Dolly Pelliker (A Cherapy Episode)
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What is the “Cheropee” segment and why does it open the episode?
Welcome to Breaking Form, a podcast of poetry and culture, where we get real about queer life and art. We're your host, I'm Aaron Smith. And I'm James Allen Hall. If you're listening for the first time, we play spicy literary games.
We revisit poems that we love, we serve hot takes on poetry and pobiz. We read you to filth.
We gossip we shade we laugh and we are not for everyone.
Aaron Smith. Hell. Listen, I can't let a season of breaking form go by without us having some Cheropee.
And when you said that, I I'm sure all the listeners shuddered, knowing that we're getting close to the end of season four.
I know, it's true. Your coverage is almost over. Your blue shield, blue cross is ending. You need the Cheropee. Yes. So what I've prepared for us is um I have taken I think it's nine lines from from movies starring Cher. They include um Alexandra from Witches of Eastwick, uh Loretta in Moonstruck, Rachel Flax in Mermaids, and uh oh, and Tess from Burlesque and Dolly Peliker from Silkwood. Isn't that the best name, Dolly Peliker? That's a great that's a drag name finished. I finished. Perfect. Right? All those L's, right? Um anyway, so those are the people who will be giving us quotes, lines, okay? And then I have inserted share into other people's poems. Ooh. And you have to spot the share line. Okay.
Okay, were you inspired to do this particular share because you saw that I have the style icons share a dress up paper doll book?
I was not, but I yeah, because I'm not usually inspired by my own jealousy. I am really jealous you have that. It's pretty amazing. It's really amazing. I think that will have to be. The cover of all the promos. Yeah, it's just that. Just a different paper doll. Yeah. Right. So I'm I'm gonna read sometimes the whole poem, sometimes just the excerpt, because otherwise it would be just get too long. Um, and you will spot the share line. Okay. So it's okay if I just get a little bit of it, right?
Because okay.
Yeah, yeah. I'm gonna read the the excerpt and you tell me what you think is the share line. What's the fake line? Yep. What's the fake line that I've inserted into this poem and tried to pass off? I'm smuggling share out through poetry.
I like it. I like it.
Yeah. All right. Um this I'm gonna tell you the name of the poem and the poet. Okay. Okay. So this first one is Eating Poetry by Mark Strand. Do you know that poem? I don't think I do. I mean I've heard the title, but I don't think I know the poem. I really don't.
Wonder what those wonder what those people are doing with their one wild precious life.
This is Eating Poetry by Mark Strand and Cher. Ink runs from the corners of my mouth. There is no happiness like mine. I have been eating poetry. The librarian does not believe what she sees. Her eyes are sad and she walks with her hands in her dress and The poems are gone, the light is dim.
How do the hosts insert a Cher movie line into Mark Strand’s “Eating Poetry”?
Tell me a new lie. That's difficult. It all really fits. It really does. I'm sorry, this is this is a hard one. I think it's a hard one. The teacher line. The librarian does not believe what she sees? Yes.
No. Okay. I thought maybe it was one of those films where it's like she says something in the town or something.
I know, yeah. The l the the the share line is tell me a new lie and it's from burlesque. That's really nice in the poem. Yeah, it's really nice. And you can kind of see her saying that to a character, right? Like, you know, I'll be back later, tell me a new lie.
Well, and s and for some reason I was thinking mermaids in my head 'cause that I love that film. So I thought, oh well, maybe she says something about the librarian. You know, like you were trying to get something really sort of, you know, small town in on me.
Yeah. And should I do you think it would be better with uh if I told you the the share character that is providing the line? No. Okay. All right. Okay, this is um poetry. Uh the name of the poem is Poetry and the poet is Rob Schliegel. I don't know if you know that poet. I don't. Yeah. Um he's a four-way poet. I really like um his last book. Okay, poetry. It's pointless, my son says. If you write that down, I'll kill you.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What is the “Cheropee” segment and why does it open the episode?
0:00–3:52
2
How do the hosts insert a Cher movie line into Mark Strand’s “Eating Poetry”?
3:52–8:46
3
What is the hidden “share line” in Rob Schlegel’s poem “Poetry” and how is it revealed?
8:46–20:52
4
How is Sandra Lim’s poem “Something Something Something Grand” altered with a line from Loretta in *Moonstruck*?
20:52–24:14
5
How does the line from Dolly Peliker appear in Margaret Walker’s “Lineage”?
24:14–26:58
6
What Cher‑inspired twist do the hosts add to Sylvia Plath’s “The Applicant”?
26:58–32:45
Speakers
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