Episodes
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“I think the role of the critic is to bring that nuanced understanding and historical context to explain the music.”
Dr. Jenn Billinson from Nazareth University joins Brian for a deep, deep dive into Cowboy Carter, The Tortured Poets Department, and the role of music writing in today’s media world.
Jenn talks about her recent research into gatekeeping in country music and specifically the reaction to Beyonce’s new album. What is it about country music that brings out such strong gatekeeping tendencies? Jenn talks about her role as a white woman writing about her reaction to Beyonce’s music.
Jenn and Brian discuss the role of a journalist or an academic in writing about music in 2024, especially in a world where fans are doing incredible analyses and album breakdowns on TikTok.
Rabbit holes include their favorite song on each album, the new Pearl Jam record, and staying up past midnight in your 40s.
LinksAbout Jenn Billinson
Jenn Billinson on Threads
Daddy Lessons (Beyonce and The Chicks, 2016 performance.)
A Complete Review of Beyonce’s New Album on The Right Time
Raw Dog: The naked truth about hot dogs (The Best Thing Jenn’s read lately.)
He turned his garage into a nightclub. Now the city wants to shut it down and kick him out (the best thing Brian’s read lately.)
Support
The Other 51 is and will always be free, but if you like my work (and the stuff I do at Sports Media Guy and want to kick me a few dollars, you can do so here. I really appreciate your support.
Follow us on Instagram. We’re on the decaying corpse of Twitter, but only because for some reason sports media won’t abandon the site.
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“When in doubt, choose not to harm somebody.”
Jen Moritz, senior editor and inclusive language specialist (and Brian’s wife) joins us to talk about inclusive language.
What is inclusive language?
So glad you asked!
Jen defines the term for us, and also describes how she got interested and involved in this area of editing. She tells us how the pandemic influenced her interest in inclusive language, how editing for inclusive language is an extension of her “Grammar Tingle” and what she does when that is activated by word or phrase, and how inclusive editing can help connect us back to our humanity in an increasingly digital world.
We also go down a rabbit hole about the phrase “rule of thumb” and what to do when people think you’re wrong but you’re actually right.
Other rabbit holes include dragon smut, fairy smut, banned books and Maintenance Phase.
Also, as far as we can tell, “flying by the seat of your pants” is not problematic. As a phrase, at least.
“You will always be learning. You will never have perfect language and perfect representation. You’re just doing your best.”
Links
Jen Moritz on LinkedIn
Maintenance Phase
The Conscious Language Newsletter
Rabbit with a Red Pen
Abraham Piper
Flamer (the best thing Jen’s read lately.)
Other Words For Home (the best thing Jen’s read lately.)
Rebecca Yarros Empyrean Series (the best thing Jen has read lately.)
Sarah J. Mass books (the best thing Brian has read lately.)
Support
The Other 51 is and will always be free, but if you like my work (and the stuff I do at Sports Media Guy and want to kick me a few dollars, you can do so here. I really appreciate your support.
Follow us on Instagram. We’re on the decaying corpse of Twitter, but only because for some reason sports media won’t abandon the site.
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Missing episodes?
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Next week, our regularly scheduled episode with Jen Moritz will be out. We’ll be talking all about inclusive language.
However.
Early in April, the Associated Press announced updates to its style book. Including new guidance on writing about “obese, obesity and overweight”
We, um, we have some thoughts.
And so, a bonus episode.
Enjoy! And be sure to listen to our non-bonus episode with Jen next week.
This was largely inspired by the work of Maintenance Phase.
Support
The Other 51 is and will always be free, but if you like my work (and the stuff I do at Sports Media Guy and want to kick me a few dollars, you can do so here. I really appreciate your support.
Follow us on Instagram. We’re on the decaying corpse of Twitter, but only because for some reason sports media won’t abandon the site.
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“We all experience loss differently, but there’s common ground for all of us to find in that.”
Jared Paventi joins Brian this week to talk all about his excellent Substack, Dirt Nap.
Jared discusses how he came to write a weekly blog/newsletter/Substack/whatever we’re calling it about death and grieving, how watching his oldest daughter grieve the loss of her grandpa inspired him, and how he uses writing to work through what he’s thinking and feeling.
Jared talks about how he’s looking to create a space for conversations about grief through his excellent Griever’s Digest series, how grieving can be about more than just the death of someone, and how the writing of A.J. Daulerio and The Small Bow inspired Dirt Nap, especially the tone.
We also talk about what happened to his food blog, Blog Al Dente, and what you do when a project starts to feel more like work than fun.
Rabbit holes include HJ Magazine, how a deadline without a consequence is meaningless, and Brian’s move out of the basement.
“This is some shit that’s going on in my head and my world. Maybe it’s happening to you too.”
Links
Dirt Nap by Jared Paventi
The Griever’s Digest series at Dirt Nap
The Small Bow by A.J. Daulerio
The Other 51 Episode 13: Anti-Federalists with Jared Paventi
I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jeanette McCurdy (The best thing Jared’s read lately.)
Jean Hanff Korelitz books (The best thing Jared’s read lately.)
The Last Boy by Jane Leavy (The best thing Brian’s read lately.)
Support
The Other 51 is and will always be free, but if you like my work (and the stuff I do at Sports Media Guy and want to kick me a few dollars, you can do so here. I really appreciate your support.
Follow us on Instagram. We’re on the decaying corpse of Twitter, but only because for some reason sports media won’t abandon the site.
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“Come in for the show, stay for the tears.”
Alex Brightman joins Brian to talk about Broadway and writing, including a deep dive into his play “The Life and Slimes of Marc Summers.”
A two-time Tony Nominee (for School of Rock and Beetlejuice), Alex tells Brian how a YouTube series, a production of Grease, and a shared affinity for Old Hollywood led to him writing a one-man show for Marc Summers based on the Double Dare host’s life. What exactly is a “part interactive game show, part memoir?”
Alex describes the process of writing the show, including the ah-ha moment that made him realize there was something special here.
Alex also tells the story of how he and Drew Gasparini met, became fast friends and writing partners, and how they work together. Alex also discusses how he fits writing into an already busy acting schedule and some of the projects he’s working on now.
Rabbit holes include our shared reverence for calendars, and how Simon’s mom reacted to his message (IYKYK).
Links
Alex on Instagram
The Life and Slimes of Marc Summers (through June 2, 2024)
Spamalot (through April 7)
A Little Bit, sung by Alex Brightman, written by Drew Gasparini
Boom Town by Sam Anderson (the best thing Alex has read lately)
A Strange Loop AND Ain’t No Mo (the best shows Alex has seen lately)
Alex’s coming appearances:
LvlUp Expo in Las Vegas April 26th-28th
GalaxyCon in Oklahoma City May 24th-26th
Rhode Island Comic Con November 1st-3rd
Support
The Other 51 is and will always be free, but if you like my work (and the stuff I do at Sports Media Guy and want to kick me a few dollars, you can do so here. I really appreciate your support.
Follow us on Instagram. We’re on the decaying corpse of Twitter, but only because for some reason sports media won’t abandon the site.
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“Oh, I wrote a musical about me. I really did. This is just me.”
Joe Iconis, one of the best writers on Broadway and one of Brian’s favorite people, joins us on The Other 51 to talk all about The Untitled Unauthorized Hunter S. Thompson Musical.
Yep, that’s the name of Joe’s most recent show, which debuted at La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego in 2023.
Joe tells the story of the name and why it’s so appropriate for a show about Hunter S. Thompson. Joe also discusses why the show is unauthorized, what that meant for him trying to write a show without being able to use a famous writers’ words, and why it was scary but ultimately rewarding.
Joe and Brian also discuss the show’s multivolume coffee table book trip from an idea in 2007 to the stage 16 years later, what’s next for the show, and the difference for Joe between writing music and writing a script.
Rabbit holes include the coming Broadway Thinkpieces and Huey Lewis and the News. We also get a Diane Kitten update.
“Let there be things that are weird and strange. And good and true.”
Links
Joe Iconis on the internet
Joe Iconis on Instagram
And Joe on Twitter
The Untitled Unauthorized Hunter S. Thompson Musical
Buy Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas from The Strand
Oh Mary (the best show Joe’s seen lately)
Days of Wine and Roses (the best show Joe’s seen lately)
The Untold Stories of Broadway Vol. 4 by Jennifer Ashley Tepper (the best thing Joe’s read lately)
Support
The Other 51 is and will always be free, but if you like my work (and the stuff I do at Sports Media Guy and want to kick me a few dollars, you can do so here. I really appreciate your support.
Follow us on Instagram. We’re on the decaying corpse of Twitter, but only because for some reason sports media won’t abandon the site.
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“Do the work. Show Up. Show you care by listening.”
Liz Robbins joins Brian to talk about her remarkable career as a journalist, covering everything from the NBA to U.S. immigration policy.
Liz tells stories about what it was like to cover sports in Cleveland in the late 1990s, including how she broke the news that the WNBA would be forming and traveled on a private jet with Tim Couch. This was the last golden age of traditional newspaper sports journalism, and Liz describes what that was like.
Liz also details how broke a story for The Times that led to the U.S. government literally changing one of its immigration policies. Writing topics include how Liz knows she’s done reporting and ready to write, how to build a network of sources, and how to protect your mental health while covering tough stories.
Rabbit holes include the only time in Liz’s career that she was star struck, Susan Sarandon in Rocky Horror Picture Show, Larry Brown yelling at her, and the St. Bonaventure-Kentucky NCAA Tournament game in 2000.
Links
Liz Robbins official website
Liz on Twitter
Liz at The New York Times
Post Office Fails to Deliver on Time, and DACA Applications Get Rejected
A Record Breaking 2023 in Sports
St. Bonaventure-Kentucky 2000 NCAA First Round
All the Sinners Bleed by Y.A. Cosby (the best thing Liz has read lately)
Roman Stories (the other best thing Liz has read lately)
Criminal Record on Apple TV+ (the best thing Liz has watched lately)
Support
The Other 51 is and will always be free, but if you like my work (and the stuff I do at Sports Media Guy and want to kick me a few dollars, you can do so here. I really appreciate your support.
Follow us on Instagram. We’re on Facebook the decaying corpse of Twitter, but only because for some reason sports media won’t abandon the site.
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“I ended up throughout the midst of the pandemic feeling like I couldn’t write anything anymore.”
Dave Karpf, author of the must-read “The Future, Now and Then” on Substack, joins Brian to talk about writing, the internet, and more.
Dave and Brian discuss this week’s news about Bluesky opening itself to the public, and why the years where there wasn't a lot of money in it was when the internet was the best.
Dave, a political science professor at George Washington University, talks about how he built a weekly writing practice on Substack, and how it helped him unstick as a writer. He talks about his writing about the intersection of technology and society, what we can learn about the present and the future by the stories tech evangelists told us in the past, and the most bonkers thing he’s read in the Wired Magazine archives.
“This is what happens when you give a guy like me tenure”
Links
The Future, Now and Then by Dave Karpf
Dave on Bluesky
Brian on Bluesky
Brian on Threads
Lost Tempo by Matt (Best thing Dave’s read lately)
Dumb Money by Gary Wolf and Joey Anuff (Best thing Dave’s read lately)
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin (Best thing Brian’s read lately)
Support
The Other 51 is and will always be free, but if you like my work (and the stuff I do at Sports Media Guy and want to kick me a few dollars, you can do so here. I really appreciate your support.
Follow us on Instagram. We’re on the decaying corpse of Twitter, but only because for some reason sports media won’t abandon the site (looking at you, ESPN folks).
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Wendell Barnhouse joins Brian to talk about his long and storied career as a sports journalist.
Wendell talks about what it was like to cover Duke-Kentucky in the 1992 NCAA men’s Tournament (the Christian Laettner shot), how doing layout and editing stories for 13 years helped him be a better writer, and why he views himself as more of a craftsman than an artist.
Rabbit holes include the old SportsJournalists.com message boards, and the eternal question of how do you castrate an orange?
Wendell Barnhouse on LinkedIn
The Sunday Long Read
Dead Reckoning by Robert Kolker
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Joe Posnanski joins Brian this week to talk all about his new book, “Why We Love Baseball.”
In the introduction to this book, Joe writes that "This is the book I always hoped would be on the shelf” of his library when he was a kid. In this episode, he tells Brian why this would have been the perfect book for him when he was 10 years old.
Joe discusses how he had the title of the book before anything else, how he developed the book’s structure, and how he came up with the structures for all 108(ish) essays in the book.
Joe also talks about what he has learned about himself as a writer over the yearsl, and the importance of discipline in writing.
Rabbit holes include our current Taylor Swift eras, Ozzie Smith YouTube, and the dump ballparks of our youth.
Why We Love Baseball by Joe Posnanski
All of Joe’s books
JoeBlog
The Poscast
Walking with Sam by Andrew McCarthy
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Sam Borden of ESPN joins Brian this week to talk about reporting, interviewing, and life as a foreign correspondent.
Sam has probably the best job title of anyone we’ve had as a guest on the podcast — Global Sports Correspondent for ESPN. Sam talks about how he got that job, how he built a successful career as a sports journalist despite not being a sports fan, and how he finds stories to write.
Sam and Brian also talk about what life is really like as a foreign correspondent. It’s not all Hemingway and lunches on the Seine. Sam talks about finding fixers who can help you report in foreign languages, and how he tracked down Darko Milicic at an apple orchard in Serbia.
Sam also talks about the biggest difference between interviewing for broadcast and interviewing for a print piece, how the concept of the North Star can help any journalist.
Sam Borden on Twitter
Finding Darko
The Most Dangerous Game
Eternal Champions
Open by Andre Agassi
More Myself: A Journey by Alicia Keys
Crook Manifesto by Colson Whitehead
Percy Jackson and the Olympians boxed set
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Dr. Jenn Billinson from Nazareth University joins us to talk about the state of social media, and what the heck is going on with Twitter and Twitter replacements.
Short answer: It’s a mess
Jenn and Brian talk about their reactions to Threads, why that seemed to fizzle out, and what’s next for space. Twitter/BlueSky/Threads. Jenn tells us how social media has changed in the decade she’s been teaching it, what research tells us about why people use Twitter (and twitter-like platforms), and how she teachers social media in a world like this.
In addition, we break down the potential fight between Elon and Zuckerberg. There is some Barbenheimer talk, of course.
Also, in what might become a new regular feature on the show, Jenn gives us the best TikTok Rabbit Hole she has gone down lately.
Jenn on Twitter
And on Threads
And on Bluesky because why not?
Arabian Perfume TikTok
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How did a guy who started his career in radio become one of the most influential newspaper sports journalists in the history of Western New York?
Chuck Pollock, Brian’s former boss and the longtime sports editor and columnist for The Times Herald in Olean, N.Y., joins Brian to talk about column writing, journalism, and his 50-year career.
Chuck traces his career from the Vietnam War, through radio in Pennsylvania, and to the newsroom on Norton Drive in Olean where he worked for 50 years. He talks about working for Mike Abdo and Bob Davies and why they were so influential on him. He talks about what it was like covering Buffalo sports in the 1970s writing for a family-owned newspaper, the changes in the industry, why he left the OTH and what’s next for him.
We talk about the single-best definition of news either one of us has ever heard, and why having a column every day is so vital for newspapers. And where did Chuck’s unique typing style come from?
A heartfelt goodbye to TH readers
The Best Newspaper Man I Ever Worked With
Chuck Pollock: Ending the Absence of Writing
The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown
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Bob Crawford, podcaster, history buff, and the bass player for The Avett Brothers (Brian’s favorite band), joins Brian this week to talk his new podcast series, Founding Son: John Quincy’s America.
Bob and Brian talk about what made John Quincy Adams stand out as a story worth telling, how Adams is the bridge between Washington and Lincoln, a vessel to tell the story of America between the revolution and the Civil War, and a good, good man. What stories about Adams did Bob most want to tell but had to cut?
Bob discusses how his story editor helped him focus not on the trees that were so fascinating but on the forest as a whole, how he developed his pitch for the show (and even forgot about it at one point), how he used Miro as an organizational tool, and the writing tip that he learned from Twitter.
Rabbit holes in this episode include Martin Van Buren, Abraham Lincoln, the Seward House in Auburn, N.Y., and spinning a stand-up bass.
Founding Son: John Quincy’s America
The Road to Now
Concerts of Change
The Avett Brothers
Miro
The Rise of American Democracy: Jefferson to Lincoln
Newspaper Archive
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Scott Nover, a technology and media reporter for Quartz, joins Brian to talk about AI, media economics, and why it’s so interesting to write about media.
Scott takes a break from watching the Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearing on artificial intelligence for this episode. For real, though … politicians can’t understand Facebook.
Scott discusses his career path, why he became fascinated in writing and reporting on media, and what is most interesting to him in the AI space right now.
Brian and Scott also talk about why understanding business is fundamental to any career in journalism, and stratagies for making complex business concepts understandable to readers.
And man, we miss David Carr.
Scott Nover at Quartz
Scott on Twitter
OpenAI’s Sam Altman got a warm welcome on Capitol Hill
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
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Arielle Beth Klein, a playwright and actor, joins Brian to talk about her newly published play, "My Shiksa Boyfriend," and all things writing and creative.
Arielle tells us what it's like seeing her play for sale in the Drama Book Shop, and what it's like signing copies of her play to sell in the famed NYC book store. We bond over the awesomeness of Grace Aki.
Arielle describes how improv exercise in a college class set her on the road to being a playwright. She tells us the lasting lessons she's learned from Seth Barrish's storytelling workshops, why she works in 10-page spurts, and her favorite deleted scene from the show and why she cut it.
She also discusses How her experience and work as an actor informs her writing, and how her career as a writer informs her acting, and and her best advice for a young or new playwright.
Arielle Beth Klein
Arielle's linktree
My Shiksa Boyfriend
Signing books at the Drama Book Shop
Just Start Podcast
The Red Shoe
Awakening to the Fifth Dimension
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Will Leitch returns to the show to talk all about the writing of his excellent new novel, "The Time Has Come."
Will tells Brian how the writing of this book (“a feel-good book about a shooting!”) differed from his first novel, “How Lucky.” Will discusses how he structured the book, whether the plot or characters came first, and how he was able to make all of his main characters sound authentic to who they are. How do you write a Trump voter whom your readers will find likable - or at least able to empathize with?
Will and Brian talk about why making something specific actually makes it universal, how the novel’s setting of Athens, Georgia ties to the book’s larger theme, and how this book reflects his overall world view.
Pre-order The Time Has Come at IndieBound
Pre-order The Time Has Come at Amazon
All Will’s books on Amazon
Will’s Excellent Weekly Newsletter
The Rise and Fall of theThird Reich
Short Cuts
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Dr. Jenn McClearen, an assistant professor at the University of Texas and author of the Substack newsletter Publish not Perish, joins Brian to talk about what makes academic writing so vexing, and some strategies to improve your writing and time management.
They talk about the crazy coincidence of the both being at the same, relatively small conference in Barcelona and not meeting there, and they discuss the research projects they brought to IACS and their respective interests in Naomi Osaka. The joys of eating in Barcelona and Spanish table wine.
The main topic is Jenn’s excellent newsletter, Publish Not Perish. Jenn tells the newsletter’s origin story and why she wants to make the academy more transparent. She discusses how to deal with the inherent structural challenges of academia, and the importance of reflecting on and trying different strategies and figuring out what works for you.
Publish not Perish
Jenn McClearen on Twitter
Micro Media Industries by Lori Kido Lopez
The Boys on the Bus by Timothy Crouse
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For the record seventh time, Alysa Auriemma joins Brian to talk about writing. This time, the main topics are social media, making space for creative work, her next novel, and (of course) so much more.
Alysa talks about the reaction her first novel, All Daughter’s Rise, received and what the self-publishing process was like on the back end. She also discusses her plans for the second book in that series and why she’s shifting her writing focus to a new project. We break some news on this episode, as Alysa discusses her next book.
The main topic for Alysa and Brian is social media. Alysa’s off Twitter and has been for a while. Why’d she leave? What’s it like? How does she fill all that time?
Alysa Auriemma’s Amazon Page
All Daughter’s Rise
Ally Marcie Writes
Skeleton Crew: Stories by Stephen King (includes The Jaunt)
Hail Mary by Kandi Steiner
I Have Some Questions For You by Rebecca Makkai
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Evan Drellich joins Brian to talk about his new book, Winning Fixes Everything, about the Houston Astros' cheating scandal.
Evan — who worked with Brian at the Press & Sun-Bulletin in Binghamton, N.Y. another lifetime ago — discusses how he and Ken Rosenthal broke the story of the Astros cheating scandal for The Athletic, what it's like when your reporting becomes the biggest sports story in the country, and how this is much more about players banging trash cans with bats.
Evan also talks about how this is much more than a sign-stealing scandal, how it's a book about corporate cut-throat culture that captures a lot of what was happening in industry in the 2010s, and how he developed those themes. He also talks about the writing lessons he drew from Bernard Malamud (and the late Charlie Jaworski) and his favorite Killers songs.
Winning Fixes Everything by Evan Drellich on Amazon
...and on IndieBound
Evan on Twitter
Evan at The Athletic
The original story on the Astros' scandal
The Complete Stories by Bernard Malamud
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