Aug 30, 2021 - But I digress...
We’re releasing our interview with former Sassy editor/legend Christina Kelly from our Patreon vault today. We talked to her last spring about Sassy‘s legacy, interviewing celebrities in the ’90s, “Kim France Pants,” regrets, feminism, getting older, and what really happened that day with Kurt and Courtney. Listen in on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. And do please join our Patreon, where you can find all sorts of exclusive content!
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Kim France
I was born in Houston, Texas in 1964 and have lived in New York City since 1988. I had a long career in magazines, working at Sassy, Elle, New York, and Spin, and in 2000, I founded Lucky magazine, which I edited for ten years.
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I was born in Houston, Texas in 1964 and have lived in New York City since 1988. I had a long career in magazines, working at Sassy, Elle, New York, and Spin, and in 2000, I founded Lucky magazine, which I edited for ten years.
I loved this episode because she was so refreshingly honest about her apathy toward being remembered so fondly for Sassy. Women often seem to feel pressured to put positive spins on everything, so I really appreciated how blunt she was. I also enjoyed hearing the names Everett True and Calvin Johnson, because while Sassy was a huge influence on me in junior high, when I moved to Seattle in my 20s those two dudes became a part of my life here (Calvin’s a creep but my sister was obsessed with him so we basically went to every show he put on). I follow Everett on Facebook and he’s still a huge fan of female punk bands and has great taste.
What I love about doing this podcast is that we’re all experiencing midlife in different ways — some of us are more mournful/reticent/quiet, some living more loudly/brazenly — & we have a space to share the entire spectrum. This time of life can bring with it a lot of shame & isolation, seeing ourselves in other people, knowing there are others like you, makes us feel less alone. Not every one of these interviews is easy, not every one has inspiring instagrammable clips, but that’s real and that’s human & I’m grateful for all of it.
I did not enjoy listening to someone who did not want to be interviewed. I agree with the other commentator who said it was sad. It was and not really enlightening in any way.
Just here to say I love her dress in this pic!
It’s a good podcast. Enjoyed listening to Christina Kelly quite a bit. Only wished to hear more about what she is doing now––assume that will be the second interview, right!?
Love Christina Kelly but this interview made me really sad.
I arrived way late to the party and didn’t read Sassy and every time it’s mentioned I feel I missed out. On that note, it would be fascinating if you and Jen discuss some of your celeb interviews in an episode (or more). My ears perked up when you mentioned Balthazar Getty…
She sounded like she’d like to forget Sassy, honestly.
I’ve thought about this some more, in light of my own disdain for reliving my past career. Jobs we have in our twenties make a huge impression on us (everything about working is new then), but it becomes a burden later in life to try and recapture the passion. I’d never heard of Christina Kelly before this interview (I’m 62 now and was too old to read Sassy), but her apathy sure rang true. So, good on Kim and Jenn for capturing this very real feeling that women our age experience. We don’t need to always be cheerful about the things that we’ve done in the past.
UHneedthatdress,thanks…
I’m glad Kim can see/ feel proud of all the now-grown, successful women Sassy inspired. I am one of those woman. I don’t live in/ idolize the past – but pre-internet – starting at 14 – that mag was a lifeline for me.
Sad? I didn’t think it was sad at all. I think this was an interview with someone who tries to see all sides of something, considers when she may be wrong or unfinished, and has a great bit of thoughtfulness about the world. To be honest, I felt like the interview with Rei needed a lot more of that — from the guest. She seemed to have everything nailed down solid, and I never trust that. More from women who question and ponder and wonder and consider many different paths. To me, that’s what middle age is about.
I think it’s telling that the most emotion shown during the whole interview was when she denied wearing Lanz of Salzburg flannel nightgowns back in the day.
I confess I haven’t listened yet, so maybe she mentioned her blog, but if not: https://christinamkelly.blogspot.com/ It is not really active anymore, but there’s a fair amount of old posts there.