Supercontext: an autopsy of media

This 2015 comic series is an attempt to tell "the ultimate H.P. Lovecraft" story, so we dive deep into the cold, clinical research process behind it. We also discuss this story's relationship with sexual violence, racism, American mythology, capitalism and... comic book fandom. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: Providence Additional Resources: Interview: Alan Moore on Providence, Jerusalem, League and more – Part 1 All About Alienation: Alan Moore On Lovecraft And Providence Alan Moore Heralds Providence: 'It's Time To Go For A Reappraisal Of Lovecraft' H.P. Moorecraft: On the Ending of Providence PROVIDENCE Artist JACEN BURROWS On His Long Collaboration With Alan Moore, Adapting LOVECRAFT, More Providence: Lovecraft, Sexual Violence, and the Body of the Other The Road To Providence Innsmouth Gold: Providence Sales Data American Dread: Alan Moore and the Racism of H. P. Lovecraft Pickman's Apprentice: An Appreciation of Jacen Burrows

This 1986 horror film adapted an H.P. Lovecraft story into a transgressive "video nasty" about repressed sexuality. We learn about the production methods that brought its "pineal glands" to life, while discussing Lovecraft's fear of sex in contrast with From Beyond's smashing of taboos. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: From Beyond Additional Resources: 30 YEARS LATER, FROM BEYOND IS LOVECRAFT AT HIS KINKIEST The Cult 80s Horror Movie That Foretold Our Augmented Future Corliss, Richard. TIME Magazine; 12/1/1986, Vol. 128 Issue 22, p74, Sharrett, C. (2015). Lovecraft Today. Cineaste, 41(1), 27–78. A Man's Home… Transgressive Sexuality and Slimy Creatures 'From Beyond (Collector's Edition)' Stuart Gordon's Shock Treatment Race, Sexuality, and Procreation in H.P. Lovecraft Film Adaptations The Posthumous Pornification of H. P. Lovecraft Howard Phillips Lovecraft and Sex: or The Sex Life of a Gentleman Wisker G. (2013) "Spawn of the Pit": Lavinia, Marceline, Medusa, and All Things Foul: H. P. Lovecraft's Liminal Women. In: Simmons D. (eds) New Critical Essays on H.P. Lovecraft.

This 2016 novel explores sci-fi and horror in the 1950s from the perspective of an African-American family already accustomed to prejudice and dread. We have an uncomfortable conversation about how it addresses H.P. Lovecraft's racism and the question of whether a white author should tell stories about the black experience. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: Lovecraft Country Additional Resources: Matt Ruff's "Lovecraft Country," where the horror is racism (not racist) The Big Idea: Matt Ruff Shadows Over America: Matt Ruff and Victor LaValle Take on Lovecraft and Race Talking with Matt Ruff about science fiction's racist past Cthulhu Gon' Slay: Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff Real-world and mythical terrors get equal billing in Lovecraft Country

This 1988 Japanese anime film broke the bank with its high production budget, but it is still remembered for its masterful artwork and deep themes about adolescence and post-war dystopia. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: Akira Additional Resources: Akira: The Story Behind The Film 'Akira': Looking back at the future Akira: The Tortured History of the Unmade Live-Action Adaptation 30 Years of Akira: The Triumph and Legacy of a Legendary Film 'Akira' Is Frequently Cited as Influential. Why Is That? How 'Akira' Has Influenced All Your Favourite TV, Film and Music

Thanks to our Co-producer Miriam Meaney for this week's topic! This 1964 collection of short science fiction stories shows a writer in conflict with his own genre in the wake of horrible family tragedy. We discuss Ballard's interest in psychological inner space and speculative fiction to better understand his role in the history of literature. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: J. G. Ballard on Amazon Additional Resources: The New Science Fiction Strange fiction A brief survey of the short story part 26: JG Ballard Four Stories: "The Drowned Giant" by J.G. Ballard | Weird Fiction Review 'The Complete Stories of J.G. Ballard' - Los Angeles Times The Catastrophist The haunting science fiction of J.G. Ballard Ballard, James Graham (1930–2009) BOOKS Remembering J.G. Ballard's Science Fiction Legacy JG Ballard: Extreme Metaphor: A Crash Course In The Fiction Of JG Ballard The Corner of Lovecraft and Ballard J. G. Ballard, The Art of Fiction No. 85 Wilson DH. J. G. Ballard. Urbana: University of Illinois Press; 2017.

This album from 2000 came out more than 20 years into the career of this genre fusing music group. We look at their commercial apex and their struggles with racist expectations to understand what led to this attempt at a new beginning. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: Fishbone albums Additional Resources: The Red Hot Days of Fabulous, Funky Fishbone HAY, C. (2000). "Psychotic" Fishbone Goes Hollywood. Billboard, 112(9), 12. Fishbone & the Familyhood Nextperience FISHBONE "Fishbone & Fishbone Back on Its Mission FISHBONE Seminal funk game-changers in town Ska-Punk Rockers, Way Ahead of the Curve LIFSON, A. (2011). A Fish Story. Humanities, 32(1), 6. Fricke, D. (1991). Black and bruised. Rolling Stone, (614), 68. Biggs, Jimmie. "Growing Up Black in the White Punk Scene." New York Amsterdam News. 6/30/2005, Vol. 96 Issue 27, p17-17.

This 2017 Netflix television show is a critically acclaimed fictional depiction of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling that were popular in the 1980s. We discuss how the show's creators handle representation of stereotypes while also criticizing the worst of America's fears. Additional resources: Get in the Ring: How 'GLOW' Recreates the Golden Age of Lady-Wrestling TV Why 'GLOW' Creators Made Women's Wrestling Series How the Original G.L.O.W. Wrestlers Helped Shape the Netflix Hit 'GLOW' Fight Coordinator Chavo Guerrero Jr. on Getting Wrestling Right Obsessed With 'GLOW'? Meet The Real Female Wrestlers Who Inspired The Show How accurate is Netflix GLOW series? Original GLOW girl Tina Ferrari weighs in What GLOW Gets Right About Pro Wrestling "The Slow and Sudden Rise of Marc Maron," Newsweek Global. 6/29/2018, Vol. 170 Issue 24, p26-33. Glowing Past: Netflix's "GLOW" costume designer on '80s trends and the evolution of sneakers, FN: Footwear News. 7/16/2018, Vol. 74 Issue 22, p10-1

This 2014 collection of short horror stories shows a prolific author experimenting with different tropes and genres to find wonder in making sense of the world. We discuss Jones's unique writing process to understand the importance he gives horror. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: After the People Lights Have Gone Off Additional Resources: Book Review: After the People Lights Have Gone Off – Author Stephen Graham Jones After the People Lights Have Gone Off by Stephen Graham Jones Stephen Graham Jones ~ After the People Lights Have Gone Off Haunted Reading Interview: Stephen Graham Jones Stephen Graham Jones on writing horror and its inverse, romance Interview: Stephen Graham Jones on The Weird One Month of Reading Stephen Graham Jones: A Primer Consuming, Incarcerating, and "Transmoting" Misery: Border Practice in Vizenor's Bearheart and Jones's The Fast Red Road[1] We are Stephen Graham Jones, author of AFTER THE PEOPLE LIGHTS HAVE GONE OFF and Richard Thomas, Editor-in-Chief of Dark House Press—this is our AMA, so ASK US ANYTHING! In Convo With Stephen Graham Jones Senses All Turned Up: An Interview with Stephen Graham Jones Curbside Splendor Under Fire by Authors, Goes On Publishing Hiatus Native American literature's shapeshifter

This 1985 fantasy film is remembered fondly by our generation, but may not hold up under re-examination. We look at the studio process it was made under, while thinking about how it tries to subvert our expectations of fairy tales. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: Ladyhawke Additional Resources: 20 Crazy Details Behind The Making Of Ladyhawke History, Fantasy, and Weird Armor: Ladyhawke Is Ladyhawke the Best Fairy Tale of Them All? The Hawk, the Wolf, and the Mouse: Tracing the Gendered other in Richard Donner's Ladyhawke In Defense of 'Ladyhawke' Lessons Every Filmmaker Can Learn From Richard Donner The Wolf, the Hawk and the Avant-garde Musician: Interview with Andrew Powell

This 1998 horror manga depicts a Japanese town that plunges into chaos in the face of the symbolic spiral. We look at how Ito conceived Uzumaki, while struggling with big philosophical ideas like nihilism, rationalism and routine, meticulous dread in the face of our cosmic insignificance. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: Uzumaki Additional Resources: The Junji Ito Interview: A conversation with the creator of Uzumaki Black illumination: the unhuman world of Junji Ito The Horrific Mechanations of Junji Ito's Uzumaki Jason Thompson's House of 1000 Manga - Uzumaki Uzumaki: Junji Ito's Phenomenal Art and Lackluster Storytelling Into the Spiral: A Conversation with Japanese Horror Maestro Junji Ito The Grotesque Tales of Junji Ito — Part 3: Uzumaki "Uzumaki" Is a Horror Classic That Will Leave You Spinning THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL: THOUGHTS ON LOVECRAFTIAN SPIRALITY AND ITO'S UZUMAKI INTERVIEW: THE LEGENDARY JUNJI ITO TALKS ABOUT HIS NEW ANIME COLLECTION AND MORE

This 2018 spy thriller is praised for its humor and subversion by critics and audiences alike. We discuss how it represents female and queer identities without pinning down either as templates or tropes. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: Killing Eve, Season 1 Additional Resources: 'It's anarchic': the cast of Killing Eve on Phoebe Waller-Bridge's killer thriller Phoebe Waller-Bridge Twists the Spy Genre With BBC America's Thriller 'Killing Eve' 'Killing Eve' Showrunner: 'All Obsession Is Sexual' All About Killing Eve: The BBC spy drama that's already a US hit Killing Eve and the Riddle of Why Women Kill The Queer Ambiguity of 'Killing Eve' 'Killing Eve': TV's Newest Assassin Subverts Storytelling Cliches, Which Makes Her Scary as Hell Feminist thriller "Killing Eve" has proven a perfect show for the #MeToo era BBC Buys Into Award-Winning U.K. Drama Producer Sid Gentle Films

This repost of our two Nick Cave episodes is a mess of grief, awe, love, and aspiration. Part 1: Nick Cave's Lament In anticipation of the Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds album "Skeleton Tree" and its accompanying documentary "One More Time With Feeling," we discuss the tragedy of losing a child and its effect on art, performance and persona. Part 2: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Skeleton Tree By becoming a more vulnerable frontman, Nick Cave has transformed after a major tragedy. To understand this better, we cover his latest album Skeleton Tree, the companion film One More Time With Feeling and the Bad Seeds' latest North American tour. Additional Resources: The Unbearable Lightness of Being Nick Cave I Am the Real Nick Cave The Love and Terror of Nick Cave Nick Cave Finally Tells His Most Painful Story Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds x Hingston Studio – Skeleton Tree All Songs +1: A Devastating New Film About Nick Cave Nick Cave Talks About Living and Writing Through Grief Nick Cave Will Never Be Forgotten THE IMMENSE GRIEF OF NICK CAVE'S 'SKELETON TREE' Nick Cave financed the documentary One More Time with Feeling so that he would not have to speak with journalists about the death of his son

THIS IS A REPOST OF A 2016 EPISODE. In an unusually giddy, slaphappy episode, Charlie & Christian try to understand how Game of Thrones' sixth season was made. When does an adaptation stop being an adaptation? What happens when it passes -- and surpasses -- its source material? Additional Resources: Last Year (Winds of Winter) post by George R.R. Martin

Thank you to our Co-Producer patron Chris Marlton for selecting this week's topic! This 1997 Australian alternative rock record was a massive success in its home country, but is something we (the hosts) were totally unfamiliar with. We look at how music subjectively builds identity for some "young people" to understand why Unit is so important to adults looking back on their outsider adolescence. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: Unit Additional Resources: Polyester genius: reflecting on the boundary-pushing perfection of Regurgitator's 1997 classic, Unit MUSIC REVIEW | Regurgitator – Unit (1997) ! (The Song Formerly Known As) by Regurgitator – towering electronic fuzz Jade Lazarevic. (2012, September 8). The way we were. Newcastle Herald, The (Includes the Central Coast Herald), p. 12. ELIZABETH LORD. (2012). Regurgitator relive retro. Mercury, The (Hobart), 6. Regurgitator has always pleased itself — and fans are happy to tag along Andrew M c Millen. (2018, August 2). Band of outsiders. Australian, The, p. 15. Regurgitator crowd still partying like it's 1999 By: Craig Platt, Age, The (Melbourne), 03126307, Aug 13, 2018 Brain uploading, warts and elaborate subterfuge: a chat with Quan Yeomans of Regurgitator

This 2015 Vertigo comic by Tom King and Mitch Gerads sets a murder mystery in the Iraq War in 2004. We discuss how the creators strived for accuracy and reverence with this complex story while struggling with our own distaste for violence, glorification, and authority. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: The Sheriff of Babylon Additional Resources: One of comics' best writers is a former CIA agent Inside 'The Sheriff of Babylon,' DC Comics' Wartime Crime Drama Comic-Con: DC's Vertigo Imprint to Launch 12 New Series Before End of Year Why the CIA Has to Read This Comic Before You Can The Best Retelling of the Iraq War Story Is a Comic Book 15 Reasons Why You Should Be Reading The Sheriff Of Babylon https://twiststreet.tumblr.com/post/181648879026 Did Batman's Tom King Work For the CIA? Yes, Yes He Did. PERSPECTIVES ON A CRIME: TOM KING AND MITCH GERADS ON 'THE SHERIFF OF BABYLON'

Thank you to our Co-producer patron Kevin Wetter for selecting this week's topic! This 2003 superhero film adaption went through ten screenwriters during its production and suffered poor critical reception. We look back before the Marvel Cinematic Universe as we now know it and ask why the formula of Greek tragedy mixed with Cold War paranoia failed to work. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: HULK Additional Resources: Countdown to Hulk: Screenwriter John Turman talks about a fan's dream job U Bulks Up Hulk Hulk Makes a Monster Out of Gamma Rays Green With Anger Ang Lee Gets Inside Hulk's Head Countdown to Hulk: Screenwriter Michael France Talks 'Hulk,' 'Punisher,' and Beyond. Countdown to 'Hulk': Producers Avi Arad and Gale Anne Hurd talk Temper, Temper Ang Lee looks back at his Hulk movie The successful failure of Ang Lee's Hulk Credit Grab The Hulk. (2003). Millimeter, 31(6), 14.

This HBO series remake about artificial intelligence, violence and consciousness was made with expert care by everyone involved in its production. But we ask, why then wasn't its depiction of its big themes ultimately satisfying? Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: Westworld Additional Resources: Abrams and Nolan Team Up for Westworld HBO Pilot The Long, Weird History of the Westworld Franchise HBO's Westworld Extras Have to Sign a Consent Form Agreeing to 'Genital-to-Genital Touching' Ed Brubaker on Westworld, The Fade Out, and his immersion into Hollywood Your Westworld Logistical Questions Answered On the Ranch with the Creators of "Westworld" How the Creators of Westworld Built a Violent World of Robot Cowboys Why the Westworld Costumes Were So Complicated to Create The Secrets Behind Westworld's Opening Title Sequence Westworld's Showrunner Hint at Season 2, Discuss Show's Video-Game Influences Why the Bicameral Mind Theory is Crucial to Unlocking Westworld A New Diversity Reviews Site Rates TV Shows and Films By Quality of Representation Westworld, Race and The Western Racial Stereotyping and Westworld

This 1996 novel is infamous for its length and complex narrative structure, while being critically lauded for its themes and style. We discuss how Wallace approached the project, while grappling with revelations about how he treated women both on-and-off the page. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: Infinite Jest Additional Resources: The Afterlife of David Foster Wallace Infinite Proofs: The Effects of Mathematics on David Foster Wallace! David Foster Wallace at 50: Why he still matters and always will MICHAEL PIETSCH: EDITING INFINITE JEST A BRIEF (CROWD-SOURCED) INTERVIEW WITH MICHAEL PIETSCH 'Infinite Jest' celebrates 20th anniversary God, Mary Karr and Ronald Reagan: D.T. Max on David Foster Wallace Mary Karr Speaks Out About David Foster Wallace Amid Literature's #MeToo Movement 10 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Infinite Jest Why Insufferable People Love Infinite Jest Men Recommend David Foster Wallace to Me 15 Facts About Infinite Jest Reading from the "Blind-spots" A Short Meditation on the Whiteness of David Foster Wallace's Writing Thinking About David Foster Wallace, Misogyny and Scholarship The Magic of Michael Schur's Sitcoms: Why 'The Good Place,' 'Parks and Rec' & More Are So Rewatchable An Interview with Michael Schur 'Parks and Recreation': 'Infinite Jest' references in 'Partridge'

Thank you to our Co-Producer patron Miriam Meaney for selecting this week's topic! This 2016 film by Nicolas Winding Refn is about beauty, jealousy and the entertainment industry. We look at Refn's thematic intentions and the myriad of arguments about his "misogyny" or "feminism," to try to understand how the glamour industry portrays women. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: The Neon Demon Additional Resources: 'Movie blood tastes so good' – on The Neon Demon set with Nicolas Winding Refn A HORROR FILM ABOUT BEAUTY: NICOLAS WINDING REFN & ELLE FANNING ON "THE NEON DEMON" Nicolas Winding Refn Readies Danish/French Horror Tale Nicolas Winding Refn on The Neon Demon's Female-Dominated Cast The Neon Demon is the most offensive film of the year - and not because of the necrophilia MOVIES'The Neon Demon' Is 'Valley of the Dolls' Meets 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'?! Birth. Movies. Interview: Nicolas Winding Refn And Cliff Martinez Talk THE NEON DEMON The Neon Demon: a spoiler-filled chat about the year's best or worst movie I'M A FEMINIST, AND I LOVED THE NEON DEMON The Neon Demon tries to both fetishize and vilify young girls. It fails.

This 2007 manga serial by Inio Asano seems like a simple story about a middle-school boy growing up in Japan. But we find that using symbolic simplicity together with the detailed, weird world of adults, Asano has been described as the voice of his generation. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: Goodnight PunPun, Volume 1 Additional Resources: INIO ASANO INTERVIEW — "REALITY IS TOUGH, SO READ THIS MANGA ABOUT CUTE GIRLS AND FEEL BETTER" The disaffected world of Inio Asano GOODNIGHT PUNPUN Is A Horrifying Glance In The Mirror Preview: Inio Asano's Goodnight Punpun is an ode to life's awkwardness 'GOODNIGHT PUNPUN' IS THE STRANGEST MANGA OF THE YEAR (AND ONE OF THE BEST) Saying Goodbye to Childhood in Goodnight Punpun Interview: Goodnight Punpun Creator Inio Asano

This 1992 album is celebrated as one of the best of the era but we look at the dysfunctional, toxic relationships between the five band members, and we find that the pressures of the music business, touring, and getting older, led to internal conflicts that made it harder for Faith No More to just be a group of goofy weirdos. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: Angel Dust Additional Resources: THE POWER OF NEGATIVE THINKING Talking music and zoning with Roddy Bottom of Faith No More Faith No More - Making Of Angel Dust (Full) Faith No More: 'We've made bad decisions our whole career. That's why the English champion us' 26 YEARS AGO: FAITH NO MORE RELEASE 'ANGEL DUST' 10 THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT FAITH NO MORE'S 'ANGEL DUST' HEAVY METAL HOMO

This 1967 British TV show is revered as a cult classic that was radical and countercultural, while symbolizing philosophical arguments about individualism vs. collectivism. We take a deeper look at star Patrick McGoohan and the commercial interests behind the show to ask if it's ultimately more conservative than pop culture likes to remember. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: The Prisoner Additional Resources: A Spy Trapped in a Nightmare of Psychedelia GEORGE MARKSTEIN interviewed by Chris Rodley Number Six At 50: The 50th Anniversary Of 'The Prisoner' How did The Prisoner ever get made? Patrick McGoohan Explains The Meaning Of The Prisoner, A TV Cult Classic Alan Moore Remembers Patrick McGoohan's "The Prisoner": Part 1 What on earth was The Prisoner all about? McGuire, J. T. (2014). A Mentor-Protégé Relationship?: Orson Welles, Patrick McGoohan, and The Prisoner Television Series. Quarterly Review of Film & Video, 31(7), 647. Hanna, E. (2014). Be Selling You: The Prisoner As Cult and Commodity. Television & New Media, 15(5), 433. Woodman BJ. Escaping Genre's Village: Fluidity and Genre Mixing in Television's The Prisoner. Journal of Popular Culture. 2005;38(5):939

This 1979 collection of essays attempts to reveal the 1960s and California as stories without narratives. We discuss how Didion's work was branded because of her gender, class, and lack of politics, despite her insistence that writing was only an attempt to make sense out of chaos. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: The White Album Additional Resources: The Top 10 Essays Since 1950 Joan Didion's Style Joan Didion: Staking Out California There's a reason Joan Didion's work endures: she changed the way we wrote We Tell Ourselves Stories: Didion's "White Album" Takes to the Stage From literary heavyweight to lifestyle brand: exploring the cult of Joan Didion The White Album, by Joan Didion

This 2015 Indian romantic comedy uses a meta-narrative to deconstruct expectations about identity and everyday life. We question the assumptions writer/director Imtiaz Ali makes about gender roles, while wondering how much the real infidelity between the lead actors complicated the film's big theme. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: Tamasha Additional Resources: 'Tamasha' not autobiographical, says Imtiaz Ali Anushka Sharma Rejected 'Tamasha' Because The Role Wasn't 'Meaty' Enough For Her 'Tamasha' is about choosing your own story: Imtiaz Ali An inspiration, a formula, a discovery— filmmaker Imtiaz Ali breaks down 'love' Love aaj kal Watch Imtiaz Ali Talk about This Iconic Tamasha Scene Where Deepika Cried for Real Ranbir, Deepika break down on sets of 'Tamasha' Ranbir, Deepika's Personal History Doesn't Bother Tamasha Director Censor Board beeps saali in Imtiaz's film 2 years of Tamasha: I meet people who tell me that the film changed their life, says Imtiaz Ali Here's why Imtiaz Ali's Tamasha is more than just a movie Why Imtiaz Ali Movies Are Beautiful And Most Of All Tamasha Tamasha Was Made With a View the Audience is Not Stupid, Says Imtiaz Ali

This 2012 experimental noise record was heralded as an important moment in musical evolution. We look at how the band approaches their process while unpacking their relationship with major label Epic Records. And we ask, how do noise, magick, and defecation contribute to the future of music? Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: The Money Store Additional Resources: Suspicious Minds - The Resolute Mission Of Death Grips Death Grips Implode Punk and Rap Borders on New LP Band of the Year: Death Grips Death Grips: "There's a lot of recycling and destruction in the making of our music" Who Are…Death Grips

This collected comic is about a victim of child abuse, while also serving as an homage to the work of storyteller Beatrix Potter. We discuss Talbot's approach to representing such difficult subject matter, while also crafting a book that was more user friendly to non-comics readers. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: The Tale of One Bad Rat Additional Resources: The Tale of One Bad Rat homepage The Rat's Whiskers The Tale of One Bad Rat (Graphic Medicine) The Tale of One Bad Rat, or, thoughts on teaching adults to read comics Still Relevant Today: The Tale of One Bad Rat #metoo stories. Library Journal; 4/1/2018, Vol. 143 Issue 6, p53-53, 1/3p Donna R. White (2018) Finding Beatrix Potter: Bryan Talbot's The Tale of One Bad Rat, Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics, DOI: 10.1080/21504857.2018.1533484

This HBO television show about a standup comedian going through divorce attempts to tackle three big themes: sex, religion and the importance of comedy. We look into Pete Holmes and Judd Apatow's motivations behind-the-scenes, while also asking, "What is its point of view beyond self absorption?" Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: Crashing, Season One Additional Resources: How Pete Holmes Morphed His Despair Into Comedy With Crashing The Tao of Pete Holmes: HBO's 'Crashing' Creator on Comedy, Sex and God How HBO's 'Crashing' Star Pete Holmes Found Salvation — And Judd Apatow 'Crashing': Pete Holmes and Judd Apatow on Their HBO Stand-Up Comedy Series Pete Holmes Opens Old Wounds in HBO's 'Crashing' Pete Holmes on Crashing and Finding God in Filthy Jokes Small Screen: Apatow, Holmes offer raw look at HBO's Crashing Finally, somebody is updating Crashing for current day I'm Sorry But HBO's Crashing Sucks

This 1996 novella is about the dark history of Chilé, merged with a detective story about poets. We look at Bolaño's career, while taking into account criticisms of his authenticity and his representation of Chileans from the vantage of his security in Europe. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: Distant Star Additional Resources: A Chilean Writer's Fictions Might Include His Own Colorful Past Valdes, M. (2008). His Stupid Heart: Robert Bolaño's Novels Were a Love Letter to His Generation, But What He Had to Say Many Chileans Didn't Want to Hear. Virginia Quarterly Review, 84(1), Corral, W. H. (2006). Roberto Bolaño. World Literature Today, 80(6), 50–54. The Best Bolaño Book is 'Distant Star' What Roberto Bolaño Can Teach Us About Making Art Under Fascism

This 1957 Japanese samurai film is a postwar adaptation of Shakespeare's MacBeth, but we learned that it's also tapping into historical theatrical techniques and criticisms of nationalistic self-destruction. We turn to other writers and scholars for help unpacking these symbols we don't know much about, while learning just how universal this critically acclaimed movie actually is. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: Throne of Blood Additional Resources: 1957: When Akira Kurosawa's 'Throne of Blood' Was Ahead of Its Time Parker, B. (1997). Nature and Society in Akira Kurosawa's "Throne of Blood." University of Toronto Quarterly, 66(3), 508. Catherine Russell. "Men with swords and men with suits: The cinema of Akira Kurosawa" Cineaste. Winter2002, Vol. 28 Issue 1, p4. 10p. 9 The Chilling Effect of Noh Theater on Akira Kurosawa's 'Throne of Blood' 'Throne of Blood': The Value and Meaning of Kurosawa's Fog-Drenched Masterpiece

This 2006 comic by Brian K. Vaughn and Niko Henrichon is about lions escaping the Baghdad Zoo during the Iraq War. We look at how the creators approached this subject matter, why it's been challenged in libraries and how it represents people in the Middle East. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: Pride of Baghdad Additional Resources: US troops kill Baghdad lions 15 YEARS AGO, A LION PRIDE ROAMED THE STREETS OF BAGHDAD Revisiting 'Pride of Baghdad's' Haunting Iraq War Allegory The Joy of Pride: Vaughan talks "Pride of Baghdad" BANNED BOOKS WEEK: PRIDE OF BAGHDAD The Pride of Baghdad CBLDF Discussion Guide: Pride of Baghdad

This 1977 record seems to mythologize a certain version of New York, so we look at how it was made to get to the core beneath its poetry, guitar solos and critical success. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: Marquee Moon Additional Resources: Television's Principles How Television Made 'Marquee Moon,' the Best Punk Guitar Album Ever Television's Punk Epic "Marquee Moon," 40 Years Later Invisible Hits: When Eno Met Television https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/punks-founding-father-richard-hell-306738.html Waterman, B. (2011). Television's Marquee Moon. New York: Continuum. Rolling Stone. 1/7/93, Issue 647, p22. Lloyd, R. (2018). Everything is Combustible. Mount Desert, ME: Beech Hill Publishing Company.

This 1996 comic-book-based-cartoon aired on MTV in 10-minute bursts of weirdness. We discuss its themes of tragedy and trauma, together with how it represents feminism, while still objectifying the female body. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: The Maxx Additional Resources: The Maxx -- The Only Thing MTV Never Screwed Up The Maxx messed up afterschool MTV viewers with its dark surrealism FEMINIST REPLAY: MTV'S THE MAXX Why The Maxx Was the Perfect Comic for '90s MTV Shaping The Maxx: Adapting the Comic Book Frame to Television MTV's Oddities Part 2: The Maxx: Julie's Pangea, Laura's Ghostwood

This book attempts to redefine the novel by combining narrative with an imagined anthropological record. We discuss Le Guin's background and mission, as well as larger questions about cultural misappropriation and utopianism. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: Always Coming Home Additional Resources: Future Ethnography of the Inhabitants of the Valley of the Na, and The unBible of Ursula K. Le Guin PAPERBACKS; THE KESH IN SONG AND STORY Always coming home… Ursula K. Le Guin's Folk/Electronica Album Can Teach Us a Lot About Storytelling The Journeys of Ursula K. Le Guin. By: CARPENTER, ZOË, Nation, 00278378, 10/24/2016, Vol. 303, Issue 17 Taking Politics to Another World. By: Pilon, Dennis, Canadian Dimension, 00083402, Sep/Oct2007, Vol. 41, Issue 5 Le Guin, Urusula K. "On the Frontier," in The Wave in the Mind: Talks and Essays on the Writer, the Reader, and the Imagination, edited by Le Guin. Boston: Shambhala Press, 2004.

This 2009 psychological thriller pretends to be a found footage horror film, when it's actually a dramatic exploration of grief. We discuss writer/director Joel Anderson's process, as well as the funding, distribution and historical themes in the movie. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: Lake Mungo Additional Resources: Why Lake Mungo is the best ghost film you've never seen Lake Mungo Filmmaker Joel Anderson Interview - Media/Culture Reviews Lake Mungo – A picture never lies… Mourning an Aboriginal death Pleistocene human remains from Australia: A living site and human cremation from Lake Mungo, western New South Wales Australian Ghost Stories Detail a Very Isolated, Lonely Brand of Terror Alice Kept Secrets: Cinematic Grief and 'Lake Mungo' (2008) SXSW '09 Interview: "Lake Mungo" Director Joel Anderson Review of Joel Anderson's faux documentary thriller LAKE MUNGO Scribe tapped for 'Lake' remake

It's our third annual Christmas ghost story episode and we're looking into this 2011 debut of the popular horror anthology series by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk. We discuss Murphy's mission, the show's popularity and its contrast of trashy excessive violence and sex, with themes of mainstream, heteronormative patriarchy. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: American Horror Story: Murder House Additional Resources: 'American Horror Story': Ryan Murphy talks premiere and Rubber Man -- EXCLUSIVE Ryan Murphy Talks American Horror Story Keetley, D. (2013). Stillborn: The Entropic Gothic of American Horror Story. Gothic Studies, 15(2), 89. Nussbaum, E. (2018). Mk. Big. New Yorker, 94(13), 52. 'American Horror Story': Ryan Murphy warns finale's brutal labor scene is 'the most shocking scene we've ever done' -- EXCLUSIVE Set Pieces: The haunted house of 'American Horror Story' Jamie Brewer of 'American Horror Story' Is First Woman With Down Syndrome to Star in Off-Broadway Play Interview with Jamie Brewer What Hollywood Can Learn From TV's Gayest Show Kim, Yaeri. "Only the First of Many": Repetition and Subversion in American Horror Story: Murder House, Feminist Studies in English Literature, Vol. 22, No. 3, 2014 Available from:"Only the First of Many": Repetition and Subversion in American Horror Story: Murder House [accessed Dec 16 2018]. Buyers of $3.2M 'Murder House' Haunted by 'American Horror Story' Fans, Lawsuit Says

This 3-disc debut by an accomplished saxophonist was universally acclaimed as a sea change in music. We discuss how Washington was influenced by friends, family, history and dreams, while trying to challenge his listeners with genre-defying sounds. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: The Epic Additional Resources: Meet Kamasi Washington, the High Priest of Sax Horn of plenty: Kamasi Washington's epic approach to jazz Interview: Kamasi Washington Talks About 'The Epic' Kamasi Washington Is Leading a Musical Revolution — and It's Time to Learn His Name CHANGING THE GUARD: THE EPIC JOURNEY OF KAMASI WASHINGTON Kamasi Washington Has Conquered the Jazz World. What Does He Do Next?

This long-form essay by one of the hosts of On the Media argues that our current sociopolitical conflicts stem from a dissolution of facts and reality. We look at Gladstone's manifesto for producing her radio show to unpack her project here, while considering her advice for bolstering our own personal realities. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: The Trouble With Reality Additional Resources: The Facts Must Matter: On "The Trouble with Reality" Gladstone's Book Answers The Question: What Ails Our Democracy? Q&A: Brooke Gladstone on the media, Trump, and truth Brooke Gladstone 'On The Media's' Brooke Gladstone on 'The Trouble with Reality' Interview: Journalist Brooke Gladstone And 'The Trouble With Reality' On The Media's Brooke Gladstone on the redefinition of truth in the Trump era Journalist Brooke Gladstone Explains The 'Trouble With Reality'

This 12-part comic series seems like a fan's homage to Carl Bark' Disney stories, but we uncover how the values of "hard work" within (and the corporate machinations of many publishers) led Rosa to quit making comics out of frustration and resentment. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck Additional Resources: Don Rosa on himself Don Rosa Collection IntroDUCKtion to the Life and Times of $crooge McDuck Going Quackers

This 1987 filmed monologue changed the way mainstream media considered autobiographical performance art. We discuss how Gray made the film with director Jonathan Demme and the emotional themes throughout that resonate after his suicide. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: Swimming To Cambodia (film) Swimming To Cambodia (book) Additional Resources: Georgakas, D., & Porton, R. (1993). The art of autobiography. Cineaste, 19(4), 34. Through a Lens, Intently. By: Salomon, Andrew, Back Stage East, 19305966, 5/25/2006, Vol. 47, Issue 21 Johnson, B. D. (1992). The talking cure. Maclean's, 105(28), 44. FILM: SPALDING GRAY'S 'SWIMMING TO CAMBODIA' Swimming to Cambodia: A Channel for Spalding Gray's Seismic Prose Theatrical Cinema: How Stop Making Sense, Swimming to Cambodia, and Bronson Combined Two Art Forms The Mask Behind the Voice Everything You Need to Know About the Movie That Inspired "Parker Gail's Location is Everything" Demastes, W. (1989). Spalding Gray's "Swimming to Cambodia" and the Evolution of an Ironic Presence. Theatre Journal, 41(1), 75-94.

This influential 1979 album combined art education with working class political activism to play with the meaning of pop music. We discuss the production of the record and the band's conflicts (or lack thereof) with their record label and the BBC. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: Entertainment! Additional Resources: Dettmar, K. J. H. (2014). Gang of Four's Entertainment! New York, NY: Bloomsbury Academic. Gang Of Four Track By Track Andy Gill meets Andy Gill Jerky, punky, funky Gang of Four Anthrax Hoover, M., & Stokes, L. (1998). Pop Music and the Limits of Cultural Critique: Gang of Four Shrinkwraps Entertainment. Popular Music & Society, 22(3), 21. Smith, M. R. (2005). So Sweet. Remix, 7(7), 106.

This horror comic by Grant Morrison, Chris Burnham and Nathan Fairbairn purports to act symbolically like our archetypes of myth. We ask whether it's successful in getting into our subconscious and if cosmic horror and lack of meaning even scare us anymore. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: Nameless Additional Resources: Afterword in the collected NAMELESS 'Nameless' Was the Scariest Comic Book of 2015 Understanding Grant Morrison's "Nameless" Halloween Horror: Nameless by Grant Morrison, Chris Burnham and Nathan Fairbairn Kill Yr Gods: Reconnecting with Grant Morrison Through Nameless Brain Teeth / Endless Nameless Part 2: Macro Meaning vs Micro Meaning

We discuss Tom Hardy's television passion project and how he produced it with his father and a string of well-known storytellers. We also examine the show's symbolic demonization of corporations and what that says about historical accuracy and our present understanding of modern economics. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: Taboo, Season One Additional Resources: Tom Hardy wins dream acting role - after convincing his dad to create it for him 'Taboo' will return to FX in 2018 BBC to break 'Taboo' with 'inaccurate' portrayal of East India Company FX's Taboo Offers a Realistic Portrayal of Monopoly Taboo writer Steven Knight plans at least two more series of the BBC1 drama Taboo's gunpowder plot: can you really make explosives from manure? Naysayers be damned! Tom Hardy's Taboo is a work of Wicker Man genius A Chat With Tom Hardy: Is His 'Taboo' Killer a True Shaman or 'Just F***ing Mad'? Everything you need to know about Taboo, the new BBC Tom Hardy drama TABOO: TOM HARDY EXPLAINS THE SUPERNATURAL SIDE OF THE PERIOD DRAMA

This fantasy/horror novel about prep school boys and magical authority came in the middle of the genre paperback boom. We talk about Straub's concerns when writing it and how he walked the line between horror and "literature," while responding to the market pressures on his publisher. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: Shadowland Additional Resources: Tattered Tomes: Peter Straub's Shadowland, Revisited David S. Goyer Adapting 'Shadowland' Horror Novel As NBC Event Series Zaleski, J. (2003). The Uses of Horror. Publishers Weekly, 250(40), 45–49. AN INTRODUCTION: SHADOWLAND The Dick Cavett Show Horror Masters Stephen King, Romero, Straub, Levin 1980 Shadowland, by Putney Tyson Ridge AN INTRODUCTION SHADOWLAND Dancing Architecture an interview with Peter Straub Interview: Peter Straub

This movie had a tumultuous production, with constant fighting between writer Paddy Chayefsky and director Ken Russell. We discuss how their conflict influenced the end product... and the studios paying their bills. We also wonder if this movie unintentionally captures what we now refer to as toxic masculinity. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: Altered States (film) Altered States (book) Additional Resources: Felperin, L. (2011). Russell pics marked by raw passion. Variety, 425(4), 7. Corliss, R. (1980). Invasion Of The Mind Snatcher. Time, 116(26), 58. Lanza, J. (2007). Phallic Frenzy : Ken Russell and His Films (Vol. 1st ed). Chicago, Ill: Independent Publishers Group. AT THE MOVIES; Ken Russell on 'Altered States' controversy. From Altered States to Altered Titles: A Close Analysis of the Title Sequence to Ken Russell's Altered States (1981) What We Mean When We Say, "Toxic Masculinity"

This 1996 album is heralded as the critical apex for the "post-metal" sub-genre. We discuss the hardships and trauma the band members were struggling with while recording it and how it acts as catharsis for them and their listeners. We also spend a lot of time on meaning, genre distinctions and the inability of language to describe the identity we form with music. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: Through Silver In Blood Silver Blood Transmission Additional Resources: Neurotics Never Know A Chat with Neurosis' Dave Edwardson Neurosis on 30 Years of Finding 'New Ways of Being Heavy' Neurosis' Through Silver In Blood is still crushing, 20 years later Neurosis – 'Through Silver in Blood' Turns 20 NEUROSIS' DARK PATH, DEEP BOND: INSIDE 'THROUGH SILVER IN BLOOD' AND BEYOND

This comic book about a private moon mission gone wrong is now lauded for launching the career of Walking Dead artist Charlie Adlard. But, it was also responsible for Larry Young and Mimi Rosenheim's publishing house AiT/PlanetLar. So we discuss their approach to balancing commerce with art, and medium with story. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: Astronauts in Trouble: Live From The Moon The Making of Astronauts in Trouble Astronauts in Trouble reissue Additional Resources: Young, L. (1999). The Making of Astronauts in Trouble. AIT / Planetlar. San Francisco. PREPPING FOR RE-ENTRY WITH 'ASTRONAUTS IN TROUBLE' Astronauts In Trouble #1 Adlard, C., Smith, M., and Young, L. (2003). Astronauts in Trouble Master Flight Plan. Ait/PlanetLar. San Francisco. Astronauts in Trouble: Live from the Moon (Scanned covers) 10 Years and Counting At AiT/Planet Lar Time to Make a Movie Version of "Astronauts in Trouble" A Short Interview With Larry Young AN INTERVIEW WITH LARRY YOUNG How To Pitch Your Comic By (Or Possibly To) Larry Young

This dystopian television series presents a horrifying, totalitarian society that forces women to bear children as slaves. We discuss its streaming based production and reception, and then turn to multiple articles on representation, politics, religion and intersectionality to try to provide a perspective the two of us might not normally find. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: The Handmaid's Tale Children of Men Top of the Lake Y the Last Man God is Disappointed in You Spitboy Hannibal Fargo Split Infinity Additional Resources: 10 Things You Didn't Know About The Handmaid's Tale The Handmaid's Tale Is Doing A Great Job Of Freaking Everyone Out At SXSW Margaret Atwood on Christianity, 'The Handmaid's Tale,' and What Faithful Activism Looks Like Today Hulu's 'The Handmaid's Tale' presents striking oppression, silent sisterhood Reflecting on the frightening lessons of 'The Handmaid's Tale' What Margaret Atwood thinks of the new Hulu adaptation of 'The Handmaid's Tale' How The Handmaid's Tale is being transformed from fantasy into fact How 'The Handmaid's Tale' Villains Were Inspired By Trump The Handmaid's Tale, Retold. By: Dockterman, Eliana, Time, 0040781X, 4/24/2017, Vol. 189, Issue 15 Hate crimes, honour killings and FGM: how The Handmaid's Tale captures our age of fear The Handmaid's Tale is just like Trump's America? Not so fast The Black Woman's Tale: Why Margaret Atwood's Espousal of White Feminist Beliefs Shouldn't Surprise You 'The Handmaid's Tale': A White Feminist's Dystopia

This crime novel follows a wandering problem-solver who always wins. We discuss why these books are so immensely popular and the vicarious consolation we get out of the hero, his nobility and his alienation. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: The Killing Floor Servant of the Shard The Authority Vol 1 (featuring Midnighter) Captain America and the Crusade Against Evil: The Dilemma of Zealous Nationalism Lucas Davenport series The Equalizer Additional Resources: The Official Website of Lee Child and Jack Reacher FAQ LEE CHILD: THE EMOTIONAL CONTRACT OF JACK REACHER How Jack Reacher Was Built Why I love Lee Child's Jack Reacher novels The Curious Case of Lee Child

This 1958 Orson Welles' picture has been called the last of the classic film noir era. We discuss Welles' approach to filmmaking, his conflicts with the movie studio and the thematic tensions displayed by the genre at the time. Oh, and Charlton Heston's makeup. That gets a good 10 minutes. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: Touch of Evil Will Eisner Crime SuspenStories Criminal To Be a Man: Letters to My Grandson The Bridge The Element of Crime Get Shorty Cookie's Fortune Lone Star Additional Resources: AT THE MOVIES; Dark Secrets Of Suburbia ORSON WELLES' MEMO ON TOUCH OF EVIL One of our classics is missing Beatrice Welles interview – Part 1: Treasures to be auctioned, life with Orson Welles and public misconceptions Restoring the Touch Of Genius to a Classic Touch of Evil (re-issue) 25 Minority Characters That Hollywood Whitewashed From Breakfast at Tiffany's to Hellboy: The ongoing problem of Hollywood 'whitewashing' "Ballad of a fat man" Clute S, Edwards R. The Maltese Touch Of Evil : Film Noir And Potential Criticism [e-book]. Hanover, N.H.: Dartmouth; 2011. Available from: eBook Collection (EBSCOhost), Ipswich, MA. Accessed September 3, 2018.

This British comedy series is a deconstruction of humor in a jazz-like improvisation. We discuss Lee's persona, the BBC's decision-making process and the fine lines between self-absorption, art and masturbation. In fact, we take a masturbation metaphor way too far. So brace yourselves. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle, Series 3 The Thick of It Travel Man Nanette Review The Andy Daly Podcast Pilot Project How I Escaped My Certain Fate Something to Take the Edge Off Additional Resources: Who says you can't do jokes about religion on the BBC? Stewart Lee returns in 'Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle' Stewart Lee Live Review: If You Prefer A Milder Comedian Please Ask For One Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle roars back with more deceptive deadpanning 'Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle': Daring You To Like It Why I walked out of a Stewart Lee gig Where are the Thinkers? Stewart Lee in conversation with Neil Jackson for Post-Nearly Press