Robert Stark and co-host Francis Nally talk to Vaporwave artist Spear 槍. He is a musician and DJ who attends Pennsylvania State University. Check out his music on Facebook, SoundCloud, and Bandcamp.
Topics:
Intro: 名誉
The Vaporwave genre
Slowed down compressed 80’s music
Lo-Fi Trip Hot
The revival of cassettes and VHS
Adult Swim
Vaporwave as a surreal idealized consumerism
Mallsoft
The visual art for the videos
The Vapor Room show
Saudade; a Portuguese term to describe the longing for and memories of good times
Hypnagogia; the state between being awake and being asleep where you can’t distinguish between what is real and what is not Vaporwave Literature(Robert Stark’s Journey to Vapor Island)
Robert Stark is joined with Francis Nally and Brandon Adamson to discuss his new novel Journey to Vapor Island.
Topics:
Brandon’s review of Journey to Vapor Island(Contains Spoilers)
The cover art by Mark Velard
How listeners to the show will instantly recognize favorite topics when they make cameo appearances in the book or manifest themselves as part of the underlying themes
Internet memes in the book(ex. the men in the frog masks)
The fusion of genres including Fantasy, Young Adult Fiction, Science Fiction, and Dark Comedy
A disclaimer that this book is not for anyone that is squeamish about sex or easily shocked or offended
Brandon’s observation that the sexual scenes in the book are more akin to the “random battles” in old school Super Nintendo RPGs like Final Fantasy IV
The theme of how central sex is to people’s motivations, and the overall perception of status in society
The main character Noam Metzenbaum who is a socially inept yet intelligent student with illusions of grandeur
The Chads and the theme of the nerd getting revenge against bullies and the popular cliques
Noam’s crush Natalie Bloom and his lifelong obsession with her
The Retro-Futuristic surreal fantasy world in the book; an adult Never Ending Story
The Roger Blackstone character who could represent a Trump-like figure, but could just as easily be a Ross Perot or even Willy Wonka
The outrageous comic elements in the book
The theme of the commercialization of tragedies and the celebrity status of mass murderers
How the book is timely with the ongoing Hollywood sex scandals
The theme of living in ones fantasies and how that shapes the book’s narrative
Robert Stark and Pilleater talk to returning guest Count Fosco. Count Fosco has a background in the film industry in Canada.
Topics:
Count Fosco’s background in the Canadian Film Industry
The economic mechanisms for funding the arts
Conservative opposition to funding the arts Robert Stark’s debate with Joseph Dobrian on funding the arts
The cultural left’s influence on grants favoring politically correct demographic groups
Where the free market falls short and the importance of having an economic safety net for artist
Being an artist as a luxury for the rich and the importance of having the right connections and patrons
The fallacy that the best artist are rewarded economically(ex. Van Gogh)
Preferred relative guidelines for artistic funding and support for relative artistic freedom
How grants work for the film industry in Canada Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000 Hour Rule’ and how it applies to the arts
Should art serve a purpose for society?
Censorship in the Art World
The debate about what is art and what is pornography and the concept of “degenerate art”
Creating new artistic sub-cultures
Low Brow Pop Surrealism
Surrealism from Dali to David Lynch Robert Stark and Brandon Adamson’s Art
The animated series Braceface staring Alicia Silverstone
Robert Stark, Sam Kevorkian, and J.G. Michael talk to Illustrator, Photographer, Video Game Designer, and Musician Jody Coombes. Check out his music under the label Star Noir on Facebook and bandcamp, and his photography and illustrations on Flickr.
Topic:
Working on video games including Call of Duty and Need for Speed
Cyberpunk games such as Shadowrun and Beneath a Steel Sky
The New Retro Wave and Darkwave genres
The Cyberpunk genre How To Make Synthwave Retrowave with Timecop 1983 in FL Studio
The visual component in making Synth music
Jody’s first EP Psycho City
Jody’s first-ever gig in London at the Retro Future Fest
Jody’s illustrations and 80’s Retro-Futurist aesthetics
80’s Action and Horror films
80’s Video Game Arcades; London Trocadero
The new series Stranger Things and the film Drive
Jody’s photography of locations including the UK, New York, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Nova Scotia Sinofuturism
“Design is not art….. Design is an exercise in psychology” Robert Stark’s Paintings which fuse Retro Futurist genres
Transhumanism, Automation, and the Basic Income
The Pilot project “Lost Future” about a man who lost his future
Upcoming projects and performances
Intro: Nefarious from the Album EgoWhore by HoodooEngine which Jamie co-produces and does bass and rhythm guitar for
The main thrust of Narrative Machines is the way in which myths function in our lives
How the conflict with our longing to connect with the sacred leads to seeking re-connection in the form of reified ideology in the current “Meme Wars”
Jean Baudrillard’s book Simulacra and Simulation
The concept of hyper reality and how social interactions are mediated by social media
Post Modernism and Deconstructionism; skepticism towards all ultimate truths Hobbes vs. Rousseau: the debate over human nature
Jamie’s illustrations in Narrative Machines
The Artist David Mack
Aesthetic theory and how artist can affect the world politically Interrogation Machine – Laibach and NSK
Aleksander Dugin, Nick Land, and Neo-Reaction
The relation between myth, retro-aesthetic creative movements like vaporwave, and the current cultural climate
The 80’s Retro themed show Stranger Things
The aesthetics of Horror and horror writer Thomas Ligotti
Surrealism and connecting to the sacred or primal force
Jamie’s book Join My Cult!, occultism, and Aleister Crowley David Bowie Inspires Jamie’s Upcoming Book, “Masks”
Yukio Mishima’s Confessions of a Mask
Jamie’s involvement in the goth industrial music scene of the 90’s and 00’s
The ways in which virtual reality, myth, and “the real world” have collided
Alternate Reality Games, the film The Game, and playing with peoples perception of reality through media
Robert Stark, co-host Pilleater, J.G. Michael, and Count Isidor Fosco are joined with filmmaker Richard Wolstencroft live from the Black Lodge to talk about the new Twin Peaks series and how it compares to the original.
Topics:
Intro: The Northern Lights – Falling (feat. Lucy Black)
The Black Lodge and it’s theological and occult symbolism
The 80’s quality of the original Twin Peaks, the 50’s nostalgia theme, and David Lynch’s interest in fusing genres
Lynch’s emphasis on visual aesthetics in his films
How Twin Peaks was inspired by the Film Noire Laura (1944)
How the new series makes references to other Lynch films such as Blue Velvet
Contrasting the portrayal of the town Twin Peaks in the new series to the original; Richard’s visit to the town of North Bend, Washington where the show is filmed
Lynch’s portrayal of small towns; the idealism of small towns vs. the critique that there is a dark underbelly to small town America
Demonic possession vs. symbolism of the monster within
Cooper’s Doppelgänger, Agent Cooper becoming Dougie Jones who has lost his memory, and whether he will come back
The theme of powerful entities trying too tap into the Black Lodge and how that will become the main narrative
The theme of “Sex Magic”
The film Mulholland Drive and how it was originally intended to be a sequel to Twin Peaks about Audrey Horne
Lynch’s political views and his interest in Transcendental Meditation
How Twin Peaks touches on a variety of themes including culture, politics, the subconscious, sex, psychology, philosophy, mythology, and religion
Kyle MacLachlan and David Lynch as FBI Agents
The prediction that Cooper will return to Twin Peaks and end up in the White Lodge at the end
The role of the side characters in the new series such as Dr. Jacoby, Ben Horne, and Shelly
Robert Stark and co-host Pilleater spoke to Musician, Artist, and Web Designer Dino Olivieri from Turin, Italy.
Dino Olivieri has been known for producing some of the most technologically advanced websites. Her creativity is always on display when she’s at work, proving to her clients that she is the very best. These days, she tends to outsource this work and sends it over to an SEO Company Chester. But her music is at the very heart of what she does.
Uploading content to these social media platforms is a great way for Olivieri to get his music heard from people all over the world and with just a click of a button. His next step should be to consider uploading his songs to music streaming sites like Spotify, and he may want to have a look at getfans.io/buy-spotify-plays to see how he can get more people to listen to his music. The more people that are aware of his music, the more likely he will be at getting discovered, resulting in his career taking off.
Topics:
Intro: Beyond Human
Early artistic inspirations, figure drawing, and aesthetic interest ranging from Italian Renaissance Art to Anime, Vaporwave, and Cyberpunk
Interest in anime, especially the giant robots created by Go-Nagai and Matsumoto’s work such as Captain Harlock
Italian Design
Dino’s Photography of the Italian Alps on Flickr
Early musical influences; early 80’s New Wave and Italo Disco
Influences from and use of classical music in his work
Japanese Composers Joe Hisaishi, Kenji Kawai, Kento Masuda, and Sakamoto
The new Singularity Album which is for a theatrical show created by Director Raffaele Lamorte
Movie Soundtracks; Vangelis’s Soundtrack for Blade Runner
The Singularity album cover; posters for the films Neon Demon and Stanley Kubrick’s Clockwork Orange
Dino’s upcoming album which has influences from Synthwave, Retrowave, and 90’s Dance Music
Dino’s illustrated novel “Di Undici Foglie” and his upcoming novel “Legend of the Starlight”
Dino’s video game Over The Net from 1991; comparisons to Leisure Suit Larry
Outro: Sex Surrogates and Jealousy
Robert Stark and co-host Pilleater talk to Jay Dyer about the Esoteric Symbolism behind David Lynch’s Twin Peaks and the new series on Showtime. Jay writes film reviews at Jay’s Analysis and is the author of Jay Dyer’s Esoteric Hollywood
Topics:
Intro Song: The Northern Lights – Falling (feat. Lucy Black)
Jay’s article An Esoteric Guide to Twin Peaks
The New Twin Peaks series and how it compares to the original
The prequel film Fire Walk With Me (1992) which reveals the murder mystery aspect of the plot
Twin Peaks’ transition from a Soap Opera parody to a Dark Comedy and then a Surreal Horror
David Lynch’s success in giving clues and keeping the audience in mystery and suspense
Film Noire, the 1950’s theme, and David Lynch’s interest in fusing eras and genres
Themes of dreams and the subconscious
Surrealist influences and David Lynch’s documentary Surrealist Cinema
The role of organized crime in the series
Themes of Conspiracy Theories and the Deep State
Co-creator Mark Frost’s book The Secret History of Twin Peaks
Themes of Occultism
References to Tibetan Buddhism and Native America Mythology
Super Natural Themes; The evil and benign spirits and Killer Bob’s possession of people’s bodies to commit murder
The Black Lodge, the White Lodge, and Glastonbury Grove which is the portal
The aesthetics and symbolism of the “Red Room” and whether it is the Black Lodge or a portal between the worlds
Cooper’s evil version(doppelgänger); Cooper’s escape from the Black Lodge in the new series
How the series is more about Agent Dale Cooper’s journey to the Black Loge then the murder mystery of Laura Palmer
Jay’s expectations for the new series