Best John Diresta Podcasts (2024)

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#375 - We Have Never Been Woke: A Dialogue with Musa al-Gharbi 1:57:59

4h ago1:57:59

1:57:59

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Musa al-Gharbi about the new elite, “wokeness,” and symbolic capitalism. They discuss why we should still care about “wokeness” and cancel culture, history of the four great “awokenings,” and sincerity of those that have “woke” beliefs. They define and discuss symbolic capitalism, people denying t…

1
#374 - The Horse and The Rise of Empires: A Dialogue with David Chaffetz 1:15:24

1d ago1:15:24

1:15:24

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with David Chaffetz about the history of the horse and impact with empires. They discuss the origins of the horse and living alongside humans, herding and horse milk, domesticating the horse and riding horses. They talk about the Steppe environment, rise of chariots, the Scythians and mounted combat, h…

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#373 - The Indomitable Will of Lyndon Johnson: A Dialogue with Mark Updegrove 1:01:07

3d ago1:01:07

1:01:07

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Mark Updegrove about the Presidency of Lyndon Johnson. They discuss the elusive figure of LBJ, his intuition for politics, and ascending to the Presidency. They talk about the “Johnson treatment,” Civil Rights, Lady Bird, and his war on poverty. They discuss his foreign policy, not running for re-…

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310: Playwright and Podcast Host Brad Forenza from 2023 1:23:48

6d ago1:23:48

1:23:48

Mark and Nicole welcomed Brad Forenza, the creator of the award winning radio play Around The Sun to the lighter side of the dark side for a wonderful conversation in 2023. Brad talked about how growing up in Jersey City has made him identify as a New Yorker, even though he is in a different state. He was able to turn his short plays to a serious o…

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#372 - A History of the Bible: A Dialogue with Bruce Gordon 1:41:00

11d ago1:41:00

1:41:00

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Bruce Gordon about a history of the Bible. They discuss the origins of how the Bible formed in the 2nd Century, original audience of the Bible, Codex and canonization and how we got 66 books. They talk about original languages, the Bible as an icon and symbol, different ways of reading and interpr…

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#371- Blinded by Digital Realities: A Dialogue with Renée DiResta 55:30

12d ago55:30

55:30

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Renée DiResta about misinformation and digital delusions. They define misinformation and disinformation, rise of influencers, and incentive structures. They discuss audience capture, online ethical responsibilities, the Twitter files, election interference, and many other topics. Renée DiResta is …

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#370 - The Life and Death of the American Worker: A Dialogue with Alice Driver 50:52

17d ago50:52

50:52

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Alice Driver about immigrants working at meatpacking factories. They discuss moral beauty in immigrants work, immigrants who work in meatpacking factories, and how the factories operate. They talk about onsite medical clinics, the Clintons relationship with Tyson Foods, and challenges during the p…

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#369 - Karl Marx's Capital I: A Dialogue with Paul North and Paul Reitter 1:29:08

20d ago1:29:08

1:29:08

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Paul North and Paul Reitter about their new English translation of Karl Marx’s Capital I. They discuss their process editing and translation Capital I, the 2nd German edition and various English and French translations, and the motivations for Marx. They discuss Marx’s thought and Marx’s impact, h…

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309: Daniel Roebuck from 2020 1:03:21

20d ago1:03:21

1:03:21

Before he starred as Grandpa Munster in Rob Zombie's movie The Munsters Daniel Roebuck was the first zoom guest ever on The Dark Mark Show as the pandemic hit. This week Mark was under quarantine but the show must go on so with the help of modern technology he interviewed one of the best character actors of the last 30 years Daniel Roebuck You may …

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#368 - The Rise of Illiberalism: A Dialogue with Marlene Laruelle 1:31:02

26d ago1:31:02

1:31:02

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Marlene Laruelle about the rise of Illiberalism. They talk about liberalism, illiberalism, impact of immigration and socioeconomic issues, and the current and future state of the EU. They discuss Le Pen and far-right in France, Orban in Hungary, the AFD in Germany, and state of Central Eurasian co…

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308: BBW Star Alexxxis Allure from 2020 1:14:10

26d ago1:14:10

1:14:10

Beautiful BBW porn star Alexxis Allure joined Mark and Hannah all from their respective bedrooms for a sexy show keeping with social distancing recommendations. Alexxis grew up in Ocean Beach in San Diego and detailed how she got interested in the goth scene, how she became a webcam girl courtesy of a couple she met on Cragislist, how her fans love…

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#367 - How The World Made The West: A Dialogue with Josephine Quinn 1:41:26

27d ago1:41:26

1:41:26

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Josephine Quinn about a 4,000 year history of the world. They discuss why “the West” is not an accurate or helpful framing, civilizational thinking, importance of sailing, and different people groups in one region. They also talked about the importance of ancient/isolated languages (i.e., Sumerian…

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307: Sarah Halstead and Manu Badenes from 2022 1:23:02

1M ago1:23:02

1:23:02

Comedians Sarah Halstead and Manu Badenes joined Mark and Nicole for a frequently hilarious and surprisingly deep show Sarah talked about growing up in Flint Michigan and how Michael Moore damaged that city as much as GM closing their plant, how she was successful in the wine and champagne industry but always yearned to act and make people laugh so…

1
#366 - The Presidency of John Adams: A Dialogue with Lindsay Chervinsky 1:26:51

1M ago1:26:51

1:26:51

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Lindsay Chervinsky about the presidency of John Adams. They provide an overview of Adams’s presidency, maintaining the cabinet, the XYZ affair, Alien and Sedition Acts, Fries Rebellion, replacing Pickering and McHenry, Election of 1800, legacy of Adams, and many more topics. Lindsay M. Chervinsky …

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#365 - The Language Puzzle: A Dialogue with Steven Mithen 1:10:38

1M ago1:10:38

1:10:38

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Steven Mithen about the evolutionary history of language. They discuss the language puzzle, provide an overview of human evolution, importance of bipedalism, and fossil record gaps. They discuss different human species, how language works, origins and spread of different languages, and the physiol…

1
#364 - The Many Lives of the Soviet Dissident Movement: A Dialogue with Benjamin Nathans 1:35:03

1M ago1:35:03

1:35:03

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Benjamin Nathans about the Soviet dissident movement. They discuss how he complied all of the narratives together, why the Soviet dissident movement matters and how the Soviet legal system was used. They discuss civil disobedience vs. civil obedience, Alexander Volpin, Sinyavsky-Daniel affair, and…

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306: Sin Twisted and Savannah Pope help say farewell to Producer Morgan Jaffe in 2019 1:17:36

1M ago1:17:36

1:17:36

It was a bittersweet night as Mark and Hannah bid farewell to their beloved producer Morgan but they did so with a party full of music and sparks flying as they welcomed Sin Twisted and Savannah Pope to the lighter side of the dark side Sin talked about her new devotion to fitness, and detailed the challenges of her ultra flexible body, she recount…

1
#363 - Understanding Political Polling: A Dialogue with Brett Loyd 2:13:56

2M ago2:13:56

2:13:56

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Brett Loyd on political polling. They discuss what polls can and cannot tell us, sample size, random sampling, flex quotas, weighting variables, and sample characteristics. They talk about question order and wording on polling surveys, phone and online polling, internal vs. external polling and na…

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305: Alien vs Predator from 2022 1:07:38

2M ago1:07:38

1:07:38

This week is the 20th(!) Anniversary of the release of Alien vs Predator and the date the new Alien movie Alien Romulus is out in theaters. So here is a classic show from 2022 where Mark and Nicole discuss all things Alien vs Predator This week Mark and Nicole do something different which may lead to a new spinoff podcast, they discuss one of Nicol…

1
#362 - Liberalism and The Holy Alliance: A Dialogue with Isaac Nakhimovsky 1:46:17

2M ago1:46:17

1:46:17

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Isaac Nakhimovsky about the holy alliance. They discuss understanding current events through historical events, what is the holy alliance, “friend of mankind,” debates around the holy alliance, La Harpe and Czartoryski, Krug, Kant, and history of religion, league of nations, and the holy alliance …

1
#361 - Hawks and Doves: Elites on Foreign Policy: A Dialogue with Elizabeth Saunders 1:43:11

2M ago1:43:11

1:43:11

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Elizabeth Saunders on elites dictating foreign policy. They discuss negative public opinion, the elites comprised of military, administration, and legislators, and the differences with hawks and doves. They talk about McNamara and LBJ in Vietnam, Truman, Korea, and Taiwan, and Bush in Afghanistan …

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304: Cleve Hall and Rotten Kitty from 2019 41:04

2M ago41:04

41:04

In memory of our friend Cleve Hall we are rebroadcasting his first appearance on The Dark Mark Show from 2019 Today's fun sized episode is probably the gothiest Dark Mark Show yet as Mark welcomed the "goth Mr. Rogers" Cleve Hall and Rotten Kitty to the lighter side of the dark side Cleve started as a child making Godzilla suits which led to him ap…

1
#360 - Why Animals Talk?: A Dialogue with Arik Kershenbaum 1:09:05

2M ago1:09:05

1:09:05

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Arik Kershenbaum about why and how animals communicate with each other. They discuss the differences between language and communication in animals, respectfully communicating with animals, and the six animals he studied for communication. They talk about howling in wolves, clicks in dolphins, comp…

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301: YouTube sensation Terra Naomi from 2018 1:09:03

2M ago1:09:03

1:09:03

This is one of Mark's favorite episodes, where he got to speak one on one with Terra and, even better, got to hear her sing live. Singer-Songwriter and YouTube pioneer Terra Naomi joined Mark in studio for some terrific conversation and musical magic Terra talked about singing as an infant before she could walk, growing up with hippie parents who g…

1
#359 - Alternative Economies: A Dialogue with Nick Romeo 1:35:17

2M ago1:35:17

1:35:17

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Nick Romeo on different and alternative economies. They talked about reimagining capitalism, improving economic pedagogy in academia, True Price, a living wage, and Job Guarantee program. They discuss the gig economy, purpose economy, scaling alternative economies, and many more topics. Nick Romeo…

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303: Tribute to Lady Remedy Ann Fetish 1:05:26

2M ago1:05:26

1:05:26

We here at The Dark Mark Show were heartbroken to hear about the passing of Lady Remedy Ann Fetish. As a tribute to her we are replaying the show where she was a guest in 2020. Dominatrix Lady Remedy Ann Fetish joined Mark and Hannah live from the dungeon at Sanctuary LAX. She talked about how social distancing has affected her business and talked …

1
#358 - Observing Evolutionary Change: A Dialogue with B. Rosemary Grant 1:02:12

2M ago1:02:12

1:02:12

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with B. Rosemary Grant on her life and work on genetics and evolutionary change. They discuss an overview of her life and research, her childhood and being raised in England in WWII, her interest in genetics, and moving to Canada and meeting her husband. They discuss how she balanced raising a family a…

1
302: Happy Birthday John DiResta !!! 1:15:28

2M ago1:15:28

1:15:28

It's John DiResta's birthday this week and we are proudly presenting his appearance on The Dark Mark Show in 2022 Mark and Nicole welcomed NYPD officer turned sitcom star turned reality TV star John Diresta to the lighter side of the dark side. John grew up in Queens and did some NYC bonding with Mark. He talked about his days in the homeless divis…

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300: Emmy Award nominee for True Detective John Hawkes from 2020 1:02:23

3M ago1:02:23

1:02:23

Our friend John Hawkes got an Emmy nomination for HBOs True Detective: Night Country this week. In honor if his well deserved nomination, we are replaying our last studio show before the pandemic where he was on with his bandmate Rodney Eastman and broadcasting legend Bree Walker It was a star studded show as Academy Award nominated actor John Hawk…

1
#357 - A History of Nomads: A Dialogue of Anthony Sattin 1:41:35

3M ago1:41:35

1:41:35

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Anthony Sattin about the history of Nomads on our planet. They discuss humans as naturally nomadic, Göbekli Tepe, Çatalhöyük and early settlements, Uruk and the epic of Gilgamesh, and domestication of horses. They talk about the Persian empire, Scythian empire, and nomadic identity. They discuss t…

1
#356 - Ending the Dark Ages of Quantum Theory: A Dialogue with Adam Forrest Kay 1:27:36

3M ago1:27:36

1:27:36

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Adam Forrest Kay about the history and current state of quantum mechanics. They discuss the current state of quantum mechanics, overview of modern physics, and the impact of Niels Bohr. They also talk about light and vision, double slit experiment, Fourier analysis, Schrödinger’s equation, Bell’s …

1
299: Amazon Eve, Cig Neutron and Rannie Rodil from 2015 53:08

3M ago53:08

53:08

This week we replay one of our best shows, the first one with Nicole Sixx as a permanent cohost with 3 of our favorite people and guests Amazon Eve, Cig Neutron and Rannie Rodil. Mark and new cohost Nicole Sixx were quite surprised when Amazon Eve burst into Skidrow Studios wearing green makeup courtesy of Cig Neutron and Rannie Rodil and started p…

1
#355 - Nomadic Empires of the Steppes: A Dialogue with Kenneth Harl 1:52:13

3M ago1:52:13

1:52:13

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Kenneth Harl about the various nomadic empires of the steppes. They discuss the origins of nomadic peoples, Tocharian texts, and why language is essential for understanding nomadic peoples. They talk about the Turkish language, nomadic spread over 35 centuries, the Steppe, and nomadic identity. Th…

1
298: L. Faunt goes down the Lost Highway 1:25:07

3M ago1:25:07

1:25:07

It was multi-media artist/psychic/dancer/comedian/actor/model/cinematographer L. Faunt so in celebration of her birthday here is a Dark Mark Show classic from 2022 where they and Dark Mark talk about one of their favorite movies, Lost Highway Mark and L went down the non-linear rabbit hole that is Lynch's notorious 1997 film to talk about: The enti…

1
#354 - Liberalism As A Way Of Life: A Dialogue with Alexandre Lefebvre 2:06:34

3M ago2:06:34

2:06:34

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Alexandre Lefebvre about the many facets of liberalism. They discuss morals and values from liberalism, Christianity’s impact on liberalism and Western society, defining liberalism, and the differences between liberalism and conservatism. They also talk about the philosophy of Rawls, swearing, fai…

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297: Stitched Up Heart bassist Randy Mathias and Rosalee Mayeux from 2022 1:28:29

3M ago1:28:29

1:28:29

Stitched Up Heart bass player Randy Mathias and actor/comedian Rosalee Mayeux joined Mark and Nicole for a fast and funny show Randy has known Mark and Nicole for a long time through the LA Goth scene and talks about his journey from forming bands with former members of Marilyn Manson and Dead Kennedys, to his being in legendary goth band London Af…

1
#353 - A History of the Muslim World: A Dialogue with Michael Cook 3:22:26

4M ago3:22:26

3:22:26

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a conversation with Michael Cook about the history of the Muslim world. They discuss Islamic civilization from origins to modernity, early antecedents before Islam, genesis of Islam, and the Prophet Muhammad and his creation of a monotheistic religion and state. They discuss succession after the death of Muhammad…

1
296: Venux Lux gets set on Fire! 55:44

4M ago55:44

55:44

10 years ago, a Dark Mark Classic episode featured Adult superstar Venus Lux and pro dom Orpheus Black who joined Mark and Josi for a wild show. Venus talked about being a 4 time AVN nominee, but being a winner of the Tranni awards, what separates her from the other transexuals in porn, how she narrowly escaped being married to a rich man, showed h…

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#352 - Our Bayesian Priors: A Dialogue with Tom Chivers 1:16:45

4M ago1:16:45

1:16:45

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Tom Chivers about Bayesian probability and the impact Bayesian priors have on ourselves. They define Bayesian priors, Thomas Bayes, subjective aspects of Bayes theorem, and the problematic elements of statistical figures such as Galton, Pearson, and Fisher. They talk about the replication crisis, …

1
#351 - RNA as Catalyst: A Dialogue with Thomas Cech 50:37

4M ago50:37

50:37

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Thomas Cech about RNA as a major catalyst in organic systems. They discuss why RNA does not get discussed as much as DNA, basics of DNA, RNA as a catalyst, and the splicing capabilities of RNA. They also talk about transcription, translation, and splicing, RNA as internal catalyst and external cat…

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295: Jacqueline Van Bierk and Franchie San Pedro from 2019 1:07:21

4M ago1:07:21

1:07:21

Singer/songwriter/soon to be podcaster Jacqueline Van Bierk and stand-up comedian Franchie San Pedro joined Mark this week and the conversation just would not stop. Jacqueline just got back from France and talked about what it's like to compose music for Oprah Winfrey how to get a live crowd up and dancing how she motivates people on her YouTube ch…

1
#350 - Voices From The New Syrian Diaspora: A Dialogue with Wendy Pearlman 1:09:04

4M ago1:09:04

1:09:04

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Wendy Pearlman about the voices from the new Syrian Diaspora. They discuss the various reasons for telling Syrian stories, protests around the world, the ongoing Syrian conflict, concept of home and internal displacement. They also talked about leaving Syria and rebuilding elsewhere, maintaining c…

1
Artichoke Festivals and Electric Cars EP 299 1:00:40

4M ago1:00:40

1:00:40

Comedians Darren Carter and Mike Black talk Super Powers, Navigation, Country Bumpkin Activities, Artichoke Festivals, and much much more! Start That Party in your Earholes! Darren Carter, also known as "The Party Starter," is an American stand-up comedian and actor born in Fresno, California. He has been entertaining audiences for over 20 years wi…

1
#349 - A Damascus Massacre: A Dialogue with Eugene Rogan 1:32:31

4M ago1:32:31

1:32:31

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Eugene Rogan about the 1860 Damascus massacre. They discuss why the 1860 Damascus massacre is still relevant, relationship between Egypt and the Ottomans, Mishaqa as US Vice-Consulate in Damascus, Ottoman Tanzimat Reforms, Druzes and Maronites with rising tensions in Lebanon and Damascus. They als…

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#348 - Parliamentary America: A Dialogue with Maxwell Stearns 1:53:38

4M ago1:53:38

1:53:38

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Maxwell Stearns about potential changes to the Constitution. They discuss the general narrative about the US Constitution, overview of his proposed reforms, third parties as spoilers, generational shifting of parties, and history of political parties in the 19th century. They also talked about pos…

1
Riding a Motorcycle with Mom | EP 298 1:08:39

4M ago1:08:39

1:08:39

Comedians Darren Carter and John DiResta talk Billy Joel, David Allen Coe, Metal Music, Wood Working, Stand-up Comedy, The Comeback, and much much more! Start That Party in your Earholes! Darren Carter, also known as "The Party Starter," is an American stand-up comedian and actor born in Fresno, California. He has been entertaining audiences for ov…

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294: Mark leg wrestles a WWE Diva 55:21

4M ago55:21

55:21

10 (!) years ago today former WWE NXT Diva Skyler Moon aka Buggy Nova who was then known as Invexi Li, comedian David Burger and Scone from the internet show Pinkgirl & Scone joined Mark and Josi for a battle royal of a show. Invexi talked about changing her name from her independent wrestling name of Buggy Nova, which was changed to Skyler Moon wh…

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293: Find Food Freedom with Paige Sandgren 1:12:38

4M ago1:12:38

1:12:38

After just over 2 years and counting, Dark Mark's weight loss journey continues. He is now down 85 lbs and 10 inches in the waist. How did he do it and how is he sustaining it? It's because he was coached by bodybuilder, nutritionist, personal trainer and coach Paige Sandgren who was on the show in 2022 to tell you how you too can get Food Freedom …

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#347 - Failures of the Constitution: A Dialogue with Aziz Rana 1:46:03

4M ago1:46:03

1:46:03

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Aziz Rana about the failures of the US Constitution. They discuss the timeframe of 1887-1987, why people resist criticisms of the US Constitution, and creedal constitutionalism. They discuss the positive aspects of the Constitution, empire settlerism and the US state in post-reconstruction era. Th…

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#346 - Rethinking the End of Empire: A Dialogue with Lynn Tesser 1:35:45

4M ago1:35:45

1:35:45

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Lynn Tesser about the various ways of thinking about empire. They discuss moving from empire to nation states, define nationalism vs. nation states, and sovereignty and modular nationalism. They talk about rebellions in the Americas as being more mixed, the Greek revolution as performed by elites,…

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John Diresta Podcasts

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