Narrative Machines
James Curcio: Artist / Author
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About This Podcast
A podcast on memetics, myth and propaganda: how our narratives define the limits of our political and personal identity, how any era of civilization may be consigned to myth just as it was defined by it. Drawing on over a decade of interdisciplinary research, this podcast examines how ideas spread through the internet, shaping perceptions, reshaping societal norms, and constructing identities and politics—often without conscious awareness.
By analyzing the narratives we create, consume, and reinterpret, Narrative Machines offers a timely exploration of the influence of narratives, encouraging listeners to reflect on how myths shape their lives, both consciously and unconsciously.
Previous drafts of many of these ideas were published in 2017 in Narrative Machines (Mythos Media), in 2020 in Masks: Bowie & Artists of Artifice (Intellect/ University of Chicago), and various web publications. It is presented here in audio format for the first time with additional reflections and editorial.
For more of the author’s work in various mediums and formats, visit JamesCurcio.com
You can also find more podcasts and articles about RPGs and collective storytelling at ModernMythology.net
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Recent Episodes
S1E6 Episode 7: Remembered and Remembered Again
In Episode 7 of Narrative Machines, "Remembered and Remembered Again," we interrogate the tension between the popular belief in linear societal progress and the inherently cyclical nature of…
Episode 6: Literally Literary Suicide
Building on concepts from previous episodes, Narrative Machines Episode 6, "Literally Literary Suicide," explores the extraordinary life and dramatic death of Japanese literary icon Yukio Mishima.…
Episode 5: Eccentric and Quite Mad
David Bowie’s career exemplified the interplay of performance, identity, and mythmaking. Through personas like Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane, and the Thin White Duke, Bowie blurred the lines between…
Episode 4: Masks All The Way Down
Narrative Machines, Episode 4: Masks All The Way Down challenges the notion of identity as a singular, stable essence, instead presenting it as a recursive performance—an interplay of masks,…
Episode 3: With Whose Voice Do We Speak?
In an era of "post-truth," where narratives vie for dominance in a hyper-capitalist attention economy and even basic facts are contested, Narrative Machines Episode 3, "With Whose Voice Do We Speak?"…
Episode 2: Myth is Dead; Long Live Myth
This episode argues that the commonly held belief that myth is dead - a relic of the past replaced by modern science and reason - is itself a framing myth of modernity. Instead, myth is alive and…
Episode 1: Foundations
This first episode of Narrative Machines argues that while we may call some stories myths and others not, all stories have the potential to become myths as they are repeated and embedded in our…
Frequently Asked Questions
Narrative Machines has published 7 episodes since December 2024, covering topics in Arts, Books.
Narrative Machines is currently dormant with new episodes every 2 weeks. Average episode length is 36m.
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