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Ausgang Podcast (Die bunte Stunde - queere Themen)
DGS#133 - Krachwerk - Lukas König & Luca Künstler - Techno DJs aus Köln
Luca Künstler (li.) und Lukas König heißen als Techno DJ-Duo Krachwerk © Toni Borgert Techno aus Köln: Luca und Lukas sind das DJ-Duo Krachwerk Die beiden Kölner Luca Künstler und Lucas König sind Schulfreunde und machen als DJ-Duo Krachwerk Techno. Techno mag seinen Ursprung in Deutschland vor allem in Berlin und Frankfurt am Main haben. Mit der Zeit hat sich auch in Köln eine große Fanbase gebildet. Das haben auch Luca und Lukas von Krachwerk verstanden und sind mittlerweile Teil der Kölner Technoszene. Langsam aber sicher bahnen sich...
2024-01-28
1h 32
Nachricht von SAM - der Podcast für Künstler:innen
# 10 SHORT | Social Media für Künstler*innen ?
>> Social Media
2023-10-30
27 min
Nachricht von SAM - der Podcast für Künstler:innen
#8 SHORT | Vita - aber wie ? - für Künstler:innen mit und OHNE Berufserfahrung
Hallo an aller Urlauber*innen :) Wir hoffen ihr hattet einen schönen Sommer. Unser Podcast Team ist zurück aus der Sommerpause und wir haben bereits die ersten neuen Folgen aufgenommen. Heute stellen wir euch ein neues Folgenformat vor : in unseren neuen Short Folgen wollen wir euch (unter 30min) kurz und knapp über ein spannendes Thema informieren. Heute ist unser Thema der künstlerische Lebenslauf! CV, Vita, Bio .. egal wie ihr es nennt.. Künstler:innen werden spätestens am Ende ihrer Ausbildung damit in Berührung kommen...
2023-09-26
30 min
Nachricht von SAM - der Podcast für Künstler:innen
#4 Gastfolge | Nico Vanni | Kostümdepartment & Dresser am Theater
Hier kommt unsere erste "Gast-Folge" und wir freuen uns wahnsinnig gleichzeitig einen so spannenden Beruf am Theater vorzustellen zu können. Nico Vanni arbeitet gerade als Dresser des Kostüm Departments im Deutschen Theater München. Er erzählt in dieser Folge über seinen Werdegang, die Arbeit am Theater und inwiefern Künstler mit ihm zusammenarbeiten. Was ist eigentlich ein Quickchange ? Was müssen Künstler darüber wissen ? Und wie können Darsteller die Arbeit von Dressern erleichtern ? Also wieder mal eine spannende Folge für Künstler, angehende Dresser...und alle die sich daf...
2023-08-07
45 min
Düsseldorfer Künstler: Ateliergespräche
Sala Lieber
Weitere Infos gibt es hier: Sala Lieber bei den Düsseldorfer Künstler: http://duesseldorfer-kuenstler.de/kuenstler/malerei/260-sala-lieber.html weitere Links zum Künstler: www.salalieber.com
2022-06-28
51 min
Düsseldorfer Künstler: Ateliergespräche
Hilla Hüber
Weitere Infos gibt es hier: Hilla Hüber bei den Düsseldorfer Künstler: http://duesseldorfer-kuenstler.de/kuenstler/malerei/hilla-hueber.html weitere Links zum Künstler: wwww.hilla-hueber-studio.com
2022-06-14
42 min
Düsseldorfer Künstler: Ateliergespräche
Dirk Balke
Weitere Infos gibt es hier: Dirk Balke bei den Düsseldorfer Künstler: http://duesseldorfer-kuenstler.de/kuenstler/malerei/dirk-balke.html weitere Links zum Künstler: www.dirkbalke.com
2022-06-07
47 min
Düsseldorfer Künstler: Ateliergespräche
Merle Forchmann
Weitere Infos gibt es hier: Merle Forchmann bei den Düsseldorfer Künstler: http://duesseldorfer-kuenstler.de/kuenstler/fotografie/merle-forchmann.html weitere Links zum Künstler: www.merleforchmann.de
2022-05-31
30 min
Düsseldorfer Künstler: Ateliergespräche
Klaus Heckhoff
Weitere Infos gibt es hier: Klaus Heckhoff bei den Düsseldorfer Künstler: http://duesseldorfer-kuenstler.de/kuenstler/malerei/klaus-heckhoff.html weitere Links zum Künstler: heckhoff-buero9@t-online.de
2022-05-12
40 min
Düsseldorfer Künstler: Ateliergespräche
Helga Weidenmüller
Daniela und Eve sprechen mit der wunderbaren Helga Weidenmüller über mutige Frauen, Kreativität in Coronazeiten und warum Kunst trotzdem wichtig ist. Es wird viel gelacht und munter interpretiert. Helga Weidenmüller erklärt ihre Ausstellungskonzeptionen, warum Frauen oft die härteren Kerle sind und am Ende vielleicht doch die Welt regieren. Was hat das Ganze noch mal mit Marathon zu tun? Zum Schluss werden die Düsseldorfer Künstler nochmal ausgiebig gebauchpinselt und Daniela und Eve durchleuchten die Ideen zu den DDK-Jahresausstellungen. Weitere Infos gibt es hier: Helga Weidenmüller bei den Düsseldorfer...
2022-01-19
39 min
Düsseldorfer Künstler: Ateliergespräche
U.H. Mayer
Welche eine Ehre: Der erste Podcast der Düsseldorfer Künstler eröffnet mit einem gehörigen Tusch! Daniela und Eve begeben sich zusammen mit dem berühmten Fotografen U.H. Mayer auf Zeitreise. Dabei lernen die Ladies der Generation X was eine Photographen-Lehre mit Brotmarken zu tun hat und was es eigentlich abzulichten galt 1946. Uli und Daniele schwelgen in Erinnerungen, während Eve ständig dazwischen quatscht und immer etwas zu schnell unterwegs ist. U.H. Mayer philosophiert über Pflicht und Kür in der Industriefotographie und was ihn eigentlich an den Fußböden der Kunstakademie so fasziniert...
2022-01-11
23 min
Kulturchallenge-Künstler engagieren sich
Interview mit dem tollen Künstler Jan Koemmet
Ein sehr interessantes und schönes Interview mit dem tollen Künstler Jan Koemmet. Da muss man reinhören. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/kulturchallenge/message
2021-03-17
36 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast 305
Informal Q and A session with questions from listeners with Jim Kunstler, host of The Kunstlercast. I've enjoyed other people's AMA shows around the web so here we go. This is an experiment, of course, and I understand now why I haven’t done it before. It’s not easy spouting off into a microphone by yourself and remaining coherent. I hope it works for all y’all. I’ll be back in the usual format with a guest interview in a couple of weeks. Hope you’re having a great summer.
2018-07-07
34 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast Bonus Edition -- S-Town
In this bonus episode, James Howard Kunstler reunites with former KunstlerCast host/producer Duncan Crary for a behind-the-scenes discussion of JHK’s personal connection to the wildly popular S-Town podcast, a This American Life spinoff program. Back around 2010-2013, John B. McLemore, the tragic figure at the center of the series began an email correspondence with JHK. John B was a real person, referred to by various people in the series as “brilliant,” “a genius,” “a real character,” and he was for sure. He was also a fan of Jim’s books, and, after getting his phone number off his website, took...
2017-05-31
36 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast 289 -- David Collum, Fun with Financial Markets
[embed]http://traffic.libsyn.com/kunstlercast/KunstlerCast_289.mp3[/embed] Today I’m yakking with return guest David Collum, the Betty R. Miller Professor of Chemistry at Cornell University, who has become a popular presence on the internet commenting on the financial system and the related predicaments of our time. He’s also been involved in the campus culture wars and is not too shy to talk about it. Dave is a live wire and lots of fun. This podcast is sponsored by David McAlvany’s excellent firm, ICA, for assistance in adding precious metals to your investment portfolio and advice on mana...
2017-03-29
57 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
Kunstler_Cast 277 Steve Ludlum
Steve Ludlum is a native mid-westerner who has spent most of his 65 years on the East Coast. Steve is a Pulitzer Prize winning photographer who has also been at various times an amateur naturalist, artist, designer and writer. He currently studies economic issues, resource- and energy depletion, monetary policy and the cause-and-effect relationship with American-style culture. His excellent and original blog, Economic Undertow is at http://www.economic-undertow.com. Don’t forget the hyphen! Steve is currently working on a book on macro-economics.
2016-05-18
51 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
Kunstler Cast 219 - Quant-O-Rama
#219 In his never-ending quest to make sense of the financial scene, JHK chats with his old buddy David Aronson, a predictive analytics and data mining specialist, otherwise known in the financial sector as a "quant." Dave did not verify my own prejudices or validate my hypothesis about the exact nature of the mischief in the dark realm of money, but we had a lively conversation about it.
2013-03-01
35 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KC #216: Chatting with the brave younger generation....
JHK banters with videographer Joe Schiappi, 27, who came to the Kunstler cave to interview JHK for a video about about technology, art, and the future, but also ended up as a guest on the podcast in Jim's quest to suss out the mood of the 20-something generation. Joe has been living in Switzerland, Norway, Australia, and New Zealand since graduating from the University of Wisconsin.
2013-02-07
35 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #214: A Small American City
James Howard Kunstler will be resuming the KunstlerCast, solo, in the near future. In the meantime, this is the "pilot" episode for "A Small American City," a new podcast series by former KunstlerCast host Duncan Crary. Jim helped Duncan launch the new series with this special interview. TROY, N.Y. - For many Americans, "The City" only refers to New York City, or one of the other major metroplexes in the country with populations in the millions. But North America is filled with smaller cities that were once just as lively, if only at a smaller scale...
2012-12-28
44 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #211: JHK's Edible Garden
JHK gives a walking tour of the grounds of the Kunstler Compound in Washington County, NY and updates listeners on his progress in planting his own edible garden and orchard.
2012-07-19
21 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #175: Despotic Christian Theocrats on the Rise
There's a crazy Christian cult on the rise in the US and JHK believes Americans needs to watch out. The New Apostolic Reformation is a dangerous movement exerting its influence on the American political sphere during a time when this country is so fraught with problems that we are leaving ourselves vulnerable to being pushed around by crazy people like this, Kunstler says. The group -- which has connections to presidential candidates Rick Perry and Michele Bachman -- not only believes in literal devils but that certain American politicians are afflicted by these demons. More concerning is their belief...
2011-10-06
51 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #151: Energy Delusions
James Howard Kunstler believes Americans and their leaders are lying to themselves about our current energy predicament. There is a tremendous body of fantasy about how much energy Americans can harvest from shale gas, shale oil, tar sands, running the American truck fleet on natural gas and other forms of alternative fuel for motoring. There is even one fantasy that an endless supply of abiotic oil is located in the earth’s core. Kunstler runs down the list and gives us the score.
2011-04-07
23 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #150: Suburban Sprawl in the Rustbelt
James Howard Kunstler reacts to a recent article from Rustwire.com titled "Michigan CEO: Soul-Crushing Sprawl Killing Business." Kunstler believes that the diminishing returns of suburbia are becoming self-evident to people of all walks of life, and this piece of writing is yet another example. He also corrects some of his previous comments about Detroit and the Eminem Chrysler ad. At the end of the program, Duncan plays some music by Michigan-based band Frontier Ruckus from their album "Deadmalls&Nightfalls."
2011-03-31
43 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #136: Perth, Australia
James Howard Kunstler reports on his recent trip to Perth, Australia. He joins host Duncan Crary by telephone during a long layover at the LAX aiport on the return trip. Kunstler found Perth to be a very pleasant city with good urbanism and public transit. And in spite of an enthusiasm for suruban development, the center city is very dense. However, he believes Australians may be caught off guard by the coming geopolitical changes of the Long Emergency.
2010-12-03
43 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #130: Seattle
James Howard Kunstler shares his observations of Seattle based on his recent trip to that city. He believes that the Queen Anne Hill neighborhood gives one an idea of what the best of American urbanism can be, inspite of some clunky housing types. Though downtown is active and fairly pleasant, JHK has ominous feelings about the future of its many glass apartment towers. Kunstler also describes the Capitol Hill neighborhood, University District, Pike Place Market and Pioneer Square. He talks about riding the bus and the lessons we can learn from the lame monorail. Seattle is also home to...
2010-10-21
42 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #129: Gambling
James Howard Kunstler examines the last ditch effort of some states to try to generate revenue through casinos. Kunstler believes gambling is a marginal activity that states should not be pushing into the mainstream. Also featured in this episode is a short clip from JHK's one hour interview on KBOO public radio in Portland, Ore.
2010-10-14
14 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #124: The American Vacation
James Howard Kunstler muses on The American Vacation and why the act of vacationing in American has become so stressful and unpleasant. He also shares his observations on Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, three states he visited during his own recent vacation. Kunstler doesn't believe that motor-based tourism will be around for much longer...and that's probably a good thing.
2010-09-03
43 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #123: The Witch of Hebron
Journalist/Author Peter Golden interviews James Howard Kunstler about The Witch of Hebron, the second novel in Kunstler's World Made By Hand series. Without giving away any major plot points, Golden explores the major themes in this Autumn story set in a world after the lights have flickered out and the oil has dried up. Topics include: the rule of law, the importance of ritual holidays, and the role of religion in a tight-knit community. In this novel, Kunstler has revealed more about the circumstances that have placed his characters in a world without modernity. Golden aks if Kunstler...
2010-08-27
39 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #119: The Projects - Audio Only
JHK explores a mostly abandoned low-income housing project in Duncan's neighborhood. Two of the three 9-story brick "vertical slums" are boarded up and abandoned. They come complete with their own "rape-o-matic" tunnel for pedestrians to travel under the bridge ramp that separates them. Kunstler says these "towers in a park" are based on the ideas of Le Corbusier, the Swiss-French architect/planner whose "Radiant City" plans envisioned turning the right bank of Paris into a series of high rise towers connected by highways. Corbu's plans were not implemented in Paris, but his ideas didn't die. In fact they morphed...
2010-07-08
16 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #119: Enhanced - The Projects
JHK explores a mostly abandoned low-income housing project in Duncan's neighborhood. Two of the three 9-story brick "vertical slums" are boarded up and abandoned. They come complete with their own "rape-o-matic" tunnel for pedestrians to travel under the bridge ramp that separates them. Kunstler says these "towers in a park" are based on the ideas of Le Corbusier, the Swiss-French architect/planner whose "Radiant City" plans envisioned turning the right bank of Paris into a series of high rise towers connected by highways. Corbu's plans were not implemented in Paris, but his ideas didn't die. In fact they morphed...
2010-07-08
00 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #117: Berlin
James Howard Kunstler reports on his recent visit to Berlin, Germany...the one place where people know how to pronounce his name correctly. Thirteen years ago, James Howard Kunstler traveled to Berlin, Germany to research a chapter for his third nonfiction book, The City in Mind. On his recent trip, he discovered that the place has healed remarkably over the past decade. Of course he had to go check in on the Führerbunker which is now the site of one of Berlin's few surface parking lots. JHK notes that history is a great prankster and therefore it's no s...
2010-06-24
41 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #114: Agrarian Urbanism
James Howard Kunstler recently returned from the 18th Annual Congress for the New Urbanism. Agrarian urbanism was a hot topic among many New Urbanists at the Congress and in this episode Kunstler takes the time to explore the topic of food production in cities. Rising energy prices and poor growing weather may lead to global food shortages, but JHK believes that the idea of feeding the U.S. population with rooftop gardens and skyscraper terrariums is absurd. Gardening and even raising certain animals in the city was a normal part of urban life before World War II and we...
2010-06-03
21 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #113: Pit Bulls in the China Shop
Using the example of a recent gimmick to allow dogs into the stores in downtown Saratoga Springs, James Howard Kunstler examines the topic of decorum in the public realm. JHK believes that Americans struggle with boundary issues and evaluating appropriate behavior, which may explain the increased presence of pet dogs in inappropriate venues. Vicious dogs, which have become the latest "urban" accessory, add an even more troubling dynamic to the streetscape. The situation gets worse when dog owners leave their pet's droppings in the sidewalk. Kunstler notes that dogs have always played a role in city life, but now...
2010-05-27
25 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #112: The Politics of Place
James Howard Kunstler examines the politics of place. Are the suburbs more conservative than cities? Why are people who try to conserve the historic fabric of their towns branded as radical liberals, while the agents of destruction in those towns call themselves "conservative?" What is the historical relationship between political ideas and the places where they originate from? JHK addresses these questions in today's episode. Sponsor: http://audiblepodcast.com/kunstler
2010-05-20
29 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #108: The Virtual Realm vs. The Authentic
James Howard Kunstler believes that the virtual is not an adequate replacement for the authentic. In spite of how appealing and ingenious we may find virtual life, it is not as good as real life. Kunstler calls the Internet "the world's most amazing distraction from reality that has ever been invented" and he notes that it appeared just at a time when we are in desperate need to attend to the major troubles facing our society. Online spaces now serve as our "third place," but that often occurs at the expense of our tangible public realm. Kunstler says the...
2010-04-22
43 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #106: Space Exploration
As NASA prepares to retire its space shuttle program, James Howard Kunstler takes a few moments to muse on the past, present and future of space exploration. Personally, JHK is glad that our government is cutting funding for space exploration. He's not sure what the 20th Century fiesta of technology accomplished anyway. On the topic of space colonization, Kunstler says he fears that humans will make the rest of the universe as bad as Hackensack, New Jersey. He also touches upon the issues of resource exploitation, offloading surplus population, and the wishful thinking that lies behind the space exploration...
2010-04-08
33 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #105: Virtual Tour of Baltimore - Part 2
James Howard Kunstler continues his virtual "walking" tour/commentary of Baltimore, Maryland. In this tour, he inspects the light rail system, the water taxi and market place in historic Fell's Point neighborhood, and a new urbanist-influenced condo-harbor district. He concludes the tour at the Legg Mason building, a particularly bad skyscraper where JHK delivered a breakfast talk recently to a group of community stakeholders. Kunstler considers buildings like this to be a future liability as energy supplies grow scarce. Sponsor: www.cnu18.org
2010-04-01
43 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #104: Virtual Tour of Baltimore - Part 1
James Howard Kunstler sometimes thinks of Baltimore, Maryland as the poster child for how cities are going to contract in this country and around the world as we enter into a new energy era. In many ways, Kunstler says Baltimore is a very damaged city, but there are some parts of it that are quite interesting fun and heartening. During this episode, JHK gives a virtual tour of B'more using Google Street view. Before zooming in, however, he takes a moment to appreciate the geography of the Cheasapeak Bay system and to discuss the history and possible future of...
2010-03-25
38 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #98: Big Slide - Acts 2, 3
On today's podcast, we present the conclusion of "Big Slide," an original three-act play by James Howard Kunstler. Set in the autumn of an unspecified near-future year, at an Adirondack "great camp," this is the story of three generations of the Freeman family who have taken refuge from New York and Boston during a severe national political maelstrom. Though we are never fully apprised of the exact nature of this event, it appears that a coup d'etat has occurred in the White House and local militias have risen up all over the nation in response. The estate at Big...
2010-02-04
57 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #97: Big Slide - Act 1
On today's podcast, we present the first act of "Big Slide," an original three-act play by James Howard Kunstler. Set in the autumn of an unspecified near-future year, at an Adirondack "great camp," this is the story of three generations of the Freeman family who have taken refuge from New York and Boston during a severe national political maelstrom. Though we are never fully apprised of the exact nature of this event, it appears that a coup d'etat has occurred in the White House and local militias have risen up all over the nation in response. The estate at...
2010-01-29
1h 04
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #96: Road Trip
James Howard Kunstler and Duncan Crary hit the open road to bring you these audio postcards from the NYS Thruway on their way to Rochester. To pass the time, they discuss the American experience of the road trip, the future of the small forlorn cities they pass along the way, the enterprise of downhill skiing, and how life in upstate New York has colored Kunstler's worldview as an author and commentator. Sponsor: Cultivatis, a full service land planning and consulting firm that integrates agriculture and resource conservation into every project. Core services include: agricultural urbanism; sustainable food...
2010-01-21
33 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #93: College Campuses
James Howard Kunstler discusses the built environment on the American college campus and how modernist ideas about architecture are programming young people to become cynical. Kunstler talks about some of the ugliest campuses in the country, as well as some of the best. Even some of the best beaux arts Ivy league campuses have been thrashed by starchitecture, parking lots, and "diversity monomania." Sponsor: PostPeakLiving.com [Note to re-broadcasters: This show contains one curse word at 12:57 and 26:09]
2009-12-17
52 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #92: Long Emergency US Tour -Part 2
In this in part two of this discussion, James Howard Kunstler predicts how various regions of the United States will fare during the coming energy crisis that he anticipates. Kunstler refers to the coming crisis as "The Long Emergency." In this half of the discussion, Kunstler discusses: the Great Plains, the Upper Midwest, the Mid Atlantic and New England. He also talks about issues with fresh water scarcity. Sponsor: www.postpeakliving.com
2009-12-10
34 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #91: Long Emergency US Tour -Part 1
In this in installment, James Howard Kunstler predicts how various regions of the United States will fare during the coming energy crisis that he anticipates. Kunstler refers to the coming crisis as "The Long Emergency." In the first part of this discussion, Kunstler discusses: the Southern States, the Southwest, the Pacific Northwest and the Rockies. A listener caller reacts to the Happy Motoring podcast and Duncan closes the show with the Esso Happy Motoring song.
2009-12-03
27 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #90: The Demise of Happy Motoring
James Howard Kunstler believes that the Happy Motoring project is running out of time. Peak Oil and problems with alternative energy aren't the only issues facing future motorists. He thinks that car ownership will become less democratic in the future as cars become too expensive to buy without the current financing options. Kunstler dismisses Christopher Steiner's "$20 Per Gallon" book for assuming that an orderly procession of events will take us from $3 per gallon to $20. The conversation naturally leads to a discussion of NASCAR, which Kunstler views as a particularly pathetic reincarnation of Roman chariot races that serve to preoccupy...
2009-11-26
50 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #89: Everyday Architecture
James Howard Kunstler thinks that most modern buildings are not really architecture, they're just manufactured boxes. Whether it's suburban houses, or retail stores, the buildings of our everyday environment send the message that we don't care about ourselves or our surroundings. Kunstler tackles cartoon eateries, reflective glass office buildings, and otherwise good new urban buildings that lack proper ornamentation. We hear from a listener caller in Pittsburgh at the end of the show. Note: curseword at 35:18 mins Sponsors: Chelsea Green, publisher of James McCommons' "Waiting on a Train" ( http://chelseagreen.com) and Post Peak Living...
2009-11-19
47 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #88: In General
James Howard Kunstler speaks about the role of generalists in a world of hyper specialists. Although hyper-specialists are experts in their narrow fields, their work is often disregardful of the larger picture. Traffic engineers, for example, can move huge numbers of cars extremely efficiently, using fine-tuned formulas for curve ratios and grades, but their final product often makes downtowns un-walkable for pedestrians. A sense of hyper-individualism in U.S. culture is another obstacle that stands in the way of thinking about our society and its problems in general terms. At the close of the show, a listener shares his...
2009-11-12
24 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #87: Boston
James Howard Kunstler thinks Boston is one of the few healthy major cities left in the U.S. He says gentrification has been a good thing for the city. He is disappointed with the outcome of Boston's "big dig" project, though. When the city finally placed a major elevated expressway underground, Boston squandered a great opportunity to repair the street-and-block fabric that the highway had previously disrupted. Instead, so-called environmentalists succeeded in advocating for a half-assed, nebulous "green space." On the subject of ugly architecture, Kunstler says the MIT area in nearby Cambridge is the ugliest academic neighborhood in...
2009-11-05
24 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #86: The High Line
James Howard Kunstler discusses two major projects that have recently turned 19th century railroad structures into parks: the High Line in lower Manhattan and the Walkway Over the Hudson in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. The High Line is a unique park in New York City, built upon a former elevated rail line that used to bring trains through buildings. Although the High Line gives reprieve to New Yorkers, Kunstler finds it to be an accidental freak of urban nature. We would benefit more from the deliberate creation of beautifully designed streets and boulevards at grade level. The Walkway Over the...
2009-10-29
34 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #85: Is NYC The Green Metropolis?
Inspired by David Owen's book "Green Metropolis," James Howard Kunstler examines the idea of Manhattan as a "green" city. Kunstler believes that, during his lifetime, New York has never been in as good shape as it is now. But he also thinks it will never be in as good shape again. Financial and energy problems in the future may turn our newest skyscrapers into one-generation buildings, outlandish monuments built during the twilight of an empire. Of all the boroughs, Kunstler thinks Brooklyn may fare the best because of its higher quality urban fabric. Sponsor: http://www.grinningplanet...
2009-10-22
38 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast# 84: Urban Thinkers
James Howard Kunstler believes that urban design will be the next big philosophical battle for the hearts and minds of Americans. One of the most important tasks we will face is determining the size, scale and shape of the 21st Century city. Kunstler says current cities are not scaled to the energy realities of the future. We must downscale, reform and de-automobilze our cities. Urban thinkers and urban planners will serve as our guides throughout that process. In this episode, Kunstler returns to the list of top 100 urban thinkers complied by Planetizen.com to discuss some of the top...
2009-10-15
27 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #83: Jane Jacobs
Planetizen, an urban planning website and book publisher, recently conducted a poll about the Top 100 Urban Thinkers. Jane Jacobs, author of The Death and Life of Great American Cities, made #1 on the list. Kunstler explains the story and importance of Jacobs. He also recollects interviewing her in 2000. Although at the time Jacobs was writing a book about the coming energy crisis, Dark Age Ahead, Kunstler said she didn't seem interested in talking about "Long Emergency" issues during their conversation. A listener caller tells us why he thinks Seasame Street is a good model for urbanism. Sponsor: GrinningPlanet...
2009-10-08
21 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #82: Food in a World Made By Hand
In this week's episode, listener Frank Aragona of the Agroinnovations Podcast asks James Howard Kunstler to talk about the role of food in Jim's post-peak oil novel World Made By Hand. Although the characters in the novel must overcome many obstacles, the food that they eat is delicious in general and is a vast improvement to the current American diet. Aragona thinks that perhaps food is the triumphant element in the novel. Kunstler talks about how horrendous spectacl and the tragic results that the fast food nation has brought about. He also speaks about the lost ceremony of eating...
2009-10-01
31 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #81: Los Angeles
James Howard Kunstler shares his thoughts on Los Angeles, California after a recent visit to Tinseltown. The motoring infrastructure of Los Angeles stretches from horizon to horizon. It is a provisional civilization in which all is subordinate to the car. However, Kunstler believes Los Angeles is more urban than people assume. He was particularly surprised by the pleasant side streets of West Hollywood. But Kunstler wonders how well Los Angeles would fare after even a minor disruption to the supply of cheap gasoline. Sponsor: New Society Publishers. NewSociety.com
2009-09-24
34 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #79: Packing for France
A Listener caller asks James Howard Kunstler if now is a good time to emigrate from the U.S. to France. During his response, Kunstler poses the question: exactly what allegiance do you owe to your country if your country is making a foolish spectacle of itself? Kunstler explains why he himself has not packed his bags for Europe. And he covers the possibility of regional autonomy arising in the U.S. if various energy, climate, political and financial crises push us in that direction. Warning: This episode contains explicit language. Times: 5:13, 21:09, 22:15, 22:24. Today's sponsor is...
2009-09-10
30 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #78: Litter & Pollution
James Howard Kunstler says one reason why American cities are so dirty is because we do not have a firm agreement about how to treat the public realm in this country. He believes that people will literally trash a place that they don't like or respect. And a lot of American space is difficult to respect. While suburbia contains meticulously groomed private yards, the public highways are often lined with impressive amounts of trash on the shoulder. On a larger scale, many corporations treat the American landscape with a similar disregard. While Kunstler believes that large scale pollution from...
2009-09-03
40 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #76: Man Caves
A "man cave" discovered in a government complex made national news earlier this month. Eminent new urbanist planner Andres Duany was prompted to speak out in defense of the man cave and "male space" in general, which he sees as a disappearing habitat in modern America. James Howard Kunstler and host Duncan Crary listen to a recording of Duany's "The Dilemma of Male Space" and further explore the concept of male space. Not only does Kunstler believe that male space is disappearing in suburbia, but he thinks adult space in general is endangered. Info at http://kunstlercast.com
2009-08-20
38 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #75: Jet Skis in the Wilderness
Even during a recession, Americans are pouring into our nation's "wilderness areas" with jet skis and cigarette boats in tow. After returning home from a visit to the Adirondack Mountains of New York, James Howard Kunstler serves up some thoughts on the gas guzzling toys we use to get off on in nature. Although we have a residual memory of what the American wilderness used to be like before World War II, the reality of our "nature areas" today is much different. Plastic weenie stands, ice cream emporiums and gift shops have invaded the woods. But Kunstler believes the...
2009-08-13
32 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #73: The Horse Latitudes of Our Economy
James Howard Kunstler believes that the consumer credit economy is over and that we are now moving on to the next phase of the U.S. economy. Kunstler provides some historical context on our current global economy and muses on the relationship between over-complexity and diminishing returns, which he believes is the "hallmark of all civilizations that come to grief."
2009-07-30
33 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #71: Doomers
James Howard Kunstler and other commentators are often called "doomers" for their seemingly bleak outlook for modern society after the peak of oil production. Kunstler gives a brief introduction to other "doomer" authors, including Dmitri Orlov, John Michal Greer, Jay Hanson, and James Lovelock. Though Kunstler rejects the doomer label, he does believe that we are involved in a human system that needs to be severely pruned. He believes that resurrection and redemption are great themes in the human story and that civilization has a few more cycles to go.
2009-07-16
31 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast Grunt: Jacko
James Howard Kunstler joins host Duncan Crary for a quick KunstlerCast "grunt" to react to the recent death of pop star Michael Jackson. Kunstler thinks Michael Jackson represents many of the bad choices that America made about itself and also its difficulty in telling the truth about it. To read Kunstler's recent obituary for Jackson, visit http://kunstler.com/blog. The KunstlerCast will return in full next Thursday on July 16.
2009-07-09
02 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #70: Commercial and Corporate Art in Public
James Howard Kunstler takes a look at various types of public artwork on display in Troy NY, a small American city. Kunstler notes that many public murals in America attempt to put a human face in places where people are noticeably absent. He notices that 20th century commercial advertisements painted on building exteriors exhibit more skill than most 21st century "art." He analyzes a painted steel, corporate sculpture that adorns the public face of glass box corporate building. He also discusses the role that formal statues play in adorning public squares. Visit http://KunstlerCast.com to view photographs.
2009-06-25
24 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #69: Public Art and Public Eyesores
James Howard Kunstler discusses public art in our cities and towns. Modern public art often lacks artistry and is an ironic representation of our 21st century junk empire. But Kunstler says we don't need any more irony. We need a dignified public realm. Instead of engaging amateurs and children to splash paint on the blank walls of publicly facing buildings, we need to stop creating blank walls in the first place. Even the skilled work of professional muralists often results in little more than a neurotic attempt to give our deactivated streets the appearance of life, when the real...
2009-06-18
23 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #68: Historic Preservation
James Howard Kunstler addresses some issues regarding historic preservation. Kunstler supports historic preservation, because adaptive reuse is part of what makes the great European cities so rewarding to be in. According to Kunstler, the historic preservation movement really ramped up in the U.S. after the destruction of Penn Station in New York City. At times the historic preservation movement has gotten hysterical to save any scrap of anything built before WWII. But Kunstler believes that hysteria is understandable when one considers that modern Americans do not create buildings that are as good as the old buildings we are...
2009-06-11
26 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #67: Jaime Correa - The 40 Percent Plan
New Urbanist Planner and Author Jaime Correa speaks about urban planning in the peak oil era. KunstlerCast Host Duncan Crary recorded Correa's talk on May 28 at the Albany Roundtable in Albany, N.Y. Correa speaks about how the end of cheap oil will affect communities in the future. He describes his peak oil action plan, which he calls The 40 Percent Plan. As urban communities begin to contract in the future, Correa has some ideas about what people need to do to successfully prepare for the future. James Howard Kunstler introduces Correa and chats with Crary about the role that...
2009-06-04
39 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #66: New Listener Orientation
James Howard Kunstler and host Duncan Crary take a moment to welcome new listeners and explain what the KunstlerCast is about. Kunstler gives a brief overview of topics covered in this program series and explains why these topics are important. Crary explains how and where to listen to the podcast. The program ends with two listener calls responding to the recent show about Detroit. NOTE: The KunstlerCast will take next week off and will resume on June 11. In the meantime, you can listen to JHK and Duncan on the C-realm Podcast at http://c-realmpodcast.podomatic.com/
2009-05-28
14 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #65: Virtual Tour of Detroit
At the suggestion of a listener caller, James Howard Kunstler gives a virtual walking tour of Detroit, Michigan using Google Street View. Google Street View is an interactive photographic map that allows users to view photographs of streets and buildings in many cities throughout the world. Users can follow along with this program using the embedded Google Street View windows in the show notes for this episode at http://kunstlercast.com. During this "walking" tour, Kunstler examines the Michigan Central Depot Train Station, Tiger Stadium, the Renaissance Center, the People Mover, The Joe Louis Arena (aka the Aztec Mall...
2009-05-21
39 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #64: Contracting Cities & Urban Chickens
James Howard Kunstler talks about two former industrial cities undergoing massive contractions: Flint, Michigan and Youngstown, Ohio . The local governments in both cities have adopted policies to manage the contraction to reduce public safety issues caused by large abandoned areas within their borders. Kunstler then responds to a listener call from suburban Chicago about the prospects of farming in the post-cheap oil suburbs. The conversation then turns to the future of former city farms. Sponsorship for this podcast comes from Audible. Visit http://audiblepodcast.com/kunstler for a free audio book download and 14-day trial. Music supplied...
2009-05-15
26 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #62: Swine Flu and Pirates
James Howard Kunstler talks about the recent outbreak of swine flu and the increased attention to modern-day pirates. Several bloggers have noted some similarities between current headlines and the scenario in Kunstler's novel, World Made By Hand, in which a severe economic downturn is followed by a deadly Mexican flu epidemic. A few years ago, Kunstler took some heat from critics for his chapter in The Long Emergency that addressed the potential threat of Asian pirates in the Pacific Northwest. Now that piracy is in the news, some people are going "hmmmm." The show closes with a listener call...
2009-04-30
23 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #61: Getting to Work
Host Duncan Crary has been taking James Howard Kunstler's ideas about water transport seriously. This Spring, Duncan is bringing back passenger riverboat commuting service to the Hudson River in Albany. On May 13, Duncan is hosting a day where people can commute to and from work on board the Dutch Apple between the cities of Albany and Troy NY. Kunstler talks with Duncan about this project. People take ferries to work every day in other regions and it's a rewarding experience that can be replicated. On the topic of alternative commuting, Kunstler addresses the notion that telecommuting will solve our...
2009-04-23
20 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #60: Bad Behavior and Urban Policing
James Howard Kunstler often advocates for a return to urban living arrangements. But urban living often bring residents into close proximity to bad behavior. The situation can be especially frightening when people inhabit cities that aren't fully repopulated yet. Suburban style "car cop" policing causes additional problems because car culture can foster bad behavior from the police themselves. Kunstler believes that police on foot and horse would lead to more productive policing and would also allow citizens to police the police. Later Kunstler speaks about the "Broken Window Theory." Host Duncan Crary asks Kunstler about the obligation of citizens...
2009-04-16
31 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #59: The Role of Bicycles
James Howard Kunstler responds to a listener who doesn't understand why Jim sounds kind of down on bicycle transportation. Kunstler clarifies his position on bicycles -- he's a big supporter of bicycle use, but he doesn't know if Americans will support bicycle projects with so many highways and bridges in disrepair. While places like Amsterdam have excellent bicycle facilities that are integrated into their urban fabric, Kunstler believes the most successful bicycle facilities in the U.S. are separate from the street pattern. He also warns of overly ambitious, high tech plans regarding bicycle trail projects. Lastly he discusses...
2009-04-09
25 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #58: New Urbanism in South Africa
James Howard Kunstler reports on two recent trips he took. First he talks about his appearance at the annual Aspen Institute Environmental Forum, where talk of alternative fuel, and other ways to keep our happy motoring scene running, dominated the talks about peak oil. For the remainder of this program Kunstler reports on his recent trip to Johannesburg, South Africa, where he inspected a 35-acre new urbanist neighborhood project. Kunstler describes his urban planning and cultural observations of this region of the world.
2009-04-02
35 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #55: Meaningful Work in a New Economy
At the suggestion of a listener, James Howard Kunstler muses on the future of animal powered transportation in the future. He briefly describes the systems required to maintain a horse-drawn transportation system. The conversation leads to a discussion about finding meaningful work in the new economy. Kunstler believes that as the old economy dwindles, there will be many opportunities for local entrepreneurs to create useful work in their communities. The discussion also covers the struggling media industry and new opportunities for weekly community publications. Kunstler talks about his local print newsletter project, Civitas. Host Duncan Crary asks Kunstler if...
2009-03-12
31 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #54: Retooling Suburbia
James Howard Kunstler explores the topic of building traditional town centers in suburbia, where town centers are typically absent. Though it may be possible to retrofit the suburbs, Kunstler doesn't believe that Americans will have the money to remake some of the worst suburbs into more traditional, mixed-use neighborhoods...even if they wanted to in the first place. As more and more suburbanites find themselves unemployed, some of the more isolated housing subdivisions are simply being abandoned. In the second half of this podcast Kunstler explores the topic of future population decline in the United States. Kunstler believes that...
2009-03-05
29 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #53: Incomprehensible Buildings
A listener asks James Howard Kunstler to react to the Feb. 9 fire that destroyed a Beijing building by Dutch starchitect Rem Koolhaas. Kunstler believes many famous architects, including Koolhaas, often strive to confound people in order to appear supernaturally brilliant. It's all in the service of grandiosity and narcissism, though. Rather than attempting to disturb our expectations, architects should strive to give us buildings that are neurologically comprehensible and that satisfy our need for cultural orientation. Kunstler also takes shots at a proposed skyscraper in Boston and the Southern Poverty Law Center. **Tim Halber, managing editor of Planetizen, responds...
2009-02-26
31 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #52: Rebuilding New Orleans
James Howard Kunstler discusses the issue of rebuilding New Orleans after hurricane Katrina. Legal disputes, government inefficiency and suburban mindsets have stood in the way of constructing traditional neighborhoods in New Orleans. While the charming urban fabric of the French Quarter and the Garden District still remains, Kunstler believes that New Orleans is likely to be a much smaller city than it was in the 20th century. Much of the cultural programming that emerged in the poorer neighborhoods of New Orleans may not return. Ultimately, the realities of climate and weather may determine the fate of the Crescent City...
2009-02-19
23 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #51: Seaside Revisited
James Howard Kunstler is back from a visit to the American South. He reports on two New Urbanist developments outside of Montgomery, Alabama. In many ways Kunstler believes that the new urbanist model of building 400-acre “traditional neighborhoods” out in the green fields of suburbia is over. He explains the relationship between new urbanism, suburbanism and just plain old urbanism. Kunstler’s journey also took him to revisit Seaside, Florida, one of the most famous new urbanist projects produced by Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk. Many people criticize Seaside for being elite and artificial. But Kunstler says Seaside will probab...
2009-02-12
31 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #49: After the Plastic Fiesta
Many everyday items in our lives are made from petroleum byproducts like plastic. But James Howard Kunstler believes that the rising costs of petroleum will change our relationship to plastic products. In the future, people might actually start repairing items rather than just throwing them away. While on the topic of plastic, Kunstler takes on one of the staples of suburban life: vinyl siding. In particular, he explains why vinyl siding sucks so much.
2009-01-29
16 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #48: From Suburbia to Peak Oil
James Howard Kunstler tells the story of how he came to learn about peak oil while writing about suburban sprawl. Topics include The Yom Kippur War, The Hubbert's Curve, the New Urbanists and the strong relationship between suburban sprawl and diminishing supplies of cheap fossil fuel. Kunstler explains the chronology and relationship between all four of his nonfiction books.
2009-01-22
29 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #47: Credit Crisis
James Howard Kunstler believes the credit orgy that was the background and basis for our era is over. It will become increasingly harder to lend money into existence and Americans will probably have to pay as they go with what they have. Kunstler explores the historical relationship between credit and the creation of suburbia. But he does not know how our current credit problems will stimulate people to change the physical arrangements of their lives. He assumes, however, that Americans will be dragged kicking and screaming from the happy motoring commuter experience. Released: January 15, 2009.
2009-01-15
27 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #46: Highway to Hell
A listener caller asks James Howard Kunstler about President-elect Barack Obama's massive proposed stimulus package, which will probably be used to rebuild America's highways. Along with the auto industry bailout, Kunstler thinks this major proposed investment in our highway infrastructure may be a last ditch effort to sustain the unsustainable. Americans have invested so much of their wealth and identity into their happy motoring suburban commuter system for daily life that they cannot imagine letting go of it or even substantially reforming it. Kunstler also talks about passenger rail, light rail and streetcars. He also strays into the thickets...
2009-01-08
22 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #44: Forecast 2009 - Remembering Y2K
Every year James Howard Kunstler publishes his annual forecast on his popular blog. For this installment of the KunstlerCast, Jim gives us a sneak preview of some of his predictions for 2009. Topics in this show include: phony baloney money, new economies, home deliveries, oil shortages and price increases. Kunstler also talks about his 1999 predictions and thoughts about Y2K. Released: Dec. 25, 2008
2008-12-25
26 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #43: Missing Teeth in the Urban Fabric
James Howard Kunstler explains the negative effects that empty building lots have on the urban streetscape. These empty spaces or "missing teeth" are dead zones that are repellent to pedestrians. But, at the moment, our car crazy society prefers to keep those dead zones for surface parking rather than to infill them with good urban buildings. During the second half of the program Kunstler speaks face-to-face with Troy, N.Y. Mayor Harry Tutunjian about what to do with the empty space that will be left behind after the city demolishes its current City Hall. Plans for the soon-to-be empty...
2008-12-18
38 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #42: Victorian Stroll
James Howard Kunstler joins host Duncan Crary for the Victorian Stroll in downtown Troy, NY. During this annual event, the city evicts the automobile from the streets and 21st century people discover how pleasurable it is to explore this 19th century urban fabric on foot. Kunstler believes events like this are rehearsal for the times ahead when Americans will be forced to re-inhabit their small cities and classic main-street towns.
2008-12-11
41 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #41: Private Property
James Howard Kunstler says the notion that Americans have a long tradition of being able to do whatever they want with their land is a fallacy. This false notion is really just the result of a propaganda campaign by the promoters of suburban sprawl and the real estate industry. In reality, there is a whole corpus of responsibilities, obligations and duties that come with land ownership in America that simply can't be ignored. Kunstler compares American attitudes toward community ownership with those in Europe. Music provided by IODA Promonet. For information, visit http://kunstlercast.com
2008-12-04
27 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #36: The City 1939 - Part 2 Video
In this special video podcast edition of the KunstlerCast you can watch and listen to the second half of a commentary track that James Howard Kunstler and Duncan Crary recorded for a soon-to-be-released DVD called The Story of Sprawl. The DVD is being produced by Planetizen.com. Kunstler and Crary comment on The City a 1939 film with a narrative written by the great 20th century generalist Lewis Mumford. In part 2 of the film Mumford pitches the idea for "green cities," but these green cities look an awful lot like suburbia. For information about this film and to watch...
2008-10-23
00 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #35: The City 1939 - Part 1 Video
In this special video podcast edition of the KunstlerCast you can watch and listen to a commentary track that James Howard Kunstler and Duncan Crary recorded for a soon-to-be-released DVD called The Story of Sprawl. The DVD is being produced by Planetizen.com. Kunstler and Crary comment on The City a 1939 film with a narrative written by the great 20th century generalist Lewis Mumford. In part 1 of the film, Mumford provides a nostalgic view of rural small-town American life in contrast to life in the harsh industrial cities and among the towering skyscrapers of New York. Mumford urges viewers...
2008-10-16
00 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #35: The City 1939 - Part 1 Audio Only
This is the audio only version of KunstlerCast #35. There is a video podcast version of this episode as well. In this special edition of the KunstlerCast, James Howard Kunstler and Duncan Crary recorded a commentary track for a soon-to-be-released DVD called The Story of Sprawl. The DVD is being produced by Planetizen.com. Kunstler and Crary comment on The City, a 1939 film with a narrative written by the great 20th century generalist Lewis Mumford. In part 1 of the film, Mumford provides a nostalgic view of rural small-town American life in contrast to life in the harsh i...
2008-10-16
17 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #34: On Hope and Despair
James Howard Kunstler is not a hope dispenser to passive consumers of hope. But ultimately he believes that life is moving into a more favorable phase, even if it will be difficult to get there. In this show Kunstler responds to a listener call about our moral responsibility to do the right thing and fix our country. He talks about the importance of cultivating joy in one's life and doing meaningful work. He also shares his thoughts on Sen. Barack Obama's hopeful message and discusses how his own mood has changed since he first wrote The Geography of Nowhere.
2008-10-09
23 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #33: The Great Bailout 2008
James Howard Kunstler comments on the Great Bailout of 2008 and how we got into the current financial crisis. As the U.S. manufacturing economy withered away, Americans sought to gain wealth by getting something from nothing through Ponzi scheme investment algorithms. By assuming liability of bad mortgages, Congress may be in position of attempting to prop up the value suburban houses. But Kunstler believes the housing values will continue to go down, no matter what happens. And the truth is that we shouldn't want that devaluation to stop because we need to reach a point where the median price...
2008-10-02
23 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #28: The Pickens Plan
This July, oilman T. Boone Pickens told Congress that James Howard Kunstler is worth listening to and that he's right on about the mistakes we've made in America regarding our use of cheap oil. In this program, Kunstler discusses the "Pickens Plan" to use wind energy and natural gas to reduce America's reliance on foreign oil. Other topics include Shai Agassi's Better Place plan to make electric cars viable. Kunstler also answers a listener's question about purchasing a new car. Direct Download: KunstlerCast_28.mp3 ( 23 MB | 32:00 mins.) Links: http...
2008-08-21
27 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #26: From Hippies to Yuppies
How did the granola crunching nature-loving hippies of the 1960s become the gas guzzling, McMansion dwelling, suburban yuppies of today? James Howard Kunstler reflects on his own generation. Kunstler also shares some of his own groovy stories from the Age of Aquarius. [Note: This episode mentions sex, recreational drug use, and includes some curse words.] Learn about our theme music, join our mailing list and discuss this show at www.kunstlercast.com Direct Download: KunstlerCast_26.mp3 ( 18 MB | 25:30 mins.)
2008-08-07
22 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #25: Frederick Law Olmsted and the American Park
Frederick Law Olmsted is most noted for designing Central Park in Manhattan. His method of landscape design now serves as the main model for how we design parks in America. But James Howard Kunstler believes that our ongoing attempts to replicate the Olmsted park have created many urban parks with serious shortcomings. Kunstler also warns listeners not to ask for "green space" in their towns because "green space" is an abstraction. Instead he urges people to learn the vocabulary of landscape architecture to be able to ask for specific park features.Learn about our theme music, join our...
2008-07-31
23 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #24: One City Block - Part 2
James Howard Kunstler continues his walking tour of one city block in downtown Saratoga Springs, N.Y., a classic Main-street American town. We resume the tour on the corner of Division Street and Railroad Place, where a major urban infill project has produced a brand new urban street that is well defined on both sides by five-story high buildings, with dignified frontages, ground-level retail space and apartments above. Kunstler points out some architectural problems and weird transitions but he's mostly pleased by the new buildings in this neighborhood. As we leave the new urban street, things completely fall apart...
2008-07-25
17 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #23: One City Block - Part I
James Howard Kunstler often describes Saratoga Springs N.Y. as a classic Main Street American town. In part one of this special program, we take to the streets of Saratoga to experience the sense of place in this small city. Kunstler brings us from the busy sidewalks along Broadway to a sidestreet leading to a major urban infill project. He explains the urban sensibilities of the 19th century structures, points out the boneheaded decisions of the 1960s one-story development, and the promising efforts of mid-1990s new urbanism. [Note: Use Google Street View to follow along with this...
2008-07-17
26 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #17: San Francisco
A listener from San Francisco, who admits to suffering excessive civic pride for his hometown, asks James Howard Kunstler to critique The Golden Gate City and to speak about some of the other places in America that Jim actually likes. Kunstler acknowledges that San Francisco does a lot of things right. But it bends over for the car, and many of the streets are poorly detailed. He also warns that the city's plan to erect seven new skyscrapers is ill fated. We close the show with the seven or so cities in America that Jim likes best. (Info ab...
2008-06-05
13 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #16: Peak Oil New Zealand
A listener from New Zealand asks JamesHoward Kunstler what peak oil holds in store for his island nation. The picture isn't pretty. Kunstler says the Kiwis better watch their backs. China, Japan and even Australia could all pose threats to New Zealand as they face shortages in the new energy future. At the end of the program, a cast of listeners sounds off. We hear from a black man in Queens who is not African-American, a former Long Island nanny, and an urban planner from Canada who asks Jim to lay off the planners, dude. (Info about p...
2008-05-29
13 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #8: The Glossary of Nowhere
When James Howard Kunstler wrote The Geography of Nowhere, it was to give people "the vocabulary to understand what's wrong with the places they ought to know best." In this installment we run down a few choice Kunstlerisms, like "parking lagoons" , "nature Band-Aides" and "patriotic totems." Kunstler also tells us why the depressing topic of suburban sprawl is also really funny. (Info about program and theme music at KunstlerCast.com) Direct Download (7 MB): KunstlerCast_08.mp3
2008-04-03
12 min
KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century
KunstlerCast #3: World Made By Hand
James Howard Kunstler reads from World Made By Hand, his new novel based on the post-oil future. Published by The Atlantic Monthly Press, World Made By Hand is set in upstate New York in the not distant future. It is a fictional account of the ideas based in Kunstler's nonfiction book, The Long Emergency. (Info about program and theme music at KunstlerCast.com)Direct Download (7.2MB):KunstlerCast_03.mp3
2008-02-28
00 min