Gladio Free Europe

Grab your balalaika and drinking horn, because this week we’re paddling up the Volga to look at the origins of the Kievan Rus'. Russian Sam takes us on a crash course of the early history of this famous rowdy bunch, from the earliest Roman references to Slavic-speaking tribes to the impact the Rus' have on modern Russian, Ukrainian, and Belarusian nationalism. Along the way, we’ll learn about the...

Only two of us this week to discuss the American experience, from hip hop, suburbs, jeans, to burgers, and how that’s been exported and adopted all over the world. Hosted by Halal Sam , and Abram .

Nosferatu is the 1922 expressionist horror silent film whose creation is dramatized in the movie Shadow of the Vampire . We watched both these films and discuss both their stories, and the stories of how the vampire came to be in the popular imagination. Hosted by Liam , Russian Sam , and Halal Sam .

The Iron Giant asks us, how would American react if a sentient giant robot crash landed from space in the height of the Cold War? We discuss it, and with the help of special guest Daniel Bessner, the Cold War paranoia sweeping the nation in the 1950s and 60s. Hosted by Liam , Russian Sam , Halal Sam , and Daniel Bessner .

Our good friend Kevin is back to help use trace the roots of Zionism as an ideology and the various religious, cultural, and "socialist" strands that existed before 1948. Hosted by Russian Sam , Halal Sam , and Kevin .

Why is Christopher Columbus considered a hero to Italian-Americans, and why did they fight so hard to give us a national holiday to celebrate him? We take a long look at the history of the Italian immigrant experience, and how that got us to Columbus Day (now co-named Indigenous Peoples' Day). Hosted by Liam , Russian Sam , and Halal Sam .

This Soviet made piece of art, Soy Cuba , tells four stories during the final days of the Batista regime. With the help of Russian Sam and Cuban Jaime we discuss how and why this movie was made, and the response in Cuba and the Soviet Union. Hosted by Liam , Russian Sam , and Jaime .

Charlie Wilson was a Texas Congressman whose involvement with the Afghan people and the Mujahideen was immortalized in the film Charlie Wilson’s War . With the help of our friend Kevin, we try figure out who Charlie Wilson is really, and more importantly, what war is really. Hosted by Liam , Russian Sam , and Kevin .

We’ve got a mutiny on our hands in Seven Days in May , a 1964 film that explores the idea of a military coup in America. We talk about it, the book it was based on, what JFK thought about it on release, and the general uneasy atmosphere that propelled right wing reaction in the 1960s and onward. Hosted by Liam , Russian Sam , and Halal Sam .

Continuing on the themes discussed in E13 , we go back to England and discuss the BBC show The Last Kingdom , and the topic of Viking invasions of the British Isles. Then we discuss King Alfred, the fabled man who “saved” England. Hosted by Liam , Russian Sam , and Halal Sam .

Les Rallizes Dénudés were a pioneer of the psychedelic drone rock sound, but no one knows about them. With the help of our friend Zach, we get into their history and try to figure out what happened to derail this bands career. Hosted by Liam , Abram , and Zach . Further Reading Japrocksampler, by Julian Cope Destiny: The Secret Operations of the Yodogō Exiles, by Kōji Takazawa

Was King Arthur an Englishman? Did ancient Turks build every civilization in history? What do ice cream men in Istanbul have in common with reindeer herders in northeast Siberia? Liam and the two Sams answer these questions and more as they dive into the mythology of nationalism and political abuses of the ancient past. Hosted by Liam , Russian Sam , and Halal Sam .

The Internet is what gives us power. It’s an energy field created by all artificial things. It surrounds us. It penetrates us. It binds humanity together. We talk about it by way of the National Geographic TV documentary Inside the Internet: 50 Years of Life Online , which you can watch here . Hosted by Liam , Abram , and Pam .

In April, 1975, civil war breaks out; Beirut is partitioned into East and West Beirut , along the Christian/Muslim line. Tarek is in high school, making Super 8 movies with his friend, Omar. At first the war is a lark: school has closed, the violence is fascinating, getting from West to East is a game. But he soon learns this isn’t a game as the war goes on, going from adventure to tragedy. Our fr...

To Live tells the story of a degenerate gambler and his shadow puppets. But it also tells the story of one family living through the Chinese Civil War, the Great Leap Forward, and the Cultural Revolution. This film and its reception would also mirror a process which has been ongoing since the beginning of Xi Jinping’s tenure: the battle against so-called “historical nihilism”. We look to the CPC,...

In 2002, S1m0ne posed the question of what would happen if we were to replace actors with computers. What 20 years ago seemed like a fantasy in the realm of science fiction has increasingly begun to rear its head in our world, and we as a society are still grappling with the consequences and implications of our increasingly virtual reality. Computer-generated actors, models, influencers, and pop s...

Beware of the Car is a Soviet-era Russian film about an insurance agent who moonlights as a car thief who steals cars from various crooks. You can watch the full movie on Youtube . Hosted by Liam , Russian Sam , Halal Sam , and Abram .

Hernán is a Mexican series that revolves around the story of Hernán Cortés, the Spanish Conquistador who led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire and brought large portions of what is now mainland Mexico under the rule of the King of Castile in the early 16th century. To discuss this story, and this series, we’re joined by Paul Guinan, the writer working on Aztec Empire , a graph...

True Detective season 2 is pretty good. We don’t really talk about it. Instead we delve into the real life stories that inspired the show, and some events that remind us of what we watched. Topics covered in this episode: Vernon, California, Political corruption, Voter suppression, Child abuse, Suspicious deaths, Satanic panic, Prostitution, Jeffrey Epstein, “Suicide,” and Bryan Singer. Would you...

The Parallax View starts with a spectacular public assassination of a popular senator atop the Seattle Space Needle. In the years after, many of the witnesses to the crime have died under mysterious circumstances. An ambitious reporter (Warren Beatty) investigating the senator's death discovers the Parallax Corporation, which he thinks is the key to understanding who or what is behind all of this....

Barbarians is a German historical drama that tells the story of Arminus, a Germanic Barbarian, who as a child is raised in Rome and becomes a Roman soldier. As an adult he is sent back to his home in Germania to aid in ensuring Rome’s control over the various Barbarian tribes. We discuss the show, and what we know of the real history that serves as inspiration for this Netflix dramatization. Hoste...

Wag the Dog is a movie about a White House that fakes going to war in Albania to bury the news of a President’s sex scandal. Exactly one month after the movie was released, the Monica Lewinsky affair was first made public. We go into the movie and the real world events it magically foretold. Correction : at 19:40 Liam says Green Room, but he meant Green Zone . At 1:08:00 Liam says Good Old Shoe, b...

The Wind That Shakes the Barley tells the story of Damien O’Donovan (Cillian Murphy), an Irish doctor turned guerrilla fighter after witnessing the brutality of British occupying forces in his home of County Cork. He joins his brother, Teddy O’Donovan (Pádraic Delaney), in fighting for the Irish Republican Army for Irish independence from the United Kingdom. We’re joined by our friend James to dis...

In 1984 Siberian singer and songwriter Yegor Letov founded Grazhdanskaya Oborona (Civil Defense), which went on to be the Soviet Unions most famous underground punk band, and made Letov one of its most famous musicians. Then in 1993 he co-founded the National Bolshevik Party, the now banned extremist political party that hoped to unite far right and far left forces. We discuss him, his music, and...