Supercontext
Supercontext: an autopsy of media
This podcast ran independently from 2016 to 2020. We reflect on our goals in creating it and how successful those were while trying to be transparent about the ins and outs of podcast production, marketing, and monetization.
info_outline
From Hell
Supercontext: an autopsy of media
This graphic novel by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell came out between 1989 and 1998, 100 years after the Jack the Ripper murders it's based on. We look at the meticulous research they put into this to try to understand how this story manages to be about true crime while indulging in deep themes like English identity, psychogeography, and the nature of time. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: Additional Resources: Michael J. Prince (2017) The magic of patriarchal oppression in Alan Moore and Eddie...
info_outline
Heat
Supercontext: an autopsy of media
This 1995 film by Michael Mann is considered a quintessential cops-and-robbers epic. We look at Mann's attention to detail and his attempt at authenticity in light of the movie's influence on audiences, filmmakers, and real-life criminals. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: Additional Resources:
info_outline
Hounds of Love
Supercontext: an autopsy of media
This 1985 concept album by Kate Bush is split into pop songs and a suite of music about someone drowning. We look at Bush's career arc leading up to this record and how the support she received from those around her allowed to experiment and create this wholly unique music. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: Additional Resources: Cowley, J. (2005). The Wow factor. New Statesman, 134(4726), 38–39. Sinclair, D. (1994). Dear diary: The secret world of Kate Bush. Rolling Stone, 676, 13. Moy, R. (2007)....
info_outline
Hyperion
Supercontext: an autopsy of media
Dan Simmon's 1989 science-fiction novel is acclaimed for its unique structure, references, and style. We take a closer look at how it interrogates our expectations of genre to explore a complex host of themes. Thank you to Chris Marlton for coproducing this episode. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: Additional Resources: Dan Simmons. By: Shindler, Dorman T., Writer (Kalmbach Publishing Co.), 00439517, Feb2001, Vol. 114, Issue 2 THRALL, J. H. (2014). Authoring the Sacred: Humanism and Invented...
info_outline
Withnail & I
Supercontext: an autopsy of media
This 1987 film is celebrated as a cult classic for its depiction of self-destructive young Englishmen at the end of the 1960s. We discuss how creator Bruce Robinson got it made, and whether it congratulates its characters for their alcoholism or criticizes their generation and the end of that era of British culture. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: Additional Resources:
info_outline
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
Supercontext: an autopsy of media
This 1962 novel is being reappraised by critics and fans as a creeping meditation on 1950s housewives, agoraphobia, and good old-fashioned New England persecution. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: Additional Resources: SILVER, M. (2013). Is It Real? On Shirley Jackson’s We Have Always Lived in the Castle. Southern Review, 49(4), 665–667. Savoy, E. (2017). Between as if and is : On Shirley Jackson. Women’s Studies, 46(8), 827. BOYD TONKIN. (2015, July 29). Her dark materials: how Shirley Jackson...
info_outline
The Moomins and the Great Flood
Supercontext: an autopsy of media
This 1945 children’s book by Tove Jansson began a publishing empire in Finland that is worth millions of dollars. We look at Jansson’s beloved allegory about a world where a family survives turmoil and everyone is accepted for who they are. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: Additional Resources: Brown, Ulla (November 2004). "A Quest for What Lies Hidden" (PDF). Outwrite. 7: 8–12.
info_outline
Lateralus by TOOL
Supercontext: an autopsy of media
This 2001 record is praised as being metal for the thinking man. We peel back the lyrics and the time signatures to understand why this band inspires an almost-religious devotion in its fans. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: Additional Resources:
info_outline
Paper Girls
Supercontext: an autopsy of media
This comic book series by Brian K. Vaughan and artist Cliff Chiang started in 2015 as a story about four preteen girls coming of age in the 80s. We look into how the creators produced the comic while examining their skepticism of nostalgia in a post-Stranger-Things world. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: Additional Resources:
info_outline
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:
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.