Silent Generation

Full episode available on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SilentGeneration 

Although country music is often viewed as a conservative genre today, many of its early stars held progressive political views, raising the question of when and why the genre underwent a political shift. Numerous think pieces have attributed the change to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, blaming them for causing country to become “a music genre solely produced by and for working-class white Americans who held conservative political views.” But there is counter evidence that suggests the genre began to drift in a rightwing direction prior to 2001, such as the mainstream success of God Bless the U.S.A by Lee Greenwood in 1984. To what degree is the assertion that “9/11 ruined country” fair?

On this week’s episode of Silent Generation, Nathan and Sebastien begin to answer the question by examining two older country music subgenres that starkly contrast post-9/11 country: outlaw country and “working class country.” The two then analyze patriotism before and after 9/11, with Nathan detailing how Johnathan Haidt’s research found that patriotism is innately stronger amongst conservatives. They then discuss several post-9/11 country songs that demonstrate the direction country music went in following the attacks: Where Were You by Alan Jackson, Travelin’ Soldier by The Chicks, and Courtesy Of The Red, White And Blue by Toby Keith. The episode concludes with a discussion of when and why country music moved on from its War on Terror themes.

Links:

Nathan’s Post 9-11 Country Spotify Playlist

Post 9-11 Country Spotify Playlist 

Country Music - Encyclopedia Brittanica 

Chicken Fried: A Musical Exploration of Southern Values in Modern Country Music by Abigail Schneider

Stars, Stripes, and Country Music

9/11 RUINED Country Music - Record Breaker

Episode 119: How the Right Shaped Pop Country Music - Citations Needed

Country Music Stars Challenge Al-Qaeda - The Onion

2001 Country Music Awards - Hosted by Vince Gill

The Dixie Chicks Interview by Diane Sawyer for Primetime Live - President Bush Controversy

Toby Keith And American Nationalism

How Did Toby Keith Get To Do A Concert In Saudi Arabia? by Anastasia Tsioulcas

Toby Keith's 'Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue' lives on in MAGA country by Danielle Kurtzleben

From Love-Struck Outlaws to Flag-Waving Patriots: The Transformation of American Country Music Post-9/11 by Grace Robertson

The Resonating Echoes of 9/11 in Country Music by Meg Richards

Country Music Embraced Jingoism After 9/11. It’s Finally Moving On by Joseph Hudak

Think Politics Is Gone From Country Music? Listen Closer by Jewly Hight

Top 10 Songs About 9-11

Help me with this list about songs relating to 9/11 & Iraq/Afghanistan

The Righteous Mind by Johnathan Haidt

The Righteous Mind Lesson 2 (moral matrix diagrams)

Battle for Paradise by Naomi Klein

Artwork:

Toby Keith During a USO Performance on April 24, 2012

Official Navy Page from United States of AmericaMC3 Christopher S. Johnson/U.S. Navy, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Recorded on 6/22/2026

On this week’s episode of Silent Generation, Nathan is joined by Alex, an industrial engineer, to explore the enduring resonance of American manufacturing in the nation’s political and cultural landscape. The two begin with a discussion about whether they buy American-made and how different generation cohorts “vote with their dollar” through ethical consumption. They then survey the history of American manufacturing, beginning with the birth of the American textile industry in the 1700s to NAFTA in the 1990s. Finally, they examine the intertwined histories of American Apparel and Los Angeles Apparel before debating whether Americans truly want manufacturing jobs to come back.

Links:

Car Free Keith

Making It in America: The Almost Impossible Quest to Manufacture in the U.S.A. by Rachel Slade

The End of the World is Just the Beginning by Peter Zeihan

Interchangeable Parts

This Next Billion-Dollar Startup Wants To Save American Manufacturing

Waymo Says Its Robotaxis Get Help From Workers Overseas by Aiden Vaziri

“Made in America” Never Meant More Ethical by Derek Guy

The new American Apparel: claims of 'ethically made' abroad clash with reality by Noor Ibrahim

Trainwreck: The Cult of American Apparel (2025)

It's Not Just Shein: Why Are ALL Your Clothes Worse Now?

American Factory (2019)

The World Bank's 2024 Ranking of Countries by Industrial Output

Americans Think Increased Manufacturing Employment Would Be Good for the Country but Not for Themselves by Colin Gabrow

Artwork:

Aerial view of the Gary Works (1973)

Paul Sequeira, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Recorded on 4/8/2026

Freak Folk was a subgenre of folk music popular from the early to late 2000s that emerged after younger indie musicians took inspiration from 1960s psychedelic folk. Initially defying characterization, people started to label their music “Freak Folk” beginning in 2004 after Devendra Banhart curated a compilation CD titled The Golden Apples of the Sun that unintentionally anthologized the subgenre. Most Freak Folk artists rejected the label, but it described a cohesive sound best characterized by childlike vocals, unusual musical instruments, and lo-fi production quality. 

This week, Nathan is joined by professor and painter Madeline Rupard (from Ep. 84: Rest Stops) to discuss the subgenre in depth. The two begin by tracing Freak Folk’s origins to Vashti Bunyan and Davendra Banhart, detailing how the two collaborated. They then dedicate a large portion of the episode to singer-songwriter and harpist Joanna Newsom, discussing all four of her albums: The Milk-Eyed Mender, Ys, Have One On Me, and Divers. They then briefly cover the work CocoRosie and Animal Collective before concluding the episode with a speculative discussion about why most Freak Folk musicians received Waldorf educations in their youth. 

Links:

Madeline Rupard - Instagram Page

https://www.madelinerupard.com/ 

Joannna Newsom is not on Spotify

The Sprout and the Bean by Joann Newsom

Bridges & Balloons by Joann Newsom

Emily by Joanna Newsom

Have One On Me by Joanna Newsom

Sapokanikan  by Joanna Newsom

Terrible Angels by Cocorosie

Winters Love by Animal Collective

Rejoicing in the Hands by Vashti Bunyan & Davendra Banhart

The Golden Apples of the Sun (2004)

Devendra Banhart is Not a Freak

Freak Folk’s Very Own Pied Piper by Alec Hanley Bemis

BiRd-BrAiNs by Tune-Yards - Pitchfork Review

Joanna Newsom, the Changeling by Jody Rosen

Joanna Newsom interview on Triple J

Meeting CocoRosie - Interview with Bianca and Sierra Casady - Talking Records

New Film Documents 2004 Devendra Banhart/Joanna Newsom Tour by Tom Breihan

The Family Jams (2009)

Highest Rated Freak Folk Albums of All Time - Pitchfork Magazine

The Sound of Freak Folk

Artwork:

Harp Inspires Hyperbole by Helgi Valur

Recorded on 5/16/2026

Full episode available on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SilentGeneration

Frutiger Aero is a consumer aesthetic prevalent from the mid-2000s to early 2010s that can trace its roots back to operating systems like Windows Longhorn, Windows Vista, and Mac OS X. Many of the aesthetic’s motifs can be seen in the Windows Aero design language: humanist sans-serif fonts, glassy window borders, nature-inspired desktop wallpapers, and rich tertiary colors. But Frutiger Aero proliferated beyond the internet, finding its way into consumer electronics and the built environment.

On this week’s episode of Silent Generation, Nathan and Sebastien begin by detailing how the aesthetic was first identified by CARI co-founder Sofi Xian. They then review Frutiger Aero’s motifs, arguing that the stock images created by the South Korean company Asadal Studio exemplify them best. They then highlight two more prime examples (EVE from WALL-E and the Pyongyang Sci-Tech Complex) before addressing the modern reinterpretation of the aesthetic: Neo-Aero. They review the track Windows98 by Frutiger Dillon before concluding with a discussion about how later reinterpretations of aesthetics differ from their original vision. 

Links:

Pinterest board: https://www.pinterest.com/silentgeneration/frutiger-aero/

https://sofixian.com/

The Frutiger Aero Facebook group

Frutiger Aero CARI Page

Frutiger Aero Aesthetics Wiki Page  

DORFic Aesthetics Wiki Page

Neo-Aero Aesthetics Wiki Page

The Frutiger Aero Archive 

Frutiger Aero: the Windows screen saver design trend taking TikTok by storm by Ellie Violet Bramley

Physical Reflections of Digital Aesthetics: the Influence of Frutiger Aero on Interior Design by Emirhan AVCI

Frutiger Aero: a estética digital dos anos 2000 que volta à internet by Leonardo Vega

Apple's new Liquid Glass design puts the spotlight on skeuomorphism for the first time since iOS 6 – and I'm all for it by Jamie Richards

The Typographic Legacy of Microsoft

Sego UI vs Frutiger Next - Font Comparison

What is Bokeh and How It Affects Your Images by Jason Polak

North Korea opens atom-shaped science and technology centre – in pictures

I used North Korea's leaked Linux distribution, and it still has secrets a decade later by Adam Conway

Frutiger Aero Spotify playlist

Lease by Takeshi Abo

Windows98 by Frutiger Dillon

Artwork:

Asadal Stock Image 21

Recorded on 6/1/2026

“Algorave” is a portmanteau of “algorithm” and “rave” that describes an electronic music event where people watch live coding performances. The term was originally coined by Alex McLean, a musician and software developer who created the live coding environment TidalCycles and its offshoot Strudel, the most popular tools used by live coders. Despite spreading internationally in the early 2010s, Algorave and live coding have remained relatively unknown. 

On this week’s episode of Silent Generation, Nathan and Sebastien try to answer the question of why Algorave has not become more popular. The two begin by highlighting the contributions of Brian Eno and Alex McLean before examining the work of the first Algorave musician to experience mainstream success: DJ_Dave. They reflect on her recent performance in Chicago and argue that she has appealed to a wider audience by incorporating pop music fundamentals. They then discuss the music of Switch Angel, a regular DJ_Dave collaborator who recently started a record label for live code music called Polymaters. The episode concludes with an examination of how Algorave is a vestige of the “social computing” ethos of the 1960s. 

Links:

Nathan's Algorave Playlist

Algorave Generation

Run the code: is algorave the future of dance music? - The Guardian 

Run the code: is algorave the future of dance music? by Imani Amrani 

Algoraves: Dancing to Live Coding by Rob Marvin

Musical Genes: Sisters DJ_Dave and Maddy Davis Premiere "Can't Do This Alone" Remix

DJ_Dave @ Elsewhere

If code can make music, what will you make? | Sarah Davis | TEDxCornell

Pop Live Coding Encounters: Reflections on Practice by Sarah Davis (DJ_Dave), Jack Armitage (Lil Data), and Gus Lobban (Kero Kero Bonito)

Pop Live Coding Encounters: Reflections on Practice (Podcast)

Live Coder DJ_Dave Is Logged In to the Algorave Afters by Mekala Rajagopal

Meet DJ_Dave: The Live Coding Producer Lacing Together the Future of Electronic Dance Music 

Algorave: Algorithmic Dance Culture

Algorave: Creating music with code

Why We Bleep 045: Algorave/Alex McLean

Tidal History

'Original' TOPLAP draft manifesto

Live Coding: A User’s Manual by Alan Blackwell, Emma Cocker, Geoff Cox, Alex McLean and Thor Magnusson

Artwork:

DJ_Dave performing at Chop Shop in Chicago, IL on 5/9/2026

Photo by Sam Schlegel

Recorded on 5/20/2026

The Information Age is a historical period, beginning in the mid-20th century, that is characterized by an accelerated shift from analog technologies to digital ones. On this week’s episode of Silent Generation, the boys are joined by Juniper, a friend of the pod who designed an app called Atopia that coordinates hangouts between like-minded individuals. Together, the three begin by detailing the contributions of two figures that sparked the Information Age: Claude Shannon and Margaret Hamilton. They then survey the history of early computing, eschewing the “Silicon Valley mythology” that jumps from mainframes to personal computers by focusing on time-sharing and the Whole Earth Catalog. After that, they examine the physical infrastructure of the internet and the evolving nature of the web. The episode concludes with a discussion about how culture is shaped by information in the modern era, and how “social computing” can still be found on Discord. 

Links:

www.atopia.world

A People’s History of Computing in the United States by Joy Lisi Rankin

From Counterculture to Cyberculture by Fred Turner

A Mathematical Theory of Communication By Claude Shannon

How Claude Shannon Invented the Future by David Tse

The Bit Player (2018)

Shannon’s Diagram of a General Communication System

Evenings at Home: Then and Now - political cartoon (1938) 

Time-sharing - IBM

Whole Earth Catalog, Fall 1968

The Verge - Version History Episode

infinitemac.org

A Prehistory of the Cloud by Tung Hui Hu

Undersea Cables by Trevor Paglen

Photos of the Submarine Internet Cables the NSA Probably Tapped by Laura Mallonee

Revolt of the Elites by Christopher Lasch

Silent Generation Podcast Listener Submission Form

Artwork:

The Univac 1 Computer by George Michael

Recorded on 5/11/2026

Full episode available on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SilentGeneration

The “Clear Craze” was a marketing fad from the late 1980s to early 2000s that led to an influx of transparent and translucent products. Consumers could suddenly purchase clear versions of electronics, beverages, mouthwash, mascara, deodorant, laundry detergent, and even gasoline. Many clear products were purported to have benefits over their opaque counterparts, such as how clear beverages were marketed as being “lite” or low calorie. But were they actually healthier, as many claimed? And what did they symbolize on a deeper level? 

On this week’s episode of Silent Generation, Nathan and Sebastien begin by discussing consumer electronics that debuted during the Clear Craze like the Conair Clear Phone, iMac G3, and Gameboy Color. The two then pivot to clear beverages that launched in the ‘90s, detailing why drinks like Crystal Pepsi and Zima flopped. They round out the episode with a discussion about why the Clear Craze is unlikely to ever truly experience a revival due to tech companies’ aversion to the right to repair. 

Links:

The Clear Craze

The Clear Craze & Prison Electronics

The Clear Craze of Y2K Electronics

Ep. 55: Y2K Futurism

Colorless Craze Makes Many Things Clear by Morning Call (1993)

Clear, And Cashing In by Karen Springen (1993)

“It Was the Coolest Phone I’d Ever Seen” by Heather Schwedel

Why The '90s Clear Phones Became So Popular by William Kennedy

The Mac that saved Apple (and Steve Jobs): Deep Inside the Bondi Blue by Rik Myslewski

iMac | The Computer of the Future

Why Crystal Pepsi Flopped

What Happened to Crystal Pepsi? How the 'Clear Craze' Drink Became No More by Kenn C. Bivins

Crystal Pepsi 1992: Transparency Without Demand

10 Things You Should Know About Zima by Olivia White

The Clear Beverage Craze of the ‘90s by The 80s and 90s Uncensored 

This is Why We’re Falling Back in Love with Clear Tech by Sushant Vohra

Artwork:

スケルトンClear by Kazzycom

Recorded on 4/29/2026

Those Characters From Cleveland, which first launched in 1981, was the character development division at American Greetings. Tasked with licensing existing greeting card characters like Holly Hobbie and Strawberry Shortcake into toys and cartoons, they quickly found success by launching new IPs like the Care Bears. But how did a company based in Cleveland, OH make such a large impact on children’s media during the 1980s? On this week’s episode of Silent Generation, Nathan and Sebastien detail how American Greetings and TCFC took a bottom up approach to IP development. They discuss how TCFC lost an early legal battle over Strawberry Shortcake’s copyright, how TCFC designed the Care Bears to break into the 40% of the plush market held by teddy bears, and how several TCFC franchises loosely connect to the Victorian-inspired consumer aesthetic known as Soft Countriana. 

Links:

Pinterest board: https://www.pinterest.com/silentgeneration/those-characters-from-cleveland/ 

Throughout the Decades - American Greetings History

Barbi Sargent and Strawberry Shortcake

Barbi Sargent’s design vs Muriel Fahrion’s design 

Sargent v. American Greetings Corp., 588 F. Supp. 912 (N.D. Ohio 1984)

History of the Care Bears by Chris Buchner

The Care Bears in the Land Without Feelings (w/ Terri Mitchell)

The Care Bears in the Land Without Feelings (1983)

The Care Bears Movie (1985)

Cleveland’s Greetings by Clair McNear

The Bear Truth by Colleen Smitek

The Rise and Fall of Care Bears: Why It Was Cancelled At Its Peak

The Calculated History of The Care Bears

Potential New Cleveland RTA Rail System Map

Strawberry Shortcake and the Care Bears: Best of Friends Sweepstakes 1980s Ad

Recorded on 4/23/2026

Soft Countriana is a consumer aesthetic that flourished from the 1970s to early 1990s that is composed of pastels, country geese, storybook creatures, and homages to the Victorian era. It describes the aesthetic that was most popular amongst “conservative grandmas in the 1980s,” though it broadly appealed to suburban women of all ages. The aesthetic was popularized by brands such as Laura Ashley, Hallmark, Paula Vaughan, and Gunne Sax.

On this week’s episode of Silent Generation, Nathan is joined by Evan Collins, the founder of the Consumer Aesthetics Research Institute, who first identified Soft Countriana in June 2022. The two begin by theorizing what type of consumer the aesthetic most appealed to and why it first emerged. They then survey the aesthetic’s common motifs before taking a deeper look at the British lifestyle brand Laura Ashley. The episode concludes with a discussion about whether the contemporary aesthetic cottagecore drew inspiration from Soft Countriana.

Links:

Soft Countriana Pinterest board: https://www.pinterest.com/silentgeneration/soft-countriana/

Evan’s Soft Countriana Are.na: https://www.are.na/evan-collins-1522646491/soft-countriana

Evan’s Consumer Aesthetics Research Institute Patreon page

Evan’s Instagram

Evan’s Bluesky

Soft Countriana Aesthetic’s Wiki Page

Gay Nineties Revival CARI Page

The Gay Nineties: An Album of Reminiscent Drawings by R. V. Culter 

Gaggleville Goose Outfits

The Talking Mother Goose ad

Inside Laura Ashley: How Britain's Fashion Empire Was Built and Lost

The Enduring Appeal of Laura Ashley by Amanda Fortini

Small Firm Design by Paula Rice Jackson (SF county store article)

Is Little house on the prairie cottagecore?

Artwork:

The Romance of Paula Vaughan by Anne Childs (1993)

Recorded on 3/8/2026

Full episode available on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SilentGeneration

For roughly seven decades from 1790 to 1855, water transportation was the dominant form of transportation in the United States. This week’s episode of Silent Generation begins with an examination of one of the most important pieces of infrastructure that enabled it to be so prosperous, the Erie Canal. Nathan and Sebastien then detail waterways that enable freight shipping to remain competitive in the present day like the St. Lawrence Seaway and the Mississippi River. They then transition to discussing what they like about passenger ferry services like the Staten Island Ferry, NYC Ferry, and the Chicago Water Taxi. The episode concludes with a debate about why urbanists don’t typically care about water transportation, and whether urban waterways can be used for purposes other than recreation. 

Links:

Sebastien’s Survey of Old Erie Canal

The Erie Canal - American History Hit

Low Bridge, Everybody Down

The Death and Life of the Great Lakes by Dan Egan

The End of the World is Just the Beginning by Peter Zeihan

The Port of Chicago is not just a scar on the city’s shoreline and a threat to the environment. It’s a drag on economic growth by John Lippert

Ferry Travel in the 21st Century by James Gilcher

NYC Ferry Map

Big Changes Coming to NYC Ferry

Chicago Water Taxi

Where did all of the American Canals go? - Alan Fisher

Artwork:

Washington State ferry, 1960's

Recorded on 3/30/2026