None Taken with Chris Paul

I'm Still Here! Wait. That's Joaquin's movie. I'm out of hibernation to discuss Todd Phillips' film "Joker". There are definitely some spoilers but I'm more concerned with the cultural implications and what it means to have the media/critics telling everyone it's a 'bad movie' when the fans love it and it was awarded the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. I cover bloggers in the newsroom, the constant desire to be the wokest on Twitter, incels, and the startling and consistent difference between Rotten Tomatoes critic scores vs. what the audience thinks.

The Super Bowl, Covington Catholic, the State of the Union address and the all-white outfits of the Democratic congresswomen, Ralph Northam's abortion/blackface controversies, hypocrisy, Cyntoia Brown and forgiveness, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's 'Green New Deal', and how awful the Grammys are, including how truly terrible Greta Van Fleet and Cardi B are. Buckle up.

I'm back (sort of). I rant for a while about having to move, turning 40, the awful Coachella lineup and how they jumped the shark with Beyonce last year, and people being mad at Louis CK.

Prior to recording the last released episode, Thrashbird and I spent an hour discussing his recent tag of the famed Paul Smith 'selfie wall' in West Hollywood. We discuss how he pulled that off, a bit of the fallout, why it was important to write 'f*ck ur selfie' on that iconic wall, and what social media means in relation to our identity.

Chris sits down with the street artist Thrashbird to discuss his project "The Valley of Secret Values", how identity intersects with social media, whether it's okay to bring children into the modern world, the definition of art and why RM Drake doesn't fit it, Colin Kaepernick, Kim & Kanye, and the confidence (or arrogance) necessary to put your work into the world.

Chris discusses machines replacing humans at McDonald's and the minimum wage, corporate PR, how Revolve exploits people on social media for profit (and how all companies do), how people create their personalities by associating themselves with brands, the lunacy at the Kavanaugh hearing, and the 'white power arm hold' conspiracy. 

No guest this time. Chris talks about his prolonged absence, cultural noise, viewpoint paranoia, Hollywood's transactional sexual culture, whether not Google biases search results, and chats about a weekend in Las Vegas with some good friends.

John Wood Jr was the Republican congressional candidate in CA-43 challenging Maxine Waters. We talked about how he got into politics, what made him decide to be a Republican, the congressional campaign, how the system (and Democratic politicians) are failing communities like South LA, how virtue ethics should inform our politics, and how technology has helped the atomization of culture and what can be done to repair it. 

Louis Carreon is a Los Angeles cultural staple - an artist with wild story to tell. We discuss art, the inspiration and experiences that led to his new exhibit, "Church and State", and the state of culture.

Catfish Jean is an actor on the Starz Channel's "Survivor's Remorse" and the upcoming film "Skin in the Game." Catfish is from south Florida, with Haitian heritage so we discuss Hurricane Irma, the cultural impact of natural disasters, and how people pull together during crises. The conversation then shifts to an extended discussion of mental illness, its place in society, its impacts, means of treatment, and the maintenance of a somewhat normal life.