Poptarts

Feminist electropunk artist JD Samson has been a favorite of ours here at BUST Magazine since she first appeared on our cover with her band Le Tigre in 2002. Since then, she has traveled the world both with that band and with her other band MEN, creating socially conscious anthems we can all dance to and proving to fans and skeptics alike that feminism can actually be fun. Her new band, Crickets—which she formed with her pals Michael O'Neill (MEN, Princess) and Roddy Bottum (Faith No More, Imperial Teen/Nastie Band)—has released a series of singles and a multimedia collaborative art project leading up to the release of their self-titled debut full length which came out July 17 on Muddguts Records. It is weird and stripped down and moody and bouncy and perfect for your next socially distant dance party. In this episode of BUST’s Poptarts Podcast, JD reveals how becoming a queer sex symbol made her grapple with her own “toxic masculinity,” she gets real about money, and we parse the power of her iconic stache.

Bob the Drag Queen first rose to prominence as the winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 8 and since that time, he has been using his huge platform to not only become a major name in standup comedy but also to become a powerful voice for LGBTQ rights and the Black Lives Matter movement. His HBO series We’re Here features Bob alongside fellow Drag Race alums Shangela and Eureka traveling to small towns across America to help create support systems and communities for isolated queer folks by putting on drag shows. And during pride month, Bob organized a massive online event called the Black Queer Town Hall and made headlines by encouraging other members of the drag community to stand up as allies for the protest movement that emerged in the wake of George Floyd’s death. Bob’s HBO show and new comedy special Bob the Drag Queen: Live at Caroline’s, have been so uplifting to so many during quarantine and in this inspiring episode of BUST’s Poptarts Podcast, he talks about his rise to fame, fills us in on his activis

A legendary stand-up comedian, Judy Gold was one of the first out lesbians in the business and she has been making people laugh on stage, on TV, and as an author for almost 40 years. She won two Daytime Emmys for her work as a writer and producer on The Rosie O'Donnell Show, she’s had stand-up specials on HBO, Comedy Central, and LOGO, and she’s had two hit Off-Broadway shows. Now, Gold is hosting the podcast Kill Me Now and her new book, YES, I CAN SAY THAT: When They Come for the Comedians We Are All In Trouble comes out July 28, 2020. In this hilarious episode of BUST’s Poptarts Podcast, she takes on cancel culture, gets real about sexism in comedy, and we compare our Jewish mothers.

As a founding member of the chart-topping ‘90s R&B girl group En Vogue, Terry Ellis and her three bandmates are recognized as being among the highest grossing American girl groups in history, selling over 20 million albums and racking up over 30 million streams. Their hits, “Hold On,” “Free Your Mind,” “Never Gonna Get It,” “Giving Him Something He Can Feel,” “Don’t Let Go,” and “Whatta Man featuring Salt-N-Pepa” are instant portals to whatever lives we were living in the 1990s and have all become karaoke classics. More recently, Ellis made headlines this past Juneteenth when she released a solo single, “Angry Black Woman,” a powerful protest anthem that articulates the pain and rage Americans feel after decades of seeing Black citizens being victimized by racist police officers. In this episode of BUST’s Poptarts podcast, Ellis talks about her new song “Angry Black Woman,” reveals why Luther Vandross spent months torturing En Vogue in 1993, shares her passion for paper crafts, and more!

As bassist for iconic band The Go-Go’s, Kathy Valentine and her girl gang became the first multi-platinum-selling, all-female band to play their own instruments, write their own songs, and have a number one album. Their 1981 debut Beauty and the Beat, spent six weeks at the top of the Billboard charts and featured the hit songs “We Got the Beat,” and “ Our Lips are Sealed,” and Valentine wrote the band’s subsequent hits “Vacation” and “Head Over Heels.” This past April, she debuted All I Ever Wanted: A Rock and Roll Memoir as well as a supercool original soundtrack based on the book. The book is bursting with raucous girl-powered sex, drugs, and rock and roll, but is also heroically honest, with chapters detailing childhood trauma, sexual assault, and struggles with addiction. In this episode of BUST’s Poptarts podcast she describes the rise and fall of her boundary-breaking band in riveting detail, answers all our probing questions about groupies, and shares her memory from touring that remains her “biggest

A seasoned character actor with impeccable comic timing, Judy Greer is probably best known for her role as Kitty Sanchez on "Arrested Development." (“Say goodbye to these!”) She’s also appeared in plenty of girl-culture classics, including "13 Going on 30," "27 Dresses," and the very feminist 2018 reboot of "Halloween." Her latest project—which she both executive produced and stars in—is an episode of "Into The Dark," a Blumhouse produced horror anthology series that premieres a feature-film-length episode every month tied to a holiday. The show is now in its second season, and Greer anchors a film called "Good Boy" tied to Pet Appreciation Week that airs June 12 on Hulu. On this episode of BUST’s "Poptarts" podcast, Greer discusses her extensive history of being flashed, shares our love of woman-centric horror, and shares how hard it currently is to get a copy of "White Fragility" in L.A.

In solidarity with #BlackLivesMatter and in the effort to #AmplifyMelanatedVoices , this special episode of the Poptarts podcast is a deep dive led by Black BUST staffers into the recent activist uprising taking place around the country in the wake of the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery. BUST’s Digital Editorial Director Bry’onna Mention (@radsadblackbry) and Poptarts Producer Logan del Fuego (@lusciouslogan13) shape the discussion while addressing sources for reliable news, explaining the realities of being Black in America, and debating their hopes and fears for what will come about as a result of this watershed moment. The theme music for this episode is a remix by Logan del Fuego of a song posted online by 12-year-old @KeedronBryant.

Comedian and actor Yvonne Orji is best known for her role as Molly on HBO’s “Insecure” and her film credits include “Night School” and the upcoming “Vacation Friends.” She co-hosts the critically acclaimed podcast “Jesus and Jollof,” with her pal Luvvie Ajayi, and her upcoming book “Bamboozled by Jesus: How God Tricked Me Into the Life of My Dreams” will hit shelves next year. Her first hour-long HBO comedy special, “MOMMA, I MADE IT,” comes out June 6 and it is super funny and touching and women in particular will love it. In this episode of BUST’s “Poptarts” podcast, she gets real about her immigrant identity, her decision to save sex for marriage, and that BIG fight between Molly and Issa on “Insecure.”

As the legendary front-woman of the Runaways, Cherie Currie and her teen bandmates Joan Jett, Lita Ford, Sandy West, and Jackie Fox exploded out of L.A. in 1975 and became the first American, all-girl rock band to make it big. She put out two studio albums and one live album with the Runaways and created an absolute frenzy in Japan before calling it quits in 1977. Since then, Currie has never stopped creating, putting out seven more studio albums as a solo artist, with her twin sister Marie, and more recently with Brie Darling from Fanny. And now, her new album, Blvds of Splendor—a tour de force featuring collabs with Billy Corgan, Slash, Matt Sorum, Duff McKagan, Juliette Lewis, Brody Dalle, and the Veronicas— is being unleashed on a world that desperately needs to rock and it’s a total winner. On this episode of BUST’s Poptarts podcast, she opens up about celibacy, chainsaws, communicating with ghosts, and more!

Jessamyn Stanley is an award-winning yoga instructor, intersectional activist, and founder of The Underbelly virtual yoga studio app who first rose to fame in 2012 through her Instagram posts showing her doing high-level yoga as a plus-size woman of color. Self-identifiying online as a "queer fat femme," she’s helped coax legions of women who previously felt alienated by the privileged, skinny, white world of yoga into the practice along with her. And now she’s one of the most influential yoga personalities working today. We featured Jessamyn in BUST in 2017 when her book Every Body Yoga: Let Go of Fear, Get On the Mat, Love Your Body came out, and now we’re thrilled to have her on BUST’s Poptarts podcast, where she talks about overcoming crass commercialization, bias, and fitness industry fuckery to become the star she is today.

Since The Bachelor debuted in 2002 on ABC, the relationship reality show hosted by Chris Harrison has grown into a huge pop cultural phenomenon. The show is now responsible for tons of watch parties, relentless watercooler talk, and a surprising number spin-offs. For over 15 years, feminists far and wide have sneered at and ignored this show. But last year, BUST’s digital editor Lydia Wang and BUST digital contributor Emma Davey started talking about it at BUST HQ so much that BUST’s Poptarts Podcast co-host Emily Rems started tuning in. In this episode, Lydia and Emma explain why even feminists are watching, and Emily and Callie weigh the pros and cons of taking up residence in Bachelor Nation. *Please Note: This is the first episode we’ve attempted to record remotely from home since our office closed due to Corona Virus. The quality is not quite where we want it to be yet, but we’re working on our setup all the time to make it better. Thanks for your understanding.* Guess what? This podcast now has a Pat

Mary Lambert is a true titan of truth-telling who, over the last seven years, has become as famous for her vulnerability as she has for her powerhouse vocal talent. Mary is a grammy-nominated singer-songwriter, author, and activist who just released her second full-length album, Grief Creature. But most folks know her for her breakout 2012 collaboration with Macklemore and Ryan Lewis on the triple-platinum-selling gay rights anthem “Same Love,” a huge hit that made Mary a gay icon overnight. In this episode of BUST’s Poptarts podcast recorded in Brooklyn a few days before COVID-19 social distancing went into effect, she explores the delicate process of turning trauma into art and staying spiritual in a judgmental world.

Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy Richards’ book Manifesta: Young Women, Feminism, and The Future was released in 2000 as a chronicle of the third-wave feminist movement they were experiencing. The book has since become a classic of contemporary feminist literature and the 20th anniversary edition hit shelves March 10. In this episode of BUST’s Poptarts Podcast—recorded before the Corona Virus pandemic sent us all into social distancing mode—the dynamic activist duo looks back on Manifesta 20 years later, imagines the future of feminism, and discusses what the Harvey Weinstein verdict means for women. (Remember him?)

Jessica Lanyadoo is an Oakland-based astrologer, psychic medium, and animal communicator with over 20 years consulting experience. She’s currently on tour with her new book, Astrology for Real Relationships: Understanding You, Me, and How We All Get Along. Plus, her super popular astrology and advice show, Ghost of a Podcast, is THE place to get astrological advice through your headphones with thousands of listeners each week. Her advice is always kind, non-judgmental, open-minded, and insightful, and on this episode of BUST’s Poptarts podcast, she tells Emily and Callie what their cats are thinking and reminds us that doing the right thing is always a good look—even if the whole world is going up in flames.

Maxine Nightingale and Linda Clifford are powerhouse vocalists whose soulful hits “Right Back Where We Started From” and “If My Friends Could See Me Now” helped define the 1970s disco sound. And in this special double episode of BUST’s Poptarts podcast, host Emily Rems catches up with them on board the amazing Ultimate Disco Cruise (ultimatediscocruise.com) where they each brought enthusiastic crowds to their feet with their virtuoso performances. Here, these disco divas explain what it takes to survive as a woman in the minefield of pop music and reveal why for them, the best is yet to come.

Showgirls. It’s a bad movie. The world is full of bad movies. But what does it take to make a really great bad movie? One that inspires a cult following and Halloween costumes and theme parties and ongoing public screenings and full-on fan obsession? Whatever that special magic is, Showgirls has had it for 25 years. And on this episode, we are joined by Matt Harkins and Viviana Olen— founders of the THNK1994 museum and curators of GODDESS: The Immersive Showgirls Exhibit at the Resorts World Casino in Queens—to discuss why the film’s popularity endures despite it being truly terrible.

Lindy West is an opinion writer for The New York Times and is the author of the bestselling memoir Shrill and the new book The Witches Are Coming which exposes all the misogyny that has come squealing to the surface of culture as a result of the #MeToo movement. She also executive produces and writes the acclaimed Hulu comedy series Shrill, based on her life, which just kicked off Season 2 on January 24. And in this episode of Poptarts, she opens up about confronting her trolls, casting Aidy Bryant to play her, and writing a show that normalizes fat sex.

Days Of Our Lives, the most iconic soap opera ever to grace the small screen, has been running five days a week on NBC since 1965. Victoria Konefal, the show’s super popular new star, joined the cast in 2017 as Ciara Brady—the strong-willed daughter of the show’s power couple Bo and Hope—and shortly after making her debut, she was singled out for a Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series. She has been voted #1 Soap Actress multiple times in polls conducted by TV Source Magazine, and in this hilarious and revealing episode of BUST’s Poptarts podcast, she shares her unique feminist perspective on what it’s like inside the wild and truly woman-centric world of soaps.

Ada Calhoun is the author of the memoir "Wedding Toasts I’ll Never Give," named an Amazon Book of the Month and one of the top ten memoirs of 2017 by W magazine; and the history "St. Marks Is Dead," one of the best books of 2015, according to Kirkus and the Boston Globe. She has collaborated on several New York Times bestsellers, and written for the New York Times, New York, and The New Republic. And in this episode of BUST's Poptarts podcast, she talks about her brand new book, "Why We Can't Sleep: Women's New Midlife Crisis," and examines tons of fascinating sociological data that helps to explain why so many Generation X women are having big time issues as we enter middle age.

Kara Loewentheil has a B.A. from Yale and a J.D. from Harvard Law and she just so happens to be one of the most beloved self-help gurus working in the podcasting space today. In the last three years since leaving her legal career behind, Kara has grown her life coaching business from 0 to 7 figures. She's the host of the iTunes top-rated self-help podcast Unf*ck Your Brain which has been downloaded over 5M times, and she has been featured in Marie Claire, Mind Body Green, MSN.com, The Huffington Post and more. On this special episode of BUST’s Poptarts podcast, recorded LIVE at the BUST Craftacular in Brooklyn, she helps explain why some of us immediately turn into petulant teens when we go home to visit our parents for the holidays, and she gives valuable tips for unf*cking our brains and getting more centered in 2020.