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Explain It to Me

DIY or don’t?

Explain It to Me

Vox Media Podcast Network

Society & Culture, News, Education, Politics

4.48K Ratings

🗓️ 7 June 2026

⏱️ 27 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

YouTube has advice for how to do everything from plumbing to electrical work. Should you take it? This episode was produced by Hady Mawajdeh, edited by Jenny Lawton, fact-checked by Isabelle Lichtenstein, engineered by David Tatasciore, and hosted by Jonquilyn Hill. Home improvement DIY-er Imani Keal painting her Washington, DC apartment. If you have a question, give us a call at 1-800-618-8545 or email askvox@vox.com. Listen to Explain It to Me ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Oh, what did you watch a YouTube video and then try it yourself?

0:04.5

And he said, actually, I did.

0:06.5

That kind of gives me a purpose personally to be able to fix these things for our home.

0:12.1

So I opened up the front of the dryer and I used my hair dryer on it.

0:16.2

And a week later, it broke down.

0:22.3

I love a home improvement video.

0:25.1

Like, you decided to install an entire IKEA kitchen by yourself?

0:29.2

And we're having to deal with 210 packages, and we have to put it all together ourselves.

0:34.8

You bought an abandoned house, and now you're renovating it. There are holes in the

0:39.2

ceilines. This is not the only one. But you know, I have faith that I can fix this place up.

0:44.1

You're building a tunnel under your hole. I cut a hole in my sub-basement wall and started

0:50.0

cutting into the rock under my house. That ambition is super impressive to me, because I will

0:56.6

absolutely call in reinforcements to change a light bulb. But it seems like the internet is telling me,

1:02.8

if you've got a screwdriver and a dream, you can get some real work done. I'm John Gwynne Hill.

1:08.1

This is explained to me from Vox, and today we're getting handy.

1:12.6

But first, I need a little advice from an actual expert.

1:16.6

Pam Pibus, host a Fix It 101 on MPB Think Radio here in Jackson, Mississippi.

1:24.9

I have gotten phone calls from Korea.

1:27.1

Oh.

1:27.3

I guess they must be listening online. I don't know. I have gotten phone calls from Korea. I guess they must be listening

1:28.4

online. I don't know. I don't understand all the technology. I just show up and they broadcast the show.

1:35.1

Okay, so how'd you get into home improvement? Oh, girl, I grew up in it. My, yeah, my daddy was a contractor.

...

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