Shows
Dead 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...2025-02-1606 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/wtPgPYwtBhs2025-02-131h 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 22