Irene McGee
Encyclopedia
Irene McGee is the host of No One's Listening, a podcast
about the mass media, currently on The Progressive Radio Network She came to public attention in 1998 as a cast member of the MTV
reality television
series, The Real World: Seattle
. McGee left the show during filming, citing illness, but later revealed she actually left because of ethical objections to the production.
with a degree in English
. She later received her Masters from San Francisco State University
's Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts department.
, in 1998, during which she was described by The Seattle Times as "the cynical girl from New York state." During filming, she appeared sick and was suffering from headaches, and during the 14th episode, she told the others that she had Lyme disease
, then left during the next episode. As she was leaving, a heated exchange with another housemate, Stephen Williams, ended with him opening the passenger door of her car and slapping her. The producers gave the cast the decision as to whether to evict Williams, and they decided to let him stay if he would attend anger-management therapy. Activist Jello Biafra
discussed the event:
Despite her explanation of Lyme Disease as the reason for her departure from filming, she later explained in a taped interview aired during the 2000 reunion show, The Real World Reunion 2000, she explained that the true reason was her ethical objections to aspects of the show's production.
, Lawrence Lessig
, Brewster Kahle
, Violet Blue
, and Jimmy Wales
, and won the 2006 Pubbie Award as Best Bay Area Podcast by the San Francisco Bay Area Publicity Club. She has spoken to colleges about media manipulation
and reality television, and has appeared on VH1 and E! Entertainment Television. She has also been involved with a documentary about Lyme Disease, Under Our Skin: The Untold Story of Lyme Disease. For a few weeks in 2008 she hosted a Revision3 show, Social Brew.
Podcast
A podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...
about the mass media, currently on The Progressive Radio Network She came to public attention in 1998 as a cast member of the MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
reality television
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
series, The Real World: Seattle
The Real World: Seattle
The Real World: Seattle is the seventh season of MTV's reality television series The Real World, which focuses on a group of diverse strangers living together for several months in a different city each season, as cameras follow their lives and interpersonal relationships. First airing in 1998, the...
. McGee left the show during filming, citing illness, but later revealed she actually left because of ethical objections to the production.
Background
Originally from Pleasant Valley, New York, McGee graduated from Georgetown UniversityGeorgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
with a degree in English
English major
The English Major is a term in the United States and a few other countries for an undergraduate university degree focused around the consumption, analysis, and production of texts in the English language...
. She later received her Masters from San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University is a public university located in San Francisco, California. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers over 100 areas of study from nine academic colleges...
's Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts department.
The Real World: Seattle
McGee appeared on the show's seventh season, The Real World: SeattleThe Real World: Seattle
The Real World: Seattle is the seventh season of MTV's reality television series The Real World, which focuses on a group of diverse strangers living together for several months in a different city each season, as cameras follow their lives and interpersonal relationships. First airing in 1998, the...
, in 1998, during which she was described by The Seattle Times as "the cynical girl from New York state." During filming, she appeared sick and was suffering from headaches, and during the 14th episode, she told the others that she had Lyme disease
Lyme disease
Lyme disease, or Lyme borreliosis, is an emerging infectious disease caused by at least three species of bacteria belonging to the genus Borrelia. Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto is the main cause of Lyme disease in the United States, whereas Borrelia afzelii and Borrelia garinii cause most...
, then left during the next episode. As she was leaving, a heated exchange with another housemate, Stephen Williams, ended with him opening the passenger door of her car and slapping her. The producers gave the cast the decision as to whether to evict Williams, and they decided to let him stay if he would attend anger-management therapy. Activist Jello Biafra
Jello Biafra
Jello Biafra is an American musician, spoken word artist and leading figure of the Green Party of the United States. Biafra first gained attention as the lead singer and songwriter for San Francisco punk rock band Dead Kennedys...
discussed the event:
- "We know Real World is not the real world. I recently met a woman named Irene McGee who quit this show and said not even the house was real. The fridges were all filled to the brim with Vlasic pickles delivered daily by the crate load along with gallons of Nantucket Nectar. If she drank anything else, the crew took it from her hand and made sure the Nantucket Nectar label was facing the camera instead. When she walked out, another guy in the cast of Real World hit her and the camera guy did nothing . . . When she spoke out, MTV sued her. And Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
rated Irene getting smash mouthed the 47th most interesting event on TV that whole year . . . Can’t you MTV think of a better way to raise audience awareness of domestic violence than to make it look cool?"
Despite her explanation of Lyme Disease as the reason for her departure from filming, she later explained in a taped interview aired during the 2000 reunion show, The Real World Reunion 2000, she explained that the true reason was her ethical objections to aspects of the show's production.
Career
In 2005, McGee began a youth-oriented radio show/podcast, No One's Listening, broadcast out of San Francisco State University. The show has included interviews with Noam ChomskyNoam Chomsky
Avram Noam Chomsky is an American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, and activist. He is an Institute Professor and Professor in the Department of Linguistics & Philosophy at MIT, where he has worked for over 50 years. Chomsky has been described as the "father of modern linguistics" and...
, Lawrence Lessig
Lawrence Lessig
Lawrence "Larry" Lessig is an American academic and political activist. He is best known as a proponent of reduced legal restrictions on copyright, trademark, and radio frequency spectrum, particularly in technology applications, and he has called for state-based activism to promote substantive...
, Brewster Kahle
Brewster Kahle
Brewster Kahle is a computer engineer, internet entrepreneur, activist, and digital librarian.- Biography :Kahle graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1982 with a Bachelor of Science in computer science and engineering, where he was a member of the Chi Phi Fraternity. The...
, Violet Blue
Violet Blue (author)
Violet Blue is an American writer and sex educator.Blue wrote a weekly sex column for the San Francisco Chronicle. In her podcast, Open Source Sex, she reads erotica and discusses topics such as fetishes and oral sex. She also has a video blog. Blue wrote a feature about porn for women which was...
, and Jimmy Wales
Jimmy Wales
Jimmy Donal "Jimbo" Wales is an American Internet entrepreneur best known as a co-founder and promoter of the online non-profit encyclopedia Wikipedia and the Wikia company....
, and won the 2006 Pubbie Award as Best Bay Area Podcast by the San Francisco Bay Area Publicity Club. She has spoken to colleges about media manipulation
Media manipulation
Media manipulation is an aspect of public relations in which partisans create an image or argument that favours their particular interests. Such tactics may include the use of logical fallacies and propaganda techniques, and often involve the suppression of information or points of view by crowding...
and reality television, and has appeared on VH1 and E! Entertainment Television. She has also been involved with a documentary about Lyme Disease, Under Our Skin: The Untold Story of Lyme Disease. For a few weeks in 2008 she hosted a Revision3 show, Social Brew.
External links
- No One's Listening Podcast site
- "The Spin on 'Real World'", The Washington Post, November 4, 1999.