Episodes

  • Body Horror Gets Under My Skin

    Body Horror Gets Under My Skin
    May 7 2025
    We all have that one thing we just can’t watch. For me, it’s body horror -- the kind of horror where grotesque and disturbing things happen to someone’s body, like in The Thing, The Fly, or The Substance. There is a long history of body horror as a form of social commentary and special effects showmanship. I respect the artform, but I can’t stomach the art. So I decided to figure out why. I talk with Chioke l’Anson (horror fan and voice of NPR underwriting), author David Huckvale (“Terrors of The Flesh: The Philosophy of Body Horror in Film”) and author Xavier Aldana Reyes (“Contemporary Body Horror”) about how this subgenre taps into fundamental aspects of being human that we often try to put out of our minds. Plus, I speak with listener Lillie Andrick about why some transgender fans, like her, feel a special connection to body horror. This week’s episode is sponsored by ShipStation. Go to shipstation.com and use the code IMAGINARY to sign up for a free trial. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    38 mins
  • Bonus: Syd Mead Full Gallery Tour

    Bonus: Syd Mead Full Gallery Tour
    Apr 30 2025
    Last week, we heard about a new exhibit in New York called Syd Mead: Future Pastime. The exhibit closes on May 21st, and I know most listeners won't be able to see it in person. So in this bonus episode, you can hear the entire tour I got from Elon Solo and William Corman, who organized the exhibit. You can also see some of the images on the Imaginary Worlds Instagram and Facebook pages. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    51 mins
  • The Optimist Behind Blade Runner's Dystopia

    The Optimist Behind Blade Runner's Dystopia
    Apr 23 2025
    The late Syd Mead was a visual futurist who was hired to imagine the worlds of Blade Runner, Tron, Aliens, Elysium and other sci-fi films. His work in Hollywood has been lauded for decades, but there’s a new exhibit in New York that shows a different side of the artist. Syd Mead: Future Pastime is a collection of his personal and commercial paintings, which are all works of science fiction. Despite his connection to the dystopian world of Blade Runner, Mead’s personal vision of the future was unwaveringly optimistic. I talk with Mead’s husband and business partner Roger Servick, and the curators of the exhibit, Elon Solo and William Corman, about Mead’s predictions for the future of technology, sexuality and spirituality. (Image courtesy of Syd Mead Inc.) This week’s episode is sponsored by ShipStation and Hims Go to shipstation.com and use the code IMAGINARY to sign up for a free trial. Get your free online visit at hims.com/IMAGINARY. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    38 mins
  • Blueprints for Utopias

    Blueprints for Utopias
    Apr 9 2025
    The golden age of sci-fi was filled with utopian visions the future. These days, when sci-fi creators project ahead several decades, the world is looking a lot more dystopian. But there is a group of artists who believe that a better tomorrow is possible if we can imagine it first. Architects are finding that science fiction can be a great way to understand how their buildings will adapt to a rapidly changing world. I talk with architect and Texas Tech professor Jes Deaver about why she thinks sci-fi can inspire her students to not only think outside the literal box, but to have more empathy. Liam Young explains why he created a program at SCI-Arc to train architects who want to work in fictional or virtual worlds. And author Thomas R. Weaver discusses how he enrolled a city planner to build a pitch deck for a colony spaceship, and why floating cities may not be the best solution to climate change. This episode is sponsored by The Perfect Jean, Audible and Hims. Go to theperfectjean.nyc and get 15% off your first order when you use the code IMAGINARY15 at checkout. Go to audible.com/sunrise and listen to the audiobook of Listen to Sunrise on the Reaping. Start your free online visit today at Hims.com/IMAGINARY Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    40 mins
  • Mary Blair: Coloring Outside the Lines at Disney

    Mary Blair: Coloring Outside the Lines at Disney
    Mar 26 2025
    In honor of Women’s History Month we’re producing a two-part series about two artists who were visionaries and trailblazers. In part 2, we look at the career of Mary Blair. She changed the way Walt Disney wanted to make animation and brought modernist sophistication to his style. But not everyone at the studio was on board with Walt’s dream to “get Mary in the picture.” I talk with animation historians John Canemaker and Mindy Johnson about the influence of Mary Blair, and how we’ve experienced her work more than we’ve actually seen it. And I talk with author Gabrielle Stecher about the more complicated aspects of Blair’s legacy. Mindy Johnson’s book is Ink & Paint: The Women of Walt Disney Animation. John Canemaker’s book is Magic Color Flair: The World of Mary Blair. Gabrielle Stecher’s article is “Examining The Legacy of Mary Blair.” This episode is sponsored by Audible and Remi. Go to audible.com/sunrise and listen to the highly anticipated new audiobook in the Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins Go to shopremi.com/imaginary and use the code IMAGINARY to save up to 50% your first mouthguard. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    37 mins
  • Bonus: Superstar Stuntwoman of Silent Cinema

    Bonus: Superstar Stuntwoman of Silent Cinema
    Mar 19 2025
    In the previous episode, I talked with author Mallory O'Meara about Milicent Patrick, but there wasn't room to include this bonus material about Mallory's new book, Daughter of Daring. It tells the amazing story of Helen Gibson, the first superstar professional stuntwoman in Hollywood. She was like a combination of Annie Oakley and Michelle Yeoh at a time when silent movie stars were trying to outdo each other in their death-defying stunts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    18 mins
  • Milicent Patrick: Disney Magic to Monster Mayhem

    Milicent Patrick: Disney Magic to Monster Mayhem
    Mar 12 2025
    In honor of Women’s History Month, we’re producing a two-part series about two visionary and trailblazing artists: Mary Blair and Milicent Patrick. They went to the same art school. They each began working at Disney during the Depression. They were both singled out for their talents but left in 1941. From there, they went on to have wildly different careers, but each had a lasting impact on pop culture. In part one, I talk with authors and historians Mindy Johnson and Mallory O’Meara about Milicent Patrick. She started as a special effects animator on Fantasia before designing the Gill-man from Creature from the Black Lagoon. Plus, I talk with makeup and effects artist Steve Wang about why the Gill-man is a horror icon. Mallory O’Meara’s book is The Lady From The Black Lagoon, and Mindy Johnson’s book is Ink & Paint: The Women of Walt Disney Animation. This episode is sponsored by Hims. Start your free online visit today at Hims.com/IMAGINARY Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    34 mins
  • Pokémon and The Art of Dubbing Anime

    Pokémon and The Art of Dubbing Anime
    Feb 26 2025
    This week’s episode comes from our Patreon podcast Between Imaginary Worlds. It’s a more casual chat show that appears between ad-free episodes of Imaginary Worlds for listeners who support the show on Patreon. I wanted to play this episode for you because it gives a good sense of the types of conversations we’re having on Between Imaginary Worlds. I talk with the anime voice actress Veronica Taylor about her career dubbing characters in shows like Pokémon, Dragon Ball Z, Sailor Moon, One Piece and Yu-Gi-Oh. We also discuss the differences between working with anime and working with American cartoons, like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Here is the link to support the show on Patreon. This episode is sponsored by ShipStation. Go to shipstation.com and use the code IMAGINARY to sign up for your free trial. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    38 mins