Category Archives: Uncategorized

CS 640B: Parasocial Personality Disorder



This week Trevor is joined by guest, Monia Ali to discuss fandom, shipdom and the business that surrounds both.  Monia is a fandom critic and researcher, documenting the consecration & corporate exploitation of fandom, and contextualizing the rise of stans in our cultural ecosystem.  You can read more from Monia on Medium at https://exiledfan.medium.com/ and on Substack at https://substack.com/@exiledfan

This is Part 2 of a free unlocked episode.  To get early access to future episodes, become a paid subscriber for $5/month over at patreon.com/champagnesharks and also get access to the whole archive of subscriber-only episodes, the Discord voice and chat server for patrons, detailed show notes for certain episodes, and our newsletter.

Co-produced & edited by Aaron C. Schroeder / Pierced Ears Recording Co, Seattle WA (piercedearsrec.com). Opening theme composed by T. Beaulieu. Closing theme composed by Dustfingaz (https://www.youtube.com/user/TheRazhu_)


CS 640A: Parasocial Personality Disorder



This week Trevor is joined by guest, Monia Ali to discuss fan-dom, ship-dom and the business that surrounds both.  Monia is a fandom critic and researcher, documenting the consecration & corporate exploitation of fandom, and contextualizing the rise of stans in our cultural ecosystem.  You can read more from Monia on Medium at https://exiledfan.medium.com/ and on Substack at https://substack.com/@exiledfan

This is Part 1 of a free unlocked episode.  To get early access to future episodes, become a paid subscriber for $5/month over at patreon.com/champagnesharks and also get access to the whole archive of subscriber-only episodes, the Discord voice and chat server for patrons, detailed show notes for certain episodes, and our newsletter.

Co-produced & edited by Aaron C. Schroeder / Pierced Ears Recording Co, Seattle WA (piercedearsrec.com). Opening theme composed by T. Beaulieu. Closing theme composed by Dustfingaz (https://www.youtube.com/user/TheRazhu_)


CS 639: Stale Breadtube and Sinners PREVIEW



This week, Trevor and Ken kick it off will the Diddy trial as an example of a new type of person who likes to be the defacto expert on whatever is trending in the media.  Then the conversation turns to the new movie ‘Sinners’ and the buzz its creating around the net.

This is a preview for a full patreon only episode. Become a paid subscriber for $5/month over at patreon.com/champagnesharks and get access to the whole archive of subscriber-only episodes, the Discord voice and chat server for patrons, detailed show notes for certain episodes, and our newsletter.

Co-produced & edited by Aaron C. Schroeder / Pierced Ears Recording Co, Seattle WA (piercedearsrec.com). Opening theme composed by T. Beaulieu. Closing theme composed by Dustfingaz (https://www.youtube.com/user/TheRazhu_)


CS 637: Spamworld PREVIEW



This week Trevor Mario and Ken gather up and open the show with a conversation on conspiracy in Hollywood – what would you do for fame?  And of course when you get the Three Amigos together some time will be spent on hip-hop and basketball.  All of these topics plus more combine to create a narrative of the “spam-a-fication” of modern American life.

This is a preview for a full patreon only episode. Become a paid subscriber for $5/month over at patreon.com/champagnesharks and get access to the whole archive of subscriber-only episodes, the Discord voice and chat server for patrons, detailed show notes for certain episodes, and our newsletter.

Co-produced & edited by Aaron C. Schroeder / Pierced Ears Recording Co, Seattle WA (piercedearsrec.com). Opening theme composed by T. Beaulieu. Closing theme composed by Dustfingaz (https://www.youtube.com/user/TheRazhu_)


CS 636: Vibecession



This week Trevor is joined by Teen Sheng to talk about his new article and the Vibecession we are finding ourselves in.

Links for this episode can be found at:

•Teen’s Substack Article – https://interarma.substack.com/p/the-potemkin-economy-and-the-origins

•The Onuha Brothers Scammers – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ecTFUjch_g&ab_channel=SpencerCornelia

This is a free unlocked episode.  To get early access to future episodes, become a paid subscriber for $5/month over at patreon.com/champagnesharks and also get access to the whole archive of subscriber-only episodes, the Discord voice and chat server for patrons, detailed show notes for certain episodes, and our newsletter.

Co-produced & edited by Aaron C. Schroeder / Pierced Ears Recording Co, Seattle WA (piercedearsmusic@gmail.com). Opening theme composed by T. Beaulieu. Closing theme composed by Dustfingaz (https://www.youtube.com/user/TheRazhu_)


CS 635: Try Hard pt 2 PREVIEW



This week we continue the conversation Trevor, Mario and Ken began in episode 633 on the current culture of deciding actions are not worth trying if it gets too difficult.  Using LeBron and Drake as examples and focusing on the player commitment level in the NBA and in modern era hip-hop, the Sharks dive deep on why these people act the way they do.

This is part 2 of an extended conversation available for patreon members.  Although it is not totally necessary, if you have note listened to episode 633: ‘Try Hard pt 1’ we suggest doing so first for a deeper context of the conversation.

This is a preview for a full patreon only episode. Become a paid subscriber for $5/month over at patreon.com/champagnesharks and get access to the whole archive of subscriber-only episodes, the Discord voice and chat server for patrons, detailed show notes for certain episodes, and our newsletter.

Co-produced & edited by Aaron C. Schroeder / Pierced Ears Recording Co, Seattle WA (piercedearsrec.com). Opening theme composed by T. Beaulieu. Closing theme composed by Dustfingaz (https://www.youtube.com/user/TheRazhu_)


CS 634: The Return Of Jacob Silverman



This week Trevor is joined by returning guest Jacob Silverman to continue the conversation surrounding Silicon Valleys current self-imposed role in politics and in running the government.  Jacob Silverman is an independent journalist in New York, the co-author of the New York Times best seller “Easy Money: Cryptocurrency, Casino Capitalism, and the Golden Age of Fraud” (Abrams, 2023), and the author of “Terms of Service: Social Media and the Price of Constant Connection” (HaperCollins, 2015). Silverman is currently working on a book about the the reactionary tilt of Silicon Valley elites, which will be published by Bloomsbury in 2025.  You can learn more about Silverman and his writings at: https://www.jacobsilverman.com/

This is a free unlocked episode.  To get early access to future episodes, become a paid subscriber for $5/month over at patreon.com/champagnesharks and also get access to the whole archive of subscriber-only episodes, the Discord voice and chat server for patrons, detailed show notes for certain episodes, and our newsletter.

Co-produced & edited by Aaron C. Schroeder / Pierced Ears Recording Co, Seattle WA (piercedearsrec.com). Opening theme composed by T. Beaulieu. Closing theme composed by Dustfingaz (https://www.youtube.com/user/TheRazhu_)


CS 633: Try Hard pt 1 PREVIEW



This week Trevor, Mario and Ken get together to chop it up on the current culture of deciding its not worth trying if it gets too difficult.  Using LeBron and Drake as examples and focusing on the player commitment level in the NBA, the Sharks dive deep on why these people act the way they do.

This is part 1 of an extended conversation available for patreon memebers.

Links in this episode can found at:

This is a preview for a full patreon only episode. Become a paid subscriber for $5/month over at patreon.com/champagnesharks and get access to the whole archive of subscriber-only episodes, the Discord voice and chat server for patrons, detailed show notes for certain episodes, and our newsletter.

Co-produced & edited by Aaron C. Schroeder / Pierced Ears Recording Co, Seattle WA (piercedearsrec.com). Opening theme composed by T. Beaulieu. Closing theme composed by Dustfingaz (https://www.youtube.com/user/TheRazhu_)


CS 632: Ludicrous; The Unvarnished Story Of Tesla Motors



This week Trevor is joined by guest Edward Niedermeyer to discuss  his book ‘Ludicrous: The Unvarnished Story of Tesla Motors’.  Edward is an American author, analyst, and critic who focuses on the automotive industry and mobility innovation. His writing has been published in The New York Times, The Truth About Cars, and The Wall Street Journal. Niedermeyer cohosts The Autonocast, a podcast about autonomous vehicles technology and its effects.

Links in this episode can be found at:


CS 631: Blink Twice PREVIEW



This week Trevor, Vida and Ken squad up to talk about the movie ‘Blink Twice’ and its relationship to the every day occurrences it attempts to depict.  A psychological thriller[5] film directed and produced by Zoë Kravitz (in her directorial debut) from a script she wrote with E.T. Feigenbaum. The film stars Naomi AckieChanning TatumChristian SlaterSimon RexAdria ArjonaHaley Joel OsmentKyle MacLachlanGeena Davis, and Alia Shawkat. It tells the story of a group of people invited to the private island of a billionaire tech mogul as something strange happens with the attendees.

**THIS EPISODE CONTAINS SPOILERS**

Links mentioned in this episode can be found at:

Blink Twice: Zoë Kravitz and Naomi Ackie on Making People the Right Kind of Uncomfortable and How Channing Tatum Helped Change the Ending 

Blink Twice Director Confirms What We All Suspected About the Ending

This is a patreon only episode for paid subscribers.  Become a paid subscriber for $5/month over at patreon.com/champagnesharks and get access to the full archive of subscriber-only episodes, the Discord voice and chat server for patrons, detailed show notes for certain episodes, and our newsletter.

Co-produced & edited by Aaron C. Schroeder / Pierced Ears Recording Co, Seattle WA (piercedearsrec.com). Opening theme composed by T. Beaulieu. Closing theme composed by Dustfingaz (https://www.youtube.com/user/TheRazhu_)