This is a short preview of the paywalled portion of the long discussion between Sean and Varn about the 2024 election and the end of the Long Twentieth Century.

To access the entire audio file and a bunch more bonus content become a supporter of the show at www.patreon.com/theantifada in the New Year.

Stroky Sean and cancer-free Varn are reunited to dive back into the wreckage. This is part one of over three hours of conversation about just about everything under the sun (what happens when we take a several month break from these things) including political economy, current events, intra-Marxist rivalry and analysis. Mostly we bid adieu to the Long Twentieth Century. Turns out it expired for real this time not on 9/11/01 but 11/5/16.

We are in a new epoch and its time to start acting like it!

To check out a couple more hours of this kind of thing you can become a patron at www.patreon.com/theantifada

To check out of couple more hours but on video (!) you can become a patron at www.patreon.com/varnvlog

Song: Gary Numan - This Wreckage

Music journalist Liz Pelly joins us to discuss her new book The Mood Machine the Rise of Spotify and the Cost of the Perfect Playlist.

How did the DIY culture of mixtapes and file sharing move towards massive streaming platforms? And with nearly every song freely accessible why are so many listening to elevator music instead?

You can listen to this full episode gratis by signing up at our free membership tier over at patreon.com/theAntifada

Links to Liz's work:

https://harpers.org/archive/2025/01/the-ghosts-in-the-machine-liz-pelly-spotify-musicians/

https://thebaffler.com/downstream/big-mood-machine-pelly

https://thebaffler.com/downstream/streambait-pop-pelly

https://thebaffler.com/downstream/wrapped-and-sold-pelly https://thebaffler.com/latest/podcast-overlords-pelly

Check out the Art and Labor Podcast

Music/image: Lo-Fi Girl