Pretty Much Pop: A Culture Podcast

A philosopher, an actor, and a sci-fi writer talk about media and how we consume it.

Politics

PMP#140: First Nations Culture w/ John Beaubien

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Western pop culture has increasingly explored stories of Indigenous Americans (and Canadians), through a spate of TV shows and films like Reservation Dogs, Rutherford Falls, Yellowstone, Prey, and others. As a further installment in a series that began with Mark's Partially Examined Life episode on American Indian philosophy and the previous Pretty Much Pop episode interviewing … [Read more...] about PMP#140: First Nations Culture w/ John Beaubien

PMP#130: CODA and Deaf Culture

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The 2022 Oscar winner for Best Picture was CODA, a story about a musically inclined girl with a deaf family. Kambri Crews, herself a CODA and author of a much darker story about this called Burn Down the Ground, joins your host Mark Linsenmayer, writer Sarahlyn Bruck, and jack-of-many-intellectual-trades Al Baker to talk about how deaf culture interacts with film. Films tend … [Read more...] about PMP#130: CODA and Deaf Culture

PMP#119: Disgraced Artists Like Cosby

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Comedian Genevieve Joy, philosopher/NY Times entertainment writer Lawrence Ware, and novelist Sarahlyn Bruck join your host Mark to discuss how we deal with entertainers like R. Kelly, Michael Jackson, Woody Allen, et al. We all watched W. Kamau Bell's Showtime documentary We Need to Talk About Cosby, so most of our discussion is around that. None of us seem able to separate … [Read more...] about PMP#119: Disgraced Artists Like Cosby

PMP#115: So-Called Greatest Albums

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How does canonization work in popular music? Is Rolling Stone's 500 Best Albums of All Time list just a modest record of the favorite albums of people associated with Rolling Stone? Is it a statement of what "experts" in popular music enjoy? Does it reflect English-American popularity, and what responsibility to list-makers have to experience and include world music, indie … [Read more...] about PMP#115: So-Called Greatest Albums

PMP#112: Class Critiques in Squid Game, Succession, etc.

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Popular shows have commented on wealth inequality by showing how dire the situation is for the poor and/or how disconnected and clueless the rich are. How effective is this type of social commentary? Mark is joined by philosopher and NY Times writer Lawrence Ware, novelist and writing professor Sarahlyn Bruck, and educator with a rhetoric doctorate Michelle Parrinello-Cason … [Read more...] about PMP#112: Class Critiques in Squid Game, Succession, etc.

PMP#83: Disabled and Other-Abled Representation w/ Kayla Dryesse

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At least 20% of us have some sort of disability, yet such conditions are reflected by only tiny portion of TV and film characterizations, and what characters are portrayed typically get played by non-disabled actors. Depictions often focus on what it's like to live with the condition. This can of course be socially beneficial, but we don't want to essentialize people as their … [Read more...] about PMP#83: Disabled and Other-Abled Representation w/ Kayla Dryesse

PMP#62: Mulan Re-Disneyfield w/ Michael Tow

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Is the new Mulan the equivalent for Asian-Americans what Black Panther was for African-Americans? The largest entertainment machine we have featured an all-Asian cast telling a traditional Chinese story aimed at the widest possible audience. Did it work? Actor Michael Tow joins Erica, Mark, and Brian to discuss the development, aesthetics, and political controversies … [Read more...] about PMP#62: Mulan Re-Disneyfield w/ Michael Tow

PMP#56: Black + Nerd = BLERD w/ Anthony LeBlanc

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The Interim Executive Producer of The Second City joins Mark, Erica, and Brian to discuss the scope of black nerd-dom: what nerdy properties provide to those who feel "othered," using sci-fi to talk about race, Black Panther and other heroes, afrofuturism, black anime fans, Star Trek, Key & Peele, Get Out vs. Us, and more. A few articles you might enjoy: "Blerd … [Read more...] about PMP#56: Black + Nerd = BLERD w/ Anthony LeBlanc

PMP#49: Conspiracy Theories as Pop w/ Al Baker

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Al is a British ex-philosopher who now works for a company called Logically that fights misinformation. He joins Mark, Erica, and Brian to try to figure out such questions as: What's the appeal of conspiracy theories? How similar is being consumed them to being a die-hard fan of some pop culture property? What's the relation between pernicious conspiracy theories and fun … [Read more...] about PMP#49: Conspiracy Theories as Pop w/ Al Baker

PMP#19: Race and the Target Audience w/ Rodney Ramsey

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We've all felt at various points (maybe at most points) that some media creation has reached us by mistake, that we are not the target audience. 20th century American TV was aimed largely at a white majority, with a parallel, underfunded channel of content aimed at people of color. So how have things changed? There still seem to be "black shows,"  but how do they fit in … [Read more...] about PMP#19: Race and the Target Audience w/ Rodney Ramsey

PMP#7: Native Representation w/ Jonathan Joss (King of the Hill, Parks & Rec)

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Jonathan built his career playing 19th century Indians on horseback and is best known for his voice acting as John Redcorn III in King of the Hill (starting season 2) and then for his recurring role as Chief Ken Hotate in Parks and Recreation. Erica, Mark, and Brian talk to him about those roles plus acting in The Magnificent Seven, True Grit, and his current role as … [Read more...] about PMP#7: Native Representation w/ Jonathan Joss (King of the Hill, Parks & Rec)