News Trap 2025 Year in Review - Muzzle Velocity w/ Justin Rogers-Cooper (PREVIEW)
Nostalgia Trap
This is a preview clip from a subscribers-only episode. It's time once again to sip some eggnog and survey the wreckage of the past 12 months, as Justin joins us for a conversation about the continuing (though anti-viral) insanity of the Russia-Ukraine War and its significance within the larger framework of Europe's decline. We also talk about the strength of the MAGA project in the wake of Charlie Kirk's assassination and the rising cost of living, and consider the disturbing implications of the "Fuck Around and Find Out" philosophy as applied to political violence. Happy Holidays!
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The Drug Trap, Part Two - A Bottle in Front of Me (PREVIEW)
Nostalgia Trap
This is a clip from a subscribers-only episode. As we continue our exploration of various forms of intoxicants, I share some personal stories and insights about America's favorite mind-altering substance: alcohol. From teenage experiments with wine coolers to the tipsy world of New York City dive bars, I've collected some hard-earned perspectives on the complicated role booze plays in our lives and the wider world. Cheers!
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News Trap 12.5.25 - Big Talkers w/ Justin Rogers-Cooper (PREVIEW)
Nostalgia Trap
This is a preview clip of a subscribers-only episode. Is the Trump Reich in terminal decline? Have we entered a new stage in the madness of this administration? This week Justin joins me to catalog some of the important points of failure and retreat in the White House and beyond, from Trump's faltering ballroom construction project and the quiet shuttering of DOGE, to tech psychos like Sam Altman and Elon Musk selling increasingly unrealistic visions of the future (OpenAI dominance and Nazified white supremacy, respectively). Meanwhile, China sharpens the blades of its own tech projects and...
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Livestream 12.1.25: No Way Out (PREVIEW)
Nostalgia Trap
This is a preview of a subscribers-only episode. Lots of fun stuff today: slavery in the tuna industry, monetized Nazi content driving engagement across every major social media platform, the idea of "moving where it's cheaper" meets open ridicule, poetry as a way of hacking AI systems into encouraging self harm, Iran faces truly apocalyptic drought conditions, and worldwide murder rates decline precipitously because there aren't enough kids around to do the killing anymore.
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The Drug Trap, Part One - Pills! Pills! Pills! (PREVIEW)
Nostalgia Trap
Have you ever seen ? It's an epic documentary whose title says it all: a legendary director tells his life story while sharing ideas about the history of cinema. Kind of a two-for-one. I highly recommend it. Anyway, that's what I'm going to do with this series, except instead of movies I'll be talking about drugs. I don't think my drug experiences are particularly unique, but I do have a lot of drug experiences, and I think I've got some insights to offer that extend beyond memoir; that is, I'm going to attempt to connect my own highs and lows with the broader history and politics of the past...
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News Trap 11.14.25 - The Epstein Problem w/ Justin Rogers-Cooper
Nostalgia Trap
The latest Jeffrey Epstein email dump brings up some intriguing ideas about the shadowy financier's actual role among all his elite friends, from Donald Trump to Noam Chomsky. Why did so many powerful people seek his advice and companionship, despite knowing the details of his dark crimes? As Justin Rogers-Cooper explains, the answer raises uncomfortable questions about American history, "cancel culture," and the depths of inhumanity we're willing to forgive in our heroes, leaders, and friends.
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News Trap 11.7.25 - Change You Can Believe In w/ Justin Rogers-Cooper (PREVIEW
Nostalgia Trap
This is a preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit the . This week Justin and I talk about the Mamdani victory in NYC; the shifting dynamics of the much hyped "civil war" within the Democratic Party; how to read the Trump administration's weak response on elections and the government shutdown; Marjorie Taylor-Greene's ; the Heritage Foundation's and Nazi influencers; about Nayib Bukele and his El Salvador prison project.
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News Trap 10.24.25 - For Me to Poop On w/ Justin Rogers-Cooper (PREVIEW)
Nostalgia Trap
The US government shits the bed, Trump dumps AI feces on protesters, the East Wing of the White House gets flushed down the toilet, Mamdani squeezes out a floater upon a dying Democratic Party, and something stinks about the US dropping bombs on "drug dealers" off the coast of Venezuela.
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Livestream: One Battle After Another
Nostalgia Trap
Spoiler alert! I recorded this livestream about an hour after finishing this movie, so this is me attempting to untangle my thoughts about it. A complicated, funny, scary, and beautiful contemplation about revolutionary praxis (worst word in the world), One Battle After Another is definitely worth your time. I explain why here.
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News Trap 10.10.25 - The Best of Times, the Worst of times w/ Justin Rogers-Cooper (PREVIEW)
Nostalgia Trap
This week Justin joins me to consider the dialectical nature of our 2025 reality, as we examine the utopian and dystopian properties of Bad Bunny Super Bowl discourse, the rise of Zohran Mamdani, and the accelerated unleashing of AI slop upon a world of hungry little piggies. Are we in heaven, or are we in hell? Why not both?
info_outlineLike many hip youngsters of my generation, at some point in my twenties I got Jazz-pilled by Beat literature, with writers like Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg name-dropping bop-era musicians like Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, and many more, sending me to Limewire to download mp3s of 1950s and 1960s Jazz. In recent years, my casual appreciation has turned into a more intense investigation of music history and practice, particularly after discovering “The Grape,” a Jazz club in my neighborhood that’s overflowing with colorful characters and musical adventure. My guest today is one of those characters: Monte Montgomery is a multi-instrumentalist, former touring funk guitarist, and all around hip music dude. In this conversation, he shares highlights from his decades in music, from playing funk with a group of Black GIs on a military base in Germany at the age of 17, to entertaining celebrities and insanely rich people on the Beverly Hills philanthropic event circuit, to his current gig holding court on piano, guitar, and drums every Tuesday night at The Grape.
Check out my new ‘90s music podcast/video series with John Lombardo, 120 MONTHS: https://substack.com/@120months
Listen to our special News Trap episode on the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina with Justin Rogers-Cooper: https://www.patreon.com/posts/news-trap-8-30-w-137726055
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