Episode 68 – Climatepunk – Vivienne Westwood and David Byrne

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We’re bringing the punk spirit to our climate activism in 2023!

Elise brings us through the rebellious history of fashion icon Vivienne Westwood and the politics of punk. Then Olivia covers David Byrne’s journey from new wave icon to bike enthusiast to climate optimist.

Other topics include psychogeography, the seduction of pessimism, and (not) being the only person with a plan.

Story #1: Vivienne Westwood and Punk Politics (Elise)

Manifesto, Climate Revolution
The World According to Vivienne Westwood, New York Times, December 2020
Vivienne Westwood: Activism and the Godmother of Punk, International Policy Digest, Jan 2023
Vivienne Westwood: climate change matters more than clothes, Fashion Network, July 2018
The “only way to save the world” is to ban land ownership, says Vivienne Westwood, Dezeen, Oct 2019
Vivienne Westwood: climate change, not fashion, is now my priority, The Guardian, Feb 2014
A Brief History of Punk Rock and Presidential Politics, Consequence, July 2016
Situationist International, Wikipedia

Story #2: David Byrne and Climate Optimism (Olivia)

David Byrne’s American Utopia promotional poster.

David Byrne: ‘I’m able to talk in a social group now – not retreat into a corner’, The Guardian, March 4 2018
18 Wealth Lessons from “The Psychology of Money” by Morgan Housel (Book Summary), Kyle Kowalski, December 2020
The Psychology of Money, Morgan Housel
Hopepunk Book Club on Pleasure Activism, with ItsRadishTime and Rosianna Halse Rojas
David Byrne’s American Utopia review – Spike Lee’s thrilling treat for fans, The Guardian
Amsterdam has an aquatic answer to parking, Reasons to be Cheerful
Reasons to be Cheerful
Genius lyrics
David Byrne’s brain!!!!!
Good ol’ Wikipedia

David Byrne’s bike racks (source)

The Dump

Check out Zoe Scruggs’ exhibit Double Sky at the Delaware Contemporary!!

“The title of the exhibition, Double Sky, describes a motif that recurs in Scruggs’ most recent work wherein the backgrounds of her paintings and works on paper split into otherworldly color combinations and stormy imagery… These aesthetic choices animate Scruggs’ fascination with creating alternative space – outer space, inner space, open space – for Black world making, free from constraint and toxicity.” (source)

We’re listening to books on Libby, including Pure Colour by Sheila Heti. We’re watching Orlando in London and Hadestown in New York. And we’re keeping track of our reading on Storygraph!

The World Is Burning bookshop is live! Help us come up with book list titles and bulk up our reading list.

Our World is Burning themed playlist is on Spotify.

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Thanks for listening!

Deep Sea Mining [Down the Rabbit Hole Minisode 10] – World Is Burning

This week we’re digging deep on why we maybe shouldn't be digging into the depths of the ocean. Olivia covers the basics of deep sea mining, the potential "climate bomb" that could be set in July, and how we can amplify the work of activists and experts calling for a moratorium. Check the blog for this episode on worldisburning.com for action items and ways to learn more. Subscribe/follow/press the button to keep up with new episodes every other Wednesday! You can also follow us @worldisburnin on Instagram and Twitter, and check out our website worldisburning.com for extended show notes including sources and photos. World Is Burning is hosted by Olivia Hamilton and Elise Nye. Our theme music is by Kaycie Satterfield, and our logo was made by Sonja Katanic. — Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/worldisburning/message
  1. Deep Sea Mining [Down the Rabbit Hole Minisode 10]
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  3. Ep. 69 – A Positive Obsession with Octavia E. Butler
  4. Ep. 68 – Climatepunk – Vivienne Westwood and David Byrne
  5. Ep. 67 – 2022 Rewind: The Good, The Bad, & The Updates