Monthly Archives: April 2017

Robert Stark interviews Frank H. Buckley

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark, co-host Pilleater, and Jeff Crow talk to Frank H. Buckley. He is a Foundation Professor at George Mason University School of Law and former speech writer for Donald Trump Jr. The show is simulcasted on Central Valley Spotlight hosted by Jeff Crow on AM1680 KGED in Fresno, CA.

Topics:

Frank’s book The Way Back: Restoring the Promise of America
How the book was written in response to Mitt Romney’s and the GOP’s failure to win over working class voters in 2012
Trump’s success in winning over those voters in the election and pressure from the GOP donor class to abandon economic populism
Growing Inequality, the importance of economic mobility, and how the US lags behind the rest of the developed world
Why Trump should embrace single-payer health care
How most prosperous countries have some degree of single payer and Frank’s observations about his home country Canada’s healthcare system
Jeff Crow’s simulcast starts at 19:30
Frank’s work as a speech writer for Donald Trump and his kids
The role of immigration in income inequality and Frank’s support for a Canadian style merit based system
The decline in K-12 education and importance of school choice
The college scam: how Boomers betrayed Millennials


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




Robert Stark interviews J. David Spurlock about Margaret Brundage

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 SoundCloudYouTube, 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!




Robert Stark interviews Leisure Suit Larry Creator Al Lowe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

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




Thomas Rinaldi returns to talk about Neon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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. RetrowaveClub 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 Josh Alan Friedman

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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


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




Robert Stark interviews Jay Dyer about Esoteric Hollywood

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 242Nine 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 architectureTrellick 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!




666D Interuniversal Teichmuller Chess with Anatoly Karlin

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark, co-host Pilleater, and Rabbit talk to Anatoly Karlin. He blogs at The Unz Review and has a new Russian language podcast rogpr(Russian Occupation Government Public Relations) hosted by Kirill Nesterov (@strana_mechty), and with @paypigdog.

Topics:

Anatoly’s article This Fishy Smell of Sarin, or Was It Chlorine?
How there was no evidence nor motive that Assad was behind the attack
Trump’s motives for attacking Syria
Reactions to #SyriaStrikes
The situation in North Korea
The Alt Right as the antiwar resistance and how Antifa attacked Richard Spencer’s Anti-War protest
Cucked by the Donald
Anatoly’s point that the dissident right has a tendency towards binary thinking
The recent terrorist attacks in Saint-Petersburg and Sweden
Moderate Kazakh Rebels and the rise of radical Islam in Central Asia
The Triumph of “Patriotic Corruption”
Russia’s Protest Season
Russian presidential candidate Alexei Navalny and An Analysis of Navalny’s Program


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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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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!