Parallax Views w/ J.G. Michael

On this edition of Parallax Views, Rey and Boris of the antifascist The Empire Never Ended podcast join the show to discuss the strange story of David Myatt and his neo-Nazi Satanist sect The Order of Nine Angles. For many years the O9A remained relatively obscure, only really known to people on the fringes of the occult/esoteric community. But it has gained notoriety more recently, along with the Atomwaffen Division, thanks to growing concerns about neo-fascist terrorism in the U.S. and Europe. According to Rey and Boris, the O9A believe in bringing about a new type of human being, an ubermensch, by becoming ruthless predators engaged in socially deviant acts including human sacrifice, or in the O9A's terminology the "Culling" of "opfers". The story of this strange sect gets much stranger though as the figure of Joshua Caleb Sutter, co-founder of the O9A-affliated Tempel of Blood, is discussed. Turns out Sutter, who has longstanding involvement in the American white supremacist movement and has served prison time, has acted as an FBI informant. Even stranger, perhaps, is the story of controversial former Montenegrin diplomat Mirna Nikčević and a man by the name Nikola Poleksić, who has become involved in the Montenegrin Orthodox Church as a deacon. This particular thread in the O9A saga is noteworthy because of O9A's belief about "insight roles" within their initiatory process. These insight roles require initiates to go undercover with groups whom may go against their own personal beliefs as part of one's personal "spiritual" growth, developing skills in manipulation against the "Magian" order (in other words, the Western liberal society that O9A opposes), and, perhaps most importantly, infiltration. With that in mind, the stories of Nikčević and Poleksić appear to be examples of O9A infiltration of Church and State. In addition to discussing all of this we delve into David Myatt's history including his involvement with Combat 18. In regards to the history of Myatt and the early O9A we also make mention of the London Nail Bombings. We discuss the myth and reality of Myatt and the O9A as well a sect known as the Astral Bone Gnawers Lodge, the deep state, the history of the Montenegrin Orthodox Church, why talking about something as seemingly kooky as the O9A matters, O9A's Satanism as cover for its neo-Nazi fascism, and much, much more!

On this edition of Parallax Views, author, filmmaker, and TV producer Natasha Lance Rogoff joins us to discuss her new book Muppets in Moscow: The Unexpected Crazy True Story of Making Sesame Street in Russia. Natasha was tasked with making the Russian version of Sesame Street, called Ulitsa Sezam, after the fall of the Soviet Union. The show faced many struggles as Russia was dealing with what it would become in the Soviet era. Additionally the country was dealing with incredible economic inequality, assassinations, car bombings, and communists who did not want Russia to transition to a capitalist system. Despite this, Ulitsa Sezam ended up being a hit amongst Russian children and originally ran from 1996 to 2007. That isn't, however, to say that it's road to success was an easy one. As Rogoff details, there were many cultural clashes that occurred during its making that had to be overcome. In this course of our conversation Rogoff and I discuss: - Rogoff's time in the Soviet Union prior to Ulitsa Sezam, her documentary Russia for Sale: The Rough Road to Capitalism, and her reporting on underground LGBTQ+ culture in the Soviet Union - The role of then Senator Joe Biden, Congress, and USAID (United States Agency for International Development) in the creation/making of Ulitsa Sezam; the show as a way to spread Western ideals like individualism, diversity, inclusivity, free-market capitalism, etc. - The issues that arised from wanting to show children in wheelchairs and disabilities on the show; and the way in which this led to a transformative, emotional moment for all involved in Ulitsa Sezam - The issue of music in Ulitsa Sezam; fear of change; proud of Russia's musical heritage; wanting to showcase different and eclectic forms on the show - Cultural exchange between the U.S. and Russia; U.S. pop culture demonization of Russia; overcoming cultural differences - An instance in which Ulitsa Sezam was going to play a really downbeat song that was seen as more in line with traditional Russian culture; how children reacted to a different, more upbeat song in contrast; Russian children singing WWII songs - The Ulitsa Sezam character Zeliboba (pictured below) Zeliboba from Ulitsa Sezam - The biggest obstacles in making the show; violence, culture clashes, and financial issues; overcoming the deaths of Natasha's confidants in Russia while making the show (there were assassination, car bombings, etc.) -  The emotional bond between those who were involved in making the show; the show brought together Russian, Ukrainians, Armenians, and others in collaboration; hundreds of freelancers; the project was unprecendented at the time; why Natasha stuck with the project even during the toughest times - Natasha's close friend Leonid Zagalsky, an investigative journalist in Russia, and his work with Natasha - Returning to Russia during the process of writing the book and the melancholy of that experience - The recent culture wars in the U.S. over Sesame Street and potential parallels with culture clashes Natasha saw in Russia; free speech and diversity of opinion; the unregulated internet - Approaching Russian society through the lens of the Muppets; how doing so offers a different perspective than, for example, a foreign policy lens; fostering empathy and the book's attempt to give deeper emotional understanding of Russian people and culture - One of the lessons from the book: the West cannot expect other societies to mirror their own; a need for a certain openness about other societies - And much, much more!

On this edition of Parallax Views, a previously locked to Patreon subscribers episode of the show. I spoke with Ryan Koch and Tyler Cornack about their absurdist horror-comedy Butt Boy and their series (now a movie) Tiny Cinema. Butt Boy follows an unassuming man who becomes addicted to making things disappear up his butt. When children go missing a detective slowly unravels the horrific secrets of... the Butt Boy. What makes Butt Boy an interesting genre feature is that despite the ridiculous plot, the movie is played straight. It's a serial killer story with a weird sci-fi element that is never explained. How do people get abducted up a guy's butt? Not answered. But played completely straight throughout. Which, at the end of the day, is the joke. The fact that the film is also technically well made makes it all the more bizarre. It's a crime/cop thriller, serial killer horror movie with a comedic twist. SYNOPSIS FROM IMDB: Detective Fox loves work and alcohol. After going to AA, his sponsor, Chip, becomes the main suspect in his investigation of a missing kid. Fox also starts to believe that people are disappearing up Chip's butt. In order to preserve the quality of the audio there's no Producer's credits on this episode. My apologies, but due to the surviving files of this only being available in video and having to convert to audio I would have had to further compromise audio quality if I'd added in the Producer's credits. Producer's credits will be back in the next episode. Some minor audio glitches may be present.

On this holiday edition of Parallax Views, Youtuber, voice actor, and filmmaker Dave McRae joins the show this Christmas season to discuss the holiday (or is it anti-holiday?)  horror classic Black Christmas, his and Bruce Dale's Black Christmas fan film, and his upcoming appearance as Freddy Krueger in the Wes Craven's New Nightmare fan sequel Dylan's New Nightmare starring Miko Hughes (Wes Craven's New Nightmare, Pet Sematary). First though, we begin the conversation by discussing how Dave got involved in voice acting and his career in that field. From there we delve into the 1974 Canadian cult classic Black Christmas. Directed by Bob Clark, years before he directed A Christmas Story and Porky's) Black Christmas boasts stellar cast headed up by Olivia Hussey (Romeo and Juliet), Keir Dullea (2001: A Space Odyssey), John Saxon (A Nightmare on Elm Street), Margot Kidder (Superman), Art Hindle (David Cronenberg's The Brood), Andrea Martin (of the cult Canadian comedy TV series SCTV) and previous Parallax Views guest Lynne Griffin (Strange Brew, Curtains). Set in a sorority house around the holidays, this 70s chiller tells the story of a group of young women menaced by an deranged obscene phone caller, "The Moaner", who begins picking them off one by one. It's the classic urban legend of the "Caller Is in the House" a good number of years before the Carol Kane-starring thriller When a Stranger Calls terrified audiences. It's also a rather strange feature in that it mixes dark comedy and raunchy humor with horror approached through a slow-burn pacing that takes its time building suspense and an eerie atmosphere. In the course of our conversation we discuss this cult classic's creep factor, legacy, the two remakes/reimaginings that have been spawned in it's wake, the film's subversive subplot involving abortion, and more. Then we move on to discussing It's Me, Billy. Set 50 years after the original story, the movie follows Sam (Victoria Mero), the granddaughter of Black Christmas final girl Jess,  and her friends (Shelby Handley, Malaika Hennie-Hamadi) as they come face-to-face with the same horror that her grandmother experienced all those decades ago. Dave and I discuss the making of the short film, the professional nature and slick look of fan films like It's Me, Billy and Vincent DiSanti's Never Hike Alone (and how these types of fan films are changing perceptions of what a fan film can be), how they recreated the iconic creepy eyeball scene from the original film, adding the mythology of Black Christmas, actress Victoria Mero's stunning resemblance to Olivia Hussey, the possible sequel to It's Me, Billy, and more. In the home stretch of this episode, Dave and I discuss Wes Craven's New Nightmare and the fact the Dave is starring in the fan sequel Dylan's New Nightmare as the dream demon Freddy Krueger. All that and more on this edition of Parallax Views.

On this holiday edition of Parallax Views, Robbie Martin of Media Roots Radio and the documentary A Very Heavy Agenda returns to spread the holiday cheer of a Christmas classic... the 1984 Joe Dante/Steven Spielberg collaboration Gremlins! Yes, Gremlins is a Christmas movie, especially if Die Hard is considered a Christmas movie! It's a festive conversation about the little green monsters that terrorized our nightmares as kids and the furry little guy we all wanted as a pet that Furby ripped off! Robbie admits he used to confuse E.T.: The Extraterrestrial and Gremlins. J.G. tries to avoid getting the horny police called on him while talking about his early childhood crush Phoebe Cates. Robbie explains the use of cats in Jerry Goldsmith's score and pitches his prequel idea that'd call back to Phoebe Cates' eerie, spooky, chilling monologue about why she hates Christmas. We chat about Corey Feldman showing up dressed as a Christmas tree, the greatest movie scene to ever utilize Do You Hear What I Hear?, Gremlins' blending of horror and comedy, the holiday spirit in Gremlins, "That Guy" character actor Dick Miller as Murray Futterman, and the eternal question of whether Gremlins is racist, is Gremlins a critique of capitalism and/or consumerism, and more Then we switch gears to the completely absolutely off-the-wall, insanely zany sequel, Gremlins 2: The New Batch. Robbie and I talk about the meta/parody nature of the movie, the revenge of Dick Miller's Murray Futterman, Star Trek's Robert Picardo, John Glover as an eccentric billionaire modeled after Ted Turner and Donald Trump (who manages to be so insanely energetic and naive that the originally meant-to-be-villainous role become something else entirely), Joe Dante and his love of cartoons and animation (including the Bugs Bunny/Daffy Duck short), Zach Galligan's character Billy Peltzer getting a sexually harassed by boss vis-a-vis an under-the-table foot job attempt, the two different "breaking the fourth wall" interruptions for the theatrical and VHS releases of the movie, Hammer Studios horror legend Christopher Lee as a mad scientist, a blink-and-you'll miss it cameo from John Addams of Gomez Addams fame, the cameos from pro wrestler Hulk Hogan and movie critic Leonard Maltin, how the satire of TV was so ahead of its time that some jokes don't even hit the same anymore, the movie's lampooning of technology, Gizmo the Mogwai getting the Baby Yoda treatment, Rambo and Gremlins 2, and more! We then end discussing the films of Joe Dante, the director behind both movies. We talk Burying the Ex, Innerspace, Matinee with John Goodman, Dante's two Masters of Horror episodes, the little seen TV movie The Second Civil War with Phil Hartman as the President of the United States, Looney Tunes: Back in Action, and, of course, Small Soldiers.

On this edition of Parallax Views, Hassan El-Tayyab, Legislative Director for Middle East Policy at the Friends Committee on National Legislation, joins the show in the first segment to discuss the delay of the vote on the Yemen War Powers Resolution. For some years now Hassan has been at the front of the struggle to get Congress to act in ending the U.S. role in Yemen war vis-a-vis it's arms support for Saudi Arabia. In this conversation El-Tayyab discusses gives his thoughts on Sen. Bernie Sanders withdrawing from the resolution, the Biden administration's moves with regards to Saudi Arabia and the war in Yemen, common misunderstandings about the resolution (ie: the resolution would not necessarily end the war in Yemen but rather reduce U.S.), and more. In the second segment of the program, the Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization's Deborah Dash Moore joins us to discuss the history and traditions of the Jewish holiday Hanukkah and to comment on the recent spike in antisemitism in the U.S. Among the topics discussed in this conversation are the origins of Hanukkah and the traditions associated with it Maccabees, children's books about Hanukkah, the experience of Hanukkah in the German ghettos in WWII era, and more. Additionally, Deborah and I discuss Jewish contributions to culture, with a focus on Jewish humor and it's impact on comedy. We also delve into the issue of antisemitism, what drives it, scapegoating, and related topics.

On this edition of Parallax Views, we return to discussion of the rise of the far-right in Israel and the simultaneous spike in antisemitism happening in the U.S. In the first segment, journalist Abe Silberstein offers a progressive Jewish-American perspective on Israeli politics, Palestine, Netanyahu, the Religious Zionism Coalition, Yehudit Otzma and Itamar Ben-Gvir, J Street, non- and anti-Zionism, Peter Beinart and cultural Zionism, the Zionist Organization of America's (ZOA) Morton Klein and the Jewish-American fringe right-wing, gadfly Israeli journalist Gideon Levy and the Israeli left, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), racist and supremacist ideologies on the Israeli right, the ideology of Rabbi Meier Kahane and post-Kahane fa-right ideology in Israel, U.S. support for Israel, human rights, and much, much more. In the second segment of the show, Dr. Stephen Zunes returns to discuss the recent spikes in antisemitism and how to combat it while also combating the rise of the Israeli far-right and human rights abuses in Israel/Palestine. Zunes, who has also written about the human rights issues related to the Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara, argues we need to take a human rights-centric approach to Israel/Palestine and that we should be wary of antisemitic tropes that blame all U.S. foreign policy on the state of Israel.

On this jam-packed, monster-sized edition of Parallax Views, acclaimed film historian Joseph McBride returns to the program to discuss the life and times of Hollywood filmmaking legend Steven Spielberg, his films, and his latest feature, the autobiographical coming-of-age drama The Fabelmans. McBride many books on cinema include Frank Capra: The Catastrophe of Success, Orson Welles: Actor and Director, Searching for John Ford, Billy Wilder: Dancing on the Edge, and The Whole Durn Human Comedy: Life According to the Coen Brothers, and, of special note to this conversation, the unauthorized Steve Spielberg: A Biography. Among the topics covered in this lengthy conversation: - Spielberg's early career, working in television with The Twilight Zone/Night Gallery creator/host Rod Serling, his made-for-TV thriller Duel and horror Something Evil - The success of E.T.: The Extraterrestrial and the point where Spielberg became a household name - The importance of Jaws to Spielberg's career - The resonance of Close Encounters of the Third Kind with move-going audiences; applying Carl Jung's book on flying saucers to Close Encounters of the Third Kind; the positive portrayal of aliens in Spielberg's films; Spielberg and immigrant liberalism; the role of the broken family in Close Encounters of the Third Kind and how in some ways the movie may be about his divorced mother and father - Spielberg wasn't a darling of film critics when McBride wrote his biography of Spielberg; the phenomenon of Spielberg haters; the lackluster box-office of West Side Story and The Fabelmans at the box office and mixed-reviews from critics - Steven Spielberg and Alfred Hitchcock; the idea that Spielberg is a master technical filmmaker but has little to say; Hitchock's 1976 film Family Plot starring Bruce Dern and Spielberg's attempt to meet Hitchcock - The approach Joseph took to the research and writing of Steven Spielberg: A Biography; interviewing "ordinary people" rather than just celebrities; Robert Caro's Lyndon Johnson biography; Joseph interviewed over 300 people for the book; interviewing people from all over the country because Spielberg lived in so many different cities and states, especially when he was growing up - Joseph's interview with Arnold Spielberg, Steven's father, and the said moment for him during that interview; the underrated role of Arnold Spielberg in Steven's life and amateur films; Steven's relationship with his father and the way it is portrayed in The Fabelmans; the schism between Steven and his father Arnold - The traumatic impact of Steven's parents' divorce on him in his adolescent years; family rupture, broken families, and the role of irresponsible father and mother figures in Steven's films - Picking apart the mythologized portrayal of how Steven got into Hollywood and the true facts of how he got into Hollywood - The ambitious 1964 science fiction film Firelight, which Spielberg made at the age 17 - Spielberg's dyslexia, his poor performance as a student in school - The story of a young Spielberg's experience seeing The Greatest Show on Earth and his recreating of that film's train crash - The common criticism that Spielberg's movies are too sentimental or schmaltzy; the darker elements of Spielberg's movies - Spielberg's first 35 mm short film Amblin and the role it played in  kickstarting Spielberg's career - MCA/Universal Studios head honcho Sidney Sheinberg and Steven Spielberg - Spielberg as an actor's director - Spielberg's mother Leah Adler - The obstacles Joseph faced writing an unauthorized biography of Steven Spielberg - The factual accuracy of The Fabelmans, The Fabelmans as a semi-autobiographical film, and Francois Truffaut's 400 Blows (Spielberg was a Truffaut fan and even cast him in Close Encounters of the Third Kind) - The Fabelmans' tornado scene and Steven Spielberg childhood tornado experience - A teenaged Steven Spielberg's film Senior Sneak Day, Steven's penchant for casting both his friends childhood bullies in his early films, his 1962 WWII film Escape to Nowhere - A young Spielberg's experiences with antisemitism and antisemitic bullying - How a young Spielberg had trouble with his Jewish identity; wanting to assimilate with gentile in his youth; a telling moment where a young Steven was embarrassed by his ultra-Orthodox grandfather - Spielberg's use of Christian iconography in his films including in Amistad and E.T. - Alienation, Other-ness, Otherization, and persecution in Spielberg's films; Spielberg's interest in communication with "The Other" as a theme - Alice Walker, Black Americans in Steven Spielberg's films, The Color Purple, and Spielberg as a "Minority Director"; the attacks on Spielberg over The Color Purple; - The Sugarland Express, Goldie Hawn, class, and the role of outsiders in Spielberg's films - The dark side of suburbia and smalltown America in Spielberg's films - E.T. and the truth of modern life; E.T. as resonating because it was unlike some of the Disney-style family entertainment of the time - The accusation that Spielberg manipulates his audiences; film editing as inherently manipulative - Spielberg, Stanley Kubrick, and Orson Welles - Schindler's List, Spielberg's USC Shoah Foundation, and Spielberg's meeting with black youths who had a much lambasted inappropriate reaction to the movie; Spielberg's initial apprehension about directing Schindler's List; Stanley Kubrick's Aryan Papers, Roman Polanski's experience in the Kraków ghetto, and the difficulty of making films about the Holocaust - Liberal politics and the films of Steven Spielberg - Joseph's analysis of The Post, which attempted to chronicle the Washington Post and the Pentagon Papers story, and the problems McBride has with it - Spielberg, 9/11, the Iraq War, the Patriot Act, and the Bush years; War of the Worlds and Minority Report - David Lynch's cameo in The Fabelmans as John Ford; Joseph's interview/experience with John Ford - The changing landscape of cinema, the dominance of superhero movies, and the history of the trend towards juvenile movies being cranked out by Hollywood rather than serious "adult" movies; are Spielberg and George Lucas responsible because of movies like Jaws and Star Wars?; cultural obsessions with superheroes and juvenilia and the effect of that on politics; The cultural shift from wanting realism in film to 'magic' and escapism - The success of Jaws, national TV advertising, and myths concerning Jaws' theatrical release - Billy Wilder's attempt to sophisticate and "European-ize" American cinema; the Coen Bros. as the "Sons of Billy Wilder"; Billy Wilder's Sunset Boulevard and the blending of tragedy and comedy; Hollywood was upset that Sunset Boulevard criticized the film industry; was Billy Wilder a cynical nihilist?; the Coen Bros. and European funding; the Coen Bros mixing of comedy and violence - Spielberg had trouble getting funding for Lincoln; John Ford's lesson about film funding - And much, much more!

On this edition of Parallax Views, journalist Jefferson Morley, author of The Ghost: The Secret Life of Spymaster James Jesus Angleton, Scorpion's Dance: The President, the Spymaster, and Watergate, and Morley v. CIA: My Unfinished JFK Investigation, joins us for an urgent update on his work related to the JFK assassination and the ongoing fight to have the last of the JFK records released to the public. Morley and the Mary Ferrell Foundation, a resource on the Kennedy assassination, have filed a lawsuit against President Joe Biden and the National Archives over the withholding of 11,000 or so documents related to the assassination that have yet to be released despite the promise years ago that they would be declassified. Recorded on 12/14,/22, Morley and I discuss how Biden will have to make a decision on 12/15/22 as to whether the CIA will have to give up the last of the JFK documents. In edition to all of this, Jefferson will also explain why the CIA's argument that these documents can't be released for national security reasons and because not all of the people in the files are dead is, from his perspective, a bogus argument. Morley also goes over what he consider the "smoking gun" with regards to the assassination: the CIA's knowledge of Lee Harvey Oswald before 11/23/63 and the CIA's use of Oswald for intelligence purposes (in other words: as an intelligence asset). Jefferson is quick to point out that he is not interested in theorizing or speculating about the assassinations. Instead his interest is in what the documents say rather than any conspiracy theories. We also delve into the recent National Press Club conference by the Mary Ferrell Foundation featuring Jefferson and Judge John R. Tunheim of the Assassination Record Review Board, the across the board/political spectrum support for releasing the documents on grounds related to the need for government transparency, and the mainstream media's coverage of Jefferson Morley and the Mary Ferrell Foundation's recent work. In the second segment of the show, Patrick G. Eddington, senior fellow at the Cato Institute and former CIA analyst joins us to discuss his recent Antiwar.com article "Is the FBI’s ‘Black Identity Extremist’ Label Still in Use?". In 2016 a report was leaked to the press in which the FBI was revealed to be using the term "Black Identity Extremist" as a domestic security threat. Due to the vagueness of the term as well as the rise of Black Lives Matter and the fact that the majority of domestic terrorism has come from white nationalist terrorists the BIE report was heavily criticized. In the intervening years FBI Director Chris Wray told the Senate Judiciary Commitee that use of the term has been abandoned by the FBI. However, recent documents obtained by the Cato Institute through a FOIA request, raise questions as to whether that truly is the case. In addition to this specific story, Patrick and I also delve into the history of the FBI's COINTELPRO operation targeting black activists in the era of Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights movement, FBI overreach and lack of accountability, the long history of FBI targeting of left-wing activists, the 21st century targeting of Chinese-American, and much, much more!

On this edition of Parallax Views, Jordan Cohen,  policy analyst in defense and foreign policy at the Cato Institute, joins the show to discuss the 2022 Cato Handbook for Policymakers: Arms Sales report. Jordan makes the case the U.S. arms sales today lack oversight leading problems like arms dispersion that leads to weapons ending up in the hands of unsavory entities such as drug cartels and terrorist organizations. Moreover, said arms sales often contribute to aiding authoritarian governments and states that commit human rights abuses. Among the topics discussed in this conversation: - Top U.S. arms consumers are often "risky" clients; defining risk countries buying U.S. arms - U.S. weapons sales from anti-aircraft missiles and fighter jets to small arms and light weapons (SALW) - The Executive Branch's unrivaled power in regards to arms sales and why Congress can't regulate arms sales effectively - Saudi Arabia and the war in Yemen - Weapons dispersion in Central America's Northern Triangle - The potential connection between weapons dispersion, refugee crises, and immigration - How U.S. arms sales undermine many of the stated foreign policy aims/objectives of President Joe Biden's administration - The Ukraine/Russia war and arms sales - Thoughts on foreign policy under the Biden administration thus far - The need to "flip the script" on how we talk about U.S. arms sales - And much, much, much more! In the second segment of the show, Mitch Robson of the conservative student paper The Chicago Thinker joins us to discuss confronting Liz Cheney on the her father Dick Cheney and the Iraq War. On November 11, 2022 Liz Cheney, who has gained newfound popularity due to her opposition to Trumpism and the January 6th insurrection, appeared at a University of Chicago Institute of Politics (IOP) event. Mitch, in response to a recent ad where Liz and Dick Cheney together opined that "a real man wouldn’t lie to his supporters" in reference to Trump, grilled Ms. Cheney about what many have argued are the lies that embroiled the United States in the George W. Bush administration initiated Iraq War. Robson's exchange with Cheney has gone viral and he joined to discuss the issues he had with Liz Cheney's response detailing the issues with claims like, for example, Saddam Hussein's government having had operational ties with al Qaeda.