Episode 142: The Music of the Spheres: On Jóhann Jóhannsson's "Last and First Men"

Episode 142: The Music of the Spheres: On Jóhann Jóhannsson's "Last and First Men"

Author: SpectreVision Radio March 15, 2023 Duration: 1:22:04
Jóhann Jóhannsson was one of contemporary cinema's greatest score composers when he passed away in 2018 at the young age of 48. Last and First Men, his enigmatic directorial debut, was released shortly after in 2020. Based on a novel by the same name by the British science fiction writer Olaf Stapleton, the film offers a sustained meditation on the prospect of extinction, the eventuality of humanity's disappearance from the comos. In this episode, JF and Phil discuss the images and sounds of the film as they flicker and swell against the backdrop of nonbeing that envelops us all. The conversation touches on the idea of beauty, Brutalist architecture, modernism, and futurity. Preorder Pierre-Yves Martel's album Mer bleue. Support us on Patreon and gain access to Phil's ongoing podcast on Richard Wagner's Ring Cycle. Listen to volume 1 and volume 2 of the Weird Studies soundtrack by Pierre-Yves Martel Find us on Discord Get the T-shirt design from Cotton Bureau! Get your Weird Studies merchandise (t-shirts, coffee mugs, etc.) Visit the Weird Studies Bookshop REFERENCES Jóhann Jóhannsson, Last and First Men Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer, SNL character Spomeniks, Yugoslavian monuments Olaf Stapleton, The Last and First Men Woody Allen, Hannah and Her Sisters The Last of Us, television show Ray Brassier, Nihil Unbound: Enlightenment and Extinction Weird Studies, Episode 2 on Garmonbozia Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Nobel Prize Speech Weird Studies Episode 139 on Art Power Numenius, Platonist philosopher Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari, What is Philosophy? Jia Tolentino, “The Overwhelming Emotion of Hearing Toto’s “Africa” Weird Studies, Episode 110 on “The Glass Bead Game” D. H. Lawrence, Lady Chatterley’s Lover Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At the heart of Weird Studies, a podcast from SpectreVision Radio, you’ll find long-form conversations between Professor Phil Ford and writer J. F. Martel. Their discussions aren’t simple reviews or straightforward analyses; instead, they wander through the tangled undergrowth where art and philosophy meet, giving generous time to concepts that resist easy understanding and to creative works that fracture our ordinary sense of the world. This podcast deliberately lingers in that ambiguous space, treating the “weird” not as a genre but as a particular mode of experience-one that reveals the cracks in what we comfortably assume is real. Each episode feels like joining a deep, meandering dialogue between two friends who are both deeply knowledgeable and endlessly curious, covering a vast terrain that includes literature, film, music, and esoteric thought. It’s a show for anyone who suspects that the most profound truths are often found in the shadows, the anomalies, and the strangely beautiful. As part of the SpectreVision Radio network, which specializes in content that explores the uncanny edges of creativity, Weird Studies builds a unique community of listeners who are eager to think differently. You won’t find pat answers here, but you will encounter compelling questions and a shared sense of exploration that makes each installment a distinctive journey.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

Weird Studies
Podcast Episodes
Episode 169: On Free Expression [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:37:55
The ongoing crackdown on protests at many American universities prompts a discussion on the politics, ethics, and metaphysics of free expression. Support us on Patreon. Buy the Weird Studies soundtrack, volumes 1 and 2,…
Episode 167: The Hand of Ithell, with Amy Hale [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:29:29
Ithell Colquhoun (1906-1988) was a British painter, poet, and occultist, long identified as a pioneer of the Surrealist movement in the UK. While her work is increasingly recognized for its mystical themes and innovative…
Episode 166: Make Believe: On the Power of Pretentiousness [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:13:49
In culture and the arts, labeling something you don't like (or don't understand) "pretentious" is the easy way out. It's a conversation killer, implying that any dialogue is pointless, and those who disagree are merely d…
Episode 164: Towards a Weird Materialism: On Expressionism in Cinema [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:29:45
What is expressionism? A school? A movement? A philosophy? At the end of this episode, Phil and JF agree that it is, above all, a sensibility, one that surfaces periodically in history, punctuating it with occasional bur…