🎶Lost media, found 🔍 pope poisoner ☠️ dirty Disney🧜🏻♀️ the grog log🍹
🍭 👂Recognize this song? 🌈 🤸♀️
Bonjour.
Today is Monday, June 24. In case this newsletter is too long…a huge hit about an internet mystery that porn helped solve here, a true crime that is so much more than that here, a fun, animated podcast full of wild stories and characters that will give your ears something to grab onto here.
xoxo lp
👋q & a & q & a & q & a👋
Jasmin Bauomy
**We’re interviewing creators from Audio Flux’s first two circuits—you can listen to them now.**
Before you read, quickly listen to Jasmin’s Fluxwork ‘Zephyra and the Whisper’ here. It takes three minutes!
Interview by Devin Andrade of Podstack.
Jasmin Bauomy is an Egyptian-German audio journalist and podcast producer based in Berlin, Germany. She's also the founder of THE ECCO, an international association for audio people of all sorts built around self-organized creative retreats that are connected to listening events around the world.
What previous media/creations of your own or by others helped inspire you for this?
I have always loved the stories of "A Thousand and One Nights," though I felt they needed a modern touch and a perspective that doesn’t solely cater to the Western ear. The storytelling style and themes of jinns and living elements drew me in, inspiring me to create a narrative for AudioFlux. There’s a book called “Alif the Unseen”, which is another magical realism book that combines hacking with jinn and it has occupied my mind ever since I read it and made me look at the world through a lens that is a lot of fun because it makes you notice and observe things that had been invisible to you before. And then, there’s the documentary "32 Sounds" that served as a prompt for our cohort. In it, we’re introduced to Annea Lockwood's concept of "listening with". There’s a scene, where she just sits and listens “with” everything around her. And the idea that our surroundings might be listening to us in the same way that we’re listening to them snuck into my head. The movie als features this quote: "The air itself is one vast library, on whose pages is written all that man has ever said or whispered." That resonated deeply with me, and shaped this idea of the wind as a keeper of our stories.
If you were to create a follow-up episode about a different element of nature, what would you choose next?
I would probably choose the element of water. Water offers a natural soundscape and omnipresence. It moves by itself and we have the power to move it, too. That opens up so many doors for stories. The fact, that it flows through all life, binding us together. I envision a water jinn, nurturing yet furious about pollution, embodying both serenity and rage.
You used this creative character out of the wind to tell your story - was this way of thinking about the wind something you had always thought about or did it come to you specifically for this project?
The wind has always been significant in my life, growing up by the Mediterranean Sea in Egypt and in the windy city of Hamburg, Germany. I feel, the wind pushes me into the present, sweeping away my thoughts. I've always thought of the wind as a character. I’d get angry at it whenever it would throw me off course, or when I had to fight against it to get ahead. I’d find myself whispering “stop it” or “that’s enough” or I’d feel challenged to a fight. I always perceived the wind as a really moody and mischievous element. And when I thought about creating a fiction piece, I quickly realized that these are usually attributes of jinn. Now, whether you believe in jinn or some form of magic in the air, that’s up to each one of us.
If you were to create another experimental three minute piece like this one, what lessons that you learned from this would you take with you to the next?
One key lesson is to remember that it takes way more time to create a well crafted 3 minute piece than a 30 minute piece. So, I’d account for that. Another thing I learned is that it’s totally okay to be strategic about the way you craft a 3-minute story. Because you have so little time, you need to make every word and action count. And being strategic with your words doesn’t mean you’re in any way less artistic.
And with all these initiatives sometimes it can feel like the pieces I make are frivolous. In fact, someone told me Zephyra and the Whisper was a frivolous piece. And I disagree with that notion. For me, it carries significant meaning and making it drove me to start a few other projects.. I produced Zephyra during a time of global turmoil, with news of wars, catastrophes, and rising right-wing politics, and of course after a disastrous year for audio creators worldwide. It was a way to cope with the fear and insecurity and to feel connected through shared hopes and dreams. Next time, I might want to find a story more rooted in reality. A narrative not from within me, but an observation of the human condition.
What do you hope Audio Flux does for other creatives in the industry right now?
I hope AudioFlux inspires others to start their own projects and create without waiting for commercial validation. That’s what it did for me. Many ideas fade away because they aren’t seen as marketable or profitable. But I think we should just make our content and share it with the world without always expecting to get paid for it. That feeling that you don’t have to sell an idea, but you get to just create it because you believe in it, and a bunch of people you look up to believe in it, too – that’s a big driver. And it feels like you’re stepping into a communal space where the craft of storytelling and practice of listening are celebrated. It’s what we need right now. That – and a way to make it financially sustainable, rather than profitable.
🚨If u only have time for 1 thing🚨
Full disclosure: the new podcast Everyone Knows That is a client of mine, but sometimes I have to pinch myself (and I pinch Wil Williams too, who is leading the campaign) because I think it will be a huge hit for 2024. A few months ago the host, Josh Chapdelaine, came to me saying he was making a podcast about a song that had internet sleuths stumped—they had been trying to track down its origin FOR YEARS. And that he’d like to work with me eventually. I was like, cool, that sounds exciting. One Sunday night I got a kind of frantic email from Josh saying the sleuths found the song! In some porn from the ‘80s! So mad dash to get this show up and going and it is, it is! And it’s a fantastic music/internet mystery about armchair detectives, lost media and how the song got found and made. There is also so much nostalgia here for the pre-internet days that sometimes you just didn’t know where a song came from. The idea that anything could get lost today, in a world where everything is googleable and accessible. (I used to call my local radio dj on the corded landline and say “what’s the song that goes like this…” and I’d start to sing it best I could, and I kind of miss that!!!) Let’s talk about the song for a moment, which of course you get to hear. And maybe you have heard it before. Maybe you know the porn I’m talking about. Or maybe you have never heard it but I bet you think you did, because that’s the thing about this song. It is the perfect combination of timelessness with its lyrics and sound and vibe. This song could be remastered and be the top summer hit single of 2024. Everybody Knows That, what everyone thought the name of the song was (it’s actually called “Ulterior Motives,”) is about something that nobody knew until now, and here’s the wild story. Enjoy.
hell yeah
✨Read A Podcast Marketing Deep Listening Practice [via Podcast Marketing Magic, you all, this newsletter is so good go read it]
✨Buzzsprout launched a new podcast, Buzzsprout Weekly!, a podcast that delivers essential updates, insights, and practical tips designed to keep you at the forefront of all things podcasting. (Weekly episodes in under five minutes, which I appreciate because I’m a very busy woman and I haven’t got all day.) Listen here.
✨My next Radio Bootcamp Podcast Marketing 101 class is scheduled for July 15. Please come! I promise I’ll make it fun and helpful. Sign up here.
✨The 3rd Annual BPA Summer Social For Podcast & Content Creators is Sunday, July 28 at 4 - 9pm at AUX Karaoke Box in Brooklyn. Please come, I’ll be there! Corey created a 20% off promo code for you: TINK2024. Or just go here for an immediate discount, or to learn more.
✨Here’s a fun Reddit thread about obscure podcasts.
💎BTW💎
🎙️Ransom is a documentary-style retelling of the ransom kidnapping (and murder) of 12-year-old McKay Everett from his Texas home in 1995. True crime is oversaturated and I’m not a true crime girlie but I loved Ransom and I beg you not to skip it. The ransom kidnapping is only a tiny piece of the story, but it is an interesting one. (Ransom kidnappings are so rare, they don’t even have much data on them.) The podcast doesn’t start or end with McKay’s death or the trial of the man who killed him. This isn’t a spoiler alert because it’s a fraction of what is interesting here: McKay was murdered by a friend so close to the family he called him “Uncle Hilty.” That alone is fascinating, the minute-by-minute report of what Uncle Hilty did and his accomplice, R. L. Remmington, who might not exist. But Ransom pulls way back. Why would a man kill the son of a family friend? How did he get there? What does the murder have to do with the fact he was a student athlete with a gambling addiction?And then it zooms forward. What happened to the Everett family once McKay was gone? What happened to Uncle Hilty? Who is Paulette, McKay’s mother, really suspicious of? Ransom uses interviews, archival tape and on-the-ground reporting from producer Ben Kuebrich (who has worked on Algorithm, Monster: DC Sniper, Broken Harts, and more) to tell a layered and emotionally complicated story. There was a series of events that led to the murder of this little boy, and Ransom examines each one and follows each one through, somehow without being too long. It’s perfectly paced. I kept on forgetting to start it and then being glad I did because I got to binge a bunch of episode over the weekend, something you can do now. There are two more episodes and I know, because I talked to Ben, they are juicy. I was madly googling people the whole time I was listening before I realized there is an Instagram account with great pics. Listen here.
🎙️In 1978, Pope John Paul I was found dead in bed 33 days after he was elected, supposedly from a heart attack. Many people think he was poisoned because he was planning to investigate financial corruption in the Vatican. (The Vatican rushed to embalm the Pope without performing an autopsy. HMM.) On The Confessions of Anthony Raimondi, Marc Smerling is talking to the guy who claims to have had a hand in killing the pope, Anthony Raimondi. Or at least, he’s trying to find out if Anthony’s confessions are true. Anthony is a fascinating person who says a lot of things, tells a lot of stories. He saw the angel of death when he was seven and it’s been following him ever since. He killed someone else when he was 16. Who knows, who cares. If this is fiction, it’s still a great tale. This is USG audio, who made my favorite podcast of last year (I’m not original, it a Pulitzer and Peabody) You Didn’t See Nothin’. Episode one of The Confessions of Anthony Raimondi reminds me of episode one of that, and that was one of my favorite episodes of last year. It is energetic, full of stories and characters, it gives your ears something to grab onto. It introduces us to Anthony, his crazy past, his family, and Brooklyn in the 60s and 70s, where the mafia was part of daily life. In an interview with Anthony’s cousin-in-law (or something, these families are huge and in-eachother’s-shit) she says “I always wanted to be around the Raimondi family. It was like watching a show you’re not a part of but you really want to be.” Which I think really sums up one reason why we love anything from The Soprano’s to The Real Housewives of New Jersey. Oh, and if you like The Soprano’s, you’ll love what you hear. Listen here.
🎙️Search Engine’s What does it feel like to believe in God? episode offered us a great interview with Rabbi Zvika Krieger, a guy who surfs, appears to be hot, and was once Facebook's Head of Responsible Innovation, that is not a joke. PJ spent a lot of time getting to know Zvika and his background which seemed so important, then let Zvika lead us into what felt like a conversational sermon that made religion seem so logical and sane that I’m not even sure some people would know it was religion at all. He talks about one of my favorite topics—the Bible, and why it’s worthwhile to read it, oneness, God (real but in the Bible, only a projection of ourselves,) and how to be as happy as believers (they’re a ridiculously happy people) without believing (pray, submit.) Here’s another thing I’m not joking about—listen to this episode if you’re feeling lost about the world, or without answers you think you need. Zvika doesn’t give answers, he gives the opposite. But he will make you feel better about having your doubts. I have a feeling I’ll be listening to this one again. (I’ve already listened twice.) Listen here.
🎙️Does This Murder Make Me Look Gay?! is the story of Vandy Monroe III, a D-list movie director who invites a bunch of over-the-top characters to his mansion in the country, in a snowstorm, only to be murdered by at least one of them. When the power goes out, everyone is stranded. And more people start to die. It’s like like listening to a very fun murder mystery dinner party or watching an even gayer version of Survivor. We’re all rooting for someone to be the murderer. Personally, I hope it’s Kelly Raymour & Flanigan. Does This Murder Make Me Look Gay?! is quick, fun, campy, and one of the gayest things I’ve ever listened to. Listen here.
🎙️New from Saadia Khan of Immigrantly, Invisible Hate, and Banterly, comes Nationly, where J.D. Ramirez and Sara Sadhwani deep dive into the political issues that really matter to minorities in the battleground states at the heart of this year’s election season. J.D. and Sara go back and forth, volleying topics from global (Gaza) and local (Kari Lake v. Ruben Gallego,) back and forth. They’re fun and they know their stuff. Immigrants will decide this election—this is a needed resource, these are needed voices. Listen here and then go give a five star ratings because one of the Apple Podcasts reviews bringing it down is “We don’t want illegals here. If you want to live here do it the right way like my father. No free rides.” Seriously, please go do now.
🎙️At Tonga Hut, a tiki bar 42 miles northwest of Disneyland, patrons are challenged to the Grog Log: drink all 78 drinks within one year and you get a plaque with your name on the wall. But it’s not about the plaque so much as it is the drunken chats you get to have with your friends along the way. On the podcast Mai Time, Corie and Dave have taken on the challenge, and with each drink they discuss things that sit in the very specific intersection of theme parks and drinking. This is a very Disney podcast. I love a podcasted hosted by intelligent people who respect Disney and also a podcast with a mission, this is both of those things. On the last episode Dave reviews his latest trip, and since listening to people who love Disney talk about their last trip there gives me that contact Disney high, I loved it. They also ranked the Disney parks and while I think they are extremely wrong, I respect the game. Listen here.
🎙️Carlye Wisel also had a Disney recap on Very Amusing. I consider Carlye somewhat of a sophist—it was she who was said that Disney adults are more enlightened than other people. She is a real ass reviewer/journalist—Disney lets her preview everything so she does a really professional yet enthusiastic job in her reviews. She went on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and shares some details. Listen to that here. Oh, while we’re here, Disney Insights had a whole episode about why Tiana’s Bayou Adventure came to be in the first place, going all the way back to Disney’s conservative origins and reflecting on how things have changed there, for the better. Disney cast members can have tattoos now! Listen to that here.
🎙️One more incredible Disney episode that week that I think will appeal to way more people was on Pop Mystery Pod. (I interviewed Tess last week.) I feel like my entire life I grew up hearing about the myth that the clergyman in The Little Mermaid had a boner, and that in The Lion King Simba blows up a bunch of dust that says SEX—that Disney animators had hidden secret dirty messages in their work. And my whole life I’ve just accepted that there’s no way to know for sure, that’d I’d die without knowing. Tess Barker would not settle for that sort of defeatist attitude and did tons of work to get to the truth, talking to an impressive slate of guests to find out, like Tom Sito, who worked on The Little Mermaid, Who Framed Rodger Rabbit?, The Lion King, Aladdin, and Beauty and the Beast. I could have talked this guy for hours, look at me I’m drooling. She also had a kick ass interview with Brenda Chapman, who was an illustrator for Brave, among other things. This episode also features an Animation Guild oral history from Ann Guenther, a true Disney icon who was one of the first women to begin animating for Disney. I truly cannot believe how amazing all of these episodes are, how much time they must take. They’re thorough, creative, and a lot of fun. Listen here.
🎙️How to Act Fereldan is a new nonfiction fancast from my friends at Hug House Productions (some of whom are also my friends at Tink Media…heard of it???) all about the Dragon Age media franchise. Anne Baird (scarred by Dragon Age 2), Wil Williams (Dragon Age: Inquisition apologist), and Giancarlo Herrera (has never played a Dragon Age game), are the trio of our dreams, covering all the aspects of the game and their lore.It’s split up into sections: Dragon Age News (listen to the hosts lose their mind as they read updates about production, labor rights, and baffling statements about the new game's direction at Bioware), The Hug House Hero of Fereldan (Giancarlo's progress in Dragon Age: Origins, his reactions to the game so far, and Anne and Wil's memories of playing,) Discussion (one different aspect of Dragon Age lore gets explained in full, complete with continuity errors and literary analysis, and What's That Dragon Age? (the hosts look at an image of a dragon (posted to social and in the show notes) and give it an age. This is three very funny friends having almost too much fun talking about a game that people love to love, hate to love, love to hate, and hate to hate, letting you in on the nonsense. If you’re excited about the upcoming release of the next game in the series, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, there could not be anything more perfect for you. Listen here.
🎙️I love you!
🥰🎉🎉🎉