Podcast The Newsletter
Bonjour.
Ashley Carman wrote a piece on The Verge about angry, anonymous listeners (or maybe even non-listeners) giving shows 1-star reviews on Apple Podcasts and the damage it does. This is insane! For the longest time, podcasters would correctly assume that 90% of their listeners were coming from Apple Podcasts, which led to a lot of ass-kissing, "listen on Apple Podcasts" marketing messaging, and podcasters pleading listeners to leave Apple Podcasts ratings and reviews. Podcasters created their content around the idea that the Apple Podcasts algorithm determined whether a show sank or swam. But the podcast with the most ratings doesn't mean it's the best, and people give terrible reviews for arbitrary reasons. (And far fewer people are listening to things on Apple Podcasts, anyway.)
I had a podcast, PodcastPodcast, a podcast about podcasts, and my partner and I, Eric, love podcasts so much we felt there was not much need to talk about things we didn't like. We broke our rule once years ago, when Eric spoke negatively about a show called J-Train with Jared Freid. I don't even know how his audience found it, but they did, and left the only negative reviews our podcast had. We ended up rereleasing the episode sans J-Train bashing. This was done in fear! It was wrecking our numbers! The J-Train audience had us by the balls! And this was just our for-fun, totally harmless podcast. J-Trainers, if you are reading, I meant everything we said and you can go fuck yourselves, go give PodcastPodcast a terrible review, I no longer care, because Apple Podcasts reviews are losing all importance.
This reminds me how the Goodreads ratings systems are so silly but have the power to drive authors insane, and when I work with authors, I advise them not to read them. Kathleen Hale famously stalked a reviewer who gave her a bad Goodreads review, and then wrote a book about the whole experience called Kathleen Hale Is A Crazy Stalker. A podcaster stalking a reviewer for a bad review would be a great fiction show, don't you think?
A few years ago, when I was working for a publishing house, I did a Goodreads ratings inventory of all the books I was working on. The book with the lowest Goodreads average was a highly-acclaimed novel, but people took issue with the surprise ending. The book with the highest Goodreads average was a non-fiction book about dirt. The dirt people knew what they were getting into so they finished the book feeling satisfied instead of confused or angry.
Goodreads reviews are weak reflections of their books and readers should take them lightly, and now that Apple Podcasts is losing its monopoly on Podcasts listeners, podcasters are finally able to start taking their Apple Podcasts reviews lightly, too, and start focusing on downloads (which is what advertisers really care about, anyway.) As Ashley points out in her piece, "most platforms don't offer podcast reviews, and it's unclear how useful the existing reviews are."
But leaving a nice Apple Podcasts review is still a good thing to do and I should do it more often. I don't think, however, I'll be letting reviews dictate my podcast consumption. (Have you received a bad review that hurt your stats? Let me know!)
xoxo lp
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...And now for some chit-chat with someone you should know and love as I do!
It's Andy Beckerman!
Andy Beckerman is the co-host of Couples Therapy, a podcast based on the live show he hosts with his wife, Naomi Ekperigin. Follow him on Twitter here, and follow Couples Therapy on Twitter here.
Introduce yourself!
I'm a former philosophy professor, former casio pop practitioner and current podcaster and TV writer (I've written for everyone from Pete Holmes to Cedric the Entertainer [if that gives you some kind of idea of how strange this industry is] and currently am busy writing a pilot for Comedy Central). I've hosted a somewhat serious podcast about the childhoods of artists I admire called Beginnings for about a decade and last year, turned my live comedy show Couples Therapy into a podcast.
Tell us about Couples Therapy.
Couples Therapy is a live show and podcast that I host with my dear almost-wife, and one of the best stand-ups around, Naomi Ekperigin. For some reason, which I will delve into once I find a quality therapist out here in LA, I like to mix WORK and RELATIONSHIPS a LOT, and back in 2014, a few years into our love, we started hosting a stand-up show in New York, where comics who are close do sets together about their relationship. It isn't just romantic relationships - they could be siblings, exes, best friends and/or anything in-between!
Your podcast started as a live event. How did you decide to turn it into a podcast?
We moved to Los Angeles in the middle of 2017 for work, and I didn't know this before I moved, but there's apparently a city ordinance that everyone who lives in LA has to have a podcast. The reality, of course, is not that far off. We enjoyed doing the show, but moving out to LA was our part of our plan to professionalize ourselves more. There were very few live show podcasts - at the time 2 Dope Queens and Put Your Hands Together (both now defunct) were maybe the most well-known - and Couples Therapy was an experience that both performers and audiences both really enjoyed, so we thought turning it into a podcast was a smart next step. And besides business-y reasons, we're living in a true political nightmare at the moment, and really wanted to offer people a weekly respite from the living hell we're all currently burning in.
What's it like working with Naomi? Do you advise having shows or podcasts with SOs?
It's strange and lovely and difficult and joyous all mixing together like an emotional chemistry experiment. The difficult part is that Naomi and I have very different senses of humor - I'm a comedy math improv guy and she's a funny-from-her-very-marrow stand-up, and sometimes those clash. On top of that, I'm a "weird white" and she's a "dynamic black woman". But the joyous part is when all those things are singing in harmony and man, it's just rapturous making stuff with her. And worth it for all the times I make a reference to Guided by Voices, and she goes, "What??"
I think working with your SO just depends on what kind of couple you are. I think it can work if you're both on the same page about things and both kind of secure in who you are as people individually and/or if you communicate with each other well. Naomi and I may not be coming from the same creative place, but we have the same creative goals, and we're good at communicating with each other and discussing how we feel with each other.
Why are podcasts so hot right now? Why now?
I wish there was a cultural reason for this, but I've been podcasting since 2010, and I think the real answer is that investment capital saw there was money to be made, so they started investing in the medium. I think in the wake of Serial and 2 Dope Queens' success, money started to pour into podcasting. So, what, that was a few years ago? And now you're seeing an explosion of podcasts. It's the same thing that happened to streaming television. Once Netflix started garnering attention and awards, everyone wanted to have their own streaming network. I think once investment firms realize there are not a ton of ways to make money outside of advertiser-support, the bubble will burst, but until then, I say take all of Wyatt Koch's investment money that you can to fund your American Dad recap podcast!
💎BTW:💎
🎙️On Good One, Jesse David Fox interviews comedians about their jokes, and his episode with Gilbert Gottfried was a blast. Gilbert talked about telling a 9/11 joke at a Hugh Hefner roast in NYC days after the attack and how that went terribly. Gottfried saved the show by following up with his famous Aristocrats joke, which, as Jesse warns ahead of time, is absolutely more disgusting and crass than you ever could imagine. People went from booing (one person screamed "too soon!" which is possibly the first recorded time anyone has uttered this phrase) to cheering. The 9/11 joke, I thought, was pretty stupid. The Aristocrats joke is DISGUSTING. But the whole point about it is that it is *sooo* wrong, you can't take any of it to heart. It put the entire set in context, reminding people not to let jokes make you angry or sad. I also wonder if people don't mind an Aristocrats joke coming from Gottfried, who doesn't really pose as a danger to us. Jesse and Gottfried say the whole point of comedy is to find the audience's line and cross it, while making sure the audience feels safe. The audience feels safe with Gottfried. How would an Aristocrats joke fly coming from Louis C.K.'s mouth? It wouldn't feel as safe, right? Still, I suppose a 9/11 joke on 9/14/2001 is "too soon" for some people. Loved this episode, so much to think and laugh about. Listen here.
🎙️The Moment (Wondery) was a podcast I didn't think I'd like. Stories about couples and the bumpy road they took to commitment? This sounds boring to me. But I love it, maybe because of the host. Ingrid Haas (Chelsea Lately, Key and Peele) is hilarious and quirky, I even love her ads. And I must point you toward this episode with Andy (above) and his wife Naomi. It's a lovely story and I obviously loved getting to hear how Andy and Naomi got together.
🎙️Jacquis Neal announced his new, upcoming show on Twitter. I'm Your Host will feature different game shows on each episode. (The pilot is a version of Family Feud.) Guests will include Paul F. Tompkins, Carl Tart. Everything I just said makes me think Jacquis has struck comedy gold.
🎙️Are you listening to 1619 from The New York Times? I thought the first episode was fine, but the second episode (The Economy That Slavery Built) was great. The third one (The Birth of American Music) I held close to my heart because it was hosted by Wesley Morris and reminded me of Still Processing at its best. Almost halfway in, I found myself lost in hearing Wesley talk about music, completely forgetting what podcast I was in, or that I was listening to a show about slavery. That is what good podcasts do! Take you somewhere else.
🎙️Is it wrong of me to assume that if you are reading this newsletter you're well aware that Still Processing is back? Wesley and Jenna kicked off the new season by creating a new "beer test" for Presidential candidates, Still Processing’s Rubric for Leadership and Democratic Excellence. It's a good episode of a very good podcast. But I don't think it tops anything from Season One, where each episode seemed to be a brand new invisible idea grabbed out of the air by Wesley and Jenna, shaped into a compelling theory about space or race that I'd never thought of before. Season two seemed to cover themes that were being explored on other shows, sometimes weeks after those themes had left the zeitgeist. And this episode, while fun to hear, seemed like a "greatest hits" of funny things we know about our Democratic candidates. Glad the show is back, and hoping the show is able to maintain the high standards it set for itself in Season One.
🎙️Goddammit do I love Lizard People with Katelyn Hempstead. Katelyn invites funny people to bring their favorite conspiracy theories onto the show, and Katelyn determines whether she wants to believe them, and if she really does. Lizard People episodes end up being some of my favorites. (Especially loved PETA is a Sham with Brona C. Titley and Tom Neenan.) But when Katelyn really gets me is when someone brings her a conspiracy theory about the Bible. The Bible is one of my favorite subjects (I was a religion major in college and when my roommates and I threw parties my friends would warn guests, "don't get her started on Jesus, she'll never stop talking") and Katelyn is insanely knowledgable about the nitty gritty of the stories. (Please listen to Jesus' Lost Years with Ptolemy Slocum, I have listened to it dozens of time and it's one of my favorite podcast episodes ever.) A recent episode sets to prove that angels in the Bible were always just to cover up sex scandals and I totally believe it.
🎙️From Snap Judgement, Spooked, "true-life supernatural stories." (Eric, are you listening? You will love this.) The Thin Place was 100% the scariest podcast episode I have ever listened to. (I was listening to it while walking up 2nd Avenue in the darkness.) Podcasts have evolved so much since last Halloween (!!!!) and I think we are seeing shows dedicating more time and energy toward seasonal content. I LOVE IT! I want to grab every holiday the balls. Listening to Spooked can make you feel like you're trick-or-treating every day, all day, even if you're just sitting behind your computer updating spreadsheets (eating Butterfinger bars.)
🎙️I have mentioned that Trumpcast often exhausts me, but we got another fun one with an interview with Scaramucci. It is interesting to hear one narcissistic, prideful man attempt to explain going from wearing a MAGA hat to devoting his life to making sure Trump doesn't get reelected. He's full of shit (understandable) and also very honest about his mistakes. (One of them being missing the birth of his child to be alongside Donald Trump.) Next up on Trumpcast: John Bolton? (Too soon?)
🎙️You can make yourself happier today! The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos had dropped. Psychologist Dr. Laurie Santos, whose Yale course “Psychology and the Good Life” is the most popular class ever offered in the history of the university, illuminates what science says about what makes us happy and also how to put effective happiness strategies into practice. I would love to enroll in Santos' class, and with her podcast I can. On it, Santos explores how our minds lie to us about our feelings of contentment and teaches listeners how to find more effective ways to become happier. I listened to episode 2 (coming Sept 24) about two things I find SO interesting: why winning the lottery can ruin your life and why sometimes the worst things end up being the best things. (In true Pushkin fashion, these ideas are beautifully tied together!) There are direct takeaways and it's enjoyable to hear. I am hooked. The first season promises episodes with David Byrne, Michelle Kwan and Michael Phelps’s coach, along with in-depth storytelling and the science to back it up. Check it out here.
🎙️Do you ever lose sleep wondering why there aren't oodles of dinosaur podcasts? Dinosaurs tap into this feeling of wonder I've had about them since I was a kid. They leave so much to the imagination and I'm sort of obsessed with hearing about them. I Know Dino has been around for awhile—the curious husband and wife team, Garret Kruger and Sabrina Ricci, launched the show in early 2015, when there were no other podcasts dedicated to dinosaurs. But I just started listening, after a morning of listening to some "meh" episodes of stuff that wasn't getting me jazzed. And I immediately thought, "why was I wasting so much time not listening to this fun dino content?!" They just released their 250th episode (it's rather long), have over 1 million downloads worldwide, conducted interviews with over a hundred dinosaur experts, and never tire of talking about dinosaurs, much like I never tire of listening about them. Each week, I Know Dino dives into the latest dinosaur-related news, features a “dinosaur of the day” segment, and a fun fact. The forementioned 250th episode dives into the “Bone Wars,” the infamous rivalry between two paleontologists, Othniel Charles Marsh and Edward Drinker Cope. And I know it's uncool to comment on a woman's voice, but Sabrina has a lovely laugh / giggle. Listen here.
🎙️Sometimes I think if I was a podcast I would be The Alarmist, where Rebecca Delgado-Smith and guests "scrutinize history’s greatest disasters to figure out what went wrong, and, most importantly, who’s to blame." They recently covered a somewhat overlooked disaster, the Siegfreid and Roy tiger attack. Don't worry they do NOT blame the tiger. I don't mean to spoil anything, but I was super worried they might.
🎙️A few weeks ago I talked about how much I love Public Intellectual and Jessa Crispin's DGAF attitude, especially in The Writer's Manifesto episode. Recently Jessa announced that Public Intellectual will no longer be a Forever Dog Show. (Note: The Writer's Manifesto has been scrubbed from everywhere, so I'll have to try to hold it in my brain forever, MUCH LIKE PETE IN THAT ONE PETE & PETE EPISODE I OFTEN REFERENCE. And I can only see past Public Intellectual episodes on Jessa's Patreon page—looks like the rest have been scrubbed from Apple Podcasts etc. as well.) Now that Jessa is independent, I see this show getting even better. Jessa will be totally free to produce what feels right to her. Join me in being a Patreon supporter! I'll wink at you if I spy you using the tote bag.
🎙️I love Bottom Of The Map, "dope women taking hip-hop conversation in a new direction," especially the Faith Is What You Make It episode that deals with how southern hip-hop artists practice spirituality through art. I added some great music to my playlist and got excited/nervous about Kanye's almost-here album, Jesus Is King.
🎙️I recently discovered Rashomon, (thanks, Bello Collective!), a show that examines family stories from the angle of everyone in the family. What a great idea. I can think of so many family stories I have that would be made interesting coming from all of the people involved. The new season is a bit more complicated, addressing two stories told from the perspective of five families. I started listening and I know I'm in for a treat.
🎙️I love SNL-writer Anna Drezen, but only from hearing her on other people's shows. I had no idea she had one of her own, Scary Stories To Tell On The Pod, a podcast that looks back on the children's scary stories of my nightmares, Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark. Listening to funny people talk about something so nostalgic hits the spot, especially last weekend, when semi-chilly weather was making me long for spooky things. 'Tis the time to binge this show.
🎙️I gave Get Rich Nick a try, after hearing Nick Turner on The Daily Zeitgeist. Nick T and Nick Vatterott "clumsily try every get-rich-quick scheme under the sun in an attempt to profit while teaching listeners the ins and outs of each money-making endeavor." Their episode on horse racing taught me almost nothing about money but was fun, anyway.
🎙️I had spinach in my teeth and nobody told me. In the last issue I called "The Memory Palace" "The Memory Place." Please forgive me!
💎If you binge one thing this week...💎
What makes you… you? Is it your DNA, culture, environment? On Sapiens, hosts Jen Shannon and Chip Colwell speak with anthropologists from around the world to help us uncover what makes us human. On season two, it dives into some deep questions to tackle about the human experience, as well as opened up the series to our audience to help us make the final episode - centered all around the questions that they have about the human experience.
This series is lead by two world-class anthropologists, Dr, Chip Colwell and Dr. Jen Shannon, hosts who are prolific scientists, and it is backed by leading research in anthropology from Sapiens.org.
I talked to the Executive Producer, Cat Jaffe about the show. "I jumped on the opportunity to produce Sapiens because I have so many questions about the human experience," she said. "I think there are many things around us that are deeply perplexing and fascinating. We could blind-fold ourselves, spin in a circle, and point to just about anything and have a very involved conversation about whatever we've landed on and why it is the way it is. My hope for listeners to this podcast is that it teaches people how to question more things that they see and experience, that because of the show they make less assumptions about our experiences all being the same, but that they also feel more connected to the things that may in fact be universally felt. There's a lot of love and poetry in my heart for this show, if you can't tell. "
Sapiens is interesting and well-produced, and (sorry to sound cheesy) it does a service to humanity by tying us together with these relatable personal narratives. I instantly become hooked, from listening to an episode about why we think it's gross to eat bugs, to an episode about The Denisovans, one of our most elusive ancient human cousins, to a story about a cultural anthropologist who discovers his daughter has Down syndrome, and how he was forced to face his idea of expectations about having a kid.
For the season 2 finale, the team wants to hear your questions about the human experience. Here’s the prompt: “Why do humans_______?!” Finish the question and be featured on the show. To participate, tweet @Sapiens_org using the hashtag #sapienspodcast or call 970-368-9730 and leave a voicemail. Hope to hear your voice on Sapiens!
