Matt Talks Media

This week, Matt Talks Media takes on one of the oldest battles in communication: who gets to decide what can be said? 📚🚫 With Steven Doughty exploring Italy this week, Dr. Matt Dorr and Dr. Nolan Meditz dive into two very different sides of censorship and expression. Matt examines the remarkable history of samizdat , the underground publishing movement that secretly documented life inside the So...

👻 Hauntology 👻 What lingers after something is gone? In this episode of Matt Talks Media , we explore the concept of hauntology and the ghosts that inhabit culture, memory, and media. Steven Doughty introduces us to the work of philosopher Jacques Derrida and the origins of hauntology, unpacking how the past continues to haunt the present. Dr. Nolan Meditz turns to the world of sports, examining...

Grab your parka and your conspiracy board because this week, Matt Talks Media heads to the coldest place on Earth. Steven Doughty explores how Antarctica evolved from mythical Terra Australis to the frozen continent we know today, tracing its fascinating history through centuries of maps and speculation. Dr. Nolan Meditz uncovers the unique hybrid English accent that has emerged among researchers...

What happens when communication slips beneath the surface? In this whisper-filled episode of Matt Talks Media , the crew explores the strange, hidden, and often overlooked ways humans have sent messages across distance, time, and even the boundary between life and death. Dr. Matt Dorr investigates Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP), the eerie recordings that believers claim capture messages from the...

On this gloriously chaotic episode of Matt Talks Media , the crew ricochets between underground controversy, arcade history, and sports fandom spectacle like a shopping cart with one bad wheel. Dr. Matt Dorr dives into the strange and controversial legacy of The Anarchist Cookbook , exploring its history, cultural panic, media reputation, and how the book became a kind of outlaw artifact passed th...

On this utterly calcium-fortified episode of Matt Talks Media , the crew unintentionally dives headfirst into the strange cultural afterlife of milk in media, folklore, and underground print culture. Steven Doughty explores the unsettling history of missing children appearing on milk cartons and how the campaign blurred the line between public service messaging and mass media spectacle. Dr. Nolan...

In the shadows of folklore and the scaffolding of language, Matt Talks Media returns for Season 2 with a deep dive into how stories are built, shared, and believed. Dr. Matt Dorr explores the evolution of urban legends from whispered cautionary tales and campfire lore into a form of niche media shaped by online communities, participatory culture, and digital circulation. What happens when folklore...

This episode of Matt Talks Media skates straight from medieval paranoia to modern sports analytics. Dr. Matt Dorr explores the history and origins of the Malleus Maleficarum , the infamous 15th-century text that fueled witch hunts across Europe. We unpack how this ominous book shaped fear, authority, and media narratives long before the digital age. Dr. Nolan Meditz shifts the ice under our feet w...

This episode of Matt Talks Media stitches together sports culture, retro gaming tech, and legendary creatures into one beautifully strange conversation. Dr. Nolan Meditz explores the history of fan scarves , especially in soccer and hockey cultures . From stadium identity to ritual and belonging, we look at how a simple piece of fabric became a powerful symbol of loyalty and community. Steven Doug...

On this episode of Matt Talks Media , we’re cracking open a three-part deep dive into the weird corners of media history, design culture, and underground music. First, Steven Doughty takes us back to the legendary format war that divided living rooms everywhere: JVC’s V/H/S vs. Sony’s Betamax . We dig into what the fight was really about (tech, timing, marketing, and consumer habits), and how this...

In this episode of Matt Talks Media , Dr. Matt Dorr takes a deep dive into Industrial Society and Its Future , the manifesto written by Ted Kaczynski, examining it as a media object and unpacking how manifestos function within alternative and underground media spaces. Rather than sensationalizing the author, the discussion focuses on the text itself, its circulation, and why documents like this co...

In this episode, Dr. Matt Dorr sits down with two long-time friends and former bandmates for a deep dive into our shared musical history. Guitarist Blake Harper (Abyssal Rites, The Great He-Goat, Redneck Nosferatu, Dead Beat, Death Inquisition) and drummer Izzy Gazca (Magazu, Diety, Abyssal Rites) join me in the studio for a candid, funny, and surprisingly heartfelt conversation about what it mean...

In this episode, we dive headfirst into the weird, sprawling world of Creepypasta as a massive alternative media space. I break down how these stories evolved from early internet folklore into a global phenomenon, tracing their history from Creepypasta.com and 4chan to the modern horror landscape. We talk about the infamous Slenderman attempted murder and the viral rise of “The Backrooms,” one of...

It’s the grand finale of the 31 for 31 horror challenge! For this special Halloween episode, I’m joined once again by my co-host Steven Doughty and a very special guest, Dr. Nolan Meditz , as we close out the month with a deep dive into three unforgettable films — Doctor Sleep , Longlegs , and Skinamarink. We break down the psychology, atmosphere, and creative vision behind each film, exploring ev...

In this week’s 31 for 31 installment, I’m joined once again by my colleague and horror co-conspirator Steven Doughty for a deep dive into three wildly different but equally disturbing films: Talk to Me (2023), Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989), and The Ritual (2017). We dig into grief and possession, body-metal madness, and Norse forest nightmares — unpacking what makes each film tick, twitch, and terri...

For the second 31 for 31 episode, I’m joined again by my colleague and fellow media junkie Steven Doughty to dig into some seriously weird and disturbing movies. This round, we’re covering Weapons , Color Out of Space , Terrifier , X , Men , V/H/S 99 , and Infinity Pool. From cosmic goo and body horror to found footage chaos and arthouse nightmares, we’re talking about what makes these films tick...

In this first 31 for 31 episode, Matt sits down with colleague and fellow media nerd Steven Doughty to talk all things scary — breaking down and reviewing a lineup of modern and classic horror favorites. The two dive into the chaos of V/H/S and V/H/S 94 , the eerie realism of Lake Mungo and [REC] , the haunted house chills of The Conjuring , the supernatural tension of The Black Phone , the campy...

From punk basements to black metal in the woods, this episode explores how underground bands turned limited gear into powerful statements of authenticity and resistance. Lo-fi isn’t a flaw — it’s the sound of independence.

In this first episode of Matt Talks Media, I dive into the big question: What exactly is alternative media? From punk zines and manifestos to blogs, fan-driven archives, and tape trading, alternative media has always given underground communities a way to tell their own stories outside the mainstream. I share both scholarly perspectives and personal experiences — including my time writing reviews...