The Artist in American History

In 1966, Brian Wilson led The Beach Boys into the studio to begin work on the follow up to the critically acclaimed album, Pet Sounds. What should have been the band's masterpiece turned into their biggest calamity as the SMiLE album unraveled and collapsed around them. In this podcast, Dr. Darren R. Reid takes a look at the recently released SMiLE Sessions to assess what may have been. Is this album the lost masterpiece of legend? Would it have secured the band's place alongside The Beatles?

The Lone Ranger has been no stranger to controversy since its announcement. In this episode we will examine the finished product in order to see whether or not claims of racism directed at the movie are justified.

In this episode we explore the resurgent Cold War of the 1980s through the music of Pink Floyd and their chief songwriter, Roger Waters. Starting with a critical overview of the 1983 album, The Final Cut, this episode explores how the Cold War transformed the band, moving them away from abstract ideas and vague protests into a more politicised realm with their music. Albums explored in this episode include The Final Cut, The Wall, A Momentary Lapse of Reason, and Roger Waters' Radio K.A.O.S.

Captain America first appeared in 1940 but shortly after his introduction he was joined by sidekick team "The Young Allies" among whom was one of the most openly racist characters in superhero history. In this episode we explore how and why men like Jack Kirby and Stan Lee (creators of the X-Men, Fantastic Four, etc) helped to create such a piece of racist iconography.

The second American Studies lecture again looks at classic American comic books, this time turning its attention on Batman's arch-nemesis, the Joker. Throughout his long career the Joker has been portrayed as everything from a Chicago-inspired gangster, to traumatised victim, and ruthless terrorist - in this lecture we explore how each of those images reflected huge social and cultural changes in America.

Superman first appeared during the Great Depression in 1938 in a comic book which reflected the period's strong stereotypes against women. In this episode the first superhero comic will be given a scholarly reading and compared to its modern equivalent to show how America's self-image has changed over the past 70 years.