🕯 Candle Hour 🥒 Richard’s Famous Food Podcast’s Richard Parks III 🥐

💌Podcast The Newsletter is your weekly love letter to podcasts and the people who make them.💌

Bonjour!

Have you ever listened to Nocturn? It’s a hybrid form of audio storytelling that blends elements of documentary, fiction and sound-art. It’s beautiful and unexpected, I absolutely love it. Add now! Subscribe! An episode that stuck with me was Candle Hour, which invites us to indulge in a creative self-care ritual. Before you go to sleep, put away all your devices and screens, light candles, and sit in the darkness for an hour. I assume you might need some ideas for FUN THINGS TO DO AT HOME RIGHT NOW, and this is one of them. It gets you away from your screens, and trust me, it’s unbelievable how connected you will feel to the other Candle Hour participants.

I cannot sit still long enough to go hardcore Candle Hour, but my husband and I have adapted our own version. We choose an album and play it on our record player, the whole way through. Because of streaming it’s so rare to listen to an album the whole way through, as it was intended to be experienced. Then we lie on the floor in darkness and the effect is that we feel like we’re on drugs, or the moon. I realize I sound so corny right now, but it’s a kind of transformative experience. We have a lot of fun choosing the album (BC, Before Corona, we would go on on outing together to a record shop to buy a new album) and have even started doing it with podcasts. I advise choosing something like Murmurs, Short Cuts, The Hiss, The Big Loop, Desert Oracle, Have You Heard George’s Podcast, Slow Radio, or even Nocturne. But I mean you do you, if you want to choose We Love Trash or Comedy Bang! Bang!, more power to you. Let me know how it goes. Maybe I’ll try it.

xoxo lp
ps If you are pleased with Podcast The Newsletter, please spread the word!

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👋q & a & q & a & q & a👋

AAAAANYWAY: Richard’s Famous Food Podcast’s Richard Parks III

Richard Parks III is the creator of Richard’s Famous Food Podcast. Follow him on Twitter here and Instagram here. Follow Richard’s Famous Food Podcast on Twitter here.

Kindly introduce yourself!
Hi, I’m Richard Parks III, and I’m still in my PJs.

Nick Quah, who loves the show, has said Richard's Famous Food Podcast is "barely explainable." How do you describe the show to people? Do people always GET IT? And if they don't, do you try to explain it to them? Or are you just kind of like, fuck it?
Usually I just hand out my business card, which features the show’s cover art (a drawing of me as a pickle with a mustache by my friend James Braithwaite). If people have questions after that, I try my best!

Nick Quah has done a better job describing the show in his Vulture review than I ever have. But lately I’ve been going with: “It’s a cartoon you listen to. And you learn from it.” or “It’s more like Pee Wee’s Play House than a normal podcast.” It’s a documentary food show that takes on a single topic or theme in each episode — usually from an obscure or little-understood sector of the food world. But then there’s lots of sound design and characters and people breaking into song and surprises and “doy-yoy-yoing!” If I’m talking to somebody who knows me personally, I say it’s like being inside my mind.

How did you get the idea?
I was just trying to make a well-produced food show, because I felt there was room for that in podcasting/food media. When my personality got in the mix, I just went with it.

The characters, the humor, the approach to sound design and music, etc., all just came as I sat down to put it together. The goal was not to make something so escapist, surreal, and frenetic. It was more just to make a nice-sounding documentary food magazine show. Which I guess I failed to do! 

Richard’s Famous was the name of a salad dressing I made as a kid (in the mold of Newman’s Own). It had an egg yolk mayo made with anchovy paste, roquefort, fresh dill, and lemon, and there was a drawing of me on the label. Then it was going to be the name for a pickle business I wanted to start, but never did. Now it’s the podcast. I hope it will be a TV show one day, a series of books, etc. So I guess the name came first.

How do you pay for the show? It sounds expensive.
My father would say I have “a champagne appetite and a beer budget.” It’s true that if all the expenses and time and labor were considered, it’d be a pricy show. It’s documentary in nature with a lot of reporting in the field and interviews, and then there’s all the post-production work that goes into the sound and music. For the first episode “Bone Broth” I relied on a lot of favors from friends to help record, report, write and record music, loan studio facilities and time, etc. Since then, if there’s anything to pay for, I pay for it. And if there’s anything to do, for the most part, I do it myself.

When was the first moment in your life you realized you were funny or weird? Maybe when you were a little kid?
When I was a kid I used to wear t-shirts over collared shirts, and they were often both short-sleeved. (I grew up in LA.) I think I was aware that was a weird style choice. I’ve always done weird voices, impressions, and pronounced every-day words in weird ways… which is pretty much the same humor stuff I put into the show.

What do most podcasters get wrong when it comes to creating good sound?
I try to remember that sound is a tool that you can use for different purposes. It’s like a handsaw — you can cut wood with it, you can look at your reflection in it, you can threaten somebody with it… I use a musical saw sound in my podcast, it’s funny.

Sound relays information but it also creates feelings. I’m trying to tell a story but I’m also trying to use sounds to make you feel a certain way and I’m trying to be very intentional about how I do that. So I’m focused on the emotional meaning of sounds, I guess? A lot of what I do with sound is done for humor and surprise, or to create a sense of place that is recognizably “Richard’s Famous Food Podcast.”

And I try to remember to use dynamics, as in music. Take it on up, but remember to bring it back down. Hit it hard, but then lay out a bit. It’s call and response, beginning and end, conflict and resolution… It’s simple music, but it’s perfectly logical.

What was the last thing you ate? 
Adzuki beans simmered with ginger, miso, and carrots, plus homemade sauerkraut, roasted tomatoes, and a poached egg, on a bed of spinach.

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💎BTW💎

🎙️I discovered The Lonely Hour this week, which was the perfect week to discover The Lonely Hour. Julia Bainbridge interviews guests about loneliness and solitude. Many of us are feeling lonely right now (even if we live with someone) and really digging into loneliness, really going there, is soul-nourishing. In this episode “How Loneliness Tells You Where To Go,” David Whyte talks about our relationships with ourselves, and the upside of loneliness. I was super struck to hear him talking about nostalgia…what is really is, and how our brain registers it. I have been walking around New York City on my daily 1-hour allotted walk feeling so sad and nostalgic about my city. I miss it so much it hurts. On my walks I’m often on streets I used to walk, BC, and I miss the happiness I felt on the same streets only weeks ago, although they feel years ago. Realizing what that tug inside me is made me feel better about it.

🎙️Someone in the Bello Collective Slack channel recommended I listen to The Foolkiller on The Constant, a 5-part series about a submarine that was found at the bottom of The Chicago River in 1915, with the remains of a man and his dog on board. Nobody knows who built the submarine, where it came from, or who was inside, or where it is today. But each mystery uncovers another mystery, and everything becomes even more bewildering the more we learn. It starts with an underreported disaster and develops into a mystery that feels unsolvable. And the ending…THE ENDING. I have never heard a podcaster so genuinely thrilled to crack a case. You feel like you are discovering things with him, you feel like you are there with him the moment he catches his white whale, after months of torturous dead-end research. One of the best series I have listened to in a long time. 

🎙️On Wednesday I woke up in a good mood and I couldn’t put my finger on why. Do you know that feeling? Then I realized it was because I knew I’d wake up to an episode of Neon Hum’s Telescope, Life in the Time of Corona, a show that isn’t just about Coronavirus, but is a result of it. Jonathan Hirsch tells stories of the pandemic, how social isolation and quarantine and sickness are changing our lives. Wednesday’s episode talks about a life that was hugely impacted—that of Stacy, who because of Corona, who had to decide whether or not to move forward with her IVF treatments, with getting pregnant in this difficult time, when we don’t know the effects Coronavirus could have on a pregnant woman. She decided not to. (It was her fourth round of IVF.) Live from the Parking Lot is a joyous episode that is a reminder of the art that comes out of dark times.

🎙️An interesting, timely show I’m bingeing is Zombified, a show about how we are vulnerable to being hijacked by things that are not us. Hosted by Dr. Athena Aktipis, a Psychology Professor at Arizona State University and the founder of the Zombie Apocalypse Medicine Alliance (it’s a real thing, and they define a zombie as an “entity that is fully or partially under the control of another entity…this includes host-parasite interactions, autonomous technology, and coercion/control in human interactions”) Zombified takes a radically interdisciplinary approach to the science of zombification. It’s surprisingly funny, and really about our relationship with…everything, from food to stress, to laughter, and how we are influenced into thinking about these things by outside forces. I think you will like it if you enjoy American Hysteria, or even You’re Wrong About. It gets you thinking critically in a similar way. Listen to the episode about paranoia, or even this one about pandemics, which addresses bats (which may be where COVID originated) and their role in zoonotic diseases.

🎙️From Galen Beebee and Zach Davis comes Writ Large, a show about the books that changed the world. In each episode, Zach interviews one of the world’s leading scholars about one book that shaped the world we live in. Season one’s theme is Around the World in 80 Days, a book I have never read, but that because of Writ Large, is sparking my interest. At the time Jules Verne wrote the book, the idea of going around the world in 80 days seemed unfathomable. But his forward-thinking inspired readers to get on boats, trains, bikes, and on foot, to beat Phileas Fogg’s 80-day record. The power of novels! And the power of this podcast about them!

🎙️Pineapple Street is reacting to COVID in a really creative way. They are asking kids to send them their own ideas for podcasts to create the show The Kids Are All…Home. Kids from all over the world are stuck at home, bored out of their minds, and Pineapple Street is encouraging them to do what many of us are doing: use podcasting as a creative outlet to fight mental deterioration from social isolation. I’m excited to see the art that kids come up with. I would have KILLED to be able to do this when I was a kid. I wish I could submit something now!

🎙️Starting a podcast about being stuck in quarantine with your S.O. is not a novel idea (Paul F. Tompkins and Janie Haddad bring us Stay F. Homekins and then there’s The Next Big Binge) but Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon have reason and purpose for their project. They’re not just talking about Staying In (the name of the show!) or fighting fear of getting sick (Emily, as you will know from watching The Big Sick, suffers from chronic autoimmune disease.) They plan to donate proceeds to the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, Feeding America, and the Restaurant Workers Community Foundation. Their partnership is adorable and Emily has a background in couples therapy so she offers advice for couples who are also Staying In.

🎙️I’ve joined the bandwagon and started watching Tiger King on Netflix, the unbelievable but true murder-for-hire story about two zoo owners, Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin, who love big cats but hate each other to death, literally. I wanted to listen to the podcast Wondery released about the same story, Joe Exotic, to see how successfully a story is able to be created in two formats, podcast and TV. I like podcasts more than TV, so I recommend both. The podcast offers a straight, journalistic approach. It also fills in a lot of gaps for the Netflix documentary. And if you’re obsessed with the story like I am, you want as much content about it as possible. I would probably also read a Joe Exotic book and see Joe Exotic on Broadway. But this story really is a visual one, and the TV series is a must-watch. You really have to see this stuff, these characters. I think the Netflix doc is a little more sympathetic to Joe Exotic. But I enjoyed both treatments. The first three episodes of Wondery’s Joe Exotic podcast are available for free, and I actually was driven to buy a Wondery subscription to listen to the full series. Also here’s a reminder that if you’re into this stuff, listen to Cat People from Longreads. There’s a Carole / Joe Exotic episode just for you. (Plus some other fascinating episodes.)

🎙️Women be running, but only get something like 4% of media sports coverage. Cherie Turner is fighting that stat with Strides Forward, a narrative podcast of stories about women and running. Each episode features one female runner who competes in marathons and ultra-distance races from around the world of various ages, as well as experience and ability levels. The theme of the inaugural season is experiences in and around the Comrades Marathon, a 90-km road race that takes place each year in South Africa. It’s the largest, oldest ultra-distance foot race in the world. I have been relishing my solo runs lately. I run across the Williamsburg Bridge while the sun is coming up, and it is by far the most beautiful moment of my day. I always want to take a photo of it, but I know that I can’t capture the beauty, I have to keep it to myself. For anyone solo running right now, this podcast can make you feel connected to other runners around the world. I loved what Devon Yanko said on episode one about running serving so many different purposes for her. Sometimes a run is a physical challenge, sometimes it is a mental one. For me, sometimes it is therapy, or when I’m running with my dad, it is a chance for me to connect with him. Who knows when I will be able to run with him again. :( It’s also a great hangover cure if you ask me. How can one simple act, something that just requires a pair of shoes, do so many things?

🎙️Throughline is a show that grapples to understand the present by looking at our past, and there isn’t anything more relevant right now than COVID-19 and holding it up next to the 1918 Flu. A recent episode does just that, laying out what the two have in common and where they are different. I’d love to agree with the episode’s hopeful ending—that because of modern technology and intelligence we have today, we are better equipped to deal. But something we have today that we didn’t have in 1918 is a disgraceful, idiotic president. We’re about to find out how much damage he can do. One hopeful part of this episode was the description of a photo from 1918 of women making face masks by hand, with a sign behind them reading, “If you make a mistake, people will die.” It’s a reminder that the tiny things wen can do (social distancing, washing our hands, taking precautions when we cough or sneeze) will make a big difference when it comes to flattening the curve and saving lives.

🎙️#Authoring is a podcast hosted by Kim Potts (a Tink client and author of THE WAY WE ALL BECAME THE BRADY BUNCH) and Jennifer Keishin Armstrong (author of SEINFELDIA.) The two address the publishing world and what comes after an author writes a book: working with editors, promoting your work, making money, and beyond. They had me on as a guest to talk about Tink and podcast PR, and what authors can do right now, after book tours have been cancelled and physical bookstores have been closed, to promote their books by appearing on podcasts. The entire show is a must-listen for authors, and I think there’s a lot of crossover for podcast creators, too.

🎙️Awhile ago I wrote about a series from Radiolab that was launched on the Radiolab feed, The Other Latif, a story from Latif Nasser about his discovery that his name was not unique, as he thought, and that there was another Latif Nasser–detainee 244 at Guantanamo Bay. Latif follows the story of the other Latif, discovering who Latif is, why he is in Guantanamo, the frustrating story of Latif being released on paper, and why he was ultimately not freed. I finished up the series this week, and it’s really heartbreaking and unusual. It would be an incredible story on its own, but the fact that Radiolab Latif had such strong personal connections to the other Latif deepens the story’s meaning. 

🎙️Crowd work in stand-up comedy can be groan-worthy, and not held with high esteem in the comedy community. It’s often seen as a way to warm people up or kill time. But can crowd work can be the meat? Why people show up for? Moshe Kasher is so good at it that he was able to do an entire show of crowd work, called Crowd Surfing Vol. 1. On Good One, Moshe talks to Jesse David Fox about why crowd work is such an undervalued art, and the potential it has to be great. Also how he does it, in case you’re interested in taking notes. Moshe is one of my favorite comedians. (Check out his podcast Hound Tall Discussion Series, and the defunct show The Champs he co-hosted with Neal Brennan.)

🎙️Tape Club is a new show from Pod People’s Rachael King and Pete Naughton. They start each episode with industry news and then give recommendations. I have always loved Rachael King, and now I’m a Pete Naughton fan, too. The insight they bring to podcasters and podcast-fans is invaluable, plus it’s a really fun listen.

🎙️The Last Degree of Kevin Bacon, a 10-episode podcast, is described as "part fiction and part alternative reality," starring Kyra Sedgwick, Terry Gross (love her in this role) and Rob Reiner, each playing themselves. The premise: Randy Beslow’s life is a mess, and he blames Kevin Bacon, who stole a role from him 30 years ago. The only solution he can come up with is to kill Kevin Bacon, but the plan turns out to be not be as easy as Randy initially thought. Kevin Bacon is charming as himself, and the story is wild and fun. I always criticize famous people for starting chat shows “just because they can,” but in this case, the result is solid, because it stars solid actors who are able to believably carry a story.

🎙️I have been looking for content that has nothing to do with COVID, and it’s kind of hard to find. So I was excited to listen to this episode of Podcast The Ride, Peter Pan’s Flight with Dani Fernandez. For one hour I was taken away to Neverland, Peter Pan movies, and Disney World. Also had an epiphany when the hosts started talking about what a jerk Peter Pan was to Wendy and Tinker Bell. He totally pitted them against each other and was cruel to them individually! And the mermaids are literally drooling over him—him! A jerky pre-pubescent boy wearing tights and a feather cap! Yeah right! How had I never thought of this before?

🎙️I’m pretty excited to discover Hollywood Remixed, a show that talks about diversity in Hollywood. Each episode is structured around a theme, a type of character or story that has been traditionally underrepresented or misrepresented in pop culture, and has an interview with someone who is standing out in that genre. It’s a show that’s gotten me to think differently. (I particularly liked an episode on the lack of representation cognitive disabilities in Hollywood.)

🎙️I don’t listen to a lot of true crime but I always listen to interesting crime writers talk about true crime on Crime Writers On... I am always interested to hear Rebecca, Kevin, Lara, and Toby discuss true crime I haven’t experienced, but really love when they cover something I actually have. I have been loving Verified, the true-story show hosted by investigative reporter Natasha Del Toro about a police man in Venice turned sexual predator, who opened his home to female couch surfers in order to drug and rape them. The consensus on Crime Writers On… is that Verified is a good show (they didn’t like how Natasha asks listeners to text the show to receive photos of the storytellers. I mentioned before that I LOVE receiving these photos, but they have made me question this...it is truly just a crafty way to get my phone number.) Rebecca, Kevin, Lara and Toby love Natasha, and specifically called out the excellent editing of the show. The stories in Verified are difficult stories to piece together from so many people (who are not podcasters,) but Verified does it well. I hadn’t thought about the great editing. I guess editing is one of those things you don’t appreciate until it is really bad.

🎙️Rachael O’Brien turned the tables on Dani Shapiro (of Family Secrets) for an episode of Be Here For Awhile. Rachael is funny and relatable, her questions were so thoughtful (it’s clear she’s a big Family Secrets listener) and Rachael even discovered she had a family secret of her own. Family Secrets is one of those shows that gets me thinking, I always want to talk about it with others. There should be a Family Secrets review podcast. The next best thing is hearing Rachael and Dani discuss what it feels like to live with a secret surrounding you that you can’t put your finger on (as Dani always says, the “thought unknown” ) and the path that discovering the truth will put you on.

🎙️I love you!