Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em Podcast

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit smokeempodcast.substack.com The writer/podcaster/documentarian Jon Ronson joins Nancy and Sarah, and they could not be more excited. Highlights include: * Jon compliments Sarah, Sarah swoons * The podcast inspired when Jon’s 11-year-old son asked if he knew PornHub * Jon’s pronunciation of porn (“ pohhhhhn ”) and the strange spectacle o...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit smokeempodcast.substack.com In this exclusive North American interview, Wallis covers the following: * The nature of false accusations, borderline personality diagnoses, and whether “mutual abuse” exists * How live-tweeting the UK trial “fed a rapacious audience” that went tribal during the pandemic, and how his tweets got more than 10...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit smokeempodcast.substack.com In what might be Nancy’s favorite Smoke ‘Em episode to date, she and Sarah discuss: * The mass shooting on May 6 in Allen, TX, where Sarah drove the next morning to check out the scene * The problem of guns and the moral dilemma of violent real-life pictures: Do they numb us to reality or push us toward actio...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit smokeempodcast.substack.com * Who wore it best? Jared Leto’s catsuit, Chrissy Teigen’s negligee, Kendell Jenner’s bathing suit and other appropriate/inappropriate attire at the Met Gala and the Washington Correspondents’ Association Dinner * The decline of BuzzFeed and Vice , and some love for Traffic author/media columnist Ben Smith *...

Every affair has its origin story. At “Smoke Em,” ours began when Sarah wrote an article Nancy appreciated so much she called her on the phone. One year later, they’re together in Nancy’s Chinatown recording studio, teeing up episode 68, including: * Tucker Carlson and Don Lemon getting the heave-ho on the same day and what this might portend for TV news * You gonna trust Ben Dreyfuss? * Blue chec...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit smokeempodcast.substack.com The Dalai Lama did a very weird thing. Harlan Crow’s memorabilia collection causes a national scandal. Over in Dallas, Sarah drives to Crow’s mansion to confirm that rich people do indeed buy the craziest things, while Nancy jets off to good old Portland and finds: So much! (The phrase “death eaters” is used....

When Laura McKowen landed at her first AA meeting, she sobbed as she told strangers how she’d placed her daughter in danger one night. Afterward, a woman in the audience approached her. “I’m a mother too, and I want you to know, you can push off from here.” Push Off From Here became the title of Laura’s second book, following her much-beloved 2020 memoir, We Are the Luckiest . Laura is a friend as...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit smokeempodcast.substack.com Special guest Matt Welch apologizes “for being a dude, for being taller, and that I’m not from Texas.” All of which is to say he can never replace the lovely Sarah Hepola as co-host. Nevertheless! Matt, editor-at-large at Reason and true-bluest member of the Fifth Column podcast (fight me), joins Nancy to tal...

Good Sunday morning from the Outer Banks. The winds blowing across Ablemarle Sound are nearly always a loud and gigantic presence; you never feel alone. But this morning? All is calm. I can hear only the birds from where I am sitting, at a dining table covered with dozens of documents I’ve numbered 1 - 17 and lettered A - P, in the hopes that such organization and annotation will help me to stitch...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit smokeempodcast.substack.com Succession ’s final season debuted, and it’s already giving us memes (all hail The Disgusting Brothers). The tragic arc of Logan (Brian Cox) makes the cruel media mogul a tad sympathetic, while suck-ups like Roman (Kieran Culkin) and Tom (Matthew McFayden) have become the show’s most lovable characters. Is Su...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit smokeempodcast.substack.com Sarah and Nancy discuss the new documentary, Jussie Smollett: Anatomy of a Hoax , about the fake hate crime of the Empire star who once dubbed himself “the gay Tupac.” The real stars are the Osundairos, two Nigerian brothers and aspiring actors hired for the bizarre stunt. Why did they do it? What was up with...

Nancy and Sarah read letters from listeners. Topics include moral complication, British sitcoms/podcasts, the courage of Stephen Elliott, and a counter-point on Matt Taibbi. Nancy tells us about an LA journo pal who died in 2007, and Sarah wonders whether journalism is ultimately a profession of hucksters and frauds. Along the way, they discuss 12-minute naps, the celebrity they’d most like to, uh...

The Oscars were surprisingly good this year. We discuss the most moving moments, including the teary comeback of Brendan Fraser, the resilience of Ke Huy Kwan, the art-school weirdos who became the big winners, The Daniels, and why Lady Gaga is the Real Deal. Also discussed: The Carpenters (pro or con?), the tricky business of the American Dream, the argument for cultural appropriation, should Sar...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit smokeempodcast.substack.com Welcome to our longest episode yet! The Oscars were surprisingly good this year. We discuss the most moving moments, including the teary comeback of Brendan Fraser, the resilience of Ke Huy Kwan, the art-school weirdos who became the big winners, The Daniels, and why Lady Gaga is the Real Deal. Also discussed...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit smokeempodcast.substack.com After sustaining “the atom bomb I needed to follow my passion” (her imminent layoff, her husband having an affair), Lisa Schroeder went to cooking school and, in 2000, opened Mother’s Bistro in Portland, Oregon. From day one the place was packed, everyone wanting what Schroder calls “Mother Food” – meatloaf a...

Good morning from Chinatown NYC, where there are no avocados in my 42-square foot (including counters and all appliances, listen, it’s like walking a gang plank) kitchen, just a COVID test in-progress and some excellent coffee from Panther Coffee , based out of Miami. The owners, Joel and Leticia Pollock , are friends from the iteration of my life after Los Angeles, we met them in Portland, from w...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit smokeempodcast.substack.com The journalistas discuss whether “women writer” is a valuable identity and then welcome guest Stephen Elliott (who is many things but not a woman). Once a celebrated author and the founder of The Rumpus , Elliott is better known these days as the man who sued “Shitty Media Men” creator Moira Donegan, a lawsui...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit smokeempodcast.substack.com By Nancy Rommelmann I put most of my Portland coverage on my Substack, Make More Pie , where I almost never post audio. Since you all are audiophiles, and on the chance the story is of interest, I am cross-posting the episode here - NR The streets of Portland may be calmer than during the 108 straight nights...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit smokeempodcast.substack.com Welcome new subscribers to Smoke ‘Em If You Got ‘Em! We are super-stoked that Substack included our little pod as a Featured Publication. Quick lay of the land: Free subscribers get notified whenever we post an episode, and can enjoy 45-60 minutes of a free preview. Paid subscribers get our undying love and t...

We are talking feeding people this week, and Portland, and who counts as family. Yes that’s the little one in the pic, and me in the ‘stache. What a weird party that was! We wound up in a long conversation with an editor from another city, a visitor who tried to laser-beam you with his charm. “Don’t you know the effect you have on men?” he later said, to one of us, a line I found kind of hilarious...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit smokeempodcast.substack.com Two recent controversies prove the power of words, and also our country’s near-hopeless division. Publishers of Roald Dahl’s children’s classics, including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory , were busted making edits that removed “offensive” passages for modern audiences, an effort spearheaded by a group call...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit smokeempodcast.substack.com Earlier this week, nearly 200 New York Times contributors sent an open letter to the “paper of record,” excoriating its coverage on trans issues. GLAAD followed suit, with a letter that also made clear demands. The Times responded with a cool head. The end, right? Nope. The ensuing drama consumed journo Twitt...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit smokeempodcast.substack.com The Internet knows him as “Chartthrob” and “Map Daddy,” but once upon a time, Sarah knew him as “Snackwells,” the boy-genius politics editor at Salon and sweetheart of a co-worker who bought her a daily Diet Dr Pepper and picked stray vegetables out of everything he ate. The one and only Steve Kornacki joins...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit smokeempodcast.substack.com In 2021, actor Armie Hammer’s career crashed into the side of a mountain. The recently separated star had lined up a series of high-profile projects when an anonymous Instagram account called the House of Effie began posting eye-popping messages of violent sexual fantasy that purported to be from Hammer. “I a...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit smokeempodcast.substack.com What up with the language police? Nancy and Sarah take on the one-percent who insist on scrubbing the mundane (“he,” “she,” “the”) and the arcane (“graybeard”?) from our mouths on the off-chance the words cause harm or feelings of exclusion. Language is shape-shifting, and good communication aims toward inclu...