Natalia Petrzela

Natalia Petrzela is a writer, fitness instructor, and host and co-producer of Welcome To Your Fantasy from Spotify and Pineapple Street Studios. She is also a co-host of Past Present. Photo courtesy of Julian Budge.

I have been listening to you for a long time, Past Present was one of the first shows I listened to. How did that start?
Six years ago now, fellow historians Neil J. Young and Nicole Hemmer, wanted to start a podcast that provided deeper historical context on current events than most news sources, and in an accessible, conversational way. They wanted a third host who was also a historian passionate about communicating with a larger audience, so they asked me! I said yes right away, because I admired both of their work, and also because as historians, it's rare to get to do work that is both collaborative and aimed at a broad audience. But - I didn't really know what a podcast was when I accepted! Turns out it was a smart choice: we are now 270 episodes in, and both Neil and Niki are consulting producers on Welcome To Your Fantasy.

How did the story of Welcome To Your Fantasy get into your hands?
I was booked to be a talking head on "1980s sexual culture" in a European documentary program that was exploring Chippendales. I started doing a bit of primary source research on Chippendales, which I only knew about as a kind of talk-show fixture from my experience as a 1980s kid, and almost immediately, I was shocked that it had been both a flashpoint for discussions about feminism and the sexual revolution - and that the founder killed his partner at the height of the brand's popularity! That in itself would have been enough for a gripping podcast, but it turned out there was *much* more. Along with my Past Present crew, we pitched it to Pineapple Street Studios and for the next 18 months or so, we made the show that became Welcome To Your Fantasy. 

Can you tease something exciting coming up?
When you ask people to free associate with "Chippendales," they either mention the SNL skit, a bachelorette party they attended, or they describe a very particular type of guy: muscular, clean-cut, super macho, and, though no one mentions at first: white. On Welcome to Your Fantasy, we dive into the question of race head on, and will share fascinating reporting that not only reveals how the explicit idea that "white equals classy" shaped the brand from the beginning, but also how that idea was challenged - in one case, at the risk of death.

Do you consider this a true crime show?
It IS a true crime show, because at the heart of the Chippendales story is not only the ultimately fatal conflict between its founder Steve Banerjee, and his partner who made Chippendales a household name, Nick De Noia, but other attempted murders, arsons, conspiracy... you can't tell this story without crime! At the same time, Welcome To Your Fantasy is not a show where we solve crimes, and I was drawn to this story primarily because I think the Chippendales phenomenon tells us so much about 1980s America beyond murder and male exotic dancers: it's a story about immigration, capitalism, sexuality, media, and so much more. The crime is in some ways an anchor to explore all these fascinating themes.

I'm sure you answer this throughout the many upcoming episodes of Welcome To Your Fantasy, but are Chippendales feminist?
It's a big question we take on in Welcome To Your Fantasy, but "feminist or not" might be a false dichotomy when it comes to Chippendales. "Women's liberation for the ladies of the 80s" was convenient marketing for a male exotic dance revue that turned the tables on a conventional strip club, and to the men who dreamed up and profited from Chippendales, it was pretty much just that. The guys behind Chippendales - and they were all guys - absolutely did not have feminism paramount in designing the show.  Yet it would be wrong to think that the women who spent their dollars at Chippendales were just dupes, or that there was nothing empowering about the experience. For many women, there most certainly was! Women really did find it exhilarating to get together with girlfriends, dress up, and stuff hard-earned dollars in the g-strings of hunky guys who were paid to let women believe they were running the show, if only for a few hours. I don't think women would call what they were seeking, or experiencing, at Chippendales a feminist utopia, but there's no question that there was a thrill not only to the table-turning but also the safety of a nightclub where women outnumbered men and where the focus was on their enjoyment and comfort - at least until 10 pm, when the doors opened to men as well.

You are a fitness instructor, and I would LOVE to take your class one day. Do you think more podcasters should be fitness instructors? I feel like there are some overlapping skills, there.
I wouldn't go so far as to make it a law that all podcasters should teach fitness, but I can tell you that no other job has so pushed me to use my voice creatively, think on my feet, and to simultaneously engage people with very different skills and backgrounds... these are all good skills for a podcaster to possess, and I think I am a better one for my years teaching fitness!

What’s something listeners don’t understand about podcasts and what goes into making them?
Podcasts - especially a highly produced ones like Welcome To Your Fantasy - are usually NOT quick-and-easy, one-person productions. In our show, we had me (the host/co-producer), plus two more historians, two editors, three producers, a sound engineer, a music supervisor, a fact-checker, and several folks whose opinions and ears we sought out for feedback... and that was just on the Pineapple Street side! At Gimlet/Spotify, we had a team that consulted on content, art, and distribution as well. It takes a lot of minds, different skill sets, and resources to make a show like this one, and I am grateful to be part of this team.

What do you hope the show does for people?
At the most basic level, I hope it entertains listeners, because if you're bored, there are a million other things out there you could be doing other than listening to our male stripper podcast. But I also hope that it shows how things we think of as frivolous pop culture punchlines can, if we take them seriously, reveal profound insights about our world and how we engage in it.

What is your relationship with your voice, and how would you describe it?
I own my distinct, deep, raspy voice! I was pleased that a recent review of the show - written by a man! - specifically complimented my "intonation" as giving the podcast a "narrative richness..." This kind of compliment shouldn't feel so momentous, but given how much criticism is heaped upon women for their voices, I was especially happy to read it. 

Thanks, Natalia!