🐳 Whale songs 🎶 before Bad Bunny 🐰 spinning ballerinas 🩰 monster theory 👹
🍭 👂 TRUST ME! 🌈 🤸♀️
Bonjour!
Today is Monday, January 30. There are 101 days until my next Disney cruise. In case this email is too long, this history podcast is equal parts fascinating and beautiful, an awkward moment caught on tape here, this will help you quit TikTok.
xoxo lp
ps If you are pleased with Podcast The Newsletter, please spread the word.
👋q & a & q & a & q & a👋
Sean Jordan & Ian Karmel
Ian Karmel, Sean Jordan & David Gborie are the hosts of All Fantasy Everything. Follow Ian on Twitter here, Sean on Twitter here, David on Twitter here, and All Fantasy Everything on Twitter here. Follow the show on Instagram here.
Describe the show in 10 words or less.
Sean: The only podcast to ever exist
Ian: Fantasy drafting the entire planet and everything in it. Shaclackity.
Sean: 1. My daughter. 2. My family. 3. My friends. 4. Skateboarding. 5. Hot Sauce
How on earth did you come up with the idea? Is anyone else doing it?
Sean: Ian came up with the entire idea and I’m lucky to be a part of it. It’s the only podcast to ever exist
Ian: I was always the person you hated in your fantasy league. I’d get super into the draft and then a month into the season, I’d lose interest and forgot to set my lineup and ruin it for everyone else. I loved the drafting though! So much! The strategizing, trying to swipe picks out from under people, all of that. I used to hang out on this sports message board back in the day, and they’d have all-time fantasy drafts on there - people drafting LeBron James and then Bill Russell and then Clyde Drexler. That kind of opened my mind to the idea that you could really draft ANYTHING and that stayed with me for years and years and then I started AFE!
I don’t think anyone else was doing it when we started - certainly nobody on a big level. There are certainly a ton of people doing it now. That’s podcasting, though. Its a gold rush. If you can show that a good idea can work, and it’s kind of an open and general enough idea, people are going to take it and run with it in a way that wouldn’t happen in television, for instance. I used to get really upset about it, but then I realized that people may come to the podcast for the topic, but I think they stay because of how much fun Sean, David and I have… so I focus on having fun and that’s been a good lesson for everything in life. Make sure you have fun and you’re making something you’re proud of. That’s all you can really control.
What do you have more fun doing…the draft or just the talking? Your show is one of the rare times when I find myself enjoying the banter as much as the meat of the show.
Ian: First of all, thank you! Secondly, I can’t really separate the two! Sometimes we’ll have a new guest on for the first time, and I can feel them sitting there like “Holy shit… when does the podcast actually start?” and I have to tell them “This is it. This is the whole thing. We’re gonna get to the picks really fast, but first we gotta talk about David taking mushrooms on a boat for fifteen minutes and then Sean is gonna drink a Cheeto flavored Mt. Dew.” Some episodes are great because we get into heated debates over what actually is the best sandwich, some episodes are great because drafting the movie “Tombstone” kicks off a 10 minute story a guest has about buying a cowboy hat. It’s all part of it.
Sean: Ian is answering these WAY better than me. He’s hard to follow haha. I have so much fun with these 2 gents and the guest every single second. The best thing about doing this is it ALWAYS puts me in a better mood. If I’m bummed, it cheers me up. If I’m already stoked, it gets me that much more stoked.
If people haven’t listened, where should they start?
Ian: Oh man. I’m gonna say “A Buffet” with Caleb Hearon.
Sean: The live Portland ep was really fun recently. Or Disney songs with Katie Nolan. Those are both live but I think they’re just so fun.
How are you all different? What kind of things do you each bring to the table?
Sean: Ian steers the ship. I have done it a handful of times when he can’t be on and it’s SO HARD to do haha. David is always coming from the absolute most unique perspective I can imagine. Picking the start spangled banner for his first 1 hit wonder for example. I’m just perpetually in a good mood. Plus we’re all actual friends so it’s easy to have fun.
🚨If u only have time for 1 thing🚨
The Forward has launched a series called Playing Anne Frank about the 1955 play, “The Diary of Anne Frank.” For many people who had never met a Jewish person before, seeing a production or the Oscar-winning film is what introduced them to the horrors of the Holocaust. Host Adam Langer is digging up archival recordings and talking to surviving cast members in the Broadway play, the touring production, and the movie, to get a sense of what it meant to the people who were in the play. Adam has a warm voice that’s perfect for storytelling, the series is perfectly paced and it’s a fascinating story I don’t think our brains have spent much time thinking about: what would it feel like to act-out a multi-generational, global trauma? If you love history or old Hollywood, if you love You Must Remember This, this one’s for you.
oh hey
✨12 Podcasts You Didn’t Know Could Even Be a Podcast [my recent Lifehacker piece]
✨Feed the Queue featured an episode of BEING Golden. Listen here.
✨Arielle Nissenblatt spotlighted The Statue in her newsletter and podcast.
✨Call 1-844-POD-AT-ME (1-844-763-2863) to hear a daily podcast recommendation, and leave your own recommendation at the beep! You can suggest your own show so this is a great way to market your show. Don’t worry, we won’t answer the phone! (We know calling random numbers can be terrifying.)
✨PSA: Arielle and I did not win a Signal Award. We were judges and somehow someone messed up and let us take a photo with the trophies, which we once again…did not win. Congrats to all the real winners!
💎BTW💎
🎙️The new season of White Lies starts out with a striking image: A photograph taken in 1991 of a prison roof in Talladega, Alabama. The men on that roof were taking over the prison and above their heads they held a bedsheet that said “Pray for us.” They were a group of 120 Cuban detainees, part of the 125,000 Cuban refugees brought to South Florida over the span of a few months in 1980. And they were fighting for their right to stay in the US. The rest of the episode does not settle down, hosts Chip Brantley and Andrew Beck Grace walk us through the nine days the guards were being held hostage. Those days were non-violent, they were almost caring. But they were terrifying. But this season of White Lies isn’t just about that, it’s about the creation of our modern immigration system, what those men deserved, and who has the right to have rights in the United States. Chip and Andrew eventually find some of the Cuban detainees, interviewing people from Havana to Vancouver and dig through the archives to to shake this story up and see what it can teach us about immigration in 2023. Listen here.
🎙️Digital Folklore took a funny, deep, and academic look into monster theory and the link between memes and folklore, and how the internet crosses over into the real world. A fascinating conversation with Kathleen Hale uncovers details around the Slender Man stabbings in Wisconsin that points out some huge problems with our juvenile justice system that led the 12-year-old stabbers of the Slender Man to be tried as adults and completely robbed of their rights to be treated as human beings with mental health conditions. This show feels like a smart cartoon that’s as much fun as it is disturbing and fascinating. Listen here.
🎙️Erica Heilman of Rumble Strip interviewed author Tom Mustill on whale behavior, and AI's role in deciphering their language. It’s an episode about whales and animals and the danger of anthropomorphizing them, and the danger of not. But it’s also about the complexity about what we can know about one another. The whale song background becomes the soundtrack to the story, and Tom and Erica wonder if animals might know something about music that we don’t, that maybe it has some deeper biological function. Erica is such a skilled storyteller so calling this an interview is wrong. It’s a conversation filled with curiosity, including Erica’s, and is actually a reminder to relish the things that make us curious, instead of being angry or afraid about them. You could listen to this episode multiple times and get something different with each listen. Per usual Erica is able to spin a simple, bare-bones idea into gold. Listen here.
🎙️I was going to wait until the new series from Kerning Cultures was completely done to start listening, but I couldn’t help myself so I started last week. They’re taking their time with a four-part episode about Aizen (not real name,) an Afghani who had a rough childhood (which included but was not limited to going to jail, a terrifying and dangerous place the Taliban considered a recruitment center, for stealing his bosses’ car, something he did not do.) When he was free he decided to play “the game,” what smugglers and migrants call attempting to cross illegally from one country to another. We follow Aizen as he travels through this dangerous network of human traffickers, crossing into Iran to Turkey’s border, then into Europe. I really like the focus we’re getting on Aizen’s story to give us a hint of what it’s like to do what thousands of other refugees are going through to get to safety. This is the kind of storytelling needed in order to really understand the dangerous world of immigration, and feel it in your bones. Start here.
🎙️Bad Bunny isn’t the only person bringing Puerto Rican music to the masses. The newest season of La Brega has chosen 8 songs from the Puerto Rican artists who came before Yo Perreo Sola, one song per episode, to paint a picture of a place that birthed art full of excitement, beauty, and struggle, bringing music from the margins to resonate all over the world. It is living in the margins that forced Puerto Ricans to know a lot of other things to survive, including music that connects with the people on the outskirts. The season kicks off with Rafael Hernandez’s anthem-like “El Apagón,” which plays homage to the long tradition of Puerto Ricans singing about home, longing and belonging. Listen here.
🎙️One of the podcasts that brought me the most joy last year was Princess of South Beach, a telenovela about a woman who takes the place of her rich twin Gloria when Gloria is killed in an accident. (In Spanish and English.) Sonoro is back with Adelita: Changing the Key, a story about Tejano singer Adelita Paz (voiced by Diane Guerrero) and her attempt to exceed everyone’s expectations and make it big. A ton of dynamic characters are peppered in to add the energy and conflict that will make you say “GODDAMIT” when you’re out of episodes to hear. (Like in Princess of South Beach, the cliffhangers are frustratingly consistent!) With these shows, Sonoro is redefining what a modern telenovela sounds like. So even if you don’t think you’re into the story, people interested in audio should listen and take notes. Listen here. (In English and Spanish.)
🎙️The first time I heard FeMANism, I thought it was two hilarious men playing the characters of idiotic mansplaining misogynists trying really hard to be feminists and thinking they are. They attempt to tackle topics like women’s safety and cycle tracking and get everything so, so wrong. It’s funny because they are so dedicated to push the jokes really far, but it’s sometimes depressing because it hits painfully close to home. When I found out this podcast was hosted by two women I almost shat my pants. They’ve altered the audio so it really sounds like two dimwitted men, but the brains behind the operation are Sam Martin and Jamie Hoggart. I enjoyed the first season so much that it was my pick in Tink’s Audio Delicacies last year. They’re back for a new season. Jamie is dealing with some “bogus” sexual harassment claims and Sam is expecting twins. (I can picture his fictional, pregnant wife exploding over his frustration when he says he’s going to renovate his house.) I’m glad Sam and Jamie are back, there is no one else like them. Listen here.
🎙️Season one of The Turning let former nuns share their experiences working with Mother Teresa’s world order, The Missionaries of Charity, in a way that made it seem more cult-like than you’d ever imagine. And it was one of those shows everyone wanted to talk to me about. I don’t think it got enough attention, but people would often say to me, “did you listen to The Turning?” It’s back with a new season called Room of Mirrors that explores a more look at an insulated world of ballet—what it demands from its athletes, how it was shaped into what it is, the history of the ballet body, and more. The first episode is a portrait of abusive genius George Balanchine, who brought ballet to the next level in the United States, creating an entirely new aesthetic and understanding of movement. So far the show is already so strong, offering an interesting look at a man who had so much influence—on the sport, and on the many women whose lives were controlled by his preferences and whims. Host Erika Lantz nailed it for season one, and this season is personal. (She studied ballet for 10 years beginning at age 4.) Listening to her talk to me about dance made me really want to go to the ballet, and this is a feeling I have never felt before. Listen here.
🎙️Tink client Saket Soni, author of THE GREAT ESCAPE: A True Story of Forced Labor and Immigrant Dreams in America was on Fresh Air to tell his harrowing story of freeing 500 Indian workers from a New Orleans labor camp post Katrina. It’s a high-stakes tale filled with more drama than a Shakespeare play, and the book is written like a thriller. When I was reading the book, I was getting angry at my fingers for not being able to flip the pages quickly enough. I can’t recommend listening to Saket tell it enough. Saket’s storytelling style is animated and full of heart and wit. Listen and buy the book. It will be one of the most gripping things you’ve ever read. Listen here.
🎙️At least once I month I bemoan the fact that Brought To You By… isn’t around anymore. It was a storytelling show from Business Insider about brands, focusing on the wild histories of went into building them and the colorful characters that made them happen. If you’re like me, I have great news for you. Tagline! It has been existing under my nose (It was Adweek’s Marketing Podcast of the Year, 2021, but I found it in Avery Trufelman’s newsletter) and it’s chock full of bizarre, beautiful stories about classic commercials and campaigns that speak to the power, art, and creativity of advertising. Some of these campaigns feel heroic, how they were imagined and deployed. Each one is full of twists, hurdles, and ultimately, a brilliant end result. It’s great storytelling and a masterclass in advertising done right (and sometimes wrong.) I was deeply invested in every story. Listen here.
🎙️One of my favorite series of all time is from PRETEND called “Cousins.” It’s about Susan, who is being harassed by what appears to be her own family members, but there’s a twist so shocking I won’t share here. It’s a great entry point into this amazing show. Host Javier Leiva is working on a story in a similar vein, “The Stalker,” about a couple have been the targets of a sadistic cyber stalker, but nobody seems to be taking the threats seriously, and the couple has been accused of having split personalities and causing the stalking themselves. It’s a mystery that gives hard The Watcher vibes, a story of deceit that is still in the works. Javier is a great storyteller (hear me interview him on his own podcast here) and this series is full of interviews and research that will throw you deeper and deeper into bafflement. None of the “maybe” explanations seem to make any sense. Start here.
🎙️Are you addicted to TikTok and you really want to stop, like seriously? I have found a solution in this episode of ICYMI, where Rachelle Hampton talks to Cory Doctorow who wrote “The Enshittification of TikTok” for Wired. It’s a depressing look at what algorithms do to creators and the life cycles of online platforms. It will make you feel like a fool if you’ve lost months of your life to TikTok scrolling. Somehow, it ends on an optimistic note. After the dot com crash, which was a direct result of this enshittificaton, the internet was a somewhat human place with amazing services like Blogger and Flickr. Maybe that’s something we can look forward to. Listen here.
🎙️You might not be the biggest Boy Meets World fan, but maybe you’re an Adam Scott fan, so maybe you know that Adam Scott appeared for four episodes as the mischievous Griff Hawkins on the show. Adam Scott joined “Topanga,” “Eric,” and “Shawn” on Pod Meets World, and they seem pretty pumped until Adam confronts them on being snubbed and treated like garbage on the set. It’s fun. Listen here.
🎙️I love you!
From the Archives
[September 12, 2019] 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 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. Listen here.
This week we’re getting to peek into the listening life of Allison Raskin, co-host of Just Between Us with Allison & Gabe, and host of Emotional Support Lady. She's also the author of Overthinking About You: Navigating Romantic Relationships When You Have Anxiety, OCD, and/or Depression.
The app you use to listen: I used to listen on Apple Podcasts but it would always keep playing the show when I wasn't listening, making it impossible to find my place. Many mini-tantrums ensued. I am now a full-time Spotify girl and I have no regrets!
What speed do you listen to podcasts? Regular speed! Anything else throws me off.
How do you discover new shows? I often look at what Spotify recommends or what's trending on Apple. I'll also listen to recommendations from friends and occasionally do a Google search for something like "best new serialized podcasts" only to get a bit disappointed when they are all true crime.
One show you love that everybody loves: If Books Could Kill!
One show you love that most people don't know about: People probably know about this but I like the Australian show Canceled! Each week they cover a different controversial public figure. It's hosted by twin sisters and is a fun, gossipy show.
Hot take: We need more deep-dive serialized podcasts that aren't about murder or missing people!
Self-care tip: I love to listen to my favorite podcasts when I'm doing chores so I don't have a terrible time and hate every minute of it!
You and Arielle are the cutest.