Podcast
Material Girls
Hosted by Witch, Please Productions · EN
A scholarly podcast about pop culture hosted by Hannah McGregor and Marcelle Kosman, produced by Witch, Please Productions.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
38episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Nirvana x The Culture Industry with Marshall Watson
Yesterday00:58:04Tap to summarizeSmells like the commodification of teen spirit! In this episode, we welcome beloved friend of the pod and returning guest Marshall Watson (he/him) to talk all about Nirvana and the grunge culture of the 90s.Together, Marcelle, Hannah, and Marshall dig into the anti-establishment ethos of Nirvana, the grunge genre as an act of musical resistance, and what happens once counter-culture becomes mainstream. To do this, they’ve obviously gotta dig into Adorno and Horkheimer’s theory of the culture industry (and talk a little bit about Reagan, which they only do when Marshall is here…).If your young adult years were soundtracked to Nevermind or you just love railing against the mainstream, you’re going to dig this episode.Related listening:Golden Girls x Sex Positivity with Marshall WatsonThe Craft x Feminist RageWorks Cited:Adorno, Theodore, and Max Horkheimer. 2019. “The Culture Industry: Enlightenment as Mass Deception,” in Philosophers on Film from Bergson to Badiou: A Critical Reader, ed. Christopher Kul-Want (Columbia University Press, 2019), 80-96.“Bleach (Nirvana album).” Wikipedia. May 11 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bleach_(Nirvana_album).“David Geffen.” Wikipedia. April 23 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Geffen.“Geffen Records.” Wikipedia. May 2, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geffen_Records.Scarborough, Joe. 2014. “Reagan: A Legacy of Optimism and Common Sense.” TIME. June 4, 2014. https://time.com/2815630/reagan-a-legacy-of-optimism-and-common-sense/.***To learn more about Material Girls, head to our Instagram at instagram.com/ohwitchplease! Or check out our website ohwitchplease.ca. We'll be back next week with a Material Concerns episode, but until then, go check out all the other content we have on our Patreon at Patreon.com/ohwitchplease! Patreon is how we produce the show and pay our team!Material Girls is a show that makes sense of the zeitgeist through materialist critique* and critical theory! Each episode looks at a unique object of study (something popular now or from back in the day) and over the course of three distinct segments, Hannah and Marcelle apply their academic expertise to the topic at hand.*Materialist Critique is, at its simplest possible level, a form of cultural critique – that is, scholarly engagement with a cultural text of some kind – that is interested in modes of production, moments of reception, and the historical and ideological contexts for both.Music Credits:“Shopping Mall”: by Jay Arner and Jessica Delisle ©2020Used by permission. All rights reserved. As recorded by Auto Syndicate on the album “Bongo Dance”.Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →Material Concerns: Baby on Board Pt. I
1w ago00:39:49Tap to summarizeGaby is behind the wheel doing producer duties this month and it gets as silly as you might expect with the resident wittle baby in charge!! In Part I, Hannah, Marcelle, and Gaby start with a check-in and then do some Consumer Retorts. Head over to Part II for Fixation Station and Oops All Oops!!We'll be back next week with a regular format episode!Support Material GirlsTo learn more about the show, head to our Instagram at instagram.com/ohwitchplease! (https://instagram.com/ohwitchplease!) Or check out our website ohwitchplease.ca (https://ohwitchplease.ca/) (you can also find transcripts here!). You can gift a Patreon subscription at this link: https://www.patreon.com/ohwitchplease/gift!Music Credits:“Shopping Mall”: by Jay Arner and Jessica Delisle ©2020 Used by permission. All rights reserved. As recorded by Auto Syndicate on the album “Bongo Dance”. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →Pixar x Affective Economics
2w ago01:01:02Tap to summarizeWhen Hannah and Marcelle go to Disneyland, you can pretty much bank on them returning happier, out some cash, and deep in the throes of processing the experience! So what better return to the pod than an episode about Pixar and Henry Jenkins' theory of affective economics.Tune in for a conversation, led by Hannah, about CGI, John Lasseter, the impact of Pixar's first CGI feature Toy Story (1999), the fantasy of living outside of capitalism, and what Jenkins' theory of affective economics (Convergence Culture, 2006) can do to help us make sense of it all!Related ListeningDisney x PinkwashingAppendix: Fan Studies Revisited (Witch, Please)Works Cited“Computer Animation Production System.” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_Animation_Production_System. Visited on 28 April 2026. “John Lasseter.” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Lasseter. Visited on 28 April 2026. “Pixar.” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pixar. Visited on 28 April 2026. Sandlin, Jennifer A. and Julie Garlen Maudlin. “Disney’s pedagogies of pleasure and the eternal recurrence of whiteness.” Journal of Consumer Culture 17.2 (2017): 397-412. https://doi-org.proxy.lib.sfu.ca/10.1177/14695405156023. Music Credits:"Shopping Mall”: by Jay Arner and Jessica Delisle ©2020Used by permission. All rights reserved. As recorded by Auto Syndicate on the album “Bongo Dance”. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →Material Concerns: NPR's All Things Considered Pt. I | Ad-Free
3w ago00:29:21Tap to summarizeThis episode has nothing to do with NPR's All Things Considered, but that's the kind of cuckoo behavior you get when Coach invites resident wittle babies, Gaby and Zoe, on mic. Hannah and Marcelle are off having a Disney adventure and while they're away, the freaks will play! Part II is over on patreon.com/ohwitchplease!Support Material GirlsTo learn more about the show, head to our Instagram at instagram.com/ohwitchplease! Or check out our website ohwitchplease.ca (you can also find transcripts here!). Want to support the podcast and our tiny, hard-working team? Check out all the content we have on our Patreon at Patreon.com/ohwitchplease. Bonus episodes, bloopers, merch, watch-alongs, and more! Need a last minute gift for a friend or family member? You can gift a Patreon subscription at this link: https://www.patreon.com/ohwitchplease/gift!Music Credits:“Shopping Mall”: by Jay Arner and Jessica Delisle ©2020Used by permission. All rights reserved. As recorded by Auto Syndicate on the album “Bongo Dance”. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Pitty Party Preview: 9:00 PM
4w ago00:19:40Tap to summarizeWell, folks…to quote Nurse Dana, Pitty Party’s (almost) over.Marcelle, Zoe, and Gaby chat all about the season two FINALE of the Pitt in this penultimate episode of Pitty Party! They dig into their general thoughts on the episode, how hot Dr. Al-Hashimi is, and ending as we begun: with Dr. Robby and a baby.We’ll be back next week for a mailbag bonus episode. Until then, thank you all so much for listening. <3Head to PATREON.COM/OHWITCHPLEASE for the full episode and the backlog!Music Credits:“Shopping Mall”: by Jay Arner and Jessica Delisle ©2020Used by permission. All rights reserved. As recorded by Auto Syndicate on the album “Bongo Dance”. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →Heated Rivalry x Canadiana with John Batt
4w ago01:09:32Tap to summarizeDefinitively our most Canadian conversation yet!In this episode of Material Girls, we once again take a look at Heated Rivalry — this time focusing on the Canadian-ness of the show. We were joined in February by sister of the pod, Hope Rehak, to think through the show's popularity as it relates to puritanism. This time around, we brought in John Batt (he/him), the brilliant mind behind the Instagram account @canada.gov.ca,* to help us think through the show as CanCon (Canadian content).Together, Marcelle, Hannah and John consider what it means for something "to be Canadian." They broach the myth of Canadian culture as a monolith and do a historical deep dive on The Massey Commission to get a better sense of how CanCon became institutionalized as a nationalist endeavor. If you like Canada Corner™ you'll love this episode about Canadiana with Canadian treasure, John Batt."This is a great episode for someone who recently got into hockey." - Gaby Iori, someone who recently got into hockey*If you don't know it already, go follow the account for curated stories from the obscure and often bizarre side of Canadian history and culture!Related ListeningHeated Rivalry x The Puritanical Eye with Hope RehakBook 4, Episode 2: The Nation State (from Witch, Please podcast)Trade Movies Podcast (clip mentioned by John Batt)Works Cited“Canadian Content.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Feb 8, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_content#:~:text=Current%20Canadian%20content%20percentages%20are,multicultural%20formats%20have%20lower%20percentages).“Canadiana.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Mar 29, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadiana.Litt, Paul. 1992. The Muses, the Masses, and the Massey Commission. University of Toronto Press.Morrison, Catherine. 2026. “Culture Minister Says Hockey Romance Heated Rivalry Is a Cancon Triumph.” CBC. January 15, 2026. https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/heated-rivalry-cancon-triumph-9.7046368.“Peak Hockey Romance, Brought to You by Canadian Taxpayers.” 2023. Turbotax. 2023. https://turbotax.intuit.ca/tips/heated-rivalry-canadian-culture-funding?srsltid=AfmBOopyhhXtfaL9EN-cTEedVftFvXbkfs1oCdrNbNbWI_U1xD9embi3.Support Material GirlsTo learn more about the show, head to our Instagram at instagram.com/ohwitchplease! Or check out our website ohwitchplease.ca (you can also find transcripts here!). Want to support the podcast and our tiny, hard-working team? Check out all the content we have on our Patreon at Patreon.com/ohwitchplease. Bonus episodes, bloopers, merch, watch-alongs, and more! Need a last minute gift for a friend or family member? You can gift a Patreon subscription at this link: https://www.patreon.com/ohwitchplease/gift!Music Credits:“Shopping Mall”: by Jay Arner and Jessica Delisle ©2020Used by permission. All rights reserved. As recorded by Auto Syndicate on the album “Bongo Dance”. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Pitty Party Preview: 8:00 PM
Apr 1500:30:25Tap to summarizeWelcome back to Pitty Party! For the full episode head to Patreon.com/ohwitchplease!Gaby, Marcelle, and Zoe dig into the penultimate episode of season 2! In addition to discussing what’s going on with Dr. al-Hashimi and Robby’s relationship with Duke, they also spend some time debating different types of Canadian beers and consider who working at Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center would be most likely to get you your SSRIs in a timely manner.See you next week for the FINALE!!! Music Credits:“Shopping Mall”: by Jay Arner and Jessica Delisle ©2020Used by permission. All rights reserved. As recorded by Auto Syndicate on the album “Bongo Dance”. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →Material Concerns: Stolen Perfume & Ziplining Pt. I
Apr 1400:34:33Tap to summarizeWelcome back to Material Concerns! We talk perfumes, vapes and taking risks. Head to patreon.com/ohwitchplease now to join a tier that works for your budget and you will get PART II!Happy listening! We'll be back next week with a regular format episode!Subscribe to Hannah's new newsletter here: https://hannahs-haunts-and-hobbies.ghost.io/Music Credits:“Shopping Mall”: by Jay Arner and Jessica Delisle ©2020Used by permission. All rights reserved. As recorded by Auto Syndicate on the album “Bongo Dance”. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Pitty Party Preview: 7:00 PM
Apr 800:19:27Tap to summarizeWelcome back to Pitty Party!Yes, the first five minutes of this episode are devoted to discussing hockey, and not even the gay kind! Sorry if you're not into that.Once we move past that, Gaby, Marcelle, and Zoe dig into Dr. Mohan's terrible hour, Robby's continued downward spiral, and the much-needed arrival of the hot shift (aka the night shift).We’ll be back next week to talk all about season 2, episode 14, 8:00 PM. Do we think there are gonna be beers in the park this season?? It's not looking likely.Music Credits:“Shopping Mall”: by Jay Arner and Jessica Delisle ©2020Used by permission. All rights reserved. As recorded by Auto Syndicate on the album “Bongo Dance”. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →Witch, Please Drop-In: Episode 1: Sorting Ceremony
Apr 701:03:49Tap to summarizeFeast your magic-loving ears on THIS! Today we are doing something very exciting. We are re-publishing the first-ever episode of the original run of Witch, Please. Back in 2015, Hannah and Marcelle were just two hot young things working in academia living in a world a bit different from the one we’re in today… and they decided to create a podcast about the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Many of our listeners joined us while that show was on air — but a good number of you arrived after the fact! These episodes have been available to the public through our main Material Girls feed, but starting this month, we are transferring them to our Patreon page. If you’re a regular listener of the original run, not to fear, the episodes are still available for free and now without ads over on Patreon.com/ohwitchplease. Please enjoy this jump back in time to Valentine’s Day 2015 when Hannah and Marcelle began their joint podcasting journey. Here’s what you should know before listening to the OG run: We used language then that we don’t use now. We think it’s important to learn in public and to stay accountable to past errors in judgment or ignorances so if you hear something you don’t like in the original run, we understand and we hope you find our more recent episodes are held to a higher standard of care and intention. We edited these episodes ourselves. If you’re like, “hey why does this sound worse than current episodes,” that’s because our reboot and the shows that followed involve the labor of a producer and a sound engineer who we pay through Patreon.We have transcripts for our reboot seasons! If you’d like a transcript of an original run episode, email us at ohwitchplease@gmail.com with the subject line: TRANSCRIPTION REQUEST. We’ll aim to get you what you’ve requested within 4 weeks.Head over to our WP OG Run chat on Patreon if you'd like to discuss with other listeners! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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