McCarthyism and queerness in 'Fellow Travelers'; plus, IBAM unplugged with Olivia Dean

It's Been a Minute

NPR

News Commentary, Society & Culture, News, Spirituality, Religion & Spirituality

4.6 • 8.8K Ratings

🗓️ 1 December 2023

⏱️ 54 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This week, Brittany chats with New Yorker television critic Inkoo Kang about Showtime's historical romance, Fellow Travelers. The show follows the lives and love of two closeted men - Hawk and Tim. It starts in 1950s Washington DC, at the height of McCarthyism and the lavender scare and continues through the AIDS crisis in the 1980s. Brittany and Inkoo discuss how the politics of the time shape the characters and how survival isn't always pretty.

Then, we switch gears and meet an artist that's been bringing Brittany joy in the cold winter months. Singer-songwriter Olivia Dean joins the show to talk her debut album, Messy, and gives IBAM an unforgettable live performance from her catalog.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Support for this podcast and the following message come from the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation,
0:05.8	where young scientists pursue bold ideas.
0:08.7	100% of your donation funds groundbreaking research. Donate today at Damon Runyon.org
0:15.0	slash donate.
0:16.0	Hey Hey, I'm Brittany Loose and you're listening to It's Been a Minute from NPR, a show where we talk about
0:26.1	what's going on in culture and why it doesn't happen by accident.
0:31.2	And heads up to listeners, this segment contains mentions of sex.
0:35.3	It's no surprise to anyone that it's been a really bad year for television.
0:40.4	The strikes really did a number on us and for those who love TV like me
0:44.8	It's been so bad that I started watching anime and I don't even like cartoons
0:49.5	But lo and behold this fall I finally got something new and juicy to watch and I want you
0:57.8	to know about it. It's called fellow travelers. It's a mini series on Showtime that's giving the people what they want.
1:06.9	This historical romance spans from the height of McCarthyism in the 50s to the more-is-mura era of the 1980s but the story centers on the tumultuous
1:16.2	relationship between two men in Washington DC. Hawk a career government
1:21.2	man played by Matt Bomer.
1:22.8	I'm no red.
1:24.0	I'm a war hero.
1:25.8	Include that in the register.
1:27.5	And Tim, an aspiring McCarthyite played by Jonathan Bailey.
1:32.0	I intern for three months of the star.
1:34.0	In the mailroom.
1:38.0	I have a degree in political science and history.
	...

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