A podcast in which we discuss high-craft works of popular culture.

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#UpperMiddleBrow

To say a work is “high class” or “literary” might suggest it is rarified, difficult, or unrelatable. To say a work is “low class” might suggest it is lurid, pulp, lacking in value. So, we are hear to talk about the best of the middle. Books, films, and other media that aspire to entertain, but do so with great craft and skill.

In rambling but never boring episodes, Jesse and Chris navigate the tidal waters of the upper-middle-brow, choosing pieces of work we believe to have mass market appeal but also some claim to a more rarefied air. Tag along as we see if Star Wars can clamber out of the middle class, or if we’ll offend Jennifer Egan by suggesting her work is anything but highbrow. In any case, we hope you find our discussions as interesting as we do. Welcome to the Upper-Middle Brow.

  • Episode 38: “Michael a l’Orange,” or Peter Greenaway’s The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover

    Episode 38: “Michael a l’Orange,” or Peter Greenaway’s The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover

    Peter Greenaway’s film feels like an opera. It even features some operatic singing, but more to the point, its pleasures are more sensual than story driven. It’s not an easy film to watch, and may not inspire you to cook, but it is beautifully disturbing and meticulously crafted. Starring Helen Mirren and Michael Gambon in…

  • Boulet du Mouton

    Fill out our LISTENER SURVEY!!! If you listen to our episode on Babette’s Feast, you will understand why Jesse felt compelled to create a recipe for something called “Boulet du Mouton”. We don’t want to spoil it exactly, but Babette might say “Il a fait du mensonge une vérité.” Jesse INVENTED this recipe, although it has……

  • Episode 37: “Maxing Out the Turtle Budget,” or Axel Gabriel’s Babette’s Feast

    Episode 37: “Maxing Out the Turtle Budget,” or Axel Gabriel’s Babette’s Feast

    Axel Gabriel’s 1986 Danish film deservingly makes many people’s Foodie Top 10s, and we can see why. We LOVE this film, which not only shows some high level delicious cooking, but tells a parable of destiny, thwarted desire, and the balance of simplicity and hedonism with a gentle and incisive eye. The UMBs discuss whether…

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The Hosts

Chris and Jesse create and interrogate different kinds of content. They are writers, radio producers, and fair-to-middling surfers.

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