
Hosted by contactusstanpod · EN
You think you could be besties with Hailey Bieber? Cute.
We explore obsessive celebrity worship, parasocial relationships and digital intimacy. Each episode centres on a cultural icon or phenomenon—ranging from The Hunger Games, erotic fiction, 2010s YouTubers and (of course) Taylor Swift—to unpack how the media we consumed, particularly during our formative years, shaped our desires, ideals, and sense of self.
Tangents Include:

🍮Thank you for being a friend 🍮 Our marvellous guest Mandy Kaplan (from Make Me a Nerd podcast) leads the conversation on The Golden Girls. We get into whether the Golden Girls was borne from genuine interest in telling the stories of older ladies, or opportunistic tokenism, whether social issues ever gain meaningful traction through fictional media and how GG set the tone for comedic writing structures yet to be successfully imitated. Tangents include How soon in the relationship it’s acceptable to propose to your S/O Why Menopause remains a taboo How social media has, counterintuitively, forced celebrities to be far more private in their interactions with fans You can find more of Mandy on her... Website: https://www.mandykaplan.com/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLO6MWAz0fVsksspysLp2hEIUbBRNZ3UXw Or watch her movie '30 Days of Sex to Save Your Marriage" on Tubi: https://tubitv.com/en-gb/movies/633202/30-nights-of-sex-to-save-your-marriage Our promo partners are: This Week in Fandom History... Website: https://www.thisweekinfandomhistory.com/ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7xGvniPbUmmrucPsLkM2VG and Rewind Rewatch... Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/12TwAG0oAhwUppSt4DpGES Youtube: https://youtube.com/@rewindrewatchpodcast?si=FD1-RKtS064ScbfJ

🧇 Friends don’t lie 🧇 Our effervescent guests Emily Jaye and V Arrow (of This Week in Fandom History) lead the conversation on Stranger Things. We get into the genius of the film references, how Stranger Things defined its own format and exemplified cross-genre writing, and whether Steve Harrington is the blueprint for the perfect redemption arc. Tangents include…. - Justice for Barb! (And other non-charismatic responsible teens!) - Racism and misplaced moralising in the fandom community - Our hypothetical reactions to encountering spicy fanfic about a character we’ve played You can find more of This Week in Fandom History on their... Website: https://www.thisweekinfandomhistory.com/ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7xGvniPbUmmrucPsLkM2VG Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thisweekinfandomhistory Our promo partners are Rewind Rewatch: https://open.spotify.com/show/12TwAG0oAhwUppSt4DpGES?si=b09fe4d7d92944c8 and Sisters Assembled: https://sistersassembled.com/

🔮 “There’s no such thing as psychics” 🔮 Our cracking guest Crystal Watanabe (aka @pikkotheeditor of the Rom Com Detectives) leads the conversation on The Mentalist. We get into the dubious value of the slow burn romance, the safety of watching chaotic characters from a distance (and the relief that they don’t exist in our real lives!) and the benefits/dangers of relying on one narrative thread to carry the story through seven seasons. Tangents include…. The work that goes into maintaining a fandom community, and how much it can bring back to you The value and fulfilment of finding media that inspires you to create something if your own The seemingly universal fascination with true crime and supervillains You can find more of Crystal on her…. Website: https://pikkoshouse.com/ Instagram & Threads: @pikkotheeditor Podcast: https://www.romcomdetectives.com/ You can find our advertising partners… Lived Through That Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNlFnYxb4B1ULbd49JxKqIC7ox0NAFAtH This week in Fandom History Website: https://www.thisweekinfandomhistory.com/

⛰️ Kid, you’ll move mountains! ⛰️ Our accomplished guest Amy leads the conversation on “Oh, the places you’ll go!” by Dr Seuss. We get into whether personal achievement and the ‘solo hero’s journey’ are responsible message to impart to our children, whether ‘the waiting place’ serves as reassurance or a cautionary tale and how overconsumption has enabled some truly insane movie IP merchandise. Tangents include… The uncomfortable moment of self-identification when consuming a satirical piece (is this f**king play about us!?!) The ‘iceberg rule’ that soothes the humiliation ritual of content creation The audacity of Amy’s ex-husband, who sent her an itemised bill for their honeymoon during their divorce You can find more of Amy on her: Personal Website: https://cultureconcierge.co/?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMjU2MjgxMDQwNTU4AAGnPvGnGmqUQzI2Mm-m9zaalZVtTRIcc6Y_DHD0Tmdz0EzAeazhBeMvLKggJPE_aem_iNu4nUPdy2dFk3wCqSTKpQ Collective Website: https://thecultureconnectors.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amydaroukakis/

Our ingenious guest Isabella leads the conversation on David Letterman. We get into the death of late-night television (and its resurrection in weird Youtube shows?), the necessary ingredients of a legendary comic and the evolution of the press junket, not necessarily for the better. Tangents include… The special quality~ that comedy agents are searching for at festivals The impossible balance between finding inner peace and producing good art The nightmare that is Hinge in Dubai/LA You can find more of Isabella Charlton on her Website: https://isabellaiscomedy.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/isabellaiscomedy/ FCC’s equal time rule explained: https://www.britannica.com/question/What-is-the-equal-time-rule

Our marvellous guest Michael (from You Wanted a Hit! podcast) leads the conversation on Beastie Boys. We get into whether artists should bear accountability for their audiences’ interpretation of their work, the power dynamics of the creative process and the enduring relationship between politics and art. Tangents include… the dissipating etiquette observed during concerts (get off your phone, girl!) the ways in which the branding of contemporary artists curtails creative evolution the central truth of life: it is cool to be kind! (the Beastie Boys said so!)

Our insightful guest Neoshia leads the conversation on the X Files. We get into the origins of the term 'shipping,' how TV got more gory and technical during its 'golden age' and how the X Files set the bar for the enduringly popular genre of crime procedurals. Tangents include... - the ability of television to start conversations about social, political and even existential realities - the haven of 'blerd' (black nerd) spaces - the danger of rom-coms teaching young women their happiness is predicated on finding love, especially if they used to treat you poorly (ew!) Neoshia is a 'consultant' on the Rom-Com Detectives podcast: https://www.romcomdetectives.com/ She previously hosted the Cafe Flamingo podcast: https://soundcloud.com/ajscafeflamingo?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMjU2MjgxMDQwNTU4AAGn8x8Bqran6FkqAHLo5PeTLtBPIF3dn8t7OCI4oawLy2-Gj74PbIe9I5pDqVY_aem_FIkasJMShEaGlox4LMF_NQ

Our joyous guest Julia Makhalova Chi (founder of Brand Backstage and writer of Next in Culture) leads the conversation on Vince Gilligan. We get into why fandoms can be such a tense space, whether art can really ever be divorced from its promotion and deepening our understanding of content through an extended metaphors of food. Tangents include… - the inherent value of brat summer (immeasurable) - the comparative value of Jake Paul as a tooth fairy (negative) - the surprising response to the happenings of Tribeca Film Festival You can find more of Julia on: Company Website: https://www.brandbackstage.com/ Substack: https://nextinculture.substack.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julia-makhalova/

The boy who LIVED. Our legendary guest Lacey leads the conversation on Harry Potter. We get into the power of cultural diplomacy, the key ingredients of a ‘generationally defining’ text (particularly in a micro-event driven media landscape), and the ways in which we allay anxieties surrounding longevity and mortality. Tangents include: the involuntary bodily reaction to being starstruck the unexpected parallel between Harry Potter and Carnival in Brazil the injustice of short king slander (not on our watch!) You can find more of Lacey on her own podcast: What’s Next? with Lacey https://pod.link/1715368900?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMjU2MjgxMDQwNTU4AAGnXXXpn9p3CI_zCRDynZzWxi7LJY2uzWZje9NeO8sE8KcB7h-8Q8WNfwJ5M-E_aem_51jO7xEcEd3pqy5LIlLKZg

Our exceptional guests Ilissa and Michelle (of @totalbettypodcastnetwork) lead the conversation on Pretty Little Liars. We get into the evolving relationship between fandoms and writers rooms, the weird romanticisation of age-gap relationships and why the teen drama genre is so comforting and intoxicating. Tangents include... the acceptable contexts to approach a woman in public the thin line separating healthy from unhealthy fangirl relationships the everlasting question: which teen drama rules them all!?! You can find more of Total Betty Podcast Network through their: Shows: https://totalbettypodcastnetwork.transistor.fm/shows Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/totalbettypodcastnetwork YouTube channel: youtube.com/@totalbettypodcastnetwork?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMjU2MjgxMDQwNTU4AAGnrhyc5j1_xJS9jRGPDMau2ZES76Vp5oKozMxiAiNV3XGiDfPwSnf-M8XxDtU_aem_5RM_vEqsQXaT9hteD4D_KQ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/totalbettypodcastnetwork/?hl=en