As an Easter and pesach mitzvah to America, we’re gifting this Member Only episode to all y’all…considering that we were on vacation and had no intention of recording it, it’s just Matt and Moyn, and they cover just one dumb subject. An annoyed text exchange about this whole “Clarence Thomas’s friend Harlan Crow loves Hitler” nonsense precipitated this recording, which also exists so we could resurface a relevant listener question from Members Only #152.
My center-left same-sex partner of 20 years and I have a set of Nazi coins on display, next to an Ancient Roman coffin key and oil lamp we picked up at an antique store in Avebury, England. We also have an autographed Ringo Starr drum head on the wall, next to autographed images of Bryan Ferry and the Dandy Warhols. We collect cool shit when we go places. and do things.
I can relate to the tea spoon as my grandfather was a WWII veteran with sticky fingers. He’d ship things back disassembled only to return home after the war to find his older sisters had sold most of it already.
One thing he did have is a fork from Buchenwald concentration camp that he took part in liberating. He’s since passed and it’s in my possession now. He was proud of his service and horrified at the thought some people denied the holocaust he saw with his own eyes. These artifacts are part of our shared history and a tangible link to the best and worst possibilities of human nature. Any historian trying to score partisan points off it should be shunned.
Alternatively “Hear here” if you’re directing someone where to stand for optimal listening experience, or “Here, hear” if you’re directing a person named “Here” to hear.
Speaking of tank collectors, I recently came across an amazing story that connects several topics of interest to our hosts: tanks, southern California, the Czech Republic, and Boston's metrowest suburbs. There was this fellow named Jacques Littlefield who loved tanks. He had a ranch in California and over his lifetime grew his collection. He started to branch out into other military equipment such as aircraft, and then when the cold war ended he found that a veritable bonanza of surplus equipment was becoming available, including a SCUD MISSILE LAUNCHER that he purchased from the Czech Republic [1].
US Customs was deeply concerned when this showed up at a California port. An investigation revealed that it had not been fully disabled. Somehow he was able to jump through whatever technical and bureaucratic hurdles were needed to keep the missile. When he died, his entire collection was donated to the American Heritage Museum in Stow, MA [2]. I have been there and it is incredible. The Scud TEL is there in all its glory, as well as numerous tanks from WWII-era T-34s and Panzers up to a modern Abrams tank. There's even a mock battle between a T-34 and a Panzer. I was a little annoyed, though, that they re-painted the Czech Scud in Iraqi colors and vaguely linked it to the Gulf War, rather than explaining the true provenance.
In any event, people seem to forget the obvious truth: today's weird billionaire collection is tomorrow's museum.
I've been to that museum, and yes, it is an amazing museum. I know a lot about military vehicles and they have a great collection. If anyone eher takes a trip to Israel, the Armored Vehicle collection in Latrun is comprehensive for vehicles that have been used in all the Israeli-Arab conflicts.
Apr 10, 2023·edited Apr 10, 2023Liked by Matt Welch
I haven't thought about Feral House in a really long time. August 1997, my parents dropped me off for my freshman year at university and I was off to the races; I wanted all of the weird, extreme, and taboo things my parents and teachers hated. Feral House's output was on my must-read list for several years in my late teens and early 20s after I discovered Apocalypse Culture in one of my ventures into odd bookstores. Every publication guaranteed you were going to hit something on the fringe. I think I mostly destroyed my ability to be shocked and perhaps my sense of what's actually taboo in those 5-6 years and Adam Parfrey could be credited with a healthy contribution to that.
I think Apocalypse Culture II is the last Feral House book I have at this point. Maybe I'll pull it off the shelf tonight.
Am I the only one who remembers Joe Don Baker as Brad Whitaker, the collector of tyrant statues and war memorabilia, in James Bonds' The Living Daylights? On another note, I once earned a PhD focused on british imperialism and my work in academia revealed to me that most historians are guided more by their political biases than by the expectations of the discipline. As one of Moynihan's undergrad contemporaries (same assigned readings but at a different university), I am very familiar with the sources he cites. Though he didn't put himself through the needless suffering of earning the terminal degree, I'd say he has a far better grasp on the actual details of the histories that interest him than many who hold professorships. There are admirable historians out there, but one need not assume this is a precondition of earning tenure at our elite institutions.
That Intelligencer piece is one of the most dishonest things I've read in a long time. The second sentence is "To certain right-wing Christians, the concept is simple: A child can be broken, or stamped into shape, much like any domesticated animal."
I checked out that Red Scare podcast with TCW you recommended and thought it was pretty good. Exciting that Thomas is going to putting out a pod of his own soon.
This topic is great. I’ve taken my son to the teddy bear statues across from Harlan Crow’s property in HP, and seeing all the statues of dead commie assholes in that corner of his property is pretty cool.
Apr 11, 2023·edited Apr 11, 2023Liked by Matt Welch
Ok, this was the Podcast that made me pay you mf‘ers. Harlan Crow is Trammel Crow‘s son and a legend within my company which owns his father’s company as a subsidiary. His father also had a garden of statues but most of the art museums in Dallas are the benefactors of the Crow‘s… Adam Parfrey was a genius who’s music was awesome. He was nice enough to correspond witzle as a teen and I got to meet him at an event where the other Michael Moynihan, whose music sucks, was also present. I love hearing his legacy has traction. Lastly the Massachusetts guy who invited Michael into the inner sanctum is Bill Shea who I worked for as a teen. We bought parts of Bob Hope‘s militaria collection, the guy who basically started the USO. And yes, the best customers were Jewish.
Heyo! Matt’s seder-going might have born fruit with Hashem. The latest Identity Crisis podcast (a great Jewish culture podcast -- but not as great as Ask A Jew!!!) is about Jews in baseball!
“Host Yehuda Kurtzer is joined by Ira Berkow, Pulizer Prize-winning sports writer, to reminisce about formative moments in the history of Jewish baseball and to explore the meaning of baseball for American Jews” https://open.spotify.com/episode/42rQznRuuUgkws20ttVx96
Excellent discussion. There’s a reason Dan Carlin is superior to the historians being produced by Ph.D. Programs. For anyone looking for a great documentary on WWII art and loot I can’t recommend the Rape of Europa highly enough.
Harlan Eagle
Took me awhile, but holy shit this is funny…
My center-left same-sex partner of 20 years and I have a set of Nazi coins on display, next to an Ancient Roman coffin key and oil lamp we picked up at an antique store in Avebury, England. We also have an autographed Ringo Starr drum head on the wall, next to autographed images of Bryan Ferry and the Dandy Warhols. We collect cool shit when we go places. and do things.
So the theme is evil, then?
If the word 'Nazi' weren't strictly, ahem, verboten, 'The Yacht Nazis' would make a ridiculously great band name.
How about just "the Nacht Yazis"
Nacht: German for "night"
Yazi: Turkish for "writing"
"Night Writing" is a great name!
Unnamed witnesses on the superyacht saw Thomas put on the captain's hat and steer, which is clearly work and not a gift. Checkmate, liberals.
I can relate to the tea spoon as my grandfather was a WWII veteran with sticky fingers. He’d ship things back disassembled only to return home after the war to find his older sisters had sold most of it already.
One thing he did have is a fork from Buchenwald concentration camp that he took part in liberating. He’s since passed and it’s in my possession now. He was proud of his service and horrified at the thought some people denied the holocaust he saw with his own eyes. These artifacts are part of our shared history and a tangible link to the best and worst possibilities of human nature. Any historian trying to score partisan points off it should be shunned.
Here here
Hi. I'm a pedantic asshole, and I would just like to point out it is "hear hear".
Alternatively “Hear here” if you’re directing someone where to stand for optimal listening experience, or “Here, hear” if you’re directing a person named “Here” to hear.
Their they're
If someone collects Darth Vader Star Wars memorabilia, I assume they support the Sith and/or the Galactic Empire.
Speaking of tank collectors, I recently came across an amazing story that connects several topics of interest to our hosts: tanks, southern California, the Czech Republic, and Boston's metrowest suburbs. There was this fellow named Jacques Littlefield who loved tanks. He had a ranch in California and over his lifetime grew his collection. He started to branch out into other military equipment such as aircraft, and then when the cold war ended he found that a veritable bonanza of surplus equipment was becoming available, including a SCUD MISSILE LAUNCHER that he purchased from the Czech Republic [1].
US Customs was deeply concerned when this showed up at a California port. An investigation revealed that it had not been fully disabled. Somehow he was able to jump through whatever technical and bureaucratic hurdles were needed to keep the missile. When he died, his entire collection was donated to the American Heritage Museum in Stow, MA [2]. I have been there and it is incredible. The Scud TEL is there in all its glory, as well as numerous tanks from WWII-era T-34s and Panzers up to a modern Abrams tank. There's even a mock battle between a T-34 and a Panzer. I was a little annoyed, though, that they re-painted the Czech Scud in Iraqi colors and vaguely linked it to the Gulf War, rather than explaining the true provenance.
In any event, people seem to forget the obvious truth: today's weird billionaire collection is tomorrow's museum.
[1] https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-sep-29-mn-27610-story.html
[2] https://www.americanheritagemuseum.org/
And here all I’ve ever done in Stow is pick apples and take hayrides. There’s a SCUD next to the pumpkin patch?! Fantastic!
I recall at least one Nazi aircraft located in the National Air and Space Museum (the Udvar Hazy version at Dulles).
I've been to that museum, and yes, it is an amazing museum. I know a lot about military vehicles and they have a great collection. If anyone eher takes a trip to Israel, the Armored Vehicle collection in Latrun is comprehensive for vehicles that have been used in all the Israeli-Arab conflicts.
I haven't thought about Feral House in a really long time. August 1997, my parents dropped me off for my freshman year at university and I was off to the races; I wanted all of the weird, extreme, and taboo things my parents and teachers hated. Feral House's output was on my must-read list for several years in my late teens and early 20s after I discovered Apocalypse Culture in one of my ventures into odd bookstores. Every publication guaranteed you were going to hit something on the fringe. I think I mostly destroyed my ability to be shocked and perhaps my sense of what's actually taboo in those 5-6 years and Adam Parfrey could be credited with a healthy contribution to that.
I think Apocalypse Culture II is the last Feral House book I have at this point. Maybe I'll pull it off the shelf tonight.
Am I the only one who remembers Joe Don Baker as Brad Whitaker, the collector of tyrant statues and war memorabilia, in James Bonds' The Living Daylights? On another note, I once earned a PhD focused on british imperialism and my work in academia revealed to me that most historians are guided more by their political biases than by the expectations of the discipline. As one of Moynihan's undergrad contemporaries (same assigned readings but at a different university), I am very familiar with the sources he cites. Though he didn't put himself through the needless suffering of earning the terminal degree, I'd say he has a far better grasp on the actual details of the histories that interest him than many who hold professorships. There are admirable historians out there, but one need not assume this is a precondition of earning tenure at our elite institutions.
And lo, this podcast too has risen!
*IS. This podcast too *IS* risen.
For the record, I thought that statue garden was pretty cool. I was sad when they took Lenin off of the Red Square hotel https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/lenin-statue-at-red-square
Whoopi Goldberg has a racism collection
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=W-vr3YyHgsQ
And I regret to inform you, parenting a child is now right-wing https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2023/04/children-are-not-property.html
That Intelligencer piece is one of the most dishonest things I've read in a long time. The second sentence is "To certain right-wing Christians, the concept is simple: A child can be broken, or stamped into shape, much like any domesticated animal."
And it somehow manages to get worse from there!
Absolutely unhinged. I’m almost sorry to inflict it on others but I felt insane reading it and need commiseration.
I checked out that Red Scare podcast with TCW you recommended and thought it was pretty good. Exciting that Thomas is going to putting out a pod of his own soon.
They have a few episodes! It’s good https://www.stitcher.com/show/wrongthink
Sorry I'm late to this but
A) Also sad to see the Lenin statue is no more. I used to walk by that statue nearly every day in high school.
B) What the fuck is that Intelligencer article?
"Children aren’t private property, then, but a public responsibility."
Cancel everyone who has ever been in a production of The Sound of Music who was not specifically playing a Von Trapp.
This topic is great. I’ve taken my son to the teddy bear statues across from Harlan Crow’s property in HP, and seeing all the statues of dead commie assholes in that corner of his property is pretty cool.
And there is in fact a Crow Museum of Asian Art. The family has a truly impressive art collection, overall.
Ok, this was the Podcast that made me pay you mf‘ers. Harlan Crow is Trammel Crow‘s son and a legend within my company which owns his father’s company as a subsidiary. His father also had a garden of statues but most of the art museums in Dallas are the benefactors of the Crow‘s… Adam Parfrey was a genius who’s music was awesome. He was nice enough to correspond witzle as a teen and I got to meet him at an event where the other Michael Moynihan, whose music sucks, was also present. I love hearing his legacy has traction. Lastly the Massachusetts guy who invited Michael into the inner sanctum is Bill Shea who I worked for as a teen. We bought parts of Bob Hope‘s militaria collection, the guy who basically started the USO. And yes, the best customers were Jewish.
Interesting
Heyo! Matt’s seder-going might have born fruit with Hashem. The latest Identity Crisis podcast (a great Jewish culture podcast -- but not as great as Ask A Jew!!!) is about Jews in baseball!
“Host Yehuda Kurtzer is joined by Ira Berkow, Pulizer Prize-winning sports writer, to reminisce about formative moments in the history of Jewish baseball and to explore the meaning of baseball for American Jews” https://open.spotify.com/episode/42rQznRuuUgkws20ttVx96
Excellent discussion. There’s a reason Dan Carlin is superior to the historians being produced by Ph.D. Programs. For anyone looking for a great documentary on WWII art and loot I can’t recommend the Rape of Europa highly enough.
Ghosts of the Ostfront!
“Bad guy vs bad guy”
Dan’s the best
Mmm nice 👍