Story of the Week with Joel Stein

David Remnick on the Stories That Shape Our Time 04.06.2026 51мин

Where have you been, what did you find, and who did it make you? On the new podcast Traveling Through, host David Prior, travel writer and founder of immersive travel company PRIOR, invites culture makers like Jenna Lyons, David Remnick, Deborah Needleman, and Athena Calderone to unpack the places, objects, and experiences that have changed their perspective, influenced their work, or marked a turning point in their lives. Because the best stories aren't about the destination; they're about curiosity. David Remnick, Pulitzer Prize winner and editor of The New Yorker for 27 years, joins to recount his own travels – from Moscow to Tel Aviv to campaign trails and tour buses – and to reflect on what nearly three decades of dispatching the world's finest writers has revealed about history, cultural connectedness, and the vast breadth of stories to be found.  Find Traveling Through on YouTube, Apple, Spotify or wherever you get podcasts. New episodes release every other Thursday. Photo Credits:  - Mona Museum Images (in order of appearance)   - Museum of Old and New Art. Photo Credit: Mona/Stu Gibson. Image courtesy of Mona, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia   - Girls Rule, 2016-18, Tom Otterness. Photo credit: Mona/Jesse Hunniford. Image courtesy of the artists and Mona, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia   - Snack 1970 - 72. Sir Sidney Nolan. Photo Credit: MONA/Jesse Hunniford. Image Courtesy MONA Museum of Old and New Art, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia   - Museum of Old and New Art. Photo credit: Mona/Jesse Hunniford. Image courtesy Mona, Hobart, Tasmania   - Siloam tunnels, Museum of Old and New Art. Photo credit: Mona/Jesse Hunniford. Image courtesy of the artist and Mona, Hobart, Tasmania   - Unseen Seen, 2017. Artist: James Turrell. Photo Credit: Mona/Jesse Hunniford. Image courtesy of the artist and Mona, Hobart, Tasmania   - Museum of Old and New Art. Photo credit: Mona/Rémi Chauvin. Image courtesy of Mona, Hobart, TasmaniaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From Medal of Honor: James Fleming’s Impossible Vietnam War Rescue 27.05.2026 31мин

In 1968, in the dense jungles of Vietnam, a team of Green Berets was pinned down by an overwhelming North Vietnamese Army force. Their last hope was a young Air Force pilot named James Fleming. Despite being low on fuel and facing a wall of enemy fire, Fleming refused to turn back. The rescue mission seemed destined to fail, but a split-second decision would earn Fleming the nation’s highest military honor. Binge the full season of Medal of Honor, ad-free, with a Pushkin+ subscriptions. Sign up on the Medal of Honor show page in Apple or at Pushkin.fm/plus and use the code MOH25 for 25% off an annual subscription. Connect with the team!  Follow Pushkin on social @pushkinpods  Follow JR Martinez @iamjrmartinez  Email the team: medalofhonor@pushkin.fm Episode resources: “SOG Combat in Cambodia: Under the Gun at Tango Five-One” by Randy Harrison, Soldier of Fortune Magazine, August 1982  Green Hornets: The History of the U.S. Air Force 20th Special Operations Squadron by Wayne Mutza (Schiffer Military History, 2007)  Secret Green Beret Commandos In Cambodia: A Memorial History of MACVSOG's Command and Control Detachment South (CCS) And Its Air Partners, Republic of Vietnam, 1967-1972 by Fred S. Lindsey (AuthorHouse, 2012)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Introducing Shaping Sounds: Stevie Wonder, DEVO, the Synth Revolution and My Life Behind the Music 19.05.2026 14мин

Visionary music producer Robert Margouleff shares his stories of pushing the boundaries of musical innovation, art, and technology in the new immersive audiobook, Shaping Sounds: Stevie Wonder, DEVO, the Synth Revolution and My Life Behind the Music. In legendary studios like Electric Lady and the Record Plant, Margouleff became a pioneering producer and engineer for artists like Billy Preston, Jeff Beck, DEVO, The Isley Brothers, and David Sanborn. A true sonic innovator, he was an early adopter of immersive audio and surround sound, developing new mixing techniques for home theaters that brought some of Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters to life. Travel deep into the world of a music maker who created some of the most significant and influential music of our time. Here's a preview. Find the full audiobook at Pushkin.fm, Spotify, Audible, Apple Books or wherever you get audiobooks.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Decoding Psychedelics with Dr. Grace Blest-Hopley from Decoding Women's Health 27.01.2026 48мин

What if psychedelics could transform the way we treat trauma, chronic pain, and insomnia? This week, neuroscientist and psychedelic researcher Grace Blest-Hopley joins the show to break down the research on psychedelics and female biology. She discusses how psychedelics work in the brain, and the ways that psychedelic-assisted therapies might be beneficial for women in midlife. Links to resources mentioned in this episode: Hystelica’s resources on psychedelic retreats The Heroic Hearts Project Psychedelics and Neuroplasticity: A Systematic Review Unraveling the Biological Underpinnings of Psychedelics Exploring the Therapeutic Effects of Psychedelics Administered to Military Veterans in Naturalistic Retreat Settings The acute effects of classic psychedelics on memory in humans Psilocybin with psychological support for treatment-resistant depression: six-month follow-up Single-Dose Psilocybin for a Treatment-Resistant Episode of Major Depression Psilocybin produces substantial and sustained decreases in depression and anxiety in patients with life-threatening cancer: A randomized double-blind trial Johns Hopkins study on psychedelics and Alzheimer’s Note: In this show, we use “women” as shorthand for people with XX chromosomes. We understand sex and gender are more complex, and acknowledge the experiences we describe reach beyond that word.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Revisiting: The Surprising, Queer History of the 1974 Oscars Streaker 09.03.2024 38мин

With the 96th Academy Awards this Sunday, we wanted to revisit this episode from last year. The Oscars seems to be cursed with a series of chaotic live television gaffes. But one moment in Academy Award history takes the cake. In 1974, a scrawny white man named Robert Opel ran across the stage butt naked, right as the Best Picture category was being announced. New Yorker magazine writer and Oscars aficionado Michael Schulman recounts the queer, wonderful, and historic life of the 1974 Oscars streaker. You can read the full story here: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/02/06/what-became-of-the-oscar-streaker You can find Michael Schulman’s new book Oscar Wars here.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Duck Tales Bandit 21.09.2023 31мин

After his cartooning career failed to take off, a German artist named Arno Funke started extorting department stores. He went by “Dagobert,” the German name for the character of Scrooge McDuck in the cartoon DuckTales. His crime spree lasted for years and made him a folk hero across Germany. Recently, reporter Jeff Maysh got to meet him. You can read Jeff Maysh’s New Yorker article “The Strange Story of Dagobert, the ‘DuckTales’ Bandit” here: https://www.newyorker.com/news/dispatch/the-strange-story-of-dagobert-the-ducktales-banditSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How the Bronze Age Pervert Became a Far Right Icon 14.09.2023 32мин

“Bronze Age Pervert” is the moniker of an influential far-right thinker. He has hundreds of thousands of followers on Twitter. His book is a top-seller on Amazon, and was reviewed by a former Trump administration official. Journalist Graeme Wood knew him before all that, back when he was just a college student in tevas. You can read Graeme Wood’s Atlantic story “How Bronze Age Pervert Charmed the Far Right” here: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2023/09/bronze-age-pervert-costin-alamariu/674762/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learning to Be Blind 07.09.2023 34мин

When Andrew Leland was a teenager he learned he had a rare disease that would cause him to become blind by the time he reached middle age. He recently decided to prepare by attending a special school for blind people. You can read Andrew’s essay for the New Yorker, “How to Be Blind” here: https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-weekend-essay/how-to-be-blind And you can find Andrew’s new book, The Country of the Blind here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/635964/the-country-of-the-blind-by-andrew-leland/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Billion Dollar Green Energy Scam 31.08.2023 28мин

A car mechanic named Jeff Carpoff invented a portable solar generator. Companies like Geico and Progressive Insurance bought thousands of his generators because they got tax credits for doing so. But there was something not quite right about Carpoff’s invention. You can read Ariel Saber’s Atlantic story, “The Billion Dollar Ponzi Scheme that hooked Warren Buffett and the US Treasury,” here: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2023/06/dc-solar-power-ponzi-scheme-scandal/673782/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Confessions of a Wedding Planner 24.08.2023 26мин

Xochitl Gonzalez spent years planning the weddings of New York’s wealthiest couples. This is the story of the craziest wedding she’s ever planned. You can read Xochitl Gonzalez’s Atlantic story “The Fake Poor Bride,” here: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2023/07/luxury-wedding-planners-industrial-complex-cost/674169/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Pancake Battles 17.08.2023 27мин

A developer named Domenic Broccoli wanted to build an IHOP in Fishkill, New York. But after it was discovered that the plot of land he was planning to build on may have been a Revolutionary War grave site, he became embroiled in a war of his own. You can read Reeves Wiedeman’s New York Magazine story “The Battle of Fishkill” here: https://www.curbed.com/article/ihop-fishkill-ny-domenic-broccoli-revolutionary-war.html See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How Much is an Elephant Worth? 10.08.2023 29мин

Laos used to be known as “the land of a million elephants.” Now, there are only about 800 elephants left in the country. Reporter Paul Kvinta went undercover to learn about the illegal elephant trade, and ended up putting in an offer on an elephant himself. You can read read Paul Kvinta’s Outside Magazine story “I Bought an Elephant to Find Out How to Save Them,” here: https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/environment/asian-elephant-trafficking-captivity-laos/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Implosion of a Leading Anti-COVID Vaccine Group 27.07.2023 29мин

Simone Gold, a former ER doctor, is the founder of a non-profit called “America’s Frontline Doctors,” known for spreading misinformation about COVID. After she was arrested for taking part in the Jan. 6 insurrection, she received millions of dollars in donations. And that’s when the feuding within her organization began. You can read Joel Stein’s Financial Times story, “How a squad of MAGA warriors flush with cash turned on each other” here: https://www.ft.com/stream/3264fe6d-3997-493c-9f77-e565bd75eb1aSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How to Break a Guinness World Record 20.07.2023 25мин

How did the Guinness World Records company come to be? And how, in the age of the internet, does the company make money? Imogen West-Knights spent a year investigating. She learned how to be a record adjudicator (it’s riskier than it sounds), met a man who has broken more than 700 records, and tried to break a record herself. You can read Imogen West-Knight’s Guardian story, “The Strange Survival of Guinness World Records,” here: https://www.theguardian.com/news/2023/may/25/guinness-world-records-norris-mcwhirter-ashrita-furman See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Visit to Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap Factory 13.07.2023 23мин

The history of Dr. Bronner’s soap is even crazier than the famously crazy writing on the side of a Dr. Bronner’s soap bottle. The company was founded by a man who escaped from a mental asylum. Now it is the top-selling natural soap brand in North America. How did this happen? Carrie Battan paid their headquarters a visit to find out. You can read Carrie Battan’s GQ story, “Is Dr. Bronner’s the Last Corporation With a Soul,” here: https://www.gq.com/story/dr-bronners-corporate-successSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Never-Ending Treasure Hunt 06.07.2023 28мин

In 2010, an art collector named Forrest Fenn published a memoir called “The Thrill of the Chase,” in which he described hiding a treasure chest somewhere in the United States. His memoir inspired hundreds of thousands of treasure hunters to scour the country for it. Now, over a decade later, much about this chest still remains a mystery. You can read Svati Kirsten Narula’s story “America’s Greatest Hidden Treasure Was Found—So Why Are People Still Looking?” here: https://www.popularmechanics.com/adventure/a43061508/forrest-fenn-treasure-hunt/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An Undercover Romance 29.06.2023 29мин

A woman in Louisiana named Donna Metrejean fell in love with a D.E.A agent in Oregon named Robert Golden. She uprooted her whole life to be with him. But all was not what it seemed. You can read Jeff Maysh’s story “Undercover Lovers” here: https://jeffmaysh.substack.com/p/undercover-lovers See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dave Chappelle’s Neighborhood Drama 22.06.2023 29мин

Comedian Dave Chappelle has been buying up properties in the tiny town of Yellow Springs, Ohio. The residents have mixed feelings about their powerful neighbor’s real estate decisions and it’s been splitting the town in two. Reporter Tyler J. Kelley paid a visit to Yellow Springs to see if it’s really becoming Chappelleville. You can read Tyler J. Kelley’s Bloomberg story “What Happens When Dave Chappelle Buys Up Your Town” here:https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2023-dave-chappelle-yellow-springs/#xj4y7vzkgSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Bloomsday Mystery 15.06.2023 27мин

In celebration of Bloomsday on June 16th, we’re bringing you a special James Joyce mystery. Ten years after achieving stratospheric and unlikely fame, the world’s greatest Ulysses scholar disappeared. Reporter Jack Hitt went on a quest to find out if he was dead, alive or insane.You can read Jack Hitt’s New York Times story “The Strange Case of the Missing Joyce Scholar, here: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/12/magazine/the-strange-case-of-the-missing-joyce-scholar.htmlSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The 15-Minute City Conspiracy 01.06.2023 28мин

When a benign urban planning concept is co-opted by conspiracy theorists, an unsuspecting professor becomes the target of right-wing death threats. Tiffany Hsu covered the story of the 15 minute city conspiracy for The New York Times. You can read the full story here: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/28/technology/carlos-moreno-15-minute-cities-conspiracy-theories.html See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.