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When Enlightenment-era scholars taxonomized humankind, they chose homo sapiens, in part because of what they observed as a uniquely human aptitude for “taste.” [“Taste” comes from the Latin taxare (to handle, to assess) – an intensive form of tangere (to touch). It is a term that via vulgar Latin blended with gustare (to taste, to try) to express the act of appraising something by physically handl...

We discuss strategies of reform vs revolution, electoralism vs internationalism, and more. Our conversation continues behind the paywall.

My guest is Julian Feeld, an author, journalist and co-founder of the QAA podcast. He is the host of Superstructure with comedian Jon Gabrus. Our conversation explores the impact of media, political speech and “influence” in our extremely-online society. What do we hope to accomplish through content? When does education and information impact real material forces in the world? From differing viewp...

We discuss Claire’s background in art, working at Sculpture Center, studying at SAIC and navigating the extreme inequality of American life. I share some war stories about the hazards of DIY creative life, freelancing and healthcare.

My guest is Claire Valdez, a union organizer, artist and democratic socialist running for congress in NY-7. Valdez has garnered an impressive list of endorsements; Bernie Sanders, Zohran Mamdani, UAW’s Shawn Fain, DSA, Mahmoud Khalil, Zephyr Teachout, and many others. We discuss the American labor movement and the power of democratic majorities. The NY primary election is on June 23rd.

In recent episodes, you’ve heard us mention the project we created this spring with Joshua Citarella, together with the spatial design studio sub , for “ Strange Rules ” at Palazzo Diedo, Venice. On this episode, we chat with Josh about this work. The exhibition, which was curated by Holly Herndon, Mat Dryhurst, and Hans Ulrich Obrist with Adriana Rispoli, presents practices that engage with the "...

We talk a lot on this show about the “content” layer being compromised; how, given the physics of the feed, the creative act increasingly happens at the protocol level. While this is true, good books and films and records are, in fact,still being made. On this ep, friend of New Models Steven Warwick comes by on the occasion of his two new albums — SW Live at Café Oto (P-A-N) and, from his new band...

If the stats are correct, 3,733 registered journalists attended the preopening of this year’s Venice Art Biennale, a group that is projected to produce some 2500 pieces of legacy media style coverage. It just so happens that we, too, were in Venice — there to install our work with Joshua Citarella, The Online Marketplace of Ideas , at the Palazzo Diedo for the “Strange Rules” exhibition curated by...

Abby and I analyze the new Manosphere doc by Louis Theroux, college campus politics, elite formation, legacy vs alt media, and explore some deeper themes from her new film.

My guest is Abby Martin, a journalist and documentarian. We explore the early years of internet culture (before big platforms and algorithms) back when Occupy Wall Street and 4chan were on the same side. This formative period gave birth to the first wave of an anti-establishment alternative media, where conspiracy theorists and radical anti-capitalists shared a similar online sphere.

We dive deeper into Natalie’s thinking on Anti-Zionism. Later, we discuss the decade long arc and development of her creative practice; from concept to writing to film-making. We explore the shifting role of cultural institutions in a world of platforms and user generated content, cancel culture and activist blow-back.

We discuss the distinct but overlapping value systems of art and entertainment. Is an online view count more democratic than an elite institutions? Do we lose a humanistic, intangible quality of art when we begin to put quantitative metrics onto it? Should the museum become another streaming platform?

"Anyone that claims they understand the world — this immediately marks them out as a fraud." — Kevin Lee Kharas After the imperial collapse (40 global offices, thousands of employees, bankruptcy), VICE magazine is now run by a lean, London-based team — and it is making one of the best culture publications currently in circulation. Ben Ditto ( Vice global editorial director; founder of Ditto Nation...

My guest is John Wilson, a film maker and documentarian. He is the director of a new movie “The History of Concrete.” Today’s program is part of the 82nd Whitney Biennial, curated by Marcela Guerrero and Drew Sawyer at the Whitney Museum in New York City. We discuss the urban environment, themes of material and spiritual renewal, city infrastructure and affordable housing -- alongside a cast of su...

We’re joined by media scholars Daniël de Zeeuw & Sal Hagen , who have been closely tracking the weirder end of the internet for over a decade—their research and analysis of 4chan has made them low-key legends within internet studies. As 4chan’s logic is now pervasive across the social web, Daniël and Sal, together with their colleagues at the Amsterdam-based OILab , have been modeling novel wa...

We explore “the Democratic penalty”, new research from the Center for Working Class Politics, my weird media analysis drawn from porn and the furry community (real), the Europhile vision of socialism and the on-going crisis at the southern border. Is AOC the successor to Bernie Sanders?

My guest is Dustin “Dino” Guastella, the Director of Operations at Teamsters Local 623 in Philadelphia, a monthly columnist at Damage Magazine, and a board member at the Center for Working-Class Politics. We discuss woke ideology, the elite capture of the Democratic party, working class voters moving to the right, failures in left-wing messaging and the legacy of civil rights leader Bayard Rustin.

According to Claude, there have been some 5000 substantive pieces since the start of 2026 published on looksmaxxing and its main protagonist, Clavicular. You thought you were safe with New Models, you trusted us to not bring more looksmaxxing content into existence and yet here we are… bringing you not just a new episode that looks at this trend, but an entire new vertical we’re calling “CONTENT T...

We discuss Gianmarco’s slow start and early failures in creative life. What is the value of higher education in the US? We explore the craft and art of performance while learning about his early political influences.

My guest is Gianmarco Soresi, a comedian and host of the Downside Podcast. We discuss comedy’s right-wing pivot and the long arc of entertainment merging with real world politics. In 2026, every big talk show is hosted by a comedian and this format dominates our political discourse. How did this initially progressive project shift course? Later, we discuss online cancel culture, free speech, the a...

We explore the current crisis and recent history of the Democratic party. Emma describes her background and early entry into the world of politics. Doomscroll is confirmed “best produced show” but gets a -3 penalty on all Charisma rolls by the host.

My guest is Emma Vigeland, a co-host of The Majority Report. We discuss Jefferey Epstein’s sick obsession with “jerky”, nationalist affordability and the shifting media landscape. Later, we explore some of the most difficult topics on the left; popular backlash to activist rhetoric and more. What should the left bring to the table for midterms and 2028?

We speak often in the New Model sphere about scanning and sensing rather than reading—communication through vibes . Peli Grietzer is a comparative literature PhD (Harvard) who has spent over a decade developing a rigorous theory of what a “vibe" actually is , how the ineffable feelings we increasingly use to navigate our world in fact exist as empirical objects in mathematical space. On this episo...

We dive deeper into pseudo-archaeology’s racist classifications and implicit myth structures. Later on, we explore the concept of sortition, Greek democracy and the early Aztec parliamentary system.

My guest is David Wengrow, an archeologist and professor at University College London. He joins me to discuss his best-selling book “The Dawn of Everything”, co-authored with the late David Graeber, published in 2021. David Wengrow takes us on a powerful journey into the deep history of human societies. “The Dawn of Everything” offers a staggering historical survey and philosophical argument that...