On podcasting and pop culture
Greetings. Good Tape Magazine’s managing editor, Becca James, here.
I’m writing to you after a year and change on the Good Tape team, and as Katie recently pointed out, it’s been quite a rewarding one. So rather than reciting our accomplishments again, I’m going to step out of the shadows to properly introduce myself and share a bit about what you can expect from these free monthly missives.
My personal relationship with podcasting began with listening to “Sound Opinions” and “SMod Cast” (the latter led to this feature on “Tusk” while the former inspired this “Pump up the Volume” piece). Like many at the time, my listening habits bounced between a public radio show and a celebrity chat podcast, both hosted by cisgender straight white men. I would probably still recommend those shows today, but my tastes have evolved alongside the medium itself. A big part of that came from years of editing The A.V. Club’s Podmass column and covering podcasting for Vulture and BuzzFeed, experiences that broadened both what I listened to and how I thought about the industry.
As podcasting continues to become increasingly mainstream — we just got not one but two (!) Olivia Wilde movies this summer winking at its role in romantic relationships, ffs — my interest in pop culture has only deepened. This newsletter will be a place to explore this cultural convergence and contextualize the medium’s growing influence. If you’re also curious about these connections, stick around. I think you’ll enjoy where the conversation leads.
RECENT GOOD TAPE READS
Ear Stuff: ‘OnlyFantasy’
The real winner of the current OnlyFans discourse is this vulnerable, curious series.
Sam Sanders Is Vamping and Vibing
And more musings from the executive producer/host of “The Sam Sanders Show.
Ear Stuff: ‘Who Blew Up The Guidestones?’
A deceptively ambitious whodunit brings receipts.
🗣️ PSST!!
You’re already part of our community, but becoming a paying member helps support (and increase!) Good Tape’s independent coverage of the podcast industry and gets you some fun perks, too. 
Join us for exclusive podcasting coverage, a twice-monthly members-only newsletter, Off The Record events (mostly LA and NYC), and more.
RECENT RECS, READING, AND RAGE
- Still sad about Dolly Parton’s passing? Us, too! Let us recommend “Dolly Parton’s America,” which “examines the woman behind the icon.”
- Also, if you dug “OnlyFantasy” as much as we did, you should check out Leon Neyfakh’s most recent work on “Death of an Artist.”
- “Once Upon a Time… at Bennington College” is the perfect companion piece if you’re watching “The Shards,” Ryan Murphy’s latest FX series, based on Bret Easton Ellis’s novel, first serialized as a podcast on his Patreon.
- Thank goss Trixie Mattel and Katya Zamolodchikova didn’t “quit the pod” and instead gave us not only more episodes to look forward to but also a live tour.
- Fuck AI.
Enjoying this newsletter? Forward it to a friend. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here. Want to help make this work possible? Become a member.
Becca James is an editor and writer based in New York. She covers pop culture and has previously worked for The A.V. Club, Thrillist, and Vulture, among other publications.
