Episode 310: Treking into the Final Frontier with Dr. Adam Kotsko

On this episode, I’m talking late Star Trek with Dr. Adam Kotsko. Adam is a scholar and professor of political theology, continental philosophy, and the history of Christian thought. He also writes about popular culture, and his new book, Late Star Trek: The Final Frontier in the Franchise Era is available now from The University of Minnesota Press (BUY FROM THE PRESS). Adam defines “late Star Trek” as any of the media from Enterprise to the current crop of shows (like Star Trek: Discovery, Picard, Strange New Worlds, and Lower Decks).

We talk about how Adam first discovered Star Trek and how he turned his scholarly attention to the franchise.

You can follow Adam and his work on his website (https://adamkotsko.com) where you can sign up for his Substack. He’s also on Bluesky. His book, Late Star Trek: The Final Frontier in the Franchise Era is available now from The University of Minnesota Press. You can order it from the publisher (HERE) or at any fine bookstore.

Follow me on Instagram @mwboyce , Threads @mwboyce and Bluesky @mwboyce. And you can always check out the show on Instagram @geek4pod

Episode 309: Talking Toxic Fans with Dr. Erin Keating

On this episode of Geek4 I’m joined by Dr. Erin Keating (she/her). Erin’s Graduate Chair and Associate Professor in the Department of English, Theatre, Film & Media at the University of Manitoba (my alma mater). She is Associate Editor of the journal Restoration: Studies in Literature and Culture and has published on 17th-century celebrity, secret history, and coffeehouse culture, as well as the comic Watchmen. She is in the initial stages of a new research project on queer kinship in fantasy and its fandoms focusing on Erikson’s Malazan Book of the Fallen and Muir’s Locked Tomb Series.

Recently, she’s started a brilliant Youtube channel where she talks about some of her eceletic interests in an analytical, crtical way. One of her videos (Has Fandom Always Been Toxic? A 17th-Century Fan Novel and Capitalist Thought) prompted me to reach out to her and see if she wanted to discuss toxic fans. We discuss her discovery of a 17th century secret history, The Player’s Tragedy, which she argues is a product of a toxic fan. We talk Chappel Roan and boy bands and Taylor Swift. We cover a lot of ground.

Erin and I have known each other since our undergrad days, and she’s always been one of the smartest people I know. If you enjoy this conversation half as much as I had haivng it, you’re going to love this episode.

In addtion to her Youtube, you can catch Erin’s occasional musings on Bluesky, @drerinnerung

Follow me on Instagram @mwboyce , Threads @mwboyce and Bluesky @mwboyce. And you can always check out the show on Instagram @geek4pod

Episode 308: Rob Stroude gets a Clue (1985)

My guest on this episode of Geek4 is Rob Stroude. Rob is a midwestern living in the UK with his family. I've known Rob online for a while now, but I was lucky enough to hang out with Rob when I was in London for Adam Roche's  Secret History of Hollywood meet up at the BFI. Just talking to Rob and hearing his passion for the things he loves I knew I wanted to have him on the podcast.

 

When I asked him to come on, he told me he wanted to talk about the Jonathan Lynn film Clue (1985). Rob LOVES Clue. He watches it once a year. And if you haven’t seen Clue, it’s a total trip

 

Rob's been a guest on a number of different podcasts (Yesteryear Ballyhoo Revue, All the Best Lines, and House of Hammer) and you can find him on various social media platforms:

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/robstroude/ 

BlueSky:  https://bsky.app/profile/robstroude.bsky.social

Follow me on Instagram @mwboyce , Threads @mwboyce and Bluesky @mwboyce. And you can always check out the show on Instagram @geek4pod