Welcome to the first installment of USELESS/USEFUL, in which we discuss topics of interest, broken into two categories. USELESS covers topics that have to do with pop culture, music, film, etc. – and the term “useless” is used lovingly, hearkening back to the DIY Brooklyn venue Fort Useless and the community around that. USEFUL covers topics like relief efforts, charitable campaigns, and social issues that we want to draw attention to. We’ll also share about projects going on at Stereoactive Media. Here are our topics for this episode…

USELESS: R.E.M. – specifically, their 1994 album, ‘Monster’ /// ‘The Substance,’ now in theaters and starring Demi Moore, Margaret Quallet, and Dennis Quaid

USEFUL: Relief efforts related to Hurricane Helene.

STEREOACTIVE MEDIA: RedactedAV /// When We See Each Other

LINKS:

https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/hurricane/2024/09/28/keaton-beach-damage-photos-hurricane-helene-florida-video/75426982007/

https://www.commoncause.org/north-carolina/articles/what-you-can-do-to-help-western-north-carolina/

https://www.redactedav.com/

https://redcircle.com/shows/whenweseeeachother

Jeremiah and Joe discuss the evolving 2024 election landscape, reviewing key events like the Democratic National Convention, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s endorsement of Trump, and the Harris-Trump debate, analyzing their potential impact on voter sentiment. Joe shares his fatigue and mixed feelings on the campaign’s warped timeline, following President Biden's dropping out and VP Harris dropping in. They also delve into the debate performances, particularly Harris's assertiveness and Trump’s controversial moments, and discuss the importance of moderators in upholding journalistic standards such as, you know, fact-checking. As we near the election on November 5th, they reflect on the unpredictable nature of the race and the significance of the upcoming VP debate and whether there may be any further Presidential debates.

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0:00 - Introduction to the 2024 Election

1:28 - Overarching Thoughts on the Race

4:34 - Impact of the Democratic National Convention

6:57 - Harris's Campaign Strategy

11:54 - The Big Tent Democratic Party

17:24 - Analysis of the Recent Debate

32:14 - Fact-Checking and Moderator Dynamics

47:10 - Importance of Vice Presidential Debates

49:58 - Conclusion and Final Thoughts

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Episode Credits:

Producer/Host - J. McVay

Guests - Joe Virgillito

Music - Hansdale Hsu

Produced by Stereoactive Media

Back in 2020, J. McVay and Joe Virgillito did a regular series of discussions on the previous incarnation of this podcast, leading up to that year’s election between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Now that the looming specter of a depressing rematch between those two is behind us, they’re now embarking on hopefully the first of a new series of chats leading up to this November’s election. So, here;s the state of the race so far: 1) Joe Biden did terribly in his June debate with Donald Trump; 2) Trump was shot at a rally; 3) JD Vance was announced as Trump’s running mate; 4) The Republican National Convention happened; 5) Democrats managed to convince Biden to drop out of the race and Vice President Harris immediately became the heir to the nomination; 6) Tim Walz was picked to be Harris’ running mate. With all of that as table setting, along with the looming possibilities of Project 2025 if Trump is elected, and the “uncommitted” movement showing Biden’s weakness in Democratic primaries earlier in the year, Joe and J tackle the following questions… How surprising was Vice President Harris’ quick ascension as Biden dropped out of the race, and how does she seem as a candidate now as compared to 2020? Where does JD Vance fall on the Palin Scale – is he more or less of a drag on the Trump ticket than Palin was for McCain in 2008? How does Tim Walz stack up as a running mate for Harris as compared to Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shaprio and Arizona Senator Mark Kelly? With Democrats adopting the messaging that the GOP is “weird,” and the Harris/Walz team seemingly presenting themselves as something like a “return to normalcy,” what are their prospects as they head into a Democratic National Convention where they’re probably going to be largely selling the idea of “Normcore 2024?”

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Episode Credits:

Producer/Host - J. McVay

Guests - Joe Virgillito

Music - Hansdale Hsu

Produced by Stereoactive Media