STORIES by Lea Thau

From ripping off record stores all over town to partying with Bill Murray and Basquiat, Frank’s wild ride through the scenes of New York City in the late 1970s and 80s continues in this third and final story of the Frank Damico trilogy. If you haven’t heard Episode 1 or Episode 2 yet, we recommend listening in order.If you’d like to see photos from today’s episode, check out our posts on Substack and Patreon and sign up FOR FREE on either platform to receive our newsletter and join our: Summer of Strangers - Series DebriefSunday, November 811:30am PT12:30pm MT1:30pm CT2:30pm ET7:30pm GMT20:30 CET6:30am AEDT (Mon)A ‘Debrief’ is part Q&A, part discussion, where you can bring all your questions and comments about an episode or a series, in this case, our Summer of Strangers.The next episode inthis series drops on November 12, and then the series rolls out weekly from there. For my paying subscribers on Patreon and Substack , we’ll be dropping four bonus episodes over the next two weeks, and it’s a great time to become a paying subscriber, because we’re running a 20% sale on all the tiers right now, and I’ve just started a monthly storytelling workshop, which is included with the $19 tier, so for less than $20 per month, you can join my Tell Your Story workshop and also unlock more than 100 bonus episodes and much more. Membership starts at $5 on Patreon. And a heads-up that I’ve reorganized your podcast feed to be sorted by seasons, so the Summer of Strangers is now its own season – the previous one – and the Frank trilogy marks the beginning of a new one, The Way Back. Frank Damico is a writer, performer, storyteller and visual artist. He wrote and starred in the solo shows First Kill and The Severity of My Solitude, and he’s appeared on stages all over New York City and beyond. He was a frequent host and storyteller in the early days of The Moth, and he co-created The Moth’s community outreach program with me, Lea, and ran the program for seven years, bringing the power of storytelling to thousands of underserved and vulnerable individuals. Frank lives in the Hudson Valley with his dog Ramone. You can follow him on Facebook where he regularly shares his writings.A very special thanks to Pernille Clifforth, who has created original art for every episode of this series. You can check out and buy her work here.Thank you to my love Paul Dreux Smith for making the music and mixing this episode, and to Christina Thyssen and Richard Bailey for being my editors on The Way Back. Also big thanks to my associate producer, Vix Jensen and our production volunteers, Aviva Barry and Jen Alevizos.This Frank trilogy kicks off our new series, The Way Back. It continues next week. Let us know what you think by leaving a comment, or emailing us at [email protected]. We’re also on Facebook and Instagram.The entire back catalogue of Strangers can be found at STORIES by Lea Thau on Patreon and Substack, where you can also find my new work in its entirety, all of it ad-free. You can join as a free or paid member, so come be part of my community! Or follow my new work in my new public feed, STORIES by Lea Thau, which you can find wherever you get your podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the infamous year 1977 – the year New York City went bankrupt and the serial killer Son of Sam reigned – Frank moved to the city with his friends, started a band, and got a job at CBGB, rubbing elbows with Blondie, Talking Heads, the Ramones. But would he survive the year out?This episode can be enjoyed on its own, but if you missed Part 1 of Frank's story, we recommend listening to that before you hear this.If you’d like to see the photos that go with this episode, you can find them on Patreon and Substack, FREE, without a membership. If you’d like to support my work, you can also sign up to be a paying subcriber and access ad-free, premium content. We’d love to have you.Frank Damico is a writer, performer, storyteller and visual artist. He wrote and starred in the solo shows First Kill and The Severity of My Solitude, and he’s appeared on stages all over New York City and beyond. He was a frequent host and storyteller in the early days of The Moth, and he co-created The Moth’s community outreach program with me and ran the program for seven years, bringing the power of storytelling to thousands of underserved and vulnerable individuals. Frank has also taught poetry and storytelling with Poets & Writers and other groups, and he lives in the Hudson Valley with his dog Ramone. You can follow him on Facebook where he regularly shares his writings.Huge gratitude also to our resident artist Pernille Clifforth who has beautifully illustrated every episode of this series.Also big thank you to Paul Dreux Smith for making the music and mixing this episode. Big thanks to Christina Thyssen for being my story editor for The Way Back, and to my associate producer, Vix Jensen, as well as our production volunteers, Aviva Barry and Jen Alevizos.We'd love to hear from you by email at [email protected] and you can find us on Instagram and Facebook or leave a review here in your podcast app!The entire back catalogue of Strangers can be found at STORIES by Lea Thau on Patreon and Substack, where you can also find my new work in its entirety, all of it ad-free. You can join as a free or paid member, so come be part of my community! Or follow my new work in my new public feed, STORIES by Lea Thau, which you can find wherever you get your podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

He's had more lives than an alley cat and he's lived to tell the tales. He also happens to be my ex-husband, and he's taught me more about storytelling than anyone I know. Meet Frank Damico. This is Part 1 about his extraordinary life. It's also the first episode in our new series, The Way Back. Enjoy!If you'd like to see photos that go with this episode, you can find them on Substack and Patreon – posts are free to view, even if the ad-free, PREMIUM version of the audio won't be playable unless you become a paying subscriber, which you're welcome to do, of course, or you can sign p for our free newsletter, or simply check out the photos. Frank Damico is a writer, performer, storyteller and visual artist. He wrote and starred in the solo shows First Kill and The Severity of My Solitude, and he’s appeared on stages all over New York City and beyond. He was a frequent host and storyteller in the early days of The Moth, and he co-created The Moth’s community outreach program with me and ran the program for seven years, bringing the power of storytelling to thousands of underserved and vulnerable individuals. Frank has also taught poetry and storytelling with Poets & Writers and other groups, and he lives in the Hudson Valley with his dog Ramone. You can follow him on Facebook where he regularly shares his writings.Big thanks to my husband, Paul Dreux Smith, for making the music and mixing, and for being man enough and trusting me enough to let me do a story with an ex:)Huge thanks to Pernille Clifforth for illustrating this episode and the entire series. Deep gratitude to Christina Thyssen for being my story editor on this series, and to my associate producer, Vix Jensen, and our production volunteers, Aviva Barry and Jen Alevizos. And thanks to all of YOU for listening. We welcome your feedback at [email protected] us on Instagram and Facebook. The entire back catalogue of Strangers can be found at STORIES by Lea Thau on Patreon and Substack, where you can also find my new work in its entirety, all of it ad-free. You can join as a free or paid member, so come be part of my community! Or follow my new work in my new public feed, STORIES by Lea Thau, which you can find wherever you get your podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our new series The Way Back starts tomorrow. Here's a little teaser. Series art by Pernille Clifforth. Love,Lea & TeamThe entire back catalogue of Strangers can be found at STORIES by Lea Thau on Patreon and Substack, where you can also find my new work in its entirety, all of it ad-free. You can join as a free or paid member, so come be part of my community! Or follow my new work in my new public feed, STORIES by Lea Thau, which you can find wherever you get your podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Xyla Foxlin started flying as a teenager. By her twenties, she was piloting her own plane and building another from scratch. But when a private health crisis went public, she wound up in a battle with the FAA that could ground her for good.Today we're bringing you this fantastic story from the podcast The Longest Shortest Time with Hillary Frank, which you should go subscribe to. And please check out Hillary's original audiobook, Wedlocked, a feminist thriller that I think you'll like. It comes out on October 20, but you can pre-order it here and you're in for a treat!A heads up: this episode contains a reference to suicidal ideation. If you or someone you know is struggling, dial 988 in the U.S. or Canada. Hillary Frank is the creator and host of The Longest Shortest Time, a podcast that tells surprising stories about parenthood and women’s health, named one of TIME's 100 Best Podcasts of All Time. She also created Here Lies Me, a critically acclaimed fiction podcast about middle school featuring Michael Chernus, June Diane Raphael, Rob Huebel, and W. Kamau Bell. Hillary got her start in public radio, filing stories for This American Life, All Things Considered, Morning Edition, Marketplace, and Studio 360, and her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Vox, and CNN.com. She is also the author and illustrator of three young adult novels and Weird Parenting Wins, a collection of essays and unusual yet effective parenting hacks. You can follow Hillary and the podcast on Instagram. Her latest novel, Wedlocked, a feminist thriller, comes out on October 20 and you can pre-order it here.Xyla Foxlin is a mechatronics engineer, pilot, and creator whose work at the intersection of engineering and storytelling has reshaped how technical subjects reach mass audiences. With a BSE from Case Western Reserve University, her YouTube channel spans high-power rockets, custom camper builds, composite fabrication, math and physics explanations, boatbuilding, and the full-scale construction of an experimental aircraft of which she will be the test pilot. Foxlin has also emerged as a national voice for pilot mental health. After losing her FAA medical for seeking therapy, she led a campaign challenging regulations that deter aviators from seeking medical care. Following the release of her video "The FAA is in Crisis”, over 3,300 messages to 442 legislators were delivered. The Mental Health in Aviation Act was introduced in the House in April 2025, and was introduced into the Senate in November 2025.Big thanks to Hillary for letting us feature this great story. You can find many more episodes of The Longest Shortest Time wherever you get your podcasts, or become a member of The Longest Shortest Time Club, for community, ad-free listening, and access to another podcast in the Longest Shortest universe, called You Know What.We're back next week with the first episode of our series called The Way Back, which we can't wait to share with you. The entire back catalogue of Strangers can be found at STORIES by Lea Thau on Patreon and Substack, where you can also find my new work in its entirety, all of it ad-free. You can join as a free or paid member, so come be part of my community! Or follow my new work in my new public feed, STORIES by Lea Thau, which you can find wherever you get your podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.