Junk Filter: a podcast about strange and overlooked artifacts from the worlds of film, music and popular culture with a generous side order of jokes and politics. Hosted by Jesse Hawken with guests from the worlds of Politics Twitter and Film Twitter. Original music for the program by Marker Starling. Follow us on Bluesky: @junkfilterpod
Junk Filter
Claim This Podcastby Jesse Hawken
4.5(91 reviews)
233 episodes
Updated Daily
Accepts GuestsHas Sponsors
67
Podcast Authority
BetaGoodBased on show quality, social media presence, reviews, charts, and more
Quality98
Social0
YouTube0
Engagement89
Podcast Overview
Junk Filter: a podcast about strange and overlooked artifacts from the worlds of film, music and popular culture with a generous side order of jokes and politics. Hosted by Jesse Hawken with guests from the worlds of Politics Twitter and Film Twitter. Original music for the program by Marker Starling. Follow us on Bluesky: @junkfilterpod
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
11/12/2020
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67
Podcast Authority
BetaGoodBased on show quality, social media presence, reviews, charts, and more
Quality98
Social0
YouTube0
Engagement89
9
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0
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10
Growth Opportunities
excellent
Publishing Consistency
Every 8 days
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Recent Episodes
April 1, 2026
TEASER - 230: Prefab Sprout: Jordan: The Comeback (with Jared Bailey)
<p>Access this entire 161-minute episode (and additional monthly bonus episodes, including the entire Prefab Sprout series) by becoming a Junk Filter patron! <a href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/230-prefab-with-154429820" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">https://www.patreon.com/posts/230-prefab-with-154429820</a></p><p>On the fifth episode of the Junk Filter miniseries exploring the work of the cult UK band Prefab Sprout, Jared Bailey, the cohost of the Southern Accents pod, returns from Columbia, South Carolina to discuss their magnum opus, 1990’s Jordan: The Comeback.</p><p>Conceived by frontman Paddy McAloon as a collection of “nuclear-powered Walt Disney film themes,” the 19-track album was produced by Thomas Dolby and reportedly cost half a million dollars. Structurally, it's divided into four distinct suites: a set of pop songs, a galaxy-brained section centered on Elvis Presley (including the idea of his faked death and surprise return), a medley of love songs, and a final movement contemplating God, death, and redemption.</p><p>On Jordan, McAloon fuses the accessible melodicism of The Beatles and The Beach Boys with the lyrical and musical intricacy of Steely Dan, all filtered through his own literary and theatrical sensibilities, to create a dreamy, atmospheric, forward-facing masterpiece that sounds like nothing else and holds great appeal to modern ears. Jared and I go track-by-track on the album, which includes many of the band’s greatest songs.</p><p>My thanks to the <a href="https://www.sproutology.co.uk/" target="_blank"><u>Sproutology</u></a> website, the ultimate online resource for the band.</p><p>Follow Jared Bailey on <a href="https://x.com/StolenDans" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/stolendans.bsky.social" target="_blank">Bluesky</a>. </p><p>Jared is the co-host (with <a href="https://x.com/fender_belly" target="_blank">@fenderbelly</a>) of the new Tom Petty podcast Southern Accents. <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/southern-accents/id1877367585" target="_blank">Listen to the show</a> and support their <a href="https://www.patreon.com/cw/SouthernAccentsPod?utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator" target="_blank">Patreon</a>!</p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/kAODEIax-RA?si=IUpbGSjn2fHtxsbp" target="_blank">Radio Love</a> (Prefab Sprout b-side from 1982)</p><p>Music video for <a href="https://youtu.be/GdYNJKZ9RDU?si=V8kd2iLfOIB6O8Q8" target="_blank">Carnival 2000</a> (1990)</p><p><br></p>
March 13, 2026
229: The Secret Agent (with Gus Lanzetta)
<p>CW: Spoilers for The Secret Agent.</p><p>Writer and podcaster Gus Lanzetta joins us from São Paulo for a deep dive into two recent works of the great Brazilian director Kleber Mendonça Filho.</p><p>We explore how the northeastern coastal town of Recife serves as a lifelong muse for the director, starting with his 2023 personal "audio-visual essay," Pictures of Ghosts, which maps the fading movie palaces of his youth.</p><p>That film sets the stage for his newest period piece, The Secret Agent, a “hangout thriller” set in 1977 starring Wagner Moura as a man on the run in Recife during the military dictatorship. Gus helps decode the local nuances for the non-Brazilians in the audience, explaining the historical "mischief" the film depicts, its powerful themes of memory, family and resistance and why Kleber is a director you just have to trust.</p><p>Plus: is Toronto’s Matt Johnson Canada’s answer to Kleber?</p><p>Over 30% of all Junk Filter episodes are only available to patrons of the podcast. To support this show directly and to receive access to the entire back catalogue, consider becoming a patron for only $5.00 a month (U.S.) at <a href="patreon.com/junkfilter ">patreon.com/junkfilter</a></p><p>Follow <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/guslanzetta.bsky.social" target="_blank">Gus Lanzetta</a> on Bluesky.</p><p>Trailer for <a href="https://youtu.be/6xjZsMj21Fk?si=2Gr09-akg-t6gtcI" target="_blank">Pictures of Ghosts</a> (Retratos Fantasmas - Kleber Mendonça Filho, 2023)</p><p>North American trailer #1 for <a href="https://youtu.be/9UfrzDKrhEc?si=uREGiOtn_f3jUy4m" target="_blank">The Secret Agent</a> (O Agente Secreto - Kleber Mendonça Filho, 2023)</p>
February 27, 2026
TEASER - 228: Prefab Sprout: Protest Songs (with Patrick Svensson)
<p>Access this entire 115 minute episode (and additional monthly bonus episodes, including the entire Prefab Sprout series) by becoming a Junk Filter patron! </p><p>In the fourth episode of the Junk Filter miniseries exploring the work of the UK band Prefab Sprout, I’m joined by Patrick Svensson, a library worker in Seattle, for a track-by-track discussion of their “lost album” Protest Songs.</p><p>Recorded quickly and cheaply in Newcastle right after Steve McQueen, Protest Songs was intended for release at the end of 1985 but shelved by CBS Records to avoid cannibalizing sales of the hit single “When Love Breaks Down”. After four years of bootlegs and rumours, the album was released without fanfare in 1989, serving as a stopgap between From Langley Park to Memphis and Jordan: The Comeback, yielding no hit singles while still making the Top 20 UK album charts.</p><p>Patrick and I wish to make a case for this album as one of their best releases, with a more stripped-back, less hyperproduced sound that captures the band's live energy and provides further background on Paddy McAloon’s upbringing and sensibilities, as he delivers “protest songs” about the struggles of daily existence in Thatcher’s England as opposed to stridently political material.</p><p>We dive into our favourite Protest Songs tracks, era-specific B-sides, and the unmistakable influence of Steely Dan on McAloon’s songwriting.</p><p>Follow Patrick Svensson on <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/svenpatrick.bsky.social" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Bluesky</a>.</p><p>My thanks to the <a href="https://www.sproutology.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Sproutology</a> website, the ultimate online resource for the band.</p><p>Demo version #2 of <a href="https://youtu.be/JlU0MrL6IN8?si=9f0_JdCb01PdlMHJ" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Talkin’ Scarlet </a>from 1983- more of a duet, with a different set of lyrics.</p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/Ew4ho3Hbs8w?si=9Q2oisI-SOc1etXe" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Tiffanys</a>, live in Munich, December 1985</p><p><br></p>
233 total episodes available with 4 transcripts
Recent guests on Junk Filter
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Roxana Hadadi
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Corey Atad
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Meg Shields
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Brian Abrams
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Will Sloan
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Frequently asked questions
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- What is Junk Filter?
- How often does this podcast release new episodes?
This podcast updates daily.
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This podcast is available on 9 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
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Yes, this podcast regularly features guests.
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