Mack Hagood
@mactra.bsky.social
Sound scholar. Author. Subscribe to Phantom Power, a podcast + newsletter about sound at mackhagood.com.
Pinned
Mack Hagood
@mactra.bsky.social
· Jan 8
My next book, The End of Listening, is now under contract with Penguin Press!
We'll meet the developers of emerging technologies intended to give us complete control of the sounds around us. The dream of vanquishing noise is as old as antiquity--but what would it mean to actually succeed?
We'll meet the developers of emerging technologies intended to give us complete control of the sounds around us. The dream of vanquishing noise is as old as antiquity--but what would it mean to actually succeed?
Tashi Dorji's guitar explorations draw on the music of his childhood in Bhutan and the outsider guitar styles of John Fahey + Sir Richard Bishop. Tashi has developed a philosophy of improvisation that challenges ideas of permanence, hierarchy, and value.
www.mackhagood.com/podcast/tash...
www.mackhagood.com/podcast/tash...
Tashi Dorji: The Radical Openness of Improvisation
In the early 2010s self-taught guitarist Tashi Dorji was recording improvised guitar explorations in his home near Asheville, North Carolina. These self-released outings drew on his unique mix of musi...
www.mackhagood.com
August 28, 2026 at 1:41 PM
Tashi Dorji's guitar explorations draw on the music of his childhood in Bhutan and the outsider guitar styles of John Fahey + Sir Richard Bishop. Tashi has developed a philosophy of improvisation that challenges ideas of permanence, hierarchy, and value.
www.mackhagood.com/podcast/tash...
www.mackhagood.com/podcast/tash...
Am I the only one having horrible audio issues on the Tennis Channel feed for Tiafoe-Fils?
August 23, 2026 at 9:19 PM
Am I the only one having horrible audio issues on the Tennis Channel feed for Tiafoe-Fils?
And then he celebrated by insulting the host city of Cincinnati live on Tennis Channel. Class act.
Celebrated Arthur
Though he's been on the tennis radar for a few years now, Arthur Fils is still (hopefully!) very early in his career.
But his "big breakthrough" feels pretty inevitable.
The fantastic Frenchman picks up another nice win, taking out Alex de Minaur, 6-3, 6-4.
Though he's been on the tennis radar for a few years now, Arthur Fils is still (hopefully!) very early in his career.
But his "big breakthrough" feels pretty inevitable.
The fantastic Frenchman picks up another nice win, taking out Alex de Minaur, 6-3, 6-4.
August 20, 2026 at 12:56 AM
And then he celebrated by insulting the host city of Cincinnati live on Tennis Channel. Class act.
Such a privilege to talk with Siavash. For an episode that centered on him making art in the middle of war, we had a lot laughs. It's all part of his refusal to let political powers diminish his humanity and individuality.
Had a great chat w/ @mactra.bsky.social for his Phantom Power podcast, it's great to be back on the best sound related podcast around. Listen to it wherever you get your podcasts.
cc @codydefalco.bsky.social
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwKS...
cc @codydefalco.bsky.social
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwKS...
Disquiet in Tehran (Siavash Amini)
YouTube video by SpectreVision Radio
www.youtube.com
August 15, 2026 at 6:50 PM
Such a privilege to talk with Siavash. For an episode that centered on him making art in the middle of war, we had a lot laughs. It's all part of his refusal to let political powers diminish his humanity and individuality.
Reposted by Mack Hagood
If you are interested in #audiobooks, this interview with an audiobook narrator is awesome. Her voice, and how she uses it, is exquisite. Thanks to @mactra.bsky.social for making this episode public. www.mackhagood.com/podcast/audi...
Audiobook Superstar Robin Miles: The Full Interview
While Mack takes a summer break, we bring you this treat from the archives: the full-members-only version of his 2024 interview with beloved audiobook narrator Robin Miles. This episode features almos...
www.mackhagood.com
July 31, 2026 at 11:50 PM
If you are interested in #audiobooks, this interview with an audiobook narrator is awesome. Her voice, and how she uses it, is exquisite. Thanks to @mactra.bsky.social for making this episode public. www.mackhagood.com/podcast/audi...
Reposted by Mack Hagood
the NYT opinion page should option this great @mactra.bsky.social piece on higher ed’s ongoing struggles with “feed logic”
www.mackhagood.com/feed-logic-a...
www.mackhagood.com/feed-logic-a...
Feed Logic and the Failure to Thrive
Two disquieting works of fiction I encountered this spring feature the same menacing figure: a young girl that refuses to eat. In Ben Lerner’s novel Transcription (2026), doctors inform a couple that ...
www.mackhagood.com
June 5, 2026 at 3:28 PM
the NYT opinion page should option this great @mactra.bsky.social piece on higher ed’s ongoing struggles with “feed logic”
www.mackhagood.com/feed-logic-a...
www.mackhagood.com/feed-logic-a...
New on Phantom Power: synth legend Suzanne Ciani, New Age pioneer and second woman to score a Hollywood film. She tells us quadraphonic sound is superior, synths shouldn't have keyboards, and more. Spicy takes from the Diva of the Diode!
www.mackhagood.com/podcast/did-...
www.mackhagood.com/podcast/did-...
May 29, 2026 at 12:28 PM
New on Phantom Power: synth legend Suzanne Ciani, New Age pioneer and second woman to score a Hollywood film. She tells us quadraphonic sound is superior, synths shouldn't have keyboards, and more. Spicy takes from the Diva of the Diode!
www.mackhagood.com/podcast/did-...
www.mackhagood.com/podcast/did-...
Reposted by Mack Hagood
@mactra.bsky.social goes in on the tired/lazy overuse of McLuhan (and Ong) and offers a long-overdue replacement syllabus (links to earlier posts/pods in this post) www.mackhagood.com/media-beyond...
Media beyond McLuhan
There are fresher ways to understand life's digital shit show. Welcome to the past sixty years of media theory.
In last month's newsletter and on my podcast Phantom Power, I criticized how journalist...
www.mackhagood.com
April 17, 2026 at 6:09 PM
@mactra.bsky.social goes in on the tired/lazy overuse of McLuhan (and Ong) and offers a long-overdue replacement syllabus (links to earlier posts/pods in this post) www.mackhagood.com/media-beyond...
Do fish have ears? How does aquatic hearing differ from ours? To save the planet, do we need to learn to listen like the fishes? Today's Phantom Power guest is marine biologist and bioacoustics expert Sophie Nedelec. #sound
www.mackhagood.com/how-to-liste...
www.mackhagood.com/how-to-liste...
April 10, 2026 at 4:30 PM
Do fish have ears? How does aquatic hearing differ from ours? To save the planet, do we need to learn to listen like the fishes? Today's Phantom Power guest is marine biologist and bioacoustics expert Sophie Nedelec. #sound
www.mackhagood.com/how-to-liste...
www.mackhagood.com/how-to-liste...
An old "theory of everything" seems to be everywhere. Media scholars left it for dead decades ago. Reporters keep giving it new life. What is "the Great Divide" and how does it hold us back from understanding our digital dilemma?
www.mackhagood.com/oral-residue...
www.mackhagood.com/oral-residue...
Oral Residue: A Zombie Media Theory Rises Again
Most media scholars left this premise about oral communication for dead decades ago. Reporters keep giving it new life. What is "the Great Divide" and why is this media theory so irresistible to those...
www.mackhagood.com
March 20, 2026 at 12:05 PM
An old "theory of everything" seems to be everywhere. Media scholars left it for dead decades ago. Reporters keep giving it new life. What is "the Great Divide" and how does it hold us back from understanding our digital dilemma?
www.mackhagood.com/oral-residue...
www.mackhagood.com/oral-residue...
This week on Phantom Power: Yellow Swans' Gabriel Mindel on #sound, power, and Minneapolis. His research and criticism on noise, protest, and settler-colonialism couldn't be more relevant.
www.mackhagood.com/podcast/nois...
www.mackhagood.com/podcast/nois...
January 31, 2026 at 2:55 PM
This week on Phantom Power: Yellow Swans' Gabriel Mindel on #sound, power, and Minneapolis. His research and criticism on noise, protest, and settler-colonialism couldn't be more relevant.
www.mackhagood.com/podcast/nois...
www.mackhagood.com/podcast/nois...
Reposted by Mack Hagood
@mactra.bsky.social From white noise apps and noise-cancelling headphones to tinnitus and sound therapy, Mack helped me understand the complex relationship between media, technology, and the human need to tune in (or out).
www.leahroseman.com/episodes/mac...
www.leahroseman.com/episodes/mac...
November 15, 2025 at 3:01 PM
@mactra.bsky.social From white noise apps and noise-cancelling headphones to tinnitus and sound therapy, Mack helped me understand the complex relationship between media, technology, and the human need to tune in (or out).
www.leahroseman.com/episodes/mac...
www.leahroseman.com/episodes/mac...
Reposted by Mack Hagood
I really enjoyed this opportunity to speak with Mack Hagood, author of Hush: Media and Sonic Self-Control, to explore how we use sound to manage our minds, moods, and modern lives. 🎧 Listen now and rethink the sounds you live with. www.leahroseman.com/episodes/mac...
@mactra.bsky.social
@mactra.bsky.social
November 15, 2025 at 3:00 PM
I really enjoyed this opportunity to speak with Mack Hagood, author of Hush: Media and Sonic Self-Control, to explore how we use sound to manage our minds, moods, and modern lives. 🎧 Listen now and rethink the sounds you live with. www.leahroseman.com/episodes/mac...
@mactra.bsky.social
@mactra.bsky.social
Graham was such a blast to talk to—loved this conversation with a great multi-hyphenate artist!
A total honor to be a guest on @mactra.bsky.social ’s esteemed PHANTOM POWER podcast, going deep on RABBIT TRAP sound design process, DEADWAX, guitar pedals, and insidious audio. Phantom Power is essential listening for anyone into in sound, music, & audio theory!
www.mackhagood.com/podcast/insi...
www.mackhagood.com/podcast/insi...
October 3, 2025 at 9:22 PM
Graham was such a blast to talk to—loved this conversation with a great multi-hyphenate artist!
Reposted by Mack Hagood
Did an episode of the podcast Phantom Power which you can enjoy here:
blubrry.com/phantompod/1...
@mactra.bsky.social , who runs it, is a sound studies legend and wonderful guy. I kept forgetting we were recording because I just really like talking to Mack.
blubrry.com/phantompod/1...
@mactra.bsky.social , who runs it, is a sound studies legend and wonderful guy. I kept forgetting we were recording because I just really like talking to Mack.
Maurice Rocco and the Psychedelic Roots of Thai Music: Race, Queerness, and Urban Chang…
With movie star looks and a raucous piano style, Maurice Rocco made a splash in the 1940’s, influencing future rock and rollers Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis. By the 60s, however, he was a has-be...
blubrry.com
August 29, 2025 at 7:42 PM
Did an episode of the podcast Phantom Power which you can enjoy here:
blubrry.com/phantompod/1...
@mactra.bsky.social , who runs it, is a sound studies legend and wonderful guy. I kept forgetting we were recording because I just really like talking to Mack.
blubrry.com/phantompod/1...
@mactra.bsky.social , who runs it, is a sound studies legend and wonderful guy. I kept forgetting we were recording because I just really like talking to Mack.
Reposted by Mack Hagood
As a long-time listener of @mactra.bsky.social’s "Phantom Power" podcast, it was an honor to have the opportunity to explore Egypt's cassette culture with a couple of colleagues on an episode that takes the form of a mixtape. phantompod.org/cassette-the...
Cassette Theory: A Mixtape (Eleanor Patterson, Rob Drew, and Andrew Simon)
Three top media scholars discuss the impact of the cassette tape in American and Egyptian music and culture.
phantompod.org
April 27, 2025 at 3:56 PM
As a long-time listener of @mactra.bsky.social’s "Phantom Power" podcast, it was an honor to have the opportunity to explore Egypt's cassette culture with a couple of colleagues on an episode that takes the form of a mixtape. phantompod.org/cassette-the...
Reposted by Mack Hagood
It’s like watching a troop of chimpanzees smashing a watch
April 3, 2025 at 4:45 PM
It’s like watching a troop of chimpanzees smashing a watch
Reposted by Mack Hagood
On Friday, I dropped by #CBC studios in #Edmonton to talk about #SiriusXM and subscription music listening, and the book launch for Music In Orbit, taking place tomorrow at Audreys Books at 7pm.
Event details here:
www.eventbrite.ca/e/book-launc...
Event details here:
www.eventbrite.ca/e/book-launc...
March 25, 2025 at 2:30 PM
On Friday, I dropped by #CBC studios in #Edmonton to talk about #SiriusXM and subscription music listening, and the book launch for Music In Orbit, taking place tomorrow at Audreys Books at 7pm.
Event details here:
www.eventbrite.ca/e/book-launc...
Event details here:
www.eventbrite.ca/e/book-launc...
Reposted by Mack Hagood
Folks mourning the loss of Jonathan Sterne may enjoy revisiting his chats with @mactra.bsky.social. Jon's insatiable curiosity, passion, humor, and general joie de vivre are on full display.
phantompod.org?s=sterne
phantompod.org?s=sterne
You searched for sterne - Phantom Power
phantompod.org
March 21, 2025 at 10:34 PM
Folks mourning the loss of Jonathan Sterne may enjoy revisiting his chats with @mactra.bsky.social. Jon's insatiable curiosity, passion, humor, and general joie de vivre are on full display.
phantompod.org?s=sterne
phantompod.org?s=sterne
Reposted by Mack Hagood
I always imagined @mactra.bsky.social with Barry Gibb's style long hair and beard. Video podcasts ruin everything!
February 21, 2025 at 6:04 PM
I always imagined @mactra.bsky.social with Barry Gibb's style long hair and beard. Video podcasts ruin everything!
Reposted by Mack Hagood
I am listening to the inspiring podcast with @eryk.bsky.social about the age of noise (or rather diffusion?).
My podcast about #sound + #audio, Phantom Power, recently dropped an excellent interview with @eryk.bsky.social on #AI in art, music, and culture. In the pod app of your choice or on YouTube.
youtu.be/d6CXBZ2eAAU?...
#soundstudies, #soundart, #mediastudies
youtu.be/d6CXBZ2eAAU?...
#soundstudies, #soundart, #mediastudies
Are AI art and music really just noise? (Eryk Salvaggio)
YouTube video by Phantom Power Podcast
youtu.be
February 5, 2025 at 6:49 PM
I am listening to the inspiring podcast with @eryk.bsky.social about the age of noise (or rather diffusion?).
My podcast about #sound + #audio, Phantom Power, recently dropped an excellent interview with @eryk.bsky.social on #AI in art, music, and culture. In the pod app of your choice or on YouTube.
youtu.be/d6CXBZ2eAAU?...
#soundstudies, #soundart, #mediastudies
youtu.be/d6CXBZ2eAAU?...
#soundstudies, #soundart, #mediastudies
Are AI art and music really just noise? (Eryk Salvaggio)
YouTube video by Phantom Power Podcast
youtu.be
February 4, 2025 at 4:46 PM
My podcast about #sound + #audio, Phantom Power, recently dropped an excellent interview with @eryk.bsky.social on #AI in art, music, and culture. In the pod app of your choice or on YouTube.
youtu.be/d6CXBZ2eAAU?...
#soundstudies, #soundart, #mediastudies
youtu.be/d6CXBZ2eAAU?...
#soundstudies, #soundart, #mediastudies
My next book, The End of Listening, is now under contract with Penguin Press!
We'll meet the developers of emerging technologies intended to give us complete control of the sounds around us. The dream of vanquishing noise is as old as antiquity--but what would it mean to actually succeed?
We'll meet the developers of emerging technologies intended to give us complete control of the sounds around us. The dream of vanquishing noise is as old as antiquity--but what would it mean to actually succeed?
January 8, 2025 at 6:32 PM
My next book, The End of Listening, is now under contract with Penguin Press!
We'll meet the developers of emerging technologies intended to give us complete control of the sounds around us. The dream of vanquishing noise is as old as antiquity--but what would it mean to actually succeed?
We'll meet the developers of emerging technologies intended to give us complete control of the sounds around us. The dream of vanquishing noise is as old as antiquity--but what would it mean to actually succeed?