Landline with Mary Mahoney

Mary Mahoney

Landline is the podcast where pop culture gets some context. Hosted by historian Mary Mahoney—your millennial friend with too many interests and not enough friends willing to talk on the phone—each episode calls up guests to connect today’s celebrity culture, internet trends, TV, music, and movies to the histories that explain why it all feels so familiar. Blending non-boring history, sharp cultural analysis, and the intimacy of a private phone call, Landline helps listeners make sense of the present by dialing into the past. Want more Landline? Join the patreon. You’ll get a weekly newsletter and bi-weekly episodes delivered to you all for free. For $5 a month, you can get a bonus episode, a weekly newsletter of links and recommendations, chat with other listeners about all things pop culture and history, suggest topics for future episodes, and more! You can find the Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/MaryMahoney Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. Zoom Zoom Zoom: Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century with Kat Brzozowski (Patreon Preview)

    6D AGO

    Zoom Zoom Zoom: Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century with Kat Brzozowski (Patreon Preview)

    Oh, we're really doing this. This month's bonus episode is the one I didn't know I needed until I needed it desperately: a full deep dive into Xenon: Girl of the 21st Century, the DCOM that has genuinely never left my brain, and honestly, why would I want it to? I'm joined by editor extraordinaire and fellow Leo, Kat Brzozowski (of Dolls of Our Lives: Why We Can't Quit American Girl fame), and we do not hold back. We talk costumes, we talk Raven-Symoné's criminally underused presence, we talk about Greg and his many, many crimes. We also get into what this movie actually got right about the future, why Protozoa is the only trustworthy man in the film, and what it means that we are — I cannot stress this enough — closer to 2049 than to 1999. Zetus lapetus, indeed. Become a Patreon member → https://www.patreon.com/cw/MaryMahoney  Timestamps00:00 — Intro & how Kat and Mary found each other (via Kat’s sister scout, publishing lore, and American Girl) 09:00 — Rewatching Zenon: the opening sequence as a masterclass in show don't tell, Leo energy, and the costume theory  20:00 — Greg's crimes, Aunt Judy's chaos, and the case for Protozoa  36:00 — Technology, surveillance, and what 1999 got eerily right (and wrong) about the future 51:00 — Girl power, Raven-Symoné, and why this movie has aged surprisingly well  1:05:00 — Supernova Girl, the songwriters, and the music that still goes hard  1:20:00 — Final takes, AOL emails, Lance Bass almost going to space, and why Zenon deserved more TranscriptFull episode transcript here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cSyNza0TE2Ti0bFpDw51l9bW6eRnRKf7GVAu14dy6bQ/edit?usp=sharing  Connect with Mary: Website: www.marymmahoney.comInstagram: @mimimahoneyEmail: MaryMargaret.Mahoney@gmail.comConnect with Kat: Kat’s Substack: https://katbrzozowski.substack.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katbrzozowski/Love the show? Please leave a rating and review! It helps other listeners find Landline. Sponsor Message:  Landline is sponsored by Libro.Fm. Listen to your favorite books and support your local bookstores! (Link: https://tidd.ly/40tPrKb )  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    9 min
  2. MAY 12

    The New Guys: The Class That Broke the Space Ceiling with Meredith Bagby

    This week, I'm talking with author and producer Meredith Bagby about her book The New Guys, which follows the NASA astronaut class of 1978, the first to include women and people of color. We get into Sally Ride's complicated legacy (first American woman in space, closeted gay icon, accidental hero of the Challenger investigation), the very real dangers of flying on a shuttle whose O-rings had failed a dozen times before anyone died, and what it means to celebrate diversity milestones when the culture is actively trying to erase them. Also: Ron McNair playing saxophone in space, Shannon Lucid befriending a canary in a freezing Russian apartment, and Judy Resnick telling Tom Brokaw where he could stick his roses. Kristen Stewart is playing Sally Ride in the Amazon series adaptation, and I genuinely cannot wait. Become a Patreon member → https://www.patreon.com/cw/MaryMahoney  Get the weekly newsletter and biweekly podcast episodes FREE!  For $5/month, get ad-free episodes, a monthly bonus episode, a weekly newsletter of pop culture recommendations, and more!  Timestamps00:00 Intro & Patreon updates 01:20 Why Mary ended up reading a space book (thanks, Taylor Jenkins Reid) 03:12 Meredith watched Challenger explode live as a kid — and never forgot it 05:12 The class of '78: the first astronauts who didn't all look the same 07:38 Sally Ride's hero's journey: lost friends, investigated her bosses, kept a secret 13:58 The Challenger investigation — O-rings, cover-ups, and a document slipped to Sally 18:21 How the women in the class handled the media, the sexism, and each other 24:47 Ron McNair: physicist, jazz saxophonist, one of the greats 27:42 Military pilots vs. Berkeley scientists — the culture clash inside NASA 31:52 Anna Fisher: surgeon, astronaut, first mom in space 34:00 Shannon Lucid: hid her pregnancies, aced a final two days after giving birth, lived alone in Russia with a canary 42:00 How politics and budgets shaped the Challenger disaster 48:00 What this history means now — DEI rollbacks, erasure, and why these stories still matter 55:30 The Amazon series, Kristen Stewart as Sally, and new Challenger revelations 57:30 Outro — Patreon, Instagram, and Jessica Fletcher memes TranscriptFull episode transcript here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sJYZv8iwMI4BvEcFbyi8xZ5osq7KINYVpglZbcqkIUk/edit?usp=sharing  Connect with Mary: Website: www.marymmahoney.comInstagram: @mimimahoneyEmail: MaryMargaret.Mahoney@gmail.com Connect with Meredith Bagby: Website: https://www.meredithebagby.com/ Twitter/X: https://www.tiktok.com/@merbagby Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/merbagby/ Book: The New Guys: The Historic Class of Astronauts That Broke Barriers and Changed the Face of Space Travel Love the show? Please leave a rating and review! It helps other listeners find Landline. Sponsor Message:  Landline is sponsored by Libro.Fm. Listen to your favorite books and support your local bookstores! (Link: https://tidd.ly/40tPrKb )  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    59 min
  3. APR 28

    The WNBA as A Living Fashion Archive with Hypatia Sorunke

    What does it mean to be a WNBA fan, and can we find the answer in fashion? I talked with digital media artist and archivist Hypatia Sorunke about A Women’s Basketball Fashion Archive, a project focused on documenting the expression of the global community of people who love women’s basketball. The premier project, “The Fitted W,” chronicled 1500+ archival film photos at 50+ games in 12 major cities across the United States. We get into queer community, the politics of visibility, how fandom cultures evolve, and why that jean jacket covered in defunct team patches found in Connecticut is basically a primary source. What are the best-dressed WNBA cities? The Worst? Yes, we get into it. I also share my feelings about the CT Sun moving to Houston, which I'm handling totally fine. Become a Patreon member → https://www.patreon.com/cw/MaryMahoney  Get the weekly newsletter and biweekly podcast episodes FREE!  For $5/month, get ad-free episodes, a monthly bonus episode, a weekly newsletter of pop culture recommendations, and more!  Timestamps0:00 — Patreon announcements 1:30 — Intro to WNBA fandom and what you'll see at a game 7:39 — What is the A Women’s Basketball Fashion Archive and The Fitted W  10:15 — From the Great Migration to the WNBA: the research origin story 15:33 — What makes WNBA fan spaces different 17:26 — What Hypatia found traveling to 12 cities in 2024 21:17 — Fan fashion: homemade merch, vintage jerseys, and the fangirl vs. fashion spectrum 27:28 — Gatekeeping, the Caitlin Clark effect, and the Don't Be a Cheryl shirt 38:17 — The politics of team ownership, Indiana, and racialized history 41:39 — Connecticut Sun feelings (mine, specifically) 48:55 — Can fan culture keep the W from going fully corporate? 54:13 — Best and worst dressed cities (we went there) 1:05:40 — What this project is really about: documenting marginalized joy 1:08:31 — The Fitted W as book: why Hypatia refused to just make a photo dump TranscriptFull episode transcript here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TB_xImPdbGFGx9JEffdfV8kwiSoDY9pRXin3HcWnbI8/edit?usp=sharing  Connect with Mary: Website: www.marymmahoney.comInstagram: @mimimahoneyEmail: MaryMargaret.Mahoney@gmail.comConnect with guest Hypatia Sorunke — digital media artist and archivist A Women’s Basketball Fashion Archive: https://www.awomensbasketballfashionarchive.com/info The Fitted W (lookbook) — https://notesofhype.bigcartel.com/product/the-fitted-w Hypatia's Vogue piece on the 2024 WNBA Finals — https://www.vogue.com/slideshow/i-traveled-to-40-liberty-games-this-season Hypatia's essay via Barnard —https://zines.barnard.edu/news/sport-organizing-black-action-heroine-hypatia-sorunke Hypatia on Insta: https://www.instagram.com/itshypatia/ Follow the FittedW:https://www.instagram.com/fittedwbb/  Love the show? Please leave a rating and review! It helps other pop culture and history lovers find Landline. Sponsor Message: Landline is sponsored by Libro.Fm. Listen to your favorite books and support your local bookstores! (Link: https://tidd.ly/40tPrKb )  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 17m
  4. APR 14

    Is this a breakdown or a breakthrough? A history of turning 40 and the midlife crisis with Corinne Fay

    Is turning 40 a big deal? Am I headed for a midlife crisis? This week I'm joined by the brilliant Corinne Fay of Big Undies to dig into the actual history behind the midlife crisis (spoiler: it was invented in 1965, mostly about men, and honestly feels like a Mad Men episode). We trace the significance of "40" from Biblical floods to actuarial science to Gail Sheehy's hugely influential 1976 book Passages, and ask whether any of this is even real. We also review some truly unhinged celebrity 40th-birthday celebrations, including one that features a hologram of a dead father (!), and draft our personal role models for this stage of life. Angela Lansbury, Nicole Kidman's divorce photo, and Corinne's nephew all make the list. Perimenopause, Saturn's return, and Justin Timberlake's DWI also come up, because of course they do. Become a Patreon member → https://www.patreon.com/cw/MaryMahoney  Get the weekly newsletter and biweekly podcast episodes FREE!  For $5/month, get ad-free episodes, a monthly bonus episode, a weekly newsletter of pop culture recommendations, and more!  Timestamps00:00 – Intro & Patreon shoutout (Divas Live bonus episode, zine workshop) 01:11 – Meet Corinne Fay: Big Undies newsletter, Burnt Toast podcast, and freshly 40 02:47 – Moving to Patreon: what they love, what they miss about Substack 05:46 – Astrology check-in: Capricorn, Leo, Saturn's return, and what it all means 08:10 – Mary's turning 40 a week after her son turns one 10:30 – How Corinne celebrated her 40th (a solo trip to Marfa, Texas) 16:38 – Why did 40 become a milestone? The history begins 20:07 – The number 40 in the Bible, the Middle Ages, and actuarial science 23:20 – Freud, Jung, and psychology's role in defining midlife 25:04 – Elliott Jacques coins "midlife crisis" in 1965 (spoiler: it's mostly about men) 27:16 – Perimenopause enters the chat 37:24 – Gail Sheehy's Passages and "the deadline decade" 43:17 – Celebrity 40th birthday review: Oprah, Elizabeth Taylor, Kate Moss 52:09 – Kim Kardashian's pandemic island birthday and the hologram gift 59:26 – Draft: role models for turning 40 (Nicole Kidman, Angela Lansbury, Queen Latifah) 1:07:06 – Who NOT to be like at 40 (Justin Timberlake, Don Draper, Gwen Stefani) 1:09:45 – Closing wisdom and advice for turning 40 Full episode transcript here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/15Rl5nBjcfgmEqUZTRPi2p22AYMQkV3KG_W43xKYNtOE/edit?usp=sharing  Love the show? Please leave a rating and review! It helps other listeners find Landline. Connect with Mary: Website: www.marymmahoney.comInstagram: @mimimahoneyEmail: MaryMargaret.Mahoney@gmail.com Connect with Corinne: Subscribe to Big Undies!: https://www.patreon.com/cw/BigUndies TikTok: @SelfieFayInstagram: @SelfieFayListen to Burnt Toast: https://www.patreon.com/cw/virginiasolesmith  Want even more resources, deep dives, and behind-the-scenes context on this episode's topics? Patreon members get access to my exclusive newsletter with extended research, additional links, and insights that didn't make it into the show. You can get the weekly newsletter when you join for free. Paid members get a monthly bonus episode and a weekly newsletter of things I'm loving in pop culture. Become a Patreon member → https://www.patreon.com/cw/MaryMahoney  Sponsor Message:  Landline is sponsored by Libro.Fm. Listen to your favorite books and support your local bookstores! (Link: https://tidd.ly/40tPrKb )  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 14m
  5. "They're Playing Games, Mariah": Reliving Diva’s Live with Kwame Ocran (Patreon Preview)

    APR 7 ·  BONUS

    "They're Playing Games, Mariah": Reliving Diva’s Live with Kwame Ocran (Patreon Preview)

    In 1998, VH1 gathered Mariah Carey, Gloria Estefan, Shania Twain, Celine Dion, Aretha Franklin, and Carole King on one stage to raise money for music education — and accidentally created one of the most revealing documents of its era. I'm joined by music scholar Kwame Ocran to relive Divas Live in full: the Tommy Mottola sabotage plot hiding in plain sight, why Celine Dion dedicated My Heart Will Go On to the actual Titanic victims mid-concert, what happened when Aretha Franklin heard the air conditioning turn on, and who in that lineup was truly a diva versus who just crimped their hair and hoped for the best. We also get into the neoliberal defunding of arts education, the gendered double standard baked into the word "diva" itself, and why we are not going to be saying Jennifer Lopez's name on this episode. (We said it once. That's the limit.) Pop culture, meet context. Want to hear the full episode? Plus get access to resources, deep dives, and behind-the-scenes context on this episode's topics? Patreon members get access to my exclusive newsletter with extended research, additional links, and insights that didn't make it into the show. You can get the weekly newsletter when you join for free. Paid members get a monthly bonus episode and a weekly newsletter of things I'm loving in pop culture. Become a Patreon member → https://www.patreon.com/cw/MaryMahoney  Connect with Mary: Website: www.marymmahoney.comInstagram: @mimimahoneyEmail: MaryMargaret.Mahoney@gmail.com Connect with Kwame: Website: https://music.sas.upenn.edu/people/kwame-ocran Links: https://linktr.ee/KwameOcran  Love the show? Please leave a rating and review! It helps other listeners find Landline. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    9 min
  6. MAR 31

    A History of Baby Phat and the Hidden Cost of Your Jeans (with Aimee Loiselle)

    You know the logo. You definitely had the jeans. But do you know the full story? I called up historian Aimee Loiselle to unpack what Baby Phat actually tells us about hip hop entrepreneurship, fast fashion, global labor, and why hustle culture never really lets you off the hamster wheel. We get into Kimora Lee and the history of Baby Phat, the real woman behind Norma Rae (who doesn't get enough play in Sally Field's memoir), and why your stretchy leggings are literally made of petroleum. Also: Kathie Lee Gifford cried on television, and it's more relevant than you think. Become a Patreon member → https://www.patreon.com/cw/MaryMahoney  Get the weekly newsletter and biweekly podcast episodes FREE!  For $5/month, get ad-free episodes, a monthly bonus episode, a weekly newsletter of pop culture recommendations, and more!  Timestamps0:07 — Welcome & episode intro: TikTok girlbosses, drop shipping culture, and why Baby Phat is the millennial lens on all of it 2:23 — Introducing Aimee Loiselle and Beyond Norma Rae:  6:01 — The real story behind the movie: who Crystal Lee Sutton actually was and what the film got wrong 11:09 — Why pop culture is powerful AND dangerous: how Hollywood flattens labor history into one heroic white woman on a table 19:36 — Aimee's research pivot: from Puerto Rican needleworkers to hip hop fashion empires, or: how global supply chains made Baby Phat possible 25:51 — The Baby Phat logo, the Siamese cat, and how celebrities like Russell Simmons and Jay-Z built billion-dollar brands without ever touching a factory 31:41 — Russell Simmons, Def Jam, and the rise of hip hop entrepreneurship: the good, the complicated, and the very bad 38:00 — Kimora Lee's origin story: from being bullied in St. Louis to Karl Lagerfeld calling her "the face of the 21st century" 43:00 — How Baby Phat was born, hit $265 million in revenue, and got sold to Kellwood for $140 million 51:00 — The wilderness years: bigamy, catfishing, fabulosity, and how Kimora bought her brand back 57:00 — The relaunch era: daughters on the runway, Ice Spice on the red carpet, and selling on Shein 1:03:51 — What neoliberalism actually means, why "late stage capitalism" is not Aimee's thing, and why your students still shop at Shein even after seeing the factory photos 1:10:39 — Kimora as the ultimate neoliberal subject: when being a fashion icon is literally your job 1:16:01 — The Kathie Lee Gifford connection: child labor, televised tears, and why she belongs in Aimee’s second book Further Reading: Check out Aimee’s book! Beyond Norma Rae: How Puerto Rican and Southern White Women Fought for a Place in the American Working Class. “Baby Phat Is Back! How Kimora Lee Simmons Revived Her Iconic Y2K Brand.” Vogue. September 29, 2023. https://www.vogue.com/article/baby-phat-revival-kimora-lee-simmons. Want even more resources, deep dives, and behind-the-scenes context on this episode's topics? Patreon members get access to my exclusive newsletter with extended research, additional links, and insights that didn't make it into the show. You can get the weekly newsletter when you join for free. Paid members get a monthly bonus episode and a weekly newsletter of things I'm loving in pop culture. Become a Patreon member → https://www.patreon.com/cw/MaryMahoney  TranscriptFull episode transcript here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zuLPSwf4giQPVzx4alHP2cHkH5RI6OUKcP2bAyUmbCo/edit?usp=sharing  Connect with Mary: Website: www.marymmahoney.comInstagram: @mimimahoneyEmail: MaryMargaret.Mahoney@gmail.com Love the show? Please leave a rating and review! It helps other listeners find Landline. Connect with Aimee Loiselle: Website: https://www.aimeeloiselle.com/about/ Beyond Norma Rae: How Puerto Rican and Southern White Women Fought for a Place in the American Working Class.  Landline is sponsored by Libro.Fm. Listen to your favorite books and support your local bookstores! (Link: https://tidd.ly/40tPrKb )  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 22m
  7. MAR 17

    K-Pop, Purity Culture, and Fan Service with Erin Shapland (Part 1 of Purity Culture and Pop)

    My Gen Z friend Erin Shapland, librarian, K-pop enthusiast, and person who has never heard of TRL, joins me for a generational exchange on purity culture and pop. In part 1, Erin takes me through the world of K-pop: the management companies that sign kids at 12, the fan communities that send funeral wreaths when an idol is caught kissing his girlfriend, and the ways patriarchy manages to victimize literally everyone. Meet us on Patreon for part two, where I take Erin through the absolute chaos of how we treated women pop stars in the 90s and 2000s, and try to describe the beauty/mess that was TRL.  Become a Patreon member → https://www.patreon.com/cw/MaryMahoney  Get the weekly newsletter and biweekly podcast episodes FREE!  For $5/month, get ad-free episodes, a monthly bonus episode, a weekly newsletter of pop culture recommendations, and more!  Timestamps 00:00 - Intro: TRL, K-pop, and a generational knowledge gap that keeps me up at night 08:06 - How Erin got into K-pop and the short version of what the "celibacy police" are 10:33 - How K-pop groups are formed: the four major management companies and the making-the-band pipeline 12:11 - control and contracts: how idols are signed as young as 12 and go six figures into debt before they ever debut 16:08 - The no-dating clause, dating scandals, and what happens when a paparazzi photo ruins everything before you even debut 22:05 - Fan service, the male gaze, and the weird contradiction of hyper-sexual performances from people who are publicly not allowed to be sexual beings 29:17 - Queerness in K-pop: fan fiction, fetishization, and the idols people just sort of... know 42:50 - Fan communities vs. management companies: who's actually in control here? 50:37 - But where's the joy? Photo cards, fan meetups, and why K-pop is genuinely a great time 55:18 - What's next: Erin's starter playlist and a preview of part two on Patreon Resources & Links Mentioned Radiolab's 2016 piece on the first K-pop paparazzi scandal involving Jonghyun of SHINee (transcript: https://radiolab.org/podcast/kpoparazzi/transcript )Jenna Gibson, Ph.D. on fan communities and idol image management (select media: https://jennargibson.com/media-appearances/ )Stray Kids — the 2017 JYP survival show that formed the group Stray Kids (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stray_Kids_(TV_program)) XO Kitty on Netflix — Mary's gateway K-pop-adjacent contentKi (Kim Ki-bum) of SHINee's collaboration with John Cameron Mitchell, "Sugar Daddy" (link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stCKYgiu9-0 ) Stray Kids' Han and Lino / Min Sang — for the rabbit hole Erin mentions (link: https://fanlore.org/wiki/Han/Lee_Know ) Erin’s amazing playlist: “K-Pop for New Recruits, a k-pop starter pack for millennial baddiesss” (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1O0bVXFWhidBy9HaSTjoyI?si=dcc5270038cd4386) Want even more resources, deep dives, and behind-the-scenes context on this episode's topics? Patreon members get access to my exclusive newsletter with extended research, additional links, and insights that didn't make it into the show. You can get the weekly newsletter when you join for free. Paid members get a monthly bonus episode and a weekly newsletter of things I'm loving in pop culture. Become a Patreon member → https://www.patreon.com/cw/MaryMahoney  Transcript Full episode transcript here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ipi7KrP2BqnorZoO5VXXvN3-vgo2CZAyzyZn4-cU7_c/edit?usp=sharing  Connect with Mary: Website: www.marymmahoney.com Instagram: @mimimahoney Email: MaryMargaret.Mahoney@gmail.com Love the show? Please leave a rating and review! It helps other listeners find Landline. Landline is sponsored by Libro.Fm. Listen to your favorite books and support your local bookstores! (Link: https://tidd.ly/40tPrKb )  Landline is an interview-based podcast exploring pop culture and history, hosted by Mary Mahoney. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    59 min
4.8
out of 5
22 Ratings

About

Landline is the podcast where pop culture gets some context. Hosted by historian Mary Mahoney—your millennial friend with too many interests and not enough friends willing to talk on the phone—each episode calls up guests to connect today’s celebrity culture, internet trends, TV, music, and movies to the histories that explain why it all feels so familiar. Blending non-boring history, sharp cultural analysis, and the intimacy of a private phone call, Landline helps listeners make sense of the present by dialing into the past. Want more Landline? Join the patreon. You’ll get a weekly newsletter and bi-weekly episodes delivered to you all for free. For $5 a month, you can get a bonus episode, a weekly newsletter of links and recommendations, chat with other listeners about all things pop culture and history, suggest topics for future episodes, and more! You can find the Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/MaryMahoney Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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