The American Vandal
Matt Seybold, Center For Mark Twain Studies
An ever-growing collection of conversations about literature, humor, and history in America, produced by the premier source for programming and funding scholarship on Mark Twain's life and legacy.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Dec 19, 2022 • 1h 19min
The Twitter Elegies (& Mastodon Scolds) with Rebecca Colesworthy & Jeff Jarvis
Two scholars embedded in publishing discuss the impact of chaos at Twitter and in social media more generally upon journalism and academic presses. Also, some brief discussion of "The Twitter Files" and Mastodon migration.
For more about this episode, including a bibliography, please visit MarkTwainStudies.com/TheTwitterElegies
Dec 7, 2022 • 47min
Reckless Monetization, Surveillance Kleptocracy, & Olivia Snow's Villain Origin Story
As the Elon Musk era at Twitter descends ever further into chaos, we discuss the canaries in the coal mine of surveillance, shadowbanning, algorithmic censorship, data firesales, and deplatforming: sex workers.
For more about this episode, including a bibliography, please visit MarkTwainStudies.com/Bollocks
Nov 23, 2022 • 58min
The Plausible End of Social Media, Downscaling, & The Latent Celebrity Mindset with Ian Bogost
Earlier this month, The Atlantic published an essay by our guest, Ian Bogost, titled "The Age of Social Media is Ending." Since then there have been layoffs at several social media companies, including Facebook and Twitter, and collapsing stock prices throughout the industry. What's happening? And what's next?
For more about this episode, please visit MarkTwainStudies.com/Downscaling
Nov 18, 2022 • 57min
The Collapse of Twitter, Zombie Cyberlibertarianism, & Commercial Content Moderation with Sarah T. Roberts
With the end of Twitter seemingly imminent, content moderation and social media expert, Sarah T. Roberts, discusses Elon Musk's ideology, the labor of social media, and the migration to Mastodon.
For more about this episode, please visit MarkTwainStudies.com/TheEndOfTwitter
Nov 4, 2022 • 1h 20min
Dance of the Cash Dragons with Aaron Bady, Michelle Chihara, & Sarah Mesle
The series finale finds "Dear Television" correspondents joining the podcast to discuss the Fall 2022 franchise season, foremost HBO's "House of the Dragon," but also Disney+'s "Andor" and Amazon's "Rings of Power."
For more about this episode, including a bibliography, please visit MarkTwainStudies.com/CashDragons
Oct 25, 2022 • 1h 8min
Industry Cringe & Reproductive Horror with Johanna Isaacson & Madeline Lane-McKinley
A ranging conversation inspired by two forthcoming books about genre, work, and visual culture. The authors consider HBO series like "The Baby," "Barry," "Curb Your Enthusiasm," and "The Larry Sanders Show."
For more about this episode, including a bibliography, please visit MarkTwainStudies.com/Cringe
Oct 14, 2022 • 1h 16min
Rooting For Everybody Black in the Issa Rae Extended Universe with Jalylah Burrell & Danielle Fuentes Morgan
Inspired by HBO shows "Insecure" and "Rap Sh!t," as well as Yvonne Orji's new stand-up special and recent Emmy wins for Quinta Brunson's "Abbott Elementary" and Jerrod Carmichael's "Rothaniel," Matt Seybold discusses the often precarious role of Black comic creators with two scholars of race, gender, and comedy in the U.S.
For more about this episode, please visit MarkTwainStudies.com/RootingForEverybodyBlack
Sep 29, 2022 • 1h 17min
The Sopranos Revival (Remember The End of The End of History?) with Peter Coviello & Xine Yao
No single program transformed the HBO brand like "The Sopranos," which became a hit all over again upon the launch of HBOMax in the midst of the 2020 lockdown.
For more about this episode, please visit MarkTwainStudies.com/TheSopranosRevival
Sep 20, 2022 • 1h 22min
The Rehearsal, Reality TV, & Warner Bros Discovery with J. D. Connor & Olivia Stowell
Is Nathan Fielder's "The Rehearsal" a critique of Reality TV? Moreover, might it be read as an attack on HBO's new parent company, Warner Bros Discovery? A conversation about the show, the network, the conglomerate, and the streaming wars.
For more about this episode, including a bibliography of works mentioned, please visit MarkTwainStudies.com/TheRehearsal
Sep 13, 2022 • 1h 17min
Puzzles of Collective Intention, Corporate Authorship, Family Business Insurrection, & HBO's Succession with Lisa Siraganian & Michael Szalay
Our sixth season - "HBO, From Pulp to Prestige" - kicks off with a discussion of conglomeration, collective intention, and corporate authorship through HBO's original programming and especially "Succession," the Emmy-winning tentpole drama produced by Jesse Armstrong and Adam McKay.
For more about this episode, including a bibliography, please visit MarkTwainStudies.com/Succession
