I first knew TracingWoodgrains as an anonymous internet avatar.
He was a producer on the excellent Blocked and Reported podcast, where the hosts, Jesse Singal and Katie Herzog had a running bit where they poke fun at him for being a furry.
But Trace also helped them break some of their wildest and most hilarious internet culture stories.
Since then he’s made a name for himself as a thinker in his own right. I think you’ll see why I was fascinated to speak to him in person at the Substack office.1
We cover a lot of ground.
How to ask your commander in the military if you can be a pseudonymous producer on a controversial podcast
Why Trace left mormonism, what he believes now, and why he’s still too pro-Mormon for the ex-mormons of Reddit
Why internet drama is not as trivial as it sounds, and deserves serious reporting
Substack’s place in the culture
Our Sci-Fi influences
How Trace, on “an incredibly petty bet” ran circles around the entire right wing media.
Wading into a Twitter slapfight between Will Stancil and Steve Sailer
The shocking facts behind the air traffic controller story.
Thanks Cara Best for the music. Be sure to subscribe to Trace’s Substack
Sorry for the video/audio issues. Recording in person was trickier than expected.
