Nakedly Examined Music is a podcast about making music: Why do we do it? Why do we do it the way we do it? Mark Linsenmayer interviews songwriters and composers famous and otherwise about specific recordings, which are presented in full on the podcast. 
Claire started in the early '70s as a folk prodigy, took some detours through country and Elton-John-esque pop rock, played with Wishbone Ash and members of Yes in the late '70s and early '80s, had her real career break-out as a New Age artist in the mid '80s (with some of her music used extensively by the BBC), did a dance record, and has most recently released several records Continue Reading …
Ep. 310: Wittgenstein On World-Pictures (Part One)
Subscribe to get parts 1 and 2 of this now, ad-free. We continue picking at Ludwig Wittgenstein's On Certainty (written 1951), with Mark, Wes, Dylan and Seth now supplemented by guest Chris Heath, who is a guy who's very into philosophy of science who runs a Discord philosophy server. Try the History That Doesn't Suck podcast. Attend our live show in NYC on April Continue Reading …
Ep. 310: Wittgenstein On World-Pictures (Part Two for Supporters)
Concluding our discussion of On Certainty, with guest Chris Heath. Listen to part one first. We spend more time with quotes from the book and try once again to figure out what Wittgenstein's philosophy of science is. We finally fill out Wes' take on conspiracy theories and how they relate to this text. How do people actually get convinced to change their minds about their Continue Reading …
Ep. 310: Wittgenstein On World-Pictures (Part One for Supporters)
We continue picking at Ludwig Wittgenstein's On Certainty (written 1951), with Mark, Wes, Dylan and Seth now supplemented by guest Chris Heath, who is a guy who's very into philosophy of science who runs a Discord philosophy server. This is really the fourth discussion in this series; we recommend you start with ep. 307 on G.E. Moore, or at least ep. 309 where we started Continue Reading …
Pretty Much Pop #143: Pinocchio the Unfilmable (Yet Frequently Filmed)
The PMP core four (Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and Al) discuss the original 1883 freaky children's story by Carlo Collodi and consider the recent rush of film versions, from a new Disney/Robert Zemikis CGI take to Guillermo del Toro's stop-motion passion project to a heavily costumed Italian version by Matteo Garrone, which is the second to feature Oscar winner Roberto Benigni in Continue Reading …
Philosophy vs. Improv #46: Seize the Day How Exactly? w/ Nick Riggle
What does the shortness of our lives and the beauty of the world actually entail in terms of behavior and philosophy? Nick is a former pro skater who teaches philosophy at U. of San Diego and has written This Beauty about this question, as well as On Being Awesome. Mark and Bill (your philosophy/comedy puppets, here eternally to dance for your entertainment) engage Nick via Continue Reading …
Ep. 309: Wittgenstein On Certainty (Part Two)
Subscribe to get both parts of this episode ad free, plus a supporter exclusive PEL Nightcap discussion. Continuing our discussion from part one of On Certainty (1951), we do some close reading of the text. How does he actually respond to Moore's argument about his hand? How does he extend his account to talk about mathematical and scientific statements? Is Wittgenstein a Continue Reading …
PEL Nightcap January 2023
Recorded on 1/12/13, Mark, Wes, and Dylan first talk about our upcoming Dostyevsky live show (April 15 in NYC; we hope to have tickets on sale soon, and supporters will get first crack at them) and talk about our debate over translations of The Brothers Karamazov, as inspired by this article and this one. Here's the reddit page that actually pulls passages from both Continue Reading …
Ep. 309: Wittgenstein On Certainty (Part One)
Subscribe to get parts 1 and 2 of this now, ad-free. Discussing the notes Ludwig Wittgenstein made at the end of his life in 1951 that were published as On Certainty in 1969, featuring Mark, Wes, Dylan, and Seth. Check out the Overthink podcast and Conversations with Coleman. Attend our live show in NYC on April 15. These were in direct response to the essays by G.E. Continue Reading …
Ep. 309: Wittgenstein On Certainty (Part Two for Supporters)
Continuing our discussion from part one of On Certainty (1951), we do some close reading of the text. How does he actually respond to Moore's argument about his hand? How does he extend his account to talk about mathematical and scientific statements? Is Wittgenstein a pragmatist? You may want to review our episode on William James' pragmatist definition of truth. We Continue Reading …
Ep. 309: Wittgenstein On Certainty (Part One for Supporters)
Discussing the notes Ludwig Wittgenstein made at the end of his life in 1951 that were published as On Certainty in 1969, featuring Mark, Wes, Dylan, and Seth. These were in direct response to the essays by G.E. Moore that we discussed in episodes 307 and 308, so we talk about the status of so-called "Moorean propositions" like "physical objects exist," "the world is more Continue Reading …
NEM#188: Pat Irwin (Raybeats, B-52s, SUSS) Writes for TV (and Himself)
Pat played saxophone and guitar with Lydia Lunch's group 8-Eyed Spy in 1979, and then moved on to The Raybeats, a "neo-surf rock combo," which recorded four albums through 1984. He wrote for stage shows and eventually joined the B-52s as a second guitarist/keyboardist in support of their Cosmic Thing album in 1989. In 1992 he had his first musical director role for TV with Continue Reading …
(sub)Text: Better and Bested in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”
It’s a play full of contradictions, secrets, lies, and unspoken rules. It’s a play decidedly for adults, but about a child—an imaginary one, no less. It takes place on a college campus, but it is absent of students. And it’s about “fun and games” and “playing pretend,” but its games are harsh and shocking, and playing pretend involves vengeance and even murder. Wes & Erin Continue Reading …
Ep. 308: Moore’s Proof of Mind-Independent Reality (Part Two)
Subscribe to get both parts of this episode ad free along with tons of bonus content including first crack on tickets to PEL Live April 15 in Manhattan. Continuing from part one, we quickly complete our treatment of G.E. Moore’s "Proof of the External World" (1939) and move on to consider "Certainty" (1941). Sponsors: Check out the Weird Studies podcast at Continue Reading …
Pretty Much Pop #142: Song Lyric Literality w/ Dave Philpott
Since 2008, Dave has written cheeky (but actually heavily researched) letters to rock stars that point out logical flaws in and/or deliberately misunderstand their lyrics. Many of these have been answered by the artists and housed in three books: Dear Mr. Kershaw, Dear Mr. Popstar, and Grammar Free In The U.K. Mark Linsenmayer and Al Baker talk to Dave about the "green Continue Reading …
Philosophy vs. Improv #45: Meaningful Road Trips w/ Dee Bradley Baker
Voice actor Dee, who has a background in both improv and stand-up, talks to Mark and Bill about the meaning of life and engages in THREE scenes all about a parent trying to get some kids into a vehicle and on the road. Also, does COVID cause ennui? Hear more PvI. Support the podcast! You'll get all of our post-game discussions and other exclusive bonus content, including the Continue Reading …
Ep. 308: Moore’s Proof of Mind-Independent Reality (Part One)
Subscribe to get parts 1 and 2 of this now, ad-free. On G.E. Moore’s "Proof of the External World" (1939) and "Certainty" (1941), featuring Mark, Wes, Dylan, and Seth. Similar to the essay we covered in our last episode, Moore is defending common sense realism against idealists who claim that the external world is not mind-independent but is instead made up of ideas, Continue Reading …
Ep. 308: Moore’s Proof of Mind-Independent Reality (Part Two for Supporters)
Continuing from part one, we quickly complete our treatment of G.E. Moore’s "Proof of the External World" (1939) and move on to consider "Certainty" (1941). In the latter paper, Moore considers various "obvious" statements about his current situation (in my case now: I am writing this, I am sitting down, I have fingers, I am in my house on earth, etc.). These are all Continue Reading …
Ep. 308: Moore’s Proof of Mind-Independent Reality (Part One for Supporters)
On G.E. Moore’s "Proof of the External World" (1939) and "Certainty" (1941), featuring Mark, Wes, Dylan, and Seth. Similar to the essay we covered in our last episode, Moore is defending common sense realism against idealists who claim that the external world is not mind-independent but is instead made up of ideas, and also skeptics who claim that we can't know (or know with Continue Reading …
Ep. 307: G.E. Moore Defends Common Sense (Part Two)
Subscribe to get both parts of this episode ad free, plus a supporter exclusive PEL Nightcap discussion. Continuing from part one on "A Defense of Common Sense" (1925), now down to Mark, Wes, and Dylan. We get into the nitty gritty of Moore's argument: Against idealism, Moore argues that physical facts are in now way dependent on mental facts; for instance, the Continue Reading …