What the Folk

We’re back to the folking interviews with this joyful frolic featuring Katy Frame and Marie Cecile Anderson, aka musical comedy duo Reformed Whores! We talk about our respective pandemic life changes, how to lean into fear, visions for a future artistic utopia, and the intensely triggering power of poop. Afterwards, Sarah and Joy reflect further on more metaphorical shit, such as cyclical time and Sarah’s recent conscious uncoupling with her long-term partner.

Featured music is “Girls Poop Too,” “Birth Control,” and “Drunk Dial” by Reformed Whores, courtesy of the artist.

https://www.reformedwhores.com/

Part deux of our monster M*A*S*H-athon conversation starts by tackling gender issues in the show and ends up with an imagined future for Hawkeye that involves hanging out with Timothy Leary and becoming an anti-war activist. In between, we cover sexism in the military, Freudian psychology, and nerd out about the show’s groundbreaking use of creative narrative devices. Don’t worry, there’s plenty of anti-imperialism chat too!

Music for this episode is covers of “Suicide is Painless” (Johnny Mandel/Michael Altman) and “You’re the Enemy” by Emily Yates (available for stream/download at https://warriorsongs.org/track/1564039/you-re-the-enemy)

READING RECS

Korean Americans urge Biden to officially end the 70-year Korean War

https://www.nknews.org/2021/03/korean-americans-urge-biden-to-officially-end-the-70-year-korean-war

M*A*S*H' Finale, 35 Years Later: Untold Stories of One of TV's Most Important Shows

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/mash-oral-history-untold-stories-one-tvs-important-shows-1086322

30 Surprising Facts About ‘M*A*S*H

https://www.history101.com/30-surprising-facts-about-mash/

Why the Real Hawkeye Pierce Hates M*A*S*H

https://www.history.com/news/why-the-real-life-hawkeye-pierce-hated-mash

Color Photos from Actual M*A*S*H Units

https://www.considerable.com/entertainment/retronaut/the-real-mash/

Korean War History Site

https://koreanwarlegacy.org/chapters/

Uncovering the Hidden History of the Korean War (Jacobin)

https://jacobinmag.com/2020/06/korean-war-seventieth-anniversary-north-korea-south

The Korean War: Forgotten, Unknown and Unfinished (Truthout)

https://truthout.org/articles/the-korean-war-forgotten-unknown-and-unfinished/

Attention all personnel, we’re doing something a little different for the next two episodes. In early January, Sarah was sucked into the antiwar brilliance of ‘70s T.V. comedy M*A*S*H -- and inspired Joy to come along for the binge-watching ride. Fresh off being emotionally devastated by the famous final episode, Sarah and Joy sit down to tackle the big questions: How, in the ever-living fuck, was this unapologetically anti-imperialist show so insanely popular in America? And why, in 2021, are we STILL not heeding its overtly anti-war message? This conversation also provides insight into Joy’s deployment experience and (potentially) illuminates some of Sarah’s questionable decisions. Stay tuned for part two!

Featuring covers of “Suicide is Painless” (Johnny Mandel/Michael Altman) and “I Bombed Korea” (Cake) performed by Joy Damiani.

READING RECS

Korean Americans urge Biden to officially end the 70-year Korean War

https://www.nknews.org/2021/03/korean-americans-urge-biden-to-officially-end-the-70-year-korean-war

M*A*S*H' Finale, 35 Years Later: Untold Stories of One of TV's Most Important Shows

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/mash-oral-history-untold-stories-one-tvs-important-shows-1086322

30 Surprising Facts About ‘M*A*S*H

https://www.history101.com/30-surprising-facts-about-mash/

Why the Real Hawkeye Pierce Hates M*A*S*H

https://www.history.com/news/why-the-real-life-hawkeye-pierce-hated-mash

Color Photos from Actual M*A*S*H Units

https://www.considerable.com/entertainment/retronaut/the-real-mash/

Korean War History Site

https://koreanwarlegacy.org/chapters/

Uncovering the Hidden History of the Korean War (Jacobin)

https://jacobinmag.com/2020/06/korean-war-seventieth-anniversary-north-korea-south

The Korean War: Forgotten, Unknown and Unfinished (Truthout)

https://truthout.org/articles/the-korean-war-forgotten-unknown-and-unfinished/

The endearingly profane anti-folk pioneer and artistic rabble-rouser Ed Hamell, aka Hamell on Trial, joins us for this one, and helps us make a large announcement that we’re excited to share with you! We were able to squeeze in almost two hours of his tour stories (featuring the likes of fellow anti-folk legends Ani DiFranco and Kimya Dawson), shared Syracuse roots, and good-natured political debate, so settle in and get ready to spend some quality time with this truly wholesome anti-folkery. Later in the show, we get into WTF is anti-folk, anyway, and note the looming 18th anniversary of the Iraq War.

Featured songs are “Values,” “Social Distancing,” and “Gonna” by Hamell on Trial, courtesy of the artist.

Follow Hamell On Trial: https://www.hamellontrial.org/home

Instagram (for Hamell’s art): @hamelltv

We’re joined by Carla Gover, a musician, dancer and activist whose work is informed by her deep Appalachian roots. We talk about breaking regional stereotypes, building connections across different communities, the wealth extraction that underlies Eastern Kentucky’s problems, and the importance of learning “granny skills,” especially during the pandemic. Afterwards, Sarah and the artist-soon-to-be-formerly-known as Emily discuss liberal snobbery towards the South, the Texas freeze, and get a preview of one of your What the Folk hosts' new moniker! We also give a shout out to our What the Folk Fam, as we have now officially dubbed thee, our lovely listeners.

Featured music is “I'm a Snowflake” and “Dangerous Women” by Carla Gover, courtesy of the artists

Follow Carla https://carlagover.com/home

TEXAS MUTUAL AID DIRECTORY

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rdMnbzYxfXFrG1DefGqN3R1zu_lan2fml2bEYRpMcRQ/edit?fbclid=IwAR3xlYn52Aqfe2VsKYWOIi7x7fzaNzWEhB_QzYHxE_N1in6EzTTgSL4kxNk

We are joined this week by SLC-based musician Talia Keys and her partner Melahn Atkinson. Besides offering a whole host of amazing livestream events in these strange times, Talia and Melahn have also been working with the houseless community in Salt Lake City. This interview covers a lot of ground: showing up for ALL your neighbors, being an out-and-proud radical in Utah, running Rock Camp SLC during the pandemic, and giving so few fucks you incur the wrath of bigots. Afterwards, Sarah and Emily read an update from Talia about the destruction of Camp Last Hope and talk about how our system conspires to keep folks houseless.

Featured music is “We’re Here” and “Guns Out” by Talia Keys & The Love, courtesy of the artists

FOLLOW TALIA

https://taliakeys.com/

SUPPORT CAMP LAST HOPE

*Venmo: @ blacklivesforhumanitymovement

*FB: https://www.facebook.com/BlackLivesforHumanityMovement

SARAH INSTA ACCOUNT RECS

*All My Homies Hate Michael Hancock @ allmyhomeshatemichaelhancok

*Denver WOM @ wallofmomden

*Sacramento Homeless Union @ sacramento.homeless.union

We’re kicking off the first week in February with an extra What the Folk Wednesday drop! We sat with the newest poet laureate of San Francisco, Tongo Eisen-Martin, to talk about poetry as a tool for radicalization, the gentrification of American cities, how the current political moment we’re in is a rerun and how to reclaim our consciousness from the inherent violence of the colonial project. Afterwards, Emily and Sarah ruminate on what the folk they learned from this incredibly thought-provoking interview.

All featured poetry by Tongo Eisen-Martin, courtesy of the artist.

Follow Tongo on Twitter and Instagram: @ _Tongogara_

Comedian Ron Placone joins us for this joint! We talk about Ron’s journey into stand-up comedy, digital rights issues, pushing back against the current of corporate media, and, of course, cats cats cats. Lightening the collective mood while taking on the heavy stuff is the vibe here. Afterwards, Emily and Sarah talk about the first feels around the Biden administration, Democrats Democrating and bad neolib “feminist” readings of Bernie memes.

FOLLOW RON

https://www.ronplacone.com/

GET INVOLVED

https://peoplesparty.org/

https://www.fightforthefuture.org/

Featured music is “Love Me I’m a Liberal” and “Bezos is Surveilling Your Town” by Ron Placone, and “I Miss You” by Emily Yates, courtesy of the artists.

Ron Placone is a comedian. He appears regularly on The Jimmy Dore Show and has been seen on CrossTalk, TMZ, FreeSpeechTV, The Young Turks, Redacted Tonight and more. His debut album, “Agnostic Holiday” is in rotation on SiriusXM. He hosts the YouTube show/podcast, Get Your News On With Ron.

**Content Warning: discussion of sexual assault and cult violence**

In the last days of 2020, we got up early, brewed some coffee, and sat down (er, Zoomed) with Maya Azucena, singer-songwriter and cultural ambassador, who has been riding out the pandemic in Turkey. Maya’s inspiring, infectious -- and highly danceable -- music has taken her on a worldwide outreach journey, and we hope you enjoy coming along for the ride as much as we did. We talk about the power of personal storytelling to connect across differences, how to have a global artistic career, and what it really means to be fearless. Afterwards, you can hear Emily and Sarah discuss their respective hair journeys and then switch to the much lighter topic of the riot at the Capitol. If you feel the analysis of last Wednesday’s events has lacked certain insights, as well as fashion critique and a (hopefully mostly accurate) summary of what happened at Jonestown as it relates to the ongoing Q phenomenon (and cults in general), have we got the commentary for you.

FOLLOW MAYA

http://mayaazucena.com/

Featured music is “Fearless,” “You Matter” and “Prettiest” by Maya Azucena, courtesy of the artist.

GUEST BIO

Maya Azucena, a magnetically inspirational woman, is known for making music that uplifts the soul. Among several awards for her music and humanitarian outreach, Azucena garnered a Grammy Certificate for contributing her 4-octave range and soul-stylings to a feature performance with Stephen Marley on Best Reggae Album of the Year, “Mind Control.”

Critically acclaimed, Brooklyn-native Maya is an avid independent touring artist and songwriter performing globally. Recent concerts include a 17-country tour of Europe in February 2019; Java Jazz Fest (Indonesia), CapeTown Jazz Fest (South Africa), Port Au Prince International Jazz Fest (Haiti), Rio Das Ostras Blues & Jazz Fest (Brazil), Moscow International House of Music (Russia), Pula Arena (Croatia), Delhi International Arts Festival (India), Hollywood Bowl (Los Angeles), Blue Note Hawaii, Blue Note New York, and Essence Fest in New Orleans alongside the likes of Beyonce, Jill Scott and Maxwell.

For the last 3 summers, Azucena has done concert residencies at Bodrum Marina Yacht Club in Turkey, as well as luxury resorts including Lujo Hotel, Regnum Carya Golf Club, and Six Sense Kaplankaya. Maya performed an exclusive concert with her Turkish orchestra, singing her original songs arranged for Çukurova State Symphony of Adana. She was also included in Istanbul’s 2017 Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, performing her song “Fearless” for the finale of Çigdem Akin’s runway show.

Maya collaborates extensively on stage and recordings with both national and international stars. Her collaborations have included Marcus Miller, Brass Against, Jason Miles, DJ Spinna, DJ Logic, Fitz and the Tantrums, Vernon Reid, and Bob Sinclair.

Maya is well known for her humanitarian outlook and projects around The Globe which include special focus on Women’s & Youth Empowerment and Domestic/Sexual Violence. Based on a personal commitment to help the world through her talent, most of Maya’s songs are anthems that lend a voice to self-worth, empowerment, overcoming obstacles, and stepping into our “fearless” selves

We deep dive with Dr. Serena Chopra, a multitalented and multifaceted teacher and artist. Join us for a fascinating and thought-provoking conversation about the different approaches to time, what we mean when we describe something as “queer,” turning our personal trauma into collective defense, and the role of mysticism in creating what comes next. It’s not just about examining the structures we live in, we also have to turn those structures on their heads to approach them differently. We hope you leave this conversation with the same sky-eyed perspective we did. Afterwards, Sarah is all jazzed up on Aquarius vibes and Emily talks about energy, because we’re both kind of hippies.

Featured poem is “Seduction After the Great Plains” by Dr. Serena Chopra. Featured music is “Love Yourself” and “The Only Point” by our own Emily Yates - a preview of her about-to-drop new album, Notes to Self and Others. All tracks appear courtesy of the artists.

GUEST BIO

Dr. Serena Chopra

https://www.serenachopra.com/

Dr. Serena Chopra is a teacher, writer, dancer, filmmaker, soundscape designer and a visual and performance artist. She has a PhD in Creative Writing from the University of Denver, an MFA from the University of Colorado at Boulder and was a Kundiman Fellow, a 2011-2013 Redline artist in Residence, a 2016-2017 Fulbright Scholar (Bangalore, India), and received a month-long artist residency at Understudy Denver for September 2020. She has two books, This Human (Coconut Books 2013) and Ic (Horse Less Press 2017), as well as two films, Dogana/Chapti (2018, winner of ArtHyve’s Archives as Muse Film grant, Official Selection at Frameline43, Oregon Documentary Film Festival, Seattle Queer Film Festival, Nahia Film Festival and Cinema Diverse) and Mother Ghosting (2018). She is an 8-year company member with Evolving Doors Dance and was recently a featured artist in Harper’s Bazaar (India) as well as in the Denver Westword’s “100 Colorado Creatives.” She has recent publications in Foglifter, Sink and Matters of Feminist Practice (Belladonna). Serena is Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at Seattle University.

EMILY DICKINSON POEM READ IN EPISODE

“The Brain is Wider Than the Sky” https://www.bartleby.com/113/1126.html

BOOKS MENTIONED IN EPISODE

Cruising Utopia: The Then and There of Queer Futurity by José Esteban Muñoz

https://bookshop.org/books/cruising-utopia-the-then-and-there-of-queer-futurity/9781479874569

The Undercommons: Fugitive Planning & Black Study by Stefano Harney & Fred Moten

https://bookshop.org/books/the-undercommons-fugitive-planning-black-study/9781570272677

A Thousand Plateaus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia by Gilles Deleuze

https://bookshop.org/books/a-thousand-plateaus-capitalism-and-schizophrenia/9780816614028

Queer Phenomenology: Orientations, Objects, Others by Sarah Ahmed

https://bookshop.org/books/queer-phenomenology-orientations-objects-others-9780822339144/9780822339144

Les Guerilleres by Monique Wittig

https://bookshop.org/books/les-guerilleres/9780252074820

The Portable Kristeva by Julia Kristeva

https://bookshop.org/books/the-portable-kristeva/9780231126298

Occasional Work and Seven Walks from the Office for Soft Architecture by Lisa Robertson

https://bookshop.org/books/occasional-work-and-seven-walks-from-the-office-for-soft-architecture-third-edition-revised/9781552452325

Your Healing Is Killing Me by Virginia Grise

https://bookshop.org/books/your-healing-is-killing-me/9780991418398

Ideal Suggestions: Essays in Divinatory Poetics by Selah Saterstrom

https://bookshop.org/books/ideal-suggestions-essays-in-divinatory-poetics/9780996922913