things we like ft. Bitchcraft

Bitchcraft  is a variety show hosted by Selena Coppock and Lauren Maul in New York City. Coppock and Maul met while Coppock was running a stand-up show in the East Village, where she had booked Maul to perform. The two found in each other a compatible comedic style, and soon Bitchcraft was formed. The show started in 2013 at The Duplex, a piano bar in the West Village, and has since moved to Sid Gold’s Request Room in Chelsea. Bitchcraft is, at its core, an homage to the living room shows one might put on as a child. Comedians, musicians, and performers of all types gather to share their work. The show involves musical numbers, costume changes, wigs, dancing, and, often, live piano karaoke. Here, the founders of Bitchcraft share some of their favorite things, which includes the radio show Sophisticated Boom Boom, Kacey Musgraves’s newest album, and Grease 2.

 
Image courtesy Goodreads

Image courtesy Goodreads

HOW TO BE ALONE: If You Want To, and Even If You Don’t by Lane Moore. I’m friends with the author (nice brag, Selena!) and it is like having a long, wonderful, heartbreaking yet inspiring conversation with a best pal. Lane’s experiences are simultaneously quite stunning and highly relatable. —Selena Coppock

 
Image courtesy WFMU

Image courtesy WFMU

I love the radio show Sophisticated Boom Boom on WFMU with DJ Sheila B. I always discover amazing female artists when I listen. She recently did an eye-opening set devoted to musicians who died from overdosing called “Women Under the Influence” which was filled with heartbreaking stories and really great songs. —Lauren Maul

 

 

I love Kacey Musgraves so much. I’ve been a fan since hearing her song “Keep It To Yourself,” which is the anthem for all exes who deign to reach out to you again, and her latest album, Golden Hour, is just as solid. It’s trippy, lovely, and heartfelt. —SC

 
Helen Adam, page from In Harpy Land, 1976–1977. Credit: The Poetry Collection of the University Libraries, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York.

Helen Adam, page from In Harpy Land, 1976–1977. Credit: The Poetry Collection of the University Libraries, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York.

The Collages of Helen Adam is a deliciously beautiful and surreal book that features magical images, poems, and tales from the life of a fabulously witchy artist. Just be careful—you’ll want to cut out all the collages and hang them on your wall. Best to purchase two copies just in case. —LM

 
Image courtesy New York Transit Museum

Image courtesy New York Transit Museum

Coney Island is one of my favorite places in the world. It’s a very democratic beach—tons of subway lines go to Coney Island, and I love that all types of people head out to south Brooklyn for sunshine, sand, hot dogs, fried clams, and beers. —SC

 
Image courtesy Rotten Tomatoes

Image courtesy Rotten Tomatoes

Grease 2 is better than Grease. I saw the sequel before I saw the original, so, in my mind, Grease 2 is the original. The songs are better and the script is so much darker. LOVE IT. Let me know if you want to borrow my VHS copy. —LM