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Smoke "Em If You Got "Em Podcast

Smoke "Em If You Got "Em

a podcast from the outskirts of the zeitgeist smokeempodcast.substack.com

news news commentary

All Episodes

2:46

The Sociopaths Among Us: The Husband Next Door

Smoke "Em If You Got "Em Podcast ·

2026/02/06

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit smokeempodcast.substack.com“I had started out determined to learn about Amanda, but as more people contacted me wanting to talk, it was Jason they wished to talk about.” - from To the Bridge, A True Story of Motherhood and Murder*This 7th installment of “The Sociopaths Among Us” is about the person who put me I mind to do the series in the first place. His name is Jason Smith, and he is the father of the two children his estranged wife,

26:01

241. Sebastian Junger on Escaping Death and the...

Smoke "Em If You Got "Em Podcast ·

2026/02/02

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit smokeempodcast.substack.com“The Left has done itself a huge disservice by demonizing men,” says Sebastian Junger, while discussing his recent piece, “Young Men and How the Democrats Lost Them.”The post ran on his new Substack, named TRIBE, also the title of his 2016 book, though readers may know him best from his 1997 blockbuster, The Perfect Storm, about the sinking of the commercial fishing vessel Andrea Gail. More recently, Junger is

21:26

240. Can Minneapolis Be a Turning Point?

Smoke "Em If You Got "Em Podcast ·

2026/01/28

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit smokeempodcast.substack.comIt’s been a rough few weeks, especially in the city of Minneapolis, which saw two citizens engaged in protest gunned down in the streets. Nancy and Sarah talk about how much has gone wrong, including statements from federal officials that directly contradict video evidence, a hiring spree at ICE that seems to have left many without training, and creeping paranoia in Minnesota and beyond. As Trump begins to

22:47

239. Ellie Avishai on the Unraveling of a Free-Speech...

Smoke "Em If You Got "Em Podcast ·

2026/01/22

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit smokeempodcast.substack.comNancy and Sarah speak with Ellie Avishai, who offers an inside look at how the ambitious project to build a bold new university — based on liberalism and open dialogue — fell victim to some of the same censorious behavior it sought to oust. The University of Austin was announced in 2021 with big names attached, perhaps none bigger (or more controversial) than Bari Weiss. Touting itself as a “coalition of the

27:48

238. Emily Zanotti on Catholicism, Chickens, and Not...

Smoke "Em If You Got "Em Podcast ·

2026/01/13

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit smokeempodcast.substack.comEmily Zanotti is a writer, a Catholic, a political operative, a mother of three, and a professional chicken tender, which is a thing. Nancy and Sarah know her from Twitter, where she is a great follow, but they’re taking this relationship to the next level. Podcast guest! The three talk about the mental health benefits of putting hands in the dirt, how Emily came to define herself as conservative (and what

16:20

237. Looking Back at 2025 (Best Of)

Smoke "Em If You Got "Em Podcast ·

2025/12/31

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit smokeempodcast.substack.comThe end of 2025 is here, whether we like it or not. Nancy and Sarah celebrate with a year-end episode that includes a pop quiz, their favorite culture recommendations, and even a few resolutions. Have and attend more parties! Don’t pay attention to nonsense! It’s an annual look-back with cameo appearances by Paul Thomas Anderson, Sean Combs, Sydney Sweeney, Charlie Kirk, Billy Joel, Chappell Roan, old classic

22:08

236. Kat Rosenfield Helps Us Build the Mount Rushmore...

Smoke "Em If You Got "Em Podcast ·

2025/12/24

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit smokeempodcast.substack.comThe great Kat Rosenfield, Free Press columnist and novelist, joins Nancy and Sarah for a very special Christmas-themed conversation that includes: a new holiday short story by Kat, the whole man-keeping/emotional labor debate, the role dirty socks can play in the unraveling of a marriage, and what it means to “get what you deserve.” Plus, each of the ladies builds her Mount Rushmore of Hotness, but only ONE MAN

20:53

235. Andy Mills Makes Us Feel Better About Humanity

Smoke "Em If You Got "Em Podcast ·

2025/12/20

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit smokeempodcast.substack.comAndy Mills, audio storyteller extraordinaire, joins Nancy and Sarah to talk about the “AI hinge moment” we’re living in, the subject of his new podcast “The Last Invention.” How scared should we be? Let’s discuss. They talk creative process, journalism’s inflection point and what was lost and gained in “the war of public shaming.” Plus: Books books books!Also discussed:* Gotta love a rotund tree* “The thing

19:55

234. Pamela Paul Spills On Her Exit From The New York...

Smoke "Em If You Got "Em Podcast ·

2025/12/12

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit smokeempodcast.substack.comThis is a hot one! Pamela Paul — longtime editor of the New York Times Book Review, author of nine books, current writer-at-large for the Wall Street Journal — tells Nancy and Sarah about her unceremonious exit from the New York Times, where she had been an Opinion columnist. What happened? Well, it’s a long and juicy story, one that includes a J.K. Rowling column, a “lot of dishonesty and fear,” and an email

8:21

The Sociopaths Among Us: Serial Killer

Smoke "Em If You Got "Em Podcast ·

2025/12/09

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit smokeempodcast.substack.comGoing to Gacy: A Cross Country Journey to Shake the Devil’s Hand, tells the story of a drive I made cross-country with a pen pal of John Wayne Gacy’s, to visit the serial killer in prison in the weeks before his execution. I originally sold the piece -- my first feature -- to Details. I wrote a draft and faxed it to the editor - this was 1994 - who told…

38:31

233. Mary Katharine Ham on Keeping Calm in the...

Smoke "Em If You Got "Em Podcast ·

2025/11/26

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit smokeempodcast.substack.comMary Katharine Ham is a journalist and political commentator who’s worked for both CNN and Fox. Her book End of Discussion: How the Left’s Outrage Industry Shuts Down Debate, Manipulates Voters, and Makes America Less Free (and Fun) came out in 2015 but basically predicts the next decade. A “natural contrarian,” Ham came to conservatism at a time when culture (and her Durham hometown) was dominated by liberals

33:56

232. Olivia Nuzzi and the Beds We Make Ourselves

Smoke "Em If You Got "Em Podcast ·

2025/11/22

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit smokeempodcast.substack.comNancy and Sarah discuss political writer Olivia Nuzzi, who became the main character on Twitter this week when an excerpt from her new memoir, published in Vanity Fair, coincided with a bombshell story by ex-fiancee Ryan Lizza. The scandal included cameos by broadcaster Keith Olbermann, politician Mark Sanford, and Livvy, a pop-music persona Nuzzi created at 16. Nuzzi is a talented journalist who’s appeared on

20:19

231. Girlfriend, We Have a Boyfriend Problem

Smoke "Em If You Got "Em Podcast ·

2025/11/11

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit smokeempodcast.substack.comNancy and Sarah discuss a viral essay from British Vogue, “Is Having a Boyfriend Embarrassing Now?” The free-wheeling conversation touches on dating changes over the generations, the different ways women tell stories about their relationships online, and how women over the past half century have tried to balance independence and attachment. Also discussed:* First Kurt Rambis reference, for those who celebrate*

25:46

230. Mike Pesca Convinces Sarah Sports Betting...

Smoke "Em If You Got "Em Podcast ·

2025/10/29

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit smokeempodcast.substack.comMike Pesca, host of the longtime daily news podcast “The Gist,” joins Nancy and Sarah to talk about sports betting scandal that threatens to destroy an entire industry. Marked cards, special contact lenses, the mafia: This is deep Scorsese territory. Sarah is so checked out on sports she didn’t know Pete Rose was dead, but she has questions about how betting went from taboo to industry goldmine. Pesca is Smoke’s

26:23

229. Women, Vengeance and Cancel Culture

Smoke "Em If You Got "Em Podcast ·

2025/10/23

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit smokeempodcast.substack.comNancy and Sarah talk about “The Great Feminization,” a Compact essay that’s stirred the hornet’s nest of social media. The recent story, by Helen Andrews, argues that many recent cultural shifts — cancel culture, wokeness, safetyism — can be explained by the influence of women, who tend to prioritize empathy over rationality and cohesion over competition. Is it true? Is it offensive? Let’s discuss! Also

22:11

228. Pitchforks Come for the Young Republicans

Smoke "Em If You Got "Em Podcast ·

2025/10/18

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit smokeempodcast.substack.comNancy and Sarah discuss a leaked Telegram group chat among Young Republicans with at least 251 slurs. Is it bad? Yes. Is it THAT bad? Let’s discuss, but let’s also ask the question: Does anyone care about privacy anymore? A conversation about gossip, the contagious nature of bullying, when we expect people to grow up, and how foul-mouthed dirty-minded men navigate the guilt that comes with maturity and

21:37

227. One (Portland/Antifa/Hollywood) Battle After...

Smoke "Em If You Got "Em Podcast ·

2025/10/12

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit smokeempodcast.substack.comNancy and Sarah talk Portland, where Nancy just returned from her forever-beat. The city of Portland is not on fire. What it is, instead, is a reminder of 2020’s worst political violence, and Nancy and Sarah talk about how it’s changed, and who wants that old feeling back. Then we discuss One Battle After Another, one of the most talked-about movies of 2025. It’s Big Lebowski meets political thriller meets

13:07

226. Ezra and Ta-Nehisi and a Cold Civil War

Smoke "Em If You Got "Em Podcast ·

2025/10/02

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit smokeempodcast.substack.comNancy and Sarah talk about a lightning-rod conversation between NYT podcaster Ezra Klein and award-winning writer Ta-Nehisi Coates. The two men spar on the political project of Charlie Kirk and the problem with / way forward for Democrats, and pretty much every side of the audience gets ticked off.Nancy was underwhelmed with the conversation; Sarah was reminded of private arguments she’s had and sees more common

2:30

The Sociopaths Among Us #2: Candace Owens

Smoke "Em If You Got "Em Podcast ·

2025/09/29

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit smokeempodcast.substack.comWelcome to episode #2 of The Sociopaths Among Us. If you haven’t listened to the disclaimer at the opening, go ahead and do that.I’ve been wanting to write about Candace Owens since 2019, when I engaged in a very short interview with her backstage at a political event. Was she charming and poised? Yes. Also, I’d never in all my years of reporting (or, heck, living) had someone suss me up so intensely and with

25:42

225. Meghan Daum on Our Culture's Catastrophe Hour

Smoke "Em If You Got "Em Podcast ·

2025/09/26

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit smokeempodcast.substack.comNancy and Sarah speak with Meghan Daum, the podcaster behind The Unspeakable and author of a great new collection of essays, The Catastrophe Hour. They talk about writing, Charlie Kirk, young people casting around for meaning, and a very eye-raising report in the New York Times about a recent blockbuster memoir about MDMA-assisted recovered memories of violent sexual assault. It raises some questions!Will this

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