Advertise on podcast: Before They Were Live

Josh and Michial are on much firmer ground for these stories, the oldest parts of the 1001 Nights--mostly beast fables and one very strange story about dying from love.

Josh and Michial wrap up the story of King Umar and his family--and much to their surprise, the loose ends get tied up.

This month, Josh and Michial discuss the first half of a Sheherazadean tale so long it's basically a mid-length novel, "King Umar ibn-Nu'man and His Family." It's got everything from old ladies farting to holy wars to philosophical disquisitions, and we're talking about it all! Join us!

Josh and Michial take another break from 1001 Nights to talk about Zootopia 2--which they're surprised to find out they liked!

Josh and Michial are back to the 1001 Nights, talking about two of their favorite stories so far: "Nur al-Din and Anis al-Jalis" and "Ghayim al-Ayyub, the Slave of Love."

Josh and Michial are back, and talking about...oh. Moana 2.

Josh and Michial are back to talk about five stories from the 1001 Nights, and also to talk irrelevantly about how they met, college radio, and not getting paid by concert promoters.

Josh and Michial are back to talk about five stories from the first nineteen nights: - Prologue - "The Vizier and the Sage Duban" - "The Envier and the Envied" - "The Eldest Lady's Story" - "The Doorkeeper's Story"

This month (a little late) we finish up our brief series on Kipling's Just-So Stories. Good news: We've got a lot more to say about the back half of the book, including detours into C.S. Lewis's Experiment in Criticism and Jacques Derrida's Dissemination. Bad news: a lot of what we have to say is about "How the Alphabet Was Made," a little-loved story. Stay tuned until the end to hear what our next series will be on!

We're back with a new (albeit short) series on Rudyard Kipling's Just-So Stories. Listen as we talk about the first six stories in this collection and muse a bit on why they don't bear scrutiny as well as fairy tales.

We're back, with our seventh and final episode on Grimms' Fairy Tales. We'll be talking about the following ten stories, some of which are truly and gloriously bizarre: Puss in Boots Princess Mousekin The Blacksmith and the Devil  The Soldier and the Carpenter The Pea Test The Robber and His Sons The Winter Rose The Celebration of the Underground Creatures The Princess in the Coffin and the Sentry King Ironhead Next month we'll be back to talk about the first half of Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories. See you then!

Josh and Michial take a sloth-driven break from the Grimms and talk about the 62nd full-length Disney animated feature, 2023's Wish. Spoiler alert: It's not as bad as everyone said it is, but it certainly doesn't instill us with any faith in the company.  We also announce our next book series!

Josh and Michial are here to talk about some of their favorite of Grimms' fairy tales. Along the way they'll discuss how to make yourself annoying at parties: The Life Span The Master Thief The Drummer The Grave Mound The Crystal Ball The Boots of Buffalo Leather Poverty and Humility Lead to Heaven The Three Green Twigs

Josh and Michial are back, intact, and ready to discuss these ten Grimms' fairy tales: The Iron Stove One Eye, Two Eyes, and Three Eyes The Worn-Out Dancing Shoes The Six Servants The White Bride and the Black Bride The Donkey The Turnip The Stolen Pennies Snow White and Rose Red The Glass Coffin Plus, hear about the only real argument they've ever gotten into!

Helene has intervened, and we need to beg off for another month.