Category Archives: aesthetics

Robert Stark talks to Jay Dyer about Jacob’s Ladder

1980's, 1990's, acting, aesthetics, Buddhism, Christianity, Cinema, Conspiracy Theories, Crime, Culture, David Lynch, death, dreams, Drugs, Film, Gnosticism, Hellraiser, History, Hollywood, horror, horror films, Jacob's Ladder, Jay Dyer, John Carpenter, KLF, Matt Pegan, Matthew Pegas, New York, Occultism, Psychology, Religion, Science, Science Fiction, Southbound, Suicide, Surrealism, Twin Peaks, Vaporwave, War

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and Matt Pegan talk to author and TV presenter Jay Dyer about the psychological horror film Jacob’s Ladder (1990). Jay Dyer is the author of Esoteric Hollywood:: Sex, Cults and Symbols in Film and you can watch his show on YouTube. Also check out Robert’s interview with Jay on Stark Truth TV at the Paramount Movie Ranch which was damaged in a wildfire shortly after filming.

Topics:

Jacob’s Ladder’s cult following and its director Adrian Lyne
The film’s plot, layers revealed, and symbolism
The Phoenix Program and Project MKUltra
Pseudo Christian themes in the film with references to the Bible, Christian mystic Meister Eckhart, and Dante’s Purgatorio
The concept of the soul journey in Orthodox Christianity and Gnosticism
The Psychedelic Experience: A Manual Based on the Tibetan Book of the Dead by Timothy Leary
Studies on Near Death Experiences
Comparisons to other films including Flatliners, Silent Hill: Revelation, Hellraiser: Inferno, Southbound, Insidious, The Triangle, U Turn, Enter the Void, and The Void
The British electronic band The KLF
Jay’s upcoming lecture series on the history of the mafia

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Checkout Robert Stark’s Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram, Stark Truth TV, novel Journey to Vapor Island, and in production documentary The Gospel of Gibson.

Robert Stark interviews BLAUERGEIST! about Aesthetics

1950's, 1960's, 1970's, 1980's, 1990's, aesthetics, Archeofuturism, Architecture, arcology, Art, Art Deco, Art Nouveau, Beverly Hills, BLAUERGEIST!, Blue Velvet, Brutalism, California, Californication, capitalism, Cinema, Cities, comedy, Culture, Curb Your Enthusiasm, David Lynch, Disneyland, Film, Film Noire, Hellraiser, Historic Preservation, History, Hollywood, horror, horror films, humor, Instagram, Jacob's Ladder, John C. Portman Jr, Larry David, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Malls, Matt Pegan, Matthew Pegas, Mid-Century Modern, Mulholland Drive, Neoliberalism, Neon, New Retro Wave, New York, Oregon, Photography, Political Correctness, Portland, Retro Futurism, San Francisco, Science Fiction, South Africa, Southbound, Steampunk, Surrealism, technology, Traditionalism, Travel, Twin Peaks, Urbanism, Zoning

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and Matt Pegan talk to Portland based blogger BLAUERGEIST! about architecture, interior design, art, and cinema. Check out BLAUERGEIST! on Twitter, his podcast Ellroy Boys, and new web magazine Apocalypse Confidential.

Topics:

The #BathistGang: love of 80s bathroom aesthetics
20th Century interior design genres
80s malls, Robert and Matt’s LA N O S T A L G I A  Mall series, the Breezewood meme, The Canal Walk Mall in Cape Town, and value of Interior Urbanism
Retrofuturism, trends in nostalgia, and Theme Park Urbanism
Eco Brutalism and the Interior Garden Aesthetic
Artists Patrick Nagel, Jim Buckels, and Daniel Merriam, and various sci-fi illustrators
Political symbolism in aesthetics
Aesthetics in cinema: directors Dario Argento and Peter Greenaway, and 80s films Year of the Dragon and Scarface
Horror films 3615 code Père Noël, Child’s Play, The Serpent and the Rainbow, Jacob’s Ladder, Hellraiser: Inferno, Southbound, and Silent Hill: Revelation
The work of David Lynch and the Lynchian Aesthetic
Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm

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Checkout Robert Stark’s Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram, Stark Truth TV, novel Journey to Vapor Island, and in production documentary The Gospel of Gibson.

Robert Stark interviews Dutch Vlogger Faust

aesthetics, American Culture, Archeofuturism, Architecture, Art, Art Deco, Art Nouveau, automation, Baby Boomers, Banking, Basic Income, Black Lives Matter, Calvinism, capitalism, censorship, Cities, Class, Classical Liberalism, coronavirus, Corporations, Culture, democracy, demographics, Distributism, Donald Trump, Economics, England, Eugenics, Europe, European Nationalism, Faust, Free Trade, Freedom of Speech, Germany, Globalization, History, Identitarianism, Immigration, Imperialism, income inequality, Middle Class, Millennials, Nationalism, Neoliberalism, Netherlands, New Urbanism, Oligarchy, Police, Police State, Political Correctness, Political Parties, Politics, Psychology, Retro Futurism, Skyscrapers, social capital, Socialism, South Africa, Steampunk, Suburbia, Third Way Economics, Traditionalism, Urbanism, Wealth, welfare state, Zoomers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark talks to Dutch Youtuber Faust about Dutch politics, economics, and geo-politics. Faust has an English language political channel, a Dutch language channel Dietse Bazuin, and you can follow him on Twitter. Faust is the publisher of an arts and history magazine that is also called Dietse Bazuin.

Topics:

Advocacy of a Germanic Union as a geopolitical alternative to the EU
The historic rivalry between the British and Dutch
The debate about the origins of capitalism (the Germanic Rhine model of capitalism vs. Anglo/American shareholder capitalism)
Thoughts on Dutch populist figures Geert Wilders  and Thierry Baudet
Faust’s critique of the welfare state and advocacy of building up social networks and economic niches as the solution to economic problems
The impact of American Imperialism on Europe and why Faust wants to disassociate from the American movement
Thoughts on the civil unrest in America, the politics of crisis, and America’s slide into neo-feudalism
“Ok Boomer” – a right wing meme turned left
Faust’s Dutch video on South Africa: Solidariteit met Afrikaners
Archeofuturist Architecture
The impact of architecture and urbanism on psychology and social capital

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Checkout Robert Stark’s Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram, Stark Truth TV, novel Journey to Vapor Island, and in production documentary The Gospel of Gibson.

Robert Stark talks to Jason Reza Jorjani about Faustian Futurist

aesthetics, Alt Center, Archeofuturism, Architecture, Art, Art Deco, automation, Black Lives Matter, Blade Runner, Caleb Maupin, capitalism, Cities, Communism, coronavirus, Culture, Donald Trump, Dystopia, Economics, Fascism, Francis Nally, Futurism, Gnosticism, Hinduism, History, horror, India, Iran, Italian Futurism, Jacob's Ladder, Jason Reza Jorjani, Jeffrey Epstein, Literature, New York, Nietzsche, Philosophy, Political Correctness, Politics, Psychology, Race Relations, Radical Center, Religion, Retro Futurism, Reza Pahlavi, Science, Science Fiction, Sexuality, Skyscrapers, Socialism, South Africa, Soviet Union, technology, The Cold War, the New Right, Third Position, Traditionalism, Transhumanism, Twin Peaks, Urbanism, Utopia

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and Francis Nally talk to Jason Reza Jorjani about his new Science Fiction novel Faustian Futurist. Jason Reza Jorjani, PhD is an Iranian-American philosopher, lifelong native New Yorker, and author of numerous books including Prometheism and Prometheus and Atlas. Also check out his Twitter and Patreon.

Topics:

Jason’s Faustian Futurist as an entry point to the philosophical and political concepts of his non-fiction work
The intimacy in giving the reader a window into the author’s subconscious
The Faustian archetype
The novel’s alternative history timeline set in the 2nd half of the 20th Century with an epilogue of the 21st Century
The theme of reincarnation
The significance of Atlantis in the novel and the empirical archeological evidence of Atlantis
Parapsychologist Gerald Feinberg’s The Prometheus Project, Mankind’s Search for Long-Range Goals
The parapsychological science of Remote viewing
A Prometheist vision beyond the convergence of left and right with a post-capitalist/scarcity outlook, and objective to find the balance between communitarianism and the creative potential of the individual
The limitations of electoral politics and the need to create a technological, cultural, and aesthetic movement
The Great Reset and the breakaway civilization
The mass exodus out of major cities and symbolism of the destruction of New York City as the cosmopolis of the West
Jason’s thoughts on the motives behind the woke agenda

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Checkout Robert Stark’s Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram, Stark Truth TV, novel Journey to Vapor Island, and in production documentary The Gospel of Gibson.

The Starkian Bay Area

Aesthetic Socialism, aesthetics, Alt Center, American Culture, Archeofuturism, Architecture, arcology, Art, Art Deco, Asia, Asian Aryanism, Asian Culture, Baby Boomers, Berkeley, California, capitalism, China, Cities, Class, coronavirus, Crime, Culture, Danville CA, demographics, Diversity, Economics, Environment, ethnopluralism, Frank Lloyd Wright, Futurism, gentrification, Hipsters, Historic Preservation, History, Immigration, income inequality, John C. Portman Jr, Lafayette CA, Liberalism, Los Angeles, Marin County, Mass Transit, Matt Pegan, Matthew Pegas, Millennials, Mount Diablo, Multiculturalism, neo-tribalism, Neoliberalism, Neon, New Urbanism, New York, Oakland, Orinda CA, overdevelopment, Pilleater, Political Correctness, Politics, Prison, Race Relations, Retro Futurism, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Skyscrapers, social capital, Suburbia, SWPL, The Gospel of Gibson, Travel, Urbanism, Utopia, Walnut Creek CA, Wealth, welfare state, Wilderness, Zoning

Robert Stark and Matt Pegas discuss their trip to the San Francisco Bay Area over the last Labor Day weekend, their past trips in 2018 (extended segment: 20 minutes in), and how the Bay Area relates to Alt-Urbanism and cultural, aesthetic, societal, and Alt-Center political themes from the show.

Topics:

Observations of the impact of the pandemic including an increase in homelessness
Why the Bay Area is the center of the Gray Tribe political sphere
The degree to which there is a unique and authentic regional culture and aesthetic
The John C. Portman designed Embarcadero Center, concept of Interior Urbanism, and how Portman was unique in that he was both an artistic visionary and a capitalist
The impact of wealth on aesthetics
The magic of travel and appreciating the tourist traps
San Francisco Neon
The Bay Area’s Geography, microclimates, and urban layout
Wilderness locations including Mount Diablo, Tilden Regional Park, Alpine and Bon Tempe Lakes in Marin, and the region’s extensive Greenbelts
Unique attributes of the Bay Area suburbs of Marin County, Lamorinda, Walnut Creek, Alamo, and Danville, Ski-Lodge Urbanism, and Retrofitting The Aesthetically Pleasing Suburb
Bay Area demographics trends
Does California need a rightest version of Multiculturalism?

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

Robert Stark talks to Matt Forney about the Caucasus Region

aesthetics, Albania, American Culture, Anatoly Karlin, Andrew Yang, Andy Nowicki, Architecture, Armenia, automation, Azerbaijan, Basic Income, Bernie Sanders, censorship, Cities, Communism, coronavirus, Corporations, Cuisine, Culture, Despair, Donald Trump, Dragon Day, Economics, Elections, Europe, Feminism, Gender, Georgia(Nation), History, Immigration, Incels, income inequality, Internet, Iran, Islam, Israel, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Literature, Matt Forney, Matt Pegan, Michel Houellebecq, Middle East, Nagorno-Karabakh War, Neoliberalism, Oligarchy, Police State, Political Correctness, Politics, Republican Party, Russia, Serbia, Sexuality, social capital, Social Isolation, Social Media, Soviet Union, technology, Travel, Turkey, Urbanism, Wilderness

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark talks to Matt Forney about the Caucasus region and trends for the 2020s. Matt Forney is an author, journalist and founder of Terror House Press, whose mission is to publish outsider literary fiction, literary nonfiction, and cultural criticism/analysis. You can also follow Terror House publishing on Twitter and Instagram.

Topics:

Matt’s travels to the Caucasus region, living in Georgia for two years, and visiting Armenia
Georgia as an underrated gem, with an affordable but high standard of living, and hub for digital nomads
Geographic locations and mountainous natural beauty
Architecture and urban layout of Tbilisi, Georgia and Yerevan, Armenia
The anti-corruption Rose Revolution in Georgia
The region’s culture, Xenia hospitality culture, crossroad of Europe and the Middle East, and creeping westernization
The region’s cuisine, which is somewhat bland, but Georgian was the most exotic in Soviet Russia
Matt’s travels to Albania and misconceptions about that nation
The historic background leading up to the ongoing Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
The conflict’s geo-political alliances and implications
Observations of social trends of the past two decades and speculation about the near future
How technology and social developments are leading to greater social atomization
The pandemic’s destruction of small businesses, gig economy, and overall end of normal employment
Why Matt has reservations about the UBI (Martin Goldberg: What Happens If You Get DELETED?)
The corporate gentrification of the internet
The Mancession of the 2008 crash vs. the current Shecession, and implications on gender relations
JPMorgan Chase extending billions in loans to minority homebuyers, Yelp’s anti-racist social credit nightmare, and overall unsustainability of woke neoliberalism
Matt’s prediction that Trump will win re-election and populism will align more with the GOP
Terror House Press’ upcoming books, including Matt Pegan’s Dragon Day

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


Robert Stark talks to Jason Reza Jorjani about Prometheism

1980's, aesthetics, Archeofuturism, Architecture, Armenia, Art, Art Deco, automation, Azerbaijan, Buddhism, China, Class, conformity, Culture, Donald Trump, Dystopia, Economics, Eugenics, Fascism, Frank Lloyd Wright, Futurism, Globalization, Hinduism, History, India, Iran, Islam, Israel, Italian Futurism, Japan, Jason Reza Jorjani, Martin Heidegger, Middle East, Mythology, Nagorno-Karabakh War, Neoconservatism, Neoliberalism, Nietzsche, parapsychology, Philosophy, Plato, Politics, Psychology, Religion, Retro Futurism, Reza Pahlavi, Saudi Arabia, Science, Science Fiction, Shia Islam, Space Travel, Sunni Islam, technology, The Iranian Renaissance, Traditionalism, Transhumanism, Tulsi Gabbard, Zoroastrianism

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark talks to Jason Reza Jorjani about his new book Prometheism. Jason Reza Jorjani, PhD is an Iranian-American philosopher, lifelong native New Yorker, and author of numerous books including Prometheus and Atlas. Also check out his Twitter and Patreon.

Topics:

The Prometheist Manifesto: a new political, spiritual, and techno-scientific movement
Prometheus as the enlightener of mankind in Greek mythology
Promethean archetype in the Zoroastrian deity Ahura Mazda
Prometheism’s  Retro-futurist rather than traditionalist trajectory
The technological singularity, dystopian scenarios, and limited time frame to ensure these technologies benefit mankind
Jason’s book Lovers of Sophia which deals with scenario of existing elites preventing the singularity through a controlled demolition
CRISPR gene editing, potential benefits, and dangers that it could be used to weed out non-conformity
Parapsychology: Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research Laboratory program on psychokinesis
Need for a new Promethean elite of creative geniuses and technological innovators
Archeo-futurism as the aesthetic of Prometheism (ex. Art Deco Rockefeller Center and drafts of Hugh Ferriss, Frank Lloyd Wright, Syd Mead, and 70s Iran)
Advocacy of a geo-political constellation of the West, Russia, Iran, India, and Japan under the umbrella of a Promethean ethos
The dangers of toppling the Iranian regime, Trump’s disastrous policies, and how change must come from within

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Checkout Robert Stark’s Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram,  Stark Truth TV, novel Journey to Vapor Island, and in production documentary The Gospel of Gibson


Round Table Discussion on Urbanist Trends for the 2020s

Adam Mayer, aesthetics, Architecture, California, Cities, coronavirus, Culture, DECAY, Economics, John C. Portman Jr, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Malls, Mass Transit, New Urbanism, New York, Oregon, Portland, Postmodernism, Reno, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Silicon Valley, Skyscrapers, Suburbia, Urbanism, Zoning

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark is joined with San Francisco based architect, Adam Mayer, and Oregon based urbanist commentator, D E C A Y, to discuss urbanist trends that we can expect to see as a result of the pandemic and economic transformation this year.

Topics:

Whether the outdoor dining trend is permanent
The Retail apocalypse, with a decline in small businesses and foot traffic
The remote work exodus and The Rise of Work-From-Home Towns
How the urban exodus could be beneficial for the creative class
Interior Urbanism as a reaction to urban decay
Why we will see less skyscrapers and mega projects in the 2020s
The new suburbanism: learning from past mistakes by Retrofitting Suburbia
Ski Lodge urbanism: rustic charm with urban amenities
The Missing Middle trend
The need for pragmatic zoning reform, political polarization of the issue, and why YIMBYs sometimes push too far
Dead malls being re-purposed(ex. Horton Plaza)
Why Every City Feels the Same Now: Glass-and-steel monoliths replaced local architecture
Whether we’ll see a shift away from 2010s minimalism towards a regional kitsch aesthetic(ex. Rustic Industrial)
Building fire resilient communities
Whether mass transit will remain viable and Kamala Harris’ husband’s involvement in a NIMBY lawsuit to stop the subway under Beverly Hills
Conclusion that we will see a population and economic shift to 2nd tier cities but not the total demise of cities
Adam’s upcoming blog on missing middle infill

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Checkout Robert Stark’s Facebook page, Twitter,  Instagram, and Stark Truth TV


Robert Stark talks to Logo Daedalus about America’s Promethean Aesthetics

1980's, aesthetics, American Culture, Archeofuturism, Architecture, arcology, Art, Art Deco, capitalism, Christianity, Cities, Class, Communism, Conservatives, Culture, Dallas, David Lynch, demographics, Disneyland, Donald Trump, Economics, Elon Musk, Europe, Futurism, Globalization, Hipsters, Historic Preservation, History, Jean Baudrillard, Kanye West, Las Vegas, Logo Daedalus, Malls, Matt Pegan, Matthew Pegas, Media, Mid-Century Modern, Mormonism, Neoliberalism, Neon, New Urbanism, New York, Oligarchy, Philosophy, Politics, Postmodernism, Religion, Retro Futurism, Science Fiction, Silicon Valley, Skyscrapers, Sweden, technology, The Perfume Nationalist, Traditionalism, Travel, Twin Peaks, Urbanism, Utah, Utopia, Wealth

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and Matt Pegan talk to Logo Daedalus to analyze the Promethean themes throughout American history in regards to culture and aesthetics. Logo is the author of Selfie, Suicide: or Cairey Turnbull’s Blue Skiddoo and you can follow him on Twitter.

Topics:

Online Trad subculture as a search for authenticity within the Simulation
Embracing America as a theme park
Archeofuturism: progress fused with nostalgia
How cultural elitism can contradict economic elitism and vice versa
Popularity of Neoclassical architecture in 19th Century America, The Soviet’s later adoption of Neoclassical architecture, and Art Deco as the pinnacle of archeofuturism in early 20th Century America
The Minimalist architectural trend of the 2010s, focus on functionality, Puritanical origins, and popularity in the Silicon Valley
Logo’s experience living in New York, notable architectural sites, and it’s state of decay
Neo-Trad architectural fad
What Internet Memes Get Wrong About Breezewood, Pennsylvania
Finding political symbolism in architecture
Celebrity Futurism
The ironies of Trump’s aesthetics
Mormonism as a manifest of America’s Promethean Spirit
How modern America started at the Chicago World’s Fair
The early Electric Park and Freedomland U.S.A. Theme Parks
Utopian Societies in 19th Century America and Utopianism through accessing the capital to build rather than politics


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


Robert Stark interviews Sam and Gian from the Twink Rev Podcast

aesthetics, Aimee Terese, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Alternative Left, Architecture, capitalism, censorship, Class, coronavirus, Culture, Donald Trump, Economics, George Bush, Homosexuality, Incels, income inequality, Joker, Leftism, Liberalism, Marxism, Morality, Neoliberalism, Oligarchy, Political Correctness, Politics, San Francisco, Sexuality, Socialism, TFW NO GF, The Perfume Nationalist, Twink Rev

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark talks to San Francisco Bay Area based podcasters Sam and Gian about political trends on the left. Check out their podcast on politics and gay culture, their articles on the Twink Rev blog, and follow Twink Rev on Twitter.

Topics:

LGBTQ identity politics neglecting material needs
The Insidious Class Project Behind Queer Eye
Woke culture as corporate branding
Why the Left needs a material based mindset
The appalling attitude of much of the Left on White poverty and deaths of despair
The Bellows: Nearly a third of [DSA] members (29%) earn over $100,000 a year
Why AOC is part of the same neoliberal project as Biden (AOC’s apology for Cancel Culture)
The Left’s divide over cancel culture, the Harper’s Letter, and hypocrisy of some of the centrist signatories
Cancel culture as a workers rights violation and product of privatization
The feasibility of a left/right alliance against neoliberalism
Why Joker would have been a leftist film if released during the Bush era
How neoliberal resisters’ opposition to Trump is primarily about decorum rather than policy (ex. rehabilitation of Bush)
The woke moral hysteria about age gaps between consenting adults
Sharia Vegas and the politics of aesthetics

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Checkout Robert Stark’s Facebook page, Twitter, and Instagram