New Pop Culture Podcast ‘The Gist’ Arrives With Over 100 Positive Reviews

Listen! It’s Vetrano launches a weekly pop culture podcast

Hi, it’s me, Chris Vetrano! As you should know by now, since you’re here and all, I am the Nashville-based Founder of Listen! It’s Vetrano. Up until today, this site was primarily an entertainment and lifestyle blog that I’ve been running for more than 12 years. I’ll pause for the applause. But today, I launched an extension of the brand. A project I dreamt up in 2015 and procrastinated my way to 2023 before making it a reality. My pop culture podcast, The Gist.

The Gist is a weekly podcast focused on popular culture aimed at bringing the days of water cooler conversation to the ‘streaming-sphere.’ Much of working America has converted to a hybrid or fully remote workforce thanks to that SOB, Covid. So, I want to bring the traditional conversations people used to have with colleagues, friends, or other pop culture addicts when discussing a recent episode of your favorite TV shows or breaking entertainment news back to their regular routines.

The Gist About The Gist

The Gist is an unfiltered series that delivers my unique take on everything happening in all things pop culture and the world of entertainment. On the regular weekly episodes, we will deep dive on reality tv, the buzziest movies, good pop music releases, must watch television shows, current trends, and all the latest ways pop culture keeps us entertained. And when the breaking news hits like Stephen Thompson in a fight or the latest failures of our favorite celebrities just can’t wait, I’ll take to the pod to share the latest news. Like if Top Gun: Maverick wins the Best Picture Golden Globe & critics riot the theatre demanding a recount, or Lady Gaga punches a music critic on the streets of New York City, I’ll be there to cover it in real time with the reactions from your favorite stars. Oh, and mine of course.

That’s Not All

In addition to our regularly scheduled episodes, I’ll interview special guests and longtime friends (don’t worry, they’re all funny people) to discuss the most pivotal moments of pop culture’s past, internet culture, and how a little bit of the pop universe shows up in their own daily lives. We have several celebrity guests lined up for the first few months of The Gist programming and are hoping to include more in the rotating cast of guest pop culture aficionados joining me regularly.

New episodes will be released weekly on Thursdays, just in time for your commute to Friday class or before the latest movies drop. Think of me as your new BFF. You can take me to the gym, on a roadtrip, or even into the shower.

Listen and Subscribe Now

The podcast, officially launching today, already has three episodes available to stream wherever podcasts are available. Just to name a few: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Siticher. A new episode drops this Thursday. Subscribe to the podcast so you never miss when new episodes are live. Rate and leave a comment while you’re there, too. I would love to hear from you!

Episode 1: 2022’s Top 10 Pop Culture Moments

The inaugural episode of my new popular culture podcast features the top ten moments of 2022. Yes, “the slap” made the list. And I’m still hoping Will Smith has learned some serious life lessons as he faces the backlash from that fateful Oscars night. Amber Heard and Johnny Depp are also on the list. The court case that was better than any made-for-TV movie was a shoe in for most ‘Top 10 moments’ lists. But if you want to find out what other pop culture moments are going down in history, you’ll have to tune in. Hey, I can’t reveal everything here.

Episode 2: Out with Rinna And In (Prison) with Jen Shah!

The second episode of the series is also available now and is a quick reaction (totaling 13 minutes of fun) to two breaking stories coming out of the The Real Housewives franchise in the beginning of the year. Lisa Rinna’s announced departure from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills after eight seasons of manipulating the show’s producers and key players on the show, and the long awaited sentencing of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star, Jennifer Shah. Did you hear what the woman, guilty of defrauded millions of dollars from elderly people, did after her sentencing?? You simply won’t believe it!

Episode 3: Casting News & Don’ts

Fresh off the news of Lisa Rinna departing The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and Jen Shah’s prison sentence, Bravo kept the news coming. Just in time for another installment of The Gist. In the third episode, I break down all the latest casting news coming from the channel. The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip‘s fourth season cast had me “split.” More Beverly Hills announcements (and rumors) are starting to worry me. Reactions from the Vanderpump Rules trailer and this week’s episode of The Real Housewives of Potomac. And I spill the secrets coming from Southern Charm as production kicks off. With The Real Housewives of New Jersey‘s premiere right around the corner, Bravo is the gift that keeps on giving in 2023.

What Else Can I Expect?

What else do you want from me? Let me put it this way. If it’s playing out in the headlines, it will be discussed. And if I can’t speak to it, I will find someone who can. For instance, I’m not really a video games kind of guy and have certainly never seen a Star Wars film (I never claimed to be a film critic). So if you want to hear about “the force,” I might bring an expert or celebrity guest on to a record a special film-review podcast. I’m not afraid to point you to other culture podcasts either. Like the one Glen Weldon and Aisha Harris host for NPR, where things will definitely be more sophisticated than anything happening on The Gist. 🤷‍♂️

I doubt that NPR is dissecting the events that led up to Heather Gay’s black eye on The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City or revisiting the most thrilling moments of when the Spice Girls were spicing up our lives in platform sneakers and mini-dresses. It’s not class, it’s trash. And I am okay with that. You should be, too.

How Can I Contribute?

If you have boots on the ground and want to take to the airwaves, think Deuxmoi but less anonymous, slide into my DMs and let me know. Worked on set of a movie where the lead screamed lunch demands at the film’s director? Have some intel on a celebrity’s personal hygiene routine? Or simply sat next to a starlet who let slip that she just wrapped what she believes to be the series finale of her popular HBO show? Let’s chat.

I did say this was supposed to bring you back to the water cooler conversations after all. I want The Gist to be a community of likeminded pop culture fanatics who want to gab about it on the regular. So pitch your ideas on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook. I’m still dipping my toe into the TikTok, but you can find me at @CMVetrano on there, too.

If you have your own podcast and want to collaborate, I’m game for that, too! Especially folks in the Acast podcast network, hit me up for all the conversations. I’ve already hit the podcast universe a few times before. Mostly to talk about my day job, leading Customer Experience for Lyft’s Bike & Scooters line of business. So if you need a guest, I am your guy! If sliding into DM’s isn’t your style, you can contact me here.

The Blog Isn’t Going Anywhere

I’m super excited about this launch into the podcasting space, it’s not the end of this site. The Listen! Its Vetrano website will continue to include the editorial style content you’ve come to know (and hopefully love). I will continue to host exclusive interviews with celebrities, musicians and industry leaders. I’ll share details about my own life. And I will keep delivering features on the best in food, fashion and travel. And I will continue to provide a focus on the best that the Nashville hot spots have to offer for locals and travelers alike.

Nashville has been good to me. And with it’s growing popularity, I want to continue to be a resource to do Music City the way it should be done. Translation: avoiding the bachelorette’s hurling on street corners and steering clear of hot tubs on wheels. Yes, it was a thing. Luckily, the city shut that one down before anyone suffered the longterm consequences of sharing lukewarm water with thousands of tourists. You do the math! 😳

Tell The Masses

But now we will also include options to stream new episodes of The Gist, too. We’re branching out, baby!

Now that The Gist is officially available, please tell your friends. Share it with your family. Notify your co-workers. Even tell your neighbors that The Gist is the must-listen pop culture podcast of 2023. Maybe just don’t tell Lisa Rinna. I don’t think she’d like it much. Everyone else is fair game.