Reflector

About a year ago, the team that makes this show (Matt Boll and me, Andy Mills) along with our dear friend Megan Phelps-Roper (who also helps with each episode of Reflector), put out the final installment of The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling. The show was a big hit with millions of listeners, even as it split — and in some cases enraged — media critics. Our aim was to tell the story of Rowling’s two major public controversies — both the witchcraft accusations from the late 90’s and the current backlash around sex and gender — as a way to uncove...

Today we're excited to share the first Hindsight episode of Reflector. This is the free version of this episode. To listen to the full version you can become a subscriber today by visiting us at reflector.showThe idea behind these particular episodes is to embody our commitment to transparency in journalism by following up on each of our stories with a less formal deep dive into our reporting and the larger social themes we explore.Today, Matt and I are joined again by our friend Katie from our episode “The Sea Change.” Together, we respo...

While all of hip hop prizes authenticity, as Van Lathan put it in Filthy Slime Pt 1: “In street rap authenticity is more important than skill”. Today we dive into the ways that this genre’s prizing of authenticity has evolved to a point where some rappers aren’t just merely making artful commentary or provocations about gang life, but are using their lyrics to document and at times admit their involvement in serious crimes, including murder.Here in the second installment of our deep dive into rap on trial, our guests Van Lathan and producer 4-IZE help us exami...

Music has been a feature of American culture wars since at least the time of Elvis Presley’s gyrating dance moves on The Ed Sullivan show in 1956. But amidst all the moral panics about hip-shaking and backmasking, there is a legitimate and fascinating question about the role and influence that popular music plays on human behavior and on society more broadly. Today, we are publishing the first episode in our breakdown of the debate around Rap on Trial and what it says (and misses) about the role of music in culture. We begin in 1985 with Tipper Gore’s fig...

Why aren’t Americans embracing the most promising medications for treating over-drinking?Become a subscriber today: reflector.show/subscribeAlcohol consumption increased more during the COVID-19 pandemic than it had at any time in the past 50 years. Even though bars were closed for weeks on end and fewer people were out on the road doing their daily commuting, Americans were drinking so much that from 2020 through 2021 there were approximately 178,000 alcohol-related deaths - which is more deaths than from all drug overdoses combined, including opioids. Yet, even as we return to 1960’s Mad Men era d...