Welcome to the podcast that celebrates unironic enthusiasm.
Your hosts, Katie and Alexander who are both highly experienced enthusiasts, take each other (and you) on tours of topics that are weird, fun and fascinating.
Topics include historical figures, media, music, science, movies, books, comic books and much more.
There are sometimes guests who share their enthusiasms and there are detours into even weirder stuff, as the fancy strikes us.
New episode every week.
10 Latest Episodes
- Spaceballs – This Movie Is SO DUMB. So What Makes It Such A Classic?
Mel Brooks’ cult classic Star Wars parody is dumb, yes… but Katie argues that it works so well for four main reasons – and she is happy to tell you all about them. So dive in with us and get surrounded by assholes. Links - Aliens – The ULTIMATE 80s Action Movie?
Aliens is not only an EPIC 80s action movie it’s also explicitly feminist and anti-capitalist. Alex believes it is James Cameron’s masterpiece and (heresy!) better than Ridley Scott’s Alien. Links - Weird Al – The King Of The Nerds (And The Accordion)
Katie was doomed by her parents to nerdiness from an early age, when they subjected her to a steady diet of Weird Al Yankovic. But there’s much to be enthusiastic about in his decades-long musical career, including: Also, THIS IS EPISODE NUMBER 50!!! That’s CRAZYCAKES!!! Links - Wednesday – What Exactly Makes This Show SO GOOD?
Is it the costumes? The visuals? Jenna Ortega? That dance scene? Christina Ricci? Alex has never seen a single Addams Family movie or TV show episode. He doesn’t particularly like Tim Burton and he’s not a fan of high school drama. So why did he love Wednesday, Netflix’s new hit show? Let’s see if we … - Tim Minchin – The Nerdiest, Most Boring Megastar
Tim Minchin wants to be “the Boring Keith Richards.” But while this red-headed Ozzie’s homelife may be boring his musical comedy is anything but. In this episode Katie gets to show Alex some highlights of Minchin’s career and it is AWESOME! BTWs include Hallelujah and assorted nerdiness. Links - Taylor Swift – From “Just A Pop Star” To Revolutionizing The Music Industry
Taylor Swift is more than just a pop star – she has changed the music industry in some really interesting ways. Katie is not a real Swiftie but she is very enthusiastic about the savvy way Taylor Swift has controlled her career and media image. BTWs include copyright law and who has the worst fanbase. … - Kate Bush – Happy Witchy Feminine Musical Genius And Badass
Kate Bush’s song Running Up That Hill made it to #1 in the UK, 37 years after it was released when they used it in Stranger Things. Alex has been a fan of Kate Bush since the 80s and when a listener suggested we do an episode on her, he got to research her and … - The Amen Break – Why Is This 6- Second Dirty Drum Solo Used In 6,000 Other Songs?
You may not have heard OFF The Amen Break – but you’ve definitely heard it. But how did this 6-second drum solo become the world’s most used sample and show up in 6,000 other songs – from Slipknot the Futurama theme. Alex shares the fascinating history behind The Amen Break, how it was discovered, what … - Parasites – Beautiful And Gross And Everywhere
Parasites are everywhere – in us and on us and on animals as well. And our guest Pikka Jokkelainen is very enthusiastic about them and even finds them beautiful. Learn all about these fascinating life forms and especially about Toxoplasma Gondii – a parasite you (or your cat) might very well have right now! BTWs … - M – How Fritz Lang Revolutionized Movies And Trolled Nazis
Of all the movies movies Katie was forced to watch when she studied cinema – this is the one she’s actually enthusiastic about. M is a 1931 movie by German director Fritz Lang that revolutionized the art form. So many of the tricks and techniques you see in nearly all modern movies were first used …
Latest Blog Posts
- Hong Kong macaroni soup is surprisingly good
The Hong Kong food Katie described in our Cha Chaan Tseng episode sounded so good and so weird that I just had to try to make some. Above you see the macaroni soup which I was honestly skeptical about. It’s just some chicken noodle soup that’s made creamy with condensed milk… and then served with … - Listener feedback
I did not know that 🙂 Thanks, Antoine! - And now we’re enthusiastic on YouTube too
In our quest to make the entire world more enthusiastic we have decided to also release our podcast episodes on Youtube – in addition of course to all the regular podcast platforms like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and so on. That’s awesome because on YouTube you can see us while we talk. If that … - Don’t yuck someone else’s yum
Do you want to have more enthusiasm in your life? Here’s a rule we suggest: Don’t yuck someone else’s yum. In other words, if someone really likes something, but you don’t, never try to talk them out of liking it. We talk about this golden commandment of enthusiasm (or enthusiandment) at 22:00 in episode 3 … - Enthusiastic podcast guests wanted
We are looking for highly enthusiastic guests for some of our upcoming podcast episodes. Are you super excited about something and willing to share your passion with us and our enthusiastic audience? Let us know in a comment here. You get bonus points if your enthusiasm is for something unusual that people think could not … - Our very first review!!!
The very first review of the podcast is in, from Broc Edwards who runs the Midlife Mastery podcast. Thanks for the kind words, Broc! I was previously a guest on Broc’s awesome podcast – you can hear that episode here.
Meet your hosts
They’re enthusiastic and they know it.
Katie Cobalt
(She/her)
Katie has been practicing unironic enthusiasm her entire life. She has never once known what it was like to be ironically cool. If you ever need someone to ramble at you for hours about vintage jazz, all things food-related, cartoons and podcasts, I’m your girl!
Alexander Kjerulf
(He/him)
Alex was probably born enthusiastic. It’s not like he finds everything fascinating, just a lot of things. Or more like a ton of things. Actually, nearly everything excites him. Dammit! He’s especially into swing dancing, sci-fi, snowboarding, CrossFit, 80s pop music, cooking food, eating food, playing the ukulele, leftist videos on YouTube, improv comedy… dammit!