J. David Osborne is the author of a sizeable collection of novels which range from dreamy prose set in a gulag, to gritty and comedic crime noir, and arriving in his latest novel Gods Fare No Better at a mystical cyberpunk epic dedicated to his favorite filmmaker, the infamous Takashi Miike.

We talk about three of Miike's films in particular (Ichi, Gozu, & Dead Or Alive), mastery of craft through total immersion, artists who are above critique, personal projections in art and critique, the absurdity of the political climate, and we talk about the process of making books, specifically Gods Fair... the fantastic cover art for which our own Kurt Huggins made.

David, and his colleagues at Broken River Books, all collaborate to promote one another's work outside of the holy see of major publishing companies and modern censorship in order to preserve their limitless, artistic freedom. All of their work is excellent and well worth checking out.

We touch on some difficult topics, and films, in this one so consider this a warning for sensitive people.

You can pick up a copy here, and we highly suggest you do.

David's Podcast with Kelby Losack

As always we at Soapbox accept donations to keep the show going and Rev Janglebones makes amulets and enchanted items, if that should interest you.

I think of Amaya Rourke as one of the most honest people in the world of alternative spirituality. Her latest work follows this same theme, born out of the pure need to navigate the neverending onslaught of information we are all bombarded with and help others cultivate their intuition in an age of prolific doubt, constant adrenal stimulation, endless contrary opinions, and the overarching and very much intentional hijacking of our ability to imagine, both as individuals and collectively.

We discuss Harriet Tubman’s unshakable trust in her visions which had life or death consequences in the underground railroad, our total dependence on the health of our dreaming to enable us to imagine better solutions, the powers of trust and conversely doubt, the dangers of outsourcing information in your practice, and much more.

We typically don’t make a point to promote anything at all on this show, but this current dare I say altruistic work is clearly much needed and I highly encourage everyone to read Amaya’s recent substack posts and, if you’re vibing, consider signing up for the course. The last day for enrollment is March 19th so don’t sleep on this if it rings bells for you.

Amaya's New Course Offering & More Information

Amaya's Substack

And as always,

Rev Makes Amulets

Kurt Makes Art

We accept donations for this podcast to keep it going

And we love you even if you don't donate, you just might not get as many shows <3

Dr. Robert Svoboda on Fire

Art: René Magritte. The Double Secret, 1927

Astrologer and fellow talisman maker Mat Dragonstone joins us to chat about this classic demented love story in the city of angels. We discuss the recently departed David Lynch and the ashes of L.A., as well as the timing of the two through an astrologer's eyes.

We get into the state of astrology in general, astrological ontologies, the balance between rigid structure and feeling the vibe, film as a vehicle for transcendental meditation. We talk shop about talisman creation and how divination tools, including astro charts, act as vessels for the intuition. Such a pleasure.

You can find all of Mat's work and available offerings below, along with a link to Rev's new talismanic oil.

Mat's website where you can book a reading session, browse handcrafted astro talismans, and read more about Mat's practice.

Mat's substack which Rev highly recommends you check out.

Mat's Instagram

Mat's Podcast

Rev's new Crown of Triumph oil