#143 The End Is Nigh: Counterculture, insurrection, Gladiator, and the politics of catastrophe

I am back from holiday, and of course during my break events occurred.

Back in 2016, Trump's win was a nasty shock. But ultimately as it panned out, the worst of it was confined to a generally queasy sense of chaos, the Trump family's probably-illegal self-enrichment, and the trashing of the public finances in the pursuit of all time highs on the S&P500. That was until the attempted insurrection of January 6 2021, an event which should've disqualified the incumbent from ever being involved in politics again.

This time around it feels totally different - much more so given the hand waving of that event and the apparently serious and organised nature of the incoming administration. Things could get bad. But why did they win?

You've probably had a bellyfull of election coverage already, but the relationship the forces at play here have with some of the broad themes discussed on the show recently mean we have to get into it. Themes like counterculture, the declining importance of music and musicians, the debasement of culture more generally. And the failure of the other side of politics to construct a coherent alternative to the coming chaos.

We'll have a guest on next week but this one is just me... so buckle up!

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