Smoke Show A podcast about pop culture, history, and whatever other tangents may occur!

Watched the new Bama Rush documentary on HBO last night and was so enraged by how vacuous and empty it was when it had SUCH RIPE subject matter that I’ve now recorded two different hour-long episodes in response (the second, calmer version is this very episode which turned out far more cohesively than the one recorded at 1:30 am last night)!
I know too much about the University of Alabama’s rush process because I love weird youtube subcultures and getting glimpses into systems I’ll never be part of and now, six years later, it all pays off because now the rush process has gone viral twice over on TikTok so now more people in culture want to examine what we find so captivating about the experience!
And this documentary…fails to do much at all. So I’m here to critique it, give my two cents, and contribute my thoughts on lives being lived in front of multiple cameras. The rituals, the narrative of achieving self-acceptance via gaining cultural capital, the lack of critical analysis of what these organizations promise vs. deliver, the racism, the hazing, the self-policing nature of eating disorders, The Machine, and all of the underexplored themes. Plus, a walk-through of what rush week entails because the documentary didn’t cover that part!
Anyway, I never want to watch anyone film a TikTok during a documentary again please and thank you!!!
Linky dinks!
Watch the Bama Rush Week YouTube video that started it all
Read about The Machine and it’s real-world impact on Alabama’s government
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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit smokeshow.substack.com

Oh baby the podcast is back! For how long, who knows, but this week I bought some legal weed so we’re talking all about the most recent cheating scandal on Vanderpump Rules.
I get into the Shakespearean nature of conflict-driven reality television, why Vanderpump Rules is one of the most watchable TV shows of all time, and the liability that comes with building a restaurant brand upon the personalities of historically messy people.
For a ~serious journalistic recap of the #scandoval, check out The Cuts article here!
(Of course, the fast and furious nature of gossip means that some of my information was outdated within 20 minutes of recording, but honestly my broader points still stand!)



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit smokeshow.substack.com

This week I had my sister on to talk all about journaling! What it’s allowed us to know about ourselves, how we journal (and where and when and with what materials), why our posture matters, headspaces to get into, scribble journaling, putting our phones on do not disturb, and how we can comprehend the idea that time isn’t linear.
We laughed, we cried, we wrote a lot, and managed to find compassion and give ourselves the best opportunities to grow!
(We used to have to look for content & things to consume and now things want to consume us. Oh no!)
Twelve (point five) Journaling Prompts To Try
* What did you do today?
* How are you? No really, how are you?
* Where’s the most comfortable place you sat today?
* What are you not protecting right now?
* The thing I know I did for other people today is…
* I want to give myself credit for…
* I love ___ about myself
* A cool thing I saw today is ___
* The thing I feel people don’t get right now is ___
* I hope they know ___
* I’m angry about ___
* I’m really anxious about ___
* (Now what does my calm and centered self think about ___)
Link It Up Baby, Link It Up
Subscribe to Meg’s Friday Email!
A Letter To Myself Six Months Ago - (& subscribe to my Substack!)
Elizabeth Gilbert on Journaling - Glennon Doyle’s podcast
The Extended Mind by Anna Murphy Paul
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari (and check out the interview on WNYC that made me go immediately get this book!)
Breath: The new science of a lost art - Book
Split linear curved keyboard - YouTube Video




This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit smokeshow.substack.com

Hey hi hello! Trying something new with the format today, basically giving an overview of the NXIVM cult, how it trapped people, and ultimately led a select few of them into an extremely sinister sex cult that few managed to escape before outside forces were finally able to topple the leader.
MAJOR TRIGGER WARNINGS for: sexual abuse, manipulation, cult phenomena, and eating disorders. I tried to avoid explicit details but it’s impossible to talk about this cult and it’s leader without mentioning all of those things. Cults are terrifying and this one is particularly heinous and graphic.
Most of this is based on my reactions to everything I’ve learned about the cult over the years through the HBO documentary The Vow, Starz’s documentary Seduced, Escaping NXIVM podcast, and Sinisterhood’s episode on the cult. I also just have a lot in my brain from my years of watching/reading about cults so some of that trickles in as well. Definitely not the most comprehensive guide out there!
If this caught your attention and you want to learn more, I definitely recommend the Seduced documentary, but it was by far the most upsetting (due to the comprehensiveness) so just want to make sure to mention that. If you are interested in learning more about Scientology, I definitely recommend Leah Remini’s series Scientology and the Aftermath which is currently on Netflix.
There is a long history of cults and high control groups in America and specifically in Upstate New York for some reason so maybe I’ll figure out how to dig up all of my old notes from college and just talk about why the rurality of NY seems to lend itself extremely well towards these groups. But hey! They finally shut down the 12 Tribes run Mate Factor in Ithaca so good job!!
Link it up baby, link it up
Orphans of Jonestown by Lawrence Wright - The New Yorker
Escaping NXIVM - CBC Podcast
NXIVM: Revisited - Sinisterhood Podcast
The Gateway - Podcast about Teal Swan
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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit smokeshow.substack.com

Hey babe hey, welcome back to another episode of Smoke Show! This time, someone (me) who is not interested in sports talks about sports documentaries for 20 straight minutes and then deep dives into the Crossfit Games for another 20. Anomaly alert!!
Anyway, I hope you enjoy my absolute unhingedness when it comes to Crossfit and the concept of competitive working out. I only mock it because I’m vaguely obsessed with the entire notion of it.
Link it up baby, link it up
Don’t Forget Meg Ryan episode on Every Little Step - Apple Podcasts
Crossfit Documentary 2021 - YouTube
Jessica Lee Goldyn "The Music and the Mirror" - YouTube




This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit smokeshow.substack.com

Content Warning: this episode briefly mentions diet culture/ED in regard to that Taylor Swift music video!
Hey hi hello, and welcome back to the pod! This week—internet culture and how the Supernatural fandom is responsible for a lot of bad stuff, the reflexive nature of rank culture & Taylor Swift’s fandom eating itself, plus why practicing being kind all the time and with everyone isn’t easy but it IS good and probably necessary!
If you know someone who has been a bigger person in a situation recently, it’s always nice to recognize kindness when we see it wherever it happens!
Link it up baby, link it up
Breath: The Lost Art Of Breathing - Goodreads
Omegaverse Lawsuit - YouTube Video
Erika Costell & Cambrie do Miami Swim Week - Podcast Ep
Caroline Calloway Explainer - Podcast Ep
Julia Fox beach towel dress - Twitter



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit smokeshow.substack.com