Category Archives: Cities

Robert Stark interviews Rich Houck

1980's, aesthetics, American Culture, Animal Cruelty, animals, Archeofuturism, Architecture, arcology, Art, Cities, Class, Communism, coronavirus, Crime, Culture, demographics, Diversity, Economics, education, Environment, Fascism, Futurism, gentrification, Historic Preservation, Immigration, income inequality, Japanese Culture, Journey to Vapor Island, Los Angeles, Malls, Mental illness, Nationalism, Neoliberalism, Neon, New Urbanism, New York, Philadelphia, Photography, Political Correctness, Politics, Psychology, Retro Futurism, Rich Houck, Robert Putnam, San Francisco, Skyscrapers, social capital, Social Isolation, social trust, Toronto, Traditionalism, Urbanism, Zoning

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark talks to Rich Houck about urbanism, aesthetics, and the need for social capital. Rich is a recent law school grad and you can check out his blog on Patreon and his Twitter account.

Topics:

Rich’s interest in photography
Rich’s patronage of independent artists
Interest in both traditional and Retro-Futurist aesthetics
Neon nationalism: reclaiming the future we should have had
80s nostalgia: the 80s as a going away party
The Last Mall Rat OR The Decline and Transformation of The American Mall
The importance of communal spaces, whether it’s Interior Urbanism or a traditional village space
How urban planning models and density relate to social cohesion
Does Diversity Create Distrust?
Crime prevention through environmental design and A New Way of Understanding ‘Eyes on the Street‘ 
Impression of San Francisco, how it could have been an American Paris with a uniquely American European aesthetic
The spring COVID-19 took from me
How the pandemic is exposing a wide range of problems from open borders to factory farming
Robert’s novel Journey to Vapor Island’s lesson about taking the best from all sides
Symbolism of the Neon-Raccoon

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Checkout Robert Stark’s Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram, Stark Truth TV, and novel Journey to Vapor Island




Robert Stark interviews Jack from The Perfume Nationalist

 Angelo Badalamenti, 1980's, 1990's, 80's music, aesthetics, alienation, Alternative Left, American Culture, Architecture, Art, Bernie Sanders, Camille Paglia, capitalism, censorship, Cinema, Cities, Class, Consumerism, counterculture, Culture, David Lynch, Donald Trump, Fashion, Film, Freedom of Speech, History, Hollywood, Homosexuality, income inequality, Las Vegas, Madonna, Malls, Marquis de Sade, materialism, Matt Pegan, Matthew Pegas, Music, Nationalism, Neoliberalism, Neon, Philosophy, Political Correctness, Politics, Postmodernism, Sexuality, social status, Surrealism, Texas, TFW NO GF, The Perfume Nationalist, True Stories, Twin Peaks, Wealth

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and Matt Pegan talk to Jack from The Perfume Nationalist podcast. Check out Jack on Twitter.

Topics:

Nationalism as an aesthetic brand, selling perfume and soap opera visions to the right
Re-appropriating “queer culture”
Camille Paglia
Trump as a performance art aesthetic brand despite his standard neoliberal policies
Beauty equality vs. an upward value of aesthetic excellence
The aspirational quality of 80s aesthetics
How 2010s neoliberal minimalism conceals wealth and power while erasing history
The elite charade of fake bohemianism
How to time travel with perfume
Las Vegas as the last frontier of scented opulent public spaces
Jack’s affinity for 80s pop icon Madonna
Jack’s defense of the artistic integrity of Lena Dunham
David Lynch’s success at synthesizing surrealist art, perfume adds, and nighttime soap
Jack’s Perfume recommendations
TFW NO GF

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Checkout Robert Stark’s Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram, Stark Truth TV, and novel Journey to Vapor Island




Catching up with Matt Pegan in Quarantine

alienation, Alt Center, Alternative Left, Alternative Right, Architecture, automation, Basic Income, Bernie Sanders, Cities, Conservatives, coronavirus, Corporations, counterculture, Culture, David Cole, Donald Trump, Dragon Day, Economics, education, Elections, Healthcare, Hollywood, Immigration, Incels, income inequality, Joe Biden, Journey to Vapor Island, Los Angeles, Malls, Matt Pegan, Matthew Pegas, Media, Mental illness, Music, Nationalism, NEETs, Politics, Psychology, Sexuality, social capital, Social Isolation, social status, social trust, Socialism, TFW NO GF, The Perfume Nationalist, Urbanism, Vice

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Matt Pegan returns to talk with Robert Stark about the social impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and some of their upcoming projects. Follow Matt’s new account on Twitter.

Topics:

Why Matt decided to go under his real name
The new Weird Right cultural scene, with more freedom to be creative without guilt by association, and cross pollination with the Dirtbag Left
The TFW NO GF documentary
The impact of the pandemic on mental health
How the quarantine proves the value of leisure and whether it will spark a cultural renaissance
Transitioning into a new era after a long era of stagnation since the last election
How Covid-19 narratives are creating new political paradigms
How the quarantine vindicates nationalist policies with a safety net
The political impact of States re-opening
The pandemic’s long term impact on social bonds
The economic impact of the pandemic and how inequality will likely get much worse
Robert’s upcoming sequel to his novel Journey to Vapor Island and Matt’s novel Dragon Day(excerpt from Terror House)
Robert and Matt’s LA nostalgia series with David Cole(Part One: Westside Pavilion)
Will public spaces survive the pandemic?


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Checkout Robert Stark’s Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram, Stark Truth TV, and novel Journey to Vapor Island




Robert Stark talks to Paul Tripp about his proposal for a Green New Right

Africa, Alternative Right, American Culture, Asia, automation, Banking, capitalism, China, Cities, Class, Conservatives, coronavirus, Culture, demographics, Donald Trump, ecofascism, Economics, education, energy, Environment, Eugenics, Feminism, Gender, Global Warming, Globalization, Immigration, income inequality, IQ, Leftism, Liberalism, Literature, Nationalism, Nature, neo-tribalism, Neoliberalism, Overpopulation, Paul Tripp, Post-scarcity economy, Richard Dawkins, Socialism, Suburbia, the New Right, Third Position, Third Way Economics, Urbanism, Usury

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark talks to Unz review writer about his proposal for The Green New Right. Paul is also the author of Psionism.

Topics:

Paul’s critique of the Left’s handling of environmental issues
The focus on carbon emissions and the degree to which climate change is responsible for habitat loss
The Left’s focus on the West while ignoring ecological devastation in the developing world
The Left’s lack of concern for overpopulation in the developing world while telling Westerners to reduce their birthrates
Mass immigration’s impact on ecological footprints
Education, IQ, and Fertility
The need for rural revitalization for the new green economy
How sustainable agriculture would need a much larger and higher skilled workforce
The mainstream right’s neglect of environmentalism
How economic nationalism and tariffs would help end the exploitation of resources by global capitalism
The environmental origins of the coronavirus pandemic
The problems of a consumption based economic model
Why profits should be based upon reciprocity
One-Third of American Workers Pay Is Being Stolen. Here’s How
The decline in workers’ purchasing power
Why the Financialization of the economy is a bigger issue than labor supply
Paul’s book Psionism about rejecting an imposed mono culture in favor of neo-tribalism

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Checkout Robert Stark’s Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram, Stark Truth TV, and novel Journey to Vapor Island




Coronacast with Anatoly Karlin: Episode II

Alternative Right, Anatoly Karlin, Asia, Baby Boomers, Basic Income, Brazil, China, Cities, Class, Conservatives, coronavirus, demographics, Donald Trump, Economics, Globalization, Healthcare, Human Bio Diversity, India, Italy, Korea, Mexico, Moscow, Nationalism, New York, Politics, Ron Unz, Russia, Science, Suburbia, Ukraine, Urbanism

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Russian Unz Review blogger Anatoly Karlin returns to talk about the recent stats and political implications of the coronavirus pandemic. (Note updates have occurred since recording of show). Check out Anatoly’s updates on the pandemic on Twitter.

Topics:

Why the US is still in the early stages, despite being number one in cases
Comparisons of different nations’ Case Fatality Rates, and dangers of the rates increasing as ICUs are overwhelmed
Effective precautions including the use of surgical masks and using AI to locate those who break quarantine
Where there are exponential growth rates and where there is stabilization
Correctly Estimating Coronavirus Infections
How the US was behind in testing but is now starting to catch up
The underestimated death rates(Corona Deaths In Italy 5x Higher Than Official Numbers?)
The nonsensical theory that the majority is already infected
Scenarios depending on what actions we take
Why we should not count on warm weather to slow the spread
Chinese, Russian Corona Aid Is 80% Useless (Says CIA?)
How world flights are at a standstill with the exception of the US
China closing its borders to prevent reinfection from elsewhere
The US’s focus on China’s role to cover up for its own incompetence
China Stakes Out the Post-Corona World
The inevitability of a recession which could be made worse with loosened quarantines
Why Trump will probably ignore promise to re-open the economy
Trump’s missed chance to reinvent himself with a UBI rather than the current bailout and one time rebate
The divide between the red and blue tribes over handling the pandemic
How there is no consistency in ideological patterns in how foreign governments have handled the pandemic
The irony over inter-generational narratives between conservatives and the anti-Trump dissident right
The political positions vindicated(nationalism plus left economics)
How the initial wave of the pandemic primarily impacted the wealthy then later spread to lower income areas
Why policy and social behavior is more important than the urban/suburban divide
Anatoly’s further observations on Moscow and Russia’s handling of the pandemic

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Checkout Robert Stark’s Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram, Stark Truth TV, and novel Journey to Vapor Island




Robert Stark & Richard Wolstencroft discuss the Film High-Rise

1970's, aesthetics, Architecture, arcology, Art, Australia, Bernie Sanders, Brutalism, capitalism, Cinema, Cities, Class, Conspiracy Theories, Culture, demographics, Donald Trump, Dystopia, Economics, England, Environment, Film, Futurism, Global Warming, Globalization, High-Rise(Film), income inequality, Managerialism, Nationalism, Neoliberalism, Oligarchy, Personality Types, Politics, Psychology, Retro Futurism, Richard Wolstencroft, Science Fiction, Skyscrapers, Social Isolation, social trust, Socialism, Suburbia, Suicide, technology, Urbanism, Utopia

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and Melbourne based director Richard Wolstencroft discuss the film High-Rise (film), a 2015 film by British director Ben Wheatley, based on the novel by J. G. Ballard.

Topics:

The Bush Fires in Australia, climate change narrative, and other factors
Deep ecology and right wing environmentalism
The Science Fiction of J. G. Ballard including the timely The Drowned World , and how Richard would like to adapt his work into a film
The 70s Retro-Futuristic aesthetic
Brutalist architecture in High-Rise, and the genre in Clockwork Orange and Richard’s upcoming film The Debt Collector
Ironies of the film’s dystopian nature and how it compares to other dystopian films such as Joker
A self-contained city, an Arcology with all amenities within the same structure
Class conflict in a society where all classes live within the same structure
Metaphor for the breakdown of civilization
The unsustainable of the neoliberal system
How technology exacerbates inequality
Archetypes of the characters, including filmmaker Richard Wilder, an apocalyptic anarchic figure
The theme of attempting dialogue with gate keepers and elites who refuse to listen
The architect, a Nietzschean figure, an aesthetic and technological visionary in contrast with our managerial elites
Conspiracy theories vs. the view of elites as a managerial class who extract resources with no vision for the future

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Checkout Robert Stark’s Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram, Stark Truth TV, and novel Journey to Vapor Island




Robert Stark and Matthew Pegas talk about the Film Joker

1980's, aesthetics, alienation, Alternative Right, American Culture, Anarchism, Architecture, Art, Cinema, Cities, Class, comedy, Crime, Culture, Despair, Donald Trump, Economics, Film, Hollywood, humor, Incels, income inequality, Joker, Leftism, Loserdom, Matthew Pegas, Media, Memes, Mental illness, Millennials, Morality, Neoliberalism, Neon, New York, Nihilism, Oligarchy, Philosophy, Political Correctness, Psychology, Race Relations, Sexuality, Social Isolation, Social Rejection, social status, Spree Shootings, Taxi Driver

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and Matthew Pegas talk about the film Joker (2019 ) and it’s sociological significance to our current zeitgeist of despair.

Topics:

The social crisis of despair in America
The alienated loner in our society
Theme of humiliation
Oppositions to the film from the Woke Neoliberal Establishment, while Michael Moore Calls ‘Joker’ a Masterpiece
Woke media’s allegations that ‘Joker’ validates White Male rage
Marc Maron on ‘Joker’: Don’t Blame Movies for Criminal Actions of the Mentally Ill
Dark comedic nihilism with no moralistic narrative of good vs. evil
Cult following online among memers and dissident rightests
Director Todd Phillips, his background in lighthearted sex comedies, and how he stopped making comedies due to “Woke Culture”
How the film is as controversial as it can afford to be within Hollywood
Plutocratic mayoral candidate Thomas Wayne who could symbolize a caricature of Trump, but also echoes Hillary Clinton’s Basket of deplorables phrase
Class warfare theme
The Anarchist theme of creating chaos and tearing down society
Symbolism of the clown
Mental health
Comparison’s to Taxi Driver
Aesthetics of the film set in Gotham City, based on gritty New York City in the early 80s

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Checkout Robert Stark’s Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram, Stark Truth TV, and novel Journey to Vapor Island




Robert Stark and Matthew Pegas talk about Urbanist observations from trip to San Diego

1980's, 80's music, aesthetics, American Culture, Andrew Yang, Architecture, Basic Income, Calexit, California, Cities, Class, Culture, demographics, Economics, Environment, Erasure, Historic Preservation, History, Immigration, John C. Portman Jr, Los Angeles, Malibu, Malls, Matthew Pegas, Mexico, Middle Class, Music, Politics, Postmodernism, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Silicon Valley, Skyscrapers, Suburbia, SWPL, Travel, Urbanism, Wealth, Wilderness

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and Matthew Pegas talk about their recent trip to San Diego and their observations on cultural and urbanist trends.

Topics:

San Diego’s reputation as a smaller, cleaner, nicer version of LA and its unique attributes
The layout of the city with a centralized downtown near the waterfront surrounded by suburban sprawl
San Diego and Orange County among the largest areas of upper middle class sprawl in the nation
Politics of San Diego as a historically Republican stronghold that has trended Democratic in recent years
Demographics of San Diego and how they relate to overall CA trends
The most stereotypical American City located in CA while the State is culturally drifting apart from the rest of the Country
After decades of suburban sprawl, San Diego eyes big shift to dense development
The historic Gaslamp Quarter which is the one section that feels truly urban
Horton Plaza: Will this PoMo wonderland in San Diego be saved?
Architect Jon Jerde’s inspiration for Horton Plaza from Ray Bradbury’s “The Aesthetic of Lostness” extolling the virtues of getting “safely lost”
Wealthy beach community La Jolla and it’s village layout
The importance of investing in communal places that the public can enjoy, particularly in wealthy areas
Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve
The Victorian Hotel del Coronado
Friendship Park at the US/Mexico Border and political symbolism of the border wall
The Inland Empire
Heavenly Action by Erasure, the soundtrack of the trip with a message that friendship, love, and positivity can conquer anything

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Checkout Robert Stark’s Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram, Stark Truth TV, and novel Journey to Vapor Island




Robert Stark interviews Will Durham about the Nevada Neon Project

aesthetics, Architecture, Art, Cities, Culture, Gambling, Historic Preservation, History, Las Vegas, Mid-Century Modern, Neon, Reno, Will Durham

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Will Durham has been collecting and preserving neon signs for over 25 years, and has one of the largest collections in the world. Check out the Nevada Neon Project on Instagram and Facebook.

Topics:

Collecting signs from closing businesses
The main focus of preserving signs
The process of rescuing a sign
Displaying signs to the public at events
Neon named Nevada’s official element
Walking tours of Downtown Reno
The decline of Reno as a gambling destination, revitalization, and what it means for neon
Newer signage, incorporating new neon, and businesses adopting older signs
The lack of historic preservation regulation
Collecting signage from larger casinos including the Peppermill, Harold’s Club, and Fitzgerald in Reno, and The Riviera in Las Vegas
Saving The Virginian’s Casino letters
The Eldorado Casino’s external neon silhouette
The Carson Nugget and Cactus Jacks in Carson City
The dwindling of neon at Lake Tahoe, and The Stardust Lodge

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Checkout Robert Stark’s Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram, Stark Truth TV, and novel Journey to Vapor Island




Robert Stark interviews Logo Daedalus

aesthetics, American Culture, Anarchism, Andrew Yang, Architecture, Aristocratic Individualism, Art, Art Deco, automation, Basic Income, Cities, Comic Books, Culture, Cyberpunk, Donald Trump, Economics, Futurism, Incels, Instagram, Italian Futurism, Logo Daedalus, Mid-Century Modern, New York, Philosophy, Poetry, Politics, Retro Futurism, Skyscrapers, Social Media, Steampunk, Suicide, Surrealism, technology, Urbanism, Wyndham Lewis

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Logo Daedalus is the author of Selfie, Suicide: or Cairey Turnbull’s Blue Skiddoo and writes for Autistic Mercury. You can also check him out on Twitter.

Topics:

Logo’s novel Selfie, Suicide, a coming of age satire of a failed artist
Instagram inspired parody art museums
New York’s Staircase to Nowhere
How technology impacts politics
Wyndham Lewis
Andrew Yang
How the UBI could create a cultural renaissance
The Obama to Trump voters in the Rustbelt
Aesthetics as politics
Retro-futurist genres Steampunk, Dieselpunk, and Cyberpunk
Underground comics

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Checkout Robert Stark’s Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram, Stark Truth TV, and novel Journey to Vapor Island