In Defense of Fandom

Sadie Witkowski
  • 5.0 (27)
  • SOCIETY & CULTURE
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

In Defense of Fandom explores the world of fandom, focusing on creativity, community, and collaboration. The show, pulling from interviews with creators and fandom research, illuminates the ways that fandom can be an incredibly positive influence in our lives.In season one, the podcast focused on the creative output of the SPN Family, as Supernatural fans call themselves, a lens to understand fandom activities as a whole. Season two broadened the premise by exploring how the ending of a TV series can affect its fandom. Topics ranged from whether the ending is good/terrible/divisive to whether it matters if the show is cancelled or goes out on its own terms to attempted revivals and reboots. Season three took a step back from television and expanded the scope even further, looking at parasocial relationships. The third season examined how and why we form parasocial bonds, how these bonds can be beneficial (and detrimental), and what a parasocial relationship looks like from the side of the star/musician/creator. Season four, created in collaboration with Denim-Wrapped Nightmares, celebrates the 20th anniversary of Supernatural by taking a look at the music of the show: the music that made the show, music inspired by the show, and music from the show's cast, writers, and crew.

  1. SPN20 Music Extravaganza: Meet your co-hosts

    5D AGO

    SPN20 Music Extravaganza: Meet your co-hosts

    Sadie, along with Denim-wrapped Nightmare's Berly and LA, kick off their massive 10-episode collaboration celebrating the 20th anniversary of Supernatural by diving into the show's iconic musical legacy. And yes, they interviewed over 20 people for this series because apparently they're all insane. The episode opens with a power move: Sadie asking Jared and Jensen about Supernatural's music at a convention panel (using Berly's name callout because Berly is a good friend who understands true J2 fandom priorities). From there, the hosts explore why music became so fundamental to the show's DNA—including Eric Kripke almost quitting over the network wanting to ditch classic rock for "current, exciting, young music." They discuss fan-favorite needle drops, with Death's entrance to "O Death" taking the crown as most mentioned, followed by the "Renegade" escape in "Night Shifter" and "Rooster" in "Folsom Prison Blues." There's also a moment of silence for all the needle drops lost to streaming music licensing (RIP "Don't Fear the Reaper" in the Faith episode). The hosts break down the convention music experience—Saturday Night Specials, Louden Swain as the house band, Jason Manns, and the revelation that there's literally music everywhere at these things. LA admits she had no idea conventions even had concerts before attending her first one. Important PSA: This series features interviews with composers Chris Lennertz and Jay Gruska, musicians inspired by the show, and approximately everyone talented in the Supernatural universe (who was willing to meet with us). Subscribe to both podcasts to hear all the interviews, because yes, you have to follow both feeds. It's free though, so they're really not that evil about it. The series drops November 11th and runs through the end of the year! Special thanks to Steve Hein, producer of the hit podcast, Supernatural Then and Now, for permission to include the conversation with Eric Kripke. Find their full discussion at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/spotlight-on-eric-kripke/id1605385289?i=1000646839769 Find and follow Denim-wrapped Nightmares at https://www.buzzsprout.com/2076426. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    40 min
  2. Promo: Supernatural Music Extravaganza

    TRAILER

    Promo: Supernatural Music Extravaganza

    A Mixtape 20 years in the making In a multi-part Supernatural 20th anniversary special, we’re collaborating with Denim-Wrapped Nightmares to explore music that made the show, music inspired by the show, and music from the show's cast, writers, and crew. We interviewed musicians, crew, and cast members to hear directly from them how important music was (and is!) to the SPN family. Make sure you subscribe to both feeds to not miss an episode, starting this November! Subscribe to Denim-Wrapped Nightmares: https://denimwrappednightmares.buzzsprout.com/ Follow our socials for more info: https://www.facebook.com/dwnpod https://www.instagram.com/sadie_wit/ https://www.instagram.com/dwnpod/ https://bsky.app/profile/sadiewit.bsky.social https://twitter.com/DWNpodcast https://x.com/SadieWit https://www.patreon.com/DWNpod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    5 min
  3. Bonus: Interview with Meghan Fitzmartin

    SEP 9 · BONUS

    Bonus: Interview with Meghan Fitzmartin

    Here's another bonus episode while I work on the next season! A conversation with writer of television, animation, comics, and audio: Meghan Fitzmartin. And for my fellow SPN family out there, you will recognize her name as first a writers assistant for Supernatural to a staffed writer in the final season, penning the episodes Piece of Mind and Drag Me Away (From You). More on Meghan and her upcoming comic, Mary Sue: https://www.boom-studios.com/archives/first-look-mary-sue-1/ https://bleedingcool.com/comics/scoop-mary-sue-a-new-comic-by-meghan-fitzmartin-from-boom-studios/ https://www.meghanfitzmartin.com/ Editorial Support by Dr. Anna Funk: @itsdrfunk.bsky.social Music written & performed by Chris Scott: @Chrispscott Cover art by Liz Hand: @__ellie See full episode transcript at www.sadiewit.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    59 min

  4. AUG 26 · BONUS

    Bonus: SDCC Post Con-versation

    This conversation with fellow Geekscapists is a post-San Diego Comic Con(versation) covering press passes to running activation booths to attending as a panelist! Check out the other Geekscape Podcasts & Projects: Jonathan London: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/geekscapeforever/hero-of-the-prophecy-1-a-pro-wrestling-comedic-fantasy Christian Bladt: https://www.weirdalgorithmpodcast.com/ Tessa Markle: https://www.femmeregard.com/ Katie Hampton: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/marvel-movie-talk/id1699318146, https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/napping-through-happy-hour/id1628046345, https://www.chicagobacon.com/internet-supreme-court Editorial Support by Dr. Anna Funk: @itsdrfunk.bsky.social Music written & performed by Chris Scott: @Chrispscott Cover art by Liz Hand: @__ellie See full episode transcript at www.sadiewit.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1h 23m

  5. AUG 12

    Bonus: Interview with Jerry Wanek

    While I’m still working on creating both a special collaboration mini series and mapping out season 4, I wanted to provide you listeners with a special treat! This episode is an interview with Supernatural's production designer, producer, and occasional director: Jerry Wanek! We talk about his experience working on Supernatural, how the show reflected timeless styles from the iconic motel rooms to the art deco Bunker, and how he relates to the fandom. Oh, and we even go on a little tangent about famed Texas author Larry McMurtry! Editorial Support by Dr. Anna Funk: @itsdrfunk.bsky.social Music written & performed by Chris Scott: @Chrispscott Cover art by Liz Hand: @__ellie See full episode transcript at www.sadiewit.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    50 min

  6. JUL 22 · BONUS

    Season 3 Bonus: Sadie & Anna answer your questions!

    With season 3 wrapped, we wanted to see what lingering questions you have about parasocial relationships. Editor Anna Funk joins Sadie on the mic to answer some listener questions and reflect on the season as a whole. Editorial Support by Dr. Anna Funk: @itsdrfunk.bsky.social Music written & performed by Chris Scott: @Chrispscott Cover art by Liz Hand: @__ellie See full episode transcript at www.sadiewit.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    38 min

  7. JUL 9

    Season 3 Episode 6: Benefits, Risks, & the Future of Parasocial Relationships

    In this final installment of the season, we wrap up final thoughts on the state of celebrity worship, fame, and parasociality. We’ll also hear a bit more about the positive things that we can get out of parasocial relationships, some of the risks to watch out for, and discuss the future of parasociality. Editorial Support by Dr. Anna Funk: @itsdrfunk.bsky.social Music written & performed by Chris Scott: @Chrispscott And new music written & performed by August Hotel: @augusthotel Cover art by Liz Hand: @__ellie See full episode transcript at www.sadiewit.com To submit your questions or comments for the bonus episode, send your message to sadie.witkowski@gmail.com Resources from this episode: https://time.com/6294226/parasocial-relationships-benefits/ https://health.clevelandclinic.org/parasocial-relationships https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sixteenth-minute-of-fame/id1743960803 https://www.404media.co/mage-space-new-restrictions-non-consensual-porn-celebrities/ https://www.404media.co/character-ai-chatbot-changes-filters-roleplay/ https://www.404media.co/ai-therapy-bots-meta-character-ai-ftc-complaint/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    32 min

  8. JUN 17

    Season 3 Episode 5: Making Parasocial Relationships Reciprocal

    We’ve talked about parasocial relationships as a one-way street, but can that ever change? Is there a way for a parasocial bond to become just a regular friendship? What would that even look like? Hear examples of how parasocial relationships became something more reciprocal, and learn whether that’s likely to be a rare event or something more commonplace. Editorial Support by Dr. Anna Funk: @itsdrfunk.bsky.social Music written & performed by Chris Scott: @Chrispscott And new music written & performed by August Hotel: @augusthotel Cover art by Liz Hand: @__ellie See full episode transcript at www.sadiewit.com Resources from this episode: https://denimwrappednightmares.buzzsprout.com/ https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/articles/mark-sheppard-wife-sarah-louise-151720015.html https://people.com/how-did-taylor-swift-and-travis-kelce-meet-8405807 To submit your questions or comments, send your message to sadie.witkowski@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    38 min
See All (47)

Trailers

5
out of 5
27 Ratings

About

In Defense of Fandom explores the world of fandom, focusing on creativity, community, and collaboration. The show, pulling from interviews with creators and fandom research, illuminates the ways that fandom can be an incredibly positive influence in our lives.In season one, the podcast focused on the creative output of the SPN Family, as Supernatural fans call themselves, a lens to understand fandom activities as a whole. Season two broadened the premise by exploring how the ending of a TV series can affect its fandom. Topics ranged from whether the ending is good/terrible/divisive to whether it matters if the show is cancelled or goes out on its own terms to attempted revivals and reboots. Season three took a step back from television and expanded the scope even further, looking at parasocial relationships. The third season examined how and why we form parasocial bonds, how these bonds can be beneficial (and detrimental), and what a parasocial relationship looks like from the side of the star/musician/creator. Season four, created in collaboration with Denim-Wrapped Nightmares, celebrates the 20th anniversary of Supernatural by taking a look at the music of the show: the music that made the show, music inspired by the show, and music from the show's cast, writers, and crew.

Information

  • Creator
    Sadie Witkowski
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2025
  • Episodes
    47
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    In Defense of Fandom

You Might Also Like