If you love a good binge-listen and looking for a new podcast to add to your queue, look no further. The ladies of Tampon Rock just completed their first season and let us tell you… it is binge-worthy. The scripted Anthem Entertainment and iHeart Radio podcast follows two lesbian narrators, Chloe and Deja, as they luckily and unluckily navigate the Oakland love and music scene. There’s quirky music, there’s comedy, and (what we love most of all) there’s relatable and authentic storytelling. In our interview with the team behind Tampon Rock —Alysia Brown, Sarah Aument, and Sophie Dinicol— we discuss the importance of representation when it comes to telling Queer stories of all kinds. We dive into the show’s unique musical nature, the complexity of character creation, and recording during the pandemic. Want to know more? Please read our exclusive interview with the creators of Tampon Rock below.

Where are you based?
ALYSIA: I’m based in Brooklyn, NY!

SOPHIE: I’m in Toronto, Ontario!

SARAH: I’m in Brooklyn too!

Your team for Tampon Rock is so talented -- between the amazing and relatable writing, the acting, and the music -- the show has so many addicting qualities. What brought you all together?
ALYSIA: We all work together! We are fortunate enough to work at a company that allowed us the space to create Tampon Rock.

SOPHIE: Thank you! We have worked together at Jingle Punks for a number of years. Our company had already made a podcast and wanted to explore some new ideas in the podcast space, so we came together to create one!

SARAH: We saw each other and were like- ahh I need to do something creative with you!

Jejune also loves your name! How did you come up with Tampon Rock?
SARAH: Tampon Rock was actually a derogatory term for female musicians like Tracy Chapman and K.D. Lang that at some point was attributed to bands like Tegan and Sara. It was never really reclaimed and it felt like it fit our project so much. The ethos of our show really shines through with the name.

Alysia of Tampon Rock by Sydney Goodwin

How did you navigate recording Tampon Rock during the pandemic?
ALYSIA: It was an amazing team effort - from the production team to the actors. We really just worked through it all! Fortunate to have some tech-savvy people on our end.

SOPHIE: It was definitely interesting to figure out the logistics of recording during the pandemic. The three of us wrote almost the entire season over zoom during lockdown, and then we sent recording equipment to our cast and had to record in separate locations. It actually ended up working out pretty well, all things considered.

SARAH: Sooo many zoom calls and tech fails; but also, we recorded without looking at the actors’ faces and just used audio, which I think really adds to our audio-only medium. The actors couldn’t play off of each other’s body language, they had to play off of their silence or nonverbal sounds.

The conversations on Tampon Rock have such a relational and realistic aspect to them. What inspires your source materials? What do you think makes your characters, Deja and Chloe, accessible to listeners?
ALYSIA: There is the saying of “write what you know” and I think we just wrote about topics/things we experienced when we were in our early 20’s. I think those stories are just so relatable and make it accessible to listeners.

SOPHIE: I think many of the conversations/character traits come from our own personal experiences (or the experiences of people close to us). I think that helps make the characters and situations feel authentic, rather than far-fetched or unbelievable.

SARAH: The actors did a great job too of really helping our characters come alive and feel accessible.

Sarah of Tampon Rock by Sydney Goodwin

The realism is also a part of what makes the show comedic as well. In the first episode there’s a short song after Deja gets fired that asks “How she gonna pay your bills? Will she have to sell her eggs?” which really combines the woes of the working woman with a cheeky commentary. How do you strike a balance with keeping the show comedic and musical without it becoming too much like a sitcom or a musical?
ALYSIA: I think we’ve all (well I know me) been in financial situations where you’re like “okay should I harvest my own eggs for money?” We love making commentaries on the world's current state (as you see throughout our pod) but making it funny. Like observational comedy! But with a musical element that tells the story.

SOPHIE: Since the narrators’ songs exist mostly in ‘transition’ moments between scenes, I think that makes it feel less like a musical. Our main characters aren’t breaking into songs (outside of their shows), so that makes it more like a sitcom. This structure just worked for us and the story we wanted to tell, and it’s cool that as a result, it feels like a really unique type of show.

SARAH: I think that the ebb and flow of comedy/music backed up against a serious therapy conversation or friend break-up was our way of trying to create something that felt as up and down as life feels. It all happens very quickly, which we actually make fun of, just because as narrators, we can! There is always levity and humor smashed up against gravitas. I love the juxtaposition.

Do you all relate to your characters on the show? Do you share traits or have similar flaws?
SOPHIE: The characters all have some traits/flaws that are like us and some that are not. We definitely pulled from our personalities to create these characters, but personally, I don’t feel like any of them are exactly like me.

SARAH: I relate to Deja’s dating life so much. I think Gina rather scares her a bit and I’ve definitely been in those shoes. I also really relate to Chloe’s desire to please an audience or act as if she thinks someone expects her to act. She gets in her own way people-pleasing… I definitely do that.

ALYSIA: I definitely do. I think I am like 10% of each character on this show.

What is incredible about shows like Tampon Rock is how organically intertwined character development can be with authentic representation. Can you talk about why you think this sort of storytelling is important?
SOPHIE: I think that the authenticity of voice and character are the key to any storytelling. When your writing is authentic, it becomes more relatable to more people.

SARAH: Ya, Sophie said that really well.

ALYSIA: I think this needs to be seen more in the media! This kind of storytelling is important for sure.

We love that Deja’s character has a lot of joy and is exploring new relationships. It is great to see (or hear) about a Black Queer character who is given room to grow and explore her joy. We would love to know more about how you wrote her character and why she is important within the larger theme of representation.
SOPHIE: Deja’s development is important because she represents an aspect of the story that’s really important to us, which is amplifying Black Queer voices and stories that aren’t necessarily rooted in Trauma.

ALYSIA: Deja, for me, was one of the most important characters. As a Black, Queer woman, I felt like it’s about time that we have a story that isn’t sad, negative or puts that character in the same old trope in film/Tv. As Sophie said, we wanted to make sure our character was not rooted in trauma! Because many Black stories seem to provide that same trope and I was not having it!

SARAH: The more Black Queer stories are out there the better. We have all seen enough Straight, Cis, White Male stories and I have enjoyed a lot of them but the stories that are left out of the cannon do everyone a disservice. It erases people and erases the truth of our realities.

Sophie of Tampon Rock by Sydney Goodwin

In an interview with Meet the Press Joe Biden stated, “I think Will & Grace probably did more to educate the American public than almost anything anybody's ever done so far.” In episode one of Tampon Rock Chloe tells her mom if she has questions about lesbians to “just watch The L Word”. Can you talk more about the phenomenon of mainstream television serving as an introductory resource for people to learn about the LGBTQ community? What are the positive sides? What are the shortcomings?
SOPHIE: Well, it’s a double-edged sword (like you’re alluding to). On the one hand, it’s exciting and important to LGTBQ+ shows like Will and Grace and The L Word in the mainstream because they reach a wider audience and hopefully helps to normalize diversity of voice. On the other hand, I don’t think people should learn EVERYTHING from one or two shows. We need more shows with different types of voices because there isn’t just one LGBTQ+ story to tell.

ALYSIA: I totally agree with Sophie. We love that there is an “L Word” that the characters can refer too, but by no means is it the perfect representation. Even the L Word has some tone-deaf things about it. I think that it’s great to criticize queer media, but also enjoy it.

SARAH: When I first saw an ad for “The L Word” when I was in high school, I was so terrified of being gay that I couldn’t even stand to look at the ad more than a glance before turning the page. It’s sad but true that I avoided all queer culture at the risk of finding something out about myself that I didn’t want to know for almost a decade. Alysia and Sophie really sum up the positives and negatives for me. It was so important to see ANY queerness in pop culture but also the limiting nature of that is really problematic.

What resources do you all recommend for people who do want to learn more about LGBTQ representation in media?
ALYSIA: Besides watching more queer content, I’d say this site was informational! https://www.glaad.org/publications/blackhistorymonthkit

SARAH: I enjoy https://www.autostraddle.com/ when it comes to new commentary on lesbian and queer representation in media that is inclusive of trans and non-binary people and all queer women!

Whenever you are not recording the podcast, what other projects are you working on? Should we be looking out for anything new in the coming year?
SOPHIE: We’re starting to talk about Tampon Rock season 2, and some other ideas related to the show so hopefully that’ll come to fruition in 2021!

ALYSIA: Working on some writing projects but hopefully S2 of Tampon Rock is one of them!

SARAH: I work on a lot of music projects. Writing some new solo music and music for my duo TMBOY.

How have you been able to stay positive during shelter-in-place?
SOPHIE: Working on the podcast has been a huge help! Having a creative outlet is so important for my mental health. Other than that, I’ve been eating lots of delicious food, going for a lot of walks, and binging The West Wing.

ALYSIA: I think cooking and writing have been my saving grace. I am no Chef Ramsey but I feel if I keep at it, I’d be up there. ;)

SARAH: I have to be honest, this winter is rough!! I go for a lot of runs and drink a lot of tea to keep the ol’ serotonin in order.

What is your motto in life?
SOPHIE: I feel like I’m not really a life motto type of person (in fact I just googled life mottos to find some good ones haha), but I think “this too shall pass” is one that I find helpful these days!

ALYSIA: One I learned in sixth grade - “Climb though the rocks be rugged...perseverance then success”

SARAH: Ok this is ridiculous and I fully own that but I gotta say “Just Do It” is a pretty good motto. Thanks Nike!

To learn more about Tampon Rock please follow them via the following links:
Listen here: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-tampon-rock-74401088/
Instagram: @tamponrockpodcast
Twitter: @tamponrockpod
TikTok: @tamponrockpodcast

Tampon Rock Podcast - There Isn’t Just One LGBTQ+ Story To Tell