Category Archives: History

Robert Stark interviews Manga Artist Toshio Maeda 前田俊夫

1980's, 4 Chan, aesthetics, animation, Anime, Art, Asia, Asian Culture, censorship, Comic Books, Culture, Erotica, Gender, History, horror, Internet, Japan, Japanese Culture, Joshua Zeidner, Media, Morality, NEETs, pedophilia, Pornography, Sam Kevorkian, Sex Robots, Sexuality, Toshio Maeda

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark, Sam Kevorkian, and Joshua Zeidner talk to manga artist “Tentacle Master” Toshio Maeda(前田俊夫)

Topics:

How Toshio learned how to draw manga and his inspiration from American cartoons and comic strips
How Toshio pioneered the tentacle erotic manga genre in the 1980’s
Tentacle manga as a reaction to censorship
Toshio’s groundbreaking manga series “Urotsuki Doji”
Traditional Shunga erotic art and “The Dream of the Fisherman’s Wife” which depicts an Octopus
How Japan’s culture became more socially conservative during the Meiji period
The origins of manga in Japan; rental manga in the 1960’s
Adult themed manga as a way to express political and cultural themes
Why Toshio is opposed to pedophile themed manga
How Toshio has done a wide variety of work including educational manga and ladies manga
Horror themed Manga and how horror reveals ones truths
How Toshio learned English from American TV
Otaku which is a person obsessed with a particular topic and the Hikikomori /NEET Phenomenon
Upcoming appearances at SacAnime in Sacramento and Anime Weekend Atlanta and special gifts for Stark Truth listeners

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




 

Round Table Discussion on Charlottesville & Political Polarization

1960's, 1970's, 1990's, alienation, Alternative Left, Alternative Right, American Culture, Anarchism, Anarcho Tyranny, censorship, Class, Conservatives, Conspiracy Theories, Corporations, counterculture, Crime, Culture, Donald Trump, Economics, Freedom of Speech, History, Immigration, income inequality, J.G. Michael, Joshua Zeidner, Keith Preston, Leftism, Media, Police, Police State, Political Correctness, Politics, Race Relations, Richard Spencer, Sam Kevorkian, Social Justice Warriors, terrorism, The American South, Trolling, White Nationalism

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark joined with Keith Preston of Attack the System, Sam Kevorkian, J.G. Michael, and Joshua Zeidner discuss the “Unite The Right” event in Charlottesville Virginia, the aftermath, and it’s implications for political discourse.

Topics:

Keith Preston’s essay Some Initial Thoughts on Charlottesville
How the message of the rally was unclear and incoherent; the “Occupy Wall Street” of the Right
The media’s reaction and the Public relations disaster for the Alt-Right
How the Police handled the event and past cases where the Police were ordered to stand down
Trump’s diplomatic response
How both the Alt-Right and SJW Left are reacting to growing wealth disparities; including many former members of the Upper Middle Class
Political polarization as a reflection of alienation among youth
Conspiracy theories about both left and right wing protesters being controlled opposition
The rise of the far right and left and the ineptitude of the Center
The political fragmentation of the Elites and the Media
The rise in political violence
The massive online crackdown on the Alt-Right in the aftermath of Charlottesville
Corporate censorship(ex.VDARE targeted by corporate left)
Extending the First Amendment to corporations
ACLU: White Supremacists no longer entitled to all First Amendment rights
Noam Chomsky: Antifa is a ‘major gift to the Right’

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




Robert Stark interviews Old Urbanist Charles Gardner

1970's, aesthetics, American Culture, Architecture, arcology, Art, Charles Gardner, Cities, Culture, Disneyland, Economics, Environment, Europe, Frank Lloyd Wright, Historic Preservation, History, James Howard Kunstler, John C. Portman Jr, Las Vegas, Market Urbanism, New Urbanism, New York, Sam Kevorkian, San Francisco, Skyscrapers, Strong Towns, Suburbia, Urbanism, Utopia, Wilderness, Zoning


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and co-host Sam Kevorkian talk to James Gardner. He is an Attorney based in Stamford, Connecticut and blogs at the Old Urbanist.

Topics:

Jane Jacob’s The Death and Life of Great American Cities
The Curated Landscape  and how European towns and cities have starker divides between urbanized and undeveloped land than those of the United States
The Streetcar suburb model and Bourgeois Utopias: The Rise And Fall Of Suburbia: Robert Fishman
That 70s Urbanism, 70’s Urban Renewal projects(ex. the Embarcadero Center in SF and the Crystal City in Arlington, Virginia), and how those projects are underappreciated
Paolo Soleri’s Arcosanti
Cruise Ships: The Densest (Urban) Environment in the World
Disneyland and Urbanism
Heroic materialist
Green Urbanism, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Broadacre City, and the Garden City movement
Rehabilitating Walmart
The European Arcade and the Middle Eastern Souk as a model for retail
Height Acts and Restrictions
Narrow Streets
Vancouver and the Zoning Straitjacket
Lot Sizes: Regional Trends and Causes
NYC Suburban Demographics: and the  demographic collapse among the young adult population in wealthy suburbs
Urban growth boundaries

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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 Joshua Zeidner

aesthetics, Alternative Right, American Culture, Art, Baby Boomers, California, capitalism, censorship, Cities, Comic Books, Conservatives, Constantin von Hoffmeister, Culture, demographics, Donald Trump, Economics, Environment, Erotica, Europe, European Nationalism, Fascism, Feminism, Gender, History, Immigration, income inequality, Islam, Israel, Italian Futurism, Joshua Zeidner, Leftism, Liberalism, Libertarianism, Marxism, Middle Class, Millennials, Music, National Futurism, Nationalism, NEETs, Neoliberalism, Oligarchy, Phoenix, Political Correctness, Politics, Pulps, Sam Kevorkian, Science Fiction, Sexuality, Socialism, Suburbia, Tanino Liberatore, terrorism, The Tea Party, Urbanism

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and co-host Sam Kevorkian talk to Joshua Zeidner. Joshua is originally from the New York region and has a degree in Computer Science and minor in Art from CUNY .

Topics:

How Joshua became involved in Right Wing politics and the Tea Party Party in response to illegal immigration in Arizona
The demographic transformation and destruction of the middle class in California
Suburban sprawl in Phoenix, environmentalism, and urban planning issues
Living in Israel and witnessing a terrorist attack in Jerusalem
Israel as a National Socialist Nation
Intelligent millennials lacking economic opportunities joining dissident movements
Parallels to Weimar Germany where former members of the middle class were reduced to poverty
Creating a new political dichotomy to address these issues
Social Nationalism as an alternative to Conservatism
The flaws of Libertarian ideology and free market economics
Boomer Conservatism and the Old Economy Steve Meme
Karl Marx on society as a relationship between capital and labor
Italian Futurism and National Futurism
Heavy Metal (magazine) 
Joshua’s Facebook group The Whims of Savagery
Illustrators Tanino Liberatore, Philippe Druillet, and Moebius

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




Robert Stark interviews Gustavo Semeria about Argentina

aesthetics, Amren, Architecture, Argentina, Art, Art Deco, Buenos Aires, capitalism, Cities, Class, colonialism, Communism, Crime, Culture, democracy, Economics, education, Gustavo Semeria, Healthcare, History, Human Bio Diversity, Immigration, income inequality, Juan Peron, Latin America, Mass Transit, Middle Class, Multiculturalism, Music, Nationalism, Neon, Oligarchy, Socialism, Urbanism

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark talks to Argentine author, businessman, former military officer, lawyer, and Professor of Social Science Gustavo Semeria

Topics:

Gustavo’s Spanish Language book Adiós a la Democracia about the role of Demographics in Democracy
Gustavo’s article for American Renaissance Argentina: A Mirror of Your Future
The early history of Argentina, the Nation’s Golden Age from the late 19th to early 20th Century, and the massive wave of European immigration
Buenos Aires as the Paris of South America and the extravagant architecture of the early 20th Century
The Art Deco Kavanagh building, Galerías Pacífico, and the Neon lit Lavalle Street
The Anglo-Argentine Tramways Company which built the Nation’s vast railway system and Buenos Aires’s Subway
Argentina’s demographic transformation, starting with internal migration from the North and later mass immigration from neighboring countries
The effects of mass immigration on infrastructure, healthcare, education, and crime
The decline of the Argentine Middle Class and growth in gated communities in the suburbs
Cultural changes; the decline in the Tango and Argentine Rock and popularity of foreign culture such as Cumbia
The parallels between Argentina’s situation and that of the United States
The Kirchners’ open immigration policy and concept of Patria Grande
The new president of Argentina Mauricio Macri
Latin America’s fluctuation between socialism and oligarchy
Juan Perón’s Third Way between Capitalism and Communism


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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


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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”


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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!