Mechanical Freak
479 episodes - English - Latest episode: 7 days ago - ★★★★ - 49 ratingsFrom Seattle, city of the future, the bleeding edge of Neoliberal dystopia...
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Episodes
Right on Time
April 21, 2024 03:25 - 1 hour - 77.4 MBGreg & Brian catch up on all the exciting news from the past couple of weeks, from the constant need to struggle against revisionism to the new SPOG contract.
The Political Economy of Higher Education, pt 2
February 27, 2024 06:30 - 1 hour - 79 MBFriends of the show Ryan Archibald and Brendan McElmeel are back to finish our discussion of the Byzantine structure of higher education institutions. We uncover the rot at that core of higher education and, guess what, it's the same rot that is hollowing out everything in America!
The Political Economy of Higher Education, pt 1
February 19, 2024 08:00 - 1 hour - 69.6 MBBrian is joined by old friend of the show Ryan Archibald and new friend of the show Brendan McElmeel for an exploration of higher education’s Byzantine labor system. Will we find light at the end of the maze or will we be killed by the Minotaur of adjunctification and budget cuts on the way? Only one way to find out!
The Future is Here!
February 03, 2024 05:51 - 58 minutes - 53.7 MBThe boys take a look into the future of high tech, literally! Then they discuss the JET taskforce’s raid of four Seattle gay bars over the weekend. Does the arrow of progress always bend toward justice? Or is reality more complicated than a story you tell children?
Updates!
January 28, 2024 04:20 - 1 hour - 67.3 MBGreg and Brian catch up on some stories that we have been covering on the show. Tanya Woo, elected! (kind-of). Alec Baldwin, indicted! Boeing, the struggle continues! All that and more!
2 Wet 2 Live
January 20, 2024 04:00 - 1 hour - 58.6 MBThis week on Mechanical Freak we've got Hannah Krieg from The Stranger to help us say our farewells to Andrew Lewis, the wettest council member ever to lose reelection.
Tales From the Hague
January 15, 2024 07:21 - 1 hour - 69.7 MBThe boys get together to recap the UW National Championship debacle, lady problems at SPD, and an exciting new student outreach program at Florida State. Finally, we discuss South Africa’s case against Israel at the ICJ.
Help Wanted
January 07, 2024 07:24 - 1 hour - 56.7 MBThe boys get back together in the new year to talk about all the exciting new Seattle news. We check the help wanted ads at the Seattle Times before speculating on the new council and finish with a hot new cop-editorial in the Tacoma News Tribune. All that and more!!
You Burn With Us
December 17, 2023 03:40 - 2 minutes - 2.62 MBListen to the episode in its entirety on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/posts/94801190
If We Burn with Vincent Bevins
December 12, 2023 22:20 - 1 hour - 98.9 MBThe boys are joined by journalist and author Vincent Bevins to discuss his new book, If We Burn: The Mass Protest Decade and the Missing Revolution. We have a wide ranging discussion about how the decade that produced the largest mass protests in human history, saw virtually nothing but setbacks for the Left internationally.
Life in Occupied Palestine
December 02, 2023 07:57 - 1 hour - 77 MBThe boys share their thoughts on the death of Henry Kissinger and the resumption of Israel’s ethnic cleansing of Gaza. Finally, we talk with friend of the show Carl about what life is like under Israel’s unique brand of Apartheid.
5th Annual Thanksgiving Pageant Spectacular
November 23, 2023 18:30 - 6 hours - 336 MBIt’s that time of year again! Time to sit down at the table with family and friends, dig into your potatoes, and blast the Mechanical Freak Thanksgiving Pageant Spectacular at max volume through your open-back headphones to drown out your family. This year, we are joined by two Justins to talk local politics, one Dae to discuss sports gambling, and one Carl to discuss daily life in occupied Palestine. We also have holiday cooking advice, music reviews, comically dated fan fiction, libertarian...
Will the Last Progressive Leaving CITY COUNCIL — Turn Out the Lights
November 10, 2023 22:10 - 2 hours - 122 MBWe’re joined by renowned media star Dae Shik Kim Jr to educate us on the recent lame Seattle election results. We also discuss the disappearance of Black people in baseball, the rise of pickleball, down bad stories, and place uncut gems style bets on Biden’s VP pick.
What Are Numbers Anyway?
October 29, 2023 04:30 - 1 hour - 69.6 MBWe get back together to discuss the latest developments in Palestine and the new ghoulish tact that our feckless leaders have taken on it.
Solidarity with Palestine
October 16, 2023 20:44 - 1 hour - 67.1 MBThe boys discuss the latest developments in Palestine and dive into the neuroses that come from running an Apartheid state.
Liberal Renazification
October 07, 2023 08:00 - 2 minutes - 2.03 MBListen to the episode in its entirety on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/posts/90518385
Scanning the Target
October 02, 2023 08:00 - 1 hour - 84.4 MBWhat caused the U-District and Ballard Targets to close? Was it crime? Was it big-city woke-ism? Was it a terrible business model that was never capable of competing against Amazon and local grocery stores? We get to the bottom of this mystery!
Uncanney Enamel
September 22, 2023 20:45 - 2 minutes - 2.58 MBListen to the episode in its entirety on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/posts/89686389
SPD, At it Again
September 17, 2023 04:52 - 1 hour - 61.4 MBGreg, Munya, and Brian get together to discuss the latest scandal to come out of the Seattle Police Department that has become a national, and now international, story.
The Waiting is the Hardest Part
September 10, 2023 22:37 - 50 minutes - 46.1 MBGreg and Brian get together to discuss the housing market and listen to some old time rock n roll. Raised rates, displace, RealPage, anyways, it’s still unaffordable to me.
Editorial Board Flubs and Dubs
September 05, 2023 05:04 - 3 minutes - 3.3 MBListen to the episode in its entirety on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/posts/88786477
Catching Up
September 02, 2023 03:05 - 1 hour - 61.4 MBBrian & Greg get together to catch up on all the news they missed over the last couple of weeks.
The Inevitable March of Scientific Progress
August 14, 2023 03:11 - 10 minutes - 9.41 MBListen to the episode in its entirety on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/posts/87657484
Looking the Horse in the Mouth
August 11, 2023 20:01 - 52 minutes - 48.1 MBThe boys get some funny news out of Utah before asking the eternal question, “Is Seattle allowed to tax its billionaires?” Answer: still no. But most importantly, we discover the Pulitzer Prize winning work of our favorite cartoonist, David “the Horseman” Horsey.
Paradise in My Mind
August 05, 2023 03:54 - 1 hour - 72.8 MBMunya and Brian take a look at two seemingly opposing economic views – that this is the best economy that has ever existed and that Portland is populated solely by homeless drug addicts – before effortlessly synthesizing these contradictions into one unifying ancient alien theory.
Supply & Demand
July 29, 2023 06:40 - 1 hour - 61.4 MBWe catch up with our friend from last week, David Volodzko, as he continues his newspaper columnist to conservative substack-grifter speedrun. After that, our patrons are treated to some shocking news regarding housing and the cosmic law of supply & demand.
Dear Fremont
July 19, 2023 23:30 - 50 minutes - 46.6 MBDear Fremont, did you ever sit on your grandad's knee and ask him 'what did you do in the great World War II?' Also, Andrew Lewis prepares to boringly suck his way to reelection.
Bypassing Squalor
July 12, 2023 22:25 - 1 hour - 61.7 MBThis week Munya and Greg discuss their love of the great national passtime of baseball and it's importance about all human consideration, some psycho cop shit, and Greg's new deadly diagnosis (for the win).
Libertarian U
July 02, 2023 22:06 - 1 hour - 59.9 MBMunya is still exploring the bottom of the sea, but Greg and Brian are here to talk Biden’s big Ws at the Supreme Court, the future of colleges, and some crack reporting at the Seattle Times.
Krusin’ with DivestSPD
June 22, 2023 03:00 - 1 hour - 59.9 MBWe bring Justin Ward from DivestSPD to explain to us why our parents are fighting online. After talking Brandi Kruse and Jonathan Choe, Justin sticks around to talk some of the latest SPD scandals and give us an update on SPD’s latest recruiting efforts.
It’s Just, Like, Symbols, Man…
June 18, 2023 05:16 - 2 minutes - 2.05 MBListen to the episode in its entirety on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/posts/84740575
The Many Trials of Molly Moon’s
June 16, 2023 03:25 - 1 hour - 72.9 MBOlga Sagan experiences regret as she realizes that she should have lied. Molly Moon’s goes to court, but is it over greed? Or, are they the city’s true #1 crank? And where are we going to put all the prisons for the new war on health?
Seattle Sucks, Olga Sagan Edition
June 01, 2023 06:30 - 1 hour - 62.8 MBGreg and Brian take a Scrooge McDuck-style dive into the gold that is the Seattle City Council election pool. First up is Piroshky dealer and small business tyrant Olga Sagan in District 7. Will she get the coveted Seattle Sucks bump? Listen to find out!
I'm Not Lonely, You're Lonely
May 19, 2023 06:40 - 1 hour - 56.4 MBThe boys discuss the Department of Health's new study that says a lot of you – not us – are lonely out there. Then we discuss how WA Democrats just voted to bring back the drug war. Plus, Greg has some thoughts about the WGA strike and what it means for Young Sheldon.
Cops on Film
May 12, 2023 20:30 - 1 hour - 69 MBThe gang gets together to go for their annual active shooter training and then hang around to talk about the hobbies of Seattle's new police chief.
Good Attitude City II
May 03, 2023 03:30 - 1 hour - 56.8 MBThe gang gets some startling news in the middle of their draft coverage regarding the show’s current lending institution before moving on to talk about the latest hand-waving around downtown “revitalization” from everyone’s favorite mayor.
RETVRN to the Drug War
April 29, 2023 20:50 - 1 hour - 64.1 MBMunya lets us know what our social and political betters are up to in NYC before the gang dives into Washington’s exciting new war on drugs! I’m sure it will definitely work this time!
Exciting News!
April 25, 2023 04:45 - 2 minutes - 2.43 MBListen to the episode in its entirety on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/posts/82013487
A Letter of Apology
April 20, 2023 05:25 - 1 hour - 58.4 MBThe gang discusses the final meeting of the panel assigned to assess Seattle PD’s response to the 2020 anti-police protests. We learn about how the police are going to “do better” and how this is definitely not going to happen again.
Ukraine Antics with Chinese Characteristics
April 16, 2023 21:30 - 19 minutes - 17.6 MBListen to the episode in its entirety on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/posts/81611662
My Blue Haven
April 14, 2023 06:10 - 1 hour - 58.9 MBThe gang discusses the latest legislation making it through the bowels of the Statehouse in Olympia before casting our gaze out to our neighbor to the east.
Trust the Plan
April 11, 2023 03:00 - 53 minutes - 48.7 MBPramila Jayapal joins us on the boat to talk about the hottest new trend on the American Left. We also hear from the Seattle Times editorial board on the newest danger to smol-bean landlords.
Quantum Leap
March 30, 2023 03:40 - 1 hour - 55.9 MBThe boys are back on the digital boat to discuss the new capital gains tax that is making waves from Olympia to Plano. Then we look at the valley that is dying and the new valley that is struggling to be born.
Taking an Orlando-Shot
March 23, 2023 04:30 - 1 hour - 73.5 MBThe gang is back on the boat to talk about Boeing woes, the fight around a new light rail station, and gaze into the dark abyss of real estate capital.
Bail In
March 17, 2023 03:25 - 1 hour - 75.5 MBThe boys are all back on the boat and they are asking the heads of SVB and Signature to join them for a “bail-in.”
Jimmy Carter Sucks
March 13, 2023 06:00 - 5 minutes - 5.47 MBListen to the episode in its entirety on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/posts/79945601
Premium Nation
March 08, 2023 23:24 - 1 hour - 63.7 MBThe boys get together to discuss the hottest new trend for the new year, “premiumization.” Will this be the secret sauce that unlocks wonderful new delights here-to-fore unseen? Or is it part of the slow descent down into Lovecraftian horror that is living in modern America? Only time will tell!
DemoKKKratia
March 04, 2023 07:20 - 1 hour - 106 MBMunya is mysteriously absent as Greg and Brian don their political science caps and dig into an exciting new way to do politics – minus the politics – brought to us by former Stranger writer Ansel Herz. It’s a poli-sci mega-episode full of all the requisite Aristotle, Hobbes, and David Icke references that make undergrad dorm room debates so exciting!
The Day The Wheedle Died
February 25, 2023 00:40 - 1 minute - 1.39 MBListen to the episode in its entirety on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/posts/79171896
Ending the Myth - BONUS – FTA at the Movies! w/ Special Guest
February 19, 2023 17:00 - 2 hours - 120 MBMunya and Brian are joined by a veteran of Hollywood who has worked on such films as Blackhat and Ted 2 to discuss the movies M*A*S*H (1970) and Southern Comfort (1981). They discuss how these movies’ depictions of the military were affected by the Vietnam War and how they differ from depictions of the military today.