Pulp Friction

You’ve waited. You’ve begged. You’ve cried. And now your prayers have finally been answered. This year, Rochel and Claire reflect on 2024’s music in over 20 categories, from country to jazz, from Brats to Brits, from Sabrina to femtanyl. Pulp Friction is available wherever pods are cast. Subscribe and share to support the show. Send riddles to pulpfrictioncast@gmail.com. Stay tuned for Rochel’s 2024 movie list. Full list of nominees and winners: ALBUM OF THE YEAR BRAT - Charli XCX Challengers (Original Score) - Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross CHROMAKOPIA - Tyler, The Creator The Great American Bar Scene - Zach Bryan Petrichor - 070 Shake #RICHAXXHAITIAN - Mach-Hommy Silence Is Loud - Nia Archives Still - Erika de Casier Sugar Water - Maude Latour The Thief Next to Jesus - Ka SONG OF THE YEAR Crowded Roomz - Nia Archives Disease - Lady Gaga Espresso - Sabrina Carpenter Girl, so confusing featuring Lorde - Charli XCX, Lorde Holy, Holy - Geordie Greep meet the grahams - Kendrick Lamar My guy (Corporate Shuffle) - Underscores Not Like Us - Kendrick Lamar SIN MIEDO - JPEGMAFIA Starburned and Unkissed - Caroline Polachek BEST NEW ARTIST Anycia Baby Kia LustSickPuppy POLO PERKS <3<3<3, AyooLii, and FearDorian TAAHLIAH PRODUCER OF THE YEAR Easyfun (“Just Like That”, “SO TRU”, BRAT) FearDorian (“Hoodrat”, A DOG’S CHANCE, Triple Digits [112]) Mustard (“Not Like Us”, “TV Off”, Faith of a Mustard Seed) Michael Uzowuru (“Black&Blue”, LANA, The Great Impersonator) Zhone (“Talk Talk featuring Troye Sivan”, “JOYRIDE”, Sugar Water) SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR Navy Blue Zach Bryan A.G. Cook Geordie Greep SZA BEST POP SONG Disease - Lady Gaga Espresso - Sabrina Carpenter Girl, so confusing featuring Lorde - Charli XCX, Lorde Good Luck, Babe! - Chappell Roan Leash - Sky Ferreira WYA? - Leah Kate, 24kGoldn BEST POP ALBUM Big Ideas - Remi Wolf BRAT - Charli XCX Girl with No Face - Allie X Imaginal Disk - Magdalena Bay Sugar Water - Maude Latour BEST HIP HOP SONG Black&Blue - Vince Staples HISS - Megan Thee Stallion I Killed You - Tyler, The Creator meet the grahams - Kendrick Lamar Not Like Us - Kendrick Lamar BEST HIP HOP ALBUM Alligator Bites Never Heal - Doechii CHROMAKOPIA - Tyler, The Creator Personification - Maxo Kream #RICHAXXHAITIAN - Mach-Hommy The Thief Next to Jesus - Ka BEST ROCK SONG Anybody - Porridge Radio Audacious - Franz Ferdinand FIRE4FUN - Jhariah Jerkin’ - Amyl and the Sniffers Over Each Other - Linkin Park BEST ROCK ALBUM Clouds in the Sky They Will Always Be There for Me - Porridge Radio Forever - Charly Bliss There Goes the Neighbourhood - Kid Kapichi TRUST CEREMONY - Jhariah What a Devastating Turn of Events - Rachel Chinouriri BEST DANCE/ELECTRONIC SONG Compress / Repress - Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross Crowded Roomz - Nia Archives Eusexua - FKA twigs M3 N MIN3 - femtanyl, Danny Brown My Girl - Coco & Clair Clair Spring Breakers - Charli XCX BEST DANCE/ELECTRONIC ALBUM BRAT - Charli XCX Challengers (Original Score) - Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross Diva of the People - Gavin Turek Gramarye - TAAHLIAH Silence Is Loud - Nia Archives BEST COUNTRY SONG/ALBUM ALBUM: The Great American Bar Scene - Zach Bryan SONG: Texas Hold ‘Em - Beyoncé BEST JAZZ ALBUM Fearless Movement - Kamasi Washington The Great Bailout - Moor Mother No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin - Meshell Ndegeocello Odyssey - Nubya Garcia Rong Weicknes - Fievel Is Glauque BEST R&B SONG 30 for 30 - SZA, Kendrick Lamar Hell of a Ride - Nourished by Time MUTT - Leon Thomas Nasty - Tinashe Young Lion - Sade BEST R&B ALBUM A Kid From Toronto - Kalisway Algorithm - Lucky Daye Bird’s Eye - Ravyn Lenae CRYBABY - Rae Khalil Still - Erika de Casier BEST ALTERNATIVE SONG Floating on a Moment - Beth Gibbons Holy, Holy - Geordie Greep Mahashmashana - Father John Misty My guy (Corporate Shuffle) - underscores SIN MIEDO - JPEGMAFIA Starburned and Unkissed - Caroline...

As 2024 draws to a close, Rocky and Rose return to the Twilight saga once again to reflect on the peak of Team Edward vs. Team Jacob: Eclipse. Chris Weitz is out! David Slade is in! Bella must make the ultimate choice that she already pretty much made two movies ago. Is it better than New Moon? You bet! Is it good? It’s complicated. Persons of interest include Stonewall Jackson, Bree Tanner, and, regrettably, Harry Potter. Pulp Friction is available wherever pods are cast. Subscribe and share to support the show. Send riddles to pulpfrictioncast@gmail.com. Pulp Friction is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pulpfriction.substack.com/subscribe

2016 seems so long ago, and yet, it increasingly feels like we didn’t learn as many lessons from it as we once thought. What are we, some kind of Thunderbolts*—er, Suicide Squad? Rocky and Blurry break down the good, the bad, and the deeply ugly of a film truly emblematic of its time… and maybe, just maybe, of ours. Persons of interest include Ryan Gosling, Zack Snyder, and the vibrant nation of Australia. Rocky is currently fundraising for her first short film! It’s called We Need More S.A.F.E. Spaces for Women! and the fundraiser is live on Indiegogo throughout the month of November. If you’re a fan of the show, we’d really appreciate your support. It’s gonna be fun, I swear. Pulp Friction is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pulpfriction.substack.com/subscribe

For this year’s Pulp Friction Halloween Spec-Dracular, a massive Sawhead takes Rocky on the ride of a lifetime, starting where it all began: Saw (2004). This tightly-wound thriller bears little resemblance to the “torture porn” label often applied to the series—if anything, it’s more like gay porn. Halloween ghouls of interest include Hawk Tuah, Art the Clown, and Taika Waititi. Pulp Friction is available wherever pods are cast. Subscribe and share to support the show. Send riddles to pulpfrictioncast@gmail.com. Pulp Friction is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pulpfriction.substack.com/subscribe

When you’re having a dialogue about what kind of movie you want to see, that is Megalopolis. Sam and Rocky are here to break down the most polarizing and endlessly fascinating film in theaters right now. Persons of interest include Paul Newman, Jon Hamm, and Spike Lee. Pulp Friction is available wherever pods are cast. Subscribe and share to support the show. Send riddles to pulpfrictioncast@gmail.com. Pulp Friction is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pulpfriction.substack.com/subscribe

Yes, that’s “hundred” with an “H”. Thanks to listeners like you, we’ve hit a huge milestone, and we’re celebrating the only way we know how: by being unfettered haters. Annas will be Invented, Jacobs will be Defended, we’ll find out which forgotten MCU property outlasted Endgame, and we’ll spend the length of an Avengers movie complaining. There may even be a post-credits scene? Persons of interest include Karl Rove, Morbius, and Disney Facebook groups. Pulp Friction is available wherever pods are cast. Thank you all for your support, and expect more exciting things in the very near future. And as always, send riddles to pulpfrictioncast@gmail.com. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pulpfriction.substack.com/subscribe

On-set feuds. Studios collapsing. Tragic celebrity deaths. Real-life vampirism. The story of how AMC’s Anne Rice’s Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire came to be is undoubtedly one of the most harrowing we’ve ever covered. But what about the end result? Myles says yay, Rocky says… fine. Persons of interest include Cher, Bryan Fuller, and #JaredLeto. Pulp Friction is available wherever pods are cast. Subscribe and share to support the show. Send riddles to pulpfrictioncast@gmail.com. Pulp Friction is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pulpfriction.substack.com/subscribe

Let’s look back on a time when superhero comedies could be, y’know, funny. First-time guest Lily joins Rocky to talk about a modern animated classic that may or may not stand in the shadow of another modern animated classic. Is it the big screen’s best Batman? Was it the death knell for the super-serious era of capeshit? Persons of interest include Ryan Reynolds, Michael Jackson, and Gob Bluth. See Lily introduce Dracula’s Daughter at the Los Feliz Theater this Sunday! Pulp Friction is available wherever pods are cast. Subscribe and share to support the show. Send riddles to pulpfrictioncast@gmail.com. Pulp Friction is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pulpfriction.substack.com/subscribe

This week on Pulp Friction, Rocky and Ruth are cancelling themselves before Gen Z gets a chance as they look at the latest record from hip-hop’s incorrigible clown prince, Eminem. The rapper has spent the better part of the past 15 years trying to relive his old glory, but has he finally managed it here? Persons of interest include Spider-Man, Caitlyn Jenner, and Juvenile. Pulp Friction is available wherever pods are cast. Subscribe and share to support the show. Send riddles to pulpfrictioncast@gmail.com. Pulp Friction is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pulpfriction.substack.com/subscribe

We asked for your riddles, and you failed to deliver. Now, our intrepid heroes (Rocky, Sam, and Leon) find themselves at their lowest point, playing skiffle for scraps on the Universal Studios backlot. That won’t stop them in their quest to solve the Beatles’ riddle once and for all as they look at the band’s 4th studio album, Beatles for Sale. Persons of interest include Berry Gordy and his beam attack. Send riddles to pulpfrictioncast@gmail.com. Pulp Friction is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pulpfriction.substack.com/subscribe

Rocky and Alex come together once again to discuss Pixar in the A.D. (After Death) (of Steve Jobs) era. In some ways, it’s the depressing and slow death of a once-cherished creative force in American culture. In other ways, it’s an inevitable and much-deserved reckoning with the Great Man theory. In other ways, maybe things are on the right track? Persons of interest include John Lithgow. Pulp Friction is available wherever pods are cast. Subscribe and share to support the show. Send riddles to pulpfrictioncast@gmail.com. Pulp Friction is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pulpfriction.substack.com/subscribe

Turns out, it takes way more than 90 minutes to talk about all the epic highs and lows of Pixar. That’s why it’s getting 2. This time, Rocky and Alex cover the legacy of Pixar in the B.C. (Before Cars 2) era. Persons of interest include Michael Eisner, Francis Ford Coppola, and Shrek. Pulp Friction is available wherever pods are cast. Subscribe and share to support the show. Send riddles to pulpfrictioncast@gmail.com. Pulp Friction is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pulpfriction.substack.com/subscribe

Hey, did you guys know there was a Met Gala last week? We did, and we’re giving you a primer on some of the night’s best and worst fits, from lettuce to chips and princesses to pince-nezes. Who popped, who flopped, and what was the theme anyway? Persons of interest include Taylor Swift, Ice Spice, and Katy Perry, none of whom were in attendance for obvious reasons. Pulp Friction is available wherever pods are cast. Find Simone on Twitter @parasocialyte. Subscribe and share to support the show. Send riddles to pulpfrictioncast@gmail.com. Pulp Friction is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pulpfriction.substack.com/subscribe

A few years ago, Taylor Swift said everybody was a sexy baby. Today, she says everyone smells like either weed or little babies. What is the truth, TayTay? This week, Rocky is joined by resident Swiftie Brig to discuss what may be Taylor’s least defensible album to date. Is she bad? Is she mad? Is she… wise? Persons of interest include Katy Perry, Lana Del Rey, and DRAAAKE??? Intro (0:00) Fortnight (17:10) TTPD & My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys (25:28) Down Bad (31:11) So Long, London (33:13) Florida!!! (34:59) But Daddy I Love Him (36:10) Fresh Out the Slammer (39:09) Guilty As Sin? (41:50) Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me? (44:28) I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can) (45:58) loml (49:03) I Can Do It With a Broken Heart (51:03) Smallest Man Who Ever Lived (53:43) The Alchemy (55:11) Clara Bow (57:21) The Black Dog (59:07) imgonnagetyouback (1:04:47) The Albatross (1:06:06) Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus (1:07:25) How Did It End? (1:09:08) So High School (1:10:37) I Hate It Here (1:13:11) thanK you aIMee (1:16:15) I Look in People’s Windows (1:21:11) The Prophecy (1:21:47) Cassandra (1:22:08) Peter (1:23:50) The Bolter (1:24:43) Robin (1:25:51) The Manuscript (1:27:09) Outro (1:28:34) Pulp Friction can be found wherever pods are cast. Subscribe and share to support the show. Send riddles to pulpfrictioncast@gmail.com. Pulp Friction is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pulpfriction.substack.com/subscribe

Noted Brit Alex Garland makes a film about American politics. What could go wrong? This week, Rocky (she/her) and Ruth (he/him) are fresh out of the theater to address the elephant in the room: Civil War is kinda interesting? Persons of interest include Jean-Claude Van Damme, Andy Ngo, and Brian De Palma. Pulp Friction is available wherever pods are cast. Subscribe and share to support the show. Send riddles to pulpfrictioncast@gmail.com. Pulp Friction is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pulpfriction.substack.com/subscribe

Niche internet celebrity Natalie Wynn is back in the niche internet news, and Rocky is joined by Cody, our resident expert on the online left (and right), to tell Contra’s side of the story. If her screen name leaves a bad taste in your mouth, this episode invites you to ask, “Why?” Persons of interest include Rian Johnson, Hillary Clinton, and the Westboro Baptist Church. Pulp Friction is available wherever pods are cast. Subscribe and share to support the show. Reach out to Rocky or pulpfrictioncast@gmail.com with any inquiries. Pulp Friction is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pulpfriction.substack.com/subscribe

This is the big one, folks. Rocky and Blurry are talking about Zoomer Nickelback themselves, the band everyone loves to hate, Imagine Dragons. Were they always this bad? Were they lightning before the thunder? Is there actually something of value in their catalog? And most importantly, are they still Mormon or what? Persons of interest include Brendon Urie, Jesus, and Spider-Man. Pulp Friction is available wherever pods are cast. Find Blurry’s animations @ Paranimate Productions on YouTube. Subscribe and share to support the show. Reach out to Rocky or pulpfrictioncast@gmail.com with any inquiries. Pulp Friction is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pulpfriction.substack.com/subscribe

What if you could watch a whole movie… on a screen? The screenlife films of Timur Bekmambetov imagine this twisted world, and Rocky is joined by Violet this week to look at the likes of Unfriended, Unfriended: Dark Web, Searching, and Missing. Persons of interest include Justin Bieber, Drake, and Roger Corman. Pulp Friction is available wherever pods are cast. Subscribe and share to support the show. Reach out to Rocky or pulpfrictioncast@gmail.com with any inquiries. Pulp Friction is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pulpfriction.substack.com/subscribe

Each year, dozens of teens all over the world are driven mad with beguilement by the Beatles’ riddle. Rocky, Sam, and Leon are within a country mile of cracking it, and we need your help to continue our Beatle studies. For just riddles a day, you can promote this vital academic work. Pledge a recurring riddle donation, or simply share whatever riddles you have, by reaching out to Rocky, the Pulp Friction Discord server, or pulpfrictioncast@gmail.com. You can donate riddles on a weekly, monthly, or even quarterly basis. Every riddle you submit will be read live on-air by our esteemed experts, and high-volume donors will receive special perks like: * A one-of-a-kind custom tote bag * A chance to appear on a future episode Or whatever. So give a riddle. Just a little. Today. Pulp Friction is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pulpfriction.substack.com/subscribe

[CORRECTION: The song featured in Anatomy of a Fall is 50 Cent’s “P.I.M.P.,” not Jay-Z’s “Big Pimpin’”.] The movies are back in a big way this year, and Rocky (she/her) and Ruth (he/him) are looking back at a great year for cinema. Superheroes will die! Beau will be afraid! Canada will be nominated for Best International Feature! Check out the full list of winners below, or listen to the episode if you don’t want it spoiled. Listen to Pulp Friction wherever pods are cast. Subscribe and share to support the show. Reach out to Rocky or pulpfrictioncast@gmail.com with any inquiries. Pulp Friction is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Worst Picture: Haunted Mansion Best Sequel: Magic Mike’s Last Dance Best Action: John Wick: Chapter 4 Scariest Movie: Skinamarink Funniest Movie: Dicks: The Musical Best Animated Picture: The Boy and the Heron Best International Film: BlackBerry (Canada) Best Cinematography: Haris Zambarloukos (A Haunting in Venice) Best Use of an Existing Song: “Push” by Matchbox Twenty (Barbie) Best Original Song: “Dear Alien (Who Art in Heaven)” (Asteroid City) Best Score: Leo Birenberg & Charli XCX (Bottoms) Best Original Screenplay: Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola (Asteroid City) Best Adapted Screenplay: Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer) Best Cameo: Martin Scorsese (Killers of the Flower Moon) Best Ensemble: Killers of the Flower Moon Breakout Performer: Alyssa Sutherland (Evil Dead Rise) Best Supporting Actress: Catalina Saavedra (Rotting in the Sun) Best Supporting Actor: Mark Ruffalo (Poor Things) Best Lead Actor: Jason Schwartzman (Asteroid City) Best Lead Actress: Lily Gladstone (Killers of the Flower Moon) Best First Feature: A.V. Rockwell (A Thousand and One) Best Director: Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer) Best Picture: Oppenheimer This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pulpfriction.substack.com/subscribe