Learnt Up
By Campfire Media
Lorraine DeGraffenreidt is a black person! Sarah Isaacson is a Jewish person! As it turns out, there's a lot of black and Jewish stuff that they don't know anything about -- and that makes them feel guilty! So now, they're getting learnt up. Join Lorraine and Sarah as they discover classic movies everyone's already seen (Schindler's List anyone???), conquer basic ethnic foods (chicken and waffles!!!) and generally improve as adult people, all while making their black and Jewish dads proud.
Learnt UpJul 18, 2017
00:00
01:03:36
Ciao for now / Afrofuturism and Rosalind Franklin
Get ready for a super-special yet bittersweet ep that will leave you yearning for answers. Is Lorraine really going away to military school? Has Sarah really not peeped the Drake album yet? If a British Jew falls in a science lab and nobody else is there, does it make a sound? (No; British Jews don’t exist.) For today’s homework, Sarah and Lorraine decided to revisit old recommendations from guests and listeners.
Jul 10, 201801:13:56
Gettin’ Learnt Up on Sports Pt. 2
Happy summer of sports!!! To celebrate, Learnt Up is flexin on ‘em with another sports episode!!! Sarah reports current sports news that is hot hot hot off the presses and then she presents a list of hot hot hot boys from the 2018 World Cup soccer field. Meanwhile, Lorraine brags about her fancy, soccer star brothers and she gets learnt up on basketball-has-been Carmelo Anthony.
Jul 03, 201801:05:04
Sharing the Shame with Todd McClintock
Todd McClintock invites Sarah and Lorraine to join him in getting learnt up on a bleak topic - The Potato Famine - and the conversation is disturbingly delightful.
Jun 26, 201852:54
Live at The Pico 06.05.18
You have the incredible podcast hosts of 2 Jews Talking to thank for this one! That's right! Friends of the podcast, Joshua Heller & Erika Brooks Adickman invite Sarah and Lorraine to share a fun night of live podcasting at The Pico.
Jun 19, 201851:34
DRAKE pt. 2
Sarah & Lorraine are comin’ at ya with part two of their Drake learnts!!! And just like in Drake pt. 1, your hosts take a moment to spotlight Cardi B & all her glory. Before Sarah & Lorraine discuss the current Drake/Pusha T beef, they must settle an unrelated rap feud that has been building up in the podcast studio. Once they put the emotional stuff behind them, they share their thoughts on their beloved Black-and-Jew Boo, Drake!
Jun 12, 201844:22
Sharing the Shame with Dana Bell: Albert Einstein
Dear friend of the podcast, Dana Bell comes through to get learnt up on Albert Einstein’s life and many of his discoveries in math and science. Behind Einstein’s wild hair and crazy face, he kept a beautiful brain filled with complex thoughts on our universe. Dana tells us all about how - in addition to being a brilliant scientist - Einstein was also a leftist, socialist philosophy bro with anti-war sentiments as well as a deep love for his cousin-wife, Elsa.
Jun 05, 201801:06:12
Sharing the Shame with Carl Tart
Sarah Isaacson is mysteriously absent from this episode while Carl Tart (Brockmire, MAD TV, White Women, UCB) stops by to discuss the band Zapp aka Zapp & Roger. Throughout this ep, Carl talks and sings about the electro funk moment that Zapp helped create and Carl gets so learnt on the talk-box, he decides to buy one. He also exposes this bone chilling conspiracy theory: the song “Computer Love” proves Roger Troutman invented FaceTime.
May 29, 201801:03:45
Kanye’s Pomeranian and Jared Kushner’s Eyebrow Lady
Special ep alert! Sarah and Lorraine are busy ladies so this week Learnt Up is hosted by their friends: Kanye West’s genetically-engineered Pomeranian Sushi, and Lynette Goldman — Jared Kushner’s eyebrow lady. The two work out their issues with their respective famous owner and prized client, chat plastic surgery and microblading, unpack some backwards-ass race stuff, and contemplate murder. It’s a weird time, so strap in!
May 23, 201831:27
This Is America!
Lorraine and Sarah take a break from their usual programming to discuss the much-buzzed-about This is America music video from Childish Gambino aka Donald Glover aka future EGOT 4 shore -- watch out Barbra Streisand. Lots to unpack in this vid: Black culture. Guns. Charleston. Jim Crow symbolism. Horses? Also, Sarah and Lorraine shout out their incredible moms in honor of Mother’s Day! If you like your eps short n sweet and relevant AF, you’re gonna dig this. “Don’t catch you slippin’ up!”
May 15, 201831:50
Jew The Right Thing & When Harry Black Sally
Time for a switcheroo! Sarah and Lorraine pause from learning about their respective cultures to take the other gal’s culture for a spin. What does this mean? Movies! Lorraine watched When Harry Met Sally (which Sarah will defend to the death as a “Jewish movie”) and Sarah watched Do The Right Thing (an undeniably black movie).
May 08, 201856:00
Sharing the Shame with Inside the Disney Vault
Lorraine and Sarah welcome Rachel Chapman and Oscar Montoya, of the Inside the Disney Vault podcast, to share some shame! The Disney kids got learnt up on all things anime, and they cover a wide swath -- talking everything from Dragon Ball Z to Miyazaki’s greatest hits to Sailor Moon to a scandal that will change the way you look at The Lion King.
May 01, 201801:09:25
Cults!!!
Did you guys know cults are super trendy right now? For this culty ep, Sarah gets learnt up on the ultra-Orthodox sect Lev Tahor, aka the “Jewish Taliban” and its shady leader Shlomo Helbrans, who moved the group all around the world to evade various criminal charges like kidnapping and child abuse. Lorraine discusses the Black Hebrew Israelites, specifically the controversial “black supremacist” group Nation of Yahweh. The gals also chat about Wild Wild Country and their run-ins with modern day cu
Apr 24, 201854:47
Sharing the Shame with Katelyn Hempstead
Calling all nerds, dorks, and geeks! This is your episode, babies. Katelyn Hempstead -- writer / comedian / Trekkie -- swings by the pod to chat about Jews in science fiction! Katelyn got learnt up on sci-fi pioneer Isaac Asimov and “bad boy” nihilist Harlan Ellison. Fun fact: Asimov coined the word “robotics”! Another fun fact: there was an early plan in the ‘40s to make Alaska the Jewish state!
Apr 17, 201858:24
Zombies, Dybbuks, and the Occult
Gather round, children -- it’s time for a spooky episode of Learnt Up! Lorraine tells us all about zombies -- tracking their roots in Haiti and West Africa, connection to voodoo, and superstitions among slaves. Did you know that being a walking corpse is a fate worse than death? Btw, stay away from Devil’s Weed and toads, y’all. Sarah gets learnt on the Golem and dybbuks and tells the haunting story of the Dybbuk Box (a super real series of events that definitely happened because ghosts exist).
Apr 10, 201801:10:37
Sharing the Shame with Zora Bikangaga
Lorraine and Sarah welcome writer/performer/tall person Zora Bikangaga on to share some shame! Zora got learnt up on Nollywood (Nigerian Hollywood) and comes bearing lots of movie recs, along with thoughts on colorism, Hollywood’s fetishizing of Africa, and Jennifer Lawrence’s career trajectory/emotional maturity. Trigger warning for diehard Lawrence-heads: this gets pretty cutting.
Apr 03, 201857:48
Blacks and Jews in LA!
In 1850, a census reported 8 Jews and 12 black people living in Los Angeles. The next year, thrown by the traffic and bad pizza, they all left. Just kidding, they stayed and built the city we know today! Join Lorraine and Sarah as they get learnt up on some of LA’s black and Jewish pioneers and their lasting contributions. Find out the origin story of Canter’s Deli, how Nat King Cole battled housing discrimination, and how a badass slave sued her master — and won.
Mar 27, 201858:30
Body Language
Have you ever seen two black people doing an elaborate yet effortless series of hand gestures/hugs and felt embarrassed that you don’t know how they know what to do? Have you ever seen a Jewish person swaying back and forth with a prayer book and been like *shruggy emoji*? And hey! What the hell are the Spice Girls singing about? Do not fear! Lorraine and Sarah were once wandering in the darkness too, but they’re here to fill you in. You’ll leave this ep with not only solid answers to some of life’s greatest mysteries, but with the confidence to start your own super-confusing hand gesture/hug that will impress and intimidate all who witness it! And you’ll finally know what to do in that Harriet Tubman audition. Go get ‘em!
Mar 20, 201846:23
Blackface & Jewface
Welcome to Blackface & Jewface: Minstrel Shows and Media Representations, a seminar at Vassar College taught by Professor DeGraffenreidt and Adjunct Professor Isaacson. Prepare to get your young little mind blown by seemingly benign bits of American culture (Mickey Mouse! That song “Do Your Ears Hang Low?”!) that actually have super racist origins. Marvel at cartoons from the 1800s that depict Jews as evil, large-nosed fiends who care more about money than human life.
Mar 13, 201801:02:50
Judy Chicago & Rebecca Walker
Lorraine & Sarah are women (not girls!) who happen to run this shit. Happy Women’s History Month, by the way!!! On today’s ep everybody gets learnt up on black & Jewish feminists. Sarah honors the life and legacy of visual artist and community leader Judy Chicago while Lorraine learnts about the feminist work and messy private-life-turned-public-life of activist Rebecca Walker, aka Alice Walker’s daughter.
Mar 06, 201801:01:45
Purim!
Get ready to party cuz it’s Purim, babies! Sarah tries to remember the story of Judaism’s littest holiday aka Jewish Halloween. The hosts phone a couple friends for help, and -- spoiler alert -- somebody was paying alllll the attention in Hebrew school. Lorraine gets inspired by a YouTube Rabbi and finds her drag queen alias, and Sarah explains why her purse was so heavy in college. Everyone eats cookies! This ep is sponsored by a Jewish bouncer service and dedicated to Wakanda!
Feb 27, 201832:52
Learnt Up Potluck
Lorraine and Sarah are givin’ the people what they want, with another episode all about food! They’re having a cross-cultural potluck! The hosts invite comedians Betsy Stover and Marian Yesufu, and hostess-with-the-mostest Grace Kountzhouse, to bring dishes from their respective cultures and chat about the intersections of food and family. If you like plantains, stews, and big bowls of slop -- and if the idea of a “jello salad” intrigues you -- this is the ep for you.
Feb 20, 201836:57
Joan Micklin Silver & Ava DuVernay
A lotta lotta folks recommend a lotta lotta movies as Learnt Up homework for your hosts. For this episode, Lorraine and Sarah are discussing two filmmakers whose films they have been sleepin’ on despite them having been recommended time and time again.
Feb 13, 201849:46
Sharing the Shame with 2 Jews Talking Podcast
As far as Learnt Up is concerned, 2 Jews Talking is a varsity podcast team and their hosts, Joshua Heller and Erika Brooks-Adickman, are a couple of heavy hitters. On this episode, Josh and Erika swing by to share the shame with Lorraine and Sarah.
Feb 06, 201856:11
Blacks & Whites and Secret Hitler
Lorraine and Sarah get learnt up on board games! Some people are visual learnters, some learnt by hearing, some learnt by acts of service....oh wait, that’s the 5 love languages. Anyway the point is, the gals invited their friends to come over and play Secret Hitler and now they understand fascism!
Jan 30, 201837:32
The “N” Word, The “K” Word & The “Y” Word
The Standards and Practices department at Learnt Up Podcast fainted during the recording of this episode - it’s the one where Lorraine and Sarah get learnt up on ethnic slurs!!! They explore the origins of age-old bad words like “kike,” ”yid,” and “theeeee ennnnnn worrrrrrd.”
Jan 23, 201801:13:08
Magneto & The Black Panther
It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a SUPER EPISODE OF LEARNT UP! In this one, Lorraine and Sarah get learnt up on comic book superheroes. Sarah schools us on how Magneto’s superpowers first fully activated in a concentration camp, while Lorraine explains how the Black Panther has to eat a ceremonial heart-shaped herb to harness his powers. Blessup to Stan Lee & Jack Kirby for bringing Magneto and Black Panther into the world.
Jan 16, 201843:21
DRAKE
In this episode, Lorraine and Sarah get learnt up on black and Jewish rap icon, DRAKE, or as Lorraine affectionately calls him "the Jewish Canadian non-rapist Kobe Bryant of hip hop." Sarah ups the ante on her appreciation for Drake's artistry and impressive career moves by checking out his work on Degrassi: The Next Generation for the first time. Then, Lorraine and Sarah take a break from discussing Drake to learn themselves up on Cardi B - that regular degular shmegular girl from the Bronx.
Jan 09, 201854:36
Sharing the Shame with Gil Ozeri
Friend of the show, Gil Ozeri stops by to get learnt up on Jewish representation in video games. He prompts Lorraine & Sarah to Google dudes like B.J. Blazkowicz of Wolfenstein fame & unnamed Jewish mobsters from Grand Theft Auto. Gil is unflappable during quiz time and everyone’s dad is super proud. Speaking of which, Lorraine and Sarah are psyched for Gil’s new daughter to get learnt up on everything via cool parents and her cool aunt, Alexandra Ozeri.
Jan 02, 201857:34
2017: Year in Review
Learnters, this has been a YEAR. If 2017 were a pizza and someone served it to you, you’d be like, “Umm this pizza has hurricanes and Harvey Weinstein on it; I ordered pepperoni.” Luckily, you’ve got us, and we’ve got you. The gals look back on Learnt Up’s first year and share their favorite memories. Of course, no LU ep would be complete without an airing of shame, and there’s plenty of that. If you get nothing else from the podcast, remember this: alcohol is poison and knowledge is power.
Dec 26, 201744:18
Chanukah and Kwanzaa
Lorraine and Sarah get learnt up on holidays! Lorraine has some notes for Kwanzaa. In Hollywood terms, Kwanzaa, you’re still about 7 or 8 drafts away from anything good -- in fact, maybe you should switch paths. Meanwhile, Sarah forgets the story of Chanukah. Everyone’s ancestors are disappointed. But in the end, the gals learn the true meaning of the holidays: sharing love with your podcast co-host, and roasting your relatives for bad gifts!
Dec 19, 201746:43
Braids
Lorraine and Sarah get learnt up on braids!! This episode of Learnt Up contains Lorraine and Sarah’s painstaking field research on the subject. They visit Colorist and Natural Hair Specialist Amena BelledeSoleil’s studio. Amena BelledeSoleil fields the ladies’ questions with grace and she happens to be an excellent educator for anyone out there in need of a hair care sherpa.
Dec 12, 201732:37
Sharing the Shame with Matt Wyatt
And now it’s time for mommy to put on her robe, put on her cold cream, and pour herself a Baileys on the rocks cuz we have a guest here to do all the work! Matt Wyatt - filmmaker, host of This Is Not It Podcast - swings by to share his fancy European lineage and tales of castle-dwelling revolutionaries in the olden days who protested English royals and got their heads 86’ed. Matt is *awash* in privilege, and the Learnt Up gals enjoy learning from the Oppressor.
Dec 05, 201740:09
Invisible Man & Night
Lorraine and Sarah get learnt up on books! The Learnt Up hosts discuss Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man and Elie Wiesel's Night. If you're wondering how Sarah would react to surviving the Holocaust, this is the episode for you. If you want to hear Lorraine's answer to the question, "why do you need to be so black all the time?" (hint: "why do white people need to be so white all the time?"), you'll enjoy this listen. Watch out Oprah's book club! The Learnt Up book club has arrived!
Nov 28, 201736:29
Sanford and Son & Mary Tyler Moore Show
Lorraine and Sarah get learnt up on sitcoms! Lorraine watches Sanford and Son, a groundbreaking show with a cantankerous black protagonist who pushed the limits of what you can say on TV. Sarah enjoys the Mary Tyler Moore Show for the first time. If you’re scratching your head, going “Wait, Mary Tyler Moore wasn’t Jewish,” congratulations! You know more than Sarah did when she (excitedly) pitched this topic. Dad is not proud.
Nov 21, 201745:03
Hot 97
Yo yo yo! You’re listening to Learnt Up in the Morning, with DJ Ebro and DJ Rosenberg. Sike! It’s Lorraine and Sarah, talking about legendary NYC radio station Hot 97!
Nov 14, 201734:22
Sharing the Shame with Ethnically Ambiguous Podcast
Lorraine and Sarah welcome two world news savvy guests, Shereen Younes and Anna Hossnieh, from Ethnically Ambiguous Podcast! Shereen and Anna keep it so so real as they get learnt up on The Rohingya Crisis that is currently unfolding in Myanmar - formerly Burma. The ladies discuss how much they hate oppression, love food and appreciate Steve Jobs’s Syrian identity! Subscribe to Ethnically Ambiguous podcast right now!
Nov 07, 201748:25
Live at UCB Inner Sanctum 10.30.17
Lorraine & Sarah share the shame with actress & UCB writer-performer, Ele Woods. The incredibly warm and not-spooky-at-all Black Boo & Jew Boo for this episode hop on the mic to get real with some storytelling. Zora Bikangaga tells all about the Ludacris fan he dated - the one that got away and Raphael Bob-Waksberg shares a piece he wrote about phrases he has never ever ever heard a Jewish person say like “I’m on cloud 9!” and “I can't complain.”
Oct 31, 201701:00:17
Ralph Baer and Frederick McKinley Jones
Lorraine and Sarah get learnt up on inventors! Do you like playing video games and not eating rotten meat? Then you have a Jew Boo and a Black Boo to thank, respectively! Sarah discovers the only good thing that has ever happened at Port Authority, and Lorraine pays homage to the King of Chill (that prob wasn’t his nickname, but it could and SHOULD’ve been). And watch out, Mark Cuban, cuz the gals have some hot inventions of their own.
Oct 24, 201737:24
Hennessy & Kosher Wine
Lorraine and Sarah get learnt up on booze! Join the gals as they explore what Hennessy means to black Americans and why kosher wine is more than just Manischewitz -- and by "explore" we mean get pretty buzzed. Did you know cognac is made from grapes? Did you know certain kosher wine can't be handled by non-Jews? (Hands off, Chad.) If you like your podcasts like you like your men (unfiltered, uncut, and black and Jewish) this is the ep for you!
Oct 17, 201756:16
Elizabeth Taylor & Debbie Reynolds / Bobby Brown & The Houston Family
Lorraine and Sarah get learnt up on black and Jewish feuds. Sarah covers the scorching hot Hollywood feud between Elizabeth Taylor & Debbie Reynolds while Lorraine sorts through the mess that is the Whitney/Bobby saga.
Oct 10, 201743:11
Sharing The Shame With Extra Extra Podcast
Lorraine and Sarah get learnt up on black and Jewish feuds. Sarah covers the scorching hot Hollywood feud between Elizabeth Taylor & Debbie Reynolds while Lorraine sorts through the mess that is the Whitney/Bobby saga.
Oct 03, 201751:38
Ben Carson & Steve Mnuchin
Lorraine and Sarah get learnt up on black and Jewish goofy politicians. Lorraine explains her personal relationship to Ben Carson and Sarah clowns HARD on Steve Mnuchin.
Sep 26, 201736:35
Fenty Beauty and Ottolenghi Foody
Lorraine (not really a makeup person) and Sarah (drug store makeup person) get learnt up on Fenty Beauty by Rihanna! Join your Learnt Up hosts as they try out a few products from the most inclusive makeup line Sephora - and possibly the world - has ever known.
Sep 19, 201748:47
THE WORLD IS FALLING APART, AKA STUFF WE MISSED
Lorraine and Sarah try and sum up all the crazy things that happened the last few weeks! Lorraine learns herself up on hurricanes, Sza, and alt Right Radio while Sarah visits the Anne Frank house and reads some crazy David Duke writings.
Sep 12, 201701:00:47
School’s Out For Summer
Hey guys, these two working women are taking a few weeks off to shoot Spring Breakers 2: Summer Breakers, a movie about two working women who go on vacation. Lorraine and Sarah will be back in September to crank out the 'sodes! See you soon! Stay hydrated, okay?
Aug 15, 201706:26
Extra Credit: Orthodox Jews pt. 2
Annnnnd we're back, with another episode of Wig or No Wig -- the game show that shows you a bunch of ultra-Orthodox women and you have to guess if they're wearing wigs or not! Hint: they all are! Just kidding, this is Learnt Up, a podcast! But we are bringing you part 2 of Orthodox Jews, because there's LOTS to know and Sarah wasn't done.
Aug 08, 201752:27
Extra Credit: Bloods/Crips pt. 2 and Orthodox Jews
Lorraine & Sarah keep the study party going by sharing stuff they learnt but never got to include in official Learnt Up curricula. Lorraine picks up where she left off on her Bloods/Crips dissertation, while Sarah dives into her independent study coursework on Orthodox Judaism. On this episode, both ladies reflect on what it must feel like to live and learn in insular, semi-cloistered communities.
Aug 01, 201754:35
Extra Credit: Bloods/Crips pt. 1
Lorraine & Sarah break the Learnt Up mold to share stuff they learnt but didn't get to cover in past episodes. As diehard Learnters might recall from the gangsters episode (Learnt Up #15) - Lorraine did hours of research on the Bloods/Crips gang rivalry before ultimately deciding to discuss Mutulu Shakur. Well, prepare to get your wig peeled back (that's street slang for getting your head blown off) because TODAY she tells us about the Bloods/Crips origin story.
Jul 25, 201725:05
Ran Danker and Naomi Campbell
In this episode, Lorraine and Sarah get learnt up on black and Jewish supermodels. Ran Danker is a dreamy Israeli bae whose "Jew or Not Jew" score is TBD but the Learnt Up ladies have decided that his sexuality wokeness score is through the charts. Meanwhile, Naomi Campbell is beautiful and her behavior annoys the F out of Lorraine.
Jul 18, 201701:03:36
Sharing the Shame w/ Danny Cullen
It's round 2 of Sharing the Shame, aka a chance for Lorraine and Sarah to relax and let someone else do the homework! Comedian/Actor/Director Danny Cullen had a lot of learnting to do on his Irish heritage. Turns out Catholics and Protestants have some beef?? And we don't mean the corned kind that pairs well with cabbage! In other breaking news, it feels nice to moisturize your feet and Blue Ivy is still relevant!
Jul 11, 201752:10