The Satire Fire

We are ending our time with the powerful short story collection Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado with a discussion on two final stories: "Mothers" and "Difficult at Parties". These two stories deal with the struggle to put things back together after they fall apart, looking at the pain of mourning an abusive relationship in the first and the challenges of intimacy after an assaul...

Another week, another set of stories that are tough to be witty about! This week we are continuing our series on Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado by discussing "Real Women Have Bodies" and "Eight Bites", two stories dealing with the beauty standards women face and the resulting harm that befalls them. This is another heavy one so listen at your own discretion! Next week we will b...

Oh boy, time for a doozy! This week we are kicking off our series on the short story collection Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado. This series will be a little different than most, where instead of breaking the entire book down over three episodes we will instead be fully exploring only one or two of the short stories for each of the three parts. This week we start with the openin...

So, anybody feeling Jello Shots? Or perhaps want to attend a Broadway show? If you're looking for a man who can do both, look no further than the late, great satirist Tom Lehrer! In this episode we break down the interesting life history of Lehrer, as well as examining some of his most popular satirical songs. Was he the Bo Burnham of his time? Is he better at math than us? Was he on a first name...

Your two favorite public library supporters are back to finish our series on Kirsten Miller's book Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books ! In Part 1 we summarized the plot of the book, in Part 2 we discussed the context behind the book, and now in Part 3 we will be using what we have learned to analyze, rate, and rank this book! After that we will be leaving this fantasy world of book banning...

We are back again with Part Two of our series on Kirsten Miller's book Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books ! If you missed Part One, go back and check it out for a plot summary of this excellent recent release (or better yet, pick up a copy and read it yourself!). In this part we will be familiarizing ourselves with the context behind the book, namely the history of book bans in America! Th...

How many of you have been personally victimized by Lula Dean? We are back with part one of our most contemporary book series to date! In this first part we will be looking at the plot of Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller, brushing you up on all that happens to get ready for the context we will discuss in part two and the analysis in part three. This is a great book that...

It's podcast vacation time and we are participating in silent viewing time! In this in between books week we are talking about the 1921 silent file The Kid by none other than Charlie Chaplin. This movie with both a smile and a tear follows a found family of a man and a boy who are doing their best to make it work when they don't have two pennies to rub together. It is a great time and a fun conver...

And how did we then face the odds, of man's rude slapstick, yes, and God's? By making a three part podcast series about it. We are sending off Slapstick by Kurt Vonnegut with one last episode, examining the themes and relating them to the context to see if this book is still any good! Are any of the themes still relevant? Are the messages worth heeding? Is the most mediocre Vonnegut still really g...

Part 2 of our series on Slapstick by Kurt Vonnegut is here, which means Sydney is teaching us all about the life and times of Kurt! Kurt had an interesting and at times difficult life that shaped him into the author and humorist that we all know, and unpacking that history will put into perspective what Vonnegut called his most autobiographical book. Was he also born to a wealthy but distant famil...

Well it certainly took long enough, but the wait is over! We are officially covering our first book by Kurt Vonnegut and outing ourselves as... Vonnegonians? Vonnegutions? Enjoyers of Kurt Vonnegut. This is part one of our series on Slapstick, or Lonesome No More! by Kurt Vonnegut. This part will have Sydney talking us through the plot, explaining what happens in the book, and pointing out some of...

Finally, our long awaited and much requested (by Samuel) movie episode! In this interlude episode we will be discussing the 2018 adaptation (or perhaps re-imagining?) of the book Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Starring Michael B. Jordan and Michael Shannon, this movie deals with the same themes as the novel of the same name, plus a little extra about the internet and surveillance! Is it better th...

It is our final episode in the Fahrenheit 451 series and we still have more to say! This classic novella has become culturally synonymous with book banning, but what does it actually have to say on the subject? After hearing the plot in Part 1 and the context in Part 2, can we understand the message this book has for the reader? Does it deserve to be heralded as a staple of classic literature? Are...

On this episode of The Satire Fire, Sydney and Samuel continue their Fahrenheit 451 series with the history of Ray Bradbury and the context of the time when he wrote the book! Samuel talks us through a brief biography about Bradbury before going in depth about his beliefs and opinions on the world. What was his philosophy? Did he even have one? And what's up with all his weird definitions of the t...

Samuel is back with a brand new book, and this one also has numbers in the title! This is the start of our series on Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, an undeniable classic and cornerstone of the dystopian satire genre. But is it really all it's cracked up to be? Does it even really make any sense? In this first part Samuel will be taking us through the plot of the book and pointing out some of the...

It's interlude time and Sydney has brought us three excellent songs to discuss! Join us in analyzing the satirical elements of "National Anthem" by Lana Del Rey, "Liquid Smooth" by Mitski, and "The Good Times are Killing Me" by Modest Mouse. All three are great, so give them a listen before jumping in to hear us answer the important questions! What are these songs saying? Do they qualify as satire...

And here we are one last time. This episode is the conclusion of our series on Brave New World by Aldous Huxley and boy do we have a lot to say! This book has a lot of themes related to consumption and technology and individuality, but are they any good? Does Aldous stick the landing, or is he just rambling? Does Samuel get on another soapbox about hating this book? The only way to find out is by...

It's time for Part 2 and Sydney has emerged from the depths of her research to teach us all about Aldous Huxley! In this episode we learn all about his past, what led to him writing Brave New World, and what parts of his history help us to interpret this classic work of satire! Tune in to hear about big babies, encyclopedias, Samson from the Bible, and (somehow) the Lakers. Then be sure to come ba...

Here is Part 1 on our Brave New World series! Finally we get to listen to Sydney yap while Samuel listens as politely as he is capable of! In this part Sydney takes us through the plot of Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, highlighting all the elements that are important to understanding the themes and ideas of the book. Haven't read Brave New World before or don't remember it very well? This episo...

Welcome to our first interlude episode! This week Samuel is talking about How To Get Ahead In Advertising , a 1989 film following an advertising executive who is slowly losing his mind. It satirizes the advertising industry, government propaganda, and good old capitalism. Plus it has a lot of connections with 1984 by George Orwell! Did Sydney like the movie? Does Samuel do a Richard Grant impressi...

On this episode of The Satire Fire, Sydney and Samuel conclude our 1984 series by digging into the themes and messages Orwell is using. Samuel talks a lot about NewSpeak! Sydney can't get enough of individual expression! It's bananas! Haven't read 1984 ? Maybe go back and listen to Part 1 to get caught up! Want to know what the history is that led us to our conclusions? Give Part 2 a try! Other bo...

On this episode of The Satire Fire, Sydney and Samuel continue their series on 1984 with a history of the author George Orwell! Samuel takes us through Orwell's life from his birth in British India up to the writing of 1984 and everything in between that helps us understand the context of 1984 . Haven't read 1984 ? Maybe go back and listen to Part 1 to get caught up! This is our last background ep...

On this episode of The Satire Fire, Sydney and Samuel start their series on 1984 by George Orwell! Part 1 will be a plot breakdown, with Samuel covering all the basic elements you will need to follow along with later discussions. Haven't read 1984 ? Or maybe read it too long ago to remember it fully? Then this will get you up to speed! Other books discussed in this episode: Empire of Pain by Patri...

Welcome to The Satire Fire! Sydney and Samuel are on a mission to read every piece of satire ever written and we want to bring you along with us! In this episode we introduce ourselves and the podcast, then break down the most famous satirical pamphlet we know; "A Modest Proposal" by Dr. Jonathan Swift. What is Jonathan proposing? Is it modest and demure? Do we have a new culinary sensation on our...