The Hip Pocket #303 - Katie Rife

It is a crazy week in America, so pretty much anything we’d release this week would feel strange. It sometimes feels insane to be writing newsletters and recording podcasts and watching movies while everything is so tense and strange in the world.

Then again, making and discussing and thinking about art has been the way I’ve processed this chaotic world since I’ve been old enough to read or watch things. I think there is enormous value in not only making art about all kinds of subjects, but in watching and discussing things made by all kinds of artists with all kinds of viewpoints. When I started thinking about this podcast, one of the things that seemed most important was to find a cohost who doesn’t come from the same background as me and who doesn’t have the same voice as me. I don’t want to have a conversation with a mirror. I cast a wide net when I talked to people, and when I finally decided on Aundria Parker, it was because our conversations felt like there was real give and take. She came to the conversation with a very strong perspective that is all her own, and I appreciate that.

Booking this show is very much a juggling act. You’re balancing people’s availability, the demands of publicists, the timing of your recording versus your release of the episodes… there are a million reasons for people to say no, especially if you’re still a fairly new show that doesn’t have a massive audience footprint yet. The first season, I reached out to people who I was close to, and who I felt reasonably sure I could get to appear. Between seasons, Aundria asked me about casting a wider net this year so that we’re getting more women and people of color and voices that we haven’t heard from yet. I agree wholeheartedly with the idea, and that led to me reaching out to people I’ve never really met or interacted with. Some of them said no. Some of them are still ongoing conversations. And in some cases, we booked the names on her list and ended up making a brand-new friend in the process.

KATIE RIFE is a freelance writer and critic from Chicago who is best known for her deep focus on genre and exploitation fare. She was the news editor for The AV Club from 2014 to 2019, and then Senior Editor from 2019 to 2022. She is currently writing for outlets like RogerEbert.com, Rolling Stone, Indiwire, and Vulture. You can get a taste of what she’s like from her round-up of the best of last year’s horror films.

The minute Katie sent her list over, I knew we were in for a wild ride. Her first pick is the scuzztastic vigilante picture, A Gun For Jennifer. Somehow, that almost feels tame compared to her second pick, the international grindhouse classic, Female Prisoner Scorpion - Jailhouse 41. Even if you don’t know that movie, you probably know the theme song. Finally, she picked a straight-up exploitation masterpiece, the movie that put Russ Meyer on the map. That’s right… we’re talking about Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!

Our response film was chosen by Aundria, who took the “violent women” theme and went a different direction with it. It was a delight to dig into Rob Reiner’s Misery with Katie as a result.

Finally, my pick for this week’s Hip Pocket Hall of Fame entry is a film that was a major jump forward for a filmmaker who got his start making women-in-prison films for Roger Corman. I dearly love the 1986 film Something Wild, and hope I’ve done it justice with this piece.

This is a great indication of what kind of guests and conversations we’re having this season. I am delighted by the way the show continues to evolve, and by the way our guests come in ready to play. Our thanks to Katie for taking the time.

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The Hip Pocket is hosted by Drew McWeeny and Aundria Parker.
Craig Ceravolo is the show’s bandleader and producer.
It is a Formerly Dangerous Production.