hampton. - dead air.

screenshot from World of Warcraft cutscene wherein dozens of goblins have affixed ropes to a giant statue in front of the Gallagio, Jastor Gallywix's pleasure fortress

video games + interactive media

Protesting Azeroth: Notes from a conference paper

This post is a companion piece for a paper I presented on player protest in World of Warcraft.

a boxy television shows a scene from The Comedy of Errors overlaid with a fuchsia glow

film + tv media.

The Idiot Plot, Madman Theory, and Late American Empire

This post explores US policy towards Iran through the lenses of the idiot plot, madman theory, and theories of American executive power.

screenshot from a call of duty screen, showing the perspective of the player calling in a Mass Guided Bombs killstreak. a static tv grain has been overlaid on top

video games + interactive media

Everyone's a Hero in a Fascist Reading of Popular Media: Iran Strikes, Call of Duty, and Dudecore Soundbites

The White House has been gloating through montage videos after striking Iran. This post disentangles some of the meaning-making involved in the properties they are posting.

video games + interactive media

Retrobaiting Azeroth: Notes from a conference paper

This blog post is a companion piece for a paper I presented at a conference in February (which I am working to publish in a journal in the coming year). Nostalgia is a contested space, including in and around World of Warcraft, a video game that has been running for

mus

ICE the Mannerbund: Music, Authoritarianism, Hate

Trump’s federal agencies love putting catchy songs alongside their content on social media. While they usually post pop songs, phonk edits, or whatever viral sound is hitting on TikTok six months prior, on January 9, the DHS and ICE jointly posted an ICE recruitment image on Instagram with a

Fuzzy image of Hayley Williams singing in a striped sweater. Scanlines cut the image and ghostly versions of Williams sit behind her. An upside down yellow cross sits in front and behind.

mus

Reanimating the Bones 4: The Unholy Trinity -- Guns of the Father, Sins of the South, and the Haunting Spirit of White Supremacy

Hayley Williams's "True Believer" performance on Jimmy Fallon's show was a force. This last of several essays examines some of Williams's laments and hopes for the South.

mus

Reanimating the Bones 3: Acid Nashville and Post-Neoliberalism

Hayley Williams's "True Believer" performance on Jimmy Fallon's show was a force. This third of several essays examines some of Williams's laments and hopes for Nashville.

mus

Reanimating the Bones 2: Death and Tourism in the Music Scene

Hayley Williams's "True Believer" contends with the dynamics of tourism and death in her city of Nashville. This second of several essays examines how.

Fuzzy image of Hayley Williams singing wearing a striped sweater. Scanlines cut across the image and ghostly versions of Williams sit behind her. An upside down yellow cross covers it.

mus

Reanimating the Bones: Hayley Williams, Jimmy Fallon, and a Confrontation with Nashville’s Living Ghosts

Hayley Williams's "True Believer" performance on Jimmy Fallon's show was a force. This first of several essays examines some of the context of the show before providing a list of the other essays about Williams's indictment of Nashville.