A new memoir from Ira Madison III is more than just 'Pure Innocent Fun'

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Books, Arts

4.2 • 672 Ratings

🗓️ 19 February 2025

⏱️ 9 minutes

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Summary

TV writer, culture critic and podcast host Ira Madison III was not just one of the only Black students at his high school, he was also one of the only gay kids. In his new memoir, Pure Innocent Fun, Madison writes about how cultural artifacts became more than just a source of entertainment - they became a way to feel connected to others. In today's episode, Madison speaks with NPR's Juana Summers about growing up without many queer adults to turn to, and how Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a way for young queer kids to feel seen.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, it's Ampera's Book of the Day. I'm Andrew Limbaugh. I think anyone listening to a podcast
0:06.7	about books can relate to someone finding comfort inside culture. TV writer and podcast host,
0:12.5	Ira Madison III, has a new book titled Pure Innocent Fun. It's a part memoir, part cultural
0:18.4	criticism about retreating from the world around him into
0:22.4	music, movies, and TV shows.
0:24.9	And he talks to NPR's Juana Summers about what these cultural artifacts provided him,
0:29.8	a gay black kid growing up in a place where there weren't many other kids like him around.
0:35.5	Entertainment, sure, but also a way to connect to other people.
0:39.6	That's ahead.
0:40.7	In the U.S., national security news can feel far away from daily life.
0:45.0	Distant wars, murky conflicts, diplomacy behind closed doors on our new show, sources and methods.
0:51.3	NPR reporters on the ground bring you stories of real people
0:54.9	helping you understand why distant events matter here at home. Listen to sources and methods on the NPR
1:01.1	app or wherever you get your podcasts. Ira Madison III's new memoir practically explodes
1:08.9	with pop culture references from The Mighty Morph and Power Rangers
1:12.8	to Lil Kim.
1:21.2	When we talked about his memoir, it's called Pure Innocent Fun, and we'll get back to that title
1:26.2	later.
1:26.5	He told me, as one of the very few black kids at his high school, he retreated into pop culture.
1:33.2	Music, TV, at the mall every weekend, watching sometimes multiple movies in a day.
1:38.4	That's sort of where my pop culture knowledge all comes from.
1:42.1	At the top of Madison's list is Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the TV show from 1997.
	...

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