Sounds Gay Sarah Esocoff
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- Society & Culture
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In this mixtape of documentaries, host Sarah Esocoff takes you to rap battles, mosh pits, and songwriting sessions. We’ll explore non-binary identity through emo music and trans history through a lost VHS tape. Sounds Gay tells stories of queer people whose lives have been transformed by music.
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Sandy Stone
Sandy Stone has lived many lives. She’s a pioneering recording engineer who worked with the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Van Morrison. She was part of the women’s music label Olivia Records, mixing iconic albums in spite of transphobic backlash. She’s an academic, and is considered one of the founders of the field of transgender studies. And she’s an artist, with a dynamic, multimedia practice spanning decades. In this episode, we spend four days with the hilarious and big-thinking Sandy at her home in Santa Cruz—parallel parking, flying model airplanes, and pondering sound, consciousness, and grief.
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The Pit
What’s it like in the middle of a trans mosh pit? The Pit is a place where trans people of all ages smash together, literally. A place where time expands, contracts, and explodes. At this trans punk show, The Dilators frontwoman Saoirse is turning 29. Her “gay mom” Renée is 74. One of the bands, Hardly Fits, is still in high school. But age can mean something different when you’re trans. Come with us on a journey through trans time—all in one night.
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Julius Eastman
Who has it right about the uncanny legacy of composer Julius Eastman? The musician -- Black, gay and a fixture in the minimalist classical music scene of the 1970s and 80s -- wrote songs that demanded a lot of the listener. But his life, too, resists simplified explanations. In this episode, we delve into four distinct and intersecting perspectives.
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Melanie Speaks
How did Melanie help a generation of trans women find their voices? And who was she?
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Filipemo
How do our identities get fused into the sounds we make? In this episode, we witness the birth of a song co-created by two friends. What they come up with turns out to be an intricate portrait of gender dysphoria and Filipinx identity.
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Battle Rap
What’s it like to be in an environment where you can say whatever you want—but so can everyone else? In this episode, we dive headfirst into the battle rap arena—a place that'll make you squirm and wince and revel in a masterful word war between two women rappers: 40 B.A.R.R.S. and QB Black Diamond. This episode is raw, revealing, explicit, and the opposite of a safe space.
Customer Reviews
Refreshing angle on queer experiences
Loved this podcast when it aired and I just came back to listen again. The episodes are interesting on their own but I love them all together--so many different points of view on queerness, all from queer people. Refreshing not to have the stories presented as if every queer person feels the same, without the producers pushing to frame each story a certain way. And a surprising entry point, to look at sexuality and gender through music, voices, sound. Also, it's very funny.
Crossed from reporting into stalking
In the episode “Melanie Speaks” the hosts detail the exact methodology of how they stalked a woman online who repeatedly ignored their attempts to reach out. How can you claim to be an honest representation of trans voices when you don’t respect someone’s silence?
Refreshing and needed
This podcast is so unique and refreshing. I love the host’s thoughtful commitment to reporting on queer stories I’m not seeing told elsewhere. Fingers crossed for a season 2!!! 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻