E214 - The Low Culture of 1999 Predicting Modern America w/ Ross Benes

American Prestige

Daniel Bessner & Derek Davison

History, Politics, News

4.8 • 705 Ratings

🗓️ 10 June 2025

⏱️ 58 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

For an ad-free experience and much more content, subscribe now. Subscribers at the "Top Secret" tier get a one-year digital subscription to The Nation! In this week’s episode, Danny speaks with journalist Ross Benes about his book 1999: The Year Low Culture Conquered America and Kickstarted Our Bizarre Times. They discuss the connection between the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and “trash culture”, what makes the instantiation of reality TV in 1999 unique and how early reality shows foreshadowed modern politics, how Beanie Babies were akin to “stock investments” for working class and lower middle class people, Pokémon as a pure distillation of unrestrained capitalism, and the other features of that moment that predicted American life as we now know it. If you enjoyed this episode, listen to our discussion with Colette Shade, “Y2K: The Future That Never Was”. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to American Prestige.
0:03.2	To listen ad-free, you can subscribe at Americanprostagepod.com.
0:08.3	Find the link in our show notes.
0:11.2	Oh, that's my prime delivery.
0:12.8	Oh, already.
0:13.8	Only one thing can match the buzz of Primes fast delivery.
0:17.4	And that's the buzz of Primes entertainment.
0:20.1	What are we watching?
0:20.9	Heads of state, that new action comedy with Idris Elber as the Prime Minister,
0:24.5	John Sina as the President, and Prianka Chopra Jonas as their only hope.
0:28.2	Looks like a blast.
0:29.4	From fast delivery to explosive entertainment, it's on Prime.
0:33.7	For only 899 a month, join now.
0:36.4	Content includes limited ads, subscription or tour and news. For more information, go to amazon.co.ukes slash prime. That's kind of conversation between your soul. That's conversation to resolve and and welcome to I'm Dany.
1:05.5	I'm Danny Bessner here alone because Derek got lost in the wind.
1:09.6	But we are very excited, as in I am very excited
1:11.7	to welcome to the podcast today. Ross Benis, Ross is a journalist and author of 1999,
1:17.4	the year low culture conquered America and kickstarted our bizarre times. So Ross, thank you so much
1:24.3	for joining us. Thanks for having me here. So let's start with a question.
1:28.7	What made you want to write about 1999?
1:31.1	I remember 1999.
1:32.7	I was 14 for most of it.
	...

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