For our 20th episode, The Finest team reflects on our season so far — the episodes that made the biggest impact, what still lingers with us months later and a taste of the gems left on the cutting-room floor. From Our Lady of Guadalupe to birding and romantasy books, we revisit comments from fans (and critics) and how these stories continue to resonate. Julia and Anthony also share a quick list of our favorite things in San Diego right now, from soup dumplings to hidden trails. Plus, we call up one of our first guests, indie musician Julianna Zachariou, to reflect on her experience over the past six months after a clip of our interview went viral on social media. What does it mean when a million people hear a piece of your story?
" I had never had anything with that much reach. It felt necessary and helpful, and a lot of people found it to be helpful," Julianna said. "I also wish that the thing that had taken off was something I had made and not how much I had made off of a thing that I had made."
In this episode, we dig deeper into some of the stories we've shared recently, explore how listeners have reacted and take a behind-the-scenes look with The Finest crew.
Guests:
- Julianna Zachariou, indie musician
Our current favorite San Diego things:
- Best Bud Floral
- Home Ec
- Bud Kearns Memorial Pool
- An's Electronics Repair
- Tasty Noodle House
- Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve
- Yipao Coffee Roasters
The Finest episodes discussed:
- Spotify is changing, so one indie artist is advocating for fairness in a stream-heavy world — Episode featuring Julianna Zachariou, journalist Liz Pelly and a deep dive into the economics of streaming
- Making it in music: How do you create a local music scene in a 'superstar economy'? — Episode featuring musician Shua and a look at building a local music scene in a superstar economy
- Romantasy rising: How a dismissed book genre became a publishing powerhouse — Episode exploring the incredible growth of the romantasy genre
- Worn, painted, reimagined: The power and complexity of Ou
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