Category Archives: Literature

Robert Stark interviews Filmmaker and Author Pablo D’Stair

aesthetics, Bret Easton Ellis, Cinema, Comic Books, Culture, Enter The Void, Film, Film Noire, horror, Literature, Pablo D'Stair, Paul Schrader, Pilleater, Poetry, Psychology, Robert Bresson, Science Fiction, Scott Laudati, Surrealism, Taxi Driver, The Canyons

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and co-host Pilleater talk to author and filmmaker Pablo D’Stair. He is the author of sixty books of fiction, twenty-four plays/screenplays, five collections of poetry, and numerous essays and dialogues. A former contributor of cinema critique/commentary for the UK film site BRWC: Battle Royale With Cheese and of fiction, interview, and essay for the Montage: Cultural Paradigm (Sri Lanka), he is also the writer/director of six (very underground) films and the co-founder of the art-house press KUBOA . More information can be found at pdstair.wordpress.com and pdstairfilms.wordpress.com. Check out his films on Vimeo.

Topics:

Pablo’s work as an associate producer on the film The Canyons directed by Paul Schrader and written by Bret Easton Ellis
Early influences including Robert Bresson who was also an influence on Schrader
Pablo’s first film A Public Ransom about an author who stumbles across a crayon-scribbled missing child poster with a scrawled telephone number
Pablo’s film Mississippy Missippi Tu-Polo which is about a young indie author who is no longer young and “indie”
The band Left By Snakes who have done music for Pablo’s films, and he has also worked on their music videos
Pablo’s film Science Fiction about Five unknown, unread, and well-past-their-prime science fiction authors grappling with obscurity, infinity, and obsolescence
Pablo’s recent film Mr Pickpocket about two young boys drawing a comic about their dad being a Pickpocket
Pablo’s cinematography style; long shots and techniques to make films look grittier and older
Pablo’s films are about implications and invoking feelings rather then plot driven
Comparing being a writer to being a filmmaker
The Alt-Lit Genre
The Art for the book covers which are designed by both Pablo and his friend artist Goodloe Byron
KUBOA Press and Pablo’s criteria for selecting writers
Pablo’s writing process and style, linear writing and writing from the perspective of one person’s perspective
Pablo’s latest novel LUCY JINX  which is an intimate epic, spanning eight years in the life (and innermost mind) of the titular poet as she navigates cities, jobs, ambitions, and friendships
Pablo’s book Dustjacket Flowers about a man loitering in the public library and the theme of perceiving reality
Pablo’s book Regard; the theme of life rendered in minute by minute physical description with only as much as psychological insight
Pablo’s set of novellas The Unburied Man and The People Who Use Room Five; Life Cycle Horror
Pablo’s Noire novel man standing behind which is being adapted into a film


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




Robert Stark interviews Jack Ravenwood

1980's, 1990's, aesthetics, Anime, Architecture, Art, Asia, Asian Aryanism, Beatniks, capitalism, China, Cinema, Cities, Class, College, conformity, Conservatives, Consumerism, Culture, Cyberpunk, Deconstruction, Donald Trump, Economics, education, Film, Free Trade, Ghost in a Shell, Globalization, History, Hong Kong, Immigration, Jack Kerouac, Jack Ravenwood, Japan, Japanese Culture, Jean Baudrillard, Las Vegas, Literature, Martin Heidegger, Mid-Century Modern, Neoliberalism, Neon, New York, Paradise Theater, Philosophy, Pilleater, Robert Brenner, Ross Perot, Shenzhen, Skyscrapers, SWPL, Thomas Rinaldi, Time Square, Trans-Pacific Partnership, Urbanism, Wisconsin

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and co-host Pilleater talk to Jack Ravenwood. He is the author of Paradise Theater, a collection of short stories centered around the theme of the post-industrial American small city. He is also the main writer at Mean Street Cinema, a website dedicated to films from New York City in the 70’s and 80’s, as well as the co-founder of little ape press. He blogs at Foreigner Thoughts

Topics:

The setting of the book Paradise Theater in Jack’s home town West Allis, Wisconsin in the 1980’s and early 90’s
The Paradise Theatre movie house which the book was named for and featured on the cover
The Fairview Motors Sign which is featured on the back of the book; Mid-Century Road Signage
The cultural, political, and economic themes in the book
Allis-Chalmers closing in West Allis and the de-industrialization of the Midwest
Ross Perot’s campaign in 1992 against NAFTA, and Trump campaigning on trade issues
Jack’s Unz Review article Trump, JFK, and the Deep State
National Review Writer: Working-Class Communities ‘Deserve To Die
How the best case scenario for the US would be to carve out a niche in high end manufacturing that caters to China’s growing middle class
Jack’s new home Shenzhen, China which is a manufacturing power house, and new mega city built from scratch
Jack’s Mean Street Cinema site, his interest in Vintage New York City, and Robert Stark’s interviews with Thomas Rinaldi about New York Neon and Robert Brenner about his Time Square Tours
Jack’s observations about Hong Kong Neon and how Hong Kong Is Slowly Dimming Its Neon Glow
Jack’s future plan to document Neon in Hong Kong in either a book or blog
The culture of Hong Kong as a bridge between the east and west and it’s “relative autonomy”
Vertical living and how it is the norm for urban China for all classes
High density living isn’t inherently bad but it is necessary to have a high quality of culture to sustain it
Jack Kerouac’s The Town and the City
Conformity in Asian culture; authentic Asian culture vs. SWPL larping
Chinese Philosophy; the Tao Te Ching
The evolution of Western Philosophy; Deconstruction and selective deconstruction
Jean Baudrillard and the simulation


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




Robert Stark interviews J. David Spurlock about Margaret Brundage

aesthetics, Anarchism, Art, Black Culture, censorship, Chicago, Comic Books, Conan the Barbarian, counterculture, Culture, Economics, Erotica, Frank Frazetta, H.P. Lovecraft, History, J. David Spurlock, Labor Movement, Leftism, Literature, Margaret Brundage, Media, Paul Robeson, Pilleater, Pulps, Science Fiction, Sexuality, Socialism, Walt Disney

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and co-host Pilleater talk to J. David Spurlock about his book The Alluring Art of Margaret Brundage. He is an award-winning author, historian, educator, advocate for artists’ rights, documentary filmmaker, and editor of Vanguard Productions.

Topics:

Background as a comic artist and his shift from comics to books on the careers of artist including AL WILLIAMSON SKETCHBOOK
Teaching art at The University of Texas at Arlington, the Joe Kubert School for Comic Art, and the School of Visual Arts in New York
The Alluring Art of Margaret Brundage: Queen of Pulp Pin-Up Art
First Fandom, the early science fiction community
The Pulp Genre which predates comics
The Pulp Magazine Weird Tales, which published Brundage’s work as well as other artist including H.P. Lovecraft
PAINTINGS OF J ALLEN ST JOHN PB: Grand Master of Fantasy
How Brundage was a very mysterious figure and there was very little known about her
J. David Spurlock’s journey investigating Brundage’s life and interviewing the few people left who knew her
Her husband Slim Brundage who was a leftist radical
Their protest against WWI which was illegal at the time
The Bughouse Square Debates and the Dil Pickle Club in Chicago
Hobo culture and involvement with the Wobblies (Industrial Workers of the World)
Censorship, controversies about the sexual nature of Brundage’s art, and rumors spread about her
How there were hardly any women illustrating pulps at the time
The Chicago Black Renaissance
The Federal Government’s work program for opening art centers and the South Side Community Art Center which is the only surviving one
The effects of McCarthyism on Brundage and her friendship with Paul Robeson
J David Spurlock’s point that things Brundage was considered a radical for are things we take for granted today
Brundage’s connection to Walk Disney
MTV’s review of the book stating “her story could be the basis for a great Hollywood film” and The Village Voice naming it one of the best graphic novels of 2013
Science Fiction artist Frank Frazetta and Conan the Barbarian
J David Spurlock’s pilot for a reality show called “Franzetta Girls”


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




Robert Stark interviews Josh Alan Friedman

1960's, 1970's, 1980's, Adam Parfrey, Al Goldstein, Black Cracker, Black Culture, Blues, censorship, Cities, Class, counterculture, Crime, Culture, Dallas, Erotica, Feral House Books, Film, gentrification, History, Josh Alan Friedman, journalism, Literature, Long Island, Los Angeles, Luke Ford, Media, Music, New York, Pilleater, Political Correctness, Pornography, Race Relations, Robert Brenner, Sexuality, Texas, The American South, Time Square

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and co-host Pilleater talk to writer and musician Josh Alan Friedman. He blogs at Black Cracker Online

Topics:

Intro Song: “Thanksgiving at McDonald’s in Times Square” by Josh Alan Friedman
Josh’s book Black Cracker about his experience going to the last segregated Black school in New York
Recovering lost memories from 1962 when Josh was in 1st Grade
The account of Josh being lynched in the book
The location of Glen Cove, Long Island, Black Shanty Towns, and the Gold Coast Era
Reactions to the book
Race relations in New York City in the 70’s, school busing, and the Bernie Goetz incident
Josh’s move to Dallas, Texas where his music career took off
Josh’s interest in Blues music, White adaptation of the Blues in the 60’s, the 80’s Blues Revival in Texas, and decline in interest among Blacks
Josh’s solo guitar act
Openings for bands including Huey Lewis and the News, War, Johnny Winter, and Bad Company
Josh’s book Tales of Times Square about Time Square in the 70’s; Robert Stark’s interview with Robert Brenner about his Gritty Old Time Square Tours
Josh’s observation that Broadway in Downtown LA reminds him of old Time Square
Josh’s interview with Luke Ford
Josh’s experience working for Al Goldstein’s Screw Magazine
Josh’s book I, Goldstein, which is a co-written autobiography about Al Goldstein
Josh’s book When Sex Was Dirty
Rules for Journalist; “never pay for an interview”
Book Publishing; the era of “the gate keeper,” independent publishing houses such as Feral House, and self-publishing today
The effects of the internet on musicians


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




Robert Stark interviews Jay Dyer about Esoteric Hollywood

1980's, aesthetics, Aleister Crowley, Alicia Silverstone, Blade Runner, Carl Jung, Cinema, Conspiracy Theories, Culture, Dark City, David Bowie, David Lynch, Drugs, Dune, Enter The Void, Esoteric Hollywood, Eyes Wide Shut, Film, Film Noire, Hellraiser, Hollywood, horror, horror films, Jay Dyer, John Carpenter, Labyrinth, Literature, Media, Metropolis, Mythology, Natalie Portman, Occultism, Pilleater, Psychology, Religion, Surrealism, The Dark Crystal, They Live, Twin Peaks

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and co-host Pilleater talk to Jay Dyer. He reviews films at his blog Jay’s Analysis and is the author of Esoteric Hollywood.

Topics:

The entertainment complex and deciphering propaganda
The power of cinematography and aesthetics in film
How computer generated special effects have impacted the quality of cinema
The concept of the Hollywood establishment and speculations about which filmmakers and films are anti-establishment
Why Jay focuses on the symbolism of the films rather then trying to analyse the director’s motive
Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut
David Lynch’s Dune, Eraserhead, Inland Empire, and Lost Highway
Surrealism, Neo-noir, and the David Lynch aesthetic
Jay’s review of David Lynch’s Twin Peaks and Mark Frost’s book The Secret History of Twin Peaks
The Ancient Greek concept of time  being a never ending repeat
The Folk Horror Genre; The Devil Rides Out
Blade Runner
Dark City
Enter the Void
The Dark Crystal
The film Labyrinth, the Jungian achetype of the Labyrinth as the subconscious, and the Labyrinth in Ancient Mythology
The Labyrinth theme in The Shining and Hellbound: Hellraiser II
The symbolism of basements as the subconscious in the films House II and The Hole
The Esoteric Meaning of Time Bandits and the significance of the abyss
Robert Stark’s show about Alicia Silverstone and The Film The Babysitter
Natalie Portman in Léon: The Professional
John Carpenter’s They Live! and Big Trouble in Little China
Jay’s upcoming TV Show with Jay Weidner, which will be aired online at www.Gaia.com


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




Robert Stark talks to Pilleater about his Novella “Trip”

aesthetics, Almond Eyes Baby Face, Alternative Left, Alternative Right, American Culture, Art, Asia, Asian Aryanism, Asian Culture, Brandon Adamson, California, Cause & Effect, China, Class, comedy, Cosmic Encounter, counterculture, Culture, Despair, Drugs, Ellliot Rodger, Erotica, Feminism, Film, Gender, Homosexuality, humor, Information Society, Jack Kerouac, Japan, Japanese Culture, Las Vegas, Literature, Music, Philadelphia, Philip K. Dick, Philosophy, Photography, Pilleater, Political Correctness, Pornography, Psychology, Race Relations, relationships, Santa Barbara, Science Fiction, Sexuality, Social Justice Warriors, Surrealism, SWPL, Travel, Trip, Xiu Xiu

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark talks to Pilleater about his new novella Trip. Pilleater blogs at Asian Aryanism | Making Animate Real!

Topics:

The creation of Trip and Pilleater’s other new book Almond Eyes, Baby Face
Cause & Effect’s Trip album
The main characters Tom Delunge and Daisy Liang
Information Society –Pure Energy
Tom Delunge as an alter ego of Pilleater, Robert Stark as Howard Festler, and Rabbit as Turtle
Sex and Race-Play in the book
Tom’s stand-up comedy as a way to deal with his past trauma
Asian-Aryanism as a new sub-culture
Porn Actress Harriet Sugarcookie, Franny Choi, and avant-garde Asian culture(Amped Asia Magazine, Alt-Porn)
Asian-Aryanism as the new street or “queer theory” culture, synergizing the Alt-Right/Left, Adam Parfrey’s Apocalypse Culture, and Asian studies
The setting of Santa Barbara, West Coast America
Chinese vs Japanese culture
Tom’s dreams; the subconscious dream becomeing a reality; Phillip K. Dick’s VALIS, and the film Monkeybone
SJW culture and the “Yellow Feminist”
Jack Kerouac’s On the Road and the cliche of road trip stories in film
Socioeconomics, snob culture, and the fetish of youth culture


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




Robert Stark interviews Jasun Horsley

4 Chan, Aleister Crowley, alienation, Architecture, Art, Aspergers Syndrome, Blue Velvet, Cinema, conformity, Culture, David Lynch, Film, Human Bio Diversity, Internet, James Howard Kunstler, Jasun Horsley, Literature, Memes, Mental illness, Occultism, Paul Schrader, Philosophy, Pilleater, Pornography, Psychology, relationships, Sexuality, Social Isolation, Taxi Driver, Travel

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and co-host Pilleater talk to Jasun Horsley. He blogs at AUTICULTURE and runs the site Confessions of a Movie Autist

Topics:

Personal experiences with Autism and Aspergers
How society treats people with Aspergers; human alien hybrids
Non-conformity and rejection of social programs
Evolution and Epigenetics
Jasun’s book Homo Serpiens: A Secret History of DNA from Eden to Armageddon, written under the alias Aeolus Kephas
Online subcultures; 4chan culture and Aspergers
The autistic anime reality vision
The occult and meme magic
Jasun’s interest in the Occult as a way to break free from the socially enforced distortion of reality, but latter found it to be an illusion of freedom
How architecture and geography effects psychology
Jasun’s artwork
Jasun’s latest book Seen and Not Seen: Confessions of a Movie Autist
The film Taxi Driver, Travis Bickle as autistic, and the theme of alienation, and violence as a quest for identity
David Lynch’s film Blue Velvet , identifying with Frank Booth, and confronting ones own darkness
Dating advice
Traveling abroad and personal experiences with foreign cultures


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




Robert Stark interviews Darren Toni

1980's, 1990's, 80's music, 90's music, aesthetics, Anime, Architecture, Art, Brutalist Architecture in the Sun, Consumerism, Culture, Cyberpunk, Darren Toni, death, Despair, England, Film, Florian Renner, Futurism, income inequality, Japan, Japanese Culture, Literature, London, Love, Music, New Heights, New Retro Wave, Philosophy, Pilleater, Retro Futurism, Robert Parker, Science Fiction, Synthwave, technology, Vaporwave, Video Games

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and co-host Pilleater talk to Darren Toni. Darren is the producer of DRIVE Radio and Lazerdiscs Records.

Topics:

Intro Song: Aileron – Stratosphere
The release of Robert Parker’s Lazerdiscs album Awakening
Darren’s background in the music industry, and how he got involved with Drive Radio
The New Retro Wave Genre, it’s unique sounds, and audience
The Film Drive, featuring College, Electric Youth, and Kavinsky, and how the film exposed the genre to the masses
The Artists produced by Lazerdiscs Records and Drive Radio
Darren’s nostalgia growing up in the 80’s, and the original New Wave Genre
90’s Euro House Music
80’s Aesthetics, Video Game Arcades, The London Trocadero
80’s visions of the future, and New Retro Wave illustrations
Brutalist Architecture in the Sun
Darren’s book New Heights, the Surreal Aspect of the book, and the illustration by artist William Holder
Themes including the meaning of life, love, despair, and death
Video Synthesis
Darren’s next book which is a science fiction novel murder mystery that deals with themes of social inequality
Vaporwave


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




Robert Stark interviews Adam Parfrey

Adam Parfrey, Aleister Crowley, Architecture, Art, Boyd Rice, censorship, Charles Manson, Cinema, Crime, Culture, David Cole, Feral House Books, Film, History, horror, J.G. Michael, Jamie Gillis, Jim Goad, Josh Alan Friedman, Literature, Mid-Century Modern, New York, Occultism, Peter Sotos, Pilleater, Political Correctness, Pornography, Serial Killers, Trevor Brown, Woodrow Parfrey

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark, co-host Pilleater, and J.G. Michael talks to Adam Parfrey. He is the publisher of Feral House books.

Topics

Opening Song: Adam Parfrey – Rubber Room (Porter Wagoner Cover)
The history behind Feral House books.
Apocalypse Culture
Taboo ideas, shock value, avant-garde art
Jim Goad’s Answer Me!
Joseph P Farrell
Anton LaVey and The Church of Satan
You Will Die and You Can’t Win
American Hardcore
Hipster Hitler
It’s A Man’s World
Killer Fiction, The Gates of Janus, Charles Manson
Ed Wood: Nightmare of Ecstasy
David Cole’s Republican Party Animal
Sin-A-Rama,
Technological Slavery
The Weird World of Eerie Publications
Pacific Ocean Park, Mid-Century Googie architecture
Ye-Ye Girls
Peter Sotos’ Pure Filth Pure Filth about pornographer Jamie Gillis
Experiences with Censorship
Occultism; The book Secret Agent 666 about Aleister Crowley
Adam Parfrey’s play “The Wickedest Man in the World” about Gilles de Rais
Tales of Times Square by Josh Alan Friedman
Citizen Keane by Adam Parfrey
Adam Parfrey’s father actor Woodrow Parfrey; Dirty Harry
Art, and the aesthetics of Feral House’s books
Why Feral House publishes exclusively Non-Fiction


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




Robert Stark talks about the Film The Crush Starring Alicia Silverstone

1980's, 1990's, aesthetics, Alicia Silverstone, Basic Instinct, Charles Lincoln, Cinema, Count Isidor Fosco, Craig Langley Jr, Crime, Culture, David Hamilton, demographics, Erotica, Fatal Attraction, Feminism, Fifty Shades of Grey, Film, Gender, Literature, Lolita, Love, Media, Music, Psychology, rape, relationships, Sarah Michelle Geller, Seattle, Sexuality, The Crush, Vaporwave

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark, co-host Pilleater, Charles Lincoln, Actor Count Isidor Fosco, and aspiring Director Craig Langley Jr. discuss the film The Crush.

Topics:

The plot of the Film; Journalist Nick Elliot rents a guest house from a wealthy family, where their daughter, Adrian(Alicia Silverstone), becomes obsessed with him
Whether Adrian is in love with Nick or just playing a psychotic game with him
How despite her psychosis, Adrian has a sweet feminine charm that is lacking in many female roles today
The films portrayal of a dark side of female sexuality
The Films Fatal Attraction, Basic Instinct, Gone Girl, and Ex Machina
How the film portrays an old school WASP culture that is non existent today
Nick’s restrained Anglo-Saxon persona
The father Cliff Forrester threatening Nick
The most chilling scenes in the film
The erotic thriller genre, and how that genre peaked in the 90’s,
Entrapment and False Rape Accusations
The Crush as a tragic love  story
The Crush as a reverse Lolita
Nudity in film; the use of a body double in the Crush; Fatal Attraction, Last Tango in Paris, Brooke Shields in Pretty Baby, The Wolf of Wall Street, Alexis Dziena in Broken Flowers
The early 90’s Grunge aesthetic of the film, and 80′ influences; Vaporwave
The setting of the film in Seattle, filmed in Vancouver, Canada
Amber Benson as Adrian’s friend Cheyenne
Alicia Silverstone as the ideal of beauty; Sarah Michelle Geller in Cruel Intentions, Mena Suvari, Taylor Swift, Halston Sage, and Kazakh Volleyball player Sabina Altynbekova
Alicia Silverstone’s Interview on John Stewart’s Show in 1994
How Alicia Silverstone’s character is the inspiration for the romantic interest in Robert’s upcoming novel
Fifty Shades of Grey, and Charles’ personal connection
Our upcoming show on Clueless

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