Worcester Sucks and I Love It : Outdoor Cats Podcast

Bergman doing the Bergmanian Switcheroo

Episode 66: Mayor Cooper

Bill Shaner — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 17:58:16 GMT

The summer doldrums kicking in, Chris and I do what we do best: chip away at the boring old rocks of local government in our fair city, hunting for rich veins of silver and gold. We find it in Toomey’s narcissism and lack of institutional memory, in a cross reading of city hall bologna and Thomas Pynchon’s “Vineland” (1990), and how the Galleria never closed so much as spread out around the foundations of downtown, an invasive root network that is by now intractable as it continues its slow work, pulling the thing down into some ruin it can one day swallow.

ADU or ADA clip

Weather Star 4000

Worcester or Providence Reddit post

Mark your calendars folks: Saturday, June 20 at Steel & Wire, celebrating the first SIX years of Worcester Sucks! Free and fun good time!! See you there.

And as always please consider supporting this outlet! Subscriptions are a little down right now and it’s a source of anxiety to be quite honest because I’m prone to enter the End Is Nigh Mindset. Nighmaxxing if you will.

dAnd help us spread the word!

Outro: Warren Zevon “Down In The Mall”

Intro: Bill Shaner 6.2.26

Episode 65: Haggler’s Delight

Bill Shaner — Wed, 20 May 2026 15:00:44 GMT

As mentioned quickly in the editor’s note at the start and at length at the end of the program, head to the page “John Cashman Needs A Liver” if you are someone who’s in the position to donate a liver to save a life, or if you know someone who might be, or if you know someone who knows someone who might be. The widest net possible will yield the best results. Please share any way you can.

Again that’s “John Cashman Needs A Liver.”

As far as the show’s concerned: a loose round up of the activities engaged in by our fair city’s collection of gross little guys. We go over Joe Petty’s op-ed, the Sturbridge man who runs the public market trying to run for Mary Keefe’s State Rep seat despite not living in the district in a very proveable way, Ray Mariano’s little baby brain, his childlike wonder, his rose-colored glasses, the ongoing insult to the profession it remains that the Telegram lets him “write” a “column” while they have “no other actual columnist.”

Cape Cod Ray. Courtesy photo

Local journalism is a hell of a way to try and earn a living, and we’ve got a rare thing going here where we get to do it exactly how we please to the best of our ability. I’ll stress again that is rare. And it’s all due to the people who chip in a few bucks a month to make it happen.

“A Sturbridge resident is trying to run for a Worcester state rep seat”

Tip jar

Ray Mariano: “Things I Miss Most In Today’s Politics”

FIFA may fuck up the US World Cup for fans in even more ways than we could’ve imagined. Will Worcester even have our scheduled viewing parties?

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Episode 64: Eureka Street Revisited (Live!)

Bill Shaner — Thu, 14 May 2026 01:32:37 GMT

It was an amazing night at Hunchback Gallery on Friday, the one-year mark of the Eureka Street ICE raid that put a mother in various federal detention centers for months, ripping a family apart in the process, as well as two other mothers through nine months of court proceedings on the sort of bullshit charges that police departments get to file against anyone perceived to have slighted them. Here’s a pic of the crowd at Hunchback Gallery that Chris took.

This two hour recording has been left unedited for content (while heavily edited for sound quality, due to the band practicing on the floor below us, hence the delay in getting it up) because we feel it’s worth it to have the entire thing preserved. It is, as Etel put it in a text shortly after we all packed up and left, the first oral history of this event—one I feel will be looked back on as one of the most significant hinge points in the city’s history.

Through the course of the show, we move loosely from past to present, starting with a pre-written local political context, up to what people can and should be doing now, as the deportation machine becomes more streamlined, more efficient, more eerily quiet.

From ticket sales, we raised $450 for LUCE’s direct support fund in Worcester, which has a specific name that is escaping me right now, but can be found here if you’d like to make a direct donation yourself. The “big check” discussed in the episode is currently being commissioned! Updates to come. Thank you to everyone who purchased a ticket, especially those who bought the extra generous tier, which ended up being almost half.

For a first live show, it went better than we could have hoped. That’s not to say it went perfect and the flubs and hiccups are left in the tape so that the next time we do a live show, you can marvel at how much better we got at it.

Have an idea for the next Outdoor Cats event? Drop it in the comments.

And please consider a paid subscription. Outdoor Cats episodes getting put up on a weekly basis is one thing, but this live event? There is no conceivable way I could have booked this event, promoted it, ripped apart my recording desk, schlepped it all to an art gallery, rebuilt it for the purposes of recording and a live mix, ran sound for the event, ran the event, did the podcast, packed up my recording desk, brought it home, rebuilt it, mixed and mastered the recording of the event, which took several days in this case, then wrote this post… there’s no conceivable way any of that happens if this newsletter does not support at least one full time position. So, given our only source of revenue is reader contributions, the question becomes whether you, the reader and/or listener, appreciate having this outlet in your city? Is that appreciation worth the equivalent of a beer a month to you?

Kate Toomey’s equity argument

Something to think about! I can promise you I’ll keep doing this with gusto so long as I’m able. The event was a ton of work, but it was soul restoring in a way I didn’t know how much I needed. I know I’m not the only one.

If you feel the same, share this episode far and wide! That helps too!

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Intro music by Bill Shaner 5.10.26

Outro music: Orgone “Lay Your Life Down”

Episode 63: Implied, perhaps, even

Bill Shaner — Mon, 04 May 2026 20:19:37 GMT

There and back again, exploring the psychology of the Kate Toomeys of the city, of which there are hundreds if not thousands and their grip on power is sure as the day is long. Then from there to the heart of all this city’s darkness. Folks we’re just taking it all in!

Don’t forget to grab your tickets for Friday Friday Friday first Outdoor Cats Live show! It’s going to be a very good and hopefully soul restoring series of conversations. And we want to hear from you as well! Call into our new tip line—508-205-9520—with any thoughts or observations you have on how Eureka Street went down and what it says about the city. Or send us a voice memo at outdoorcats@sudomail.com

See you there! So excited.

Some relevant links for the discussion…

When a Correction Becomes An Accusation

My story on sex ed from 2019 with the Mary Mullaney quote

Former School Committee member Mary Mullaney, one of the key figures involved, is among those with both political influence and a moral opposition to comprehensive sex education. In an email to Binienda last September, Mullaney diagnosed what she saw as the real problem with what she called “urban kids.”
“Five years from now the situation will be the same or worse because what is lacking here is strong families, good moral upbringing, fathers in homes, faith in a higher power. We put bandaids on huge problems and feel good that we are ‘trying,’” Mullaney wrote to Binienda. “You know better than anyone in Worcester — because you are the REAL thing when it comes to urban kids — that these children are spiritually and psychologically impoverished, neglected, abused. They need love, guidance, support, alternatives to the crap they see around them. Condoms will not save their souls. I am not sure if they will even help their bodies as they are too young to use them well, but I know for sure that condoms will not heal their soul or solve the loneliness in their hearts.”

Mummies in MA

As always please consider throwing us a couple bucks so we can put in the massive amount of time and energy recording and producing a podcast and editing a newsletter’s worth of contributors and coming up with a weekly column that’s good and worth reading and booking and promoting a live show and etc etc etc. None of that happens if this newsletter can’t fund the one full time position it currently does!!

Tip Jar

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Help us spread the word, especially if you’re one of the readers / listeners from outside the city! Be our little evangelists in your hopefully better community.

Also if that’s you say hey. Love hearing from “out of towners” and why they read or listen.

Outro: Oh for no particular reason, definitely not because it’s related in a million ways to the “we’re governed by stupidest, racist, most colonialist, and most self-assured people you went to high school with, who peaked in said high school” vibe of this episode, here’s “Liar’s Tale” by KNEECAP, whose new album dropped on May Day.

“Do they not understand who we are/ You were popular way back when/ people did whatever they want/ nobody stood in their way/ Ats colonial cringe/ now we’re lookin back paid/ We want everything back/ The six counties/ And the artifacts/ we’ll be takin all that/ Look mate, the paddies are back/ And your kingdom’s finished/ And that’s a fact”

Intro by Bill Shaner 5.3.26

Episode 62: The Rule Of Thirds

Bill Shaner — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 15:15:22 GMT

We have a major announcement: First Outdoor Cats live show coming Friday May 8 at Hunchback Gallery and since space is limited the event is ticketed and you can get tickets here!!

Look at this awesome flyer the lovely Katie Nowicki whipped up for us!

As the title suggests we’ll be looking back on a year of fallout after the ICE raid on Eureka Street that opened a new chapter in local politics—one where the bad guys started being a little more honest, let’s say. But we’ll save all that for the event! There’s a stacked bill coming together as we speak. Do not sleep on getting tickets as I imagine this will fill out pretty fast. Ticket link one more time.

In today’s show we cover a wide range of topics in no particular order: Big day for the correspondents. ICE has been back. Joe Petty’s flim-flam on rent control. Look out for the whippit squirrel at Big Y

As always please consider supporting this outlet so we can keep doing all the cool stuff we do! It is not, unfortunately, free to make. It takes a lot of time and in the present circumstances time is money.

...and give us a shout out to a friend who might like it that helps a lot!

Outro: “Early Morning” by Takumi Yoneyama off “Relaxation Music For Your Computer Life” (1997)

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Intro by Bill Shaner 4.26.26

Episode 61: Say Hello To My Little Friend

Bill Shaner — Sat, 18 Apr 2026 17:50:04 GMT

Catching up on our little police city-state hiding in plain sight: the annual salary reveal, Fresolo does townie direct action, Dive Bar to Cop Bar via a Brady Lister turned entrepreneur from Framingham who definitely didn’t get caught doing a Scarface. We’d never baselessly allege something like that…

Outdoor Cats comes to you because of the readers and listeners who support this outlet!

Curtis Sliwa was here and we missed it.

Curtis Sliwa quotes from final mayoral debate

Note from Chris: Wow holy goddamn our latency was really bad. You’re going to hear Bill and I step on each other extensively, and it’s not because we’re interrupter jerks, it’s actually because we were having a several second delay in hearing each other. We blame the government.

Porch session is nearly here and we’ll be recording in-person together more soon.

Note from Bill: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Some links…

Fresolo Townie Direct Action Footage

Wages report

List of 500 highest-paid Worcester employees includes zero teachers. Why?

Eyes on public safety at Union Station: Police outline presence, stats

Cop bar to open at Dive Bar

Literal outdoor cat gives no fucks about borders

—Outro: Brooklyn Funk Essentials “Bust The Bust Stop”

—Intro by Bill Shaner 4.17.26

—This podcast is now available on all the major podcast players: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Pocket Casts (idk what that is) and you can add it to any other sort of player with this RSS link.

Episode 60: If it is to be said

Bill Shaner — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 04:01:46 GMT

We spend most of the show going over the massive reductions in staffing and services at Community Health Link, asking why the agencies comprising our social safety net are allowed to act like weird little hedge funds. You can follow along here as we read through the email sent to CHL staffers by its president Gordon Benson.

Worcester Sucks is the only outlet to report on this pretty sure so we can call this podcast episode “breaking news” officially, which is cool I guess.

The other topic we were planning to cover, but nixed, was the recent “day in court” for the state police officers charged in connection with the boxing ring death of Enrique Delgado Garcia. It ended up working out that Welcome To Hell World ran a piece of mine on the matter today: “The Presumption of Innocence.” So while we don’t cover it here, I do over there. You should go read it I think it’s good. Here’s a quick taste (more follow up on it in my next written post.)

Among the recruits, there was one especially experienced fighter. Enrique Delgado Garcia was not an especially experienced fighter. Ahead of “boxing day,” each of the recruits were matched roughly on size and ability. A large and physically fit guy was paired with the experienced fighter. On Thursday, Sept. 12, the day of the match, this large and physically fit guy wimped out.
Instead of saying, “OK, no one is equipped to fight this guy, sorry bud you are too scary” the training staff instead asked for volunteers. Enrique Delgado Garcia was apparently the only recruit to step forward. So he entered the ring with concussion-like symptoms to face a fighter so scary the second scariest guy had said no thanks.
Once in the ring Delgado Garcia was under the supervision of a referee who was not trained nor certified to be a referee, but was rather a micro celebrity in the SPAM community: one Charlie Murray, president of the State Police boxing team.

Also tomorrow I’ll be on Beacon Hill all day advocating alongside local journalists from around the state for a proposed local journalism legislative package put together by Free Press, a great advocacy organization for the sort of local news we do here (not the nazi site The Free Press). We’re pushing for something like the New Jersey Civic Information Consortium that Free Press started down there recently. It’s pretty neat. So come say hi if you’re going to be “on the hill” tomorrow.

And as always you can start or continue to support real deal alternative local journalism in your community right here and right now with a paid subscription or tip!

Also tell someone about this show! Our only advertising is word of mouth.

E sports at the Aud hype article

Poop ship update

This podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Pocket Casts others via this RSS link.

Some links from the discussion today…

Iran Lego AI Propaganda

Live feed of the Artemis II mission

“We’re goin’ back to the fuckin’ moon, that’s why”

Gregg clip

French documentary on moon landing - Operation Lune

Intro: Riff on “Pink Moon” by Bill Shaner 4.7.26

Outro: “Contact” by Daft Punk

Episode 59: Burnin' Down The House (ft. John Keough)

Bill Shaner — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 21:16:29 GMT

The esteemed Mr. John Keough joins us to discuss a forthcoming documentary he’s producing alongside director Tommy Dyer called “Burnin’ Down The House.” Set for a May 21 premier, then a full theatrical release shortly thereafter, the feature length documentary examines the sorry state of firehouses in three Massachusetts towns, asking “what the fuck?” (paraphrasing). While listeners of this show are more likely to know Keough as the scrappy This Week In Worcester reporter breaking stories left and right—the substance of our last talk on here, Episode 18: Dog-Bite Ratios (ft. Tom Marino and John Keough—he’s also the president of the Hollywoot Film Group, where he “does movies” and other related things I half understand. Follow the film’s Instagram for updates as release day approaches.

Chris has more to say on the substance of the talk down below, but first I come to you hat and hand asking for a small amount of your hard earned money so that Chris and I and everyone else at Worcester Sucks can keep doing all the local journalism we do. Paid subscriptions are best, second best are tips, third best is merch orders.

And if you like what you hear help us spread the word! Send it to a friend, post about it, go up to the person pumping gas on the other side of the gas pump and grab the phone out of their center console and type it into the address bar of their web browser—whatever you have to do, you do it. And yes that is financial advice.

Afroman Wins Civil Trial Over Use of Police Raid Footage in His Music Videos

Chris here: A thing we talk around a lot in this is the dynamic of firefighters and the communities they serve vs. police and the communities they serve. I wanted to say two things:

First, firefighters put their turnout gear just as fast for a fire in the poorest neighborhood as they do the wealthiest one. In fact, they maybe do it faster for the poorest one. People say fire doesn’t discriminate, but that’s not entirely true. Fire discriminates in insidious ways- It discriminates in your landlord not noticing or caring that your boiler or wiring are pretty janky, because your landlord doesn’t have to live there. It discriminates in how dense your housing situation is, and how fire suppressed it is to the standards of that density. It discriminates in who lives in housing units that aren’t even legally habitable units, as we saw on Gage Street. It discriminates in how adaptive to escaping a fire your housing is if you’re disabled and/or have mobility issues. It discriminates in how fucked you are if you survive a fire and have to deal with the financial ruin that a fire inevitably causes. Etc. The theme of this one for me is I could go on but I won’t.

Second, I have this weird lived experience where I have been on the scene of hundreds of fires, first as a firefighter, next as a Disaster Services volunteer for the Red Cross, and finally as just what is known as a “buff”, or a person who loves watching and documenting a fire department at work.

If you know what you’re doing, you can get very, very close to the scene of most working fires. Don’t put yourself in a dangerous position and don’t impede the firefighting operations, and you can get close enough to feel the heat and have your eyes burn with the smoke. UDizzy1969, who comes up in the episode, has nearly all-access videos from almost every fire of consequence in Worcester for years. One of our unsung heroes tbh.

Back when I was learning about how to navigate a fire scene as a “non-combatant”, I remarked to a photographer who was a retired firefighter about how close they let us get. He said “Firefighters do a job to be proud of, and they are very proud of what they do”. I never forgot that. Who wouldn’t be happy about being documented doing the “public safety” job they do when it’s rescuing people and putting out fires and pulling people out of wrecked cars and all of that. I’ll leave it to you to compare and contrast that to another division of alleged “public safety”, and how transparent they are about letting random people document their work.

Last Call Foundation

IAFF (the main firefighter’s union) calls for a federal investigation into fire apparatus price-fixing

MA, NY Firefighters File Lawsuit Over PFAS In Firefighting PPE

If you want to get pumped up by watching another amazing firefighting documentary, here’s “Burn” (2012) in it’s entirety.

“Burnin’ Down The House” documentary on Instagram, and Facebook

Intro by Bill Shaner 3.30.26

Outro: “Burnin’ Down The House”, cover by Bonnie Raittv

Episode 58: Raccoon's Law

Bill Shaner — Sat, 21 Mar 2026 14:38:09 GMT

What is Raccoon’s Law? Well brother you’ll just have to listen.

Forgot to mention ‘on air’ that I’m doing the Roast of Worcester tomorrow (Saturday, March 21) at the White Room. All proceeds go to LUCE! Come hang. Send me some jokes I’m fresh out. Billshaner91 at Substack Dot Com.

Chris recaps St. Patty’s Day in Worcester, which he does the right way unlike most of us, who tend to drink more like craven Englishmen than the esteemed and steady All-Day Irish.

Three groups have filed an ADA lawsuit in federal court against the Worcester Police Department for dispatching trained professionals to physical medical emergencies and condescending and often violent dicks with guns to medical emergencies of the mental variety. We read a few choice spots from the complaint.

Three great ways to support this outlet right here: Subscribe / Tips / Merch Store

And as always please help us spread the word!

Worcester Sucks Merch Store

Intro music by Bill Shaner 3.19.26

Outro: “Lemon Pound Cake” by Afroman

Episode 57: The Dainty Gong

Bill Shaner — Wed, 11 Mar 2026 17:19:41 GMT

You can thank the city council and their pointlessly long meetings (five hours last night…. why??) for the delay of this episode, recorded on Monday, while Chris and I were in high spirits brought on by the sudden change for the better in the weather.

In this episode we eschew the typical miseries of local politics to focus on two community events we attended over the weekend: the second annual Purim Spectacular stage production at the Raven on Sunday night, and a panel discussion on satire, activism and journalism at the library on Saturday afternoon. Heavy on the “& I Love It” light on the “Sucks.” A refreshing change of pace I think. The episode also features a longer and perhaps overly indulgent intro theme because it’s our show and we’re both stoked on it. Skip if you hate art. And either way let us know what you think! About that or anything else. We love what the suits call “audience engagement.” So much we’re looking for some recovering theater kids (I was in pit band I can say it) to help us with some potential live production ideas! Billshaner at Substack dot com.

Also: I’m running a crazy 50 percent off deal on merch for paid subscribers. It runs until Saturday and you can find the code for that here. Then, merch store here. We have a bunch of Outdoor Cat shirts left!!

Subscribing is cheap and easy! And so is dropping some change in the tip jar!

Subscribe / Tips

Some notes and links…

Matt Shearer’s Jamaica Plain road salt video

The time Chris met Rick Steves his hero

Worcester Havurah

Knox Harrington

The U-Boat game Chris mentions

A little taste of the Klezmer band at Purim — update: the band is composed of Rebecca Mac on violin and Jack Soref on guitar.

If you enjoy this podcast spread the love!

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∿Intro by Bill Shaner 3.9.26

∿Outro: “I Believe” by Caroline Polachek (run it full if you can, if you can’t start here for about 90 seconds worth)

Episode 56: Misbehavin'

Bill Shaner — Wed, 04 Mar 2026 03:30:18 GMT

This one is a redo of sorts, after some technical difficulties as Chris explains at the top. You can’t always be perfect, though we do try and might I add very often succeed.

On the docket for this one: Collusion between Thomas Duffy allegedly by others and Northwest District ADA Steven Gagne in the “apology” statement drafted as a plea deal condition in the Spring & Haxhiaj trials. Then: Former city councilor Sarai Rivera and her husband in hot water for lavish trips paid out, according to a state filing, from an investment operation under the vague umbrella of their church. Fully Gemstones coded if you ask me. Talk about misbehavin’.

This Week In Worcester: ADA: Worcester Police Union Leader Influenced Plea Offer in Haxhiaj Case

Telegram: State Filing Alleges Worcester Pastor Used Investor Money For Lavish Trips

Also as promised here’s the link for the event on Saturday afternoon…

“Journalism, Activism, Satire ... What’s the Difference?” Date: 2 p.m. Saturday, March 7 Moderator: Edgar B. Herwick III (host, “The Curiosity Desk,” co-host, “The Culture Show,” GBH) Panel Members: Matt Shearer (Journalist, WBZ News) Brad Petrishan (reporter, Telegram & Gazette) Giselle Rivera-Flores (podcaster, journalist, publicist) Bill Shaner (editor, Worcester Sucks [and I Love It])

…and the PURIM SPECTACULAR on Sunday night: Sloppy and E-Wasted: An Anti-AI Purim Production!

Three great ways to support us! Please and thank you.

Outro: Jamiroquai “Deeper Underground”

Episode 55: Split The Baby

Bill Shaner — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 03:48:04 GMT

Well, the jury split the baby. Atodaso.

In case you missed our coverage of the Haxhiaj trial and its profound implications for this city’s already-rotten-enough political culture, read the latest here.

And you can watch pretty much the entire trial via a series of videos I put up on YouTube—Haxhiaj trial playlist—a painstaking and frustrating endeavor, but worth it, as the cops have rarely told on themselves so hard.

In today’s show we go over some choice clips from prosecutor Steven Gagne’s arguments and Shauna McGuirk’s ummmmm inconsistent testimony. Her whole testimony is worth a watch.

Here’s Etel outside the courthouse afterwards as well, in case you missed that.

Thomas Duffy statement (We’re not dignifying it with a link, you get no clicks from us ya dickhole dingus)

“Last November city residents sent a strong message in our local election and today Etel Haxhiaj was convicted by a jury of her peers for assault and battery on a Worcester police officer.

We can never allow or tolerate violence of any kind to be directed at any member of law enforcement.. In recent days we have seen multiple officers shot in Spencer and Fall River, we continue to pray for their recovery. We ask that God always protect members of law enforcement as they perform this dangerous job. I want to thank the overwhelming majority of citizens of this city who show support for our officers as they perform a difficult and dangerous job daily.”

Please consider supporting our work, we need you to keep doing it. Reader support is this outlet’s only source of revenue. It gives us the time and freedom to, for instance, put two days worth of pool camera footage from a significantly important political trial onto YouTube with corrected audio so you can actually hear it, repurposing footage that the cable stations used for quick and cheap sound bites then threw into the dustbin of history because they all think they work for the cops. Anyway… three great ways to support us!

RIP “Royster” and the eight other fishery workers MA lost in January. Fishing is an actually dangerous job. Part One in a maybe ongoing series of “Jobs That Are Statistically More Dangerous Than Being A Cop”. It’s been a very deadly start to the year for them, and they actually do a job that makes our lives better.

The TP USA Halftime Show was way worse than I could’ve even imagined. I apologize for maligning Florida-Georgia line last week. It’s so much darker and dumber.

Here’s the song Lee Brice performed called “Country Nowadays”

Lyrics:
“I just want to catch my fish, drive my truck, drink my beer / And not wake up to all this stuff I don’t want to hear / Like the same kind of gun I hunt with / Just killed another man / Only thing mine ever shot was / Deer from my deer stand.

I just want to cut my grass, feed my dogs, wear my boots / Not turn the TV on, sit and watch the evening news / Be told if I tell my own daughter that little boys ain’t little girls / I’d be up the creek in hot water in this cancel-your ass-world.

Chorus:
It ain’t easy being country / In this country nowadays / The direction the finger’s pointing / When everything goes up in flames / Saying I’m some right-wing devil / Because I was down South Jesus raised / It ain’t easy being country / In this country nowadays.

Intro by Bill Shaner 2.16.26

Outro: Pigs Theory” by Jayy Grams

Episode 54: Hello Darkness

Bill Shaner — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 13:51:16 GMT

Ashley and Etel’s day in court. Read up here for background and live updates here. It’s likely the trial wraps today.

We discuss how, in the ongoing act of the Greek play, daddy’s little boy will not be compelled to testify! In the play. We don’t want to be sued. This is a comedy podcast.

Chris’ had a no good very bad couple of weeks in Tenant-Land, renting a “luxury apartment” from Investment Property To Make Money, LLC

Congrats to Bad Bunny for winning Super Bowl 60!

The Bad Bunny Super Bowl performance

Mini-documentary about when Prince played Super Bowl XLI: “Can you make it rain harder”

The short film Bad Bunny released with his album captures an amazing moment of having the opposite reaction to this, and why that’s the way to live that makes your life worth living.

P FKN R: How Bad Bunny Became the Global Voice of Puerto Rican Resistance, a rad new book that came out last week.

Three ways to support this outlet and the first one is best: Subscribe / Tips / Merch Store.

Merch Store!

Tip Jar!

Sound off in the comments or chat if you also look forward to this every week!

LUCE Immigrant Justice Network

Jump in the chat

∿This podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Pocket Casts others via this RSS link.

∿Intro by Bill Shaner 2.10.26

∿Outro: CAFé CON RON (Video has Spanish and English subtitles)

Episode 53: The Natural World Extends To Hunks

Bill Shaner — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 04:24:20 GMT

Like Frampton, Mutual Aid Comes Alive!

In an exercise of either efficiency or laziness, this week’s episode is a live talk we were graciously asked to do at the Framingham Public Library (great Instagram presence). Many are saying it was the Best Talk Ever Given. More and more people are saying it’s the greatest Mutual Aid 102 to a Mutual Aid 101 ever Given by Leftist Agitators.

This podcast began talking about mutual aid, it was literally the first thing we did… To have taken the next rejoinder out on the road, in front of real people who came out when it was SOO COLD, was really cool.

Anyway, we talk about Kropotkin and spend some much-needed time talking about how mutual aid and cooperative structures are in fact and evidence the natural order of things, revisit what mutual aid is and how it’s different from charity and actually, expose the difficult truths that Bill and I are indeed very well-paid Soros agitators. We both bake a mean lasagna.

A few relevant links from the talk…

Bill’s 2020 WoMag story on Chris’s COVID kits

Chris_With_The_Bag.JPG / Bill Shaner photo

Interview with The Nation about Mutual Aid – Dean Spade

Armed community defense episode of “It Could Happen Here.”

Mutual Aid: A Grassroots Model for Justice and Equity in Emergency Management

Various schools of Anarchism explained with tacos.

Not relevant to the talk but…

Thoughts and prayers up for DJ Michael “5000” Watts, founder of Swishahouse and godfather of “chopped and screwed” music.

Guys, gals, and non-binary pals: We’ve just clocked something like just past the first anniversary of Outdoor Cats. I have so much fun doing this podcast, there’s not much I like more than combining a guaranteed hang with one of the people I enjoy hanging out with most but also I get to do some mild research. I look forward to it every week, sincerely.

(Bill ask for money here)

Ok Chris here goes. There’s no way we could put out all the stuff we put out—a lot of stuff for an outlet with only one (1) full time staffer!—without contributions from our readers and listeners. It is the only source of revenue and we like it that way because we have only our people to please and do not have to think for a second of how it’ll be received over at the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce. Three ways to do it and the first one is best: Subscribe / Tips / Merch Store.

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Sound off in the comments or chat if you also look forward to this every week!

WPD’s very inspiring MLK Day post

Jump in the chat

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∿Outro: “Walking In The Snow” Run The Jewels

∿Intro by Bill Shaner 1.31.26

Episode 52: Love This <3

Bill Shaner — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 22:54:53 GMT

MLK continuing to call out Worcester’s political establishment from beyond the grave every damn day. In 1961 he spoke at Temple Emanuel right here in Worcester and called out both the cowardly rush to hide behind the “moderate” position and the northern liberal’s willfully obtuse view of the world, in which social problems are something that exist elsewhere. Not here, surely.

In case you missed it, my reporting on the fact Worcester has $15 million invested in ICE’s forced removal operation: Tangled Up In Ice

We wrap with an extended discussion of the Dead, this being the first time we’ve been able to talk about the late, great Bob Weir with the mics running. RIP to the Other One, up there in Rosa’s Cantina in the sky.

If you appreciate what we’re doing here, it’s on you to keep us in business. This podcast and this outlet in general are 100 percent reader funded. There are three main ways to help: Subscribe / Tips / Merch Store.

Well, four, because word of mouth is the only advertising we have, so that’s also on you I’m afraid to say. Help us get the word out!

And don’t forget what I mentioned at the beginning of the show: We’ll be at the Framingham Public Library next Thursday, Jan. 29, giving a free talk about mutual aid. It starts at 7 p.m. More details here.

Some other links from the show:

“Are You Afraid Now?” (You’ve Heard About Who ICE Is Recruiting. The Truth Is Far Worse. I’m the Proof)

That time the city council forced the Grateful Dead out of town

“In all, 102 Deadheads were arrested for a variety of mostly nonviolent infractions including vagrancy, loitering and possession of LSD and other hallucinogenic drugs.
Worse, though, were the piles of trash and waste left in the wake of the city-hopping hippie hordes who camped in public parks and vacant lots downtown”

Playing In The Band, and Bobby Weir

The Pizza Tapes

Chris’ favorite Grateful Dead song: “Crazy Fingers” (hilariously this version is from Foxboro in 1989, the year after reactionary leadership in Worcester caused them to stop playing here). Most people would not consider this a “Bobby song” but I think it’s a perfect example of Bobby setting the table for Jerry and the rest of the band. I also love Crazy Fingers because it’s not “about” anything. It’s really just a collection of poetic vignettes that work together.

Also, if you want to hear the Dead played by some of your favorite contemporary artists, “Day Of The Dead” is kinda mind-blowing. (Spotify link because that was the easiest place to find it assembled). Everybody from The War On Drugs to Bruce Hornsby to Courtney Barnett to Kurt Vile to Bela Fleck to to Marijauana Death Squads to Lucinda Willims to The Flaming Lips is on it. Bob Weir does “St. Stephen” with Wilco, and “I Know You Rider” with The National. A real testament to your music is the people who will show up to cover it.

Bill’s favorite Grateful Dead song: “Wharf Rat” or “Terrapin Station” depending on the day

Intro by Bill Shaner

Outro: “Playing In The Band” Live in Jersey City, NJ, 9/28/72

Episode 51: The Spags Shuffle

Bill Shaner — Tue, 13 Jan 2026 04:26:41 GMT

Very happy to announce that somewhere in the middle of this episode we debut Wicked Wistah #1: Spags. Al Griggs AKA Kool Kojak, our esteemed guest a few episodes back, called in as promised. We abruptly shift gears to talk Spags and some other things. He shares a story you simply will not believe before jetting off to some damn place. Then, just as abruptly, we return to the matter at hand: IBPO President Thomas Duffy’s long strange hissy fit, culminating recently in a defamation lawsuit filed against This Week In Worcester’s Tom Marino for factual, well-sourced and perfectly legal reporting. To catch up: Our reporting, the Telegram’s reporting, This Week In Worcester podcast episode, the dossier I put together on Duffy back in 2024, the Rich Rafferty Adam Vinatieri commercial.

If you enjoy this podcast as much as we enjoy putting it together please consider helping us continue to have the time to do so! Every couple bucks counts. Subscribe / Tips / Merch Store

And help us get the word out!

Our winners and losers of 2024. Our predictions were a…mixed bag!

83% of “assaults” at WPS were committed by elementary schoolers

Venice ambulance beat

Franklin clip

∿This podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Pocket Casts others via this RSS link.

∿Outro: Knock Over City- “Birds 2: Crowfeeedin” / Knock Over City’s Bandcamp

∿Intro by Bill Shaner 1.12.26

Episode 50: DPDubbies Don't Need Money

Bill Shaner — Tue, 30 Dec 2025 21:43:49 GMT

We catch up on some council funnies, talk about how the only way to handle this incoming council is as a long ongoing bit. Like the Moe Bergman pipes moment from the last council… it’s all ROFL from here on out, baby. Like so…

This Westerling guy is all right.

We revisit our winners and losers of 2024 to see how the proverbial tables have turned, we again turn to Ray Mariano for three stooges style physical comedy: trotting around with pie on his face going ‘it’s not pie’ over and over and over.

Ray Mariano- WPS “manipulated the numbers” by uhhhh…reporting them.

Then we talk music!

Please buy an outdoor cat shirt if you enjoy this program!!

Oooo ahhhhh you’d look great in it! And just $20? In a post-Brandon world?

We did 50 episodes! Look at us. Would you just look at us. Couldn’t have done it without you fine folks out there listening. Think about someone else who might like the show and give it a share will ya? Word of mouth is really the only way this newsletter gets around and it’s done us perfectly well so far.

Also we couldn’t do this if I (Bill) was working another job because hooo boy it actually takes a lot of back-end work to get these episodes out, on top of all the other writing and editing that goes into this outlet in general. Subscriptions or tips would be appreciated!

∿Outro: “King Harvest” by The Band

Tip Jar!

For folks reading this in the pod description and not on Substack: Subscribe / Tips / Merch Store

Chris’ favorite albums of 2025: For each of these, I’m going to link to one of my favorite tracks from the album. You can find the entire album if you want because you are smart.

Cannibal Ox, “Aireplane”

Viagra Boys, “viagr aboys”

Nate Smith, “LIVE-ACTION”

(Bonus Nate Smith, “Red Arrow” drum solo live at the Blue Note for the recording of Fearless Flyers IV. I have this and all of the Fearless Flyers catalog on vinyl and I will play it real loud for anyone who asks nicely)

clipping. “Dead Channel Sky”

Anna Buchegger, “Soiz”

Ohhhh I forgot the new De La Soul album!

Bill’s: Gelli Haha, “Switcheroo.” S.G. Goodman, “Planting By The Signs.” Ryan Davis & The Roadhouse Band, “New Threats From The Soul.”

Neither’s: Geese, “Getting Killed”

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∿Intro music by yours truly (Bill)

Episode 49: Wicked Wistah (ft Big Al AKA Kool Kojak)

Chris Robarge — Fri, 19 Dec 2025 00:38:04 GMT

Hey, Chris here: I have to sound in at least briefly about what a truly magical moment this interview was.

I came in with the information that a guy who was Brendan Melican’s friend made the Wings Over commercial we talked about in the last episode, and that he was willing to talk to us about it, and that eating a lot of mushrooms was a key component of filming, and basically zero other information.

At the beginning of the interview, I say how I am a fan of his work, and he asks which work, and I say “Oh the only work I know, which is this commercial”. He takes that real graciously for a guy who we discover in real time during the episode has also had a career working with Ke$ha, Onyx, Waka Flocka Flame, DMX, Icona Pop, Sean Paul, Travis Barker, ODB, Doja Cat, Britney Spears, etc etc etc. I also had zero idea that he worked on one of my extremely very favorite albums, The Spirit Of Apollo, which we talk about.

I hope the joy of finding out that Al is so much more than Bill and I knew in terms of a story and also him being a Real Wistah Guy comes through. I also really loved that we discovered we have a whole bunch of mutual friends between the three of us. This is a record of one of the best hours I have ever spent completely unprepared to be on the phone with someone who it turns out is kind of one of my heroes. We’ll definitely be having Al back again for Wicked Wistah.

O Pato video

Way Down/bird gang war video

Wings Over Worcester fight

Wings Over Outtakes

Weed Ova Worcester

They really did light up in there by the way…

We can keep doing this podcast and everything else we do at Worcester Sucks because of the wonderfully generous readers and/or listeners who subscribe or drop some money in the tip jar or buy some merch!

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St. V already looking for a new new CEO again.

∿This podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Pocket Casts others via this RSS link.

∿Outro: N.A.S.A. - O Pato (feat. Kool Kojak & DJ Babão)

∿Intro by Bill Shaner 12.8.25

Episode 48: Worcester Is Hungry For Just One Thing

Bill Shaner — Tue, 09 Dec 2025 20:23:45 GMT

We catch up on some news before getting into the main event: the 2007 Wings Over Worcester commercial that proves we used to be a god damn proper city, man.

Ray Mariano’s dumb school safety column

Dianna Biancheria’s “vision for the future”

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, Cliff vs. the Manson clan

“Train Dreams” trailer

WINGS OVER WORCESTER Commercial

Does someone have the Frankenstein’s commercial recorded? Also this is why we need an ephemera archive.

Thanks for supporting us! We’re thankful for everyone who listens. Those who listen and have a paid sub—double thankful!

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