Iain Ellis

Born in Manchester and raised east of London, Iain Ellis spent his formative years playing, performing, and consuming a heavy (if not healthy) diet of punk rock music and football. Little has changed since. In 1986, the young man went west to find his dreams in Bowling Green, Ohio. Instead, he picked up a PhD in American Culture Studies, writing his dissertation on 1980s American Punk Culture. In 2000, he traveled further west, settling in Lawrence, Kansas, where he currently teaches English and Youth Culture Studies at the University of Kansas. An avowed arrested adolescent, Iain continues to follow music and sports with a passion, performing and recording periodically with his Ohio-based Britpop band, piss artists, and playing weekly with his Lawrence football team, The Sweepers. When he grows up, Dr. Ellis hopes to head further west. You may also enjoy his book, Rebels Wit Attitude: Subversive Rock Humorists.
Richard Dawkins and the Need for a New Science Populism
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Richard Dawkins and the Need for a New Science Populism

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 / 11 January 2017
Now, more than ever, public intellectual scientists like Dawkins are needed to counter the forces of faith, fiction, and farce dominating our so-called “post-fact” society.
Nutty Professors? The Case for Scientist-Humorists in the Culture Wars
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Nutty Professors? The Case for Scientist-Humorists in the Culture Wars

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 / 31 October 2016
It's time for the personalities of the science community to emerge from their labs and to get into the ring.
Can Satire Bring Down Donald Trump?
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Can Satire Bring Down Donald Trump?

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 / 9 August 2016
Michael Moore calls for humorists everywhere to satirize Donald Trump, but what if our best satire simply cannot (yes, we'll say it) "trump" reality?
Who’s Better Than Mark Twain at Bible-bashing?
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Who’s Better Than Mark Twain at Bible-bashing?

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 / 20 June 2016

Sounding more like Christopher Hitchens than a lapsed Presbyterian from the 19th century, Mark Twain rips apart Testaments Old and New.

Kurt Vonnegut: Our Reluctant, Agnostic, Hippy Guru
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Kurt Vonnegut: Our Reluctant, Agnostic, Hippy Guru

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Vonnegut's timeless stories challenge the assumptions, institutions, and ideologies that so delimit critical thinking and open-mindedness.
What Does Randy Newman Say When He Talks With God?
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What Does Randy Newman Say When He Talks With God?

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 / 23 February 2016
One of the less celebrated satirists of religion, a study of some of Randy Newman's key songs reveals a subtle subversive at work.
The Gospel According to Ricky Gervais (in 140 Characters or Less)
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The Gospel According to Ricky Gervais (in 140 Characters or Less)

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 / 7 January 2016
One of today's most accomplished and revered comedic minds has jettisoned himself onto the frontlines of the culture wars where he wittily battles on behalf of humanism, reason, and secularism.
Bill Maher and the Perils of the Commentator-Comedian
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Bill Maher and the Perils of the Commentator-Comedian

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 / 20 October 2015
To offend is inevitable for the socio-political commentator-comedian, and to suffer the slings and arrows of backlash should be equally expected.
George Carlin: Philosopher, Poet, Preacher
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George Carlin: Philosopher, Poet, Preacher

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 / 27 August 2015
Few comedians have aimed for the mind over the funny bone (while still reaching both) quite like George Carlin has.
Before Charlie Hebdo: The Cartoon Wars
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Before Charlie Hebdo: The Cartoon Wars

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 / 17 June 2015
Why is it that cartoons, more than any other expressive form, have incited the wrath of religious backlash?
Diss-Illusioned! Magic and the Supernatural
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Diss-Illusioned! Magic and the Supernatural

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 / 23 April 2015
A new breed of magicians are self-consciously aware that their toolbox of trickery enables them to wield the potential power to affect beliefs—and thus behavior.
Weapons Drawn! Perspectives on Charlie Hebdo
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Weapons Drawn! Perspectives on Charlie Hebdo

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 / 26 February 2015
Questioning cartoons, satire, and the role of the media after the Charlie Hebdo assassinations.