Category Archives: aesthetics

Robert Stark talks to Jamie Curcio about Narrative Machines

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark, co-host Sam Kevorkian, and J.G. Michael talk to Jamie Curcio about his new book Narrative Machines: Modern Myth, Revolution, & Propaganda. Jamie is an Artist, Writer, and Musician, and blogs at Modern Mythology.

Topics:

Intro: Nefarious from the Album EgoWhore by HoodooEngine which Jamie co-produces and does bass and rhythm guitar for
The main thrust of Narrative Machines is the way in which myths function in our lives
How the conflict with our longing to connect with the sacred leads to seeking re-connection in the form of reified ideology in the current “Meme Wars”
Jean Baudrillard’s book Simulacra and Simulation
The concept of hyper reality and how social interactions are mediated by social media
Post Modernism and Deconstructionism; skepticism towards all ultimate truths
Hobbes vs. Rousseau: the debate over human nature
Jamie’s illustrations in Narrative Machines
The Artist David Mack
Aesthetic theory and how artist can affect the world politically
Interrogation Machine – Laibach and NSK
Aleksander Dugin, Nick Land, and Neo-Reaction
The relation between myth, retro-aesthetic creative movements like vaporwave, and the current cultural climate
The 80’s Retro themed show Stranger Things
The aesthetics of Horror and horror writer Thomas Ligotti
Surrealism and connecting to the sacred or primal force
Jamie’s book Join My Cult!, occultism, and Aleister Crowley
David Bowie Inspires Jamie’s Upcoming Book, “Masks”
Yukio Mishima’s Confessions of a Mask
Jamie’s involvement in the goth industrial music scene of the 90’s and 00’s
The ways in which virtual reality, myth, and “the real world” have collided
Alternate Reality Games, the film The Game, and playing with peoples perception of reality through media

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




Robert Stark interviews Santa Barbara Mayoral Candidate Hal Conklin

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

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Robert Stark interviews Korezaan about Transit & Urbanism

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 Joshua Zeidner

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 LiberatorePhilippe Druillet, and Moebius

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




Robert Stark talks to Brandon Adamson about the Film Cherry 2000

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark, new Co-host Sam Kevorkian, and retiring co-host Pilleater talk to Brandon Adamson about the Film Cherry 2000(1987). Brandon blogs at AltLeft.com, is the author of Beatnik Fascism, and has a new youtube channel Self Checkout

Topics:

Brandon’s review Cherry 2015 – If Loving A Fembot Is Artificial, I Don’t Want To Be Genuine
The main character Sam Treadwell who is a romantic guy who still longs for a traditional loving relationship and finds courtship with a female android
The depiction of sexual encounters and relationships with real women as complicated legal transactions requiring lawyers, reduced to merely emotionless business arrangements
Contrasting the film with the “Stepford Wives” where the men kill their loving yet sassy wives in exchange for robot sex slaves
How the issue of sex robots has become relevant again and it’s implications for the future
The ending of the film where Sam falls for the tracker, “Edith”(Melanie Griffith) whom he hires to help locate the robot
The theme of a journey and the popularity of road trip films in the 80’s and 90’s(ex. Chevy Chase in “Vegas Vacation”)
Pamela Gidley as Cherry 2000 and her role in the Twin Peaks prequel “Fire Walk With Me”
The 80’s aesthetic of the film
The dystopian theme where cities are deserted and overrun with criminals; comparisons to “Mad Max”
Locales depicted in the film including Las Vegas, the Hoover Dam, and the Citadel Outlet Mall
Self Checkout – Becoming a New Suburbanist

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




Robert Stark talks to Giovanni Dannato about The Post Scarcity Economy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and co-host Pilleater talk to Giovanni Dannato. Giovanni blogs at Colony of Commodus and is the author of A Kingdom For the Introvert. Follow Giovanni on Twitter.

Topics:

On A Post Labor Scarcity Economy
On A Basic Guaranteed Living
Some Form of State Capitalism Is the Future
State Capitalism in the Internet Age
Much US Dysfunction Comes From Post-Scarcity Denial
Urban Land Management In A Post Scarcity Economy
The Leisure Economy
NEETs, Lumpenproles, and the Leisure Economy

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




Robert Stark interviews Musician Andy Diamond of Diamond Field

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and co-host Pilleater talk to musician Andy Diamond of Diamond Field. Check out his work on YouTubeFacebook, 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 interviews Artist Jason D’Aquino

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark talks to Artist JASON D’AQUINO. He is known for his Miniature Matchbook Art, drawings on found objects and vintage surfaces in graphite.

Topics:

Jason’s Kickstarter JOIN IGGY POP! Let’s Make Artists Worth More Alive for Portal del Pop
Jason’s project Portal del Pop which is a place for artist to feature and sell their art commission free
The article in the Miami Times Miami’s Weirdest Kickstarter: Art Space, Iggy Pop, and Tattooed Skin in a Jar
Jason’s friendship with Iggy Pop and his involvement with the project
The process of creating miniatures on vintage matchboxes
Themes of interest including horror films including Hellraiser, Serial Killers, David Lynch films, and mechanical pieces such as clocks, pistols, and cameras
The Making Of Twin Peaks And David Lynch Miniature Matchbook Art by Jason
Jason D’Aquino “Shilling for Eames”
Jason’s tattoo art

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Robert Stark talks to Director Richard Wolstencroft about The New Twin Peaks

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark, co-host Pilleater, J.G. Michael, and Count Isidor Fosco are joined with filmmaker Richard Wolstencroft live from the Black Lodge to talk about the new Twin Peaks series and how it compares to the original.

Topics:

Intro: The Northern Lights – Falling (feat. Lucy Black)
The Black Lodge and it’s theological and occult symbolism
The 80’s quality of the original Twin Peaks, the 50’s nostalgia theme, and David Lynch’s interest in fusing genres
Lynch’s emphasis on visual aesthetics in his films
How Twin Peaks was inspired by the Film Noire Laura (1944)
How the new series makes references to other Lynch films such as Blue Velvet
Contrasting the portrayal of the town Twin Peaks in the new series to the original; Richard’s visit to the town of North Bend, Washington where the show is filmed
Lynch’s portrayal of small towns; the idealism of small towns vs. the critique that there is a dark underbelly to small town America
Demonic possession vs. symbolism of the monster within
Cooper’s Doppelgänger, Agent Cooper becoming Dougie Jones who has lost his memory, and whether he will come back
The theme of powerful entities trying too tap into the Black Lodge and how that will become the main narrative
The theme of “Sex Magic”
The film Mulholland Drive and how it was originally intended to be a sequel to Twin Peaks about Audrey Horne
Lynch’s political views and his interest in Transcendental Meditation
How Twin Peaks touches on a variety of themes including culture, politics, the subconscious, sex, psychology, philosophy, mythology, and religion
Kyle MacLachlan and David Lynch as FBI Agents
The prediction that Cooper will return to Twin Peaks and end up in the White Lodge at the end
The role of the side characters in the new series such as Dr. Jacoby, Ben Horne, and Shelly

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Robert Stark interviews Joseph Dobrian

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and co-host Pilleater talk to Joseph Dobrian. Joseph Dobrian is a novelist, essayist, poet, and financial journalist, also known as a political activist and TV talk show host. Hard-Wired is his third novel. Previous books include the novels Ambitions and Willie Wilden, and the best-selling collection of essays, Seldom Right But Never In Doubt. He ran for Mayor of New York City in 2009, and now lives in Iowa City, Iowa, with four rescue cats.

Topics:

Joseph’s experience living in New York City, his “Guys and Dolls” lifestyle in the 80’s, and how the city has changed
His run for Mayor of New York City as a Libertarian and his political views
His home town and current location Iowa City which is called “Berkeley on the Prairie,” and the city’s architecture(ex.Englert Theatre)
His custom made 1940’s inspired suits
His talk show on local cable TV the Joseph Dobrian Show
His novels including AmbitionsWillie Wilden, and Hard-Wired
Literary influences including William Makepeace Thackeray’s Vanity Fair, George Orwell, and Herman Wouk
Favorite artist including Walter SickertGilbert Stuart, and Edward Hopper
Architectural interest including The Federalist Style, Albert Speer, and Hugh Ferriss
His op ed Abolish the National Endowment for the Arts – Iowa City Press-Citizen
Joseph and Robert debate funding for the arts
The cancellation of a book reading at Prairie Lights Bookstore in Iowa City due to hecklers

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Check Out Robert Stark’s Paintings!