Episode 53 – Idioms of Normality hosted by Dr. Paul H. Mason

Jessica Leski is the first documentary maker to be interviewed by Dr Paul Mason on Idioms of Normality. Her documentary, “I Used To Be Normal: A Boyband Fangirl Story”, follows the lives of four boyband fangirls to learn more about this phenomenon. Reflecting on her experiences making this documentary, Jessica points out how acceptable it has become to don a football jumper and support your favourite team at a stadium on the weekend, but how being madly crazy about your favourite boy band is still on the margins of what might be considered normal behaviour by wider society. Fervent adoration of celebrities, however, can be traced back to the ancient Romans if not earlier. And yet, normality is called into question when it comes to an obsessive infatuation with a member of a boy band. What is normal? And can normal even be defined? In this episode of Idioms of Normality, Jessica and Paul discuss the range of variability in human ritualistic, artistic, and fantastic behaviour.

Learn more about Jessica Leski’s documentary, “I Used to Be Normal”, here:

www.boybandfangirl.com
https://www.madman.com.au/i-used-to-be-normal-a-boyband-fangirl-story/