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!
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B-Sides: Sex, Hope, Alison Mosshart, Ellen Willis, and Rock'n'Roll

by Sarah Jaffe on May 3, 2011 at 10:05am

“Rock is, among other things, a potent means of expressing the active emotions—anger, aggression, lust, the joy of physical exertion—that feed all freedom movements, and it is no accident that women musicians have been denied access to this powerful musical language. I think it’s crucially important for female performers to break that barrier and force rock to reflect their experience and aspirations.” - Ellen Willis It’s no secret that I’m a rather huge fan of Alison Mosshart. But on the train home after being simply blown away by the Kills at Terminal 5 Friday night, I started trying to pick apart just why.

Bitch Popaganda: Fantastic Voyage Edition

by Kelsey Wallace on April 22, 2011 at 12:42pm

It’s time for another episode of Bitch Popaganda! Tune in as Julie, Brian, and Kelsey discuss HBO’s new George R.R. Martin series Game of Thrones and “Funny Like a Guy: Anna Faris and Hollywood’s woman problem,” a profile by Tad Friend in this week’s New Yorker.

B-Sides: Austra's <em>Feel it Break</em>

by Kelsey Wallace on April 19, 2011 at 2:00pm

B-Sides: RYAT Girl (and Guy)

by Kjerstin Johnson on April 12, 2011 at 3:01pm

Christina Ryat has been making electronic music as RYAT since 2006 (fans of Electo Feminisms take note!). She recently teamed up with Tim Conley and their debut album Avant Gold came out last month from Obvious Bandits.

Bitch Popaganda: It Should Be A Crime Edition

by Kjerstin Johnson on April 8, 2011 at 1:02pm

In this episode of Popaganda, Kjerstin, Deb, and Julie chat about AMC’s new series The Killing, Slate’s confusing article on gerontophilia, and the revelation that the Candies’ Foundation spent seven times the amount on Bristol Palin that it did on preventing teen pregnancy.

B-Sides: "What the Hell" Do You Make of This?

by Deb Jannerson on March 29, 2011 at 10:47am

Perhaps inspired by her recent divorce from Sum 41’s Deryck Whibley, “What the Hell” describes kissing various people and blowing off societal expectations. Now, the song’s not without its problems. There’s the “crazy” issue, and the lyrics are addressed to an unhappy main squeeze, which begs the question of how consensual their non-monogamy really is. Still, as with the Lou Christie classic “Lightnin’ Strikes,” I hear it as an exploration of dating around rather than a glorification of infidelity. “What the Hell” gave me the same flutter as Cher’s 1998 smash “Believe,” which burst onto the radio between songs about miserable devotion with the revelation “Maybe I’m too good for you.” Yes, Avril’s latest got my stamp of approval. But then I saw the video. Official music video and commentary after the jump!

Bitch Popaganda: Womance Edition

by Kelsey Wallace on March 25, 2011 at 1:28pm

It’s time for another episode of Bitch Popaganda! This week we’re coming at you live (OK, taped) from Austin, Texas! Tune in as Sara Reihani, Erica Lies, and Kelsey Wallace discuss women in comedy.

Bitch Popaganda: Get Your Hands (and Your Video Camera, and Your Ring) Off Me Edition

by Kelsey Wallace on March 11, 2011 at 1:19pm

It’s time for another episode of Bitch Popaganda! Tune in as Kjerstin, Julie, and Kelsey discuss right-wing video stings, the death of traditional marriage, and hugs: what’s up with them?

B-Sides: Abigail Washburn

by Katie Presley on March 9, 2011 at 11:28am

Sometimes part of what makes a musician so compelling is the story behind them. Were the White Stripes married, or brother and sister? Would Sid have been the character he was without Nancy? Is the girl in the “Cry Me a River” video REALLY supposed to be Britney Spears? (I have strong feelings about this one because I was young and impressionable when Britters and Justin dated and broke up. But that’s another post entirely.) The same is true of Abigail Washburn. Her music is outstanding on its own, but the road she took to fame is too serendipitous not to share.

B-Sides: Video Dance Party!

by Mel Mundell on March 1, 2011 at 11:45am

As much as I adore music videos at dance parties, watching choreographed dance moves on a giant screen in public typically does one of two things to me: infuses my limbs with rhythmic possibilities (rare), or yanks the slippery beat from under my dance shoes (less rare). Sometimes if I'm not in a dancing mood (or able to shake it in my current location) watching someone else dance provides a kind of psychic fulfillment. I hope Austra and CocknBullKid's new singles give you just that! Directly after sits a sedentary vogue-free video by Planningtorock. Apart from inviting you to a video dance, this B-Sides provides hope for the swarms of PTR fans who, like myself, have been chewing their nails impatiently for five years on the edge of the dance floor waiting for her sophomore release!