We have our first married couple on the show to talk video games, micro-transactions, and fear and loathing at PAX East. Local burgeoning writer, and newcomer to The Arts Fuse critics circle, Michael Costa joins the show to report on the Fuse's coverage of 2019's PAX East, a major video game convention that your host knows nothing about. He also happens to be Deanna's husband, but I won't say that's how he got the gig. We'll explore questions related to video games as art, the economics of gaming, and just what the heck those kids are up to.

Then we welcome community organizer and children's books writer Jacob Kramer to talk about breaking the rules. His work infuses a poetics of revolutionary thought with childlike wonder, encouraging readers of all ages to consider the possible, and challenge the cynics. His book More Bats, about the practical realities of what might happen if the "maximize bats" - more parks, better health care, education programs - was an insert in Jacobin's "Childhood" issue. His latest book is about a pasta loving elephant named Noodlephant, who stands up to the injustice of an oppressive kangaroo regime, conveying the timeless message of civil rights to a new generation.

You can read and order Jacob's work on his website, jacobakramer.com.

10% of proceeds from Noodlephant go to support the work of Black and Pink, a prison abolition organization. You can buy the book, donate directly, or both.

Michael's pieces on The Arts Fuse can be found here and here.

Don't forget to support The Arts Fuse during our winter appeal! Only a few more days left to donate and every dollar helps.

We've been ballin' on a budget for almost 12 years and don't want to stop now.

Contribute through The Arts Fuse or on our facebook page.

The gang talks Lil Nas X, HBO's Barry, and why the VA probably owes Deanna's ancestors a shit load of cash.

How seriously do we take country rap? Is it even a genre? We take a look at a few of the singles out there being classified as such, and opine on what it says about our obsession with genre and US pop culture. Then Matt does his service to the podcast and takes us through his review of HBO's Barry, starring SNL's Bill Hader. The conversation turns to what the show says about returning veterans, PTSD, and the kind of care they get after coming back. Apparently, like Lt. Dan, Deanna's had a family member fight (and maybe not die?) in every war since the Revolutionary War. Thank you for your service....

The boys are joined once again by Arts Fuse editor-in-chief Bill Marx, who opines on the continued demise of Boston fringe theater, most recently embodied by the loss of a home for the Gold Dust Orphans and the buying up of The Machine in Boston's Fenway neighborhood by a developer. The crew then discusses Paula Vogel's play Indecent, now playing at the Huntington Theater. Vogel's play was the subject of a debate between two critics in the pages of The Arts Fuse, with one lauding the it as a success, the other calling the writing obvious, and, at times, verging on Holocaust porn. Finally, Matt tries, and fails, to convince Bill and Lucas to watch Game of Thrones.

The Arts Fuse turns 12 in June, and so we're having our annual spring appeal. Please visit us online or on social media to help support our continued coverage of the arts. $100 dollars or more gets you a snazzy t-shirt.

https://artsfuse.org/

https://www.facebook.com/donate/449866119156075/10157037493503567/

https://www.mightycause.com/organization/Global-Narratives

Thanks for listening and supporting our work.

The Arts Fuse welcomes a new character to their extended universe. Deanna Marie Costa, Arts Fuse critic and editor, joins Matt and Lucas to discuss a range of topics related to art, politics, and propaganda.

First, Deanna introduces herself and talks about what she covers for The Fuse. Then the panelists dive into Blake Maddux's review of Jennifer Ratner-Rosenhagen’s The Ideas That Made America. A discussion about the social and social implications of Sleeping Weazel's The Audacity: Women Speak, follows. The performance is a powerful show using real life stories of women who have gone through some truly gut-wrenching situations. Finally, AOC's new optimistic short film published by The Intercept gets put under the microscope. Her vision of a Green New Deal America, and the kind of art that might help make that vision a reality, raises new questions and new possibilities.

A Message from the Future with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Book review - “The Ideas That Made America” — Not Made in America by Blake Maddux

If you thought the work of a critic was glamorous, Matt and Lucas prove you wrong. On this episode the boys tackle some of the behind the scenes stuff of writing reviews, particularly book reviews. They use as their source material the cover essay from this April's Harper's by Christian Lorentzen called "Like this or die: the fate of the book review in the age of the algorithm."

If you're a fan of the show, you know The Arts Fuse writers are sworn adversaries of the algorithm. While it may ultimately replace us, and, if done well, could lead to some good suggestions. But given the rather unimpressive nature of artificial intelligence, and the potentially dubious ambitions of corporations, no binge-watcher is safe from having your tastes manipulated by some nefarious code. So, basically, keep us around a while longer. If you feel like it.

Lucas is all alone at the start of this one. He messed up the audio for out latest episode and put this together so you wouldn't have to go without that sweet, sweet content.

He highlights a few pieces in the magazine including Tim Jackson's review of the new Jordan Peele film Us, and Steve Provizer's review of Vic Hobson's book Creating the Jazz Solo: Louis Armstrong and Barbershop Harmony.

Then we move on to some bonus content from our interview with Pulitzer prize winner Lloyd Schwartz. Lloyd reads a couple more of his poems and we share some stories.

We are overwhelmed with gratitude that we were able to spend this episode with Pulitzer prize winning critic, poet, and teacher Lloyd Schwartz. We talk about his life, his poetry, his teaching, and the many incredible writers, poets, and people he's met. Lloyd is a professor at UMass Boston and the poet laureate of Somerville, MA. We also cover a couple of pieces in the magazine about a blackface confession, and the latest season of True Detective.

Stick around for the poetry of Richard Milhous Nixon, too. Lloyd gives an excellent reading.

On this episode Lucas and Matt once again bang their heads against the walls of some of art's big questions. First, Lucas schools Matt on Paul Verhoeven and why he's still important. Then the boys remember Mary Oliver and read the first of what, we hope, will be many more Madonna tweets. Matt talks about what he likes about William Giraldi's book of literary criticism American Audacity. Then, Lucas reads from his piece on the short films of Josh Begley, data artist and law teacher who also writes for The Intercept.

https://www.amazon.com/American-Audacity-Defense-Literary-Daring/dp/1631493906

https://theintercept.com/2016/10/26/best-of-luck-with-the-wall/

Music cred

Mal Hallett And His Orchestra for "When My Ship Comes In" [Banner 33234, 1934]

DJ /rupture (Jace Clayton) & Matt Shadetek – Solar Life Raft (2009). Clayton also wrote an original piece for Begley's film "Best of Luck with the Wall."

After nearly twenty years on the fringe, Boston’s Zeitgeist Stage Company is shutting its doors with its production of Jacques Lamarre’s Trigger Warning at the Boston Center for the Arts, April 12 through May 4.

Arts Fuse editor Bill Marx, along with Lucas Spiro and Matt Hanson, spend the hour talking with David Miller, the founding artistic director of the company. We discuss the challenging theater the small company was known for, current barriers of entry in the theater world, and the money behind it all. Mainstream theater, like so much else in our culture, is dominated by a small group of wealthy people who exert considerable power and influence over what is staged, and who gets to do it. Is there a future for challenging non-corporate theater (i.e. the fringe), and what does that future look like?

A sickly Lucas Spiro is joined once more by Matt Hanson to give you a review of the year that was. And what a dumb year it's been. Not for The Fuse, though!

You'll have to forgive Lucas for, in addition to everything else, his severe head cold. And both of us for briefly discussing Kevin Spacey's unbearable, cringe-worthy monologue rejecting the premise of the horrendous accusations against him in the persona of Frank Underwood while cooking Christmas dinner. This pretty much sums up 2018 wherein we continuously found new ways to realize that parody is long dead.

It's not all bad. We've got a great review of William Barber's new book by Jeremy Ray Jewell, and then a bounty of top picks from throughout the year by our critics. Matt breaks down his best Criterion editions this year, which includes a noteworthy nod to Kevin Costner's emotive cheekbones, because, how could it not?

So pull up a chair and sit with us a while. We'll ring out this miserable year together and flip the calendar with, dare I say, some hope?

Thanks for listening and happy New Year from all of us at The Arts Fuse.