The Tipsy Archives

Rachel talks about the American Civil war and the effect it had on Christmas. The winter holiday wasn't always in favour and was even banned by the Pilgrims in the 1600s. 

Michael tells Rachel the story of Siddhartha's journey towards becoming the Buddha or enlightened one. Rachel talks about Lama Itigilov, a monk who has been in a meditative state since 1927... or is just dead and well preserved.

The first of my mini-episodes or "Art History Sips" Rachel gives an overview of the radical and innovative Gutai, a group of experimental artists from post WWII Japan. They played with material, performance, boundaries and much more. Music by mathgrant

The writer, the country girl, the fascist, the nazi, the communist and the duchess... ladies and gentlemen, the Mitford sisters! The Second half of our two part episode on this fascinating British family. We find out what happens to Unity and how the family copes during and after WWII. We learn about how the sisters produced many successful books later in life, and much more. We referenced many books in these episodes, here are a few- The Six:The Lives of the Mitford Sisters- Laura Thompson The Mitfords: Letters between Six Sisters- Charlotte Mosley The Pursuit of Love- Nancy Mitford Love in a Cold Climate- Nancy Mitford A Life of Contrasts- Diana Mitford Hons and Rebels- Jessica Mitford The American way of Death- Jessica Mitford 

The writer, the country girl, the fascist, the nazi, the communist and the duchess... ladies and gentlemen, the Mitford sisters! In the mid 20th century this eccentric and charming brood was the talk of the European gossip rags. Join Rachel and Louise as they discuss what made Nancy, Pamela, Diana, Unity, Jessica and Deborah so scandalous and fascinating.  

During the 18th dynasty, the Pharaoh Akhenaten said goodbye to tradition and turned Egypt upside down. He created a new cult, which some refer to as the first monotheistic religion, a new capital and a whole new art style. Rachel and Rissy discuss how this shocked society and the ramifications of Ahkenaten's rule. The music I've used is actually probably from morocco, which is pretty off base. I found a cache of recordings from the 1920s and 1930s from northern Africa. I couldn't find anything specifically Egyptian in the free music archive that worked, but i still liked the feel of this song.

Rachel and Erin compare the image of Richard the Lionheart, gallant hero king to the real dude. Was he actually a decent king? did he sleep with the king of France? Was the third crusade a success?  also... I'm sorry! I called Richard Henry by accident a couple times... too many Henrys...

Rachel and Vikki discuss the hot debate over the Parthenon sculptures also known as the Elgin Marbles. Should they stay in the British Museum or should they go home to Athens?

Rachel Lige and artist Chanel Bode discuss the high priestess of polka dots Yayoi Kusama and her infinity rooms. Chanel shares her recent experience of visiting the exhibition at the Broad gallery in LA. We also talk about repetition, obliteration, art and mental health and feelings of being a small polka dot in the universe while sipping on saki sangria. music by action davis.

This week features an interview Rachel did with her mother, Canadian artist Sara McDonald. Sara discusses her artistic process, her art school experiences and her research and work with artists with developmental disabilities.  https://saramcdonald.ca/

Rachel and Anne sip some Apothic Dark red wine and discuss some of the true stories behind American Horror Story. You don't not have to have seen the show to enjoy this podcast because we spend most of the time talking about real serial killers, legendary circus freaks, murder castles, celtic spirits and lethal nurses In part two we discuss seasons 4-6, Freak Show, Hotel and Roanoke. Correction= H.H. Holmes' murder castle is no longer standing, it is now a post office.

Rachel and Anne sip some Apothic Dark red wine and discuss some of the true stories behind American Horror Story. You don't not have to have seen the show to enjoy this podcast because we spend most of the time talking about serial killers, voodoo and alien abductions, reading spooky letters and listening to french folk songs. In part one we discuss seasons 1-3, Murder House, Asylum and Coven. *edit- When talking about the singing nun, we said she was french Canadian, when she is in fact Belgian. I guess we just wanted her to be ours.

Rachel and Erin talked about the Museum of Vancouver's current show "Unbelievable", an exhibition that delves into some fascinating stories about Vancouver's past. What do you think you know about the city you live in? In this era of "fake news" what narratives are re-written or changed?  Who and what defines local heritage? Join the tipsy archivists as they chew on these questions and more.

Rachel and Adam chat about UNESCO and world heritage sites. They discuss the meanings of heritage and culture and talk about some of their favorite sites. They also cover some of the not so good effects of gaining UNESCO status and issues that come along with tourism and commercialization. 

The last leg of the #twoawkwardgirlsineurope2017 tour. We spent too much money on Harry Potter gear and saw the murder site of Thomas Becket. Rachel and Erin recount some of their trip highlights and cheers to more future adventures.

Rachel and Christine discuss some of the darker origin stories behind some of our favorite Disney princesses. Stories that feature murder, cannibalism, dismemberment, frog abuse and just plain bad choices. They also talk about other pop culture adaptations of these stories, from horror films to musicals.

Rachel and Erin hang out in the capital of Hungary, we enjoy delicious wine in underground caverns, take a cruise on the Danube and talk about the impact of WWII on Budapest. 

We got colds in Ljubljana, that's pronounced (Loo-blee-anna), But we still had a really nice time with beer, puppets, soup and dragons. We were also lucky enough to hang out with local foodie Iva as we talked about Slovenian history and her foodwalk company Ljubljananjam. http://www.ljubljananjam.si/

Rachel and Erin brave the rain, listen to the blues, drink absinthe and enjoy art nouveau in this lovely well preserved medieval city.

We talk about the last few days in Paris, we saw the Louvre, the Cluny, did a river cruise, hung out in the catacombs, bought art in Montmarte and more!  The song at the end of the episode is by Dalida, whose grave we found in Montmarte cemetery, which is now Rachel's fav.

Rachel and Erin are definitely living up to our tipsy title in our first Parisienne podcast. We talk a lot about Montmarte, Catholic mass at Notre Dam, the Musee D'Orsay and more as we getting to know Paris.

Rachel and Erin are in Europe! This is the first in out travel series, which will be more informal and random than our usual episodes. Tine in to see what we're up to, where we go and what adventures we have. In this episode- Jetlag, the British Museum, Hyde Park, V&A Museum and Cousin Charlotte.

Rachel, Louise and Erin discuss the bloody end of the Romanov dynasty and why it happened. Nicholas and Alexandra and their five children, were a rich, religious, and strange family. They were also reclusive and had mysterious friends and in the end, were just not very good rulers.

Erin and Adam discuss the chilly adventures or three more arctic explorers. Will they find the north pole? Will they live? What could go wrong?

Rachel and Erin watched The Crown on Netflix and in this podcast talk about episodes 1-5.  

Erin and Adam discuss the adventures of some white old dudes who try and sail ships through lots of ice- what could go wrong? In part one they cover the expeditions of John Franklin and Charles Francis Hall.

Rachel and Erin discuss two very different artists from the 19th century who struggled with mental illness, spent time in asylums and continued painting during that time- Vincent van Gogh and Richard Dadd.

Rachel and Laura discuss the focus of Laura's PHD research, Anglo-Saxon cemeteries and deviant burials. They dig into engendered burials, death rites in various cultures, excavations, vikings and vampires and what the term "deviant" really means.  

Rachel and Erin discuss some well know cases of art vandalism from religious protest to passionate outbursts to people who are just clumsy. There are many reasons that art gets wrecked or destroyed, sometimes it can be saved, sometimes it can't.

*Random Bonus Episode* Rachel and Erin watched W.E. and The Kings Speech and then talked about them! Both of these films relate to our first episode "The Abdication Crisis" so if you didn't enjoy that or haven't seen these films of hate British period drama... probably skip this one.

Rachel and Erin discuss collections and the Museum of Vancouver's "All Together Now, Vancouver Collectors and their Worlds" exhibition. Why do people collect? What's the difference between collecting and hoarding? How has collecting changed as lifestyles have? How are contemporary artists merging archives and fine art? These are just some of the questions we discuss in this episode while we sip riesling and gewurztraminer. 

In this episode Rachel and Michael discuss the life, trail and death of Socrates. Although he is now considered one the the first philosophers, being brilliant didn't stop Socrates from being generally dirty, weird and pissing a lot of people off.

Ok I'll admit that the title is a little sensational, but it is true that a priory was shut down near Oxford in the 16th century due to mismanagement and nuns behaving badly. Rachel and Charlotte take a break from s'mores and campfires to to discuss the findings of the recent excavation of Littlemore priory.

In this episode Rachel and Erin delve into some Vancouver BC local history with a look at an unsolved murder from the 1920s. This case is filled with police corruption, kidnapping, media frenzy, drug trade rumours, rampant racism and more.

In this episode Rachel and Marie Claire discuss the brilliant and troubled Baroque painter Caravaggio. The passionate artist spent his last few years on the run from the law, wanted for murder. His work went on to inspire countless others. After we recorded Marie Claire dumped a glass of wine on my computer by accident, don't worry girl, it's all fine lol. 

Rachel and Christine drink a lot of red wine and talk about some of the darker and creepier European fairytales that exist. Some you will have heard and some you may not have.

In the 1930s Edward VIII abdicated the throne of England for American divorcee Wallis Simpson. This left his younger brother George VI aka Bertie to step in and save the day just in time for WW2. This is the second part of a two part episode. If you haven't listened to part one, you should probably go and do that. This was our first ever podcast episode so be gentle with us. lol. Erin and I got so into this topic that it ended up becoming a two part episode. Apparently we can drink wine and talk about British royalty forever, but we already knew that.

In the 1930s Edward VIII abdicated the throne of England for American divorcee Wallis Simpson and it really pissed everyone off. This is the first part of a two part episode. This is our first ever podcast episode so be gentle with us. lol. Erin and I got so into this topic that it ended up becoming a two part episode. Apparently we can drink wine and talk about British royalty forever, but we already knew that.