What I learned From Listening To Podcasts This Week

 Podcasts are convenient, time-saving, and enjoyable. They enable me (and I hope, you) to be entertained, to think in different ways about the world, and to assimilate new knowledge. 

This week, I played catch-up on many fascinating episodes that I'd been neglecting. I'm glad I did, because I learned a lot, from immortal jellyfish to douchey musical artists / their managers.

 So here's what I learned this week by listening to my podcast feed in the week ending 7/31/2021. (Note: Because of the volume of podcasts I listen to as a reviewer, I may not always be referencing the latest episode of a podcast.)

 Science Vs -- Back From The Dead -- May 13, 2021 

Near the end of a strong tenth season, Science Vs did an episode about death and immortality. The episode narrative recalled 1988 and some graduate students went snorkeling near the marine lab off the coast of Genoa, Italy. They collected some Turritopsis jellies.  And they thought it might be fun to keep them in an aquarium in the lab. So they brought them back and put the jellyfish in separate jars, but they forgot about them. 

When the students finally remembered to check on them, they expected them to be dead. But that’s not what happened. They weren’t dead. Instead, they had vanished. But there was a tiny polyp on the bottom of the jar. So this jellyfish went from mature adult back to polyp. In essence, this species of jellyfish cheated death, and, instead of dying of starvation, went back to the beginning of its life to start over again!

Science Diction -- Serendipity and Syzygy: Fortunate Accidents -- May 25, 2021

In the episode, I learned that serendipity was first used
in the English language was by Horace Walpole on January 28, 1754. In a letter he wrote to his friend Horace Mann, Walpole explained an unexpected discovery he had made about a lost painting  by referring to a Persian fairy tale, The Three Princes of Serendip.

Multiple examples of serendipity were given during the episode, including my favorite, in which Raytheon scientist Percy Spencer first patented the idea behind it after noticing that emissions from radar equipment had melted the candy in his pocket.

Switched On Pop --Pop’s Worst Kept Secret ft. Emily Warren -- June 22, 2021

The episode begins with a tale that began in 1974 when country music singer-songwriter, Dolly Parton got wind that Elvis Presley wanted to record her new song, "I Will Always Love You." According to Parton, the deal fell through when Elvis's manager demanded 50 percent of the publishing revenue. Dolly refused, released the song herself, and years later arranged a more equitable deal with Whitney Houston, who of course made it a massive hit. 

I had heard that famous story during a tour of the historic RCA Studio B in Nashville. What I didn't know -- that I subsequently learned -- is that this practice still goes on today and has been accelerating as the managers of musical artists -- and the artists themselves -- attempt to pressure the songwriter.

The "squeeze play" goes like this. 

Artist or artist's manager: "Hey, we want 20 percent of the songwriting royalties.'

Songwriter: But you or your client didn't write the song. I, or we, did."

Artist or artist's manager: "If we don't get a slice of the royalties, then we won't use your song."

In the episode, co-hosts Nate Sloan and Charlie Harding spoke to songwriter Emily Warren. She's a songwriter and performer in Los Angeles and has written some huge hits, including Dua Lipa’s “New Rules” and The Chainsmokers “Don’t Let Me Down.” 

Warren began to talk to other established songwriters she knows, Tayla Parx, Ross Golan, Justin Tranter, and Savan Kotecha—they've all been asked to give up publishing. Together they decided they wanted to do something about this practice. So they formed an organization called The Pact, a group of music professionals who refuse to give publishing away for songs where artists do not contribute. Their goal is to make the music business more equitable for the creative laborers.

Finally, I learned this week that NPR game show podcast Ask Me Another with hosts Ophira Eisenberg and Jonathan Coulton is ending at the end of September. 

I've been to several live broadcasts of the podcast at The Bell House in Brooklyn, and it's always a fun experience. It's a shame that the show is ending. 

See you next week.