Mike tells Sarah how the myth of meddling wives serves to exonerate terrible husbands. Digressions include "50 Shades of Grey," Marie Antoinette and the end of the 1960s. This episode, we’re sorry to say, contains descriptions of domestic abuse. Continue reading → Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on Paypal Buy cute merch Where to find us: Sarah's other show, Why Are Dads Mike's other show, Maintenance Phase Support the show...
Sep 10, 2019•1 hr 19 min
“Isn’t it amazing how we can only imagine our monsters capitalistically?” Mike tells Sarah how police, prosecutors and journalists accidentally conspired to invent the perfect suburban menace. Digressions include IKEA, the "Godfather" trilogy and Fleetwood Mac. Mike takes big gulping breaths when he reads out loud. Continue reading → Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on Paypal Buy cute merch Where to find us: Sarah's other show, Why Are Dads Mike's other show, Maintenan...
Aug 22, 2019•1 hr 17 min
“When you allow emotion into the courtroom, bias rushes in alongside it.” Special guest Rachel Monroe tells Mike and Sarah how a good-faith critique of the justice system led to a decades-long crackdown. Digressions include Charles Manson, Ronald Reagan and a billionaire mugshot. Mike’s similes are worse than Sarah’s. Continue reading → Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on Paypal Buy cute merch Where to find us: Sarah's other show, Why Are Dads Mike's other show, Maintenance Phas...
Aug 16, 2019•54 min
“Things are not going to get better if we make the people who scare us seem more powerful.” Mike tells Sarah about the myths of sex crimes, the reality of child abuse and the importance of unsympathetic protagonists. Digressions include frozen pizza, millennials (obvs) and vaccination rates. Mike can only name one state that borders Nevada. Continue reading → Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on Paypal Buy cute merch Where to find us: Sarah's other show, Why Are Dads Mike's other...
Aug 07, 2019•1 hr 3 min
“The story that did the most damage to the people in it was the one that made the most money.” Sarah tells Mike about the low-rent conspiracy that sparked a ratings bonanza. Digressions include "Out of Sight," Robert De Niro and the ancient sexting technology known as landlines. Mike continues to laugh confusedly at references he does not know. Continue reading → Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on Paypal Buy cute merch Where to find us: Sarah's other show, Why Are Dads Mik...
Jul 26, 2019•1 hr 15 min
Sarah tells Mike the story of a world-class figure skater who worked at a mall potato restaurant. Digressions include “Sleepless in Seattle,” mall walkers, synchronized diving and the difficulty of skating a perfect pentagram. This episode unfortunately contains descriptions of physical, emotional and sexual abuse. Tonya deserved better. Continue reading → Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on Paypal Buy cute merch Where to find us: Sarah's other show, Why Are Dads Mike's other sh...
Jul 18, 2019•1 hr 13 min
“Humans aren’t good at remembering what got us where we are.” Mike tells Sarah how a turning point in the gay rights movement became an immediate controversy, a lasting inspiration and a never-ending debate. Digressions include “Newsies” (of course), “True Romance” and “Norma Rae.” Mike's creaking chair and Sarah's rustling blanket-fort are heard throughout. Continue reading → Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on Paypal Buy cute merch Where to find us: Sarah's other show, Wh...
Jun 27, 2019•1 hr 19 min
“Once you tell a story incorrectly once, you can’t control where it goes.” Sarah tells Mike how The New York Times turned a suburban murder into an urban legend. Digressions include Billy Joel, the World’s Fair and “Ferngully.” This episode marks a triumphant return to Long Island and an unexpected celebration of Pride Month. Continue reading → Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on Paypal Buy cute merch Where to find us: Sarah's other show, Why Are Dads Mike's other show, Maintena...
Jun 20, 2019•1 hr 7 min
“We’re uncomfortable with the evidence that teen girls have sexual agency.” Special guest Amy Hasinoff tells Mike and Sarah how a moral panic became a legal nightmare. Digressions include Cosmo advice columns, Grindr etiquette and the revolutionary hugging of the "Avengers" movies. Due to the ongoing hex placed on this podcast, the sound quality is worse than usual. Continue reading → Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on Paypal Buy cute merch Where to find us: Sarah's other ...
Jun 11, 2019•41 min
“He’s been punished even more than the American prison system can aspire to punish anyone”: Mike tells Sarah how John Walker Lindh became a terrorist in the media, a freedom fighter in his own mind and something between the two in reality. Digressions include “Newsies," Bruce Willis and “Candide.” Sarah sneakily reveals her lifelong affection for Howard Stern. Continue reading → Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on Paypal Buy cute merch Where to find us: Sarah's other show, Why A...
Jun 05, 2019•1 hr 12 min
"It just seems like capitalism masquerading as religion": Sarah tells Mike how a horror movie resurrected a ritual and established an industry. Digressions include “Avatar,” the NFL and the ethics of book publishing. The final five minutes are an unintentionally concise description of the core moral principle of this show. Continue reading → Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on Paypal Buy cute merch Where to find us: Sarah's other show, Why Are Dads Mike's other show, M...
May 28, 2019•42 min
“We want stories that don’t exist in systems”: Mike tells Sarah what happened when Utah set out to solve one of America's most intractable problems. Digressions include the Paleo diet, the planet Mars and the inadequacy of the term “up the river.” Jimmy Carter makes an extended cameo appearance. Continue reading → Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on Paypal Buy cute merch Where to find us: Sarah's other show, Why Are Dads Mike's other show, Maintenance Phase Support the show...
May 16, 2019•1 hr 9 min
“Why did we make fun of Dan Quayle for misspelling the word ‘potato’ when we should have made fun of him for arguments like this?” Mike tells Sarah how a real vice president blamed a fictional single mom for causing one of the most divisive events of the 1990s. Digressions include "Designing Women," "Alien" and "The Brady Bunch." Listeners finally learn that Sarah has a lovely singing voice. Continue reading → Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on Paypal Buy cu...
May 09, 2019•51 min
Mike tells Sarah how a 5-year-old kid transformed a city, divided a political party and (maybe) determined a presidential election. Digressions include World War II, Clarence Darrow and something called "Like, News with Skeeter." Both co-hosts conclude that this episode is somehow an equal-parts mixture of Satanic Panic and Terri Schiavo. Continue reading → Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on Paypal Buy cute merch Where to find us: Sarah's other show, Why Are Dads Mike&apos...
Apr 25, 2019•1 hr 1 min
Sarah tells Mike how an aspiring rich kid became an emblem of a world he didn't belong to. Digressions include drill teams, prep schools and eating disorders. The p-pops are worse than usual. Continue reading → Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on Paypal Buy cute merch Where to find us: Sarah's other show, Why Are Dads Mike's other show, Maintenance Phase Support the show...
Apr 18, 2019•55 min
Mike tells Sarah how a simple idea in a single school district became a nationwide racial panic. Digressions include slasher movies, Space Invaders and homeschooling. The taglines are becoming more esoteric. Continue reading → Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on Paypal Buy cute merch Where to find us: Sarah's other show, Why Are Dads Mike's other show, Maintenance Phase Support the show...
Apr 04, 2019•1 hr 1 min
Mike tells Sarah how the media, the president and the Pope turned a simple medical story into a complicated legal one. Digressions include canine loyalty, unionized space-workers and polyamory logistics. Both co-hosts recorded in tiny rooms, but with very different acoustics. Continue reading → Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on Paypal Buy cute merch Where to find us: Sarah's other show, Why Are Dads Mike's other show, Maintenance Phase Support the show...
Mar 05, 2019•1 hr 13 min
Sarah tells Mike how a poor Texas girl made herself into an icon and America made her into a punchline. Digressions include massage technique, “Death Becomes Her” and (obviously) “The Godfather.” Mike sounds even sicker than he did last week. Continue reading → Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on Paypal Buy cute merch Where to find us: Sarah's other show, Why Are Dads Mike's other show, Maintenance Phase Support the show...
Feb 20, 2019•58 min
Mike tells Sarah how an environmental problem became a national rallying cry, a sticky diplomatic issue and, eventually, a conspiracy theory. Digressions include “Alien,” Field & Stream and NRA public service announcements. Both hosts are recovering from colds and one spends the episode under a blanket. Continue reading → Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on Paypal Buy cute merch Where to find us: Sarah's other show, Why Are Dads Mike's other show, Maintenance Phase Support t...
Feb 15, 2019•45 min
Sarah tells Mike how a sex scandal ruined a rising star and established a new template for American elections. Digressions include "Good Will Hunting," People Magazine and Linda Ronstadt. Michael Dukakis is described, for the first time ever, as "the soulmate who was there all along." Continue reading → Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on Paypal Buy cute merch Where to find us: Sarah's other show, Why Are Dads Mike's other show, Maintenance Phase Support the ...
Feb 07, 2019•50 min
“She only said one thing her whole life”: Sarah tells Mike how two decent women became scapegoats for the actions of one terrible man. Digressions include Larry Flynt, NPR tote bags and Playboy back issues. This episode contains a detailed description of a sexual assault. Continue reading → Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on Paypal Buy cute merch Where to find us: Sarah's other show, Why Are Dads Mike's other show, Maintenance Phase Support the show...
Jan 25, 2019•1 hr 7 min
Mike tells Sarah how a "bad apples” explanation kept us from seeing the real scandal at the heart of America's largest corporate bankruptcy. Digressions include “Casino,” Thanksgiving economics and corruption catchphrases. Neither co-host truly understands how the stock market works. Continue reading → Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on Paypal Buy cute merch Where to find us: Sarah's other show, Why Are Dads Mike's other show, Maintenance Phase Support the show...
Jan 16, 2019•1 hr 18 min
It wasn’t an accident. Mike tells Sarah how the infamous space shuttle disaster came to be seen as a white-collar crime. Digressions include the Donner Party, George Lucas and “Jurassic Park.” Both co-hosts are audibly recovering from colds. Continue reading → Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on Paypal Buy cute merch Where to find us: Sarah's other show, Why Are Dads Mike's other show, Maintenance Phase Support the show...
Jan 03, 2019•1 hr 6 min
Sarah tells Mike how a tragic story became a hacky catchphrase. Digressions include raccoon anarchists, flu remedies and late-night Arby’s. Sarah's Google Alerts will surprise none of our listeners. Continue reading → Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on Paypal Buy cute merch Where to find us: Sarah's other show, Why Are Dads Mike's other show, Maintenance Phase Support the show...
Dec 19, 2018•59 min
Mike tells Sarah how a close election and an even closer Supreme Court decision established the political template we're still living with today. Digressions include quarks, Ouija Boards and (sorry) moral philosophy. The "lemonade theory" turns out to be less fun than it sounds. Continue reading → Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on Paypal Buy cute merch Where to find us: Sarah's other show, Why Are Dads Mike's other show, Maintenance Phase Support the show...
Dec 12, 2018•1 hr 13 min
Sarah tells Mike about the sad reality — and the terrible man — behind the infamous Long Island Lolita. Digressions include software terms of service, the rise of beepers and Monica Lewinsky’s LinkedIn profile. Mike, a 36-year-old man, appears not to understand what pimps do. Continue reading → Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on Paypal Buy cute merch Where to find us: Sarah's other show, Why Are Dads Mike's other show, Maintenance Phase Support the show...
Dec 03, 2018•1 hr 3 min
Special guest Megan Burbank tells us about the history, limitations and loopholes of a landmark court ruling. Digressions include Betty Ford, "Maude" and naming conventions for anonymous defendants. The glories of Washington State politics are examined in depth. Continue reading → Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on Paypal Buy cute merch Where to find us: Sarah's other show, Why Are Dads Mike's other show, Maintenance Phase Support the show...
Nov 21, 2018•54 min
Mike tells Sarah how a false rape allegation became a right-wing rallying cry and a left-wing conspiracy theory. Digressions include JonBenet Ramsay, “24” and “The Vagina Monologues." Mike regrets not commenting on the metaphorical significance of being trapped in the closet throughout the episode. Continue reading → Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on Paypal Buy cute merch Where to find us: Sarah's other show, Why Are Dads Mike's other show, Maintenance Phase Support the s...
Nov 14, 2018•1 hr 11 min
Sarah tells Mike how a case of marital rape and spontaneous mutilation became a national punchline. Digressions include Ron Jeremy, Alan Dershowitz, Motörhead and the tortures of self-reflection. Sarah reviews John Wayne Bobbitt's later works. Continue reading → Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on Paypal Buy cute merch Where to find us: Sarah's other show, Why Are Dads Mike's other show, Maintenance Phase Support the show...
Nov 07, 2018•49 min
How inflated statistics, cultural anxieties and moral crusaders turned a tiny number of missing children into a decade-long political project. Digressions include 1870s parenting, “E.T.” and the lack of parks in Los Angeles. Both co-hosts secretly believe that the popularity of TV movies in the 1980s explains all of America’s social problems. Continue reading → Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on Paypal Buy cute merch Where to find us: Sarah's other show, Why Are Dads Mike's oth...
Oct 31, 2018•1 hr 13 min
