Varn Vlog

Can you imagine a city without a police presence? A world where activists face terrorism charges for simply voicing their opinions? This is the reality we explored with our guest, Ryan Zickgraf, as we delved into Georgia's local and state politics, examining the seemingly inconceivable "cop city" scenario and the unsuccessful attempt to make the no-cop city movement the next Standin...

In this episode of Excavations--a show that I and Jordan Dubin do primarily for the youtube channel and the patron's podcast-- we pull back the curtain on the genius of Ingmar Bergman, one of cinema’s most acclaimed filmmakers, with the insightful Shalon Van Tine and Jordan Dubin. Shalon Van Tine, a cultural history PhD candidate, helps us unravel the man who mastered the art of creating cine...

What do artificial intelligence, consciousness, and the future of politics have in common? Join us for an insightful discussion with Nightmare Masterclass's Dave, as we explore these fascinating topics. We're breaking down complex ideas to redefine intelligence, examine the intricate world of AI and machine learning, and ponder the implications of artificial labor and scarcity in society...

What impact did the first revisionism controversy within the Second International have on the socialist movement? Join me and James from Prolekult Films as we untangle the complexities of this historical debate and uncover the lasting consequences it had on the socialist movement. We'll explore the origins of the controversy, the social and political conditions in Germany during the late 19th...

What happens when we reframe our understanding of community and technology? Join us in a fascinating conversation with Dr. Erica Robles-Anderson, associate professor at NYU in Media, Culture, and Communication, as we explore this complex relationship and challenge our perspectives on cybernetics, Marxist theories, and the impact of historical and technological transformation. In this thought-provo...

What if the key to understanding contemporary politics, society, and culture were hidden in our collective psyche? In this thought-provoking episode, we explore Christopher Lasch's influential book "The Minimal Self" and its implications for our modern world. Join us as we delve into the fascinating concept of narcissism, the intriguing idea of the "parties of the psyche,"...

What does the dual legacy of Christopher Lasch mean for the left tradition? Join us in this fascinating conversation with young scholar Elijah Emery as we explore Lash's ambivalence towards the left and how his work influences contemporary political discourse. We delve into Lasch's struggle with communitarianism, his views on religion, populism, and American history, and the complexities...

What if we told you that the political economy of Silicon Valley, the European Union's impact on big tech platforms, and Apple's recent victory against Epic Games are just the tip of the iceberg of a rapidly changing global economy? Join us for a thought-provoking discussion with our guest, Rob Larson, professor of Economics and author of books such as "Capitalism vs. Freedom"...

What happens when we merge the worlds of horror cinema and psychoanalysis? Join us for an enlightening conversation with Freudian cinephile and podcaster, Mary Wild , as we unravel the synergy between these two powerful forces. Delve into the realm of horror films and their connections to psychoanalytic theory. As we explore the depths of horror cinema, we also confront the controversial subject o...

What does it mean to explore the depths of Western Marxism and uncover the complexities of capitalism's mutations? Join us for a thought-provoking conversation with musicologist and host of The Measures Taken, Stephan Hammel, as we take a deep dive into the ABCs of Communism and the importance of a maximum program for a just and prosperous future. Capitalism may have ended a decade ago, but i...

While the introduction music is that of Varn Vlog on this podcaster, this series will be simultaneously released on both the Varn Vlog podcast feed and the Regrettable Century podcast feed .   This is a long-running series we are doing on understanding social technologies, relationships of production, and how we get here:  i.e. what is the social and class history of the past.    In this episode,...

Please support our patreon.   For early and ad-free episodes, members-only content, and more. What if the key to addressing climate change lies at the intersection of labor and environmentalism? In this thought-provoking episode, we're joined by Matt Huber, author of "Climate Change's Class War: Building Socialism on a Warring Planet," to explore this relationship and how clima...

Please support our patreon.   For early and ad-free episodes, members-only content, and more. Chris Cutrone and Spencer Leonard are two of the founding and early members of the Platypus Affiliated Society .  What do the origins of the Platypus Affiliated Society, postmodernism's influence on Marxism, and the current state of the left have in common? Join us as we delve into these topics and m...

Please support our patreon.   For early and ad-free episodes, members-only content, and more.  What if the university experience and the humanities education system are flawed at their core? Join us in our conversation with Maxximillian Seijo, ex-academic and former host of the Superstructure podcast and Money on the Left, as we unpack the perils of academia, the exploitation of graduate student l...

Please support our patreon.   For early and ad-free episodes, members-only content, and more. Carl Eugene Stroud is a language educator and militant social anarchist.  Are you ready to explore the world of education, militancy, and multilingualism? Join me as I sit down with Carl Eugene Straude, language teacher and anarchist militant, for an eye-opening conversation on the challenges and importan...

What happens when we explore the tension between Marxism and psychoanalysis through the lens of Phillip Reiff  and Christopher Lasch's work and its relation to Henry Miller and John Updike? Join us in this thought-provoking conversation with our guest Daniel Tutt, a renowned scholar of Marxism and psychoanalysis. We'll discuss the Frankfurt School, the cultural revolution of the 60s and...

Please support our patreon.   For early and ad-free episodes, members-only content, and more. Amani Wells-Onyioha is a political expert, civil rights advocate, and thought leader. Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, Amani found her passion for politics during her time at the University of North Texas. After the murder of Trayvon Martin, Amani understood stopping something like that from happening ag...

Please support our patreon.   For early and ad-free episodes, members-only content, and more. Josiah Rector is an urban historian specializing in 20th-century U.S. urban environmental history, the history of the environmental justice movement, and labor history. He earned his Ph. D. in History from Wayne State University, and his dissertation received the Urban History Association’s Michael Katz A...

Please support our patreon.   For early and ad-free episodes, members-only content, and more. The Subset of Theoretical Practice is a collective research project and a political collective, bringing together researchers interested in investigating contemporary politics, with a special focus on developing new tools for political organization. While these two sides overlap, they are not the same, as...

Please support our patreon.   For early and ad-free episodes, members-only content, and more. Colin Drumm has a Ph. D. History of Consciousness. He writes and teaches on monetary history, medieval political economy, and the relationship between political economy and philosophy.  He is an organizer of the Mimbres School . We discuss misconceptions of the history of money and its effects on contempo...

While the introduction music is that of Varn Vlog on this podcaster, this series will be simultaneously released on both the Varn Vlog podcast feed and the Regrettable Century podcast feed .   This is a long-running series we are doing on understanding social technologies, relationships of production, and how we get here:  i.e. what is the social and class history of the past.    In this episode,...

Please support our patreon.   For early and ad-free episodes, members-only content, and more. Ralph Leonard is a British-Nigerian writer who writes on international politics, religion, culture, and humanism.  We discuss the following articles: https://www.sublationmag.com/post/stalingrad https://unherd.com/2021/03/the-demise-of-political-blackness/ https://areomagazine.com/2022/11/09/in-defence-of...

Please support our patreon.   For early and ad-free episodes, members-only content, and more. Jason Myles is a musician, writer, and host of the This is Revolution Podcast .  We discuss a lot of things, but  the theme of branding as politics runs throughout.  We also look at Myles's recent articles for Sublation Magazine: https://www.sublationmag.com/post/is-the-contemporary-left-a-lifestyle-...

Please support our patreon.   For early and ad-free episodes, members-only content, and more. Ben Burgis is an adjunct philosophy professor at Morehouse College, a columnist for Jacobin Magazine, and the author of several books, most recently "Christopher Hitchens: What He Got Right, How He Went Wrong, and Why He Still Matters." We talk about the legacy of G.A. Cohen and analytical Marxi...

Please support our patreon.   For early and ad-free episodes, members-only content, and more. This episode is a co-production with Strange Matters Magazine.  Maximillian Alvarez is the Editor-in-Chief of The Real News Network in Baltimore and the host of Working People.  We discuss his recently released book, "The Work of Living: Working People Talk About Their Lives and the Year the World Br...