SUDDENLY: a Frank Sinatra podcast

Rabia, Felix & Henry
  • 5.0 (4)
  • MUSIC HISTORY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

SUDDENLY... exploring the 20th century from a trans, queer & radical Australian perspective through the legacy of Frank Sinatra. Catgirl noir, ring a ding ding, etc. Join us as we deep dive into Sinatra's work and the nuances of history in abstract & creative ways, with episodes structured around Sinatra's albums, songs, films and radio appearances. Hosted by Rabia & Felix in Melbourne, and Henry Giardina in Los Angeles. Check out our website: suddenlypod.gay. Contact: suddenlypod at gmail dot com. I dig you the most xx

  1. 11/09/2025

    The End

    Thank you all for an amazing four years.

    2h 45m

  2. 07/26/2025 · BONUS

    SUDDENLY is coming to an end

    Send us your thoughts & memories - suddenlypod@gmail.com

    2 min

  3. 07/08/2025

    Pal Joey, Part 3 - Fight for What You Love

    Alfred Hitchcock! bell hooks! The Ballad of Reading Gaol! The dramatic conclusion of our Pal Joey series finds Rabia, Felix and Henry bewitched, bothered and bewildered as they learn the end of Lorenz Hart's story and grapple with the very nature of love. In putting forth our dueling philosophies of love, can we get to the bottom of the thing that all of Sinatra's songs are about, the thing that has baffled philosophers since time began? What is this thing called love, anyway?!

    3h 3m

  4. 06/25/2025

    Pal Joey, Part 2 - Art is Not Moral

    For the second part of our Pal Joey deep dive, Henry leads Rabia and Felix through what made the original musical so groundbreaking and what makes the 1957 Sinatra film adaptation so bad. We also finally learn what "The Lady is a Tramp" is all about. Who's the mouse with the built? website: suddenlypod.gay contact: suddenlypod@gmail.com donate: ko-fi.com/suddenlypod

    2h 52m

  5. 06/12/2025 · BONUS

    BONUS: Brian Wilson's Dreams (with April Reid)

    ENDLESS HARMONY ENDLESS SUMMER STILL I DREAM OF IT BRIAN WILSON FOREVER 🎶🌊✨

    1h 56m

  6. 06/02/2025

    Pal Joey, Part 1 - The Beauty of Lorenz Hart

    For part one of our Pal Joey deep dive, we look at the life of gay lyricist Lorenz Hart. We explore Hart's writings, philosophy, and history as a closeted artist living a painfully contradictory double life. We also discuss the benefits of irredeemable  characters in art, setting the stage for a closer look at how the 1940 musical Pal Joey—and the 1957 Sinatra-starring film adaptation—came to be. Sources: The Art of Burning Bridges: A Life of John O'Hara by Geoffrey O'Brien Lorenz Hart: A Poet on Broadway by Frederick Nolan A Song in the Dark: The Birth of the Musical Film by Richard Barrios A Ship Without a Sail: The Life of Lorenz Hart by Gary Marmostein Pal Joey: The novel and libretto and lyrics, John O'Hara, Lorenz Hart, Richard Rogers Novellas by John O'Hara Selected Short Stories by John O'Hara Pal Joey, History of a Heel by Julieanne Lundberg Rodgers and Hart, Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered: A Dual Biography by Samuel Marx and Jan Clayton website: suddenlypod.gay contact: suddenlypod at gmail dot com donate: ko-fi.com/suddenlypod

    3 hr

  7. 05/29/2025 · BONUS

    BONUS: Beautiful or Tragic - The Untold Saga of 'Priscilla, Queen of the Desert'

    An emotional deep dive into the untold history of The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, a terrible, racist and transphobic film. Rabia looks at the lives of the three drag queens and one trans woman that it was based on (Cindy Pastel, Strykermeyer, Lady Bump and Carlotta) and the erratic behavour/Shakespearean motivations of troubled writer/director Stephan Elliott. Deep research uncovers a complex story with no clear heroes or villains - a tale as beautiful as it is tragic.  This is a bonus episode that originally appeared on Totally Trans.  Source notes for this episode: WATCH "LADIES PLEASE" ON YOUTUBE HERE "Fact sheet: The sorry rock phenomenon", Uluru – Kata Tjuta National Park,  "I Love the Nightlife" rehearsal footage with Cindy Pastel, Strykermeyer and Lady Bump – shot on camcorder, outtake from Ladies Please The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert DVD commentary track by Stephan Elliott Al Clark – Making Priscilla (1995) Birth of a Queen documentary on Priscilla DVD Footage of Priscilla premiere aftermath at Cannes 1994 including Stephan introducing "the people it was based on" "'Priscilla' lets director Elliott indulge in his loves for disco and high camp", Steve Murray, The Atlanta Journal, 26 August 1994 "The drag queens behind Priscilla", Wendy Tuohy, The Sydney Morning Herald, 25 May 1995 Interview with Carlotta from Stations of the X, 1963 Clip of Carlotta's appearance on Number 96, 1976 "Priscilla party boat, Sydney Harbour, Australia Day 2007" video Damien W. Riggs – Priscilla, (white) queen of the desert (2006) Stephan Elliott Q&A at Austrian Film Museum, 2019 "The real life Priscilla Queen of the Desert", 60 Minutes Australia "Putting Stamp on role", Robert W. Butler, Syracuse-Herald Journal, 28 September 1994 Between a Frock and a Hard Place (2015)

    1h 24m

  8. 05/20/2025

    I've Got You Under My Skin, Part 3 - Reality

    The third and final part of our series about "I've Got You Under My Skin" and the AIDS crisis, in which we watch the Red Hot + Blue TV special from 1990 featuring the Neneh Cherry version of the song. We look at AIDS messaging of the time, learning from its bravery and mistakes, and also confront its inadequacy to deal with the current Long COVID crisis and the need to move on in the present. Source list will be added later. Watch AIDS 90 NOV RED HOT BLUE Videos, the original Michael Aldrich tape. email: suddenlypod at gmail dot com website: suddenlypod.gay donate: ko-fi.com/suddenlypod

    2h 30m
See All (77)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

SUDDENLY... exploring the 20th century from a trans, queer & radical Australian perspective through the legacy of Frank Sinatra. Catgirl noir, ring a ding ding, etc. Join us as we deep dive into Sinatra's work and the nuances of history in abstract & creative ways, with episodes structured around Sinatra's albums, songs, films and radio appearances. Hosted by Rabia & Felix in Melbourne, and Henry Giardina in Los Angeles. Check out our website: suddenlypod.gay. Contact: suddenlypod at gmail dot com. I dig you the most xx

Information