Back Issue
Back Issue reminisces on moments in pop culture’s past that have shaped our present. Each episode brings personal reflection, incredible guests, and plenty of deep belly laughs. This season our co-pilot Tracy Clayton is taking a break, so Josh Gwynn has invited some very special guest co-hosts to share their perspective on some of the most formative stories in pop culture. We start out with not just another hair story but a conversation about the gendered politics of specific hairstyles as Josh sets out on a mission to get a silk press. We’ll also reflect on iconic award speeches, explore what our brains do on gossip, break down the backstories of Degrassi and Cheetah Girls, decide if Josh should become the next Black ex-pat, and discuss which multi-hyphenate performers are deserving of their flowers.
Episodes
June 26, 2020 • 4 mins
Remember when Monica allegedly punched Brandy right before they performed live at the MTV Video Music Awards? When Freaknik took over Atlanta, and changed the game for parties everywhere? When tasteless critics panned Mariah Carey’s Glitter? (#JusticeforGlitter!) We do!
Back Issue tells the stories behind formative moments in pop culture. In each episode, we look back at some of the moments that shook us, that changed us. Join Trac...
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August 24, 2020 • 56 mins
In Case You Forgot, We Let Tyra Get Away With A LOT.
This week, Josh and Tracy revisit moments from one of the most influential supermodels of all time: Tyra Banks. She has modeled, smized, booty-tooched, acted, and created businesses and brands. But throughout her career, there have been some messy moments. And we’re not just talking about ANTM contestant Dani’s tooth gap (RIP).
We talk to Jay Manuel, former Creative Director for ...
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August 31, 2020 • 49 mins
The Show That Made You Wanna Holler; This Week, We Talk 'In Living Color
This week, Tracy and Josh revisit the world of Fire Marshall Bill, Oswald Bates, and Benita Butrell (but you ain't heard that from us!) to find out the truth behind the cultural institution that was 'In Living Color.'
Plus, they're joined by former cast member, Oscar Proud himself, Tommy Davidson. He gives them a behind the scenes look, talks about the cultura...
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September 7, 2020 • 47 mins
This week, Tracy and Josh celebrate the Queen, the legend, Ms. Texas Trill Herself: Beyoncé. They're joined by Crissle, co-host of The Read, who tells the story of how ‘Yoncé changed her life, and listeners share what Giselle means to them. Then, they a play game of song association with Matt Bellassai of Unhappy Hour, to find out who’s really hive.
Additional Material By: Columbia Records, Lisa G Productions, Sony Music Entertainm...
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September 14, 2020 • 43 mins
Face Crack! I Thought You Were Black!
This week, Josh and Tracy revisit musical white folks who somehow scored an invitation to the cookout. Elvis, Bobby Caldwell, Teena Marie, Kenny Loggins, Joss Stone, Amy Winehouse, and Justin Timberlake have all made careers in music steeped in the sounds of blackness. Is there a proper way for a white artist to exist in a genre that Black artists originated, perfected, and sometimes weren’t a...
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September 21, 2020 • 49 mins
It Should Have Been Bigger, #JusticeforGlitter
This week...CATEGORY IS: opinions you're scared to tell your friends. Josh bravely confesses his love of Mariah Carey’s Glitter and tries to convert Tracy. They travel back to 2001 to figure out what was going through Mariah’s head at the time, why the movie was so universally panned by critics, and how history ended up shaping the film’s reception. Then, Ira Madison III, TV writer and...
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September 28, 2020 • 58 mins
Turn the Radio On, Where Have All The Girl Groups Gone?
This week, Tracy and Josh talk all things girl groups. From the diva-era of Motown to the holy trinities of the early aughts, they debate the biggest and baddest girl groups of all time, and discuss what they have meant for the culture. Then Cindy Herron-Braggs, founding member of En Vogue, joins to discuss their era-defining legacy, and the possible 90s group Verzuz of our dr...
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October 5, 2020 • 47 mins
Bring It Back, TV Used To Be Hella Black
This week, in the first annual Blemmy Awards, Josh and Tracy look back on the Golden Age of Black TV and honor the best of the best, from the 'Amen' theme song to all of Khadijah’s boyfriends (*studio audience goes oooOooOoOOOOoo*). Then, Tracy sits down with TC Carson, the singer and actor known for playing Kyle on 'Living Single,' to discuss the show, that steamy "My Funny Valentine" scene...
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October 12, 2020 • 33 mins
Red Rover Red Rover, Bring 'Yes, Girl' Right Over
This week, Josh and Tracy host a very special crossover episode. First, they talk all things Essence. From its legacy as a record of black existence to the recent round of layoffs, we're celebrating the work of black creatives, and pouring one out for the Yes, Girl pod. Then, they chop it up with Cori Murray and Charli Penn of 'Yes, Girl', talking music and the greatest ad libs of ...
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October 19, 2020 • 49 mins
Sugar We're Going Down, Gotta Get Outta This Town
This week, Josh and Tracy take you back to days of dark eyeliner and teen angst to give you all things Black and Alternative. First, they unpack the meaning and history of Alternative Music with help from cultural critic Hannah Giorgis. Then, they sit down with living rock legend Fefe Dobson to talk about her music, defying categorization, and forging your own path as a Black crea...
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October 26, 2020 • 49 mins
No Mary J., We're Searching For Real Love Today
This week, Josh and Tracy are talking about love (*cue studio audience* oooooh). First, they unpack their conceptions of the term, from their overzealous prom expectations to some absolutely trash relationship models they found in media. Then, they sit down with Darnell L. Moore, writer, activist, and Director of Inclusion Strategy for Marketing and Content at Netflix, to discuss rad...
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November 2, 2020 • 53 mins
Young And Free, I Want My MTV!
This week, Josh and Tracy are talking all things MTV. From ‘The Real World’ cinematic universe to the boom boom kacks of ‘Making The Band,’ they take you through the channel’s best (and messiest) moments. Then, they get a sense of what it was like to work there from Erika Clarke, a former MTV producer who spent 10 years working on iconic shows like ‘Cribs’ and ‘Diary’ (y’all, she worked on the Aaliya...
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November 9, 2020 • 58 mins
Give Me A Break, You Ain't No Ricki Lake
This week, Josh and Tracy take you through the world of daytime talk shows and unpack the fun, the messy, and the hard-to-reconcile parts of shows like Ricki Lake, Oprah, Jerry Springer, and Jenny Jones. Then, they sit down with Sherri Shepherd, Emmy-winning former host of ‘The View,’ to discuss why being on that show was the best and most painful experience of her career and what it was lik...
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November 16, 2020 • 48 mins
Day or Night, It's About To Be A What? Girl Fight!
This week, Josh and Tracy give you all things beefs, feuds, and squabbles. They explore one of the most formative feuds of their youth — Brandy vs. Monica — and get into where they were when one of the most shocking diss tracks of our time dropped (hint: it involves a pink diamond chicken wing chain). Then, rapper and talented multi-hyphenate Jean Grae joins to share why she think...
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November 23, 2020 • 57 mins
Can You Hear It? I Know You Caught The Spirit
This week, Josh and Tracy are taking you to church. First, they talk about their time in the pews, from the ways they've had to reconcile their faiths and identities to the music that has stuck with them. They hear about the deep, poetic roots of Gospel in Black identity from writer and professor Ashon Crawley. And they sit down with pastor and legend Shirley Caesar to talk about her r...
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November 30, 2020 • 56 mins
Without A Doubt, I Miss The Cookout
This week, take a break from your solitary quarantine as Josh and Tracy take you waaay back to some of the baddest, Blackest functions of all time, like ATL's Freaknik and the Kentucky Derby. Then, travel back in time with Josh and organizer Mariah Moore (of The Transgender Law Center, House of Tulip) to the celebration of life and death that was Aretha Franklin's second line in New Orleans. And...
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December 7, 2020 • 50 mins
Before We Bid Season 1 Adieu, Did You Know Tracy Almost Got An Ankh Tattoo?
This week, Josh and Tracy close out Back Issue's first season with one last trip, all the way back to the heyday of Neo Soul, from how the genre shaped them to their faves. They talk to Perry Fair, one of the creatives behind Coke’s iconic Nu Classic Soul ad. Then, they sit down with THEE Jill Scott (AHHHH!!!) to talk about her music, her legacy, and rememb...
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July 19, 2021 • 4 mins
Your summer just got a lot hotter, 'cause Back Issue is back in the habit! 🔥Season 2 is about to serve even more joy and pop culture nostalgia than before. We’re honoring Whitney THEE Houston, giving the folks who *actually* invented the internet their flowers, and fighting over whose hometown dreamt up the high five. All along the way, we continue to take the advice of our patron saint Tyra “Move Ya Body” Banks and 🗣LEARN SOMETH...
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July 26, 2021 • 44 mins
Now that the world is opening and closing...and opening, we’ve been thinking a lot about touch. This week, Tracy and Josh explore all the ways we greet each other – high fives! low fives! secret handshakes! – and what they say about us. They also get into a battle over whose hometown invented the high five. 🍿 And Barry White Jr. – no, not the crooner, but the teacher who went viral for memorizing individualized handshakes for 80+ ...
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August 2, 2021 • 48 mins
This week, Josh and Tracy put together a mixtape of love to unpack Whitney Houston’s career and legacy -- from her gospel beginnings and becoming America’s princess, to that infamous Wendy Williams interview and Being Bobby Brown. What can Whitney’s life teach us about the tension between mental health and success? And how can we learn from what she went through to do better? P.S. If any of your relatives were in the Soul Train Awa...
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