Let's Escape the Dumpster Fire That Is 2018 With a Visit to the Early 2000s

Another year, another group of disappointing It Girls. Nothing has lived up to the golden era of 2000s celebrity gossip, the wild triumvirate of Paris, Lindsay, and Britney. So why not just relive it?

In this recast of DirtCast’s 20th episode, Madeleine Davies interviews Matt, the legendary blogger behind Pop Culture Died in 2009, a collection of Tumblr, Twitter, and Instagram accounts cataloguing the most important moments of a very important decade. For those of us who came of age within in, it’s a delicious dose of déjà voyeurism. Where were you when Paris Hilton went to jail? Can you pinpoint the exact moment you knew Lindsay Lohan was over?(Actually she’s fine—and a “normal, nice person”—now, thanks for asking).

In Pop Culture Died in 2009’s first ever podcast appearance, 19-year-old Matt discusses how he came to know so much about the aughts, considering he was only a child at the time. “Growing up, I was surrounded by that celebrity culture and I think everybody was,” he says. “It was kind of everywhere, whether you were conscious of it or not.”

Not only does Matt hold an impressive amount of gossip in his head, he also has thoughts on why last decade’s celebs were so fascinating—and why today’s are so meh:

Now, a lot of the celebrities, especially Taylor Swift, especially Jennifer Lawrence and Emma Stone and all them, they push off a very relatable image. They want to seem like they’re just like us, that they’re very down-to-earth or whatever… And it’s very artificial, because let’s be real, you’re making millions of dollars, you’re not just like us. But they still try to act like they’re our friend. And what’s the appeal of that?

So let’s escape the dumpster fire that is 2018 with a visit to the 2000s, via this 2017 interview.

DirtCast can be found on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Play, and iHeart Media.

Our show is produced by Levi Sharpe. Mandana Mofidi is our Executive Director of Audio. Our theme music is by Stuart Wood. This episode was mixed by Brad Fisher.