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 from Racket

Walter Hudson’s Gonna Need a New Drinking Buddy

Plus a '90s flashback, deepfake election campaigning, and nature's revenge in today's Flyover news roundup.

On the Big Screen This Week: Sexy Bank Robbers and a Songwriting Bromance

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

Summer Guide 2026: Farmers Markets and U-Pick Produce

Who needs grocery stores when you have these great options?

June 4, 2026

Target Field Devolves Into Feral Junkyard 

Plus talk of killing the caucus, ousting a dog park, and Pilllar stays righteous in today's Flyover news roundup.

Summer Guide 2026: Over 21 Great Concerts Happening Sooner Than You Think

Is there simple too much live music this summer? You be the judge.

June 3, 2026
See all posts