3 - The Kids In The Hall (w/ Reed Brice)

Hello friends and subscribers! We're going on a brief production hiatus to put more work into all the structure behind the scenes that will keep Cringe Benefits running into the future. We'll see you in a few months!

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Facebook: @CringeBenefits

Twitter: @CringeBenefits

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Host/Producer: Abby Wilde

Twitter: @AbbyWilde

Instagram: @AbbyWilde

Buckle up and get ready to break 88: this week's episode's a lightning-fueled time warp to the glorious 80s and everyone's favorite feel-good franchise, Back to the Future. We're joined by activist and lawyer Brandt Kincaid to interrogate (ha) this classic time trip from all sides: why is it the best? Where did Crispin Glover go? Where did Tom Wilson disappear to? Why does this film have so much sexual assault? Why does this film have so few people of color? What is this "Power of Love" we keep hearing about, and why do we find it in the Old West? All this plus pets, spouses, theme park rides, and the true origins of Doc and Marty's friendship. 

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We are live on the Internet - come be our friend!

Facebook: @CringeBenefits

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Guest: Brandt Kincaid

Brandt is Not on Social Media. Honestly, we applaud this excellent choice. 

Host/Producer: Abby Wilde

Twitter: @AbbyWilde

Instagram: @AbbyWilde

We're on a wee holiday break this week, but Cringe Benefits will be back with an all new episode next Monday! In the meantime, we wanted to wish you the very best of all possible things in the New Year.

Support Sally's Surgery with Robin Campbell!

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Guest: Robin Campbell

Twitter:  @robinathefirst

Instagram: @robinathefirst

Host/Producer: Abby Wilde

Twitter: @AbbyWilde

Instagram: @AbbyWilde

How do you measure a show's worth of cringe? We do our best to find out in the thrilling conclusion to our two-part series on the musical that defined a generation of theater punks, "RENT." Last episode was all about what we loved then, but this week is all about what we know now: the moral weight of being a sellout, the deadly dogma of  struggling for your art, the offstage drama of Allison "Muffy" Coffin, and what a girl wants (certainly not Roger, who is the absolute worst). Not to worry, though: we measure this show with love.

SUPPLEMENTAL LINKS:

Instagram: Sally Campbell, the Best Dog

Newsweek: Love Among the Ruins

Bookshop.org: RENT by Jonathan Larson

Marfan.org: What is Marfan Syndrome

Lady Geek Girl: Sexualized Saturdays - Queer Stories are Tragic Stories

Them.us: Sarah Schulman Explains How Rent Straightwashed Queer Lives and AIDS Activism

Out.com: Angel’s Gender Identity Is RENT's Most Enduring Mystery

Vox.com: How do you measure 20 years of Rent backlash?

SPONSORS:

Click here for your free 30-day trial with Audible!

We are live on the Internet - come be our friend!

Facebook: @CringeBenefits

Twitter: @CringeBenefits

Instagram: @cringebenefits

Guest: Robin Campbell

Twitter:  @robinathefirst

Instagram: @robinathefirst

Host/Producer: Abby Wilde

Twitter: @AbbyWilde

Instagram: @AbbyWilde

This week we're joined by theater geek and musical theater expert Robin Campbell for long look at the catalyst of every theater kid's grunge phase, 90s musical RENT. You'll hear Part One of our thrilling conversation this week, in which we talk about the origins of the musical and its impact on us as people and artists, before turning our focus on the  common pitfalls of portraying HIV/AIDS in popular culture, the intersection of drag and gender, and the real villain of the musical (hint: not Benny.)

SUPPLEMENTAL LINKS:

Instagram: Sally Campbell, the Best Dog

Newsweek: Love Among the Ruins

Bookshop.org: RENT by Jonathan Larson

Marfan.org: What is Marfan Syndrome

Lady Geek Girl: Sexualized Saturdays - Queer Stories are Tragic Stories

Them.us: Sarah Schulman Explains How Rent Straightwashed Queer Lives and AIDS Activism

Out.com: Angel’s Gender Identity Is RENT's Most Enduring Mystery

Vox.com: How do you measure 20 years of Rent backlash?

SPONSORS:

Click here for your free 30-day trial with Audible!

We are live on the Internet - come be our friend!

Facebook: @CringeBenefits

Twitter: @CringeBenefits

Instagram: @cringebenefits

Guest: Robin Campbell

Twitter:  @robinathefirst

Instagram: @robinathefirst

Host/Producer: Abby Wilde

Twitter: @AbbyWilde

Instagram: @AbbyWilde

Cringe Benefits is back with a visit from actor, comedian, and improvisational all-star Mike McShane to talk about a little bit of everything through the lens of the legendary lone vigilante, Batman. This episode cuts a wide swath through the dark history of America's mental health system and the Dark Knight's mental health, women in comics and women in crime, and the ethics of keeping billions of dollars and a Boy Wonder in a cave under your mansion.

SUPPLEMENTAL LINKS:

The Swaddle: The Batman‑Joker Universe Offers a Crucial Platform to Talk About Mental Health by Pallavi Prasad

Leftover Salad: Batman

YouTube: Wayne Thanksgiving - SNL

SPONSORS:

Click here for your free 30-day trial with Audible!

We are live on the Internet - come be our friend!

Facebook: @CringeBenefits

Twitter: @CringeBenefits

Instagram: @cringebenefits

Guest: Mike McShane

IMDB:  Mike McShane

Twitter: @thismikemcshane

Host/Producer: Abby Wilde

Twitter: @AbbyWilde

Instagram: @AbbyWilde

Welcome back to the bayou for Part 2 of our conversation with Regina Renée Russell about Disney's failed foray into cultural diversity, The Princess and the Frog. On the docket this week: what Hollywood gets wrong about voodoo, Charlotte LaBoeuf and the troublesome trope of Good White People, the long history of Black characters as animals, and more. 

SPONSORS:

Click here for your free 30-day trial with Audible!

We are live on the Internet - come be our friend!

Facebook: @CringeBenefits

Twitter: @CringeBenefits

Instagram: @cringebenefits

Guest: Regina Renée Russell

Twitter: @reginarenee594

Instagram: @reggirenee

Host/Producer: Abby Wilde

Twitter: @AbbyWilde

Instagram: @AbbyWilde

This week we are thrilled to welcome back friend of the pod Regina Reneé Russell for a deep dive into Disney's last hand-drawn movie musical The Princess and the Frog, and let us just warn you: it is worse than you remember it. This week we'll cover the empty spaces in the Disney Princess Cinematic Universe, the many missteps in the journey to the first Black Disney Princess, and the many crimes against Tiana and the girls who would idolize her. There is not enough time for all of it, but don't worry: we'll be back next week with more. 

SPONSORS:

Click here for your free 30-day trial with Audible!

We are live on the Internet - come be our friend!

Facebook: @CringeBenefits

Twitter: @CringeBenefits

Instagram: @cringebenefits

Guest: Regina Renée Russell

Twitter: @reginarenee594

Instagram: @reggirenee

Host/Producer: Abby Wilde

Twitter: @AbbyWilde

Instagram: @AbbyWilde

This week we Return to the Cringe with special guest Joe Raik and the conclusion of our conversation about The Lord of the Rings! Last week we leaned heavily on our love and affection, so of course this week will be a closer look at what parts of Middle Earth make us flinch: the narrative importance of blood purity, the flatness of the female characters, and Frodo's fan base amongst the alt-right against Tolkien's record on racism. On the bright side, we make time for Ultimate Boyfriend Samwise Gamgee and the many memes of our childhood. 

SUPPLEMENTAL LINKS:

PodCastle.com: Senator Bilbo by Andy Duncan

RadioLab: The Ring and I

National Geographic: There’s No Scientific Basis for Race—It's a Made-Up Label by Elizabeth Kolbert

Slate: Bilbo Baggins is a Girl by  Michelle Nijhuis

SPONSORS:

Click here for your free 30-day trial with Audible!

We are live on the Internet - come be our friend!

Facebook: @CringeBenefits

Twitter: @CringeBenefits

Instagram: @cringebenefits

Guest: Joe Raik

Watch Joe in the New Webseries DEAD ENDERS

Host/Producer: Abby Wilde

Twitter: @AbbyWilde

Instagram: @AbbyWilde

Time to take a long expected journey with actor and director Joe Raik as we delve deep into JRR Tolkein's seminal masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings. As is fitting a saga of this stature, we simply couldn't complete our quest in one episode. This week we'll start with our childhood memories, our favorite moments, and we'll just dip our toes in the shallow end of the cringe pool when we talk about Middle Earth's racial politics. 

SUPPLEMENTAL LINKS:

Reddit: Hilarious 50th Anniversary Edition of 'The Hobbit' (Abby's Elementary School Copy)

LATimes: J.R.R. Tolkien’s ‘Fall of Arthur’ and the path to Middle-Earth by Elizabeth Hand

Revisiting Race in Tolkien’s Legendarium: Constructing Cultures and Ideologies in an Imaginary World by Dimitra Fimi

From the Mailbag: The Unbearable Baggage of Orcing by N. K. Jemisin

Bookshop.org: The Elizabethan World Picture by E.M.W. Tillyard

PodCastle.com: Senator Bilbo by Andy Duncan

RadioLab: The Ring and I

SPONSORS:

Click here for your free 30-day trial with Audible!

We are live on the Internet - come be our friend!

Facebook: @CringeBenefits

Twitter: @CringeBenefits

Instagram: @cringebenefits

Guest: Joe Raik

Watch Joe in the New Webseries DEAD ENDERS

Host/Producer: Abby Wilde

Twitter: @AbbyWilde

Instagram: @AbbyWilde