Soundtrack of the Week

It’s the United States’ 250th birthday, and people from around the world get to celebrate as they visit U.S. cities for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Already, the reviews are coming in: World Cup tourists love America! But are they experiencing the same country Americans live in every day? This week, the gang debates tourism, patriotism, and why the U.S. can feel like two very different places dependin...

Utah is weird. New Orleans is haunted. St. Louis still sucks. This week, the gang ranks the best and worst destinations they've encountered, from cult compounds and liquor laws to ghost tours and big-city energy. Plus, a White House economist explains why your maxed-out credit card is actually good news, and Republicans discover a new strategy: middle school insults. (0:00:00) Intro (0:03:19) 2026...

Congratulations, Class of 2026! You're entering adulthood just in time for economic instability, AI disruption, housing unaffordability, the collapse of democracy and whatever fresh hell comes next. This week, the gang skips the motivational BS and shares the advice they wish someone had given them at 18, including do weird things while you're young, don't rush into marriage or kids, learn a trade...

It started with one leather bag. Three weeks later, Meredith is trapped in a full-blown leather-fueled obsession spiral. This week, the gang dives into obsessions: the things people collect, consume and build their personalities around, from Halloween decor to workaholism to shopping addictions and Swiftie-level fandoms. What do they latch onto, and is being obsessed healthy or is it a cry for hel...

What happens when a government obsessed with power can’t even protect itself?   This week, the gang dives into the latest close call involving the president and explores why these incidents feel less like coordinated political violence and more like symptoms of a collapsing system run by unserious people. Is this really about political violence, or is it about a government too incompetent to secur...

President Donald Trump has never shied away from a fight. Throughout his life, he has gained a reputation for speaking his mind with no filter. But this time, he may have picked the wrong opponent. This week, the gang discusses Trump’s feud with the Bishop of Rome, Vicar of Jesus Christ, Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church, Servant of the Servants of God: Pope Leo XIV. Will the bout end in a k...

It’s Easter Sunday. He is risen, and so are the questions. This week, the gang gets into Jesus, religion, spirituality, and why people feel the need to be saved at all. Think of it as an Easter sermon for atheists … or Presbyterians. (0:00:00) Intro (0:04:30) Jesus is part of Meredith and Jay’s week (0:08:37) Ty is rubbing elbows with high-level government officials (0:17:14) Sounds of the Week: T...

The World Baseball Classic gave the world a rare moment of unity: everyone hating on Americans as they act like absolute assholes. While other countries showed up with joy, pride, and actual personalities, Team USA brought military cosplay, dead-serious nationalism, and all the energy of a Pentagon halftime show. The gang digs into the militarization of sports, why America seems incapable of just...

War! What is it good for? Absolutely nothing … including this episode. The gang had already decided on a palate-cleanser episode, and the United States blowing up schoolgirls in Iran isn’t going to ruin that. This week, Meredith, Jay and Ty talk about the television shows that shaped their childhood. Strap in for a totally rad, 90’s-centric show!   (0:00:00) Intro (0:05:32) 2026 bingo card update...

The Department of Justice has released a new tranche of Epstein files, including millions of emails, photos, and other documents. Internet sleuths are on the case. The verdict? Pizzagate was real! Kind of. This week, Jay and Meredith try to convince Ty that there’s enough evidence to reveal that there’s a cabal of powerful elites across the world running a CSAM ring. (0:00:00) Episode preview (0:0...

For years, the SOTW gang has been outspoken about its disdain for guns. However, a lot has changed in just the last several weeks, including federal agents acting as secret police. Has the country reached a point where anti-gun advocates are loosening their stance? This week, Ty, Jay and Meredith discuss whether owning a gun might not be such a bad of an idea. (0:00:00) Episode preview (0:03:30) T...

The standoff between ICE and protesters in Minneapolis didn’t just escalate. It drew blood. A U.S. citizen is dead, shot by federal agents in the middle of an immigration crackdown that has reached the boiling point in the dead of winter. Recorded before the second killing on Jan. 24, the gang digs into what happens when an agency built for enforcement starts acting like it’s above the public, abo...

It’s the first episode of 2026, and we’re not easing in. We’re lighting the fuse. Ty, Jay and Meredith are kicking off the year with two time-honored traditions: 2026 bingo cards (our predictions for what headlines are about to ruin your peace) and the triumphant return of Celebrity Death Pool (yes, we went there). Who’s about to have a very bad year? What’s definitely going to happen? What’s so u...

It’s the last show of the year! This week, the gang gives their predictions for 2026. Will the economy collapse? Will there be another blue wave in November? Will the world end? Tune in to find out.   (0:02:35) Revisiting last year’s goals for 2025 (0:08:02) Ty’s pay “increase” (0:12:57) Meredith vs. cats (0:17:25) News update (0:23:28) Sounds of the Week: Democrats’ message to military and intell...

After months of swearing they'd do a palate-cleanser, the gang finally coughs one up. In this Thanksgiving special, Ty, Jay and Meredith dig into holiday memories, dredging up all the triumphs, disasters and psychic scars that happen when you trap an entire family in one house and call it gratitude. It's festive. It's nostalgic. It's a slow-motion car wreck with pie. (00:04:05) Meredith's corn cas...

The Democrats finally caught a big wave, rode it for five glorious minutes, and then face-planted into dry sand. On this episode, the gang digs into the 2025 "blue wave" that briefly washed over the country before evaporating in record time. Eight Democratic senators broke ranks to end the longest shutdown in U.S. history, with voters left blinking like "wait, what?" Intro: Northern Lights in the...

Trump's latest real estate investment? Flatten the East Wing and drop $300 million on a ballroom big enough for his ego. This week, the gang breaks down the funding fiasco, the motives behind the demolition, and why the new dance floor might be the most expensive metaphor for American politics yet. Intro: Labubus, Meredith's spooky 911 experience, Jay's Halloween vacation, Ty's health scare Sounds...

In SOTW 1.0, the gang was young, dumb, and invincible ... or so they thought. Fast-forward to their 40s, and their bodies are staging a full-scale rebellion. Jay has a Frankenstein knee, Meredith's running shoes are mostly decorative, and Ty faints at the sight of his own hemoglobin. This week, they talk about what "self-care" looks like when your warranty's expired—and the fine art of selective n...

Every ten years, the census hands politicians a fresh box of crayons—and somehow the "art project" always ends up looking like a crime scene. Despite the next census not due until 2030, the redistricting free-for-all is already underway: Trump pushing Republican states to redraw early, Democrats striking back, and the whole country caught in a cartographic cage match. This week, Geoff Gerling retu...

It's finally time for a palate cleanser episode! Just kidding. We're totally talking about ... you know ... that thing that happened. This week, the gang gives their totally neutral, not at all controversial, unbiased hot take on the $h0t heard around the world. 0:00:00 - Intro (Crypto currency investment fraud and other old people scams) 0:22:08 - Sounds of the Week: Musk on importing votes Sen....

Trump promised tariffs would make America strong. He didn't just tinker with trade—he brought a sledgehammer to a scalpel's job. Ten federal judges have already declared the biggest tariffs unlawful, and now the Supreme Court gets to decide whether to call it policy or vandalism. After months of whiplash—on again, off again—the pain is finally trickling down, landing squarely on families already g...

After 16 years, Marc Maron is calling it quits on one of the most iconic podcasts ever. That news got Tyson spiraling: if Maron can walk away, why does he struggle to let go of… well, anything? This week, the gang dives into the art (and agony) of moving on—from jobs to hobbies to relationships—and why cutting ties, even when things are good, can feel like pulling teeth. Spoiler: it's harder than...

After nearly 40 years of white-knuckling life with anxiety, Jay has finally joined Team Psych Meds™. Meredith and Ty — seasoned pros in the world of pharmaceutical mood maintenance — welcome the rookie to the roster. From side effects to life upgrades, the gang kicks back on the imaginary shrink's couch and swaps war stories about mental health, meds, and the weird, wonderful ways our brains respo...

Donald J. Trump is flexing unprecedented power, backed by a Republican-led Congress and a conservative-supermajority Supreme Court. But could the ghost of Jeffrey Epstein be his unexpected undoing? This week, the gang unpacks the explosive controversy surrounding the Epstein files—exploring whether the most notorious pedophile in history is posthumously challenging the most powerful man in America...

Journalism's having a moment —and not in a good way. We're only halfway through the year, and mainstream media's already managed to trip over its own feet... again. Truth is, it's been a slow-motion train wreck for years, and a lot of the damage is self-inflicted. This week, the gang digs into how legacy outlets keep botching the basics, what they're getting wrong, and whether there's any hope of...