PEL Presents NEM#142: Rebecca Rego: This Is Your Life!
Folky, soul-singing Rebecca has had six releases since 2007. We discuss "Mama" from her solo EP, Songs for Cleaning Women, Pt. 1 (https://amzn.to/3kuyzwY) (2020), "No One Knows Me" by Rebecca Rego and the Trainmen from Speaking of Witches (https://amzn.to/3kwLZZt) (2019), "Gave Me" by rego off of From the Royal Arcade (https://amzn.to/3bOOnqO) (2009), and "Cruel" from Lay These Weapons Down (ht...
1hr Mar 09, 2021
1hr
PREVIEW-Ep. 264: Plato's "Timaeus" on Cosmology (Part Two)
Continuing on the Timaeus, we consider some quotes and details starting at the beginning of the dialogue where Plato argues for differences between the perceived, created, impermanent world and its perfect model.  To hear this second part (https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/2021/02/28/ep-264-2-plato-timaeus-citizen/) , you'll need to go sign up at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support.
10m Mar 08, 2021
10m
PEL Presents NEM#141: Robert Forster (The Go-Betweens) Looks Back Novelistically
Robert co-fronted the Australian-born post-punk band The Go-Betweens through nine albums in the '80s and '00s with Grant McLennan before the latter's death in 2006 and has also released seven solo albums. We discuss "No Fame" from Inferno (https://amzn.to/3d9ErtY) (2019), "Here Comes a City" by The Go-Betweens from Oceans Apart (https://amzn.to/3jMKs1h) (2005), and "On My Block" by The Go-Betw...
1hr 9m Mar 07, 2021
1hr 9m
PEL Presents (sub)Text: Business Gets Personal in “The Godfather”
Out of the darkness of the opening frames comes a supplicant— Buonasera the undertaker. He pleads for the justice that the American legal system denied him. As the camera draws back, we see the outline of a face, a hand... Don Corleone holds court at the confluence of loyalty and duress, generosity and calculation, power and fragility. It is not money, but friendship that he asks of Buonasera. ...
1hr 21m Mar 04, 2021
1hr 21m
Ep. 264: Plato's "Timaeus" on Cosmology (Part One)
On the later Platonic dialogue from around 360 BCE. How is nature put together? Plato speaks through the fictional Timaeus (not Socrates) to give a "likely story" about the universe, physics, and biology involving a Craftsman (Demi-Urge) who created everything based on a pre-existing perfect model (the Forms!). Timaeus derives his whole story from the principle that the world is good, and so ...
49m Mar 01, 2021
49m
PMP Presents #83: Disabled and Other-Abled Representation w/ Kayla Dryesse
Media representation of disability needs improvement, as does inclusion of disabled actors and writers. Playwright Kayla joins Mark, Erica, and Brian to talk about hurdles, disability culture, negative stereotypes, and how disability relates to comedy and horror. For more, visit prettymuchpop.com (http://prettymuchpop.com/) . Hear bonus content for this episode at https://www.patreon.com/prett...
45m Mar 01, 2021
45m
PREVIEW-Ep. 263: Lise Van Boxel's "Warspeak" on Strategies for Valuing (Part Two)
Continuing on Warspeak: Nietzsche's Victory Over Nihilism with guests Jeff Black and Michael Grenke. To hear this second part (https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/2021/02/15/ep263-2-van-boxel-warspeak/) , you'll need to go sign up at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support.
13m Feb 22, 2021
13m
PEL Presents PMP#80: Reliving Groundhog Day (and Palm Springs, Russian Doll, etc.)
Happy Groundhog Day! The '93 film has had dozens of imitators spanning various genres in recent years, but the idea goes back more than a century. Mark, Erica, Brian, and guest Ken Gerber touch on popular and obscure examples examples from film and TV to explore the philosophical themes and storytelling techniques.  For more, visit prettymuchpop.com (http://prettymuchpop.com/) . Hear bonus con...
49m Feb 19, 2021
49m
Ep. 263: Lise Van Boxel's "Warspeak" on Strategies for Valuing (Part One)
On Warspeak: Nietzsche's Victory Over Nihilism (2020) with Dylan, Seth, and guests Michael Grenke and Jeff Black. What's a viable counter-ideal to the asceticism that Nietzsche thought is so pervasive? Lise's book works out strategies for re-valuing that emphasize Nietzsche's positive comments about the feminine and the power of words. Part two of this episode is only going to be available to...
48m Feb 15, 2021
48m
PEL Presents (sub)Text: Love and Nostalgia in Woody Allen’s “Annie Hall”
Alvy Singer is not, he tells us, a depressive character. It’s just that as a child he always worried that the expanding universe would one day break apart; and as an adult that romantic relationships must always fall apart. With Annie Hall, he thought he had finally found something that would last, in part because she could -- like the audiences of Woody Allen -- endure and make sense of his fr...
1hr 5m Feb 14, 2021
1hr 5m
PEL Presents PMP#81: Radio vs. Podcasting w/ Jason Bentley
Jason (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_Bentley) was music director at KRCW, the LA NPR station, is also a DJ with a lot of experienced interviewing musicians, and now hosts a new podcast, The Backstory (https://www.sohohouse.com/en-us/projects/the-backstory-with-jason-bentley) . He joins Mark and Erica to discuss the creative and business possibilities of podcasting in comparison to radio, ...
51m Feb 10, 2021
51m
PREVIEW-Ep. 262: Nietzsche on Self-Denial (Part Two)
More on essay three of Nietzsche's Genealogy of Morals on the meaning of ascetic ideals. How does asceticism fit into N's overall morality, and how does he use it to critique scientists? To hear this second part (https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/2021/01/31/ep-262-2-nietzsche-asceticism-citizen/) , you'll need to go sign up at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support.
12m Feb 08, 2021
12m
Ep. 262: Nietzsche on Self-Denial (Part One)
On Friedrich Nietzsche's The Genealogy of Morals (1887), "Third essay: what do ascetic ideals mean?" Self-regulation, where we tamp down certain aspects of our personality, is necessary for disciplined action, but it can clearly go too far. Nietzsche uses this concept of asceticism to analyze both geniuses and the masses. It is a chief tool of the will to power, highly dangerous to human flour...
53m Feb 01, 2021
53m
PEL Presents (sub)Text: Yielding to Suggestion in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”
On the moors of medieval Scotland, three witches hail the nobleman Macbeth as the future king—despite the fact that King Duncan is very much alive, and Macbeth is not in line to the throne. At the suggestion of power, Macbeth’s mind leaps to murder. Later, he fancies he sees a floating dagger leading him to Duncan, and after more bloodshed, believes he is haunted by the ghost of a friend. Is Ma...
1hr 32m Jan 31, 2021
1hr 32m
PEL Presents NEM#140: Larry Keel: Hillbilly Shredder to Singer-Songwriter
Larry has appeared on 20+ albums since co-founding Magraw Gap in 1990 and then becoming bandleader on '97. He's known for his lightning flat picking and has more recently added a good dose of social commentary and fundamental questioning to his songwriting. We discuss "Mars’ Cry" (and listen to "Try") from American Dream (https://amzn.to/3r3tRIL) (2020), "Crocodile Man" from One (https://amzn....
53m Jan 30, 2021
53m
PEL Presents PMP#79: The Fargo Formula w/ Tamler Sommers (Very Bad Wizards Crossover)
On the darkly comic '96 film and the 4-season crime show. Mark, Erica, Brian, and Tamler (tamlersommers.com(opens%20in%20a%20new%20tab)) from VBW (https://www.verybadwizards.com/) consider its style, "tundra western" setting, "Minnesota nice", gender issues, stunt casting, absurdism, and more. Yes, there are spoilers, but it barely matters. For more, visit prettymuchpop.com (http://prettymuchp...
47m Jan 27, 2021
47m
PREVIEW-Ep. 261: Derek Parfit on Personal Identity (Part Two)
More on Parfit's Reasons and Persons (1984), ch. 10-13. In this preview, we consider how Parfit deals with Bernard Williams' materialist thought experiment to show that the whole concept of personal identity doesn't make sense. Also, split brains! To hear this second part (https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/2021/01/18/ep261-2-parfit-citizen/) , you'll need to go sign up at partiallyexaminedlife...
12m Jan 25, 2021
12m
Ep. 261: Derek Parfit on Personal Identity (Part One)
On Reasons and Persons (1984), ch. 10-13. What makes a person persist over time? After using various sci-fi examples to test the Lockean (personhood=psychological continuity), physicalist (same brain=same person), and Cartesian (same soul=same person) theories, Parfit concludes that the whole notion is incoherent and isn't actually what we care about when wondering "will I die?" Part two of t...
57m Jan 18, 2021
57m
PEL Presents (sub)Text: Clever Hopes in W. H. Auden’s “September 1, 1939”
W. H. Auden hated this poem. He called it the most dishonest he had ever written, and eventually had it excluded from collections of his poetry. And yet it quickly became one of his most popular poems. And after the attacks of September 11, it was published in several national newspapers and widely discussed. This might seem to be a strange result, given that the poem is not a call-to-arms, but...
1hr 18m Jan 17, 2021
1hr 18m
PEL Presents NEM#139: Don Rauf's Life In A Blender
Don started the NY-based Life in a Blender in the late 80s and has put out ten albums of tunes with off-kilter lyrics and increasingly elaborate arrangements. We discuss "The Ocean is a Black and Rolling Tongue" (and listen to "Soul Deliverer") from Satsuma (https://amzn.to/3oPrNDo) (2020), "Falmouth" from We Already Have Birds That Sing (https://amzn.to/2LzYGpr) (2014), and "Chicken Dance" fro...
1hr 6m Jan 15, 2021
1hr 6m
PEL Presents PMP#77: The Big Screen Experience
What's the post-COVID future of movie theaters? Mark, Erica, and Brian compare past moviegoing habits and reflect on the big-screen vs. small-screen decision. How would we optimize the theatrical experience? We consider films affected like Tenet, Soul, etc. For more, visit prettymuchpop.com (http://prettymuchpop.com/) . Hear bonus content for this episode at https://www.patreon.com/prettymuchp...
48m Jan 13, 2021
48m
PREVIEW-Ep. 260: Locke on Moral Psychology
One last take on John Locke's Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1689), covering Book II, ch. 21 and 28. What makes a moral claim true? Do we have free will? What makes us choose the good, or not? In this coda to our long treatment of Locke's opus, we bring together all he has to say about morality, which is strangely modern yet also just strange. This is but a preview, less than a third o...
20m Jan 11, 2021
20m
PEL Presents PMP#76: Wonder Women (84 and Others) w/ Vi Burlew
Returning heroine Vi (now a grad student in comics history) joins Erica, Mark, and Brian to put the new film in context, bringing in the weird ideas of WW's creator as shown in the 2017 biopic Professor Marston and the Wonder Women. Do the new film's themes actually make sense? We talk political ideals, truth, love, feminist utopias, '70s TV, and more. For more, visit prettymuchpop.com (http:/...
50m Jan 06, 2021
50m
Ep. 259: Locke Clarifies Misleading Complex Ideas (Part Two)
More on Book II (ch. 22-33) of John Locke's Essay Concerning Human Understanding.  On relations, then personal identity, with more on substances (spiritual and material), the various ways in which ideas can go wrong, and how mental association can entrench irrationality that disrupts clear thinking. Listen to part one (https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/2020/12/28/ep259-1-locke-complex-ideas/)...
1hr 11m Jan 04, 2021
1hr 11m
PEL Presents (sub)Text: The “Human Position” of Suffering in W.H. Auden’s “Musée des Beaux Arts”
As war loomed in Europe, the poet W.H. Auden left Britain for the United States. One of the poems he wrote just before leaving is about the nature of human suffering—or as Auden puts it, the “human position” of suffering: for the most part, it happens invisibly, and the procession of ordinary life leaves it unacknowledged. Yet, the representation and transcendence of suffering are tasks importa...
1hr 3m Jan 03, 2021
1hr 3m
Ep. 259: Locke Clarifies Misleading Complex Ideas (Part One)
On Book II (ch. 22-33) of John Locke's Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1689). Simple ideas get complex quickly when you put them into words, and can give rise to various philosophical problems that are either easily cleared up when you figure out how the complex idea is built out of simple ideas, or if they can't be so broken down, then we really don't know what we're talking about and s...
47m Dec 28, 2020
47m
Mark Lint's PEL Network Holiday Party 2020: Merry Chatting and Songs
Join the office party, where Mark holds mini conversations on philosophy, art, and life with all PEL and PMP co-hosts, plus Ken Stringfellow (http://kenstringfellow.com/) , Jenny Hansen (https://www.stlawu.edu/people/jennifer-hansen) , and the members of Mark Lint's Dry Folk (https://marklint.bandcamp.com/) , whose 12 tunes are presented in succession with nary a partridge (https://partiallyexa...
2hr 5m Dec 24, 2020
2hr 5m
PEL Presents PMP#74: Micro Comedy w/ Tiffany Topol
What has the Internet done to comedy? Tiffany (http://www.tiffanytopol.com/) , purveyor of social media bits and song parodies, joins Erica, Mark, and Brian to think about new ways of making and consuming comedy over TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and other social media. Maybe given current events we should describe the goal as something other than "going viral"? For more, visit prettymuchpop.com...
47m Dec 22, 2020
47m
REISSUE-PEL Ep 37: Locke on Political Power (w/ New Intro)
A 2011 episode on John Locke's Second Treatise on Government (1690), with a fresh introduction connecting it to the present. What makes political power legitimate? Like Hobbes, Locke thought that things are less than ideal without a society to keep people from killing us, so we implicitly sign a social contract giving power to the state. But on Locke's view, nature’s not as bad, so the state i...
1hr 49m Dec 21, 2020
1hr 49m
PEL Presents PMP#73: Beloved Bad Films w/ Manos' Jackey Neyman Jones
What makes a film transcendently bad? A cult classic, as opposed to merely unwatchable? Child Jackey appeared in 1966's Manos: The Hands of Fate, and she joins Mark, Erica, and Brian to discuss growing up in community theater, being reintroduced to her family movie by MST3K, and the over-confident auteur.  We also touch on Birdemic, Catwoman, The Happening, and Battleship, as well as films abo...
48m Dec 16, 2020
48m
Ep. 258: Locke on Acquiring Simple Ideas (Part Two)
Continuing on Book II (through ch. 20) of John Locke's Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1689). How do we acquire our ideas of pain and pleasure, duration and motion? We talk primary (shape, size) and secondary (color, sound) qualities, the former of which are supposed to be actually in objects, and the latter just in our mind. Plus, is Locke really an atomist about experience? Start with...
1hr Dec 15, 2020
1hr
PEL Presents NEM#138: Markus Reuter: Composer or Tap Guitar Hero?
Markus began composing as a teen, "found his tribe" in getting connected to King Crimson's Robert Fripp in the early 90s, and has put out 40+ solo and collaborative albums of experimental music since 2000, including work in Stick Men with Crimson's Tony Levin and Pat Mastelotto. We discuss "Swoonage" from Truce (https://amzn.to/37ykeL6) (2020), "Boon" by Marcus Reuter and the Matangi Quartet f...
1hr 31m Dec 13, 2020
1hr 31m
PEL Presents (sub)Text: Against Specialization in Ibsen's "Hedda Gabler"
Hedda Gabler is not a fan of specialization: not in the professor she has married, and his esoteric scholarly interests; not in domesticity, and the specialized affections required by marriage and motherhood; not in any lover’s infatuated specialization in her; and perhaps not in the form of specialization arguably required by life itself, with its finite and confining possibilities. Is there a...
1hr 17m Dec 11, 2020
1hr 17m
Ep. 258: Locke on Acquiring Simple Ideas (Part One)
On the first half of Book II of John Locke's Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1689). How do we get our ideas? Simple ideas must come in through perception, but this doesn't just mean the senses; also reflection on our own minds, and this added layer of complexity allows us to bring in memory, concepts, time, and more. Don't wait for part two; get the full, ad-free Citizen Edition (https:...
46m Dec 07, 2020
46m
PEL Presents PMP#72: Comic Book Supremacy w/ Fred Van Lente
Fred writes for Marvel and his own Evil Twin Comics, in both non-fiction (e.g. Comic Book History of Animation, Action Philosophers) and stories (e.g. Marvel Zombies, Cowboys vs. Aliens). He even wrote a play about Jack Kirby. He joins Mark, Erica, and Brian to discuss playing in the Marvel sandbox, the role of humor, comic-to-movie transitions, and more. Learn more at fredvanlente.com (http:/...
46m Dec 06, 2020
46m
Ep. 257: Locke Against Innate Ideas (Part Two)
Continuing from part one on Book I of John Locke's Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1689). We consider Locke's arguments that since there are no universally agreed upon principles, therefore there are no beliefs that we're all born with, or that we all (without the need for experience) immediately recognize as true as soon as we gain the use of reason or are otherwise equipped to understa...
53m Nov 30, 2020
53m
PEL Presents (sub)Text: Order and Innocence in Melville's "Billy Budd"
Bill Budd is a beautiful man. Not just good looking, but exquisitely good natured, something that costs him no effort and has required no instruction. And yet it is ultimately his beautiful soul and good nature that get Billy killed. Wes & Erin discuss Herman Melville’s final and unfinished work of fiction, and whether a good heart and good intentions are more important than obedience to author...
1hr 32m Nov 27, 2020
1hr 32m
PEL Presents PMP#70: RISKy Confessional Comedy w/ Kevin Allison
Kevin (The State, RISK!) joins Mark, Erica, and Brian to talk about his telling/curation/coaching of confessional stories. Do they have to be funny? True? How does this form relate to essays a la David Sedaris? How personal is too personal (or indicative of PTSD or something)? What's the role of craft in this most populist endeavor? Listen at risk-show.com (http://risk-show.com/) . For more, v...
53m Nov 24, 2020
53m
Ep. 257: Locke Against Innate Ideas (Part One)
On Book I of John Locke's Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1689). How do we know things? Locke though all knowledge comes from experience, and this might seem uncontroversial, but what are the alternatives? We consider the idea that there are some ideas we're just born with and don't need to learn. But what's an "idea," and how is it different from a principle? Clearly we have instincts (...
53m Nov 23, 2020
53m
PEL Presents NEM#136: Mark Bingham: To and In New Orleans
Mark got signed as a teen in 1966, left to play theatrical prog jazz in Indiana during college, had a spell in a "no wave" band in New York, and finally settled down in the '80s as an in demand producer and collaborator in New Orleans, working with groups like R.E.M., Flat Duo Jets, and John Scofield. He's only finished two solo albums but has a ton of archive recordings being released soon, an...
1hr Nov 23, 2020
1hr
PEL Presents PMP#69: Story Songs w/ Rod Picott
Plenty of songs try to tell stories, but do the pop song format and narrative really mix? Songwriter and short story author Rod Picott (http://rodpicott.com/) joins Mark, Erica, and Brian to talk about classics by Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash, formative nightmares like "Leader of the Pack" and "The Pina Colada Song, borderline cases like "Bohemian Rhapsody," and more. How does this form relate to ...
48m Nov 17, 2020
48m
PREVIEW-Ep. 256: Kropotkin's Anarchist Communism (Part Two)
Mark, Wes, Dylan, Seth get into specific points and textual passages from Peter Kropotkin's The Conquest of Bread (1892). In this preview, we start by considering that Kropotkin is right that mutual aid is a natural tendency and so communism is very much feasible, why hasn't it happened already? In the full discussion, we discuss K's version of the "you didn't build that" argument, plus guaran...
8m Nov 16, 2020
8m
PEL Presents (sub)Text: The American Dream in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby"
We all know this story, in part because it captures a period that will always have a special place in the American imagination. Prosperous and boozy, the Jazz Age seemed like one great party, held to celebrate the end of a terrible world war; the liberating promise of newly ubiquitous technologies, including electricity, the telephone, and the automobile; and a certain image of success as caref...
1hr 23m Nov 13, 2020
1hr 23m
Ep. 256: Kropotkin's Anarchist Communism (Part One)
On Peter Kropotkin's The Conquest of Bread (1892). If we want an egalitarian society, do we need the state to accomplish this? Kropotkin says no, that in fact the state inevitably serves the interests of the few, and that if we got rid of it, our natural tendencies to cooperate would allow us through voluntary organizations to keep everyone not only fed and clothed, but able to vigorously purs...
52m Nov 09, 2020
52m
PEL Presents NEM#135: Peter Milton Walsh (The Apartments): No Assembly-Line Recording
Peter started The Apartments in Australia in the late '70s and has been its only consistent member. After releasing his first full album in 1985 and being featured on a John Hughes soundtrack, he released four lush, moody albums in the '90s but then retired when family tragedy struck (https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/aug/07/the-apartments-albums-birth-so-traumatic-its-a-miracle-it-exists-...
57m Nov 06, 2020
57m
PEL Presents PMP#67: Borat Pod Show! Very Nice! With Aaron David Gleason
Mark, Erica, Brian, and musician/actor Aaron (https://www.aarondavidgleason.com/) consider the comedy of Sacha Baron Cohen, especially Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (https://www.amazon.com/Borat-Subsequent-Moviefilm-Sacha-Baron/dp/B08K3SDZJ9) , where his co-stars are unwitting dupes and embarrassment is served in large helpings. We talk through the ethical and political issues, why Cohen's target...
42m Nov 04, 2020
42m
PREVIEW-Ep. 255: Sun Tzu's "The Art of War" (Part Two)
If you'd like to hear more of the discussion on Sun Tzu that we started in part one (https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/2020/10/26/ep255-1-sun-tzu/) , you'll need to go sign up at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support. Here are some exchanges from part two (https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/2020/10/26/ep255-2-sun-tzu-citizen/) , where we continue with Brian Wilson working through the text, consider...
9m Nov 02, 2020
9m
PEL Presents PMP#66: Scary Movies w/ Nathan Shelton
What scares us? Why do people enjoy being scared by films? Are there good horror movies that aren't scary and scary films that are still bad? Mark, Erica, Brian are joined by actor/special effects-guy Nathan Shelton (https://www.nathanshelton.com/) (who runs the Frightmare Theatre Podcast (https://www.frightmaretheatrepodcast.com/) ) to present our picks for what scared us as kids, and we cons...
54m Oct 28, 2020
54m
Ep. 254: Sun Tzu's "The Art of War" (Part One)
On the Chinese military treatise from around the 5th century BCE. How does a philosopher wage war? The best kind of war can be won without fighting. The general qua Taoist sage never moves until circumstances are optimal. We talk virtue ethics and practical strategy; how well can Sunzi's advice be applied to non-martial pursuits? With guest Brian Wilson (http://combatandclassics.org/) . Part ...
51m Oct 26, 2020
51m
PEL Presents PMP#65: Cosmic Satire w/ "Bill & Ted" Writer Chris Matheson
Chris Matheson (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0558533/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1) has written many comic movies and has converted religious texts into funnier books, most recently with The Buddha's Story (https://amzn.to/3maSC3e) . Mark, Erica, and Brian talk with him about what unifies these projects: Why the big ideas of religion and sci-fi are begging to be made fun of. How does humor relate to fear? W...
45m Oct 21, 2020
45m