Michael Mahoney is a PhD student in the Department of English whose research examines contemporary media and aesthetic practices around concomitant questions of political economy and creative industry production, with a particular eye toward post-1970s expressions of DIY cultural ideals in the United States. During his time at UCI, Michael has written and presented extensively on U.S. post-punk and noise music subculture, and is currently working on a publication which examines contemporary branding logics through the critical lens of the experimental sound imprint American Tapes. In addition to exploring these underground sectors of experimental music, Michael is also interested in critically interrogating public access TV, Net art, and the self-publishing industry as historically specific sites of cultural production.
Publications:
“On Air and Undressed: Jim Spagg and the No-Frills Utopia of Public-Access Television.” Western Humanities Review (Fall 2016) (forthcoming)
Michael also works creatively in the medium of electroacoustic sound, and his recordings and performances have been featured in The Wire magazine, The Korea National Gallery of Arts in Seoul, and the Burchfield Penney Art Center in Buffalo, NY.