The Grift Show

Walk with Rev and Gonzo into hell as they dive into season two of whatever this podcast is turning into. Focus will hopefully return next week.

The title of this one really says it all, I think.

In a stunning display display of political incompetence and malfeasance, 8 democratic senators, with the blessing, tacit or otherwise, torpedoed the stunning gains they'd made in an historic electoral drubbing of the GOP less than a week earlier, but fortunately FOR AMERICA, we're here to explain how it can, maybe, with a hitherto unsee lack of cowardice, might be able to undo (some) of the catastrophic damage. 

Tucker Carlson interviewed Nick Fuentes in an attempt to launder the latter's reputation and endear the former to a younger audience of ghouls. Asmongold then reacted to the interview. We then reacted to the reaction.  It's all very meta and the only two people out of the five involved who said anything worth listening to are Rev and Gonzo.  You lucky folks get to endure the whole ordeal. 

There are many reasons we can't seem to have nice things anymore. In this episode we explore (some) of the reasosn why.  

It's obvious, or it at least should be, that white supremacy, as an ideology, brutally harms non-white people of all kinds. What's less obvious is how it also harms the overwhelming majority of white people as well. 

One of the greatest misconceptions young men and boys often have is that their dissatisfaction with the world and the aimlessness they feel about their place within it is caused by feminism and their perception that it devalues men and thereby them. Rev. and Gonzo explain how this belief is one of the greatest tricks that patriarchy ever pulled in its rabid pursuit of its own continued existence, and how the manosphere helps it convince young men to enable their own emotional destruction. They also briefly discuss whether or not Taylor Swift has a cloaca.

Liberal democracy has a disease, and that disease is people like Ezra Klein going through their political lives under the delusion that facts and calm, reasoned, discourse is the secret to our current authoritarian descent, as if the world were written by Aaron Sorkin.    It was not. 

Rev and Gonzo continue their explanation of the alt-right and how we all got here.

This week, beyond covering all the news that got lost in the aether due to Kirk-discourse dominating literally every minute of the news cycle for the last seven days, Rev and Gonzo begin part one of what will be a two part series on the rise and nature of the alt-right with a brief history of how the US managed to go from Nixon to Richard Spencer. 

24 years ago today the trajectory of the United States was changed forever, inexorably leading to everything we're all dealing with today. Yesterday the trajectory of media punditry was also changed forever. Rev and Gonzo talk about both, almost exclusively. 

The boys are back after a week off and this is a loud one. Rev and Gonzo cover all the week's news that they can remember off the top of their ill-prepared heads, culminating in a much-needed, co-op diatribe about all the ways that everyone has caused nothing but infuriation with their nonsense. 

With that godawful Christopher Columbus clip making the rounds again on social media, Rev and Gonzo explore just a small number of the nigh infinite ways Dennis Prager and his fake "university" are the ghoulish worst.

We cover a lot this week. 

We don't like ICE. At all. In fact, you could say we hate ICE. This is the episode why we explain why. Doesn't really get more straightforward than that, does it?

Not gonna lie, this is not an episode where we have what anyone could call a topic. Fortunately, we're often at our best when we're running entirely on vibes and getting sidetracked You do get extended rants about Star Trek II and 7th Heaven, though, so you've got that to look forward to.

Rev. Al has a thesis about right wing populism that he's developed, and dammit, he intends to share it to anyone who'll listen (and anyone who won't) We also cover the news, as usual, and gush lovingly about James Gunn's brilliant new Superman (THERE WILL BE SPOILERS)

Hey! We're back after yet another unexpected week off due to yet another catastrophic air-conditioning failure in the studio! Join us as we talk about as much of the things that have happened that our respective ADHD will allow us to talk about without getting distracted, most of which does, in fact, revolve around our boy Donnie's less-than-stable reaction to no one believing there's nothing to see in the Epstein files. 

Where does one even begin with this past week? Nothing good happened. We discuss all the not-good until we decide we can't discuss it anymore. What else is there even to say at this point, eh?

Jesus Christ, a lot can happen in a single week, and we're here, powered by ADHD and mild substances, to wade through it all as best we can. Is it WWIII? Is NYC a glimpse of our future? Also, what's this about Gonzo being the leader of a cult he didn't know about when he was in the eighth gade? Let's find out! 

The a/c in the studio being broken kept us down last week, but we weren't about to let that happen again, so its our very first remote shoot! A lot happened the last two weeks, and Rev and Gonzo are on location to do their best to make as much sense as possible of it all as only they can: entirely stream of consciousness.

It's June! That means Pride month is upon us. Why does that matter? Why should you care? LET'S FIND OUT TOGETHER! (Note: Gonzo and Rev. Al know why it's important, but we're not sure everyone else does, so we're pretending to learn this together to lure them in surreptitiously. It's a clever ruse, you see… a cunning attempt to trick people into empathy)

We're back again, this week delving into the myriad ways that our economy has been set up for failure due to systemic inadequacies. Its a hoot!

We can't help if its one of the top five best television shows of all time AND just so happens to be frighteningly relevant to our current real world predicament, can?   No. No we cannot. Because of that, and because the season and series are both complete, we don't feel the least bit bad about talking at length, again, about how much we love the entire project.   As usual, we also cover the news, which proved to be unusually harrowing over the last two weeks since the previous episode even by 2025's generally harrowing standards. 

We recorded a few days later than usual due to the air-conditioning in the studio being out, but that just made the news more exciting and gave us more time to want to just talk about Andor, which is the best Star Wars has ever been.

As the nation passes the milestone of its first 100 days of what feels like an infinite nightmare, Rev and Gonzo look back on the many splendors both the United States and the world have been brought by the second term of Donald John Trump and his cadre of ghoulish advisors, enablers, and sycophants.

Have you ever wondered the deepest truths about the US immigration system? This week, Rev and Gonz will tell you EVERYTHING you really need to know!

Sometimes, when sitting down to record an episode, Gonzo and the ol' Rev look at one another and realize that if they had decided on a topic, they've both entirely forgotten what it might have been. The following episode is one of those times.

Are we off the rails? That would imply we were ever on them to begin with! Join Rev. Al and Gonzo as they crash out with nary a hint of focus over the unprecedentedly deranged events of the last week.

Have you given up all hope? Do you believe there's no chance of doing anything better, all attempts being destined to fail in their impotent futility? Well listen up, friendo, Rev Al and Gonzo are here to explain why not only are you wrong, you're also kind of a bitch.  Enter the no-doomer zone, where hopelessness goes to die the wretched death it rightly deserves as the ol' hopeium-pipe gets stuffed down that little sadness hole in your heart, filling you with a sense of renewed purpose in a seemingly purposeless world.    The Op Ed that got Rumeysa Ozturk disappeared by clandestine, anonymous, thugs: https://www.tuftsdaily.com/article/2024/03/4ftk27sm6jkj

There comes a point where shit talking with your friends becomes a genuine personality disorder, and a lot of dudes born between '75 and '85 who are saddled with exactly that. Join us as we delve into the problem with our usual elegance and grace  Open Letter From Mahmoud Khalil: https://www.aclu.org/news/free-speech/a-letter-from-palestinian-activist-mahmoud-khalil

Join Rev and Gonz in their longest episode to date as they explore how one dumb, tiny, seemingly insignificant incident can inexorably lead to the most historically important events!

Join Rev and Gonzo as they, hazy-brained from exhaustion, dissect the post war order that took over the world in the wake of WWII.

Theoretically, meritocracy should mean that the best for the job gets it, but in practice it's mostly just affirmative action for mediocre white men. This week we explain why and how.

This week beyond covering the news we gush over Kendrick Lamar and lambaste the most important philosopher on the Neo-reactionary right, Curtis Yarvin

Is it coincidence that this is the third week of Trump's second term and also the third week in a row where we fuel ourselves with drinkin' and revenge? Must be, I guess. 🤷🏽‍♂️

This week Rev and Gonzo express their deep, nearly limitless, contempt for the feckless incompetence of the Democratic Party in the face of a legitimate fascist assault on the United States Of America by the Executive branch... while drinking more than they probably ought to drink. 

The title really says it all with this one. 

Shadowy figures with dark motivations want white people to live in fear of being replaced by "others," but Rev Al and Gonzo are here to explain why there's nothing to be afraid of, but why they want you to be. 

Artificial Intelligence is sort of here, but it's DEFINITELY making our lives worse. This week we'll explore the why's and the how's of its impacts on us all. "Makeshit Patriot" graciously provided by Sage Francis/Strange Famous Records 

You're not imagining it, but everything online is getting worse and it shows no signs of slowing down. Join us as we dive into the sick, sad, world of ensh*ttification and how it's only going to escalate. NOTE: the audio is janky as all hell until about ten minutes in, and for that, we do apologize. It shan't happen again. Oh no, it shan't.

A whole lot of people said a whole lot of stupid about games in the wake of the Game Awards and we're here to yell about it like two old men yelling at the clouds. "Makeshit Patriot" graciously provided by Sage Francis/Strange Famous Records

This week Rev and Gonz delve into the world of recent Russian influence operations and their interference in multiple elections over the last year.   READINGS: The Jaunt by Stephen King: https://archive.org/details/the-jaunt-stephen-king Shooting An Elephant by George Orwell: https://www.orwellfoundation.com/the-orwell-foundation/orwell/essays-and-other-works/shooting-an-elephant/   "Makeshift Patriot" graciously provided by Sage Francis/Strange Famous Records

Rev Al and Gonzo delve into the wild world of social media dating and relationship influencers LINKS: The Whimper of Whipped Dogs: https://xpressenglish.com/our-stories/whipped-dogs/#google_vignette In The Shadow Of The Holocaust: https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-weekend-essay/in-the-shadow-of-the-holocaust