Podgecaste Brazil

* Ronnie Biggs (w/ Chris Pickard) recap . * The rise and fall of Big Brother Brasil. * Is Brazil still Catholic? The numbers. * Brazil’s rise of evangelical/protestant Christianity. * How did FHC get away with being agnostic ? * The diversity of the Brazilian family. * Street preachers need better mics. * Flordelis on Ana Maria Braga . * Thoughts on Papa Francisco and the next Pope. * Oliver Stone...

Chris Pickard is a self-described jack of all trades — but what trades! Who wouldn’t want to juggle launching a record store called Gringos in Ipanema, editing the legendary Brazil Herald, and becoming an authority on the Cannes Film Festival? He may be a jack of all trades, but he’s certainly mastered picking the most exciting ones. Across a multitude of roles, Chris has acted as a bridge between...

Discussed: * Has the deal been arted? * Jack’s A-Level class on bonds. * David Sacks is a genius. * Haddad x Mônica Bergamo * Does black-and-white footage make you more serious? * Haddad’s PhD thesis. * Has the US ‘lost’ the gloabalization game? * Chris’s tirade on tariffs. Spoiler: they don’t work. * Upside-down bullet trains going under bridges. * Everyone loves the free market all of a sudden....

After a brief hiatus, we’re back—only to find it’s well and truly over. Discussed: * You get a tariff! You get a tariff! Everybody gets a tariff! * Trump on The View vs. Trump on Ellen . * Jack’s updates from Civil War Island. * The blessings of a few weeks off podcasting. * Does Big Money work in Brazilian politics? * The trials of Tony Mokbel and Ronnie Biggs. * Brazil’s peculiar extradition pro...

* Feels Fake vs. Feels Real —unpacking Jack’s latest piece. * Russel Brand reads Jack’s article. * Bolsonaro vs. Tech Bros—who brings more mystique? * A case for Dominic Cummings. * Tony Soprano economics. * Tariffs are a tactic, or they make us rich. Pick one. * Rumble vs. Alexandre de Moraes. * More Glenn impressions. * Does AI need to be based? * Lula gets something right— kinda sorta . * Final...

* Our war with the mics continues. * Milei’s crypto blunder. * Is 60 Minutes making TV great again? * Brazil’s bot armies. * I’m Still Here on Amanpour . * Are the BAFTAs an omen for Brazil’s Oscar chances? * Jesse Singal on DOGE . * Setting the record straight on the Bolsonaro years. * Note: we recorded this before Bolsonaro being charged. * Did JFK order the ‘64 coup? * Tucker vs. Pinochet. * Th...

* Brazil’s battle of the stupid hats. * Ciro is GOAT’d . * Lula needs Malcolm Tucker. * The student politics comms genius. * Who are Brazil’s new overlords? * A deep dive on the Centrão. * Is the Centrão a force for good? * Thoughts on The Edge of Democracy and The Trial . * The (grammatical) problem with DOGE. * Bannon’s Brazil. * The Glenn Greenwald impression is ready to go. * More Lula as Trum...

* Podgecaste re-born. * Trump vs. Petro vs. Lula vs. Trump. * Can LatAm leaders out-deal the Donald, or does the US always win? * Brazil prepares to be tariffed . * Musings on Trump 2.0 and immigration. * A rare case for civil liberties. * Are we for or against drivers’ licenses? * Kash Patel looks home and dry. * Tulsi’s looking shaky. * One of the best Bernie impression you’ve ever heard. * Is M...

* Audio’s fixed. We promised and delivered. * The Trouble with Sam Harris. * Faz o Pix. * Lula’s Globo L ( clip mentioned ). * Nikolas Ferreira — President in twenty-thirty-something ( clip mentioned ). * Haddad goes full McCarthy ( clip mentioned ). * What is even the point of John Oliver? * Gregório Duvivier loves a chicken shop. * Fernanda Torres and the two Jimmys. * Say Nothing vs. I’m Still...

* Last episode with imperfect audio (we promise). * Musings on Civil War (the movie, not a prediction for 2025). * MAGA Civil War. * Elon vs. the groypers. * Tariff, it’s a beautiful word. * The tech bros and the master strategy. * Steve Bannon vs. the nerds. * Is Luigi Mangione the first centrist dad terrorist? * Make Spending Cuts Cool Again. * The biggest Brazilian internet stars of 2024. * Out...

Discussed: * Is the Brazilian economy so over or so back? * It’s another crisis, and of course, memes are to blame. * Does the dollar really matter? * 69% of Brazilians prefer democracy, but to what? * How Brazilians feel about the chance of another dictatorship. * Christmas boteco quiz (are you going to Balneário?). * Was 2024 tankavel? * Failed niche impressions. * Who said it? * We are Bluesky....

Discussed: * Super stable and neurologically perfect. * Few men can save democracy, and they’re all in their 80s, apparently. * What’s going on with that Quaest poll ? * Pedro Menezes (friend of the show) thinks the electorate will punish Bolsonaro. We’re not so sure. * Check out his livestream here . * We’ll never forget that meeting . * Braga Neto arrested. Where does Bolsonaro go from here? * F...

Discussed: * The vicious novela cycle. * Central do Brasil ( trailer here ). * Was Fernanda Montenegro robbed of the Oscar in ‘99 ? * Our best Brazilian film picks ( Chris’s pick & Jack’s pick ). * Ramblings on “ I’m Still Here ”. Spoiler: we’re (kinda) fans, but ehhhhhh. * Why can’t we have just a little more nuance? * Dictatorships are bad. * The amnesty—pros and cons. * Bolsonaro’s villain orig...

While Jack lounges on a beach (irresponsibly, by the way) on an undisclosed island off the Brazilian coast, Chris picks up the mic and shares some quick solo thoughts on Bolsonaro’s indictment and the Brazilian left’s reaction. Disclaimer: he’s not feeling particularly generous. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visi...

Em seu primeiro episódio em português, os Podgecaste boys falam com Luiz Franco—jornalista, Substacker e YouTuber da capital Fluminense. Sua publicação, Margem de Erro, começou como um canal de reportagens no YouTube durante as eleições de 2022, e ele atualmente publica no Substack e faz comentários em seu canal de YouTube . Luiz é especialista na conexão entre cibercultura e política e vem acompa...

Discussed: * Rory Stewart (no hard feelings, Rory). * Jack’s wild election night losing streak. * It’s ‘ literally’ fascism, but you know, the world keeps turning. * Did hard work deliver results? * Trump and his three musketeers. * Will the Democrats ever learn? * Mandatory tallow fat is coming to a McDonald’s near you. * Brazil’s Prince Imperial dies. * Lula on Amanpour. * Bolsonaro wants to run...

As the polls close, the Podgecaste boys share their initial thoughts. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit podgecaste.substack.com

Discussed: * Keir Starmer’s accent. * Our dwindling Polymarket portfolio. * Centrist dads sell out the O2. * Is Trump going to win bigly? * The grifter becomes the grifted. * Are billionaires elites? * Tim Walz is actually a blue man. * Brazilian election debrief. * Why Brazilian politics needs philosophers. * Bolsonaro’s looming eligibility. * Is Dark Ciro our only hope in 2026? This is a public...

Discussed: * Jack’s slipping grip on (political) reality. * Trump and the untapped demographics. * Does the election circus meaning anything at the end of the day? * Kamala loves the gavel. * Peak Obama-era cringe is back. * Predictions for Trump on Rogan. * Final predictions for the Brazilian mayoral elections. * Why does Boulos seem chill all of a sudden? * The shower ghost of the Palácio do Pla...

In their first interview, the Podgecaste boys talk to Michael Royster, a retired American lawyer, former Peace Corps volunteer, senior figure in the English-speaking community, and popular columnist who has lived in Brazil for half a century. Topics discussed: * Has Brazil reached peak semi-presidentialism? * The people who voted for the monarchy in ‘94. * Was Dilma really the victim of a coup? *...

Discussed: * X’s finally back! * Brazil loves X and we (secretly) love it. * We know Felipe Neto hated Bluesky. * Can Polymarket swing an election? * This is all very exciting, but mind’s are probably made up. * How do you pronounce Tugendhat? * James Cleverly may not be so clever. * Kemi’s set to bring to it home. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers...

In this bonus emergency episode, the Podgecaste boys dissect the results of the first round of voting in Brazil’s municipal elections. Were the boys’ predictions on the money? And what have we learnt? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit podgecaste.substack.com

Discussed: * We don’t blame Walz. We also don’t remember where we were during Tiananmen Square. * Democrats want you to know that democracy is (yet again) on the ballot. * Tim Walz wants you to know he’s a knucklehead. Spoiler: we know. * Breaking: Donald Trump does not frequent Walmart. * Is JD Vance a Will Hunting at heart? * Boulos lines up to run the ball. * Lula keeps the attack dogs at bay....

* Kamala’s got a vibe. * Why are Democrats so bad at loving freedom? * Trump loves that guy in the sky. * Predictions for the VP showdown. * The weird thing is getting kind of weird. * Musk vs. Moraes: is there a winner? * The trials of Monark. * Is John Lennon’s Imagine a foreign policy manifesto? * Lula’s turning into the Donald. * Why is Boulos like this? This is a public episode. If you would...

Discussed: * Jack’s big prediction for November. * Is Kamala getting voters out or keeping them at home? * JD Vance vs. Tim Walz: first impressions for the VP title bout. * Musings on Polymarket. * Obligatory updates on X in Brazil. * Who is Datena, and why is he throwing chairs? * The Pablo Marçal factor: is Brazil destined to fazer o M ? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss thi...