Pretty Much Pop: A Culture Podcast
Episodes
PMP#27: For the Love of Star Wars
15 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 w...
PMP#26: We Watch “Watchmen” w/ David Pizarro
08 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
PMP#25: Sports as Pop w/ Sportscaster Dave Revsine
02 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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...
PMP#24: Christmas Viewing: What’s Canon?
21 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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...
PMP#23: The Singer Not the Song w/ Ken Stringfellow
17 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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....
PMP#22: Untangling Time Travel
10 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
PMP#21: Role-Playing Video Games
03 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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...
NOT PMP#21: Mark’s Thanksgiving Fireside Chat
26 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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...
PMP#20: Improv Comedy w/ Tim Sniffen
19 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 Larr...
PMP#19: Race and the Target Audience w/ Rodney Ramsey
13 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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...
PMP#18: Stephen King’s Media Empire
05 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 alr...
PMP#17: Comedy as Philosophy w/ Daniel Lobell
29 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 lov...
PMP#16: 25 Years After FRIENDS
22 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Mark, Erica, and Brian examine the conventions, techniques, and staying power of the beloved '90s sitcom. Are we supposed to identify with, or idoliz...
PMP#15: Opera As Pop
15 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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...
PMP#14: UFOs on TV with Investigative Journalist Paul Beban
08 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
PMP#13: TV Revivals Revived!
01 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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...
PMP#12: Once Upon a Tarantino Film
24 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
PMP#11: The Live Music Experience
17 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Dave Hamilton (from Gig Gab) joins Mark, Erica, and Brian to weigh concert-going (and theater-going) against the technological alternatives. Why are ...
PMP#10: The Handmaid’s Tale
10 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
PMP#9: Cartoons with Dee Bradley Baker (from Clone Wars, American Dad)
03 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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...
PMP#8: Spider-Man: Far From Home (and Elsewhere)
27 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Mark, Erica, and Brian discuss the function of super-hero films and how this new one fits in. Do we need "realism" in such stories? When does a premis...
PMP#7: Native Representation w/ Jonathan Joss (King of the Hill, Parks & Rec)
20 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Jonathan built his career playing 19th century Indians on horseback, was John Redcorn III in King of the Hill, Chief Ken Hotate in Parks and Recr...
PMP#6: Adults Playing Video Games
13 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Ian Maio (who's worked in e-sports marketing) joins Erica, Brian and Mark to talk about why adults play video games, types of gamers, gaming disorders...
PMP#5: True Crime with Lucy Lawless
06 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Lucy Lawless (Xena the Warrior Princess, currently starring in My Life Is Murder) joins Mark, Erica, and Brian to think about the true crime genre, of...
PMP#4: “Chernobyl” and the Art of Suffering
30 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Mark, Erica, and Brian consider the HBO mini-series, plus "based on a true story" and why do we enjoy witnessing suffering? For more, visit prettymuch...
PMP#3: CONFORM w/ Yakov Smirnoff
23 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Is media trying to brainwash us into being ALL THE SAME? Are the excesses of the mob scaring us into conformity? Mark, Erica, and Brian muse on cultur...
PMP#2: Binge Watching
16 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What counts as binge watching? Why do we do it? Is it bad for us? Mark, Erica, and Brian think about what we get out of binge watching, whether it’s...
PMP#1: Pop Culture vs. High Culture
09 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What is pop culture? Does it make sense to distinguish it from high culture, or can something be both? Welcome to this new pop culture podcast hosted ...