Episode 121: “Awkward Armor” ft. Pynk Spots

In this episode of Coffee with Comrades, I am joined by Nic, host of our Channel Zero Network sister-show, Pynk Spots, to chat about managing shyness and introversion in media work, teaching, and community-organizing.   This wide-ranging conversation covers it all: prepping for public speaking, decentering yourself at rallies and demonstrations, figuring out how to cope with introversion, mitigating awkward situations, commiserating over embarrassing moments, etc. The fist half of our dialogue covers tips and tricks. The second chunk deals with how to apply these lessons to organizing in your own community, whether you’re doing community gardening or engaging in militant direct action. Follow Pynk Spots on Twitter and Instagram and subscribe to their YouTube channel! They’re almost to 1000 subscribers. Also make sure to support Pynk Spots on Patreon.  Speaking of which, you can watch this entire conversation on video!  Pearson is now a co-host of Macabre Media podcast! Follow us on Twitter and Instagram and Patreon. Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and visit our website. Coffee with Comrades is a proud member of the Channel Zero Network. Coffee with Comrades is proud to be part of the Rev Left Radio Federation. Coffee with Comrades is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations!  Our logo was designed by Sydney Landis. Support her work, buy some art. Music:  Intro: “I Ain’t Got No Home in this World” by Woody Guthrie Interlude: “Two Queens in a King-Sized Bed” by girl in red  Outro: “HYD” by Hayley Williams

Episode 120: “No Poisons, No Prisons” ft. George Schimitz

This week, my friend George stopped by to talk about the intersections of straight-edge and radical politics. We talked about being sober, punk and hardcore, and the how revolutionaries might benefit from the clarity and focus of being drug-free. But, fear not–neither of us are here trying to provide some prescriptive dogma. Honestly, it was just fun to catch up and shoot the shit. George also talks a bit about the new Stick to Your Guns EP, The Meaning Remains, which comes out this week so stick around ‘til the very end of the episode to hear a bit more about the record.  Pick up a copy of The Meaning Remains EP.  Follow George on Twitter and follow Stick to Your Guns while you’re at it!  Pick up a copy of Sober Living for the Revolution. Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and visit our website. Coffee with Comrades is a proud member of the Channel Zero Network. Coffee with Comrades is proud to be part of the Rev Left Radio Federation. Coffee with Comrades is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations!  Our logo was designed by Sydney Landis. Support her work, buy some art. Music:  Intro: “I Ain’t Got No Home in this World Anymore” by Woody Guthrie  Interlude: “Amber (Acoustic)” by Stick to Your Guns  Outro: “Hasta La Victoria (Demo)” by Stick to Your Guns

Episode 119: “Google Murray Bookchin” ft. Anark

After we put out our three-part series introducing socialism, communism, and anarchism, I had a flood of folks message me on Twitter or shoot me an email and ask, “What happened to the social ecology episode?” As I’ve said before, sadly, it got lost to the eldritch gods of audio-editing. Rest assured that we’ll do a deep-dive into social ecology at some point in the near future as it’s a branch of leftist theory I’m profoundly interested in, but—in the mean time—hopefully this week’s episode of the podcast can tide you over. I recently sat down with Daniel Baryon, better known by his YouTube alias, Anark, to discuss possibly the most important text of Murray Bookchin’s career, The Ecology of Freedom: The Emergence and Dissolution of Hierarchy. Daniel and I spent some time digging into some of the text’s major themes, argued that The Ecology of Freedom is a work as monumental as Marx’s Capital, and offer some critiques of the text, as well. Check out Anark on YouTube and follow Daniel on Twitter.  The Ecology of Freedom: The Emergence and Dissolution of Hierarchy .pdf  Episode 61 of Coffee with Comrades, “Anarchy or Annihilation”  Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and visit our website. Coffee with Comrades is a proud affiliate of the Channel Zero Network. Coffee with Comrades is a proud part of the Rev Left Radio Federation. Our logo was designed by Sydney Landis. Support her work, buy some art. Music: Intro: “I Ain’t Got No Home in this World” by Woody Guthrie Interlude: Interlude: “Solar” by Northlane Outro: “Wake the Dead” by Comeback Kid

Episode 118: “The Coalition for Dan Baker”

On January 15, in Tallahassee, FL, the FBI arrested Daniel Baker, a local leftist, veteran, and a former combat medic with the YPG, on trumped-up charges meant to silence dissent and criminalize community armed defense.  FBI agents bullrushed Dan’s apartment, guns drawn, broken open the front door, and threw a flash bang grenade before making the arrest. Dan, who has been described by various news outlets as being involved in some insidious “Florida Cspitol plot” and having connections with a “Marxist guerilla organization” has been charged by the federal government, denied bail on the grounds that he’s a flight risk, and held in solitary confinement in a segretated housing unit because authorities fear he will “radicalize” other prisoners. Allegations surrounding Dan’s arrest stem from flimsy, circumstantial evidence, derived almost entirely from social media posts Dan allegedly made, some fliers Dan allegedly printed off and distributed in the community calling for folks to arm themselves against a possible white supremacist coup, and a few pithy memes he allegedly reposted on the internet. Should Dan be convicted, he could face up to 5 years in prison and over $250,000 in fines. But who is Dan Baker, really? Today, we set the record straight. In this edition of Coffee with Comrades, I am joined by Eric, Dan’s friend and former roommate, and our mutual comrade, Jack, to discuss the allegations, the anti-repression work surrounding Dan’s case, the DeSantis administration’s anti-protest bill, and a whole lot more. I want to preface by saying I think this is an immensely vital case of vindictive, opportunistic repression against the left, the opening salvo of the repression that is sure to come from Biden’s neoliberal administration which has made no pretense of being friendly with the left. But this moment can prove instructive to folks interested in doing the hard work of defending their communities from the horrors of white supremacist and fascist violence by understanding how the state will crackdown on those of us who choose to stand up for our neighbors and take proactive measures to ensure our communities can continue to survive in spite of the crises engendered by capitalism and the state. You can write to Dan at the following address: Daniel Baker Reg. No. 25765-509 FDC Tallahassee, 501 Capital Circle NE Tallahassee, FL 32301 If you wanna help Dan: – Follow @GuerillaGalleryTLH to stay up to date with Dan’s case on Instagram – Venmo or PayPal @echampagneart   – Circulate this flier as widely as you can – Read Jacobin’s coverage of Dan’s case  Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and visit our website. Coffee with Comrades is a proud affiliate of the Channel Zero Network. Coffee with Comrades is a proud part of the Rev Left Radio Federation. Our logo was designed by Sydney Landis. Support her work, buy some art.