Yesterday I had the pleasure to speak with Tom Luongo, here is where you can listen to our conversation:
Podcast Episode #20 – The Saker and the Necessary Retreat of Empires
Listen to “Episode #20 – The Saker and the Necessary Retreat of Empires” on Spreaker.
Conversation, not interview, Luongo talks too much.
I find the converstion very interesting, nonetheless.
I really enjoyed this interview. Two men who clearly know what they are talking about having a conversation. I learned a lot. I also respect you larchmonter you have written excellent articles on the saker website. James
I appreciate your kind remark, James. Thank you.
Luongo is not a very skilled interviewer. Not his strong point.
I am sure he will improve with practice.
Two people who largely agree with each other doesn’t make a very interesting listening. Better to discuss areas where there are differing viewpoints/perceptions or to work on areas that you are curious about and where the interviewee is knowledgeable.
Good rule of thumb- interviewer speak time, max 20%. The less the better.
A very good start. Look forward to more.
Agreed – very frustrating experience hearing Luongo’s impatience to jump in while the Saker is still talking and then not having the grace to actually let Saker speak. Very disappointing…
I’ll have to agree with James McC, I always look for you, L445, and for Auslander in the comment thread. Everone else, I can scroll on past and feel like I’m not missing anything. Even when I look back at my own comments, I didn’t say anything, and wonder why I posted. .
Yeah, Luongo was awfully long-winded. And I agree, the Saker is better versed in geopolitics. I’m looking forward to the next interview with CAF.
My take, too… Tom is clearly very knowledgeable and opinionated, but when he invites a guest, he should let the person speak. Later, he can record a monologue… (his piece on the Russian cauldron, though, is very interesting).
Was it a “guns and roses” interview of the Saker, or himself? :-)
Thank you for all your terrific analysis and interviews. So glad to have found your blog and opinions.
Warren Schaich
Did Luongo really say that the Neocons are like the French Post-Modern Marxist or am I mistaken? Whatever the hell this means.
I was incredulous to hear him say the neocons aren’t concerned about Israel. I would guess that a lot of them are dual citizens.
I didn’t catch the name of the philosopher that Putin quoted. Anyone?
“I didn’t catch the name of the philosopher that Putin quoted.”
Ivan Ilyin
Really enjoyed this interview. So refreshing to hear two superbly informed individuals go over various important contemporary topics.
Great work.
Luongo is a more interested in voicing his views than in asking Saker to express his. Bit of a motor mouth.
Hogging the conversation is pretty common with interviewers these days, unfortunately.
But I like Luongo’s insights. I read all of his articles, even though he is a very poor writer. And poor writing is also pretty common these days.
Nonetheless, Luongo often has insights that other people miss. He is worth listening to and reading as well.
One thing about the interview that intrigued me was the talk about collapse and disintegration of the United States.
I could see the US collapsing for many reasons – not the least of which is the inability of the country to live within its means. Right now, that inability is being hidden by the US reserve currency status. However, if the US loses that, the US will go into free fall – pronto.
Additionally, the US has many other systemic problems; such as 1) collapsing infrastructure, 2) the “me first” mentality on the citizenry instituted by Reaganism and perpetuated by the Neoliberals, 3) income inequality, 4) an out of touch ruling class (that gets more out of touch every day due to their own “controlled narrative” in the media), 5) corrupt pharmaceutical, medical, educational, government, military systems and so on, 6) the epic waste of national wealth in wars having no clear purpose, 7) a financial system which preys on commerce rather than facilitating commerce, 8) a democracy which is really only a simulated democracy and so on and so on and so on.
The problems are systemic.
More and more people (outside of the elite) simply don’t believe in the system anymore. Ordinary folk increasingly see it for what it is – a gigantic scam benefitting a few at the expense of the many.
I could see a Soviet-style collapse happening.
I don’t see disintegration though. Unlike Europe, the US has a relatively cohesive culture. American see themselves as Americans and not as Californians, Coloradans, New Yorkers and so on.
I just don’t see disintegration happening.
I may be wrong on that but I just don’t see it.
Tom spend too much time with his goats! HA :D
I am always amazed when the narrative or programming does not fit the “western standards” and out come the ‘you’re hyena’ or complain of discomforts or when more serious, spun the antifart-action figure or cue the moderate terrorist…
dear ppl, earth is earth shape (if you dont believe in flat plains), its a wonderful world indeed!
That said, Saker is way too polite and gentleman in this ‘conversation’
If one goes back to TL previous ‘conversation’ with Alistair Crooke, the guest obviously serve it up to Tom and debate him down. So TL was looking more for a live debate than anything else – that’s his style :) and the raw energy and rough unfiltered bits that absolutely thrills me and often go to places, even I dont really consider, like Berney the potus? Huh? But things are interesting for sure… and I first heard it from TL :)
So it is pity Saker did not get the rightful treatment in the interview, if according to the western standards and expectations. Perhaps, this is a blessing in disguise? Saker should also launch his monologue expert weekly podcast here! You have lots of fans here, sir Saker :)
Thank you both!
Off-topic:
@ Mike from Jersey
about cohesiveness, dear friend, I am treating you as adult in the room, so I am posting this link here. Something you will not hear anywhere else it seems.
I am posting the warning below more for others that might want to check out more. I think you do have a broader worldview and able to change an adapt according to your given circumstances :)
→ WARNING: ADULT content and language. Seriously Offensive and Raw and Totally Unfiltered! ←
→ WARNING: Both person are ANTI-Christian and believe in woowoo aliens and totally reject the “normal narratives” and human history as in the text books ←
***DO NOT listen if you are not ready to be disturbed and be shaken.
By no means they are correct, if that is the case, but both earnestly share their true identity and deep history programming through this live ‘conversation’. Its over 2 hrs long but if you listen to the whole conversation maybe you get the silenced voice for over 2000 years you never heard before.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCJDghP3Gwk
Be safe
Thanks, I listened to about half of it last night. It was interesting.I am going to listen to the rest tonight.
Tom Luongo needs to learn to shut the FU and listen to his guest !
Preparation is very important with a sketching out of who will speak and when etc with the guest getting the bulk of the time.
From 27 minutes in The Saker is “handed the ball” to explain the geopolitics of Israel, Syria and Turkey and then The Saker offered to speak about Iraq … but Luongo is deaf and all we hear is more Luongo with his meglamania with the microphone blah blah blahing away like a gale force wind.
I have tried to login to Luongo’s WordPress website to complain directly, but without success and comments are zero there right now.
This program should be redone properly so The Saker can be heard clearly without unecessary interruptions.
I am seething at having my time wasted by Tom Luongo who is just padding with stuff well known or irrelevant to make his podcast fill his timeslot.
… and I still want to hear about Iraq …
Thats right..Luongo talked too much. he spoiled the talk. it is something for his listeners and he should have been about making it a good experience.
nothing of the kind went on..Luongo was into his own head period all talk long. I prolly will check him out once again depending on his guest. if no improvemment I wont bother
I have just tuned in and will listen to the interview later.
However, I scanned the comments because I was glad to see Tom Luongo making an appearance here.
Very sorry to read that this interview did not go well from the pov of the interviewer’s skills.
I also find ir very annoying, when an interviewer dominates the interview, a la Charlie Rose.
However, I must say—and this is why I checked out comments even though I have to get going with work and cannot take time to listen to interview— that I find Luongo to be one of the savviest analysts around, from reading his contributions at Strategic-Culture-org. So, I do hope that regulars will give him a chance here, if he shows up again! I also listened to an interesting conversation between Luongo and Alexander Mercouris.
Katherine
Given that Saker can’t get a word in, why does he interview with this guy?
Seems that Luongo is more interested in connecting to Saker readers, and that Luongo really doesn’t want his listeners to be infected with what Saker has to say.
Tom Luongo is a good guy – one of the few that calls it as it is best he can, and he cares!. This was more a conversation than an interview and the two men met for the first time in a live format and it was not a formal format. I enjoyed the conversation. I hope for more (but I also want to know what The Saker was going to say about Iraq :-)
Tom is worth while listening to and visiting at his blog. He appreciates The Saker’s work and uses it to enlighten and bring more actionable and good information to his own tribe or group and no, he is not a formal interviewer. I consider him a friend of this blog and a friend of the principles of freedom. So, he rambled on a bit .. it is not a sin. Its not that anyone paid for their ticket at the door. I mean, we can critique this all we want, but it is still better than most out there.
Thanks Tom and The Saker.
Yes i agree. I came across his channel recently, i enjoy his takes. Nothing wrong with a conversation.
Well said Amarynth. Tom is one of the few brave voices, who’ve been against the imperialist and degenerative nature of the United States.
An every day man, concerned with the evils he’s witnessed and decided to write and speak out, in an effort to help educate other good people.
Good on Mr. Luongo. Thank you for your commitment to the truth and looking forward to further collaboration with the Saker, here at the vineyard.
He IS a good guy. BUT! He needs a crash course in how to perform an “interview” .
Might be an idea to learn from how miss Herland interviews people.
(randomly ) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vyTfSU94sQ
Main site: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTdVY6ae-riIygpmSUgUwJw
Kent
Small note: france does not belong to the 5 eyes. its uk us can aus nz
I wish he had let you talk more, by talking less himself. I felt he spent most of the time, looking for confirmation for his own views. I like Tom’s writing, can’t say the same for his interviewing.
The interviewer, I think, likes to hear the sound of his own voice, and he seemed desperate to let everyone know that he knew what Saker had to say, and had already said it or agreed with it, before Saker said it. A sign of lack of confidence. It’s hard to talk to people who have to prove their adequacy in every conversation and every sentence. Interviewing someone is out of the question. “Let me tell you about all the people I’ve talked to in the past, proving how cool or “in the know” that I am!” Despite this personal challenge, he does seem to be able to see, somewhat, thte way things are in the world. If he could learn to listen, he would be able to see much more.
This interview is another piece of evidence of why a Saker podcast is a good idea.
I liked the US policy as a vector sum (or better as Tom’s vector cross product).
Your version as a sum is a struggle achieving nothing:
3 units up plus 3 units down results in zero units in any direction.
Tom’s version as a cross product (he might have misunderstood) describes chaos. 3 units left X 3 units up = 9 units forwards*
*It might be backwards, Maxwell’s left hand rule was always hard for me to work out.