041-Cuckoo with JJ and Mae!

This week Kayte and Mae are joined by writer and editor of Cul de Sac of Blood (a horror poetics journal) J †Johnson to sink our teeth into Gretchen Felker-Martin's nightmarish novel Cuckoo. We talk about the unknowable monster, the horror of the family and liken the book's desert conversion camp to the violence of ecological colonialism and memoricide.  "Elements of Semitism" by Jake Romm, Parapraxis Magazine "The State Wants to Remember For You. Don't Let it" by Camelia Berry-Grass JJ is the co-editor of Cul de Sac of Blood, a horror poetics journal and the author of two books with Punctum Books. Their forthcoming book, Janky Materiality will also be published by Punctum. Mae is co-host of the podcast Pleasers and Punishers, is a Scooby on Slayerfest98 and makes music at eversonpoe Kayte is also a co-host on Fangs for the Memories and makes art here.

Long live the new flesh. Kayte, Dave and guest Jake Flores dig into David Cronenberg’s weirdo masterpiece, Videodrome. We talk Marshall McCluhan, techno-utopians, techno-fascists, kink and more!  Media referenced:  The Medium is the Massage by Marshall McCluhan and Quentin Fiore  Rev Left Radio: episode on Marshall McCluhan & The Medium is the Message with Matthew Furlong. Listen here. Videodrome: The Slithery Sense of Unreality by Gary Indiana. Read here Jake is the co-host of Pod Damn America, Why You Mad (on hiatus but listen to the old eps!) and The Preacher and The Slave. He’s also a standup! Follow him on insta for dates. Dave is also a co-host on Genre Reveal Party and hosts This is Your Afterlife  Kayte is also a co-host on Fangs for the Memories and makes art here!

Help us come ashore, we won’t eat you, my dear.  This week, we deep dive into the mermaid musical, The Lure (2015) (directed by  Agnieszka Smoczynska) with our guest DeVaughn Taylor. We talk about Poland in the ‘80s, mermaid lore, trans themes, disgust and desire and so much more.  Find DeVaughn as a co-host on Specter Cinema Club and Tainted Love and a regular on The Pod and the Pendulum Mae is co-host of the podcast Pleasers and Punishers, is a Scooby on Slayerfest98 and makes music at eversonpoe Kayte is also a co-host on Fangs for the Memories and makes art here

This week, we are slurping and crunching our way through Fruit Chan’s film Dumplings with guests Gretchen Felker-Martin and Sophie Lewis! We talk about the politics of food, abortion, class in Hong Kong and Birkin bags!  Media referenced:  Fruit Chan's "Dumplings"—New "Diary of a Madman" in Post-Mao Global Capitalism by Lu Tonglin Buy Gretchen’s books: Manhunt, Cuckoo and newly published Black Flame from Tor Nightfire  Buy Sophie’s books: Full Surrogacy Now!, Abolish the Family and Enemy Feminisms Follow Gretchen and Sophie on Patreon (I do!)  

Boils and blood and side wounds, oh my! This week we are joined by artist/professor (and Kayte's MFA thesis mentor!) Jonathan Van Dyke to talk about Renaissance paintings, torture, eroticism and more. On the menu: Jesus's sexuality, saints in ecstasy, leaky artists and why so many old Christian paintings look so queer.  About Jonathan Van Dyke:   Jonathan VanDyke is a New York City–based visual artist working at the intersection of painting and performance, with an emphasis on a queer, collaborative, and embodied practice. He is an Artist in Residence at Bard College and teaches for Pig Iron Theater and has many many shows you can read more about here! Or, follow JVD on insta! This is probably our most research heavy episode to date so please peruse our media referenced!  Readings: Steinberg, Leo. The Sexuality of Christ in Renaissance Art and Modern Oblivion, University of Chicago, 1983. Jones, Amelia. "Performing the Wounded Body: Pain, Affect and the Radical Relationality of the Body", Parallax, 2009 Van Dyke, Jonathan. "Hold, Still", free copy here Van Dyke, Jonathan. "Why Do So Many Old Christian Paintings Look So Queer?", free copy here Paintings we discussed: Francesco Bachiacca, The Flagellation of Christ, 1512-1515, oil on panel, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC. Diego de la Cruz, The Mass of St. Gregory, 1490, oil and gold on panel, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia. Giovanni Bellini, Lamentation Over the Dead Christ with the Virgin, Saint Joseph of Arimathea and Mary Magdalen between Saint Martha and Filippo Benizi, 1510-16, oil on canvas, Gallerie dell’Accademia, Venice. Marcello Fogolino, Madonna and Child enthroned with Job and St Gothard 1505-1508, oil on canvas, Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan Jay is also a co-host on Library Punk! Kayte is also a co-host on Fangs for the Memories and makes art here!

The shoe is too small for her, the true bride waits for you. This week we dig our teeth into the bloody fairy tale of Cinderella retold as the film The Ugly Stepsister with our guest, writer/editor Payton McCarty-Simas. We talk through the rot of beauty standards, overbearing mothers and fuckboy princes through the many iterations of tale, including Angela Carter's Ashputtle and Grimm's Cinderella.  Media referenced:  "Cinderella" by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm (read for free here) "Ashputtle or The Mother's Ghost: Three Versions of One Story", American Ghosts and Old World Wonders by Angela Carter (read for free here) "Deconstructing a Disempowering Normative Identity: Angela Carter's Adaptation of the Ashputtle Story" by Per Bauhn and Fatma Fulya Tepe Pre-Order Payton's book here! Read more of Payton's work here! Mae is also a Scooby on Slayerfest98 and makes music at eversonpoe Kayte is also a co-host on Fangs for the Memories and makes art here

Who are the real cannibals? Spoiler: it’s western imperialism! Kayte, Jay and guest Mark Steven dissect the cult classic Cannibal Holocaust and discover layer upon gristly layer of meaning. Topics we cover: found footage, the complicity of media, anthropology, groovy soundtracks and well-meaning liberals.  a note: this movie contains a lot of SA, violence and animal cruelty. We still think it’s a really important film to watch!  Media Referenced:  "The Raw and The Cooked: An Interview With Cătălin Avramescu " by Justin E.H. Smith, Cabinet Magazine. Splatter Capital: The Political Economy of Gore Films by Mark Steven  "Nightmare Green: Cannibal Holocaust as Theory-Fiction" by Micheal Uhaull, Ancillary Review of Books. Where to find Mark: Buy his book Capitalism: A Literary History here. Find all of Mark’s other writing here Jay is also a co-host on Library Punk! Kayte is also a co-host on Fangs for the Memories and makes art here!

Out by 16 or dead in the scene but together forever! This week we are joined by writer/performer Addison Peacock to talk about Ginger Snaps! Topics include: being a weird girl, fashion before the internet, becoming a monster and sisterly incest!  Media referenced:  The Monstrous Feminine by Barbara Creed ”Out by 16: Queer(ed) Girls in Ginger Snaps” by Tanis McDonald Where to find Addison:  Listen to her on the steampunk fantasy podcast Kingmaker  Listen to her on the queer cyberpunk audio drama KILLJAMXXX Writing for Dead Meat   Mae is also a Scooby on Slayerfest98 and makes music at eversonpoe Kayte is also a co-host on Fangs for the Memories and makes art here

We're back for Season 2 of Yellowjackets with Dave and writer Madeline Lane McKinley! We talk about mystery box TV and if solving mysteries matters. Plus, physical media, girls eating girls, '90s bangers and over-medicated teens. Buy Madeline’s book Comedy Against Work here  Buy Fag/Hag here soon!  And look out for Solidarity with Children here soon!  Dave is also a co-host on Genre Reveal Party and hosts This is Your Afterlife  Kayte is also a co-host on Fangs for the Memories and makes art here!

Kayte, Mae and our guest Rocco are in our shiny tendon suits and, uh-oh, we're in the nightmare mind of Vincent D'Onofrio? That's right, we are talking about Tarsem Singh's surrealist psychological horrror, The Cell. We talk about the lost art of music videos, Jennifer Lopez's unique empathetic heroism and unreal animation vs AI.  Where to find Rocco: The LadyKillers Podcast Read Rocco's Reviews! Mae is also a co-host on The Ladykillers Podcast and makes music at eversonpoe Kayte is also a co-host on Fangs for the Memories and makes art here