Frank & Sense

Frank & Sense is proud to present the last political podcast that we will be doing for the year, and perhaps the last political podcast you will need to listen to this year! Frank is joined by two of his best friends, Ross Godwin of the Washington Post and Mitch Lerner, to discuss the 2024 election cycle. They conduct a 2024 election retrospective and discuss what went well, what needs improve...

HELL-o everyone and welcome to part one of the final episode of our theme month for October:  Far Right Fright Nights ! This week, there's terror galloping its way into your podcast feed. On this episode, "Freaky" Frank and Mitch "the Wolfman" profile not just one ghoul of the far right, but rather the Four Horsemen of the Trumpocalypse: Money, Media, Think Tanks, and Evangelic...

HELL-o everyone and welcome to part one of the final episode of our theme month for October:  Far Right Fright Nights ! This week, there's terror galloping its way into your podcast feed. On this episode, "Freaky" Frank and Mitch "the Wolfman" profile not just one ghoul of the far right, but rather the Four Horsemen of the Trumpocalypse: Money, Media, Think Tanks, and Evangelic...

HELL-o everyone and welcome to the fourth episode of our theme month for October:  Far Right Fright Nights ! This week, it's midnight in America...again! "Freaky" Frank and Mitch "The Wolfman" Lerner are joined by FIEND of the show Ali "Gruesome" Grusell to discuss the scariest movie that you should never watch: "Reagan." This movie has it all: Dennis Quaid, Jon...

HELL-o everyone and welcome to the third episode of our theme month for October:  Far Right Fright Nights ! This week, it's midnight in America. Mitch "The Wolfman" Lerner takes the host chair and tells us about the Trickle Down Terror: Ronald Reagan. Come swim in the swamp with us and learn about the terrifying legacy of the former lifeguard, actor, GE spokesperson, SAG president, Cal...

HELL-o everyone and welcome to the second episode of our theme month for October: Far Right Fright Nights ! This week, we bring you the rise, the fall, the rise again, and the fall...again...of Richard Milhaus Nixon. We get to hear some of the Nixon tapes, some early campaign ads, and we even play a round of Nixon Karaoke. Join us, if you dare, for the life and times of one of America's origin...

Hell-o everyone and welcome to the very first episode of our theme month for October: Far Right Fright Nights! Each week, Mitch "The Wolfman" Lerner and I will be presenting a spinetingling, fright-tastic ghoul of the far right. We begin this series with one of the biggest creeps of all: Richard Milhous Nixon. Before we recount the horror story that is the Nixon presidency, we present reco...

They're back! The gang is all here! Ross, Mitch, and Frank discuss the Trump/Harris debate. Ross was on site in Philly with the Washington Post. Recorded at 1am EST after the debate, the boys unpack the first (and maybe only?) debate between our 2024 presidential candidates. We talk about the important issues - such as what the coffee situation was like at the debate. We also talk about transg...

The boys are back in town, and we're talking about the coconut in the room: The 2024 Democratic National Convention! Ross is fresh back from Chicago, and Mitch and Frank ask him the important hard hitting questions about what it was like to be there. For example, what was the coffee situation like? We also ask Ross a number of questions submitted by our amazing listeners, discuss the pick of T...

This week, Frank is joined by his multi-talented friend Lee Gerstenhaber to discuss her many adventures to Burning Man. From the surreal art installations to the gift economy, Lee shares stories of wild moments, climbing sculptures, and the essential items to get you through a week in the desert. Turn on, tune in, drop out, and get ready for laughs, listener questions, thoughts from Ben Shapiro, a...

It's like looking into a mirror, only...not. This week, Frank is joined by his dear friend Ali Grusell to discuss the film "Face/Off." And boy, there is a LOT of movie to discuss. Frank and Ali discuss the facial gymnastics of Nic Cage, why he is so inspiring to Ali, and, of course, the importance of time cards. We also attempt to answer some of life's biggest questions. For exampl...

"There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen"--Vladimir Ilyich Lenin In the last four weeks, we have undergone a series of unprecedented events. We witnessed an all time disaster at a presidential debate, an attempted assassination of former president, and an incumbent president bow out of the race for re-election. This week, Frank is joined by two of...

X-celsior! Frank is joined by X-Men x-pert Zach Fernebok and Matt Sparacino to discuss all things X-Men. We discuss the history of the characters, the arc of the comics, the film adaptations, and the x-cellent new series "X-Men '97." We also discuss our personal history with the X-Men, who would make our X-Men Mt Rushmore, and much more. Put on your black leather (or blue and canary ye...

Ahhh, the French Champagne! Frank is joined this week by two of his best friends, former roommates, and the greatest band in Washington DC: The French Champagne (Aaron Bliden and Nick Wilby). The boys talk about Medieval Times, Baltimore accents, DC music history, and play a few games. We also hear a few stories from when Aaron was a boy and sang the National Anthem at an Orioles game, as well as...

Game, set, podcast! This week, Frank is joined by returning champions Mitch Lerner, Matt Sparacino, and Sasha Felikson to discuss the 2024 Luca Guadagnino film "Challengers." We just want to see some good tennis...but do we get our wish? It's our most challenging episode yet as Sasha serves a LOT of opinions on this episode. Who will win? Smash that play button to find out!

We've heard a lot about AI recently. But what is AI, really? This week, Frank is joined by his friend (and Google Research Scientist) Michael Madaio to discuss all things AI. Michael is a part of Google's Responsible AI group, and his research looks into how we can anticipate (and limit) risks and biases that may be perpetuated through AI. Michael gives a brief history of AI and shares som...

Are you ready for it? Frank is joined by Becca Ballinger and Rebecca Wahls, two chair people of the "Tortured Poets Department," to discuss all things Taylor Swift, the new album, and much more. We discuss the idea of being ethical fans, Taylor owning her reputation, and Florida!!! Say so long to London and hello to this great episode! Follow Frank & Sense on  Instagram  and  Bluesky !...

Ross Godwin has seen some pretty crazy things. He's been to multiple State of the Unions, a Super Bowl, the 2020 vote counting in Philadelphia, the coronation of King Charles, a Goop convention, and much more. That's because he's a video journalist with the Washington Post. He's also one of Frank's oldest and best friends. Ross joins Frank this week to talk about documenting an...

It's the crossover event that you've been waiting for: Godzilla x Kong x Frank x Mitch! Frank is joined by Mitch to discuss the 2017 film "Kong: Skull Island" as well as the 2024 cinematic event "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire." The boys discuss the history of these two big boys, as well as King Kong's anatomy, Hollow Earth, Mothra, moving rocks, Scarface, ice dinosaur...

If you've followed the food scene in Washington, DC, there's a very good chance you've dined on food prepared by Chef Sasha Felikson. Sasha has worked with some of DC's most notable chefs, like Jose Andres, and has worked in Michelin-rated restaurants. He's also Frank's oldest friend. This week, Sasha serves up some hot takes. It's Sasha's smorgasbord of of sensitiv...

It's a Dune double feature! This week, Frank is joined by his trusty companions Mitch Lerner and Matt Sparacino for a trip to the desert world Arrakis. The boys watched "Dune" and "Dune 2" and then recorded a podcast - live in person, as written! They discuss all things Dune: spice, sandworms, witches, Space Boston, and black goop. Fear is the mind killer. Jump in your ornithop...

Frank hosts a way-too-early career retrospective with author Ann Fraistat, starting with her high school plays and following her journey all the way through becoming a published author. Ann has written two (excellent) young adult novels, What We Harvest and A Place for Vanishing . We discuss the art of writing, the struggle to find an agent and become a professional author, dreams, and bugs. Follo...

Frank is joined by his old friend Caleb Rudow. Caleb is a normal guy, who never imagined running for public office. Now he's running for the House seat previously held by Mark Meadows and Madison Cawthorn (NC-11). Frank and Caleb talk about Caleb's journey into politics, remaining joyful in the face of cynicism and fatalism, and magic. Follow Caleb on Instagram and Facebook , and check out...

It's all led up to this. Oscar-palooza 2024 comes to a thrilling conclusion as Frank is joined once again by Mitch Lerner and Matt Sparacino to review the final four Best Picture nominees of the year! Buckle up, strap in, and prepare yourself for a wild ride to the top of Mitch's Movie Mountain (TM). The Zone of Interest (22:45 to 50:25) Oppenheimer (50:50 to 1:18:50) Killers of the Flower...

Mitch, Matt, and Frank open a six-pack of Best Picture nominees! With the Oscars only two weeks away, Frank is joined by Mitch Lerner and Matt Sparacino to discuss six of the Best Picture nominees. And these are some good ones!  Maestro (29:00 to 45:40) Barbie (45:40 to 1:04:50) American Fiction (1:05:00 to 1:27:30) The Holdovers (1:27:45 to 1:43:05) Anatomy of a Fall (1:43:35 to 2:00:40) Past Liv...