Spontaneous recommendations
Rethinking weight, peaceful ponds, not Only Murders in the song, from lawyer to director, KFC in China, political pizza, handsome hilarity.
When someone randomly asks you what podcasts you’re listening to lately or what you’d recommend, do you ever freeze up? So many times, my mind goes completely blank. What’s a podcast? Let me name the most random one that comes to mind and then dwell over all the better answers I wish I’d said in the moment. I often freeze up so much when it comes from a person who doesn’t really listen to that many podcasts or at all. The stakes are so high! In order to try preventing this from happening, I’ll sometimes scroll through my recent listens and remind myself of the highlights lately. If you asked me randomly right now, I might say Commotion, or The Redemption of Jar Jar Binks, or The Good Thief, or Other People’s Pockets, or Twenty Thousand Hertz (always). I say these ones because they’re not too niche, so I think anyone could enjoy them and they’re really well done!
Here’s to practicing hypothetical scenarios in order to better increase podcast listenership.
This week’s podstack
Weight For It - The Perfect Moment
I have been waiting for this show ever since the trailer dropped in May and it was selected for Tribeca. If you’ve been reading this newsletter for a while, I’m about to sound like a broken record, but I am just so in love with shows that weave a personal narrative into the topic they’re exploring. And Ronald Young Jr. does that so effortlessly. He describes thoughts and opinions about his body and weight being ever present in his life. The concern people had about it, even though he wasn’t a concerning weight, inevitably shaped how he acted when he did gain weight. It’s like everything he does and says is impacted by the fact that people perceive and treat him different because of his body. I was immediately drawn into the subtle sound design and natural narration that Ron brings to the show as he first introduces us to his lifelong relationship with weight. He interrogates his own perspectives on weight and considers how experiences differ between men and women. This is a must listen and I felt that way after only 4 minutes of listening.
Waterlands - The remarkable garden pond
There are a lot of studies that show living near or frequent visits to nature spaces that have a body of water can improve our well-being and if the sound design of this episode is any indication, I believe it. With the sounds of softly splashing water, birds chirping, and bugs chatting, it transports you to a comforting pond escape. And the impact that ponds can have on well-being is articulated through the story of a man who finds peace and positivity at his pond while undergoing cancer treatment. Beyond that, you get to learn about the wildlife that exist and rely on ponds. It’s an informative, immersive, and uplifting story of something you might underestimate.
Song Exploder - Siddhartha Khosla - Only Murders in the Building (Main Title Theme)
Are you so podcast-obsessed that you thought the theme song for Only Murders in the Building was basically just a parody of Serial’s intro music? I am and I did! The real story behind the song is so much more thoughtful and diverse. Composer Siddhartha Khosla always thinks in melodies, after growing up listening to a lot of Hindi music his parents would play. That’s how the melody of the song came to him so easily, but the depth and layers to the song go much further. It works to capture a very New York vibe, with sounds inspired by someone playing in a subway station. It has the ability to provoke all the emotions the show wanted - mysterious, funny, sad. It’s magic. I love Song Exploder’s ability to make you appreciate music on a level you’d never know on your own. (transcript)
Hotter Than Ever - Betting on Yourself: Leaning into Scary Things with Director Dawn Porter
Dawn Porter went from being a lawyer to a director with movies premiering at Sundance and working with Oprah and John Lewis. How did she do it? She made a bold decision to take a job in New York, even though she and her husband were all settled into life in DC. As is host Erin Keating’s style, she unpack Dawn’s imposter syndrome and tendency to downplay her role in the projects she worked on. Even though you wouldn’t expect it, that transition from lawyer to director almost feels natural in the way Dawn describes it. It makes you realize that when you embrace the things that you find yourself being drawn to, it can become this domino effect that leads you to something really great. And Erin is all about taking those chances, believing that we can have better things than we think we can, and reminding ourselves that we’re damn hot. This might be the boost of motivation you need in your queue.
Gravy - Tasting Kentucky in Tiananmen
KFC became popular in America by being available everywhere, especially in rural areas. But when they expanded to China, which had a huge impact on increasing business, they had to flip a lot of the practices that worked in America. Not only that, by the time they opened their 9,000th store, KFC was being presented as a luxury brand in China. When I started this episode, I thought it would be focused on the food and flavours of KFC, but instead you get a rich mix of business and political history. It’s one of those food shows that doesn’t shy away from exploring all the connections beyond just the food. It’s another example of the way food or food related stories can be a way of helping us understand our past, present, and future. And for a 24 minute episode, this covered a lot without it ever feeling overwhelming. (transcript)
FT Weekend - How pasta became political in Italy
This is the story of Italians believing that the Financial Times were attacking them! Reporter Marianna Giusti’s article on the true history she learned about Italian food turned out to be way more controversial than she expected. When it went viral in Italy, it became the most read story on FT Weekend of the year so far. To respond to the backlash Marianna and Alberto Grandi, an economist and food historian, join host Lilah Raptopoulos to discuss the unexpected repercussions. Italians have their identity and foods and recipes so connected that hearing the claims made by Marianna and Alberto set them off. Pizza and carbonara aren’t these ancient dishes, they’re relatively new and that information feels like a threat on the Italian identity. (transcript)
Handsome - Sarah Silverman asks about personal hygiene
I am always looking for more Tig Notaro in my life so I had to check out her new show. You know those shows that you can listen to at pretty much any time and feel like you’re in the company of good friends and good vibes? This is one of them! Tig and her comedian friends Fortune Feimster and Mae Martin had me laughing right away with a debate around the word panties that becomes a hilarious joke throughout the episode. They also reminisce about trips to Disney, catch up on how each other are doing, and then get into answering a special hygiene related question from Sarah Silverman. They’re open, honest, and giving all the graphic details to answer the question, including Sarah who also sent them an answer to her own question. Whatever you do, don’t take a drink every time they say panties or ‘grandma’s problem area’, you’ll be drinking way too much!
More sweet treats
I’m working on something exciting from Tink and hope you’ll listen and subscribe.
This excerpt on battling society’s expectations of women will hit you like America Ferrera’s monologue in the Barbie movie.
I now know way too much about Bama RushTok thanks to this article and this playlist.
Have you listened to Levian yet? If you like Game of Thrones, Pirates of the Caribbean or Our Flag Means Death, this is for you. Listen and support their crowdfunding campaign.
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!