Follow Friday

#67 Patrick Willems (Night of the Coconut): Baby chefs, Baby Back Ribs, George Lucas

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 22 Jul 2022 03:00:00 -0700

Patrick Willems spent six years on YouTube trying to attract an audience for his short films, before he pivoted to video essays about everything from baseball movies to Francis Ford Coppola's filmography to Mamma Mia!: Here We Go Again. Those essays got wildly popular and today, he has more than 350,000 subscribers.

However, he kept making shorts, embedded in his essays as narrative framing devices. In other words, he says, he "trick[ed] the audience into watching short films that I also wanna make, but that normally would not get the views on YouTube or have sponsors on them."

Then, starting in early 2020, he began connecting those narrative shorts into a serialized story about an evil talking coconut named Charl. This so-called "Charl saga" culminated in June with the release of a feature-length film, Night of the Coconut, which is available on the streaming platform Nebula.

Today, on the season one finale of Follow Friday, Patrick shared some of his favorite follow recommendations, while imposing some additional rules on himself: With "one asterisk," he says, he picked favorite accounts run by people he doesn't know in real life: Kobe Eats (@kobeeats on YouTube and TikTok, @kobe_yn on Instagram); Jackson Murphy (@LCJReviews on Twitter and @LightsCameraJackson on YouTube); Neil Cicierega (@neilcic on Twitter and YouTube); and the George Lucas Talk Show (@TheGeorgeLucasTalkShow on YouTube).

Thank you to everyone who has tuned in to this season of Follow Friday. You can help make season two a reality by completing a 5-minute survey at followfridaypodcast.com/season2.

And on Follow Friday's Patreon page, you can unlock an extended version of this interview in which Patrick shares a bonus follow recommendation! Thank you to our amazing patrons: Jon, Justin, Amy, Yoichi, Danielle, and Elizabeth.

Also:

Follow Patrick @patrickhwillems on YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram
Watch Night of the Coconut on Nebula
Follow us @FollowFridayPod on Twitter and Instagram
Leave a review: LoveThePodcast.com/FollowFriday
Follow Eric @heyheyesj on Twitter
Email us! hello@followfridaypodcast.com

This show is a production of Lightningpod.fm, hosted and produced by Eric Johnson

Music: Yona Marie

Show art: Dodi Hermawan

#66 Roman Mars (99% Invisible): City flags, stupid walks, shearing sheep

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 08 Jul 2022 03:00:00 -0700

"When you're a broadcaster, you don't have a conversation you can't use as content," jokes Roman Mars — well, mostly jokes. The host of 99% Invisible says he's trying to use the internet more thoughtfully than he used to, and that includes not needing to share everything with the world.

"The past year, it's been really the focus of my time, actually not having every thought be on social media and making everything into something," he says.

Today on Follow Friday, Roman talks about which creators he likes to follow, including: Constitutional law professor Elizabeth Joh (@elizabeth_joh on Twitter); writer and podcaster John Green (@literallyjohngreen on TikTok); competent people who calmly do things well, such as @stellarsidewalks, @texasbeeworks, and @rightchoiceshearing on TikTok; and the subreddit /r/oddlysatisfying.

And on Follow Friday's Patreon page, you can unlock an extended version of this interview in which Roman shares a bonus follow recommendation! Thank you to our amazing patrons: Jon, Justin, Amy, Yoichi, Danielle, and Elizabeth.

Also:

Follow Roman @romanmars on Twitter and @theromanmars on Instagram
Listen to 99% Invisible and What Roman Mars Can Learn About Con Law
Follow us @FollowFridayPod on Twitter and Instagram
Leave a review: LoveThePodcast.com/FollowFriday
Follow Eric @heyheyesj on Twitter
Email us! hello@followfridaypodcast.com

This show is a production of Lightningpod.fm, hosted and produced by Eric Johnson

Music: Yona Marie

Show art: Dodi Hermawan

Social media producer: Sydney Grodin

#65 Annie Rauwerda (Depths of Wikipedia): Living statues, #NotAllBots, the Holy Trinity Bikini

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 24 Jun 2022 03:00:00 -0700

When her college internship was canceled by the COVID-19 shutdown in spring 2020, Annie Rauwerda had a lot of unexpected time on her hands. And instead of learning to bake bread or speak Esperanto, she began curating weird and amusing things she found on Wikipedia.

Two years later, Depths of Wikipedia has more than 1.5 million followers combined across Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. That success means walking a fine line: Annie wants to celebrate Wikipedia's oddities and encourage her followers to edit pages, but not to intentionally contribute false info or "bad writing for the sake of humor."

"Sometimes I'll post something and then it'll start getting vandalized a bunch," she says. "Like when I posted the List of Mammals Displaying Homosexual Behavior — don't do this, by the way — people started editing it to add in their name. It's funny, I guess, for two seconds, but then you just feel bad."

Today on Follow Friday, Annie shares some great follow recommendations: Meta-influencer Harry Hill (@veryharryhill on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok); Twitter bots such as @NYT_first_said, @ResNeXtGuesser, and @AceCourtBot; post-ironic Catholic Instagram pages such as @ineedgodineverymomentofmylife and @praying; and TikTok aggregator Leia Jospe (@favetiktoks420 on Instagram).

And on Follow Friday's Patreon page, you can unlock an extended version of this interview in which Annie shares a bonus follow recommendation! Thank you to our amazing patrons: Jon, Justin, Amy, Yoichi, Danielle, Elizabeth, and Sylnai.

We'll be off next week for the 4th of July weekend in the US, and will be back on Friday, July 8th.

Also:

Follow Annie: @anniierau on Twitter, @annierau on Instagram, and @anniierau on TikTok
Follow Depths of Wikipedia: @depthsofwiki on Twitter, @depthsofwikipedia on Instagram and TikTok
Follow us @FollowFridayPod on Twitter and Instagram
Leave a review: LoveThePodcast.com/FollowFriday
Follow Eric @heyheyesj on Twitter
Email us! hello@followfridaypodcast.com

This show is a production of Lightningpod.fm, hosted and produced by Eric Johnson

Music: Yona Marie

Show art: Dodi Hermawan

Social media producer: Sydney Grodin

#64 Rusty Foster (Today in Tabs): Giving up on crypto, bear chandelier, Halloween puns

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 17 Jun 2022 00:00:00 -0700

When Rusty Foster started the email newsletter Today in Tabs, in 2013, "tabs" was trendy media slang for the articles open in your browser that you were hate-reading. That meaning has faded into obscurity, but Today in Tabs is going strong, dishing up must-reads, great tweets, and a song every Monday-Thursday.

"I do the sort of thing that you do when you have a job where you don't have enough work to do, and you spend a lot of time procrastinating on Twitter," he says. "I do that professionally. I read stuff on Twitter. I keep track of the good tweets and I keep an eye on what people are talking about."

Today on Follow Friday, Rusty shares four great follow recommendations: Programmer and cryptocurrency critic Molly White (@molly0xFFF on Twitter); musician and comedian Petey (@petey_usa on Instagram, @peteyusa on TikTok); writer and technologist Paul Ford (@ftrain on Twitter); and role-playing game podcaster Taylor Moore (@taylordotbiz on Twitter).

And on Follow Friday's Patreon page, you can unlock an extended version of this interview in which Rusty shares a fifth bonus follow recommendation! Thank you to our amazing patrons: Jon, Justin, Amy, Yoichi, Danielle, Elizabeth, and Sylnai.

Also:

Follow Rusty @fka_tabs on Twitter
Follow us @FollowFridayPod on Twitter and Instagram
Leave a review: LoveThePodcast.com/FollowFriday
Follow Eric @heyheyesj on Twitter
Email us! hello@followfridaypodcast.com

This show is a production of Lightningpod.fm, hosted and produced by Eric Johnson

Music: Yona Marie

Show art: Dodi Hermawan

Social media producer: Sydney Grodin

#63 UNLOCKED: Bonus follows from Traci Thomas, Josh Fruhlinger, Bridget Todd, and Jesse Thorn

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 10 Jun 2022 03:00:00 -0700

Today we're playing four bonus follow recommendations that originally were exclusive to Follow Friday XL, our special podcast feed for supporters on Patreon. If you want to get five follow recommendations per week instead of the usual four, you can donate $1 or more at patreon.com/followfriday!

In today's episode:

The Stacks host Traci Thomas talks about someone super-talented who’s still under the radar, Whit McClure (@whit_hazen on Instagram)
The Comics Curmudgeon writer Josh Fruhlinger talks about someone who makes the internet a better place: Rusty Foster (@fka_tabs on Twitter)
There Are No Girls on the Internet host Bridget Todd talks about someone who has stopped posting, but needs to come back: Teju Cole (@tejucole on Twitter)
Bullseye host and Maximum Fun founder Jesse Thorn talks about someone he's jealous of: Louis Virtel (@louisvirtel on Instagram and Twitter)

Also:

Follow us @FollowFridayPod on Twitter and Instagram
Leave a review: LoveThePodcast.com/FollowFriday
Follow Eric @heyheyesj on Twitter
Email us! hello@followfridaypodcast.com

This show is a production of Lightningpod.fm, hosted and produced by Eric Johnson

Music: Yona Marie

Show art: Dodi Hermawan

Social media producer: Sydney Grodin

#62 Bridget Todd (There Are No Girls On the Internet): 2+2 = applesauce, bringing chaos, three-way phone calls

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 03 Jun 2022 03:00:00 -0700

There Are No Girls on The Internet is an award-winning podcast about people who have always been at the forefront of technology, but whose stories are often ignored or misrepresented. That's a big and sometimes contentious field, and TANGOTI host Bridget Todd says it's important to make space for everyone to work through difficult conversations about inclusion, rather than expecting everyone to "get it" right away.

"I've been in social change movements for a long time and I do think we have this expectation that we expect people to show up with the right ethos and the right language and the right perspective," Bridget says. "And I get that, but I also feel like it doesn't leave room to hear the messy conversations of how people become smarter, better, more nuanced, and more thoughtful."

Today on Follow Friday, she explains how to use social media when disinformation is circulating after a tragedy, how she has evolved her thinking about politics online, why she's optimistic about a new online platform for the first time in a while, and much more.

She also shares four great follow recommendations: Early podcaster and co-host of Uhh Yeah Dude Jonathan Larroquette (@jonathanlarroquette on Instagram); political pundit and former The View co-host Meaghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain on Twitter and Instagram); comedy writer and Showtime TV star Ziwe (@Ziwe on Twitter); and Somewhere Good CEO Naj Austin (@najaustin on Instagram and @najjmahal on Twitter).

And on Follow Friday's Patreon page, you can unlock an extended version of this interview in which Bridget shares a fifth bonus follow recommendation! Thank you to our amazing patrons: Jon, Justin, Amy, Yoichi, Danielle, Elizabeth, and Sylnai.

Also:

Follow Bridget @BridgetMarie on Twitter and @BridgetMarieInDC on Instagram
Follow us @FollowFridayPod on Twitter and Instagram
Leave a review: LoveThePodcast.com/FollowFriday
Follow Eric @heyheyesj on Twitter
Email us! hello@followfridaypodcast.com

This show is a production of Lightningpod.fm, hosted and produced by Eric Johnson

Music: Yona Marie

Show art: Dodi Hermawan

Social media producer: Sydney Grodin

Advice for using social media after a mass shooting, with Bridget Todd (There Are No Girls on the Internet)

LightningPod.fm — Thu, 26 May 2022 00:00:00 -0700

A preview of next week's episode, featuring There Are No Girls on the Internet host Bridget Todd

Please consider donating to the Texas Elementary School Shooting Victims Fund. 100 percent of the money raised will go to the survivors and the families of the victims from the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas. And here is a longer list of Uvalde fundraisers that have been vetted & verified by GoFundMe.

#34 Lindsay Ellis (Axiom's End): Phantom of the Opera, 50 Shades of Grey, air disasters

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 20 May 2022 03:00:00 -0700

For more than five years, Lindsay Ellis produced video essays on YouTube, analyzing everything from the Transformers movies to Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals to popular tropes in film and TV.

And in 2020, after more than a decade of wanting to be an author, she published her first book — the bestselling sci-fi novel Axiom's End, which was informed by that same attentiveness to pop culture. After 9/11, she noticed, popular alien invasion stories had shifted from "goofy" stories to "dead serious" ones, like Steven Spielberg's War of the Worlds.

"It's an alternate history that takes place in the late 2000s," she says of the first book, which is getting a sequel in October called Truth of the Divine. "Basically, it's what if first contact happened during the Bush administration? ... It's a thought experiment of how would we react if civilization has to keep on trucking the way we have, but now we have this great existential quandary that, at least in the universe of the book, is heavily politicized."

On today's podcast, Lindsay talks about four people she loves to follow on YouTube: A pop music analyst who breaks down one-hit wonders, band-breaking records, and more; a prolific video essayist who wears her enthusiasm on her sleeve; an aviation expert who explains the history of air disasters; and a former Vine star who cooks up brilliant video ideas like it's nothing.

You can get bonus follow recommendations every week — including an extra follow from Lindsay — when you back Follow Friday on Patreon, starting at just $1 a month. Thank you to our amazing patrons: Jon, Justin, Amy, Yoichi, Danielle, Elizabeth, and Sylnai.

Follow us:

- Follow us @followfridaypod on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok and find clips from the show on our YouTube channel

- Follow Eric on Twitter @heyheyesj

- Check out Modem Mischief to hear the true stories of the outlaws of cyberspace

This show is a production of Lightningpod.fm, hosted and produced by Eric Johnson

Music: Yona Marie

Show art: Dodi Hermawan

Social media producer: Sydney Grodin

#61 Jesse Thorn (Bullseye): Scruffy dogs, breakfast cereal, the worst albums of the 20th century

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 13 May 2022 03:00:00 -0700

Jesse Thorn has been podcasting since 2005, when he put his college radio show The Sound of Young America on the internet. He was a little early to the party: Six million Americans had listened to a podcast back then, versus 177 million today.

But Jesse stuck with it, and then some. The Sound of Young America became the hit NPR series Bullseye, and he founded the comedy & culture podcast network Maximum Fun, which powers dozens of other podcasts, including Jesse's other shows — Judge John Hodgman and Jordan, Jesse, Go!

Today on Follow Friday, he explains why he got into podcasting, his passion for dad movies, feeling like an outsider inside NPR, and much more. He also shares four great follow recommendations: An adorable "scruffy dog" named Archie (@archie.was.here on Instagram); New York Times opinion columnist and podcaster and cereal critic Jamelle Bouie (@jbouie on Twitter and Instagram); comedian and roller derby commentator Blaine Capatch (@blainecapatch on Twitter); and Pop Culture Happy Hour host & author Linda Holmes (@lindaholmes on Twitter and @lindaholmes97 on Instagram).

And on Follow Friday's Patreon page, you can unlock an extended version of this interview in which Jesse shares a fifth bonus follow recommendation! Thank you to our amazing patrons: Jon, Justin, Amy, Yoichi, Danielle, Elizabeth, and Sylnai.

Also:

Follow Jesse @JesseThorn on Twitter and @put.this.on on Instagram
Follow us @FollowFridayPod on Twitter and Instagram
Follow Eric @heyheyesj on Twitter
Email us! hello@followfridaypodcast.com

P.S. Here's Blaine Capatch's list of the 500 Worst Albums of the 20th Century.

This show is a production of Lightningpod.fm, hosted and produced by Eric Johnson

Music: Yona Marie

Show art: Dodi Hermawan

Social media producer: Sydney Grodin

#60 Reggie Fils-Aimé (Disrupting the Game): Becoming a meme, becoming a Muppet, video game skills

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 06 May 2022 03:00:00 -0700

Former Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aimé first became an internet meme before most people knew what memes were: At Nintendo's presentation at the gaming expo E3 2004, he turned heads by announcing, "My name is Reggie. I'm about kickin' ass, I'm about takin' names, and we're about makin' games."

"I received a message from my teenage son who told me, 'Dad, you're famous,'" Reggie says. "They weren't called memes at the time — these were Photoshopped images. He sent me these images of me blowing up a competitive console; me dressed up like Sylvester Stallone from one of his movies; me looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger from TheTerminator."

Today on Follow Friday, Reggie shares the backstory of another press conference that made him even more internet-famous, and talks about his new book Disrupting the Game: From the Bronx to the Top of Nintendo.

And he explains why we should follow "Originals" and "Think Again" author Adam Grant (@Adamgrant on Instagram, @AdamMGrant on Twitter and LinkedIn); Pivot co-host and New York Times writer Kara Swisher (@karaswisher on Twitter and Instagram); The Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon (@jimmyfallon on Instagram and Twitter); and the founder of The Game Awards, Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley on Twitter).

Thank you to our amazing patrons: Jon, Justin, Amy, Yoichi, Danielle, Elizabeth, and Sylnai. On our Patreon page, you can pledge any amount of money to get access to Follow Friday XL — our members-only podcast feed with exclusive bonus follows.

That feed has an extended-length version of this interview in which Reggie talks about what he has learned from following author and executive advisor Roger L. Martin.

Also:

Follow Reggie @Reggie on Twitter and buy Disrupting the Game
Follow us @FollowFridayPod on Twitter and Instagram
Follow Eric @heyheyesj on Twitter
Email us! hello@followfridaypodcast.com

This show is a production of Lightningpod.fm, hosted and produced by Eric Johnson

Music: Yona Marie

Show art: Dodi Hermawan

Social media producer: Sydney Grodin

#59 Danielle Friedman (Let's Get Physical): Cooking in the nude, human footballs, no filters

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 29 Apr 2022 03:00:00 -0700

On the internet, body shaming is alive and well, nutrition advice can be wildly inaccurate, and it's a lot easier to scroll through Instagram for hours than to get up and go for a run. But Danielle Friedman, who literally wrote the book on women's fitness, says there's one extremely good thing that social media has done for our bodies, which we shouldn't ignore.

"Body acceptance activist Virgie Tovar told me that social media has given a voice to the people who have always been the majority in number, but not in influence," Danielle says.

"You don't have to go through all of the traditional channels to be visible. You can just start posting selfies and find an audience and build an audience that way. And I know it's easier said than done, but in spending years researching this history, that is a significant shift."

Today on Follow Friday, Danielle talks about what else she learned while researching Let's Get Physical: How Women Discovered Exercise and Reshaped the World. And she opens up about four of her favorite people she follows online:

Someone who she just started following: Katie Sturino, @katiesturino on TikTok and Instagram
Someone who makes her laugh: 70s Dinner Party, @70sdinnerparty on Instagram and @70s_party on Twitter
Someone who makes her think: Laura McLaws Helms, @laurakitty on Instagram
Someone who makes the internet a better place: Jessamyn Stanley, @mynameisjessamyn on Instagram and TikTok, @JessamynStan on Twitter, and @JessamynStanley on YouTube

Thank you to our amazing patrons: Jon, Justin, Amy, Yoichi, Elizabeth, Sylnai, and Matthias. On our Patreon page, you can pledge any amount of money to get access to Follow Friday XL — our members-only podcast feed with exclusive bonus follows.

That feed has an extended-length version of this interview in which Danielle talks about someone who's an expert in a very specific niche she loves: Dr. Natalia Mehlman Petrzela.

Also:

Follow Danielle @daniellefriedmanwrites on Instagram and @DFriedmanWrites on Twitter
Follow us @FollowFridayPod on Twitter and Instagram
Follow Eric @heyheyesj on Twitter

This show is a production of Lightningpod.fm, hosted and produced by Eric Johnson

Music: Yona Marie

Show art: Dodi Hermawan

Social media producer: Sydney Grodin

#58 T.J. Raphael (BioHacked: Family Secrets): Brooklyn moms, "monogamish," T9 texting

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 22 Apr 2022 00:00:00 -0700

When her college friend Amber invited her to the beach five years ago, T.J. Raphael had no idea that saying "yes" would change the course of her career. On the beach, Amber told T.J. about discovering — thanks to an at-home DNA kit — that her biological father was not the man who helped raised her. Instead, her "bio-dad" was a formerly anonymous sperm donor, and Amber was not his only child finding out about him.

Reporting out the story of Amber's parentage opened the door to all kinds of stories about the "baby business," which T.J. explores in her acclaimed new podcast BioHacked: Family Secrets.

Today on Follow Friday, T.J. talks about the reporting process for BioHacked as well as four of her favorite people she follows online:

Someone who makes her laugh: Sydney Battle, @sydneybattle on Twitter and @sydbattle on Instagram
Someone she doesn't know, but wants to be friends with: Dan Savage, @dansavage on Instagram and Facebook, and @fakedansavage on Twitter
Someone she just started following: Kenzo Mizumoto, @kenzomizumoto on TikTok and Instagram
Someone who makes the internet a better place: Christi Steyn, @christi.steyn on TikTok and Instagram

That feed has an extended-length version of this interview in which T.J. talks about someone super-talented who's still under the radar: Comedian Shelby Wolstein.

Also:

Follow T.J. on Twitter @tjraphael, and listen to BioHacked: Family Secrets
Follow us @FollowFridayPod on Twitter and Instagram
Follow Eric @heyheyesj on Twitter

This show is a production of Lightningpod.fm, hosted and produced by Eric Johnson

Music: Yona Marie

Show art: Dodi Hermawan

Social media producer: Sydney Grodin

#57 Charlie Harding (Switched on Pop): Daft Funk, TikTok music, canceling Beethoven

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 15 Apr 2022 00:00:00 -0700

Charlie Harding says he "procrastinates" by watching YouTube videos about sound design. But it's not an aimless hobby, because Charlie is a musician and the co-host of Switched on Pop, Vulture's podcast about the making and meaning of popular music.

"Reporting on music, I'm like, 'I need to understand every little thing about how the songs are made,'" he says. "I frequently will actually recreate songs before I think about how to report on them, because I almost want to get inside the creative mind of the person making it."

Today on Follow Friday, Charlie talks about four of his favorite people he follows online:

Someone who makes the internet a better place: Scary Pockets, @scarypockets on YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook
Someone he's jealous of: Cat Zhang, @CatZhang1 on Twitter
Someone he has a crush on: Bess Kalb, @bessbell on Twitter
Someone who's an expert in a very specific niche he loves: Dan Worrall, @DanWorrall on YouTube

That feed has an extended-length version of this interview in which Charlie talks about someone he doesn't know, but wants to be friends with: Musician and comedian Reggie Watts.

Also:

Follow Charlie @charlieharding on Twitter and listen to Switched on Pop
Follow us @FollowFridayPod on Twitter and Instagram
Follow Eric @heyheyesj on Twitter

This show is a production of Lightningpod.fm, hosted and produced by Eric Johnson

Music: Yona Marie

Show art: Dodi Hermawan

Social media producer: Sydney Grodin

#56 Justin Myers (The Guyliner): Fear of custard, writing about yourself, mixtapes vs. d*ck pics

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 08 Apr 2022 00:00:00 -0700

Justin Myers is a writer for British GQ and the author of three novels, most recently The Fake-Up. But he's probably best known for his blog The Guyliner, where since 2014 he has added his own commentary to a long-running dating column from the British newspaper The Guardian. Today on Follow Friday, Justin talks about four of his favorite people he follows online:

Someone who makes the internet a better place: Daytime Snaps, @daytimesnaps on Twitter
Someone who makes him think: Annie Lord, @annielord8 on Twitter and Instagram
Someone who makes him laugh: R Eric Thomas, @oureric on Twitter
Someone he doesn't know in real life, but wants to be friends with: Dame Joan Collins, @joancollinsDBE on Twitter and Instagram

That feed has an extended-length version of this interview in which Justin talks about someone he has followed forever: Comedian Mollie Goodfellow.

Also:

Follow Justin @theguyliner on Twitter and Instagram, and at theguyliner.com
Follow us @FollowFridayPod on Twitter and Instagram
Follow Eric @heyheyesj on Twitter

This show is a production of Lightningpod.fm, hosted and produced by Eric Johnson

Music: Yona Marie

Show art: Dodi Hermawan

Social media producer: Sydney Grodin

#55 Josh Fruhlinger (The Comics Curmudgeon): Beetle Bailey, Hyperloop, bisexual lighting

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 01 Apr 2022 00:00:00 -0700

Josh Fruhlinger is better known to the internet as the Comics Curmudgeon, and for something like 15 years, he's been riffing on the oddities of newspaper comics at joshreads.com. If you want to know which Mary Worth character got into a fight with a cat, Josh is your guy.

Today on Follow Friday, Josh talks about four of his favorite people he follows online:

Someone who's an expert in a very specific niche that he loves: Numble, @numble on Twitter
Someone he's followed forever: Katie Notopoulos, @katienotopoulos on Twitter
Someone he's jealous of: Annie Rauwerda, @anniierau and @depthsofwiki on Twitter, @depthsofwiki on Instagram, and @depthsofwikipedia on TikTok (and here's the skeleton picture Josh mentions)
Someone he just started following: WHH Haters Posting Their L's Online, @WHHHLsonline on Twitter

Thank you to our amazing patrons: Jon, Justin, Amy, Yoichi, Elizabeth, Sylnai, Matthias, and Shima. On our Patreon page, you can pledge any amount of money to get access to Follow Friday XL — our members-only podcast feed with exclusive bonus follows.

That feed has an extended-length version of this interview in which Josh talks about someone who makes the internet a better place: Today in Tabs writer Rusty Foster.

Also:

Follow Josh on Twitter @jfruh and read the Comics Curmudgeon at joshreads.com
Follow us @FollowFridayPod on Twitter and Instagram
Follow Eric @heyheyesj on Twitter

This show is a production of Lightningpod.fm, hosted and produced by Eric Johnson

Music: Yona Marie

Show art: Dodi Hermawan

Social media producer: Sydney Grodin

#54 Traci Thomas (The Stacks): The dreamiest dreamboat, Dolphins Without Borders, banned books

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 25 Mar 2022 00:00:00 -0700

(Full transcript)

Traci Thomas is the host of The Stacks, a podcast about books and the people who read them. Today on Follow Friday, she talks about four of her favorite people she follows online:

Someone she has a crush on: Jason Reynolds, @jasonreynolds83 on Twitter
Someone she doesn't know in real life, but wants to be friends with: Shea Serrano (@sheaserrano on Twitter, @shea.serrano on Instagram) and Larami Serrano (@laramiserranophoto on Instagram)
Someone who makes the internet a better place: @KieseLaymon on Twitter and Instagram
Someone who has stopped posting but needs to come back: Still Processing, a podcast hosted by Jenna Wortham (@jennydeluxe on Twitter and Instagram) and Wesley Morris (@wesley_morris on Twitter, @wsslyy on Instagram)

And on our Patreon page, you can pledge any amount of money to get access to Follow Friday XL — our members-only podcast feed with exclusive bonus follows. That feed has an extended-length version of this interview in which Traci talks about someone super-talented who’s still under the radar: Floral designer Whit McClure.

Also:

Follow Traci @bitracial on Twitter and listen to The Stacks podcast
Follow us @FollowFridayPod on Twitter and Instagram
Follow Eric @heyheyesj on Twitter

Theme song written by Eric Johnson, and performed by Yona Marie. Show art by Dodi Hermawan.

Thank you to our amazing patrons: Jon, Justin, Amy, Yoichi, Elizabeth, Sylnai, Matthias, and Shima.

#53 Broti Gupta (The Simpsons): Sumo oranges, Koko the gorilla, bears aren't real

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 18 Mar 2022 00:00:00 -0700

When she's not tweeting about sumo oranges or her podcast Lecture Hall, Broti Gupta is a writer for The Simpsons. And the long gap between when a Simpsons script is written and when the animated episode makes it to the air means Gupta and her colleagues have to think carefully about what aspects of internet culture have the staying power to be referenced on the show.

"It wouldn't reference Bean Dad, but we might have an episode of our own 'bean dad,'" she says.

Today on Follow Friday, Broti talks about four of her favorite people she follows online:

Someone she's followed forever: Dylan Gelula, @dylangelula on Twitter and Instagram
Someone who's an expert in a very specific niche she loves: The Cincinnati Zoo, @cincinnatizoo on Twitter and Instagram
Someone who makes her laugh: Helena, @freshhel on Twitter and @bugsizechihuahua on Instagram
Someone who makes her think: Sarah Hagi, @KindaHagi on Twitter

And on our Patreon page, you can unlock Follow Friday XL — our members-only podcast feed with exclusive bonus follows. That feed has an extended-length version of this interview in which Broti talks about someone super-talented who’s still under the radar: Amelia Elizalde, a writer for Clickhole and Reductress (plus some bonus material about Dylan Gelula).

Also:

Follow Broti on Twitter @brotigupta
Follow us @FollowFridayPod on Twitter and Instagram
Follow Eric @heyheyesj on Twitter

Theme song written by Eric Johnson, and performed by Yona Marie. Show art by Dodi Hermawan.

Thank you to our amazing patrons: Jon, Justin, Amy, Yoichi, Elizabeth, Sylnai, Matthias, and Shima.

#17 Ed Zitron (Where's Your Ed At): Joker memes, baseball isn't boring, the best tweet ever

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 11 Mar 2022 00:00:00 -0700

(Full transcript of this podcast available here).

When he's not writing about the media and running a PR agency, Ed Zitron is probably on Twitter, where he's curated a perfect experience for himself: He follows fascinating people who represent what he cares about, and aggressively mutes what he doesn't care for, including words like "doge," "stonk," and "Gamestop."

"It's a melting pot of crap, just like my brain," he says.

On today's show, Ed puts talks about four of his favorite accounts on Twitter: A baseball analyst who seems like a genuinely fun person to hang out with; a talented videographer who makes cool stuff look cooler; a musician/webcomic artist who might kick your ass (at the right place and right time); and a corporate account that posted the greatest tweet in the history of Twitter.

And on our Patreon page, you can pledge any amount of money to get access to Follow Friday XL — our members-only podcast feed with exclusive bonus follows. We had recorded a bonus follow with Ed for the page, but it's already available to the public in this episode.

Also:

Follow Ed @edzitron on Twitter and subscribe to his newsletter, Where's Your Ed At
Follow us @FollowFridayPod on Twitter and Instagram
Follow Eric @heyheyesj on Twitter

Theme song written by Eric Johnson, and performed by Yona Marie. Show art by Dodi Hermawan.

Thank you to our amazing patrons: Jon, Justin, Amy, Yoichi, Elizabeth, Sylnai, and Matthias

#52 Hrishikesh Hirway (Song Exploder): Dadaist art, writer's block, trolling Trebek

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 04 Mar 2022 00:00:00 -0700

Hrishikesh Hirway is a prolific creator: A podcaster, a newsletter writer, a TED speaker, a composer, and more. And he's also a musician who has collaborated with everyone from Lakeith Stanfield to Yo-Yo Ma; his first EP since 2011, Rooms I Used to Call My Own, comes out March 30.

Today on Follow Friday, Hrishikesh talks about four of his favorite people he follows online, including a collaborator who helped him get over writer's block while making that album:

Someone he just started following: Sumesh Hirway, @sumeshhirway on Instagram
Someone he doesn't know in real life, but wants to be friends with: Rose Matafeo, @rose_matafeo on Twitter and @rosematafeo on Instagram
Someone super-talented who's still under the radar: John Mark Nelson, @johnmarknelson on Twitter and Instagram
Someone who's an expert in a very specific niche he loves: Erik Agard, @e_a_rly on Twitter

And on our Patreon page, you can pledge any amount of money to get access to Follow Friday XL — our members-only podcast feed with exclusive bonus follows. That feed has an extended-length version of this interview in which Hrishikesh talks about someone he has followed forever: The award-winning artist and illustrator Susie Ghahremani.

Also:

Follow Hrishikesh @HrishiHirway on Twitter and Instagram, and subscribe to his newsletter, Accept Cookies
Follow us @FollowFridayPod on Twitter and Instagram
Follow Eric @heyheyesj on Twitter

Theme song written by Eric Johnson, and performed by Yona Marie. Show art by Dodi Hermawan.

Thank you to our amazing patrons: Jon, Justin, Amy, Yoichi, Elizabeth, Sylnai, and Matthias

#51 Alexis Gay (Non-Technical): Wool sweaters, divorcées, bonsai trees

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 25 Feb 2022 00:00:00 -0700

Full transcript here

Alexis Gay is one of those rare cases you hear about: For seven years, she was a tech worker who wanted to do comedy; then, she posted a video on Twitter in April 2020 that took her from under 1,000 followers to more than 15,000. Several viral hits later, she's now pursuing comedy full-time and hosting the podcast Non-Technical, where she interviews people from the tech world about everything that's not on their résumes.

Today on Follow Friday, Alexis shares the love and talks about four of the coolest people she follows online:

Someone she's jealous of: Evan Ross Katz, @evanrosskatz on Twitter and Instagram
Someone who makes her think: Mike Isaac, @MikeIsaac on Twitter and @mike_isaac on Instagram
Someone who makes her laugh: Kylie Brakeman, @deadeyebrakeman on Twitter and TikTok
Someone who's an expert in a very specific niche she loves: Tobin Mitnick, @jewslovetrees on Instagram and TikTok

And on our Patreon page, you can pledge any amount of money to get access to Follow Friday XL — our members-only podcast feed with exclusive bonus follows. That feed has an extended-length version of this interview in which Alexis talks about someone super-talented who is still under the radar, the musician and comedian Sarah Dooley.

Also:

Follow Alexis @YayAlexisGay on Twitter and Instagram
Follow us @FollowFridayPod on Twitter and Instagram
Follow Eric @heyheyesj on Twitter

Theme song written by Eric Johnson, and performed by Yona Marie. Show art by Dodi Hermawan.

Thank you to our amazing patrons: Jon, Justin, Amy, Yoichi, Elizabeth, Sylnai, and Matthias

#50 Shima Oliaee (Dolly Parton's America): Fake cousins, lazy exorcists, punching down

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 18 Feb 2022 00:00:00 -0700

Radio journalist Shima Oliaee, known for her many contributions to podcasts like Radiolab and for co-creating the award-winning series Dolly Parton's America, is also an avowed fan of poetry and taking time offline to sit and read ... but like the rest of us, she's online, and today on Follow Friday, Shima shares four of her favorite people to follow:

Someone she just started following: Nina Ansary
Someone super-talented who's still under the radar: Ingrid Rojas Contreras
Someone who makes her laugh: Kiese Laymon
Someone who makes the internet a better place: Roxane Gay

And on our Patreon page, you can pledge any amount of money to get access to Follow Friday XL — our members-only podcast feed with exclusive bonus follows. That feed has an extended-length version of this interview in which Shima talks about someone she's jealous of, the writer and professor Imani Perry.

Also:

Follow Shima @ShimaOliaee on Twitter and Instagram
Follow us @FollowFridayPod on Twitter and Instagram
Follow Eric @heyheyesj on Twitter

Theme song written by Eric Johnson, and performed by Yona Marie. Show art by Dodi Hermawan.

Thank you to our amazing patrons: Jon, Justin, Amy, Yoichi, Elizabeth, Sylnai, and Matthias

#49 Eric Johnson (Follow Friday): Evil coconuts, Disneyland, dog selfies

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 28 Jan 2022 01:00:00 -0700

(Full transcript here)

Follow Friday is one year old today, so happy birthday to us! To celebrate, Garbage Day writer Ryan Broderick — one of the first-ever guests on the show — takes the reins and interviews Eric Johnson about four of his favorite people to follow online:

Someone he doesn't know in real life but wants to be friends with: Video essayist Patrick H. Willems
Someone who's an expert in a very specific niche he loves: Kevin Perjurer, founder of Defunctland
Someone he is embarrassed to admit he follows: Korean a capella group MayTree
Someone who makes the internet a better place: Engineer Simone Giertz

And on our Patreon page, you can pledge any amount of money to get access to Follow Friday XL — our members-only podcast feed with exclusive bonus follows. That feed has an extended-length version of this interview in which Eric and Ryan talk about why the history-comedy podcast Something True needs to come back for a third season.

Also:

Follow Ryan on Twitter @broderick and listen to his podcast The Content Mines
Follow us @FollowFridayPod on Twitter and Instagram
Follow Eric on Twitter @heyheyesj

Theme song written by Eric Johnson, and performed by Yona Marie. Show art by Dodi Hermawan.

Thank you to our amazing patrons: Jon, Justin, Amy, Yoichi, Shinri, Elizabeth, Odette, Jay, Danny, Lauren, and Sylnai

#48 Tom Scott: Fast fashion, the future of football, nice sci-fi

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 21 Jan 2022 00:00:00 -0700

(Full transcript here)

Today on Follow Friday, YouTuber and educator Tom Scott talks about the wild places his videos take him, the challenges of science communication, and four of his favorite people to follow online:

Someone super-talented who is still under the radar: Rollie Williams from Climate Town
Someone who's an expert in a very specific niche that he loves: Linguist Gretchen McCulloch
Someone who makes the internet a better place: Writer and video producer Jon Bois
Someone he just started following: Science fiction author Becky Chambers

And on our Patreon page, you can pledge any amount of money to get access to Follow Friday XL — our members-only podcast feed with exclusive bonus follows. That feed has an extended-length version of this interview in which Tom talks about the profanity-fluent music of Tom Cardy.

Also:

Follow Tom on YouTube at TomScottGo and TomScottPlus
Follow us @FollowFridayPod on Twitter and Instagram
Follow Eric on Twitter @heyheyesj

Theme song written by Eric Johnson, and performed by Yona Marie. Show art by Dodi Hermawan.

Thank you to our amazing patrons: Jon, Justin, Amy, Yoichi, Shinri, Elizabeth, Odette, and Jay

#47 Brooke Hammerling (Pop Culture Mondays): Baby Yoda, rich moms, the Bono of finance bros

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 14 Jan 2022 00:00:00 -0700

(Full transcript here)

Today on Follow Friday, The New New Thing founder and Pop Culture Mondays writer Brooke Hammerling talks about the broadening definition of "pop culture," her French bulldog Potato's Instagram fame, and four of her favorite people to follow online:

Someone she has a crush on: George Hahn, @georgehahnnyc on TikTok
Someone who has stopped posting but needs to come back: Josh Brown, @downtown on Twitter
Someone who makes the internet a better place: Christina Najjar, @tinx on TikTok
Someone she doesn't know but wants to be friends with: Ben Stiller, @redhourben on Twitter

And on our Patreon page, you can pledge any amount of money to get access to Follow Friday XL — our members-only podcast feed with exclusive bonus follows. That feed has an extended-length version of this interview in which Brooke talks about why you should follow PR expert/investor Ashley Mayer.

Also:

Follow Brooke on Twitter @Brooke and on Instagram @Brooke
Read her newsletter Pop Culture Mondays and follow/subscribe to her upcoming podcast, Pop Culture Mondays on Thursdays
Follow us @FollowFridayPod on Twitter and Instagram
Follow Eric on Twitter @heyheyesj

Theme song written by Eric Johnson, and performed by Yona Marie. Show art by Dodi Hermawan.

Thank you to our amazing patrons: Jon, Justin, Amy, Yoichi, Shinri, Elizabeth, Odette, and Jay

#46 Best of 2021: Eric's favorite follows of the year

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 17 Dec 2021 00:00:00 -0700

Today on Follow Friday, Eric Johnson looks back at four of his favorite follows out of the 183 discussed on the show in 2021. They are:

Alie Ward's "someone you have a crush on," Jarrett Sleeper / @jarrettsleeper
Alexandra Petri's "someone who's an expert in a very specific niche you love," Josh Fruhlinger / @jfruh
Mark Chrisler's "someone you just started following," Froot of the Loom / @frootoftheloom1
The Auralnauts' "someone who makes you laugh," Michael Cunningham / @Michael1979

Also:

Follow Eric on Twitter @heyheyesj

Theme song written by Eric Johnson, and performed by Yona Marie. Show art by Dodi Hermawan.

Thank you to our amazing patrons: Jon, Justin, Amy, Yoichi, Shinri, and Elizabeth

#45 Amanda Aronczyk (Planet Money): Circus nuns, Friendster, Tom Holland

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 10 Dec 2021 00:00:00 -0700

Today on Follow Friday, Planet Money co-host Amanda Aronczyk talks about how she and her colleagues find so many entertaining stories about the economy, and recommends four of her favorite online accounts:

Someone who has stopped posting but needs to come back: The Carmelite Sisters of the Divine Heart of Jesus, @carmeldcj on TikTok
Someone she's followed forever: Stacey Vanek Smith, @svaneksmith on Twitter and Instagram
Someone who inspires her: Kathy Liu, @joeywingsorg on Facebook and @joeyswings on YouTube and Instagram
Someone who she doesn't know, but wants to be friends with: Gbenga Ajilore, @gbenga_ajilore on Twitter

You can get bonus episodes of Follow Friday every week — including a bonus follow recommendation from Amanda, coming next week — when you back Follow Friday on Patreon, starting at just $1 a month.

Also:

Follow Amanda on Twitter @Aronczyk and Planet Money @PlanetMoney on Twitter and TikTok
Read or listen to Amanda's 2015 story about Kathy Liu and donate to Joey's Wings
Follow us @followfridaypod on Twitter and Instagram
Follow Eric on Twitter @heyheyesj

Theme song written by Eric Johnson, and performed by Yona Marie. Show art by Dodi Hermawan.

Thank you to our amazing patrons: Jon, Justin, Amy, Yoichi, Shinri, and Elizabeth

#44 Bijan Stephen (Eclipsed): A quest for cookies, Tinder robots, imaginary video games

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 03 Dec 2021 00:00:00 -0700

(Full transcript)

Today on Follow Friday, journalist and podcaster Bijan Stephen talks about his new history podcast Eclipsed and recommends four of his favorite accounts to follow online:

Someone he'd like to be friends with: Tim Rogers, @actionbutton
Someone he's followed forever: Hrishikesh Hirway, @hrishihirway
Someone super-talented who's still under the radar: Nicole He, @nicolehe
Someone who makes the internet a better place: Leon Chang, @leyawn

You can get bonus episodes of Follow Friday every week — including a bonus follow recommendation from Bijan, coming next week — when you back Follow Friday on Patreon, starting at just $1 a month.

Follow us:

- Follow Bijan on Instagram @bijancakes and on Twitter and Twitch at @bijanstephen

- Follow us @followfridaypod on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok and find clips and full episodes on our YouTube channel

- Follow Eric on Twitter @heyheyesj

Theme song written by Eric Johnson, and performed by Yona Marie. Show art by Dodi Hermawan.

Thank you to our amazing patrons: Jon, Justin, Amy, Yoichi, Shinri, and Elizabeth

#43 Amory Sivertson and Ben Brock Johnson (Endless Thread): Meme history, happy dogs, and the cutest animal — elephants

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 19 Nov 2021 00:00:00 -0700

(Full transcript here)

After three years of reporting out stories that originated on Reddit, the WBUR podcast Endless Thread parted ways with the social app this year, and started asking, "What else can we say about the internet?"

"Follow Friday is a great example of how there's so much out there, and we felt like we had more work to do," says Endless Thread co-host Amory Sivertson. "So that's where we are now, telling stories that paint a broader picture of our online interactions and the communities that are formed."

And most recently, Amory and her co-host Ben Brock Johnson have been tackling the history of some of the internet's greatest memes, including Rickrolling, Scumbag Steve, and "Woman Yelling At Cat."

"A lot of times the image kind of speaks for itself, or at least it brings a vibe that — as long as people put a caption on it — is understandable to you, you can enjoy it and you can pass it on," Ben says. "But there are multiple layers to memes."

Today on Follow Friday, Amory and Ben recommend four of their favorite accounts from across the internet: A cinematic and pastoral YouTube channel about food in western China; a curated and approachable collection of women's art on Twitter; a pragmatic meme expert who's making the internet a better place; and a Kenyan nonprofit protecting elephants, rhinos and more. Plus: What are their favorite memes?

You can get bonus episodes of Follow Friday every week — including two bonus follows from Amory and Ben, one of which is already out — when you back Follow Friday on Patreon, starting at just $1 a month.

Follow us:

- Follow Amory on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook @AmoryMusic

- Follow Ben on Twitter and Instagram @TheBrockJohnson

- Follow us @followfridaypod on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok and find clips and full episodes on our YouTube channel

- Follow Eric on Twitter @heyheyesj

Theme song written by Eric Johnson, and performed by Yona Marie. Show art by Dodi Hermawan.

Thank you to our amazing patrons: Jon, Justin, Amy, Yoichi, Shinri, and Elizabeth

#42 Alasdair Beckett-King, Morgan Sung, Lindsay Ellis, and Gavin Purcell: Bonus follows UNLOCKED

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 00:00:00 -0700

(Full transcript at FollowFridayPodcast.com)

Supporters of the Follow Friday Patreon page get a shout-out on the podcast, exclusive previews of who's coming up on future episodes, and — most importantly — bonus podcasts, with follow recommendations from our amazing guests that didn't make it into the main episode.

Today on Follow Friday, we're unlocking four of those bonus episodes, which were originally available only to Patreon supporters. They feature ...

- Comedian Alasdair Beckett-King, recommending "aspiring philosopher" Liam Bright

- NBC News reporter Morgan Sung, recommending journalist/roller dancer Liz Brazile

- YouTuber and bestselling author Lindsay Ellis, recommending YouTuber Kat Blaque

- Way Too Interested host Gavin Purcell, recommending Glitch CEO Anil Dash

If you've been on the fence about joining the Patreon page, then today's show will give you a good idea of what to expect. You can pledge any amount you want, starting at just $1/month, at patreon.com/followfriday.

Follow us:

- Alasdair is on YouTube @ABeckettKing and on Twitter @MisterABK

- Morgan is on Twitter @morgan_sung and on Instagram @ratsoverflowers

- Lindsay is on YouTube @LindsayEllisVids

- Gavin is on Twitter @gavinpurcell

- Follow us @followfridaypod on Twitter and Instagram

- Eric is on Twitter @heyheyesj

Theme song written by Eric Johnson, and performed by Yona Marie. Show art by Dodi Hermawan.

Thank you to our amazing patrons: Jon, Justin, Amy, Yoichi, Shinri, and Elizabeth

#41 Dana Schwartz (Noble Blood): Bruce Willis, very British words, bad art friends

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 05 Nov 2021 00:00:00 -0700

(Full transcript at FollowFridayPodcast.com)

Let's get one thing clear: Despite what some of her podcast critics might claim, Dana Schwartz is not a monarchist.

"The whole point of Noble Blood is me pointing out that these royals are just normal people," she says. "I think they're interesting people because they've been given unchecked power often throughout history, but for the record, I don't think that that's the best system of government."

And after telling true stories of various monarchs for years on that podcast, Dana has turned her focus to Hollywood royalty in the new show Haileywood. In it, she chronicles Bruce Willis' attempt to remake a small town in Idaho in his own image.

"He wants to be anonymous, but also wants to be famous and have the power of fame, but only on his terms," she explains. "As a character study, if nothing else, it's incredibly fascinating."

Today on Follow Friday, Dana talks about some other incredibly fascinating people, who she follows online: Absurdist comedian Chris Fleming; author and soothing TikTokker Victoria Aveyard; writer and comedian Adam Hess; and journalist/podcaster Michael Hobbes.

You can get bonus episodes of Follow Friday every week — including a bonus follow from Dana, coming early next week — when you back Follow Friday on Patreon, starting at just $1 a month.

Follow us:

- Follow Dana on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @DanaSchwartzzz, and pre-order her book Anatomy: A Love Story

- Follow us @followfridaypod on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok and find clips from the show on our YouTube channel

- Follow Eric on Twitter @heyheyesj

Theme song written by Eric Johnson, and performed by Yona Marie. Show art by Dodi Hermawan.

Thank you to our amazing patrons: Jon, Justin, Amy, Yoichi, Shinri, and Elizabeth

#40 Gavin Purcell (Way Too Interested): Homing pigeons, Gollum, NFTs

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 29 Oct 2021 00:00:00 -0700

(Full transcript at FollowFridayPodcast.com)

When he set out to make a podcast, Emmy-winning writer and TV producer Gavin Purcell thought about the last time he took a chance on a new medium, in the early days of blogging and YouTube.

"I was really interested in Japanese TV," he says. "YouTube was like this weird wild west where like all this stuff was getting uploaded, and I started paying attention to it. And then I started a blog and the blog got really successful and it almost became like a completely separate part of my life."

The blog didn't become his career, but creating it taught Gavin the value of following our passions, because "they will open up so much more in our brains and introduce things that could be something, a bigger part of our lives." His podcast, Way Too Interested, unites his friends and celebrity guests — the people who are "way too interested" in a passion or hobby — with experts who can answer all their burning questions about that obsession.

Today on Follow Friday, Gavin talks about some of the fascinating people he follows online: Writer and poetry lover Zito Madu; Twitch streamer and "VTuber" Code Miko; bestselling author and podcaster Shea Serrano; and NFT artist and educator Bryan Brinkman.

You can get bonus episodes of Follow Friday every week — including a bonus follow from Gavin, coming early next week — when you back Follow Friday on Patreon, starting at just $1 a month.

And, if you're in the US and you're pledging $5 or more as of October 31, you will get a handwritten thank-you note and a sheet of Follow Friday stickers, which are not available anywhere else! Visit patreon.com/followfriday to get started.

Follow us:

- Follow Gavin on Twitter @gavinpurcell and listen to his podcast, Way Too Interested

- Follow us @followfridaypod on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok and find clips from the show on our YouTube channel

- Follow Eric Johnson on Twitter @heyheyesj

Theme song written by Eric Johnson, and performed by Yona Marie. Show art by Dodi Hermawan.

Thank you to our amazing patrons: Jon, Justin, Amy, Yoichi, Shinri, and Elizabeth

#39 Samir Mezrahi (Zillow Gone Wild): Hidden treasure, reply guys, Spirit Halloween

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 22 Oct 2021 00:00:00 -0700

(Full transcript at FollowFridayPodcast.com)

Samir Mezrahi's mind is on the gutters — not in the gutter. As the creator of the Instagram account Zillow Gone Wild and the video series Celebrity Home Shopping, he's seen a lot of gaudy McMansions (and proper mansions), which typically haven't been designed with water removal in mind.

"They just stick out, and so many HOMEies — which is our squad in the show — will send me pictures of terrible gutters they see," he says. "I've awoken people to seeing bad gutters in their neighborhoods, around town, everywhere. So people are always sending me pictures or Insta posts or Reels. And it's always like, 'Why are you doing this to me?'"

On today's episode of Follow Friday, Samir talks about the sort of content he prefers to consume online, including posts from the HGTV stars The Property Brothers; Tesla Technoking (that's his real title) Elon Musk; mansion tour guide Enes Yilmazer; and musical comedian Nick Lutsko.

You can get bonus episodes of Follow Friday every week when you back Follow Friday on Patreon, starting at just $1 a month.

Follow us:

- Follow Samir on Instagram @samir, @celebrityhomeshopping and @zillowgonewild

- Follow us @followfridaypod on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok and find clips from the show on our YouTube channel

- Follow Eric Johnson on Twitter @heyheyesj

Theme song written by Eric Johnson, and performed by Yona Marie. Show art by Dodi Hermawan.

Thank you to our amazing patrons: Jon, Justin, Amy, Yoichi, Shinri, and Elizabeth

#38 Reza Farazmand (Poorly Drawn Lines): Persian chicken, desert blues, Commodore 64

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 15 Oct 2021 00:00:00 -0700

(Full transcript at FollowFridayPodcast.com)

Poorly Drawn Lines creator Reza Farazmand thought he knew what to expect when adapting his popular webcomic as an animated TV show. After all, he had seen a documentary about how South Park gets made.

"That gave me the sense that making an animated show would be this wild process with late nights and a bunch of fast food," he says. "But it was really more of a slow, gradual process with a lot of emailing and phone calls ... It was a lot slower than I thought, but it was also an extremely gratifying and fun process."

You can watch what came of that process, the Poorly Drawn Lines TV show, on FX on Hulu. And on today's episode of Follow Friday, Reza shares some of his favorite people to follow from around the internet: Salt Fat Acid Heat author and Home Cooking co-host Samin Nosrat; Tuareg guitarist and rock star Mdou Moctar; the design podcast 99% Invisible; and an Instagram account dedicated to Retro Gadgets.

You can get bonus episodes of Follow Friday every week — including a bonus follow from Reza, coming early next week — when you back Follow Friday on Patreon, starting at just $1 a month.

Follow us:

- Follow Poorly Drawn Lines on Instagram @poorlydrawnlines and Twitter @PDLcomics

- Follow us @followfridaypod on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok and find clips from the show on our YouTube channel

- Follow Eric Johnson on Twitter @heyheyesj

Theme song written by Eric Johnson, and performed by Yona Marie. Show art by Dodi Hermawan.

Thank you to our amazing patrons: Jon, Justin, Amy, Yoichi, Shinri, and Elizabeth

#37 Eric Molinsky (Imaginary Worlds): Spice Girls, colorizing history, James Bond's friend Chewbacca

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 08 Oct 2021 00:00:00 -0700

(Full transcript at FollowFridayPodcast.com)

"Imagine if NPR went to Comic-Con and decided that's all they ever wanted to cover." That's how Eric Molinsky describes his podcast Imaginary Worlds, which takes science fiction, fantasy, and other "genre" entertainment seriously — and explores the depths that have attracted fans for decades.

"When it gets couched within Marvel or Star Trek or Star Wars, people that aren't into that stuff just laugh and think, 'Oh, it's a bunch of nerds arguing,'" Molinsky says. "It's like, 'No, they're talking about gender, race, representation, capitalism in there. They're arguing over the same things you're arguing over. It's just within a fantasy world.'"

On today's episode of Follow Friday, Molinsky explains why he follows Postmodern Jukebox, a group of cover musicians who filter modern songs through vintage genres; Your Pal James, a dormant art project that parodies action figure photography; Sébastien de Oliveira, who expertly colorizes historical photos; and Terrible Maps, an aggressively unhelpful geographical resource.

You can get bonus episodes of Follow Friday every week — including a bonus follow from Eric, coming early next week — when you back Follow Friday on Patreon, starting at just $1 a month.

Follow us:

- Follow Eric Molinsky on Twitter @emolinsky and Imaginary Worlds on Instagram @imaginary_worlds_podcast

- Follow us @followfridaypod on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok and find clips from the show on our YouTube channel

- Follow Eric Johnson on Twitter @heyheyesj

Theme song written by Eric Johnson, and performed by Yona Marie. Show art by Dodi Hermawan.

Thank you to our amazing patrons: Jon, Justin, Amy, Yoichi, Shinri, and Elizabeth

#36 LIVE - Kara Swisher (The New York Times): Crypto bros, Uncle Satan, political sex scandals

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 01 Oct 2021 00:00:00 -0700

(Full transcript of this episode)

Some of New York Times writer Kara Swisher's favorite follows are people she has admired, crushed on, and befriended — and also people she has battled with, debated, and investigated. And that's no accident.

"I think people are dying for that in this incredibly partisan time. It's very hard to reach out to people you disagree with," she says, explaining why she comes to the table with people whom others might consider unpalatable. Pushing them away, she says, "plays into all the malevolent people who are trying to take us apart."

Olive branches aside, the Sway and Pivot host also promises to pull no punches in her forthcoming memoir about covering Silicon Valley as a tech journalist for the Wall Street Journal, AllThingsD, Recode, and now the NYT.

"I'm burning it all down," she says. "And then I'm like, goodbye ... I have people, the richest people in the world, the most powerful people, [saying] 'You're so mean to me.' I'm like, 'Are you 12?'"

In this live episode of Follow Friday, recorded at Manny's in San Francisco, Kara explains what she likes (and, in some cases, hates) about her politically incorrect Pivot podcast co-host Scott Galloway; the actor and producer Gemma Chan; Twitter and Square CEO Jack Dorsey; newspaper columnist and "Fire and Fury" author Michael Wolff; and "Full Frontal" host Samantha Bee.

You can get bonus episodes of Follow Friday every week — including an extended conversation with Kara Swisher, coming early next week — when you back Follow Friday on Patreon, starting at just $1 a month.

Follow us:

- Follow Kara on Twitter @karaswisher

- Follow us @followfridaypod on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok and find clips from the show on our YouTube channel

- Follow Eric on Twitter @heyheyesj

Theme song written by Eric Johnson, and performed by Yona Marie. Show art by Dodi Hermawan.

Thank you to our amazing patrons: Jon, Justin, Amy, Yoichi, Shinri, and Elizabeth

#35 Dallas Taylor (Twenty Thousand Hertz): Phil Collins, finding joy, fake supermarkets

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 24 Sep 2021 00:00:00 -0700

(Full transcript available at FollowFridayPodcast.com)

Once upon a time, Dallas Taylor remembers, it was a compliment to call someone an "audiophile."

"Traditionally, audiophiles have been people who are super into Hi-Fi and putting together great systems. But over time, it turned into, at least the way that I hear it ... It's kind of a snobbish thing."

But he says his "mission," as professional sound designer and the host of a podcast that celebrates sound design, Twenty Thousand Hertz, is to remind people that we are all audiophiles, even if we wouldn't call ourselves that.

"You don't need extra permission to think and curate sound around you, just like you don't have to with all of your other human experiences and core senses."

And on today's Follow Friday, Dallas has curated four people he follows who represent his diverse tastes: A famous design enthusiast who privately helped him realize the purpose of his show; a beloved ex-podcaster who solved mundane mysteries in beautiful fashion; a filmmaker and composer who has taken his YouTube viewers to the end of time; and a group of off-the-wall artists who are redefining the idea of an art installation.

You can get bonus episodes of Follow Friday every week — including an extra follow recommendation from Dallas, coming early next week — when you back Follow Friday on Patreon, starting at just $1 a month.

Follow us:

- Follow Dallas on TikTok @twentythousandhertz and his studio on Instagram @defactosound

- Follow us @followfridaypod on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok and find clips from the show on our YouTube channel

- Follow Eric on Twitter @heyheyesj

Theme song written by Eric Johnson, and performed by Yona Marie. Show art by Dodi Hermawan.

Thank you to our amazing patrons: Jon, Justin, Amy, Yoichi, and Elizabeth

#34 Lindsay Ellis (Axiom's End): Phantom of the Opera, 50 Shades of Grey, air disasters

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 17 Sep 2021 00:00:00 -0700

Please nominate Follow Friday in the "New/Debut Podcast" and "Interview-Style Podcast" categories in the Discover Pods Awards!

Click here to read a full transcript of this episode

For more than five years, Lindsay Ellis has been producing video essays on YouTube, analyzing everything from the Transformers movies to Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals to popular tropes in film and TV.

Last year, after more than a decade of wanting to be an author, she published her first book — the bestselling sci-fi novel Axiom's End, which was informed by that same attentiveness to pop culture. After 9/11, she noticed, popular alien invasion stories had shifted from "goofy" stories to "dead serious" ones, like Steven Spielberg's War of the Worlds.

You can get bonus episodes of Follow Friday every week — including an extra follow recommendation from Lindsay, coming early next week — when you back Follow Friday on Patreon, starting at just $1 a month.

Follow us:

- Follow Lindsay on YouTube @LindsayEllisVids (and don't follow her on Twitter @thelindsayellis, she asks)

- Follow us @followfridaypod on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok and find clips from the show on our YouTube channel

- Follow Eric on Twitter @heyheyesj

Theme song written by Eric Johnson, and performed by Yona Marie. Show art by Dodi Hermawan.

Thank you to our amazing patrons: Jon, Justin, Amy, Yoichi, and Elizabeth

#33 Dave Jorgenson (The Washington Post): Hogwarts houses, wholesome comedy, Survivor

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 10 Sep 2021 00:00:00 -0700

Read the full transcript of this episode at FollowFridayPodcast.com

Please nominate Follow Friday in the "New/Debut Podcast" and "Interview-Style Podcast" categories in the Discover Pods Awards!

On March 11, 2020, Dave Jorgenson posted a TikTok video of himself, dancing in his apartment. That isn't unusual for TikTok, but it was the first of hundreds he would produce at home while his employer — The Washington Post — tried to protect workers from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Over the ensuing months, Dave's videos have been a much-needed source of levity and absurdity, often mining the Post's straight news stories for hidden deposits of humor. The newspaper's already substantial audience on TikTok has more than doubled in that time, to over one million followers.

"I thought it was going to be a three-week-long thread," he says, referring to the Twitter thread where he has cross-posted all 727 TikToks (and counting). "Now, we were just told yesterday that we're not coming back to the office until January, at least ... I have two minds about it. I don't want to be locked out. I don't want there to be a pandemic, but there's a part of me that's like, '1,000 would be cool.'"

On today's podcast, Dave talks about a TikTok star and astrology lover who turns celebrity gossip into exciting stories; a hilarious Post colleague who has secretly voiced one of the characters in his TikTok videos; a wholesome cartoonist who has made the leap from internet virality to bestselling books; and a former reality TV contestant who now leads a podcasting empire.

You can get bonus episodes of Follow Friday every week — including an extra follow recommendation from Dave, coming early next week — when you back Follow Friday on Patreon, starting at just $1 a month.

Follow us:

- Follow Dave on TikTok @washingtonpost and @davejorgenson, on Twitter @davejorgenson, and on Instagram @davetakespictures

- Follow us @followfridaypod on Twitter and Instagram, and on YouTube

- Follow Eric on Twitter @heyheyesj

Theme song written by Eric Johnson, and performed by Yona Marie. Show art by Dodi Hermawan.

Thank you to our amazing patrons: Jon, Justin, Amy, Yoichi, and Elizabeth

#32 Dave Pell (NextDraft): Florida men, Apple fanboys, Japanese roller coasters

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 03 Sep 2021 00:00:00 -0700

Full transcript: FollowFridayPodcast.com/dave-pell

Our new YouTube channel: followfriday.co/youtube

Dave Pell calls himself the "managing editor of the internet," and for good reason: Every weekday, he combs through 75 different news sources and plucks out the 10 most important stories for his popular email newsletter NextDraft.

But it can be hard for anyone — even a voracious news reader — to put the news of the past couple years in context, which is why Pell is about to release a book about the 2020-2021 news cycle called Please Scream Inside Your Heart.

"As I had my friends or proofreaders go over my book, that was the number one response, like, 'Oh my God, I can't believe that happened in 2020. I thought that was another year. I don't remember that happening.'" he says.

On today's podcast, Dave talks about four of his favorite accounts to follow: A 164-year-old magazine that covered Trump and COVID better than anyone; a self-proclaimed "Florida Man" who documents the state's weird news and corrupt government; an inspiring celebrity chef who has fed millions of people after natural disasters; and an old-school tech blogger who's never afraid to "shoot from the hip."

Follow us:

- Dave is on Twitter @davepell

- This show is on Twitter and Instagram @followfridaypod and we have a brand-new YouTube channel here

- Eric is on Twitter @heyheyesj

Theme song written by Eric Johnson, and performed by Yona Marie. Show art by Dodi Hermawan.

Thank you to our amazing patrons: Jon, Justin, Amy, Yoichi, and Elizabeth

#31 Morgan Sung (Mashable): Frog bread, astrology, poisonous mushrooms

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 27 Aug 2021 00:00:00 -0700

Full transcript: FollowFridayPodcast.com/morgan-sung

Over the past 18 months, internet culture has become, simply, culture. And one of the top writers documenting and explaining the latest trends is Mashable's Morgan Sung.

However, as she explained in one of her most-shared pieces — "Bimbos are good, actually" — Sung also sees the appeal of not being as savvy as she is.

"As someone who's painfully online, I think if you're going to have any sort of online presence or even just engage with online culture at all, you're expected to be on top of the discourse," she says. "You have to know everything at once. It's a lot of reading, and sometimes I'm tired."

On today's podcast, Sung talks about four of the accounts that have defined the pandemic-era internet for her: A food writer and photographer who understands how class and race intersect with our diets; a Dadaist meme account that reminds you you're not crazy; a 34-year-old punk who has become TikTok's cool aunt; and a passionate forager who wants nature to be celebrated, not avoided.

You can get bonus episodes of Follow Friday every week — including an extra follow recommendation from Morgan, coming soon — when you back Follow Friday on Patreon, starting at just $1 a month.

Follow us:

- Morgan is on Twitter @morgan_sung and on Instagram @morgansung

- This show is on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @followfridaypod

- Eric is on Twitter @heyheyesj

Patreon: Patreon.com/followfriday

Leave a review: LoveThePodcast.com/followfriday

Theme song written by Eric Johnson, and performed by Yona Marie. Show art by Dodi Hermawan.

Thank you to our amazing patrons: Jon, Justin, Amy, Yoichi, and Elizabeth

#30 Four super-weird accounts you should follow (ft. Ed Zitron, Allegra Frank, Kevin Roose, and Freddie Wong)

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 20 Aug 2021 00:00:00 -0700

Patreon: Patreon.com/followfriday

Leave a review: LoveThePodcast.com/followfriday

Hello again Follow Friday listeners! Today's show is another compilation of recommendations from previous episodes. This time, they're all from the weirdest corners of the internet. You can find links to all of them below, along with the original episodes they came from. Enjoy!

greengiant_es (recommended by Ed Zitron from EZPR)
George Ice Cube (recommended by Allegra Frank from Slate)
The Horse Mafia (recommended by Kevin Roose from the New York Times)
its557am (recommended by Freddie Wong from RocketJump)

Follow us:

- This show is on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @followfridaypod

- Eric is on Twitter @heyheyesj

Theme song written by Eric Johnson, and performed by Yona Marie. Show art by Dodi Hermawan.

Thank you to our amazing patrons: Jon, Justin, Amy, Yoichi, and Elizabeth

#29 Four comedians you should follow (ft. Adrianne Jeffries, Zack Bornstein, Alie Ward, and Helen Zaltzman)

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 13 Aug 2021 00:00:00 -0700

Patreon: Patreon.com/followfriday

Leave a review: LoveThePodcast.com/followfriday

Hello Follow Friday listeners! I'm on vacation this week, so today's show is compilation of recommendations from previous episodes. All of them are comedians, and are linked below, along with the original episodes they came from. Enjoy!

Amber Wallin (recommended by Adrianne Jeffries from Underunderstood)
Patti Harrison (recommended by comedian Zack Bornstein)
Chris Fleming (recommended by Alie Ward from Ologies)
Jo Neary (recommended by Helen Zaltzman from The Allusionist)

Follow us:

- This show is on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @followfridaypod

- Eric is on Twitter @heyheyesj

Theme song written by Eric Johnson, and performed by Yona Marie. Show art by Dodi Hermawan.

Thank you to our amazing patrons: Jon, Justin, Amy, Yoichi, and Elizabeth

#28 Max Miller (Tasting History): Musical theater, insatiable curiosity, Lady Gaga

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 06 Aug 2021 00:00:00 -0700

Patreon: Patreon.com/followfriday

Leave a review: LoveThePodcast.com/followfriday

Full transcript: FollowFridayPodcast.com/max-miller

"The beginning of the research process, it's like walking into a pitch black room," says Tasting History host Max Miller. "You don't even know what's there ... Finally, you click on the light and there's something interesting. And then it's like, oh, now I can go down that rabbit hole

Miller's YouTube channel, which releases new food history videos every Tuesday, has taken him down a lot of interesting rabbit holes: Medieval mead, 500-year-old pizza, Aztec chocolate, and even parmesan cheese ice cream (a must-watch for his reaction to the end-of-episode taste test).

On today's Follow Friday, he lets us into what he's watching and listening to in his limited downtime away from the kitchen: A reaction video star with a knack for schadenfreude; a charismatic nerd who answers big questions with energy and science; a music scholar who explains the history of the art; and a "boring in a good way" finance expert who taught Miller how to succeed on YouTube.

You can get bonus episodes of Follow Friday every week — including an extra follow recommendation from Max, coming soon — when you back Follow Friday on Patreon, starting at just $1 a month.

Follow us:

- Max is on YouTube, TikTok, and Patreon @TastingHistory, on Twitter @TastingHistory1, and on Instagram and Facebook @TastingHistoryWithMaxMiller

- This show is on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @followfridaypod

- Eric is on Twitter @heyheyesj

Theme song written by Eric Johnson, and performed by Yona Marie. Show art by Dodi Hermawan.

Thank you to our amazing patrons: Jon, Justin, Amy, Yoichi, and Elizabeth

#27 Liana Finck (The New Yorker): Pit bulls, Hawaiian tortoises, bread shoes

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 30 Jul 2021 00:00:00 -0700

Patreon: Patreon.com/followfriday

Leave a review: LoveThePodcast.com/followfriday

Transcript: FollowFridayPodcast.com/liana-finck

As a graphic novelist and cartoonist whose work regularly appears in The New Yorker, Liana Finck mostly follows other artists and illustrators. But she makes an exception when the person she wants to follow has impeccable taste — and maybe a pet tortoise.

"I feel very embarrassed to like stalk/follow people who aren't posting, to like peek into their lives," she says. "I do it with a few people, and then I unfollow them repeatedly because I'm embarrassed ... Instagram is kind of a little bit too close for comfort sometimes."

On today's Follow Friday, however, Liana opened up about four of her favorite follows: A "weird" animator whose cartoon sketches straddle the line between relatable and absurd; the stylish editor in chief of a prominent magazine; a poet and artist who calls Liana his "Insta-foe"; and a book cover designer who can seemingly do everything.

You can get bonus episodes of Follow Friday every week — including an extra follow recommendation from Liana, coming soon — when you back Follow Friday on Patreon, starting at just $1 a month.

Follow us:

- Liana is on Instagram and Twitter @lianafinck

- This show is on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @followfridaypod

- Eric is on Twitter @heyheyesj

Theme song written by Eric Johnson, and performed by Yona Marie. Show art by Dodi Hermawan. Special thanks to Lauren Passell from Podcast: The Newsletter.

Thank you to our amazing patrons: Jon, Justin, Yoichi, and Elizabeth

#26 Alasdair Beckett-King: Mr. Blobby, Vine, paper puppets

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 23 Jul 2021 00:00:00 -0700

Back us on Patreon: Patreon.com/followfriday

Review us: LoveThePodcast.com/followfriday

Full transcript: FollowFridayPodcast.com/alasdair-beckett-king

"One of my principles is that putting too much effort into things makes them funnier."

So says Alasdair Beckett-King, an award-winning comedian whose videos on YouTube and Twitter have repeatedly gone viral over the past year. They include parodies of Star Trek, spooky podcasts, and "every single Scandinavian crime drama," but Beckett-King is constantly trying new things — sometimes for practical reasons.

"People keep saying, 'When are you doing Captain Picard again?'" he says on today's Follow Friday. "And I'm like, 'I'm not!' Because it took ages to do the bald head, and you've seen it now."

On this episode, he talks about a fellow British comic who he looked up to when he was just getting started; his complicated feelings about people who reply to his tweets; an erstwhile Vine star who perfected short-form video jokes; and an Australian comedian who combines perfect timing with paper puppets.

You can get a fifth follow recommendation from Alasdair — as well as our past and future guests — when you back Follow Friday on Patreon, starting at just $1 a month.

Follow us:

- Alasdair is on YouTube @ABeckettKing and on Twitter @MisterABK

- This show is on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @followfridaypod

- Eric is on Twitter @heyheyesj

Theme song written by Eric Johnson, and performed by Yona Marie. Show art by Dodi Hermawan.

Thank you to our amazing patrons: Jon, Justin, and Elizabeth

#25 The Auralnauts (Craven Moorhaus and Zak Koonce): Funeral DJs, lightsaber ASMR, Howard the Duck

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 16 Jul 2021 00:00:00 -0700

Full transcript: FollowFridayPodcast.com/auralnauts

Back us on Patreon: Patreon.com/followfriday

Review us: LoveThePodcast.com/followfriday

Craven Moorhaus and Zak Koonce owe it all to Bane. Craven, an audio designer, and Koonce, a comedy writer, teamed up as the Auralnauts in 2012 to dub over scenes from The Dark Knight Rises.

"Because [Bane] had a mask on, and you could make him say whatever we wanted, so we just changed the context of everything that was happening and we turned him into this weird fitness freak," Koonce says. "And then he just raps to this audience who is clearly not expecting it, and is not into it."

Nine years later and 300,000 subscribers later, they've made dozens of videos dubbing over TV commercials, Boston Dynamics' robot tests, and many, many Star Wars movies. On today's Follow Friday, the Auralnauts talk about four great accounts they follow online: A YouTube essayist who unpacks the hidden layers of pop culture; "the most wholesome troll that exists in the world"; a dorky ASMR expert with a "connected universe" of characters; and an Instagram account that curates "so bad, it's so good" music.

You can get a fifth follow recommendation from the Auralnauts — as well as our past and future guests — when you back Follow Friday on Patreon, starting at just $1 a month.

Follow us:

- Auralnauts on YouTube

- This show is on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @followfridaypod

- Eric is on Twitter @heyheyesj

Theme song written by Eric Johnson, and performed by Yona Marie. Show art by Dodi Hermawan.

Thank you to our amazing patrons: Jon, Justin, and Elizabeth

#24 Freddie Wong (RocketJump): TikTok magic, train surfing, singing skeletons

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 09 Jul 2021 00:00:00 -0700

Full transcript: https://followfridaypodcast.com/freddie-wong

Back us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/followfriday

Review the show: https://lovethepodcast.com/followfriday

Podcaster and filmmaker Freddie Wong — the co-founder of RocketJump and co-host of Story Break and Dungeons and Daddies — knows better than anyone that the way we consume media on the internet is constantly changing. And throughout it all, he's been paying close attention.

Today on Follow Friday, Freddie talks with Eric Johnson about why TikTok is funnier than any other social media app, a "terrifying" realization he had recently on Reddit, and four great accounts he follows online: A fascinating TikTokker who appears to be able to float; an anonymous travel vlogger who believes in "illegal freedom"; the most exciting animator on the internet right now; and a brilliant old-school YouTuber whose original videos are now a kind of time capsule.

And you can get a fifth follow recommendation from Freddie — as well as Ann Reardon, Mark Chrisler, and our future guests — when you back Follow Friday on Patreon, starting at just $1 a month.

Follow us:

- Freddie is on Twitter @fwong and he co-hosts the podcasts Story Break and Dungeons and Daddies

- This show is on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @followfridaypod

- Eric is on Twitter @heyheyesj

Theme song written by Eric Johnson, and performed by Yona Marie. Show art by Dodi Hermawan.

Thank you to our amazing patrons: Jon, Justin, and Elizabeth

#23 Mark Chrisler (The Constant): Chicago's worst food, The Berenstain Bears, video games are art

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 02 Jul 2021 05:00:00 -0700

Full transcript: https://followfridaypodcast.com/mark-chrisler

Back us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/followfriday

Review the show: https://lovethepodcast.com/followfriday

On The Constant, Mark Chrisler chronicles "a history of getting things wrong" — the many ways that humans have misunderstood the world, or misled others about it. Over the past 100 (!) episodes, Mark's topics have ranged from death rays to forensic science to a submarine that was discovered at the bottom of the Chicago River.

Today on Follow Friday, Mark talks about his years-long podcast feud with the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, his love/hate feelings about a prominent public intellectual, the McElroy brother he wants to be friends with, a fun Twitter account documenting the "Mandela effect," and a YouTube essayist shaping the way we talk about video games.

And you can get a fifth follow recommendation from Mark later today if you back Follow Friday on Patreon, starting at just $1 a month. Special thanks to our patrons of the week: Jon and Justin!

Follow us:

- Mark is on Twitter @constantpodcast and on Instagram and Facebook @theconstantpodcast

- This show is on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @followfridaypod

- Eric is on Twitter @heyheyesj

Theme song written by Eric Johnson, and performed by Yona Marie. Show art by Dodi Hermawan.

Thank you to our amazing patrons: Jon, Justin, and Elizabeth.

#22 Ann Reardon (How to Cook That): Food fakery, glitterbombs, steamy photographs

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 25 Jun 2021 05:00:00 -0700

Full transcript: https://followfridaypodcast.com/ann-reardon

Back us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/followfriday

Review the show: https://lovethepodcast.com/followfriday

On her YouTube channel How to Cook That, Ann Reardon has shown viewers how to make desserts like an iPad cake, a giant Kit Kat bar, and even a chocolate book. But she's also well-known for debunking viral food videos that purport to show amazing life-hacks, and are often just disinformation.

"If your end goal is simply to get the most views so that you get a bonus, then making up stuff that doesn't actually work is really not an issue," she says. "If that's your mindset, then it's quite a dangerous world, really."

Today on Follow Friday, Ann talks about the debunking series, her new cookbook Crazy Sweet Creations, and four fascinating people she follows: A chocolate sculptor whose creations look completely real; a former NASA engineer who has turned squirrel mazes and glitterbombs into YouTube stardom; a food photographer who can teach you how to take better photos with just your phone; and a Silicon Valley investor whose podcast unlocks the secrets of business success.

And you can get a fifth recommendation later today if you back Follow Friday on Patreon, starting at just $1 a month. Special thanks to our patron of the week: Elizabeth!

Follow us:

- Ann is on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram @HowToCookThat

- This show is on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @followfridaypod

- Eric is on Twitter @heyheyesj

Theme song written by Eric Johnson, and performed by Yona Marie. Show art by Dodi Hermawan.

#21 Follow Friday's new Patreon + Alexandra Petri, Rose Eveleth, and Ed Zitron bonus picks

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 18 Jun 2021 05:00:00 -0700

(Full transcript available on FollowFridayPodcast.com)

Big news: Starting today, for as little as $1 a month, you can support Follow Friday on Patreon!

Other than the warm fuzzy feeling you get from helping an indie podcaster out, you'll also get cool stuff when you back us: A shout-out on the show, your name in the show notes, sneak peeks at upcoming episodes, AND — most importantly — bonus mini-episodes! Today on the podcast, we're playing three examples of what those minisodes will sound like.

These are never-before-heard bonus recommendations from three popular recent guests: Flash Forward host Rose Eveleth, EZPR founder Ed Zitron, and Washington Post humorist Alexandra Petri. They talk about an accessibility consultant who knows how to break writers' block, a semi-anonymous teenager who's more knowledgeable about the NFL than anyone on ESPN, and a comedian/podcaster whose tweets capture the zeitgeist.

To get even more cool people to follow every month, visit patreon.com/followfriday and become a backer today. And if you have something you want to promote on the show, or a podcast or other creative project you want help with, check out the higher tiers there as well.

Follow us:

- This show is @followfridaypod on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok

- Eric is @heyheyesj on Twitter

Like the show? Please visit LoveThePodcast.com/FollowFriday and leave a review on any of the platforms listed there. Your review will encourage new listeners to take a chance on Follow Friday.

Theme song written by Eric Johnson, and performed by Yona Marie. Show art by Dodi Hermawan. Additional music by Purple Planet Music.

#20 Franklin Leonard (The Black List): Ted Lasso, being a good ally, how to sell a book

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 11 Jun 2021 05:00:00 -0700

(Full transcript of this episode available here).

If you want to know what's going to win an Oscar in a couple years, you should talk to film and TV producer Franklin Leonard. Since 2005, he and his team at The Black List have circulated an annual list of the best screenplays floating around Hollywood that haven't yet been made into movies. But films that make it to the Black List — such as Argo, The King's Speech, and Promising Young Woman — often find later success.

When he's not making movies or helping screenwriters win trophies, however, Franklin is a soccer obsessive, a student of history, and a leader trying to educate himself about good allyship. On today's Follow Friday, he talks about an exceptionally generous young soccer star; two activists breaking barriers for disabled people everywhere; a powerful publishing executive who's spilling his industry's secrets on Instagram; and two writers who are starting important conversations about race and American history.

Follow us:

- Franklin is @franklinleonard on Twitter and @franklinjleonard on Instagram

- This show is @followfridaypod on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok

- Eric is @heyheyesj on Twitter

Like the show? Please visit LoveThePodcast.com/FollowFriday and leave a review on any of the platforms listed there. Your review will encourage new listeners to take a chance on Follow Friday.

Subscribe to the LightningPod newsletter — a free, weekly(ish) email with exclusive insights on the podcasting industry and updates on our latest work.

Theme song written by Eric Johnson, and performed by Yona Marie. Show art by Dodi Hermawan. Additional music by Purple Planet Music.

#19 Alexandra Petri (The Washington Post): Smuggling drugs in fish, the end of the universe, yelling at "Cats"

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 04 Jun 2021 05:00:00 -0700

(A full transcript of this episode is available at FollowFridayPodcast.com)

Washington Post humorist and avowed pun enthusiast Alexandra Petri writes columns with headlines like, "Are you a Brood X cicada, or just someone emerging from pandemic isolation?"; "We must get everyone in America a yacht to protect them from gun violence!"; and "I do not wish to learn anything more about my wealthy husband's near demise (which would have been sad)."

Her interests extend far beyond comedy and wordplay, however. Today on Follow Friday, she talks about being a diehard fan of newspaper comics, what she learned from visiting a UFO convention, why philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau was a "nightmare person," and more.

Alexandra also talks with Eric Johnson about four people she follows online: A self-proclaimed "comics curmudgeon" who has hot takes about Mark Trail and Mary Worth; an astrophysicist studying how the universe might suddenly end (whatever!); a mysterious YouTuber who reads creepy stories from Wikipedia and Reddit; and a literature phD who also celebrates trashy movies like 2019's "Cats."

Follow us:

- Alexandra is @petridishes on Twitter, @petrifying on Facebook, and @thisusernameisterrible on Instagram

- This show is @followfridaypod on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok

- Eric is @heyheyesj on Twitter

Like the show? Please visit LoveThePodcast.com/FollowFriday and leave a review on any of the platforms listed there. Your review encourages new listeners to take a chance on Follow Friday.

Subscribe to the free BumbleCast email newsletter — big news coming soon!

Theme song written by Eric Johnson, and performed by Yona Marie. Show art by Dodi Hermawan. Additional music by Purple Planet Music.

#18 Rose Eveleth (Flash Forward): Underwater aliens, COVID journalism, the language of science

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 28 May 2021 05:00:00 -0700

(A full transcript of this episode is available at FollowFridayPodcast.com)

For more than six years, Rose Eveleth has hosted one of the best science podcasts around, Flash Forward. In every episode, she takes listeners on a trip to the future to explore "possible (and not so possible)" scenarios, such as: What if we killed all the mosquitoes? What if every volcano on Earth erupted at the same time? What if we never fixed any of the Y2K bugs?

The podcast has also spawned an illustrated companion book, featuring comics based on Flash Forward episodes from artists such as Matt Lubchanksy, Sophie Goldstein, and Ben Passmore.

On today's show, Rose talks with Eric Johnson about four people she follows online: A fellow enthusiast about marine biology she wants to be friends with; a brilliant writer she's already friends with who sends her top-notch TikToks; an award-winning science journalist who has inspired her to keep podcasting; and a one-of-a-kind consultant who's fluent in the languages of both journalists and scientists.

Follow us:

- Rose is @roseveleth on Twitter

- This show is @followfridaypod on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok

- Eric is @heyheyesj on Twitter

Please leave a rating or review by going to LoveThePodcast.com/FollowFriday

Want to advertise on this show? Visit FollowFridayPodcast.com/Advertise

Theme song written by Eric Johnson, and performed by Yona Marie. Show art by Dodi Hermawan. Additional music by Purple Planet Music.

#17 Ed Zitron (EZPR): Joker memes, baseball isn't boring, the best tweet ever

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 21 May 2021 05:00:00 -0700

(Full transcript of this podcast available here).

"It's a melting pot of crap, just like my brain," he says.

Follow us:

- Ed is @edzitron on Twitter

- This show is @followfridaypod on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok

- Eric is @heyheyesj on Twitter

Please leave a rating or review by going to LoveThePodcast.com/FollowFriday

Want to advertise on this show? Visit FollowFridayPodcast.com/Advertise

Theme song written by Eric Johnson, and performed by Yona Marie. Show art by Dodi Hermawan. Additional music by Purple Planet Music.

#16 Adrianne Jeffries & Regina Dellea (Underunderstood): McMansions, dogs eating butter, persuading Joe Rogan

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 14 May 2021 05:00:00 -0700

(Full transcript of this podcast available here).

On the podcast they co-host, Underunderstood, journalists Adrianne Jeffries and Regina Dellea answer the questions that you can't resolve with a simple Google search. For example: Why does everyone in Japan attribute this one quote to Snoopy from Peanuts? Are America's telephone area codes all part of a big conspiracy? And why did people all over the US receive "mystery seeds" in the mail from China last year?

But when they're not solving mysteries, Adrianne and Regina have been spending a lot of time on TikTok recently, so they went all-in for today's episode of Follow Friday: Four accounts they love on TikTok, including a comedian and her dorky husband; a polymath who also roasts McMansions; a trans musician and former Vine star; and a journalist/writer who makes feminism accessible to everyone.

Follow us:

- Adrianne is @adrjeffries on Twitter

- Regina is @woahitsregina on Twitter

- This show is @followfridaypod on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok (new!)

- Eric is @heyheyesj on Twitter

Please leave a rating or review by going to LoveThePodcast.com/FollowFriday

Want to advertise on this show? Visit FollowFridayPodcast.com/Advertise

Theme song written by Eric Johnson, and performed by Yona Marie. Show art by Dodi Hermawan. Additional music by Purple Planet Music.

#15 Michael Tucker (Lessons From the Screenplay): “Jingle Bells," visual effects, the danger of common sense

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 07 May 2021 05:00:00 -0700

(Full transcript of this podcast available here).

On his YouTube channel Lessons From the Screenplay, Michael Tucker and his colleagues have analyzed the stories of films like The Dark Knight, Get Out, Casino Royale, and the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe.

On today's episode, Michael explains why he likes having his assumptions challenged by the podcast Revisionist History and learning about visual effects from one of the best communicators in the industry, Todd Vaziri. He also talks about how the movie producer Sev Ohanian inspires him, and why he wants to be friends with another YouTube star, Tom Scott.

Follow us:

- Michael is @michaeltuckerla on Twitter

- This show is @followfridaypod on Twitter and Instagram

- Eric is @heyheyesj on Twitter

Please leave a rating or review by going to LoveThePodcast.com/FollowFriday

Want to advertise on this show? Visit FollowFridayPodcast.com/Advertise

Theme song written by Eric Johnson, and performed by Yona Marie. Show art by Dodi Hermawan. Additional music by Purple Planet Music.

#14 Allegra Frank (Slate): S**tposting, Instagram art, ice cube role-playing

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 30 Apr 2021 05:00:00 -0700

Slate senior editor Allegra Frank usually writes about things that have a big cultural footprint — movies like Godzilla vs. Kong, or TV shows like the Falcon and the Winter Soldier. But one of her all-time favorite social media accounts has only 45 followers and hasn't posted in two years.

"I've read their entire Twitter feed many times," she says.

On today's episode, Frank also talks with Eric Johnson about her love of s**tposting, endearing comedy videos, Instagram art, and more.

Read a full transcript of this episode here

Follow us:

- Allegra is @legsfrank on Twitter, and her podcast is @awylatt on Twitter and Twitch

- This show is @followfridaypod on Twitter and Instagram

- Eric is @heyheyesj on Twitter

Who Allegra follows:

- Ray Sipe (watch the Shrek video)

- Grace Freud

- Julie Kwon (check out Allegra's favorite drawing)

- George Ice Cube

Donate to Trans Lifeline: TransLifeline.org

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Theme song written by Eric Johnson, and performed by Yona Marie. Show art by Dodi Hermawan. Additional music by Purple Planet Music.

#13 Nick Quah (Hot Pod): Gen Z musicians, sports journalism, video game design

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 23 Apr 2021 05:00:00 -0700

Nick Quah has been chronicling the growth of the podcasting industry since 2014 in his email newsletter, Hot Pod, and he also offers up regular podcast recommendations in the Vulture newsletter 1.5x Speed. But he's not only listening to the big, prestigious shows you've heard of.

"One of my favorite things to do is to pick up a chat show about a subject that I know absolutely nothing about and just listen to people go at it," Nick says on today's episode of Follow Friday.

He also shares his complicated feelings about representation in Hollywood, what a YouTuber has taught him about the future of entertainment, why food and sports writing matter, and which chat podcast in particular he got hooked on recently.

Follow us:

- Nick is @nwquah on Twitter

- This show is @followfridaypod on Twitter and Instagram

- Eric is @heyheyesj on Twitter

Who Nick follows:

- Justin Chang

- mxmtoon

- Danny Chau

- Into the Aether

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Theme song written by Eric Johnson, and performed by Yona Marie. Show art by Dodi Hermawan. Additional music by starfrosch.

#12 Helen Zaltzman (The Allusionist): Blind dates, the word “queer," the wellness industry

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 16 Apr 2021 05:00:00 -0700

On her podcast about language, The Allusionist, Helen Zaltzman has covered everything from cryptic crosswords to translations to public apologies. But don't worry: She's not judging your vocabulary when she's reading something for fun.

"When I'm not forced by work to do this kind of interpretation, I like to switch that part of my brain off," she says.

On today's episode of Follow Friday, Helen talks with Eric Johnson about poorly-spelled names, stand-up comedy, blind dates, the word "queer," horrifying kitchen gadgets, witch doctors, and more.

Follow us:

- Helen is @HelenZaltzman on Twitter and Instagram

- This show is @followfridaypod on Twitter and Instagram

- Eric is @heyheyesj on Twitter

Who Helen follows:

- Jo Neary

- TheGuyliner

- Nancy

- Rhik Samadder

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Theme song written by Eric Johnson, and performed by Yona Marie. Show art by Dodi Hermawan. Additional music by Katherine Chang and Purple Planet Music.

#11 Rachelle Hampton & Madison Malone Kircher (ICYMI): The Tudors, The West Wing, Cate Blanchett

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 09 Apr 2021 05:00:00 -0700

On Slate's new internet culture podcast ICYMI, Rachelle Hampton and Madison Malone Kircher "gaze deep into the online abyss—and tell you what's gazing back." They've covered topics like Clubhouse, millennials vs. Gen Z on TikTok, and the controversial music video for Lil Nas X's song Montero (Call Me By Your Name).

On today's episode of Follow Friday, Rachelle and Madison talk with Eric Johnson about who they follow online, and why. Topics include: Joe Biden's dogs, the War of the Roses, The West Wing, the only person who's good at Twitter dunks, and the "Sapphic looks" of Cate Blanchett.

Follow us:

- Rachelle is @heyydnae on Twitter

- Madison is @4evrmalone on Twitter and Instagram

- This show is @followfridaypod on Twitter and Instagram

- Eric is @heyheyesj on Twitter

Who Rachelle and Madison follow:

- Brandon Taylor

- Christina Tucker

- Jasmine Sanders

- The Queer Cate Blanchett Lookbook

Rate Follow Friday: LoveThePodcast.com/FollowFriday

Theme song written by Eric Johnson, and performed by Yona Marie. Show art by Dodi Hermawan. Additional music by Katherine Chang and Purple Planet Music.

#10 Johana Bhuiyan (The Los Angeles Times): Funny TikToks, Filipina hip-hop, Brown dads

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 02 Apr 2021 03:00:00 -0700

At the Los Angeles Times, tech journalist Johana Bhuiyan writes about privacy, surveillance, and how the actions of companies like Google and Amazon impact real people. And just like the rest of us, she's trying to avoid getting even more addicted to her phone.

"I have not allowed myself to download TikTok except for once," she says. "And it was like a three-day binge."

On today's episode of Follow Friday, Johana talks with Eric Johnson about her trusted source for funny TikToks that ensures she never needs to download the app again; a talented young rapper who's also working on COVID vaccines; and why she's "going to be a reporter til I die."

Follow us:

- Johana is @JMBooyah on Twitter and Instagram

- This show is @followfridaypod on Twitter and Instagram

- Eric is @heyheyesj on Twitter

Who Johana follows:

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Theme song written by Eric Johnson, and performed by Yona Marie. Show art by Dodi Hermawan. Additional music by Katherine Chang, starfrosch, and Purple Planet Music.

#9 Devindra Hardawar (The /Filmcast): Parasite, Hades, surviving a pandemic

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 26 Mar 2021 03:00:00 -0700

As the co-host of two popular podcasts — the movie discussion show the /Filmcast and the tech-focused Engadget Podcast — Devindra Hardawar has his finger on the pulse of Hollywood and Silicon Valley. But to understand those rapidly changing industries, he follows critics and academics who have smart, original takes on what's next.

On today's episode of Follow Friday, Devindra talks with Eric Johnson about the state of representation in Hollywood, the impact of Parasite's Best Picture win last year, why so many people are obsessed with the mythology-based video game Hades, and the person on Twitter who has helped him stay sane throughout the pandemic.

Follow us:

- Devindra is @Devindra on Twitter

- This show is @followfridaypod on Twitter and Instagram

- Eric is @heyheyesj on Twitter

Who Devindra follows:

Rate Follow Friday: LoveThePodcast.com/FollowFriday

Theme song written by Eric Johnson, and performed by Yona Marie. Show art by Dodi Hermawan. Additional music by Katherine Chang and Purple Planet Music.

#8 Zack Bornstein: Bigoted biscuits, stand-up heroin, Twitter politicians

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 19 Mar 2021 03:00:00 -0700

What is it like to be the most popular person on Twitter for a day? Comedy writer Zack Bornstein can tell you — he's been that person three times, thanks to his jokes about politics and current events that frequently go viral.

"Finally some good news," he tweeted in June 2020, on one of those three days. "Scientists discovered a treatment that can reduce COVID19 transmission by 70%, and its just a piece a cloth you wear in front of your dumb f**king face."

On today's episode of Follow Friday, Zack talks with Eric Johnson about the funny people he wants to be friends with, why comedians like to work together, and the real government official who looks like he "could pick you up by your throat and lift you off the ground in a movie."

Follow us:

- Zack is @ZackBornstein on Twitter and Instagram

- This show is @followfridaypod on Twitter and Instagram

- Eric is @heyheyesj on Twitter

Who Zack follows:

Rate Follow Friday: LoveThePodcast.com/FollowFriday

Theme song written by Eric Johnson, and performed by Yona Marie. Show art by Dodi Hermawan. Additional music by Purple Planet Music.

#7 Kevin Roose (The New York Times): Boomer memes, the power of naps, and hustle culture

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 12 Mar 2021 03:00:00 -0700

New York Times columnist Kevin Roose is best known for writing and podcasting about online extremism and disinformation. But his new book, Futureproof, is a practical guide that offers "9 Rules for Humans in the Age of Automation," making it a sort of self-help book for people who don't want to be replaced by robots.

"I was talking to someone yesterday and they said, did you write a self-help book?" Roose says on today's episode of Follow Friday. "And it's like, well, literally yes. I was trying to help myself."

He also talks with Eric Johnson about the risk of "becoming a monster" on Twitter, why a Facebook page for Christian moms makes him jealous, and the celebrity entrepreneur he's embarrassed to admit he follows. Plus: Why you should take a nap after this podcast is done.

Follow us:

- Kevin is @kevinroose on Twitter

- This show is @followfridaypod on Twitter and Instagram

- Eric is @heyheyesj on Twitter

Who Kevin follows:

Rate Follow Friday: LoveThePodcast.com/FollowFriday

Theme song written by Eric Johnson, and performed by Yona Marie. Show art by Dodi Hermawan. Additional music by Purple Planet Music and Katherine Chang.

#6 Alie Ward (Ologies): Diversity in science, shy comedians, the gayness of paint

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 05 Mar 2021 03:00:00 -0700

On Alie Ward's comedy/science podcast Ologies, she interviews real experts in topics like trees (dendrology), decluttering (oikology), and crow funerals (corvid thanatology). She's also a host of the Netflix show 100 Humans and a correspondent on the long-running CBS show Innovation Nation with Mo Rocca.

On this episode of Follow Friday, Ward talks with Eric Johnson about unfortunate bird names, the comedian she's afraid to befriend, the time she angered her now-fiancé by calling him a "green banana," and why the corner is the gayest part of the house. Plus: How Ward, as a professional science communicator, tries to promote scientists from under-represented backgrounds.

Follow us:

- Alie is @alieward on Twitter and Instagram

- This show is @followfridaypod on Twitter and Instagram

- Eric is @heyheyesj on Twitter

Who Alie follows:

Rate Follow Friday: LoveThePodcast.com/FollowFriday

Theme song written by Eric Johnson, and performed by Yona Marie. Show art by Dodi Hermawan. Additional music by Purple Planet Music, starfrosch, and Katherine Chang.

#5 Chelsea Rebecca (Dead Meat): Horror movie fans, the dirtbag left, pro wrestling

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 26 Feb 2021 03:00:00 -0700

Chelsea Rebecca wants you to know that "people who love horror aren't all total sickos." She's the co-host of the hugely popular YouTube channel Dead Meat, along with her fiancé James Janisse, and previously starred in the comedy-video series Drunk Disney and other shows made by the comedy group Practical Folks.

On this episode of Follow Friday, Rebecca talks with Eric Johnson about the famous horror actor she has a crush on, why she's so transparent about her political leanings online, and the internet "rite of passage" of being strafed by a right-wing quasi-celebrity. Plus: Why it's easier to love pro wrestling when you don't know too much about it.

Follow us:

- Chelsea is @carebecc on Twitter

- This show is @followfridaypod on Twitter and Instagram

- Eric is @heyheyesj on Twitter

Who Chelsea follows:

Rate Follow Friday: LoveThePodcast.com/FollowFriday

Theme song written by Eric Johnson, and performed by Yona Marie. Show art by Dodi Hermawan. Additional music by Purple Planet Music, starfrosch, and Katherine Chang.

#4 Tre’vell Anderson (FANTI): Black journalists, hairy people in dresses, “love/hate”

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 19 Feb 2021 03:00:00 -0700

Tre'vell Anderson is on the front lines of how the media is evolving: The former LA Times film reporter now writes for the queer culture magazine Xtra and co-hosts a podcast about "the people, places and things we're fans of, but sometimes have some 'anti' feelings toward," called FANTI. They also use non-binary gender pronouns (they/them) and lead the Los Angeles chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists.

On this episode of Follow Friday, Anderson talks with Eric Johnson about better media representation for Black and queer people, how artists are forcing a conversation about identity, and why they have a "love/hate" relationship with their podcast co-host. Plus: The story of a trans woman whose cooking skills got her out of jail.

Follow us:

- Tre'vell is @TrevellAnderson on Twitter and @rayzhon on Instagram

- This show is @followfridaypod on Twitter and Instagram

- Eric is @heyheyesj on Twitter

Who Tre'vell follows:

Rate Follow Friday: LoveThePodcast.com/FollowFriday

Donate to help Texans affected by winter storm Uri:

Austin Area Urban League

Presbyterian Night Shelter

Mutual Aid Houston

Dallas/Fort Worth Mutual Aid

Theme song written by Eric Johnson, and performed by Yona Marie. Show art by Dodi Hermawan. Additional music by Purple Planet Music, starfrosch, and Katherine Chang.

#3 Jenn Takahashi (Best of Nextdoor): Ice-T’s first bagel, very good dogs, meme thieves

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 12 Feb 2021 03:00:00 -0700

By day, Jenn Takahashi does PR for companies like the dating app Coffee Meets Bagel. But by night — or maybe also by day, we don't know her schedule — she is the "chief lurker" behind Best of Nextdoor, which posts high-quality neighborhood drama to hundreds of thousands of followers on Twitter and Instagram.

On this episode of Follow Friday, Takahashi talks with Eric Johnson about giving Law & Order: SVU star Ice-T his first bagel, the untimely demise of Google Reader, the best dog breed, and meme thieves. Plus: Air-fried hot dogs!

Follow us:

- Jenn is @jenntakahashi on Twitter and Instagram

- This show is @followfridaypod on Twitter and Instagram

- Eric is @heyheyesj on Twitter

Who Jenn follows:

- Ice-T

- Danny Groner

- Matt Nelson

- Kale Salad

Subscribe to Follow Friday on:

... or your favorite podcast app!

Theme song written by Eric Johnson, and performed by Yona Marie. Show art by Dodi Hermawan. Additional music by Purple Planet Music, starfrosch, and Katherine Chang.

#2 Ryan Broderick (Garbage Day): Twitter trolls, ska music, goblincore

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 05 Feb 2021 03:00:00 -0700

Ryan Broderick understands the internet better than you do, probably. After being fired from BuzzFeed last year, he launched an independent email newsletter called Garbage Day, which documents and explains the fun and strange and sometimes disturbing things people are posting online. Broderick also hosts the internet culture podcast The Content Mines with British news editor Luke Bailey.

On this episode of Follow Friday, Broderick talks with Eric Johnson about why it's a mistake to assume people are lying online, the implausible fact that email newsletters are cool now, and why making ska music in your bedroom is incredibly cool. Plus: Goblincore!

Follow us:

- Ryan is @broderick on Twitter

- This show is @followfridaypod on Instagram and Twitter

- Eric is @heyheyesj on Twitter

Who Ryan follows:

Subscribe to Follow Friday on:

... or your favorite podcast app!

Theme song written by Eric Johnson, and performed by Yona Marie. Show art by Dodi Hermawan. Additional music by starfrosch and Katherine Chang.

#1 Avery Trufelman (Nice Try!): “Thirsty on main,” distilled knowledge, future karaoke classics

LightningPod.fm — Fri, 29 Jan 2021 03:00:00 -0700

Since August 2020, Avery Trufelman has hosted the New York Magazine podcast The Cut, which covers "culture, sex, politics, and more." She previously worked at the widely beloved design podcast 99% Invisible, where she created and hosted an award-winning miniseries about the meaning of fashion, called Articles of Interest.

On the series debut of Follow Friday, Trufelman talks with Eric Johnson about comedy that only makes sense to Twitter addicts like her; why she wants her email newsletters to have "meat on those bones"; the strange feeling of hearing a stranger describe a real-life friend's private life; and her Batman-like philosophy of karaoke.

Follow us:

- Avery is @trufelman on Twitter

- This show is @followfridaypod on Instagram and Twitter

- Eric is @heyheyesj on Twitter

Who Avery follows:

Subscribe to Follow Friday on:

... or your favorite podcast app!

Theme song written by Eric Johnson, and performed by Yona Marie. Show art by Dodi Hermawan. Special thanks to Katherine Chang.

What is Follow Friday?

Eric Johnson / LightningPod — Fri, 15 Jan 2021 17:30:00 -0700

Follow Friday is the podcast about who you should follow online.

Every week, you’ll hear from podcasters, writers, comedians, and other creative people. They’ll give us a guided tour to best people on the internet, who we should be following, too.

Follow or subscribe to the show for free in your favorite podcast app. And for bonus mini-episodes every month, you can back us on Patreon.

Learn more about the show: FollowFridayPodcast.com