The Relentless Picnic

Introducing the Mad Men Project Jan 05, 2024

Coming soon to https://patreon.com/relentlesspicnic, starting on Wednesday, January 31st.

the past is unlocked. there is a future. Nov 01, 2023

We report on some changes we're making to our Patreon page, make public some formerly-locked-up bonus content, and speak about the future of The Relentless Picnic — which is real, and is coming. We've missed you, friends. patreon.com/relentlesspicnic

Cabin - Ep. 11: Finale Mar 14, 2022

"The eternity I detect in Nature I predicate of myself also. How many springs I have had this same experience! I am encouraged, for I recognize this steady persistency and recovery of Nature as a quality of myself." —Henry David Thoreau, Journal, 1856 CABIN is a series from The Relentless Picnic. It's one story told over 11 episodes. It's a story about solitude and isolation, community and loss, Henry David Thoreau and Ted Kaczynski—and it's told through audio recorded throughout 2019, 2020, and 2021. This is the final episode of CABIN. Support us at patreon.com/relentlesspicnic for access to a ton of bonus content. Our web site is relentlesspicnic.com SOURCES (Ep. 11): - Treat: Hotel Room Q&A pt. 3: More Q's, more A's, 8:09–11:26 (Aug. 2019), available to our Patreon supporters: bit.ly/3q1Jl24 ; - The journals of Henry David Thoreau (1837-1861): bit.ly/36Lxavm ; - "Anthony Bourdain on Vices, Humanity, and Foodies" by Khushbu Shah (Eater; Aug. 2014): bit.ly/3q4rtmY ; - season photo: "Untitled #2214" by Todd Hido, 1998.

Cabin - Ep. 10 Jan 23, 2022

"In the streets and in society I am almost invariably cheap and dissipated, my life is unspeakably mean. But alone in the distant woods or fields, even in a bleak and, to most, cheerless day, I come to myself, I once more feel myself grandly related, and that cold and solitude are friends of mine. I wish to get the Concord, the Massachusetts, the America, out of my head and be sane a part of every day." —Henry David Thoreau, Journal, 1855 This is the penultimate episode of CABIN, which will conclude with Ep. 11. Cabin is a series from The Relentless Picnic. It's one story told over 11 episodes. It's a story about solitude and isolation, community and loss, Henry David Thoreau and Ted Kaczynski—and it's told through audio recorded throughout 2019, 2020, and 2021. Support us at patreon.com/relentlesspicnic for access to a ton of bonus content. Our web site is relentlesspicnic.com SOURCES (Ep. 10): - "Deserter's Song" by Blackout Beach, 2011: spoti.fi/3IukcDJ ; - season photo: "Untitled #2214" by Todd Hido, 1998.

Cabin - Ep. 9 Jan 18, 2022

"It is in vain to dream of a wildness distant from ourselves. There is none such. It is the bog in our brain and bowels, the primitive vigor of Nature in us that inspires that dream. I shall never find in the wilds of Labrador any greater wildness than in some recess in Concord, i.e., than I import into it." —Henry David Thoreau, Journal, 1856 Cabin is a series from The Relentless Picnic. It's one story told over 11 episodes. It's a story about solitude and isolation, community and loss, Henry David Thoreau and Ted Kaczynski—and it's told through audio recorded throughout 2019, 2020, and 2021. Support us at patreon.com/relentlesspicnic for access to a ton of bonus content. Our web site is relentlesspicnic.com SOURCES (Ep. 9): - Jacques Ellul, The Technological Society (1954): amzn.to/3o2zdmy ; - An anonymous comment submitted to relentlesspicnic.com, Feb. 29, 2020 ; - Plato, Apology (40C-41C); - "The Last Frontier: Homesteaders on the margins of America" by Ted Conover (Harper's; Aug. 2019): bit.ly/3KyesLl ; - season photo: "Untitled #2214" by Todd Hido, 1998.

Cabin - Ep. 8 Dec 31, 2021

"So I agree with the anarcho-primitivists that the advent of civilization was a great disaster and that the Industrial Revolution was an even greater one. I further agree that a revolution against modernity, and against civilization in general, is necessary. But you can’t build an effective revolutionary movement out of soft-headed dreamers, lazies, and charlatans. You have to have tough-minded, realistic, practical people, and people of that kind don’t need the anarcho-primitivists’ mushy utopian myth." —T. Kaczynski, "The Truth About Primitive Life: A Critique of Anarcho-Primitivism," 2008. Cabin is a series from The Relentless Picnic. It's one story told over 11 episodes. It's a story about solitude and isolation, community and loss, Henry David Thoreau and Ted Kaczynski—and it's told through audio recorded throughout 2019, 2020, and 2021. Support us at patreon.com/relentlesspicnic for access to a ton of bonus content. Our web site is relentlesspicnic.com SOURCES (Ep. 8): - Pandora's Hope: Essays on the Reality of Science Studies, by Bruno Latour (1999): bit.ly/3qxCaxK ; - The Unabomber In His Own Words (2018), dir. Mick Grogan, on Netflix: bit.ly/2DbHkuh ; - Technological Slavery: The Collected Writings of Theodore J. Kaczynski, a.k.a. “The Unabomber”, ed. and introduction by David Skirbina, 2010: amzn.to/2STTFYH ; - Jacques Ellul, The Technological Society (1954): amzn.to/3o2zdmy ; - "Why the Future Doesn't Need Us" by Bill Joy, Wired (4/1/00): bit.ly/3hw5uQD ; - "Harvard and the Making of the Unabomber" by Alston Chase, Atlantic (June 2000): bit.ly/3mISjzh ; - "Eco-terrorists set fire to Vail Mountain 20 years ago, and the response showed how mutual aid could benefit mountain communities" by Randy Wyrick, Denver Post (10/27/18): dpo.st/3EKRHzF ; - season photo: "Untitled #2214" by Todd Hido, 1998.

UPDATE: The Goods Nov 24, 2021

A brief update from Adam, Erikk, and Nick on three very important fronts. First, news on the upcoming conclusion to our CABIN series. Second, on relentlesspicnic.com/store Third, on the continued existence of patreon.com/relentlesspicnic, the live shows we've been doing for our Patreon supporters, and the show we've got coming up on Monday, December 6th, 2021. Register here: crowdcast.io/e/digupthehatchet We're not gone. And we're thankful for you.

Cabin - Ep. 7 Dec 29, 2020

“‘Oh!’ say the technophiles, ‘Science is going to fix all that! We will conquer famine, eliminate psychological suffering, make everybody healthy and happy!’ Yeah, sure. The technophiles are hopelessly naive (or self-deceiving) in their understanding of social problems. Thus it will take a long and difficult period of trial and error for the technophiles to work the bugs out of their Brave New World (if they ever do). In the mean time there will be great suffering.” —T. Kaczynski, Industrial Society and Its Future (1995). Cabin is the new season from The Relentless Picnic. It's one story told over multiple episodes. It's a story about solitude and isolation, community and loss, Henry David Thoreau and Ted Kaczynski—and it's told through audio recorded throughout 2019 and 2020. Support us at patreon.com/relentlesspicnic for access to a ton of bonus content. Our web site is relentlesspicnic.com SOURCES (Ep. 7): - The Unabomber In His Own Words (2018), dir. Mick Grogan, on Netflix: bit.ly/2DbHkuh ; - Technological Slavery: The Collected Writings of Theodore J. Kaczynski, a.k.a. “The Unabomber”, ed. and introduction by David Skirbina, 2010: amzn.to/2STTFYH ; - Walden; or, Life in the Woods, by H.D. Thoreau (1854): bit.ly/35RyPPQ ; - Patrick Conley: bit.ly/3pGdIIL ; - Ken Baumann: bit.ly/2WUmHK1 ; - Jacques Ellul, The Technological Society (1954): amzn.to/3o2zdmy ; - Eric Hoffer, The True Believer (1951): amzn.to/34TDrFl ; - The History of Violence in America, eds. H.D. Graham & T.R. Gurr (1969): amzn.to/3rCmGsl ; - Chester C. Tan, Chinese Political Thought in the Twentieth Century (1971): amzn.to/3aUNCgQ ; - L. Sprague de Camp, The Ancient Engineers (1963): amzn.to/3o8lavW ; - “Why the Future Doesn’t Need Us,” by Bill Joy (WIRED, Apr., 2000): bit.ly/3hw5uQD ; - season photo: "Untitled #2214" by Todd Hido, 1998.

Cabin - Ep. 6 Oct 30, 2020

“It may be objected that primitive man is physically less secure than modern man, as is shown by his shorter life expectancy; hence modern man suffers from less, not more than the amount of insecurity that is normal for human beings. But psychological security does not closely correspond with physical security. It is true that primitive man is powerless against some of the things that threaten him; disease for example. But he can accept the risk of disease stoically. It is part of the nature of things, it is no one’s fault, unless it is the fault of some imaginary, impersonal demon. But threats to the modern individual tend to be MAN-MADE.” —T. Kaczynski, Industrial Society and Its Future (1995). Cabin is the new season from The Relentless Picnic. It's one story told over multiple episodes. It's a story about solitude and isolation, community and loss, Henry David Thoreau and Ted Kaczynski—and it's told through audio recorded throughout 2019 and 2020. Support us at patreon.com/relentlesspicnic for access to a ton of bonus content. Our web site is relentlesspicnic.com SOURCES (Ep. 6): - The Unabomber In His Own Words (2018), dir. Mick Grogan, on Netflix: bit.ly/2DbHkuh ; - Technological Slavery: The Collected Writings of Theodore J. Kaczynski, a.k.a. “The Unabomber”, ed. and introduction by David Skirbina, 2010: amzn.to/2STTFYH ; - Discourse on the Origin and Basis of Inequality Among Men (a.k.a. the “Second Discourse”), Jean-Jacques Rousseau, 1755 ; - Walden; or, Life in the Woods, by H.D. Thoreau (1854): bit.ly/35RyPPQ ; - “Walking,” by H.D. Thoreau (1862): bit.ly/35P4Dor ; - season photo: "Untitled #2214" by Todd Hido, 1998.

Cabin - Ep. 5 Oct 14, 2020

“The Industrial Revolution and its consequences have been a disaster for the human race. The continued development of technology will worsen the situation. There is no way of reforming or modifying the system so as to prevent it from depriving people of dignity and autonomy. If the system breaks down the consequences will still be very painful. But the bigger the system grows the more disastrous the results of its breakdown will be, so if it is to break down it had best break down sooner rather than later. We therefore advocate a revolution against the industrial system. This revolution may or may not make use of violence; it may be sudden or it may be a relatively gradual process spanning a few decades. This is not to be a POLITICAL revolution. Its object will be to overthrow not governments but the economic and technological basis of the present society.” —T. Kaczynski, Industrial Society and Its Future, 1995. Cabin is the new season from The Relentless Picnic. It's one story told over multiple episodes. It's a story about solitude and isolation, community and loss, Henry David Thoreau and Ted Kaczynski—and it's told through audio recorded throughout 2019 and 2020. Support us at patreon.com/relentlesspicnic for access to a ton of bonus content. Our web site is relentlesspicnic.com . SOURCES (Ep. 5): - The Unabomber In His Own Words (2018), dir. Mick Grogan, on Netflix: bit.ly/2DbHkuh ; - Technological Slavery: The Collected Writings of Theodore J. Kaczysnki, a.k.a. “The Unabomber”, ed. and introduction by David Skirbina, 2010: amzn.to/2STTFYH ; - Discourse on the Origin and Basis of Inequality Among Men (a.k.a. the “Second Discourse”), Jean-Jacques Rousseau, 1755 ; - season photo: "Untitled #2214" by Todd Hido, 1998.

Cabin - Ep. 4 Sep 30, 2020

“One writer says that Brown's peculiar monomania made him to be ‘dreaded by the Missourians as a supernatural being.’ Sure enough, a hero in the midst of us cowards is always so dreaded. He is just that thing. He shows himself superior to nature. He has a spark of divinity in him. They talk as if it were impossible that a man could be ‘divinely appointed’ in these days to do any work whatever; as if vows and religion were out of date as connected with any man's daily work; as if the agent to abolish slavery could only be somebody appointed by the President, or by some political party. They talk as if a man's death were a failure, and his continued life, be it of whatever character, were a success.” —H.D. Thoreau, “A Plea For Captain John Brown,” 1859. Cabin is the new season from The Relentless Picnic. It's one story told over multiple episodes. It's a story about solitude and isolation, community and loss, Henry David Thoreau and Ted Kaczynski—and it's told through audio recorded throughout 2019 and 2020. Support us at patreon.com/relentlesspicnic for access to a ton of bonus content. Our web site is relentlesspicnic.com SOURCES (Ep. 4): - “A Plea for Captain John Brown,” by H.D. Thoreau (1859): bit.ly/2CPiMHT ; - Walden; or, Life in the Woods, by H.D. Thoreau (1854): bit.ly/3jS0Woq ; - Videos and resources on John Brown, the raid on Harpers Ferry, and its aftermath: youtu.be/EG4ukrMtdNs , youtu.be/bB_kbFAui-U , youtu.be/LPyqE2zpQCg , youtu.be/Ax7KjLUOt8w , youtu.be/roNmeOOJCDY , youtu.be/q-E-ffXl2Uk , youtu.be/MILN_17KH6M , youtu.be/dmyswQs6_Bw . - Henry David Thoreau: A Life, by Laura Dassow Walls (2018): amzn.to/2B22qdw ; - “Civil Disobedience,” by H.D. Thoreau (1849): bit.ly/2OYTQjz ; - Westward, I Go Free: Tracing Thoreau’s Last Journey, by Corinne Smith: amzn.to/2OUyYKi ; corinnehsmith.com ; thoreausociety.org ; - Thoreau’s letter to Parker Pillsbury, April 10 1861: bit.ly/2WVVdEg [“Blessed are they who never read a newspaper, for they shall see Nature, and through her, God. But alas I have heard of Sumpter, & Pickens, & even of Buchanan, (though I did not read his message)”] ; - Thoreau’s journals, 1860-61: bit.ly/2WXHUmI ; - “The Wreckage,” The Relentless Picnic, ep. 27: bit.ly/2By6Md7 ; - Joanna Newsom, “Does Not Suffice” (youtu.be/FkjkT-ohCpQ) & “Good Intentions Paving Company” (youtu.be/KCCl3nzL5PI) ; - Don DeLillo, Mao II (1991): amzn.to/30VqmJc ; - The Unabomber In His Own Words (2018), documentary on Netflix: bit.ly/2DbHkuh ; - season photo: "Untitled #2214" by Todd Hido, 1998.

Cabin - Ep. 3 Jun 28, 2020

“Most men, even in this comparatively free country, through mere ignorance and mistake, are so occupied with the factitious cares and superfluously coarse labors of life that its finer fruits cannot be plucked by them. . . . Some, not wise, go to the other side of the globe, to barbarous and unhealthy regions, devote themselves to trade for ten or twenty years, in order that they may live—that is, keep comfortably warm—and die in New England at last.” —H.D. Thoreau, Walden, “Economy,” 1854. Cabin is the new season from The Relentless Picnic. It's one story told over multiple episodes. It's a story about solitude and isolation, community and loss, Henry David Thoreau and Ted Kaczynski—and it's told through audio recorded throughout 2019 and 2020. Support us at patreon.com/relentlesspicnic for access to a ton of bonus content. Our web site is relentlesspicnic.com SOURCES (Ep. 3): - Walden; or, Life in the Woods, by H.D. Thoreau (1854) ; - The journals of Henry David Thoreau (1837-1861): bit.ly/36Lxavm ; - “Ktaadn,” by H.D. Thoreau (1848): bit.ly/2CSXvga ; - The Maine Woods, by H.D. Thoreau (posthumously, 1862): bit.ly/3icJ5HO ; - “Early Retirement Extreme” by J.L. Fisker (2010): amzn.to/2ZpEZn2 ; - Ben Gaddes: appalachianben.tumblr.com, bengaddes.com, & bit.ly/2ZA4CBZ ; - Henry David Thoreau: A Life, by Laura Dassow Walls (2018): amzn.to/2B22qdw ; FURTHER READING: - An excerpt from "On Trails" by Robert Moor (2016), on Thoreau and Katahdin: bit.ly/3gbBibC ; - “What Happened to the Thoreau Spring Plaque [on Katahdin]?” by Howard R. Whitcomb (2015): bit.ly/31u79jq .

Cabin - Ep. 2 Jun 10, 2020

“I perceive that we partially die ourselves through sympathy at the death of each of our friends or near relatives. Each such experience is an assault on our vital force. It becomes a source of wonder that they who have lost many friends still live. After long watching around the sickbed of a friend, we, too, partially give up the ghost with him, and are the less to be identified with this state of things.” —H.D. Thoreau, Journal, 1859. Cabin is the new season from The Relentless Picnic. It's one story told over multiple episodes. It's a story about solitude and isolation, community and loss, Henry David Thoreau and Ted Kaczynski—and it's told through audio recorded throughout 2019 and 2020. Support us at patreon.com/relentlesspicnic for access to a ton of bonus content. Our web site is relentlesspicnic.com SOURCES (Ep. 2): - Walden; or, Life in the Woods, by H.D. Thoreau (1854) ; - The journals of Henry David Thoreau (1837-1861): bit.ly/36Lxavm ; - Henry David Thoreau: A Life, by Laura Dassow Walls (2018): amzn.to/2B22qdw ; - Letter from N. Hawthorne to H.W. Longfellow (Nov. 21, 1848): bit.ly/3fjSqeP ; - With Walt Whitman in Camden, vol. 1, by Horace Traubel (1906): bit.ly/2YpXhEq ; - “Pierre Menard, Author of the ‘Quixote’” by Jorge Luis Borges (tr. 1962): bit.ly/2UACA7H ; - season photo: "Untitled #2214" by Todd Hido, 1998.

Cabin - Ep. 1 May 30, 2020

Cabin is the new season from The Relentless Picnic. It's one story told over multiple episodes. It's a story about solitude and isolation, community and loss, Henry David Thoreau and Ted Kaczynski—and it's told through audio recorded throughout 2019 and 2020. Support us at patreon.com/relentlesspicnic for access to a ton of bonus content. Our web site is relentlesspicnic.com SOURCES (Ep. 1): - The journals of Henry David Thoreau (1837-1861): bit.ly/36Lxavm ; - Walden; or, Life in the Woods, by H.D. Thoreau (1854) ; - Into the Wild (dir. Sean Penn, 2007; based on the 1996 book by Jon Krakauer about Christopher McCandless) ; - Grizzly Man (dir. Werner Herzog, 2005) ; - season photo: "Untitled #2214" by Todd Hido, 1998.

Cabin - Ep. 0: Prologue Apr 24, 2020

A preview of CABIN: the upcoming season from The Relentless Picnic.

Ep. 33 - Shallow Banquet Apr 12, 2019

Are we further apart? Are we being fooled? This is an episode about our phantom selves, how we're doing right now, and the feeling that something important has gone wrong. SOURCES: - "Ep. 27: The Wreckage," The Relentless Picnic (Feb. '18): bit.ly/2GhA6CW ; - "How Do We Write Now?" by Patricia Lockwood, Tin House (Apr. '18): bit.ly/2Gfyj1p ; - "In the Age of A.I., Is Seeing Still Believing?" by Joshua Rothman, The New Yorker (Nov. '18): bit.ly/2zwnggK ; - "Brain-Eating Amoeba Lurk in U.S. Lakes. But Should You Worry?" PBS NewsHour (Aug. '11): to.pbs.org/2IviXbF ; - If I Forget Thee, Jerusalem, by Wm. Faulker (1939) ; - music from the episode: bit.ly/2UFK6QM (ft. "All Fires" by Moonface, from Spencer Krug: patreon.com/spencerkrug ). - Image: Hundertacht House, Bonn-Kessenich, North Rhine-Westphalia, 2007, Uwe Schröder Architekten. Photo: Stefan Müller

Ep. 32 - Passage Potluck Jan 27, 2019

The world is a snakepit of competing takes and diverging minds. How is anybody supposed to live? In this episode, we play a game called Passage Potluck to straighten it all out. We assembled a packet of short excerpted texts, and forced ourselves to connect dots between, through, and around them, at random. The passages we wound up discussing are assembled for listeners here: bit.ly/peoplespacket ; but the full packet we had in front of us is for our Patreon supporters here: bit.ly/patreonpacket . Music from the episode: https://bit.ly/2B7rUnc ; Image credit: Thomas Prior.

Ep. 31 - Just Citizens Oct 22, 2018

The confidence we’ve always had as a people isn’t simply some romantic dream, or a proverb in a dusty book we read just on the Fourth of July. In this episode we’re talking democracy and consumerism through those American specters John Dewey, the thirty-ninth President James Earl Carter, and the citizen-reviewers of Amazon dot com. SOURCES: - Jimmy Carter, Address to the Nation on Energy (Nov. 8, 1977): bit.ly/2R3bFNo ; - John Dewey, The Public and Its Problems (1927): a.co/d/aRa9JvB ; - John Dewey, The Quest for Certainty (1929) ; - WaPo "Presidential" podcast, "Jimmy Carter: Keeping the Faith." transcript: wapo.st/2POYTlk ; - Peanuts to the Presidency: the Jimmy Carter Campaign (1978): youtu.be/kHgMS2xVyJY ; - American Experience: Jimmy Carter, PBS Films (2002): youtu.be/FXyeIklDDEI ; - footage from "The Made-for-TV Election 1980" film, dir. William Brandon Shanley, starring Martin Sheen (1986): youtu.be/LeJxuOVXEm8 ; - Jimmy Carter, "Crisis of Confidence" speech (July 14, 1979), transcript: bit.ly/2Jc6AQf , video: youtu.be/kakFDUeoJKM ; - "A Former President, A Person of Faith," interview with Jimmy Carter on 1A (March 2018): bit.ly/2CWH40Y ; - "John Dewey's Radical Critique of the New Deal," by Daniel O'Connor (2010): bit.ly/2Any2rB ; - John Dewey, "The Teacher and the Public" (1935) ; - James Fallows, "The Passionless Presidency: The trouble with Jimmy Carter's Administration, " The Atlantic (May 1979): bit.ly/2yssLNJ ; - cover image: Stefan Czapsky, 1990 ; - music from the episode: https://bit.ly/2AouMw9 .

Ep. 30 - The Mandala Aug 06, 2018

Let's talk about movies. How would you talk about a movie if it wants you to shut up? Climb aboard for a one-way trip down the river of striking images, dream-like sequences, and too many meaningful looks. From the ridiculous to the sacred, we examine the examinations of the unspeakable silence at the heart of life. SOURCES: - 2001: A Space Odyssey, dir. Stanley Kubrick (1968) ; - Plato, Republic (514a & ff.) ; - Song to Song, dir. Terence Malick (2017) ; - Paul Schraeder's review of Song to Song: bit.ly/2vqghom ; - Paul Schraeder, Transcendental Style in Film: Ozu, Bresson, Dreyer, with new introduction, "Rethinking Transcendental Style" (2018): a.co/eiNRfRh ; - Stalker, dir. Andrei Tarkovsky (1979) ; - Late Spring, dir. Yasujirô Ozu (1949) ; - Five Dedicated to Ozu, dir. Abbas Kiarostami (2003) ; - cover image: Lucas Samaras, 1975 - music from the episode: bit.ly/2AN40zL .

Ep. 29 - The Swarm May 04, 2018

This week it’s fourteen conversations about one thing. We do a little research on the symptoms of fascism and begin to feel like an expendable character in the first act of a horror film. Plus: TED talks are blindfolds at the museum, why you must laminate the best parts of your body, and the moral arc of the universe bends toward destruction, but also hope? Q.E.D., friends. SOURCES: - Umberto Eco, "Ur-Fascism" (NYRB, June 1995): https://bit.ly/1mXBPS6 ; - Plato's Meno, 72a ; - "How we can build AI to help humans, not hurt us," a TED talk by Margaret Mitchell (03/12/2018): https://youtu.be/twWkGt33X_k ; - "How to win at evolution and survive a mass extinction," a TED talk by Lauren Sallan (11/21/2017): https://youtu.be/rtcrqLWZr_0 ; - "Capitalism isn't an ideology -- it's an operating system," a TED talk by Bhu Srinivasan (03/06/2018): https://youtu.be/Y0UB6g8Rsyw ; - clip from George Carlin, "Doin' it Again" (1990): https://youtu.be/hNd_x3w-yNo ; - Masha Gessen, "Autocracy: Rules for Survival" (NYRB, Nov. 2016): https://bit.ly/2fGj4PY ; - Reggie Watts at TEDx Berlin (12/05/2013): https://youtu.be/Y7IxzpB-UMM ; - episode cover image: "Ministers Meeting, Rome, Italy, 1940" by Carl Mydans ; - music from the episode: https://bit.ly/2KCdI8R .

Ep. 28 - Ragnarok Apr 03, 2018

It’s time to talk about America. We’re looking at ways to deal with what’s coming, from that bug-out bag full of spare magazines, to terrifying self-sacrifice on South Carolina’s spiritual battlefield, to Hollywood’s last-ditch play for immortality with the forces of global capital. Join us on the beach to watch the blood-dimmed tide roll in. BONUS SCENE for our patreon supporters: https://bit.ly/2v5yF8x ; SOURCES: - "In A Dark Time" by Theodore Roethke (1963): https://bit.ly/2wYW33A ; - "Preppers are Crazy" by SensiblePrepper (03/2012): https://youtu.be/6_AJljHYww8 ; - "7 Worst Rookie Prepper Mistakes and How to Avoid Them" by SNO Multimedia (09/2014): https://youtu.be/byKqaGUiaFM ; - from Melville, Moby Dick: chapter XCIII, The Castaway ; - "I'm the Girl Who Clawed Her Own Eyes Out. This Is My Story: Twenty-year old Kaylee Muthart speaks out for the first time since the incident that made national news," by Kaylee Muthart as told to Elizabeth Narins, in Cosmo (Mar. 9, 2018): https://bit.ly/2FIMVbu ; - "Top 10 Sheep Dog Gangs That Will Form After The Collapse" by Reality Survival & Prepping (08/2017): https://youtu.be/EAUbsTQ-PPc ; - "The Second Coming" by W.B. Yeats (1919), as read by Dominic West: https://youtu.be/QI40j17EFbI ; - "Secrets of the Marvel Universe," by Joanna Robinson, Vanity Fair (Nov. 27, 2017): https://bit.ly/2iUyVyw ; - music from the episode: https://bit.ly/2GAWtCw ; - cover image: https://bit.ly/2GEwfiy .

Ep. 27 - The Wreckage Feb 15, 2018

How did this happen? What went wrong? We obsess over the brokenness and try to eyeball the true nature of intimacy: fading, faded, and yet-to-fade. ft. Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jordan Catalano, Don Draper, the miserable modern self, someone you once genuinely loved, and other dangerous creatures of the heart. SOURCES: - "How Friendships Change Over Time" by Julie Beck in The Atlantic (June 2015): http://theatln.tc/2mDBQxK ; - "Mimi O'Donnell Reflects on the Loss of Philip Seymour Hoffman and the Devastation of Addiction," as told to Adam Green, Vogue (Dec. 13, 2017): http://bit.ly/2j1DUx6 ; - 'litost', Collins Dictionary: http://bit.ly/2ELkp8w ; - Episode image: “Pulse” by Jessica Lloyd-Jones, 2008 ; - music from the episode: http://bit.ly/2CmDokx .

Ep. 26 - This Is Marketplace Jan 17, 2018

Like I always say, if the markets are a-singin', you better know how to make 'em dance. Today on the program, it's a deep dive in the shallow pond that is NPR's Marketplace. We'll ask the question: are there Nazis in-studio forcing them to be like this? Or is there a more covert kind of fascism within the neoliberal soul? I'm Kai Ryssdal, and this sinking ship is called Marketplace. SOURCES: - "Buying 450 Million Ripple? - $1Billion Ripple XRP Buy - XRP Ripple CryptoCurrency," by the right reputable Crypto Coin News: https://youtu.be/_TGELnePogs ; - "Is Amazon finally poised for a complete retail takeover?" (Oct. 27, 2017): http://bit.ly/2Dd9mku ; - "Why accountants can't wait for the new tax bill" (Oct. 30, 2017): http://bit.ly/2DJqfEw ; - "Does trickle-down economics make any sense?" (Nov. 7, 2017): http://bit.ly/2EOQiJP ; - "F is For Future: How to Think About Public Media's Next 50 Years" a Knight Foundation whitepaper by Melody Kramer and Betsy Odonovan (2017): http://kng.ht/2AFoCGp ; - Weekly Wrap: "What lowering the tax rate means for the economy" (Sept. 1, 2017): http://bit.ly/2mENxDo ; - "How will corporations spend their tax cuts?" (Dec. 1, 2017): http://bit.ly/2DbtByT ; - "How Kai Ryssdal, Radio Host, Does It," by Kai Ryssdal, as told to KJ Dell'Antonia (NY Times; May 29, 2013): http://nyti.ms/2rdDmLr ; - Vanity Fair profile of Kai Ryssdal, by Sarah Ball (Oct. 17, 2013): http://bit.ly/2mG6GEM ; - Kai on PBS NewsHour with Hari Sreenivasan (Oct. 18, 2016): https://youtu.be/gbMxKqUk02E ; - "A surprise viral hit: Income inequality, the movie" (March 8, 2013): http://bit.ly/2FLj13d ; - "Inequality: Capitalism's 'squeaky wheel'" (Jan. 29, 2014): http://bit.ly/2DmwvnY ; - sporadic Marketplace excerpts from 4/5/17–1/12/18 ; - music from the episode: http://bit.ly/2DmLtKu.

Ep. 25 - Drench the Spark Dec 18, 2017

To die, to sleep — perchance to be judged no longer viable in society and sentenced to burn alive from within. Who is truly avenged by our cocktails of untested heartstoppers? Justices: why did we stop, then start, doing this again? Join us at the top of the scaffold of lies we tell ourselves, where we countenance barbarisms and watch the clock till it runs all the way out. SOURCES: - Michel Foucault, Discipline & Punish: The Birth of the Prison (1975): http://a.co/eerXzt2 ; - 60 Minutes, "The Execution of Joseph Wood" (Nov. 29, 2015): http://bit.ly/2kgmw8Z ; - Oklahoma's KFOR-TV on Clayton Lockett's botched execution (Apr. 29, 2014); reporter Courtney Francisco, eyewitnessing: https://youtu.be/d06awQ1L2TM ; - Furman v. Georgia (1972): http://bit.ly/2kIZ6bH ; - news clips on the decision in Furman v. Georgia: https://youtu.be/yeOykQHeRlY?t=2m23s ; - Gregg v. Georgia (1976): http://bit.ly/2kfGh0d ; - a cartoon on the case, produced (amazingly) by the Georgia State Bar: https://youtu.be/3-BNkWHmCqg ; - Bloody Code https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloody_Code ; http://bit.ly/2CB3Bwe - Two Treatises of Government, by John "Hornsbury" Locke (1689) ; - 30 for 30, Doc & Darryl (dir. Judd Apatow & Michael Bonfiglio, 2016): http://es.pn/2ASRfPt ; - Glossip v. Gross (2015): http://bit.ly/2oGy6Pc ; - J. Alito, for the 5-4 majority: http://bit.ly/2oBvBh0 ; - J. Breyer, dissenting: http://bit.ly/2CZtAOU (& published in handsome volume here: http://a.co/7M59QDr) ; - Nino, concurring: http://bit.ly/2Bxk19L ; - J. Thomas, concurring: http://bit.ly/2BIRZua ; - Audio & transcipts of oral arguments (argued Apr. 29, 2015) on Oyez here: https://www.oyez.org/cases/2014/14-7955 ; - Death Penalty Information Center: deathpenaltyinfo.org; fact sheet: http://bit.ly/2yiSHKz ; - Don Delillo, Americana (1989): http://a.co/bhyKIYp ; - music from the episode: http://bit.ly/2kHBjbX ; FURTHER READING: - McGautha v. California (1971), in which J. Harlan, writing for the court (6-3), said: "To identify before the fact those characteristics of criminal homicides and their perpetrators which call for the death penalty, and to express these characteristics in language which can be fairly understood and applied by the sentencing authority, appear to be tasks which are beyond present human ability." http://bit.ly/2kIHVqH

PATREON: The Announcement Nov 22, 2017

There's a new channel for hot audio content from The Relentless Picnic. It's on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/relentlesspicnic Our episodes will still be released for free, and in the same way as always. But, as a Patron, you'll receive weekly "treats" from us, delivered to you via the Patreon. Among the "treats" you might expect from us each week are: ▪️ interviews, conversations, and informal chats with intriguing guests ▪️ question & answer sessions where the Picnic responds to your queries ▪️ special live-streaming shows ▪️ excerpts from in-progress dramatic works/short operas ▪️ recipes from @georgelazenby's personal stash ▪️ plus: cut scenes, discourse, conversation, and curated audio delights in our usual style. If you want to support what we’ve been doing, pledge a fin, and scoop up your weekly treats. https://www.patreon.com/relentlesspicnic

Ep. 24 - The Tightrope Nov 08, 2017

Inspired by an O.G. paragon of male toxicity — Odysseus — this week we confront the meaning of our obligations, the phenomenon of gaslighting, and a certain typified masculinity near-feral in its ineptitude and shimmering in its self-denial. All in the space of a Homeric reverie. Special thanks to Sir Ian McKellan. SOURCES: Homer, The Odyssey, 12.30-200; 23.231-288 (tr. Fagles, read by Sir Ian) ; "Some Clinical Consequences of Introjection: Gaslighting" by Victor Calef, M.D. & Edward M. Weinshel, M.D., Psychoanalytic Quarterly 50:44-66 (1981) ; Three reddit tales from Keith Calder's tweet: "A weird part of toxic masculinity is not knowing how to poop properly." (https://twitter.com/keithcalder/status/918598272243126272) ; "From Theater to Therapy to Twitter, the Eerie History of Gaslighting," by Katy Waldman (Apr. '16): http://slate.me/1SV4KiE ; Episode photo by Hugh Holland ; Music playlist: http://bit.ly/2yJ6BJu .

Ep. 23 - Like This or Die Oct 10, 2017

The medium is our message. We sleuth out data points along the demographic trendlines, and follow them straight towards the beating, gray heart of TV―and beyond. How does it all end? We jump off the edge and file dispatches from the abyss. SOURCES: "E Unibus Pluram: Television and U.S. Fiction," by David F. Wallace (Review of Contemporary Fiction 13:2, Summer 1993); _Network_, by Paddy Chayefsky, dir. Sidney Lumet (1976). _Within the Context of No Context_, by George W. S. Trow (Atlantic Monthly Press Books, 1980); _The Corrections_, by Jonathan Franzen (Picador, 2001). SPONSORS: https://youtu.be/mGs4CjeJiJQ ; https://youtu.be/jPybavTSjCc ; https://youtu.be/U7TM4M_PsOA ; https://youtu.be/9M1QF66dFzA ; https://youtu.be/mIuv_dYV498 ; https://youtu.be/m0-wtrC7Vmc ; https://youtu.be/W286CRPwBuo ; https://youtu.be/XLpDiIVX0Wo ; https://youtu.be/7GvYI4VdVEI ; https://youtu.be/HMLt7bSX3iE ; https://youtu.be/YMzh1YsSun0 ; https://youtu.be/MZaePKG543c. Cover art by Benoit Paillé: https://www.lensculture.com/projects/239884-alternatives-landscape

Ep. 22 - Shanksville Sep 19, 2017

We hit the pavement to grapple directly with the National Park Service's Flight 93 National Memorial, and with 9/11. An album of photographs to aid your listening experience: https://flic.kr/s/aHsm4zgYqd SOURCES: - Flight 93 National Memorial, NPS Brochure: http://bit.ly/2hbF1g7 - Timeline for United 93: http://n.pr/2hcDZg4 ; - Flight 93 National Memorial Cell Phone Tour: http://bit.ly/2fgXSWh ; - Memorial Committee Jury Report: http://bit.ly/2x9LnD0 ; - Environmental Impact Report: http://bit.ly/2y9zMAK ; - Jean Baudrillard, "The Spirit of Terrorism," Oct. 2001: http://bit.ly/2woSjwB ; - Jean Baudrillard, "Hypotheses on Terrorism," an essay published with the above and two others as The Spirit of Terrorism (Verso, 2003); - The 9/11 Commission Report: http://bit.ly/2iwak0Q ; - A small plane crashes into the White House, 9/11*/1994: http://abcn.ws/1sVddp8 ; - Don DeLillo, Falling Man (2007). Audiobook read by John Slattery; - Dick Cheney on Chris Wallace, 9/04/2011: https://youtu.be/fir1N4mil3s ; - Denny Hastert's Congress sings to a battered nation, 9/11/2001: https://youtu.be/IH_6EUCILew ; - Luis Gonzalez saves the world: https://youtu.be/gNt3UuDTBz8 FURTHER READING: - "The Forgotten Memorial: How 9/11 Changed Shanksville, Pennsylvania," by Craig Fehrman in the New Republic (Aug. 2011): http://bit.ly/2y8zc6g ; - on Wally Miller, the Somerset County coroner: http://bit.ly/2w2WD08.

Ep. 21 - No World Aug 21, 2017

Lose yourself in the wild-eyed fearsome shadow of totality. Come see what hippies the Moon made of our steely-eyed missile men. Plus—Elon Musk trips over his own simulated shoelaces, and the Moon Matrix is fully decoded. Join us, but only if you've got the right glasses. SOURCES: Quora queries: https://www.quora.com/topic/Elon-Musk Elon Musk speaks with Walter Isaacson at Vanity Fair's New Establishment Summit: https://youtu.be/fPsHN1KyRQ8 ; "Elon Musk: The Chance We Are Not Living In a Computer Simulation is 'One in Billions'," by Andrew Griffin in The Independent (June 2016): http://ind.pn/1TXY3zF ; On Elon Musk's mission to Mars: "Exodus," by Ross Anderson in Aeon (Sept. 2014): http://bit.ly/1N7gT0N ; Lo and Behold (2016), dir. Werner Herzog. David Icke coming out as the son of God in 1991, https://youtu.be/NapHiWsoFXI & https://youtu.be/4q9ncm2jotI ; David Icke's "Lion Sleeps No More" seminar, queued up to the moon part: https://youtu.be/VJorKZEbQsA?t=51m21s ; "Total Eclipse," by Annie Dillard (first pub. 1982). Available here, till 8/22: http://theatln.tc/2upvpQt ; For All Mankind (1989), dir. Al Reinert: https://youtu.be/FJiHAoAru54

Ep. 20 - Secret Teaching Aug 02, 2017

This week from our special plans department, Leo Strauss: a guide for the perplexed. Politics, both ancient and modern; the allure of elite cabals; a whiskey spill Rorschach test; polemics, hermeneutics, and sex in the stacks. Plus—Iraq, intelligence, independence, and other declarations of the great atheist priest: Text. WORKS CITED: Leo Strauss and the Politics of American Empire (Yale University Press, 2004), by Anne Norton; The Enduring Importance of Leo Strauss (University of Chicago Press, 2013), by Laurence Lampert; Silent Warfare: Understanding the World of Intelligence (3rd ed., Potomac Books, 2002), by Abram N. Shulsky and Gary J. Schmitt; "Leo Strauss and the World of Intelligence (By Which We Do Not Mean Nous)," by Gary J. Schmitt and Abram N. Shulksy: http://bit.ly/2woEPwb ; "Sphinx Without a Secret," by M.F. Burnyeat, NY Review of Books (May 1985): http://bit.ly/2wp0DrH ; "What Is Liberal Education?" by Leo Strauss (June 1959): http://bit.ly/2u7v2xI ; Harvey Mansfield in conversation with Bill Kristol: https://youtu.be/t-gH7Waedtk ; "Leo Strauss: September 20, 1899-October 18, 1973," by Allan Bloom: http://bit.ly/2hqL5Rp ; "Leo Strauss: Friend of Liberal Democracy," by Jeet Heer (March '08): http://bit.ly/2u4kxaq ; Leo Strauss as Teacher, 2011 conference at U. of Chicago: https://youtu.be/vyaqZAwodeU ; "Seminar in Political Philosophy: Karl Marx," Leo Strauss (with Joseph Cropsey): http://bit.ly/2vsCjbd [excerpt is from 4/20/60; nice]. FURTHER READING: Profile of Abram Shulsky: "Selective Intelligence," by Seymour M. Hersh, New Yorker (May 2003): http://bit.ly/2o0t2mZ ; Jenny Strauss Clay, adoptive daughter of Leo, responds to his critics: "The Real Leo Strauss," NY Times (June 2003): http://nyti.ms/1i6Dj4I ; BBC documentary filmmaker Adam Curtis on Leo Strauss, from The Power of Nightmares (2004): https://youtu.be/FyKpjDup8Fw ; "Reading Leo Strauss," by Steven B. Smith, NY Times (June 2006): http://nyti.ms/2vsSHbr ; "The Pro-Trump Intellectuals Who Want to Overthrow America," by Jeet Heer, New Republic (Oct. 2016): http://bit.ly/2n6v6al.

Ep. 19 - Get In Jul 15, 2017

We're trying to get at the allure of permanent consequences, the moral underpinnings of hitchhiking, and the secret greenhouses of your text-based relationships. Whither goest thou, America? And can you get us there before bed, we have to be up early? LINKS/SOURCES: a relationship beset by far-left podcasts: https://twitter.com/yungneocon/status/877017208161009664 ; "The End of the Open Road: The Inside Story of How Hitchhiking Died," by Molly Osberg (May '15): http://bit.ly/1E2bL9f ; "The death of hitchhiking is a modern tragedy," by Anne Perkins (Sept. '16): http://bit.ly/2coPqSr ; "An Informal History of Hitchhiking" by John. T. Schlebecker, The Historian 20:3 (May 1958), pp. 305-327. ; CNN on the Michelle Carter trial: http://cnn.it/2umrpUe ; Court documents, from the state: http://bit.ly/2vpiCxA ; and from the defense: http://bit.ly/2ts2biL

Ep. 18 - Happy Nation Jun 28, 2017

Chaos reigns! The Relentless Picnic emerges victorious after the heinous destruction of our National Caverns! Justly! Jurassic Park, )))Ace of Base(((, Future Trump Scandals, Groundhog Day, and yet more dredging at the limit of human intelligence.

Ep. 17 - The Cave Jun 03, 2017

Like the man said: We're chained to the earth like a silent slave; trying to break free out of death's dark cave. Bones in South Africa, hoarding in New York City, and finally, a dispatch from our friend Matt Tice as he takes heavy fire, and glimpses reinforcement, on the front line of life. - "Geological and taphonomic context for the new hominin species Homo naledi from the Dinaledi Chamber, South Africa." (Sept. '15): https://elifesciences.org/articles/09561 ; - Map of the Dinaledi cave, from the above: http://bit.ly/2rEtSHw ; - "The Lonely Death of George Bell," by N.R. Kleinfield in the NYT (Oct. '15): http://nyti.ms/2rS04rU.

CATJERKER: The Offer May 31, 2017

We want you to hear our rollicking satire of venture capitalists, which involves lots of loose talk about cat masturbation. Here's how to hear it: 1) Leave us a rating/review on iTunes. Be real with us. We can take it. 2) Screengrab that ish. 3) Either a) e-mail that screenshotted review to relentlesspicnic@gmail.com, or b) DM that screenshotted review to @stanleypicnic on Twitter. Then, we'll send you either a direct download link or an mp3 attachment, featuring the sketch we lovingly refer to as "The Cat Jerker". Thanks for picnicking relentlessly.

Ep. 16 - Word Alert May 19, 2017

Our three-man justice team takes on red ball after red ball: our books, our selves, and our bookshelves; words in the wild; words on screens; mysteries & heresies. Plus—blah blah blah Robert Frost!

Ep. 15 - His Favorite Child May 05, 2017

Can computers learn & are Redditors ever right? We do some psychologizing of the modern American cornered by the paranormal. Plus. Are you there, Dad? It's me, Science! Thanks to the bold redditors who shared their stories: u/Parrot-Tamer, u/desk_jockey26, u/[deleted], u/brennnnz, u/TheThirdWheel, u/matics, u/khaustic, u/Squirly, u/[deleted], & u/americanslang59. "Alien Knowledge: When Machines Justify Knowledge," by David Weinberger (Apr. '17): http://bit.ly/2oTH6Pv ; 2008 San Diego F/A-18 crash: http://bit.ly/2pKsnXu.

Ep. 14 - Stanley Picnic Presents: Money Apr 25, 2017

This week, we try and wrap our heads around money via several parables and case studies. We inquire after the history of the gold standard in America, the implications of certain prison economies, and the predicament of the penny. Plus—who'd Andie MacDowell marry, and what ended the marriage life? SOURCES: - MarriedWiki: http://bit.ly/2oJzOuB & http://bit.ly/2p2eZgv; - "Gold and Economic Freedom" by Alan Greenspan (1966): http://bit.ly/1kBtoGq [don't visit this cursèd site]; - Wikipedia, "Sherman Silver Purchase of 1890": http://bit.ly/2pfYlbJ; - William Jennings Bryan, "Cross of gold" speech (orig. delivered on Jul. 8th, 1896): http://bit.ly/2pxj7Xk; - FDR's first Fireside Chat on the banking crisis (Mar. 12th, 1933): http://bit.ly/1fkSvtg; - FDR's Executive Order 6102: http://bit.ly/2q2FJMl; - "How Money and Banking Work On a Gold Standard," Philosophical Economics (Jul. '14): http://bit.ly/2q4yl6i; - Nixon, "The Challenge of Peace," address to the nation (Aug. 15th, 1971): http://bit.ly/2p24Zny; - "The Economic Organisation of a P.O.W. Camp," by R.A. Radford, in Price Theory and Its Applications (Nov. 1945): http://unc.live/2piYA7W; - "Blockchain Gang," NPR's Planet Money on Mackerel (Feb. '17): http://n.pr/2l84l6V; - "Tide is the new currency on the criminal underground, can be exchanged for meth," by Cory Doctorow (Mar. '12): http://bit.ly/2qcdBWE.

Ep. 13 - Your Blunder Today Apr 19, 2017

Getting' head during laser tag this week. The film Silence, state violence; great 90's dance pop, old-timey newsmen; planes and doctors, & incipient global war—plainly doctored. Plus: guess who's coming to Seder? - "Capitalism Is Violence" (4/12/17), by Matt Bruenig in Jacobin: http://bit.ly/2opZVFY

Ep. 12 - It's Not Nothing Mar 29, 2017

Let's move past the gollys and gee-whizzes from nominee Neil Gorsuch with some newly obtained recordings. Plus: we take confused tween investigator Devin Nunes to task for his tricky tick-tock; & why members of a certain angry caucus aren't enjoying their House freedom. - "Comey’s testimony humiliates Trump," by Jennifer Rubin (WaPo, 3/20): http://wapo.st/2mlmbVt ; - "Devin Nunes Vanished the Night Before He Made Trump Surveillance Claims," by Tim Mak (Daily Beast, 3/24): http://thebea.st/2mAGnmx ; - "Trump administration sought to enlist intelligence officials, key lawmakers to counter Russia stories," by Greg Miller & Adam Entous (WaPo, 2/24): http://wapo.st/2ljc66T ; - "Of Lions and Bears, Judges and Legislators, and the Legacy of Justice Scalia," by Neil Gorsuch (Case Western Law Review, Apr. '16): http://scholarlycommons.law.case.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4658&context=caselrev

Ep. 11 - Hurting the Right People Mar 16, 2017

We sit down with Frank Luntz, a man on a mission to civilize. His newest book is called "The Lonely Win: Longing for Death in a Buyer's Market." Plus—why America should just surrender and accept the permanent financial aristocracy. Op. Cit. - "The Agony of Frank Luntz," by Molly Ball in The Atlantic (Jan. '14): http://theatln.tc/2nwAxys - "Cheering Up Frank Luntz, and Ourselves," by Jim Geraghty in the National Review Online (Jan. '14): http://bit.ly/2mmAWDh. Media 1. Interview, Real Time with Bill Maher, July 15th, 2016: https://youtu.be/2bbDJ28mL_U 2. Luntz on the release of Trump's 2005 tax filings, CBS, Mar. 15th, 2017: https://youtu.be/yyaBubVDlEE 3. "Has the 2016 campaign divided the nation?" CBS, Nov. 7th, 2016 (a day before the election): https://youtu.be/Q-Cx_b5lk6U 4. "Assault on Frank Luntz By DC Protesters," Fox & Friends, Jan. 22nd, 2017: https://youtu.be/eLX7RSYuB5U 5. "The country is unraveling!" CBS, Feb. 2nd, 2017: https://youtu.be/1umhg-aXvVA

Ep. 10 - Jeff Sessions Confessions Mar 06, 2017

Despite wafting our fans we still get the vapours during Jeff Sessions's recusal announcement. Plus: we plunge the dipstick into thinkovator Jeff Jarvis & Blort seeks someone to take them post-business. "Here's a blueprint for radical innovation in journalism education," Jeff Jarvis (Sept. 2012): http://bit.ly/2mV2PTJ

Ep. 9 - Shakespeare-Sized Hole Mar 01, 2017

Art as the material excrement produced when you self-transcend, selling your self in a buyer's market, 10,001 strategies for leveraging your friendship with a reclusive poet. - “The Culture of Celebrity,” Joseph Epstein (Oct. 2005): http://tws.io/2l86EaU - “Jean Cocteau, The Art of Fiction No. 34.” Interview by Joseph Fifield (1964): http://bit.ly/2m38bOV - “What Is Art?” by Leo Tolstoy (1897): http://bit.ly/2mGLZXU - “A Hunger Artist” by Franz Kafka (1922; tr. Ian Johnston, 2009): https://records.viu.ca/~Johnstoi/kafka/hungerartist.htm - "Pierre Menard, Author of the Quixote" by Jorge Luis Borges (1941): http://hispanlit.qwriting.qc.cuny.edu/files/2011/06/Borges-Pierre-Menard.pdf

Ep. 8 - Fight Song Feb 18, 2017

A free-form, Saul-into-Paul hour-long lightning round. With a white-knuckle tour of Mark Zuckerberg's babyteaching, shirtshooting, A.I.-in-the-home. Plus: a deep scan of Paul Ryan's cowardice and a meditation on the Court's Snuggie addict supreme, Sam Alito.

Ep. 7 - Stanley Picnic Presents: Citizen Kane Feb 08, 2017

We take a freedive into American culture's most unlikely and prophetic artefact. No supplemental oxygen allowed. First in a series.

Ep. 6 - White Men Against Trump Jan 30, 2017

Her♂es gather to hammer out the discourse-swords and talk about their feelings. Remember to order meatballs at Papa John's to contact your congressperson. Cover image: Lavinia Schulz robot costume for the Walter Holdt production of Skírnismál, photographed by Minya Diez-Dührkoop.

Ep. 5 - A Titillating Pathological Night Jan 24, 2017

The definitive moral posture re: punching Nazis. Plus, we examine fact-chefs Conway and Spicer, expose their snake hearts and x-ray their snake hearts to see whose snake heart beats with greater fidelity to the party anthem. - "What happens when you tie your career to Donald Trump? Ask Sean Spicer in a few months." (This is an actual WaPo headline from a few months ago): http://wpo.st/FOtT2

Ep. 4 - Alexa Lives on Aristotle Jan 11, 2017

We send three virtual humans to the Consumer Electronics Show to sample the gadgets of the destructor class. - "To save books, librarians create fake 'reader' to check out titles" (Dec. '16): http://bit.ly/2iB2Dtr

Ep. 3 - The Id Queen Dec 31, 2016

Battling the swarm of political messaging, a quick zip into the abyss with Vladislav Surkov, and bets are placed on the shape of the new American fascism. - "Without Sky" by "Natan Dubovitsky" (trans. Bill Bowler): http://www.bewilderingstories.com/issue582/without_sky.html

Ep. 2 - Left-Wing Backlash & the Ivory Russian Dec 19, 2016

Are we rooting for a plutocratic coup d'etat? Plus— the futility of generation labels, Game of Thrones as the deadest political metaphor, and the flagrant violation of US Fish and Wildlife regulations inside Aaron Sorkin's pants.

Ep. 1 - The Slaughterhouse of Shallow Contentment Dec 18, 2016

Today on Radiolab: Should knowledge be taxed, and is poverty good for you? A team of neuro-economists weigh in. - "Podcast Out" by David A. Banks: http://thenewinquiry.com/essays/podcast-out/

Ep. 0.5 - The Frozen Babies Go to Court Dec 08, 2016

A deep dive into recent legal action initiated by two named, frozen embryos, and a long snort of the condiment kingdom awaiting them here on Earth. - "A New Condiment for the Modern Family" (Jan. '12): http://on.wsj.com/2iNsLyY - "Nicholas Loeb: Forget All the Rest, He's Mr. Condiment" (Oct. '13): http://nyti.ms/1OJkLvP - "Sofia Vergara Embryo Case Could Open Floodgates" (Dec. '16): http://thebea.st/2i6zBlT

Ep. 0 - Bulletproof Evidence & the Basement that Wasn't Dec 02, 2016

In our hearts we are all the pizzagate shooter.

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