Season 1, Gen X — Episode 14 — Summer of Sam (1999) w/Jon Repetti

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This week, the DPP lads are joined by writer, critic and marketing director at publishing house Deep Vellum (and friend of the pod) Jon Repetti — to discuss Spike Lee's 1999 crime thriller Summer of Sam.

Summer of Sam revolves around the fallout from a real-life killing spree committed by David Berkowitz between 1975 and 1977.

Lee's 1999 feature is an odd combination of 1970s nostalgia aimed at a young Gen X, combined with subcultural analysis and crime thriller tropes. The film delves into the urban psychogeography of New York City's outer boroughs and ethnic neighbourhoods — at a time when NYC was widely considered to be in decline, yet also experiencing a huge cultural flourishing of underground scenes, musical creativity, and club life.

Does Gen X's childhood fear of the city and the urban, in the 1970s, translate into today's pervasive paranoia about large American cities? Find out in today's episode.

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