Shows
Heat Death of the Universe078 - Libra by Don DeLillo (Part I)We begin the second iteration of the Heat Death of the Universe Book Club with the first of two discussions of Don DeLillo's 1988 landmark novel, Libra. Was Lee Harvey Oswald merely a dyslexic contrarian failson who wanted to dad-marry John Wayne, or did he hold deeper philosophical convictions and was his interior life more complex and compelling than it may've seemed in many lights? Just how deranged does one need to be to be a truly gung-ho CIA agent? Can enough research drive a person to a psychotic break? Was the mob more threatened by Bobby or John? Does...
2021-06-181h 25
Heat Death of the Universe069 - Salò, or the 100 Days of Biden feat. Weston PaganoWe're joined by Weston Pagano, the creator of Waiting on Biden, and author of some notable pieces written about the 2020 Democratic Primaries. We discuss Biden's first 100 days in office via his thorough compilation of the current administration's trail of broken promises, extensions of failed policies from previous administrations, determination to keep the imperial nation lumbering along, and so forth. We discuss how to carry out good faith criticism, and a huge bulk of topics related to the Biden Admin, from Black Lives Matter to the minimum wage to aggressive imperialist foreign policy to immigration and beyond. ...
2021-05-102h 39
Heat Death of the Universe067 - The Self-Help and Guru Industrial Complex feat. Ian from Camp ReEducationWe talk about the history of self-help movements and gilded gurus that proselytize their cure-all tonics, wish-fulfillment effects, et cetera, and find something interesting in their modern roots (socialism). We also lay out a taxonomy of the various subspecies of contemporary self-help/life coach/guru figures, from OG kings of the grift like Tony Robbins to the humanoid slugs in the Pickup Artist underbelly to the deranged infomercial doom-pastor Jim Bakker and his reasonably priced buckets of Food™ slurry. We close the episode with a look at how neoliberalism, social atomization, and "personal responsibility" (i.e. self-help) co...
2021-04-282h 13
Heat Death of the Universe066 - Imperializing in StyleBiden requests the largest defense budget since WWII so we take a look at the imperialism, incompetence, the profound bloat and corruption of the military machine that receives more than half of all US federal discretionary spending and whose budget dwarfs all other nations by several orders of magnitude. We review a surprisingly truthful editorial segment from none other than CNN and read selections from Matt Taibbi's thoroughly incisive 2019 piece The Pentagon’s Bottomless Money Pit.General RecommendationsJD's Recommendation: Life in Color with David AttenboroughJNM's Recommendations: 1) Mortal Kombat 2) SeaspiracyFurther Reading, Vie...
2021-04-261h 21
Heat Death of the Universe064 - Our 11th Hour Improvised EpisodeThe plain chaos of existence put a last minute kibosh on our planned episode (with a secret special guest) so we decided, also at the last minute, to just record ourselves talking without any particular agenda. We'll complete our planned episode in a week from now, secret special guest and all. General RecommendationsJNM's Recommendation: Enon - Believo! [LISTEN]JD's Recommendations: 1) Hollow Knight 2) Wanting to see the new Bob Odenkirk movieJoint Recommendation: Katamari DamacyFurther Reading, Viewing, ListeningCorporate Dems CASH IN After Killing $15 Min Wage [WATCH]Biden isn’t end...
2021-04-211h 33
Heat Death of the Universe062 - The Dead-Eyed Cult of the Ivy LeagueWe discuss the 2019 college admissions bribery scandal as portrayed by the documentary Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal as well as a broader view of education in the utterly commodified environment of the United States, ever-saturated with purely transactional relationships in virtually every crack and crevice of life.General RecommendationsJD's Recommendation: SKY CastleJNM's Recommendations: 1) Escape from Pretoria 2) The Gray ZoneFurther Reading, Viewing, ListeningOperation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal | Official Trailer2019 college admissions bribery scandalLocationless Locationsheatdeathpod.comEvery show-related link is...
2021-04-121h 29
Heat Death of the Universe060 - Body Brokers and the Business of RecoveryWe discuss the morally dubious existence of the booming Rehab Industry and the pyramid schemes, dangerous misinformation, primordial greed, and reckless incompetence that lies at its heart.General RecommendationsJNM's Recommendation: Celebrity RehabJD's Recommendation: VincenzoFurther Reading, Viewing, ListeningFrom Rehab to a Body Bag | Dying for Treatment: VICE Reports (VIDEO)As Addiction Deaths Surge, Profit-Driven Rehab Industry Faces 'Severe Ethical Crisis'“Mom, When They Look at Me, They See Dollar Signs”Is Addiction Really a Disease?Marc Lewis: the neuroscientist who believes addiction is not a diseaseThe Business of Reco...
2021-04-071h 13
Heat Death of the Universe059 - The NRA and America's Deranged HivemindA historical view of the National Rifle Association. A grappling with the unique and slippery beast of USA Gun Culture. A peek at the socialist prescription for how to deal with the American Exceptionalism of gun ownership, mass shootings and a ceaseless governmental allergy to nearly all forms of weapons regulation. General RecommendationsJD's Recommendations: Lil Nas X - MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)JNM's Recommendations: The Orphan Master's Son by Adam JohnsonFurther Reading, Viewing, ListeningThe NRA’s Circular Firing SquadGun industry prepares for a surge in dem...
2021-04-022h 03
Heat Death of the Universe058 - Fully Automated Luxury Doomsday SurvivalismReading about various luxury underground bunkers from the inverted condo to the even more decadent fortresses in the Hobbit lands of New Zealand built by Silicon Valley caricatures like the founder of Reddit, eventually led to begin watching the 2012-2014 reality show, Doomsday Preppers, since it was mentioned as an example of survivalism in mainstream culture…and it turned out to be fairly interesting and illuminating with regards to the way people express anxieties about socio-cultural, economic, political, ethical and religious issues, and how these expressions are often rationalized after the fact in ways wholly untethered from reality yet st...
2021-03-312h 04
Heat Death of the Universe057 - Abolish the Senate / Drag the DuopolyIt's a late night double feature. First up, why and how the Senate should be abolished, razed down passed the roots. Next, third parties and why they're generally banished to the netherworld.General RecommendationsJD's Recommendations: 1) what if the Banana was the same distance as the ISS 2) TitusJNM's Recommendations: 1) Don Hertzfeld's entire filmography 2) HappinessFurther Reading, Viewing, ListeningAbolish the Senate by Thomas Geoghegan, author of Only One Thing Can Save Us: Why America Needs a New Kind of Labor MovementThe Case for Abolishing the SenateBehold: The American Political MonopolyLet a...
2021-03-252h 36
Heat Death of the Universe056 - 99 Homes and the Aftermath of 2008We watched and discussed the largely unseen, deal-with-the-devil thriller about the aftermath of the 2008 housing crisis, 99 Homes, directed by Ramin Bahrani, starring Michael Shannon, Andrew Garfield, Laura Dern and Clancy Brown.A desperate construction worker (Andrew Garfield) reluctantly accepts a job with the ruthless real-estate broker (Michael Shannon) who evicted him and his family from their home. General RecommendationsJNM's Recommendations: 1) 99 Homes 2) Dark CrimesJD's Recommendations: Garth Marenghi's DarkplaceLocationless Locationsheatdeathpod.comEvery show-related link is corralled and available here.Heat Death of the Universe - @heatdeathpodJD Newland - @j...
2021-03-192h 18
Heat Death of the Universe055 - Sell Yourself at a Dollar Per Share While Watching Half of Life on Earth VanishCome for the gripes about imperialism, the judicial system, the plentitude of hopeless stupidity in the declining USA, and stay for the aside about carceral v. non-cerceral justice in a deterministic universe, the tale of a man turned himself into 100,000 shares at $1 apiece and the trends that followed in his wake, and then Andrew "Caused 15,000 Deaths" Cuomo almost makes me (Josh) punch a hole through my computer.General RecommendationsJNM's Recommendations: 1) The Master 2) FreewayJD's Recommendations: 1) Future Boy Conan 2) Loop HeroFurther Reading, Viewing, ListeningMeet the Man Who Sold His Fa...
2021-03-151h 36
Heat Death of the Universe053 - Spitting Nails in Our SleepAmazon changes traffic light patterns as union busting. Biden bombs better. Kamala cages comfortably. The Parliamentarian has entered all our lives, now and forever. Kids wear tents. Kids sell lemonade to fight terminal brain cancer. Everything's fucked, so maybe just watch a good movie or two and soon enough you can sell your skin to robots.General RecommendationsJD's Recommendation: 30 CoinsJNM's Recommendation: The Vengeance TrilogyLocationless Locationsheatdeathpod.comEvery show-related link is corralled and available here.Heat Death of the Universe - @heatdeathpodJD Newland - @jdnewlandJoshua Nomen-Mutatio - @ImbalancingActPlease send...
2021-03-021h 21
Heat Death of the Universe052 - Get to the Amazon Debtor's Warehouse-Prison Im-MAY-diatelyBiden admin gets predictably worse and worse. Texas freezes. Textbook disaster capitalism. Cruz, Tanden, Manchin distractions. Prisons find new ways to exploit. Big tech gets bigger, tech-ier. General RecommendationsJD's Recommendations: WandaVisionJNM's Recommendation: We Need to Talk About Kevin (2003 Novel and 2011 Film)Locationless Locationsheatdeathpod.comEvery show-related link is corralled and available here.Heat Death of the Universe - @heatdeathpodJD Newland - @jdnewlandJoshua Nomen-Mutatio - @ImbalancingActPlease send all Letters of Derision, Indifference, Inquiry, Mild Elation, et cetera to: heatdeathoftheuniversepodcast@gmail.comSend us a textSupport the...
2021-02-221h 22
Heat Death of the Universe047 - I Do Love a Soda Fountain With TeethBiden "follows the science," surrounds the Syrian oil fields, offers up the insulting $1400+$600 for further negotiation. Tony Blinken is a slightly more polite Pompeo. These COVID mutations are turning out to be quite serious. Reddit guys ban together to fuck an evil hedge fund out of billions and to illustrate the absurd meaninglessness of the stock market. So it's not all bad news.General RecommendationsJNM's Recommendation: 1) Billions 2) Silicon ValleyJD's Recommendation: Mega ManFurther Reading, Viewing, ListeningJoe Biden Said He’d “Follow the Science” on the Pandemic. He Isn’t.The gl...
2021-01-281h 20
Heat Death of the Universe046 - Lizzie Magie's Anti-Monopoly feat. Boomer Death SquadDanny, Joe and Matt from the Boomer Death Squad (@boomerdeathpod) podcast join us to discuss the largely unknown history behind the Monopoly board game. At the turn of the century, a leftist political activist, resolute feminist, and fascinating renaissance women named Lizzy Magie, created a game to educate others about the evils of accumulated wealth. Follow the winding causal chain of events that led to the complete theft and inversion of her vision and, in true monopolistic form, basically erased her and her original creation from history, absorbing it all and shitting out these cardboard widgets called "Monopoly" that...
2021-01-251h 35
Heat Death of the Universe045 - Gallons of Frothy Bipartisanship Will Save Us!Biden is not the King of Empathy. Kamala would kill her first born for a horizontal promotion. Los Angeles has to lower air quality standards because they're cremating too many bodies from increasing COVID deaths. New admin will fix this by sending everyone back to work and school. We hate it all, don't we, folks? Many other things get brought up but your Dear Typist is too tired to summarize it all. Happy calf-cramping, Mr. Empathy in Chief, you swiss cheese brained mass murderer.General RecommendationsJD's Recommendations: 1) Move to the woods 2) Battle RoyaleJNM's...
2021-01-212h 14
Heat Death of the Universe044 - Century of the Self-Internalized OppressionIn the first 10 days, Biden will heal the soul of the nation via The Ludovico Technique as imagined by radical centrists. The cabinet is full of predictably compromised and nihilistic people. Dark money flows. The vaccine rollout is fucked. P.S. Happy MLK Day.General RecommendationsJD's Recommendation: Bullshit Jobs by David GraeberJNM's Recommendation: The Century of the SelfFurther Reading, Viewing, ListeningScientists urge stronger Paris Agreement pledges to curb climate changeLow-wage workers are suffering from a decline in the real value of the federal minimum wageJoe Biden’s Cabi...
2021-01-181h 43
Heat Death of the Universe043 - Incarcerate the Rick Snyder CutA call to nationalize Big Tech. Trump flees to the Alamo. Biden teaches the country arithmetic like the biggest asshole on earth. AOC continues to dash any hopes that might be remaining. Remember Hunter Biden's incriminating pics and vids? Neither do we. Poof! It never happened. Rick Snyder might just have to pay up to a $1000 fine for poisoning an entire town. What a deal! General RecommendationsJD's Recommendation: VikingsJNM's Recommendation: The StaircaseFurther Reading, Viewing, ListeningIt’s Not a Big Tech Crackdown, It’s an Anti-Monopoly RevolutionWe need to n...
2021-01-151h 27
Heat Death of the Universe042 - Impotently Purging the Trailer Fash in the 11th HourMore details emerge about the tacit or direct involvement of the state in the riot on Capitol Hill. Trump's permanent banning from Twitter et al creates a predictable shouting match within the left about tactics, censorship, and free speech. How seriously do people take their scolding and scaremongering? Axe Body Spray 4 democracy. Olive Garden's craven act of pasta-based punishment has been debunked. Kamala gets undermined by the elite and scheming fashionistas at Vogue Magazine. Biden continues to fail before he even begins. Joe Manchin is a name we will see far too much of in the future.
2021-01-112h 15
Heat Death of the Universe041 - Insurrection Happy HourWade through that MAGA flood up on Capitol Hill. Democrats have no more excuses (but will create them anyway). Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos remain the worst the species has to offer.General RecommendationsJD's Recommendation: Hiram Walker Peppermint Schnapps 90 ProofJNM's Recommendations: Morning Joe - January 7, 2021: Cold Open Montage (feat. Johnny Cash 'Hurt')Further Reading, Viewing, ListeningMadness on Capitol HillAfter Their Victories in Georgia, the Democrats Have No More ExcusesElon Musk passes Jeff Bezos to become the richest person on EarthHas Jeff Bezos Decided To End World Hunger? (@HasBezosDecided...
2021-01-081h 32
Heat Death of the Universe040 - Vee Belief in Nussing, Pelosi!Trump does pathetic mafioso cosplay and we wish him well on his yet to be named plan to build a bigger, gold-er, version of the White House next to the original. Julian Assange faces the first decent news in a decade. Congress continues to absorb and transform people like The Thing. The briefest of histories of Presidential pardons.General RecommendationsJNM's Recommendations: Knowledge FightJD's Recommendation: Crusader Kings IIIFurther Reading, Viewing, ListeningTranscript: President Trump’s Phone Call With Georgia Election OfficialsJulian Assange: UK judge blocks extradition of Wikileaks founder to...
2021-01-051h 24
Heat Death of the Universe039 - The 2020 Human Misery OlympicsWe strike a pose like Janus, the dual-faced god looking both to the past and future simultaneously, and mostly dig into other years throughout history that are held in infamy from our perch here at the end of 2020 and the dawn of 2021.General RecommendationsJD's Recommendation: One PieceJNM's Recommendations: 1) Midsommar (Director's Cut) 2) Ari Aster on Midsommar, Cathartic Endings, the Director's Cut, and His Favorite Films 3) Ari Aster | Hereditary | Film Comment Talk 4) Ari Aster Discusses the Director's Cut of MidsommarFurther Reading, Viewing, ListeningLife for the Average Family During the...
2021-01-021h 40
Heat Death of the Universe038 - $2000 Per Month is an Attack on Every AmericanAmazon's current form as a refutation of the intellectual justifications for capitalism. More stimulus bill fuckery. Trump pardons Black Water murderers amongst other murderers. Identity politics continue to be crassly used to shield bad politics from critique.General RecommendationsJD's Recommendations: Flatland: The MovieJNM's Recommendation: The Machine Stops by E.M. ForsterFurther Reading, Viewing, ListeningHow Amazon Destroys the Intellectual Justifications for CapitalismWhere In The World Is Kamala Harris?A look at the 29 people Trump pardoned or gave commutations“These Men Were Undeserving”: FBI Investigator Slams Trump’s Blackwater Pardon...
2020-12-291h 51
Heat Death of the Universe037 - We Can Be H.E.R.O.E.S. Just For One Great ConjunctionWe do a light excavation of the newly passed (yet to be signed into law) "HEROES Act" (H.R. 133). Stanford Medical Center gives vaccines to each and every more deserving "elite" in their ranks while 1,342 frontline medical workers are left empty handed. As the vaccines roll out (and slowly trickle down from Mt. Olympus, where all our godlike ruling class reside) the UK is exploding with a new, highly infectious, strain of COVID-19, which Boris Johnson's insane, homicidal, "herd immunity" policies 1000% created the conditions for. But, on the other hand, Saturn and Jupiter have aligned in a way not s...
2020-12-231h 27
Heat Death of the Universe036 - Sacrificing Lives for the HolidaysMayor Pete's impeccable qualifications for ruining public transit. AOC plays nice with Pelosi and still gets booted out of a key committee seat. Briahna Joy Gray makes the case for forcing a floor vote on Medicare for All. Delivery drivers in South Korea are being worked to death, literally. Leaked emails reveal the true intentions of the elite to deliberately infect huge numbers of people with COVID-19.General RecommendationsJD's Recommendation: The Uncanny CounterJNM's Recommendation: SuccessionFurther Reading, Viewing, ListeningSouth Bend mayor stands behind Smart Streets after traffic deathAOC...
2020-12-211h 08
Heat Death of the Universe035 - Hunter Biden's Generic Post Zombie Formalism IllustrationState of the Corona Virus. Andrew "Camus" Cuomo gets an Emmy. Fauci and Biden-Harris get fellated by Time Magazine. Hunter Biden is an artiste. Nina Turner (yay!), Mayor Pete (nay). Massive corporations thrive harder than ever during the pandemic and their CEOs brag about it and laugh in our faces. The historically massive strikes and protests in India continue to grow.General RecommendationsJNM's Recommendation: PCUJD's Recommendations: 1) The Turbo Kid 2) qBittorent Jackett plug-inFurther Reading, Viewing, ListeningAlmost 1,000 daily COVID-19 deaths in Germany: The criminal outcome of keeping businesses and...
2020-12-181h 24
Heat Death of the Universe034 - Jimmy Dores / Joey BidesWe talk about the recent hubbub over Jimmy Dore's proposal that politicians actually use their power for the things they claim to be in favor of and after that we explore the bottomless depths of Joe Biden's depravity.General RecommendationsJD's Recommendation: Dehd - Flower of DevotionJNM's Recommendation: Threats by Amelia GrayFurther Reading, Viewing, ListeningJimmy Dore Calls on Democrats to Withhold Support for Nancy Pelosi Unless She Brings Single Payer Medicare for All to a VoteHere's What Medicare For All Supporters In Congress Can Actually DoBiden's Leaked Audio: R...
2020-12-151h 54
Heat Death of the Universe033 - Bolivian Water WarsIn light of water recently being traded on Wall Street as a commodity, we talk about the privatization of Bolivia's water in the late 90s/early 2000s, more specifically the Cochabamba Water War. The Bechtel Corporation literally charged people for the rain water.(Seoul's remarkably high air pollution on 12/11/2020 was making us feel like shit during this one.)General RecommendationsJD's Recommendation: Porridge Radio, Every BadJNM's Recommendations: 1) Burning & 2) Demand your Representatives withhold their vote for Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House unless she brings Medicare for All to the floor for a...
2020-12-111h 06
Heat Death of the Universe032 - Capitalism's Winter of Death + CocoRosie/Camus/CuomoWe attempt and fail to steer completely clear of the State of the Corona Virus but eventually claw our way back to the ol' chaotic maelstrom of the Roulette Wheel of Clickbait and headlines otherwise. We also pose the eternal philosophical question "What is a vaccine, really?"General RecommendationsJNM's Recommendations: 1) Cocorosie & 2) MankJD's Recommendation: YaejiFurther Reading, Viewing, ListeningCapitalism’s winter of deathDid coronavirus data whistleblower hack Florida’s emergency alert system? Police raid homeThe UK approved Pfizer's vaccine too quickly and without the proper checks, EU politicians have warn...
2020-12-081h 30
Heat Death of the Universe031 - Meanwhile in India: 250,000,000 Workers StrongWe discuss the heartening news of what is likely the largest general strike in history: 250 million farmers, laborers, unionists, etc, have united in a courageous march upon New Delhi and it gives a glimmer of hopeful possibilities of mass labor movements and general strikes as an effective tactic in the future (though the lot of us probably have to get a lot more desperate first). General RecommendationsJD's Recommendation: The Windup Girl by Paolo BacigalupiJNM's Recommendation: Super Flat Times by Matthew DerbyFurther Reading, Viewing, ListeningOver 250 million workers join...
2020-12-041h 04
Heat Death of the Universe030 - The Heat Deaths Meet The Boomer Death Squads, Crossover ExtravaganzaWe convened, in clandestine fashion, with The BDS. The Boomer Death Squad (@BoomerDeathPod), of course. We had a grand ol' time orbiting around the conceit of assessing the Obama Years. This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Oh, and: This confession...has meant...nothing.General RecommendationsJNM's Recommendations: 1) Love Liza & 2) Wild Turkey 101JD's Recommendation: Mythic QuestDanny's Recommendations: 1) Jesus Son & 2) Grow a moustache & 3) King of Comedy & 4) Barton Fink & 5) Sour MonkeyJoe's Recommendations: 1) Casino & 2) The nation of Ireland & 3) RumMatt's Recommendations: 1) Fargo (TV Series, Season Four) & 2) Watchmen & 3) Wild TurkeyLocationless LocationsEvery show-related l...
2020-11-292h 47
Heat Death of the Universe028 - Michael Bay's Sick Sad WorldWe tried once again to push the boundaries of our physical and psychological ability to endure extended, uninterrupted viewings of blockbuster cinematic universes with the 12 hour total runtime of the Transformers franchise. Unlike the 16 hours we endured during our Fast and Furious franchise marathon, we failed to complete the task. We still had a few things to say about the experience, about Michael Bay in general, and about the military-entertainment complex. P.S. Commentary tracks (made during this torturous endeavor) for the first four movies in the franchise will be released gradually over the next week or...
2020-11-241h 22
Heat Death of the Universe027 - Yass VaccineVaccine or Vacc-unseen? Nancy Pelosi remains to be just the worst. Student debt relief is about as likely as ever seeing another COVID stimulus relief check, unfortunately.General RecommendationsJNM's Recommendations: 1) Ikuru & 2) DogtoothJD's Recommendations: Kiss Me DeadlyFurther Reading, Viewing, ListeningGrowing support among workers for shutdown of nonessential production as US death toll tops 250,000Pfizer ends vaccine trial with 95% success rate, paving way for a shot this yearWhy the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine is a cause for optimism — and skepticismThe real record of Nancy PelosiBiden Wants To Help Pay So...
2020-11-201h 08
Heat Death of the Universe026 - The Kamala Harris Administration Appoints Joe Biden to Secretary of GaffesWe take a closer look at some of the probable Biden cabinet picks, inevitably address the COVID crisis a bit as it is omnipresent, and issue a few stray thoughts on the Trumpian coup.General RecommendationsJNM's Recommendation: Room 237Official Trailer | HD | IFC FilmsFull documentary (Vimeo)JD's Recommendations: 1) Tower of God & 2) The God of HighschoolLocationless LocationsHeat Death of the Universe - @heatdeathpodJD Newland - @jdnewlandJoshua Nomen-Mutatio - @ImbalancingActPlease send all Letters of Derision, Indifference, Inquiry, Mild Elation, et cetera to:heatdeathoftheuniversepodcast@gmail.comEvery show-related link is corralled...
2020-11-161h 24
Heat Death of the Universe023 - Give Us This Day Our Daily ClickbaitThe US breaks more records. Holograms praise people. Discount full body contact leopard encounter. Diamonds made from the sky. Black Plague remembrance day. Expensive asteroid. Caspian Sea Monster. Misplaced nuclear bombs. Lisbon's destruction in 1755. Jason makes significant advances in Flat Earth Theory. Tigers and a bear predict the upcoming presidential election outcome via watermelons. General RecommendationsJNM's Recommendation: The films of Neil Breen:In praise of Neil Breen, an auteur who finds new and exciting ways to be bad with every movie he makes by Leor GalilWhy Fateful Findings Deserves Cult Status by Nathan Rab...
2020-11-021h 26
Heat Death of the Universe018 - Honey, I Broke the Sound Barrier's War on DrugsWe experiment with a more freeform style of conversation and then attempt to do a segment we intended to do before Episode 001 where we rifle through births, deaths, events, and holidays that occurred on the day we're recording. We revisit the War on Drugs, Chuck Yeager, Teddy Roosevelt's thwarted assassination attempt, and the underlying connections between National Dessert Day, National Pet Obesity Day, and National Fossil Day, among other meandering mental associations.General RecommendationsJNM's Recommendation: American MovieJD's Recommendation: Lovecraft CountryFurther Reading, Viewing, ListeningReadTennessee educators...
2020-10-141h 44
Heat Death of the Universe017 - The Eternal Recurrence of the Roaring TwentiesQAnon is still too idiotic to live. Trump still has COVID and is in a perpetually manic state. Biden is still depressingly terrible in every way. David Brooks is still a bloviating, smug moron. The Roaring Twenties still should not be idealized. The future is still a sprawling landmine field of "unknown unknowns." General RecommendationsJD's Recommendation: HadesJNM's Recommendations: SwallowFurther Reading, Viewing, ListeningReadThe most unhinged Trump conspiracy theory comes from – who else? – QAnon followersTrump says he’s calling off stimulus negotiations with Democrats ‘until after the elec...
2020-10-081h 23
Heat Death of the Universe016 - The Bipartisanship of COVID-19We mark the horrific milestone of passing one million COVID deaths (roughly 25% in the US which has 4% of the population), briefly rehash the grotesquery of the Presidential Debate, contemplate the possibility of a Trump coup, face the fact that many other experts and politicians were just as deceitful about the reality of COVID as Trump was in the early days of the pandemic, and do a thorough read-through of a classic Current Affairs article by Luke Savage (@LukewSavage) about the "Curse of Bipartisanship." P.S. There's an eerie howling wind in the background throughout the episode. Literally...
2020-10-052h 16
Heat Death of the Universe014 - The Unrelenting Horizonlessness of Clickbait RouletteThings get pretty loose on today's edition of Clickbait Roulette. We also went on to record a movie commentary for Game Change immediately after this. General RecommendationsJNM's Recommendation: How It's MadeJD's Recommendation: A Visit From the Goon SquadFurther Reading, Viewing, ListeningReadMeet Mongolia's most eligible eagle hunterWe're all medieval monks now'Most clothes can be recycled' and 8 other myths'Killer whales attacked my yacht for 45 minutes'Scientists win award for giving an alligator helium and making it shoutReport noisy karaoke singers to help fight coronavirus, Philippine governor urges...
2020-09-281h 31
Heat Death of the Universe013 - WAR IS A RACKET!We glance into the fascinating and interlinked historical events of the Business Plot (to overthrow FDR's White House on behalf of a handful of wealthy industrialists), the Bonus Army's March upon Washington DC, and the figure of Major General Smedley Darlington Butler and his rallying cry against the profit motive as connected to warfare, in his book War is a Racket.General RecommendationsJD's Recommendation: Internet Archive: Classic PC GamesJNM's Recommendation: They Shall Not Grow OldFurther Reading, Viewing, ListeningReadWar is a Racket by Smedley Butler...
2020-09-231h 39
Heat Death of the Universe012 - Kill Yr Idols: Political Phantasmagoria EditionIn this late night edition, we talk about wishful thinking, hero-worship, myth-making, cults of personality, et cetera, within in the political realm, be it through mind-numbingly inane fanfiction, terrible Hollywood screenwriters, or the delusional cries into the chasm of twitter and reddit and the like.General RecommendationsJD's Recommendation: The Boys (again, oops) & Psycho Mall WalkerJNM's Recommendation: One Strange RockFurther Reading, Viewing, ListeningReadNo Politician Deserves Fan FictionBen Garrison image searchJon McNaughton image searchThe Strange, Nostalgic World of Obama-Biden Fan FictionHope Never Dies: An Obama Biden...
2020-09-221h 33
Heat Death of the Universe011 - Blood Red Skies & Broken PromisesOur mid week early morning episode centers around two of the latest articles from Luke Savage (@LukewSavage) in the ideologically-aligned warm embrace of Jacobin. The first regarding the absolute imperative need for a Green New Deal to even possibly combat the effects of climate change. The second deals with the perpetual disappointment of the Biden campaign, which not only will never be pushed leftward, but won't even deliver on its own lukewarm platform and promises. General RecommendationsJD's Recommendation: Castaway on the MoonJNM's Recommendation: Understories by Tim HorvathFurther Reading, Viewing, Listening
2020-09-171h 32
Heat Death of the Universe010 - Nikola Tesla's Big Mouth Billy Bass: (3)6 Chambers of Clickbait RouletteRound three of the adrenaline-surging, highest of high stakes endeavor of Clickbait Roulette. It's a fun one. Or it isn't. You be the judge. Our fate is in your hands while our mouths are in your ears. General RecommendationsJNM's Recommendation: In FabricJD's Recommendation: Liveship Traders TrilogyFurther Reading, Viewing, ListeningRead4 insane things just happened to TeslaFBI investigating report of 'guy in jetpack'World's slowest musical composition changes chord Talking robots could be used to combat lonelinessThese 'living clothes' can absorb carbon emissionsNASA wants to buy moon rocksQAnon f...
2020-09-131h 43
Heat Death of the Universe009 - Flint: Check Your Clean Water PrivilegeBut seriously, of course clean water is a right and not, as some seem to believe, a privileged commodity. The Biden campaign's recent, gleeful acceptance and touting of the endorsement from former Michigan GOP Governor, and obvious angel of death, Rick Snyder—this sparked an interest in taking a closer, retrospective look at the still ongoing water crisis in Flint, Michigan. Ways to help: 6 Flint Area Organizations That Are Making a DifferenceGeneral RecommendationsJD's Recommendation: Raised by WolvesJNM's Recommendation: The CorporationFurther Reading, Viewing, ListeningRead...
2020-09-101h 26
Heat Death of the Universe008 - I'm Thinking of Ending ThingsWe take a much needed breather from all things psychologically-battering and ulcer-inducing (politics, climate catastrophe, pandemics, Aaron Sorkin) in order to discuss and recount the brand new (and extremely anticipated by yours truly) Charlie Kaufman film I'm Thinking of Ending Things and delve into Kaufman's magnificent filmography more generally. There will be significant spoilers—including this one: we highly recommend the movie, so go check it out (possibly more than once) on netflixdotcom (linked above) and then return to this episode.General RecommendationsJNM's Recommendations: 1) Nine Eyes of Google Street View & 2) Hope Never Leaves th...
2020-09-083h 02
Heat Death of the Universe007 - More Like Charlie Wilson's Bore, Folks!We wanted to hand over a lighthearted episode after the dark clouds of the DNC/RNC and we did! Lighthearted is a synonym for three-fourths drunk, yes? Yes. We recorded a commentary track for 2007's dull and infuriating Aaron Sorkin penned, conveniently glossed over, slice of modern US imperialist Cold War history, Charlie Wilson's War. Immediately after this we continued to celebrate everything and nothing by consuming more alcohol and attempted to make an episode reflecting upon the film and our loosey-goosey commentary. We decided to just upload it totally unedited (for content), either as a radical gesture of...
2020-09-031h 11
Heat Death of the Universe006 - RNC: The Dullest of Death CultsWe attempt to countenance the disorienting glare of the flag-draped COVID-19 vector euphemized as the "Republican National Convention." We cause vital blood vessels to explode in our brains by bearing witness to the all-sensory bombardment of a turbo-speed edit of the "highlights." Afterward, we try to supply the ballast needed for our RNC-battered minds by listening to Chris Hedges explain why "lesser of two evil"-ism is a dead end and cannot be an option in electoral politics, as well as the imperative need to create a third party to shatter the US duopolistic stranglehold. ...
2020-08-301h 56
Heat Death of the Universe005 - Clickbait Roulette™ LullabyChronic sleep-deprivation collides with another early midweek recording session and a few rounds of Clickbait Roulette™. Patents were proposed. Goof-abouts were gathered. News headline veils were lifted. Typhoon "Barbie" was on its way as well.General RecommendationsJD's recommendation: The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin 刘慈欣 (@liu_cixin)JNM's recommendation: Broadcast (in general) - Tender Buttons (more specifically)Further Reading, Viewing, ListeningReadInformation about the 2019 film VivariumCircuit bending is "the creative, chance-based customization of the circuits within electronic devices such as low-voltage, battery-powered guitar effects, children's toys and digital...
2020-08-261h 17
Heat Death of the Universe004 - DNC Beyond PanderdomeAfter surviving the psychic gulag of watching all eight Fast & Furious movies, we jumped ship out of that frying pan into the fire of the 2020 Democratic National Convention and said our piece. Come for the livid reactions from yours truly, stay for the markedly better explanations from Briahna Joy Gray.General RecommendationsJD's recommendation: Bright Eyes - Down in the Weeds, Where the World Once WasJNM's recomendation: Blueprints of the Afterlife by Ryan BoudinotFurther Reading, Viewing, ListeningReadJoe Biden: It Would Be an Insult to My...
2020-08-241h 55
Heat Death of the Universe003 - The 21st Century as Seen Through a Furious FranchiseImmediately after recording our previous episode, we moved the recording equipment in front of the TV, and began to watch all eight of the movies from the Fast & Furious franchise, in a single, virtually uninterrupted, sitting. We'd never seen any of these movies prior. We laughed and cried (and cried and laughed about it all again) through approximately 16 hours of running time. We reflect upon this very ill-advised act during today's episode. General RecommendationsJNM's Recommendation: The Saddest Music in the WorldJD's Recommendations: 1) Staying Indoors and 2) Smashed BurgersFurther Reading, Viewing, Listening
2020-08-191h 09
Heat Death of the Universe002 - The Bone-Chilling Cackle of Kamala HarrisWe've returned, against the odds, with a conversation centered around the news of Kamala Harris becoming the VP candidate alongside Joe "C'mon, Man" Biden. The centerpiece of the episode was the Jacobin article "Joe Biden Has Found His Neoliberal Match in Kamala Harris" by Branko Marcetic. General RecommendationsJD's Recommendation: 7 WondersJNM's Recommendation: CinemaniaFurther Reading, Viewing, ListeningColbert & Kamala: It was a de-BATE! IT WAS A DEBATE! DEBATE! DEBATE!Richard Medhurst (@richimedhurst): —Kamala Cackles Gleefully About Jailing Parents for Truancy—Kamala Harris Lies Through Enti...
2020-08-161h 32
Heat Death of the Universe001 - Tactical Baby HolstersAfter pushing through the knotty chaos of equipment acquisition stumbling blocks, a self-taught crash course in sound engineering and editing, relearning how to think and speak in the context of Podcast, and the evergreen, debilitating, self-conscious states of our very minds, we offer up this inaugural episode. We blindly delve into some truncated and often misleading news headlines, predict their contents, then reveal the actual gristle and bone behind their clickbait exteriors.General RecommendationsJNM's Recommendation: The Flame Alphabet by Ben MarcusJD's Recommendation: The ExpanseFurther ReadingExchange Transfusion (Blood...
2020-08-141h 13