Agitator

77 - GANTZ (ft. Ryan Jackson)

Today we have Ryan from the Mutual Aberration Society podcast (Patreon here) on to talk Hiroya Oku's GANTZ. We go from its beginning up through its legendary "mass shooting" arc.
This is the first 35 minutes of the episode. For the full episode, subscribe to the Patreon here.
We discuss:
IN THE PREVIEW: Getting canceled by aliens, old-school homophobia, Oku’s love of boobs, Larry Clark making The Matrix, the rules of Gantz, black humor, lo-fi grainy nihilism, onion aliens, the interpretation of different mediums, and including different IP in your story.
IN THE FULL EPISODE: Gamifying storytelling, clearing out characters, the inspiration for Jigsaw, escalating tension, self-referential shit in manga, blackface mass shooting, G-Unit vs. velociraptors, fetishizing mass violence, art’s very real influence on tragedy, Pokemon Go(vid), Kelby’s demon time, Free 03, the unique structure of writing serialized work, bringing id back to art, the danger of apps, how Twitter has evolved, Gantz as an allegory for being online, the inevitable retcon of Marvel movies, asking why, and why America is a business.

76 - Worldrunning and the Vertical of One (ft. Jay Springett)

Kelby's out this week welcoming a new kid into the world, so I had one of my smartest friends, writer, solar punk innovator, host of 301 and the upcoming experience.computer Jay Springett on to talk about 2000's boxing anime Hajime No Ippo episodes 1-24, getting canceled on a blog, picking one big project, getting in shape, aphantasia, world running, the difference between worlds and stories, Web 3, the internet as a side quest, what Jay's learned from 10 years of meditating, and more.
Jay's Website here (seriously, follow this blog)
301 Podcast
Solarpunks
worldrunning.guide
Jay on Twitter
Jay on Tumblr

75 - Cults, Sono, and Hypnopony (ft. Stuart Buck)

We've got Stuart Buck, author and press runner of Bear Creek Gazette, talking Sion Sono's 2015 film Tag, Stuart's experience in a cult, the psychological connection between Bronies and Juggalos, why self-publishing is actually better than the traditional route, Power Rangers, and much more. Bear Creek Gazette: https://www.welcometobearcreek.com/Buy Spore: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BRFM9K91?ref_=cm_sw_r_apann_dp_8ZWPCWV9V6F0V8Y32217Follow Stuart on Twitter @notstuartbuck

74 - Worldbuilding 101

We're talking 2016's High and Low: The Movie, one chaotic piece in the multimedia soap opera revolving around J-pop supergroup Exile Tribe. Kelby watched this one without subtitles and attempts to recap an already confusing story with over forty main characters. On the craft side of things, we chop it up about world-building and cross-platform franchises, while our kids watch Blue's Clues and yell at us to shut up. For bonus episodes, essays, and more exclusive content, go to patreon.com/agitator

73 - How To Build An Independent Following (Takashi Miike’s CONNECT Disney + Kdrama)

 
On this episode, we talk about:
Trip to Target, Miike Manifesto update, flashbacks suck, streaming versus weekly programming, TV camera’s flattening effect, zoomer skaters, fixing shit as a hobby, oeuvre vs. overall, big guests, the difficulty of booking rappers, Malamutes, the slow death of my dog, diaper change, amplifying aggression, the fourth and fifth archetypes, keeping a list of enemies, breaking out of the box, call me if you’ve got a problem, cyberpunk revivalism, how to make it in publishing, American Dirt, the risk of going with big publishing, tweeting to make people nervous, making money, our favorite Miike-isms in Connect, low-ceilinged theaters, realistic power tools, creating a catalogue, finding the gold in the overalls, having heroes/people who are better than you, inspiring your friends by showing them your dick, and having fun with your bros writing books.

Agitator Z: IV - The Last Ronin (ft. Grant Wamack) *PREVIEW*

FULL EPISODE ON patreon.com/agitatorWe're talking Eastman and Laird's The Last Ronin, the comic series conclusion to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles saga, as well as Grant's Christmas tree hustle, Junji Ito elitism, Ninja Turtles as a Daredevil parody, our personal histories with the Turtles, what we loved and what we'd have done differently, past Turtles arcs that went hard, Nick Fuentes impersonations, cringe hip hop heads, writers who hate writing, cobalt mines, the secret to Roxane Gay's enormous success, Kyle Seibel, predictions on the next cultural divide, the unicorns Grant is chasing, online antics of Miss Unity and DuVay Knox, the two-faced S.A. Cosby entourage, and what the coming year looks like for the Broken River collective and the impending war. Buy Grant's latest: Black Gypsies and God's Leftovers Subscribe to Literary Loud Follow him on Twitter @grantmirage, IG @_grantmirage, Mirage ASMR, and book a Tarot reading.

Agitator Z: III - Junk Head *PREVIEW*

We have Henry Cavill on to discuss Witcher lore, toxic masculinity, and why he won't be playing Superman anymore. Also: how to write fight scenes, the best way to play Cyberpunk 2077, inventing character archetypes outside hero, anti-hero, and villain tropes, and Takehide Hori's 2017 stop-motion dystopian black comedy Junk Head.Full episode and more on patreon.com/agitator

Agitator Z: II - Psychological Warfare (ft. Adam Lehrer) *PREVIEW*

Counter-agent for the avant-garde Adam Lehrer returns as our special guest star to discuss his latest release from Morbid Books, Safety Propaganda: Conceptual Manifesto for Psychological Warfare. We also talk about creative ambition and getting out of the underground ghetto, gladiators, what makes Miike's new series Connect kinda mid, the social climate shift in the entertainment industry, Kanye West, the J word, responsibility and cultural influence, cancellations that didn't stick, Apophenia, the return to liking things in public, Harmony Korine, the importance of humor in transgressive art, Ishmael Reed, Darius James's Negrophobia, refusal to apologize for avant-garde hate-mongering, Ottessa Moshfegh's Lapvona, Bruce Wagner's Roar, how the masses received Adam talking with Billy Corgan, online writing, steroids, angelicism01, and the LARPing of aloofness. Full episode on patreon.com/agitator.Links:System of SystemsSafety Propaganda

Agitator Z: I - Paprika (ft. Jack Mason) *PREVIEW*

For the full episode, go to patreon.com/agitator and subscribe under the $5 tier
With our special guest and dear friend Jack Mason of The Perfume Nationalist, we talk watching half-recorded Christmas tapes, the need for a grim children's stories revival, Elsa Gate, AI art, minimalist design, Jack's repulsed reaction to Paprika, In the Mood for Love, cultural authority, snitches, why we're paywalled now, the internet as intrusive dream world, predicting the endgame of the algorithm demons, which of us is into weave application videos, anti-utopian political epiphanies, Black Twitter's Hitler love, Mulholland Drive, the Letterboxd critic's dishonest film opinions, no sympathy for the victim scam, mainstream-niche balance, Satoshi Kon's identity obsession, our J-idol ignorance and the nerds in our DMs, is Paprika overrated?, "don't get me started on farms," our ideal locations, why the Great Reset is anti-gay, Straight Naked Thugs, Jack's dream world, Miley Cyrus and the pop stars who were there at our lowest points. 
 

72 - Embracing Imperfection

Every time I tried to put a compressor on this, Audacity chopped off the first few minutes of Kelby's track. So this is uncompressed. I don't know what compression is, but I know it's important to a podcast. And this one doesn't have it. Sometimes life throws you little curveballs. You gotta roll with the punches, you know? It reminds me of when mercury retrograde hits and nothing works right, and you go, "ah, damn mercury retrograde." But it isn't that right now...implying that sometimes things malfunction without the say-so of the stars. Chilling thought.
From memory, we talked about George Washington bleeding to death, getting it out the mud, scary-ass geishas with no eyebrows and black teeth, soothing Buddhist temple toilets, rooms darker than the darkness of night, the quality of soup in a lacquered bowl, and how imperfection and rambling can be a great way to write a book. In Praise of Shadows by Junichiro Tanizaki really taught us a few things, and Kelby and I relate those things to you, the listener, in full uncompressed glory.