Hello everyone. Welcome to one of the last Rabbit Hole issues of the year (I’m calling it the November issue even though it’s December 1st because I’m in denial we only have one month left of 2023, sorry not sorry.) This is such a weird and sad time in the world, and I’ve personally been having a hard time balancing all the feelings. I have found myself in constant tension between gratitude and guilt — grateful that I can tuck my daughter in at night, knowing she is safe, and guilty that I have that privilege. I’m not sure how others are managing, but I hope wherever you are in the world, you are safe and healthy.
Disappearing into podcasts, books, shows & films is one way I cope, so sharing my top 3 pieces of content from November below. Enjoy!
Recommendation #1: What Now? With Trevor Noah (Spotify, or wherever you listen to your podcasts)
I’m a pretty voracious consumer of podcasts, though I’m less of a true crime podcast junkie and more a good long form interview lover. Comedian & former The Daily Show host Trevor Noah’s book Born a Crime is one of my favorite books, and I’ve always loved his funny but sharp interview style. He brings that in a much deeper way to his new podcast, What Now? in which he interviews personalities like Bill Gates and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. It’s super smart and a really thought provoking listen. There’s only five episodes out so far, so it’s a very approachable binge listen!
Recommendation #2: Chicken Shop Date (YouTube)
I haven’t had a good rabbit hole situation in a while (in which one not only binges content, but reads & watches & listens to all its related content as well), but that’s what the YouTube show Chicken Shop Date became to me one fine weekend. I discovered the show because host Amelia Dimoldenberg appeared on another YouTube show I watch, Hot Ones, and Sean appeared on her show as a weird chicken-themed crossover. At first I thought Amelia’s show was similar to Hot Ones (long form interview in which the guest eats increasingly hotter chicken wings), but wow, was I wrong. Her show, which she has been doing for ten (!) years, always takes place in a different chicken shop in London with a celebrity on a “first date” with her. It’s purposefully awkward (think Between Two Ferns level awkward) but also really, really funny, and short (the interviews are often 6 minutes or less). I had a hard time picking just one interview to share with you, but the Ed Sheeran one (above) is pretty hilarious and is indicative of the show as a whole. I’d also recommend the Matty Healy (from the band 1975) one, the Daniel Kaluuya one, and the Louis Theroux one. Fun fact: if you’re a TikTok user and remember the trend "My money don’t jiggle jiggle, it folds…” that was thanks to this Louis Theroux interview!
Recommendation #3: Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (Apple TV+)
I’m not really a monster movie kind of gal, but I’m married to a monster movie kind of guy (love you, Jay), so over the years, I’ve watched my share of monster films. (In case you’re curious, my favorite is probably The Host, a film by Parasite director Bong Joon Ho.) Jay loves the Godzilla mythology in particular, and while I haven’t seen all the movies in the franchise, I did watch the past few (Godzilla King of Monsters, Godzilla v Kong, etc.), which prepared me well for Monarch, the new show on Apple TV+. This show takes place soon after the world discovers that monsters are real (!) but also explores the backstory behind this universe. We’re just a few episodes in, but it is pretty excellent so far. If you think you’re also not a monster movie kind of person, give this a shot — the storytelling is pretty epic.
Bonus Recommendation: This is less of a recommendation and more a plug for something I made (in the oodles of free time I don’t have!). I’m a big fan of k-pop music (specifically BTS), and had some friends request an intro the genre playlist. I made this Spotify playlist (shared below) and created this accompanying document to give context to the different groups & song choices. If you’ve ever been k-pop curious, this is for you.
Happy listening! Til next month!
Kals
That playlist is 🥰🔥✨🙌🏼