alAndar w/ Marcos & Jim

In this episode, we present Part 2/2, the Philosophy Survey, an alAndar first, which aims at asking and exploring basic yet fundamental questions in philosophy, and, therefore, vital in the understanding and appreciation of the human condition. Jim and Marcos, after exploring meaning, epistemology,and ethics in Part 1, now contemplate God. Who is God? What is God? Does He exist? Why so? Why not? A...

In this episode, Part 1 of a philosophical survey, Jim and Marcos answer some of the most difficult and fundamental questions in philosophy. The purpose is to give a general overview of Jim and Marcos' opinions on important questions, not so much because they're experts, they're not; but because these questions are important; and by exploring them together, we may better learn about li...

Marcos shares personal details about his struggle for creative control amid neurodivergent dissonance. As an ADHD-er, Marcos struggles for focus amid a storm of creative effusion. Can Jim relate? What is there to learn through these personal experessions of vulnerability and struggle? Find out on alAndar! Andamos ! Correction : The Poet's Cafe featuring your hosts Marcos de la Guaua and James...

In this episode, Marcos and Jim dive into the need for fiction. Inspired by a recent Jim Nog blog post , Marcos and Jim discuss why we need fiction, why we are reading less than before, and what we can do about it. TIMESTAMPS (0:00) Preview (0:54) Beginning theme (1:23) Context: The cultural bias against fiction (4:44) Context: Storytelling humans (5:57) Need: We learn via stories (15:17) Need: En...

How much of your work is caring for what you really care about ?  Marcos workshops an outline of his observations of how "Envelopes of Care"(EOCs) backed by “Universal Basic Guarantees” (UBGs) contour our world. Jim seeks context and explores connections to theories of value, change and evolution. Marcos questions: How do ecosystems generate and build? Do we need a better "theory of...

Marcos and Jim begin the episode with providing context for new listeners: who Jim and Marcos are and what alAndar is and means. Jim shares how he overcame crippling depression. And Marcos describes his journey with ADHD. *If you're experiencing difficult thoughts, you can call 988. You are not alone. Life is worth living. TIMESTAMPS (0:00) Beginning theme (0:24) Context: What is alAndar? (3:31) C...

This is a special episode, indeed. Marcos and Jim look back at 2024, examining both personal and art/work-related memories and goals. What went well? What didn't? Then they look forward to 2025. What are their big goals? What to expect from alAndar in 2025? Join the journey! Let's make the way, al andar ! *Important announcement - the alAndar Book Club has launched! What does that mean? Well, dear...

Jim and Marcos talk through five Modern Money Theory (MMT) points from the film Finding the Money . Jim’s says watching the film brought him from being an “MMT skeptic” to being “open to these ideas” as a “helpful framework”. Marcos feels excited by the potential that democratic deployment of public money creates for public policy, but frightened by power it may give to authoritarian governments w...

In this episode, Marcos & Jim dive into questions about mortality, meaning, and the psychology of death anxiety. Inspired by Jim's blog post, " Should We Fear Death? ," they explore the evolution-driven utility of fear of death (FoD), why we feel it, and how it motivates us. They also contrast this with an alternative - love of life (LoL). Does FoD drive us to do more, or can a LoL provide a d...

How often do we stop and see the place where we live? Marcos and Jim practice Bronx-ology, Bronx talk, discussing Bronxian themes in three Marcos de la Guagua compositions. Jim highlights the power of multi-generational narrative, and reflects on his Bronx childhood, education and work as an educator. Marcos breaks down the word-smithing underpinning his anthems of Bronx communities and contempora...

In Re: Birth twenty-one poems trace the arc of two decades of life, from the youthful uncertainty of twenty to the midlife introspection of forty. This collection dives into the depths of the human condition, capturing moments of identity, struggle, despair, hope, growth, and decay. Each poem was originally written on the author's birthday and marks not just the passage of time but the evolution o...

Can sadness be beautiful? Maybe we need it to be. Can beauty be sad? Perhaps it must be. Marcos and Jim discuss songs from Wear Your Tribulation like a Rose from Marcos de la Guagua. Jim & Marcos consider W.H. Auden’s advice about transmuting emotion through art from Auden’s “Hymn to Saint Cecilia,” set by Benjamin Britten. Jim recalls the solidarity he experienced in goth subculture as he cam...

Creative Weekly provides weekly creative writing (fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction) as a low-cost Patreon membership. Jim shares three pieces from the growing collection, one of each genre. Marcos and he discuss mindfulness, natural selection, connectedness, anxiety, fear of death, revenge, violence, and more.   TIMESTAMPS (0:00) Teaser (0:12) Beginning theme (0:39) Episode introduction (3:13...

Loser Gumbo (EP) from Marcos de la Guagua is a collage of idea-dense, cathartic Hiphop/Blues/Gospel in a sonorous soundscape. The title comes from staged rooster fights where one wins and "… some may get mercy, but I’ve seen that some go / into a pot of Loser Gumbo.” We're all the loser at some point. So can we talk about loss and losing? What can we learn from losing? Jim and Marcos list...

Headless is a short film largely inspired by the philosophies of non-dualism and determinism. Is there a self? Is there free will? Follow our protagonist as he awakens one day only to lose his head, triggering a crisis for understanding. Immerse yourself in his exploration of consciousness. Watch it ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠ (YouTube) or ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠ (TikTok). Marcos and Jim discuss philosophy and theoretica...

Problem, Intervention, Change (PIC) is the frame that Jim and Marcos discuss Marcos’ album Early Etudes (EÉ 10), vol 10: Movement Music . Jim shares his writing calendar strategies. They consider why change is difficult, so is art-work, yet the beat goes on. TIMESTAMPS 0:00 -Preview, Problem Intervention Change (PIC), art for praxis 0:25 - alAndar theme 0:58 – Greetings 1:30 - Marcos-Intro to EÉ 1...

Jim shares Everything Is Now, a 3-minute film, signaling Jim's first foray into filmmaking. Watch it ⁠here⁠ (YouTube) or ⁠here⁠ (TikTok). With this context, Marcos and he discuss dynamism and determinism and how they come to define the human condition. TIMESTAMPS 0:00 - Intro Song 0:24 - Episode Introduction 3:04 - Introduction to Everything Is Now 5:36 - Everything Is Now 8:24 - Marcos' r...

Jim & Marcos discuss cosmic ideas and personal feelings from the recent Marcos de la Guagua album Early Études, vol 9: Good God Talk .  Rev. Dean Nelson has described the Good God Talk EP as: “…the idiom of today with the wisdom of the eternal.” Rev. Reginald Hansome, Jr. has called it: “Musically, aesthetically, theologically and culturally superb!” This praise for his work, from the mentors...

Childhood often asks more questions than it answers. Who am I? What am I? Some of us struggle to find clarity. In this episode, Jim reads from an autobiographical short story, “Imitating Life.” Marcos and he discuss the significance of race and identity growing up as an inner-city, "light-skinned" minority. The story was published in 2014 in SNReview . Read rewrite here . TIMESTAMPS 0:00...

Discussing his albums  Making a Scene  and  Clownin’ , Marcos shares from the “sad face” and the “happy face” sides of his musical storytelling. Marcos explains why he is using Bandcamp to share his music. Jim considers the conflict between being and performing in everyday life. They talk about manhood. Tio Jim has some advice for the youngsters. TIMESTAMPS 0:00-46 When the feeling is too strong f...

Jim shares "The Naked Down," a teleplay based on the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Naked Now" (S1E3), which is based on a The Original Series episode with the same name. Marcos and Jim discuss Star Trek's TNG series, how it inspired them, crushes, and flaws with the series; other Star Trek series; scenes from the teleplay; finding meaning in an otherwise nihil...

Marcos and Jim consider the “Bronx-ology” of how Hiphop began by discussing the rap verse from Marcos’ recent demo " Meet Me in the Bronx ."  They ask: How could public policy better nourish BX creatives today? Jim critiques commercial rap’s historic trajectory and affirms the artists’ responsibility to help shape culture. TIMESTAMPS 0:00 - Marcos: DJ Kool Herc made safe space for free e...

Jim shares pieces from his recently released Love & Other Reasons Not 2 Live , a poetry chapbook based on real-life traumatic events. He and Marcos discuss the story behind the book; the poems themselves; and, broadly, meaning as a means to survive suffering. TIMESTAMPS 0:00 - Preview 0:32 - Intro song 1:00 - Episode introduction 4:51 - Introduction, Love & Other Reasons 6:51 - Discussion...

It’s easy to think that the US Federal government is like a household, but where do dollars come from? Marcos shares his views on the importance and need for modern monetary theory (MMT) - for rappers and for everyone else. Jim helps to build a common understanding of the terms and ideas discussed. TIMESTAMPS 0:00 - Tax, Spending & Households 1:36 - Money: The power of an illusion? 2:48 - Ques...

Jim shares a presentaion he gave for the recent ChatGPT Symposium, an event hosted at Bronx Community College. Marcos and he discuss disruptions in music and in writing caused by ChatGPT and generative AI broadly, among other topics. TIMESTAMPS 0:00 - Preview 0:15 - Intro song 0:50 - Episode intro 1:33 - Presentation intro 2:41 - What is ChatGPT? 3:39 - Demo (w/ poetry reading) & discussion 10...