Hope you’re staying cool if you’re in a part of the world that’s getting hot. I’m sure you’re staying cool, you know, personality-wise, either way. This month we’ve got mottos, merch, and more! (And a bonus pet pic at the end!)
E Pluribus Motto returns for their second season!
Janet and John kicked off their new season with “Fatti Maschii Parole Femine” and “L’etoile du Nord”!
(Maryland and Minnesota, respectively.)
Jump in to learn what these mottos mean (if you don’t speak Latin or French), learn about state flags, and hear from listeners across the country. All while hanging with pals Janet Varney and John Hodgman!
Plus, it’s very fun to guess what a state’s shape looks like–Minnesota? To me? That’s Bart Simpson. Look at it.* Just like Bart!
But really, you should listen if it would be helpful to remember that America isn’t solely all the terrible news that seems to be happening every minute of the day.
–> Listen to the new season! <–
Plus, if you live in (or have an affinity for) Wisconsin, Kentucky, New Mexico, Oregon, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Nevada, or Washington D.C., there’s still time for you to get involved in Season 2!
A whole bunch of new merch just dropped!
Reading Smut, Triple Click, and Jordan, Jesse, Go! all have new merch this month! I assure you not all of it is NSFW but I assure you some of it definitely is, in the best way possible (looking at the show with “smut” in its name here).
What’s pictured above is just a smattering of what’s on offer. We’ve got dozens of items, so head on over to the store!
–> maxfunstore.com <–
Highlight Reel
So many cool things happened this month that I had to categorize them in ways that make increasingly less sense.
Accolades and anniversaries!
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Mission to Zyxx was listed as one of The 15 Best Star Trek Parodies And Spoofs Of All Time
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Sound Heap with John-Luke Roberts was nominated for the comedy category of the British Podcast Awards
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Let’s raise a glass of fizzy beef wine to Beef and Dairy Network Podcast who just celebrated 10 big beefy years
Space-adjacent!
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George Takei returned to Bullseye with Jesse Thorn to talk about his new graphic memoir, his experience being imprisoned in incarceration camps as a child, and his journey to come out as a gay man
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Alan Tudyk—an actor whose impressive resume spans everything from Firefly (RIP) to Superman—joined Jordan on Feeling Seen to talk about Gene Wilder, bygone comedy eras, and his show Resident Alien (double RIP), which wrapped up last week after four incredible seasons
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Still reeling from the Andor finale? Check out the Triple Click episode with guest Tom Bissell, the writer of the final three episodes of the show
Screens and queens!
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Reality TV darling/competition show/social deduction game(/whodunnit mystery?) Big Brother just started their 27th season! Sequoia and Ryann talk all about it on Black People Love Paramore
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AEW Dynamite 300, NXT’s Great American Bash, AEW’s All In, Saturday Night’s Main Event, and WWE Evolution—July has already given us a plethora of wrestling events, and the Tights and Fights team has been covering it all!
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Pride Month is over in many parts of the world—but if you want more delightful queerness in your ears (and really, who doesn’t?), Still Buffering gabbed about the iconic queer classic To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar
Promises kept and fictional chefs!
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Troubled Waters delivered their MaxFunDrive stretch goal: a special D&D extravaganza featuring host Dave Holmes, writer Riley Silverman, producer Christian Dueñas, and special guests John-Luke Roberts and Austin Taylor!
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Ify and Sierra rated fictional chefs (and debated whether Remy or Luigi is the real cook) over on TV Chef Fantasy League
Paris, pods & positivity!
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Alex Schmidt and special guest Tom Lum explored why Bastille Day, the annual holiday commemorating the storming of the Bastille in 1789, is Secretly Incredibly Fascinating!
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Have you ever wondered how podcasting started and where the word “podcast” comes from? Austin and Brenda explained all on Secret Histories of Nerd Mysteries
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Jordan, Jesse, Go! welcomed comedian Atsuko Okatsuka on to talk about staying positive, her new Hulu special, and, naturally, the Donner Party
And now little bottom-of-the-newsletter treat for you…
In case you need a new cat typing meme pic, TV Chef Fantasy League producer Valerie Moffat’s cat Bigby is happy to oblige.
See you next month and thanks for reading!
— Stacey and your friends at MaxFun
