Contextless

Fernando Martinez

Join writer Fernando Martinez as he and his guests discuss the pop culture that makes the world go around and backwards.

  1. 06/26/2021

    Solar Power Bottom Summer (with Chris Ramirez)

    I don't know about your butt pockets, but mine are pockets full of sunshine! The pod is back from doing her own thing and as am I from a recent trip to the simultaneously "superficial" yet "real" city of Los Angeles. I got more tan than she did though. On said trip, I had the pleasure of hanging out with this episode's guest, Chris Ramirez! He's a writer, editor, pop music listen(H)er, and the editor in chief of San Francisco State University's online newspaper Golden Gate Xpress.  In this episode, we discuss being cisgender males who identify with women, Chris' neighbors' new fake wood garage door, what makes a slur a slur, Britney Spears' recent court testimony, Pop music with a capital P ("depressing" music vs. "happy" music, Charli XCX, Lady Gaga's "Chromatica," Slayyyter's new no skips album "Troubled Paradise," "mainstream" pop, and the devolution of Grimes), how and why the pop girlies are passing songwriter and producer Jack Antonoff around like a blunt, the long awaited return of Lorde and her new single "Solar Power," and we manifest a Solar Power Bottom Summer! Plus more!  Unclench your a*****e and soul, open wide for the delightful experience that is this conversation!

  2. 05/03/2021

    The Streisand Effect

    Back back back back again, the pod is back! How've you've been? This is a 30 minute culture catch up episode! It includes the Oscars (not only aren't they so white, they also don't matter), Amanda Gorman's Vogue cover story, the passing of the one of a kind rapper DMX, alt-pop musician St. Vincent versus the freedom of the press, the titan of many talents Barbra Streisand (known for her Academy Award winning performance in "Funny Girl" (1968), being the highest-selling female recording artist of all time, and ya know, for being Barbra f*cking Streisand), and I define the Streisand effect. Enjoy the episode and this performance by Barbra completely slaying "Where Am I Going?" in the 1960's. Ta-ta!  Mentioned/Recommended Media: Book - "Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business" by Neil Postman  Article - "The Rise and Rise of Amanda Gorman" by Doreen St. Felix Article - "How DMX Found God" by Clover Hope Article - "You Don't Have to Give Interviews, St. Vincent" by Hazel Cills  Video - "Chloé Zhao's Oscar Win: Moment or Movement?" - by Be Kind Rewind

  3. 03/20/2021

    Representation Will Not Save You

    Please consider donating to, volunteering with, or learning about Red Canary Song, the only grassroots Chinese massage parlor worker coalition in the U.S. 'Tis Spring! Spring has sprung and so have we! We're back with an all new episode recapping the biggest pieces of culture in the past few weeks. Including the Oprah Winfrey interview with Prince Harry and Megan Markle ("Were you silent? Or were you silenced?"), the Grammys (I am the fourth Haim sister), and this year's Oscar nominations (In the immortal words of Bong Jung-ho, the Oscars are local). We also delve into the whole "representation matters" discussion and I recommend some films I recently watched. Enjoy!  Mentioned article in this episode:  "Acting Black and White Onscreen" by Hilton Als, The New Yorker Recommended films: "Christine" (2016) (Available on Netflix)  "What She Said: The Life of Pauline Cael" (2020) (Available on Amazon Prime)

  4. 03/04/2021

    Avenge Ultron (with a Surprise Guest)

    History is made in this episode! How? Listen to find out. Although this episode is shorter than usual, my surprise guest and I go awrf on the latest pieces of culture such as the alleged month of "March," WandaVision, The Golden Globes, and more.  Mentioned material: "We Need to Talk About Digital Blackface in Reaction GIFs" (An op-ed from 2017) - https://www.teenvogue.com/story/digital-blackface-reaction-gifs

  5. 02/10/2021

    Britney (with Preston Ng)

    My guest, a friend and fellow Britney Spears fan, Preston Ng (@prest0ney), and I discuss all things Britney. We share our thoughts on the recent New York Times documentary on Hulu titled "Framing Britney Spears," her career, her music, the fine line between an artist and their fans, the media's complicity in a public figure's pain, and still so much more. We also discuss the recent (yet historically reoccurring) waves of anti-Asian violence in the SF Bay Area and nationally.  Recommended resources for this episode: Brtiney Spears' music video for "Everytime" from her seminal album "In The Zone" (2003) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YzabSdk7ZA An essay on Britney and a review of the documentary by Sydney Urbanek (@sydurbanek), a culture writer whose work I reference in this episode - https://t.co/Hzx34Wm6Es?amp=1 & https://awardswatch.com/review-framing-britney-spears-is-a-clarifying-and-devastating-explainer-on-freebritney/ A GoFundMe page to "Support the Cause Against Anti-Asian Violence" - https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-the-cause-against-antiasian-violence

  6. 12/22/2020

    Everyday isn't a Movie, Baby! (with Kerasa Dimitrios Tsokas)

    Happy Ho-lidays! Now sis...when I tell you that this episode is really THAT episode...sis.  My friend Kerasa, a writer, thee critical thinker, and just an overall bad bitch, and I dive into some of the toxicity plaguing society today. Including the deadly complicity of some of America's elected officials, "Greek" fraternities and sororities, the recent discourse about Lizzo and diet culture, and white people's need to use their identities to try to absolve themselves of their whiteness. The CAUCACITY of it all! We also touch base on what it's like to navigate the job market as recently graduated journalism students, what can inspire us as writers, and we both Pop Off on one of the biggest monsters out there: in-se-curity!  Read Kerasa's article that we discuss: "Fraternities and sororities are appropriating Greek culture" - https://goldengatexpress.org/89664/latest/opinion/greek-life-kerasa-9-28/

  7. 12/05/2020

    A Star is Never Cancelled (with Sydney Vargas)

    Theydies and gentlethems, I hope you're ready for an all encompassing episode of Contextless! One of my favorite pop culture heads Sydney and I pretty much discuss everything that matters of the last decade or so.  Including the wonderful storm that was "A Star is Born" (2018), the "Twilight" movie franchise, the Timothee Chalamet discourse, some of our favorite comedians of today, thee Ratatouille Musical (which I guess is a thing?), an alleged Lorde and Jack Antonoff conspiracy theory (???), why "cancel culture" doesn't actually exist, and more! We also take a lifestyle turn into discussing long distance relationships amid a pandemic, the politics of boots, and we even sing once or twice, so there's that! Enjoy!  Required viewing material before listening as this VERY IMPORTANT video is discussed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSbzyEJ8X9E

  8. 11/21/2020

    Cheese It Up / Die Boomer (with Will Reutter)

    First things first....HAPPY TENTH BIRTHDAY TO THE CULTURAL SHIFT ALBUM "Pink Friday" BY NICKI MINAJ! Now with that being said...in this episode, I am joined by one of my favorite contemporary minds Will, a former classmate and now friend of mine. We discuss Trump's cult of personality, WHITE PEOPLE, our emotional states during and after the 2020 presidential election, journalism's need to be accessible, "Game of Thrones," "Shameless," whether or not we like children and old people, Will's cold relationship with films, how and why we both got into journalism, N*tflix's "The Social Dilemma," how to deal with problematic family members, indoor and outdoor dining, and more never ending bad, horrible, and evil stuff about social media! Enjoy! That includes you too, boomer!

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Join writer Fernando Martinez as he and his guests discuss the pop culture that makes the world go around and backwards.

Information

  • Creator
    Fernando Martinez
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2021
  • Episodes
    15
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Fernando Martinez
  • Show Website
    Contextless