Jackson and Taylor share their thoughts on Halsey's new album The Great Impersonator, and criticize some of the album's critics. They then rank the X trilogy (X, Pearl, MaXXXine). Finally, discussing the new releases of Addison Rae and Lady Gaga and their excitement for current music.

Timestamps

00:00 Halsey's The Great Impersonator

21:18 Ranking the X trilogy

48:04 New music releases

For their 25th episode, Jackson and Taylor discuss their recent trips to Nashville, Memphis, and Vermont. Taylor announces a new boyfriend. They then debrief the essay, Notes on "Camp" by Susan Sontag, sharing their thoughts on "Camp" and modern iterations of it. Their song this week is "One of Us Cannot Be Wrong" by Leonard Cohen.

Timestamps

00:00 Fall Break Recap

32:37 Notes on "Camp" by Susan Sontag

1:06:27 "One of Us Cannot Be Wrong" by Leonard Cohen

Sontag's essay: ⁠https://monoskop.org/images/5/59/Sontag_Susan_1964_Notes_on_Camp.pdf⁠

Taylor's article: ⁠https://artrkl.com/blogs/news/velvet-paintings

Jackson and Taylor explore the themes of the macabre, discussing their attraction to darkness and horror. They delve into the cultural significance of macabre literature and media, the allure of true crime, and the societal critiques often embedded in horror narratives. The discussion also touches on desensitization to violence, the impact of horror on art and literature, and the duality of life and death in storytelling. Additionally, Jackson tells stories about getting a tattoo in New Orleans and being robbed by a taxi driver in Belize. Their song this week is "Poison Tree" by Grouper.

Timestamps

00:00 Into the Shadows of the Macabre

07:40 The Fascination with Darkness and Death

12:10 True Crime vs. Fictional Horror

22:22 Historical Perspectives on the Macabre

33:05 The Societal Lens of Horror Films

41:16 Exploring the Macabre in Culture

48:30 Jackson's Tattoo and Getting Robbed

58:16 "Poison Tree" by Grouper

In this conversation, Jackson and Taylor explore the unexpected music careers of various celebrities, discussing their influences, successes, failures, and the cultural impact of their music. They go into the pop culture landscape, highlighting the nuances of each artist's journey and the music they produced. They mention over 25 celebrities in total.

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction

09:03 Lindsay Lohan

12:45 Hilary Duff

19:04 Jeffree Star

24:50 Addison Rae

29:48 Vanessa Hudgens

34:17 Leighton Meester

37:14 Kim Kardashian

42:52 Zendaya

45:05 Ashley Tisdale

51:28 Scarlett Johansson

52:41 Paris Hilton

57:31 Chord Overstreet

1:00:40 Emily Osment

1:04:30 Dr. Bridgit Mendler

1:06:10 Rob Grant (Lana Del Rey's Dad)

1:07:57 Heidi Montag

1:11:00 Trisha Paytas

This week, Jackson and Taylor confabulate on the allure of dark academia, its presence on social media, the media often associated with it, and more. They specifically discuss The Secret History by Donna Tartt, "Oxford Comma" by Vampire Weekend, and Dead Poets Society.

Chapters

00:00 The Allure of Dark Academia

42:01 The Secret History by Donna Tartt

56:44 Vampire Weekend

Jackson talks about his experience seeing Charli xcx, Troye Sivan, Lorde, and Addison Rae at Madison Square Garden this week. Jackson and Taylor discuss retail therapy, its consequences, champagne problems, capitalism, bad habits, and more.

Chapters

00:00 SWEAT TOUR

04:55 Retail Therapy and Champagne Problems

In this special bonus episode, Jackson and Taylor test new microphones and tell each other about their recent obsessions. Taylor talks about the new app ReelShort and its minute-long soap operas. Jackson shares his newfound infatuation with Björk and her music. They also talk about their excitement for Agnostic B*tch Autumn.

Chapters

00:00 Sound Check

01:38 ReelShort

15:50 Diving into Björk

31:37 Agnostic B*tch Autumn

In this episode, Jackson and Taylor explore the concept of cultural decay, discussing its manifestations in microtrends, music, social media, and the loss of underground culture. They reflect on the impact of societal changes on culture and the pervasive sense of nihilism among their generation. They also cover current topics such as the 8 year old who drove to Target and the Titan wreckage. Their song this week is "September" by Earth, Wind, & Fire.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

6:03 The Target Diva

11:13 Submersible Wreckage

19:57 Defining Cultural Decay

01:02:15 Nihilism