James’s writings about life in Baltimore
The city’s descent into chaos
Personal experiences with crime and violence
Police corruption and the Police’s ineffectiveness in dealing with crime
The 2015 Freddie Gray Riots
Making a living as a writer
James’s fantasy and science fiction novels
James’s book The Jericho Bone Robert E. Howard and Louis L’Amour
Robert Stark is joined with Francis Nally and Brandon Adamson to discuss his new novel Journey to Vapor Island.
Topics:
Brandon’s review of Journey to Vapor Island(Contains Spoilers)
The cover art by Mark Velard
How listeners to the show will instantly recognize favorite topics when they make cameo appearances in the book or manifest themselves as part of the underlying themes
Internet memes in the book(ex. the men in the frog masks)
The fusion of genres including Fantasy, Young Adult Fiction, Science Fiction, and Dark Comedy
A disclaimer that this book is not for anyone that is squeamish about sex or easily shocked or offended
Brandon’s observation that the sexual scenes in the book are more akin to the “random battles” in old school Super Nintendo RPGs like Final Fantasy IV
The theme of how central sex is to people’s motivations, and the overall perception of status in society
The main character Noam Metzenbaum who is a socially inept yet intelligent student with illusions of grandeur
The Chads and the theme of the nerd getting revenge against bullies and the popular cliques
Noam’s crush Natalie Bloom and his lifelong obsession with her
The Retro-Futuristic surreal fantasy world in the book; an adult Never Ending Story
The Roger Blackstone character who could represent a Trump-like figure, but could just as easily be a Ross Perot or even Willy Wonka
The outrageous comic elements in the book
The theme of the commercialization of tragedies and the celebrity status of mass murderers
How the book is timely with the ongoing Hollywood sex scandals
The theme of living in ones fantasies and how that shapes the book’s narrative
Robert Stark joined with Keith Preston of Attack the System, Sam Kevorkian, J.G. Michael, and Joshua Zeidner discuss the “Unite The Right” event in Charlottesville Virginia, the aftermath, and it’s implications for political discourse.
Topics:
Keith Preston’s essay Some Initial Thoughts on Charlottesville
How the message of the rally was unclear and incoherent; the “Occupy Wall Street” of the Right
The media’s reaction and the Public relations disaster for the Alt-Right
How the Police handled the event and past cases where the Police were ordered to stand down
Trump’s diplomatic response
How both the Alt-Right and SJW Left are reacting to growing wealth disparities; including many former members of the Upper Middle Class
Political polarization as a reflection of alienation among youth
Conspiracy theories about both left and right wing protesters being controlled opposition
The rise of the far right and left and the ineptitude of the Center
The political fragmentation of the Elites and the Media
The rise in political violence
The massive online crackdown on the Alt-Right in the aftermath of Charlottesville
Corporate censorship(ex.VDARE targeted by corporate left)
Extending the First Amendment to corporations ACLU: White Supremacists no longer entitled to all First Amendment rights Noam Chomsky: Antifa is a ‘major gift to the Right’
Australian director Alex Proyas, his background in Punk, and his style
Proyas’s films The Crow, Gods of Egypt, and Knowing
Proyas rebelling against the conformity of Hollywood Cinema
Comparisons to the Matrix which came out a year later and the theme of a meta reality
The setting of the City in a Space Ship disconnected from earth, the theme of parallel universes, and comparisons to the Truman Show
The role of “the Others” in the film; the metaphor for powerful people who manipulate reality from behind the scenes
How the others switch peoples memories and give them false memories; comparisons to Ghost in a Shell
The Gothic and Neo Noire Genres
The aesthetics of the film; Decopunk, Metropolis, Edward Hopper, and other influences
The irony of dystopian films is that they often succeed in creating utopian aesthetics
The films success in building upon the sense of mystery
The theme of man becoming a “God Like” figure restructuring society as a utopia
Plato’s allegory of the Cave and the Ship of Theseus
The symbolism of Shell Beach
The directors cut vs. the theatrical cut
Personal experiences with Autism and Aspergers
How society treats people with Aspergers; human alien hybrids
Non-conformity and rejection of social programs
Evolution and Epigenetics
Jasun’s book Homo Serpiens: A Secret History of DNA from Eden to Armageddon, written under the alias Aeolus Kephas
Online subcultures; 4chan culture and Aspergers
The autistic anime reality vision
The occult and meme magic
Jasun’s interest in the Occult as a way to break free from the socially enforced distortion of reality, but latter found it to be an illusion of freedom
How architecture and geography effects psychology
Jasun’s artwork
Jasun’s latest book Seen and Not Seen: Confessions of a Movie Autist
The film Taxi Driver, Travis Bickle as autistic, and the theme of alienation, and violence as a quest for identity
David Lynch’s film Blue Velvet , identifying with Frank Booth, and confronting ones own darkness
Dating advice
Traveling abroad and personal experiences with foreign cultures
Robert Stark and co-host Pilleater interview writer Thom Young. He is from Texas and sees outlaw country as an influence. You can buy his books at Amazon.
Topics:
-Young’s background in Texas, the culture, and the environment.
-Young’s books: Westworld, Noir, Patsy, Grindhouse, Dead Flowers, Champ
-Outlaw Country, Jim Goad, Louis L’amour, Feral House, Nine Banded-Books
-The influence of Texas within Young’s writing
-Dark themes in Young’s work, alienation
-Hunter S. Thompson, Jack Kerouac, Charles Bukowski, Hubert Selby Jr.
-Young’s work in Poetry Quarterly and other magazines
-Purple Onion
-The cover art on Young’s books
-Thom’s brother Jeb, who designs many of his covers and runs Tumbleweed TexStyles
-The Brutalist Marina City Towers on the cover of Dead Flower, Film Noire, and Mid Century Road Signage
-Young’s Instagram and his she poems
-Wilco’s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot compared to Dead Flowers
-Grindhouse films
-David Lynch Films
-Typewriters, The Astrohaus Freewrite
-Jonathan Bowden, KMFDM, Wyndham Lewis, …single word titles.
-Anthony Burgess, Conspiracy Theorist Jim Marrs
-Traveling, Road Trips, San Juan Mountains, Colorado
-Interest in History, the Old West, Civil War, WWII novel Voices of the Pacific
-How Young had a new sense of creativity after his Stroke when he was 13
-Young’s upcoming project Instapoet
Robert Stark, Pilleater and J.G Michaels interview EN ESCH. En Esch was an original member of the pioneering industrial band, KMFDM. He is also in his own band, Slick Idiot, and toured with Pigface. En Esch’s recently released a new album, Trash Chic.
Topics:
En Esch’s interest in music and beginnings in KMFDM, Slick Idiot
En Esch’s early influences, Goth and Queer culture, Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft
The politics of East and West Germany
“Xcess” in True Love, and “Ooh La La” in Hellraiser 3
The politically imagery used in KMFDM (the art of Aidan Hughes), Laibach, Dunkelwerk, Hanzel und Gretyl
Atari Teenage Riot, left-wing vs. right-wing imagery and sound, May Day
The Columbine Massacre, the controversy behind KMFDM’s song, “Waste,” YouTube comments about KMFDM’s association with school shootings
En Esch’s new album, Trash Chic
KMFDM’s influence over Rammstein
Modern Industrial musics vs. old style Industrial (Die Krupps)
How En Esch makes music, Nightcore vs. Vaporwave
Five letter codes, Covers, the funky infulence in En Esch’s music
En Esch’s advocation for animal rights, his vegetarian lifestyle
The origin behind Slick Idiot
The music market, downloading and streaming
The Raymond Watts / En Esch / Günter Schulz / Mona Mur KMFDM
Peter Murphy, Humor behind En Esch’s music
Introversion/Social Anxiety, and music as an outlet to express one’s self
Backing singers
En Esch’s future activities
Robert Stark and Pilleater talk about the manga and anime, Kaze to Ki no Uta (The Poem of the Wind and the Trees) and themes of sexuality compared to other works of experimental art.
Topics:
Pilleater’s The Poem of The Wind and Trees Documentary
The setting of Kaze to Ki no Uta at a boarding school in Provence, France in the late 19th century
The aesthetic of the film, the Art Nouveau influence, and the Japanese interpretation of the 19th Century European Aesthetic
The art of Mineo Maya, and Patalliro’s “queer” Asian Aryan Aesthetic in contrast with Kaze to Ki nu Uta’s artistocratic one
Sexuality in Anime, the Yaoi and Shōnen-ai genres of manga, it’s controversial themes of crossdressing, homosexuality, and youth, and the large female fan base of the genre
Youth and Sexuality, capturing innocence in art, and adults longing for eternal youth
Japanese vs. Western attitudes toward sexuality and art
Other controversial yaoi’s, Okane Ga Nai (No Money) and Henshin Dekinai
Fascist themes in Manga
Japanese erotic art, Hajime Sorayama‘s robot erotica, Namio Harukawa‘s dominatrix, and controversial photographer Garo Aida
The Debate about what is Art and what is Erotica, degenerate art vs. ethically pleasing innocent art, photographer David Hamilton
Yukio Mishima’s Madame de Sade and Confessions of a Mask The Amazing Panda Adventure, an Asian Aryan Love Story Lasse Nielsen’s films You Are Not Alone, and Could We Maybe, as a European version of the Yaoi genre
Peter Sotos’ Selfish, Little, and photographer Will McBride
Why the 70’s and 80’s were a unique era in producing Avant Garde Art
The Left Wing of the Alt-Right The Männerbund
Art and Aesthetics as a way to create a vision for a utopian society
Aristocratic Individualism, and how being a product of post modernism can allow one the freedom to start over from scratch, and come up with ones own utopian vision
How institutions such schools, corporations, and the media manipulate psychosocial values, and the pressure to conform to “normie” values
Eraserhead Pressand his first book Shark Hunting in Paradise Garden
Pilleater’s bizarro fiction piece, Nana’s Song, and Edward Lee’s Brain Cheese Buffet
Ass Goblins of Auschwitz
New-wave science-fiction: Harlan Ellison, Samuel R. Delany, and William Gibson’s cyberpunk.
Weekly World News and “the cult selection of video stores.” VHS culture: http://stanvhs.tumblr.com/
Peppermint Park and Wonder Showzen.
The aesthetics of Vaporware and bizarro fiction. Sam Pink, Gary J. Shipley, and Portlandia culture.
The Blair Witch Project, Ring, Channel 0, and Creepypastas.
Ren & Stimpy, Rocky’s Modern Life, dark cartoons.
David Lynch and Harmony Korine.
Robert Stark’s upcoming Novel.
Comic books, pictures, and the book industry.
Abortion Arcade
Bizarro fiction in academia.
Die You Doughnut Bastards
Superjail, Pig, Goat, Banana, Cricket and Xavier Renegade Angel.
Postmodernism, Don DeLillo, and House of Leaves. THOMAS LIGOTTI, Nine-Banded Books, Jim Goad.
The Alt-Right, Alt-Left, and political ideologies. Laibach and Zizek.
Ryan Andrew’s The Birth of Prudence. Theme and aesthetics.
Boards of Canada, John R. Dilworth, and nostalgia
Chris Korda and the Church of Euthanasia
Internet memes, meme magic, identity politics, and the Alt-left.
Andy Nowicki, Yukio Mishima, Japanese writers.
Slam Dunk and FLCL
Bizarro films, cartooning, and mental images
