This week, Alex and Wesley revisit Damien Chazelle’s abuse thriller Whiplash, which stars Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons. They saw it at Sundance back in January, but it’s started to open around the country, and now’s a good time to see if it’s still as good in the real world. They take up the issue of race in the movie and how a music professor should be expected to dress.

They move on to a brief consideration of Taylor Swift’s new single, “Out of the Woods.” Alex likes it, in part because it reminds him of the important synth-pop band Book of Love. He then tells Wesley he’s been watching a lot of ABC’s Nashville. Will Wesley? Who knows?

Also: Don’t forget. This month’s book is Karl Ove Knausgård’s My Struggle: Book One. That’ll be for next week’s episode.

Listen to the podcast here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrUlYU2sWqg

Here are links to topics discussed in this week’s show.

Whiplash

“This. Sick. Beat: A Teacher Abuses His Power Over a Drummer in ‘Whiplash,’” Grantland, October 15, 2014

“Full Metal Jazz,” Grantland, October 9, 2014

“The 10 Best Things at Sundance 2014,” Grantland, January 24, 2014

Taylor Swift

“Out of the Woods,” Taylor Swift, 2014

“The Promise,” When in Rome, 1988

“Strange But True,” Times Two, 1988

“Boy,” Book of Love, 1985

Nashville

“My Anti-est Antihero of the Year: Nashville’s Juliette Barnes,” Grantland, December 5, 2013

“Fall TV Preview: ABC Tries to Go Big With Nashville and Last Resort, Go Dumb With The Neighbors,” Grantland, September 5, 2012