Sophomore Lit

John McCoy
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Nov 26, 2025 • 35min

181: Thanksgiving Special: Protest Songs

The answer, my friend…is not a lyric in the any of the songs the McCoy Brothers discuss. For this annual drunk Thanksgiving Special, Rob, Dan, and John talk about Where Have All the Flowers Gone?, One Tin Soldier, and Alice’s Restaurant. John McCoy with Rob McCoy and Dan McCoy Show Notes & Links Pathetic Fallacy: Hurrah for the Pumpkin Pie A companion essay for this episode on my blog about Thanksgiving specials and protest songs. The Kingston Trio: Where Have All the Flowers Gone? (1961) One of the most successful covers of this song, originally by Pete Seeger. The Original Caste: One Tin Soldier (1969) In the episode I don’t remember who wrote this song, but it was Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter. Arlo Guthrie: Alice's Restaurant Massacree (1967) Here it is in all its 18 1/2 minute glory. Support this show and other shows like it on The Incomparable network by becoming a member. Members get early access to podcasts, bonus episodes, and more.
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Nov 10, 2025 • 49min

180: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead

Podcasts could happen to anyone. David Loehr discusses exits and entrances in Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (first performed 1966, published 1967). John McCoy with David J. Loehr Show Notes & Links Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead Trailer for 1990 movie. Björk: Bachelorette That Björk video John references, if anyone cares. Support this show and other shows like it on The Incomparable network by becoming a member. Members get early access to podcasts, bonus episodes, and more.
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Oct 8, 2025 • 35min

179: The Last Unicorn

Don’t it allways seem to go, you don’t know what unicorns you got til they’re gone. Kathy Campbell discusses Peter S. Beagle’s 1968 The Last Unicorn. John McCoy with Kathy Campbell Show Notes & Links I'm Aliiiiiiive My Pathetic Fallacy blogpost about theme song for the movie version of The Last Unicorn. Support this show and other shows like it on The Incomparable network by becoming a member. Members get early access to podcasts, bonus episodes, and more.
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Sep 24, 2025 • 52min

178: R.U.R.

BEEP boop what is… love? Well, we don’t figure this out, but John Siracusa does return to Sophomore Lit to discuss Karel Čapek’s play R.U.R. (1920), the origin of the word “robot.” John McCoy with John Siracusa Support this show and other shows like it on The Incomparable network by becoming a member. Members get early access to podcasts, bonus episodes, and more.
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Aug 27, 2025 • 52min

177: The Pushcart War

Brush up on the Large Object Theory of History. Shaenon K. Garrity returns to discuss Jean Merrill’s The Pushcart War (1964). John McCoy with Shaenon K. Garrity Show Notes & Links Sophomore Lit Tee Shirt The first ever SophLit merch! Support this show and other shows like it on The Incomparable network by becoming a member. Members get early access to podcasts, bonus episodes, and more.
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Jul 18, 2025 • 57min

176: Walden, or Life in the Woods

If you’re suffering from Quiet Desparation, why not listen to the not-so-quiet voices of Dan Daughhetee and me discussing Henrey David Thoreau’s Walden, or Life in the Woods (1854)? John McCoy with Daniel Daughetee Show Notes & Links Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads My blog post with further Thoreau musings. Support this show and other shows like it on The Incomparable network by becoming a member. Members get early access to podcasts, bonus episodes, and more.
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Jun 13, 2025 • 1h 7min

175: Elizabeth Bishop Poems

Somebody loves us all. Rosalynde Vas Dias discusses three poems by Elizabeth Bishop: “Sestina” (1956), “Filling Station” (1956), and “Crusoe in England” (1971). John McCoy with Rosalynde Vas Dias and Marina McCoy Support this show and other shows like it on The Incomparable network by becoming a member. Members get early access to podcasts, bonus episodes, and more.
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Apr 23, 2025 • 52min

174: The Chrysalids

Podcasts are the original voices in your head. David Dredrick discusses John Wyndham’s The Chrysalids (1955). John McCoy with David Dedrick Support this show and other shows like it on The Incomparable network by becoming a member. Members get early access to podcasts, bonus episodes, and more.
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Mar 18, 2025 • 43min

173: The Visit

Make money fast with this one weird trick. Glenn Fleishman discusses Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s play The Visit (1956). John McCoy with Glenn Fleishman Support this show and other shows like it on The Incomparable network by becoming a member. Members get early access to podcasts, bonus episodes, and more.
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Feb 25, 2025 • 37min

172: The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock

And indeed there will be time to discuss this, the most mid-life white-guy crisis poem of all. Lisa Schmeiser discusses T.S. Eliot’s “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” (1915). John McCoy with Lisa Schmeiser Show Notes & Links The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock Complete text on the Poetry Foundation website Support this show and other shows like it on The Incomparable network by becoming a member. Members get early access to podcasts, bonus episodes, and more.

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