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PODCAST

Bald and Bloviating

A nonpartisan bald news junky dissects top stories and rants about their implications, along with other personal, science, and tech discussions.

news news commentary

All Episodes

42:54

Three Times The Charm

Bald and Bloviating ·

2025/04/26

On this hilarious and brutally honest episode of Bald and Bloviating, Mookie Spitz ruminates on three — count 'em, three — epic bike crashes that all share one common thread: his stubborn refusal to admit he needs help. From a bloody Manhattan bike-lane disaster (that cost him $12K and a surgically rebuilt elbow) to two more wipeouts on California bike paths, Mookie serves up wild storytelling, painful lessons, and a raw look at how avoidant personalities handle crisis — badly. Packed with hu...

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38:40

Fertile Shittiness

Bald and Bloviating ·

2025/04/25

In this solo episode, Mookie Spitz reflects deeply and humorously on the paradoxical power of adversity and existential dread as catalysts for creativity. Sharing his colorful journey from nightclub manager to accidental father and executive to aspiring writer and musician — and eventually, an artist fueled by life's harsh realities — Mookie illustrates how the "fertility of shittiness" can inspire profound artistic expression. Drawing from personal anecdotes, philosophical musings, and...

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0:34

The Null Set

Bald and Bloviating ·

2025/04/24

Welcome to an in-depth discussion about The Null Set, just ∅, the void, the OG empty group. But don't be fooled—this mathematical bad boy is actually deep as deep can get... In this show, Mookie dives into the mystical, minimalistic beauty of the null set: where it came from (spoiler: ancient Greek mathematicians side-eyed it into existence), how it's used in modern mathematics (spoiler: everywhere), and why the big zero is the backbone of logic, set theory, and making math professors doubt Y...

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33:21

The Vigilante President

Bald and Bloviating ·

2025/04/23

Mookie Spitz dives into the dark heart of authoritarian allure, drawing creative parallels between Abel Ferrara’s cult classic Bad Lieutenant and the current political landscape. Why are millions of Americans rooting for vigilante-style justice over due process? What does it say about our collective psyche when a leader's chaos feels like catharsis? From El Salvador’s Bukele to Trump’s MAGA mystique, Mookie explores the growing embrace of brute-force leadership and the rejection of institutio...

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96:22

Blame Canada... and Ali Rizvi

Bald and Bloviating ·

2025/04/18

Mookie Spitz turns the tables on Ali Rizvi, and invites the Canadian podcaster, tweeter, and author onto his own show. They dive into the swirling chaos of modern masculinity, media madness, and midlife musings -- from praising Mick Jagger as the bisexual apex predator of rock, to wondering WTF happened to dude-bro billionaires including Musk and Zuckerberg. Along the way, they toast and roast Trump, break up with Bill Maher and Neil Degrasse Tyson, and BBQ behind-the-scenes deer steaks from ...

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25:25

Got Game?

Bald and Bloviating ·

2025/04/16

Seems two kinds of people inhabit the planet: those who have game, and those who don't. Here I rant about the importance of identifying yourself and others in either category, and what entails from such a fundamental distinction. Cited Pod https://www.buzzsprout.com/2455331/episodes/16756707 Send the host a text! Let him know what you think

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127:00

Katy Perry's Rocket Ride

Bald and Bloviating ·

2025/04/15

Buckle up and get set for some serious bloviating. Your bald host, Mookie Spitz reconnects with coiffed musician, psychologist, and desert van-dweller Reza Ziai for a wild ride full of paywalls, pop stars in space, and why Elon Musk might be the messiah—or a Bond villain with ASD and excellent connectivity. They unpack why Iran still doesn’t have nukes and what should and shouldn't be done about it, whether AI will wipe us out or simply ignore us, and why cultural appropriation might actually...

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49:20

An Up and Coming Andy Dick

Bald and Bloviating ·

2025/04/05

Doing things unconventionally my whole life, I've encountered unconventional people -- including celebrities-to-be Beck, and as described here, Andy Dick. Here I recount how we met, how we became friends, and our strange and memorable experiences together just before Andy moved to LA to become the Andy Dick we know and love and are annoyed by to this day... Blog Post https://mookiespitz.medium.com/an-up-coming-dick-2696f61684e0?sk=2b61aec7637b66b76e3745eb9c824cdc Beck Podcast https://ww...

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16:05

It Is John McWhorter's Achilles' Heel

Bald and Bloviating ·

2025/04/04

In this solo episode of Bald and Bloviating, host Mookie Spitz riffs on his linguistic pet peeve: the overuse of the passive voice. Prompted by a recent media blitz from linguist John McWhorter—whom Mookie once emailed with unsolicited writing advice—this episode dives into why phrases like "it is" and "there was" weaken prose. Drawing inspiration from a long-forgotten middle school teacher and Dickens’ famous opening, Mookie makes a passionate, funny case for active voice as the secret to st...

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84:40

Trumpageddon and Bernie's Revenge

Bald and Bloviating ·

2025/04/04

Mookie Spitz talks to a self-described leftist, Jared Vaugh Davis, to dissect the deep dysfunction of American politics, with a focus on what's gone wrong with the Democratic Party -- and how to fix it. Fast paced, with sharp humor and raw honesty, they explore whether personality is more important than policy, explore the need for a celebrity to lead the “New Democrat” movement, and the paradox of Trump ruining the country for real change to erupt. From Bernie Sanders to The Rock, from wrest...

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15:49

Signal to Noise: A Concerned Marine Father

Bald and Bloviating ·

2025/03/28

The Yemen attack Signal fiasco embodies the new administration's attitudes toward protocol, security, and the role of government itself. Here's my take from the concerned vantage point of a Marine dad... My video parody: https://www.instagram.com/p/DHr4FSRpQ5J/ My video commentary: https://www.instagram.com/p/DHqk_0oxuX7/ Send the host a text! Let him know what you think

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26:15

Beck is a Winner, Baby

Bald and Bloviating ·

2025/03/27

"I knew them when..." is the ultimate celebrity trope, in this case a true one when back in North Hollywood, California in the mid-80s, I got to know and hang out with teenage Beck. Reminiscing can be fun and revealing, saying much about the roads to fame, and the elements of great storytelling. Here's how I met him, recorded a song together, and argued about music. (Spoiler alert: Beck proved his point.) GIve us a listen! The inspirational blog post: https://medium.com/@mookiespitz/hi-...

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80:13

A Quickie At the End of the World

Bald and Bloviating ·

2025/03/25

Science fiction is often based on the counterfactual conditional, "What if...?" I based this short story I wrote back in the mid-90s on two such speculations: "What if... global nuclear disarmament precludes WW3 but leads to our extinction, anyway, because we can't deflect a planet-killer asteroid or comet?" and "What if... the President of the United States is eventually a transgendered person?" The combination sounds exotic and odd, and that's what I was going for as I did the reading...

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105:42

Slow Learner's Revenge

Bald and Bloviating ·

2025/03/22

Writers write, and when not writing stories write about writing stories. Here's a rant about my first short story, the short story itself, and the agony and ecstasy of learning how to write stories. Whether or not you're a writer you might enjoy hearing about the process, and how it feels to revisit work decades later, dust it off, and share it with shock and awe... The original short story: https://mookiespitz.medium.com/mission-impissible-5d92317db003 Send the host a text! Let him k...

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80:38

Seed of My Upcoming Novel

Bald and Bloviating ·

2025/03/20

At the home stretch of finishing and publishing my second novel, I waxed nostalgic and sought eleventh hour inspiration in dusting off the short story that spawned it. Here I give a bit of background, and read the original post that has evolved to a fully rendered novel, first in a series, out on Amazon and Kindle soon... My short story on Medium: https://medium.com/@mookiespitz/johnny-fazoolie-the-transfinite-reality-engine-9b2ee679b837?sk=ce18b77c905e6e729c584855841e80b4 Send the host...

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81:49

Call of the Multiverse

Bald and Bloviating ·

2025/03/14

The "Multiverse" has become a science fiction cliche and science fact distraction -- but where did the idea come from, and what might it mean for our lives if the hypothesis were actually true? I'm soon to publish a sci fi novel with this theme, taking a new take on it as described in this solo episode. Hope you enjoy! Here's an early draft of an early chapter from my sci fi novel as a teaser: https://medium.com/@mookiespitz/johnny-fazoolie-the-transfinite-reality-engine-9b2ee679b837?sk=ce18b...

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36:11

Everything DOESN'T Happen For A Reason

Bald and Bloviating ·

2025/03/08

How often do we hear the expression "Everything always happens for a reason"? I think the reason is rationalizing failure, and trying to sugar coat the inherent unfairness and difficulties of life. Here I describe why this phrase embodies the worst aspects of our "self-help" obsessed culture, and propose a better way to realize goals. Eager to hear what you think! Send the host a text! Let him know what you think

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100:35

Two Democrats, One Trump

Bald and Bloviating ·

2025/03/04

What happens when a Democrat tries to articulate what he thinks is the "Trump Doctrine" to another Democrat, who isn't having it? You get this podcast! Listen as two liberals go mano-a-Mar-a-Lago over Trump's second term so far... Regardless which side you sit on, the conversation takes some unexpected turns! The Debaters Vince Parry is a Democrat who dislikes (stronger words?) all things Trump. Mookie Spitz is the podcast host, who also voted for Harris but tries to espouse what he considers...

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50:34

Israel, Palestine, and the Intractable Middle East

Bald and Bloviating ·

2025/02/25

The Intent Sitting down and trying to understand the Middle East, and doing so as objectively as possible -- what do you think? The Original Video (at 1.5x speed) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=866CL2WWd0M&t=239s My Medium Posts https://mookiespitz.medium.com/list/middle-east-war-peace-e8a9771a422e Send the host a text! Let him know what you think

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45:53

The Trump Apologist

Bald and Bloviating ·

2025/02/25

A voting Democrat shares his take on "The Trump Doctrine" and how it makes sense, and why understanding its intent and merits are vitally important even and especially if you don't agree with it. Send the host a text! Let him know what you think

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65 results

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