Silent Generation

Ep. 59: Outerwear [TEASER]

Full episode available on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SilentGeneration 
 
This week the boys discuss various outerwear styles and the types of weather they are best suited for. They begin by discussing Chicago's extreme seasonal averages before sharing their thoughts on the following outerwear styles: painter jackets, M-65 field jackets, varsity jackets, harrington jackets, denim trucker jackets, leather jackets, mackinaw coats, parkas, the Kara Koram parka, wool coats, peacoats, camel hair polo coats, snowboarder coats, rain coats, and windbreakers. Amongst other things they talk about how the popularity of varsity jackets peaked in 2011, how raincoats are the most socially acceptable way to wear yellow in Western cultures, and how windbreakers are not suitable to wear in Chicago despite the city’s “windy city” nickname.
 
Links:
Winter temperatures in selected US cities versus European capital cities
The M-65 Field Jacket
The Orange Kara Koram by Daniel Hakimi
What Color is the Sacred by Michael Taussig 
Anna Khachiyan’s Puffer Jacket Tweet
A Brief History of the Yellow Raincoat
I have lost all faith in zips by Adrian Chiles 
Gold Coast estate sale Tiktok video
 
Artwork:
The K2 Expidition
 
Recorded on 2/2/2025

Ep. 58: The Brutalist

Brutalism was an architectural style that was popular from the 1950s to early 1980s that consisted of raw concrete surfaces, monochrome colors, minimal ornamentation, and exposed structural elements. It is the architectural style that is referenced in the title of The Brutalist, a film directed by Brady Corbet that has been nominated for numerous accolades this year. On this week's episode of Silent Generation they boys share their thoughts on The Brutalist before discussing Brutalism as an architectural style. Amongst other things they discuss how the the life of local Chicago architect and Holocaust survivor John Macsai differed from that of Laszlo Toth’s, how Notre Dame’s Brutalist library features a large mural religious mural that is colloquially known as “Touchdown Jesus,” and how UIC’s Brutalist campus was not in fact designed to quell student protests.
 
Links: Brutalism Pinterest board: https://pin.it/5WbTWzVSoThe Brutalist ending explained: Director Brady Corbet reflects on building that transformative epilogue by Wesley StenzelInterview with 'The Brutalist' Filmmakers Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold by Susan KouguellThe Trauma of Inevitability: Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold on “The Brutalist” by Isaac FeldbergOral history of John Macsai interviewed by Betty J. Blum.Stroger Switch + Purple Rain Redux (Ep. 90 of 99% Invisible)Were Brutalist Buildings on College Campuses Really Designed to Thwart Student Riots? by J Bryan LowderBoston City Hall is officially a landmark by Roberto ScaleseUgly Buildings Tour
 
Recorded on 1/26/2024

Ep. 57: The '60s

This week the boys discuss Joseph’s favorite decade: the 1960’s. They begin by touching on what life was like for everyday Americans in the ‘60s before detailing several movements (the civil rights movement, the gay rights movement, and the antiwar movement) that contributed to the decade earning the nickname “the countercultural decade.” They then talk about hippies and the elements of hippie culture that they appreciate (tie dye, flower power, rock music, and healthy living). They go on to discuss how the color baby blue stands out as the defining color of the decade, how California became the subject of many ‘60s songs after it became the largest state in the country in 1962, and how the 1963 film Charade has much funnier writing than modern CGI-reliant slapstick comedies. 
 
Links:
Coming Apart : The State of White America by Charles Murray
Flower Power (photograph) by Bernie Boston
Shoes as a Source of First Impressions
Joan Didion’s quote about Los Angeles
Charade (1963)
 
Artwork:
Aubrey Hepburn and Cary Grant in Charade (1963)
 
Recorded on 1/22/2025

Ep. 56: Party Cities w/ Thot Topics [EXTENDED TEASER]

Full episode available on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SilentGeneration 
 
This week the boys are joined by Nick and Cris from the Thot Topics podcast to talk about “party cities,” cities whose economies cater to debaucherous tourists. They begin by surveying the following party cities and the types of partiers they attract: Las Vegas, New Orleans, Cancun, Berlin, and Miami. They then detail some of the negative effects of overtourism on locals before sharing where each of them would go if they had the opportunity to party anywhere on Earth. Amongst other things they discuss how the carpeted areas of casinos in Las Vegas designate which areas are adults-only, how Bourbon Street in New Orleans was almost destroyed to build the Vieux Carré Riverfront Expressway, how resorts in Cancun import food from the United States so as not to upset American tourists’ stomachs, and how the Nacht Club Berlin Instagram account has documented Berlin’s decline as a cultural hub.
Links:Thot Topics podcastThot Topics PatreonThot Topics InstagramList of party cities from FacebookNacht Club Berlin Instagram page'It's Tourist Hunting Season': The Street Art That's Seething About Mass Tourism by Lee MoranReveillon in Rio de JaneiroMy Weekend as a 28-year-old in Chicago
Artwork:Ericlindesvard, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia CommonsCC BY-SA 4.0
Recorded on 1/16/2025

Ep. 55: Y2K Futurism

Y2K futurism is an aesthetic that emerged in the late ‘90s and early-2000s that consists of the color silver, consumer electronics, large sunglasses, and "blobjects." Its depictions of what the future could look like in the 2000s were utopian and optimistic, simultaneously celebrating the new millennium and the early internet. On this week’s episode Joseph and Nathan start by listing the key elements of Y2K Futurism before detailing the various ways the aesthetic materialized in the physical world, from Capri Sun ads to airport lounges. Amongst other things they discuss how the video game Space Channel 5 took the aesthetic in a campy and extraterrestrial direction, how the availability of CAD software in the design world led to popularity of blobjects, and how the artwork of Mariko Mori incorporated an impressive number of elements from the esthetic.
Links:Y2K futurism Pinterest board: https://pin.it/6KzgiZwZ3 Nathan’s Y2K Too Unlimited shirt postTerrell Davis Changed Digital Art Forever by Claudia CostaThe Untold Story of the Most Bonkers Sunglasses in Olympic History by Mahalia ChangGroove Is In The Heart by Deee LiteBreathe U In by Sipper & AdorePlaystation 2 condom adThe Cyberfrontier and America at the Turn of the 21st Century by Jeffrey R. CooperThe Y2K aesthetic: who knew the look of the year 2000 would endure? By Leigh AlexanderMiko No Inori by Mariko Mori
Artwork:Focus Dailies CM (1999)
Recorded on 1/5/2025

Ep. 54: Historic Preservation w/ Marquisdefacade [TEASER]

Full episode available on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SilentGeneration
 
This week Joseph and Nathan are joined by local architecture influencer Steve (otherwise known as Marquisdefacade) to discuss historic preservation. They begin by weighing the pros and cons of historic preservation before detailing how the historic preservation movement in Chicago succeeded (or failed) to preserve the neighborhoods of Old Town, Bronzeville, and Logan Square. Amongst other things they discuss how Logan Square Preservation uses “preservation” to advance their NIMBY agenda in Logan Square, how Jober’s Canyon in Omaha, NE got demolished despite being listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and how 9 highrises and skyscrapers in Chicago could potentially become the Early Chicago Skyscrapers UNESCO World Heritage Site.
 
Links:
Marquisdefacade’s Instagram
The Marquisdefacade Podcast 
Historic Preservation - Treating the Symptom Instead of the Cause by Andrew Price
Housing experts say there just aren't enough homes in the U.S. by By Mary Louise Kelly
Glasner Studio Virtual Tour
The Architectural Record - 1907 (the article contrasting NYC and Chicago apartment buildings)
Proposed Tower In Old Town Gets More Brick, Warmer Colors, But Traffic Concerns Persist by Jake Wittich
Losing Track by J. W. Mason
WIN: Logan Square Preservation Raises Funds to Restore Church’s Stained Glass
Andy Schneider, President Of Logan Square Preservation, Running For 1st Ward Alderperson by Mina Bloom
Plan To Preserve Building Character On Milwaukee Avenue In Logan Square, Avondale Moves Forward by Ariel Parrella-Aureli
Historic structures are set to be demolished at Wells/Superior by Lukas Kugler
 
Artwork:
Photo provided by Marquisdefacade 
 
Recorded on 12/29/2024

Ep. 53: New Religious Movements

New religious movements are religions that are peripheral to a society's dominant religious culture, the earliest and most enduring example being Mormonism (which began in 1830). The majority of practitioners in new religious movements are recent converts and NRMs often get labeled the pejorative term “cult.” On this week’s episode of Silent Generation the boys explore how NRMs emerged in response to the problems of modernity by examining Mormonism, The Baháʼí Faith, The Enthusiastic Sobriety Movement, The People’s Temple Movement, The Rajneesh Movement, Twin Flames Universe, and Love Has Won. Amongst other things they discuss how NRMs appeal to people raised in the suburbs because of the communal living arrangements they offer, how federal interference is often the tipping point that leads to mass casualty events, and how Nathan’s brother once worked for a restaurant operated by an NRM.
 
Links:
What are New Religious Movements ft. Professor Eileen Barker
Death of a Scientologist by Tori Marlan
Hunter x Hunter Intro
Snowflake, Arizona LDS Temple
The Love Bomb by Daniel Kolitz
Wild Wild Country (2018)
Escaping Twin Flames (2023)
How ‘Twin Flames Universe’ leader pretends to be Jesus to create an abusive multi-level marketing scheme by Mallory Challis
Cult Info Since 1979 by the The International Cultic Studies Association
 
Artwork:
The Baháʼí House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois (1969)
 
Recorded on 12/25/2024

Ep. 52: Hunting Fashion

This week Joseph and Nathan examine the various aesthetics that have come out of hunting fashion. They begin by discussing how shooting and hunting in the United Kingdom are leisure activities that have historically only been available to the most wealthy, and why British clothing associated with the activity looks more formal and more conspicuous than its American counterpart (such as red fox hunting coats). The boys then go into a deep dive of how hunting camouflage developed out of military camouflage before detailing why it's worn so often by everyday people in the United States. Amongst other things they discuss how buffalo skins worn by Native Americans during buffalo jumps are an early example of camouflage, how the Harris/ Walz campaign released a camo campaign hat in response to Chappel Roan’s Midwest Princess tour camo hat, how high-visibility blaze orange is more liberal-coded than hunting camo, and how deer aren’t able to see high-visibility blaze orange because they are red-green colorblind.
Links:
Hunting fashion Pinterest board: https://pin.it/60F92bfWP Ep. 37: Male Desire w/ Charles Livingston [UNLOCKED]The Theory of the Leisure Class: An Economic Study of Institutions by Thorstein VeblenGentlemanly Pursuits: Hunting & Shooting Attire by J. A. ShapiraDressed to Kill: A History of British Sporting Fashion by Kim CadyWhat to Wear Game Shooting by Alan PaineThe Density Divide and the Southernification of Rural America by Will Wilkinson Tim Walz Struggles With Shotgun At Pheasant Hunt, Gets Mocked Elusive deer spotted wearing high-vis jacket in Canada: ‘Who is responsible?’ by Leland Cecco Blaze Orange Regulations for Every State by Teri Williams Can Deer See Blaze Orange? by Lindsay Thomas Jr. 
Artwork:Origin unknown
Recorded on 12/22/2024

Ep. 51: Futurism [TEASER]

Full episode available on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SilentGeneration 
 
Futurism was an Italian art movement focused on speed, technology, and violence that began in 1909 after Filippo Tommaso Marinetti published the Manifesto of Futurism. Italian Futurists thought that their nascently-industrialized country was developing at a slow pace due to the weight of Italy’s past and they wanted to break free; artists like Umberto Boccioni, Giacomo Balla, Luigi Russolo, and Tullio Crali depicted “futuristic” subjects like cars, trains, and airplanes in dynamic ways that challenged existing cultural conventions. On this week’s episode of Silent Generation Nathan and Joseph analyze Futurism using an urbanist lens. Amongst other things they discuss the problematic link between Futurism and Fascism in post-WW1 Italy, the Cubo-Futurist style of the short lived Russian Futurist movement, the absurdity of Futurist food, and the beauty of Tullio Crali’s Aeropittura paintings of airplanes and aerial landscapes.
 
Links: 
Futurism Pinterest board: https://www.pinterest.com/silentgeneration/futurism/ 
Manifesto of Futurism by Filippo Tommaso Marinetti
Scene of Filippo Tommaso Marinetti's accident, 15 October 1908
Screenshot from Italian Futurism: Speed, dynamism, and the fight at La Fenice
Manifesto of Futurist Woman by Valentine de Saint-Point
Italian Futurism, 1909–1944: Reconstructing the Universe
Boccioni Recreated
Recreating Boccioni's striding sculptures from 1913
How Italian Futurism Influenced the Rise of Fascism by Jad Dahsan
When Futurism Led to Fascism—and Why It Could Happen Again
What Is Russian Futurism? by Anastasiia S. Kirpalov
Kseniya Boguslavskaya
https://www.tulliocrali.com/en/ 
Crali and Aeropainting (Tullio Crali: A Futurist Life)
Lingotto factory in Turin
Modernist Architecture in Eritrea
Artwork:
Before the Parachute Opens (Prima che si apra il paracadute), 1939 by Tullio Crali
 
Recorded on 12/9/2024

Ep. 50: Modern Masculinity w/ Gent Z

How is modern masculinity different from classical masculinity? This week the boys are joined by local menswear influencer Gent Z to discuss how men in the modern era intentionally refine their masculinity through self improvement. Amongst other things they discuss what the end goal of self-improvement should be, what male role models they personally look up to, and what they think about the idea that there is a “crisis of masculinity.” 
 
Links: 
How to Build New Habits by Taking Advantage of Old Ones by James Clear 
 
Artwork:
Paul Newman photographed by Stewart Stern, 1973