Listen – Misfit Stars

September 28, 2022September 26, 2022

“We’re (almost) back!”

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On this week’s episode: we’re back-ish from summer break! We’re starting a whole new season … but not for realsies until the second half of October when we’ve gotten back from a work trip for Jamie. For now, we’re just stopping in to say hi and see you soon! We’re so excited to resume our ongoing conversation with you. ❤️

Our work relies on the ongoing small-dollar support of people who believe in what we’re doing. If that’s you, please join us: misfitstars.com/support.

Thank you so much for your support; we couldn’t do any of this without you. ❤️

June 29, 2022June 28, 2022

“Be a soft landing place for someone else’s heart.” ❤️‍🩹

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It’s our last podcast before summer break! For the first time in American history, the Supreme Court has removed legal protections for a fundamental human right. We share how we’re processing our emotions around this development, what it signals about future moves by the white christian fascist movement to cement their power and establish minority-rule authoritarianism here, and some concrete steps we can take to channel our energy into fighting the hell back.

We also debut the final song from our album project — “Good to Me” — which is centered on the personal commitments we’ll need to make to ourselves in this time, in order to cultivate peace in our spirits, and to access and use our power.

Links:

– abortionfunds.org

– votesaveamerica.com/midterm-madness

– fourmore.us

– mitch hedberg

Our work relies on the ongoing small-dollar support of people who believe in what we’re doing. If that’s you, please join us: misfitstars.com/support.

Thank you so much for your support; we couldn’t do any of this without you. ❤️

June 22, 2022June 22, 2022

“No such thing as a sober fascist.” 🍸

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We’re talking about the vulnerability hangover Shannon had after finishing the writing for the last song of her album, the sober birthday celebration of the fact that Jamie’s last actual hangover was 18 years ago, and how we think it’s impossible for someone who’s legitimately done their inner work to be a fascist (lookin’ at you, Texas Republicans — the platform you just adopted is telling on the black hole of your souls).

Links:

https://aftontickets.com/ShipwreckedMusicFestival
https://misfitstars.com/2021-sobriety-series/
https://statuskuo.substack.com/p/the-texas-gop-just-went-full-fascist

Our work relies on the ongoing small-dollar support of people who believe in what we’re doing. If that’s you, please join us: misfitstars.com/support.

Thank you so much for your support; we couldn’t do any of this without you. ❤️

June 15, 2022June 15, 2022

“It’s easier to con a man than convince him he’s been conned.” 🦝

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This “been conned” theme runs through a couple of our conversation topics today: the mind-bending / heartbreaking unreality in which MAGA folks exist, and the bombshell evidence the Jan. 6 Commission is revealing about the coup attempted by the disgraced former president.

We also talk about some sexy anti-monopoly action coming down the pike, and we make the world debut of our new song, “Serenity.”

Links:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/06/12/election-suspicion-georgia-greene-trump/
https://mattstoller.substack.com/p/torpedoes-in-the-water
https://current.thedispatch.com/p/getting-smart-on-intelligence

Our work relies on the ongoing small-dollar support of people who believe in what we’re doing. If that’s you, please join us: misfitstars.com/support.

Thank you so much for your support; we couldn’t do any of this without you. ❤️

June 8, 2022June 7, 2022

“Freedom, order, and violence.” 🦅

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We’re getting smart about topics that are painfully useful in 2022! 😭 Like what exactly do white Christian nationalists believe about America, and what implications does that have for the rest of us? What can we, as individuals, do to reduce gun deaths? How big, exactly, is a blue whale’s heart? (Ok, that one’s not painful at all.) And what do we have in common with a two-headed calf? (Also not painful, but very lovely, in fact.)

YLE firearms article: https://yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com/p/firearms-what-you-can-do-right-now

NY Magazine Christian nationalism article: https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2022/06/white-christian-nationalism-is-a-threat-to-democracy.html

Our work relies on the ongoing small-dollar support of people who believe in what we’re doing. If that’s you, please join us: misfitstars.com/support.

Thank you so much for your support; we couldn’t do any of this without you. ❤️

June 1, 2022June 1, 2022

“I’m so sorry about your terrible hobby.” 🙄

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We are arming ourselves with facts for the gun reform debate! 💪🏻 And also with knowledge about the specific ways in which the very tiny minority of gun nuts try to confuse that debate in order to delay us and stop us from taking any action on gun control.

We also take a lovely detour into ancient language, gain some spiritual inspiration from an NBA star, and share our new song, “I Am.”

• call your senators: 202-224-3121
• https://votesaveamerica.com
• https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ultraconserved-words-ice-age-language-study_n_3228664
• https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-science-is-clear-gun-control-saves-lives/

Our work relies on the ongoing small-dollar support of people who believe in what we’re doing. If that’s you, please join us: misfitstars.com/support.

Thank you so much for your support; we couldn’t do any of this without you. ❤️

May 25, 2022May 24, 2022

“What the river told me.” 🏞

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Oof. It’s another horrifying day in a horrifying time in the so-called home of the brave. We spend a lot of our conversation doing unfiltered and honest exploration of our thoughts and feelings about the mass gun murder at a Texas elementary school, and how it connects to the broader landscape of rising fascism in America.

We also talk about the message a river had for us yesterday: how making a conscious connection to something bigger and more everlasting than this moment in history may be essential for us to survive it, and to love ourselves and each other through it.

May 18, 2022May 18, 2022

“Weapons of truth-telling.” 📢

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It can often seem like we’re powerless against the horrors of white supremacist fascism on the rise here in the U.S. — like the murder of 10 Black people at a grocery store this week — but there is one small, yet vitally important and powerful, weapon that every last one of us has at our disposal: our language.

We also cruise through other topics like how we can be better media consumers, how goth is a black hole (answer: so goth), and the Zen Buddhist nature of “Row, Row, Row Your Boat.”

Here’s the Washington Post article on how to spot a fake video: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/03/19/how-spot-fake-video/

And here’s that InVID site … just paste a video link from Twitter / Facebook / YouTube, and it’ll help you figure out how trustworthy the video and the person sharing it are! https://www.invid-project.eu/

Our work relies on the ongoing small-dollar support of people who believe in what we’re doing. If that’s you, please join us: misfitstars.com/support.

Thank you so much for your support; we couldn’t do any of this without you. ❤️

May 11, 2022May 11, 2022

“Hope and imagination matter.” 💭

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We’re still unpacking thoughts and feelings about last week’s Supreme Court disaster for reproductive rights. In doing so, we learn about the 17th-century ~~douchebag~~ dude whose writings the right-wing extremists on the court think are the bomb, we find practical inspiration from an 80s kids’ movie, and we debut our new song, which is 100% related to our effort to find power within ourselves during this frightening time.

Our work relies on the ongoing small-dollar support of people who believe in what we’re doing. If that’s you, please join us: misfitstars.com/support.

Thank you so much for your support; we couldn’t do any of this without you. ❤️

May 4, 2022May 3, 2022

“First they came for the people with uteruses.” 🚨

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We’re back from break! And it appears there is a whole lot going on in the “this feels important” category upon our return.

We talk — from a few different angles — about the impending ruling by the Supreme Court to overturn Roe vs. Wade, and what it means not only for bodily autonomy but also for democracy. And, not to focus solely on doom and gloom, we also take fun detours into medieval timekeeping and the evolutionary importance of caring.

Here’s the Politico article Shannon mentions:
https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/05/religious-right-real-origins-107133/

And the number for the Capitol switchboard: (202) 224-3121. CALL YOUR SENATORS.

Our work relies on the ongoing small-dollar support of people who believe in what we’re doing. If that’s you, please join us: misfitstars.com/support.

Thank you so much for your support; we couldn’t do any of this without you. ❤️