Tove Jansson – Moomin Trolls And Anti-Fascism

The Moomin Trolls are nothing but cute, cuddly, innocent kids’ stories right? Wrong!

And the creator of the Moomins, Tove Jansson, was just a kids’ writer, right? WRONG! She was also a novelist, poet, painter and all-round badass and Alex shares 5 reasons why you should be enthusiastic about her,

BTWs include queer erasure, dancing and lesbian cottage core.

In the moment of meta Katie talks about saying “YES!” to new adventures.

Mad Max Fury Road – This Movie Should Not Work… So Why Is It SO AMAZING?

How does this movie even work? A 70-year old grandpa and his wife make the most insane, over-the-top, high octane action movie EVER? Alex has a theory: It works only because EVERY element of it is insane.

This completes our trilogy of episodes on maximalist movies that started with Everything Everywhere All At Once and RRR.

BTWs include feminism, Aliens and Mel Gibson.

In the moment of meta Katie talks about being enthusiastic about your hobbies when you also get paid to do them.

Trixie Mattel – The World’s Hardest-working Drag Queen

Of all the drag queens in all the world Katie loves Trixie Mattel the most and in this episode you’ll hear a ton of reasons why you should be enthusiastic about her too. This includes her insane work ethic, how funny she is and of course her long-standing partnership with Katia.

BTWs include:

  • Makeup
  • Lying to the media
  • Staying friends in showbiz
  • What Katie wants for her birthday

Moment Of Meta

In the moment of meta Alex gives some tips on how to be enthusiastic about your job. Yes – it’s possible!

Links

Ella Fitzgerald – From Street Child To First Lady Of Jazz

What a voice. What an incredible musical talent. She came out of total poverty and a life as a Manhattan street child. Ella Ftizgerald – the greatest jazz singer ever?

Hear how she got her greatest hit that time she completely forgot the lyrics to Mack The Knife in Berlin.

BTWs include Chick Webb, racism, Marilyn Monroe and Alex’s new favorite expression for something really quiet.

In the moment of meta Alex talks about letting go of enthusiasms.

Lise Nørgaard – Writer, feminist and UTTER BADASS

Lise Nørgaard is a Danish journalist and author who discovered her superpower (writing) and has used it tirelessly to promote women’s rights and social justice.

She also created Matador, the best Danish TV show EVER, and (maybe most importantly) had a pastry named after her.

BTWs include implanted memories and swing dancing.

In the moment of meta Alex Katie shares a story of how she used enthusiasm to defuse an online feud.

Hamilton: Hip-hop history of the American revolution

How can you not love a hip-hop musical about the American revolution where all the founding fathers are played by people of color???

Katie is not just a fan of Hamilton – she is self-proclaimed Hamiltrash. In this episode she talks about what makes the music so great (obviously!) but also about the huge cultural impact that the show has had.

BTWs include Tom Waits, Encanto and the KGB’s hilariously failed attempt to blackmail the president of Indonesia.

In the moment of meta Alex issues a challenge to Katie and all listeners.

Tom Waits: The Weirdest Human In Showbiz

“Is Tom Waits for real?”

That is the question that pops up when you google him and in this episode we try to figure that out. But first Alex gushes over the weirdest man in showbiz and tries hard to get Katie to appreciate his music, his acting, his life and his voice. That last one is an especially hard sell.

Also: THIS IS OUR 25TH EPISODE!!! Not bad for a couple of hosts whose strengths do not include things like perseverance, planning and general sticktoitiveness.

BTWs include artists who play a persona and why Shrek 2 is the best sequel of all times

In the moment of meta Katie introduces a new enthusiandment: Explore adjacent enthusiasm or in other words if you like a thing, check out other things that are like that first thing.

The Jewel Box Revue – Making Drag Mainstream – In 1939!

This incredible stage show had 25 men performing as women and one woman MC dressed as a man. It started in 1939 and made drag mainstream with high production values and incredibly talented performers.

But most of all: Meet Stormé DeLarverie, MC of the revue and the butch lesbian whose scuffle with police was the spark that ignited the Stonewall riots. The word badass doesn’t even begin to cover her.

BTWs include:

  • Why the “Mr.” in front of the performers’ names was SO important
  • The Stonewall Rebellion
  • How men wearing women’s clothes will surely lead to the downfall of western civilization
  • The dogs’ secret plan to take over the world

In the Moment Of Meta, Alex once again stans Swedish statistician Hans Rosling’s work on compiling data that shows that the world is getting better in many ways and uses Rosling’s work to quiz Katie.

Links

Billy Strayhorn: The Unsung Hero Of Jazz

Everyone who knows jazz knows Duke Ellington. But did you know that many of the Duke’s most famous songs were actually written by a gay black musical prodigy called Billy Strayhorn?

In this episode Katie celebrates the life and music of Strayhorn who received little recognition (or even money) for his work but who still lead a “lush life.”

BTWs include the Baader-Meinhoff effect.

In the moment of meta we share a tip on how you can use enthusiasm to connect with new people.

Links

All the songs:

BONUS songs: 

Piet Hein: Poet or pirate? Why not both!

Piet Hein was a Danish philosopher, mathematician, designer, poet and all-round smart cookie who did amazing work in both science and arts. Be warned: This episode has POETRY!!!

BTWs include Piet Hein (the awesome pirate) and why Danish is the worst language.

In the moment of meta, Katie talks about closing feedback loops and proposes a new enthusiandment: Thou shalt always tell your friends what you like about them.

Links