Nostalgia Trap

Was 1999 the inflection point in American culture and politics? Writer Ross Benes joins me this week to talk about his book 1999: The Year Low Culture Conquered America and Kickstarted Our Bizarre Times [https://kansaspress.ku.edu/9780700638574/]. Ross’s work connects the trashy Americana of Jerry Springer, pro wrestling, Insane Clown Posse, and a million other bits of carnival weirdness to the larger political economy of the late 90s, and in this conversation he offers his takes on why so-called “low culture” really matters. Support the show and access our giant library of bonus content on our Patreon page [https://www.patreon.com/nostalgiatrap]

The Jeffrey Epstein saga continues to have legs, and this week Justin and I talk about what makes the story so appealing and operative for so many Americans, as we interrogate the elements of storytelling, virality, sex, and power that control our attention and shape our reality. Along the way we've got takes on South Park, the Coldplay viral video, the Moscow Idaho murder trial, Tony Soprano, Zohran Mamdani's chances in NYC, Elon Musk's genocidal soul, Epstein's sexy painting of Bill Clinton, and lots more. Click here to listen to the whole episode [https://www.patreon.com/posts/news-trap-7-25-w-134954319]

Philip Seymour Hoffman is a towering figure in American cinema whose death in 2014 left a big gaping hole in the culture. I really think there has never been anyone really like him, before or since, on the screen. In this conversation, Justin Rogers-Cooper joins me to reflect on Hoffman’s body of work, the particular power he brought to his performances in a wide range of movies, and the profound legacy he occupies in our “cringe” era. Listen to the full episode [https://www.patreon.com/posts/episode-417-why-134427669]

Van Jackson, foreign policy writer and host of the excellent podcast Un-Diplomatic [https://www.un-diplomatic.com/podcast], joins me to freak out about ICE arresting local college professors, MAGA's Jeffrey Epstein fissures, Andrew Cuomo aiming to spoil Mamdani's victory in NYC, Trump sending weapons to Ukraine, and the overall Third Reich vibes that America is currently giving. As the ever-rising waters of tyrrany begin to splash onto our windowsills, what are any of us supposed to be doing?  Subscribe to Nostalgia Trap to access all of our bonus content and News Trap updates [https://www.patreon.com/nostalgiatrap]

Remember the heady days of Abercrombie and Fitch’s utter domination of the young, white middle class fashion market? What was that about? This week I’m joined by Ethan Lascity, an assistant professor and director of the fashion media program at Southern Methodist University, to discuss his book The Abercrombie Age: Millennial Aspiration and the Promise of Consumer Culture [https://uncpress.org/book/9781469680910/the-abercrombie-age/]. Ethan helps me understand the wider historical context and significance of a very specific moment in American pop culture, when a vision of affluence was packaged and sold to a generation that would never actually attain it. Subscribe to Nostalgia Trap to access all our bonus episodes and News Trap updates [https://www.patreon.com/nostalgiatrap]