House of Strauss

Latest Episodes:

HoS: Matt Klinman Jun 16, 2023

Show notes

Comedy writer and viral Facebook critic Matt Klinman returns to discuss my piece on Zoomer Influencers, and the general degradation of the content economy. We talk about topics including but not limited to:

* Why are the Zoomer Internet stars non institutional?

* Why can Jake Paul love Trump and it means nothing?

* Was the ads-based cable bundle an unfair bilking of the customer? Was it the best of bad systems?

* Are the social media platforms bad vehicles for ads-based content?

* Why are all the old media institutions collapsing? Where is the money going?

* What does it mean that popular sports sites need gambling to sustain?

* I say “Thanos” wrong.

* Is Youtube the best platform?

* Australia as a warning from the sports gambling future

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.houseofstrauss.com/subscribe

HoS: Joe House Jun 13, 2023

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This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.com

One of the great aspects of my job, whatever it is, is that I can arrange a conversation with people whose work I enjoy. Good vibes legend Joe House is such a person and has been since back before I’d even heard of Twitter.

You might know House from his frequent B.S. Report guest appearances, or perhaps his Fairway Rollin’ golf show. The latter provided…

HoS: John Middlekauff Jun 09, 2023

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John Middlekauff is a podcaster, first and foremost, but used to be an NFL scout. After succeeding as a football Media Guy he’s expanded into golf, a topic I need some help with on account of the massive LIV/PGA merger story.

John’s also a frequent critic of sports media tendencies, and we get into some of that over the course of this conversation. Near the end, John wants some of my takes on the Bob Myers’ exit from the Warriors.

For those curious about LIV/PGA specifically, we start at the 36 minute mark and I eventually derail much of the conversation to express shock over the media framing. Enjoy!

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.houseofstrauss.com/subscribe

HoS: Michael Moynihan Jun 08, 2023

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This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.com

Michael Moynihan of Fifth Column fame is, in my opinion, one of the best podcast talents out there. Additionally, The Fifth Column is, beyond being hilarious, one of the great sanity-validating resources in this crazy era. We meant to talk some sports, and hopefully will next time. In this case, discussion included, but was not limited to:

* On enjoying getting ousted by Vice News

* Why the Fifth has more credibility when ripping Tucker’s Twitter show launch than prestige media outlets do

* Tucker’s “Theyification” of everything

* But wait. Is there a “They” out there, controlling our lives? How does it all work?

* The Karl Popperification of Everything in media

* Is social media good on balance? I argue no

* “Don’t Look Up” worldview vs. a “Don’t Look Down” worldview

HoS Pod: Ryan Glasspiegel Jun 05, 2023

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This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.com

Was bed-ridden sick last week, now I’m finally back to fulfill your content needs. Today we have the return of the New York Post’s Ryan Glasspiegel and we kick off our sports media talk by discussing a very curious number: 11.9 million.

This podcast discussion includes but is not limited to:

* The Game 1 NBA Finals viewership number finally, loudly confirms a theory I’ve been baking. Circumstantially at least

* Does my conclusion mean that the NFL is about to see its viewership numbers radically change?

* Ryan breaks down Shannon Sharpe leaving Undisputed and divorcing from Skip Bayless

* I bring up Tucker Carlson leaving Fox because I momentarily forgot where Ryan works

* Is there a Pat McAfee backlash now that he’s at ESPN?

* The opaque nature of how people make millions on YouTube and can have it taken away

HoS: Wosny Lambre, Nate Jones Jun 01, 2023

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This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.com

Our favorite combo is back as the NBA Finals kicks off. This episode may have even gotten a bit basketball-ish. In it, conversation touches on, but is not limited to…

* Action Bronson’s brilliant decision to become a Food Vlogger

* The NBA’s future depends on marketing the Denver Nuggets. How do they do it?

* Why is soon to be former Warriors GM Bob Myers really quitting

* The new Collective Bargaining Agreement will change the NBA as we know it. Nate Jones breaks down what’s going to happen

* Why the best choice is just to pay Jaylen Brown

* Steve Ballmer is so much richer than all these other owners

HoS: Nate Duncan Answers My Dumb Normie Qs May 25, 2023

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This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.com

One day Nate quit being a lawyer and started an NBA podcast empire. Still, the urge to litigate remains, so he’s arrived at HoS to prove NBA commissioner Adam Silver innocent of my grievous charges. We debate Silver’s thus-far legacy and then move on to the other main event: Can Nate smartly answer some of my dumb NBA questions?

Podcast discussion includes but is not limited to:

* About a 7 minute preamble where Nate and Ethan discuss our awkwardness around in person greetings

* I put Adam Silver on trial; Nate defends him

* On what basis do we judge a sports commissioner?

* My Dumb Normie Questions for Nate, such as…

* Why is Erik Spoelstra the best coach?

* Was Anthony Davis unfairly maligned

* What’s Nate’s view on how good this Nuggets team is historically?

* I’m hearing that the new CBA is designed to ruin the Warriors. Is this true and what does this mean?

* Why was Nikola Jokic the biggest draft steal ever?

* Why is Jimmy Butler so good?

* Nate’s take on the most overrated food

* My case for pepper as a coattail-riding condiment

HoS: Adam Mares May 23, 2023

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This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.com

Thrilled for this well timed visit from Adam Mares of DNVR, in the immediate aftermath of the Denver Nuggets clinching their first ever Finals berth. A few years ago, Adam staked his independent media claim out in Colorado, a small market, where the NBA theoretically comes last. Now, the Nuggets are what’s hot and his DNVR site is where the national media comes for answers on the NBA’s latest phenomenon. On this pod, we discuss the incredible high he’s feeling as his grand plan comes to a shocking, though natural, fruition. Pod discussion includes, but is not limited to:

* “ALL THE NUGGETS ARE GOOD“

* Where does the bunny eat?

* Did Adam cause all this to happen with his vision?

* Adam vs. the NBA’s Him-ification

* Why wasn’t this Nuggets juggernaut marketed well?

* Would the Nuggets have been more mainstream in the recent past, like, let’s say, 2012?

* Adam’s take on the idea that fewer people will watch a Denver Finals than a Los Angeles Finals

* What stories did the media miss about this team?

* LeBron was amazing this postseason; He also tried to control the narrative again.

* Which media members are bending the knee to Jokic?

HoS: Ashlee Vance May 20, 2023

Show notes

In terms of sales, Ashlee Vance might be the most successful writer we’ve had on this podcast, not that it’s a competition. And you know what? Sometimes the market is correct. Vance, whose new best seller is titled When the Heavens Went on Sale: The Misfits and Geniuses Racing to Put Space Within Reach, has a knack for identifying and distilling fascinating subjects. His Elon Musk biography, for example, is one of the most widely read biographies of the last decade.

Have I read these books yet? Well, not exactly, to my great shame. And yet the conversation we had about these works, and related subjects, happened to be fantastic. The conversation includes but is not limited to…

* The privatization of space is a huge thing. Major implications

* Can space exploration actually make money though?

* Elon Musk…what’s his deal, man?

* How did Vance wear down Elon Musk

* Is sending rockets into space easier than simply saying what you think?

* Why did tech stop awing us?

* British sports media has more class solidarity; America sports media sniffs jocks

* Ashlee extends me some compliments and testimonials!

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.houseofstrauss.com/subscribe

HoS: Parade of Losers with Saam Esfandiari and Spike Eskin May 16, 2023

Show notes

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.com

Saam Esfandiari and Spike Eskin are, respectively, co-hosts of the Light Years podcast (Warriors) and The Rights to Ricky Sanchez podcast (76ers). Both teams had their seasons end in searing disappointment over the weekend, which can be a tricky outcome to handle if you’re running a fan pod. Both guys handle failure expertly though, so we got into the nitty gritty of how that goes, plus some of their theories on players and media. Conversation topics include but aren’t limited to…

* The Ricky fans are broken; The Warriors fans…less so

* How to make fans characters in your pod universe

* I hate being wrong about sports takes. Saam and Spike think it’s key to not fear this

* Is “loser energy” real? Are certain highly paid, incredibly successful athletes…losers?

* Can it be possible that the fans care more about the outcome than players?

* Does Doc Rivers have loser energy?

* Was Joel Embiid maliciously taken out of context when quoted saying, “Me and James, we can't win alone”?

* Is the normie take correct and Draymond Green really did doom the Warriors’ season by punching Jordan Poole?

* At 1:04:45 we discuss an accidentally hilarious article by an SF Gate writer who attended a Dave Chappelle show in San Francisco and was aghast.

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