A.I., Hip-Hop, and the Digital Uncanny – A Talk with Paul Miller, aka DJ Spooky
Harvard Divinity SchoolShow Notes
For Episode 16 of Pop Apocalypse, we welcome composer, artist, and media theorist Paul Miller. Miller is best known for his music as DJ Spooky, the avant-garde turntableist who has collaborated with artists ranging from Chuck D to Yoko Ono. He has also re-scored classic films, such as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, and his art has been showcased in exhibitions at the Whitney Museum of American Art.
In this wide-ranging conversation, we asked Paul to explore the eeriness of life in the digital age. We touch on the perils and possibilities of artificial intelligence, the role of the DJ, Japanese Butoh as a response to nuclear tragedy, re-scoring D.W. Griffith’s The Birth of a Nation, and how Einstein, science fiction, and Sun Ra have shaped Miller’s work.
More from Harvard Divinity School
In this episode, Maya Lee, MDiv III, shares their journey from Brooklyn to Harvard Divinity School, and we explore their deep engagement with Buddhism, social justice, and hospital chaplaincy.
Miriam Pellegrino is an artist and designer compelled by the strange and the Sacred. They work as a human-centered design researcher, strategist, and illustrator. Miriam is also a student at Harvard Divinity School, where they are working toward a Master of Theological Studies with a focus in interior design and experience design for meaning-making. When they aren’t contemplating what spaces best support the flourishing of all life, you can find them searching for the best gluten-free bagel in the Boston area.
What did religion actually look like in America in 1776? In this episode of Harvard Religion Beat, host Jonathan Beasley speaks with Harvard Divinity School professor Catherine Brekus about the role of faith in Revolutionary America—from Sunday worship and the influence of ministers to the experiences of women, enslaved people, and Indigenous communities. Brekus also explores how religion shaped the American Revolution, what life was like at Harvard during the founding era, and why this history continues to inform conversations about religion and public life today.
Is the world becoming more religious or less religious? Gina Zurlo, Lecturer on World Christianity at Harvard Divinity School, talks about the demographic, cultural, and social forces reshaping religion around the globe. Drawing on a recent Pew Research Center report on religious diversity, Zurlo explores Christianity's shift toward the Global South, the impact of migration and demographics, and what researchers are learning about faith and spirituality among younger generations.
In this episode, Hiatt and Jordan celebrate the end of their tenure as Hope Podcast hosts by interviewing each other about poetry, ministry, and how the two together make a kind of life.