Revisionist History

This July 4th marks the 250th Anniversary of America—250 years of rebellion and innovation, of struggle and survival. At many times, our American experiment looked like it could fall apart at the seams. When you look closely at those moments, it was ordinary people who kept it all together. In thew new season of Medal of Honor, our podcast about courage, leadership, identity, and sacrifice, we’re telling the stories of some of those people. People like James Fleming. In 1968, in the dense jungles of Vietnam, a team of Green Berets was pinned down by an overwhelming North Vietnamese Army force. Their last hope was a young Air Force pilot named James Fleming. Despite being low on fuel and facing a wall of enemy fire, Fleming refused to turn back. The rescue mission seemed destined to fail, but a split-second decision would earn Fleming the nation’s highest military honor. Binge the full season of Medal of Honor, ad-free, with a Pushkin+ subscriptions. Sign up on the Medal of Honor show page in Apple or at Pushkin.fm/plus and use the code MOH25 for 25% off an annual subscription. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The episode centers on the dilemma of a man with an advanced, metastatic case of prostate cancer. His name is Dan. Every doctor he spoke to had a different opinion on what he should do — or whether it was even worth doing anything at all. His question was: which of these many opinions should I trust? The episode centers on which doctor he ended up committing to, how he made that decision of where to place his trust, and how his choice probably saved his life. What Dan will explain — and he is someone who has spent his life as a crisis communications specialist — is that trust only comes at the end of a careful and intentional process. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jim Balsillie, the one time co-CEO of Research in Motion, reflects on the mistake that led to the downfall of Blackberry, once named the fastest growing company in the world. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Richard Pryor redefined comedy by telling the truth, even when it scorched him. And today, we’re sharing a preview of a new podcast, Big Lives, and a special episode about Pryor. Every week on Big Lives, hosts Kai Wright and Emmanuel Dzotsi dig into the BBC archive to explore the story behind the icons who shape our culture—trailblazers like David Bowie, George Michael, Muhammed Ali, and Tina Turner—and better understand how each legend set the stage for our contemporary cultural landscape. In this preview, Kai and Emmanuel look at how Richard Pryor rose from a Peoria, Illinois brothel to become a comedic great, only to then wrestle with racism, fame, desire, and self‑destruction. If you like what you hear, find more episodes of Big Lives wherever you get podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Did Disney make an anti-Disney movie? Ben and Malcolm engage in a bit of literary sleuthing to find out. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Screenwriter Gary Goldman claims the creators of the Disney franchise Zootopia stole his story. Malcolm investigates. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. (00:03:40) - Season 1, Episode 5: Food Fight (00:05:20) - Season 6, Episode 10: The Dog Will See You Now (00:06:12) - Season 2, Episode 4: The Foot Soldier of Birmingham (00:06:17) - Season 9, Episode 5: Guns Part 5: The Footnote (00:06:23) - Season 11, Episode 9: Hitler's Olympics, Part 9: A Plague on Both Your Houses. (00:06:30) - Season 14, Episode 1: The Alabama Murders - Part 1: The True Church (00:17:06) - Season 1, Episode 6: My Little Hundred Million (00:19:10) - Season 3, Episode 10: Analysis, Parapraxis, Elvis (00:25:35) - Season 11, Episode 6: Hitler's Olympics, Part 6: The Jiggle & the Giddy Up See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

According to the science, it really is better to give than receive. Donating a dollar; sharing a kind word or lending someone a hand changes lives, but can also hugely boost your happiness. So we're teaming up with other podcasts from Hidden Brain to Revisionist History to ask you to give to a charity helping some of the poorest people around. We're calling it #PodsFightPoverty. Go to givedirectly.org/happinesslab right now and give whatever you can. Even a small donation will make you feel good and have a much larger impact on the world than you thought possible. To help inspire you, this special episode examines the science of giving and shares stories of heartwarming and impactful acts of kindness. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.