Hello?
Uh, Jenna Wortham!
Wesley Morris! Hi.
Oh my god, I miss you.
I miss you!
You don’t even know.
Oh my God.
Okay, first, where are you?
As you know, Wesley, I’m off on my book sabbatical. Right now I am in Mexico City for a wedding.
[LAUGHS]
Listen, you can’t keep an eye on me. Don’t even try.
What else? What else is going on? How’s the writing going?
You know, Wesley, I’m really living the dream here, which is that I’m on the cutting edge of a writer’s life – like, really trying to finish this book that I’ve actually been working on for five years in my relationship with my body, my relationship with dissociation. And I finally have the time to put all the puzzle pieces back together. It’s like all my welfare work, all my embodiment work, all my genealogy research, it all comes together in this book.
Wow.
And believe it or not, I now spend a lot of time thinking about black holes.
Wait wait wait. Cosmic black holes? Like gaps in knowledge? What do you mean?
Like any iteration of that word. Like, where it occurs in popular culture, like, how it’s kind of a misnomer. You know, the black holes now seem like they’re the center of our galaxy and are actually probably the reason we have a galaxy. I mean –
Oh stop it. Stop!
It’s deep. It’s deep, right? Think about it. Think about it. And then when you start to get deeper into quantum physics and, like, time doesn’t exist. And when you get to a black hole, past, present and future begin to merge. And so it just gets really, really juicy, so we’ll see. Hopefully something readable will come out and not just any plate of mashed potatoes. But this is the job.
Listen.
This is what I’m doing.
And you know what? Salt, butter, milk, mashed potatoes is a meal.
Hey! Yes.
The world needs this book. We can’t wait for it.
Oh my God.
But listen, this show, I mean, it’s not the same without you around. But it still happens.
I know, and I have no idea what you’ve been up to. And all I can say is that I absolutely can’t wait to listen.
So we’re getting some guests.
Yeah, so what’s banging? What’s on the schedule? Tell me.
Well, for example, I’m going to talk to a person we both admire deeply – Dr. Daphne Brooks.
Yes.
I’ve introduced my obsession with a list to Dr. Daphne Brooks, and she’s going to talk to me about some ways to rethink my relationship with hierarchy when it comes to popular culture.
Wow, shout out to the good sis because I’m really thankful someone is taking that up with you – this longstanding obsession of yours.
I know, and I know it’s a problem, and she and I are going to discuss it.
OKAY.
And what else? I’m going to talk to our mutual friend, Hanif Abdurraqib.
Heart hands, yes!
About theme songs for TV shows. Like, why do we still have them, why don’t we have them anymore and what function did they originally serve when we had them on TV when we were kids?
I’m excited to hear that because someone recently played the theme song “Family Matters” in my cycling class, and it was just — it was a very divisive moment because the 30-somethings knew and everyone else was just confused. Because that number is etched in my brain.
Yeah, well, I think I want to talk to Hanif about that.
I can not wait. When will it come out again?
Apr 14!
[MIMICKING AIRHORN] Yes!
It’s coming.
I’m ready.
But we miss you, and we can’t wait to have you back.
I miss you all so much. And I’m done. I’m ready. And so this will be – (SING) This will be! [LAUGHS] Sorry.
All right, Natalie, bring it.
I’m, like, body rolling in my chair right now. I am so excited about the new season.
April 14, it’s going to happen. The show returns.
Thirsty Thursdays back in your feeds. Sign up if you aren’t already, because it’s time to go.
