Best Chris Riva Podcasts (2026)

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Chris Dalla Riva: "Billboard's become a Christmas chart." 39:42

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19d ago39:42

39:42

Data journalist Chris Dalla Riva brings charts, facts, and plenty of fight to Uncharted Territory: What Numbers Tell Us About the Biggest Hit Songs and Ourselves, a tour through every Billboard Hot 100 #1 and the strange incentives that pick our "popular." They debate whether streaming makes the charts more accurate or just more boring—why Christma…

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160: "Blue Christmas" vs. "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" (with Chris Dalla Riva!) 1:18:42

25d ago1:18:42

1:18:42

Once upon a time there were no songs about being lonely at Christmas. And then, two early rock-and-roll legends, the King of Rock and Roll Elvis, and lifelong backup singer Darlene Love (overshadowed by megaproducer Phil Spector) released two songs to hit the hearts of people missing their baby on Christmas Day. But only one can rip open our hearts…

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storytelling with data podcast: #94 the uncharted territory of data and music with Chris Dalla Riva 41:20

21d ago41:20

41:20

Chris Dalla Riva is a musician, data analyst, and the author of Uncharted Territory: What Numbers Tell Us about the Biggest Hit Songs and Ourselves. In this episode, he joins data storyteller Mike Cisneros to talk about musical myths, hidden industry incentives, chart data, and underappreciated hits, as well as the thorny questions about authentici…

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Dan Soder & Moshe Kasher: A Lighthouse for the Mentally Ill 34:03

19m ago34:03

34:03

Mike Pesca digs into the vault for two 2017 interviews exploring the "ground game" of the New York stand-up scene and the "ad hominem screech" of early outrage culture. Dan Soder discusses his transition from a hard-drinking youth to a maturity fueled by caffeine and cannabis, admitting that his iconic Russian accent bit remains the "Free Bird" clo…

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Rosebud Baker: We're Raising Her Autistic 1:02:56

41m ago1:02:56

1:02:56

Rosebud Baker explains why motherhood is the most political act of her life and how she handles breastfeeding pressure by claiming she's "raising her daughter autistic" with formula and vaccines. The SNL writer joins Mike Pesca to discuss her transition from the "joke-heavy" homework of her first special to the conversational honesty of Motherlode,…

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Robby Hoffman: Zero Personality Disorder 1:08:01

23m ago1:08:01

1:08:01

Comedian Robby Hoffman explains why she treats complaining as "enjoying"—and why her Depression-era instincts make her shakier during good times than disasters. Her approach to stand-up is visceral rather than cerebral: she doesn't remember the bit about the woman closing the airplane bathroom door, she replays the movie and watches her body operat…

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J. Geils Band - "(Ain't Nothin' But A) House Party" 23:02

11h ago23:02

23:02

Join us as we kick off 2026 with a celebration of one of America's most electrifying party bands, The J. Geils Band! This episode dives deep into the infectious "(Ain't Nothin' But A) House Party," a party anthem that perfectly encapsulates the essence of a good time. We explore the band's origins, looking at how the J. Geils Band blended classic R…

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Chris Turner: Possession is 9/10 of the Word 1:03:11

1d ago1:03:11

1:03:11

Oxford-educated archaeology student turned freestyle sensation Chris Turner joins Mike Pesca to explain how his "British period" of deadpan one-liners evolved into the show-stopping rap flow that now defines his Comedy Cellar sets. Turner discusses the "evolutionary advantage" of not knowing the rules of hip hop as a ten-year-old in Manchester—a bl…

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A VERY SPECIAL EPISODE: The 12 Tips of TimeCrafting 1:04:54

3d ago1:04:54

1:04:54

This is a reflective, solo episode where I share twelve essential TimeCrafting tips—not as rules or resolutions, but as orienting ideas you can return to whenever your days feel scattered or misaligned. Think of this as a pause at the edge of the calendar year, and an invitation to relate to time differently. These tips are meant to be lived with, …

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“The Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades” by Timbuk 3 50:57

3d ago50:57

50:57

Feeling optimistic about the new year? We hope so, because we thought it was the perfect time to dive into Timbuk 3’s “The Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades.” On the surface, it sounds hopeful, but the lyrics reveal something much darker once you really listen. In this week’s episode, we explore how a married couple with a drum machine manage…

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Long Winter Nights Bonus Episode 15:01

1h ago15:01

15:01

Today we are sharing 3 short terrific and spooky tales I had the pleasure of voicing from a horror fiction podcast called, Long Winter Nights. Ps. This story is a work of horror fiction and may be triggering for some viewers. For a full list of content warnings, please visit longwinternights.com Long Winter Nights was co-created and produced by Mat…

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Michelle Buteau: An Achievable Beyonce 48:56

8m ago48:56

48:56

Michelle Buteau explains why she is the "achievable Beyonce" for government workers and how her history editing grim news footage at WNBC led her to a record-breaking comedy career. Her new special, A Beautiful Mind, marks her as the first woman of color to headline Radio City Music Hall—a feat she attributes to the same grit that carried her throu…

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T.J. Miller: You'll Do Better in Toledo 49:28

6m ago49:28

49:28

Actor and comedian T.J. Miller explains why a traumatic brain injury is his improvisational "cheat code"—and how a 2010 surgery for an arteriovenous malformation (AVM) in his right frontal lobe fueled a career of manic chaos. Miller discusses the "invisible disability" of brain surgery and the high-stakes gamble of a 10% fatality rate. Along the wa…

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Chris DeMakes A Podcast: Danbert Nobacon discusses Chumbawamba’s “Tubthumping” 1:01:49

7d ago1:01:49

1:01:49

From Chris DeMakes A Podcast (originally released as Episode 247 on 3/3/25)... This week, Danbert Nobacon of Chumbawamba sits in to break down the writing and recording of the band's massive 1997 hit, "Tubthumping." He and Chris explore the song’s punk-influenced origins, its anthemic structure, and how its themes of resilience and working-class pu…

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Sarah Silverman & Kyle Kinane: Comedy, Cancel Culture, and Conspiracies 36:16

7d ago36:16

36:16

Mike unlocks two interviews from the vault featuring comics who navigate the cultural minefield with very different styles. First, Sarah Silverman discusses her evolution from "arrogant ignoramus" character comedy to earnest podcasting, reflecting on her blackface controversy, her embrace of the "Bernie bro" label, and why she believes being wrong …

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Alex Edelman: "The Hardest Thing to Talk About in a Joke is Israel." 57:48

8d ago57:48

57:48

In this special holiday week episode, Mike sits down with comedian Alex Edelman, fresh off a Tony Award for his show Just For Us and a spot on the Time 100 list. They discuss the "liquid dynamics" of a Comedy Cellar audience, the art of bombing while testing new material, and why jokes about the Israel-Gaza conflict are the hardest tightrope in com…

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Roy Wood Jr.: "People Just Want to Feel Good." 1:02:19

9d ago1:02:19

1:02:19

In this special Christmas Day edition, Mike gives the gift of Roy Wood Jr., a comedian who embodies the "profundities in punchlines" ethos. Wood joins to discuss his CNN show Have I Got News for You, his upbringing as the son of a pioneering radio journalist, and the central thesis of his comedy: that in a fractured world, people prioritize dopamin…

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Django Gold: The Comedian Who Wants to Dim Your Shine 58:21

10d ago58:21

58:21

In a special Christmas Eve edition, Mike brings you a "gift" from the comedy vault: an interview with the brilliantly off-kilter Django Gold. A veteran of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and The Onion, Gold discusses his YouTube special Bag of Tricks and his commitment to playing a paranoid, morose character on stage—a persona he claims is "clos…

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“The Christmas Shoes” by NewSong 56:28

10d ago56:28

56:28

In this week’s episode, we dig into NewSong’s “The Christmas Shoes,” a holiday hit that somehow became a cultural phenomenon despite being, frankly, awful. The song relies on emotional manipulation instead of real storytelling, and we still cannot understand how it convinced so many people that it was profound. We take apart the lyrics, talk throug…

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Jeremiah Joven Joaquin and James Franklin eds., "The Necessities Underlying Reality: Connecting Philosophy of Mathematics, Ethics and Probability" (Bloomsbury, 2025) 55:15

10d ago55:15

55:15

The Necessities Underlying Reality: Connecting Philosophy of Mathematics, Ethics and Probability (Bloomsbury, 2025) is an open access book that covers four decades of work by the leading Australian philosopher, mathematician and historian of ideas, James Franklin. These interlinking essays are connected by a core theme: the necessary structures in …

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Productivity A to Z with Erik Fisher: Volume 2 (Part 1) 54:24

10d ago54:24

54:24

In December 2024, Erik Fisher and I sit down to explore the alphabet of productivity — a tradition that started as a one-off idea and has now become an annual ritual. This year, we dove back in to see how our thinking has shifted, sharpened, or completely transformed. Turns out, a lot can change in a year… especially when life, work, and expectatio…

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161: "Beautiful Things" vs. "Lose Control" (ft. Kevin Anderson) 1:06:55

11d ago1:06:55

1:06:55

They were the biggest songs of 2025 and unfortunately they were from 2024 but they just wouldn't go away, so much so that we had to use our 2025 in review year-end podcast to talk about them! Which overplayed song of the year AND the year before made you do backflips and/or lose control, Benson Boone's "Beautiful Things" or Teddy Swims's "Lose Cont…

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Thomas Chatterton Williams: Why the Summer of 2020 Wasn't Inevitable 39:31

1d ago39:31

39:31

Thomas Chatterton Williams joins to discuss his new book, The Summer of Our Discontent: The Age of Certainty and the Demise of Discourse. He argues that the racial reckoning of 2020 was not an inevitable tide of history but a perfect storm of pandemic isolation, polarizing politics, and institutional failure. TCW dissects how mainstream institution…

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Counting Crows: Have You Seen Me Lately? Reaction Episode 51:42

11d ago51:42

51:42

In this episode, Chris and Matt discuss the new HBO Original Documentary from their Bill Simmons-produced Music Box series. Using the categories from Bill’s very popular The Rewatchables podcast, the guys discuss their favorite parts of this look into the meteoric rise of Counting Crows in the early 90s. Join our Patreon Buy a Shirt Follow us on In…

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#287: 2025 Year in Review 1:00:49

2d ago1:00:49

1:00:49

It's the most…won…derful…tiiiiime…of the year! And by that, we mean it's the time of the year when we sit back, look at each other, and ask, "Where did all the time go?!" We brought back a very special someone for this episode as we collectively reflected on the year—show highlights (and what about those shows have stuck with us), industry reflecti…

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Death, Kung Fu, and Courage with Jorge R. Gutierrez 45:49

11d ago45:49

45:49

Today we're with Jorge R. Gutiérrez - the visionary animator, filmmaker, and storyteller behind The Book of Life, Maya and the Three, and some of the most vibrant, soulful worlds in contemporary animation. Jorge doesn’t just make art, he makes myth. He takes our stories, our ancestors, our jokes, our heartbreaks, our colors, and he turns them into …

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Quico Toro: "Charlatans Burrow Into Your Life and Don't Leave." 36:32

12d ago36:32

36:32

Quico Toro joins to discuss Charlatans: How Grifters, Swindlers, and Hucksters Bamboozle the Media, the Markets, and the Masses, distinguishing the "parasitic" nature of the charlatan from the hit-and-run tactics of the scammer. He traces the lineage of the grift from the official alchemists of 16th-century Venice to the upsell tactics of Trump Uni…

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BONUS HOLIDAY EPISODE: Doug Powell - "God Bless Us All" 13:58

4d ago13:58

13:58

Our special Bonus Holiday Episode for 2025 features a song that should be a Christmas staple-- a brilliant power-pop gem from Doug Powell called "God Bless Us All". Originally written for Ringo Starr's 1999 Christmas album but didn't make the cut, this is a lost Christmas classic that deserves to be a holiday favorite. "God Bless Us All" Doug Powel…

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Chris DeMakes A Podcast: A discussion on The Waitresses “Christmas Wrapping” 51:16

14d ago51:16

51:16

From Chris DeMakes A Podcast (originally released as Episode 288 on 12/15/25)... In the 1981 holiday season, The Waitresses delivered a refreshingly offbeat gift with their single “Christmas Wrapping.” Written by Chris Butler, who openly admitted his dislike for the holidays, the song was pieced together from leftover riffs and lyrics he scribbled …

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Rob Reiner: "I Just Viewed My Child in Pain" 35:02

5d ago35:02

35:02

In light of the recent tragedy, Mike unlocks a 2016 interview with the late Rob Reiner. It is a conversation that now plays differently: Reiner discusses his film Being Charlie, which was written by his son Nick Reiner—the man now arrested in connection with his death. Mike reflects on the director's legacy, the eerie prescience of their discussion…

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Jay Jurden: High Profundities Per Minute 51:47

15d ago51:47

51:47

Comedian Jay Jurden explains why nine years of theater training is his "superpower" on the stand-up stage—and why he treats every punchline like a line of dialogue rather than a personal diary entry. His new special, Yes Ma'am, argues that physical specificity (from "rolling a wheelchair into affordable housing" to Marjorie Taylor Greene's hooves) …

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Nicholas Wright: When Ancient Brains Meet Modern War 41:30

16d ago41:30

41:30

Neuroscientist Nicholas Wright explains why big powers "lose" wars they dominate on the kill ratio—and why counterinsurgencies (Vietnam, Afghanistan, maybe Iraq) reliably punish the side with less at stake. His new book, Warhead: How the Brain Shapes War and War Shapes the Brain, argues that identity, surprise, and revenge are ancient brain feature…

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James Clyburn: "The World Would Much Rather See a Sermon Than Hear One." 42:29

17d ago42:29

42:29

Clyburn discusses The First Eight: A Personal History of the Pioneering Black Congressmen Who Shaped a Nation, explaining how Reconstruction-era Black lawmakers navigated power, compromise, and backlash—and why their choices still resonate. He reflects on faith as action, not rhetoric, and on history as a guide rather than a museum piece. Plus: Mar…

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“Jim Dandy” by Black Oak Arkansas (f/Josh Ireson) 49:30

17d ago49:30

49:30

Doesn’t escaping into the hills to do nothing but write music with your friends sound like the ultimate dream? By the mid-60s, this was a reality for Black Oak Arkansas, a Southern rock band that refined their sound and mastered their instruments while living off the land. Led by charismatic frontman Jim “Dandy” Mangrum, they built a reputation for…

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Faisal Hoque Talks About Humanity, AI, and What Comes Next 41:15

17d ago41:15

41:15

This time on A Productive Conversation, I sit down with someone who has spent decades at the intersection of technology, leadership, and what it means to remain truly human. Faisal Hoque isn’t just writing about AI from afar—he has lived inside this world for more than thirty years. From founding multiple companies to advising global organizations …

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Stories, Science, & Healing x Books That Shape Us 13:11

8d ago13:11

13:11

For all my mental health advocates, therapists and those bing therapized! This is a bonus episode from a podcast called, Books That Shape Us: Stories, Science, & Healing - I had the pleasure of chatting with the host about Brown Enough as a theraputic model.By Christopher Rivas

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Mikhail Zygar: From Glasnost Whiplash to Social-Media Smog 41:26

18d ago41:26

41:26

Russian journalist in exile Mikhail Zygar traces an information system so sealed even Gorbachev couldn't get the facts in The Dark Side of the Earth: Russia's Short-Lived Victory Over Totalitarianism. He draws a straight psychological line from late-Soviet overload to our current tech-firehose, arguing humans don't change much; institutions do (and…

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Tom Petty - The Life & Music with special guest Gillian Gaar 1:04:01

10d ago1:04:01

1:04:01

In this episode, we welcome back author Gillian Gaar to discuss her new book, Tom Petty: The Life and Music. We'll take a look at the fascinating career of one of rock's most beloved figures. From Petty's early encounter with Elvis Presley to the eventual rise of The Heartbreakers, this episode is packed with anecdotes and insights that shed light …

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Chris DeMakes A Podcast: Mike Edwards discusses Jesus Jones “Right Here, Right Now” 1:13:20

20d ago1:13:20

1:13:20

From Chris DeMakes A Podcast (originally released as Episode 224 on 9/16/24)... This week, Mike Edwards sits in to discuss the writing and recording of the 1991 hit single from Jesus Jones, “Right Here, Right Now." The conversation explores the creation and impact of the song, including the inspiration behind it and the cultural context of the time…

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Finding the Next Terry Gross with Daniel Oppenheimer 40:22

21d ago40:22

40:22

In this special Saturday edition, Mike sits down with Daniel Oppenheimer of Eminent Americans to tackle a high-stakes question: Who is worthy of the Fresh Air throne? They dissect the craft of interviewing, critique the "unprepared celebrity" podcast trend, and evaluate potential successors ranging from Colin McEnroe to Jon Ronson. Produced by Core…

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Shadi Hamid: The Left Should Learn to Love American Power 42:52

22d ago42:52

42:52

Shadi Hamid joins to discuss his new book, The Case for American Power, arguing that progressives' retreat from global engagement is a mistake. He contends that while the Left often views U.S. hegemony as intrinsically immoral—citing the legacy of Iraq and the tragedy in Gaza—the alternative of withdrawal often leads to greater atrocities, such as …

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Not Even Mad: Anthony Weiner & John Ketcham 1:03:30

14d ago1:03:30

1:03:30

Anthony Weiner and John Ketcham break down a Congress being flayed by its own fringes, where the "crazies" sometimes deliver the sharpest institutional critiques. They then assess Pete Hegseth and the possible release video of a lethal Caribbean boat strike, the challenges reshaping New York politics, and what it really means to govern a city you o…