Welcome to Third Eye Weekly — a podcast hosted by BTR’s Matthew DeMello and Jennifer Smith for underreported news, the spoken word, and radical conversation to keep you informed.
On today’s show, self-described “Pop Culture Pirate” (and brains behind the website of same name) Elisa Kreisinger joins us to talk about feminism on television and how mash-ups can help facilitate the conversation between culture creators and the audience about important topics. You can check out her op-ed on copyright law and mash-up videos that we discuss in one of our later segments, here.
And later, you may have heard a little story in the news about a guy who started a Kickstarter campaign to fund his all-pug version of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Well, it turns out that guy is a really good friend of our show. Rhode Island playright Kevin Broccoli is on the phone after the break to sound off on what it’s like when a little joke turns into a non-news story in the mainstream media.
To keep up with the conversation in today’s episode, here’s the Policy Mic article on Ariana Grande and Iggy Azalea making music history, and here’s Brian Fencil’s profile on how terrorists use social media for BTR that ran during our Social Week coverage. And if you live in the New England area, and are interested in work of Kevin Broccoli’s that he’s actually proud of then you should check out his new play, “Leaving Rhode Island“, playing now.
This week’s spoken word segments feature the talents of Rives and Neil Hilborn. As always, don’t forget to check out our Tumblr and Twitter accounts, for the latest in independent media and underreported news.
The Week in Independent News:
“A Disappearing Planet” (ProPublica)
“Under Surveillance: Meet the Muslim-American Leaders the FBI and NSA Have Been Spying On” (Jul 9, The Intercept)
“New bank leak shows how rich exploit tax haven loopholes” (Jul 08, The Center for Public Integrity)
“Secrecy for Sale: Inside the Global Offshore Money Maze” (Jul 08, International Consortium of Investigative Journalists)
“David Cameron’s trade deal with America outrages critics” (Jul 6, The Independent)
“Sugar Plant Removed Safety Device 13 Days before Temp Worker’s Death” (Jul 6, ProPublica)
“Senator Casey asks OSHA about man buried alive in sugar” (July 11, Westmoreland Times)
The Week in Underreported Stories in the Mainstream Media:
“Immigrants From Latin America and Africa Squeezed as Banks Curtail International Money Transfers” (July 6, The New York Times)
“Islamic State Leader Exhorts Fellow Sunnis To Join Him” (Jul 5, The Los Angeles Times)
“Myanmar Court Sentences Journalists to 10 Years of Hard Labor in Prison” (Jul 10, The New York Times)
“Back to Square One for Press Freedom in Burma” (Jul 10, The Irawaddy)
“C.D.C. Closes Anthrax and Flu Labs After Accidents” (Jul 11, The New York Times)
“Mississippi baby’ thought cured of HIV no longer in remission” (Jul 10, Reuters)
So without further ado…
The Playlist!
The Music!
Dub Thompson
(Official 9 Songs cover art)
July 17 – The Burlington – Chicago, IL
July 18 – Off Broadway – St Louis, MO
July 19 – 7th Street Entry – Minneapolis, MN
Isaac Delusion
(Official Early Morning cover art)
July 24 – Musee Calvet – Avignon, France
August 9 – Palais Des Festivals & Des Congres – Cannes, France
Matt Kivel
(Official Days of Being Wild cover art)
July 26 – The Satellite – Los Angeles
Bartees Cox is a songwriter and producer who spent years playing in bands in Brooklyn before making the move to Washington, DC, where his solo project, Bartees Strange, took focus and grew - from an album of reinterpretations of The National’s music to his stunning full-length, genre-bending… | watch
Whether you're a metalhead or not, this NYC trio will have you wrapped up in its soothing dark thrashers. | read
Ben details his experience of contracting the coronavirus back in late February/early March of 2020, before lockdowns shut NYC down. He also shares how the city and local indie rock scene he’s a part of reacted to the pandemic. | watch
The Helen Keller hoax possesses the toxicity of a traditional conspiracy theory even if it doesn't quite fit the definition. | read
The March edition of Spotlight on the City features bands and musicians from Birmingham, Alabama. | listen
Aliah Sheffield is the singer/songwriter also known as Nikkie Aliah. Her song, “Earth is Ghetto,” recently went viral and she chatted with Nikkiesha about what led her to her viral moment, her musical inspirations, and what she hopes and plans to do next… oh, and tequila. This podcast is… | listen