The ArtiFact Podcast is a long-form show on books, culture, painting, and music hosted by Alex Sheremet, Joel Parrish, and a revolving door of co-hosts and guests. Each subject is covered in depth and at length, with past shows featuring the Epic of Gilgamesh, Charles Johnson's "Oxherding Tale", Leonard Shlain’s "Art & Physics", John Williams's "Stoner", and more. Opinionated, controversial, and prone to making enemies and friends of friends and enemies, ArtiFact delivers new perspectives on the arts by artists of talent.
ArtiFact: Books, Art, Culture
Claim This Podcastby automachination
3.9(11 reviews)
74 episodes
Updated Bi-weekly
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32
Podcast Authority
BetaPoorBased on show quality, social media presence, reviews, charts, and more
Quality10
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Podcast Overview
The ArtiFact Podcast is a long-form show on books, culture, painting, and music hosted by Alex Sheremet, Joel Parrish, and a revolving door of co-hosts and guests. Each subject is covered in depth and at length, with past shows featuring the Epic of Gilgamesh, Charles Johnson's "Oxherding Tale", Leonard Shlain’s "Art & Physics", John Williams's "Stoner", and more. Opinionated, controversial, and prone to making enemies and friends of friends and enemies, ArtiFact delivers new perspectives on the arts by artists of talent.
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
6/15/2021
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Recent Episodes
July 22, 2026
Top Poetry Critic DEBUNKS Misreadings of Wallace Stevens' "The Emperor of Ice-Cream" | ArtiFact 74
Wallace Stevens's "The Emperor of Ice-Cream" is a widely misunderstood poem. Poet and filmmaker Alex Sheremet is joined by poet and critic Dan Schneider to tackle not only the bad analysis of Wallace Stevens's poetry, but also that of Robert Frost in "The Road Not Taken" -- another work of art that is both far more simple, and far more complex, than it's given credit for.You can also watch this discussion on YouTube: https://youtu.be/cwVEbW1K9Xw Read Alex Sheremet's in-depth analysis of Wallace Stevens's "The Emperor of Ice-Cream": https://www.automachination.com/analysis-wallace-stevens-emperor-of-ice-cream Read Dan Schneider's classic essay on Wallace Stevens and William Shakespeare: http://www.cosmoetica.com/S3-DES3.htm Become a patron to support our work: https://www.patreon.com/c/automachination Subscribe to the ArtiFact podcast on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3xw2M4DApple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3wLpqEVAmazon Music: https://amzn.to/2SVJIxBPodbean: https://bit.ly/3yzLuUoiHeartRadio: https://ihr.fm/3AK942L Learn about our debut film, "From There To There: Bruce Ario, the Minneapolis Poet": https://www.automachination.com/cityboy-bruce-ario-great-american-novel/ Read more from the automachination universe: https://automachination.com Read Alex Sheremet's (archived) essays: https://alexsheremet.com Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/automachination Timestamps: 0:00 -- through the eyes of Wallace Stevens 1:44 -- Dana Gioia's awful reading and interpretation of "The Emperor of Ice-Cream" 3:35 -- Wallace Stevens and playful poetry; the "roller of big cigars" is not the undertaker; Wallace Stevens's relationship to New York City; sights on the Coney Island boardwalk 10:32 -- the BEST reading of "The Emperor of Ice-Cream"; why do critics miss sexual innuendo; does the first stanza have ANY intimation of death; debunking the "Caribbean funeral" myth; Wallace Stevens celebrates life and sexuality 16:04 -- explaining the second stanza; "deal" vs DEAL; sexuality in "The Emperor of Ice-Cream" 24:00 -- Wallace Stevens was THINKING of death, even if he wasn't WRITING about it; every sexual image explained; why bad critics bring Shakespeare's "Hamlet" into this poem 29:24 -- images of feminine seduction; "Yellow Afternoon" as a dark, death poem; why "The Emperor of Ice-Cream" is great 36:36 -- Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken"; debunking the most common reading 39:12 -- self-justification; why Robert Frost's mirage is so appealing; poetry and memory; Wallace Stevens vs. Robert Frost; why art is failing; Dana Gioia is an ignoramus! 52:00 -- Bruce Ario vs. Robert Frost 57:00 -- preview: Woody Allen's "Husbands and Wives"; "Annie Hall" vs. Woody's greater works Tags: #WallaceStevens #RobertFrost #PoetryAnalysis
June 23, 2026
Top Woody Allen Critic EXPOSES Crimes And Misdemeanors | ArtiFact #73
Woody Allen's "Crimes and Misdemeanors" deserves a second look not only for its frightening depiction of an otherwise "normal" killer, but also for how it masks an equally frightening comedy with dark humor. For example, Dolores (Anjelica Huston) is both a murder victim as well as a villain. Cliff Stern (Woody Allen) has noble aspirations but little talent. And Mia Farrow's character is gentle and kind, yet also a social climber who is willing to look past serious faults to grow her career. In ArtiFact #73, the world's leading Woody Allen critic, Alex Sheremet, is joined by Belgian-Kazakh critic Ruslan Gallopyn and Pakistan's Waqas Jani to analyzes the film's characters and themes. Is the blind rabbi, Ben (Sam Waterston), as blind as he seems? Is Judah Rosenthal even worse than his gangster brother? And what can be said about the relationship between comedy and drama not only in "Crimes and Misdemeanors," but Woody Allen's filmography as a whole?You can watch this discussion on YouTube: https://youtu.be/xybyMEzWLv4Read Alex Sheremet's essay on "Crimes and Misdemeanors": https://www.automachination.com/art-review-woody-allen-crimes-and-misdemeanors/ Become a patron and get the full show ad-free: https://www.patreon.com/c/automachination Bonus show topics: Louis Levy seems like a trite philosopher without much to offer; the symbolism of Ben dancing with his daughter; on Ben's blindness; Ben vs. Flynn ("Interiors"); does "Crimes and Misdemeanors" suffer from a major cliche?; the contradictions of Dolores (Anjelica Huston); is Dolores a projection of the young women Woody Allen dated; Judah vs. other cinematic killers; the comedy side seems just as frightening as the film's drama; self-knowledge in relationships; Alex's nightmare-girlfriend; Waqas reveals EVERYTHING; Indians vs. West Indians; teaching in Pakistan, Belgium, and the United States Subscribe to the ArtiFact podcast on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3xw2M4DApple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3wLpqEVAmazon Music: https://amzn.to/2SVJIxBPodbean: https://bit.ly/3yzLuUoiHeartRadio: https://ihr.fm/3AK942L Learn about our debut film, "From There To There: Bruce Ario, the Minneapolis Poet": https://www.automachination.com/cityboy-bruce-ario-great-american-novel/ Read more from the automachination universe: https://automachination.com Read Alex Sheremet's (archived) essays: https://alexsheremet.com Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/automachination Timestamps: 0:00 -- Martin Landau pretends he isn't a murderer 0:45 -- why the film's final speech is so frightening; Judah's false nervous breakdown 3:38 -- Ruslan Gallopyn on the WEAK ending of Dostoyevsky's "Crime and Punishment"; is perpetual guilt realistic; Judah as psychopath; he is compromised even before committing murder 8:15 -- social murder vs. war; killing by the push of a button or a signature 10:00 -- the world's top expert on Woody Allen explains why the director is universally loved 11:38 -- Waqas on why a man from rural Pakistan loves Woody Allen films; Woody Allen as Hollywood anti-Hollywood 15:04 -- how young men fall into the Woody Trap; Woody Allen & Europe; Alex credits Woody Allen for clarity on human relationships; comedy vs. drama in Crimes and Misdemeanors; the film packs so much in the first five minutes 21:37 -- are the eyes of God really upon us; an objective observer exists even without God; Ruslan: Judah's "eyes of God" is nothing more than his social status; ironically, Judah gets accountability through art; how image and sound cross-connect scenes 28:49 -- Clifford is a coward; Lester (Alan Alda) and Clifford are actually quite similar; Clifford as a do-nothing creep; Woody Allen's virtue signals 42:03 -- absurdity of plagiarizing James Joyce letters; the viewer begins to empathize with Clifford's bad wife; Hailey (Mia Farrow) is also a fraught character with Clifford's problems 49:04 -- Alex's dating advice to young and dumb; everyone is committing at least a misdemeanor; Woody All
June 5, 2026
Top Woody Allen Critic Gives DIRT On "Manhattan" (1979) | ArtiFact 72
Mariel Hemingway dominates "Manhattan" (1979) as she plays the role of Tracy -- Woody Allen's own projection. While "Manhattan" has become a controversial film due to the substantial age gap relationship (Woody Allen's character, Isaac, is 42, while Tracy is 17), this was not the case upon its release. Instead, it was universally praised and further cemented Woody Allen as a master of both drama and comedy. The world's leading Woody Allen critic, Alex Sheremet, is joined by Irish poet Laura Woods for a discussion of the film's illusions and the changing POVs around it.You can also watch this discussion on YouTube: https://youtu.be/HTHBvojj-vc Read Alex Sheremet's essay on "Manhattan": https://www.automachination.com/illusions-woody-allen-manhattan-review/ Subscribe to Patreon and get the full show ad-free: https://www.patreon.com/c/automachination Bonus show topics: more controversy surrounding Mariel Hemingway; how Tracy's precociousness fails; the meaning of the great planetarium imagery; more cinematography; Isaac's bout of self-recognition; why Meryl Streep kept Isaac's last name; the "gay son"; the theme of "surprise" divorces; vicarious relationships in real life; Roger Ebert weasels out of praising "Manhattan"; black and white vs. color; Alex goes to Guyana for photography; why Dan Schneider listens to podcasts of himself; why "Annie Hall" is popular among women; Alex previews his Burma/Palestine research; why pre-Christian Jews fought other Abrahamic Jews; how theology adapts to heresy; Israel vs. Judea; AI art; milestones of world poetry; Shakespeare trutherism; Alex's literary run-in with a Mormon missionary; it's much easier to find great photography than great poetry Subscribe to the ArtiFact podcast on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3xw2M4DApple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3wLpqEVAmazon Music: https://amzn.to/2SVJIxBPodbean: https://bit.ly/3yzLuUoiHeartRadio: https://ihr.fm/3AK942L Learn about our debut film, "From There To There: Bruce Ario, the Minneapolis Poet": https://www.automachination.com/cityboy-bruce-ario-great-american-novel/ Read more from the automachination universe: https://automachination.com Read Alex Sheremet's (archived) essays: https://alexsheremet.com Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/automachination Timestamps: 0:00 -- Mariel Hemingway dominates Woody Allen's "Manhattan" 0:47 -- the film's illusions 2:27 -- Laura's soft spot for "Manhattan"; drawing the viewer into illusions and delusions 5:16 -- unreliable narrators; Isaac Davis is supposed to be a bad artist 12:22 -- Diane Keaton's anxieties; Woody Allen is merely depicting the artists he's known; how art gets misused by the elites 20:30 -- art is high stakes; not everyone can be a genius!; the artistic character of New York vs. Midwest; Laura on Diane Keaton's great artistic range 26:40 -- Mariel Hemingway dominates the film as an idealized male projection; Mariel Hemingway as a composite of Woody Allen's teen girlfriends; how men show off young women; why "Manhattan" is slightly better than "Annie Hall" 33:23 -- Woody Allen's "fake" vehicular homicide joke; the men in "Manhattan" have a strict moral code meant to miss the big picture; Woody Allen's peculiar use of self-delusion 37:47 -- Mariel Hemingway is the only one who "gets" Diane Keaton; how realistic is Mariel Hemingway's character; Tracy will probably grow out of Woody Allen's character 48:50 -- the DARK ending of "Manhattan"; how Woody Allen plays both sides; reviewers didn't analyze the film's more controversial themes in 1979; UK/Irish perceptions of relationship power dynamics 58:08 -- patron preview Tags: #woodyallen #filmpodcast #cinematography
74 total episodes available
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