CHAT SESSION 79 with Gemma and Lana
Topic- At I Think My Fridge Is Haunted, they are the ones talking about the morbid stuff no one really likes to talk about: death plans, eco-funerals, botched crime investigations, stalkers, and lately, the fight against women’s violence happening right here in our own backyards.
Catch up and listen to our chat session https://megaphone.link/LCRUI4183824877
Monday 28th October 2024 1pm https://rppfm.com.au
Birds of a feather, as they say, flock together.
This is true of many people: CrossFit nuts, incels, Thornbury hipsters, dog owners, women with #mumlyfe stickers on the back windows of their car, and of course, true crime enthusiasts.
In early 2023, a spooky podcast ‘I Think My Fridge Is Haunted’ had just finished its fifth season, having limped through lockdown like a wounded fox, when Gemma’s beloved co-host Esther left the show to pursue other interests.
The show was Gemma’s heart stone. First launched on Halloween (of course) back in 2019, it was a way of reaching out to other people like her, or as she calls them, ‘spooky bitches. It was a place everyone could tell stories of hauntings, mysterious cryptozoological creatures and alien abductions as well as strange cases of true crime. Listeners said it was like having a chat with friends. They also loved tuning in on late-night car journeys and being scared half to death, which made Gemma most proud.
It was the antithesis of the health and wellness ‘boss babes’ they saw on billboards - usually ex-reality TV stars paid by the big radio stations to keep up the momentum of their fifteen-minutes of fame. Although it must be said, “Abbie Chatfield, I love your work”. Says Gemma
At I Think My Fridge Is Haunted, they were also the ones talking about the morbid stuff no one really likes to talk about: death plans, eco-funerals, botched crime investigations, stalkers, and lately, the fight against women’s violence happening right here in our own backyards.
After Esther left, Gemma languished for some months, contemplating a somewhat serious life as a desolate writer, donning a beret, possibly intoxicated and confusing people with her new 1940’s Trans-Atlantic accent.
“I’ll wake up at midnight and drink cappuccinos at cafes!” Gemma thought. “Maybe I’ll drink gin!” Although she doesn’t really like gin. It was all very dramatic. Her producer Chris at RPPFM was most patient while she weathered her existential crisis. “Thank you, Chris”.
Around that time, Gemma got an email from an old acquaintance, Lana Lunacy (a fabulous stage name), asking if she could recommend the Peninsula as a good place to live. She was thinking about moving down from Ballarat to pursue her dream of working as a voice over. “Sure, it’s great here”, I said, not putting two and two together. Then it struck me. Lana was a spooky bitch. And a voice over? Wait a minute….
Two weeks passed until Gemma got the nerve to ask her to join, I Think My Fridge Is Haunted and honestly, she thought the answer would be no, but Lana quickly responded to her communiqué.
As it turned out Lana was thrilled to join the team. In addition to that, she was obsessed with medieval history, had a penchant for haunted locations, was a perfectionist AND an advocate for mental health awareness.
Gemma could just see the knight at the end of ‘Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade’ telling her, “You have chosen… wisely”, while, over in ‘Kill Bill’, Pai Mei tossed his beard with smug satisfaction.
Lana came in with the goods and was a meticulous researcher, writing fantastic dark history stories like “The Hellfire Club”, and “Olga of Kyiv”. She was also a great storyteller, narrating history with intrigue and a sense of fun.
Lana was also a social media wiz. She transformed the online presence into a sparkly black and pink grid of fun reels and cute flyers. She had a scheduling plan. A SCHEDULING PLAN. Then she suggested they add the episodes to You Tube. It was a huge step and loads of work, but they started to absolutely love presenting to the cameras and got so excited when the episodes appeared. They did everything themselves, from researching, writing, presenting and post-production. It’s their excellent producer Chris who checks the ‘extremity rating’ of each episode and uploads everything to the internet.
It was in the second season working together that Gemma and Lana discovered that they were both passionate advocates for women’s safety. 2024 was a year that put violence against women into the spotlight with unprecedented force. So, they chose to join the fight, highlighting cases from both Australia and overseas, as well as regularly spotlighting organisations and phone numbers that people could call if they found themselves in dangerous situations. If they could help in any way with their tiny platform, why wouldn’t they? It was worth a shot.
Gemma and Lan will continue to highlight these cases. The conversation doesn’t need to end when the government stops running the ads. (Listen to their episodes for full length rants!)
As they stand on the precipice of their eighth season, in which they will be delving into the world of pirates and adventurers, their aim is to reach more spooky bitches, having them join the wild ride they have created at RPPFM. And they can’t wait.
Written by Gemma Lye (I Think My Fridge Is Haunted Podcast)
If you would like to find out more about, I Think My Fridge Is Haunted, you can subscribe to the You Tube channel or listen on podcasting platforms such as
Apple Podcasts, Podbean or Spotify.
(Chris makes sure they are on most platforms, bless her).
Drop them an email at hauntedfridgies@gmail.com with episode requests,
spooky real- life stories or just to say hello!
My hope is that when you’re looking at yourself in the
‘The Daily Mirror’
YOU SMILE
EMBRACE BEING YOU
AND FIND 10 MINUTES IN YOUR DAY TO NOURISH YOUR SOUL!
To get in touch with Cathy email smileinthedailymirror@gmail.com
'The Daily Mirror' acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the Traditional Custodians of the land and acknowledges and pays respect to their Elders, past and present.
Comments