American podcaster and political commentator Dan Carlin does a most intriguing historical series. It's called... Dan Carlin's Hardcore History and it covers some quite gruesome ground.
It's full on and dramatic in that way Americans can manage so well.
Carlin is an interesting figure in American political discussions too, but our main knowledge of him is through this podcast series. And it doesn't hold back from the darker side of human history.
The Human Condition in Hardcore History
Carlin's episode are full on. Often running for four hours or longer, these are meticulously crafted looks into the world of (typically male) folly, distractions, and deviances.
Take his most recent episode below. This is Mania for Subjugation, which covers the habit lunatics through history going off on one and controlling society.
As is often the case with Carlin, this is nihilistic stuff and rather bleak. Not a podcast series you listen to if you want to revel in the joys of spring.
For many people, we think part of the human experience is to ignore the carnage from recent, or modern, history. We read about something in the news, but then forget about it soon enough as there's pasta for tea and the like.
The podcast is very popular, with millions of downloads each episode launch.
However, as each one is so long there's often a big gap between episodes. Lucky for you, new listener, it's been running since 2015. So there's plenty to catch up on.
Plus, Carlin's voice... very enjoyable. A bit like Kelsey Grammer, but with a heavier emphasis on nihilistic realism over Freudian postulations.
Painfotainment
This one launched in January 2018. And the best Hardcore History episode for us is Painfotainment, although be aware this is one brutal listen. It's so full on we can't run it here on our blog as it's age restricted.
It covers the bizarre habit of humans, until alarmingly recent history, to attend public executions.
That's really weird to think about. In England, for instance, King Henry VIII's list of executions would lead to mass attendance. There's the case of Richard Roose from April 1532 turfed into boiling water as local residents of Smithfield, London, watched on.
It's the sort of think covered in James Clavell's Shōgun (1975), then adapted into the excellent TV show. A similar boiling scene of which really freaked a lot of people out.
But then we're all used to Game of Thrones. The difference is it's entertainment. You're not going down to your local supermarket that, just so happens, to have a random execution going on that day.
Some people will naturally baulk at the topic of Painfotainment.
For us, we cannot ignore that until about 50+ years ago you could go and watch public executions. And for centuries, if not thousands, of years before then it was a commonplace aspect of society.
In France, glorious Paris, attendees were charged exorbitant fees to get excellent vantage points of criminals (or anyone unfortunate enough to be accused based on limited evidence) getting executed.
This is an extremely dark side of human history.
Although not mentioned in this episode, there's the likes of Johannes Junius (1573-1628) and his 1628 letter during the Bamberg Witch Trials. It's scrawled out to his daughter and was smuggled out to her—had authorities found it the result would have been atrocious for all concerned.
"Dear child, keep this letter secret so that people do not find it, else I shall be tortured most piteously and the jailers will be beheaded. So strictly is it forbidden. ...Dear child, pay this man a dollar... I have taken several days to write this: my hands are both lame. I am in a sad plight. ... Good night, for your father Johannes Junius will never see you more. July 24, 1628."
Whilst we feel, to many modern eyes, this type of thing is appalling. Simultaneously, there's a huge sect of the right-wing base we've seen online since 2008 constantly baying for blood.
In England, we had the odious Priti Patel after it. Although she also (allegedly) spent £70k of public tax payer money on getting her eyebrows done. So there's that.
For us, this does indicate our recent history simmers under the surface.
A lot of people are ready and willing to pay fast and loose with human lives. Big businesses, too, which has advanced things on from the macabre entertainment purposes of the past.
Anyway, should you wish to listen to Carlin's words you'll find Hardcore History (free) on your standard podcast services and YouTube.
Carlin's Notes on Politics
Being English, we're not pretending to understand America's complex political landscape. But Carlin has been on record to describe himself as a "neoprudentist".
This seems deliberately vague and thought-provoking. He's basically sparked debate about its meaning, with some suggesting he just wants to go beyond the whole left VS right bickering.
Carlin hosts a separate podcast series called Common Sense that offers an independent look at politics. Worth a gander if you want to further listen in on his mellifluous baritone.
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