July is here, pod pals!
Here’s the run-down of our episode this month. We start out with some pod news, followed by a round of what Alex and Lainey are listening to. After Lainey shares her BYOP (Bring Your Own Podcast) pick, you’ll hear an interview with Chellese Grove and Beau York from the Red Flag podcast. This podcast is about the origins of the Mississippi state flag and how, ultimately, the flag changed in 2020. We’ll round us out with some Calendar Corner picks.
That’s it…well, that seems quick. But we have an episode JAM-PACKED with podcast recommendations, so buckle up. Enjoy!
In the (Podcast) News
- Good news! Pod Pal Eric Marcus has launched his 9th season of Making Gay History! This season focuses on the AIDS Crisis in the 1980s. Over six chapters of this audio memoir, Eric will tell listeners a little of what those first confusing and frightening years of the crisis were like. Listen to the first episode here.
- Alex was thrilled to learn that Floodlines, a fantastic podcast from The Atlantic won a Peabody Award! Additionally, she recommends Unfinished: The Deep South, another great pod that was nominated for a Peabody Award.
- Lainey started out with some wild podcast-slash-catfishing news, passed along courtesy of her Dad:
“A catfishing scandal rocked Lakers Twitter and left a lot of unanswered questions“ - Check out NPR Throughline‘s three-part series on capitalism—perfect if you’ve been engaging in conversations on the topic with family and friends and want some interesting perspectives and history.
- For something lighter and immersive, try out Gimlet Media’s fictional podcast Two Princes—perfect for kids and adults like!
- Have questions about the “Free Britney” movement? Lainey sought answers from The Shit Show‘s “WTF is the Free Britney Movement” and WSJ – The Journal’s “Britney Spears Wants Her Life (And Money) Back” episodes.
- Alex recommends Pineapple Studios’ 70 Over 70 for insightful interviews, all with striking individuals over the age of 70.
- BuzzFeed Daily covered why “Black TikTok Creators Fight Back On Dances.”
- Kristen Bell and Monica Padman (producer for Armchair Expert) have a new podcast called Shattered Glass—it’s all about recognizing, interviewing, and celebrating women who have broken the glass ceiling in a variety of industries.
- Put on your tinfoil hat…The Daily covers the UFO report.
- Another Pod Pal™️ of ours, The Bowery Boys, covered “The Very Gay History of Fire Island” in their June 4th episode.
- One of Alex’s favorite podcasts, Imagined Life, has a great episode from June 11th titled “The Witness.” Give a listen and see if you can guess the famous figure they’re following!
- Lainey learned a lot about Critical Race Theory on NPR’s Consider This.
BYOP (Bring Your Own Podcast)
This month, Lainey’s BYOP was The Doodler from The San Francisco Chronicle and Ugly Duckling Films.

“The Golden State Killer. The Unabomber. Ted Bundy. You’re probably familiar with these serial killers. But in the mid-1970s, another monster terrorized San Francisco’s gay community. He was coined “The Doodler,” and he may have been responsible for as many victims as the Zodiac Killer, yet you’ve probably never heard of him. Plagued by a complicated investigation, a frightened public, and the hesitation of many to come forward, the case went cold, and a killer walked free. Nearly 50 years later, a renewed hunt for a forgotten serial killer seeks to change that.“
- From The San Francisco Chronicle and Ugly Duckling Films
- Contains 8 episodes, about 30 minutes long
- Hosted by reporter Kevin Fagan
- Find out more about the unsolved crimes here.
- Listen to the full podcast here.
- See the updated police sketch here.
Interview with Chellese Grove and Beau York from the Red Flag Podcast!

Mississippi was the last state to actively fly the confederate battle flag within the canton of its own state flag. For many years, state-funded universities and some cities around the state refused to put up the flag. In 2001 a motion was put to popular vote, but in the end nothing was changed. As the issue became more urgent, with white supremacists flying not only the Confederate and the Nazi flags, but also Mississippi’s state flag, a group of Mississippians began creating a podcast to tell the story of how Mississippi is changing itself from within. They saw an opportunity to showcase the future of their state, not the past. They wanted listeners to shape the outcome of that story. And they did.
The Hosts’ Pod Recs:
- Beau’s a big fan of Truth’s Table, another Podastery show that is hosted by Michelle Higgins, Christina Edmondson, and Ekemini Uwan, three Black Christian women who love truth and seek it out wherever it leads them.
- Chellese has found solace in The Splendid Table, a podcast connecting people through the common language of food and eating, as it speaks to her passion for baking.
Calendar Corner
- July 4th — Independence Day
- July 12th — Etch a Sketch Day
- Stuff You Should Know is our go-to when figuring out the history behind the wacky. Check out their episode on the Etch A Sketch.
- July 14th — Bastille Day
- The Land of Desire is a French History and Culture podcast. They covered Bastille Day in their July 2016 episode.
- July 14th — Shark Awareness Day
- Take a listen to Shark Tales from NBC10 Boston and the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy.
- July 17th — World Emoji Day
- Lexicon Valley has a July 26, 2016 episode called “Are Emoji A Language?”
- Emoji Wrap covers everything emoji related for your podcast needs!
- July 21st — Junk Food Day
- Doughboys has you covered on all things chain restaurants.
- July 24th — National Tequila Day
- Tequila Talk with Daisy Fuentes and Richard Marx is hosted by the titular married couple. Each episode, they open up a bottle of tequila and talk about life.
- July 27th – Take Your Houseplants for a Walk Day
- Plant Daddy Podcast hosts Stephen and Matthew are excited to be your digital plant friends! Check out the cute website with bios about the hosts that mention their first plants.
- Bloom and Grow Radio, led by host Maria has lots of interviews to help you stop killing your houseplants—and the website features a fun Plant Parent Personality Quiz!
- July 30th — Cheesecake Day
- Thank everyone for being a friend around a big ‘ol cheesecake this month and listen to Let Them Eat Cheesecake (A Golden Girls Podcast).
- August 1st — Girlfriends Day
- Call Your Girlfriend is a solid podcast that came out of hosts Aminatou and Ann’s long distance friendship.
- Shattered Glass, mentioned earlier, shows off hosts Kristen and Monica’s friendship and is focused on lifting up other women.
July is a wrap! Let us know what you’re listening to—DM us, email us, or Tweet us!
—Lainey & Alex