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Dead and Kind of FamousEsoteric Escapades: Holly Woodlawn Part 2Send us a text From streetwalking to a pseudo housewife life, this episode is a journey in and of itself. Holly sold her body, slept on the subway, and even suffered from "streetwalking pneumonia". But she survived. She also met her future Warhol Factory counterparts, Candy Darling and Jackie Curtis, and found herself in a very serious relationship with a straight man who made the mistake of gifting her a Macy's credit card. This isn't a tidy origin story. In fact, it's wildly messy and kind of terrifying. But it is in this episode that Ho...
2025-12-151h 18Dead and Kind of FamousLightning Bolts and Shaved Legs: Holly Woodlawn Part 1Send us a textA lightning strike beside a soda machine. A pair of freshly shaved legs in a roadside motel. A runaway from Miami who would become the source of the first verse of Lou Reed's Walk on the Wild Side. She was a Warhol Superstar, trans icon, and hilarious writer as exemplified in her autobiography, A Lowlife in High Heels. This is the origin story of Holly Woodlawn—born in Puerto Rico, raised between San Juan, New York, and Miami Beach—and this episode traces how glamour became both her shield and her signa...
2025-11-231h 16Dead and Kind of FamousThe Gregarious Aquarius : Carroll RighterSend us a textWe're back, baby! Season 2 of Dead and Kind of Famous is here for you so that you can continue to joyfully think about graveyards even though Halloween has passed. And catch up with Marissa and Courtney about how they're adjusting to living across the country from one another.But today, we're talking about Carroll Righter, "reader to the stars" and astrological legend who made horoscopes mainstream. Although he had many a celebrity client, he could never remember their names and often would refer to people as "Mr. Taurus" or "Ms. Libra"...
2025-11-041h 23Dead and Kind of FamousCemetery Kisses and Peacocks: A Season 1 FinaleSend us a textToday we bid adieu to Season 1! Join us as we visit the Hollywood Forever Cemetery to pay tribute to Season 1's final featured individuals (Tomata du Plenty and Maila Nurmi) and share some significant personal news as Courtney announces her upcoming move to Minnesota. To see our other grave offerings for Season 1, check out our instagram or substack!In short order, we do all of the following in this episode:• Record from a bench in Hollywood Forever Cemetery on a cloudy day surrounded by peacocks• Announce that the podc...
2025-05-0951 minDead and Kind of FamousPunk to Paint: Tomata Du Plenty Part 2Send us a textSpoiler alert!!! - Tomata keeps doin' stuff in this episode. Our deep dive into his life reveals an artist who refused to be defined by any single medium, constantly evolving from drag performer to punk rock icon to folk artist without ever losing his authenticity.When a broken leg temporarily halted Tomata's performance career in 1983, he discovered a children's paint kit in an alley and began creating art. That same year, he received an HIV diagnosis – a death sentence in the 1980s. Yet instead of despair, he saw synchronicity and opportunity, lau...
2025-04-1459 minDead and Kind of FamousLet's Do Things: Tomata Du Plenty Part 1Send us a textAt the intersection of drag theater, punk rock innovation, and fearless artistic evolution stands David Xavier Harrigan - better known to those in-the-know as Tomato DePlenty. From his early days with the revolutionary Cockettes (described by John Waters as "insane hippie drag queens" creating "complete sexual anarchy"), to founding Ze Whiz Kidz in Seattle, to pioneering synthesizer-based punk with The Screamers, Tomato consistently positioned himself at the cutting edge of artistic movements.What makes Tomato's story so compelling isn't just his artistic versatility - it's his uncanny ability to b...
2025-03-271h 00Dead and Kind of FamousPunk Vampira: Maila Nurmi Part 4Send us a textWell, here it is. The final installment of our four part series on Maila Nurmi. Maila didn’t get all she deserved in her life and she never really reaped the benefits of her creations. But the life she lived was full of adventure, fascination, excitement and in many ways, love. In this particular episode, we explore her final romances, alleged marriages and marriages of convenience. We also dig into her lasting friendships (including Marlon Brando) and her counterculture grandmother relationship to the punk musicians of the late 70s and 80s. We all ne...
2025-02-271h 26
Trashy DivorcesWe Think You'll Like: Dead and Kind of FamousCheck out of the noise of the world with a podcast covering people who've already checked out - but had their own brushes with fame before they went. Dead and Kind of Famous is a delightful new podcast from Courtney Blomquist (not famous) and Marissa Rivera (kind of famous) that examines the lives of the people who reside at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. But these aren't the interred A-listers like Judy Garland and Burt Reynolds. These are the other people, the ones who pressed up against fame but never quite got their feet on it, and whose stories are...
2025-02-1608 minTrashy DivorcesWe Think You'll Like: Dead and Kind of FamousCheck out of the noise of the world with a podcast covering people who've already checked out - but had their own brushes with fame before they went. Dead and Kind of Famous is a delightful new podcast from Courtney Blomquist (not famous) and Marissa Rivera (kind of famous) that examines the lives of the people who reside at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. But these aren't the interred A-listers like Judy Garland and Burt Reynolds. These are the other people, the ones who pressed up against fame but never quite got their feet on it, and whose stories are...
2025-02-1606 minDead and Kind of FamousPost Vampira: Maila Nurmi Part 3Send us a textJust when Maila’s career was starting to run out of steam, some luck with Liberace kept her in the spotlight for a time. But this was quickly followed by bad decisions, bad boys and a very bad movie called Plan 9 from Outer Space. Pop in those ear buds, friend. You don’t want to miss this.Links from the show:https://youtu.be/alPPXVJA4Kw?si=K0PQr8H7zHZCKA1x https://youtu.be/wtPgPYwtBhs
2025-02-131h 19Dead and Kind of FamousWe Love You, Los Angeles: Remembering the Victims of the FiresSend us a textThis podcast is all about making sure that the stories of Hollywood’s dead never die, and after this absolutely horrific week, we need to do just that in our own small way. Thank you to all of the firefighters, volunteers, loving citizens of Los Angeles, and people helping from afar. Humanity is the only thing that can save us in these dark times. Below you’ll find the links to the Los Angeles Times article that we referenced and used as a source for this episode in addit...
2025-01-1614 minDead and Kind of FamousPrime Vampira: Maila Nurmi Part 2Send us a textAs we unravel the layers of Vampira's gothic charm, we celebrate her unique blend of dark humor and magnetic persona that captivated 1950s audiences. Picture her cruising Sunset Boulevard in full vampire regalia, her chilling scream echoing through the night—a scene that marked her groundbreaking show, Nightmare Attic. We reminisce about her vibrant friendships with Hollywood's misfits, including the infamous James Dean, and explore how their shared fascination with the macabre defined an unforgettable era in Hollywood's history.But beyond the allure and glamour lies a story of personal and pr...
2025-01-021h 39Dead and Kind of FamousPre-Vampira: Maila Nurmi Part 1Send us a textGet ready to unravel the journey of a remarkable woman who bucked the expectations of her time at every turn. Maila Nurmi (better known as Vampira) was really and truly the original mistress of the night.As we take a look at her early years, we can see that dichotomy was always present for her. Her father was a teetotaler, while her mother was an alcoholic. She loved beauty, but she also gravitated towards darkness. Maila's path was anything but conventional, and through her trials and triumphs, we highlight a narrative...
2024-11-281h 35Dead and Kind of FamousRags to Rainbow: Toto (Terry) the DogSend us a textDid you know that Toto was a lil lady pup named Terry who used to pee on the rug? Well in this episode, Toto tells ALL. And she tells it in first person! Our main source for this episode was an adorable book called I, Toto, which was written by Willard Caroll after he discovered a scrapbook that shed light on Terry's life and featured her favorite cheddar biscuit recipes. Happenstance led to Toto becoming the family dog of famed dog trainer, Carl Spitz, who taught Toto every trick in the b...
2024-11-141h 03Dead and Kind of FamousNo More Bad Vibes: Christopher Jones Part 2Send us a textToday, we return to the complex story of Christopher Jones and explore his final "lost years" after he turned his back on Hollywood in the height of his fame. We unwind the tangled web of his life, from his alleged romance with Sharon Tate amidst Italian film sets, to his eerie ties with the infamous Cielo Drive. As we reflect on Jones' troubled final years, we ponder the profound impact of personal tragedies, such as the deaths of Sharon Tate and Jim Morrison, on his mental health and eventual withdrawal from pu...
2024-10-311h 05Dead and Kind of FamousCheekbones and Demons: Christopher Jones Part 1Send us a textWhat if the ghost of James Dean haunted an actor's career? Christopher Jones, a man forever overshadowed by his uncanny resemblance to the rebel icon, lived a life that was as electrifying as it was cursed. Jones's journey through the swinging '60s is a cocktail of passion and paranoia, particularly in his tumultuous relationship with Susan Strasberg. Throughout the episode, we navigate Jones's on-screen triumphs and setbacks, from his role in the cult classic "Wild in the Streets" to the challenging production of "Ryan's Daughter," which saw director...
2024-10-171h 22Dead and Kind of FamousIntroducing: Dead and Kind of FamousSend us a textHave you ever strolled through a graveyard and felt a sudden wave of curiosity about the people resting beneath the headstones? Especially the one’s featuring a mysteriously unrecognizable yet glamorous headshot? If you’ve ever been to Los Angeles’s most iconic cemetery, Hollywood Forever, then you know the type. And on their new podcast, Dead and Kind of Famous, hosts Courtney Blomquist and Marissa Rivera will be focusing on the graves of the, well… dead and kind of famous folks that are laid to rest there. A seasoned actress who’s bee...
2024-10-0305 minDead and Kind of FamousBon Vivant: Baron Clement Von FranckensteinSend us a textEver wondered what it takes to be dubbed a Hollywood bon vivant? Join us as we kick off "Dead and Kind of Famous" with the eccentric and flamboyant life of Baron Clement von Frankenstein. We'll take you through our amusing adventure in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, where we use Find a Grave to track down the baron's final resting place. Marissa and Courtney share their first impressions of his marble tombstone, the origin of his captivating surname, and even improvise an obituary that will leave you in stitches. From youthful escapades a...
2024-10-0358 min
Crime SaladUnfathomable - The Tragic Case of Ryan WallerImagine for a second that you're being interrogated for murder. Your girlfriend's murder, to be precise. But you're having a hard time grasping that she even died. Your memory of what happened, or even your memory of your girlfriend's age and last name are blurry at best. The words you want to say aren't coming out right, and the determined detective sitting across from you won't let up. You're trying to cooperate, but your head is THROBBING with pain and your eye is swollen shut and bleeding. Because you've been shot in the head twice and survived it, only...
2022-08-0334 min
Culturally Cancelled with Russell Peters"Lasagna Straps" (w/ Wendy Liebman & Courtney Blomquist)NEW EPISODE! Today's episode was a real pleasure for me, because I got to sit down with a friend and fellow comedian of mine who I truly admire, Wendy Liebman. The queen of the left turn punchline, Wendy has been in the game for over 30 years now. Despite that, she just now feels like she's finding her voice, because comedy is always an ever evolving process. We're also joined by my producer, Courtney, who's sitting in on her birthday! We talk pet peeves, musicals, and about how age is the one thing you can't really change. I love a...
2021-08-052h 06
Dive Bar ComedyHave Mic, Will TravelComedians Martin Morrow, Linda Camacho, Susie Sitcom, Courtney Blomquist, Funky Sam Medina, and Jeffrey Weinstein promote standup shows across the USA and Canada. Hosted by Wild Jo, Carol Newell, and emcee Mista See.
2021-06-111h 40Dive Bar ComedyMental Health NightComics talk about things their therapists don’t want to hear in this slightly neurotic episode of Dive Bar Comedy. Hosted by Wild Jo, Carol Newell, and Mista See, with standup comedians Casey McNeal, Jason Borland, Linda Marcus Smith, Cynthia Delgado, and Courtney Blomquist.
2021-03-121h 15
In Common057: Groundwater Governance with Bill BlomquistIn this episode, Courtney speaks with Bill Blomquist, a Professor of Political Science at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) and a fellow at the Ostrom Workshop. We explore Bill's ground-breaking and decade-spanning research into California groundwater governance. We talk about Bill's work tracking the evolution of groundwater policy and institutions, the unique theoretical insights we can learn about natural resource governance from California's most recent groundwater experiment, the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, and finally we end with some reflections on Bill's time working with the Ostrom Workshop.
If you'd like to dig a little deeper into the content Bill discusses i...
2020-12-211h 04
You Had Me at RomComLove ActuallyOn this episode, Chloe, Jessica and guest Courtney Blomquist attempt to navigate the many vignettes of Love Actually! And oh boy is there a lot to get through: an uncomfortable wedding video, Emma Thompson’s heartbreaking performance plus so much workplace sexual harassment! Merry Christmas!
2020-12-181h 40Dive Bar ComedyNo Filter StandupFeaturing outrageous standup and conversation with comics Wild Jo, Carol Newell, Pete D'Alessandro, Courtney Blomquist, Greg Brent, No Filter Paul, and emcee Mista See.
2020-10-301h 12Dive Bar ComedyComics Talk Romance and IntimacyWild Jo and Mista See celebrate Dive Bar Comedy’s 100th episode with comedians Martin Morrow, Courtney Blomquist, Ben Rosen, Dana Olita, Paul Green, Greg Brent, and Carol Newell. Comics talk romance and intimacy during the social distancing era.
2020-07-151h 35Dive Bar ComedyComics Talk Shop about SocksThis week, Wild Jo and Mista See chat with comedians Martin Morrow, Aaron Michael Marsh, Suwon Weaver, Courtney Blomquist, and Carol Newell. They discuss the finer points of masturbating with socks, then hear guests' latest outrageous standup sets. Join the live stream on Facebook @DiveBarComedy every Tuesday at 9pm pacific.
2020-05-131h 22Dive Bar ComedyGeezer, Ben Rosen, Pete Alessandro, Courtney BlomquistHosts Wild Jo and Mista See are joined by a zany mix of underground comedians with standup and interviews by Geezer, Ben Rosen, Pete Alessandro, and Courtney Blomquist.
2020-03-1855 minDive Bar ComedyGT's Last Show, Part 2In Part 2 of GT's last ever show, he is joined by Wild Jo and emcee Mista See, along with comics Ken Mottard, Emily James, Courtney Blomquist.
2020-02-121h 00