your pool in the backyard. Don't be proud in public. It's weird. It's weird, man. It's weird. As a fellow fat hairy dude, it's weird. That's the man portion. The women portion. You know, it's a it's gotta get said. You know, I don't walk around with no shirt because I'm not muscular, I'm not tan, I don't look good without a shirt on. You know? It is what it is. I don't. Ladies. What a monsoon of respect. What a monsoon of respect. So much respect. And I mean this. So much respect. I don't even want to get into this because I have so much respect. And I know it's hard to lose weight. I know. I know it's a journey. I know it's harder for women. I get it. I 110% get how hard it is for a woman to lose weight. You have no idea. If anyone gets it, it's that it's me. It's Maddie Dubbs over here. Gotta get said. If anyone gets it, it's me. And I want you to be happy. And I want you to not care what other people think. And I want you to be yourself. I really do. I really, really, really do. I'm such an advocate for women being happy and being comfortable in their own skin. You have no idea. I'm your biggest cheerleader. I am. I swear I am. But if you shouldn't be in a two-piece, don't wear the two-piece. I know. I know what that sounds like. And I know you guys are listening and not loving it. I know. But come on, man. Don't do it. Don't do it. I go to these beaches and they're always there. You got these fat people that just don't care. And I'm listening I'm fat. But I need you to care a little bit, man. I need you to cover up a little bit. And I know you guys are listening to this right now, and you're like, yeah, but if a girl was in a thong bikini and she was hot, you wouldn't care. You're a hundred and ten percent right. I wouldn't care. Just like I wouldn't care if the good-looking guy who took care of himself was shirtless. It goes both ways, but yes, you are 110% right. You're 110% right. It's and listen, it's not fair. I know it's not fair. I 110% agree with you, but I need you to cover up. I'm sorry. I need you to cover up. I can't have Dong Bikini butt cheeks in a 300-plus pound woman. I'm sorry. It's gotta get said. If you want to use me as the lightning bolt, if you want to use me as the punching bag, if you want to use me as the floor mat of someone to blame for a negative comment, like I just said, go ahead. But we're all thinking it over here. We're all thinking it. You can call me a chauvinistic pig, you can call me an asshole. I I don't think I'm any of those things. I'm your biggest fan, quite frankly. I understand. The struggles, but I wear a shirt, you know? I cover up because I know the rules. And ladies, I don't need to see Don Bikini Butt Cheeks 300 Plus. I'm sorry, I don't. I really don't. I'm sorry. I really am sorry, but I don't. It's not fair to you. It's not fair to me. And it's not fair to anyone in between. So people, please, at the beaches this year, if you if you know if you're a big per. And listen, if you're like on the fence, do do your thing, whatever. But I'm these, I'm talking to the big people like myself. Like myself, hat in hand here. You know, I'm allowed to say it. Like myself. Do the right thing, big people. Do the right thing. Because I'll be at the beach this year having the time of advice with a shirt on. Because I don't want people looking at me. It's not fair to them. I don't want to do that to them. I don't want to do that to them. Forget me. I don't I don't care what you think. I don't want you to have to explain to other people what they're looking at. It's not fair. Read the room. Read the room, people. Please. Read the room. Fair, fair. Cover up if you're big. Let's just get that out of the way. Gotta get said sorry. Other beach things. You know, beach is tricky. It's like an unwritten rule in the beach about like where you set up, you know. The goal is to get there as early as possible so you have the best spot to set up, and that's 110% fair. That's how it should be. That's how it should be. I totally agree. I totally respect that. I totally understand. You should get there early enough to be able to set up shop wherever you want. That's the rules. Those are the unwritten beach rules. I go to LBI for a week in the summer. Every single morning, I'm up at 7 a.m. loading up the beach cart alone, walking to the beach alone and setting up everyone's chairs, everyone's umbrella, everything is set up, and I do that alone. Everything is set up, everything is ready to go, everything is nice. I'm the first person there. It I pick the best spot, in my opinion, and we all have a grand old time. That's the way it should be. If you choose to sleep in and you roll out of bed at 11, that's totally your prerogative. Enjoy your life. This isn't a rule, you know. I'm not, this isn't a this isn't a dictatorship. Do whatever you want. Sleep in, have the time, go to breakfast, you know. Oh, had that mimosa, you know what I mean? Maybe had a rough night the night before. I get it. I get it. I understand it. But when you go to the beach late and all the spots are accounted for, you now have to sit in the back. It is what it is. You didn't wake up at seven in the morning and took that plunge to the beach to set up shop correctly. You chose to sleep. While that person was lugging his or her shit, beach balls fallen, kids' chairs, sand hot, doing that quarter mile walk, you're chafing in your bathing suit. When that person's doing that walk to that beach to set up shop at seven in the morning, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, and you're sleeping, sucking your thumb, listening to fucking mist, white noise in the background, because you were the night before. That's why they get to live that certain life at that beach. You came late. Now you sit by the garbage pails. Now you sit in the back by the garbage pails. It is what it is. Those are the rules. You're more than welcome to set up shop and then walk near the water. This isn't that. We're not regulating the actual water. Go have fun in the ocean. You're entitled to that just like the rest of us. But I don't need you setting up shop in an uncomfortable distance to me because you choose to go four hours late. That's gotta get said. Everyone listening to this right now, if you're those people that sleep in and set up shop close to other people that are in a good spot, you're 110% wrong. You don't know the rules, and you have to listen to this and listen to it over and over again. When you're on your way to the beach, when you're on your way to the shorehouse, when you're on your way on the weekend to have a great day with your children, put on this episode of Gotta Get Said. Fast forward it to 25 minutes and 50 seconds, and you listen to this spiel right now because you are doing the wrong thing. You either have to go at seven in the morning and set up shot in the good spot. If you choose to sleep in, if you choose to go to breakfast, if you choose to not give a fuck, that's totally fine. But you're sitting near the garbage pails tonight. You're sitting near the garbage pails tonight. Don't set up shop near me if you didn't take the time to do it early. And I know I sound fired up right now. You know why? Because I am fired up right now. Because it is a pet peeve, because it's not a good thing to do. It's ridiculous, it's not fair, and it's not nice. You have to learn beach adequate. If you don't know the rules, listen to gotta get said. I'll fucking tell you the rules. I'll tell you the rules. I'll tell you the rules. You want to listen to your speaker? Great. I'm a big speaker guy too. No problem. You want to drink on the beach, whatever. Do your thing. But you better be in an area that showed when you woke up. You're not strolling in at 11 o'clock and taking prime real estate. You're not rubbing shoulders with me, ruining my beach time because I woke up at 7 and you chose to walk at 11. I didn't eat that bacon egg. You don't think I like bacon, egg and cheese, salt pepper ketchup on a roll? You don't think I want to make bacon, egg, and cheeses? You don't think I want to roll it up at 11? Of course I want to do all those things, but I don't do all those things because I have to set up my beach place. I have to set up my beach real estate and be in a good spot so schmucks like you don't rub my shoulders. Because I don't want to sit in your garbage pail. I don't want to do that. Who wants to do that? I don't want to sit in their garbage pail. It's far. You lose it a little bit. Of course. I know, I know it sucks. That's why you wake up at 7 in the morning. So you don't deal with that. Got it? Got it? Because that shit's gotta get said. And there's so much other beach things, and I'll talk about it in the next episode. I can't even get into it this episode. Going to the beach with children? Don't even start me. Don't even start me going to the beach with children. As summer progresses, we'll get into this more and more. But I thank this person for giving me this to talk about because let me tell you something, man. It's true. It's gotta get said. People don't do the right thing. You know? You know, they always say, like, the customer is always right. It's not true. Most of the time, the customer's 110% wrong. Most of the time. Bullshit. It's all bullshit. People don't know how to act in public. It's true. They don't. They truly don't. So listen to Gotta Get Said and they'll teach you the rules, man. Listen to Gotta Get Said and they will teach you the rules, man. Guys, I told you exciting things are happening over here at Gotta Get Said. I wasn't talking shit. I wasn't talking shit. Very, very soon. Maybe next episode, maybe not, but very, very, as soon as possibly next episode, there will be fun, exciting changes to gotta get said. That's all I could say to you right now. As soon as next episode, there may be super fun, exciting changes over here at Gotta Get Said. Super fun, exciting changes. You know, we gotta adapt over here, gotta get said. I want this thing to make it. I want this podcast to become something for real. I want this podcast to be my full-time job. And you guys might laugh at that, you might scoff at that, and you might think that's delusional. Guess what? It's 110% delusional. I'm well aware it's like hitting the lotto. I'm well aware it's like a shooting star, but you only live one, so I'm gonna shoot my shot. And I'm gonna I'm gonna try my dream. Why wouldn't I? Who are you to tell me not to try my dream? You know, I'm not naive. I know it's probably not gonna happen, but hey, you only get one crack at this life, so why not? So, yes, over here got a good say we're gonna do some changes, we're gonna adapt, we're gonna try some new things. Maybe they're gonna work, maybe they're not gonna work. But as soon as next episode, you will see some changes. Hopefully, they're positive changes. Hopefully, you like these changes. Hopefully. All right, guys. That's it for me this episode. By the way, people listening to this episode, it's not just the person I just gave all those clues who you are. Any of you, please throw your suggestions my way. I love them. Text me, DN me, comment under the photo, swipe up on the stories, whatever you however you want to get in touch with me, get in touch with me that way. They're much, much appreciated. Truly. All right, guys, that's it for me this week. Until then, I will see you guys next week. Same time, same place. And until then, I say peace.