Welcome to Bitching & Mourning, the podcast that’s picky about who it grieves. Today, we're discussing when it's actually maybe perfectly OK to speak ill of the dead...and even CELEBRATE their death when it's a pure piece of shitty evil like definitely-still-alive Senator Mitch McConnell and recently dead Senator Lindsey Graham.

Follow Becky: www.deadparentswhatnow.com and @deadparentswhatnow on Instagram and TikTok

Follow Alison: @alisonlzeidman on Instagram and @alisonzeidman/WELCOME TO HELL!!! on Substack

Becky's viral video about Mitch McConnnell referenced in this episode: https://www.instagram.com/p/DagE8kUN3yx/

Molly Robison's music: https://mollyrobsion.bandcamp.com/track/roswell

Molly Robison's band Bittersweet Drive: https://bittersweetdrive.bandcamp.com/album/bittersweet-drive-ep

Welcome to Bitching & Mourning, the grief podcast with dry humor and dryer eyes! Today we're talking about our experiences crying at funerals (or not), the most random things that have triggered our grief, and how/why we process trauma through jokes. Is it because we're soulless and broken? Find out!

Follow Becky: www.deadparentswhatnow.com and @deadparentswhatnow on Instagram and TikTok

Follow Alison: @alisonlzeidman on Instagram and @alisonzeidman/WELCOME TO HELL!!! on Substack

Molly Robison's music: https://mollyrobsion.bandcamp.com/track/roswell

Molly Robison's band Bittersweet Drive: https://bittersweetdrive.bandcamp.com/album/bittersweet-drive-ep

Welcome to Bitching & Mourning, the podcast about grief that requires zero training or IMDB credits! Nicole Kidman is the latest celebrity to express an interest in getting certified as a death doula, following the death of her mother. It seems to be a grief response we're increasingly seeing these days. Becky and Alison examine the trend, talk about Becky's experience getting certified (just one of many things she and Nicole Kidman have in common), and imagine what various celebrities' death doula practices might look like.

Follow Becky: www.deadparentswhatnow.com and @deadparentswhatnow on Instagram and TikTok

Follow Alison: @alisonlzeidman on Instagram and @alisonzeidman/WELCOME TO HELL!!! on Substack

Molly Robison's music: https://mollyrobsion.bandcamp.com/track/roswell

Molly Robison's band Bittersweet Drive: https://bittersweetdrive.bandcamp.com/album/bittersweet-drive-ep

Welcome to Bitching & Mourning, the podcast about grief that got stuck in the "anger" stage of grief and stayed there. Today we're discussing the infamous 5 Stages of Grief. Useful rubric? Crock of shit? Or something in between?

Follow Becky: www.deadparentswhatnow.com and @deadparentswhatnow on Instagram and TikTok

Follow Alison: @alisonlzeidman on Instagram and @alisonzeidman/WELCOME TO HELL!!! on Substack

Molly Robison's music: https://mollyrobsion.bandcamp.com/track/roswell

Molly Robison's band Bittersweet Drive: https://bittersweetdrive.bandcamp.com/album/bittersweet-drive-ep

Welcome to Bitching & Mourning, the podcast about grief that will never ask you to write an obituary using chatGPT. Today we’re talking about how AI proponents are encouraging people to use the technology for all kinds of death & grief stuff, from writing obituaries to pretending to be your dead dad in a therapy session. Yikes!

Sources for this episode:

• ‘The Dead Have Never Been This Talkative’: The Rise of AI Resurrection - Time
• Can Digital Ghosts Help Us Heal? - Scientific American
• AI Is Now Writing Obituaries—and Business Is (Unfortunately) Good - Vice
• Digital Grave-Robbing: How AI Is Plundering Online Obituaries - CNET
• Mother Reportedly Doesn’t Know Her Son Died Because She’s Been Talking to an AI Version of Him - Futurism
• Family shows AI video of slain victim as an impact statement — possibly a legal first - NPR
• How to draft a will to avoid becoming an AI ghost—it’s not easy - Ars Technica

Follow Becky: www.deadparentswhatnow.com and @deadparentswhatnow on Instagram and TikTok

Follow Alison: @alisonlzeidman on Instagram and @alisonzeidman/WELCOME TO HELL!!! on Substack

Molly Robison's music: https://mollyrobsion.bandcamp.com/track/roswell

Molly Robison's band Bittersweet Drive: https://bittersweetdrive.bandcamp.com/album/bittersweet-drive-ep

Welcome to Bitching & Mourning, the podcast about grief that doesn’t feature a somber floral design. Today we’re talking about sympathy cards and why they are so, so bad. Alison and Becky went sympathy card shopping and share their worst finds, then Becky tells us about her very, very academic research into the history.

Follow Becky: www.deadparentswhatnow.com and @deadparentswhatnow on Instagram and TikTok

Follow Alison: @alisonlzeidman on Instagram and @alisonzeidman/WELCOME TO HELL!!! on Substack

Free sympathy cards made by attendees at the 17th Death, Dying & Disposal Conference in Utrecht: https://www.deadparentswhatnow.com/sympathy-cards-free

Molly Robison's music: https://mollyrobsion.bandcamp.com/track/roswell

Molly Robison's band Bittersweet Drive: https://bittersweetdrive.bandcamp.com/album/bittersweet-drive-ep

Sources for sympathy cards info: The New York Times, Hallmark, "Sympathy Cards and Death" by Charles H. Lippy, "Consoling the Bereaved: Exploring How Sympathy Cards Influence What People Say" by Kimberly A. Calderwood and Amy M. Alberton

Welcome to Bitching & Mourning, the podcast about grief that actively encourages laughing at funerals. Today we’re talking about what to do with all the STUFF dead people leave behind. Alison's dad had a secret boat! Becky's dad had basically a whole freaking arsenal! And so much more.

Follow Becky: www.deadparentswhatnow.com and @deadparentswhatnow on Instagram and TikTok

Follow Alison: @alisonlzeidman on Instagram and @alisonzeidman/WELCOME TO HELL!!! on Substack

Molly Robison's music: https://mollyrobsion.bandcamp.com/track/roswell

Molly Robison's band Bittersweet Drive: https://bittersweetdrive.bandcamp.com/album/bittersweet-drive-ep

Becky Robison is a writer who has two dead parents. And Alison Zeidman is a comedian who also has two dead parents!

On Bitching & Mourning, Becky and Alison talk about all the shitty things about death and grieving that don’t really get talked about: the pain-in-the-ass logistics, the petty dramas caused by the living, the times when maybe it’s OK to speak ill of the dead….

Basically, it's a place to air grief grievances.

And if you love someone who’s dead and have ever had to deal with the realities of grieving or handling post-death logistics in modern-day America, then this is the podcast for you.

Coming June 21st (Father's Day!)