Blank Plate: A Podcast for Swifties with an Appetite Blank Plate

Fresh out the (slammer)… TTPD Eras Tour addition in Paris… Sara and Laura are beside themselves with excitement in today’s episode! The ladies react to Taylor’s first performance of The Tortured Poets Department songs, share a super cool listener email, and give some personal updates on life, upcoming events (Sara’s wedding!), and their shared nostalgia for Bon Appetit circa 2020. After all the chit-chat, these two ladies analyze one of Taylor’s most meta “depressed bops”… “I Can Do It With A Broken Heart.” Did you catch all the Eras Tour references in this song? How about the beats per minute aligning with another very suspicious song or two? This episode is such a goodie, so be sure to subscribe and tune in!

When Tay Tay dropped a music video on release day… your girls Sara and Laura were EXHAUSTED. After dusting off the shock and emotions of The Anthology, your two Swiftie besties knew that a whole episode had to be made breaking down all the Easter Eggs and aesthetics it contained. Going scene by scene, the ladies delve into the “hidden clues” of other TTPD song references and past albums of Taylor’s too! Do you believe the 3 man theory? Is the video based on the aesthetics of The 1975? The ladies unpack it all and then some!

The Tortured Poets Department WRECKED Sara and Laura, and they are “down bad.” In this episode, the ladies are ready to unpack allllllllllll the details they loved and noticed during their first 72 hours of listening to it! From a deep dive explanation and timeline of Matty Healy & Taylor’s 10-year situationship, the connections and hidden messages between Taylor and The 1975’s lyrics, and so much more. Sonic differences in Album 1 and Album 2 of TTPD’s Anthology Edition as discussed, as well as share a pretty cool theory as to why the album reminds them so much of folklore/evermore and Midnights. Do you agree?! This is a long one, but Sara and Laura have SO much more to unpack. Let’s get into it.
Chapters
(00:00) Introduction & TTPD Excitement!
(06:38) Common Themes in TTPD
(11:49) The Matty Healy Of It All…
(29:48) Taylor’s Intentions & Explaining TTPD’s Familiar Sound
(40:13) Album 1 vs. Album 2 / Jack vs. Aaron Production
(44:35) Literary References in TTPD
(46:40) Matty & Taylor's Hidden Messages To Each Other Through Lyrics
(54:08) Lyrics That Punched Us In Our Gut
(01:14:47) Our Current Top 3 Songs
(01:18:54) Will TTPD Be On The Eras Tour?
(01:22:34) TTPD As A Food
(01:28:05) Help Us Pick Our Next Episode Focus!
(01:30:19) Signing Off!

Links Referenced
iHeartRadio Taylor Intros/Explains Her Songs

Please make sure to subscribe and leave a review. If you’d like to reach out to send in a question or comment, please do so via any of these platforms:
• email blankplatepod@gmail.com• leave a voicemail at (717) 382-8313• Instagram• TikTok
You can also follow Sara and Laura individually:
• Laura: Instagram and Tiktok• Sara: Instagram
Listen to our previous podcast: Passports & Pizza

Taylor Swift curated five playlists that represent the five stages of heartbreak… so, OF COURSE Sara & Laura had to get into it. In this episode, Sara, Laura, and their bestie guest correspondent Rebecca analyze the songs and lyrics to uncover the themes of denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance - specifically the tea that has been spilled about the songs that call out Joe and Taylor’s relationship downfall. How can one songwriter drop sooooo much info without saying a freaking thing?! Let’s get into it!

Our girl Taylor baked homemade pop tarts for the Chiefs… and it blew up the Internet. So, OF COURSE Sara & Laura have to do a deep dive into Pop Tart history and sort each of Swift’s albums into Pop Tart flavors! This episode is the perfect mish-mash of foodie content, 90s/00s nostalgia and delving into fan theories surrounding The Tortured Poets Department.

Laura and Sara are joined by their super Swiftie friend Rebecca Schlauch to discuss the brilliance of “Coney Island” from evermore. Rebecca shares how she became a Taylor Swift fan and an OG Loverfest ticket holder. After introductions, the ladies go into a deep dive discussion about “Coney Island”’s bridge that chronicles many of Taylor’s ex-relationships.

Going line by line, Sara, Laura & Rebecca discuss the themes of searching for closure, the bright lights of Coney Island’s former glory, and the disappointments of fading relationships. There’s lots of Easter Egg unpacking… as Taylor has hidden many references to past songs (and relationships!) - including the illusive gold clock, her 21st birthday cake, the bluest skies of Dear John, and more.