521. I’m Your Biggest Fan!

In the final episode of our whale series, we learn about fecal plumes, shipping noise, and why Moby-Dick is still worth reading. (Part 3 of "Everything You Never Knew About Whaling.") SOURCES:Michele Baggio, professor of economics at the University of Connecticut.Mary K. Bercaw-E ... Show More

For years, whale oil was used as lighting fuel, industrial lubricant, and the main ingredient in (yum!) margarine. Whale meat was also on a few menus. But today, demand for whale products is at a historic low. And yet some countries still have a whaling industry. We find out why. ... Show More

Whaling was, in the words of one scholar, “early capitalism unleashed on the high seas.” How did the U.S. come to dominate the whale market? Why did whale hunting die out here — and continue to grow elsewhere? And is that whale vomit in your perfume? (Part 1 of “Everything You Ne ... Show More

As a culture, we are uncomfortably comfortable with mocking fangirls. Why is that? Spoiler alert, it's sexism. Anney and Samantha trace the history of fangirls and our dismissal of them, and discuss why fangirls run the world. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.ihear ... Show More

Pour le sujet de la semaine, nos chroniqueur·euses préféré·es nous parlent des fans et de leur obsession pour les personnalités publiques ! Iels s'intéressent aux phénomènes psychologiques derrière cet intérêt que nous avons probablement tous·tes déjà connu, à la question de la s ... Show More

When you think of fangirls, what comes to mind: large swaths of fandom (usually for a boyband) whose feelings culminate in tears and joyful screams? Perhaps you grimace or roll your eyes at the thought. In this fun, lively talk, playwright Yve Blake asks us to reevaluate our reac ... Show More

It seems impossible to go a week without Doja Cat stirring up a new controversy; from sporting a tshirt featuring an alt-right figurehead, to appearing in racist chatrooms and isolating her fanbase. As her behaviour appears to veer away from simple trolling and towards an actual ... Show More

It's not a bird, or a plane, it's toxic fandom! It's not super, man. Bad jokes aside, SMNTY investigates what exactly is going on in DC fandom, and particularly, the Snyderverse.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 

This week, we’re spilling the tea on OUR unpopular opinions, and trust us, things are about to get wild! Lewys is throwing down the gauntlet with a bold statement: Is Megan Thee Stallion the ultimate queen of this generation’s female rap performers? Meanwhile, Isla’s got a hot ta ... Show More

in this episode, we talk about modern love and all the ways it intersects with politics. we explore the age-old question "is love political?" we talk about all the things that sustain love, as well as the things that undermine it. we differentiate between healthy love and unhealt ... Show More

A lot of us grow up wanting to be famous, but is fame really all it’s cracked up to be? Having gotten a little taste of popularity in her own world, Emma talks about what it’s like having a following and being in the public spotlight. Plus, what it’s like for other major celebrit ... Show More

Broadcaster and comedian Steve Punt scours the archives to exhume the often pretentious and opinionated philosophical outpourings of pop stars through the ages. With the help of music journalists Paul Morley, Kate Mossman, DJ and record producer Ras Kwame and surprising soundbite ... Show More

Spencer Kornhaber, Shirley Li, and Hannah Giorgis assess the state of pop music following the Grammys. While the much-derided awards have improved at celebrating the diversity of modern music, they still tend to reward safer throwback sounds. And modern music as a whole seems to ... Show More