Narrative Machines Episode 6, "Literally Literary Suicide," explores the extraordinary life and dramatic death of Japanese literary icon Yukio Mishima. Renowned for intertwining artistry, identity, and nationalist fervor, Mishima's final act—his ritual suicide (Seppuku)—was as performative as it was political. This episode investigates how Mishima's meticulously cultivated persona, intense dedication to aesthetic ideals, and public spectacle blurred reality and fiction, leaving behind unsettling questions about authenticity, fanaticism, and the lethal power of narrative.

This episode delves into Bowie’s engagement with symbolism and fascist aesthetics during the mid-1970s, posing tough questions about the ethical limits of art and performance. It also examines the broader political implications of such themes, as addressed in episode four. From the glittering glam rock of the early ’70s, through the cocaine-fueled chaos of his occult fascination, to the introspective and reflective Berlin years that followed, Bowie’s shifting artistry reveals an artist grappling with the volatile forces he summoned.

By comparing Bowie’s calculated use of artifice to the rise of modern performative figures like Donald Trump and phenomena like Reality TV and the kayfabe of pro wrestling, we explore how spectacle, mythmaking, and image construction shape public narratives in both art and politics.

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, personas, and shifting narratives. From roleplaying games to professional personas, from instinct to artifice, we examine the idea that there is no final, unmasked self—only layers of performance. If identity is constructed through repetition and context, what does that mean for agency? And just as crucially—who is shaping the stage?

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?" delves into the power of myths and stories in shaping our realities.

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 well, but often hidden within mediums that lack the traditional aura of the sacred. 

Episode 1 of the Narrative Machines podcast, "Foundations," explores the central role of myth in shaping human perception, identity, and politics, even in a modern age that often rejects the idea of myth. The episode 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 culture.