Hog Planet

Dan and Sam talk about the grim Bored Ape concerts, January 6th hearings and Mike Pence's brush with the hog mob, the ongoing GOP freakout over their children refusing to become homophobic and transphobic bigots, Hollywood's useless pledge to reexamine firearms use in the wake of Uvalde, and the hogs who can’t afford all the junk food they want to eat because of Joe Biden and his inflation. As usual, we ramble, it gets dark at times, and we have almost no idea of what we are talking about, but it’s your boys. Check it out.

It's a hog planet so please consider donating to:

Help Secure Housing for an Immigrant Roma Family:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/secure-housing-for-a-immigrant-roma-family?utm_campaign

Ward 2 Mutual Aid:

https://opencollective.com/ward-2-mutual-aid

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Your beloved hogs return to cover a story that seems like we made it up: Alec Baldwin’s tragic misfire on the set of Rust, the senseless death of rising talent Halyna Hutchins, and the toxic work environment that let it happen. Who is to blame? Baldwin? Assistant Director Dave Halls? Or 24-year-old set armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed? We turn to the least reliable sources to see what they think, like costume-designer-turned-scab-apologist Terese Magpale Davis, Gutierrez-Reed’s deeply soulless defense attorneys, and, of course, Baldwin himself. 

To lighten things up, we treat the fans to a tight 4 from a rising star in the vaguely anti-vax comedy world: Jim Breuer, age 54. In an attempt to plug his own podcast and upcoming comedy special, he recently took to Twitter to post 4 minutes of, er, jokes, which mainly consisted of anti-vax bird squawks, piss, shit, fart, and puke sounds, and other weird, bad, and loud noises. Underneath it all, there were apparently some contrarian Gen-Xer points made. Listen kid, the podcasting game ain’t for everyone.

Blessedly we only have one political hog to inflict on you this time around: Republican Delegate-elect Tim Anderson. But he might be too hot to handle! (crowd groans)

It’s a Hog Planet. Please contribute to Ward 2 Mutual Aid:

https://opencollective.com/ward-2-mutual-aid

See Dan's paintings on instagram @ dspaventa

Josh K joins Dan to talk about his work with the NYC DSA EcoSocialist working group and about their new campaign. The two hogs get into the respective falls of liberal giants Andrew Cuomo and Bill Gates, god trying to punish Stephen Crowder, and deranged conservative advertising. You won't want to miss the San Diego police video about the definitely totally real dangers of fentanyl touching the skin, complete with shocking body cam video. 

Green New Deal for Public Schools Launch Call with Congressman Jamaal Bowman: 

https://actionnetwork.org/events/green-new-deal-for-public-schools-public-launch-call

Join NYC DSA EcoSocialists: 

This week, we discussed the original Die Hard (1988), a true classic of the action genre, and how it subtly handles topics such as police bureaucracy, corporate greed, and the US-Japan trade relationship. Joining us for this one is a true Die Hard expert, returning champion Matt Greenberg of the Copilots podcast (@WeAreCoPilots). We try to answer the tough questions, like “is this copaganda?” “Is John McClane a cowboy or a samurai?” “Is there a difference?” Matt also helps us understand where the franchise went after knocking it out of the park the first time around. You won’t want to miss this on - after all, nothing says “quarantine” like a film whose entire hostage-driven plot could have been avoided with a simple Zoom Christmas party.

One of our real-life heroes, our deeply powerful high school English teacher Mr. Zelcer, joins us to discuss being an educator in the Covid times and the daunting task of preparing today’s youth for the future. In the post-game segment over on the Hog Planet Patreon, we discuss the continued devaluation of a liberal arts education and what it may portend for the future of imagination and our very souls. We also briefly sing George Saunders’ praises. Be sure to check out all of Mr. Zelcer’s excellent creative output, which we mention on the show and link to below.

Since former Daily Show host Jon Stewart was recently on a press tour promoting Irresistible, his mid-2000s time capsule of a feature film, it’s the perfect time to evaluate his cultural impact. To help us flesh this out, we chatted with Luke Savage (@lukewsavage), a true gentleman and scholar of mid-2000s liberal media. We discussed Stewart’s strengths and weaknesses, why he seems utterly despondent in the Trump years, and how empty his political ideology is, to the extent that it even exists. Subscribe at patreon.com/hogplanet to gain access to the post-game where we discussed the highly anti-climactic 2016 Democratic Primary and why the Bernie Sanders campaign was not a complete failure. You can find Luke’s writing on Jacobin.com and his excellent podcast Michael & Us on all podcast platforms.

This week we had Gaby Kubi (@gabynotchatty on Twitter, @sugarkubi on Instagram) on to discuss her organizing with #DoBetterCornell (@dobettercornell and dobettercornell.com). We talked about the movement, its goals and the administration’s reaction. We also poked holes in some of the common myths in the discourse and concern trolling about campus activism, its methods and its perceived impermanence. For the Patreon subscribers, the post-game covers Gaby’s research on education and critical consciousness, which Sam manages to relate to the Sopranos somehow. Support Gaby and Do Better Cornell by following the links in the show notes!

Dan and Sam get really local on this one and explore a controversy that recently rocked the Board of Education with jurisdiction over where we went to high school. We talked with Sarah Evelyn of Valley for Change, a newly formed anti-racist organization in the Northern Valley region of Bergen County, New Jersey. She gave us a crucial background on the organization’s successful push to advocate for the removal of Dan Eller, a former member of the Board of Education, after photos surfaced of him wearing blackface while he was in high school. Yes, the same high school that Dan and Sam went to! Sarah helps recap the blockbuster 7-hour Board of Education meeting where Eller’s defenders and racial justice advocates made their cases until about 3:30 AM. We also got the details on what’s next for Valley for Change and antiracist efforts in the area. Afterwards Dan and Sam discuss Alan Dershowitz soiling the good name of Lucy Vincent Beach, and the latest prominent Trump supporters getting COVID-19.

Here's a re-release of audience favorite Rachey's first ever appearance (from Episode 13) and the saga many now call a modern classic, the succulent story (from Episode 30). 

Dan and Sam sat down with Ray Gedd, our associate out of Delaware, to discuss working at a chicken plant during COVID-19, uprisings in the First State, and the fine work done by organizations like Food Not Bombs’ Wilmington chapter. Of course, we also discuss the arrest of Ghislaine Maxwell and the Epstein School of Interior Design for a bit too.

The hogs were thrilled to interview one of our podcast heroes, Bryan Quinby (@murderbryan) of Street Fight Radio. We talked about shock jocks, independent left media, and hog culture in the suburbs. Bryan also gave us his first hand account of the uprisings in Columbus, Ohio, movements to rename the city and hold its leadership accountable, and what he’s working on for Street Fight, the PODkast, and Means TV.

This is an abridged version of the full episode - to get the post-game where Dan and Sam go full Street Fight and give Bryan the lowdown on exactly how our jobs are screwing us, subscribe to our brand-new patreon on any level by clicking this link: patreon.com/hogplanet

Once you subscribe, you gain immediate access to our very first 6 episodes, which are not available anywhere else, as well as the post-game with Bryan. By throwing us a pittance every month, Patreon subscribers help us pay our guests and pay for our editing and conferencing software so we can stay independent and keep bringing you guests that you won’t hear on corporate media. Help keep Hog Planet spinning by signing up at patreon.com/hogplanet.

Some of the petitions discussed in the episode:

Petition to recall the Mayor of Columbus, Ohio

On this episode we recap the myriad celebrities who have been cancelled since the beginning of the ACAB Spring in June. Joining us is Ian Miller (@pasotizing on Instagram) to weigh in on cancel culture, tell us about Black Lives Matter protesting in the New York suburbs, and swap stories about run-ins with the police. We also covered Trump’s COVID-19 sharing party in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Hog Planet is in a new phase. In addition to expanding into Instagram (@hogplanetpodcast) where we do weekly livestreams, we are also actively seeking guests from around the country to discuss uprisings in their communities. If you would like to come on to discuss your experience with the uprisings, to plug your work, or to partner with us to sponsor your business, send us a DM!

Here's the second of our reissues of our favorite story segments from the archives.

1) Subway Altercation (Episode 12)

2) Medieval Times Punishment (Episode 8)

3) Trippy Sticks (Episode 15)

4) Live From NY (episode 18)