Episodes

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

Cosmic Visions in Sound

January 12, 2024 | 21:43

Today we share a podcast episode on the visual epistemology of astronomy by our friends at The World According to Sound. What kind of knowledge do we really gain when we look at images from space? Continue reading

Tinnitus Stories

December 16, 2023 | 0:38:39

Tinnitus can be annoying, for sure–and for some people it’s much worse than annoying–but it also has a lot to say of interest, if we’re willing to listen: “Tinnitus has been my guide in sound studies, my Virgil, leading me through a shadow world of sound. It’s taught me how high the stakes can be when it comes to the perception and control of sound and it’s given me new ways to think about how and why we use media devices.” Continue reading

Warren Zanes: Rockstar Biographer

December 1, 2023 | 1:11:53

Warren Zanes talks life as a rocker and writer, his new book on Springsteen’s Nebraska, how to weave theory into a great story, and why he narrates his own audiobooks.  Continue reading

Making Radio History (Elena Razlogova)

November 17, 2023 | 1:03:22

Elena Razlogova discusses U.S. radio history, audience research, music recommendation and recognition algorithms, and her current book project, which centers on freeform radio station WFMU and the rise of online music. We also talk about Elena’s research strategies as a historian working in the digital age. Continue reading

The Audiobook’s Century-Long Overnight Success (Matthew Rubery)

November 3, 2023 | 47:49

Today we present the first episode of a miniseries on audiobooks by getting into the history and theory of the medium. Audiobooks are having a moment—and it only took them over a century to get here. Dr. Matthew Rubery, a Harvard PhD and Professor of Modern Literature at Queen Mary University of London, pioneered the study of the audiobook, its history, and its affordances in literature.  Continue reading

Going Public

October 19, 2023 | 19:26

In this brief opener for Season Six of Phantom Power, Mack discusses his new project of writing a trade press book, funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Continue reading

A Philosophy of Echoes with Amit Pinchevski

May 24, 2023 | 00:58:38

Amit Pinchevski challenges the notion that echo is mere repetition. Instead, echo is a generative medium. Just as a baby first learns to speak by repeating the sounds of others, a philosophy of echoes reminds us that our own agency and creativity reside in repetitions that respond to the past. Continue reading