17. We <3 Our Oligarchs
Added 2024-01-31 13:41:36 +0000 UTC0:00 We missed the Oscar nominations
7:06 Home-schooling our children/The generational gaps/We allowed art and culture to be an accessory
28:44 The Kanye discussion
51:36 Our takes on 'cancel culture'/Manoevering through the modern landscape independently
1:07:13 Where our name apparently came from/Not taking any sponsorships and why
1:17:58 Auto-erotic asphyxiation/ The logic of serial killers/Go watch 'Mindhunter'
Comments
I paused the podcast and went to MUBI...no lie, I saw half-naked teenagers immediately 😭😭😭
Patricia Long
2024-03-17 11:44:55 +0000 UTCI still can't believe it's used to describe human beings. It's semantically wrong.
Sophia Lambton
2024-02-07 00:03:13 +0000 UTCI have to agree - it makes me physically wince
hyperballadbrad
2024-02-06 10:50:24 +0000 UTCHonestly, the use of the word "cancel" in this context makes my skin crawl all by itself. It seems like everything has become so commodified, and our lives are so bound of with our tech/entertainment dopamine hits, that we're using the same language we use for TV shows to describe human beings.
Benjamin Ross Johnson
2024-02-03 21:20:21 +0000 UTC100%
Jason
2024-02-02 02:14:38 +0000 UTCIn the Patti Smith sense of the word, Ye is the ultimate Rock 'n' Roll N****r.
J George
2024-02-01 22:28:26 +0000 UTCThere's got be some some connection between The Birthday Party-era and early Bad Seeds Nick Cave and Kanye's output starting from Yeezus. A lot of darkness, a lot of chaos, but a deep seated need for transcendence.
J George
2024-02-01 22:23:53 +0000 UTCThe fact that the Barbie defenders are mad that Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie didn't get their nominations, but don't celebrate the achievements of Justine Triet and Lily Gladstone shows that "people who like art" these days are so attached to liberalism that they'll see a commercial with the right identity signifiers and hail it as a masterpiece but when a real piece of art comes around, they'll pretend it's not there.
J George
2024-02-01 21:47:33 +0000 UTCLove how you mention Wagner as he is always the first artist I would bring up as someone who I love but heavily disagree on his artistic philosophy. He was an egomaniac that always wanted to be commanding and the result is shown in his music and stories that were told in his operas. And while the result I of course admire it’s not something I want to pursue myself.
Esteban Rodriguez
2024-02-01 18:17:17 +0000 UTCSo true..... 'Checking out' of the systems seems to be viewed with such suspicion now.... Or maybe it always was, and information and views are being presented differently. I think money is probably a big factor.... If you don't want or have money, you must be poor, and who wants that? Kind of thing. Good comment. I need to think about this now 🤔😀
hyperballadbrad
2024-02-01 15:00:31 +0000 UTCLove Lewis standing by calling out the poser in the nirvana shirt! I think since the ‘invention’ of the teenager (maybe a hundred years ago or something), being a teenager has been about rebelling against societal oppression. The difference today is that it’s cool to uphold the oppressive chains of capitalism. Being a sell out is in, being a poser is in, checking in is cooler than checking out. Hopefully gen alpha will rebel against all this bullshit. Also Luiza can you teach my unborn if/when kids too, please?
Rebecca Orton
2024-02-01 13:44:58 +0000 UTCI read a while ago that Mubi is aiming to one day produce their own films, so if they end up doing so, I imagine they'll have arthouse stars who'll also likely be influencers. That's so cool that you self-publish Sophia, where can I buy one of your books? :)
James Herbert
2024-02-01 09:50:59 +0000 UTCI just became a substitute preschool teacher last year, and I can say learning how to balance guidance and freedom is tough. I'm a firm believer that kids learn best from making mistakes and are capable of setting their own boundaries (with a bit of help sometimes depending on the situation). I never liked restricting kids from exploring themselves but I'm also not the best at enforcing discipline. However I'm noticing a growing number of young parents who don't want to take accountability for their children. To add to what Luiza says about gentle parenting, I think adults to this day still underestimate children and don't realize they're just people like us.
Eric Drozda
2024-02-01 09:10:48 +0000 UTCPeople engaging in “cancel culture” reveal so much about themselves. While I’m not opposed to kicking out objectively bad art, those on the war path to sniff out anything that may be offensive is the death of art. Great artists shock, are unpredictable, and ultimately take a stance/pick a side on something. Wagner will forever have a preface before being discussed bc we can’t acknowledge his greatness without forever discussing the fact that he said naughty naughty things. Regardless of his views, he took a side.l which adds to his work. Nietzsche ruined his academic career but produced world changing work because he took a stance. Kanye…. Well, he takes many stances at once lol, but unpredictable! People attack these types bc what these artists are trying to achieve reveal the reality of a hierarchy (among people, cultures, and art) and that frightens many. Especially those that are utterly incapable of achieving anything other than bitter, bitter cries. The problem with conservatives attacking the cancel culture plebs is that they adopt the culture of their enemies in an attempt to “own” them, thus playing on their court while embarrassing themselves in the process. If anybody is curious as to how this works, watch the Ben Shapiro rap video that Lewis mentioned.
Jason
2024-02-01 04:52:04 +0000 UTCI couldn't agree more about our present culture. But I empasise very strongly with those who fear ramifications. I've spoken to people from a multitude of backgrounds and ages and careers who live in terror and discomfort. I hate that the world has been reduced to this. "Maybe the idea of tying ourselves to these publishers, that we know require certain things, will bite us in the back." I don't understand why people don't get this! I have been self-publishing since May 2022. It's extremely hard and often painful, but at least it's not whimpering and quivering before a tyrant of an editor or human resources head. The compulsive internet age led arthouse cinema to realise sex was their best bet. If you look at the most popular movies in the Curzon subscription on Amazon Prime, you will see erotic films compiling most of the top 20. So though they deserve criticism, MUBI is probably doing the best for their brand. I wonder if they will ever find TikTok influencers. Also, guys, you promised Q&A! I was looking forward as I have a question about Twin Peaks.
Sophia Lambton
2024-02-01 03:00:20 +0000 UTCOh god your gen z rant really struck a chord with me because of how much I myself in it. I've definitely grown a lot but it's almost disturbing looking back on how I used to act. luckily I don't really see this type much in college.
Rattlehead
2024-01-31 22:59:47 +0000 UTCI went on Mubi immediately after Lewis' prediction and their pick of the day is currently Lars Von Trier's 'Nymphomaniac.' Thanks for giving me a good laugh with your comedically accurate prediction and for such a great discussion today. The reason that people are in such a harrumph about Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie not being nominated is probably because the only films they saw last year where Barbie, Oppenheimer and maybe Guardians of the Galaxy 3. They didn't see Anatomy of a Fall and so Justine Triet's nomination is irrelevant to them and to be disregarded as invalid of being an achievement. About the distance you feel from Gen Z and their outlook, I'm 19, therefore Gen Z and would like to add a little more to your thoughts and observations. For about 3 years, prior to last September, after moving to a very isolated place and because of other reasons, I spent those years mostly away from my peers. During that time, I didn't have any social media and barely kept up with any trends or even the news. Therefore, whenever I did interact with my peers, I started to realise how empty their lens has been made to be. The first thing I noticed was that many jokes consisted of nothing more than repeating certain internet soundbites, which to any one they were not familiar to, sounded incredibly nonsensical, humourless and bizarre. Another, was how they view everything in terms of 'aesthetics' and how this is the greatest thing you can aspire to. I often heard and still hear phrases from people my age like 'is it aesthetic' or 'that's iconic' or just constant empty categorisation of things. People aspire to surround themselves with pretty commodities just for the sake of their prettiness alone. They don't care if it means anything, where it originates from, or if it has something to say, as long as it is beautiful it has value. It really is quite bizarre, as they chase this yet don't know why they're feeling a need to. A prime example, is a girl I used to know who carried around a book in a tote bag all the time she never never ever read. She'd seen a tictok and therefore had to place a book, something pretty and cute, in her beautiful and trendy tote bag, even though she had no intention of ever reading the thing. It was an aesthetic choice, nothing more and pointless. For all she cared, a book shouldn't have anything inside, an appealing title and cover is enough. People my age don't listen to albums either, they just listen to songs delivered to them by algorithms, which is definitely a new and horrible thing. They also love unintentionally dressing as muddled caricatures of older subcultures and fashions such as hippie, goth or punk as well. But yet again, just because they dress that way, doesn't mean they know its meaning or care for it, as it is typically merely an aesthetic choice chosen for its cool beauty. Everything is pillaged without any regard except for its possible trendiness or prettiness.
James Herbert
2024-01-31 19:34:36 +0000 UTC
