Prime Mates, a podcast about pop-culture monkeys, tackles the mystery of the Ape Titty Slide

Back Issue
That Time We Gave You Five

Hosts Josh Gwynn and Tracy Clayton are back to give their shade-throwing two cents on great (and not-so-great) moments in African American pop-culture history. For the second-season opener, they do an amusing deep dive on how people greet each other, specifically with their hands. Of course, this was brought on by the still-in-progress pandemic (or “damndemic,” as they call it), which made them wonder if giving friends, loved ones, or just strangers on the street some skin can still be a thing. They discuss the origins of various hand greetings, including the high five, and the pair debate who first came up with the gesture. (Both origin stories are sports-related, with Clayton telling how two members of the University of Louisville Cardinals men’s basketball team did it in the ’70s and Gwynn countering with the story of how two L.A. Dodgers awkwardly created it in the same decade.) Later on, Gwynn talks to teacher Barry White Jr. (no relation to the soul singer), who went viral for the way he daps up all his students (we’re talking 80-plus kids here!). Don’t be surprised if this episode makes you nostalgic for the good ol’ days when you could just shake hands with reckless abandon. [Craig D. Lindsey]

Prime Mates
Ape Titty Slide

Just how much madness could possibly be unleashed by a picture of two slides erupting from the breasts of a giant gorilla? This is the question that comedian Matt Stewart, host of Prime Mates, could not have foreseen being at the center of the latest episode of his apes-in-pop-culture appreciation podcast. Stewart had invited guests Jackson Baly and Adam Carnevale for some high-spirited riffing on a picture of what the group classifies as an Ape Titty Slide from a European amusement park. But what followed was a real-time transformation from a simple comedy podcast into a true-crime investigation of a possible Ape Titty Slide conspiracy that has spread to multiple countries. Once the crew discovers that there are iterations of the A.T.S. at parks around Europe, their imaginations catch fire as they try to answer several questions: Why do the slides come out of the breasts? What company decided to specialize in A.T.S. manufacturing? What could the goals of such a company be? There is genuine exhilaration upon the discovery of each new puzzle piece and by the episode’s end, you may just understand how something like QAnon could happen. [Anthony D Herrera]

The Bald And The Beautiful
Believing in Milk & Cookies with Trixie and Katya

When thinking of famous and hilarious drag queens, Trixie Mattel and Katya Zamo are most likely the first to come to mind. After their season on RuPaul’s Drag Race, and their respective seasons of RPDR: All Stars, Trixie and Katya teamed up to create their stellar webseries, UNHhhh, for the WOW Presents YouTube channel. The duo’s podcast similarly harnesses the hilarious, random, and delightfully lewd humor the two drag queens are known for and processes all the amazing banter into an audio experience. While UNHhhh uses clever editing and wacky animations to elevate their natural chemistry, The Bald And The Beautiful allows for the back-and-forth to be a bit more naturalistic, focusing on topics related to the beauty industry. Considering Mattel has a cosmetic line and Katya has decades’ worth of drag experience, they’re more than qualified, though anybody familiar with the two of them will know their conversations rarely stay on topic, instead flowing through free-association sessions covering everything from sex, gender, trends in drag, Halloween costumes, Sbarro, and more. [Jose Nateras]

The Dumbbells
Drop Sets, Super Sets, And The Return Of Fancy Nancy (w/ Nancy Stanger)

What begins as a lighthearted catch-up about fitness habits in a post-vax world takes a surprising left turn into a gripping, heartfelt testament to how the love between two people can be a literal lifesaver. With cohost Eugene Cordero away this week, Nancy Stanger joins hers husband Ryan to talk about experiences with virtual coaching, the fitness ROI of a cute & comfy Marshalls activewear purchase, the benefits of tagging a drop set onto the end of a regimen, and how best to manage meals in a split-diet household. Some of the qualities that distinguish Dumbbells from the plethora of workout podcasts available are its total lack of guru energy and its irreverent, welcoming, often self-deprecating approach to health and wellness—and there’s plenty of that on display this week between these two funny and smart conversationalists who (surprise, surprise) have a natural rapport with one another. Prompted by a listener question, Nancy recalls a frightening incident three years ago in which she discovered her husband abnormally breathing in the middle of the night, leading to the physically grueling task of executing chest compressions alone until an ambulance arrived. It’s a humbling story about how feelings of utter helplessness and “not on my watch” badassery can coexist in the same cataclysmic moment. [Dan Jakes]