Burnt Out in Budapest

It has been a long time since my last episode, and I hope to do more episodes this year than I did last year. In this latest episode, I am appealing to young people of voting age here in Hungary, because it is up to them whether or not we are able to rid ourselves of the problem of the increasingly fascist leader Viktor Orbán. Like other places in the world (America and Eastern Europe) there is a sense of creeping fascism, and it is very important that Hungary - which is a kind of curtain between East and West in Europe - does not fall on the wrong side of history. Young people are overwhelmingly against Orbán and if they vote in record numbers, it might be possible to unseat him. 

In the first new episode for quite some time (I hope there will be more soon) I tell a story that I have been wanting to tell the world for a very long time, something that I experienced almost twenty years ago in the a small Northern California town called Cotati. If you like the story I share here and you would like to hear more stories like this, or you would perhaps like to share your story, please contact me. 

Music on for this episode is from the band Fifty-first Monkey and Christopher Robin Cox, yours truly. 

https://krisztofercox.bandcamp.com/music

https://soundcloud.com/krisztofercox/old-reconstruction-mp3-2

The show has been on hold over the past few months, as I've been dealing with some life challenges, a busy work schedule, and many other issues of daily life. However, I do plan to come back on a more regular basis. After a long while away, I woke up in the morning and decided to just put up a short episode. I hope you enjoy it, and make sure to subscribe wherever you see Burnt Out in Budapest listed, and you'll get notified when I upload new episodes, which I will do VERY SOON! 

In this episode I had a delightful and wide-ranging discussion with Canadian expat Heather Keagan. She teaches English as a foreign language to people of all ages here in Budapest. She's also passionate about mental health and has a great sense of humor. We get into everything from how Budapest has changed over the years, to the strange toilets we have here. 

We also talk at length about teaching English as a native speaker in foreign countries, which is likely useful for folks who are thinking about getting into TEFL as a profession. We end with some talk about what living in Budapest is like, what we like, what we don't like, and some of the unique things about life here. 

This is the first interview in what I hope to be regular series where I have open-ended discussions with expats from all over the world. 

I'm excited to announce that the first of several interviews with fellow ex-patriots here in Budapest, Hungary will be aired on Monday! Make sure to tune in when you see the new episode uploaded. 

In this episode, I discuss the controversial new documentary film Planet of the Humans, directed by Jeff Gibbs and Executive Produced by Michael Moore. My special guest for the whole hour + is Dr. Sean Parson, Associate Professor in the departments of Political Science and International Relations and Sustainable Cultures at Northern Arizona University.   

We dig into some of the very obvious weaknesses of the film, like it's lack of a global approach to the problem of sustainable energy and population growth and distribution; the over-reliance on old white people to comment on the supposed "over-population" problem; and its total lack of attention to the existing movements that challenge many of the very real problems the movie highlights.  Importantly, we don't leave it there. We use the film to have a holistic discussion about the myriad problems that exist in the "sustainable energy" narrative that the film's director, Jeff Gibbs, has said publicly is the main goal. 

There is much about this film that is wrong and in some cases downright harmful to certain aspects of the environmental movement, particularly those which deal with environmental justice, the global food web, and global distribution of finite resources. Crucially, there is also much about this film exposes and articulates that has lain dormant in environmental discussions for far too long. We also go into some depth on those aspects of the film, the aspects that have made so many liberal environmentalist red with anger.   

Many listeners will come away angry at the end of this discussion. Many will not. But one thing is clear, this movie has sparked heated discussion on a heated planet. We need way more of that.   

To see the movie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zk11vI-7czE For More on Sean Parson: https://www.seanparson.com/  

To become a supporter of this podcast, visit the Patreon page at https://www.patreon.com/ChristopherRobinCox?fan_landing=true  

Or directly support with any amount you wish here at Anchor.fm. 

This episode is Part II of my long-form interview with Adam Klugman, whom you might know from his now legendary monologues on his old radio show Mad As Hell in America, which used to run on the Air America radio network. For those who did not listen to the first part of the interview, it is worth knowing that Adam is the son of the famous actor Jack Klugman (Angry Old Men, Quincy, and The Odd Couple). Born on the 50-yard line of the game of Hollywood, Adam grew up in no ordinary way, but instead of following in his father's footsteps, he got into commercial ad-making. Eventually he found himself deeply invested in using his skills of messaging and video editing as a hopeful change-maker on the Democratic side of the Isle.

In the interview we discuss how we met, which is through my participation in the planning of the Stop the Machine! Create a New World! protest and occupation of Freedom Plaza in Washington, DC in 2011, just as the Occupy Movement was reaching its apex. The band I played in and co-led for many years, Junkyard Empire, performed at that rally, as well as many other rallies like it across the country, and eventually that was how Adam and I got to know each other. He was a fan of the band, and I was a huge fan of his work on Air America Radio. 

We get into a lot of material here, and I hope it moves some of you to make comments and to subscribe to the podcast. 

In this episode, the first of a 2-part interview with Adam Klugman, we get an introduction to his life, one that is far from ordinary! This is the lighter half of the interview, where we talk about growing up as the son of the famous Jack Klugman, who you might know from the American sitcom of the 1970s called The Odd Couple, arguably one of the greatest shows ever on television. You may also know Adam from his now legendary monologues on his old radio show Mad As Hell in America. 

A regular aspect of the podcast is the sharing of stories, which I think is of great importance! As I will with all my guests, I ask him to "tell us a story." His story is a wild one. I don't want to give it away, but it involved the great Frank Sinatra. We also hear about his interesting social transformation from bratty Hollywood kid to passionate seeker of change, and his later transition from the world of commercial ad-making to political campaign messaging. 

In the second episode of the interview we did much deeper into his thinking about democratic politics in the United States and beyond, and we talk about our current musical interests, another important regular aspect of the show. 

This week, my guest is the great Adam Klugman. He's a media strategist, radio personality, script writer and director, and all-around interesting guy. You may know him from his amazing radio show Mad As Hell in America that used to air on Air America Radio, where he was renowned for his opening monologues. You may also him as the son of the one and only Jack Klugman from TV's "The Odd Couple."   

We talked about all things Democratic politics, a little about music, and he shared some amazing stories of his youth growing up around TV sets, meeting Frank Sinatra, and all sorts of other great stuff. It's wide-ranging, fun, funny, and hearty interview. 

This is the first part of what will be a two-part episode, the second part of which will air on Friday, May 8th.   As always, please, please go an subscribe to the podcast at Spotify, here on Achor.fm, Breaker, Google Podcasts, Pocket Casts, Radio Public, and wherever else you see the name Burnt Out in Budapest!