I'm a Fan of That!

Today, both Vivian and 'Olly are a bit tired and have been apart for some time, so we're just going to have a friend catch up chat and want you to come and join us. It's slowly crawling toward autumn here in the UK, so we're both feeling a little nostalgic and cosy, so today is all about cosy games, nostalgic reads and music, and just trying to enjoy life. Topics We Mentioned Daisy...

We're talking about a big topic in pop culture these days: paraosciality. And yes, Vivian will be talking about her work into Swifties and Taylor Swift a bit, but mostly we chat about what it actually means to be parasocial, and even if such a thing actually does exist? Vivian's Research Material Individual celebration of pop music icons: A study of music fans relationships with their object of fa...

Warning: This episode contains two people trying their best to have a nuanced conversation about something complicated, personal, and sensative. That's right, we're chatting about trigger warnings today, those pesky lists of things that a social media post, a blog post, a video essay, or something else online have at the beginning. The point was to try and keep people who may have trauma induced r...

It's another fandom of Vivian's that she's bringing to the table. Our lovely pop anthropologist grew up watching the goofy pseudo-kinda-police-procedural Psych on the USA network (or at least that's where it was in the US). And this week, she made 'Olly watch an episode. Turns out, they liked it so much, they watched two! Topics include: police procedurals, the difference in TV from the 2000s, nos...

We're finally tackling the big important fandom practice and question: the collector. Is the collector a fan? Are fans just naturally collectors? Today, 'Olly and Vivian answer some questions we have on the nature of collecting. Topics include: what makes a collector, different types of collecting, the monetisation of collecting, what we each collect, and, of course, Swifties. Our Socials Vivian's...

Vivian and 'Olly are coming to you from the middle of the second (or is it third?) UK heatwave of the year, but we're able to put that to the side to talk about Real Life Shipping. That's right! The idea and practice of actively shipping, writing, drawing, and speculating, on two real human people's relationship status. Topics include: The Summer I Turned Pretty, Dan and Phil, Sherlock, and Taylor...

It's a Vivian episode, which means she's taking us away from the traditional nerdy and to the other kind of nerds. And today, it's to the Houewives fans. We need to center this conversation on a particular episode, and so Vivian had 'Olly watch the season finale of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City season 4. Topics include: the anthropology of reality television, the connection between Queer E...

We've been dancing around the topic for ages, and its now time to give it its full due. That's right, we're finally dedicating a full episode to the Rian Johnson film franchise that is Knives Out. Though don't know if that series title will stick, as he's said he doesn't like it. So maybe its best to say we're focusing on Benoit Blanc. This one comes with a bonus drinking game! Take a drink every...

VIvian and Olly decide to get a little nostalgic today by talking about an sitcom from our adolescents that we both watched far after we were children. That's right, it's the classic Zooey Deschanel New Girl . Topics include: Manic Pixie Dream Girls? Whether Schmidt is problematic. The difference between plot and story. Why are sitcoms so dang appealing? Balancing the light with the dark. And the...

We decided to kick of season four with an overview of the things 'Olly and Vivian have been enjoying and faning out over in the break. We also give you a little bit of a media watch/read/explore list of topics and case studies that may be coming up next. Topics We Stan Right Now Noah Kahan - The Great Divide Paddington: the Musical Project Hail Mary Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood Shadow of the W...

You may have seen the New York Times piece. Maybe you've seen people chatting about it online. And, knowing our audience, you don't know anything about it. Never fear, neither does 'Olly! So today, Vivian explains to 'Olly the ins and outs of the Summer House Scandal, walking you and them through the show, each of the characters in play for it, the fall out, and what it means more socially. Some r...

Vivian and 'Olly are briefly outside of the Patreon bubble to talk about the Traitors! We chat about the differences between the US and the UK versions, how wonderful a campy gothic horror reality show is, the problem of unconscious bias, and why we love the traitors this year. Some readings: Hyphen - The Celebrity Traitors shows unspoken bias at work The Independent - People of Colour keep leavin...

It's the Christmas Special! And today's episode is all about... the Christmas Special! Yes, we know it's quite meta, but it's worth a chat. We talk about the media that defines this time of year, from episodes of American sitcoms, to A Christmas Story, to the Doctor Who Christmas Special. We chat about the differences between American and English culture (as of 11 years ago), and what specific typ...

The end of season three is probably the best time to finally confront an all important question: what actually is fandom? How do we define this strange thing? Is it even possible? We chat about the history of the word and idea, take a little side path down an explanation of cultural evolutionary anthropology, and end with a big 'ol question of whether we can actually ever get away from some of the...

Spooky Season has officially begun! We're celebrating by diving into one of Holly's personal favourite horror video games: Silent Hill. Today's topics include: what defines the horror genre, how horror video game narratives work, and a brief interlude about Vivian and Holly's nightterrors. Some Extra Materials Vivian's video games and myth article Games Mentioned: Silent Hill Fatal Frame PT Reside...

So, because we've lost some audio, I'm stepping in for today to give you lovely listeners a little idea I've had for quite some time. I've thought about doing little fun light-hearted lectures on a particular subject, so if you like them just let me know! I'll keep doing them! Today's topic is an overview of Religion and Popular Culture. What do we mean when we say this? What's being covered under...

Full cards on the table guys, we may have lost the audio of an episode. So, we decided to fill the space with a little fandom chat, just a little quick catch up on the things we're enjoying, studying, or thinking about recently. Topics include: Taylor Swift's new album, people mad that leftist bands are leftist, the Hunger Games, and reaction videos on YouTube. Our Socials Vivian's Instagram Holly...

That's right, folks! We're finally spending some dedicated time to the ultimate anime film studio: Studio Ghibli. Topics include: the nature of evil in Ghibli films, the plot structure of Kishotenketsu, the Chthuluscene, and even some Moomins. Note: we pronounce Ghibli with the hard G sound. Get over it. Some Links Video essay on the Chthuluscene Video essay on No Face Video essay on Kiki Our Soci...

Inspired by our previous episode on genres, we decide to chat today about a thing that happens, particularly in fan spaces. Flanderization is the process of a character being distilled to the point of removing many deeper aspects of their character. Topics include: definition of the term and its history of Ned Flanders, Stardew Valley's flanderized characters, and how classic novels are subjected...

Today, Olly and Vivian take the plunge into the world of K-Pop! We chat about BlackPink, Vivian's personal favs, and theorise on what makes it so gosh darn fun. Topics include: stan political activity, the misogynistic view of the teenage girl, Vivian's like of watching cute girls dancing (in no way connected to that misogynistic view), and how K-Pop feels so different to other pop. Some Links! V&...

This episode is all about the nature of crossing genres - romantasy, urban fantasy mysteries, satirical fantasies, romance monster movies. You name two genres, we love to see how they combine. But things can be more complicated then they appear. Really, Vivian and Holly just wanted to chat about all the things they love. Some of the Media Mentioned C.J Sansom Stuart Turton Shape of Water Micky 17...

Today, Vivian and Holly are diving into a slightly uncomfortable fandom for them - true crime! Inspired by the very unmarked CDs of case files Vivian received for a maybe-project, we're diving into the world of true crime. Topics include: why we love crime, the fascination and allure of crime, why Vivian hates journalists, and how true crime fandom isn't really new... like at all. Some Stuff to Ch...

Today, we're stepping into the world of Drag Con, the drag-based convention of Ru Paul's Drag Race. Ru Paul has brought drag to a mainstream stage, but what does that mean for us, for drag, and for the development of a drag fandom? Topics include: what is drag, the history of drag, the role of drag kings, and the way drag may actually not be as subversive as it seems. Our Socials Vivian's Instagra...

Today, we've got some breaking fandom Swiftie news, and Vivian comes with notes on all the drama. Our Socials Vivian's Instagram Holly's Instagram The Pod's Instagram Buy Our Books! Buy Holly's Book! Buy Vivian's Book! Fan Of That is now on Patreon! Go support us over there! Music for this episode was Nowhere Land by Kevin MacLead Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 Logo by Moira D...

This episode comes from one of our Patrons. Thanks! We're chatting about coffee fandom, coffee culture, and coffee shop culture today. And a splash of tea because its hard to talk about one without the other, especially for Vivian and 'Olly. Topics include: coffee shops vs diners in the United States, history of coffee in the UK vs the US, how food and drink show us our culture, and what a British...