Cemetery Kisses and Peacocks: A Season 1 Finale

Today we bid adieu to Season 1! Join us as we visit the Hollywood Forever Cemetery to pay tribute to Season 1's final featured individuals (Tomata du Plenty and Maila Nurmi) and share some significant personal news as Courtney announces her upcoming move to Minnesota. To see our other grave offerings for Season 1, check out our instagram or substack!

In short order, we do all of the following in this episode:

• Record from a bench in Hollywood Forever Cemetery on a cloudy day surrounded by peacocks
• Announce that the podcast will continue remotely despite Courtney's upcoming relocation to Minnesota
• Visit Vampira's grave where fans have left lipstick kisses, makeup, flowers, and trinkets
• Explore unexpected graves including one for a woman described as an "occasional wife"
• Color a peacock-themed page as an offering to Tomato DiPlenty 
• Share the origin story of our friendship and creative partnership
• Reflect on how graves and memorials represent the importance of chosen family

THANK YOU so much for listening this season and also showing us so much love. It means the world and we will see you for Season 2 in the fall!

If you liked what you heard, or if you have any feedback at all—the good, the bad, the ugly, the dead, the alive—please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and let us know what you think.

Love, Courtney and Marissa <3

Transcript

Season One Finale Introduction

Speaker 1 0:40

Thank you, dead and Kind of Famous.

Speaker 2 0:48

Dead and Kind of Famous. Okay, all right, let's do it, and we are recording already here.

Speaker 1 0:54

Check check Hello, hello, hello, hello. Okay, oh, already falling, okay.

Speaker 2 1:04

Okay. Hello and welcome to Dead and kind of famous.

Speaker 1 1:11

Oh, you say that.

Speaker 2 1:12

Oh well, I don't, I have to read it oh, that's right, start again hello and welcome to dead and kind of famous where we dig into the life stories of dead folks who enjoyed a touch or two of fame in their time and now reside permanently in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery which we are currently at we are.

Speaker 1 1:34

Can you hear the wind?

Speaker 2 1:36

The wind. It's kind of a cloudy chilly Los. Angeles day. We are sitting by the grace of the Bastegians.

Speaker 1 1:50

Bastegians. So thank you to the Bastegians for their wonderful memorial bench that we're sitting upon.

Speaker 2 1:57

They're the closest thing to a sponsor that we've had. You want to sponsor the show?

Speaker 1 2:05

Talk to us about it.

Speaker 2 2:07

Also, here we are. Yes, we are going to visit some friends today. We're going to.

Speaker 1 2:15

What is it called when you drop something off at someone's grave?

Speaker 2 2:20

Oh, I just can't, I don't know. But I say, just giving our offerings Okay, yes, yes, okay, that's what I'm saying.

Speaker 1 2:25

Yeah, we will be giving offerings to some of the rest of the season one, right, season one, season one. If I could speak today, that would be great.

Speaker 2 2:39

The season one cast of characters.

Speaker 1 2:41

Yeah, our season one cast of characters that we haven't yet visited or given an offering to. We are doing that today and we're really excited to be here. I don't know if you can hear the peacocks in the background.

Speaker 2 2:55

Yeah, we'll have to do some little, some little video for fun, to for to share with you guys of that, if we can find them, but they're always around, always. This, this. I think I see one over there we're gonna look around. Yeah, we're gonna look for the cemetery is filled with cats and peacocks and creatures and there's like people who take care of the animals that are here.

Speaker 2 3:17

It's kind of a whole part of it, which I've always loved yes um, and we are dressed as you can see in our are all blacks, mostly to honor Vampyra, but also all of the dead, yeah, so we are here, ready for an adventure.

Visiting Vampira's Grave

Speaker 2 3:33

We're ready for an adventure. We're going to take you guys along with us today. And also, I just want to be clear from the top this is the last episode of season one. Yes, it is, and I don't know if I should drop this now or later. Do it now? Rip off the band-aid. Okay, so this will be the last episode that you guys hear with both of us in Los Angeles.

Speaker 1 3:58

That's right.

Speaker 2 3:59

Because I am moving. But, I see that we have a lot of listeners.

Speaker 1 4:06

Do you hear the winds of change the winds?

Speaker 2 4:09

of change. Oh my God, they be blowing. They be blowing.

Speaker 1 4:18

Yeah, we're moving to Minnesota, to where the winds will be harsher and colder Will they ever, and by we, that's Courtney, her husband and her child, and Iris yeah, they were moving, but that doesn't mean that this show is not continuing it is and we will just be.

Speaker 2 4:37

You've seen from the last couple episodes, we can definitely do it remotely and we're going to keep doing that, that's right. So you got nothing to worry about there. It is just a change, and we wanted to make sure that we could be together here in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery celebrating all of this, because it is this is. This is not just a gimmick. I genuinely love this place and I feel like the stories.

Speaker 1 5:00

It's just such a gift all the stories that we've gotten from here, and so I feel, I feel like the most connected to this city that I ever have really yes oh, that's great, and I've been here since 2010.

Speaker 2 5:13

So yeah, I really do feel that way yeah, I, I agree, and it's it makes me leave. Just, I don't know. I've, I, I don't. I'm sad to leave. I'm excited for future things and to have a little more space and all of that we were just talking about it but at the same time, like I, I do.

Speaker 2 5:32

I just I do love this city and I think that the people here and the stories that come out of it are so amazing and I'm so excited to keep telling them. Even if I'm not physically here, it's here. This podcast is helping me stay tied to this city. It's actually like a really beautiful thing. It's pretty magical.

Speaker 1 5:48

Yeah, and this place is pretty magical, it is.

Speaker 2 5:50

So we're excited to take you guys with us today. I know we don't normally do video and this will just be in like bits and pieces anyway, but this is, yeah, Just a little vlog style. A little vlog style.

Speaker 1 6:10

A little bit of a journey through. So, uh, hope you all enjoy it and um, so, let's, let's be on our way, let's do it, let's go, let's go visit some friends, go okay, all right, where is it oh? We're coming up on some peacock here and some peacock we're coming up on, I think, just one.

Speaker 2 6:25

Yeah, one loud one, one very loud one. Oh, and there's a swan. Do you see the swan when, over there, just sitting in between the trees? Oh my gosh, hi swan.

Speaker 1 6:37

Hello swan, hello swan.

Speaker 2 6:40

Oh my goodness, so pretty.

Speaker 1 6:43

Hello peacock, yeah. I feel like these are, oh my goodness, so pretty. Hello peacock yeah.

Speaker 2 6:46

I feel like these are both beautiful birds that are also aggressive, so you got to watch out, all right. So we made it to the road. So actually, I think we have to cut in this way. Oh, here it is.

Speaker 1 6:58

I know, I know where it is Okay.

Speaker 2 6:59

Oh cause? You see the arch.

Speaker 1 7:00

Yeah, okay, so this was my visual uh landmark. Was this uh reddish brown arch Pergola.

Speaker 2 7:14

Pergola.

Speaker 1 7:15

Yes, oh my gosh. Wait, look at this grave with all of the dachshunds on it. Oh my god, stop it. This is so cute, oh my god you guys, you guys, this is like, and there's people together.

Speaker 2 7:35

Mike sigsmansky, journalist, activist, uncle friend, we have to look him up, oh we do oh my gosh dog person clearly.

Speaker 1 7:44

Look at this that's so cute. I love it oh my gosh, oh my gosh all right, we're gonna, we're gonna look him up and yeah, we'll, we'll be back to you, yeah because I'm intrigued.

Speaker 2 7:55

Yeah, I'm intrigued mike.

Speaker 1 7:57

All right, so this was the big thing. There she is, there she.

Speaker 2 8:01

There she is oh, my goodness, my goodness, myla and someone's already visited today and given you fresh flowers, as you deserve Fresh flowers.

Speaker 1 8:10

Look there she is.

Speaker 2 8:11

And left kiss marks.

Speaker 1 8:12

Look at all the kiss marks on her face. Oh, my gosh, stop it, you guys. Oh, we have to leave, we have to do this we're wearing the lipstick. Oh, we are are okay, all right, we're gonna leave her kisses.

Speaker 2 8:22

We're gonna leave her smooches and this wasn't our idea. I'm stealing it yeah we have to now. This is a great way to get covid okay. Here we are. We're at milo's grave. She looks stunning in this etching. People have left some things here. This is interesting what have they left some things here. This is interesting. What have they left? They've left, okay. So there's like a little doggy kind of keychain. There's this little clown thing, there's an eyeliner.

Speaker 1 9:00

There's a spooky hand. Yes, a little thing hand. Yeah, a thing hand. Yes, a little a little a thing hand.

Speaker 2 9:06

Yeah, thing hand and a bunch of makeup. People left her a bunch of makeup. Oh, that's so amazing. I love it. That's incredible, and it might've just been like what they use to kiss the grave. I don't know, but bring your own lipstick though, yeah. Health code B.

Speaker 1 9:20

Y O L, b Y O L, byol, byol.

Speaker 2 9:22

Yeah, don't use the ones you find at a grave. Probably not the best idea, okay, so let's do it, should I? I'll go first.

Speaker 1 9:29

Yes, go ahead.

Speaker 2 9:35

Okay, Myla, I'm going to give you a smooch right next to your face.

Speaker 1 9:38

Aww, there, it is. There, it is here. All right, marissa's turn, here I come. All right. Marissa's turn, here I come, all right.

Speaker 2 9:56

Myla, my girl, look at that.

Speaker 1 10:00

A little outline.

Speaker 2 10:01

Look at our kissies.

Speaker 1 10:05

You can see them. Someone left a little bit of a vape too. Oh okay, and like all this red lipstick, I love it.

Speaker 2 10:11

Obsessed. It's also just like yeah, I feel like someone needs to. We should have brought a joint. Honestly.

Speaker 1 10:17

Oh my gosh, Well, I'm not smoking at the moment. These are beautiful, these flowers they are. Are someone brought?

Speaker 2 10:25

this is like okay, so what? What our plan was here was to um just visit for a while we're gonna just visit, we were just gonna visit and say you know, we're just gonna say that we know how important you are we know that you are mother and a little skull, wait a minute a little skull. Stop it. So cute, obsessed, like, look, you're getting love myla, and so I don't know. I think I just I also just want to say I'm sorry, I it's it sorry.

Speaker 2 11:05

I want to apologize on your behalf for the fact that, like you, you were a good friend to people and I think you did have friends around till the end. But I'm sorry more people weren't there right at the end because they should have been and you deserved more. But I'm glad that you're getting your due here. And look at all this love Milo. Look at all your kisses.

Speaker 1 11:25

Look at all of the kisses.

Speaker 2 11:27

Look at all the kisses and all the offerings. Yeah.

Speaker 1 11:30

That I'm sure you'd get a kick out of.

Speaker 2 11:32

Oh my gosh, you would love Obsessed. So you are loved, darling, and we're just, and thank you for giving us four episodes oh my gosh, yes, goodness gracious. You gave us four great episodes and we've gotten listeners, listeners. We've gotten so much really great feedback from you, especially about those episodes, so thank you for that you are loved, beloved. Oh, and I'm going to drop an Easter egg right now that I didn't drop before.

Speaker 1 12:00

Okay.

Speaker 2 12:01

So Am I getting us Okay, okay. So, basically, I never said this, we said it in another take and I never included it in the edit.

Speaker 1 12:11

What.

Speaker 2 12:11

But Mylon Ermey's son, her love child with Orson Welles.

Speaker 1 12:15

Right.

Speaker 2 12:16

He. They found him in the end, so we never included that in the actual episode.

Speaker 1 12:21

That's true, but they did?

Speaker 2 12:22

They found him and he he wasn't a lawyer he could have. It's too bad that he wasn't around. He could have helped her with some of her disastrous, you know, dealings, yeah stuff, and but he, they found him Her niece in particular, who wrote the story, and her daughter Her niece's daughter found him through 23andMe. So they were able to and so that verifies it. Yeah, that everything she was saying was true, by the way.

Speaker 1 12:49

Well, she was always a truth teller. She was a truth teller, she never lied.

Speaker 2 12:53

She never lied and yeah, so he exists and is there to carry on. You know your genetics and I think he's a much more straight laced person, but I hope he helps some people in your situation. You know, like legally to help with creative rights. That would be really cool if he went down that road. I don't know, but I know he was really happy to find out about his mom and everything, and so it's cool that he's still connected to your story.

Speaker 2 13:28

So, as we all are, yeah, my attention, as beautiful as this grave is, got pulled back here. I just have to point it out and speak to what's distracting me. This is Marzie Harris's grave. I don't know who she was, but she's very close to Vampyra's and it says loving mother, sister, daughter and occasional wife.

Speaker 1 13:51

Iconic that's. I want that on my gravestone. Occasional wife.

Speaker 2 14:03

Yes, but then it says the Mark Twain quote at the bottom the fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.

Speaker 1 14:14

Marzi, I'm intrigued, yeah, I'm intrigued, and also your Princess Diana haircut is Is pulling me in, fully pulling me in, but back to to my luck, because we're here for her. Yeah, I love how it? Says 1922, and then the forever symbol, yes, the infinity sign infinity sign, and then 2008, because she is limitless, ageless, timeless, yes. And it says Vampyra below that.

Speaker 2 14:48

And then it says Hollywood legend, hollywood legend and I'm glad that it says that, because not enough people treated this woman like she was, the legend that she was, and so I feel like it's, you know, like a lot of great artists. Honestly, we think of that with visual artists all the time.

Speaker 2 15:10

But with a lot of great artists, sometimes you don't get noticed until after you're gone, and I think with her she was noticed before she was gone, but then kind of shuffled to the background and her influence was taken on in a way that was stolen yeah. And she didn't get the credit she deserved. So her influence was always there and she just kind of disappeared behind it.

Speaker 1 15:29

But yeah, so these flowers are fresh and amazing and they smell so good, they smell delicious.

Speaker 2 15:38

So good. Some roses yeah, that's really sweet. It's so sweet to see all the love that she's getting here.

Speaker 1 15:44

I'm really glad that. And these black roses, oh my gosh.

Speaker 2 15:48

Perfect, perfect, perfect.

Speaker 1 15:53

But these are definitely for her. There's a skull in here.

Speaker 2 15:55

Oh yeah, you don't leave black roses for just anybody, especially, you know, cloth ones that will stand the test of weather, yep, and time and time and time. But yeah, we love you, m'lady, and so we're just like, really, it's the funny thing about Graves, you're like we're sitting, we're sitting on top of her right now.

Speaker 2 16:23

I'm just reveling in that for a moment. Yeah, I hope that that's. Yeah, sorry, myla, but also like I feel like I want to say sorry I'm sitting on you, but also like this is what you do when you visit a grave Right.

Speaker 1 16:37

It is what you do. I hope one day I can become a comfortable seat for someone to talk about how fabulous I was. You can leave a sign on your grave that says this is my face. Sit on it.

Speaker 2 16:44

comfortable seat for someone to talk about how fabulous I was. Leave a sign on your grave that says this is my face. Sit on it.

Speaker 1 16:57

Along with occasional life.

Speaker 2 17:00

You know, I want to say that that is going to make me go to hell, but I just feel like the list to get into hell is pretty long.

Speaker 1 17:07

Yeah.

Speaker 2 17:08

So I don't think it's me that's on there.

Speaker 1 17:10

No, no, not this time, not this time.

Speaker 2 17:13

Not today. Not today, not in 2025. But anyway, we love you, myla yeah, I wish you were still here and we're grateful. We're grateful. That's really what we want to say and, honestly, like we're kind of. I just feel like the whole spirit of this day is Mila, because we're basically like doing what she did and like hanging out by graves and just like causing mischief and that was like her favorite thing to do with her butt.

Speaker 1 17:37

Yeah.

Speaker 2 17:39

With James Dean.

Speaker 1 17:41

And so this whole, this whole day was inspired by her.

Speaker 2 17:44

Yes, it was, and so, yeah, we wanted to dress a little goth.

Speaker 1 17:49

That's why Marissa looks like she's straight out of the craft she was yeah, the true inspiration, or like the Matrix.

Speaker 2 17:54

You have a little bit of a dual thing going on. I'll take it.

Speaker 1 17:56

I'll take it, yeah yeah, yeah, a little past, a little future, a little timeless and forever, yeah, at the Hollywood Forever Center.

Speaker 2 18:04

Yes, but so, as we are noting here, Myla passed away in 2008. We are going to be visiting her friend Tamada, who passed away actually earlier than her, even though he was much younger. So we come with us onto the next and we will visit our friend Tamada. Come join us.

Speaker 1 18:24

Come, join us Come join us. Yeah.

Speaker 2 18:26

And thanks for introducing us to Tomato Myla, because you did. She surely did she did, she did, she helps, she's helping us make great friends, even still today, all right.

Speaker 1 18:35

Let's move on. Look at this lipstick with glitter.

Speaker 2 18:40

Oh, hell, yeah, there's a lot of black lipstick. There's a lot of black lipstick.

Speaker 1 18:43

There's a lot of black lipstick, a lot of red, a lot of red. You had a brown one, I had a red one, right here you can't tell because this lipstick stays, it does not move. All right, all right. So we're still walking around. We're going to make our way to tomato.

Speaker 2 19:00

Oh, we got to look up tomato, we do All right. So we're still walking around. We're going to make our way to tomato. Oh, we got to look up tomato, we do All right. But just wanted to, as we're doing that, point out what we're seeing. So we have Lori Beckland.

Speaker 1 19:19

We don't know you, lori we don't know you, march 12, 1948 to February 8, 2015,. A creative, joyful, passionate writer, activist and friend who devoted her life to making the world better and more beautiful. Amazing, amazing, it says. And then there's a little, an extra little rock that says Lori Beckland, famous writer, infectious smile, competitive what does it say? Competitive charades player.

Speaker 2 19:59

Oh, stop it, wait, I'm looking up, I'm looking up Tomato's Grave, you look up Lori's. I don't know. Does she have a wiki? Let's figure it out.

Speaker 1 20:09

Her gravestone is a book. It's an open book.

Speaker 2 20:12

Yeah, so she's clearly a writer.

Speaker 1 20:16

Competitive charade player. That's amazing. I know, lori Shall, we walk and talk.

Speaker 2 20:24

Yeah, I'm going to look up Lori.

Speaker 1 20:26

Lori Beckland.

Peacock Encounters in Buddhist Section

Speaker 2 20:30

Yeah, this is like the fast and dirty Wikipedia version of a couple people that we didn't know we wanted to talk about today that are catching our eye. Lori Beckland dies at 66. Oh, young. Yeah, I found her obituary. Lori Beckland dies at 66. Oh, young, yeah, I found her obituary. Lori Beckland dies at 66, former LA Times reporter and author. They call it Door of the Devil, wrote Times journalist Lori Beckland in 1983. A craggy spot, not far from downtown.

Speaker 2 21:05

San Salvador, where the earth ends plunging into a sheer mist filled ravine. Beckland had been reporting from El Salvador for nearly four years and had finished a series of stories that would change America's perception of the violence ravaging that country. Why does everything end up tying back to right now that?

Speaker 1 21:19

we even like start to peruse, I know.

Speaker 2 21:23

Um, yeah, so anyway, thank you for your service, lori. Yeah, I wish I could have played charades with you also, okay, okay. So we're sitting outside. That is the sound of battling male peacocks, of battling male peacocks. We're in this very gorgeous Buddhist part of the graveyard and all the girls, all the girl peacocks, are hiding behind this bench. And the males just had a fight. And then we have a little kitty over here who's like what's going on, just to show you guys, oh, or marissa, look behind you. It's like a full-on gang of peacocks over here, and the girls are like we're gonna stay over here. I don't know what that's about, but not about it. I'm gonna stay back here, yeah, and kitty's like I'm with you. Yeah, I just turned these way up, it's okay.

Speaker 2 22:45

Yeah, hi sweetie, hi kitty hi honey oh wow, you're getting lots of tensions around here, aren't you? Yeah, yeah, there's a girl I'm forgetting her name right now, but she does a tour at Hollywood Forever.

Speaker 1 23:03

Oh, you mentioned her before. Yeah, yeah, and we mentioned her on an episode, I believe.

Speaker 2 23:06

Yeah, and she one of the cats used to like show up on her tour all the time and follow her around, and now she adopted.

Speaker 1 23:16

That's so sweet. So right now we are um. We are next to the chapel where tomato is um, right it is. I guess it's a Sunday, so yeah, there's a service going on.

Speaker 2 23:31

Um, there's a service going on.

Speaker 1 23:33

There's a burial going on, so we were obviously not going to interrupt that, and also the door was locked.

Speaker 2 23:45

We actually tried our best to get inside, yeah, to go around, yeah, not to like interrupt anything, but just to go inside where the service was not happening. It's happening right outside, but the door was locked so we could not get in.

Speaker 1 23:58

So, we can't go see tomato today, but we're going to sit here, surrounded by all of the female peacocks and the kittens, like we're literally. I need to.

Speaker 2 24:12

Yeah, there's three female, four female peacocks surrounding us right now. They're so beautiful and so you know they're not as flashy about it as the males, but they are, they're beautiful they have these, like gorgeous these blue, green necks, and then the rest of them is neutral because they're like you know, classic for any season? Yeah, they're just they're, they're neutral queens.

Speaker 2 24:40

They're like yeah, and they wear their little headpiece yeah and they let them, the men, do what they need to do to feel good, I guess, which is fight and look pretty. I don't know if there's a direct parallel for anything there, but um, um, let's, so, let's, let's go ahead and um, you know, we should, we should do a little coloring page. I think that's what I was going to say. Let's do it. Let's do a little coloring page for tomato, let's do it.

Speaker 1 25:11

Let's do a little coloring page for tomato Gotta pick the right one.

Speaker 2 25:19

Maybe this is appropriate, like all these peacocks are screaming around us for the screamer singer.

Speaker 1 25:24

I know right, it does make sense For him to be in the loudest part.

Speaker 2 25:33

Yeah, exactly If tomato de plenty were a bird, this looks like peacock feathers.

Speaker 1 25:39

That's kind of fun. That is fun. Maybe that one. Yeah, I like that one. Yeah, let's both do it.

Speaker 2 25:42

Um, yeah, so we're picking a page in this coloring book that Marissa has cause. We wanted to, as an offering to tomato, do something that was, um, you know know, art, just like a art focus, art focused, without a lot of thought and just you know a lot, but just kind of going with the flow and and because he was a, he was in flow state constantly, so we're just trying to flow with it as well. Oh, and you have all these peacock colors. This is so fun. I sure do, okay, but, yeah, how funny. So what we were just talking about, by the way. So we're coloring for tomato. We'll take a picture of this when we finish. Should I set up a little? Oh, the tripod, and no, let's just take a picture. We're done. So I don't want to draw attention to ourselves. We've gotten a little bit slapped down for um, recording, yeah, so we just want to be a little.

Speaker 1 26:34

Which I understand. I mean we weren't near anyone.

Speaker 2 26:36

We weren't Right, we didn't want to. We aren't coming here to be disrespectful, it's quite the opposite. So, but anyway, so we just don't want to call too much attention to ourselves. But we are coloring a beautiful peacock centered page and what we were just talking about On our way on our walk here, yeah is that you know, we're talking about um, dead folks in our own lives.

Speaker 2 27:04

I guess and I I was saying that I don't, I haven't ever visited a grave of anyone that um, um has died in my family, and the reason is, uh, I actually do think that my maternal grandmother is buried, but I I think it might be, it's not anywhere near where I live.

Speaker 2 27:28

I know I went to her funeral, but the visitation wouldn't have made sense and her, um, her ceremony was actually a memorial service. In fact, in both cases all cases of my deceased grandparents they were all memorial services. So it wasn't like you were at a cemetery watching a grave be dug and all of that. That wasn't a part of it, it was just.

Speaker 1 27:50

You know all of the other parts like a celebration of life.

Speaker 2 27:54

Yes, but there was a wake, but there was also like um, there was an open casket, like the night before, for my maternal grandmother, I remember, and then my would you? Ever do that? No, I would never I would also just not. No, I I don't know. You know what. I don't think I would do any of the um.

Speaker 1 28:15

Oh my gosh, the peacocks agree.

Speaker 2 28:20

Yeah, I don't think I would do any of the embalming side of things. Yeah, I think I'm going to mix that as a possibility. Yeah, but that's just me. But yeah, I think that my grandmother on my dad's side was cremated.

Speaker 1 28:43

I was very. That's what I want to do, yeah, or the thing where you can be turned into a tree.

Speaker 2 28:48

Totally, um, I was very close with her so I was part of the ceremony of what we did with her ashes, which was like she lived in New Jersey and her like beach house was on Long Beach Island place, to go as a kid, because she is like the originator of my love of theme hotels, yes, every room in the house had a theme. So it was like there was more is more. Yes, there was. Her bedroom was a south, a southwest room in New Jersey, southwest themed. And then, which is incredible, and then was, uh, there was like kind of like a more. It made more sense in new jersey, I guess, but kind of main, like actually it was like a sailor's dark blue kind of small bedroom upstairs with all those like carved wooden sea captains in there.

Speaker 2 29:48

And then my favorite one was the japanese room, because my grandfather was like a medical sales person, I want to say. And so he, but he traveled a lot to Japan for work, um, and so he had so much Japanese stuff and a whole room full. Well, yeah, and then they, they, they actually like redid the room. They covered all the walls in cedar planks.

Speaker 2 30:10

Um so it smelled, so good it smelled so good and the lights were like these Japanese parasols that they had like upside down. So it was like it was just really fun and imaginative place to be as a kid and felt like you were traveling a little bit, like you know broadened your horizons.

Speaker 1 30:28

Yeah, it was just fun.

Speaker 2 30:29

It was a lot of fun. It felt like every room was an experience. So I do kind of love, I love a theme hotel. She really does from that, yeah, from that moment really that that brought me there.

Speaker 2 30:48

But anyway, when we, when she decided, um, what she wanted to do with her ashes, she was very intentional about all that stuff before she died in a little boat and we all had clamshells and ashes and just like a bucket, and we took out a scoop full of ashes and we had a flower each and we, like, said our goodbye and we dumped the ashes into the lagoon that's so beautiful.

Speaker 1 31:05

Yeah, it was perfect. I love that, yeah but what about you? My grandfather had. You know the casket and you know the burial thing, but other than that it's been memorial services, which I think I prefer. Yeah, it feels like more of a celebration. It's still sad, but like more bittersweet than sad.

Coloring for Tomato and Friendship Stories

Speaker 2 31:42

Right, because people are still kind of like laughing and talking about the best of and sharing stories.

Speaker 1 31:46

Yeah, that's nice. Yeah, I have always said I want to roast, I want to roast for my funeral. All right, noted I gave I want to roast. I want to roast for my funeral, all right, noted. I gave I want to roast, not a funeral, a roast, and I want Courtney already gave me a roast for my birthday.

Speaker 2 32:06

I did. It was so funny With our friend Nora.

Speaker 1 32:09

Yeah, it was so funny, but it was private. Yeah, I want anyone to be able to like get up there and roast me and then like, and then I'll be cremated and then I'll be cremated. Yeah, whatever, I won't care, I'll be dead, that's true.

Speaker 2 32:24

Thinking of some of your. Believe it or not, marissa has haters.

Speaker 1 32:35

Can you believe?

Speaker 2 32:38

Hey, if you don't have haters in life, you're being too nice.

Speaker 1 32:41

That's true. You could be the nicest person in the world and still someone will find an excuse to hate you. Yeah, it's true, it's true.

Speaker 2 32:48

So do whatever you want. You know, I do think that the better or the older I've gotten and the more shit storms I've endured, the more I'm like. You know, I'm pretty sure I've told Marissa many times I get it, now I don't care anymore. But I always still did. And then it's like then I got to a place where I was like no, actually I know there's people that don't think highly of me and I don't give a fuck.

Speaker 1 33:23

Yeah.

Speaker 2 33:26

You got to get to that place.

Speaker 1 33:28

You got to get to the. You got to get to the tomato de plenty place. That's right Of just like literally not. He didn't even care about the people Whether people liked what he was doing or not. No, or if, like, forget the haters, he didn't even care about the likers. Yeah, it's true.

Speaker 2 33:45

What did he say about the fans? That they were like the punk fans. Hi, ladies, hi peacocks.

Speaker 1 33:50

Oh my god, we're literally surrounded all the girls they know they're in a safe space.

Speaker 2 33:56

Yeah, we do, but yeah, I feel what did he say? It was like that they were all hokey, yeah, that punk fans were the hokeyest, so but also, yeah, I think, yeah he wasn't living off the fumes of their love, which is like what a lot of people do when they get that kind of adoration. Not all of us get that kind of adoration, but when you do.

Speaker 1 34:24

Fumes of their love. That was so poetic, goodness. The fumes of their love? Yeah, because, like it is, it could get to your head, and it often does. It, does you?

Speaker 2 34:39

expect to get to be always getting adoration. I don't expect that ever.

Speaker 1 34:46

Yeah, I think it's well. I hope to always never expect that ever.

Speaker 2 34:50

I know right, like you, can't I expect people to disappoint me really. Yeah. So you know, I think it's it's, it's a nice thing. It should always. It should always come as a pleasant moment that doesn't get taken for granted. Whenever anyone offers you appreciation or says nice things about what you're doing, you know that should always hit in a way where it's like oh I, you didn't need to say that, instead of expecting it you know, Right, so, but yeah, he tomato was not that guy.

Speaker 2 35:24

And also like because he's like he'd yeah, honestly, he was always living for himself. It's like I don't need to keep doing this just because people want me to. I'm going to go and you know, and do my own thing and do art, and that's also to say, like, this whole conversation I think I can dovetail pretty easily into um the, just the appreciation that I personally have for everybody who's been giving us feedback about the show, and I want to find a way to like pay you guys back for that. By the way, I wonder if um, I want us to to take first of all, before we leave, we have to take, like a photo that looks fabulous. Oh, so we're going to do that.

Speaker 1 36:02

Well, we're not leaving this. Yeah, don't you worry I didn't put all this makeup on, to not document it.

Speaker 2 36:11

We have to do a Milo and Ermi style.

Speaker 2 36:12

Wish you were here, picture you know that's what I want to do like the wish you were here, great picture, um poke, a little fun at that. I want to make some sort of postcard we can send as a thank you to people, or a sticker or something like that, and I feel like a little bit. Um, I also want to eventually and I've got to like figure out how to do this. I'm truly just brainstorming out loud, but I would like to figure out a way to like send off our source materials, like the books that I have, the random, old, like out of print 70s books and stuff that I've used for like all of these episodes.

Speaker 2 36:43

you know we could do like a giveaway.

Speaker 1 36:48

Yeah, lottery giveaway.

Speaker 2 36:50

Yeah, something to enter, yeah.

Speaker 1 36:52

Like. Leave a comment to enter. Yeah, something like that, because if you guys have any interest in that.

Speaker 2 36:55

They're, yeah, like leave a comment to enter, yeah, something like that. Because if you guys have any interest in that, they're really like fun books, especially Mylan Ermey's, but honestly like all the stuff that led the Christopher Jones stuff. Give me some feedback about what you want more of actually from us, because season two oh, oh, oh.

Speaker 1 37:13

the ladies are speaking up. The ladies are speaking. What up, girl? How can we help you?

Speaker 2 37:19

Yeah.

Speaker 1 37:20

How can we help you?

Speaker 2 37:27

But season two is going to be not until like the fall kind of when our season one started, really, not until like the fall kind of when our season one started, really. So we're just, we're taking the summer off for sure, um, because you guys, I'm doing a cross-country move. I need a minute, um, I need a minute, yeah. So, uh, yeah, we'll be back, don't worry about it, but I do need a minute, um, and yeah, I think, um, let her get settled, but then we'll be coming back. I already have stuff on. I have stuff lined up. It's gonna be good. We have another pod.

Speaker 1 38:04

We'll be working with that.

Speaker 2 38:06

I'm excited about.

Speaker 1 38:07

Yeah, exactly no spoilers no spoilers, but a little bit of, a little bit of a little tease.

Speaker 2 38:16

Yeah, it's going to be great. I'm excited to live on Los Angeles continually, even though I won't physically be here, although I'll obviously be coming back to visit, obviously. Duh, yeah, because also like, okay, maybe now we're just truly coloring and talking to you guys off the cuff right now. But so let's share a little bit about our friendship story, because I don't think we ever really have, oh, okay, yeah, so this is how me and Courtney became friends.

Speaker 1 38:51

I used to be married and the guy I used to be married to went to high school with Courtney and she reached out to him randomly and was like hey, my boyfriend at the time, now husband, my boyfriend and I are thinking about moving to LA. You know kind of want to pick your brain about it. Also, like, do you have a place we could crash while we're there? And we're like, sure we have a living room and a blow-up mattress. Come on down and you know we had been there five years.

Speaker 2 39:33

At that point I think, or less, actually less.

Speaker 1 39:36

I moved in 20 beginning of 2010.

Speaker 2 39:38

This was earlier than we actually moved, so like we were out there for a wedding actually and we were like we were trying to connect because we were definitely thinking about moving at that point and that was for me, the very first time I was ever in Los Angeles. So, and this was probably I want to say, it was like 2013 is that too early?

Speaker 1 39:59

I think that was it.

Speaker 2 40:00

I think it was right because then we moved about two years later we moved in 2015.

Speaker 1 40:06

So that was that was when we came out. So then, um, so then they stayed with us and literally they, they came, dropped off their stuff and then we went out to um a bar in Highland Park called Hermosillo, and it was literally like me and Courtney were on a first date. That's what it felt, like Me and Courtney like really got to know each other and like we just connected sort of immediately, not sort of immediately, definitely immediately.

Speaker 1 40:34

And like we just connected sort of immediately, not sort of immediately, definitely immediately. And after they left I was like well, courtney, when she moves here she's going to be my best friend. I'd like already decided upon it Because, like when you know, you know, yeah, 100 percent.

Speaker 2 40:56

And, yeah, and she did move and we did become best friends, yep, and very immediately, and the way that we did too, it was like I think we hung out again right after we moved and then, it was like then you sent me, um, like a text that was like this very vulnerable text. Actually, I feel like, as an adult woman, to be like. I really like you and I want to be friends. I want to be friends. What do you think? Like you?

Speaker 1 41:19

know yeah.

Speaker 2 41:21

And I was like, yes, I was thinking the same thing. I probably thought you were like too cool to even. I think I was like surprised that you sent it to me because I felt the same way. But I also thought that you were like you know, I felt I thought of you as somebody who was like you're the one telling me everything Do you know what I mean? Like you're the one like kind of giving me your time to like guide me through, like showing up here.

Speaker 1 41:41

Oh my gosh, that's only because I had, I got here first.

Speaker 2 41:44

Right, but it was like in my head that's how I like thought about it and then, you know, I responded back with a dumb like bachelor reference and joke and a rose emoji, a rose emoji and I was like will you accept this rose? And I was like, hell yeah, I will. Yes. And then we started going on hikes together a lot before Marissa's knee started acting up.

Speaker 1 42:05

Oh God, yeah, that was the beginning of the end for my knee.

Speaker 2 42:08

Yeah.

Speaker 1 42:09

When I could no longer do hikes with Courtney.

Speaker 2 42:17

Yeah, of the end for my knee, yeah, when I could no longer do hikes with Courtney. Yeah, but we did. We did so many hikes together in the beginning and I remember just having like the deepest conversations.

Speaker 2 42:20

We were always like just having these like huge conversations on these hikes that we took like all the time and the hikes are really what made me fall in love with LA at first, because I I hadn't had that experience like living in Chicago. It's like you don't really have a hike. You can just walk to easily Parks and stuff that are great, but like not a hike. And so that to me was it is such a lovely part of living in LA that you're just like, oh, like I'm going to go get some nature because I need it and it's right there.

Speaker 1 42:46

Yep.

Speaker 2 42:47

Better go touch grass on a hillside, yep, and you can do it. So I really love that and we would just yeah, we'd have these like deep conversations and it's just, it's just funny to think about, because I feel like you at that point, you know, now I'm the one who's like, who's married and whatever, and you, at the point where, like, you're the married woman who's like, you were telling me like so is this the guy, are we me? Like so is this the guy, are we? What are we doing here? You guys have been together for a minute. What's going on? Like you, you were just it's funny, it was like a different side of you yeah, because I was like you moved across the country with this guy yeah, what's going on.

Speaker 2 43:22

What's going on? Yeah, because I wouldn't.

Speaker 1 43:24

I wouldn't ever do that for anyone unless it was serious. So I was like, yeah, give me the tea girl girl, right?

Speaker 2 43:31

But yeah, and then Marissa ended up being my maid of honor, even though at that point I think we'd only been friends for like three years. But you know, I knew when you know, you know when you get here. Listen. People think that's not long enough for somebody to be your maid of honor. I'm sorry.

Speaker 1 43:50

People get married when they've known each other for two years I'm no longer on speaking terms with the girl who was my maid of honor, so you know that was also like, oh my god, I was. I was in a lifetime ago. I was 24 when I got married, which is crazy, yeah, um. And 30 when I got divorced or separated or whatever, with the intention of getting divorced, right, um, so, yeah, um, and I got courtney in the divorce is what I always say she did she did.

Speaker 1 44:21

I did indeed, uh. So yeah, and we've been creative partners since the beginning. We've like, made so many things together.

Speaker 2 44:31

We made a really weird podcast, or not podcast. We made a really weird web series. Oh my God, we should provide links to that.

Speaker 1 44:39

We should never, ever let that.

Speaker 2 44:42

See the light of day, don't you? You, for the longest time, had it as part of your reel. Because I had nothing else, out of true necessity it is is it's kind of fun it's it's unhinged, but it's fun, it's unhinged um yeah, so, but no good luck trying to find it.

Final Thoughts and Future Plans

Speaker 2 45:03

We did learning curve for sure stuff just like messing around and figuring out how to do stuff really in the style of tomato to Plenty. Yeah, keep bringing it back to him, because we're still coloring for you and meditating on these thoughts that connect to you, sir.

Speaker 1 45:24

The screamers.

Speaker 2 45:26

The screamers, the screamers are all around us, the screamers and the dreamers, the screamers and the dreamers, the screamers and the dreamers. But yeah, so it's been quite the journey. Here I'm trying to think, like what other highlights in the time that I've lived here and in the time of our friendship, specifically, highlights and lowlights? Good Lord, there have been plenty. There have been duplenty, duplenty.

Speaker 2 45:51

Yeah, there sure have been more highs than lows, and I think that LA in particular, like I don't, you know, sometimes if you've been I've been here for 10 years now and it's like which is crazy, I know, I know, but I feel like I don't have any. It's I've been here long enough to not have that kind of relationship with a city you haven't been in forever. You know, or like at least when you've been in there under a decade right, where you kind of have like associations with a certain period of time in your life or something like that, and it can like taint your whole perception of a place. And I don't feel like that about here, because I've been here long enough to have really great memories and some really not great memories, but what has always been true is that I have been loved and supported here through all of it, because I've got the best people and you are one of those people.

Speaker 1 46:44

I think that something about Myla you know she was. She was buried here because her friends got together. Yeah, myla, you know she was. She was buried here because her friends got together and made sure she had an amazing place to rest Same with tomato, yeah. So I think LA is definitely a place where you can find a chosen family. Um, yes, and there's a lot of instances where we see that where, where people's chosen family are the ones who they're there at the end and they ultimately make sure that they had a really rad place, yeah, to spend eternity.

Speaker 2 47:30

Yeah, I don't know. I think anybody who puts energy towards their friends, it goes on, it lives on as an example to other people.

Speaker 1 47:40

Yeah, Because family you don't choose, but friends you choose. That's right.

Speaker 2 47:46

That's right, and I know that you've had to break up with some friends, marissa.

Speaker 1 47:52

That's right.

Speaker 2 47:54

I remember at the beginning of our friendship, that is like that was such a point of conversation. Was you? Because I replaced them you breaking up with all of your friends. Not all of them, not all of your friends. No, there's plenty of friends that Marissa has has had for quite some time.

Speaker 1 48:14

But yeah, but like true friendship breakups I've had. I've had a couple and I was like there for that because, well, because Courtney showed me, what I deserved. Courtney showed me what I deserved and I wouldn't settle for anything less. That's right.

Speaker 2 48:39

I want to say I really messed this up because I needed to give this to you here and I forgot it, but I got you. I got you something. What?

Speaker 1 48:46

did you get?

Speaker 2 48:46

me. I got you in the offering of friends, because I'll just describe it to you guys because I'm going to have to give it to Marissa later. But it's just, it's a candle and it says bet you're my soulmate.

Speaker 1 49:05

That's what it is. It's true, it's true, that's what it is, that's all.

Speaker 2 49:10

So you can burn it and cry when I'm not physically in LA.

Speaker 1 49:17

I hate it, but also I'm very excited for you.

Speaker 2 49:20

I feel like you know you've been very understanding about all of that. And I feel good about the fact that another one of your close friends is moving into the house, the apartment in the back.

Speaker 1 49:31

Yeah, friends is moving into the house the apartment in the back.

Speaker 2 49:33

Yeah, so that, um, you know, like you, you have that legacy living on of, uh, close friends, only close friends, only being surrounded by your people. Yeah so, um, I think the legacy, the legacy lives on and lives on.

Speaker 1 49:50

Oh but yeah, but bitch you're my soulmate, Bitch. Legacy. The legacy lives on. It lives on the French legacy.

Speaker 2 49:53

But yeah, but, bitch, you're my soulmate.

Speaker 1 49:55

Bitch, you're my soulmate.

Speaker 2 49:59

And you peacock girlies have been the inspiration for the whole piece we're working on right now, and I think it's just about done. Yeah, oh, my God, you should have worn this peacock. Look at this male. He's coming up, he's coming on up, he's strutting around.

Speaker 1 50:14

All right, we just finished our little yeah, we did. Let's take a picture of it.

Speaker 2 50:18

We're going to take a picture of it for you guys to see. All right, this is the sound of Tomato DiPlenty's artwork being torn from the coloring book pages. Should we leave a message on it?

Speaker 1 50:32

Yes in the back.

Speaker 2 50:33

Let's put a message on it, okay, do you have a red pencil? I?

Speaker 1 50:40

sure do okay, every single color here red or orange. Okay, so we're gonna I'm gonna narrate this as I write it.

Speaker 2 50:49

All right. So we're saying dearest tomato.

Speaker 1 51:00

Thanks for teaching us to always do plenty.

Speaker 2 51:08

Thanks for teaching us to always do plenty. I spelled his last name as the D-U and then the plenty and put it in air quotes. He'll get it. If you liked what you heard, or if you have any feedback for us at all the good, the bad, the ugly, the dead, the alive please leave us a review on apple podcasts, um, and, and let us know what you think we really want to hear from you. Also, follow the show, please, um. You know, definitely subscribe whatever, wherever you get your podcasts, but write us a review. Tell us what you're thinking.

Podcast Closing and Goodbyes

Speaker 1 51:56

Dead and Kind of Famous is written, researched and produced by Courtney Blomquist. It is co-hosted by Marissa Rivera. We tag team on socials. Jesse Russell and Courtney Blomquist do our editing Until next time.

Speaker 2 52:09

you might not be famous, but you got a story to tell and you're not dead yet.

Speaker 1 52:14

Okay bye, bye.