120 MONTHS: Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic w/ David Humphries

120 MONTHS: Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic w/ David Humphries

Author: David Parsons August 27, 2025 Duration: 1:20:00

NOTE: This is a cross-post of my new podcast, 120 MONTHS, all about '90s music. I think Nostalgia Trap listeners will dig it. Follow the links to keep up with all our episodes!

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After listening and re-listening to the playlist for January 1990, I couldn't stop thinking about The Sundays. Their album Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic stood out, not just as the best album of that month, but for producing an uncanny sense of nostalgia for the lost world of the pre-Internet 1990s.

This week's guest, David Humphries, a professor of English at Queensborough Community College in New York City, knows exactly what I'm talking about. Last year he co-edited an excellent project on '90s music, a collection of writing called Happy Nostalgia: Making Connections with the Music of the '90sHis own essay, "A Couple Centuries of Sundays," reflects on the things that make The Sundays' music so special, and he joins me on the podcast for a conversation about analog culture, lazy days on empty college campuses, the wider world of '90s music and, of course, the singular appeal of Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic.

Subscribe to the 120 MONTHS Substack: https://substack.com/@120months

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/120_months/

 

The conversations on Nostalgia Trap move beyond simple reminiscence, probing the powerful and often misleading pull of the past on our present. Hosted by historian and writer David Parsons, this podcast carefully untangles the threads connecting American history, contemporary politics, and the shared stories of pop culture. Each episode is built around a deep dive conversation, where the familiar narratives we tell ourselves about who we are are examined and challenged. You’ll hear how yesterday’s policy decisions echo in today’s headlines and how a forgotten film or a hit song can reveal the anxieties of its era. The goal isn’t just to inform, but to question the comforting allure of a supposedly simpler time, revealing how nostalgia itself can be a trap that shapes our collective understanding. This is a space for thoughtful, nuanced discussion that respects the complexity of the past while critically engaging with its legacy. For anyone interested in the forces that have shaped the American experience, from its founding ideals to its latest cultural moments, Nostalgia Trap offers a necessary and compelling perspective. Tune in for a podcast that consistently demonstrates how history is never truly behind us.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Nostalgia Trap
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