Introducing: The Legend of SwordQuest

In the summer of 2012, Laina Morris became an overnight viral star as the Overly Attached Girlfriend, a parody of the rampant Justin Bieber "Beliebers" of the era. The week after, she had to decide if she'd drop out of college or pursue the life of a job that didn't quite exist yet -- a full-time YouTuber. In part 1, Jamie takes a look at Laina's ascent, and how the image of the YouTube star was first conjured from thin air by a bunch of Silicon Valley weirdos, and perfected by YouTubers themselves. Net week, Jamie speaks exclusively with Laina Morris in part two! For more on the history of the social media algorithm, check out "The Chaos Machine" by Max Fisher: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-chaos-machine-the-inside-story-of-how-social-media-rewired-our-minds-and-our-world-max-fisher/18203720 For more on YouTube celebrity, check out "Extremely Online" by Taylor Lorenz: https://bookshop.org/p/books/extremely-online-the-untold-story-of-fame-influence-and-power-on-the-internet-taylor-lorenz/19718842?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwrp-3BhDgARIsAEWJ6SwYyF8sigAMNiXmi3fokHCkE2bzkcSOCaQ7nB0cdh3vmpjNcJS4rVAaAhV6EALw_wcB Follow Laina on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@lainaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hi, Sixteenth Minute listeners! iHeartPodcasts has geared up for a riveting new podcast called The Legend of SwordQuest. Hosted by Jamie Loftus, The Legend of SwordQuest started as a promotion for a new Atari game that would become one of the most controversial moments in ‘80s pop culture, with a central mystery that’s consumed fans for decades: what happened to the missing SwordQuest prizes? Don't just take our word for it, though. Check out this trailer and start listening now! Listen to The Legend of SwordQuest on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In part two of this definitely minisode series, Jamie talks with ex-Mormon YouTuber and author of How to Leave the Mormon Church: An Ex-Mormons Guide to Rebuilding After Religion Alyssa Grenfell about how the LDS may have found a back channel to bankroll its most powerful influencers, without leaving a paper trail. Alyssa walks Jamie through how she thinks it's done, and how the LDS has succeeded and fumbled its relationships with influencers in the past. Buy Alyssa's book!: https://www.howtoleavethemormonchurch.com/about Watch Alyssa's full theory here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGXggLIafrc Subscribe to Alyssa's channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@alyssadgrenfellSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Jamie takes a treacherous voyage into a complicated question -- why on Earth are there so many successful Mormon influencers? In this two-part series, she looks at how the origins and the values of the Mormon church deceptively align with the conservative "tradwife" influencing space of today... and yes, she will get into the tradwives. Contained herein: Joseph Smith shoving his face into a hat, a new Hulu reality series that is deceptively boring, Ballerina Farm, and the Mormons' early success in the conservative mommy blogging space. Tune in for part 2, where ex-Mormon Alyssa Grenfell poses a theory at how the Church of Latter Day Saints stays two steps ahead of it all.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sixteenth Minute exclusive! We’ve got the first in depth interview with Bryan Gaw, aka the Left Shark himself.  This week, Jamie revisits the 2015 Super Bowl saga that was Left Shark — the costumed cartilaginous fish that went rogue in 2015 beside Katy Perry during a chorus of ‘Teenage Dream,’ capturing the world’s heart. The person inside is just as lovable, and Jamie takes the bus to West Hollywood to meet dancer-turned-celebrity-stylist Bryan Gaw to revisit one of the internet’s few wholesome moments.  Plus… ELLLLLVIS PRESTOOOO Follow Bryan Gaw here: https://bryangaw.com/ And here: https://www.instagram.com/bryangawSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, the curvy wife saga concludes. Jamie talks to Cate Navarrete of the Body Positivity Alliance and Tigress Osborn of the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance about where this moment falls in the decades-long history of fat activism, and how mainstream media narratives tend to depoliticize civil rights issues. Also, Jamie mumbles the lyrics to "Hot Wife" by curvy wife guy to herself. Also, Jamie learns what "hotwife" means. *airhorn* Learn about NAAFA here: https://naafa.org/ Follow Tigress here: https://www.instagram.com/iofthetigress/?hl=en Learn about the Body Positivity Alliance here: https://bodypositivealliance.org/ Learn about Cate here: https://bodypositivealliance.org/team-and-board/cate-navarrete Read Tigress's original essay here: https://naafa.org/blog-archive/black-history-always For more on the history of fat activism and body positivity, start here (curated by the amazing Aubrey Gordon of Maintenance Phase!): https://www.yourfatfriend.com/fat-reading-listSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2017, Robbie Tripp posted about his "curvy wife" Sarah, inspiring months of discourse and a permanent internet turn of phrase. This week, Jamie revisits the saga and speaks to Curvy Wife Guy himself ahead of the release of his new single, which is obviously called "Hot Wife." How did a couple build a 'desert empire' on a controversial post, and what does that say about the internet economy? Tune in next week for part two, where Jamie takes a closer look at how this story resonated with women and fat activists -- featuring interviews with journalist Rebecca Jennings, Tigress Osborn of NAAFA (the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance), and Cate Navarrete of the Body Positivity Alliance. Stream Robbie's music here.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This summer, a fish named Alice fell from the sky and directly into the lawn of junior doctor Ben Beska. And so, of course, he tweeted about it... only to lose his newly beloved fish just a week later. What followed was what it looks like to go viral in 2024. Jamie speaks with Ben Beska over the course of two months to track the journey; plus, we talk to Stanford psychiatrist Dr. Elia Aboujaoude to learn what going viral has the potential to do to your mind. Follow Ben's fish adventures here: https://x.com/Beska Buy Dr. Aboujaoude's new book, A Leader's Destiny, here: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/elias-aboujaoude/a-leaders-destiny/9781541703018/?lens=publicaffairs See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, we're taking a tangent -- my dad, Mike Loftus, passed away two weeks ago, and this episode is twenty minutes about that. I've needed some extra time to get our upcoming episodes together, but I've wanted to share more about him and the last two weeks. I really miss him. We'll be back to regular episodes next week. As promised, the links: Obituary: https://www.waittfuneralhome.com/obituary/MichaelP-Loftus  Patriot Ledger writer Eric McHugh wrote this really comprehensive, thoughtful piece about him: https://www.patriotledger.com/story/sports/2024/07/24/family-hockey-were-ledger-bruins-writer-mike-loftus-twin-passions/74518399007/  My dad's good friend Mick Colageo, another hockey writer, remembers him here: https://bostonhockeynow.com/2024/07/21/colageo-boston-bruins-reporter-mike-loftus-a-pros-pro/ And the podcast I pulled a clip from is from Pucks with Haggs with Joe Haggerty, featuring Mick and fellow hockey writer Steve Conroy from The Boston Herald: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HimCsyfw3Hk&t=590sSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Jamie solves an age-old internet mystery -- whatever happened to Naomi H, the Twitter furry who lost an internship after telling off a man she didn't realize was on the National Space Council to "suck my dick and balls?" After half a decade, Jamie speaks exclusively with Naomi H to get to the bottom of it, and talk about how the internet has shaped Naomi H's life for better and for worse. Follow Naomi H: https://x.com/NaomiH_Origins See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.