If you’re been listening to our show for more than a week or two, it should be pretty clear that we bounce all over the place for topics. Anything pop culture (from any era) is fair game. Obviously we do a lot of shows that relate to comics, movies ad video games because that’s what we like. And we often tie them to issues of race, class, gender, or empire… because again… those tend to be our research interests. But we’re curious. What would you like to hear us do a show on? Give us some suggestions that you think we should look into. This could be an extension or sequel to a previous show we’ve done and you just want to hear more of, or something totally different that you’d like to hear our takes on. What pop cultural artifacts should we be looking at? Books, movies, comics, music, games, something totally new and different? What should we be thinking about when we look at those artifacts? Who’s other takes or research should we building on. Or just what general things do you think we should be thinking about.
Let us know!
I would love to see you guys do something on street art and advocacy and get Craig Dershowitz from Artists 4 Israel on there.
hmmm. Street art and graffiti would be really interesting. Especially if you know someone in the scene.
Chris Maverick you’ve done Fan-fic, have you done FanArt?
Kathleen L. Habel Willard not really. We mentioned things in passing on a couple episodes. I have serious thoughts on particular about sexualized fan art.
(Good suggestion)
Something about Art (music/graphics/literature/…) as therapy… (which perhaps builds on what I’m gonna call the West Wing Episode Which I still need to listen to for full disclosure)
Sherlock Holmes in popular culture
Santa Claus in popular culture (for Christmas)
Anime and Manga 101
i very much want to do more syllabus episodes. Anime/manga would be a really good one. We’d need to find the right people. It’s very out of my wheel house.
Informed voting/Perhaps something about Presidential debates.
How to determine good news sources.
Truth, Lies and Activism (Which may be an extension of Milkshake duck)
Perhaps include info about open vs closed primaries and your thoughts on which is better.
Politics Beyond Sound Bytes (haha)
Why the Humanities are just as important as STEM (perhaps more so)
Or Critical Thinking for Dummies
Have you done something about paying folks for content vs “exposure”?
Kathleen L. Habel Willard hehehe. Almost anything I say would almost certainly sound super personal. ?
Oh…. the evolution of music. Specifically touching on Jazz and Hip-hop. (Sort of a continuation of the High brow vs low brow episode perhaps)
I don’t have a specific topic to suggest, but I imagine there’s some interesting topic to be found in the current popularity surge in RPGs and tabletop gaming including the popularity of streaming such things (I say as I currently watch the latest episode of Critical Role).
Have you considered doing one on ‘does pop culture advertising work – in favor or against?” i.e. does over-marketing help public receptiveness to a property or add to its distaste? Like, “oh look, spider-man’s on rice krispies again. guess there’s a movie coming.” or, “I had no idea the movie came out. Never saw a commercial.” For us, we’re tapped in, we know, (and often we’re counting down to it) but to john q public, is it possible the practice of media tie-ins and promotions and collectibles actually help something gain momentum? Not only that, think macro level… Comics and sci fi – when we were kids, it was like a scarlet letter. Now, it’s cool. How did it happen? What helped turn people with influence into supporters? Could it have been marketing? Or to some extent did it help? The tees at Hot Topic and Target, Funko POPs – do these things honestly create enough buzz to create interest? I dunno, just thoughts. or ramblings. Regardless, it resolving nothing.
And, full transparency, I have been a poster child, too often, of changing my tune once it’s announced a property’s been adapted into film/TV. It 100% should not be the case, but for some reason it provides a level of credibility to the opinion ‘it’s pretty good’ – only to find out half the time ‘no, Hollywood thought it might make them $.’ So like how many psychiatrists enter the field to self-diagnose, I’m curious how common it is that marketing works.
Something on Heroes in Crisis or Doomsday Clock? Or mega crossovers in general?