Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em Podcast 99. Mike Pesca, Turbocharger of Sensible Political Commentary
Our guest is the “Long Island-accented, turbocharged” Mike Pesca, host of The Gist. We begin — and end! — with fabu tech failure, but along the way, we talk to the intrepid podcaster about getting thrown on the funeral pyre at Slate, why he can’t stand slow talkers, Israel-Hamas press coverage and culture clashes, and his high metabolism for information. Also discussed:
* Pesca’s podcast listening hack
* When is a testicle like avocado toast?
* The Jeopardy! question that cost Pesca the championship
* How NYT journalist Donald McNeil Jr. got fired and won a Pulitzer the same year
* Which publications are failing in their coverage of Israel-Hamas, and which might be getting better?
* Is there any proper context for the tweet, “How great you are Hitler”?
* Pesca suggests new Smoke ‘Em segment: “Kneejerk Nancy”
* Is “from the river to the sea” the new “All Lives Matter”?
* Wiccan priestesses at NPR? Bring ‘em on
* Is Sarah crazy to think Joe Biden’s kinda rockin’ it these days?
* Can anyone beat Donald Trump?
* Our “I ❤️ Mike Pesca” tattoos will be inked soon …
* Let’s not over-catastrophize about the world right now
* Sarah remembers Matthew Perry
Plus a cavalcade of hotboxes, and even Sarah is following the World Series.