Defector’s own Ray Ratto joins Drew & Roth once again! First up, the NYC mayoral race, and whether New York mayors are a special breed all their own, or if all mayors all across the country are just Like That. Will Zohran Mamdani, fresh off a trouncing of Andrew Cuomo in this week’s primary, be any different? Then, speaking of huge paradigm shifts, they talk the NBA Championship. The OKC Thunder are the 7th champion in 7 years - no one’s doing dynasties anymore, what gives? And then, with on...
Jun 26, 2025•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 245
Drew is off doing important things, so Roth is joined by co-host Kelsey McKinney and guest Megan Greenwell, author of Bad Company: Private Equity and the Death of the American Dream to talk about how old men with too much money destroy companies and people’s lives through private equity. Then, they dive into the Funbag, answering real questions from real listeners, like you! Do you want to hear your question answered on the pod? Well, give us a call at 909-726-3720. That is 909-PANERA-0! Stuff W...
Jun 19, 2025•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 244
The Ringer staff writer Alan Siegel drops by to talk about his new book, Stupid TV, Be More Funny: How the Golden Era of The Simpsons Changed Television-and America-Forever . He reveals perhaps too much information about Operation Dizzy Fox, Los Angeles’ lost utopian monorail future, and exactly how gross the Simpsons Writers’ Room (like, the physical room) actually was. And then of course, they dive into the Funbag, answering real questions from real listeners. Do you want to hear your question...
Jun 12, 2025•59 min•Ep. 243
New York Magazine contributing editor, Washington Post columnist, and Deadspin founder Will Leitch joins Drew and Roth to talk about the creative writing process, the NBA finals, the Stanley Cup finals, and the Cardinals dropping the ball with their fans once again. His new novel, Lloyd McNeil’s Last Ride , is out now! Do you want to hear your question answered on the pod? Well, give us a call at 909-726-3720. That is 909-PANERA-0! Stuff We Talked About How do Drew and Will get so much writing d...
Jun 05, 2025•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 242
It’s just Drew and Roth this week, and guess what? They’re gonna talk NBA playoffs, because Drew actually knows what he’s talking about this year! For real! He has thoughts on these teams! Then, they open up the funbag to answer real questions from real listeners like you! Do you want to hear your question answered on the pod? Well, give us a call at 909-726-3720. That is 909-PANERA-0! Stuff We Talked About Knicks/Pacers High scores and even higher physicality Shooting too many bad threes Foul b...
May 29, 2025•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 241
Jason Steinhauer, public historian and author of History, Disrupted: How Social Media and the World Wide Web Have Changed the Past , lays out for Drew & Roth whether the current system is actually Fascism or merely sparkling Authoritarianism, and if historical precedent can even predict our modern times at all. And then after that, somehow, they also turn their attention to the NBA finals! You might be surprised at how many guys Jason can remember… or, well, he’s a historian, so maybe not. D...
May 22, 2025•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 240
Defector’s Culture Editor Brandy Jensen doesn’t follow any sports, so she joins Drew and Roth to talk about other topics! Should Drew continue watching Reacher if episode one didn’t hook him? Can Brandy save the state of modern design in America? Would any of them accept a $400 million 747 from Qatar, no questions asked? Then, they open up the Funbag to answer questions from you! Do you want to hear your question answered on the pod? Well, give us a call at 909-726-3720. That is 909-PANERA-0! Sp...
May 15, 2025•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 239
CEO of The Onion Ben Collins joins Roth to talk about running The Onion. How does a private citizen actually buy a long-standing-and-at-the-time-languishing satirical newspaper? Do you just sit there and clap your hands as they make jokes? How do you stand back up beloved bits and programs in the media landscape of 2025? And Ben shares two important pieces of information: how he got flown out to Dallas and interviewed Eduardo Nájera as a pre-teen and how to eat a chop suey sandwich. Do you want ...
May 08, 2025•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 238
Defector’s own and basketball podcaster Patrick Redford joins Drew and Roth to talk about the NBA playoffs! What teams are zagging with Hyperball? How capital-G Good are the Cavs and the Thunder? Should Steve Ballmer just come out as a ball-knower? And in the back half of the show, Patrick has to respond to breaking Sacramento Kings news and they dive into the Funbag, answering real questions from real listeners. Do you want to hear your question answered on the pod? Well, give us a call at 909-...
May 01, 2025•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 237
National football reporter and writer of the Too Deep Zone substack Mike Tanier joins Drew and Roth to get excited about the NFL Draft. How do teams come up with a coherent draft board… or do they? Is everyone watching the same Shedeur Sanders tape? And how many Twitch streams do they need to grind tape on? And as always, they dive into the Funbag, answering real questions from real listeners. Do you want to hear your question answered on the pod? Well, give us a call at 909-726-3720. That is 90...
Apr 24, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 236
Here’s what Drew wrote for the agenda for this episode: - I bitch about spring break - Roth and I shoot the shit That’s what will happen. And as always, they dive into the Funbag, answering real questions from real listeners. Do you want to hear your question answered on the pod? Well, give us a call at 909-726-3720. That is 909-PANERA-0! Sponsors - Factor , where you can use promo code distraction50off at https://factormeals.com/distraction50off to get 50% off plus FREE shipping on your first b...
Apr 17, 2025•51 min•Ep. 235
Director of politics, security, and science at Wired Tim Marchman joins Drew and Roth to explain what the hell is going on with DOGE. What exactly are they doing? How has Wired been able to investigate what’s been going? And what can Americans do to fight back? In the back half of the show, Marchman gets a chance to talk about the White Sox and they dive into the Funbag, answering real questions from real listeners. Do you want to hear your question answered on the pod? Well, give us a call at 9...
Apr 10, 2025•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 234
Defector’s own Maitreyi Anantharaman joins Drew and Roth to talk hoops and baseball! Who should we be rooting for in the women’s final four tournament? What’s going on with Paige Bueckers and does it have anything to do with Nico Harrison? Do we like the MBB Duke team now? And is the torpedo bat cheating or do we want the Yankees not to succeed? And as always, they dive into the Funbag, answering real questions from real listeners. Do you want to hear your question answered on the pod? Well, giv...
Apr 03, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 233
Musician Bob Mould joins Drew and Roth to talk about his newest album, Here We Go Crazy, as well as life in general! They discuss how his recent marriage has changed his songwriting, what sort of magic goes into that whole arcane process, and what keeps bringing a world-touring musician back to America, even in 2025. Do you want to hear your question answered on the pod? Well, give us a call at 909-726-3720. That is 909-PANERA-0! Sponsors - Raycon , where you can get up to 20% off their best-sel...
Mar 27, 2025•55 min•Ep. 232
College basketball metrics analyst Ken Pomeroy joins Drew and Roth for his annual preview of this year’s March Madness tournament! They answer your burning college basketball questions: How does Ken feel about being quoted by the governor of West Virginia? Does the fact that some players are wandering ronin affect the quality of play? What’s going on with Gonzaga’s high KenPom ranking and low NCAA seed? Is High Point University a real school? And the eternal question, WHO YA GOT? And as always, ...
Mar 20, 2025•1 hr•Ep. 231
Defector’s own Jasper Wang joins Drew and Roth to share the true crime story that happened to him. Can you solve the mystery of the burst pipes in Montana? Speaking of, these NFL teams are busted, as revealed by their free agency performance! In the second half of the episode, they explore the possibilities of the MLB forcing Tamba Bay Rays owner Stuart Sternberg to sell. And they listen to some voicemail Funbag questions, answering real questions from real voicemails. Do you want to hear your q...
Mar 13, 2025•1 hr•Ep. 230
Editor of the Bad Faith Times Denny Carter joins Drew and Roth to talk about everything that’s happening. They know what happened the last time Denny was on. That’s what they’re talking about. But don’t worry, they’re pivoting about something much more sunny in the second half of the podcasts: the Dallas Mavericks! Is this team cursed, rigged, or just plain bad? And are there other sports teams that have painted themselves into a corner like this? And as always, they dive into the Funbag, answer...
Mar 06, 2025•1 hr•Ep. 229
Nathan Grayson, co-founder of Aftermath and author of the new book Stream Big: The Triumphs and Turmoils of Twitch and the Stars Behind the Screen , talks to Drew and Roth about game streaming. Is Twitch a healthy company? Do the streamers like being on it? And how does this all feel in contrast to creating their worker-owned-journalism outfit? And as always, they dive into the Funbag, answering real questions from real listeners. Do you want to hear your question answered on the pod? Well, give...
Feb 27, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 228
NBC News’ Rohan Nadkarni joins Drew and Roth to tell us what’s going on in the NBA after the All Star break. Who are three most interesting teams to watch in the East and the West? And in the second half of the show, they give you the sandwich talk that you’re craving, kicked off by a homemade vegan Double Down in Drew’s own home. And as always, they dive into the Funbag, answering real questions from real listeners. Do you want to hear your question answered on the pod? Well, give us a call at ...
Feb 20, 2025•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 227
Drew and Roth break down The Big Game, including why Tom Brady’s commentary is so very bad and the Eagles defense is so very good. The back half of the pod is NBA corner as the guys discuss Miriam Adelson, the Mavericks’ beefy private sheriffs, and Dončić trade conspiracies. Plus, two voicemails for the Funbag, answering real questions from real listeners. Stuff We Talked About There Could Only Be One Hubie Brown | Defector Thirty Histories: Memphis Grizzlies | RealGM We Must Address The Tom Bra...
Feb 13, 2025•1 hr•Ep. 226
Defector’s very own Dan McQuade joins Drew and Roth to talk about The Big Game! As chief Philly correspondent, Dan weighs in on how the Eagles can do it. Also as chief Philly correspondent, Dan explains how the Eagles can never, ever win it all. In the back half of the pod, everyone is still trying to have a thought other than “what the hell” about the Luka Dončić trade. And the show has time for two questions in the Funbag, answering real questions from real listeners. Stuff We Talked About Pri...
Feb 06, 2025•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 225
Will Tavlin, writer of the piece Casual Viewing in n+1, talks to Drew and Roth about why every movie on Netflix looks like that . Why does Netflix not only survives, but thrives, when no one is watching? How does the crappy look of Netflix movies fit with their initial DVD business model? And how has Will been responding to the readers who think this article is depressing? Stuff We Talked About ‘Not second screen enough’: is Netflix deliberately dumbing down TV so people can watch while scrollin...
Jan 30, 2025•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 224
Executive producer of Harley Quinn and Abbott Elementary Justin Halpern returns to Drew and Roth to talk about the Dodgers making baseball into capitalism-shaped-like-a-baseball! In the wake of even more free agent signings, they explain how the Dodgers are running their team like a company with McKinsey consultants and they’re blowing everyone else outta the water. In the second half, our group decides which two teams they want to see in the Super Bowl, regardless of how possible that scenario ...
Jan 23, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 223
Better Offline ’s Ed Zitron joins Drew and Roth for a doubleheader of British accents and Trump impressions. The first half is all about what pits of despair NFL coaches would walk into if they joined the Raiders, the Cowboys, or the Jags. In the second half, Ed and Roth recap the 2025 CES Conference in Las Vegas and how everyone there is smooshing AI into their product because it’s the hot thing to do. And, as always, the show wraps up with the Funbag, answering real questions from real listene...
Jan 16, 2025•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 222
Defector’s very own Diana Moskovitz joins Drew and Roth to preview the NFL playoffs! They interrogate why the Steelers are the way that they are, the ethics of rooting for the Packers, and who they think will win it all in their heart of hearts. And the show wraps up with the Funbag, answering real questions from real listeners. Do you want to hear your question answered on the pod? Well, give us a call at 909-726-3720. That is 909-PANERA-0! Stuff We Talked About At The Golden Ram Barber Shop, T...
Jan 09, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 221
Christmastimeeee is hereeeeee and so is the 2024 Hater’s Guide To The Williams-Sonoma Catalog. For your last Distraction of the year, enjoy Drew lead Roth through the wonders of the ridiculous catalogue and follow along at home by guessing the prices with your loved ones. Programming Note: we’re taking next Thursday off, see you on January 9th, 2025! Do you want to hear your question answered on the pod? Well, give us a call at 909-726-3720. That is 909-PANERA-0! Sponsors - Wildgrain , where you...
Dec 26, 2024•58 min•Ep. 220
Co-host of The Kicker: The Unraveling of Ozy Media Susie Banikarim joins Drew and Roth to unravel the story of Carlos Watson and the fraud of OZY Media. Why did so many rich people invest in this media company? Was the stuff that Watson did uniquely terrible or was he the one who got punished? Why would you name your company after the poem Ozymandius? And since Susie worked with Drew and Roth, they compare and reflect on their own experiences with the ethically murky business that pervaded digit...
Dec 19, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 219
Producer of The Distraction and co-host of Attach Your Résumé Eric Silver joins Drew and Roth to celebrate 100 episodes in the new era of the show. What is different about the media industry since we started? Have Drew and Roth gotten better on the mic? Is there a petition to bring back the mashups? In the second half, they make their picks for the college football playoff based on information from their brains and certainly not astroturfed like Timothee Chalamet. And the show wraps up with the ...
Dec 12, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 218
Writer of the Man, Free newsletter Rivers McCown joins Drew and Roth to talk all things NFL as we head into the tailend of the season. But first, Rivers describes his experience restarting on Substack after taking more than a year off from media. After that, we get into burning football questions: What’s going on with the Texans and CJ Stroud? Why are the Chiefs so boring to watch? Are coaches becoming more collaborative with players, and is that even a good thing? And the show wraps up with the...
Dec 05, 2024•1 hr•Ep. 217
Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours! Take a break from watching the terrible games on Thursday and Friday to hear Drew and Roth talk about those games. And it’s better because there’s a 50% better chance for a good accent or impression. And the second half is an overflowing cornucopia of the Funbag, as they answer written and voicemail questions from real listeners. Do you want to hear your question answered on the pod? Well, give us a call at 909-726-3720. That is 909-PANERA-0! Stuff We...
Nov 28, 2024•55 min•Ep. 216
