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Sleuthing the Truth Edition (#139)

I expected a slow week in Podland. I was wrong. Some notable happenings:

And ICYMI, here’s This Week in Podcasts’ list of 21 Essential Podcast Episodes of 2020.

This is the final newsletter of the year. I’ll still be tweeting and updating my list of new and upcoming podcasts over the holidays, though. I’m also developing a spin-off newsletter, This Week in Music Podcasts. Sign up now.

Thanks so much for reading this year! Hit me up with any suggestions or feedback for 2021.

On to this week’s counts: 56 notable guests, 10 new podcasts, five deep dives and one killer clown.

Pod Take of the Week

“I like to say it was Facebook before there was Facebook.”

Listen: It’s a Wonderful Lie: “Bathing Suit & A Smile” (3:31)

  • That’s Ashley Flowers, on the phenomenon of braggy, over-the-top holiday letters.
  • Flowers, best known for hosting true crime pod Crime Junkie, teams with comedians Holly Laurent and Greg Hess on a pop-up pod to skewer the “wonderful and extravagant and beautiful” and “chock full of BS” letters that mark the holiday season for many.
  • The trio reads letters — names and locations changed — and tries to sleuth out the truth amid the suspected lies.
  • It’s this week’s highest-ranking debut on Apple Podcasts (No. 3).

Go Deep

 

1) Taylor Swift’s “evermore” (and More)

Listen: Popcast, Pop Culture Happy Hour, Switched on Pop, Ringer Dish, The Zane Lowe Interview Series

  • Taylor Swift’s surprise sister album to her surprise quarantine release “folklore” received at least four deep dives.
  • And she talks about it with Zane Lowe.
  • For more about “folklore”: The Sound and the Story released another deep dive on that Grammy-nominated album.

2) Christmas Villains

Listen: We Got This!

  • Mark Gagliardi and Hal Lublin rank the worst of the Christmas-season baddies.

3) George Mallory’s Everest Expeditions  

Listen: The Explorers Podcast

  • The pod’s three episodes deep into a series on the British mountaineer’s efforts to climb Mount Everest.

4) Reconciliation in Rwanda

Listen: Ideas

  • The CBC pod begins a three-part series on “genocide, truth, and reconciliation looking at how Rwandans collectively decided to move forward and rebuild their society after the 1994 genocide.”

5) The Unabomber 

Listen: American Scandal

  • The Wondery pod goes deep with a multi-part series on domestic terrorist Ted Kaczynski and his 17 years of attacks.

Guest Appearances By…

 

Ahmed, Riz The Treatment, Fresh Air

Alexander, Jason Angry Americans

Andrés, José The Journal.

Astley, Rick Ad Age Ad Lib

Ball, LaVar The ETCs with Kevin Durant

Bautista, Dave Life is Short with Justin Long

Bell, Kristen The Backstory

Blake, James Broken Record

Brennan, John O. Armchair Expert, Conversations with Tyler

Bridgers, Phoebe It’s Been a Minute with Sam Sanders

Brown, Brené Sway

Chieng, Ronny Black Frasier

Chung, Connie The Originals

Clinton, Hillary The Deciding Decade with Pete Buttigieg

Cohen, Michael Inside the Hive 

Collins, Bootsy WTF with Marc Maron

Common Song Exploder

  • The artist breaks down his track “A Riot in My Mind.”

Cotter, Andrew The Gist

Cuban, Mark The Bill Simmons Podcast

Cuoco, Kaley Good for You, Anna Faris is Unqualified, Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend

Delaney, Rob The Brian Butterfield Pod-Pod-Podcast

Diaz, Cameron Second Life

Dorsey, Jack Distributed

Dyson, Michael Eric Kickass News

Esmail, Sam The Watch

Ferriss, Tim Unlocking Us with Brené Brown

Fleming, Renée PORTRAITS

  • The soprano talks about the space in our brains dedicated to music.

Fox, Michael J. Literally! With Rob Lowe

Glass, Ira Mike Birbiglia’s Working it Out

Glenn, Scott WTF with Marc Maron

Graham, Ashley Creative Conversation

Hamm, Jon Kickass News

Handler, Chelsea The Bob Lefsetz Podcast, Just B with Bethenny Frankel

Howard, Raon SmartLess

James, Jim Broken Record

Mantzoukas, Jason The Last Laugh

Marsalis, Branford Questlove Supreme

Mendes, Shawn Armchair Expert

Nancherla, Aparna I Said No Gifts!

Obama, Barack The Bill Simmons Podcast

Ocasio-Cortez, Alexandria The Axe Files

Odom Jr., Leslie Your Fave’s Faves

  • He shares his favorite Christmas songs.

Offerman, Nick Talkhouse

  • In conversation with Jeff Tweedy.

Philipps, Busy U Talkin’ Talking Heads 2 My Talking Head

  • She helps break down the Talking Heads’ album “Naked.”

Plaza, Aubrey The Envelope

Pollan, Michael The Ezra Klein Show

Saget, Bob expediTIously

Shepard, Dax Unlocking Us with Brené Brown

Snoop Dogg Red Table Talk

Thiessen, Tiffany Pardon My Take

Thompson, Tessa FANTI

Tweedy, Jeff Talkhouse

  • In conversation with Nick Offerman.

Walter, Jess The Maris Review

Williams, Pharrell The goop Podcast

Williams, Robbie Table Manners

Zaltzman, Helen Home Cooking

Notable New Podcasts

 

1) Gaining Ground: The New Georgia (Dec. 17)

  • Against the backdrop of the two Senate seats up for grabs in Georgia, Rembert Browne and Jewel Wicker “detail what made this historic moment possible and talk to the key organizers, strategists, and voters who are hoping to see years of hard work change the South forever.”
  • Apple Podcasts rank: No. 79.

2) It’s a Wonderful Lie (Dec. 14)

  • The 12-part comedy pod “imagines the hilarious ‘truth’ hidden in your holiday newsletters.”
  • Apple Podcasts rank: No. 3.
  • Spotify Trending Podcasts rank: No. 7.

3) Our Thing (Dec. 16)

  • The pod chronicles the life of Sammy “the Bull” Gravano, “an American gangster who became the underboss of the Gambino crime family.”
  • Apple Podcasts rank: No. 66.

4) Disgusting Hawk with Jessica Kirson (Dec. 14)

  • The comedian “presents a variety podcast featuring a series of eccentric characters.”

5) The Ladies Room (Dec. 14)

  • Jane McManus and Julie DiCaro “take a deep dive into issues surrounding women and sports, with lots of laughs along the way.”
  • It’s from Deadspin.

6) The Clown and the Candyman (Dec. 15)

  • A true crimer about two serial killers: Dean Corll and John Wayne Gacy.

7) The Backstory (Dec. 15)

  • Jason Bentley teams with Soho House to “pair innovators and creators together to unlock the secrets of their creative DNA.”

8) Parental Advisory Podcast (Dec. 15)

  • Jack Gilinsky, Jack Johnson, Sammy Wilk and Brant Carter “talk about how their impulsive decisions have led to crazy experiences.”

9) Soul Stories (Dec. 16)

  • The Spotify exclusive’s a companion to the upcoming Pixar movie “Soul.”

10) HGTV Obsessed (Dec. 17)

  • Influencers and HGTV superfans Kat and Mike Stickler “dive deep into all things HGTV—interviews, episode recaps, games, inside scoop, and more.”

And Two to Look Forward to Next Week: 

From Now (Dec. 21)

  • The QCODE sci-fi show tracks a lost spaceship that “returns to Earth after vanishing thirty-five years prior. The lone survivor disembarks mysteriously​ looking the exact same age as when he left​.”

Checking In with Michelle Williams (Dec. 22)

  • Former Destiny’s Child member Michelle Williams and “her famous friends let it all out as they reveal their intimate experiences with depression, anxiety and their mental health journeys.”

Reminder: I’ve contracted and expanded coverage of new podcasts. The newsletter includes a curated list of the most notable and best new podcasts of the previous seven days.

Broader coverage now resides at weekinpodcasts.com, where I’ll show my work with an evolving list of new and upcoming podcasts. Know of any podcasts that should be included? Reply and let me know.