Festivals. The perfect embodiment of the ACFM aesthetic, and even social politics… or are they? As the season comes to a close, Nadia, Jem and Keir ask themselves what festivals are really about. Is it music? Camping? The breakdown of everyday hierachies? Or is it just 20,000 people standing in a field? With help from […]

The podcast explores personal experiences with the internet, its origins, and its evolving nature. They discuss the effects of the internet on everyday lives, including sense of self and political engagement. They delve into growing up without the internet and first interactions. The concept of dopamine addiction at scale and the impact of keeping mobile phones in the bedroom are explored. They discuss internet addiction, harmful effects of extreme behaviors, and the early days of grime music and the internet. The dual nature of Silicon Valley's cultural liberalism and commons-based peer production are also covered.

Malcolm Harris, author of Kids These Days, discusses the unique political history of Palo Alto, connecting the founding of California, Stanford University's eugenicist agenda, and the emergence of Silicon Valley and the military-industrial complex. Is personal computing and the internet tainted by this history?

As the longest day arrives in the northern hemisphere, Jeremy, Nadia and Keir ponder our obsession with the great outdoors. How did parks become political? Why do we seek out the strenuous discomforts of hiking, camping and cold water? And what does Jem have against music festivals? They look back on a century of changing […]

This podcast delves into sitcoms set in the workplace, exploring the history of sitcoms and their evolution from family-based shows to work-based ones. It discusses the use of sexual innuendos and double entendres in sitcoms, as well as the darker and more gritty tone of the sitcom 'Taxi'. The conversation also analyzes Margaret Thatcher's favorite sitcom and the portrayal of government bureaucracy in 'Yes Minister'. The chapter concludes with a discussion on the portrayal of work in The Simpsons and a mention of 'The IT Crowd' and '30 Rock' sitcoms.

What’s the point of comedy? Stand-ups were at the forefront of the cultural backlash against Thatcherism, but today’s meme-driven lols are rarely in the service of left-wing politics. Meanwhile, the world’s most powerful people seem intent on having a laugh, from podcasting politicians to presidential comedians. In this Trip, Jeremy Gilbert, Nadia Idle and Keir […]

From the epic of Gilgamesh to the archetypes of Carl Jung, the mysterious power of myth is at hand. Is Genesis as mythical as Oedipus? How did the fantasy of Brexit become a reality? And what stories underpin the emerging theory of Gilbertism? In this Trip, Jeremy, Nadia and Keir explore the alternate realities created […]

The ACFM groupmind went into overdrive on last week’s Trip, a wide-ranging conversation about the long and violent history of strikes. This time, Nadia, Jem and Keir take a closer look at cultural representations of worker organisation – that is to say, they sat themselves down with a huge stack of old movies and an […]

In the midst of Britain’s biggest wave of industrial action in years, the gang turn their attention to the long and bloodied history of strikes. Who do we find on the picket line? Nadia, Keir and Jeremy explore a lineage that stretches back hundreds of years, from matchgirls to miners, from 1840s century Chartists to […]

Ghosts have already got their own festival: Halloween. So why do they spook us at Christmas too? Do they represent forces of goodness and charity, or some nameless demonic evil? And what gifts have they brought? Jeremy Gilbert shields his eyes from the ghostly apparitions of Jacques Derrida, Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry and M.R. James as […]