Fighting in the Age of Loneliness
November 20, 2018 2:18 PM Subscribe
After a conspicuous absence from all things SB Nation for what seems like forever, future MacArthur fellow Jon Bois (so many previouslies) has teamed up with Chapo Trap House's Felix Biederman (previously) for an in-depth, five-part deep dive into the history and cultural implications of mixed martial arts.
Only the trailer has been released so far. Part 1 will be released next Monday, November 26th on SB Nation's YouTube channel. Here's the description from the trailer:
"Throughout its history, mixed martial arts have served as a refuge for people disillusioned and confounded by the world at large. People who just want to find some measure of escape within the honesty of primal combat, even if only for a few hours on a Saturday night. It’s no accident that the sport has become so massively popular in such a lonely time. This is the story of our weird, stupid, magical bloodsport."
This series appears to have been in the works for awhile. Thanks, Jon. Means a lot.
Only the trailer has been released so far. Part 1 will be released next Monday, November 26th on SB Nation's YouTube channel. Here's the description from the trailer:
"Throughout its history, mixed martial arts have served as a refuge for people disillusioned and confounded by the world at large. People who just want to find some measure of escape within the honesty of primal combat, even if only for a few hours on a Saturday night. It’s no accident that the sport has become so massively popular in such a lonely time. This is the story of our weird, stupid, magical bloodsport."
This series appears to have been in the works for awhile. Thanks, Jon. Means a lot.
Dang it. Thanks, Solarion. Mods, could you please fix that typo?
posted by Hey Dean Yeager! at 2:33 PM on November 20, 2018
posted by Hey Dean Yeager! at 2:33 PM on November 20, 2018
"Throughout its history, mixed martial arts have served as a refuge for people disillusioned and confounded by the world at large. People who just want to find some measure of escape within the honesty of primal combat, even if only for a few hours on a Saturday night"
That would probably also apply to things like hardcore punk (with the mosh pit being a form of ritual combat)
posted by acb at 12:54 AM on November 21, 2018
That would probably also apply to things like hardcore punk (with the mosh pit being a form of ritual combat)
posted by acb at 12:54 AM on November 21, 2018
If Biederman was tapped to narrate, I can only imagine what Bois' voice must be like
posted by tummy_rub at 6:29 AM on November 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by tummy_rub at 6:29 AM on November 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
future MacArthur fellow Jon Bois
Seriously. I follow a ton of innovative media sites, and he's the most creative person out there at any of them. I'd *love* to see what he could do with a fully-funded few years with no restraints.
I couldn't care less about MMA or fighty stuff in general but I can't wait for this.
(in the Previously, but easy to miss, here's a beautifully curated and annotated list of his greatest hits. thanks brainwane!)
posted by martin q blank at 9:22 AM on November 21, 2018 [4 favorites]
Seriously. I follow a ton of innovative media sites, and he's the most creative person out there at any of them. I'd *love* to see what he could do with a fully-funded few years with no restraints.
I couldn't care less about MMA or fighty stuff in general but I can't wait for this.
(in the Previously, but easy to miss, here's a beautifully curated and annotated list of his greatest hits. thanks brainwane!)
posted by martin q blank at 9:22 AM on November 21, 2018 [4 favorites]
This looks interesting. Thanks for the heads up, Hey Dean Yeager!
posted by homunculus at 10:01 AM on November 21, 2018
posted by homunculus at 10:01 AM on November 21, 2018
If Biederman was tapped to narrate, I can only imagine what Bois' voice must be like
jon on twiter: "yeah felix is narrating this one, i made that call when we first started planning this a couple years ago. he’s absolutely the best person to tell this story. even if you’re unfamiliar with him, i think you’ll love him"
posted by JimBennett at 2:13 PM on November 22, 2018
jon on twiter: "yeah felix is narrating this one, i made that call when we first started planning this a couple years ago. he’s absolutely the best person to tell this story. even if you’re unfamiliar with him, i think you’ll love him"
posted by JimBennett at 2:13 PM on November 22, 2018
Part I went up yesterday. Part II went up today.
This series is written and narrated by Biederman and directed and produced by Bois; Bois and Elena Bergeron are script editors.
I have watched Part I, which sets the context of the origins of jiujitsu in Japan and what happened when people took it to Brazil. It's kind of a slow start, uses the same visual and musical approaches I'm used to from Bois but is not as immediately captivating in its storytelling style.
Minute 9 of Part II is where Biederman starts discussing political correctness and claims that "we never really stopped doing things because we cared about the feelings of others", but because we would be fired and cannot afford it under super-corporatized conditions of economic precarity -- "it was never PC culture, it was HR culture".
I've never listened to Chapo Trap House and actually don't know much about Biederman's political opinions. I trust Bois enough that I'm gonna keep watching but I have a little more caution now ....
posted by brainwane at 1:34 PM on November 27, 2018 [1 favorite]
This series is written and narrated by Biederman and directed and produced by Bois; Bois and Elena Bergeron are script editors.
I have watched Part I, which sets the context of the origins of jiujitsu in Japan and what happened when people took it to Brazil. It's kind of a slow start, uses the same visual and musical approaches I'm used to from Bois but is not as immediately captivating in its storytelling style.
Minute 9 of Part II is where Biederman starts discussing political correctness and claims that "we never really stopped doing things because we cared about the feelings of others", but because we would be fired and cannot afford it under super-corporatized conditions of economic precarity -- "it was never PC culture, it was HR culture".
I've never listened to Chapo Trap House and actually don't know much about Biederman's political opinions. I trust Bois enough that I'm gonna keep watching but I have a little more caution now ....
posted by brainwane at 1:34 PM on November 27, 2018 [1 favorite]
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mixed marital arts.
Fighting is sometimes involved in this (and I'd watch a series about it too) but presumably that's not what you meant.
Jon Bois can definitely make me excited about sports I have no real knowledge of so I will follow this.
posted by solarion at 2:26 PM on November 20, 2018 [4 favorites]