The Carousel Podcast

Alex Garner tweets as Alexander the Great. It’s a fitting name, because he reminds me of a roman legion commander, perhaps the modern Miami version. A former Coca Cola employee and founder of the mixed-cocktail brand Yumix, he’s obsessed with the notions of tribes in today’s online/offline world. How do you evaluate someone’s character if you can’t see them in person? But how do you meet anyone interesting if everyone interesting is on Twitter? As Indian Bronson pointed out, and as I have personally experienced (with Indian Bronson himself), is that people in our world all have two names.Alex and I discuss his project Guild of Greats (formerly Based Brotherhood), an attempt to build a tribe of high quality men manifested outside the mainstream. Designed to bring about a new sort of greatness.The mission echoes other similar projects like Palestra Society and Exit Group, the latter of which I discussed with founder Bennett's Phylactery on an earlier episode. There is an overwhelming craving for war bands that can form and occupy islands outside the polluted mainstream. Then to use those islands to build both alternative economies and to use as launching points for raiding missions against the seemingly unassailable forces of globalism. This project necessarily implicates capitalism itself, as entrepreneurships is one of the few areas where genuinely dissident activities are still allowed (just ask Dissident Soaps). The only way to beat them is to outsell them.A defector from the corporatocracy—a CPG cowboy, if you will—Alex sees tribal formation as the only way out. He talks about how to build both groups of men and the pipelines we need to support them. YOUTUBE LINK HERE (it was originally a livestream we did a few weeks ago)The Carousel is a reader-supported publication.***NOTE: ALEX JUST HAD A BABY TODAY! CONGRATS TO HIM AND FAM*** 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 episode 52 of the Carousel, I’m joined by David Pinsen from one of my favorite publications: Zero Hedge.A finance guy, Pinsen covers the ins-and-outs of world affairs from an investor’s perspective. His column Portfolio Armor deftly combines culture and politics with economic predictions and outlooks, a mixture which I’ve always found to be the best method for understanding why things are happening. As Western culture declines, and the media (even my beloved Wall Street Journal) right along with it, I look to people like Pinsen and publications like Zero Hedge to get the real story.So he’s the perfect guy to chat with about the financial picture behind the Bud Light fiasco. He published a couple stories featuring quotes from me about the issue including “How I’d Save Bud Light,” about how to rehabilitate the brand’s relatable image. Interestingly, our perspectives were born out as accurate, as today Bud Light launched a summer campaign all about relatability. Also per our predictions, the AB InBev longhouse turned a decent strategy into an incoherent mess, insulting audiences even further by painting them as fat bumbling idiots. “Sock tans included…” Oh, because white people get sock tans. Is that it?David and I also cover the decline of commercial real estate, monetizing your Twitter attention, and why Republicans should stop being scared of being called racist (sort of an precursor to this viral Tweet from yesterday).David Pinsen on TwitterDavid Pinsen/Portfolio Armor on Zero HedgePortfolio Armor 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

By now you’ve seen the video of Armenian dads fighting Antifa on the streets of Glendale. If you’re curious about why, listen to this calm and rational Armenian mom describe how the school indoctrinates her children with extreme gender ideology. The dads showed up to voice their displeasure, they were confronted with the Regime’s shock troops: Antifa. One member is a convicted pedophile, which seems to be a common theme. Somebody save us.A couple of years ago, an attorney named David Pivtorak decided to do something. Having grown up in the Soviet Union under communism, he could see the signs better than most Americans. He knew where this was headed. So he shifted his practice to do something courageous, something that very few other lawyers were willing to do: use the Civil Rights Act to hold woke entities accountable for discrimination. Since it’s such a novel and heroic battle, David finds himself often in the news, including appearances on Tucker and Watters. Recent headline cases include:* Lawsuit against American Express for discriminating against white people.* Lawsuit against elite LA private school The Brentwood School for DEI discrimination against Jews.* Lawsuit against aforementioned Glendale Unified School District for firing a teacher who refused to said boys aren’t girls.The Civil Rights Act is marked as the moment the American Dream died—the beginning of the American global rainbow-flag empire—by Christopher Caldwell in his sensational The Age of Entitlement. The Civil Rights Act is now used to force formerly-capitalist organizations to operate the way the government wants. We live under this giant legal fiction called Civil Rights law which allows corporations to discriminate openly against whites, straights, Christians, and men, while simultaneously outlawing all discrimination. It is upon this glaring contradiction that David mounts his attack. He now faces open battle against the forces of darkness. Join me as he talks about tangling with disparate impact, forced arbitration agreements, California’s insane woke environmentalists and much more. Follow David AKA Piv on socials (we need this guy to run for office asap!):David Pivtorak on TwitterDavid Pivtorak InstagramThe Pivtorak Law Firm 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

Monsters are the heroes of our enemies. On episode 50 of The Carousel, I’m joined by the enigmatic Paulos , one of our best Substackers. Myth Pilot explores the formation of contemporary myths, monsters, heroes, and egregores. It’s not as esoteric as it sounds. Paulos bridges today’s headlines with something deep and profound, proving that today’s heroes and monsters are new manifestations of a ancient fight.We discuss his sensational piece Heroes Rise // Monsters Fall. Something strange is happening to our public statuary—a strange, slithering, serpentine-feminine Medusa-signaling suddenly dominates the shapes of new work. Paulos reveals why it’s occurring, and how it embodies the larger battle in which we find ourselves.We also cover a detailed retelling of the Perseus myth and its true meaning, harem cultures versus marriage cultures, and our own experiences with the supernatural.Follow Paulos on TwitterThe 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

Celebrated digital artist Wide Dog joins me for episode 49 of The Carousel Podcast. Mr. Dog won first place in the Passage Prize art category last year.Last week, Wide Dog and I, along with a team of anons, released a speculative Twitter brand video for Twitter Blue called “It’s Never Over.” It received over 100k views in an hour, and now has over 250k. Watch it on Twitter hereIt’s purpose? A salvo against woke marketing; proof that talented anons can create beautiful, effective propaganda in our free time. The fact that it celebrates those who actually love and need Twitter most (as opposed to spreading far-left wing ideology) explains its popularity.In this episode, we dive deep into the ideas behind “It’s Never Over,” as well as our experiences in the advertising world. We also cover how fellow based creatives can climb the ladder into mainstream marketing, make a lot of money, and be miserable.Here’s a little manifesto I wrote for Twitter Blue - “It’s Never Over”Here’s a few images from the cutting room floor. 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

Dissident arts impresario Astral returns to The Carousel for a conversation about the decline and fall of VICE. I freelanced briefly for VICE in the 2010s. Astral followed its rise from Montreal skateboarding/punk culture. It recently completed its full cycle from counterculture to regime propaganda as George Soros will acquire it out of bankruptcy in the coming months.We cover the history of Gonzo media. Gay Talese, Hunter S. Thompson, Larry Clarke/Harmony Korine, Big Brother Magazine, Terry Richardson up to the crazy super chat streamers of today like @bellyoftheworld.Follow Astral on TwitterSubscribe to Astral on SubstackThe 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

Lomez. The name alone sends shivers of fear up the spines of our enemies. A leader of the culture wars, he founded of Passage Publishing, a top publisher in the dissident sphere and facilitator of the Passage Prize, our version of the Pulitzer. Where most culture warriors have mastered the art of complaining, Lomez stands as an exception. He’s growing an a new and desperately needed high art regime from acorn seed. This is not to say he’s not a fantastic writer in his own right—his recent Longhouse piece in First Things blew the doors off the internet and will serve as a memetic fixture for decades to come.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

On episode 46 of The Carousel podcast, I’m joined by filmmaker Matthew David Wilder. He wrote Paul Schrader’s Dog Eat Dog (2016) and wrote and directed Your Name Here (2008) with Bill Pullman and Regarding the Case of Joan of Arc (AKA American Martyr) (2020) which reimagines Joan of Arc as an alt-right American terrorist. EXCLUSIVE LINK TO FULL REGARDING THE CASE OF JOAN OF ARC FILMWe talk about David’s path from trailer park to Yale, our experiences living in New York and LA, and of course the culture wars through the lens writing and art. 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

Cancelled fine artist Arthur Kwon Lee has one of the best "coming out as based” stories I’ve ever heard. At the top of the art game in New York, represented by all the right people and having followed art world cursus honorum perfectly, he sits at a table with a diverse group of artists and a typical gatekeeper harridan in charge of shilling their work to her silver spoon rolodex of wealthy friends. She proposes that he partner with a black artist for a BLM meets Stop Asian Hate crossover classic, certain to sell among her elite client list. He initially resists, stating that his art has nothing to do with his Korean identity; it’s more focused on traditional notions of beauty, strength, and power. He call himself “roof Korean numero uno,” a reference to my all time favorite aesthetic subculture.“No trust me, it’ll be perfect!” she says, “everyone will love it!”Here, Arthur has a decision to make. Do you prostitute yourself for success, or does honor still have any value in this world? He chooses the road less traveled in glorious fashion, but I won’t spoil it. Listen to him tell the tale on this, episode 45 of The Carousel podcast.Buy Arthur’s artView Arthur’s work on InstagramArthur on Twitter 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

Ezra Ballinger, protagonist of The Cowboy Church, would appreciate me keepin’ this short. So I will.J.L. Mackey is an author, poaster, and all around DisLit staple. He’s hilarious, to-the-point, and embodies the criteria for a new, based kind of Southern Gothic, something we attempt to define on the pod.His cinematic latest novella The Cowboy Church tracks Ballinger, a simple bar owner beset by chronic and crushing arthritis, as he faces off against a private equity type mogul. I’d highly recommend the read. Like most DisLit standouts (Automaton by The Writings of T.R. Hudson and Nutcrankr by Baltic State come to mind), The Cowboy Church isn’t a political work. It’s based only in that it seeks its own beauty, meaning, and truth outside the pollution of ideology.J.L. Mackey on Twitter Buy The Cowboy ChurchThe 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