Podcast Summary: “Alien Superstar”

Podcast: Cannonball with Wesley Morris
Host: The New York Times
Episode Date: November 1, 2022

Episode Overview

This episode, titled “Alien Superstar,” is an expansive, witty exploration of Jordan Peele’s film Nope. Hosts Wesley Morris and Jay Wortham dive into the film’s metaphors, themes of spectacle, proof, Blackness in Hollywood, and the struggle to be believed. Beyond dissecting the movie itself, the episode becomes a deep discussion about American myth-making, trauma, media, and the demand for evidence—especially from Black creators and witnesses.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why Proof is Central in Nope (02:42–10:59)

• The conversation opens with the realization that Nope isn’t just about escaping or killing an alien—it’s about capturing proof of its existence.
  • Jay highlights: “In a Jordan Peele movie, the Big Bad is never what you think it's going to be... In this movie... The point is to take a photograph of it.” (02:42)
• The hosts stress how this drive for proof reflects broader issues of trust, especially for Black Americans whose experiences and trauma are often doubted or erased.
  • Jay: “Why is the proof so important to them? …because who is ever going to believe you?” (08:43)
• They connect this need for proof to our modern “truth insecurity,” where misinformation and the viral spread of false narratives cloud what’s real.
  • Jay cites a recent viral video to illustrate, “All those things create this environment of just uncertainty and truth insecurity.” (10:24)

2. Spectacle, Fame, and Exploitation (13:05–17:19)

• The discussion moves to Ricky “Jupe” Park, a child star whose trauma is commercialized as an amusement park (“Jupiter’s Claim”).
  • Jupe’s personal museum and the retelling of his sitcom trauma become a metaphor: “This is someone who has turned the most horrific experience of their life into an amusement park, because that's the only way they know how to cope.” (15:06)
• The hosts reflect on contemporary society’s demand for spectacle and content, and how trauma—especially Black trauma—is often upcycled for entertainment and profit.
• Wesley references the Bible quote opening the film: “I will cast abominable filth at you, make you vile, make you a spectacle.” (16:53)
  • This, he argues, frames the film’s critique of the human urge to capture and consume reality, a “violation of the soul.”

3. Blackness, History, and Symbolism (18:03–22:30)

• They analyze the significance of the protagonist O.J.’s name, both as a reference to O.J. Simpson and as a broader symbol.
• Jay describes being asked as a child, “Do you think O.J. did it?” and explains the complicated layers this question exposes about Black identity, justice, and how Black people are seen.
  • “It was an indictment of all black men in America... It was about putting the fear of death in and God into all of us.” (21:08)
• Jay frames Peele’s film as offering an alternative—where a character named O.J. saves rather than destroys his family.
  • “OJ Gets to be a very kind and loving and a good natured name and actually saves his family, not murders them.” (21:51)
• On the horror of American life: “The O.J. trial is scarier than anything this Alien has to offer... Living in America, scarier than Alien Superstar times a thousand.” (22:17, 22:30)

4. The Climax: Capturing Truth on Your Own Terms (24:04–31:36)

• The hosts discuss the movie’s final act, where Emerald (Keke Palmer) uses a hand-crank camera to photograph the alien.
  • Jay notes, “The technology is from her... she believes her experience, and that's enough.” (30:02)
• The themes of self-reliance and reclaiming narrative are emphasized. Different camera technologies fail—only the analog, self-operated one works.
  • “If you want something done right, do it yourself.” (29:56)
• Connection to early film history: The use of the crank camera closes the historical circle started by Muybridge’s “black jockey,” tying the siblings’ legacy to the origins of cinema.
  • Wesley: “It's not gonna be that they got this incredible thing on film. It's. This happened to us. And we're still here to tell the tale. You cannot erase us. You cannot exploit us. You cannot delete us.” (31:29–31:44)

5. Media, Believability, and the Price of Evidence (27:16–28:30)

• The aftermath: Emerald has the proof, but must now face the media and public scrutiny.
  • Jay: “To me, this is one of the most important parts of the film because you just understand exactly the price that she's paid and is about to pay. Right. And it's her composing herself... now she has to tell her story. And that is actually what happens all the time in this country.”
• The hosts end questioning if the world will ever readily believe marginalized experiences, even when incontrovertible evidence is presented.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Jay Wortham on Truth and Proof:
  • “Our relationship to the truth is psychotic and pathological. You know, you can't really believe what people say. You can't believe what you see.” (09:15)
• On Exploiting Trauma:
  • “Here's what people do all the time... upcycle every iota of your existence, which includes your trauma, for entertainment, for attention, for the hope of an eventual payday.” (15:16)
• On Spectacle:
  • Wesley: “This human urge to capture reality, this human urge to capture people who don't want to be captured, you know, is a sin... It's a violation of the soul.” (17:08)
• On Blackness and Belief:
  • Jay: “It was such a loaded question because it wasn't an indictment of this horrible, horrible tragedy. It was an indictment of all black men in America.” (21:08)
• Final Words of Triumph:
  • Jay: “It's not gonna be that they got this incredible thing on film. It's. This happened to us. And we're still here to tell the tale. You cannot erase us. You cannot exploit us. You cannot delete us.” (31:29–31:44)
  • Wesley: “Amen. That's a show.” (31:44)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:42] – Jordan Peele’s dark explorations in American myth, history, and Nope’s real “Big Bad”
• [07:23] – The “money shot” vs. “Oprah shot” and the need for proof
• [10:24] – Truth insecurity in internet age & viral misinformation
• [13:05] – Jupe’s trauma as amusement park & spectacle
• [16:53] – Biblical roots of spectacle and exploitation
• [18:03] – O.J.’s name and Black identity in pop culture
• [21:08] – Childhood memories and inherited fears around the O.J. Simpson trial
• [24:04] – The climax with analog film, reclaiming narrative
• [27:16] – The emotional price of finally being believed
• [30:02] – Technological self-determination and historic closure

Tone and Style

Throughout the episode, Wesley and Jay riff with humor, gravitas, and vulnerability. The conversation is both intellectual and deeply personal, shifting easily from sharp cultural critique to intimate reminiscence. The tone is playful but tinged with a real sense of urgency about the stakes for representation, history, and truth.

This summary captures the episode’s rich, provocative conversation about Nope, American spectacle, race, the nature of proof, and the reclamation of marginalized stories in pop culture. For those who haven’t listened, it provides both the gist and the texture of the hosts’ dynamic, the film’s cultural significance, and the personal resonances woven through their critique.