Lena and Alissa discuss Marie Antoinette, the last queen of France before the French revolution and cultural symbol of royal excess. In this episode: Marie Antoinette’s marriage as an adolescent, her iconic pouf hairstyle, and the series of events that would make her France’s public enemy No. 1.

This episode was first published on 09/30/2021.

Vanessa Marquez was an actress best known for her role as Nurse Wendy on ER. Later, she would appear on the reality television show Intervention, which showcased her shopping addiction and agoraphobia. During #metoo, she spoke out about sexual harassment on set. Lena and Alissa discuss how past trauma impacts health, Vanessa’s prolific online posts, and police brutality.

This episode was first published on 08/19/2021.

In Part 2, Lena and Alissa unpack the years leading up to Amy Winehouse’s death in 2011. They discuss rehab, bad boyfriends, and the 27 club.

This episode was first published on 08/05/2021.

Recognized for her singular voice and iconic beehive, Amy Winehouse became a near-instant music legend as well as a tabloid mainstay in the 2000s. On the 10th anniversary of her death, Lena and Alissa discuss the singer-songwriter’s precocious talent, her rebellious teen years, and the start to a bad romance that would fuel her later work as well as her addictions.

This episode was first published on 07/22/2021.

Nancy Spungen was a groupie and major figure of the 1970’s punk rock scene. Her tumultuous relationship with Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols became so infamous that “Sid and Nancy” has become a moniker for bad romances. Their relationship was characterized by drug abuse, violence, and codependence, and ended with Nancy’s murder in their shared hotel room. In this episode, Lena and Alissa discuss the controversies surrounding Nancy’s death, her early years as a bad teenager, and being labeled “annoying.”

This episode was first published on 07/08/2021.

In part two of Frances Farmer’s story, Lena and Alissa examine Frances’ later years out of the spotlight, her battles with addiction, and the posthumous repackaging of her legacy.

This episode was first published on 06/24/2021.

Although Frances Farmer was a star of Hollywood’s “Golden Era” and an intellectual powerhouse in her own right, her achievements have been overshadowed by myths surrounding her public struggles with mental health. Her periods in psychiatric hospitals and involuntary confinement have entered pop culture lore, immortalized by everyone from Jessica Lange to Kurt Cobain. In the first of two parts, Lena and Alissa consider Frances’s early rebellious years, her ascent to fame, and the relationships that shaped her burgeoning career.

This episode was first published on 06/10/2021.

Before Bai Ling was labeled a “wacktress” by the tabloids, she was a prolific actress best known in the U.S. for her role in the cult classic, The Crow. Her wacky behavior and soundbites about living on the moon made her a frequent character of the early 2000s press. In this episode, Lena and Alissa unpack Bai’s childhood in Mao Zedong’s China, her ascent as an American star, her iconic stint on Celebrity Rehab, and the myths about Asian-American womanhood that continue to saturate the public’s perception about her.

This episode was first published on 05/27/2021.