Digital Yawp

Previous guest, Brooks Hanrahan, joins Joe to review and analyze Netflix's popular series, Ozark.

Dawson and Joe "Zoom" with with former student, Harrison Larner, to discuss his podcast sliceofsports.com and the unique blending of right/left brain thinking (narrative/statistics) that makes sports so appealing and perhaps even polarizing within our culture. 

With Dawson dutifully honoring local "shelter in place" mandates, Joe sits down in front of the microphone and divulges an essay he began writing a few years ago that was "re-inspired" by the world's current pandemic condition and Easter weekend. Don't miss the announcement at the end of the episode about the new Digital Yawp blog. Music on this episode:  "Oats in the Water" by Ben Howard "Saturn" and "Sun" by Sleeping At Last.

Joe and Dawson discuss the topic of misotheism by focusing on some ancient myths and how confused (or wrong) the gods must have been.

Dawson finally convinces Joe to watch the first two movies in the latest Star Wars trilogy, and guys are joined by Brooks Hanrahan, an ardent fan of the series, to discuss details.

Musician and lyricist Brendan Abernathy stops by "the studio" to talk about inspiration, purpose, and the communal nature of his art. The music that appears throughout this episode can be found wherever you listen to music and at https://www.babernathy.com/ which is also where you can go to find out more about what Brendan is doing, where he is performing, or how you can contact him.

In the wake of "All Hallows Eve" (and a day after Joe finally got around to viewing last summer's horror bonanza entitled Midsommar) the guys sit down to discuss the topic of fear from a couple of different perspectives. Special thanks for music in this episode to Wayne Jones for "Spookster" and to Silent Partner for "Ticker." Also, some intentionally scary (or campy depending on your perspective) background stuff by Eilish, Manson, Zombie, and Jackson thrown in for good measure. 

Writer and educator, Nathan Goodroe, returns to the microphone to discuss the challenges of getting published and developing ideas for stories. More importantly, though, he hopes to encourage listeners to explore those hobbies that spark the creative energy that lies (even if currently dormant) inside all of us.   

In this episode, Joe and Dawson discuss whether or not they tend to spend money on movies that everyone else is spending money to see, and explore what separates an "indie" films from those produced for mass consumption. DY trivia fact: One of us likes Star Wars, Harry Potter and The Avengers a lot more than the other. This episode includes snippets of music from: Clairo, NIN, Des Rocs, and 21 Pilots.  

In their first episode of Season 2 of Digital Yawp, Dawson and Joe highlight a couple of documentaries that they watched over the summer and rediscover the abject horror of reality television/storytelling. Who needs fiction to frighten us? The material world is doing that quite nicely on its own.

In the final episode of Season 1, Joe and Dawson discuss the "rules" of language and communication as they relate to propriety, power structures, influence, and perhaps even prejudice. We also had to use the explicit designation for the first time, so that's...um...different.

As Season 1 of Digital Yawp winds down, the guys explore the possibility that everything is a refraction of something previous, and that technological advances have sped up culture to the point where an artist's work is being significantly influenced by his/her audience (and/or consumers). Is this disappointing? Is it detrimental? Or, is it beneficial to have the crowd join the artist in the creative process? 

The guys consider and discuss the history and the evolution of a famous archetype known as the Trickster--a literary figure whose origins reach as far back as the earliest creation myths and also appears in movies as current as the new Joker film coming this October.

Two-time guest, short fiction author, and treasured friend of the podcast, Nathan Goodroe, joins us to discuss the phenomenon of cooperative storytelling and the appeal of role playing games NOT experienced on a video console.

In their latest episode, the lads return from Christmas break to discuss the traditional exercise many people go through of telling ourselves a story about ourselves that eventually leads to making ourselves (and others) promises we typically don't keep.   Special thanks for the music in this episode goes out to The Mini Vandals for "The Shepherd" and "35,000 Feet" and to Chris Haugan for "Mirage."

In the final episode of the year, Joe and Dawson invite special guest, Greg Lisson, to try to make some sense of the dichotomous cultural stew that is Christmas in America.      Special recognition for the music in this episode goes to Mark Castle for "Sad Xmas" and to Borrtex for "Happy Holidays."

Joe and Dawson explore suspension of disbelief in open world video games and discuss terms like "ludonarrative dissonance" as they break down the ways that we can become attached to fictional characters.

In this episode, Joe and Dawson decide to open the "Notes apps" on their phones and share personal entries related both to ideas for creative writing projects and contemplative practices. Much of it is ridiculous. There are a lot of artists to thank for music in this episode. Special recognition goes to... JBP (via RFM and Soundcloud) for the song "High"Letterbox for the song "Donors"Silent Partner for the song "Red Light Runner"Vibe Mountain for the song "February"Nana Kwabena for the song "Black Magic"Kai Engel for the song "Traffic"

With Halloween on the immediate horizon, Joe and Dawson recall vastly different "trick or treating" experiences and dive into the necessary presence--as well as the origins--of monsters in storytelling.   Special thanks to Young Logos for use of the song "Triumph."   *You might also pick up on our allusion to an artist whose name sounds like some Halloween candy and whose message to the world aligns quite nicely with our opinions about monsters (and the role of artists).

Joe and Dawson are joined by special guest, Karen Guess, who helps them explore a question related to social justice, and whose story compels us all to become more aware of others around us and to become better neighbors. Special thanks to Silent Partner for the use of the song "Cue," and to Tyler Harper for the use of the song "July 16."

Joe and Dawson explore a few of the most ancient "stories" on record notable for their brevity and wisdom. Once referred to as wisdom literature, today we call these oral traditions proverbs, fables, and parables. Regardless of what we call them in modernity, their purpose remains the same: to instill cultural values into young listeners. How many of these have you heard?    Special thanks for the music in this episode goes to: rocavaco--"Love Shadow (Remix Safety Guide)" and Francis Preve "Boards"  

In this episode, Dawson and Joe attempt to make sense of the human subconcious...so just a minor challenge for the guys to tackle. Obviously, they look into how dreams operate in storytelling, but they also discuss in how dreams might affect our waking lives. Oh, Dawson also proposes that he can interpret dreams as well as any paid expert, so there's that bit of business as well.  *Special thanks to Vidian for use of the song "aether theories" ft. Gurdonark, White Throated Sparrow

Have you ever stopped to wonder what effect RomComs have on culture? Dawson and I did, and then we recorded it. Also in this episode...you'll hear about Dawson's 8th grade romantic escapades, a really bad idea in Joe's past called the "6 inch rule," and our ardent rejection of "princess" gender scripts.   

Joe and Dawson discuss dating apps and websites and then act like a couple of neurosurgeons, suggesting that a good movie or a good story is like a drug. If this is true, we are a couple of story addicts. Welcome to S.A. Oh, wait, it's not anoymous when our name is on it.