Where It Began episode artwork

EPISODE · Jun 15, 2026 · 1H 6M

Where It Began

from Punk Scholars Podcast

Hi all!Before we launch into some new conversations and a few changes for the season ahead, my co-host, Paul Hollins, and I, Jessica Schwartz, thought we'd return to where it all began. Originally released in June 2024, this inaugural episode features Mike Dines and Russ Bestley discussing the origins of the Punk Scholars Network, the importance of scholarly community, and the possibilities of punk scholarship. Thanks for listening, thanks for your support, and we hope you'll join us throughout the season as we continue the conversation.--Notes from PSP Season 1 Episode 1--It’s here… the Punk Scholars Podcast! Co-hosts and producers, Jessica Schwartz (UCLA) and Paul Hollins (Bolton), set out to explore the seemingly paradoxical role of punk (and punks) in the academy and break with oft-generalized dismissals by highlighting the pivotal contributions and necessary interventions made by punk scholarship.And, who better to kick off the first episode than Punk Scholars Network (PSN) founding members Mike Dines (Chair and Co-founder of the PSN) and Russ Bestley (Designer and Writer). Our two illustrious guests have been at the forefront of the formation and development of the PSN, and we get in deep about issues of institutional legitimacy and the absolute necessity of punk scholars’ (networked) camaraderie. Both informative and poignant, this inaugural episode of the Punk Scholars Podcast (PSP) sets the stage for what promises to be an educational, engaging, and dare we say entertaining first season! About Our GuestsDr. Russ Bestley is Reader in Graphic Design & Subcultures at London College of Communication. His areas of interest include graphic design, popular culture, subcultures, comedy and humour. He is Lead Editor of the academic journal Punk & Post-Punk, now in its thirteenth year, Series Editor and Art Director for the Global Punk book series published by Intellect Books and a founding member of the Punk Scholars Network. In 2013, he established the Graphic Subcultures research hub at the London College of Communication, before going on to form the UAL Subcultures Interest Group in 2022. Mike Dines is Senior Lecturer and Programme Leader of BA (Hons) Music at Middlesex University. He is Chair and co-founder of the Punk Scholars Network and Series Editor for the Global Punk Series with Intellect Books. He has written extensively on punk (specifically spirituality and Krishnacore), subcultures and New Age Travellers, with recent volumes including the co-edited Exploring the Spiritual in Popular Music: Beatified Beats (Bloomsbury, 2021) and Punk Identities, Punk Utopias: Global Punk and Media (Intellect 2021). He is Lead Editor of the ground-breaking The Intellect Handbook of Popular Music Methodologies due for publication in 2025. He is an avid supporter of Portsmouth Football Club.For More Information Russ: www.hitsvilleuk.comMike: http://itchymonkeypress.com/Both:https://www.intellectbooks.com/global-punk-serieshttps://www.intellectbooks.com/punk-post-punk–We’d love to hear from you and are soliciting episode ideas and guests. Contact us at: [email protected] PSP theme music is excerpted from “Crows” by Watch You Drown. All rights reserved. Season 3, Episode 1 is a re-presentation of Season 1, Episode 1 that was recorded on May 22, 2024 on Zoom with participants in the UK and the US. Paul Hollins and Jessica Schwartz co-hosted and co-produced this episode. Jessica Schwartz edited the audio and transcript.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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