Tess Barker

Tess Barker is a comedian, podcaster, journalist, and the host of the brand-new Pop Mystery Pod. She is alsothe co-host of the podcasts Lady to Lady, which has been a top-rated comedy podcast for over a decade, and Toxic: the Britney Spears Story for which she won a Webby for best Documentary Podcast, and Britney’s Gram, which helped ignite the #FreeBritney movement. Her work has been published in outlets like The Guardian, Vice, and MTV News, and she’s performed stand up on Comedy Central, Comedy Dynamics, and live throughout the country. 

Describe your show in 10 words or less.
An informative and fun dive into mysterious pop culture moments.

Why are you the perfect host for this show?
I have been pop culture and pop music obsessed my entire life. I also have a background in investigative journalism, so this show is a way for me to combine those two strengths. My previous documentary podcast, Toxic, involved deep research into the Britney Spears case, and that gave me an extensive and close look at the power structures in the entertainment industry and how they can work to keep people silent in the face of injustice, mistreatment, or wrong doing.

What did you want to be when you were eight?
An actress.

What pop mystery are you most excited to dig into?
I’m very interested to learn more about the details of Prince’s death and what happened to his estate after he died without a will.

Episodes are so packed with research. How much time in total do you think goes into each one?
Oh man, a lot of time, ha! Luckily I love reading, watching docs, and talking to people. I’m mixing up the format on this show, so I have some episodes that are a chat-format with a lighter level of research. The documentary style episodes take quite a bit of research. Maybe 40 or 50 hours an episode?

What’s your goal for the show? (A book? A TV show? A theme park? Sick merch?)
I’d love to eventually turn this into a book or a TV show!

Do you have a ritual for recording?
Before I’m tracking narration I do old school vocal warm ups from my theater kid days. And then I need a big jug of water and tea with lots of honey in it. Recording narration is tough on the vocal chords!

Fill in the blank: You will like my show if you like _______ (can be person, place, concept, food, other podcast, movie…)
Watch What Happens Live.

If you could make another podcast, don’t worry about the logistics or whether or not anyone will like it, what would it be? Your budget is $1M.
I am a huge Sondheim nerd and would love to do a show where I go through his whole cannon and do a close read of each show. I would have a different musical theater star or composer come on each episode.

Are there too many podcasts?
I don’t think so! I love this medium because of the many forms it can take, and because of how accessible it is for creators.

What’s a podcast you love that not enough people know about?
Not the most indie answer but I am always telling people to check out the Duolingo podcast. It’s really well-produced, and has wonderful storytelling. A really fun way to get your ear accustomed to a new language.

What’s a podcast you love that everyone already knows about?
The Daily, ha. I try not to consume too much news on social media and most mornings I listen, as I feel like they do a really good job of curating topics that are important to know about.

Thanks, Tess!