A PODCAST ABOUT SOUND

Phantom Power is a podcast about sound, technology, and culture. In each episode, Mack Hagood interviews experts in sound studies, sound art, and acoustic ecology.

Podcasting’s Obsession with Obsession (Neil Verma)

May 24, 2024 | 52:19

Today we discuss how narrative podcasts work, the role they’ve played in American culture and how they’ve shaped our understanding of podcasting as a genre and an industry. Neil Verma’s new book, Narrative Podcasting in an Age of Obsession, offers a … Continue reading

Second Line: Footwork in New Orleans (Lowlines by Petra Barran)

May 10, 2024 | 0:32:39

A new podcast called Lowlines takes us to a New Orleans Second Line, the brass band tradition that comes out of Black funeral processions and social clubs and is known not only for the power of the music but for amazing dancing known as footwork. Continue reading

Beyond Listening: The Hidden Ways Sound Affects Us (Michael Heller)

April 26, 2024 | 1:00:01

Dr. Michael Heller examines sonic experiences that go “beyond listening.” Moments when sound overpowers us. When sound is sensed more in our bodies than in our ears. When sound engages in crosstalk with our other senses. Or when it affects us by being inaudible. Continue reading

Noise and Affect Theory (Marie Thompson)

April 12, 2024 | 48:36

Feminist sound scholar and musician Marie Thompson is a theorist of noise. She has also been one of the key thinkers in integrating the study of sound with the study of affect. Continue reading

From HAL to SIRI: How Computers Learned to Speak (Benjamin Lindquist)

March 29, 2024 | 50:42

Learn how computers learned to speak with computer historian Benjamin Lindquist. Ben tells the the fascinating backstory to HAL 9000 and the strange the analog history of digital computing. Continue reading

Publishing for Nonfiction Authors (Jane Von Mehren)

March 15, 2024 | 1:06:41

Jane Von Mehren, Senior Partner at Aevitas Creative Management and a former Senior Vice President at Random House, explains how to find a literary agent, how to write a query letter to an agent, and how to craft a book proposal that your agent can shop to publishers.  Continue reading

Noise and Information in the Office (Joseph L. Clarke)

March 1, 2024 | 1:08:48

Ever wonder who’s to blame for the noise and distraction of the open office? Architectural historian Joseph L. Clarke has answers! Theories of acoustic communication accidentally inspired the sonic disaster of the open plan. Continue reading

Robin Miles: Talking Books

February 16, 2024 | 1:10:45

Today we bring you a master class in audiobook narration and acting with acclaimed actor, casting director, audiobook narrator and audiobook director, Robin Miles. Beyond technique, we talk about the audiobook industry and the politics of vocal representation. Continue reading

Radiophilia (Carolyn Birdsall)

January 26, 2024 | 1:06:47

Sound and radio scholar Carolyn Birdsall discusses her award-winning book Nazi Soundscapes (AUP, 2012) and her new book, Radiophilia (Bloomsbury, 2023). Continue reading

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