We are thrilled to welcome the acclaimed narrative series Heavyweight to the Pushkin network. In each episode Jonathan Goldstein sets out to help someone confront their past and heal old wounds. Today we’re sharing their very first episode, “Buzz.” And because we couldn’t only pick one segment to share, here’s a list of the Revisionist History team’s favorite episodes: #2 Gregor #33 Bobby #46 Dan #52 Lenny #40 BarbaraSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Chapter 1: What is the significance of Jonathan's Canadian identity?
Hello, hello revisionist history listeners. We're having a very exciting week here at Pushkin. You know that I'm Canadian, right? We actually fly a big maple leaf flag here at Pushkin HQ. Well, this week we added another Canadian. The great Jonathan Goldstein, native of Quebec, has brought his acclaimed narrative series Heavyweight to the Pushkin Network. Oh, Canada, our home and native land.
True patriot love in all our hearts command. Jonathan and the Heavyweight team represent everything we believe in here at Pushkin. The power of storytelling, the value of intelligence and emotion, the belief that Canadians can and should dominate all aspects of American culture. Heavyweight examines personal histories and resentments.
It tries to heal old wounds and in the process reminds us of our shared humanity. Yes, it's that good. We're dropping the first ever episode here in the feed about Jonathan's quest to reconcile his father with his estranged brother Buzz. Enjoy, and there is much, much, much more to come.
And if you want to listen to more Heavyweight, which I'm sure you do, check out the show notes for the revisionist history team's favorite episodes.
Yeah, hello.
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Chapter 2: What is the premise of Heavyweight?
From Gimlet Media, this is Jonathan Goldstein, your old pal.
Is that what it's called, Gimlet? Gimlet Media?
That's correct.
It sounds like giblets. The inside of a chicken, like all the innards?
Well, everybody loves giblets.
Ew. Oh, shit, they're my kids.
Hey, guys, I'm up here.
Do you know what my new podcast is about?
No, I don't know anything about it.
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Chapter 3: Why is Jonathan concerned about his father's relationship with Sheldon?
I'm sort of like a therapist.
Like a therapist.
Do you find that funny?
I just think supportive.
That's the laughter of support?
I think it's great. I think it's great.
Do you have any questions for me about what my show is and what it's going to be like?
What's the name of your show? What's the name of your show? Yes, we're going to go now, but Jonathan's just about to tell me the name of his new show. As soon as he tells me, I'm going to bang down on him in five.
No, no, wait.
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Chapter 4: What memories does Buzz have of his brother Sheldon?
Hello? From Gimlet Media, I'm Jonathan Goldstein, and this is Heavyweight. Today's episode, Buzz. Hello? Hey, Dad. Hi, Johnny. Hey, how you doing? Good, you? Good, good. Good yumtiv. Shana tova. Aksameyach. Aksameyach. What's that mean? I'm not sure. Oh, oh. This is my father, Buzz. I'm calling him at his home in Montreal.
And the reason we're talking crazy talk is because it's Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, which seems as good a day as any to talk with him about forgiveness. So I wanted to ask you something, and I just wanted to gauge your interest. Yeah. How would you feel about paying your brother Sheldon a visit?
I have no feelings, but I'm not really interested.
You're not? No. My father, Buzz, is 80, and his brother, Sheldon, his only sibling, is 85. And for the past 40 years, they've pretty much been on the outs. My father lives in Montreal, and Sheldon lives in Florida. And the last time they saw each other, over 20 years ago, was at their mother's funeral, when they had a fight over the details of the arrangements. Since then, they've hardly spoken.
It worries me, because there's not a lot of time left. And I don't want my father to have regrets. When the subject of his brother comes up, as it often has over the years, my father feels competing things. He grows angry or defensive, but other times he'll become sad and remorseful.
And it's the sorrow and the remorse that I like best, because it's these feelings that I believe speak to his better self, the self I want to encourage. I'm not surprised that you're not jumping at the idea, but I'm a little surprised that you're as against the idea. Yeah.
Yeah, time's passed. He hasn't shown much interest. So I'm respecting that and I leave him alone.
What he did do was he called you on your 80th birthday not so long ago and you felt good about that.
I called him on his 80th birthday.
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Chapter 5: How does Buzz feel about the past and his relationship with Sheldon?
An ill-fated trip to Montreal where Sheldon felt slighted about having to stay in my father's basement. An ill-fated trip to New York where my father felt slighted about having to stay in Sheldon's attic. Rude words spoken to each other's wives. In one version of the story, Sheldon's refusal to bring a table to my bris almost resulted in my being circumcised on an ironing board.
But in the version being told today, my father was asked by Sheldon to pay more than his fair share for their mother's funeral.
And I said, you're always working some kind of an angle. So he got furious. He got furious. He started screaming into the phone, go to hell, drop dead, blah, blah, blah. That was how that ended. But I feel he's the kind of guy that he has angles like that. He has angles. I always felt I was on the up and up with him, and he wasn't with me.
If you got a stronger sense that he was interested in seeing you, then would you... Yes, yes.
You would be more inclined to see him. I wouldn't say that's how, though. That's out of the question.
Okay, quick sidebar. Any time I've ever raised the prospect of visiting Sheldon, no matter how hypothetical the scenario, my father always makes a point of insisting how no matter what, he would not stay in Sheldon's house, even if he was invited to, which I should point out, he never is. I wouldn't stay at his house. How come you...
I wouldn't stay there. I mean, it's not my thing.
How come you always bring that up? I mean, normally when someone goes to visit someone that they haven't seen in decades, they'll stay at a hotel, you know?
I would stay at a motel or somewhere near his place. A motel.
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Chapter 6: What steps does Jonathan take to reconnect Buzz with Sheldon?
Well, I do about 20 minutes of aerobics.
Uh-huh.
And then I do a little weight training. Uh-huh. I try to flirt a little with the women there.
Oh, yeah. My father also goes to the gym. That's a part of his routine also. He was happy to hear from you on his 80th birthday.
Yeah, well, he didn't call me on my 85th, though.
Tit meet tat. Yeah, like, so, you know, maybe we could go out for dinner. I don't know. That kind of thing.
Uh-huh. Well, what kind of a time frame are we talking about here? I don't know. I don't know. Our lives have been much different. I don't know how much we have to have in common anymore. Yeah. We don't have much in common anymore, except the fact that we're elderly and retired. Other than that, I don't know what we have in common.
I guess you have your past in common.
Yes. I'll tell you honestly, I'm not a very sentimental person, and being a pragmatist, I take things the way they are. I try not to dwell upon the past, and I try not to take people the way I remember them, but as they are.
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Chapter 7: How does Buzz feel as he prepares to meet Sheldon?
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. That's fine. It's fine. Sheldon, I appreciate your talking to me. And you would be amenable to spending some time?
Why not? We are brothers. I mean, we're not close or anything, but, you know, we're not going to have a chance to see each other much in the future.
Yeah. Is that anything that you think about?
Not much, no.
And so I call my father back and let him know that Sheldon is amenable. And because I know that for my father, the days tend to pile up like unboxed air conditioners, I have my mother get on the phone to help nail down a firm travel date.
And Daddy wants to go?
If dad wants to go, if he wants to go.
Does he want to go? Next weekend.
We don't have to go on the weekend. We can go during the week.
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Chapter 8: What emotions does Buzz express about his estrangement from Sheldon?
Okay. All right, you do what you want to do. You call me, but... I'll call you Thursday. Coming up after the break, Thursday. And so on Thursday, possibly with a little nudging from my mother, Buzz agrees. And then my father and I are off to Florida to visit my uncle Sheldon.
Press where to and then type. Do you have an address? Yeah, I do. Okay.
My dad and I meet up at the Fort Lauderdale airport. I flew from New York and my dad from Montreal. My father's all dressed up, wearing a faux suede sports jacket that I've never seen him in. We grab our airport rental and prepare for the two-hour drive to Sheldon. In the 90-degree heat, it's immediately made clear that faux suede might not have been the best fashion choice.
It's like we're on a safari.
On the road to Sheldon's, my father will experience a spectrum of feelings. As we first set out, there's excitement.
You know, my brother was funny in a lot of ways. I could laugh. We're going to have laughs with him. You know what I mean? He's a very funny man.
A half an hour in, and there's bitterness.
We invited him to your bar mitzvah, and he returned a very cold card. Sorry, we will not be attending. It was, you know, so mean. You know what I mean? Even the writing...
An hour in, and how is Buzz feeling?
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