Parallax Views w/ J.G. Michael

On this edition of Parallax Views, Mike Watson, author of Towards a Conceptual Militancy, argues that there's liberatory potential in millennial cultural-production such as memes in his new book Can the Left Learn to Meme?: Adorno, Video Gaming, and Stranger Things. From the synopsis courtesy of Zero Books: "Taking in an array of cultural references from the contemporary art world, to cat memes, Stranger Things, the Kardashian-Jenners, Mad Men, Run the Jewels, and video gaming, Can the Left Learn to Meme? argues that there is positivity in millennial-era cultural production.  Utilising Adorno’s unswerving yet understated hope in spite of the odds, Mike Watson embraces the abstraction of the new media landscape as millennials refuse to surrender to cynicism, by out-weirding even the world at large. They pose a radical alternative to the right wing approach of Steve Bannon and the conservative psychology of Jordan Peterson.  Here, the cultural elitism of the art world is contrasted with the anything-goes approach of millennial culture. The left avant-garde dream of an art-for-all is with us, though you won't find it in museums. It is time the left learned to meme, challenging conventions along the way." Watson joins us to discuss the book as well as his observations of and understanding of the art world from an insider's perspective. Additionally, we take a dive into the ideas of Frankfurt School critical theorist Theodor Adorno, who serves as a major inspiration for Can the Left Learn to Meme?. From there we delve into the world of internet culture and memes, which have been seized upon by the right. Watson sees figures like Steve Bannon and Jordan B. Peterson as targeting online audiences and a sort of battle for the millennial mind taking place in cyberspace. We also discuss the relevance of the TV show Stranger Things to Mike's book, Adorno's concept of the shudder, the jarring webseries Don't Hug Me I'm Scared, vaporwave music, and more. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! WHERE YOU CAN HEAR... PARALLAX VIEWS THE WEEK THAT WAS CURRENT EVENTS PROGRAM

A Note to Listeners: Please Consider Supporting This GoFundMe for the Medical Expenses of this Pittsburgh Family. Your Support Would Mean the World to Parallax Views & J.G. Michael A few months ago Parallax Views supported a family hit bit unexpected healthcare expenses by promoting their GoFundMe in a series of episodes dedicated to healthcare reform and health justice. The family has since raiser over $17k, but is still seeking to reach their $40k goal. As such, Parallax Views want to show their continued support for the family by publishing previously unreleased conversations from the health justice fundraiser. On this edition of the show you'll hear conversation on healthcare and health justice featuring: - Eliot Rosenstock, author of Zizek in the Clinic: A Revolutionary Proposal for a New Endgame in Psychotherapy - Jeremy Salmon, host of the Giving the Mic to the Wrong Person podcast, which espouses DSA politics while chatting about pop culture and all things "nerdy" - Jeremy's friend Rachel, who provides her own insight into the healthcare issue as a social worker at a crisis center

On this edition of Parallax Views, since launching in January 2019 the I Don't Speak German podcast has become the a go-to resource for understanding the latest goings on in the alt right or far-right today. The show features conversations between Jack Graham and Daniel Harper, the latter of whom follows alt right media and tries to explain it to the former. Don't be mistaken, however, neither Graham or Harper are alt right. In fact, both are openly leftist and Daniel, as reported recently by Nick Martin in The Daily Beast, was recently threatened by a far-right Satanic neo-Nazi over the podcast. Daniel Harper, one half of the I Don't Speak German podcast, joins us on this edition for a conversation about the far-right in America today. We begin with how Daniel became interested in tracking the various activities (and dramas) of the alt right as well as the scary incident in which the aforementioned Satanic neo-Nazi had threatened, in online communications, to burn down Daniel's house. From there we have a wide-ranging conversation about online radicalization, deradicalization, the forces (and possible financial benefactors) behind the far-right, and much more on this edition of Parallax Views. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! WHERE YOU CAN HEAR... PARALLAX VIEWS THE WEEK THAT WAS CURRENT EVENTS PROGRAM

On this edition of Parallax Views, former Senator Mike Gravel made some waves earlier this year when a group of teens meme'd him into a Presidential campaign seeking the Democratic nomination. Although that campaign has since ended, Gravel is hard at work promoting one of his greatest passions: direct democracy. During his Senatorial career Gravel forcefully opposed the Vietnam War draft and, famously, read the Pentagon Papers, a top-secret Department of Defense study courageously leaked to the public by whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg, on the floor of Congress. He is, in another words, a man that has not only bore witness to history, but participated in it. And at 89 years old he's a passionate and committed as ever. Not only that, but he has a great deal of hope. As a proponent of direct democracy he believes strongly in the will of "We the People" and has faith in the masses. Moreover, he argues that a more direct democracy, which would include the citizens in our lawmaking processes, is eminently possible. In this conversation we discuss all of these matters and subjects as well as Mike's working-class background, the influence figures like Bertrand Russell and IF Stone had on him, and more. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! WHERE YOU CAN HEAR... PARALLAX VIEWS THE WEEK THAT WAS CURRENT EVENTS PROGRAM

On this edition of Parallax Views, writer Douglas Valentine is perhaps most known for his controversial research into the CIA and its covert operations. His most-well-known work is the heavily-footnoted The Phoenix Program: America's Use of Terror in Vietnam, which attempted to document particularly chilling Vietnam War operation undertaken by the Agency as overseen by William Colby (who, it should be noted, served as Director of the CIA from September 1973 to January 1976). Valentine has continued to explored the terrain of covert skullduggery in such works as The Strength of the Wolf: The Secret History of America's War on Drugs, The Strength of the Pack: The Personalities, Politics, and Espionage Intrigues that Shaped the DEA, and The CIA as Organized Crime: How Illegal Operations Corrupt America and the World. It turns out, however, that this is only one accept of Valentine's work. He is also, as it were, a champion and author of poetry. On this edition of the program, he joins us to discuss the poetry anthology he edited, With Our Eyes Wide Open: Poems of the New American Century. In the course of this conversation Douglas explain how he became interested in poetry and how poetry connects to his broader concerns, namely the promotion of humanism and social justice. Additionally, Douglas reads a few poems from the aforementioned anthology and gives his thoughts on the passing of Toni Morrison. And, during the intro, we fill listeners in, just a bit, on his work pertaining to The Phoenix Program. All that and more on this edition of Parallax Views! SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! WHERE YOU CAN HEAR... PARALLAX VIEWS THE WEEK THAT WAS CURRENT EVENTS PROGRAM

On this edition of Parallax Views, the controversial Nikolas Schreck returns to discuss his latest musical work, The Illusionist, and the upcoming updated (and final) edition of The Manson File as well as expressing his uncensored opinions on the Church of Satan's Anton LaVey, conspiracy theories, the alt right, and the far-right's resurgent interest in the work of neo-Nazi extremist James Mason. We begin the conversation by discussing Nikolas' new album The Illusionist, available from Records Ad Nauseam, including the outer space influenced psychedelic single "The Futura Model" and "This Hideous Thing", Nikolas' final musical exploration of the Tate-LaBianca murders. From there we discuss the dark humor found in Nikolas' musical projects over the years and his collaboration with the cult musician John Murphy. Additionally, Nikolas expresses the influence that musicians like Nico and crooners such as Russ Columbo have had on his musical endeavors. In this regard we also discuss Nikolas love of "outsider" musicians like Roky Erikson and Daniel Johnston. During this segment Nikolas explains his issues with the term of "outsider musician". Nikolas Schreck and his drummer Heathen Rae Nikolas Schreck and his bassist Ohnesorg Nikolas Schreck and his keyboardist Winfried Strauss We then delve into the fiction and reality of the Tate-Labianca or Manson murders as outlined in the upcoming, final updated edition of his book The Manson File. In particular, we discuss what Nikolas consider to be the real reason for the murders, namely a drug deal gone bad. Interestingly, the Hollywood Reporter recently featured a protégé of Jay Siebring (a victim in the Tate murders) saying this was the true reason for the murders. Nikolas also notes that, based on his research, Roman Polanski is a much darker figure in the Manson story than recognized and argues that Sharon Tate had wanted pleaded with him to move from Cielo Drive before the murders took place. Additionally, Nikolas delves into his relationship with Charles Manson as well as Manson's criminality and role in the murders. He argues, however, that at the heart of the Tate-LaBianca murders is actually Manson Family members Tex Watson and Linda Kasabian, the latter of whom was the only family member to escape prison. Ultimately, Nikolas says, the Tate-LaBianca murders may be even darker than the story told by Vincent Bugliosi in Helter Skelter and in fact reveal a dark side of Hollywood years prior to the scandals of Harvey Weinstein and Jeffrey Epstein. In this regard, Nikolas and I discuss the seemy underbelly of the record industry in that era and Nikolas' thoughts on the relationship between Manson and the Beach Boys drummer Dennis Wilson. Sidney Korshak, a mob-connected lawyer who some considers one of 20th Century America's "Hidden Power Brokers", factors greatly into Nikolas' research into both the Manson Murders and the JFK assassination We go on to use the Manson saga as a launching point for a conversation about America's hidden history. We begin by discussing the figure of Lawrence Schiller, who has a connection to not only the Manson story but also the JFK assassination (which Nikolas will be writing about in a novel format with The Dallas Book of the Dead). This leads us into an examination of the mob-connected lawyer Sidney Korshak, who may well have been one of America's hidden power brokers in the 20th century. This brings us around to a conversation of conspiracy theories and conspiracy culture. In particular, Nikolas comments on and criticizes the recent , popular Manson book CHAOS by Tom O'Neill and the works of Mae Brussell and Dave McGowan. This leads us into a conversation about the pornographic nature of conspiracy theories like the supposed MKULTRA sex slave program "Project Monarch" and Maury Terry's Ultimate Evil, a book which posits that the Son of Sam murders were perpetrated by a cult known as the Process Church of the Final Judgment. Nikolas takes issues with these theories and argues that they actually aid the conservative agendas of right-wing conspiracists like the late ex-FBI agent Ted Gunderson and their views of the 60s counterculture. This segues into a conversation about Anton LaVey. Nikolas, who was formerly married to LaVey's daughter Zeena, paints a very negative picture of the Church of Satan founder. He argues that LaVey showed little interest in combating the Satanic Panic of the 1980s and instead left that work to his daughter Zeena. Additionally, he says that LaVey constructed a false image around himself and, more shockingly says that the Church of Satan attained funding from a convicted child sex offender and San Francisco real estate tycoon that abused one of LaVey's family members. Moreover, Nikolas says that LaVey looked the other way in regards to this tycoon's abusive behaviors. Nikolas also addresses LaVey's connection to Ragnar Redbeard's Might Makes Right, a book that has come under renewed scrutiny due to its apparent influence on the Gilroy Garlic shooter. In his final summation, Nikolas argues that LaVey was a psychologically wounded individual driven by opportunism who engaged in abusive behaviors and recommends the film noir Nightmare Alley to better understand the image LaVey wanted to project of himself. We conclude the conversation by discussing James Mason, a Satanic-neo-Nazi-turned-Christian-neo-Nazi who promoted lone wolf terrorism in a book called Siege. Due to Mason's interest in Charles Manson he came into contact with Nikolas Schreck, who featured him in his documentary Charles Manson Superstar. I give Nikolas an opportunity to address Mason in light of Siege's renewed popularity amongst a segment of the alt right. During this portion of the conversation Nikolas gives his thoughts on the incoherence of Mason's philosophy, the absurdity of lone wolf terrorism, and the misogynistic elements driving the alt right. Nikolas makes strong criticisms of the alt right during this segment of the discussion while also making clear that he is not a fan of either side of the culture war. In his estimation the entirety of the culture war, as well as the rise of conspiracy theories, are representative of a kind of apocalypse, but one less pretty than those seen in dystopian cinema and literature. In closing Nikolas gives his thoughts on the trajectory of corruption in Hollywood and elsewhere. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! 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On this edition of Parallax Views, what is the line between reality and fantasy? Filmmaker Julian Shaw’s debut features, Use Me, starring previous Parallax Views guest and noted cyber-dominatrix, or, as she refers to herself, “humiliatrix extraordinaire”, Ceara Lynch, asks that question and others. Set for a November 26th Video-On-Demand release after a successful showing at the Brooklyn Film Festival, Use Me has been described as blurring the lines between documentary and thriller leading some to refer to it as a “post-truth” movie apropos to our current cultural moment. We begin the conversation by delving into how Use Me came together and the social media funding that made it possible. From there we discuss how the movie went from a documentary to a docufiction thriller. Julian and I get into how he inserted himself into the movie as a character. Ceara details her first experience acting in a motion picture and how it differs from the work she does as an online dominatrix. Additionally, Ceara talks a little bit about her experience in the Joe Rogan show. A great portion of the conversations deals with themes of reality vs fantasy, the nature of sexuality and taboos, and the "post-truth" nature of Use Me. And finally, we talk a little bit about the influence of erotic thriller on Julian's vision for the movie and how Ceara's friends have reacted to the feature. All that and more on this edition of Parallax Views CHECK OUT USE ME AVAILABLE FROM VIDEO-ON-DEMAND STREAMING SERVICE NOVEMBER 26th, 2019 CHECK OUT CEARA'S PODCAST STANDARD DEVIATION SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! WHERE YOU CAN HEAR... PARALLAX VIEWS THE WEEK THAT WAS CURRENT EVENTS PROGRAM

On this edition of Parallax Views, economics is a topic that intimidate many as impenetrable. Concepts like neoliberalism, Modern Monetary Theory, and Universal Basic Income are often talked about in public discourse, but what are they? Doug Henwood, founder of the Left Business Observers and host of the Behind the News radio program, joins us to demystify economics as well as to discuss current events, specifically the Democratic Presidential debates and talk of an increased wealth tax drawing the ire of billionaires. Doug Henwood The conversation begins with Doug informing us how he went from being a young right-wing conservative to taking an interest in economics from a left-wing perspective. From their we have a conversation about the much-used-but-often-little-explained concept of neoliberalism and its history. Then we discuss the legacy of Keynesian economics and FDR's New Deal. This transitions us into the hot topic of Modern Monetary Theory, which, despite increasing popularity on the Left, Doug is remains extremely skeptical about. We also briefly discuss the idea of Universal Basic Income, challenges faced by workers under neoliberalism, the Democratic Presidential debates, and billionaires being in a furor over a greater wealth tax. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! WHERE YOU CAN HEAR... PARALLAX VIEWS THE WEEK THAT WAS CURRENT EVENTS PROGRAM

On this edition of Parallax Views, Eddie Murphy has made a much anticipated and critically-acclaimed comeback in the form of Dolemite is My Name, a Netflix-produced biopic of the legendary black comic Rudy Ray Moore. Known as "The King of the Party Records" and "The Godfather of Rap", Rudy Ray Moore, through his kung fu fighting, rappin' and tappin, anti-establishment alter ego Dolemite and various other characters, overcame all odds in the often fickle world of showbiz to entertain audiences with his bawdy, risque-brand of humor. From his comedy albums like Eat Out More Often to his cult classic movies like Dolemite, The Human Tornado, and Petey Wheatstraw, Rudy Ray Moore, despite unfortunately passing away in 2008, lives on in the pantheon of pop culture. His films have been name-checked by such respected and directors as Quentin Tarantino and John Landis. And rappers, specifically and most notably Snoop Dogg, have cited him as a major influence. His diverse fanbase even extends to such figures as Miriam Linna, a founding member of the psychobilly punk band The Cramps, and the notorious juggalo hip hop duo The Insane Clown Posse, who featured Moore, reprising his famous role of Dolemite, in their movie Big Money Hustlas. In other words, Rudy Ray Moore has earned his keep as an iconic figure and Dolemite is My Name serves long-overdue, fitting tribute to the man, the myth, and the legend. Rudy Ray Moore as "Dolemite" Eddie Murphy as Rudy Ray Moore in Dolemite is My Name Joining us on this edition of Parallax Views to discuss Dolemite is My Name, Rudy Ray Moore, and black cinema are returning guest Brian Shaughnessy and Casey Gane-McCalla, also known as the rapper "The Mighty Casey" and the author of Inside the CIA's Secret War in Jamaica. Among the topics discussed are our initial thoughts on Dolemite is My Name. We chat about Eddie Murphy's comeback and the ensemble cast that supports him in the movie including Keegan Michael-Peele, Craig Robinson, Chris Rock, and Wesley Snipes. Additionally, we delve into the world of blaxploitation movies from which Rudy Ray Moore, as his alter ego Dolemite, became a star. In particular we reference such films as the Wayans Brothers parody of the genre I'm Gonna Git You Sucka, the films of Mario and Melvin Van Peebles, and, of course, Dolemite. And, in the final portion of our conversation, we discuss the current state of black cinema with the popularity of hit movies like Marvel's Black Panther and Jordan Peele's Get Out. All that and more on this edition of Parallax Views! SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! WHERE YOU CAN HEAR... PARALLAX VIEWS THE WEEK THAT WAS CURRENT EVENTS PROGRAM

On this edition of Parallax Views, one of the most controversial underground publishers to come out of the 1980s and 1990s counterculture joins us to discuss his life and times uncensored. He infamously republished Ragnar Redbeard's Might Makes Right, a book advocating the values of social darwinism that recently experienced newfound scrutiny when the Gilroy Garlic Festival shooter referenced it in one of his Instagram posts. He organized the Expo. He organized the Expo of the Extreme, which brought together artists from the worlds of punk, metal, industrial/noise music, and BDSM. He worked with the former child actress Dana Plato shortly before her passing and published a book/audio CD purporting to contain her "last breath". He published "The Trenchcoat Diaries" in the aftermath of the Columbine school shooting. And, after being run out of a small town in Minnesota, sought to make a documentary that would be an indictment of America. That documentary, The Suffering and Celebration of Life in America, sent him on a road trip across the country that may have inadvertently challenged the misanthropy which long drove him. The man in question is the controversial underground publisher Shane Bugbee and he joins us on this edition of Parallax Views to detail his storied life from a difficult childhood born in a Lubbock, Texas trailer to speaking at the prestigious Ivy League university Harvard. Shane initially gained notoriety for his involvement in what he calls the "Art That Kills" movement. Driven by anger and rage, Shane and others sought to create art with the misanthropic intent of hurt others. In other words, before there was 4chan edgelords, there was countercultural (in a much darker sense than the flower-power of the 1960s hippies) figures like Shane Bugbee. In many ways, the Shane Bugbee of today seems to be a completely different person from the misanthrope sometimes referred to as the "P.T. Barnum of the Underground". He's a proponent of LGBTQ+ right and believes transgender issues are at the frontier of freed speech and freedom of expression. He's a staunch supporter of Bernie Sanders and a proponent of Marshall Roseberg's Nonviolent Communication. After the election of Donald Trump to the Presidency of the United States he made the decision to pull his publication of Might Makes Right by Ragnar Redbeard from circulation. And, he now believes, contrary to misanthropy, that people aren't that bad. Despite this, Shane does not agree that he's changed. Rather he prefers to say that he's evolved. He makes no bones about his past endeavors, nor does he necessarily apologize for them. In this conversation he's completely frank, open, and uncensored. You may not agree with everything he says here or how he speaks concerning his past, but Parallax Views believes that no matter what you, dear listener, will find it fascinating. SUPPORT PARALLAX VIEWS ON PATREON! WHERE YOU CAN HEAR... PARALLAX VIEWS THE WEEK THAT WAS CURRENT EVENTS PROGRAM