549 - Let’s Action!

My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark

In honor of the 25th anniversary of 9/11, Karen Kilgariff delivers a solo episode reflecting on the heroic actions of individuals from the 8

Key takeaways

• The 9/11 attacks prompted profound reflections on human courage and selflessness in crisis.

Main topics

• 9/11 Heroes of the 88th Floor

Notable quotes

"May her memory be a fire lit beneath our asses to do good in the world." – Sugar Camp Shop, Instagram

Conclusion

Karen closes the episode with a call to action—encouraging listeners t

Transcript preview

Speaker 1 (0:01) This is exactly right. Welcome Speaker 2 (0:23) to My Favorite Speaker 1 (0:24) Murder. That's Georgia Hardstart. Speaker 2 (0:26) That's Karen Kilgariff. Speaker 1 (0:27) And we're here to present to you a podcast. With five beverages. See how many we can drink? Go. Chug. Chug your caffeine. I have been kind of chugging coffee all day. Then I find myself in kind of a pit of despair. And, you know, like when you're just kind of like, why? And Speaker 2 (0:46) then Speaker 1 (0:46) it's like. Because you've only had coffee and it's 4 p.m. How is it 4 Speaker 2 (0:49) p.m. and I've only had coffee and an Uncrustable? Like this doesn't, this isn't. Who's Speaker 1 (0:54) keeping track of me? Are Speaker 2 (0:55) you a Speaker 1 (0:55) baby? Speaker 2 (0:56) Why won't Speaker 1 (0:56) anyone keep track? Why can't I nourish myself? Why does it slip my mind to do the thing I've had to do for 50 plus years in a row? Speaker 2 (1:05) Yeah. Slips my mind. Lunch is a... Speaker 1 (1:07) Showering. Speaker 2 (1:08) Showering's hard. Lunch is harder. Yeah. I mean, it's just day after day. Like every day at the end of the day when Vince are like, what are we having for dinner? And it's like, we decided yesterday. Yeah. We did this. It's that the Speaker 1 (1:20) rest of the time. Beef stroganoff forever. I'm so sick of chewing. Like every day is chewing, you know? What else sucks? Speaker 2 (1:30) I think Speaker 1 (1:31) this is called depression. Or are we just venting it as in our artistic process before we really give people what they need? Because I think it's like, it is important to say here in Los Angeles, no one can drive. Three different cars tried to kill other cars on my way here. Oh, Speaker 2 (1:48) wow. Speaker 1 (1:48) In a way where the third one, I was like, I got to get off this. It's Speaker 2 (1:53) just people veering. And just. Over there and honking. I got real angry at a woman on my way here. And I was like, whoa, that was crazy. And I pulled over and took a beta blocker. Because Speaker 1 (2:03) I was like, that was Speaker 2 (2:04) over the top. Like, that wasn't necessary. Are we Speaker 1 (2:06) checking your levels on those beta blockers? We need to make sure your liver is okay. Does it fuck up your liver? Yes. Those are serious fucking drugs. Really? Oh, well, I stopped drinking so Speaker 2 (2:15) I can do Speaker 1 (2:15) whatever I want Speaker 2 (2:15) to my liver. Speaker 1 (2:16) Now, 74 today. 74 days. Your Speaker 2 (2:19) liver's like, Speaker 1 (2:19) please, I beg you. If you would just listen. Oh, my God. No, we're just trying to be relatable. Speaker 2 (2:25) Coffee, snacks, driving. Drugs and driving. Like what reality is we have private planes that take us to our house and to Speaker 1 (2:33) our office. Just like a Jenner. That'd be incredible. Where would the commute you would most wish you could get private planed to in Los Angeles? I want to go to the beach Speaker 2 (2:44) and I won't ever do it. Or like a coast. Yeah. Somewhere along there hiking in Santa Monica Mountains. Like. You just don't do that. No. It's a fucking schlep, and it's an angry schlep. Yes, it is. Speaker 1 (2:57) And when you get there, the elements are against you. Yeah, because it doesn't—yeah, don't get me. Okay. Because it doesn't get—here's the thing about the West Side. Let me quote both of your nephews when I say the 101 to Speaker 2 (3:10) the 110 to the 405. To the 134 to the 405. Speaker 1 (3:14) May I just—all of this goes because who cares about highway talk? Right. It's Highway Talk with Karen Speaker 2 (3:21) and Georgia. With Karen and Georgia. Oh, my God. Was Speaker 1 (3:23) Car Speaker 2 (3:23) Talk the original podcast? I Speaker 1 (3:25) think so. Because they had, like, they talked to the audience. Yeah. It was real back and forth. It was, like, not on video. That's right. These people. Wait a second. Yeah. We had a lot of great people talking to us about the death of Dolly Parton. Yeah. And what it meant to them. But I just wanted to share a couple. Because this is actually. kind of supposed to be a short episode. Speaker 2 (3:47) Oh, right. Well, it's Speaker 1 (3:49) a Speaker 2 (3:49) solo. It's Speaker 1 (3:49) a Speaker 2 (3:49) solo episode. You're going to go. I went last week. You're going to go this week. Speaker 1 (3:52) This is mine. But we thought it would be fun just because there were such good comments. Obviously, many, many, many people loved, admired, respected. If not worshipped her. But we got some good ones. We boiled them down to these three. Sugar Camp Shop from Instagram wrote, may her memory be a fire lit beneath our asses to do good in the world. Wow, I love that. Which is in this world. I love that too. It's very true. Somebody posted something that said, this is a person who broke records in the music industry and listed out. Yes. But we're talking about all the good she did for people. Totally. Speaker 2 (4:29) So Speaker 1 (4:30) amazing. Really good. Then Mary Becker from Facebook, she wrote in and said, there were so many things I didn't know. She was one of the producers of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Speaker 2 (4:39) Really? Yes. Amazing. Her production Speaker 1 (4:42) company, Sand Dollar. Oh, Speaker 2 (4:43) my God. Like, Speaker 1 (4:44) helped out in that, I guess. And then the last one, which we really loved, Von Nar, G-N-A-R on Instagram, wrote, a whole mini-sode of Dolly encounters would be welcomed, please and thank you. Speaker 2 (4:55) Great idea. Right? Do you have a Dolly Parton story? Exactly. Send it to us at MyFavoriteMurder at Gmail. We'll do a mini-sode. Did Dolly's butterfly bus break down in front of your home? Speaker 1 (5:05) And she had to come in and eat dinner with you and all your cousins. Did you get one of her baking boxes and like you fed your whole family for a week off of it? Did you get sent a free book once a month for your whole childhood and now because of Dolly Parton you can read books? Oh Speaker 2 (5:18) my God. You did that? Okay. Speaker 1 (5:21) We were just talking Speaker 2 (5:22) about her the Speaker 1 (5:22) other day. You just went to Dollywood. I know. It's so crazy. It couldn't have lasted forever. It lasted so long. She was a star forever. And if you think about those pictures of her as a little girl, like her little face, like she was meant to be a gigantic star from day one. Totally. Gorgeous, but such a kind spirit and soul. And smarty. Speaker 2 (5:42) And so smart. So smart. Okay, so we have a podcast network, just like Dolly Parton had a network. Oh my God, it's full circle. We've finally done the thing that we always wanted. Yeah, it's called Exactly Right Media. That's right. Which is such a great name. I'm so glad you came up with that. Like really, every time I hear it, I'm like, fuck yeah. It fits. It does fit. It's perfect. It's great that nothing else was available that we thought of before that. And I know we've talked about this on the show, but we thought of, I would say, 35 different titles before we landed. That were all taken in some way. I think your sister. Speaker 1 (6:13) It Speaker 2 (6:13) was like, you either called your sister and said, what about this? And she was like, that's it. Yes. Or she suggested it. I can't remember. But she remembers. Laura's behind all Speaker 1 (6:22) of it. Yeah. Speaker 2 (6:23) It's called Exactly Right Media anyways. And here are some highlights. If you Speaker 1 (6:27) love the new podcast, Brief Recess, Speaker 2 (6:29) and how can you not? Speaker 1 (6:31) You're going to want to be there for the premiere of The Traitor's New Blood next Thursday, September 17th. So you can watch our own Michael Foote begin his journey. To reality TV stardom. Speaker 2 (6:42) He's going to be a fucking star. Speaker 1 (6:44) Speaking Speaker 2 (6:44) of stars. Speaker 1 (6:45) He is just the most delightful person. He's like that in real life. He's exactly what you think he's like. He's just like Dolly Parton. Speaker 2 (6:54) I'm just going to do that this entire show. Speaker 1 (6:56) That's right. Speaker 2 (6:57) And if you haven't joined the fan call yet. What are you waiting for? Members get every episode of My Favorite Murder ad-free, plus merch discounts, exclusive content, and access to the Murderino Discord. Head to fancult.supercast.com to join. Please and thank you. And Speaker 1 (7:12) in case you missed it, our own Nick Terry is back with a new MFM animated. This one features Trixie, the pantsless, crispy-faced baby doll that was discovered inside the walls of a 100-year-old house. Speaker 2 (7:23) So good. So good. You Speaker 1 (7:25) can watch Trixie and the rest of the MFM animated gang over at YouTube.com slash exactly right media. Speaker 2 (7:34) Okay. Speaker 1 (7:35) All Speaker 2 (7:35) right. So Speaker 1 (7:35) this is a solo. So excited. Sit back. I'm Speaker 2 (7:38) going Speaker 1 (7:38) to get cozy. Take some sips of water. So this show comes out on September 10th. I saw a TikTok about. these heroes from September 11th. Speaker 2 (7:48) And I Speaker 1 (7:48) sent it to Maren and she looked up. She's like, I love this story so much. So we are approaching the 25th anniversary of 9-11. So today I'm going to tell you one of the many incredible stories of heroism that took place on one of the darkest days in American history. It's Tuesday, September 11th, 2001. It's a beautiful late summer morning in New York City. And 49-year-old architect Frank DiMartini has just arrived at work. He's a construction manager for the Port Authority. And that's the entity that manages all of the trains and the harbors and the buses and the bridges and the bus terminals and all the other kind of travel elements that take place between New York and New Jersey. Speaker 2 (8:30) And Speaker 1 (8:31) that is the entity that... developed the World Trade Center. Frank's been working for them since just after the 1993 terrorist bombing. And that happened in one of the World Trade Center's basements. I don't know if you remember that, but it was like, yeah. So Frank was hired then to assess structural damage. It was a temporary gig that it led to a permanent one. Frank's wife, Nicole, saying, quote, He fell in love with the buildings. For him, they represented an incredible human feat. He was awed by their scale and magnitude, by the innovative design features, and by the efficiency of the use of materials. End quote. Nicole DiMartini is in her early 40s. She's also an architect. And she first met Frank in design school. They had since been married. Now they have two children and a home in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. And Nicole works for the engineering company that built the World Trade Center. And her office is in the South Tower on