web01.fireside.fm Fri, 12 Jun 2026 21:10:20 -0500 Fireside (https://fireside.fm) Weird Studies - Episodes Tagged with “Stranger Things” https://www.weirdstudies.com/tags/stranger%20things Wed, 03 Jul 2019 10:30:00 -0400 Professor Phil Ford and writer J. F. Martel host a series of conversations on art and philosophy, dwelling on ideas that are hard to think and art that opens up rifts in what we are pleased to call "reality." en-us episodic Art and philosophy at the limits of the thinkable Phil Ford and J. F. Martel Professor Phil Ford and writer J. F. Martel host a series of conversations on art and philosophy, dwelling on ideas that are hard to think and art that opens up rifts in what we are pleased to call "reality." yes weird, art, philosophy Phil Ford and J. F. Martel admin@weirdstudies.com Episode 50: Demogorgon: On 'Stranger Things' https://www.weirdstudies.com/50 338e1d85-132f-421c-9e81-afb5c4e590a0 Wed, 03 Jul 2019 10:30:00 -0400 Phil Ford and J. F. Martel 50 Demogorgon: On 'Stranger Things' full Phil Ford and J. F. Martel JF and Phil discuss the eldritch metaphysics of the Netflix series 'Stranger Things.' 1:36:01 yes <p>The Duffer Brothers' hit series <em>Stranger Things</em> is many things: an exemplary piece of entertainment in the summer blockbuster mold, a fresh take on the "kids on bikes" subgenre of science fiction, a loving pastiche of 1980s Hollywood cinema. And as Phil and JF attempt to show in this episode, <em>Stranger Things</em> is also a deep investigation into the metaphysical assumptions of our times, and a bold statement on the ontology of the analog real. This, at least, was the thesis of JF's three-part essay "Reality is Analog: Philosophizing with <em>Stranger Things</em>," which appeared on <a href="https://www.metapsychosis.com/reality-is-analog-philosophizing-with-stranger-things-part-one/" rel="nofollow noopener">Metapsychosis</a> after the first season dropped in 2016. Here, Phil and JF revisit that essay in order to expand on its arguments and discuss how it hoilds up in light of the series continued unfolding. The conversation touches on Apple's famous 1984 ad for the first Macintosh, the 2016 election of Donald Trump, the otherworldliness of airports, the ensorcelments of consumerism, and much more.</p> <p><strong>REFERENCES</strong></p> <p><em><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stranger_Things" rel="nofollow noopener">Stranger Things</a></em><br> "Reality is Analog: Philosophizing with Stranger Things" available at <a href="https://www.metapsychosis.com/reality-is-analog-philosophizing-with-stranger-things-part-one/" rel="nofollow noopener">Metapsychosis</a> or in <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Reality-Analog-Philosophizing-Stranger-Things-ebook/dp/B01LXO775I" rel="nofollow noopener">ebook format</a><br> Samuel Delaney, <em><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dhalgren" rel="nofollow noopener">Dhalgren</a></em><br> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axSnW-ygU5g" rel="nofollow noopener">1984 Apple commercial</a> for Macintosh<br> <em><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Wild_Country" rel="nofollow noopener">Wild Wild Country</a></em>, Netflix documentary series<br> Tom Frank, <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/43555671" rel="nofollow noopener">“Why Johnny Can’t Dissent”</a><br> Phil Ford, <em><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Dig-Sound-Culture-Hardcover-August/dp/B010EW5LNY" rel="nofollow noopener">Dig: Sound and Music in Hip Culture</a></em><br> Arcade Fire, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJ7osdJ4H_8" rel="nofollow noopener">“We Used to Wait”</a><br> William S. Burroughs, <em><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naked_Lunch" rel="nofollow noopener">Naked Lunch</a></em><br> Jack Kerouac, <em><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visions_of_Cody" rel="nofollow noopener">Visions of Cody</a></em><br> William James, <em><a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/11984" rel="nofollow noopener">A Pluralistic Universe</a></em><br> Marc Augé, <em><a href="https://books.google.ca/books/about/Non_places.html?id=5YsOAQAAMAAJ&amp;redir_esc=y" rel="nofollow noopener">Non-Places: An Introduction to Supermodernity</a></em><br> Weird Studies, episode 2: <a href="https://www.weirdstudies.com/2" rel="nofollow noopener">Garmonbozia</a><br> Homer, <em><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odyssey" rel="nofollow noopener">Odyssey</a></em><br> Matt Cardin, <em><a href="http://www.mattcardin.com/fiction/dark-awakenings/" rel="nofollow noopener">Dark Awakenings</a></em><br> The Wachowskis, <em><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Matrix" rel="nofollow noopener">The Matrix</a></em><br> Jonathan Haight and Greg Lukianoff, <em><a href="https://www.thecoddling.com" rel="nofollow noopener">The Coddling of the American Mind</a></em> </p> stranger things, philosophy, metaphysics, analysis, meaning The Duffer Brothers' hit series Stranger Things is many things: an exemplary piece of entertainment in the summer blockbuster mold, a fresh take on the "kids on bikes" subgenre of science fiction, a loving pastiche of 1980s Hollywood cinema. And as Phil and JF attempt to show in this episode, Stranger Things is also a deep investigation into the metaphysical assumptions of our times, and a bold statement on the ontology of the analog real. This, at least, was the thesis of JF's three-part essay "Reality is Analog: Philosophizing with Stranger Things," which appeared on Metapsychosis after the first season dropped in 2016. Here, Phil and JF revisit that essay in order to expand on its arguments and discuss how it hoilds up in light of the series continued unfolding. The conversation touches on Apple's famous 1984 ad for the first Macintosh, the 2016 election of Donald Trump, the otherworldliness of airports, the ensorcelments of consumerism, and much more.

REFERENCES

Stranger Things
"Reality is Analog: Philosophizing with Stranger Things" available at Metapsychosis or in ebook format
Samuel Delaney, Dhalgren
1984 Apple commercial for Macintosh
Wild Wild Country, Netflix documentary series
Tom Frank, “Why Johnny Can’t Dissent”
Phil Ford, Dig: Sound and Music in Hip Culture
Arcade Fire, “We Used to Wait”
William S. Burroughs, Naked Lunch
Jack Kerouac, Visions of Cody
William James, A Pluralistic Universe
Marc Augé, Non-Places: An Introduction to Supermodernity
Weird Studies, episode 2: Garmonbozia
Homer, Odyssey
Matt Cardin, Dark Awakenings
The Wachowskis, The Matrix
Jonathan Haight and Greg Lukianoff, The Coddling of the American Mind

]]> The Duffer Brothers' hit series Stranger Things is many things: an exemplary piece of entertainment in the summer blockbuster mold, a fresh take on the "kids on bikes" subgenre of science fiction, a loving pastiche of 1980s Hollywood cinema. And as Phil and JF attempt to show in this episode, Stranger Things is also a deep investigation into the metaphysical assumptions of our times, and a bold statement on the ontology of the analog real. This, at least, was the thesis of JF's three-part essay "Reality is Analog: Philosophizing with Stranger Things," which appeared on Metapsychosis after the first season dropped in 2016. Here, Phil and JF revisit that essay in order to expand on its arguments and discuss how it hoilds up in light of the series continued unfolding. The conversation touches on Apple's famous 1984 ad for the first Macintosh, the 2016 election of Donald Trump, the otherworldliness of airports, the ensorcelments of consumerism, and much more.

REFERENCES

Stranger Things
"Reality is Analog: Philosophizing with Stranger Things" available at Metapsychosis or in ebook format
Samuel Delaney, Dhalgren
1984 Apple commercial for Macintosh
Wild Wild Country, Netflix documentary series
Tom Frank, “Why Johnny Can’t Dissent”
Phil Ford, Dig: Sound and Music in Hip Culture
Arcade Fire, “We Used to Wait”
William S. Burroughs, Naked Lunch
Jack Kerouac, Visions of Cody
William James, A Pluralistic Universe
Marc Augé, Non-Places: An Introduction to Supermodernity
Weird Studies, episode 2: Garmonbozia
Homer, Odyssey
Matt Cardin, Dark Awakenings
The Wachowskis, The Matrix
Jonathan Haight and Greg Lukianoff, The Coddling of the American Mind

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