Pretty Much Pop: A Culture Podcast

Mark, Erica, and Brian discuss Michael Schur's NBC TV show. Is it good? Does it actually teach moral philosophy? We talk sit-com tropes, TV finales, the show's convoluted structure, the puzzle of heaven, and more. For more, visit prettymuchpop.com . Hear bonus content for this episode at patreon.com/prettymuchpop . This podcast is part of the Partially Examined Life network and is curated by openc...

Dave the New York Times culture reporter joins Mark, Erica, and Brian to consider issues raised by his 2018 biography Robin : What is with our f'ed up relation to celebrity, and what are strategies that celebrities use to deal with that asymmetric relationship to the world? Plus, Joaquin Phoenix , interview technique, the value of interviews, and more. For more, visit prettymuchpop.com . Hear bonu...

The 2020 Academy Awards are imminent (or maybe past, if you're hearing this later; it's fine!). Mark, Erica, and Brian, each argue in favor of three of the best picture nominees: that it should win, or maybe just will win. What is it to be an Oscar winner as opposed to the type of film that people actually like? For more, visit prettymuchpop.com . Hear bonus content for this episode at patreon.com...

We consider The Irishman in the context of Scorsese's body of work and the styles and themes that his films tend to exhibit. Writer/podcaster Colin Marshall joins Mark, Erica, and Brian to talk about connecting with Scorsese's sensibility and their status as "art films." Plus S's use of music, comments on Marvel, CGI age alternation, and more. For more, visit prettymuchpop.com . Hear bonus content...

What's the deal with images of powerful women in media? The trope of the tough-as-nails boss-lady who may or may not have a heart of gold has evolved a lot over the years, but it's difficult to portray such a character unobjectionably. Margaret was a lead in Independence Day and The Devil's Own , is a mainstay on Broadway, and has appeared on TV roles like the mother of the Gossip Girl and as an u...

Mark, Erica, and Brian talk about the unique place these films have in the brains of people of a certain age, how we grappled with the prequels, and why we feel the need to fill in and argue about the details. We focus primarily on The Mandalorian and The Rise of Skywalker. For more, visit prettymuchpop.com . Hear bonus content for this episode at patreon.com/prettymuchpop . This podcast is part o...

Covering Alan Moore's 1986 graphic novel, the new HBO series and the 2009 film. Mark, Erica, and Brian are joined by David , psych prof at Cornell and host of Very Bad Wizards . How does Moore's style translate to the screen? How well did the show handle politics? Should there be a second season? For more, visit prettymuchpop.com . Hear bonus content for this episode at patreon.com/prettymuchpop ....

How is spectator sports different from other types of entertainment? Dave (lead studio host for the Big Ten Network and former ESPN anchor) joins Mark, Erica, and Brian to discuss the various sources of appeal, team identification, existing in a sports-filled world as a non-fan, watching vs. playing, human interest stories, sports films, and more. For more, visit prettymuchpop.com . Hear bonus con...

Join Mark, Erica, and Brian for a special "snake draft," where we take turns picking the holiday films and TV specials that we think are (or should be) part of America's yearly viewing traditions. Compare your intuitions about what is classic or seminal or over-rated with ours! For more, visit prettymuchpop.com . Hear bonus content for this episode at patreon.com/prettymuchpop . This podcast is pa...

Do you just embrace the pure sound of music or does context matter to you, i.e. the artist's intentions and body of work? Ken Stringfellow (Posies, R.E.M., Big Star) joins Mark, Erica, and Brian to talk about what grabs us about music, it it gets to your ears, singers vs. songwriters, the concept "genius," and how this attitude towards music translates to our intake of other media (e.g. favorite f...

Time travel rules in The Terminator franchise are notoriously inconsistent. Can we change the future or not? Mark, Erica, and Brian are joined by Ken Gerber to talk through time travel rules and plots, covering the randomness of Dr. Who , being your own grandfather, time travel comedies, time loops, freezing time, historical tourism, and more.  For more, visit prettymuchpop.com . Hear bonus conten...

What constitutes a video RPG? Is there any actual role-playing involved? Our editor Tyler Hislop rejoins Mark, Erica, and Brian to discuss those video games that are supposed to make you feel like your choices matter, with comparisons to MMO RPGs, table-top role-playing, and more. For more, visit prettymuchpop.com . Hear bonus content for this episode at patreon.com/prettymuchpop . This podcast is...

After 20 weeks of regularly scheduled, reliable programming, we are taking a week off to eat some mashed potatoes and things. We will not be taken for granted! What can you do during this absence? Go check out Wes Alwan’s talk at the Boston Graduate School of Analysis on The Joker, featuring Dr. William Sharp. […]

What role does improv comedy play in popular culture? It's deployed by certain film directors (e.g. Christopher Guest), in some of the TV work of Larry David, Robin Williams, et al. But only a rare show like "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" makes it obvious. Is this art form doomed to live on the fringes of entertainment? Mark, Erica, and Brian are joined by Tim Sniffen to discuss different types of imp...

Are YOU the target audience of what you watch? While shows used to be aimed at a white majority or "niche group," now much media aims itself seemingly at everyone. Rodney Comedian/actor/writer/producer Rodney joins Mark, Erica, and Brian to discuss the experience of watching outside your demographic, whether identifying with characters requires physical commonalities, "black voice," and the evolvi...

Is the most popular writer of our time actually a good writer? Or maybe he used to be good? While you've been thinking about those questions, King already wrote another book, so ha! Mark, Erica, and Brian share their experiences with and opinions about King's oeuvre and the films and shows that have come out of it. For more, visit prettymuchpop.com . Hear bonus content for this episode at patreon....

Are stand-up comedians the Modern Day Philosophers? This claim forms the premise of Daniel’s podcast where interviews some of our best known and loved comedians, but really, only some comedians are trying to express original views on the world instead of just telling a good joke. Even so, do the words of comics telling their […]

Mark, Erica, and Brian examine the conventions, techniques, and staying power of the beloved '90s sitcom. Are we supposed to identify with, or idolize, or merely like these people? What makes the formula work, did it sustain itself over its 10-year run, was it successfully replicated, and what parts haven't aged well? For more, visit prettymuchpop.com . Hear bonus content for this episode at  patr...

Opera used to be a central part of European pop culture, Pavarotti was as big a pop star as they come. But still, it's now the quintessential art-form of the wealthy and snobbish. What gives? Guest Sean Spyres from Springfield Regional Opera joins his sister Erica along with Mark and Brian to discuss opera's place in culture (including its film appearances), how it's different from music theater,...

TV news reporter Paul Beban (ABC, Al Jazeera, Yahoo, and now featured on the Discovery Network's Contact ) joins Mark, Erica, and Brian to discuss the appeal of UFO narratives. Do you have to believe to be entertained? What's the connection to humor, religion, and anti-government venom? For more, visit prettymuchpop.com . Hear bonus content for this episode at  patreon.com/prettymuchpop . This pod...

Revivals (not to be confused with reboots) can bring us back to the comfort of old friends, who are now really old. But is reviving a show really ever a good idea? Mark, Erica, and Brian consider some successes, failures, and hypotheticals. For more, visit prettymuchpop.com . Hear bonus content for this episode at  patreon.com/prettymuchpop . This podcast is part of the Partially Examined Life pod...

Wes Alwan joins Mark, Erica, and Brian to discuss Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood in the context of Tarantino's other films . We consider T's strange sense of pacing, his comic violence, his historical revisionism, and casting choices. Is this a brilliant film or a fundamentally misguided idea badly in need of an editor? For more, visit prettymuchpop.com . Hear bonus content f...

Dave Hamilton (from Gig Gab ) joins Mark, Erica, and Brian to weigh concert-going (and theater-going) against the technological alternatives. Why are tickets so pricey? Do tribute bands fulfill our needs? Should audiences ideally be on drugs? These are but a few of the questions we breeze through. For more, visit prettymuchpop.com . Hear bonus content for this episode at patreon.com/prettymuchpop...

Mark, Erica, and Brian take on both Margaret Atwood's 1985 novel plus the TV series, getting into the transition from page to screen, taking the work as political speech vs. art, Atwood's phenomenology and neologisms (prayvaganza!), plus the roles of race and (lack of) comic relief in the story. For more, visit prettymuchpop.com . Hear bonus content for this episode at  patreon.com/prettymuchpop ....

Are cartoons an inherently juvenile art form? A guilty pleasure when viewed by adults? Dee , whose voice can be heard in substantial portion of today's cartoons (especially animal/monster noises like Boots in the new big-screen adaptation of Dora the Explorer or   Momo and Appa in The Last Airbender),  defends cartoons as providing primal delights of humor, justice, and narrative meaning. For more...