Now That You Mention It

What exactly is an internet "troll"? Is trolling simply the act of posting inflammatory messages on the internet, or is there a subtler, more sophisticated art of trolling? Why do the trolls troll anyway? And how did trolling become a part of mainstream culture? Where once trolling was a behavior relegated exclusively to the internet, it's clear that the phenomenon has seeped its way into our offline lives as well: superstar celebrities troll their fans and detractors alike, multinational corporations put out products that appear to be trolls; one most definitely could, with a whole lot of plausibility, claim that the president of the United States is a practitioner of the art of trolling.

It's episode 10, ya heard! Dane and Kevin are talking all things troll: Kanye, Tekashi, Soulja Boy, Donald Trump, Balenciaga, Surrealist art, that ridiculous motherfucking top 50 rappers of all time list, and much more.

As for the opening segment: a quick installment of Good Rapper, Bad Bars, a diatribe about Big Pun's Capital Punishment, and a few brief remarks about the shocking revelation that Jay-Z is concerned primarily with...getting wealthier??? What???

Intro and break music courtesy of Chris Giuliano.

Works Cited:

Christine Cook: Under the bridge: an in-depth examination of online trolling in the gaming context

Jesse Fox: Why the Online Trolls Troll

"We tell ourselves stories in order to live," reads the famous opening line of Joan Didion's 1979 book of essays, The White Album. In 2019, the line reads like prophesy: with the proliferation of social media, it almost seems like a truism to note that we're constantly writing and rewriting our lives, consuming the lives of others, imposing a narrative line on the raw experience of our day-to-day lives.

But we can intentionally distort the story of our lives on social media, too (see: the tragic case of Lil Bow Bow and the subsequent "Bow Wow Challenge"). We can, for example, make our lives appear to be nothing less than a series of enviable triumphs, one after the next. We can project the image of a perfect life, and, importantly, let our followers know that they can have a perfect life as well. Enter the concept of "inspo," or social media self-helpism. Episode 9 of the Now That You Mention It podcast features Kevin and Dane interrogating the idea of the narrativity of self, the self-help industry at large, and the widespread and sometimes bizarre phenomenon of Instagram "inspo".

Before that: another installment of Good Rapper, Bad Bars, this one featuring Prodigy (again), and Jay-Z. Plus, what's up with these wack, click-bait top 50 rappers of all time lists?

Intro and break music courtesy of Chris Giuliano.

Works Cited:

Alexandra Schwartz: Improving Ourselves to Death

Instagram Star Reportedly Couldn't Sell 36 T-Shirts to 2.6 Million Followers

Sidonie Smith and Julia Watson: Getting A Life: Everyday Uses of Autobiography

What is the difference between "highbrow" and "lowbrow" art? Is there a distinction between the two at all, or are the categories just social constructions? Can certain genres have their own, built-in hierarchies of high brow and low brow? And how does the high vs. low distinction apply to hip-hop? Episode 8 of the Now That You Mention It podcast features Kevin and Dane arguing about elitism, populism, the properties of "high" vs. "low" art, MF DOOM, Kendrick Lamar, and more.

As for the opening: Kevin introduces a new segment, Dane has an infuriating experience at Urban Outfitters, and the two revisit a discussion on race relations as applied to food.

Intro and break music courtesy of Chris Giuliano.

Works Cited:

John A. Fisher: High Art Versus Low Art

What does it take to be your favorite rapper's favorite rapper? On episode 7, Kevin and Dane theorize about how rappers are perceived amongst their peers, and argue-really argue-about the tension between artistic purity and commercial viability. Do rappers compromise their integrity if they consciously craft a radio-friendly song, or is that all part of the game? Is the main draw of signing to a major label the money, or the exposure-or is it a combination of both?

But before that: Dane rants about getting accused of being unsanitary at the gym, Kevin notices an absurd tattoo trend, and together, they speculate about what it means to "do it for the culture".

Intro and break music courtesy of Chris Giuliano.

It's hip to complain about gentrifiers. At the same time, it's hip to be one. But what is gentrification precisely--and more importantly, what are its causes and effects? Does gentrification have a moral valence? In other words: is gentrification a good thing or a bad thing? Can it even be classified along moral lines? And what is the effect of gentrification on urban authenticity? In the main segment of episode 6, Dane and Kevin cite the work of Richard Rothstein, Peter Marcuse, and more to break down (and cringe at) the phenomenon of gentrification.

As for the opening segment: The Great British Breaking Show is a grotesque display of over-consumption, and Dane rants about the news-making accusation that air conditioning is sexist.

Intro and break music courtesy of Chris Giuliano.

Works Cited:

Peter Marcuse: Gentrification, Abandonment, and Displacement: Connections, Causes, and Policy Responses in New York City

Richard Rothstein: The Color of Law

Tom Slater: Missing Marcuse: On Gentrification and Displacement

Everyone seems to agree that there's mad bullshit out there: social media is bullshit. Politics is bullshit. Punditry, in its many forms, is bullshit. But what exactly is bullshit, and why is there so much of it? Philosopher Harry Frankfurt thought he had a good idea, and here, Kevin and Dane break down his 1986 essay, "On Bullshit." What's the difference between lying and bullshitting? Is bullshit in some sense a necessary part of our social and professional lives? And who's worse: the bullshitter or the liar? Episode 5 of the Now That You Mention It podcast features a whole lot of bullshit.

Before that, though: Kevin's got an issue with oversized jackets, and Dane might be a prisoner of the moment for liking Freddie Gibbs and Madlib's new album Bandana more than their classic from 2014, Piñata.

Intro and break music courtesy of Chris Giuliano.

Works Cited:

Harry Frankfurt: On Bullshit

In the post #MeToo, post sort-of-revelatory-R-Kelly-documentary era, we're constantly confronted with the question: "Can you separate the art and the artist?" In episode 4, Dane and Kevin address the question head on, and attempt to answer a few more: is it morally permissible to consume art created by morally repugnant individuals? Does listening to an artist like Chris Brown signal our indifference to victims of assault? Should we "cancel" the work of Roman Polanski and Bill Cosby, or should we let the art stand for itself?

Also: Kevin is a self-identified foodie, but does that mean he knows anything about food? Plus: Zac Efron is trash at acting, Drake is a clown, and Now That You Mention It officially has podcast beef with Trevor Noah.

Intro and break music courtesy of Chris Giuliano.

Works Cited:

Aristotle: Rhetoric

Jacob Kuppermann: On the Impossibility of Separating Art from Artist

W.K. Wimsatt and Monroe Beardsley: The Intentional Fallacy

Is it morally permissible to be a billionaire? Should the ultra-rich be expected to give their fortunes away? And in what sense are the Mark Zuckerbergs of the world truly deserving of their enormous wealth?

In the third episode of the Now That You Mention It podcast, Dane and Kevin rant about Jeff Bezos, translate David Hume into modern parlance, and use the work of utilitarian philosopher Peter Singer as a backdrop for discussing the ethics of being a billionaire. Before that, though: Kevin shouts out SZA while drinking a pineapple-moss smoothie, and Dane wonders what's up with hip hop's weird obsession with The 48 Laws of Power.

Intro and break music courtesy of Chris Giuliano.

Works Cited:

A.Q. Smith: It's Basically Just Immoral To Be Rich

David Hume: A Treatise of Human Nature

Peter Singer: The Drowning Child and the Expanding Circle

What is hype, and where does it come from? More broadly, what is fashion, and what do fashion choices say about the people who make them? Does fashion really communicate anything anything at all? And what the fuck is up with cats paying a stack for a Supreme hoodie?

In this episode, Dane and Kevin dive into the philosophy of fashion, break down the concept of "cool", and wonder what it says about them that they both (occassionally) display hypebeast tendencies. In the main segment of the show, they're joined by Will Jones of Supreme, who gives an insider's perspective on the brand and the hype surrounding it. Also: what's the whiter food, mayonaisse or tuna casserole? Are corn dogs considered a white food, or do they transcend racial boundaries?

Intro and break music courtesy of Chris Giuliano.

Works Cited:

Dinerstein, Joel. The Origins of Cool in Postwar America, 2017.

Gladwell, Malcolm. The Coolhunt, 1997.

Svendsen, Lars. Fashion: A Philosophy, 2004.

What are the criteria by which albums are deemed "classic"? Are there important differences between a classic album and a classic mixtape? Can a classic sound dated, or have bad songs?

In the first episode of the Now That You Mention It podcast, Dane and Kevin attempt to answer all of the above questions, and more. Artists discussed in this episode include Isaiah Rashad, Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Nipsey Hussle, Dom Kennedy, Wu-Tang, the Diplomats, and DMX. Also: Kevin shouts out Tinashe, and Dane notes the cringe-inducing qualities of Jonah Hill's recent hip-hop centric press run.

Works Cited:

Kendrick Lamar, Drake and the Definition of a 'Classic' Rap Album