Welcome to the second TableCakes newsletter. Thank you for being here and thank you for forwarding it around - our subscriptions went up! Writer Antonio Garcia Martinez published a piece at WIRED outlining the reasons why the current journalism chaos is actually a return to to its original, independent, scrappy roots. Our founders Drew and Katherine have been ranting about the same thing! Read it here to be fully convinced. Having said all that, we are looking for advertisers and sponsors. Ha, capitalism. More information on joining forces with us is right here.
Tell all your PNW folks: Katherine is taking Smart Mouth on the road this weekend, hosting a live show at Double Barrel on Saturday afternoon. Stand-up comic Mohanad Elshieky will join her on stage for an event that includes a food-themed pub quiz with prizes from Naomi Pomeroy, Hey Love, St. Jack, Normandie and Wild Friends. Tickets are at listenupportland.com. (She’ll also be making an appearance later that evening at the Yo, Is This Racist taping at Revolution Hall.)
Back in the 1970s, American living rooms had all manner of PG-level horror movies beamed directly into them, and Sam Pancake Presents the Monday Afternoon Movie seeks to examine this underrated age of films and laugh at how bonkers they are. This week, we kicked off season two of the show with host Sam Pancake being joined by Frankie Frascatore to discuss 1977's The Spell, an NBC original that asked the question "What if Carrie's mom was a fashionable housewife played by Lee Grant?” This season we're doing ten more great, partially remembered films from the era. Subscribe on iTunes and check out the website if you want to listen to the first season.
Okay, so TableCakes has a podcast that's all about video game music. You may be asking "why?" and also "how?" but rest assured host Drew Mackie is doing his homework. This year, Singing Mountain is doing a whole series on how video game music has affected pop music, and if you're curious about how the former has helped create the sound of Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson, check out the first installment. The most recent episode looks at how rap group Bone Thugs-N-Harmony put out an album in 1995 that sampled some work by an American composer who didn't know for 20 years that his music ended up in a major hip-hop album. Listen to his story.
The team, elsewhere:
Smart Mouth host Katherine Spiers showed up on KQED’s The California Report to talk about ranch dressing. Hidden Valley is a real place! Listen here.
Los Angeles historian, writer and tour guide Hadley Meares is launching a TableCakes podcast about L.A.’s noir history soon. To get yourself ready, check out her Curbed series about the history of the Sunset Strip. Or better yet, take one of her walking tours! She’s familiar with every criminal and ghost ever to pass through this city.
Our cannabis expert Hayley Fox wrote an article about a well-funded marijuana company running chauvinistic ads. A lot of men are mad at her for it! But you should read the article. She also talked about unionizing weed workers on The VICE Guide to Right Now. And then listen to her own podcast, Green & Gold!
Speaking of Green & Gold, we’re still looking for a fill-in host. It’s a paid, L.A.-based gig for a business, social justice and/or cannabis reporter. Resumes should be sent to tablecakesproductions@gmail.com Forward this on to anyone who might be interested. And while you’re at it, forward this newsletter to the podcast enthusiast in your life, and tell them to subscribe!