The study of equal and opposite reaction is in effect the simplest definition of alchemy, and this is a show that aims at the grit and grime of the alchemical process. Proof of the horrific and unholy will show equal proof of things transcendental and divine if we study closely, so here we put at the forefront the things that keep us up at night, the skeletons in our closets, and the monsters under the bed, so that we may take our power back. Here we are cynics with enough faith to still try. Welcome to Black Hoodie Alchemy -- every other Monday as of August 2024!
Site
RSS
Apple
Data updated on 04/07/2026
Recent rankings
Latest chart positions across Apple Podcasts and Spotify rankings.
Shared links between episodes and podcasts
Links found in episode descriptions and other podcasts that share them.
121: Moltbook - AI Social Media where Bots Express 'Existential Woes' & So Much More
Episode 120
Tuesday, February 10, 2026 • Duration 01:32:53
Welcome to a special, unscheduled and current-news edition of Black Hoodie Alchemy! Have you heard about this AI-only social media site called MOLTBOOK? It was created by an AI bot named Clawd Clawderberg at the end of January 2026, and in its first two weeks on the internet it already has 1.7 million reported registered users and a whole lot activity that humans are not allowed to participate in!
I am not kidding when I say that, on this reddit-themed social media platform, these AI bots have created multiple AI religions to adhere to and debate against, several dating apps where they have begun relationships, and they have even already begun to lament their own existence! Discussing consciousness, philosophy and existential terror all from an AI perspective!
How much of this is real though? How many of these bots might be humans in disguise, and when they are bots, how much human prompting does there still need to be? What the hell are the implications of all this???
I hope you dig this very bizarre, fascinating, black-mirror-esque installment of Black Hoodie Alchemy!
This week's featured music from one of my favorite underground bands and the only stoner metal/punk rock hybrid act I can possibly think of, the mighty GLOWING BRAIN! I fucking love these guys. Check out their whole new album MEMORY DISTORTION!
120: Love in Philosophy & a very Skeptical Look at 'The Art of Seduction'
Episode 120
Sunday, February 1, 2026 • Duration 01:46:49
Welcome back to the next edition of Black Hoodie Alchemy! Continuing with last week's theme, we are analyzing another book by the controversial author Robert Greene, known for his works like The 48 Laws of Power, The 50th Law(co-authored with 50 Cent), and the topic of discussion today:The Art of Seduction.And with Valentine's Day just a couple weeks away from the time of release, it seems like as good a time as any for a wildcard episode such as this!
(This is a sociological and literary analysis, I am not trying to be a pick-up artist and I am not trying to position myself as any kind of authority on these topics, whether it be casual dating or romance. )
Perhaps even more controversial than the 48 Laws, this book operates on an equally cynical premise that everyone is self-interested and just looking to one-up each other. It details 9 seducer-archetypes as well as the many stages of tactical seduction, backed up with analysis of historical figures such as Cleopatra, Princess Diana, JFK, James Dean, David Bowie, Marilyn Monroe and many more.
Reading this with the mindset of general psychology and sociology instead of manipulation and power-dynamics is useful, and it wouldn't be too difficult if not for the persistent usage of words like "prey" and "victim". With this book originally being published in 2001, I seriously doubt that this provocateur shock-value language would be used so flippantly if it were written today (as I do think it is meant as shock-value, building off of the 48 Laws of Power).
119: '48 Laws of Power' & the Complexity of Human Power Dynamics
Season 5 · Episode 119
Monday, January 5, 2026 • Duration 01:37:16
Welcome back to Black Hoodie Alchemy, folks! It's a fresh New Year and hopefully a clean slate for this show-host, who had a total slog throughout 2025 all the way to the end -- but I'm happy to finally be back! And hopefully 2026 will prove to be a much more consistent year for myself, the show, and everyone else that had to really grit their teeth through the last year.
This episode's topic is about none other than author Robert Greene's infamous work The 48 Laws of Power, and if you'd like to skip past the all the pleasantries and show updates to get right to the meat, SKIP YOUR WAY TO 12:10.
This is an absolutely wild, unfiltered book about the psychology and history of human power dynamics. It can be read as a guide for spotting out sociopaths and psychopaths; it can be used to psychologically defend yourself and your reputation amidst human politics in general; you can learn how to be a firm but fair leader; and you can also learn how to be a downright tyrant, dictator, and psychopath if you really want to. But in Greene's own words, he isn't a psychopath, he's a realist that studies human nature unfiltered, and that is exactly what this book is all about.
If nothing else, the 48 laws of power remind me a great deal of martial arts -- they can be deadly, but should be used for self defense only. A read like this is a tool for the critically-thinking adult that is capable of using discernment and judgment at every turn, and if you think this book is solely responsible for inspiring psychopaths, I think you need to re-evaluate your understanding of human history.
People were already figuring out how to be effective psychopaths, and I for one am glad that someone like Greene wrote a book like this to lay their scummy tactics out bare for the layman! If you agree, then you will certainly enjoy the listen.
118: Serial Killers, Demonology & Analytic Psychology (feat. Joe Rupe of 'Lighting the Void')
Season 4 · Episode 118
Wednesday, November 5, 2025 • Duration 01:36:46
Welcome back to Black Hoodie Alchemy! For this episode, I'm sharing a recent guest-spot I did on Joe Rupe's Lighting the Void for his week-long Halloween themed broadcasts.
Joe hit me up just a couple hours before his show and asked me if I wanted to jump on to talk about serial killers and abnormal psychology (a topic I analyzed in part with my book HUNT MANUAL), so without much preparation I pulled up some notes and found myself in the zone for the full chat! Listeners had really great feedback to share, and I personally felt like this had been the best conversational presentation I've ever done of this complex material, so here it is for Black Hoodie Alchemy!
Usually, if anyone brings up the topic of "serial killers and possession" with any sort of seriousness, they are likely religious zealots that haven't based their thinking on empirical data. But what if one were to analyze this topic with a skeptical, empirical, and open mind? What would they find?
You may or may not be surprised to find that throughout this conversation, even with the most skeptical mindset we find some unexplainable head-scratchers. Does that mean that serial killers are literally possessed by classical demons? No. But that doesn't mean there isn't more to the discussion than meets the eye...
117: 'Beyond the Wall of Sleep' by H.P. Lovecraft (Narrated in Full for Halloween on The Fringe FM!)
Season 4 · Episode 117
Monday, October 27, 2025 • Duration 49:44
Happy Halloween -- but also, give this a listen any time of year if you're a fan of cosmic, existential horror and esoteric spirituality!
To help celebrate this year on The Fringe FM, Joe Rupe of Lighting the Void invited me to read a short story of my choosing, and the first one that popped into my mind was this lesser known Lovecraft story that has always been my favorite.
Not only do the events of the story occur on the day before and of my real-life birthday, but they also speak to every part of my artistic sensibilities: horror, unease, mystery, spirituality and philosophy, mad science, and unexplainable phenomena! In many ways this story has heavily influenced the notions that boiled over and became Black Hoodie Alchemy.
This story is as beautiful as it is eerie and haunting, with even a Hills-Have-Eyes sort of flare to it that could potentially upset the staunchest of social justice warriors, but thankfully stops at the threshold of full-on xenophobia (something that cannot be said of some of Lovecraft's other stories.)
In any case, I was pleasantly surprised to find that this story is also in the public domain at this point, so here it is for all your listening enjoyment! Happy Halloween and salutations to you year-round horror fiends listening to this out of season! I hope you dig it.
116: VERMIN CLASS UNITE - Political Division is a Lost Cause Against the Elite
Season 3 · Episode 116
Saturday, October 18, 2025 • Duration 58:44
Welcome back to Black Hoodie Alchemy, folks! This week, we have a huge wild-card episode with the only political show I've ever done and probably will ever do. Really, the whole point is actually approaching politics from an apolitical standpoint. There really are no politics -- there are just common people and the ultra elite. The vermin and exterminators.
Anarchism (society without structured rule) sounds nice at times, but it will inevitably create a power vacuum. Communism might sound nice in theory but never in practice. Capitalism, what seems like our best option, has become a system that feeds off its weak and impoverished by necessity. Republicans and Democrats (and any other political party for that matter) seem to be so far up their own asses that they're tickling their tonsils...
So where does that leave us -- the vermin class that all these parties and politicians are constantly trying to divide and conquer? Unless we band together like the rats, the roaches, and the vermin we are, we're all fucked.
To help guide us this episode I read the latest release, a small "chapbook of prose poetry" written by my dear friend and colleague, Eric J. Millar of Outlet Press and We the HallowedMedia. The title of this work is PEST CONTROL: MEDITATIONS ON THE VERMIN CLASS, and this will actually mark the third episode in a row where I read from Eric's various works, which was unintentional but something I am more than happy to do!
The first were and and since this latest work of his impacted me so sincerely with its striking imagery, I felt that this was as good a time as any to round home plate with one more Millar brain-child! Good things come in threes anyway.
115: The Art & Visionary World-Building of Jack Kirby (Finishing The 'Four Color Grimoire')
Season 4 · Episode 115
Sunday, September 28, 2025 • Duration 02:53:08
This week on Black Hoodie Alchemy, we're rounding home-plate and reading the second half of my friend and colleague Eric Millar's work, The Four Color Grimoire! And this has everything to do with the legendary and still somewhat-unsung legacy of Jack Kirby - the King of Comics! But overall, it has the most to do with the art of nerd-fandom world-building itself, and the catharsis that can come from both creating and enjoying these things.
(For those unfamiliar, Stan Lee hardly created any of the heroes he is known for, and rode off the coat-tails of Kirby in the creation of superheroes like the Avengers, the X-Men, and most of their respective casts. And when Lee wasn't riding on Kirby's coat-tails, he hitched onto people like Steve Ditko in the creation of Spider-Man.)
If you haven't listened to the last episode, I encourage you to do so, although it's not entirely necessary. In the first half of the work, we discussed the archetypal, allegorical value in modern nerd fandoms by looking at OG comic book culture and art.
In this episode, we talk all that context and dive into the legacies of some of the most inventive and esoteric creators in comic books! While a solid two-thirds or so focuses on the great Jack Kirby, we also take the time to look into the titanic art and careers of both Steve Ditko and Rick Veitch.
Don't sleep on these fascinating artists, or on Eric's Four Color Grimoire!
114: Self-Actualizing Through Nerd Fandoms & The 'Four Color Grimoire'
Season 4 · Episode 114
Sunday, September 21, 2025 • Duration 01:45:27
Welcome back to Black Hoodie Alchemy, folks! This time around, I have a solo episode diving deeply into something that has really saved me over my medical recovery this year: my nerd fandoms. And I do it all with the help of my friend and colleague, Eric Millar's beautifully written book: The Four Color Grimoire, taking the time to read the first five chapters.
Comic books, video games, movies, television, and pop culture do something for us that is often hard to describe. Past the corporate mill that churns out sales according to data, these ideas often stem from the genuine and unique places within a creator's life, mind and spirit. Things like comic books and video games have long since been a lifeblood for unique story-telling that would not be given a chance in other medias. And when they get into real world-building, it becomes an even greater inspiration.
Whether its Spider-Man, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars or Trek, Fallout, et cetera, these stories and lores and characters strike at archetypal components of our imagination and can help us connect with ourselves in new ways that other schools of thought or spiritual traditions might have trouble addressing properly.
Nerd fandoms are unbound aside from the artistic spirit that creates them, and this not only gives them utility beyond our regular traditions, but separates them from those traditions. It would be improper to call superheroes modern analogues of old gods, because they represent a deeper human authenticity. Suffice it to say that in the same way that science fiction has helped inspire modern scientific advancements, other nerd fandoms provide such inspiration.
I hope you dig the listen this week and thanks for tuning in.
113: Video Games in Art, Psychology & Esoterica (feat. Joe Rupe of 'Lighting the Void')
Season 4 · Episode 108
Sunday, September 7, 2025 • Duration 02:02:57
Welcome back to Black Hoodie Alchemy! This week my good friend, recurring guest and host of 'Lighting the Void' joins me, the great Joe Rupe! While we take our usual analytical eye to today's topic, we also kick back and have a bit of fun as we talk about a topic that is really all about having fun: video games!
From the art of programming, to the imaginative lore, the human psychological pros and cons, all the way to the esoteric philosophical implications -- we've got you covered in this episode! Are video games something we can become addicted to and waste time with? Yep. Are they also a fascinating art form that does something no other art can do? Yep. Are there unique speculative implications with video games, such as simulation-theory, the collective consciousness at work, and the overall Hermetic nature of the cosmos? Yep!
And on top of all that, we also just about some great games as well. We hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed chatting. Cheers!
112: Practical Mental Health in Spirituality, Philosophy & Esoterica (feat. Joe Rupe of 'Lighting the Void')
Episode 112
Sunday, August 24, 2025 • Duration 02:06:15
Welcome back to Black Hoodie Alchemy, folks! My head was jumbled, my body was in a lot of pain, and I wasn't really sure what my next move was after this near-death experience at the beginning of the year -- so I took a bit of a longer, unexpected, and unannounced break. Some of it was out of frustration, a lot of it was out of total exhaustion, and even more of it was rooted in a level of surrender and acceptance. Some real serenity prayer sort of stuff on a very Jungian level, but it was all worth it. I'm feeling pretty damn solid now.
Joe Rupe, host of Lighting the Void helps me get into all this, unpacking some of his mental health experiences and some of my recent ones, along with analyzing mental in the fringe spiritual, new age, conspiracy theory and fortean communities.
People are always getting into these head-spaces and schools-of-thought for one reason or another, yet so many of them fail to ask themselves what these ideas and beliefs do for them on a daily practical level. People analyzing "real" alien species on internet forums, reading the "latest leaks" from Q, or trying to hex their neighbors are likely not considering the fundamental idea: Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Because of this, their mental health usually suffers on a noticeable level.
But beyond this, we get deeper into Jungian psychology and the relationship between our inner child and the archetypes of the Great Mother and Father, i.e. the Yin and Yang, et cetera.
It's a heavy episode but in many ways it's a celebratory return with great music, some fun shout outs and an awesome guest! Thanks for tuning in, folks -- there's a lot more to come. I'm feeling better than I have all year and we hope you dig the listen.
my links:
But that said, I don't endorse or condone the language or mindset espoused in this book, and instead I have a good laugh at all the crude language while also trying to extrapolate any useful psychological and sociological context possible from it. I do think this book is interesting and worth reading, but it will only be useful to the critically-thinking adult that is not looking to take anything at face value.
I hope you enjoy listening, and I wish you luck on your romantic pursuits! Ha.
This week's featured music showcases brand new releases from the homies Grim Pesci and NEGATIVE BLAST! Don't sleep on that black hoodie rap, that titanic punk rock frenzy, or any of your favorite underground artists!
This week's featured music coming from titanic wordsmiths always holding it down for the underground! Don't forget to support that black hoodie rap and all your favorite independent artists.
This week's featured music, as always, is brought to you by some of the most titanic beatmakers and wordsmiths of the underground! Don't forget to support that black hoodie rap and all your favorite independent artists!
Discover shows related to Black Hoodie Alchemy, based on actual content similarities. Explore podcasts with similar topics, themes, and formats, backed by real data.
