Struggle Session 1999: The Year Low Culture Conquered America w/ Ross Benes
Sep 13, 2025
42:14
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Ross Benes joins us to discuss his book 1999: The Year Low Culture Conquered America and Kickstarted Our Bizarre Times. We explore the cultural landscape of the late 90s including the impact of The Jerry Springer Show on reality TV, the influence of Vince McMahon on politics, how Juggalos defined outsider culture, Nu metal's MTV-sponsored angst, and the rise of video games from kiddie hobby to big business.
Guest Link:https://www.rossbenes.com/
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
02:46 What is Low Culture?
05:28 The Impact of Jerry Springer on Modern Culture
08:27 Kayfabe and Professional Wrestling's Influence
17:34 Trump's Pro Wrestling Persona and Kayfabe
25:27 The Insane Clown Posse
28:09 The Evolution of Fan Culture in Music
36:05 Video Games: From Low Culture to Mainstream
41:37 Was 1999 The Peak?
Upcoming episodes:
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Send an email or voicemail to thestrugglesession@gmail.com
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Keep up with and contact Leslie: https://msha.ke/lleeiii
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Ross Benes joins us to discuss his book 1999: The Year Low Culture Conquered America and Kickstarted Our Bizarre Times. We explore the cultural landscape of the late 90s including the impact of The Jerry Springer Show on reality TV, the influence of Vince McMahon on politics, how Juggalos defined outsider culture, Nu metal's MTV-sponsored angst, and the rise of video games from kiddie hobby to big business.
Guest Link:https://www.rossbenes.com/
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
02:46 What is Low Culture?
05:28 The Impact of Jerry Springer on Modern Culture
08:27 Kayfabe and Professional Wrestling's Influence
17:34 Trump's Pro Wrestling Persona and Kayfabe
25:27 The Insane Clown Posse
28:09 The Evolution of Fan Culture in Music
36:05 Video Games: From Low Culture to Mainstream
41:37 Was 1999 The Peak?
Upcoming episodes:
Fetishized: A Reckoning with Yellow Fever, Feminism, and Beauty w/ Kaila YuLeave us a 5 star review at Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/struggle-session/id1265384284
Check out our friends: https://www.instagram.com/loudoun_palestine/
Check out our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@StruggleSessionpodcast
Send an email or voicemail to thestrugglesession@gmail.com
My GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/lleeiii
Stay safe and mask up: https://maskbloc.org/
Keep up with and contact Leslie: https://msha.ke/lleeiii
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/struggle-session--5842028/support.