KunstlerCast - Suburban Sprawl: A Tragic Comedy

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James Howard Kunstler, author of "The Geography of Nowhere" and "The Long Emergency," takes on suburban sprawl, disposable architecture and the end of the cheap oil era each week with program host Duncan Crary.

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Recent Reviews
  • Fluffhead2022
    Catherine Austin Fitts
    James, Can you talk with Catherine once a month going-forward? You're two mega-heavyweights and we need to hear more. Also, when are you (and Catherine, for that matter) going to be on Rogan's podcast? Make it happen!
  • senor pantalones caliente
    A coincidence
    I enjoy his show. On his podcast with Matt Bracken, I noticed how quickly he changed the subject when Mr. Bracken mentioned about how when Jews are over represented and it’s called a “coincidence “. Perhaps he told the truth and struck a nerve.
  • Skaven888
    Always engaging
    Often irreverent and sometimes whimsical, Kunstler always entertains. His podcasts follow the lost art of actually allowing his guests to speak as he doesn’t try to be the center of attention like most hosts do in this age of selfies. Sometimes his questions are cringeworthy to younger generations (his recent interview with Naomi Wolf comes to mind) - they’re certainly not politically correct - but the show is a consistent lineup of interesting personalities and James finds a way to weave a fun and engaging conversation with each of them.
  • jp1844
    Viewpoint
    Agree or disagree, I appreciate Jim’s viewpoints and anxiously await his podcasts and weekly blogs. He is a great storyteller. Devoted subscriber.
  • Drk8582
    A breath of fresh air
    I really enjoy listening to Jim. He’s got a nostalgic sense to him, and reminds me of my northeast roots: small town intellectual farmer types.
  • Haunted Haus
    Jim Douglas is a clown
    Love the podcast. But that former Vermont Gov is the “problem” with this country. Typical uni-party clown that allows the criminals in government to flourish by his impotent view on reality.
  • Tomyamg00m
    Jarring difference
    An amazing and difference between the books this man has written, and his podcast. It's too bad that he seems to be pimping out his earlier reputation for a right wing cause. Reprehensible.
  • Mad At Us Cause They Ain't Us
    Great Show!
    Great information for ALL! Hopefully more people will start walking around with Eyes Wide Open vs Shut…
  • FMercury Hbg
    Lost to Trumpism
    I loved Jim’s old books, Geography of Nowhere, and Home From Nowhere. Sadly, he has lost much of his insight and well-balanced humor and turned certifiably nuts. Few of his predictions come true and he has lost his way. Other reviewers are right on the spot when complaining about David Collum and other right wingers that seem to infest this podcast. I unsubscribed as I just can’t take his QAnon ideology.
  • HPLawrence
    Great insight
    Really enjoying the new and old episodes; excellent podcast!
  • OC California
    5 stars!
    Excellent podcast!
  • wasbuzz
    Old man yells at clouds.
    Disappointing given his book Geography of Nowhere. Waste of time.
  • Dnanid
    A few grains, much chaff
    I enjoyed some of the sessions (Blittersdorf, Duany) and the iconoclasm below and sometimes above the surface. Collum as guest is especially a waste of time, fond of clever and empty speculation. Cheered on by host Kunstler.
  • awjjsd
    David McCallum again, ugh
    Jim’s voice used to be so refreshing, despite the redundancy and perennially wrong predictions and prognostications. He staked out a position that - even though we knew it was riddled with logical errors - still had a large ring of truth to it. Then he somehow got swallowed by the Fox News harum-scarum of Trumpism. I suspect Jim was wounded when he himself became a casualty of “campus-cancel-culture.” Seems the only one that will show up to chat anymore is David McCallum, one of the most preening, self-important idiots imaginable. So long Jim, after 12 years I’m moving on. Maybe I’ll go back and listen to some of the old podcasts with Duncan sometime.
  • Rico the Bald
    Right down the middle.
    I love JHK’s writing. The future may not be rosy, but better to consider it now while we can improve our position. Our step wise decline may not arrive soon or be an empty gas pump. But our system is corrupt and our currency is dangerously stretched. Timing future events is impossible but the trends are easy to read. Keep digging James.
  • Matteo Masiello
    It was interesting once
    This podcast was interesting once. I found Mr. Kunstler's views on the enviroment, urban sprawl, peak oil, and alternative views (more concise) on the economy very, very interesting. I used to feel like I was learning something relevant from his talks and books (not his fiction - pretty bad sci-fi). But lately he seems to go on and on about identity politics and seems to think he is being Swiftian in his opinions that those who are proponents of identity poltics should be killed. He sounds very alt-right which I know he isn't. But I think he is doing Trump supports and alt-right proponents a servive, empowering them by his opinions. He sounds like a crotchety old man complaining. This disappoints me because he is smarter than that. I wish he were more empathetic.
  • Sampsoft
    Goodbye Doom Porn
    With the KunstlerCast, Howard Kunstler has always had a problem differentiating between intellectual rigor and intellectual dishonesty. But I have to admit that I actually enjoyed it when he was simply peddling doom porn. But now that his decade-long predictions about peak oil have failed to materialize, he has turned his attention to railing against the left. He does make good points from time to time, but most of his guests have questionable credentials that fail to lend credence to their extreme takes on the state of the world. Mr. Kunstler loves to promote the idea that the liberal media is on a crusade to destroy Donald Trump and he supports his assertions by citing the lies of the Washington Post and the New York Times. The problem, however, is that he never seems to point out a specific lie nor the evidence that the "lies" they peddle are false. He's not stepping into Alex Jones territory, yet, but if you like Rush Limbaugh, this might be a good podcast to nourish your animosity of all things liberal.
  • KCFutbol
    Where Have You Gone Jim Kunstler?
    This used to be a very interesting, informative podcast. Duncan Crary and Jim discussed urban planning. Now, with Duncan gone it's veered in a forum for right wing nut jobs and other nuts, such as the druid who was on this weeks podcast. I'll listen to one more, but if it remains on the same trajectory, I'm done listening.
  • Frogmoss
    It's over..
    Instead of gaining wisdom in his old age, Jim Kunstler's mind has become slow and mushy with right wing-nut conspiracy theories. Unfortunately this sad confused old man is no longer relevant...
  • notthere56
    Blasey Ford a conspiracy? two old white guys say so!
    I have found your talks on the future that awaits is fascinating, if alarming, and greatly appreciated your insights about such things. I thank you for that. You have lost this older white man forever with your episode 308 about "the sexual hysteria of our time." Casually claiming that the accusations of sexual misconduct against a Supreme Court nominee were some conspiracy is myopic to the extent that I will never trust what you say again. You even have the gall to let some guy who admits he is not even paying attention to Trump, much less the nomination process, make the accusation! You appear too blind, old, or uninterested to realize that this is an episode in a change that is taking place for the better in our society, one that is taking longer than most of us wish: dismantling patriarchical power relations that protect men, especially powerful men and white men, from accountability for misconduct. It's not only about sexual misconduct, but that's an important part of the undeserved power. I agree with you that things are not seen or reported or thought about realistically in our society, but you have a huge blind spot. You just go on pretending to be above the fray. I see now that it ultimately amounts to condescension, without empathy. Goodbye.
  • seckybra
    Ding! Ding! Ding!
    Good stuff! Been a fan since “The End of Suburbia.” You should turn off your email alert when your recording the show.
  • WarrenG31
    One of my favorites
    I love Kunstler's Podcasts. Great audio quality and terrific subject matter. There is something about Jim's voice that is soothing and comforting, despite the seriousness of the Long Emergency we are in. Highly Recommended. Give it a listen.
  • Marlowinc
    My back-handed review
    I always like to read & hear what JK has to write & say, but MAN can his stuff be frickin' depressing! And his guests just add fuel to the flames of hopelessness. The one I just heard with John Greer made me want to put a bullet in my head! Every time I think of myself as well informed, versed - even hardened - to the inevitable decay of our culture & society, along comes the things I hear on this podcast. Thanks for the bleak and meaningless future of existence, guys! I believe I have my cyanide capsules ready. Greer's chuckling about our downward spiral into a savage, barbaric culture made me physically ill. I'm no defender about the current global situation. I'm not naive about the uncertain years ahead, but give us a morsel of optimism to chew on here! Even if it's meek and miniscule. Geez! Is there a reasonable alternative? A Robert E Howard nightmare realm of "only the strong survive" is unacceptable. If "living by the sword" is the only option, I'm gonna go commit hari kari right now. Thanks for cheering me up! Looking forward to the next podcast! (gunshot. thud!)
  • TheDarkestWine
    The older stuff is better
    I'm giving the podcast a 4/5 rating because it used to be good and is filled with a lot of great content about urban planning. His more recent shows seem to be about the economy - after hundreds of shows I guess it's hard to stay on just one topic. He really knows his stuff about urban planning, cities, architects, etc. though I feel when he talks about the economy it's overly pessimistic. His early podcasts, especially after the crash of 2007/2008, made lots of predictions about an impending collapse within 5 years, which clearly hasn't happened yet. My advice is to ignore those parts and listen to the podcasts about good and bad urban design, although even when he's wrong, he's still a lot of fun to listen to.
  • J342
    Doesn't know about the cities
    An idiot.
  • Life long learner 2002
    Wonderful information
    This is a great informative work and I look forward to it every week.
  • Anonslav
    Better than ever
    Great guests on the revived Kunstlercast. Better now without the inane giggling of Duncan Crary.
  • InstaNika
    Awesome
    Essential listening in this crazy world
  • Tre333333
    Entertaining, educational, and engaging
    When you listen to a few of these podcasts with Duncan and Jim, three things happen. First, you begin to understand, filter, and analyze the mainstream news we get through the normal channels much better. Second, you begin thinking about the kind of world you want to live in, and hopefully you start to make small changes that will make that happen. Finally, you find yourself listening to the rest of the podcasts over time, laughing, taking notes, and sharing their ideas with others.
  • luckyluke1111
    Entertainingly absorbed observations on the world around us...
    I've been working my way back through the KunstllerCast catalog since being turned onto Jim by a coworker a couple weeks ago and enjoyed the process of sinking into the auditory observations and quips. A fair disclaimer is that I find these topics fascinating, but it certainly takes some talent and a good sense of humor to carry on close to 200 podcasts - and on an impressively regular basis it seems - on the subject of the end of the world as we know it. I do have to say, for two seemingly dyed-in-the-wool conspiracy theorists, they could use some help concealing the identity of Jim's new locale in #183. Pinpointing the distance to a specific mountain due East? Describing the road in complete with landmarks? Mentioning the town's original name which they just happen to have a festival named after? Oh well, it only served to draw me into listening to the whole episode!
  • Milesdawg
    This cast speaks to me
    I'm a big fan of the subjects addressed (public transportation, new urbanism, politics, the environment) and find Kunstler's acerbic wit engaging, honest and thought provoking. I may not agree with everything he says. But I sure look forward to listening to this podcast every week.
  • 1Beaconguy
    A must-listen
    After reading (and buying) JHK's books over the past twenty years, I eagerly look forward to the Kunstlercast each week. JHK is super-informed, opinionated (fine with me), salty, funny. For anyone who has any anger at all about the dumbing down of America's built environment, and a desire to play a part in its restoration, this is a must-listen. Kudos to Mr. Crary as well for the vast amount of work he does so capably to keep this going.
  • Jolly123456789
    Thought-instigating
    Really makes you rethink so many of the basic assumptions our modern lifestyle is predicated on. It's far more precarious than we realize.
  • EricEvil
    Great Show, Agree or Disagree
    Have been enjoying this show for sometime. I don't always agree with what Kunstler has to say, but I always look forward to it. Duncan has really grown over last couple of years, finding his own voice. I am the same age as Duncan and it's been great to listen to him grow from Jim's mentorship. They may disagree, but it's what i've noticed. I think Jim has an extremely important message, that is sidelined by mainstream media. I really think that the immediate direction of humanity will be decided in the next decade or so. The Kunsterler Cast gives you much to think about. The episodes recorded at the Congress for the New Urbanism (162-168) were a deviation from the norm and very enlightening. Always looking forward to the next cast!
  • Steve3474
    Episode 140
    Just listened to this episode. I wonder what the outpouring of emotion would be if it was Palin who was shot through the head instead of Giffords? The whole gun control is a nonissue. Most gunowners will not give up their rights no matter what law is passed or what penalty there is for violating it. It would be impossible to enforce. Most law enforcement would refuse to do so. I enjoy both your books and podcast. JHK, you are wrong about ammunition availability. Your story takes place five years after the collapse. That is not long enough for all the ammo to be used up. I reload my own and have upwards of 5000 rounds in various calibers. I have the components to make another 2000.
  • Samuel Snyders
    Love the urban planning discussions, hate the political stuff
    In terms of understanding what makes a city successful, Mr. Kunstler is unparalleled. He has a rare ability to pull the curtain back on why we have built such a vacuous landscape. As someone who live in the "Middle America" that he believes is populated with rubes, lunkheads, and boobs, I don't care for the constant aspersions. As a conservative who loves cities, I have to put up with a lot of the political discourse on this show. As if the half century decline of our cities can somehow be traced to one party? However, I put up with it all just to hear him talk about cities.
  • FedericoGauss
    Jim tells it like it is!
    I look forward to the podcast each Thursday evening. In my opinion, Jim is one of the few people who really understands what the important issues are in today's world, and is doing something about it. Great work Jim!
  • cstallman
    Not so much prescient as an act of caring...
    It's odd that I have discovered this after making the choice to leave a career in restoration carpentry to seek a design degree, in the unspeakable discipline of architecture. I took this plunge because my position in the hierarchy of those that build our human habitat was so low that I felt like I could affect very little positive change. Perhaps idealistically naive I thought an AIA at the end of my name would give me some leverage. I would have to say that being essentially a professional "vernacular-ist" in a large design school is stunning. I'm hear to report that they, the design education community, are beginning to integrate many of the notions Jim Kunstler is expounding. Though the notions are there they seem very much to have shown up on the door step in the night, obviously worth while, but there is a real sense that they don't really know what to do with it. Kind of like a terrifying pantomime of Three Men and a Baby but no Steve Guttenburg. This pod cast series is so good it has me seriously questioning my decision. But when you really listen to the nuances in the discussions my move from rural living, truck dependence, dependent on wealthy client vacation home construction lifestyle to a situation where I'm on a bus or bike, I walk to my corner store, wine shop and bakery, and I'm slowly learning to get along with urbanites--might be the best I can do, for now. So listen to Jim. Care about where you live. And care about what it looks like. Go to a damn town hall meeting. And listen to Jim.
  • methot
    mr rich methot
    I enjoy listening to the Kunstlercast with Duncan Crary. I have read most of Mr. Kunstler's books and have been certainly enlightened and entertained. I agree with most of his opinions on peak oil, I enjoy discussing his views with friends and family. I just want to wish him well.... and encourage him to continue with his writings and his blogs... ... sincerely rich methot
  • HopefullyThisIsAUniqueNickname
    Very insightful analysis of the macro-trends in the American economy
    I've been following this podcast for almost two years now, and I still look forward to a new episode every Thursday evening. Jim has been speaking up about the unsustainability of suburban development for nearly 20 years. Now, as the housing market continues to crumble and oil prices ratchet up steadily higher, his words become all the more poignant. Jim has a bit more pessimistic view of long-term trends than I personally think is warranted. However, I believe that his analysis of current trends is spot-on and I support his assertion that the US is entering the beginning of what he calls "The Long Emergency." If you're sick of vacuous news reports that shine little light on the structural weaknesses at the root of our current troubles, look no further. Jim and Duncan's dialogue will expand your understanding of the economic and energy challenges facing the world in the years ahead as well as the state of current solutions. I strongly believe that if more people were exposed to this show, we could more proactively engage with these issues rather than reacting to the consequences after the damage has been done.
  • GraniteCountertop
    A consistent, rational point of view
    You may disagree with Kunstler, but you have to admit he is a genuinely non-partisan pundit with a profound understanding of culture and society. I notice that when I mention any of his ideas to most 'normal' people they tend to get very upset. Unfortunately, most of America is sleepwalking through life, blaming "Liberals" or "Conservatives" for the nation's ills. I think people need to start looking in the mirror first, then organizing their communities with other like-minded denizens. His concepts of 'other living arrangements' and 'streetscapes' and 'scale' are terrific conversation starters. You will at least come away with a new point of view and perspective if you listen to his podcasts with regularity.
  • Consultant5253
    KunstlerCast review
    This is one of the great podcasts out here. Jim consistently is on point about the state of current affairs while most of our mainstream commentators are hopelessly off point. I believe our built environment has made us stupid, isolated and massively wasteful. Jim was one of the first to see this and he describes this lifestyle with no future in precise and unforgettable language. Listen up folks. The truth might set you free.
  • eg2b
    Fascinating at first, becomes a broken record over time
    I read Jim's books and I loved the early episodes and listened to every single episode of Kunstlercast. At first, Jim's near-encyclopedic knowledge of history and city planning (and his gift at juicy adjectives) was pretty captivating. But after a while, this podcast just sounded more and more like a broken record, or perhaps a soap opera where I thought I'd already heard the plot in a dozen prior episodes. To save yourself a hundred hours of listening, here's basically everything Jim says: #1: We're running out of oil (duh) #2: Because Jim loves small-scale living and pre-modern architecture, that's what we'll be returning to after the oil crash happens. #3: Everyone who doesn't share Jim's opinions is incompetent or an idiot. I finally stopped listening.
  • Hydronics
    Built environment
    Great discussions on the built environment...
  • AmericanLegend
    The best around
    I haven't found another podcast like this. Kunstler gets that how things have been are not how they will be. This podcast is educational, thought provoking and fun.
  • cabezonamungus
    Steal this podcast!
    Everybody should listen to/read James Howard Kunstler. He's an important voice in these transformative times of debt and depravity. He's damned entertaining as well. Many kudos to Duncan for making this happen.
  • arealperson@austintx
    in the tradition of the great American Humanists
    The question isn't do you 'agree' with JHK or not, but can you aford to not pay attention to what he has to say. Kunstler is a true American Humanist (with a touch of prophetic zeal) in the finest sense of the word. Think Lewis Mumford with an acute sense of urgency. I'm new to his pod cast but, from what I can tell, it takes his complex diagnosis of the problem (The Geography of Nowhere), his prescirption for a rememdy (Home from Nowhere), within the context of a looming, well, catastrophe -- Peak Oil. Even the Kuwaities agree (2014, so they say).
  • irishopen
    Thought provoking, with a twist....
    A cogent, ongoing discussion of the numerous issues facing 21st century America. The presentation is not at all pedantic; more like sitting around a bookstore eavesdropping on a fascinating conversation.
  • jblanch3
    A podcast that everyone needs to listen to
    I first came upon Jim Kunstler in 2008, amid my concern over the soaring oil prices. I read his book "The Long Emergency" and it changed my life. He brings his wide knowledge and opinions to the Kunstlercast on the many wasteful tendencies of suburban life, sprawl, architecture, peak oil, our dwindling wealth, and in general, our final reckoning with a way of life that is becoming more and more unsustainable all the time. He also happens to be very funny. Duncan Crary also does an outstanding job interviewing Jim and coming up with topics for each episode. While there are many excellent podcasts, this one is truly exceptional and is my favorite on the web.
  • Peak Huile
    Great Show
    Kunstler takes a fantastic no holds barred approach to our problem and forget the politicking. I quote him daily.
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