Dr. Marianna Ritchey, author of Composing Capital: Classical Music in the Neoliberal Era, talks to Classical Traitor about the stifling lack of imagination in the classical music industry. The two discuss how well-meaning but naive liberal identity politics in classical music institutions are paving the way for a right wing backlash against social progress in those same institutions. References from the show are linked below: Composing Capital: Classical Music in the Neoliberal Era The Role of Police in Gentrification Comrade: An Essay on Political Belonging Beyond Exoticism: Western Music and the World Vienna Philharmonic and the Jewish musicians who perished under Hitler Capital: A Critique of Political Economy
Three Ways is a series where we invite folks doing work in different fields, roughly representing science, politics and culture, to answer one question together. Our goal isn’t to settle the issue, but to gather multiple perspectives, to see if we can find new ways of approaching old problems and perhaps just as importantly to get into the habit of holding space for understanding one another, even when we’re coming from very different places. In our First installment, Jessica Aszodi facilitates a conversation with Brianna Tong, Nijmie Dzurinko, & Tori Larsen, unpacking the question: “What should be our most urgent priorities for change, and how can we move forward together?” The crew dives into the details of this broad question, exploring the ethics and strategy of building collective power toward liberation. Nijmie Zakkiyyah Dzurinko is a working class Black, Indigenous and queer organizer and strategist of over 20 years from Pennsylvania. She is co-founder and co-coordinator on a volunteer basis of Put People First! PA, a base building human rights organization waging a campaign for healthcare as a human right. They are also volunteer co-chair of the Pennsylvania Poor People's Campaign and a member of the National Steering Committee. Nijmie serves on the Executive Board of the National Union of the Homeless and is also a member of the University of the Poor and the Popular Education Project. Brianna Tong is a singer, former? Organizer (formerly w/ The People’s Lobby), craft doer, and past/present emo living in Chicago. She sings in Bussy Kween Power Trip, Cordoba, and /je'raf/ and spent years organizing college students & young people. Tori Larsen is a queer science educator, researcher across, artist, and organizer. Their work focuses on the ways in which science contributes to, and is simultaneously a product of our society. They are presently working on projects that seek to bring an abolitionist and anti-imperialist lens to science and science institutions. They work with Free Radicals, the Science Workers Collective, and Chicago’s #DefundCPD campaign.
Lady Jess, violinist extraordinaire and passionate activist for Black classical musicians, is on the show for Classical Traitor's first ever interview! We talk about going through the orchestral musician pipeline as a black woman, what it was like to tour with Beyoncé, and we also grade classical music's response to the BLM uprisings from last summer. Find out more about Lady Jess on her website or social. Links below: ladyjessmusic.com Facebook: @ladyjessmusic Twitter: @LadyJessMusic Instagram: @ladyjessmusic patreon.com/LadyJessMusic
CT is a podcast about class, treachery, music, working together, standing apart, and organizing for a better cultural future. Hosted by classical bassoonist and organizer, Patrick Johnson-Whitty ( @contrababoon ). Patrick talks about problems unionizing musicians, the ruling class nature of classical music funding, and visions for a future where cultural development is a human right.
Shred Radio hosts a panel with three labor organizers to reflect on some of the words and symbols we encounter in our organizing efforts, as well as its emotional / psychological dimensions. Erin Delaney is a Chicago based artist and labor organizer. Working in performance and music, her work investigates a productive collaboration between artist and audience through shared tasks and service. Erin Delaney uses performance as a tool for alliance building, creating platforms for empathy and awareness in line with her social and political concerns. She is currently working as a lead organizer with the Chicago chapter of Fight For $15, supporting fast food workers in their fight for a union, and is a member of the UMAW Chicago local. Erin is open to supporting any union effort that requires an organizer. So, if you hate your boss, hit her up. Ted is a warehouse worker at Amazon and a member of Amazonians United Chicagoland. He unites with coworkers to build community that fights for better working conditions and respect for all workers. His interests are nature walks, Asian foods, cats, and the liberation of all oppressed peoples of the world. Patrick Johnson-Whitty originally wanted to play saxophone, but his middle school band director told him that he would get into college for free if he played the bassoon, so that’s what he did. Somehow this turned into a career; he now lives in San Francisco, where he has been a member of the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra since 2010. Patrick wants to build a vision for a world where the arts are seen as a public good, not a private luxury. Patrick organizes with Union of Musicians and Allied Workers and is a member of the American Federation of Musicians. #ShredRadio #MayDay #WorkersOfTheWorldUnite @erindoesdaymaker @contrababoon
Sean Estelle hosts a panel discussion on the work of Kim Stanley Robinson and with Daniel Aldana Cohen, Hilary Ashton Strang, & Matt Hauske. We'll start with KSR's most recent book, The Ministry For The Future, and dig into what climate change and science fiction have to do with the horizons of our imagination and how to make knowledge and make and change in the world today. Hilary Strang (she/her) lives in Chicago, where she teaches critical theory, gender studies, and science fiction. she's also the co-host of marooned on mars, a read-along podcast about Kim Stanley Robinson's science fiction, utopia, communist possibility and the empirical valley in which we live. Matt Hauske (he/him) has taught film studies at Colby College, DePaul University, and the University of Chicago, where he received his PhD in 2015. He currently lives in Maine, where he has been doing a lot of baking and reading but not nearly enough writing and working. He is also a co-host of the Marooned on Mars podcast with Hilary. Daniel Aldana Cohen (he/him) is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Pennsylvania, where he directs the Socio-Spatial Climate Collaborative, or (SC)2 and works on the politics of climate change, investigating the intersections of climate change, housing, political economy, social movements, and inequalities of race and social class in the United States and Brazil. Sean Estelle (they/them) is a climate justice organizer living in Chicago, IL. They have worked with many organizations over the years, including National Students for Justice in Palestine, Power Shift Network; and currently, a national volunteer elected leadership role with the Democratic Socialists of America.
Ruby talks with Kedar Reddy, co-founder of @organiz_org, about applying creative art to social justice, specifically in the form of digital outlets like platforms, games, and interactive social media strategies. Both Ruby and Kedar were 2020 Center for Story-based Strategy fellows and apply story-based strategy in various ways to their work. They also talk about what it means to explore identities and accept the ever-evolving nature of beliefs and systems, and how to take care while doing the emotionally challenging work of trying to break down harmful assumptions and core cultural beliefs of those closest to you. Check out @equalitylabs on IG for more info on anti-caste organizing! shred-mag.com
Dr. Rami Gabriel Talks with Eli about his new article out in Aeon "How Psychology Fills the Gap from the Disenchantment of the World" (formerly "Psychology as Mythology"). This article is the first chapter in Rami's forthcoming book "A Suspicious Science: The Uses of Psychology." The Interview is in three parts. First, Rami gives a summary of the project, then Eli has Rami break down some core concepts from this article (ex. Personhood, Materialism, Myth, Secular Modernity), and finally Rami unpacks what's at stake for us. Transcript at: https://shred-mag.com/shred-radio-013-rami-gabriel-psychology-as-mythology/ ... Rami Gabriel, PhD, is Associate Professor of Psychology in the Department of Humanities, History, and Social Sciences at Columbia College Chicago. Current research interests include the philosophy of psychology, consciousness, the self, affective neuroscience, social affordances, and diaspora musical communities. His first book, Why I Buy: Self, Taste, and Consumer Society in America (2013), is published by Intellect Press UK and distributed in America by University of Chicago Press. Dr. Gabriel is a founding fellow at the Columbia College Chicago Liberal Arts and Sciences Research group in Mind, Science, and Culture (http://www.colum.edu/academics/mind-s...). The group's focus is on the evolution of emotion, this work eventuated in Dr. Gabriel's second book, co-authored with Dr. Stephen T Asma, The Emotional Mind: Affective Roots of Culture and Cognition (Harvard University Press, 2019). A third book manuscript, A Suspicious Science: The Uses of Psychology, is in the works. Dr. Gabriel is also a composer and professional musician; he performs locally and nationally on the oud and the guitar. His musical interests center on Middle Eastern classical and folk music, American Jazz, Blues, and Soul, as well as musique concrete. He has produced several albums with Illinois Arts Council grants and looks forward to further expanding his artistic scope.
Sean Estelle is a climate justice organizer living in Chicago, IL. They have worked with many organizations over the years, including National Students for Justice in Palestine, Power Shift Network; and currently, a national volunteer elected leadership role with the Democratic Socialists of America. They've been sharing book reviews for over 2 years and this year they teamed up with Shred on the #ReadWithShred series! Sean will be hosting a discussion on the works of Kim Stanley Robinson on Wednesday March 17 as part of our week-long launch, Shred Fest 🤘🤘🤘 #ShredRadio @Chitrans_plant
Stephanie Skora is a writer, educator, speaker, organizer, and non-profiteer based in Chicago, Illinois. She lives as a femme lesbian, trans woman, and working-class anti-Zionist Ashkenazi Jew, and mobilizes her identities to work in solidarity with Palestinians, to queer Jewish spaces, and to fight for justice and liberation for all trans people. Stephanie is currently the Associate Executive Director of Brave Space Alliance, serves as Board President for the Midwest Institute for Sexuality and Gender Diversity, and is the author of the "Girl, I Guess" Progressive Voter Guide. When not working or organizing, Stephanie can be found enjoying the pleasures of life for a Virgo: food, love, and being right. #ShredRadio @stephanieskora
Jasmine joins us to share her insights on why climate justice is part of the antidote to white supremacist settler colonialism and capitalism, what the phrase "Ways of Knowing" means to her and how we can make use of the wisdom gained from both centuries of interaction with the land and modern scientific observation to make life better for everyone. The two also reminisce about the house parties and Chicago old time music scene where they first met. Jasmine Neosh is an enrolled member of the Menominee Nation. She is also a student in the Public Administration program at the College of Menominee Nation, where she graduated with high honors in 2019 with an Associate degree in Natural Resources. Jasmine is a writer, researcher, and global advocate for environmental justice, Indigenous sovereignty, climate change education and culturally-informed, place-based sustainability. She is the author of Rezilience, a Tribal College Journal blog which focuses on stories of sustainability in Indian Country. #ShredRadio @jasmineneosh @gelatinskeleton
Ruby Pinto interviews Ariel Atkins. Ruby and Ari start to unpack the nature of political and ideological labels they have encountered and used in their organizing work. The two reflect on the transformative events of 2020, what they want to see and do in political education, and their hopes and dreams for 2021 and beyond. They compare notes on how they feel about Marxism and share hopes and dreams for political education and community building. They also share nostalgia for Hot Topic and Tumblr. Ari is a queer Black abolitionist organizer who has lived, learned and worked in Chicago for the past 11 years. Among her current projects is a Black Feminist, Communist and anarchist theory study group for Black women and non-men. #ShredRadio @gelatinskeleton @altrnativblackhottie
Eli Namay will be interviewing Shred creative director Ruby Pinto. Ruby will share her journey through political and cultural work that led her to help build this project. The two will reflect on the need for prison & police abolition, the work of For the People Artists Collective ( @forthepeopleartists ) , and how Ruby came to practice story based strategy, as well as her current studies of the nervous system and stress response. Ruby is an artist, organizer and care worker dedicated to building a world where joy, safety and comfort are accessible to everyone. Pittsburgh-raised and currently based, she found her footing in Chicago, blessed to learn from such visionaries as Mariame Kaba, the creators that make up her movement home, For the People Artists Collective, and the youth leaders of the #NoCopAcademy campaign. She considers herself a lifelong student, a cheerleader for the revolution, a prison and police abolitionist and a very fancy monkey. Ruby’s dream community role would be to create spaces where celebration and healing are intertwined, as she really just wants to party.
Ruby Pinto will be interviewing Shred Publisher Eli Namay. Eli will share his journey through the philosophical, political, and cultural terrain that led to organizing this magazine and political education unit. The two will begin to unpack the connections between Marx, Dialectical Biology, Taoism, and more! Eli Namay is a Lebanese/Syrian, Pittsburgh and Chicago based upright bassist, composer, writer, organizer, and educator. Pre-Covid, Eli lived in Chicago where he was a part of the creative music, DIY, and folk music communities, curated several long running concert series, and worked as an educator and community organizer. In this time of isolation, he has continued to find meaning co-running Gilded Records, trading tracks w/ je’raf, and organizing and studying digitally with the DSA, UMAW, and Shred. Eli became fascinated with the evolution of emotions and language via an obsession with trying to understand the reification fallacy.
Ruby Pinto will be interviewing Shred's Steering Committee member, Patrick Johnson-Whitty. Patrick will share his experience at the intersection of organized labor and music, discussing the pitfalls of conservative unionism if we want to see truly liberated culture for all humanity. Patrick Johnson-Whitty originally wanted to play saxophone, but his middle school band director told him that he would get into college for free if he played the bassoon, so that’s what he did. Somehow this turned into a career; he now lives in San Francisco, where he has been a member of the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra since 2010. Patrick wants to build a vision for a world where the arts are seen as a public good, not a private luxury.
Ruby Pinto will be interviewing Shred Magazine's steering committee member, Clara Takarabe. Clara will talk about how her work researching music, the brain, and care relates to cultural activity liberated from capitalism and the commodity form. Clara is a symphonic musician, researcher in neurology and music, and philosopher at the intersection of art theory, labor theory and public sphere theory. Graduated from the University of Chicago. #ShredRadio #Musician #SymphonicMusician #Capitalism #Socialism #PoliticalEconomyOfCulture #Chicago #ClaraTakarabe
Ruby Pinto will be interviewing Shred Magazine's steering committie member, Jack Langdon. Jack will talk about his work looking at cultural activity within the circuits of capitalism, along with visions for life liberated from the profit motive. Jack is a writer, musician, and graduate student worker based in Chicago and Thetford, VT. He currently studies at Dartmouth College and researches the connections between musical technology, political economy, and aesthetics. #ShredRadio #Composer #ExperimentalMusic #NewMusic #Capitalism #Socialism #PoliticalEconomyOfCulture #Chicago #Dartmouth #JackLangdon
Ruby Pinto will be interviewing Shred Magazine's Steering Committee member, Jessica Aszodi. Jessica is a Berlin-based, Australia born singer, writer, curator, and composer working across a weird jumble of musical genres. Pre-Corona, she spent most of her time traveling around the world performing as a soloist with major and minor orchestras, opera companies and festivals, organizing concerts, writing articles for books and journals and doing artistic research. Jessica will be sharing how her background is informing her work developing Shred Magazine, and why it's important for cultural workers to see what they do as interconnected with political and philosophical issues. #ShredRadio #Vocalist #ExperimentalMusic #NewMusic #Opera #ClassicalMusic #Berlin #Australia #JessicaAszodi #Philosophy #PoliticalEconomyOfCulture
Ruby Pinto will be interviewing Shred Magazine's Steering Committee member Emma Marsano. Emma is a Chicago-based writer and analyst interested in how knowledge production can serve or hinder social movements. In particular, her research has focused on the material development of cognitive science and other fields that study the human mind/brain through the mind-as-computer metaphor. Emma will be sharing how her background in science and political organizing is informing her work developing Shred Magazine. shred-mag.com instagram.com/shredmagazine https://www.facebook.com/shredmagazin... https://www.patreon.com/shredmagazine #ShredRadio #MindBrain #Brain #CognitiveScience #Science #WaysOfKnowing
Shred Radio [001] with Ruby and Eli Shred Radio is now in orbit! Ruby and Eli talk about the why, what and how of Shred, plus our hopes and dreams for all we might do and be. #ShredRadio shred-mag.com instagram.com/shredmagazine https://www.facebook.com/shredmagazin... https://www.patreon.com/shredmagazine