Skip to Content
Podcast

RacketCast, Ep. 52: Girl Gone HOW Wild? Feat. Author/Comic/Actor Courtney Kocak

The multihyphenate entertainer from rural Minnesota talks about her coming-of-age memoir.

Provided

Right after high school Courtney Kocak left sleepy Jackson, Minnesota, to chase her dreams in Hollywood. Did everything go as planned? Sure didn't! And in her brand-new memoir, Girl Gone Wild, Kocak weaves together a series of essays that address "ambition, delusion, drugs, sex, and misogyny," plus selling merch on the extremely shady Girls Gone Wild porno bus.

You can catch Kocak in conversation with author Kelly Foster Lundquist and Racket contributor Deborah Copperud this Friday at St. Paul's Acorn Bookshop (details here). Or on May 19 at Troubadour Wine Bar with past RacketCast guest Mary Lucia and author Angela Pelster (deets here).

But before quite literally any of that, Em and Jay go through a speed round of What I Learned in Racket. Here's what they learned...


This episode of RacketCast is sponsored by The Wild West Bank Sound: A Funky Flashback of Musical Memories.

The latest documentary from Twin Cities PBS takes viewers on a sensory trip to a corner of Minneapolis that shaped Minnesota music. From the early 1960s, Minneapolis’s West Bank neighborhood was an epicenter of the music world and proved an irresistible draw for artists from far and wide, an ever-evolving cauldron of creativity and cultures. This film bursts at the seams with memories, all visualized with rare and rich archival photography, footage, and ephemera. Stream on the free PBS App now.


Subscribe to RacketCast wherever you get your podcasts—Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pocket Casts, etc. • Wanna advertise on RacketCast? Email us at advertise@racketmn.com. • Have a food/drink, event, or show recommendation? How about a civic hot take? General or specific question? Call 619-RACKTIP (619-722-5847) with your first name + city + 3-min.-maximum voicemail, and we might play it on a future episode. • Special thanks to local band Van Stee for supplying our podcast music!

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More Stories

Analyzing the Downfall of MN-Launched Lizzo

Plus prosecutor quizzes, Souhan retires, and large nutcracker dazzles planet in today's Flyover news roundup.

Heads Up! It’s the First New Music Playlists in… Let’s Just Say ‘A While’

5 great local tracks, 5 great new tracks from everywhere else, and Lizzo.

July 6, 2026

Black Food Truck Fest, Chuck Tingle, Bob Dylan: This Week’s Best Events

Plus how to help trans youth, Bastille Day parties, and a film series at the Trylon that's like a road trip without the gas money.

Big Weekend for Minions Fans!

Pretty much all the movies you can catch in the Twin Cities this week.

See Ya, Twin Cities Locks ‘n’ Dams: We Must Free the Mississippi River

Plus cool maps, free stuff, and the return of St. Paul's fireworks in today's Flyover news roundup.