Podcasts I couldn't stop thinking about
the pretendian con, mountain photography, etiquette and wolves, Tarantino behind the scenes, Jane Fonda, retirement homes unfiltered, real money talks, a podcast's future is in your hands.
I noticed something about the recommendations I include in this newsletter – they’re surprisingly easy to write when I absolutely can’t get an episode out of my head. Sometimes I’ll take notes as I’m listening, but when something really sticks in my mind and even days after I still feel like I can articulate what captivated me about it, that’s when it’s so easy to write about it. This list really captures that.
What do you do when you can’t stop thinking about something you listened to? Tweet about it? Tell a friend? Leave the show a review? I hope you have someone or some way to talk about it! And if not, feel free to share in the comments! That is absolutely encouraged here.
This week’s podstack
Unladylike - The 'Pretendian' Long Con
Indigenous identity fraud is not new. It’s a type of scam called Pretendianism and it happens at an alarming rate. People fabricate an Indigenous identity in order to capitalize on opportunities intended for people who are Indigenous. On this episode, Cristen is joined by Michelle Cyca, who published an investigative piece about how a Canadian university she was working at handled a case of this identity fraud. Because there is a bigger effort towards highlighting Indigenous histories, a lot of people see an opportunity to claim a false identity in order to get jobs that might otherwise be difficult to get, like a job as a professor. Michelle shares some of the patterns and tendencies that make it easy to spot the frauds and how she went about the investigation to prove this was happening at the university. It’s a story of what it was like to witness her own place of employment do a pretty lackluster job of handling the situation and a bigger discussion about the trends in this con. Like why so many white women are at the heart of these cons?
Future Ecologies - Mountain Legacies
This is an episode of geeking out over old maps that documented what mountains in Jasper, Canada looked like a hundred years ago to understand how much they’ve changed. And as you may notice throughout this newsletter, I love hearing people geek out over things they love. The work of mapping a mountain is wildly complex and tedious, but also really important. First you learn how typographers many, many years ago tried to map mountains with methods that they had previously only applied to flat pieces of land. They did create a way to do it, that involved a lot of photographs, but because this process was kind of lost over the years, the Mountain Legacy Project was started to recreate all the photos from before to see the differences. A collection of people who worked on the project share their experience, and their excitement is so fun to listen to. It’s like hearing kids talk about their favourite memories from summer camp. You also hear what we can learn from these two sets of identical photos from over a century apart. Are the changes good? Are they bad? The reasons why are more complex than I expected but might change the way you look at mountains. (transcript)
I came to this episode to hear their thoughts on the interesting list of new etiquette rules that was going around. They discuss some of the more controversial takes in the list and point out how some are made more controversial by an exaggerated title (the allergy one). After that, they have a surprisingly sweet discussion about couples who always or sometimes sleep in separate beds. But what surprised me most about this whole episode was how fascinated I was by the interview with Erica Berry, author of ‘Wolfish: Wolf, Self, and the Stories We Tell About Fear’. I never stopped to think about how many wolf metaphors we use in English and what those say about our perception of wolves. I like Erica’s newfound respect and interest in wolves and how it relates to fear. This is a perfect 30 minute episode to enjoy!
I Was There Too - Inglourious Basterds with Paul Rust
Time for another edition of ‘Devin listens to a podcast about a movie she hasn’t seen’. If you love behind the scenes stories, you’ll love I Was There Too. Hosted by Matt Gourley, who believes there are no small actors only great stories and loves talking to people who had parts in big movies and can share unique stories from their experiences. Paul Rust and Matt get along so adorably as they unabashedly geek out over everything that happened on the set of Inglourious Basterds, which Paul had a role in. And he has sooo many small but fascinating anecdotes from on set. Everything from minor improvisations, to the wrap gifts that Brad Pitt sent everyone. I also really enjoyed hearing about Quentin Tarantino’s creative decisions through the eyes of Paul. Because Paul and Matt have such love for the craft of movies and for Quentin, Matt indulges in as many details and stories as possible. After the interview, there’s a segment called ‘I wasn’t there too’, where Matt shares some facts about who was almost cast for the movie. Also I love love love the theme song. Seriously, I love it so much I had to look up the lyrics.
Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend - Jane Fonda
Whether or not you like Conan, Jane Fonda is always worth listening to. Her advice on life, friendships, and how we grow through different phases is incredibly honest and so wise. This is the kind of episode that I found myself in awe as soon as the interview began. I already wanted to listen to it again. If you don’t usually listen to Conan, he goes full Conan a bit at the beginning, but once they get into the interview he and Jane get along delightfully. If there’s no newsletter next week it’s because I’ve been obsessively listening to all her books and watching all her movies. Her unwavering commitment to climate activism and the way she talks about people with such grace and understanding is so inspiring. My only criticism is that I wanted her interview to be longer. So much so that I immediately listened to her interview on We Can Do Hard Things with Glennon Doyle. It’s a perfect follow up if you want to hear a deeper discussion of what was mentioned with Conan.
Radio Diaries - The Last Place: Diary of a Retirement Home
I learned about this from Hurt Your Brain, but this episode is all heart. What happens when you arm retirement residents with tape recorders? You get a pretty unfiltered look at their lives. Some are funny, some give a hopeful and positive perspective, and others are missing the joys of their younger lives. It really has that rich documentary feel because it’s all sound from around the retirement home. There’s a comfort to their voices, the music, and moments they share. I can only imagine what all the tape was like from handing out these recorders, and that gives me even more appreciation for how well the narrative is assembled. At 30 minutes, the tape that’s used and the narration that ties it all together makes the episode fly by. It leaves me both wanting more and satisfied with the lessons it highlights.
Other People’s Pockets - Adam Davidson, Economics Journo & Entrepreneur
I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this episode, which I think qualifies it for mention in this newsletter! There are a lot of podcasts about money and they all do things a little differently to stand out and provide whatever type of financial information you might need. Admittedly, I didn’t turn to Other People’s Pockets to increase my knowledge, it was more about seeing if it would really get as honest as it claimed it would about money. And it did! Host Maya Lau doesn’t let her guest Adam Davidson shy away from getting real and sharing actual dollar amounts. I felt myself hoping she’d ask the traditionally frowned upon questions about how much someone makes, how much they’ve saved, what they consider “rich”, and she went there! Adam shares dollar figures for his highest earning years, his lowest, what he makes for various jobs, and how he feels about those earnings. Even though he considers himself a “HENRY”, aka ‘High Earning Not Rich Yet’, others might disagree. This is an easy listen and a fascinating conversation about money and stability, through the eyes of someone who has a very entrepreneurial job history.
Lizzy Cooperman’s In Your Hands - MAGIC MUSHROOMS / MAGIC ACT with Kevin Avery & Jenny Yang
I can still remember exactly where I was and what I was doing the moment I realized I loved Lizzy Cooperman’s In Your Hands. I was in the kitchen making some brunch on a Sunday and she had me laughing out loud to myself in my apartment. I immediately listened to all the episodes she had released at the time and told my friends about her. Her awkward and honest humour was exactly the kind that cracks me up. It was the Scenery vs Creamy episode that hooked me. If you haven’t listened before, each episode Lizzy weighs two life choices, speaks to experts about each option, and then consults her comedian friends about them. At the end, listeners can go to Instagram and have 24 hours to cast their vote… then she does whatever gets chosen! It’s a bold and wildly entertaining premise. But now, she’s weighing the options of ending the show. Telling a podcast you love them has never been more important! If you listen to Lizzy’s show and she makes you laugh, tell her! You can leave her a voice message at (323)389-5156 or email her a voice note at lizzycooperman@gmail.com. She explains her decision at the beginning of the episode linked above. Go help her decide!
More sweet treats
Looking for more Canadian podcasts? Kattie Laur has playlists for you!
Loving the collections Apple Podcasts put together for Women’s History Month.
Alexandra Cohl also curated a great list for Women’s History Month on Pocket Casts’ blog.
Thank you for reading! If you listened to something this week that made your heart sing, your imagination wander, or your brain ponder, I’d love to hear about it!
omg, as a Jande Fonda fan, you've convinced me to put those two interviews in my queue. brb, listening to them right now!!!! <3