We’re a little rusty, but give us a break: It’s been a month. Also: No bibliography today. Also also: Our special guest is my wife, Victoria Reynolds Farmer.

General Introduction
– David keeps his office
– Introducing our guest

Our Credentials
– Hanson, Supernatural, and Rent
– Victoria’s academic work with celebrity culture and fandom
– Metallica, Marvel Comics, and Pokeman
– Lord of the Rings, kung fu movies, and Flash Gordon
– Disney and obscure 1980s Christian rock

Being a Fan and “Being a Fan”
– What’s the difference?
– Being active in fan communities
– Proof of a body of knowledge, shorthand, and language
– Michial’s theory no one agrees with
– Fan vs. partisan (Metallica vs. Guns N Roses)
– Why Hanson aren’t the Jonas Brothers
– The Boy Band battles of 1998

Speculative Fiction
– What makes science fiction and fantasy have such devoted fans?
– The Pre-Raphaelites, of all things
– Rejection of culture
– A New Kind of Being Human
– And what’s so bad about escapism?
– There’s no rage like nerd rage

Music
– Expressing sexuality
– But why music?
– I’ll see your Hegel and raise you Kierkegaard
– Music’s demoniacal temporality
– What about recorded music?
– Outsiders and insiders
– Insane Hanson fans

Fandom and Idolatry
– Nathan soothes the Calvinist conscience
– Fandom then and now
– Creativity and fan fiction
– Gilgamesh vs. Metallica
– A long argument about fan fiction