Category Archives: 1970’s

The Starkian Lynch

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and Matthew Pegas discuss the work of David Lynch and the parallels between the “Lynchian” and “Starkian.” Matthew Pegas blogs at Alt of Center | Life. Liberty. And the Pursuit of Beauty.

Topics:

Intro: The Northern Lights – Falling (feat. Lucy Black)
Lynch’s Politics: Admired Ronald Reagan and supported The Natural Law Party
Lynch Endorsed Bernie Sanders and later proclaimed that ‘Trump Could Go Down as One of the Greatest Presidents’
Lynch as an Alt Centrist
Lynch’s interest in Transcendental Meditation which taps into one’s sub-conscience
Lynch as a lone Aristocratic Radical in Hollywood
How capitalism creates faux cultural elites
Lynch’s entry to Hollywood via connections through Mel Brooks which solidified his role in Elephant Man
Lynch’s cinematographic basis as a visual artist and the theme of Neonationalism
The Lynchian aesthetic vs. the Starkian aesthetic and defining what is “Lynchian” and “Starkian”
Lynch and Stark’s self indulgences in their work
Lynch’s interest in Retro aesthetics: Film Noir, animated neon, Mid-Century Modern, and 80’s Vaporwave
Lynch’s affinity for small town Americana and the theme of a dark underbelly to small town life
How the first Twin Peaks portrays a romanticized image of the town, while the new one portrays a more realistic image
The Great Northern as a model for creating aesthetically pleasing suburbs that implement the romanticized image of the small town
Lynch should design a theme park or Las Vegas casino
The soundtrack of Twin Peaks includes a wide variety of genres ranging from 80’s Synth, Old Western, Film Noir Jazz, and 50’s Rock
How the fusion of genres makes it somewhat vague as to when it takes place
Ben Horne as an Old School capitalist who does things that are ethically wrong  yet is rooted in his community
The Black Lodge: it’s symbolism and aesthetics
The philosophy that fear is the opposite of love rather than hate
Mulholland Drive: the themes of Hollywood power and paranoia due to insecurities
Dune: the aesthetics of Dune are more important than the plot
Retro Futurism in Dune: Middle Eastern Archeofuturism, Steampunk, and 80’s aesthetics
Blue Velvet: Sadistic male figures, eroticized rage, and establishing hierarchy through sexual dominance
“Lynchian” themes and references to Twin Peaks in Robert Stark’s novel Journey to Vapor Island

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This show is brought to you by Robert Stark’s Paintings and his novel Journey to Vapor Island




Alt-Urbanism: Building a Based Urban Middle Class SWPL Utopia

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Robert Stark: Originally Published on Alt of Center

Prior to the 1950’s, the urban core of LA, centered around Downtown, was relatively small. It was also much more compact and vibrant, however, than it became in the second half of the 20th Century. In recent years, there has been renewed interest in urbanism and walkable communities, and LA’s downtown, historic core is now revitalized and booming with new highrise construction.

While LA is just in the early stages of creating an integrated metro system, the region once had a vibrant street car system connecting the urban core with extensions to street car suburbs such as Santa Monica and Pasadena.

According to Curbed LA : “in 1945, a sinister corporation called National City Lines took over the thriving Los Angeles Railway, which served most of the sprawling region. Then, over the course of the next two decades, LA’s extensive streetcar network was eliminated and the iconic Red Cars that Judge Doom mentions were replaced with shiny new buses.

Continue reading Alt-Urbanism: Building a Based Urban Middle Class SWPL Utopia

Robert Stark talks to Francis Nally about Fast Food Nationalism

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Francis Nally blogs at www.pilleater.com, has a YouTube Channel, and produces music at Phteven Universe.

Topics:

Francis’ article Fast Food Fascism & It’s Esoteric Meaning
Francis’ Lexicon
The “innate fascism” lurking behind crass popular culture
The origins behind the unpop art movement and Neofolk
The Unpop theme of using pop culture imagery to depict transgressive material
How controversial icons can look “cute” next to family friendly imagery of popular culture
Shaun Partridge and Partridge Family Temple
Pop culture from the 1960’s through 1980’s
Francis’ critique of Spencer J. Quinn’s  review on Counter-Currents about the new Incredibles 2 film
The Alt-Right’s use of making far-right symbols cool, while Fast-food Nationalism uncovers the “hipness” of corporate logos
Making collage art out of outdated pop culture memes and esoteric religion to make something new
The low brow art scene and the art of Ron EnglishFrank KozikTrevor Brown, and Mark Ryden
Musician David Thrussell’s ironic use of Fast Food imagery
Ralph Nader’s wisdom of how you can’t avoid advertisements in daily life
Going beyond memes and irony to create a positive vision
How a new Apocalypse Culture is replacing the Alt-Right
The intersectionality of HomonationalismNeonationalism, The Alt-Left/Center, and Post Neo-Folk
The artist creating the vision vs. meta-politics
Embracing late capitalist materialism to find eternal peace and “Nirvana”
Meming pop cultural products towards an identitarian end
The CalArts movement

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This show is brought to you by Robert Stark’s Paintings and his novel Journey to Vapor Island




Left of The Alt-Right Round Table Discussion Part I

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark, Brandon Adamson, Ashley Messinger, and Constantin von Hoffmeister discuss the political scene known as the Alt Left, Left Wing of the Alt Right, or Alt-Center.

Topics:

Robert Lindsay as the founder of the Alt-Left, his past project Liberal Race Realism, and his decision to focus on Left Wing Economics rather than demographics
How the Alt-Left that emerged from Robert Lindsay became an economically Leftist parallel to the Alt-Lite
Brandon’s Left Wing of the Alt-Right and his manifesto A Clockwork Greenshirt 
The collapse of the Alt-Right and how the election of Trump caused friction between those two factions
The Left Wing of the Alt Right as Social Nationalism without the Radical Traditionalism and Social Conservatism
The implicit Whiteness of Progressive causes such Environmentalism, New Urbanism, and Transhumanism
The Elites promotion of mass immigration
The failure of Mass Democracy
The close minded cultural mentality of the Right Wing
Retro Futurism; Steampunk, Deco Punk, and 70’s and 80’s Retro Futurism
Creating a movement of artist
Positive vs. Negative Degeneracy
Constantin’s Degenerate Poetry inspired by the Beatniks
America and the Anglo-sphere’s puritanical hangups(ex. opposition to nudity, SJW’s, and sexual harassment hysteria)

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This show is brought to you by Robert Stark’s Paintings and his novel Journey to Vapor Island




Robert Stark interviews Peter Moruzzi about Mid-Century Modern

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and co-host Cartrell Payne(The Adventure Kid) talk to Peter Moruzzi. Peter was born in Concord, Massachusetts and raised in Hawaii, he graduated from the University of California at Berkeley and later attended the American Film Institute in Los Angeles. In 1999, he founded the Palm Springs Modern Committee (PS ModCom) an architectural preservation group. He is the author of “Havana Before Castro: When Cuba Was a Tropical Playground,” “Palm Springs Holiday: A Vintage Tour From Palm Springs to the Salton Sea,” “Classic Dining:Discovering America’s Finest Mid-Century Restaurants,” “Palm Springs Paradise: Vintage Photographs from America’s Desert Playground,” and “Greetings from Los Angeles.”

Topics:

Classic Dining: Discovering America’s Finest Mid-Century Restaurants
Grand Central Oyster Bar
Historic Preservation
Notable Mid-Century architects including Richard Neutra and Joseph Eichler 
A Eulogy for the Four Seasons Restaurant in New York
Neon Signs
Dal Rae Replaces Historic Neon for Ugly Backlit Plastic
The Mob, the El Cortez, and the Flamingo
Tiki culture
The Tonga Room in San Francisco
Palm Springs Paradise
Melvyn’s Restaurant in Palm Springs
Greetings from Los Angeles
L.A.’s Backyard Oil Well Fever!
Norms Restaurants in LA
Googie, Space Age, and the International Style
Mid-Century Modern highrises including Eichler’s highrises in San Francisco and the Sierra Towers in LA
The Madonna Inn
70’s Mayan themed Architecture
Havana Before Castro: When Cuba Was a Tropical Playground
Mid-Century Modern Furniture including Danish Modern, Italian Murano Lamps, and Swiss Swiza Clock
Nationwide Map of Classic Restaurants Now on Google Maps

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This show is brought to you by Robert Stark’s Paintings and his novel Journey to Vapor Island




Robert Stark interviews Architect Adam Mayer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adam Mayer is an architect based out of San Francisco. Check out his TwitterInstagram, and Architectural Portfolio.

Topics:

Growing up in Los Gatos which is a small town on the edge of the Silicon Valley
Studying architecture at USC and observations on LA
Art Deco and Mid Century Modern Architecture in LA
New Urbanism and Retrofitting suburbia
The Bay Area Housing Crisis and the importance of developing smartly while protecting greenbelts
How ugly architecture leads to NIMBY sentiment and why the YIMBY movement needs to address aesthetics
California Senate bill would force more dense housing near transit hubs
Working on a redevelopment project at the Walnut Creek BART Station
San Francisco’s SOMA district’s new skyline
San Francisco’s new Transbay Terminal
Architect John C. Portman; The Embarcadero Center and Hyatt in San Francisco and the extension of the urban realm to the inside
Architect Jon Jerde; his projects including Westside Pavilion and the Universal City Walk in LA, Horton Plaza in San Diego, and the Wynn and Bellagio in Las Vegas
Architect William Pereira who designed the Trans-America Pyramid in San Francisco
Brutalism
1980’s architecture and whether it will make a comeback
Frank Gehry
Modernism vs. Postmodernism and where to draw the boundary
How current architecture lacks one cohesive aesthetic
Adam’s work as an architect in China, master planned projects, and observations on architecture in China
Winner Take All? Richard Florida’s ‘New Urban Crisis’
How to accommodate families in cities

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This show is brought to you by Robert Stark’s Paintings and his novel Journey to Vapor Island




Robert Stark talks to Lynn Zook about Gambling on a Dream Volume 2

Robert Stark talks to Lynn Zook about her new book Gambling on a Dream Volume 2:. This second volume of a two-part multimedia book tells the fascinating story of the Las Vegas Strip hotels built during the turbulent years of cultural and societal change, 1956-1973. Nowadays, alongside traditional casinos, people can go online to sites such as togel singapore for easier access to their gambling/lottery needs. In the digital age in which we live today, online gambling has really taken over the world. This is indicated by the number of people using parhaat nettikasinot (the best online casinos) for entertainment or as preparation for a real casino setting. Competition is still fierce though. Online casinos have to offer bonuses and other initiatives to tempt gamers in. Want to learn How to receive the first deposit bonus? If so, doing some research on casino review websites is strongly recommended. Back to the book though, Lynn Zook also runs the website Classic Las Vegas, and has produced an hour-long, first person narrative documentary on the history of Las Vegas entitled “The Story of Classic Las Vegas. Check out Robert Stark’s first interview with Lynn Zook on Gambling on a Dream Volume 1.

Topics:

Lynn’s first book Gambling on a Dream: The Classic Las Vegas Strip 1930-1955
Lynn’s interest and personal connection to Vintage Las Vegas
Caesars Palace
The Hacienda
The Stardust
The Aladdin
The original MGM Grand which is now Bally’s
The International which is now the Westin
The English Tudor themed Tally Ho which was built by the creator of Yahtzee
How the Tropicana and Circus Circus are the last two remaining from this era
The Sin City Era
The Rat Pack and Frank Sinatra
The showrooms and variety show performers
The role of the Mob
Historic Preservation and the Neon Museum
Lynn’s upcoming book on Fremont Street and Downtown

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This show is brought to you by Robert Stark’s Paintings!




Robert Stark interviews Synthwave Artist Damokles

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark, Sam Kevorkian, and J.G Michael talk to Swedish Synthwave Artist Damokles. Check out his work on SoundCloud, Facebook, and Future 80’s Records which produces his music.

Topics:

Intro: Into the Future from the new Time Machine album
Damokles’ new 14 track album Time Machine
The Time Travel Theme; Back to the Future
Creating synth music since the 70’s
Influences including Kraftwerk
Favorite songs including Yazoo’s Don’t Go and Don’t You Want Me? by the Human League
Experimentation with synthesizers in the 80’s
Being a DJ in the 80’s and how DJ culture has evolved
Working as a piano bar entertainer
The New Retrowave genre and how it is different from original 80’s synth music
Industrial music
The future of electronic music, the mainstreaming of synthwave, and the need for an alternative to mainstream pop
The pros and cons of producing music online without large corporations
Cinematic influences; sci-fi and horror
The illustrations for the albums
80’s Retrofuturism
Visions of the future and how humans are becoming cyborgs

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This show is brought to you by Robert Stark’s Paintings!




Robert Stark talks to Robert Brenner about HBO’s The Deuce and 1970’s Time Square

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark talks to Robert Brenner. Robert Brenner runs the Remnants of Gritty Times Square Tour hosted by Untapped Cities and has his own tour company Pig Feet Walking Tours.  Check out Robert Stark’s first and second interview with Robert Brenner about bout his Time Square Tours.

Topics:

HBO’s “The Deuce” Resurrects Gritty Times Square
NYC Film Locations for The Deuce about Gritty 1970’s Time Square on HBO
Robert Brenner’s upcoming tour on October 22nd which will incorporate locations from HBO’s “The Deuce”
How the locations for the show have been re-created from scratch in Washington Heights
42nd Street which was once known as “The Deuce” and was a hub for adult venues
Remaining adult venues on 8th Avenue including Show World and The Playpen
Theatres retrofitted into Broadway venues including the The Victory, The Empire, The Lyric, and The New Amsterdam
The Condor and Big Al’s being retrofitted from adult venues in San Francisco
Defunct theatres including The Pussycat Cinema, The World Theatre, The Rialto, and The Apollo
Adult Films Beyond the Green Door and Deep Throat
The history of Broadway

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This show is brought to you by Robert Stark’s Paintings!




Robert Stark interviews Danish Filmmaker Julius Telmer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and co-host Sam Kevorkian talk to Danish filmmaker Julius Telmer. He has a BA in Film and Media Sciences from University of Copenhagen and lived and worked as a director for two years in Australia. He is currently working in Los Angeles where he teaches at the LA Film School. Check out his work on Vimeo and Cargo Collective.

Topics:

Living in LA, the image of LA from cinema, and the sense of loneliness of life in LA
How it is difficult to film in LA; the filming location of Oscar in the LA suburb of Santa Clarita
Cinematic influences including Gaspar Noe, Roman Polanski, and Stanley Kubrick
Film as an experience as opposed to just a narrative motive
Ending a film with a sense of mystery
The Cinematic language without using words
Themes of masculinity, lack of communication, and suppressing animalistic desires
Tragedies
Censorship in film
Julius’s observation that the 70’s was the peak of cinema
European cinema and how the lack of massive budgets leads to a focus on the existential
Julius’s film Oscar
How Oscar is planned for a feature length film
Julius’s film Dead End
Julius’s documentary The Man Who Couldn’t Die

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This show is brought to you by Robert Stark’s Paintings!