In 2001, Winona Ryder was arrested for shoplifting clothes at Saks 5th Avenue. This resulted in the creation of a wildly trendy garment - the Free Winona t-shirt. The iconic tee was designed by Billy T @yquetradingpost . Why was the Free Winona fad such a big deal? And why was Winona’s relatively petty theft treated like the crime of the century? Follow Pop Mystery Pod on Twitter, Instagram , and TikTok @popmysterypod Pop Mystery Pod is written and produced by Tess Barker @tesstifybarker. Produc...
Oct 17, 2024•54 min•Ep. 20
In the ‘80s, a gaggle of pop stars pulled an all-nighter to record “We Are the World.” This fever dream of a supergroup hit changed the course of self-serious mega collaborations forever. Comic, writer, and actor Lizzy Cooperman @ lizzycooperman joins host Tess Barker to unpack this beautiful and enigmatic moment. Watch “The Greatest Night in Pop” on Netflix. Follow Pop Mystery Pod on Twitter , Instagram , and TikTok @popmysterypod Pop Mystery Pod is written and produced by Tess Barker @tesstify...
Oct 10, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 19
Special feed drop! Tess has a stand up album coming out! Brandie Posey, creator of Burn This Records and Tess’s “ Lady to Lady” co-host is here with an episode of her podcast “Burn This Podcast” talking to Tess about her album and playing some tracks! “Live from My Birthday Week” is available for purchase or stream everywhere starting 10/4/24. Grab Tess’ album here ! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Oct 03, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 18
How did leading man Richard Gere become the subject of one of the most enduring and absurd rumors of all time? Investigative journalist takes a deep and twisted dive into how and why this story spread before the internet existed? Follow Pop Mystery Pod on Twitter, Instagram , and TikTok @popmysterypod Pop Mystery Pod is written and produced by Tess Barker @tesstifybarker. Produced by Tyler Hill. Theme song by Rick Wood @Rickw00d. Support independent pop journalism and join us on Patreon at Pop M...
Sep 26, 2024•40 min•Ep. 17
There’s something so unsettling about hearing a melody you can’t quite place. Thankfully, the internet is full of “lost media” detectives who sometimes have amazing success at identifying unknown fragments of visual and audio art. Josh Chapdelaine (@ JoshChapdelaine ) joins host Tess Barker to discuss the mystery at the heart of his documentary podcast “Everyone Knows That: The Search for Ulterior Motives.” Follow Pop Mystery Pod on Twitter , Instagram , and TikTok @popmysterypod Pop Mystery Pod...
Sep 19, 2024•59 min•Ep. 16
Avril Lavigne is a grunge pop icon. Or is she? For years, a conspiracy theory has been circulating that the real Avril died shortly after becoming famous, and was replaced by a body double. Joining Tess Barker in this rabbit hole is podcaster Cristen Conger host of “ Conspiracy, She Wrote, ” and “Unladylike.” Follow Pop Mystery Pod on Twitter , Instagram , and TikTok @popmysterypod Pop Mystery Pod is written and produced by Tess Barker @tesstifybarker . Produced by Tyler Hill. Theme song by Rick...
Sep 12, 2024•52 min•Ep. 15
Ten years ago, Buffalo’s beloved NFL cheerleading squad disbanded abruptly. The dismantling of the Buffalo Jills has left this die-hard sports community pointing fingers. Who is really to blame for the disappearance of the Bill’s cheer squad, and why has it still not returned to Buffalo? Tess interviews former Jills cheerleaders Erin Oliver and Lonna Rich ( @glitteryhippie ) about the unexpected history of the Buffalo Jills’ fight for fair working conditions. Follow Pop Mystery Pod on Twitter, I...
Sep 03, 2024•55 min•Ep. 14
Backstreet Boys. Nsync. It’s hard to overstate how larger than life these groups were in the late ‘90s and ‘00s. While millions of girls screamed over these boy bands, though, the guys in the groups were getting royally screwed by the guy who built them: Lou Pearlman. The fraud goes so deep, and gets so weird. Writer and podcaster Dave Holmes @daveholmes of the Homophilia , Who Killed the Video Star , and Waiting for Impact podcasts joins journalist and pop culture junkie Tess Barker for a dive ...
Aug 27, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 13
For better or (more likely) worse, “The Jerry Springer Show” changed television as we know it. Were the guests on this trainwreck real? Or fakers? Investigative journalists Tess Barker parses through Jerry Springer’s improbable life for clues as to how genuine the guests on his show were. Tess is joined by comics Doug Stanhope @dougstanhop e and Terrence Newman @mayorofechopark , who have wild first-hand insights into the veracity of this iconic show. Follow Pop Mystery Pod on Twitter, Instagram...
Aug 20, 2024•43 min•Ep. 12
Darlings, it’s a Vanderpump mystery! Lisa Vanderpump is an OG Housewife and the ruler of her own Bravo empire. She’s also been the victim of many, many fires. Fashion designer and VPR expert Haley Solar @HaleySolar joins investigative journalist and pop culture junkie Tess Barker to chat through the house of smoke and mirrors that is Lisa Vanderpump’s restaurants. Follow Pop Mystery Pod on Twitter , Instagram , and TikTok @popmysterypod Pop Mystery Pod is written and produced by Tess Barker @tes...
Aug 06, 2024•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 11
There’s something unsettling about those “Pass It On” billboards that feature celebrities like Dolly Parton, Whoopi Goldberg, and William Shatner. These ads don’t seem to be selling anything except abstractly positive concepts like perseverance and resilience. But what’s really going on here? Investigative journalist and pop culture junkie uncovers the dark truth behind these seemingly banal signs. Featuring Judd Legum of the Popular Information newsletter. Follow Pop Mystery Pod on Twitter, Ins...
Jul 30, 2024•42 min•Ep. 10
Grab your can of nos, cause we’re revving things up! Journalist, comic, and pop culture junkie Tess Barker welcomes Brandie Posey @brandazzle (Lady to Lady, Burn This Records, Picture This!) to talk through the real-life soap opera that is The Rock’s feud with Vin Diesel. Beefs don’t get much beefier than this. Follow Pop Mystery Pod on Twitter , Instagram , and TikTok @popmysterypod Pop Mystery Pod is written and produced by Tess Barker @tesstifybarker . Produced by Tyler Hill. Theme song by Ri...
Jul 18, 2024•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 9
“Cats” is a musical so ridiculous that it often drives people to anger. So why has this absurd show made so much money, and how does it keep taunting us all with its reemergence into culture? Jellicle journalist, comic, and pop culture junkie Tess Barker is on the case. Featuring interviews with actor Sara Jean Ford (On Broadway: “Phantom of the Opera; “Finian’s Rainbow;” “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying;” “Cats:” ) and musicologist and dramaturg Dr. Lynda Paul (professor, Yale ...
Jul 11, 2024•39 min•Ep. 8
Journalist, comic, and pop culture junkie Tess Barker welcomes Emma Gray @emmaladyrose ( Love to See It podcast, Rich Text newsletter). How much did “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” cast member and Erika Jayne know about her husband, Tom Girardi’s alleged frauds? Tess and Erika sort through the saga of this fallen power couple. Read the LA Times invetsigative piece on Tom and Erika, written by Matt Hamilton and Harriet Ryan here . Watch the doc "The Housewife and the Hustler" on Hulu. Follow P...
Jun 27, 2024•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 7
Journalist, comic, and pop culture junkie Tess Barker unpacks a question that’s been nagging her since the ‘90s: Did someone put dirty jokes into classic Disney movies? How? And why? The search for the truth leads Tess to a place she didn't see coming. Guests include Liz Climo (“The Simpsons,” children’s book author & illustrator), Mike Hollingsworth (“Bo Jack Horseman,” “Tuca and Bertie”), Tom Sito (“The Little Mermaid,” “Who Framed Rodger Rabbit?”, “The Lion King,” “Aladdin,” “Beauty and t...
Jun 20, 2024•48 min•Ep. 6
Journalist, comic, and pop culture junkie Tess Barker invites Danielle Perez @divadelux (Curb Your Enthusiasm, Dicks! The Musical, Spiderverse) onto the show for chat through the surprising way Lindsay Lohan’s party girl phase changed the kombucha industry forever. Follow Pop Mystery Pod on Twitter, Insstagram, and TikTok @popmysterypod Pop Mystery Pod is written and produced by Tess Barker @tesstifybarker. Produced by Tyler Hill. Theme song by Rick Wood @Rickw00d. Support independent pop journa...
Jun 13, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 5
Journalist, comic, and pop culture junkie Tess Barker unpacks the alleged fraudulent actions behind the 2010 hit movie “The Blind Side.” Guests on this episode are Craig Vail, close friend of Michael Oher and Kellie Carter-Jackson @ kcarterjackson , Historian, Award Winning Author, Chair of Africana, Wellesley College. Follow Pop Mystery Pod on Twitter, Insstagram, and TikTok @popmysterypod Pop Mystery Pod is written and produced by Tess Barker @tesstifybarker. Produced by Emma Klein. Theme song...
Jun 06, 2024•45 min•Ep. 4
Journalist, comic, and pop culture junkie Tess Barker invites Babs Gray @babs_gray , her Britney’s Gram and Lady to Lady cohost onto the show for chat through the confounding case of Brittany Murphy’s untimely death. Follow Pop Mystery Pod on Twitter, Insstagram, and TikTok @popmysterypod Pop Mystery Pod is written and produced by Tess Barker @tesstifybarker . Produced by Emma Klein. Theme song by Rick Wood @Rickw00d . Find "What Happened, Brittant Murphy" on Max. Check out the full convo with J...
May 30, 2024•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 3
Journalist, comic, and pop culture junkie Tess Barker delves into the underbelly of “The Bachelor” franchise. She uncovers exclusive information about the show’s inner workings. Guests include former contestant Sydney Lotuaco @sydneylotuaco and Steve Carbone @realitysteve . Follow Pop Mystery Pod on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @popmysterypod Pop Mystery Pod is written and produced by Tess Barker @tesstifybarker . Produced by Emma Klein. Theme song by Rick Wood @Rickw00d . Abigail Keel was a c...
May 22, 2024•50 min•Ep. 2
Investigative journalist and pop star advocate (#FreeBritney),Tess Barker is back on the entertainment beat. In each episode, Tess delves into the annals of pop culture history. She indulges in one of her favorite hobbies - sifting through court documents. She interviews people who actually lived through this pop culture trivia, and unpacks the details with experts. Tess's obsessevive and sometimes comedic reporting style uncovers the truth behind pop culture's most mysterious stories -- things ...
May 16, 2024•2 min•Ep. 1
