In light of our current series on mistakes, we're sharing an episode from Cautionary Tales—a podcast that’s all about mistakes and what we can learn from them. This story is about a poet—some say the worst poet in the world–William McGonagall. McGonagall's works were full of jarring meter, banal imagery, and awkward rhymes. They made him a laughing stock in 19th Century Scotland and are still derided to this day.

What can we learn from such a disastrous poet? And it is possible we’ve misunderstood McGonagall all along?  

We'll be back with a new mistake next week.

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Years ago a music producer named Irv Gotti–a hitmaker for Jay-Z, Ja Rule, and Ashanti–was tapped by Sony Music to make a record with Jennifer Lopez. They wanted a big hit. And Irv delivered. But then he made the biggest mistake of his career.

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General David Goldfein, former Chief of Staff of the US Air Force, and Dr. Heather Wilson, former Secretary of the Air Force, tell the story of the worst day in their professional careers and what it taught them about leadership. 

You can find their book, Get Back up: Lessons in Servant Leadership, here.

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We've just begun our series around mistakes and last week, you heard Michael Lynton, former head of Sony Pictures Entertainment, share how he found himself at the center of one of the most devastating corporate hacks in history. This week, we're sharing a preview of another podcast that looks at notorious Hollywood mistakes and the difficulties of movie-making, What Went Wrong. The Shawshank Redemption is the highest rated movie on IMDb. It’s held that position for nearly as long as the site has existed, yet its history is far more troubled than most people know. Hosts Lizzie Bassett and Chris Winterbauer explore the journey the movie took from big screen disappointment to near universally beloved American classic. Find more episodes of What Went Wrong wherever you get your podcasts.

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The former head of Sony Pictures Entertainment, Michael Lynton, tells Malcolm about a time he made a really big mistake: greenlighting a film that would lead to an international incident.  

You can learn more about Michael Lynton and Josh Steiner’s book, From Mistakes to Meaning, here.

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Since Andrew Jarecki’s latest documentary The Alabama Solution debuted on HBO, it has stunned viewers with a story about a group of men seeking justice. The film shows the egregious abuse and systemic failure of Alabama’s prison system, largely through footage shot by incarcerated men on contraband cellphones.

In this conversation, Malcolm sits down with Andrew Jarecki to discuss the making of the Oscar-nominated film and how it resonates with The Alabama Murders, the seven episode series Revisionist History released last year. 

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Did Disney make an anti-Disney movie? Ben and Malcolm engage in a bit of literary sleuthing to find out.

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Screenwriter Gary Goldman claimed the creators of the Disney franchise Zootopia stole his story. Malcolm investigates. 

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Valley of Shadows is a new Pushkin true crime podcast that digs into a nearly 30-year old secret buried in the California desert. On June 11, 1998, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputy Jon Aujay went for a run in California’s Devil’s Punchbowl park...and never came back. Nearly 30 years later, the mystery surrounding his disappearance has only deepened. Some say Aujay is just another missing hiker, claimed by the inhospitable landscape of the Southern California desert. Some say he took his own life out there. But there’s another theory that many of Aujay’s friends and LASD colleagues are convinced is true—that he was the victim of foul play, and that his own department is covering it up. Through exclusive interviews, revealing wiretaps, and buried police files, investigative reporters Hayley Fox and Betsy Shepherd uncover vestiges of the Wild West in a small California town, where outlaw biker gangs crank out methamphetamine and local cops operate on both sides of the law.

Find Valley of Shadows wherever you get podcasts.

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Despite his disdain for birthdays, Malcolm finds himself celebrating ten years of Revisionist History by looking back on the making of the show with producers past and present. And, of course, his mother.

Referenced Episodes:

Season 1, Episode 5: Food Fight

Season 6, Episode 10: The Dog Will See You Now

Season 2, Episode 4: The Foot Soldier of Birmingham

Season 9, Episode 5: Guns Part 5: The Footnote

Season 11, Episode 9: Hitler's Olympics, Part 9: A Plague on Both Your Houses.

Season 14, Episode 1: The Alabama Murders - Part 1: The True Church

Season 1, Episode 6: My Little Hundred Million

Season 3, Episode 10: Analysis, Parapraxis, Elvis

Season 11, Episode 6: Hitler's Olympics, Part 6: The Jiggle & the Giddy Up

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A journalist reporting from some far-flung remote location. A massive blackout. Ticketless entry to a huge sporting event. Behind some of the most technologically complex scenarios is a network making it possible to connect. 

Malcolm sits down with Mo Katibeh, the Chief Marketing Officer for T-Mobile for Business, Guy Griggs, the CNN Senior Vice President of Ad Sales and Client partnerships, and Siemens Energy Senior Vice President Steve Douglas to learn more about this invisible infrastructure. This episode is brought to you in partnership with T-Mobile for Business, and recorded live at the iHeart Studios in New York City.

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Malcolm recently went on the podcast of one of his favorite comedians, Hasan Minhaj. He enjoyed the experience so much, he wanted to share the conversation with you! Enjoy.

On Hasan Minhaj Doesn't Know, the two-time Peabody Award-winning comedian sits down with the biggest names in politics, culture, and tech with questions that are as thought-provoking as they are absurd. It’s a dumb show for curious people who are looking for answers but can’t find them, not even from their host. Because, ultimately, Hasan Minhaj Doesn’t Know!

Find more episodes of Hasan Minhaj Doesn’t Know wherever you get podcasts.

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Today, we bring you our holiday epic from last year.

When Arnold Schwarzenegger decided he wanted to direct a feature film, the choice of material was obvious: He would remake a 1945 holiday classic. Easier said than done.

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For nearly 200 years, we have credited the most famous poem of the Christmas season to Clement Clarke Moore. But what if we got the wrong man?

This holiday season: A centuries old family feud, a bold claim from an English professor, and the true meaning of Christmas.

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Malcolm and Liliana Segura, a criminal justice reporter at Intercept, sat down for an episode of The Intercept Briefing to discuss The Alabama Murders, the inherent cruelty of the death penalty, and the concerning rise of executions in America.

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Holman Correctional Facility. January 2024. Over three decades after the murder of Elizabeth Sennett, the failure cascade comes to an end, but not before claiming one more life.

Get early, ad-free access to the full season of The Alabama Murders by subscribing to Pushkin+ on Apple Podcasts or Pushkin.fm. Pushkin+ subscribers can access ad-free episodes, full audiobooks, exclusive binges, and bonus content for all Pushkin shows.

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Manhattan, NY December. 2022. What do you do, after the state has tried to execute you, but failed? Kenny Smith’s legal team calls Kate Porterfield. A psychologist who specializes in trauma.

Get early, ad-free access to the full season of The Alabama Murders by subscribing to Pushkin+ on Apple Podcasts or Pushkin.fm. Pushkin+ subscribers can access ad-free episodes, full audiobooks, exclusive binges, and bonus content for all Pushkin shows.

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Holman Correctional Facility. November 2022. The State of Alabama tries to execute Kenneth Smith.

Get early, ad-free access to the full season of The Alabama Murders by subscribing to Pushkin+ on Apple Podcasts or Pushkin.fm. Pushkin+ subscribers can access ad-free episodes, full audiobooks, exclusive binges, and bonus content for all Pushkin shows.

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Holman Correctional Facility. June 2010. John Forrest Parker is put to death by lethal injection. He didn’t appear to suffer. But did he?

Get early, ad-free access to the full season of The Alabama Murders by subscribing to Pushkin+ on Apple Podcasts or Pushkin.fm. Pushkin+ subscribers can access ad-free episodes, full audiobooks, exclusive binges, and bonus content for all Pushkin shows.

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Colbert County. May 1989. One of the men charged with Elizabeth Sennett’s murder stands trial. But the prosecution’s case has  problematic inconsistencies. His fate comes down to the jury’s decision –– at least at first.

Get early, ad-free access to the full season of The Alabama Murders by subscribing to Pushkin+ on Apple Podcasts or Pushkin.fm. Pushkin+ subscribers can access ad-free episodes, full audiobooks, exclusive binges, and bonus content for all Pushkin shows.

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Florence, Alabama. 1988. After a horrifying murder takes place, an anonymous caller names three young men as suspects. But speculation swirls about the victim’s husband.

Get early, ad-free access to the full season of The Alabama Murders by subscribing to Pushkin+ on Apple Podcasts or Pushkin.fm. Pushkin+ subscribers can access ad-free episodes, full audiobooks, exclusive binges, and bonus content for all Pushkin shows.

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In a small town in the northwest corner of Alabama, a cascade begins with a man and an affair.

Get early, ad-free access to the full season of The Alabama Murders by subscribing to Pushkin+ on Apple Podcasts or Pushkin.fm. Pushkin+ subscribers can access ad-free episodes, full audiobooks, exclusive binges, and bonus content for all Pushkin shows.

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Florence, Alabama. 1988. A preacher has an affair. A woman is murdered. One death cascades into more, stretching across decades and leaving no one untouched — victims, bystanders, perpetrators, and those just trying to help. Eventually, the consequences lead to the center of a hot national debate on who should be allowed to live, who should die, and how the state should execute them.

On The Alabama Murders, Malcolm Gladwell asks: why, in our efforts to alleviate suffering, do we so often make it worse?

Pushkin+ subscribers can binge the entire season of Revisionist History: The Alabama Murders early and ad-free. Sign up on the Revisionist History show page or at pushkin.fm/plus.

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Wrapping up our summer music series, the Memphis-born, East Nashville-based singer songwriter Drew Holcomb talks with Malcolm in front of a live audience at the Cherry Lane Theater in Greenwich Village. Drew plays original songs and a few covers you might recognize on this exploration of his journey to Americana music.  

For more interviews like this, check out Pushkin’s Broken Record podcast. For more Drew Holcomb visit his website, drewholcomb.com.

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In 2019, Malcolm just wanted an excuse to hang out with Randy Newman so they sat down at the piano together and tried to answer the question: If you disagree with someone — if you find what they think appalling — is there any value in talking to them?

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Malcolm’s habit of reading footnotes leads him to the psychologist Alan Elms, which leads him to the one song Elvis couldn’t sing. We revisit this 2018 episode as part of our encore music series.

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Why does country music make you cry, but rock and roll doesn’t? We revisit a musical interpretation of a divided America in this episode from 2017.

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How does genius emerge? 

Kicking off our summer series, Malcolm digs into the Revisionist History archive to revisit Elvis Costello’s song “Deportee” and explore the power of innovation. 

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Starting next week, we revisit four of Malcolm’s favorite episodes from the Revisionist History archives, all about music.

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In our season finale, we team up with the Culinary Institute of America to reverse engineer the secret recipe for Thomas’s English Muffins.

You can read our top secret muffin recipe here.

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Seven people knew the recipe for a half-a-billion dollar muffin. Then, one of them tried to leave.

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What if we picked the wrong animal?

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Malcolm and Lucie discover that they experience something very differently.

If you suspect you might have a problem recognizing faces and you want to get involved in the research they’re doing at Dr. Joe DeGutis’s lab, go to: www.faceblind.org

And if you’re curious about your own facial recognition abilities, these online tests are a good place to start: 

https://www.troublewithfaces.org/test-yourself-1 https://www.bbk.ac.uk/psychology/psychologyexperiments/experiments/facememorytest/startup.php

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Malcolm sits down with the linguist John McWhorter, to discuss his new book, Pronoun Trouble: The Story of Us in Seven Little Words. Among other things in their wide-ranging conversation, John makes an impassioned case for the return of “thou.”

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The world's most famous interviewer has a problem with interviewing. Revisionist History is here to help.

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Malcolm investigates the origins of what the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services believes (and doesn’t believe) about viruses.

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You might think unbelievably loud, shrill sirens on ambulances and fire trucks are just a fact of life. But what if we got the facts all wrong?

In this episode we ask how we got here in the first place. It’s a story involving a TV show from the 1970s, hearses serving as ambulances, and a dog with a big voice.

You can see a list of the sources we consulted while making this episode here.

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PAW Patrol is in trouble. Like Ryder and the pups, Malcolm comes to the rescue.

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Five years ago a police officer tried to stop Derek Chauvin from murdering George Floyd. Why didn’t he try harder?

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Five years ago the entire world watched Derek Chauvin murder George Floyd. What did we miss?

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For more from Dr. Gary Klein, check out his Masterclass in Practical Decision Making.

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Revisionist History will be back with an all-new season starting March 13th. We’ll be investigating everything from Paw Patrol to the secret behind English muffins to Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Plus much, much more. To start, a two-part series that revisits the death of George Floyd in 2020. That’s next week – stay tuned.

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We are thrilled to welcome the acclaimed narrative series Heavyweight to the Pushkin network. In each episode Jonathan Goldstein sets out to help someone confront their past and heal old wounds. Today we’re sharing their very first episode, “Buzz.” 

And because we couldn’t only pick one segment to share, here’s a list of the Revisionist History team’s favorite episodes:

#2 Gregor

#33 Bobby

#46 Dan

#52 Lenny

#40 Barbara

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In this Valentine’s Day special from Pushkin Industries, Malcolm breaks down the perfect break up song. But first, Broken Record hosts Justin Richmond and Leah Rose make their cases: is R&B the undisputed sound of love? Are sad songs more romantic? Can country win the day?

Plus, Ben Naddaff-Hafrey writes a love song of his own, and the legendary songwriter Babyface talks about how young love shaped his most enduring ballads.

Whether you're mid-swoon or nursing a broken heart, this episode is Pushkin’s Valentine to you.

Listen to Broken Record’s interview with Babyface. 

Listen to a Revisionist History episode about sad songs.

And hear more from Ben’s band, Rookin.

Plus, our battle of the playlists continues… here’s Leah’s sad songs playlist. And Justin’s for love songs. Pick your fighter and… enjoy!

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How is technology transforming the healthcare space? Malcolm sits down with Diogo Rau, the Chief Information and Digital Officer at Eli Lilly and Company, to discuss the ways his company is innovating to deliver care to customers who need it. Rau also previews some new products Eli Lilly is especially excited about.

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Rachel Botsman, Oxford University Lecturer and author of the new Pushkin audiobook How to Trust and Be Trusted, joins Malcolm to talk about how to make smart decisions about trust. Then, a preview of How to Trust and Be Trusted, which is available on Spotify, Audible or wherever you get your audiobooks.

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What happens when the biggest movie star in the world directs the smallest Christmas film on basic cable? A holiday miracle. 

Today on the show: The never-before-published, extremely bizarre story of the making of ‘Christmas in Connecticut’... the remake.

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Michael Lewis, host of Against the Rules and author of Moneyball, The Big Short, Liar?s Poker, and Going Infinite, joins Malcolm to talk about the wild world of sports betting. Then, a preview of Against the Rules season 4, which is legal in New Jersey (listen to find out why), or wherever you get your podcasts. 

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In the 1960s, a right-wing organization led by a former candy tycoon rose to fame in America for their anti-communist campaigns. They called themselves the John Birch Society. Then, they tried to take over the Parent-Teacher Association. This week, what the battle between the two organizations tells us about the fate of American politics, and the history of your Halloween candy.

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How is 5G powering the use of AI to revolutionize life-saving solutions? Malcolm sits with T-Mobile for Business CMO Mo Katibeh, 3AM Innovations COO Ryan Litt, and the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine's Dr. Azizi Seixas to find out in this special episode of Revisionist History. Brought to you in partnership with T-Mobile for Business, and recorded live from the Mobile World Congress in Las Vegas.

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In The Tipping Point, Malcolm helped popularize a controversial approach to policing called ?Broken Windows Theory? that is often credited for keeping crime rates down. Now, 25 years later, he goes back and audits his chapter on crime. Did he get it right? 

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