Blowback (podcast)
Blowback is a podcast about American history and foreign policy hosted by Noah Kulwin and Brendan James.[2][3]
| Blowback | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Presentation | |
| Hosted by | |
| Genre |
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| Language | American English |
| Updates | Weekly |
| Length | 30-60 Minutes |
| Production | |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 40 |
| Publication | |
| Original release | March 16, 2020 |
| Related | |
| Website | blowback |
Format
The first season of the show was a ten part series dedicated to the Iraq War.[4] Throughout the show audio clips from MSNBC and CNN and readings of news reports are provided as well as satirical skits performed by H. Jon Benjamin.[5] The second season of the show focuses on U.S. intervention before and after the Cuban revolution, and includes more interviews with those who experienced the events discussed first hand.[6] The third season of the show released in July 2022 and covers the events surrounding the Korean War.[7] The fourth season of the show began its release in August 2023, discussing the American involvement in Afghanistan, touching on subjects which mainly focus on Operation Cyclone and its consequences.
Episodes
Season 1 (2020)
| No. | Title | Running time | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | "Iraqnophobia" | 37:19 | March 16, 2020 | |
| Featuring guests H. Jon Benjamin & James Adomian | ||||
| 1 | "Rosebud" | 59:39 | June 15, 2020 | |
| Bonus | "Our Man In Baghdad" | 56:56 | June 15, 2020 | |
| Featuring guest Dahr Jamail | ||||
| 2 | "American Psycho" | 62:42 | June 22, 2020 | |
| 3 | "Curveball" | 62:42 | June 29, 2020 | |
| This episode discusses the transition from Osama bin Laden and Afghanistan to Iraq and weapons of mass destruction.[4] | ||||
| 4 | "Mars Attacks" | 31:38 | July 6, 2020 | |
| Bonus | "Iraqi Horror Picture Show" | 60:56 | July 6, 2020 | |
| Featuring guest Matt Christman | ||||
| 5 | "Dead Links" | 61:49 | July 13, 2020 | |
| Featuring guest Will Menaker | ||||
| Bonus | "Shock Corridor" | 40:09 | July 13, 2020 | |
| Featuring guest Naomi Klein | ||||
| 6 | "Year Zero" | 63:56 | July 20, 2020 | |
| 7 | "#Resistance" | 60:36 | July 27, 2020 | |
| 8 | "Electioneering" | 59:09 | August 3, 2020 | |
| The episode discusses the presidential election of George W. Bush and an election in Iraq.[2] | ||||
| 9 | "How Do You Fuck That Up?"" | 62:25 | August 10, 2020 | |
| 10 | "The Iraq War Did Not Take Place" | 65:26 | August 3, 2020 | |
Season 2 (2021)
| No. | Title | Running time | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Jupiter Menace" | 80:27 | April 18, 2021 |
| 2 | "Lo Hicimos" | 80:26 | April 18, 2021 |
| 3 | "New Normal" | 76:33 | April 25, 2021 |
| 4 | "Secret Honor" | 75:38 | May 2, 2021 |
| 5 | "Fish Is Red" | 59:30 | May 9, 2021 |
| Bonus | "Lo Distinto Se Parece" | 49:09 | July 4, 2021 |
| Bonus | "Watch Out For That Boy" | 32:07 | July 11, 2021 |
| Bonus | "CIAin't Kiddin'" | 39:10 | July 18, 2021 |
| Bonus | "Massive Retaliation" | 30:13 | July 25, 2021 |
| Bonus | "Neverland" | 38:13 | August 1, 2021 |
| 6 | "Nothing To Lose" | 62:42 | August 8, 2021 |
| Bonus | "Sweet Dirt Tony's Badasssss Song" | 87:41 | August 8, 2021 |
| 7 | "Anadyr" | 72:38 | August 15, 2021 |
| Bonus | "The Capital Of Terrorism" | 68:15 | August 15, 2021 |
| 8 | "We'll All Meet In Hell" | 65:49 | August 22, 2021 |
| Bonus | "The Most Beautiful Cause" | 36:47 | August 22, 2021 |
| 9 | "Cuba Libre" | 82:42 | August 29, 2021 |
| Bonus | "Havana (Derangement) Syndrome" | 44:37 | August 29, 2021 |
| 10 | "Infinite Crisis" | 77:27 | September 5, 2021 |
| Bonus | "Red-Handed Sleight of Hand" | 41:56 | September 13, 2021 |
Season 3 (2022)
| No. | Title | Running time | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Stop Me Before I Kill Again" | 41:00 | July 24, 2022 |
| 2 | "The Uninvited" | 72:00 | October 1, 2022 |
| 3 | "The Blue House" | 67:00 | October 10, 2022 |
| 4 | "Red Island" | 58:00 | October 17, 2022 |
| 5 | "Train To Busan" | 80:00 | October 24, 2022 |
| 6 | "National Smile Week" | 65:00 | October 31, 2022 |
| 7 | "Mao's Poem" | 65:00 | November 7, 2022 |
| 8 | "American Caesar" | 83:00 | November 14, 2022 |
| 9 | "No More Targets" | 75:00 | November 21, 2022 |
| 10 | "The Host" | 97:00 | November 28, 2022 |
| Bonus | "On Cinema With Kim Jong-Il feat. Anna Broinowski" | 49:00 | July 24, 2022 |
| Bonus | "Another Country Pt. I feat. Bruce Cummings" | 29:00 | July 24, 2022 |
| Bonus | "The Northmen feat. Suzy Kim" | 55:00 | July 24, 2022 |
| Bonus | "Another Country Pt. II feat. Bruce Cummings" | 36:00 | July 24, 2022 |
| Bonus | "Might And Right feat. Michael Brenes" | 57:00 | July 24, 2022 |
| Bonus | "Germinal Pt. I feat. Thomas Powell" | 97:00 | July 24, 2022 |
| Bonus | "Living Memory feat. Tim Shorrock" | 61:00 | July 24, 2022 |
| Bonus | "Prisoners In Paradise feat. Monica Kim" | 44:00 | July 24, 2022 |
| Bonus | "Germinal Pt. II feat. Jeffery Kaye" | 110:00 | July 24, 2022 |
| Bonus | "DMZ meets TMZ feat. Christine Ahn and Elizabeth Beavers" | 52:00 | July 24, 2022 |
Season 4 (2023)
James announced a fourth season on his Twitter account in December 2022, to be released in Summer 2023. The fourth season will be about Operation Cyclone and its consequences, including the creation of al-Qaeda and the September 11, 2001 attacks. [8]
| No. | Title | Running time | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Snake Eater" | 43:34 | August 25, 2023 |
| 2 | "Bleeders and Dealers" | 70:41 | TBA |
| 3 | "The Trap" | 60:45 | TBA |
| 4 | "They’re Yours Now" | 70:08 | TBA |
| 5 | "We Can Live With That" | 64:12 | TBA |
| 6 | "Ground Zeroes" | 64:23 | TBA |
| 7 | "Guns of the Patriots" | 65:06 | TBA |
| 8 | "Sons of Liberty" | 70:20 | TBA |
| 9 | "Peace Walker" | 70:29 | TBA |
| 10 | "The Phantom Pain" | 59:24 | TBA |
Season 4 bonuses
| No. | Title | Running time | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bonus | "Ahmed Rashid part 1" | 32:05 | August 25, 2023 | |
| First part of an interview with Pakistani journalist Ahmed Rashid | ||||
| Bonus | "Malalai Joya" | 48:44 | August 25, 2023 | |
| Interview with Afghan Feminist activist and politician Malalai Joya | ||||
| Bonus | "Red Dawn, Red Scorpion" | 146:52 | August 25, 2023 | |
| A discussion of the films Red Dawn and Red Scorpion | ||||
| Bonus | "Ahmed Rashid part 2" | 23:57 | August 25, 2023 | |
| Second part of an interview with Ahmed Rashid | ||||
| Bonus | "Fitzgerald and Gould part 1" | 39:02 | August 25, 2023 | |
| Interview with journalists Paul Fitzgerald and Elizabeth Gould | ||||
| Bonus | "Seymour Hersh" | 37:07 | August 25, 2023 | |
| Interview with journalist Seymour Hersh | ||||
| Bonus | "Fitzgerald and Gould part 2" | 27:29 | August 25, 2023 | |
| Second part of an interview with Paul Fitzgerald and Elizabeth Gould | ||||
| Bonus | "Kill ‘Em All, Let God Sort ‘Em Out" | 16:36 | August 25, 2023 | |
| Discussion of the magazine Soldier of Fortune | ||||
| Bonus | "Anatol Lieven" | 45:44 | August 25, 2023 | |
| Interview with scholar Anatol Lieven | ||||
| Bonus | "Hassan Abbas" | 50:46 | August 25, 2023 | |
| Interview with scholar Hassan Abbas | ||||
Reception
According to Vince Mancini of UPROXX and Derek Robertson of Politico, Blowback was "painstakingly researched" and didactic in its approach, "bombarding the listener with the host's sturm-und-drang argument about the Iraq War as a portal to hell that directly caused our modern-day political ills".[9][10] In a comparison of Blowback and Slow Burn, Slate's podcast about the Iraq War, Derek Robertson of Politico described Blowback as "an unapologetically left-wing re-examination of the war’s many causes and ongoing effects".[10] Jake Greenberg of Podcast Review wrote that "Blowback is an excellent piece of history, one that documents the misadventures, deceits, and war crimes" of the Iraq War.[11] Podcast Review called the topic of the second season "a tremendous fit for James and Kulwin's style".[12]
References
- Story, Hannah (December 2, 2020). "Here's Twenty New Podcasts That Made 2020, an Absolute Butt of a Year, Actually Kinda Bearable". Pedestrian.TV. Pedestrian Group. Archived from the original on January 17, 2021. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
- Brooke, Zach (August 10, 2020). "New Film Podcast Recalls How Do the Right Thing Made White Critics Paranoid". The A.V. Club. G/O Media. Archived from the original on July 23, 2021. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
- Greenberg, Jake (August 5, 2020). "Blowback: An Honest History of the Iraq War". Podcast Review. Los Angeles Review of Books. Archived from the original on October 19, 2021. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
- Day, Meagan (May 26, 2020). "Have We All Forgotten About the Iraq War?". Jacobin. Archived from the original on March 6, 2021. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
- Youhana, Michael (July 13, 2020). "The Iraq War Is the Skeleton Key". Jacobin. Archived from the original on July 23, 2021. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
- Blistein, Jon (April 19, 2021). "'Blowback' Podcast Tackles America's Meddling in the Cuban Revolution". Rolling Stone. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on April 23, 2021. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
- "Apple Podcasts Preview - Coming Soon: Blowback Season Three". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
- Brendan James [@deep_beige] (December 18, 2022). "Pleased to announce @blowbackpod SEASON 4, coming summer 2023 from me and @nkulw Teaser:" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- Mancini, Vince (December 29, 2020). "The Best Non-Fiction Podcasts of 2020". Uproxx. Warner Music Group. Archived from the original on July 11, 2021. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
- Robertson, Derek (July 3, 2021). "The Podcasting Feud Over the Iraq War's Legacy". Politico. Capitol News Company. Archived from the original on July 4, 2021. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
- "The Ten Best Podcasts of 2020". Podcast Review. Los Angeles Review of Books. December 22, 2020. Archived from the original on November 7, 2021. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
- "Three Podcasts to Listen to in June". Podcast Review. Los Angeles Review of Books. June 9, 2021. Archived from the original on August 18, 2021. Retrieved November 7, 2021.