Most people would be exhausted after a breakneck trip to “the continent”, especially after getting sick. Not so with Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness, who bring you one of the most action-packed, insightful and inspired installments of YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour.
After recapping and reappraising their excellent Berlin adventure, Dean looks ahead to his live Halloween television gig, ghost-hunting at an old insane asylum in West Virginia for the Travel Channel. Phil expresses skepticism and reveals two possible conspiracies that involve Dean and his company Geek Chic.
Speaking of conspiracy, Phil tackles the swine flu vaccine, raising many alarming questions, while Dean weighs in on the marketing of illness.
Then, because “Hollywood” is actually part of the show’s name, Dean and Phil address a current Screen Actors Guild conspiracy theory involving Seymour Cassel.
Finally, Phil steps up high on his soapbox and addresses the alarming trend in contemporary society of not only shooting the messenger, but of doing so in order that we may ignore the message. If you enjoy spirited, thoughtful and inspiring commentary and analysis, you won’t want to miss it.
All of that, and it’s available one day early! Why? Because we care.
October 28th, 2009 at 12:33 pm
This is my favourite podcast so far (even though I only know -like-10)!
Will listen to it again for sure-and maybe post some more comments then.
I liked the whole “choosing your way of life” thing. Very much universal and just very interesting to listen to/think about. My favourite part really.
Then there is this thing about East Germany which I’d like to blah about a bit.
Yupp, in october 1989 — 91.015 people or so worked for the MfS / Stasi.
See, “The Lives of Others” is one of the ‘recent’ movies that were made about East German history. Oh by the way-the anniversary of 9th November 1989 is only days away. http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,4777571,00.html
What is also interesting- I think is- how looking back GDR includes some judgement about the lives that people lived there at the time. Children who were raised in East Germany and were fed with the ideologies sometimes believed in that Republic you know? And if they were on THAT side, they didnt even notice all the human-rights violations!
Like Africa is not just Africa- there are many differences within. That doesnt make the dictatorship/system any better though of course (not knowing all the horrible things going on).
There is a movie by ‘famous’ German director Volker Schlöndorff that I can recommend—concerning the “choosing your life” thing. Not as good as “The Lives of Others”maybe, but I think you would like it (judging by the podcast). It has many interesting layers. its “The Legend of Rita” (2000)
http://www.amazon.com/Legend-Rita-Bibiana-Beglau
October 28th, 2009 at 2:46 pm
RE: jobs
One thing that I always think about: the higher you rise the ladder, the more responsibility you have (for other people too). Lets say you work for a company that produces trains/ airplanes. HOW many people are below you in the hierarchy, and how many of them do work under ‘inhuman’ conditions abroad? Like that stuff they need for mobile phones which they have to import. Anyway.
And then there is the other part-much like you said yourself that by buying something you sort of support things related– when the product IS finished (with segments maybe produced under terrible conditions) the costumers know nothing about that and just use the car/train/airplane (or sneakers!).
RE: “lacking of art”..individualism in GDR
In East Berlin people were not allowed to listen to the radio stations that were there for the *American soldiers/sector*,you know? Like -they were the enemyyyy *headdesk*. So if you lived in East Germany and liked contemporary American soul or blues you needed friends in the west to get any of that. East Germany had their own labels like “Amiga” where the LYRICS were totally controlled so that songs didnt include any system-criticism.
Just like it was with books and other forms of art. “the lives of others” did show that horrible situations artists were in. :
“What about you? Then you don’t need it either. Or need it even less. But you get in bed with them too. Why do you do it?
Because they can destroy you too, despite your talent and your faith. Because they decide what we play, who is to act, and who can direct.”
October 28th, 2009 at 3:40 pm
Aww..the part about the message/messenger is sooo true!
I think its a good sign if people are open for other opinions and questioning their own. What most people do instead though, is clinging onto things and not listen. So they find whatever reason to NOT listen to each other. “Why should I listen to you, you dont even have a job/children/enough experience/. You take drugs…” Because people want to have constants and seldom are they ready to throw over their world concepts. But really, how boring does life get, if you are always surrounded by people who ‘agree’ with you? If people travel to another country and then come back they ALSO feel ‘back home’ because there they know everything enough to NOT be forced to question themselves/ their CONCEPTS.
The message part reminds me of that lovely “Six Feet Under” episode “Nobody Sleeps” where the teacher tells Claire: “An artist never questions her right to experience everything the world has to offer”.
October 29th, 2009 at 7:32 pm
ohoh..have to post another comment. sorry?
. I have to admit that my reason for not watching that Stauffenberg movie was that I don’t like Tom Cruise/he scares me. I wouldn’t be able to see him as anyone else but a member of Scientology *shrug*. That he (messenger?) made that movie caused weeks of public debate in Germany.
I think what you say about the message/messenger also goes for history. I mean what you said involved all this sociological things; fears and all–my examples probably don’t.
Martin Luther: yes- many of his writings were anti-Semitic, but that doesn’t mean that him translating the latin Bible had less of an impact on European history. Galileo Galilee lived among high society in Florence for some years and had to make compromises – but his science was special non the less. The list goes on… But the people *are* ‘product of their time. And so if today people *wish* their favorite actors or musicians to be flawless Gods, so that they can look up to *somebody* in this world, than those are only projections of their own (unfulfilled?) hopes. That’s black-n’-white thinking: either good or bad? no-both within one. Like the Yin and Yang
October 31st, 2009 at 10:43 am
Very nice podcast again, guys!! I just wanted to add my thoughts about the whole conspiracy memorial issue in Germany and USA. You might wanna keep in mind that all the memorials we have here in Germany, be it the Stauffenberg ones or the Stasi memorials, were only put up AFTER there had been a regime change and not by the regime that was involved in that particular conspiracy. So I think you cannot quite compare this to the situation in the US because while the museum about the Kennedy murder only tells the official story, so do the memorials in Germany. I am pretty sure that if the GDR had survived and the Stasi prison had been closed for some reason, they still would not make it into a museum to remember the inmates.
Love how Phil is mocking the whole swine flu thing
While I don’t follow you all the way to the point where the pharmaceutical companies intentioanlly poison children with vaccination to make them long-term patients 
, I absolutely agree that this whole thing is totally blown out of proportion. Especially when I heard earlier that about 6000 people worldwide have died of swine flu until now, while every year more than 10000 people die of the regular flu only in Germany…… As you said, fear is the best way to sell something (that actually reminded me a lot of what Marylin Manson said in “Bowling For Columbine” 
)
Looking forward to the next podcast!
November 13th, 2009 at 3:36 am
Hi guys,
About the flu. Only 17 people here died of the flu until now.. Sadly, half of those are children. Still people hesitate to get vaccinated because the flu here is a mild flu, although the realize it can get worse. I’m a ‘lucky’ one, because I already had the Mexican flu (we call it Mexican flu and not swine flu btw). For me no vaccination. I wasn’t even that sick. Others have to decide for themselves. But I don’t believe people are being poisoned with the vaccine. Here that is, lol.