Banned Camp: Banned Books, Comedy, and Free Speech vs. Censorship
Love banned books? Hate censorship?
Same. You’re our kind of people.
Banned Camp is a comedy podcast where we read banned books and try to figure out why they were banned in the first place.
Each season, we tackle a new banned book, reading it chapter by chapter and asking: What made someone clutch their pearls and scream, "BAN IT!"? (Spoiler: It’s rarely what you’d expect.) One thing is clear—the people banning these books often haven’t read them. While we uncover some eyebrow-raising moments, nothing truly justifies censorship.
Join us—and our listeners, "The Scary Book People"—as we explore the strange, hilarious, and sometimes baffling world of banned books.
Past seasons have featured classics like To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz, Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut, and 1984 by George Orwell.
This season, we’re diving into Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. It's a dystopia built on pleasure, not fear. People are engineered, drugged, and distracted into obedience, and they’re taught to love the system that controls them. It’s funny, creepy, and disturbingly familiar. And like all great banned books, it makes you question the world you're living in.
By reading these books, we ask big questions: Why are banned books important? What does “banned” mean? What does “challenged” mean? How do book bans affect students? Are book bans constitutional?
Come hang out with us and have some laughs while we dig into the drama behind banned books—you might even learn something cool along the way!
Banned Camp: Banned Books, Comedy, and Free Speech vs. Censorship
Slaughterhouse-Five | Ch. 8.2 - Kilgore Trout Crashes Billy’s Party
In this episode of Banned Camp, Jennifer and Dan continue reading, chapter 8 about that awkward world of Kilgore Trout, Billy Pilgrim’s favorite sci-fi writer. From delivering newspapers to mingling at Billy’s anniversary party, Trout’s antics keep the laughs coming. Along the way, Jennifer grapples with the sour-sweet chords of That Old Gang of Mine.
Things to Listen For:
- Kilgore Trout’s wild claim about parsley and paprika at funerals.
- Jennifer’s beef with Simon and Garfunkel.
- Billy Pilgrim’s emotional breakdown during a barbershop quartet performance.
- Why a piece of salmon roe caused chaos at Billy’s anniversary party.
Banworthy to Bingeworthy Podcast:
If you’re looking for your next favorite podcast, check out Good News for Lefties. Hosted by Beowulf Rochlen, this daily show balances news, optimism, and progressive insights. Whether you’re catching up on uplifting political stories or discovering grassroots wins, Good News for Lefties is the perfect antidote to doomscrolling. Tune in at Good News for Lefties.
Featured Clips:
Featured clips include a segment from That Old Gang of Mine by Billy Murray & Ed Smalle (1923), and a clip from DonRock The Imposter’s recorder performance of Simon & Garfunkel’s Scarborough Fair. Watch DonRock’s full performance on YouTube: DonRock The Imposter. All rights and copyrights are the property of their respective owners and are used here for entertainment and educational purposes under fair use guidelines. No copyright infringement intended.
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Disclaimer:
Banned Camp features readings and discussions of banned books for criticism, commentary, and education under fair use guidelines. The material used from Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut, as well as the clips included in this episode, is shared with the intent of provoking thought and discussion about literature, censorship, and societal issues.
We do not claim ownership over the original works. All copyrights remain with the respective copyright holders, including Kurt Vonnegut’s estate and the creators of the featured media. We encourage listeners to purchase copies of Slaughterhouse-Five and explore the featured works to appreciate them in their full context.
This podcast is not endorsed by Kurt Vonnegut, his estate, or the publishers of Slaughterhouse-Five. Any monetization of the podcast is independent and not derived directly from the copyrighted material discussed.
Topics Covered:
Slaughterhouse-Five, Kurt Vonnegut, Kilgore Trout, Simon and Garfunkel, That Old Gang of Mine, Billy Pilgrim, book banning, censorship, Scary Book People.