Chartbook Audio: The synthesis of materialism and myth - a Wages of Destruction seance
Back in 2015 at NYMAS - the fabulous New York Military Affair Symposium - I was invited to give a retrospective talk on Wages of Destruction.
The result was the talk that is recorded in this audio file.
I started listening to it again because PolicyTensor had dug up the Youtube and asked me whether there was a powerpoint pack to go with it.
To find the powerpoint I needed to remember which talk it was. So I ended up relistening to myself.
Tbh it was one of those nights.
I sound as though I was on speed, or preaching, or committed to the longest high-energy solo in history. The delivery is unusually staccato, but lucid and strangely urgent.
In the process I managed to say out loud a bunch of things that needed saying about Wages.
Perhaps it was the environment.
NYMAS used to meet in this somewhat run down, hotel-like space. The South Lounge of the Soldiers', Sailors', Marines', Coast Guard and Airmens' Club.
The event had the ambiance of a seance, or a Jazz gig from the bebop era.
Dana was there and fabulous folks like Jim Dingeman.
Anyway, there was a powerpoint and here it is:
I have redacted the last few slides on the Reichsstelle Getreide, leaving the talk as a teaser for that.
I have redacted those few slides, because if I still have archival ambitions with regard to the Third Reich, one of them is to dig into the files of this agency that decided over the allocation of grain in the Nazi empire.
After the talk, I remember going to eat and drink with Jim and folks. We talked about 1970s and 1980s wargaming, SPI etc.
We had just moved from New Haven. I remember riding home in the taxi very high on the city. It was a great New York evening.
A good memory. Enjoy!
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Rather amazing—talk to recollection. Thanks for this.