Nostalgia Trap

So is Biden gonna cancel these student loans or what? On this week's livestream, Justin and I talk about liberals fleeing Elon Musk's Twitter (lol), get into our predictions about where the student loan question is headed (the Supreme Court, probably), think about the American right's "cult of the gun," and explore the idea of a borderless world via excerpts from Thomas Paine, Noam Chomsky, and Donatella Di Cesare (with special appearances from Billy Joel and Don Draper).

Justin Farrar's first appearance on the show was a dense journey through the history of rock music and American counterculture, and it got me thinking about (and listening to) The Doors for the first time in years. Like many of us, I grew up with Jim Morrison's iconic presence looming out from lots of different corners: posters in head shops, t-shirts worn by stoned high schoolers, the Oliver Stone movie (and attendant urban legends about Val Kilmer's eerily channeled performance), and above everything else, the weird, ubiquitous music of The Doors themselves, blasting out of oldies stations and tape decks in friends' cars. In this conversation, Justin returns to share his ideas about The Doors as both a musical act and cultural phenomenon, as we consider how the group's pulsing blues rock and dark poetry synced so magically with the apocalyptic historical moment from which it emerged.

To accompany this episode, Justin has created 2 different excellent Spotify playlists:

The Doors Legacy: Art Rock, Punk, Post-Punk, Goth, Alt-Rock, Experimental

Songs from artists influenced by Morrison/The Doors

The Doors: California Noir

Songs from The Doors that capture the dark underbelly of Los Angeles

Listen to the whole episode and access all our bonus content: patreon.com/posts/episode-323-red-65611155

This week Justin and I talk about the right's pedophile/masculinity obsession, from Tucker Carlson and testicle tanning to predictable election-year assaults on teachers and other liberal cucks. Is this just normal American insanity, or is something stranger going on?

Gregory Daddis is a professor of history at San Diego State University whose work focuses on the history of the Cold War and the American war in Vietnam. His latest book, Pulp Vietnam: War and Gender in Cold War Men's Adventure Magazines, explores how hyper-violent, hyper-sexualized images of war in macho "pulp" magazines of the 1950s shaped the attitudes of young American men in the Vietnam War. In this conversation, we take a look at the industry that produced these magazines, talk about Daddis' own experiences with military service, and discuss how American culture is part of the deeply gendered and racialized landscape of war. Subscribe to access our library of bonus content: patreon.com/nostalgiatrap

On this week's livestream, Justin brings us some key ideas from Chomsky, Fanon and, of course, C.L.R. James, as we ponder the questions: How do people become obedient to structures that oppress them? What conditions create solidarity? What conditions breed division? And what do The Doors have to do with any of this??!!

To listen to the whole episode and access our entire catalog of bonus episodes: patreon.com/posts/livestream-4-13-65106738

This week Justin and I ask the eternal question: Does the United States' ugly record of horrific interventions in the affairs of other states undermine its claims to moral leadership? LOL of course it does! But, as we look to our Guiding Lights (Chomsky and Zinn) there's always more to the story...

Peter Staudenmaier is a professor of history at Marquette University whose work focuses on Nazi Germany, Italian fascism, environmental history, and occultism. His latest book, Ecology Contested: Environmental Politics between Left and Right (AK Press, 2021), explores how environmental ideals circulate on both the radical right and left, and how questions of ecology fit into the landscape of conspiracy theories, hyper-nationalism, and fascism. Subscribe to our bonus feed: patreon.com/nostalgiatrap

Adam Kotsko is a theologian and culture writer who has written a number of books and essays about American pop culture. In this conversation, we discuss his books Awkwardness (2010) and Why We Love Sociopaths (2012), as we explore how shows like The Office, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Mad Men, Breaking Bad, and The Sopranos reflect the disturbed social politics of 21st century neoliberalism. Check out our bonus content here: patreon.com/nostalgiatrap

Jason P. Woodbury is a musician and music writer based in the Sonoran desert. Check out his work on Aquarium Drunkard and his personal site, where you'll find lots of great stuff on music nostalgia, the vinyl world, counterculture, and lots of other favorite Trap topics. In this conversation, we talk about what we gained and lost with streaming music, the 2000s garage rock revival, the evolution of Jeff Tweedy and Wilco, the importance of developing a creative "practice," and the ever-present danger of becoming a grouchy old punk.