Episode 27 - We Cannot Be Killed (...yet)
Added 2024-05-14 20:21:10 +0000 UTC0:00 Intro/Running out of things to say/Cultivating your life through hate
21:50 On craftsmanship/Learning to navigate through the world/The algorithm is a lie
47:00 Comfort through discomfort/Genre/The narrative world and the objective world
1:09:00 Radicalism and normalcy
Comments
I think you misunderstood the point when you said that non-binary people see genders as limited categories; essentially, they see the binary framework in itself as a limited structure. So, even the expansion of these binary categories won't solve the problem of a flawed structure.
YASH KUMAR
2024-05-21 19:31:18 +0000 UTCI have a prediction that as AI art becomes more prevalent in mainstream culture and processed media, local underground art scenes will be the way human art will thrive. Which is not a problem to me since that way everything can be decentralized and I think smaller scale art communities are a healthier space for artists to exist in. I've started participating in a couple local art shows recently so I feel like the movement is already off to a good start. I can imagine the online space getting harder to navigate as time goes by and will only get worse until it gets better unfortunately. The space you two have cultivated here is sacred to me and I'm sure to many other people, so let's all move forward together and do what we can to keep pushing this discussion indefinitely. :)
Eric Drozda
2024-05-19 23:41:55 +0000 UTCHas anyone seen Adam Curtis' Can't Get You Out Of My Head? It really opened my mind about collectivism, individualism...... power struggle and systems...... commercialism and revolution...... and the question of what 'I' or 'we' have control over, what chance we have of change..... It came to mind when you were wrestling with thoughts on your beliefs. https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/p093wp6h/cant-get-you-out-of-my-head
hyperballadbrad
2024-05-17 15:51:27 +0000 UTCPre-vaccine COVID was crippling. I thought my ex-husband was going to die, in fact.... I was unable to taste and smell for four months.... that was back in Oct 2020. Dark days. Look after yourselves, kids. Nice intro - re your curation in life of your interests and what you want to discuss - you're breaking down your own walls - it's a process and a worthwhile one - does this mean I don't have to listen to talk about tiktok trends or K-Pop anymore? *wink*
hyperballadbrad
2024-05-17 15:01:24 +0000 UTCThanks for this reminder: I've heard it before. It's pretty damn good! I'm looking forward to Mäkelä at the Proms this summer. He gives me hope.
Sophia Lambton
2024-05-16 16:14:54 +0000 UTCThe full symphony was uploaded to the Oslo Philharmonic Youtube. Hope you enjoy! https://youtu.be/a6bG3uDRqH4?si=h4L3V4VjYXeZc5Nw
Esteban Rodriguez
2024-05-15 22:36:39 +0000 UTCI own the Mäkelä Sibelius set on CD. It's phenomenal! And I'm a really strict judge. When I heard he was a young overrated conductor, I totally bought into it until I heard him live for myself. He's now conductor of the Chicago Symphony. I'm surprised Hurwitz disliked him so much. I will listen to his Mahler! I don't think I've heard a whole symphony under his baton. I will listen to Currentzis' Beethoven. At first the AMU will have an inaugural "get to know you" meeting, but later on I hope we can do topic-specific ones (like music, movies etc. per genre). Speak soon, Esteban. Sophia
Sophia Lambton
2024-05-15 22:11:19 +0000 UTCYes! I also really love Klaus Mäkelä! Hurwitz put his Sibelius cycle on the worst recordings of the year video. I haven’t listen to that whole thing yet, but right now I definitely do love him as a Mahlerian. His Mahler 3 is really good and made me appreciate him. He also doesn’t like Currentzis which I of course disagree a lot. However I can admit that as a fan that I was disappointed by his Beethoven 5 and 7. I think his style doesn’t completely fit Beethoven’s music even when there are some bright spots like the first movement of the 7th. I think Currentzis is at his best when he’s working with Mozart or Mahler music. But I have listened to his Bruckner and that’s also solid. I’m definitely looking forward to the AMU!
Esteban Rodriguez
2024-05-15 20:48:16 +0000 UTCHey Esteban! I'm happy to hear you'll be joining the AMU! I'm familiar with Dave Hurwitz too. He has some good points about various recordings but I don't agree with him on everything. I think he found Mäkelä overrated and I am a big Mäkelä supporter. The "empty subscribers" part is a sad truth: I heard about a travel YouTuber who had over a million and published a travel guide, only for it to have trouble selling. It disheartens me to see some YouTubers buying too greatly into a feeling of community when a lot of people just have their stuff on in the background. That's the whole problem though: there's a lot more freedom but it's much harder to distinguish garbage from anything professional, let alone to reel in the right audience. I look forward to more from Lewis and Luiza now that they're back. Take care, Sophia
Sophia Lambton
2024-05-15 19:47:52 +0000 UTCI definitely have almost come to the idea that terminally online people are sub human at this point. It definitely sounds dismissive but it’s because when I actually speak to real people that are my friends or even coworkers it’s clear that many that don’t obsess over trivial matters actually have personality and that the mobs of people who swarm social media complaining all the time have almost lost their humanity. Of course, I can get upset but I don’t let it consume me. In general I think a lot of this discord from people comes from the simple feeling of fear. Which I think explains a lot about the problems in life major or minor. If there’s one thing that I think is understandably difficult but necessarily important to control it’s fear. Because that can easily take over you. It’s why we have every negative thing from massive wars to just a simple petty argument from two people. I remember a YouTube channel called EmpLemon made a video about this "empty subscribers" in how yeah you may have a million subscribers but that doesn’t mean a million are watching. It was clear to him when only a fraction of subscribers were actually watching him and this video was almost 8 years ago. This is nothing new. And I think it might be worse now than even what he was witnessing. Because the only way for him to know his audience was the comments even when they are just people going "you’re shit". But now any popular channel is filled with degeneracy and bots galore in the comments and YouTube of course will do nothing about it. Even my own channel that has less than 500 subscribers now will still a couple bot comments once in a while on a video I uploaded. It’s pathetic. On more positive comments, I actually really like EmpLemon’s videos or at least in broad strokes what the history of his channel stands for. Because I find it fascinating of how versatile he was willing to be as he matured. He went from a popular at the time creator of YouTube poops, experimented with the form, then moved on to commentary/rant videos, then tried to move on to more positive ventures to where now he is basically a "video essayist" and they’re more interesting and mature now than before. What I appreciate about them is that he picks niche topics but tries and finds the timeless thematics that show the depths of humanity. And he actually does good research and is well read. Like his recent video about the slew of tornado disasters in Oklahoma was very captivating and effective in exploring the history of such events and why it might still be a place that captivates many. On the subject of YouTube channels I like, I’ve grown to love watching Dave Hurwitz’s reviews on classical music. I could already tell before looking it up that he was already in this profession for decades and clearly knows much more than I ever had. And even when I probably don’t agree with his opinions like 60% of the time (especially his takes on Wagner’s music) he still makes compelling in depth discussions that makes me reflect on new ideas of listening to different interpretations of the same piece. Also he’s just naturally funny and incredibly entertaining to watch at points. Love his anecdotes he tells sometimes. I’m really excited about The Artistic Minority Underground, Sophia. This sounds great! I will definitely be making sure to try and come to the first zoom meeting when it happens! Also I won’t mind you just promoting this often. Sometimes I get anxious if I’m promoting my show on this Patreon way too much and thinking someone might get annoyed by it. But I definitely don’t think that’s the case. Haha.
Esteban Rodriguez
2024-05-15 18:27:11 +0000 UTCHey Guys, I'm so sorry to hear about your terrible bouts of Covid. It sounds awful. I hope your coughing ends soon and you start retasting and resmelling food. I think the internet presents an extremely misleading view of humanity. People with tough jobs or even small kids don't have the time (or energy) to ruminate on what they hate, so social media is inevitably loaded with those who need to while away their hours cultivating resentment. It is not the real world! I know a successful comedy writer in Hollywood. When I asked him about the writers' and actors' strikes, he appropriately called them "cosplay". Unfortunately I came to agree with that: the "talent" was willing to protest for a bit, but eventually caved. I must admit I haven't read the finalised deals, but the overviews reported by the media suggested they were less than satisfactory. You say that people choose not to see the absolute best for free, but how many people *live* near these city-held museums, and how many people know they're free? When I was still in primary school we got taken to them. But where would kids living in small villages have been taken? Obviously it's easier for them to stick to TikTok. I know it's an old and boring argument, but the abysmality of education at the school level is still largely at fault. The algorithms are stacked in favour of how much companies are willing to pay for ads combined with their followships to date. Even at the dawn of the internet, major companies with long-held readerships or viewers (like the BBC, Penguin Random House or The New York Times), already had an advantage. Thus it has been impossible for independent companies to get a foothold in the algorithms' systems. They represent not what people prefer, but a guess of what prefer *might* prefer from a very small amount of über-popular conglomerations. As for major channels like WatchMojo, that originated on YouTube, they've invested so much money into exposure that the outcome is still money = algorithmic success more so than people's preferences = algorithmic success. It is not a democratic system of the consumer market. And while I hate what the internet has done to culture, there are still plenty of innocent channels, cooking and otherwise! There's Oh, Yum! With Anna Olson. There are channels that inform about classical music, like tonebase Piano, or ballet, like Ballet With Isabella. They're not massive channels but they're popular considering how obsolete many believe these art forms to be. Equally, tastes depend on adaptation. If "Matt" of "Matt's Book Reviews" had been exposed to Blood Meridian perhaps at an earlier age, or convinced by teachers it was of good quality, he might have paid closer attention when reading it. I'm just saying this to agree that yes, we're screwed, but also that humanity is adaptable and right now it isn't being adapted to consume the best art. That doesn't mean this will be the situation forever. I am highly cynical, but no one should risk becoming Season 6B A.J. Soprano! It's been a while in the making, but I am finally launching my artists community, The Artistic Minority Underground: A Mutual Support Network for Counterculturists, Experimenters and Aesthetes. Artists from all disciplines are welcome. We'll be having our first Hangouts or Zoom meeting in mid-June, and one once-monthly after that. Here are the details. Anyone (including Lewis and Luiza, obviously) is welcome to drop me a message. https://www.thecrepuscularpress.com/the-amu I apologise in advance for posting about this more times in the future: my platform as a writer is pretty tiny, so I'm trying to take advantage of our little club here. Look after yourself, guys! Sophia
Sophia Lambton
2024-05-15 16:36:54 +0000 UTCA hearty welcome back to you both! Sorry you went through COVID. I still have a bit of a residual cough from the last time I had it. Good on you for keeping up with your usual standards after being laid so low. That's easier said than done.
Benjamin Ross Johnson
2024-05-15 08:33:52 +0000 UTCFour years ago, when I first read Malcolm X's autobiography, the thing that impacted me the most wasn't just the tremendous self-determination he had to turn his life around while he was in jail, to become the leader for not just black americans, but opressed peoples all over the world, but his humility: the openess to see the blind spots in his own world view, to change them, to open new bridges and embrace new, more humanistic ideas. We need people like Malcolm more than ever now. He's one of my main ideas of the absolute pinnacle of what a human being can be.
J George
2024-05-14 22:32:34 +0000 UTC
