My Summer Lair: Pop Culture Sammy Style!
So, I’ll let Sammy Younan, the creator/host of My Summer Lair (MSL), describe his show: “Think of it as a crossover experience between Kevin Smith’s nerdy sarcasm and NPR’s Fresh Air enthusiasm.
“From Batman to basketball, hip hop to horror, science fiction to stand up, I (as your host) relish connecting the dots; slowly discovering how creativity ripples through realms. It’s all connected.”
His infectious curiosity and engaging style make each chapter of My Summer Lair a captivating experience.
If you thought Sammy’s description of his show was slightly eccentric, bordering on the outlandish, see what you think when Sammy describes his background: “Mr. Rogers thinks I’m special, but he doesn’t seem to grade on a curve. I believe ninjas are cooler than cowboys. I think it’s strange for all his technological acumen, it’s bizarre that visionary director James Cameron believes the only way to time travel is naked. And speaking of naked I can’t stand pants: #DownWithPants.”
That’s not all. Sammy continues: “I’m also the left-handed author of Red Letter Nights. And my writing has been in the National Post, USA Today, and other outlets. I get occasionally geeky on AM 640 translating nerd to English for the radio listeners.”
Each MSL episode explores the creative universes of filmmakers, comedians, writers, musicians and other imaginative humans who make our world weirder and wildly wonderful.
While some pop culture shows can be more like gossipy gabfests, My Summer Lair is thoughtful and curious, with Sammy’s good-natured, easy-going style finding that right balance between frivolous and self-importance.
Sammy tells us: “My Summer Lair is like if Comic-Con had a pop culture curious baby. Often, the best pop culture is how we travel across worlds without ever leaving the couch. (Which is great because that means you don’t hafta wear pants! #DownWithPants).”
On the show, Sammy conducts meandering yet fascinating deep-dive interviews exploring the creative universes of filmmakers, authors, comedians, musicians, and pop-culture creators. There’s no out of bounds here. Sammy covers movies, comic books, television, basketball, music, and science fiction. As a fighter, I don’t think Sammy has a chance against Joe Rogan. As an interviewer, I’ll take Sammy every time.
The origin story of My Summer Lair may be one of the most unusual stories in the industry. Here’s Sammy to explain: “One night, I sat down with a friend, Alex, who owned the Pacific Junction Hotel bar on King East in downtown Toronto. Over drinks, he made a surreal Godfather offer I couldn’t refuse: ‘Sammy, I’m thinking of turning a corner of the bar into a podcast studio. If I renovate this space, would you host your interviews and bring other podcasters in.’ Alex did build it and freely offered me that podcast studio in the bar.”
Sammy credits the studio / bar with the “single-malt ambience” of his show. “That dynamic bar environment became a compelling foundation for My Summer Lair. Guests could chill with an adult beverage while we recorded. Which, for established creators used to traditional media — real radio stations and TV studios — to come in and drink felt wonderfully relaxed. Though…sometimes a bit too relaxed. Some guests would get into the free liquor and their answers became too honest. I suppose that’s one podcast pro tip nobody really shares.”
Sammy also credits his artist, Stephanie Cole for her artwork, saying, “Stephanie Cole is why I look so good visually — she’s the catalyst for My Summer Lair’s visual identity, and she gets me one step closer to cool. Which helps, because the Internet is basically ‘The Emptiness Machine.’”
Some of my favorite episodes include the April show talking to Reese Eveneshen, the producer and editor of Heather O’Rourke: She Was Here. Heather O’Rourke was an American child actress best known for starring as the psychic youngster Carol Anne Freeling in the classic supernatural horror film Poltergeist (1982). Discovered at age five by director Steven Spielberg, she became famous for the iconic line, “They’re heeeere.” Tragically, she died at 12 years old from a congenital stenosis of the intestine.
In another episode in which Sammy interviews actors from Starfleet Academy on Paramount Plus, Sammy goes where no host has gone before, dissecting the strengths and weaknesses of the Star Trek franchise.
Sammy tell us: “You gotta know your style. Every episode is kind of like a first date. It doesn’t matter who the guest is. You want them to feel comfortable and to open up. Hear how they tell stories. Maybe share a secret or two. Do the thing with the slo-mo hair flip. For an interview show like My Summer Lair, a good ‘first date’ is magic. That magic…that curiosity and that fun is what keeps me going.”
Sammy has had plenty of practice with his show, releasing more than 350 episodes. Although Sammy is a unique and wildly creative character, he knows how to construct a solid podcast episode. There’s some nice brassy music in the beginning, then Sammy introduces the show, an interview that is tight and concise, and then some of Sammy’s erudite thoughts on pop culture artistry, or lack thereof.
As I wrote at the beginning of this article, there are so many pop culture podcasts that it is difficult to distinguish between them.
Not so with My Summer Lair (MSL). After 350 episodes, Sammy Younan still brings it every show. His style approximates that of a unicorn — so one-of-a-kind that you’re not sure it’s real. While his interviewing style is poolside cool, his knowledge of pop culture is extensive, and his analysis of trends, fads, and directional shifts is both scholarly and approachable.
My Summer Lair (MSL) is now my new favorite pop culture podcast. As I said during our interview, “Play it again, Sammy.”