Supercontext: an autopsy of media

Donald Glover once described his FX sitcom Atlanta as "Twin Peaks for rappers." As residents of the eponymous city, we were doubtful. But this show came through with a weird, wondrous take on our local African-American culture. Special guest Swain Hunt (Sidebar, The Metronome) joins us to discuss.

China Miéville's novel Kraken is a meandering fantasy comedy full of political themes and a love for weird monsters. How does this author manage to weave together so many themes and genres into one book? And why does he think J.R.R. Tolkien is a "wen on the arse of fantasy"? Additional Resources: Reveling in Genre: An Interview with China Miéville Kraken: China Miéville interview A Category Unto Himself: The Works of China Miéville China Miéville: My new book takes the idea of the squid cult very seriously CHINA MIÉVILLE [SCIENCE-FICTION AUTHOR] This Squidpocalypse Makes Its Own Fun: Kraken by China Miéville Tolkien - Middle Earth Meets Middle England Making Squid the Meat of a Story With "Kraken," China Miéville sinks tentacles into contemporary London

Fed up with humanity? Does it seem like everyone is an asshole lately? Macon Blair's I Don't Feel At Home In This World Anymore may be just the film you need to watch. But... does Netflix's distribution make it less likely that a movie like this will be seen? Additional Resources: I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore Is a Dark, Goofy Neo-Noir Murder, Nunchucks and the Trump Era: Inside 'I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore' The Portland-Shot I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore Won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance 'I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore': Macon Blair on Trying Directing After Success in Screenwriting 'I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore' Is a Hilarious, Surreal Movie About Amateur Vigilantes Feeling At Home With I DON'T FEEL AT HOME IN THIS WORLD ANYMORE Targeting Netflix, Cannes Will Ban Streaming-Only Movies From Competition How Netflix's Content Distribution Has Changed Over The Years Netflix is playing down the significance of its first major distribution deal in China Netflix Targeting 50% of Content to Be Original Programming, CFO Says Netflix just took another step toward getting its films into theaters Netflix Keeps Buying Great Movies, So It's a Shame They're Getting Buried Netflix will start screening original films in movie theaters

David Lapham's crime comic Stray Bullets demonstrates the challenges of working independently on creative art. Why did it take almost 20 years for this book to get the attention it deserves? We look into the economics of the comics industry to find out. Additional Resources: Interview: David Lapham Talks About The Guts of STRAY BULLETS STRAY BULLETS by David Lapham 'Stray Bullets': Number One With A Lead Projectile [Opinion] The return of David Lapham's Stray Bullets gets the fanfare it deserves Hitting the target: David Lapham on 'Stray Bullets,' 'Murder Me Dead'

Paste Magazine was a victim of its time, facing a bad economy and competing pressures between physical and digital media. But what changes were its founders willing to make to keep it alive as a website? And in the process, did they betray their loyal audience? Additional Resources: Paste Magazine Is Dead Paste Magazine Freelancers Are Getting Screwed My (Re)generation: Paste's Nick Purdy on the Fall and Rise of a Music Magazine Paste Magazine Is Returning to Print Paste Magazine Returns To Print, Expands Online Coverage Dudeletter Interviews: Nick Purdy of Wild Heaven and Paste Magazine Paste Magazine Thrives Through Belt-Tightening Paste Magazine says goodbye to print More On Paste Magazine's Print-Side Demise: "We'd Been Running On Fumes For A Really Long Time, And We Ran Out Of Fumes." Paste Magazine President 'Thinking Beyond Print' With Site Relaunch Paste Succumbs to Debt, Suspends Print Magazine Paste music magazine to stop print publication New Paste TV Show Debuts Tonight! A conversation with Josh Jackson, on the eve of Paste's return to print Rockers sue over sales of memorabilia: Led Zeppelin, the Doors and other musicians say Wolfgang's Vault has no right to profit from the vintage items. Company Overview of Wolfgang's Vault LLC Will Paste pay its writers?

With the many changes to the music industry, it doesn't seem possible for a band to rise to success after their first studio album like R.E.M. did with Murmur. We look at what made this artsy, floppy, jangle rock band tick and how The Police and MTV supported their rise to popularity. Additional Resources: Bennett, L. (2013). Discourses of order and rationality: drooling R.E.M. fans as 'matter out of place'. Continuum: Journal Of Media & Cultural Studies, 27(2), 214. Parker, J. (2012). America's Rock Band. Atlantic, 309(1), 44-46. Roberts, J. (2004). Athens act on track for gold. (cover story). Music Week, (34), 9-10. Maus, F. (2006). Intimacy and Distance: On Stipe's Queerness. Journal Of Popular Music Studies, 18(2), 191. R.E.M. Announce Murmur Deluxe Edition Murmur Trestle Information and Donations 100 Best Albums of the Eighties

For our one-year anniversary, we look at Sir Ridley Scott's thematic threads with Alien, Prometheus and the upcoming Alien: Covenant. Is it all about commercial appeal? Or is Scott reflecting on old age, legacy and death? Additional Resources: Lodge, G. (2015). From Dystopia to Valhalla, Scott's Future Visions Endure. Variety, 329(17), 73-78. Newman, K. (2012). PROMETHEUS UNBOUND. Sight & Sound, 22(7), 28-31. Adams, T. (2016). RIDLEY ME THIS: SCOTT'S KEY ANSWERS. Variety, 333(14), 184. Return of the 'Alien' Mind Why Alien: Covenant Will Make You Reconsider Prometheus He's Not Done With Exploring the Universe 'Prometheus' Returns Ridley Scott to Outer Space

How does one man find himself at the center of modern myth making? David S. Goyer's written and directed superhero comics, films and television, but his public persona suggests something larger and more conflicted about superhero storytelling. Additional Resources: (To come)

Looking at David Bowie's final record Blackstar we ask, "Was he saying goodbye?" The public's treasure hunt for meaning in both this record's lyrics and art seems to say so. But how do people's grief for dead celebrities invite such deeply personal connections? iTunes direct link Google Play direct link Additional Resources: How We Grieve Our Famous Dead Producer Tony Visconti Talks David Bowie and Blackstar The Inside Story of David Bowie's Stunning New Album, 'Blackstar' David Bowie: Blackstar review – a spellbinding break with his past David Bowie Allowed His Art to Deliver a Final Message New David Bowie album, inspired by Kendrick Lamar, features LCD's James Murphy David Bowie's Blackstar a nearly perfect goodbye: review Was David Bowie saying goodbye on Blackstar? The final mysteries of David Bowie's Blackstar – Elvis, Crowley and 'the villa of Ormen' David Bowie's Final Album 'Blackstar' & 'Lazarus' Video Were Goodbye Notes Bowie's Blackstar outsold classic albums in year after he died

As hacker subculture becomes more prevalent in our current events, techno-thrillers like Chuck Wendig's Zer0es portray hacking more accurately. But how does it split the difference between writing a snarky page-turner and addressing the themes of present day? iTunes direct link Google Play direct link Additional Resources: (to come) Chuck Wendig's Zeroes: a hacker technothriller in the War Games lineage Who Hacks the Hackers? Zer0es by Chuck Wendig In 'Zeroes,' uber-snarky characters ruin a creepy and cathartic sci-fi story: book review Chuck Wendig's 'Zeroes' Is a Paranoid Techno-thriller That's Just Right for our Times The Mary Sue Interview: Chuck Wendig on New Novel Zer0es and Technology BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT: "ZEROES," TO HARPER VOYAGER TerribleMinds