Hip Squared Season 0 Episode 00

CHAPO TRAPHOUSE PODCAST LOGO

This episode of Hip Squared is a crossover with Armchair Apocrypha! Andrew and Rachel join John in American Fantastic Studio, and Troy talks to John too.

First, John talks about Chapo Trap House, a scathing political satire podcast, along with their book, The Chapo Guide to Revolution: A Manifesto Against Logic, Facts and Reason. This podcast is hilariously entertaining, but nearly nihilistic in its outlook. It’s also very left-wing. The members of the podcast are extremely profane, and their book is too. If you’d like a political podcast from a very different perspective, they’re well worth a listen.

Then Andrew talks about the recent Hearthstone controversy. Ng Wai Chung won a Hearthstone tournament and used his platform to voice his support for the Hong Kong protests against Beijing. Blizzard, who has a heavy footprint in China, took away the player’s winnings. After a fierce protest, his suspension was reduced to six months. This new video game controversy reflects a defiant political perspective expressed in an old fashioned way.

Rachel talks about the podcast My Favorite Murder. This is a comedy true crime podcast starring Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Karen and Georgia talk about some of the most infamous murders in history, including some with happy endings, at least when a case is solved. Their humor leavens the heavy subject matter. If you’re a fan of true crime, or just want to see why this is the most popular podcast genre, this is a good show to start with.

Last but not least, Troy talks about the self-published novel Redirected by Pat Burton. This book is written by a teacher about a teacher that wakes up from a coma and loses his memory. He slowly unravels a mystery about a secret government program, and learns an agent has been sent to track him. It’s a slow-boiling thriller and an impressive debut.

Produced by Maplex Monk.

Make sure to listen to John on the episode of Armchair Apocrypha titled American Apocrypha. John talks about the 19th and 20th century feminist, journalist and adventurer Nelly Bly (as featured in The Lost Journals of Nelly Bly: Clash of the Kaiju written by John), Andrew discusses a mysterious talking mongoose on the Isle of Man, and Rachael delves into the sordid history of The Peoples' Temple and Jonestown. Follow Absinthe Activism Arts on Facebook and subscribe to Armchair Apocrypha to keep listening!

Thanks for listening to Hip Squared! You can subscribe to Hip Squared on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts (please subscribe, rate, and review). To help the show, you can share this episode with a friend (or enemy), like American Fantastic on Facebook, share us on social media and become a member on Patreon for as little as $1 a month.

Toodles…