The Big Hit Show

The Big Hit Show

Higher Ground

Journalist Alex Pappademas takes us on an epic journey that spans genres, mediums, and generations to explore what happens when a wildly successful piece of pop culture gets so big that it changes the world. This show is about how big hits get dreamed up, how they get made, and what happens when we make them our own.

Fulfillingness’ First Finale, from The Wonder of Stevie

Fulfillingness’ First Finale, from The Wonder of Stevie

Hey Big Hit Show fans. We’re sharing a preview of a new podcast from Higher Ground called The Wonder of Stevie. It's hosted by Wesley Morris and this episode features Alex Pappademas. Host Wesley Morris is taking you on a deep-dive through Stevie's Classic Period. In this episode, Wesley talks with Alex about the fourth album in Stevie’s streak: Fulfillingness’ First Finale. It was made following an unexpected and life-changing event, and shows Stevie’s different, moodier, more reflective side.

Oct 3, 2024 • 46:14

Pokémon | E5: Evolution

Pokémon | E5: Evolution

The battle is over, and Pokémon has won. Almost twenty-five years after it arrived on these shores, Pokémon hasn’t just survived— it’s become the kind of pop-cultural phenomenon that parents share with their kids. But what does that say about Pokémon, and what does our yearning for an ever-more-immersive pocket-monster-catching experience say about us?TRANSCRIPT: HERECREDITS:Writer and Host: Alex PappademasShowrunner: Colin McNultyProducers: Taylor Jones and Sabrina Fang, with help from Tyler Hi

Nov 23, 2022 • 44:30

Pokémon | E4: Sparkly Cardboard

Pokémon | E4: Sparkly Cardboard

Thanks to nostalgic fans and influential new collectors, the value of vintage Pokémon trading cards is through the roof. But you don’t have to find and flip a million-dollar Charizard to have your life changed by Pokémon. An episode about collecting, connecting, and a podcast producer who lands in Las Vegas with a binder full of holos and a dream.TRANSCRIPT: HERECREDITS:Writer and Host: Alex PappademasShowrunner: Colin McNultyProducers: Taylor Jones and Sabrina Fang, with help from Tyler Hill.Pr

Nov 16, 2022 • 52:02

Pokémon | E3: Satanic Consumption

Pokémon | E3: Satanic Consumption

At the end of the ‘90s, after blowing up in Japan, Pokémon came to America. And it became so ubiquitous so fast that critics saw it as a plot to turn U.S. children into hypnotized consumers— or even devil-worshippers. But the version of Pokemon that conquered America was very much an American creation; in this episode we’ll look at how Pokemon became an international brand, and how its success brought out the worst in more than a few American parents.TRANSCRIPT: HERECREDITS:Writer and Host: Alex

Nov 9, 2022 • 55:29

Pokémon | E2: Red Versus Blue

Pokémon | E2: Red Versus Blue

In which a red-hot video game company crashes and burns, with a little help from E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. The decline of Atari paved the way for a gaming renaissance— think Donkey Kong, Mario and eventually Pikachu. But as Japan took the upper-hand in the console business and taught a generation of American kids how to play, some Americans grew paranoid about a resurgent foreign power beating us at our own game.TRANSCRIPT: HERECREDITS:Writer and Host: Alex PappademasShowrunner: Colin McNultyP

Nov 2, 2022 • 49:00

Pokémon | E1: Get Outside

Pokémon | E1: Get Outside

There are big hits, and there are really big hits— and then there’s Pokémon, a kids’ game from Japan that evolved into the biggest multimedia entertainment franchise of all time. In this episode we’re time-traveling from ‘90s Tokyo— where a bug collector turned game designer first dreamed of catching pocket-sized monsters— to 2016, when an addictive mobile game helped Pokemon re-conquer the world.TRANSCRIPT: HERECREDITS:Writer and Host: Alex PappademasShowrunner: Colin McNultyProducers:

Oct 26, 2022 • 47:46

Season 4: Pokémon

Season 4: Pokémon

The Big Hit Show Season 4 debuts on August 17th. How did a Japanese video game from the 1990’s become the single highest grossing franchise in history - bigger than Star Wars and Harry Potter combined? This season on The Big Hit Show, we’re exploring the biggest hit of all time, Pokémon, and how these adorable pocket monsters evolved into a media supernova unlike any the world has ever seen.TRANSCRIPT: HERE CREDITS:Writer and Host: Alex PappademasShowrunner: Colin McNultyProducers: Tayl

Oct 19, 2022 • 2:02

Fight Club | E5: The Blueprint

Fight Club | E5: The Blueprint

“Masculinity is a lot like Fight Club. The first rule is that you don't talk about it.” In this episode, we’re breaking that rule, examining what Fight Club has to say about the emotional lives of men, the links between masculinity and extremist violence, and the path out of the darkness.TRANSCRIPT: HERECREDITS: Host, Writer: Alex PappademasShowrunner: Colin McNultyProducers: Sabrina Fang and Taylor JonesProduction Assistant and Fact Checker: Stella HartmanComposer, Sound Designer, Mix

Oct 12, 2022 • 47:04

Fight Club | E4: DVD Extras

Fight Club | E4: DVD Extras

There were two verdicts on Fight Club: the opening-weekend box office numbers (spoiler alert: yikes) and the judgment of history. We’ll look at how Fight Club channeled the anti-consumerist politics of its moment, and explore some of the more provocative arguments made in the ensuing years about this still-contentious cult classic and its take on modern men.TRANSCRIPT: HERECREDITS: Host, Writer: Alex PappademasShowrunner: Colin McNultyProducers: Sabrina Fang and Taylor JonesProduction Assistant

Oct 5, 2022 • 47:46

Fight Club | E3: A Smoking Baby

Fight Club | E3: A Smoking Baby

Seriously, though— how did a movie as unashamedly anti-capitalist and absurdly homoerotic as Fight Club get made by a major studio, let alone a studio owned by Rupert Murdoch? In this episode, an unlikely piece of material— and an uncompromising director’s vision for that material— somehow survives the Hollywood machine, some potentially disastrous PR, and the disdain of a billionaire who doesn’t care for movies.TRANSCRIPT: HERECREDITS: Host, Writer: Alex PappademasShowrunner: Colin McNultyProdu

Sep 28, 2022 • 50:33

Fight Club | E2: 34 or 35 Drunk Santas

Fight Club | E2: 34 or 35 Drunk Santas

There would be no Fight Club without Chuck Pahlaniuk, the diesel mechanic turned novelist who dreamed up the concept during a shift on the assembly line. In this episode we’re diving into the wild life of Fight Club’s author and the people, places and experiences that shaped his most famous creation, from his traumatic childhood to culture-jamming shenanigans in ‘90s Portland.TRANSCRIPT: HERECREDITS: Host, Writer: Alex PappademasShowrunner: Colin McNultyProducers: Sabrina Fang and Taylor JonesPr

Sep 21, 2022 • 43:37

Fight Club | E1: Crystal Balls

Fight Club | E1: Crystal Balls

It’s easy to reduce Fight Club’s legacy to a few pop-cultural bullet points: The First Rule, the Second Rule, Brad Pitt’s abs. But in 2022 hindsight, this radical 1999 sleeper hit feels more relevant than ever. We’re looking at the messed up crystal ball that is Fight Club and what it still has to tell us about capitalism, masculinity, and the human yearning to fuck shit up.TRANSCRIPT: HERECREDITS: Host, Writer: Alex PappademasShowrunner: Colin McNultyProducers: Sabrina Fang and Taylor JonesProd

Sep 14, 2022 • 41:43

Season 3: Fight Club

Season 3: Fight Club

The Big Hit Show Season 3 debuts on July 13th. Making satire is hard. And what if the satire you make is so cool, so star-studded, so subversive that the audience takes the wrong message from it? In Season 3 of The Big Hit Show, we’re breaking the first rule of Fight Club to dive deep into David Fincher’s 1999 film, tracing its journey from box office flop to cult classic. In the 90s, the story it told seemed far-fetched to a lot of folks, but these days Fight Club can be seen as an eerily presc

Sep 7, 2022 • 2:08

To Pimp A Butterfly | E5: Spirits

To Pimp A Butterfly | E5: Spirits

Kendrick communes with ghosts—specifically the ghost of Tupac Shakur—as he faces the central questions about leadership and responsibility that drive To Pimp a Butterfly.TRANSCRIPT: HERECREDITS:Host, Writer: Alex PappademasShowrunner: Colin McNultyProducers: Taylor Jones and Sabrina FangProduction Assistant: Stella HartmannComposer, Sound Designer, Mix Engineer: Alex MacInnisTheme Song: Dan LeoneFact Checker: Savannah WrightArchival Audio Provider - Joshua MellinExecutive Producer for W

Jul 13, 2022 • 53:04

To Pimp A Butterfly | E4: Alright

To Pimp A Butterfly | E4: Alright

The real story behind the defining protest song of our age, and how Kendrick grappled with the post-Ferguson moment.TRANSCRIPT: HERECREDITS:Host, Writer: Alex PappademasShowrunner: Colin McNultyProducers: Taylor Jones and Sabrina FangProduction Assistant: Stella HartmannComposer, Sound Designer, Mix Engineer: Alex MacInnisTheme Song: Dan LeoneFact Checker: Savannah WrightArchival Audio Provider - Joshua MellinExecutive Producer for Western Sound: Ben AdairExecutive Producers for Higher Ground: D

Jul 6, 2022 • 54:10

To Pimp A Butterfly | E3: Mr. Andrews' Mercury

To Pimp A Butterfly | E3: Mr. Andrews' Mercury

Kendrick erases the line between hip-hop and jazz with help from an all-star band of L.A. musicians who’ve been playing together since high school.Transcript: HERECREDITSHost, Writer: Alex PappademasShowrunner: Colin McNultyProducers: Taylor Jones and Sabrina FangProduction Assistant: Stella HartmannComposer, Sound Designer, Mix Engineer: Alex MacInnisTheme Song: Dan LeoneFact Checker: Savannah WrightExecutive Producer for Western Sound: Ben AdairExecutive Producers for Higher Ground: Dan Fierma

Jun 29, 2022 • 49:00

To Pimp A Butterfly | E2: Bigger Than Compton

To Pimp A Butterfly | E2: Bigger Than Compton

After leaving Compton for South Africa, Kendrick comes back a changed man—and reimagines the sound and message of his next album.Transcript: HERECREDITSHost, Writer: Alex PappademasShowrunner: Colin McNultyProducers: Taylor Jones and Sabrina FangProduction Assistant: Stella HartmannComposer, Sound Designer, Mix Engineer: Alex MacInnisTheme Song: Dan LeoneFact Checker: Savannah WrightArchival Audio Provider - Jürgen and Claudia SchadebergExecutive Producer for Western Sound: Ben AdairExe

Jun 22, 2022 • 45:38

To Pimp A Butterfly | E1: Hello Kendrick

To Pimp A Butterfly | E1: Hello Kendrick

Hot off the critical and commercial supernova that was good kid, m.A.A.d. city, Kendrick Lamar faces loss and confusion, and prepares to make an unexpected, groundbreaking next move. Transcript: HERECredits:Host, Writer: Alex PappademasShowrunner: Colin McNultyProducers: Taylor Jones and Sabrina FangProduction Assistant: Stella HartmannComposer, Sound Designer, Mix Engineer: Alex MacInnisTheme Song: Dan LeoneFact Checker: Savannah WrightExecutive Producer for Western Sound: Ben AdairExe

Jun 15, 2022 • 47:20

Season 2: Kendrick Lamar's "To Pimp a Butterfly"

Season 2: Kendrick Lamar's "To Pimp a Butterfly"

The Big Hit Show Season 2 debuts on February 16th. In hip-hop, one hit can make you a star, and one perfect album can make you an icon. But what do you do for an encore? In Season 2 of The Big Hit Show, the best rapper alive tries to figure out what to do next, channeling the pressures of fame and the pain of a generation into a career-defining masterwork, To Pimp a Butterfly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy fo

Jun 8, 2022 • 2:07

Twilight | E5: Twilight Forever!!

Twilight | E5: Twilight Forever!!

In our epic finale, we travel from Forks, Washington to Hollywood, California on a journey to understand the unexpected (and unintended) ripple effect of Stephenie Meyer’s creation.Transcript: HERECredits:Host, Writer: Alex PappademasShowrunner: Colin McNultyProducers: Sabrina Fang, Lori Galarreta, Taylor JonesProduction Assistant: Stella HartmannComposer, Sound Designer, Mix Engineer: Alex MacInnisTheme Song: Dan LeoneFact Checker: Savannah WrightExecutive Producer for Western Sound: Ben Adair

Jun 1, 2022 • 49:18

Twilight | E4: Fade To Black

Twilight | E4: Fade To Black

The explosive success of the first Twilight movie defied everyone’s expectations, including those of the studio that produced it. But its most intimate impact was on the film’s two young stars - Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart - whose romance (and scandal) shocked Twilight fans and haters across the world. Transcript: HERECredits:Host, Writer: Alex PappademasShowrunner: Colin McNultyProducers: Sabrina Fang, Lori Galarreta, Taylor JonesProduction Assistant: Stella HartmannComposer, Sound Des

May 25, 2022 • 46:59

Twilight | E3: I Love Him, I'm So Sorry

Twilight | E3: I Love Him, I'm So Sorry

The explosive success of the first Twilight movie defied everyone’s expectations, including those of the studio that produced it. But its most intimate impact was on the film’s two young stars - Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart - whose romance (and scandal) shocked Twilight fans and haters across the world. Transcript: HERECredits:Host, Writer: Alex PappademasShowrunner: Colin McNultyProducers: Sabrina Fang, Lori Galarreta, Taylor JonesProduction Assistant: Stella HartmannComposer, Sound Des

May 18, 2022 • 52:11

Twilight | E2: We Need More Jet Skis

Twilight | E2: We Need More Jet Skis

Inside the almost-making of the ill-advised Twilight movie you never saw! A wild story about a billion-dollar franchise almost undone by conventional movie-business wisdom…and men who underestimated the power of young women. Transcript: HERECredits:Host, Writer: Alex PappademasShowrunner: Colin McNultyProducers: Sabrina Fang, Lori Galarreta, Taylor JonesProduction Assistant: Stella HartmannComposer, Sound Designer, Mix Engineer: Alex MacInnisTheme Song: Dan LeoneFact Checker: Savannah W

May 11, 2022 • 47:29

Twilight | E1: A Warm Hug of Problematic Love

Twilight | E1: A Warm Hug of Problematic Love

To make the case for Twilight we need to understand the case against it. This episode examines the roots of people’s hatred of Twilight (spoiler alert: it’s misogyny, but it’s not just misogyny), charts the evolution of modern teenage fan culture, and reveals the reasons why Stephenie Meyer’s series has resonated so deeply with generations of young women.Transcript: HERECredits:Host, Writer: Alex PappademasShowrunner: Colin McNultyProducers: Sabrina Fang, Lori Galarreta, Taylor JonesPro

May 4, 2022 • 43:39

Introducing The Big Hit Show

Introducing The Big Hit Show

The Big Hit Show is out now. Season One: How Twilight became a multi-billion dollar phenomenon and upended all the conventional wisdom about the power of young women and what happens when fans take the narrative into their own hands. Take a bite. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privac

Apr 25, 2022 • 2:44

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