STARK REALITY with James Dier aka $mall ¢hange
37 episodes - English - Latest episode: 4 months ago -STARK REALITY is a podcast hosted by Jim Dier aka $mall ¢hange, a DJ and record collector based in NYC. Each episode features a longform interview and short mix or playlist not only on music but also progressive/leftist politics. And whatever really, not looking to define it too much...
For more information about Jim Dier aka Small Change go to www.djsmallchange.com
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Episodes
STARK REALITY Episode 67 Guest DANIEL EFRAM
March 05, 2024 19:47 - 1 hour - 80.7 MBFor Episode 67 of STARK REALITY, Host James Dier aka DJ $mall ¢hange rolls out the tattered red carpet to the East Village to talk to DANIEL EFRAM, a multifaceted NYC-based photographer, journalist, producer, curator, and art publisher focusing on culture and social justice. With a robust background in music, film and TV production, Efram has recently produced projects as "The Elephant 6 Recording Co." doc film (Greenwich Entertainment; 2023) and "The Steve Keene Art Book” (Tractor Beam / Ha...
STARK REALITY Episode 65 Guest DJ COMRADE
January 03, 2024 15:12 - 1 hour - 101 MBOn Episode 65 of Stark Reality, Host James Dier aka DJ $mall ¢hange rolls the red carpet out to middle Jersey and talks to DJ COMRADE, an excellent DJ and producer and a great dude who shares a lot of his politics, especially on apartheid Israel. While Jim looks at this podcast as a collection of interviews with like minded friends and artists, and not necessarily a time sensitive/breaking news sort of thing, the ongoing genocide in Gaza now in its 3rd month has been horrific, and Comrade wa...
STARK REALITY Episode 63 Guest CANDICE HOLMES
December 07, 2023 13:33 - 1 hour - 73.8 MBFor this episode of STARK REALITY, Host James Dier aka DJ $mall ¢hange rolls the red carpet out to Berlin and talk to CANDICE HOLMES. She is a native New Yorker in exile, living in Germany since 2015 and based in the Peter Pan capital of Europe for the past 6.5 years. She spends her days working in Marketing and nights out and about in the Berlin club and bar scene. She has plenty of opinions about German life and culture and is looking forward to the day she can be a German-American, if the...
STARK REALITY Episode 61 Guest LOGAN GRENDEL
October 13, 2023 20:12 - 1 hour - 97.8 MBFor Episode 61 of STARK REALITY, we roll the red carpet out to Harlem and chat with Logan Grendel. A dog guru, photographer, activist, urban gardener, magick practitioner, artist, musician, and Nonbinary Black leftist rabblerouser, Logan Grendel describes himself accurately as seven people all at once. His podcast Focused on Infinity covers 'everything from politics to sex and religion, always with an eye on honesty and authenticity.' We get into a number of topics in this extended conversat...
STARK REALITY Episode 59 Guest REGGIE JOHNSON
September 19, 2023 19:34 - 2 hours - 131 MBFor Episode 59 of STARK REALITY, Host James Dier aka $mall ¢hange welcomes veteran New York City DJ, radio producer and party promoter REGGIE JOHNSON. Reggie Johnson is an audio engineer, radio show host, party promoter and all around good ppls. He's been working as an engineer behind the boards at WBAI Pacifica for a few decades, and co-hosting Jeanie Hopper's Liquid Sound Lounge since '98. His own radio show From the Soundboard has been running since 2007, a 'program that usually focuses ...
STARK REALITY Episode 57 Guest DJ HUGGY BEAR
August 25, 2023 15:01 - 1 hour - 61.5 MBFor Episode 57 of STARK REALITY, Host James Dier aka DJ $mall ¢hange rolls the red carpet out to Queens and rapps with Stephen Barr aka DJ HUGGY BEAR. Stephen is a native NYer who grew up in South Ozone Park, when NYC was a slightly different place then it is today. Besides music of course we talk about his collection of vintage toys from cartoons he grew up on in the '80s, working as a bouncer for a decade before DJing at hot spots like Marquee, the organization aspect of being a DJ, handli...
STARK REALITY Episode 55 Guest Jessica Lipsky
June 01, 2023 17:33 - 1 hour - 68.3 MBFor Episode 55 of STARK REALITY Host James Dier rolls out the red carpet out to Brooklyn (via the Bay Area) for reporter, editor and author JESSICA LIPSKY. She covers culture, politics and music, and her work has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, Newsweek, Salon, Billboard, Wax Poetics, LA Weekly, SF Weekly, and the San Francisco Chronicle etc etc etc. Currently she is the senior editor of the Recording Academy’s GRAMMY.com. Jessica is the author of the award-winning book...
STARK REALITY Episode 53 Guest Desmond O'Byrne aka DJ Repoman
February 14, 2023 17:03 - 58 minutes - 54 MBFor Episode 53 of STARK REALITY Host James Dier aka $mall ¢hange rolls out the tattered red carpet to Hells Kitchen / Dublin and catches up with his old friend Desmond O'Byrne aka Des aka DJ Repoman. Jim met Des in the mid 90s running around underground parties in NYC, both resident DJs at the afterhours spot Rubulad. Throughout this in-depth conversation, they talk digging in various flea markets in the area, Des's background as guitarist in the Irish garage rock band The Golden Horde, open...
STARK REALITY Episode 51 Guest Kathleen Schaaf
August 19, 2022 18:12 - 1 hour - 71.8 MBFor Episode 51 of STARK REALITY Host James Dier aka $mall ¢hange welcomes special guest KATHLEEN SCHAAF, owner of Meow Vintage in Long Beach California since 1986. Kathleen has been hunting deadstock vintage since the late 70s. She's known as the 'Queen of Vintage', and her store on 4th Street was the first vintage shop on a street that is now known as 'Retro Row'. Jim and Kathleen talk about digging for clothes in the 70s/80s, going on roadtrips to find deadstock, 'denim dogs' aka jeans ...
STARK REALITY Episode 49 Guest MAGA BO
July 28, 2022 18:59 - 1 hour - 70.2 MBFor Episode 49 of STARK REALITY Host James Dier aka $mall ¢hange welcomes Maga Bo, an internationally known DJ and producer who has released music and remixes on a number of the world's finest labels, Tru Thoughts, Ninja Tune, Cumbancha, Soot, Soundway, and his own Karfundo and Kaxambu. Originally from Seattle, he's been based in Rio de Janeiro for over 20 years, and keeps very busy, touring and performing in over 50 countries, from Ethiopia to India to the northeastern parts of Brazil. He ...
STARK REALITY Episode 47 Guest Dirty South Joe
May 16, 2022 18:13 - 1 hour - 84 MBOn Episode 47 of STARK REALITY with Host James Dier aka $mall ¢hange, this time around the tattered red carpet gets rolled out to Philly for special guest DIRTY SOUTH JOE. He is 3 decades deep in the game, has thrown a number of different parties in different styles, from yacht rock to dubstep to his Drake themed night which gets thousands of heads. We talk about him starting out DJing growing up in DC and spinning at the legendary 930 Club, to NYC in the 90s/00s (where I first met him), to...
STARK REALITY Episode 45 Guest Honeychild Coleman
April 21, 2022 15:12 - 1 hour - 72.2 MBEpisode 45 of STARK REALITY features James Dier aka $mall ¢hange's in-depth interview with Honeychild Coleman, a longtime friend in NYC we met in the mid 90s at a loft party in Williamsburg. She is an OG afro punk, rude girl, DJ, musician, an original. One of those ppl that keeps New York still New York, despite the yuppification of this town. Forward thinking politics and dope fashion. Top top ppls. And she keeps very busy. Originally from Kentucky, Carolyn / Honeychild fronts blues-punk ...
STARK REALITY Episode 43 Guest RICARDO VAZ
March 19, 2022 16:43 - 1 hour - 66.8 MBEpisode 43 of STARK REALITY with Host James Dier aka $mall ¢hange rolls out the red carpet to Venezuela for the exclusive in-depth Stark Reality interview with Caracas-based writer and editor RICARDO VAZ, recorded 2/23/22. Ricardo Vaz works for independent media outlet Venezuelanalysis and he is also a member of Venezuelan collectives Tatuy Tv and Utopix. Ricardo grew up in Mozambique before going on to study theoretical physics in Portugal and the United States. But his communist ideals ...
STARK REALITY Episode 41 Guest DARCY TRUNZO
January 11, 2022 16:13 - 1 hour - 107 MBEpisode 41 of STARK REALITY with Host James Dier aka $mall ¢hange features the exclusive in-depth Stark Reality interview with filmmaker, artist and DJ/vinyl enthusiast DARCY TRUNZO Darcy Trunzo is a coalminer’s daughter, artist and producer living outside of Pittsburgh - who is using art, music and film as a method of inquiry, explores culture and its weird relationships to history and sense of place. With a decade each in Pittsburgh, NYC and time logged in Minneapolis, The Bay and a numbe...
STARK REALITY Episode 39 Guest BEN NORTON
November 11, 2021 17:04 - 1 hour - 86.2 MBEpisode 39 of STARK REALITY with Host James Dier aka $mall ¢hange features the exclusive in-depth Stark Reality interview with musician, journalist, filmmaker and writer BEN NORTON. Ben Norton is a journalist, writer, and filmmaker, and founder/editor of the independent news site MULTIPOLARISTA where he does original reporting in both English and Spanish, with many articles and videos up at The Grayzone News and also on Rokfin . He also co-hosted the Moderate Rebels podcast with journalist ...
STARK REALITY 37 Guest KENNY RODRIGUEZ
October 25, 2021 14:42 - 52 minutes - 47.8 MBEpisode 37 of STARK REALITY with Host James Dier aka $mall ¢hange's features the exclusive in-depth Stark Reality interview with NYC nightlife photographer KENNY RODRIGUEZ Kenny Rodriguez has been documenting classic parties like Tiki Disco, The Rub, Freedom, etc for decades, and more recently House Of Yes. Jim and Kenny talk about (of course) photography, techniques in shooting night life, choosing the final images, and what he's trying to capture in a photo. and why he doesn't work on Hal...
STARK REALITY Episode 37 Guest KENNY RODRIGUEZ
October 25, 2021 14:42 - 52 minutes - 47.8 MBEpisode 37 of STARK REALITY with Host James Dier aka $mall ¢hange's features the exclusive in-depth Stark Reality interview with NYC nightlife photographer KENNY RODRIGUEZ Kenny Rodriguez has been documenting classic parties like Tiki Disco, The Rub, Freedom, etc for decades, and more recently House Of Yes. Jim and Kenny talk about (of course) photography, techniques in shooting night life, choosing the final images, and what he's trying to capture in a photo. and why he doesn't work on Ha...
STARK REALITY Episode 35 Guest Dr. Asatar Bair
October 08, 2021 18:03 - 1 hour - 60.2 MBEpisode 35 of STARK REALITY features Host James Dier aka $mall ¢hange's exclusive Stark Reality interview with DR. ASATAR BAIR Dr. Asatar Bair is a professor of economics based in Riverside California. He identifies as a communist, which is pretty rare to see in academia in the US. Throughout this in-depth interview, Jim and Dr. Bair talk about background growing up, his recent viral tweets about Stalin, academia in general, the cruelty of capitalism (aka victims of capitalism haha), Uyghur...
STARK REALITY Episode 33 Guest LEIGH BUTLER
September 15, 2021 14:13 - 1 hour - 74.5 MBEpisode 33 of STARK REALITY, recorded 7/6/21, features Host James Dier aka $mall ¢hange's exclusive Stark Reality interview with LEIGH BUTLER. Leigh Butler is good ppls. Met him few years back at Movement through mutual friends, he is an old school techno head, music head really, been clubbing for many many years, UK, Germany, Detroit, Chicago, NYC, etc etc. He occasionally spins out but mostly wheels and deals records and has a deep knowledge of dance music. Jim's in-depth conversation w...
STARK REALITY 31 Guest Lucien Samaha
August 27, 2021 14:10 - 1 hour - 75.2 MBEpisode 31 of STARK REALITY, recorded 6/22/21, features Host James Dier aka $mall ¢hange's exclusive Stark Reality interview with Lucien Samaha, a DJ, photographer, and someone Jim has known for many years in NYC. Born in Lebanon, he was a flight attendant since he was 20, and traveled all over the world taking pictures. He has over a million, plus collects tons of vintage photography from flea markets etc. His Mondo 107 party on the 107th floor of the World Trade Center was a Wednesday nigh...
STARK REALITY Episode 29 Guest DJ ZHAO
June 13, 2021 16:08 - 1 hour - 94.8 MBEpisode 29 of STARK REALITY, recorded 5/18/21, features Host James Dier aka $mall ¢hange's exclusive Stark Reality interview with DJ ZHAO. Born in Beijing and based in Berlin (plus spending some time in LA, NYC and Houston in btw), Dj Zhao is a musicologist and rhythm ambassador, applying historical materialist analysis to the evolution of social music, and bringing a poly-cultural understanding of rhythm to his deeply percussive cross-genre sets. Not restricted by style or convention, Dj Z...
STARK REALITY 27 Guest Kevin Nutt
May 25, 2021 13:55 - 2 hours - 123 MBThis time around, for Episode 27, STARK REALITY rolls out the red carpet all the way to Alabama, to talk to gospel radio DJ and folklife archivist KEVIN NUTT. His Sinner's Crossroads show on WFMU is the real deal. Amazing gospel show running for a decade and then some. Kevin also does a long running Friday evening weekly at local watering hole Leroy Lounge. Jim and Kevin talk about taking requests and playing favorites, coastal attitudes on the south and typical stereotypes, race and class,...
STARK REALITY 26 Guest Chuck Modiano
April 21, 2021 15:14 - 1 hour - 64.5 MBEpisode 26 of STARK REALITY features features the exclusive in-depth Stark Reality interview with Host James Dier aka $mall ¢hange and his guest, sports media pro and justice journalist CHUCK MODIANO, recorded April 2021. Chuck Modiano is a writer, lecturer, and trainer dedicated to promoting equity in sports media coverage. A justice journalist, frequently at various protests around the country and in DC, Chuck interviews people there and provides important coverage to what is going on in ...
STARK REALITY 24 Guest SONIDO MARTINES
April 07, 2021 15:44 - 1 hour - 73.6 MBEpisode 24 of STARK REALITY features the exclusive in-depth Stark Reality interview with Host James Dier aka $mall ¢hange and his guest Bolivian-based DJ/record collector and dealer and top ppls SONIDO MARTINES, recorded in early February 2021. Originally from Argentina and living in La Paz, Bolivia for many years, SONIDO MARTINES (aka Xavier) talks to Jim about chewing on coca leaves, the distribution of records in South America, playing on Sonideros (soundsystems) in Mexico, living in B...
STARK REALITY 23 Guest Rania Khalek
February 25, 2021 13:53 - 1 hour - 78.9 MBOn Episode 23 of STARK REALITY, Host James Dier aka $mall ¢hange chats at length with independent journalist, podcaster and Soapbox producer RANIA KHALEK. Rania Khalek, known for her international reporting on the underclass, is a producer, writer, host at Soapbox, and host of a few podcasts, including Unauthorized Disclosure, and the newer Left Bitches (Who Are Right). Rania has a very good take on Middle East politics (and the world in general), grew up in the US and is currently living i...
STARK REALITY 21 Guest Giovanni Galveston
January 29, 2021 17:47 - 1 hour - 92.1 MBEpisode 21 of STARK REALITY with Host James Dier aka $mall ¢hange features the exclusive long-form interview with special guest GIOVANNI GALVESTON. Gio is a longtime DJ, builds custom sound systems, and runs the Festival DMT Community Sound System in DC. A homegrown loudspeaker system that helps event organizers and community events have proper sound. He also works the company Vocalics.ai on computer voice translation. He's good ppls and Jim and Gio talk about the recent DC riots, building...
STARK REALITY 19 Guest Tony Conquerrah
November 21, 2020 17:51 - 1 hour - 71.4 MBEpisode 19 of STARK REALITY with Host James Dier aka $mall ¢hange features the long-form exclusive interview with special guest TONY CONQUERRAH, a DJ in New York City for over 15 years. In this episode of Stark Reality, recorded on 10/19/20, Tony talks to Jim about being accused of being a Russian bot (lol!) by centrist trolls, his musical journey from hip hop and punk into reggae and beyond, records that you can cross genres with, dealing with anxiety during the pandemic and coming out of ...
STARK REALITY 17 Guest Betty Jackson King
November 03, 2020 19:29 - 54 minutes - 49.6 MBOn STARK REALITY Episode 17, host Jim Dier aka $mall ¢hange interviews guest BETTY JACKSON KING. Betty Jackson King has always been a dancer, from her teenage years in NJ and Detroit (where she was a dancer on the local Detroit show 'The Scene'), to following the roller skating scene in the 2000s, and lately with hula hooping and fire spinning. She also just hosted her first radio show for BMIR, Burning Man Information Radio. Jim and Betty talk about Burning Man, music, flow arts, mental h...
STARK REALITY 15 Guest Nate Wallace
September 22, 2020 15:15 - 2 hours - 124 MBOn STARK REALITY Episode 15, Host James Dier aka $mall ¢hange goes deep with over two hours with Nathaniel (aka Nate) Wallace, currently a public school educator in Jersey City, a former college athlete (football), labor organizer and social justice activist, and president of the detested (by the Israel lobby) Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapter at Florida State University in 2013-14. Nate's coached high school football and mentored numerous at risk youth in his hometown of Jacks...
STARK REALITY Episode 13 Guest Colleen Vincent
August 03, 2020 15:43 - 1 hour - 73.2 MBOn Episode 13 of STARK REALITY, host James Dier aka $mall ¢hange interviews Colleen Vincent, VP of a Community for the James Beard Foundation and a vocal champion for diverse leadership in all sectors of the hospitality industry. She is also the co-founder of Black Food Folks, a fellowship of Black folks working in food and drink promoting and supporting each other for mutual success, and is a member the West Indian Chefs Alliance. She is a Brooklyn native that came of age during the 90’s g...
STARK REALITY Episode 11 Geoffrey Wilson aka Reverend Robert Sinewave
May 26, 2020 19:41 - 1 hour - 71.3 MBOn the latest installment of STARK REALITY, host James Dier aka $mall ¢hange interviews Geoffrey Wilson aka DJ Reverend Robert Sinewave If you know Geoffrey; you’d know that he’s a good friend, a good ally, and a staunch believer in equality, visibility, and diversity in the hospitality industry. He’s also a talented and creative bartender. Having spent close to a decade working in the International House Hotel in New Orleans, Ocotillo in Phoenix, and Multnomah Whiskey Library in Portland, O...
STARK REALITY Episode 9 Guest DJ Lord Lewis the Velvet Knight
May 01, 2020 14:34 - 1 hour - 70.2 MBOn Episode 9 of STARK REALITY, Host James Dier aka $mall ¢hange interviews vinyl DJ/record collector/political activist Jason Villani aka DJ Lord Lewis the Velvet Knight, host of the long-running Rumpus Room radio show on WESU since 2002. Based in Connecticut, Jason works as a Librarian and has been a longtime activist as well as a deep music head, following leftist issues especially on Palestine. Lord Lewis plays a lot of newer releases with a classic soul/funk/jazz feel and they talk ab...
STARK REALITY Episode 7 Guest Julie Turley
April 16, 2020 20:33 - 1 hour - 55.6 MBIn this episode of Stark Reality Host James Dier aka $mall ¢hange interviews guest JULIE TURLEY, a NYC based rock n roller, librarian, researcher, mother, and all around bad ass. For the last five years she has been working on an oral history of the Salt Lake City punk scene from the 80s (in which she came of age). She is also conducting a survey called 'Rock and Metal Music Mothering: The Role of Musical Parenting' and interviewing moms with metal/punk backgrounds. They discuss Mormonism ...
STARK REALITY Episode 5 DJ BELINDA BECKER
February 19, 2020 15:38 - 1 hour - 56 MBFor this installment of Stark Reality, we interview Belinda Becker, who was one of the first women DJs in NYC, starting at Area in the mid 80s, residencies at classic spots like Nell's in the 90s, and still very active. Besides selecting records Belinda is a writer, dancer, actor, and being in NYC, has many stories...hanging out with Basquiat back in the day to shazaming songs from her neighbor's backyard parties at 4am in present day. And of course some ranting about the current orange clown...
STARK REALITY Episode 5 DJ Belinda Becker
February 19, 2020 15:38 - 1 hour - 56 MBFor this installment of Stark Reality, we interview Belinda Becker, who was one of the first women DJs in NYC, starting at Area in the mid 80s, residencies at classic spots like Nell's in the 90s, and still very active. Besides selecting records Belinda is a writer, dancer, actor, and being in NYC, has many stories...hanging out with Basquiat back in the day to shazaming songs from her neighbor's backyard parties at 4am in present day. And of course some ranting about the current orange clow...
STARK REALITY Episode 1/2 Guest DJ Sake One
December 18, 2019 01:27 - 1 hour - 75.7 MBFor the premiere installment of STARK REALITY, Host Jim Dier aka $mall ¢hange, interviews a true OG San Francisco DJ, Sake One aka Stefan Goldstone. He shares a lot of great stories on learning how to mix, gentrification, his brother and fellow DJ Adam Goldstone (RIP), being on the same trip to Israel as Rachael Corrie, and other bay area activists that have inspired him. He's pretty hilarious on social media and has excellent perspective. PS its pronounced Sake as in for heaven's sake, not...
STARK REALITY Episode 3/4 Guest DJ Clifton
November 27, 2019 21:50 - 1 hour - 67.5 MBFor the 2nd installment of Stark Reality, Host JIM DIER aka SMALL CHANGE turned again to the west coast for one of LA's best (and best dressed) DJs, DJ Clifton aka Clifton James Weaver III. Jim and Clifton talk about the old school LA mod scene, vintage clothes, bad cop tv shows and police brutality, and the blues song that inspired the reggae classic No No No (You Don't Love Me). Good peoples and some great records. Included is a mix from a night called 'Skin Tight', lots of heavy soul/lati...