Category Archives: Santa Barbara

Robert Stark is interviewed about Esotericism

aesthetics, Aleister Crowley, Alt Center, American Culture, Ancient Greece, Aristocratic Individualism, Art, Bronze Age Pervert, California, California Jesus, Calvinism, capitalism, Carl Jung, caste, Christianity, Class, Colin Wilson, conformity, Cults, Culture, Curtis Yarvin, David Bowie, democracy, demographics, Depravity, Donald Trump, dreams, Ernst Jünger, ethnopluralism, Ezra Pound, Fascism, Gavin Newsom, Gender, Gnosticism, H.P. Lovecraft, History, Human Bio Diversity, Incels, Journey to Vapor Island, June Lake, Literature, Malls, materialism, Matthew Pegas, meditation, Memes, Monotheism, Morality, Multiculturalism, Music, Mythology, Nature, neo-reaction, Neoplatonism, Occultism, parapsychology, Philosophy, Pilleater, Plato, Politics, Psychology, Radical Center, Religion, Roman Empire, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Sexuality, social status, spirituality, Surrealism, Tarot, Theosophy, Vaporfornia, Vaporwave, Xiu Xiu

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 page, Twitter, Instagram, Stark Truth TV, novel Vaporfornia, and subscribe to his Substack.

Solvang & Santa Ynez Photo Album

Architecture, California, Photography, Santa Barbara, Solvang, Travel

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Album includes the Danish American town Solvang, the former Neverland Ranch, and the Old West Cold Spring Tavern in the Santa Ynez Valley near Santa Barbara, CA.

Checkout Robert Stark’s Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram, Stark Truth TV, and novel Journey to Vapor Island

Continue reading Solvang & Santa Ynez Photo Album →

Santa Ynez Mountains & Lake Cachuma Photo Album

California, Photography, Santa Barbara, Travel, Wilderness

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Album includes the Santa Ynez Mountains‎, views of Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez Valley, Knapp’s Castle, and Lake Cachuma in  Santa Barbara County, California .

Checkout Robert Stark’s Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram, Stark Truth TV, and novel Journey to Vapor Island

Continue reading Santa Ynez Mountains & Lake Cachuma Photo Album →

Robert Stark and Matthew Pegas talk about Urbanist observations from trip to San Diego

1980's, 80's music, aesthetics, American Culture, Andrew Yang, Architecture, Basic Income, Calexit, California, Cities, Class, Culture, demographics, Economics, Environment, Erasure, Historic Preservation, History, Immigration, John C. Portman Jr, Los Angeles, Malibu, Malls, Matthew Pegas, Mexico, Middle Class, Music, Politics, Postmodernism, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Silicon Valley, Skyscrapers, Suburbia, SWPL, Travel, Urbanism, Wealth, Wilderness

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and Matthew Pegas talk about their recent trip to San Diego and their observations on cultural and urbanist trends.

Topics:

San Diego’s reputation as a smaller, cleaner, nicer version of LA and its unique attributes
The layout of the city with a centralized downtown near the waterfront surrounded by suburban sprawl
San Diego and Orange County among the largest areas of upper middle class sprawl in the nation
Politics of San Diego as a historically Republican stronghold that has trended Democratic in recent years
Demographics of San Diego and how they relate to overall CA trends
The most stereotypical American City located in CA while the State is culturally drifting apart from the rest of the Country
After decades of suburban sprawl, San Diego eyes big shift to dense development
The historic Gaslamp Quarter which is the one section that feels truly urban
Horton Plaza: Will this PoMo wonderland in San Diego be saved?
Architect Jon Jerde’s inspiration for Horton Plaza from Ray Bradbury’s “The Aesthetic of Lostness” extolling the virtues of getting “safely lost”
Wealthy beach community La Jolla and it’s village layout
The importance of investing in communal places that the public can enjoy, particularly in wealthy areas
Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve
The Victorian Hotel del Coronado
Friendship Park at the US/Mexico Border and political symbolism of the border wall
The Inland Empire
Heavenly Action by Erasure, the soundtrack of the trip with a message that friendship, love, and positivity can conquer anything

Click Here to download!

Checkout Robert Stark’s Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram, Stark Truth TV, and novel Journey to Vapor Island




Robert Stark talks to Adam Mayer about San Francisco Architecture

1960's, 1970's, 1980's, Adam Mayer, aesthetics, Architecture, arcology, Art Deco, Beverly Hills, Brutalism, California, Cities, Culture, Danville CA, Economics, Environment, Futurism, gentrification, Historic Preservation, History, John C. Portman Jr, Los Angeles, Los Gatos CA, Mass Transit, Matthew Pegas, Mid-Century Modern, Mount Diablo, Neon, Oakland, Postmodernism, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Silicon Valley, Skyscrapers, Suburbia, Urbanism, Wilderness, Zoning

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and Matthew Pegas talk to architect Adam Mayer about San Francisco’s architectural history and current trends. Check out his Twitter, Instagram, and Architectural Portfolio.

Topics:

Robert’s meetup and architectural tour with Adam in Downtown SF
Ghirardelli Square and the Cannery
SF Neon TOURS
Beaux-Arts Palace Hotel
Art Deco highrises Sir Francis Drake Hotel, Shell Building, and Pac Bell Tower
Mid Century Modern Joseph Eichler highrises, the Fairmont Hotel, and the Hilton
William Pereira’s Transamerica Pyramid and Louis Kahn’s use of concrete inspired by ancient monuments
Underappreciated 80’s post modernism, Art Deco revival, Marriott Juke Box, and Crocker Galleria
Philip Johnson’s 101 California Street and Union Square Neiman Marcus
The John Portman designed Embarcadero Center, it’s attributes of a self contained city and urban oasis, and the JW Marriott
Portman’s uniqueness in being both an architect and real estate developer
Jonathan Segal’s project ‘Architect as Developer’
SOMA highrise boom, Central SoMa Rezone, 5M development, and, Caltrain redevelopment 
New Transbay Transit Center
SOMA skyscrapers 181 Fremont, Salesforce Tower, and Rem Koolhaas’ Tower
The end of the high-rise boom cycle
The Missing Middle Housing
Addressing the housing crisis while respecting historic preservation and aesthetics
Current trends in architecture and marriage between modernism and post modernism(meta modernism)

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




Robert Stark & Matthew Pegas discuss their New Documentary (((Supply)))

(((Supply))), acting, aesthetics, Alicia Silverstone, alienation, Alt Center, Alternative Right, Architecture, Aristocratic Individualism, Art, Beverly Hills, Cinema, Culture, Despair, documentary, dreams, Erotized Rage, Film, Hollywood, Incels, Los Angeles, Luke Ford, Matthew Pegas, Media, Narcissism, Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Philosophy, Pornography, Psychology, Santa Barbara, Sexuality, Social Isolation, social status

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and Matthew Pegas discuss their new documentary (((Supply))). When Podcaster Robert Stark’s dreams of greatness don’t seem to be coming true in Santa Barbara, he heads down to LA to meet the one moral leader who has all the answers: Luke Ford. Produced by Stark Truth TV.

Topics:

The mocumentary theme and side story of Robert Stark’s quest for supply
The interviews with Luke Ford which focus primarily on psychological themes
Using creative output, politics, and online personas to achieve narcissistic supply
Narcissistic supply filling a void that is missing from healthy social bonds
Social status as a core human need
The feeling that you have unjustly been denied status and whether it is based in reality or a coping mechanism
Architecture in Beverly Hills and the contrast between aristocratic aesthetics and the faux liberal capitalist elites
How social status relates to politics
Maladaptive daydreaming and how it can be both destructive and a source for creative inspiration
An Afternoon With Robert Stark in Santa Barbara
Erotic energy as a force for creative pursuits and the importance of sex to both status and forming bonds
Luke’s play Eroticized Rage
The cinematographic and production process
Stark Truth TV as an offshoot of Apocalypse Culture exploring areas of “forbidden knowledge”

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




Alt Urbanism: Retrofitting The Aesthetically Pleasing Suburb

aesthetics, Architecture, California, Cities, Class, Culture, Danville CA, Eco-Cities, Environment, Historic Preservation, Lafayette CA, Mount Diablo, New Urbanism, Orinda CA, Richard Register, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Sonja Trauss, Suburbia, Urbanism, Utopia, Walnut Creek CA, Wealth, Wilderness, Zoning

By Robert Stark: Originally Published on Alt of Center

There has been a growing movement within the New Urbanist scene to retrofit car-oriented suburbs. There is even an excellent book on the subject titled Retrofitting Suburbia by Ellen Dunham-Jones. The book focuses primarily on retrofitting aesthetically unappealing, car-oriented suburbs that were built in the 2nd half of the 20th Century.

Despite opposition from suburban NIMBYs this idea makes practical and aesthetic sense. Your typical American suburban commercial thoroughfare is lined with ugly strip malls with massive parking lots that are aesthetically unappealing, ecologically unsustainable, and unfriendly to pedestrians. The safety of pedestrians is rarely secured. It really should come as no surprise that law firms like lamber goodnow are often required to assist pedestrians who have been struck by cars in these areas.
Continue reading Alt Urbanism: Retrofitting The Aesthetically Pleasing Suburb →

Robert Stark interviews Richard Register about Ecocities

aesthetics, Architecture, arcology, Art, Asia, Berkeley, California, China, Cities, Culture, Eco-Cities, energy, Environment, Futurism, Galápagos Islands, Global Warming, Historic Preservation, History, John C. Portman Jr, Lafayette CA, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Nature, New Urbanism, New York, Oakland, Orinda CA, Phoenix, Richard Register, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Skyscrapers, Suburbia, Urbanism, Utopia, Wilderness, Zoning

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Richard Register is a theorist in ecology and urban design, the author of several books on the topic of ecologically sustainable cities, and founder and President of Ecocity World.

Topics:

Richard’s concept of an Ecocity
Paolo Soleri’s concept of an Arcology and his project Arcosanti in Arizona
The Ecosa Institute which is doing what Soleri intended on a smaller scale
Ancient examples of the Arcology go back to Ur in Mesopotamia and Çatalhöyük in Turkey
The city as a complex living organism
Horizontal vs. three dimensional cities
Implementing an ecocity on a large scale as an Ecotropolis
Why density is more ecologically sustainable
Ecocity Zoning
The goal of creating a car free city
The use of bridges between structures
John C. Portman’s Embarcadero Center in San Francisco which has aspects of an Arcology
Exterior glass elevators
Richard’s book Ecocity Berkeley and NIMBY imposed barriers to change in Berkeley
Opening up the creek systems in urban areas
Creating Ecocity village cores in the suburbs and how to retrofit aesthetically pleasing suburbs(ex. Santa Barbara, Marin County, and wealthy East Bay suburbs)
Reducing the foot print of cities and suburbs and opening up new land to agriculture and wilderness
Richard’s illustrations and the importance of aesthetics in urbanism
New Urbanism as a step in the right direction but too rigid in height and density
Richard’s trip to the Galapagos Islands and observations of how architecture coexists with nature
Ecocities in China
Robert’s observation that Las Vegas despite being an ecological catastrophe has many aspects of the Arcology

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




Robert Stark interviews Santa Barbara Mayoral Candidate Hal Conklin

aesthetics, Architecture, Art, California, Cities, Culture, Economics, Environment, Hal Conklin, Historic Preservation, Mass Transit, Police, Santa Barbara, Urbanism, Zoning

Robert Stark talks to Santa Barbara Mayoral candidate Hal Conklin for a written interview. Hal Conklin was the former Mayor of Santa Barbara and is the President of USA Green Communities.

Topics:

Hal Conklin’s accomplishments as mayor
Environmental solutions for the City and his work for USA Green Communities
The need for leadership in the future, giving the entire community a voice, and the Mayor’s role of “mediator” of dialogue
The Arts
Historic preservation and the City’s legacy of maintaining historic standards since the 1925 Earthquake
The Average Unit-Size Density Program, Height Restrictions, and the Housing Shortage
The Homeless Situation
Retail Vacancies
Tourism
The City’s Budget, the proposed Sales Tax, and revenue solutions
Bringing new jobs to the City
Mass Transit, the Bus System, and a hypothetical Light Rail Line

Check out Robert Stark’s Artwork




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Robert Stark interviews Frank Sanitate about a Public Bank for Santa Barbara County

Banking, Economics, Ellen Brown, Frank Sanitate, Public Banking, Sam Kevorkian, Santa Barbara

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and co-host San Kevorkian talk to Frank Sanitate about his proposal for a Public Bank in Santa Barbara County.

Topics:

Frank’s op ed published in the Santa Barbara News Press Banking On Our County
Public Banking as a solution to the County’s budget shortfall
Santa Barbara County Supervisor Joan Hartmann’s interest in the Public Bank
The political process in implementing a County Public Bank
Ellen Brown and the Public Banking Institute
How Public Banking works
Using Public Banking to fund infrastructure projects
The successful implementation of Public Banking in North Dakota
A Public Bank – Investing in New Jersey Not Wall Street | Gubernatorial Candidate  Phil Murphy
Nationalizing the Federal Reserve
Frank’s book Money – Vital Unasked Questions and the Critical Answers Everyone Needs to Know

Click Here to download!

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