Facing Backward Podcasts

21/10/2022

This week: the beginning of a multipart biography of two of the best documented figures we know very little about: Emperor Komei, and his son and heir Meiji, whose name would end up defining one of the most important eras in Japanese history.

Episode 458 – The Empty Throne, Part 1 October 21, 2022 Isaac Meyer Leave a comment This week: the beginning of a multipart biography of two of the best documented figures we know very little about: Emperor Komei, and his son and heir Meiji, whose name would end up defining one of the most importa...

20/10/2022

https://isaacmeyer.net/2022/10/john-spano-jr/

One man lived the dream of every hockey fan when he bought a 50% stake in the ownership of the New York Islanders. There were just a few problems with his plan to save the struggling underdogs: He didn’t know anything about how to run a hockey team, he couldn’t deliver on any of his grand promises, and he didn’t actually have any money.

John Spano, Jr. October 19, 2022 Isaac Meyer Leave a comment One man lived the dream of every hockey fan when he bought a 50% stake in the ownership of the New York Islanders. There were just a few problems with his plan to save the struggling underdogs: He didn’t know anything about how to run a ...

06/10/2022

When Washington State went dry, one baby-faced cop decided to start moonlighting as a bootlegger. His alcohol empire involved crooked mayors, bootlegging conventions, airplane engines strapped to boats, and a conspiracy theory about secret messages for rum-runners hidden inside children’s bedtime stories.
https://isaacmeyer.net/2022/10/roy-olmstead-the-gentleman-bootlegger/

25/08/2022

What should you do when two different governments claim to have authority over your country? Tell everyone that a third government secretly has the real claim to power! Then, start taking people’s money so you can issue your own license plates and government ID cards. What could go wrong?

https://isaacmeyer.net/2022/08/the-taiwan-civil-government/

The Taiwan Civil Government August 24, 2022 Isaac Meyer Leave a comment What should you do when two different governments claim to have authority over your country? Tell everyone that a third government secretly has the real claim to power! Then, start taking people’s money so you can issue your o...

11/08/2022

An attempt to get to the bottom of steroid abuse in Major League Baseball spun out so badly that one of the lawyers involved ended up in prison. But why is punishing people for the misuse of regulated drugs in sports left up to private organizations in the first place? And wouldn’t baseball be so much more fun if everyone was still injecting m**h and goat testicle juice?

Content notes: Discussion of drug abuse including m**h, anabolic steroids, and goat testicle extract (yes, really)

https://isaacmeyer.net/2022/08/the-major-league-baseball-steroid-scandal/

The Major League Baseball Steroid Scandal August 10, 2022 Isaac Meyer Leave a comment An attempt to get to the bottom of steroid abuse in Major League Baseball spun out so badly that one of the lawyers involved ended up in prison. But why is punishing people for the misuse of regulated drugs in spor...

05/08/2022

This week: the career and legacy of the most influential Japanese poet you’ve probably never heard of, Fujiwara no Teika. Teika’s views on poetry and literature have shaped how we read those genres down to the present day, so how did he develop such authority in the field?

https://isaacmeyer.net/2022/08/episode-449-the-tastemaker/

Episode 449 – The Tastemaker August 5, 2022 Isaac Meyer Leave a comment This week: the career and legacy of the most influential Japanese poet you’ve probably never heard of, Fujiwara no Teika. Teika’s views on poetry and literature have shaped how we read those genres down to the present day,...

29/07/2022

This week, a current events episode on the leadup and immediate aftermath of the assassination of Prime Minister Abe Shinzo. Note: this episode is intended to be a continuation of Episode 364 (our last episode on Abe).

https://isaacmeyer.net/2022/07/episode-448-abe-part-5/

Episode 448 – Abe, Part 5 July 29, 2022 Isaac Meyer Leave a comment This week, a current events episode on the leadup and immediate aftermath of the assassination of Prime Minister Abe Shinzo. Note: this episode is intended to be a continuation of Episode 364 (our last episode on Abe). Sources Chr...

28/07/2022

The target: The British Museum of Natural History. The payload: A suitcase full of dead birds. The criminal: A flute player obsessed with the rare art of Victorian fly tying.

Content note: This episode contains discussion of the "Asperger's defense," a controversial mental health defense in the British court system. We're discussing the legal and medical terminology that was used at the time; understanding of the autism spectrum has evolved since then.

https://isaacmeyer.net/2022/07/edwin-rist-the-feather-thief/

Edwin Rist, the Feather Thief July 26, 2022 Demetria Spinrad Leave a comment The target: The British Museum of Natural History. The payload: A suitcase full of dead birds. The criminal: A flute player obsessed with the rare art of Victorian fly tying. Content note: This episode contains discussion o...

23/07/2022

This week, we’re taking a look at the legacy of one of Japan’s most influential poets: Ki no Tsurayuki. His poems may not quite be the popular phenomenon they once were, but his views about how poetry works have always been influential, and shaped how we think about poetry down to this day.

https://isaacmeyer.net/2022/07/episode-447-on-a-summer-night-the-first-thought-of-sleep/

Episode 447 – On a Summer Night, The First Thought of Sleep July 22, 2022 Isaac Meyer Leave a comment This week, we’re taking a look at the legacy of one of Japan’s most influential poets: Ki no Tsurayuki. His poems may not quite be the popular phenomenon they once were, but his views about ho...

20/07/2022

We're out for real trouble in the fake wild west with Westworld (original 1973 flavor!)

https://isaacmeyer.net/2022/07/westworld-1973/

Westworld (1973) July 20, 2022 Isaac Meyer Leave a comment Cora and Demetria take a trip to a future that’s obsessed with the past. Is Westworld a typical 70s western, or is it a twisted nostalgia trip through 50s western tropes? Is it saying som**hing about American masculinity, or is it just a s...

15/07/2022

This week, we’re unpacking a rather odd classic of Japanese literature: the Ise Monogatari, a collection of short tales that are probably about a famously seductive aristocrat, but which were in large part not written by him–and which have oddly political meanings given their often lascivious nature. What are the tales about? And what can we glean from reading them today?

https://isaacmeyer.net/2022/07/episode-446-in-days-of-old-there-was-a-man/

Episode 446 – In Days of Old, There Was a Man July 15, 2022 Isaac Meyer Leave a comment This week, we’re unpacking a rather odd classic of Japanese literature: the Ise Monogatari, a collection of short tales that are probably about a famously seductive aristocrat, but which were in large part no...

14/07/2022

We’re tackling one of our most confusing legal systems yet in a case so complicated no one could even figure out which jurisdiction covered it. Because there was no law covering criminal negligence, the accidental sinking of the warship Chishima was tried in a civil court–but Japan’s bizarre treaty system forced the emperor of Japan to personally take his suit to a British court on Chinese soil. Mix in a little debate over maritime law, a dash of confusion over precedent, and a lot of nations with an interest fighting for their share of Japanese trade for a truly nonsensical court battle.

https://isaacmeyer.net/2022/07/the-chishima-incident/

The Chishima Incident July 13, 2022 ijmeyer Leave a comment We’re tackling one of our most confusing legal systems yet in a case so complicated no one could even figure out which jurisdiction covered it. Because there was no law covering criminal negligence, the accidental sinking of the warship C...

08/07/2022

This week: we tend to think of tea in terms of the tea ceremony and fancy culture, but what about lowbrows like me who like to drink our tea bottled from a vending machine? This week we’ll be looking at tea as a commodity, and how it became a staple of Japan’s consumer culture.

https://isaacmeyer.net/2022/07/episode-445-a-bowl-for-a-coin/

Episode 445 – A Bowl for a Coin July 8, 2022 ijmeyer Leave a comment This week: we tend to think of tea in terms of the tea ceremony and fancy culture, but what about lowbrows like me who like to drink our tea bottled from a vending machine? This week we’ll be looking at tea as a commodity, and ...

06/07/2022

We’re jumping into AI art creation with Magali. When we generate artistic images with a bot, who’s the real artist? And can we make an art bot draw itself?

https://isaacmeyer.net/2022/07/midjourney/

Midjourney July 5, 2022 Demetria Spinrad Leave a comment We’re jumping into AI art creation with Magali. When we generate artistic images with a bot, who’s the real artist? And can we make an art bot draw itself? Get access to Midjourney at this link Featured image: A robot contemplates the infi...

30/06/2022

We’re closing out Pride month with a look at a country where Pride demonstrations are banned. How did Russia go from relative tolerance to extreme repression? Why did so much Soviet propaganda feature men kissing? And how did a law about kids’ media turn into a human rights violation?

https://isaacmeyer.net/2022/06/the-russian-gay-propaganda-law/

The Russian Gay Propaganda Law June 27, 2022 Demetria Spinrad Leave a comment We’re closing out Pride month with a look at a country where Pride demonstrations are banned. How did Russia go from relative tolerance to extreme repression? Why did so much Soviet propaganda feature men kissing? And ho...

18/06/2022

This week, we’re kicking off a short series on the transformations of 1960s Japan with a look at the unassuming politician who helped shape Japan’s postwar structure: Ikeda Hayato. Who was Ikeda, and how did he get into politics? And how did a man who was once accused of being a callous monster become a beloved everyman of the people?

https://isaacmeyer.net/2022/06/episode-442-the-transistor-salesman/

16/06/2022

Can you break the law by reincarnating in the wrong body? We get into Tibet’s complicated battle with China over its reincarnation lineages, including a government-mandated ceremonial golden urn, a legal precedent that requires time travel to make sense, and an inheritance dispute involving a parent who’s younger than his own child.

https://isaacmeyer.net/2022/06/the-11th-panchen-lama/