Feminist Frequency Radio

In this week’s episode, it’s a sci-fi spectacular as Ebony and Caro navigate the asteroid field of a movie that is Solo. We talk everything from Ron Howard’s directing to the squandering of Thandie Newton to the Star Wars series’ gradual shift into a much less interesting approach to storytelling. We reserve particular ire, however, for the film’s treatment of its feisty, politically revolutionary droid L3-37. From there, we travel back in time to 1984 to revisit the James Cameron classic, The Terminator! In later episodes, we’ll look at other franchise properties, but we wanted to go back to where it all began. Our discussion touches on the great supporting performances of Lance Henriksen and Paul Winfield as a couple of cynical but decent cops, how Linda Hamilton’s Sarah Connor is presented as a “virtuous” mother figure, what makes the special effects so great, and especially Arnold Schwarzenegger’s performance as a literal killing machine and how he came to embody an ideal of manhood in the 1980s. Other to

In this week’s off-the-rails episode of Feminist Frequency Radio, Ebony finally slides into the captain’s chair and brings on board a temporary first officer for an away mission that might not make it into syndication. Comedian, writer, and amateur chicken wrangler, Julie deGroot joins Ebony for an entertaining ramble through issues as diverse as finding your purpose later in life and finding salvation on the dance floor. Ebony tries to pressure Julie into discussing topics that never actually get explored (Minnesota politics, cooking hams, Julie’s weird celebrity crushes, the Pope), but we instead we wind up talking a bit about Kanye West tomfoolery, and growing up as a queer kid in the midwest. Stay tuned for Julie’s protest music playlist! Check it out! Subscribe to Feminist Frequency Radio now to get a new episode every Wednesday on iTunes, Stitcher, Player FM, Spotify or iHeartRadio! And become an FFR backer on Drip to join the community and get access to rewards like early access and weekly bonus segme

In this week’s episode, Ebony realizes 40 minutes in that Producer Phil needs to slap a “saucy language warning” on all of her segments because she has no home training. Anita shares some interesting news about ice cream mafia wars in small town Sweden; and Carolyn’s guiding hand is woefully missed during a disjointed, rambling, ramshackle edition of Pop Culture News. Thankfully, things are a bit more coherent during The Dynamic Duo’s discussion of the Netflix series, Dear White People, as Anita talks about feeling emotional during the second season’s story arc about harassment and alt-right trolls. After that, it’s a look at Ali Wong’s latest stand-up special, Hard Knock Wife. Things rapidly veer off the rails again once Anita takes issue with the return of “What’s Your Deal?!” and Ebony takes the opportunity to issue a mea culpa. Check it out! Subscribe to Feminist Frequency Radio now to get a new episode every Wednesday on iTunes, Stitcher, Player FM, Spotify or iHeartRadio! And become an FFR backer on Dri

In this week’s FFR, Anita’s off on another one of her damn fool adventures so it’s up to Ebony and Carolyn to captain our flagship podcast! In a nod to Carolyn’s love of classic cinema, we discuss the classic 1940 “comedy of remarriage,” His Girl Friday, starring Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell. Despite being nearly 80 years old, the film has more interesting gender politics than many contemporary movies, with its portrayal of an ace reporter who is at least the intellectual equal of her ex-husband and who is encouraged to continue being an ace reporter rather than settling into the traditional role of wife and mother that was the cultural standard at the time. Then, in recognition of Ebony’s love of crime fiction, we check out the new British series Prime Suspect: Tennison, also known as Prime Suspect 1973. The series serves as a prequel to the outstanding series Prime Suspect which starred Helen Mirren. Here, we meet Jane Tennison as a fresh young officer working her first murder case. The original Prime Su

On this week’s FFR, it’s a queer media extravaganza as we talk Netflix’s reboot of Queer Eye and the Wachowskis’ seminal 90s lesbian crime film Bound. Queer Eye can certainly be heartwarming and endearing, but we also discuss how it obscures systemic issues and misrepresents potential solutions to matters of oppression and violence against marginalized people. Also, Anita calls out one of their design decisions as absolutely unacceptable. Moving on to Bound, we celebrate the film’s visual style and the ways in which it reaffirms queer female sexuality, which was so significant when it was released in 1996. Ebony brings the magic despite being under the weather, and Anita reveals a celebrity people used to tell her she looks like. Segment Timestamps: :00 A special message from Ebony 2:20 Ebony’s epic quest to sneeze 3:30 Pop culture news: Donald Glover’s big weekend 7:30 A prelude to this week’s queer bonanza 12:00 Queer Eye 33:00 A quick message from Ebony and Carolyn 34:30 Bound 48:20 What’s Your FREQ-Out? 5

On this week’s FFR, Anita has left Ebony and Carolyn to fend for themselves! In our desperate attempt to put together a coherent podcast in Anita’s absence, we go deep on Avengers: Mandatory Moviegoing Experience (or Infinity War as it’s more commonly known), discussing the film’s various representations of masculinity, the roles women play in its narrative, and its surprising ending. (Take heed: our conversation has more Infinity War spoilers than there are grooves in Thanos’ chin.) From there, we dive into recent events that have brought “incel” ideology into the media spotlight. Don’t know what “incel” means? Well, enjoy your final moments of ignorance before we explain what it is and tear it to shreds! We also touch on Netizens, a powerful documentary on online harassment which features Anita and recently had its premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival. Segment Timestamps: :00 A Special Message from Carolyn 1:19 Greetings! 3:22 Ebony on Netizens, a new documentary featuring Anita 7:45 Pop culture news items

In this week’s episode, Anita and Ebony are at Kickstarter HQ in Brooklyn recording the podcast in front of a live studio audience! Best of all, they’re joined by special guest, cultural commentator and hip hop DJ Jay Smooth. Ebony leads the trio through a wide-ranging assortment of questions that find them discussing Breaking Bad, Bradley Cooper, pro wrestling, the music of Rush, and the end of the world, among other things. So settle in for this lively, stimulating discussion and learn which condiment brings about the apocalypse! Be sure to check out Crash Course’s current series on media literacy, hosted by Jay Smooth: https://youtu.be/AD7N-1Mj-DU Segment Timestamps Caro’s Intro :00 2:00 Hello! 3:15 Ebony’s Tribeca Story 6:20 Ebony Has a Bunch of Questions 7:05 What’s another career you would love to have? 12:05 What brings about the apocalypse? 16:10 Kanye and the Dilbert guy 18:40 What is a work/creator that’s way overrated? 20:10 Anita’s late night bar/party question 22:10 Breaking Bad, Sherlock, and Aw

On this week’s show, we discuss the use of sound in John Krasinski’s new horror thriller A Quiet Place, whether Ebony would survive in this particular brand of apocalypse, the agony of living in a world without crunchy food, and whether seeing it in a theater is the best decision or the worst decision. We also talk about the sensitive way in which the film handles its deaf character, Regan, who is played by deaf actor Millicent Simmonds, and Ebony drops some knowledge about horror films as a genre. Then we discuss the new espionage series Killing Eve starring Sandra Oh. Is it a completely absurd spy show or is it a show that’s consciously playing with spy tropes? (Why not both?) We highlight the smart little details that humanize its characters, and how wonderful it is to see Sandra Oh cast as the lead in a major series. Also, Anita and Ebony discuss the lack of croissant-sharing in their relationship, and Anita goes on an eye-opening educational journey as she learns both that John Krasinski is the dude fro

In this candid conversation, the last of our special JoCo Cruise interviews, Anita talks to hip hop artist Open Mike Eagle about both his evolution as a rapper and the evolution of hip hop as a whole. The two also discuss how our current political reality seeps into the fabric of everyday life, accepting that as an artist, you might start off creating some pretty bad art, and the horrors of bad snorkeling experiences. Check out Mike’s work at mikeeagle.net

In this week’s episode of Feminist Frequency Radio, Anita and the gang discuss Netflix’s tantalizing new food documentary series Ugly Delicious, which explores the collisions of food, culture, and history. When does culinary tribute cross over into culinary appropriation? How do we handle beloved foods that have become saddled with deeply racist associations? Whose cuisine is considered valuable and whose is considered disposable? Then we talk about Bury Me, My Love, a mobile game that puts you in the role of a husband whose wife is a Syrian refugee attempting a dangerous journey to Europe. The game’s subject matter is weighty, but Ebony still finds a way to bring up the original theatrical release of the movie Clue. Finally, we each share something we’ve been digging lately in What’s Your FREQ-Out? Timestamps: :00 Brought to you by… :27 Intro and greetings 3:22 pop culture checkin: The Simpsons responds to criticisms of Apu 7:55 Ugly Delicious 30:24 Bury Me, My Love 44:10 What’s Your FREQ-Out? (Ebony on Requ

In our latest JoCo Cruise interview, Anita talks to writer and showrunner Amy Berg, who has worked on shows such as Leverage, Eureka, Person of Interest, and Starz’ current hit sci-fi series Counterpart. Here, Berg recounts the bold way she once got Joss Whedon’s attention, the unproduced Lost script that helped her make a name for herself, and all the things that go into being showrunner on a major TV series. Anita also talks to Berg about consciously doing the work to create a more inclusive television landscape, and what impact our current political landscape is likely to have on the visions of the future that television will give us in the years ahead.

In this week’s episode, Carolyn has visited the OASIS of Ready Player One and lives to tell Anita and Ebony the tale, demonstrating her own knowledge of obscure pop culture trivia and criticizing RPO for its use of the woman-as-trophy trope familiar to so many of the properties that inspired it. The gang then moves on to ABC’s Roseanne revival, which pulled in huge numbers of viewers. Is it an important portrayal of white working-class experience, or a harmful sanitization of the damage done by Trump voters? Finally, in What’s Your FREQ-Out, Carolyn recommends an excellent TV show, Ebony recommends a terrible movie, and Anita gushes over a great documentary series that explores intersections of food, culture, politics and tradition. Segment Timestamps: :00 Brought to you by… :25 Intro/Greetings 2:25 Entertainment news: John K. 5:40 Ready Player One 27:10 Roseanne 48:05 What’s Your FREQ-Out? (Carolyn on The Americans, Ebony on Prom Night, Anita on Ugly Delicious) 58:10 wrap-up Relevant Links: Constance Grady o

“I can’t talk about airline food anymore!” In this conversation recorded aboard the JoCo Cruise, Anita talks to comedian Jackie Kashian about how the realm of stand-up comedy has changed in the 30 years or so that she’s been in the business. The material has evolved, sure, but the gender dynamics are shifting too, and that’s a good thing in what has historically been a very male-dominated industry. The two also discuss Star Trek Discovery, the pronunciations of their Armenian last names, and their conflicting feelings about Agents of SHIELD.

This week, Anita and Caro talk all about their experiences at this year’s Game Developer’s Conference, touching on the shifting politics of the industry, the important voices that go unheard, and, of course, their favorite games of the show. Learn how Carolyn totally saved Anita’s life during the event, and hear Caro gush over the Outerlands documentary series, which she considers a must-watch for anyone interested in game history. Time stamps: Ebony’s intro 00:01 Anita’s welcome 01:05 GDC exhaustion 02:10 Absent voices and old ideas 4:45 Let’s talk about games! 17:10 ALT-CTRL-GDC 31:30 Homo Machina, inspired by the art of Fritz Kahn 38:55 GDC film festival: Outerlands episodes 41:00 Game Workers Unite 45:28 What’s Your FREQ-Out? 47:25 Wrap-up 54:55 Relevant Links: Knights and Bikes announcement trailer: https://youtu.be/UqR0hgcLSDo Untitled Goose Game pre-alpha gameplay: https://youtu.be/wQknBJo4aBQ Gamasutra article about Kids by Playables: https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/315114/Road_to_the_IGF_Playable

In the third of our JoCo Cruise interviews, Anita talks to the very funny writer/performer/actor John Hodgman about his unusual career, from his stint as an “expert” on anything and everything on The Daily Show to the unlikely way in which he landed the gig of a lifetime, playing the PC in the tremendously successful PC vs. Apple ad campaign. From there, the two embark on a thoughtful conversation about wealth, privilege, class, and income inequality.

In this week's episode, the Feminist Frequency Killjoys (call us, Marvel) unleash a torrent of opinions about Netflix's Jessica Jones; from its complicated wrestling with trauma to the ways in which people of color are often used as narrative tools in the service of white women's healing. Then we gush over the mobile game, Florence, which Caro called "both a beautiful game and also a game about beauty—the beauty of creation, color, and connection." Finally, we each share something we’ve been thinking about in What’s Your FREQ Out?! Caro is reading N.K. Jemisin's The Fifth Season; while Ebony is unashamed to admit that Holby City continues to have her shook. Anita wraps up the section by abusing the FREQ Out system and tries to slip in TWO freq outs: she loved the Black Panther soundtrack and tries to speak on West Coast hip hop and then also wanted to chat about A Case of Distrust. Segment Timestamps: :16 - Intros 1:42 - VoP (Voice of Phil) 1:50 - Anita and Ebony wrote a book! Also, we fail to talk

In the second of our JoCo Cruise interviews, Anita talks with fantasy author Patrick Rothfuss about the power of stories, from the ones we create around the table with friends when playing D&D to the ones projected on the big screen, and why professional storytellers have a responsibility to use their power for good. The conversation touches on their shared love for Moana and delves into the limitations of “strong female characters” and the pressure to simplify stories when adapting for film, and what can get lost in the process. Follow Patrick on Twitter at @PatrickRothfuss and learn more about his charity at worldbuilders.org

In this week’s podcast, Anita opens the door on some of the strange imagery from her dreams. Then, we work through our feelings about Ava DuVernay’s film adaptation of Madeleine L’Engle’s children’s classic, A Wrinkle in Time and discover that maybe how you feel about this movie depends on how in touch you are with your inner child. Also, because so many people seem to wrongly think that we “agree” with the ways in which the current administration is scapegoating video games, we dive into the White House’s tactics and what our critiques of games and media in general are actually saying. Finally, we wrap things up with some cheers and recommendations in What’s Your FREQ-Out?! Segment Timestamps: Start: Ebony and Phil announce the winners of our book giveaway 1:00 introductions 2:45 Anita’s weird dreams 4:08 pop culture news (box office milestones and Ready Player One’s premiere) 8:10 A Wrinkle in Time 27:10 The Trump administration’s scapegoating of video games 44:10 What’s Your FREQ-Out?! Ebony on Bodyminds R

While Anita was aboard the 2018 JoCo Cruise, she took the opportunity to talk to some of the amazing creators who were trapped at sea with her! In this first JoCo interview, she speaks with the amazing sci-fi writer N.K. Jemisin, creator of the acclaimed Broken Earth series. The conversation covers how Jemisin became a professional writer, the exciting new era of fantasy writers who are pushing past the "Tolkien-clone" mold, and Jemisin’s own process for worldbuilding and character creation. Anita and N.K. also talk about Jemisin’s love of video games, our cultural notions of what gamers look like vs. what gamers actually look like, and her admiration for NieR: Automata, Shadow of the Colossus, and Mafia 3.

In this episode, Anita and Carolyn are joined by special guest, comedian Irene Tu! We all endured the epic Oscars ceremony last weekend to discuss our favorite moments, our reactions to the winners, and whether or not things in Hollywood are actually getting better. Then, in keeping with the cinematic theme, we recount our disorienting experiences in the shimmer after seeing Annihilation. What does it all mean? Was it any good? What’s with making the main character a white woman? Finally, we each share something we’ve been thinking about in What’s Your FREQ-Out, which gives Irene a chance to talk about just why people have been showing her so many drugs lately. Segment Times: 0-1:10 Ebony’s special intro 1:11-2:28 welcomes and introductions 2:29-5:10 Anita’s Trust No Man banner and Irene’s Man-Haters Comedy show 5:15-27:10 The Oscars 27:15-47:17 Annihilation What’s Your FREQ-Out?— 47:30 Carolyn on the Her Head in Films podcast 49:40 Irene on people showing her various drugs 53:38 Anita on Godless 58:27 wrap-u