For months, the girls/women have been threatening to have a Special Place special guest. And here he is! Kmele Foster, who’s one-third of the beloved and mega-popular Fifth Column Podcast, visits the pod to talk about . . he’s not sure what. (In fact, he’s not even entirely sure where he is or what he’s doing there.) Sarah and Meghan inform Kmele that he’s there to represent All Men and to explain the current state of masculinity, including why so many men are addicted to porn, unable to form meaningful relationships, and are getting outpaced by women in just about every area of life. Of course, none of this applies to Kmele, who’s been with his wife since they were in high school, has tons of friends (including famous and important ones) and is a stratospheric professional success. But he gamely has the conversation anyway. The result is a deep, wide-ranging discussion about everything from the mysteries of the universe to the mysteries of audio equipment.

Kmele stays longer for lots of bonus content, which you can hear if you become a paid subscriber. It also lets you join in the comments (here!), which are quickly becoming better than the show itself.

Other stuff to know about:

* Kmele’s podcast, with Matt Welch and Michael Moynihan, The Fifth Column (duh)

* Meghan’s new Substack page The Unspeakable With Meghan Daum

* Sarah’s Substack page Hold That Thought

* Meghan’s community-in-progress for freethinking women, The Unspeakeasy

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aspecialplace.substack.com