This is Why We're Friends

The girls are back again - this time talking about the usage of "genius" in popular culture and the mainstreaming of misogyny that has occured in response to #metoo. They also reveal the true pronunciation of "TBQH," which will be useful for parties. Recorded May 25, 2018.

Beth and Whit are back, with opinions on the Super Bowl and football, Stephen King, the State of the Union, and the state of satire. Beth also stops listening to Whit at one point because the content on Twitter was too good to ignore. Recorded 2/5/18

The gals are back after a long hiatus. They talk the new normal, the messiness of the Aziz Ansari case and hook-up culture in general, and the government shutdown and what it means for the future. (Apologies for the background noise - the gals kept getting too excited and hitting the table.)Recorded January 22, 2018.Intro/Outro: Miami Horror, ft. Cleopold - "Colours in the Sky"Links from the EpisodeBabe.net - "I went on a date with Aziz Ansari. It turned into the worst night of my life"Slate - "There Is No Rampaging #MeToo Mob"Jezebel - "Babe, what are you doing?" Whit's RecommendationsShape of Water (2017)Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)The Good PlaceBeth's RecommendationsCrooked Media Podcast NetworkThirst Aid Kit (podcast)

The gals are back with their longest episode yet. The sexual assault extravaganza that claims all of your heroes, how politics is still a different game, the variety of ways women are responding, and what exactly comes next. Plus tax bill (pre-December 1 vote) and your yearly update on the newest Starbucks Christmas cup controversy.  Recorded November 20, 2017. Intro/Outro: Sufjan Stevens - "Chicago"

The gals celebrate their one-year podcastiversary by gettin' talkative: tax plans; arguing with Gold Star families; psychiatrists diagnosing celebrities; cowardice of GOP senators speaking against the president; interminable Democratic leadership woes; the "Love, Little Rock" campaign; and Gorsuch, Most-Hated of the High Court. Recorded October 25, 2017. Intro/Outro: Rockwell, ft. Michael Jackson - "Somebody's Watching Me"

The gals talk books... and eventually Graham-Cassidy, the Alabama Senate race, NFL protests, and Puerto Rico. Recorded September 27, 2017. Intro/Outro: Tegan & Sara, ft. The Lonely Island - "Everything is Awesome"

The gals talk about everything* they missed by not podcasting over the last six weeks.*Not even close. Are you kidding? You realized how much happened, right?Recorded September 15, 2017.Intro/Outro: Backstreet Boys - "Everybody"Beth's RecommendationsSlate: Could Father Mychal Judge Be the First Gay Saint?Drunk HistoryKey and PeeleWhit's RecommendationsIT (trailer)Moana (trailer)Bojack S4 (trailer)

Jam-packed with a full gamut of topics: healthcare update (as of recording - before it temporarily resolved itself); unsung heroine of the Senate Elizabeth MacDonough; John McCain?!; the police shooting of Justine Dumond; and an extensive discussion of the recently released Democratic platform, which inspired the title of this episode.This episode is the last one for two weeks while This is Why takes a brief hiatus before hopping back to it.Recorded July 26, 2017.Intro/Outro: Janet Jackson - "Escapade"Links from the EpisodeThe Atlantic: Democrats Bet on a Populist Message to Win Back CongressCommonDreams.org: "Resistance Not Enough: Progressive Groups Push Democrats to Back #PeoplesPlatform" Beth's RecommendationsSlate: Our Unfounded Medical OptimismThe Big Sick (Rotten Tomatoes)Demi Lovato - "Sorry Not Sorry" (video)Destiny's Child #1's (YouTube playlist)Whit's RecommendationsThe Unexpected (website)Last Podcast: The Oklahoma City Bombing (pt. 1)Guggenheim: Italian Futurism 1909-1944: Reconstructing the UniverseGay of ThronesGame of Thrones IMGUR recaps 

The gals run the gamut: healthcare update (pre-vote), RIP Riverfest, more flight options out of Little Rock, the newest Planet of the Apes movie, Beth's love of Jane Austen and a briefing on the controversy around a new historical book and the libertarians who want to beat up historians in the parking lot over it.  Recorded July 18, 2017.

The gals avoid Russia, discuss what "white heritage" could possibly mean, and talk the voter "integrity" commission. Also: birthdays! ¡Vive el sueño!RECOMMENDATIONSBeth's RecommendationsSelena Gomez - "Bad Liar"John Oliver - The Sinclair Group (video)Whit's RecommendationsBaby Driver (movie)Buffalo Bison: Launcha Libre (iOS Game)

Title says it all, really. Prepare for your Senate Healthcare Bill update (before the July recess) and discussion of the Georgia and South Carolina special elections. Grab an empanada and get stressed 'bout the mess with your pals Beth and Whit. Recorded June 25, 2017. Intro/Outro: Gardens & Villa - "Dominos"

The gals talk the newest iteration of the ACA repeal (recorded pre-vote delay), the results of the UK election, the repeal of the Kansas tax cuts and what that means for current plans for national tax reform, and Wonder Woman. Also: we have a Drake moment. Recorded June 12, 2018. Intro/Outro: Cathy Dennis - "Touch Me"

Whit gives a primer on gerrymandering and current voter suppression cases before the Supreme Court, and the gals discuss an article accusing the Clintons of owning slaves, the prison industrial complex, and their opinions on the Hollywood Chrises.  Recorded June 7, 2017. Intro/Outro: Washed Out - "Hard to Say Goodbye"

Whit's going on vacation! To celebrate, the gals decided to talk about good news. Since there was no good news, they decided to play icebreakers instead. They even manage to learn things about each other that they didn't already know. Recorded May 29, 2017.

The gals chat about three major SCOTUS cases heard in the last term and Alex Tizon's divisive essay "My Family's Slave." Also Ally McBeal, apparently. Recorded May 22, 2017.

Birthday parties! The result of the French election! "ZombieCare" update! Whit makes coincidentally makes some cookies that are kind of thematically relevant! Recorded May 8, 2017.  Intro/Outro: Chvrches - "Gun"

The gals talk AHCA (pre-House passing the bill, failing to stay awayy from Trump news, the situation with North Korea, how we've become the petulant brats of the first world, the 7-trillion-dollar-deficit tax plan, the corporate takeover of government, the French elections on May 7, and the logic and ends of anti-immigrant sentiment. Recorded April 26, 2017. Intro/Outro: Billy Ocean - "Caribbean Queen"

The gals talk MOAB, the retail apocalypse of 2017 and spending habits among "millennial," the British royals latest good causes, Bill O'Reilly's exit from Fox News, and the ad wizards at Pepsi.  Recorded: April 22, 2017. Intro/Outro: The Drums - "Money"

The gals make it through an episode that runs a gamut of happy topics: Arkansas's execution spree, the Syria bombing, the White House presidential advisor circus, Supreme Court Justice nee nominee Gorsuch and the "nuclear option," and Joe Biden's strong diss game. Recorded April 10, 2017. Intro/Outro: The Wombats - "Moving to New York"

Oh God, it's an AHCA update. Plus background and current public school/charter school battles in Little Rock, Arkansas's "selective" abortion law, and Pence's dinner policies. Also: Beth doesn't have chips anymore. Recorded March 30, 2017. Intro/Outro: Mura Masa - "Lovesick"

Failure of the AHCA, the Trump budget, why we need public institutions, and the poisonous fog of despair that's killing Americans. Also: Beth has a bag of chips. Recorded Friday, March 24. Intro/Outro: Lizzo - "Good as Hell"

The gals talk Phantom of the Opera, detour to talk way too long about Gerard Butler, update you on the latest block on the latest Muslim ban, catch you up on the big ol' nothingburger that was Rachel Maddow's release of Trump's tax returns, and get into the details of the GOP's ACA replacement plan, the shortsightedness of said plan, and various other shenanigans of the Arkansas legislature. Recorded on March 15, 2017. Intro/Outro: Phantom of the Opera - "Overture"

The gals indulge their good moods by only talking about good things. It's... quite an eclectic mix. 

Elizabeth Warren, reflections on the nominations of Jeff Sessions and Betsy DeVos and what good news we can gleam from the process, SNL schadenfreude, the uses of late-night political comedy, and a half-hour discussion (beginning at 35:11) on the prescience of the movie Children of Men (2006) and what it can offer us in 2017.  Intro/Outro: The Range - "Metal Swing"

Muslim ban, Trump the Do-Nothing, monuments on the state capitol grounds, Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch, and diversity on the NYTimes bestseller list.

Two days, two computers, three recording sessions, and a whole lotta snacks in the making. The gals talk the Women's March, their first reader question, executive orders and what they actually mean, and questionable book deals. Intro/Outro: Action Bronson, ft. Chance the Rapper - "Baby Blue"

Last podcast of the Obama era: Obama's legacy and how we feel about him leaving, the pre-inauguration Trumpocalypse, identity politics and Pantsuit Nation, anti-depressant IVs, and way too many attempts at a theme song.

Catching up in this, the year of our Lord, 2017. Trump, feminist resistance, GOP shenanigans, and just a metric ton of friendship. Originally recorded on January 5, 2017. Intro/Outro: Thundercat - "Oh Sheit It's X"

Last podcast recorded in 2016! The gals talk North Carolina, political action, the superior stats of female physicians, and sensible footwear, among other things. Intro/Outro: Alexander O'Neal - "(What Can I Say) to Make You Love Me"

Catching-up, Trump's picks for HHS and Education, charter schools, and a rather garish techno cover of Amazing Grace. It's all here, folks. Intro/Outro: Tennis - "Origins"

Beth and Whit talk Starbucks "protests," the most awkward musical attendee in recent history, and Dr. Phil. Recorded before Thanksgiving 2016. Intro/Outro: Apollo Brown - "Know the Time"

Beth and Whit process the election, talk about what we can do, and somehow squeeze a laugh or two out of the whole damn thing.

Beth and Whit prep with some tequila and talk election developments, various miscarriages of justice, Beyonce, and Bono. Intro/Outro: Miami Horror - "Holidays"

Beth and Whit talk electoral forecast, sartorial choices, and why real ladies never seem to fall for robot guys, among approximately 23 other topics. Intro/Outro: Tesla Boy - "Runaway Man"

Beth and Whit avoid the imperial Cheeto running for president. Instead, they talk job flight, universal basic income, the future of the US, emotional labor and mental illness, and their adoration of Michelle Obama. Intro/Outro: Eric Prydz - "Pjanoo (Club Mix)"

Whit and Beth get depressed about the election! And mic issues! This episode has everything you've ever wanted! Intro/Outro: "Domino Fortress" by MRDR (Fayetteville, AR)

Inaugural episode! Beth and Whit talk Election 2016. Recorded October 6, 2016. Intro: Wild Cub - "Shapeless" Break: Tony Castles - "Hearts in the Pipe (KAUF remix)" Outro: Washed Out - "Don't Give Up"