⚰️ Funeral clowns 🤡 nomics 🧩 The Texas Rangers 🏜 taboo confessions 🤫 malls, glorious malls 🛍️

🍭 👂 You're in for a treat! 🌈 🤸‍♀️

Nov 21, 2022

Bonjour!

Today is Monday, November 21. In case this email is too long, two amazing storytellers are spoofing rewatch podcasts and it’s hilarious, I wanted to gobble up all of these, don’t miss this amazing interview with Carmen Rita Wong. (Her book would make a great holiday gift.)

xoxo lp

ps If you are pleased with Podcast The Newsletter, please spread the word.

Kimi Culp

Kimi Culp is the host of All the Wiser. Follow All the Wiser on Twitter here.

Describe All the Wiser in 10 words or less.
Raw, honest, intimate, brave, inspiring and occasionally funny.

Fill in the blank: You will like All the Wiser if you like ______ (person, place, movie, book, idea, food…)
The show is perfect for people who love curling up with a friend on a cozy sofa for a meaningful conversation. Look elsewhere if you prefer small talk at parties.

Can you talk about the $2,000 donations you make each episode? How is that decided? Where have you contributed?
We believe in changing the world one podcast episode at a time and make a $2,000 charitable contribution for every story we share. To date, the podcast has donated over $150,000. Each episode, we make a donation on behalf of our guests' favorite charity or cause.

A 12-year-old boy, Trey, was able to start a podcast on his experiences living with autism as a result of one of our donations. Another donation funded the purchase of a small sailboat to outfit kids with limb loss to learn how to sail.

We are also proud of supporting charities making an impact on the frontlines of mental health, addiction, cancer, LGBTQ + rights, child sex trafficking and initiatives to close the gender gap in national security.

What’s a moment in your interviewing you’ll never forget?
In my pajamas during a global pandemic, I interviewed Pablo Esobar's son, Sebastian, about growing up with your dad as the world's largest cocaine dealer. For his birthday, Pablo would fly in lunch on a helicopter and have elephants and giraffes roam the yard.

Which episode of All the Wiser should people stop reading this and go listen to right now?
Sue Klebold rarely does interviews and received a huge response from our listeners. Sue is the mother of Dylan Klebold, one of the two shooters at the Columbine massacre. As a mother of a mass shooter, she offers a unique perspective on loving and losing her youngest son.

What’s the recipe for a perfect All the Wiser episode?
Trust + Vulnerability + Presence + A healthy dose of levity.

How have you changed as a host since you started All the Wiser?
In the show, people who have experienced unimaginable things share their wisdom. In essence, our guests are teachers on what it means to suffer, endure, and be human.

I have gained a greater sense of peace and clarity over the past four years as a result of interviewing extraordinary people. Now that I know bringing them into the light is healing and of service to others, I am less afraid to share parts of myself I once deemed shameful.

Who are your listeners? Any interesting stories about them?
During the pandemic, a Florida teacher used our podcast as mental health curriculum for high school students.

The stories on the podcast inspired one of our listeners to quit drinking, lose 60 pounds, and recommit to putting his family first.

Self-care tip?
Nature and Dark Chocolate in no particular order.

🚨If u only have time for 1 thing🚨

Remember The Mash-Up Americans? I was a loyal listener, then co-hosts Amy and Rebecca vanished from the feed (they were busy…they helped make Love & Noraebang…) but are back with a beautiful portrait of human pain and joy, Grief, Collected, on the Mash-Up Americans feed. We are all grieving something now, and it’s kind of nuts that we just experienced a global trauma and were thrown back to our lives without little space to figure out…what just happened to us? Grief, Collected is answering that question: what happens to us after loss?, looking at America’s unique relationship to grief and what it really is, what happens if we don’t do it, and how we can get better at it. (There are real, constructive lessons.) Somehow Rebecca and Amy make this content playful, hopeful, and a lot of fun. To listen to them talk is to want to hear them talk more, you want in on their conversations. So even the little asides are full of laughter and warmth. They point out something that I had to write down—grief is love. (Let that sit with you for a moment!) So maybe that’s why they are able to blend comfort and pain so seamlessly, and make us feel like we have someone there—Amy, Rebecca, and their insightful guests—holding our hands. I’m making this show sound so serious but I mean it, it’s a blast. (Listen to Rebecca and Amy on an episode of The Daily Zeitgeist…I laughed the entire way through.)

Listen now.

oh hey

✨Arielle spotlighted Everyone’s Talkin’ Money in her newsletter and podcast.

✨Here’s my Lifehacker article on the best pop music podcasts.

✨Shreya Sharma pulled together the ultimate guide to video podcasting, and whether or not you should think about doing it. Via Podcast Marketing Magic.

✨The promo swap database has more than 500 shows in it. Take a peek—it’s like shopping—to find a show you can work with to grow. (Set up partnerships.) Make sure to submit your show in, too!

💎BTW💎

🎙️Former TV stars across America have been launching re-watch shows for The Office, Parks & Rec, New Girl, Always Sunny, Saved By the Bell more and more, where they take a look at their old television shows, share behind the scenes stories, secrets, and memories episode-by-episode, and reunite with old cast members. Ian Chillag and Mike Danforth (Ian’s the guy behind Everything Is Alive, and they are the co-creators of How to Do Everything) are joining the club for the show that they didn’t star in and also didn’t exist, Behind Plain Sight, which followed a man in hiding at a nudist colony in Florida. In the Scenes Behind Plain Sight is the show that spoofs those other TV rewatch shows, and is way better. They’re absolutely aware how tired this genre can be and by leaning into podcast format tropes they bring their very own weird spin. “That’s what people want to hear right now,” Ian says in episode one. “Two men, unedited, talking to each other for a long time.” Mike jumps in: “When do they go to the bathroom? That’s what we want the people to ask.” I can confirm that in this case, this is absolutely the kind of content we need right now, and I’d love to know when they find time to go to the bathroom in the midst of talking to each other for a long time. Listen here.

🎙️I love the idea of In the Scenes Behind Plain Sight. (Nick Quah observed that we might have a nascent subgenre on our hands, pointing out A Closer Look, a “fake documentary comedy podcast” hosted by Nate Fisher and Will Sennett.) It’s a kind of podcast truly for the podcast nerds out there. And it’s a format Malin von Euler-Hogan and Kelley Quinn have been playing with for a bit. Their podcast Riding Around is like an improvised Office Ladies, each week is a recap of an episode of a fake early 2000s sitcom called Riding Around, the first show ever to be filmed entirely on and around a bus. Malin and Kelley interview cast and crew about their memories from the show. Listen here.

🎙️My client Carmen Rita Wong was on Ethnically Ambiguous, one of my very favorite shows, to talk about her book Why Didn’t You Tell Me. First, the conversation will have you on total pins and needles (Carmen has an amazing story, and you’ll want to buy the book…maybe as a gift for someone who loves juicy family stories. New York Times has called Carmen a "master storyteller" and People Magazine noted that her book is a "stunner about race, culture, and the deeper meaning of family.") But it’s also just a great conversation about family secrets and the Americanness of having a complicated cultural background and loneliness and wondering who we are. Listen here.

🎙️The biggest surprise to me about my own listening habit is that one of my favorite show is Outside/In, a show about nature and the natural world. I’m a city girl. I like not-camping. I still have trauma from being forced to wade in a mud pit at Camp Christopher in 1994. But I never miss an episode of Outside/In because the episodes are always getting at something so much bigger and more human than just observing or giving facts about the outdoors. The reality of The History Channel’s Alone cracks open the show Alone, where ten people are dropped into the remote wilderness with nothing but a handful of tools, a supply of GoPro cameras, and instructions to document their entire experience of fighting to survive. People watch the show to see humans who are stretched to their limits, but Outside/In cracks these people open. What societal issues lend to people risking their lives for money? Why can they go on and on about diarrhea but never mention a woman menstruating? What does the show tell us about us and why do we like to watch it? This episode is way more fascinating than the show itself, which leaves out the context for why these people are outside and alone. Listen here.

🎙️Sometimes it feels really good to just hunker down and listen to a bunch of random people’s problems, and Tales of Taboo is a treasure trove of shared secrets. Host Ali Weiss plays voicemails of people spilling about the difficulties of being human, from working in the modeling industry to being an escort to getting plastic surgery. Episodes are themed—the stories are either wildly juicy or just a little more subtle and relatable. I never want an episode to end. These stories make us feel less alone. It’s like the opposite of Instagram, where everyone wants you to think their lives are perfect. This show is a collective audio diary of our imperfections. An Apple Podcasts listener left a review saying their least favorite parts were Ali’s monologues, but I disagree. Ali effortlessly emcees a playlist of secrets, and I think it’s harder than it looks. She’s clear about why she wants to share these stories (to explore people’s experiences, not exploit them) and confesses her own failures and misgivings. I recommend the Teacher Confessions episode—it made me appreciate my own job, and thankful for all the teachers out there who are being underpaid for their hard work. Ooo also Nannies for the Wealthy. I love them all. Listen here.

🎙️Live Like the World Is Dying is a show that is preparing us for a world that is ending, tackling issues like solar power, DIY internet, composting and prepping. A recent episode on mental first aid (featuring psychologist and social worker Smokey) felt like a therapy session, and was the only bullshit-free conversation I’ve ever heard about how to take care of yourself. It’s about taking care of yourself in a world that feels more dangerous and hateful every day, not about how we can change the world, but how we can become resilient to its inevitable challenges. Some factors (having a sense of humor, being either uneducated or incredibly educated, and having a realistic sense of self) make us psychologically stronger, so how can we get better about those things? It’s not what other podcasts and self-help books are telling you. Lots of the advice Smokey gave was counter-intuitive but it also just makes so much sense. Better than medication and therapy is the hard work—connecting with and helping others. The holidays can be way harsh, the world right now can be way harsher, I can’t recommend this episode enough as a step in learning how to take care of yourself. Listen here.

🎙️This Job Is History is a comedy-packed history lesson in some of the weirdest extinct jobs of world history. Chris Parnell (SNL, Rick and Morty) interviews a funeral clown from 82 CE, a garden hermit, and a VHS clerks from the past (voiced by improv stars) to brush us up on what these jobs were and what context they can give us in understanding our past. It’s heavily produced and is the kind of funny you can enjoy with kids. I actually think it could be shared in classrooms. Listen here.

🎙️Best friends Khalil Gibran Muhammad and Ben Austen who grew up together on the South Side of Chicago in the 1980s, and on their show Some Of My Best Friends Are they let us in on their interesting conversations about race and friendship. I loved season one of this show and they’re back for another one. The first episode, an interview with Saladin Ambar, author of Stars and Shadows: The Politics of Interracial Friendship from Jefferson to Obama, was so interesting because the book kind of flies in the face of what Some Of My Best Friends Are is all about. The new book talks about famous interracial friendships in US history. (Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe, Barack Obama and Joe Biden, James Baldwin and Marlon Brando…) but Some Of My Best Friends Are is about how you can’t friend yourself out of white supremacy, and that sometimes surface-level “friendships” are just that. This isn’t an episode full of arguing, it’s about the importance of interracial friendship, both skin deep and intimate. There is something important to both, and this conversation adds value to both points of view. Listen here.

🎙️I’ve always been curious about The Texas Rangers and have always, like, meant to Google them but never understood why they are there, why only Texas has them, and how they came about. White Hats is answering those questions with history and fascinating stories that date back to the time when the Comanches had a stronghold over Texas. (The Texas Rangers are older than Texas itself—a fact I would have learned had I Googled.) There is a whole fandom surrounding them, and their story is so tightly tied to Texas it’s like a missing piece to our American puzzle. Stories include that of Cynthia Ann Parker, a white woman who was captured by a Comanche war band during the 1836 Fort Parker massacre at about age nine, and adopted into the tribe. Twenty-four years later she was discovered and taken captive by Texas Rangers, and unwillingly taken back “home,” where she mourned for her Comanche family and refused to adjust to white society. I want a podcast all about her. Listen here.

🎙️Someone recently asked me to identify my favorite podcast to listen to and I realized it’s something that makes me say, “I didn’t know that could be a podcast.” I didn’t know PodNomic could be a podcast but it is, and I like it. In the 80s, a professor of law and sociology named Peter Suber wrote up a thought experiment in the form of a game called Nomic, or a game where the starting rules strictly only govern the way that players propose and vote on new rules. The game is built, different every time. (The first thing I thought was Calvin Ball from Calvin & Hobbes.) John Hadley started his own nomic, first by mail, then internet, and has now made its way to podcast, which allows listeners to play along with John. Episodes are defined by a ruleset which is proposed and voted on, and feature the proposals recorded and sent in by contributors, who communicate on Discord. I imagine this show has a somewhat small, but extremely engaged audience, who are dedicated enough to help John make the show. This podcast breaks the rules by making the rules up as it goes. It’s more than a podcast, it’s an interactive community. Listen here.

🎙️I loved Lemonada’s audio reality podcast BEING Trans, which followed four trans people living in Los Angeles over several months. They’re at it again (when do the Lemonada people sleep?) with BEING Golden, which introduces us to Buzz, Gloria, Elise and Henri, all 60+ Angelinos navigating dating, retirement, friendship, (grand)kids, and chasing their dreams, finally. Typically we are limited to hearing older people on podcasts if they’ve experienced some historical moment or are incredibly famous—not if they’re just everyday people, who arguably have more to say than at least 75% of millennials who have decided to get behind the mic. But these everyday exchanges are more meaningful than anything staged—like Gloria disapproving of Elise’s Beauty Pageant, or Henri reconnecting with her son, who was adopted as a baby. It’s real. My only complaint? These people don’t seem old to me! The show could be marketed just as BEING…people. They’re interesting regardless of their ages, which don’t seem to be holding them back in any way. Listen here.

🎙️There’s this sexist idea that women are incapable of being music fans, when in reality it is often fangirls who are powering the music industry and forecasting the future of sound. Name 3 Songs comes from the idea that a woman would be asked, “you like music? Name three songs.” On their show, co-hosts Sara Feigin and Jenna Million discuss feminist issues in music and pop culture with critical analysis on aspects of the music industry, artists’ careers, the media’s contribution to controversy and sexism, and industry’s role in creating and upholding sexist archetypes. It’s a celebration of pop and women who love it that gets into the nitty gritty about the music industry and the sexist elements that seem to be fighting to keep women out of the conversation. With interviews and smart commentary about why gay men stan divas to reject the patriarchy, to our hatred of girl groups, to the cultural impact of celebrity abuse cases, Sara and Jemma have appreciation for pop and an understanding of what it means to consider themselves pop fans. Listen here.

🎙️On This Blew Up, tech and culture reporter Alyssa Bereznak has invited us with her to explore LA’s influencer scene to learn how social media stars are made. (That sentence literally gives me anxiety, so I must stress…she’s inviting you with your ears—you do not have to go anywhere. Phew okay, moving on.) If you cannot tear yourself away from car wrecks on the side of the highway (shame on your, but same) or watched both Fyre Festival documentaries in one weekend and wished there were two more (me,) you’ll hate how much you love to hear about the rollercoaster of social influencers. It’s a ride that never seems fun, always seems like it’s about to break, is completely uncomfortable, and it feels like you’re always at the worst part of the ride. Alyssa introduces us to the social circuit, the spon-con, the posts that went viral, and the characters (they truly do not feel like people) who gave up everything to live in hype houses, somehow band together and compete for relevancy at the same time, and screw over/become screwed over by their friends. It’s dumb and unbelievable but incredibly smart and entertaining. Can’t wait to play this for the grandkids one day. Lives on the Ringer Dish feed. Listen here.

🎙️On Black People Love Paramore, Sequoia Holmes explores unexpected things (Princess Diana, hookah…Paramore…) Black people love. She invited FANTI co-hosts Tre’vell Anderson & Jarrett Hill to talk about phrases, idioms, and colloquialism. It’s an energized, funny conversation about language and culture, and is tied to a book that Tre’vell and Jarrett are working on, Historically Black Phrases, to be published next year. Listen here.

🎙️People snub their noses at malls as institutions of excess consumerism but I think shopping for Shein (I don’t do it anymore, okay?!) at 2am alone, kind of drunk, is much more depressing than going to the mall. Mall shopping slows down our consumption, and it is about so much more than shopping. Malls are a forum where you can people watch and try things on, take in that distinct fountain smell mixed with the scent of Auntie Anne’s pretzels. Buy a Sbarro slice that’s bigger than your head and has so much grease the plate will disappear if you don’t eat it fast enough. Mall Talk recognizes this. On Mall Talk, which I think should have been called Mall Talk Small Talk, indie comics Paige Weldon and Emily Faye remind us why malls should be celebrated and not torn down. If you still have a Bath & Body Works punch card or have bought more than 10 regrettable items from Spencer’s Gifts, you’ll be thrown back to your teenage shopping days, and wishing to return. Paige and Emily interview their funny guests about their favorite stores, the food court, parking lots, and mall culture and etiquette, and both good and bad purchases. Fun segments like “desert island mall” keep the game fast and fun. Expect tangents, but the conversations often offer sharp observations about America, suburbia, teenage ennui, and consumer culture. If you can’t make it to church, go to the mall. And if you can’t make it to the mall, turn on Mall Talk while you browse Wet Seal, if that store is even around anymore. This show has ended and there is no plan for it to return in sight, but a girl can dream. Listen here.

🎙️Jessi Hempl had some words of wisdom on The Best Advice Show that might make thorny family conversations more comfortable if you’re with family this Thanksgiving. Talk to them like a journalist. Listen here.

🎙️Dog Save the People has launched Dog Walk Meditation, designed to calm your mind, and connect with your dog during daily walks. Using mediation practices it ams to release distractions, reduce stress and focus on the beauty of walking with your best friend your dog.I do not have a dog but isn’t this nice? I tried to get my cat to listen to it with me but he rolled his eyes. Listen here.

🎙️After five years, Unhappy Hour with Matt Bellassai (and Bari Finkel) is ending, and when Justin and I found out we sat in silence for a few minutes, feeling a great sense of loss. It seems so silly but after listening for years, a show becomes part of your life like a pet. I recommend you go through the back catalogue if you haven’t been listening, or listen to a very early episode, one of my favorites here. Related: I will never forget the tear-soaked final episode of Pop Rocket where the hosts get into what it really feels like to end a show that has become a big part of your life.

🎙️It was fun to hear Ramit Sethi totally ream this couple who make $300K annually but cannot afford the mortgage on their vacation home. Via I Will Teach You To Be Rich.

🎙️I love you!

This week we’re getting to peek into the listening life of Carter Wogahn, podcast editor, sound designer, and audio engineer from San Diego, CA. He got his start helping self published authors record and release their audiobooks, then shifted to podcasting, and now works for Pod People!

The app you use to listen: I use Apple Podcasts (not happily — only because I’m too ensconced in it at this point. I do not like the app).

What speed do you listen to podcasts? 1x speed all the way baby (more of a fiction podcast kinda guy)

How do you discover new shows? I usually browse the charts, both on Apple as well as Spotify, and find out about new shows through word of mouth and various newsletters.

One show you love that everybody loves. Passenger List was a pretty big show right? At least in the fiction world.

One show you love that most people don't know about. Shedunnit is a fun podcast exploring the history and themes of Golden Age mystery publishing. Don’t think too many people know of it.

Podcast The Newsletter