And That’s Why We Drink Made Me Drink for the Wrong Reasons

It’s the season for all things macabre, so to go with the theme, I hunted for a spooky podcast to listen to. Due to being extremely picky about what I listen to, I finally settled on And That’s Why We Drink. The format of the show is simple: two hosts, Christine and Em, read stories that they have researched or that have been submitted by listeners that are deemed “spooky” by their standards. Some of them are true crime, such as stories about serial killers or local urban legends, but the structure of the show is telling stories to one another. 

And That’s Why We Drink

At first I really enjoyed the podcast. The hosts have great chemistry together, and I did like that they commented on the stories in the middle of them. Their reactions were that of people watching a horror movie. For example, they’d say, “Nope, I wouldn’t go back in that house,” if said house was “haunted.” They obviously have been really good friends for several years, and that absolutely shines through. They are awkward in several instances throughout the show, but they don’t let that slow them down. In a world saturated with so many ways to consume true crime media, it’s tolerable compared to others. Unlike many other spooky mainstream podcasts, however, such as My Favorite Murder or Bardstown, it is not produced well. 

Unfortunately, the podcast spiraled downward fast. In their October 20, 2019, episode, for example, the first 35 minutes was all about one of their vacations. They droned on about how one of them went to Canada and brought back a bunch of Canadian goodies for the other, who is supposedly obsessed with the country. Over an hour into the show, we were still on the first story. I’m okay with a personal touch, but this kind of content should be saved for Patreon or paid bonus content. Ironically enough, they already have bonus episodes for their fan base. I cringe at the thought. If you were a new listener, you wouldn’t even know what the podcast was about. Listeners have to sit through their nonsense for 30 minutes, then after two ads, they finally attempt to tell a story. When they do begin the story, the hosts are ill prepared every time; they either haven’t done their research or did it the night before. They have an assistant, and yet they can’t get the information needed? It’s an absolute shame that two people who are intelligent, witty, and have built this platform together have become so lackluster. 

This podcast is somewhat popular, if their social media presence is any indication, and I am baffled as to why people listen. There are so many other podcasts that are fantastic, and that are popular for good reasons. I like to think that they simply have been doing this podcast for so long that they lost sight of why they started it, and will eventually come back to that. In the meantime, don’t listen to And That’s Why We Drink, and spend your time on more enjoyable entertainment.