Bonus Episode: FDR's 1938 Message to Congress on Curbing Monopolies

Play Now!

Every now and again, I discover a quote I deem relevant enough to share. Less often, I’m moved enough to share most of the original source. In this Bonus Episode, I read from one of those rare finds: FDR's 1938 Message to Congress on Curbing Monopolies.

Other than a snippet from KMFDM's "Attack," I play: the muzak version of "The Girl From Ipanema", which was featured in the movie The Blues Brothers.

Episode 189: Memento Mori, Motherfacer

Play Now!

Context is everything. Sadly, context is often lost in the transition to digital communications. We need to remember that, especially when the context is not happy, cheery, with nary a care in the world. Hence, Episode 189: Memento Mori, Motherfacer.

In this episode, all the stories are of people I personally knew. Call it anecdata if you need, it makes no nevermind to me. Because it's such a short episode, I've provided a little non-Fuckbook tale after the credits for your amusement.

I did play the voice of Mark Zuckerfuck himself giving "testimony" before Congress, as to the way they make their money. I also played KMFDM backing Tristan Harris summarizing how the tech community makes their money. I close, as I often do, with Julie and Rolf and the Campfire Gang doing "Over the Rainbow."

Episode 188: The Hyporeality Vortex

Play Now!

Of course, not all we learn in commercial media can be trusted. It's always good to remember, though, how tenacious some efforts at mis- and disinformation become, swirling to form something described by the title of Episode 188: The Hyporeality Vortex.

In this episode, I read from: Jerry Mander's 1978 book, Four Arguments For the Elimination of Television; two Guardian articles by George Monbiot; Naomi Oreskes and Eric Conway's book The Merchants of Doubt:How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues From Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming; and Jane Mayer's book Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right.

I play: D. L. Myers intoning the Powell Movement Stinger; Burlington, Vermont Mayor Bernie Sanders, backed by KMFDM; and I close with Mistle Thrush.

Episode 187: Sharing A Little Mulled Whine

Play Now!

I'm sometimes embarrassed to admit that I might produce this show even without an audience; it's therapeutic. It's good to know people do listen, and often share their provocative thoughts, which prompt this Episode 187: Sharing A Little Mulled Whine.

In this episode, I read from: listener Pim's disquieting concern; and Jacques Ellul's 1962 book, Propaganda: the Formation of Men's Attitudes. Musically, I open the show with Mr. Ceglowski backed by KMFDM, and I close with Julie and Rolf and the Campfire Gang doing "Over the Rainbow".

Links to this here stuff can be found at the show notes at AttackAdsPodcast.Blogspot.com.

Of course, thanks again for the provocative observation, Pim!

Episode 186: MFA An Internal Scarcity of Contentment

Play Now!

Jerry Mander's 1978 book still packs rhetorical punch, enough that reviewing the notes I took on it lead me to realize a cause, perhaps, of today’s extreme political sectarianism. I'll dive into that in Episode 186: MFA An Internal Scarcity of Contentment.

In this Episode, I read from: a Harvard Business Review article called "Advertising Makes Us Unhappy"; and Jerry Mander's 1978 book, Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television.

Musically, I play: Jahzzar doing "Invisible" (which was perfect backing for all of Jerry Mander's content I was not going to mention). Brian Kaller mentions the anger McNuggets on their phones, backed by KMFDM; and I close today with Mistle Thrush doing "It's All Like Today."

Episode 185: WTN Destabilizing Our Collective Understanding

Play Now!

I’m worried. To me, America may be suffering enough social anger—technically called "political sectarianism"—to lead to upcoming upheaval, perhaps in the near future. I'll discuss this in today's Episode 185: Destabilizing Our Collective Understanding.

In this episode, I read from: My computer's Quickie Dictionary; Karen Kaplan, "Fed up with the election? Science explains how politics got so awful" (LA Times, October 29, 2020); Nicholas Lemann, The Big Test: The Secret History of the American Meritocracy (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1999); William Straus & Neil Howe, Generations: The History of America's Future, 1584 to 2069 (William Morrow & Company, 1991); Jane Mayer, Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right (Random House, 2016); Matt Stoller, Goliath: The 100-Year War Between Monopoly Power and Democracy (Simon & Schuster, 2019); Charles Peters, "A Neo-Liberal's Manifesto," The Washington Post, September 5, 1982; Thomas Frank, Listen, Liberal, or What Ever Happened to the Party of the People? (Metropolitan Books, 2016); Arlie Russell Hochschild, Strangers In Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning On The American Right (The New Press, 2016); and Michael J. Sandel, The Tyranny of Merit: What's Become of the Common Good? (Farrar, Strauss, and Giroux, 2020).

I play: quotes from both KMO from the C-Realm Podcast and listener Kevin W., who were gracious enough to record their opinions for me (my many thanks to both of them); Lance Strate, a guest on the Hermitix Podcast, "Amusing Ourselves to Death with Lance Strate"; "Those Were the Days", the opening song for the long-running CBS show, All In The Family; a Bill Clinton campaign speech (at National Education Association); a Barack Obama speech (Remarks by the President on Investing in America's Future, 10/25/2013); a Michael Gove and Faisal Islam debate; two On The Media episodes, first "Constitutionally Speaking", and then "Aftershocks".

Oh, and quick note: as they say, I shot my wad with this one (meaning in this case my monthly bandwidth allotment). Since I am, as they say, cheap, look for the next episode in early November.

Episode 184: His Tomorrow Is Our Today

Play Now!

Henry Ford wrote in 1926*, “The machine is a symbol of man's mastery of his environment.” He also wrote other things of “public service” and the “wage motive” you should hear. I'll share these concepts in this Episode 184: His Tomorrow Is Our Today.

In this episode, I read from: a web site called the Quote Investigator concerning Walter Reuther's great retort; and Henry Ford's book 1926 book, Today and Tomorrow.

Musically, I played: Podington Bear doing "Holding Hands." Representative David Cilliline opened the show talking about monopolies, backed by KMFDM, and I'm closing today with Mistle Thrush.

*I said 1925 in the show by accident. Oops. I also failed to mention Sydney Greenstreet's voice talking about proven facts, that voice taken from the 1947 movie The Hucksters. I regret the errors. Oh, and I really regret forgetting to post this episode until it was two days late. My forgetful bad.

Episode 183 ¡D'Liv'rin' In Vivo, Boca!

Play Now!

We all have preferences for products, habits that sometimes last most of our lives. We should, though, be aware of what product makers can do to get us hooked… before we’re even born. With apologies to Ricky Martin, Episode 183 ¡D'Liv'rin' In Vivo, Boca!

In this episode, I read from: a 2011 book by David Linstrom called Brandwashed: Tricks Companies use to Manipulate our Minds and Persuade us to Buy; and from my computer's quickie dictionary.

Musically, I played: Lee Rosevere doing "Intervention". KMFDM backed Henry Giroux in the opening, and I'm closing this time with Julie and Rolf and the Campfire Gang doing "Over the Rainbow".

(Very quickly, the name of that researcher I mention in the show? Minna Huotilainen. See? If you're not a Finnish speaker….)

Episode 182: KSD The Fight To Guide The Plodders

Play Now!

I've shown how the Kellogg's six-hour day became just one form of work sharing during the Great Depression. I haven't shown you yet why this schedule option was all but abandoned. Consider the title of this Episode 182: The Fight To Guide The Plodders.

In this episode, I read from: two books by Henry Ford, first My Life and Work (which my library does not carry, sadly; and you know better than to ask for a Shit River link!) from 1922, and then Today and Tomorrow from 1926. Mostly, though, I read from Benjamin Hunnicutt's book Kellogg's Six-Hour Day. Musically, I throw in a snippet from "Eight Hours", the marching song I introduced back in Episode 180. It was recorded by Cincinnati's University Singers and released in an album called The Hand That Holds The Bread: Progress and Protest in the Gilded Age Songs from the Civil War to the Columbian Exposition. That was released back in 1978. I open the show with KMFDM backing Dmitri Orlov, and I close the show with Mistle Thrush.

Episode 181: KSD Kellogg, Brown, and Roots

Play Now!

Under standard business practice, any company action needs to be cleared by its owner and manager. Therefore, when a company does a thing, look to those people. I look at Kellogg's ultimate authorities in this Episode 181: KSD Kellogg, Brown, and Roots.

In this episode, I read from: Benjamin Hunnicutt's book Kellogg's Six-Hour Day. I played KMFDM backing then Burlington mayor Bernie Sanders in the opening, and Julie and Rolf and the Campfire Gang are singing and playing us out with "Over the Rainbow."

(I do regret the shorter episode. It's unavoidable do to calendrical synchronicity, which demand of me three episodes this month, which, as per the storage limitations of my hosting service, means one of them gets a bit of a haircut. I'll be back to closer to the regular length on the next show, I promise.)

Episode 180: KSD The Calvinistic Worship of Toil

Play Now!

Something fascinating happened 90 years ago; but today, almost no one knows about it. Knowing it was amazing requires, though, knowing what happened… before. I try to correct that historical loss in this Episode 180: The Calvinistic Worship of Toil.

In this episode, I read from: Harvey J. Kaye's book, Thomas Paine and the Promise of America; Jenny Odell's book, How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy; my computer's quickie dictionary; and, of course, Benjamin Hunnicutt's book Kellogg's Six-Hour Day. You'll be hearing quite a bit from that book in installments for this series, of course.

I play: a few snippets from The Hucksters, most from Sydney Greenstreet's evil character; and a bit of his brand of soap. Also musically, I play Podington Bear doing "Running On Empty". Henry Giroux opens the show back by KMFDM; and I close with "Eight Hours", a tune I noted (and partially quoted) in the show, which I later found online!


That song! It was recently-ish recorded!

Episode 179: How To Blow A Bubble

Play Now!

Not knowing how a system works, one seeks answers when that system fails. Sadly, if the sought answers are wrong, one may extrapolate between similar systems, perhaps disastrously. I share my market bubble theory in Episode 179: How to Blow a Bubble.

In this episode, I read from: Tim Hwang's book, Subprime Attention Crisis: the Time Bomb at the Heart of the Internet; and from Thomas Greco's book The End of Money (sadly, though I got that book from the library, it no longer seems to be available, and I absolutely refuse to include a Shit River link; so there you go). Musically, I play: KMFDM, backing Jeff Jarvis' observation about the tendency for the internet to destroy intermediaries; and I close with Mistle Thrush.

Episode 178: Knowing the Trick

Play Now!

Time to update you with some new, and some merely clarifying information on topics I have already covered. Why? There's magic in advertising, dark magic; but the more you know about it, the less it works on you. Hence, Episode 178: Knowing the Trick.


From the Signal article.

In this episode, I read from: my computer's quickie dictionary; Victor Pickard's book The Battle for Media Democracy; a Signal article titled "The" Fuckbook "Ads You Will Never See"; a John Michael Greer essay titled "The Mask of Disenchantment"; a passage from Jerry Mander's Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television; and a fun bit from Michael Pollen's book The Botany of Desire.

I play: a few excerpts from Vic Norman, the Clark Gable character from the 1947 MGM movie The Hucksters (where we also got the intro backed by KMFDM); Lee Rosevere's "Ingenuity"; and et's aptly named "Do Not Relax In Traffic". I close today with Julie and Rolf and the campfire gang doing "Over The Rainbow".

Oh, and many thanks to listener Pim who sent me the link to the Signal article over at the show notes some time back. It's Pim you should thank for the link to the notes now being included in the feed notes, which some of you get with your poddy apps. Thanks, Pim!

Episode 177 WTN …and Disgust

Play Now!

People often seem stupid. Sometimes, though, they simply don't have better choices. Their reactions are guided by innate morality, even if others vehemently deny what the people are collectively reacting against. Hence, Episode 177: WTN …and Disgust.

In this episode, I read from: Thomas Frank's book Listen, Liberal, or What Ever Happened to the Party of the People?; and John Michael Greer's 2019 essay, "Dancers at the End of Time, Part Three: A Mortal Splendor".

I play: D. L. Myers invoking the Powell Movement stinger; Kevin Bacon's hazing into the preppy frat from the movie Animal House; and an excerpt featuring researcher Karen Wynn, from the Nova documentary "The Violence Paradox". Musically, I play: two from Lee Rosevere, first snippets of "Curiosity", and then "And So Then". I open with Henry Giroux backed by KMFDM, and close with Mistle Thrush doing "It's All Like Today."

Episode 177: …and Betrayal…

Play Now!

Having only two viable presidential candidates to choose often leaves voters confused, especially when it later becomes clear that lately the two parties are not very different at all… when judged by their actions. Hence, Episode 176: WTN …and Betrayal….

In this episode, I read from: Thomas Frank's book, Listen, Liberal, or What Ever Happened to the Party of the People?; from Sara Wachter-Boettcher's book, Technically Wrong: Sexist Apps, Biased Algorithms, and Other Threats of Toxic Tech; and from John Patrick Leary's book Keywords: The New Language of Capitalism.

I play: a portion of President Franklin Roosevelt's Economic Royalists speech from 1936; and D. L. Myers invoking the Powell Movement Stinger. Musically, I play: a snippet from the Broadway play Hair. Mr. Ceglowski opened the show with his observation of liars, backed by KMFDM; and I close with Julie and Rolf and the Campfire Gang doing "Over the Rainbow."

As you can see, I've gotten my access to the website. The experience of being without access, and——much worse!——having no non-automated assistance available, has gotten into my head that maybe changing the show notes to something more expensive (and more convenient) might be in my future. Stay tuned!

Episode 175: Negotiations, and…

Play Now!

Unions are more than just meetings and yelling at each other. I think. It sure seems that way. No, union activity in the workplace is a show of strength for one purpose only: to note the importance of the subject of this Episode 175: Negotiation, and….

In this episode, I share some formative events in my so-far short career of union activity. I read from: Henry George's 1879 book Progress & Poverty; and the John Nichols & Robert W. McChesney book, Dollarocracy: How the Money and Media Election Complex is Destroying America. I also recall from memory details from Upton Sinclair's 1917 book King Coal. Finally, I play the first of my tests on the stereo systems of a certain make of car that had been bedeviling me for the last month, but….

Henry Giroux noted the importance of learning one's civic literacy in the opening, backed by KMFDM. I close today with Mistle Thrush's "It's All Like Today."

Episode 175: Car(Un)Jacked!

Play Now!

Those who make our cars today have figured out ways to make our behavior pay. Shoshana Zuboff gave us this lesson in her book; but I may have stumbled on a perfect example at work. I'll fill you in on my theory in this Episode 175: Car(Un)Jacked!

In this episode, I recount from memory a NOVA documentary and some seemingly random anecdata. (Oops! I said in the episode the car company fixed their security flaw. I guess took longer!) I open with Shoshana Zuboff backed by KMFDM warning about the hidden nature of surveillance capitalism. I close the show with Mistle Thrush.

Episode 173: MFA Our Influencing Machines and Their Masters.

Play Now!

Time to dive once again into Jerry Mander's 1978 book, this time selecting just a couple of his reasons to eliminate television. These are reflected in the title of Episode 173: Our Influencing Machines and Their Masters.

In this episode, I read from Jerry Mander's 1978 book Four Arguments For The Elimination of Television. I play two from et, first "Intro", and then "Black". Dmitri Orlov opens the show backed by KMFDM, and I close with Mistle Thrush.

Episode 172: Flirting With Disaster

Play Now!

Ads are not yet everywhere. That's good. That doesn't mean, though, that there aren't people plotting to capture attention in a new space, one that cannot be blotted out. Those idiots tempt fate, as I describe in my Episode 172: Flirting With Disaster.


The infamous device itself.

In this episode, I read from: the Wiki article for the Antikythera Mechanism; an article titled "This Startup Wants to Launch Giant Glowing Ads Into the Night Sky"; and my computer's quickie dictionary. I play: the 1957 sound of a radio picking up Sputnik 1's signal. Musically, I play: Pietnaska doing "Salto". KMFDM backs Amanda Mull observing what is happening in the ad biz now; and I close with Julie & Rolf and the Campfire Gang doing "Over the Rainbow".

Episode 171: Testing Our Glob of Assumptions

Play Now!

Too many of us lately seem to assume that the negative forces guiding brains are… a thing. (Well, that’s my assumption.) As a general rule, maybe we all just need to heed the advice found in the title of Episode 171: Testing Our Glob of Assumptions.

In this episode, I read from: a political tract called Caste: A Brief History, a very silly book that attempts to erase biases (without apparently realizing that bias is also the positive force that causes people to accept as well as reject one another); my computer's quickie dictionary; and Michael Crichton's book Eaters of the Dead. I play: elements from two On The Media episodes, first "40 Acres", and then "Well, That Was Some Weird Shit"; the actual BeeGees singing; and DL Myers once again invoking the Powell Movement Stinger. KMFDM backs political economist Mark Blyth in the intro, and I close with Mistle Thrush.

Episode 170: That Great Gray Slurry

Play Now!

Sometimes companies manage to get really big; but what is too big? When they regard their benefit to society as less important than their profit model, we should consider their future, even if they make the stuff of Episode 170: That Great Gray Slurry.

In this episode, I played: Mark Zuckerfuck himself, testifying to and almost smirkingly making an ignorant ass of Senator Orin Hatch; Alexander Nix, head of Cambridge Analytica; Angry Armani Gnome and 2016 online campaign manager for the former president, Brad Parscale; and CNN's Anderson Cooper completely missing the point with Effin Bee Monika Bickert. Finally, I put three sarcastic greats into my Making America "Great" Again stinger. Three! That's how important I think this is! The "great" voices were: George Hrab from the Geologic Podcast; KMO from the C-Realm Podcasts; and L33t Minion, longest time listener to this here podcast.

I read from: Antonio Garciá Martínez's book Chaos Monkeys; Ian Bogost's Atlantic article FuckBook's "Dystopian Definition of 'Fake'"; my computer's quickie Dictionary; and an installation from Matt Stoller's newsletter Big called "Facecrook: Dealing with a Global Menace."

Musically, I played: Podington Bear doing "Fits"; Matt Stoller warned about the implications of letting companies get too big in the intro, backed by KMFDM; and I'm closing now with Julie & Rolf & the Campfire Gang doing "Over the Rainbow".

Episode 169: Eliminate (Well, De-emphasize) the Negative

Play Now!

What happened to that forgotten way of looking at the world? It seems by changing the language through repetition, nuance was transformed into a more easily challenged binary… and quashed. Hence, Episode 169: Eliminate (Well, De-emphasize) the Negative.

In this episode, I read from: Victor Pickard's book The Battle for Media Democracy; and Charles Siepmann's 1946 book Radio's Second Chance. There's still a lot of good stuff in both these books that I hope one day to address.

I play: Mudlark doing "fine ointment"; and Podington Bear doing "In My Head". KMFDM backs Clark Gable in the intro, and we close with Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters doing "Accentuate the Positive", a tune written in 1944.

Episode 168: Accentuate the Positive

Play Now!

Every now and again, I find myself stumbling upon a forgotten way of looking at the world, one so useful—and in hindsight obvious—that I have to wonder what happened to it. That's the first half of the story in this Episode 168: Accentuate the Positive.

In this episode, I read from: Charles Siepmann's book Radio's Second Chance; Victor Pickard's book The Battle For Media Democracy (which was also the source for all of the other quotes from journalists and FCC letter writers); and Upton Sinclair's seminal 1920 book on journalism The Brass Check [NB: the Sinclair book links to a PDF].

Musically, I keep it light with Full Load of King doing "Envelope Infrared Part I". KMFDM's "Attak" backs Clark Gable in the intro, and I close with Mistle Thrush's "It's All Like Today".

Episode 167: Talk Blocked, or This Does Not Agar Well

Play Now!

Something has increasingly come between us; mediated our learning; butted in and substituted actual conversation for what we access on our devices. Sadly… who pays the piper calls the tune. Hence, Episode 167: Talk Blocked, or This Does Not Agar Well.

In this episode, I briefly read from my computer's quickie dictionary, and relay once again Upton Sinclair's Maxim. I play Ted Stevens sharing his revelation about what the Internet really is. Musically, I play Podington Bear doing the appropriately named "Degradation". Douglas Rushkoff opens the show backed by KMFDM in a brand-new intro (well, one I made some time ago and finally found an appropriate show to use); and I'm closing today with music from friends I actually on occasion talk to… well, used to talk to, and will talk to again, once we can hit the campfire… and the keg… and….