

Varn Vlog
C. Derick Varn
Abandon all hope ye who subscribe here. Varn Vlog is the pod of C. Derick Varn. We combine the conversation on philosophy, political economy, art, history, culture, anthropology, and geopolitics from a left-wing and culturally informed perspective. We approach the world from a historical lens with an eye for hard truths and structural analysis.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jul 28, 2022 • 2h 17min
Jonathan Penton of Unlikely Stories on Poetry and Politics
Please support our Patreon. For early and ad-free episodes, members-only content, and more.Jonathan Penton is the editor of Unlikely Stories and Unlikely Books. We spoke in late June and covered both the changes in independent literary publishing as well as politics. Jon Penton published some of my earliest poems as well as my first collection. He and I go way back.Abandon all hope ye who subscribe here. Crew:Host: C. Derick VarnAudio Producer: Paul Channel Strip ( @aufhebenkultur )Intro and Outro Music by Bitter Lake.Intro Video Design: Jason MylesLinks and Social Media:twitter: @skepoetFacebookYou can find the additional streams on YoutubeSend us a text Musis by Bitterlake, Used with Permission, all rights to BitterlakeSupport the showCrew:Host: C. Derick VarnIntro and Outro Music by Bitter Lake.Intro Video Design: Jason MylesArt Design: Corn and C. Derick VarnLinks and Social Media:twitter: @varnvlogblue sky: @varnvlog.bsky.socialYou can find the additional streams on YoutubeCurrent Patreon at the Sponsor Tier: Jordan Sheldon, Mark J. Matthews, Lindsay Kimbrough, RedWolf, DRV, Kenneth McKee, JY Chan, Matthew Monahan, Parzival, Adriel Mixon, Buddy Roark, Daniel Petrovic

Jul 25, 2022 • 1h 2min
John and Kelsey's Notes From Labor Notes
Please support our Patreon. For early and ad-free episodes, members-only content, and more.John H. and Kelsey Tanabe Walker join us to talk about the Labor Notes conference and the importance of independent organizing and social unionization. John and Kelsey both speak to the importance of working with a union, and if you don't have a shop union, working with the I.W.W. is an option. You can join here. We also mention the work of Southern Workers Assembly and finally the Amazonians United Abandon all hope ye who subscribe here. Crew:Host: C. Derick VarnAudio Producer: Paul Channel Strip ( @aufhebenkultur )Intro and Outro Music by Bitter Lake.Intro Video Design: Jason MylesLinks and Social Media:twitter: @skepoetFacebookYou can find the additional streams on YoutubeSend us a text Musis by Bitterlake, Used with Permission, all rights to BitterlakeSupport the showCrew:Host: C. Derick VarnIntro and Outro Music by Bitter Lake.Intro Video Design: Jason MylesArt Design: Corn and C. Derick VarnLinks and Social Media:twitter: @varnvlogblue sky: @varnvlog.bsky.socialYou can find the additional streams on YoutubeCurrent Patreon at the Sponsor Tier: Jordan Sheldon, Mark J. Matthews, Lindsay Kimbrough, RedWolf, DRV, Kenneth McKee, JY Chan, Matthew Monahan, Parzival, Adriel Mixon, Buddy Roark, Daniel Petrovic

Jul 21, 2022 • 2h 23min
Shalon Van Tine on Woman Directors
Please support our Patreon. For early and ad-free episodes, members-only content, and more.Shalon van Tine, a cultural historian who is a Ph.D. candidate at Ohio University and teaches history and humanities classes for the University of Maryland Global Campus. Website: shalonvantine.comArticles Discussed:https://www.shalonvantine.com/secondasfarce/2022/3/4/women-directors-have-made-some-of-the-greatest-films-ever-here-are-11-you-might-not-knowAbandon all hope ye who subscribe here. Crew:Host: C. Derick VarnAudio Producer: Paul Channel Strip ( @aufhebenkultur )Intro and Outro Music by Bitter Lake.Intro Video Design: Jason MylesLinks and Social Media:twitter: @skepoetFacebookYou can find the additional streams on YoutubeSend us a text Musis by Bitterlake, Used with Permission, all rights to BitterlakeSupport the showCrew:Host: C. Derick VarnIntro and Outro Music by Bitter Lake.Intro Video Design: Jason MylesArt Design: Corn and C. Derick VarnLinks and Social Media:twitter: @varnvlogblue sky: @varnvlog.bsky.socialYou can find the additional streams on YoutubeCurrent Patreon at the Sponsor Tier: Jordan Sheldon, Mark J. Matthews, Lindsay Kimbrough, RedWolf, DRV, Kenneth McKee, JY Chan, Matthew Monahan, Parzival, Adriel Mixon, Buddy Roark, Daniel Petrovic

Jul 18, 2022 • 2h 12min
Nicholas C Scott on the legacy of Cordones Industriales
Please support our Patreon. For early and ad-free episodes, members-only content, and more.Nicholas C Scott is a PhD candidate in Latin American history at the University of Virginia and a specialist in the history of the role of the Cordones during the Chilean revolution. We discuss the role of the Cordones Industrailes, the history of the Allende government and the Chilean revolution, and the survival of the Cordones after the coup.Abandon all hope ye who subscribe here. Crew:Host: C. Derick VarnAudio Producer: Paul Channel Strip ( @aufhebenkultur )Intro and Outro Music by Bitter Lake.Intro Video Design: Jason MylesLinks and Social Media:twitter: @skepoetFacebookYou can find the additional streams on YoutubeSend us a text Musis by Bitterlake, Used with Permission, all rights to BitterlakeSupport the showCrew:Host: C. Derick VarnIntro and Outro Music by Bitter Lake.Intro Video Design: Jason MylesArt Design: Corn and C. Derick VarnLinks and Social Media:twitter: @varnvlogblue sky: @varnvlog.bsky.socialYou can find the additional streams on YoutubeCurrent Patreon at the Sponsor Tier: Jordan Sheldon, Mark J. Matthews, Lindsay Kimbrough, RedWolf, DRV, Kenneth McKee, JY Chan, Matthew Monahan, Parzival, Adriel Mixon, Buddy Roark, Daniel Petrovic

Jul 14, 2022 • 1h 20min
(100th Episode) Kane Reid of Socialist Legacy on Marx and Contradictions.
Please support our Patreon. For early and ad-free episodes, members-only content, and more.Kane Reid is the host of Socialist Legacy. We discuss his debate with Mike McManus on Marx's use of contradiction in Sublation Magazine. You can find his article as well as Matt McManus's articles below:https://www.sublationmag.com/articles/karl-marx-on-contradictionshttps://www.sublationmag.com/post/once-more-on-contradictionhttps://www.sublationmag.com/post/a-return-to-contradictionsAbandon all hope ye who subscribe here. Crew:Host: C. Derick VarnAudio Producer: Paul Channel Strip ( @aufhebenkultur )Intro and Outro Music by Bitter Lake.Intro Video Design: Jason MylesLinks and Social Media:twitter: @skepoetFacebookYou can find the additional streams on YoutubeSupport the showSend us a text Musis by Bitterlake, Used with Permission, all rights to BitterlakeSupport the showCrew:Host: C. Derick VarnIntro and Outro Music by Bitter Lake.Intro Video Design: Jason MylesArt Design: Corn and C. Derick VarnLinks and Social Media:twitter: @varnvlogblue sky: @varnvlog.bsky.socialYou can find the additional streams on YoutubeCurrent Patreon at the Sponsor Tier: Jordan Sheldon, Mark J. Matthews, Lindsay Kimbrough, RedWolf, DRV, Kenneth McKee, JY Chan, Matthew Monahan, Parzival, Adriel Mixon, Buddy Roark, Daniel Petrovic

Jul 11, 2022 • 1h 48min
Scott Ferguson on the Ideologies of Austerity and the Communities of Care
Please support our Patreon. For early and ad-free episodes, members-only content, and more.Scott Ferguson (@videotroph) is an associate professor of film & media studies in the Department of Humanities & Cultural Studies at the University of South Florida. He is an editor for the Money on the Left Editorial Collective and serves as a research scholar at the Global Institute for Sustainability Prosperity. His writings have appeared in Screen, Boundary 2 Online, Arcade, Monthly Review Online, Qui Parle, CounterPunch, Liminalities, Naked Capitalism, Radical Political Economy (URPE), Dollars & Sense, Tropics of Meta, In the Moment (Critical Inquiry), Rebelion, & Contexto y Accion. His book Declarations of Dependence: Money, Aesthetics and the Politics of Care was published by the University of Nebraska Press in 2018.Abandon all hope ye who subscribe here. Crew:Host: C. Derick VarnAudio Producer: Paul Channel Strip ( @aufhebenkultur )Intro and Outro Music by Bitter Lake.Intro Video Design: Jason MylesLinks and Social Media:twitter: @skepoetFacebookYou can find the additional streams on YoutubeSend us a text Musis by Bitterlake, Used with Permission, all rights to BitterlakeSupport the showCrew:Host: C. Derick VarnIntro and Outro Music by Bitter Lake.Intro Video Design: Jason MylesArt Design: Corn and C. Derick VarnLinks and Social Media:twitter: @varnvlogblue sky: @varnvlog.bsky.socialYou can find the additional streams on YoutubeCurrent Patreon at the Sponsor Tier: Jordan Sheldon, Mark J. Matthews, Lindsay Kimbrough, RedWolf, DRV, Kenneth McKee, JY Chan, Matthew Monahan, Parzival, Adriel Mixon, Buddy Roark, Daniel Petrovic

Jul 7, 2022 • 1h 20min
Freddie deBeor on the Crisis of the Democratic Mind
Please support our Patreon. For early and ad-free episodes, members-only content, and more.Freddie and I discuss the tactical mistakes of the Democrats. Freddie is the author of the Freddie DeBoer substack. He is also the author of the Cult of Smart. Abandon all hope ye who subscribe here. Crew:Host: C. Derick VarnAudio Producer: Paul Channel Strip ( @aufhebenkultur )Intro and Outro Music by Bitter Lake.Intro Video Design: Jason MylesLinks and Social Media:twitter: @skepoetFacebookYou can find the additional streams on YoutubeSend us a text Musis by Bitterlake, Used with Permission, all rights to BitterlakeSupport the showCrew:Host: C. Derick VarnIntro and Outro Music by Bitter Lake.Intro Video Design: Jason MylesArt Design: Corn and C. Derick VarnLinks and Social Media:twitter: @varnvlogblue sky: @varnvlog.bsky.socialYou can find the additional streams on YoutubeCurrent Patreon at the Sponsor Tier: Jordan Sheldon, Mark J. Matthews, Lindsay Kimbrough, RedWolf, DRV, Kenneth McKee, JY Chan, Matthew Monahan, Parzival, Adriel Mixon, Buddy Roark, Daniel Petrovic

Jul 4, 2022 • 2h 41min
Andrew McWhinney on the Legacy of Baudrillard and New Ways to Think on The Left
Andrew McWhinney is a writer, editor, and organizer. He writes and edits for Negation Magazine. We begin by discussing the legacy of Jean Baudrillard, but we talk about new ways to organize, the importance of international collaboration, and where the left is now. Here are the articles mentioned in the interview: A Marxist Mission To Rescue Jean Baudrillard Totality and the Vanguard Function Politics as Exceptional Interruption: An Interview with Asad Haider Social Movements and Internationalism from South Korea: An Interview with Bori (A prior guest on the Show)Lesson From Peru: An Interview with Austin GonzalezAbandon all hope ye who subscribe here. Crew: Host: C. Derick Varn Audio Producer: Paul Channel Strip ( @aufhebenkultur ) Intro and Outro Music by Bitter Lake. Intro Video Design: Jason Myles Links and Social Media: twitter: @skepoet Facebook You can find the additional streams on Youtube Send us a text Musis by Bitterlake, Used with Permission, all rights to BitterlakeSupport the showCrew:Host: C. Derick VarnIntro and Outro Music by Bitter Lake.Intro Video Design: Jason MylesArt Design: Corn and C. Derick VarnLinks and Social Media:twitter: @varnvlogblue sky: @varnvlog.bsky.socialYou can find the additional streams on YoutubeCurrent Patreon at the Sponsor Tier: Jordan Sheldon, Mark J. Matthews, Lindsay Kimbrough, RedWolf, DRV, Kenneth McKee, JY Chan, Matthew Monahan, Parzival, Adriel Mixon, Buddy Roark, Daniel Petrovic

Jun 30, 2022 • 1h 57min
Ben Burgis on the Complicated Legacy of Christopher Hitchens
Please support our Patreon. For early and ad-free episodes, members-only content, and more. Ben and I discuss his work on the life and legacy on Christopher Hitchens. You can find his book on the topic here. You can find Ben's article in sublation magazine on how liberals sound Hitchens with their stance on Ukraine here. You can find Ben's podcast, Give Them An Argument. Abandon all hope ye who subscribe here. Crew: Host: C. Derick Varn Audio Producer: Paul Channel Strip ( @aufhebenkultur ) Intro and Outro Music by Bitter Lake. Intro Video Design: Jason Myles Links and Social Media: twitter: @skepoet Facebook You can find the additional streams on YoutubeSend us a text Musis by Bitterlake, Used with Permission, all rights to BitterlakeSupport the showCrew:Host: C. Derick VarnIntro and Outro Music by Bitter Lake.Intro Video Design: Jason MylesArt Design: Corn and C. Derick VarnLinks and Social Media:twitter: @varnvlogblue sky: @varnvlog.bsky.socialYou can find the additional streams on YoutubeCurrent Patreon at the Sponsor Tier: Jordan Sheldon, Mark J. Matthews, Lindsay Kimbrough, RedWolf, DRV, Kenneth McKee, JY Chan, Matthew Monahan, Parzival, Adriel Mixon, Buddy Roark, Daniel Petrovic

Jun 27, 2022 • 1h 40min
Nicolas D Villarreal on Financialization and Productivity
Please support our Patreon. For early and ad-free episodes, members-only content, and more.Nicolas D Villarreal is palladiummag contributor. Author of novel: Caeruleus. He is an analyst of heterodox economics and political theory. He also works as a freelance writer. You can find his work here. Abandon all hope ye who subscribe here. Crew:Host: C. Derick VarnAudio Producer: Paul Channel Strip ( @aufhebenkultur )Intro and Outro Music by Bitter Lake.Intro Video Design: Jason MylesLinks and Social Media:twitter: @skepoetFacebookYou can find the additional streams on YoutubeSend us a text Musis by Bitterlake, Used with Permission, all rights to BitterlakeSupport the showCrew:Host: C. Derick VarnIntro and Outro Music by Bitter Lake.Intro Video Design: Jason MylesArt Design: Corn and C. Derick VarnLinks and Social Media:twitter: @varnvlogblue sky: @varnvlog.bsky.socialYou can find the additional streams on YoutubeCurrent Patreon at the Sponsor Tier: Jordan Sheldon, Mark J. Matthews, Lindsay Kimbrough, RedWolf, DRV, Kenneth McKee, JY Chan, Matthew Monahan, Parzival, Adriel Mixon, Buddy Roark, Daniel Petrovic