The Complete Catalog

Confessions II w/ K.M. Soehnlein (Madonna, Episode 18)

Confessions II, 2026’s long-awaited Madonna release coming seven years after Madame X (her biggest gap between records), seems to have been worth the wait for many. Indeed, Tristan and https://www.kmsoehnlein.com/, author of...

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Madame X w/ Abdi Nazemian (Madonna, Episode 17)

Madame X was Madonna’s return to angry political messaging, not unlike American Life. But the 2019 release’s embrace of Portuguese, Brazilian, and Latin music influences distinguishes it as a unique sonic landscape for the artist, as Tristan and...

Rebel Heart w/ JT_Lizzard (Madonna, Episode 16)

Rebel Heart is probably the purest example of the trend the past few episodes of the show have addressed: that of Madonna’s, shall we say, extensive array of producing and songwriting collaborators. While Tristan and friend of the show...

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MDNA w/ Michael Dango (Madonna, Episode 15)

MDNA, released in 2012, defines Madonna’s approach to production collaboration in the 2010s; that is to say, with a wide array of songwriting “camp” teams. Tristan and https://www.michaeldango.com/, Associate Professor of English at Rice University...

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Hard Candy w/ Sydney Urbanek (Madonna, Episode 14)

Released in 2008, Hard Candy noticeably carries the production and songwriting tendencies of its all-star collaborators. Music writer https://sydurbanek.ghost.io/ and Tristan discuss the good and bad of those tendencies and how Madonna’s own presence...

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Confessions on a Dance Floor w/ PT Klein (Madonna, Episode 13)

For quite a few, Confessions on a Dance Floor, released in 2005, is Madonna’s “last great album.” While that may not exactly be the conclusion Tristan and film historian and cultural critic PT Klein come to, they certainly find its distillation of...

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American Life w/ Giulio Mazzoleni (Madonna, Episode 12)

Not since Erotica had Madonna faced as much controversy as she did with American Life. Her artistic statement on the state of the country and world, released in 2003 in the midst of the “Bush II era,” is often intentionally abrasive but has many...

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Music w/ Trevor Bermingham (Madonna, Episode 11)

Released in 2000, Madonna’s Music ushered in the 21st century for the everlastingly iconic pop star. And it did so with still-impressive forethought and freshness, which Tristan and friend of the show Trevor Bermingham constantly appreciate even for...

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Ray of Light w/ Caitlin Casiello (Madonna, Episode 10)

Ray of Light is often cited as Madonna’s greatest album. That’s a heavy expectation, but as basically Madonna novices Tristan and Caitlin Casiello, Assistant Professor of Japanese Film and Media Studies at the University of Florida, discuss, it’s one...

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Evita w/ Ben Gierhart (Madonna, Episode 9)

Evita was a major push for Madonna’s film career as well as her musical artistry, notably stretching her voice to new ranges to accommodate the Andrew Lloyd Webber sound. Tristan and theater artist and writer Ben Gierhart discuss the expansiveness,...

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Bedtime Stories w/ Michael Snydel (Madonna, Episode 8)

Discussion about Bedtime Stories, released in 1994 and two years after Erotica, is defined by the conscious “softening” of Madonna’s image. And as Tristan and former film critic and podcaster https://bsky.app/profile/snydel.bsky.social address, that...

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Erotica w/ Caroline Delbert (Madonna, Episode 7)

Erotica was considered the nadir of Madonna’s career when it was released in 1992. But as Tristan and journalist https://www.popularmechanics.com/author/224127/caroline-delbert/ uncover, the album has been reclaimed, especially removed from its...

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I'm Breathless w/ Lucy O'Brien (Madonna, Episode 6)

I’m Breathless, the 1990 soundtrack to Dick Tracy, is Madonna’s basically faithful ode to old Hollywood…plus one of her most “hip” and lasting tracks. Tristan and Lucy O’Brien, author of...

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Like a Prayer w/ Frankie Lee (Madonna, Episode 5)

1989’s Like a Prayer is considered a watershed moment in Madonna’s career. Tristan and actor, writer, and comedian https://www.instagram.com/frankieisfunnny/ dive deep into the monumental work; they think it’s going to catch on!

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Who's That Girl w/ Scout Tafoya (Madonna, Episode 4)

Who’s That Girl almost wasn’t included in the run of episodes for this Madonna season of The Complete Catalog because this soundtrack record isn’t made up of a majority of her songs. But the 1987 release still has the presence of a “Madonna album,” as...

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True Blue w/ Tim Riley (Madonna, Episode 3)

True Blue, released in 1986, was Madonna’s third album in as many years right at the start of the career and continued her meteoric rise in both the commercial and critical arenas. Author Tim Riley...

Like a Virgin w/ Santiago Fouz-Hernández (Madonna, Episode 2)

Like a Virgin was only Madonna’s second album but it is often credited as the one that “made” her. Tristan and Santiago Fouz-Hernández, professor in Iberian Studies and Film Studies at Durham University and co-editor of...

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Madonna w/ Matthew Rettenmund (Madonna, Episode 1)

Welcome to The Complete Catalog, a podcast for media deep dives. For this second season, host Tristan Ettleman and his guests explore the 18 albums of Madonna (including some videos, movies, and other releases) across 43 years. Madonna’s 1983...

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The Boy and the Heron w/ Edmond Ernest dit Alban (Studio Ghibli, Episode 30)

This is it: the season finale of The Complete Catalog: Studio Ghibli (at least for now)! Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron stands as his and the studio’s final film (again, for now) and it offers a rich yet complicated host of thematic threads...

Earwig and the Witch w/ Caitlin Casiello (Studio Ghibli, Episode 29)

Earwig and the Witch has the infamous reputation as Studio Ghibli’s worst film. That is indeed true, as Tristan and Assistant Professor of Japanese Film and Media Studies at the University of Florida Caitlin Casiello agree, but they also try to find...