Merry-Go-Roundtable

Games editor Ed Dutcher leads this discussion of the cultural shifts in video games that defined the 2010s.

TV Editor Kate Brogden guides us on a thorough review of the past decade of television, particularly focusing on how drastically everything about our conceptions of TV have changed in the age of streaming.

Music editor CJ Simonson is joined by Nick Funess and Carter Moon to discuss the whirlwind changes in popular music over the 2010s.

Be sure to read our top 100 albums of the decade list here: https://merrygoroundmagazine.com/merry-go-rounds-top-albums-of-the-2010s/

On the last episode of the year, we present this barn burner roundtable discussion of Bong Joon Ho's exceptional film, PARASITE. This biting Korean social satire has ripped through all critical corners of the film world and become a shocking success in the US, equal parts devastating and wildly entertaining, our panel deconstructs what makes this film so special, particularly for people who have been following Bong's career for years.

For related research on this film check out the following:

The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (Available on Vudu for free)

Salt of the Earth (Available on Kanopy for free)

The Pervert's Guide to Ideology (Available to rent on all the major platforms)

Mark Fisher's book Capitalist Realism provides enormously useful tools for interpreting pop culture (https://bit.ly/35PdzsW)

In this special crossover episode, we invite you to check out Carter's new podcast, Vaguebooking, a podcast about social media in the age of social isolation. Carter interviews our film editor, Sergio Zaciu, and Sergio's brother Oliver.

You can check out Vaguebooking wherever you get your podcasts, You can follow the show on Twitter: @vaguebookingpod

Our music editor CJ Simonson got a chance to interview Joey and Miri from the bands From Indian Lakes and Queen of Jeans, respectively. They talked longevity in a changing indie rock world and what it's been like to collaborate together.

You can check out From Indian Lakes here: https://fromindianlakes.bandcamp.com/album/dimly-lit

And check out Queen of Jeans here: https://queenofjeans.bandcamp.com/album/if-youre-not-afraid-im-not-afraid

As always, you can support Merry-Go-Round on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mgrm

Every Thanksgiving, Carter asks a panel of Merry-Go-Round editors and contributors to share a piece of media that they're thankful for. This year brought us some lovely contributions from Kate Brogden, Ian Campbell, and CJ Simonson.

You can check out Uncle Stan's Thanksgiving album here: https://unclestan.bandcamp.com/album/a-very-stanley-thanksgiving

You can check out Pendent here: https://pendantusa.bandcamp.com/album/through-a-coil

As always, support Merry-Go-Round on Patreon: patreon.com/mgrm

Carter is joined by the intensely powerful band Closet Witch. They discuss the grief and rage that fuels their music, how they manage to stay DIY, and using music as an outlet.

You can see an example of Closet Witch's incredible live performances here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJYWRhoZ-Fs

As always, you can support us on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/mgrm

As movie theaters become more and more expensive, it's difficult for the average person to even make it out more than once or twice a year. Even for devoted fans, it's becoming increasingly difficult to justify turning out to the theater as often as we like, or maybe more importantly as often as we think we should. In this winding conversation, Carter goes deep into what film culture might look like in our uncertain future with Kevin Cookman and Chris Bell.

The Vulture article on Disney's practices clamping down on their newly acquired Fox properties can be found here: https://www.vulture.com/2019/10/disney-is-quietly-placing-classic-fox-movies-into-its-vault.html

Check out Chris' own movie podcast: Facebook.com/indiebeatmovies

Kevin can be found on Twitter @KevinCookman

You can also read his excellent review of Jojo Rabbit here: https://merrygoroundmagazine.com/jojo-rabbit-sure-loves-nazis/

You can support Merry-Go-Round on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/mgrm

In our ongoing series on all things horror movies, we're re-releasing an episode of the podcast Toilet ov Hell Radio. Toilet ov Hell is a great source for all things metal, but for October they took deep-dives into specific horror movies. Carter was lucky enough to get the chance to talk about 1999's AUDITION with Joe Thrashnkill.

Check out Toilet ov Hell here: https://toiletovhell.com/category/radio-free-toilet/

Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/mgrm