Performer Irene Cara died this week, but what was she doing before that? How did a major ‘80s talent just … disappear? We answer that question and discuss the cultural impact of the 1980 musical Fame, which is like a blueprint for our American Idol-inspired, TikTok-addled moment. The Alan Parker movie may be remembered for its kick-ass theme song (and lesser TV adaptation), but the film holds up, kinetic and dark and deeply ambivalent about a career in the arts. Also, both Sarah and Nancy were obsessed with it.
Nancy tells us about a doxxing controversy in Portland among black-bloc activists, who are angling for their own kind of fame. Then we discuss Ben Smith’s story on disgraced novelist Junot Diaz, including what it means to “forcibly kiss” someone (we both know from experience). In the subscriber-only bonus content, we come to different conclusions about the new Hulu series “Fleishman Is In Trouble,” though we both agree the show runner and author of the novel, Taffy Brodesser-Akner, is one of the best cultural observers out there. Also: The movie that made Sarah love going to the movies again, and Nancy discovers a new author-love.
Episode Notes:
“What is the origin of the term hoochie mama?” (Quora)
“How ‘Beyond the Valley of the Dolls’ Reveals Roger Ebert’s Values as a Film Critic,” by Matt Singer (Indie Wire)
Olive Tree Cafe/Comedy Cellar is where the best band in the world performs every Monday night at 9pm. You will sometimes find Nancy there! Here’s a shot from this past Monday, with Michael Moynihan and her daughter Tafv Sampson.
Oh, but you want to Coleman Hughes and the band? Okay!
Four journalists walk into the Supreme Court of Israel
Girls Night In board game
Irene Cara obituary (New York Times)
Fame on Wikipedia
Fame trivia on IMDB is a very satisfying read
“An Oral History of Fame, 40 Years On,” by Catherine Shoard (The Guardian)
Fame official trailer
Eight-year-old Irene Cara appears on “Ted Mack Amateur Hour”
Irene Cara, “Flashdance … What a Feeling”
Gene Anthony Ray obituary (New York Times)
“Remembering His Name: The Legacy of Gene Anthony Ray,” by Jeremy Kinser (LGBTQ Nation)
Gene Anthony Ray playing Leroy Johnson in Fame
Irene Cara, “Out Here On My Own”
As Sarah mentions, Fame grew out of the Broadway play A Chorus Line, which the cast of Hamilton honored several years ago by singing the Chorus Line hit “What I Did For Love.” Has Nancy watched this video a dozen times and cried every time? Well…
Midnight Express official trailer
Irene Cara wins Best Original Score for “Flashdance… What a Feeling”
“Ready for an Encore,” by Jennifer Wulff (details of Cara’s law suit, People)
The Back Story with Irene Cara podcast
“Junot Diaz in Limbo,” by Ben Smith (Semafor)
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao is the Junot Diaz book whose title Sarah flubbed
“The Silence: The Legacy of Childhood Trauma,” by Junot Diaz (The New Yorker)
Felicia Sonmez has something to say …
“The Shiv in the Hand of Kindness,” Nancy on Sonmez, part googolplex (Arc Digital)
“To Tell You the Truth,” by Sarah Hepola on meeting Jayson Blair (The Morning News)
Stephen Elliott talks “Truth, Consequences, and "S****y Media Men” (Smoke ‘Em If You Got ‘Em, episode 41)
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