Nostalgia Trap
Conversations about history, politics, and pop culture.
info_outline
Nostalgia Trap - Episode 388: Doom Loop w/ Justin Rogers-Cooper (PREVIEW)
04/12/2024
Nostalgia Trap - Episode 388: Doom Loop w/ Justin Rogers-Cooper (PREVIEW)
It’s been a minute since Justin and I have shared our takes on “the news,” so this week we have a typically dark, unhinged conversation about what’s coming for us in 2024, with an American population frothing at the mouth to BUILD THE WALL and weapons-crazy madmen lashing out around the globe. It’s an incredible time to be alive. Full episode:
/episode/index/show/nostalgiatrap/id/30802833
info_outline
Nostalgia Trap - Episode 387: Touching the Octopus w Justin Rogers-Cooper
03/22/2024
Nostalgia Trap - Episode 387: Touching the Octopus w Justin Rogers-Cooper
Conspiracy theories are a hell of a drug. Justin and I know this from experience, so watching the new Netflix documentary brought up some deeply identifiable thoughts and emotions for both of us. Do you REALLY want to know the exact details of the dark forces at work within our most sacred institutions? As we discuss here, there’s a heavy price to pay for that knowledge, one way or another.
/episode/index/show/nostalgiatrap/id/30505688
info_outline
Nostalgia Trap - Episode 386.5 - The History of America in Six Cars, Part Four - The Fall of Detroit (1st Half)
02/20/2024
Nostalgia Trap - Episode 386.5 - The History of America in Six Cars, Part Four - The Fall of Detroit (1st Half)
This is the first half of this week's episode, go to our Patreon page to listen to the whole thing! It’s Part Four of our six-part adventure through the history of American automaking and car culture, and we’ve finally reached the moment when everything starts to unravel: the 1970s. When Arab nations decide to flex their oil muscle against the United States in 1973, they deliver American consumers into an entirely new economic reality, and Detroit struggles to meet the era’s new demands for fuel efficiency, safety, and lower emissions. Meanwhile, Japan enters the market with a new approach to cars and the production process that further erodes Detroit’s power – until an unlikely hero, the minivan, takes over the 1980s suburbs and points to a rocky road ahead.
/episode/index/show/nostalgiatrap/id/30033938
info_outline
Nostalgia Trap - Ep 385: The History of America in Six Cars, Part Three - Sweetheart of the Supermarket Set (PREVIEW)
02/12/2024
Nostalgia Trap - Ep 385: The History of America in Six Cars, Part Three - Sweetheart of the Supermarket Set (PREVIEW)
In Part Three of our journey through the history of American car culture, we explore how the massive cultural and political shifts of the 1960s made an impact on American automaking. From the Chevrolet Corvair spinning out and making Ralph Nader a household name, to the Ford Mustang turning boring housewives and husbands into hip celebrities, this was a wild era. When Detroit takes a sinister turn with the 1965 Pontiac GTO, a muscle car war grips American street racing subcultures, before it all burns out when the gas gets too expensive and the smog chokes the skies. Full episode here:
/episode/index/show/nostalgiatrap/id/29900333
info_outline
Nostalgia Trap - Ep 384: The History of America in Six Cars, Part Two - Size is Everything (PREVIEW)
02/01/2024
Nostalgia Trap - Ep 384: The History of America in Six Cars, Part Two - Size is Everything (PREVIEW)
As we continue our story of America’s love affair with the automobile, it’s time to look at the tailfin behemoths of the 1950s, the cars that look like “guns you can fuck.” With the automakers morphing into weapons manufacturers to help Uncle Sam win World War II, the postwar consumer reaped the strange benefits of military technology and imperial ideology seeping into the design of his suburban luxury sedan. Meanwhile, a cute little car produced by the Nazis was slowly stealing the hearts of America’s budding counterculture. Full episode here:
/episode/index/show/nostalgiatrap/id/29742068
info_outline
Nostalgia Trap - Ep 383: Fast and Furious - Hamas Drift w/ Justin Rogers-Cooper (PREVIEW)
01/29/2024
Nostalgia Trap - Ep 383: Fast and Furious - Hamas Drift w/ Justin Rogers-Cooper (PREVIEW)
This week we watch (2011), the fifth installment in the , and contemplate how these movies embed radical ideas about criminality, subversion, insurgency, and family in often goofy stories about driving really fast cars, furiously. Full episode here: For more reflections on car culture, check out Part One of our new series, The History of America in Six Cars:
/episode/index/show/nostalgiatrap/id/29695708
info_outline
Nostalgia Trap - Ep 382: The History of America in Six Cars, Part One - Henry Ford, Nazis, and the Model T
01/25/2024
Nostalgia Trap - Ep 382: The History of America in Six Cars, Part One - Henry Ford, Nazis, and the Model T
The supreme object of the 20th century, the automobile’s development as both transportation technology and cultural totem is literally the story of American capitalism. In the first episode of a six-part series, we examine the life and legacy of Henry Ford, whose Model T took the nation by storm after its debut in 1908. As Ford rises to an unprecedented position of wealth and power, his virulent anti-semitism and destructive business impulses threaten his company’s dominance of an emerging mass market in the 1920s. The Model T’s rise and fall as the nation’s most popular commercial product gives us a chance to examine the dark forces at the heart of the progressive era, connecting Ford’s business innovations (the assembly line, the $5 day, etc) to the racism and hypernationalism that plunged the world into depression and war. The series will continue with Parts 2-5 on our Patreon: Sources/inspiration for this episode include:
/episode/index/show/nostalgiatrap/id/29646228
info_outline
Nostalgia Trap - Ep 381: The Social Housing Question w/ Andrew Schustek and Samuel Stein
01/18/2024
Nostalgia Trap - Ep 381: The Social Housing Question w/ Andrew Schustek and Samuel Stein
Our friend is back with an all-new Housing Trap conversation all about the unfolding crisis of housing in 21st century New York City and beyond. This time he talks with returning guest Samuel Stein, a geographer, urban planner and housing policy analyst whose book is a must read for housing policy nerds (you know who you are). The boys talk about Sam’s and contemplate the future of affordable housing in America. You can listen to the entire Housing Trap series on our Patreon: Use the discount code AFFORDABLE at the NYRA site for 25% off a subscription, a publication well worth your support:
/episode/index/show/nostalgiatrap/id/29545513
info_outline
Nostalgia Trap - Ep 380: Field of Homosocial Dreams w/ Justin Rogers-Cooper
01/12/2024
Nostalgia Trap - Ep 380: Field of Homosocial Dreams w/ Justin Rogers-Cooper
This week Justin and I discuss the 1989 tearjerker , a film about ghosts playing baseball in some guy’s backyard that endures as a beloved classic of American cinema. What’s going on with that? As a lifelong devotee of the film, Justin articulates why Field of Dreams hits so hard, as we explore how the secular religious magic of baseball and movies intermingle with dreams of capitalist and socialist utopias. Sign up for a free 7 day trial of our massive library of podcasts, videos, and more:
/episode/index/show/nostalgiatrap/id/29466923
info_outline
Nostalgia Trap - Ep 379: Circling the Drain w/ Float Universe
01/02/2024
Nostalgia Trap - Ep 379: Circling the Drain w/ Float Universe
is an Instagram meme/troll account that’s ostensibly focused on the intersection of floatation tanks and psychedelic culture. The account’s creator joins me this week to explain how the floating experience mirrors the druggy rush of online dopamine adventures, as we explore how trolling and conspiracy theories are bending our everyday realities. Sign up for a free 7 day trial of our massive library of podcasts, videos, and more:
/episode/index/show/nostalgiatrap/id/29317063
info_outline
Nostalgia Trap - Ep 378: Big Tent Fascism w/ Justin Rogers-Cooper (PREVIEW)
12/28/2023
Nostalgia Trap - Ep 378: Big Tent Fascism w/ Justin Rogers-Cooper (PREVIEW)
We simply did not cover enough topics in our , so this week Justin is back to talk about some of the big trends looming on the horizon of 2024: another grim yet insanely consequential U.S. presidential election, rising anti-immigrant sentiment on both left and right, the ominous march of genocidal war in Gaza, and the accelerating violent race for resources to light up our dumb little devices. This is the first 7 minutes of a 70 minute conversation -- listen to the whole episode and access tons of other cool stuff by subscribing to our Patreon:
/episode/index/show/nostalgiatrap/id/29262733
info_outline
Nostalgia Trap - Ep 377: Past Forward w/ Clay Routledge
12/22/2023
Nostalgia Trap - Ep 377: Past Forward w/ Clay Routledge
is a teacher, writer, and researcher in the field of existential psychology. His latest book, explores a topic near and dear to our hearts: nostalgia and its power to shape the future. In this conversation, we talk about our own obsessions with specific pop cultural objects from our respective youths (video games, music, movies), and reflect on how nostalgic memories shape our individual and collective identities. Sign up for a free 7 day trial of our massive library of podcasts, videos, and more:
/episode/index/show/nostalgiatrap/id/29204018
info_outline
Nostalgia Trap - Ep 376: The Year of the Robot w/ Justin Rogers-Cooper (PREVIEW)
12/18/2023
Nostalgia Trap - Ep 376: The Year of the Robot w/ Justin Rogers-Cooper (PREVIEW)
It’s time to take a nostalgic look back at the past year, as we survey some of the big trends from 2023 that will inevitably fuck up our collective 2024. This year we end up talking a lot about tech’s grip on our political and cultural imagination: labor strikes in Hollywood and the auto industry, the impact of AI, and the giant lie of green capitalism glimpsed in the debacle of electric vehicles. Will 2024 be the year the tech spell breaks? Listen to the whole episode with a 7 day free trial of our patrons-only collection:
/episode/index/show/nostalgiatrap/id/29132478
info_outline
Nostalgia Trap - Ep 375: Stand By Me w/ Justin Rogers-Cooper
12/09/2023
Nostalgia Trap - Ep 375: Stand By Me w/ Justin Rogers-Cooper
Following last week’s , this week Justin and I continue our discussion of sad boys and bad dads with a conversation all about , the 1986 Stephen King/Rob Reiner nostalgia-fest about four boys journeying into the postwar American hinterlands to find a dead body (spoiler: the body is a metaphor). In this conversation, we explore how this movie’s sentimental, disturbing vision of mid-century American adolescence fits into a longer historical discourse of masculinity, trauma, and healing. Sign up for a free 7 day trial of our massive library of podcasts, videos, and more:
/episode/index/show/nostalgiatrap/id/29002353
info_outline
Nostalgia Trap - Ep 374: Between the Bars w/ Justin Rogers-Cooper (PREVIEW)
12/04/2023
Nostalgia Trap - Ep 374: Between the Bars w/ Justin Rogers-Cooper (PREVIEW)
This week Justin and I talk about the genius singer-songwriter who produced a stunning body of music in the late 90s before dying, tragically and cryptically, in 2003 at the age of 34. Smith's life and art intersects with the world of punk and grunge that emerged from the Pacific Northwest in the 80s and 90s, from the "boy culture" of Gus Van Sant films to the anti-rape politics of riot grrrl era feminism. In this conversation, we try to situate Smith within that wider history and offer some thoughts on his brief but prolific career. Listen to the full episode with a free 7 day trial of our beautiful library of bonus episodes:
/episode/index/show/nostalgiatrap/id/28909668
info_outline
Nostalgia Trap - Episode 373: The Gift of Death or, Zardoz and Our Analog Future w/ Anthony Galluzzo
11/22/2023
Nostalgia Trap - Episode 373: The Gift of Death or, Zardoz and Our Analog Future w/ Anthony Galluzzo
Anthony Galluzzo’s new book offers a delightfully adventurous set of takes on some of this podcast’s running obsessions: the collapse of the 1960s left, revolutionary violence, cult cinema, weird sex rituals, 1970s communes and “intentional communities,” population bombs, nuclear futures and, perhaps most of all, the religious belief in infinite technological progress that animates both the right and left. Fully automated luxury communism, anyone? In this conversation, Galluzzo shares how Zardoz’s bizarre story of a ’s prison break from a dystopian society recovers the lost “degrowth” movements of the 1970s and brings us a radically different vision of our collective future. ‘Tis the season for William S. Burroughs’ Thanksgiving Prayer: Sign up for a free 7 day trial of our massive library of podcasts, videos, and more:
/episode/index/show/nostalgiatrap/id/28759603
info_outline
Nostalgia Trap - Episode 372: Dirty Words w/ Justin Rogers-Cooper
11/05/2023
Nostalgia Trap - Episode 372: Dirty Words w/ Justin Rogers-Cooper
Justin Rogers-Cooper joins us for a conversation all about the life, work, and legacy of George Carlin, a key American cultural figure whose standup comedy transmitted radical ideas in the form of hilarious, often profane, “jokes.” What are “jokes” anyway? In this episode we find the traps in Carlin’s perspectives and reflect on the larger concept of standup comedy, particularly in the context of a Trumpian political reality that seems closer to Carlin’s dark, apocalyptic comedic vision than ever before. Check out the rest of our series deconstructing the radical old dudes of the 20th century: Subscribe for a free 7 day trial of our massive library of podcasts, videos, and more:
/episode/index/show/nostalgiatrap/id/28516610
info_outline
Nostalgia Trap - Ep 371: Pity the Landlord w/ Andrew Schustek and Charlie Dulik
10/24/2023
Nostalgia Trap - Ep 371: Pity the Landlord w/ Andrew Schustek and Charlie Dulik
This week we’ve got a brand new Housing Trap conversation with guest host Andrew Schustek talking with Charlie Dulik, whose explores the controversy and mythology surrounding the “mom and pop landlord” in 21st century American life. Is collecting rent from tenants just another hustle for working class people? Or is “landlord” a distinct category of capitalist exploitation? Sign up for a 7 day free trial of our big beautiful library of bonus episodes, videos, documentaries, and more:
/episode/index/show/nostalgiatrap/id/28409936
info_outline
Nostalgia Trap - Episode 370: The Israel Wormhole w/ Justin Rogers-Cooper
10/20/2023
Nostalgia Trap - Episode 370: The Israel Wormhole w/ Justin Rogers-Cooper
This week Justin and I try to wrap our minds and hearts around what's happening in Gaza. We offer some historical context, share some incredible Chomsky quotes (of course), and attempt to map out the future possibilities for the region. As always, though, it's hard to separate political analysis from the "fog of war" and the deep emotional stakes of watching an ongoing genocide funded by the United States government. We do our best to offer some directions for hope in an unfolding nightmare. Full episode:
/episode/index/show/nostalgiatrap/id/28379867
info_outline
Mr. Trap Ep 6 - Now It's Time to Drown the Wizard (PREVIEW)
10/01/2023
Mr. Trap Ep 6 - Now It's Time to Drown the Wizard (PREVIEW)
We are “back in action” and “ready to roll” and also just “ready” to continue our discussion of Mr. Show with Bob and David, a comedy television thing from the Before Times. On this episode, Peter, Geoff and David cover the opening episodes of Season 3: “Heaven’s Chimney” and “Peanut Butter, Eggs, and Dice.” There’s a lot of fun and challenging stuff here, as the show gets more confident in attacking its cultural targets, from right wing Christian cultists to self-congratulating liberal douchebags. Of course, there’s also plenty to cringe about, from Bob’s truly unbelievable depiction of a mentally challenged person to David Cross’ tired redneck minstrel character “Ronnie Dobbs.” Let’s have us a champagne jam! Full episode:
/episode/index/show/nostalgiatrap/id/28188770
info_outline
Nostalgia Trap - Episode 368: CHAIN REACTION
09/26/2023
Nostalgia Trap - Episode 368: CHAIN REACTION
This week Justin and I watched the forgotten 1996 science fiction thriller , starring Keanu Reeves as a scientist (lol) who discovers a source of infinite free energy and becomes the target of multiple global conspiracies aimed at controlling the world’s energy future. Seen from 2023, Chain Reaction reveals high anxiety about fossil fuels, the CIA, and the “just right” porridge of liberal masculinity (hint: it’s Obama/Morgan Freeman). This is first-rate Hollywood crap that somehow functions as an uncanny prophecy of our bad future. Run, Keanu, run! Join our Patreon to access our giant library of bonus content:
/episode/index/show/nostalgiatrap/id/28148693
info_outline
Nostalgia Trap - Episode 367: I Fought the Law
09/19/2023
Nostalgia Trap - Episode 367: I Fought the Law
In the past few weeks I've received many messages asking about the future of the show, so I wanted to put out a quick update about what's happening in my life (nothing too dramatic!) and where I expect the show to go. Long story short? I'm going to law school, and Nostalgia Trap will continue as I make my way through it. If you want to hear the whole story of why the hell anyone would go to law school in 2023, I tell it here, including all the weird signs and synchronicities that have set me on a somewhat unexpected, but eerily inevitable, new path.
/episode/index/show/nostalgiatrap/id/28086929
info_outline
Nostalgia Trap - Episode 366: News Trap 8.11.23 - OK DOOMER (PREVIEW)
08/11/2023
Nostalgia Trap - Episode 366: News Trap 8.11.23 - OK DOOMER (PREVIEW)
This week I crank up the doom machine and cover a few troubling trends for a dystopian future, drawing connections between this week's horrific destruction of Lahaina, Maui to the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. What are young people supposed to think about all this? And more importantly, will today's kids ever become HOMEOWNERS? Subscribe for all our NEWS TRAP episodes and tons of bonus content:
/episode/index/show/nostalgiatrap/id/27732378
info_outline
Nostalgia Trap - Episode 365: Summer 2023 News Trap w/ Justin Rogers-Cooper (PREVIEW)
08/02/2023
Nostalgia Trap - Episode 365: Summer 2023 News Trap w/ Justin Rogers-Cooper (PREVIEW)
This week Justin and I survey the big stories of the hot summer of 2023, with our eye on an unfolding and genuinely shocking set of ecological developments, the continuing practical and spiritual crisis of mass migration, the ominous undertones of the Hollywood strike and, of course, the revelations from major governments that yes, aliens exist and they have cool psychedelic vehicles. Is that just another collective heat hallucination, or have we truly arrived at the next chapter of the end times saga? Check out the whole episode here:
/episode/index/show/nostalgiatrap/id/27642228
info_outline
Nostalgia Trap - Ep 364: A Veep Theory of American Politics (PREVIEW)
07/22/2023
Nostalgia Trap - Ep 364: A Veep Theory of American Politics (PREVIEW)
is an HBO comedy series, starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus, that presents a dark satire of insider DC political culture. This week Justin and I consider Veep’s acid take on the critical years between 2012-2019, when Obama-era technocratic optimism gave way to Trumpian funhouse fascism. What Veep shows us is the reptilian machinations of the “burned out losers and conniving robots” that succeed in American party politics, giving us an opportunity to ask: is that true? Is the world really run by people this cynical and depraved?
/episode/index/show/nostalgiatrap/id/27536019
info_outline
Nostalgia Trap - Episode 363: M3GAN
07/07/2023
Nostalgia Trap - Episode 363: M3GAN
The sci-fi horror film was a “surprise” hit last year, generating tons of internet buzz, and, of course, endless think pieces. As Justin Rogers-Cooper and I talk about this week, M3GAN operates on multiple levels, and contains a discourse about AI, capitalist culture, and queer family formation that makes it much more than another “killer robot” movie. Like Silicon Valley itself, M3GAN sings to us: “Tell me your dreams, I will dream them too.” But are we really in charge of the dream? Check out our Patreon for bonus episodes, videos, and lots more:
/episode/index/show/nostalgiatrap/id/27403617
info_outline
Nostalgia Trap - Episode 362: Judas and the Black Messiah (PREVIEW)
06/30/2023
Nostalgia Trap - Episode 362: Judas and the Black Messiah (PREVIEW)
The FBI-orchestrated murder of Black Panther Party leader in 1969 remains one of the most singularly evil crimes of the 20th century, and it’s a story about which most Americans know very little. The 2021 film , directed by Shaka King, is a heavy, detailed consideration of the events that led to Hampton’s death, focusing mainly on the figure of , a small-time thief coerced by the FBI into becoming a confidential informant working within Hampton’s organization. As Justin and I discuss in this episode, the film puts us in the center of the complicated moral calculations that defined 1960s radicalism, and asks hard questions about the price of loyalty, freedom, and revolution. Listen to whole episode with 7 day free trial of our Patreon membership;
/episode/index/show/nostalgiatrap/id/27335601
info_outline
Mr. Trap Ep 5 - Hey, Kids Are Our Future (PREVIEW)
06/28/2023
Mr. Trap Ep 5 - Hey, Kids Are Our Future (PREVIEW)
Continuing our epic survey of Mr. Show with Bob and David, the most important television program of all time, we watch the final two episodes of Mr. Show’s second season: “Operation Hell on Earth” and “The Velveteen Touch of a Dandy Fop.” As David, Peter, and Geoff discuss here, the show feels like it takes a thematic/aesthetic turn in these particular sketches, with hints of where we’re headed in Season 3. There’s weird arty stuff here (the entire “Recruiters” sketch, a parody of the basketball documentary Hoop Dreams, is uncanny), plus some all-time favorite characters (Fartin’ Gary, Droopy), and more than a few surprising takes on 90s culture and politics. Mr. Trap is included with a subscription to the Nostalgia Trap Patreon -- sign up for a FREE 7 day trial here:
/episode/index/show/nostalgiatrap/id/27308640
info_outline
Nostalgia Trap - Episode 361: Sittin' on Top of the World w/ Kristen Lovell
06/22/2023
Nostalgia Trap - Episode 361: Sittin' on Top of the World w/ Kristen Lovell
Kristen Lovell is a filmmaker whose new documentary, , tells the story of transgender women surviving as sex workers in New York City’s Meatpacking District during the 1980s and 1990s. This is harrowing stuff, and a perspective on urban history and gentrification like you’ve never seen before. In this conversation, Lovell tells me about her own experiences in the neighborhood, and reflects on how the Giuliani/Bloomberg era used real estate and finance to cover the city’s dark history with luxury facades. Subscribe to Nostalgia Trap to access our massive library of bonus episodes, video essays, and more:
/episode/index/show/nostalgiatrap/id/27238326
info_outline
Nostalgia Trap - Livestream 6.16.23: The Audacity of Nope (PREVIEW)
06/17/2023
Nostalgia Trap - Livestream 6.16.23: The Audacity of Nope (PREVIEW)
This week Justin and I finally get around to watching Jordan Peele's latest film, , a UFO story layered with allegories about race, nature, and cinema itself. We both find something simultaneously compelling and frustrating about Peele's work, and in this conversation we try to get at the weird contours and contradictions of his auteurist project. Listen to the whole episode with a free trial of our Patreon stream:
/episode/index/show/nostalgiatrap/id/27182394