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Material Girls
Les Misérables x Encoding/Decoding with Erin Keif
We're so lucky to be joined this episode by Erin Keif (she/her) of the beloved Headgum podcasts Hey Riddle Riddle and Sitcom DnD. If you're a fan of Les Mis, or any musical, you'll appreciate this really special episode that covers Stuart Hall's theory of encoding/decoding, while also getting into the lyrics and musicality of the megamusical: Les Misérables.
Hannah guides Marcelle and Erin through a history lesson that covers Thatcherite England and defunding of the arts in the 70s and 80s, while bringing her own relationship to Claude-Michel Schönberg's music and Alain Boublil's lyrics into the conversation. Erin, a musical enthusiast (among other things), brings some much-needed levity (as well as a catchphrase) to a discussion that touches on some more difficult themes including: death, parental loss, and violence against the oppressed.
If you like our show, please share it with family and friends! Word-of-mouth is the primary way we reach new listeners who are interested in feminist materialist critique, pop culture and laughing at and from within *the discourse.* Share the show today!
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Material Girls is a new show that aims to make 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.
We'll be back in two weeks for another episode, but until then, be sure to check out all the bonus content we have on our Patreon at Patreon.com/ohwitchplease. You can learn more about the show at ohwitchplease.ca and on our instagram at instagram.com/ohwitchplease! Want more from us? Check out our website ohwitchplease.ca.
*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. Materialist critique is really interested in the question of why a particular cultural work or practice emerged at a particular moment.
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”.
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Pitty Party Preview: 8:00 PM
30:25|Welcome 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”.
Material Concerns: Stolen Perfume & Ziplining Pt. I
34:33|Welcome 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”.
Pitty Party Preview: 7:00 PM
19:27|Welcome 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”.
Witch, Please Drop-In: Episode 1: Sorting Ceremony
01:03:49|Feast 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!
Pitty Party Preview: 6:00 PM
09:03|Welcome back to Pitty Party!NOTE: This episode discusses a storyline involving self-harm starting around the 29 minute mark. We wrap up the specifics around 33:33 and move into the rest of the conversation between Santos and Whitaker for the rest of the segment.Gaby and Marcelle both have colds in this episode, but they get over it enough to talk with Zoe about the Big Fight between Mom and Dad (Dana and Robby), the way the hospital admin is handling Langdon’s drug diversion, and Santos’ mental health (as well as the Santos and Whitaker siblingism).We’ll be back next week to talk all about season 2, episode 13, 7:00 PM. Only three more episodes and then, to quote Dana Evans, Pit(t)y Party’s over. <3ANOTHER NOTE: We know that Monica is actually a clerk and not a charge nurse! Misspeak on our part. Also, if you work in healthcare and have any insight into the drug diversion storyline (i.e. why it seems to be so unknown that Langdon diverted drugs from his workplace), let us know! Is it common to assume providers who divert drugs do it from elsewhere? We don’t know and would like to learn! XoMusic 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”.
Material Concerns: The Soft Episode Pt. I
31:32|Welcome back to Material Concerns!!! We keep this episode soft! Listen to find out what we mean by that! 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!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”.
Pitty Party Preview: 5:00 PM
11:27|Welcome back to Pitty Party!Zoe, Gaby, and Marcelle jump right into discussing a really heavy episode and dig into this week’s ICE storyline, the long-awaited Langdon and Santos confrontation, and Mel’s relationship with her sister. They also touch on a few new patients and the several items belonging to Chekov that seem to be returning…We’ll be back next week to talk all about season 2, episode 12, 6:00 PM. Only four episodes left! To listen to the full episode, head to patreon.com/ohwitchplease now!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.
The Oscars x Symbolic Capital
57:59|Did you watch The Oscars? Did you formerly watch The Oscars but don't anymore? Do you only consume The Oscars via clips on social media? Well guess what? No matter how you answered, you're not alone! In this week's episode, Hannah and Marcelle talk about the changing zeitgeisty-ness of the Academy Awards through a deep dive on the awards' early days, its legacy and what we might make of the show's move to Youtube starting 2029.Drawing on theorist Robert Boucault's new book, Oscar Bait: The Academy Awards & Cultural Prestige, Hannah helps us understand the complex ways the Oscars navigate various forms of capital in the field of filmmaking. We talk elitism, cultural capital, symbolic capital and capital intraconversion!Happy listening!Related ListeningBook 4, Episode 8: Magical Capital (from Witch, Please Reboot)Dopamine x Health Capitalism with Jesse MeadowsBarbie x Petro-CapitalismWorks CitedBaragona, Louis. “How the Oscars has changed over the past 92 years.” Business Insider 23 April 2021. https://www.businessinsider.com/oscars-over-the-years-2018-3. Boucault, Robert. Oscar Bait: The Academy Awards & Cultural Prestige. New York: Routledge, 2026. https://doi-org.proxy.lib.sfu.ca/10.4324/9781003597605. Feinberg, Scott. “Oscars’ TV Ratings Headache Turns Into a Migraine.” The Hollywood Reporter 2 March 2022. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/oscars-tv-ratings-live-telecast-1235102498/. Feinberg, Scott, and Alex Weprin. “Oscars Bolts From ABC to YouTube Starting in 2029.” The Hollywood Reporter 17 December 2025. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/oscars-bolt-from-abc-to-youtube-starting-in-2029-1236453188/. Rao, Sonia. “Why do the Oscars Matter?” The Washington Post 16 April 2021. https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2021/04/16/oscars-academy-award-significance/ Richardson, Kalia. “A Decade After #OscarsSoWhite, Can Hollywood Do Better?” Rolling Stone 2 March 2025. https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-features/oscars-so-white-10-years-1235276085/.Thomson, David. “The House That Mr. Mayer Built: Inside the Union-Busting Birth of the Academy Awards.” Vanity Fair 21 February 2014. https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2014/02/secret-oscar-history.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”.
Pitty Party Preview: 4:00 PM
08:13|Welcome back to Pitty Party!Editor’s note: Gaby misspeaks at one point in the episode and refers to the “slash trach” that Dr. Al-Hashimi does as a “slash crike.” Another reminder that none of us are medical doctors :)It’s another jam packed episode full of “mommy issues” of all kinds, waterslide accidents, a stairwell confrontation between Garcia and Santos (Siri, play “Casual” by Chappell Roan), and our own invented fanfic about Robby, Whitaker, and Robby’s friend Duke. Arguably our most NSFW episode to date, you’ve been warned!We’re coming up on the home stretch here, and we’ll be back next week to talk all about season 2, episode 11, 5:00 PM. To listen to the full episode, head to Patreon.com/ohwitchplease now!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”.