Our previous episode with Trung & Rob included the bombshell reveal that Rob had never watched Apocalypse Now. Nearly one year later, Rob and Trung make their triumphant return to the show to discuss the themes of the film, the lessons aspiring creators can draw from its troubled production history, the role of the Vietnam War in American cinema, and a whole lot more. Important Links:

Show Notes:

Rob’s homework assignment
The two endings of Apocalypse Now
Coppola’s disastrous production process
Should Willard have taken Kurtz’ place?
Draft dodgers: fear of death, or fear of social judgment?
Different perspectives of American Empire
The memory industry: Vietnam in film
When condemning backfires
The thin veneer of civilization
Willard’s moral injury
Is pacificism sustainable?
Art as a response to social conditions
Telling the story vs romanticizing it
Be careful what you wish for: The McKenna take
When Jim was Jedpilled
When Rob was Jedpilled
The creative process: feeding the black box, becoming the vessel, and summoning the muse
George Lucas’ version of Apocalypse Now
Cut scenes and time travel
Trung & Rob as Emperors of the World
MORE!

Books Mentioned:

The Enlightenment Trilogy; by Jed McKenna
Heart of Darkness; by Joseph Conrad
The Lucifer Principle; by Howard Bloom
Howard Bloom hierarchies
The Sympathizer; by Viet Thanh Nguyen
The War of Art; by Steven Pressfield
Moby-Dick; by Herman Melville
The Tao Te Ching; by Lao Tzu
The Creative Act: A Way of Being; by Rick Rubin

Films, TV Shows & Podcasts Mentioned:

Apocalypse Now; directed by Francis Ford Coppola
Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse; directed by Fax Bahr, George Hickenlooper & Eleanor Coppola
The Vietnam War; directed by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick
Platoon; directed by Oliver Stone
The Wolf of Wall Street; directed by Martin Scorcese
Wall Street; directed by Oliver Stone
The Social Network; directed by David Fincher
Born on the Fourth of July; directed by Oliver Stone
The Deer Hunter; directed by Michael Cimino
A Clockwork Orange; directed by Stanley Kubrick
Patton; directed by Franklin J. Schaffner
Full Metal Jacket; directed by Stanley Kubrick
Saving Private Ryan; directed by Steven Spielberg
The Godfather & The Godfather Part II; directed by Francis Ford Coppola
The Matrix; directed by the Wachowskis
Rick and Morty
Do We Get To Win This Time?
Tetragrammation with Rick Rubin

A Star Is Born with Bradley Cooper and Jason Bateman (Ep. 164)