The Complete Catalog

True Blue w/ Tim Riley (Madonna, Episode 3)

True Blue, released in 1986, was Madonna’s third album in as many years right at the start of the career and continued her meteoric rise in both the commercial and critical arenas. Author Tim Riley (Madonna Illustrated [https://www.amazon.com/Madonna-Illustrated-Tim-Riley/dp/1562829831], Riley Rock Report [https://rileyrockreport.substack.com/]) and Tristan get into how the record is simultaneously a refinement of accessible pop construction and a deepening of lyrical themes.

Like a Virgin w/ Santiago Fouz-Hernández (Madonna, Episode 2)

Like a Virgin was only Madonna’s second album but it is often credited as the one that “made” her. Tristan and Santiago Fouz-Hernández, professor in Iberian Studies and Film Studies at Durham University and co-editor of Madonna's Drowned Worlds: New Approaches to her Cultural Transformations, 1983-2003 [https://www.amazon.com/Madonnas-Drowned-Worlds-Approaches-Transformations-ebook/dp/B073RQQ7JK/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0], discuss how the 1984 album made a huge global splash and continues to carry many distinct pleasures.

Madonna w/ Matthew Rettenmund (Madonna, Episode 1)

Welcome to The Complete Catalog, a podcast for media deep dives. For this second season, host Tristan Ettleman and his guests explore the 18 albums of Madonna (including some videos, movies, and other releases) across 43 years. Madonna’s 1983 self-titled debut almost feels like a fully-formed artist burst into pop culture consciousness out of nowhere. But as Tristan and Matthew Rettenmund [https://www.instagram.com/encyclopediamadonnica/?hl=en], author of Encyclopedia Madonnica [https://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-Madonnica-40-Years-Madonna/dp/1734238194], discuss, there were a lot of work ethic and New York scenes/aesthetics that led to the Madonna (the album and the artist) as we know them, and her meteoric success wasn’t necessarily immediately assured.

The Boy and the Heron w/ Edmond Ernest dit Alban (Studio Ghibli, Episode 30)

This is it: the season finale of The Complete Catalog: Studio Ghibli (at least for now)! Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron stands as his and the studio’s final film (again, for now) and it offers a rich yet complicated host of thematic threads and compelling characterizations; all while being beautiful of course. Tristan and Edmond “Edo” Ernest dit Alban, Assistant Professor in Communication and Asian Studies at Tulane University, cover as much ground as possible but the film will certainly continue to offer nuanced readings upon subsequent rewatches. And announcing season two of The Complete Catalog: Madonna! Tristan and his guests will explore the 17 albums released by the pop icon over 36 years. Follow your host on Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/ettletodd.bsky.social], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/ettletodd/], and/or TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@ettletodd] to stay tuned for the premiere date!

Earwig and the Witch w/ Caitlin Casiello (Studio Ghibli, Episode 29)

Earwig and the Witch has the infamous reputation as Studio Ghibli’s worst film. That is indeed true, as Tristan and Assistant Professor of Japanese Film and Media Studies at the University of Florida Caitlin Casiello agree, but they also try to find some things to appreciate about Goro Miyazaki’s 2020 release.