The Chauncey DeVega Show

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Ep. 100 part 2: The Black Israelites and International Mr. Leather Jul 29, 2016

Show notes

This week's installment of The Chauncey DeVega Show is part 2 of our special 100th episode. It is good fun, something random, and features the good, interesting, and smart people of Chicago. This week's podcast was recorded on Michigan Avenue during Memorial Day weekend. In the first conversation, Chauncey talks with a brother from the "Black Israelites" about race, politics, life, history, and yes...space aliens. This was something cool and our guest Black Israelite/Hebrew brother was smart, kind, and generous with his time. In the second conversation, Chauncey spends some time at the International Mr. Leather competition and is fortunate enough to talk with two gentleman about leather, the kink lifestyle, love, and why Batman and Robin capture the spirit of their love. During this week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show, Chauncey can't help but call out Bill O'Reilly's racist comments about "well-fed" slaves who built the White House and as a rebuttal to O'Reilly's happy slave fantasies reads a letter from a former slave named Brother Jordan Anderson to his former white slave owner Colonel Patrick Henry Anderson.

Ep. 100: Kevin Willmott on Chi-Raq and Destination Planet Negro Jul 21, 2016

Show notes

This week's episode special 100th episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show features film scholar, actor, writer, and professor Kevin Willmott. Professor Willmott is a co-writer and producer of Spike Lee's film Chi-Raq as well as the recent film Destination Planet Negro. In addition to many other projects, Kevin also wrote and directed the amazing "documentary"/counterfactual film C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America. In this week's installment of the podcast, Professor Willmott and Chauncey talk about how Donald Trump is a character in a satirical film, Hollywood's recent "obsession" with movies about slavery and the "black experience," the reception of the movie Chi-Raq, and the importance of talking honestly and critically about the color line and black history in America. Kevin and Chauncey also have a moment of shared life experience as they reflect on what it was like to grow up with an older father and what having learned elders taught them about appreciating life and history. During this week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show, Chauncey talks about Donald Trump's genius speech at the RNC convention, what it has in common with Emperor Palpatine from Star Wars, and offers his thanks to the listeners to the podcast for helping it get to the 100th show. Chauncey also offers up some thoughts on the four new movies that he saw while trying to escape Chicago's heat wave, talks about the horrible new Ghostbusters movie, and calls out the Republican sex freak hypocrites in Cleveland who hate on gay people and Muslims but apparently are watching all sorts of porn which features them.

Ep. 99: Jared Yates Sexton on the Craft of Writing & Pro Wrestling Jul 15, 2016

Show notes

This week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show features writer Jared Yates Sexton. This is the second installment of a two-part conversation.

In this week's installment of the podcast, Jared and Chauncey talk about their shared love of professional wrestling, do some fantasy booking for the WWE, explore how the basics of good fiction writing can be applied to improve the WWE's current story lines, and have some reminiscing about the glory days of the (then) WWF and WCW back in the 1980s and 1990s. During this week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show, Chauncey shares his experience marching with Black Lives Matter in Chicago and has the good fortune to interview a white woman who started out saying "All Lives Matter" and was then persuaded to join the protest. Unfortunately, this positive interaction was balanced out by how Chauncey encountered a drunk, racist, and very loud Donald Trump supporter at a local bar several days later. Chauncey also offers some thoughts on the Nice, France terror attacks and the dangers of radical religion and gives an update on what he learned from the doctor about his magical and amazing blood.

Ep. 98: Jared Yates Sexton on the Donald Trump Political Rodeo Jul 08, 2016

Show notes

This week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show features writer Jared Yates Sexton.

Jared's first-hand reporting on the Donald Trump phenomenon has been featured by The New York Times and The New Republic. In this week's installment of the podcast, Jared and Chauncey talk about their experiences at Donald Trump's political rodeos/rallies, how the American Il Duce has crated a "safe space" for open expressions of white racism and bigotry, political polarization, and Jared's recent seven-hour long car trip with a Republican to attend a Hillary Clinton rally. Jared and Chauncey also do some mutual sharing about growing up poor and working class and the complications of the color line. During this week's episode of the show, Chauncey summons W.E.B. Du Bois as he offers some extended commentary and analysis about how America's police have declared war on black people, as well as some thoughts on last night's Dallas sniper attacks.

Ep. 97: Alondra Nelson Explains Race and "The Social Life of DNA" Jun 30, 2016

Show notes

This week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show features Alondra Nelson. She is a Professor of Sociology and Gender Studies at Columbia University and author of the new book, The Social Life of DNA. In this week's installment of the podcast, Dr. Nelson and Chauncey talk about DNA, the body, race, and how many African-Americans are using emerging technologies to trace their "roots" across the Black Atlantic. Chauncey and Alondra also discuss how social fictions such as "race" are reproduced in the popular imagination by human zoos such as The Maury Povich Show and the surprising connections between "welfare reform" and the rise of DNA-based ancestry and paternity testing. Chauncey updates folks on his health travails and recent physical, and complains about the new Independence Day: Resurgence movie. Chauncey also highlights how Archie Bunker is the present-past of the Trump movement and the GOP, calls out racism against Elizabeth Warren, and cuts a promo on the Right-wing sex freaks Alex Jones and Roger Stone.

Ep. 96: Courtney Baker on Images of Black Suffering and Death Jun 24, 2016

Show notes

This week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show features Professor Courtney Baker. She is a professor at Connecticut College and author of the new book, Humane Insight: Looking at Images of African-American Suffering and Death.

In this week's installment of the podcast, Dr. Baker and Chauncey talk about police and anti-black violence, the continuity of white on black racial terrorism from Reconstruction and the postbellum era to the present, and if the street vigilante and police killings of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown constitute "modern day lynchings". Chauncey and Courtney also discuss the value of Africana Studies, film, and student activism in the era of Black Lives Matter. During this week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show, Chauncey updates the listeners on his health challenges and reflects on how he took his good health for granted for too long. Chauncey also discusses Donald Trump's new found "Christian values", the hypocrisy of America's Christian evangelical authoritarians, and offers some thoughts on recent developments in popular culture including the suspension of WWE superstar Roman Reigns, the movie Lobster, and the "new" information about Michael Jackson's supposed pedophilia.

Ep. 95: Randy Roberts on Boxing, Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X Jun 17, 2016

Show notes

This week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show honors Muhammad Ali. To that end, Professor Randy Roberts is the guest on this week's podcast. He is the author of the new book Blood Brothers: The Fatal Friendship Between Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X. Dr. Roberts is an expert on social history and American culture whose other works include Joe Louis: Hard Times Man, Jack Dempsey: The Manassa Mauler, Papa Jack: Jack Johnson and the Era of White Hopes and Heavy Justice: The State of Indiana v. Michael G. Tyson. In this week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show, Chauncey and Dr. Roberts discuss Donald Trump the showman and professional wrestler wannabe, the color line and sports, the importance of Muhammad Ali to how we think about social change and struggle in the 1960s and beyond, Ali and the Nation of Islam, and the importance of legendary boxer Jack Johnson. Chauncey and Randy also do some fantasy booking and work through if Mike Tyson would have stood a chance in the boxing ring against Muhammad Ali. During this week's installment of The Chauncey DeVega Show, Chauncey discusses the stranglehold that the NRA and ammosexuals have over the Common Good in the aftermath of the Orlando massacre. Chauncey also ponders what happens when Donald Trump loses in November and his Trumpthuglicans are left leaderless. To close out this week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show, Chauncey also tells a story about his high blood pressure fantastical journey from CVS to the local emergency room.

Ep. 94: Claire Conner, a Child of the John Birch Society Tells All pt. 2 Jun 10, 2016

Show notes

This week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show features Claire Conner. She is the author of Wrapped in the Flag: A Personal History of America's Radical Right. This is the second part of our conversation here on The Chauncey DeVega Show. The first episode can be listened to here. Claire Conner is one of the "daughters" of the John Birch Society. In this installment of the podcast, she continues with her great sharing and teaching from last week. Claire tells an amazing story about what it was like to be in Dallas on the day that President Kennedy was assassinated; the role of the radical Christian Right in distorting American life, culture, and politics; why non-voting is a non-starter; and her thoughts on Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and Donald Trump. During this week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show, Chauncey shares his struggles against the psychic warfare of his Right-wing CHUD enemies, is worried about his tummy troubles, discusses the Trumpthuglicans and last week's San Jose protests, people who want to kill him, and cuts a promo on one of the greatest self-hating black Americans of all time--the one and only Jesse Lee Peterson.

After months of teasing "exciting developments", Chauncey finally shares two of the present/future endeavors that he needs support for from the twice a year fundraiser and the good folks who follow the podcast and his other online work.

Ep. 93: Claire Conner, a Child of the John Birch Society Tells All pt. 1 Jun 02, 2016

Show notes

This week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show features Claire Conner. She is the author of Wrapped in the Flag: A Personal History of America's Radical Right.

Claire Conner possesses unique insights about the Republican Party, the John Birch Society, and the broader White Right which she so generously shares during this installment of The Chauncey DeVega Show. Chauncey and Claire discuss what it was like growing up as the child of one of the most influential leaders in the John Birch Society, the rise of Donald Trump, and how the John Birch Society has (quietly) expanded its control over the Republican Party. Claire also shares how she escaped the grasp of the John Birch Society as a young adult.

This is the first of a two-part conversation.

During this week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show, Chauncey gives his thoughts on the WWE's brand split and the horrible new X-Men: Apocalypse movie. Chauncey also cuts a promo on Patrick Buchanan's racist screed "The Great White Hope" and how the latter explains the rise of Donald Trump.

Chauncey is also under a psychic assault that has resulted in his having a summer cold and enlists the listeners of the podcast to fight back against this vicious, supernatural attack.

Ep. 92: Laurie Essig on How Consumerism Ruins Love and Marriage May 26, 2016

Show notes

This week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show features Professor Laurie Essig. She is the author of several books including "American Plastic: Boob Jobs, Credit Cards, and Our Quest for Perfection. Dr. Essig is also a contributing writer for Psychology Today. In this week's installment of the podcast, Laurie does some great sharing and teaching about how neoliberalism has distorted love, marriage, and other human relationships. Chauncey and Laurie also talk about race and "white" weddings, the dangers of consumerism, and of course, their mutual interest in the "human zoos" and "freak shows" that are reality TV. During this week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show, Chauncey gives his thoughts on WWE's Extreme Rules pay-per-view, the new movie The Nice Guys, and explains his decision about attending a White House summit event in June. Chauncey also does some truth-telling about Republican toilet sex deviant potty politics, and of course, the now fallen and disgraced Bill Cosby.

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