Past Present

In this episode, Neil, Niki, and Natalia discuss the life and legacy of comedian Paul Reubens.

You can support Past Present here: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:

· Paul Reubens, best known for his recurring role as Pee-wee Herman, has died. Natalia referred to this Daily Beast retrospective and Niki drew on this New York Times magazine piece.

In our regular closing feature, What's Making History:

· Natalia discussed Rebecca Jennings' Vulture article, "Where Is Britney Spears?"

· Neil recommended the BBC podcast, A Very British Cult.

· Niki shared about this episode of the Strict Scrutiny podcast.

In this episode, Natalia, Neil, and Niki discuss the new megahit film, Barbie.

Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:

· Barbie, directed by filmmaker Greta Gerwig, is a box-office blockbuster. Natalia drew on this MSNBC piece she wrote about the doll's complicated legacy, and Niki reflected on this New York Times article about the film's salience in a post-Roe era. We all drew on Anne-Helen Petersen's Culture Study newsletter on the "Barbenheimer" phenomenon.

In our regular closing feature, What's Making History:

· Natalia recommended Marisa Meltzer's forthcoming book, Glossy: Ambition, Beauty, and the Inside Story of Glossier's Emily Weiss.

· Neil discussed Charlie Mahtesian and Madi Alexander's POLITICO story, "'This Is a Really Big Deal': How College Towns Are Decimating the GOP."

· Niki shared about the latest season of FX's series The Bear.

In this episode, Niki, Natalia, and Neil discuss the history of summer break in the United States.

Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:

· The idea that a long summer vacation originated in "the agrarian calendar" is a persistent myth. Niki referred to our Episode 40, in which we discussed the history of summer camps Natalia referred to historian Kenneth Gold's book School's In: The History of Summer Education in American Public Schools and historian Jonathan Zimmerman's Los Angeles Times opinion piece, "How We Got Interminable Summer Breaks From School – And What We Can Do About It."

In our regular closing feature, What's Making History:

· Natalia discussed Max Meyer's Free Press article, "Welcome to the MAGA Hamptons."

· Neil and Niki, for the first time in our history, chose the same WMH! They discussed Jason Aldean's country music song and video, "Try That in a Small Town." Neil recommended Chris Willman's Variety article, "Jason Aldean Already Had the Most Contemptible Country Song of the Decade. The Video is Worse."

In this episode, Neil, Niki, and Natalia discuss the history of tipping in the United States.

Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:

· Tipping is once again at the center of debates about service, labor, and consumerism. Neil referenced this Phil Magness essay, and Natalia cited this New York Times piece by Michele Alexander. We all drew on this Mother Jones review of Saru Jayamaran's book Forked: A New Standard for American Dining.

In our regular closing feature, What's Making History:

· Natalia shared Michael Schulman's New Yorker piece, "Orange is the New Black Signalled the Rot Inside the Streaming Economy."

· Neil recommended the forthcoming Broadway show, Here Lies Love.

· Niki discussed this episode of the podcast If Books Could Kill.

In this episode, Natalia, Neil, and Niki discuss male enhancement surgery and the history of the penile ideal.

Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:

· A recent ProPublica article exposed the expanding, and disturbing, world of penile enlargement surgery. Neil referred to this glowing 2016 GQ article about the procedure, and Natalia discussed the comedy of Marval Rex. Niki drew on this Men's Health article, and we all made use of David Friedman's book A Mind of Its Own: A Cultural History of the Penis.

In our regular closing feature, What's Making History:

· Natalia discussed the new Netflix documentary Take Care of Maya.

· Neil recommended the new Rock Hudson documentary from HBO, All That Heaven Allowed.

· Niki shared about Crooked Media podcast, Strict Scrutiny, and her most recent CNN column, "Another Not-As-Bad-As-It-Could-Be Decision from America's Highest Court."

In this episode, Niki, Natalia, and Neil discuss Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s presidential candidacy.

Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:

· Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is running for president, with some support both from Democrats and Republicans. Neil referred to this TIME interview, and Natalia referenced this Slate article and her interview on the Conspirituality podcast about RFK Jr.'s workout videos.

In our regular closing feature, What's Making History:

· Natalia shared about the new Netflix documentary series Arnold.

· Neil discussed Raymond Zhong's New York Times piece, "Something Was Messing With the Earth's Axis. The Answer Has to Do with Us."

· Niki recommended Rebecca Makkai's novel I Have Some Questions For You.

In this episode, Neil, Niki, and Natalia discuss the failed attempt of the Ocean Gate submersible to explore the Titanic wreckage.

Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:

· The world watched as a multimillion dollar search for the submersible Titan transpired and failed. Natalia drew on this account of the world's most expensive tourist experiences. Niki referenced this Washington Post article on how Mount Everest became a tourist attraction and this National Geographic story about the history of mountaineering.

In our regular closing feature, What's Making History:

· Natalia recommended the latest season of the Netflix show Never Have I Ever.

· Neil discussed Jessica Grose's New York Times piece, "The Largest and Fastest Religious Shift in America is Well Underway".

· Niki shared about the new podcast, Coverup: The Pill Plot.

In this episode, Natalia, Neil, and Niki discuss the indictment of former President Donald Trump.

Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:

· Former President Donald Trump has been indicted related to the mishandling of classified documents and other charges. Neil referred to this New Yorker article about how Trump is trying to reframe the narrative around these proceedings, and Natalia drew on this NPR article about the history of presidential wrongdoing. Niki referenced this New York Times article about the history of the Espionage Act.

In our regular closing feature, What's Making History:

· Natalia talked about Stephanie Noda's NorthJersey.com article, "Do Honors Classes Favor 'compliant and organized' kids? Westwood Wants to Change That."

· Neil discussed Jesse Walker's Reason article, "How Pat Robertson Shepherded His Flock Into Politics."

· Niki recommended Elaina Plott Calabro's Atlantic article, "A Star Reporter's Break With Reality."

In this episode, Niki, Natalia, and Neil the new documentary about the Duggar family, Shiny Happy People.

Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:

· The Duggar family, who became famous on their reality show 19 Kids and Counting, is back in the spotlight due to a new documentary. Niki referred to this Washington Post article about Christian homeschooling and parenting, and Natalia cited this Relevant magazine article about Beth Moore. We all drew on this New Republic essay about the fundamentalist leader, Bill Gothard.

In our regular closing feature, What's Making History:

· Natalia talked about Ruth Marcus' Washington Post essay, "I Lost 40 Pounds on Ozempic. But I'm Left With Even More Questions."

· Neil recommended two books, Fintan O'Toole's We Don't Know Ourselves: A Personal History of Modern Ireland, and John Boyne's The Heart's Invisible Furies: A Novel.

· Niki shared about historian Martha Hodes' new memoir, My Hijacking: A Personal History of Forgetting and Remembering.

In this episode, Neil, Niki, and Natalia discuss the role of car dealers in U.S. political culture.

Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:

· Car salesmen play an underappreciated role in GOP power politics, a recent Slate article argued. Niki cited this data reported in The Verge, and Natalia drew on this NPR story. We all drew on this history of the industry at CNN.

In our regular closing feature, What's Making History:

· Natalia discussed Summer Lin, Andrew J. Campa, and Howard Blume's Los Angeles Times article, "Fight Erupts At Anti-Pride Day Protest Outside L.A. School Where Trans Teacher's Flag Was Burned."

· Neil recommended Shoshi Parks' Smithsonian story, "How the U.S. Almost Became a Nation of Hippo Ranchers."

· Niki shared about Ja'han Jones' MSNBC article, "Obama Oral History is the G.O.A.T."