Category Archives: aesthetics

Robert Stark interviews Filmmaker and Author Pablo D’Stair

aesthetics, Bret Easton Ellis, Cinema, Comic Books, Culture, Enter The Void, Film, Film Noire, horror, Literature, Pablo D'Stair, Paul Schrader, Pilleater, Poetry, Psychology, Robert Bresson, Science Fiction, Scott Laudati, Surrealism, Taxi Driver, The Canyons

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and co-host Pilleater talk to author and filmmaker Pablo D’Stair. He is the author of sixty books of fiction, twenty-four plays/screenplays, five collections of poetry, and numerous essays and dialogues. A former contributor of cinema critique/commentary for the UK film site BRWC: Battle Royale With Cheese and of fiction, interview, and essay for the Montage: Cultural Paradigm (Sri Lanka), he is also the writer/director of six (very underground) films and the co-founder of the art-house press KUBOA . More information can be found at pdstair.wordpress.com and pdstairfilms.wordpress.com. Check out his films on Vimeo.

Topics:

Pablo’s work as an associate producer on the film The Canyons directed by Paul Schrader and written by Bret Easton Ellis
Early influences including Robert Bresson who was also an influence on Schrader
Pablo’s first film A Public Ransom about an author who stumbles across a crayon-scribbled missing child poster with a scrawled telephone number
Pablo’s film Mississippy Missippi Tu-Polo which is about a young indie author who is no longer young and “indie”
The band Left By Snakes who have done music for Pablo’s films, and he has also worked on their music videos
Pablo’s film Science Fiction about Five unknown, unread, and well-past-their-prime science fiction authors grappling with obscurity, infinity, and obsolescence
Pablo’s recent film Mr Pickpocket about two young boys drawing a comic about their dad being a Pickpocket
Pablo’s cinematography style; long shots and techniques to make films look grittier and older
Pablo’s films are about implications and invoking feelings rather then plot driven
Comparing being a writer to being a filmmaker
The Alt-Lit Genre
The Art for the book covers which are designed by both Pablo and his friend artist Goodloe Byron
KUBOA Press and Pablo’s criteria for selecting writers
Pablo’s writing process and style, linear writing and writing from the perspective of one person’s perspective
Pablo’s latest novel LUCY JINX  which is an intimate epic, spanning eight years in the life (and innermost mind) of the titular poet as she navigates cities, jobs, ambitions, and friendships
Pablo’s book Dustjacket Flowers about a man loitering in the public library and the theme of perceiving reality
Pablo’s book Regard; the theme of life rendered in minute by minute physical description with only as much as psychological insight
Pablo’s set of novellas The Unburied Man and The People Who Use Room Five; Life Cycle Horror
Pablo’s Noire novel man standing behind which is being adapted into a film


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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!




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!




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 Jay Dyer about Esoteric Hollywood

1980's, aesthetics, Aleister Crowley, Alicia Silverstone, Blade Runner, Carl Jung, Cinema, Conspiracy Theories, Culture, Dark City, David Bowie, David Lynch, Drugs, Dune, Enter The Void, Esoteric Hollywood, Eyes Wide Shut, Film, Film Noire, Hellraiser, Hollywood, horror, horror films, Jay Dyer, John Carpenter, Labyrinth, Literature, Media, Metropolis, Mythology, Natalie Portman, Occultism, Pilleater, Psychology, Religion, Surrealism, The Dark Crystal, They Live, Twin Peaks

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and co-host Pilleater talk to Jay Dyer. He reviews films at his blog Jay’s Analysis and is the author of Esoteric Hollywood.

Topics:

The entertainment complex and deciphering propaganda
The power of cinematography and aesthetics in film
How computer generated special effects have impacted the quality of cinema
The concept of the Hollywood establishment and speculations about which filmmakers and films are anti-establishment
Why Jay focuses on the symbolism of the films rather then trying to analyse the director’s motive
Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut
David Lynch’s Dune, Eraserhead, Inland Empire, and Lost Highway
Surrealism, Neo-noir, and the David Lynch aesthetic
Jay’s review of David Lynch’s Twin Peaks and Mark Frost’s book The Secret History of Twin Peaks
The Ancient Greek concept of time  being a never ending repeat
The Folk Horror Genre; The Devil Rides Out
Blade Runner
Dark City
Enter the Void
The Dark Crystal
The film Labyrinth, the Jungian achetype of the Labyrinth as the subconscious, and the Labyrinth in Ancient Mythology
The Labyrinth theme in The Shining and Hellbound: Hellraiser II
The symbolism of basements as the subconscious in the films House II and The Hole
The Esoteric Meaning of Time Bandits and the significance of the abyss
Robert Stark’s show about Alicia Silverstone and The Film The Babysitter
Natalie Portman in Léon: The Professional
John Carpenter’s They Live! and Big Trouble in Little China
Jay’s upcoming TV Show with Jay Weidner, which will be aired online at www.Gaia.com


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




Robert Stark interviews Musician Dean Clarke of Brutalist Architecture in the Sun

1980's, 80's music, 90's music, aesthetics, Architecture, Brutalism, Brutalist Architecture in the Sun, Culture, Cyberpunk, Dean Clarke, Depeche Mode, Donald Trump, Economics, England, FM-84, Free Trade, income inequality, Industrial Music, John C. Portman Jr, London, Music, New Retro Wave, Pilleater, Retro Futurism, Synthwave, Vaporwave, Video Games

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and co-host Pilleater talk to musician Dean Clarke. He does vocals and electronics for the band Brutalist Architecture in the Sun based in the UK. Check them out on Facebook and YouTube

Topics:

Intro Song: Love & Science (feat. Paul Humphries from the Concrete Pop Album
Dean’s background in music and his original band 3D the band
Influences from electronic music from the early 80’s including Gary Numan and Tangerine Dream
90’s influences including Front 242, Nine Inch Nails, and Skinny Puppy
The New Retro Wave genre; FM-84
Darkwave
Minimal Wave Records
The hybrid sound of 80’s Synthwave and 90’s Industrial Music, and the trend of fusionism
Performance at Zigfrid von Underbelly in London
Band of the month for Artefaktor Radio
Dean’s vocals, and Cye Thomas who also does vocals for the band
The use of the Korg MS-20 Synth
The aesthetics of the album covers Dean designs, fusing Brutalist and Industrial imagery with bright fluorescent colors
Brutalist architecture, Trellick Tower, The Underground, and Centre Point in London, John C. Portman Jr., and the revived interest in Brutalism
Cyberpunk, the London Trocadero, and 80’s arcades
Victorian era Railway Stations in London
Urban exploration and dead mall enthusiast
Economics and political themes in music
The de-industrialization of the UK
Depeche Mode’s Where’s the Revolution
The marketing and consumption of music on the internet
The band’s new album Post Democracy from live performances


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




Robert Stark, Pilleater, & Richard Wolstencroft discuss Ghost in a Shell

1980's, aesthetics, Akira, Alternative Right, animation, Anime, Architecture, Asia, Asian Aryanism, Asian Culture, Blade Runner, China, Cinema, Cities, Culture, Cyberpunk, Dystopia, Film, Futurism, Ghost in a Shell, Globalization, Hong Kong, Liberalism, Martin Heidegger, Mishima A Life in Four Chapters, Music, Nationalism, Paul Schrader, Philosophy, Pilleater, Political Correctness, Psychology, Retro Futurism, Richard Wolstencroft, Scarlet Johansson, Science, Science Fiction, Sexuality, Synthwave, technology, Transhumanism, Travel, Vaporwave, William Gibson, Yukio Mishima

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark, co-host Pilleater, and director Richard Wolstencroft discuss the new film Ghost in a Shell based on the 1995 anime.

Topics:

How it compares to the original film
The plot and characters
The film’s aesthetics, 1980’s retro-futurism, holograms, and cyberpunk
The synth soundtrack
The Robot Geisha scene
The fictional  futuristic Asian city filmed in Hong Kong
Richard Wolstencroft’s experience in Hong Kong and observations on Asian culture
Comparisons to the films Akira and Blade Runner, and William Gibson’s Neuromancer
The Anime Right
The “white washing” controversy about a White actress playing an Asian role
Scarlet Johansson
Takeshi Kitano
Themes of Trans-humanism and Cybernetics
Ray Kurzweil’s Wildest Prediction: Nanobots Will Plug Our Brains Into the Web
The Philosophy of Mind, ‎Gilbert Ryle’s Ghost in the machine, and Arthur Koestler’s Ghost in the machine
Hubert Dreyfus’s views on artificial intelligence influenced by Martin Heidegger
Political messages in the film
“Ghost in a Shell” as a metaphor for the rootless atomized society where people lack any real identity
Richard’s upcoming film The Second Coming Volume II


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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 Devotional Dave from STRANGELOVE-The Depeche Mode Experience

1980's, 80's music, 90's music, aesthetics, Culture, Depeche Mode, Devotional Dave, Duran Duran, Fashion, Music, Pilleater, Strangelove The Ultimate Depeche Mode Experience, Synthwave, Tattoos

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and co-host Pilleater talk to Devotional Dave(Freddie Morales) from the Depeche Mode Tribute Band STRANGELOVE-The Depeche Mode Experience. Check them out on SoundCloud, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter

Topics:

Intro: Strangelove The Ultimate Depeche Mode Experience USA Promo
Tribute bands, how Strangelove-The Depeche Mode Experience got started in 2011, and Dave’s earlier tribute bands Blasphemous Rumours and Sounds a La Mode
Dave’s background in music and his Spanish Synthwave band DESVIO
Influences Growing up in the 80’s besides Depeche Mode including Duran Duran
Their current tour schedule listed at STRANGELOVE’s Website
Capturing the image of Depeche Mode and Dave’s Dave Gahan inspired Tattoos
The release of Depeche Mode’s new Spirit Album
Dave’s favorite Depeche Mode Albums are Songs of Faith and Devotion and Music for the Masses
Early Depeche Mode including Speak & Spell and Get the Balance Right!
Newer Albums including Sounds of the Universe
The Albums Violator and Ultra
Choosing which albums and songs to perform, and playing the songs Depeche Mode doesn’t play anymore such as rush
Meeting Alan Wilder and his departure
Martin Gore
The show April 1st at the Lobero Theatre in Santa Barbara

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