More Than A Muse
Welcome to MORE THAN A MUSE, a weekly podcast where we explore the lives of women artists, musicians, writers, sculptors, and more. Join Stauney (a graphic designer) and Sadie (a singer-songwriter) EVERY MONDAY as we reframe art history and pop culture with feminism, empowering women to be educated, unapologetically angry, and champion those whom history has forgotten. Through in-depth historical discussions and pop culture chats, we spotlight unsung heroines, all while challenging the status quo. It's time to remember every woman artist as 'More Than A Muse'.
126
A Life Cut Short by Her Signature Scarf: Isador...
This week, Sadie introduces us to "The Mother of Modern Dance," Isadora Duncan. Known for her free-flowing dancing and choreography that began the modern and contemporary dance movement, she was truly an incredible pioneer in the evolution of dance and movement.
62 min
127
Darling, We're Worried: How 'The Stepford Wives...
We all heard the drama of 'Don't Worry, Darling' with rumors of spitting on co-stars, affairs with the director, phone calls about "Miss Flo" and much more leaking their way into the press for an entire year. But what about the plot of this movie (that's a real movie)?
81 min
128
Marie Antoinette's Personal Portrait Artist: Él...
This week, Stauney introduces us to the personal portrait artist of Marie Antoinette, Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun. Vigée Le Brun was an early French painter known for her close associations with the famous aristocracy of Paris, and later - most of the European royals.
71 min
129
The Reading Renaissance (and it's all thanks to...
Reading is trendy again! Since the Harry Potter and Twilight craze, we haven't seen the internet as obsessed with books as they have been in the past two years with the rise of #booktok, a subset of TikTok focused on book recommendations, authors, booksellers and anything else of the literary sense.
51 min
130
"It's St. Nick, Not Nicole": The Yuletide Grief...
Presents and the patriarchy? Misogyny under the mistletoe? Santa and... sexism? Today we're talking about Christmas and the unfair division of holiday labor that happens during this season of merriment. In "traditional households" most of the holiday chores, decorating, Christmas cards...
50 min
131
The Romance of Holiday Hallmarks & "Faking Chri...
Another monthly bonus book episode and this one is NOT to be missed with the cutest Christmas romance that filled Stauney and Sadie with absolute yuletide glee. "Faking Christmas" by Cindy Steel is a highly rated and self-published adorable new release this year that details a cute Christmas romance and we adored it.
30 min
132
Hollywood's Unsung Heroine: Shirley Booth
Although she was one of the first recipients of the Triple Crown, the first actress ever to win a Tony and Oscar for the same role, and one of the most awarded Broadway actresses of all time, Shirley Booth is largely forgotten and often only remembered for her role on a sitcom.
36 min
133
All I Want for Christmas is a Billboard Chart T...
Every year in December, you can expect to hear the same classic Christmas songs that cue you into the beginning of the holiday season. Whether it's the 13 opening notes of Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" or the melodic melodies of Christmas classics like "Silent Night" or "White Christmas", it seems that the same songs have been around... well forever.
59 min
134
Grandma Moses: From Farm Girl to Folk Fine Artist
Stauney talks about a beloved American painter, Anna Mary Robertson Moses, also known as "Grandma" Moses. With a 20 year farming career alongside her husband and ten children, Moses didn't start painting for profit until her late 70's.
54 min
135
Essays on Music: "This Womans Work" with Evenin...
In this month's bonus book episode, we sat down to chat with Ruth from @eveningcrickets who recommended this month's book "This Woman's Work: Essays on Music" edited by Kim Gordon and Sinead Gleeson on her TikTok account.
28 min
136
The Memorable Words & Work of Maya Angelou
Today Sadie introduces us to one of the most accomplished women in history. Maya Angelou is one of those women who have been quoted so many times, it almost overshadows the incredible woman and her marvelous life behind the memorable words.
53 min
137
The First Artists in Human History were Women
If you think of cave paintings, you think of animals and handprints and dark caves. But have you ever wondered who was behind those prehistoric works of art? You probably immediately assumed men, and you wouldn't be alone in that.
41 min
138
Re-Designing a Kidnapped Childhood: Angel De Cora
You probably haven't heard of Angle De Cora, (or Hinook-Mahiwi-Kalinaka) but this artist and designer from the Winnebago/Ho-chunk indigenous community and once was considered "The First Great Indian Artist," (which today we're able to see as a twisted, backhanded, and incorrect compliment)...
36 min
139
A Pop Revival: Midnights, Takin' It Back & The ...
On October 21st the world was graced by THREE killer pop albums from three pop icons. Taylor Swift released her 10th studio album 'Midnights' breaking around 15 records within only a week of release. Meghan Trainor is topping TikTok with her 5th studio album 'Takin' it Back' and Carly Rae Jepsen isn't far behind with her 6th studio album 'The Loneliest Time'.
58 min
140
The First Monster Novel "Frankenstein" by Mary ...
It's a bonus episode perfect for the end of this spooky month and we're wrapping up with our thoughts after reading the iconic monster novel, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. If you've been watching our Instagram lives where we've been recapping the books, then you know the ultimate sorrow we feel for the darling monster and the utter horror at the neglect of Frankenstein.
32 min
141
Misunderstood Monsters of Mythology
It's Halloween and the last official episode of More Than A Muse Monster month! Have you ever noticed modern monsters are mostly men... or some form of man? The creatures of mythology are often similarly afflicted... and yet, hidden history is riddled with the stories of women who turned into monstrous forms... but maybe for good reason?
74 min
142
Mary Shelley: The Lightning Strike that Inspire...
It's another installment of More Than A Muse Monster month! Today we're talking about the woman behind arguably the most famous gothic monster ever created, Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein, which also happens to be the first science fiction novel ever written, AND the first monster story.
69 min
143
The Undisputed Queen of Halloween: Winona Ryder
If you've ever watched a Halloween classic, you've seen one of the most iconic spooky leading ladies ever - the extremely talented Winona Ryder. From her recent popularity in Stranger Things to her earlier roles in Beetlejuice, Heathers, Dracula, Edward Scissorhands... Should we continue?
65 min
144
Are You Smarter than the Podcast Hosts? Our Ann...
Are You Smarter than the Podcast Hosts? It's our podcast birthday and we're back with the second year of our trivia, to test our knowledge on all of the female artists we've discovered and covered in the past 12 months!
51 min
145
The Only Female Movie Monster Maker: Milicent P...
IT'S SPOOKY SEASON!!! We're so excited to kick off October with Stauney talking about Milicent Patrick, the only female movie monster maker, most known for her design of the Gill-man from the Universal classic horror flick, "The Creature of the Black Lagoon".
68 min
146
Fanny Brice & The Funny Girl Fiasco with Lena f...
This week, we're talking FUNNY GIRL. Did you know that Fanny Brice was an actual female performer and comedian? We talk about the original inspiration for the now famous show, the constant setbacks and drama it faced since its inception, and the star Barbara Streisand became on the show's set.
73 min
147
Olivia Newton-John: From Country Charts to Grea...
This week, Sadie memorializes the stunning Olivia Newton-John who just recently passed away. Although most famous for her starring role in Grease, the Australian actress had a long and pretty successful country music career before settling on the screen for her iconic role opposite Travolta...
62 min
148
The Women Behind Elvis: Priscilla, Ann-Margaret...
You've probably heard of the recent Elvis biopic that came out this year, but do you know more about the man behind the screen... or even more so, the women that stood behind him, were overshadowed by him, and even inspired him? Today we're talking about the women BEHIND Elvis.
82 min
149
The Youngest Director of Harper's Bazaar: Bea F...
This week, Stauney is talking about one of her personal inspirations, Bea Feitler, a groundbreaking graphic designer from the sixties and seventies who wasn't afraid to embrace the bizarre and unconventional.
52 min
150
Female Friendships & Favorites: 100 Episodes
We made it to 100 Episodes!! We get to be all reflective and reminisce on our favorite people, topics, and more that we covered that have inspired and helped shape us into the women and artists we are. We also talk about female friendships and the difference they make.
45 min