Head On Fire Podcast

Head On Fire

Head On Fire
What’s the best chapstick for a dead body? How much do marketers really know about us? Is there such a thing as a “minimalist table?” Join author Don Martin every other week on Head On Fire, a search for answers to life’s biggest and smallest questions. He interviews experts in overlooked fields about subjects you either think you already know everything about or have never considered. From how morticians can turn you into a coral reef to the best way to investigate a cult, he asks the questions you didn’t even know you wanted answers to.
What is memory? with Dr. Althea Need Kaminske
Dr. Althea Need Kaminske is a cognitive psychologist who teaches at the Indiana University school of medicine interested in the application of human memory research to educational settings. She also helps run The Learning Scientists, an international group of cognitive psychologists who engage in science communication about the science of learning. Her new book, The Psychology of Memory, came out earlier this month. Email: [email protected] Social links: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/headonfirepod/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/headonfirepod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@headonfirepod Support my work on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/headonfirepod Buy me a Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/headonfirepod Subscribe to the Head On Fire podcast Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/head-on-fire/id337689333 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4qTYYhCLMdFc4PhQmSL1Yh?si=5387b774ed6e4524 YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/HeadOnFirePod
May 28, 2024
1 hr 10 min
What can dolls tell us about ourselves? with Matthew Keith
Matthew Keith is a Barbie collector, photographer, and doll expert whose work has been featured in The Los Angeles Time, NewNowNext, and on a social media feed near you. Find him at https://www.dollsonthebrain.com  Social links: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/headonfirepod/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/headonfirepod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@headonfirepod Support my work on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/headonfirepod Buy me a Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/headonfirepod Subscribe to the Head On Fire podcast Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/head-on-fire/id337689333 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4qTYYhCLMdFc4PhQmSL1Yh?si=5387b774ed6e4524
May 14, 2024
58 min
How do you make cars less scary? with Chaya Milchtein, the Mechanic Shop Femme
Chaya Milchtein is known to the internet as the Mechanic Shop Femme. She uses her platform and her new book Mechanic Shop Femme’s Guide to Car Ownership— to make every facet of car ownership less terrifying—from the day you decide to purchase to doing your own regular maintenance and care—and she’s showing folks in the margins of society who are typically left out of these spaces that we belong in the shop and showroom too.  Email: [email protected] Social links: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/headonfirepod/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/headonfirepod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@headonfirepod Support my work on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/headonfirepod Buy me a Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/headonfirepod Subscribe to the Head On Fire podcast Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/head-on-fire/id337689333 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4qTYYhCLMdFc4PhQmSL1Yh?si=5387b774ed6e4524 YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/HeadOnFirePod
Apr 30, 2024
51 min
What's it like being Out in the NFL? with Kevin Maxen
Kevin Maxen is a strength and conditioning coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He’s also the first male coach in major American men’s professional sports to publicly come out as gay. I sat down to talk to him about what it takes to train some of the world’s best athletes, divorcing yourself from outside criticism, and whether the NFL is finally becoming more welcoming to the queer community. Email: [email protected] Social links: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/headonfirepod/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/headonfirepod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@headonfirepod Support my work on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/headonfirepod Buy me a Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/headonfirepod Subscribe to the Head On Fire podcast Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/head-on-fire/id337689333 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4qTYYhCLMdFc4PhQmSL1Yh?si=5387b774ed6e4524 YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/HeadOnFirePod
Apr 16, 2024
46 min
How do you fall in love with poetry? with Dr. Maya C. Popa
Dr. Maya C. Popa is a poetry educator, a poetry critic, and a poet in her own right. She is the poetry reviews editor at Publishers Weekly, a professor of poetry at NYU, and her most recent collection, titled Wound is the origin of wonder, was named one of the Guardian’s Best Books of Poetry and has been featured in The Washington Post, The Irish Times, The Harvard Review, and Booklist. I sat down with her to talk about the state of poetry education, why poetry gets such a bad rap, as well as the juiciest gossip I’ve seen in the poetry community in decades. Email: [email protected] Social links: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/headonfirepod/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/headonfirepod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@headonfirepod Support my work on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/headonfirepod Buy me a Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/headonfirepod Subscribe to the Head On Fire podcast Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/head-on-fire/id337689333 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4qTYYhCLMdFc4PhQmSL1Yh?si=5387b774ed6e4524 YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/HeadOnFirePod
Apr 2, 2024
58 min
What makes good sex advice? with Dan Savage
Dan Savage has done a lot of things in his life. He founded both the It Gets Better project and the Hump porn festival. He popularized the Campsite Rule of relationships. He made Rick Santorum’s name a dirty word. And he’s been one of the country’s foremost sex, dating, and relationship advice columnists since the creation of Savage Love in 1991. He’s a pioneer of podcasting, a former drag queen, and he is my guest today. We discussed sex, advice, and sex advice. Email: [email protected] Social links: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/headonfirepod/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/headonfirepod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@headonfirepod Support my work on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/headonfirepod Buy me a Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/headonfirepod Subscribe to the Head On Fire podcast Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/head-on-fire/id337689333 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4qTYYhCLMdFc4PhQmSL1Yh?si=5387b774ed6e4524 YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/HeadOnFirePod
Mar 19, 2024
1 hr 18 min
Are we cleaning everything wrong? with Melissa Pateras
With spring right around the corner, many people are thinking about cleaning their homes and turning to social media for tips and tricks only to suddenly learn we all seem to be doing everything wrong. That's where Melissa Pateras, the lesbian queen of Laundrytok and author of the new book A Dirty Guide to a Clean Home, comes in. She told me all the secrets of folding a fitted sheet, the magic of swapping your fabric softener for vinegar, and whether any of those homemade washing powder recipes actually work. Email: [email protected] Social links: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/headonfirepod/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/headonfirepod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@headonfirepod Support my work on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/headonfirepod Buy me a Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/headonfirepod Subscribe to the Head On Fire podcast Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/head-on-fire/id337689333 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4qTYYhCLMdFc4PhQmSL1Yh?si=5387b774ed6e4524
Mar 5, 2024
1 hr 2 min
Why is drag important? with Jinkx Monsoon
Jinkx Monsoon (she/her) is a two-time RuPaul’s Drag Race winner, Broadway breakout star, and soon to be villain on the beloved British sci-fi series Doctor Who coming to Disney+ in 2024. The self-proclaimed “internationally tolerated” drag icon has taken over the entertainment industry as an award-winning stage actress, acclaimed vocalist, stand-up comic, and theatre sensation.  Jinkx first garnered an international fan base following her win on RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 5 (2013), and continued her winning streak on RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 7 (2022) where she was crowned “Queen of All Queens,” winning the competition against all previous winners. In January 2023, Jinkx made her highly-anticipated Broadway debut as Matron “Mama” Morton in Broadway’s longest-running musical, Chicago. Jinkx's monumental and extended 10-week run broke box office records, achieving the highest selling non-holiday week in the show's 26 year history (as reported by Playbill). Following the run, she went on to sell out theaters across 45 North American cities with her first ever concert tour titled "Jinkx Monsoon: Everything at Stake" from June through August 2023. Jinkx closed out 2023 with the 6th annual "The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show" tour which sold out the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles and traveled for 8 weeks across the U.S., UK and Canada.  Jinkx has toured the world performing her original cabaret shows with music partner Major Scales, including highly-acclaimed shows like The Ginger Snapped, The Vaudevillians (which became a hit Off-Broadway sensation) and their most recent production, Together Again, Again (2022).  As a recording artist, Jinkx has released three critically-hailed albums of original music written by Major Scales including her most recent The Virgo Odyssey (2022), The Inevitable Album and The Ginger Snapped.  No stranger to film and TV, Jinkx has voiced characters for such animated shows as Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake (playing the beloved character Lemongrab), Steven Universe, Mighty Magiswords, Bravest Warriors. She has also appeared on the CBS cop drama Blue Bloods and the Netflix original AJ and the Queen. Jinkx has been the subject of two documentaries: Drag Becomes Him, and The Queens. She is an award-winning stage actress, having won the Gregory Award for her portrayal of Hedwig in Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and most recently, The MAC Award for her show The Ginger Snapped, co-written with Major Scales. email me: [email protected] Social links: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/headonfirepod/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/headonfirepod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@headonfirepod Support my work on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/headonfirepod Buy me a Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/headonfirepod Subscribe to the Head On Fire podcast Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/head-on-fire/id337689333 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4qTYYhCLMdFc4PhQmSL1Yh?si=5387b774ed6e4524
Feb 20, 2024
53 min
Why is math a drag? with Kyne Santos
Kyne Santos uses social media to teach math subjects that range from simple addition and subtraction to more esoteric concepts about impossible objects or quantum mechanics. And he does it in drag. Because sometimes Kyne puts on a wig, drops the surname and becomes the Canadian Drag Race superstar alum Kyne who teaches us how math can be a living, breathing, interesting subject that both enriches and entertains.  Kyne's new book, Math in Drag, comes out March 5, 2024. Social links: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/headonfirepod/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/headonfirepod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@headonfirepod Support my work on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/headonfirepod Buy me a Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/headonfirepod Subscribe to the Head On Fire podcast Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/head-on-fire/id337689333 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4qTYYhCLMdFc4PhQmSL1Yh?si=5387b774ed6e4524
Feb 6, 2024
46 min
Burn 2023 down! with Meg Elison
2023 was great and terrible. There were technological marvels, horrible television, phenomenal movies, brilliant books, and more author drama than you ever thought possible. Come around the dumpster fire as Meg Elison and I build the year its funeral pyre.  Social links: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/headonfirepod/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/headonfirepod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@headonfirepod Support my work on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/headonfirepod Buy me a Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/headonfirepod Subscribe to the Head On Fire podcast Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/head-on-fire/id337689333 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4qTYYhCLMdFc4PhQmSL1Yh?si=5387b774ed6e4524 YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/HeadOnFirePod
Dec 26, 2023
1 hr 40 min
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