The way people talk about fine art sucks, but it doesn't have to. Join Mason Hershenow (photographer and educator) and Sean Ang (chef and musician) as they discuss the art world in a truly groundbreaking way: like real people. Welcome to Meaning What, a space for conversations missing in contemporary art and culture. New episodes every other Thursday.
MEANING WHAT WILL RETURN IN AUGUST 2025 In this, our final episode of Season 3, Mason and Sean look back on some of the topics and films we discussed this season and look forward to what’s to come. It is a very organized and focused episode and we are consummate professionals. Subscribe to our newsletter for more context, and follow us on Instagram and Bluesky. ——— Meaning What is a production of it's no sam studios Created by Mason Hershenow Produced by Sean Ang Edited, scored, and mixed by Mason Hershenow
6/19/25 • 50:37
It’s Pride Month, so Mason let Sean pick the movie and that’s how we ended up watching the 2015 drama(?) The Dressmaker, and then workshopped it until we came up with a better version of it. Hire us as script doctors and give us millions thank youuuuu. Subscribe to our newsletter for more context, and follow us on Instagram and Bluesky. ——— Meaning What is a production of it's no sam studios Created by Mason Hershenow Produced by Sean Ang Edited, scored, and mixed by Mason Hershenow
6/5/25 • 58:26
This week, Mason and Sean discuss some of their least favorite things in contemporary art and culture. Lenny Kravitz comes up a lot for some reason. Subscribe to our newsletter for more context, and follow us on Instagram and Bluesky. ——— Meaning What is a production of it's no sam studios Created by Mason Hershenow Produced by Sean Ang Edited, scored, and mixed by Mason Hershenow
5/23/25 • 50:29
This week on a very special (late) episode, Mason and Sean discuss Frank Perry’s Joan Crawford biopic Mommie Dearest. It’s a film that both helped sink Faye Dunaway’s career and massively influenced contemporary drag culture, but is it worth watching in 2025? If you Happy Mother’s Day! Subscribe to our newsletter for more context, and follow us on Instagram and Bluesky. ——— Meaning What is a production of it's no sam studios Created by Mason Hershenow Produced by Sean Ang Edited, scored, and mixed by Mason Hershenow
5/11/25 • 59:12
This week Mason and Sean talk about Lucy Dacus’s latest album Forever is a Feeling and the bigger picture its mid-tempo, mid-temperature love songs paint about indie music and social media consumerism as a whole. Stop reading this and listen to the episode. Subscribe to our newsletter for more context, and follow us on Instagram and Bluesky. ——— Meaning What is a production of it's no sam studios Created by Mason Hershenow Produced by Sean Ang Edited, scored, and mixed by Mason Hershenow
4/25/25 • 50:22
Earlier this week we said goodbye to Senior Producer, resident trash goblin, and longtime good boy cat sidekick Lincoln Hershenow. In his honor (and in the interest of Mason's health), we decided to take the week off. We will return with a new episode on April 24th. Subscribe to our newsletter on Substack, and follow us on Instagram and Bluesky. ——— Meaning What is a production of it's no sam studios Created by Mason Hershenow Produced by Sean Ang Edited, scored, and mixed by Mason Hershenow
4/10/25 • 05:14
This week Mason and Sean discuss what is widely considered to be one of the worst films to ever win the Oscar for best picture. We did this because it is almost April Fool’s Day when this comes out, and I’m not sure it was worth it. You should rate, review, and share our podcast, just to make it worth it. Thanks, you’re the best. Subscribe to our newsletter for more context, and follow us on Instagram and Bluesky. ——— Meaning What is a product of it's no sam studios Created by Mason Hershenow Produced by Sean Ang Edited, scored, and mixed by Mason Hershenow
3/27/25 • 51:14
This week Mason and Sean reflect on Ethel Cain’s recent noise album Perverts and the broader lessons it points to about who we make art for and why. Subscribe to our newsletter for more context, and follow us on Instagram and Bluesky. ——— Meaning What is a product of it's no sam studios Created by Mason Hershenow Produced by Sean Ang Edited, scored, and mixed by Mason Hershenow
3/13/25 • 56:36
This week Mason and Sean discuss this year’s nominees for Best Picture at the 2025 Academy Awards. Between the two of us, we watched almost all of them—which is more than can be said for some of the Academy voters. Allegedly! Subscribe to our newsletter for more discourse, and follow us on Instagram and Bluesky. ——— Meaning What is a product of it's no sam studios Created by Mason Hershenow Produced by Sean Ang Edited, scored, and mixed by Mason Hershenow
2/27/25 • 67:08
This week, Mason and Sean discuss the rising influence of China in US culture. They touch everything from the electronics we use to the clothes we wear to the politics we…um…politic; and yet, we’re still told they’re one of our biggest enemies. Is this really the case? We probably won’t definitively answer that here, but we will remind you about The House of Gucci, so there. Subscribe to our newsletter for more discourse, and follow us on Instagram and Bluesky. ——— Meaning What is a product of it's no sam studios Created by Mason Hershenow Produced by Sean Ang Edited, scored, and mixed by Mason Hershenow
2/13/25 • 46:03
For this month's Meaning What Movie Club, Mason and Sean discuss one of the greatest films ever made. Meaning What is now on Substack! Subscribe for deep dives from Mason (and sometimes even Sean!) into topics from the podcast and from the wider world of art and culture, delivered every Thursday directly to your inbox. You can also follow us on Instagram and Bluesky. And you should. ——— Meaning What is a product of it's no sam studios Created by Mason Hershenow Produced by Sean Ang
1/30/25 • 53:17
A new year has dawned, and with it a fresh batch of hopes and horrors. This week, Mason and Sean discuss what the creative landscape looks like for 2025. Things may be bleak now, but hope rises with every Taylor Swift re-release. Subscribe to our newsletter, or follow us on Instagram and Bluesky. ——— Meaning What is a product of it's no sam studios Created by Mason Hershenow Produced by Sean Ang
1/16/25 • 54:36
In the Meaning What Movie Club, we are all inanimate objects. Subscribe to our newsletter, or follow us on Instagram and Bluesky. ——— Meaning What is a product of it's no sam studios Created by Mason Hershenow Produced by Sean Ang Edited, scored, and mixed by Mason Hershenow
1/2/25 • 54:14
This week, Mason and Sean discuss the many ways that social media has become intertwined with art and culture, and why that is a bad thing for everyone involved. Other topics include: Mason’s hatred of TikTok, how old we both are, Sean dating people who love Arby’s roast beef sandwiches, and who the most masculine group of people in the world is. This episode is especially not appropriate for children, and not suggested for Mason’s mom. Subscribe to our newsletter, or follow us on Instagram and Bluesky. ——— Meaning What is a product of it's no sam studios Created by Mason Hershenow Produced by Sean Ang Edited, scored, and mixed by Mason Hershenow
12/19/24 • 60:52
This episode contains frank discussion of the sexual assault of a minor, both that which is implied in the film and that which was allegedly committed by the film’s director Roman Polanski. The Meaning What Movie Club returns with a real doozy of an episode! Mason and Sean discuss the 1974 American film noir masterpiece Chinatown, its parallels to the sins of its director, and how it is the perfect practice in Barthes’ conception of the death of the author. We also discuss Jack Nicholson’s surprising hotness, Faye Dunaway’s surprising eyebrows, Mason’s hatred of reality television, and what makes Ethel Cain’s debut album so damn good. Subscribe to our newsletter, or follow us on Instagram and Bluesky. ——— Meaning What is a product of it's no sam studios Created by Mason Hershenow Produced by Sean Ang Edited, scored, and mixed by Mason Hershenow
12/5/24 • 57:04
No new episode this week because of audio problems. Next episode drops December 5th.
11/21/24 • 01:24
This week, Mason and Sean discuss Roland Barthes' influential 1967 essay "The Death of the Author"—how it is misunderstood by the chronically online and how it is a useful and important in understanding the art that we consume. We also discuss abandoning your heroes, parasocial relationships, songwriting and what it can tell us about the differences between Taylor Swift and Mitski, and remind you that—statistically—someone you love has purchased an album by Nickelback. Subscribe to our newsletter, or follow us on Instagram and Bluesky. ——— Meaning What is a product of it's no sam studios Created by Mason Hershenow Produced by Sean Ang Edited, scored, and mixed by Mason Hershenow
11/7/24 • 64:35
On today's episode, Mason and Sean talk about how the very same companies driving the "A.I." "revolution" are unravelling all aspects of life and culture. As you probably already guessed, we don't think it's a good thing. But, maybe there are legitimate uses? Maybe!? We also discuss autocorrect, photographers on Threads, how Microsoft wants to buy Three Mile Island, and the fact that we need a fact checker/producer. Subscribe to our newsletter, or follow us on Instagram and Bluesky. ——— Meaning What is a product of it's no sam studios Created by Mason Hershenow Produced by Sean Ang Edited, scored, and mixed by Mason Hershenow
10/24/24 • 52:28
On today's episode, Mason and Sean continue the conversation about artificial "intelligence" by turning the eyes on the art world and all the ways that procedurally-generated slop is beginning to pollute modern culture. We also discuss the difference between vocaloids and vtubers, our feelings about Woody Allen's movies, and why your five year old will never measure up to Felix González-Torrez. And make sure to stick around during the commercial break for extra content! Subscribe to our newsletter, or follow us on Instagram and Bluesky. ——— Meaning What is a product of it's no sam studios Created by Mason Hershenow Produced by Sean Ang and Lincoln Hershenow Edited, scored, and mixed by Mason Hershenow
10/11/24 • 48:50
Today we are rightsizing the org with a returning guest: self-described lapsed-physicist John Matter. John joins us to discuss the rise of machine learning and artificial "intelegence", and why it's not much more than fancy math. We also discuss corpo speak, end-user agreements, and some fun trivia about the Enron Corpus. You can find more of John (including his excellent cats) on Instagram. Subscribe to our newsletter, or follow us on Instagram and Bluesky. ——— Meaning What is a product of it's no sam studios Created by Mason Hershenow Produced by Sean Ang Edited, scored, and mixed by Mason Hershenow
9/26/24 • 50:22
Here it is, the final episode in our first mini series. Here we wrap up our discussion about media criticism, reaffirm our stance on Ronald Regan, and kick off Sean’s promissing political career as a classic American moderate. There is also discussion about Chuck Berry, Matchbox Twenty, and just how cool Mason wasn't in high school. ——— Meaning What is a product of it's no sam studios Created by Mason Hershenow Produced by Sean Ang Edited, scored, and mixed by Mason Hershenow
9/12/24 • 52:34
Mason went to a 9:45am showing of Deadpool & Wolverine a few days after this recording. ——— Meaning What is a product of it's no sam studios Created by Mason Hershenow Produced by Sean Ang & Lincoln "Link" Hershenow Edited, scored, and mixed by Mason Hershenow
8/29/24 • 53:48
In part two of our series on criticism, Mason and Sean discuss the world of popular music and how social media and internet culture is shaping what we listen to and the industry that produces it. There are a few tangents, but we get there in the end. Everything is good and everyone behaves reasonably, especially hardcore fans on the internet. ——— Meaning What is a product of it's no sam studios Created by Mason Hershenow Produced by Sean Ang Edited, scored, and mixed by Mason Hershenow
8/15/24 • 47:01
We finally renewed ourselves for a third season, and we're kicking it off with a four-part series on criticism's place in the contemporary media landscape. In this first episode, Mason and Sean discuss how review culture—Yelp, Letterboxd, Amazon product reviews, etc.—has bled into culture writ large. Spoiler: the results aren't great consumers! Meaning What is now available every other Thursday, wherever you get podcasts. Go tell somebody! ——— Meaning What is a product of it's no sam studios Created by Mason Hershenow Produced by Sean Ang Edited, scored, and mixed by Mason Hershenow
8/1/24 • 52:26
Tell your friends! Tell your lover(s)! Tell your friend(s)'s lover(s)! Every other Thursday, wherever you get podcasts.
7/31/24 • 00:31
It's that Meaning What Movie Club time again, folks. This month we're discussing the 1991 cops-and-robbers-who-are-also-surfers blockbuster Point Break. Not without its flaws, this is a surprisingly complex (and surprisingly progressive) thriller that even the acting chops of early-90s Keanu couldn't sink. Want more? Subscribe to our newsletter, or follow us on Instagram and Bluesky. ——— Meaning What is a product of it's no sam studios Created by Mason Hershenow Produced by Sean Ang and Christopher Scott McNeill Edited by Christopher Scott McNeill Mixed by Mason Hershenow Original music by Mason Hershenow
7/29/21 • 61:47
Welcome to a special preview episode of our Patreon-only podcast The Subscription Show! Enjoy and we'll see you again on Thursday for our regularly scheduled programing. This month we saw our podcast break out internationally. And by "internationally" I mean just in India. And by "our podcast" I mean specifically our episode about Moonlight. You know what, just listen to the episode. You'll see what I mean. Other topics include Space Bezos and Jackass: The Movie: The New One If you would like access to more content like this while simultaneously funding our promising expansion into the international podcasting market, consider joining our Patreon! ——— Original music by Mason Hershenow, with special contributions this episode by Sean Ang and Christopher Scott McNeill.
7/27/21 • 26:13
This week we're looking at secret agents in cinema. From the genre-defining silliness of Sean Connery's James Bond to the shaky-cam-defining realism of Matt Damon's Jason Borne, we discuss how the films defined politics and masculinity for generations, and how new generations are beginning to redefine the genre in return. If you would like to help make future commentary on Pierce Brosnan's bowties possible, join our Patreon! for as little as $3/month, you'll help keep this podcast going and get even more content in return. Patreon.com/meaningwhatpod ——— Meaning What is a product of it's no sam studios Created by Mason Hershenow Produced by Sean Ang and Christopher Scott McNeill Edited by Christopher Scott McNeill Mixed by Mason Hershenow Original music by Mason Hershenow Advertising provided by Voxnest
7/22/21 • 64:56
This week, we discuss the tenuous relationship between the Western fine art market and the People's Republic of China. We cover the Old Summer Palace bronze heads, why westerners find it easy to love Ai Weiwei, and the Second Opium War because global conflict was the most popular means of art collecting in 19th century Europe. For more on the sacking of the Summer Palace, its bronze heads, and the theft of Looty the dog, listen to this excellent 99% Invisible episode. If you would like to help fund Mason's one-man war against government-backed global art theft, join our Patreon! for as little as $3/month, you'll help keep this podcast going and get even more content in return. Patreon.com/meaningwhatpod ——— Meaning What is a product of it's no sam studios Created by Mason Hershenow Produced by Sean Ang and Christopher Scott McNeill Edited by Christopher Scott McNeill Mixed by Mason Hershenow Original music by Mason Hershenow Advertising provided by Voxnest
7/15/21 • 42:37
This week we discuss one of the United States' first fine art movements—the Hudson River School—and it's inextricable relationship with Manifest Destiny. We also discuss the legacy of these two ideas in American art, and Mason rants some more about Ansel Adams. A good time is had by all. And if you want to keep the good time going, consider joining our Patreon. There you'll find bonus content of all kinds, and be directly contributing to Mason's mission to dethrone Ansel Adams once and for all. Patreon.com/meaningwhatpod ——— Meaning What is a product of it's no sam studios Created by Mason Hershenow Produced by Sean Ang and Christopher Scott McNeill Edited by Christopher Scott McNeill Mixed by Mason Hershenow Original music by Mason Hershenow Advertising provided by Voxnest
7/8/21 • 48:06
