The Carousel Podcast

We round out EWOMAN WEEK with a final episode with not just any egirl, but certified autistic egirl Gwen Kansen. Gwen writes deeply insightful essays for Hobart Pulp and other publications about her experiences as autistic person and single woman living in New York City. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecarousel.substack.com/subscribe

On this week’s Carousel we have anon Meta Prime. I like to think of him as the halfway house of the Dissident Right. Not an insult; it’s a beautiful role to play. He helps people who have recently “broken free from the mainstream delusion,” escape not into nothingness (total disconnection from friends/family/work) or toxicity (conspiritard obsessions), but into a meaningful existence as a noticer and rejector of the mainstream narrative.His steps towards a healthy dissident lifestyle are as follows: * Awakening* Framework Building* Self-Improvement* Creation* World BettermentYou can learn more about these steps, and see much more of his work, at his beautifully designed website: MetaPrime001.com.The Carousel is a reader-supported publication. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecarousel.substack.com/subscribe

Rushing this one out to provide on-the-ground perspective of the Hamas attack in Israel, October 6th, 2023, on 50th Anniversary of the Yom Kippur War. Just minutes ago, Israel officially declared war in response to a series of coordinated attacks on both civilian and military targets, along with a rocket barrage.I’m joined by based Twitter friend and Israeli Settler Baruch Kogan. One of my favorite accounts, his wry commentary always makes me laugh. He's also a fascinating dude; he lives in a small Jewish settlement on a hill in Samaria, where he is currently posted up, attempting to better arm himself while protecting his family, and refusing to run away or back down.He says that this is the most significant Israel incursion in two decades, and will have major implications for the current Israeli government and the world. How did this happen, and why now? He answers everything in the episode. I previously appeared on his podcast Postkahanism here:And here is the YouTube version of this episode:The Carousel is a reader-supported publication. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecarousel.substack.com/subscribe

Ladies and gentlemen, William Wheelwright. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecarousel.substack.com/subscribe

Guest Sean Monahan, artist-as-analyst and trend forecaster, discusses the impact of normcore, the obsession with ugliness in American culture, the demise of HBO and Twitter, and the fashion style of Gen Z. They also critique a brand video, explore the influence of smartphones and social media on popular culture, and reflect on their upbringing and career experiences.

Josh Lekach toughed the gauntlets of both Los Angeles and Coca Cola to freer existence as a public thought criminal. His podcast WRONG OPINION is now part of Gavin McInnes’ Censored.tv.]He’s known for repeatedly breaking the internet, most recently with this post about a very happy 30ish woman who prefers cooking shakshuka to having children.We talk about Costa Rica (where Josh moved with his family during COVID), propaganda songs, and the Josh Lekach brand (or lack thereof). This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecarousel.substack.com/subscribe

Another day another based founder. Matt Loberstein built Rhizal Shoes, a “grounded” and “barefoot” shoe company after getting sick of shilling white label DTC crap and wanting to create something actually beautiful. His shoes are the very definition of Anti-Synthetic Capitalism, the term now memorialized via The New York Times article which referenced WILL, Hestia Cigarettes, and I. We also call the movement “The New Natural.” The brand name Rhizal comes from micorrhizal/rhizome, symbiotic relationship between roots, plants, fungi, and the earth. The “Barefoot” footwear movement revives simpler shoe structures; it believes in enhancing muscles, bones, and balance via more direct contact with the ground. The similar-but-distinct “Grounded” footwear movement ups the ante even further, citing electromagnetic reasons for direct terrestrial contact. Encasing feet in thick rubber is somewhat like a wearing a perennial foot condom we never take off. It separates from earthy natural connections that we’ve only just begun to understand.Beyond all that, however, Rhizals actually just look really good and are super comfortable. See my review of them here. I’m not just saying that. They’re now lead off position in my shoe lineup. Perfect for summer.CLICK HERE TO SHOP RHIZAL WITH THE OFFICIAL DISGRACED PROPAGANDIST 10% DISCOUNTThe Carousel is a reader-supported publication. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecarousel.substack.com/subscribe

On this week’s Carousel, I’m joined by a close friend of mine: ~poldec-tonteg from Urbit and BlimpDAO. He is the voice and face of the Urbit Foundation, and host of Urbit’s Zero K Podcast.We’re here to talk about rise, fall, and rise of blimps. Why is this relevant? What does it mean? Listen now. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecarousel.substack.com/subscribe

Cancellation insurance…we’ve all thought about it. In the world of Patreon, Substack, and Twitter profit sharing, the so-called Creator Economy has never been bigger, or more essential for thinkers and artists outside the ever-narrowing Overton Window of woke popular culture. My guest today Harry Bergeron is a Twitter anon and entrepreneur working on a “cancellation parachute” called Pluribus. I’ve opened up The Carousel to him to share his thoughts, both on the above pod and in the following short article. YouTube version: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecarousel.substack.com/subscribe

Nabokov, Teddy Roosevelt, Ernst Junger: all amateur entomologists driven by the overwhelming urge to know and categorize the natural world. Insect Brah is the Twitter version. His exotic ontological posts recall the Judge from Blood Meridian, “whatever exists without my knowledge exists without my consent."His day job is chef, where he integrates his fascination with nature into every menu. We talk about working in the service industry, our all time favorite meals, the relationship between God and bugs, and discovering new frogs. Insect Brah’s book This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecarousel.substack.com/subscribe