Solecast: Kill The Activist In Your Head w/ Scott Crow

Scott is a long time organizer and activist and is best known as a co-founder of the Common Ground Relief Effort in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrine.  Common Ground is the subject of his seminal book, “Black Flags & Windmills."  His upcoming book “Setting Sights” is available for pre-order now on PM Press. 

In this episode we have a critical and informative discussion with Scott Crow about new ways of thinking beyond resistance towards a politics of possibilities.   We discuss some of the pitfalls of “activism” and the toxic subculture that can tend to exist within in  it.  Scott explains about how the vocabulary we use can alienate us from our goals and the world we want to build.  We talk some shit about Alex Jones, right wing media and the dangers of it as well.  

For more information on Scott, follow him on twitter, check out his website and pre-order his new book “Setting Sights” on PM  Press.  

K Death of Moodie Black on Noise-Rap, The Moodhouse, & Coming Out As Trans

On this episode of the Solecast I sat down with K Death of Moodie Black.  Moodie Black is a noise-rap group out of Minneapolis and is one of my favorite rap acts in North America.  K-Death hosts a podcast called the Moodhouse.  We talk about their upcoming album “Lucas Acid,” their take on hip-hop and the music industry.  K-Death came out a few years ago as trans, and is my first friend to do break out of the gender binary.  They talk about their experiences as a youth exploring gender fluidity before having the language for it and debunking myths associated with transgender.  K-Death discusses the experience of being a trans person of color and navigating this racist transphobic world.    

Check out their podcast at moodhouse.com

Pick up their albums on Fake Four

or go to noiserap.com to learn more

Solecast & Final Straw on Political Prisoner Support, J20, The Situationists, Sci-Fi & CZN.

Final Straw is one of the longest running anarchist radio shows in North America focusing on anarchist struggle and political prisoner support(among many other things).  Bursts and I have been working closely together over the past year on the Channel Zero Podcast Network and while he was in town for the North American Anarchist Black Cross Conference we had a chance to hang out in my yard before the weather got cold and talk some shit.

We talked about:

CZN and its aspirations
J20 Repression
Political prisoner support
Why the Anarchist Black Cross is so awesome
The Situationists and folk traditions In music
Science fiction books we are geeking out on
Much more!  

Check out the final straw on twitter, I-tunes and their website.

Solecast: Erin Gallagher on Hacking Public Opinion, Twitter Bots & Cyborgs

On todays episode I do an in-depth with Erin Gallagher.  Erin is a truly independent journalist who has been tracking and studying the phenomena of twitter bots, their human operators ( herein referred to as 'cyborgs'), and "hacking public opinion."   We go in depth on how social media bots engage in dark propaganda campaigns to sway elections and more.  We talk about how information cascades through our networks and manipulates public opinion.  We talk about specific cases going back as far as 2012 in places like South Africa, South Korea and Central/South America.  We also discuss "Patriotic Programmers" and other actors who are spreading fake news & divisive propaganda with an (often)  extreme right wing agenda.   For more information on this subject follow Erin on Twitter or Medium and check out the following articles:

South Korea spy agency admits trying to rig 2012 presidential election

Sepulveda "How To Hack an Election"

Federal Election Board Denies Bots Exist

Patriotic programmers

I Bought A Bot Army For $100

Erin Gallagher's Mapping of Fake Antifa Accounts Made With Gephi

Music: Sole & DJ Pain 1 "Teachings Of Ice Cube(Memory Remix" 

Solecast March Fundraiser

For the month of March The Solecast is doing a flash fundraiser selling T-shirts, tote bags and hoodies.  Grab some merchandise in the sole store.

In 2017 The Solecast went from having a few hundred followers to thousands and continues to grow every day.  What began as a humble exploration of philosophy, art and its intersection has expanded to informational episodes explaining everything from how to plant a garden to create a FOIA request, to exploring rare histories and taking theory out of the ivory towers and into our lives.  

So far I’ve put out about 70 episodes, which are never about current event or news and are always meant to be timeless long form interviews that go deep.   Although this project is coming from an anarchist perspective, I interview anyone who I think has something to offer people who are looking to learn more about how to truly effect change in the world, to better our circumstances and most importantly spread and popularize radical ideas… which is humanity’s only hope if we wish to survive this century.

All of this is a lot of work.  I work alone on this project, doing all the research for the interviews, editing, producing, tracking down and booking the guests, creating the artwork, managing the social media bullshit and making sure that each episode is interesting, informative and original.  This year I want to push this project even further, do more with it and dedicate more time to it.   This March we are doing flash fundraiser by selling hoodies, t shirts and tote bags to amass resources for 2018.   If you'd like to support this project you may do so by picking up any of these fine goods:

Solecast Tote Bag $10

Solecast T-shirt

Solecast Hoodies $40

To support the Solecast in a more consistent way, please becoming a monthly sustainer via patreon.  If you want to donate crypto currency, you can do so here:

Crypto Currency Donations:

Bitcoin: 1HScxi7AYyeRVWyEgHPJ1J3JVHmtiWtpfE
Bitcoin Cash: 15Co1GNcQTq8BNZCDHCdj7LosrQdRtvk2M
Etherium: 0x287D7dea9C6ab36512551939CB1ff483804a2f10
LC: LXG9Mff77mAjPcX6vKKrTQruQQ6zArYChT

(More options will be added in the very near future)

Reportback From Puerto Rico w/ Frank Lopez of Submedia

In this edition of The Solecast I speak with Frank Lopez about his recent trip to Puerto Rico. We discuss the failure of the state to act quickly enough and the devastation he witnessed.  We talk about  how the people of Puerto Rico are helping themselves and how anarchists have launched mutual aid projects in the region.  We discuss his recent initiative to get water filters & supplies to folks on the ground, to donate click here.  We also talk about the need for radical media and how Submedia plans to grow their operation in the wake of getting their PayPal shut down by the alt-reich.

Donate To Submedia's fund to provide Water Filters, Solar Panels, & More
Donate To Submedia  

Music at the end is a live performance of Ceschi performing "Ojalå"

The Solecast & Revolutionary Left Radio on Radical Philosophy, Organizing, Music & Parenting

The first collaborative podcast episode with another podcaster.  Revolutionary Left Radio is one of my favorite podcasts, its an incredible resource for history, in depth discussions honing in on specific schools of leftist thought and interviews with academics from various political backgrounds.   Check it out here.  

In this podcast we discuss:

Discussion about political development
What various strains of radical theory can learn from each other
The difference between organizing in Omaha and Denver
The goals and lessons of our podcast projects
White rappers & hip-hop
Approaching parenting with radical politics


 

SOLECAST 50 W/ Mckenzie Wark on General Intellects, The Anthropocene & Is Capitalism Over?

Solecast 50 is a discussion with New School professor, philosopher and author Mckenzie Wark.  Wark is renowned as one of the forest theorists today who have dove into the works of the Situationists and built upon the ideas in interesting ways.   His new book that we discuss in this interview is called “General Intellects” but his past few books; “Telethesia” “Molecular Red” and “Beach Beneath The Streets” are all great reads.  

In this interview we discuss:

His new book, General Intellects  & his last book “Molecular Red"

The anthropocene in the wake of recent hurricanes & floods 

Technology, what is it & how has it changed us 

Neoliberalism in Iraq

The politics of exclusion

Do we still live under capitalism?

A discussion of relevant science fiction novels

Solecast 49 w/ Dan Arel "On Atheism, Fascism & Helicopter Rides"

Solecast 49 is with author, journalist, and host of the “Danthropology Podcast," Dan Arel.  Dan is best known for his atheist-themed books “The Secular Activist” and “Parenting Without God.”  Unlike most of the so called “new atheists” who have found themselves promoting Islamophobia and reactionary views that prop up empire, Dan stands apart from he pack by putting forward a more compassionate and nuanced atheism.  We talk about how that solidarity informs his writings and why under Trump he has found himself throwing in with the anti-authoritarians who have been militantly resisting the Trump Regime.  

Also discussed in this interview:

• The problems within the “new atheist” movement and its leading voices.

• Christian “Terrorism"

• A discussion of Noam Chomsky’s ill informed critiques of anti-fascism

• Trans-humanism

• The generalization and widespread adoption of antifa tactics

• Atheist parenting

Solecast 48 "Report Back From Charlottesville w/ Pat & Wendy of Unicorn Riot"

Solecast 48 Is a discussion with Pat and Wendy of Unicorn Riot. These two were on the ground for the events in Charlottesville providing media coverage for Unicorn Riot. They provide a blow by blow account of what they saw & experienced in this harrowing & disgusting display of white supremacy and fascist violence. They talk about being continuously physically harassed throughout the weekend, the horrors they witnessed, how they dealt with it and how it compared to covering previous large scale events like Standing Rock or Pikeville. Unicorn Riot has been the target of racist trolls for years, so this has given them a unique perspective on who these people are, what they stand for and how this movement has evolved over to the point that its at now.  

Support Unicorn Riot

Music by Godspeed! You Black Emperor

Solecast 47 w/ P.O.S. On Anarchy, Life & Work

Solecast 47 is with rapper, anarchist, and Doomtree OG, P.O.S.  P.O.S. dropped a new album this year called Chill, Dummy that is out now on Doomtree Records. We Talk about anarchy and the influence that early Crimethinc had on his thinking and his approach to life.  P.O.S. is a member of a long-standing rap collective called Doomtree and we discuss how a group of artists & friends can function as a collective  and succeed.   We talk about general shifts happening in culture and in society.  He goes in depth about his life-altering kidney surgery which is a beautiful testament to the values of mutual aid and solidarity, but also the effect this had on him.    P.O.S. is a thoughtful, nuanced and honest dude and we cover a lot of ground in this interview.  

If you wanna learn more about POS check out his last few albums Chill, Dummy,  We Don’t Even Live Here, and his new project with Sims, SHREDDDDERS.  

Solecast 46 "Repression Is A Battlefield" a Talk w/ J20 Defendant Carlo Piantini on Facing 75 years in Prison for Protesting Trump

Subscribe To The Solecast In Itunes
Support The Solecast via Patreon

Solecast 46 is an interview with Disrupt J20 defendant Carlo Pianitini who recently penned the Op-Ed for Al Jazeera entitled, "Why Am I Facing 75 Years In Prison For Protesting Trump?"  #DisruptJ20 was a broad based coalition created to have a massive showing of resistance against the inauguration of Trump.  Carlo was indiscriminately rounded up with over 200 other people who were present at the Disrupt J20 Protests in Washington DC that are all facing a possible 75 years in prison.  75 years in prison… for attending a protest against the inauguration of Donald Trump, yes this is REAL.  This is a very important interview, this could have happened to anyone reading this who happened to be rounded up by the cops on this day.  So please spread this interview around, share it with people and do what you can to raise awareness about this horrifying escalation in state repression.

This conversation covers:

• -How people can help by spreading the word, doing fundraisers and getting involved with the movement to defend Disrupt J20 arrestees.
• -The sexual abuse, the massive violence from the police, and the insane judicial overreach against J20 arrestees.
• -“Wired pleas” where the prosecution is essentially holding couples hostage forcing one to accept a stiffer charge to ensure the freedom of the other.
• - The need for more anarchist lawyers and different sorts of legal strategies that advance  political resistance, not just treating political repression as a simple criminal case..
• -The lack of solidarity from “The Resistance,” the mainstream media and most “indy” media.
• -How this repression is effecting the lives and organizing efforts of those arrestees.

For More Info:

Defendj20resistance.org 

Defendj20resistance.org/support 

Books mentioned: 

A Tilted Guide To Being A Defendant byTilted Scales Collective

Crashing The Party by Chris Hermes

Correction: I was wrong about my friend Jared Paul getting swept up at the RNC in 2000, he got his charges in 2008 at St Paul RNC 

Solecast 45 on "The Revolutionary Abolitionist Movement" (A Conversation w/ Folks From The Base in Brooklyn)

Solecast 45 is a conversation with folks from the Base in Brooklyn about The Revolutionary Abolitionist Movement.  From their text:

The Revolutionary Abolitionist Movement is a political movement dedicated to freeing people from bondage and building resistance in the United States. We situate our political movement in the context of the abolitionist struggle against slavery and continue in the tradition, from Nat Turner to the Black Liberation Movement. We believe the Civil War was never resolved and the system of slavery transitioned into the prison industrial complex. Our struggle today must begin from this starting point. Lastly, as revolutionary anarchists, the abolitionist struggle must be extended to the state and capitalism, the perpetrators of oppression. The revolutionary movement in the US today is at a cross roads, as fascist movements are expanding, and the state becomes increasingly authoritarian. The Rojava Revolution, in northern Syria, provides us with a model for revolution today with its foundation in communal and council based political organization and militant defense.  

Download the .Pdf here or buy the book here. 

We talk about the limitations of protest and the need to move beyond it.  We discuss the importance of explicitly radical anarchist education and physical spaces in social movements. We mostly talk about the Revolutionary Abolitionist Movement and the analysis behind it.  R.A.M. pulls together various threads of history and social movements to put forth a framework for collective liberation.  They link the foundation of the Americas, the expansion of capitalism, slavery, genocide ,  points to this historical moment and the struggles since then and shows that in order to truly have a revolutionary politics we must focus on abolishing the prison system, capitalism, patriarchy, and the state.  Its a very short read, check it out and if you are interested in getting involved hit them up.

The Revolutionary Abolitionist Movement.

Solecast 44 w/ Mic Crenshaw on The Anti-Racist Action Network & Radical Politics

Solecast 44 is with rapper, poet and long time organizer Mic Crenshaw. The conversation begins with him talking about his friend Micah Fletcher whose throat was slit in a recent white supremacist attack in PDX where 2 people were killed.   We discuss the importance of food justice, community defense and long term infrastructure projects.   Mike talks about the linkage between late stage capitalism and the rise of fascism and the importanwhite supremacist train attack in PDX. We talk about the history of the anti racist action network, what organizing was like in the 80s before the internet, and what accountability looks like beyond the state.  He stresses the importance of building friendships and true community within cultures of resistance.  He also discusses his work on the continent of Africa helping build computer centers, building up ties between North America and Africa and his tours through the continent with the Hip-Hop Caravan.

Check out his music at https://www.miccrenshaw.com/

Solecast 43 w/ Ad Astra Comix Radical Comic Book Publisher

Solecast 43 is an interview with Radical Comic Book publisher Ad Astra Comix.  This is a super informative conversation about the role art can play in resistance.  We talk about their efforts to promote and produce radical comics with social justice themes.   We discuss their collaborations with indigenous communities in Canada, the importance of balancing aesthetics with good politics, good research, and much, much more.   
 

For more information check them out online: ADASTRACOMIX.COM

Solecast 42 w/ Sage Francis : Keeping It Real In Trumped Up Times

Subscribe to the Solecast in iTunes.

olecast # 42 is an interview with indy rap legend, iconoclast and label-head Sage Francis.  We have an in depth discussion about his views on society, music and life.  We talk about his latest world tour, his new album “Copper Gone” and his decision to leave Epitaph records and put out his music on Strange Famous.   Obviously we cover Trump, the state of journalism and have a critical discussion about the role of politics within art.  We talk about shifts in the music industry related to technology, and various experiences we’ve gone through over the years.  Sage also lays out the thinking and concept behind his new record label SFR Digital and what he is doing with it to help indy rap artists gain a toehold in the rap game.  

Grab his new album, Copper Gone here.
Follow him on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook.

Solecast 41 w/ Amanda from Cleveland 4 Support Crew: On FBI Entrapment, Security Culture & Community Organizing

Subscribe to the Solecast in Itunes.

Episode 41 of the solecast is an interview with Amanda from the Cleveland 4 support crew. We have an in-depth discussion about this harrowing and heartbreaking tale of FBI entrapment.   It has now been five years since the Cleveland four was blocked in prison for terrorism charges stemming from an FBI informant hatched plot to blow up a bridge in Cleveland.  We also have a wide ranging and informative discussion based around Security culture, best practices, and old school community organizing and resistance building.

The Cleveland Four are still in prison and will be there for another 4 to 5 years, check out their Amazon wish list to send them some books, make a donation for the commissary fund, or write them a letter, anything helps!

Music on this episode is provided by Skyrider & Pat The Bunny.

Solecast 40 w/ James Livingston : "Against Work"

A critical discussion challenging the ethics, morality and punitive nature of work.   James discusses the ideas behind his amazing new book “No More Work”

How do we view intellectual labor in the information age when everything is free?  

How can we praise work as a noble enterprise when there is no correlation between work and pay?  

What studies have been done over the past century examining these imbalances?  

Why are the jobs never coming back?

Follow James on twitter, check his website, and buy his new book "No More Work"!

To support the solecast, join the patreon! 

Announcing Channel Zero: A Discussion w/ Solecast, IGDcast, WhichSide & Resonance Audio Distro

For more information, or to back this project on indiegogo visit Channelzeronetwork.com

Solecast 39 w/ Chris of Unicorn Riot on Counter-Counter-Insurgency & How to FOIA

Solecast 39 is a conversation with Chris from Unicorn Riot.

This epioside is mostly a how to on shaking the tree of government bureacracy through the usage of Freedom Of Information Act requests and similar requests on a state and city level to gain useful intelligence.  Chris has had great success uncovering information on Police tactics in Denver and in North Dakota at Standing Rock.  He has used these requests to gain access to crowd-control manuals, officer records, gained confirmation of under-covers and affirmed many things that most people assume about the methods police use to spy on protestors and neutralize them.   He is a collective member at Unicorn Riot, is a radical techo DJ that goes by the name of Kill Mckinley and can be found on twitter at @RiotDoge.