Podgecaste Brazil

Discussed:

* Lady Gaga’s mega show at Copacabana beach.

* Should the public foot the bill?

* Eduardo Paes, a California Democrat(?)

* A (reluctant) take on the Australian election.

* Can Brazil make 2026 boring again?

* We used to have protests. Where’d they all go?

* Lula, the Goldman Sachs central banker.

* Does anyone care about economics anymore?

* Glenn Greenwald goes before the Brazilian senate.

* Our latest Polymarket predictions.

* And much more!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit podgecaste.substack.com

* Ronnie Biggs (w/ Chris Pickard) recap.

* The rise and fall of Big Brother Brasil.

* Is Brazil still Catholic? The numbers.

* Brazil’s rise of evangelical/protestant Christianity.

* How did FHC get away with being agnostic?

* The diversity of the Brazilian family.

* Street preachers need better mics.

* Flordelis on Ana Maria Braga.

* Thoughts on Papa Francisco and the next Pope.

* Oliver Stone and Lula.

* Best JFK conspiracy takes.

* And much more!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit podgecaste.substack.com

Chris Pickard is a self-described jack of all trades — but what trades! Who wouldn’t want to juggle launching a record store called Gringos in Ipanema, editing the legendary Brazil Herald, and becoming an authority on the Cannes Film Festival? He may be a jack of all trades, but he’s certainly mastered picking the most exciting ones.

Across a multitude of roles, Chris has acted as a bridge between Anglo and Brazilian cultures — writing hundreds of thousands of words about Brazilian film, music, and culture in published books, articles, and scripts, while also producing TV shows and documentaries.

But he’s perhaps best known for his enduring professional and personal relationship with Brazil’s most famous gringo: Ronnie Biggs.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit podgecaste.substack.com

Discussed:

* Has the deal been arted?

* Jack’s A-Level class on bonds.

* David Sacks is a genius.

* Haddad x Mônica Bergamo

* Does black-and-white footage make you more serious?

* Haddad’s PhD thesis.

* Has the US ‘lost’ the gloabalization game?

* Chris’s tirade on tariffs. Spoiler: they don’t work.

* Upside-down bullet trains going under bridges.

* Everyone loves the free market all of a sudden.

* And much more!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit podgecaste.substack.com

After a brief hiatus, we’re back—only to find it’s well and truly over. Discussed:

* You get a tariff! You get a tariff! Everybody gets a tariff!

* Trump on The View vs. Trump on Ellen.

* Jack’s updates from Civil War Island.

* The blessings of a few weeks off podcasting.

* Does Big Money work in Brazilian politics?

* The trials of Tony Mokbel and Ronnie Biggs.

* Brazil’s peculiar extradition protections.

* Chris watched The Sopranos—in case anyone cares.

* Has Trump 2.0 made Bolsonarismo boring?

* Brazil’s fast-paced right-wing media landscape is struggling.

* Pâncio’s golden days. A few highlights:

* Glenn Greenwald.

* André Marinho Part 1.

* André Marinho Part 2.

* Conspiratorial thinking. Who does it best?

* And much more!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit podgecaste.substack.com

* Feels Fake vs. Feels Real—unpacking Jack’s latest piece.

* Russel Brand reads Jack’s article.

* Bolsonaro vs. Tech Bros—who brings more mystique?

* A case for Dominic Cummings.

* Tony Soprano economics.

* Tariffs are a tactic, or they make us rich. Pick one.

* Rumble vs. Alexandre de Moraes.

* More Glenn impressions.

* Does AI need to be based?

* Lula gets something right—kinda sorta.

* Final Oscar predictions.

* Tucker has no evidence, but he’s 100% sure of it.

* Bonus Easter egg.

* And much more!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit podgecaste.substack.com

* Our war with the mics continues.

* Milei’s crypto blunder.

* Is 60 Minutes making TV great again?

* Brazil’s bot armies.

* I’m Still Here on Amanpour.

* Are the BAFTAs an omen for Brazil’s Oscar chances?

* Jesse Singal on DOGE.

* Setting the record straight on the Bolsonaro years.

* Note: we recorded this before Bolsonaro being charged.

* Did JFK order the ‘64 coup?

* Tucker vs. Pinochet.

* Throwback to the 2018 election.

* Lula vs. Moro—the OG podcast.

* That Bolsonaro speech.

* Brazil’s Big Bad Biden Bet—read it now.

* Non-sensical AI creations.

* Jack’s next article.

* And much more!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit podgecaste.substack.com

* Brazil’s battle of the stupid hats.

* Ciro is GOAT’d.

* Lula needs Malcolm Tucker.

* The student politics comms genius.

* Who are Brazil’s new overlords?

* A deep dive on the Centrão.

* Is the Centrão a force for good?

* Thoughts on The Edge of Democracy and The Trial.

* The (grammatical) problem with DOGE.

* Bannon’s Brazil.

* The Glenn Greenwald impression is ready to go.

* More Lula as Trump.

* Fernanda Torres (again, but you know, SEO).

* And much more!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit podgecaste.substack.com

* Podgecaste re-born.

* Trump vs. Petro vs. Lula vs. Trump.

* Can LatAm leaders out-deal the Donald, or does the US always win?

* Brazil prepares to be tariffed.

* Musings on Trump 2.0 and immigration.

* A rare case for civil liberties.

* Are we for or against drivers’ licenses?

* Kash Patel looks home and dry.

* Tulsi’s looking shaky.

* One of the best Bernie impression you’ve ever heard.

* Is MAHA just the EU on sterioids?

* A lesson on how to pronounce Demi Moore.

* Will Fernanda Torres get over the line?

* Our Polymarket nightmare (listen to the end).

* And much more!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit podgecaste.substack.com

* Audio’s fixed. We promised and delivered.

* The Trouble with Sam Harris.

* Faz o Pix.

* Lula’s Globo L (clip mentioned).

* Nikolas Ferreira — President in twenty-thirty-something (clip mentioned).

* Haddad goes full McCarthy (clip mentioned).

* What is even the point of John Oliver?

* Gregório Duvivier loves a chicken shop.

* Fernanda Torres and the two Jimmys.

* Say Nothing vs. I’m Still Here (culture vulture alert).

* Why didn’t Joseph put the God-darn Tok Tik back on the interweb?

* Polymarket’s so back.

* Inauguration address predictions.

* Farewell, Joseph. We probably won’t remember you.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit podgecaste.substack.com