Examining Obsessions with David Greene

Summary

Podcast Summary: All Of It – Examining Obsessions with David Greene
Date: December 10, 2025
Host: Alison Stewart (WNYC)
Guest: David Greene (host of the podcast David Greene Is Obsessed)

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Alison Stewart welcomes longtime NPR host and new podcast creator David Greene to explore the theme of obsession—why we fixate on certain topics, collections, or passions, and what these intense interests reveal about us. Drawing from his new show, David Greene Is Obsessed, Greene discusses stories from his guests, his own fixations, and takes listener calls, revealing the expansive, sometimes surprising world of personal obsessions.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. What Is an Obsession? (01:39–04:25)

• Origin & Motivation:

  • David Greene explores his own obsessions, acknowledging a core one as die-hard loyalty to Pittsburgh sports.

    "There's no place I would rather on a Sunday at 1pm than in a Steelers bar with my people watching the Steelers game, screaming my face off and slamming beer bottles occasionally when the Steelers defense, like, is totally terrible." (02:13, David Greene)

  • Obsession can be deeply linked to identity, nostalgia, and formative relationships (notably with his late mother).

• Defining Obsession:

  • Greene references Merriam-Webster’s definition but believes obsession is highly personal.

    "It can be a passion and an obsession. It can be an uber passion that becomes an obsession. It's really to me just like a window inviting people to explore themselves and things that, that they get into and can't let go of." (03:16, David Greene)

  • Recognizes both the dark and joyful sides of obsession, including its role in self-exploration and vulnerability.

2. The Allure—and Risks—of Being “Haunted” by a Passion (04:25–05:40)

• Obsessions can verge on the addictive or problematic, especially when they tap into deeper psychological patterns.

  "...the whole obsession question, since I've been doing this show, has entered conversations with my therapist ... my own kind of... obsession or addiction to pleasing people, which can really be problematic in relationships..." (04:37, David Greene)

• Nonetheless, even lighthearted obsessions (like Bozo the Clown) often lead to heavier, more self-revealing conversations.

3. Listener Obsessions: Shared and Supported (05:40–07:25, 10:38–23:30)

Listener call-ins reveal the variety and universality of obsessions, providing mini case studies:

- Lisa, F1 Racing (05:49)

• Picked up during COVID, leading her to attend races, subscribe to magazines, and immerse in the F1 community.
• Greene reflects on pandemic-fueled obsessions, admitting to developing a lasting red wine fascination.

- Jim, Gavels (11:03)

• Semi-retired attorney who has spent 30 years studying and collecting historical gavels across the U.S., including the earliest-used gavel in American history.

- Shreya, Romance Novels (15:40)

• Developed her collection during the pandemic; now owns over 200 romance books.

- Carol, Raising Service Dogs (16:52)

• Has raised 17 service dogs for Canine Companions.

  "These people have now become my friends, and they are so grateful for their dogs. It's. It's awesome." (17:42, Carol)

- Kashish, Spirits Auctions & Entrepreneurship (18:10)

• Passion started with online whiskey/rum auctions and led to founding the Nepali Spirit Company. Now pursues vintage spirits and draws his wife into the obsession.
• Example bottle: 1903 Mount Vernon Rye from the J.P. Morgan cellar.

4. Why Do Painful Obsessions Persist? (07:25–10:38)

• Even persistent disappointment (e.g., Cleveland Browns fandom) can be meaningful because obsessions are often entwined with family and identity.

  "Sports were always an easy connection to the male figures in our lives." (09:18, Michael Symon, via podcast clip)

• Greene relates this to his own sports fandom and the powerful familial bonds built around shared obsessions.

• Karaoke as an analogy for shared vulnerability and instant connection in social settings.

  "Karaoke has just opened doors that nothing else can." (09:24, David Greene)

5. The Social and Identity-Building Power of Obsession (13:31–16:28)

• Greene describes interviewing a man with the world's second-largest Barbie collection—thousands of Barbies—highlighting deeper issues of masculinity, family expectation, and public identity.

  "We get into talking about marketing, we get into talking about masculinity. Kind of some hard moments that his family went through when people judged them for having a son who was obsessed with Barbie dolls. Like, it gets real." (13:55, David Greene)

• Greene finds interviewing guests about their private obsessions brings out a fuller, more unexpected picture of their personalities—beyond their public roles.

6. Obsession as a Force for Excellence (20:40–22:22)

• A clip from documentary filmmaker Marshall Curry describes the staff at The New Yorker as “completely obsessed” with every detail, tying obsession to quality and craft.

  "To me, that's what was so fun about making this film, was just watching this group of completely obsessed people put this magazine together every week." (21:13, Marshall Curry)

• Greene: “You kind of feel like you're in it with them...” (22:16, David Greene)

7. Shifting from Audio to Video Podcasting (22:24–23:30)

• Greene discusses the challenges and surprises of moving from audio-only (NPR) to video (YouTube), noting the heightened intimacy and vulnerability of face-to-face conversation.

  "There's a lot in facial expressions, a lot of emotions that come through. So it's been fun. It's a whole new thing." (22:41, David Greene)

8. Preview of Future Episodes (23:44)

• Episodes on political obsession—how passion for politics resembles addiction to high-stakes environments.

9. The Essence of Obsession (23:30)

• A listener texts a quote attributed to John Waters:

  "Life is nothing if you're not obsessed. And I agree. It's the mark of a passionate person." (23:30, Listener Text, read by Alison Stewart)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “There's no place I would rather on a Sunday at 1pm than in a Steelers bar with my people watching the Steelers game, screaming my face off…” (02:13, David Greene)
• “An obsession is when you're preoccupied with or haunted by some idea, some interest, etc, and like—the etcetera is really important…” (03:16, David Greene)
• “Karaoke has just opened doors that nothing else can.” (09:24, David Greene)
• “He's number two [in Barbie collecting]. And he said he's cool with it.” (14:09, David Greene)
• "To me, that's what was so fun about making this film, was just watching this group of completely obsessed people put this magazine together every week." (21:13, Marshall Curry)
• "Life is nothing if you're not obsessed. And I agree. It's the mark of a passionate person." (23:30, Listener Text)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:39 – Greene explains his motivation for exploring obsession
• 03:16 – Defining obsession (Merriam-Webster & Greene’s perspective)
• 04:37 – Obsession as potentially problematic (addictive patterns)
• 05:49 – Listener Lisa: F1 racing obsession
• 07:25 – Why do people persist in painful obsessions? (Sports fandom)
• 08:23 – Clip: Michael Symon on Browns fandom and family connection
• 11:03 – Listener Jim: 30-year gavel study & collecting
• 13:31 – Barbie super-collector story
• 15:40 – Listener Shreya: romance novels
• 16:52 – Listener Carol: training service dogs
• 18:10 – Listener Kashish: spirits auctions and starting a business
• 20:40 – David Arquette and Bozo the Clown
• 21:13 – Marshall Curry (The New Yorker) on obsession and excellence
• 22:41 – Greene on video podcasting
• 23:44 – Preview of podcast episodes on political obsession

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Conclusion

This episode of All Of It deftly examines the quirks, depth, and shared humanity found in obsession, whether the subject is trivial, creative, joyful, or deeply personal. Greene and Stewart, along with diverse callers, illustrate how obsession not only shapes individual identity but also builds unexpected bridges between people, revealing vulnerability, passion, and purpose.

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Transcript

[A]

Foreign.

[B]

You're listening to all of it on wnyc. I'm Alison Stewart. Let's talk about obsessions. Here are some of the things that members of Team All of it are obsessed with. Birding, thrifting, old ties, cryptic crosswords, the history of Tudor England, and afternoon tea. Longtime NPR host David Green has some fixations of his own, and he was interested in learning about what other people are obsessive about. So he started a podcast called David Green Is Obsessed. David interviews interesting people about their private fascinations, like David Arquette, who became so obsessed with Bozo the Clown that he actually bought the ip. Or like a man in Singapore who owns thousands of Barbie dolls. David Green Is Obsessed is available to listen to now wherever you get your podcast or to stream on YouTube. And David Green joins me. Hi, David.

[C]

Allison, it's been an age. How are you?

[B]

I'm doing well. Listeners, we want to hear from you. What is something that you are obsessed with right now? Maybe you collect something or you're a fanatical fan or maybe just really love learning about a certain topic. We want to know what you're obsessed with right now. Our phone lines are.

9692 212433, WNYC. David, how did you get interested in obsessions?

[C]

I mean, I just have so many of them, I had to somehow make sense of them. I think it actually, it started with a conversation probably a couple years ago with a friend of mine who was suggesting that I should do a book about sports in Pittsburgh because I am a die hard Pittsburgh sports fan. And I was like, I mean, what? Where's the book going to go? And he was like, you could explore your identity because clearly, you know, you were in public radio for a long time. You consider yourself an intellectual. You're not like, you know, the normal sports fan. So this obsession has to be about you trying to prove yourself and be like the guy who wants to drink beer at a Steelers bar on Sundays. And I was furious at him. Like, I was like, no, no, this is what I'm doing because I love it. There's no overthinking identity. Like, there's no place I would rather on a Sunday at 1pm Then in a Steelers bar with my people watching the Steelers game, screaming my face off and slamming beer bottles occasionally when the Steelers defense like, is totally terrible. And so I real but, but like he, he noticed he and I both sort of looked at each other and it was kind of like, oh my God, there's a lot to unpack here. Like, David is getting so defensive about this. What is going on? And so I just realized like, there's so much behind my obsession with, with sports and the Steelers. It's like my, it's nostalgia. It's my relationship to my late mother because she was my favorite Steelers fan to watch games with. And I just realized like, what's everyone's obsession or obsessions and what does it say about them? And what do our obsessions say about ourselves?

[B]

So what is the difference between a.

[A]

Passion or an interest versus an obsession?

[C]

Oh my God. You were asking like the 10 million dollar question that I've been trying to figure out. This is such a crazy space to come up with one definition. Like, I started with Merriam Webster and they said, you know, an obsession is when you're preoccupied with or haunted by some idea, some, some interest, etc, and like the et cetera is really important because there are more things in the world than just ideas and interests. And sometimes you're haunted and sometimes you're preoccupied. So I really think it's sort of what you make of the word yourself. It can be a passion and an obsession. It can be an uber passion that becomes an obsession. It's really to me just like a window inviting people to explore themselves and things that, that they get into and can't let go of. It can be dangerous, it can be joyous, it can be addictive and become a problem. But I'm just, I mean, you as someone who loves interviewing as much as I do, it's like a way to open a conversation and that, that gets someone very quickly to hopefully be vulnerable and talk about something that they're really connected to.

[A]

It's interesting, the word haunted by got me in that answer.

[C]

Yeah, there's something about that.

[A]

There is something about the idea that. That a subject just haunts you no matter where you are.

[C]

Yeah. And that, and that can be dark. Like I, you know, I've actually, I'm not going to lie, like I've. I've the, the whole obsession question, since I've been doing this show, has entered conversations with my therapist when I've been going back and exploring, you know, my own kind of. I don't know if you call it obsession or addiction to pleasing people, which can really be problematic in relationships, which, you know, my wife and friends and my late mom would, would, could talk your ear off about. But, you know, that's one that I think is haunting to me in some ways, that there's definitely a darker element of this, but it also There, you know, more fun elements, too, like Bozo the Clown and David Arquette. So that's what I love. Like, you never know where a conversation is going to go. We're asking serious questions about our humanity. But it can also be something really fun. And I think the consistent thing is there's always something unexpected. You know, if you go into an obsession that. That you think is just kind of on the surface or weird or wild, you're going to learn something about yourself.

[A]

David, let's take a couple of calls. Let's talk to Lisa, who's calling from New York City. Hi, Lisa. Thanks for taking the time to call, all of it.

[D]

Hi. Thank you. Thank you for this segment.

[A]

Tell us what your current obsession is, Lisa.

[C]

What's your obsession?

[D]

Okay, so my current obsession is F1, the car racing.

[C]

Nice.

[E]

Yes.

[D]

I got into it during COVID I'm actually going to my first race in Austin next year, and I listen to podcasts. I have a magazine subscription. I ride on board with different drivers. It's just I'm very obsessed with it.

[A]

That's wild. Lisa, thank you for joining us. You know what's interesting, David? Do you think Covid had something to do with people diving into their obsessions?

[C]

I think so. I. I'm gonna admit this red wine during COVID became an obsession that has lasted. Like, I used to not be a huge red wine drinker, but there was something about a bottle of red wine with my wife or friends in those dark late nights when we were isolating, and that has stayed with me since. I love Lisa's F1. I've gone through a kind of similar thing with wrestling recently.

I was never really into it, but have had a couple conversations with different people who are obsessed with wrestling, including Billy Corgan from Smashing Pumpkins for this show. That is going to be one of our episodes. He's really into wrestling, and I'm kind of intrigued by it now. I always thought it was like this sort of fake entertainment thing. Not really athletic, not really a sport. But I'm kind of. It's kind of growing on me.

[B]

Yeah. There's an episode where you talk about football with celebrity chef Michael Simon, who's obsessed with the Cleveland Browns, who have never gone to the Super Bowl. And honestly, his fandom seems to cause him a little bit of pain. Why do you think people remain upset? Obsessed with something, you know, it isn't necessarily fun.

[C]

No. And going through it like I'm a Pittsburgh Pirates fan, which, you know, we.

[B]

Talk about thing would be right now.

[C]

Yeah. It's not the greatest thing. I mean, the Pirates, the Pirates, the Browns are worse. Yeah, it's. And so I can understand that because I will. They are a perennially last place team and I will still lay in bed at night with, you know, my, my MLB app, watching my Pirates, and it's like, why, why am I torturing myself?

[B]

Let's listen to a little bit of your interview with Michael, talking about how his obsession with the Cleveland Browns, it actually helped him bond with his dad. This is from the podcast David Green is obsessed.

[F]

My dad was not warm and fuzzy. My mom was warm and fuzzy. But like, with sports, there was always a very warm connection.

You know, even though, like, if you were to hug my dad or give him a kiss, you could feel the tension in him. Like, he just wasn't a warm and fuzzy guy. You know, he was loving, but he just wasn't warm and fuzzy.

And my grandfather was kind of, you know, my grandfather was a pipe fitter. He was tough. You know, like you grew up in Johnstown, you know, like a tough blue collar town. He was a tough guy in a tough blue collar town. But he had a softness to him with me. And it, but it was.

Yeah, I, I don't know. I don't know if that was built through sports or that connection through sports or. It was always an easy. Sports were always an easy connection to the male figures in our lives.

[B]

You know, how do you think obsessions can connect us with other people?

[C]

I mean, I just, it's just like Michael described Alison. I loved that conversation because, you know, it was a space where he could feel tenderness in a relationship where it was just hard to find. And sports opened the door to that because it was just this shared love. And I think that happens a lot. You know, one of my big obsessions is karaoke and karaoke bars. And I think if you're uncomfortable being around strangers and talking to people you don't know and have some social anxiety, like, like I do. You know, suddenly you're just singing in this space and everyone is, is vulnerable. Like, you know, even though there's some really good singers and then some like me who aren't good singers, you're just doing the same thing and celebrating one another for vulnerability. Suddenly you see people just start talking to one another and approaching strangers after they leave the stage. It's like karaoke has, has just opened doors that nothing else can. I think sports did it for, for Michael. And I think, you know, you just think about when, when you establish something that you Share. It's an instant sort of place to go in a conversation or in a relationship.

[A]

My guest is David Green talking about his new podcast, David Green is Obsessed, where David interviews interesting people about their obsessions. We're taking your calls. What are you currently obsessed with? Our number is 2124-3396-9221-2433. WNYC. Let's talk to Jim in Pearl River. Hi Jim, thanks for calling all of it.

[E]

Hi, good afternoon, I'm Jim Riley. I'm an attorney who semi retired. For the last 30 years I've been studying gavels. Gavels used by judges, gavels used by heads of town boards, city councils, boards of education. And so I started back in the late 80s writing every major museum in the United States. Smithsonian, LBJ Museum, State of Texas Museum, George Bush, George W. Bush replied to me as governor of Texas to my letter. Do you have any gavels in the state of Texas Museum? And about. So I have Harry Truman gavel. I do a little collecting, not much, but when Harry Truman redid the White House, he took the wood and distributed it as gavels. The Truman gavels in a couple beautiful forms. They have great shapes. I've been studying them. It's almost an obsession. And about 15 years ago I saw an auction. I didn't buy a lot, but on ebay it's a good way to study. And there was an auction in Poughkeepsie, Livingston family gavel. I bought it for 400 after calling a bunch of museums saying you should buy this gavel. And my study indicates that it's the earliest used gavel in the United States. Used by Wood Livingston.

[A]

That's.

[C]

Jim, that's crazy. You have the oldest gavel used in.

[A]

The US that's an amazing story.

[C]

Wow, I love that.

[A]

It's also interesting, the Internet really helps us with our obsessions, doesn't it?

[C]

Yeah, totally does, Jim. That's an obsession I love. I can't wait to see some pick. I'm gonna think about gavel now in ways I never have and wonder like why people choose certain styles of gavels.

[A]

This is really amazing listeners, we want to join you. To join the conversation, what are your you currently obsessed with? We'll have more with David Green. His new podcast is David Green is Obsessed. We'll have more after a quick break. This is all of It.

[B]

You're listening to all of it on wnyc. I'm Alison Stewart. My guest is David Green. We're talking about his new podcast, David Green is Obsessed. Where David interviews interesting people about their obsessions. David, you spoke to a man who has the second largest collection of Barbies on earth. How many Barbies does he have?

[C]

Oh, my God, I can't remember the number. I mean, we're talking about, like, more than you could ever imagine. Thousands and thousands of Barbie dolls. Many of them were behind him when we were on screen. And it is such a surprising conversation. That is a wild obsession. But we get into. We get into talking about marketing, we get into talking about masculinity. Kind of some hard moments that his.

Family went through when people judged them for having a son who was obsessed with Barbie dolls. Like, it gets. It gets real. But, yeah, that was just one of those conversations that starts somewhere like, I obsess with Barbie dolls. The thing I wanted to ask him was if he's mad about the person who has the most Barbie doll collections in the entire world. He's number two. And he said he's cool with it.

[B]

But, you know, it's part of his personality is owning all these bard bees. What was interesting you about someone whose public identity is about their obsession?

[C]

I mean, that's one of the really fascinating things because, like, Michael Simon, celebrity chef, we're not talking about food and his great restaurants. We're talking about sports. David Arquette, we're not talking about acting. We're talking about Bozo the Clown, Billy Corgan from Smashing Pumpkins, we're not talking about his music, we're talking about wrestling. But it really. I think you end up learning about the whole person and sometimes the conversation loops back to the thing they are really known for. You just understand them at a deeper level. And I think that's one of the things I've loved about this. So often we bring on someone who's known and we talk about their latest book or their latest movie or their latest album. This takes the conversation somewhere different immediately and we get right to kind of the unexpected.

Window into someone's soul and then come back to maybe the thing that they're known for. And we understand that better. And it's just a kind of a different kind of trajectory and path of interviews that makes it feel different, I hope. And it's been a lot of fun to do.

[A]

Let's take a couple calls. Let's talk to Shreya from Princeton, New Jersey. Hi, Shreya. Thank you so much for calling all of it. What are you obsessed with?

[G]

Yeah, hi, my. Well, not so latest, but definitely an interest that picked up during the pandemic. My obsession is romance. Novels.

[C]

Well, love it.

[A]

What do you like about them?

[C]

Yeah, yeah.

[G]

I mean, they're fun, they're romantic. And I feel like it's so topical right now because the popularity of Heated Rivalry, which is a TV show about two queer hockey players and their. The love that grows between them over the years, and it's currently airing right now, so. And it's definitely picked up. And so I feel like it's just something that's so fun and topical right now.

[A]

How many do you. How many people? How many. How much do you have in your collection? How many people? How many books?

[G]

Well, in the last two years, since I've started working and earning a steady paycheck, over 200.

[A]

Nice. Well, Shreya, that's a good number.

[C]

I feel like romance novels are such an escape. Like, they're just such a escape to dive into, sort of an intimate story or. I don't know. There's something beautiful about it. Like, I can just sit on a beach and really just go to a different place in a romance novel.

[A]

Let's talk to Carol from Inglewood, New Jersey. Hi, Carol. Thank you for making the time to call. All of it. We want to hear about what you're obsessed with.

[D]

My obsession is raising dogs to be service dogs for people who are disabled. I work with Canine Companions, which is the largest service dog organization in the country. And my obsession has turned into the fact that I am raising my 17th dog now.

[C]

Oh, that's Carol. That's amazing. I have a friend who does that, and it's kind of her obsession, too. And I. I'm so curious because, like, you don't get to keep these dogs forever. Right. You get really deep into these relationships, and then you sort of move on and. And they become service dogs for someone else. How. How do you manage kind of the. The becoming obsessed with a certain. With one dog who you've gotten so close to.

[A]

Oh, could you put her up? Could you put up?

[D]

In the beginning, I thought that was gonna be a major problem, but once I met the people who got the dog, I was absolutely fine with it. These people have now become my friends, and they are so grateful for their dogs. It's. It's awesome. Awesome.

[C]

Sounds like a cool community.

[A]

Yeah. Thank you for calling in. Let's talk to Kashish from Nevada City, California. Hi, Kashish.

[H]

Hi. Thank you for having me on air.

[A]

Of course.

[H]

So my obsession, which I think I share with a lot of people these days, is attending spirits auctions. I started in 2018 when I was living in The Bay Area and started with attending two online auctions. Then quickly, by the end of 2019, I was attending five online auctions for whiskeys and rum. And currently I attend about seven online auctions and go through almost 30 to 50,000 bottles every month. Reviewing bottles.

[A]

So are you drinking these bottles?

[E]

No.

[H]

So, you know, for me, the fascinating part about spirits is how they're produced and with whiskeys, how they're aged. And so it actually inspired me to launch my own company. And so this month, we're launching our own company of Nepali rice spirits here in America. And so it's a interesting journey, but thank you so much. It's called the Nepali Spirit Company and it's rice whiskeys. And that became an obsession because rice whiskeys were made in Kashpandu, Nepal, about a thousand years ago, and it's been pretty much unchanged in the way it's been made since. So, you know, I tried to take it in new directions with our company, but. But now my wife also joins me in these auctions and we try and buy very vintage spirits. Like we have a 1903 Mount Vernon Rye that apparently originated from the seller of J.P. morgan.

[B]

Wow.

[H]

And you know, we have grand Champagne from the 1800s, and we recently managed to get a couple of actual prohibition era, 1920s smuggled Canadian whiskeys.

[B]

That sounds awesome. Well, good luck with your. With your business, David. You interviewed David Arquette. You mentioned it. He became so obsessed with Bozo the Clown that he bought the ip, the intellectual property for it. He now owns Bozo the Clown.

[C]

He owns Bozo. It's crazy. And you start getting into understanding the quirks of David's personality that took him to owning Bozo the Clown. It gets more serious than you think. Yeah, he was a really fun one to talk to. And he loves being bozo and loves the relationship between clowns and kids. Really cool conversation.

[B]

You know, earlier this week, I spoke with director Marshall Curry, who directed a new documentary about the New Yorker magazine. And at one point in the conversation, he brought up obsessions, and I want to play it for you and we can talk about it on the other side. Let's listen.

[I]

Yeah, I remember when I first got there, at one point, I wrote down a word and stuck it on my computer so that it would be my kind of North Star. That word was obsession. That the people who work at the New Yorker are obsessed. They're fact checkers. They have 27 fact checkers on staff who are obsessed with fact checking, they're obsessed with writing, they have multi hour Sessions where they go paragraph by paragraph to make sure that every word is as precise and perfect. They're obsessed with grammar. They're obsessed with deep reporting, with the way that the graphics on the covers come together. And to me, that's what was so fun about making this film, was just watching this group of completely obsessed people put this magazine together every week.

[B]

What did you think about what Marshall said there about people who work at the New Yorker being completely obsessed?

[C]

It's so interesting. Like, it makes me love the magazine even more, like, knowing the amount of effort and work and passion that goes into it. And I love people who love their craft. Right. I mean, isn't that aspirational for all of us to deeply, deeply love and be obsessed with the thing that we get to do? I mean, interviews? It really is for me. I love the art of the conversation. I love navigating conversations and making people feel safe and drawing them out. And so that totally resonates with me. But, God, it makes me want to sort of dive in to the magazine even more and watch that film, because.

Just people loving what they do and loving a craft, it's infectious. You kind of feel like you're in it with them, I think.

[B]

Well, you've talked about that, your love.

[A]

Of interviewing, and you've worked in many years in audio at npr, but I noticed that this new podcast is filmed.

[B]

For YouTube, like so many podcasts are now.

[C]

Yeah, that's.

[A]

What have you thought about making the Switch?

[C]

It's a new thing.

[A]

What do you think about the making of Switch to Video?

[C]

You know, it's really hard. You know, I. I, you know, thought about Terry Gross at Fresh Air, and a lot of what she said over time about when, you know, you're sort of not on camera, you're able to really immerse in the conversation even more.

[I]

And.

[C]

And I agree with that.

But there is something fun about looking into someone's eyes as you're doing a conversation like this. And I think, especially when it comes to something like obsession, you know, someone talking about something that they can't let go of, there's a lot in facial expressions, a lot of emotions that come through. So it's been fun. It's a whole new thing. I mean, I was told very quickly that I had to, like, you know, get the shine and grease off my face and put some powder on and things that I never thought about doing Morning Edition for years in the middle of the night. So that's been kind of new. But. But it's been fun.

[A]

This Text says John Water said life is nothing if you're not obsessed. And I agree. It's the mark of a passionate person. Can you give us any preview of what's coming up on the show?

[C]

We have a politics episode. It's actually I have two friends, Moa Lathey and Sarah Isger, who are longtime friends, longtime political operatives, and we're talking about kind of obsession with politics and what that means in their lives.

[A]

And what does that mean?

[C]

I mean, it's a feeling of sort of mission and the stakes. You know, Sarah talked about that when a campaign is over, I mean, she really gets kind of depressed and deflated. And I compared it to wanting to go to, you know, cover conflict zones. It's just being in a place where the stakes are high and your passion is really validated. You're doing something big. I think that's what a lot of people in politics feel and can't let go of.

[A]

The name of the podcast is David Green is Obsessed. You can get it wherever you get your podcasts. David, thank you so much for joining us and for taking listener calls.

[C]

Thank you, Alison. Great to talk to you.

And Doug, here we have the Limu Emu in its natural habitat, helping people customize their car insurance and save hundreds with Liberty Mutual. Fascinating. It's accompanied by his natural ally, Doug. Uh, Limu is that guy with the binoculars watching us.

[E]

Cut the camera.

[C]

They see us. Only pay for what you [e-mail] Liberty Liberty Liberty Liberty Savings Ferry Unwritten by Liberty Mutual Insurance Company and affiliates excludes Massachusetts.

[F]

The McDonald's snack wrap is back.

[C]

You brought it back. Ranch snack wrap.

[F]

Spicy snack wrap.

[C]

You broke the Internet for a snack?

[F]

Snack wrap is back.

[C]

Ba da ba ba ba.