World Fantasy Award and Nebula Award winning author James Morrow and Morrow superfan Andrew Wollman join Jen to talk about Morrow's body of work. From his first books in the science fiction genre to his latest book, the historical fiction novel Galapagos Regained, Jim's passion for telling stories over the years seems to have been rivaled only by h…

Webcomic enthusiast Jake Goldman and webcomic artist John McNamee join Jen this week to discuss (what else?) webcomics! From narrative to gag a day, highly stylized to stick figures, strips that span decades to limited seasonal arcs, webcomics are now popular enough that readers are spoiled for choice even on a niche level. Jake, John, and Jen shar…

It wouldn't be Halloween at PrePopCulture without Dickie Copeland here to read a spooky book, and this year she and Jen tackled a doozy. Broken Monsters by Lauren Beukes folds together the gritty realism of an urban crime tale with haunting supernatural elements and a hefty helping of amazing characters. Naturally this makes Dickie decide what she …

Like many of her nerdy friends, Jen spent her teen years playing Dungeons & Dragons. And while it faded out of her life after college, her love for the classic roleplaying game never waned. With the recent release of 5th edition giving her a good excuse to jump back into an old pastime, Jen's joined by Alex Berg, Dave Christenson, and James Mulholl…

In a loft in downtown Los Angeles, artist Moses Storm is currently exhibiting The Modern Millennial, a hybrid between performance art and interactive theater. Displaying his work at and living in the loft full-time, Moses is presenting an uncensored look at the modern-day millennial by giving visitors unfettered access to every aspect of his life. …

Time magazine book critic and New York Times Bestselling author Lev Grossman joins Jen to talk about his Magicians trilogy. The final installment of the series, The Magician's Land, hit number one on the New York Times Bestseller list this month, and Lev chats with Jen about wrapping up the trilogy, where the idea for the series first came from, br…

Want to celebrate two years of PrePopCulture with updates on topics from previous episodes and unaired clips? Great! That's exactly what Jen has for you. If you're enjoying PrePopCulture, please rate/review it on iTunes, and like it on Facebook! You can also follow PrePopCulture on Twitter. Want to suggest a topic for an episode? Email prepopcultur…

Andrew Wollman joins Jen to talk about everybody's favorite parody artist, Weird Al. On Billboard's charts at number one for the first time, Weird Al's latest album Mandatory Fun has gone over like gangbusters with comedy nerds as of late. But lifelong fan Andrew also chats about the original content and more offbeat work Weird Al's done over the y…

Jason Greene joins Jen to discuss whether someone who's watching Game of Thrones but hasn't yet read it should delve into the books or just stick with the show alone. As an avid fan of the books, Jason has a lot of reasons why the books are superior, but will they be enough to overcome Jen's fear that she'll love the show less if she takes his advi…

Kevin Pedersen joins Jen to talk about the way the end of days is portrayed in movies, TV, books, and video games. With a ranking system that takes into account the devastation of the initial impact, the long-term post-apocalyptic survivability, the likelihood of a real life occurrence, and the metaphor of the event itself, Kevin and Jen dissect th…

Nick Mandernach joins Jen to give you a behind the scenes look at this year's LA Indie Improv Festival. They take you through info about this year's fest, from details about planning and programming it, to additions like the opening panel and art retrospective. They also discuss the indie improv scene as a whole, and how LAIIF has evolved in respon…

Jesse Benjamin joins Jen to discuss why certain kinds of TV shows make people feel so bad for enjoying them so much. From the soapy and salacious like Sex and the City, to trashy reality like The Real Housewives of Orange County, to oddly addictive competitions like The Challenge, there's no shortage of guilty pleasures on TV. But what about these …

Writing, filmmaking, art, and music are just some of many fields in which people contend with the threat of their second piece of work not living up to their first. In this episode Jen talks with Danny Mastrangelo and James Mulholland in search of what a sophomore slump really is, and why it's so easily applicable to so many different endeavors in …

This spring marked Jen's seventh year living in Los Angeles, and she's a very different person now than when she moved there from Chicago. Examining her own struggle to acclimate, she talks to some friends about their experiences moving to LA, and how the city has or hasn't become home to them. Featuring Mark David Christenson, Stephen C. James, Je…

There are changes in store at PrePopCulture when it resumes on April 10, 2014! If you're enjoying PrePopCulture, please rate/review it on iTunes, and like it on Facebook! You can also follow PrePopCulture on Twitter. Want to suggest a topic for an episode? Email prepopculture@gmail.com! Theme song Alps by Motorama is licensed under a Creative Commo…

James Mulholland joins Jen to delve into what spurs the beginning of trends, and what happens when people chase them. From books to movies to TV shows (plus books becoming movies or TV shows), there's no shortage of fads that provided increasingly diminished returns as the companies and creators behind them had less to bring to the table with each …

Clay Larsen joins Jen this week to discuss Android: Netrunner, a game they're both obsessed with. Set in a cyberpunk world, this living card game pits two players against each other in the roles of runner and corporation. A corporation tries to score points by advancing their corporate agendas, while the runner tries to hack into the corporation's …

Danny Mastrangelo joins Jen to chat about the ins and outs of crowdfunding through Kickstarter. From what entices people to back things, to how often projects are successfully funded and fulfilled, to who Kickstarter is really "for," this one site has created a whole new avenue for making and buying everything from innovative tools to entertainment…

Sarah Claspell joins Jen to talk about the plethora of mobile apps making life easier these days than it was in the dark ages before smartphones were ubiquitous. From big things like improving your health or keeping your schedule straight, to small things like saving articles to read later or browsing Reddit, that whole "there's an app for that!" t…

Will Hines joins Jen to talk about text adventures, which are also known as interactive fiction. From formative classics like Zork, to the modern renaissance of the genre, there are countless amazing stories and fiendish puzzles to be experienced by anyone willing to invest the time to figure out the right commands to get past the first few screens…

Mark David Christenson joins Jen to dig into why fan fervor and furor are now de facto accompaniments to casting announcements for comic book movies. They examine factors that go into picking someone to bring a superhero from page to screen, from what can be interpreted about the intended treatment of a character based on the casting, to the weight…

Jake Jabbour and Art Tebbel join Jen to talk about the niche of television that is TV shows about TV shows. From early examples like The Dick Van Dyke Show to currently running Episodes, there's no shortage of programs exploring the behind the scenes antics that can unfold when producing a show. There are many different ways to approach depicting a…

PrePopCulture is adding a new type of episode to the arsenal: exploring a subculture. This week, cruise ship performer Owen Wittekindt joins Jen to talk about what it's like to live at sea. From what constitutes a good cabin, to the things that are important to find when stopping in a port, to the way living on the boat affects his interaction with…

James Mulholland joins Jen to dig into the idea of the antihero. From why they like a morally questionable main character to why depicting an antihero isn't the same as endorsing one, James and Jen have a lot of opinions on this method of characterizing a protagonist. But don't worry, it doesn't get too dark thanks to Greg Kinbear and Captain Ron. …

Alex Berg joins Jen this week to chat all things tattoo. With eight pieces and counting, Alex is no stranger to figuring out a design and where to put it, the tattooing process itself, and even a little tattoo regret. And while ink may be the sign of criminals and badasses in movies, Alex and Jen find it pretty run of the mill in LA. Heck, it may b…

This week Sarah Claspell and Dan Lippert join Jen for a two-segment episode to take a look back at the things in 2013 they were happy to see get big, were surprised to see get big, and thought would get big but didn't. They also take a look at what they hope will be big in 2014, from already established things they'd like to see grow, to new releas…

Jeff Dutton, Dave Ferguson, Mike Hanford, Matt Kowalick, and Chris VanArtsdalen join Jen this week to discuss their sketch group The Birthday Boys. They chat about their approach to comedy, and take Jen through the group's history, from putting up their first sketches at a free midnight show at Upright Citizens Brigade, to working with Bob Odenkirk…

James Mulholland joins Jen to discuss brand loyalty, and what actually constitutes it today. From tech to clothes to travel, and from online retailer to local business to giant corporation, there are a myriad of ways in which companies attempt to inspire brand loyalty. But since the reason a customer stays with a given company can range anywhere fr…

A quick message from Jen to you this week in lieu of an episode. Happy Thanksgiving! If you're enjoying PrePopCulture, please rate/review it on iTunes, and like it on Facebook! You can also follow PrePopCulture on Twitter. Want to suggest a topic for an episode? Email prepopculture@gmail.com! Theme song: Alps by Motorama is licensed under a Creativ…

Justin Donaldson joins Jen to chat about the word "nerd," and how its meaning has changed over the years. From its origin as slang for "square" in the 1950s to the connotation closer to "cool" that it has today, nerds have been wearing the term as a badge of honor for some time whether it was semantically positive or negative. There are even faux-n…

Art Tebbel joins Jen to discuss the undeniable success Marvel has had with their properties since forming their own studio to control the adaptations of their comics. From their well planned phases, to universe cohesiveness, to ever expanding delivery methods, it seems like Marvel could teach DC a thing or two. Plus Jen reveals a compelling crossov…

Mark David Christenson and Casey Feigh join Jen to talk about the culture of auditioning, whether it be for commercials, TV and film, or comedy theater house teams. Along with great advice for UCB Harold auditions, Dave and Casey share some of the the weird things they've been asked to do in commercial auditions. But even being on the casting side …

Dickie Copeland joins Jen for Halloween again this year to discuss The Creeps, the third book in John Connolly's Samuel Johnson tales. The main characters and villains from the first two books, The Gates and The Infernals, certainly have their place in this third installment, but that doesn't stop Connolly from introducing wonderful new elements, a…

Ben Webster joins Jen for the penultimate episode of this month's Halloween series to talk about haunted attractions. From traditional haunted houses and hayrides, to larger installations like the Haunted Queen Mary, to hell houses, to extreme attractions claiming to provide the experience of being the victim in a horror movie, there's something fo…

Kevin Pedersen joins Jen this week to talk about children's horror. From Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, to Are You Afraid of the Dark?, to Goosebumps, there was no shortage of creepy entertainment aimed specifically at kids in the '80s and early '90s, but do children today have as many options when they're looking for a fright? And what exactly…

With Halloween fast approaching and some potential paranormal experiences of their own in their pasts, it seemed only appropriate for Stephen C. James to finally teach Jen who she should call if there's something strange in her neighborhood. Having just watched Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II for the first time, Jen may not have come away with the…

Roger Barr and Jake Jabbour join Jen this week to usher in October by chatting about Halloween movies. Jen doesn't like to be scared so her Halloween movie marathon is less than traditional, but Roger and Jake more than make up for her missed frights with their terrifying recommendations. From old classics, to forgotten gems, to kid favorites still…

John Ford and Nadia Osman join Jen to talk about the strangely singular popularity of everyone's favorite nearly finished TV show, Breaking Bad. From its unusually high word-of-mouth, to its delightfully pulpy elements, to the uniqueness of making the audience decide whether characters are good or bad rather than just telling the viewer, there are …

Chris Teregis joins Jen to talk about Reddit, a social news and entertainment site on which information about anything and everything is disseminated into categories to which users can contribute and subscribe. With literally thousands of subreddits available to explore, Jen's a little overwhelmed, but longtime user Chris has tips for easing in and…

Dan Lippert joins Jen to talk about British comedy duo David Mitchell and Robert Webb. From their sitcom Peep Show, to sketch show That Mitchell & Webb Look, to comedy book This Mitchell and Webb Book, the duo kills with most people who know who they are. Unfortunately most people in America don't fit that bill. But Dan and Jen can give you a milli…

Mark David Christenson joins Jen to talk about creative labors of love that are given away for free. From the indie improv show they host together, to their individual podcasts, to their respective paths in acting and writing, Dave and Jen are no strangers to doing something they love without a direct agenda other than the love of the craft. But ho…

Darien Clark joins Jen to talk about Lulu, an app only accessible to girls which lets them anonymously rate the dateability of their male Facebook friends. Concerned about what Lulu's success potentially says regarding the attitudes toward dating amongst the college-aged girls it targets, Darien and Jen break the app down step-by-step and go throug…

Professional photographers Clay Larsen and Jon Mackey join Jen to talk about today's perceptions of photography. From the way technology and Instagram have affected how people view their own ability to take photos, to what now defines photojournalism, to the sometimes diluted definition of a "good" or "artistic" photo, the medium is at a much diffe…

James Mulholland joins Jen to discuss another franchise she's experiencing for the first time despite its pervasive presence in pop culture: the Terminator movies. From the franchise's own internal universe to its place in the canon of modern science fiction, there's a lot about The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day that is vastly different…

Danny Mastrangelo and Andrew Wollman join Jen to talk about this week's exciting news for Doctor Who fans, the announcement of the Twelfth Doctor. They discuss what they think of the choice of Peter Capaldi, where the show might be headed with him as the Doctor, and how regenerations affect fans in general, which is quite different from Doctor to D…

George Ouzounian joins Jen this week to talk about cord-cutting, the trend of cutting cable TV service. With alternatives running the gamut from antennas that receive broadcast networks, to streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Instant Video, to the availability of nearly any show for those willing to turn to piracy, it hardly seems wort…

Art Tebbel returns to talk with Jen about what some cartoonists have acknowledged as the last great comic strip: Calvin and Hobbes. Whether having read it in the collected volumes, day to day in the paper, or both, it seems to be one of those very rare things that is loved by everybody who experiences it. From Calvin's alter egos, to whether or not…

With three days in New York ahead of her, Jen decided to try a bit of what the city has to offer on as many fronts as she could. From pop culture to fine art to great food, she was never disappointed. 72 hours certainly wasn't enough to see everything she wanted to, but it was more than enough to send her back to LA with a smile and looking forward…

Clay Larsen joins Jen to talk about the explosion of amazing board, card, and storytelling games that have fallen under the umbrella of "tabletop games" in recent years. In the interest of trying out each of these categories plus a mix of competitive versus cooperative games, they played the Game of Thrones board game, Gloom, Grit, Pandemic, Zombie…

Phil Ranta joins Jen this week to talk about the world's oldest and largest high IQ society, of which he's a member! Phil details the admission testing process, some member benefits, and even talks about member meet-ups for the special interest groups within Mensa. And as you might expect in an episode that's essentially about super nerds, Dungeons…