Category Archives: Art

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!




Robert Stark interviews New Retro Wave Artist Absolute Valentine

1980's, 1990's, 80's music, 90's music, Absolute Valentine, aesthetics, Akira, Andy Fox, Anime, Art, Cinema, Culture, Cyberpunk, Daft Punk, David Lynch, Depeche Mode, Film, France, Ghost in a Shell, horror, horror films, Italo Disco, John Carpenter, Kavinsky, Music, Neon, New Retro Wave, Pilleater, Synthwave, The Summoner, Vaporwave

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and co-host Pilleater talk to French New Retro Wave Artist Absolute Valentine(Bandcamp Site). He is also a manager for Lazerdiscs Records. Check out his SoundCloud, YouTube, and Facebook Page.

Topics:

Intro Song: Bad News from the Police Heartbreaker album
Music background, learning piano as a kid, playing guitar in a metal band, and early electronic work
Influences ranging from Bach, Kavinsky, and Vangelis; similarities between Synthwave and Classical Music
The New Retro Wave genre
Producing music for Lazerdiscs Records and Drive Radio
The Darkwave genre
The Police Heartbreaker album
The Sunset Love album
The American Nightmare album inspired by Horror Films
The album cover designs, Cyperbunk influence, and the color pallet
Anime, Akira, and Ghost in a Shell
The Film Drive
John Carpenter’s Film Soundtracks
Daft Punk and 90’s French House Music
French 80’s music; Space Disco
The upcoming New Retro Wave horror film The Summoner which Absolute Valentine will do a track for
The Roland TR-7, other Synths, and the process of layering Synths
The importance of the intro and outro in Synth Music
The moniker Absolute Valentine
Upcoming Albums, Tracks, and live performances
Outro: She’s a Dancer from the Sunset Love Album


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




Robert Stark interviews Leisure Suit Larry Creator Al Lowe

1980's, 1990's, Alicia Silverstone, Art, Brandon Adamson, comedy, Culture, Donald Trump, Erotica, Family Guy, Gambling, humor, Las Vegas, Leisure Suit Larry, Loserdom, Mid-Century Modern, Music, Pilleater, Political Correctness, Pornography, Sexuality, The Manhole, Vaporwave, Vice, Video Games

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark, co-host Pilleater, and Brandon Adamson talk to Leisure Suit Larry Creator Al Lowe

Topics:

The music from the game
1981’s Soft Porn Adventure
How Al wanted to make a comedy game
The main character Larry Laffer
Larry as a loser and sleazy, but guys can relate to him probably more than they would want to admit
How young people today are able to identify with the character of Larry through their online dating adventures
The fan song feel like leisure suit larry
Al’s point that the game is not about the “sleaze” but a satire
The portrayal of women in the game who get the upper hand on Larry
How the early games had only text and no voice for Larry
The Adult Video Game genre and nudity in the game
How the old Larry games were difficult, and you could actually get stuck if you forgot to do something or ran out of money, and there were totally unpredictable ways of dying. In some cases clues were very minimal
The groundbreaking software innovations of Sierra Entertainment in the 80’s
The aesthetics of the game, Vaporwave and 80’s nostalgia, and Al’s point that he was just going with the style and limited color pallet of the time
Video Games as Art
Brandon’s point that the essence of the game is exploration rather than winning
Nontoonyt Island, the tropical setting in Leisure Suite Larry 2 which has been transformed into a resort
The Casino Aesthetic, City of Lost Wages, and “Ceasars Phallis”
How in Leisure Suit Larry 5 (1991) there’s a “Tramp International Casino” which is clearly a reference to Trump and now Trump is president
The Alicia Silverstone look a like in Leisure Suite Larry 6
The process of creating a character
“Save Early, Save Often”
Rumors that Glen Quagmire from Family Guy was based on Larry Laffer
The Planned Leisure Suite Lary TV show in the 80’s with Sony
The Leisure Suite Larry Calendar
The Leisure Suite Larry look a like contest
The Reloaded Edition
Sierra’s Game “Kings’s Quest”
The Game “The Manhole”
Al’s game Torin’s Passage
The effects of political correctness on video games
Al’s free daily jokes at his Humor Site

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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 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


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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


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




Robert Stark interviews Italo Disco Artist Andy Fox

1980's, 80's music, aesthetics, Andy Fox, Architecture, Art, Art Deco, Culture, Fashion, Italo Disco, Italy, Music, New Retro Wave, Pilleater, Retro Futurism, Synthwave

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and co-host Pilleater talk to Italian musician and composer Andy Fox. Check out his music on SoundCloud, Bandcamp, Facebook, and Twitter

Topics:

Intro Song: “Tempus Fugit EP” (OUT NOW! on Sunlover Rercords)
Creating New music inspired by 80’s Italo disco; The New Retro Wave Genre
Andy’s background in music and early influences including Martinelli and Scotch
The aesthetics of Andy’s album covers
80’s Italian Design, Car designer Giorgetto Giugiaro, Fashion, and Ugo La Pietra’s Interior Designs
The Synth of Nu Shooz – “I Can’t Wait”, and how it reminds Pilleater of Andy’s music
The Nu-disco genre
Andy’s music based on work by new artists
Vocals by Laura for his song Fly Away 
Andy’s favorite synthesizers


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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


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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


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Check out Robert Stark’s Paintings!