Parallax Views w/ J.G. Michael

On this spooky season edition of Parallax Views, documentarian Joe O'Connell joins us to discuss his latest feature, RONDO AND BOB, about the parallel lives of Robert A. Burns, the behind-the-scenes art force behind such cult classic horror movies as Tober Hooper's THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, Stuart Gordon's RE-ANIMATOR, Joe Dante's THE HOWLING, and Wes Craven's THE HILLS HAVE EYES, and Rondo Hatton, an acromelgaly-afflicted journalist of the early 20th century who made his way to Hollywood to become Tinsel Town's 1940s equivalent to monster movie icon Boris Karloff. Before getting into RONDO AND BOB, however, Joe and I discuss his previous documentary DANGER MAN. Said film focused on the life and times of stuntman Gary Kent, who was involved with a plethora of B-movie and independent films in the 1960s and 1970s. Kent also is one of the stuntmen upon which Brad Pitt's character in Quentin Tarantino's ONCE UPON TIME IN HOLLYWOOD was based. Specifically, the fact that Gary Kent had an encounter with Charles Manson while filming a movie on Spahn Ranch (where the Manson Family were living before the Tate/LaBianca murders) became a plot point in the aforementioned Tarantino feature. We then delve into the stories of Bob Burns and Rondo Hatton, including the similarities and differences in their lives. Burns was someone who appeared normal on the outside but was an eccentric in life and also felt unlovable. Rondo, most known for his appearances as "The Creeper" in films like the Sherlock Holmes caper PEARL OF DEATH, HOUSE OF HORRORS, and THE BRUTE MAN, appeared odd on the outside but was a normal, affable, and much loved man in his every day life. What can we learn from the lives of these two creative individuals who lived life on their on terms? That's the question in this fascinating edition of Parallax Views. Among the topics discussed: - The career of Gary Kent, who went to Hollywood with no experience but grew to become a long-running stuntman in Hollywood who often worked on the independent/grindhouse/drive-in movie circuit productions of Sam Sherman, Al Adamson, Don Jones, and Ray Dennis Steckler; his credits include movies like Schoolgirls in Chains, Bubba Ho-Tep, Psych-Out, Hell's Bloody Devils, Satan's Sadists, the Bruce Willis vehicle Color of Night, and Monte Hellman's Ride in the Whirlwind; how the documentary Danger God came together; the challenges of stunt work; Gary Kent's role in Rondo and Bob - The strange and fantastic lives of Bob Burns and Rondo Hatton; Rondo's early life, involvement with WWI, and his career in Hollywood; Bob's eccentric personality and loneliness; the continued fandom around Bob's work; Bob's acting as serial killing drifter Henry Lee Lucas in Confessions of a Serial Killer; Bob's movies Mongrel (with Hollywood star Aldo Ray) and his unreleased comedy Scream Test; Bob's home-made pinball machined based on the adult movie comedy Deep Throat with Linda Lovelace; the ways in which Rondo and Bob's lives mirror each other and the tragedies in their lives; Bob Burns, Tobe Hooper, and the University of Texas tower shooting - The influence of the George Lazenby/James Bond 007 documentary Becoming Bond on Rondo and Bob; the half-documentary/half-documentary approach of Rondo and Bob And much, much more!

On this spooky season edition of Parallax Views, we've got not one but two conversations to get you ready for Halloween! First, up Jason Brooks joins us to discuss the new Friday the fan film he's directed, wrote, and starred in called Friday the 13th Vengeance Part 2: Bloodlines.  the first Friday the 13th Vengeance was a huge hit with fans of the Jason Voorhees saga and with it's professional-look, use of alumni from the Friday the 13th franchise, and feature-length running time was often spoken about as being "more than a fan film" when it came out. The sequel ups the ante further by featuring Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers's Tamara Glynn and Friday the 13th Part 6: Jason Lives's Darcy Demoss and fan favorite Thom Matthews reprising their roles as Nikki and the Jason's heroic arch-nemesis Tommy Jarvis. Also returning are Friday the 13th Part 6's C.J. Graham (who played Jason in Part 6), as Jason's father Elias Voorhees, and Tom McLoughlin, the writer and director of Part 6, as the new character Gravekeeper Walt. Both Vengeance Pt. 2 and its predecessor features a massive amount of gory carnage candy for fans of the series as well as some surprises along the way, including an appearance from The Ramones' Richie Ramone as a punk rocker! In this short but sweet conversation Jason and I discuss: - The origins of Friday the 13th Vengeance and how it started as an entirely different film called Friday the 13th: Mythos; the love and passion that went into Vengeance and how it became known as "More Than Just a Fan Film" thanks to the effort of Friday the 13th Part II's Steve Dash (who appears as the town Sheriff in the fan film; his last film role); the stars of Vengeance including the aforementioned Steve Dash, Friday the 13th Part 6's C.J. Graham, Diana Prince (aka Darcy the Mail Girl of Joe Bob Briggs' Last Drive-In fame on Shudder), and former Penthouse Pet Veronica Ricci among others - The inclusion of Jason Voorhees' father Elias Voorhees in Friday the 13th Vengeance Part 2: Bloodlines and his origins in the Tom McLoughlin's original screenplay for Friday the 13th Part 6 (Elias also appeared in a number of the comic book spin-offs of Friday the 13th) - Talking about the special and make-up effects, kills, gore for the films and involvement of Hollywood/filmmaking professionals from special FX artist Joe Castro to Friday the 13th's original composer Harry Manfredini - What Jason and Co. learned from the experience of making the first Vengeance and how that informed Vengeance Pt. 2 - The shooting schedule and principle photography for Vengeance Pt. 2 and information about its budget - Video technology and the barrier to entry to making a professional-looking fan film - Why Jason and Co. wanted to make a sequel to Friday the 13th Part 6: Jason Lives particularly - And much, much more! In the second half of the program, an old TV horror anthology has resurfaced after years of languishing in the tape trading underground of horror fanatics. Once only available in the form of poor quality bootlegs, Freddy's Nightmares is the forgotten Nightmare on Elm Street TV series that has recently experienced new life (and better quality) on the free (with ads) streaming service known as Tubi. Done in the style of Rod Serling's Twilight Zone, the show featured Freddy Krueger (played by Robert Englund of the film series) hosting bizarre and gruesome stories about his stomping grounds of Spirngwood, Ohio. Some of the episodes feature Freddy within the story while most only feature him in host segment. One particularly notorious episode, the pilot "No More Mr. Nice Guy", was directed by The Texas Chainsaw Massacre's Tobe Hooper and acted as an origin story for Freddy Krueger and prequel to Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street. With the series getting more attention thanks to it's being hosted on Tubi now, indie filmmaker Henrique Couto and David Denoyer have started a podcast in which they discuss each episode entitled Welcome to Primetime: A Freddy's Nightmares Retrospective. Henrique and David joins us to discuss not only Freddy's Nightmares but also the Freddy-mania of the 1980s, J.G.'s first experience with Freddy Krueger as a child vis-a-vis an unrewound Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge (notorious for its homosexual subtext), the before-they-were-stars appearances of actors and actresses like Brad Pitt and Tank Girl's Lori Petty in Freddy's Nightmares, the origin of Freddy's Nightmares, the subversive themes of the NOES franchise, Re-Animator's Jeffrey Combs appearance in Freddy's Nightmares, the idea of elevated horror, thoughts on David Gordon Green's divisive Halloween Ends, how technology (cameras, lighting equipment, etc.) has allowed for a lower barrier to entry for aspiring filmmakers, Henrique's new anthology series Found Footage, the importance of learning craft in filmmaking, the weird dream sequences in Freddy's Nightmares, whether we'll ever see a new Nightmare on Elm Street movie, the FREDDY's TRICKS & TREATS episode of FREDDY's NIGHTMARES featuring a sleazy striptease from Law & Order: Special Victims Unit's Mariska Hargitay, and much, much more!

On this edition of Parallax Views, we're joined by legendary 80s and 90s "Scream Queen" Brinke Stevens for the first in our spooky season-themed shows for Halloween! Known for her roles in such cult classics as Slumber Party Massacre, Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama, Grandmother's House, Slave Girls from Beyond Infinity, Nightmare Sisters, Haunting Fear, Bad Girls from Mars, and Teenage Exorcist among countless others, Brinke is making going from acting to directing in the latest Full Moon Features movie Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama 2. A long-awaited sequel to a true 80s, low-budget, cult horror-comedy classic, Brinke and I discuss that upcoming feature, due for release on streaming in November, as well as her career more generally. Among the topics we cover: - Brinke's journey from marine biology research to modeling and eventually working as an extra in movies like All the Marbles before becoming a full-fledged "Scream Queen" actress - Horror-comedies and the history of the "Scream Queen" era during the days of the VHS boom; Brinke, Linnea Quigley, and Michelle Bauer as the era's "Scream Queen" trio - Working with director's like Brian De Palma (in Body Double), Rob Reiner (in This is Spinal Tap), Fred Olen Ray, Jim Wynorski, and David DeCoteau - Stories behind films like Niko Mastorakis' underrated thriller Grandmother's House, in which Brinke had to rely solely on physical acting because her character had no dialogue, and Witchhouse 3, which Brinke describes as one of her more difficult experiences with make-up effects - The story behind Teenage Exorcist, a 90s horror comedy that Brinke Stevens both wrote and starred in alongside Fred Olen Ray regular Jay Richardson and nerdy character actor Eddie Deezen (Grease; the voice Mandark in Dexter's Lab and Know It All in Polar Express); the story of the unmade killer clown movie Tears of the Clown that Brinke wrote and would've starred Eddie Deezen - Shooting films on tight budgets and extremely short schedules - The enduring appeal of the original David DeCoteau's Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama, which was a successful VHS rental before becoming a staple on the USA Network's Up All Night with Rhonda Shear - Working on nude scenes, sex appeal in the 80s cult classics Brinke appeared in, and Full Moon Features spotlighting female directors in the 21st century - Brinke's upcoming directorial effort in Joe Castro's Terror Toons 4 and how Brinke met Joe, who is an underrated special effects artist - What fans can expect from Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama 2, which'll focus on another evil killer imp just like the original movie; Fast Times at Ridgemont High actress Kelli Maroney's key role in the movie as the sister of Linnea Quigley's punk character Spider from the first one; her experience directing the movie and how her acting has played a role in her directing style - How Brinke met Ronald Reagan - The longevity of Brinke's career (she has over 200 credit!)

On this edition of Parallax Views, attorney and author Patrick Schmidt joins us to discuss his fascinting new book Harvard's Quixotic Pursuit of a New Science: The Rise and Fall of the Department of Social Relations. Patrick details the ambitious academic project that attempted to bring together different disciplines like psychology, anthropology, and sociology under one umbrella and why it ultimately failed. It's a story that involves the sociologist Talcott Parsons (known for his contributions to the functionalist perspective of sociology), 1960s counterculture psychedelic gurus Timothy Leary and Ram Dass, the radical leftist Students for a Democratic Society, and even questionable experiment done to Theodore Kaczsynski years before he became infamous as the Unabomber. This conversation will lead us into multiple different directions including: - The formation of the Department of Social Relations and how it was an ambitious project that flew in the face of Harvard's conservative approach to academia - Talcott Parsons role as the ringleader of the department and what it sought to achieve in the post-WWII world - Sigmund Freud and the influence of psychoanalysis - Dr. Henry A. Murray and the story of the experiments done on Ted Kacyzinski while the future Unabomber was attending Harvard (including a little bit of discussion about the CIA and MK-ULTRA) - Timothy Leary involvement with Harvard, Leary's evolution into the bad boy of academia and a counterculture guru, the rise of LSD and the pharmaceutical company Sandoz, Timothy Leary vs. Aldous Huxley, and the ways in which Leary, Ram Dass, and other may have set research into psychedelics back a number of years through their activities - The Students for a Democratic Society's involvement in the department ultimately leading to the department's downfall - And much, much more!

On this edition of Parallax Views, Andrew Koppelman, award-winning John Paul Stevens Professor of Law at Northwestern University, joins us to discuss his new book Burning Down the House: How Libertarian Philosophy Was Corrupted by Delusion and Greed. We discuss libertarianism from a number of different angles and the ways in which Andrew argues it does not fulfill its promises related to freedom and the functioning of society. Among the topics covered: - The origins of libertarianism, the philosophy of Fredrich Hayek, centrally-planned economies, and The Road to Serfdom - Atlas Shrugged author Ayn Rand, Robert Nozick, and the influence of Murray Rothbard and "anarcho-capitalism" on the libertarian movement - An explanation of what Liberalism means within the context of political science/philosophy - The Koch Brothers and climate change - Rich and corporate moochers - Libertarianism in relation to debates about gay marriage and healthcare - Andrew's thoughts on Jacobin and the socialist Left; his disagreements with them - Illiberal liberalism and libertarianism - COVID and libertarianism; the argument that erupted between libertarians Lew Rockwell and Walter Block over COVID - Privatization of fire departments and the story of Gene Carrick's house burning down (where the book gets its title) - Is there possible points of agreement between centrist liberals, libertarians, and socialists? - Libertarianism and drug law/The War on Drugs - And much, much more!

On this edition of Parallax Views, a previously unpublished conversation with John D. Wilsey, associate professor of church history at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, about his book God's Cold Warrior: The Life and Faith of John Foster Dulles. In past episodes, John Foster Dulles and his brother Allen Dulles have been discussed critically for their role in 20th century U.S. foreign policy. John Foster Dulles served as a Secretary of State and his brother Allen Dulles was a Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Both were major figures in the Cold War and were crusaders against communism. Previous Parallax Views guests such as Andrew Bacevich, Greg Poulgrain, and, most notably, Stephen Kinzer, who wrote The Brothers: John Foster Dulles, Allen Dulles, and Their Secret World War: John Foster Dulles, Allen Dulles, and Their Secret World War, have all been extremely critical of the Dulles legacy. John D. Wilsey, although sharing many of those criticisms, was interested in examining John Foster Dulles from a different angle. Namely the role of Dulles' faith in his endeavors as a diplomat and Cold Warrior. Specifically, what was the influence of Protestant Christianity on John Foster Dulles? In this conversation we delve into the theological framework that informed the ways Dulles thoughts about diplomacy and his view that Soviet communism was an existential threat to the U.S. We delve into the ways in which diplomat George Kennan found Dulles' framework and the religious influence on it to be dangerous and Manichean in nature. We also look at the way in which Dulles believed that the Church would play an important role in the fight against Soviet communism. Other issues covered include moral law and Christianity, the early life of John Foster Dulles, Christian nationalism (a subject that Wilsey has written extensively on), the view of the Cold War as a Manichean battle between good and evil, the paradoxes and contradictions of Dulles' thought and diplomacy, Protestant liberalism, the Federal Council of Churches, WWII, the Cold War and the threat of nuclear annihilation, Dulles as product of his time, U.S. covert wars during the Cold War, comparing and contrasting Martin Luther King and John Foster Dulles (Wilsey devotes a whole chapter to this in his book American Exceptionalism and Civil Religion: Reassessing the History of an Idea), and much, much more. Those looking for a conversation about whether Dulles was right or wrong in his views may be disappointed by this conversation. Wilsey's book is ultimately a religious biography of Dulles rather than a critical look at his role in foreign policy. However, I believe it nonetheless sheds light on Dulles and his thinking regardless where one stands on his whether his influence on U.S. foreign policy was positive or negative.

On this edition of Parallax Views, historian, veteran, and Quincy Institute President Andrew J. Bacevich returns to Parallax Views to discuss the new volume he co-edited with Afghanistan war vetern Danny Sjursen entitled Paths of Dissent: Soldiers Speak Out Against America's Misguided Wars. What does it mean to be a veteran of war, especially those "forever wars" in the wake of 9/11 such as Iraq and Afghanistan? And what is it that we, the citizenry, sometimes fail to understand about veterans and the experiences in the ways we celebrate their service on holidays like veterans day? Moreover, what of those soldiers who have spoken against war due to their own personal experiences? Have we neglected to hear their stories? What can we learn from those stories and what they say about empire, militarism, and U.S. foreign interventions in the 21st century? According to Prof. Bacevich they may well show that General William Tecumseh Sherman's famous adage that "War is Hell" is both true and insufficient, because, as Bacevich puts it, war may well serve as a form of education. And for many soldiers that education is a painful one in which their basic assumptions about the U.S. and the world is challenged in a transformative way. We, Bacevich contends, owe it to those soldiers to hear their stories and take into consideration what their education has taught them. Among the topics covered: - Prof. Bacevich's journey from a career military man to being one of the foremost skeptics of U.S. foreign policy since the end of the Cold War - Moral injury and the cost of war - The All-Volunteer Force (AVF) and criticisms of it - The Global War on Terror and the story of United States Army officer Ian Fishback, who expressed concern with torture and abuse of prisoners - Professor Bacevich's feelings on Veteran's Day and the ways in which we sometimes celebrate veterans in a way that is arguably hollow or not understanding fully of their often difficult experiences - Elites and the foreign policy "Blob" - And much, much more! NOTE: Usual outro song got mistakenly left out of this episode. Editing error!

On this edition of Parallax Views, Iraq War veteran, ex-friar monk, and psychoanalyst Mike Kim of Coming Home Well and the Veteran Et Cetera podcast joins us to discuss veteran readjustment culture along with his thoughts on the civilian-military divide and other matters.This conversation was recorded on 6/22/22. Much of the conversation centers around Mike's work on war trauma therapy counseling and therapy with a focus on veteran readjustment culture. When a warrior comes home how does he readjust to life outside the warzone? That's question that Mike's work seeks to answer. In this regard we delve into issues related to war, trauma, and colonialism as well as Mike's own personal journey. Additionally, we discuss matters like the the Cold War and Vietnam, volunteers in the Ukraine/Russia war, the movie First Blood and John Rambo, militarism, why Mike believes the civilian-military divide is fake, the myths and tropes of the soldier and warrior, "American Sniper" Chris Kyle and the use of veterans as a political bludgeon, the shaming of the civilian populace by certain military writers, the "Support the Troops" slogan, military spending vs. spending on veterans, war and economic misery, the presentation of war and readjustment in the national narrative and popular culture, "militainment" and the culture of militarism, veteran wellness, and much, much more!

On this edition of Parallax Views, Jilian "Lionheart" DeCoursey has been ranked as one of the top ten female atomweight division Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) athletes in the world. On May 11th, 2022 she scored an impressive knock-out (KO) punch victory against Lindsay VanZandt in just over a minute. Now with a 5-3 win/loss professional record (and an 8-1 win/loss amateur record) she's heading into an Invicta FC Atomweight championship bout against reigning champion Jéssica Delboni on September 28th, 2022 at Invicta FC 49. But Jillian isn't just a world-class MMA athlete. By day she's a mental health counselor who runs her own practice. She'll be joining us on this edition of the program to discuss MMA, mental health, how the two are connected, and her big match against Jéssica Delboni. Additionally Jillian and I will tackle such topics: - The rising prominence of female MMA thanks to the popularity of Ronda Rousey's UFC run and  the growth of the female talent roster in the world of MMA - Sexism in the world of MMA and whether or not Jillian has experienced any brushes with it - How she got into MMA after life-long involvement in competitive sports like collegiate basketball and the challenges she faced, like physical injuries, getting into MMA - Misperceptions about MMA as merely violent or brutal "human cockfighting" - What Jillian has learned from her MMA career that's helped her in her mental health practice - MMA and psychology - Mindset coaching - Her knockout victory against Lindsay VanZandt at Invicta 47 and what that experience was like - Experiences with fans and performing in front of U.S. troops - Men who are intimidated by women that practice martial arts like kickboxing and jiu jitsu - Her professional MMA debut and the feelings of excitement and self-doubt that came with it - Having a positive mental attitude - Inspiring younger women to get into MMA - And much, much more!

On this edition of Parallax Views, Jason Myles of the THIS IS REVOLUTION podcast and the metal band Bitter Lake joins the program to discuss his Sublation Magazine article "Remembering Woodstock ‘99". Analysis and commentary of the Woodstock '99 music festival, which famously ended in riots and sexual assaults, has resurfaced in 2022 thanks to new documentaries: Netflix's Trainwreck: Woodstock '99 and HBO Max's Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, and Rage. These documentaries make the case the the aggressive music of Generation X, particularly bands like Korn and Limp Bitzkit, and crass commercialism were in large part to blame for the Woodstock '99 fiasco and, furthermore, that all of this betrayed the hippie peace and love ethos of the original Woodstock. Jason, who has experience working music festivals, argues that this doesn't really strike the root of the issues that led to Woodstock '99. Specifically, Jason takes a materialist perspective on the matter that looks at relationship between capitalism and not only Woodstock '99 but the original Woodstock music festival of 1969 as well. In doing so h de-mythologizes the romanticized narrative around the original Woodstock festival and questions the nostalgia around the 60s counterculture. All of this and much more covered on this edition of Parallax Views!