Explore every episode of the podcast Deep Thoughts About Stupid Sh*t: A Pop-Culture Comedy Podcast
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Star Wars IV: A New Hope: Deep Thoughts About Storm Troopers, Strong Women, and Unfinished Storytelling | 25 Aug 2026 | 01:05:21 | |
Send us a message! Include how to reach you if you want a response. “Somebody has to save our skins. Into the garbage chute, flyboy!” On this week's episode of Deep Thoughts About Stupid Shit, Emily tackles the foundational pop culture text of every Gen X childhood: the 1977 film Star Wars IV: A New Hope. By following the storytelling rubric offered by Joseph Campbell's monomyth (a.k.a., The Hero's Journey), George Lucas created a film that changed the industry. (If only he knew when to leave well enough alone.) Emily reminds Tracie of how the depiction of Princess Leia as a badass inspired their mother, who knew that storytelling where a woman grabs the blaster and saves herself was revolutionary. But Leia is the only woman in the galaxy far far away, which meant the sisters also learned that there was only one way to be a heroine, and that she must be flawless. The sisters also discuss how the film drew inspiration from history, including the recently ended Vietnam War. George Lucas intended for the rebels to represent the Viet Cong while the Empire represents America--a message the flew over the heads of the audience who most needed to recognize the critique. But Lucas also undermined his point by hiring an entirely white cast, making it much easier for viewers to identify with the rebels. Finally, Emily admires the way Lucas made the world of Star Wars feel lived in--in part by making space and alien worlds look dingy, dented, and distressed, but also by refusing to slow down the plot to explain everything. Undermining this storytelling choice in later installments (we're looking at you Midichlorians!) is one of Emily's biggest disappointments with the greater Star Wars canon. Stuck behind a big walking carpet? Throw on some headphones and listen in while you wait. Mentioned in this episode Power and Oppression in Star Wars: A New Hope Tags: deep thoughts about stupid shit, storytelling, pop culture, gen x childhood, film, feminism, movies, mental health, comedy, classic movies, women, sci fi, analyzing film tropes, cultural commentary, gen x nostalgia, film analysis, nostalgia, star wars, george lucas, carrie fisher Our theme music is "Professor Umlaut" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Learn more about Tracie and Emily (including our other projects), join the Guy Girls' family, secure exclusive access to bonus content, live zooms with Tracie & Emily, discounts on merch, and early access to Deep Thoughts by visiting us on Patreon or find us on ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/guygirls We are the sister podcasters Tracie Guy-Decker and Emily Guy Birken, known to our extended family as the Guy Girls. We're hella smart and completely unashamed of our overthinking prowess. We love 80s and 90s movies and tv, science fiction, comedy, and murder mysteries, good storytelling with lots of dramatic irony, analyzing film tropes with a side of feminism, and examining the pop culture of our Gen X childhood for gender dynamics, psychology, sociology, religious allegory, and whatever else we find. We have super-serious day jobs. For the bona fides, visit our individual websites: tracieguydecker.com and emilyguybirken.com. For our work together, visit guygirlsmedia.com We are on socials! Find us on Facebook at fb.com/dtasspodcast and on Insta at instagram.com/guygirlsmedia. You can also email us at guygirlsmedia at gmail dot com. We would love to hear from you! | |||
| The Breakfast Club: Deep Thoughts About Toxic Romance, Taking Teens Seriously, and John Hughes’ Insistence on Crotch Shots (Reprise 23) | 18 Aug 2026 | 01:04:31 | |
Send us a message! Include how to reach you if you want a response. Don’t you…forget about me…Don’t Don’t Don’t Don’t! In this reprise of episode 23, Tracie takes another look at the 1985 John Hughes film The Breakfast Club. This classic Gen X teen movie passes the Bechdel test and explicitly names the prude-or-slut trap of female sexuality. It also treats Claire and Allison like prizes for the boys in the film and assures the audience that we’re not so different from each other–by featuring a cast that is entirely white, cishet, thin, and able-bodied. The romance between John Bender and Claire have the sisters unpacking the difference between being prickly to protect a soft underbelly and just being mean, and our current stage of life has us looking with greater sympathy at (some of) the parents in the film. Sounds like your earbuds and my earbuds should get together and listen to this podcast. CW: Discussion of on-screen sexual harassment, evidence of physical abuse, and suicidal ideation. Emily’s article about the characters’ retirement: What Retirement Might Look Like for the Characters in ‘The Breakfast Club’ Tags: deep thoughts about stupid sh*t, pop culture, romance, comedy, storytelling, cultural commentary, feminism,, gen x childhood, gen x nostalgia, millennial childhood, millennial nostalgia, john hughes, molly ringwald, anthony michael hall, ally sheedy, judd nelson Our theme music is "Professor Umlaut" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Learn more about Tracie and Emily (including our other projects), join the Guy Girls' family, secure exclusive access to bonus content, live zooms with Tracie & Emily, discounts on merch, and early access to Deep Thoughts by visiting us on Patreon or find us on ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/guygirls We are the sister podcasters Tracie Guy-Decker and Emily Guy Birken, known to our extended family as the Guy Girls. We're hella smart and completely unashamed of our overthinking prowess. We love 80s and 90s movies and tv, science fiction, comedy, and murder mysteries, good storytelling with lots of dramatic irony, analyzing film tropes with a side of feminism, and examining the pop culture of our Gen X childhood for gender dynamics, psychology, sociology, religious allegory, and whatever else we find. We have super-serious day jobs. For the bona fides, visit our individual websites: tracieguydecker.com and emilyguybirken.com. For our work together, visit guygirlsmedia.com We are on socials! Find us on Facebook at fb.com/dtasspodcast and on Insta at instagram.com/guygirlsmedia. You can also email us at guygirlsmedia at gmail dot com. We would love to hear from you! | |||
| He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Deep Thoughts About the Pop Culture Endurance of the Fantasy Barbarian Soldier from SPACE! | 16 Jun 2026 | 00:51:54 | |
Send us a message! Include how to reach you if you want a response. By the Power of Grayskull! On Deep Thoughts About Stupid Shit this week, Emily returns to her first pop culture crush: He-Man, aka, Adam, prince of Eternia. As a very small child, she loved the cartoon He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, and she was somewhat disheartened to learn that this beloved staple of her Gen X childhood was created specifically to sell He-Man toys. The animation, storytelling, and even the cultural commentary (via little public service announcements at the end of each episode) were all in service of Mattel convincing children to bug their parents to buy action figures. But something funny happened on the way to the cash grab. Mattel created a pop culture phenomenon, in part because they created a cult classic cartoon by catering to the exact interests of their target audience of five-to-ten year old boys. The toy company's market research determined that demographic was most interested in soldiers, space technology, and fantasy barbarians--so Mattel shrugged and gave it to them, thereby creating an enduring pop culture franchise that remains beloved 40-some years later. (Mattel also created a queer icon with some serious homoerotic subtext, but that flew right over baby Emily's head at the time). You have the POWER! To listen to this episode… Mentioned in this episode: How He-Man Changed the World & How It All Fell Apart: The Story of The Masters of the Universe Tags deep thoughts about stupid sh*t, pop culture, animation, storytelling, cultural commentary, cult classic, sci fi, gen x childhood, nostalgia, gen x nostalgia, he-man, skeletor, mattel, social, television, masters of the universe, nicholas galitzine This episode was edited by Resonate Recordings. Our theme music is "Professor Umlaut" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Learn more about Tracie and Emily (including our other projects), join the Guy Girls' family, secure exclusive access to bonus content, live zooms with Tracie & Emily, discounts on merch, and early access to Deep Thoughts by visiting us on Patreon or find us on ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/guygirls We are the sister podcasters Tracie Guy-Decker and Emily Guy Birken, known to our extended family as the Guy Girls. We're hella smart and completely unashamed of our overthinking prowess. We love 80s and 90s movies and tv, science fiction, comedy, and murder mysteries, good storytelling with lots of dramatic irony, analyzing film tropes with a side of feminism, and examining the pop culture of our Gen X childhood for gender dynamics, psychology, sociology, religious allegory, and whatever else we find. We have super-serious day jobs. For the bona fides, visit our individual websites: tracieguydecker.com and emilyguybirken.com. For our work together, visit guygirlsmedia.com We are on socials! Find us on Facebook at fb.com/dtasspodcast and on Insta at instagram.com/guygirlsmedia. You can also email us at guygirlsmedia at gmail dot com. We would love to hear from you! | |||
| Field of Dreams: Deep Thoughts About Whitewashed Boomer Nostalgia and the Psychology of Grief | 17 Sep 2024 | 01:16:28 | |
Send us a message! Include how to reach you if you want a response. If you build it, he will come. What better vehicle for the Guy girls to meditate on their relationship with their late father than a film they once watched with him about a man’s relationship with his late father? With Field of Dreams, the 1989 magical realism baseball fantasy film starring Kevin Costner, Tracie brings some deep thoughts about parents and children, gender and emotion, and baseball and race, psychology and guilt. The filmmakers transformed JD Salinger--a real-life white author featured in the source material, the novel Shoeless Joe--into the fictional Terence Mann (James Earl Jones), a Black icon of sixties counterculture. In so doing, they opened a door to talk about race and racism in baseball and in America, but they never walked through that door. And while much of what was charming about the film 35 years ago remains charming, there’s also a great deal that feels downright unsatisfying. Go the distance. Grab your earbuds and come with us into an analysis that straddles both the intimate view from the dugout and the big-picture vista afforded by the nosebleed seats. Mentioned in this episode: On the movie’s role in expensive stadiums: https://reason.com/2023/04/01/the-expensive-seductive-nostalgia-of-field-of-dreams/ On the flawed portrayal of the father-son relationship (and a bunch of facts they got wrong): https://www.nbcsports.com/mlb/news/field-of-dreams-is-absolutely-terrible Learn more about Tracie and Emily (including our other projects), join the Guy Girls' family, secure exclusive access to bonus episodes, video versions, and early access to Deep Thoughts by visiting us on Patreon. We are the sister podcasters Tracie Guy-Decker and Emily Guy Birken, known to our extended family as the Guy Girls. We're hella smart and completely unashamed of our overthinking prowess. We love 80s and 90s movies and tv, science fiction, comedy, and murder mysteries, good storytelling with lots of dramatic irony, analyzing film tropes with a side of feminism, and examining the pop culture of our Gen X childhood for gender dynamics, psychology, sociology, religious allegory, and whatever else we find. We have super-serious day jobs. For the bona fides, visit our individual websites: tracieguydecker.com and emilyguybirken.com. For our work together, visit guygirlsmedia.com We are on socials! Find us on Facebook at fb.com/dtasspodcast and on Insta at instagram.com/guygirlsmedia. You can also email us at guygirlsmedia at gmail dot com. We would love to hear from you! | |||
| Nightmare on Elm Street: Deep Thoughts About Badass Final Girl Feminism | 10 Sep 2024 | 01:09:09 | |
Send us a message! Include how to reach you if you want a response. One, two, Freddy’s coming for you… Today’s episode of Deep Thoughts gives Emily a chance to finally exorcise the boogeyman of every 80’s childhood: Freddy Krueger. Though neither Emily nor Tracie ever saw the influential 1984 film Nightmare on Elm Street, the burned and be-knived Freddy cast a long shadow over pop culture, meaning the Guy sisters were completely unaware of the badass Nancy Thompson, protagonist and final girl (the last woman alive to confront the killer) who refuses to give in. This was a shame, since teenage Emily could have used this excellent example of pragmatic feminism in storytelling. Though the film hits some false notes in 2024–specifically, the “punishment” of Tina after having sex–Wes Craven has created a remarkably feminist film that allows a normal teen girl to reclaim her power from an abuser. What a shame that pop culture chose to make Freddy the enduring symbol of these movies, rather than Nancy. Content warning: discussion of child murder, death, and sexual predation Whatever you do…don't fall asleep. And do throw on your headphones to listen in! Mentioned in this episode: https://thegeekiary.com/a-feminist-look-at-a-nightmare-on-elm-street/18520 https://journal.media-culture.org.au/index.php/mcjournal/article/view/1281 https://papaeleele.wordpress.com/2015/07/03/a-nightmare-on-adolescent-street-by-richard-stange/ Our theme music is "Professor Umlaut" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Learn more about Tracie and Emily (including our other projects), join the Guy Girls' family, secure exclusive access to bonus episodes, video versions, and early access to Deep Thoughts by visiting us on Patreon. We are the sister podcasters Tracie Guy-Decker and Emily Guy Birken, known to our extended family as the Guy Girls. We're hella smart and completely unashamed of our overthinking prowess. We love 80s and 90s movies and tv, science fiction, comedy, and murder mysteries, good storytelling with lots of dramatic irony, analyzing film tropes with a side of feminism, and examining the pop culture of our Gen X childhood for gender dynamics, psychology, sociology, religious allegory, and whatever else we find. We have super-serious day jobs. For the bona fides, visit our individual websites: tracieguydecker.com and emilyguybirken.com. For our work together, visit guygirlsmedia.com We are on socials! Find us on Facebook at fb.com/dtasspodcast and on Insta at instagram.com/guygirlsmedia. You can also email us at guygirlsmedia at gmail dot com. We would love to hear from you! | |||
| Dune with Jake Cohen: Deep Thoughts About Recreating Social Hierarchies and Biases in Sci Fi Worldbuilding | 03 Sep 2024 | 01:05:05 | |
Send us a message! Include how to reach you if you want a response. Fear is the mind-killer… On this week’s episode of Deep Thoughts, Tracie and Emily welcome their cousin Jake Cohen to talk all things Dune, from Frank Herbert’s influential series of sci fi novels to the 1984 David Lynch film adaptation to the recent Denis Villeneuve movies. The conversation ranges from the intricate and well-thought out worldbuilding to the political implications of an extra-planetary messiah leading the Fremen of Arrakis with the promise of sandworm-killing water. While Herbert’s grand vision inspired countless sci fi writers and filmmakers, Dune still retains some outdated fatphobia, homophobia, gender essentialism, and sexism that were more typical of the 1960s, when the book was written, which proves even forward-thinking sci fi can't escape the social expectations and biases embedded in our culture. The spice (and the podcast episode) must flow! Content warning: Discussion of child SA Our theme music is "Professor Umlaut" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Learn more about Tracie and Emily (including our other projects), join the Guy Girls' family, secure exclusive access to bonus episodes, video versions, and early access to Deep Thoughts by visiting us on Patreon. We are the sister podcasters Tracie Guy-Decker and Emily Guy Birken, known to our extended family as the Guy Girls. We're hella smart and completely unashamed of our overthinking prowess. We love 80s and 90s movies and tv, science fiction, comedy, and murder mysteries, good storytelling with lots of dramatic irony, analyzing film tropes with a side of feminism, and examining the pop culture of our Gen X childhood for gender dynamics, psychology, sociology, religious allegory, and whatever else we find. We have super-serious day jobs. For the bona fides, visit our individual websites: tracieguydecker.com and emilyguybirken.com. For our work together, visit guygirlsmedia.com We are on socials! Find us on Facebook at fb.com/dtasspodcast and on Insta at instagram.com/guygirlsmedia. You can also email us at guygirlsmedia at gmail dot com. We would love to hear from you! | |||
| Deep Thoughts About Shrek TEASER | 27 Aug 2024 | 00:17:37 | |
Send us a message! Include how to reach you if you want a response. Podcasts are like onions…they’ve got layers. In this patron-exclusive bonus episode, Emily takes a look back at Shrek, the charming ogre who entertained her young son. Though the movie is still laugh-out-loud funny at times, those guffaws come with unfortunate sides of fat-phobia, misogyny, and bio-essential transphobia that is truly ugly (unlike Fiona the ogress who is merely green). More than two decades after its initial release, the Disney diss track that launched a franchise is responsible for some of the hilarious, the recognizable, and the shoddily-built furniture in our minds. Once upon a time, two sisters gave a whole new perspective on a beloved, twisted fairytale film. But only for patrons. Really, really. We are the sister podcasters Tracie Guy-Decker and Emily Guy Birken, known to our extended family as the Guy Girls. We're hella smart and completely unashamed of our overthinking prowess. We love 80s and 90s movies and tv, science fiction, comedy, and murder mysteries, good storytelling with lots of dramatic irony, analyzing film tropes with a side of feminism, and examining the pop culture of our Gen X childhood for gender dynamics, psychology, sociology, religious allegory, and whatever else we find. We have super-serious day jobs. For the bona fides, visit our individual websites: tracieguydecker.com and emilyguybirken.com. For our work together, visit guygirlsmedia.com We are on socials! Find us on Facebook at fb.com/dtasspodcast and on Insta at instagram.com/guygirlsmedia. You can also email us at guygirlsmedia at gmail dot com. We would love to hear from you! | |||
| Ferris Bueller’s Day Off: Deep Thoughts About Real Consequences When Pop Culture Golden Boys Get Away with Murder | 20 Aug 2024 | 01:06:42 | |
Send us a message! Include how to reach you if you want a response. Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and listen to a podcast once in a while, you might just miss it. This week, Tracie shares her deep thoughts about the 1986 pop culture touchstone, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off–and unfortunately the results are not as charming as Matthew Broderick’s smile. Not only does the comedy storytelling unfairly make Jeannie out to be a villain simply because she is tired of Ferris getting away with murder, but the Guy sisters can draw a straight line between the beloved portrayal of a wealthy, confident, and privileged teen boy who faces no consequences…and Brock Turner. Although Ferris’s antics hit different nearly 40 years later, the character of Cameron is just as compelling as we remember him, and a queer reading of Alan Ruck’s hilarious and poignant performance of the neglected best friend (and possible true protagonist) adds some nuance and subtle psychology to a film that never claimed to be deep. Be a righteous dude and listen in! Our theme music is "Professor Umlaut" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Learn more about Tracie and Emily (including our other projects), join the Guy Girls' family, secure exclusive access to bonus episodes, video versions, and early access to Deep Thoughts by visiting us on Patreon. We are the sister podcasters Tracie Guy-Decker and Emily Guy Birken, known to our extended family as the Guy Girls. We're hella smart and completely unashamed of our overthinking prowess. We love 80s and 90s movies and tv, science fiction, comedy, and murder mysteries, good storytelling with lots of dramatic irony, analyzing film tropes with a side of feminism, and examining the pop culture of our Gen X childhood for gender dynamics, psychology, sociology, religious allegory, and whatever else we find. We have super-serious day jobs. For the bona fides, visit our individual websites: tracieguydecker.com and emilyguybirken.com. For our work together, visit guygirlsmedia.com We are on socials! Find us on Facebook at fb.com/dtasspodcast and on Insta at instagram.com/guygirlsmedia. You can also email us at guygirlsmedia at gmail dot com. We would love to hear from you! | |||
| The Matrix: Deep Thoughts About Reality, Social Constructs, and How the Wachowskis Created a Pop Culture Trans Allegory | 13 Aug 2024 | 01:14:04 | |
Send us a message! Include how to reach you if you want a response. Only try to realize the truth: There is no spoon. When Emily brings her deep thoughts about the Wachowski Sisters’ 1999 cinematic masterpiece, The Matrix, the Guy sisters are unable to contain the conversation about the film to under an hour. This sci fi film, possibly the most popular, successful, and influential piece of art created by trans artists to date, is ripe with symbolism, allegory, and questions about the fundamental nature of reality. As one might expect with a pop culture “text” this rich, it resonates with a host of other sources, from anthropologists of religion to Plato, contemporary sociologists to the late George Carlin. With a nuance and complexity that requires (and rewards!) repeat viewing, The Matrix is truly a masterpiece. We can only show you the pod. You have to listen to it. Referenced in this episode: How The Matrix universalized a trans experience — and helped me accept my own by Emily St. James Our theme music is "Professor Umlaut" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Learn more about Tracie and Emily (including our other projects), join the Guy Girls' family, secure exclusive access to bonus episodes, video versions, and early access to Deep Thoughts by visiting us on Patreon. We are the sister podcasters Tracie Guy-Decker and Emily Guy Birken, known to our extended family as the Guy Girls. We're hella smart and completely unashamed of our overthinking prowess. We love 80s and 90s movies and tv, science fiction, comedy, and murder mysteries, good storytelling with lots of dramatic irony, analyzing film tropes with a side of feminism, and examining the pop culture of our Gen X childhood for gender dynamics, psychology, sociology, religious allegory, and whatever else we find. We have super-serious day jobs. For the bona fides, visit our individual websites: tracieguydecker.com and emilyguybirken.com. For our work together, visit guygirlsmedia.com We are on socials! Find us on Facebook at fb.com/dtasspodcast and on Insta at instagram.com/guygirlsmedia. You can also email us at guygirlsmedia at gmail dot com. We would love to hear from you! | |||
| The Ren & Stimpy Show: Deep Thoughts About Taking Animation Seriously and the Complicated Legacy of Genius | 06 Aug 2024 | 01:15:52 | |
Send us a message! Include how to reach you if you want a response. Happy! Happy! Joy! Joy! This week on Deep Thoughts, Tracie brings nostalgia, comedy, and the unfortunate realization that you really can’t go home again with her analysis of The Ren & Stimpy Show. While creator and tortured animation genius John K brought back the artistry and commitment to craft when his angry Chihuahua and sweetly dim cat graced our screens in the early 1990s, he did so with a big old side of emotional and psychological abuse of his fellow animators and predation on teenage female fans. We revisit the hilarity that still makes Tracie and Emily snort their drinks, the comedy and storytelling that haven’t aged well, and the complicated pop culture legacy of a brilliant artist who thought the rules didn’t apply to him. Throw on your headphones because It’s Pod, it’s Pod! It’s long and funny and good! CW: discussions of statutory rape and grooming. Mentioned on this episode: Happy Happy Joy Joy: The Ren & Stimpy Story Learn more about Tracie and Emily (including our other projects), join the Guy Girls' family, secure exclusive access to bonus episodes, video versions, and early access to Deep Thoughts by visiting us on Patreon. We are the sister podcasters Tracie Guy-Decker and Emily Guy Birken, known to our extended family as the Guy Girls. We're hella smart and completely unashamed of our overthinking prowess. We love 80s and 90s movies and tv, science fiction, comedy, and murder mysteries, good storytelling with lots of dramatic irony, analyzing film tropes with a side of feminism, and examining the pop culture of our Gen X childhood for gender dynamics, psychology, sociology, religious allegory, and whatever else we find. We have super-serious day jobs. For the bona fides, visit our individual websites: tracieguydecker.com and emilyguybirken.com. For our work together, visit guygirlsmedia.com We are on socials! Find us on Facebook at fb.com/dtasspodcast and on Insta at instagram.com/guygirlsmedia. You can also email us at guygirlsmedia at gmail dot com. We would love to hear from you! | |||
| Revenge of the Nerds: Deep Thoughts About Toxic Masculinity, Dehumanizing Women, and Recreating Harmful Hierarchies | 30 Jul 2024 | 01:21:09 | |
Send us a message! Include how to reach you if you want a response. NERDS!!! On today’s episode of Deep Thoughts, Emily shares her analysis (and horrified shuddering) about the oddly influential 1984 comedy Revenge of the Nerds. Though the filmmakers thought they were writing the “gentle and funny underdog story” that Gene Siskel characterized the movie as, Nerds treats women as less-than-human trophies by using sexual assault as a punchline. While the film does accept Lamar Latrelle’s open homosexuality as NBD (but still pokes fun at stereotypical gay behavior), the majority of the storytelling relies on misogyny, racism, homophobia, and fatphobia while the film undercuts its own message by telling nerds they can beat the jocks at their own game–which continues to have devastating consequences 40 years later. Content warning: Discussions of rape by deception, revenge porn, and pedophilia. Throw on your headphones and join us in the unenlightened early 80s… Mentioned in this episode: The Oral History of Revenge of the Nerds Our theme music is "Professor Umlaut" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Learn more about Tracie and Emily (including our other projects), join the Guy Girls' family, secure exclusive access to bonus episodes, video versions, and early access to Deep Thoughts by visiting us on Patreon. We are the sister podcasters Tracie Guy-Decker and Emily Guy Birken, known to our extended family as the Guy Girls. We're hella smart and completely unashamed of our overthinking prowess. We love 80s and 90s movies and tv, science fiction, comedy, and murder mysteries, good storytelling with lots of dramatic irony, analyzing film tropes with a side of feminism, and examining the pop culture of our Gen X childhood for gender dynamics, psychology, sociology, religious allegory, and whatever else we find. We have super-serious day jobs. For the bona fides, visit our individual websites: tracieguydecker.com and emilyguybirken.com. For our work together, visit guygirlsmedia.com We are on socials! Find us on Facebook at fb.com/dtasspodcast and on Insta at instagram.com/guygirlsmedia. You can also email us at guygirlsmedia at gmail dot com. We would love to hear from you! | |||
| Dead Poets Society: Deep Thoughts About the Dubious Psychology of Standing on Desks | 23 Jul 2024 | 01:13:27 | |
Send us a message! Include how to reach you if you want a response. O Captain! My Captain! Join us as Tracie brings her deep thoughts to the 1989 film Dead Poets Society on today’s episode. Though this beloved film was supposed to be a pop culture defense of the humanities (and remember, both Guy Girls were English majors at private liberal arts colleges), this rewatch made it clear the film thinks poetry is simply cute and that Robin Williams’s John Keating agitated for independent thought–as long as it aligned with his own. While the storytelling does not inspire like it once did, bringing a queer lens to the analysis offers some important lessons on the psychology of becoming one’s full self. Is this a podcast I see before me? Earbuds toward my hand? Come, let me listen to thee!
Mentioned in this episode: Dead Poets Society Is a Terrible Defense of the Humanities by Kevin Dettmar (Atlantic) Our theme music is "Professor Umlaut" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Learn more about Tracie and Emily (including our other projects), join the Guy Girls' family, secure exclusive access to bonus episodes, video versions, and early access to Deep Thoughts by visiting us on Patreon. We are the sister podcasters Tracie Guy-Decker and Emily Guy Birken, known to our extended family as the Guy Girls. We're hella smart and completely unashamed of our overthinking prowess. We love 80s and 90s movies and tv, science fiction, comedy, and murder mysteries, good storytelling with lots of dramatic irony, analyzing film tropes with a side of feminism, and examining the pop culture of our Gen X childhood for gender dynamics, psychology, sociology, religious allegory, and whatever else we find. We have super-serious day jobs. For the bona fides, visit our individual websites: tracieguydecker.com and emilyguybirken.com. For our work together, visit guygirlsmedia.com We are on socials! Find us on Facebook at fb.com/dtasspodcast and on Insta at instagram.com/guygirlsmedia. You can also email us at guygirlsmedia at gmail dot com. We would love to hear from you! | |||
| Jurassic Park: Deep Thoughts About the Unexpected Feminism of Dinosaurs | 16 Jul 2024 | 01:11:46 | |
Send us a message! Include how to reach you if you want a response. Hold on to your butts. On this week’s episode of Deep Thoughts, Emily shares her analysis of the 1993 film Jurassic Park, a pop culture phenomenon that offers a surprising level of feminism. Emily describes the social thrill of being the target audience for a summer blockbuster (she was 14 when it came out) and her discomfort with how Michael Crichton's original book portrayed the only two female characters as an annoying child and a cardboard cutout with breasts. She and Tracie talk about how the film that teaches us that life finds a way makes for an unexpected (and unintended) allegory for the importance of reproductive autonomy. And Emily explains why Muldoon’s final words of “Clever girl” are her favorite movie moment. Throw on some headphones and listen to the adventure 65 million 31 years in the making! Note: We had some technical difficulties during recording and lost a couple minutes of recording but Tracie mentioned some of the missing information in her synthesis. Specifically, in the missing section, Emily talked about Dr. Sattler saying “Dinosaurs eat man. Woman inherits the earth” and about Spielberg’s desire to cast Joseph Mazzello as Tim, which affected the ages of the children in the film compared to the book. Our theme music is "Professor Umlaut" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Learn more about Tracie and Emily (including our other projects), join the Guy Girls' family, secure exclusive access to bonus episodes, video versions, and early access to Deep Thoughts by visiting us on Patreon. We are the sister podcasters Tracie Guy-Decker and Emily Guy Birken, known to our extended family as the Guy Girls. We're hella smart and completely unashamed of our overthinking prowess. We love 80s and 90s movies and tv, science fiction, comedy, and murder mysteries, good storytelling with lots of dramatic irony, analyzing film tropes with a side of feminism, and examining the pop culture of our Gen X childhood for gender dynamics, psychology, sociology, religious allegory, and whatever else we find. We have super-serious day jobs. For the bona fides, visit our individual websites: tracieguydecker.com and emilyguybirken.com. For our work together, visit guygirlsmedia.com We are on socials! Find us on Facebook at fb.com/dtasspodcast and on Insta at instagram.com/guygirlsmedia. You can also email us at guygirlsmedia at gmail dot com. We would love to hear from you! | |||
| E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial: Deep Thoughts About Impeccable Storytelling, the Power of Connection, and Reese's Pieces | 09 Jun 2026 | 00:54:52 | |
Send us a message! Include how to reach you if you want a response. "E.T. phone home!" On this week's episode of Deep Thoughts About Stupid Shit, Tracie revisits one of the classic movies of her Gen X childhood: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Director Steven Spielberg is at the top of his storytelling game with this sci fi film that introduces E.T., a gentle alien botanist who is accidentally stranded on Earth and taken in by 10-year-old Elliott, the middle child of divorced parents. Not only does Spielberg use every visual tool available to show his storytelling rather than drown the audience in exposition, but he also makes it clear that he truly understands the psychology of children. The film doesn't condescend to children in its audience and it recognizes how kids see the world. And because Spielberg relies on visual storytelling rather than exposition, he ensured that baby Emily and Tracie, aged 3 and 6 when the film debuted, understood what was happening on screen. This movie deserves every bit of your nostalgia. Beeee goooood, and listen to this episode! Tags This episode was edited by Resonate Recordings. Our theme music is "Professor Umlaut" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Learn more about Tracie and Emily (including our other projects), join the Guy Girls' family, secure exclusive access to bonus content, live zooms with Tracie & Emily, discounts on merch, and early access to Deep Thoughts by visiting us on Patreon or find us on ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/guygirls We are the sister podcasters Tracie Guy-Decker and Emily Guy Birken, known to our extended family as the Guy Girls. We're hella smart and completely unashamed of our overthinking prowess. We love 80s and 90s movies and tv, science fiction, comedy, and murder mysteries, good storytelling with lots of dramatic irony, analyzing film tropes with a side of feminism, and examining the pop culture of our Gen X childhood for gender dynamics, psychology, sociology, religious allegory, and whatever else we find. We have super-serious day jobs. For the bona fides, visit our individual websites: tracieguydecker.com and emilyguybirken.com. For our work together, visit guygirlsmedia.com We are on socials! Find us on Facebook at fb.com/dtasspodcast and on Insta at instagram.com/guygirlsmedia. You can also email us at guygirlsmedia at gmail dot com. We would love to hear from you! | |||
| The Last Unicorn: Deep Thoughts About Traumatizing Animation from the 1980s | 09 Jul 2024 | 01:18:37 | |
Send us a message! Include how to reach you if you want a response. Magic! Do as you will! Tracie brings her deep thoughts about the 1982 animated fantasy film The Last Unicorn, a lesser-known but beloved part of the traumatizing 80s pop culture canon. With gorgeous animation–the studio went on to become Studio Ghibli–this film tells an odd story about how mortality allows us to feel regret and reminds us there are no happy endings (despite what fiction tells us) because there are no endings in real life. Tracie and Emily’s conversation about the animation and storytelling ranges from sublime (the gendered nature of power) to the ridiculous (I’m engaged to a Douglas fir!) and enjoys many pit stops through unicorn lore along the way. Don’t be a Schmendrick! Put on your headphones and listen to this episode. Mentioned in this episode: Our theme music is "Professor Umlaut" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) We are the sister podcasters Tracie Guy-Decker and Emily Guy Birken, known to our extended family as the Guy Girls. We're hella smart and completely unashamed of our overthinking prowess. We love 80s and 90s movies and tv, science fiction, comedy, and murder mysteries, good storytelling with lots of dramatic irony, analyzing film tropes with a side of feminism, and examining the pop culture of our Gen X childhood for gender dynamics, psychology, sociology, religious allegory, and whatever else we find. We have super-serious day jobs. For the bona fides, visit our individual websites: tracieguydecker.com and emilyguybirken.com. For our work together, visit guygirlsmedia.com We are on socials! Find us on Facebook at fb.com/dtasspodcast and on Insta at instagram.com/guygirlsmedia. You can also email us at guygirlsmedia at gmail dot com. We would love to hear from you! | |||
| Four Weddings and a Funeral: Deep Thoughts About Poetry, Romance, and Hugh Grant's Floppy Hair | 02 Jul 2024 | 01:17:52 | |
Send us a message! Include how to reach you if you want a response. In the words of David Cassidy, in fact, while he was still with The Partridge Family, I think I love you… Join us this week as Tracie and Emily revisit the 1994 film Four Weddings and a Funeral that they first saw in the theater together. Not only did this comedy launch Guy girls’ long-standing fixation on Hugh Grant, the floppy-haired embodiment of the word diffident, but it also tells a nuanced and progressive (for early 90s pop culture) story of gay romance, subverts the expectations of women's sexuality, and offers some lovely disability representation. While not everything holds up to 30-year hindsight–the characters are all posh white folks with lots o’ money and Andie MacDowell’s character is a bit of a sexy lamp–this brilliantly funny romance is well worth the rewatch. You are cordially invited to don your headphones and listen to this episode… Mentioned in this episode Our theme music is "Professor Umlaut" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Learn more about Tracie and Emily (including our other projects), join the Guy Girls' family, secure exclusive access to bonus episodes, video versions, and early access to Deep Thoughts by visiting us on Patreon. We are the sister podcasters Tracie Guy-Decker and Emily Guy Birken, known to our extended family as the Guy Girls. We're hella smart and completely unashamed of our overthinking prowess. We love 80s and 90s movies and tv, science fiction, comedy, and murder mysteries, good storytelling with lots of dramatic irony, analyzing film tropes with a side of feminism, and examining the pop culture of our Gen X childhood for gender dynamics, psychology, sociology, religious allegory, and whatever else we find. We have super-serious day jobs. For the bona fides, visit our individual websites: tracieguydecker.com and emilyguybirken.com. For our work together, visit guygirlsmedia.com We are on socials! Find us on Facebook at fb.com/dtasspodcast and on Insta at instagram.com/guygirlsmedia. You can also email us at guygirlsmedia at gmail dot com. We would love to hear from you! | |||
| King Kong with William Patrick Day: Deep Thoughts About Our Pop Culture Obsession with the Giant Ape | 25 Jun 2024 | 01:02:27 | |
Send us a message! Include how to reach you if you want a response. Was it beauty that killed the beast? Or was it capitalism…aided by airplanes? On this week’s episode of Deep Thoughts, Tracie and Emily welcome Oberlin Professor Pat Day to talk about the ape, the pop culture myth, the film legend: King Kong. Prof. Day walks us through how the original filmmakers in 1933 used new technology (A musical score! Claymation! The newly-built Empire State building!) as cultural commentary on how technology destroys nature. The podcast conversation covers all three versions of Kong: 1933 starring Fay Wray, 1976 starring Jessica Lange, and 2005 starring Naomi Watts, and we discuss the sexualized and racialized nature of Kong’s threat to the beautiful blond women and what it means that Watts, unlike her predecessors, truly sympathizes with the doomed ape. Grab your headphones and join us on our voyage to Skull Island! Mentioned in this episode: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/king-kong-2005 (Note from Emily: I could have sworn it was Ebert who said that if Kong fighting one T-Rex is cool, then him fighting three is even BETTER, but that does not appear in his review here. If anyone can remember who said that back in 2005, please let us know!) Our theme music is "Professor Umlaut" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Learn more about Tracie and Emily (including our other projects), join the Guy Girls' family, secure exclusive access to bonus episodes, video versions, and early access to Deep Thoughts by visiting us on Patreon. We are the sister podcasters Tracie Guy-Decker and Emily Guy Birken, known to our extended family as the Guy Girls. We're hella smart and completely unashamed of our overthinking prowess. We love 80s and 90s movies and tv, science fiction, comedy, and murder mysteries, good storytelling with lots of dramatic irony, analyzing film tropes with a side of feminism, and examining the pop culture of our Gen X childhood for gender dynamics, psychology, sociology, religious allegory, and whatever else we find. We have super-serious day jobs. For the bona fides, visit our individual websites: tracieguydecker.com and emilyguybirken.com. For our work together, visit guygirlsmedia.com We are on socials! Find us on Facebook at fb.com/dtasspodcast and on Insta at instagram.com/guygirlsmedia. You can also email us at guygirlsmedia at gmail dot com. We would love to hear from you! | |||
| Deep Thoughts about Who Framed Roger Rabbit? | 18 Jun 2024 | 01:10:16 | |
Send us a message! Include how to reach you if you want a response. We’re not bad…we’re just drawn that way! In this episode, Emily brings her deep thoughts about a marvel of innovation and animation: Who Framed Roger Rabbit? This 1988 film, a self-conscious mashup of three different animation studios’ styles and the film-noir of the Chinatown films, is a unique vehicle for a conversation about the ways in which art begets art. It also leads to some musings on options for reviving old stories (or genres) in ways that don’t perpetuate old hurts and oppression. In the end, much like with our Deep Thoughts About Clue, we are left with a deep appreciation for the filmmakers who took their task seriously, but never themselves. P-p-please! Put in your earbuds and join us in Toontown! Mentioned in this episode: Manners and Monsters series by Tilly Wallace Our theme music is "Professor Umlaut" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) We are the sister podcasters Tracie Guy-Decker and Emily Guy Birken, known to our extended family as the Guy Girls. We're hella smart and completely unashamed of our overthinking prowess. We love 80s and 90s movies and tv, science fiction, comedy, and murder mysteries, good storytelling with lots of dramatic irony, analyzing film tropes with a side of feminism, and examining the pop culture of our Gen X childhood for gender dynamics, psychology, sociology, religious allegory, and whatever else we find. We have super-serious day jobs. For the bona fides, visit our individual websites: tracieguydecker.com and emilyguybirken.com. For our work together, visit guygirlsmedia.com We are on socials! Find us on Facebook at fb.com/dtasspodcast and on Insta at instagram.com/guygirlsmedia. You can also email us at guygirlsmedia at gmail dot com. We would love to hear from you! | |||
| Deep Thoughts about Dirty Dancing (Patron Exclusive) TEASER | 11 Jun 2024 | 00:13:13 | |
Send us a message! Include how to reach you if you want a response. Now I had the time of my life…revisiting this classic! In today’s special patrons-only bonus episode, Tracie dives deep into the unexpected hit film Dirty Dancing. Join the sisters as they unpack Eleanor Bergstein’s very intentional and subversive storytelling that made abortion integral to the plot (which surprised the heck out of college-aged Emily when she realized the abortion subplot had sailed over her head as a kid). Though we still don’t know why it’s bad to put Baby in the corner, it’s delightful to learn that you can go home again…if you’re going home to Kellerman’s with the Houseman family. Plug in your headphones and shake those maracas as you listen to this episode. Content warning: Discussion of sexual coercion Mentioned in this episode: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/dirty-dancing-1987 Our theme music is "Professor Umlaut" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Join the Guy Girls' family, secure exclusive access to bonus episodes like this one, video versions, and early access to Deep Thoughts by visiting us on Patreon. We are the sister podcasters Tracie Guy-Decker and Emily Guy Birken, known to our extended family as the Guy Girls. We're hella smart and completely unashamed of our overthinking prowess. We love 80s and 90s movies and tv, science fiction, comedy, and murder mysteries, good storytelling with lots of dramatic irony, analyzing film tropes with a side of feminism, and examining the pop culture of our Gen X childhood for gender dynamics, psychology, sociology, religious allegory, and whatever else we find. We have super-serious day jobs. For the bona fides, visit our individual websites: tracieguydecker.com and emilyguybirken.com. For our work together, visit guygirlsmedia.com We are on socials! Find us on Facebook at fb.com/dtasspodcast and on Insta at instagram.com/guygirlsmedia. You can also email us at guygirlsmedia at gmail dot com. We would love to hear from you! | |||
| Deep Thoughts About Event Horizon with Scott Kenemore | 05 Jun 2024 | 01:06:19 | |
Send us a message! Include how to reach you if you want a response. Hell is only a word… This week on Deep Thoughts, the sisters welcome best-selling horror novelist (and Emily’s fellow Kenyon alum) Scott Kenemore to discuss the 1997 cult classic Event Horizon starring Sam Neill and Laurence Fishburne. The wide-ranging discussion moves from the meaning of cosmic horror to the importance of intent when creating new technology to the satisfying dichotomy of advanced spacecraft bringing humans to their ancient fears. Much like the movie, this episode is a ride that will take you places you don't expect to go. (But with more laughter, thankfully). Where we’re going, we don’t need eyes to see…just some headphones to hear this episode! Content warning: Mention of suicide, self-harm, and sexual harrassment Want to learn more about Scott? Find him at scottkenemore.com Pre-order his book space horror novel Edge of the Wire through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Bookshop.org (which helps support your local independent bookstore). Our theme music is "Professor Umlaut" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Learn more about Tracie and Emily (including our other projects), join the Guy Girls' family, secure exclusive access to bonus episodes, video versions, and early access to Deep Thoughts by visiting us on Patreon. We are the sister podcasters Tracie Guy-Decker and Emily Guy Birken, known to our extended family as the Guy Girls. We're hella smart and completely unashamed of our overthinking prowess. We love 80s and 90s movies and tv, science fiction, comedy, and murder mysteries, good storytelling with lots of dramatic irony, analyzing film tropes with a side of feminism, and examining the pop culture of our Gen X childhood for gender dynamics, psychology, sociology, religious allegory, and whatever else we find. We have super-serious day jobs. For the bona fides, visit our individual websites: tracieguydecker.com and emilyguybirken.com. For our work together, visit guygirlsmedia.com We are on socials! Find us on Facebook at fb.com/dtasspodcast and on Insta at instagram.com/guygirlsmedia. You can also email us at guygirlsmedia at gmail dot com. We would love to hear from you! | |||
| Deep Thoughts about the Addams Family | 28 May 2024 | 01:02:47 | |
Send us a message! Include how to reach you if you want a response. They’re subversive and they’re kooky, whimsical, sweet and spooky…The Addams Family! snap, snap On today’s Deep Thoughts, Emily overthinks The Addams Family–specifically the 1990s era films starring Raul Julia and Anjelica Huston as Gomez and Morticia. The sisters examine how The Addams Family uses horror tropes and subversions to humorous effect and to shine a light on the truly horrific aspects of mainstream culture. Both films pass the Bechdel test with flying colors, and Morticia and Wednesday provide well-rendered characters that are a delight to watch. But the films do give with one hand (Morticia is a strong woman with agency) while taking away with another (she’s characterized as a good mother first and foremost). Join us as we talk about the most open and accepting family in pop culture. Put on your headphones, cara mia, and take a listen! Our theme music is "Professor Umlaut" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Learn more about Tracie and Emily (including our other projects), join the Guy Girls' family, secure exclusive access to bonus episodes, video versions, and early access to Deep Thoughts by visiting us on Patreon. We are the sister podcasters Tracie Guy-Decker and Emily Guy Birken, known to our extended family as the Guy Girls. We're hella smart and completely unashamed of our overthinking prowess. We love 80s and 90s movies and tv, science fiction, comedy, and murder mysteries, good storytelling with lots of dramatic irony, analyzing film tropes with a side of feminism, and examining the pop culture of our Gen X childhood for gender dynamics, psychology, sociology, religious allegory, and whatever else we find. We have super-serious day jobs. For the bona fides, visit our individual websites: tracieguydecker.com and emilyguybirken.com. For our work together, visit guygirlsmedia.com We are on socials! Find us on Facebook at fb.com/dtasspodcast and on Insta at instagram.com/guygirlsmedia. You can also email us at guygirlsmedia at gmail dot com. We would love to hear from you! | |||
| Deep Thoughts about the Spice Girls | 21 May 2024 | 01:12:01 | |
Send us a message! Include how to reach you if you want a response. I really really really wanna zig-a-zig-AH! On this week’s episode of Deep Thoughts, Tracie and Emily delve into the global phenomenon of the Spice Girls. Tracie explains how she saw the inevitability of Spicy world domination while living in London in 1997 and decided to embrace the manufactured pop group’s grrl power, despite feeling leery of the mixed messages these sexualized young women were sending. Though the group became a feminism gateway for a number of young girls (and inspired Adele!) and emphasized the importance of friendship and solidarity, the sisters do have to grapple with the reality of Scary and Baby Spice’s horrifying nicknames and the overwhelming body scrutiny the women were subjected to. Here’s the story from A to Z–you gotta throw on your headphones and listen carefully! Mentioned in this episode Ms. Mojo: Top 20 Celebs Who Shot Down Homophobic Interview Questions Content warning: Mentions of eating disorders and body shaming Learn more about Tracie and Emily (including our other projects), join the Guy Girls' family, secure exclusive access to bonus episodes, video versions, and early access to Deep Thoughts by visiting us on Patreon. We are the sister podcasters Tracie Guy-Decker and Emily Guy Birken, known to our extended family as the Guy Girls. We're hella smart and completely unashamed of our overthinking prowess. We love 80s and 90s movies and tv, science fiction, comedy, and murder mysteries, good storytelling with lots of dramatic irony, analyzing film tropes with a side of feminism, and examining the pop culture of our Gen X childhood for gender dynamics, psychology, sociology, religious allegory, and whatever else we find. We have super-serious day jobs. For the bona fides, visit our individual websites: tracieguydecker.com and emilyguybirken.com. For our work together, visit guygirlsmedia.com We are on socials! Find us on Facebook at fb.com/dtasspodcast and on Insta at instagram.com/guygirlsmedia. You can also email us at guygirlsmedia at gmail dot com. We would love to hear from you! | |||
| Deep Thoughts about Pee-Wee's Playhouse with Mallory Henson | 14 May 2024 | 00:58:42 | |
Send us a message! Include how to reach you if you want a response. That’s so funny I forgot to laugh! On this week’s episode, Emily and Tracie welcome Mallory Henson to talk about her reverence for the TV show Pee-wee’s Playhouse. Mallory introduces the sisters to the path Paul Reubens took to develop the character of Pee-wee Herman and how the show recreated the joyful chaos of a child’s mind while also teaching intentional lessons on acceptance and intercultural curiosity. While not everything has aged perfectly–there was a misogynistic and fatphobic joke from the first season of the show that stuck like a splinter in little 8-year-old Emily’s mind–it’s clear that Reubens was a loving and joyful entertainer who delighted in making his fans happy. Connect the headphones, la-la-la-la, listen to the podcast, la-la-la-la For more from Mallory, check out her Instagram Content warning: Discussions of fatphobia Find us on Facebook or Instagram We are the sister podcasters Tracie Guy-Decker and Emily Guy Birken, known to our extended family as the Guy Girls. We're hella smart and completely unashamed of our overthinking prowess. We love 80s and 90s movies and tv, science fiction, comedy, and murder mysteries, good storytelling with lots of dramatic irony, analyzing film tropes with a side of feminism, and examining the pop culture of our Gen X childhood for gender dynamics, psychology, sociology, religious allegory, and whatever else we find. We have super-serious day jobs. For the bona fides, visit our individual websites: tracieguydecker.com and emilyguybirken.com. For our work together, visit guygirlsmedia.com We are on socials! Find us on Facebook at fb.com/dtasspodcast and on Insta at instagram.com/guygirlsmedia. You can also email us at guygirlsmedia at gmail dot com. We would love to hear from you! | |||
| Deep Thoughts about Wayne's World | 07 May 2024 | 01:07:24 | |
Send us a message! Include how to reach you if you want a response. Party Time! Excellent! [Extended guitar solo] On this week’s episode of Deep Thoughts, Emily revisits the most important cultural touchstone of the late 20th century: Wayne’s World. In addition to introducing an entire generation to Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody, this film presented a surprisingly complex characterization of Tia Carrere’s Cassandra and taught us that Milwaukee is the only major American city to have three Socialist mayors. While not everything holds up to 30 years of hindsight–the film doesn’t pass the Bechdel test, leans into the crazy ex-girlfriend trope, and makes a joke about police committing sexual assault–this remarkably sunny, silly, and sweet film still has a lot to offer modern audiences. Exsqueeze me? Baking powder? Why haven’t you started listening already? Content warning: Mentions of domestic violence, discussion of sexualized police violence Mentioned in this episode Our theme music is "Professor Umlaut" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Learn more about Tracie and Emily (including our other projects), join the Guy Girls' family, secure exclusive access to bonus episodes, video versions, and early access to Deep Thoughts by visiting us on Patreon. We are the sister podcasters Tracie Guy-Decker and Emily Guy Birken, known to our extended family as the Guy Girls. We're hella smart and completely unashamed of our overthinking prowess. We love 80s and 90s movies and tv, science fiction, comedy, and murder mysteries, good storytelling with lots of dramatic irony, analyzing film tropes with a side of feminism, and examining the pop culture of our Gen X childhood for gender dynamics, psychology, sociology, religious allegory, and whatever else we find. We have super-serious day jobs. For the bona fides, visit our individual websites: tracieguydecker.com and emilyguybirken.com. For our work together, visit guygirlsmedia.com We are on socials! Find us on Facebook at fb.com/dtasspodcast and on Insta at instagram.com/guygirlsmedia. You can also email us at guygirlsmedia at gmail dot com. We would love to hear from you! | |||
| The Sixth Sense: Deep Thoughts About Ghosts, Plot Twists, and Taking the Wrong Lesson from Pop Culture | 02 Jun 2026 | 00:52:12 | |
Send us a message! Include how to reach you if you want a response. "I see dead people..." This week on Deep Thoughts About Stupid Shit, Emily returns to M. Night Shyamalan's 1999 masterpiece The Sixth Sense. The film was a pop culture phenomenon when it debuted, and all everyone could talk about was the last ten minutes of the plot, when Bruce Willis's Malcolm Crowe (and the audience) realizes that his situation is much different from what he had believed. And to give Shyamalan his due, this plot twist uses masterful storytelling, playing by the rules and giving the audience all the clues necessary to connect the dots. The problem is that pop culture as a whole and Shyamalan in particular grabbed onto the idea that the twist is what made the film great, rather than the storytelling, psychology, relationships, and acting. As Emily remarks to Tracie, The Sixth Sense is a remarkable film that happens to have a twist ending, not a remarkable film because of its twist ending. The result is that a promising young director became a bit of a pop culture punchline as Shyamalan kept trying to recreate the twist rather than leaning into his remarkable storytelling and directorial abilities. Which is a damn shame. Throw on your headphones to hear two live sister podcasters making each other laugh over this film! Mentioned in this episode: Roger Ebert’s review of The Sixth Sense Tags: deep thoughts about stupid sh*t, pop culture, storytelling, psychology, mental health, film, classic movies, bruce willis, m night shyamalan, 80s and 90s movies, movies, movie reviews, haley joel osment, toni colette, analyzing film tropes, millennial nostalgia, film analysis, cultural commentary, ghost story, plot twist This episode was edited by Resonate Recordings. Our theme music is "Professor Umlaut" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Learn more about Tracie and Emily (including our other projects), join the Guy Girls' family, secure exclusive access to bonus content, live zooms with Tracie & Emily, discounts on merch, and early access to Deep Thoughts by visiting us on Patreon or find us on ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/guygirls We are the sister podcasters Tracie Guy-Decker and Emily Guy Birken, known to our extended family as the Guy Girls. We're hella smart and completely unashamed of our overthinking prowess. We love 80s and 90s movies and tv, science fiction, comedy, and murder mysteries, good storytelling with lots of dramatic irony, analyzing film tropes with a side of feminism, and examining the pop culture of our Gen X childhood for gender dynamics, psychology, sociology, religious allegory, and whatever else we find. We have super-serious day jobs. For the bona fides, visit our individual websites: tracieguydecker.com and emilyguybirken.com. For our work together, visit guygirlsmedia.com We are on socials! Find us on Facebook at fb.com/dtasspodcast and on Insta at instagram.com/guygirlsmedia. You can also email us at guygirlsmedia at gmail dot com. We would love to hear from you! | |||
| Deep Thoughts about Superman: The Movie | 30 Apr 2024 | 01:09:13 | |
Send us a message! Include how to reach you if you want a response. It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s an unreasonable hatred for Hackensack, New Jersey! This week, Tracie brings her Deep Thoughts about the 1978 film Superman: The Movie. From the way this film helped legitimize comic books and superheroes as a valid art form to the huge influence Christopher Reeve’s Superman still has on our culture, this pillar of the Guy Girls’ childhood offers a lot to appreciate on a second look. But, not everything is rosy in Smallville and Metropolis, including the misogyny of Lois Lane’s inability to spell, despite being The Daily Planet’s best reporter, and a cavalier attitude about consent. Retreat to your own personal Fortress of Solitude and take a listen. Our theme music is "Professor Umlaut" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Learn more about Tracie and Emily (including our other projects), join the Guy Girls' family, secure exclusive access to bonus episodes, video versions, and early access to Deep Thoughts by visiting us on Patreon. We are the sister podcasters Tracie Guy-Decker and Emily Guy Birken, known to our extended family as the Guy Girls. We're hella smart and completely unashamed of our overthinking prowess. We love 80s and 90s movies and tv, science fiction, comedy, and murder mysteries, good storytelling with lots of dramatic irony, analyzing film tropes with a side of feminism, and examining the pop culture of our Gen X childhood for gender dynamics, psychology, sociology, religious allegory, and whatever else we find. We have super-serious day jobs. For the bona fides, visit our individual websites: tracieguydecker.com and emilyguybirken.com. For our work together, visit guygirlsmedia.com We are on socials! Find us on Facebook at fb.com/dtasspodcast and on Insta at instagram.com/guygirlsmedia. You can also email us at guygirlsmedia at gmail dot com. We would love to hear from you! | |||
| Deep Thoughts about The Shining | 23 Apr 2024 | 01:10:51 | |
Send us a message! Include how to reach you if you want a response. REDRUM! REDRUM! On this week’s episode of Deep Thoughts, Emily breaks down the horror masterpiece, The Shining. The sisters walk through the ways in which Shelley Duvall’s portrayal of Wendy Torrance is an unexpected feminist icon, how Kubrick created an intentionally incoherent film while abusing his actors (except for 6-year-old Danny Lloyd), and just what is up with the theory that the film is a critique of the genocide of Native Americans. Also: Emily shares her deeply held belief that moving hedge animals are NOT SCARY. Jump on your big wheel, throw on your headphones and listen…if you dare! CW: Discussions of domestic violence, child sexual assault, murder, and genocide Mentioned in this episode: Our theme music is "Professor Umlaut" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Learn more about Tracie and Emily (including our other projects), join the Guy Girls' family, secure exclusive access to bonus episodes, video versions, and early access to Deep Thoughts by visiting us on Patreon. We are the sister podcasters Tracie Guy-Decker and Emily Guy Birken, known to our extended family as the Guy Girls. We're hella smart and completely unashamed of our overthinking prowess. We love 80s and 90s movies and tv, science fiction, comedy, and murder mysteries, good storytelling with lots of dramatic irony, analyzing film tropes with a side of feminism, and examining the pop culture of our Gen X childhood for gender dynamics, psychology, sociology, religious allegory, and whatever else we find. We have super-serious day jobs. For the bona fides, visit our individual websites: tracieguydecker.com and emilyguybirken.com. For our work together, visit guygirlsmedia.com We are on socials! Find us on Facebook at fb.com/dtasspodcast and on Insta at instagram.com/guygirlsmedia. You can also email us at guygirlsmedia at gmail dot com. We would love to hear from you! | |||
| Deep Thoughts about The Electric Company | 16 Apr 2024 | 00:59:48 | |
Send us a message! Include how to reach you if you want a response. HEY YOU GUY(Girl)S! On this week’s Deep Thoughts, Tracie revisits a classic of GenX childhood: The Electric Company. This children’s sketch comedy program with an all-star cast (Morgan Freeman! Rita Moreno! Bill Cosby?) showcased the wonderful ways that informal education can be intentional, subversive, funny, and validating. While not everything from The Electric Company has aged well (the Spell Binder relied on racist stereotypes about Arabs and did we mention Bill Cosby?), there is much to enjoy in this staple of 1970s television. Make like Fargo North, Decoder, and apply your mustache and headphones to take a listen! Our theme music is "Professor Umlaut" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Learn more about Tracie and Emily (including our other projects), join the Guy Girls' family, secure exclusive access to bonus episodes, video versions, and early access to Deep Thoughts by visiting us on Patreon. We are the sister podcasters Tracie Guy-Decker and Emily Guy Birken, known to our extended family as the Guy Girls. We're hella smart and completely unashamed of our overthinking prowess. We love 80s and 90s movies and tv, science fiction, comedy, and murder mysteries, good storytelling with lots of dramatic irony, analyzing film tropes with a side of feminism, and examining the pop culture of our Gen X childhood for gender dynamics, psychology, sociology, religious allegory, and whatever else we find. We have super-serious day jobs. For the bona fides, visit our individual websites: tracieguydecker.com and emilyguybirken.com. For our work together, visit guygirlsmedia.com We are on socials! Find us on Facebook at fb.com/dtasspodcast and on Insta at instagram.com/guygirlsmedia. You can also email us at guygirlsmedia at gmail dot com. We would love to hear from you! | |||
| Deep Thoughts about Veronica Mars with Joanna Church | 09 Apr 2024 | 01:12:12 | |
Send us a message! Include how to reach you if you want a response. “This face right here is my over the moon face.” This week, Tracie and Emily welcome Joanna Church to share her Deep Thoughts about the television show Veronica Mars. Between trying to recap the telenovela-sounding plot to Tracie (coma babies! children switched at birth! a school bus that drives off a cliff and explodes!), Joanna explains how this hilarious teenage noir teaches us that there is no justice, people cannot reinvent themselves, only become who they truly are, and that all we can hope to have is meaningful relationships. Grab your taser and make sure you bring Backup (the dog) while you listen to this week’s episode! Mentioned in this episode: CW: Discussions of rape and sexual assault and abstract discussions of suicide Our theme music is "Professor Umlaut" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Learn more about Tracie and Emily (including our other projects), join the Guy Girls' family, secure exclusive access to bonus episodes, video versions, and early access to Deep Thoughts by visiting us on Patreon. We are the sister podcasters Tracie Guy-Decker and Emily Guy Birken, known to our extended family as the Guy Girls. We're hella smart and completely unashamed of our overthinking prowess. We love 80s and 90s movies and tv, science fiction, comedy, and murder mysteries, good storytelling with lots of dramatic irony, analyzing film tropes with a side of feminism, and examining the pop culture of our Gen X childhood for gender dynamics, psychology, sociology, religious allegory, and whatever else we find. We have super-serious day jobs. For the bona fides, visit our individual websites: tracieguydecker.com and emilyguybirken.com. For our work together, visit guygirlsmedia.com We are on socials! Find us on Facebook at fb.com/dtasspodcast and on Insta at instagram.com/guygirlsmedia. You can also email us at guygirlsmedia at gmail dot com. We would love to hear from you! | |||
| Deep Thoughts about Trading Places | 02 Apr 2024 | 01:05:17 | |
Send us a message! Include how to reach you if you want a response. Looking good, Tracie! Feeling good, Emily! On this week’s Deep Thoughts, Emily analyzes Trading Places, the film that taught her what a short sale is, how a bookie works, and that she is most definitely a money nerd. While the film offers a pointed critique of capitalism and racism, it undercuts its own message with the truly weird train/costume party scene and the random bikini-clad women on the beach at the end. Tracie and Emily also tell the story of how Jamie Lee Curtis happened to be at Emily’s wedding (really!). Pour yourself a glass of frozen concentrated orange juice and listen! Content warning: Mention of implied rape of an antagonist Mentioned in this episode: Our theme music is "Professor Umlaut" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Learn more about Tracie and Emily (including our other projects), join the Guy Girls' family, secure exclusive access to bonus episodes, video versions, and early access to Deep Thoughts by visiting us on Patreon. We are the sister podcasters Tracie Guy-Decker and Emily Guy Birken, known to our extended family as the Guy Girls. We're hella smart and completely unashamed of our overthinking prowess. We love 80s and 90s movies and tv, science fiction, comedy, and murder mysteries, good storytelling with lots of dramatic irony, analyzing film tropes with a side of feminism, and examining the pop culture of our Gen X childhood for gender dynamics, psychology, sociology, religious allegory, and whatever else we find. We have super-serious day jobs. For the bona fides, visit our individual websites: tracieguydecker.com and emilyguybirken.com. For our work together, visit guygirlsmedia.com We are on socials! Find us on Facebook at fb.com/dtasspodcast and on Insta at instagram.com/guygirlsmedia. You can also email us at guygirlsmedia at gmail dot com. We would love to hear from you! | |||
| Deep Thoughts about Michael Jackson's Thriller | 26 Mar 2024 | 00:53:23 | |
Send us a message! Include how to reach you if you want a response. It smells like the funk of 40,000 years in here! In today’s episode,Tracie shares her deep thoughts about the iconic and groundbreaking 1983 music video for Michael Jackson’s Thriller. From the way the mini film subverts expectations to the meaning behind the horror tropes it relies on to how to contextualize Jackson’s immense talent with the troubled and abusive life he led, the Guy girls explore what it means that a novelty song featuring a zombie flash mob and Vincent Price saying “y’all’s” helped make MJ king of the world. Throw on your headphones and listen…before darkness falls across the land! TW: Oblique references to the allegations against Michael Jackson and the childhood abuse he endured. Mentioned in this episode: The full Thriller video Our theme music is "Professor Umlaut" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Learn more about Tracie and Emily (including our other projects), join the Guy Girls' family, secure exclusive access to bonus episodes, video versions, and early access to Deep Thoughts by visiting us on Patreon. We are the sister podcasters Tracie Guy-Decker and Emily Guy Birken, known to our extended family as the Guy Girls. We're hella smart and completely unashamed of our overthinking prowess. We love 80s and 90s movies and tv, science fiction, comedy, and murder mysteries, good storytelling with lots of dramatic irony, analyzing film tropes with a side of feminism, and examining the pop culture of our Gen X childhood for gender dynamics, psychology, sociology, religious allegory, and whatever else we find. We have super-serious day jobs. For the bona fides, visit our individual websites: tracieguydecker.com and emilyguybirken.com. For our work together, visit guygirlsmedia.com We are on socials! Find us on Facebook at fb.com/dtasspodcast and on Insta at instagram.com/guygirlsmedia. You can also email us at guygirlsmedia at gmail dot com. We would love to hear from you! | |||
| Deep Thoughts about The Fifth Element | 19 Mar 2024 | 01:07:17 | |
Send us a message! Include how to reach you if you want a response. It mu5t be found…it being a realistic portrayal of women For this episode of Deep Thoughts, Emily dives into the valiant, vulnerable, and very very sexist portrayal of “perfection” in the 1997 Luc Besson film The Fifth Element. Milla Jovovich’s Leeloo is the poster child for the trope of Born Sexy Yesterday, wherein a childlike but fully adult woman who is both profoundly wise and unutterably naive needs the protection and guidance of an ordinary man. But the weird gender values don’t stop with Leeloo. Tracie and Emily also talk about the hyper-masculinity of Bruce Willis’s Korben Dallas and the “unmanning” of virtually every other male character. Also: How exactly did Plavalaguna plan to get the stones out? REALLY? Grab your Multi-pass and your headphones and take a listen with us. Mentioned in this episode: Our theme music is "Professor Umlaut" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Learn more about Tracie and Emily (including our other projects), join the Guy Girls' family, secure exclusive access to bonus episodes, video versions, and early access to Deep Thoughts by visiting us on Patreon. We are the sister podcasters Tracie Guy-Decker and Emily Guy Birken, known to our extended family as the Guy Girls. We're hella smart and completely unashamed of our overthinking prowess. We love 80s and 90s movies and tv, science fiction, comedy, and murder mysteries, good storytelling with lots of dramatic irony, analyzing film tropes with a side of feminism, and examining the pop culture of our Gen X childhood for gender dynamics, psychology, sociology, religious allegory, and whatever else we find. We have super-serious day jobs. For the bona fides, visit our individual websites: tracieguydecker.com and emilyguybirken.com. For our work together, visit guygirlsmedia.com We are on socials! Find us on Facebook at fb.com/dtasspodcast and on Insta at instagram.com/guygirlsmedia. You can also email us at guygirlsmedia at gmail dot com. We would love to hear from you! | |||
| Deep Thoughts about Journalism in Pop Culture with Jon Shorr | 12 Mar 2024 | 00:58:24 | |
Send us a message! Include how to reach you if you want a response. Good night and good luck and you stay classy, San Diego! On this week’s episode of Deep Thoughts, Tracie and Emily welcome media studies professor (retired) Jon Shorr to talk about how pop culture has conditioned us to think about journalism, reporters, and “the news.” From Lois Lane to Woodward and Bernstein to Mary Tyler Moore, we discuss the ways comics, movies, and television have introduced us to a profession few of us have direct knowledge of and how our assumptions about gender, race, and sexuality affect our experience of the news. If you’re mad as hell and not going to take it anymore, throw on some earbuds and take a listen! Find more of Jon's work on Burning Bright, a weekly podcast presenting poetry and prose by writers over 50 from Passager Books We are the sister podcasters Tracie Guy-Decker and Emily Guy Birken, known to our extended family as the Guy Girls. We're hella smart and completely unashamed of our overthinking prowess. We love 80s and 90s movies and tv, science fiction, comedy, and murder mysteries, good storytelling with lots of dramatic irony, analyzing film tropes with a side of feminism, and examining the pop culture of our Gen X childhood for gender dynamics, psychology, sociology, religious allegory, and whatever else we find. We have super-serious day jobs. For the bona fides, visit our individual websites: tracieguydecker.com and emilyguybirken.com. For our work together, visit guygirlsmedia.com We are on socials! Find us on Facebook at fb.com/dtasspodcast and on Insta at instagram.com/guygirlsmedia. You can also email us at guygirlsmedia at gmail dot com. We would love to hear from you! | |||
| Deep Thoughts about Monty Python and the Holy Grail | 05 Mar 2024 | 00:58:23 | |
Send us a message! Include how to reach you if you want a response. We are the sisters who say Ni! Bring us…a shrubbery. On today’s episode of Deep Thoughts, Tracie and Emily dig into a source of both sisters’ understanding of what is funny, Monty Python and the Holy Grail. After 49 years, this film remains super funny, because it subverts our expectations.
The article about the zeitgeist: https://www.popmatters.com/monty-python-and-the-holy-grail-40th-anniversary-edition-blood-politics-sil-2495463955.html One gay commentator on queerness in Holy Grail and Spamalot https://epgn.com/2020/12/02/one-joke-too-many/ CW: Discussion of transphobia, homophobia, Woody Allen and male fantasies of sex with teenaged girls Our theme music is "Professor Umlaut" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Learn more about Tracie and Emily (including our other projects), join the Guy Girls' family, secure exclusive access to bonus episodes, video versions, and early access to Deep Thoughts by visiting us on Patreon. We are the sister podcasters Tracie Guy-Decker and Emily Guy Birken, known to our extended family as the Guy Girls. We're hella smart and completely unashamed of our overthinking prowess. We love 80s and 90s movies and tv, science fiction, comedy, and murder mysteries, good storytelling with lots of dramatic irony, analyzing film tropes with a side of feminism, and examining the pop culture of our Gen X childhood for gender dynamics, psychology, sociology, religious allegory, and whatever else we find. We have super-serious day jobs. For the bona fides, visit our individual websites: tracieguydecker.com and emilyguybirken.com. For our work together, visit guygirlsmedia.com We are on socials! Find us on Facebook at fb.com/dtasspodcast and on Insta at instagram.com/guygirlsmedia. You can also email us at guygirlsmedia at gmail dot com. We would love to hear from you! | |||
| Deep Thoughts About Back to the Future TEASER | 27 Feb 2024 | 00:08:20 | |
Send us a message! Include how to reach you if you want a response. Great Scott!! A time traveling oedipal complex masquerading as family entertainment? This special patrons-only bonus episode of Deep Thoughts takes a closer look at the film that ensured the DeLorean’s ongoing cultural relevance: Back to the Future. From the erasure of Black culture and ambition to some truly weird sexual politics (Marty was gonna do what in that parked car? And Lorraine was happy for her would-be rapist to come to her home 30 years later?), Emily and Tracie talk about all the ways this weird, regressive, fun, and remarkably well-made movie reifies social hierarchies and celebrates bizarre friendships between high school kids and ageless mad scientists. Listen as we take this baby to 88 MPH—and go back to the future. Mentioned in this episode: https://newrepublic.com/article/122243/how-back-future-helped-make-me-feminist CW: Discussion of on-screen sexual harassment and implied sexual assault. Our theme music is "Professor Umlaut" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) To listen to the complete episode, become a Patron! Patrons are members of the Guy Girls' family, with exclusive access to bonus episodes, video versions, and early access to Deep Thoughts. We are the sister podcasters Tracie Guy-Decker and Emily Guy Birken, known to our extended family as the Guy Girls. We're hella smart and completely unashamed of our overthinking prowess. We love 80s and 90s movies and tv, science fiction, comedy, and murder mysteries, good storytelling with lots of dramatic irony, analyzing film tropes with a side of feminism, and examining the pop culture of our Gen X childhood for gender dynamics, psychology, sociology, religious allegory, and whatever else we find. We have super-serious day jobs. For the bona fides, visit our individual websites: tracieguydecker.com and emilyguybirken.com. For our work together, visit guygirlsmedia.com We are on socials! Find us on Facebook at fb.com/dtasspodcast and on Insta at instagram.com/guygirlsmedia. You can also email us at guygirlsmedia at gmail dot com. We would love to hear from you! | |||
| Underworld: Deep Thoughts About Feminism, Leather-clad Women, and the Edges of Helpfulness in Analogies of Race | 26 May 2026 | 00:54:31 | |
Send us a message! Include how to reach you if you want a response. Whether you like it or not, you're in the middle of a war that has been raging for the better part of a thousand years. Tracie returned to the 2003 film Underworld to find a delightful – but maybe not very good – vampire and werewolves version of the Matrix. Starring Kate Beckinsale as Selene in skin-tight leather, Underworld is a visually beautiful, blue-tinged movie that marries some of the ideals of feminism with the same sexist tropes that feminism has been shining a light on since the invention of movies. Because so much of our storytelling requires badass women to fall in love with "chosen ones" rather than simply be the protagonists on their own. The sisters also unpack an explicit fantasy allegory about interracial relationships that is well-meaning but perhaps not as effective as the movie-makers intended: race is made up, but the difference between werewolves and vampires is visible under a microscope. Sex and sexiness are also key topics of conversation, because vampires. And Kate Beckinsale. (Even though the feminism of a sexy Kate Beckinsale in skintight leather is definitely suspect.) Though we cannot predict the future, the consequences of this episode will reverberate through 54 minutes of listening pleasure. So put on some headphones and stay out of the shadows. Tags deep thoughts about stupid sh*t, feminism, women, fantasy, film, movies, storytelling, allegory, underworld, kate beckinsale, michael sheen, vampires, werewolves, race, analyzing film tropes, cult classic, cultural commentary, pop culture, film analysis, psychology This episode was edited by Resonate Recordings. Our theme music is "Professor Umlaut" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Learn more about Tracie and Emily (including our other projects), join the Guy Girls' family, secure exclusive access to bonus content, live zooms with Tracie & Emily, discounts on merch, and early access to Deep Thoughts by visiting us on Patreon or find us on ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/guygirls We are the sister podcasters Tracie Guy-Decker and Emily Guy Birken, known to our extended family as the Guy Girls. We're hella smart and completely unashamed of our overthinking prowess. We love 80s and 90s movies and tv, science fiction, comedy, and murder mysteries, good storytelling with lots of dramatic irony, analyzing film tropes with a side of feminism, and examining the pop culture of our Gen X childhood for gender dynamics, psychology, sociology, religious allegory, and whatever else we find. We have super-serious day jobs. For the bona fides, visit our individual websites: tracieguydecker.com and emilyguybirken.com. For our work together, visit guygirlsmedia.com We are on socials! Find us on Facebook at fb.com/dtasspodcast and on Insta at instagram.com/guygirlsmedia. You can also email us at guygirlsmedia at gmail dot com. We would love to hear from you! | |||
| Deep Thoughts about Reality Bites | 20 Feb 2024 | 00:58:15 | |
Send us a message! Include how to reach you if you want a response. Ooh, my little pretty one…who was really going to be somebody by age 23
The Atlantic's look back at Reality Bites
We are the sister podcasters Tracie Guy-Decker and Emily Guy Birken, known to our extended family as the Guy Girls. We're hella smart and completely unashamed of our overthinking prowess. We love 80s and 90s movies and tv, science fiction, comedy, and murder mysteries, good storytelling with lots of dramatic irony, analyzing film tropes with a side of feminism, and examining the pop culture of our Gen X childhood for gender dynamics, psychology, sociology, religious allegory, and whatever else we find. We have super-serious day jobs. For the bona fides, visit our individual websites: tracieguydecker.com and emilyguybirken.com. For our work together, visit guygirlsmedia.com We are on socials! Find us on Facebook at fb.com/dtasspodcast and on Insta at instagram.com/guygirlsmedia. You can also email us at guygirlsmedia at gmail dot com. We would love to hear from you! | |||
| Deep Thoughts about Rocky Horror Picture Show | 13 Feb 2024 | 00:51:44 | |
Send us a message! Include how to reach you if you want a response. Let’s do the time warp agaaaaaain! (Except with ongoing enthusiastic consent this time, mkay?) This week, Emily and Tracie talk aboutthe beloved 1975 film Rocky Horror Picture Show. From its influence on culture, fashion, music, and film to its catchy AF songs, there’s a lot to love in this genre-bending gender-bending mashup of B horror/sci fi, musical theater, drag culture, and comedy. But despite Rocky Horror’s important strides forward for LGBTQ acceptance, there’s some ugly (and period appropriate) disregard for consent. Listen in as Emily and Tracie revisit this favorite of their high school years–at the late night, double feature, picture show! CW: Discussions of in-film scenes featuring dubious (at best) consent. Mentioned in this episode: https://aninjusticemag.com/gently-ripping-apart-the-rocky-horror-picture-show-ce2ff8022e60 https://www.tor.com/2012/10/31/the-astonishingly-sensical-plot-of-the-rocky-horror-picture-show/
Learn more about Tracie and Emily (including our other projects), join the Guy Girls' family, secure exclusive access to bonus episodes, video versions, and early access to Deep Thoughts by visiting us on Patreon. We are the sister podcasters Tracie Guy-Decker and Emily Guy Birken, known to our extended family as the Guy Girls. We're hella smart and completely unashamed of our overthinking prowess. We love 80s and 90s movies and tv, science fiction, comedy, and murder mysteries, good storytelling with lots of dramatic irony, analyzing film tropes with a side of feminism, and examining the pop culture of our Gen X childhood for gender dynamics, psychology, sociology, religious allegory, and whatever else we find. We have super-serious day jobs. For the bona fides, visit our individual websites: tracieguydecker.com and emilyguybirken.com. For our work together, visit guygirlsmedia.com We are on socials! Find us on Facebook at fb.com/dtasspodcast and on Insta at instagram.com/guygirlsmedia. You can also email us at guygirlsmedia at gmail dot com. We would love to hear from you! | |||
| Deep Thoughts about The Breakfast Club | 06 Feb 2024 | 01:05:44 | |
Send us a message! Include how to reach you if you want a response. Don’t you…forget about misogyny…Don’t Don’t Don’t Don’t! On today’s episode of Deep Thoughts, Tracie takes another look at the 1985 John Hughes film The Breakfast Club. Though this classic Gen X teen movie passes the Bechdel test and explicitly names the prude-or-slut trap of female sexuality, it also treats Claire and Allison like prizes for the boys in the film and assures the audience that we’re not so different from each other–by featuring a cast that is entirely white, cishet, thin, and able-bodied. Sounds like your earbuds and my earbuds should get together and listen to this podcast. CW: Discussion of on-screen sexual harassment, evidence of physical abuse, and suicidal ideation. Our theme music is "Professor Umlaut" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Learn more about Tracie and Emily (including our other projects), join the Guy Girls' family, secure exclusive access to bonus episodes, video versions, and early access to Deep Thoughts by visiting us on Patreon. We are the sister podcasters Tracie Guy-Decker and Emily Guy Birken, known to our extended family as the Guy Girls. We're hella smart and completely unashamed of our overthinking prowess. We love 80s and 90s movies and tv, science fiction, comedy, and murder mysteries, good storytelling with lots of dramatic irony, analyzing film tropes with a side of feminism, and examining the pop culture of our Gen X childhood for gender dynamics, psychology, sociology, religious allegory, and whatever else we find. We have super-serious day jobs. For the bona fides, visit our individual websites: tracieguydecker.com and emilyguybirken.com. For our work together, visit guygirlsmedia.com We are on socials! Find us on Facebook at fb.com/dtasspodcast and on Insta at instagram.com/guygirlsmedia. You can also email us at guygirlsmedia at gmail dot com. We would love to hear from you! | |||
| Deep Thoughts about Clueless | 30 Jan 2024 | 00:58:09 | |
Send us a message! Include how to reach you if you want a response. AS IF! This week on Deep Thoughts, Emily re-examines her favorite movie from high school: Clueless. Not only did this film kickstart Emily’s Paul Rudd appreciation, but it also provided her with some lovely examples of teen girl friendship, healthy father/daughter relationship dynamics, and how to apologize. But it’s not all sunshine in this adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma. Tracie and I also discuss how the film normalizes disordered relationships with food and exercise while teaching that unwanted male attention (and assault) are the price of being female–as is being shamed whether you are sexually experienced or inexperienced. Throw on your earbuds and relive the fashion, the music, and the casual homophobia of 1995! Mentioned in this episode: Clueless on YouTube (with ads) Our theme music is "Professor Umlaut" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Learn more about Tracie and Emily (including our other projects), join the Guy Girls' family, secure exclusive access to bonus episodes, video versions, and early access to Deep Thoughts by visiting us on Patreon. We are the sister podcasters Tracie Guy-Decker and Emily Guy Birken, known to our extended family as the Guy Girls. We're hella smart and completely unashamed of our overthinking prowess. We love 80s and 90s movies and tv, science fiction, comedy, and murder mysteries, good storytelling with lots of dramatic irony, analyzing film tropes with a side of feminism, and examining the pop culture of our Gen X childhood for gender dynamics, psychology, sociology, religious allegory, and whatever else we find. We have super-serious day jobs. For the bona fides, visit our individual websites: tracieguydecker.com and emilyguybirken.com. For our work together, visit guygirlsmedia.com We are on socials! Find us on Facebook at fb.com/dtasspodcast and on Insta at instagram.com/guygirlsmedia. You can also email us at guygirlsmedia at gmail dot com. We would love to hear from you! | |||
| Deep Thoughts about Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark | 23 Jan 2024 | 01:01:01 | |
Send us a message! Include how to reach you if you want a response. That [imperialist, whip-wielding archeologist] belongs in a museum! On today’s Deep Thoughts, Tracie takes on a pillar of her and Emily’s childhood: Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. The sisters talk about what’s great (the soundtrack, the cinematography, Marion Ravenwood’s badassery), what’s not so great (the imperialism, the toxic masculinity, the lack of any women other than Marion), and what’s seriously inaccurate (the bulldozer archeological tactics, the history of the Ark of the Covenant, Marion’s ability to drink giant men under the table). Listen as we try not to ruin another childhood favorite. Just watch out for snakes! CW: Conversation about romantic relationships between an adult man and an underage girl, brief mention of the possibility of sexual assault Mentioned in this episode Archaeologists React to Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark Our theme music is "Professor Umlaut" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Learn more about Tracie and Emily (including our other projects), join the Guy Girls' family, secure exclusive access to bonus episodes, video versions, and early access to Deep Thoughts by visiting us on Patreon. We are the sister podcasters Tracie Guy-Decker and Emily Guy Birken, known to our extended family as the Guy Girls. We're hella smart and completely unashamed of our overthinking prowess. We love 80s and 90s movies and tv, science fiction, comedy, and murder mysteries, good storytelling with lots of dramatic irony, analyzing film tropes with a side of feminism, and examining the pop culture of our Gen X childhood for gender dynamics, psychology, sociology, religious allegory, and whatever else we find. We have super-serious day jobs. For the bona fides, visit our individual websites: tracieguydecker.com and emilyguybirken.com. For our work together, visit guygirlsmedia.com We are on socials! Find us on Facebook at fb.com/dtasspodcast and on Insta at instagram.com/guygirlsmedia. You can also email us at guygirlsmedia at gmail dot com. We would love to hear from you! | |||
| Deep Thoughts about Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory | 16 Jan 2024 | 00:57:38 | |
Send us a message! Include how to reach you if you want a response. Come with me and you’ll be in a world of pure imagination…and capitalism This week, Emily shares her deep thoughts about the 1971 classic film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. She loves Gene Wilder’s funny and menacing portrayal of Wonka that still manages an undercurrent of sweetness, and the cinematography is a masterclass in how to make unwrapping a candy bar an edge-of-your-seat scene. But Roald Dahl’s hierarchical attitudes toward class, gender, money, and worthiness–not to mention his personal bugaboos about gum chewing and television–really undercut the magic. Oompa loompa doopity dissen Don't miss a single deep thought! Mosey on over to guygirlsmedia.com, share your deets, and get Tracie & Emily in your inbox every week! Mentioned in this episode From the ‘chocolate factory’ to vet med Our theme music is "Professor Umlaut" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Learn more about Tracie and Emily (including our other projects), join the Guy Girls' family, secure exclusive access to bonus episodes, video versions, and early access to Deep Thoughts by visiting us on Patreon. We are the sister podcasters Tracie Guy-Decker and Emily Guy Birken, known to our extended family as the Guy Girls. We're hella smart and completely unashamed of our overthinking prowess. We love 80s and 90s movies and tv, science fiction, comedy, and murder mysteries, good storytelling with lots of dramatic irony, analyzing film tropes with a side of feminism, and examining the pop culture of our Gen X childhood for gender dynamics, psychology, sociology, religious allegory, and whatever else we find. We have super-serious day jobs. For the bona fides, visit our individual websites: tracieguydecker.com and emilyguybirken.com. For our work together, visit guygirlsmedia.com We are on socials! Find us on Facebook at fb.com/dtasspodcast and on Insta at instagram.com/guygirlsmedia. You can also email us at guygirlsmedia at gmail dot com. We would love to hear from you! | |||
| Deep Thoughts about Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern TEASER | 09 Jan 2024 | 00:15:52 | |
Send us a message! Include how to reach you if you want a response. It takes a special person to impress a dragon. In this bonus episode, Tracie shares deep thoughts about the science fiction and fantasy novel series the Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey. From her early exhilaration of discovering fantasy novels with female protagonists to her current discomfort upon realizing the essentialist nature of dragon/rider pairings, Tracie shares with Emily how McCaffrey’s world made her a reader…and why it deserves a second look with a more critical eye. Throw on your earbuds and join us as we battle the Thread! (But only if you’re a Patron. This bonus episode is exclusive content!) CW: abstract discussions of rape. Our theme music is "Professor Umlaut" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Learn more about Tracie and Emily (including our other projects), join the Guy Girls' family, secure exclusive access to bonus episodes, video versions, and early access to Deep Thoughts by visiting us on Patreon. We are the sister podcasters Tracie Guy-Decker and Emily Guy Birken, known to our extended family as the Guy Girls. We're hella smart and completely unashamed of our overthinking prowess. We love 80s and 90s movies and tv, science fiction, comedy, and murder mysteries, good storytelling with lots of dramatic irony, analyzing film tropes with a side of feminism, and examining the pop culture of our Gen X childhood for gender dynamics, psychology, sociology, religious allegory, and whatever else we find. We have super-serious day jobs. For the bona fides, visit our individual websites: tracieguydecker.com and emilyguybirken.com. For our work together, visit guygirlsmedia.com We are on socials! Find us on Facebook at fb.com/dtasspodcast and on Insta at instagram.com/guygirlsmedia. You can also email us at guygirlsmedia at gmail dot com. We would love to hear from you! | |||
| Deep Thoughts about Buffy the Vampire Slayer | 02 Jan 2024 | 00:56:03 | |
Send us a message! Include how to reach you if you want a response. Slay it with me: other girls are awesome! For this week’s episode of Deep Thoughts, Tracie and Emily welcome Kate Moody, aka The Money Librarian, to share her analysis of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Kate introduces Emily (a Buffy virgin) to the world of vampires, Hellmouths, and why all librarians love Giles. With Kate’s analysis, the sisters put Buffy in her proper place in the pantheon of superheroes, while engaging with the not-so-savory side effects of a romance between a teenage girl and a 200 year old undead killing machine. Also, much side-eye of what Joss Whedon considers to be a “moment of true happiness.” Pop on your headphones and take a listen! Our theme music is "Professor Umlaut" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Learn more about Tracie and Emily (including our other projects), join the Guy Girls' family, secure exclusive access to bonus episodes, video versions, and early access to Deep Thoughts by visiting us on Patreon. Where to find Kate: Ms. Moody Money We are the sister podcasters Tracie Guy-Decker and Emily Guy Birken, known to our extended family as the Guy Girls. We're hella smart and completely unashamed of our overthinking prowess. We love 80s and 90s movies and tv, science fiction, comedy, and murder mysteries, good storytelling with lots of dramatic irony, analyzing film tropes with a side of feminism, and examining the pop culture of our Gen X childhood for gender dynamics, psychology, sociology, religious allegory, and whatever else we find. We have super-serious day jobs. For the bona fides, visit our individual websites: tracieguydecker.com and emilyguybirken.com. For our work together, visit guygirlsmedia.com We are on socials! Find us on Facebook at fb.com/dtasspodcast and on Insta at instagram.com/guygirlsmedia. You can also email us at guygirlsmedia at gmail dot com. We would love to hear from you! | |||
| Deep Thoughts about So I Married an Axe Murderer | 26 Dec 2023 | 00:52:46 | |
Send us a message! Include how to reach you if you want a response. It’s like Sputnik! Spherical, but quite pointy at parts! On this week’s episode of Deep Thoughts About Stupid Sh*t, Tracie unpacks the good, the bad, the poorly aged, and the likely-to-make-a-vegan-queasy about the underrated 1993 comedy So I Married an Axe Murderer. The sisters discuss how important changes in gender politics and expression over the last 30 years have made May’s handsiness and the character of Vicky cringey and they dive into the toxicity of 1990s expectation that men fear commitment. On the plus side, Alan Arkin’s role as Tony’s police captain shows us consent done right! Head! Earbuds! Now! You’ll be glad you listened. Mentioned in this episode: Stephen Hunter’s review of Axe Murderer Our theme music is "Professor Umlaut" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Learn more about Tracie and Emily (including our other projects), join the Guy Girls' family, secure exclusive access to bonus episodes, video versions, and early access to Deep Thoughts by visiting us on Patreon. We are the sister podcasters Tracie Guy-Decker and Emily Guy Birken, known to our extended family as the Guy Girls. We're hella smart and completely unashamed of our overthinking prowess. We love 80s and 90s movies and tv, science fiction, comedy, and murder mysteries, good storytelling with lots of dramatic irony, analyzing film tropes with a side of feminism, and examining the pop culture of our Gen X childhood for gender dynamics, psychology, sociology, religious allegory, and whatever else we find. We have super-serious day jobs. For the bona fides, visit our individual websites: tracieguydecker.com and emilyguybirken.com. For our work together, visit guygirlsmedia.com We are on socials! Find us on Facebook at fb.com/dtasspodcast and on Insta at instagram.com/guygirlsmedia. You can also email us at guygirlsmedia at gmail dot com. We would love to hear from you! | |||
| Deep Thoughts about A Christmas Story | 19 Dec 2023 | 01:02:11 | |
Send us a message! Include how to reach you if you want a response. You’ll shoot your eye out! On this very special holiday episode of Deep Thoughts, Emily and Tracie take a deeper look at the 1983 classic, A Christmas Story. The sisters discuss what is relatable in the sweet, funny tale of 9-year-old Ralphie’s quest for the coveted Red Ryder carbine-action, 200-shot range model air rifle, but they also talk about how casual racism, outdated gender dynamics, and a Yule-centric storyline casts a pall on the otherwise delightful nostalgia. Throw on your earbuds and take a listen–We TRIPLE DOG DARE you! Our theme music is "Professor Umlaut" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Learn more about Tracie and Emily (including our other projects), join the Guy Girls' family, secure exclusive access to bonus episodes, video versions, and early access to Deep Thoughts by visiting us on Patreon. We are the sister podcasters Tracie Guy-Decker and Emily Guy Birken, known to our extended family as the Guy Girls. We're hella smart and completely unashamed of our overthinking prowess. We love 80s and 90s movies and tv, science fiction, comedy, and murder mysteries, good storytelling with lots of dramatic irony, analyzing film tropes with a side of feminism, and examining the pop culture of our Gen X childhood for gender dynamics, psychology, sociology, religious allegory, and whatever else we find. We have super-serious day jobs. For the bona fides, visit our individual websites: tracieguydecker.com and emilyguybirken.com. For our work together, visit guygirlsmedia.com We are on socials! Find us on Facebook at fb.com/dtasspodcast and on Insta at instagram.com/guygirlsmedia. You can also email us at guygirlsmedia at gmail dot com. We would love to hear from you! | |||
| Highlander: Deep Thoughts About Bonkers Casting, Over-the-Top Cinematography, and Hiding Queer Subtext in Your Dad's Favorite Pop Culture | 19 May 2026 | 00:49:00 | |
Send us a message! Include how to reach you if you want a response. I am Connor MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod. I was born in 1518 in the village of Glenfinnan on the shores of Loch Shiel. And I am immortal. On this week's episode of Deep Thoughts About Stupid Shit, Emily revisits one of the most unhinged pieces of Gen X pop culture: the 1986 cult classic film Highlander. Starring French-American actor Christopher Lambert (who didn't speak English prior to being cast) and noted Scot Sean Connery (who was playing an Egyptian character with a Spaniard's name), the movie's surface storytelling is about immortal beings decapitating each other over the centuries. But director Russell Mulcahy (himself a gay man) offers some pretty unsubtle queer subtext throughout the film--including the homoeroticism of the training montages between Lambert and Connery and AIDS metaphors that would be abundantly clear to any LGBTQ audiences of 80s and 90s movies. Mulcahy created a pop culture phenomenon that deeply resonated with everybody's dad (and specifically Tracie & Emily's stepdad) in the 1980s, even though the cultural commentary about the American queer experience of living through homophobia, the AIDS epidemic, and societal indifference and hostility, all while trying to remain open to romance, sailed RIGHT OVER THEIR HEADS. Because swords are cool. And where else you gonna get your decapitation fix in the average piece of pop culture? There can be only one...podcast episode to listen to over the next hour. So throw on your headphones and get started! Mentioned in this episode: Highlander: Love, Violence, and Sword Metaphors Tags deep thoughts about stupid sh*t, pop culture, cult classic, cultural commentary, storytelling, 80s and 90s movies, romance, analyzing film tropes, queer lens, film, film analysis, gen x childhood, gen x nostalgia, mental health, movies, nostalgia, psychology, sci fi, women, sean connery This episode was edited by Resonate Recordings. Our theme music is "Professor Umlaut" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Learn more about Tracie and Emily (including our other projects), join the Guy Girls' family, secure exclusive access to bonus content, live zooms with Tracie & Emily, discounts on merch, and early access to Deep Thoughts by visiting us on Patreon or find us on ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/guygirls We are the sister podcasters Tracie Guy-Decker and Emily Guy Birken, known to our extended family as the Guy Girls. We're hella smart and completely unashamed of our overthinking prowess. We love 80s and 90s movies and tv, science fiction, comedy, and murder mysteries, good storytelling with lots of dramatic irony, analyzing film tropes with a side of feminism, and examining the pop culture of our Gen X childhood for gender dynamics, psychology, sociology, religious allegory, and whatever else we find. We have super-serious day jobs. For the bona fides, visit our individual websites: tracieguydecker.com and emilyguybirken.com. For our work together, visit guygirlsmedia.com We are on socials! Find us on Facebook at fb.com/dtasspodcast and on Insta at instagram.com/guygirlsmedia. You can also email us at guygirlsmedia at gmail dot com. We would love to hear from you! | |||
| Deep Thoughts about Labyrinth | 13 Dec 2023 | 00:49:21 | |
Send us a message! Include how to reach you if you want a response. You remind me of the babe…the babe with the power… Join us this week as Emily shares her deep thoughts about the 1986 film Labyrinth. She and Tracie talk about the myriad and surprising sexual metaphors throughout the movie, how the film may not pass the Bechdel test, but still offers a feminist response to dealing with an abuser, and why David Bowie’s performance as the Goblin King was…ahem…a formative experience for them both. (Also, that codpiece…) Throw on your earbuds and listen along as we unpack the seriously weird sexual undertones of Bowie’s mulleted glory. Learn more about Tracie and Emily (including our other projects), join the Guy Girls' family, secure exclusive access to bonus episodes, video versions, and early access to Deep Thoughts by visiting us on Patreon. Content warning: Discussion of fan theories about childhood sexual assault, grooming, and emotional abuse. Mentioned in this episode: Cracked.com Why Labyrinth is Secretly About Masturbation We are the sister podcasters Tracie Guy-Decker and Emily Guy Birken, known to our extended family as the Guy Girls. We're hella smart and completely unashamed of our overthinking prowess. We love 80s and 90s movies and tv, science fiction, comedy, and murder mysteries, good storytelling with lots of dramatic irony, analyzing film tropes with a side of feminism, and examining the pop culture of our Gen X childhood for gender dynamics, psychology, sociology, religious allegory, and whatever else we find. We have super-serious day jobs. For the bona fides, visit our individual websites: tracieguydecker.com and emilyguybirken.com. For our work together, visit guygirlsmedia.com We are on socials! Find us on Facebook at fb.com/dtasspodcast and on Insta at instagram.com/guygirlsmedia. You can also email us at guygirlsmedia at gmail dot com. We would love to hear from you! | |||
| Deep Thoughts about Battlestar Galactica | 05 Dec 2023 | 01:01:14 | |
Send us a message! Include how to reach you if you want a response. Epic space battles + philosophy and ethics + human drama + Cylons = KICKASS TELEVISION On this week’s episode, Tracie shares her Deep Thoughts about the 2004-2009 reboot of Battlestar Galactica. She tells Emily how she got sucked into the show and resurfaced weeks later, a la Portlandia, how the story undercut its own feminist bona fides by resorting to misogynistic tropes, and why the monotheism of the skinjobs is so durn fascinating to our resident Torah scholar. Join us as we talk about the big questions and little dramas of one of the best television shows of all time. So say we all! Content warning: References to in-universe rape, war crimes, childhood neglect and abuse, and suicide. Our theme music is "Professor Umlaut" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Learn more about Tracie and Emily (including our other projects), join the Guy Girls' family, secure exclusive access to bonus episodes, video versions, and early access to Deep Thoughts by visiting us on Patreon. Mentioned in this episode: We are the sister podcasters Tracie Guy-Decker and Emily Guy Birken, known to our extended family as the Guy Girls. We're hella smart and completely unashamed of our overthinking prowess. We love 80s and 90s movies and tv, science fiction, comedy, and murder mysteries, good storytelling with lots of dramatic irony, analyzing film tropes with a side of feminism, and examining the pop culture of our Gen X childhood for gender dynamics, psychology, sociology, religious allegory, and whatever else we find. We have super-serious day jobs. For the bona fides, visit our individual websites: tracieguydecker.com and emilyguybirken.com. For our work together, visit guygirlsmedia.com We are on socials! Find us on Facebook at fb.com/dtasspodcast and on Insta at instagram.com/guygirlsmedia. You can also email us at guygirlsmedia at gmail dot com. We would love to hear from you! | |||
| Deep Thoughts about The NeverEnding Story | 28 Nov 2023 | 00:48:53 | |
Send us a message! Include how to reach you if you want a response. The Nothing, depressed horses, and dead moms–The Neverending Story! (Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh…) For this week’s episode, Emily shares her deep thoughts with Tracie about the 1984 film The Neverending Story, a childhood favorite with seriously dark undertones. She talks about how the original story was written as an anti-authoritarian fairy tale by a German survivor of the Third Reich, why she still gets goosebumps when the Childlike Empress knows about the children watching the film, and the surprising fact that Emily and Tracie’s father considered taking a hammer to their VHS copy of this film in the 1980s. Though neither the special effects nor the gender representation holds up, there is still much to enjoy in this allegory of grief that taught GenX that riding a luck dragon is the best revenge. Throw on your earbuds and join us in the school’s attic as we play hooky and overthink The Neverending Story. Our theme music is "Professor Umlaut" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Learn more about Tracie and Emily (including our other projects), join the Guy Girls' family, secure exclusive access to bonus episodes, video versions, and early access to Deep Thoughts by visiting us on Patreon. Mentioned in this episode: What we can learn from the Neverending Story: authoritarianism, fascism, and the power of imagination We are the sister podcasters Tracie Guy-Decker and Emily Guy Birken, known to our extended family as the Guy Girls. We're hella smart and completely unashamed of our overthinking prowess. We love 80s and 90s movies and tv, science fiction, comedy, and murder mysteries, good storytelling with lots of dramatic irony, analyzing film tropes with a side of feminism, and examining the pop culture of our Gen X childhood for gender dynamics, psychology, sociology, religious allegory, and whatever else we find. We have super-serious day jobs. For the bona fides, visit our individual websites: tracieguydecker.com and emilyguybirken.com. For our work together, visit guygirlsmedia.com We are on socials! Find us on Facebook at fb.com/dtasspodcast and on Insta at instagram.com/guygirlsmedia. You can also email us at guygirlsmedia at gmail dot com. We would love to hear from you! | |||