Unsinkable: The Titanic Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Barely a Goodbye: The Story of Joseph Laroche Feb 26, 2022

Show notes

*(Quick note: I had some minor sound issues for this episode and I'm aware the audio quality is not quite up to standard--don't worry, this will be sorted out by next episode!)
Join me as I detail of the life of Joseph Laroche, the sole black man on the Titanic, whose story is so much more than that factoid of a label would lead one to believe; his life intersected with crucial moments in Haitian history and in French history, and his marriage to a woman named Juliette highlights so many facets of race relations in the early twentieth century. But more importantly, their love was, it seems, quite powerful, and their family's story and legacy deserve to be told. I also address some themes of race and Titanic--how black culture processed the disaster through folklore, how race was on the ship in the form of passengers from all over the world and how they were portrayed in the wake of the sinking.
Thank you for listening!
To purchase books I mention or upcoming Book Club picks, visit my Bookshop Affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/unsinkablepod
To support the pod on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/unsinkablepod
For sources on this episode and all others, please see the blog on my website: https://www.unsinkablepod.com/blog

Support the show

Support Unsinkable on Patreon for as little as $1/month: https://www.patreon.com/unsinkablepod
Or buy me a coffee!: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/labeadles
Buy Unsinkable shirts here!: https://www.bonfire.com/unsinkable-the-first-t-shirt/
Support the pod via my Bookshop Storefront: https://bookshop.org/shop/unsinkablepod
Find me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unsinkablepod/

Back to 1997: Titanic Forever Feb 21, 2022

Show notes

In this last episode for my series on the 1997 movie, I go off script and recount the Titanic cultural phenomena but also the very personal feelings I have about it and how it relates to our understanding of the ship, film history, memory, grief. I also go over the many/pervasive pop culture references from the past 25 years, including some that listeners wrote in about. This is a grab bag. This is me coming to terms with my love of a thing. This is Titanic Forever. Join me. *A special thanks to my husband John for being such a good sport.
To support the pod on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/unsinkablepod
Shop the books I've used as my sources: https://bookshop.org/shop/unsinkablepod
Find me on Insta and Twitter: @UnsinkablePod

Support the show

Back to 1997: The Profound Feminism of Rose DeWitt Bukater Feb 11, 2022

Show notes

In some ways I think I've been waiting to record this episode for 25 years, but I wouldn't have been ready until this moment. I cover the ways in which the Titanic disaster has been viewed along gender lines and how the cultural history of it has been shaped by gender. I examine how the character of Rose, from 1997's Titanic, fits into the historical fabric of 1912 but also how she inspired and influenced a generation of young women (and men I'm sure!). I also highlight some crucial women's rights history of the era and touch on a few stories of actual female Titanic passengers who broke some norms of the time and were, as Rose is, complete badasses!
For sources, see my website: https://www.unsinkablepod.com/blog
Also visit my Bookshop to view my reading lists/purchase from them + support the pod and independent booksellers: https://bookshop.org/shop/unsinkablepod
Support the pod on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/unsinkablepod
Contact me! Unsinkablepod@gmail.com
Find me on Insta and on Twitter @unsinkablepod
Cheers!

Support the show

Book Club: The Ship of Dreams, with Author Gareth Russell Feb 04, 2022

Show notes

Author Gareth Russell and I have a wonderfully in-depth conversation about the complexities of the lives of several of Titanic’s first-class passengers. If you follow the pod, you know I talk a lot about the Titanic mythologies, these long-held visions of some of the storied passengers, and we address many of them in a blunt way. It’s quite refreshing. We also talk importantly about the creation of historical narrative and how a person’s own beliefs, emotions, prejudices inform how they interpret something, which, if you know me at all on this pod, you know is one of my most beloved themes. Gareth’s book was essential for me a couple of years ago as I dipped my toes back into Titanic history after a bit of a hiatus, and honestly it was a huge impetus in me working towards this podcast. To note, we also had a BLAST! Gareth is so fun to chat with and I wish we’d had ten hours to talk.

Find his book, The Ship of Dreams, here: https://bookshop.org/lists/the-unsinkable-book-club

Find Gareth’s great podcast here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/single-malt-history-with-gareth-russell/id1565005422

And on social: https://www.instagram.com/_garethrussell/

Support the show

Back to 1997: On a Beach in Rosarito--The Making of James Cameron's Titanic (Part Two) Jan 30, 2022

Show notes

This second installment turns partly into an exploration of some of the real passengers aboard the ship and their portrayals in James Cameron's film--Thomas Andrews, Margaret Brown, Archibald Gracie. I also discuss, with quite a bit of detail, how Cameron and his crew seamlessly constructed the ship and the sinking from a combination of practical, digital, and hybrid shots. Toss in a little bit of set gossip and me (of course, who is shocked) defending the finished product against those who doubt its accuracy! Cheers!
For sources, see my blog: https://www.unsinkablepod.com/blog
To purchase book I mention or books for upcoming Book Club episodes, consider buying through my Bookshop page: https://bookshop.org/shop/unsinkablepod
To support the pod on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/unsinkablepod
Contact me:
Email: unsinkablepod@gmail.com
On Insta: https://www.instagram.com/unsinkablepod/
On Twitter: https://twitter.com/unsinkablepod

Support the show

Back to 1997: On a Beach in Rosarito--The Making of James Cameron's Titanic (Part One) Jan 24, 2022

Show notes

This is part one of a truly surgical look at the making of James Cameron's Titanic, arguably one of the most popular/successful/beloved/fill-in-any-blank film of all time. Even if you're not a true Titanic-movie person, this will be of interest to you, for the painstaking links Cameron goes to in order to re-build the ship and the world of 1912.
For a list of my source material, see my Bookshop Affiliate page:
https://bookshop.org/shop/unsinkablepod
Or visit my website's blog: https://www.unsinkablepod.com/blog

As always, please contact me!
On Insta and Twitter-- @UnsinkablePod
unsinkablepod@gmail.com
Support the pod on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/unsinkablepod
Theme music courtesy my sweet and very talented husband, John Beadles

Support the show

(Re-release) The Six: The Chinese Survivors of Titanic, with Co-Creator Steven Schwankert Jan 21, 2022

Show notes

The Six is available online for a week starting tomorrow, January 22, 2022!
Get your ticket for The Six here: https://watch.eventive.org/fhff/play/61c5f6235a819200d56d0547
Here's the film's description, courtesy Friday Harbor Film Fest's website:
When RMS Titanic sank on a cold night in 1912, barely 700 people escaped with their lives. Among them were six Chinese men. Arriving in New York with the other survivors, the six were met not with compassion, but suspicion and slander. Less than 24 hours later, they were expelled from the country, soon forgotten, and lost beneath the waves of time. What became of them? The Six is an extraordinary story of survival and dignity in the face of racism and anti-immigrant policy that still reverberates today.

Support the show

(Re-release) Titanic on Film: James Cameron's Ghosts of the Abyss Jan 18, 2022

Show notes

Hi guys, I'm jumping on the feed to re-release my episode on James Cameron's 2003 documentary Ghosts of the Abyss, which details the expedition he took BACK to Titanic in 2001...with...Bill Paxton! This is one of my favorite episodes to date, and I think it's a nice companion piece to the main Cameron episode I just posted. Welcome, also, to new listeners from all over the world!! Thanks so much to ALL my listeners and your support.
If you're enjoying the pod, please rate and review!
For my James Cameron booklist, visit my Bookshop Affiliate page:
https://bookshop.org/shop/unsinkablepod
Contact me, always, anytime:
unsinkablepod@gmail.com
UnsinkablePod on Insta
Same on Twitter
Support the pod on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/unsinkablepod

Support the show

Back to 1997: The Innovation and the Environmentalism of James Cameron Jan 17, 2022

Show notes

Whoa times about twenty, because this is a beast of an episode that grew its own legs. Here is my rundown of the life, career, and activism (yes, activism) of James Cameron, director of 1997's Titanic. To properly understand the film and its resonance in popular culture, I think its essential to understand the man who took us back to the ship. The clip of Cameron speaking about his childhood is from a Ted Talk, and the link is here: https://www.ted.com/talks/james_cameron_before_avatar_a_curious_boy
Visit my Bookshop Affiliate Page to explore/purchase some of my sources for this episode: https://bookshop.org/shop/unsinkablepod
Notably, I recommend:
Rebecca Keegan's The Futurist: The Life and Films of James Cameron
Paula Parisi, Titanic and the Making of James Cameron
Matthew Wilhelm Kapell and Stephen McVeigh, editors, The Films of James Cameron: Critical Essays
As well as these interviews:
"The Spirit of Avatar: A Conversation with James Cameron" from The Marianne Williamson Podcast (March 18, 2021)
"The Spirit of Exploration, with James Cameron" from StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson (August 24, 2018)
"James Cameron and Suzy Amis Cameron Uncut" from Tribe of Mentors (Tim Ferriss) Podcast (November 12, 2018)
Please contact me!
unsinkablepod@gmail.com
on Insta: UnsinkablePod
on Twitter: UnsinkablePod
Support the pod on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/unsinkablepod

Support the show

Book Club: The Race to Save the Titanic, with Author William Hazelgrove Jan 10, 2022

Show notes

In this, my first book-centered episode, I chat with best-selling author William Hazelgrove about his book One Hundred and Sixty Minutes: The Race to Save the RMS Titanic, which unpacks and challenges a lot of the long-standing mythologies surrounding the ship's history. Using interwoven stories of wireless operators, rescue efforts of nearby ships, and the motivations and actions of those faced with decisions that tragic night, Hazelgrove's work brings a fresh perspective to very old questions.
Order a copy here: https://www.bookpeople.com/book/9781633886971
William Hazelgrove's website is here: https://www.williamhazelgrove.com
Contact me...
by Email: unsinkablepod@gmail.com
on Insta: UnsinkablePod
on Twitter: UnsinkablePod
consider supporting the pod on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/unsinkablepod

Support the show

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Unsinkable: The Titanic Podcast

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected