On this episode we talk to Dallas rapper Kawasaki (The Crown) about Shonen Jump, how adults ruin kids, satire vs. reality, Rene Girard and sacrifice, bullet ants, the influence of fathers, and the most in depth analysis of Battle Royale (Fukasaku, 2000) that you will ever hear.

Listen to Kawasaki's music here.

Follow him here.

On this episode, we talk to Elle Nash about Perfect Blue and Millennium Actress.

We talk about:

Cringe tweets, experience coming with age, sincerity that’s actually sincere, the long tail, being sick while having kids, watching people die on the internet, identity on the internet vs. “the real you”, overfamiliarity in the DMs, simps of all stripes, the origin of the “Stan," the breakdown between reality and fiction, juxtapositions making a scene pop, the mundanity of serial killers, the influence of media on people, torture techniques, the journey being the whole thing, artists having one message, not talking about works in progress, what writing can do that no other artwork can, the fictive dream state, psychic closeness, first draft vs. seventh draft, the publishing industry’s death spiral, what the fuck is a “comp," and how the Big Four doesn’t care about poor people unless it’s poverty porn.

We brought Scott back on the show to talk about the 2007 movie United Red Army, about a group of communist youths in Japan breaking down and killing each other. Based on a true story!

The director worked a lot in pinku films before making this. A bit of a strange transition. It has a powerful message that is not sex.

We talk about revolution, the cult-like nature of ideological movements, and one of the most uncomfortable movies I've ever seen.

On this episode, we talk to Brian Allen Carr about 2011’s Kotoko, directed by Shinya Tsukamoto. Meth problems, exploding baby heads, relieving anxiety through watching fucked up movies, suicide played for laughs, getting recognized in public, a lack of professionalism, appropriating the border, bike rides through Juarez, dog attacks, audience vs. property, who’s allowed to appropriate, Atlanta, Tuna Helper, Drag Queen Story Hour, and changing your opinion on movies.

On this episode, we talk to horror author Lucas Mangum about 1988's Evil Dead Trap, a movie that is equal parts giallo slasher, urban exploration, and gory monster movie. We talk eye stabbing, unsettling music, and a new definition of sleaze that posits the idea that a truly sleazy movie/book has an innocence to it. The truly creepy shit doesn't know that it's creepy...it thinks that it's fun!

Buy Digital Darkness here.

On this episode we bring Zach Langley Chi Chi of the I'm So Popular podcast to talk about 1980's Coin Locker Babies by Ryu Murakami. This one is an all-timer.

We talk about:

Horror drag, the conciseness of the Japanese language, white space on the page, visceral writing, retarded people who rate this book low for being gross, Murakami’s influence on Miike and Tsukamoto, how to make a truly nasty novel through having good characters, businessmen beating off on the subway, voices that can destroy the whole world, flies with human faces, parental neglect, Tokyo as a city at war with the swamp it’s built over, unique cultural phenomena, the glamor of mass acts of terror, bullying as a love language, outlets for human violence, art as a cage for violent impulses, homophobia, enjoying freaks, Otessa Moshfegh, and real-life Datura experiences.

On this episode, we invite the author of Black Gypsies and God's Leftovers, Grant Wamack, to talk about 2014's The World of Kanako, which became one of my favorite movies on this rewatch. We touch on the controversy of Grant's new book, neglectful parents, quick cuts in movies, and the complete amorality of this film. Then we talk about Grant's book and how Broken River is back in business.

On this episode, Kelby and I talk about Takashi Miike's 2000 sequel Dead or Alive 2: Birds. The leads from the first film return in part 2 in completely different roles. In that spirit, Kelby plays the part of J David Osborne in this episode, and I play the part of Kelby. I suck, Kelby does a really good job though. It's a weird episode, but funnier than I remembered it.

In this episode, we invite Wren Collier on to talk about 2004’s Marebito (and Wren’s essay on the film). We talk the Shaver mysteries, true horror, dero (detrimental robots), descents into the underworld, 5-Second Films, urban exploration, katabasis, Thelema, baptism, The Order of the Arrow initiation, sticking with sports, tongue slicing, Starry Wisdom, becoming invincible, the Headless Rite, our paranormal experiences, people who will never believe paranormal shit, the Moon as an abandoned weapon, life on Mars and Venus, Lovecraftian Digimon, playing in different IPs, and Ichi the Killer 2.

Machen “The White People”

The Air Loom Gang

The Meadow Project

Penetration by Ingo Swann