Best Scott Deming Podcasts (2025)

1
Side Effects May Include... 1/3 with Colton Dunn 50:29

2d ago50:29

50:29

Join Ross Bryant and special guest Colton Dunn for an improvised Call of Cthulhu adventure about a clinical sleep trial that already feels a little too good to be true. The weirdness starts creeping in almost immediately. Content Warnings: children in peril, harm to livestock, fear of kidnapping and sex trafficking, body horror, drug experimentatio…

1
CORE Econ: Rewriting Econ 101 for the Real World (with Suresh Naidu and Wendy Carlin) 36:54

4d ago36:54

36:54

Econ 101 shapes how millions of people understand the economy—but what if the textbooks are teaching a worldview that’s outdated, oversimplified, and in some cases flat-out wrong? This week, Nick and Goldy talk with economists Wendy Carlin and Suresh Naidu, leaders of CORE Econ, the global project rewriting introductory economics to reflect the rea…

1
The Right Stuff 3/3 | Improv Call of Cthulhu 57:15

9d ago57:15

57:15

The band heads into a remote town hoping to help a girl in trouble. As tensions rise and trust cracks, the group tries to stick together even as the world around them stops making sense. Content Warnings: teens in peril, body horror, drugging, eating sounds, religious themes, sexual themes, profanity, violence Featuring Ross Bryant as Keeper of Arc…

1
The Quiet Coup: Neoliberalism and the Looting of America (with Mehrsa Baradaran) 48:25

12d ago48:25

48:25

Law professor Mehrsa Baradaran joins Nick and Goldy to reveal how neoliberalism wasn’t just a misguided economic theory—it was a “quiet coup” that rewired our laws, courts, and institutions to elevate capital above democracy. Drawing from her new book The Quiet Coup, Professor Baradaran explains how this ideology became like the air we breathe: a p…

1
The Right Stuff 2/3 | Call of Cthulhu 1990s Modern 54:27

16d ago54:27

54:27

The band stumbles deeper into the trees and finds a girl who really shouldn’t be where she is. They try to help, then detour to a tiny town with a very quiet church because that should be safe. Content Warnings: teen in peril, body horror, screams, eating sounds, mention of PTSD, religious themes, profanity, violence Featuring Ross Bryant as Keeper…

1
The Measure of Progress: Counting What Really Matters (with Diane Coyle) 36:00

18d ago36:00

36:00

For nearly a century, GDP has been the world’s go-to measure of economic success—but what if it’s been telling us the wrong story? It treats cigarette sales and cancer treatments as equally “good” for the economy, while caring for your kids, volunteering, or creating art don’t count at all. This week, economist Diane Coyle joins Nick and Goldy to d…

1
The Right Stuff 1/3 with Matt Young 48:12

23d ago48:12

48:12

A boy band called The Other Side hits the road after a mall signing. Between fame, rivalry, and an ambitious manager, the guys are already cracking before the real weirdness starts. Content Warnings: children in peril, body horror, sexual innuendo, parasocial behavior, profanity, violence Featuring Ross Bryant as Keeper of Arcane Lore Matt Young as…

1
Easy Money: Cryptocurrency, Casino Capitalism, and the Golden Age of Fraud (with Ben McKenzie) 32:52

26d ago32:52

32:52

Actor and author Ben McKenzie didn’t set out to become one of crypto’s fiercest critics—but when the pandemic hit and Hollywood shut down, his curiosity turned into a full-blown investigation. The result was the bestselling book, Easy Money: Cryptocurrency, Casino Capitalism, and the Golden Age of Fraud, a blistering exposé of the crypto craze as “…

1
The 1931 Miskatonic University Reunion Disaster 3/3 | Actual Play Halloween 48:30

1M ago48:30

48:30

As the Miskatonic University reunion spirals out of control, strange forces awaken in the campus natatorium. The investigators face impossible choices as something ancient rises. Will anyone answer its call? Content Warnings: body horror, bullying, drowning, self-harm, fire, mass death, innuendo, intense sound effects, profanity, alcohol and smokin…

1
Stock Buybacks and the Trillion Dollar Heist (with Senator Cory Booker) 39:42

1M ago39:42

39:42

Corporations are on track to spend more than $1.3 trillion on stock buybacks this year—money that could have gone toward higher wages, innovation, or community investment. That’s the real-life Trillion Dollar Heist at the center of our new comic from Civic Ventures, which follows Marta, a janitor who interrupts a corporate board meeting just as exe…

1
The 1931 Miskatonic University Reunion Disaster 2/3 | Call of Cthulhu Halloween 47:18

1M ago47:18

47:18

A reunion at Miskatonic University takes a turn as old memories resurface. The nostalgic scavenger hunt quickly unravels into cosmic terror for our investigators. Things are about to get wet, weird, and deeply unsettling. Content Warnings: body horror, bullying, drowning, self-harm, sexism, innuendo, profanity, alcohol and smoking Featuring Ross Br…

1
Competing Visions on Trade: A Race to the Bottom Vs. Building the Middle Class (with Thea Lee featuring Todd Tucker) 40:38

1M ago40:38

40:38

In the final episode of our Trade series, Nick and Goldy talk with Thea Lee, former Deputy Undersecretary for International Affairs at the U.S. Department of Labor, to challenge the core assumption behind decades of U.S. trade policy: That trade is about efficiency, not power. Lee explains how past trade deals were written to protect capital while …

1
The 1931 Miskatonic University Reunion Disaster 1/3 w/ Ashly Burch 1:02:06

1M ago1:02:06

1:02:06

The class of 1931 returns to Miskatonic University for a Halloween reunion in 1951. Old classmates reunite and stir up memories that won’t stay buried. A scavenger hunt leads them into the haunted halls of campus. Has the past been waiting for them all along? Content Warnings: war trauma, sexism, mild innuendo, profanity, alcohol and smoking Featur…

1
South of the Border: A Mexican Perspective on the Free Trade Era (with Juan Carlos Moreno-Brid) 30:44

2M ago30:44

30:44

In the sixth episode of our trade series, Pitchfork Economics producer Freddy Doss talks with Mexican economist Juan Carlos Moreno-Brid about how NAFTA — and now the USMCA — reshaped Mexico’s economy in ways that those of us north of the Rio Grande almost never hear about. Yes, exports skyrocketed. But wages stagnated, domestic industry hollowed ou…

1
What Makes That Windmill Bleed So? 2/2 | Call of Cthulhu in France 1:04:15

2M ago1:04:15

1:04:15

Our investigators tumble deeper into Cécile Swann’s world, where sanity stretches thin. What begins as a strange investigation plunges through impossible spaces. Somewhere between love, madness, and creation, they may finally discover what makes the windmill bleed. Content Warnings: gore, body horror, violence, sexual references, self-harm, gasligh…

1
North of the Border: A Canadian Perspective on the Free Trade Era (with Luke Savage) 30:42

2M ago30:42

30:42

In the fifth episode of our series on trade, journalist and author Luke Savage joins Pitchfork Economics Producer Freddy Doss to unpack how decades of “free trade” between the U.S. and Canada have reshaped both economies—entrenching corporate power, hollowing out manufacturing, and weakening democratic control over economic policy. Savage traces ho…

1
What Makes That Windmill Bleed So? 1/2 w/ Abubakar Salim 1:02:51

2M ago1:02:51

1:02:51

Paris, 1890-something? The Moulin Rouge burns bright with music, lust, and secrets. Our investigators tumble through the velvet haze of Montmartre. An ex-dancer, an eccentric poet, a music box artisan, and a guy named Bill Buckaroo. What begins as backstage chaos soon drips into something much darker. Content Warnings: gore, violence, sexual refere…

1
Trade Wars Are Class Wars (with Matthew C. Klein) 49:28

2M ago49:28

49:28

By Civic Ventures

1
The Day We Met? 3/3 | Actual Play Improv Comedy 49:57

2M ago49:57

49:57

In this actual play episode, we’re back in a scary place where the angles don’t make sense and neither do our choices. Luck just keeps running out inside the weird geometry of Keystone Tower. Feelings get messy and something impossible squeezes its way into the night in our Call of Cthulhu one-shot finale. Content Warnings: body horror, violence, g…

1
You Can't Tariff Knowledge (with César Hidalgo) 41:51

2M ago41:51

41:51

Tariffs won’t save America’s economy—but knowledge might. In the third episode of our Trade series, Nick and Goldy sit down with physicist César Hidalgo to explore how prosperity really grows—not through tariffs or trickle-down promises, but through the accumulation of knowledge and know-how. Hidalgo explains why digital exports don’t show up in tr…

1
The Day We Met? 2/3 | Actual Play One-Shot Adventure 48:28

2M ago48:28

48:28

In this actual play episode, our Call of Cthulhu investigators step into the gleaming halls of Keystone Tower. Strange architecture blurs the line between reality and illusion in this cosmic horror scenario. Nothing about this visit goes quite as planned. Content Warnings: drugging, sexual innuendo, profanity Featuring Ross Bryant as Keeper of Arca…

1
How Economists Forgot the Real World and Led Us Astray (with Nat Dyer) 41:18

2M ago41:18

41:18

In the second episode of our Trade series, Nick and Goldy talk with author Nat Dyer about his book Ricardo’s Dream: How Economists Forgot the Real World and Led Us Astray. Dyer reveals how David Ricardo’s famous theory of comparative advantage—long touted as proof that free trade is always a win-win—was built on unrealistic assumptions and a false …

1
The Day We Met? 1/3 w/ Rashawn Scott 50:25

3M ago50:25

50:25

The cast dives headfirst into an improvised TTRPG romantic comedy. What starts as quirky New Yorkers juggling careers and love lives begins to spiral. Maybe, just maybe, the universe has bigger plans than anyone expects in this Call of Cthulhu one-shot game. Content Warnings: drug and alcohol use, sexual innuendo, animal endangerment, profanity Fea…

1
Trade Wars, Class Wars & Globalization: Unpacking The Truth About Trade (featuring David Autor & Marc Palen) 47:52

3M ago47:52

47:52

In this kickoff to our special series on trade, Nick and Goldy unpack why trade policy isn’t just about tariffs and treaties—it’s about people, power, and priorities. For decades, the prevailing narrative has been that trade benefits everyone by lowering prices. But the real question is: who does it help, and who does it hurt? From the false promis…

1
The Obverse of the Mirror 3/3 | Call of Cthulhu One-Shot 1:02:52

3M ago1:02:52

1:02:52

In this improv horror episode, fire spreads and choices spiral out of control in this actual play one-shot finale. Dreams blur with reality as allies and enemies both reveal unexpected sides. Will everyone make it back out, and if so will they be happy living with the forbidden knowledge of cosmic horrors? Content Warnings: self-harm, body horror, …

1
The Obverse of the Mirror 2/3 | Call of Cthulhu Actual Play 59:23

3M ago59:23

59:23

In this actual play episode, the group goes all in on a séance, but things don’t exactly go as planned . The mirror has its own secrets, and soon enough, they’re up against eldritch horror they can barely comprehend. Content Warnings: psychological horror, depictions of violence and gore, drug use, smoking, unsettling imagery, profanity Featuring R…

1
The Obverse of the Mirror 1/3 w/ Paula Deming 48:51

3M ago48:51

48:51

In this Call of Cthulhu TTRPG one-shot, the group dives into a story set in Victorian England. A croquet champion, an occult shopkeeper, a Pinkerton agent, and a decadent artist find themselves drawn into the orbit of a strange aristocrat with a disturbing new acquisition. What begins as witty banter over beauty and decadence soon takes a darker tu…

1
Inflation: A Guide for Users and Losers (with Mark Blyth) 39:02

3M ago39:02

39:02

Political economist Mark Blyth joins Nick and Goldy to unpack the myths and realities of rising prices, from pandemic supply shocks and corporate profiteering to central-bank missteps and decades of bad economic theory. Drawing from his new book Inflation: A Guide for Users and Losers, Blyth explains why some narratives fall flat, why others reveal…

1
Back to Basics Series: Homo Economicus Must Die (with Samuel Bowles) 32:34

3M ago32:34

32:34

What if the relentless drive to maximize personal gain isn't human nature, but just a flawed model we built? In this Back-to-Basics episode, behavioral economist Samuel Bowles helps us lay homo economicus—the myth of the perfectly rational, self-interested actor—six feet under. He shows how this caricature not only misrepresents human behavior, but…

1
Call of Cthulhu and You: Rules for TTRPG Actual Play 1:09:23

3M ago1:09:23

1:09:23

New to Call of Cthulhu? This TTRPG rules primer will help you follow along with Push the Roll with Ross Bryant. We cover the basics you’ll hear in play. Character sheets, skill rolls, pushing the roll, spending luck, sanity loss, and what combat really means when you’re just a fragile human in a world of cosmic horror. Using our improvised boarding…

1
Back to Basics Series: Is the American Dream a Lie? (with Christian Cooper and Khiara Bridges) 42:47

3M ago42:47

42:47

The promise of the American Dream—work hard, play by the rules, and you’ll get ahead—is unraveling before our eyes. In this Back-to-Basics episode, Christian H. Cooper and law professor Khiara Bridges join Nick and Goldy to posit whether economic mobility has ever truly existed, or if the system was rigged from the start. As wages stagnate, homeown…

1
Back to Basics Series: How Monopolies Feed Plutocracy (with Matt Stoller) 31:58

4M ago31:58

31:58

When a few giants dominate the economy, democracy is the first to go. In this back-to-basics episode, author and anti-monopoly expert Matt Stoller unpacks how concentrated corporate power doesn’t just warp markets—it tilts the political playing field toward plutocracy. Drawing from his book Goliath, Stoller shows how corporate giants from banks to …

1
What is Push the Roll with Ross Bryant? (Call of Cthulhu Actual Play Podcast) 40:50

4M ago40:50

40:50

Welcome to Push the Roll with Ross Bryant, our improvised comedy horror actual play podcast. We use Call of Cthulhu to tell stories that are as unpredictable as they are unsettling. This episode is our “what the heck is this show?” moment. If you’re new here or just want to hang out with Ross, Paula, and cup while we talk about what makes PTR tick,…

1
Back to Basics Series: Does the Market Really Pay You What You’re Worth? (with Marshall Steinbaum and Saru Jayaraman) 50:51

4M ago50:51

50:51

We’ve all heard the story: In a fair market, workers are paid exactly what they’re worth. Economists even have a name for it—marginal productivity theory. It’s neat, simple…and completely wrong. In this Back-to-Basics episode, economist Marshall Steinbaum and labor leader Saru Jayaraman dismantle the myth that the market fairly rewards labor. Stein…

1
Back to Basics Series: The Velocity of Money (with Ann Pettifor) 42:30

4M ago42:30

42:30

If you’ve ever wondered why the economy feels stuck, even when it seems like there's a lot more money in the system, this episode will blow your mind. Political economist Ann Pettifor joins Nick and Goldy to explain why money isn't flowing like it used to, and why that matters. Over the last century, the velocity of money (how quickly a dollar circ…

1
Back to Basics Series: Is Economics Moral? (with Heather McGhee) 35:57

4M ago35:57

35:57

For decades, orthodox economics has treated morality as irrelevant—as if economic decisions happen in a vacuum, separate from our values and social bonds. But that approach has failed spectacularly, giving cover to policies that divide and exploit us. In this episode, Heather McGhee joins Nick and Paul to argue that morality must be central to how …

1
Back to Basics Series: Where does economic growth really come from? (with W. Brian Arthur and Cesar Hidalgo) 46:51

5M ago46:51

46:51

Is economic growth just about money, trade, and GDP? Or is something deeper at play? In this episode, economist W. Brian Arthur and physicist Cesar Hidalgo join Nick and Goldy to reveal the real drivers of rising prosperity: human knowledge, know‑how, and innovation. They challenge the old assumptions of growth and argue that innovation isn't a byp…

1
Back to Basics Series: Is Econ 101 a Lie? (with Eric Beinhocker and James Kwak) 39:29

5M ago39:29

39:29

Trickle-downers love to pretend that "Econ 101" is a convincing argument against policies like the minimum wage that invest in working Americans. But the truth is that mainstream economists are terrible at predicting how the economy will behave in the future…Is Econ 101 broken? In this key foundational episode for the podcast, we dismantle the myth…

1
Trailer - Push the Roll with Ross Bryant (Call of Cthulhu Actual Play Podcast) 1:00

5M ago1:00

1:00

Hey there. Welcome to Push the Roll with Ross Bryant, an improvised Call of Cthulhu podcast shaped entirely by suggestions you submit on our Patreon. This quick trailer is our way of setting the stage and inviting you into our delightfully weird storytelling space. Each episode is spontaneous and bursting with cosmic horror, strange intrigue, and p…

1
Back to Basics Series: What the hell are they talking about? Econ terms explained! (with Nick and Goldy) 14:48

5M ago14:48

14:48

Ever find yourself halfway through a Pitchfork Economics episode thinking, “Wait… what’s a monopsony?” You’re not alone. In this listener-favorite episode, Nick and Goldy break down some of the most important—and most misunderstood—economic terms we use on the show. From ‘neoclassical’ and ‘neoliberal’ to ‘monopoly’, ‘monopsony,’ ‘stock buybacks,’ …

1
Back to Basics Series: Why do we call it Pitchfork Economics? (with Ganesh Sitaraman & Walter Scheidel) 33:16

5M ago33:16

33:16

In 2014, Nick Hanauer sounded the alarm: if economic inequality kept growing, the pitchforks would come—for him, and for the rest of America’s wealthy elite. Then 2016 happened. Donald Trump was elected president on a wave of economic populism that correctly identified massive inequality as a problem, but which offered all the wrong solutions. The …

1
The Truth About Immigration and the American Worker (with Rogé Karma) 39:13

6M ago39:13

39:13

Conventional wisdom says immigration drives down wages and takes jobs from American workers. But what if that story is fueled by bad economics? Journalist Rogé Karma joins Nick and Goldy to challenge the Econ 101 logic that supercharges anti-immigrant rhetoric—and to explain what the data actually shows. Drawing on research from the U.S., Denmark, …

1
America Adrift: Inequality, Power, and the Fight to Fix It (with Scott Galloway) 45:14

6M ago45:14

45:14

With inequality rising, housing out of reach, and young Americans falling further behind, some argue the American Dream is dead. But NYU professor Scott Galloway has a different take: America hasn’t fallen—it’s adrift. Originally recorded in late 2022, this episode features a candid conversation about what’s really hollowed out the middle class: ge…

1
From Reagan to Reality: The Case Against Tax Cuts for the Rich (with Bruce Bartlett) 36:11

6M ago36:11

36:11

As Republicans work at break-neck speed to push another round of massive tax cuts for the wealthy, we thought it would be a good idea to revisit our 2019 conversation with Bruce Bartlett, a Reagan policy adviser and key architect of the 1981 tax cuts. Bartlett explains how the trickle-down logic he once championed turned out to be economic snake oi…

1
Why Gutting SNAP Makes the Economy Worse for Everyone (with Lily Roberts) 44:19

6M ago44:19

44:19

The GOP’s new tax bill isn’t just a massive giveaway to the rich—it’s an all-out assault on SNAP, one of the most effective anti-poverty programs in the U.S. That’s because SNAP is more than just a program designed to end hunger. It’s also a powerful economic engine, stabilizing local economies as well as supporting retailers and farmers. Lily Robe…

1
Good Company: Ending the Era of Shareholder Supremacy (with Lenore Palladino) 37:21

6M ago37:21

37:21

What makes a company good—and who gets to decide? Economist Lenore Palladino joins Nick and Goldy to dismantle the myth of shareholder primacy and explain how our current system of corporate governance has warped innovation, deepened inequality, and undermined democracy. Drawing from her new book Good Company: Economic Policy after Shareholder Prim…

1
The Empire Strikes Back—With More Billionaire Tax Breaks (with Samantha Jacoby) 35:40

7M ago35:40

35:40

With Trump’s second major tax bill clearing committee and heading to the House floor—packed, as promised, with massive giveaways to the ultra-wealthy—we’re revisiting our timely conversation with Samantha Jacoby of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Originally recorded before Trump’s reelection, this episode breaks down the real impact of …

1
Greedflation 2.0: How Tariffs Could Become an Excuse for Corporate Price Gouging (with Hal Singer) 44:43

7M ago44:43

44:43

During COVID, corporations blamed supply chain shocks for rising prices while quietly raising prices higher than costs, thereby boosting their profits to record levels. We know they did this because they bragged about doing it on corporate earnings calls. Economist Hal Singer warns that Trump’s proposed tariffs could spark a repeat, giving corporat…

1
Why Democracy Needs a New Operating System (with K. Sabeel Rahman) 44:39

7M ago44:39

44:39

Decades of trickle-down thinking hollowed out our government—and now the anti-democracy crowd is finishing the job. This week, legal scholar and former Biden advisor K. Sabeel Rahman joins Nick and Goldy to talk about what happens when the rule of law becomes optional, what the Biden administration got right (and what it didn’t,) and why simply res…

1
Democracy in Chains (with Nancy MacLean) 38:16

7M ago38:16

38:16

This week, we’re revisiting a critical conversation we had back in 2020 with author and historian Nancy MacLean, in which she exposes how today’s threats to democracy were decades in the making. Based on her groundbreaking book Democracy in Chains, MacLean traces how Nobel Prize-winning economist James Buchanan worked with billionaire donors to rig…

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Scott Deming Podcasts

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