Bitches With Beards Podcast: Culture Over A Bottle Of Wine

 One of the enduring strengths of podcasting is its ability to narrowcast to groups that are typically ignored -- or sadly, denigrated -- in our society. Of course, that freedom and flexibility comes at a price with conspiracy theorists pouring out of their disaster dungeons to podcast about the fake moon landing, the fluoride in our water mass poisoning, the linkage between pizza crust and pedophiles, and the Moms For Liberty pet theory -- secretive racial messaging in To Kill A Mockingbird. 

On the whole, podcasting's hug of lifestyles, hobbies, passions, and beliefs has a multitude of benefits. One of those benefits is the Bitches With Beards podcast.

Let's begin by learning about the podcast from the co-hosts, Max and Daniel.

"Have you ever had an opinion but are worried it will get you canceled? Max and Daniel aren’t, so that’s why they started a podcast. Join us each week as we discuss everything that the rainbow light touches, whether it’s Daniel's latest read, Max’s latest recipe, or just the latest binge-watch."

Here's their marvelously distinct tagline:"We’re the podcast that attempts to break down culture with all the elegance of two Coastal Grandmas. But in truth, we’re just a couple of Bitches With Beards!"

I discovered this podcast from their social media about a month ago and began listening with no idea what to expect. In a sentence, the podcast far exceeded my expectations.

Bitches With Beards reminds me of the earlier days of podcasts when two friends began a podcast to discuss everything from politics, culture, and society. That simple objective was the fuel for many podcasts in the late 2000s.

What's so ear worthy about Max and Daniel is that the two friends are sharp-witted, smart-minded, and an absolute gas to listen to.

Even without listening to one episode, I knew the co-hosts had wit to spare. Their episode names read like a New Yorker cartoon caption. Some examples of their episode titles include:

Silver Alerts and Silver Screens, The Lion, The Bitch and The Closet,  To Wong Foo, Thanks For Nothin’, Julie Newmar!, Old Culture Buffet and Bitches With Blonde Ambition. 

Max and Daniel describe themselves as professional homosexuals, and their podcast is upfront and in your face about their gay lifestyle. While the audience may be overwhelmingly gay men, I think the show holds plenty of interest for anyone who enjoys witty repartee, cultural observations that have thought behind them, and a strong sense of equality and fairness.

For an indie podcast without the cash hoard of a Spotify or Amazon, Max and Daniel have produced a show with excellent sound quality. I love their intro with the heavy bass riff and synth instrumentation. The music has a cool, rhythmic tempo, and the co-hosts use music to separate their segments within an episode to keep listeners grounded, and the show organized.

One of their episode segments is aptly called, "What's new in the Gayborhood?" Stories include a report on how the India Supreme Court refused to legalize gay marriage, or a report on the Japanese government's efforts to restrict the rights of transgender people.

So who are Max and Daniel?

I asked them via social media and their response was:

"Max is a media producer with almost 20 years experience working on socially facing projects, helping marginalized communities. After all this time telling other people’s stories, Bitches With Beards is his first time fronting his own project and is proud to be a member of the podcast community. A Londoner living in Washington, DC, Max is obsessed with American culture and loves nothing more than to get lost in some Americana. His major passion is the silver screen and could talk endlessly about the first century of cinema."
 
"Daniel is a landscape historian for a federal agency, with one foot entrenched in the worlds of design and the other solidly in history. Discussions of culture and the implications on society are part of every working day. In his spare time he is a voracious reader, music consumer, researcher of Queer DC, a cocktail enthusiast."

One common theme throughout the podcast is drinking and testing various alcoholic drinks. It's not a drunk fest or bros guzzling beer. It's more like a wine tasting with some info paired with the grapes. The boys test various mixed drinks, and that is part of their cultural curiosity.

When discussing culture and the arts, Max and Daniel are dilettantes with wide-ranging tastes, strong opinions that don't sink into harshness, and keen observations about movies in particular.

They began their podcast in February 2023 and have already produced 40 episodes, which is remarkable productivity for an indie podcast with two friends chatting. They've been reliable and consistent with their episodes, which is always a driving force to gain more listeners. 

The co-hosts do attempt that delicate balancing act of satisfying loyal listeners while attracting new listeners, often inventing new ways to explain their podcast in the opening and offering listeners a list of their topics for the episode in the beginning of the show. 

Regardless of your lifestyle, I think you'll enjoy Bitches With Beards. It's a show that exemplifies podcasting's strengths as a medium -- its ability to niche broadcast, its lower barriers to entry than TV, movies or books, and its showcasing of people we don't know YET.

I'll end with the co-hosts' own self-declaration of purpose: "Max and Daniel are best friends and professional homosexuals who like nothing more than to discuss the culture over a bottle of wine. In their heads they have all the elegance of two coastal grandmas, but in truth they’re just a couple of BITCHES WITH BEARDS! Pour yourself a glass every Wednesday. Cheers!"