In I'm A Fan of That, pop culture writer Holly Swinyard and pop anthropologist Vivian Asimos talk about the wonderfully complicated worlds of fandom through the objects we love. From what the D20 tells us about storytelling in table top role playing games, to how Taylor Swift crafts her own narrative, to Love Island water bottles and the power of the celebrity, no fandom is off limits. We discuss the history, sociology and anthropology of our fandoms, and always have a bit of fun along the way.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
Today, both Vivian and 'Olly are a bit tired and have been apart for some time, so we're just going to have a friend catch up chat and want you to come and join us. It's slowly crawling toward autumn here in the UK, so we're both feeling a little nostalgic and cosy, so today is all about cosy games, nostalgic reads and music, and just trying to enjoy life.
Topics We Mentioned
Daisy Granade (https://www.daisygrenade.com/)
Wind in the Willows (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wind_in_the_Willows)
The Magician's Nephew - Greta Gerwig's images (https://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/narnia-magicians-nephew-aslan-meryl-streep-cover-exclusive/)
Little Witch in the Woods (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Witch_in_the_Woods)
Sovereign Tower (https://wildwits.itch.io/sovereign-tower)
Our Socials
Vivian's Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/vivianasimos)
Holly's Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/lilistprince)
The Pod's Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/fanofthatpod)
Buy Our Books!
Buy Holly's Book! (https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/A-History-of-Fans-and-Fandom-Hardback/p/49085)
Buy Vivian's Book! (https://reaktionbooks.co.uk/work/cosplay-and-the-dressing-of-identity)
Fan Of That is now on Patreon!
Go support us over there! (https://www.patreon.com/fanofthatpod)
Music for this episode was Nowhere Land by Kevin MacLead Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6v_WlDR3qxE)
Logo by Moira Daykin, (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6v_WlDR3qxE)@mecha_moira (https://www.instagram.com/mecha_moira/) on instagram
This episode was produced by Vivian Asimos and Holly Swinyard
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
13 Sept 2026
Is it parasocial, or is it just empathy?
We're talking about a big topic in pop culture these days: paraosciality. And yes, Vivian will be talking about her work into Swifties and Taylor Swift a bit, but mostly we chat about what it actually means to be parasocial, and even if such a thing actually does exist?
Vivian's Research Material
Individual celebration of pop music icons: A study of music fans relationships with their object of fandom and associated practices (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/cb.1751)
Check out Vivian's survey for Swifties (https://forms.gle/YqjWmEr24LYVSkFG6)
Our Socials
Vivian's Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/vivianasimos)
Holly's Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/lilistprince)
The Pod's Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/fanofthatpod)
Buy Our Books!
Buy Holly's Book! (https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/A-History-of-Fans-and-Fandom-Hardback/p/49085)
Buy Vivian's Book! (https://reaktionbooks.co.uk/work/cosplay-and-the-dressing-of-identity)
Fan Of That is now on Patreon!
Go support us over there! (https://www.patreon.com/fanofthatpod)
Music for this episode was Nowhere Land by Kevin MacLead Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6v_WlDR3qxE)
Logo by Moira Daykin, (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6v_WlDR3qxE)@mecha_moira (https://www.instagram.com/mecha_moira/) on instagram
This episode was produced by Vivian Asimos and Holly Swinyard
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
30 Aug 2026
Trigger Warnings... or not?
Warning: This episode contains two people trying their best to have a nuanced conversation about something complicated, personal, and sensative.
That's right, we're chatting about trigger warnings today, those pesky lists of things that a social media post, a blog post, a video essay, or something else online have at the beginning. The point was to try and keep people who may have trauma induced responses to certain contant from having a physical and emotional reaction. But is that actually whats happening now? Does "trigger" even mean this anymore? And what do the academics have to say about it?
Vivian's Research Material
A Meta-Analysis of the Efficacy of Trigger Warnings, Content Warnings, and Content Notes (https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/21677026231186625)
Our Socials
Vivian's Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/vivianasimos)
Holly's Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/lilistprince)
The Pod's Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/fanofthatpod)
Buy Our Books!
Buy Holly's Book! (https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/A-History-of-Fans-and-Fandom-Hardback/p/49085)
Buy Vivian's Book! (https://reaktionbooks.co.uk/work/cosplay-and-the-dressing-of-identity)
Fan Of That is now on Patreon!
Go support us over there! (https://www.patreon.com/fanofthatpod)
Music for this episode was Nowhere Land by Kevin MacLead Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6v_WlDR3qxE)
Logo by Moira Daykin, (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6v_WlDR3qxE)@mecha_moira (https://www.instagram.com/mecha_moira/) on instagram
This episode was produced by Vivian Asimos and Holly Swinyard
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
21,779
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
13 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 71 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
64
Social presence
94
YouTube
72
Engagement
77
Contact I'm a Fan of That!
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Questions about I'm a Fan of That!
Who hosts I'm a Fan of That!?
Holly Swinyard and Vivian Asimos host the show. Published by Vivian Asimos and Holly Swinyard.
How often do new episodes come out?
The show publishes weekly, based on its RSS feed.
Does I'm a Fan of That! take guests?
Yes. Guests have been identified in episode analyses.
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