Episode 153: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road | The Wizard of Oz, Mythology & Americana

I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore. Skip with us down the Yellow Brick Road in this long-overdue discussion of the 1939 MGM classic The Wizard of Oz. As the concluding subject of our five-part series on nostalgic films, we’ll explore the template Wizard sets out for the other films in our series—Back to the Future, Hook, Beetlejuice, and E.T. Why is The Wizard of Oz so baked into the collective unconscious? Does it earn a place among Classical mythology and folklore? Can it be read as a feminist text, or does it perpetuate the tragic messaging that girls and women should eschew ambition and adventure? All these questions, plus Dorothy as the existential hero and the influence of Shakespearean drama. Let’s go over the rainbow!

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The Midnight Myth stands with Black Lives Matter and those protesting social injustice across our country. Please join us in supporting those who will not stay silent.

Open your wallet if you are able. Consider supporting the NAACP’s Legal Defense and Education Fund, the Southern Poverty Law Center, Reclaim the Block, your local Black Lives Matter Chapter or Bail Fund. Or directly support the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, or Tony McDade. Seek out and support Black-owned businesses in your area.

Looking to get educated about systemic racism, police violence, and white privilege? Find book, film, and podcast recommendations at bit.ly/ANTIRACISMRESOURCES.

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Midnight Myth Time Machine | Episode 7: There Is No Spoon

Have you ever wondered if this world is real? Have you ever wondered if the life you are living is the good life or just the life you have been told to live? Listen to Derek and Laurel discuss storytelling that questions and deconstructs the narratives of 1990s American peace and prosperity. We talk about three amazing movies, Fight Club, American Beauty and The Matrix. Remember, all things have questions, and all questions help us understand this fundamental truth: there is a difference between knowing the path, and walking the path.

Support us at www.patreon.com/midnightmyth

Check out our new merch store for Midnight Myth, Boomerangerang, and Wheel of Ka tees and totes!

Learn more, view sources and inspiration, and sign up for e-mail updates at www.midnightmyth.com

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If you enjoy the podcast, please consider leaving a rating or review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen!

Episode 94B: Its Dull You Twit- New

The epic conclusion of our two-part podcast series on the legendary outlaw Robin Hood has arrived, and we’re picking up where we left off—with 1991’s Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves. Kevin Costner’s very American take on the beloved hero is only one of the many compelling aspects of the film, which embodies the progressive spirit that’s infused the legend for nearly a millennia. Derek and Laurel discuss the movie’s historical context within the Crusades, its charms and missteps as pertains to its view of non-Western characters, and the dramatic techniques folded into the age-old story. Plenty of swashbuckling and praise for the immortal Alan Rickman’s dastardly Sheriff of Nottingham is to be expected as well.

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Episode 91: Madison Avenue

The door may have closed on Sterling Cooper and the glamorous look into 1960s America that came with AMC’s Mad Men, but the world we inhabit today remains heavily influenced by the images and events of that turbulent time. Advertising and media continue to shape our cultural viewpoints. Presidential politics and every day life still exist in the shadow of civil rights, the assassinations of John F Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr… Join Derek & Laurel this week as we unpack a landmark television series that cast its major characters in the role of witness to the monumental events of American history. We’ll explore various theories of history, from Carlyle to Nietzsche, and determine where our histories and myths of the 60s collide.

Episode 86: You Wonderful Old Building & Loan

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy New Year to all. It’s another Midnight Myth Christmas Special, and this time we’re breaking down one of the most beloved Christmas stories of all time: Frank Capra’s It’s A Wonderful Life. Derek and Laurel revisit flashbacks of the life of George Bailey, the caretaker of Bedford Falls, using his story to understand the greater themes of the season, and of American exceptionalism. From Enlightenment economics to creative nursing and A Christmas Carol, this episode truly celebrates the little things.

Episode 68: That's Incredible!

The arrival of Pixar’s long-awaited sequel to ‘The Incredibles’ has us itching to revisit the beloved family of superheroes. Turning a critical eye to the story of the Parr family and their secret identities, we’ll explore each character’s journey toward becoming fully actualized beings—with or without superpowers. For a kids’ movie, ‘The Incredibles’ digs into surprisingly mature subject matter, like suburban dissatisfaction, political ideologies, and gender roles. We’ll do our best to leave no stone unturned in this analysis. No capes!

Episode 65: What Ever Happened to Gary Cooper?

Eleven years after the iconic, genius, frustrating, scintillating, upsetting finale—the cut-to-black heard round the world, we’re jumping headfirst into the underworld of New Jersey crime, and into the den of the Sopranos. HBO’s critically acclaimed series captured viewers instantly by asking a simple question: what if a mob boss went to therapy? But instead of turning it into a punchline, the show used that springboard to open up questions about humanity, mental illness, family, and the American Dream. Now Derek and Laurel pull apart the characters, the influences, and the ultimate successes and failures of the series that brought epic, romantic stories back down to earth. Brief lessons on Italian Opera, the theatrical form Commedia dell’Arte, and the most famous thought experiment in quantum mechanics.

Episode 62: These Violent Delights

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Have you every questioned the nature your reality, or podcast? Per chance you should…Listen this week as The Midnight Myth applies its thoughtful analysis to the HBO hit series West World. Central to West World is the idea of the "west", a frontier, a lawless land ripe for civilized folk to come and claim— if they are tough enough to keep it. Amid the moral questions of artificial intelligence and a world created where humans can cater to every lustful wish and violent desire, is a narrative of America. This week Derek and Laurel seek to understand the narrative, from Ancient Rome, to Enlightenment Politics, and everything in between and hereafter.