Podcasts

We publish a new feminist podcast episode every week. Our hour-long show Popaganda digs deep on movies, books, TV, and media while Backtalk is a snappy conversation between two Bitch editors about the week’s pop culture. Subscribe to the podcasts on iTunes!
Want to pitch in to make our podcasts possible? Donate! Donate

B-Sides: It's Electric! A New Release from Electronic Pioneer Suzanne Ciani

by Kjerstin Johnson on January 24, 2012 at 3:02pm

Suzanne Ciani basically had the coolest job ever: As a groundbreaking electronic musician in the seventies, Ciani composed sounds for pinball machines, composed Atari and Coca-Cola commercials, did the sound-effects for Meco’s disco Star Wars theme, and scored The Incredible Shrinking Woman (becoming the first woman hired to score a major Hollywood film). And that’s just how she paid rent. Ciani was an innovative musician in her own right, as well. And now for the first time, a mix of her early commercial and compositional work (1969-1985) is coming out from B-Music/Finders Keepers.

Bitch Radio: Talking Trans and Queer Embodiment and Imprisonment with the Contributors of Captive Genders

by Kjerstin Johnson on January 20, 2012 at 3:24pm

“Pathologized, terrorized, and confined, trans/gender-non-conforming and queer folks have always struggled against the enormity of the prison industrial complex.” The anthology Captive Genders: Trans Embodiment and the Prison Industrial Complex, which came out this summer from AK Press, addresses trans and queer identity and prison industrial complex. From the disproportionate incarceration of trans people, to the politics of immigration, to imagining a world where we don’t rely on prisons and the state for safety using a queer/trans analysis, this anthology is a must-read for anyone who cares about gender rights and justice. Its contributors include people formerly and currently incarcerated, activists, and academics approaching the topic with a diverse range of perspectives on different aspects of the PIC inside and out. Eric Stanley, co-editor of the book, Ralowe T. Ampu, a contributor, and Toshio Meronek are currently doing a book tour for Captive Genders, and I got to sit down with them while they were in Portland to further discuss the PIC, why gender and gay rights activists should care about prison abolition, and how pop culture and media re-inforce harmful narratives about quote-unquote criminals.Stream below, more after the jump!

B-Sides: Choosing Sides with Ani Difranco

by Katie Presley on January 17, 2012 at 11:32am

Ani DiFranco has taken a lot of sides in her decades-long career. She has also famously refused to take sides, and, undeniably, looked at many things from both sides. Her new studio album ¿Which Side Are You On?, released today, is both a personal State of the Union address from the iconic folksinger, and an appeal to her listeners and the larger world to decide and declare where each of us stands in a world that’s begging for champions.

Bitch Radio: Pariah In Theaters Now!

by Kjerstin Johnson on January 13, 2012 at 2:56pm

For this week’s podcast, Kelsey, Jyoti, Ashley and I talk about the movie Pariah, the feature-length film by Dee Rees that’s already garnered lots of critical praise. The movie follows Alike (pronounced Ah-lee-kay, and played by Adepero Oduye), a young black lesbian living in Brooklyn, who deals with the trappings that come with being a teenager: crushes, annoying parents, drama with friends, and trying to fit in. You can watch the official trailer here (which we excerpt in the podcast), and watch the interview with the director we mention here. Make sure you support this movie on opening weekend! Check here to see if it’s coming to a theater near you. Click here to download transcript.

B-Sides: The Last Names

by Kelsey Wallace on January 10, 2012 at 12:53pm

The Last Names is a pretty new band, and as such they don’t have much music beyond a pleasant EP that makes me think their upcoming album, Wilderness, will also be pleasant. What they do have, though, is the 52 Covers Project.

Bitch Radio: Behind the Scenes of Portlandia

by Kelsey Wallace on December 30, 2011 at 1:50pm

Portlandia season two premieres next week on IFC. To tide you over until then, today’s episode of Bitch Radio features Carrie Brownstein, Fred Armisen, show creator Jonathan Krisel, and show producer Andrew Singer answering pressing Portlandia questions. Wondering which scenes were the hardest to shoot, or what to expect from season two? Tune in and find out! (Be warned: This Q&A happened at a press luncheon, which means lots of fork clanging in the background.)

B-Sides: Flown

by Mac Pogue on December 27, 2011 at 11:50am

I’m contacting Bitch’s top-secret New York operative to dig up any dirt they can find on Brooklyn stoner-metal trio Flown. All I know about Flown is that they play heavy acid-fried jams, have a single on a Bandcamp page, have a live video of said single on YouTube, and apparently used to back Frankie Rose as the Outs.

B-Sides: Emika's Emika

by Nicole Morales on December 20, 2011 at 8:49am

Emika borrows the bass vibes of dubstep, adds a pinch of moody pop, and writes storylines to create a deep, delicate, broken-down sound that humanizes electronic music.

Bitch Radio: Tunes of 2011

by Kjerstin Johnson on December 15, 2011 at 10:35pm

If my two gift guides (Music Lover’s Edition, Part I, Music Lover’s Edition Part II) and Bitchtapes aren’t enough for you, here’s some more music selections from 2011, including a teen rockband from Norway, a 17-piece disco orchestra, and Jean Grae’s take on a Kanye West song. (Warning: In my attempt to avoid using the word “awesome” to describe everything, I ended up using the word “amazing” approximately a billion times instead.) A full playlist after the jump.

B-Sides: PrOphecy Sun

by Mel Mundell on December 13, 2011 at 11:58am

PrOphecy Sun is a multimedia performance artist, mother of four cats, and master of the green Line 6 delay pedal. Beginning her music and sound practice with Vancouver-based anarcha-feminist group, Her Jazz Noise Collective, over the last two years Sun has been diving into new collaborations and looking out from the pages of local arts and culture magazines as a result. In addition to her soundscape-y solo project, prOphecy sun, she plays in six other bands, one of which is the new-wave inspired Tyranahorse, winning second place this month at Shindig, Vancouver’s annual underground music competition. When not in band practice seven nights a week, Sun plays giant games of street hopscotch, contorts her body into tiny cupboards, planks grocery check-out counters and sews feline figurines out of found material. Catch up if you can, PrOphecy Sun is an artist in a windstorm of ambition and all its accompanying forward motion.