OUR RATING:
Where Ghosts Meet Serial Killers and Everyone Needs Therapy
The “And That’s Why We Drink,” podcast is a show that perfectly captures the modern millennial experience of dealing with existential dread by consuming true crime content while buzzed on wine and making jokes about trauma. Hosted by Em Schulz and Christine Schiefer, this podcast is what happens when you take two people who clearly cope with the horrors of existence through humour and give them a platform to share their favorite ghost stories and murder tales with the rest of us emotionally damaged individuals who find comfort in other people’s misery.
Em Schulz brings the paranormal expertise, which is a fancy way of saying they spent an unhealthy amount of time researching things that go bump in the night. Their ability to make ghostly encounters sound both terrifying and ridiculous is a special talent that requires years of practice and probably several different types of therapy. Em’s storytelling style is akin to having a friend who’s convinced their apartment is haunted but somehow makes it sound fun rather than concerning.
Christine Schiefer handles the true crime portion. Christine approaches serial killers and murderers with the kind of casual familiarity that would be alarming if it weren’t so entertaining, delivering tales of human depravity with the same energy most people reserve for discussing their weekend plans. Her ability to find humour in the darkest corners of human behaviour is either a remarkable coping mechanism or a sign that she should probably be on some kind of watchlist. Just kidding, of-course.
The show takes turns telling spooky stories and murder tales while the hosts are getting progressively more intoxicated, then punctuates the evening with the kind of tangents that only make sense when you’re three drinks in and discussing whether ghosts can use smartphones. It’s structured chaos at its finest, with each episode feeling like you’re eavesdropping on a conversation between two people who have completely given up on pretending to be well-adjusted adults. The drinking aspect isn’t just a gimmick, it’s a necessary coping mechanism for the amount of human suffering they voluntarily consume for entertainment.
Podcasts like this are made particularly addictive because they somehow manage to make disturbing content feel like comfort food for your ears. It’s validation that you’re not the only person whose idea of relaxation involves learning about historical torture methods while eating takeout in your pajamas.
The chemistry between Em and Christine is what elevates the show from merely entertaining to endearing. They’ve figured out the art of the supportive best friend dynamic, complete with inside jokes, mutual enabling of each other’s worst habits, and unconditional acceptance that makes you wish you had friends who would enthusiastically listen to your conspiracy theories about workplace haunts. Their banter feels natural, like you’re listening to people who actually get on, rather than hosts who are contractually obligated to pretend to be friends.
The show also functions as a guide to modern anxiety management, demonstrating that sometimes the best way to deal with the terrifying uncertainty of existence is to voluntarily consume stories about things that are objectively worse than your daily problems. Can’t sleep because you’re worried about your job? Listen to a story about someone who got murdered in their sleep. Wait, that probably won’t help. Feeling anxious about social situations? Here’s a tale about a ghost who’s been dead for 200 years and still has better social skills than you do. It’s exposure therapy for the emotionally exhausted.
“And That’s Why We Drink” manages to create a sense of community around shared morbid curiosity and the universal need to laugh at inappropriate times. This podcast creates a safe space for people who understand that sometimes the best way to process the darkness in the world is to gather around it with friends and make jokes until it becomes manageable. It’s a type of group therapy, and for a surprisingly large amount of people, it works.
Where to listen to And That’s Why We Drink
Episodes.fm | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Overcast | Pocket Casts | Castro
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