Category Archives: 1980’s

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


Click Here to download!
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


Click Here to download!
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

Click Here to download!
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


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




Robert Stark interviews Josh Alan Friedman

1960's, 1970's, 1980's, Adam Parfrey, Al Goldstein, Black Cracker, Black Culture, Blues, censorship, Cities, Class, counterculture, Crime, Culture, Dallas, Erotica, Feral House Books, Film, gentrification, History, Josh Alan Friedman, journalism, Literature, Long Island, Los Angeles, Luke Ford, Media, Music, New York, Pilleater, Political Correctness, Pornography, Race Relations, Robert Brenner, Sexuality, Texas, The American South, Time Square

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and co-host Pilleater talk to writer and musician Josh Alan Friedman. He blogs at Black Cracker Online

Topics:

Intro Song: “Thanksgiving at McDonald’s in Times Square” by Josh Alan Friedman
Josh’s book Black Cracker about his experience going to the last segregated Black school in New York
Recovering lost memories from 1962 when Josh was in 1st Grade
The account of Josh being lynched in the book
The location of Glen Cove, Long Island, Black Shanty Towns, and the Gold Coast Era
Reactions to the book
Race relations in New York City in the 70’s, school busing, and the Bernie Goetz incident
Josh’s move to Dallas, Texas where his music career took off
Josh’s interest in Blues music, White adaptation of the Blues in the 60’s, the 80’s Blues Revival in Texas, and decline in interest among Blacks
Josh’s solo guitar act
Openings for bands including Huey Lewis and the News, War, Johnny Winter, and Bad Company
Josh’s book Tales of Times Square about Time Square in the 70’s; Robert Stark’s interview with Robert Brenner about his Gritty Old Time Square Tours
Josh’s observation that Broadway in Downtown LA reminds him of old Time Square
Josh’s interview with Luke Ford
Josh’s experience working for Al Goldstein’s Screw Magazine
Josh’s book I, Goldstein, which is a co-written autobiography about Al Goldstein
Josh’s book When Sex Was Dirty
Rules for Journalist; “never pay for an interview”
Book Publishing; the era of “the gate keeper,” independent publishing houses such as Feral House, and self-publishing today
The effects of the internet on musicians


Click Here to download!
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


Click Here to download!
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


Click Here to download!
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


Click Here to download!
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

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




 

Robert Stark talks to Pilleater about Depech Mode’s Spirit Album

1980's, 80's music, 90's music, Alternative Right, Culture, David Bowie, Depeche Mode, Fire Tiger, John Curley, KMFDM, Music, Philosophy, Pilleater, Politics, Psychology, Synthwave

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark, co-host Pilleater, and John Curley discuss the new Depeche Mode album, Spirit.

Topics:

Depeche Mode’s Spirit album
Pilleater’s article The Meaning Behind “Spirit
Where’s The Revolution?
The Meaning behind “Spirit”
Fail
Pilleater’s opinion that Exciter, Sounds of the Universe, and Delta Machine are their worse albums
When Alan Wilder left the band
Pilleater’s opinion that Violator, Songs of Faith, and Devotion are their best
Pilleater’s review of Get The Balance Right!
Erik Erikson’s Psychosocial Stages
Depeche Mode compared to KMFDM
Depeche Mode being normie music
Richard Spencer’s claim that Depeche Mode is “the band of the Alt-Right,” and Depeche Mode’s denunciation
Depeche Mode’s Enjoy the Silence 9/11 Performance
Robert Stark’s outing to see Fire Tiger at the Viper Room


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