Category Archives: Mulholland Drive

Robert Stark interviews Montgomery Markland about his movie Malibu Road

1960's, 1970's, 1990's, acting, aesthetics, Aldous Huxley, Alfred Hitchcock, Alice in Wonderland, American Culture, Ancient Greece, Architecture, Art, Banking, Beatniks, Beverly Hills, Buddhism, California, capitalism, Carl Jung, censorship, Cinema, conformity, Conservatives, Conspiracy Theories, Consumerism, coronavirus, Corporations, counterculture, Culture, David Lynch, Despair, dreams, Drugs, Economics, Enter The Void, Film, Film Noire, Gaspar Noe, Hinduism, History, Hollywood, horror films, Hunter S. Thompson , Literature, Los Angeles, Malibu, Malibu Road, Matthew Pegas, Media, Mid-Century Modern, Montgomery Markland, Mulholland Drive, Mythology, Philip K. Dick, Philosophy, Photography, Political Correctness, Politics, Prostitution, Psychology, relationships, Religion, Sexuality, spirituality, Surrealism, Terence Mckenna, Texas, Tiki, Timothy Leary, Travel, Twin Peaks, Vice, Video Games, William S. Burroughs, Zoomers

Robert Stark and Matt Pegas speak with filmmaker, Montgomery Markland, about his film Malibu Road, which he both directed and starred in. Malibu Road is available to watch for free on Tubi, and for purchase on Apple TV and Amazon. While the pandemic delayed Malibu Road’s theatrical release, Montgomery has further plans for multipicture deals.

“Fast living Los Angelenos are targeted by the Central Intelligence Agency during Operation Midnight Climax, part of MKUltra. The experience takes a turn for the deadly during New Year’s Eve 1960 and now a professor, a starlet and the workers at a hotel with a questionable reputation must rediscover reality or be trapped in an endless cycle of sex, drugs and murder in ‘paradise.'”

–Malibu Road (2021) IMDb 

Montgomery Markland has an idiosyncratic resume. Originally from Dallas, Montgomery was a state and local reporter in Austin, worked in the Texas state legislature on policy, was  then a producer, president, and CCO at a number of video game companies, before working in Hollywood. Follow Montgomery on Twitter.

Topics:

Applying videogame design principles to Cinema
The Meisner acting technique
MKUltra connections to university professors and Hollywood (eg. Irvin Keshner)
Timothy Leary’s prediction that video games had the potential to recreate psychedelic trips
The History of the Albatross Hotel in Malibu and connections to Old Hollywood
Cinemaphotographic techniques used to capture the psychedelic aesthetic
Distorting reality in stories as representations of dreams (eg. traumnovelle), and influences from David Lynch
Influence from soap operas, telenovelas, and 90s Cinemax
The set design, recreating the aesthetics of the 60s and 70s
Influences from Jungian archetypes, as well as Ancient Greek, Hindu, and Buddhist mythology (eg. Timothy Leary on the Tibetan Book of the Dead)
Hunter S. Thompson
Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo
Malibu Road’s filming locations, including Malibu State Park and Will Rogers State Historic Park
The politicization of entertainment, and why overtly political conservative media fails
Reasons to be optimistic about opportunities in entertainment via niche markets
The Banking crisis, Economic Death Spiral, and narratives of collapse

Click Here to download!

Checkout Robert Stark’s Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram, Stark Truth TV, novel Vaporfornia, and subscribe to his Substack.

Robert Stark talks to Andy Nowicki about his Novella Muze

(((Supply))), aesthetics, Aleister Crowley, Alex Jones, alienation, Alternative Right, Andy Nowicki, Ann Sterzinger, Art, Beauty & the Least, California, Christianity, Cinema, Class, comedy, Conservatives, Conspiracy Theories, Culture, David Lynch, Depravity, Despair, Donald Trump, Dragon Day, dreams, Drugs, Dystopia, Eugenics, Film, Fox News, Harvey Weinstein, Hollywood, Homosexuality, humor, Incels, Jeffrey Epstein, Joker, Journey to Vapor Island, Literature, Loserdom, Luke Ford, Manosphere, Marquis de Sade, Matt Forney, Matthew Pegas, Morality, Mulholland Drive, Narcissism, Occultism, Paul Schrader, Philosophy, Politics, Psychology, relationships, Religion, Richard Spencer, Science Fiction, Sexuality, Social Isolation, social status, South Africa, Spree Shootings, Taxi Driver, The Black Pill, Transhumanism, Tucker Carlson, Vaporfornia, Virtual Reality, War

Robert Stark talks to Andy Nowicki about his new novella, Muze, and Robert’s new surreal dark comedy novel, Vaporfornia. Andy Nowicki is a former English professor and the author of numerous books including The Columbine Pilgrim,  Lost Violent Souls,  Heart Killer, Beauty and the Least, Under the Nihil, and The Insurrectionist. Check out Muze on Terror House Publishing and Andy’s YouTube channel and writings at his Substack.

Topics:

Revisiting Andy’s earlier work and the genre of the alienated loner
References to incel culture in Muze
Other themes in Muze, including pharmaceuticals, transhumanism, blackmail, and mind control
Writing about depravity from a socially conservative/Catholic perspective
The revival in 00’s conspiracy theories
David Lynch and open ended narratives
Robert’s novel Vaporfornia and its similar themes to Muze
Allegories for degradation
Revisiting Robert’s mocumentary Supply
Matt Pegas’ Dragon Day
The growing dissident literary scene
Andy’s trip to South Africa in 2011
The politics of crisis: acceleration vs. gradual decay

Click Here to download!

Checkout Robert Stark’s Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram, Stark Truth TV, novel Vaporfornia, and subscribe to his Substack.

Robert Stark discusses his novel Vaporfornia

 Mark Velard, 1980's, aesthetics, Alicia Silverstone, alienation, Alt Center, Andrew Yang, Architecture, Art, Beverly Hills, Black Mirror, Calexit, California, capitalism, Class, Conservatives, Culture, Dan Baltic, David Lynch, demographics, Despair, Donald Trump, dreams, Economics, Environment, Eugenics, Futurism, Gio Pennacchietti, Greg Johnson, Hollywood, humor, Immigration, Incels, income inequality, Internet, IQ, James O'Meara, journalism, Journey to Vapor Island, Liberalism, Literature, Los Angeles, Malls, Matthew Pegas, Media, Michel Houellebecq, Middle Class, Millennials, Morality, Mount Diablo, Mulholland Drive, Multiculturalism, neo-tribalism, Neoliberalism, Neon, Personality Types, Philosophy, Political Correctness, Politics, Psychology, Race Relations, Radical Center, Reno, Retro Futurism, Reviews, Sam Hyde, San Francisco, Science Fiction, Sexuality, social capital, Social Darwinism, Social Isolation, Social Media, social status, Spree Shootings, Surrealism, SWPL, The Black Pill, Travel, Utopia, Vaporfornia, Vaporwave, Virtual Reality, Walnut Creek CA, William S. Burroughs, Yosemite

Robert Stark is joined with Matt Pegas and Dan Baltic to discuss his new novel, Vaporfornia. Vaporfornia is a surreal dark comedy, a coming of age story set in California, and is the sequel to Robert’s first novel, Journey to Vapor Island. This show is a simulcast with Matt and Dan’s dissident, counter-culture, literary podcast, New Write.  Vaporfornia is available for purchase on Lulu publishing. Also check out Matt’s review of Vaporfornia.

Topics:

Contrasting Vaporfornia with Journey to Vapor Island, and how both novels capture the zeitgeists of their respective eras
The niche genre of the satirical moving adventure story
Literary comparisons to a Confederacy of Dunces, William S. Burroughs’ Naked Lunch, Lucky Jim, Voltaire’s Candide, and Gulliver’s Travels
The situational humor and dramatic irony
Vaporfornia as a satire of the themes in Robert’s Substack that delve into California’s social, political, class, and demographic dynamics
Vaporfornia as a travelogue for California
Allegories and symbolism in the book
Saudade, a longing for what could have been or nostalgia for lost futures
Gio Pennacchietti’s video about how Robert’s literary fiction and visual art complement each other
The protagonist’s personal and political journey
The politics of the “Chad Centrist” presidential candidate Roger Blackstone
Whether Robert Stark will run for California Governor or have a Vaporfornia tour some day

Click Here to download!

Checkout Robert Stark’s Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram, Stark Truth TV, novel Vaporfornia, and in production documentary The Gospel of Gibson, and subscribe to his Substack.

Robert Stark interviews BLAUERGEIST! about Aesthetics

1950's, 1960's, 1970's, 1980's, 1990's, aesthetics, Archeofuturism, Architecture, arcology, Art, Art Deco, Art Nouveau, Beverly Hills, BLAUERGEIST!, Blue Velvet, Brutalism, California, Californication, capitalism, Cinema, Cities, comedy, Culture, Curb Your Enthusiasm, David Lynch, Disneyland, Film, Film Noire, Hellraiser, Historic Preservation, History, Hollywood, horror, horror films, humor, Instagram, Jacob's Ladder, John C. Portman Jr, Larry David, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Malls, Matt Pegan, Matthew Pegas, Mid-Century Modern, Mulholland Drive, Neoliberalism, Neon, New Retro Wave, New York, Oregon, Photography, Political Correctness, Portland, Retro Futurism, San Francisco, Science Fiction, South Africa, Southbound, Steampunk, Surrealism, technology, Traditionalism, Travel, Twin Peaks, Urbanism, Zoning

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and Matt Pegan talk to Portland based blogger BLAUERGEIST! about architecture, interior design, art, and cinema. Check out BLAUERGEIST! on Twitter, his podcast Ellroy Boys, and new web magazine Apocalypse Confidential.

Topics:

The #BathistGang: love of 80s bathroom aesthetics
20th Century interior design genres
80s malls, Robert and Matt’s LA N O S T A L G I A  Mall series, the Breezewood meme, The Canal Walk Mall in Cape Town, and value of Interior Urbanism
Retrofuturism, trends in nostalgia, and Theme Park Urbanism
Eco Brutalism and the Interior Garden Aesthetic
Artists Patrick Nagel, Jim Buckels, and Daniel Merriam, and various sci-fi illustrators
Political symbolism in aesthetics
Aesthetics in cinema: directors Dario Argento and Peter Greenaway, and 80s films Year of the Dragon and Scarface
Horror films 3615 code Père Noël, Child’s Play, The Serpent and the Rainbow, Jacob’s Ladder, Hellraiser: Inferno, Southbound, and Silent Hill: Revelation
The work of David Lynch and the Lynchian Aesthetic
Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm

Click Here to download!

Checkout Robert Stark’s Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram, Stark Truth TV, novel Journey to Vapor Island, and in production documentary The Gospel of Gibson.

The Starkian Lynch

 Angelo Badalamenti, 1950's, 1960's, 1970's, 1980's, 1990's, 80's music, aesthetics, Alt Center, American Culture, Archeofuturism, Architecture, arcology, Aristocratic Individualism, Art, Art Deco, Blue Velvet, Californication, capitalism, Cinema, Cities, Class, Country Music, Culture, David Lynch, Depravity, Disneyland, Donald Trump, Dune, Economics, Erotized Rage, Fashion, Film, Film Noire, Hollywood, Homosexuality, humor, Jasun Horsley, Journey to Vapor Island, Kyle MacLachlan, Las Vegas, Leisure Suit Larry, Los Angeles, Madeline Zima, Marquis de Sade, Matthew Pegas, meditation, Mental illness, Mid-Century Modern, Morality, Mulholland Drive, Music, Mythology, Neon, Occultism, Philosophy, Politics, Psychology, Religion, Retro Futurism, Science Fiction, Sexuality, Steampunk, Suburbia, Surrealism, Synthwave, Twin Peaks, Urbanism, Utopia, Vaporwave

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

Click Here to download!

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




Robert Stark talks to Richard Wolstencroft about the Twin Peaks Finale

aesthetics, Cinema, Culture, David Lynch, dreams, Film, Kyle MacLachlan, meditation, Mulholland Drive, Occultism, Philosophy, Pilleater, Psychology, Richard Wolstencroft, Surrealism, Time Travel, Twin Peaks

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and Pilleater talk to filmmaker Richard Wolstencroft about the finale of Twin Peaks. Check out our previous shows on The New Twin Peaks Part I and Part II.

Topics:

The disappointment with the ending of Twin Peaks
Whether the ending is a final statement from David Lynch
David Lynch “The Emperor”
Whether it is an open ended ending for a future season
David Lynch’s signature style of ending with a sense of mystery; when it is successful and when it is not
The multiple coordinates and how many are meaningless
Philip Jeffries role
Sarah Palmer’s role
The mysterious nude eyeless Asian girl and the scene in the Jail
“Judy”
Cooper being able to travel in and out of the Black Lodge
The Black Lodge’s aesthetic and multiple levels similar to Dante’s Inferno
The showdown at the Twin Peaks Sheriffs Department
Similarities to Inland Empire and references to Lost Highway
The theme of time travel; Cooper going back in time to save Laura Palmer
Cooper coming out of his coma at the very end of the series
Dougie Jones as a metaphor for living ones life like one is sleep walking
“We all live in a dream but who is the dreamer?”
David Lynch’s interest in Transcendental Meditation and how it influences his work
Richard Wolstencroft’s new film The Second Coming: Volume 2 and The Second Coming: Volume 1

Click Here to download!

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




Robert Stark talks to Director Richard Wolstencroft about The New Twin Peaks: Part II

 Angelo Badalamenti, aesthetics, Art, Australia, Bernie Sanders, Cinema, Conspiracy Theories, Crime, Culture, David Lynch, Donald Trump, Economics, Film, Healthcare, horror, humor, Immigration, Jay Dyer, Kyle MacLachlan, Mulholland Drive, Music, Pearls Before Swine, Police, Politics, Richard Wolstencroft, Sam Kevorkian, Sexuality, Surrealism, Twin Peaks, Vice

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and co-host Sam Kevorkian talk to filmmaker Richard Wolstencroft about the new Twin Peaks series. This is the sequel to our last show on The New Twin Peaks

Topics:

How we left off on the previous show predicting that the series will end in the White Lodge
Robert Stark and Jay Dyer’s prediction at the beginning of the series that the primary theme will be about the Deep State investigating the Black Lodge
The beginning of the “Blue Rose” investigation into the Black Lodge
The Black and White Surreal “Lynchian” Episode 8 set in New Mexico and the responses to it
Lynch’s fascination with evil and the cameos of the creature from Mulholland Drive
Whether Dougie Jones(Cooper) will regain his consciousness
Twin Peaks: How the Insurance Man explains everything, maybe
Phillip Jeffries and the secretive forces that wants Cooper dead
The transformation of the side characters, how some have risen in significance, while others have become a side note
The role of the deceased Major Briggs in the series
David Lynch’s character Agent Gordon Cole becoming the new Cooper
Ben Horne’s Grandson Richard Horne who is a fugitive involved in organize crime
Richard’s view that criminals serve a purpose in society
The transformation of Ben Horne and the recent return of Audrey Horne
Michael J. Anderson'(The Man From Another Place), his feud with David Lynch, and his political statements
The prediction that in the upcoming episodes there will be a showdown with Cooper’s Doppelgänger at Glastonbury Grove
How the recent episodes have become more involved with the town of Twin Peaks
The de-romanticism of the town of Twin Peaks in the New series
The music in the new series; Twin Peaks: The Return | Part 13 “Just You”
Whether David Lynch will leave the series open ended in his signature style
The influences of David Lynch in Richard’s films Pearls Before Swine and The Second Coming Vol I and II
Richard’s political views and thoughts on Trump; Australia’s immigration policies and healthcare system

Click Here to download!

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




Robert Stark talks to Jamie Curcio about Narrative Machines

1980's, aesthetics, Aleister Crowley, Alexander Dugin, Alternative Right, Anarchism, Aristocratic Individualism, Art, Beatniks, counterculture, Culture, Cyberpunk, David Bowie, David Lynch, dreams, Fascism, Film, horror, Industrial Music, J.G. Michael, Jamie Curcio, Jean Baudrillard, Laibach, Literature, Media, Memes, Milo, Mishima A Life in Four Chapters, Morality, Mulholland Drive, Music, Narrative Machines, Nietzsche, Occultism, Philosophy, Politics, Postmodernism, Psychology, Retro Futurism, Sam Kevorkian, Social Isolation, Social Media, Stranger Things, Surrealism, They Live, Thomas Ligotti, Vaporwave, Yukio Mishima

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark, co-host Sam Kevorkian, and J.G. Michael talk to Jamie Curcio about his new book Narrative Machines: Modern Myth, Revolution, & Propaganda. Jamie is an Artist, Writer, and Musician, and blogs at Modern Mythology.

Topics:

Intro: Nefarious from the Album EgoWhore by HoodooEngine which Jamie co-produces and does bass and rhythm guitar for
The main thrust of Narrative Machines is the way in which myths function in our lives
How the conflict with our longing to connect with the sacred leads to seeking re-connection in the form of reified ideology in the current “Meme Wars”
Jean Baudrillard’s book Simulacra and Simulation
The concept of hyper reality and how social interactions are mediated by social media
Post Modernism and Deconstructionism; skepticism towards all ultimate truths
Hobbes vs. Rousseau: the debate over human nature
Jamie’s illustrations in Narrative Machines
The Artist David Mack
Aesthetic theory and how artist can affect the world politically
Interrogation Machine – Laibach and NSK
Aleksander Dugin, Nick Land, and Neo-Reaction
The relation between myth, retro-aesthetic creative movements like vaporwave, and the current cultural climate
The 80’s Retro themed show Stranger Things
The aesthetics of Horror and horror writer Thomas Ligotti
Surrealism and connecting to the sacred or primal force
Jamie’s book Join My Cult!, occultism, and Aleister Crowley
David Bowie Inspires Jamie’s Upcoming Book, “Masks”
Yukio Mishima’s Confessions of a Mask
Jamie’s involvement in the goth industrial music scene of the 90’s and 00’s
The ways in which virtual reality, myth, and “the real world” have collided
Alternate Reality Games, the film The Game, and playing with peoples perception of reality through media

Click Here to download!

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




Robert Stark talks to Thom Young about Instagram Poetry

Blue Velvet, comedy, Culture, David Lynch, Dune, Hipsters, humor, Instagram, Literature, Mulholland Drive, Poetry, Social Media, Thom Young, Twin Peaks

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark talks to author Thom Young about how his short verse “love made / her wild” went viral on Instagram. You can check out his books at Amazon.

Topics:

The PBS article about Thom, Why this poet is posting meaningless verse on Instagram 
Writing a parody or satire demonstrating how easy it is to get popular on social media
How short trite poetry has gotten Thom tons of likes and followers on Instagram
Thom’s parody of a hipster poet called Tyler
The “Pop Poetry” and “She Poetry” genres
Thom’s recent poetry books, “A Little Black Dress Called Madness” and “Coffee Nightmares”
Thom’s upcoming poetry books including a poetry book, “She Fell in Love with her Madness” and a high comedy satire book
David Lynch films and Twin Peaks

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




Robert Stark talks to Director Richard Wolstencroft about The New Twin Peaks

 Angelo Badalamenti, 1950's, 1980's, aesthetics, Aleister Crowley, Blue Velvet, Canada, Cinema, Conspiracy Theories, Count Isidor Fosco, Crime, Culture, David Lynch, Film, Film Noire, Hollywood, horror, humor, J.G. Michael, Kyle MacLachlan, meditation, Mulholland Drive, Occultism, Philosophy, Pilleater, Psychology, Religion, Richard Wolstencroft, Sexuality, Surrealism, Twin Peaks, Vaporwave

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark, co-host Pilleater, J.G. Michael, and Count Isidor Fosco are joined with filmmaker Richard Wolstencroft live from the Black Lodge to talk about the new Twin Peaks series and how it compares to the original.

Topics:

Intro: The Northern Lights – Falling (feat. Lucy Black)
The Black Lodge and it’s theological and occult symbolism
The 80’s quality of the original Twin Peaks, the 50’s nostalgia theme, and David Lynch’s interest in fusing genres
Lynch’s emphasis on visual aesthetics in his films
How Twin Peaks was inspired by the Film Noire Laura (1944)
How the new series makes references to other Lynch films such as Blue Velvet
Contrasting the portrayal of the town Twin Peaks in the new series to the original; Richard’s visit to the town of North Bend, Washington where the show is filmed
Lynch’s portrayal of small towns; the idealism of small towns vs. the critique that there is a dark underbelly to small town America
Demonic possession vs. symbolism of the monster within
Cooper’s Doppelgänger, Agent Cooper becoming Dougie Jones who has lost his memory, and whether he will come back
The theme of powerful entities trying too tap into the Black Lodge and how that will become the main narrative
The theme of “Sex Magic”
The film Mulholland Drive and how it was originally intended to be a sequel to Twin Peaks about Audrey Horne
Lynch’s political views and his interest in Transcendental Meditation
How Twin Peaks touches on a variety of themes including culture, politics, the subconscious, sex, psychology, philosophy, mythology, and religion
Kyle MacLachlan and David Lynch as FBI Agents
The prediction that Cooper will return to Twin Peaks and end up in the White Lodge at the end
The role of the side characters in the new series such as Dr. Jacoby, Ben Horne, and Shelly

Click Here to download!
Check Out Robert Stark’s Paintings!