The country and blue grass group The Chicks achieved wild success, almost immediately after the release of their album “Wide Open Spaces.” After a handful of years enjoying a fandom across a wide swath of ages and political ideologies, however, The Chicks were the subject of a widespread and passionate boycott.

Tess has been co-hosting the comedy podcast “Lady to Lady” with her partners in mayhem Brandie Posey and Babs Gray for…about as long as podcasts have existed. If you’ve never checked out L2L, this ep with Pop Mystery fave Jackie Zebrowski is a great place to start! (There’s hundreds more where that came from!)  Jackie Zebrowski (@jackthatworm) joins the ladies to talk about gross hair after working out, how no one actually likes camping and getting Botox without being upsold. They then talk about Katy Perry going to space and answer a lady problem about how to get concert tickets! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

‘Tis the season for revisiting childhood memories. In this reissue vault episode,  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?   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 the Beast”), Brenda Chapman (“Brave,” “The Prince of Egypt,” “The Lion King,” “Beauty and the Beast”). Featuring an Animation Guild oral history from Ann Guenther (“Sleeping Beauty,” “Winnie the Pooh,” “Robin Hood,” “The Rescuers.”)  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. Abigail Keel was a consulting producer on this episode.  Clearance Counsel is Dale Nelson and Jacqueline Swett at Donaldson Callif Perez, LLP Support independent pop journalism and join us on Patreon at Pop Mystery Pod. Get access to ad free episodes, bonus content, and polls about upcoming topics. patreon.com/PopMysteryPod Follow Tess’s other podcasts Lady to Lady and Toxic wherever you get your pods.  Make sure to leave us a review! And tell a friend about the show!  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Just when you thought it was safe to go in the water, Steven Spielberg created an opus that absolutely rattled human beings everywhere: “Jaws.” This movie is a horror classic. It’s also a highly misunderstood film that led to serious death and destruction in our oceans, and not at the hands of white sharks.

The Dave Matthews Band has enjoyed a large and loyal following for over 30 years. They are a live performance giant. Perhaps nothing in the band’s long history, however, looms quite as large as one very infamous incident that happened when one of the band’s tour buses, well, dumped on some unsuspecting Chicago tourists.

The guilty pleasure show “Love is Blind,” may feel like a silly love/hate watch, but according to former cast members, the experience working on the show was anything but a joke.

Happy Holiday week everyone! This week we’re visiting the Pop Mystery vault for a look at “Cats” an absurd show that really keeps giving. Highly recommend the movie version for that post-meal fever dream period if your Friendsgivign is cool.  “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 actress 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 University; PhD music history/ethnomusicology/performance studies).  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. Abigail Keel was a consulting producer on this episode.  Special thanks to voice actors Sean Green and Babs Gray.  Clearance Counsel is  Dale Nelson and Jacqueline Swett at Donaldson Callif Perez, LLP Support independent pop journalism and join us on Patreon at Pop Mystery Pod. Get access to ad free episodes, bonus content, and polls about upcoming topics. patreon.com/PopMysteryPod Follow Tess’s other podcasts Lady to Lady and Toxic wherever you get your pods.  Make sure to leave us a review! And tell a friend about the show!  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Bruno Mars is one of the most prolific pop artists of our time. Is he also one of our most degenerate gamblers?

AI “actor” Tilly Norwood made divisive headlines when it was announced that major agencies were circling up to sign the ingenue-looking robot.

Lisa Frank became an absolute 1990s icon among children with her colorful, cheerful cartoon animals. The truth behind the Lisa Frank company, however, is anything but sunshine and rainbows.

Two disgraced superstars. One man who acted for both as their head of security.

A judge has decided how long will Sean Combs will serve for the two counts of transportation for prostitution he’s been accused of.

The footage was silent, but it still felt like a shot heard round the world.

Harrison Ford is a long-time pilot. That doesn’t mean he’s a great one.

TLC was the definitive girl group of the ‘90s. They dominated both the hip hop and pop music scenes. They were pioneers of feminist music and culture. Perhaps no member of TLC embodied the group’s independent ways more than Lisa Left Eye Lopes.

A competitive plastic surgery reality show.

This timeline sucks, yes? This week, we’re doing something a little different, a quick time travel back to the world of September 15, 2003.

In part two of this Mariah tale, we get into the nitty gritty of what actually went down between Mariah Carey and Eminem.

Mariah Carey is, in many ways, a definitive diva. She’s got the pipes, she’s got the style, and the attitude. Behind Mariah’s coy smile and wind blown curls, though, there is a person who has survived extraordinary circumstances.

“Rumors,” is an apropos name for the dream of an album that was born of two and a half couples all sharing a tiny recording studio while actively doing all of the cocaine.