Low Culture Boil

"It's a party in my mouth...and everyone's invited!" a wise man once said, probably drinking a White Claw. Yes, folks, Team LCB is taking on our bubbly, boozy beverages. They tackle the particulars of what makes this new wave of effervescent ecstasy so blandly appealing, why millenials are so fond of it, the heroic predecessors like Zima, and a surprisingly well-unionized industry. Become a trash...

The girls delve into the history of America's dumbest decoration and try to answer the age-old question: are you a worse person if you have bumper stickers? Become a trash patron today! www.patreon.com/lowcultureboil

Gordon Ramsay: Arbiter of Justice, or merely a Belligerent Briton? The full crew gets the full Kitchen Nightmares experience. They talk the false confidence of every restaurant owner on the show, the infamous and inexplicable "Dillon's" episode, the excellently employed usage of "tosspot", Rax's exploits in the industry, and more. Become a trash patron today! www.patreon.com/lowcultureboil

Rax and Amber are joined by the very funny Taylor Garron to talk about Bratz Dolls! They talk about how this doll had some dad's writing blog posts on the early internet because they were "too sexy". And US consumer's discovery that toys that cost 9.99 are made in sweat shops. For access to our bonus eps once a week become a trash patron! www.patreon.com/lowcultureboil

Insane Clown Posse might be known less for their music than their legion of fiercely devoted fans: the Juggalos. In this final year for the Gathering of the Juggalos, Team LCB goes into their origins, their traditions, controversies, and more. Why are they so maligned by the media? Do acts of community service and support offset some of their more questionable antics? And will Rax share her fabled...

The Trash Three start off the new year by watching "Beanie Mania", the HBO Max documentary chronicling the temporary insanity where 90s collectors went all-in on Beanie Babies. Our hosts talk the Willy Wonka mind behind the craze, the nuances of a BB's "retirement", their own love of the little stuffed sacks, and, of course, capitalism. Become a trash patron today! www.patreon.com/lowcultureboil

Courtney and Amber close out the year with their favorite trash picks as of late. We're talking a latte the equivalent of drinking a Yankee Candle, the new Matrix, inexplicable Swedish family traditions, sparkly dresses, the works! Thank you trash patrons for a delightfully tacky year! Become a trash patron today! www.patreon.com/lowcultureboil

Take a trip with Amber and Courtney to the happiest, most aromatic, oil-soaked place on earth: Yankee Village. Yup, the gals get into Yankee Candles! There is perhaps no more audacious a leap from the utilitarian to the excess pleasure than the Yankee Candle, which crackles when lit due to all the additives. What's your flavor— Pink Lady Slipper? Silvery White Winters? Come on an olfactory journey...

For LCB's second live show, Rax and Amber— joined by Sean KB and Matt Christman—hold court and devote an entire hour to griping about the plague that is SantaCon. Highlights include: SantaCon's Anarchist origins in Denmark, slyly puking into your own hand in an UberPool, the SantaCon creeds, and a running commentary from the Big Man himself. Become a trash patron today! www.patreon.com/lowcultlure...

Yes, it's everyone's favorite non-tabloid tabloid. But beyond the "Sexiest Man Alive" shtick and royal baby updates, we find a publication that has, dare we say, some semblance of a moral code? Nahh, but they pay out the ass for content! Poet Melissa Lozada-Oliva joins us to talk coming-of-age with People, the magazine's enduring relevance, and we all say goodbye to a dear friend in a special Grip...

Rax and Amber take on the furry, slimy, ethereal, spooky, enigmatic world of cryptids. Pursuing their Cryptozoology degrees at (unaccredited) universities, our hosts explore what actually qualifies as a cryptid (is God one?), why we presume to know these creatures' intentions, an indignant Arthur Conan Doyle publicly stanning fairies, and more! Become a trash patron today! www.patreon.com/lowcultu...

Rax and Amber are joined by Daniel Lavery to talk the phenomenon of self-help books. While some are tried-and-true classics, like AA's The Big Book, others offer more dubious advice that really make "take what works, leave the rest" impossible. What makes self-help books work? Are they all just designed to indulge an impulse that works for a moment, but ignore a more holistic approach? Do we reall...

Black Mirror became trite, so some ingenious English producers decided to fast-track our dystopian descent with the reality show "The Circle". Amber is joined by Matt Christman, noted "Circle" fan, to talk the show's twists and turns (raids! blocks!), creepily segregated group activities, the nuances of yelling at the TV, and, of course, cat fishing. Become a trash patron today! www.patreon.com/lo...

Courtney is joined by American Prestige's Danny Bessner for a rundown of their favorite trash on film and television right now. From Ghostbusters: Afterlife to Succession, the dynamic duo talks about the vitality of movies in this current era, consuming high culture in a capitalist context, why Americans need their own versions of English shows, and more! Become a trash patron today! www.patreon.c...

Rax and Courtney brave a screening of Food Network's first original Christmas story, "Candy Coated Christmas". Set in Peppermint Hollow, a world without race and class (but with every mint-forward food imaginable), this soulless story is notable more for its subtle Evangelical messages than its cinematic flair. Rax and Courtney break down the flick and all it says about Food Network's pivot to Hal...

"Christian Girl Autumn", like many-a-meme, quickly took on a life of its own. But did we ever stop to ask what was behind the joyful trolling, the face tune dunking, the ironic celebration? Rax and Courtney get into it with the meme— what does the irony betray, what comes from latent misogyny, who is the proverbial Christian Girl, and more. Become a trash patron today! www.patreon.com/lowculturebo...

The second part of our deep dive into Taylor Swift finds the gals musing on the Taylor/Kanye beef— was it real? Were both parties milking it for their own respective brands? Was it a 30 Rock cutaway come to life? This plus some Deep Thoughts on Taylor's ability to look within, her uncanny ability to reveal our own modern sense of self, and more! Become a trash patron today! www.patreon.com/lowcult...

Rax, Courtney, and Amber take a deep dive into Taylor Swift™, for whom Autumn never ends. Born wealthy, branded young, and beloved by millions, the prolific country-turned-pop star leaves little to chance, but does her immaculately manicured image betray larger issues of being a millenial and a celebrity? Or is it simply an artist controlling aspects of her life previously managed by others? Becom...

Find you a bootlegger, grab some hooch, and take a trip down a 600 foot long dirt road that eventually becomes the Sunset Strip, home of the seedy and glamorous between West Hollywood and Beverly Hills— Vegas before Vegas, baby! Rax and Amber go into the history, some of the notable spots, and the modern experience of strutting down such a historically party-laden plot of land! Become a trash patr...

Rax and Amber take us on a journey into the world of strippers. What's a house mom? Is a mean whale worth it? Can you respectfully dance for a funeral party? Learn the lingo, the obscure state laws, the customer profiles, and tips for the aspiring stripper from two bona fide vets of the industry! Become a patron today! www.patreon.com/lowcultureboil

Taking another cue from Rax's book, team LCB goes into the musician Meat Loaf. His Wagnerian performances and complete earnestness are not only his trademark, they just might make him an irony-proof subject. The gals go deeper into the idea of ironic engagement with art, what it protects us from, and what it inhibits. Beyond that, Meat Loaf also turns out to have the soul of a poster and a soap op...

  Team LCB takes the introduction of Rax's newly-published book Tacky: Love Letters to the Worst Culture We Have to Offer , and hashes out the finer points of the word itself: "tacky"! From a 19th century pejorative about Yankee carpetbaggers to a 21st century pejorative about bad taste, "tacky" is nestled somewhere between sincere, gauche, accessible, and rejected, a state beyond the gatekeepers,...

Run down to the corner apothecary, head to the fountain, and grab yourself a tall glass o' Cocaine Cola— We're doing soda, folks! Team LCB goes into its origins (from one Mr. STILLWATER), ingredients, the myriad brands that came from the carbonated product explosion, cola classism, regional dialects, and more! Become a trash patron today! www.patreon.com/lowcultureboil

Team LCB makes the rare trip into the current Online Discourse™ and tackles issues found in a pile-on of an otherwise innocuous tweet. Is it always more cost-effective buying groceries and prepping your own food vs takeout? The gals muse on labor distribution, access and education, misleading recipes, home economics, and more on deciding modes of mastication. Buy Rax's book Tacky today! https://bi...

The ancient pumpkin: Did dinosaurs eat it? Where did it come from? Are continents real and does Courtney know how many there are? Team LCB answers these pressing questions as well as tackling the history of jack o'lanterns, punkin chunkin competitions, pumpkin pyramids, and the grand American tradition of carving pumpkins with a gun. Become a trash patron today! www.patreon.com/lowcultureboil