Overview
2922 Episodes
Mike joins Jeremy Hobson on The Follow Up to discuss the "awful but lawful" nuances of the Minneapolis ICE shooting, the potential blowback of the Trump administration branding it a "riot," and why threats against Iran often ignore dangerous second-order effects. Plus, a Spiel from the week analyzing the flood of anonymous quotes in Dexter Filkins' New Yorker profile of Marco Rubio, and why unnamed sources might reveal more about the reader's bias than the subject's character. Produced by Corey Wara Coordinated by Lya Yanne Video and Social Media by Geoff Craig Do you have questions or comments, or just want to say hello? Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com For full Pesca content and updates, check out our website at https://www.mikepesca.com/ For ad-free content or to become a Pesca Plus subscriber, check out https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ For Mike's daily takes on Substack, subscribe to The Gist List https://mikepesca.substack.com/ Follow us on Social Media: YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Instagram https://www.instagram.com/pescagist/ X https://x.com/pescami TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@pescagist To advertise on the show, contact ad-sales@libsyn.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist
Transcribed - Published: 17 January 2026
Comedian Liza Treyger explains why she prefers the 1:30 a.m. Comedy Cellar crowd—the drunk, the horny, the post-Broadway undead—and why bombing early is harder than thriving late. Her Netflix special Night Owl doubles as a thesis on power, hypocrisy, and why men who "hate Taylor Swift" seem uniquely unable to stop talking about her. Treyger argues that worst moments often are the résumé, that comedy works better when it sounds unwritten, and that moral panic is usually just bad joke construction in disguise. Plus: owls, tattoos, true crime, and just a little but about Luigi. Produced by Corey Wara Coordinated by Lya Yanne Video and Social Media by Geoff Craig Do you have questions or comments, or just want to say hello? Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com For full Pesca content and updates, check out our website at https://www.mikepesca.com/ For ad-free content or to become a Pesca Plus subscriber, check out https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ For Mike's daily takes on Substack, subscribe to The Gist List https://mikepesca.substack.com/ Follow us on Social Media: YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Instagram https://www.instagram.com/pescagist/ X https://x.com/pescami TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@pescagist To advertise on the show, contact ad-sales@libsyn.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist
Transcribed - Published: 16 January 2026
Charles Duhigg returns to explain why great talkers are usually great listeners, and how "looping for understanding" can lower the temperature in almost any disagreement. Plus, a Spiel about going on the record about going off-the-record and we play everybody's favorite Game "Who is Donald Trump Threatening Here" Produced by Corey Wara Coordinated by Lya Yanne Video and Social Media by Geoff Craig Do you have questions or comments, or just want to say hello? Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com For full Pesca content and updates, check out our website at https://www.mikepesca.com/ For ad-free content or to become a Pesca Plus subscriber, check out https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ For Mike's daily takes on Substack, subscribe to The Gist List https://mikepesca.substack.com/ Follow us on Social Media: YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Instagram https://www.instagram.com/pescagist/ X https://x.com/pescami TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@pescagist To advertise on the show, contact ad-sales@libsyn.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist
Transcribed - Published: 15 January 2026
Today on The Gist, a look at Donald Trump's plan to cap credit card interest rates at 10%—a populist move that might actually rob the poor to pay for the rich man's travel perks. Then, former CIA analyst and The Rest Is Classified co-host David McCloskey discusses his new novel, The Persian. He explains how real-world Mossad operations inside Iran are so "insane" they don't even need to be exaggerated for fiction, from remote-controlled machine guns to the devastating pager attack that crippled Hezbollah's command and control. He also breaks down the "unlikely but plausible" tradecraft used in the Israel-Iran shadow war and why the U.S. organizational and legal structure wouldn't—or couldn't—pull off the same stunts. Produced by Corey Wara Coordinated by Lya Yanne Video and Social Media by Geoff Craig Do you have questions or comments, or just want to say hello? Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com For full Pesca content and updates, check out our website at https://www.mikepesca.com/ For ad-free content or to become a Pesca Plus subscriber, check out https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ For Mike's daily takes on Substack, subscribe to The Gist List https://mikepesca.substack.com/ Follow us on Social Media: YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Instagram https://www.instagram.com/pescagist/ X https://x.com/pescami TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@pescagist To advertise on the show, contact ad-sales@libsyn.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist
Transcribed - Published: 14 January 2026
Reese Gorman of Notus (and the On Notus podcast) explains the outlet's "teaching hospital" model for young journalists—and reports that Republicans are privately furious about being cut out of Venezuela, tariffs, and appropriations, even as almost none of them do anything to reclaim Congress's prerogatives beyond symbolic discharge petitions. Then, Dexter Filkins' new profile is our guide to Marco Rubio's ideological malleability as career strategy: swallow the zig, repeat the zag. Plus, why the left's most radical policy ideas can spread under the cover of benevolent framing and definitional ambiguity—and why that's a branding and governing problem for Democrats even if the far right remains more dangerous overall. Produced by Corey Wara Coordinated by Lya Yanne Video and Social Media by Geoff Craig Do you have questions or comments, or just want to say hello? Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com For full Pesca content and updates, check out our website at https://www.mikepesca.com/ For ad-free content or to become a Pesca Plus subscriber, check out https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ For Mike's daily takes on Substack, subscribe to The Gist List https://mikepesca.substack.com/ Follow us on Social Media: YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Instagram https://www.instagram.com/pescagist/ X https://x.com/pescami TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@pescagist To advertise on the show, contact ad-sales@libsyn.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist
Transcribed - Published: 13 January 2026
Former FBI agent Séamus McElearney, author of Flipping Capo: How the FBI Dismantled the Real Sopranos, walks through the case that shattered the DeCavalcante crime family. He explains the mob's quiet tax on regular people via unions—no-show jobs, pension skims, and an asbestos local run by guys who couldn't pass the test (so they had someone take it for them). He also gets into the overlap with The Sopranos and contrasts real life with the one premise he says flatly wouldn't happen: a boss talking mob business to a shrink. Plus, the Renee Good shooting and the way "objectively reasonable" ends up riding on an officer's story; and in the Spiel, Iran's protests and "semi-official" media; and how the fake Fed investigation is Trump's own attempt at an autocrat-like crackdown. Produced by Corey Wara Coordinated by Lya Yanne Video and Social Media by Geoff Craig Do you have questions or comments, or just want to say hello? Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com For full Pesca content and updates, check out our website at https://www.mikepesca.com/ For ad-free content or to become a Pesca Plus subscriber, check out https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ For Mike's daily takes on Substack, subscribe to The Gist List https://mikepesca.substack.com/ Follow us on Social Media: YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Instagram https://www.instagram.com/pescagist/ X https://x.com/pescami TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@pescagist To advertise on the show, contact ad-sales@libsyn.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist
Transcribed - Published: 12 January 2026
Mike breaks down the U.S. abduction of Nicolas Maduro, arguing that Donald Trump's penchant for exaggeration shouldn't blind us to actual strategic successes. He digs into why media "truth-tracking" often fails to account for real-world military outcomes, using the Fordow strikes and the defeat of ISIS as proof that a leader's bad narration doesn't always mean a failed mission. Plus... A vault interview with Oxford's Ben Ansell on "FADFO"—the phenomenon of "fucking around and not finding out"—and how modern guardrails allow political radicals to escape the consequences of the chaos they create. Produced by Corey Wara Coordinated by Lya Yanne Video and Social Media by Geoff Craig Do you have questions or comments, or just want to say hello? Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com For full Pesca content and updates, check out our website at https://www.mikepesca.com/ For ad-free content or to become a Pesca Plus subscriber, check out https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ For Mike's daily takes on Substack, subscribe to The Gist List https://mikepesca.substack.com/ Follow us on Social Media: YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Instagram https://www.instagram.com/pescagist/ X https://x.com/pescami TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@pescagist To advertise on the show, contact ad-sales@libsyn.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist
Transcribed - Published: 10 January 2026
The physician and health-policy veteran lays out six "simple" rules for a long, healthy life, arguing that most wellness advice fails by demanding perfection—and that moderation, sociability, and routines matter more than optimization. He gets data-nerdy on risk (Everest versus skydiving), alcohol as social lubricant, and why "good" ice cream can fit into a sane diet. Plus, a look at the Trump administration's politically self-sabotaging response to the Minneapolis ICE shooting—and a detour through the seized "ghost fleet" tanker Marinera (formerly Bella 1), the kind of ship that survives by constantly changing its identity. Produced by Corey Wara Coordinated by Lya Yanne Video and Social Media by Geoff Craig Do you have questions or comments, or just want to say hello? Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com For full Pesca content and updates, check out our website at https://www.mikepesca.com/ For ad-free content or to become a Pesca Plus subscriber, check out https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ For Mike's daily takes on Substack, subscribe to The Gist List https://mikepesca.substack.com/ Follow us on Social Media: YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Instagram https://www.instagram.com/pescagist/ X https://x.com/pescami TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@pescagist To advertise on the show, contact ad-sales@libsyn.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist
Transcribed - Published: 9 January 2026
Michael A. Cohen, author of the Truth and Consequences newsletter, and Charles Fain Lehman, Fellow at the Manhattan Institute, debate the capture of Nicolas Maduro and whether Marco Rubio is positioning himself as the "Governor General of Latin America." The panel analyzes Tim Walz's exit from the Minnesota governor's race amid a $9 billion pandemic fraud scandal and the controversial appointment of Cea Weaver to New York's housing office. Plus,the debunking of the "Heritage American" myth that only 37–39% of the population meets the pre-1860 ancestry criteria, the New York Times' creative statistics on 8.5 MPH bus speeds, and Larry David's strict January 7th statute of limitations on wishing anyone a "Happy New Year." Produced by Corey Wara Coordinated by Lya Yanne Video and Social Media by Geoff Craig Do you have questions or comments, or just want to say hello? Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com For full Pesca content and updates, check out our website at https://www.mikepesca.com/ For ad-free content or to become a Pesca Plus subscriber, check out https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ For Mike's daily takes on Substack, subscribe to The Gist List https://mikepesca.substack.com/ Follow us on Social Media: YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Instagram https://www.instagram.com/pescagist/ X https://x.com/pescami TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@pescagist To advertise on the show, contact ad-sales@libsyn.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist
Transcribed - Published: 8 January 2026
The thriller-machine (and civics savant) returns to talk The Viper, the latest Zig-and-Nola mystery, and why he'll write 350 pages before he bothers naming the thing. Plus, a harrowing Minneapolis video after an ICE agent shoots into a slowly moving SUV—and the yawning gap between what the footage seems to show and DHS talk of "rioters" and a "weaponized" vehicle. Also: the debut of what may become a recurring segment—Let's Parse What Tony Dokoupil Said—from a 17-second January 6th mention to a Marco Rubio kicker that might have been a "meh" joke or might have been the death knell of democracy, depending on your source. Produced by Corey Wara Coordinated by Lya Yanne Video and Social Media by Geoff Craig Do you have questions or comments, or just want to say hello? Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com For full Pesca content and updates, check out our website at https://www.mikepesca.com/ For ad-free content or to become a Pesca Plus subscriber, check out https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ For Mike's daily takes on Substack, subscribe to The Gist List https://mikepesca.substack.com/ Follow us on Social Media: YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Instagram https://www.instagram.com/pescagist/ X https://x.com/pescami TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@pescagist To advertise on the show, contact ad-sales@libsyn.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist
Transcribed - Published: 7 January 2026
Andy Mills, creator of The Last Invention podcast, explores I.J. Good's 1965 concept of an "intelligence explosion"—and explains why "AGI" is a deceptively harmless term for a world-changing event. The central problem? Modern AI acts like a black box, often producing results that shock even its designers with no clear explanation of how they got there. Plus: A rebuttal to "spheres of influence" thinking, and why carving up the world is a bad strategy. Produced by Corey Wara | Coordinated by Lya Yanne | Video and Social Media by Geoff Craig Do you have questions or comments, or just want to say hello? Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com For full Pesca content and updates, check out our website at https://www.mikepesca.com/ For ad-free content or to become a Pesca Plus subscriber, check out https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ For Mike's daily takes on Substack, subscribe to The Gist List https://mikepesca.substack.com/ Follow us on Social Media: YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Instagram https://www.instagram.com/pescagist/ X https://x.com/pescami TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@pescagist To advertise on the show, contact ad-sales@libsyn.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist
Transcribed - Published: 6 January 2026
Venezuelan expert Quico Toro explains why the removal of Nicolás Maduro feels historic—and yet leaves Venezuela largely unchanged, with the regime's machinery fully intact. Toro warns that Washington's belief in Rodríguez as a workable "moderate" badly misreads her ideological lineage and incentives. Plus: a spiel on Trump's lies and bombast—why presidential exaggeration is a poor proxy for judging whether high-risk foreign operations actually succeed. And the thickness of Venezuelan oil, Trump blood, and maybe Trump himself. Produced by Corey Wara | Coordinated by Lya Yanne | Video and Social Media by Geoff Craig Do you have questions or comments, or just want to say hello? Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com For full Pesca content and updates, check out our website at https://www.mikepesca.com/ For ad-free content or to become a Pesca Plus subscriber, check out https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ For Mike's daily takes on Substack, subscribe to The Gist List https://mikepesca.substack.com/ Follow us on Social Media: YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Instagram https://www.instagram.com/pescagist/ X https://x.com/pescami TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@pescagist To advertise on the show, contact ad-sales@libsyn.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist
Transcribed - Published: 5 January 2026
Mike Pesca digs into the vault for two 2017 interviews exploring the "ground game" of the New York stand-up scene and the "ad hominem screech" of early outrage culture. Dan Soder discusses his transition from a hard-drinking youth to a maturity fueled by caffeine and cannabis, admitting that his iconic Russian accent bit remains the "Free Bird" closer he can't quite escape. Meanwhile, Moshe Kasher dissects the launch of his series Problematic and the shallowing of the American brain, arguing that a comedian's primary duty is the "primacy of laughter" rather than social activism. Along the way: why Arizona rain smells like "hot nails" and how lighting a cigarette at night acts as a lighthouse for the mentally ill. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact ad-sales@libsyn.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM Follow The Gist List at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack
Transcribed - Published: 3 January 2026
Rosebud Baker explains why motherhood is the most political act of her life and how she handles breastfeeding pressure by claiming she's "raising her daughter autistic" with formula and vaccines. The SNL writer joins Mike Pesca to discuss her transition from the "joke-heavy" homework of her first special to the conversational honesty of Motherlode, while detailing her process of churning out 50 headlines a day for Weekend Update. Along the way: the "embarrassing" ego of Elon Musk's comedy crusade, the legacy of her grandfather James Baker, and the dolphin-riding photo that finally convinced her comedian husband to get a hair transplant. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact ad-sales@libsyn.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM Follow The Gist List at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack
Transcribed - Published: 2 January 2026
Comedian Robby Hoffman explains why she treats complaining as "enjoying"—and why her Depression-era instincts make her shakier during good times than disasters. Her approach to stand-up is visceral rather than cerebral: she doesn't remember the bit about the woman closing the airplane bathroom door, she replays the movie and watches her body operate on its own. Along the way: memories of growing up with nine siblings in Montreal poverty, where conflict wasn't optional ("we didn't get to not know anything"), the nightstand intervention that changed her brother Schnaer's life, and why she keeps a crisp $100 bill in her wallet like Depression-era insurance. Plus, the greatest taxonomy of social fakery ever delivered by a lesbian comedian—a warning that "being offended isn't that bad" and people who put "kind" in their Twitter bios are statistically suspect. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact ad-sales@libsyn.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM Follow The Gist List at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack
Transcribed - Published: 1 January 2026
Oxford-educated archaeology student turned freestyle sensation Chris Turner joins Mike Pesca to explain how his "British period" of deadpan one-liners evolved into the show-stopping rap flow that now defines his Comedy Cellar sets. Turner discusses the "evolutionary advantage" of not knowing the rules of hip hop as a ten-year-old in Manchester—a blissful ignorance that convinced him freestyling was just "making up a story"—and how he uses those same instincts to neutralize hecklers today. Along the way: a masterclass in the "tennis match" of flow state, the absurdity of 50 Cent's car-based fax machine, and a spontaneous freestyle that weaves together Jerry Springer, RFK Jr., and the "Antilles heel" of Hispaniola. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact ad-sales@libsyn.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM Follow The Gist List at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack
Transcribed - Published: 31 December 2025
Michelle Buteau explains why she is the "achievable Beyonce" for government workers and how her history editing grim news footage at WNBC led her to a record-breaking comedy career. Her new special, A Beautiful Mind, marks her as the first woman of color to headline Radio City Music Hall—a feat she attributes to the same grit that carried her through five years of IVF and "weird needles" at TSA. Along the way: the "dangerous" trend of punching down in comedy, the specific anxiety of visiting a Bronx reptile sanctuary while high on an edible, and the culture shock of a Dutch husband who still defends the practicality of wooden clogs. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact ad-sales@libsyn.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM Follow The Gist List at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack
Transcribed - Published: 30 December 2025
Actor and comedian T.J. Miller explains why a traumatic brain injury is his improvisational "cheat code"—and how a 2010 surgery for an arteriovenous malformation (AVM) in his right frontal lobe fueled a career of manic chaos. Miller discusses the "invisible disability" of brain surgery and the high-stakes gamble of a 10% fatality rate. Along the way: a tour of city mottos, from the low-bar honesty of Toledo to the bizarre promise that Auburn, Washington is "more than you imagined." Plus, a look at the "Bulgarian" financial ecosystem of Fort Wayne, Indiana, where a three-bedroom house costs $485 a month. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact ad-sales@libsyn.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM Follow The Gist List at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack
Transcribed - Published: 29 December 2025
Mike unlocks two interviews from the vault featuring comics who navigate the cultural minefield with very different styles. First, Sarah Silverman discusses her evolution from "arrogant ignoramus" character comedy to earnest podcasting, reflecting on her blackface controversy, her embrace of the "Bernie bro" label, and why she believes being wrong never feels shitty if you're willing to learn. Then, Kyle Kinane joins to talk about his special Loose in Chicago, the specific pain of being a Cubs fan (pre-World Series win), and his low-stakes conspiracy theories about Trader Joe's parking lots. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact ad-sales@libsyn.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM Follow The Gist List at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack
Transcribed - Published: 27 December 2025
In this special holiday week episode, Mike sits down with comedian Alex Edelman, fresh off a Tony Award for his show Just For Us and a spot on the Time 100 list. They discuss the "liquid dynamics" of a Comedy Cellar audience, the art of bombing while testing new material, and why jokes about the Israel-Gaza conflict are the hardest tightrope in comedy right now. Edelman explains why comedy thrives in doubt rather than certainty, how he uses "invisible pillars" to structure a narrative, and why he believes a joke should be "conversant with the moment, not beholden to it." Plus, Mike offers a critique of the mockumentary format glut in modern sitcoms. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact ad-sales@libsyn.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM Follow The Gist List at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack
Transcribed - Published: 26 December 2025
In this special Christmas Day edition, Mike gives the gift of Roy Wood Jr., a comedian who embodies the "profundities in punchlines" ethos. Wood joins to discuss his CNN show Have I Got News for You, his upbringing as the son of a pioneering radio journalist, and the central thesis of his comedy: that in a fractured world, people prioritize dopamine over truth. They debate whether political comedy has devolved into mere applause lines, why comedians are the new op-ed writers, and the delicate art of crafting a joke about police reform that actually lands with everyone. Plus, Mike explains why you need a "Christmas Eve" song if you want your novelty hit to last. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact ad-sales@libsyn.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM Follow The Gist List at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack
Transcribed - Published: 25 December 2025
In a special Christmas Eve edition, Mike brings you a "gift" from the comedy vault: an interview with the brilliantly off-kilter Django Gold. A veteran of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and The Onion, Gold discusses his YouTube special Bag of Tricks and his commitment to playing a paranoid, morose character on stage—a persona he claims is "closer to who I really am" than any bubbly crowd-pleaser. They dissect the mechanics of anti-humor, the joy of "uncomfortable staring," and why Gold believes the best comedy leaves the audience "a little dimly lit." Plus, Mike muses on the specific genius of "Christmas Eve" songs versus generic holiday tracks. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact ad-sales@libsyn.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM Follow The Gist List at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack
Transcribed - Published: 24 December 2025
Thomas Chatterton Williams joins to discuss his new book, The Summer of Our Discontent: The Age of Certainty and the Demise of Discourse. He argues that the racial reckoning of 2020 was not an inevitable tide of history but a perfect storm of pandemic isolation, polarizing politics, and institutional failure. TCW dissects how mainstream institutions—from the New York Times to the Philadelphia Inquirer—abandoned objectivity for "moral clarity," and how misinformation about cases like Jacob Blake fueled a cycle of violence in Kenosha. Mike and Thomas debate whether the Left's introspection is necessary to defeat the "worse" impulses of the MAGA Right, or if it just alienates the base. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact ad-sales@libsyn.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM Follow The Gist List at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack
Transcribed - Published: 23 December 2025
Quico Toro joins to discuss Charlatans: How Grifters, Swindlers, and Hucksters Bamboozle the Media, the Markets, and the Masses, distinguishing the "parasitic" nature of the charlatan from the hit-and-run tactics of the scammer. He traces the lineage of the grift from the official alchemists of 16th-century Venice to the upsell tactics of Trump University, arguing that loneliness and the internet have created a "target-rich environment" for swindlers. Then, a pivot to the environment: Mike and Quico debate whether the "green halo" around solar and wind constitutes its own form of elite misinformation, and why the villainization of nuclear energy—and the partisanship of climate policy—has stalled real progress. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact ad-sales@libsyn.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM Follow The Gist List at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack
Transcribed - Published: 22 December 2025
In light of the recent tragedy, Mike unlocks a 2016 interview with the late Rob Reiner. It is a conversation that now plays differently: Reiner discusses his film Being Charlie, which was written by his son Nick Reiner—the man now arrested in connection with his death. Mike reflects on the director's legacy, the eerie prescience of their discussion on addiction and family, and the President's disparagement of the deceased. Then, The Spiel turns to the Compact magazine essay by Jacob Savage on the "vanishing" white male in cultural industries. Mike parses the statistics—from Ivy League hiring to MacArthur Grants—to ask if the corrective pendulum has swung too far. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact ad-sales@libsyn.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM Follow The Gist List at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack
Transcribed - Published: 20 December 2025
Comedian Jay Jurden explains why nine years of theater training is his "superpower" on the stand-up stage—and why he treats every punchline like a line of dialogue rather than a personal diary entry. His new special, Yes Ma'am, argues that physical specificity (from "rolling a wheelchair into affordable housing" to Marjorie Taylor Greene's hooves) is what separates a 300-level performer from a novice looking at their shoes. Along the way: memories of growing up in Canton, Mississippi, where movie sets for A Time to Kill. Plus, the greatest college football analogy ever delivered by a gay comedian—a warning against "scrambling" for viral crowd work instead of sticking to the designed play. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact ad-sales@libsyn.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM Follow The Gist List at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack
Transcribed - Published: 19 December 2025
Neuroscientist Nicholas Wright explains why big powers "lose" wars they dominate on the kill ratio—and why counterinsurgencies (Vietnam, Afghanistan, maybe Iraq) reliably punish the side with less at stake. His new book, Warhead: How the Brain Shapes War and War Shapes the Brain, argues that identity, surprise, and revenge are ancient brain features, while metacognition—the mind watching itself—can be the thin guardrail against strategic self-harm. Along the way: post-1945 German polling as a reminder that political "reconstruction" happens on a years-long timetable, not on an American attention span. Plus, a Trump "warrior dividend" of $1,776 per service member—tariffs funding patriotism, one numerology check at a time. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact ad-sales@libsyn.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM Follow The Gist List at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack
Transcribed - Published: 18 December 2025
Clyburn discusses The First Eight: A Personal History of the Pioneering Black Congressmen Who Shaped a Nation, explaining how Reconstruction-era Black lawmakers navigated power, compromise, and backlash—and why their choices still resonate. He reflects on faith as action, not rhetoric, and on history as a guide rather than a museum piece. Plus: Maryland lawmakers override Gov. Wes Moore's veto of a reparations study, and The Spiel turns to a new report on how white men have been squeezed out of cultural institutions—and what that shift means. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact ad-sales@libsyn.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM Follow The Gist List at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack
Transcribed - Published: 18 December 2025
Russian journalist in exile Mikhail Zygar traces an information system so sealed even Gorbachev couldn't get the facts in The Dark Side of the Earth: Russia's Short-Lived Victory Over Totalitarianism. He draws a straight psychological line from late-Soviet overload to our current tech-firehose, arguing humans don't change much; institutions do (and the Soviet Union didn't have many worthy of the name). Plus: a quote-counting tour through Chris Whipple's Vanity Fair Susie Wiles interviews: "an alcoholic's personality," "conspiracy theorist," "ketamine user," "right-wing absolute zealot." Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact ad-sales@libsyn.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM Follow The Gist List at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack
Transcribed - Published: 16 December 2025
Data journalist Chris Dalla Riva brings charts, facts, and plenty of fight to Uncharted Territory: What Numbers Tell Us About the Biggest Hit Songs and Ourselves, a tour through every Billboard Hot 100 #1 and the strange incentives that pick our "popular." They debate whether streaming makes the charts more accurate or just more boring—why Christmas songs now squat in the Top 10, why covers almost always slow songs down, and what the early "wilderness years" of the Hot 100 were missing. There's also a detour into the power of platform kings (hello, Sean Parker) and how a playlist can turn "Royals" into destiny. Plus: Trump's ghoulish Rob Reiner post, a reminder of Reiner's unreal directing run, and a weekend that managed to be both pointless and ugly. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact ad-sales@libsyn.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM Follow The Gist List at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack
Transcribed - Published: 15 December 2025
In this special Saturday edition, Mike sits down with Daniel Oppenheimer of Eminent Americans to tackle a high-stakes question: Who is worthy of the Fresh Air throne? They dissect the craft of interviewing, critique the "unprepared celebrity" podcast trend, and evaluate potential successors ranging from Colin McEnroe to Jon Ronson. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact ad-sales@libsyn.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM Follow The Gist List at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack
Transcribed - Published: 13 December 2025
Shadi Hamid joins to discuss his new book, The Case for American Power, arguing that progressives' retreat from global engagement is a mistake. He contends that while the Left often views U.S. hegemony as intrinsically immoral—citing the legacy of Iraq and the tragedy in Gaza—the alternative of withdrawal often leads to greater atrocities, such as the unchecked devastation in Syria. Hamid makes the case that moral righteousness without power is toothless, and that ceding the global stage to bad actors or rival superpowers creates a more dangerous world. Plus, Mike critiques the Sunday show trend of grilling Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on the price of bananas and Tonka trucks, arguing that "gotcha" questions about specific items ignore the reality of inflation as a composite number. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact ad-sales@libsyn.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM Follow The Gist List at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack
Transcribed - Published: 12 December 2025
Anthony Weiner and John Ketcham break down a Congress being flayed by its own fringes, where the "crazies" sometimes deliver the sharpest institutional critiques. They then assess Pete Hegseth and the possible release video of a lethal Caribbean boat strike, the challenges reshaping New York politics, and what it really means to govern a city you once nearly ran. Goat Grinders takes on Waymo running over a dog , taxing pet food and fare-evasion crackdowns. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact ad-sales@libsyn.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM Follow The Gist List at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack
Transcribed - Published: 11 December 2025
Holiday dread is real enough—fraught family gatherings, forced merriment, and the persistent myth that December is the peak month for suicide. In truth, it's the lowest month for suicides, even as the season brings elevated risks of car crashes, cardiac emergencies, and alcohol-related ER visits. Sadie Dingfelder joins for an Is That Bulls**t? to explain why winter depression rises even as suicide rates fall, and how the "holiday spike" myth keeps circulating. Plus: Trump's tariff rhetoric collides with economic reality, and Texas politics gets reshaped by counter-mobilization. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact ad-sales@libsyn.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM Follow The Gist List at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack
Transcribed - Published: 10 December 2025
The philosopher discusses The Book of Memory: How We Become Who We Are, exploring how recollection constructs identity, coherence, and the personas we inhabit. He explains why memory is less an archive than an act of ongoing authorship, shaped by emotion, imagination, and the stories we rehearse. The conversation traces the boundary between what we remember and what we invent. Also: art-heist incompetence from Brazil to France and in The Spiel a reckoning with how visual framing distorts our understanding of the Venezuelan airstrike scandal. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact ad-sales@libsyn.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM Follow The Gist List at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack
Transcribed - Published: 9 December 2025
Daniel Zoughbie discusses Kicking the Hornet's Nest: U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East from Truman to Trump, arguing that Truman's one-sided recognition of Israel and decades of U.S. overreliance on defense distorted the region's trajectory. He traces missed off-ramps from Oslo to the Olmert–Abbas talks, explaining why partition remains the only durable framework for satisfying both nationalisms. Zoughbie recounts how polarization, trauma, and mistrust—along with U.S. missteps—undermine peace efforts even when viable plans emerge. Plus: Biden's rejected immigration tools, the inflation legacy of the American Rescue Plan, and a Spiel on Zohran Mamdani as the mispronounced word of the year. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact ad-sales@libsyn.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM Follow The Gist List at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack
Transcribed - Published: 8 December 2025
On this Saturday edition, Mike Pesca joins the cast of Nobody Listens to Paula Poundstone to explain the dopamine minefield of modern sports betting. He walks Paula and Adam Felber through the mechanics of the "vig," the absurdity of Cleveland pitchers throwing balls into the dirt to cover prop bets, and the time NBA legend Chauncey Billups unwittingly became a "face card" for a mob-run poker game involving marked contact lenses. They also workshop a betting ad campaign starring John Goodman as a sentient thumb and discuss why catching the mechanical rabbit leads to existential dread for greyhounds and podcasters alike. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact ad-sales@libsyn.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM Follow The Gist List at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack
Transcribed - Published: 6 December 2025
Mohanad Elshieky joins Funny You Should Mention with stories that make Benghazi feel less like a political Rorschach test and more like the small town where he learned comedy by roasting his siblings and dodging unlicensed militias. He walks us through the dictatorship-era silence around politics, the sudden rise of ISIS-adjacent checkpoints, and the knife-wielding "helper" who hijacked his car only to request a future hangout. We also dig into the Greyhound incident that vaulted him into national headlines, why clapter makes his skin crawl, and how Portland's well-meaning curiosity can feel like its own border crossing. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact ad-sales@libsyn.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM Follow The Gist List at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack
Transcribed - Published: 5 December 2025
TJ Raphael, host of the series Liberty Lost, joins Mike to investigate the "Liberty Godparent Home"—a facility on Liberty University's campus where pregnant teens were allegedly pressured into adoption under the guise of spiritual redemption—and discuss why the financial incentives of the "adoption industrial complex" often cause the promise of open adoption to fall apart. Plus, Mike breaks down President Trump's "pardoning fiesta" and does the "Cocaine Math" on whether federal prosecutors are getting high on their own sentencing statistics. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact ad-sales@libsyn.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM Follow The Gist List at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack
Transcribed - Published: 4 December 2025
True crime historian Rachel McCarthy James joins to talk about Whack Job: A History of Axe Murder, tracing humanity's relationship between axe and skull, where questions about Axe-related word play are axed and answered. Then the show pivots to how algorithms elevate the most loathed spokespeople on every hot-button issue, from Riley Gaines to Jasmine Crockett and Greta Thunberg, and why our brains can't easily separate "the person" from "the cause." Finally in the Spiel Mike discusses Marjorie Taylor Greene, Zohran Mamdani, and whether renouncing past rhetoric—be it "Jewish space lasers" or NYPD boots laced by the IDF—should earn politicians anything more than a provisional, closely watched second chance. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact ad-sales@libsyn.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM Follow The Gist List at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack
Transcribed - Published: 3 December 2025
Daniel Brook and Brandy Schillace trace the life and legacy of Magnus Hirschfeld, the so-called "Einstein of Sex," from his pioneering Institute for Sexual Science to the Nazis parading his severed likeness at the 1933 book burning. They dig into the longer prehistory of Weimar queer politics and antisemitism, discussing how obsessions with masculinity and "degeneracy" turned sexuality into a political weapon. Plus: Donald Trump's astonishing pardon of convicted Honduran ex-president Juan Orlando Hernández, and a spiel on what Marjorie Taylor Greene's resignation actually says about her district. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact ad-sales@libsyn.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM Follow The Gist List at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack
Transcribed - Published: 2 December 2025
Michael D. Fuller joins to talk about Hulu's Murdaugh: Death in the Family. The conversation digs into what scripted drama can do that true-crime podcasts and prosecutors can't, especially around messy motives and family dynamics that don't fit a neat trial narrative. Plus, an opening segment on Trump's "don't give up the ship" blowup, congressional warnings about illegal orders, and new allegations that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered what may amount to a war crime at sea. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact ad-sales@libsyn.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM Follow The Gist List at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack
Transcribed - Published: 1 December 2025
On this Saturday edition, Mike Pesca reaches into the archives for a 2016 classic with actor and author Jesse Eisenberg. They discuss Eisenberg's short story collection Bream Gives Me Hiccups and the "creek vs. crick" linguistic controversy it sparked, while analyzing why a nine-year-old restaurant critic is the perfect vessel for exposing adult hypocrisies. Eisenberg explains why he prefers writing dialogue to describing sunsets, reveals the existence of a spreadsheet tracking whether he or Paul Newman played a role better, and admits that his anthropology background is just an excuse for professional eavesdropping. Finally, the two perform the radio play "Marv Albert Is My Therapist". Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact ad-sales@libsyn.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM Follow The Gist List at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack
Transcribed - Published: 29 November 2025
Today on The Gist, the late Bob Saget, who reconciles his Full House image with his "Dirty Daddy" persona while admitting he was a "nerd burglar" in his youth. They dissect the difference between misogyny and locker room talk, deconstruct the logic of his famous "Winnebago" joke. Then, cultural critic Chuck Klosterman joins to analyze The Nineties, explaining why the sitcom Coach might be the most significant show of the decade, how the internet ruined the necessary ambiguity of college football championships, and why Nirvana's musical legacy is inseparable from the non-musical impact of Kurt Cobain's depression. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact ad-sales@libsyn.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM Follow The Gist List at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack
Transcribed - Published: 28 November 2025
On this Thanksgiving edition Mike Pesca serves up two revitalized classics, starting with Henry Winkler (The Fonz), who joins to discuss his Hank Zipser books, the unique Dutch font designed for dyslexic readers, and his tenure-granting plan to design the world's first consumer jet pack. Then, we revisit a conversation with counterterrorism expert Clint Watts, breaking down his viral congressional testimony advising senators to "follow the trail of dead Russians" while analyzing the distinction between a "Manchurian Candidate" and a "useful idiot", the Russian doctrine that "there is no truth", and why the term "fake news" has become a catch-all for "anything I don't want to hear". Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact ad-sales@libsyn.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM Follow The Gist List at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack
Transcribed - Published: 27 November 2025
Mike Pesca is joined by CNN anchor and author Abby Phillip to discuss her new book, A Dream Deferred: Jesse Jackson and the Fight for Black Political Power. They explore Jackson's soaring, sermon-like rhetorical style and the hubris of the "tree shaker, not a jelly maker" philosophy. The conversation traces how Jackson's push to change delegate rules made the path possible for Barack Obama, even as the Obama campaign intentionally created contrast with Jackson's image. We dive into Jackson's unique brand of populism—more Bernie Sanders than Obama—and his surprising, Trumpian anti-globalist instincts regarding Japan and Germany. Plus, we discuss how his rhetorical style, while rousing, could also be exhausting, and why the most heartbreaking part of the world's chaos is the people who are okay with it. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact ad-sales@libsyn.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM Follow The Gist List at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack
Transcribed - Published: 26 November 2025
Mike Pesca welcomes back Nick Gillespie (Reason Magazine) and first-time guest Russ Muirhead (Dartmouth professor and New Hampshire State Rep.) for a spirited debate that is—we swear—not even mad. Today, we look at the half-full autocratic glass: Does the dismissal of the Comey and James indictments prove that institutions are holding, or does the very attempt confirm our slide toward norms violation? We debate the two bedrock rules of democracy, why Congress keeps misplacing its spine, and the reasons the legislative branch is becoming functionally obsolete. Plus, the lame-duck question is back, MTG's lonely departure, and the politics of affordability: What's the real, non-supply-side fix for housing? Finally, a Goat Grinder on cinematic trauma warnings and the tragedy of piped-in pub music. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact ad-sales@libsyn.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM Follow The Gist List at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack
Transcribed - Published: 25 November 2025
Mike Vuolo and Bob Garfield of Lexicon Valley join to talk 23 skidoo, Massapequa, and why life, in fact, is a flat bagel. They trace the 6/7 meme from Skrilla's drill track "Doot Doot" through LaMelo Ball highlights and a middle-schooler named Maverick, and explain how a throwaway number became the meme stock of language. The conversation winds through rival "word of the year" contenders, then lands on the legal and French graveyard roots of "gist" and its Nigerian evolution into a verb meaning "to gossip." Plus, a Spiel on Trump's death-penalty bluster, Democratic senators telling troops "don't give up the ship," and why wild-man escalation keeps letting Trump win the exchange. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact ad-sales@libsyn.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM Follow The Gist List at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack
Transcribed - Published: 24 November 2025
Mike joins Matt Lewis for a lively crossover conversation that opens with deep dives into Huey Lewis puns before shifting into the Democrats' "affordability" message, why word wars matter more than policy wins, and how political optics collide with economic reality. They unpack everything from tariffs to AI dislocation to the future of the Democratic bench — and why charisma might matter more than infrastructure. Later, Mike breaks down the exploding sports-betting scandals in baseball and the NBA, how prop bets make cheating easier to spot, and why league integrity hinges on catching every idiot who thinks he can game the system. Plus: a brief remembrance of Parker Lewis, the Ferris-Bueller-for-TV that almost worked. Listen to the full episode here: Matt Lewis Can't Lose - Podcast - Apple Podcasts Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact ad-sales@libsyn.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM Follow The Gist List at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack
Transcribed - Published: 22 November 2025
Comedian Myq Kaplan joins the show for a deep dive into joke logic, philosophy, and the very slippery business of defining who counts as a comedian. Using his new special Rini as a jumping-off point, he and Mike wander through Grecian maxims, the paradox of the heap, why some laughs are closer to enlightenment than punch lines, and how his relationship with Rini turned into a whole cosmology of love, language, and life on stage. Along the way they talk genre, jazz, governing boards of comedy, and what it means to do "Myq and Rini based" comedy instead of fitting into anyone's box. Plus, revisiting Biden world's insistence that the disastrous 2024 debate did not hurt the president in the polls. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact ad-sales@libsyn.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM Follow The Gist List at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack
Transcribed - Published: 21 November 2025
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