The Sam Sanders Show

The Sam Sanders Show from KCRW is your guide to entertainment. Find out what makes your favorite artists tick, dissect the trends that shape our culture, or just make sense of that random meme you can’t stop thinking about. Join us every week to unpack the pop culture we love. Sign up for Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff from every interview each week. Sam Sanders is an award-winning podcast and radio host. He’s been named best podcast host by both The Ambies and the iHeart Podcast Awards. He was one of the founding hosts of The NPR Politics Podcast and the host who launched both It’s Been A Minute from NPR and Into It from Vulture.

The Sam Sanders Show is a society podcast hosted by KCRW & Sam Sanders, with 147 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

KCRW & Sam Sanders hosts The Sam Sanders Show, a society show with 147 episodes published.

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  Episode #139

  Can Mamdani Save Broadway?

  Aug 18, 202629 min

  Sam recently experienced one of the best stage musicals he’s seen in years.  Cats: The Jellicle Ball reimagines the classic Andrew Lloyd Webber story with a ballroom twist. The show is filled with voguing, runway and Black, queer joy. It also won multiple Tony awards this year, which packed the theater night after night.  The whole show seemed like it was on the path to success, until it closed suddenly on August 8th.  Theater critic Naveen Kumar wrote about the fate of the production for  The New York Times . He joined Sam to break down the major money problems facing Broadway. He also shares some ideas to fix them…Which may involve a certain charismatic mayor. Sign up for Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff from every interview each week. The Sam Sanders Show is a production of KCRW and Sam Sanders Productions.  

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  Episode #138

  Eliot Glazer: Spiritually Lesbian, Sexually Gay

  Aug 14, 202633 min

  Comedian Eliot Glazer feels like he “missed the first day of Gay 101. ”  Even though he came out in college, he has always struggled to fit into gay culture. He doesn’t like the parties. He doesn’t wear the right clothes. Never listens to the right music. Can’t give off the right vibes. He writes about all these feelings in his hilarious new book of essays  ‘The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Gay.’ Eliot tells Sam about feeling like an outcast, yearning for connection, and how he learned to find peace with his style of queerness. Check out Eliot on his book tour now through September.   Sign up for  Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff from every interview each week. The Sam Sanders Show is a production of KCRW and Sam Sanders Productions.  

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  The Sam Sanders Show

  Is Culture Stuck? (From Decoder Ring)

  Aug 11, 202655 min

  Today we’re sharing an episode from our friends at Decoder Ring , a podcast that explores cultural mysteries. In this episode, host Willa Paskin digs into one of Sam’s biggest critiques about culture right now. There is more of it than ever before, it’s more accessible than ever, but so little of it feels original. New movies are based on old stories, new songs are recycling old hooks, and fashion trends are cycling so fast that everything’s in. Has our culture grown stagnant?  Author and culture critic  W. David Marx thinks so. His book, Blank Space , argues that there is a “blank space” in the 21st century where cultural innovation should be. David explains to Willa how culture change worked in the 20th century, what changed after the turn of the millennium, and what we might do about it. Listen to Decoder Ring on your favorite podcast app!  Sign up for  Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff from every interview each week. The Sam Sanders Show is a production of KCRW and Sam Sanders Productions.

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  Episode #136

  Hannah Einbinder on Comedy, Connection & Queer Art

  Aug 7, 202648 min

  Actor and comedian Hannah Einbinder has had an eventful past few years. She burst onto the scene with the acclaimed HBO comedy ‘ Hacks ’ in 2021. She won an Emmy for her role last season, and is nominated again this year. Now, she’s starring in the new horror film, ‘ Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma. ’  Hannah tells Sam about the craft of transitioning from comedy to drama, television to film, and why her true love will always be standup. She also dives into the importance of queer art and her lessons for navigating Hollywood. Plus, she tells Sam about her future passion project: An eventual stoner comedy made with her best friend. Sign up for Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff from every interview each week. The Sam Sanders Show is a production of KCRW and Sam Sanders Productions.  

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  Episode #135

  The Cyndi Lauper Conspiracy (From Switched on Pop)

  Aug 4, 202637 min

  Today we’re sharing Sam’s episode of Switched on Pop!    Sam believes in his heart that every song Cyndi Lauper has ever written is pop perfection.  Many fall for “Girls Just Want To Have Fun,” but his favorite song is the slow burner “All Through The Night,” save for one moment: the synthesizer solo. For Sam, this solo never fit in. In this episode of Switched on Pop, co-host Charlie Harding helps Sam investigate the source of his musical malady and uncovers how the ‘80s got its groove.  You can find Switched on Pop on your favorite podcast app and now on Netflix!  Sign up for  Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff from every interview each week. The Sam Sanders Show is a production of KCRW and Sam Sanders Productions.  

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