You Are Good

It’s about dancing, sure, but Sarah and Alex unpack Dirty Dancing’s dad themes and there is plenty to sort through. What happens when you disappoint your father by putting his own ethical code into action? A young woman gets radicalized and dance becomes a metaphor for sex and revolution. Dirty Dancing is, of course, the 1987 Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze oft-maligned “chick flick” that is about dancing, yes, but also lefty politics, reproductive rights, and—if you’re Sarah—imagining Jerry Orbach’s nipples. We are lucky to be joined in this conversation by our friend the wonderful Candace Opper. Original music by Carolyn Kendrick, who also produced the episode. Additional beats provided by Funky Fresh Lesh.    

It is about a shark, sure, but Sarah and Alex unpack Jaws' Big Dad Energy by looking at its larger themes in the context of their own experiences with fathers and dads. Jaws, of course, is Steven Spielberg’s wildly popular 1975 adaptation of Peter Benchley’s 1974 novel. The film is about at least one literal dad: Brody. And it’s about other men who remind us of our respective dads, sorting through their egos and masculinity while in pursuit of this shark. Sarah is also the co-host of You're Wrong About. Alex is also the host of Nashville Demystified. This episode was produced with support from and overside by Mary Dooe. It was produced by Carolyn Kendrick. Original intro song and interpretations of 'Show Me the Way' to Go Home and 'Spanish Ladies' by Carolyn Kendrick. Other original music by Mosart Nunez.

Sarah Marshall [You're Wrong About] and Alex Steed [Nashville Demystified] attempt to understand what the hell it means to be the grown children of dads and other dad-like figures. And, as they do with all difficult subject matter, they do so by looking through a pop culture lens. They try to understand their own dads, their relationships with those dads—and very possibly your relationship with your dad—by looking at fatherhood, and masculinity in television, film, and other popular [and unpopular] media. There are a lot of podcasts about being a dad. This is not that. This is dad crit. Produced by Carolyn Kendrick and Alex Steed for Knack Factory.