Shows / This Is Hell!
Episodes
This Is Hell!Fast Food's Bad Bargain For Black America / Naa Oyo A. Kwate
We're joined by Dr. Naa Oyo A. Kwate who is on to discuss her recent book "White Burgers, Black Cash," about the affect of the Fast Food industry on Black…
This Is Hell!Living and Reliving the U.S. Invasion of Iraq / Rasha Al Aqeedi
After a tongue-twister of a Danish hangover cure, Chuck interviews Rasha Al Aqeedi about her New Lines Magazine article, "Living — and Reliving — the US…
This Is Hell!The Lost Pandemic Tapes: Dissent at a Dead End / Malcolm Harris
Our mystical foray into the This Is Hell vaults, retrieving never-before-aired interviews from early covid times, has reached its satisfying conclusion. Today…
This Is Hell!Pandemic Tapes: Cuban Healthcare Shames Us / Helen Yaffe
Our series of lost pandemic tapes continues: an interview from early covid times that was never aired on our home station WNUR: Helen Yaffe explains the…
This Is Hell!On Coerced Labor and Work Without Employment
Sociologist Erin Hatton explores the nature of coerced labor in America - as prisons, welfare programs and universities push workers outside the protection of…
This Is Hell!The Tragic Legacy of the Iraq War / Murtaza Hussain
We welcome Murtaza Hussain, a reporter at The Intercept who focuses on national security and foreign policy to discuss the horrendous aftermath of the Iraq War
This Is Hell!The Lost Cause Against Reconstruction / Kidada Williams
Just as there is a lost cause narrative for the South White Northerners and Westerners have spun a related tale, and it's that they're all abolitionist.
This Is Hell!Weapons of Mass Distraction / Chris Toensing
Today's episode takes us into the archives 20 years ago to the day. Less than a week after the United States military invaded Iraq, Middle East Report editor…
This Is Hell!Freedom Dreams of Feminism / Robin D. G. Kelley
Historian Robin D. G. Kelley returns to This is Hell! to talk about his essay titled, “Buried History: The Death and Life of Donald S. Kelley” Part of a…
This Is Hell!Botching the Coverage of a Bank Run / Dean Baker
After a multipurpose hangover cure, Center for Economic Policy and Research Senior Economist and longtime friend of the show Dean Baker edifies us with his…
This Is Hell!Hyperviolent Supercops Assassinate With Impunity / Michael Gould-Wartofsky
Writer, ethnographer, and human-rights activist Michael Gould-Wartofsky is onto talk about his TomDispatch article, "Welcome to the Predator State: Where the…
This Is Hell!Atrophy and the After Life in COVID-19 Infected America / Keri Leigh Merritt
Tuesday, March 14th 2023, historian Keri Leigh Merritt returns to This is Hell! is co-editor of the collection, "After Life: A Collective History of Loss and…
This Is Hell!The Blood of the Congo Powers Our Tech / Siddharth Kara
After this week's hangover cure leaves us in suspense, British Academy Global Professor Siddharth Kara shares his horrifying research on the exploitation and…
This Is Hell!Ethiopia's New Dam Tilts the Balance of Power / Ann Neumann
We have on Ann Neumann to discuss her new Baffler article: "Hydropower: A dam on the Nile roils democratic relations in the Horn of Africa" Jeff delivers a new…
This Is Hell!Identifying American Violence / Ariane Chebel d'Appollonia
Professor Ariane Chebel d'Appollonia joins us in Hell to discuss her book "Violent America: The Dynamics of Identity Politics in a Multiracial Society" This…
This Is Hell!Daddy DeSantis' Sunshine Imperium / Jasper Craven
Journalist Jasper Craven discusses his Baffler article, "The Sunshine Imperium: The Militarism of Ron DeSantis." Chuck and Will review the latest hangover…
This Is Hell!Is the Next Pandemic Inevitable? / Caroline Chen
Today we have on Caroline Chen to discuss her ProPublica series, "Roots of an Outbreak" And the Question From Hell flies right towards its effulgent…
This Is Hell!Pretty Good Housing For All / Dan Kolbert
Chuck interviews Dan Kolbert, co-author along with Christopher Briley, Michael Maines and Emily Mottram, of, “Pretty Good House: A Guide to Creating Better…
This Is Hell!Poverty Amid Plenty / Liz Theoharis
Theologian, ordained minister, and anti-poverty activist Liz Theoharis is on to discuss her TomDispatch articles "Poverty Amid Plenty' and "Making it in a Poor…
This Is Hell!Nationalize the Railroads Now / Kari Lyderson
Journalist Kari Lydersen returns to talk about her In These Times article, "The Case for Nationalizing the Railroads." Plus, and all-new Moment of Truth and…
This Is Hell!Clean Up or Cover Up? ChemTrain Capitalists & Lobbied Lawmakers Say "Trust Our Tests" / Prem Thakker
Journalist Prem Thakker speaks with host Chuck Mertz about his articles in the New Republic about the the hellish Norfolk Southern train derailment in East…
This Is Hell!Trump 2024 wants to Make Executions Exciting Again? / Asawin Suebsaeng
Journalist Asawin Suebsaeng discusses his Rolling Stones articles "Twitter Kept Entire 'Database’ of Republican Requests to Censor Posts " and "Trump Plans to…
This Is Hell!Remembering the "Good" War / Elizabeth Samet
We have on Elizabeth Samet, author of, "Looking for the Good War: American Amnesia and the Violent Pursuit of Happiness." Elizabeth is a professor of English…
This Is Hell!Big Poultry Breeds Bird Flu and asks Consumers to Pay the Price / Boyce Upholt
Boyce Upholt returns to This is Hell! to discuss his piece recently published by the New Republic, "The Frightening Cost of Cheap Eggs: Why paying more for…
This Is Hell!Suppression of the Black Vote Fuels Fascism / Clarence Lusane
Dr. Clarence Lusane joins This is Hell! to discuss his series of Tom Dispatch articles, explaining how MAGA fascists found inspiration in suppressing the black…
This Is Hell!Revolutionary Palestinian Futures / Noura Erakat
We welcome human rights attorney Noura Erakat who wrote the Boston Review article, "Designing the Future in Palestine: Palestinian women and feminist…
This Is Hell!The Revolution will not be Scheduled / Sheila Liming
Writer, professor and musician Sheila Liming joins us in Hell! to talk about her recently published book, "Hanging Out: The Radical Power of Killing Time"…
This Is Hell!COVID-19, Continued / Rob Wallace
Agroecologist and epidemiologist Rob Wallace returns to This is Hell! to discuss his new book, "The Fault in our SARS, COVID-19 in the Biden Era". Also…
This Is Hell!Coplovers Hit Back Against Reforms With Fearmongering / Katya Schwenk
We have on journalist Katya Schwenk to discuss her Baffler Magazine article, "The Crime Wave That Wasn't." Faithful correspondent Jeff Dorchen explores ways to…
This Is Hell!Fear of Black Consciousness / Lewis Gordon
Dr. Lewis Gordon, department head and professor of philosophy at the University of Connecticut, discusses his most recent book titled, Fear of Black…
This Is Hell!For Tortuguita and the Trees: Stopping Cop City / Rachel Garbus
Recorded Monday, January 30th 2023, we speak with Rachel Garbus, a writer and editor based in Atlanta. Rachel discusses her piece recently published on Welcome…
This Is Hell!The Lost Interviews pt. 3 / Max Haiven
NOW IT CAN BE TOLD: we spin the never-before-aired-on-WNUR-because-it-was-the-start-of-covid interview from 3/25/20 with Max Haiven who had, at that time, just…
This Is Hell!The Lost Interviews Pt. 2 / Eileen Applebaum
We revisit the strange times of the early 2020 Covid-19 pandemic social breakdown with interviews that never before graced the radiowaves of 89.3 WNUR…
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The Lost Interviews Pt. 1 / Vijay Koinjivadi
We play the first of three "lost" interview from the early days of the Pandemic that was never played on the radio. We also present this week's Question from…
This Is Hell!Big Pharma Rigs the Game and Gouges Away / Julia Rock
Reporter, public records requester, researcher Julia Rock joins us to discuss her article at The Lever, "How Big Pharma Actually Spends Its Massive Profits…
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Limbo: War Crime and Punishment / Rebecca Gordon 2016
Our host Chuck Mertz postpones his scheduled interview with philosopher Rebecca Gordon due to stomach flu. Lindsey Gorry fills in at the studio by playing back…
This Is Hell!Brazil's fight against Fascism / Brian Mier
Chuck welcomes friend of the show Brian Mier to talk about Brazil's January 6 knockoff event and the differences in how Brazil fights fascism to how the US…
This Is Hell!The Blind Greed of the Ultra Rich Dooms Us All / Christopher Ketcham
Today we have the return of journalist Christopher Ketcham who co-wrote The Intercept piece, "The Shutdown of “Luxury Emissions” Should Be at the Center of…
This Is Hell!Secret Power: WikiLeaks and its Enemies / Stefania Maurizi
Stefania Maurizi is an investigative journalist currently contributing to the major Italian daily Il Fatto Quotidiano after working for the last 14 years for…
This Is Hell!Not All Crypto Bros / Esmé von Hoffman
Filmmaker and journalist Esmé von Hoffman talks with Chuck Mertz about her recent article "I Heard it was Safe" published by The Lever. Also featuring a new…
This Is Hell!BEST OF 2022: Gentrified Tripping and Legal Psychedelics / Roberto Lovato
We despair with too few replies to this week's needlessly complicated Question from Hell!, reveal big news about the This is Hell! Team, and play the final…
This Is Hell!Best of 2022: The Homeless Industrial Complex / Tracy Rosenthal
Our latest 'Best of 2022' interview is with organizer and author Tracy Rosenthal who wrote The New Republic article, “Inside LA’s Homeless Industrial Complex,”…
This Is Hell!BEST of 2022: Florida Will Try to Kill You / CD Davidson-Hiers and Jeff VanderMeer
We replay listener-chosen Best of 2022 interview with CD Davidson-Hiers and Jeff Vandermeer on their article "Is Florida Becoming a Failed State?" published…
This Is Hell!BEST of 2022: The Election in Brazil / Brian Mier
From October, Brian Mier, editor and contributor to, “Year of Lead: Washington, Wall Street and the New Imperialism in Brazil,” co-editor of Brasilwire, Brazil…
This Is Hell!BEST of 2022: Family Policing Protects White Supremacy / Dorothy Roberts
We replay a listener chosen favorite interview from 2022 with Dorothy Roberts, an award-winning author and expert on the interplay of gender, race, and class…
This Is Hell!BEST OF 2022: Criminalization of Pregnancy / Kate Manne
Live from Sebastian's living room where he hasn't calibrated his mic correctly, here's the Best of 2022 for Boxing Day with an interview from July 2022 with…
This Is Hell!BEST OF 2022: The Counter-Revolution of 1836 / Gerald Horne
We continue our Best of 2022 series, wherein we revisit the very best interviews of the past year. This week we return to our interview with Gerald Horne…
This Is Hell!BEST OF 2022: Disability is Everybody's Problem / Laura Mauldin
We replay a listener chosen favorite interview from 2022 with Laura Mauldin who is a writer, sociologist, and interdisciplinary scholar based in New York City…
This Is Hell!Best of 2022 Sex Workers are the Vanguard of Labor / Heather Berg
The Listeners (you) chose this August interview with Heather Berg, Assistant Professor of Gender and Sexuality Studies at Washington University St. Louis. Dr…
This Is Hell!The Super-Rich Spew Toxic Sludge Into Our Water / Michael Hawthorne
Michael Hawthorne is on to talk about his investigation into "Forever chemicals: They’re in your drinking water and likely your food. Michael is a…
This Is Hell!Staff Picks / Maya Schenwar + Victoria Law
Our planned interview is rescheduled for tomorrow. Today we review Rotten History and new answers to the Question from Hell. We play back an interview with…
This Is Hell!Who Gentrifies the Gentrifiers? / Leslie Kern
We welcome environmental scholar Leslie Kern to talk about her new book "Gentrification is Inevitable - And other Lies." We also present you this week's (long)…
This Is Hell!Staff Picks: Wesley Willis
Today's guest had to reschedule, so we replay a past episode, Lindsey has a hellride to work and is called to play back a musical episode featuring artist…
This Is Hell!Monstrous Torture by the Depraved Police / Flint Taylor
Lawyer and activist Flint Taylor returns to the program to discuss his recent article in the Police Misconduct and Civil Rights Law Report "The Wrongful…
This Is Hell!Death by (Online-)Advertising / Matthew Crain
We welcome Associate Professor of Media and Communication Matthew Crain to the show to talk about his Boston Review article "How Capitalism and not a Few Bad…
This Is Hell!Chicago's Housing Crisis / Mick Dumke
Mick Dumke is a reporter for ProPublica. His work has focused on politics and government, including investigations of local and federal gun policies, secret…
This Is Hell!The Meat Merchants Feeding Climate Catastrophe / Spencer Roberts and Jan Dutkiewicz
Chuck Mertz speaks with science writer Spencer Roberts and political economist Jan Dutkiewicz about their New Republic Article, "How the Meat Industry…
This Is Hell!Policing ourselves out of Democracy / Austin McCoy
Chuck returns to the studio, we have this week's Hangover Cure where Sebastian mispronounces Icelandic names, an all new Question from Hell! for the week, and…
This Is Hell!STAFF PICKS: How Black Girls are Criminalized / Monique Morris
Board Operator Dan selects a Golden Oldie from the This is Hell! vaults while Chuck recuperates from the Creeping Crud. In this selection, Dr. Monique Morris…
This Is Hell!STAFF PICKS: Ecosocialism vs Extractivism / Thea Riofrancos 2019
Producer Lindsey Gorry replays an interview from 2019 with political scientist Thea Riofrancos while Chuck recovers from Covid-19. More info on Thea Riofrancos…