Supercontext: An Autopsy Of Media

It's easy to connect with the symbol that is "Johnny Cash," whether you're a rebel, a wanderer, or even a Christian. But how do these contradictions come together as some kind of American identity? And how do these final recordings of a humble storyteller speak to our need for the man to come around? Additional Resources: Johnny Cash’s American albums hit the heart and soul Why Johnny Cash's American Recordings Are The Perfect Epitaph To His Career Performing Songwriter – Rick Rubin How The ‘American Recordings’ Series Revitalized Johnny Cash’s Career 'American' Remembered: Rick Rubin On Johnny Cash

After viewing the blockbuster Disney princess film Frozen with actual little kids, we look at all the cooks in this corporate cartoon kitchen. With this many people involved, how did they pull it off? And is this cartoon whitewashed? Too feminist? Not feminist enough? How is this fairy tale defining gender and ethnicity for an entire generation? Additional Resources: From the Heat of Royal Passion, Poof! It’s Permafrost Disney’s ‘Frozen,’ a Makeover of ‘The Snow Queen’ Is 'Frozen' a New, Bona Fide Disney Classic? Boys Don’t Run Away From These Princesses Countdown to Disney "Frozen" : How one simple suggestion broke the ice on the "Snow Queen" 's decades-long story problems A spoiler-y, slightly nerdy interview about Disney's Frozen Unfreezing ‘Frozen:’ The making of the newest fairy tale in 3D by Disney Frozen: inside Disney's billion-dollar social media hit Michael, Peter, Chris and Jennifer Talk Frozen and It's Success Secret Phone Recording Helped Idina Menzel Land New Disney Role THE STORY BE

In the second part of our series on Dischord Records, we look at the politics of Washington D.C.'s music scene going into the 1990s... when art met commerce.  Additional Resources: Andersen, M. and Jenkins, M. (2009). Dance of Days: Two Decades of Punk In The Nation's Capital, Akashic Books. Dischord on Bandcamp (Free Streaming)

In the first of our two episodes on Dischord Records we look at the punk community of Washington D.C. in the 1980s and its conflicting ethics of politics, violence and drug abuse. Follow along with the story of Ian MacKaye and Jeff Nelson's label until its redefining summer of 1985. Additional Resources: Dischord Records – History Thompson, S. (2001). Market Failure: Punk Economics, Early and Late. College Literature, 28(2), 48. Cuffman, T. (2015). Idle musical community: Dischord Records and anarchic DIY practice. Contemporary Justice Review, 18(1), 4. doi:10.1080/10282580.2015.1005502 Goshert, J. C. (2000). 'Punk' after the Pistols: American Music, Economics, and Politics in the 1980s and 1990s. Popular Music & Society, 24(1), 85. Doherty, B. (1997). The embarrassment of riches. (cover story). Reason, 29(4), 21. Dischord Records: Out of Step With The World Dischord Records: Doing It Wrong Andersen, M. and Jenkins, M. (2009). Dance of Days: Two Decades of Punk In The Nation's Capital, Akashic Books.

Hellboy's a charming, working class hero, despite being a demon's spawn. We look at how creator Mike Mignola taps into the mythic simplicity of folk tales and how Hellboy itself has become a commodified franchise.

For our first coverage of a reality television show we go from beauty to camp, to joy and grief. This show simultaneously sells branded content that somehow doesn't feel sleazy, while also providing an extraordinary platform for LGBTQ culture. ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: To come.

A novel that took Stephen King 12.5 years to write is now a major franchise. But what was it like when fans (and retailers) were rabid for more? Did King have a "responsibility" to them? And why didn't he plot his fantasy world... instead of writing it by the seat of his pants?  Additional Resources: Bev Vincent, The Road To The Dark Tower Rereading Stephen King week 13: The Gunslinger So, what’s the deal with The Dark Tower?

All My Friends Are Funeral Singers is a film (and record) by Tim Rutili of the band Califone. We interview Tim about his experience creating a project like this in multiple media and how that changed his process going forward. Additional Resources: All My Friends Are Funeral Singers (Vimeo) All My Friends Are Funeral Singers -- Film Review IndiePix Films Launches Subscription-Streaming Service with 400-Plus International Movies Califone frontman Tim Rutili gets an on-set lesson in filmmaking Music Is Important in 'All My Friends are Funeral Singers' and One of Its Few Redeeming Qualities ‘All My Friends Are Funeral Singers’: Califone’s life beyond Sundance Team Spirits: 'All My Friends Are Funeral Singers'

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 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

As part of the big four bands breaking out of the Seattle "grunge" scene in the early 1990s, Soundgarden was a combination that was not quite metal or punk. We look at why their record Badmotorfinger acts like such a strong signifier of meaning in the wake of Chris Cornell's death.

With a comparison of their staff rosters, we try imagining a television show that idolizes the White House today, the way The West Wing did in 1999. Believe it or not, Aaron Sorkin's fantasy of public service let some people admire civics again.

Donald Glover once described his FX sitcom Atlanta as "Twin Peaks for rappers." As residents of the eponymous city, we were doubtful. But this show came through with a weird, wondrous take on our local African-American culture. Special guest Swain Hunt (Sidebar, The Metronome) joins us to discuss.

China Miéville's novel Kraken is a meandering fantasy comedy full of political themes and a love for weird monsters. How does this author manage to weave together so many themes and genres into one book? And why does he think J.R.R. Tolkien is a "wen on the arse of fantasy"? Additional Resources: Reveling in Genre: An Interview with China Miéville Kraken: China Miéville interview A Category Unto Himself: The Works of China Miéville China Miéville: My new book takes the idea of the squid cult very seriously CHINA MIÉVILLE [SCIENCE-FICTION AUTHOR] This Squidpocalypse Makes Its Own Fun: Kraken by China Miéville Tolkien - Middle Earth Meets Middle England Making Squid the Meat of a Story With "Kraken," China Miéville sinks tentacles into contemporary London

Fed up with humanity? Does it seem like everyone is an asshole lately? Macon Blair's I Don't Feel At Home In This World Anymore may be just the film you need to watch. But... does Netflix's distribution make it less likely that a movie like this will be seen? Additional Resources: I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore Is a Dark, Goofy Neo-Noir Murder, Nunchucks and the Trump Era: Inside 'I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore' The Portland-Shot I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore Won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance 'I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore': Macon Blair on Trying Directing After Success in Screenwriting 'I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore' Is a Hilarious, Surreal Movie About Amateur Vigilantes Feeling At Home With I DON’T FEEL AT HOME IN THIS WORLD ANYMORE Targeting Netflix, Cannes Will Ban Streaming-Only Movies From Competition How Netflix's Content Distribution Has Changed Over The Years Netflix is playing down the significance of its first major distrib

David Lapham's crime comic Stray Bullets demonstrates the challenges of working independently on creative art. Why did it take almost 20 years for this book to get the attention it deserves? We look into the economics of the comics industry to find out. Additional Resources: Interview: David Lapham Talks About The Guts of STRAY BULLETS STRAY BULLETS by David Lapham ‘Stray Bullets': Number One With A Lead Projectile [Opinion] The return of David Lapham’s Stray Bullets gets the fanfare it deserves Hitting the target: David Lapham on ‘Stray Bullets,’ ‘Murder Me Dead’

  Paste Magazine was a victim of its time, facing a bad economy and competing pressures between physical and digital media. But what changes were its founders willing to make to keep it alive as a website? And in the process, did they betray their loyal audience?   Additional Resources: Paste Magazine Is Dead Paste Magazine Freelancers Are Getting Screwed My (Re)generation: Paste's Nick Purdy on the Fall and Rise of a Music Magazine Paste Magazine Is Returning to Print Paste Magazine Returns To Print, Expands Online Coverage Dudeletter Interviews: Nick Purdy of Wild Heaven and Paste Magazine Paste Magazine Thrives Through Belt-Tightening Paste Magazine says goodbye to print More On Paste Magazine's Print-Side Demise: "We'd Been Running On Fumes For A Really Long Time, And We Ran Out Of Fumes." Paste Magazine President ‘Thinking Beyond Print’ With Site Relaunch Paste Succumbs to Debt, Suspends Print Magazine Paste music magazine to stop print publication New Paste TV Show Debuts Tonight! A conver

With the many changes to the music industry, it doesn't seem possible for a band to rise to success after their first studio album like R.E.M. did with Murmur. We look at what made this artsy, floppy, jangle rock band tick and how The Police and MTV supported their rise to popularity. Additional Resources: Bennett, L. (2013). Discourses of order and rationality: drooling R.E.M. fans as ‘matter out of place’. Continuum: Journal Of Media & Cultural Studies, 27(2), 214.  Parker, J. (2012). America's Rock Band. Atlantic, 309(1), 44-46. Roberts, J. (2004). Athens act on track for gold. (cover story). Music Week, (34), 9-10. Maus, F. (2006). Intimacy and Distance: On Stipe's Queerness. Journal Of Popular Music Studies, 18(2), 191.  R.E.M. Announce Murmur Deluxe Edition Murmur Trestle Information and Donations 100 Best Albums of the Eighties

For our one-year anniversary, we look at Sir Ridley Scott's thematic threads with Alien, Prometheus and the upcoming Alien: Covenant. Is it all about commercial appeal? Or is Scott reflecting on old age, legacy and death? Additional Resources: Lodge, G. (2015). From Dystopia to Valhalla, Scott's Future Visions Endure. Variety, 329(17), 73-78. Newman, K. (2012). PROMETHEUS UNBOUND. Sight & Sound, 22(7), 28-31. Adams, T. (2016). RIDLEY ME THIS: SCOTT’S KEY ANSWERS. Variety, 333(14), 184. Return of the 'Alien' Mind Why Alien: Covenant Will Make You Reconsider Prometheus He’s Not Done With Exploring the Universe ‘Prometheus’ Returns Ridley Scott to Outer Space

How does one man find himself at the center of modern myth making? David S. Goyer's written and directed superhero comics, films and television, but his public persona suggests something larger and more conflicted about superhero storytelling.  Additional Resources: (To come)

  Looking at David Bowie's final record Blackstar we ask, "Was he saying goodbye?" The public's treasure hunt for meaning in both this record's lyrics and art seems to say so. But how do people's grief for dead celebrities invite such deeply personal connections?   iTunes direct link   Google Play direct link   Additional Resources: How We Grieve Our Famous Dead Producer Tony Visconti Talks David Bowie and Blackstar The Inside Story of David Bowie's Stunning New Album, 'Blackstar' David Bowie: Blackstar review – a spellbinding break with his past David Bowie Allowed His Art to Deliver a Final Message New David Bowie album, inspired by Kendrick Lamar, features LCD's James Murphy David Bowie’s Blackstar a nearly perfect goodbye: review Was David Bowie saying goodbye on Blackstar? The final mysteries of David Bowie’s Blackstar – Elvis, Crowley and 'the villa of Ormen' David Bowie's Final Album 'Blackstar' & 'Lazarus' Video Were Goodbye Notes Bowie's Blackstar outsold classic albums in year afte