Welcome to Tails and Tassels: Meet Your Host, Gemma

Hello, kitty cats — and welcome to Tails and Tassels!
I'm your host, Gemma Smith: kitten nursery manager by day and host of NYC’s cat-themed variety show, Catbaret, by night.

This podcast pounces into the lives of burlesque and nightlife performers — their craft, their cats and how the two worlds intertwine. Whether you’re a tassel-twirling performer, a curious creative or just trying to keep your cat off your keyboard, you’re in the right place.

Season 1 is streaming now with interviews, solo episodes, and bonus chats with feline experts. Season 2 drops this October with even more sparkly, cat-loving goodness.

Thank you for listening! I’m paws-itively delighted you’re here!

Subscribe right meow — new episodes drop Thursdays
Follow on IG: @tailsandtasselspod
Host IG: @gemmasmithnyc
Get tickets to the next Catbaret: Tickets
 

Get in Touch: I’d love to hear from you! What are you most excited to learn about on Tails and Tassels? Connect with me on Instagram, email us at tailsandtasselspod@gmail.com or leave a comment!

Transcript

Hello, kitty cats, and welcome to the very first episode of Tails and Tassels, the show where you learn about the lives of burlesque and nightlife performers, their craft, their cats, and how the two worlds intertwine. I'm your host, Gemma Smith. By day, I'm a manager at a kitten nursery. And by night, I host The Catbaret, a cat-themed variety show in New York City.

In this mini introductory episode, I'm going to share what you can expect as a listener, as well as a little bit about me and my inspiration for the podcast. So I live in Brooklyn with my husband, Alan, a jazz musician, and our two rescue cats, Lionel and Luna. Lionel is a 12-year-old orange tabby who's large and in charge around here. He's survived two urinary blockages. If you know, you know, very stressful.

but I'm proud to say he's now thriving on Prozac. And Luna, she's an 11-year-old elegant sweetie who happens to be asthmatic. So we do our best to give her the inhaler every day to help her breathe easy. And these two kitties are truly the inspiration behind the cat beret. I've been hosting my cat-themed show for over six years and absolutely love it. Now to clarify.

Catbaret is a cat-themed cabaret, not a cat wearing a beret, although that would be super cute too, and I've been considering rebranding our logo to just that. If you've never been to the Cat Beret, our shows are currently held at Caveat on the Lower East Side. It's a great venue. I get complimentary cat ears for audience members to wear, and we all enjoy feline-themed entertainment.

Each show features comedy, music, sometimes magic, and burlesque, or as we like to call it, pur-lesque. Warning, there will be a lot of cat puns in this podcast. Before I created The Cat Beret, I don't think I'd ever seen a real burlesque show. You know, although I went to school for theater and moved to New York City for acting and had lots of different creative experiences, I'd never dipped my toes into the world of burlesque.

So when I began casting performers and discovered this art form, well, I fell head over heels for the art of striptease. This led me to enroll at the New York School of Burlesque and dive into performing myself. Performing Burlesque is hands down the most fun and free I've ever felt on stage. And I'm incredibly grateful for this discovery. In addition, learning about Burlesque and performing has allowed me to embrace the joy of creative freedom.

crafting my own acts, designing costumes, and playfully connecting and flirting with audiences. Burluscan nightlife performers are some of the most interesting, creative, and talented people I've ever met. And I'm so thankful for the opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals who personally inspire me. And what's even better than that? Well, they love cats.

So many creative folks reach out to me to pitch their cat-themed acts or even just tell me about their cats or ask for advice. This led me to create the podcast. I'm truly passionate about connecting with a community of cat-loving performers and creatives. So what is Tales and Tassels all about? Why should you tune in?

Each episode, I'll be interviewing a different burlesque or nightlife performer about their craft, their cats, and how these two worlds collide. They'll talk about their inspiration, their creative process for developing a new act, as well as share personal stories about their own kitty cats. We'll also share our favorite tips and tricks for fellow or aspiring performers and cat parents alike.

Plus, we'll have episodes featuring feline experts answering your burning questions. We're launching with three episodes today. Our next three episodes feature two burlesque performers with cat-themed names and cat-themed acts, and another nightlife performer who's created her own solo show with the emotional support of her cat Patches. And after that, a new episode will drop every other Thursday.

and I'd absolutely positively love to hear from you. Connect with us on Instagram at Tailsandtasselspod or via email at talesandtasselspod at gmail.com with your feedback and questions. Share your cat stories, ask your burning questions. If you're a performer, us to be on the podcast and you might be featured in a future episode.

Plus, would mean so much to me if you could subscribe, rate, and review the podcast. Thank you so much for listening. I'm positively delighted that you're here. Take care, and until next time, kitty cats.