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Subtext: Conversations about Classic Books and FilmsAnalysis of a book, film, play, or poem. Author: Wes Alwan and Erin O'Luanaigh
Subtext is a book club podcast for readers interested in what the greatest works of the human imagination say about lifes big questions. Each episode, philosopher Wes Alwan and poet Erin OLuanaigh conduct a close reading of a text or film and co-write an audio essay about it in real time. Its literary analysis, but in the best sense: we try not overly stuffy and pedantic, but rather focus on unearthing whats most compelling about great books and movies, and how it is they can touch our lives in such a significant way. Language: en Genres: Arts, Books, TV & Film Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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The Romance of Self-Destruction in “Withnail and I” (1987)
Sunday, 10 May, 2026
It’s 1969, and as drug guru Danny tells us, “the greatest decade in the history of mankind is over.” There will, he says, be many refugees, and the film’s implication is that Withnail—who combines self-importance and lofty ambition with substance abuse and urban squalor—will not be one of them. Marwood, by contrast, has seen the writing on the wall, in the form of the salacious tabloid stories that, while they threaten to outcompete the world’s attention for the arts, ultimately can’t be used to excuse the pair’s failure to find work as actors. Countering this attentional collapse perhaps requires getting serious: leaving bohemian pretensions behind—and along with them, as Marwood finds out in their jaunt to the countryside—a backward-looking romanticism that can be used as a cover not just for artistic paralysis but upper class predations, both economic and sexual. Wes & Erin discuss the cult classic “Withnail and I,” and whether our capacity for sublimation suffers less from the crisis of modernity than from our attempts to transcend it. Upcoming Episodes: Waiting for Godot, The Mummy Pre-order Erin’s forthcoming book “Avail” here: http://subtextpodcast.com/avail For bonus content, become a paid subscriber at Patreon or directly on the Apple Podcasts app. Patreon subscribers also get early access to ad-free regular episodes. This podcast is part of the Airwave Media podcast network. Visit AirwaveMedia.com to listen and subscribe to other Airwave shows like Good Job, Brain and Big Picture Science. Email advertising@airwavemedia.com to enquire about advertising on the podcast. Follow: Twitter | Facebook | Website
