What The Frock

The latest episode of What The Frock? is less of a podcast and more of a digital reckoning, wrapped in Coldplay jokes, topped with kiss cam memes, and seasoned with real questions about who controls what we think is important. Rabbi Dave and Friar Rod aren’t just riffing on the latest viral distraction, they’re pulling apart the whole cloth of modern media in a way only they can. It’s funny. It’s sharp. And it might just make you delete a few social media apps by the end of it.

What starts with Rod putting away a breakfast bowl turns quickly into a broadside against local news, national news, and the absurd notion that the “top story” of the week is a possibly adulterous smooch caught on camera at a Coldplay concert. Through their typical blend of wit, skepticism, and theological banter, the duo takes aim at the way stories are selected and spread—asking who decides what we talk about and why. As Rabbi Dave puts it bluntly, “Somebody made a ton of money on this story. It wasn’t the CEO. It wasn’t the HR manager. It sure as hell wasn’t me.”

The real crux of the conversation, though, isn’t Coldplay. It’s the concept of influence. How much of what passes for news today is created deliberately? Are social media influencers the new Hearst’s, pushing narratives not for truth or civic good, but for clicks and payouts? Dave points to creators earning thousands a month from platforms like X (formerly Twitter) just for stirring the pot. Some are clearly fabricating drama to keep the content flowing, because attention equals money, and controversy is the coin of the realm.

And yet, while we’re fixated on memes and mockery, what gets buried? The podcast doesn’t shy away from pointing fingers at bigger stories that didn’t break through, allegations about political malfeasance, geopolitical violence, and the hidden costs of our tech-fueled society. But instead of rage, Rabbi Dave and Friar Rod approach it all with a resigned chuckle, the kind of laugh you make when you know something’s broken but can’t stop watching it spin.

The episode ends on a classic What The Frock? note: time travel. A satirical video about a liberal trying to go back in time to kill Hitler leads to a winding, hilarious, and weirdly poignant reflection on what history teaches us about influence, ideology, and unintended consequences. The takeaway? Even with all the power of hindsight and future tech, some things never change.

This one’s a must-listen for anyone tired of being told what the story is. Buckle up, grab a lukewarm mug of something, and settle in. It’s not just commentary, it’s therapy for the news-weary.