Shows
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy PodcastPEL Presents PvI#112: Musical Zoom w/ Jerome KurtenbachJerome is an LA composer/director/screenwriter who is involved in a lot of musical improv, so Mary and Mark interview him about that and about the function of art, plus songs for pets, a support group for people who sing all the time, and more. Hear more PvI. Jerome sticks around for the post-game, shared with you non-supporters just this once. Support the podcast to get this for most episodes, plus an ad free experience. Sponsor: Visit squarespace.com/LINSENMAYER (code LINSENMAYER) for a free trial and 10% off your first website or domain.
2026-02-221h 03
Philosophy vs. ImprovMusical Zoom w/ Jerome Kurtenbach
Jerome is an LA composer/director/screenwriter who is involved in a lot of musical improv, so Mary and Mark interview him about that and about the function of art, plus songs for pets, a support group for people who sing all the time, and more.
Jerome sticks around for the post-game, which is normally restricted to supporters, but which you get to hear as a sample this time. We demonstrate why collaborative singing over the Internet does not work. How fast should one sing “Happy Birthday”? Listen to the dirge version of “12 Days of Xmas.” We talk abo...
2026-02-181h 03Philosophy vs. ImprovGod Smites Elijah Dann
Elijah is a philosophy prof (and PhD theologian) in Vancouver who was a die-hard, evangelical Christian but gradually became liberal and then atheist. In light of his latest book that collects all your favorite arguments for and against the existence of God, called UnBelieving God: A Skeptic’s Guide, Mark and Mary chat with him about his journey and about the degree to which we should care about others’ beliefs in this area so as to engage them in debate. In the course of this, as you’d expect, God makes a personal appearance (with Mary), and there’s an abort...
2026-02-0853 min
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy PodcastPEL Presents PvI#111: God Smites Elijah DannVancouver philosophy prof Elijah was an evangelical Christian who turned liberal and then atheistic, and his latest book, "Unbelieving God: A Skeptics Guide," considers and debunks the various arguments for the existence of God. Mark and Mary chat with him about his journey and about the degree to which we should care about others' beliefs in this area so as to engage them in debate. In the course of this, as you'd expect, God makes a personal appearance (with Mary), and there's an aborted sketch about a brainwashing service. Hear more at philosophyimprov.com. Support t...
2026-02-0853 minPhilosophy vs. ImprovMemories of 2026 w/ Mark and Mary
To kick off the Year of Our Lord 2026, Mark and Mary talk about memory: memory care for the elderly, the relation between things and memories, what professional activities are worth preserving (improv performances?), being the tchotchke, womb nostalgia, puppets and percussion, plus a visit from the future.
You can choose to watch the main part of this discussion on unedited video.
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You can choose to watch this as unedited video:
Hear more PvI...
2026-01-2351 min
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy PodcastPEL Presents PvI#110: Memories of 2026 w/ Mark and MaryTo kick off 2026, Mark and Mary talk about memory: memory care for the elderly, the relation between things and memories, what professional activities are worth preserving (improv performances?), being the tchotchke, womb nostalgia, puppets and percussion, plus a visit from the future. Hear more at philosophyimprov.com. Support the podcast and listen ad-free at philosophyimprov.com/support. Sponsor: Visit squarespace.com/LINSENMAYER (code LINSENMAYER) for a free trial and 10% off your first website or domain.
2026-01-2347 min
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy PodcastPEL Presents PvI#109: Choose Your Own Failure w/ Rich BakerRich runs the Dare to Fail improv school and is author of Improv Made Easier. He joins Mark and Mary to discuss contexts of failure, failing to meet your goals vs. "objective failure," how to react in an improv scene to some topic that's too offensive for you, graveyard humor vs. reverence. Featuring Steaks You Deserve, Robo-Carson, cancer torture, interactive cemetery, Sounds of Failure, and open-sourced MST3K. Hear more at philosophyimprov.com. Support the podcast and listen ad-free at philosophyimprov.com/support. Sponsor: Visit squarespace.com/LINSENMAYER (code LINSENMAYER) for a free trial and 10% o...
2026-01-1048 minPhilosophy vs. ImprovChoose Your Own Failure w/ Rich Baker
Rich runs the Dare to Fail improv school and is author of Improv Made Easier. He joins Mark and Mary to discuss contexts of failure, failing to meet your goals vs. “objective failure,” how to react in an improv scene to some topic that’s too offensive for you, graveyard humor vs. reverence. Featuring Steaks You Deserve, Robo-Carson, cancer torture, interactive cemetery, Sounds of Failure, and open-sourced MST3K. Did you know Mary talks to plants? “That was so nice, sweetie!”
Sponsor: Visit squarespace.com/LINSENMAYER (code LINSENMAYER) for a free trial and 10% off your first website or domain...
2026-01-1051 minPhilosophy vs. ImprovGuess Who's Coming to Christmas Dinner… Lawrence Ware!
Philosopher/writer/critic/podcaster Lawrence Ware returns to the show to meet Mary and talk about how Mark is his own personal Leroy Jesus. We act out and/or discuss orphan greeting cards, face-to-face instruction vs. writing books, imaginary friends, laugh trumpets, black ice, and is aesthetic judgment (especially of yourself) a mistake?
Sponsors: Get the holiday deal (up to 50% off!) at MasterClass.com/IMPROV. Rula patients typically pay $15 per session when using insurance. Connect with quality therapists and mental health experts who specialize in you at rula.com/improv.
Hear Lawrence on The Partially...
2025-12-2553 min
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy PodcastPEL Presents PMP#212: Holiday Romance FilmsThe Hallmark Channel became famous for producing low-budget, formulaic Christmas films, and this has spread to other outlets, sometimes with higher budgets and ambitions. Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and Al each watched a smattering of these and share their reflections on the genre and their specific experiences. Get more at prettymuchpop.com. Get an ad-free experience, plus bonus talking for nearly every episode at patreon.com/prettymuchpop for only the tiniest per-month financial pledge, or you can sign up directly with Apple Podcasts for a subscription for ad-free and bonus material for three of Mark's podcasts together on t...
2025-12-2557 min
Pretty Much Pop: A Culture PodcastPMP#212: Holiday Romance FilmsThe Hallmark Channel became famous for producing low-budget, formulaic Christmas films, and this has spread to other outlets, sometimes with higher budgets and ambitions. Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and Al each watched a smattering of these and share their reflections on the genre and their specific experiences.
Get an ad-free experience, plus bonus talking for nearly every episode at patreon.com/prettymuchpop for only the tiniest per-month financial pledge, or you can sign up directly with Apple Podcasts for a subscription for ad-free and bonus material for three of Mark's podcasts together on the Mark Lintertainment Podcasts Channel.
2025-12-2457 minPhilosophy vs. ImprovMary and Mark Argue About Arguing
Is argumentation essential to philosophy? Should you always be open to arguments challenging your beliefs? An actual argument would not be just two abstract positions being measured against each other, but two people with some stakes in the issue, and of course the most interesting philosophical issues have to do with how we live our lives, and so what could be more personal and potentially insulting than challenges to your life choices?
We act out a few symbiotic scenarios and reflect back on our last couple of episodes interacting with people not named Mary or Mark. Plus...
2025-12-1252 minPretty Much Pop: A Culture PodcastPMP#211: Slow Horses and PredecessorsWe discuss the British spy show based on the novels of Mick Herron, which are in turn firmly in a tradition of anti-007 books by John le Carré. Featuring Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn and Al. The point is not to glamorize the spy service, but to use realism and black humor to stress the human cost and general boredom of this work along with the dysfunctional nature of the institutions involved.
Get an ad-free experience, plus bonus talking for nearly every episode at patreon.com/prettymuchpop for only the tiniest per-month financial pledge, or you can sign up di...
2025-12-1051 min
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy PodcastPEL Presents PMP#211: Slow Horses and PredecessorsWe discuss the British spy show based on the novels of Mick Herron, which are in turn firmly in a tradition of anti-007 books by John le Carré. Featuring Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn and Al. The point is not to glamorize the spy service, but to use realism and black humor to stress the human cost and general boredom of this work along with the dysfunctional nature of the institutions involved. Get an ad-free experience, plus bonus talking for nearly every episode at patreon.com/prettymuchpop for only the tiniest per-month financial pledge, or you can sign up di...
2025-12-1049 min
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy PodcastPEL Presents PMP#210: One Paul Thomas Anderson Film After AnotherIn light of One Battle After Another, Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and Al walk through the range of his films from his 1996 crime film Hard Eight through his much lauded Magnolia, Boogie Nights, Punch-Drunk Love, and There Will Be Blood and his more controversial recent ones like Licorice Pizza, The Master, The Phantom Thread, and Inherent Vice. Get more at prettymuchpop.com. Get an ad-free experience, plus bonus talking for nearly every episode at patreon.com/prettymuchpop for only the tiniest per-month financial pledge, or you can sign up directly with Apple Podcasts for a subscription for ad-free a...
2025-11-2654 minPretty Much Pop: A Culture PodcastPMP#210: One Paul Thomas Anderson Film After AnotherIn light of One Battle After Another, Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and Al walk through the range of his films from his 1996 crime film Hard Eight through his much lauded Magnolia, Boogie Nights, Punch-Drunk Love, and There Will Be Blood and his more controversial recent ones like Licorice Pizza, The Master, The Phantom Thread, and Inherent Vice.
Get an ad-free experience, plus bonus talking for nearly every episode at patreon.com/prettymuchpop for only the tiniest per-month financial pledge, or you can sign up directly with Apple Podcasts for a subscription for ad-free and bonus material for three o...
2025-11-2556 minPretty Much Pop: A Culture PodcastPMP#209: Alien FranchisedIn light of Noah Hawley TV show Alien Earth, Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn and Al revisit the franchise through its seven canon films beginning with Ridley Scott's 1979 classic.
While there's plenty of sheer repetition (alien loose, killing people one by one) throughout these properties, the various filmmakers attempt to avoid sure repetition by shifting genres. On the new show, we get a pronounced shift to focusing on the synthetic humans; is that a good thing?
Get an ad-free experience, plus bonus talking for nearly every episode at patreon.com/prettymuchpop for only the tiniest per-month financial p...
2025-11-1357 min
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy PodcastPEL Presents PMP#209: Alien FranchisedIn light of Noah Hawley TV show Alien Earth, Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn and Al revisit the franchise through its seven canon films beginning with Ridley Scott's 1979 classic. While there's plenty of sheer repetition (alien loose, killing people one by one) throughout these properties, the various filmmakers attempt to avoid sure repetition by shifting genres. On the new show, we get a pronounced shift to focusing on the synthetic humans; is that a good thing? Get an ad-free experience, plus bonus talking for nearly every episode at patreon.com/prettymuchpop for only the tiniest per-month financial p...
2025-11-1153 minPretty Much Pop: A Culture PodcastPMP#208: An Ed Gein HalloweenIt's a special two-hander where Mark and Lawrence reflect on the appeal of horror and how the new Monster: Ed Gein Netflix show has to contribute, given that it is not merely a (very loose) presentation of real events, and itself a horror drama, but also a commentary on the Hollywood properties influenced by the Ed Gein murders, including Psycho, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Silence of the Lambs. We bring this up to date by including discussion of the Terrifier films as well as the work of Rob Zombie.
Get an ad-free experience, plus bonus talking f...
2025-10-2855 min
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy PodcastPEL Presents PMP#208: An Ed Gein HalloweenIt's a special two-hander where Mark and Lawrence reflect on the appeal of horror and how the new Monster: Ed Gein Netflix show has to contribute, given that it is not merely a (very loose) presentation of real events, and itself a horror drama, but also a commentary on the Hollywood properties influenced by the Ed Gein murders, including Psycho, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Silence of the Lambs. We bring this up to date by including discussion of the Terrifier films as well as the work of Rob Zombie. Get an ad-free experience, plus bonus talking f...
2025-10-2655 min
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy PodcastPEL Presents PvI#103: Post-COVID Mary and MarkHow does your body talk to you? Your favorite hosts-of-a-philosophy-and-improv-comedy show Mark Linsenmayer and Merry Mary Hynes re-connect after both being sick to get a bit Halloweeny so as to talk about various food-related monsters, experiencing art by disgraced creators, inner homunculi a la "Inside Out," movie talk, Nietzsche's nose fetish, and more. Hear more at philosophyimprov.com. Support the podcast and listen ad-free at philosophyimprov.com/support. Sponsor: Get 15% off at MasterClass.com/IMPROV.
2025-10-1738 minPhilosophy vs. ImprovPost-COVID Mary and Mark
How does your body talk to you? Your favorite hosts-of-a-philosophy-and-improv-comedy show Mark Linsenmayer and Merry Mary Hynes re-connect after both being sick to get a bit Halloweeny so as to talk about various food-related monsters, experiencing art by disgraced creators, inner homunculi a la “Inside Out,” movie talk, Nietzsche’s nose fetish, and more.
Sponsor: Get 15% off at MasterClass.com/IMPROV.
Image Note: Once again MidJourney fails to imitate a child’s drawing style, instead giving us a pretty awful take on art made FOR children. My prompt was for a Vitruvian-man-looking body with various dialogue...
2025-10-1638 minPretty Much Pop: A Culture PodcastPMP#207: Spinal Tap and Other Fake BandsMark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and Al watched Spinal Tap and its new sequel, and we throw these into a mix with K-Pop Demon Hunters and other films and shows involving made-for-TV (and film) bands, including We Are Lady Parts, That Thing You Do, Fear of a Black Hat, CB4, Atlanta, The Blues Brothers, The Commitments, Almost Famous, The Rutles, and The Monkees.
Get an ad-free experience, plus bonus talking for this and nearly every episode at patreon.com/prettymuchpop for only the tiniest per-month financial pledge, or you can sign up directly with Apple Podcasts for a subscription...
2025-10-1451 min
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy PodcastPEL Presents PMP#207: Spinal Tap and Other Fake BandsMark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and Al watched Spinal Tap and its new sequel, and we throw these into a mix with K-Pop Demon Hunters and other films and shows involving made-for-TV (and film) bands, including We Are Lady Parts, That Thing You Do, Fear of a Black Hat, CB4, Atlanta, The Blues Brothers, The Commitments, Almost Famous, The Rutles, and The Monkees. Get an ad-free experience, plus bonus talking for this and nearly every episode at patreon.com/prettymuchpop for only the tiniest per-month financial pledge, or you can sign up directly with Apple Podcasts for a subscription...
2025-10-1251 minPretty Much Pop: A Culture PodcastPMP#206: Abbott Elementary Did Not Win an Emmy This Year, But…For our Emmys/back-to-school episode, we cover the pinnacle of the current network sitcom landscape: The six-time 2025 Emmy nominated Abbott Elementary, which is beginning its fifth season.
Mark, Lawrence, Al and West-Philly-resident Sarahlyn discuss the show's Philly-ness and how it integrates cringe humor with realistic depiction of how messed up it is for schools to be so underfunded. Is this a "black show"?
Get an ad-free experience, plus bonus talking for this and nearly every episode at patreon.com/prettymuchpop for only the tiniest per-month financial pledge, or you can sign up directly with Apple...
2025-09-3053 min
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy PodcastPEL Presents PMP#206: Abbott Elementary w/o EmmysFor our Emmys/back-to-school episode, we cover the pinnacle of the current network sitcom landscape: The six-time 2025 Emmy nominated 4-year-old sitcom Abbott Elementary. Yes, it lost this year but has won in the past. Mark, Lawrence, Al and West-Philly-resident Sarahlyn discuss the show's Philly-ness and how it integrates cringe humor with realistic depiction of how messed up it is for schools to be so underfunded. Is this a "black show"? Get an ad-free experience, plus bonus talking for this and nearly every episode at patreon.com/prettymuchpop for only the tiniest per-month financial pledge, or...
2025-09-2853 min
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy PodcastPEL Presents PvI#101: Co-Hostery: Season Five Premiere with Mark and MaryIt is a new era! Merry Mary Hynes is now Mark's co-host, and we do some improv related to that and feel our the degree to which Mary has not studied philosophy. Could it be that we ALL do philosophy whether we know it or not? Also: The Feminist Café, Luce Irigaray, Mark's voice training, an aging child pop star, non-binary preliminaries, gratis post-game chatter, and more. Hear more at philosophyimprov.com. Support the podcast and listen ad-free at philosophyimprov.com/support. Sponsor: Get 15% off at MasterClass.com/IMPROV.
2025-09-1854 minPhilosophy vs. ImprovCo-Hostery: Season Five Premiere with Mark and Mary
It is a new era, a new dawn, a new beginning, with a new font of improv wisdom in the form of Merry Mary Hynes, whom you’ve met, and in turn a fresh challenge for Mark to engage in philosophy tutoring with a brilliant but free-from-academic-philosophy-training partner.
Sponsor: Get 15% off at MasterClass.com/IMPROV.
We start off with some improv to explore the idea of being a co-host, then Mark attempts to relate a bit of Luce Irigaray (hear the full Partially Examined Life episode on her) and briefly attempts to argue that all ou...
2025-09-1857 minPretty Much Pop: A Culture PodcastPMP#205: Fantastical FoursomeWhat do we expect out of a superhero film? Does it need overqualified dramatic actors? Does it even need a real budget?
Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and Al discuss the various films modeled after Marvel's Fantastic Four comics initiated by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1961. First Steps is clearly the best of them and surpassed our low expectations, with its delivery of a believable family dynamic and a fun retro-futurist production design.
Get an ad-free experience, plus bonus talking for this and nearly every episode at patreon.com/prettymuchpop for only the tiniest per-month financial p...
2025-09-1657 min
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy PodcastPEL Presents PMP#205: Fantastical FoursomeWhat do we expect out of a superhero film? Does it need overqualified dramatic actors? Does it even need a real budget? Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and Al discuss the various films modeled after Marvel's Fantastic Four comics initiated by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1961. First Steps is clearly the best of them and surpassed our low expectations, with its delivery of a believable family dynamic and a fun retro-futurist production design. Get an ad-free experience, plus bonus talking for this and nearly every episode at patreon.com/prettymuchpop for only the tiniest per-month financial p...
2025-09-1456 min
Nakedly Examined Music PodcastREISSUE-NEM#172: Mark Stewart (The Pop Group): Mad Processing w/ Haikus
This is an in memoriam reissue of a 2022 episode with a newly recorded introduction by Mark (your host, not the guest).
Mark Stewart led the Pop Group through two albums in the late 70s two later reunion album and has released nine solo albums of trippy, experimental dance music. We discuss “Rage of Angels” (feat. Front 242) from VS (2022), “Age of Miracles” by The Pop Group from Citizen Zombie (2015), and “Liberty City” by Mark Stewart & the Maffia from Learning to Cope with Cowardice (1983). End song: “Cast No Shadow (Leather Strip Mix)” by Mark Stewart, Stephen Mallinder, and Eric Random from VS...
2025-09-121h 08Pretty Much Pop: A Culture PodcastPMP#204: Naked Gun Rapid FiringWhat is the state of the stream-of-gags formula that used to stand tall in the films of the Zucker Brothers (mainly Airplane) and Mel Brooks? A new generation attempts to revive that with a new Naked Gun film. How does this new effort relate to the classic films?
Are these kinds of films particularly timeless? Rewatchable? Do young people appreciate this kind of thing? Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and (for the third or so) Al speculate wildly as usual.
Get an ad-free experience, plus bonus talking for this and nearly every episode at patreon.com/prettymuchpop...
2025-09-0349 min
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy PodcastPEL Presents PMP#204: Naked Gun Rapid FiringWhat is the state of the stream-of-gags formula that used to stand tall in the films of the Zucker Brothers (mainly Airplane) and Mel Brooks? A new generation attempts to revive that with a new Naked Gun film. How does this new effort relate to the classic films? Are these kinds of films particularly timeless? Rewatchable? Do young people appreciate this kind of thing? Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and (for the third or so) Al speculate wildly as usual. Get an ad-free experience, plus bonus talking for this and nearly every episode at patreon.com/prettymuchpop...
2025-08-3150 minPretty Much Pop: A Culture PodcastPMP#203: What Superman?In light of the new James Gunn film Superman, Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and Al talk about the character, his stories, and past films and shows.
Did Zack Snyder (Man of Steel) miss the point? Are the Richard Donner films (chiefly 1978's Superman: The Movie) as good as nostalgia would have us recall them? How does one write a convincing plot centered around a flawless, basically all-powerful hero? How should the Lex Luthor character fit in?
Get an ad-free experience, plus bonus talking for this and nearly every episode at patreon.com/prettymuchpop for only the...
2025-08-1949 min
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy PodcastPretty Much Pop #203: What Superman?In light of the new James Gunn film Superman, Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and Al talk about the character, his stories, and past films and shows. Did Zack Snyder (Man of Steel) miss the point? Are the Richard Donner films (chiefly 1978's Superman: The Movie) as good as nostalgia would have us recall them? How does one write a convincing plot centered around a flawless, basically all-powerful hero? How should the Lex Luthor character fit in? Get an ad-free experience, plus bonus talking for this and nearly every episode at patreon.com/prettymuchpop for only the...
2025-08-1749 min
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy PodcastPretty Much Pop #202: 50-Year-Old Jaws Busts Our BlockPurported the first summer blockbuster, Jaws has now hit 50 years, and so we discuss this wonderful early Spielberg film, its ill-conceived sequels, some of the making-of docs, and the legacy of shark/big carnivore films that it spawned. Is the film as flawless as it's made out to be? Are the sequels as awful as typically described? Mark. Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and Al discuss! Get an ad-free experience, plus bonus talking for this and nearly every episode at patreon.com/prettymuchpop for only the tiniest per-month financial pledge, or you can sign up directly with Apple...
2025-08-0853 minPretty Much Pop: A Culture PodcastPMP#202: 50-Year-Old Jaws Busts Our BlockPurported the first summer blockbuster, Jaws has now hit 50 years, and so we discuss this wonderful early Spielberg film, its ill-conceived sequels, some of the making-of docs, and the legacy of shark/big carnivore films that it spawned.
Is the film as flawless as it's made out to be? Are the sequels as awful as typically described? Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and Al discuss!
Get an ad-free experience, plus bonus talking for this and nearly every episode at patreon.com/prettymuchpop for only the tiniest per-month financial pledge, or you can sign up directly with Apple...
2025-08-0553 min
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy PodcastPretty Much Pop #201: John Wick Minus WickIn light of the new film Ballerina, we discuss the John Wick franchise that kicked off in 2014 with four films plus a (bad) Peacock TV show. We also watched the recent documentary Wick Is Pain. Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn and Al are joined by Brian Casey to mostly talk about the main four films in the series: They have a formula, but is that bad? Get an ad-free experience, plus bonus talking for this and nearly every episode at patreon.com/prettymuchpop for only the tiniest per-month financial pledge, or you can sign up directly with...
2025-07-2252 minPretty Much Pop: A Culture PodcastPMP#201: John Wick Minus WickIn light of the new film Ballerina, we discuss the John Wick franchise that kicked off in 2014 with four films plus a (bad) Peacock TV show. We also watched the recent documentary Wick Is Pain.
Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn and Al are joined by Brian Casey to mostly talk about the main four films in the series: They have a formula, but is that bad?
Get an ad-free experience, plus bonus talking for this and nearly every episode at patreon.com/prettymuchpop for only the tiniest per-month financial pledge, or you can sign up directly with...
2025-07-2252 min
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy PodcastPEL Presents PvI#96: We Allege Humor w/ Mark Schiff & Daniel LobellMark Schiff is a legendary stand-up who currently podcasts with friend-of-PEL and philosophy enthusiast, Daniel Lobell as We Think It's Funny. These gents join Mark and Bill to talk about stand-up vs. improv, comedy LPs, waterless urinals, bad press, the path to enlightenment, and how to get rid of syphilis. We run a scene on hiring entertainment for the company party, and engage in some riffs that can only be called improv. Hear more at philosophyimprov.com. Support the podcast and listen ad-free at philosophyimprov.com/support. Sponsor: Go to surfshark.com/improv or...
2025-07-1452 minPhilosophy vs. ImprovWe Allege Humor w/ Mark Schiff and Daniel Lobell
Mark Schiff is a legendary stand-up (watch him on Carson) who currently podcasts with friend-of-PEL and philosophy enthusiast, Daniel Lobell (check out his YouTube channel) as We Think It’s Funny.
These gents join Mark and Bill to talk about stand-up vs. improv (hear our prior treatment of the topic), comedy LPs, waterless urinals, bad press, the path to enlightenment, and how to get rid of syphilis.
We run a scene on hiring entertainment for the company party, and engage in some riffs that can only be called improv.
If you want an ep...
2025-07-1255 min
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy PodcastAnnouncement: Mark's "Core Texts in Philosophy" Fall 2025 ClassRead more about Mark's online class that starts later this month at partiallyexaminedlife.com/class, and sign up at partiallyexaminedlife.com/enroll.
2025-01-0204 minPretty Much Pop: A Culture PodcastPMP#187: Taking Down Santa ClausFor our annual holiday episode, Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn and Al talk about Santa qua mythical and cultural figure, getting into the history of the character, his film appearances, and how the emphasis on kids' belief compares to religious belief. Plus, grading Xmas movies on a curve and Black Santa!
For more, visit prettymuchpop.com. Hear this ad-free with bonus content at patreon.com/prettymuchpop or by subscribing via Apple Podcasts to the Mark Lintertainment Channel.
Learn about Mark's Core Texts in Philosophy class at partiallyexaminedlife.com/class.
2024-12-2354 min
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy PodcastPEL Presents PMP#187: Taking Down Santa ClausFor our annual holiday episode, Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn and Al talk about Santa qua mythical and cultural figure, getting into the history of the character, his film appearances, and how the emphasis on kids' belief compares to religious belief. Plus, grading Xmas movies on a curve and Black Santa! For more, visit prettymuchpop.com. Hear this ad-free with bonus content at patreon.com/prettymuchpop or by subscribing via Apple Podcasts to the Mark Lintertainment Channel. Learn about Mark's Core Texts in Philosophy class at partiallyexaminedlife.com/class.
2024-12-2254 min
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy PodcastPhilosophy vs. Improv #83: Half Philosophizing (Season 4 Premiere)Welcome to the beginning of a new round of shenanigans on Philosophy vs. Improv. Let the senior slump begin! Your hosts Mark Linsenmayer and Bill Arnett here talk a blazin' stream of consciousness and then have a pretty long improv scene. Are we already always philosophizing? Watch the proceedings unedited on YouTube. Hear more at philosophyimprov.com. Support the podcast at philosophyimprov.com/support. Check out other Evergreen Podcast offerings.
2024-10-1851 minPhilosophy vs. ImprovHalf Philosophizing (Season 4 Premiere)
Welcome to the beginning of a new round of shenanigans on Philosophy vs. Improv. Let the senior slump begin!
Your hosts Mark Linsenmayer and Bill Arnett here talk a blazin’ stream of consciousness and then have a pretty long improv scene. Are we already always philosophizing?
Hear more PvI. Support the podcast! Check out other Evergreen Podcast offerings.
Watch the proceedings unedited on YouTube.
2024-10-1751 min
Philosophy vs. ImprovHalf Philosophizing (Season 4 Premiere)Welcome to the beginning of a new round of shenanigans on Philosophy vs. Improv. Let the senior slump begin!Your hosts Mark Linsenmayer and Bill Arnett here talk a blazin' stream of consciousness and then have a pretty long improv scene. Are we already always philosophizing?Watch the proceedings unedited on YouTube. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2024-10-1757 min
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy PodcastAnnouncement: Mark's "Big Books in Continental Philosophy" Fall 2024 ClassDo you want to wrestle yourself with some of the weirdest and most engaging texts in philosophical history? Do you want to do this in a beginner-friendly environment with a familiar voice guiding you and sharp fellow learners? Consider signing up for Mark's Fall class, and experience Hegel, Sartre, Arendt, and more first hand in a supportive, low-risk environment. See partiallyexaminedlife.com/class for details.
2024-07-1405 minPretty Much Pop: A Culture PodcastPMP#157: The Function of a Pop Culture PodcastWhat is media criticism, and is that what we're doing? For our Season 3 finale (i.e. the end of PMP's 4th year of operation), your now officially official hosts Mark Linsenmayer, Lawrence Ware, Sarahlyn Bruck, and Al Baker turn their gazes fully toward their collective navel to think about what purposes are served by discussions about pop culture and how we can do it better.
For more, visit prettymuchpop.com. Hear bonus content at patreon.com/prettymuchpop or by subscribing via Apple Podcasts to the Mark Lintertainment Channel.
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2023-09-0755 min
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy PodcastPEL Closereads: Emerson's Oversoul (New Podcast Premiere)Are we underlyingly all really a single, unified organism? Or do we just have a lot in common? PEL's most verbose hosts Mark Linsenmayer and Wes Alwan begin unraveling this puzzling claim by reading Ralph Waldo Emerson's 1841 essay "The Over-Soul" and explaining it line-by-line. Watch this episode on video at YouTube. We encourage you to read along in the essay with us. This is the first of four parts. To hear the others as they are released this week, plus weekly episodes going forward and three episodes already posted, please support this new effort at patreon.com...
2023-08-1455 min
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy PodcastEp. 322: Schelling on Art vs. Nature (Part Three)Mark and Wes conclude with some close reading of Part 6 of System of Transcendental Idealism (1800), section 3: "Relation of Art to Philosophy." Schelling thinks that art enables us to do intuitively what philosophy tries to do with concepts. We're providing this typically supporter-exclusive content for all of you in anticipation of the new Closereads: Philosophy with Mark and Wes project that we'll be unveiling next week. Sponsors: Get 50% off the #1 Meal Kit for Eating Clean (plus free shipping) at greenchef.com/pel50 (promocode pel50). Give more effectively via GiveWell.org (and let them know we sent y...
2023-08-0757 min
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy PodcastEp. 306: Dworkin and the Dobbs Decision (Part Two)Continuing on Ronald Dworkin's "Unenumerated Rights: Whether and How Roe Should be Overruled" (1992) and the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization (2021) decision featuring guest Robin Linsenmayer. Get more at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Visit partiallyexaminedlife.com/support to get ad-free episodes and tons of bonus discussion including the supporter-exclusive part three to this episode.
2022-12-1949 min
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy PodcastEp. 306: Dworkin and the Dobbs Decision (Part One)Does the U.S. Constitution guarantee the right to an abortion? We discuss Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization (2021) and Ronald Dworkin's "Unenumerated Rights: Whether and How Roe Should be Overruled" (1992). With guest Robin Linsenmayer. Get more at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Visit partiallyexaminedlife.com/support to get ad-free episodes and tons of bonus discussion.
2022-12-1241 minPretty Much Pop: A Culture PodcastPMP#137: Slashing the “Halloween” Film FranchiseWhat's the appeal of this 13-film franchise that started with John Carpenter's 1978 film Halloween and has purportedly wrapped up with David Gordon Green's Halloween Ends?
Mark Linsenmayer, Al Baker, Lawrence Ware, and Nathan Shelton debate the ideology and effectiveness of the various films.
For more, visit prettymuchpop.com. Hear bonus content at patreon.com/prettymuchpop or by subscribing via Apple Podcasts to the Mark Lintertainment Channel.
Sponsor: Check out The Create Unknown podcast.
2022-11-101h 03Nakedly Examined Music PodcastNEM#172: Mark Stewart (The Pop Group): Mad Processing w/ Haikus
Mark led the Pop Group through two albums in the late 70s two later reunion album and has released nine solo albums of trippy, experimental dance music. We discuss “Rage of Angels” (feat. Front 242) from VS (2022), “Age of Miracles” by The Pop Group from Citizen Zombie (2015), and “Liberty City” by Mark Stewart & the Maffia from Learning to Cope with Cowardice (1983). End song: “Cast No Shadow (Leather Strip Mix)” by Mark Stewart, Stephen Mallinder, and Eric Random from VS (2022). Intro: “She Is Beyond Good and Evil” by The Pop Group from Y (1979). More at markstewartmusic.com.
Watch the videos for “Rage of...
2022-05-141h 07Pretty Much Pop: A Culture PodcastPMP#121: Protesting Protest SongsAre protest songs effective, either as protest or songs? Four songwriters including your host Mark Linsenmayer, Lilli Lewis, Rod Picott, and PMP's audio engineer Tyler Hislop discuss how protest works in various musical genres, who it's aimed at, and when it goes wrong. Has the day of the protest song passed, or is it alive and well?
For more, visit prettymuchpop.com. Hear bonus content for this episode at patreon.com/prettymuchpop or by subscribing via Apple Podcasts to the Mark Lintertainment Channel.
Sponsor: Find a top-rated doctor by visiting ZocDoc.com/PMP and downloading...
2022-04-2151 minPretty Much Pop: A Culture PodcastPMP#116: Good Grief! Peanuts PersistsAnimator/musician David Heatley, comedian Daniel Lobell, and academic/3anuts author Daniel Leonard join your host Mark Linsenmayer to discuss Charlie Brown and his author Charles Schulz from Peanuts' 1950 inception through the classic TV specials through to the various post-mortem products still emerging.
For more, visit prettymuchpop.com. Hear bonus content for this episode at patreon.com/prettymuchpop or by subscribing via Apple Podcasts to the Mark Lintertainment Channel.
Sponsor: Lower your monthly credit payments at upstart.com/PRETTY.
2022-02-1046 minPretty Much Pop: A Culture PodcastPMP#114: The “West Side Story” StoryDid it make sense for Steven Spielberg to remake one of our nation's most beloved musicals (with music by Bernstein and Sondheim!), attempting to fix the parts that did not age well politically? Is the new version a modern classic or a doomed Frankenstein?
Your host Mark Linsenmayer is joined by Broadway scholar, theater critic, and actor Ron Fassler; Remakes, Reboots, and Revivals co-host Nicole Pometti; and Broadway actor and long-time PEL friend BIll Youmans.
For more, visit prettymuchpop.com. Hear bonus content for this episode at patreon.com/prettymuchpop or by subscribing via Apple...
2022-01-1256 minPretty Much Pop: A Culture PodcastPMP#113: The Matrix RegurgitatedMark is joined by Brian Hirt, Erica Spyres, and Mark's son Abe Linsenmayer.
With the release of The Matrix Resurrections, we talk through the franchise as a whole. What made the first one remarkable, and does that a bar that any sequel can reach? We talk through the choices that fed into the new film, why people don't seem to care about their matrix families, the endless fight scenes, and more.
For more, visit prettymuchpop.com. Hear bonus content for this episode at patreon.com/prettymuchpop or by subscribing via Apple Podcasts to the Mark L...
2022-01-0550 minPhilosophy vs. ImprovThings Mean Things w/ Tommy Maranges (aka Philosophy Bro)
Can we have an entertaining discussion inspired by Aristotle’s most boring book? Bill leads Mark and our guest Tommy through some let’s-describe-what’s-in-an-imaginary-room exercises.
Dark Tourist, I’m Sorry, the bookCan we have an entertaining discussion inspired by Aristotle’s most boring book, The Categories? Bill leads Mark and our guest Tommy through some let’s-describe-what’s-in-an-imaginary-room exercises. Then Tommy is supposed to give a comedy TED Talk, and chooses Mediterranean food. But what about his estranged father and all those corpses?
For the real skinny on Categories, listen to Partially Examined Life #279. Hear Tommy as Ph...
2021-12-3147 minPretty Much Pop: A Culture PodcastPMP#109: Dueling in FilmIn light of the release of The Last Duel, we talk about the trope of the honor-resolving duel in movies and TV. Mark and guest co-host Dylan Casey from PEL are joined by Clif Mark, host of the Good in Theory podcast.
We touch on The Duelists, A Knight's Tale, The Duelist and The Duel (two 2016 films), Dune, Hamilton, and philosophers like Hegel and Nietzsche.
For more, visit prettymuchpop.com. Hear bonus content for this episode at patreon.com/prettymuchpop or by subscribing via Apple Podcasts to the Mark Lintertainment Channel.
Sponsors: Get 20...
2021-11-1156 minPretty Much Pop: A Culture PodcastPMP#107: Cult Bands and Cultish FansMark Linsenmayer is joined by Tim Quirk of Too Much Joy, Aaron David Gleason, and Chris Sunami to talk about what makes a cult band. We touch on artists like Tom Waits, Velvet Underground, Big Star, XTC, and The Cure.
For more, visit prettymuchpop.com. Hear bonus content for this episode at patreon.com/prettymuchpop or by subscribing via Apple Podcasts to the Mark Lintertainment Channel.
Sponsors: Get a loan to lower your monthly payments at Upstart.com/PRETTY. Use the code "Pretty" at Nebia.com/pretty to get 10% off a superior shower experience (excludes...
2021-10-1454 minPhilosophy vs. ImprovHere Ought to Be Dragons
Mark and Bill do impressions of people you don’t know. The is-ought distinction is bravely explored. Does pretending to be cavemen help? Magic business is afoot. Childhood speaks.
We’ve now passed the point where the post-game discussion is just included with the episode here. If you want to hear our reflections on the episodes going forward and our recommendations for other things you might imbibe, sign up to be a supporter either at patreon.com/philosophyimprov, or if you’re an Apple Podcasts, you can click right on the “subscribe” button on our page there to get a f...
2021-08-2640 min
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy PodcastPEL Presents Philosophy vs. Improv #7: Meritocracy Now!Does it make sense to try to have everyone get what they "deserve"? Your hosts Mark Linsenmayer and Bill Arnett (Chicago Improv Studio) act out the desert machine but yet get no predictable cake. Hear more PvI at philosophyimprov.com. Support the podcast to get bonus stuff and good karma!
2021-08-1539 minPhilosophy vs. ImprovLet's Have Made a Deal!
We try to be boring. Bill tries to make a discovery amidst the canards. Mark tries to be a good meta-dupe. But is our success in these attempts guaranteed by the deal you have already made with us by listening to this? It is not.
With our first celebrity guest, the final judge is unveiled!
In the post-game, we talk Conan O’Brien (sound effects) and talk shows in general, plus Joe Pera Talks With You. Why has Mark not yet read Bill’s book?
Learn improv from Bill through chicagoimprovstudio.com. Get phil...
2021-08-1251 minPhilosophy vs. ImprovDeath at Not a Doctor's Office
Is death something to be feared? What’s next? What are the DETAILS? Do not adjust your listening device or call an ambulance. That sound you hear is not ground hum nor tinnitus but is the sound of improvisation.
Warning: We talk about suicide a bit. If you’re feeling depressed, don’t call the lava demon hotline, as it is a scam.
We make a few references in this one that might be clarified by some clips if you’re confused: It’s sad when Hulk has to leave. Watch Richard Pryor on Norm and Kirk D...
2021-07-2947 min
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy PodcastPhilosophy vs. Improv: An Introductory TrailerWhat is Philosophy vs. Improv? Hear about the new podcast by Mark Linsenmayer (The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast) and Bill Arnett (Chicago Improv Studio, The Complete Improviser author). Go listen to the show at philosophyimprov.com or subscribe via Apple, Audible, Stitcher, Spotify, or however you get your podcasts. Get more episodes than are now publicly available plus supporter-only content at patreon.com/philosophyimprov, or you can sign up for a premium subscription to the Mark Lintertainment channel on Apple Podcasts, which gets you bonus content and ad-free episodes for not only this new p...
2021-07-2201 minPhilosophy vs. ImprovWe Have Always Already Been Improvising
The gauntlet has been thrown. In this first episode, Mark Linsenmayer and Bill Arnett channel their respective muses to try to enlighten each other about something having to do with ethics on the one hand and the continuity of improvisation with regular life on the other. Which lesson shall produce the most profound effect? Does this format make any sense at all?
As a special treat, this episode includes an appendix (the “post-game”) which in the future we may or may not restrict to our financial supporters. This is where we get meta- and discuss the format and...
2021-07-1739 minPhilosophy vs. ImprovPhilosophy vs. Improv: An Introductory Trailer
What is Philosophy vs. Improv?
Hear about the new podcast by Mark Linsenmayer (The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast) and Bill Arnett (Chicago Improv Studio, The Complete Improviser author).
Thanks to our announcer, Erica Spyres.
PvI logo by Solomon Grundy.
Reach out to us with your children’s art, episode ideas, guest suggestions, and other comments.
Get more episodes than are now publicly available plus supporter-only content at patreon.com/philosophyimprov. This new project needs your support to get off the ground!
2021-07-1301 minNakedly Examined Music PodcastNEM-Pretty Much Pop Crossover: Story Songs w/ Rod Picott
Plenty of songs purport to tell stories, and the narrative ballad of course has a long enough history that the two forms certainly aren’t alien. But how do our listening practices conditioned by pop music jibe with recognizing and understanding narrative?
Singer/songwriter and short story author Rod Picott joins Pretty Much Pop: A Culture Podcast hosts Mark Linsenmayer, Erica Spyres, and Brian Hirt to talk about classics by writers like Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash, formative nightmares like “Leader of the Pack” and “Escape (The Pina Colada Song), borderline cases like “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and more. We also consi...
2021-01-0148 min
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy PodcastMark Lint's PEL Network Holiday Party 2020: Merry Chatting and SongsJoin the office party, where Mark holds mini conversations on philosophy, art, and life with all PEL and PMP co-hosts, plus Ken Stringfellow, Jenny Hansen, and the members of Mark Lint's Dry Folk, whose 12 tunes are presented in succession with nary a partridge in sight. Will these 12 spirits turn you (or Mark) from errant ways? BYOB!
2020-12-242h 05Pretty Much Pop: A Culture PodcastMark Lint’s PEL Network Holiday Party 2020: Merry Chatting and SongsJoin the office party, where Mark holds mini conversations on philosophy, art, and life with all PEL and PMP co-hosts, plus Ken Stringfellow, Jenny Hansen, and the members of Mark Lint's Dry Folk, whose 12 tunes are presented in succession with nary a partridge in sight. Will these 12 spirits turn you (or Mark) from errant ways? BYOB!
2020-12-242h 05Nakedly Examined Music PodcastMark Lint’s PEL Network Holiday Party 2020: Merry Chatting and Songs
Join the office Christmas party at the PEL network. The hired band is Mark Lint’s Dry Folk, playing their entire album, and the guests are considerate enough to only talk between the songs. BYOB!
Mark holds mini conversations on philosophy, art, and life with all the PEL and PMP co-hosts, plus special guests Ken Stringfellow (a guy who played with REM and Big Star also sang on my album!), feminist scholar Jenny Hansen, and every member of the band (and old bandmate Steve Petrinko).
The beginning/end music is excerpted from Mark’s 2014 “Twelve Interm...
2020-12-242h 05Nakedly Examined Music PodcastNEM#136: Mark Bingham: To and In New Orleans
Mark got signed as a teen in 1966, left to play theatrical prog jazz in Indiana during college, had a spell in a “no wave” band in New York, and finally settled down in the ’80s as an in demand producer and collaborator in New Orleans, working with groups like R.E.M., Flat Duo Jets, and John Scofield. He’s only finished two solo albums but has a ton of archive recordings being released soon, and now plays guitar in a cajun band.
We discuss “Pissoffgod.com” from Psalms of Vengeance (2009), “Ash Wednesday and Lent” by Ed Sanders (music b...
2020-11-211h 00Nakedly Examined Music PodcastNEM#132: Chris Frantz Looks Back on Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club
On the publication of his memoir, Remain in Love, Chris and your host Mark Linsenmayer discuss “Psycho Killer” and “Warning Signs” by Talking Heads from Talking Heads ’77 and More Songs About Buildings and Food (1978), plus “Bamboo Town” and “Who Feelin’ It?” by Tom Tom Club from Close to the Bone (1983) and The Good the Bad and the Funky (2000). We conclude with the title track to Tom Tom Club’s Downtown Rockers (2012). Plus, Tina Weymouth jumps in at one point! For more see tomtomclub.com.
Watch Talking Heads live in 1980. Here they are performing in 2002 at their Rock & Roll Hall of Fame indu...
2020-09-251h 01Nakedly Examined Music PodcastNEM#130: Mark Farner (ex Grand Funk Railroad) Back from the Dead
Mark led Grand Funk Railroad through 13 hit albums in the 70s and early 80s and has had around eight solo releases. We discuss “Nadean” from For the People (2006), “Not Yet” from Some Kind of Wonderful (1991), and the title track of Born to Die (1976) by Grand Funk Railroad. We then listen to his 2015 single (co-written with Paul Topete) “Take You Out.” Intro: “Closer to Home (I’m Your Captain)” from GFR’s Closer to Home (1970). For more see markfarner.com.
Mark has had a single more recently than “Take You Out,” 2018’s “Can’t Stop.” Watch a full Mark Farner’s American Band show...
2020-09-0258 minNakedly Examined Music PodcastNEM#129: New People – Matt Ackerman and Mark Lint on Collaboration
A special, more topic-oriented yet more self-indulgent exercise, where your host dissects the collaborative chemistry with guitarist Matt Ackerman as the two front men of the band New People (2006-2013).
We discuss “Down So Low” from The Easy Thing (2008), “Manager” from Impossible Things (2011), and “Local” from Might Get It Right (2013). End songs: “At the Time” also from that 2013 album and “We Who Have Escaped” (recorded late 2013, released on Mark’s Songs from the Partially Examined Life). Intro: “Love Is the Problem” also from The Easy Thing. For more, see newpeopleband.com and marklint.bandcamp.com.
Mark made a video for “Lov...
2020-08-221h 22Pretty Much Pop: A Culture PodcastPMP#37: Everything is LEGOWhy has a children's toy become a brand attached to virtually every media type, partnering with the most ubiquitous franchises, and serving as a pastime for many adult hobbyists who will gut you if you call LEGO a "children's toy."
AFOL Brian Hirt talks with co-hosts Erica Spyres and Mark Linsenmayer about creative play vs. following the printed directions, building purists vs. anthropomorphizers, LEGO qua corporate overlord, LEGO media, and more.
For more, visit prettymuchpop.com. Hear bonus content for this episode at patreon.com/prettymuchpop.
This podcast is part of the Partially...
2020-04-0146 min
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy PodcastEp. 238: Lingering QuestionsMark, Wes, Dylan, and Seth summarize thoughts about our recent series on social construction, gender and sex, and Judith Butler's notion of "grievable lives." Should we stop covering so much contemporary work and/or political topics? End song: "The Size of Luv" by Mark Lint from Mark Lint's Dry Folk (2018). Get this and every episode ad-free with a PEL Membership. Please support the podcast!
2020-03-161h 14Pretty Much Pop: A Culture PodcastPMP#1: Pop Culture vs. High CultureWhat is pop culture? Does it make sense to distinguish it from high culture, or can something be both?
Welcome to this new pop culture podcast hosted by Mark Linsenmayer, Erica Spyres, and Brian Hirt. This episode also features Tyler Hislop, our editor. For more, see prettymuchpop.com.
End song: "High Rollin' Cult" written by Mark just for this release, featuring Erica. Theme music by Mark and Erica.
Get involved from the start at patreon.com/prettymuchpop. We'll solicit your input for our episodes, release them early for supporters, and provide bonus content...
2019-07-0943 min
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy PodcastPEL Presents PMP#1: Pop Culture vs. High CultureWhat is pop culture? Does it make sense to distinguish it from high culture, or can something be both? Welcome to this new pop culture podcast hosted by Mark Linsenmayer, Erica Spyres, and Brian Hirt. This episode also features Tyler Hislop, our editor. For more, see prettymuchpop.com. Get involved from the start at patreon.com/prettymuchpop. We'll solicit your input for our episodes, release them early for supporters, and provide bonus content with every episode; there's already some waiting for you now. Presented by openculture.com and the Partially Examined Life podcast...
2019-07-0943 min
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy PodcastGlimpse: Machiavellian Politics (for Partially Examined Life #14)Does politics have to be Machiavellian? Do you have to be ruthless to succeed? Given our treatment of Game of Thrones and Life Is a Dream, and the way in which end-justifying-the-means logic plays endlessly in our real-life political situation, it's time we looked back on our episode 14 on Machiavelli. Mark Linsenmayer reviewed that episode and recorded a little essay about practicing Machiavellian politics to get you back in this spirit.
2019-06-0208 min
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy PodcastPEL Audioplayers: "Life Is a Dream" by Pedro Calderón de la BarcaYour hosts are joined by real actors to do an unrehearsed read of Calderón's 1636 comedy La Vida Es Sueño, using Stanley Appelbaum's 2002 translation. Ep. 217 will cover the philosophical issues the play raises. Recorded in NYC on 4/7: Talene Monahon (Rosaura), David Epstein (Segismundo), Bill Youmans (Clotaldo), Erica Spyres (Estrella), Chris Martin (Basilio), Mark Linsenmayer (Clarín), Seth Paskin (Astolfo), Dylan Casey (soldier 1 and servant 1), and Wes Alwan (soldier 2 and servant 2). Music by Jonathan Segel, as interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music #38. Please help us to do more audioplays by supporting PEL.
2019-05-272h 17
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy PodcastGlimpse: Nietzsche's Last Man (for Partially Examined Life #213)Is technology making us complacent? Are we in danger of becoming Nietzsche's famed "last men" who are no longer capable of creativity and independent thought? Mark Linsenmayer from the Partially Examined Life philosophy podcast lays out Nietzsche's idea and argues that on the contrary, having our basic needs met by technology can free us up to pursue the creative endeavors that Nietzsche saw as the pinnacle of human achievement This is but a Glimpse. To hear the full Partial Examination of this book, visit partiallyexaminedlife.com.
2019-04-2208 min
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy PodcastGlimpse: Sartre on Literature (for Partially Examined Life #212) Should literature be political? Jean-Paul Sartre thought that all literature is political, because of what literature is. That's a very weird-sounding view. Mark Linsenmayer from the Partially Examined Life philosophy podcast tries to make it sound like something you should at least consider. This is but a Glimpse. To hear the full Partial Examination of this book, visit partiallyexaminedlife.com.
2019-04-1108 min
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy PodcastPEL Presents Constellary Tales #6: Philip K. Dick's "Minority Report" w/ Mark LinsenmayerPEL's Mark Linsenmayer joins hosts Ken Gerber and Brian Hirt to weigh in on the philosophical implications of precognitive crime fighting in Philip K. Dick's "The Minority Report." Brian quizzes Mark and Ken on PKD movie trivia. Get more Constellary Tales podcasts, and read original sf in the magazine at constellary.com. Listen to PEL #175 on Blade Runner.
2019-03-1159 min
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy PodcastPodchaser Interview of Mark Linsenmayer: Partially Examined Life and Nakedly Examined MusicMorgan DeLisle, writer for the PodChaser "Behind the Streams Blog," interviewed Mark for a feature of our podcasts. Learn about the origins of PEL and NEM, how we make the shows, and what's coming up. Listen to all of the PEL network podcasts at partiallyexaminedlife.com, or subscribe to them individually on Apple Podcasts or via your preferred player.
2019-02-2339 minNakedly Examined Music PodcastNEM#89: Dusty Wright’s Metaphysical AmericanaAfter starting in the ’80s with the Trolls and the Bastards of Execution, Dusty has released six albums as a solo artist since 1997.
We discuss a new song, “Pardon My Love,” planned for the forthcoming album Can Anyone Hear Me?, then “Man in the Mirror” from Gliding Towards Oblivion (2018) and “High Flyin’ Bird” (written by Billy Edd Wheeler) by GIANTfingers from around 2003. We conclude by listening to “(Art at) the Speed of Life” by the Dusty Diamonds from 1994. Intro/outro: “Karma” from dust! (2000). For more, see dustywright.com.
Here’s the video for his new single, a cover of Donovan...
2019-01-051h 09Nakedly Examined Music PodcastNEM#88: Lincoln Barr’s Off-Center VulnerabilityLincoln established the Seattle-based singer/songwriter vehicle Red Jacket Mine in 2003, made three albums and an EP with them, and in 2017 released his first solo album, the jazzy, live-in-studio Trembling Frames.
We examine “Desperate Tormentors” and hear “How To Escape” and a bit of “Memory Up and Die” from that album, and discuss Red Jacket Mine: “Apricot Moon” from Lovers Lookout (2009) (produced by Ken Stringfellow, featuring Ian Moore) and “Jesus’s House” from Hello, Old Cloud (2008). For more, see lincolnbarrmusic.com and redjacketmine.net.
Here he is playing “How to Escape” solo live. Listen to the full “Memory Up and Di...
2018-12-191h 05Nakedly Examined Music PodcastNEM#63: Revisiting Bradley Skaught, Jeff Heiskell, Steve Petrinko: 2017 Year-End ExtravaganzaTo celebrate the end of year #2 of the podcast, I talked to three previous guests about a song they’ve released since the episode.
Bradley Skaught from the Bye-Bye Blackbirds (see #32) discusses “Duet” (co-written/sung by Lindsay Paige Garfield) from their new album Take Out the Poison. Visit byebyeblackbirds.com to see the video and learn more.
Jeff Heiskell, formerly of JudyBats (see #5), talks about “Still Life with Broken Heart” from Emotional Terrorism. Watch the video. Learn more at heiskellmusic.com.
Steve Petrinko (see #6) visits to talk about “Wind of Change” from A Tribute to the...
2018-01-011h 08
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy PodcastEpisode 136: Adorno on the Culture IndustryOn Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer's "The Culture Industry: Enlightenment as Mass Deception" from Dialectic of Enlightenment (1944), plus Adorno's "Culture Industry Reconsidered" (1963). How does the entertainment industry affect us? Adorno (armed with Marx and Freud) thinks that our "mass culture" is imposed from the top down to lull us into being submissive workers. End song: "All Too Familiar," from around 1992 with all instruments by Mark Linsenmayer, released on The MayTricks.
2016-03-282h 07
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy PodcastHoliday Special 2015: Mark Lint's "Songs from the Partially Examined Life" with Many Guest GreetingsMark is joined by numerous previous guests to catch up and engage the musical part of PEL's past episodes by introducing and playing the entirety of Mark Lint's "Songs from the Partially Examined Life," which you can own, along with the 2016 PEL wall calendar.
2015-12-242h 06
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy PodcastEpisode 129: Is Faith Rational?Nathan Gilmour (Christian Humanist podcast) and Rob Dyer (God Complex Radio) join Mark and Wes for to discuss the reasonableness of religious belief reading Antony Flew's "The Presumption of Atheism," Norwood Russell Hanson's "The Agnostic's Dilemma," Steven Cahn's "The Irrelevance of Proof to Religion," Alvin Plantinga's "Is Belief in God Properly Basic?" Merold Westphal's "Sin and Reason," Basil Mitchell's "Faith and Criticism," Peter van Inwagen's "Clifford's Principle," William Alston's "Experience in Religious Belief," Richard Swinburne's "The Voluntariness of Faith" and "The World and Its Order," and Paul Helm's "Faith and Merit." Read synopses of all these at partiallyexaminedlife.com.
2015-12-142h 13
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy PodcastEp. 118 Aftershow (PREMIUM) on Songwriting feat. ex-Camper Chris MollaA highlight from our musician-packed breakdown of our songwriting episode. Featuring a third (ex-) member of Camper Van Beethoven, plus Chase Fiorenza, Mike Wilson, Maxx Bartko, Danny Lobell, Mark Linsenmayer, and (not heard on this preview) Adrian Cho and Fischerspooner's Warren Fischer. We discuss authenticity, the state of the music biz, humor in music, and more.
2015-07-2418 min
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy PodcastPrecognition of Ep. 110: WhiteheadMark Linsenmayer outlines Alfred North Whitehead's book The Concept of Nature (1920)
2015-02-0113 min
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy PodcastEp. 109 Aftershow (PREMIUM) with Stephen WestThe first chunk of our new after-the-episode discussion, featuring Stephen West from Philosophize This! and Mark Linsenmayer. This is a 20-min preview of a 72-min discussion that can be found in full on our Free Stuff for Citizens page.
2015-01-3120 min
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy PodcastPrecognition of Ep. 109: Karl JaspersMark Linsenmayer introduces Karl Jaspers's existentialist tract, "On My Philosophy." (1941)
2015-01-1810 min
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy PodcastPrecognition of Ep. 90: Sci-Fi and Philosophy with David BrinIntroductory salvo by Mark Linsenmayer before our interview with author David Brin.
2014-03-2507 min
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy PodcastPrecognition of Ep. 87: SartreMark Linsenmayer lays out some themes from Jean-Paul Sartre's "Existentialism is a Humanism" and the "Bad Faith" chapter (Part 1, Ch. 2) of Being & Nothingness.
2013-12-3108 min
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy PodcastPrecognition of Ep. 83: New WorkAn introduction to and summary of Frithjof Bergmann's New Work, New Culture, read by Mark Linsenmayer.
2013-10-1013 min