Category Archives: Los Angeles

Robert Stark interviews Danish Filmmaker Julius Telmer

1970's, American Culture, censorship, Cinema, Culture, David Lynch, Denmark, documentary, Emotions, Enter The Void, Europe, Extroversion, Film, Gaspar Noe, Gender, Hollywood, Julius Telmer, Los Angeles, Personality Types, Philosophy, Photography, Political Correctness, Psychology, relationships, Sam Kevorkian, Sexuality, Stanley Kubrick, Suburbia

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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!




Robert Stark interviews Model Charise Jeanine

Charise Jeanine, Culture, Fashion, Joshua Zeidner, Los Angeles, modeling, Music, Tattoos

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and co-host Joshua Zeidner talk to model Charise Jeanine. Check her out on Instagram and Twitter.

Topics:

How Charise became a model, early inspirations, and growing up in Victorville, CA
Being featured in Maxim Magazine, promotional modeling, the EDM World, and Car Shows
Tattoos starting out as a niche in modeling and becoming more widespread
Modeling for ink magazines
The Alt Model genre
Music videos including Yellow Claw & DJ Mustard – In My Room (feat. Ty Dolla $ign & Tyga)
Public appearances and photo shoots
Advice to someone interested in getting into modeling

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




Robert Stark talks to Mike Marinacci about California Jesus

Black Culture, California, California Jesus, Catholicism, Christianity, Comic Books, counterculture, Cults, Culture, History, Homosexuality, J.G. Michael, Los Angeles, Media, Mel Gibson, Mike Marinacci, Morality, Mormonism, Pilleater, Religion, Science Fiction, Sexuality

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark, Pilleater, and J.G. Michael talk to Mike Marinacci about his new book California Jesus: A (Slightly) Irreverent Guide the Golden State’s Christian Sects, Evangelists and Latter-Day Prophets. Mike blogs at Califia’s Children and co-authored the book Weird California: Your Travel Guide to California’s Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets.

Topics:

The historic trend of heading West for freedom
William Monéy and the Reformed New Testament Church
How Los Angeles was the early center of Pentecostalism and William Seymour of the Azusa Street Revival
Aimee Semple McPherson, Herbert W. Armstrong, Gene Scott, and Electronic Evangelism
The Children of God
Joe Jeffers and the Kingdom of Yahweh
Rev. Wesley Swift and Christian Identity
King Louis Narcisse and the Prosperity Doctrine
Jack T. Chick and His Comic-Book Ministry
The Science Fiction novel The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe
The History of Mormonism in California
Rev. Troy Perry’s Gay oriented Metropolitan Community Church
The Universal Life Church founded by Kirby J. Hensley, the “Modesto Messiah”
Mel Gibson’s Traditional Catholic Church of the Holy Family
The Mexican National Catholic Church
Mike’s upcoming appearance on Dr. Susan Block’s Web TV Show Saturday August 5th at 9:30 pm

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




Robert Stark interviews Korezaan about Transit & Urbanism

aesthetics, Alt Center, Alternative Right, Anime, Architecture, arcology, Art, Asia, Asian Culture, Blade Runner, China, Cities, Culture, Cyberpunk, demographics, Film, Futurism, Ghost in a Shell, Giovanni Dannato, Hong Kong, Immigration, James Howard Kunstler, John C. Portman Jr, Korezaan, Lafayette CA, Laura Foote Clark, Los Angeles, Mass Transit, New Urbanism, Orinda CA, Police, Sam Kevorkian, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Skyscrapers, social capital, Social Isolation, Strong Towns, Suburbia, Urbanism, Walnut Creek CA, Zoning

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and co-host Sam Kevorkian talk to Bay Area based blogger and illustrator Korezaan. He blogs at Rezzealaux and has a Facebook Page.

Topics:

Korezaan’s political views, the Euclidean vector towards Giovanni Dannato, and the Alt-Center 
Korezaan’s article BART, Americans, and Attitudes, vs The East which has maps of land use around the BART Stations
Robert Stark’s recent meeting with Korezaan in the Bay Area and some personal observations from the trip
Transit Oriented Development and the lack of housing density around BART Stations
The importance of having retail in or near transit
The importance of pedestrian friendly development
NIMBYism, density, parking, and height limits
How suburbia makes it difficult to form communities and contributes to social isolation
Ethnoburbs
New Urbanism
Housing Crisis: Razib Khan on how $100,000 in Palo Alto is equivalent to $16,000 in St. Louis 
The misconception that suburbs are necessary for family formation
The Upscale East Bay towns of Lafayette and Orinda and Korezaan’s point that these are places where ex-urbanites bring non-suburban culture to the suburbs
Bay Area Greenbelts and Conservation in Hong Kong
Self-contained urban structures, urban oasis’s, the Embarcadero Center, and Elements, Hong Kong above the Kowloon MTR station
The Kowloon Walled City in Hong Kong, Blade Runner, Ghost in a Shell, and Western vs. Eastern Cyberpunk
Korezaan’s artwork featured on his blog Rezzealaux

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




Robert Stark interviews Musician Andy Diamond of Diamond Field

 Angelo Badalamenti, 1950's, 1980's, 80's music, aesthetics, Andy Diamond, animation, Art, Cinema, Culture, David Lynch, Diamond Field, Film, Kyle MacLachlan, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Music, Neon, New Retro Wave, New Zealand, Pilleater, Rat Rios, Synthwave, Twin Peaks, Vaporwave

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and co-host Pilleater talk to musician Andy Diamond of Diamond Field. Check out his work on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter.

Topics:

Intro: Diamond Field & Rat Rios ‘Closer’ by Luca Discs
The New Retro Wave Genre and Andy’s description of his music as “21st Century ’80s Music”
How Andy started making music in the 80’s and younger artist inspired by the 80’s sound
Collaborations with vocalist including Rat Rios and Nina Yasmineh
The maxi single ‘Closer’ for the Upcoming Album “Closer”
The music video Diamond Field feat. Nina Yasmineh ‘Neon Summer’ filmed in Santa Monica, CA
Andy’s animations and illustrations for Retro Promenad’s Twin Peaks Tribute(Vol I), Vol II, and Vol III
Andy’s songs for the Twin Peaks Tribute including Diamond Field and the Black Lodge Girls ‘Burning Blood’ and ‘The Nightingale’ 
The Soundtrack of the original Twin Peaks and music in the new series including the CHROMATICS
Twin Peaks invented vaporwave
The animated neon in Andy’s illustrations for the series, inspiration from 1950’s signs, and how the neon aesthetic became popular with New Retro Wave
Andy’s Kyle MacLachland story
The Rise of the Synths | A documentary of Synthwave  and the film The Summoner
Outro: Diamond Field + Rat Rios ‘The Nightingale’ (Twin Peaks Cover)

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




Robert Stark talks to Scott Laudati about Cuba & Occupy Wall Street

Alternative Left, Alternative Right, Beatniks, Blade Runner, Cartrell Payne, Cities, comedy, Communism, Consumerism, counterculture, Crime, Cuba, Culture, Donald Trump, Economics, Film, gentrification, Hipsters, humor, income inequality, Literature, Los Angeles, Louis CK, New York, Occupy Wall Street, Oligarchy, Pablo D'Stair, Pilleater, Poetry, Police, Police Brutality, Police Corruption, Police State, Prison, Scott Laudati, Socialism, The Adventure Kid, Thom Young, Twin Peaks, Urbanism, Wall Street

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark, co-host Pilleater, and Cartrell Payne(The Adventure Kid) talk to  Scott Laudati. Laudati is a writer and musician. He is the author of Play the Devil and has written a book of poetry Hawaiian Shirts in the Electric Chair.

Topics:

Intro: Scott Laudati – “A Girl From Greenwich Village pt. II
The translation of his book Play the Devil into Italian
The publishing process and the pros and cons of self publishing
Scott’s Upcoming book of poetry “Yeti Funeral,” a poem about his dog, poems about New York, and influences including the Beats and Jim Carroll
Observations about living in New York City; Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Experience living in LA, Downtown LA, Broadway and the Bradbury Building
Scott’s recent trip to Cuba, the embargo, the travel ban, the current laws, and misconceptions about Cuba
Scott’s involvement with Occupy Wall Street, Police Brutality, and his arrest
The rise in political violence
Movies, Comedy, and TV shows

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Check Out Robert Stark’s Paintings!




 

Robert Stark talks to Count Fosco about the Film Blast From The Past

1950's, 1960's, 1990's, aesthetics, Alicia Silverstone, Alien Covenant, Blast From The Past, Brendan Fraser, Christopher Walken, Cinema, Clueless, comedy, Culture, Dystopia, Environment, Fashion, Film, Gender, humor, Los Angeles, Mid-Century Modern, Pilleater, Psychology, psychosocialism, relationships, Sexuality, Tess Haubrich, The Babysitter, The Crush

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and co-host Pilleater talk to Count Isidor Fosco about the Film Blast From The Past(1999) starring Brendan Fraser and Alicia Silverstone.

Topics:

The plot summery; Adam Webber(Brendan Fraser) comes out from a nuclear fallout shelter after 35 years
The culture shock when Adam emerges in the 90’s and thinks he is in a zombie overrun dystopia
Adam’s father scientist Dr. Calvin Webber(Christopher Walken) who builds the fallout shelter
The stereotype of a 1950’s father vs. Calvin as a Utopian and idealist
The beginning of the film during the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Cold War Theme, and the cultural “nuclear war”
The “education” of Adam; his homeschooling makes him appear “aristocratic” to women
The bunker as an analogy for isolating one self from society and the pros and cons of doing so
How Adam manages to win the Psychosocial narrative by playing by his own rules
The concept of “Eternal Return” as it is shown at the end of the film
The trend of having nostalgia for past eras and the mid century aesthetic
Political agendas in film and conservatives uncreative critiques of Hollywood
The formulaic narrative of romantic comedies and how it works for the film
The comic element in the miscommunications and what makes good comedy
Brendan Fraser as a 90’s icon, his comic style, and his other films
The allure of Alicia Silverstone and how her character compares to her roles in films such as The Crush, Clueless, and The Babysitter
The Transformation of Alicia Silverstone’s character Eve
LA depicted in the film, the San Fernando Valley, and Pasadena
Pilleater on Tess Haubrich as Rosenthal in the new film Alien Covenant


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




Thomas Rinaldi returns to talk about Neon

1960's, 1980's, aesthetics, Architecture, Argentina, Art, Art Deco, Asia, Blade Runner, Buenos Aires, Cities, Consumerism, Corporations, Culture, Economics, Futurism, gentrification, Historic Preservation, History, Hong Kong, Las Vegas, London, Los Angeles, Mid-Century Modern, Neon, New York, Philadelphia, Pilleater, Retro Futurism, Robert Brenner, San Francisco, Thomas Rinaldi, Time Square, Travel, Urbanism, Wildwood New Jersey

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and co-host Pilleater talk to returning guest Thomas Rinaldi. He is the author of New York Neon and blogs at nyneon.blogspot.com

Topics:

Thomas’s Tours of West Village’s Vintage Neon Signs, his Greenwich Village Neon Walking Tour, and how those areas have the highest concentration of surviving Neon in New York City
Thomas’s observation that Neon has declined in both corporate chain dominated, as well as lower income communities
How ironically in the 60’s Neon was synonymous with commercialization(ex. Simon & Garfunkel’s The Sound of Silence)
The association of Neon with 80’s Retro-Futurism(ex. Retrowave, Club NEON) and the irony that Neon hit rock bottom in the 80’s
The decline of Neon in Time Square, Robert Brenner’s Gritty Old Time Square Tours, and the few remnents including the West 43rd Garage and the McDonalds from the 80’s
Lights Out 2016: Signs We Lost That Year
The Colgate Clock in Jersey City, which has been LED’ed
Clock Towers Signs in New York including the Paramount Theatre, the Consolidated Edison Building, the Met Life Tower, and the Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower
Soviet Neon Stars at the Kremlin and Neon in Communist Cuba
Williamsburg’s Domino Sugar Refinery redevelopment; the outlawing of waterfront signs in New York City
The C & H factory Sign in Crockett, California
Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco as one of the best examples of a renovated former industrial site
Georges Claude, the father of the commercialization of Neon
The popularity of Signs Inside
Fake Neon
Animated Neon Signs, the peak in the 50’s, and San Francisco’s “Coca~Cola” Sign
Bulb Signs which were proliferate in the 1920’s, and Robert’s observation that they were also popular with 90’s era Las Vegas Casinos
Wildwood, New Jersey Neon
Mid Century Road Signage; Route 66
Downtown LA; The LA Museum Of Neon Art
Neon in Buenos Aires, Argentina; The Art Deco Kavanagh building and Estadio Luna Park
Thomas’s observations from Stockholm and Amsterdam
How Neon is declining in both Mega Cities such as New York and London as well as the poorest cities in the developing world
Hong Kong Is Slowly Dimming Its Neon Glow


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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


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




Robert Stark talks about Clueless, The Babysitter, & The Meme Magic of Alicia Silverstone

1990's, Alicia Silverstone, American Beauty, Beverly Hills, Charles Lincoln, Cinema, Class, Clueless, Count Isidor Fosco, Craig Langley Jr, Culture, Film, Gender, Hollywood, Leisure Suit Larry, Los Angeles, Love, materialism, Memes, Pilleater, relationships, Sexuality, social status, The Babysitter, The Crush, Vaporwave

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark, co-host Pilleater, Charles Lincoln, Actor Count Isidor Fosco, and aspiring Director Craig Langley Jr. discuss the Alicia Silverstone films Clueless and the The Babysitter.

Topics:

How the original film The Crush was edited
The Babysitter as the most realistic of the three Alicia Silverstone films
The Babysitter compared to American Beauty
Th peeping through the window scene, and the imagination of the guys who see Alicia Silverstone through the window
In reality it is all just in the male imagination in this movie
The awkward bathtub fantasy followed by her signature cheeky smile
Traits of men who prefer breasts, booty, or legs
The Alicia Silverstone film Vamps
The Clueless (TV series)
The setting of Clueless in Beverly Hills
San Mateo Teenager Goes Hollywood
Cher’s Character development and self realization
Whether she is anti-snob?
Social Cliques in High School
The makeover of her friend
Comparisons to Mean Girls
The fact that the girls are excited by the fact that the guy has a picture of the new girl in her locker, and how today that would be called “creepy”
She comes across as more conservative with her condemnation of dating druggies, and saving her virginity
The whole theme of matchmaking
The “Baldwin” reference and other cultural references, a kind of Hollywood being self-complimented
The Spartacus scene, pearls and oysters, subtle signaling in old movies
Her realization that she loves Josh despite the fact he is a “slug”
The normal guy get’s the girl in the end, not the “hot guy” who turns out to be Gay
The fact that all the girls are obsessed with marriage while in school which is dated
The Clueless scene where her father is happy that she knows how to negotiate over grades
Cher’s speech about refugees
Alicia Silverstone Would Rather Go Naked Than Wear Wool! | PETA
The pink blue color code in the ending sequence is kind of Vaporwave
The robbery scene in the Valley
LA Landmarks including the Sinister Neon Clown at Circus Liquor
Meme Magic and Alicia Silverstone as a meme
Leisure Suit Larry and the Alicia Silverstone look a like


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