🎁 And now for something completely different 💎 (+ the funniest interview yet)🪵
🍭 👂The brothers take a long beat of reflection 🌈 🤸♀️
Bonjour.
Today is Monday, July 8. This is not a normal issue of Podcast the Newsletter.
I’m one of those people who makes others very nervous when I’m holding a knife. I can see it in their eyes. (Do you know what I mean?) I think it’s because of the nature of how I carry myself—reckless, hurried, extremely animated. Podcast the Newsletter is a reflection of that, it is a pure reflection of me. It can be messy but is loving. I have considered getting an editor or fact-checker, but every time I tell someone that they say, “no don’t do that we like it bad!” Then they go on to clarify they mean unpolished or full of heart or something. They love the dumb emojis! Fine. It is an awful lot of work, I’ll say, and it brightens my spirits every time I find out that anyone reads it at all. I mean, sometimes I forget that anyone reads it at all. But it is a part-time job. In more than five years, I have never missed a Monday. A friend recently told me that if I was too busy I could tell my readers I needed a break (which seems like a scary thing to do,) that I should be open with them. Which is something I tell my clients to do all the time.
So I guess I’m taking my friend’s advice. I am busy! I co-run a company (I say co-run because my team is fantastic and life-saving) and I have a newborn and I’m moving to West Philadelphia this month. (Know anyone there who wants to hang out?) I drafted the following issue of Podcast the Newsletter awhile ago for a rainy day, and I’m calling in that lifeline now. This is not a normal issue.
So what is the point of this abnormal issue? In all this podcast listening I do, I have converted my husband Justin to be a podcast listener, too. And every week I make a playlist of things I think he’ll like and then when we’re on a walk together or in the apartment together, he acts as podcast DJ, picking from the list things he wants to hear. There are always a few regulars on this list, and today I’m writing about those. The shows we listen to every single week. (At 1x speed, rare for me. The things I do for love!)
TLDR? This is a list of the shows Justin and I listen to together at 1x speed. I am busy and I might have to skip an issue in the next few weeks but it doesn’t mean I don’t love you, it doesn’t mean I am not listening to things.
Thank you for reading, today and always. The interview this week with the Cozy brothers is the funniest one I’ve ever received but you have to listen to their podcast A Place Upstate to truly appreciate it. Also please check out their podcast website, the single best podcast website of all time.
xoxo lp
👋q & a & q & a & q & a👋
Robert and Cyrus Cozy
Robert and Cyrus Cozy are two brothers who live (and podcast) together in their cozy cabin in Upstate New York. The mission of their show A Place Upstate is simple: to share all the joys and wonders their regions have to offer with their loyal friends and listeners. Born and raised in the comedic wellspring of the Borscht Belt, the Cozy Brothers met in the womb of their mother, Geraldine Cozy, and went on to perform in New York City under the stage names “Noah Forman” and “Mike Antonucci” (so not to be accused of being Nepo Brothers). Like the Leatherman multitools affixed to their belts, they are men of many skillsets: they produce their own podcasts, write their own songs, make their own graphics, build their own fires, and domesticate their own racoons (among many, many other things). Whether they’re whispering sweet somethings in your ears or performing their live variety show in Brooklyn, they’ll take you away to A Place Upstate … without going anywhere. Excelsior!
How would you describe A Place Upstate in 10 words or less?
CYRUS: Two brothers, one mic, and all the wonders upstate New–
ROBERT: That’s 10.
CYRUS: Let’s just say “It’s a podcast that sounds a lot like a podcast.”
ROBERT: That sounds right.
Please tell us the podcast’s origin story.
ROBERT: The origin of the podcast, like the origin of almost everything great and interesting and funny and important, is Upstate New York. Robert and I are Native Brothers of the region, the youngest and strongest of five generations of Upstate Cozies, besides our baby brother Wilhelm, from whom we are estranged…
(The brothers take a long beat of reflection)
CYRUS: Anyway, we were raised in the comedic tradition of the Borscht Belt, the musical tradition of The Band, and the literary tradition of the great Upstate authors: Melville, Morrison, Irving, Twain. But podcasting—that’s a new frontier. Robert secured two microphones from a local Freegan event and together we set out to make The Great American Podcast, which, like Moby Dick himself, could only be born in one place: Upstate New York.
ROBERT: A podcast by the community and for the community - wherever you are. Also, Kelsey Grammar owns an upstate christian brewery. Did you know that?
I am concerned about the cadence of this show. Are you going to be coming back more regularly?
ROBERT: No need for concern! Like a person who insists on eating oatmeal every morning, regularity is the dream. But Upstate has different rhythms than other places, and our bespoke production process cannot always be bent to the demands of modern “Hustle Culture.”
CYRUS: That said, we’re currently in production on Season 2 and will have new episodes coming out late summer/early Fall. We also perform a live show in Brooklyn about every 6 weeks as part of a state-mandated effort to bring upstate vibes to downtrodden downstaters.
Fill in the blank: You will like “A Place Upstate” if you like ___________. (Can be person, place, other podcast, outfit, menu item, tv show, type of car, festival, etc.)
CYRUS: Flannel shirts, fall vibes, fresh produce, Fresh Air (both the NPR show and literally breathing fresh air, preferably in through your nose and out through your mouth.)
ROBERT: I was gonna say “the sound of our voices”
If people haven’t listened, where should they start?
ROBERT: Do You Believe in Magic? Or enjoy music/time travel? If so, maybe start with our 2-part episode What Was Woodstock? We got to interview legendary Lovin’ Spoonful frontman John Sebastian, who has one of the wildest Woodstock stories we’ve ever heard. Still can’t believe he came to the cabin.
CYRUS: All our episodes are self-contained stories or journeys, so you can really start anywhere. I’d say our first episode with our friend Jo Firestone is all about setting the vibe and giving our listeners a sense of peace and a sense of place. So if that’s what you like, start at the beginning.
ROBERT: A word of wisdom from a fool: don’t just listen if there’s a guest with a flashy name! Our favorite episodes feature the real people of Upstate New York who are doing the real work of keeping the vibes chill, the community strong, and the legend alive. To see what we mean, start with Episode 3: Ghosts with Kelly Ripone, Genesee County’s Chamber of Commerce Marketing Director and Founder of The Haunted History Trail.
CYRUS: Oh, and if you love salad we have a whole episode on the origin of Thousand Island Dressing.
ROBERT: We even taste it!
If people haven’t listened, where should they NOT start? (Any difficult guests that bombed?)
ROBERT: Nobody ever bombs on A Place Upstate; much like the Hudson Valley, it’s a safe space for just doing ok and trying your best. But that doesn’t mean the discourse isn’t lively.
CYRUS: For example, Jordan Klepper did not agree with the premise of our episode on Moby Dick, and it got a little heated. But that’s ok, we weren’t threatened or intimidated. We simply kept asserting the premise in different ways until he said “I suppose that’s possible.”
What’s the cabin like? (Physically?)
ROBERT: It’s a log cabin. So there’s wood, lots of wood. The toilet and the shower are very functional. There is a rug. Two rugs actually—
CYRUS: I’ve got this, Robert.
ROBERT: Thank you, Cyrus.
CYRUS: The aesthetic is “Rustic Hygge.” “Hygge” is a Danish term for “So cozy it hurts,” and we take that very seriously. It’s always the perfect temperature, and since we’re always welcoming guests, every room has a murphy bed – you just have to find it!
ROBERT: Is the internet spotty? Of course! But these days that’s a feature, not a bug. Also, and this is important to say: the Cozy Family Cabin is not for sale and it will never be for sale.
CYRUS: One time a tech bro offered us $5 million cold hard cash to buy it straight out and Robert chased him off our land with a jumbo scented candle.
How do you prep guests before they come on the show?
CYRUS: Most people have never been interviewed by two brothers at the same time, so that’s always an adjustment. But mainly, we tell our guests why our curiosity and passion for all things Upstate has led us to their particular doorstep and where we hope our conversation might lead. Our priority is giving our guests a cozy time and spotlighting their specific expertise and charm. They know so much more than we do!
How do you prep yourselves for an episode? (Any cozy tips for podcasters especially?)
ROBERT: We are creatures of practice and ritual. On recording days, we usually go on a quick 3 hour hike, maybe stop off at an antique shop to see if anything new (but still old) came in, brew a hot pot of coffee or tea. Did you know anything can be tea?
How are you two different and how are you alike? What do you both bring to the table?
CYRUS: Well, we are brothers, so we’re practically twins. But many people will tell you that one of us is slightly taller, one of us is slightly smarter, and one of us is slightly more attractive. Feel free to sound off in the comments!
ROBERT: As far as what we bring to the table? Hmm, usually I bring the tablecloth and the napkins. I’m the fabrics guy. Textiles? They’re important to me. And then Cyrus is the one that grabs the bowls and big spoons from the cabinets and sets them at our places for dinner. He’s great at handling concave objects, and making things look nice.
CYRUS: Dinner is spaghetti with meatballs, unless otherwise noted.
Who is your dream guest on A Place Upstate?
ROBERT: The easy answer is Paul Rudd, who is probably the third most well known semi-official Upstate Ambassador after us. If you’ve never heard of Paul Rudd, he’s probably best known for owning a popular candy store in Rhinebeck.
CYRUS: We have some big questions for the NYS Parks Commissioner. Erik Kulleseid dodged our multiple attempts to reach out through his public contact form, but has since stepped down from the role. Now, we think the Answer Man we’re looking for is Commissioner Pro Tem Randy Simons. Our question is simple: Why doesn’t New York State have a single National Park? California has NINE and they don’t even have drinking water. We can do better.
ROBERT: It’s a great candy store, Paul Rudd’s.
Have you considered inviting Connor and James III to your cabin? I think they’re up to something fishy you should check it out. (I really think this would be a great collab episode.)
ROBERT: We’ve considered it, yes. Collabs are very popular these days.
CYRUS: Raccoons, in many ways, are Tiny Dinos.
ROBERT: And we domesticate raccoons.
CYRUS: So we would have much to talk about.
(Robert sneezes)
CYRUS: Gesundheit!
ROBERT: Allergies. Upstate is in bloom! Let’s continue.
If you two were going to make another podcast, what would it be? Don’t worry about any of the logistics or whether or not anyone would like it. Your budget is $1M.
ROBERT: We heard Paul Rudd won’t do a podcast for under $1M. So we’d do this podcast, which currently has a budget of zero dollars, and have Paul Rudd on one episode.
What’s a podcast you love that not enough people know about?
ROBERT: Just as Rip Van Winkle woke from his slumber to find himself nestled amongst the beauty of the Catskills, so do many great podcasts … do that.
CYRUS: We thought our podcast was the only game in town until we were featured in a lovely article in the Times Union of Albany about “The Booming Hudson Valley Podcast Scene.” And it is booming!
ROBERT: There’s Cidiot: Learning to live and love life in the Hudson Valley. That’s a good podcast for Cidiots learning to live and love life in the Hudson Valley.
CYRUS: Also Hudson Valley Bride: Wedding Planning Made Easy in the Hudson Valley, NY.
That’s a great podcast for Hudson Valley brides who want wedding planning made easy in the Hudson Valley, NY.
ROBERT: Did you know Malcom Gladwell has a podcast studio upstate but he doesn’t do a show about upstate??!?!?!
What’s a podcast you love that everyone already knows about?
ROBERT: All the big ones.
CYRUS: We love those.
Are there too many podcasts?
CYRUS: Absolutely not. We think the current number (15) is a sweet spot for the industry.
What should I have asked you about that I didn’t?
ROBERT: Well, we’ll tell you what we’re glad you didn’t ask us about.
CYRUS: That’s right. We’re glad you didn’t ask us about our third brother, Wilhelm. It’s a can of worms we don’t wish to open at this time.
(At this moment, the brothers excuse themselves to an adjacent room where they appear to gather themselves for several minutes before re-entering without comment.)
ROBERT: Our next live Cozy Brothers show is August 16th at Young Ethel’s in Brooklyn, 7/7:30pm sharp. You will hear songs, laugh at jokes, and see some of your favorite comedians. And you could even win a bottle of Thousand Island Dressing!
CYRUS: Also thank you for noticing our absolutely spectacular website. We have no idea how it got there.
🚨If u only have time for 1 thing🚨
I was a fan of Jack O’Brien back in his Cracked.com days, and in 2017 was excited to follow him to this new podcast he was making called The Daily Zeitgeist. I remember where I was the first time I listened to it—on 14th street, walking to work in the exact place I was later mugged by a band of adorably-dressed teeny boppers. There are what—4,000 episodes? (It’s daily, sometimes twice-daily) and I have never missed a single episode. Jack and his co-host Miles Gray invite people (comedians, authors, musicians, podcasters) on to run through the day’s news, whatever in the zeitgeist is drawing the attention of our collective minds. That can be about anything from the ban on abortion to the newest menu item at Taco Bell. (They talk about police brutality almost as much as they talk about Mountain Dew.) Jack and Miles are funny, progressive, smart, and are able to make all of their guests feel welcome and look good. That’s a real skill. Justin and I listen every weekday morning together, and I love love love hearing Justin burst into laughter in the next room while he’s trying to do a workout. Now that we have a daughter, she listens with us. Every morning she says, “mom, call Jack and Miles!” and I pretend to dial them up as I hit play. (Isn’t it cute how dumb babies are?) I find it hard to convince people to join the Zeitgang with me—maybe it seems like too much of a commitment, or maybe it’s intimidating to be exposed to so many inside jokes as a new listener. (There are a lot—you definitely have to become a regular listener to appreciate everything.) And the schedule is not intuitive—Monday evening there’s a casual conversation between Jack and Miles; Tuesday morning there is a deep dive interview with an expert of some kind, Wednesday through Friday mornings they have a guest on to go over the news, Tuesday through Friday evenings Jack and Miles have a short episode about what’s trending online. And there’s a mash-up episode that comes out on the weekend. Have I lost you?! Anyway it feels extra special that Justin loves it as much as I do. Arielle Nissenblatt, whom I also love, is in the Zeitgang too, and I can text her something about a Daily Zeitgeist episode without having to explain anything, I know she’ll get it. So I guess The Daily Zeitgeist is strengthening my marriage and friendships? Everything I know about Matthew “dick toilet” Whitaker I learned on this show. I also credit it with getting me through the pandemic. There were days that felt so scary, but Jack and Miles were there explaining what we knew and what we didn’t know, taking what needed to be taken seriously seriously and still able to make me laugh in a hard time. Let me know if you join the Zeitgang, there’s room for more. This paragraph is too long but honestly I could have gone on for centuries.
hell yeah
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💎BTW💎
🎙️StraightioLab is one of the smartest shows on my weekly list, I swear, even though it’s filed as a “comedy” show. Sam Taggart and George Civeris talk to guests about straight culture, and every single weirdo episodes spins out into conversations so nuanced and thoughtful you could think you were in a … laboratory? Oh I get it, now. Topics like kitchen islands, axe throwing bars, and cigars are dissected…much like that frog you had to rip apart in seventh grade biology…to better understand how everyday people, places, things, vibes…all just seem so totally and undeniably straight. It does not matter, by the way, what the topic is. You may end up getting a conversation that exists in another universe, but it always ends up being in the universe you’re supposed to be in, if that makes sense. Even when I enter an episode unconvinced of a topic’s straightness, I always change my mind and exit the episode with so much to think about. I love how their opening segment, “straight shooters,” throws everyone off just a little bit, and their closing segment, “shout out to the boys,” is always comically long and accompanied by terrible music. George and Sam have a sweet friendship and are constantly cracking me up. And I’m serious: it’s brilliant. Listen here.
🎙️Five years ago when I first announced in a listserv that I had started a newsletter called Podcast the Newsletter, Amory Sivertson reached out to me to tell me about her new show, Endless Thread. I believe the episode that she was referring to was about all-you-can-eat buffets? I also recall that at the time, Endless Thread’s focus was really on things happening on Reddit. Don’t quote me. You know I can’t afford a fact-checker. Justin and I have been listening ever since. Amory is still co-host (although she has also just returned from investigating a reaaaaaally good true crime show, Beyond All Repair) with Ben Brock Johnson and now they follow threads of all things internet-related from the latest internet schemes to special communities that find each other in super adorable ways. At this point, I feel like Amory and Ben are family members. We don’t even look at the title of the episode anymore, we just hit play. Every episode is funny, high quality, and even though we are talking about the internet here, usually makes me feel optimistic about humanity. Listen here.
🎙️The first thing Justin and I do Saturday morning is turn on a freshly inked episode of Lovett or Leave It, Jon Lovett’s live culture and politics show that comes out that day. Jon is a master at hosting. He is quick on his feet, hilarious and smart, and able to pivot back and forth between these things things on a dime. Guests range from big comedians to local politicians to iconic actors. (We just listened to an episode with Kathleen Turner.) Almost all shows are live, and I don’t always love that. But in this case every show is curated for the city Jon is touring in, so episodes sometimes feel like you’re listening in on a community meeting or something. You get a taste for cities all over the US. Most episodes come out on Saturdays, but Wednesdays they started dropping casual conversations with Jon and his team to reflect on whatever the hell is going on in politics. And oh, his team. I love it when we hear from them, and his writers must be great. I love it when he tells a joke that maybe isn’t their strongest and he tells the audience, “shut up.” I also miss Emily’s Gardening Corner. IYKYK. Listen here.
🎙️If I meet a Joe Rogan fan in the wild, I tell them they will probably like Bullseye with Jesse Thorn. (This is a lie.) On the surface Joe and Jesse might seem similar, both JR and Jesse are bald, male-identifying interviewers with J names, but Jesse is kind, smart, fascinating, and funny. I’m trying to trick people, hoping some of them will convert to Jesse’s side. This probably doesn’t work but I’m doing it anyway. I love Bullseye interviews because Jesse is good, he’s been interviewing people forever (he started The Sound of Young America 20 years ago.) The people he interviews are usually not people making the rounds on other podcasts, they seem to be people Jesse is genuinely interested in. And I love Jesse’s short series that occasionally pops up where he asks artists what piece of art they are jealous of and wish they had made themselves. Listen here.
🎙️On Go Touch Grass, Milly Tamarez and Alise Morales recap the whole week in trending online topics, technically so that we can spend less time online and more time doing anything else. I feel like I am online a disgusting amount, I never touch grass. But I still feel like I need a guide to know what the cool kids are talking about, or what’s happening on TikTok because I love TikTok but don’t have time to watch videos, you all I am LISTENING TO PODCASTS ALL THE TIME!!! I absolutely love Milly and Alise, they have perfect chemistry. You will want to hang out with them. (And oh my god not to brag, I did recently. Arielle and I took them to, you guessed it, MáLà Project.) Every segment is packed with jokes and there are really good guests. Caleb Hearon! George Civeris! Josh Gondelman! Oh, this is your reminder to do a search for Josh Gondelman and just listen to every single thing he’s every been on. That’s how I discovered Straightiolab, which we will discuss shortly. Listen to Go Touch Grass here.
🎙️Every podcast festival, meet-up, whatever, I ask people in podcasting what they’re listening to, and Handsome is something that comes up again and again. It’s also something I see popping up on Reddit all the time. I love Tig Notaro, especially as a podcaster, ever since her Professor Blastoff days, and I even stuck with her for that true crime documentary podcast she hosted with Cheryl Hines, which…we don’t talk about that enough. That was weird, right? Anyway, she has found the perfect home at Handsome, with her other co-hosts Fortune Feimster and Mae Martin. The three get a prompt from a famous person (like Bob Odenkirk asking them about favorite colors) then answer it, but really, this is a conversationally-driven show packed with jokes. I think people, like me and Justin, come back to it because it’s so cozy and reliable. Listen here.
🎙️On My Momma Told Me, Langston Kerman and David Gborie rate, review, and discuss Black conspiracy theories. Does wearing red nail polish make you a floozie? Did escaped slaves throw hush puppies out to distract the hounds from tracking them? Langston and David are hilarious, the guests are hilarious, and every time I think they must be running out of conspiracy theories they prove me wrong and introduce me to more. The fanbase fuels this show with great listeners calls. This is a great format for a show an it’s so well done. The Miles Gray episode about rainbow parties was top notch.
🎙️ANOTHER Dave Gborie show? On All Fantasy Everything he, along with Ian Karmel and Sean Jordan, fantasy draft things that usually aren’t drafted. Places to hide a body. Foods that look better than they taste. Every time I think they must be running out of things to draft they prove me wrong. (A personal favorite: animals that should fuck right off.) This format is really just a great way for these hosts and guests to flex their comedy muscles. Every round launches off into funny side convos about the weird things we do, the weird things we like, the weird things that exist amongst us. Dave, Ian, and Sean are all sweet, funny, quick, and they have such good friendship chemistry—totally different and bringing something unique to the table. And if you listen obsessively, which I have, you’ll get to know each one of them well. ALSO FUN FACT TIME Ian and Dana Schwartz (Noble Blood, Very Special Episodes) married shortly after Dana was a guest on All Fantasy Everything in 2020 (listen to that episode here) and the two fell in love. Are you dying now, too? I am, and I already knew that fun fact. Listen to All Fantasy Everything here.
🎙️On TV I Say with Ashley Ray, Ashley Ray dishes out TV recommendations like there is no tomorrow and speaks to people in the TV biz whom she likes. (These interviews always feel lovingly curated.) Every single time Justin and I finish an episode one of us screams to the other from another side of the apartment, “were you writing those down?” Neither of us ever does. But we should. (I considered offering to write the recommendations down for Ashley to put in her show notes, maybe that is a Patreon bonus.) Ashley is funny, watches a lot of TV, and also happens to share my taste so I feel unchallenged and validated, something we all need sometimes when we aren’t trying to be heroes. Listen here.
🎙️I love advice podcasts (RIP Han and Matt Know It All—someone please revive this idea) and I occasionally turn to Dear Prudence and Awesome Etiquette, but Endless Honeymoon is on our weekly rotation. Moshe Kasher, one of the first podcasters I was drown to (RIP The Champs,) and his wife Natasha Leggero are funny enough that nothing needs to happen on this show for it to be worth your time but it does—someone will call in with a problem and they have an actual conversation with the person, which lets Moshe and Natasha do something they are very good at, crowd work. (Moshe actually was interviewed on Good One about why he loves crowd work so much.) Listen to Endless Honeymoon here.
🎙️There are more, but that’s all for now. I love you!
📦 From the Archives 📦
[From August 10, 2020] Criminal’s How to Sell a Haunted House starts with a ghost story, which is ALWAYS fun. But then it gets into something most spooky podcast episodes pass over…how do you sell a haunted house? One Victorian house in Nyack, New York stands as an example of “The Ghostbusters Ruling" which requires sellers must disclose physical AND emotional defects to a house, and this includes paranormal activity.
A newborn?! Where have I been?! HUGE CONGRATS TO YOU & JUSTIN!!!
Iconic issue.