MS. DIANE VOGELWelcome back. You're listening to "The Kojo Nnamdi show." I'm Diane Vogel, managing producer of the show, sitting in for Kojo. And now we get to turn our attention to lots of fun. It's a women's group that is known for songs like, "Microwave Life," and "Don't Mess With Me, I'm Somebody's Mother." But don't think that these women should not be taken seriously. The Four Witchin' Babes -- well, actually the name has a B in it, but I'm trying not to say that too often. The Four Witchin' Babes have been bringing music and laughter to audiences for nearly two decades.

MS. DIANE VOGELAnd while the band members have changed over the years, the group ideal hasn't. They celebrate the highs and lows of life with rollicking tunes, lots of humor, lots of good nature. It's like having four great girlfriends to share everything with, whether it's your heartache or the joys of chocolate. And if you're a man, don't worry, we're not shunning you. You get a peek into what life is like on the other side. What -- it's like having your best girlfriends going with you into places where others may not dare to tread. They're talking Botox. They're talking hot flashes. Nothing is off limits to these women.

MS. DIANE VOGELBut each in their own is also a very accomplished musician in her own right. And they come together to have fun, to eat bonbons and to write music and perform. And right now, they're touring with their musical revue, "Diva Nation," which is part concert and part stand-up act. So ladies, welcome to the studio. I'm going to welcome three of the four members of The Bitchin' Babes into the studio with us. That's Debi Smith, Deirdre Flint and Sally Fingerett. We'll explain in a moment why Nancy Moran isn't here. But ladies, welcome, thank you for being here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE #1Oh, we're glad to be here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE #2(unintelligible) .

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE #3(unintelligible) .

#1Glad to be here.

#2This is great.

VOGELWe're absolutely thrilled to have you here. And I wonder if you can start by just giving our audience a taste of what your music sounds like. I was thinking, maybe, "Hormonal Rhapsody" or something like that. Any chance we can start?

#1All right.

#2Okay.

#3Sure.

VOGELLet's sit back, listen and enjoy, folks.

THE FOUR BITCHIN' BABESA wrinkle here, a hot flash there, bifocals next, a new grey hair / I'm checking my cholesterol, do kegels and exercise balls / I'm getting paps and mammograms, I meditate, take calcium / I limit liquor, ban caffeine, take flaxseed four omega-3s / 50, my God, I'm 50 / Cosmo used to be the rag for me, but now I read AARP / 50, my God, I'm 50 / My IRA now suddenly is making much more sense / To stop the nagging from my mom, I put an ad on Match.com / I heard from Steve, an engineer, he's 41, let's have a beer / He stumbled in, I thought I'd cry / His hand is creeping up my thigh / He's unemployed, but has big goals, the first of which, don’t break parole / Check please, waiter, the check, please / I know it's (inaudible) to be leaving, but his ankle bracelet's beeping / There's the convent, maybe the convent / That whole celibacy rule is looking better every day / My kids grew up, they got degrees, a CPA, a PHD / They overspend, student loans, so deep in debt, they moved back home / I turned her room into a den, I turned his room into a den / What do I do? / I love my dens / Where do I put these kids again? / Basement, give them the basement / It might be dreary, might be damp, but maybe they will get the hint that it's a basement, a stinky basement / I will always be their mommy but come on, they need to go / What's this I see, well hush my mouth / My body parts are moving south / 41, try 58, I think he's wanted in three states / I like to vacuum in the nude / The way they stare, it's just rude / Prozac, I'll take the Prozac / I used to protest it but feeling now it's looking quite appealing / Then there's Twinkies, it's good with vodka / Anything I get my hands on just to get my through the day / Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, vodka / Yoga, chocolate, yoga, vodka / Shopping, eating, sleeping, vodka, anything to get me through the day, the day, the whole damn day.

VOGELOh, ladies, that was absolutely wonderful. You're listening to three of The Four Bitchin' Babes. That was Debi Smith, Deirdre Flint, Sally Fingerett, and not with us today is Nancy Moran. We'll find out why when we come back from this break. And we're also going to ask each one of you to introduce the other and tell me something about them.

VOGELBecause it seems to me, we heard each one of you do the sound of a different verse there and I don't know how autobiographical each one of those are. But you can either tell me yourself or the lady sitting next to you can tell us the real scoop. So actually, let's start with you, Deirdre.

MS. DEIRDRE FLINTYes.

VOGELDeirdre, if you'll tell me a sentence or two about yourself and introduce one of the other ladies.

FLINTOkay. Well, unfortunately, that was autobiographical.

VOGELYours was the 58-year-old?

FLINTWell, yes. Mainly, the trying to find, you know, people on match.com and having people maybe lie about what they post. (laugh) And to my left is Debi Smith and she sings about aging, but I myself do not see any evidence on her face of that.

MS. DEBI SMITHOh, thank you darling. (laugh)

VOGELAnd Debi Smith, tell me a sentence or two about you and introduce the lady to your left.

SMITHYes. Well, I am definitely one of the members in the group who is over 50 by more than one year. And so yes, I have experienced some of the things which I was singing about there. Now, let's see. Next to me, is Sally Fingerett. I am actually the local babe. I'm from the Washington D.C. area. Sally Fingerett is from Columbus, Ohio.

VOGELAnd Sally Fingerett, can you tell us about yourself? And then, also tell us about Nancy Moran who's not here today and you can tell us why.

MS. SALLY FINGERETTWell, I am the -- I'm on my second marriage and we did blend three teenagers and they're all -- two of the three are gone now, thank gosh, graduates of college. And let's see. Nancy Moran is on a plane as we speak, landing and is sorry she couldn't join us.

VOGELNo problem.

FINGERETTThere were flight difficulties, you know how that goes. But Nancy lives in Nashville and she is our double income, no kids gal.

VOGELDink, yes.

FINGERETTDinky -- dinkypoo. And so she's got -- in my book, with my three kids, she's got a good life. (laugh)

VOGELYeah. She has nobody living in her basement. Deirdre, if you can, tell us a little bit of the history. I understand there have always been four babes in the group, but they weren't always the same four babes.

FLINTRight. The group was started when Christine Lavin got together with Sally Fingerett and a couple of other women and decided that they -- they went on songwriting retreats and things like that and they decided that they were having so much fun that they wanted to take something on the road. So that was how the group began. And then, they just continued to have a lot of fun and so they just continued it. And now, 20 years later, here we are.

VOGELI was going to say, it was back in 1990, I understand, when Christine Lavin and Sally Fingerett got together with some other friends and...

FINGERETTMegon McDonough and Patty Larkin.

VOGELOh, familiar names to many people, Patty Larkin and Megon McDonough. And you guys toured and released an album. I love the title.

FINGERETTBuy Me, Bring Me, Take Me, Don't Mess My Hair: Life According To Four Bitchin' Babes.

VOGELPerfect. And I understand that's volume one and there have been many, many volumes since.

FINGERETTWe just released our eighth CD, Diane, yes. It's amazing.

VOGELTerrific. Terrific. The Four Bitchin' Babes are playing at the Birchmere in Alexandria, Va. tomorrow and Saturday, December 3rd and 4th at 7:30. You can probably find a link on our website at kojoshow.org. You can also join the conversation. If you want to talk about the foibles of growing older, perhaps turning those foibles into art. If you've met The Four Bitchin' Babes before, you can also talk to us about those experiences.

VOGELOr if you want to just sit back and enjoy the music, you can. The number here is 1-800-433-8850. 1-800-433-8850. You can e-mail us at kojo@wamu.org. I'm hoping that you can explain which of the songs might be -- each one of you have a song or a moment in time that speaks to you and maybe you can give me a little example or two from those songs. Do you want to start, Debi?

SMITHWell, actually that would be one of the songs which we're doing today, I think everybody can relate to, and it's the experience of maybe not being -- putting something down and maybe not being able to find it again.

VOGELOh, tell me a little bit about that.

SMITHWell, it seems that I've experiencing that a little more frequently these days than I used to. So...

FINGERETTDebi's juggling a lot right now because she's -- this is a hometown gig for her so, you know, she's staying at home with her husband and son so she's trying to be the mom and be the professional. But she also has, if we can mention, her concerts coming up.

VOGELSure.

FINGERETTA huge -- so Debi's juggling not only does the Babe thing, the mom thing, but also a professional Christmas Concert with the -- what is that, it's the...

SMITHYes. I'm going to be a -- a week from now, not this weekend, I'm...

VOGELOn Sunday, December 12.

SMITHMm-hmm. With the National Men's Chorus of Washington. And I'll be...

VOGELSo you have nothing against men?

SMITHNo. Nothing at all against men. We love our man babes as we call them. But I'm their guest soloist and they arranged some of my songs to perform with the chorus.

VOGELWow. So the National Men's Chorus, you are performing with Thomas Pandolino (sic) as the pianist at Music For Christmastide on Sunday, December 12 at the Providence Presbyterian Church in Fairfax, Virginia. The rest of you ladies, including Debi, will all be at the Birchmere this Saturday and tomorrow in Alexandria.

VOGELAnd I'm hoping maybe before we go onto let other people give them their individual song that speaks to them, I'm going to ask you to perform, if you would, that song you referenced, Debi.

SMITHAlrighty.

VOGELAnd this is the one about kind of losing things or forgetting parts of where you've put things and so on.

SMITHAll right.

BABESOh, no / I'm looking for my glasses again / I put them down / I turned around and then I could not find them / Now I'm doing my best Patty Duke impression, stumbling all over the place / What do I have to do to teach myself a lesson, fall flat on my face? / Oh, no / I'm looking for my car keys again / I put them down / I turned around and then I could not find them / Now I can't find them 'cause I can't see 'cause I can't find my glasses / Oh, whoa is me / I can't drive my car / I can't read, but I can order pizza and watch TV / Oh, no / Where is that remote control? / It's got to be here / I saw it five minutes ago, but can I find it now? / No, the doorbell rings, it's the pizza guy / Good thing I don't need my glasses to eat pizza pie / He tells me it's seven dollars / I say, one minute, my purse has all my money in it / Oh, no, now I’m looking for my purse / Just when things were getting better / They've taken a turn for the worse / This is a curse I explain my situation, how I can't see / Why is the pizza man now laughing at me / I'm searching round the table and under the bed / Why is he pointing toward the top of my head? / Here they are / And what is that there on the floor? / Yes, it's my purse, it's holding my car keys and there's the remote control behind the door / Now I can eat pizza and watch the news / Chill out, lose these annoying blues, but first there's one phone call I need to return / Where is my phonebook? / When will I learn? / Oh, no / I'm looking for my glasses again.

VOGELFantastic, ladies. That is Debi Smith, Deirdre Flint and Sally Fingerett, better known as three of The four Witchin' Babes. Replace that W with a B. They're in studio today with us. And ladies, that was terrific. And I will show that, as you said, you have male babes who are your fans.

FLINTAnd we sure would love some more. (laugh)

VOGELWell, our phones are lighting up and so far it's only men on the line. We're going to go to Alan in Washington, D.C. Alan, you're on the air.

ALANHi Bitchin' Babes. I love your music, especially because you are -- your harmony is so incredibly excellent and fun. And I'm wondering how you decide who does what part and I just want to shout out to Sally Fingerett who I used to listen to in Barbarossa back when, in Chicago, that funky stage that lit up from the bottom.

VOGELTerrific. Well, I'm going to ask Deidre to answer the first part of the question and then Sally can tell us about working back there in Chicago at the Barbarossa where he used to watch you. So go ahead, Deirdre.

FLINTWell, what we do is we get together ahead of time and we work out the parts. Nancy and Debi are really good at kind of figuring out whose harmony -- who should do which harmony. As far as the different songs that we do, we, most of the time, write our own songs, but sometimes we cover songs of other Babes. For example, "Oh No," which we do almost every show because people love that song, was written by Christine Lavin.

VOGELOh, beautiful. And Alan had mentioned watching you at the Barbarossa back in Chicago.

FINGERETTThat would have to have been about 1975, '76, '77, oh, my goodness.

VOGELAlan, thank you so much for your call. You're taking us back. I can see her eyes rolling around in her head.

FINGERETTYes. I'm getting a little weepy with nostalgia. (laugh)

VOGELThanks for calling, Alan. We're going to move onto Bruce. And we might be having some technical difficulties with -- so I may have to repeat your question out loud here. Let me see. Bruce, you're on the air.

BRUCEYes. I first had the pleasure of hearing Deirdre Flint on her album that included songs like "The Shuffleboard Queen," "The Boot Fairy," and all the rest of them. Wonderful album. And I'm wondering if she ever made a second album and if the album is still available. I have a copy and if she ever produced any other single albums. It's a terrific, terrific album.

VOGELWell, Bruce, I will tell you that Deirdre is blushing.

FLINTBruce, are you sure my mom didn't get to call in with that question? No. Thank you very much. I do have a second CD. It's called, Then Again. And so I have two CDs, and you can get that CD -- well, what you can do is actually go to The Four Bitchin' Babes website, which is fourbitchinbabes.com, and they have a list of all the CDs that we all have.

FLINTBut, yeah. I did do a second CD and then, fortunately, I was picked up by the Babes. So since then, I've just been doing Babes CDs, which is actually a lot more fun. (laugh)

FINGERETTThank you, honey. That's so nice.

VOGELTerrific. Well, thanks for your call, Bruce. So ladies, clearly, you're having a lot of fun together and I wanted to know how each of you balances what you've done and what makes performing with the Babes make so much sense. I understand that it's not a full-time gig so how do you work this out?

FLINTWell, I started as an elementary school teacher.

VOGELDid you really?

FLINTYes. Yes. And as a matter of fact, that's where I learned the guitar. I actually -- my first group of fifth graders I taught at St. Anthony's School over in northeast D.C., and they liked to sing. So I bought a guitar and started playing and that's how I ended up playing, you know, music. But I just love traveling with the Babes. And actually, traveling with four people is terrific, especially four women, because you know somebody always has a Kleenex and nobody changes the station if Barry Manilow comes on.

FLINTSo that’s really awesome. (laugh) And we also stop at every single rest stop on I-95, which is terrific. But it's actually also really great, because when you were a solo musician, and then you are under the wing of Sally Fingerett and Debi Smith, who are both moms, I really don't actually have to remember anything. Once they had me fly out of BWI, I forgot my purse.

VOGELOh, my.

FLINTSo it's just great. I mean, it's just wonderful being part of four people.

VOGELThat's wonderful. And that's Deirdre Flint you're listening to. She's a singer/songwriter/musician, one of The Four Bitchin' Babes. That B-I-T-C-H-I-N with an apostrophe. And you can check out their website at fourbitchinbabes.com. They are performing tomorrow night and Saturday at the Birchmere in Alexandria. Now, to go onto you other ladies. Sally, how you balance it, how you -- why the Babes works for you? And if you want to tell me one of those songs that really speaks to you, go right ahead.

FINGERETTWell, first of all, the Babes, this is a full-time gig, I have to tell you. We tour -- I don't know, there's 52 weeks a year. What do we do about -- we do maybe 50 to 60 shows a year.

VOGELThat's full.

FINGERETTIt is. And what's wonderful for me, having done this for 20 years, as my daughter was four years old when I started, she's 24 now, so it's a wonderful way to work in the music industry, but you do -- it's a group effort. It's lots of fun. And the songs -- I have to say, 20 years ago, we played the Birchmere in 1990. Our first CD was a live recording from the Birchmere.

FINGERETTAnd Rounder, the record company, actually had a misprint on the disc -- on the tape and the record, "Live At The Bitchmore." (laugh) I brought that with me to show you guys. Anyway, so for the 20 years...

VOGELI'm not sure I believe that that was a mistake, but….

FINGERETTSo what happened is, was back then we were four solo singer-songwriters writing about life as we knew it back then. So 20 years later, we've grown up, we've changed. And our audiences, both men and women from folk fans to, now, theater fans, have changed with us. So we can continue to write about what we know and our audiences continue to enjoy it based on their relating to us.

FINGERETTAnd that is what we love so much, is that we get to be ourselves as musicians and make a living.

VOGELDebi, how does it work for you? You're not -- you have not been in this for 20 years. You've come to it more recently.

SMITHClose. I joined about 17 years ago and so it's really very good for me. Because I mean, to be able to tour on weekends, which is pretty much what we do -- my son actually has mild autism so it's really good for me to be home for him as much of the week as I can, but also it's nice to get away and go out with your girlfriends where you can do a little eating out and sleeping in. And so that's...

FINGERETTAnd get paid.

SMITHAnd get paid. And we really do have a great time on the road. But I just -- my son, I wanted to mention, goes to the Art Institute of Washington which is, you know, right in this area, and he's doing very well. He's going to be 21 this next month.

VOGELCongratulations.

SMITHIt's still a wonderful thing for me. I've been singing ever since I was very, very young. Started out in choirs and that kind of thing, but it's a wonderful thing being in this group.

VOGELWell, each Thursday in December, you'll hear music on "The Kojo Nnamdi Show," just a little way to celebrate the season. And next week, you'll be hearing about Washington as the home to choral musicians, choral groups. Ladies, I was hoping maybe that we can get you sing us out a little bit. I don't know if there's one other song that you'd like to perform, but I'll remind everyone you're listening to "The Kojo Nnamdi Show."

VOGELI'm Diane Vogel, Kojo Nnamdi's managing producer, sitting in for Kojo today. We are hoping he'll be back in the chair tomorrow, hoping he'll feel better. We've been talking with The Four Witchin' Babes, substitute the W for a B. In the studio today, Debi Smith, Deirdre Flint, Sally Fingerett. We say hello to Nancy Moran who couldn't join us. We invite you all to check out the women at thefourbitchinbabes.com website.

VOGELAnd ladies, could you sing us out with something?

FLINTCertainly. This song is -- this is Deidre speaking. This song is completely autobiographical.

BABESWhen I was in my teenage years, I did just what I should / I listened to my mother and I was kind and sweet and good / And my friends and I did rituals and I prayed with all my might / That this would be the evening that she'd stop along her flight / Well that was several years ago and that chick's long overdue / And it's time I came to terms with something plainly clear to you / The boob fairy never came for me / No, the boob fairy never came for me / Okay, I'm spunky and I'm cute, and I've got a great personality….

VOGELYou're listening to "The Kojo Nnamdi Show." Thanks for listening. We'll be back with you tomorrow.