Upcoming things and announcements

Figure I owe it to all of you fine people

Hello ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters, comrades and friends. I’ve recently graced you with a new episode of History Impossible (and the 50th one, funny enough; didn’t expect that to be honest), so please remember to go check that out if you haven’t yet (and consider becoming a paying subscriber to get the ad-free version!).

With that said, I wanted to lay out what we have on tap for the near future, since I feel like my radio silence on that last episode—which was indeed deliberate—robbed you of information you might have otherwise wanted.

First, as I mentioned in the intro to that episode (make sure to rate and review on Apple Podcasts!), the Muslim Nazis is coming back and coming back relatively soon. I actually was working on that season premiere of sorts while also working on the Pandemic episode, and considering that I needed to dive deeper into additional research than I expected, I decided to be a multitasker and produce a proper episode for all of you as I got back into it. Point is, this return is big; and by big I mean LONG. And, above all else, complicated. The thing about trying to create a compelling narrative regarding a moment in history is that you need to know what to add and what to leave out while also making sure you’re not exaggerating importance or underselling it. And anyone who has read the history of Yugoslavia—or the Balkans more broadly—will understand why that has been so difficult with this one, because that is the main subject at its center (that is, the history of Yugoslavia). The filtering and pacing process on this episode has been the most grueling I’ve ever experienced with this show, combined with the fact that it’s just such a complex place with complex history. I hope to provide a good primer on the region, primarily for Western listeners, without pissing off too many people for whom the traumas and disasters of the last century are still very real. Usually before I do an episode, I consider who I might be able to talk to about the concepts I’m going to be discussing—other podcasters, experts, academics, et cetera—but with this one, I honestly don’t know. I know I’m inflating this one a lot but I can’t help it and I’ve actually, for the first time in my over four years doing History Impossible, have gotten multiple comments/tweets/emails saying in so many words (and more politely than this sounds) “where’s the Muslim Nazis?!” Hopefully this sheds some light on the process.

Next, I wanted to highlight an upcoming Infinitesimal Impossibilities episode (which, for those unaware, is a subseries I co-host with my lovely partner Molly where we talk about the weirder, smaller events in history that essentially cast a long shadow—the last was a big two-parter about the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary, but we also did some small ones like a profile of Idi Amin’s cook, and the first submarine in American history). This one I hope will be a favorite and breath of fresh air because it has to do with man’s best friend, and who doesn’t like dogs? (Psychopaths. That’s who.)

I also have an essay in the works for this here Substack (with an audio version for paying subscribers and folks on Patreon) where I actually try my hand at some literary criticism. In this case, I recently upheld my pledge to read more fiction this year and dove deep into Bret Easton Ellis’ newest novel, the nearly 600-page San Fernando Valley horror/80s fever dream The Shards. It’ll be more than simply that, but that’s the plan. I’m also working on some other smaller projects for the Substack and hoping to write more short-form pieces about whatever catches my eye in the history and history-related content world. There’s a particular story my friend J.D. Huitt has queued me into that might require me to do some actual journalism (or at least investigation) if I’m able to scrounge together the resources.

I’m also hoping to do a few more collaborations; for those who missed it, I was happy to be invited onto my friend CJ Killmer’s Dangerous History podcast a few months back to talk about my Stakeholder Nazism special, as well as my friend Greg Zink’s Smoke Filled Rooms podcast to discuss the Unabomber Ted Kaczynski’s manifesto a little more recently. I also did an interview with Jack of the Secret Police podcast that should be coming soon (and that I’ll be sharing on social media) that was a lot of fun, and I’m hoping to have him on History Impossible once I get caught up with the current series he’s doing on the various incarnations of the Russian secret police forces throughout history (e.g. Cheka, NKVD, KGB, etc). I’m looking at a couple other history content creators/podcasters who I feel like I could have a good chat with, but please let me know down in the comments if there’s anyone you’d like me to chat with, whether I’ve talked to them before or not.

Now finally, I have an announcement I’d like to make: I’m joining the dark side. That’s right, I’ve started a Twitch account. As many of you reading know, I’m a bit of a gamer, and many of the games I play do at least have some historical content. I’m planning to play games like favorites, such as Civilization IV, but also ones I’m still learning, like the classic Hearts of Iron IV, as well as more story-based ones like Partisans 1941. These will likely expand to others one day, but I figure it’s a good way for me to play some games and, most importantly, hang out with some of you, talk history, or talk whatever you want. I’m still in the process of procuring all the necessary equipment, but you can follow me on Twitch at https://www.twitch.tv/historyimpossible. Believe me, you won’t miss my first stream(s). I’ll be broadcasting it everywhere I can.

So that about covers all of it. Please feel free to leave a comment about any of this or any questions you might have. I always try to get to those within 24 hours (or faster). Otherwise, see all you fine people online!

—Alex