Mike and Sarah are journalists obsessed with the past. Every week they reconsider a person or event that's been miscast in the public imagination.
Bonus Episode! Sarah’s New Podcast “Why Are Dads”
Sarah tells Mike about her new foray into Dad Studies and, for the second time this week, discusses a horror movie about families from 1975 and sings a little.Subscribe! https://linktr.ee/whyaredadsSupport the show (http://patreon.com/yourewrongabout)
The Stepford Wives
Sarah tells Mike about the real-life conspiracy written between the lines of a 1970s horror novel. Digressions include "Rosemary's Baby (again), Disney World (of course), a brief history of the American pharmaceutical industry and a long recipe for stew.Support us:Subscribe on PatreonDonate on PaypalBuy cute merchWhere else to find us: Sarah's other show, Why Are Dads Mike's other show, Maintenance PhaseLinks!"She Touched Me" from "Drat! The Cat!" -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G69_Fx_YVuUThe Carousel of Progress- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmrSiJTMf7sThe Magic Worlds of Walt Disney – National Geographic August 1963 -- https://disneyavenue.wordpress.com/category/national-geographic-aug-63/"More Work for Mother" by Ruth Schwartz Cowan https://www.google.com/books/edition/More_Work_For_Mother/9YM1tAEACAAJ?hl=en"The Age of Anxiety" by Andrea Tone https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Age_of_Anxiety/sgkXBQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=age+of+anxiety&printsec=frontcover"The Battered Parent Syndrome" ad for Milton - http://www.bonkersinstitute.org/medshow/fembps1.html"The Magic Bullet" by Heather Radke, on Miltown - https://www.topic.com/the-magic-bullet"The Family That Built an Empire of Pain" by Patrick Radden Keefe, on the Sackler family -- https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/10/30/the-family-that-built-an-empire-of-pain"Dopesick" by Beth Macy https://www.google.com/books/edition/Dopesick/23BBDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=dopesick+macy&printsec=frontcoverSupport the show (http://patreon.com/yourewrongabout)
Wayfair and Human Trafficking Statistics
In another "mini" episode that accidentally turned mega, Mike tells Sarah about the Wayfair conspiracy theory and the sketchy statistical screenshots that have shown up in its wake. Digressions include "Inside Llewyn Davis," Miranda Priestley and (sigh) Jeffrey Epstein. This episode contains, we're sorry to say, detailed descriptions of child abuse. We recommend listening to this episode alongside our "Human Trafficking" episode from last year, which contains much more context for understanding this issue: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/human-trafficking/id1380008439?i=1000465289965Support us:Subscribe on PatreonDonate on PaypalBuy cute merchWhere else to find us: Sarah's other show, Why Are Dads Mike's other show, Maintenance PhaseSupport the show (http://patreon.com/yourewrongabout)
Disco Demolition Night
Mike tells Sarah how a silly sports promotion galvanized a reactionary movement. Digressions include “Charlotte’s Web,” Jane Fonda and German-language musicals. Songs are dissected; the honor of David Bowie and late-night salad bars are defended.Huge thanks to historians Tavia Nyong'o, Eric Gonzaba, Luis-Manuel Garcia and Gillian Frank for helping Mike with this episode! Support us:Subscribe on PatreonDonate on PaypalBuy cute merchWhere else to find us: Sarah's other show, Why Are Dads Mike's other show, Maintenance PhaseLinks! Tavia Nyong'o's "I Feel Love: Disco and Its Discontents"Gillian Frank's excellent article on disco and his delightful podcastLuis-Manuel Garcia's alternate history of club culture and dissection of the gay left's opposition to discoAlice Echols' "Hot Stuff" Bill Brewster and Frank Broughton's "Last Night a DJ Saved My Life: The History of the Disc Jockey" Tim Lawrence's "Love Saves the Day: A History of American Dance Music Culture, 1970-1979" Peter Shapiro's "Turn the Beat Around: The Secret History of Disco"Undone did a great episode on Disco Demolition Night“The Flip Sides of 1979”“Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night,” the (fabricated) New York Magazine story that inspired “Saturday Night Fever”Tony Smith interview"Disco and The Queering of the Dance Floor"Support the show (http://patreon.com/yourewrongabout)
Murder
Mike tells Sarah about the most common forms of violence in America and how they differ (twist!) from what gets shown on TV. Digressions include Perry Mason, “It’s A Wonderful Life” and fruit-toting strategies. Mike appears not to understand the meaning of the term “order of magnitude.” This episode contains descriptions of police violence; the last 15 minutes are just a huge bummer generally. Support us:Subscribe on PatreonDonate on PaypalBuy cute merchWhere else to find us: Sarah's other show, Why Are Dads Mike's other show, Maintenance PhaseLinks! Monica Bell's "Anti-Segregation Policing"Daanika Gordon's "The Police as Place-Consolidators: The Organizational Amplification of Urban Inequality”"Homicide Investigations in Context: Exploring Explanations for the Divergent Impacts of Victim Race, Gender, Elderly Victims, and Firearms on Homicide Clearances""Homicide Arrest Clearances: A Review of the Literature""Assessing and Responding to the Recent Homicide Rise in the United States""Can Homicide Detectives Improve Homicide Clearance Rates?""Effective Police Homicide Investigations: Evidence from Seven Cities with High Clearance Rates""Wrongful Convictions, Policing, and the 'Wars on Crime and Drugs'""Did De-Policing Cause the Increase in Homicide Rates?"The DOJ's Antelope Valley Investigation"Explaining the Recent Decline in Domestic Violence""Gender Differences in Patterns and Trends in U.S. Homicide, 1976–2015""Police Responses to Violent Crime: Reconsidering the Mobilization of Law""What Caused the Crime Decline?"Support the show (http://patreon.com/yourewrongabout)
Deep Dive Week 3: Nancy Grace v. The Jury
This week, Sarah walks Mike through Nancy Grace’s prosecution of American juries. Cameos include Mark Geragos (again), O.J. Simpson (inevitably) and Jessica Hahn (thank God). Gus Van Sant’s masterpiece "To Die For" is discussed at length. Support us:Subscribe on PatreonDonate on PaypalBuy cute merchWhere else to find us: Sarah's other show, Why Are Dads Mike's other show, Maintenance PhaseSupport the show (http://patreon.com/yourewrongabout)
Bonus Episode! Sarah and Mike on "The Feminist Present" Podcast
Sarah and Mike tell Laura and Adrian about how we met, how we research and what we would say to Jessica Simpson if we ever met her.Follow the The Feminist Present here: gender.stanford.edu/podcastSupport us:Subscribe on PatreonDonate on PaypalBuy cute merchWhere else to find us: Sarah's other show, Why Are Dads Mike's other show, Maintenance PhaseSupport the show (http://patreon.com/yourewrongabout)
Deep Dive Week 2: Nancy Grace v. The Defense
This week, Nancy Grace makes her case against defense attorneys in general and Scott Peterson’s lawyer in particular. Digressions include Batman, tough on crime mixtapes and the Iraq War. After two and a half years, Sarah finds her first Satanic cult — but maybe the real Satanic cults are the friends we made along the way. This episode summarizes the cases in Nancy Grace’s "Objection!," which include two child molestation and murder cases and a lengthy description of the autopsy report on the deaths of Laci and Connor Peterson.Support us:Subscribe on PatreonDonate on PaypalBuy cute merchWhere else to find us: Sarah's other show, Why Are Dads Mike's other show, Maintenance PhaseSupport the show (http://patreon.com/yourewrongabout)
Koko The Gorilla
“It’s interesting that we became enthusiastic about ASL in the process of teaching it to a population that couldn’t benefit from it.”Mike tells Sarah about a very special ape and the very problematic humans around her. Digressions include video dating, "Biography" and the terrible terrible inventor of the telephone. We start with a SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT about the future of the show. Both co-hosts understand the difference between chimps, monkeys and apes but occasionally misspeak.For a transcript of this episode (Thanks Andrea!), click here or copy-paste:https://rottenindenmark.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/YWA-Koko-the-Gorilla-Transcript.pdf Support us:Subscribe on PatreonDonate on PaypalBuy cute merchWhere else to find us: Sarah's other show, Why Are Dads Mike's other show, Maintenance PhaseLinks!Marcus Perlman, the researcher Mike interviewed!"Human and Animal Cognition: Continuity and Discontinuity""In Memorium: Koko, A Remarkable Gorilla""What Do Talking Apes Really Tell Us?" “Monkey Business”“Talk to the Animals,” the 1980 Omni article“Animal Bodies, Human Minds: Ape, Dolphin, and Parrot Language Skills”1979 New York Magazine article on Herb Terrace“The Last Distinction?”“The Sad Twilight of Koko The Gorilla and Her 'Mother'”“Why Koko Can’t Talk”“The Other Side of Silence: Sign Language and the Deaf Community in America”“The Education of Koko”Support the show (http://patreon.com/yourewrongabout)
Courtney Love
Special guest Candace Opper tells Mike and Sarah how a grunge star became the protagonist in one of America's most persistent conspiracy theories. Digressions include Neil Young, protest songs and the coolest baby of the 1990s. Mike continues to mine his public school education for anatomically impossible rumors. This episode contains detailed descriptions of suicide.Pre-order Candace's book, check out her website or follow her Tweets! Support us:Subscribe on PatreonDonate on PaypalBuy cute merchWhere else to find us: Sarah's other show, Why Are Dads Mike's other show, Maintenance PhaseSupport the show (http://patreon.com/yourewrongabout)
"The Prom Mom"
“The criminal justice system should treat everyone like a white teenage girl whose future it’s concerned about disrupting.” Sarah tells Mike about Melissa Drexler, the New Jersey teenager who (according to George F. Will) killed her newborn baby due to the influence of Metallica and the United States Supreme Court. Digressions include Baby Moses laws, “Citizen Ruth” and Ted Bundy’s political leanings. To the surprise of no one, we end up discussing true crime tropes in great detail.This episode contains detailed descriptions of neonaticide. Support us:Subscribe on PatreonDonate on PaypalBuy cute merchWhere else to find us: Sarah's other show, Why Are Dads Mike's other show, Maintenance PhaseSupport the show (http://patreon.com/yourewrongabout)
Deep Dive: Nancy Grace's "Objection!" (Week 1)
Sarah tells Mike how a superhero’s genesis was a supervillain’s origin story all along. In our new deep dive, we tackle Nancy Grace’s “Objection!” and debate how defendants should behave at trial, why prosecutors seem to make good daytime TV stars and whether Nancy really came to New York City with a curling iron and a dream.Support us:Subscribe on PatreonDonate on PaypalBuy cute merchWhere else to find us: Sarah's other show, Why Are Dads Mike's other show, Maintenance PhaseSupport the show (http://patreon.com/yourewrongabout)
The O.J. Simpson Trial: The Bronco Chase
On June 17, 1994, the world screeched to a halt so 95 million Americans could watch a white SUV crawl through L.A. Today, we finally talk about the infamous Bronco chase, the men inside the car and the myth they left behind. Digressions include “The Fugitive,” Larry King and Jack Nicholson twice. Like previous episodes about the events of this day, this episode discusses suicidal ideation.Support us:Subscribe on PatreonDonate on PaypalBuy cute merchWhere else to find us: Sarah's other show, Why Are Dads Mike's other show, Maintenance PhaseSupport the show (http://patreon.com/yourewrongabout)
Quarantine Deep Dive: Jessica Simpson’s “Open Book” (The Conclusion!)
“You really shouldn’t date people who go in thinking, ’This person has good bones but they’re a fixer-upper.’” This week, we complete our Jessica Simpson book club with the appearance of a new man who triggers some old anxieties. Digressions include Dolly Parton, mom jeans and a forgotten Hollywood power couple. We talk about “Garden State” longer than we intended. Mike finally gets to tell the octopus story, which he thinks about all the time. Support us:Subscribe on PatreonDonate on PaypalBuy cute merchWhere else to find us: Sarah's other show, Why Are Dads Mike's other show, Maintenance PhaseSupport the show (http://patreon.com/yourewrongabout)
Re-Release: The Stonewall Uprising
In honor of Pride Month and revolutions past, present, and future, we're re-releasing our episode on the Stonewall Uprising. Let the sunshine in. Support us:Subscribe on PatreonDonate on PaypalBuy cute merchWhere else to find us: Sarah's other show, Why Are Dads Mike's other show, Maintenance PhaseSupport the show (http://patreon.com/yourewrongabout)