Pop It

Lana's new airboat, MomTok, Nobody Wants This, English Teacher, and more. Plus, a chat with Oh He Dead front woman CJ Johnson. Oh He Dead will play in Amherst at The Drake on October 13 and in Boston at the Middle East on October 19.

Molly and I just got back from Newport Folk Festival where we had the opportunity to connect with two bands on opposite ends of the folk spectrum: Dropkick Murphys and Palmyra . Although both groups challenge the traditional folk archetype, each has been anointed by one of the first families in folk—the Guthries and the Prines, respectively. (Apologies for the background noise during Pamlyra's interview, which begins 25:45.)

Alex Rosamilia is the lead guitarist of The Gaslight Anthem, a New Jersey punk band known for embracing legacy artists like Bruce Springsteen. I spoke to Rosamilia prior to the band's Boston show on Sunday, August 18th at MGM Music Hall at Fenway.

Originally aired in August of 2018—radio and podcast gender bias & our favorite female voices on the airwaves. Experts Lance Reenstierna and Tim Pilleri share what it takes to wrack up millions of downloads on iTunes and the story behind their breakout podcast success “Missing Maura Murray.” (22:00) Plus, a crack at "Runaway Bride" inspired by Julia Roberts and Richard Gere.

Honorable Madeline Singas was born in Worcester and went on to become the Nassau County District Attorney and then an associate judge of the New York Court of Appeals. As the District Attorney, she oversaw the prosecution of criminal cases, including that of Jesse Friedman who was a subject of the 2003 Academy Award nominated documentary, “Capturing the Friedmans.” Singas was notably the special prosecutor, concerning allegations of sexual assault by attorney general Eric Schneiderman, who had previously been an outspoken advocate for the #MeToo movement. We did our best to piece together her career highlights based on the information available to us.

Lillian Asplund was the last survivor of the Titanic who could remember the infamous voyage — she was 5 when the “unsinkable ship” struck an iceberg, and more than 1,500 of her fellow passengers perished at sea. Later, Asplund worked as a secretary at State Mutual Life Insurance, headquartered in Worcester's first skyscraper, at the corner of Main Street and Maple, downtown. She lived a quiet life, gardening and caring for her mother and younger brother. They, like she, huddled together on a lifeboat, watching the ship go down like a tall building crumbling into the ocean at 2:19 a.m. April 15, 1912...

Gabi Bennett's takeover of The Barn in Princeton marks the third generation of her family's ownership since 1983. Under her management, the restaurant is serving 'mountain chalet.' Bennett grew up in Princeton, but spent the bulk of her professional career in Hollywood. 

We discuss Andrea Riseborough's controversial Oscar nomination & recap Beyonce, Bennifer 2.0, Harry Styles, Madonna, & more at the Grammys. In the end, a game of "guess that Super Bowl commercial" with baby Sloane. 

There are thousands of books to support educators, and with good reason—teaching is the noblest profession. But, in recent years, teachers are leaving the classroom in droves. SMALL TEACHING K-8 takes a unique approach to combat teacher burnout with a series of research-based practices that are low-effort and high-reward. 

Awards Season, Royals, Alec Baldwin, and *feel-good* TV.

Ms. Porter is on a different coast & we had our wires crossed. Molly & I will catch up with her very soon. In the meantime, here is a meandering overview of her life and work with honorable mentions to Falling for Christmas (ft. Lindsay Lohan), Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, The Redeem Team, Sumner Stroh, A Chorus Line, Every Little Step, & of course, Curly Sue. Alisan Porter will perform at Polar Park on October 22 as part of Rhythm for Ribbons. xoxo

Bennifer 2.0, Don't Worry Darling, Funny Girl, Abbott Elementary, Do Revenge, and wine.

Meet Julia Germaine and Jessie Heasley of Worcester's first cannabis delivery service, KindRun. KindRun's mission is to provide convenient and seamless home delivery of cannabis products to clients across Massachusetts from a high-quality e- commerce platform. As a Social Equity, Veteran-owned and female-led business, we support a diverse and accessible cannabis market, and seek to normalize the responsible use of cannabis by adults. (Photos by Unity Mike!)

Reverend Dr. Debora Jackson is Dean of the Business School at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, a premier STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) based institution recognized for project-based education that integrates the theory and practice of management. In response to changing industry needs, Dr. Jackson seeks to promote research, collaboration, and partnerships that understand broader societal needs and recast the vision for business education in ways that prepare leaders to disrupt, reorient, and innovate for societal impact.

Troy Kotsur and Youn Yuh-Jung stole our hearts, Will Smith and Chris Rock made our jaws drop, Timothée Chalamet and Kristen Stewart showed us some skin...this year's Oscars Ceremony was full of surprises.

The Pink Boots Society exists to ASSIST, INSPIRE, and ENCOURAGE women, beer professionals, through EDUCATION. We stopped by Redemption Rock Brewery to learn more about their 2022 Pink Boots Brew, "Spare us..." 

We discuss the very sophisticated scientific experiment chronicled on Love is Blind Season 2. We also have high praise for Marlee Matlin and CODA.

Brian Flores was surprised to get a congratulatory text from Bill Belichick informing him he had landed his dream job with The Giants. There was just one problem: Bill had texted the wrong Brian. Flores hadn't even interviewed yet and The Giants had already given the position away. What follows is a class-action claim addressing racist hiring practices that have plagued the NFL for far too long. We also predict our favorite Superbowl commercials and praise Peyton Manning's comedic timing on SNL. 

Adriana Keefe is a purpose-driven life coach based out of Central Massachusetts who specializes in helping women declutter their homes and their lives. You can learn more about her work at https://www.adrianakeefe.com/ or tune into her show “Women Who Want More” wherever you get your podcasts.

Our favorite things to read, watch, and listen to in 2021, plus a few thoughts on Adam McKay's new Netflix release "Don't Look Up."  Molly's Picks Reads: New Gawker (lol), honestly considering just cracking open a Babysitters Club book at this point in the pandemic  Movies: Dune. West Side Story, Mortal Kombat  Songs: Solar Power, Last Train Home Shows: White Lotus, Hacks, What We Do in the Shadows, The Beatles: Get Back Sarah's Picks Reads: Who is Maud Dixon, Elen Hilderbrand, and Jane Green Movies: Plan B, Licorice Pizza, The Power of the Dog  Songs: "Nothing New" by Taylor Swift ft. Pheobe Bridgers, and  “Happiness is not a place” by the wind and the wave Shows: White Lotus, Maid, Succession, The Great Pottery Throwdown, The Other Two

Enjoy our guided tour of Worcester Historical Museum's landmark exhibit "Pretty Powerful." Listen as co-chairs Marlene Persky and Moyra Moynihan Manoog take us counter-clockwise through the gallery, along with curator Charlotte A. Haller and Director Anne Sadick. Hear the stories behind special pieces contributed by former First Lady Michelle Obama and Vice President Kamala Harris, as well as local legends like Senate President Emerita Harriette Chandler and Southeast Asian Coalition Executive Director Anh Vu Sawyer. The exhibit is open to visitors from Tuesday to Saturday, 10 AM to 4 PM through March 31, 2022.

Patty Ann was a 17-year-old student at South High in 1984. Her two best friends are also named Patty. Patty Dansereau and Patti Weagle L'Ecuyer. Collectively, they were known as “the 3 Patties.” On a cold, rainy Wednesday night in October, Patty Ann called her mom to say she'd be late coming home from her boyfriend's house where she was playing Trivial Pursuit. The next morning, family and police discovered her belongings in an alley near the train tracks and her body in a window well at a factory on Grand Street. Before her passing, Patty's mother told the Telegram and Gazette, "I still have to believe that somebody saw something that night, or the murderer has told somebody something, and that person or persons aren't talking. Maybe someday someone will come forward, and that will be the break in this case that we've been waiting for...” Thank you to Heather Bish for shining a light on this Worcester cold case.

Worcester Fire Department gear comes under scrutiny. We referred to Diane Cotter as 'Worcester's Erin Brockovich' after reading the September 2021 feature in Men's Health centered around her activism. (Then, we found out how true that moniker has become...) Cotter walks us through her husband Paul's battle with cancer and her own fight for justice. She is a force, born and bred in Worcester. We are eager to see what comes next. 

Heather Bish is an educator, an advocate, and a warrior. When her sixteen-year-old sister Molly was abducted and murdered in the year 2000, her life changed forever. Heather has sought justice for over two decades, not just for her sister—for all missing persons. As a member of the Massachusetts Missing Persons Task Force, she is taking the criminal justice system to task. Thank you to everyone who supported our first live show! Photos by Unity Mike Hendrickson. We are #WACfunded. Next, let's talk about Patty Gonyea. Pop It shirts are now available at Crompton Collective from our pals at Hundred Acre Apparel.

Our live show at the BrickBox is fast approaching on 9/30! Get your tickets here. In preparation for the big event, we met up with Managing Director Olivia Scanlon. This project is funded by the Worcester Arts Council.

On September 30th, we will sit down with Heather Bish to reflect on the abduction of her sister, Molly Bish, which took place more than two decades ago at a Central Massachusetts pond. We are taking this opportunity very seriously and doing our homework to better understand the significant details of the case. If you feel comfortable attending, we hope you will join us for our live show at the BrickBox Theater at 7 PM on 9/30. Tickets are $6; proceeds will go to the Molly Bish Foundation. Thanks to the support of Worcester Arts Council, this event is #wacfunded.

White Lotus, Larry David v. Alan Dershowitz, Bennifer, & more. We're back! I missed you, Molly. xoxo -S Live show at the JMAC Brick Box on September 30th: A Conversation with Heather Bish $6 Tickets to benefit the Molly Bish Foundation

Worcester Arts Council supports our efforts to elevate the voices of womxn & girls in the community through podcasting. Our most recent podcast pop-up took place in Great Brook Valley at the first POW! WOW! Worcester event of the summer. Artist Stephanie Benenson of Harbor Voices was on site to oversee an art installation titled "Not Alone" that combined recordings (5:30-15:20) and lasers to deliver a powerful message about mental health.  Thank you for taking the WAC 2021 Funding Priorities survey. Its purpose is to identify areas of community interest for the Council's upcoming grant cycle. Projects funded under these priorities will be completed in 2022. This survey should take about 3-4 minutes to complete. To enter for a chance to win a pair of Bose QuietComfort Earbuds ($279 value), you must provide your name and email address at the end of the survey before you submit your answers.

SchoolHouse aims to improve both the quality and safety of K-8 education by working hand in hand with parents to create local “pods” that provide a tailored learning experience. Nevertheless, a powerful New York Times op-ed recently referred to pods as “the latest in school segregation.” Clara Totenberg Green went on to say, “At face value, learning pods seem a necessary solution to the current crisis. But in practice, they will exacerbate inequities, racial segregation, and the opportunity gap within schools.” Shara explains why microschools are the right model for her right now. 

Mairéad Dickinson Connolly has always admired Ali Wong, but motherhood has given her a fresh appreciation for the critically acclaimed comedian. We discuss Mairéad's own standup career and her new role as a show producer.

Fern L. Johnson, senior research scholar and professor emerita of English at Clark University, and Marlene G. Fine, professor emerita at Simmons University co-author Let’s Talk Race: A Guide for White People, a new book that confronts why white people struggle to talk about race, why we need to own this problem, and how we can learn to do the work ourselves and stop expecting Black people to do it for us.  

Roller skating is more than just a pandemic pastime. We're examining Worcester's skate scene and talking about history, culture, and representation with Derek Thompson from Chez-Vous. Thank you to organizers Ellen Walsh and Ellen Benson for nurturing the local rollerskate community. And also to نغمه, Penelope Angiulo, Jeanne D. Arc, and Lady LaRouge for their insights.

It is Molly's one true destiny to someday appear on Jeopardy. When we found out Worcester native Brendan Sargent was going to be on the show, we had a lot of insider questions for him. How did you study? How sensitive was the buzzer? How did your charming anecdote land at the start of the episode? Brendan has graduated from Christ the King musicals to the LA comedy scene. Check out his web series "Dear John" to experience MTV Cribs for the bathroom enthusiast.

Avanah Sophia grew up in the Faith Assembly cult under the teaching of notorious divine healer, Hobart Freeman who aided and abetted in the deaths of nearly 100 of his followers. Avanah has gone on to become an incredible mother, respected music teacher, and revered singer song-writer in Central Mass. Avanah’s liberation came when she realized she would rather live in dangerous freedom than peaceful slavery. We are so honored to share her story with you today.

Episode 99 provides an extensive overview of the Free Britney movement, Golden Globes snubs, and celebs who exchange blood vials. Also, we love The Eggroll Lady!

Worcester native Katzie Guy-Hamilton is the author of the "Clean Enough" cookbook, co-founder of Cassata Bakery, and a Top Chef alum. 

A Village People send-off, a sea of purple coats, a pair of hand-knit mittens, and an exquisite young poet—this was an inauguration day we won't soon forget.

Che Anderson and Amy Peterson of Food & Convo host us for a virtual tasting of Grandeza Hot Sauce. Other guests include Ricky Nelson and Travis Duda of SeltzerTime, Jesse Burlingame of the Lonely Mans Podcast, and Shaun Connolly of WOOtenanny and An Actual Alt-Weekly Podcast.

Normal People: Based on a Sally Rooney novel. Young Irish lovers. Connell’s chain. The chemistry! The Queen’s Gambit: Anya Taylor Joy (who I also loved in Emma) is a Chess wunderkind. The coats. The friendship with her school’s custodian. That kid from Love Actually... GBBO: The Bake Off came at a much needed time. They bubbled up at the tent just to give us a soothing, funny, and weird season. Matt Lucas’s first season as host was a success!! Final episodes of The Good Place: oh my GOD what a perfect show. The Half of It: A nerd ghostwrites love notes for a football player to his crush, whom they are both in love with. Directed by Alice Wu. Class Action Park: An eccentric billionaire, Wet Hot American Summer sentimentality, and an examination of what it meant to be viewed as tough in the ’80s. Birds of Prey: The only good DCU movie?? But also! Fantastic on its own merits. Stylish, funny, compelling, anchored by Margot Robbie (as star/producer). Should honestly be in awards conversations, which I know sounds crazy.The Old Guard: the two best superhero movies this year were directed by WOC. Also, Palm Springs. Taylor Swift: A woman who really knows how to turn a phrase. She’s in a true creative flow right now. Off her recent drop evermore, my favorite song is ivy. A fairytale and yet still somehow autobiographical in its own right. Fiona Apple: Fetch the Bolt Cutters. Rhythm, dolphin noises, and unbridled self-expression. Tame Impala: The Slow Rush. Bands aren’t cool anymore. You know who’s cool? Tame Impala.The Chicks: Gaslighter: I will fight Adrian Pasdar myself. “Ivanka was my best friend. Now she’s MAGA royalty.” Lysandra Ohrstrom for Vanity Fair. Trump’s commentary on the writer’s body as an adolescent and also that moment when Ivanka blames a fart on another classmate. “Emily Ratajkowski on Reclaiming her own image.” I may have underestimated her. She takes an emotional theft and reclaims some of her dignity with a physical purchase. An entitled photographer is held accountable for his treatment of a young model. Alright, Alright, Alright: An Oral History of Dazed and Confused. Melissa Maerz wrote my dream book. I love a good oral history, and this one’s no different. Still thinking about the Dracula twitter thread I read at the beginning of quarantine honestly. "She wanted a freebirth with no doctors. Plus: Guy Fieri, HILARIA OBVIOUSLY, Mulaney, Good One, Harry & Meghan, The Last Dance, and The Vow.

Part 2 of our Public Hearing crossover. We discuss growth mindset, social-emotional learning, transgender rights, and the validity of SESTA (Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act). Public Hearing is a show about broken systems, the people affected by them, and how we can redesign them. We hope you enjoy our conversation with Action! by Design founder Joshua Croke. Photo at www.popitworcester.com by Unity Mike.

Part one of two. “Public Hearing” is a show about broken systems, the people affected by them, and how we can redesign them. We hope you enjoy our conversation with Action! by Design founder Joshua Croke. Photo at www.popitworcester.com by Unity Mike.

The story of a convicted restaurateur who tried to get a piece of Worcester’s restaurant renaissance, and failed. We all watched Kevin Perry's unraveling in real-time. Consider this a tidy summary. Thank you Masslive for your thorough local coverage. We wish you well, Stacey!

Concierge Physical Therapy offers women's health specialists who can help with pelvic pain and dysfunction to stop you from suffering in silence. Dr. Sean Lordan & Dr. Samantha Santiago answer our questions about the USA women's gymnastics team, Kris Jenner's devotion to Poise, and the many risks of "holding it." We also recommend a critical watch of Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.

While Robert Mueller was conducting an investigation of Russian election interference, we were busy compiling our own report: The Rosie Report. Join us as we revisit the troubled history between Donald Trump and Rosie O'Donnell through the years. We also discuss Aaron Sorkin's new film, "The Trial of the Chicago 7," starring Sacha Baron Cohen as Worcester native, Abbie Hoffman. 

We popped in for Sunday sandwiches at deadhorse hill to speak with Abigail Rubin, an NYC pastry chef who has worked for the greats at Marea, Grammercy Tavern, Carbone, and The Dutch. Unity Mike also caught up with Abby for some stunning photos, featured on our ig: @popitworcester.

Sara Jean Louis helped Boston-based developer The Grid to dial-in its brand identity over the last year. Sara's community engagement, spirituality, and passion for plants all shine through at The Grid's Worcester holdings, and sitting down with her is an introspective delight. Look for Sara on your next visit. If you're lucky, she might even give you a Tarot reading or ask to exchange Costar handles.

Game designer Amanda Theinert heads up Becker's MFA program, (ranked #6 nationally among Game Design MFA programs.) She loves The Witness almost as much as she loves crystals. Plus, a little Submarine Machine remix to get you in the gamer spirit...

May RBG's memory be a blessing. We dig into the 2020 (pand-)Emmys, which featured big wins for Schitt's Creek and Succession. Brad and Jennifer reunite for a silly/steamy table read. Top marks to Emily Ratajkowski for her long-form essay about taking control of her own image. And, a happy 30th birthday to Molly!

We are so proud of our friend Anne Conroy, an associate at a BIG Manhattan firm. Her law review article about social media censorship was just published in a TOP 50 law review by George Mason. As Twitter and Facebook become the new town square, we consider the role of free speech as the cornerstone of our democracy. We also press Anne for her favorite musical (Moulin Rouge) to accompany her lawyerly click-clacking.

"The 19th Amendment, recognizing women the right to vote, was ratified in August of 1920. Women’s Suffrage: Worcester 2020 celebrates the progress of American women since then, recognizes historic and present-day obstacles to universal suffrage, and works to increase voter education and engagement in our city. A volunteer working group drawn from various Worcester organizations and open to all, WSW envisions, organizes, and promotes a diverse series of events throughout the city in this anniversary year." Also, this week in pop culture: Boys State, WAP, Jennifer Garner, and Anne Heche's thoughts on Ellen.

:00-:15 Jennifer Riley is MFA Boston's Head of Image Licensing & Digital Archives in addition to serving on the Worcester Arts Council. Take the WAC survey and you'll be entered to win a pair of Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones ($399 value.) :15-:30 Ellen faces scrutiny from former guests and employees. folklore unleashes a multiverse within Taylor Swift. Black is King premiers on Disney+ with a TV-14 rating. And, we root for Catherine O'Hara in this year's Emmy's.