How would Frasier fare in a slasher flick? Only one podcast has the courage to investigate

I’m Listening: A Frasier Podcast With Anita Flores
Frasier vs. Horror

Have you ever had dreams where Freddy Krueger sings about tossed salad and scrambled eggs? Do you find yourself sketching drawings of what Frasier and Niles Crane would look like as cenobites? Would you cast Eddie the dog as Cujo? If you answered yes to any of these questions, seek help and then check out the latest episode of I’m Listening in which comedian and Frasier superfan Anita Flores explores the beloved ’90s sitcom from every conceivable angle. In this episode, Flores has invited Frasier newbie and horror aficionado Oscar Montoya (Spanish Aquí Presents) to discuss how Roz, Martin, and the rest would fare in a good old-fashioned slasher film. Recognizing that there may not be much overlap between Frasier geeks and horror nerds, the duo helpfully explain such concepts as the Final Girl and the dangers of premarital sex. Having only watched four episodes, Montoya is intrigued by the spooky possibilities of two characters: Daphne and Maris. He thinks that Daphne’s psychic powers open her up to countless supernatural intrigues and the thought of Maris existing entirely in Niles’ mind is truly unsettling. The real question, though, is who will survive and what will be left of them? [Anthony D Herrera]

Movie Therapy with Rafer & Kristen
Despite Our Best Precautions, We Contracted Covid

Most people have that one friend who gives the best advice, and that one friend with all the best movie recommendations, and in rare cases, it’s the same amazing person who can do both. With Movie Therapy, hosts Rafer Guzman and Kristen Meinzer embrace that role, providing feedback on listeners’ dilemmas and curated movie recommendations for whatever ails them. This episode, Guzman and Meinzer hear from a listener whose family has contracted COVID-19 and another whose stepdaughter is getting married. For the family dealing with health issues, the hosts emphasize that some things are beyond our control, recommending Big Hero 6 and the Paddington movies to underline that point and put the listener at ease. Guzman is an established film critic, writing for Newsday and The Takeaway, while Meinzer is an accomplished author whose book How To Be Fine (with Jolenta Greenberg) synthesizes the advice of 50 different self-help books; as such, we have every reason to trust this duo’s film “prescriptions” at the conclusion of each session. [Jose Nateras]

The Midnight Miracle
How to Inspire (Side A) and Gladiator Circus World (Side B)

When Dave Chappelle turned his Ohio property into an outdoor, invite-only comedy club last summer, he and rappers/longtime pals Talib Kweli and Yasiin Bey (a.k.a. Mos Def) recorded content for this podcast, distributed by the paid podcast service Luminary. The show is a well-crafted sound collage, with the trio (and other guests who were around, like Chris Rock, Questlove, and Jon Hamm) riffing and ranting amidst music cues and audio snippets of interviews and news clips. (According to Chappelle, Miracle will eventually be released on vinyl, which explains why it’s more than just people talking.) The first two episodes have the gentlemen going through some hella emotions: “How To Inspire” features them somberly pondering how to save despondent people from sliding deeper into a tragic abyss, while “Gladiator Circus World” has them going off on propaganda-spewing pundits and our hate-filled, social media-obsessed nation. Bey turns out to be the most entertainingly verbal of the troika, as he recalls memorable encounters with Amy Winehouse and Robin Williams on episode one and rips blowhards like Alex Jones to shreds on episode two. [Craig D. Lindsey]