PODCAST

Sound Philosophy

Chadwick Jenkins

A podcast exploring philosophical and interpretive approaches to the history of popular music.

music music history

All Episodes

00:42:08

077-Agency and Fate in the Narcocorridos of Chalino

Sound Philosophy ·

2023/10/30

This episode continues to explore the narcocorrido, now focusing on Chalino Sanchez and the theme of agency striving against fate.

00:36:48

076-The Rhetoric of Law and the Narcocorrido

Sound Philosophy ·

2023/10/23

This episode looks at the border genre of the narcocorrido (a Mexican folk music genre based on drug trafficking) in relation to the rhetorical nature of borders, the law, and the self.

00:40:16

075-The Fictional Real in Edith Piaf

Sound Philosophy ·

2023/10/16

This episode explores the role of suffering and self-developed narrative in the forming of a self in the music of Edith Piaf.

00:40:37

074- The Elliptical Nature of Subjectivity in Björk

Sound Philosophy ·

2023/10/04

This episode explores the nature of the subject position in popular music (the implicit or explicit "I" in a song). It posits that most songs ask us to identify (or disidentify) with the subject but that some songs, including Björk's "Bachelorette" question the very notion of what it means to be a subject in the world.

00:34:50

073-Tom Waits and Melancholy

Sound Philosophy ·

2023/09/27

This episode examines Tom Waits's debts to Jack Kerouac, Charles Bukowski, and the notion of melancholy. It examines "The Piano Has Been Drinking" and "Invitation to the Blues."

00:45:52

072- Randy Newman's Off-Kilter America

Sound Philosophy ·

2023/09/20

This episode looks at Randy Newman's vision of the American as essentially out of balance. I examine songs including "I Think It's Going to Rain Today," "Sail Away," and "Rednecks."

00:39:03

71-Cole Porter and the List Song

Sound Philosophy ·

2023/09/13

This episode looks at Cole Porter and the comic list song as exemplified by "Let's Do It."

00:53:12

70- Aristotle's Rhetoric and Cole Porter's Wit

Sound Philosophy ·

2023/08/18

This episode uses Aristotle's Rhetoric to examine the use of wit in the music and lyrics of Cole Porter. I begin by considering general characteristics and functions of wit. Then I turn to Aristotle's three elements of rhetoric and his notion that rhetoric is central to human experience. Finally, I analyze the verse of Porter's "Just One of Those Things" in light of my discussion of Aristotle and wit.

00:51:41

069- Lyrics as Material and Museme

Sound Philosophy ·

2023/08/11

This episode continues my discussion of lyrics, now by paying attention to the lyrics in their materiality (rather than semantics), focusing on rhyme, repetition, and the notion of the lyrics as museme (that is, as a musical element--not a linguistic center of gravity).

01:14:52

068- Twelve Open Questions Concerning Lyrics

Sound Philosophy ·

2023/08/11

This episode begins to explore how we might think about lyrics beyond considering them as a "key" to the meaning of a song.

00:51:22

067-Seneca's On the Shortness of Life, part 2

Sound Philosophy ·

2023/03/09

A continuation of my conversation with Eric Taxier on Seneca's On the Shortness of Life.

01:06:21

066- Seneca's On the Shortness of Life, part 1

Sound Philosophy ·

2023/03/09

This is the first of two episodes in which I'm joined by Eric Taxier to discuss the Stoic philosopher Seneca's letter On the Shortness of Life. In this episode, Eric and I discuss some themes of the letter and introduce the larger context of Stoic philosophy and Seneca's place within that tradition.

01:23:48

065-Video Game Music

Sound Philosophy ·

2023/02/27

I'm joined by Ade Fielder to discuss video game music. We look at different approaches to understanding video game music, ranging from "narrative transportation theory" to film theory to theories of interaction. We also consider games in which music plays a more featured role, including Zelda, Guitar Hero, and Grand Theft Auto.

01:35:31

064-BTS, Carl Jung, and the Psyche

Sound Philosophy ·

2023/02/13

I'm joined by Laura Nunez to discuss BTS's Maps of the Soul releases and how the group adapted ideas espoused by Carl Jung to suit their ongoing pursuit of questions of identity, belonging, and self-love. The first segment explores BTS's concerns with self-love; the second examines Jung's ideas as adopted by BTS, particularly in the song "Intro: Persona," and the third segment looks at "Interlude: Shadow" and "Outro: Ego." We explore issues of memory, hope, self-doubt, and the ways we can hold

01:29:17

063-Death Grips and Accelerationism

Sound Philosophy ·

2023/01/21

For this episode, I'm joined by Christopher Vogt to discuss the experimental hip hop group Death Grips and how they might relate to the philosophical/political views described as Accelerationism. The first segment discusses the early career of Death Grips and focuses on the notion of the post-human, using "Full Moon (Death Classic)" as the main example. The second segment dives into accelerationism and dissects the music and video for "Guillotine." The final segment looks at the album No Love Deep

01:19:14

062--The Early Beatles and the Artistry of Fun

Sound Philosophy ·

2023/01/09

This episode looks at the early career of the Beatles and their emphasis on both fun and artistry. I employ a perhaps unorthodox reading of Kant to buttress the idea that fun is a gently subversive intrusion of an unknowable Outside into the acceptable "inside" of society. Then I look at the use of Girl Group music in the early output of the Beatles to suggest that this participates in their sense of the artistry of fun.

01:09:18

061-The Aesthetics and Ethics of Taylor Swift's...

Sound Philosophy ·

2022/12/05

I am joined by my stepdaughter Iris Smith to discuss Taylor Swift's re-recording project, its origins, the problems it seeks to solve, as well as its aesthetic and ethical implications.

00:58:07

060-Spotify, Star Texts, and Taylor Swift

Sound Philosophy ·

2022/11/29

This episode examines Taylor Swift's battle with Spotify and asks why that battle and why then? What did that fight have to do with Swift's career at that moment and what she was attempting with her transition from country to pop music?

00:47:54

59-Anti-Capitalist Hip Hop

Sound Philosophy ·

2022/11/24

Starting by reviewing some basic concerns about capitalism and the need to emphasize desired values rather than focus on direct personal harm, this episode then examines the anti-capitalist work of hip hop artists including the Coup, dead prez, Immortal Technique, Lowkey, and Bambu.

00:58:50

58-Hip Hop and the Romance of Capital

Sound Philosophy ·

2022/11/14

This episode explores certain 90s hip hop groups and artists who embrace and glorify capitalism. The first segment discusses Strain Theory, the idea that the American Dream encourages its realization even through criminal enterprise. The second segment discusses the Mafioso Rap of Kool G Rap, Raekwon, Jay-Z, and Big Pun; while the last segment looks at Puff Daddy and particularly at "It's All About the Benjamins."

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