Episode 99: Maybe Slow the Hype Train Down?

This week, Alex, Kate, and guest Paul Klein discuss The Rocky Horror Picture Show in honor of its 50th anniversary. They discuss the legacy of the movie and its countless shadow cast productions, its impact on representation for queer and non-queer viewers alike, and why we shouldn't expect "perfect" representation from our media.

100 episodes into the "new era" of But Why Tho? The Podcast, Alex, Kate, and Matt talk about why But Why Tho matters, the topics and themes we harp on most often, and what we hope people will continue getting out of the show.

This week, Alex and Adrian talk about the hype cycle in media, how it can backfire on companies, create toxic fandoms, and still keep people excited for releases long after they're initially announced.

This week, Alex and Kate discuss Labubus, the appeal of collectibles that others dismiss, and how women have to perform gender more with expensive products than men do.

This week, Alex, Kate, and guest Jason Fannelli discuss sports video games, the communities that build around them, the benefits of having more than just one company making them at a time, and why an annual cycle is actually important for keeping the games relevant and immersive.

This week, Alex, Swara, and Kyle discuss genre, its utility in determining what to consume, its shortcomings as an aspect of marketing, and the malleability that genre needs to remain fresh and relevant. Plus, why AI art can never express emotion.

This week, Alex, Kate, and Matt discuss whether liking nerdy things is childish, why it's important to understand what age demographic media is made and marketed for, and how it all gets harder when stories refuse to ever end.

This week, Alex, Kate, and Jason discuss the seminal 2004 Green Day album, American Idiot, its meaning at the time, its impact on music and culture since, and where to find good, politically salient music today.

This week, Alex, Kate, and Matt talk dead people again, this time, about why we remember certain celebrities differently than others, whether it's okay that we pick and choose which parts of their legacies to hold onto, and what it means to gerrymander our moral lines around which famous people's art we like best.

This week, we're taking a break and rerunning our original King of the Hill episode in honor of its return to TV!