Episodes
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Jen Gerson of “The Line” readily admits to being a mouthy babe, but only when she writes, she insists she is actually shy. Jen says she’s just opinionated, not trying to change anyone’s mind. She argues that’s not a journalist's job, that only activists try to “comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable”. Well, call us afflicted! Her writing makes us think.
Jen has written for The New York Times, The Economist, Macleans, the National Post and The Globe and Mail. Now, she co-hosts “The Line” on Substack with Matt Gurney, and is writing a book about the Satanic Panic! We ask her about the Q-Anon Satanic cult accusations now being slung at the Democrats, and the ongoing attraction of moral panics and conspiracy theories. It seems we eat up all the sex and violence. Amongst all of this, we talk about the changing views on immigration, and how it’s catnip for both Justin Trudeau and Pierre Poilievre.
You should subscribe to The Line's Substack, and their podcast.
You can watch this episode on YouTube.
A Transcription of this episode is located on our episode page.
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You know you know Michaela Watkins, but you may not know why. Then you remember (or are told) that she’s been in over a hundred sitcoms, dramas and comedies, including a 2 year stint on SNL. And then you remember that you love her, and when you see her latest movie, Suze, you’ll remember why. In Suze, Michaela plays a woman who once wanted more for herself and sets about reclaiming it, with the help of her daughter’s abandoned boyfriend (played by up and coming Canadian actor Charlie Gillespie).
Like Suze, Michaela is a woman whose long overdue time has come. We talk about how she so often plays the friend or the sister to the main character (like her real life pal Julia Louis Dreyfus.) How important kindness becomes as you get older. Coping with menopause, oh, and the trails and tribulations of having ADHD, or working with someone who does. Ahem.
Suze is available on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.
A Transcription of this episode is located on our episode page.
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If you would like to support the show, we do have partner opportunities available. Please email Wendy and Maureen at [email protected]
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Missing episodes?
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Ron Sexsmith says “I’m not really shy, I’m just Canadian”. He’s a singer-songwriter who has never had a top 40 hit, is not rich, but is deeply admired by the people he admires most. Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, Elvis Costello, and Gordon Lightfoot, are all, were all, huge fans. Sexmsith’s songs, like “Secret Heart”, have been performed by everyone from Rod Stewart to Feist to Nick Lowe.We spoke to him as he was about to headline at Toronto’s storybook Massey Hall. When Ron was a kid and couldn’t afford a ticket, he’d hang outside to see his heroes, now he’s on the same stage. There’s no Taylor Swift action, but if you look carefully, he does move his hips!
And Ron is happy. He left the bright lights of Toronto and moved to Stratford where he just recorded his 18th album, “The Vivian Line”. Ron’s wife Colleen had to plug in his computer, but you should see him on Twitter/X. The puns are excruciatingly funny, or maybe just excruciating!
You can listen to his new album HERE on any one of the many ways to get music these days.
You can watch this episode on YouTube.
A Transcription of this episode is located on our episode page.
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If you would like to support the show, we do have partner opportunities available. Please email Wendy and Maureen at [email protected]
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Award-winning director and cinematographer Dianne Whelan does not choose easy topics. She’s made docs about Mount Everest, and the Arctic, but this one, about being the first to tackle the whole Trans Canada Trail, takes the cake. Or in this case, the reheated oatmeal. Dianne has called her new documentary “500 Days in the Wild”, because that was the plan, to travel from St. John’s NL. to Victoria B.C., 24 thousand miles in 500 days. Only it took 6 years.
Dianne burnt the original schedule and gave in to a harrowing, grueling, and heart-warming adventure. She began the trek disheartened and disillusioned, her marriage was over, her beloved dog had died, and the world was getting scary. On the trip, she fell in love, learned how people can be extraordinarily kind, and she survived. She came close but was not mauled to death by a bear, her canoe did not get swamped. The doc has stunning shots from across Canada, but what sticks is her confirmation that we are not in charge.
You can watch this episode on YouTube.
A Transcription of this episode is located on our episode page.
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If you would like to support the show, we do have partner opportunities available. Please email Wendy and Maureen at [email protected]
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What IS the deal with boobs? Our preoccupation with women’s breasts isn’t just sexual, it’s social, historical, political and economic. No one knew that better than Carol Doda, a dancer and cocktail waitress, who, 60 years ago, dared to bare her nipples atop a baby grand piano as it descended from the ceiling of the Condor, a San Francisco nightclub. Somehow, it changed everything. Far from being exploited sex workers, Carol and her colleagues saw themselves as the harbingers of a revolution. Maybe so, but they paid dearly for it, submitting themselves not only to the male gaze, but the liquid silicone injections that assured it.
Carol Doda Topless at the Condor is a documentary set against the backdrop of the 1964 Republican National Convention, where the clash of values and emergence of a new sexual freedom were felt around the world. Filmmakers Marlo McKenzie and Jonathan Park join us to talk about the excitement and yes, the innocence of a time where a woman could have such an impact just by taking off her top.
You Can watch this episode on YouTube.
A Transcription of this episode is located on our episode page.
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If you would like to support the show, we do have partner opportunities available. Please email Wendy and Maureen at [email protected]
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When Tassie Cameron first saw the opening credits for Law and Order Toronto: Criminal Intent, complete with the iconic DUN DUN sound effect, she felt a shiver up her spine. It was Cameron who was entrusted with the legendary series’ first foray beyond American borders, serving as show runner and head writer for the Canadian franchise. Tassie says Toronto is a natural fit, with its diverse population, distinct neighbourhoods and yes, rampant crime scene. There are differences, however, in our criminal justice system, and those can pose a challenge, along with the demanding responsibility to get the show right.
Tassie Cameron has a shiny resume, having written and produced a slew of award winning TV series such as Pretty Hard Cases, Flashpoint, Rookie Blue and Degrassi: The Next Generation. The daughter of crime reporter Stevie Cameron, Tassie grew up with the need to know whydunit as much as who. We talk about crime and corruption, using a Canadian cast and crew, and how Toronto is finally ready for its close-up.
You Can watch this episode on YouTube.
A Transcription of this episode is located on our episode page.
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If you would like to support the show, we do have partner opportunities available. Please email Wendy and Maureen at [email protected]
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It felt like Old Home Week. A few years ago Tracy Dawson was on the CTV comedy show The Dish Show, co-hosted by you know who. Yes, of course, it was Mo. And Tracy is still tempting trouble, mouthing off and cracking jokes, only now she’s in L.A. She’s a comedy writer who’s just written her first book, “ Let Me Be Frank: A Book About Women Who Dressed Like Men To Do Sh**t They Weren’t Supposed To Do”.
Tracy got inspired after being told the TV shows she wanted to write for had “no female needs”! There may have been F-words expressed, but she’s a comedian, so the book is very funny. She is now working on a screen adaptation. We talk about how women can crack jokes, even if they wear pants with zippers in the front instead of in the back. Turns out front zippers were once for men only! Tracy is a writer, comedian and actress, who won a Gemini for her role in "Call Me Fitz" and has sold several TV projects in Canada and the U.S. She started at Second City in Toronto.
You Can watch this episode on YouTube.
A Transcription of this episode is located on our episode page.
We love writing and would love for you to read what we write. Sign Up for our Substack Newsletter.
If you would like to support the show, we do have partner opportunities available. Please email Wendy and Maureen at [email protected]
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Why does the serious man movie always get the nod? On the eve of the Oscars, Johanna Schneller says some things don’t change. Hence Oppenheimer getting the glory and Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie getting snubbed. Wendy and Mo have different thoughts on the movie, but really? Barbie was huge! We talk to Johanna about Girl Power, why we love celebrities, and why Mean Girls may go on forever. But don’t worry, there are lots of reveals about getting famous people to open up.
Johanna is one of the top entertainment journalists in the world. We read her in the Globe & Mail, but also Vanity Fair, GQ, IN Style. She’s profiled Brad Pitt, Robert Downey Jr., Liam Neeson, Julia Roberts. She’s a screenwriter, with 4 major adapted screenplays, hosted The Filmmakers for CBC and TVO’s Saturday Night at the Movies! She’s co-written books about Toronto mayor Rob Ford, and transgender cyclist Kristen Worley. And, most recently The Last Doctor: Lessons in Living from the Front Lines of Medical Assistance in Dying. Johanna is married to writer Ian Brown, they have two children, including their son Walker, who was born with a rare and serious genetic disorder.
You Can watch this episode on YouTube.
A Transcription of this episode is located on our episode page.
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If you would like to support the show, we do have partner opportunities available. Please email Wendy and Maureen at [email protected]
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38 albums in, most of them gold or platinum, Bruce Cockburn is still Kicking at the Darkness. He’s a legendary singer-songwriter-activist who’s won 13 Juno awards, and is now heading out on tour with his latest, “O Sun, O Moon”, where he sings “In my soul, I’m on a roll”.
Now 78, Bruce is still trying to make the world a better place. We talk about the one time “the suits” got a say (Franklin the Turtle lyrics ), about others having hits with his songs (Lovers in a Dangerous Time), and the story behind his signature round glasses!
Bruce tells us he wondered if he was lacking the proper paternity gene, as he didn’t get to be around much for his first daughter. Now he has a second, and he’s become a US citizen to be with her and her mom in San Francisco. We were worried, him being a Canadian icon and all, but he’s kept his Canadian citizenship.
You Can watch this episode on YouTube.
A Transcription of this episode is located on our episode page.
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If you would like to support the show, we do have partner opportunities available. Please email Wendy and Maureen at [email protected]
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Measha Brueggergosman-Lee is a diva in the true sense of the word: a famous female opera star, with all the fierce discipline and flair for drama that that entails. But Measha is also a mother, a wife, a memoirist, a 7th generation Canadian descended from Black loyalists, on her way to finishing a Masters degree in practical theology. She does everything wholeheartedly, which is all the more inspiring when you know her experience with cardiovascular disease, undergoing open-heart surgery not once but twice. Who better to be our guest this week, as February is not only Black History Month, but Heart Month as well?
Measha was born in New Brunswick, and now makes her home in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia. Currently Artist in Residence with Opera Atelier, Measha has just released an album called Zombie Blizzard, featuring concert arias by Aaron Davis and Margaret Atwood. We talk about love, faith, honesty, race, health, and showing your scars .Measha Brueggergosman-Lee: both her heart and her names go on and on.
You Can watch the recording of the show on YouTube.
You can find a transcription of the show on our episode page.
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Is being a woman just like in the ads? Blood is blue, and we all need supplements that make us smell like a pina colada? Jennifer Gunter is a Canadian gynecologist who also writes for the New York Times, hosts a podcast, and has written several bestselling books: The Vagina bible, The Menopause Manifesto, and now: BLOOD, The Science, Medicine and Mythology of Menstruation. She lives and practices in California, but her new book is the #1 bestseller in Canada.
There’s lots of science, as she says, “Come for the sex, stay for the science”, but Gunter is also a myth-buster. She takes on GOOP, patriarchal thinking, and naturopaths. Wait til you hear what she says about the hymen! We talk about her new book, but also how we need more knowledge and appreciation, not just more supplements!
You Can watch this episode on YouTube.
A Transcription of this episode is located on our episode page.
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Alan Doyle says the best part of leaving, is coming home. And home is Newfoundland. His elders voted to keep Newfoundland a country, but they lost the 1949 referendum and joined Canada. Alan is the first generation Canadian in his family. We talk about his love of touring, of music, of acting beside Russell Crowe, and partying in pubs. Alan plans to keep performing forever. Why, he asks, would one ever retire?
We tried to get him to confess to being secretly unhappy. It didn’t work. His new album is a bit more country, much more intimate, and he dares us to find his actual confessions in the songs. Still, it’s the good times, the old songs and sounds, that keep him going. After years of performing with Great Big Sea, he’s got a new band and a new album, called of course, “Welcome Home”.
You can watch the episode on YouTube
A Transcription is available on the episode page
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Molly McGlynn has a lot to distinguish her: an accomplished writer and director, her first feature film Mary Goes Round won multiple awards at all the cool festivals, and she’s written for TV shows like Workin’ Moms, The Wonder Years and Grace and Frankie. Molly’s latest feature film, however, is a semi-autobiographical account of a teenager who discovers she was born wth a rare disorder called MRKH syndrome, which impacts the development of the uterus, cervix and vagina, and is sometimes classified as intersex.Hence, Fitting In, starring dance phenom Maddie Ziegler and Schitt’s Creek actor Emily Hampshire, an extremely personal story about coping with the surprises our bodies can throw at us. We talk about Molly’s own experience, the dark humour that pervades it, and what’s involved in building your own vagina.
See the Trailer here!
Fitting In is set for theatrical release in February 2024.
A video version of this episode here.
A Transcription can be found on the episode page here.
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If you would like to support the show, we do have partner opportunities available. Please email Wendy and Maureen at [email protected]
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When she was 26, Emily O’Brien, a promising young woman (as they say) from Hamilton, Ontario made a really bad judgment call, and was sentenced to 4 years in prison for drug smuggling. That could have been the end of her story, as it is for so many, but Emily, given lemons, decided to turn them into lemon (and pepper and dill) flavoured popcorn.
While still incarcerated, Emily started Comeback Snacks, a gourmet popcorn business that allowed her to not only reinvent her own life, but those of some of her fellow inmates.Not only does Comeback Snacks offer truly delicious popcorn, but, through its partnerships with organizations like the John Howard and Elizabeth Fry Societies, it provides opportunities to people with criminal backgrounds to reintegrate and start anew. We talk with Emily about the arrest that changed her life, her time in prison, and her newfound mission.
Comeback Snacks - popcorn so good it’s criminal - is carried in over 200 stores, and can be ordered at https://comebacksnacks.com/shop.
A video version of this episode here.
A Transcription can be found on the episode page here.
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If you would like to support the show, we do have partner opportunities available. Please email Wendy and Maureen at [email protected]
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Andrea Werhun embraces being called a whore. But she’s really about work, about making money, about boundaries, and yes, having a good time. She’s also an activist who is tired of feeling sex workers should be ashamed. Andrea was an escort and then a stripper for several years. She’s now published a glossy memoir full of naughty pictures and stories and is about to star in a movie about her life. Ok, she’s in her 30’s! Mo and Wendy have issues with creeps, violence, and hygiene, but we sure support rights for all. We talk about generational differences, the need for more protection and less shame, Andrea’s partner, her mother, and the Johns. (The creeps and not creeps).Andrea Werhun is a writer, a comedian, and now an actor. She and Nicole Bazuin have just published “Modern Whore” with Penguin Random House. It’s about to be a major motion picture.
You Can watch the episode on YouTube here.
A transcription of the episode is available here.
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Happy New Year! According to Hello magazine, this is Pamela Anderson’s year! Or did they mean last year? Either way, we are witnessing a turning point in the life of our favourite Canadian bombshell. Yes, she has moved back to Vancouver Island, and Pamela has not one but two new TV shows, but she’s been making headlines - actual headlines - for daring to go bare. Faced, that is. So we talk about that, and how, despite all the lessons she has supposedly learned, through her activism, her five marriages and two grown children, she still gives herself over to wild abandon.Pamela Anderson is a legend, from the day she was “discovered” in the audience at a BC Lions game, to the pages of Playboy, to a bit part on Home Improvement to the whole Baywatch phenomenon. Then came the marriages, including one to Tommy Lee, and the whole sex tape fiasco. Throughout it all, Pamela has stood up for her beliefs: animal rights, AIDS research, anti-pornography, the support of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. Now she’s writing, gardening and cooking just like us! But not like us, because, make-up or no, she’s still PAMELA ANDERSON!.
This episode is supported by Mave & Chez where you can get 10% off with the promo code WOIR at check out.
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Join Maureen & Wendy for a special year-end episode celebrating the first full year of Women of Ill Repute! In honour of the fine guests who've graced us with their presence on the show, the Women of Ill Repute go through some of their favourite highlights from this year, such as Rick Mercer, Mary Berg, Marilyn Denis, Colin Mochrie and many others.
Cozy up by the fire, grab a glass of wine, and come celebrate A Year of Ill Repute!
A transcription is available here.
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We’re not saying emotions aren’t real, or valid, but might they also just be … digestive issues? That’s one of Cat Alvarado’s theories. Cat is not a dietician. She’s a comedian, a self-styled Latina misfit, and a former teen bride (which she says may have happened on a sugar high). We talk about getting kicked out of church, reconciling sexuality with spirituality, and the acceptable number of people one can admit to sleeping with.
Cat Alvarado has over 2 million views on YouTube’s Reel Rejects, was featured on Buzzfeed’s Tasty Channel, as well as the PBS show First Nations Comedy Experience. She hosts the comedy podcast Villains of History @villainsofhistory and has performed at some of the top comedy festivals in North America. Her debut album Off-White is available on Spotify.
You can watch the episode here on YouTube.
A transcription is available here.
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If you would like to support the show, we do have partner opportunities available. Please email Wendy and Maureen at [email protected]
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Can you be a vegan, a plus-size designer, and a feminist? Hilary MacMillan says of course! She also says age, size, old viewpoints begone, that Mo and Wendy can wear see-through clothes if they want to. (We don’t) Even the dreaded leopard print. It’s back! We talk about Barbie, cute cows, and super thin models. And we reveal more secrets…check us out!
Hilary MacMillan is a Canadian who designs contemporary cruelty-free clothes, which means no fur, no leather, no silk or wool. Her designs are full of stylish alternatives, styles and patterns. And they are available in sizes XS -4X. She has her own eponymous brand.
You can watch this episode here.
A transcription is available here.
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If you would like to support the show, we do have partner opportunities available. Please email Wendy and Maureen at [email protected]
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It’s real! After a year of trying we finally got Carolyn Taylor to come on the podcast. She was one of the Baronesses on the comedy series Baroness Von Sketch, very funny: perfect! But her excuse for delaying us seemed like a joke. She said she was gonna be busy doing a TV series about choreographing an Olympic level pairs skating routine to Whitney Houston’s hit “I Have Nothing”. Ya, sure. Carolyn’s a comedian, who didn’t know how to skate, let alone how to choreograph a skating routine.
Only now, she’s done it. And "I Have Nothing" is so good, Mo cried. And then laughed. We talk about the crazy pitch process, personal obsessions, and how we all now love the Olympic medalist David Pelletier. The series is funny and real. Mostly, we talked about the importance of trying even if it means humiliation and exhaustion. The series runs now on Crave.
You can watch the recording of this episode here
You can view a transcript of the episode here.
We love writing and would love for you to read what we write. Sign Up for our Substack Newsletter.
If you would like to support the show, we do have partner opportunities available. Please email Wendy and Maureen at [email protected]
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices - Show more
