This post originally appeared on the Critical Studies in Television blog. “Well, we all need a little love in our lives.” So replied the actor-musician François Clemmons, who for 25 years played Officer Clemmons on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood (Family Communications, 1968-2001), when he was asked recently why he thought it was that the new documentary about his friend Fred […]
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Pasts Unknown
This post originally appeared on the Critical Studies in Television blog. Like Proust and his madeleine, the simple act of eating in Anthony Bourdain’s television shows usually became an occasion for memory. Whether it was over mohinga in Yangon, egusi soup in Lagos, or clams at the Jersey shore, sharing a meal with Bourdain often became a portal to […]
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Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Television Crusade
This post originally appeared on the blog of the International Association for Media and History (IAMHIST) When it premiered on the ABC (U.S.) network in the spring of 1949, Crusade in Europe, the 26-part adaptation of Dwight D. Eisenhower’s best-selling war memoir was hailed as long-awaited confirmation of TV’s capacity for cultural enlightenment – proof positive […]
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Sounding Out! Podcast #57: The Reykjavik Sound Walk
This post originally appeared on SoundingOut! CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD: The Reykjavik Sound Walk SUBSCRIBE TO THE SERIES VIA ITUNES ADD OUR PODCASTS TO YOUR STITCHER FAVORITES PLAYLIST Standing in front of our rented apartment in Túngata, a residential street just a few blocks from central Reykjavík, I am struck by the stillness of the city that surrounds […]
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Making America Great Again: Nostalgia, Hucksterism, and the Empty Signifier
This post originally appeared on In Media Res. Curator’s Note America in decline. It’s a narrative that resonates powerfully among conservatives in the Obama era. In the 2016 election cycle, the desire to “Make America Great Again” has been expressed by the Ted Cruz and Scott Walker campaigns – that is, until Trump filed a trademark […]
Continue ReadingRethinking History Article – History bites: mashing up history and gothic fiction in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
Abstract The premise of Seth Grahame-Smith’s bestselling 2010 mash-up novel Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, is clearly ridiculous. Latching on to the popular fascination with all things vampire and the perennial marketability of Lincolnalia, the book serves up a twisted romp through the Great Emancipator’s well-trod biography, whose sole aim seems to be sheer ironic novelty – […]
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Interview with Former FCC Chair, Newton N. Minow
In Episode 37 of Inside the Box: The TV History Podcast, I interview former FCC Chair, Newton N. Minow about his tenure at the Commission, a young Barry and Michele, his work with the Commission on Presidential Debates, and the rumors that a certain three hour tour boat was named after him.
Continue ReadingJournal of Radio and Audio Media Article – Podcasting the Past: Hardcore History, Fandom, and DIY Histories
Abstract This article discusses the podcast Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History as a work of fan (non)fiction and a significant intervention by an amateur, non-historian into a discourse typically dominated by scholars and professionals. Frequently listed among the top “Society and Culture” podcasts on iTunes, in Carlin’s hands podcasting technology has been used as a means of engaging […]
Continue ReadingHardcore Historian: The Amateur as Expert
This post originally appeared on In Media Res. Curator’s Note In the past ten years, podcasting has often been characterized as a disruptive technology, capable of opening new digital spaces for independent, grassroots content production and distribution. But can podcasting also change the way in which we understand historical expertise and historical discourse? For Dan […]
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That Infernal Racket: Sound, Anxiety, and the IBM Computer in AMC’s Mad Men
This post originally appeared on SoundingOut! [Warning: Spoilers Ahead for Folks Not Caught Up with Season 7, Episode 5!] In one of the more memorable – and squirm-inducing – scenes of this season of AMC’s Mad Men, brilliant but eccentric copywriter Michael Ginsberg (Ben Feldman) presents his colleague, agency copy chief Peggy Olsen (Elisabeth Moss) with his […]
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