Category Archives: aesthetics

Robert Stark interviews Laura Foote Clark of Grow SF

aesthetics, Architecture, California, Cities, Economics, Environment, Grow SF, Historic Preservation, income inequality, Krishan Madan, Laura Foote Clark, Mass Transit, Millennials, New Urbanism, Rabbit, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Skyscrapers, Suburbia, Urbanism, Zoning

laura-foote-clark

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark joined with Rabbit and Krishan Madan interview Laura Foote Clark. Laura is the president of GrowSF, which advocates for affordable and market rate housing in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Topics include:

The Bay Area’s lack of affordable housing
How the housing crisis particularly effects millennials
How integrated public transit provides better access to affordable housing
The severity of the housing crisis, and how a massive increase in housing is needed just to sustain current demands
The miss conception that there is no space to grow in San Francisco, and the twitter series wasteOfUrbanSpace
Mega Developments in the Bay Area, and Laura’s point that focusing on specific projects can distract from the overall housing shortage
Where to build new housing
SF grants density bonuses to affordable housing developments
Micro Apartments
What Silicon Valley Would Look Like if Tech Companies Built Themselves Cities
Laura’s point that if the Silicon Valley became a more urban environment it would ease the demand for housing in San Francisco
The role that suburbs play in the Bay Area’s housing shortage
How the lack of new housing in cities encourages suburban sprawl
The trend in preference for urban over suburban living among millennials
How Environmental organizations such as the Sierra Club are divided on the housing issue
Bay Area’s Greenbelt Alliance and New Urbanism
California Proposition 13
Proposition C: San Francisco Affordable Housing
Rent Control
Why Laura would like to see a unified zoning plan for the Bay Area
Whether there is a limit on how many people the Bay Area can accommodate
How the housing issue is the main political divide in the Bay Area
Krishan’s point that tax cuts effect the rich, welfare the poor, but housing can be the political issue of the middle class
The importance of getting involved in local politics


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Robert Stark interviews Ray Sawhill about Journalism

aesthetics, Alex von Goldstein, Architecture, Art, censorship, Cinema, Cities, Culture, Film, Internet, journalism, Millennials, Music, New York, Political Correctness, Ray Sawhill, Santa Barbara, Social Media, Travel

Ray Sawhill

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and co-host Alex von Goldestein talk to Ray Sawhill. Ray is a retired journalist who lives in Santa Barbara, CA. He blogs at Uncouth Reflections as Paleo Retiree

Topics include:

Ray’s career as an Arts, Culture, and Film journalist at Newsweek
How Ray stumbled into journalism, and how that was not his original passion in life
How artist and writers often get into journalism to make a living
The era of the journalist as the gatekeeper
Censorship in journalism
How the internet is changing journalism
The effects of the internet on cultural innovation
How the internet both enables creative types and non conformist to get their views across, while enforcing conformity for the rest
The impacts of the internet and social media on millennials
The internet and the concept of infinite knowledge
Ray started online blogging at 2Blowhards, because he wanted a platform for people with interesting cultural views who did not embrace the political correctness of the culture scene
Arts & Letters Daily
Ray writings for Salon.com, how he interviewed Roger Scruton, and Thomas Sowell, and how Salon was much more open minded back than
The concept of good taste, and Ray’s observation that the wealthy and cultural elite form their taste in consensus
Ray’s point about people who travel is that they don’t come home and say why doesn’t their home town resemble the places they visit
Ray’s involvement the Punk Rock scene in New York in the 70’s and 80’s
How the Avant Garde was a product of technological limitations
The yippie movement in the 60’s as a precursor to the Alt Right troll culture
How the left counter-culture got absorbed into the establishment and the Alt Right is the new counter-culture
How the culture has stagnated and people are looking to the past for inspiration
Ray and his wife Polly Frost co-produced a webseries THE FOLD
Vaporwave & MACINTOSH PLUS
Sam Hyde’s new World Peace show on Adult Swim
How the 1970’s are considered to be the peak of American Cinema
Films including, Taxi Driver, Dirty Harry, and Falling Down
How art should transcend politics


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Robert Stark interviews Rabbit about Hillary Clinton’s Speech & the Alternative Left

aesthetics, Alternative Left, Alternative Right, Culture, Donald Trump, Futurism, Hillary Clinton, Rabbit, Vaporwave

Clinton

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Topics include:

Hillary Clinton’s speech against the Alt Right
Donald Trump’s response to the speech, that there’s no alt–right or alt–left”  just “common sense.”
This comment led to a massive inquiry into the Alt Left and resulted in massive traffic for Rabbit’s AltLeft blog
AltLeft in the National News
How mainstream journalists often fail to do research on the topic they are covering
How mainstream conservatives are now saying Hillary Clinton is behind the Alt Left
Conservative trolls on Twitter accusing Rabbit of being part of Clinton’s campaign
Many people are also claiming the Alt Left is Bernie Sanders’ and Green Party candidate Jill Stein’s
How the Alt Left is a movement started by blogger Robert Lindsay for liberals who oppose political correctness
Rabbit’s Alt Left Manifesto
Third Positionist, Rabbit views them as potential allies but is also in conflict with them over their opposition to his interest in futurism, modern art, and his socially liberal views
Is there room for a chic, left wing, futurist variety of “soft fascism?”
How political labels such as left and right have become obsolete
Rabbit’s plans for his blog to focus more on culture instead of politics
The Vaporwave themed Neonopolis in Las Vegas
Conceptual ideas for self contained autonomous futurist societies


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Robert Stark, Rabbit, & Alex von Goldstein discuss Retro Futurism

80's music, aesthetics, Alex von Goldstein, Architecture, Art, Art Deco, Cities, Culture, Cyberpunk, Film, Futurism, John C. Portman Jr, Las Vegas, Malls, Neon, New Retro Wave, Rabbit, Retro Futurism, Vaporwave

Eighties-Fu

 

 

 

 

 

Sov-Fu

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It-Fu

Vic-Fu

Topics include:

The concept of Retro Futurism as how the past envisioned the future
How in the 20th Century society was undergoing rapid change and technological progress
How people today are either pessimistic about the future, or view the present as the future(The Current Year)
Whether Retro Futurism is pure fantasy, an alternative universe, or a blueprint for the future
The Future portrayed in film from utopia to dystopia
The 1927 film Metropolis, which was the first major future film, and inspired by Italian Futurism
How Art Deco was the first major futurist movement in Architecture, and perfectly combines Futurism and Tradition
How Neon Lighting has symbolized the future from the Art Deco era to the 80’s Cyberbunk aesthetic
The Synthwave/New Retro Wave Genre in music that emerged in the mid 2000’s, inspired by  80’s New Wave(ex. FM Attack, Robots with Rayguns, Electric Youth, College, Kavinsky)
How 80’s music was much more future oriented than today’s music
Greg Johnson reviews New Order’s Music 
The Euro-centric and deconstructionist elements to Electronic Music
Rabbit’s involvement in the early 90’s rave scene, and how it started out as futuristic but fizzled out into trashy pop culture
The revival of the 60’s Brit pop sound in the 90’s
How culture has become stagnant and people are looking to the past for inspiration
Vaporwave, which is an aesthetic that emerged online, inspired by 80’s and early 90’s illustrations, video games, and elevator music
The Vaporwave Documentary
Donald Trump as an 80’s Retro-Futurist Vaporwave Icon
Cyberpunk, how it was inspired by 80’s Films such as Blade Runner, as well as Science Fiction writer Issac Asimov, it’s popularity with the Dark Enlightenment and Silicon Valley Techno-libertarians.
Steampunk, which a Futurist movement inspired by Victorian Aesthetics, Old Train Stations, and Science Fiction writers such as HG Wells and Jules Verne
Islamic Retro Futurism
The Mid Century Space age aesthetic
Soviet Retro Futurism
Las Vegas, the Retro-Futurist theme to the city, and hypothetical casino designs(Steampunk, Art Deco, Midcentury Space Age, Cyberpunk, Vaporwave)
Architect John C. Portman Jr. who built futuristic hotels with massive atrium in the 70’s and 80’s
The 80’s mall aesthetic, and how 80’s malls were a lot more futuristic and innovative than the ones being built today
Alex’s point that there is a transcendent element to the mall experience
How Retro-Futurism provides inspiration for architecture and urbanism
How Retro-Futurism offer a Third Alternative to the past and present course
How right wing publications tend to be mostly political, while left wing ones will focus on culture and insert politics
Whether Retro-Futurism is an aesthetic for a New Political Movement(ex.Radical Centrism)

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Robert Stark interviews Richard Wolstencroft

aesthetics, Alex von Goldstein, Alternative Right, Australia, Boyd Rice, capitalism, censorship, Cinema, Coen Brothers, Cultural Marxism, Culture, Donald Trump, Economics, Environment, Erotica, Fascism, Film, Futurism, Globalization, Homosexuality, horror, horror films, Immigration, Islam, Leftism, Marquis de Sade, Nationalism, Oligarchy, Overpopulation, Pearls Before Swine, Philosophy, Political Parties, Politics, Pornography, Psychology, Radical Center, Richard Wolstencroft, Sadism, sadomasochism, Salò, Science Fiction, Sexuality, Social Darwinism, Socialism, Sociopaths, Transgender, Wealth

Richard Wolstencroft

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert stark and co-host Alex von Goldstein interview Richard Wolstencroft. Richard is a filmmaker, writer, events promoter, and founder and festival Director of the Melbourne Underground Film Festival. Check out his articles at Alternative Right

Topics include:

Richard’s film Pearls Before Swine(Watch here)
The actor and musician Boyd Rice who stars in Pearls Before Swine
The theme of fascism, power, and sadomasochism in the film
Influences on the film include A Clockwork Orange, American Psycho, and Salò, which also deals with the themes of fascism and sadomasochism, and was temporarily banned in Australia
Richard’s horror film Bloodlust
Censorship and Film in Australia
The BDSM Hellfire Club which Richard owned
The psychology and philosophy of sadomasochism, and how it relates to politics(Master–slave dialectic)
Social Darwinism
How culture is a more effective way to be subversive than through politics
Richards Theory of Transcendental Fascism
Richard’s political views, and his interest in the Alternative Right and Nationalism
Richard’s point that the left and right should unite against the globalist 1%(ex. the left should agree to be more anti-immigration, and the right more socialist)
The theory that psychopaths evolve through evolution to deal with overpopulation
The film HIGH-RISE based on the book by British writer J.G. Ballard
The film “HAIL, CAESAR!” BY THE COEN BROTHERS
Aesthetics in Film
Richard’s new film The Second Coming
Richard’s porn documentary THE LAST DAYS OF JOE BLOW

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Robert Stark, Rabbit, & Alex von Goldstein talk about Future Trends & Scenarios

"1984", aesthetics, Alex von Goldstein, American Culture, Basic Income, California, Cities, Class, Conservatives, Conspiracy Theories, Crime, Culture, Donald Trump, Dystopia, Economics, Environment, Eugenics, Film, Futurism, Hipsters, Immigration, income inequality, James Howard Kunstler, Negative Income Tax, New Urbanism, Oligarchy, overdevelopment, Overpopulation, Peak Oil, Police State, Politics, Prison, Rabbit, Radical Center, Science Fiction, Soft Totalitarianism, Suburbia, Traditionalism, Transhumanism, Urbanism, US Prison System, Utopia, Wealth, welfare state

Future Trends

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Topics include:

The conservative concept of self sufficiency( ex.working for a corporation, driving a car, and owning a home, in the suburbs) vs. the traditionalist one(ex.growing your own food), and the futurist one
The traditionalist Larpy goal of a society where everyone grows their own food, and how local agriculture should be encouraged, but it is unrealistic for everyone to be involved in it
The growth of the suburbs, from the original Railroad suburbs of the 19th Century, to the post war car oriented suburban sprawl
How small towns that have access to both urbanism and wilderness are the ideal place to live for those who can afford them(ex. Marin County, Palo Alto, and East Bay Hills in the SF Bay Area, and parts of  North Jersey)
New Urbanism, which seeks to re-create walkable communities out of car oriented suburbs
James Howard Kunstler‘s theory that Peak oil will lead to the death of suburbia and re-creation of localized communities
Future predictions that Peak Oil will lead to a Mad Max style collapse
Conspiracy Theories, the theory that the elites want chaos vs the frog in the boiling pan theory, and Alex’s comment that the elite’s have a short time frame
A Futurist Utopian model that’s ecologically sustainable, where robots do all the work, and that has a Basic income
How a basic income could create a utopia if implemented the right way, but could also be abused by the elites
How the key problem with society is that the elites control to much of the wealth, and the underclass control a large share of the population, and how to remedy that
Mike Judge’s Idiocracy
Transhumanism
The Nineteen Eighty-Four Police State Scenario
The US Prison System, and how inhumane condition only make people more dangerous
How we have open border combined with a surveillance state
How terrorism, “hate speech”, and the underage sex hysteria have been used to justify complete surveillance of the internet
How every political ideology is tied to a cultural aesthetic
Our upcoming show on Retrofuturism, and how Retrofuturism is the perfect aesthetic for Radical Centrism, because they are both based on fusionism


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Robert Stark interviews Mark Velard

 Mark Velard, aesthetics, Alternative Right, Art, censorship, comedy, Comic Books, Culture, Literature, Memes, Pepe the Frog, Political Correctness, Rabbit, Science Fiction, Social Justice Warriors, Space Travel

Pepe John Carter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and co-host Rabbit talk to Cartoonist Mark Velard. He publishes his work at Refractor Industries

Topics include:

How he got into drawing comics
His influences, including Daniel Clowes, Robert Crumb, Jack Kirby, and Jim Woodring
The 60s-80s influence in his comics
Why he prefers to work in Pen & Ink instead of digital graphics
Edgar Rice Burroughs’ John Carter of Mars and Mark’s parody “Pepe John Carter”
His short stories, including his recent one Cliff Wretched’s Escape, and the themes that drive them
How his stories tend to be tales of journeys and heroism
His upcoming graphic novel “Clowns of the Apocalypse,” about evil clowns who invade society and want to be seen as equals
His stand up comedy
His fascination with Space Travel and Escapism
John Carpenter’s Film In the Mouth of Madness
How he ended up associating with the AltRight
How his politics influences his work
His experiences with political correctness at Comic Cons
Whether his political views have interfered with his art career

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Robert Stark interviews Adam Hengels about Market Urbanism

Adam Hengels, aesthetics, Architecture, Chicago, Cities, Economics, education, Environment, Historic Preservation, income inequality, Los Angeles, Market Urbanism, Mass Transit, New Urbanism, New York, Phoenix, Rabbit, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Skyscrapers, Suburbia, Urbanism, Zoning

Adam Hengels

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and co-host Rabbit talk to Adam Hengels.

Adam is SVP and Director of Development of PAD, a real estate development start-up that builds communities for young professionals.  PAD’s developments will feature micro-apartments and other product innovations.

From Mega-Projects to Micro-Apartments, Adam has brought his development expertise to several high profile projects such as the $5B Barclays Center Arena and Atlantic Yards project in Brooklyn, New York .  Adam earned his Masters in Real Estate Development at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and has a BS and MS in Structural Engineering.

Adam is passionate about urbanism, and is known as a pioneer in the Market Urbanism movement.  His mission is to improve the urban experience, and overcoming obstacles that prevent aspiring city dwellers from living where they want.  He considers the conventional apartment layout to be stale.  Product innovations such as micro-apartments are a key part of the next wave in urbanism.

Topics include:

Why Adam advocates for the liberalization of zoning laws
The debate between absolute private property rights vs. the argument that regulations are necessary to prevent landowners from harming their communities
Zoning laws that contribute to suburban sprawl(ex. parking requirements, limits on density in suburbs, and government subsidies of roads and highways)
Retrofitting Suburbia
How demographic and economic changes are leading to the decline of suburbia
How to attract middle class families back to cities by improving education and increasing housing supply
New Urbanism
How zoning laws can prevent bad developments, but can also lead to increases in costs of living
Whether zoning laws are necessary to preserve the aesthetic and historic character of cities
How original mixed use communities declined due to zoning regulation and the rise of the automobile
Robert Stark’s point that even though he supports historic preservation and wilderness conservation, he acknowledges that many zoning laws have negative affects on cities and encourage sprawl
How the Lack of New Housing On The Westside of LA Is Causing Gentrification Of East And South LA
Height limit restrictions in cities
Minimum lot size requirements, and how they stifle creativity in urbanism
Whether highrises can provide housing for the middle class, and Adam’s point that new highrises are expensive but over time they decline in cost and eases the overall demand for housing
Whether mass transit can function in a free market, and how New York City’s Subway System started out as private, and Tokyo’s Subway System is semi private
Transit-oriented development
Adam’s development of micro apartments and how they can address the housing crisis for young people
How zoning laws make it difficult to create micro apartments
The role that Zoning and Urban planning plays in income inequality

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Transcript of interview:

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Robert Stark interviews Charles Krafft

aesthetics, Architecture, Art, Art Nouveau, Charles Krafft, Culture, National Futurism, Science Fiction, Serbia

charles-krafft

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and co-host Rabbit talk to Seattle based artist Charles Krafft

Topics include:

How Charles started out as a painter in Seattle and San Francisco in the 1960’s, and how his earliest influences included the The Mystic Artists of the Pacific Northwest
Charles’s involvement with the 60’s Counter Culture in San Francisco, and how he was hired to do Psychedelic Light Shows
Rabbit’s comment that many figures from the 60’s Counter-Culture expressed politically incorrect views
The pros and cons of drug use and how it affects creativity
How Charles was influenced by the work of designer Von Dutch, his correspondence with him, and how he inspired his transition into ceramics
Charles’s Ceramic work in the blue and white Dutch Delftware style
How Charles specializes in bone china made out of human remains, and commissions pieces to honor deceased love one’s out of their ashes
How his ceramic work includes replicas of guns as well as controversial historical and public figures
Charles’s experiences with censorship due to his political views and how that has affected his Art Career
The recent cancellation of his art exhibition in London due to threats from Social Justice Warriors
How some Art Journalist have used his case to demonstrate the need for freedom of speech in the art world
How politics is created by culture, and how the right has delegated culture to the left
Dissident Artist movements that have become marginalized such as Italian Futurism
Charles’s experience as a war photographer in Bosnia with the Slovenian band Laibach
How Charles’s views on the Yugoslavian Civil War have changed
Science Fiction writers Robert Heinlein and Cordwainer Smith
Charles’s interest in the concept of National Futurism
Architecture and how Charles’s favorite styles include Craftsman and Art Nouveau


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Robert Stark and Rabbit talk about their trip to Las Vegas

aesthetics, American Culture, Architecture, capitalism, Cities, Class, Consumerism, Corporations, Culture, Economics, Futurism, Gambling, hedonism, Hipsters, Historic Preservation, Las Vegas, Neon, Photography, Police State, Rabbit, Travel, Vice

Polaroid 100%

Las Vegas-California Casino

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Rabbit blogs at AltLeft.com

Topics include:

Robert and Rabbit’s recent trip to Las Vegas
How Las Vegas epitomizes capitalism and commercialism at it’s fullest
How Las Vegas demonstrates how capitalism is both a force for creation and destruction
How Las Vegas lacks any historic preservation
How despite it’s flaws Las Vegas offers an otherworldly fantasy experience
The Resort Fees
The ethics of Gambling
The political and demographic landscape of Las Vegas and Nevada
How Las Vegas lacks any significant SWPL presence
How Las Vegas attracts the trashiest of pop culture
Douche Bag culture, it’s different subsets, and how it’s absorbing hipster culture
The Aesthetics of Las Vegas Casinos, Robert and Rabbit’s favorites, and conceptual casino designs
The different era’s of Las Vegas, including Vintage Las Vegas, the themed resorts of the 90’s, and the newer casinos
The Las Vegas monorail
Whether Las Vegas resorts are a model for urban living

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More Photos from Trip:

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