Podcast Episodes

Brian Jay Jones, "George Lucas: A Life" (Little, Brown and Company, 2016)

Episode 1756

The essential biography of the influential and beloved filmmaker George Lucas.

On May 25, 1977, a problem-plagued, budget-straining independent scien…

2 months ago

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Robyn Hitchcock, "Stranded in the Future" (Akashic Books, 2026)

Episode 1755

Robyn Hitchcock's second memoir, Stranded in the Future (Akashic Books, 2026), explores the formation of his seminal 1970s band the Soft Boys, and …

2 months ago

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Brian Callaci, "Chains of Command: The Rise and Cruel Reign of the Franchise Economy" (U Chicago Press, 2026)

A surprising look at the big business of owning small businesses and what America's franchise economy means for its workers.

Walk into a McDonald's a…

2 months ago

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Brian Callaci, "Chains of Command: The Rise and Cruel Reign of the Franchise Economy" (U Chicago Press, 2026)

Episode 1754

Chains of Command: The Rise and Cruel Reign of the Franchise Economy (University of Chicago Press, 2026) is a surprising look at the big business of …

2 months ago

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Ed Park, "Three Tenses" (Random House, 2026)

Episode 1753

Three Tenses (Random House, 2026) by Ed Park is not quite a memoir, not quite fiction, not quite poetry and not quite prose—and yet it transcends the…

2 months, 1 week ago

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Mulholland Drive at 25: Film Quarterly

Episode 1752

In this episode, J. M. Tyree, the editor of Film Quarterly discusses a dossier of articles about David’s Lynch’s 2001 Mulholland Drive on its 25th an…

2 months, 1 week ago

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Happy to Help: Adventures of a People Pleaser

Episode 1751

As a big sister, Girl Scout, personal assistant, sitcom sidekick, and, finally, mother of three, Amy believed it was her destiny to be a people pleas…

2 months, 1 week ago

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Jehnie Burns on Mixtape Culture

Episode 1750

Peoples & Things host, Lee Vinsel, talks with writer and researcher, Jehnie I. Burns about her book, Mixtape Nostalgia: Culture, Memory, and Represen…

2 months, 1 week ago

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Vincent Haddad, "Next Time on Dragon Ball: Playing with a Manga and Anime Franchise" (U Minnesota Press, 2026)

Episode 1749

Since its debut in 1984, Dragon Ball has become one of the most popular, influential, and lucrative media franchises in the world. In Next Time on Dr…

2 months, 1 week ago

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Tár

Episode 1748

Tod Field’s Tár (2022) is one of the best ghost stories we’ve discussed on the show. The story of a troiubled genius, the film is also a wonderfully …

2 months, 1 week ago

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