Eve Ensler on Righteous Anger, Forgiveness and Her New Book "The Apology"

Eve Ensler is an author, Tony Award-winner, playwright and activist. Her award-winning play The Vagina Monologues ran for more than 10 years and has been performed in more than 140 countries. Ensler's new book The Apology is a meditation on the decades of sexual abuse and other violence she endured from her father and on how she finally purged his power over her life through creative confrontation and forgiveness. 

Ensler reflects on the rise of Donald Trump and America's moral crisis, privilege and responsibility, healthy masculinity, why only certain groups in America are forced to forgive the transgressions against them, and how women who dare to publicly speak out against rapists and abusers are often made to suffer more trauma. 

Ensler also explains the power of righteous anger, her own choice to forgive her abusive father, and what she gained and sacrificed through the process of writing The Apology.

During this week's podcast Chauncey explains how the culture of violence among Trump's Border Patrol and ICE enforcers is much greater and bigger than a few "bad apples" and the ways that Michael Pence's "inspection tour" of his boss's concentration camps is an example of human evil across history. 

Chauncey also cautions people that the act of brave resistance by a freedom fighter in Tacoma, Washington who engaged in direct action against one of the Trump's regime's concentration camps on Saturday will be used to make the regime's Border Patrol and other foot soldier hooligans into "the real victims". 

And on this week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show our intrepid host shares some movie reviews and also a wonderful animal friend story.

A Conversation with Ira Steven Behr About the Legacy, Meaning and Politics of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and the New Documentary What We Left Behind

There are two guests on this week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show.

Ira Steven Behr was the showrunner and executive producer of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He is also the co-director and executive producer of the new documentary What We Left Behind: Looking Back at Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

Behr has also been a writer and executive producer on the HBO series Outlander.

He reflects on the origins of Deep Space Nine, what he learned from the new documentary What We Left Behind, the challenges and triumphs of creating what would be such a highly influential non-episodic TV series, escaping the shadow of Star Trek: The Next Generation, the choices that were made regarding Avery Brooks' character Captain Benjamin Sisko (the first black starring character in Star Trek history), how the show dealt with topical issues such as religion, ethnic conflict, poverty, sexism, as well as gay and lesbian relationships.

Behr also shares the storyline of what a hypothetical eighth season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine would have looked like.

Hugo-award nominated podcaster and writer Alasdair Stuart is the second guest on this week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show.

He shares his thoughts on the new movie Avengers: Endgame and its problematic treatment of female characters such as Nebula and Black Widow, how the film is a well-deserved love letter to Robert Downey Jr.'s depiction of Iron Man, and where the Marvel Cinematic Universe goes with and after the new Spiderman movie.

Chauncey and Alasdair also share some hopes and worries about J.J. Abrams and his new Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and ponder why this generation of fans seem so invested in how much money a movie makes as some type of (sad and pathetic) validation of their own self-esteem and identity.

On this week's show, Chauncey DeVega laughs at those members of the so-called "Resistance" who think that this newest "revelation" about Donald Trump losing a billion dollars and likely committing tax fraud will actually hurt his popularity among the Trump CHUD cultists and Republicans as a whole. Why won't this newest "scandal" matter? This is all explained by the sunk cost fallacy and the classic social psychology research study When Prophecy Fails.

Chauncey also reflects on Gene Roddenberry's hopeful vision of the future as seen in Star Trek and how far America and humankind have to go to achieve such a goal.

My Conversation With Robert B. Reich on How Donald Trump is a Gangster Capitalist Tyrant, the Wisdom of Bernie Sanders, and Why Young People Like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Will Save America

Robert B. Reich is Chancellor's Professor of Public Policy at the University of California at Berkeley. He served as Secretary of Labor in the Clinton administration and was also an economic adviser to Barack Obama. Dr. Reich has written fifteen books, including the best sellers Aftershock, The Work of Nations, and Beyond Outrage, and, his most recent, The Common Good. He is also the co-creator of the award-winning documentary, Inequality For All as well as the Netflix original documentary Saving Capitalism.

Dr. Reich explains how extreme social inequality helped to create Donald Trump's presidency and if those fundamental problems are not addressed then Trump is but the first of many American gangster capitalist tyrants. Reich also reflects on the America that could have been if President Roosevelt's Economic Bill of Rights had been implemented, why the right-wing hates Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and how America's young people are going to save the country from the evils of the new Gilded Age.

On this week's show, Chauncey DeVega shares his thoughts on the new Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker trailer, the very problematic politics of the new hit movie Best of Enemies, and why Kofi Kingston and Wrestlemania 35 made him happy. Chauncey also puts a human face on America's neoliberal Donald Trumpian gangster capitalist Social Darwinism nightmare by sharing a story about how poor rural white folks go off into the mountains to scavenge for roots when their disability checks run out each month.

And Chauncey warns, again, that Donald Trump's fascist regime is out of control and the assault on the rule of law is reaching what appears to be a never-ending crescendo.

Is Jordan Peele's New Film "Us" a Triumph? Or is it a Missed Opportunity and a Failure?

This week's very special episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show explores the politics and meaning of Jordan Peele's new film "Us".

Kendall Phillips is a professor at Communication and Rhetorical Studies at Syracuse University. He is the author of Projected Fears: Horror Films and American Culture as well as Dark Directions: Romero, Craven, Carpenter, and the Modern Horror Film.

Kendall explains how "Us" is part of a new golden age of American horror movies, the ways that horror movies reflect the social anxieties and fears of a given moment in time, the sophistication of Jordan Peele's understanding of the horror genre and its narrative conventions and aesthetic, and how "Us" is a deep critique of class, racial, and other types of privilege.

Dr. Adilifu Nama is an Associate Professor of African American Studies at Loyola Marymount University. He is the author of several books including Race on the QT: Blackness and the Films of Quentin Tarantino as well as Super Black: American Pop Culture and Black Superheroes.

Adilifu is much more critical of Jordan Peele's "Us". To that end, he suggests that "Us" fails to live up to Peele's previous film "Get Out" and does not tell the truth about race and class in America.

Adilifu is also concerned about how "Us" is, in his opinion, narratively incoherent.

Chauncey and Adilifu also try to make sense of the racial semiotics of "Us" and what Peele suggests about "grotesque blackness", violence and race--but ultimately fails to fully develop in the film.

On this week's show, Chauncey DeVega ponders the following question: what is the role of horror movies in a horrible and cruel world where Trump and his evil regime are abusing the vulnerable by doing such things as putting non-white immigrants and refugees in concentration camps, allowing children like Jakelin Caal Maquin to die because of a lack of proper medical care, and the Supreme Court approves inmates being executed by especially cruel and unusual means.

A Conversation with Tim Wise About White Privilege, Corrupt White Elites and the "Varsity Blues" College Admissions Scandal

Tim Wise is the author of numerous books including his most recent Under the Affluence: Shaming the Poor, Praising the Rich and Sacrificing the Future of America.

Time Wise explains how the "Varsity Blues" college and university admissions cheating and bribery scandal reflects a pathological culture among America's white elites, the many ways that unearned white advantages and white privilege along lines of race and class operate across all levels of America's educational system, and how "affirmative action" for white folks--especially the rich and upper classes--is the norm in American society.

Tim Wise also explains why the beneficiaries of the "Varsity Blues" criminal conspiracy should be expelled from their colleges and universities.

On this week's show, Chauncey DeVega ponders more examples of this broken malignant reality that is TrumpWorld. First, Donald Trump insults the deceased Senator John McCain and demands that the corpse-ghost thank him for providing a proper funeral. Second, Trump embraces and endorses the vile hateful violent views of his fellow authoritarian, President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, during their recent meeting at the White House.

And there is a fun "Easter egg" for ghetto nerd boys and girls on this week's podcast if they listen through to the very end of the show.

 

A Conversation with David Leonard about the Super Bowl, Colin Kaepernick, and the Politics of the Black Athlete

David Leonard is Professor in the Department of Critical Culture, Gender and Race Studies at Washington State University, Pullman.

He is the author of numerous books and articles on race, politics, popular culture and sports including After Artest: The NBA and the Assault on Blackness.

David explains how sports are inherently political, why Colin Kaepernick is viewed as such a threat by the NFL and White America, Black Lives Matter and resistance by "taking a knee" at sporting events, the black athlete as a social and political figure, the insincere and problematic neoliberal politics of Nike's 30th anniversary "courage" ad campaign, as well as Tim Tebow, white privilege and hypocrisy.

On this week's show, Chauncey DeVega challenges the myth of billionaires and capitalism as uplifting the world's poor and being saviors for humanity and shares how Donald Trump is now the White House sex tour guide who lies (even always, again and often) about Barack Obama.

At the end of this week's show, Chauncey shares two happy stories. The first is about a working class man who just won Powerball. The second is a wonderful story about a 3-year-old boy who was lost in the woods and saved by a friendly bear.

This week's podcast with David Leonard can be listened to or downloaded here.

My Conversation with Peter Bebergal About How Ghost Hunters, Psychics, and Mediums Use Technology to "Hack" the Paranormal and Supernatural

Peter Bebergal writes widely on the speculative and slightly fringe. His essays and reviews have appeared in NewYorker.com, The Times Literary Supplement, Boing Boing, The Believer, and The Quietus. He is the author of Season of the Witch: How the Occult Saved Rock and Roll. His new book is Strange Frequencies: The Extraordinary Story of the Technological Quest for the Supernatural.

THE EXTRAORDINARY STORY OF THE TECHNOLOGICAL QUEST FOR THE SUPERNATURAL

 ****To support The Chauncey DeVega Show during this fundraising month you can make a donation via Paypal at chaunceydevega.com or at Patreon.**** 

During this Art Bell Coast to Coast AM inspired New Year's Eve special episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show, Peter explains how mystics, psychics, and other practitioners of the occult and magic used the early versions of the internet as a space to practice their dark arts, how the national trauma of the American Civil War fueled the practice known as "spirit photography", and how séances were a space for female empowerment through the "spiritual fluid" known as "ectoplasm". Peter also researches if yes, you can actually hear the voices of the dead speaking through radio waves and other manifestations of "electronic voice phenomena".

On this week's New Year's Eve special episode Chauncey honors Alan Naiman, a hero who worked as a humble (and very frugal) social worker, and who at the time of his passing away gave 11 million dollars to charities which help babies and children.

Chauncey also reflects on our shared trials and struggles in the Age of Trump during these last few weeks of 2018. And as we wind down 2018 and transition to 2019, Chauncey offers some critical appraisals about the progress of the podcast, his own personal successes and failures during 2018, and (hopefully) shares some wisdom about goal setting and personal progress in the new year.

This week's podcast with Peter Bebergal can be listened to or downloaded here.

My Conversation with Paul Breines About Being a Freedom Rider and What It Was Like to Risk His Life Fighting Against Jim Crow Terrorism

Paul Breines was a student at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wisconsin and a member of the Student Council on Civil Rights when he was arrested for his participation in the Freedom Rides during the summer of 1961. As part of the Freedom Ride Breines, along with three other students, traveled from Nashville, Tennessee to Jackson, Mississippi via a Greyhound bus where all four participants were arrested in the Greyhound terminal in Jackson, Mississippi on 21 July 1961. Paul Breines is also Associate Professor Emeritus of History at Boston College.

****To support The Chauncey DeVega Show during this fundraising month you can make a donation via Paypal at chaunceydevega.com or at Patreon.**** 

Professor Breines shares what it was like to challenge Jim Crow terrorism--with his life--as a Freedom Rider during the Civil Rights Movement, how he as a white person made the decision while in college to confront white supremacy, and the rules of living a principled life that he learned from his mother.

Professor Breines also reflects on one of the most important questions of the modern age: What type of White Person do I want to be? And by implication, what type of Human Being should we all want to be?

This conversation is from one of the very first episodes of The Chauncey Devega Show and has been reedited and remastered as a holiday gift and way of saying "thank you" to all of the good and kind friends, listeners, fans and other supporters of the podcast.

On this week's Christmas holiday-themed podcast Chauncey warns the public about how Frosty the Snowman is really an evil undead wizard. Chauncey also hopes that Krampus--the goat man supernatural being who punishes naughty people during the December holiday season--will take Donald Trump and his wicked voters and other supporters to the underworld as punishment for their sins.

And Chauncey also reminds the friends, supporters, and other listeners of The Chauncey DeVega Show that racism and white supremacy are often absurd but that this makes such ideologies no less dangerous. A Christmas holiday example: in the Netherlands neo-Nazis and other right-wing fiends are physically attacking people who want "Zwarte Piet" aka "Black Peter", the racist blackface minstrel assistant to "Sinterklaas" aka Saint Nicholas, removed from that country's and region's holiday celebrations.

This week's podcast with Paul Breines can be listened to or downloaded here.

A Conversation With Sociologist James Loewen About the Lies Our Teachers Told Us About American History and the Color Line

There are two guests on this week's podcast.

James Loewen is the author of the bestselling book Lies My Teacher Told Me. He has also written award-winning books such as Sundown Towns, Teaching What Really Happened, and The Confederate and Neo-Confederate Reader.

In his several decades of teaching and scholarship Professor Loewen has traveled around the United States and world giving lectures and offering training sessions to educators and activists and the general public. He has also won prestigious awards for his scholarship and other work from the American Sociological Association and the Association for the Study of African American Life and History.

Professor Loewen shares his thoughts on the resurrection of the Confederacy in the South and the Republican Party, the Charlottesville white supremacist riot, history memory, "sundown towns" and racial segregation, and resurgent anti-Semitism in the Age of Trump. In addition, Professor Loewen also reflects on the need to tell the truth about American history in the classroom and the struggles over how textbooks should discuss (or not) white on black chattel slavery and other crimes in the country's history.

Professor John Terrell is the second guest on this week's show.

He is the Regenstein curator of Pacific anthropology at the Field Museum in Chicago, a professor of anthropology at the University of Illinois at Chicago, an adjunct professor of anthropology at Northwestern University, and an honorary fellow in anthropology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Professor Terrell explains why so-called "DNA tests" such as "23 and Me" help to perpetuate incorrect and dangerously outdated ideas about "race", geography, and human ancestry, how new age eugenics and "race science" tries to erroneously connect "intelligence" to "heredity" and "populations", and why having these discussions with the public about science and society is so difficult

On this week's podcast Chauncey reviews how Donald Trump's assault on democracy and human dignity and even the survival of the human race continued over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

And Chauncey shares his thoughts about  the new movies Creed 2 (which was horrible) and Green Book (which was a pleasant surprise). Plus, Chauncey reminds all of the good, kind, and generous friends, listeners and other supporters that next month, December 2018, is fundraising month to support The Chauncey DeVega Show and his other projects and work.

This week's podcast with James Loewen and John Terrell can be listened to or downloaded here.

A Conversation with James Hansen About His Biography and the New Movie "First Man: The Life of Neil Armstrong"

There are two guests on this week's podcast.

James Hansen is a professor of history at Auburn University in Alabama and the author of the acclaimed biography First Man: The Life of Neil Armstrong. Dr. Hansen has also served on the Research Advisory Board of the National Air and Space Museum and the Editorial Advisory Board of the Smithsonian Institution Press.

Hansen shares his thoughts on the new movie First Man starring Ryan Gosling as Neil Armstrong, what it was like to advise Gosling on the role, consulting on the script, and how different audiences have imposed their own political views onto the movie.

In addition, Hansen reflects on how fame impacted Neil Armstrong and what it was like to get to know Armstrong over the course of the many years it took to write such a definitive biography. Hansen also offers some insights into the relationship between NASA and the color line through such notables as the black women who were the "human computers" that helped to make the moon mission possible.

Reed Tucker is the second guest. He is a journalist and author whose writing on entertainment and popular culture has appeared in the New York Post, Esquire, Fortune, USA Today and elsewhere.

His most recent book is Slugfest: Inside the Epic 50-year Battle between Marvel and DC.

Reed and Chauncey discuss the life and legend of the now departed Stan Lee. What is true about Stan Lee's life and what was fantasy and myth? Who were Stan Lee's friends and enemies? How can we view Stan Lee's life as a type of roadmap and barometer for the past, present and future of comic books and graphic novels?

On this week's podcast Chauncey sounds the alarm about all of the animals hurt and in need of help because of the California inferno. Chauncey also makes some Thanksgiving week movie recommendations and then shares some "entertaining" stories about Donald Trump's corrupt new acting Attorney General and the latter's involvement with "inventions" such as a toilet for "well-endowed" men, Big Foot DNA, and money for time travelers.

And of course, Chauncey has to shine a light on how Paul Manafort--one of Trump's henchmen--is apparently very much into "interracial" cuckolding and sex parties.

This week's podcast with Dr. James Hansen and Reed Tucker can be listened to or downloaded here.

A Conversation with Anthony Bourdain's dear friend Joel Rose about their friendship, his passing away, and their final project "Hungry Ghosts"

Joel Rose is the author of such acclaimed novels as Kill, Kill, Faster, Faster and The Blackest Bird. He is also a dear and close friend of the late, great and very much missed Anthony Bourdain. Their friendship was also a creative partnership. Together they co-wrote The New York Times bestselling graphic novel Jiro Dreams of Sushi and its prequel Get Jiro! Blood and Sushi. Joel and Anthony's final project together is the new graphic novel Hungry Ghosts.

Joel and Chauncey reflect on Anthony Bourdain's life and why he is so beloved by legions of fans around the world. Joel also explains Bourdain's life philosophy, how they met and became such close friends, Bourdain's strength through vulnerability and what they learned from each other.

Joel and Chauncey also bond over their shared working class origins and present, appreciating their fathers' wisdom and examples, as well as navigating through financial insecurities and fears.

During this week's podcast Chauncey explains, again, why it was no surprise that Brett Kavanaugh and the Republicans were able to win the Supreme Court and con and intimidate the Democrats and so many others in the news media and among the public. Chauncey also cuts a promo on cowardly and weak Democrats such as Cory Booker and other people who actually believe that we should love Donald Trump's voters and other Republicans because they are our "fellow Americans".

At the end of this week's podcast Chauncey shares a very important essay from The New Yorker which details in precise terms how Donald Trump is a political magician and illusionist.

This week's podcast with Joel Rose can be listened to or downloaded here.

A Conversation with Professor Carl Hart About America's Failed "War on Drugs" and How Everything You Think You Know About Drugs is Wrong

Carl Hart is the Chair of the Department of Psychology at Columbia University. Professor Hart is also the Ziff Professor of Psychology in the Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry. Professor Hart has published numerous scientific and popular articles in the area of neuropsychopharmacology and is co-author of the textbook Drugs, Society and Human Behavior (with Charles Ksir). His most recent book, High Price: A Neuroscientist’s Journey of Self-Discovery That Challenges Everything You Know About Drugs and Society.

On this week's show, Carl and Chauncey discuss the myths fueling the racist and classist "War on Drugs" in America, untruths about America's supposed "opiate addiction crisis" and Donald Trump's white "working class voters", why illegal drugs should be made legal, and basic questions of human agency and freedom.

Carl also shares how the 1980s crack baby myth came into existence and the way that movies such as New Jack City fueled the War on Drugs and its many lies about "urban crime.

Alasdair Stuart also stops by the virtual bar and salon this week as well. He tells a story about going to this year's Worldcon convention in San Jose and the right-wing wannabe "alt-right" Nazis he encountered there. Alasdair and Chauncey also talk about all manner of popular culture including Henry Cavill and Superman, the failures of The Walking Dead, Star Wars, and Patrick Stewart's return to Star Trek.

During this week's podcast Chauncey reflects on American dystopia, Donald Trump, and the alleged sex crimes of United States Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. And Chauncey also shares an email from a reader/listener about if America under Trump is becoming like Nazi Germany.

Spoiler alert! There is some bonus Predator themed content at the end of this week's show.

This episode with Carl Hart and Alasdair Stuart can be downloaded from Libsyn and also listened to here.

A Conversation With Bryan Edward Hill About Writing Batman, Black Lightning, Ash vs. Evil Dead, and How to Live One's Own Best Life Philosophy

Bryan Edward Hill is the guest on this week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show. 

He is the writer of such comic books as the Batman Detective Comics series and also Michael Cray. His newest project is American Carnage which is forthcoming from Vertigo. In addition to writing comic books Bryan is also a TV writer whose credits include Ash vs. The Evil Dead.  

On this week's show, Bryan and Chauncey discuss how being working class black folks impacted their life trajectories, questions of "representation" and opportunity in the business that is popular culture, and the art of storytelling.

Bryan also shares some great stories about being attacked by one of the Wu-Tang Clan's hangers-on, living one's best life philosophy and principles, traveling around the world, and combating self-sabotage and impostor syndrome.

And during this week's podcast Chauncey explains how Donald Trump's "white genocide" victimology narrative proves that he is, again, a white supremacist Santa Claus. Chauncey also refuses to offer a hagiography for the now late and departed Senator John McCain. Chauncey also ponders why the Catholic Church is not considered an ongoing criminal enterprise whose leaders should be in prison for protecting sick, monstrous, sexual predators who abuse children.
This episode with Bryan Edward Hill can be downloaded from Libsyn and also listened to here.

A Conversation with Sociologist Joe Feagin About White Liberal Racism and the Browning of America

Joe Feagin is the guest on this week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show. This is part two of our conversation which began on last week's very special 200th show.

He is a distinguished professor of sociology at Texas A&M University and one of the leading scholars of race and social inequality in the world. Professor Feagin has written dozens of books including The White Racial Frame:Centuries of Racial Framing and Counter-Framing, Racist America, and How Blacks Built America. 

Professor Feagin and Chauncey discuss "liberal racism", the so-called "browning of America", how the language developed by social scientists and others to describe racism and white supremacy is inadequate, and white racial logic and social change. Professor Feagin also shares his hopes and fears about America's future and the long view of the country's history.

In this week's special part 2 of the 200th episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show, Mama DeVega makes her triumphant return. She is angry at the local Chinese restaurant, is combating Trump fiends at the gym, and explains that she wouldn't be nice to white bigots with the hope of changing their minds about racism like Daryl Davis does. Mama DeVega also shares a story about seeing the great late Aretha Franklin in concert.

And at the end of this week's show Chauncey explains the real reason that Trump is stripping his enemies of their security clearances, calls out ICE thugs who waylay pregnant women and their partners, and has a good time discussing how a white man in Florida was caught on video complaining that the police were "treating him like a black man".

In honor of the 200th episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show, Chauncey also shares one of his favorite things as an "Easter egg" at the end of this week's podcast.

This episode with Joe Feagin and Mama DeVega can be downloaded from Libsyn and also listened to here.

A Conversation with Sociologist Joe Feagin About the Enduring Power of Racism in Trump's America; Kevin Willmott, Writer of "BlacKkKlansman", Reflects on the Absurdity of White Supremacy

There are two guests on part one of this very special two-part 200th episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show.

Kevin Willmott is a professor of film at The University of Kansas. He is also one of the writers on Spike Lee's great new film BlacKkKlansman. Kevin and Chauncey discuss the surreal truth of how Ron Stallworth, a black man, teamed up with a fellow police officer, who is Jewish, to infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan. Kevin also reflects on how BlacKkKlansman is a direct counter to the racism and bigotry of Trump's America, W.E.B. Du Bois' concept of "double consciousness", blaxploitation films and the desperation of hate mongers. Chauncey and Kevin also share what happened when they watched BlacKkKlansman in a theater with white Donald Trump supporters.

Joe Feagin is the second guest on this week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show. He is a distinguished professor of sociology at Texas A&M University and one of the leading scholars of race and social inequality in the world. Professor Feagin has written dozens of books including The White Racial Frame:Centuries of Racial Framing and Counter-Framing, Racist America, and How Blacks Built America

During this week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show, Professor Feagin and Chauncey discuss the myth of white "working class anxiety" and Trump's election, liberal racism, and all of the myths and half-truths being circulated about race and class in the parts of the country which voted for Donald Trump. Professor Feagin also offers some warnings about the hope that "millennials" and other young white people will be and are less racist and bigoted than their parents and grandparents.

In this week's very special 200th episode, Chauncey DeVega ponders if a black man named Daryl Davis who befriends white supremacists and brings them to the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington D.C. is a hero or perhaps just a well-intentioned but gullible man.

And at the end of this week's show, Chauncey gives some advice to a black woman who is dating a white man who refuses to acknowledge her anxieties and fears about racism and violence in Trump's America.

This episode with Joe Feagin and Kevin Willmott can be downloaded from Libsyn and also listened to here.

A Conversation with Eothen "Egon" Alapatt About Protecting J. Dilla's Musical Legacy, the Current State of Hip Hop, and Looking For Lost Musical Gems All Over the World

Eothen "Egon" Alapatt is the guest on this week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show.  

He is the founder and president of Now-Again Records, the reissue imprint he founded in 2002. He oversees all of the label’s reissues and manages a vast catalog of music from the 1950s through the present day, with a focus on the mid-1960s through the mid-1980s. He is the creative director of the J. Dilla Estate and is partners with Madlib in Madlib Invazion. Eothen was also Stones Throw Records’ general manager from 2000 until 2011. He is also one of the world's foremost record collectors--aka "crate diggers"--of lost funk, soul, hip hop, rock, and other music.  

During this episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show, Eothen and Chauncey discuss the hidden roots of hip hop music and culture in New Haven, Connecticut, their parallel experiences growing up there and all of the important and fascinating hip hop gatekeepers and personalities they encountered outside of the New York City area.

Eothen also shares some stories about digging for lost musical gems all over the United States and world, the current state of commercial hip hop, the commodification of "world music", and what has been lost in the transition from analog to digital culture. And of course, Eothen reflects on J. Dilla's musical legacy.

In this week's episode, Chauncey DeVega updates everyone on his travels which included some critical self-reflection, an imminent big decision, encountering a ghost, falling in love twice, eating too much, seeing dear friends, the financial obligations of only children, Mama DeVega's nagging and how he needs to be a better son.  

And at the end of this week's show Chauncey is simultaneously titillated and upset by white racist Republicans who are into Bigfoot Porn and other interspecies erotica.

This episode with Eothen "Egon" Alapatt can be downloaded from Libsyn and also listened to here.

A Conversation with Gary Lachman About Donald Trump, the "Alt-Right", Magic and the Occult

Gary Lachman is the guest on this week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show.  

He is the author of several books and has lectured across the United States, Britain and Europe on the relationship between consciousness, esoteric knowledge, politics, history and culture. He is perhaps best known as a founding member of the New York new wave band Blondie, in which he played bass from 1975 to 1977. His new book is "Dark Star Rising: Magick and Power in the Age of Trump."

 
During this episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show, Gary and Chauncey discuss mass psychology and how symbols and other types of images and narratives influence emotion, Trump's power over his followers, the concept of synchronicity and "magic", and the ways that Vladimir Putin has been able to recreate reality for the Russian people with the goal of expanding Russian empire. Gary also explains the deep connections between the occult and esoteric knowledge as practiced by such figures as Stephen Bannon and the so-called "alt-right" movement.

In this week's episode, Chauncey DeVega comments on the anti-climactic meeting in Helsinki where Donald Trump publicly betrays the United States to his handler and boss Vladimir Putin.

And at the end of this week's show Chauncey shares a warning from Harry Leslie Smith, who is 94-years-old, a veteran of the RAF in World War 2, and also a writer for the Guardian, about the rise of Trumpism and right-wing authoritarian movements around the world.

This episode with Gary Lachman can be downloaded from Libsyn and also listened to here.

A Conversation with Reed Tucker About the Secret History of the Rivalry Between Marvel and DC Comics

There are two guests on this week's Avengers: Infinity War and the secret history of Marvel vs. DC comics themed episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show.

Writer and Hugo-award nominated podcaster Alasdair Stuart is the first guest on this week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show. Alasdair and Chauncey discuss their thoughts on Avengers: Infinity War and what it reveals about the future of the Marvel film universe, the pathos and menace of Josh Brolin as Thanos, and all that Infinity War does so very right in terms of emotion and relationships. Alasdair also tries to convince Chauncey that Star Trek: Discovery is not that horrible and offers some positive energy about why the new Han Solo Star Wars movie may actually be much better than expected.

Reed Tucker is the second guest on this week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show. His work has been featured in the New York Post, Esquire, Fortune, and USA Today. Reed is also the author of the new book Slugfest: Inside the Epic, 50-year Battle between Marvel and DC.

During this week's installment of The Chauncey DeVega Show, Reed explains the secret history of Marvel and DC comics, the bust and boom era of comic books in the late 1980s through to the 1990s, great forgotten and obscure characters, tales of espionage, the trials and tribulations of Superman, and if this great era of superhero movies will end well--or terribly.

In this week's episode Chauncey DeVega tries to make sense of a Donald Trumpian dystopian moment that feels like it is torn out of the pages of a poorly written science fiction novel or comic book. To wit: During this wild and wacky last week Trump and Kanye West united, Alex Jones claimed that Trump is part of a secret alliance which is fighting a sentient computer program like in the Terminator movies, and The New York Times pondered if so-called "incel" terrorists should have access to sex robots, human sex workers, and other unfortunates who will be receptacles for male sexual rage. Chauncey connects the dots so that you can stay (relatively) sane.

This episode with Alasdair Stuart and Reed Tucker can be downloaded from Libsyn and also listened to here.

The Chauncey DeVega Show is available on Itunes, Spotify and at Stitcher.

A Conversation with Reza Aslan About How Donald Trump has Turned White Christian Evangelicals Into His Own Personal Cult

Reza Aslan is the guest on this week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show. He is the author of numerous books including the New York Times-bestseller "Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth" as well as "No god but God". Reza was also the host of the CNN documentary TV series "Believer".

During this episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show, Reza and Chauncey discuss Donald Trump's hold over white right-wing evangelical Christians and how they are acting like a religious-political cult in the service of Trump and the Republican Party. Reza also explains the role of racism and greed in how white right-wing Christian evangelicals came to be so corrupt and hypocritical in their overwhelmingly loyalty to Donald Trump.

Ed Simon also stops by the virtual bar and salon this week. He is a contributing writer for such publications as Newsweek, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and Jacobin. Ed explains how white right-wing Christian evangelicals misread the Bible, warns about being dismissive of white right-wing evangelicals as just being "stupid" and "hypocrites" and sounds the alarm about the threat posed to America's secular democracy by Christian Nationalists.  

In this week's episode Chauncey DeVega reflects on the passing of the great James Cone and how his amazing scholarship resonates as a warning against the culture of cruelty, racism, and hatred of the poor as manifest in how white right-wing Christians support Donald Trump and want to destroy the social safety net as well as any vestiges of a humane society. Chauncey also shares his thoughts on the new Avengers: Infinity War movie.

And at the end of this week podcast Chauncey channels the late great Art Bell and shares some new information about the United States government's secret "psycho-electric" mind control weapons.

This episode with Reza Aslan and Ed Simon can be downloaded from Libsyn and also listened to here.

The Chauncey DeVega Show is available on Itunes, Spotify and at Stitcher.

A Conversation with Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalist David Cay Johnston on Why Donald Trump's Presidency is Far Worse Than You Think

David Cay Johnston is the guest on this week's edition of The Chauncey DeVega Show. He is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter who has followed Donald Trump's life and career for 30 years. Johnston shared those insights in the New York Times bestselling book The Making of Donald Trump.

Johnston's new book is It's Even Worse Than You Think: What the Trump Administration is Doing to America.

During this episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show, David and Chauncey discuss how Trump's family and upbringing created a man who is so comfortable with lying and being involved in illegal and other morally questionable activities, the failures in Hillary Clinton's and the Democratic Party's strategy and messaging, and how Robert Mueller will show that Donald Trump is a traitor who conspired with Russia to steal the White House, has likely committed financial crimes and obstructed justice. David Cay Johnston also offers a chilling warning--there will be violence from Trump's supporters if their Great Leader is impeached or otherwise removed from office.

In this week's episode Chauncey DeVega offers his thoughts on culture of cruelty and the Republican Party's and Donald Trump's war on the "useless eaters" through a cruel effort to take away food stamps from children, healthcare from the sick, and aid for the disabled. Chauncey also has fun discussing the self-hating Afrocentric conman Fox News favorite who is giving out African-American "slavery reparations" coupons for Starbucks. 

And at the end of this week's podcast Chauncey shares some hate mail and deconstructs a very dangerous example of some new age white supremacist propaganda.

This episode with David Cay Johnston can be downloaded from Libsyn and also listened to here.

The Chauncey DeVega Show is available on Itunes, Spotify and at Stitcher.