{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Superhero Ethics","title":"Damn the Man! Empire Records After 30 Years","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":3857,"description":"“Empire Records” bombed in 1995, got panned by critics, and spent the next thirty years becoming a cult classic — which tells you something about what reviews are actually measuring. Comics writer and Book Riot contributor Jessica Plummer joins Matthew Fox to revisit the film with real affection and ask what makes it hold up, and what happens when you look at it a little more closely.They get into why the ensemble works even though there are too many characters, why the rooftop finale earns its feeling even when the plot math doesn’t add up, and what the film’s “damn the man” spirit actually rests on — because the movie is very confident that selling out is bad and independent music is good, and it never quite explains why. The conversation holds genuine love for the film alongside an honest look at its blind spots, which is more or less what “Empire Records” itself is trying to do with its characters.Full show notes and resourcesConnect with Jessica: jessicaplummerwrites.com","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/x_YXWsChezdkDNW3t1cgO9C0oAYQkeToFWhABhNQllA/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9zaG93/LzM5NjEwLzE2OTM2/OTYxOTYtYXJ0d29y/ay5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}