Author: Peach Fish Productions

Today on The Gist, the late Bob Saget, who reconciles his Full House image with his "Dirty Daddy" persona while admitting he was a "nerd burglar" in his youth. They dissect the difference between misogyny and locker room talk, deconstruct the logic of his famous "Winnebago" joke. Then, cultural critic Chuck Klosterman joins to analyze The Nineties, explaining why the sitcom Coach might be the most significant show of the decade, how the internet ruined the necessary ambiguity of college football championships, and why Nirvana's musical legacy is inseparable from the non-musical impact of Kurt Cobain's depression.

Produced by Corey Wara

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On this Thanksgiving edition Mike Pesca serves up two revitalized classics, starting with Henry Winkler (The Fonz), who joins to discuss his Hank Zipser books, the unique Dutch font designed for dyslexic readers, and his tenure-granting plan to design the world's first consumer jet pack. Then, we revisit a conversation with counterterrorism expert Clint Watts, breaking down his viral congressional testimony advising senators to "follow the trail of dead Russians" while analyzing the distinction between a "Manchurian Candidate" and a "useful idiot", the Russian doctrine that "there is no truth", and why the term "fake news" has become a catch-all for "anything I don't want to hear".

Produced by Corey Wara

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Mike Pesca is joined by CNN anchor and author Abby Phillip to discuss her new book, A Dream Deferred: Jesse Jackson and the Fight for Black Political Power. They explore Jackson's soaring, sermon-like rhetorical style and the hubris of the "tree shaker, not a jelly maker" philosophy. The conversation traces how Jackson's push to change delegate rules made the path possible for Barack Obama, even as the Obama campaign intentionally created contrast with Jackson's image. We dive into Jackson's unique brand of populism—more Bernie Sanders than Obama—and his surprising, Trumpian anti-globalist instincts regarding Japan and Germany. Plus, we discuss how his rhetorical style, while rousing, could also be exhausting, and why the most heartbreaking part of the world's chaos is the people who are okay with it.

Produced by Corey Wara

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Mike Pesca welcomes back Nick Gillespie (Reason Magazine) and first-time guest Russ Muirhead (Dartmouth professor and New Hampshire State Rep.) for a spirited debate that is—we swear—not even mad. Today, we look at the half-full autocratic glass: Does the dismissal of the Comey and James indictments prove that institutions are holding, or does the very attempt confirm our slide toward norms violation? We debate the two bedrock rules of democracy, why Congress keeps misplacing its spine, and the reasons the legislative branch is becoming functionally obsolete. Plus, the lame-duck question is back, MTG's lonely departure, and the politics of affordability: What's the real, non-supply-side fix for housing? Finally, a Goat Grinder on cinematic trauma warnings and the tragedy of piped-in pub music. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠thegist@mikepesca.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠ad-sales@libsyn.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to The Gist: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠GIST INSTAGRAM⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow The Gist List at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Pesca⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠

Mike Vuolo and Bob Garfield of Lexicon Valley join to talk 23 skidoo, Massapequa, and why life, in fact, is a flat bagel. They trace the 6/7 meme from Skrilla's drill track "Doot Doot" through LaMelo Ball highlights and a middle-schooler named Maverick, and explain how a throwaway number became the meme stock of language. The conversation winds through rival "word of the year" contenders, then lands on the legal and French graveyard roots of "gist" and its Nigerian evolution into a verb meaning "to gossip." Plus, a Spiel on Trump's death-penalty bluster, Democratic senators telling troops "don't give up the ship," and why wild-man escalation keeps letting Trump win the exchange.

Produced by Corey Wara

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Mike joins Matt Lewis for a lively crossover conversation that opens with deep dives into Huey Lewis puns before shifting into the Democrats' "affordability" message, why word wars matter more than policy wins, and how political optics collide with economic reality. They unpack everything from tariffs to AI dislocation to the future of the Democratic bench — and why charisma might matter more than infrastructure. Later, Mike breaks down the exploding sports-betting scandals in baseball and the NBA, how prop bets make cheating easier to spot, and why league integrity hinges on catching every idiot who thinks he can game the system. Plus: a brief remembrance of Parker Lewis, the Ferris-Bueller-for-TV that almost worked. Listen to the full episode here: Matt Lewis Can't Lose - Podcast - Apple Podcasts

Produced by Corey Wara

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Comedian Myq Kaplan joins the show for a deep dive into joke logic, philosophy, and the very slippery business of defining who counts as a comedian. Using his new special Rini as a jumping-off point, he and Mike wander through Grecian maxims, the paradox of the heap, why some laughs are closer to enlightenment than punch lines, and how his relationship with Rini turned into a whole cosmology of love, language, and life on stage. Along the way they talk genre, jazz, governing boards of comedy, and what it means to do "Myq and Rini based" comedy instead of fitting into anyone's box. Plus, revisiting Biden world's insistence that the disastrous 2024 debate did not hurt the president in the polls.

Produced by Corey Wara

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Fareed Zakaria joins the show to discuss The Age of Revolutions: Progress and Backlash from 1600 to the Present, arguing that the past 30 years of globalization, AI, and cultural upheaval rival the Industrial Revolutions in their political consequences. He makes the case that today's populist surges—from Sweden to the U.S.—are driven less by economics than by immigration-fueled cultural anxiety, and that Democrats' failure to manage the border gave Trump his strongest 2.0 issue. Plus: the top of the show digs into the Federal Government's error-riddled Texas redistricting defense—complete with "sh*ts and gingles."

Produced by Corey Wara

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James Patterson joins the show to talk about Disrupt Everything—and Win: Take Control of Your Future, his new playbook for turning constant disruption into something useful rather than paralyzing. He explains how he thinks about "positive" versus "negative" disruptors, wrestles with whether the gospel of disruption feeds our narcissism, and defends his literacy work and banned YA novels in places like Florida. Mike then presents to him evidence that one of the book's inspirational case studies isn't quite so inspirational; Patterson reacts to that information in real time. Plus: the episode opens and closes on the Trump administration's terror lists—from the maybe-imaginary Venezuelan "Cartel de los Soles" to Italy's Informal Anarchist Federation and Greece's archery-obsessed "Conspiracy of Cells of Fire".

Produced by Corey Wara

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The former NBA power forward and unmistakably English John Amaechi talks leadership, psychology, and the everyday skills that make organizations work. His book It's Not Magic: The Ordinary Skills of Exceptional Leaders anchors a conversation about accountability, ambition, and what people misunderstand about excellence. Also: Europe's frozen-assets loan scheme, Macron's future-jets promise, and the contrast between Brussels' legalism and Trump's "sea boat, bomb boat" simplicity.

Produced by Corey Wara

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