Supercontext: an autopsy of media

With a provocative book title, Laura Jane Grace is reclaiming a slur and repurposing it for her story of struggling with gender dysphoria and self-destructive behavior. Guest Alyson McManus helps us unpack this experience into something universal, with which we can all identify. Additional Resources: Lead Singer of Punk Band 'Against Me' Comes Out as Transgender in Rolling Stone Against Me!'s Laura Jane Grace to Release Memoir 'Tranny' Later This Year Laura Jane Grace's Brutally Honest 'Tranny' Memoir: 10 Things We Learned Against Me!'s Laura Jane Grace explains why she decided to title her memoir 'TRANNY.' One Year and One Million Words with Laura Jane Grace Laura Jane Grace on New Memoir, Why She's Not a Trans Spokesperson Rock’s Not Dead, It’s Ruled by Women: The Round-Table Conversation Beyond XX and XY: The Extraordinary Complexity of Sex Determination

Steven Universe creator Rebecca Sugar has developed a warm, well thought out approach to family cartoons. We look at her goals, Cartoon Network's business plans and the fight in fandom over how this show represents diverse identities.  Additional Resources ‘Steven Universe’ creator Rebecca Sugar is a Cartoon Network trailblazer Cartoon Network’s ‘Steven Universe’ Premieres As Its Most-Watched Series of 2013 'Steven Universe' creator on growing up, gender politics, her brother Steven Universe’s frustrating schedule is crucial to its success ‘Adventure Time’ Writer Rebecca Sugar on ‘Steven Universe,’ Being Cartoon Network’s First Female Show Creator And Why Pop Art Is ‘Offensive’ ‘Leaked’ Steven Universe episodes weren’t leaked at all, Cartoon Network says Steven Universe Artist Quits Twitter Over Fan Harassment ‘Steven Universe’ fandom is melting down after bullied fanartist attempts suicide An Attempted Suicide Forced a Tumblr Community to Open Its Eyes About Bullying Why I Fell In Love With The Brilliant Steven Universe, And You Will Too 'Steven Universe's' Rebecca Sugar confirms Fluorite is a representation of a polyamorous relationship Superheroes, Steven Universe, and the Maternal Narrative

Past guest Swain Hunt (Sidebar, The Metronome) returns to discuss what makes movies hold up? We each tackle a film from the last 30 years of cinema and try to understand why they hold up for us: Bull Durham, Contact and V For Vendetta.

It's easy to connect with the symbol that is "Johnny Cash," whether you're a rebel, a wanderer, or even a Christian. But how do these contradictions come together as some kind of American identity? And how do these final recordings of a humble storyteller speak to our need for the man to come around? Additional Resources: Johnny Cash’s American albums hit the heart and soul Why Johnny Cash's American Recordings Are The Perfect Epitaph To His Career Performing Songwriter – Rick Rubin How The ‘American Recordings’ Series Revitalized Johnny Cash’s Career 'American' Remembered: Rick Rubin On Johnny Cash

After viewing the blockbuster Disney princess film Frozen with actual little kids, we look at all the cooks in this corporate cartoon kitchen. With this many people involved, how did they pull it off? And is this cartoon whitewashed? Too feminist? Not feminist enough? How is this fairy tale defining gender and ethnicity for an entire generation? Additional Resources: From the Heat of Royal Passion, Poof! It’s Permafrost Disney’s ‘Frozen,’ a Makeover of ‘The Snow Queen’ Is 'Frozen' a New, Bona Fide Disney Classic? Boys Don’t Run Away From These Princesses Countdown to Disney "Frozen" : How one simple suggestion broke the ice on the "Snow Queen" 's decades-long story problems A spoiler-y, slightly nerdy interview about Disney's Frozen Unfreezing ‘Frozen:’ The making of the newest fairy tale in 3D by Disney Frozen: inside Disney's billion-dollar social media hit Michael, Peter, Chris and Jennifer Talk Frozen and It's Success Secret Phone Recording Helped Idina Menzel Land New Disney Role THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY OF FROZEN Disney's Frozen and the 'gay agenda' UNH degree played a part in Oscar-winning movie Immersed in Movies: First Look: Designing the Winter Wonderland of ‘Frozen’ The tech of Disney’s Frozen and Get a Horse! The Scrambled Sexuality of 'Frozen's "Let It Go" Frozen lambasted as pro-gay propaganda by Christian pastor Frozen Director Now Apologizes to Parents for 'Let It Go'

In the second part of our series on Dischord Records, we look at the politics of Washington D.C.'s music scene going into the 1990s... when art met commerce.  Additional Resources: Andersen, M. and Jenkins, M. (2009). Dance of Days: Two Decades of Punk In The Nation's Capital, Akashic Books. Dischord on Bandcamp (Free Streaming)

In the first of our two episodes on Dischord Records we look at the punk community of Washington D.C. in the 1980s and its conflicting ethics of politics, violence and drug abuse. Follow along with the story of Ian MacKaye and Jeff Nelson's label until its redefining summer of 1985. Additional Resources: Dischord Records – History Thompson, S. (2001). Market Failure: Punk Economics, Early and Late. College Literature, 28(2), 48. Cuffman, T. (2015). Idle musical community: Dischord Records and anarchic DIY practice. Contemporary Justice Review, 18(1), 4. doi:10.1080/10282580.2015.1005502 Goshert, J. C. (2000). 'Punk' after the Pistols: American Music, Economics, and Politics in the 1980s and 1990s. Popular Music & Society, 24(1), 85. Doherty, B. (1997). The embarrassment of riches. (cover story). Reason, 29(4), 21. Dischord Records: Out of Step With The World Dischord Records: Doing It Wrong Andersen, M. and Jenkins, M. (2009). Dance of Days: Two Decades of Punk In The Nation's Capital, Akashic Books.

Hellboy's a charming, working class hero, despite being a demon's spawn. We look at how creator Mike Mignola taps into the mythic simplicity of folk tales and how Hellboy itself has become a commodified franchise.

For our first coverage of a reality television show we go from beauty to camp, to joy and grief. This show simultaneously sells branded content that somehow doesn't feel sleazy, while also providing an extraordinary platform for LGBTQ culture. ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: To come.

A novel that took Stephen King 12.5 years to write is now a major franchise. But what was it like when fans (and retailers) were rabid for more? Did King have a "responsibility" to them? And why didn't he plot his fantasy world... instead of writing it by the seat of his pants?  Additional Resources: Bev Vincent, The Road To The Dark Tower Rereading Stephen King week 13: The Gunslinger So, what’s the deal with The Dark Tower?