Welcome back to Phone a Snake, the world's greatest hotline, where you call in with your unpopular opinions and we roast them, agree, or debate. In today's episode, we're Patient Zeroing in on Taylor Swift's new deluxe version of The Life of a Showgirl. It's titled "The Encore" and we sure hope that means this is the end of the road for the era...on the agenda today: is this just boring millennial pop for white women? Is the songwriting lazy? Will The Encore hurt Taylor's legacy? Why is Debut TV getting paid dust? Cleveland is camp, and more...enjoy!

With the addition of Showgirl: The Encore, we now have four new deluxe tracks to add into the canon of Taylor Swift songs that didn't make it to the album, but aren't one off singles or vault songs. We were inspired by Billboard's uninspired ranking of the same material, to give the Swiftie perspective on how these new songs rank compared to their sisters, while taking a walk down memory lane. Enjoy! 

Here we are again...at the most culturally irrelevant pop culture awards show! This year's VMA was, unsurprisingly, a snooze fest. And yet it was the highest rated show in years. Go figure. We get into all the winners and snubbed divas of the evening, including: Lisa, Madonna, Slayyyter, Pink Pantheress, Zara Larsson...and of course, a review and reaction to Taylor Swift's new music video for Patient Zero. Enjoy! 

GET EXCLUSIVE BONUS CONTENT ONLY ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/swiftologistWell, here we are again. Taylor Swift has released the deluxe version of The Life of a Showgirl, called The Encore, and we’re here to decode it for you. Four new tracks: Patient Zero, Pink Clouding, Cleveland!, and Babylon have entered the canon and we have thoughts about all of it: from the male-centered allegations, to the bizarre tone of…anger…and the desire to clap back at the haters, both real and imagined. We are always keeping it real.

WE WILL BE UPDATING IN REAL TIME ON SHOWGIRL: THE ENCORE ONLY ON PATREON! https://www.patreon.com/swiftologist The vault tracks have been one of the most special gifts that Taylor Swift has ever bestowed upon us, her fans. However. Are they all created equally? We're taking the magnifying glass to each and every vault track in the discography: from Fearless all the way until 1989, and deciding who the REAL divas are. Foolish One, you'll always be famous. Don't You...start running. 

This week on Evolution of a Snake we're doing the FULL autopsy of The Diva at the VMAs. From baby yeehaw Taylor on correspondent duty in 2008 to Kanye grabbing that mic in 2009 and rewiring her entire career, the painfully passive-aggressive Innocent era in 2010, the Red bangs relaunch in 2012, the Harry Styles revenge speech in 2013, that CURSED Shake It Off performance in 2014, the Nicki Minaj feud and Bad Blood sweep in 2015, the Lover overload in 2019, hijacking the show to announce Midnights in 2022, all the way to becoming the most decorated artist in VMA history in 2024. What awaits us in 2026?!

Every pop career looks inevitable in hindsight, and Taylor Swift's more than anyone's. Except almost none of it was. In this episode, we revisit Taylor Swift’s true sliding door moments (we like to call it the butterfly effect) where one different call could’ve altered her entire legacy. The breakups, album rollouts, feuds…we address all of it! Thankfully for Taylor, nearly every terrible thing that’s happened to her has only gone on to fuel the machine she is now. There’s no snake without the phone call from Kanye West and the posting of it by Kim Kardashian, so then there’s no reputation without the snake…you see how it goes! 

We’re putting our minds together to analyze every scrap of detail and information Taylor Swift has given in this ICONIC Grammy’s interview. After a week of investigating, we’re ready to share our conclusions which are: DEBUT (TAYLOR’S VERSION) IS COMING!! And a potential, wider return to country music is most certainly on the cards. 

7 years ago, Taylor Swift released what we assumed was the low quality of her career: a sprawling, twinkly, bleep-blooping record with an expansive thesis statement. This is all about everything that I love…from my boyfriend, Joe Alwyn, who won’t talk to me, to my mother, to my friends, to the gays, and also one thing I really hate: the political climate. Taylor’s turn towards “activism” made for some humiliating marketing faux pas with ME!, You Need To Calm Down, and Only The Young…but there’s PLENTY to admire here. Has anyone heard of a little song called CRUEL SUMMER? 

GET WEEKLY BONUS EPISODES ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/swiftologist In 2014, TIME put Taylor Swift on the cover and asked her about feminism, business, and the growing Girlboss empire she was engineering. This week we're reading The Power of Taylor Swift through 2026 eyes: her #THISISWHATAFEMINISTLOOKSLIKE era, 1989, and her move to New York City. This is lowkey the moment where she learned to make her life a product in a totally different way. Welcome back to TayRewind!

JOIN US FOR WEEKLY BONUS EPISODES ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/swiftologist MANY years before All Too Well (10 Minute Version)  broke the internet, Taylor Swift spent three months dating Jake Gyllenhaal...and upon reflection, we'd argue it's the single most important relationship of her career, creatively.  We rebuild the 2010 timeline: the sudden PDA, the tabloid ambush, the age-gap commentary, and the decade it took for the fallout to turn into a ten-minute song. There are also many TERRIFYING paralels to another intense 3 month situationship...so, if you've ever wondered how a short-lived 2010 romance became the emotional backbone of an entire album, the bone collectors are here with every receipt.

We opened the hotline for your most unpopular opinions on the new Gracie Abrams, Ariana Grande, and Charli XCX records, and you did not hold back. We're getting into why "gifted songwriter" might be the most overused compliment in pop right now, whether Ariana's era is giving main pop girl or giving cosplay, and the uncomfortable stat that Charli XCX got outsold by Morgan Wallen. This was a truly LOCA episode!! But the townspeople have spoken...

GO TO https://www.patreon.com/swiftologist FOR THE FULL SHOW! This is a full segment from our sold-out live show, where we unpack one of the most fascinating and divisive pop culture moments of 2025: The Life of a Showgirl, live from Dynasty Typewriter in Los Angeles. Far beyond a simple album review, this is a conversation about the entire era—how the rollout unfolded, the internet discourse that shaped its reception, allegations of astroturfing, the engagement to Travis Kelce and its influence on the public narrative, the expectations placed on one of the world's biggest stars, and what this chapter might mean for what's next. AND, how it felt to experience all of this as not only swifties, but content creators. Our live shows have always been about creating space for thoughtful criticism, nuance, and disagreement. Whether you loved The Life of a Showgirl, hated it, or are still figuring out how you feel, we hope this conversation offers a perspective that goes beyond the headlines and the algorithms.

JOIN US ON PATREON FOR WEEKLY BONUS EPISODES: https://www.patreon.com/swiftologist  Six years ago, Taylor Swift released folklore with no warning, no singles campaign, and no promo tour. Just 16 songs that changed the conversation around her music forever. One could argue there would be no second wind in her career without it. Is this her creative peak? We revisit the album in full to discuss. Happy folkloreversary to those who celebrate! 

Welcome back to another episode of TayRewind where we dive into the lost lore of Taylor Swift’s past and recontextualize it today!  In 2015, Taylor Swift sat down for one of the most revealing interviews of her career…and then never did anything like it again. This is the GQ interview where she admitted she planted a rumor about Bad Blood, told us exactly how she thinks about her career and image, and said out loud that yes, she IS calculating. There’s major tea on the label battles she faced with 1989, how the 2013 internet hate campaign broke something in her, right on the precipice of Snakegate. It’s the last time she’s let a journalist interpret her like this, so of course we’re diving in….JOIN US ON PATREON FOR WEEKLY BONUS EPISODES: https://www.patreon.com/swiftologist 

Taylor Swift got married at Madison Square Garden and, somehow, the AMC CEO became our main correspondent for the “wedding of the century.” In this episode, we piece together the night from leaks, fan videos, and unhinged eyewitnesses: the peach-draped entryway and TT logo, the fake “garden” inside an arena, Taylor walking a bridge to a Love Story string arrangement, Adam Sandler officiating and allegedly singing, Paul McCartney and Stevie Nicks performing, and a thousand-person guest list that feels half fairytale, half corporate retreat. We get into who was there (Simone Biles, Fergie, Selena, Gigi, Eras Tour crew), who conspicuously wasn’t (Blake, Phoebe, Lorde, Lana, Ice Spice), and what that says about power, PR, and who actually wants to be folded into the Tayvis storyline. We also talk about those 20-minute vows and the room in tears, the parasocial high of watching Taylor finally get married, and the ethics of a wedding that’s also a brand activation—plus the Swifties outside MSG in a heat wave, singing to blank walls and scrambling for leftover pastries like subway RATS! JOIN US ON PATREON FOR WEEKLY BONUS EPISODES: https://www.patreon.com/swiftologist 

Welcome back to another episode of fashion commentary from two unfashionistas. We're breaking down every major Taylor Swift look of the year so far: the gold pelated gown, the sultry silk moment with Travis in London, her Toy Story extravaganza, the Songwriters Hall of Fame Slay, and the theme of this year is giving one thing very clearly....I'M GETTING MARRIED! Join us on Patreon for weekly bonus episodes: https://www.patreon.com/swiftologist 

You seem pretty insane for an audience so well fed. Welcome back to Phone a Snake, our monthly call-in segment where you get to torture us. Today's takes include: Taylor Swift being Olivia's Kanye, Dan Nigro getting fired, and Sour being more complex than you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love. We agreed on some. We fought most. You know the drill...enjoy!The only way you can call in is to JOIN US ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/swiftologist

Taylor Swift just gave the most revealing speech of her career. Naturally, we had to spend an hour talking about it. On June 11, 2026, Taylor became the youngest woman ever inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame at just 36 years old. Not only is it a massive career milestone, but the speech itself felt unusually personal, reflective, and intentional.This week, we're going through it line by line: why she chose Steven Spielberg to introduce her, what that choice says about the way she views her own work, the Kate Capshaw quote that quietly unlocks a lot of Taylor's artistic philosophy, her surprisingly direct comments about creativity in an increasingly data-driven music industry, and the emotional moment she thanked her family for betting everything on a move to Nashville.More than an acceptance speech, this felt like Taylor taking stock of the road behind her and making a case for the legacy she hopes to leave behind.

Is “I Knew It, I Knew You” Taylor Swift’s best movie song yet… or are we all just Pixar‑brained right now? In this week’s Taylor Talk, we’re ranking Taylor’s soundtrack canon from “Safe & Sound” to “Carolina” to Toy Story 5, figuring out what actually makes a Swift song cinematic, and deciding where “I Knew It, I Knew You” lands on the Unhinged to EGOT clearing spectrum. Enjoy!Use our code for 10% off your next SeatGeek order*: https://seatgeek.onelink.me/RrnK/SNAKE10 Sponsored by SeatGeek. *Restrictions apply. Max $25 discount