Campfires And Color Wars

Ellie Krupnick spent many a summer at Camp Ramah in the Poconos, and based on her time there co-authored a great piece for HuffPo singling out the 24 Reasons Dating At Camp Is Better Than In The Real World. We dive into some of those reasons, plus explain why napping with your boo during an off period is one of the great treats in life. And much much more! Don't waste a minute, take a listen!

Jonathan Goldman stops by to give a full account of the story told on the last episode, of the time he nearly got kicked out of camp for eating half a cheeseburger (and some corndog nuggets) on the big summer trip to the water park. So much drama! Don't waste a minute, take a listen!

Molly Tolsky is the editor of Alma, a Jewish pop culture site for millennial women, but before that she was just your average shy girl at summer camp. Join us as we discuss mean girls at camp, the scandal that almost sent campers home from a water park, and much more. Don't waste a minute, take a listen!

Our Valentine's Day tradition continues with another wonderful story of camp romance, as Elliot and Alyssa Bear join to share their journey from strangers meeting in a car the first day of summer at Camp Thunderbird to getting married there just a few years later. Don't waste a minute, take a listen!

Blake Wexler is a hilarious comedian, and his new album "12 Years of Voicemails from Todd Glass to Blake Wexler" explores his relationship with fellow comedian Todd Glass, who in many ways served as a camp-counselor-like role in Blake's life. We talk about our favorite counselors, the scariest things that ever happened to us at camp, finding camp in every day life, plus much much more! Don't waste a minute, take a listen!

Few things are more infectious at camp than singing. Longtime songleaders Dan Nichols and Flip Frisch join to discuss what makes a great song session, their favorite silly songs, plus some incredible stories of the things we do for love. Don't waste a minute, take a listen!

Sara and Sam Richardson met each other at camp, and had so much fun they decided to travel around the country visiting various camps and making a documentary film about it (From Camp To Camp). They join to talk about the differences and similarities between Christian and Jewish camps, what it's like to be in a Christian metal band, and tell an incredible tale of pool-related shenanigans. Don't waste a minute, take a listen!

Rebecca Caplan got her start as a comedy writer putting together dramatic plays at Camp Timber Tops, where she also penned the world-renowned Forrest Gumpstein for Lip Sync Night. Join us as we discuss the difficulties of being a counselor, the importance (or lack thereof) of keeping a clean bunk, and hear her tale of romance torn apart due to government interference. Don't waste a minute, take a listen!

Camp Newman is home to so many fond memories for people who went there, which makes it all the more devastating that it was burned to the ground after the wildfires in California this year. Daniel Kaufman and Jare Akchin join to talk about what made Newman so great and how the community is rebuilding the camp, plus we talk about what we're thankful for from camp, embarrassing first kisses, plus an unexpected tale of an unrequited display of affection. Don't waste a minute, take a listen!

Lisa Loeb is an iconic musician and performer, and a huge proponent of summer camps! She joins Micah and guest co-host Michelle "Krebs" Levy to talk about overcoming shyness, singing from sunrise to sundown, and we discuss our favorite weird camp songs. Don't waste a minute!

If adversity builds character, Paul Shirley (author of the new memoir "Stories I Tell On Dates") built a lot in a short period of time during his summers at science and scout camp. The former NBA player joins to talk about homesickness, the similarities between summer camp and basketball camp, and shares a Canadian version of ultimate frisbee that doesn't sound very Canadian. Don't waste a minute!

Mandy Berman, author of the summer camp coming-of-age novel Perennials, joins Sara and Micah to discuss that magical time of transition into adolescence, and how camp provided a safe place to develop who you were, physically and emotionally. Plus we learn the meaning of Rock Time, and why it's always important to take everything out of your shorts before your mom does the wash. Take a listen!

Benji Orlansky and Herschel Bleefeld join Sara and Micah to discuss the movie Camp Nowhere from 1994 and its portrayal of a summer camp by and for the kids. Is it any good? Does it remind us of the camps we grew up at? What's the deal with their clothes? Take a listen and find out!

College basketball reporter and long-time veteran of Camp Equinunk Seth Davis joins the podcast to share why his camp has the best color war, the thrill of competing in the Upper Senior Basketball Game, and how dancing in a kilt turned out to be a transformative experience for him. Don't miss it!

Fans of Wet Hot American Summer rejoice! Cocreator and director David Wain joins to talk about his summer camp experiences and how they shaped one of the most beloved movies (and series) ever set at camp. We discuss which WHAS scenes and characters are based on real-life stories, what David was known for at Camp Modin in Main, and hear about how surgery vastly improved David's prospects with the ladies. Check it out!

Sometimes if you feel like you don't fit in, you end up on the sidelines making fun of all the perceived cool kids. Perhaps that experience helped shape the comedic voice of Jason Sattler, aka @LOLGOP on Twitter, who takes some time out of his busy schedule roasting the embattled leaders of the free world and fighting for progressive causes to join us this week. Jason recounts his times at an Orthodox Jewish Camp in California waiting on the arrival of the Messiah, gives tips on who to befriend when you get to camp, and discusses his epic attempt at finding a camp date no matter the odds.  Take a listen!

Deputy editor of Tablet Magazine and co-host of the popular 'Unorthodox' podcast Stephanie Butnick joins Micah to discuss her time at Camp Point O' Pines, the differences between Jewish camps and camps for Jews, and tells a harrowing story of a summer gone wrong thanks to an electric razor (or few). Take a listen!

Noted sex educator Lindsay Fram is back to dish on the latest from the frontlines of gender and sexuality at summer camps. Plus we discuss the definition of "Camp Hot", our favorite camp cheers, the best way to spend a day off, and of course, Lindsay's super-mature Shabbat Walk threesome (spoiler alert - it's not as sexy as it sounds). Take a listen!

With summer camps in full swing, we talk to longtime directors Macy Hart (father of Micah) and Ron Klotz about their years running summer camps in Mississippi and Indiana and how they prepared for each summer. We learn about how they got involved in the camping world, the funniest postcards ever sent home from camp, and answer the age-old question, "What do camp directors do in the winter time?"

Every camp is special, but not every camp can boast the former quarterback for the Miami Dolphins as camp director! Longtime NFL signal caller Jay Fiedler joins Micah and Sara to talk about leading Brookwood Camps in upstate NY and his summers growing up at Lenni Lenape, as well as the similarities and differences between a season in the NFL and a summer at camp.