Podcast
Cool People Who Did Cool Stuff
As long as there’s been oppression, there’ve been people fighting it. This weekly podcast dives into history to drag up the wildest rebels, the most beautiful revolts, and all the people who long to be—and fight to be—free. It explores complex stories of resistance that offer lessons and inspiration for us today, focusing on the ensemble casts that make up each act of history. That is to say, this podcast focuses on Cool People Who Did Cool Stuff.
- History chart
- #98
- Episodes
- 602
- Releases
- Twice a week
- Typical length
- 40 min
- On air since
- 2022
- Latest episode
- 1 day ago
Episodes
602 episodes, newest first
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40 min
Part One: The Minnesota 15 and the Repression of Anti-fascism
Show notes
Margaret talks with defendant Isaac Sant about the resistance to ICE in the Twin Cities and federal repression
links referenced:
Alexio fundraiser: https://chuffed.org/project/alexio-mutual-aid
Wired article on HSI spying: https://www.wired.com/story/ice-is-running-one-of-the-largest-anti-left-surveillance-operations-in-us-history/
NYtimes article on Operation Puppet Master: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/13/us/politics/dhs-inquiry-immigration-protests-minnesota.html
Minnesota 15 legal defense fund: https://chuffed.org/project/186570-minnesota-15-legal-defense-fund
The first article to note the correlation between the Northside events and the drop in abductions: https://crimethinc.com/2026/02/23/their-escalation-and-ours-how-the-fight-against-ice-in-the-twin-cities-gained-momentum
Guardian article on nspm-7 defendants union:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/06/trump-protesters-antifa-defendants-unionhttps://prairielanddefendants.com/
https://www.defendmichigan8.org/
See https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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40 min
CZM Book Club: "Persephone, Traveling," by Briar Ripley Page
Show notes
Margaret reads you a comfy, cozy story about a robot colony on the moon, and one robot's journey to find a new home--and have her tarot cards read
See https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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46 min
Part Two: Ben Egerman and the Gay History of Maryland
Show notes
Margaret talks with historian Ben Egerman about his work studying less-trodden queer history
Find Ben's book at: https://redemmas.org/titles/51654-a-gay-little-history-of-maryland-volume-1/
See https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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48 min
Part One: Ben Egerman and the Gay History of Maryland
Show notes
Margaret talks with historian Ben Egerman about his work studying less-trodden queer history
Find Ben's book at: https://redemmas.org/titles/51654-a-gay-little-history-of-maryland-volume-1/
See https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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35 min
CZM Book Club: "The Simulacrum," by Max Turner
Show notes
Margaret and Hazel read you a found documents story about a government experiment gone wrong
See https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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56 min
Part Two: Jim Henson: A Complicated Guy Who Made Stories I Really Like
Show notes
Margaret continues talking to Andrew Ti about the strange hippie who found mainstream success with a message of peace and puppets
Sources:
https://www.gothamcenter.org/blog/bread-and-puppet-theater-in-gotham
https://nypost.com/2021/04/23/the-civil-rights-rebels-that-created-sesame-street/
https://www.henson.com/jimsredbook/page/36/
https://muppet.fandom.com/wiki/Jim_Henson%27s_Memorial
https://www.newsbreak.com/herbie-j-pilato-1590342/4941153104564-the-shocking-racist-history-of-early-sesame-street-lore-a-tragic-look-back-6-decades-later
https://worldmetrics.org/relationship-cheating-statistics/
https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/bert-ernie-are-gay-couple-sesame-street-writer-claims-n910701
Jim Henson, Idea Man
Jim Henson, Brian Jay JonesSee https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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56 min
Part One: Jim Henson: A Complicated Guy Who Made Stories I Really Like
Show notes
Margaret talks to Andrew Ti about the strange hippie who found mainstream success with a message of peace and puppets
Sources:
https://www.gothamcenter.org/blog/bread-and-puppet-theater-in-gotham
https://nypost.com/2021/04/23/the-civil-rights-rebels-that-created-sesame-street/
https://www.henson.com/jimsredbook/page/36/
https://muppet.fandom.com/wiki/Jim_Henson%27s_Memorial
https://www.newsbreak.com/herbie-j-pilato-1590342/4941153104564-the-shocking-racist-history-of-early-sesame-street-lore-a-tragic-look-back-6-decades-later
https://worldmetrics.org/relationship-cheating-statistics/
https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/bert-ernie-are-gay-couple-sesame-street-writer-claims-n910701
Jim Henson, Idea Man
Jim Henson, Brian Jay JonesSee https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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43 min
CZM Book Club: "Ark of Bones," by Henry Dumas with Dr. Treasure Shields Redmond (Part 2)
Show notes
We continue our conversation with Dr. Treasure about Herny Dumas and touch on all sorts of topics from Hoodoo to Fannie Lou Hamer to being mentored by one's father.
See https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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3 min
Introducing: Knowledge Fight Country Trailer
Show notes
Knowledge Fight Country is a platform where Dan Friesen and his guests can chew over the biggest and best ideas being disseminated in right wing media. Through a focus on Alex Jones and figures similar to him, this show will provide a humorous and fun layer on top of discussing the context on why liars lie and how they do it.
Listen here and subscribe to Knowledge Fight Country on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts!
See https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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59 min
Part Two: The Warner Creek Free State: The Camp That Lasted a Year and Won
Show notes
Margaret continues talking with Hazel Robin about the 30th anniversary of the successful fight to save Warner Creek in Oregon
See https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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54 min
Part One: The Warner Creek Free State: The Camp That Lasted a Year and Won
Show notes
Margaret talks with Hazel Robin about the 30th anniversary of the successful fight to save Warner Creek in Oregon
See https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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43 min
CZM Book Club: "Ark of Bones," by Henry Dumas with Dr. Treasure Shields Redmond (Part 1)
Show notes
Dr. Treasure Shields Redmond reads Margaret and Hazel a ghost story about transcendance, legacy and an unearthly river boat, by exalted ancestor Henry Dumas who was murdered by a white cop in 1968.
See https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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40 min
Part Four: Autistici/Inventati and the Fight for the Autonomous Internet
Show notes
Margaret finishes talking to you about the history behind Trump's latest boogieman, the Italian hacktavists who helped free the internet.
Sources:
https://chuffed.org/project/alexio-mutual-aid
https://publish.fid-media.de/server/api/core/bitstreams/f8e99026-0049-4da6-bd2e-1b5a9d84b477/content
https://www.inventati.org/campaign/presshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_State_list_of_Foreign_Terrorist_Organizations
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specially_designated_global_terroristhttps://www.icnl.org/resources/research/ijnl/solving-the-necessity-conundrum-what-the-drug-war-can-teach-us-about-due-process-for-u-s-charities-in-the-fight-against-international-terrorist-financing
https://web.archive.org/web/20160126020743/http://www.jta.org/2009/05/28/news-opinion/united-states/holy-land-founders-get-life-sentences
https://scalawagmagazine.org/2025/08/palestinian-political-prisoner-shukri-abu-bakers-poetry-book-debuts-in-houston/
https://anarchistnews.org/content/go-forth-and-multiply-may-10-100-1000-servers-spark
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/12/newsid_3953000/3953999.stm
https://libcom.org/article/1969-strategy-tension-italy
https://libcom.org/article/giuseppe-pinelli-death-anarchist
https://files.libcom.org/files/Secrets-and-Bombs.pdf
https://www.nytimes.com/1990/11/16/world/evolution-in-europe-italy-discloses-its-web-of-cold-war-guerrillas.html
https://theconversation.com/looking-back-at-1992-italys-horrible-year-66739
https://theconversation.com/looking-back-at-1992-italys-horrible-year-66739
https://ricerca.repubblica.it/repubblica/archivio/repubblica/2001/07/22/carlo-una-vita-contro.html
https://blog.pmpress.org/2026/07/20/a-letter-to-carlo-giuliani/See https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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40 min
Part Three: Autistici/Inventati and the Fight for the Autonomous Internet
Show notes
This week, Margaret continues talking to you about the history behind Trump's latest boogieman, the Italian hacktavists who helped free the internet.
Sources:
https://chuffed.org/project/alexio-mutual-aid
https://publish.fid-media.de/server/api/core/bitstreams/f8e99026-0049-4da6-bd2e-1b5a9d84b477/content
https://www.inventati.org/campaign/presshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_State_list_of_Foreign_Terrorist_Organizations
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specially_designated_global_terroristhttps://www.icnl.org/resources/research/ijnl/solving-the-necessity-conundrum-what-the-drug-war-can-teach-us-about-due-process-for-u-s-charities-in-the-fight-against-international-terrorist-financing
https://web.archive.org/web/20160126020743/http://www.jta.org/2009/05/28/news-opinion/united-states/holy-land-founders-get-life-sentences
https://scalawagmagazine.org/2025/08/palestinian-political-prisoner-shukri-abu-bakers-poetry-book-debuts-in-houston/
https://anarchistnews.org/content/go-forth-and-multiply-may-10-100-1000-servers-spark
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/12/newsid_3953000/3953999.stm
https://libcom.org/article/1969-strategy-tension-italy
https://libcom.org/article/giuseppe-pinelli-death-anarchist
https://files.libcom.org/files/Secrets-and-Bombs.pdf
https://www.nytimes.com/1990/11/16/world/evolution-in-europe-italy-discloses-its-web-of-cold-war-guerrillas.htmlSee https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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42 min
CZM Book Club: "The Devil Lives Here," by Margaret Killjoy
Show notes
Margaret kicks off spooky month by sharing a spooky story of her own about a haunted cave and the 90s teens who get lost in it
See https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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39 min
Part Two: Autistici/Inventati and the Fight for the Autonomous Internet
Show notes
Margaret talks to you about the US's long history of intervention in Italian politics.
Sources:
https://chuffed.org/project/alexio-mutual-aid
https://publish.fid-media.de/server/api/core/bitstreams/f8e99026-0049-4da6-bd2e-1b5a9d84b477/content
https://www.inventati.org/campaign/presshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_State_list_of_Foreign_Terrorist_Organizations
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specially_designated_global_terroristhttps://www.icnl.org/resources/research/ijnl/solving-the-necessity-conundrum-what-the-drug-war-can-teach-us-about-due-process-for-u-s-charities-in-the-fight-against-international-terrorist-financing
https://web.archive.org/web/20160126020743/http://www.jta.org/2009/05/28/news-opinion/united-states/holy-land-founders-get-life-sentences
https://scalawagmagazine.org/2025/08/palestinian-political-prisoner-shukri-abu-bakers-poetry-book-debuts-in-houston/
https://anarchistnews.org/content/go-forth-and-multiply-may-10-100-1000-servers-spark
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/12/newsid_3953000/3953999.stm
https://libcom.org/article/1969-strategy-tension-italy
https://libcom.org/article/giuseppe-pinelli-death-anarchist
https://files.libcom.org/files/Secrets-and-Bombs.pdf
https://www.nytimes.com/1990/11/16/world/evolution-in-europe-italy-discloses-its-web-of-cold-war-guerrillas.htmlSee https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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1 hr 9 min
CZM Rewind: Part Two: The Newsies on Strike: Soaking Scabs and Taking Names
Show notes
In part two of this week's episode, Margaret continues her conversation with writer and podcast host Andrew Ti about how an informal union of children shut down the nation’s biggest newspapers and won their rights.
Original Air Date: 6.21.2023
See https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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40 min
CZM Book Club Presents: Stories from "Black Box," by Mata Kastrisiou and translated by Kostas Kaltsas
Show notes
Margaret reads you 4 very short, dream like stories from a collection by a Greek author
See https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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1 hr 9 min
CZM Rewind: Part One: The Newsies on Strike: Soaking Scabs and Taking Names
Show notes
Margaret talks with writer and podcast host Andrew Ti about how an informal union of children shut down the nation’s biggest newspapers and won their rights.
Original Air Date: 6.19.2023
See https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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38 min
Part One: Autistici/Inventati and the Fight for the Autonomous Internet
Show notes
Margaret talks to you about Trump's latest boogieman, the Italian hacktavists who helped free the internet
Sources:
https://publish.fid-media.de/server/api/core/bitstreams/f8e99026-0049-4da6-bd2e-1b5a9d84b477/content
https://www.inventati.org/campaign/press
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_State_list_of_Foreign_Terrorist_Organizations
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specially_designated_global_terrorist
https://www.icnl.org/resources/research/ijnl/solving-the-necessity-conundrum-what-the-drug-war-can-teach-us-about-due-process-for-u-s-charities-in-the-fight-against-international-terrorist-financing
https://web.archive.org/web/20160126020743/http://www.jta.org/2009/05/28/news-opinion/united-states/holy-land-founders-get-life-sentences
https://scalawagmagazine.org/2025/08/palestinian-political-prisoner-shukri-abu-bakers-poetry-book-debuts-in-houston/
https://anarchistnews.org/content/go-forth-and-multiply-may-10-100-1000-servers-sparkSee https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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