Pop DNA

Rhonda Watts and Erin O'Loughlin
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Pop DNA Podcast

Pop DNA traces the roots of your favorite pop culture works. We're Erin and Rhonda, and we are big old nerds. We love dissecting our favorite movies, TV shows, and more, and we're really into how literature, history, and culture have impacted the works we consume. We explore connections across mediums, from the classic novels we see reflected in our favorite horror movies, to the politics in superhero franchises, to the influence of Shakespeare in, like, literally everything. There are also bad jokes. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram!

  1. 20 HR AGO

    A Song of Ice and Fire: Maiden, Mother, #GirlBoss

    In part two of our series discussing Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, we look at how women navigate the world of Westeros. Questions we explore include: How do women gain, lose, and use power in this world? How does power relate to femininity? How are the expected gender roles of Westerosi society shaped by the realities of the world? Characters we discuss include Cersei Lannister, Daenerys Targaryen, Catelyn Stark, Sansa Stark, Rhaenyra Targaryen, Alicent Hightower, and Rhaenys Targaryen. We also introduce a new segment for this series: Wig Watch! Join us on Instagram to see the wigs we discuss, and maybe some other things. Further Reading: The Dangers of Growing Up on Westeros House of the Dragon and GirlBoss Feminism We'll be back in two weeks to talk about the relationship between violence and masculinity in A Song of Ice and Fire, and how Daemon Targaryen is Just Ken.

    1h 9m

  2. 11 SEPT

    A Song of Ice and Fire: Welcome to Westeros

    Welcome back! We're riding our dragons to King's Landing for a six-part series on A Song of Ice and Fire and all its connected works, including the TV series Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon. This week, we're just getting our feet wet with a look at our first introductions to George R. R. Martin's work, our thoughts on the main ideas of the series, and an overview of Martin's cited influences, including the English Wars of the Roses and the Accursed Kings series of historical novels. Plus we take quizzes to find out which Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon characters we are, which you can take here and here. With this episode we launch not just a new series and new season, but a brand new format for the show. Episodes will now come out every other week, and we're spending three months in this world, so get comfy!

    1h 11m

  3. 23 JUL

    Dune | Book-to-Screen Club

    We wrap up our summer book-to-screen club series with the science fiction classic that inadvertently sparked a thousand sandworm popcorn bucket memes. Our discussion topics include Dune's influence on and connections to other staples of the science fiction and fantasy genres such as Star Wars, Wheel of Time, and A Song of Ice and Fire; how the recent Villeneuve films interpret certain aspects of the story and characters; and how the book explores girlhood (because it actually kinda does). ALSO: Rhonda goes on a rant about the stupidity of spoiler culture, and Erin makes a convincing case for Castaway as a comfort movie. And we probably spend a little too much time talking about Katy Perry, but seriously, what is she doing??? We will be back in September with a new format for a new season! Follow on Instagram for memes and infrequent announcements pertinent to listeners of this podcast.

    1h 10m

  4. 26 JUN

    The Color Purple | Book-to-Screen Club

    Continuing our discussions of classic American novels, this week we read Alice Walker's The Color Purple! We talk about how the novel explores girlhood and relationships between women, the Black experience in the early 20th century, and finding the joy in life even through darkness. We also look at the 1985 and 2023 films and the stage musical, and how these adaptations interpreted the themes and characters from the book. Segments also include our pop music recommendations and What Are We Watchin' Join us next time for a discussion of Frank Herbert's Dune! Follow on Instagram too if you want.

    58 min

  5. 5 JUN

    Little Women | Book-to-Screen Club

    Welcome to our 2024 Summer Series! This summer we decided to read some classic American novels with recent film adaptations, and we're starting with Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. We talk about our personal experiences with the novel, how we see this work in the context of American literature, and how the 1994 and 2019 film adaptations explore the book's themes. We also answer the age-old question: are you a Meg, Jo, Beth, or Amy? Join us next time for a discussion of Alice Walker's The Color Purple! Follow us on Instagram for very infrequent and halfhearted posts. Theme song: Swings and Roundabouts by Hey Pluto

    1h 1m

  6. 8 MAY

    BONUS! Tayoncé: Cowboys, Poets, and the Golden Age of Women in Pop

    For Rhonda's Birthday Bonus we're talking COWBOY CARTER and THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT. Why are both of these albums' titles styled in all caps? Our conversation explores our initial reactions to and top five tracks from each album, as well as some interesting parallels between these two bodies of work. How does Beyoncé break genre boundaries on COWBOY CARTER? How does Taylor explore her relationship with art and fame on THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT? And how do both albums further the cultural discussion of women driving their own narratives? We also talk about the bigger picture of women in pop music beyond Tay and Bey, and the current pop moment embodied in artists like Chappell Roan, Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, and Miley Cyrus. Oh, and we also definitely talk about Kendrick and Drake. Listen to our Women in Pop playlist here.

    1h 57m

  7. 10 APR

    Barbie: Who Are We Kidding? We're All Depression Barbie

    If you thought we were going to let it slide that Depression Barbie's comfort show is the 1995 BBC Pride and Prejudice, you thought wrong. We're digging in to some possible literary inspirations and parallels for the Barbie movie, looking specifically at Christian/Catholic creation theology and how much Greta Gerwig may have been influenced by the work of Jane Austen. We also talk about who we would choose if we could recast Ken, and follow up with a coda to our discussion of gender dynamics in Barbie Land from last week. Further Reading: Barbie Land as Garden of Eden Rolling Stone Greta Gerwig Interview For updates on Rhonda's book, follow here Pop DNA is taking a brief break, and we will be back in early May with a Bonus Episode! Stay tuned!

    55 min

  8. 2 APR

    Barbie: When You Think of Sparkle, You Think of Female Agency.

    We are back from a long, semi-unplanned hiatus, but don't worry, there's still plenty more Barbie to talk about! This week we look at how both Barbie Land and Stereotypical Barbie's perspective in the film explore gender and femininity. How does Barbie Land fit into the context of women-dominated societies in other fictional works? How does Barbie as a film both defy and uphold patriarchal beauty standards? And how does Barbie as a character help us as women and feminine people explore how we can define femininity and identity for ourselves? Further Reading: Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman The Power by Naomi Alderman Ritual of Proof by Dara Joy Sci-Fi Movies About All-Female Planets Have a Hidden Agenda -- video essay from Slate Barbietopia and Feminist Futures: Next Steps on the Heroine’s Journey -- essay by Ivana Milojević What ‘Barbie’ teaches us about the beauty of growing old -- article by Steve Lopez Justice for Weird Barbie -- article by Natalie Michie Books to Read After Watching Barbie -- post by Rhonda Does anyone want to run our Instagram account? lmk

    1h 12m
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About

Pop DNA traces the roots of your favorite pop culture works. We're Erin and Rhonda, and we are big old nerds. We love dissecting our favorite movies, TV shows, and more, and we're really into how literature, history, and culture have impacted the works we consume. We explore connections across mediums, from the classic novels we see reflected in our favorite horror movies, to the politics in superhero franchises, to the influence of Shakespeare in, like, literally everything. There are also bad jokes. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram!

Information

  • Creator
    Rhonda Watts and Erin O'Loughlin
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2024
  • Episodes
    185
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Rhonda Watts and Erin O'Loughlin
  • Show Website
    Pop DNA

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