You’ve probably seen our announcement on Instagram or heard it on this week’s Material Concerns episode: Material Girls is now a weekly show! We’re so thrilled to be doubling production of our flagship podcast — offering you two regular format episodes and two Material Concerns episodes a month. But I’m not here to tell you what you already know. I, Coach, am taking over Gaby’s usual newsletter real estate to make an ask: Will you consider joining our Patreon?
Our lowest tier is $5/month (or $54/year at the discounted annual membership). All Patreon earnings are poured back into the show. By joining, you’re supporting independent artists and public scholarship — what could be better?
At the $5/month tier, you get episode bloopers, monthly Q&A episodes, Material Concerns Part II, and mini In the Zeitgeist episodes with our guests.
Plus, we’re doing a “Patreon Push” this month, which means if you join in April, you get a Material Girls sticker for free and a 10% off discount code to our merch store.
If we hit our goal of earning $7k/month on Patreon, we will unlock:
A live Material Girls recording for all Patreon supporters to attend!
A NEW Witch, Please episode (this would a special return to our old format(s). If you don’t know the show, check out our original run here or our reboot here.)
A “Hot, Slutty, Talented” hat on our merch store.
Most importantly, if we hit our goal, we will be able to sustain production of Material Girls while ensuring job security for our team! If you can’t become a sustaining supporter, please consider gifting a short-term Patreon subscription to a friend for their upcoming birthday! Or to a new parent you know who needs something to listen to while they’re home! Or to a college student who is getting really into critical theory (I promise they exist*).
Thank you so much for your support. If money is tight (UNDERSTOOD!!) please share the show this month on social or with family and friends!
xoxo,
Hannah Rehak aka Coach and the whole WPP team
*I’m currently wearing a very worn out version of this shirt that I bought over a decade ago while studying under Duchess Harris.
First, Hannah and Marcelle dig into the conspiracy theory that Canadian pop punk icon Avril Lavigne died and was replaced by a body double named Melissa. In the episode, we’re joined by Cristen Conger (she/her) from the Unladylike podcasting universe, who is deep in conspiracy discourse. Tune in for a discussion about Lavigne's rise to popularity, the replacement theory, our cultural relationship to celebrity women's bodies and privacy, and so much more.
Next up, it’s a new Material Concerns! In very fun news, Coach is now our third co-host on these episodes which means more chaos, new segments (including recommendations, a creature report, and… improv!).
As always, Part II is available on Patreon right now! If you join by May 1, you'll be helping us hit our goal for this month’s Patreon push! Check out your membership options at patreon.com/ohwitchplease!
Every Tier is Different and Now’s the Time to Make YOUR PICK
Every six months, our $20/month tier gets a new, original mug designed by Zoe Mix sent straight to their door. That’s ONE of the benefits of being at our Moguls & Magnates tier. If you join during April, you’ll get this mug! Otherwise you’ll have to wait until October to get an original mug from Zoe!
From roughly December to early March, I (Gaby) am often “seasonally depressed” and somewhat “unwell.” With the sun comes my will to live. When that first warm day hits, by god, I am Nicole Kidman finalizing her divorce from T*m Cr**se. Here’s what we’ve been listening to while the sun’s out! (Here if you’re an Apple Music user!) Xoxo.
a text from Coach to Gaby this weekend
Maybe everybody already knows this, but I didn't until a couple of years ago so either way here it goes: DID YOU KNOW YOU CAN PAN FRY GNOCCHI? This is important for a couple of reasons. 1) Gnocchi is cheap and shelf-stable, making it a great pantry pal. 2) Frying it exponentially increases its deliciousness. 3) Pan-fried gnocchi with olive oil and garlic is a really good base for whatever vegetable is cheap / in season, whether that's Brussels sprouts or zucchini or asparagus. I have based my fried gnocchi experiments on this NYT recipe which, if you can't access it someone has helpfully reproduced here. A note for vegans: not all vegan butters "brown" properly. Earth balance will just melt and then you'll have a pan full of wet, oily dumplings, which is textually non-ideal. I've had the best results with Miyokos, which browns like a dream, but also you can skip the browned butter altogether and just use nice olive oil, garlic, lemon zest, red pepper flakes, and a splash of nice balsamic vinegar. I promise even without the butter it will take you to flavour town.
I wish I could tell you I was watching something extremely cool that you'd never heard of, but I simply do not have time to "discover" things. To that end, I apologize if you are already watching what I'm about to recommend: season 3 of The White Lotus. First of all, I detest every single character. Why is that my first reason to recommend the show? Because the previous two seasons ended with the deaths of characters I kind of loved, and that was... complicated? If you are a White Lotus fan, you know that each season opens promising viewers that someone is going to die; we spend the rest of the season hoping it's one of the rich white people. Sometimes it is. This season has outdone itself with shitty, rich white people, so I'm genuinely curious what writer/director Mike White has in store for them (us). Second, I lied, I actually adore three characters so Mike White, if you hurt them I will find you. The characters are Belinda, the massage therapist we met in season 1, Pornchai, the local staff person managing her exchange at the Thailand resort, and Zion, Belinda's son who legit loves his mom and wants her to be happy (even if that means being cool about walking in on her and a sexy local post-coitus). These three characters are an absolute joy and the arc of the season has made it clear that they're important, so don't fuck this up for me, Mike White. Third, the soundtrack rules. You may remember from our last newsletter that I LOVE a soundtrack. Well this one is jam packed with Thai pop music and I am here for it. Fourth, every Parker Posey meme. Fifth, Jason Isaac's North Carolina accent (**Note from Gaby as the resident North Carolinian: both his accent AND Parker Posey’s are very accurate). I don't know what it is about this series and the thrill I get from watching the lives of the super rich implode, but the chaos is masterfully orchestrated and I am on tenterhooks between episodes. If you haven't started this season, or haven't seen any seasons yet, I highly recommend you give the show a try. If nothing else, it's a sumptuous exercise in schadenfreude.
Nothing costs $10 anymore. Okay, that isn’t true, I eat pizza for $5 or less 3-4 times a week. STILL, I can’t think to recommend anything worth your $10 (other than our Patreon…) so let me instead recommend getting really into crosswords to calm down and to pass time slowly. According to Reddit, you can get free NYT puzzles here. In these brutal times, let’s get really focused in on non-productive, inconsequential hobbies, shall we??
Last month I read a really special book called The Archive of Alternate Endings by Lindsey Drager. This was a recommendation from WPP transcriptionist extraordinaire, Ruth, and boy, did it not disappoint. After reading the book I learned that Lindsey Drager studied under writer Richard Powers, and that absolutely makes sense to me given the poetic language and the lush imagery braided throughout. If you are a fan of Powers’ work I highly recommend this book. The Archive of Alternate Endings takes place across a millennium, with multiple interwoven storylines that match up with the arrival of Halley’s Comet which passes by the earth every 75 years. The book also weaves in the story of Hansel and Gretel and examines how storytelling shifts when it goes from oral to written, how stories change over the centuries, and what stories get told versus what stories are hidden away and silenced. The book is about siblings too, and the ways siblings care for each other through the worst life can give. Writer Ilana Masad puts it perfectly in her NPR review: “There is something both nihilistic and deeply hopeful in Drager’s looping novel. Nihilistic, because in so many ways it indicates that as parts of a continuum of human storytelling, life, love, and hate, none of us matter; but hopeful because that continuum means our stories are related, our narratives interlocking, and so while we may be insignificant, we are also never alone.” Content warnings: HIV/AIDs crisis, forced institutionalization, death and dying, homophobia
I have been listening to the 2011 Original Broadway Cast Recording of Newsies. How am I? Not well, bitch! I was obsessed with the musical adaptation of Newsies in my youth and revisiting it has been a blast. I still know 95% of the words. If you’re a fan, drop your favorite Jack Kelly in the comments! Personally: Corey Cott 4 Life.
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