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The Acid Left

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Welcome to the Acid Left Podcast! The Acid Left aims to foster an awareness of social class and emancipatory politics through online and real-life events and happenings ​... turn on, tune in, and shape a future collective reality.
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Episodes

How Left is Heavy Metal?: David Burke talks to Mike Watson and Bram E Gieben

Revol Press present a conversation and metal and the left. They will publish a compendium entitled What's Left of Metal? in late 2025. Editors: David Burke, Mike Watson Authors: Ben Burgis, Thomas Cardwell, Tee Coles, Chris DeMarcus, Holly Royle, Lars Lindemann, Daniel Lukes, Evan Martin-Casler, Ignacio Moreno Fluxà, Jason Myles, Alessandro Rolandi, Jen Sicka, Eric Smialek, Melissa Vincent, Clara Wanning

Jan 01, 20251 hr 21 min

Love, Magic and Capitalism with Rob Faure Walker (Theorize and be Damned: Ep. 5)

Mike Watson and Bram E. Gieben talk to Rob Faure Walker, author of Love and the Market: How to Recover from the Enlightenment and Survive the Current Crisis. Buy Love and the Market from Bristol University Press here: https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/love-and-the-market Pre-order Bram and Mike's books here: https://www.revolpress.com/ Follow Revol Press on Instagram: @revol_press About Rob Faure Walker Formerly a teacher in North and East London, Rob was drawn into politics as a teachers' un...

Aug 28, 20241 hr 17 min

Adam Turl: Gothic Futurism -- Revolutionary Art and the Working Class (Theorize and be Damned: Ep.4)

Mike Watson and Bram Gieben interview Adam Turl, writer of the forthcoming Gothic Futurism: And the Working Class (2025, from Revol Press). See details on that book here: https://www.revolpress.com/gothic-futurism See Locus Review here: https://www.locustreview.com Support Revol Press at our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/revolpress Adam Turl is an artist and writer living in southern Illinois in the United States. They are an editor at Locust Review, a co-host of the Locust Radio podcast, and...

Jul 12, 20241 hr 9 min

Matt McManus: Right Wing Radicalism - It's Dangerous (Theorize and be Damned: Ep. 3)

We spoke to Matt McManus about the dangers of the Radical right wing, covering Trumpianism, Dostoyevsky, Nietzsche, and much more along the way. We also asked Matt about his writing process, gaining valuable insights into his approach. You can find his book The Political Right and Equality (Routledge) here: https://www.routledge.com/The-Political-Right-and-Equality-Turning-Back-the-Tide-of-Egalitarian-Modernity/McManus/p/book/9781032310831 Matt McManus is a Lecturer at the University of Michigan...

Jun 16, 20241 hr 18 min

Theorize and be Damned: Episode 2 -- Fisher, The Limit Experience & Online Culture w/Emma Stamm

We talk to Emma Stamm about Mark Fisher, the Limit Experience, Digital Capitalism, internet culture and more. Here are the links to the articles discussed: https://reallifemag.com/who-can-it-be-now/ https://social-epistemology.com/2022/04/18/curiosity-and-anti-economy-a-response-to-florian-jaton-emma-stamm/ http://www.ladeleuziana.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Stamm.pdf Subscribe to our Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/104060602Check out our books here: www.revolopress.com Emma Stamm...

May 20, 20241 hr 20 min

Theorize and be Damned: Episode 1 -- The Darkest Timeline with Bram E. Gieben

Revol Books launch their Theorize and be Damned podcast with a chat with Bram E. Gieben about his forthcoming book The Darkest Timeline. Preorder Bram's book here: https://linktr.ee/thedarkesttimeline Subscribe to the Revol Press Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/revolpress Revol's Instagram: revol_press Portrait of Bram E. Gieben in thumbnail by Lucy Cheyne

Apr 25, 20241 hr 24 min

Breaking the Spell of Capitalist Realism w/ Locust Review: Irrealist Praxis & Art

We talk with Adam and Tish Turl from the Locust Review quarterly. We discuss the founding and purpose of Locust Review, the theory of Critical Irrealism, and their ever-growing installation in The Born Again Labor Museum. Adam and Tish are longtime friends of the acid left so this is a fun episode filled with laughs. We also speculate what a left wing response to Q might be, talk fan fiction, share fever dreams and tips for agitating at the workplace. Support The Acid Left https://www.patreon.co...

Nov 14, 20211 hr 25 min

Frankfurt School Today: #3 Max Ryynänen - Were Benjamin and Adorno too Bourgeois?

In the third in this series Mike Watson talks to Max Ryynänen asking if the Frankfurt School are too Bourgeois. Max is a tenured Professor at Aalto University in Helsinki and theorist of Aesthetics, where he focuses on excluded and outsider practices. He published On the Philosophy of Central European Art (2020), in which he proposes Nobrow art production as a response to the dichotomy between High and Low brow and the way in which the former co-opts the latter. You can preorder Mike Watson's Th...

Oct 17, 20211 hr 14 min

Frankfurt School Today: #4 Matt McManus - Is Existentialism Inherently Fascist?

In the fourth in this series Mike Watson talks to Matt McManus asking if Adorno's criticism of Existentialism in the 'Jargon of Authenticity' was fair. Matt McManus is a Professor of Law and Society at The University of Calgary. He is also the author of... The Rise of Post-Modern Conservatism (Palgrave), AND co author of What Is Post-Modern Conservatism?, Myth and Mayhem: A Leftist Critique of Jordan Peterson, both from Zero Books AND A Critical Legal Examination of Liberalism and Liberal Rights...

Oct 17, 20211 hr 3 min

Rick Roderick: The Father of the Online Left, with Marshall Roderick

The Acid Left talk to Marshall Roderick, son of Rick Roderick. As well as following up our campaign to get Roderick republished, we ask what the man was like, what he would have made of Biden and Trump, Lefttube and much more ! You can read Max Roderick's text on Rick Roderick here: http://rickroderick.org/max-roderick/ Subscribe to the Acid Left's Patreon: patreon.com/acidfleft You can find more from the Acid Left here: twitter: @theacidleft insta: @theacidleft facebook: https://www.facebook.co...

Sep 13, 20211 hr 8 min

Frankfurt School Today: #2 Douglas Kellner - Marcuse's Great Refusal

In the second in this series Mike Watson talks to Douglas Kellner, author of several books on Critical Theory including Herbert Marcuse and the Crisis of Marxism, Jean Baudrillard: From Marxism to Postmodernism and Beyond, and American Nightmare Donald Trump, Media Spectacle, and Authoritarian Populism. Martin Jay is George Kneller Chair in the Philosophy of Education at the University of California, Berkeley. In September Springer publish Kellner's Technology and Democracy: Toward A Critical Th...

Aug 30, 20211 hr 1 min

Frankfurt School Today: #1 Martin Jay - The Splinter in Your Eye

In this new series Mike Watson talks to Martin Jay, Historian of philosophy and author of several books on the Frankfurt School including the Dialectical Imagination and the recent essay collection Splinters in your Eye. Martin Jay is a professor at the University of California, Berkeley. Books and Essays Discussed: Martin Jay, Splinters in You Eye -- https://www.versobooks.com/books/3183-splinters-in-your-eye Martin Jay, Trump, Scorsese and the Frankfurt School's theory of the Racket Society --...

Aug 22, 20211 hr 13 min

Red Enlightenment with Graham Jones: Materialist Spirituality and Scientific Socialism

We talk to Graham Jones about his podcast Red Enlightenment hosted on Repeater Radio. Red Enlightenment is an 8 part series about science, socialism, and spirituality that draws influence from Spinoza and Marx to Michael Brooks and Mark Fisher while asking questions of metaphysics, ethics, and embodiment in order to move into a Materialist Spirituality. Contains remixes and samples from the following songs. Broke for Free- Lonely Organ Jose Konda- Golgotha Lobo Loco - Bioscope Dee Yan-Key - Go D...

Aug 15, 20211 hr 15 min

Seizing The Memes w/ Teenage Stepdad: Dropping Out of Art School, Pesky Algorithms, & Media Critique

The Acid Left talk to artist and meme maker Teenage Stepdad about his new show on Means TV called Seizing the Memes, his working process, politics, art school and the media... and boaner jokes! Teenage Stepdad is the person behind the hugely popular insta meme account @teenagestepdad featuring among the best produced memes on the internet most of which perform satirical critiques of popular brands and advertising tropes as well as the culture industry in general. Check out Seizing the Memes on m...

Jul 17, 20211 hr 10 min

Clandestine Unit For Imaginary Research: Crisis in Colombia and The Molecular Revolution.

The Acid Left talk to Admin1 of the theory collective Clandestine Unit for Imaginary Research and curated meme page @cu_media_funhouse.exe. We discuss the ongoing protest in Colombia against tax hikes, state violence, and the government's handling of the worsening health crisis. We also discuss the disturbing conspiracy theory put forward by the right wing government of "Molecular Revolution" that denies the citizens of Colombia's collective rage by arguing that a foreign communist cabal is tryi...

Jun 11, 202152 min

Artin Salimi on Mark Fisher, Hip Hop, and Islamic Philosophy

Adam Ray Adkins talks to musician and YouTuber Artin Salimi on Mark Fisher, Marxism, Hip Hop, and Islamic Philosophy Sub to Artin Salimi: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpxTegQA3NUq9scE-XQJzww Support the Acid Left on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/acidleft facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theacidleft/ insta: @theacidleft Twitch: twitch.tv/theacidleft twitter: @acid_left

May 31, 20211 hr 10 min

Memestetica: a Conversation on Memes and Contemporary Art with Valentina Tanni

The Acid Left's Mike Watson speaks to Valentina Tanni, author of Memestetica, a book on meme culture and contemporary art and society, published in Italian by Nero Editions. https://www.neroeditions.com/product/memestetica/ Support the Acid Left on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/acidleft facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theacidleft/ insta: @theacidleft Twitch: twitch.tv/theacidleft

Mar 04, 20211 hr 22 min

Is There no Nordic Alternative?: Welfare and Capitalism with Matt McManus and Tuomas Kuusniemi

We speak to author Matt McManus and Tuomas Kuusniemi on Nordic and Western welfare models, 'dignity', agency, gaming and art! Matt McManus a Professor of Politics, from Canada, is a Professor of Politics at Whitman College in the USA and has written several books including The Rise of Post-Modern Conservatism (Palgrave), What Is Postmodern Conservatism? from Zero Books and A Critical Legal Examination of Liberalism and Liberal Rights also from Palgrave. See recent text here on Jacobin: https://w...

Feb 12, 20211 hr 14 min

Give them a Narrative - Ben Burgis on the Capitol Riots and the State of the Left Post Trump

We speak to author Ben Burgis on the importance of narratives from medicare for all, to Q Anon, to Vaush's so called 'Super Capitalism', and the Capitol protest. Ben Burgis is a philosophy professor at Georgia State University Perimeter College and the author of the best-selling "Give Them An Argument: Logic for the Left." MAY 2019 He's a weekly contributor to Jacobin Magazine and hosts the YouTube channel Ben Burgis: Give them an argument He was co author of Myth and Mayhem: A Leftist critique ...

Jan 08, 20211 hr 20 min

Chilling at the Four Seasons Parking Lot: A Post Election Chat w/David Blacker and BigBreadBrainz

Post election special with David Blacker, Professor of Philosophy of Education and Legal Studies at the University of Delaware and author of 'What’s Left of the World' AND 'The Falling Rate of Learning and the Neoliberal Endgame' and YouTuber Big Bread Brain, who is a Cultural theorist, multimedia artist, and writer. David Blacker: https://www.johnhuntpublishing.com/zer0-books/authors/david-blacker BigBreadBrainz: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrhf3KPOvS4KPLcytvOAGiQ This podcast is now avail...

Nov 17, 20201 hr 18 min

'Murder Your Opinion': 'John the Duncan' on Laurence Fox, White Privilege and Celebrity Politicians

In this episode we are joined by John Duncan to discuss the anti-woke brigade in particular the UK actor turned right wing politician and bad singer Laurence Fox, whether it’s possible to address one’s own white privilege, celebrity politicians, human rights and neoliberalism, and the role of Scotland in the age of European Empire. John Duncan is studying a PhD at the School of Advanced Study at the University of London. His thesis is on the usefulness of human rights as a tool to mobilise colle...

Oct 22, 202051 min

'Marx contra subjectivity': In Conversation with Conrad Hamilton

Mike Watson and Adam Ray Adkins talk to Conrad Hamilton about Tankies, the online left, Marx, Speculative Realism, and consent. Hamilton is co author of the books Myth and Mayhem: A Leftist Critique of Jordan Petserson and What is PostModern Conservatism. He recently finished writing his PhD thesis entitled Marx Contra Subjectivity under the supervision of Catherine Malabou at Paris VIII. You can find the Kapital Komrades facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/613646239225280 Suppor...

Oct 14, 20201 hr 21 min

In conversation with Brian Francis Culkin: Healing the Wounds of Capital

Mike Watson and Adam Ray Adkins host Brian Francis Culkin. Brian is a writer and film director. He has written over 10 books and directed three films. His books include “On Heroin,” “Postscript on Boxing,” and “The Ayahuasca Dialogues”. He lives and works in the city of Iquitos in the Peruvian Amazon where he is involved in plant based diet healing throughhis center, The Way of the Twelve Plants: https://www.12plants.org/ Support the Acid Left on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/acidleft faceboo...

Oct 14, 202059 min

With Joshua Citarella: 'Doomer' Joe Biden, Cardi B And The Decline Of The USA

In this episode of The Acid Left podcast hosts Mike Watson and Adam Ray Adkins talk to artist, meme producer and twitch streamer Joshua Citarella about memes, Cardi B's WAP, Ben Shapiro, Doomer Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. You can read more about Joshua Citarella here: http://joshuacitarella.com/ He streams here: https://www.twitch.tv/joshuacitarella His insta is: @Joshua Citarella Support the Acid Left on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/acidleft facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theacidleft/ ...

Oct 13, 202058 min

From Zizek To LSD, Examining Mental Health With Eliot Rosenstock

Adam Ray Adkins and Mike Watson host Eliot Rosenstock, author of ''Zizek in the Clinic' for the first 'The Acid Left' Podcast. They speak about Zizek, LSD, Lacanian and Freudian analysis, Mark Fisher, mental health, and sobriety. Support the Acid Left on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/acidleft facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theacidleft/ insta: @theacidleft

Oct 13, 202056 min

Dr.James Cooke: Microdosing, Anarchism And Consciousness With A Neuroscientist

Mike Watson and Adam Ray Adkins host Dr. James Cooke, Neuroscientist, writer & speaker, who focuses on consciousness, meditation, psychedelic states, science and spirituality. You can see more about Dr. James Cooke's work here: https://www.drjamescooke.com/ Support the Acid Left on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/acidleft facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theacidleft/ insta: @theacidleft

Oct 13, 20201 hr 12 min

Acid Left Vs Postmodern Conservatism With Matt McManus

Mike Watson, Adam Ray Adkins and Terry Tapp Host Matt McManus, author of The Rise of Post-Modern Conservatism (Palgrave). Matt is also co author of What Is Post-Modern Conservatism?, and Myth and Mayhem: A Leftist Critique of Jordan Peterson, both from Zero Books. Support the Acid Left on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/acidleft facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theacidleft/ insta: @theacidleft

Oct 13, 20201 hr
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