Time Crisis with Ezra Koenig


Time Crisis is a fortnightly internet radio show hosted by Ezra Koenig and Jake Longstreth. The show began airing on July 12, 2015 on Apple Music's radio service, Beats 1. The show covers a variety of topics, such as politics, corporate food history, 1970s rock music, city living, as well as frequently analyzing the latest in contemporary pop music by contrasting it with music released in another era. In addition to Koenig, a variety of guest hosts have appeared over the show's history, including Jonah Hill, Rashida Jones and Jamie Foxx. Since 2017, Koenig is accompanied by co-host Jake Longstreth, who regularly describes his love for the "tasteful palette" of early 1970s classic rock, plus music from the Grateful Dead, Ween and Guided by Voices.
Time Crisis premiered airing every other Sunday at 12pm. In March 2020, it briefly switched to a weekly schedule due to the rise of remote workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The bi-weekly schedule resumed in June. On April 16, 2022, the show’s time slot was permanently moved to every other Saturday at 3pm. So far, over 200 episodes have been broadcast, and the show is currently in its eleventh season.

Format and segments

The show follows a general format each episode during its two-hour runtime, usually with listener emails and other discussions in the first half of the show and the Top Five on iTunes at the episode's conclusion.

News discussions

The most common segment on the call, in which Koenig and his co-hosts discuss the most relevant and obscure news topics of the week, generally relating to politics or current happenings in the world of entertainment.

''The Time Crisis Mail Bag''

This has been a regular segment since the show's third season. Initially, the segment began after a fan located Jake Longstreth's personal email. The segment now utilizes the email with ID "8minutecapecod" - a reference to an episode aired in July 2017 where they joked about the prospect of an 8 minute Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa to be played on the next Vampire Weekend tour.
Fans generally send in questions regarding 1970s music and suggest artists to the hosts that they believe are "tasteful" and fit Longstreth's ideal palette. Another popular topic submitted by fans relates to the corporate food history segment of the show.

Corporate food history discussions

Frequently, Koenig and guests analyse the current landscape of the corporate food industry, as well as looking back on the history of snack foods across the world. In 2016, Jennifer Saenz, chief marketing executive of the Frito-Lay corporation appeared. Additionally, the show has discussed Subway on multiple episodes and their obscure promotions, such as the Five Dollar Footlong deal. In 2018, the show highly criticised the Lady Dorito proposition by hosting a Lady Dorito's Town Hall, featuring Rashida Jones and Longstreth's wife and filmmaker, Hannah Fidell.

''Time Crisis Hotline''

Koenig regularly takes phone calls and has intimate discussions with notable journalists, political commentators, corporate food professionals and celebrities. Notable calls have included Seinfeld theme composer Jonathan Wolff, Reading Rainbow composer Steve Horelick, and more.

''Jake's Takes''

A recurring segment in which Longstreth recommends or discusses music, with notable recommendations such as the Grateful Dead, Guided by Voices, Ween, Phish, Neil Young, Small Faces and more. Occasionally, Longstreth compiles playlists for Apple Music, notably The Tasteful Palette of Seventies Rock and more recently, Jake's Old Wisdom Playlist.

''Sweet Chili Heat World Premiere''

A segment in which the crew premiere fan generated music. The music is often inspired by events that take place on previous episodes of the show.

''Top Five on iTunes''

Koenig and Longstreth regularly compare and contrast the iTunes chart from the current week with another music chart from the same week in another year. Notably, the show has regularly jokingly criticized the music of Ed Sheeran, such as his 2017 hit, Shape of You. Koenig and Longstreth commonly refer to the song as Bed Sheets, in reference to one of the song's lines.

Other segments

Other segments have included New York News.

Cast

Core Crisis Crew

Friends of the Show

Enemies of the Show

Episodes

Season 1 (2015-2016)

Season 1 aired from 2015 to 2016. Notable guests included Rashida Jones, Jamie Foxx, Mark Ronson, Jonah Hill and Azealia Banks.

Season 2 (2016)

Season 2 aired in 2016. Notable guests included Jerrod Carmichael, Jonah Hill, Jennifer Saenz and Ariel Rechtshaid.
  • Episode 15. Town Hall
  • Episode 16. A Tribute to Prince
  • Episode 17. Ariel Rechtshaid
  • Episode 18. New York Style
  • Episode 19. Harambe & PepsiCo
  • Episode 20. Grizzly Bear's Ed Droste
  • Episode 21. 4th of July Spectacular
  • Episode 22. With Mike D
  • Episode 23. Primary Season
  • Episode 24. Olympics Fever
  • Episode 25. Jerrod Carmichael
  • Episode 26. Fashion Week
  • Episode 27. Where Are They Now?
  • Episode 28. Flamin’ Hot Cheetos
  • Episode 29. Old Dudes and Snack Foods
  • Episode 30. Frito-Lay's Jennifer Saenz
  • Episode 31. Trump Wins
  • Episode 32. What is a Liberal?
  • Episode 33. East Meets West
  • Episode 34. ''The Chrismukkah Show''

Season 3 (2017)

Season 3 aired in 2017. Notable guests included Jerrod Carmichael, Cazzie David, Tim Heidecker, Zachary Fox and Seinfeld theme composer, Jonathan Wolff.
  • Episode 35. Coca-Cola & The Founder
  • Episode 36. GRAMMY Special
  • Episode 37. Oscars & Corporate Playlists
  • Episode 38. The Rock vs. Vin Diesel 2020
  • Episode 39. The Seinfeld Theme Song
  • Episode 40. About That Pepsi Ad
  • Episode 41. Coachella Vibes
  • Episode 42. Let's Talk Niall Horan
  • Episode 43. NYC with Lizzy Goodman
  • Episode 44. Post-Punk
  • Episode 45. POP Quiz with Cazzie David
  • Episode 46. The Dorito Effect
  • Episode 47. Live Concerts and TV Jingles
  • Episode 48. Jerrod, Steve & RJ
  • Episode 49. Vermont's Finest
  • Episode 50. The Full Crisis Crew
  • Episode 51. Zachary Fox
  • Episode 52. Surprise! It's James Corden
  • Episode 53. Tribute to Tom Petty
  • Episode 54. Eminem & The Tragically Hip
  • Episode 55. Tim Heidecker and Portugal. The Man
  • Episode 56. Grateful T-shirts
  • Episode 57. Cazzie David & Grammy Nominees
  • Episode 58. ''A Charli XCX Christmas''

Season 4 (2018)

Season 4 aired in 2018. Notable guest stars included Carson Mell, Rashida Jones, T-Pain, Chris Baio, Alanis Morissette, Dave Longstreth, Cazzie David, Jason Mantzoukas and Hannah Fidell.
  • Episode 59. Sandwich Math
  • Episode 60. Sublime Goldfish
  • Episode 61. Dystopian Diet Coke
  • Episode 62. Lady Doritos Town Hall
  • Episode 63. The Two-Fridge Vibe
  • Episode 64. It Wasn't Baio
  • Episode 65. Life Hacks with T-Pain
  • Episode 66. Juice Island
  • Episode 67. Dev, Dave, Ariel, Despot
  • Episode 68. Sweet Chili Heat
  • Episode 69. OMG It's Alanis Morissette
  • Episode 70. Live From Ojai
  • Episode 71. Dear Nora & Summer Hits
  • Episode 72. Dave Longstreth
  • Episode 73. ’77 vs ‘84
  • Episode 74. This Show Rules
  • Episode 75. Cazzie David Returns
  • Episode 76. Seinfeld2000's Origin Story
  • Episode 77. Classic Rock Icons
  • Episode 78. Welcome To My Life
  • Episode 79. A Star Is Born 2: Armageddon
  • Episode 80. Jason Mantzoukas & Hannah Fidell
  • Episode 81. Be Grateful
  • Episode 82. Jokerman
  • Episode 83. ''Baio and the Hot Sauce Challenge''

Season 5 (2019)

Season 5 began on January 13, 2019 and ended on December 15, 2019. Due to the launch of Vampire Weekend's album, Father of the Bride, and subsequent touring, many episodes were pre-recorded and are known as banked episodes or 'banked eps'.
  • Episode 84. Jamflowman
  • Episode 85. "Harmony Hall" / "2021"
  • Episode 86. The Grammys
  • Episode 87. Despot Returns
  • Episode 88. No Country for Jamflowman
  • Episode 89. Winter Returns
  • Episode 90. Unbearably Buff
  • Episode 91. With Bardo Martinez
  • Episode 92. Father of the Bride
  • Episode 93. Live from NYC
  • Episode 94. Scott Aukerman and Adam Scott
  • Episode 95. The Mailbag
  • Episode 96. Live from Chicago
  • Episode 97. TC AMA
  • Episode 98. Rock Beefs
  • Episode 99. Conspiracy Theories with Mark Foster
  • Episode 100. Episode 100
  • Episode 101. Hella Mega Flaming Hot
  • Episode 102. With Justin Vernon
  • Episode 103. With Huey Lewis
  • Episode 104. Rise and Shine with Cazzie David
  • Episode 105. Bernie, Beto and Bob
  • Episode 106. Gratefulsgiving with Hannah Fidell and Kyle Field
  • Episode 107. ''Grammys, Garcia and Goose''

Season 6 (2020)

Beginning with Episode 112, the show was recorded remotely via FaceTime due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, with none of the hosts in the same room. Notable guests included Larry David, Ed O'Brien, Jerry Saltz, David Crosby, The Bellamy Brothers, Hank Azaria, Bruce Hornsby, Danielle Haim, Tom O'Neill, and Bob Weir.
  • Episode 108. Happy New Year
  • Episode 109. Breaking Down the Grammys
  • Episode 110. What About Vampire?
  • Episode 111. Time To Make The Donuts
  • Episode 112. FaceTime Crisis
  • Episode 113. Imagine What About Vampire
  • Episode 114. A TC Hangout
  • Episode 115. Dylan, The Dead, and Despot
  • Episode 116. Mask Off with Ed O'Brien and Jerry Saltz
  • Episode 117. In These Strange and Uncertain Times
  • Episode 118. Old Wisdom with David Crosby and The Bellamy Brothers
  • Episode 119. It's Gonna Be May
  • Episode 120. HBD FOTB
  • Episode 121. Classic Rock Talk
  • Episode 122. Cheese Pizza and Chili Peppers
  • Episode 123. Alex, Winter, and Mero
  • Episode 124. The Lost Episode
  • Episode 125. What About Rage, Man?
  • Episode 126. Bruce Hornsby
  • Episode 127. Ben & Jerry's & Nike's
  • Episode 128. With Danielle Haim
  • Episode 129. Green Day and Yellow Mustard
  • Episode 130. TC Technology
  • Episode 131. Chaos and Candy
  • Episode 132. I Got What I Got and Floating Docks
  • Episode 133. What About PA with Daniel Ralston
  • Episode 134. Frederic Remmington: Cancelled
  • Episode 135. Time Crisis Election Special
  • Episode 136. Grateful Dead and Garfield Eats
  • Episode 137. Kind Vibes with Cazzie David
  • Episode 138. ''With Rashida Jones and Winter''

Season 7 (2021)

  • Episode 139. Herm Yarl: Origins
  • Episode 140. The Company Store
  • Episode 141. Killer Hot Sauce and Iced Cold Coffee
  • Episode 142. With Robert M. Rosenberg and Chris Baio
  • Episode 143. Fungible Sandwich Technology
  • Episode 144. Certified Forklift Operator
  • Episode 145. Talking Dead Heads
  • Episode 146. Government Website
  • Episode 147. Avoid The Noid
  • Episode 148. Flamin’ Hot Chaos
  • Episode 149. 2221 What You Think About Me?
  • Episode 150. With Despot and Bruce Hornsby
  • Episode 151. Gentle Jesters
  • Episode 152. Country Stuff
  • Episode 153. Sour Rock with Hannah Fidell
  • Episode 154. The Dog Days of Summer
  • Episode 155. Do The Flamin' Hot Brew
  • Episode 156. With Chromeo
  • Episode 157. The Gen X Top 5 Challenge
  • Episode 158. Another Boat in the Dock
  • Episode 159. Grateful Genres with Kelefa Sanneh
  • Episode 160. NFT Week with Despot
  • Episode 161. With Rod Stewart
  • Episode 162. The TC Singularity
  • Episode 163. ''With Tom Scharpling and Despot''

Season 8 (2022)

  • Episode 164. The Four Quadrants of TC
  • Episode 165. Sonic Simulations
  • Episode 166. Goldfish and Guitar Rriffs
  • Episode 167. Brown Haired Bands
  • Episode 168. Hot Coffee and Cold Pop-Tarts
  • Episode 169. The TC Music Industry Special
  • Episode 170. Horsin' Around
  • Episode 171. Hornsby On The Horn
  • Episode 172. Dr. Tealgood
  • Episode 173. Welcome to the Jamily
  • Episode 174. TC: Fully Loaded
  • Episode 175. TC: Unfiltered
  • Episode 176. Extreme TC
  • Episode 177. Half Baked Potato
  • Episode 178. Bare Bones Buffets
  • Episode 179. Tangled Up in Brews
  • Episode 180. BDGHV3P2
  • Episode 181. False Fall
  • Episode 182. Pump It Up with Thomas Mars
  • Episode 183. That '90s Show
  • Episode 184. Coffee in Japan
  • Episode 185. Big League Baio
  • Episode 186. Chameleons and Cheesecake
  • Episode 187. Desert Weirdness
  • Episode 188. ''Hoodwink’d Holidays''

Season 9 (2023)

  • Episode 189. Popchip Away
  • Episode 190. The Banshees of Inishiddily
  • Episode 191. Dave is Here
  • Episode 192. The Time Crisis Music Special
  • Episode 193. Phish Bowl
  • Episode 194. Modern Vampires of the Decade
  • Episode 195. This Is How Jake Does It
  • Episode 196. Youth and Young Manhood
  • Episode 197. Youth & Young Manhood Pt. 2
  • Episode 198. TC Goes To The Movies
  • Episode 199. We Didn't Start The Summer
  • Episode 200. Time Crisis 200
  • Episode 201. Guided By Margaritaville
  • Episode 202. We Will Pod You
  • Episode 203. Tim Crisis
  • Episode 204. What's in a Name?
  • Episode 205. Rock Talk with Carson Mell
  • Episode 206. Trad Crisis
  • Episode 207. ''Fairytale of TC''

Season 10 (2024)

  • Episode 208. Gen-X Projectors
  • Episode 209. The Gift of TC
  • Episode 210. The Octopus Forklift
  • Episode 211. As the Crew Becomes Classical
  • Episode 212. TC in Austin
  • Episode 213. Sublime Salads
  • Episode 214. Starbucks Lovers
  • Episode 215. With Michael Azzerad
  • Episode 216. In the 2000s
  • Episode 217. In the 2000s
  • Episode 218. The Born Identities
  • Episode 219. Guided by Summer
  • Episode 220. Mr. Flamin' Hot
  • Episode 221. Frickin' Random
  • Episode 222. Coffee and Airplanes
  • Episode 223. An Alaskan Oasis
  • Episode 224. French Words and Fake Zombies
  • Episode 225. The TC Seafood Special
  • Episode 226. Scenes from a Utah Soda Shop
  • Episode 227. Rock Talk with David Chase
  • Episode 228. Quincy
  • Episode 229. Phil Brings the Boom!
  • Episode 230. ''Oops...All Music''

Season 11 (2025)

In this season, the show will celebrate its 10th anniversary of airing on Apple Music.
  • Episode 231. TimeCrisis2025
  • Episode 232. Poetry Talk
  • Episode 233. TC Music Boyz
  • Episode 234. With Kyle M.
  • Episode 235. With Dave Longstreth
  • Episode 236. Rush to Alabama
  • Episode 237. All About Bands
  • Episode 238. The Final Twisting
  • Episode 239. C Is for Cookie
  • Episode 240. Bruce and Al
  • Episode 241. Cosmic TC
  • Episode 242. Cosmic TC Pt. II
  • Episode 243. With John Fogerty
  • Episode 244. ''Rip Van Winkeled''

Merchandising

There have been a few pieces of official Time Crisis merchandise, which have been available through various giveaways on Twitter. The most common have been T-shirts bearing the phrase, '8 Minute Cape Cod' on the front, with various designs and colors.
Time Crisis Honorary Membership cards have also been given away, which mention the Core Values.
On November 3, 2019, Seinfeld2000 coined the term, 'Popcorn and Raisins' and promoted a line of merchandise based upon this phrase. Shirts were made available the following week.