How do we mourn a parasocial relationship? And how do identity politics affect music genres? [17:34]

This week, Aaron, Joey, and Jess talk about Kobe, 1996, Titus Burgess, the new cowboy in town, appropriation, and "Daddy Lessons." They don't (enough) about Billy Porter's grammy look.

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What does the movie Parasite tell us about culture? And what are the consequences of all these drops? [18:20]

This week, Cultural Horoscopes! with our very own cultural astrologer Osei Kwakye. He, Joey, and Jess talk about subtitles, our categorization-machine tendencies, Good Boys, the Cosmic Crisp apple, social scarcity, and fat times. They don't talk about how that Frasier episode is Season 10, Episode 11: "Door Jam."

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What's to come in 2020?

This week, Wild Prognostications! Special guest Ben Vander joins Jess, Aaron, and Joey to rank topics on a Goldilocks scale from "too wild" to "not wild enough." To be tracked through this year: culture war, modern asceticism, the tide turning on cars, bling, starter homes, hoaxes, and the appeal of pantries. They don't talk about the metrics behind "just wild enough:" it's more like a feeling.

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How has nostalgia affected musical theater? And why is dying so hard? [23:19]

This week, mystical guest Dylan, Joey, and Jess talk about Shakespeare, Waitress, mandarins v. clementines [19:59], the symbiosis between old and young people, observando el Día de los Muertos, and #folkwisdom. They don't talk about Kimiko Glenn's knockout delivery of "When He Sees Me."

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What debt do we owe to '90s action movies? And how can we clean digital house in the new year? [21:41]

This week, Aaron and Joey talk about the most progressive movie genres, Atomic Blonde, Sigourney Weaver, ideas on Twitter, deep cleaning our feeds, and "the holey sock problem." They don't talk about how Joey is definitely 1000% wrong about Hitch.

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What happened in 2019?

This week, a special end of the year episode! Joey, Aaron, and Jess talk about "Made in anywhere-but-America," Jim Carrey's Trump art, the Lancet paper, unicorn mac and cheese, and purpose-washing. They don't talk about the title of their Zuckerberg Lion King remake.

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Why are we obsessed with year-end wrap-ups? And when does performance on social media go wrong? [17:26]

This week, special guests Steven Ebert and Nora Mestrich join Joey to talk about Spotify Wrapped, Dunbar's Number puns, rebirth, vague-booking, trauma, and Walden. They don't talk about how we never edit out things in post that we say we will.

What should or could Thanksgiving music be?

This week, a special! Joey, Aaron, and Jess sing about crooning, country crooning, the elbow that keeps going, Heartstrings, Aaron's cornbread pro-tip, and the green bean casserole divide. They don't talk about how "pipette" translates to "little pipe" in English.

How much greatness is hiding in plain sight on the internet? And what if we took Thanksgiving more seriously? [17:29]

This week, Joey and Jess talk about 9M9H9E9, future Kafka, penny press newspapers, the Thankanator (coming soon to theatres), the Duchenne smile, and the Gratitude Turkey. They don't talk about which poultry cut is superior: white or dark meat (hint: there's a right answer).

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How do we fix customer service? And why do we make up work? [18:04]

This week, Aaron and Jess talk about Jess's new friend, Jonah, their worst flight ticketing blunders, Amazon's silver lining, fabric swatches, entry level usefulness, and allowing for agency. They don't talk about what a snerfherder (sp?) is.

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