It’s that time again: Riley sat down with a book, and now you have to hear him talk about it for an hour or so. This month, Riley read K-Punk, out now on Repeater Books . K-Punk collects the previously unpublished writing of British left cultural, political, and social critic Mark Fisher, who explored realism and imagination, future and memory, and the freedom to imagine better worlds. If you like this episode, you can access it and dozens like it by subscribing to the Patreon: https://www.patre...
May 15, 2019•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 154
Everyone knows YouTube: the place where you can watch Peppa Pig get beheaded, watch crocodiles turn into chickens, learn about why earth is flat, and so much more. However, YouTube as a cultural phenomenon has created an entire new generation of public figures — a bunch of damn celebrities — and in a preview of this week's bonus, Hussein, Milo, and Nate speak with author Chris Stokel-Walker ( @stokel ) about his new book "YouTubers: How YouTube shook up TV and created a new generation of stars."...
May 15, 2019•10 min•Ep. 153
Well, the Conservatives are at it again. Whether it’s Matt Hancock or Liz Truss or Rory Stewart, they’re out being dumb and unaware. But don’t worry, friends -- your reassembled gang of all original lads, Riley ( @raaleh ), Hussein ( @HKesvani ), Milo ( @Milo_Edwards ), and Nate ( @inthesedeserts ) are here to tell you why the Instagram Tories are bad and untrustworthy. This week, we’re joined in studio by James Vincent ( @jjvincent ), senior reporter for the Verge, on the topic of hellish devel...
May 13, 2019•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 152
Britain has a serious need for Agony Aunts. Whether it’s a mundane or bizarre problem, people are out there asking for advice on issues such as: racist party guests, children who hate them, how to divide their expansive estates, border stones, and other completely bananas issues. This week, Riley ( @raaleh ), Milo ( @Milo_Edwards ), Olga ( @rocknrolga ), spoke with musician GFOTY ( @gfoty ) about to help these wayward souls, these Jacobs Rees-Mogg, these Rods Liddle. Surprise, surprise -- the so...
May 06, 2019•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 151
Why is it that there are so many billion-dollar startups that ultimately don’t do anything? Under normal circumstances, Riley ( @raaleh ), Milo ( @Milo_Edwards ), and Hussein ( @HKesvani ) would just make a joke about Yu-Gi-Oh dragon dick in order to describe it. However, this week we were lucky enough to get expert insight from Grace Blakeley ( @graceblakeley ), the New Statesman’s economics commentator. So, learn all about the inherent contradictions in the value-extraction approaches of this ...
Apr 29, 2019•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 150
In this week's bonus episode, Riley, Milo, and Hussein speak with writer Karen Geier ( @karengeier ) about Butt-mentum—the sudden ubiquity of Pete Buttigieg—as well as other topics to include the Extinction Rebellion protests and an *insane* denunciation of Heathrow Airport by a man writing for Conservative Woman. It's good, folks. If you want to access the full episode, get it on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/26364575 Please vote for us at this year's British Podcast Awards, and m...
Apr 26, 2019•6 min•Ep. 149
Every now and again, Tony Blair pops up to tell us that we’re doing too much social justice and that maybe Tommy Robinson has a point. This week, the gang of Riley ( @raaleh ), Milo ( @Milo_Edwards ), Nate ( @inthesedeserts ), and Alice ( @AliceAvizandum) discuss a report from the Tony Blair Institute for Social Change about—and this is not hyperbole—why populism is apparently immigrants’ fault? It’s bad, of course, but chances are good that no one will read it except for irony podcasters. Vote ...
Apr 24, 2019•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 148
In a preview of this week's bonus episode, we speak to jazz saxophonist and MC Soweto Kinch ( @sowetokinch) about big tech's attempts to steal creative idea-generation concepts and apply them to high-stress startup culture. We also talk about certified genius Roger Scruton, and Milo brings back his south-of-south-of-Louisiana accent. You will enjoy this. If you want to hear the full episode, access it on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/26177792 *LIVE SHOW ALERT* We’ll be performing o...
Apr 22, 2019•5 min•Ep. 147
We’re long overdue for something smart about Brexit on this show, or something smart in general. To that effect, this week, Riley ( @raaleh ), Milo ( @Milo_Edwards ), Hussein ( @HKesvani ), and Nate ( @inthesedeserts ) speak with Brexit seer and director of IPPR, Tom Kibasi ( @TomKibasi ). You may remember Tom from our infamous November ‘Yu-Gi-Oh Dragon Dick” episode in which he correctly predicted the entire sequence of events leading up to now re: Brexit. Well, Tom has more predictions, so thi...
Apr 15, 2019•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 146
This is it, folks. The first live recording with our mobile space station, the first outside-London show, and the first leftist UK politics supergroup podcast featuring Dalia Gebrial ( @daliagebrial )of Novara Media and Jack Frayne-Reid ( @gapesology ) of Reel Politik Podcast. Recorded live at Hamilton House, Stokes Croft, Bristol on April 5, 2019, it's a show about the things that matter: brain scanning helmets that write musical symphonies, Bristol's slave-trade past, its devotion to one parti...
Apr 11, 2019•9 min•Ep. 145
Riley, Milo, and Nate talk housing, living, and building with Dezeen's own India Block (@indiablock). We start with a start up, then go through Help to Buy and the enormous ponzi schemes the Tory government keeps setting up to provide us with basic human needs (instead of, you know, just providing for the needs), and conclude talking about the only kind of thing left we can build, which is some stupid ass tulip that nobody asked for but I guess we're getting anyway because a billionaire wanted i...
Apr 08, 2019•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 144
This week, Riley ( @raaleh ), Milo ( @Milo_Edwards ), and Nate ( @inthesedeserts ) speak with health justice advocate and writer Tim Faust (@crulge) about his campaigning for single-payer in the US, why anything besides Medicare for All is a scam, and why the creeping privatisation of programmes like Medicare and Medicaid resemble Tony Blair’s ‘reforms’ of the NHS in the early 2000s. If you liked what Tim had to say, pre-order his book here! https://www.mhpbooks.com/books/health-justice-now/ Dur...
Apr 01, 2019•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 143
Amazing how Titania McGrath, a fictional account that owns Millennials by making dad jokes, is the talk of the London Media. It's almost like the account is run by two middle-aged Tories whose friends all RT them out of a sense of obligation. In a preview of this week's bonus, Riley, Milo, and Nate speak with Novara Media's Dalia Gebrial ( @daliagebrial ) about the Titania McGrath 'phenomenon,' and why it speaks to the deeply conservative cornerstones of horniness and hurt feelings. If you want ...
Mar 31, 2019•10 min•Ep. 142
In a special guest cross-post, Riley and Hussein appeared on the much-recommended Qanon Anonymous podcast to discuss nationally-sourced conspiracies. This features Lucy Valentine of the Boonta Vista podcast as a judge. Listen as the gang discuss David Icke, Direct Energy Weapons, Reptilians, Gangstalking and Hollow Earth. Support Qanon Anonymous on Patreon here: patreon.com/qanonanonymous
Mar 30, 2019•54 min•Ep. 141
No guest this week, as the boys instead sit down solo to discuss the nihilistic right wing death cult that’s getting whipped into an upward spiraling murderous frenzy by the extremely respectable media. Why do they all rush to distance themselves from the things they encourage their readers to do? Why is it that when we make up a fake Brendan O'Neill article, the real Brendan O'Neill writes it basically verbatim? Do you want more Commie Book Club? Access this month's episode (an examination of t...
Mar 26, 2019•1 hr 25 min•Ep. 140
It's that time again! In an unlocked bonus episode, Riley read a book, drank some wine, and is ready to talk about it to you fine people. This month, we're looking at State of Insecurity by Isabell Lorey, available now on Verso. It's all about precariousness and how neoliberalism has turned us into our own disciplinarians. Check out the book here: https://www.versobooks.com/books/1737-state-of-insecurity Do you want more Commie Book Club? Access this month's episode (an examination of the work o...
Mar 24, 2019•51 min•Ep. 139
This week, Riley ( @raaleh ), Hussein ( @HKesvani ), Milo ( @Milo_Edwards ), Nate ( @inthesedeserts ), and Alice ( @AliceAvizandum ) speak with comedian and writer Mark Watson ( @watsoncomedian ) about the Adam Smith Institute’s newest declaration: the that Wetherspoons app is the pinnacle of human achievement. Did you know that you can order peas to anyone, at any table at any Wetherspoons pub in Britain? Oh wait, publicly-owned buildings? Never mind those, get the damn peas. You can access Mar...
Mar 19, 2019•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 138
This is a promo of this week's Patreon bonus episode. We're back in the saddle for yet another edition of Balthasar Speedboat. This episode features Riley, Milo, Nate, Alex Kealy ( @alexkealy ), Olga Koch ( @rocknrolga ), and Pierre Novellie ( @pierrenovellie ) -- and covers the usual spectrum of topics (but mostly Michael Jackson). Did you know Riley apparently sheds hair as a defensive mechanism? Did you know that Richard Nixon was convinced that gays brought down the Roman Empire? All this ca...
Mar 14, 2019•11 min•Ep. 137
We live in a blessed time, a truly wise era of human history in which Kylie Jenner’s cosmetics front company is somehow valued at $1 billion USD. Now, this is not a good thing, and special guest James Meadway ( @meadwaj ) -- an economist, writer, and former adviser to John McDonnell MP -- explains why this is just one symptom of the morass in which we find ourselves, and why recovering an oppositional style of politics is more important than ever. This episode features all of the Trash lads -- R...
Mar 12, 2019•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 136
Friends, we at the Trashfuture podcast do not in any way want our jokes to become real. We don’t want Elon Musk to control the internet with a submarine like the Sons of Liberty in Metal Gear Solid 2. We don’t want Matt Hancock to parkour his way into our phones with a mandatory app. But we always knew in our hearts that the essence of conservatism is “why can’t I say the n-word.” And that latter item happened this week, as certified normal person and author Lionel Shriver wrote exactly that in ...
Mar 05, 2019•57 min•Ep. 135
Riley and Milo sit down with Will Stronge, director of Autonomy and one of the principal authors of the four day work week report (linked here) that’s been generating so much interest lately. Sing it loud and sing it proud: work sucks! This episode originally appeared on our bonus content feed. You can sign up for $5 a month on Patreon and get an episode like this each week: https://www.patreon.com/trashfuture (this also will grant you access to our Discord server). Here's a link to the Autonomy...
Mar 04, 2019•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 134
A new party formed, except they’re not a party, and they don’t have policies, and their logo makes them look like a store where you can buy a £10 cup of juice. That’s right, we’re talking The Independent Group on this week’s episode. Riley ( @raaleh ), Milo ( @Milo_Edwards ), Hussein ( @HKesvani ), and Nate ( @inthesedeserts ) spoke with comedy writer Mollie Goodfellow ( @hansmollman ) about the Labour splitters and their delightful approach to ideology versus facts. Please bear in mind that you...
Feb 26, 2019•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 133
In a preview of this week's bonus episode, Riley and Milo sit down with Will Stronge, director of Autonomy and one of the principal authors of the four day work week report (linked here) that’s been generating so much interest lately. Sing it loud and sing it proud: work sucks! You can access the full episode here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/work-sucks-we-24815906 If you want to learn more about Autonomy, visit their site here: http://autonomy.work/ *COMEDY KLAXON* On 27th February at 8 pm, E...
Feb 21, 2019•9 min•Ep. 132
We love Britain and British things. We’re a podcast suffused with the Blitz Spirit, the Dunkirk Spirit, the Dying of Black Lung Spirit, and in honour of that, we decided to take on the big issues of modern Britain, such as the following: some rich people tried to sue the Tate Modern because they didn’t want to buy curtains. This week, Riley ( @raaleh ), Milo ( @Milo_Edwards ), Hussein ( @HKesvani ), and Nate ( @inthesedeserts ) spoke with Tribune Magazine culture editor Owen Hatherley ( @owenhat...
Feb 19, 2019•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 131
We did it. We streamed our podcast live. Riley ( @raaleh ), Milo ( @Milo_Edwards ), and Nate ( @inthesedeserts ) managed to successfully host a live video podcast while speaking with Hasan Piker ( @hasanthehun ) on Twitch. We discussed the abortive (to put it mildly) launch of Turning Point UK. Just who are the weirdos that fund it and support it? Why are they all part of weird Oxford racism societies? And why is Candace Owens praising Hitler? Please bear in mind that your favourite moron lads h...
Feb 13, 2019•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 130
Riley's Commie Book Club is a bit different. This time, Riley speaks with scholar and author Peter Fleming — you might recognize the name from a previous episode discussing his book 'The Death of Homo Economicus' — and this time they cover the subject of Peter's new book, 'The Worst Is Yet to Come: A Post-Capitalist Survival Guide.' Peter Fleming is a professor at the University of London and the University of Technology, Sydney. He is the author of several books, including The Mythology of Work...
Feb 08, 2019•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 129
Another week is upon us, and that means another Silicon Valley company has reinvented loan sharking. Riley ( @raaleh ), Milo ( @Milo_Edwards ), and Olga ( @rocknrolga ) reached out to someone with extensive knowledge in how payday lenders screw over the poor: Bryan Quinby ( @MurderBryan ), host of Street Fight Radio in Columbus, OH. They discuss a loan-sharking payday lender for your rent, and the liberal fixation on books like J.D. Vance’s “Hillbilly Elegy” and its British equivalent, David Goo...
Feb 05, 2019•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 127
It was admittedly a shock to all of us that any of you liked our previous Balthasar Speedboat show. However, you did, and as such we've decided to revisit it with a new episode. You can hear Riley ( @raaleh ), Milo ( @Milo_Edwards ), Olga ( @rocknrolga ), Alex Kealy ( @alexkealy ), and Charlie Palmer ( @cfppalmer ) for a near hour of riffs. Did you know the British had a song in World War II dedicated to Hitler's balls? Did you know that's actually body shaming? All this and more, on Balthasar S...
Feb 04, 2019•8 min•Ep. 128
It was a usual Friday afternoon in the Caliphate of Tower Hamlets. Riley ( @raaleh ), Milo ( @Milo_Edwards ), Hussein ( @HKesvani ), Nate ( @inthesedeserts ), and Olga ( @rocknrolga ) were minding their own business when a man walked in with a baby. That man was Rob Delaney ( @robdelaney ), comedian and star of ‘Catastrophe’ on Channel 4. We discussed a terrible service that aims to provide feudalism in education, NHS privatisation plans, and why all of Matt Hancock’s acolytes can’t seem to stop...
Jan 29, 2019•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 126
In a preview of this week's bonus episode, we're taking you to a brain expansion dimension that you've never visited before. Riley, Hussein, Milo, and Alice join special guest George Eaton ( @georgeeaton ), deputy editor at the New Statesman for a discussion of the HBO / Channel 4 feature film 'Brexit' starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Dominic Cummings. Sure, it's bad, but is that really so surprising? We delve into it with the keen insights that you've come to expect from us. Want to listen to t...
Jan 25, 2019•8 min•Ep. 125
