Chapo Trap House and the rise of the dirtbag left

ahsjfhshfj https://t.co/FJqqaPAbXi pic.twitter.com/SEt7QBbCnF

— libby watson (@libbycwatson) March 20, 2019

I feel like Bill Oakley had to be a Virgil pick but then Christman seems very into fast food as well

feels more like they'll leap at any opportunity to have a golden-era simpsons writer on the show, and the fast-food stuff was just a bonus

so it turns out one of the Chapos is from Manitowoc and I actually knew him about 10 (??) years ago

more of a friend of a friend type thing but still kinda neat

you knew matt? the best chapo?

I mean, I don't have anything interesting to say about him...we played cards sometimes, I remember him being nice & funny, he was tight with a few people I still keep up with. I wonder if they know he's sorta famous now. would never have recognized it before, he looked way different back then

hiding in plain sight with a large beard and receding hairline

Stop Trying to Podcast the Revolution

Trendy, mindless, and devoid of context—podcasts like Chapo Trap House and Red Scare are the perfect mockeries of political dialogue for Millennials and Gen-Zers flocking to socialism like it's a brand.

i sometimes think I'm wasting my life but then i remember there are people having their parents pay for them to live in brooklyn while they write popular culture takes for little-read websites

signature shock-jock takes

How to tell someone has never bothered listening to the podcast they're criticizing.

or they've never heard actual shock jock content and think it's mostly dumb riffing

I saw that it lumped Chapo and Red Scare together and didn't bother reading any more tbh

also strongly suspect the entire column would be invalidated by any of their several in-show iterations of "listening to podcasts is not doing politics"

I didn't read the article but I don't think there's a big difference between Howard Stern and Chapo/Red Scare. Not necessarily in terms of content or politics (though Howard has a lot in common with both), but just as "hangout" shows. They function best in the background, easy listening, with occasional riveting moments of insight/drama/rage.

Matt rides a Sybian while explaining the Thermidorian Reaction.

pod save america is stern, chapo is o&a, red scare is mancow

circa 2008 for all three comparisons

the premise that a podcast is supposed to be a guide to socialism or teach a nuanced approach to political thought is a huge leap of projection, and not one that writer's alone in supposing

maybe it's the post-fox news/talk radio world, but the idea that commentary is the same thing as reportage or actual political thought seems to be taken as the basis of too many arguments

having just read Matt Taibbi's take on the press's failure to actually cover things of substance re: "russiagate," I might be reaching a little but I feel like it's a problem endemic to news media right now

having also read some bullshit article in WaPo by Dana Milbank on how liberals are screwing up -- which, reading between the lines, is really about how the *press* is screwing up -- by having stances on a myriad of peripheral things irritated me this morning. if one candidate makes an offhand remark about an issue (in this case, the electoral college) it doesn't mean reporters should ask every candidate about it and then write clickbait based on that premise alone! it's the press making all issues of seemingly equal importance

it almost makes me think Beto O'Rourke has an amazingly canny strategy by not taking a strong stance on anything in particular, which is mind-blowing

just as "hangout" shows. They function best in the background, easy listening

In this sense you could also equate Chapo with HGTV real estate shows. Or any podcast to any other podcast. The content matters.

xp sorry, that kind of meandered, but the CTH skewering of news media coverage of politics is one of the stronger things in their shows

xp
nah i get what he means, though, chapo does the hangout vibe really well and i would like to hear matt talk about arby's just like i would have tuned in to the wrap up show to hear jon hein talk about burger king circa 2009, although maybe i haven't seen enough hgtv real estate shows. stern is a better comparison i think than even other podcasts.

Stern just chatting or doing interviews isn't the shock jock part, though. The belittling of show regulars, insulting comments targeted at guests, getting people to say things that could be socially controversial that might reveal some ugly opinions (see: the whole stupid recent Tucker Carlson recording fiasco), and punching down. I mean, there are moments that approach that in CTH but there are few long-winded diversions about the sex lives of politicians or whatever

I can't imagine Stern brought in many experts on monetary policy or international socialism to expound wonkily/humorlessly for most of an episode, either

flappy bird get back in here
i'm just saying just like dunking on libs doesn't really explain why people listen to chapo make fun of gary in a fake space ship isn't exactly why longtime fans of stern listened (especially after 06) but like stern, chapo is good at creatiing a particular chill atmosphere (so that even if i wasn't a rabid communist interested in the topic i would prbably still lsiten to amber interviewing yanis varoufakis)

sorry, i've been drinking.
i'm saying, just like dunking on libs doesn't really explain why people listen to chapo, making fun of gary (the conquerer) in a fake space ship isn't exactly why longtime fans of stern listened, especially if they hung on after the jump to satellite in 2006 especially after 06. like stern, chapo is good at creatiing a particular chill atmosphere (so that even if i wasn't a rabid communist interested in the topic i would prbably still lsiten to amber interviewing yanis varoufakis).

lmao I absolutely skipped the Varoufakis interview, Amber interviews suck

yes, unlike stern, i agree that chapo, and this is a big difference, has definitely suggested TO ME AT LEAST that it's a good idea to not just listen but get out there and engage and give money to causes i agree with.
also this article is dumb as hell and i think it's funny that i writer posted it on the chapo and redscre subreddits trawling for reaction.
also i find it troubling and stupid that people—american pop culture take writers—in the past month have compared the cultural revolution to brooklyn podcasts, political correctness and the american left in general.

the Varoufakis thing is 90% him talking!

and I'm not completely on board with his views, but I'm glad that they presented a long conversation with him as a sidebar to their podcast

Beto O'Rourke has an amazingly canny strategy by not taking a strong stance on anything in particular, which is mind-blowing

he knows Being There

or Mr Smith Goes to Washington

i think aufhebunga bunga is good on (narrowly defined) world politics, europe specifically speaking of varoufakis, and south america

xp let it be noted I had some marked qualifiers in front of that statement!

dylan otm re: Howard's appeal. it's a 3+ hour show, Chapo/Red Scare are all an hour plus, they go a lot of places. Howard asking Beet to spell "red" = Matt touching the poop. the interviews are often the most substantive and interesting parts of both shows. and then of course their rants, my personal favorites. the shows veer all over the place, from serious to silly to dramatic to incredibly stupid. good broadcasters can go all over the place and keep audiences listening, they don't have to be captivated the whole time. if I found HGTV hosts interesting (possible), yeah I'd tune in. but I'd rather listen to something adjacent to my interests, and to people whose opinions I'm interested in.

Having the same appeal for you doesn’t make them actually similar, though. “People chatting” is not a feature unique to shock jocks.

just had question marks appear over my head as I pondered, "are desus and mero shock jocks?"

“People chatting” is not a feature unique to shock jocks.

I mean, isn't this what Stern pioneered though? People chatting on the radio.(I'm not actually sure, but it's the first place I heard it.) I feel like his influence or my perception of it is all over these unscripted podcasts. Rush Limbaugh, say, is an extremely different vibe.

have you listened to Howard and Robin talking during the news (the last hour of the show)? it's really not that far off from Chapo

xp ryan otm, Limbaugh is more of a one man show vibe

That article is an interesting artifact of what happens when people start interpreting ideological commitments as cultural capital.

I think your views are being colored by being Stern aficionados and seeing that influence elsewhere.

Panel shows discussing the events of the day have been around throughout radio and TV history. Chapo has much more to do with the McLaughlin Group or the Firing Line crossed with the Stewart-era Daily Show than it does with 3 hour radio broadcasts.

Down to the “it’s just comedy” disavowal of political responsibility.

Will Menaker
‏@willmenaker

Are we the Leftist Howard Stern? That's not for me to say... I'll let others decide.
9:22 AM - 19 Nov 2016

Chapo has much more to do with the McLaughlin Group or the Firing Line crossed with the Stewart-era Daily Show than it does with 3 hour radio broadcasts.

― Greta Van Show Feets BB (milo z), Monday, March 25, 2019 2:42 PM (ten minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

i am not even a huge stern fan but this seems like an absurd claim

"chapo trap house" + "daily show"
About 24,300 results (0.51 seconds)

"chapo trap house" + "howard stern"
About 7,470 results (0.60 seconds)

^^Yeah that's a fair point. Let me rephrase: I think Stern is an influence in some primordial way (after all I'd argue he's an influence on the Daily Show!) but I actually wish Chapo were MORE like mid 00's Stern. It often feels like they are running down bullet points and there's not as much room for spontaneity as I'd personally prefer. (The more scripted or structured a podcast feels the faster I tend to tune out....not quite sure why.)

well Google search results I guess it's proven

which one of the chapo bros should grow the howard stern hair

Matt can't.

I think whoever wants to pay for it

neither can howard
xp

By the time Chapo appeared the concept of several dudes in a room shooting the shit was a pretty well worn podcast format. Idk if we have to reach for Stern as a model.

this show has gotten back to being funnier again and the last few have been very good i think