Blowback is a podcast about American history and foreign policy hosted by Noah Kulwin and Brendan James, former producer, and frequent guest of Chapo Trap House.[2][3]
Format
The cover art for season two of Blowback
The first season of the show was a ten part series dedicated to the Iraq War.[4] Throughout the show audio clips from MSNBC and CNN and readings of news reports are provided as well as satirical skits performed by H. Jon Benjamin.[5] The second season of the show focuses on U.S. intervention before and after the Cuban revolution, and includes more interviews with those who experienced the events discussed first hand.[6] The third season of the show released in July 2022 and covers the events surrounding the Korean War.[7] The fourth season of the show began its release in August 2023, discussing the American involvement in Afghanistan, touching on subjects which mainly focus on Operation Cyclone and its consequences.
A fifth season, covering Cambodia, the Khmer Rouge and more largely American involvement in Indochina, was announced on Twitter in January 2024, to be released in the Summer of 2024. The announcement was accompanied by a trailer.[8] In July, James announced through tweet the release on 20 September.[9]
Episodes
Season 1 (2020)
Season 2 (2021)
Season 3 (2022)
Season 4 (2023)
James announced a fourth season on his Twitter account in December 2022, to be released in Summer 2023. The fourth season will be about Operation Cyclone and its consequences, including the creation of al-Qaeda and the September 11, 2001 attacks. [10]
Season 4 bonuses
Reception
According to Vince Mancini of UPROXX and Derek Robertson of Politico, Blowback was "painstakingly researched" and didactic in its approach, "bombarding the listener with the host's sturm-und-drang argument about the Iraq War as a portal to hell that directly caused our modern-day political ills".[11][12] In a comparison of Blowback and Slow Burn, Slate's podcast about the Iraq War, Derek Robertson of Politico described Blowback as "an unapologetically left-wing re-examination of the war’s many causes and ongoing effects".[12] Jake Greenberg of Podcast Review wrote that "Blowback is an excellent piece of history, one that documents the misadventures, deceits, and war crimes" of the Iraq War.[13]Podcast Review called the topic of the second season "a tremendous fit for James and Kulwin's style".[14]
^ a bStory, Hannah (December 2, 2020). "Here's Twenty New Podcasts That Made 2020, an Absolute Butt of a Year, Actually Kinda Bearable". Pedestrian.TV. Pedestrian Group. Archived from the original on January 17, 2021. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
^ a bBrooke, Zach (August 10, 2020). "New Film Podcast Recalls How Do the Right Thing Made White Critics Paranoid". The A.V. Club. G/O Media. Archived from the original on July 23, 2021. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
^Greenberg, Jake (August 5, 2020). "Blowback: An Honest History of the Iraq War". Podcast Review. Los Angeles Review of Books. Archived from the original on October 19, 2021. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
^ a bDay, Meagan (May 26, 2020). "Have We All Forgotten About the Iraq War?". Jacobin. Archived from the original on March 6, 2021. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
^Youhana, Michael (July 13, 2020). "The Iraq War Is the Skeleton Key". Jacobin. Archived from the original on July 23, 2021. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
^Blistein, Jon (April 19, 2021). "'Blowback' Podcast Tackles America's Meddling in the Cuban Revolution". Rolling Stone. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on April 23, 2021. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
^"Apple Podcasts Preview - Coming Soon: Blowback Season Three". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
^James, Brendan [@deep_beige] (January 30, 2024). "Pleased to announce @blowbackpod SEASON 5, coming summer 2024 from me and @nkulw" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
^James, Brendan [@deep_beige] (July 4, 2024). "Season 5 of @blowbackpod, on Cambodia, Kissinger, and the Khmer Rouge, comes out SEPTEMBER 20 Subscribe at blowback.show" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
^Brendan James [@deep_beige] (December 18, 2022). "Pleased to announce @blowbackpod SEASON 4, coming summer 2023 from me and @nkulw Teaser" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
^Mancini, Vince (December 29, 2020). "The Best Non-Fiction Podcasts of 2020". Uproxx. Warner Music Group. Archived from the original on July 11, 2021. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
^ a bRobertson, Derek (July 3, 2021). "The Podcasting Feud Over the Iraq War's Legacy". Politico. Capitol News Company. Archived from the original on July 4, 2021. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
^"The Ten Best Podcasts of 2020". Podcast Review. Los Angeles Review of Books. December 22, 2020. Archived from the original on November 7, 2021. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
^"Three Podcasts to Listen to in June". Podcast Review. Los Angeles Review of Books. June 9, 2021. Archived from the original on August 18, 2021. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
