Way Too Interested Gavin Purcell / LightningPod

On today's episode of Way Too Interested, writer/comedian Heather Anne Campbell, the co-host of the gaming podcast Get Played, talks with Gavin Purcell about her obsession, sneaker culture. Heather also talks about how she started doing live comedy when she was 14, why she no longer believes her interests and hobbies are totally in her control, and why her podcast — formerly known as How Did This Get Played? — moved away from "bad" video games.
Then, Heather and Gavin are joined by Michael Sykes, sports reporter for USA Today and writer of the independent newsletter The Kicks You Wear. Michael talks about how sneakers helped him break into writing about sports, how the broader culture around sneaker culture went mainstream, and how to preserve your kicks for as long as possible. Plus: How the shoe industry changed all of collecting with the "drop" release model, and the story of the sneaker drop that literally caused a riot.
Please follow or subscribe to Way Too Interested in your podcast app of choice! And if you liked this episode, then tell a friend to check it out.
Also ...
Follow Gavin on Twitter @gavinpurcell
Follow Heather on Twitter @heathercampbell
Subscribe to Michael's newsletter, The Kicks You Wear

On today's episode of Way Too Interested, screenwriter and "The Black Tapes" creator Paul Bae talks with Gavin Purcell about his obsession, fly fishing. Paul also talks about his circuitous path to being the creator of a hit podcast, why his grandmother flew into a rage upon being told that he had become a comedian ... and the time his stand-up comedy nearly went down in flames in front of some of his idols.
Then, Paul and Gavin are joined by James Madison University professor emeritus Stan Ulanski, the author of several books including "The Science of Fly-Fishing." Stan talks about how one should start fly fishing, how to improve at it, and where he would go if he were given an all-expenses paid fishing trip to anywhere in the world. Plus: Paul tells the story of a solo fishing trip that made him fall in love with Redding, California.
Please follow or subscribe to Way Too Interested in your podcast app of choice! And if you liked this episode, then tell a friend to check it out.
Also ...
Follow Gavin on Twitter @gavinpurcell
Follow Paul on Twitter @MrPaulBae
Read Stan's books, including The Science of Fly-Fishing

On today's episode of Way Too Interested, medievalist Dr. Eleanor Janega talks with Gavin Purcell about her current obsession: The conceptualization of sex. She explains how her field of study has been distorted in the popular imagination, how medieval people thought about sex, and the surprisingly similar way modern internet communities are talking about it now.
Then, Eleanor and Gavin are joined by David Halperin, the Distinguished Professor of the History and Theory of Sexuality at the University of Michigan; he talks about the differing philosophies of sex offered by thinkers like Plato, Arthur Schopenhauer, and Sigmund Freud, and how societies — in both classical and modern times — have drawn lines between "acceptable" and "unacceptable," or "natural" and "unnatural" types of sex. Plus: How definitions of gender, eroticism, and virility have changed over time.
Please follow or subscribe to Way Too Interested in your podcast app of choice! And if you liked this episode, then tell a friend to check it out.
Also ...
Follow Gavin on Twitter @gavinpurcell
Follow Eleanor on Twitter @goingmedieval
Read David's books, including How to Be Gay and Gay Shame

On today's episode of Way Too Interested, writer/podcaster/Glitch CEO Anil Dash talks with Gavin Purcell about his fascination with America's interstate highway system, which started with his father — a civil engineer given a "genius visa" to immigrate from India to help build America's highways and bridges. Anil also talks about his personal history with technology, "living in the future" as a kid, and how the "information superhighway" of the internet is similar to actual highways.
Then, Anil and Gavin are joined by journalist and former White House appointee Dan McNichol, the author of The Roads That Built America: The Incredible Story of the U.S. Interstate System. Dan explains how President Dwight D. Eisenhower's vision for a nation crisscrossed by highways became a reality, the negative impact highways have had on various communities, and our present battles over infrastructural issues, such as 5G, broadband internet, and high-speed rail in California.
Please follow or subscribe to Way Too Interested in your podcast app of choice! And if you liked this episode, then tell a friend to check it out.
Also ...
Follow Gavin on Twitter @gavinpurcell
Follow Anil on Twitter @anildash
Read Dan's books, including The Roads That Built America

On today's episode of Way Too Interested, author Chuck Wendig talks with Gavin Purcell about the many types of apples you've never tasted, the state of Twitter in 2022, and his obsession with creepypasta, an online cousin to urban legends. Chuck also talks about the real-world impact of these spooky tales and how they have evolved in the transition from 4chan to Tumblr to TikTok.
Then, Chuck and Gavin are joined by creepypasta expert Lucia Peters, the author of Dangerous Games to Play in the Dark. Lucia further explains exactly what makes something creepypasta and discusses some famous examples, including Slenderman, the Elevator Game, and "BEN Drowned." She also looks ahead to the future of the internet-driven genre, which has already made the leap to mainstream films and video games.
Please follow or subscribe to Way Too Interested in your podcast app of choice! And if you liked this episode, then tell a friend to check it out.
Also ...
Follow Gavin on Twitter @gavinpurcell
Follow Chuck on Twitter @chuckwendig and read his bestselling novel, The Book of Accidents
Read Lucia's work at The Ghost in My Machine

Cliff "CliffyB" Bleszinski, the lead designer on the "Gears of War" video games, talks with Gavin Purcell about his years in the gaming industry, how he discovered a passion for the theater in high school, and his main obsession outside of games: Broadway. This passion led him to become a co-producer of the hit show Hadestown, which won eight Tony Awards in 2019.
Then, Cliff and Gavin are joined by theater producer Hunter Arnold, whose credits include Hadestown, Kinky Boots, and Dear Evan Hansen. Hunter talks about how he decides what to produce, why he never knows if a play is going to be a hit, and a game he plays with a fellow producer: Describe the plot of a hit musical with the worst elevator pitch ever.
Please follow or subscribe to Way Too Interested in your podcast app of choice! And if you liked this episode, then tell a friend to check it out.
Also ...
Follow Gavin on Twitter @gavinpurcell
Follow Cliff on Twitter @therealcliffyb and on Instagram at @dudehugetank
Follow Hunter on Instagram at @huntercarnold