BUFFERING THE VAMPIRE SLAYER Musical Episode Out Today

Buffering The Vampire Slayer hosts Kristin Russo and Jenny Owen Youngs are excited to announce the release of Season 6 Episode 7, "Once More With Once More, With Feeling". The latest entry in their long running critically acclaimed "Rewatch" podcast takes on the musical format of the Buffy The Vampire Slayer TV Series' groundbreaking season six episode. With 17 original songs written by Youngs and Russo, the episode features musical guests including New York Times bestselling author Gaby Dunn, LaToya Ferguson (AV Club/Paste, Angel On Top podcast), Joanna Robinson (Vanity Fair, A Cast of Kings podcast) and Ben Thornewill of Jukebox the Ghost among others. A full tracklist and list of contributors can be found below.

When Buffy the Vampire Slayer aired "Once More, With Feeling" in 2001, aside from being a major inflection point in the show's narrative arc, it was a groundbreaking moment for a scripted TV series. In a time before streaming, where seasons typically ran 20+ episodes, the production costs and demands for the episode were unprecedented. Storytelling in a musical format was similarly far outside the norm for live action TV. It wouldn't be until years later that series like Scrubs or Grey's Anatomy took on similar episodes, or networks greenlit whole shows built on musical interludes like Glee, Crazy Ex Girlfriend and Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist.

As one of the most celebrated (deemed the best of the series by The Ringer and others) entries in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer canon, and considering what an undertaking it was for Joss Whedon and Co. at the time, Russo and Youngs felt a musical podcast was the only way to truly do the episode justice. While they write and record a new original song for each episode of the podcast, they knew they needed to go bigger for the episode covering "Once More, With Feeling." An initial commitment to 3 songs grew until they ended up settling on 17 songs to match with the original soundtrack. In "Once More With Once More, With Feeling" they put their customary witty commentary on the show to tune, musing on topics as light as Spike's brooding bad boy appeal, to a more serious exploration of the problematic racist stereotypes applied to the show's archvillain, the demon Sweet.

The song "You Can Always Get Divorced", in which Youngs and Russo give their advice to the show character's Xander and Anya in response to the couples nervous jitters about their impending nuptials, is emblematic of the smart and charismatic banter that has won Buffering The Vampire Slayer so many loyal listeners. "But take it from two girls who've been down the line / There's no knot so knotted it can't be untied" sing the hosts in a tongue in cheek reference to their own past marriage.

Kristin Russo and Jenny Owen Youngs began recording their Buffering the Vampire Slayer podcast in 2016 after developing a shared infatuation with the original series. Now in its sixth season, and over 7 million downloads later, the podcast has won year end "best of" recognition from TIME, Esquire, Entertainment Weekly, BBC, Paste Magazine and more. Over the years they have interviewed multiple Buffy the Vampire Slayer cast members, and featured guest commentators including Ira Madison III, Hrishikesh Hirway, Shannon Woodward, Trixie Mattel, and Brittany Ashley. Outside of in person meet-ups organized by Russo and Youngs like their annually sold-out Buffy Prom, the podcast's community of listeners has become a global network in and of itself where fellow fans organize watch parties, discuss episodes, and work to support social justice causes. Most recently raising $7500 together for the Georgia senate runoff elections.

When not diving deep into each episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Russo is a writer, speaker, educator and consultant with a focus on LGBTQ issues having co-founded the organizations Everyone Is Gay & My Kid Is Gay, and authored This is a Book for Parents of Gay Kids (Chronicle, 2014). Jenny Owen Youngs is an acclaimed recording artist and songwriter with multiple full-length albums and EPs to her name. Her work has been praised by The New York Times, Stereogum, Vice, NPR Music, The Washington Post and more.

Listen to the podcast episode below.

"Once More With Once More, With Feeling" Track List:

Written By: Jenny Owen Youngs + Kristin Russo (*except as noted)

Produced By: Jenny Owen Youngs, Kristin Russo, John Mark Nelson

01 - Overture / Hello and Welcome

02 - Big fing Nerds

(Feat. LaToya Ferguson w/ Ben Thornewill on piano)

03 - Mustard

04 - On Ren Faire Dresses and Levitatilingus

05 - You Can Always Get Divorced

06 - Wow Wow Wow

07 - Problematic Fave

(Feat. Joanna Robinson w/ Steph Barker on drums)

08 - O! To Be Mentioned!
(Feat. Gaby Dunn w/ Ben Thornewill on piano)

09 - Gaby's Ballet

10 - Stereotype Buffet*

(Feat. Alba Daza and Mackenzie MacDade, w/ Steph Barker on drums;

written by Alba Daza, Mackenzie MacDade and Jenny Owen Youngs)

11 - Accidental Parental

12 - On Leaving

13 - What in the Actual

14 - Once More, With Feeling
(w/ Ben Thorewill on piano)

15 - Patriarchy Reimagined

16 - The End of the Episode

17 - Codawoooooooo

Photo Credit: Laz Marquez