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PODCAST

pplpod

pplpod is a podcast about people, places and lots of other stuff. Each episode takes a deep dive into the lives, choices, and legacies of fascinating figures from history, culture, music, and beyond. From icons who shaped entire generations to hidden stories that deserve the spotlight, pplpod brings you closer to the people behind the headlines and the legends.Thoughtful, engaging, and story-driven, pplpod explores what makes these lives extraordinary—and what we can learn from them today.

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All Episodes

12:52

Episode 106 — Jesus Trejo: Family, Food & the Long...

pplpod ·

2025/09/22

pplpod Episode 106 traces Jesus Trejo’s path from Long Beach open mics to nationally touring headliner—built on warmth, precision, and stories that sneak up on your heart. We track the club years and The Comedy Store apprenticeship, the hour that put his name on the board (Stay at Home Son), and how caregiving, culture, and childhood become long-form bits with payoff. We dig into the craft—measured pace, clean framing, bilingual tags, crowd reads that invite rather than roast—and the side quests

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58:39

Episode 105 — Robin Williams: Velocity, Vulnerability...

pplpod ·

2025/09/22

pplpod Episode 105 chases Robin Williams’ whirlwind—from Juilliard spark and club improv detonations to sitcom lift-off with Mork & Mindy and a film run that made elasticity feel inevitable. We map the stand-up electricity—stream-of-consciousness riffing, character switchbacks, and hearts pulled open mid-bit—then trace the big-screen pivots: kinetic charm in Good Morning, Vietnam; feral tenderness in The Fisher King; family-shape-shifter joy in Mrs. Doubtfire; and the quiet grace that won an

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33:40

Episode 104 — Rob Reiner: Meathead to Master Storyteller

pplpod ·

2025/09/22

pplpod Episode 104 charts Rob Reiner’s rare two-act career—scene-stealing actor turned filmmaker with one of the most reliable hit streaks in modern cinema. We revisit the comedy chops of All in the Family (Meathead forever), then jump to the director’s chair for a run that’s somehow both beloved and bulletproof: the mockumentary gold of This Is Spinal Tap; the coming-of-age grace of Stand by Me; the fairy-tale perfection of The Princess Bride; the rom-com template with When Harry Met Sally…; the

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31:26

Episode 103 — Larry Wilmore: Pen, Podium & The Point...

pplpod ·

2025/09/22

pplpod Episode 103 tracks Larry Wilmore’s path from stand-up and sketch rooms to architect of sharp, humane TV comedy—and a late-night voice built for hard conversations. We trace the early writer-performer days (In Living Color, The Jamie Foxx Show), the breakthrough as creator of The Bernie Mac Show (Emmy, Peabody, Humanitas), and his stealth impact at The Office—both in the room and onscreen as Mr. Brown in “Diversity Day.” Then it’s the correspondent era on The Daily Show, the helm of The

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36:09

Episode 102 — Sarah Silverman: Shock, Heart & the...

pplpod ·

2025/09/22

pplpod Episode 102 follows Sarah Silverman’s arc from New York clubs and SNL to a brand of boundary-pushing comedy that learned to carry both sting and empathy. We revisit the rocket of Jesus Is Magic, the fearless, cartoon-chaos of The Sarah Silverman Program, and the craft stretch of HBO’s We Are Miracles and Netflix’s A Speck of Dust—where confession, timing, and moral ambivalence sharpen the punchlines. We track her late-night and podcast eras (I Love You, America, The Sarah Silverman Podcast),

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12:38

Episode 101 — Nina Conti: Monkey, Masks & The Voice...

pplpod ·

2025/09/22

pplpod Episode 101 explores how Nina Conti rewired ventriloquism—turning a classic craft into high-wire, deeply human comedy. We trace the early improv spark with mentor Ken Campbell, the birth of Monkey (equal parts chaos and conscience), and the breakthrough idea that changed her stage forever: live-mask improvisation that pulls audience members into the act—new “characters,” brand-new stories, zero safety net. Inside the toolbox: razor timing, vocal sleight-of-hand, split-persona rhythm, and

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48:23

Episode 100 — Richard Pryor: Nerve, Flame & the Truth...

pplpod ·

2025/09/22

pplpod Episode 100 dives into Richard Pryor’s revolution—how a midwestern club comic blew up his own act and rebuilt stand-up into raw autobiography with riotous nerve. We trace the early Cosby-adjacent polish, the Vegas walk-off, and the rebirth in Berkeley that forged a voice equal parts confession and combustion. From That N**r’s Crazy and …Is It Something I Said? to the live-wire perfection of Live in Concert (’79), we break down the craft: character pivots mid-sentence, vocal mimicry as social

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46:47

Episode 99 — Timothy Olyphant: Hat, Holster & the Art...

pplpod ·

2025/09/22

pplpod Episode 99 rides with Timothy Olyphant from indie-scene mischief (Go, The Girl Next Door) to two era-defining lawmen: Seth Bullock in HBO’s Deadwood and Raylan Givens in FX’s Justified (and the sharp, late-career encore Justified: City Primeval). We unpack his signature mix—laconic charm, coiled stillness, and a smile that warns more than it soothes—and how he turns silence into suspense. On the film side: action swings (Live Free or Die Hard, Hitman, The Crazies), a meta turn as James Stacy

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23:46

Episode 98 — David Shields: Collage, Confession & the...

pplpod ·

2025/09/22

pplpod Episode 98 dives into David Shields—the essayist–provocateur who turned collage into a worldview and made “nonfiction” feel newly electric. We trace the early sparks (Heroes, Dead Languages), the pivot to documentary intimacy (Remote, Black Planet), and the manifesto that changed syllabi and blood pressure alike: Reality Hunger. From there, it’s a reckoning with mortality (The Thing About Life Is That One Day You’ll Be Dead), reading-as-autobiography (How Literature Saved My Life), and

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26:56

Episode 97 — Larry Clark: Tulsa Truths, Kids, and the...

pplpod ·

2025/09/22

pplpod Episode 97 dives into Larry Clark’s raw, unflinching gaze—how a photographer from Tulsa turned private subcultures into public arguments. We track the landmark photobooks Tulsa and Teenage Lust: grainy flash, diaristic candor, and a trust-with-subjects approach that made intimacy feel dangerous and tender at once. Then the pivot to film—Kids with writer Harmony Korine—its shockwave through ’90s indie cinema, and a run that kept interrogating youth, risk, and consequence: Another Day in

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40:16

Episode 96 — Keb’ Mo’: Modern Delta, Easy Groove,...

pplpod ·

2025/09/22

pplpod Episode 96 traces Keb’ Mo’ (Kevin Moore) from L.A. sideman and studio craftsman to modern Delta-blues standard-bearer with a songwriter’s touch. We chart the ’90s breakout—Keb’ Mo’, Just Like You, Slow Down—and the calm, conversational style that made tradition feel newly lit: fingerpicked snap, honeyed baritone, and lyrics that leave room for air. Then it’s the long, steady climb: Grammys across decades (Keep It Simple, TajMo with Taj Mahal, Oklahoma), Americana crossovers, film/TV cues, and

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35:26

Episode 95 — Jerrod Carmichael: Jokes, Silence & the...

pplpod ·

2025/09/22

pplpod Episode 95 maps Jerrod Carmichael’s evolution from North Carolina club comic to one of the most quietly radical voices in modern comedy. We trace the early precision of Love at the Store, the moral geometry of 8, and the ground-shifting intimacy of Rothaniel—a special that turned confession into craft and won him an Emmy. On TV, we unpack The Carmichael Show’s fearless dinner-table debates, then jump to the Golden Globes host mic where charm met discomfort on purpose. On film, there’s the

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31:34

Episode 94 — Ice-T: Hustle, Gangsta Blueprint & a...

pplpod ·

2025/09/22

pplpod Episode 94 tracks Ice-T’s singular run—from orphaned L.A. hustler turning street reportage into rhyme, to gangsta rap’s early architect, to TV mainstay with a 20-year badge. We trace Rhyme Pays and Power, the manifestos on O.G. Original Gangster, and the detour that doubled down: Body Count’s crossover shock, the “Cop Killer” firestorm, and the long road to a Grammy win decades later. On screen, it’s New Jack City, Trespass, Surviving the Game, and a reinvention as Fin Tutuola on Law &

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42:00

Episode 93 — David Oyelowo: Purpose, Precision & the...

pplpod ·

2025/09/22

pplpod Episode 93 traces David Oyelowo’s journey from LAMDA and the Royal Shakespeare Company (a groundbreaking Henry VI) to an international career built on intention. We chart the breakthrough turn as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma, his harrowing one-man tour de force in Nightingale, and a run of roles that fuse rigor with heart: The Butler, A United Kingdom, Queen of Katwe, Jack Reacher, and Apple TV+’s Silo. We dig into the toolbox—research-heavy prep, vocal control, moral center—and the

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61:55

Episode 92 — Chris Jericho: Reinvention Engine — From...

pplpod ·

2025/09/22

pplpod Episode 92 tracks Chris Jericho’s four-decade shape-shift—from Winnipeg prospect and “Lionheart” in Mexico, Japan, ECW, and WCW to the WWE debut that stopped Raw cold and minted Y2J. We unpack the playbook: character pivots (suit-and-scowl heel, “List of Jericho,” Painmaker, Demo God), finishing-move evolutions (Walls of Jericho, Codebreaker, Judas Effect), and landmark rivalries from The Rock and Shawn Michaels to Kenny Omega and beyond. We follow the global loop—IWGP runs in NJPW, founding

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23:18

Episode 91 — Sally Struthers: Sitcom Spark, Stage...

pplpod ·

2025/09/22

pplpod Episode 91 traces Sally Struthers’ journey from breakout neighbor next door to enduring character actor with real range. We revisit All in the Family—Gloria Stivic’s warmth and bite, two Emmys, and a front-row seat to TV’s great culture clash—then her spin-off Gloria and the later reinvention as Babette on Gilmore Girls. We dive into stage life (national tours and regional stints, scene-stealing turns in musicals like Annie), plus voice work that stamped a generation (Dinosaurs, among

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39:39

Episode 90 — Amber Tamblyn: Camera, Page & a Voice...

pplpod ·

2025/09/22

pplpod Episode 90 traces Amber Tamblyn’s shape-shifting career—child actor with old-soul depth, poet with a scalpel, and director/activist who built her own lane. We revisit the TV breakouts (Joan of Arcadia, a fierce turn on House, M.D.), the big-screen bonds of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, and the leap behind the camera with Paint It Black. Then the writing life: early collections (Free Stallion, Bang Ditto), the haunting elegies of Dark Sparkler, the genre-tilting novel Any Man, and the

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57:43

Episode 89 — Aimee Mann: Needle-Drop Melancholy,...

pplpod ·

2025/09/22

pplpod Episode 89 follows Aimee Mann’s slow-burn mastery—from art-school bassist fronting ’Til Tuesday to a solo writer whose characters feel as vivid as old friends. We trace the Voices Carry breakout and the pivot to literate pop on Whatever and I’m with Stupid, then the seismic Magnolia moment—“Save Me” turning film angst into a near-whisper anthem. Inside the engine: dry wit, surgical rhyme, melodies that glide while the lyrics cut, and arrangements (with longtime allies like Jon Brion) that

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28:08

Episode 88 — Otto & George: Blue Fire, Black Thread,...

pplpod ·

2025/09/22

pplpod Episode 88 dives into Otto & George—the notorious, ferociously funny ventriloquist act that turned New York club basements into pressure cookers. We trace Otto Petersen’s Jersey/NYC grind, the boardwalk and bar gigs, and the years of late-night reps that forged a two-handed rhythm: Otto’s surgical crowd read and George’s unfiltered id. Inside the craft: misdirection through misanthropy, how a wooden partner can land jokes no human could, and the technical control—breath, beats, and brutal

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59:33

Episode 87 — Lin-Manuel Miranda: Bars, Books &...

pplpod ·

2025/09/22

pplpod Episode 87 follows Lin-Manuel Miranda’s leap from Washington Heights rehearsal rooms to a cultural reset on the biggest stages. We trace the college sketch that became In the Heights, its salsa/hip-hop heartbeat, and the translation of neighborhood into Tony wins. Then the pivot: years of reading, demos, and workshop grind that forged Hamilton—a mixtape of founding politics, wordplay, and musical theater craft that reintroduced history through hooks and point of view. We dig into the toolbox:

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7,536 results

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