Aesthetic Resistance Podcast

Participants: John Steppling, Hiroyuki Hamada, Brecht Jonkers, and Dennis Riches. Topics covered: Hegseth fails basic military decorum, Democratic Congress fails its first challenge, selective persecution and prosecution, groupie culture, celebrity worship, morality and community, rust-covered hearts, Kerouac in Paris in 1965. Music track: “Jailhouse Blues” by Tuba Skinny (the band is on YouTube, asks for tips via Venmo and Paypal). See Aesthetic Resistance on Substack for links to some sources mentioned in the discussion.

Participants: John Steppling, Hiroyuki Hamada, Brecht Jonkers, and Dennis Riches. Topics covered: US mid-term elections, shifting demographics in flyover country and red states, nuclear threats against Iran, Iran’s preparation for being attacked by nuclear weapons, UK on the warpath, anti-communists’ accidental discovery of communist solutions, romanticizing the pre-smartphone era, prepare for an emergency but don’t expect to be using cash, technology fails but it doesn’t matter—its purpose is something else. Music track: “I’m So Glad” by Skip James (public domain). See Aesthetic Resistance on Substack for links to some sources mentioned in the discussion.

Participants: John Steppling, Hiroyuki Hamada, Brecht Jonkers, and Dennis Riches. Topics covered: The anti-capitalists who can’t find socialism, a sudden worldwide warning to prepare for a three-day emergency, Trump’s mysterious new gay rhetoric, Norway and Finland PMs call Putin, Israel to Spain: “Hey, nice rail network you got there...” election result in Brazil, all the money and power with no brains or ideas behind it, Jews against Zionism, European chaos and the Ukraine war. Music track: “Crow Jane” by Skip James (public domain). See Aesthetic Resistance on Substack for links to some sources mentioned in the discussion.

Participants: John Steppling, Hiroyuki Hamada, Brecht Jonkers, and Dennis Riches. Topics covered: upcoming documentary about Terry Ork, theft of the mid-term elections? Saudi Arabia-Yemen conflict, managing imperial decline, decline of the US empire? -->it must be demons, lizard people and aliens. Music track: “Where did you sleep last night?” by Leadbelly (public domain). See Aesthetic Resistance on Substack for links to sources mentioned in the discussion.

Participants: John Steppling, Hiroyuki Hamada, and Brecht Jonkers. Music track: “Matchbox Blues” by Blind Lemon Jefferson (public domain). See Aesthetic Resistance on Substack for links to some sources mentioned in the discussion.

Participants: John Steppling, Lex Steppling, Hiroyuki Hamada, and Dennis Riches. Topics covered: The EU and China talk about their trade deficit, asset stripping of Europe, the botched execution of Christa Pike, Hegseth wants a televised execution, Zionism gone global, Brazil turns right, incompetents and incompetence in high places, inter-generational resentment, screen-based reality vs. what’s really happening in communities. Music track: “Magnolia Blues” by Charlie Patton (public domain). See Aesthetic Resistance on Substack for links to some sources mentioned in the discussion.

Participants: John Steppling, Brecht Jonkers, Hiroyuki Hamada, and Dennis Riches. Topics covered: The botched execution of Christa Pike, the death-defying, reality-defying Lie Dubai flight to Tel Aviv, Mossad-staged protests in Iran (2026/01), the arrogant Western drive to fix the flaws of other nations, Weirdos and Beardos?–Hegseth’s reforms of the US military, did the world want communism, or did communism want the world? humanitarian interventions since the Crusades, justice system reform, the indifference of the comfortable majority to the suffering of those below. Music track: “Prayer of Death” by Charlie Patton (public domain). See Aesthetic Resistance on Substack for links to some...

Participants: John Steppling, Hiroyuki Hamada, Brecht Jonkers, and Dennis Riches. Topics covered: Tommy Tuberville and the furries, no protest as Trump violates the UN Charter in his speech to the General Assembly, Arc de Tr(i)ump for America, US think tanks call for moving US bases farther back from Japan, Japan doesn’t want to be classified as an “enemy state” anymore, Jon Stewart’s softball interview with Ari Emanuel, Greenland under US control, is Saudi Arabia collapsing? Taiwan buys more US weapons, Music track: “See that My Grave is Kept Clean” by Blind Lemon Jefferson (public domain). See Aesthetic Re...

Participants: John Steppling, Hiroyuki Hamada, Brecht Jonkers, and Dennis Riches. Topics covered: Ed Sheeran misreads the public mood on Zionist atrocities, Kash Patel’s unusual testimony in the US Senate, the history of Yemen and the Saudi-Yemen conflict, the importance of “meaningless” social interactions, customer service, what the Unabomber’s manifesto said about hobbies, the inexplicable tolerance of violence by police and ICE agents. Music track: “Denomination Blues—Part 1” by Washington Phillips. See Aesthetic Resistance on Substack for links to some sources mentioned in the discussion.

Participants: John Steppling, Brecht Jonkers, Hiroyuki Hamada, and Dennis Riches. Topics covered: Trump in the rubble on 9/11, 2001? purge at the Smithsonian, the compatible left, the loss of cinema literacy, the problematic history of the IAEA, two histories of American empire—continental and global, report on the Commonwealth of World Chinatowns and the Penang Peace Dialogue, September 5-6, 2026, the myth of the thin blue line. Music track: “Chinatown” by The Mills Brothers (public domain). See Aesthetic Resistance on Substack for links to some sources mentioned in the discussion.

Participants: John Steppling, Brecht Jonkers, and Dennis Riches

Participants: John Steppling, Brecht Jonkers, Hiroyuki Hamada, and Dennis Riches. Topics covered: children flying kites targeted in Gaza, writer for The Guardian admits he fabricated malicious lies about Iran, the fate of America with a president who is a malignant narcissist with dementia, the invisible commie threat, know-nothing know-it-alls in the commentariat, leftists who still can’t tell the truth about what happened in Yugoslavia in the 1990s, Japanese WWII deserters who fought for Ho Chi Minh. Music track: “See My Jumper Hanging on the Line” by R. L. Burnside. See Aesthetic Resistance on Substack for links to some sources mentio...

Participants: John Steppling, Brecht Jonkers, Hiroyuki Hamada, Lex Steppling, and Dennis Riches. Topics covered: ICE agent brutality, frauds in academia, mutiny on the USS Abraham Lincoln, the US failure to prepare for rivals in possession of precision weapons arsenals, Senator Ossoff takes aim at Trump, the myth of surveillance camera infallibility, illiteracy and the decline of reading, the void of serious thinkers among liberals, Christopher Hitchens on The Odyssey. Music track “Trouble Will Soon Be Over” by Blind Willie Johnson (public domain).

Participants: John Steppling, Jeptha Storm, Hiroyuki Hamada, and Dennis Riches. Topics covered: ICE agent excesses, mutiny on the USS Abraham Lincoln, Trump dodges assassination on Air Force One? Ukraine headed for its “South Vietnam (1975/04/30) moment”, Fauci still revered, still has apologists, demographic collapse—engineered or organically formed? the illiteracy of film creators and film audiences, the collapse of the Hollywood film industry, paradox: how to find a supportive audience for art without commodifying it. Music track “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out” by Johann Uhrmann (public domain).

Participants: John Steppling, Lex Steppling, Brecht Jonkers, Hiroyuki Hamada, and Dennis Riches. Topics covered: ICE agent excesses, the demonization of Ibrahim Traore, the rehabilitation of Freud’s work, demonization of Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser, no bang for the buck from the US military budget, liberals’ preoccupation with the vices of artists, Joan Baez still fawning over Anthony Fauci as he invokes his 5th amendment rights, which is more destructive: conservative wolves or liberal foxes? Michael Hudson: socialism is when a government uses money as a public utility instead of as a racket for rent extraction. Music track “God Don’t Never...

A Conversation with Guy Zimmerman & John Steppling: Theatre and Culture (Part 6) (Lecture 14)

Participants: John Steppling, Brecht Jonkers, Hiroyuki Hamada, and Dennis Riches. Topics covered: ICE agent murderers and detention center abuses, the demonization of Ibrahim Traore, debunking liberal democracy as the pinnacle of socio-political evolution, plans to hand over the organizing of the World Cup to a Kushner corporation, Jakarta Method II for South America. Music track “Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground” by Blind Willie Johnson, circa 1927-1930 (public domain for non-earth inhabitants who listen to it beamed from the Voyager Interstellar Probe).

Participants: John Steppling, Brecht Jonkers, Hiroyuki Hamada, and Dennis Riches. Topics covered: ICE agent murderers, the “Cuban threat to America”, Testosterone Pete’s Workout Videos, the Middle East protection racket fails to protect, the decline of reading and teaching to read, the rise and fall of societal solidarity. Music track “Lonesome Road Blues” by Sam Collins (public domain).

Participants: John Steppling, Brecht Jonkers, Hiroyuki Hamada, and Dennis Riches. Topics covered: the 2026 World Cup: the fix is in, NATO summit in Ankara, the wars are back on again, the MoU was a farce, Jacques-Louis David’s “The Death of Marat”. Music track “Motherless Children Have a Hard Time” by Blind Willie Johnson (public domain).

Participants: John Steppling, Brecht Jonkers, Hiroyuki Hamada, and Dennis Riches. Topics covered: the 2026 World Cup: the fix is in? Trump administration rejoices in the departure of the Iranian team, NATO leaders proud of their role in the war on Iran, the Western governance clown show, unqualified amateurs at the helm. Music track: “Chinatown” by The Mills Brothers (1932, public domain).

Participants: John Steppling, Brecht Jonkers, Hiroyuki Hamada, and Dennis Riches. Topics covered: Zionist sadism, how Israel is worse than apartheid, questionable calls by referees in the 2026 World Cup, Israel calls out antisemitism everywhere but Ukraine—not a word about its glorification of Nazi collaborators, earthquakes on the same day in Venezuela and Japan, the media’s go-to explanation of crimes is antisemitism, was the Iran peace deal designed to moderate both Iran and Zionism? the decline of film criticism, the loss of cultural practices and education, Soviet and Chinese film archives on YouTube, Music track: “It Had to Be You” by Mario...

Participants: John Steppling, Brecht Jonkers, Hiroyuki Hamada, and Dennis Riches. Topics covered: billionaires’ escape plans, the US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding, 2026 World Cup, the upside of social media. Music track: “Baby Please Don’t Go” by Big Bill Broonzy (public domain).

A Conversation on Theatre with John Steppling & Guy Zimmerman (Part Five)(Lecture 13) by John Steppling

Participants: John Steppling, Hiroyuki Hamada, and Dennis Riches. Topics covered: Albania’s Sazan Island, Justin Trudeau and Katy Perry at Tribeca, the drones and missiles stalemate of contemporary war, the science fiction notion of runaway A.I., computer wargaming in 1951, death of legacy news media, the coming societal reckoning with technology, female sex tourists in Africa, Music track: “Ninety-Nine” by Sonny Boy Williamson (public domain).

Participants: John Steppling, Brecht Jonkers, Hiroyuki Hamada, and Dennis Riches. Topics covered: Albania and Bolivia fight back against the Trump family takeover, the death of CBS News, Zionism boasts of going global, the evolution of political consciousness since the end of the USSR, ecological footprint of the military, acting secrets—what draws an audience to a performer? Music track: “Minglewood Blues” by Kitchen Sink (public domain).

Participants: John Steppling, Ray Hosseini, Brecht Jonkers, Hiroyuki Hamada, and Dennis Riches. Topics covered: The mysterious data center construction boom, the history of antisemitism, Trump links the Abraham Accords to a deal with Iran, late-stage capitalism and the looting of what’s left, witness testimony of the Gaza atrocities. Music track: “All Going Out and Nothing Coming In” by Bert Williams (public domain).

Participants: John Steppling, Hiroyuki Hamada, and Dennis Riches. Topics covered: The mysterious data center construction boom, the US thinks it can indict Raul Castro for terrorism, unanswered questions about the true intent of the attack on Iran, the fascist cults of billionaires, the writing of Benjamin Labutut, panpsychism, why have no aliens landed? Music track: “Minglewood Blues” by Cannon’s Jug Stompers (public domain).

Participants: John Steppling, Ray Hosseini, Hiroyuki Hamada, and Dennis Riches. Topics covered: Strait of Hormuz supply shock kind of looks like the sanctions suffered by Iran for decades, UN charter’s “enemy state” clause and the 2+4 treaty concerning German reunification in 1990, what’s behind the big push for data centers? windmills tilting the ecological balance, low morale in the US military, the Trump administration’s fight with the Pope, the return to religiosity and magical thinking among the political leadership, the “band of brothers” meme in war stories, Robert Kagan and the neocons admit defeat. Music track: “Broken Yo-Yo” by Texas Alexander (p

Participants: John Steppling, Hiroyuki Hamada, and Dennis Riches. Topics covered: opposition to data centers, data centers claimed to be national security assets, Japan’s militarization and growing protests against it, Bill Gates “ticks” all the boxes as a loathsome plague on the health of humanity, MAGA diehards think Trump is playing 5-D chess, social pressure to stay in the polarized left-right/blue-red mindscape, working class musicians no longer get into the music business, officers refuse to carry out the orders of the Secretary of War, the Charlie Kirk assassination in the Spectacle, Anthony Blinken tells the real reason for shutting down t...

Fourth installment of a discussion between Guy Zimmerman and John Steppling.

Participants: John Steppling, Cory Morningstar, Hiroyuki Hamada, and Dennis Riches. Topics covered: The US-Israeli war of aggression against Iran, USS Gerald Ford sails home, Marxism and environmentalism, data centers and electricity supply, A.I. proven mathematically to lead to rapid economic collapse, weird scenes inside the White House Correspondents Dinner, Japan ramps up military exercises in nearby seas, Iran lets a Japanese oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz, the rehabilitation of Michael Jackson? the cultural legacy of the Marquis de Sade. Music track: “Stack O’Lee Blues” by Mississippi John Hurt (public domain).

Participants: John Steppling, Hiroyuki Hamada, Ray Hosseini, and Dennis Riches. Topics covered: The US-Israeli war of aggression against Iran, food shortages on US Navy ships, Western Marxism, the forgotten US-Iran Algiers Accord of 1981, oil refineries exploding everywhere, the mysterious deaths of nuclear scientists everywhere all at once, pejorative terminology: who defines what is “hardline,” “regime,” “strongman”? weather modification warfare in the Gulf States, Trump’s spiritual advisor speaks in tongues; his enemies worry about inter-dimensional demons. Music track: “Travellin’ Blues” by Blind Willie McTell (public domain).

Participants: John Steppling, Hiroyuki Hamada, and Dennis Riches. Topics covered: The US-Israeli war of aggression against Iran, responsibility of the Western NGO complex for supporting excuses for the war, the failure of the bad faith ceasefire, blockade upon blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, witting and unwitting limited hangouts, the lack of anti-imperialist critics of the war, the Artemis moon mission and its detractors, the toxic American food supply, the reactionary tendencies of the American working class. Music track: “Statesboro Blues” by Blind Willie McTell (public domain).

Participants: John Steppling, Hiroyuki Hamada, Ray Hosseini, and Dennis Riches. Topics covered: Iran-US+Israel ceasefire? Zionist refugees flee to Cyprus and Argentina, “Heaven’s Gate” and the end, in 1980, of an era in film-making, Hollywood done with Cimino, Friedkin and other directors who made films for adults, plastic surgery and the Mar a Lago look, nicknames for Trump’s dementia and his Iran adventure: Dumbkirk, Stalling-grad, Water-Gold-Plated-Loo, General Clusterfuck at the Battle of Little Big Porn, Music track: “Big Plans” by Jack Littman (used with permission).

Participants: John Steppling, Hiroyuki Hamada, and Dennis Riches. Topics covered: Jonathan the 193-year-old tortoise, Bertrand Russell, Napoleon and ancient the tortoises on St. Helena Island, Trump’s falling star, No Kings protests—performance art with no demands, US allies back away nervously from the Israel-US war on Iran, Iran War as a Project Hail Mary, the atrociousness of Israel exceeds that of South African apartheid in the 1980s, FBI, CIA and military advisors on Hollywood writing teams, Klaus Theweleit’s “Male Fantasies”, Andrew Ross’ choice of four iconic moments of the 1960s, Andy Warhol, Music track: “Betty” by Jack Littman (used with permis

Participants: John Steppling, Luna Nguyen, EJ Johnson, Hiroyuki Hamada, Cory Morningstar and Dennis Riches. Topics covered: The branding and marketing of US military organizations, the aesthetics and excesses of military and ICE agent uniforms, military propaganda embedded in all entertainment, the mental decline of Donald Trump, Hegseth’s holy war, the struggling U.S. Navy fleet, reactions in Vietnam to the war against Iran, Vietnam’s history of economic reform and dealing with corruption, the impossibility of mythic journeys in a nation of interstate highways. Music track: “Baby Love” by Jack Littman (used with permission).

Participants: John Steppling, Ray Hosseini, Hiroyuki Hamada, and Dennis Riches. Topics covered: Contradictory retroactive justifications for war, the struggling U.S. Navy fleet, Trump administration meltdown and clown show, clown shoes. Israeli officials missing in action, A.I. fakes as proof of life, Stalingrad is to Germany as Iran is to the U.S. The impossibility of mythic journeys in a world guided by GPS, living in the eternal present in the Giant’s realm at the top of the beanstalk. Music track: “Deep Blue Sea Blues” by Clara Smith (public domain).

Participants: John Steppling, Cory Morningstar, Hiroyuki Hamada, and Dennis Riches. Topics covered: Contradictory retroactive justifications for war, migrant workers stranded in the Gulf States, Erika Kirk qualified for high-level public office? Western Asian states jostle for position in the coming post-empire order, Trump administration clown show, war motivated by eschatological motives, fog of war and a flood of fake A.I. generated videos of missile strikes, the war emergency being used as a new excuse for citizen lockdowns, etc... Music track: “Desafinado” by Stan Getz (public domain).

Topics covered: The liberal left’s conditional criticism of the war against Iran, the problem with the liberal attack on the “illiberalism of the Iranian regime”, Jon Stewart recycles stale anti-Muslim jokes from 2001, pretends not to know why Iran attacked US bases in the Gulf States, the communist leadership of Vietnam goes along with Trump’s plan for Gaza Board of Peace (Bored of Peace), governments everywhere refuse to condemn the aggression against Iran, voice mild concerns instead, Trump’s cabinet and its supporters claim to be carrying out God’s holy plan, the unconscious assumption of white European supremacy among libera...

Participants: John Steppling, Cory Morningstar, Hiroyuki Hamada, and Dennis Riches. Topics covered: the hybrid war on Iran, US Navy within stinking distance near Iran, report from Cuba, report from Vietnam, the Epstein Regime, ICE and the prison industrial complex, Los Angeles lawyer Harry Weiss’ pool parties (circa 1970). Music track: “Dos Gardenias” by Roberto Sanchez.