At some point in late April, near the apex of the memes and jokes and ridicule of Katy Perry’s recent “women’s empowerment” trip to space, Melody and I wondered: is it even worth doing a Katy Perry episode? Do we have anything to say, other than wow, all of this — the new album, the tour visuals, the trip to SPACE, is hilariously bad? But then we asked Zach Stafford if he had anything to say, and when his response was an immediate YES, we decided to turn the episode over to your (as always, very insightful) questions and probe deeper. Yes, all of this recent promotional tour is cringe, and the album is not good — but cringey people with bad albums still get their singles played on the radio.
So what is it about Perry that makes her such a target in this moment? Join Zach and me as we try to figure it out (and decipher what’s happening with those Lifetimes costumes).
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Show Notes:
Follow Zach on Instagram and listen to Vibe Check here
One of the many SpaceX Instagram posts that made people want to bang their heads against their desks
Just another shot from the Lifetimes Tour for good measure
(Getty) Zach mentions the episode he and I recorded with Sam Sanders re: the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders:
The Beautiful Cult of Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders
A seven-part Netflix docuseries on the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders called America’s Sweethearts? Oh my god, WHAT a rich text. The uniform, the dances, the body norms, the coded language, the particular feminine ideals, the intersections with Texas culture and evangelical culture — there’s just so much there. And I was thrilled when Sam Sanders and Zach …
The satire that fell flat for “Women’s World”:
“‘I created this character called Katy Perry. I didn’t want to be Katheryn Hudson. It was too scary’”
Before we taped Melody had me watch this pretty heartbreaking clip of Katy breaking down backstage and having to go on with the show
The very messy and complicated fight with the nuns over the Los Angeles monastery
Katy Perry at Gaga’s show in Mexico City
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We’re currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:
The evolution of internet slang (and how it’s affected how you speak offline, too)
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REGIONAL ACCENTS!!!! (We have a accent/dialect expert as co-host!)
Sabrina Carpenter????
Book trends right now
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