Agitator

We're freestyling the concept and premise of a sprawling sword & sorcery/survival horror epic, after we diagnose the problems of today's youth, eulogize Steve Albini as much as he deserves it, pontificate better ways to approach open-world gaming than the endless side-questing and modifying, and discuss our favorite shows a little bit. Like this? Sign up for free or get bonus content for $5/month at patreon.com/agitator. Learn more about our writing at brokenriverbooks.com. 

We kick off the show talking shop and breaking down pretentiousness as laziness, then move into the current state of mediocrity in rap music and what makes Kendrick one of the worst to ever rock the mic. Also: who dissed Drake best? And "can I say it?" We miss you, DMX. patreon.com/agitator

Back to our roots of being avant-garde dipshits. Give us guala at patreon.com/agitator and learn more at brokenriverbooks.com

On this episode: Miike's 2014 high school death game film As the Gods Will + when one of the greats shows up to make something mediocre + the swinging pendulum of brilliance + perfect CGI + craft talk re: character development and form vs formula + what would've made this movie better + AN AGITATOR FILMS ANNOUNCEMENT ++ NEWS ABOUT THE IMPENDING SUMMER FOR THE SHOW. Support the show and get a bunch of bonus content at patreon.com/agitator

Very special interview episode today with ADR (English dub) anime director/producer/writer Shannon Reed of Sentai Filmworks. We get into the nuts and bolts of what it means to direct anime and what all goes into the dubbing process, from rewriting to match mouth flaps to pulling the perfect performance out of voice actors and everything in-between. We also talk balancing fun and hard work, Star Wars, Shannon's personal journey into anime, and more. Check out the HiDive streaming platform: https://welcome.hidive.com/ Follow Shannon Reed on IG @thearcadeprince Discover your next favorite anime at https://www.sentaifilmworks.com/ Support the show and gain access to bonus content at patreon.com/agitator

Today on the show, we have Jeremy Bronaugh, author of When You Bleed to Death, to discuss processing trauma through art, anime of the '90s vs today, technology going too far (or not far enough), prose vs plot, the Road House remake, the best Easter movies, Poor Things, pop culture reflecting culture, raising kids, and so much more. This one's a banger. Check out the audiobook of When You Bleed to Death narrated by Kelby here: https://www.amazon.com/When-You-Bleed-to-Death/dp/B0CYHG1PHF/ref=tmm_aud_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= And follow Jeremy on IG: @jeremybronaughwriter As always, to support the show and gain access to bonus content, go to patreon.com/agitator

Are dinosaurs real? How much dope they be selling at Crayon World? How come when people invent a new fuel source or cure cancer with vegetables they "suddenly aren't with us" anymore? Should people be mad about the New Demons anthology? Is writing a business? What's next for the Agitator boys? All these questions and more are answered on... this episode. Support the Agitator project and get a more in-depth experience at patreon.com/agitator. Find out more on the Broken River crew at brokenriverbooks.com.

Agitator boy Kelby was flying solo holding it down for the Broken River crew at Ghoulish Fest in San Antonio. Shouts out Max Booth III and Lori Booth for the hard work throwing and promoting that; there was a major turnout of locals ready to buy weird and fucked up books. On this special boots-on-the-ground episode, Kelby is chopping it up with author (and psychiatric professional) Michael Tichy bout the fest, his new book The Winnowing Draw, and Kôji Shiraishi's shot-on-video one-take horror film A Record of Sweet Murder.    Support the show and gain access to early film projects, behind the scenes, uncut and bonus episodes, exclusive Discord access, and more at patreon.com/agitator

The Agitator boys have opposing thoughts on DUNE. Instead of going to war over some art that someone else made, we explore the nature of taste and why we vibe with or hate certain movies. We also have beef with Gerber for putting lead in baby snacks and with PSO for being a terrible energy company. Check out more on J David Osborne and Kelby Losack at brokenriverbooks.com and support the show/get bonus content at patreon.com/agitator

Email business inquiries to kelbylosack@outlook.com RE: The County series funding and Agitator Films stock. On this episode, JDO and Kelby are talking: Adam Lehrer's analysis of the recent self-immolation, our responses to people still waiting on our Kickstarter and pre-order projects, Ye's VULTURES, Shane Gillis coming full circle with SNL, and the hourglass method of outlining a story. We almost don't even freestyle a story this episode but then we decide to flex and pull off our craziest concept yet within the last 5 minutes. You can't touch this, but you can subscribe at patreon.com/agitator.  Read the Broken River newsletter: brbjdo.substack.com Learn more about Broken River: brokenriverbooks.com

JDO is doing some live-developing of his novel-in-progress, Ronin Trash, about tusk hunters and demons. We're also talking beginner's mind, bringing more feminine left-brain energy into the process, voice vs plot, Palahniuk, Crichton, THE WILL OF THE MANY, WebNovel apps, and more. Go to patreon.com/agitator for short film content, extended episodes, exclusive Discord access, and more. Thank you for listening. Shout out if you vibe with this in any way.  brbjdo.substack.com kelbylosack.com

The mystic juggalo weebs are live from the couch in Oklahoma recapping AWP, laying out all the realities/logistics/benefits/pitfalls/alternatives of publishing as a collective, and detailing the dangers of putting your trust in models of big industry (we go in on why Kelby was kicked off Amazon and we were all kicked off Publishers Marketplace). New listeners who found the show after meeting us in Kansas City: welcome! Thanks for fucking with us. Hope you learn some shit.   More at patreon.com/agitator

***This is a preview, FULL UNCUT EPISODE ON patreon.com/agitator *** SPKU (seppuku) is Agitator's music-focused spinoff. On this episode, hoodrat novelist/filmmaker Kelby Losack chops it up with one half of the roid noise duo Botched Chadification/author/essayist/System of Systems host and Safety Propagandist Adam Lehrer about Kanye's new joint, the masterpiece VULTURES 1.     Botched Chadification Listen to System of Systems on Patreon and everywhere you listen to podcasts  Follow Adam on IG @SafetyPropaganda   Buy his book COMMUNIONS 

On this episode of the freestyle storytelling podcast, we have actor/poet Kenney Dorcely straight from the Massachusetts boonies to develop an epic anime rap ballad opera inspired by 8 Mile, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Yu-Gi-Oh! Follow Kenney on IG: @chupakarbra_burnsum Watch Kenney on GLUE ADDICT

We react to Jerry Hasani and mumble rap in general, bring news of crazy book sale success, spitball some directions to further level up the show, and then we get into the main event: freestyling a rodeo clown family tragedy based on the story of Moses (with some Dr Dolittle/Animal Farm sprinkled in). If you like this, check out what we're up to more in depth and get full access to the uncut archive over at patreon.com/agitator

Agitator is a freestyle storytelling podcast hosted by hoodrat noir and gutter cyberpunk novelists/filmmakers J David Osborne and Kelby Losack. In this episode, the prompt is provided by Castaigne Publishing: what would a Steinbeck story incorporating a classic Universal monster look like? We also freestyle an anti-open world video game concept. Sign up at patreon.com/agitator for exclusive Discord and book club access, behind the scenes content from the host's creative projects, and more.

On this episode, Kelby and JDO talk a line of shit about Berserk volumes 27-30, Nazis on Substack, and Israel/Palestine. Full show notes: The importance of going to The Church of the Black Swordsman. Berserk is the Bible. In volume 27 we’re back into the Guts stuff. Donning the Berserk armor. Having that dog in you. How do sociopaths see the world? The War of the Midland Kingdoms. The lack of good guys in a war. The metaness of Puck. Kelby searches for the word “abacus.” The Hellraiser pope monsters. How long is Casca gonna be…like that? The evolution of Lady Farnese. What is that weird elephant sea monster? The awesomeness of Isidro’s nuts dropping. The Dr. Robotnik samurai. Writing a serialized book. Following threads that might not come to fruition. The realistic way that Berserk portrays heroes. Who is the hero of Berserk? Guts simmering down on the revenge. JDO’s personal Berserk journey. The massive inappropriateness of Schierke/Guts. How old is Guts anyway? Starting Berserk all over again. How to properly pirate Berserk. Getting our paper up to purchase the whole Berserk hardcover set. Showing kids fucked up movies. Troll sex. CURRENT EVENTS: Nazis on Substack! Kelby lays out his position. JDO lays out his position. What does anti-vaxxer mean? The way that people condense vast groups of people into one group. What was Covid actually about? Hyper-online losers love to declare which platforms they’re (not really) going to leave. The Agitator fanbase has the most heterodox views. Substack is just a dancehall. THINK FOR YOURSELF. Discovering Jim Goad in Barnes and Noble. Do your good deeds in the dark. The certainty of scientism. People are awful. JDO talks about how alone you are after you catch heat. The lack of grace when you smell blood in the water. JDO’s eclipse moment. Israel/Palestine: what’s the OUTCOME? Land acknowledgment is a cop-out. STAND ON BUSINESS. Baltimore community activist gets his houses burned down. No customer? No product. Living in the town you’re raised in. The greatness of Baltimore. Tipping the Pringles can. Not giving a shit about what happens outside your own backyard. Shout out Tim Dillon. What is Texas culture? Which African country is the funniest? AGITATOR MANIFESTO! Be more like Guts. Stop paying attention to AI. Should you buy a CNC machine? What color should Spiderman’s suit be? What’s the value in being able to write a novel? Who remembers Y2K? The similarity to “support the troops” and “trust the science.” ChatGPT is going to be Google. What makes humans human? Create more with less filter. Creating a ripple effect with your readers. Wear your influences on your sleeve. Steal it, and make it your own. Fuck plot holes. How does the Berserker Armor work? Monster Energy Drink bringing a dog back to life. Jason Statham impaling a shark on a sharp piece of rebar. DRAMA? More of it. Just go for it. Takashi Miike’s adaptation of the “Yakuza” video game (blue flame!). Yellowstone is dramatic as hell. The drama of House. Meth lab explosion! Mercy killing. Kelby gushes about Yellowstone for a while. Be CHEAP AND ON TIME. CHEAP AND ON TIME. We’re busy. Being wary of “professionalism.” The huge L of JDo’s seven-year-old Kickstarter. We’re on time. Thank you for listening.

Akira Kurosawa's RAN (1985) with author E Rathke   This is David's first Kurosawa movie. How's that even possible? We also talk about how Eddy got his dream job, death of cinema, what a movie is and what makes it good, painting storyboards, Mad Max: Furiosa trailer reactions, Anya Taylor Lovejoy, Daily Wire movies, the //MOVIES episode on Lady Ballers, having a vision vs understanding technology, the problems with "fix it in post," King Lear and the legends of Mori Motonari, our Shakespeare theories, Jean-Michel Goudard, the leaked GTA VI trailer, working 90-hour weeks, actor pay is way too high, the biography of Tatsuya Nakadai, first date ideas, immigrant ambition, the psychology of Ran, how Succession is a lot like Ran but why Kelby thinks it sucks, the wisdom of the Fool, the inverse revenge story, acting requiring an environment to engage with, the importance of contextual reference of the making of a scene in how the audience engages with it, improv, Indiana Jones, John Wick, lamenting the age of auteurs, is anyone good anymore?, the one shot, Crazy Samurai, Russian Arc, The Lighthouse, the power of being quiet, the nothing movie bout the bitch making waffles, our plot to erase Joss Whedon, the case in favor of Danny McBride, the origin of long titles, and investigating the hype around Eric LaRocca.   We all have new books out:   A WAR IN HEAVEN by J David Osborne (anime-influenced cyberpunk) BROKEN KATANA by E Rathke (dystopian cybergoth) GOD IS WEARING BLACK by Kelby Losack (a collection of surreal hoodrat noir and bizarre horror)

The mystic juggalo weebs J. David Osborne and Kelby Losack are joined by screenwriter, author, and Mutual Aberration Society host Ryan Jackson to discuss 2023's Netflix anime ONIMUSHA, directed by godfather of the show, Takashi Miike and based on the Capcom series of video games. We discuss: the Agitator sound board, slur buttons, how Koreans say "I," Nick-r-Treat and '90s commercials, Programmed to Kill, Subliminal Jihad, Programmed to Chill, the life and music of XXXTentacion, Do Every Thing Wrong! by Jarett Kobek, Island Boys selling their souls and kissing each other, gates of hell, Miike's career trajectory, Yakuza-run production companies, the Capcom video games ONIMUSHA is based on, which Japanese emperors were the best aka the worst, why is Oda Nobunaga always a villain in Japanese media?, identifying as samurai, vikings as the white samurai, the ONIMUSHA movie that never happened because Heath Ledger died, how we feel about all the Miike touches in the ONIMUSHA anime, why ONIMUSHA stans are mad about the anime, lore nerds, writers against plotting, filmmakers who are painters, are Takashi Miike and David Lynch each other's yin and yang?, why AI is not a threat and how to either use it or not care, paint-by-numbers critics, why Star Wars is best in video game form, utilizing the unique aspects of the medium in which you are creating in, the history of samurai and western cross-referencing, idea vs execution... and this is all within the first hour. We made this one free as a reference point for what Agitator is all about. It's a good hang, it's a comedy show, it's craft and hustle talk, it's anime obsession, it's esoteric, and it's uninhibited. Best podcast in the world. Check out our books, short films, bonus and uncut episodes, book club, and exclusive private Discord access at patreon.com/agitator 

**FULL EPISODE ON patreon.com/agitator** On this episode, JDO and Kelby discuss Danny Brown’s new 10/10 masterpiece Quaranta and JDO’s new GFNB novel, A War in Heaven. The guy from Salem takes naked selfies, why would anyone want to be a writer?, the Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz album is great, Pitchfork sucks, JDO reminisces about being 26 and hearing XXX for the first time, a trip to the DMV, AOC’s mixtape, the lamentational aspect of Quaranta, taking responsibility for your fuckups, Beyonce is better than Jay-Z, the Grinch on a Harley, the Grinch is trans, off-beat rapping, the Huzzah! posse cut, Wunderbread, knocking out crackhead aunties, sighing on the throne, what’s the point of all this?, JDO vs. really nice guys, Face Tattoo Americans, Danny’s fucked up tooth, the desperation at the end of XXX, War in Heaven talk, Kengan Ashura, slowing the books down a bit (even though they’re still really fast), JDO’s body of work, “in the moment” writing vs. storytelling, the success of Kelby’s first workshop, girls named “Sierra,” poop disaster, drilldo homage, fighting an immortal giant baby, being a writer is just trying to answer impossible questions, Cyberpunk 2077 vs. Ringu, getting backstories on the characters, writing dumb characters, Agitator is in War in Heaven, freestyle books, and JDO’s haters still admit that he’s a good writer