Category Archives: Journey to Vapor Island

Liminal Anglo (John Arcto): From Dissident Exhaustion to Cultural Reconstruction

Robert Stark and UK based blogger, John Arcto (formerly Anglo-Futurist) articulate a post-dissident, culturally oriented stance that has moved beyond conventional right-wing politics. Subscribe to his new Substack.

Topics:

The reasons behind Why John deleted his old Substack, “Anglofuturist”
How John’s views have evolved over the past few years, including his shift away from politics toward culture and philosophy
-Why John believes “Blue America” is actually worse about cancel culture than Britain
-How John’s earlier cancellation by the Left, led him to become performatively extreme, despite not being rightwing
-Robert’s contrasting political trajectory
-How the alt-right mirrored the left as a Brahmin-Dalit alliance against the Vaishya (mainstream) right
-John’s falling out with Walt Bismarck and Walt’s focus on status
-Robert’s book Journey to Vapor Island  as “authentically Robert Stark”—offensive on every level (Taxi Driver meets Clueless, devolving into Naked Lunch or David Lynch)
-How John’s moral signaling against Robert’s fetish postings was performative
-The problem with feminism: that women are power bottoms
-How immigration policy in the UK was worse under the Tories because their backers were the wealthy and boomers
-The need for a Danish Social Democrat-style approach that combines social democracy with immigration restriction
-How American online-right “slop” about civil war in the UK is often driven by Zionism
-The UK’s gradual decline and the shared sense of political malaise on both left and right
-How the 2010s were analogous to the 1960s and the 2020s to the 1970s
-How “anti-woke” has become a meaningless conservative wedge issue
John’s review of Backrooms contrasted with Robert’s mall-world article, and broader theme of liminal spaces
-Why John has turned to Christianity, partly for cultural reasons, describing himself as a monist critical rationalist (metaphysically realist but morally anti-realist and universalist)
John’s review of Plotinus’s The Enneads and why he prefers the term “Plotinusism” instead of Neoplatonism
-Robert’s critique of Christians who combine blank-slatism with eternal damnation, and his preference for an HBD-inspired theosophy
-Why John rejects theurgy as occult magic
Why John is a non-dualist about consciousness and identifies as a cosmopsychist
-John’s advocacy for sovereign polyarchic, pan-Westernism and its similarities to ethnopluralism and the Holy Roman Empire
-Why John is hostile to the concept of natural rights, viewing them as fundamentally authoritarian
-Why moral and social issues are better handled at the local level and adjusted for diversity
-Robert’s experience living in England in 2002
-Robert’s observation that, unlike New York City, movies and pictures fail to capture London’s unique vibe
-The Cool Britannia era, the 2000s show Skins, and why Tony Blair was “the dodgiest guy ever”
-Why there is nothing more liberating than accepting that it is too late regarding White demographic decline
-The total failure of Trump and right-wing politics overall
-How both America and the UK were never truly cohesive nations
-How Anglos made a Faustian bargain to become a global culture while losing their own distinct identity
-Americans’ and Europeans’ lack of a deep understanding akin to Rome and Greece
-Why the ideal healthcare model would resemble Australia’s: public funding with private doctors
-How America’s class system is uniquely nasty because it pretends to be purely meritocratic
-Why John does not believe in equality of opportunity and instead prefers security for all classes
-How blank-slatism is used to justify income inequality
-How England has greater genetic differences by class, which makes nationalism difficult
-How America’s WASP elite were absolute traitors, worse than the British aristocracy
-“Cher Horowitz is an American aristocrat”
-Why John hates dominant alpha men
-How both the right and the left end up screwing over autistic men
-How John pronounces the term “massage” and why he thinks Robert’s love of ASMR head massage content is homoerotic

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

Robert Stark talks to Matt Pegas about The Black Album

Robert Stark talks to Matt Pegas about his book, The Black Album. The Black Album is a collection of essays and short stories, both fiction and non-fiction. The book deals with themes, including alienation, masculinity, incels, serial killers, spirituality, alchemy, philosophy and aesthetics.

Topics:
-the inspiration for the title from Joan Didion’s The White Album and the music trope of color-coded albums
-Mass shootings as a metaphysical attack against reality
-The context of Matt writing himself into fictional stories
-Adapting to writing with time limitations
-Matt’s struggles with serial killer OCD and POCD in adolescence
-the gnostic component to psychology and mental illness
-Jefferey Dahmer and the trope that the weird loner is the most dangerous
-the archetype of the Emo
-coping with malaise and dissatisfaction with life
-transcript of a disturbing correspondence involving an online follower
-Matt’s essay, Renaissance of The Ritual
-Foundational thinking over Traditionalism
-A painting of a failed alchemist and why alchemy is legit
-Matt’s experiences with Tarot, transcendental meditation, and esotericism
-Matt’s Essay, David Lynch, Bronze Age Pervert, and the possibility of inner freedom
-Matt’s thought experiment of a based Marianne Williamson or BAPist version of Steiner schools
-Matt’s essay, The Politics of Aesthetics Revisited
-The esoteric significance of Las Vegas
Revisiting Alt-Centrism
-How Robert and Matt manifested Dime Square in 2018

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

Robert Stark is interviewed about Esotericism

Robert Stark is interviewed by Matt Pegas and his co-host Evan, as a simulcast for their Strange Flows podcast.

Topics:
Colin Wilson’s study of consciousness
-Robert’s art, Substack writings, and novels
-Mark Fisher’s Capitalist Realism
Robert’s case for Theosophy
-Robert’s mystical experience at June Lake
-contrasting Neoplatonism and Gnosticism, in their approach to theurgy, aesthetics and the natural world
-can ugly things be beautiful or divine?
-channeling the fire of youth
-revisiting Robert’s first podcast with Matt from 2018
-rediscovering the song, 9pm (Till I Come)
-occultist, genetic, political, and social dynamics to oral acts
-A critique of the moral authoritarianism and lack of pluralism of Abrahamic faiths
-how we should approach occultism
-prediction that America will have another religious revival
California’s pan-enclavism
-thoughts on neo-reactionary critiques of democracy, the case for proportional inequality, and how to select elites
-the Art Fascist vs the Warrior Fascist

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

Robert Stark talks to Evee about Culture & Psycho-Social Dynamics

Robert Starks and Francis Nally (aka Pilleater) talk to Evee about culture and aesthetics, psychology, and sexuality. Evee, a long time fan of the podcast, is an underground artist and musician (formally signed to Eyeball Records) from New Jersey, and is of French and Italian descent. Evee is a soi-disant Avant Garde bohemian, and champagne socialist, with a French mentality in temperament and cultural sensibilities. Check him out on YouTube and Twitter.

Topics:
Evee’s satirical fan videos of Robert Stark, Luke Ford and Jason Reza Jorjani
The New Jersey scene as a more authentic precursor to Dime Square
Revisiting the scene known as the Alt-Left, Alt-Center, or leftwing of the Alt-Right
Aesthetic preferences in art and cinema
The politics and philosophy of aesthetics
Why economic elitism is the enemy of cultural elitism
Why sincere sexual and aesthetic-based racism is preferable to sublimating these preferences into reactionary politics
Why psychoanalysis could cure a lot of political and social problems
Why rightwing moralism is as bad as leftwing moralism
Evee’s intuitive view of human nature
Why Evee dislikes the Manosphere and Red Pill scene
The political symbolism of oral intimacy and fetish culture
The implosion of modern liberal society
Evee’s upcoming book of poetry

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

Robert Stark talks to Francis Nally about Colin Wilson

Robert Stark talks to Francis Nally about the English author, Colin Wilson, his book The Outsider, and his esoteric ideas about consciousness, as well as revisiting Francis’s philosophy of Asian Aryanism. Francis’s website is Pilleater.com,  he has a YouTube Channel, and has a new book out, Suicidal, Asian, and Promiscious. The Muse We Neglect.

Topics:

Colin Wilson’s brief fame, and his relationship with the Angry Young Men literary genre
The archetype of the Outsider
The appeal of Colin Wilson to the New Right (eg. Counter-Currents)
Aspects of both populism (anti-credentialism) and Nietzschean elitism to Colin Wilson
Colin Wilson’s interview with Jeffrey Mishlove’s New Thinking Allowed
Wilson’s approach to mysticism, spiritual science, and the supernatural
Wilson’s theories on consciousness and the Peak Experience
Wilson’s book, The Occult: A History
Wilson’s book, The Misfits: A Study of Sexual Outsiders
Wilson’s correspondence with serial killer, Ian Brady, and Wilson’s intro to Brady’s book, The Gates of Janus
Francis’s essay on how Ethical Sadism can be used to disrupt liberalism and free our desires 
The need to embrace sincerity, identity and passion
How Transhumanism has potential to expand consciousness but also to turn man into “robots”
My Little Pony, Faustian aesthetics, and the Brony phenomenon
Planet of the Bass Nationalism

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

Robert Stark talks to James O’Meara about Mysticism After Modernism

Robert Stark speaks with James O’Meara about his book, Mysticism After Modernism: Crowley, Evola, Neville, Watts, Colin Wilson, & Other Populist Gurus. Mysticism After Modernism is published by Manticore Press, where it is available for purchase. You can also find it at Counter-Currents and on Amazon.

“Our spirituality has gotten too tame today. James J. O’Meara has a solution [in Mysticism After Modernism]
Mitch Horowitz, PEN Award-winning author of Occult America and The Miracle Club

-The intersection of mysticism with politics and culture, and how mysticism is available to any political persuasion
-Countering the Hippie-dippy liberal  stereotype about New Age gurus
-Critiquing the reactionary who passively accepts cycles of decay, and the need to embrace infinite possibilities
-A practical take on magic/mysticism, in regards to enacting real world change
-Aleister Crowley’s definition of magic as transforming the World in accordance with one’s will
-Examples of opinions and attributes of Alan Watts and William Burroughs that come across as anti-liberal
-Greg Johnson’s article, “The Spiritual Materialism of Alan Watts: A Review of Does It Matter?
-Watts’ ties to quasi-fascist Serbian mystic, Dimitrije Mitrinović
New Thought, and an explanation for how Neville Goddard’s Law of Assumption works
-New Thought as a vehicle for political change, by removing all mental constraints
-Why Theosophy is the theology best adapted to hereditarianism (eg. illiberal pluralism)
-William Burroughs’ obsession with rejecting control in a metaphysical sense
The Greek Qabalah, hidden esoteric traditions in Abrahamic faiths
-Colin Wilson’s practical mysticism, focused on expanding consciousness
-Parapsychology and Spiritual Science
-The need for spiritual elitism and Aristocratic Radicalism
-Robert’s novel, Vaporfornia, which has themes relating to New Thought
-James’ book, Passing the Buck: Coleman Francis and Other Cinematic Metaphysicians

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

Robert Stark talks to Dan Baltic about his debut novel Nutcrankr

Robert Stark and Matt Pegas talk to Dan Baltic about his debut novel Nutcrankr. Dan Baltic is the co-hosts of the literary podcast, New Write, with Matt Pegas. Nutcrankr is available in print and ebook at Terror House publishing.

Topics:
Intro to the protagonist Spencer Grunhauer and the plot
Spencer’s philosophy and his manifest
The psychological process of how one becomes more alienated, unstable, and unhinged
Psycho-sexual motives behind politics and moral panics
Social status, elite overproduction, and out of whack life expectations
Making your own way “pill”
Narratives about online grifters
Bullishness on the future of dissident arts
Terror House’s book reading in Brooklyn, NYC
Creating effecting satire
The literary genre of alienated loners
A homage or modern day reboot of Confederacy of Dunces
Comparisons to Robert’s novel Vaporfornia and Matt’s Dragon Day

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

Robert Stark talks to Andy Nowicki about his Novella Muze

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 PilgrimLost Violent SoulsHeart 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

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

Robert Stark talks to Brandon Adamson about his Mid-Century Modern inspired NFTs

Robert Stark talks to Brandon Adamson about his Mid-Century Modern inspired NFTs (Mid-Century Modern Inspired NFT Collection “Mod Commodities” Launches Exclusively on Proton ($XPR)). Brandon Adamson is a Phoenix-based artist and poet, and the former co-host of the Stark Truth (2015-2017). Check out Brandon’s NFT collection, “Mod Commodities,” at ArtworkDealer, his culture blog Rabbit’s Foot, and follow him on Twitter.

Topics:

Brandon’s initial interest in penny stocks and bitcoin, and the crypto boom and bust cycles
Brandon’s artistic background, interest in mid-century modern to 70s aesthetics, modern art, and malls
Why Brandon shifted from painting to creating NFTs
The process of creating and minting NFTs
Why Brandon uses the blockchain, Proton
Virtual real estate in the metaverse and Decentraland
Brandon’s response to skeptics and his advice to focus on the project and not fret about the booms and busts
Brandon’s bullishness on long-term economic opportunities for artists to be at the forefront with VR
The importance of having a theme and why Brandon thinks Robert should create NFTs for his art and book, Vaporfornia
Political burnout and the rise in alternative cultural scenes

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

Robert Stark discusses his novel Vaporfornia

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 WriteVaporfornia 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

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