Dark Alleys of Media

EP6 - Andrew Tate & Media Failures

*This episode was recorded before the Tate's arrived in the US*
Who is Andrew Tate? We know of him as a social media influencer, misogynist, champion of men's rights and Pimp and more. But why is he famous and what are the forces that are driving his rise and continued relevance? 
Join us as we dive into the world of the Tates, hear from their own words and see how the traditional media forms are struggling to combat his or his contemporaries. 
 
Video references: 
The Incredibly Satisfying Downfall of Andrew Tate
Andrew Tate Exposed: Chats document manipulation of a trafficking victim!
BBC Interview with Tate
Andrew Tate's War Room exposed by Cobratate insider
Exposing Andrew Tate's Cult Full of Losers!
I Joined Andrew Tate's $5,000 War Room for 1 Year
Articles:
I’m Andrew Tate’s audience and I know why he appeals to young men
How the Tate Brothers Came to Romania and How They First Made Contact with Organized Crime
Swallowing the Red Pill: a journey to the heart of modern misogyny
The female Andrew Tate’: the new influencer dating doctrine is extreme – but I can see why it’s popular
Yes, Andrew Tate is a misogynist, but his real game is exploiting men’s vulnerabilities for cash
This is why young men are still listening to Andrew Tate
Colleges Have a Guy Problem
Women Likely to Continue Outpacing Men in Education
Gen Z does not dream of labor
Tradwives, stay-at-home girlfriends and the dream of feminine leisure
Report:
Algorithms as a Weapon Against Women: How YouTube Lures Boys and Young Men into the ‘Manosphere’
Social Media:
@CrayonMurders
@TheMilkBarTV
@ThePAXWAX
I Don't Dream of Labour TikTok trend
 
 

EP5 - Politics is Showbusiness for Ugly People

We are back!
This time we are looking at what could have been the 'greatest show on earth' a.k.a the US presidential election of 2024. 
It was definitely a show as it lacked any real substance. We will be looking specifically at image polities, online culture, the decline of legacy media & rise of new media. 
Links:
Exit polling
Abortion did not play a big role as expected in the US election
How female voters broke for Harris and Trump
Progressive measures won in conservative states and lost in liberal  states
It’s the economy stupid. Trump taps voter anger in red wave
Breaking Points - CNN: Trump COULD WIN Popular Vote
 
Election ads - 
Youtube channel with all the election ads
Top 5 Trump Ads of '24 Based On Views!
Harris opening ad
Trump Ad : They Will Never Silence Me
Harris Ad : Monster
Trump closing ad
Harris closing ad
 
Celebrity Endorsements - 
How 'damaging' celebrity endorsements could have made battleground voters turn against Kamala Harris
Why Celebrity Endorsements Don’t Always Deliver Votes, and Might Work Against Candidates
 
The rise of new media -
How Podcasts Emerged as Vehicles of Mass Reach, Niche Audiences and Cultural Influence
Joe Rogan and the Fifth Estate: How the Podcaster and a Group of Cable News Exiles Became More Powerful Than Traditional Media
Podcast giant Joe Rogan may have played key role in US elections
 
The legacy media in crisis -
Viewers flee MSNBC and flock to Fox News 
60 Minutes ADMITS It Edited Kamala Harris Interview, DEFENDS Choice Anyway
Bad News
Media’s Crisis Point: It’s Losing Relevance and Scorned in Trump Era. A Reboot May Be Next
Joe Biden's bad debate performance exposed legacy media
Legacy media faces identity crisis ahead of Trump’s term
Poor news judgment has shredded US legacy media’s influence. What about in Australia?
 
US Election ad spending -
Unpacking the Data Behind Trump and Harris’ Presidential Election Ad Spending
 

EP4 - Manufacturing the Band

Lou Perlman became infamous for creating some of the bestselling Boy Bands in the world and running a ponzi scheme for over 40 years. What did this guy get up to? How did he make his money? 
More importantly, why were boy Bands such money makers for studios and what lies behind the extravagant facade?
We deep dive into Perlmans past, his scams, the exploitation of his artists and then look into how this is the norm in the music industry where music and the artists are commodities. 
In the end of the episode, we listen to the words of the very honest, Simon Cowell. 
 
The Boy Band Con: The Lou Perlman Story (WATCH) 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcCRs0Ic3FI&t=1823s
 
Menudo: Forever Young looks at the Exploitative Nature of Boy Bandshttps://www.huffpost.com/entry/menudo-forever-young-exploitation-boy-bands_n_62b9cfc4e4b0cf43c86835f8
 
Dirty Pop: Boy Band Scam Awkwardly Curates the Facts
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/dirty-pop-boy-band-scam-review-flawed-celebrity_n_669fe59ae4b08943f2a14923
 
The True Story Behind Dirty Pop: The boy Band Scam
https://time.com/7002523/dirty-pop-netflix-time-studios/
 
The Dark Questions Netflix’s Lou Perlman Doc Dirty Pop Doesn’t Answer
https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/story/lou-pearlman-backstreet-boys-nsync-dirty-pop
 
Making the Band: Dark History of boy Bands
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ahxk3GTi5yc
 
Lou Perlman: The Evil Behind 90s Boy Band
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbOzY9pRxA0
 
All About the Disgraced Con Artist Who Discovered NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys
https://www.ranker.com/list/scary-lou-pearlman-stories/carly-silver
 
Record Breaking Revenues in the Music Business, But are Musicians Getting a Raw Deal
https://www.forbes.com/sites/oisinlunny/2019/05/15/record-breaking-revenues-in-the-music-business-but-are-musicians-getting-a-raw-deal/
 
Music Industry Monopolies: Are They Preventing Growth
https://www.gearnews.com/music-industry-monopolies-are-they-preventing-growth/
 
How Music Monopolies own your ears (and Everything that goes in Them)
https://challenge-magazine.org/2022/05/16/how-music-monopolies-own-your-ears-and-everything-that-goes-in-them/
 
Diary of a CEO: Simon Cowell Opens Up About His Heartbreaking Loss & His Regrets About One Directionhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvsbCdCG8gE
 

EP3 - Military Entertainment Complex

Today we will be looking at the documentary Theaters of War (2022).
All art is propaganda and no one pushes agendas like the media industry. But what if we told you that some of your favourite action films exist to shape a narrative, project power, recruit new blood and showoff their toys.
We will be looking at the how the US Military completely rewrites many beloved films to suit their agenda and try to snuff out films that go against them.
Theaters of War:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ww1Ik2WlW1s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJT1Wtt_CGc
 
Deep Dive: Hollywood, the US Army and the military entertainment complex
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCPYKEPC5CI&list=PLUW304lJeu3XJqCDB-ioKyXjn4VPIgWAa&index=9
Somalis cheer at Black Hawk Down screening:
https://edition.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/africa/01/22/blackhawk.screening/index.html
Operation Paperclip:
https://www.history.com/news/what-was-operation-paperclip
https://coffeeordie.com/operation-paperclip#:~:text=The%20Soviet%20Union's%20Operation%20Paperclip&text=The%20Soviet%20version%20of%20Operation,equipment%2C%20and%20other%20work%20materials
Nazi to NATO pipeline:
https://www.historynet.com/these-nato-generals-had-unusual-backgrounds-they-served-in-the-third-reich/
Operation Osoaviakhim?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Osoaviakhim
Who beat the Nazis: 
https://www.vox.com/2014/6/16/5814270/the-successful-70-year-campaign-to-convince-people-the-usa-and-not
How the military uses video games for recruitment:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=HAlGaqTItvU
Call of Duty:
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/oct/22/call-of-duty-gaming-role-military-entertainment-complex
Spyculture:
https://www.spyculture.com/
Reel Power: Hollywood Cinema and American Supremacy
https://www.plutobooks.com/9780745329826/reel-power/

EP2 - Diddy Do it?

In this episode we will be looking at the Diddy situation, who is involved and how far up it goes. Is this just about Diddy? How much of the industry knows about this and how far back does it go? 
Resources:
Deep Diving P. Diddy's Trafficking Investigation: It's Worse Than You Think...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5w0i-oYWyyI
Hip-Hop and the FBI: A Little-Known History
https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/music/a22912/hip-hop-and-the-fbi/
Mintpress news: https://www.mintpressnews.com/p-diddy-pedo-party-lawsuit-snags-another-pro-israel-lobbyist-music-exec-lucian-grainge/287207/
Hiding in Hip Hop: On the Down Low in the Entertainment Industry--From Music to Hollywood: https://www.amazon.com.au/Hiding-Hip-Hop-Terrance-Dean/dp/1416553401
Dancing with the Devil, how Puff burned the bad boys of Hip-Hop: Dancing with the Devil: https://www.amazon.com/Dancing-Devil-Puff-Burned-Hip-Hop/dp/0615276504
J. Edgar Hoover Was Homosexual, Blackmailed by Mob, Book Says: https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-02-06-mn-1078-story.html
Diddy, Justin Combs Face Renewed Accusations of Attempted Murder in Latest Legal Filings — Pair Allegedly Gunned Down Associate in LA Studio Bathroom Following Heated Argument: https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2024/06/03/diddy-justin-combs-attempted-murder-accusation/
Ice Cube clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ec6jeORp3GA
Gene Deal Clips: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5LfNsehxaQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfJUlsAz1Wc
 
 

EP1 - Not so Quiet on Set

Today we dissect the Quiet on Set documentary series and look at what it explores and what it leaves out. We go on to discuss Dan Schneider's response, some of the cast who feel exploited by the documentary and the original expose doco, An Open Secret (2014)
Resources:
'Quiet on Set' director Deny Marc Summers claims he left after feeling blindsided by doco: Nobody ever walked out
https://variety.com/2024/tv/awards/quiet-on-set-directors-marc-summers-walked-out-1235993191/?sub_action=logged_in
What Quiet on Set leaves out:
https://www.vulture.com/article/what-quiet-on-set-leaves-out.html
An Open Secret: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8uccDBgkpA
Scandy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOJL8aM1pI0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-uQb9yBb-s
https://variety.com/2016/film/news/elijah-wood-pedophilia-hollywood-problem-1201781021/
Dan Schneider's response: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MX9pLTuGX_M&pp=ygUTc2NhbmR5IHF1aWV0IG9uIHNldA%3D%3D