Among Sam's many doctorates in 2000s history, one of them is a PhD in Paris Hilton. So, in this first minisode of season 2, he's doing a bit of public service and counting down the heiress of record's 10 best songs. Spanning nearly two decades, Sam is looking beyond her flagship hit "Stars Are Blind" — recently made re-famous by Promising Young Woman — and opening up a world of wonders to Aughtsterion fans. And of course, because this is a podcast about the historical significance of millennium era pop culture, your co-hosts also make the case for Paris as the standard bearer for the decade's discourse, with a life and career arc that moves nearly in lockstep to illustrate the cultural mores of the time. She was the most famous woman in the world. She was ubiquitous. She was reviled. She was a self-generating empire, and she was and is a pop star whose best tracks you haven't paid enough respect to. There's nothing in this world quite like Paris.

Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola

Music by: Sam Wineman