Searching for a Midwestern Weirdness (feat. Josh Christianson)

Josiah is joined by Josh Christianson (@GnomeChamsky) to discuss the Midwest as a region and a concept. The Midwest represent "normality" in the American psyche despite it being a very weird place. It gets treated as a place without history, and it has a mythology of not having a mythology. In a casual discussion, Josiah and Josh deconstruct these ideas and ask what the future of the Midwest may be, calling for a re-imagining of Midwestern identity.

Follow today’s guest on Twitter and check out some of his work here.

Find more of Josiah’s work here

Follow Josiah on Twitter @josiahwsutton

Referenced works
Midwest Futures - Phil Christman
The danger of mythologizing America's "heartland" - Phil Christman
Dawn of Everything - David Graeber & David Wengrow
An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States - Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
Universal Harvester - John Darnielle

Music

Yesterday – bloom.
Cow - Sparklehorse
Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis - Tom Waits

Positive Jam - The Hold Steady