Episode 146 -- Gender and Road Trips with Sarah Marshall
Summary
Hosts Adrian Dobb and Moira Donahue welcome guest Sarah Marshall to explore the gendered history and mythology of the American road trip. They discuss its evolution from a masculine rite of passage to a site of danger for women, analyzing films like Psycho and Easy Rider. The conversation covers themes of sovereignty, class, and race, highlighting how cultural narratives have shaped perceptions of safety and freedom on the open road.
Topics discussed
Announcement of upcoming live show in San Francisco
Defining the road trip: duration, vehicle, and directionlessness
The vastness of American landscapes and the 'squiggly' nature of travel
Personal relationships with road trip mythology and media
The road trips as a rite of passage and escape from connectivity
Historical origins of the road trip and the car as American identity
Sovereignty, individualism, and the gendered history of driving
Gendered risks, Anne-Marie Schwarzenbach, and the 1960s shift
The rise of the road movie genre and the collapse of the studio system
Horror tropes, Hitchcock's Psycho, and the fear of the unknown
The decline of hitchhiking and the 'Killer Hitchhiker' phenomenon
Racial dynamics on the road and the importance of The Green Book
The Green Book's legacy and the racial mediation of mobility and safety
Future road trips: resisting social media itineraries for spontaneity
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